A sex offender whose lenient sentence for molesting a child led to a crackdown on punishment for sexual predators in Vermont will likely be released from prison next month, state corrections officials say.
Mark Hulett is due for release Jan. 2, but will remain under the state Corrections Department's supervision for life and could return to prison if he commits another offense or violates conditions of his release.
Judge Edward Cashman was criticized by lawmakers and Gov. Jim Douglas when he sentenced Hulett, then 34, to 60 days for sexually assaulting the daughter of a family friend numerous times during a four-year period beginning when she was 6.
Cashman, now retired, said he had wanted a short prison sentence so Hulett could get the sex-offender treatment that the Corrections Department would not provide behind bars. After the department changed its policy, the judge lengthened the sentence to three years.
"He is going to complete his treatment, and he is on track to be released in January, provided he can find approved housing," Brian Kearns, Hulett's caseworker, said recently.
Finding housing could delay Hulett's release, said Andy Pallito, the acting corrections commissioner. Hulett must live in an area without large numbers of children; must not live near schools and other facilities where children gather; and must avoid friendships with people who have children.
The outcry over Hulett's sentence in 2006 led Vermont to crack down on punishment for sex crimes, including new mandatory minimum sentences for some offenders.
"We've seen far more punitive sentences, longer terms of incarceration, as a result of the Hulett matter," said Chittenden County State's Attorney T.J. Donovan.
"Sexual violence against children has become more of a priority not only for law enforcement but for the Legislature, which is a good thing," he said. "It made the Legislature talk about a very difficult process that we go through every day, which is to do justice, and that can be very difficult for the people involved."
World Journal: This is beyond an outrage! What kind of message does this send when a convicted sex offender is released in such a short period? He should have been given life in prison with no chance of parole. The above report says he sexually assaulted the daughter of a family friend numerous times during a four-year period beginning when she was just 6. Do you have any idea how scarred this little girl's life is and will continue to be? She may never recover from this trauma.
Thank God we have powerful men like Fox News Bill O'Reilly who brought down Judge Cashman. We wish there were more crusadors like Mr. O'Reilly who continue to look out for our best interests.
The Oval Office's next occupant opted for this moniker after being presented with a list of names beginning with the letter "R." As custom dictates, the rest of his family's code names will be alliterative: wife Michelle is known as "Renaissance;" daughters Malia and Sasha are "Radiance" and "Rosebud," respectively.
Lancer
President John F. Kennedy
Kennedy's moniker meshed well with the "Camelot" theme of his Administration. It also works as a play on "Lancelot," King Arthur's notoriously womanizing knight.
Searchlight
President Richard Nixon
For a chief executive undone by the late-night break-in at the Watergate Hotel, and the subsequent coverup, Nixon's Secret Service nickname — a device that reveals all — is deeply ironic.
Deacon
President Jimmy Carter
The former Georgia governor, a devout Baptist, taught Sunday school even while occupying the Oval Office; his code-name was a fitting choice.
Sunburn
Presidential candidate Ted Kennedy
As a presidential candidate in 1980, the Lion of the Senate (and pale, Irish-Catholic New Englander) had to suffer this code-name.
Rawhide
President Ronald Reagan
For a president who once starred in Westerns, this moniker was a perfect fit.
Smurfette
Karenna Gore, daughter of vice-president Al
An unfortunate choice perhaps, but Gore has nobody to blame but herself. Nineteen years old when her father became vice president in 1993, Karenna was told she could pick her own codename, as long as it had two syllables and started with an "s." Ever since, she wrote in 1997, "I have been cringing."
Angler
Vice-President Dick Cheney
Though Cheney's codename no doubt derived from his love of fishing, it also aptly described the vice-president's knack for pressing his agenda behind the scenes. Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman liked the name enough to use it as the title for his book on the Cheney vice presidency.
Parasol
Cindy McCain
Hailing from torrid Phoenix, the well-coiffed, delicate Mrs. McCain — who once required X-rays for an injury incurred by shaking hands with a supporter — seems like she could use some shade.
CHICAGO (CNN) ― The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for what is expected to be the first significant accumulation of snow for many areas in northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana.
The precipitation is expected to begin later Sunday morning and continue through Monday morning, according to the Weather Service. A mixture of snow and rain is expected to change over to all snow by Sunday afternoon and will continue Sunday night. The snow will diminish and come to an end from west to east Monday, with a period of lake effect snow showers remaining over northwest Indiana into Monday afternoon.
