RCMP-Drugs-Maine-NB Border-Organized Crime, Charges Laid-BC-Basi's Boys & PM's Organizers, Worthington-Sharia-Canada, Arafat's Investments

RCMP seize $600,000 at Maine-N.B. border -- Integrated Border Enforcement Team -- "related to organized crime"

RCMP seize $600,000 at Maine-N.B. border Dec. 21, 04

Saint John -- More than $600,000 (U.S.) in organized-crime dollars have been seized at the Maine-New Brunswick border since late October, the RCMP said yesterday. [. . . . ]

Charges laid in B.C. Legislature raid

Question: If they hadn't been so deprived of experienced investigators--funding needed, naturally--would some investigations have taken so long?

Charges laid in B.C. Legislature raid Marie Hume, Dec. 22, 04,

[. . . . ] Aneal Basi, a public affairs officer in the B.C. Ministry of Transportation for the past three years, has been charged with one count of fraud on the government and one count of breach of trust by a public officer.

David Basi and Mr. Virk were organizers in British Columbia's Indo-Canadian community for Prime Minister Paul Martin's leadership campaign and operated as a group called Basi's Boys.

Known for their ability to sign up new members and for their control of several Vancouver Island ridings, they trace their roots to an association formed while they were Young Liberals at the University of Victoria. [. . . . ]

Check for the rest--their political connections and shenanigans--illegality--alleged, of course. Search for "BC Rail", "government documents", "drug" -- oh, just read the whole thing.




Sharia has no place here -- MUSLIM LAW IS TYRANNY AGAINST WOMEN, PETER WORTHINGTON SAYS. MANY MUSLIMS AGREE

Sharia has no place here Dec. 22, 04, Peter Worthington, Toronto Sun

[. . . . ] Catholics and Jews can arbitrate domestic disputes within their faiths, and Ms Boyd [formerly NDP Attorney General] apparently sees no fundamental difference between them and sharia law for Muslims. [I maintain, scratch a Liberal, a Red Tory and an NDP member and they all bleed the same fuzzy-wuzzy thinking.]

In fact, there is a hell of a lot of difference.

Catholics and Jews don't discriminate against women the way sharia law does by violating fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution for equal treatment.

Under some interpretations of sharia, a woman who is raped is guilty of tempting the man. Showing an ankle is tantamount to enticement. A Muslim husband has the right -- duty even -- to beat his wife if she's disobedient. A Muslim who converts to Christianity technically could face a death sentence.

[. . . . ] Attorney-General Michael Bryant and his boss, gaffe-prone Premier Dalton McGuinty, will make the final decision. [. . . . ]

There is more if you link to Worthington's article.




Arafat's Investments Included Dotcoms, New York Bowling Alley

Arafat's Investments Included Dotcoms, New York Bowling Alley -- To contact the reporter on this story: Vernon Silver in Rome at vtsilver@bloomberg.net

Dec. 22 (Bloomberg) -- In 35 years as Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat raised billions of dollars. He spent the fortune to wield power, to pay militants who attacked Israel and to invest in the U.S. and the Middle East.

Arafat used a holding company to buy stakes that ranged from $285 million in Egyptian mobile-phone company Orascom Telecom Holding SAE and its affiliates to some $30 million in private equity, mostly in the U.S. These included $3.2 million in Herndon, Virginia-based Simplexity Inc., which makes electronic-commerce software, $2.1 million in New York- and Boston-based Vaultus Inc., which makes software for wireless computers, and $1.3 million in New York-based Strike Holdings LLC, which owns the Bowlmor Lanes bowling alley in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.

Arafat, who died on Nov. 11 at age 75, disclosed $799 million of investments in documents the Palestinian Authority has released over the past two years that show he didn't just invest in building basic services in the West Bank and Gaza.

At a time when the authority was starved for funds, Arafat's money managers placed bets from Tel Aviv to Silicon Valley on venture capital funds, software startups and telecommunications companies.

``Arafat was notoriously secretive, and he spread the money all over,'' says Rachel Ehrenfeld, director of the New York-based American Center for Democracy and author of ``Funding Evil: How Terrorism Is Financed and How to Stop It'' (Bonus Books, 2003). ``He didn't give the public a view of the investments until the donor community protested about corruption.''

Read the names of the companies. Incredible! This is lengthy with the following subheadings, each with further information: [Assume . . . . after each of these.]

Holding Company
Violence Erupts
Report Released
Second Set of Money
Tax Money
Global Investments
Egyptian Stake
Palestinian Connection
`Separate Investment'
E-Commerce Company
Camp David Talks
Arafat Shunned
Peace Technology Fund
Evergreen Partners
Selling Holdings
Consolidating Assets

Bowling Alley

One investment that might not meet that goal is the bowling alley. Bowlmor Lanes does brisk business with Wall Street, boasting a client list on its Web site that includes Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., Credit Suisse First Boston, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bear Stearns Cos. and Citigroup's Salomon Smith Barney unit. Bowlmor also promotes bar mitzvah parties and offers a kosher caterer. [. . . . ]

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Ronald Henkoff at rhenkoff@bloomberg.net