ORANJESTAD – Government officials in Aruba are subjected to a mandatory drug test. Justice-minister Rudy Croes (MEP) announced that there is a bill for that and that it’s going to take effect at the end of this year.
Croes has already expresses the desire to conduct drug tests, because he wants a better quality of government officials in Aruba. Public order and safety departments received indications at that time that 10 percent of their employees are using drugs.
After the bill is passed and the act comes into effect, civil servants that are guilty of using drugs run the risk of being dismissed. It is not clear yet what the drug test implies; for which drugs. Due to the costs that go with the test, it is possible that for the time being, only civil servants with sensitive positions will be tested.
Comment: Now, this enactment takes guts. This could never happen to government employees in Hawaii.
Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Posts: 7039 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:49 am Post subject: Memory Lane Revisited
To All:
Here is a year old article that packs a punch. With the paucity of information on the case, the article provides entertainment, despite its less than cordial language:
Royal Caribbean Cruises will possibly fill the gap that Carnival Destiny left behind when she stopped calling in at Aruba. This involves a big investment, whereby the move of the container terminal to Barcadera can be accelerated.
ORANJESTAD -- Royal Caribbean Cruises is planning to invest in the harbour of Oranjestad. This is good news, says Aldrich Croes, the PR for Aruba Ports Authority (APA). He didn’t want to go into details on the extent and nature of the investments though, because the cruise company is still in negotiations and there is no signed agreement yet.
Managing Director Alfonso Boekhoudt went to Miami to negotiate with Royal Caribbean, and also he didn’t want to comment on the details. One thing is clear though; Royal Caribbean will come to Aruba all year round and with that, the gap that Carnival Destiny created, will be more than filled. Boekhoudt says that not only the businesses in the vicinity of the harbour will profit from the presence of the Royal Caribbean ships, but also the ones in Caya Betico Croes.
Pending the negotiations, Boekhoudt didn’t want to comment on the extent and nature of the investments. He did say though that these investments will accelerate the move of the container terminal to the harbour of Barcadera and that the mutual plans of APA and Free Zone Aruba can be realized in 2008. For APA it is important that the investment in the move does not lead to unacceptable increase of the tariffs, as a result of which the competitive position of the Aruban harbour will be at issue.
Aldrich Croes indicated that when Boekhoudt returns from Miami, he will have more details on the entering of an agreement with Royal Caribbean. He expects this to be in about 10 days.
Royal Caribbean Cruises has a fleet of 21 cruise ships, including one that is on order. Some of these ships, like Adventure of the Seas, visit Aruba on a regular basis. The company also exploits Celebrity Cruises and is since 2006 the owner of the Spanish Pullmantur Cruises, whose Blue Moon uses Aruba as pick-up harbour for her Caribbean Cruises. While the ships of Royal Caribbean carry many American tourists, the passengers of Pullmantur Cruises come mainly from Spain and other European countries.
Comment: Reads like Boycott Bob has taken another hit!
AMSTERDAM – Marechaussee investigators, customs officials, and the fiscal investigation service FIOD/ECD rounded up a large international drug smuggling ring operating via Schiphol over the last few weeks. Six men have been arrested, the Marechaussee announced on Friday.
The men are suspected of importing large shipments of drugs into the Netherlands. The Marechaussee and customs confiscated a total of more than 100 kilos of cocaine in this investigation.
Three of the suspected smugglers work at Martinair, a spokesperson for the Dutch airline has confirmed. He did not want to comment further on the case.
The investigation into the criminal organisation started last year and was mainly focussed on Martinair employees.
The detective work by the Marechaussee and customs indicate that the drugs were hidden onboard flights leaving Mexico and the Dominican Republic. After arrival at Schiphol the cocaine was brought into the Netherlands.
Various homes were searched after the suspects were arrested. Detectives found a number of firearms and quantities of ammunition. The investigation team also confiscated a speedboat, several expensive cars and a large quantity of cash.
The Marechaussee says the case has now been concluded. Five suspects will appear in court on 14 March for procedural hearings. The sixth suspect will be brought before the court at a later date.
Comment: If the airline employees are willing to smuggle drugs, then they would be willing to smuggle people. Natalee's disappearance could be re-thought with an airline employee conspiracy.
LAURENS, S.C. — An elementary school teacher was arrested Friday and charged with two counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor after a parent claimed the woman had sex with one of her 11-year-old students, Laurens authorities said.
Wendie A. Schweikert, 36, of Belton resigned from her teaching position at E.B. Morse Elementary School around noon Friday and was arrested, Police Chief Robin Morse said. She had been an employee of the school district for nine years, he said.
