Interested-Participant

Women With Troubles - December 2007

Reported in the news during December 2007, here is the compilation of women with troubles. Each name is linked to a blog entry displaying details. For a more comprehensive listing, check the Women With Troubles category link.

(AL) Sharon Linton Rutherford, 32,
teacher - Gets 3 years prison for sex with male student. Awaits trial on murder-for-hire charge,

(AL) Stacey Robinson Weir,
teacher - Arrested for drug possession,

(AR) Jennifer Cisco, 30,
school nurse - Arrested for sex with male students,

(AR) Melinda Haas, 48,
teacher, bus driver - Arrested for selling liquid morphine and Xanax,

(AZ) Gay Lyn Turley, 42,
teacher, coach - Charged with sexual contact with minor girl, 16,

(CA) Jessica Ashley Kahal, 22,
teacher - Guilty of sex with male student, 17. Sentencing in Feb.,

(CA) Rita Sativa Kraft, 21,
neighbor - Charged with attempted murder for throwing baby son off balcony,

(CA) Larissa Schuster, 47,
biochemist - Guilty of murdering husband in barrel of acid. Sentencing set for Jan. 16,

(CO) Darcie Esson, 33,
teacher - Gets 90 days in jail for sex with male student, 17,

(CT) Sandrama Lamy, 33,
neighbor - Charged with sex assault of mall Santa, 65,

(FL) Angie Michelle Hawkins, 31,
neighbor - Accused of child neglect for leaving kids home alone,

(FL) Debra Lafave, 27,
former teacher - Arrested for violating probation,

(FL) Eunice Lopez, 26,
neighbor - Arrested for marrying 10 men in five years,

(FL) Jaymee Wallace, 30,
teacher, coach - Gets 3 years prison for sex with girl, 14,

(GA) Kaniz Fatema Jahid, 45,
babysitter - Gets 10 years prison for shaking toddler, 2, causing brain damage,

(GA) Madonna A. Whitus, 42,
live-in caregiver - Charged with murder of woman she was caring for,

(IN) Johana Marie Kalinowicz, 31,
neighbor - Gets 10 years prison for sex with boy, 14,

(KS) Tabitha Adams, 35,
teacher - Arrested for sexual exploitation of young girl,

(KS) Whitney L. Goracke, 21,
preschool aide - Arrested for sex with boy, 15,

(KS) Meredith L. Kane, 24,
teacher - Gets 59 months in prison for sex with male student, 15,

(KY) Jeni Lee Dinkel,
neighbor - Released from jail after completing 60-day sentence for rape of boy,

(KY) Christy Michelle McCartt, 25,
teacher's aide - Accused of sex with two male students, 16 and 17,

(KY) Crystal Wells, 33,
teacher - Indicted for rape of male student, 15,

(ME) Jessica Bowring, 25,
neighbor - Faces new charges of sex with boy,

(MN) Kellie Ann Lundon-Cormican, 38,
teacher - Accused of sex with boy, 14,

(MO) Sherri Lohnstein, 34,
neighbor - Guilty of manslaughter for killing her baby. Sentenced to treatment for hooch addiction,

(MS) Edna Mae Sanders, 47,
neighbor - Charged with murdering husband with boiling oil,

(NC) Kerry L. Balentine,
psychiatrist - License suspended for allegedly giving sex and drugs to patient,

(NJ) Celeste Adamski, 27,
teacher - Sentenced to probation for mixing it up with four male students,

(NJ) Pamela Balogh, 40,
PE teacher, coach - Guilty of sex assault of girl, 15. No sentencing date set,

(NJ) Mary J. Kaminski, 54,
teacher - Arrested after being caught drinking and hammered in class,

(NJ) Christine Sigall, 32,
neighbor mom, 2 kids - Charged with sex assault of boy, 13,

(NV) Brittany Baxter-Stuchell, 19,
preschool teacher - Arrested for trafficking in cocaine,

(NV) Joanna Marie Plants, 18,
neighbor - Sentenced to life in prison for murder of stepmother,

(NY) Maria A. Conklin-Matthie, 40,
neighbor mom - Gets 30 days in jail for allowing a woman to have sex with her son,

(NY) Caryn A. Consilio, 29,
neighbor - Charged with animal cruelty for killing husband's dog,

(NY) Dena Greene, 36,
neighbor mom-of-three - Guilty of sex with boy, 15. Sentencing in Feb. 2008,

(NY) Christel C. Gravlin, 33,
teacher - Charged with rape of boy, 15,

(NY) Deborah Knauber, 44,
nurse, Sunday school teacher - Gets 1 to 3 years prison for rape of foster son, 13,

(OK) Crystal Dawn Outlaw, 27,
neighbor - Charged with sex assault of girl, 13,

(OR) Jan Elizabeth Gleaves, 39,
teacher - Arrested for having sex with and giving liquor to school boys,

(OR) Jasmine Nguyen, 30,
youth counselor - Indicted for rape of boy, 15,

(PA) Patricia J. Gamber, 37,
neighbor - Caught by police in the act with boy, 15,

(PA) Chytoria Graham, 28,
mother, 5 kids - Gets 5 to 10 years prison for swinging her 4-month-old baby like baseball bat and fracturing his skull,

(PA) Dawn Herb,
neighbor - Charged with disorderly conduct for cussing at her toilet,

(PA) Tina Martinez, 42,
counselor - Ordered to register as a sex offender for sex assault of inmate,

(SC) Jenny Lynn Davis, 29,
neighbor - Charged with illegal sex with deaf boy,

(SC) Tippy Retana, 37,
neighbor - Charged with murdering boyfriend for snoring,

(SD) Michelle Alexander, 47,
neighbor - Guilty of sex with boy, 15. Sentencing on Jan. 7,

(TN) Katie D. Fults, 18,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 12,

(UT) Amber Childs, 31,
neighbor - Gets 30-days for probation violation after hand slap for sex abuse of boy, 5,

(WI) Sara M. Schneider, 28,
neighbor - Arrested for soliciting boy, 15, over Internet,

(WV) Lana Jo Rinehart, 28,
teacher - Gets hand slap for sex with boy, 13.

As always, thanks to the readers and the tipsters.

Labels: Women With Troubles

Following Entry Posted 12/31/2007 09:03:00 PM

Russian Rat Shortage

(Moscow, Russia) With President Putin clamping down on the political system in Russia, one would think that there is no way that there would be a shortage of rats.

Moscow pet shops are reporting a run on rats, as keen astrologically-minded Russians snap them up ahead of the New Year, which is the Chinese Year of the Rat, Interfax news agency reported.

Desperate shoppers are even resorting to buying mice, hamsters or gerbils in lieu of a real, domestic rat, according to one shop in the capital.

Chinese astrology is closely followed in Russia, which shares a long border with China, and where many newspapers deliver daily horoscopes - and advice on how to care for new pet rats given as presents on December 31.

Heh.

Following Entry Posted 12/31/2007 07:00:00 PM

New Fertilizer Law in Florida

Effective January 1, there is a new law governing fertilizer in the state of Florida, but full compliance is not required for 18 months. As a result, the new law won't have an appreciable impact on the 2008 elections. Voters can expect the same old fertilizer from the candidates.

Oh, wait a minute. Now I see that the new law addresses fertilizer used on lawns. My mistake.

By the way, the new law says fertilizer producers have to dilute their products, put labels on, blah, blah blah. So, this means everyone will have to fork over more money to buy more fertilizer for the same result.

Following Entry Posted 12/31/2007 02:48:00 PM

Burglars Party Before Capture

(Kitchener, Ontario) After completing a job, two burglars were confronted by police as they were leaving the residence. Immediately, they raced back inside and barricaded themselves. Then,

Surrounded and with a trip to jail looking inevitable, police say the two men decided to help themselves to the home owner's liquor.

Staff Sgt. Kevin Thaler says they started drinking when they saw they were trapped and "were pretty inebriated by the time we got them out."

"Er, what's the officer, problem?"

Following Entry Posted 12/31/2007 11:51:00 AM

Fake Sugar Embarrasses EU

(Gaza Strip) It seems that terrorists are disguising their explosives shipments as sacks of sugar from the European Union.

Expressing condemnation, EU diplomats have voiced an official "Harumph!"

"We condemn any abuse of humanitarian aid for non-humanitarian purposes, and those who commit such acts do so to the detriment of the Palestinians," an EU diplomatic official said.

"If this was an attempt to misuse the name of the EU or European Commission it would be an isolated criminal act and we condemn it," the official said. "But this criminal act cannot put into question the efforts by the EU to provide aid that is vital for the most vulnerable Palestinians."

The IDF released a statement Saturday saying a truck carrying 6.5 tons of potassium nitrate, a substance banned because it is used to manufacture explosives and Kassam rockets, was caught at one of the crossing points in Judea and Samaria. The statement said the potassium nitrate was disguised in sugar bags marked as being part of the humanitarian aid provided by the EU.

Frankly, I don't think that anyone should be surprised to learn that the terrorists are a bunch of sneaky bastards.

Following Entry Posted 12/31/2007 11:26:00 AM

Is the Music Industry Overreaching?

Sit down for this.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) "maintains that it is illegal for someone who has legally purchased a CD to transfer that music into his computer."

Stretching? I think so. And somehow I can't get the thought out of my mind that the recording industry is researching a way to extract royalties from people who sing in the shower.

Following Entry Posted 12/31/2007 10:36:00 AM

State-Run Health Program in Jeopardy

(Phoenix, Arizona) The state-run Arizona Healthcare Group subsidizes the health care costs of tens of thousands of people with large infusions of taxpayer funds despite its intended goal of being self-sustaining on premium payments.

The program insures everyone for similar costs regardless of any pre-existing conditions. As a result, the number of seriously sick people signing up far outnumber the healthy people and costs have soared. Jeez, imagine that.

From AZCentral:

"I think the intention was noble," said Rep. Kirk Adams, R-Mesa, who co-chairs a legislative committee investigating problems with the program. Adams wants to scrap Healthcare Group in favor of a program for the state's sickest, uninsurable residents. "What they were trying to accomplish was correct, but it failed."

Interestingly, the comment thread accompanying the article largely blames anchor babies and the Iraq war for the failure of the government-run health care program. Obviously, the commenters have issues.

However, the reason the Healthcare Group is failing to achieve its goal is simple. In every socialized medical scheme where the government promises to give everything to everybody, sooner or later it's realized that the government has only a finite capacity to give whereas the capacity to want is infinite.

So, the government depletes its resources to give while the people continue to want and the net result is rationing, typically by extraordinary waiting times or the blanket denial of selected health services. In the case of Arizona, it appears that the Healthcare Group scheme is to be scrapped for a new and improved scheme.

Companion post at socglory.

Following Entry Posted 12/31/2007 09:14:00 AM

But of course! It's Bush's fault!

Bush Derangement syndrome strikes again

"Just as the dictator was allowed to neglect the task of tracking down Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida operatives within his country, just as he was given a pass when Pakistani officials shared nuclear secrets and technologies with rogue states, just as he was allowed to thwart democratic initiatives in his country and the region, Musharraf never faced a serious demand from the Bush administration to protect Bhutto. And in the absence of that demand from the government that props him up as what Bush once referred to as "our guy," Musharraf - who has survived many assassination attempts himself - failed to take the steps necessary to save Bhutto or to foster democratic processes. The Bush administration failed Benazir Bhutto and now she is dead. With her died the prospects of stability and democracy"

More here

Posted by John Ray

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/30/2007 11:40:00 PM

British Catholic Schools Under Fire

(London, England) Teaching the fundamentals of Roman Catholicism in Catholic schools in northwest England has riled anti-religious groups. As a result, Catholic bishops are being summoned to appear before government authorities.

From The Observer:

Roman Catholic bishops are to appear in front of a powerful committee of MPs amid fears that they are pushing a fundamentalist brand of their religion in schools. Bishops have called on parents, teachers and priests to strengthen the role of religion in education.

The bishops have been accused of trying to indoctrinate students which, according to Keith Porteous of the National Secular Society, is contrary to the goal of providing a well-rounded education in British schools.

"I do not think the state should be funding Catholic indoctrination," Porteous said.

In summary, there appears to be entirely too much Catholic teaching going on in Britain and the government wants answers.

Fortunately, there's no news of other religious groups indoctrinating British youngsters in fundamentalist philosophy. Only Catholic youths are being stuffed full of dangerous thoughts.

Heh.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Following Entry Posted 12/30/2007 04:01:00 PM

Man Auctions Snowbank on eBay for $3,550

(Montreal, Quebec) On December 18, Michel Levesque put his front yard snowbank up for sale on eBay with a starting bid of 99 cents. When bidding closed and a deal was stuck, Claude Fraser of Longueuil, Quebec, agreed to pay $3,550 for the snowbank.

Levesque plans to give the proceeds to charity.

For those who have never seen a pile of snow, there's a pic at the link.

Following Entry Posted 12/30/2007 11:30:00 AM

California Schoolchildren to Decide Their Own Sex

The lawmakers in Sacramento have apparently decided that California schools have achieved such stellar academic results that now is the time to use them for radical social experimentation.

From NCTimes:

Forget everything you learned in kindergarten about the difference between boys and girls. According to Gov. Schwarzenegger and the California Legislature, schoolchildren can now choose their own sex.

I'm not talking about choosing "sexual behavior or sexual preferences." Kids are going to be taught that they have the right to completely ignore their physical anatomy and choose the status of being "male" or "female." [ ... ]

In October, California Senate Bill 777 was signed into law. Senate Bill 777 eliminates Education Code 212, which currently defines "sex" as "the biological condition or quality of being a male or female human being." And worse yet, SB 777 redefines the term "gender" for all schoolchildren by adding Education Code 210.7, which will read: "'Gender' means sex, and includes a person's gender identity and gender related appearance and behavior whether or not stereotypically associated with the person's assigned sex at birth." In short, this redefinition of gender states that you are what you choose to be regardless of your anatomical make-up.

SB 777 also uses this redefinition of gender to forbid educators from discriminating against any individual employee, student or other person based upon that individual's unspoken claim of being male or female, regardless of his or her actual sex.

And then there's this:

The Los Angeles Unified School District has already adopted policies allowing boys to use girls' restrooms and locker rooms ---- and vice versa! You can read LAUSD's Reference Guide 1557 on the district's Web site.

It even tells teachers they need to refer to students using the student's preferred pronoun. And of course, it prohibits the teachers from disclosing a student's chosen gender to the student's parents.

Given a choice, I'm not conflicted as to which pronoun I'd prefer, however, the scamp in me wants to say ,"First choice, call me Who and I'll play first base. Second choice, make it What and put me at second base."

Levity aside, the legislation is a serious attempt to blur the lines between male and female and thereby attack the cultural institutions of America through redefinition. The delineation of sex on a birth certificate becomes meaningless as society waits until children grow old enough to voice a pronoun of preference.

Intentionally breaking down and eliminating the enduring cultural, legal and biological norms in society regarding males and females is obviously special interest agenda-driven. Anyone care to guess which group's agenda is behind SB777, Education Code 210.7 and LAUSD's Reference Guide 1557?

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Following Entry Posted 12/30/2007 07:46:00 AM

Those Hurtful Christmas Wishes again

We read:

"In Central Florida, like so many other places in our politically correct nation, it's become upsetting to wish people a Merry Christmas. It hurts their feelings, and we wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. That's not the Christmas way.

An employee in my father's company was reprimanded for sending an email addressed to everyone in the office address book. The email not only contained the feeling-hurting "Merry Christmas" but a short Bible verse as well.

Apparently many feelings were in fact hurt by this insensitive email. How dare someone wish another person a Merry Christmas or use such profane language as "God" or "Baby Jesus."

So now "Merry Christmas" is out, and "Happy Holidays" is in. And so far, no one's feelings have been brutally disregarded or violently hurt. I know I'll sleep much sounder knowing that my ignorant wishes of happiness and joy to my fellow man will not be the cause of any intolerance or pain.

Source

A bit of healthy sarcasm at the end there.

Posted by John Ray

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/29/2007 07:42:00 PM

Woman Jailed for Throwing Son Off Balcony

(Santa Cruz County, California) A 21-year-old mother, Rita Sativa Kraft, is in the county jail awaiting formal arraignment on charges of attempted murder and inflicting injury on a child under the age of five.

Kraft is accused of throwing her 18-month-old son, Connor, off of a 21-foot balcony last September. Connor suffered multiple skull and facial fractures.

The boy, who suffered significant brain trauma, was unconscious and not breathing after landing on the packed dirt below the balcony.

He was resuscitated by a housemate who had medical training, then airlifted to a trauma center over the hill.

The child has since been released from the hospital into his father's custody. Doctors say it may be some time before the full extent of his brain injuries are known.

The incident was initially thought to be an accident but, in October, Kraft confessed to her counselor that she threw the boy off the balcony and the counselor alerted the police. As a result, Kraft was arrested.

This week, Kraft waived her right to a preliminary hearing, saying it would be too emotional for her. Kraft remains in jail with her arraignment scheduled for January 14.

Defense attorney Jon Minsloff indicated that Kraft suffers from postpartum depression and has a history of mental illness in her family.

Following Entry Posted 12/29/2007 01:46:00 PM

South Carolina Town Official Arrested

(Atlantic Beach, South Carolina) A 58-year-old town councilwoman, Retha Pierce Sturdivant, was arrested on Christmas night near Myrtle Beach for allegedly driving erratically and causing other drivers to do the same to avoid collisions.

According to the arresting officer, Robert Dale, Sturdivant tried to flee and ignored commands to stop. She faces charges of reckless driving, resisting arrest and failure to signal.

Sturdivant disputes swerving and that she was trying to run. She said she quickly got out of her van to try to make it to a nearby hotel bathroom.

"He hollered something really harshly. I said, 'I'm about to wet my clothes.' The next thing I knew, he slinged me across the car real hard," she said.

Sturdivant, who was elected mayor by one vote last month, said she has a bladder problem.

"He actually hurt me when he pushed me up against the car. He jerked my arm behind me and put handcuffs on me too tight," she said. "It was turmoil and agony and confusion."

Horry County police have started an internal investigation, said Deputy Chief David Beaty. "She made some strong allegations against the officer," he said.

Sturdivant's mayoral victory is being challenged and town officials have ordered a new election. It's not known whether she will fight the criminal charges.

[Update 01/27/08]

Judge Bradley Mayers found Sturdivant guilty of two charges. She was sentenced to pay a fine of $375 or serve 30 days in jail for reckless driving, and to pay $150 or serve five days in jail for using an improper signal.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Following Entry Posted 12/29/2007 11:27:00 AM

Topless Woman Used in Sting Operation

(Columbus, Ohio) Police in Columbus have been conducting a "sting" operation in the city's parks targeting public indecency.

Some people are opposed to the stings, considering them to be "dangerously close to entrapment." In my opinion, the operation appears more like a bait, cajole and snare ploy than a sting.

From ABC News:

Robin Garrison, an off-duty 42-year-old firefighter, was walking in Berliner Park in Columbus, Ohio, in May when he saw a woman sunbathing topless under a tree.

He approached her and they started talking and getting comfortable, the woman smiling and resting her foot on his shoulder at one point.

Eventually, she asked to see Garrison's penis; he unzipped his pants and complied.

Seconds later, undercover police officers pulled up in a van and arrested Garrison; he was later charged with public indecency, a misdemeanor, based on video footage taken by cops who were targeting men having sex or masturbating in the park.

