Tag Archives: arrested

Scum and Villainy Must Be Arrested

a.aaaInnocent until proven guilty.

Simple in concept but, like most things, the devil is in the details. How will we as an evolving society continue to embrace this simple concept? Under this basic principle, being arrested is decidedly not the same as being guilty.

Once upon a time I, yours truly, was arrested by the police. I’m not sure if I’ve ever told you that story. It’s a harrowing tale of poop, felis catus, neighborly love, and C.S.I. And just like most episodes of C.S.I. the identities of the guilty will be revealed in time for the credits.

I imagine the whole thing looked a lot like George Clooney being handcuffed and taken into custody. Yeah, exactly the same.
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Rebekah Brooks: Arrested and resigned

Rebekah Brooks Arrested

Source: Flickr ssoosay

In case you don’t know, Rebekah Brooks was the editor of the News of the World newspaper and at the helm during the phone hacking scandal. That paper is, of course, one of the many holdings of News Corp. headed by chairman and chief executive Rupert Murdoch.

Brooks and Murdoch are tight like this, yo.

So yeah, you may have heard that as a result of the scandal, Brooks was forced to resign. That’s true. She resigned as the chief executive of News International on July 15, 2011.

She was arrested on by London police on July 17, 2011, for suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications and suspicion of corruption. She was in custody for 12 hours then released on bail.

Although coverage of the News Corp. hacking scandal has died down a bit it is far from over.

Did you know that despite widespread coverage of Brooks’ “resignation” she was still on the board of directors for 22 News Corp. holdings?

Here’s the list of Brooks’ directorships:

TIMES NEWSPAPERS HOLDINGS LIMITED
NEWS INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS LIMITED
NEWS 2026 LIMITED
NEWSCORP INVESTMENTS
NI SYNDICATION LIMITED
NI FREE NEWSPAPERS LIMITED
NEWS INTERNATIONAL TRADING IRELAND LIMITED
NEWS PRINTERS GROUP LIMITED
NEWSPRINTERS (EUROCENTRAL) LIMITED
NEWSPRINTERS (KNOWSLEY) LIMITED
NEWSPRINTERS (BROXBOURNE) LIMITED
NEWS PRINTERS ASSETS LIMITED
NEWS INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISEMENTS (IRELAND) LIMITED
TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT LIMITED (THE)
NEWS GROUP NEWSPAPERS LIMITED
NI GROUP LIMITED
NEWS INTERNATIONAL NEWSPAPERS LIMITED
TIMES NEWSPAPERS LIMITED
NEWS INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION LIMITED
NEWS INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATED SERVICES LIMITED
NEWS INTERNATIONAL (ADVERTISEMENTS) LIMITED
NEWS INTERNATIONAL SUPPLY COMPANY LIMITED

Source: Political Scrapbook

Wow. It must be nice to have someone rich and powerful like you. A lot.

In a statement, Brooks said back on July 15th, “… my resignation has been accepted.”

You keep using that word “resignation.” I do not think it means what you think it means.

The Daily Telegraph reported that despite resigning from her position, Brooks remained on the company payroll and continued to receive her salary from News International, having been told by Rupert Murdoch to “to travel the world on him for a year.” (Source: Wikipedia.)

Keep an eye on this one even if the story occasionally drops from the main street spotlight. News of the World has been accused of doing some really slimy things and she was in charge. With Murdoch as her friend and mentor, I’m sure that apple didn’t fall from the tree.

Google Maps: Osama Cribs

Now that Osama Bin Laden is dead, the location of his “compound” can be revealed.

Described as a “mansion” by some, it is reportedly “about six times larger than neighboring homes with walls as high as 15 feet, topped with barbed wire.” (Source: Los Angeles Times.)

Thanks to the magic of Google Maps, you can magically transport to Pakistan and visit the compound yourself.

Link to Osama Bin Laden’s Hideout Compound (Google Maps)

And that’s where things get interesting.

If you click the link to go there, Google Maps shows the satellite image of the “mansion” where Osama lived. If you click the little icon for “Osama Bin Laden’s Hideout Compound” a little bubble that pops up with a bit of info and a thumbnail image.

Screen shot of Google Maps show Osama's Hideout Compound

Wait a moment! What is that little thumbnail image shown in the bubble? That looks strangely familiar. Let’s click it to see the image associated with Osama Bin Laden’s Hideout Compound.

The main image associated with Osama's Hideout Compound on Google Maps

George Bluth (in orange). Also pictured: Michael Bluth. No touching!

Of course! It’s a Bluth Company home! They illegally built homes in Iraq for Saddam Hussein so it’s not too surprising.

But wait, that’s not all. In the left column is locations and reviews by Google Maps users. There is a listing for Osama Bin Laden’s Hideout Compound. As I write this, it currently has 582 “reviews.” (Click here to read them.)

One traveler, named only “Mike,” gave the location a five-star review:

Perfect romantic couples’ getaway spot if you’re looking for something a little different than your ordinary Hilton or Red Roof Inn. We were charmed by the lack of internet and telephone services, although there was a delightful little courier who would bring us baskets of figs every couple of days. Our host, “Osama”, couldn’t have been more pleasant – he had the cutest nickname for my husband – “The Great Satan”, and we truly enjoyed how he went out of his way to make us feel welcome by tossing little green metal balls into our room each night – this must be a local tradition. The hotel is obviously doing quite well, as evidenced by the fact that the cleaning crew is actually helicoptered in each evening, and in fact they go so far as to destroy any furniture that they feel is outdated or in need of repair. Of course, the owner must be quite a disciplinarian, as on our final night he actually had the entire staff shot and killed, presumably for underperformance. Even the cute little housemaid, who we had taken to calling “Mrs. bin Laden” for some reason, wasn’t spared. All in all, however, we have no complaints, and can’t wait to return for our anniversary in September when the renovations are complete. Bravo, Abbottabad Inn!

Between the Twitter bombs and hi-jinks Sunday night when the news original broke and Google Maps, I’d have to say, this has been quite the exhibition of what modern technology is capable of.