Schweikert is accused of having sex with the pupil at the school, Morse said.
Schweikert had no criminal history and no prior complaints were made against her, Morse said. "She had been a good employee and a good teacher before this from what I understand," he said.
Officials at Laurens School District 55 said the allegations were made late Thursday.
"This is an unfortunate situation that is being taken seriously," district Superintendent Edgar Taylor said in a news release. "The administration of the district stands firm in its belief that student safety is of the utmost importance. This type of behavior is not acceptable and will not be tolerated in the district."
Comment: I guess we can appreciate now why no one in the Deep South was concerned about Joran being under 18 and romancing Natalee. At 17, he might have been compared with someone collecting social security!
Southern Gentlemen are referred to as Southern Buds in Gamecock Country!
ALAN COLMES, CO-HOST: Welcome back to "Hannity & Colmes". Twenty-three-year-old Emily Streb was arraigned yesterday in charges of having an affair with her 16-year-old special ed student who suffers from depression and other problems. Streb was the 16-year-old's music teacher and allegedly had sex with him multiple times.
The boy had reportedly denied claims to the school's investigator but then later admitted something was going on to his mother, who then turned and called the police. The judge released Streb without setting bail but has issued a full order of protection, barring her from contacting the student.
Comment: When women start hitting the Special Ed kids, it should be a warning to keep the Clinton's out of the White House. Even the beavers (real ones ... the animals) have moved into New York City in order to escape the Clintons!
ORANJESTAD – Sexual abuse of minors and mentally handicaps will receive more attention. That is the result of an assignment in Aruba that Corine Melis finished recently. Melis is police inspector with the National Police Corps Services in the Netherlands.
Melis has put guidelines and proposals for improvement of the interrogation of mentally handicaps on paper for employees of the Youth- and Vice Squad in Balashi. The studio where the interrogations take place is refurnished and made customer-friendly.
With Posters in Papiamento and Dutch, the attention of the population is fixed on the duties of the Youth- and Vice Squad. The sexual abuse of minors and mentally handicaps is still a taboo on the island. The program Cerca Dika on TeleAruba will pay attention to this subject. There was a need for Melis’ instructions, because the Police Corps in Aruba had no expertise in-house for the interrogation of mentally handicaps.
Before she joined the Police Corps, she was youth leader in an institution for mentally handicaps. Once with the police, she became youth- and vice detective.
She was on vacation in Aruba last year and stayed with a friend that, as psychologist, was committed to the Foundation for Mentally Handicaps (SVGA). There was a case of sexual abuse of a mentally handicapped minor right in that period of time. Due to her personal interest, she got in contact with Eric Lake, Youth- and Vice Squad inspector in Aruba and later also with chief superintendent of police Peter de Witte. Melis received the go-ahead for a work assignment in January, which she could use pretty good for an internal study in the Netherlands. The instructions that are now on paper are totally in accordance with the guidelines of the Public Prosecutor.
Tuyo Werleman of SVGA said that he is very pleased with the result of this assignment. Not only the police received instructions, also the employees of SVGA received usable information from Melis on recognizing customers’ behaviour problems that derive from sexual abuse. Inspector Lake was also pleased with the results. Melis said that now that more attention is paid to the possibility to report sexual abuse, the department can expect a bigger number of complaints. The department might have to consider increasing her staff in the future.
Comment: I wonder if after the American media's Natalee Holloway roadshow, whether or not Bamans are considered mentally handicapped?
KvK: ‘Valero and the government have to abide by the law
ORANJESTAD – The government is right in saying that all proprietors, including Valero have to pay bbo. But the government herself does not always set a good example, because she does not follow the rules. That is the conclusion of the Chamber of Commerce (KvK) in the discussion that goes around in the community on Valero not wanting to pay bbo.
Valero has not paid the first term of bbo to the tax department. Valero has deposited the bbo amount on a so-called escrow-account, which is an account, where money can be withdrawn with the authorization of both parties only. Minister Nilo Swaen (MEP) of Finance and Economic Affairs indicated recently that the government does not accept this, because it is against the law. Every enterprise, no mater the size, has to pay taxes, says the minister.
According to the General National-ordinance Taxation, Valero can appeal, same as any other citizen or proprietor. The tax inspector has to decide on this within a year. If the inspector does not manage to do this within that period of time, he/she has to timely inform this to the citizen or proprietor. The Finance-minister has then the authority to decide on an extension.