While topless sunbathing is legal in the city's parks, exposing more than that is against the law.

Jeez, it seems that just about any guy who is on the smart-alecky side of thinking things through would get caught. Hell, starting in grade school, I'll-show-you-mine-if-you-show-me-yours has been a popular boy-girl game. Not only that but she asked! The guy was simply being a gentleman by honoring the lady's request. Chivalry has been rewarded with handcuffs.

Without knowing the local laws and all the details of the sting operation, I'm not sure it isn't entrapment. But I'm leaning in the direction that it is. Readers may disagree.

Tip: slwlion

Following Entry Posted 12/29/2007 09:33:00 AM

Learning to Read by Empowerment and Self-Esteem

(Nogales, Arizona) According to Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS), a standards-based test, student performance caused the local Wade Carpenter Middle School to be ranked as "under-performing" by the Arizona Department of Education.

Wade Carpenter Principal Lisa Montiel indicated that eighth-grade reading scores are a weakness that dragged down the AIMS results.

To improve the situation, Montiel has placed more emphasis on reading. Also,

All the teachers are working to empower their students and improve their self-esteem, Montiel said.

Montiel believes that creating a "long-lasting, positive environment" will result in higher test scores.

Call me uninformed, but I don't understand the relationship between empowerment and reading nor self-esteem and reading. Logically, one would think that the way to improve reading scores is to teach the students how to read.

Of course, one must ask what happens to those students who never learn to read but become empowered and acquire high self-esteem?

Following Entry Posted 12/29/2007 04:09:00 AM

Benazir in perspective

The mainstream press is tending to eulogize the tragically assassinated Benazir Bhutto but lots of conservative blogs are pointing out the reservations that should be borne in mind about her. She was the socialist heir to a socialist dynasty and would almost certainly have done more harm than good if she had regained power in Pakistan. Ralph Peters is, as usual, the most acerbic in his comments.

Posted by John Ray

Friday, December 28, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/28/2007 09:45:00 PM

New Jersey Mom and Boy, 13

(Williamstown, New Jersey) A 32-year-old local wife and mother-of-two, Christine Sigall, has been accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy she was babysitting. The boy's mother alerted the police.

Sigall has been charged with aggravated sexual assault by a guardian, sexual assault, offering alcoholic beverages to a minor and allowing a minor to view pornography under her supervision.

According to police Sigall was babysitting two teen boys the night of the alleged assault.

The Gloucester County Prosecutors office is helping Monroe Township police as Sigall also faces charges she supplied alcohol to one of the boys, and allowed the victim to view pornography under her supervision.

Sigall was booked and released on $100,000 bail.

Following Entry Posted 12/28/2007 05:56:00 PM

More Accidents After Driver Education Course

(Toronto, Ontario) According to an audit by the Transportation Ministry, driver education courses and instructors are substandard in Ontario. Apparently, people completing driver education programs are less capable drivers than those who never attend a course.

One problem identified is that driver education instructors are statistically worse drivers than the general public.

Auditor General Jim McCarter found that 360 of Ontario's 5,500 instructors have demerit points for driving infractions.

That's a rate of 6.5 per cent, well above the 1.4 per cent rate for the motoring public.

Actions are planned to assure better-qualified instructors are employed. Details were not disclosed.

The ministry will also regulate all beginner driver education courses in the wake of an alarming auditor's finding that new drivers who took the courses were more likely to be involved in collisions than those who did not.

This is the first study I've heard of regarding the effectiveness of driver education programs. Since licensing and insurance rates are often tied to completion of such courses, it would seem prudent to verify by some measure that all programs are effective.

Maybe there's a need for No Driver Left Accident-Prone legislation. Of course, it would be comical to have instances of drivers asking their insurance companies for a discount because they didn't complete driver education.

Companion post at EWI.

Following Entry Posted 12/28/2007 05:00:00 PM

Sheriff Arpaio Stumps for Romney

(Des Moines, Iowa) One must wonder if Sheriff Arpaio's enduring battle with Sen. McCain (R-AZ) influenced his decision to assertively support Romney.

From The Arizona Republic:

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio stumped for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Thursday in this crucial presidential state, burnishing his own national anti-illegal-immigration credentials while subtly sticking it to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Arpaio, who has long feuded with McCain, is Romney's honorary Arizona chairman and was invited to Iowa by the campaign, which paid for the trip. Next Thursday, Iowa will hold Republican and Democratic caucuses that mark the official start of the races for the 2008 party nominations.

"He's a great guy and going to be the next president," Arpaio said of Romney, now locked in an increasingly bitter battle with McCain in New Hampshire, which hosts the nation's first primary five days after the Iowa caucuses. "He's a great organizer, great businessman. Has a great team. Believes in my philosophy that you can't know everything, so he surrounds himself with good people. That's what he did in Massachusetts."

Frankly, a great businessman doesn't necessarily make a good leader so I disagree with Arpaio. After all, Warren Buffett is a good businessman and he wants to see taxes raised.

Following Entry Posted 12/28/2007 02:10:00 PM

Man Snores, Woman Fatally Shoots Him

(Bishopville, South Carolina) A 37-year-old local mother, Tippy Retana, was arrested yesterday for fatally shooting her boyfriend, 30-year-old Kenneth Wilson. Wilson's body was found Christmas morning.

According to Lee County Sheriff's Capt. J.D. Dillinger, investigators were frustrated for two days by a lack of evidence before Retana confessed.

"She indicated that this had been an ongoing domestic situation that just kept going until it just escalated to this tragic event on Christmas morning," Dillinger said.

In a written confession, she told deputies that at about one that morning, she put both the baby and her teenaged son in the car, went back in the house and shot Wilson three times. Originally, though, she said she left the house because Wilson was snoring.

"She was just fearful and didn't know what to do and she took her kids and left and went back to her mother's and just thought and worried about what she was going to do and somewhere along the line that story came up, and she tried to stick with it," Dillinger explained.

Since he was snoring, it appears that Wilson was asleep when Retana plugged him with three shots.

This situation reminds me of the Mary Winkler case. Wait until the old man goes to sleep, then shoot him. Mary Winkler walked away from a homicide with a virtual hand slap. Boy, I sure hope we're not seeing a fashion trend in judicial rulings.

A thorough prosecutorial examination of Retana's thinking would find how much she relied upon the Winkler verdict as she intentionally blasted Wilson's sleeping body with lead.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

[Update 01/14/08]

Retana's bond set Friday at $100,000.

Following Entry Posted 12/28/2007 11:41:00 AM

Gay Pedophile Gets 18 Years

(Northern Ireland) In September 2007, two male homosexual lovers were convicted in Reading Crown Court of molesting a young boy, starting when he was an infant and lasting until he was four and one-half years old.

Former soldier Alan Howitt (pictured), 39, and mannequin-dresser James Rae, 34, persuaded a female friend to allow them to babysit her son. The men were found guilty of repeated sex crimes against the boy.

The depraved pair, from Ridgeborough Court in Castle Hill, Central Reading, took it in turns to perform sex acts on the child with Howitt also forcing the boy to do the same to him, the court heard.

The court earlier heard Howitt and Rae had known the boy's mother for several years and may have begun the abuse when the child was just six months old.

Speaking about her son, now aged eight, the mother added: "He is a happy little boy and has been doing very well at school.

"He is pleased they are not going to come out for a long time and they are never going to hurt him again.

"I thought it may have affected him but it is difficult to know if that will change as he grows up and I am scared and frightened of childcare and leaving him and his brother with anyone.

"I am so relieved that at last it is over. It has taken over three years for this case to be tried and come to sentence and has been so hard on all the family. You see this kind of thing in the news but you never think it will happen to your family. I often wonder why this happened to my child."

Judge Christopher Critchlow sentenced Howitt to a minimum of 18 years for seven counts of indecent assault, sexual assault by penetration, sexual assault on a child and perjury along with six counts in relation to the making, possessing and distributing of indecent images.

Rae was sentenced to 12 years in prison earlier this year after admitting to videotaping Howitt abusing the boy as he simulated sex with the four-year-old and performed a sex act off-camera.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/27/2007 10:39:00 PM

Counselor Ordered to Register as Sex Offender

(Greensburg, Pennsylvania) In September 2007, a drug counselor at the Greensburg State Prison, Tina Martinez, was sentenced to probation for a conviction of institutional sexual assault. A jury found Martinez guilty of gobbling the goose of a convicted murderer during a therapy session.

Earlier this month, a judge added Megan's Law provisions to Martinez's sentence. The 42-year-old former counselor will now have to register as a sex offender for a period of ten years.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Following Entry Posted 12/27/2007 08:17:00 PM

Duct Tape Rapist Sentenced

(Chambersburg, Pennsylvania) A 36-year-old man, Pov Srun, was sentenced by Franklin County Judge John R. Walker to 34 years in prison yesterday for the kidnapping and rape of two women.

A stunned Srun, already serving a 35-year term in Maryland for similar crimes, called the sentence "way too harsh" and stated, "If I didn't know any better you would think I killed two people."

Srun forced his way into the Jeep of a 16-year-old Smithsburg girl in a Kmart parking lot in Waynesboro on Sept. 16, 2004, drove her to a different site and assaulted her. Twelve days later, the same thing happened to a 20-year-old woman who was abducted from a supermarket parking lot in Chambersburg, police said.

Srun, who police said used duct tape or a ski mask to disguise himself, was convicted of the attacks in October.

His wife asked Walker for leniency, saying her husband was molested as a young boy, and that she had also physically and mentally abused him. She said her husband was in the parking lots searching for her on the days of both Pennsylvania attacks.

"Well, by golly, he should have looked longer," the judge replied.

Srun will serve his 34 years in Pennsylvania after completing his 35 years in Maryland.

Following Entry Posted 12/27/2007 04:12:00 PM

Yugo Up For Grabs

(Belgrade, Serbia) The only carmaker in Serbia, Zastava, produced 15,000 Yugos last year which is much less than the designed production capacity of 60,000 Yugos a year. Consequently, the company is looking for a buyer.

In an advertisement published in the Politika daily, Serbia's Privatization Agency said nearly 90 percent of the company's shares will be sold in April.

Venture capitalists with a few extra farthings may want to consider investing in the Yugo. Already, two major international companies (not named) have expressed interest.

Following Entry Posted 12/27/2007 01:27:00 PM

Man Arrested for Rape of 70-Year-Old Woman

(Mansfield, Ohio) A 48-year-old ex-convict, William Bounds, was arrested on Christmas Eve for allegedly raping and robbing a 70-year-old woman at knifepoint.

The rape allegedly occurred last week (Dec. 19) at the woman's apartment.

According to Mansfield Police Capt. Marijan Grogoza, officers have been single-minded about catching Bounds.

"Afternoon watch got tips about his whereabouts, but they couldn't catch up with him," she said. "Every time we got close, he'd be gone. Night watch finally got an anonymous tip that led them to him. We are so glad that we got this guy and locked him up. Merry Christmas, Mansfield, from the patrol bureau."

Grogoza said officers chased Bounds all day Sunday.

"We almost got him on Greenlawn (Avenue) that day. Our dogs tracked him, but he was gone when we got there," she said. "Our shifts really wanted this guy, but he was pretty difficult to find. We appreciate the citizens who helped put him behind bars."

Grogoza said Bounds also was caught with a bag of marijuana.

Lt. John Wendling said that during the attack, Bounds allegedly had a knife and threatened to kill the woman.

Bounds previously served 21 years in a Massachusetts prison for rape. He now faces rape and burglary charges.

One might conclude that Bounds wasn't properly rehabilitated during his 21 years in prison.

Following Entry Posted 12/27/2007 09:58:00 AM

Benazir Bhutto Assassinated

(Rawalpindi, Pakistan) At the close of a planned political rally, former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was shot and killed.

Reports are sketchy and conflicting, however, it's believed that Bhutto was shot several times just prior to a suicide bomber detonated himself.

From Hindustan Times:

Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack after a rally in the city of Rawalpindi on Thursday, her party said.

"She has been martyred," said party official Rehman Malik.

Bhutto, 54, died in hospital in Rawalpindi. Ary-One Television said she had been shot in the head.

Police said a suicide bomber fired shots at Bhutto as she was leaving the rally venue in a park before blowing himself up.

"The man first fired at Bhutto's vehicle. She ducked and then he blew himself up," said police officer Mohammad Shahid.

Bhutto was reported to have been shot as many as five times, including in the neck and the head. Upwards of dozens of people were killed and injured in the bomb blast.

Anti-democracy elements in and near the government are being blamed although no suspects have been named thus far. Bhutto was a friend of the West and regularly received death threats from Taliban and al-Qaeda supporters. There have been previous attempts at her life.

According to Wasif Ali Khan of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, the 54-year-old leader died at 6:16 p.m. local time. Bhutto is survived by her husband Asif Ali Zardari and two children.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/26/2007 08:21:00 PM

Tsunami aid money spent on Leftist politics

I give a lot of money away but I almost always give it direct to the intended beneficiary. The story below is one of many which shows why. Even though I am a former registered dog breeder, I do NOT intend to remember the local dog's home (RSPCA) in my will for fear that the money could fall into the hands of "animal lib" fanatics.

I used to donate to World Vision until they came out with one-sided criticisms of Israel. I tried to donate to World Vision on condition that the money go to a needy Jewish child in Israel but they would not take my money under such conditions. Because of her huge military burdens, Israel is still in many ways a poor country so there are many needy Jewish families there. I am afraid that ALL the well-known "aid" organizations must be regarded as very dubious conduits for actual aid. There are however Jewish charities which aim to help poor Israeli families and my negative remarks must not be taken as applying to them.

THREE years after Australians donated $400 million to rebuild Asian lives devastated by the 2004 tsunami, aid groups are under attack for spending much of the money on social and political engineering. A survey by The Australian of the contributions by non-government organisations to the relief effort found the donations had been spent on politically correct projects promoting left-wing Western values over traditional Asian culture.

The activities - listed as tsunami relief - include a "travelling Oxfam gender justice show" in Indonesia to change rural male attitudes towards women. Another Oxfam project, reminiscent of the ACTU's Your Rights at Work campaign, instructs Thai workers in Australian-style industrial activism and encourages them to set up trade unions.

A World Vision tsunami relief project in the Indonesian province of Aceh includes a lobbying campaign to advance land reform to promote gender equity, as well as educating women in "democratic processes" and encouraging them to enter politics. Also in Aceh, the Catholic aid group Caritas funds an Islamic learning centre to promote "the importance of the Koran". This is seen as recognition of the importance of Islam in a province that has been the scene of a long-running and bloody independence struggle against the secular central Government....

More here

Posted by John Ray

Following Entry Posted 12/26/2007 04:34:00 PM

Oklahoma Woman Faces New Child Sex Charges

(Bartlesville, Oklahoma) In September 2007, a 27-year-old local woman, Crystal Dawn Outlaw, was arrested for allegedly raping a 14-year-old boy. Outlaw was charged with second-degree rape.

Outlaw was booked and released on bond.

In the latest development, Outlaw has also been charged with sexually molesting a 13-year-old girl.

Outlaw appeared in court last Wednesday before Special Judge Kyra Williams on charges of rape by instrumentation.

According to the probable cause affidavit filed by police, the 13-year-old female told police that Outlaw had sexually assaulted her in two separate occasions between July and August 2007.

She said that the first time it happened she was afraid and “didn’t want Outlaw to do the things to her that she was doing but she did not know what to do.”

The girl told police that the second time Outlaw assaulted her, she said that she was lying on a couch preparing to go to sleep when Outlaw came in and lay beside her on the couch. She said that Outlaw said “don’t be scared. It will feel good.”

Bond for the new charges was set at $20,000. Outlaw has a court appearance scheduled for January 11.

Tip: Don Morgenstern

Following Entry Posted 12/26/2007 06:21:00 AM

Woman Accused of Illegal Sex with Deaf Boy

(Laurens, South Carolina) A 29-year-old local woman, Jenny Lynn Davis, has been arrested for allegedly performing sex acts on a deaf child.

Davis has been charged with the obscene exposure of her private parts in a lewd manner, committing a lewd act and criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

Notably, the alleged offenses occurred in 2002 and 2003 and before Ms. Davis was sent to prison in 2004 for committing a lewd act on a minor. Ms. Davis was added to the sex offender registry in 2005.

Davis was booked into custody at the Anderson County Detention Center with bond set at $51,000.

Following Entry Posted 12/26/2007 06:09:00 AM

SF Zoo Tiger Escapes, Kills, Mauls

(San Francisco, California) Police continue to investigate how a Siberian tiger named Tatiana was able to escape its enclosure in the zoo and have not ruled out criminal activity.

The 300-pound cat was shot dead by police after killing one man and injuring two others.

The tiger - the same animal that chewed a keeper's arm during an attack last December - was shot to death outside a zoo cafe by four officers who managed to distract the animal as it mauled one of its victims.

The horrifying violence, which occurred just after the zoo's 5 p.m. closing time while dozens of patrons were still inside, began when the tiger somehow managed to gain its liberty from the grotto.

Tatiana did not leave its grotto through the normal door, officials said. With a 15-foot moat and a 20-foot concrete wall, its unclear how the grotto was breached.

Last December, Tatiana chewed the flesh off of zookeeper Lori Komejan's arm during a public feeding demonstration.

Is it possible that an animal rights activist freed the tiger?

Following Entry Posted 12/26/2007 02:01:00 AM

Urination Question Riles Detroit Hindus
We read:

"An embarrassingly derogatory remark against Hindu women by a Canton Township, Detroit official has angered many among Hindu Americans, especially the Indian community in Detroit.

Catherine Johnson, a 71-year old planning commissioner in Canton Township has now offered to resign after she asked at a public forum whether Hindu women urinate in public as part of any Hindu religious ritual. Her shocking and grossly ignorant remark, she claimed, was prompted by neighbors around the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (BAPS Temple) told her that during the Temple's groundbreaking ceremony in 2000, several women attending the ceremonies were seen urinating behind the Temple, and so wanted to know if it was some sort of ritual.

According to The Detroit News, Johnson, who has served as a member for 27 years on the panel, said she's quitting because Supervisor Thomas Yack asked her to -- not because she said anything wrong. "It was a valid question. It was something that a few citizens contacted me at home about," she said. "I try to ask questions about what citizens in the community would want to know." The appalled Indian community said the question was an unfair characterization of their culture and a lie, and said the remark underscored stereotypes about cleanliness in India.

Source

It is customary in Indian villages to go out into the fields to relieve oneself. It is a valuable form of fertilizer. Maybe some remnant of that custom was what was observed.

Post by John Ray

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/25/2007 03:39:00 AM

MERRY CHRISTMAS! FROM CHRISTMAS DAY IN AUSTRALIA

The image above is by talented Australian conservative cartoonist Zeg

A friendly Koala above

Post by John Ray

Monday, December 24, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/24/2007 09:08:00 PM

Christmas in Bethlehem

From AFP:

Several thousand people filled Manger Square in front of the Church of the Nativity hours ahead of the traditional midnight (2200 GMT) mass.

Loudspeakers belted out English-language Christmas songs such as "Dashing through the snow" (Jingle Bells) while the festive crowds sang along.

Steam billowed from carts selling boiled corn and stands sold tea and coffee to the holiday makers gathered in the crisp temperatures under garlands of colourful lights strung across the square.

Palestinians hope the number of tourists and the income they bring will make it the best Christmas since the outbreak of the intifada in September 2000 and the building of Israel’s massive barrier through the West Bank.

