CAMP PENDLETON ( Female Marine enters pro MMA with 20 sec knockout )

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – The night air vibrated with energy as Sgt. Misha Nassiri and her opponent entered the ring. They stared each other down while the referee addressed the basic rules of the match. The ring’s entrance was locked, the ref shouted “fight,” and violent roars shot from the audience as the fighters closed in on each other with violent swiftness. The opponents tapped gloves and the mayhem commenced.

 Nassiri, an ammunition technician with Headquarter Battalion, 1st Marine Division, and a native of San Diego, wasted no time and began assaulting her opponent with a dizzying flurry of well-placed punches and kicks. Only seconds later it was over.

Nassiri entered the professional MMA world with a technical knockout and a revitalized level of confidence during a mixed martial arts competition in Valley Center, Calif., Jan. 18, 2014.

“The pace of the match took me by surprise,” said Nassiri, “Coming into the fight I was really nervous, but the second I got inside the ring all of my stress and worries disappeared. I was in kill mode.”

Nassiri trained in martial arts nearly her entire life, starting with karate at age 3. She spent the majority of her childhood and teenage years living in the Netherlands and moved back to the United States when she was 16. The move forced Nassiri to acclimate to American culture, but her interest in combat sports followed her to America.

“Living in the Netherlands made me open to a lot of experiences,” said Nassiri. “It made me more willing to try new things. In a way, my experiences there motivated me to get into MMA. It was new, and gave my martial arts training an exciting new focus.”

Nassiri joined the Marine Corps Sept. 7, 2010, eager to serve her country. She quickly discovered that the dedication, discipline and hard work necessary to be a professional fighter mirrored many standards of the Marines.

As an ammunition technician, Nassiri is responsible for handling, transporting and storing ammunition and other hazardous materials. Her job requires her to work well under pressure with precision and accuracy, traits that translate well in her MMA career. The Marine Corps lifestyle constantly reinforces the importance of hard work and Nassiri brings the same mentality to the ring.

“There are certain expectations that come with being a Marine,” said 1st Lt. David Foran, a logistics officer with Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, and a native of Dauphin, PA. “A Marine has to be strong willed and have a good work ethic to be successful in the Marine Corps. Nassiri exemplifies what it means to be a Marine.”

With the added responsibility of the Marine Corps, Nassiri constantly attempts to find the proper balance between her job and MMA training. Little sleep, shorter lunches and minimal free time is the price that Nassiri pays to become a better fighter.

“Balancing the Marine Corps and my MMA isn’t easy,” said Nassiri. “I try to use every second of every day to do something productive. If I’m not working, I’m training. It’s tiresome, but at the end of the day the aches and pains are all worth it when I see improvement and get closer to my goals.”

Nassiri’s training translates into more than just better performance in the ring, it has become inspiration for others to set goals in their own lives.

“She is hardworking, dedicated and disciplined,” said Foran. “She leads from the front and has a fast paced and aggressive leadership style. She provides her Marines with a good example and I think a lot of that stems from her MMA training.”

Nassiri’s lifestyle is anything but normal. Fighting is not just recreation for her, it’s become a second profession and part of her identity. Whether she is in the ring or out, Nassiri finds new ways to challenge herself and inspire others.

Read more: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/119783/female-marine-enters-pro-mma-with-20-sec-knockout#.Uu_Pzpp3vIU#ixzz2sHSsn3m6

Hawaii ( Marine Corps Base - charlie company 1st Battalion )

Marine Corps Base Hawaii COMCAM

Photo by Lance Cpl. Aaron Patterson

 

U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. Daniel Stillwell (right), a machine gunner assigned to 1st platoon, charlie company, 1st Battalion, 3D Marines, fires down range with the M240 Bravo machinegun during a live fire exercise at Range 1, aboard Camp Pohakuloa, Hawaii, Jan. 27th, 2014. The Marines with 1st platoon, charlie company, attend Range 1 to improve squad maneuverability and critical thinking skills while facing simulated heavy enemy fire in support of operation Lava Viper. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Aaron S. Patterson/Released)

 

MIAMI ( The U.S Coast guard stops boat with " One ton of cocaine " )

MIAMI – The U.S. Coast Guard reported Tuesday the “historic” seizure of 2,500 pounds of cocaine valued at $37 million in a joint international operation in waters south of the Dominican Republic. The drug was confiscated on Dec. 22 after a Coast Guard surveillance aircraft spotted a go-fast boat carrying four people and suspicious cargo at a high rate of speed. The Coast Guard then dispatched one of its helicopters, based aboard the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Wave Knight, to intercept the boat. Seeing they were trapped, the crew threw several packages in the water, which were later recovered by the Coast Guard and taken Tuesday to Miami Beach aboard the cutter Sitkinaka. “This historic operation is a result of a dedication to improved interoperability and highlights the great success and commitment of our interagency partnerships to stop the illegal flow of narcotics into the United States,” Rear

