 WELCOME TO THE CATBIRD SEAT!
PLEASE JOIN ME AT THE VERY TOP OF THE TALLEST TREE IN THE FOREST
~ o ~
October 26, 2011
Iraq Vet Critically Wounded at Occupy Oakland ProtestIn video, Scott Olsen is bleeding from the head; witnesses say he was shotBy Aaron Glantz
Ali Winston, a reporter for KALW Radio's The Informant, posted a video on YouTube that shows people carrying Olsen, who is bleeding from the head. The people tell Winston that Olsen was shot. The incident occurred near 14th and Broadway at around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. 
Courtesy photo
Scott Olsen in his dress uniform Another video taken by KTVU shows Olsen lying on the ground, surrounded by protesters, when an officer lobs a canister into the group, releasing smoke. As of 8 p.m. Wednesday, Olsen, 24, remained in critical condition at Highland Hospital in Oakland. Friends and family members said he had a two-inch skull fracture. A hospital spokesperson said he would be moved to the intensive care unit as soon as a bed could be found. Earlier in the day, a handful of friends, many of whom are also veterans of the Iraq war, stood vigil outside the emergency room door. They said they had been informed by nurses that he was still unconscious. Aaron Hinde, an Iraq war veteran who, like Olsen, is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, said Olsen was brought to the hospital by “two good Samaritans” around 8 p.m. Tuesday evening and lost consciousness on the way to the hospital. “I think it's terrible for him to go two tours in Iraq and exercise his rights that he fought so hard to defend and get a serious injury like this,” said his roommate, Keith Shannon, who served alongside Olsen in the Marines in Iraq.... |
 |
| Rod Tam: |
| Censured by fellow Council members because of impro- per use of contingency funds, he agreed to pay restitution and a fine but admitted no- wrong doing, only sloppy record-keeping. |
The Honolulu Police Department is investigating possible criminal charges involving City Councilman Rod Tam's use of city funds to pay for more than $22,000 in meals unrelated to his work as a Council member.
Police confirmed an investigation yesterday but declined further comment because the case is still open.
Tam, who is in the final year of his second term and is running for Honolulu mayor, did not return telephone messages seeking comment.
The city Ethics Commission issued an advisory opinion in March saying Tam improperly used his Council contingency fund for "hundreds" of meals for family members and constituents.
Tam, whom the Council censured in March, agreed to pay $11,700 in restitution and a $2,000 civil fine but admitted no wrongdoing. He acknowledged sloppy record-keeping and faulty math, and argued that rules covering discretionary expenses need to be clarified.
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/hawaiinews/20100722_HPD_aims_inquiry_at_Councils_Rod_Tam.html
Fees Draw U.S. Trustee’s Ire
In Hawaiian Telcom
By Eric Morath
The Justice Department is questioning why Lazard Freres & Co. is being paid $2,527.38 per hour for its work in Hawaiian Telcom Communications Inc.’s bankruptcy case.
For 237.4 hours of work between April 1 and June 30, the investment bank submitted a bill for $600,000, an amount the U.S. Trustee says “far exceeds” rates charged by other professionals working on the phone company’s Chapter 11 case.
“Simply put, the amount of time Lazard is devoting to this case is not commensurate with its interim compensation,” Acting U.S. Trustee Tiffany Carroll said in papers filed with the Honolulu bankruptcy court.
A Lazard spokeswoman declined to comment.
In February, the court authorized Lazard to serve as Hawaiian Telcom’s financial adviser. Under its deal with the company, Lazard would collect a $200,000 monthly fee that would be offset against a $4 million restructuring fee that advisers are slated to collect at the end of the case.
At the time, Lazard was charged with exploring sale and merger possibilities for Hawaii’s largest phone company. Now that case is headed toward a standalone reorganization, the trustee is asking if Lazard’s services are even necessary.
“The flat monthly rate appears to have contemplated a greater level of participation by Lazard than has actually occurred,” Carroll said.
She also complained the bill was high considering that 46% of the work was done by supposedly lower-paid associates and analysts, and that 45 of the hours billed were for either “travel” or “update” conference calls.
http://blogs.wsj.com/bankruptcy/2009/10/20/fees-draw-us-trustees-ire-in-hawaiian-telcom/
# # #
CITIGROUP: VAMPIRES IN THE CITY
THE EAGLE HOODED: THE 9-11 COVERUPS
THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
VULTURES IN THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
* * * * *
INDEX TO MORE SIGHTINGS FROM THE CATBIRD SEAT
* * * * *
MORE OF THE CATBIRD’S FAVORITE LINKS
-
I hear the whispering voice of spring, the thrush's trill, the catbird's cry.
~ o ~
FAIR USE NOTICE. This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
THE CATBIRD SEAT ARCHIVES
The Catbird Seat Archives: 2000-2002
The Catbird Seat Archives: 2002-2007
* * * * *