Tourism is estimated to have doubled from last year as thousands of pilgrims were joined by Palestinians to celebrate Christmas. Bethlehem Mayor Victor Batarseh said, "All the hotels are booked. I think this Christmas brings more joy to all the citizens of Bethlehem."

Security in Bethlehem is described as extremely tight. The Fatah-run Palestinian administration sent in hundreds of armed police over the weekend to patrol the streets.

The motorcade carrying the Archbishop of Jerusalem, the Latin Patriarch, Michel Sabbah, arrived in Bethlehem via a huge steel gate in the Israeli wall to prepare for tonight’s midnight mass in the Church of the Nativity.

Sabbah is the highest Roman Catholic official in the holy land

According to a report from Voice of America, a group of Muslim scholars sent holiday greeting to Christians throughout the globe. Curiously, the group wasn't identified.

Following Entry Posted 12/24/2007 12:22:00 AM

It's not News Unless it's Reported by a Mainstream Journalist

The Leftist "Media Matters" is scandalized because Fox News reported an anti-Greenie story that was originally put on the net via a blog rather than by one of the mainstream news organizations. Fox was reporting -- HORROR -- that a group of 400 scientists have rejected the "consensus" view that the world is warming up. The scientific "consensus" on global warming has unravelled and we can't have that!

How pathetic they are. They couldn't question the truth of the story -- because it is true. The only thing to criticize that they could find was who reported the event. We must bow down to the Leftist media and let them tell us what to think, apparently. We are naughty children from whom some information must be kept hidden. They are in for a lot of disappointment from now on, I would say.

The blog concerned was run by the GOP side of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee -- which makes the squawk from Media Matters all the more absurd. How did putting the info on a blog differ from putting out a press release? I suppose the difference is that the media have the chance to ignore a press release. An important difference to be sure.

-------

The Greenie site called "Grist" is also in mourning. Excerpt:

"One final (depressing) note: How effective is Inhofe's media outreach compared to that of the entire community of climate scientists? Well, according to technorati (PDF), as of today, Dec. 21, the IPCC Synthesis report has had 278 blog reactions since its release November 17, whereas Inhofe's "report," issued just yesterday (Thursday), has already had over 300 blog reactions."

Grist was also sad that the NYT ran the "consensus-shattering" news -- a sort of "betrayed by our own" feeling, apparently.

The only substantial point in the Grist article was what we have come to expect of the Green/Left -- attempts to discredit the personalities concerned. They said that some of the scientists were not "prominent" enough -- even though some of them were very prominent indeed.

That the Grist post was a "watermelon" (Green on the outside, red on the inside) effort was shown by its footnote: This post was created for ClimateProgress.org, a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund

Another typically abusive Leftist response here

(For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, DISSECTING LEFTISM, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, EYE ON BRITAIN and TELSTRA/BIGPOND. My Home Pages are here or here or here. Email me (John Ray) here.)

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/23/2007 04:35:00 PM

Parents Attempt to Sell Their Baby for $30

(Pensacola, Florida) Two people, Robert G. Ellingson, 23, and Maghen Duvala, 25, were each charged yesterday with four counts of child neglect after they attempted to sell their two-month-old baby for $30. Two people who were approached by Ellingson in a parking lot called police.

Ellingson and Duvala were booked into custody at the Escambia County Jail. The child is with the Department of Children & Families.

Tip: slwlion

Following Entry Posted 12/23/2007 10:27:00 AM

Clinton Legacy in Jeopardy

In today’s NYT opinions, Maureen Dowd takes some shots at Mr. and Mrs. Clinton, contending that Bill is a mix of positives and negatives for Hillary and their entire relationship can best be described as a soap opera. Regarding the ’08 campaign, the former prez just can’t seem to get out of his own way.

While making a speech in Iowa, The Associated Press’s Ron Fournier reported, Bill used the word “I” 94 times in 10 minutes, while mentioning “Hillary” just seven times. At a London fund-raiser, one Hillaryite said, it took him nearly half an hour to mention her.

But, who's counting? Heh.

It occurred to me that Bill Clinton has to be quite conflicted about the possibility of his wife becoming spouse in chief. For the last seven years, Bill and his supporters have worked overtime trying to massage history to assure he has a legacy. Tripping on his tongue now won’t help.

Furthermore, if Hillary becomes the prez and fails in the job, does a Carter so to speak, wouldn’t it reflect negatively on Bill? On the other hand, if President Hillary does a superb job, wouldn’t it also reflect negatively on Bill? In fact, any actions by Mrs. President would automatically invite immediate comparisons to what husband Bill did in similar circumstances. As a result, every day the public would be reminded of Bill Clinton’s decisions, good and bad. Accentuating any of the negative will not help a legacy.

It’s a dilemma. If Hillary becomes prez, Bill Clinton’s legacy will depend on his ability to tattoo his name on positive developments while distancing himself from any errors. With Bill’s legacy at stake, I predict a Hillary White House will be a rumble. Maureen Dowd is right.

In any event, I don’t see a Hillary win as anything but a net negative for Bill Clinton’s public service track record. Maybe that’s why he appears to lack focus on the campaign trail.

Following Entry Posted 12/23/2007 02:28:00 AM

Hi there from a newcomer!

Mike has kindly invited to blog here from time to time. So I thought that for starters a good graphic might go down well:

Above pic via Peg Kaplan

(For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, DISSECTING LEFTISM, IMMIGRATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL, EYE ON BRITAIN and TELSTRA/BIGPOND. My Home Pages are here or here or here. Email me (John Ray) here.)

Following Entry Posted 12/23/2007 02:20:00 AM

John Ray Joins Interested-Participant

Be apprised that well-known Australian thinker and writer John Ray has been added as a contributor to Interested-Participant. John is recognized as one of the more prolific writers in the blogosphere, maintaining several websites with daily updates while also contributing to several others.

I’m confident my regular readers will welcome John’s contributions.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/22/2007 09:53:00 PM

Woman Nabbed for Soliciting Boy Over Internet

(Pickens County, South Carolina) A 28-year-old woman from Fond Du Lac, WI, Sara M. Schneider, was arrested for soliciting a 15-year-old South Carolina boy over the Internet for sex.

According to the news release, beginning in summer this year, Ms. Schneider solicited sex on the Internet and over the telephone from a person she knew to be a 15-year-old boy. Ms. Schneider arranged to meet the boy for sex.

The boy's family became aware of the situation and asked the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office for help. The Pickens office is a member of the South Carolina Attorney General Office's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Ms. Schneider was arrested when she arrived at the boy's home in Liberty, according to the news release.

Schneider has been charged with criminal solicitation of a minor and attempted criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

Following Entry Posted 12/22/2007 08:58:00 PM

Homeless Numbers Update - Connecticut

According to a report from Connpost.com:

- 33,000 homeless people in Connecticut (pop. approx. 3.4 million),

- 1,400 homeless people in Bridgeport (pop. approx. 140,000),

- 3.5 million homeless people in U.S. of which one-fourth are veterans.

Therefore, about one percent of Connecticut's population has no home.

Following Entry Posted 12/22/2007 06:31:00 PM

Huckabee: I’m the Man, I Am, I Am

(Des Moines, Iowa) Here’s a report on candidate Mike Huckabee stumping in Iowa.

His appeal is mainly to people who like the idea of "a man of convictions," not one who behaves like a conventional, pandering politician. But there are times when even the purest of truth-speakers must bow before the demands of a campaign for the highest office.

"Who is your favorite author?" Aleya Deatsch, 7, of West Des Moines asked Mr. Huckabee in one of those posing-like-a-shopping-mall-Santa moments.

Mr. Huckabee paused, then said his favorite author was Dr. Seuss.

In an interview afterward with the news media, Aleya said she was somewhat surprised. She thought the candidate would be reading at a higher level.

Heh.

Following Entry Posted 12/22/2007 05:39:00 PM

Kansas Teacher Accused of Sex with Girl

(Dodge City, Kansas) A 35-year-old second-grade teacher at Sacred Heart Cathedral School, Tabitha Adams, was arrested this week for allegedly having sexual contact with a female student.

Adams faces charges of sexual exploitation of a child, aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated indecent liberties with a child.

Police say someone turned in digital pictures of 35-year-old Tabitha Adams and a 28-year-old Nebraska man engaging in sexual acts with a young girl.

Authorities believe the pictures were taken inside the man's home in Falls City, Nebraska.

Adams was booked into custody with bail set at $500,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 27.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/21/2007 05:57:00 PM

Prankster Orders Electro-Shock of Teen Boys

(Boston, Massachusetts) Seven staffers at the Judge Rotenberg Education Center, a group home for developmentally disabled youngsters, have been fired for unknowingly participating in a hoax last August when two boys were given dozens of electric shocks.

A prank caller ordered the shocks be given in the early morning hours of August 26th. After the two boys, ages 16 and 19, were awakened in the middle of the night, their arms and legs were bound and shocks were administered.

From 2 to 4:45 a.m., one teenager received 77 shocks, while another got 29, according to the report by the state Department of Early Education and Care, which licenses group homes.

As the two youths screamed, other residents woke up and insisted the accused teenagers had violated no rules. One even told staff that the caller might be a prankster.

Staff members did not realize their mistake until one of them called the central office and determined that no punishment orders had been given for the teenagers.

The Rotenberg staff members were fired for failing to stop the cruel treatment even though there was sufficient reason to doubt the validity of the caller's orders.

Fortunately, authorities have identified the prankster and are considering the possibility of criminal charges.

Notably, the Rotenberg facility is believed to be the only special education center in the U.S. that employs electro-shock treatment. Although it remains controversial, many officials and parents are convinced that the treatment is effective for hard-to-teach children.

Outrage is essentially absent which is the exact opposite of the avalanche of worldwide outrage that thundered when American soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison pretended to use electro-shock on terrorist detainees. Maybe readers can reconcile the difference.

Tip: slwlion

Companion post at Education Watch International.

Following Entry Posted 12/21/2007 02:33:00 PM

Journalist Gets Tsk-Tsk for Computer Crime

(Clark County, Washington) A 54-year-old veteran reporter for The Columbian, Don Hamilton, was accused of attempting to access an ambulance's computer and, subsequently, pleaded guilty before Clark County District Court Judge Rich Melnick to misdemeanor attempted computer trespass in the first degree.

On July 18, Hamilton was covering a SWAT standoff in which a Vancouver police officer had been shot. Hamilton went to Southwest Washington Medical Center, where he found the ambulance that had transported the wounded officer.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Jim David said Hamilton got in the vehicle and looked at its computer screen to try to ascertain the name of the officer or any other information regarding the standoff.

Melnick questioned whether an ambulance employee showed Hamilton how to use the computer.

"I'm curious how he was able to do it," Melnick said.

Defense attorney Steve Thayer said that has been a point of contention.

Thayer said an American Medical Response employee let Hamilton look at the computer. The state, however, would have called witnesses at trial to testify nobody gave Hamilton permission or showed him how to use the computer, Thayer said.

Rather than go to trial on what would have been a felony computer trespass charge, Hamilton opted to take advantage of an offer to plead guilty to a misdemeanor, Thayer said.

Judge Melnick sentenced Hamilton to five days of community service and $347 in fines and fees.

Following Entry Posted 12/21/2007 12:47:00 PM

Goat Sex Scandal

(Dibble, Oklahoma) A local woman, Carol Mendenhall, has been fined because her pet goats were observed mating in her back yard. The law makes it illegal for animals to have sex within city limits.

South of Oklahoma City and eight miles due west of Woody Chapel, Dibble is a small community of about 200 people.

Following Entry Posted 12/21/2007 09:52:00 AM

Teen Indicted for Child Rape

(Warren County, Tennessee) An 18-year-old local female, Katie D. Fults, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 12-year-old boy. The episode allegedly occurred earlier this year in a room full of sleeping children.

Last week, Fults was indicted by a Warren County grand jury on a charge of child rape.

Tip: Don Morgenstern

Following Entry Posted 12/21/2007 07:52:00 AM

WWI Vet Dies, Only Two Remain

(North Baltimore, Ohio) According to the Veterans Affairs Department, one of the three known remaining U.S. veterans of World War I has died.

J. Russell Coffey enlisted in the U.S. Army in October 1918, a month before the Allied powers and Germany signed a cease-fire agreement. Coffey died yesterday at the age of 109 according to the Smith-Crates Funeral Home in North Baltimore. Funeral services are tomorrow.

Only two known surviving American soldiers of WWI remain, Frank Buckles of West Virginia and Harry Landis of Florida.

Rest in peace, soldier.

Following Entry Posted 12/21/2007 06:53:00 AM

Illegal Document Operation Busted in Florida

(Hillsborough County, Florida) The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Attorney's Office announced the arrests of 18 people involved in an illegal document production and distribution operation.

The illegal document operation was run out of auto sales and title companies and seven additional suspects who worked for the companies have been indicted.

The companies involved included Inter Car and Truck Sales, Jimaguas Auto Sales, April Lopez Title Co. and Julia Garcia Title Co., all of which operated openly, even boldly advertising their document services.

"Do you need to obtain a tag or title for your car or truck?" one flier said. "We can do it with a license from Mexico or any other country, a voter's registration, a consulate ID, an international DL, or any official ID."

The businesses weren't lying. Investigators learned they gave undocumented immigrants fake driver's licenses, Social Security cards, insurance cards or other licenses, which the companies handed to the Hillsborough County Tax Collector's Office in exchange for authentic titles and vehicle registrations.

The suspects have been charged with a laundry list of offenses including producing fraudulent vehicle identification numbers, applications, certificates and papers; uttering a forced instrument; false or fraudulent motor vehicle insurance application; fraud and misuse of documents, visa or other permits; fraud and related activity in connection with identification documents or Social Security cards.

And the Tax Collector's Office couldn't be blamed, detectives found, because state guidelines limit clerks from checking IDs - exposing a loophole the sheriff says only legislation can fix.

Since the Tax Collector's Office doesn't have the capabilities, nor the apparent authority, to check the authenticity of identification documents presented, the is no administrative mechanism to stop the scammers. The Tax Collector's Office employees are forced to accept any bogus piece of paper put in front of them.

Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said a legislative fix is needed.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/20/2007 07:02:00 PM

Sailors Get Bowl Tickets

(San Diego, California) Tonight's Poinsettia Bowl (9PM EST) will have a handsome contingent of United States Naval personnel rooting for the good guys.

When the Naval Academy Midshipmen take on the Utah Utes in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego on Thursday, there'll be a sizable Navy crowd in the house, thanks to a retired admiral who wanted to be sure the Mids had a cheering section away from home.

Retired Rear Adm. Kenneth Slaght, now vice president and general manager of maritime systems for defense contractor General Dynamics Information Technology, arranged for his company to buy tickets to the game for 1,300 sailors from the San Diego-based carriers Ronald Reagan and Nimitz.

Kudos to Rear Adm. Slaght and "Go Navy!"

By the way, the Midshipmen (8-4) are eight and one-half point underdogs to the Utes (8-4).

Following Entry Posted 12/20/2007 06:45:00 PM

Fatality From Live Round in Dummy Ammo

It's heartbreaking when preventable accidents cause a young American soldier to die. In the following case, there was improper control of the ammunition prior to a training exercise and a violation of muzzle awareness principles.

From Army Times:

Pvt. Daniel Patrick Fisher, of Bassett, Va., died Oct. 4 when a machine gun accidentally discharged and struck him in the abdomen on the Army post's East Range.

The training was intended to teach new soldiers in basic training how to load and unload the weapon using only dummy ammunition. Live rounds weren't supposed to be involved.

Maj. Gen. Peter M. Vangjel, commanding general of the U.S. Army Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill, said trainees unknowingly loaded into the weapon a live .50-caliber round that had inadvertently become mixed with dummy ammunition.

Administrative and disciplinary actions were taken to preclude recurrence.

Condolences to the family and friends of Pvt. Fisher.

Following Entry Posted 12/20/2007 05:24:00 PM

Boiling Oil Murder Case Again Delayed

(Bay St. Louis, Mississippi) In August 2006, a local woman, Edna Mae Sanders, was arrested for the gruesome scalding murder of her husband, Sherman Sanders, 53.

Edna Mae allegedly poured boiling oil on Sherman as he slept on July 28th, 2006. Sherman died in the hospital about a week afterward from 2nd and 3rd-degree burns. Just before he died, Sherman reportedly fingered his wife in the crime.

The murder case against Edna Mae was scheduled to be tried in August but was delayed until December at the request of defense attorney Brian Alexander.

But now there is a new development as Hancock County Circuit Court Judge Roger Clark granted an additional delay until February 2008.

Meanwhile, Edna Mae Sanders, 47, is free on $200,000 bond.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Following Entry Posted 12/20/2007 04:41:00 PM

Woman Accused of Killing Pomeranian

(Farmington, New York) A 29-year-old Rochester woman, Caryn A. Consilio, was arrested last Sunday for allegedly breaking in to her estranged husband's residence and killing his Pomeranian.

Consilio is also accused of stealing a laptop and checks and causing extensive damage to the residence. She was charged with second-degree burglary, second-degree aggravated cruelty to animals and fourth-degree grand larceny.

Consilio was booked into custody at the Ontario County Jail with bail set at $25,000.

The incident probably would have been handled as a simple domestic squabble until she killed the dog. As Michael Vick would likely confirm, that's a no-no.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Following Entry Posted 12/20/2007 11:30:00 AM

Britain's Music Police

(Norfolk, England) The Brits are very strict about protecting the creative property rights of musical artists.

Under the law, playing music outside the home constitutes a public performance and two separate licences are needed: one to PRS [Performing Right Society] to cover copyright in the music and lyrics, and the other to Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL) to cover the actual sound recording.

In a statement, PRS stressed that it was a not-for-profit organisation acting on behalf of its 50,000 musician members.

"By buying a PRS music licence you have access to 10 million pieces of music and at a competitive rate. The money from PRS music licences goes directly to writers and composers, the people who created the music. A PRS music licence can cost as little as 34p a day.

"PRS will take all reasonable steps to ensure those playing copyright music in public are made aware of the need for a licence. We regularly contact businesses to help ensure they are not infringing copyright.

"Failure to obtain a licence for the use of music in public may result in civil action against businesses for copyright infringement and they may be liable to pay damages and costs."

So, it appears that when you take your radio to the park or the beach, be sure to carry two licenses or you may be cited by the music police.

Following Entry Posted 12/20/2007 09:23:00 AM

Teacher Meredith Kane Gets Prison

(Lawrence, Kansas) In March 2007, a 24-year-old first-year teacher at Lawrence High School, Meredith L. Kane, was arrested for engaging in sex with a 15-year-old male student.

In July 2007, Kane pleaded guilty before Douglas County District Court Judge Stephen Six to one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a student in accordance with a plea agreement where one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and two counts of sodomy were dropped.

In August 2007, while awaiting sentencing Kane violates her bail conditions and is put in jail.

Yesterday, Judge Stephen Six sentenced Kane to 59 months in prison and ordered her to register as a sex offender.

Defense attorney James Rumsey asked that Kane be given probation so she could be treated for bipolar disorder and because Kane's victim didn't want her in prison. Judge Six denied the request, holding Kane responsible for her actions.

Tip: Don Morgenstern

Following Entry Posted 12/20/2007 04:06:00 AM

South Carolina's Multiple Choice Homeless Census

(Columbia, South Carolina) The Midlands Area Consortium for the Homeless issued a census report on the number of homeless in South Carolina (6,759) which includes 1,091 total in Richland and Lexington Counties.