According to KvK, there are cases of appeal, whereby the Tax Department does not comply with above rules, and the decision-term is exceeded. “That is not in the interest of the citizens. The government must set an example by abiding by the law. But gradually we receive more examples where the government does not do this”, said KvK.
David Smith, the spokesperson of Valero indicated that Valero has not received notice from the government yet about not having to pay bbo for the month of January. The company also does not know anything about a possible fine that the company perhaps has to pay. Smith says that Valero can still lodge a notice of objection to the Tax Department. There is still a case pending at the Dutch Arbitration Institute (NAI) that Valero has instituted against the National Government about paying bbo. Valero could do this because the agreement between the company and the National Government includes a so-called NAI stipulation that gives both parties the possibility to appeal to the independent mediation institute, in case of a dispute.
Comment: Although the article exposes some fencing exercise between the Aruban Government and Valero, the message is clear: Valero pay your Natalee Holloway tax!
Women With Bigger Behinds Were All the Stone Age Rage, Scientists Say
Baby Got Back" may have been a smash hit song in the early 1990s, but researchers say the song might have been wildly popular some 15,000 years ago as well.
Carvings found in Poland from Stone Age Europe show that prehistoric women with curvy figures and a prominent posterior were revered, according to a report in London's Daily Express.
“The engravings and figurines adhere to a style depicting feminine silhouettes with over-represented buttocks," Romuald Schild, of the Polish Academy of Sciences, who led the dig, told the Daily Express.
The Kate Mosses of the era, researches said, were ignored by men looking for a mate. An overdeveloped derriere were signs that a woman was wealthy, healthy and had a good diet, a sign that her mate was a good hunter. She would also be a good mother and be fertile, the report said.
Comment: After reading this weird article, I reviewed the pictures of the Mountain Brook, Alabama teens on vacation in Aruba. Strangely, when I juxtaposed Boycott Bob's actions, this article and the Alabama teens' picture, the idea entered my mind that perhaps the Alabama teens went to Aruba in order to have fun, because the Arubans did not discriminate against small butt women. Maybe not much has changed in 15,000 years in the Land of Boycott Bob!
The Aussie site has updated some compelling updates concerning the beach conditions on the night that Natalee disappeared. If we match Joran's story of leaving her on the beach, approximately one meter from the water's edge and add that Natalee was inebriated (I'm being polite), the Aussie site has advanced a more persuasive argument for Natalee being washed out to sea. (Also, just add some assistance to Natalee becoming adrift!)
I recommend our readers read what the Aussie site has to offer. Some telling graphs have been included for support.
D.C. Appeals Court Ruling Holds Second Amendment Protects 'Individual Right'
By Second Amendment Foundation, 3/11/2007
11:10:29 PM
BELLEVUE, WA – A ruling Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia that strikes down the District’s 1976 handgun ban and holds that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms is “a landmark for liberty, and an affirmation that everything the gun rights community has been saying for years is correct,” the Second Amendment Foundation said today.
The 2-1 ruling came in the case of Parker v. District of Columbia. Senior Judge Laurence H. Silberman wrote the opinion, with Judge Thomas B. Griffith concurring. Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson dissented. The ruling holds that the District’s long-standing ban on carrying a pistol in the home for personal protection is unconstitutional. SAF filed an amicus brief in the case.
In his ruling, Judge Silberman wrote, “In sum, the phrase ‘the right of the people,’ when read intratextually and in light of Supreme Court precedent, leads us to conclude that the right in question is individual.”
“This is a huge victory for firearm civil rights,” said SAF founder Alan M. Gottlieb. “It shreds the so-called ‘collective right theory’ of gun control proponents, and squarely puts the Second Amendment where it has always belonged, as a protection of the individual citizen’s right to have a firearm for personal defense.”
Judge Silberman’s ruling notes that the Second Amendment “acknowledges…a right that pre-existed the Constitution like ‘the freedom of speech’.”
“Because the right to arms existed prior to the formation of the new government,” Judge Silberman wrote, “the Second Amendment only guarantees that the right ‘shall not be infringed’.”
Silberman’s ruling also observed, “The right of self-preservation…was understood as the right to defend oneself against attacks by lawless individuals, or, if absolutely necessary, to resist and throw off a tyrannical government.”
“Judge Silberman’s ruling,” Gottlieb said, “reverses 31 years of unconstitutional infringement on the rights of District of Columbia residents, not only to keep and bear arms, but to be safe and secure in their own homes. This is a ruling that should make all citizens proud that we live in a nation where the rights of individual citizens trump political correctness.”
