And like that, it’s gone!
Month: December 2017
Nigerian Prince Scammer Caught In Slidell, Louisiana
December 28, 2017
**Slidell Police Arrest “Nigerian Prince” Fraudster**
After an extensive 18-month investigation, Slidell Police arrested a “Nigerian Prince” responsible for scamming people out of thousands of dollars…well sort of.
Most of us have seen the e-mail, or one similar, about a Nigerian Price who claims that you are the named beneficiary in a will, to inherit an estate worth a million or more. Your personal financial information is needed to “prove” that you are the beneficiary and to speed the transfer of your inheritance. Most people laugh at the thought of falling for such a fraud, but law enforcement officials report annual losses of millions of dollars to these schemes.
Slidell Police financial crimes investigators arrested , 67-year-old, Michael Neu (Slidell,LA), for 269 counts of Wire Fraud and Money Laundering. Neu is suspected to have been the “middle man”, and participated in hundreds of financial transactions, involving phone and internet scams, designed to con money from victims across the United States. Some of the money obtained by Neu was subsequently wired to co-conspirators in the Country of Nigeria.
The investigation is on-going, but is extremely difficult as many leads have led to individuals who live outside of the United States.
Slidell Police Chief Randy Fandal hopes this arrest serves as a reminder for Slidell residents to be leery of such scams. Chief Fandal said, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Never give out personal information over the phone, through e-mail, cash checks for other individuals, or wire large amounts of money to someone you don’t know. 99.9 percent of the time, it’s a scam.”
This scam, along with others, are becoming a common practice all across the United States. If someone call’s you claiming to be an official of a government agency, your local utility company, a law enforcement official, or anything similar, ask for a callback number and verify the person is legitimate.
Atheism leads to Collapse into Immorality & Lawlessness: Letter to Editor, New Zealand
Have faith
One has to wonder where Jim Adams (Letters, December 27) has been not to be aware of the tragic consequences of the adoption of atheism by societies and the attendant collapse into immorality and lawlessness.
It has to be admitted that atrocities have been committed in the past (and even today) in the name of some religions (even by so-called Christians) but the overall outcome has been positive for humanity – especially that of Christianity with its power to change lives for good.
Compare this with atheism which leads to disintegrating societies and the inevitable rise of totalitarian regimes such as those of Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao Ze Dong and Kim Jong-Un, and the death and suffering of hundreds of millions of people; not the idyllic picture Jim envisages.
We need to recognise that because of man’s fallen state atheistic, humanistic socialism can never be the answer; only a life-changing personal faith in Jesus Christ is.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith (in Jesus Christ) … not of works lest any man should boast” Ephesians 2:8-9.
DAVID PREEST
Rotorua
Letters to the Editor, New Zealand Herald, Rotorura Daily Post
FDA Needs Public to Report Adverse Events Related to Homeopathic Products
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed a new, risk-based enforcement approach to drug products labeled as homeopathic. To protect consumers who choose to use homeopathic products, this proposed new approach would update the FDA’s existing policy to better address situations where homeopathic treatments are being marketed for serious diseases and/or conditions but where the products have not been shown to offer clinical benefits. It also covers situations where products labeled as homeopathic contain potentially harmful ingredients or do not meet current good manufacturing practices.
Under the law, homeopathic drug products are subject to the same requirements related to approval, adulteration and misbranding as any other drug product. However, prescription and nonprescription drug products labeled as homeopathic have been manufactured and distributed without FDA approval under the agency’s enforcement policies since 1988.
The FDA intends to focus its enforcement authorities on the following kinds of products:
- products with reported safety concerns;
- products that contain or claim to contain ingredients associated with potentially significant safety concerns;
- products for routes of administration other than oral and topical;
- products intended to be used for the prevention or treatment of serious and/or life-threatening diseases and conditions;
- products for vulnerable populations; and
- products that do not meet standards of quality, strength or purity as required under the law.
Examples of products that may be subject to the enforcement priorities in the draft guidance are infant and children’s products labeled to contain ingredients associated with potentially significant safety concerns, such as belladonna and nux vomica; and products marketed for serious conditions, such as cancer and heart disease.
Homeopathy is an alternative medical practice developed in the late 1700s, based on two main principles: that a substance that causes symptoms in a healthy person can be used in diluted form to treat illness (known as “like-cures-like”); and the more diluted the substance, the more potent it is (known as the “law of infinitesimals”). Homeopathic drug products are prepared from a variety of sources, including plants, minerals, chemicals and human and animal excretions or secretions. These products are typically sold in pharmacies, retail stores and online.