However, if you don't like those numbers, there's this:

But, illustrating the confusing nature of the numbers, they are based on a broader definition of homeless than the federal government's. "Therefore, this report does not offer an exact count of individuals who are homeless -- instead it provides multiple estimates," the report says.

So, instead of relying upon a nationally-recognized definition of "homeless," South Carolina census takers made up their own and then blamed "multiple estimates" on "the confusing nature of the numbers."

I'm fairly convinced that a count of heads using one definition would produce only one result. Furthermore, the validity of any census must be questioned when a variety of results are achieved.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/19/2007 08:22:00 PM

Woman Caught in the Act with Boy

(West Manheim Township, Pennsylvania) A 37-year-old Maryland woman, Patricia J. Gamber, faces charges after being caught in flagrante delicto having sex with a 15-year-old boy at 2AM last Friday.

Police found the two without clothes in the rear hatch area of Gamber's Jeep. Gamber reportedly admitted to the sex.

Gamber is charged with statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, corruption of minors, unlawful contact with a minor and trespassing.

Gamber and the boy are co-workers at a restaurant, Wildasin said.

The alleged sexual assault happened in a parking lot off of Grand Valley Road, which is closed to the public from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Gamber allegedly told police that she was going through a divorce and "didn't know what she was doing," according to court documents.

Gamber faces a preliminary hearing on December 24th.

[Update 02/12/08]

From Evening Sun:

Patricia Jean Gamber, 38, of New Windsor waived her right to a preliminary hearing Monday before Magisterial District Judge James Miner on charges of statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, corruption of minors, unlawful contact with a minor and trespassing.

The charges were forwarded to York County court as a result.

Heh.

Tip: Don Morgenstern

[Update 1/09/09]

Gamber guilty. Sentencing in February.

Following Entry Posted 12/19/2007 11:19:00 AM

Homeless Given Computers

(Rockville, Maryland) The Montgomery County Students Information Technology Foundation, Inc. Network Operations group has given revamped computers to homeless men at the Chase Partnership House Men's Shelter.

The gift was announced, apparently with some flair, at the Computer Lab Gifting Ceremony on November 29th at the Thomas Edison High School in Silver Spring.

According to the Director of Volunteer Services of Community Ministries, Karen Napolitano, the homeless men ...

"... will utilize these computers as an opportunity to explore job resources, computer skills, keyboarding skills, and online instruction."

Hey, what a great idea! Homeless men with computers accessing the Internet couldn't possibly have a downside.

Following Entry Posted 12/19/2007 08:06:00 AM

Brit Airways Suspends Steward for Eating Muffin

(London) Heavy-handed is an understatement regarding this report. More appropriate would be gross mismanagement.

British Airways have suspended a cabin crew steward for eating a muffin that was discarded on a passenger's meal tray, it was reported today.

BA are treating the incident as theft after he was reported at Heathrow airport on Monday.

The man's collegues are furious with the decision, branding the airline 'heavy handed' and accused them of acting like a 'police state'.

One BA worker told The Sun: "The cabin crew member on a long-haul flight took a muffin destined for the bin.

"Now his career hangs in the balance. Everyone is up in arms - it is a disgusting way to treat a member of staff."

One must wonder who would report the alleged "theft." Is it possible that British Airways has a Gestapo-like spy observing employees during work hours?

Nevertheless, there is disagreement regarding the situation with British Airways denying that it occurred even though a spokesman for the company confirmed that it had.

Arguably, BA managers are recognized as sticklers and it's not unheard of for flight attendants to fancy other people's muffins, so I lean toward believing the story as reported.

Following Entry Posted 12/19/2007 06:06:00 AM

Class Project Teaches How to Illegally Immigrate

(Columbus, Ohio) For the fifth straight year, a high school Spanish teacher has assigned her students a three-week project to devise a workable plan for a Latino to sneak into the U.S., plus find shelter and food to survive.

From Columbus Dispatch:

Try it legally, Erica Vieyra told her 40 senior Spanish students at Olentangy Liberty High School. Fill out the correct documents, follow the proper steps. And then, after they spent days completing the actual paperwork from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, she took out her red ink pad and stamped a big, fat DENIED across every request.

Now, she told the students, come illegally. Forge your documents, find a way across the border. Then, research real ads and find a place to live in Columbus. Figure out what it would cost, how to get food. Plan how to survive.

The students had to go to real businesses and ask for Spanish-language job applications. They had to visit a bank and ask for new-account documents written in Spanish.

Vieyra promised them that the process -- even in make-believe -- would frustrate them. But they would gain, she hoped, an understanding of what is one of the most important political and humanitarian issues facing the U.S. government today.

Kind of one-sided, I'd say. After all, instead of having the students simulate being generic, non-descript Latinos, Vieyra could have them pretend to be MS-13 gang members sneaking into the U.S. to develop crime networks.

Alternatively, Vieyra could have the students imagine themselves as intelligence operatives for Venezuelan marxist thug Hugo Chavez, charged with infiltrating the U.S. government to conduct espionage.

However, it's not to be. Vieyra's teaching of the Spanish language has taken a back seat to propagandizing the students with her leftist political beliefs. She cautions, though, that she's not trying to influence the students, rather just teach them "a little empathy."

As such, I'd recommend renaming the course from "Spanish V" to "Empathy for Illegal Aliens in the U.S."

Tipped by a very unhappy Olentangy Schools taxpayer.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/18/2007 08:35:00 PM

No Statute of Limitations on Murder

(Lake County, Indiana) Here's a good news report from northwest Indiana.

A 40-ish man, David Bowen, has been arrested for the brutal murder of an 8-year-old boy in 1979.

Cold case detectives for the Lake County Sheriff's Office and the Gary Police have linked Bowen to the murder using DNA evidence, technology that wasn't available in 1979.

Kudos to the investigators. Details at the link.

Following Entry Posted 12/18/2007 06:42:00 PM

Teachers Sentenced in Student Prostitution Ring

(Guizhou Province, China) A middle school teacher, Chi Yao, has been sentenced to death and another teacher, Hai Long, received 11 years in prison for their roles in a sickening prostitution ring involving young teen girls. The teachers' wives, Zhao Qingmei and Li Huiyan, operated the ring and one of them was also sentenced to death.

Reportedly, the ring forced 23 girls, six being younger than 14, to have sex with men during the period from March to June 2006. More than 20 young girls were given to men seeking virgins and 22 of the girls were local primary or middle school students.

From Shanghai Daily:

Zhao Qingmei, 28, the mastermind, was sentenced to death in Weining County last Friday, the report said. She sold snack food on campus after working as a temporary teacher at the Central Primary School in Xinfa township of Weining, the report said. Her husband Chi Yao was a teacher at the township's middle school.

In March 2006, Zhao planned with a local woman identified as Wei Yaqin, who is still on the run, how to earn money by forcing teenage girls into prostitution.

Interestingly, Zhao's husband, Chi Yao, was also sentenced to death but with two years' probation. However that works?

Fourteen other people were also prosecuted for their involvement in the ring and received prison sentences from one year to life. Many were hostel owners.

Companion post at Education Watch International.

Following Entry Posted 12/18/2007 05:36:00 PM

Police: Woman on Crutches Gropes St. Nick, Ho-Ho-Ho!

(Danbury, Connecticut) Reportedly on crutches, a 33-year-old local woman, Sandrama Lamy, has been accused of sitting on a mall Santa Claus' lap and groping him. According to Danbury Police Detective Lt. Thomas Michael, the mall security officer reported that "Santa Claus has been sexually assaulted."

Police quickly found and identified Lamy because the woman was described as being on crutches, said Capt. Bob Myles.

A call seeking comment from Lamy was answered by a recording Tuesday morning. A woman later called back and said: "It's a false report and I don't have any idea."

Police did not give the name of the disconcerted Santa, but they said he is 65 and felt badly because children were waiting to see him. "He was apparently shocked and embarrassed by the whole incident," Myles said.

For allegedly groping the 65-year-old Santa, Lamy was charged with fourth-degree sexual assault and breach of the peace.

Two things: I think it's strange that a 33-year-old woman would want to sit on Santa's lap under any circumstance and I think it's even stranger that a 65-year-old man complained when a 33-year-old woman jingled his bells.

Tip: slwlion and Travis Evans

Following Entry Posted 12/18/2007 05:01:00 PM

Alabama Teacher Nabbed for Drugs

(Shelby, Alabama) A second-grade teacher at Shelby Elementary School, Stacey Robinson Weir, was arrested a week ago last Saturday by Pelham Police for allegedly possessing drugs.

Weir was charged with unlawful possession/receiving of a controlled substance. The specific drug(s) involved was not disclosed.

Weir was hired by the Shelby County School system last August. School spokesperson Cindy Warner stated that there will be no official comment until the case is adjudicated.

She was booked into custody at the Shelby County Jail and subsequently released on $5,000 bond.

Following Entry Posted 12/18/2007 03:07:00 PM

Teacher's Aide Accused of Raping Two Boys

(Claiborne County, Kentucky) A 25-year-old teacher's aide at the Claiborne County Alternative School, Christy Michelle McCartt, has been accused of engaging in sex with two male students, 16 and 17 years old.

The Claiborne County Sheriff's Office has charged 25-year-old Christy Michelle McCartt with two counts of statutory rape by an authority figure and two counts of contributing to the unruliness of a minor.

McCartt worked at an alternative school in Claiborne County. She is alleged to have taken two boys from the school to Middlesboro, Kentucky. Investigators say she had sex with one of those two boys on that trip.

She is charged with two counts of contributing to the unruliness of a minor for each of the boys, and one count of statutory rape by an authority figure.

Later, investigators say McCartt had sex with a third boy in a car at the end of a dirt road in a secluded part of Claiborne County. That brought about the second count of statutory rape by an authority figure.

The original complaint was filed on November 6th and, subsequently, McCartt resigned from the school. She was booked and released on $25,000 bond.

McCartt has a court appearance scheduled for December 27th.

Following Entry Posted 12/18/2007 02:23:00 PM

Turnpike Officials Drop Lawsuit Against Dead People

(New Brunswick, New Jersey) This is what happens when your government is a mindless bureaucracy.

Four people died and four were injured when a truck loaded with bricks rear-ended a car last year, triggering a chain reaction crash in Teaneck.

Turnpike officials were seeking $10,000 for damage to the roadway, but they had the lawsuit dismissed, saying they don't target people involved in fatal accidents.

I wonder why the turnpike officials would sue the people who were victims in the accident. They didn't cause the fatal mishap. Why should they be liable?

Tip: slwlion

Following Entry Posted 12/18/2007 09:01:00 AM

Oh, Doctor! Counsel Me Harder!

(Shelby, North Carolina) A local psychiatrist, Dr. Kerry L. Balentine, was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a patient after the patient's wife died. As a result, Balentine signed a consent order which indefinitely suspends her medical license.

Balentine began grief counseling the patient, the consent order said. She had previously treated him for about a year.

According to documents from the North Carolina Medical Board, Balentine began the relationship after accepting an invitation for coffee.

The order said Balentine stopped seeing the patient in her office in October 2006, "implying that he was discharged from her care but not clearly terminating their physician-patient relationship."

It also stated that Balentine provided prescriptions for medications, including controlled substances to the patient, after the relationship began and did not chart them.

Granted, I'm no medical professional but it sure seems that sex and drugs would be very successful at mitigating grief -- or pretty much whatever ails you.

It's not exactly clear what an "indefinite suspension" entails, other than a note in her record. If she stays out of trouble, her license should be reinstated.

Following Entry Posted 12/18/2007 07:07:00 AM

Huckabee's Questionable Baggage

As former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee tries to convince the electorate that he is the most qualified candidate to lead the United States, news emerges that he may have abused his authority as governor by thwarting an investigation of his son. It's unknown where "thwarting investigation of a possible crime" fits under the category of leadership skills.

As a youth in 1998, former Gov. Huckabee's son, David, 27, was accused of hanging a stray dog and subsequently fired as a Boy Scout camp counselor. An animal rights group complained to a local prosecutor who then asked the Arkansas State Police to conduct an investigation to determine if animal cruelty laws were violated. However, nothing happened.

The director of the state police, John Bailey, said he was pressured by Huckabee's chief of staff and personal lawyer to deny the prosecutor's request.

Bailey, a career officer who had been appointed chief by Huckabee's Democratic predecessor, said he viewed the lawyer's intervention as improper and terminated the conversation.

Seven months later, he was called into Huckabee's office and fired. "I've lost confidence in your ability to do your job," Bailey says Huckabee told him. One reason Huckabee cited was "I couldn't get you to help me with my son when I had that problem," according to Bailey.

"Without question, [Huckabee] was making a conscious attempt to keep the state police from investigating his son," says I. C. Smith, the former FBI chief in Little Rock, who worked closely with Bailey and called him a "courageous" and "very solid" professional.

So, the Arkansas State Police director reportedly had the audacity to think that everyone is treated equally under the law and Gov. Huckabee made it clear that some people are more equal, like the governor's son.

On the other hand, Huckabee maintains that Bailey is a bitter liar. He said, he said, take your pick.

Frankly, I lean towards Bailey's account. In fact, the whole episode is consistent with what America has seen as "Arkansas bubba politics" and I'd suggest that Mike Huckabee is not all that dissimilar at the core from a predecessor bubba politico, Bill Clinton. Both, by the way, are from Hope, Arkansas.

Following Entry Posted 12/18/2007 05:28:00 AM

British Home Office Blunders

(London) The Home Office has announced that an illegal immigrant from Nigeria has been working as a guard at its London headquarters.

Since the Home Office is responsible for immigration policies, along with crime, policing, terrorism and national security, the revelation that an illegal immigrant passed security screening is a nuclear embarrassment.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is reportedly "beyond incandescent."

A Home Office spokesman confirmed the individual had been granted a licence by the Security Industry Authority (SIA), and was now subject to deportation proceedings.

The illegal worker was identified and arrested the day after Ms Smith told the Commons that more than 11,000 could have been cleared by the SIA to take on sensitive security jobs since 2004.

The authority had been failing to check whether applicants had the right to work in the UK before handing out licences.

So the day after Home Secretary Smith declares that the SIA has licensed thousands of illegals, one is identified. How fortuitous. One has to wonder about the timing of the two announcements.

Nevertheless, the issue of inadequate screening of immigrants is merely an addition to a growing list of complaints regarding the operation of the Home Office.

In one, Ms. Smith has been accused of "breathtaking arrogance and deceit" after a leaked memo disclosed a secret scheme to sabotage police pay demands. Police are understandably angry and have called for Ms. Smith to resign. In response, Ms. Smith laughed and said, "I'm still here."

However, there's also disturbing news that the government, through the Home Office, is involved in a "stealth amnesty" campaign for illegal immigrants. According to one official:

"Since these are people who had not been granted the right to remain in the UK, this combination of low removal rates and lengthy delays, means this is effectively a stealth amnesty. This is a policy by incompetence rather than decision."

The negligible deportation rate can be blamed on Jacqui Smith, for now. However, the problem started long before she took office last June.

Citing the words of an unknown pundit, the British Home Office has discovered that "it's hard to remember to drain the swamp when you're up to your ass in alligators." Even so, it's unfair to be too critical of the British since I'm convinced that illegals passing through security screening is also a significant problem in the U.S.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/17/2007 06:38:00 PM

Miss Belgium Booed

(Brussels, Belgium) In a country with a majority Dutch population, the new Miss Belgium embarrassingly cannot speak Dutch.

French, Czech and English-speaking Alizee Poulicek, 20, is unintentionally contributing to a political battle that is organized along linguistic lines.

The Dutch-speaking Flemings in the northern part of Belgium comprise about 60 percent of the population and they regularly demand that all Belgians speak Dutch. The French-speaking south doesn't necessarily agree.

As a result, when Alizee Poulicek was introduced on stage to the audience in Antwerp, she was booed. I'm personally perplexed because Poulicek wasn't selected as Miss Belgium for what comes out of her mouth.

Think about it. When Miss Poulicek voices her plan for saving the Earth, most people tune out anyway.

Following Entry Posted 12/17/2007 06:22:00 PM

Teacher Arrested for Dealing Drugs

(West Memphis, Arkansas) A 48-year-old substitute teacher and school bus driver for Desoto County Schools, Melinda Haas, has been arrested for selling drugs.

Haas allegedly "sold and delivered a bottle of liquid Morphine and 50 Xanax pills to an undercover officer of the West Memphis Police Department."

One would imagine that a bottle of liquid morphine and 50 Xanax would be rather difficult to obtain yet they were in the possession of a bus driver-teacher. Curious, I'd say.

Following Entry Posted 12/17/2007 05:03:00 PM

Super Bowl Ads Nearly Gone

Don't get shut out. Hurry if you want to display your message during Super Bowl XLII. Nearly all of 63 30-second slots have been sold. By the way, they cost a record $2.7 million each.

Following Entry Posted 12/17/2007 12:48:00 AM

Skull-Smashing Mom Gets Prison

(Erie, Pennsylvania) In October 2007, a 28-year-old mother-of-five, Chytoria Graham, was convicted by an Erie County Common Pleas Court jury of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, simple assault and child endangerment for breaking her 4-month-old son's skull.

Graham swung her baby, Jarron, like a baseball bat during a fight she had with her boyfriend in October 2006. The infant suffered brain bleeding and bruising and, fortunately, recovered.

This week, Graham was sentenced to five to 10 years in prison. Attorney James Pitonyak stated that Graham intends to appeal her conviction.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/16/2007 02:49:00 PM

Jessica Bowring

Jessica Bowring sentenced to prison. See update here.

Following Entry Posted 12/16/2007 07:53:00 AM

Ohio Civil Rights Chief Quits, Muslim May Step In

(Columbus, Ohio) After less than six months in the job, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC) chairman, Barbara Sykes, has abruptly quit. Sykes' resignation was submitted immediately prior to her requested appearance at a rare confirmation hearing before an Ohio Senate committee, where she appeared to face certain rejection.

Appointed by Gov. Ted Strickland in August, Sykes lost favor by vigorously shepherding a maternity leave rule which was opposed by Ohio's business leaders who asked that the issue be given more time. Sykes declined.

Gov. Strickland also asked Sykes to slow down action on the proposed maternity leave rule. Sykes rejected the governor's request. As a consequence, Gov. Strickland, through spokesman Keith Dailey, said he wouldn't support Sykes' confirmation for Ohio Civil Rights Commission chairman.

Hopefully, readers will notice the contradiction. In August, Strickland picks Sykes to run the OCRC and, in December, Strickland says he won't support his choice. He was for her before he was against her.

One might suggest that Gov. Strickland needs to reassess his vetting process for political appointees. Loyalty, gratitude and the ability to measure political winds, attributes that Sykes seemingly lacks, might be missing on Strickland's prospective appointee checklist.

Regarding a replacement for Sykes, interesting news and commentary out of Columbus appears to indicate that a front-runner for the OCRC job is Ahmad Al-Akhras, a former Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) officeholder and Islamic leader. Although Al-Akhras has a reputation for persistent Islamic activism, some might say extremism, he nonetheless has elbow-cozy relationships with both Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman and Gov. Strickland.

Coupling the above with insider news that Al-Akhras has resigned from his high-paying position with the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission and the speculation regarding a future political appointment with the OCRC is understandable. Be cautioned that speculation is still at the fortified rumor stage.

