Archive for March 5th, 2009
*NEW* Tona ft Tenisha – “Major”
OLD COPRAH ARTICLE: http://corprahlanfrey.wordpress.com/2008/07/31/greyhound-passenger-beheaded-what/
Victim Tim McLean, 22
A two-day Winnipeg trial in a case of killing and beheading on a Greyhound bus ended Wednesday with both sides seeking the same verdict — not criminally responsible by reason of mental disorder.
The judge said he will deliver his verdict at 10 a.m. CT on Thursday.
Psychiatrists for the Crown and the defence agreed during the short trial that Vince Li, 40, was suffering from schizophrenia and did not know what he was doing when he killed 22-year-old Timothy McLean of Winnipeg on a bus in Manitoba last July.
The psychiatrists said Li believed he was acting on orders from God when he attacked McLean, mutilating the young man before decapitating him and eating part of the body.
Li had pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder, but Crown and defence lawyers asked that he be found not criminally responsible.
That verdict would mean he could be sent to a provincial psychiatric facility rather than to prison. He would be placed under the authority of a provincial review board with power to keep him in custody or, if he is no longer considered a risk, discharge him.
‘He has a major mental illness that …rendered him unable to know what he was doing was wrong’
—Dr. Jonathan RootenbergToronto psychiatrist Jonathan Rootenberg, testifying for the defence, told court Wednesday that Li suffers from schizophrenia and was probably psychotic for weeks before the attack.Rootenberg said Li meets the criteria for an accused person who would be not criminally responsible. “He has a major mental illness that …rendered him unable to know what he was doing was wrong,” the psychiatrist said, suggesting Li knew he was stabbing someone but thought it was a demon and didn’t understand the nature of his actions.
Earlier, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Stanley Yaren, testifying for the Crown, also gave evidence that Li was diagnosed as schizophrenic and suffered from a major psychotic episode — tormented by auditory hallucinations — at the time of the killing.
Yaren testified that according to Li, God told him that McLean was a “force of evil” who was about to stab Li unless he protected himself.
Killer could one day be rehabilitated, psychiatrists say
Even after the killing, Li believed McLean had supernatural powers and would come back to life unless he dismembered the body and spread the body parts around the bus, Yaren said. Li was not capable of understanding his actions were wrong, he testified.Both psychiatrists said that Li, although he is very ill, could one day be rehabilitated and returned to society.
The CBC’s Marisa Dragani, reporting from Winnipeg, said the trial was unusual for its brevity and lack of conflicting versions of events.
“In a murder trial, you usually hear from witnesses; you usually hear testimony about what happened, when and how,” she said. “We didn’t hear that.
“There was an agreed statement of facts, filed right off the bat, that the Crown and the defence agreed to, and that was read out in court. It was quite lengthy, and that was done to spare any of the witnesses and the family as well from reliving this horror.
“There were about 30 or so passengers on that bus, some of whom might still be affected by what they saw that night, and no one wanted to call them forward, and they didn’t want the family to have to sit in court and listen to that testimony for weeks.”In the agreed statement of facts, the Crown and defence said that Li apologized to police when he was finally arrested on the bus, from which other passengers had fled. Li attacked McLean “for no apparent reason” and ignored other horrified passengers as he stabbed the young man.
Li got on the bus in Edmonton and disembarked at a rural stop in Manitoba. He stayed there overnight, selling and burning most of his possessions. He was there 24 hours before getting on the bus again.
Around 8:30 p.m. on July 30, near Portage la Prairie, Li started stabbing McLean. The man’s body was damaged in more than 100 places, the Crown said, noting the attack was so unrelentingly violent that some of the victim’s body parts could not be found.
‘I’m guilty. Please kill me,’ Li told police
Li, court heard, was prone to unexplained absences from work and sometimes took long road trips on the bus. Despite the urging of those close to him, he refused to seek medical treatment.RCMP officers said Li’s responses were appropriate and polite when he was finally arrested.
He declined a lawyer at one point, and told police: “I’m guilty. Please kill me.”
