Eideard

A British businessman is facing jail for insulting the Prophet Mohammed after getting into an argument in a shop in Dubai.

The man, named in court papers as Andrew Graham, 40, is said to have told Hassan Habib, a Pakistani computer salesman, that the Prophet was a “terrorist”. Insulting Islam is a serious offence in the United Arab Emirates, as in other Gulf countries, and can attract a fine and a sentence of up to a year in prison.

Mr Graham pleaded not guilty at a hearing in Dubai Courts on Tuesday, admitting he had an argument with Mr Habib but denying he had attacked the Prophet or muslims…

“It was not the first time – he has had arguments in other outlet stores, according to my friends. But they are Indians and with me he increased the argument.”

The court was told Mr Graham had got into an argument with Mr Habib about the Taliban. When Mr Habib insisted that muslims were peace-loving, Mr Graham allegedly said: “All Muslims are mad and your Prophet Mohammad was a bad man. Your Prophet Mohammad was a terrorist.” Mr Graham…had to be told to change after arriving at court wearing shorts…

When you are a stranger in a strange land, discretion can be the better part of valor. Instead of trying to win every argument – especially with invective barely acceptable in your homeland – consider shutting up. And wearing long pants.

Police are being taught to tuck in their shirts and tie their shoelaces with the help of official leaflets.

Officers from Sussex Police were presented with flyers showing them “how to wear” their new uniform, which was introduced in May. The advice, which was handed out to 3,200 officers, compares a “prim and proper” policeman to a “shabby” colleague.

The leaflet states: “Serving Sussex Smartly by being proud of your appearance, you inspire confidence in the work that you do.”

On the reverse an officer appears with his shoelaces undone, shirt hanging out of his trousers and adopting a ‘slouching’ posture…

If the information on the leaflet does not suffice it states that further tips on wearing the uniform can be found on an internal police website. But the flyer has been branded insulting by officers.

“We’ve got these new uniforms – which to be honest are pretty rubbish as they shrink in the wash and tear too easily – and now they want to teach us how to wear them properly,” complained one officer who did not want to be named.

“We are all adults and have known how to tie our shoelaces and tuck our shirts in since we were kids…”

The new uniform includes zip-fronted “moisture management shirts” and cargo trousers.

The Sussex Police website states that the new uniform was paid for within the existing uniform budget without any additional funding.

It described the old uniform as “outdated and uncomfortable” and said that the new one was a “practical, fit for purpose operational uniform” which saved the force £55,000-a-year.

Ah-hah. I wondered when they would get to the important bit. Unless you think there’s something more near-and-dear to the hearts of beancounters than shaving costs?

No history offered – for the prototyping of the new uniforms, on the job, in the field? Humbug.

Braly is head of the real Death Panels
Daylife/AP Photo used by permission

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has called on health insurer WellPoint to stop dropping coverage for patients recently diagnosed with breast cancer, calling the practice “deplorable.”

In a letter dated April 22 to Angela Braly, WellPoint’s chief executive, Sebelius said she was “surprised and disappointed” to learn from a Reuters report that the company has specifically targeted women with breast cancer for aggressive investigation with intent to cancel their policies.

“As you know, the practice described in this article will soon be illegal,” Sebelius wrote. “The Affordable Care Act specifically prohibits insurance companies from rescinding policies, except in cases of fraud or intentional misrepresentation of material fact…”

“WellPoint should not wait to end the unconscionable practice of deliberately working to deny health insurance coverage to women diagnosed with breast cancer,” Sebelius wrote in her letter. “I urge you to immediately cease these practices and abandon your efforts to rescind health insurance coverage from patients who need it most.”

Breast cancer is the second-leading type of cancer among women, has touched millions of families, and will affect one in eight American women during their lifetime, Sebelius wrote.

These are the “leaders” Republicans and their Teabagger flunkies relied on for guidance in their opposition to health care reform.

The crap politicians who support their policies should be assigned to cleaning the toilets in their cells.

Don’t say anything about the hat, either

A prominent academic facing 15 years in prison for allegedly insulting the Thai monarchy has fled to England, saying that he did not believe he would receive a fair trial.

Ji Ungpakorn, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, was charged last month under a Thai lèse-majesté law over a book about the country’s military coup in 2006. His case is the latest in a spate of prosecutions and increased censorship of Web sites deemed to be critical of the royal family.

“There is no justice in Thailand,” Ji said in an e-mail sent to The Associated Press. “The regime seems to be inching toward a police state.”

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy but has severe lèse-majesté laws, mandating a prison term of 3 to 15 years for “whoever defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir to the throne or the regent.”

“When the last king is strangled…” may be a little extreme. But, the whole world would be a better place without inherited government.