For the city and the immediate area around Chicago, an accumulation of 1 to 3 inches is possible by Sunday evening, with an additional 2 to 4 inches in and south of the city at night. North of the city, an additional 4 to 6 inches of snow is possible Sunday night.
Low temperatures are expected to be 25 to 30 degrees Sunday night, with north winds of 15 to 25 mph and wind gusts up to 35 mph after midnight.
Snow will accumulate about another inch Monday, before diminishing to flurries in the afternoon. Total snow accumulation of 4 to 6 inches is expected in the city and south, to near 8 inches in the far north and northwest suburbs.
The weather service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for portions of north central Illinois, northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana.
A winter storm warning for snow and blowing snow is in effect from noon Sunday for north central and extreme northeast Illinois. This area includes towns such as Waukegan, Rockford and Dekalb.
A winter weather advisory for snow is in effect beginning at noon Sunday for much of the remainder of northern Illinois, and for northwest Indiana, including the city of Chicago, Joliet, Hammond and Gary, beginning later Sunday afternoon.
Snow will continue through Monday morning then end by evening, from west to east across northwest Indiana, the weather service said.
A winter weather advisory for snow means that accumulating snow will cause travel difficulties, according to the weather service. Motorists should be prepared for snow-covered roads and limited visibility. Drivers are urged to use caution while behind the wheel during this time.
The Illinois Department of Transportation has provided the following tips to keep motorists safe:
-- Plan ahead -- Don't crowd snow plows -- Watch for black ice -- Dress warmly -- Do not travel unless absolutely necessary -- Make sure someone is aware of your travel route -- Always carry an emergency car care kit -- Carry a cell phone -- Always wear a seatbelt
The skilled pickpocket is not the seedy character you'd expect to find lurking in a dark doorway. He (or she) appears about as average as you in appearance and manner. Because they make a study of how to "blend" into the crowd, pickpockets usually remain undetected and can practice their activities with little hindrance.
Pickpockets follow no regular schedule. They operate equally well during daylight hours as well as at night. And if you have been led to believe that picking pockets takes place only in crowds, forget it! The only known fact is that they generally focus on the public during times when they might be carrying more money than usual, such as during pre-holiday spending sprees, store sales, at fairs, carnivals, horse races, gambling casinos, near bank entrances, etc.
While many pickpockets work alone, there are also teams of two or three which sometimes involves a female accomplice. A team with nimble fingers is next to impossible to apprehend. The first team member removes the valuables from unsuspecting victim's pockets. He then secretly passes them on to the next member who quickly disappears. When a female member is also employed, she generally engages the victim in conversation to distract or delay his attention.
Contrary to what most think, experienced pickpockets don't place their hands all the way into the victims pockets. Rather, the expert criminal reaches into the top of the pocket, takes up a pleat in the lining, then makes a dozen or so more tiny pleats, folding the lining with swift dexterity between his fingers. The shortening pocket lining moves the valuables upward so that they emerge at the mouth of the pocket. The entire act takes place in a second or two.
The best protection for foiling pickpockets is to remove the opportunity of becoming a victim.
For Men: 1. The target areas are back trouser pockets, and suitcoat and sports jacket pockets, located inside and out. A pickpocket who values his freedom avoids front trouser pockets, and especially buttoned or zipped pockets.
2. If it is necessary to carry your wallet in an unbuttoned pants, coat or jacket pocket, be sure it contains only what you can afford to lose. Keep large sums or money, credit cards, ID's, etc. in your front pocket or any buttoned or zipped pocket; keys an a chain attached to your clothing.
3. Never "pat" your pocket to see if your wallet is still there. This notifies the criminal of the location of your valuables.
4. Larger size "pocket secretaries" are especially inviting to pickpockets - and relatively easy to steal.
For Women: 1. Do NOT carry your wallet in your purse. Conceal it in a coat or sweater pocket where it doesn't show a bulge.
2. Use a purse that is difficult or time consuming to open.
3. Never let your purse lie unattended on a store counter or in a grocery shopping cart.
If you have been victimized by a pickpocket, immediately notify the police and give the best description you can.
