GONE WITH THE WIND

There is no need for Newspeak to add any commentary here, the story speaks for itself. Taken form the AP.
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A US man has appeared in court accused of stabbing a friend to death at a party because people were making fun of his flatulence.

Marc Higgins pleaded not guilty to murder and attacking three others at the house party in New Britain, Connecticut.

Police say the 21-year-old was "very drunk" at the party last month and was ridiculed because of flatulence.

One woman even slapped him because of it.

At that point he stormed out of the party and returned about 45 minutes later with three knives and started stabbing people indiscriminately.

Matthew Walton died of his wounds. Three others were injured.

Higgins told police he was angry and wanted to show that people should not make fun of him.

Kid Councillor.

There is nothing like a Politician to cause discontent amongst the British public, especially with the whole ‘expense’ saga that exposed a self-severing and out-dated parliament. The political landscape saw voters shifting to independent candidates, who tried to demonstrate that they could usher in a whole new era.

One such figure is Tom Bledsoe, now the youngest elected politician in the land. Newsspeak wishes you the best of luck old, sorry, young chap.

Taken from the PA Newswire.
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A sixth-former thought to be the youngest elected politician in Britain has been sworn into office with a warning about his use of internet social networking sites.

Independent Tom Bletsoe, 18, of St Ives, Cambridgeshire, was told that any inappropriate comments on Facebook and Twitter might breach St Ives Town Council's conduct code.

Council clerk Alison Melnyczuk issued the warning as Mr Bletsoe - who was 18 years and 52 days when he won a by-election earlier this month - officially joined St Ives council by signing a register and collecting an official tie and badge.

"I've never given a councillor that warning before," said Mrs Melnyczuk. "I did it because Facebook and Twitter are such a big thing now and I thought he should be aware."

Mr Bletsoe, who attended the ceremony at St Ives town hall with his father Robin, 64, said he did not think that the warning was aimed at him because of his youth.

He added: "I just think they know that I use Twitter and Facebook a lot."

Mr Bletsoe, who has yet to vote in a general election, said he had no strong party political feelings but wanted to make a contribution.

"People should not vote for parties. They should vote for people," he added. "If there were a general election tomorrow I would not vote Lib Dem or Conservative or Labour."

But Mr Bletsoe, who has ambitions to be an actor or teacher, said he thought national and local politicians who over-claimed expenses had been "greedy" and "ridiculous".

Mrs Melnyczuk said councillors could claim expenses in certain circumstances, but Mr Bletsoe said he intended to claim nothing.

"I would like to think that at the end of the financial year I've claimed nothing," he said. "I'll walk to meetings. I only live five minutes away."

I can't believe it's...murder

This story regarding an unconventional murder weapon reminds NewsSpeak of Roald Dahl’s ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ story. The murderers hatched a clever plot; however, they soon came unstuck.
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A Sicilian couple thought they had the perfect weapon to get rid of her ex-husband -- a slab of butter which would melt after they asphyxiated him, the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported Saturday.

But a post-mortem found remains of the butter in the airways of Calogero Lo Cocco and the pair were unmasked, the paper said.

On Wednesday Lo Cocco, 40, had gone back to the marital home he had not visited since his divorce, where his ex-wife lived with her new boyfriend at Campobello di Licata near Agrigente in southern Sicily.

Advertisement: Story continues below They had set upon him and suffocated him with the butter, before claiming he had arrived drunk and attacked them, forcing them to tie him up, when he had suddenly collapsed and died.

© 2011 AFP

This story took place in a rural Alabama Courtroom and could be viewed as yet another ‘Gun-Ho’ situation where law officers are all too quick to respond with firepower. Another interesting element is the fact there seems to be alterative views as to what happened. NewsSpeak is going with the Court’s take on things. Taken form the AP.
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A judge pulled a gun on a crutch-swinging defendant who went berserk in a crowded rural courtroom after being found guilty of harassment.

A police officer shot and wounded the man, who had a plaster cast on his leg, after he lunged at Judge Carlton Teel and tried to grab the weapon, authorities in Goodwater, Alabama, said.

But some witnesses disputed the account, saying the man never threatened the judge.

Struck by at least one bullet, the man, identified by witnesses as Bryant Ford, was taken by helicopter to the hospital at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, where he was said to be in a good condition.

"The guy came over the bench at him trying to get it," said lawyer Keith Warren, who was in court representing another person. "He just literally got in the judge's face, then backed off and started swinging the crutch at the judge."

But some of the 40 or so people who were in the court in Goodwater, about 60 miles north of Montgomery, disagreed, saying they did not see the man attack the judge, who was sitting behind a tall desk, or attempt to grab a gun.

Sara Williams said she was sitting in the front row when the man, whom she knew, became agitated after the judge fined him about £500, waving one of his crutches in the air.

"The police were hollering for him to get down" when an officer opened fire, she said.

Ms Williams said she yelled: "Don't shoot him no more!" just before the officer fired again.

Later she and more than a dozen people stood across the road from City Hall chanting: "We want justice."

But Mr Warren said: "This gentleman forced the police officer to shoot him. There was no reason for the guy to become as irate as he got. He went nuts."

Anyone who claimed the man did not attack the judge was either unable to see or was telling an "outright lie", he added.

Court records showed that Ford, 25, was due in court on a harassment charge filed by a neighbour who claimed he swore at her in December after accusing her of talking to police about him. Judge Teel heard the case without a jury and the trial lasted less than five minutes.

Judge Teel's brother Frank, a lawyer in nearby Rockford, said district court proceedings were held once a month at Goodwater City Hall for people who could not get to the county seat.

"I've not talked to him, but I'm told he was OK," Mr Teel said of his brother. The judge's aide suffered powder burns, he said.