In September 2016, the FDA warned against the use of homeopathic teething tablets and gels containing belladonna, a toxic substance that has an unpredictable response in children under two years of age, after the products were associated with serious adverse events, including seizures and deaths, in infants and children. An FDA lab analysis later confirmed that certain homeopathic teething tablets contained elevated and inconsistent levels of belladonna. A similar issue occurred in 2010 when Hyland’s Teething Tablets were found to contain varying amounts of belladonna. An FDA inspection of that product’s manufacturing facility indicated substandard control of the product’s manufacturing.
The FDA has issued warnings related to a number of other homeopathic drug products over the past several years. These include certain homeopathic zinc-containing intranasal products that may cause a loss of sense of smell, homeopathic asthma products that have not been shown to be effective in treating asthma and various homeopathic drug products labeled to contain potentially toxic ingredients, like nux vomica, which contains strychnine (a highly toxic, well-studied poison often used to kill rodents).
The FDA encourages public comments on the draft guidance during the 90-day comment period. (Announced December 18, 2017)
The agency also encourages health care professionals and patients to report adverse events or quality problems experienced with homeopathic or any drug products to the FDA’s MedWatch program:
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Complete and submit the report online at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm; or
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Download and complete the form, then submit it via fax at 1-800-FDA-0178.
The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.
Russia to participate in parade of athletes at 2018 Olympics opening
Photo: Russian bobsledders at the 22nd Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, 2014. Stanislav Kraslinkov, TASS
December 29, 2017
MOSCOW, December 29. /TASS/. Russian athletes will participate in the parade of national teams at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea’s PyeongChang, Alexander Zhukov, the president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), told TASS on Friday.
“Russian athletes will take part in the opening ceremony of the Games in PyeongChang and they will participate in the parade of athletes under the Olympic flag,” Zhukov said in an interview with TASS.
Earlier in the day, Anastasia Zadorina, the head of ZASPORT sports outfit design company, told TASS that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved a new design of the Russian team’s ceremonial uniform for the 2018 Olympics.
According to her, the initially designed uniform underwent some changes as “In line with the requirements, we took off the tricolor (the Russian national flag), the national emblem and added the required OAR emblem.”
Winter Olympics Torch Relay, Preparations Underway: Photo Highlights
The Executive Board of the IOC announced its decision on December 5 to suspend the Russian national team from taking part in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea’s PyeongChang over multiple doping abuse allegations.
The IOC, however, stated that doping-free athletes from Russia could go to the 2018 Olympic Games under the classification of neutral athletes, or the OAR status, which stands for ‘Olympic Athlete from Russia.’
The upcoming Olympics, which are 23rd Winter Games, will take place in South Korea’s PyeongChang on February 9-25, 2018.
Waging Nonviolence: Top 10 Most-Read Stories of 2017: Peaceful Strategies to Effect Change
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Alvin Kamara’s Christmas Cleat Fine Turns into Charitable Donation
We talkin bout Christmas??!! Lemme show y’all some different flavors. @adidasFballUS #teamadidas #NewSpeed pic.twitter.com/gCUQnlq117
— Alvin Kamara (@A_kamara6) December 23, 2017
When New Orleans Saints footballer Alvin Kamara donned these Christmas-themed cleats, the NFL fined him $6079, as the shoes were in violation of NFL rules.
‘‘Tis the season 🤷🏾♂️. I’ll start the @gofundme later, stay tuned lol pic.twitter.com/ZtIapZoWmt
— Alvin Kamara (@A_kamara6) December 28, 2017
Here we go!!!! Donations will be made to Willie Hall playgrounds Recreational Department right here in New Orleans to buy cleats for their youth teams.https://t.co/mRC4NXRpac
— Alvin Kamara (@A_kamara6) December 29, 2017
Go Fund Me https://www.gofundme.com/alvin-kamara-christmas-cleat-fine
Unfortunately The Grinch stole Christmas!! After the game I said that I would make a gofundme for the fine and donate the proceeds to charity sooooo…. here we are! A donation will be made to Willie Hall playgrounds recreational department to provide cleats for their youth football programs.
The Go Fund Me account is still actively accepting donations to reach its $6000 goal.
The Willie Hall Playground is a community park and recreation facility located in the city of New Orleans. The center serves the surrounding community with athletic programs such as basketball and football leagues for area youth.
Sex Slavery/Comfort Woman Issue May Be Reopened Between Japan & South Korea
Photo: Japan was highly offended when a “Comfort Woman” was introduced to President Donald Trump at the South Korean State Banquet held for Trump in November, 2017. The appearance of “Comfort Woman” Lee Yong Soo prompted Japan to file a diplomatic protest against South Korea.