McLean’s family has been lobbying for changes to the Criminal Code that would prevent a person found not criminally responsible for a crime from ever being released into the community.
OLD CORPRAH ARTICLE: http://corprahlanfrey.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/bashir-charged-with-genocide/
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. China, the African Union and the Arab League fear that the decision could spark more turmoil in Sudan and the surrounding region. ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, however, claims to have strong evidence against the controversial leader who has been in power since 1989. Bashir’s response has been one of defiance.
(New York) – The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) issuance of an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan signals that even those at the top may be held to account for mass murder, rape and torture, Human Rights Watch said today. ICC judges granted the warrant for Bashir, its first for a sitting head of state, on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes for his role in orchestrating Sudan’s abusive counterinsurgency campaign in Darfur.
“With this arrest warrant, the International Criminal Court has made Omar al-Bashir a wanted man,” said Richard Dicker, director of the International Justice Program at Human Rights Watch. “Not even presidents are guaranteed a free pass for horrific crimes. By ruling there is a case for President al-Bashir to answer for the horrors of Darfur, the warrant breaks through Khartoum’s repeated denials of his responsibility.”
The court did not confirm the three counts of genocide that were requested by the ICC prosecutor. Genocide requires evidence that the crimes were committed specifically “with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part,” a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group solely on the basis of its identity.
“Proving genocide charges is always extremely difficult,” said Dicker. “President Bashir is hardly off the hook, as he is sought for crimes against humanity and war crimes, including widespread rape, murder, and torture committed as part of a government plan.”
Under the ICC Statute, the prosecutor is able to request an amendment of the warrant to include genocide if he obtains additional evidence to support the charge.
The ICC prosecutor requested an arrest warrant for Bashir on July 14, 2008. Following the prosecutor’s announcement, Sudanese government officials made implicit and explicit threats of retaliation against international peacekeepers and humanitarian workers. On July 25, a Sudanese presidential advisor, Bona Malwal, stated in regard to peacekeeping forces that, “We are telling the world that with the indictment of our President al-Bashir we can’t be responsible for the well-being of foreign forces in Darfur.” President Bashir has also threatened to expel international peacekeeping forces if a warrant is issued.
The Security Council, its individual members, the UN Secretariat, the European Union, and the African Union have a critical role in promptly responding to any government-supported retaliation in Darfur following news of the warrant.
“The Sudanese government is obliged to maintain security in the country and the Security Council should act decisively to hold them to it,” said Dicker. “Khartoum should not be allowed to use the arrest warrant as a pretext for stepping up its obstructionist policies that have hobbled peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts in Darfur.”
The government of Sudan is required by a Security Council resolution to facilitate the deployment of the African Union/UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and to cooperate with the ICC. Under international law, Sudan remains obligated to protect its own civilians and to provide full, safe, and unhindered access by relief personnel to those in need in Darfur. The arrest warrant does not change these obligations, nor does it have any impact on Khartoum’s obligations to carry out the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement with the government of Southern Sudan.
“The Security Council and concerned governments should impose targeted sanctions against Sudanese officials responsible for any retaliatory violence, and consider other measures such as further banking restrictions or a widening of the arms embargo,” said Dicker.
The ICC is an independent judicial institution. Sudan, though not a party to the Rome Statute creating the court, is subject to ICC jurisdiction through Security Council resolution. Having an official position as head of state does not provide immunity from criminal responsibility before the ICC.
Apart from the warrant against President Bashir, the ICC has issued two other warrants in relation to Darfur. On April 27, 2007, the court issued arrest warrants for State Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Ahmed Haroun and a “Janjaweed” militia leader, Ali Kosheib. The prosecutor has also requested arrest warrants for three rebel leaders in connection with attacks on international peacekeepers at Haskanita in October 2007. That request is currently under consideration by the court.
Sudan has so far refused to cooperate with the ICC. All the arrest warrants remain outstanding. Haroun continues in his official position as state minister of humanitarian affairs. On November 24, the Sudanese government arrested and tortured three human rights defenders in Khartoum for allegedly giving information to the ICC.
