I'm A Pepper

LOS ANGELES—Dr Pepper is making good on its promise of free soda now that the release of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" is a reality.

The soft-drink maker said in March that it would give a free soda to
everyone in America if the album dropped in 2008. "Chinese Democracy," infamously delayed since recording began in 1994, goes on sale Sunday.

"We never thought this day would come," Tony Jacobs, Dr Pepper's vice president of marketing, said in a statement. "But now that it's here, all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us."

Beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m., coupons for a free 20-ounce soda will be available for 24 hours on Dr Pepper's Web site. They'll be honored until Feb. 28.

Dr Pepper is owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc.

The Carbon Footprint of the U.S.

The Vulcan Project has released the most detailed map of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. You can read the entire story here.

Militarizing the City

2,000 troops patrol Juárez to stem drug violence

This is going to be interesting. I wonder if I can get hazard pay?

33 Bodies

A total of 33 bodies have been unearthed so far from the backyard of a Juarez house. Read the CNN story here. Scary.

89 Homicides Since January 1st

Juárez violence keeps up as 7 are killed in 3 days
By Daniel Borunda and Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 03/04/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

A wave of violence engulfing Juárez continued Monday night when three men were shot to death in a vehicle strafed by gunfire in a supermarket parking lot.

The unidentified men were found inside a bullet-riddled Nissan Altima at 8:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Soriana San Lorenzo on Avenida Paseo del Triunfo de la Republica, state police said. Two of the men died at the scene. The third man was taken to a hospital where he died.

Over the weekend, four men, including a state police officer and an army officer, were killed, Juárez police reported.

On Sunday, Ricardo Fuentes Garcia, 38, possibly a Mexican army officer, was found fatally shot in the chest in a Dodge Neon at Paseo del Triunfo de la Republica and Fray Junipero. Fuentes had identification stating he was a Mexican army captain.

On Saturday, Luis Alonso Marrufo Armendariz, a 38-year-old officer with the Chihuahua state investigative agency, was shot in his police vehicle by people in a gray sports car on Manuel Cloutier Avenue. He died and another police officer traveling with him was wounded.

The slaying was the latest in a recent rash of killings aimed at law enforcement officers in Juárez. In January, a hit list was posted on a memorial to fallen police officers.

The body of Raymundo Martinez Alcantara, in his 30s, was found in a pickup truck Saturday on Tecnologico Avenue and Nayarit Street. He had been shot to death.

Jose de la Luz Arreola Garcia, 42, was pronounced dead from stab wounds
Saturday at Santa Maria clinic.

More mass graves and more homicides aimed at law enforcement. That's scary. Read more here.

Gruesome News From The Front

Mexican federal police guard the home where authorities discovered five bodies, two heads and three human torsos buried beneath a patio. The tallest building stands on the same property where the remains were found. (Adriane Jaeckle / El Paso Times)

Home heavily guarded
5 bodies, 2 heads and 3 torsos dug up
By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 02/28/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

JUAREZ -- Excavators could still be heard Wednesday digging up the Juárez patio where five bodies, two heads and three torsos were unearthed in the past few days.

The white house with pink window trimming, on a small residential street off Tecnologico Avenue, was guarded by heavily armed federal police officers.

Behind the house on the property are a paved patio, which was hidden from sight Wednesday by blue and black tarp, and a conspicuous three-story concrete warehouse.

Andres Rodriguez, who works at a grocery store on an adjacent street, said that more police and forensic technicians had been going to the house every day.

"I didn't really realize what was going on. It's a sad world we're living in," he said.

On Jan. 25, about 1,500 pounds of marijuana were found during a police raid on the house.

On Feb. 21, police were back and uncovered one body in a grave. The next day, they found three bodies in another grave.

On Feb. 23, they found a body in a third grave.

Last Monday, they made a gruesome discovery in a fourth grave -- two heads and three torsos.

The identities of the victims were not released Wednesday.

