The Poop Group

The funeral procession for Tahnee Whiting - the woman whose vehicle was found at the bottom of the California Aqueduct earlier in the month - was traveling east on Main Street when for unknown reasons the tractor trailer heading north on Highway 395 ran through the intersection striking the white SUV directly behind Whiting's hearse, according to Whiting's mother, Kim Isom. About six people were in the overturned vehicle, but only three were transported to Desert Valley Hospital with minor injuries.

These two scumbags made the big-time national news when this happened. Machnick and her husband were tried for felony child abuse in 2002. Jury deadlocked. In 2005, facing re-trial, Machnick pled "nolo contendere" (equivalent to guilty) to misdemeanor child abuse in a plea bargain and received 120 days community service. Their child was in junior high, and Machnick was a public school principal in Walnut. When this broke, she got promoted to "administration" so she would have "no contact with children"...  top aide on leave after child abuse allegations surface Comments 11 | Recommend 2 March 20, 2010 11:32 AM Natasha Lindstrom VICTORVILLE * The Victor Valley Union High School District has placed the superintendent's top aide on paid leave after officials discovered she was charged with abusing her teenage stepson 10 years ago, including taking nude photographs of him and forcing him to carry dog feces in his backpack. Deborah Machnick, 54, joined the district in September 2007 as director of curriculum and instruction and was appointed special assistant to the superintendent six months ago. Machnick was placed on leave March 11 after a district employee tipped off officials about prior child-abuse charges, Superintendent Marilou Ryder confirmed. "To be clear now, during her employment there's been absolutely no complaints or any proof of misconduct at all, but we have certain information that we were obligated to investigate," Ryder said. Prosecutors alleged Machnick and her husband, Grady Machnick, a former Los Angeles County Sheriff's sergeant, emotionally and physically abused their then-14-year-old son at their residence in Yorba Linda, the Los Angeles Times reported in 2002. To discipline the unruly boy, the couple allegedly forced him to sleep outside on a dog mat, prevented him from using the bathroom at night and poured water on him as he slept, the Times reported. The boy was forced to "earn" clean clothes, according to the Time

More than 60 percent of the cartels' revenue -- $8.6 billion out of $13.8 billion in 2006 -- came from U.S. marijuana sales, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Now, to stay competitive, Mexican traffickers are changing their business model to improve their product and streamline delivery. Well-organized Mexican cartels have also moved to increasingly cultivate marijuana on public lands in the United States, according to the National Drug Intelligence Center and local authorities. This strategy gives the Mexicans direct access to U.S. markets, avoids the risk of seizure at the border and reduces transportation costs. Unlike cocaine, which the traffickers must buy and transport from South America, driving up costs, marijuana has been especially lucrative for the cartels because they control the business all the way from clandestine fields in the Mexican mountains to the wholesale dealers in U.S. cities such as Washington. "It's pure profit," said Jorge Chabat, an expert on the drug trade at the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics in Mexico City.

The tuition was daunting - about $41,000 for a 14-month program - but he said the admissions recruiter portrayed it as the entrance price to a stable life. "The recruiter said, 'The way the economy is, with the recession, you need to have a safe way to be sure you will always have income,' " Mr. Newburg said. " 'In today's market, chefs will always have a job, because people will always have to eat.' " According to Mr. Newburg, the recruiter promised the school would help him find a good job, most likely as a line cook, paying as much as $38,000 a year. Last summer, halfway through his program and already carrying debts of about $10,000, Mr. Newburg was alarmed to see many graduates taking jobs paying as little as $8 an hour washing dishes and busing tables, he said. He dropped out to avoid more debt.

Last year, outstanding credit-card debt dropped an eye-popping $93.2 billion to about $876 billion, according to Federal Reserve data, which are not seasonally adjusted. During the same period, charge-offs -- the unsecured debt the banks determine they won't get back and charge off to loss reserves -- added up to $83.3 billion. In other words, only about $10 billion of the drop is attributable to consumers paying off their debt. Robert Hammer, chief executive of investment bank R.K. Hammer, said when credit charge-offs are exceeding receivables, the impact is clear. "For the first time in my 30 years in this business, the dollar amount of card loans finished the year lower than they started," he said. "That would mean that consumers have either put their credit cards in a safe-deposit box and only get them out for special occasions or that some are cutting them up and not using them at all. And we don't think any of that is going on."

At more than 17 percent unemployed, the Victor Valley continued to top California's unemployment rate of 12.5 percent. Though the state added more than 32,000 non-farm payroll jobs in January, it still has the nation's fifth-highest unemployment rate, exceeding the national average of 10.6 percent, according to the state's Employment Development Department. Michigan leads the nation with an unemployment rate of 14.3 percent, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Adelanto continued to have the highest unemployment rate in the Victor Valley at 22.8 percent. But every city noted in the state's report suffered from double-digit unemployment percentages - most over 15 percent. Most of the 19,500 jobs lost in Riverside and San Bernardino counties from December 2009 to January 2010 were in the trade, transportation and utilities sector, which declined by 7,700 workers. Retail stores shed over 6,000 jobs as the Christmas shopping season closed, while professional and business services jobs saw a decline of 3,600 workers.