Time Title Artist Year 1. 6:07 Bad Blood--Neil Sedaka 1975 2. 6:10 Shambala--Three Dog Night 1973 3. 6:16 Wah-Watusi--The Orlons 1962 4. 6:29 Penny Lane--The Beatles 1967 5. 6:33 If He Should Ever Leave You--Tom Jones 2008 6. 6:44 Working My Way Back to You--The Four Seasons 1966 7. 6:48 Freddie's Dead--Curtis Mayfield 1972
7:20 Jerry Mathers interview 7:37 Leave it to Beaver closing theme song
11. 7:43 Secret Agent Man--Johnny Rivers 1966 12. 7:51 The Rain, The Park and Other Things--The Cowsills 1967 13. 8:07 Listen to What the Man Said--Wings 1975 14. 8:11 Ben--Michael Jackson 1972 15. 8:15 I'm Alive--Tom Jones 2008 16. 8:26 Right Back Where We Started From--Maxine Nightingale 1976 17. 8:30 Day After Day--Badfinger 1972 18. 8:36 Venus--Frankie Avalon 1959 19. 8:43 Burning Love--Elvis Presley 1972
8:46 Mystery Singer: Heartbreak Hotel (Paul McCartney)
20. 8:50 Long Cool Woman--The Hollies 1972 21. 8:58 Five O'Clock World--The Vogues 1966 22. 9:07 Peg--Steely Dan 1978 23. 9:12 Sunshine Superman--Donovan 1966 24. 9:21 I Don't Want to See You Again--Peter and Gordon 1964
9:23 Hollywood Squares intro 9:24 Peter Marshall interview (replayed from October 25th)
25. 9:38 This Diamond Ring--Gary Lewis and the Playboys 1965 26. 9:45 Little Things--Bobby Goldsboro 1965 27. 9:48 Rock Me Gently--Andy Kim 1974
Saudi oil minister Ali al-Naimi is surrounded by journalists during the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) meeting in Cairo.
CAIRO, Egypt —(CNN) OPEC held off on announcing new oil output cuts on Saturday, but its alarm over falling demand and a slumping economy potentially laid the groundwork for a big reduction when it meets again in a matter of weeks.
Chakib Khelil, Algeria's oil minister and the group's president, said the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries ministers noted "with concern the continued deterioration of the global economic situation and its impact on oil demand."
The ministers, he said in a statement, agreed to "take any additional action ... to balance oil supply and demand, and achieve market stability" during their Dec. 17 extraordinary meeting in Oran, Algeria.
The outcome of Saturday's meeting in Cairo, convened about a month after the group decided to pull 1.5 million barrels per day of oil from the market, seemed unlikely to put a floor beneath crude prices that have fallen by around 60 percent from their mid-July highs of $147 per barrel.
Saudi Arabia, the 13-member organization's top exporter and kingpin, broke with its usual silence about specific prices and cited $75 per barrel as a favorable target. King Abdullah, in an interview with a Kuwaiti newspaper published Saturday, said that would be a "fair price" — a message echoed by his top oil official in Cairo.
"Eventually, if we want the marginal producer to produce and help the world supply, then we need to give them a better price," Saudi Oil Minister Ali Naimi said.
But it was unclear how the group — supplier of 40 percent of the world's crude — could realize that target soon, given the lack of action at Saturday's meeting.
Bruce Wayne – who by night is Batman – gets murdered by a man claiming to be the father he thought was dead.
In a highly controversial new storyline Bruce, who first appeared in 1939, is killed by Simon Hurt – the leader of the shady Black Glove organisation.
Simon claims he is really Dr Thomas Wayne, saying he faked his own passing when Bruce was a child.
The superhero dies when he tries to stop his foe escaping by helicopter in the new comic Batman R.I.P.
Bad father ... Batman's dad
Writer Grant Morrison said: “This is so much better than death. People have killed characters in the past but to me, that kind of ends the story!
"I like to keep the story twisting and turning. So what I am doing is a fate worse than death. Things that no one would expect to happen to these guys at all.
"This is the end of Bruce Wayne as Batman."
Batman will live on though, with another character filling his Batsuit.
Two likely contenders are Dick Grayson - the original Robin - or current Boy Wonder, Tim Drake.
CHICAGO — Police say a 7-month-old boy who was abducted when his mother's minivan was stolen on the city's northwest side has been found and is safe.
Illinois State Police issued an Amber Alert for Osial Hernandez early Friday. He was believed to be in a light green, 2003 Dodge Caravan. Police say the kidnapping happened around 3:30 a.m.
Police received a 911 call late Friday afternoon after some workers reported hearing a baby crying from a vehicle parked in suburban Skokie.
Skokie Police Commander Michael Ruth says the infant was wrapped in blankets in a car seat in the back of a minivan.
Ruth says the baby appeared to be unharmed.