Arizona ( Woman arrested for putting fecal matter in husband's IV ) Sick

 

CHANDLER - A Chandler woman is under arrest after hospital workers caught her putting fecal matter into her husband's IV. Chandler Police say they were called to the Chandler Regional Hospital on Thursday and were told hospital workers responded to a recovery room when warning alarms sounded on monitoring machines. Inside the room, a 66-year old man was recovering from a surgical procedure. When the staff got into the room, they noticed the man's wife, Rosemary Vogel, manipulating her husband's IV. The staff found that the IV had a brown substance in the line and immediately removed it from his arm. Rosemary attempted to drain the fluid from the line into a waste basket, but the nurse intervened.
The substance was tested in their lab and found to contain fecal matter. Rosemary was placed under arrest for aggravated assault. A search of her purse revealed three more syringes, two of which contained fluid, and the third appeared to have trace amounts of fecal matter still present. Her charges have been upgraded to attempted 1st degree murder.
The victim is expected to survive, but remains in the hospital recovering from the surgical procedure and the attempt on his life. At this time, police have no motive. The investigation is ongoing

Sri Lanka ( Former Agence France-Presse journalist Mel Gunasekera Murdered )

COLOMBO: Former Agence France-Presse journalist Mel Gunasekera was stabbed to death on Sunday after a break-in at her family's home in Colombo, police said.
The body of Gunasekera, who had been working for the international ratings agency Fitch, was discovered by her parents at their house in the Battaramulla neighborhood after they returned from church, police spokesman Ajith Rohana said.


 "We have deployed several investigating teams and we are depending on forensic evidence," Rohana said, adding that no arrests had been made.
Although no one has been arrested for the murder, Rohana said police had taken fingerprints and were studying closed-circuit television footage.
Gunasekera, 40, was an assistant vice president at Fitch's Sri Lankan operation, a position she took up in 2012 after a five-year stint as Colombo correspondent for AFP.
As well as reporting extensively on financial and political affairs in Sri Lanka, she also made several visits as a journalist to the neighboring Maldives.
She was also the founding editor of Lanka Business Online, which is one of Sri Lanka's best known financial news portals.

India ( Student " Beaten to death " because of his appearance )

NEW DELHI: The beating and subsequent death in New Delhi of a university student from India’s remote northeast has sparked a furious outcry against racism and criticism of police in the Indian capital.
Several hundred people protested outside a Delhi police station Saturday, shouting demands for justice against what they called a hate crime. The capital’s newly elected chief minister asked that a magistrate investigate the incident as well as the police response.
Police detained two shopkeepers and launched a murder investigation Friday night, after being criticized for doing little following Wednesday’s altercation.
“We are questioning several people in the case,” said Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat.
Officials said 20-year-old Nido Tania had been on vacation from his studies in Jalandhar, Punjab, when he was beaten by New Delhi shopkeepers who had ridiculed his appearance. Many indigenous people from India’s northeast, some ethnically closer to people in Myanmar and China, often say they encounter racism and discrimination in the rest of India.
Tania died in his bed on Thursday morning. An autopsy was being conducted to determine a cause of death.


 Tania was the son of a member of the Arunachal Pradesh state assembly from the nationally ruling Congress Party. The Home Ministry also asked police for a detailed report.
Hundreds of students held demonstrations in front of a police station and near the shop where Tania was beaten in the south Delhi neighborhood of Lajpat Nagar. They carried placards with slogans including “Hang the culprits,” and “Why are we treated like outsiders?“
“This was a racist hate crime,” said Albina Subba, an advertising writer originally from the northeast Himalayan town of Darjeeling. “Our community is often targeted like this. ... We look different, so it’s easy for people to see we’re not from Delhi.”
She added: “We have little faith in the Delhi police, but this time we want them to take action.”
A Facebook page titled “Justice for Nido Tania” had received support from more than 16,700 people by Saturday afternoon.
“There is no place for elements trying to spread hatred against people belonging to any particular part of the country,” Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a statement.
Kejriwal’s upstart Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man’s Party, said that the brazenness of the public beating proved that the city’s law enforcement was failing its citizens. The party has been lambasting Delhi police force, which reports to the federal government, since almost immediately after last month’s election victory.

BANGKOK ( Gunfire rang out at a major intersection Thailand’s capital )

BANGKOK: Gunfire rang out at a major intersection Thailand’s capital on Saturday as clashes between protesters and government supporters erupted on the eve of tense nationwide elections. At least seven people were wounded, including an American photojournalist.
The confrontation began after a group of pro-government supporters marched to a district office in northern Bangkok containing ballot boxes that had been surrounded by protesters who have been trying to derail the vote.