“Khartoum is required to cooperate with the court,” said Dicker. “Because the ICC has no police force of its own, it needs strong support from governments to ensure that all those charged with crimes are arrested.”
Update: Woman Calls 911 On McD’s
OLD CORPRAH ARTICLE: http://corprahlanfrey.wordpress.com/2009/03/04/woman-calls-911-on-mcds/
FORT PIERCE, Fla. — She’s been called “McNut” by TMZ.com and “loco 4 pollo” by PerezHilton.com.
Now, after becoming an Internet sensation for calling 911 three times to report an emergency after McDonald’s had run out of McNuggets, a Fort Pierce woman said Wednesday she is embarrassed by all the media attention.
“I’m embarrassed to show my face in public,” Latreasa Goodman told WPBF News 25’s Alexis Rivera one day after her McNugget meltdown was first reported.
Goodman, 27, was issued a written notice to appear in court for misusing the 911 emergency communications system.
According to the police report, Goodman called 911 three times Saturday to report that a McDonald’s employee wasn’t giving her a refund for the chicken nuggets she wanted.
“The manager just took my money and won’t give me my money back, trying to make me get something off the menu that I don’t want,” Goodman said in one of the 911 calls. “I ordered chicken nuggets. They don’t have chicken nuggets, and so I told her, ‘Just give me my money back,’ and she tells me I have to pick something else off the menu. She is not going to give me my money back, and she don’t have the right to take my money.”
Goodman told WPBF News 25 that she didn’t “have a right to jump across the counter and snatch” the money, so she chose to handle it another way.
“Inside Edition” was there when WPBF News 25 spoke to Goodman on Wednesday. She said all the media exposure has resulted in several profanity-laced, hateful messages on her personal cell phone.
“I think it’s wrong, because like I said, it’s not about no chicken nugget meal,” Goodman said. “If everybody listen(s) to the news, they’ll understand my statement that McDonald’s took my money. They didn’t have any chicken nuggets, and so I asked for my (money) back.”
The 10-piece chicken McNuggets meal is valued at $3.49.
“When you feel that you’ve been mistreated or misused or robbed out of your money, you have the right to call 911,” Goodman said. “That’s the purpose of 911, so I thought.”
But Tiffany Bennett, an emergency coordinator for St. Lucie County, said the incident does not constitute an emergency.
“It’s not an emergency unless there was some kind of disturbance or somebody threatening someone, and I don’t believe that was the case in this matter,” Bennett said.
Carlos Solorzano, operations manager for all McDonald’s restaurants in Florida, issued a statement Tuesday apologizing for the incident.
“Satisfying each and every customer that visits our restaurants is very important to us,” Solorzano said. “Regarding this isolated incident, we apologize for the inconvenience caused. In the event that we are unable to fill an order, a customer should be offered the choice of a full refund or alternative menu items. We regret that in this instance, that wasn’t the case.
“We want to correct our mistake. We will be sending the customer her refund, along with an invitation to return for her original order, on us. We never want to disappoint a McNuggets fan or any McDonald’s customer. Customer satisfaction is our top priority.”
Goodman said she’ll continue to go to McDonald’s, but she also said she’d order with a little more caution next time.
“I’m not going and just giving up my money like that, no, but I’m going to ask them would they please check and see if they have what I want on the menu, and if they tell me yes, then I will order,” she said.
Update: All Things New
OLD CORPRAH ARTICLE: http://corprahlanfrey.wordpress.com/2009/02/14/all-things-new/
I’m so sorry I haven’t had the time to update you guys on how my first couple weeks with school went.