Authorities said Tuesday they still had half the patio to tear up.

You can read the whole story here.

Bullseye

This AP photo shows a modified tactical SM-3 missile fired from the USS Lake Erie yesterday to destroy a non-functioning spy satellite 247 kilometers over the Pacific Ocean. Oh, and the satellite was traveling more than 17,000 mph. The Feds say they destroyed the satellite because they were afraid after impact it may release a hazardous gas. Yeah, I'll buy that but I think they were probably more afraid that maybe some top secret spy cameras or lenses might survive reentry and impact in a bad guy's back yard. Of course it was also a way to allow President Bush to allow our military to flex its muscles a bit. Apparently nothing bigger than a football is entering the atmosphere after the direct hit.

Number 30

According to Lilja's Library...

A bit of Trivia for you that you may or may not know... with Duma Key King has notched up 30 number ones on the New York Times best seller list... more than any other author in the history of the list.

1 The Dead Zone Viking October 14, 1979
2 Firestarters Viking September 28, 1980
3 Cujo Viking August 23, 1981
4 Different Seasons Viking August 15, 1982
5 Pet Sematary Doubleday November 13, 1983
6 The Talisman (with Peter Straub) Viking October 28, 1984
7 Thinner (as Richard Bachman) NAL Books April 28, 1985
8 Skeleton Crew Putnam June 23, 1985
9 It Viking September 14, 1986
10 The Eyes of the Dragon Viking February 1, 1987
11 Misery Viking June 7, 1987
12 The Tommyknockers Putnam November 29, 1987
13 The Dark Half Viking November 5, 1989
14 The Stand Doubleday May 13, 1990
15 Four Past Midnight Viking September 16, 1990
16 Gerald's Game Viking July 19, 1992
17 Dolores Claiborne Viking December 6, 1992
18 Insomnia Viking October 23, 1994
19 Desperation Viking October 13, 1996
20 Bag of Bones Scribner October 11, 1998
21 The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon Scribner May 2, 1999
22 Dreamcatcher Scribner April 8, 2001
23 Black House (with Peter Straub) Random House September 30, 2001
24 Everything's Eventual Scribner April 7, 2002
25 From a Buick 8 Scribner October 13, 2002
26 Song of Susannah Donald M. Grant/Scribner June 27, 2004
27 The Dark Tower Donald M. Grant/Scribner October 10, 2004
28 Cell Scribner February 12, 2006
29 Lisey's Story Scribner November 12, 2006
30 Duma Key Scribner February 10, 2008

News From Behind The Front

It's not unusual for "hitmen" to go to a hospital to finish the job when someone is only wounded and survives the assassination attempt. When the military arrived in Juarez they were protecting the hospital that was treating the wounded police commander. Now that he has been transferred to a U.S. level 1 trauma center, law enforcement here has gone on alert and are guarding the commander.

Thomason Hospital was placed on "lockdown" Wednesday by El Paso and federal law enforcement authorities guarding a Chihuahua police commander who survived an assassination attempt.

El Paso police and sheriff's deputies stood guard outside the hospital with assault rifles. Doors were locked, and all visitors went through a metal detector in unusually tight security for the county hospital.

Cmdr. Fernando Lozano Sandoval of the Chihuahua State Investigations Agency is being treated at Thomason after surviving a mob-style ambush that occurred Monday night while he drove on a Juárez street.

Lozano, 51, had been in critical but stable condition in a Juárez hospital, where he was guarded by heavily armed Mexican soldiers. Tuesday evening, at the request of his family, he was transferred by ambulance to Thomason, Juárez authorities said.

The lockdown, which will continue for an undetermined amount of time, was ordered early Wednesday by officials with the El Paso Police Department, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

You can read the entire story here. I think I'll watch Traffic tonight.

More News From The Front

Not an uncommon occurrence but also not just a coincidence.

