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Mexico jail riot leaves 19 dead

8/15/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post

Gang-instigated riot in Durango prison in the Northern part of Mexico resulted in the death of 19 prisoners and the wounding of at least 20 more on Friday, August 14, 2009. Murders in Mexican jails left about a hundred dead inmates in the last few months.

Threatening the peace and stability of Mexico, the recurrent violence is related to the drug wars that had been raging in the area. It brought fatalities of about 6,000 civilians last year and another 1,000 this year.

"Durango has been the scene of clashes between the Gulf and Sinaloa drug cartels in recent months. Mexican President Felipe Calderon has declared war on the illegal narcotic organisation in Mexico, deploying 40,000 troops to fight the cartels." ---BBC News (08/15/09)

The death of prisoners is the latest of the ongoing fight for dominance of narcotics peddlers. Drug gangs are responsible for staging bloody killings and the staging of jail break-ins to help jailbirds bolt out from prison. (Photo Credit: Dana Gonzales) =0=

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Labels: drug war, drugs, illegal drugs, jail, killings, Mexico, narcotics, prisoners, riot, Totie Mesia

Bill Clinton’s success in securing the release of two US journalists

8/06/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post

In a happy note, former president Bill Clinton was able to negotiate the release of two US journalists who had been held prisoners in North Korea for 4 months on charges of “hostile acts” against the reclusive communist nation.

The two women of Asian descent Laura Ling and Euna Lee served as reporters for former Vice President Al Gore's California-based Current TV media venture. They were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor after they were picked up by North Korean soldiers near the China border.

Upon their return to the United States, the former detainees had an emotional reunion with their families. Appearing in a tearful news conference in Burbank, California on Wednesday, August 5, 2009, Ling and Lee thanked Bill Clinton and the entire American nation for the effort which gained their freedom.

“The trip and its diplomatic theatrics represent a sudden moment of goodwill and compromise between two countries with nearly 60 years of fractious relations that grew even more antagonistic over the past year.”---Fox News/ AP (08.05/09)

The negotiations to secure freedom for the American journalists had been going on for months. Controversy surrounded the deal with Kim Jong Il who snatched undetermined number and put them in prison. Bill Clinton came to meet with the dictator at a time when tensions between North Korea and the West over the former’s nuclear arms. Attempts to bring back the repressive communist regime to the 5-country disarmament negotiation table had so far been unsuccessful.

It appears the 67 year-old Kim Jong Il wanted to improve relations with the United States as he prepared his son as a successor-dictator after he suffered a stroke last year. The journalists’ walk away to freedom was a chance to project a “kinder” image of the imporverished government which had been encountering resistance within and outside the country. It would also help set a platform for renewed talks to deter nuclear arms proliferation by the North Koreans. =0=(Photo Credit: Reuters; AFP/ KCNA via KNS) =0=

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Labels: diplomacy, Euna Lee, Kim Jong-il, Laura Ling, North Korea, politics, Pres. Bill Clinton, prisoners, Totie Mesia

Cebu Inmates Dance to the Tune of MJ’s “Dangerous” as Tribute to the King of Pop

7/28/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post

Expressing their continuing facination to their fallen idol, the deceased mega- performer Michael Jackson, inmates of the Cebu Penitentiary who found attention in their group dances, wiggled at the tune of "Dangerous." Clad in black and orange garbs, the dancing inmates added another dimension to their rehabilitation while serving time in jail.

Serving like a “therapy,” dancing has a calming effect on the Filipino prisoners. Their performances after practice have attracted the attention of approving spectators throughout the world. You Tube displayed their hilarious and entertaining presentations which had become popular in the internet.

In their earlier repertoire was Michael Jackson’s famous "Thriller" which brought 10 million hits since it became available in cyberspace. Another was a reenactment of scenes and songs from the movie Sister Act.

The 1,500 inmates thankfully attributed their fame to the phenomenal King of Pop whom they idolize. Boredom and trouble in their jail quarters had been low since they started dancing. (Photo Credit: Huffington Post/ Byron Garcia) =0=

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Labels: Cebu, Cebu Prison Dancers, Dance, Dangerous, entertainment, jail, Michael Jackson, prisoners, Thriller, Totie Mesia

UP Ibalon Bicol

Mexico jail riot leaves 19 dead

Bill Clinton’s success in securing the release of two US journalists

Cebu Inmates Dance to the Tune of MJ’s “Dangerous” as Tribute to the King of Pop

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