Thursday, December 6, 2007

bronwen vogel

National:
Ten members of an international smuggling ring were arrested for paying over $500,000 to ship millions of dollars of fake designer goods from China to the United States just recently. That is excluding all of the shipments made last year. The prisoners are to appear before Judge Frank Maas, the U.S. magistrate, on Thursday. Among the smuggled goods were Nike shoes, Burberry and Chanel handbags, and Polo and Baby Phat clothing. This is being called one of the biggest counterfeit cases in United States history because had the smuggled items been genuine, they would be worth over $200 million. If found guilty, the suspects face a minimum of 32 years in prison and $2.5 million in fines.

These smuggled goods went through the New Jersey port inspections miss labeled. This is embarrassing- items should be inspected, especially if being shipped from China. I would not pay for genuine baby phat clothing much less counterfeit. Retribution to the manufacturer seems appropriate. If it was so easy to smuggle clothing into the United States it must be just as easy to import more dangerous goods.

International:
On a remote Arctic island a prehistoric lizard the size of a bus was discovered. It is thought to be a new species never before recorded by science. Teeth larger than cucumbers, skull fragments, and 40 foot vertebrae are what is left of the creature. "We are regularly seeing new species of plesiosaurs popping up — in a way because, in the past 10 or 15 years, there has been what we call a renaissance in plesiosaur research," states Mark Evans, a plesiosaur expert at the Leicester City Museums in Britain. The Norwegian team plans to excavate further and give a more detailed report early in 2008.

This is exciting- I wish I could be a part of the excavation team! In ancient Biblical times lizards (and people) lived a lot longer. Since lizards never stop growing, they became "dinosaurs" and in such frigid temperatures as the Arctic animals like this are better preserved. I hope scientists don't take a few bones and make up a grandiose story and detailed report as they commonly do. Many facets of this animal cannot be unearthed by the examination of teeth and spinal cord.

National:
Kiefer Sutherland, actor in the TV show "24", was sentenced to 48 days in jail after a second drunk driving offence. Sutherland is being processed at Glendale City Jail, where he requested to serve his time. He will also have to pay a $510 fine, enroll in an 18-month alcohol-education class, attend weekly alcohol-therapy sessions for six months, and be on probation for five years. "I'm very disappointed in myself for the poor judgment I exhibited recently, and I'm deeply sorry for the disappointment and distress this has caused my family, friends and co-workers," Sutherland said after being arrested. If convicted instead of pleading guilty, Sutherland would have been sentenced to as much as a year and a half in prison.

Although I do not watch "24" and had never heard of Kiefer Sutherland until reading this article, I am happy an actor is being charged with some substantial penalties after driving under the influence. For him I suppose any publicity, good or bad, would be a push forward for his career, although he won't be able to film any more "24" episodes in the next 48 days. Drunk driving is such an abominable offence that the $510 fine seems superfluous, although the education class makes up for it. I doubt there is much to be learned, but sitting in that class for a consistent 18 months would be awful.

International:
Natascha Kampusch was captured at the age of 10 and held in a cellar in Vienna for eight years. She recently escaped, and after finding her gone Kampusch's captor, Wolfgang Priklopil, committed suicide by jumping in front of a train. After her escape and return to Austria, Kampusch became something of an icon. She will be hosting a chat television show on an Austrian channel. Kampusch is also flooded with book and film offers for her story.

Eight years of a person's prime is not worth the attention, although I suppose Kamusch is set for life as far as money matters. Europe is the perfect place to be kidnapped and or raped- I am convinced of this after spending a summer there. This story reflects badly on Austrian and Italian police. It proves that there can always be a grain of hope, although sometimes situations logically seem impossible.

1 comment:

Michael Hjort said...

WOW. A huge find.

I would love to see this find.

Stupid move by Keifer!!!

I can't imagine losing 8 years of my life.