I'll update as more nuggets are panned from the situation.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/15/2007 11:08:00 PM

No Lead Paint Payday for Toledo

(Toledo, Ohio) Another public nuisance lawsuit has been denied.

The plans of Toledo officials to recoup some of the cost of lead-paint abatement and cleanup were stymied when a Lucas County Common Pleas Court judge dismissed their lawsuit against manufacturers of the paint.

Judge Ruth Ann Franks this week dismissed a lawsuit filed by the city in September, 2006, against companies that once made, or helped make, lead-based paint.

Eight defendants were named in the lawsuit, including Sherwin-Williams Co., based in Cleveland.

In her opinion, which was released Wednesday, Judge Franks agreed with the companies' contention that the city's claim of public nuisance "is actually a claim under Ohio's Product Liability Act."

Based on that decision, Judge Franks said that the claims are barred by the statutes of limitations.

There's no word on whether the city will appeal.

Following Entry Posted 12/15/2007 10:09:00 PM

Homeless Update - Key West

(Key West, Florida) With a subtropical climate and an accommodating attitude toward vagrants, Key West has been a popular and enduring destination for the homeless.

Back in 2004, a review found that the local authorities had developed plans for a safe zone, a homeless tent city to include "Quonset hut or chickee structures, bathrooms, showers and a laundry facility." The authorities sought to keep the homeless from camping on the beaches. It's not known how those plans worked out but it is known that homelessness continues to be a challenge for Key West's city officials.

Additionally, in the years since 2004 it has become clear that the vagrant population of Key West and Monroe County is largely an afterthought during hurricane evacuations. In fairness to emergency planners, however, it's virtually impossible to provide for evacuation of an unknown number of people who don't have an address.

From a recent report, the problem of homelessness in Key West is seen to be compounded by the fact that there exists virtually no affordable housing for anybody but the very well off.

The statewide construction downswing doesn't seem to have really hit Key West. New waterfront condos are still hot sellers at a $2 million clip. Affordable middle-class housing is still badly needed, though.

One novel proposal is to build 25 inexpensive condos right on school property to put the brakes on teacher turnover. Already among Florida's highest-paid teachers, they still exit this tropical paradise at a rate of more than 100 a year.

Consequently, even people with stable, professional jobs cannot afford housing in Key West.

In summary, the vagrancy problem in Key West continues, apparently unabated. And, as a recent visitor observed, the homeless element is one of the very first things noticed upon arriving on the island.

On a lighter note, the homeless have become such an integral part of Key West life that a recent mayoral candidate suggested dressing up vagrants as pirates to emphasize the carnival atmosphere on the island and its historic connection to throat-slashing thieves from centuries ago. Frankly, it's probably offensive, arguably with a nugget of truth, to correlate the homeless with thieves.

Following Entry Posted 12/15/2007 02:04:00 PM

Oregon Teacher's Assistant Accused of Teen Sex Abuse

(St. Helens, Oregon) A 39-year-old teacher's assistant at St. Helens High School, Jan Elizabeth Gleaves, was arrested this week for allegedly liquoring up and having sex with schoolboys.

Gleaves faces charges of giving liquor to a minor, third-degree sexual abuse, contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor and endangering the welfare of a minor.

According to District Attorney Stephen Atchison, formal charges may be filed this coming week, however, more investigation is necessary.

Police allege that Gleaves committed sexual crimes against boys and served them alcohol in her apartment in Rainier. Friday morning, police said they are still gathering evidence and investigating the case.

Atchinson said it is unclear how many boys were involved but those identified thus far all are in their teens.

Atchison said he has heard that the investigation began when a Rainier woman called police Wednesday, disturbed about posts she found on her son's MySpace page, but Atchison hasn't seen the evidence.

Gleaves was booked into custody at the Columbia County Jail with bail set at $36,250 (another source says $3,625).

Gleaves' 12-year-old son was taken into protective custody.

[Update 04/11/08]

This week in Columbia County Court, Jan Gleaves pleaded not guilty to four counts of third-degree sexual abuse, seven counts of contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor, four counts of unlawful delivery of marijuana to a minor, 14 counts of furnishing alcohol to a minor and one count of attempted tampering with a witness.

At 4:30 p.m. Friday, the court will consider a motion to change her conditions of release. She’s now forbidden to have contact with minors, except her son, or go places where minors congregate.

Gleaves, who was released from jail March 31, filed the motion because “she wants to go to Little League baseball games,” said deputy District Attorney John Berg.

Gleaves has a court appearance scheduled for June 18.

Following Entry Posted 12/15/2007 10:31:00 AM

South Dakota Woman Guilty of Sex with Boy

(Rapid City, South Dakota) A 47-year-old local woman, Michelle Alexander, pleaded guilty on Thursday to having sexual contact with a 15-year-old boy.

Alexander was originally charged with fourth-degree rape in addition to the sexual contact charge for mixing it up with the boy between January and August 2006.

Per a plea agreement with the prosecution, the rape charge was dropped in exchange for Alexander's guilty plea. Notably, the deal was struck on the morning of the day that Alexander was to be tried.

The maximum penalty for engaging in sexual contact with a 15-year-old is 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.

Sentencing by Seventh Circuit Judge A.P. "Pete" Fuller is tentatively scheduled for January 7th, contingent upon the completion of a sex-offender evaluation.

[Update 04/12/08]

(Rapid City, South Dakota) Yesterday, Michelle Alexander was sentenced.

Seventh Circuit Judge Pete “A.P” Fuller sentenced 47-year-old Michelle Alexander to a sentence of 180 days in jail, with 90 days suspended. She will receive credit for two days already served.

Alexander was also sentenced to 15 years in the state penitentiary, which will also be suspended as long as Alexander meets the requirements of her probation.

She will be on probation for 10 years.

Alexander must also register as a sex offender.

So, from a potential of 15 years in the big house to 90 days in the county jail, Alexander got a helluva deal.

Following Entry Posted 12/15/2007 09:19:00 AM

Student Suspended for Warning of Sex Offenders in School

(Gig Harbor, Washington) Last week, a student at Gig Harbor High School, Raydon Gilmore, was suspended for posting warning fliers about two convicted juvenile sex offenders who attend his school.

Three other students, names are withheld, were also suspended for the same infraction. The sex offender students are listed as a Level 1 and a Level 2, respectively considered to be low-risk and moderate-risk of re-offending.

According to Gig Harbor Principal Greg Schellenberg, Gilmore and three other students were suspended for three days for harassment and misuse of school equipment.

The students, he said, used a school printer to produce "dozens" of fliers with the sex offenders' pictures, home addresses and other personal information.

Schellenberg said the students taped the fliers on vending machines and a pingpong table and dropped them outside bathrooms. The school's security cameras caught some of them in the act.

The principal said the students should have brought their concerns to a teacher or an administrator. They also violated a rule that state officials must approve any materials that students post on campus walls.

Apparently, legislative guidance on notifications regarding sex offenders in school is minimal. The sheriff notifies the principal and the principal notifies the sex offender's teachers. That's it. Neither students nor parents are notified. In fact, all cognizant parties are cautioned to be low key regarding the sex offender's presence among other students.

Principal Schellenberg says that the school administrators "at least periodically, try to point parents where to find information."

If students want to talk about a sex offender who attends school, that's fine, he said. Distributing offenders' information and opening their convictions to a "public forum" at school isn't.

"We want everybody to feel safe and comfortable," Schellenberg said. "It's hard to imagine anyone feeling that way with fliers being posted about them."

Therefore, the school makes "everyone" feel safe and comfortable by not disclosing when a sex offender is present. Simply put, they are kept in the dark. Like it or not, that's the system. Unfortunately.

All responsibility resides with the principal to make sure adequate measures are implemented to confidentially monitor the sex offender students and hopefully preclude any future criminal behavior. As a reminder, the sex offender information is available but one has to specifically be looking for it.

All in all, the issue remains contentious as Gilmore and his mother, Meloney Garthe, continue to complain about the suspensions. Gilmore maintains that he was concerned about vulnerable girls in the student body and he would do the same thing again. His mother says that she is proud of her son for doing a public service.

My take? Convicted sex offenders should not be allowed near public high schools, much less inside.

Companion post at Education Watch International.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/14/2007 06:21:00 PM

Woman Accused of Having 10 Husbands

(Palm Beach County, Florida) A 26-year-old woman, Eunice Lopez, has been arrested and charged with nine counts of bigamy for allegedly marrying 10 men in the past five years while divorcing none of them.

According to Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office spokesperson Terry Chavez, "One is always legitimate."

Lopez arrived in South Florida from Cuba in 2002 and promptly began marrying men.

She was arrested in Palm Beach County early Wednesday morning.

She was drinking beers with another woman in an open area just after midnight when a Palm Beach County deputy approached the pair to ticket them, authorities said.

When he saw Lopez's ID, the deputy realized she was wanted and arrested her.

The names of the men Lopez married are as follows:

June 22, 2002 -- Mauricio Carlos Matos
Aug. 11, 2003 -- Jose L. Ramos
March 5, 2005 -- Luis Antonio Cordeiro
Nov. 5, 2005 -- Humberto Navarro Suarez
Nov. 17, 2005 -- Leandro Abelha
Jan. 6, 2006 -- Euclides Yepes
May 11, 2006 -- Martin Errazola Alvarez
June 2, 2006 -- Antonio Serrano
July 24, 2006 -- Diego M. Hernandez-Figueroa
Nov. 21, 2006 -- Fernando Jose Urroz Leguisamo

Lopez was booked into custody with bond set at $18,000.

Interestingly, the authorities don't know if there are other husbands in other locations. Also unknown is the reason she married the men.

Following Entry Posted 12/14/2007 03:04:00 PM

Absinthe Can Now Be Sold in the U.S.

(New York) Yes, the evil libation absinthe is no longer illegal in the United States.

From AdAge.com:

Absinthe, the mysterious and long-banned wormwood-based liquor once famed in Europe for its ability to produce hallucinations, is going back on the market in the U.S. It was previously banned for 92 years.

It's reported that current versions of absinthe don't produce hallucinations.

Following Entry Posted 12/14/2007 02:18:00 PM

Homelessness Sympathy Project - Alabama

(Bay Minette, Alabama) To raise awareness for the homeless, members of the Baldwin County High School National Honor Society (NHS) will sleep outdoors tonight in cardboard boxes on the school's front lawn. This is the fourth year for the awareness project which presumably gives the students a realistic appreciation for the homeless experience.

"There are people that are homeless, even here in our area," said science teacher Judy Bridges, who co-sponsors the NHS with English teacher Janie Baker.

In addition to the cardboard slumber party, the 14 NHS members will eat soup. According to Bridges, if the weather gets too cold, the students will sleep on the school library floor.

To follow the obvious effort to inculcate the future generation with liberal do-gooderism, it's recommended that the next project be a night on the vomit-covered floor of the county drunk tank to raise awareness for the plight of alcoholics. The NHS members might also spend a night with a group of junkies in a crack house to raise awareness for the plight of drug addicts.

It might also be possible for the students to spend a noisy night in a facility for the criminally insane to raise awareness for the plight of those with mental illness. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the plight of illegal aliens. The students could travel to Mexico and hire a coyote to sneak them into the United States across the Sonoran Desert. Now, that would be a realistic experience to appreciate.

Following Entry Posted 12/14/2007 01:28:00 PM

Nigeria Ready for U.S. Military

(Washington, D.C.) Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua met with President Bush yesterday and stated that his country is will partner with the U.S. military Africa Command (AFRICOM) for security on the continent.

The statement is a reversal of his country's position with regard to AFRICOM. Previously, the official position was that Nigeria would not support the presence of U.S. troops on African soil.

But at a press briefing at the Oval Office, with President George W. Bush in attendance, Yar'Adua made known his new position.

"We have discussed on security issues, security within Nigeria, the Niger Delta, the Gulf of Guinea and peace and security on the African continent. We shall partner AFRICOM to assist not only Nigeria but also the African continent to actualise its peace and security initiatives. It is an initiative to have standby forces in each of the regional economic groupings in Africa," said the President.

The President did not give details of the discussion on AFRICOM, such as whether Nigeria will be used as the Command's base, an issue that has emerged contentious in recent times.

A U.S. military base in West Africa is interesting to ponder.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Following Entry Posted 12/14/2007 11:43:00 AM

Woman Goes to Bar, Arrested for Child Neglect

(Seffner, Florida) A 31-year-old local mother, Angie Michelle Hawkins, was arrested this week for allegedly leaving her autistic 12-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy alone at home while she went to a bar.

Hawkins faces felony child neglect and misdemeanor battery charges.

Deputies say there is no phone in Hawkins' house and that the autistic girl is prone to having seizures. Her other child woke up and ran to a neighbor's house because he didn't know where his mother had gone, a criminal arrest affidavit states.

The neighbor called law enforcement, and the 10-year-old told a deputy that his mother likely was at Lenny's Bar, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

A deputy called the bar and told her to come home, and she arrived about 12:45 a.m.

Hawkins, 31, then punched her neighbor on the eye with a closed fist, the affidavit states.

Hawkins was booked into custody at the Orient Road Jail with bail set at $8,000. The children are with child protective services.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Following Entry Posted 12/14/2007 08:27:00 AM

Honor Roll Schmonner Roll

(Wilton, Connecticut) Congratulations to the students and faculty of Wilton High School. An astounding 67 percent of the student body made the honor roll.

It appears logical to speculate that inclusion on the honor roll will someday carry the same importance, value and distinction as being listed in the phone book.

Meanwhile, there's no news being reported on the death of the bell curve.

Companion post at Education Watch International.

Following Entry Posted 12/14/2007 08:07:00 AM

Homeless Benefits Boost - Santa Clara County, CA

The Valley Transportation Authority in Santa Clara County has more than doubled the number of reduced-fare bus passes for the homeless.

On Tuesday, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved the issuance of 1,850 monthly reduced-fare bus passes. Previously, only 713 were offered.

Consequently, more of those who are homeless, and presumably have some place to go, can do it with reduced-fares in Santa Clara County.

Following Entry Posted 12/14/2007 07:23:00 AM

Teacher Darcie Esson Gets 90 Days in Student Sex Case

(Glenwood Springs, Colorado) In December 2006, an English teacher at Elizabeth High School, Darcie Esson, was arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with a 17-year-old male student.

Authorities were alerted after the student reportedly bragged about having sex with Esson in a Glenwood Springs hotel room.

At the time, Esson was going through a divorce and had her two children, ages 4 and 8, plus a babysitter in the hotel room with her. The three kids were believed to be asleep when the student entered the room in the early morning hours to have sex with Esson. The babysitter allegedly saw the boy enter the room and the following morning found a used condom on the floor of the bathroom.

Subsequently, Esson was charged with sexual assault of a child by a person in a position of trust. She was released on bond and later hired high-profile attorney, Pamela Mackey, who previously represented LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant in his frenzied celebrity rape case.

In June 2007, Darcie Esson, now 33, pleaded guilty before District Judge Denise Lynch to engaging in sex with the boy. In accordance with a plea agreement, Esson pleaded guilty to a single count of sexual assault on a child ages 15-17 while in a position of trust.

Yesterday, Darcie Esson was sentenced by District Judge Denise Lynch to 90 days in jail and a term of 10 years to life on supervised probation. Esson also must pay $17,660 in restitution to the victim and register as a sex offender. Before being led off to jail, Esson apologized to the victim and his family.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/13/2007 10:15:00 PM

Women Castrate Heraldic Lion

This week, a battle in the gender war was won by the women. The heraldic lion on the coat of arms of the Nordic Battlegroup has been castrated.

Ouch!

Displayed is the before picture.

The armed forces agreed to emasculate the lion after a group of women from the rapid reaction force lodged a complaint to the European Court of Justice, Goteborgs-Posten reports.

But although the army was eventually happy to make the changes in the interests of gender equality, the artist who designed the insignia was less than pleased.

"A heraldic lion is a powerful and stately figure with its genitalia intact and I cannot approve an edited image," Vladimir A Sagerlund from the National Archives told Goteborgs-Posten.

Sagerlund blasted the army for making changes to the coat of arms without his permission.

"The army lacks knowledge about heraldry. Once upon a time coats of arms containing lions without genitalia were given to those who betrayed the Crown," said Sagerlund.

But the castrated lion has already won the day and is now worn on the arms of all soldiers in the battle group's Swedish battalions.

"We were given the task of making sure the willy disappeared," Christian Braunstein from the army's 'tradition commission' told Goteborgs-Posten.

"We were forced to cut the lion's willy off with the aid of a computer," he added.

The Nordic Battlegroup is comprised of soldiers from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Ireland and Estonia, who are all very careful when spelling the word "Nordic."

Curiously, now that the lion is a lioness, shouldn't the mane also be removed? Of course, no one would ever question the manliness of European military forces. Right?

Tip: Travis Evans

Following Entry Posted 12/13/2007 11:30:00 AM

Saudi Jihad Rehab Program

(Saudi Arabia) Terrorists who have been captured and imprisoned in Saudi Arabia can now enter the new jihadist rehabilitation program to rid themselves of their extremist thoughts.

From ITN:

Prisoners who are soon to be released are encouraged to swap their weapons for crayons and express themselves through art.

Class leader Dr Awad Alyami says the centre provides a crucial link between prison and the community for the ex-Jihads.

He said: "They came from a dark side. They got into a lot of problems and they got into trouble for it. They went into jail for a period of time and now they are in a rehabilitation centre where we are offering them help to adjust to society."

Golly gee whiz! It sounds so wonderful. I'm feeling a little mushy, a bit wispy and oh so moist. I'm fully deluded. Just think -- the terrorists will trade their explosives and automatic weapons for crayons. What a fantastic idea!

Who would have thought that crayons would win out against martyrdom and 72 virgins?

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Following Entry Posted 12/13/2007 10:47:00 AM

NASA: Signs of Microbial Life on Mars

According to this report, the Mars rover Spirit has discovered evidence of a past habitable environment on the planet.

Spirit has been exploring a plateau called Home Plate, where it discovered silica-rich soil in May.

Researchers are now trying to determine what produced the patch of nearly pure silica - the main ingredient of window glass.

They believe the deposits came from an ancient hot-spring environment or an environment called a fumarole, in which acidic steam rises through cracks.

On Earth, both of these types of settings teem with microbial life, said rover chief scientist Steve Squyres.

"Whichever of those conditions produced it, this concentration of silica is probably the most significant discovery by Spirit for revealing a habitable niche that existed on Mars in the past," he said.

More study is needed. Nonetheless, it's an interesting find.

Following Entry Posted 12/13/2007 10:17:00 AM

Report: More Dropouts Mean More Thugs

(Alameda County, CA) From a report by a coalition of law enforcement leaders and violence survivors based upon a study by Enrico Moretti of UC Berkeley.

Increasing the graduation rate by 10 percentage points statewide would lower the homicide tally by an estimated 500 a year and prevent more than 20,000 aggravated assaults, according to a report by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California, a coalition of law enforcement leaders and violence survivors.

"The main point is that California's dropout crisis is a public safety issue," said Brian Lee, author of the report and deputy director of the group. "We're paying for it in terms of violent crime."

About a third of students in California do not earn a high school diploma.

I think that the assertion is oversimplifying a more complicated problem. If thugs are taken off the street and put in school, it doesn't necessarily follow that they are no longer thugs.