The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nations oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 600,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. SAF has previously funded successful firearms-related suits against the cities of Los Angeles; New Haven, CT; and San Francisco on behalf of American gun owners, a lawsuit against the cities suing gun makers and an amicus brief and fund for the Emerson case holding the Second Amendment as an individual right.
-END-
Comment: Individual rights have just been dealt trump card. States, like Alabama, can rejoice.
Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Posts: 7039 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 10:55 am Post subject: TA & Aussie Theory
To All:
After reviewing the persuasive, beach-entrainment theory on the Aussie site, I believe I can piece together what happened the night that Natalee Holloway disappeared.
As our readers can follow from my prior comments, textual analysis of the suspects statements (Joran van der Sloot & the Kalpoe brothers) posted on Sacred Monkeys blog, I induced that alcohol poinsoning succumbed Natalee Holloway in the backseat of Deepak Kalpoe's car some 15-30 minutes after they left Carlos & Charlie's. This alcohol poisoning was of Natalee's own accord and nothing orchestrated by Joran & the Kalpoe brothers. I believe the FBI statements, revealed on another blog and reproduced on this site in our archives, attest to Natalee's alcohol consumption during the day and evening of her disappearance.
Now, if the alcohol poisoning left Natalee in a severe inebriated state, such that she was coming in and out of consciousness when prompted by Joran van der Sloot, then what can be discerned by Joran's and Deepak's statements is what transpired.
Deepak & Satish did drop off Natalee in Joran's arms behind the Marriott Hotel. Joran carried (or grossly-assisted walking) Natalee to the beach. Clearly, she was severely inebriated ... a symptom of alcohol poisoning. Joran could not revive Natalee from her slumber. After staying with her for an hour or so in order to allow her time to revive, Natalee did not. Actually, she might have even died. I suspect that she did.
Rather than following my earlier scenario in which the suspects (Joran & Kalpoe brothers) immolated Natalee on a later date, if the tide and wind conditions were as the Aussie site researched, then all Joran had to do was to set Natalee adrift in the Marriott Beach waters. The tide would take her to sea. A boat would not have been required.
This scenario follows with Joran claiming in his statements that he left Natalee one meter from the shoreline.
Two detractors:
1) Dutch tide experts claim the eddy currents around the island of Aruba would entrain Natalee's body back to the Aruban shoreline, unless she was deposited in the ocean over a kilometer and half from shore. The Aussie site provides a counterclaim. Given the statements of the suspects, juxtaposed with the Aussie research, I believe the Aussie research has tipped the scales in favor of an entrainment to sea.
2) I do not believe that Joran acquired a death certificate, before he set Natalee adrift ... although I believe Joran was convinced that Natalee was stone-cold dead, before he set her adrift. However, if he did get a doctor's concurrence that Natalee was dead, then I suspect that his father did get involved ... giving rise to the sudden reversal & negation of the awarded damages decreed by the Dutch appeals court.
The Aussie site can be linked in my comments above:
The Aussie site has updated some compelling updates concerning the beach conditions on the night that Natalee disappeared. If we match Joran's story of leaving her on the beach, approximately one meter from the water's edge and add that Natalee was inebriated (I'm being polite), the Aussie site has advanced a more persuasive argument for Natalee being washed out to sea. (Also, just add some assistance to Natalee becoming adrift!)
I recommend our readers read what the Aussie site has to offer. Some telling graphs have been included for support.
Israel Recalls El Salvador Ambassador Who Was Found Naked, Drunk and Bound
Monday, March 12, 2007
JERUSALEM — The Israeli ambassador to El Salvador has been recalled after he was found drunk, naked and bound in sexual bondage gear in his yard, an official said Monday.
Tsuriel Raphael has been removed from his post and the Foreign Ministry has begun searching for a replacement, said spokeswoman Zehavit Ben-Hillel.
Two weeks ago, El Salvador police found Raphael naked outside his residence, tied up, gagged and drunk, Israeli media reported. He was wearing several sex toys at the time, the media said. After he was untied, Raphael told police he was the ambassador of Israel, the reports said.
The British Broadcasting Corp. reported that he could identify himself to police only after a rubber ball had been removed from his mouth.
Ben-Hillel said the reports were accurate and that Raphael has been recalled, although he did not break any laws.
"We're talking about behavior that is unbecoming of a diplomat," she said.
The ambassador did not file a police complaint in the incident, she said.
Raphael had served for six months as the ambassador in El Salvador and for several years at different missions around the world, she said.