The jobless rate in Riverside County was 15.1 percent in January, up from 14.3 percent the previous month, new figures show. About 137,600 people are unemployed in Riverside County, according to the California Employment Development Department. Riverside County's jobless figure was in line with the 15 percent unemployment rate that the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan statistical area reported, state officials said. San Bernardino County's unemployment rate was 14.8 percent in January, up from 13.6 percent in December, the monthly labor report showed. In the Coachella Valley, unemployment rates for cities ranged from a low of 5.4 percent in Indian Wells to 29 percent in Mecca. In January, California's unemployment rate was 13.2 percent, compared with 10.6 percent for the nation, EDD reported. Read more tomorrow in The Desert Sun.

Citigroup GC Has No Sympathy for Law Firms Seeking Premium Fees Posted Sep 28, 2009, 08:52 am CDT By Debra Cassens Weiss The general counsel for Citigroup says his in-house legal department has been battered by the economic downturn, leaving him with little sympathy for law firm arguments for premium fees. General counsel Michael Helfer, a panelist at an event sponsored by Bisnow, said Citigroup's in-house legal department has shrunk by about 300 employees over the last few years, many of them felled by layoffs, according to the Washingtonian's Capital Comment Blog. Compensation for the lawyers who are left has been cut by up to 60 percent. In such an environment, "The amount of sympathy I have for the argument that $1,000 an hour is a reasonable rate ... is nil," Helfer said, according to the blog account. Law firms aiming to please general counsel such as Helfer are agreeing to charge alternative fees. Panelists told of changes. The percentage of revenue from alternative billing is about 10 percent at Arent Fox, about 15 percent to 20 percent at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, and about 5 percent to 10 percent at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Even as law firms move to alternative fees, they hope to maintain partner profits that can average more than $1 million a partner. Akin Gump chairman Bruce McLean acknowledged it won't be easy, the blog says. "It's a big challenge," said McLean. "We're not so good at that yet."

[The new buzzword shall be "alternative fees" ... uh, I think "alternative" here means "lower".] Citigroup GC Has No Sympathy for Law Firms Seeking Premium Fees Posted Sep 28, 2009, 08:52 am CDT By Debra Cassens Weiss The general counsel for Citigroup says his in-house legal department has been battered by the economic downturn, leaving him with little sympathy for law firm arguments for premium fees. General counsel Michael Helfer, a panelist at an event sponsored by Bisnow, said Citigroup's in-house legal department has shrunk by about 300 employees over the last few years, many of them felled by layoffs, according to the Washingtonian's Capital Comment Blog. Compensation for the lawyers who are left has been cut by up to 60 percent. In such an environment, "The amount of sympathy I have for the argument that $1,000 an hour is a reasonable rate ... is nil," Helfer said, according to the blog account. Law firms aiming to please general counsel such as Helfer are agreeing to charge alternative fees. Panelists told of changes. The percentage of revenue from alternative billing is about 10 percent at Arent Fox, about 15 percent to 20 percent at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, and about 5 percent to 10 percent at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Even as law firms move to alternative fees, they hope to maintain partner profits that can average more than $1 million a partner. Akin Gump chairman Bruce McLean acknowledged it won't be easy, the blog says. "It's a big challenge," said McLean. "We're not so good at that yet."

Avoiding Speeding Tickets Trapster is essentially a cell-phone social network that allows motorists to hook up with one another for the purpose of issuing real-time alerts about the location of speed traps. Over the last year, Trapster has significantly broadened its functionality, adding several new applications, carriers and formats. When we spoke with Trapster.com founder and CEO Pete Tenereillo in mid-August, the big news at the time was that Trapster.com had just released its first Android version, which means it's now available on the T-Mobile G1 phone, which significantly increases its penetration, making it accessible to many more users. "Before, if a user had a phone that used the Android system, they didn't much care if it was available on the iPhone," Tenereillo said. Trapster works like this: Go to the Web site, and sign up for a free membership. Then download the Trapster software to your cell phone or PDA. Tenereillo said that most current-generation cell phones, Blackberries and other PDA's can accommodate the Trapster software. Then, you're ready to hit the road. And once you're tooling down the highway, if you spot a state trooper or city cop lying in wait with a radar gun or laser unit, you just need to punch in "pound one" on your cell phone -- or dial a toll-free number. Other users are then alerted on their cell phones or PDA when they approach the same speed trap. "One great thing about that is that it's hands-free," says Tenereillo. "You don't have to be looking at the phone or even be holding it to be notified of the speed trap -- which, of course, is safer, because you don't have to take your eyes off the road to be notified of the trap."

HESPERIA * Authorities said a frightening e-mail warning Hesperia residents of a rapist on the loose is a hoax. The e-mail includes an imbedded picture of convicted 9/11 terrorist Zacharias Moussaoui who is currently in federal prison in Colorado.