The child was taken to the hospital for evaluation and released to his parents Friday evening.
An Amber Alert was issued for a 7-month-old boy who was in his mother's minivan when it was stolen outside her workplace in Chicago.
Illinois State Police are searching for Osial Hernandez, who was apparently inadvertently kidnapped during a car theft on the northwest side of the city some time between 3:30 and 5 a.m. Friday.
His mother, who has a newspaper delivery route, left her infant son in her warm, idling vehicle while she ran inside the distribution center to collect more papers. She reportedly didn't want him to get cold.
When she emerged, the minivan and her baby boy were gone.
The child is believed to be in a light green, 2003 Dodge Caravan, with Illinois license plate number X53 3131.
The Amber Alert describes the boy as a Hispanic baby with brown hair and eyes.
Saturday, Nov. 29 WABC Radio..."Saturday Night Oldies will be on this Saturday Night from 6-10pm and our guest will be Jerry Mathers of "Leave It To Beaver"."
Two men were shot and killed Friday inside a Toys R Us in Palm Desert, Calif., during a confrontation apparently involving rival groups, city officials said.
Palm Desert Councilman Jim Ferguson said police told him two men with handguns shot and killed each other. Ferguson said he asked police whether the incident was a dispute over a toy or whether it was gang-related. He said police told him they were not going to release further details until the victims' relatives were notified.
"I think the obvious question everyone has is who takes loaded weapons into a Toys R Us?" he said. "I doubt it was the casual holiday shopper."
City spokeswoman Sheila Gilligan said police told her the shooting broke out between "two groups of individuals that have a dispute with each other.
Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez said Palm Desert police got a call saying shots had been fired inside the store around 11:35 a.m.
Gutierrez confirmed there was a fight but said it was not over a toy.
He released little information at a news conference five hours after the shooting but emphasized there were no outstanding suspects and that no one was arrested. Detectives were reviewing security video and interviewing witnesses, he said.
The incident occurred near the front of the store in the check-out area. Gutierrez said.
Witnesses are calling the incident a murder-suicide, but that could not be immediately confirmed.
Bob Friedland, public relations manager for Toys R Us said the company is working closely with local law enforcement to determine the specific details of what happened at the store.
BRITISH designer Alexander McQueen riding a bike on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach in a tartan kilt . . . BRUCE Springsteen walking into the new Anthony Leonard Salon on Madison Avenue to check on wife Patti Scialfa getting her hair done . . . BRUCE Willis arriving casually dressed at the '21' Club with his girlfriend Emma Heming andasking the floor manager for a jacket. When he and the doorman said "42" in unison, they both laughed . . . WYCLEF Jean and Tony Bennett sitting in Dizzy's Club in the Time Warner Center listening to the jazz of Nikki Yanofsky.
Casio seems to be gradually bringing the G-Shock and Pathfinder lines closer together. The first Casio Riseman was introduced back in 1997, but has been discontinued for some time. About three years ago, Casio introduced the G-Shock GW-400J which borrows from the Pathfinder line by integrating a thermometer. More recently, Casio announced the Ultimate Pathfinder (PAW1500) which, like the G-Shock line, is now water resistant to 200 meters (650 feet) rather than the previous 100 meters. And now Casio is reviving the Riseman line with the very strong Casio Riseman GW-9200.
Features include:
New multi-band atomic timekeeping. Most of Casio's atomic watches are multi-band now, meaning they calibrate with atomic clocks in Mainflingen (Germany), Rugby (England), Fort Collins (Colorado), Fukushima (Japan), and Fukuoka (also Japan). But the Riseman GW-9200 goes a step further by also calibrating with the 77.5 kHz atomic signal in China, making it the first 6-band atomic watch I've ever seen.
Solar powered.
Water-resistant to 200 meters, or about 650 feet.
Barometer pressure indicator and differential pointer (graph) with a range of 260 to 1,100 hectoPascals (millibars).
Altimeter with a range of -700 to 10,000 meters, altitude data storage, and altitude differential pointer (ascent/descent graph).
Thermometer with a range of -10°C to 60°C.
Stopwatch with a resolution of 1/100th of a second, and a maximum capacity of 24 hours.
World time with support for 33 cities.
Countdown timer with a maximum of 24 hours (a nice improvement over the Pathfinders).
5 daily alarms and one snooze alarm.
Time transfer function which allows you to swap the primary time zone with a secondary time zone (simplifying frequent travel between two zones).