Slaying of Juárez police official is 2nd in two days
Article Launched: 01/22/2008 12:12:13 AM MST

A Juárez police commander was gunned down and killed Monday morning when more than 35 shots were fired during a mob-style shooting outside his home, police said.

Francisco Ledezma Salazar was the second municipal police official killed in Juárez in two days. On Sunday morning, Lt. Julian Chairez Hernandez was fatally shot by men who strafed his patrol car.

Late Monday, another police commander was hospitalized after being shot, Channel 26-KINT (cable Channel 2) reported.

At 7:44 a.m., Ledezma Salazar had gotten into the driver seat of a Ford Expedition to go to work when shooters in a minivan opened fire with a "cuerno de chivo" -- the nickname for an AK-47, Chihuahua state investigators said in news release. He died at the scene. Police said Ledezma Salazar's wife, who was inside the home, was shot in a foot.

Juárez police spokesman Jaime Torres said that Ledezma Salazar was in uniform and on his way to a morning meeting of police commanders. Ledezma Salazar was director of operations for the city public safety office.

"Unfortunately, it's a situation where working as part of the police force is a constant danger," Torres said.

Torres said it was unknown if there is a link between the shootings of Ledezma Salazar and Chairez Hernandez. The homicides come a week after U.S. federal agents arrested former Juárez police director Saulo Reyes Gamboa on drug-trafficking charges in El Paso.

The killings have Juárez police being asked to take "extreme precautions," including reporting any threats, suspicious vehicles and making sure no officers patrol alone.

News From The Front

Sometimes I think no news is good news.

Juárez's Homicide Rate Doubles In New Year
El Paso Times
Article Launched: 01/15/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

Four men were killed in Juárez early Monday, continuing what has been a particularly bloody beginning of the year in Juárez.

With the shootings, there have been 24 homicides in Juárez in the first 14 days of 2008 -- or 1.7 homicide per day, double the average of 0.8 homicides per day last year. In comparison, there has only been one homicide in El Paso since Jan. 1.

Many of the victims in Juárez were young men and died in what appeared to be drug- and gang-related incidents.

"These problems between organized groups of criminals are very difficult to prevent. It's something going on between them," said Juárez municipal police spokesman Jaime Torres.

The last four homicides stem from two separate incidents Monday.

In the first, Juárez police said that they were called to the scene of a gun fight on Zafra and Cruz streets at about 4:40 a.m. They said they found the bodies of three unidentified men next to a blue, 1991 Plymouth Voyager. The men ranged in age from about 17 to about 30. Police said they think two of the three men were brothers. They died of bullet wounds.

At about 5 a.m., police went to the scene of another reported gun fight and found the body of a 30- to 35-year-old man wrapped in a brown blanket at the corner of Cotija and Caracuaro streets. The man, also unidentified Monday afternoon, died of gunshot wounds.

And this sounds like a Clint Eastwood or Akira Kurosawa movie hero should intervene since it seems the police or government aren't doing anything.

Juarenses Protest Neighborhood's Treatment
El Paso Times
Article Launched: 01/15/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

Four years after Juarenses and a Mexican industrialist squared off over a patch of land called Lomas de Poleo, little has changed, residents and supporters said Monday at a protest in front of the Mexican Consulate in El Paso.

The neighborhood on a mesa in west Juárez is still topped by a guard tower, surrounded by barbed wire, guarded by hired men and left without electricity. Residents and media reports blamed Juárez industrialist Pedro Zaragoza for harassing the residents, with whom he has a legal battle over the land.

Petra Medrano, who has been living in Lomas de Poleo for 15 years, said she lives in fear of the volatile young men who are acting as guards, denying entry to the neighborhood to anyone they please.

"We are afraid to leave Lomas de Poleo because nobody would be looking after our house. Recently, they have been robbing us," she said. "When we leave, they let in some young men who take everything from our houses."