Bua hit a submerged boulder feet-first, according to his grandmother, Cheryl Rollins of Hesperia . The impact was so powerful that some people said they could hear bones break. Bua broke his right femur in 17 places and sustained fractures of the tailbone, pelvis, left tibia and fibula. He also cracked his L1 and shattered his right heel.

Bua hit a submerged boulder feet-first, according to his grandmother, Cheryl Rollins of Hesperia . The impact was so powerful that some people said they could hear bones break. Bua broke his right femur in 17 places and sustained fractures of the tailbone, pelvis, left tibia and fibula. He also cracked his L1 and shattered his right heel.

ominous

We don't play there any more but it was great while it lasted! Newer: Donna & Enrique have sold the Last Resort. If you have recent information, please write me. Roland's Hotel [new] Roland needed something to do besides watch his crops grow so he built a hotel. It's become the local watering hole! It is called The Copperbank Inn and Roland has a webiste here. Roland is a neat guy. If you see him, say hi and ask him to write me!! If you have visited Roland's Hotel, or if you have more information about it, would you please write me.

Ominous

The Last Resort has a new owner, and is closed for now.

On April 21, the group was leaving Tio Pepe's Restaurant around 12:23 a.m. when witnesses reported they were confronted by a second group of people. Three victims were stabbed and a fourth was run over by a vehicle, officials said. According to sheriff's officials, one victim suffered several stab wounds that will require follow-up treatment due to complications. The victims have all been released from the hospital.

part of an "ongoing and continuing fraudulent scheme" to gain inside information and use it to "unfairly compete against CMB." The suit goes on to allege that Caldwell and Roberts "were motivated by corruption" so that "they and their long-time cronies at Inland Energy could generate even more profit for themselves" if CMB was out of the picture. The firm is seeking damages, plus an injunction to stop Victorville from using contacts and business plans CMB claims were gained.

part of an "ongoing and continuing fraudulent scheme" to gain inside information and use it to "unfairly compete against CMB." The suit goes on to allege that Caldwell and Roberts "were motivated by corruption" so that "they and their long-time cronies at Inland Energy could generate even more profit for themselves" if CMB was out of the picture. The firm is seeking damages, plus an injunction to stop Victorville from using contacts and business plans CMB claims were gained. real love science poop fart

"It's like the front line of a new virus outbreak." The trends have unnerved even well-established businesses. "There is such a huge lack of confidence in the politicians, in the European Union and in the banks," said Arturo Virosque, 79, president of Valencia's chamber of commerce and the owner of a local logistics company. Ticking off crises going back to the Spanish Civil War in his youth, he said, "this is different. It's like an illness." After price cuts by competitors, Mr. Virosque's company reduced charges for storage and transportation, and slashed its work force to about 170, from 250. "The worst thing is that we have to cut the young people," he said, because higher severance makes it too expensive to fire older workers. While unemployment traditionally is higher in Spain than in much of Europe, the sharp increase has many here nervous. The jobless rate for those under 25 is at a Depression-like level of 31.8 percent, the highest among the 27 nations of the European Union.

killings in the Tijuana area fell to about 130 in the first three months of this year. That number is still high, but it's significantly lower than the total for the last three months of 2008, when there were 447 slayings. The number of ransom kidnappings, which provided gangs with large revenue streams, also has declined sharply, say Mexican authorities and victims rights groups. Since then, the general's soldiers have killed or captured several of Garcia's gunmen and lieutenants, among them Jacome Gamboa, a 29-year-old former soldier believed responsible for a reign of terror in Rosarito Beach, where the violence has all but destroyed the crucial tourism industry.

So get ready to enjoy Mexico again.

ABOUT 30 PERCENT OF ARRANGEMENTS on the site involve the daddy paying an "allowance," usually a thousand or two a month, though the site claims some reach $10,000. The rest provide the baby with incidental cash, shopping sprees, gifts, travel or the fleeting illusion that theirs is a high-end, easy life. "I get flown to whatever city I want," wrote a North Carolina college student, who goes by the name gurlnextdoor on the site's blog, a mix between an online support group and a kaffeeklatsch. "He pays for it, takes me shopping, we talk, laugh, go out to eat and do whatever we want to do for our days together. . . . I don't bring up mundane problems about my home life, and he does the same. . . . If I wanted someone to talk to about my life problems, I'd get a boyfriend or a therapist."

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Los Angeles County reported 11.4%, Riverside 13.2%, San Bernardino 12.5% and Ventura 9.6%. Even Orange County, which historically has low unemployment, reached 8.5% in March.

Companies have used government-subsidized short working hours - known as kurzarbeit - to avoid mass layoffs, but that still costs them money and is only a temporary solution. In February exports fell 23 percent compared with the previous year. Industrial output shrank 20.6 percent for the month, compared with the year before. "We would need to see signs of improvement in summer or early autumn. Otherwise it becomes too expensive for companies to continue kurzarbeit," said Gernot Nerb