Electroluminescent backlight with automatic illumination feature (the ability to automatically illuminate the LCD by tilting the watch toward you).
Dimensions: 51mm x 48.8mm x 15.9mm, and 60.9g.
All that is keeping the new Riseman from being a true triple sensor Pathfinder is the digital compass which, unfortunately, is one of my favorite features of the Pathfinder line. However, the GW-9200 is clearly one of the most sophisticated digital watches on the planet. It looks fantastic, and has some additional small improvements like the ability to view the date and day of week simultaneously. I just hope that, unlike the GW-400J, we will be able to toggle between metric and imperial units for things like temperature and barometric pressure, however I'm guessing not, and I'm guessing it will not be released in the US (though I will be very happy to be proven wrong).
FILE: An Airbus A320 passenger plane crashed off the coast of southern France during a training flight, killing at least one of seven people on board.
PARIS —(CNN) An Airbus A320 passenger plane crashed off France's southern coast during a maintenance flight Thursday, killing two people and leaving the five others on board missing, authorities said.
The airplane had undergone checks at the EAS Industries aircraft maintenance center in the French city of Perpignan, near the border with Spain. It was being leased by German charter airline XL Airways and was due to return to service for Air New Zealand next month, officials from those companies said.
The jet plunged into the Mediterranean as it was approaching the Perpignan airport, from which it had taken off on a circular flight an hour earlier, France's civil aviation accident investigation bureau said.
French and German investigators, as well as civil aviation officials and Airbus experts, were heading to the crash site about 12.5 miles off the coast, it said.
Two bodies were recovered at sea, the local government said, without identifying the victims.
Five boats, two helicopters and a patrol airplane were searching choppy seas for the other five people who were on board, the regional center for Mediterranean rescue operations said.
A gun battle broke out early Friday between government soldiers in a helicopter and terrorists holed up in a Mumbai Jewish center. Forces are also trying to find gunmen thought to be in two luxury hotels, more than a day after 125 people were reported killed in several coordinated attacks.
Dita Von Teese on the December cover of German Playboy.
Burlesque star Dita Von Teese is baring it all for the December issue of German playboy.
Posing in stockings and suspenders, as well as PVC boots, the star certainly lives up to her sex symbol status.
But Von Teese's cover is just one in a long list of stars that have graced the famous men's magazine. And if anyone knows a thing or two about sexy stars, it's Hugh Hefner!
Many of his girls have gone on to fame and fortune after gracing the cover of his magazine. And conversely, some of Hollywood's biggest stars have boosted Playboy's sales with alluring, enticing cover shots. There are even those celebrities who are so rich and famous that only minimal skin was required to join the party.
Here's our list of our favorite celebrity cover models over the years. Sexy or not, here they come.
MUMBAI UPDATE: Young gunman is caught on camera smiling and running from train station in Mumbai after Wednesday night's deadly attacks.
Type of Operation
According to sources in Mumbai, armed groups and individuals have attacked at least eight (if not more) targets inside the city including the Taj Hotel, Oberoi Hotel (with most foreign tourists or guests, a railway Station, the Leopold Café and other locations. More shooting incidents are also being reported at the Trident hotel, a hospital and a highway leading to the airport and Assembly Hall. The terrorists fired indiscriminately against civilians and security elements, and lobbed grenades. At this writing sources are reporting between 40 to 80 to 100 deaths, more than 100 wounded and possible hostage taking. According to the same sources AK-47s, small arms, grenade were used. At least three foreigners are dead according to reports.
Design of the operations
In our estimate, this attack is a “complex” type, where small operations are aimed at creating chaos and triggering security deployment in many areas, while more precise operations could target higher targets such as hostage taking or similar situation.
Perpetrators
In view of the historical context, the precedents and latest analysis, the most likely groups that may be behind these attacks are the Lashkar e Toiba/SIMI (they now call themselves Indian Mujaheedin). These groups are Jihadists, have links to the other organizations in Kashmir but also inside Pakistan with pro-Taliban elements and eventually Al Qaeda. The ideological identification is most likely Jihadist although the group almost surely will issue a release to claim the attack.
According to my sources this is a “planned” operation of a very new type India. “Young boys ages 22 to 25 carried out these acts and bombs have been defused at different places. In our estimate this is a large Jihadi operation against one of the emerging economies and one of the largest democracies in Asia. The goal is to target India as a power engaged in the War on Terror but also to further destabilize the region, including Pakistan and its neighbor Afghanistan.”