The embarrassing affair was one of several involving Israeli diplomats in recent years. In 2000, Israel's ambassador to France died of cardiac arrest in a Paris hotel under circumstances the Foreign Ministry refused to publicize. Media reports said he was with a woman who was not his wife at the time.
Last year, Israel replaced its ambassador to Australia, Naftali Tamir, after he said Israel and Australia are "like sisters" because both are located in Asia and their peoples don't have the Asian characteristics of "yellow skin and slanted eyes."
In 2005, Israel canceled the appointment of a diplomat to Australia after it was discovered that he published pictures of nude Brazilian women on the Internet while on a mission in Brazil.
Comment: Could this article be an advertisement for alternative High School Senior Trips to Aruba? Can Aruba's Carlos & Charlie's top El Salvador?
Beth Twitty's "Save Yourself" should explore the Israeli Diplomatic Corps!
PS: How do you claim diplomatic immunity while you are wearing a sex toy for a rudder?
AMSTERDAM – Finance Minister Wouter Bos is surprised at reports that the US intelligence services have access to data on Dutch bank account holders. "This is news to us and a reason for concern for myself and my colleagues," the minister said.
Bos announced that an investigation would be launched. He and Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin want to know how far the tentacles of the US services reach into the Dutch financial world. Bos promised to report to Parliament before the end of April, the Volkskrant reports.
Kees Vendrik of Green-left GroenLinks had called Bos to Parliament after statements on the matter from Jacob Kohnstamm, head of the Data Protection Authority (CBP), in the NRC Handelsblad.
Kohnstamm says that banks violate privacy legislation by handing over information on Dutch clients to the US authorities without informing the clients.
The US is interested in all conceivable streams of financing in its war against terrorism. It was already clear in 2002 that Belgian company Swift, which arranges bank-to-bank transactions worldwide, was giving information to the Americans.
The Dutch government took no action at the time. Bos said "little could be done by Dutch or European law then because it involved a private company."
Now the case is different however because the Americans reportedly directly requested information from the Dutch banks. Bos first wants to know whether the US services approached the public prosecution department initially with a request for legal assistance in the matter.
The minister told Parliament that he has not been told whether this took place. Nor is he aware of any cooperation between US and Dutch regulators.
Coalition parties Christian democrat CDA and Labour PvdA are concerned about the handing over of information. Financial spokesperson for the Labour faction Ferd Crone was not satisfied with Bos's comment that banking regulator De Nederlandsche Bank does not concern itself with the privacy of bank clients.
Comment: If I were to guess, I would induce that Jossy Mansur & his family were among the account-holder names requested by the US authorities.
WILEMSTAD – “Stanley, ass, I was here, come get it”, was the verbiage of the letter that was left behind in Parke Tropical tonight. Stanley Ignacio, committee-member of Parke Tropical is obviously being addressed to come and get the stolen birds. This is the third time in two weeks that birds disappeared from the zoo that put up a reward for the golden tip this time.
Two macaws, one parrot, and seventeen red-back dwarf parakeets disappeared tonight; all males. To get in, the thieves cut the wire gauze on Chuchubiweg. The hole was not very big and the authorities noticed small footsteps. Ignacio assumes that it were children or teenagers that took the animals from their cages. Securitas guards said that also this time they have not noticed anything suspicious. “They say that it might have happened during daytime, but the park was open till 18:00 and they have not seen anything suspicious; they keep changing their story. A dwarf-macaw disappeared last week and the week before two Barbadensis parrots. If this continues, there won’t be any bird left.” The theft was reported to the police and members of the district-team in Brievengat. Zero Tolerance, a detective, and the LVV service are informed.
Many animals are being stolen lately, says Ignacio, who is also inspector of complaints. One donkey also disappeared from the petting-zoo recently, but that was probably a joke. Not many of the stolen animals are retrieved. Ignacio’s biggest concern is the caring of the animals. “Parrots and birds need special nourishment; they cannot survive on just bread. They will become undernourished and die.” Most people do not realize that. During a raid in East-Jongbloed last week, the authorities found among others, dwarf-parrots that turned out to be stolen. They were not from the zoo though, but they were indeed undernourished, said Ignacio.
Comment: Has Dr. Phil dispatched more White Hunters to Curacao for clandestine undercover work? It is a good thing Joe the Eggman has an incarceration alibi!
I wonder if Jossy & the Diario Dogs took a lead from the article purposely omitting the sex of the donkey. All the birds were males. Maybe the Diario will publish a connection between the missing donkey and Natalee Holloway. Perhaps Rudy & Ruger will be back on Aruba sniffing while their handlers party.
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