About 35 people protested in El Paso, while a similar protest took place at the U.S. Consulate in Juárez. In El Paso, protesters gave a letter to Mexican consular officials who said they would pass it on to the federal agency in charge of land deals.

You can read an older story about Lomas de Poleo here.

"Don't Tase Me, Bro" and Other Quotes

That was the top quote of 2007 as compiled by the editor of the Yale Book of Quotations. The second was the rambling from a Miss Teen USA contestant which I thought would be much better to view...and become confused. Really confused.

Go Spirit Go

It's a race against time for the Mars rover Spirit to get to a safe spot to wait out the long Martian winter. Read the story here.

Void Void Void

This story reminds me of an episode of The Simpsons where Homer goes to the bank and tries to cash a $1,000,000 check he received in the mail. Doh!

Live Long and Prosper

Yes, I could picture Winona Ryder as a Vulcan. And a hot one to boot. But being cast as Spock's mother? I have a problem with that because we all know Spock's mother was Human. This must be some cruel and unusual trickery by the Hollywood studio. Someone needs to get to the bottom of this and fast. Warp ten!

Child Stars and Goat Suckers

Old news but good photos of 15 child stars and their trials and tribulations that came with their fame can be viewed here after disabling pop-ups. Someone should sign the Olsen twins to star in a horror flick. Ugh! And the dead Chupacabras found near San Antonio have been proven not to be the blood-sucking monsters but in fact only coyotes with hair problems. You can read the story here. But I still believe.

Bigger In Texas

Lake Tawakoni State Park in Texas has an attraction right now that some think is fascinating and others won't go near. It's a spider web that covers trees and shrubs on a trail for 200 yards. Is it the work of one giant mutant spider or the work of a group of social spiders? No one knows yet for sure but many have speculated. The park has invited entomologists to visit and study the web but so far no one has accepted. I'm guessing they're too busy studying the recently discovered South American Gigantic Hairy Blue Jumping Hunter Squeaking Spider. Very dangerous indeed. Read the whole story (about the web) here.

The Next Step

Ugh. In bad taste, exploitation, insensitive...the list goes on. Read the whole story here.

Some Are More Equal Than Others

I was reading this article about a Los Angeles to London flight that was diverted to New York because a flight attendant was suspicious of a passenger. The flight attendant noticed that the passenger in question rode in an employee shuttle bus and bypassed security. Apparently he also was of "Middle Eastern descent."

My big question is why aren't airline and airport employees subject to the same kind of scrutiny as your average Joe? Sure they've passed a background check but things can change rapidly in a person's life or political outlook. You may be considered safe today but tomorrow is another day. Plus I've seen enough movies where the bad guy takes advantage of this type of loophole and kidnaps some employee's family member and threatens physical harm lest the person smuggles a weapon on board..

I think all airline and airport employees should have to be checked by security personnel and screened just as everyone else has to be to enter the "secured" area of an airport. They should have to walk through a metal detector and have their bags x-rayed. Every time. No exceptions. If that's not being done then I think the area really isn't secured and they might as well do away with all the security checkpoints. So the next time you fly, be wary of the flight attendant (especially of Middle Eastern descent) because you know that he/she did not have to go through the same kind of security check that you did before boarding the aircraft. Now sit back, relax, enjoy your flight and sleep with one eye open.

Note: Only one more day before a week of vacation. Hooray! And no, I'm not flying.

It's Alive!

From noodling to twitching fish. Can it get any stranger?

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- A chef in Taiwan is in trouble with animal lovers after reportedly serving a not-quite-dead fish as a gourmet delicacy.

A Taiwanese newspaper said the fish dish includes a carp covered with sweet-and-sour sauce, its body deep-fried but its head still twitching. Animal lovers criticize the practice, saying deep-frying will cause a fish extreme pain.

The chef said the dish -- known as "yin yang fish" -- is popular in China. Chefs use it to show customers how very fresh their food is. The newspaper said Taiwanese officials will try to persuade the chef to cook something else.