The two sides clashed first with rocks and firecrackers, then with pistols and assault rifles. One group of men carrying huge sticks smashed the windshields of a car carrying protesters that sped away. People caught up in the mayhem took refuge inside a nearby shopping mall and ducked on a pedestrian bridge. Some crouched behind vehicles.
According to the city’s emergency services, at least six Thais were wounded, including a reporter for the local Daily News newspaper. An American photojournalist, James Nachtwey, was shot in the leg, according to Associated Press staff on the scene.
The violence came one day ahead of a highly unusual ballot that has little to do with the traditional contests between rival candidates vying for office. Instead, the vote is shaping up as a battle of wills between protesters and the government — and those caught in between who insist on their civil rights.
On the one side are demonstrators who say they want to suspend the country’s fragile democracy to institute anti-corruption reforms, and on the other, forces supporting Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and civilians who know the election will do little to solve the nation’s crisis but insist the right to vote should not be taken away.
“How did we get to this point?” asked Chanida Pakdeebanchasak, a 28-year-old Bangkok resident who was determined to cast her ballot Sunday no matter what happens. “Since when does going to vote mean you don’t love the country?“
The protesters, a minority that cannot win power at the polls, are demanding the government be replaced by an unelected council that would implement political and electoral reforms to combat deep-seated problems of corruption and money politics. Yingluck has refused to step down, arguing she is open to reform and such a council would be unconstitutional.
The crisis — which has killed 10 people and wounded nearly 600 since November — has almost completely overshadowed campaigning. Instead of stump speeches and electrified rallies for candidates hoping to take office, Thailand’s muted capital has been gripped by a palpable sense of dread and uncertainty over whether demonstrators will physically block voters from getting inside polling centers.
Campaign posters bearing Yingluck’s images have been ripped apart and punched through, defaced with a blunt message for her beleaguered government: “Get Out.”
Although unrest already hit Bangkok and polling stations may not open in some parts of the south if ballot materials don’t arrive in time, voting is expected to proceed smoothly in most of the country.
Police said they will deploy 100,000 officers nationwide, while the army is putting 5,000 soldiers in Bangkok to boost security. More than 47 million people are registered to vote.
Whatever happens, the outcome of Sunday’s election will almost certainly be inconclusive. Because protesters have already blocked candidate registration in some districts, Parliament will not have enough members to convene. That means Yingluck will be unable to form a government or even pass a budget, and Thailand will be stuck in political limbo for months as by-elections are run in constituencies that were unable to vote.
A power vacuum may entice the military to step in and declare a coup as it did in 2006, when Yingluck’s elder brother, ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, was deposed. Thaksin lives in exile but has remained a central — and highly polarizing — figure in Thailand’s political strife ever since. The rural majority in the north adore him for his populist policies, such as virtually free health care, while Bangkok’s elite and many in the south consider him and his family a corrupting influence on the country. Protesters say Yingluck is a puppet of her billionaire brother.
Another possibility is what is being called a “judicial coup.” Analysts say the courts and the country’s independent oversight agencies all tilt heavily against the Shinawatras’ political machine, and Yingluck’s opponents are already studying legal justifications to nullify Sunday’s vote.
“I think probably we are moving toward a judicial coup of some sort,” said Chris Baker, a Bangkok-based political analyst and writer. “I think we are moving toward a position in which some part of the judicial machinery, be it the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Constitutional Court, some combination of this, will somehow bring down this government.”
The protests began in earnest late last year after the ruling party tried to push through an amnesty bill that would have allowed Thaksin to return from exile.
Desperate to defuse the crisis, Yingluck dissolved the lower house of Parliament in December and called new elections. But protests only intensified, and Yingluck — now a caretaker prime minister with limited powers — has found herself increasingly cornered. Thai courts have begun fast-tracking cases that could see Yingluck or her party banished from power, and the army has pointedly left open the possibility of intervening again if the crisis is not resolved peacefully.
Protesters have occupied half a dozen major intersections in Bangkok, barricading roads and forcing government ministries to shut down or work from backup offices.
Last week, demonstrators chained polling stations shut and stopped hundreds of thousands of people from casting advance ballots, sparking violence that left one protester dead.
This time around, the Election Commission has signaled its intention to cancel balloting in eight southern provinces — a stronghold of the protesters who surrounded post offices there to prevent electoral materials from being delivered.
“There’s no point casting your ballot when the people who will get to Parliament are the same old crooks,” said Wanida Srithongphan, a 43-year-old protester from southern Thailand. “It’s a waste of money.”
___
Associated Press journalists Papitchaya Boonngok, Hau Dinh, Thanyarat Doksone, Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul, Andi Jatmiko, Wally Santana and Jinda Wedel contributed to this report