Right now, I’m only on the appetizer of my actual course. It’s all MS Office applications. I’ll probably be doing this for another 6 weeks or so. Now, while I’m familiar with all except Powerpoint and Access, I could always use a refresher in the others. But man, class is often boring and I find myself falling asleep. I think one time I dozed off and actually snored out loud, but I don’t believe it was THAT loud because when I opened my eyes, no one was looking at me. Good stuff. Anyhow, we finished MS Word last week and I passed with a 94%. For people seasoned on Word y’all may be thinking that’s an easy grade and to an extent I agree but regardless I’m still proud of myself. I’ve used it many times but never created the assignments I did, with it, before. So I’m taking my 94 and I’m using these modules of MS Office to boost up my average. This week we started Excel. I’m VERY proficient with Excel so I literally finish all my reading and assignments within an hour. My prof is pretty dope though. Class is supposed to finish at 5 and she usually has us done by 3. I stay for about an extra hour and pre-read or work on getting my WPM up but for the most part I leave at 4. I try to leave before the evening rush starts. The one thing I’m not happy about is that I find myself stopping at Walmart almost every day to buy an item off the McDonald’s value menu. LOL! I don’t have a lot of willpower right now to say no and those double cheeseburgers taste SO good.
But yes, with all that being said, school is going very well. I haven’t met anyone significant there as yet. I’m an observer. Not quiet or rude or snobby but I like to watch people first and see how they carry themselves before I align myself with anyone or become friends. I’m social and outgoing and pleasant but I am cautious. No one in my class jumps out at me but there is one girl that I talk to more than others. She’s a nice girl. Usually, I just come, do my work and then leave. There definitely aren’t any lookers in the class. I can’t even be distracted during Excel with a gorgeous face. The men in my class are … just not anything to look at. Sad, but true.
There is an older woman who is probably a really sweet lady outside of our classroom but she annoys the FUCK out of me. I understand people learn at different levels and someone my age would be more adept at computers than someone her age (only because we grew up with them) but she makes the dumbest remarks, asks the most irrelevant questions (RIGHT after something is explained) and when she messes up on something during independent study she laughs out loud or snorts really loudly. Like, woman, shut up. PLEASE! Ugh. Another annoying character in the class is one guy that insists on playing his music at a low volume (but because of how quiet it is, it seems louder than it should be) with no headphones. And it’s always some annoying ragga ragga reggae. Now, I love reggae. But I don’t want to hear it in class and at that volume. Get some headphones, numb nuts!
On a different note, I’ve decided I’m going on a vacation in (hopefully) April during my reading week. I don’t want to miss any classes because by that time I’ll be doing my actual Medical Office course studies. My plan is to book it at the last minute to save a shitload of money but if I don’t go in April, I’ll wait til my next reading week, which is sometime in the summer, I believe. I’d have to check my schedule. In any event, I’m excited because I believe I not only deserve this vacation, I NEED it. I haven’t gone anywhere outside of the country since 2007 when I went to North Carolina. And that was only for 4 days. So, I will revel in a week long exotic vacation. I’m aiming for a cruise to anywhere except Alaska (lol) or somewhere in Cuba. I’m not picky with WHERE I go so much as just wanting to go PERIOD.
Some more good news is in store. I recently landed a position on the blogging team for a website run by a young woman I’ve respected and admired for a long time. Lola Plaku is a genuinely hardworking powerhouse and has made quite an empire for herself. I came across her newly designed website and seen that she was looking for people to join the staff. I immediately sent her an email and she was gracious and welcoming from the first exchange. I’m just waiting for her developer to set up my login and put up my pic and bio and then I can get started. Please take the time to check out her site: www.iluvlola.net. Also, she is located in my HYPE section to the right of the blog.
Right now, things are going really well for me. I’m very busy these days but its a good thing. I’m sleeping less but I’m getting used to it. When you have goals and plans you can’t sleep. You can’t rest easy. I’m getting a slightly later start in life at my dreams but its never too late, in my opinion. Life is good. I’m glad I’m on this ride. I never want to come off.
*** If you didn’t view it quickly enough, I’m assumingthat’s just too bad for you because YouTube has taken down all the links (as far as I can tell) of the video. I’ll try to have another link up as soon as one becomes available ***
New J.U.S.T.I.C.E League Produced single off Deeper Than Rap !!!
Ehhhh, don’t much care for RAWSE but this beat is ill. John Legend is ill and come on .. Echoes produced it!!!
Peep.
*NEW* Ne-Yo Winner
Scott Storch produced new joint. Download & Listen HERE
.... Says What?