Comfort Woman Invited to Trump’s State Dinner in S. Korea Causes Japanese Outrage
South Korean ruling party chief calls for new agreement on Japan’s wartime sexual slavery
SEOUL, Dec. 29 (Yonhap) — The leader of the ruling Democratic Party on Friday called for a new agreement to settle the long-simmering dispute over Japan’s wartime sexual slavery in a way acceptable to the victims.
Choo Mi-ae made the remarks a day after President Moon Jae-in criticized the 2015 deal between Seoul and Tokyo as seriously flawed, as the negotiations failed to reflect the opinions of the victims and the citizens.
“We need a new agreement that can be accepted by the victims,” Choo said during a meeting with senior party officials. “An agreement that aims to cover up the truth rather than uncovering it cannot be an (acceptable) agreement.”
Choo Mi-ae, the leader of the ruling Democratic Party, speaks during a meeting with senior party officials at the National Assembly in Seoul on Dec. 29, 2017. (Yonhap)
She then urged Japan not to respond “emotionally” to the recent review of the deal by the foreign ministry’s task force, which concluded parts of the deal were kept secret to apparently avoid criticism of Seoul’s concessions to Tokyo.
“Japan should refrain from emotionally responding and reflect on how it can resolve the issue in a way that serves its national interests,” she said. “I urge Japan to act in a way that befits Japan’s national prestige.”
Tensions flared anew between the two neighbors after Seoul re-examined the bilateral deal reached under the former Park Geun-hye administration to settle the issue involving Korean women who were forced by Japan to serve at front-line military brothels during World War II.
Moon, who took office in May, has said that the agreement is “emotionally” unacceptable to Korean citizens.
Under the deal announced on Dec. 28, 2015, they agreed to “finally and irreversibly” resolve the sex slavery issue, while Tokyo apologized for its colonial-era atrocities and agreed to contribute 1 billion yen (US$8.9 million) to a foundation dedicated to supporting the victims.
The deal, however, prompted strong criticism from victims and civic groups who claim that Japan’s apology was not sincere enough and that the government did not consult with them. Some call for renegotiating or even scrapping the deal.
Hong Kong vessel seized by S. Korea after ship-to-ship oil transfer for N. Korea
2017/12/29
SEOUL, Dec. 29 (Yonhap) — A Hong Kong vessel has been seized and inspected by South Korean authorities after secretly transferring oil to a North Korean vessel in international waters in a ship-to-ship transfer prohibited by the United Nations Security Council, government officials said Friday.
South Korean customs authorities inspected the Hong Kong vessel, Lighthouse Winmore, when it entered the country’s Yeosu Port on Nov. 24 after transferring 600 tons of refined oil to a North Korean vessel on Oct. 19, the officials said.
UNSC Resolution 2375, adopted in September, bans member countries from ship-to-ship transfer of any goods for North Korea.
This composite photo of oil transfer between China and North Korea is captured from the website of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. (Yonhap)
The Hong Kong-flagged ship was chartered by Taiwanese company Billions Bunker Group and previously visited South Korea’s Yeosu Port on Oct. 11 to load up on Japanese refined oil and head to its claimed destination in Taiwan, the authorities noted.
Instead of going to Taiwan, however, the vessel transferred the oil to a North Korean ship, the Sam Jong 2, and three other non-North Korean vessels in international waters, they said.
“The actions taken will be reported to the UNSC sanctions committee on North Korea in the future,” according to the authorities. “This marks a typical case of North Korea shrewdly circumventing UNSC sanctions by using its illegal networks.”
The officials said South Korea has shared intelligence with the U.S. for the detection of the illegal transaction.
In their search of the seized vessel, South Korean authorities secured navigation logs and testimony from the crew that the oil transaction was ordered by the Taiwanese group through the vessel’s caption. But motive of the transaction with North Korea is not known, the officials noted.
South Korea will be keeping the Hong Kong-flagged vessel for about six months, during which time Hong Kong is expected to file a request for the ship’s release with the UNSC’s sanctions committee on North Korea.
The U.S. has reportedly called on the UNSC to blacklist 10 ships for engaging in proscribed trade with North Korea although China and Russia are opposed to that. Lighthouse Winmore was reportedly one of the 10 targeted ships. The Security Council sanctions committee will make a decision on the request on Friday (New York time), according to the officials.