Following Entry Posted 12/13/2007 06:40:00 AM

Pinak - Miracle Snake Bite Medicine

(Pune, India) From the subcontinent it's reported that there is a new herbal wonder drug for venomous snake bites called Pinak and stories regarding the drug's use are phenomenal.

One of the major problems in treating snakebite victims is the costly ASV vaccine that -- at a cost of 400 Indian Rupees -- is beyond the reach of most poor patients. Pharmaceutical anti-venoms are expensive to produce, a process that includes harvesting venom from snakes.

A remedy to tackle this problem came in the form of herbal drug Pinak, manufactured by a Satara based pharmaceutical company following research and successful trials by Dr. Gita Pawar. Patients treated with Pinak not only survived but also fully recovered.

Pinak has yet to be approved by the Indian government. Pinak was not only cheap compared to the costly ASV, but the drug, which doctors have nicknamed the "miracle drug," was recorded to be so effective that a single dose of the drug, the world's only oral sublingual tablet, could cure or prevent deaths instantly as compared to ASV, which takes longer to act against snake venom.

Wow! A single dose prevents death. Wow! And, according to the reports, bites from all the various types of venomous snakes can be treated with equal effectiveness by Pinak. Wow!

Of course, I must ask why there hasn't been more publicity regarding this medical breakthrough? We're talking Nobel Prize worthiness here. Rattlesnake bite? Here, take this pill. Black mamba? Just put it under your tongue. Cobra? No problem, here's some Pinak.

Obviously, I'm harboring skepticism with hope.

Following Entry Posted 12/13/2007 05:33:00 AM

Iran Bans Boots, Hats on Women

(Tehran, Iran) The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Ministry of Culture and Islamic Orientation, along with the police, judiciary and Revolutionary Guard, have ordered a ban on women wearing boots and hats. Interestingly, there seems to have been unanimous agreement for the ban -- maybe because women were not given an opportunity to object.

Tehran Police Chief General Ahmad Radan announced the prohibition yesterday.

"If boots are not covered by pants that fall to the ankles, they show the female shape and that is therefore in contradiction with Islamic dress code," said Radan.

Iranian women can no longer leave home with their pants pushed inside their boots and they can no longer wear hats without a veil.

"A hat is not an adequate substitute for a veil or a hijab," he said. "If someone really wants to wear a hat, they can put it on the veil."

Feminist Rezvan Moghdaddam told Adnkronos International (AKI) that police should be concerned about drug traffickers than street fashion.

"Instead of being busy with women's hats and boots, the police would be better catching the merchants of death that kill our young people with drugs," she said from Tehran.

"Our cities are infested by delinquents and security forces are only worried about how women dress, all this is really ridiculous."

Therefore, as long as women are seen as shapeless and unremarkable, they will be allowed to walk the streets of Tehran. Meanwhile, law enforcers in Tehran have been turned into the official Boot and Hats Police, something akin to glorified hall monitors.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/12/2007 03:40:00 PM

The [bleep] Toilet

(Scranton, Pennsylvania) A local woman, Dawn Herb, was in court Monday after being accused of cussing in her home when her toilet backed up. Herb faces one count of disorderly conduct.

She was cited by an off-duty officer who heard Herb let out a string of four-letter words after her toilet backed up in October. She doesn't deny using the obscenities.

But her lawyer says Herb has a constitutional right to curse like a sailor in her own home. The judge says he'll make a decision in a few days on whether the mother of four is guilty of a cussing crime.

If convicted, Herb faces up to 90 days in jail.

Well, I'll be [bleep]. What a bunch of [bleep]. This [bleep] police officer is [bleep]. He can [bleep] my [bleep].

And the horse you rode in on!

Following Entry Posted 12/12/2007 01:38:00 PM

Pope Bashes Environmentalists on Climate Alarms

Pope Benedict XVI voices caution regarding global warming dogma.

Pope Benedict XVI has launched a surprise attack on climate change prophets of doom, warning them that any solutions to global warming must be based on firm evidence and not on dubious ideology.

The leader of more than a billion Roman Catholics suggested that fears over man-made emissions melting the ice caps and causing a wave of unprecedented disasters were nothing more than scare-mongering.

The German-born Pontiff said that while some concerns may be valid it was vital that the international community based its policies on science rather than the dogma of the environmentalist movement.

So, I guess the Pope has joined the ranks of global warming deniers. Welcome aboard, your Holiness.

Tip: Right Bias

Following Entry Posted 12/12/2007 11:28:00 AM

Man Charged with Reckless Driving of Horse

(Telemark County, Norway) Apparently, there is no specifically-defined traffic offense for reckless giddy-upping.

An 85-year-old man from Telemark County in southern Norway refused to accept a reckless driving fine for damages he caused - with his horse.

"She didn't turn far enough out," the elderly man said about the woman driver whose car was damaged, newspaper Varden reports.

The court ruled the 85-year-old would have to pay a NOK 7,000 (USD 1,287) fine, NOK 10,141 for damages to the car he hit, and NOK 3,000 in court costs. The case went to trial after the man refused to accept the NOK 3,000 fine handed out by police.

The unusual accident took place on a narrow road in Telemark in June. The 85-year-old was out with a trotter and sulky, and hit a Ford Escort driven by a 40-year-old woman.

The woman drove off to the side and stopped when she saw the horse and carriage coming, but it didn't help as her care received damage to a rear door and a rear mudguard.

The Amish in the U.S. may have occasionally encountered a similar circumstance.

Following Entry Posted 12/12/2007 10:55:00 AM

w00t - Word of the Year

(Springfield, Massachusetts) The publishers of Merriam-Webster's Dictionary have selected "w00t" as the word of the year for 2007. The combination of letters and numbers are an exclamation of happiness.

It was chosen because it blends whimsy and technology says M-W's prez, John Morse.

There's no word yet about whether we'll see a happiness business endeavor called "w00ters!"

Following Entry Posted 12/12/2007 12:12:00 AM

Teacher Crystal Wells Unlawful Sex Case

Sentenced to prison. See update here.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/11/2007 11:45:00 PM

Homeless Helper Beaten By Homeless Man

(Cave Junction, Oregon) A homeless man, Timothy Michael Waddell, was arrested for the alleged fatal beating 70-year-old Tom Green, the former mayor of Cave Junction who sheltered homeless teens. Waddell has been charged with murder.

Witnesses told police that Timothy Michael Waddell, 19, repeatedly bashed Tom Green's head into the asphalt in what was believed to be an unprovoked attack near Green's home on the 100 block of South Sawyer Avenue, according to the Josephine County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies said Waddell once lived in Green's home several years ago and was part of a group of teens visiting Green's home Thursday when Waddell suddenly attacked Green. Green suffered two black eyes and Waddell fled that encounter, deputies said.

Shortly after noon Monday, Green stepped out of his house and was confronted by Waddell, who threw Green to the ground and straddled him while he repeated slammed Green's head into the roadway, police said.

Green died from his injuries.

Waddell was booked into custody at the Josephine County Jail without bail. Notably, Waddell is a drug user, fancying methamphetamine, who claims to hear voices.

"No good deed goes unpunished."

Following Entry Posted 12/11/2007 05:49:00 PM

Mom Gets Prison for Sex with Foster Son

(Genesee County, New York) A 44-year-old nurse and former Sunday school teacher, Deborah Knauber, has been sentenced by Genesee County Judge Robert C. Noonan to one to three years in state prison for raping her 13-year-old foster son.

In August, a jury found Knauber guilty of second degree rape, criminal sexual conduct in the second degree, and sexual abuse for molesting the boy on three separate occasions in 2006.

Knauber maintains that she is innocent and plans to appeal. She will be required to register as a sex offender.

Following Entry Posted 12/11/2007 05:00:00 PM

Swedish Woman, 29, Has Baby With Boy, 14

(Svea, Sweden) Wow! The Swedes are quite progressive.

A Swedish woman who bore the child of a 14-year-old Uruguayan boy has been sentenced by Svea Court of Appeal to six months in jail for sexually exploiting a minor. The boy was twelve years old when their sexual relationship began.

The boy was 12 years old when she started sleeping with him. Twelve!

The woman, 32, said to be a high-profile company director, was 29 years old when she gave birth to the boy's daughter, her third child in all.

But the baby was conceived in Sweden rather then Uruguay. Once she had returned to her homeland, the businesswoman managed to convince the father of her two oldest children that the boy should live with them.

And for all the deception and the long-term sexual relationship with a child, she gets six months in jail. The court said since the boy had given his consent, her crimes didn't warrant a longer sentence.

Boy, Sweden must be a haven for pedophiles.

Tip: sugiero

Following Entry Posted 12/11/2007 04:08:00 PM

Honor Killings in Kurdistan

Reported in Alarabiya.net, the number of honor killings among Kurds in Iraq is nominally one every day.

United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) highlighted the problem of honor killings as one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the country.

According to its 2007 report, violence against Kurdish women rose 18 percent between March and May 2006. Statistics showed that in the first quarter of 2007, 15 women were killed with blunt tools, 87 by fire, and 16 from gunshot wounds. In the second quarter, the figures were eight, 108, and 21, respectively.

A report by Kurdistan's Human Rights Ministry said the number of women who committed suicide by self-immolation (setting themselves on fire) was 36 in 2005 and rose to 133 in 2006.

The extent of the problem is astonishing and, unfortunately, not well known. International pressure needs to be directed toward the practice. Prominent Arab, Asian and Western women should be outraged and shouting their condemnation.

It's important to note that part of the problem is Kurdish law. The current punishment for all homicides is a life sentence or execution. That is except for honor killings which have a maximum penalty of three years in prison.

For starters, the Kurds need to change the law.

Following Entry Posted 12/11/2007 02:55:00 PM

Teacher Sharon Rutherford Gets Prison in Sex Case

(Grove Hill, Alabama) In April 2006, a 30-year-old mother of two and English teacher at Coffeeville High School, Sharon Linton Rutherford, was arrested and charged with sex crimes against students and plotting to murder her husband.

Rutherford specifically faced counts of solicitation of murder, rape, sexual abuse and enticing a child for immoral purposes. In May 2006, Circuit Court Judge Bill Kimbrough dropped the first-degree rape charge. Also in May, James Rutherford filed for divorce.

A student told Coffeeville High School Principal Janice Richardson that he had sex with Rutherford and investigation exposed the alleged murder plot. According to the Clarke County Sheriff's office, two enticement victims were under 16 years of age and the investigation sought to determine if there were other victims.

In August 2006, Rutherford was indicted by a Clarke County grand jury on two counts of enticement of a child for immoral purposes and murder-for-hire.

In October 2007, Sharon L. Rutherford, now 32, was tried and convicted by a jury on two counts of enticing a child for immoral purposes, Class C felonies punishable by a sentence of up to 10 years on each count.

Yesterday, Sharon Rutherford was sentenced to three years in prison and five years probation. Since her conviction is being appealed, she is free on bail.

Rutherford's murder-for-hire trial is scheduled for March 2008.

Tip: Don Morgenstern

Following Entry Posted 12/11/2007 02:44:00 PM

Alex Trebek Has Heart Attack

(Los Angeles, CA) Jeopardy host Alex Trebek has suffered a heart attack and is hospitalized at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles. Called a minor attack, he is reportedly doing well and should be able to resume hosting duties in January.

Following Entry Posted 12/11/2007 11:53:00 AM

Underwear In The Garden

(Osaka, Japan) Frequently, truth seems much stranger than fiction because one simply can't imagine that a person is even capable of making up some things that happen in real life.

Here's an example of really bizarre behavior from the tabloid Yukan Fuji.

A man arrested for hurling into neighbors' gardens the little girls' knickers that he used to wear around has been described by those who knew him as "friendly and a stickler for cleanliness," according to Yukan Fuji (12/5).

Kazuo Oshitani, a 48-year-old company employee from the Osaka suburb of Ibaraki, was arrested for breaking the Waste Disposal Law.

Police say Oshitani bought hundreds of pairs of women's and little girls' underpants, wore them one at a time and then scattered them around neighbors' gardens when he removed them on his way home.

Apparently, he targeted the gardens of young families with housewives in their 20s and 30s. Oshitani told police that it aroused him to think of people finding his panties.

According to a scientific sample study, panty fetishism is known to occur worldwide and it's exhibited in about 12 percent of all people possessing fetishes.

Interestingly, the Japanese have turned the proclivity into an institution. Schoolgirls are known to sell their soiled underwear at specialized shops or through mobile phones, selling directly to clients. Also, the fetish is generally common among lesbians.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Following Entry Posted 12/11/2007 07:09:00 AM

Algeria: Terrorists Bomb School Bus, Supreme Court

(Algiers) For two deadly bombings today, there have been no claims of responsibility yet but it is logical to assume that al-Qaeda is the perpetrator.

The North African contingent, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, has been quite active in bombing people throughout Algeria this year.

At least 45 people are reported to have died and another 40 wounded in two explosions in the Algerian capital, Algiers.

Officials said the first explosion occurred on Tuesday in the heart of the city, near the country's Supreme Court, while a second bomb exploded at the United Nations office in the area of Hydra.

The minister for internal affairs, Yazid Zerhouni said at least one of the blasts was believed to be a suicide bomb attack caused by a small truck bomb. The minister was speaking to US network, 'al-Hurra', which broadcasts in Arabic.

The greatest number of victims are believed to have been students who were travelling on a school bus that was struck by the bomb that exploded in front of the court building in the Ben Aknoun.

It's reported that 30 of the dead were on the school bus adjacent to the Supreme Court building.

Yazid Zerhouni, the Algerian Interior Minister, said that the blasts were just minutes apart.

"The death toll is very high," he said. So far, medical crews said that scores have been injured in today's blasts, and put the death toll for both bombs at 45.

People were seen running through the streets in panic near the Supreme Court, and the wail of police sirens filled the air. Much of the city's central zone, containing its business and diplomatic offices, was cordoned off after the bombs.

The al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb group was formerly called the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC). Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/10/2007 11:45:00 PM

Drunk Mom Killed Her Baby

(St. Charles County, Missouri) In September 2006, 33-year-old Sherri Lohnstein gave birth to a baby girl, Zreanna, who didn't live for a day.

According to the St. Charles prosecutor, Zreanna died from asphyxiation due to acute intoxication (0.17 percent blood alcohol level), secondary to the mother's intoxication.

In December 2006, Lohnstein was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Court documents say Lohnstein had a blood alcohol of .18 when she gave birth, and "consumed alcohol after delivery while recovering in the hospital."

Investigators say she told police "I was drinking and she died. I don't know why but I should not have drank."

Her neighbors had hoped for a happier ending to what has always seemed to have been a very sad story.

Lohnstein's doctor apparently told her about the dangers her baby faced if she drank while pregnant.

She was arrested Wednesday night in Joliet, IL on a charge of involuntary manslaughter, but she was taken to the hospital because police say she was intoxicated.

Neighbors say she had at least one other child.

Today, Lohnstein, now 34, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

Circuit Judge Nancy Schneider followed the terms of a plea agreement in sentencing Lohnstein to complete a state substance abuse treatment program by the end of 120 days beginning in February.

If Lohnstein completes that treatment, Schneider then could put her on probation and require her to complete a local drug court program. If not, Schneider could sentence her to seven years in prison.

Your guess is as good as mine with regard to whether Lohnstein gets jail or not. However, there should be no dispute regarding the extent of her problems with alcohol.

Notably, the Lohnstein case came elbow-close to being in conflict with an existing Missouri Appeals Court ruling that imposed a prohibition on prosecuting mothers for conduct which indirectly harms the fetus. As part of Lohnstein's plea agreement, she waived her right to appeal.

Tip: greggmkay

Following Entry Posted 12/10/2007 07:37:00 AM

Newspaper For Rhode Island Homeless

(Providence, Rhode Island) Apparently the homeless population of Providence has grown to be a significant enough demographic that the need for a homeless newspaper has arisen. Called Street Sights, the eight-page newspaper is a free monthly publication for and about the homeless.

Elizabeth Ochs, a 23-year-old Brown University student, is the coordinating editor.

"It's sort of a platform for communication and self-expression," she said, and a glance through the paper confirms that.

A report of a recent rally for the homeless and another report of an advocacy meeting are on the front page.

Columnist Joseph Perry shares his thoughts on page 3.

Eight poems, each with a headshot of the writer, fill pages 4 and 5, the broadsheet's center.

Three cartoons are published.

The back page, called End Notes, lists coming events and phone numbers for more than 30 programs serving the homeless.

Sponsors pick up the costs of printing. Everything else is covered by volunteer workers. The staff of eight works out of a tiny, single-room office in the basement of a building on Chestnut Street. It's unclear who pays for heat, lights and rent.

Kudos to Ochs on the launch of the homeless broadsheet. Best wishes for success.

However, as a final comment, I was unaware that the homeless were such great fans of poetry. In all candor, I'm having great difficulty even imagining vagrants in their hovels reading and discussing poetry. Apparently, I need to get out more.

Following Entry Posted 12/10/2007 06:09:00 AM

World Record For Being Thrown By Car

Maybe it's just me, but I think it's ludicrous to keep statistics on the distance people are thrown after being hit by a moving car. Even so, that is exactly what the Guinness World Records book displays under the category "Greatest Distance Thrown in a Car Accident."

The record holder is Matthew McKnight, a Pittsburgh paramedic, who in 2001 was hit by a car traveling at 70 MPH and thrown 118 feet.

He suffered two dislocated shoulders plus a broken shoulder, pelvis, leg and tailbone. His injuries put him in the hospital for two weeks, followed by 80 days in rehab, before returning to work in April 2002.

It's not known if the person thrown has to live afterward and, if so, for how long. It's also not known how many jello-brained morons are making plans to challenge McKnight's record.

Just wondering, if a bunch of youths try the stunt and someone dies, will there be a cause of action for a lawsuit against Guinness World Records? After all, if there were no record to surmount, they wouldn't have tried and nobody would have died.

Tip: slwlion

Following Entry Posted 12/10/2007 04:36:00 AM

Colorado Church Shootings 12-09-07

A mere 13 hours after the shooting of missionary trainees at the Faith Bible Chapel Campus in Arvada, another shooting incident occurred in Colorado Springs' 10,000-member evangelical New Life Church. One parishioner was fatally shot and six people were wounded before the gunman was killed by a New Life security guard.

In Arvada, Tiffany Johnson, 25, and Philip Crouse, 24, died from their gunshot wounds. Two other shooting victims, Dan Griebenow, 24, and Charlie Branch, 22, are hospitalized, one in critical condition.

In Colorado Springs at the evangelical New Life Church, a heavily-armed man similar in description to the Arvada gunman (white male, 20-ish) entered the vestibule and began firing with a high-powered rifle shortly after shooting at a van in the parking lot. One church member was killed before a female security guard fatally shot the gunman.

Arvada Police Chief Don Wick said there is reason to believe that the two incidents may be related. Colorado Springs Police Chief Richard Myers cautiously said no links between the two episodes have been identified.

Investigators, reportedly numbering 25, are now directing efforts to a home in unincorporated Arapahoe County. Arvada Police entered the home with a search warrant.

The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office is assisting. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the FBI are on the scene. The Arapahoe County Bomb Squad arrived shortly before 10 p.m. As of 10 p.m. Sunday, investigators were taking boxes out of the house.

The Colorado Springs Police Department is taking over the investigation.

Two people who are believed to be the homeowners left with sheriff's deputies around 9 p.m.

No names nor findings have been reported as yet.

Interestingly, according to a comment thread on the DenverPost.com, the extreme leftists are already blaming the shootings on the Bush administration, the Republicans and God's wrath for homophobia.

Also interesting is the comment thread at DailyKos. Readers there take the opportunity to disparage Fox News while blaming the Colorado shootings on the lack of gun control, the lack of services for the homeless and Christianity.

Personally, I believe everyone should hold off on finger-pointing until more information emerges.

[Update 12/10/07, 0615 EST]

Another victim has died. According to Amy Sufak, spokeswoman at Penrose Community Hospital in Colorado Springs, the hospitalized victim from the New Life Church died last night. The total shooting deaths thus far is five, including a gunman.

[Update 12/10/07, 1445 EST]

Dead gunman has been identified as Matthew Murray, 24.

Murray was home schooled and his last known address was at his parents' home in unincorporated Arapahoe County -- the same home investigators searched Sunday night.

It is still unknown whether the two shooting incidents are related. (Tip: allahakchew)

[Update 12/11/07]

From the Rocky Mountain News:

Matthew Murray, who turned 24 five days before he unleashed terror on religious centers in Arvada and Colorado Springs, spent three to five hours a day on his home computer, taking classes and, in recent weeks, sending hate mail to the missionary training center where the shootings began.

Murray - who was positively linked to both shootings through ballistics - died after a shootout with a security guard at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. That deadly confrontation came after attacks on the Youth With A Mission center in Arvada early Sunday morning and on New Life Church a little more than 12 hours later.

Investigators on Monday weren't sure whether the security guard, Jeanne Assam, killed Murray or he took his own life.

Pastor Phil Abeyta, the uncle of Matthew Murray, issued a statement asking for forgiveness for the Murray family.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/09/2007 08:49:00 PM

East Carolina University Fans Support the Troops

(Honolulu, Hawaii) Some football fans are showing their gratitude to the U.S. military by giving up their tickets to the Aloha Bowl where East Carolina University plays Boise State on December 23rd. Makes me proud.

East Carolina University football fans are buying tickets to their team's bowl game in Hawaii, but they are donating them to military personnel who expect to spend time there during the Christmas holiday.

Assistant athletic director for ticketing and marketing Scott Wetherbee said ECU wants to be sure someone will sit in its seats for the Sheraton Aloha Bowl on Dec. 23 in Honolulu by buying tickets and donating them to active members of the service.

Some individual fans are even buying blocks of tickets to donate. Woo-hoo! And Merry Christmas to all!

Following Entry Posted 12/09/2007 11:39:00 AM

Skin Whitening in the Philippines

From a cultural standpoint, I think the following report is interesting.

From Manila Bulletin Online:

Derm Pharma, Inc. president Dr. Vinson Pineda says skin whitening has become a staple in the country's so-called vanity industry because of the intrinsic appeal of whiter complexion. Such a complexion is viewed as a symbol of femininity. It also gives an impression of youthfulness and attractiveness to the opposite sex.

"In the Philippines, skin whitening is a very popular practice in the field of cosmetic dermatology. It has already spread from Asia to South America. It is because women want to attain the certain appeal of looking radiant. In the Philippines, fair complexion has become the benchmark of beauty," Dr. Pineda says.

"The obsession for having a lighter skin has more to do with social class differences," Dr. Pineda says. "It is believed that a lighter skin tone is linked with wealth and higher education levels, whereas darker skin comprises a life of outdoor labor, toiling in the sun."

So, Asians desire white skin. Imagine that.

Following Entry Posted 12/09/2007 09:29:00 AM

Gunman at Christian Missionary School, 4 Wounded

(Arvada, Colorado) Breaking news!

A lone gunman opened fire on a missionary training campus in Arvada early Sunday morning, shooting four people before fleeing.

Arvada Police investigators say the gunman walked into a dorm-like residence hall on the Faith Bible Chapel Campus at the Youth with a Mission facility near 64th & Ward Road just after midnight and began shooting. [ ... ]

The suspect, who is still on the loose, is described as a white male, about 20 years old, who was wearing a dark coat. He may have been wearing a dark beanie, may have had a beard, and may have been wearing glasses.

The four wounded victims were rushed to Denver-area hospitals. Their conditions are unknown.

[Update 12/10/07]

Two people have died from their wounds in the Arvada shootings, Tiffany Johnson, 26, and Philip Crouse, 24. Meanwhile, there was another shooting only hours later in Colorado Springs at the New Life Church. One parishoner and the gunman were killed.

Possible links between the shootings are being investigated.

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/08/2007 09:07:00 PM

Botched Bank Robbery

(Hardeeville, South Carolina) Here's the presumed transcript of the South Carolina Bank & Trust drive-thru intercom.

TELLER: [crackle-hiss] "Good morning! Welcome to the Bank & Trust. How may I help you?

BARBARA JOYNER: [crackle-hiss] "Uh -- This is a stickup. Give me all your money!"

TELLER: [crackle-hiss] "Ma'am, you do realize that you are outside the bank?"

JOYNER: [crackle-hiss] "This is a robbery, dammit!"

TELLER: [crackle-hiss] "And you have no weapon and you're being caught on camera? Are you sure you want to do this?"

JOYNER: [crackle-hiss] "Quit stalling. Give me all your money."

TELLER: [crackle-hiss] "One moment, please."

Police arrived and Barbara Joyner, 59, was arrested. She faces charges of attempted bank robbery. For the sake of full disclosure, Joyner reportedly used a note.

Drive-through bank robberies are rare. Only 78 of 7,272 bank robberies (1.07 %) in 2006 occurred from the drive-through or walk-through.

Tip: Suidae Empathy

Following Entry Posted 12/08/2007 02:15:00 PM

Hoosier Mom Gets 10 Years for Sex with Boy

(Gary, Indiana) In December 2006, a 31-year-old Gary woman, Johana Marie Kalinowicz, was charged with sexual misconduct for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old boy. The sex allegedly occurred between December 2005 and September 2006.

In November 2007, Kalinowicz, now 32, pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct with a minor and Lake Superior Court Judge Thomas Stefaniak Jr. sentenced her to 10 years in prison.

Kalinowicz, of the 5900 block of West 36th Avenue, had sex with the boy, a former neighbor, several times between Dec. 2, 2005, and Sept. 2, 2006.

While Kalinowicz was free on bond, she twice violated Stefaniak's order to avoid contact with the teen, deputy prosecutor Nicholas Barnes said, adding the second time Kalinowicz was found naked in bed with the victim and was sent back to the Lake County Jail until her sentencing hearing.

Reportedly, Kalinowicz's victim turned incorrigible after the sex and ran away from home. He now is a ward of the state. In a related action, the crime and legal proceedings forced Kalinowicz to give up custody of her 10-year-old son.

After completion of her 10-year sentence, Kalinowicz will be required to register as a sex offender for a period of 10 years.

Following Entry Posted 12/08/2007 11:11:00 AM

2007 Person of the Year Nominee

I'm guessing that few of my readers know who made the following nomination, even though it is somewhat predictable.

My nominee for 2007 Person of the Year is a woman -- a woman with a history of abuse, a woman who has never run for elective office, someone we all know, someone who makes her presence known on a daily basis in all our lives and, for my money, is better than any male alternative. That woman is Mother Earth.

Answer

Following Entry Posted 12/08/2007 07:03:00 AM

Elton John In Feathers

(Wellington, New Zealand) Elton John has been made an honorary member of a Maori tribe and given a bird-feather cloak to indicate high rank.

"It's the Maori equivalent to an Academy Award and (also means) the inclusion of Sir Elton John as an honored member of Ngati Te Whiti" sub-tribe, said its chairman, Peter Love.

The cloak, known by Maori as a korowai, was "gifted as recognition of the enjoyment Sir Elton John's music has given to Maori over the years and his loyal continuance to return to Aotearoa to entertain," he said in a statement.

I'm guessing that this isn't the first feathered robe owned by Elton John.

Friday, December 07, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/07/2007 10:26:00 PM

Music Teacher Guilty of Sex with Student

(La Mesa, California) In October 2007, a 22-year-old music teacher and band director at Helix High School, Jessica Ashley Kahal, was arrested on suspicion of having sex with a 17-year-old male student.

Douglas D. Smith, Helix High School principal, became aware of the sexual relationship and alerted authorities.

Subsequently, the alleged victim, a senior at the school, said that he had consensual sex with Kahal about five times in various areas of the county since August.

Yesterday, Kahal pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor at least three years younger. El Cajon Superior Court Judge Patricia K. Cookson scheduled sentencing for February 13th. Since Kahal has no prior criminal record, the judge said she wouldn't do jail time.

Kahal resigned her position with the school in October.

Tip: Don Morgenstern

[Update 02/14/08]

Kahal sentenced to probation.

Following Entry Posted 12/07/2007 08:55:00 PM

Sean Penn Endorses Kucinich

(San Francisco, California) Actor Sean Penn gave a speech while endorsing Dennis Kucinich for President 2008. Penn criticized Hillary Clinton and the Bush administration, providing this nugget.

"While I'm not a proponent of the Death Penalty, existing law provides that the likes of Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld and Rice, if found guilty, could have hoods thrown over their heads, their hands bound, facing a 12-man rifle corps executing death by firing squad," Penn said.

Interestingly and contrary to his core beliefs, Penn ponders killing the leadership of the United States government. All the while, he likely thinks his ideas are not extremist.

Tip: Jawa Report

Following Entry Posted 12/07/2007 08:23:00 PM

New Hampshire Homeless Fair

(Nashua, New Hampshire) Woo-hoo! It's an exposition for homeless people. Sponsored by the Greater Nashua Continuum of Care, the 3rd annual Homeless Fair yesterday was attended by about 100 people.

The advantage of having a fair is that it offered a variety of services and materials under one roof, a sort of "one-stop shopping" expo for people struggling just to get by, organizers said.

At the fair, a mix of nonprofit groups and local businesses provided such services as health screening and eye exams.

Men and women could get winter coats, hats and scarves, other clothing and information about services available to homeless and people described as being "at the edge of homelessness."

Additionally, haircuts were provided free of charge.

The homeless fair last year drew more people, said Lori Wilshire, chairwoman of the Continuum of Care.

While some might suggest that means there are fewer homeless people to serve here, Wilshire cited another factor that may have contributed to a lighter turnout: Great American Downtown denied her group's request to put a banner over Main Street promoting the fair.

My suggestion would be to advertise on television and radio. Homeless people would likely come from surrounding towns, maybe the whole state.

Following Entry Posted 12/07/2007 08:09:00 PM

Bedside Manners for Muslims

(UK) While still considering the "women doctors only" proposition for female Muslim patients, the British National Health Service (NHS) has ordered bed-repositioning during Muslim prayer times.

OVERWORKED nurses have been ordered to stop all medical work five times every day to move Muslim patients' beds so they face towards Mecca.

The lengthy procedure, which also includes providing fresh bathing water, is creating turmoil among overstretched staff on bustling NHS wards.

I'm wondering if the bed shifting and fresh bathing water, presumably for the feet, are provided in hospitals in Muslim nations.

Tip: Right Bias

Following Entry Posted 12/07/2007 10:04:00 AM

Homeless Action Report

(Baltimore, Maryland) Mayor Sheila Dixon has vowed to end homelessness but it's not clear exactly how she plans to do it. Nonetheless, homelessness has been identified as a housing problem, a good start.

A census earlier this year indicated that about 3,000 homeless need shelter while only about 2,000 beds are available in emergency and transitional housing.

As part of the solution, the Housing Department committed to provide 88 apartments over five years starting last January. That equals 17.6 apartments per year, not a large amount. Sadly, the goal may not be achievable since no apartments have been provided for this year.

Additionally, Baltimore has snagged federal funds for 50 to 150 residential units over five years with future plans for 500 in a decade.

This all sounds good but, frankly, the numbers don't seem to add up. With 3,000 homeless and a plan to add 238 permanent housing units within five years, ending homelessness would require each unit to have about 13 residents. I can't imagine that the city of Baltimore is building houses with 13 bedrooms.

As far as Mayor Dixon making the end of homelessness her signature issue, I'd suggest that she might want to reconsider.

Following Entry Posted 12/07/2007 09:19:00 AM

New Jersey Teacher Drunk in Class

(Manalapan, New Jersey) A 54-year-old 4th-grade teacher at Pine Brook School, Mary J. Kaminski, was arrested on Wednesday for drinking and being intoxicated while teaching. Apparently, Kaminski was so drunk that she fell in the classroom and had to be hospitalized.

Kaminski was charged with having "in her possession and under her control an alcoholic beverage while on school property," and "becoming highly intoxicated while performing the duties of a substitute teacher of a fourth grade classe in the Pine Brook School."

She also faces criminal charges of endangering the welfare of a child.

Kaminski was booked into custody at the Monmouth County Jail with bail set at $50,000.

Following Entry Posted 12/07/2007 08:23:00 AM

High Taxes Repel Talented Danes

(Copenhagen, Denmark) One reality that nanny-state leftists fail to grasp is that confiscatory tax policies have far-reaching consequences. In the case of Denmark where the marginal income tax for top-earners is a reported 63 percent, talented Danes are motivated to leave the country.

And that's exactly what Danes are doing, going to less-oppressive circumstances.

The Confederation of Danish Industries estimated in August that the Danish labor force had shrunk by about 19,000 people through the end of 2005, because Danes and others had moved elsewhere.

Other studies suggest that about 1,000 people leave the country each year, a figure that masks an outflow of qualified Danes and an inflow of less skilled foreign workers who help, at least partially, to offset the losses.

As citizens of the European Union, Danes can easily work in any one of 27 countries and most are more tax-friendly than Denmark.

The number of people departing Denmark may seem insignificant until one considers that the nation only has a population of 5.5 million and the top talent are the workers who are leaving.

In summary, high income taxes repel talented workers.

Tip: slwlion

Following Entry Posted 12/07/2007 07:29:00 AM

Hillary Remained Calm

From earlier this week, a Dinocrat post.

Did you remain calm too?:
An absurd "news" story in the AP suggests that that organization wants to be numbered among the good dogs, not the bad dogs:
"Clinton calm in hostage crisis. When the hostages had been released and their alleged captor arrested, a regal-looking Hillary Rodham Clinton strolled out of her Washington home, the picture of calm in the face of crisis.

The image, broadcast just as the network news began, conveyed the message a thousand town hall meetings and campaign commercials strive for - namely, that the Democratic presidential contender can face disorder in a most orderly manner."
We don't know about you, but, difficult as it is, we always try to remain calm when drunks tape highway flares to their shirts five hundred miles from our house.

Via John Ray

Following Entry Posted 12/07/2007 06:28:00 AM

How To Wake A Sleeping Giant

REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR
December 7, 1941

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/06/2007 08:55:00 PM

ACORN High School Principal on Ropes

(New York City) It appears that a 37 percent high school graduation rate breaks the threshold for making people mad about the education system. It's significantly below the average graduation rate in New York City of 60 percent.

Parents, teachers, and students at ACORN High School in Bedford Stuyvesant held a rally Thursday morning, calling for the resignation of their principal.

"We're here because we feel the leadership needs to be changed," said New York ACORN president Pat Boone.

Dozens gathered outside the ACORN High School for Social Justice, demanding that Principal Joe Parker be removed. The group blames Parker for the school's poor academic performance, saying that he has dismissed good teachers and has failed to address parents' concerns.

"Recently this school got an F and a U rating from the Board of Ed itself, and we're saying that's it - enough is enough," said ACORN Executive Director Bertha Lewis. "When a student gets a failing grade, there are consequences. The school has gotten a failing grade, and so the principal has got to go."

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but isn't ACORN (The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) the group implicated in several instances of election fraud? Also, isn't social justice a euphemism for marxism? With a bit of tongue in cheek, I'd suggest that a low graduation rate at the ACORN marxist school probably isn't all that bad.

Levity aside, the low graduation rate is outrageous and shouldn't be tolerated. If a new principal is needed, get one. On the other hand and more interesting is the fact that NYC is somehow not outraged at a citywide average graduation rate of 60 percent. Remember, this is the place where people adamantly expect sports teams to win championships every year.

Following Entry Posted 12/06/2007 09:12:00 AM

Aussies Nix Santa's Ho-Ho-Ho

(Cairns, Australia) A 70-year-old veteran store Santa Claus, John Oakes, was fired for saying ho-ho-ho and singing Jingle Bells. Oakes was supposed to say ha-ha-ha and not sing.

"They're are (sic) trying to kill the spirit of Christmas," said Mr Oakes, who has been a Santa for ten years.

He was also found guilty of singing Jingle Bells at the Myer department store in Cairns, Northern Australia.

He said: "The manager told me my services were no longer required.

"When I asked her why, she replied, 'You said Ho-ho-ho and that's not appropriate'.

"Not appropriate? How long has Santa been calling Hohoho, for goodness sake?

"She also said I wasn't supposed to sing."

Ho-ho-ho is inappropriate because women might be offended since "ho" is American slang for whore.

What a bunch of hooey! Australian store owners are firing people for cultural stupidity in the United States. You'd think they would have more national pride and ignore crap that bubbles up in America.

Tip: Travis Evans

Following Entry Posted 12/06/2007 08:42:00 AM

McDonald's Ad on Report Cards

I've got to applaud the innovativeness of the advertising explorers.

From AdAge.com:

The Golden Arches picked up the $1,600 cost of printing report-card jackets for the 2007-2008 school year in Seminole County, Fla., in exchange for a Happy Meal coupon on the card's cover. With 27,000 elementary school kids taking their report-card jackets home to be signed three or four times a year, that's less than 2 cents per impression.

Children who earn all A's and B's, have two or fewer absences or exhibit good behavior are entitled to a free happy meal at a local McDonald's -- so long as they present their report card.

Naturally, there are critics. Nanny-state food nazis, veggies cultists and obesity alarmists consider the campaign a new insidious low for corporate behavior.

Of course, corporate behavior will never stoop so low as to match the indoctrination of captive schoolkids on leftist political propaganda regarding tree hugging, alternative sexuality and global warming.

Following Entry Posted 12/06/2007 07:53:00 AM

Georgia Babysitter Gets Prison for Shaking Infant

(Gwinnett County, Georgia) A 45-year-old babysitter, Kaniz Fatema Jahid, pleaded guilty yesterday to shaking a crying infant in her care, causing the 2-year-old to go blind and become brain-damaged.

Jahid's plea came because she didn't want to face a jury and the possibility of more severe punishment.

Jahid apparently had no patience for a colicky baby.

For the conviction of aggravated battery, Gwinnett Superior Court Judge Timothy Hamil sentenced Jahid to 10 years in prison and 10 years of probation.

The child, Shayan Huda, is in bad shape, suffering as many as a dozen seizures a day.

Following Entry Posted 12/06/2007 07:02:00 AM

Nevada Woman Gets Life for Killing Stepmom

(Fallon, Nevada) In March 2007, 17-year-old Joanna Marie Plants, shot and killed her stepmother, Ginger Plants, 42, allegedly because of a dispute regarding the family's pets. The teen admitted to shooting Ginger Plants in the head with a .380-caliber Taurus semi-automatic pistol. Strangely, Plants claimed that she was mad at her father so she shot her stepmom.

Plants was originally charged with open murder with the use of a firearm, first degree felony murder with the use of a firearm and being a user of controlled substances in possession of a firearm.