Update: Another Volcano Erupting in Indonesia; Mount Sinabung in Sumatra
Photo: Gunung Sinabung 12.27.17. Courtesy Sutopo Purwo Nugroho
Update 2.25.18
Gunung Sinabung kembali meletus pada 25-2-2018 pukul 20:38 WIB,. Di bawah sinar rembulan, kawah Gunung Sinabung melontarkan abu vulkanik setinggi 3.800 meter. Angin bertiup perlahan kearah Selatan -Baratdaya. Energi vulkanik masih tinggi berpotensi terjadi letusan lagi. #volcano pic.twitter.com/FJplplfTjN
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) February 25, 2018
Translation: Mount Sinabung erupted again on 25-2-2018 at 20:38 GMT,. Under the rays of the Moon, the crater of Sinabung catapult volcanic ash as high as 3,800 meters. The wind blows gently towards the South-Southwest. The energy of the volcanic eruptions could potentially still high again. #volcano
UPDATE: 2.19.18
Inilah batu kerikil hasil letusan Gunung Sinabung yang jatuh di Desa Gurukinayan dan desa-desa di sebelah tenggara. Letusan eksplosif yang melontarkan abu vulkanik setinggi 5 km dan batu kerikil disertai luncuran awan panas sejauh 4,9 km. #Sinabung #SinabungErupsi @VolcanoRisk pic.twitter.com/J2oBKRmXyC
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) February 19, 2018
Mengerikannya awan panas yang meluncur ke arah Desa Perbaji saat Gunung Sinabung meletus dahsyat tadi pagi (19/2/2018). #volcan #volcano #SinabungErupsi #Sinabung @BNPB_Indonesia pic.twitter.com/kDaE7RIwbv
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) February 19, 2018
English Translation:
Ferocious heat clouds glide toward the village of Perbaji when the mount Sinabung erupted terrible this morning (19/2/2018). #volcan #volcano #SinabungErupsi @Sinabung #BNPB_Indonesia
UPDATE: 1.6.18
Lagi, Gunung Sinabung meletus pada 6/1/2017 pukul 10.19 Wib. Tinggi kolom abu vulkanik 1500 m. Lama gempa erupsi 101 detik. Daerah landaan awan panas meluas. Kapan erupsi G. Sinabung berakhir? Hanya Tuhan yang tahu. Iptek belum mampu memprediksinya secara pasti. #volcano pic.twitter.com/vUkA8FCy77
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) January 6, 2018
English Translation Courtesy Bing:
Again, mount Sinabung erupted at 6/1/2017 at 10.19 Bst. High ash columns 1500 m. Long eruption earthquakes 101 seconds. Landaan hot cloud area extends. When the eruption g. Sinabung ended? God only knows. Science hasn’t been able to memprediksinya. #volcano
UPDATE: 12.30.17
Pada 30/12/2017 pukul 14:58 WIB, Gunung Sinabung erupsi lagi dengan tinggi kolom abu vulkanik 2800 m dari puncak. Lama gempa erupsi 292 detik. pic.twitter.com/DEp9lF1wmk
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_BNPB) December 30, 2017
Letusan magmatik Gunung Sinabung disertai dengan awan panas guguran sejauh 3,5 – 4,6 km ke sektor Timur Tenggara Selatan. Hujan abu jatuh di desa-desa sebelah timur gunung. Tidak ada korban jiwa karena zona merah sudah dikosongkan. Ribuan KK akan direlokasi dari Sinabung. pic.twitter.com/eqsU8ZtjNs
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_BNPB) December 27, 2017
English Translation: Magmatic eruption of Mount Sinabung is accompanied by heat clouds as far as guguran 3.5-4.6 km east southeast of sector South. The rain of ash fell on villages East of the volcano. There were no casualties because the red zone has already emptied. Thousands of FAMILIES will be relocated from Sinabung.
Gunung Sinabung kembali meletus dengan tinggi 4.000 meter dari puncak kawah, lama letusan 435 detik pada 29/12/2017 pukul 06.11 WIB. Hujan abu tipis jatuh di bagian timur dari gunung. Status Awas. Tidak ada korban jiwa dan tidak ada penambahan pengungsi. #Sinabung #vulcan pic.twitter.com/bP7BzaxJ4e
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_BNPB) December 29, 2017
English Translation: Mount Sinabung erupted again with a height of 4,000 metres from the summit crater, long eruption 435 seconds at 29/12/2017 at 06.11 GMT. Thin grey rain fell in the eastern part of the mountain. The Status Of The Awas. There were no fatalities and no addition of refugees. #Sinabung #vulcan