The criminal complaint indicated that Joanna Plants was a methamphetamine user at the time of the shooting. Also, according to court records, Joanna Plants testified during a 2005 trial in which she stated that she has used meth since the age of 11.

In August, Joanna Plants pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in accordance with an agreement with the prosecution. In return, Plants gets life in prison with a chance for parole after 20 years. All the while, Plants has been in custody at the Churchill County Jail, unable to make bail of one million dollars.

In November, Joanna Plants was accused of attacking a fellow inmate at the Churchill County jail, beating her. Charges are pending but inconsequential given her other problems.

This week, 18-year-old Joanna Plants was sentenced to life in prison.

Eighteen-year-old Joanna Marie Plants cried on and off during testimony Tuesday before the sentence was imposed by District Judge David Huff. [ ... ]

During her sentencing hearing, Plants apologized and said she cared about her stepmother.

Father Timothy Plants has forgiven his daughter.

"There is nothing we can do to bring Ginger back. I am a victim of the crime in more ways than one," Joanna's father said. "She's got a great heart. She needs help," he said.

Sherman Nance, Joanna's mother, said she thinks her daughter would be a wonderful rehabilitation candidate, mentioning she is very unselfish and caring. "She is awesome with young kids," she said.

Chad Plants, a brother of Joanna, said he loves his sister very much, and believes she has potential.

Under questioning from District Attorney Mallory, he conceded his sister had asked him where she could get a gun to kill their father on the day she killed her stepmother.

"She is a very loving person. She always wanted us to know that she loved us," Chad Plants said.

So, Joanna Plants is a loving, very unselfish and caring person with a great heart who asked for a gun to kill her father but killed her stepmother instead. What part of loving, very unselfish, caring and great heart includes shooting someone in the head? Excuse me for not understanding the logic.

By the way, I believe an unindicted co-conspirator is the drug methamphetamine.

Following Entry Posted 12/06/2007 05:24:00 AM

Teacher Jaymee Wallace Gets Prison

(Tampa, Florida) In November 2005, 28-year-old math teacher and girls' basketball coach at Wharton High School, Jaymee Wallace, was accused of engaging in a two-year sexual relationship with a female student, staring when the girl was 14.

Police began investigating upon being alerted to the sexual relationship by a relative of the student. Wallace surrendered to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and was booked into custody on one felony count of lewd and lascivious battery. She was released on bond.

In October 2007, Jaymee Wallace pleaded guilty to charges of lewd and lascivious battery and unlawful sexual activity with a minor. Wallace had earlier rejected a plea bargain of three years in prison, hoping that the judge would be more lenient.

Prosecutor Kimberly Hindman said the 19-month relationship began with a note Wallace attached to the almost 15-year-old student's math test in December 2002.

I think you're attractive, it said. Do you feel the same?

Notes progressed to trysts in Wallace's car, in her Tampa Palms apartment and near a running trail at the University of South Florida.

The encounters continued after Wallace, now 30, married teacher and coach Craig Wallace in June 2003.

During the October hearing, the teen victim, now 19, sobbed and said she wanted no jail time for Wallace. Her glaringly angry mother, however, did.

Yesterday, 30-year-old Jaymee Wallace was sentenced by Hillsborough Circuit Judge J. Rogers Padgett to three years in prison followed by three years of sex offender probation and registration as a sex offender.

The petite woman sobbed as she asked the victim's family and the judge to show mercy.

"I am deeply sorry for crossing the lines and boundaries that never should have been crossed," she said. "Please don't send me to prison." [ ... ]

Defense attorney Joe Bodiford said his client suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder; she watched her father abuse her mother and older siblings, and she aborted her first pregnancy.

Arguing that the victim was a willing participant, he asked for probation.

Judge Padgett then announced the sentence and Wallace was led off by deputies.

Notably, the Wallace case was adjudicated in the same judicial circuit as the Debra Lafave case, with substantially different outcomes for somewhat similar offenses. Wallace gets prison whereas Lafave got house arrest. Why the difference? I don't know.

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/05/2007 08:04:00 PM

Utah Child Abuser in Court on Probation Questions

(Provo, Utah) In 2002, Amber Childs was charged with aggravated sex abuse of a child, sodomy on a child, and tampering with a witness in connection with alleged sex crimes against a 5-year-old boy.

After significant delays for mental competency reviews and changing attorneys, Childs' case went before the 4th District Court in October and, in accordance with a plea deal, she pleaded no contest to a significantly reduced slate of three misdemeanors.

In December 2006, Childs was sentenced by Judge Samuel McVey to a hand slap. She received probation and treatment. Of course, Childs' sentence was contingent on her promising to be good and not do drugs.

As a reminder, the court punished her for alleged sexual abuse of a 5-year-old boy (also reported as six years old). One might say that Childs' sentence was light years removed from having the book thrown at her. Hell, she didn't even have a pamphlet thrown at her.

In the latest development regarding Amber Childs, it appears that she hasn't been fulfilling the requirements of her probation. The Adult Probation and Parole officials reported that "Childs had fallen short in several areas and recommended 30 days in jail." Childs' defense attorney Barbara Gonzales denied the allegations and called for dismissal at a future hearing.

"No," said Judge Samuel McVey. "If she's not complying with sex-offender treatment I want to know."

Childs also denied that she's failing to pay her fines.

"She's behind, but she's paying," Gonzales said.

However, Childs admitted several things, including that she had used meth on Nov. 10 and lived at a motel for several days -- a place unapproved by her probation officer.

This whole scenario provides some evidence that hand slaps imposed by the court are ineffective. Childs promised to be good. [Annoying buzzer] Childs promised not to do drugs. [Annoying buzzer]

I'm curious to see what happens next.

[Update 12/18/07]

From Daily Herald:

At an evidentiary hearing on Monday, Judge Samuel McVey ordered 31-year-old Amber Childs to spend 30 days in jail. McVey ordered the sentence after an Adult Probation and Parole official testified that Childs had not progressed in her sex offender treatment program, and had not taken a required polygraph test. McVey also said he was concerned about methamphetamine and opiate use by Childs.

Judge McVey denied a request that Childs do her time after Christmas.

Following Entry Posted 12/05/2007 08:20:00 AM

No Jail for WV Teacher in Sex Case

(Kingwood, West Virginia) In June 2006, a former West Preston Middle School physical education teacher, Lana Jo Rinehart, was charged with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old male student in September 2005. Rinehart resigned her teaching position in November 2005.

In the latest development in the Rinehart case, she gets a hand slap.

Twenty-eight-year-old Lana Jo Rinehart of Terra Alta has agreed to a deal in which she'll serve two years' supervised probation and surrender her teaching license.

Preston County Prosecuting Attorney Melvin C. Snyder III said Monday that the deal, known as a pretrial diversion, was done at the request of the victim and the boy's mother.

Rinehart was charged in 2006 with third-degree sexual assault and sexual abuse by a custodian.

Therefore, with glacial efficiency, the court remembered to do something about the Rinehart case, taking a mere 18 months to decide it would do nothing.

Notably, a West Virginia media source, theintelligencer.net, has weighed in on the case.

While we can understand the desire of the victim and his family to put the unpleasantness behind them without going through a trial, we fear, quite frankly, that Rinehart is being allowed to walk away without sufficiently severe punishment.

She abused the teacher-student relationship, after all, harming a child she was supposed to be helping.

The message West Virginians ought to be sending in such situations is that behavior like Rinehart's will not be tolerated -- and will be punished severely. We don't think that message is being sent in Preston County.

Should a similar situation occur in our area, we urge prosecutors, judges -- and victims and their families -- to consider that severe punishment of criminals is intended, in part, to deter others from such behavior.

Ditto. And let's not forget, Rinehart was in her mid-twenties, the boy was 13. It seems more than a simple lapse in judgment.

Tip: Don Morgenstern

Following Entry Posted 12/05/2007 07:26:00 AM

School Aide Accused of Sex with Boy

(Hope, Kansas) A 21-year-old preschool classroom aide, Whitney L. Goracke, was arrested last month (Nov. 25th) for allegedly engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy. According to Dickinson County Attorney Keith Hoffman, Goracke has been charged with aggravated indecent liberties with a child and criminal sodomy.

The alleged offense reportedly occurred on the same day she was arrested.

Rural Vista School District Superintendent Renae Hickert said Goracke no longer works for the school system.

Goracke was booked into custody and released on $50,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 10th in Dickinson County District Court.

Hope is about 25 miles south of Abilene, Kansas.

Tip: Don Morgenstern

[Update 6/09/08]

Update deleted per request of the source.

Following Entry Posted 12/05/2007 05:46:00 AM

Debra Lafave Arrested for Probation Violation

Arguably the teacher-student sex story with the longest legs has been the adventures of Debra Lafave, who was initially arrested and charged two and a half years ago.

The blonde beauty had mixed it up with a 14-year-old boy in a variety of ways, ultimately being prosecuted in two different Florida counties.

In the end, she was sentenced to a hand slap, no jail, only three years house arrest and seven years probation in Hillsborough County Court.

The courts possibly were influenced by the massive public and media interest in the story. To be fair, who could resist the tale of the bombshell teacher, who reportedly was insane when having sex and bipolar, having creative oral sessions with a 14-year-old male student in the back seat of a car as it was driven around central Florida through Hillsborough and Marion Counties by the student's cousin?

The furor died down in March 2006 when prosecutors dropped charges in Marion County against Lafave. Everybody could go home since there was nothing more to see. That is, until yesterday.

Lafave, 27, was arrested at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday on a charge that she violated her probation.

The arrest comes at the end of two years of house arrest, just as her attorney prepared to ask a judge to drop her final year of house arrest and place her on probation instead.

"I can only characterize this as somewhat of a bizarre and unusual violation," attorney John Fitzgibbons said of the charge.

Lafave, according to the charges, had intimate conversations with a 17-year-old co-worker at Danny Boys' Restaurant in Sun City Center, in violation of her sentence that prohibits her from having unsupervised contact with a child under 18.

Lafave and the Ruskin teen discussed "non-work related issues such as family problems, friends, high school, personal life, boyfriend issues and sexual issues in both private one-on-one conversations ... and group settings," probation officer Michael Cotignola wrote in a report.

So, Lafave's probation officer was watching and caught her mingling with at least one minor. On the scale of criminal activity, it's a mere blip but a probation violation nonetheless.

Therefore, Lafave goes back before a judge and she may see additional punishment. Ex-husband Owen Lafave, by the way, thinks she deserves jail time, bitterly stating,

"You know, here is someone who threw away her husband, threw away her career to go live with her parents and work at a deli."

It's not known what happens next but, I guarantee, it will be reported in the news. In the arena of beating dead horses, the Lafave horse has life left in it.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/04/2007 05:48:00 PM

Who Knew?

(Allentown, Pennsylvania) Here's a serving of political correctness that ought to suffice for today.

Two days after naming its mascot "PorkChop," the Philadelphia Phillies' new Triple-A affiliate abruptly dropped the moniker. The Lehigh Valley IronPigs said they got complaints from Hispanics that the mascot's name was offensive.

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs -- whose mascot is a large, furry pig -- had selected PorkChop from fan submissions. The team, which begins play in 2008, announced Monday that the mascot will be named "Ferrous" instead.

It appears that nobody knew "PorkChop" was offensive. I am one. Maybe I should update my reading list to include sources which will inform me about what every pea-brained idiot considers offensive.

Personally, I believe that people have the God-given right to be offended. It's the starting point for evaluating circumstances, conflicts, people and themselves.

Nonetheless, thanks to the complainers I now know how to piss off the lawn workers when I yell at them at 7 AM for cranking up their leafblowers and waking my pristine glutes from a sound sleep. Interestingly, "PorkChop" is much more socially acceptable than what I usually yell.

Tip: slwlion

Following Entry Posted 12/04/2007 05:13:00 PM

Boy Scouts Robbed at Gunpoint

(North College Hill, Ohio) Last night, three armed robbers wielding a sawed-off shotgun attacked two Boy Scouts and their fathers who were selling Christmas trees.

"At first I thought it was just a joke, but then I saw the gun and I was terrified," said John Hancock, Jr., of Boy Scout Troop 393.

"And when I saw the gun – and this guy punched me right here [pointing to his left cheek] – and it knocked me down," he said. "I wasn't unconscious or anything, but it was freaky. This was my first time being in an actual robbery."

And he is all of 13-years of age. The boys are with Boy Scout Troop 393 of St. Margaret Mary Church.

One father intervened and punches were thrown before the robbers ran off with $350 in Christmas tree money.

"They were gutsy enough to not have masks and stupid enough to hit a kid," said police Sgt. Robert Kidd. "What kind of man hits a kid?"

A thug, Sergeant. A scumbag thug hits a kid.

Following Entry Posted 12/04/2007 04:50:00 PM

Hillary's Cash Cow Norman Hsu Indicted

(New York City) Called the "Hillraiser" for his donations to Democrats on Capitol Hill, in particular Hillary Clinton, top fundraiser Norman Hsu has been accused of defrauding investors in massive Ponzi scheme. Good and it's about time.

A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted Norman Hsu, a top Democratic fundraiser accused of cheating investors of at least $60 million and using some of the money to to make illegal donations to political campaigns.

In the 15-count indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the government accused the 56-year-old clothing-industry entrepreneur of duping investors nationwide with a massive Ponzi scheme.

The government said Hsu also violated federal campaign finance laws by making contributions to various political candidates in the names of others.

If history is an indicator, the Clintons will ~~throw him under a bus~~ not recall ever meeting Norman Hsu.

Following Entry Posted 12/04/2007 04:07:00 PM

Dena Greene Guilty of Sex with Boy

(Gates, New York) In July 2007, a 36-year-old mother-of-three, Dena Greene, was arrested for allegedly raping two 15-year-old boys in the summer of 2005.

Greene faced two counts each of criminal sexual act and rape, all felonies, and misdemeanor charges of unlawfully dealing with a child, endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of sexual abuse.

In September 2007 in Monroe County Court, Greene pleaded not guilty to the charges before Judge John R. Schwartz. Greene is free on an appearance ticket with no bail since she's not considered a flight risk.

Yesterday, Greene pleaded guilty to a criminal sexual act saying, however, that she only had sex with one of the boys. Greene is free on her own recognizance until her sentencing in February when she faces a possible four years in prison.

Four years? I doubt it. I think she'll walk with probation.

Tip: Don Morgenstern

[Update 03/12/08]

My prediction was close. Greene, 37, was sentenced yesterday to six months in the county jail and 10 years probation. She will also have to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

Following Entry Posted 12/04/2007 03:35:00 PM

Lafave Arrested Again

(Tampa, Florida) Ex-teacher Debra Lafave has violated her probation.

According to records with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Debra Lafave was arrested today for violating her probation. The violation listed says she talked to a coworker who was 17 years old, on various occasions.

The former Tampa teacher was accused of having sex with a 14-year-old middle school student. Part of her agreement included that she not have any contact with minors.

I suspect the authorities are keeping pretty close tabs on Lafave since they have been criticized for allowing her to walk out of court without any jail time.

[Update 12/05/07]

See expanded account of Lafave's arrest.

Following Entry Posted 12/04/2007 09:02:00 AM

Putin's Predetermined Election Win

There is no rehab for police-state thugs. Consequently, former KGB head and current president, Vladimir Putin, was able to strong-arm the election results before the first ballot was cast. His slate of parliamentarians was elected.

From the Danish Politiken via Spiegel.de:

"As expected, Russian President Vladimir Putin garnered an overwhelming election victory. Even before (his victory), he claimed he would be given the 'moral right' to continue to determine his country's political course. ...

After his victory he spoke of a festive atmosphere. But it has an ugly downside. Neither the campaign nor the election was deserving of this description. It was the most unfair election since the fall of communism. The state abused its power in the media. Opposition voices were suppressed. ...

If the West doesn't strongly distance itself from this historic election manipulation, which one could at best describe as a swindle, it will muddy our own democracies. And we would also be abandoning Russians who haven't yet buried their hopes for democracy in their country."

Prudent geopolitical observers saw the swindle coming. And prudent observers also see conditions becoming worse, unlike "the European leaders who live in a complete fantasy world with their dream of drawing Russian natural gas without Putin's political policies also flowing through the pipes."

Following Entry Posted 12/04/2007 08:17:00 AM

Man Ticketed for Speeding in Wheelchair

(Geseke, Germany) A 54-year-old engineer, Guenther Eichmann, tweaked an electric wheelchair so that it would go 40 MPH. Unfortunately, he tested it on a street with a 20 MPH limit and was ticketed for speeding.

Eichmann had to eat a $600 fine and the cops confiscated his wheelchair. Why? I don't know. He ought to be able to keep the chair.

Holy moly, $600 is outrageous for a speeding ticket. By the way, that's for a speeding ticket in a country that's known for having a cavalier attitude regarding speed limits.

Following Entry Posted 12/04/2007 07:47:00 AM

Toyota Works Man to Death

(Tokyo, Japan) The Nagoya District Court has ruled that a man was worked to death by the Toyota Motor Corporation and his widow is entitled to compensation. The man reportedly had logged 106 overtime hours in one month and died of an irregular heartbeat after passing out in a factory.

Judge Toshiro Tamiya said "the relationship between his work and death is strong."

It's not clear whether the man was forced to work the overtime or not. If not, it would seem the company shouldn't be liable. Also, in my estimation, 106 hours overtime in a month isn't outrageous. Based on a 40-hour week, that's only about 25 hours per week overtime.

Following Entry Posted 12/04/2007 07:05:00 AM

Mom Strangled Baby 13 Times

(Lincoln County, England) A 24-year-old local mother, Andrea Kirkham, attempted to asphyxiate her baby 13 times without anyone in the hospital becoming suspicious. Fortunately, she was ultimately seen in a smothering attempt.

Medics repeatedly battled to save the "floppy and lifeless" newborn girl at Lincoln County Hospital after her breathing was stifled with a towel or flannel. They were baffled by the baby's condition until a nurse caught Kirkham in the act.

Kirkham, of Lincoln, was diagnosed with attention-seeking Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy.

It's noteworthy that only after the baby was transferred to a different hospital, Queen's Medical Center, that Kirkham was discovered attempting to smother her child.

Kirkham was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of 13 counts of child cruelty in Lincoln Crown Court. The baby, now three years old, has been adopted.

Jeez, I don't know but it seems that British hospitals should be held to the standard that only nine smothering attempts are allowed to go unnoticed and without suspicion. Hospital staff could be warned that if they don't become suspicious by the tenth smothering attempt, reprimands will be considered.

Another thing, why wasn't Kirkham charged with 13 counts of attempted murder? Or even one count?

Following Entry Posted 12/04/2007 05:28:00 AM

ACLU Sues to Protect Suspicious People

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the behavior screening policy at airports. Simply put, if people are acting suspicious, authorities approach them to determine whether they represent a threat. The ACLU contends that suspiciousness profiling infringes on basic freedoms.

The case resulted when an ACLU operative, King Downing, refused to produce identification to airport security, left the airport, returned and again refused to produce any identification.

"This is a dangerous extension of police power," said Downing. "I was stopped and held for no legal reason by armed State Police troopers. I was told I could not leave unless I proved who I was and why I was at the airport, and that if I did not cooperate, I would be arrested or banned from the airport. This is racial profiling, and not the action of a government that stands for freedom and the rights of all its people."

Note that Downing was allowed to go on his way once he identified himself. Nonetheless, he feels his rights were violated and pursued the lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed against the Massachusetts Port Authority and the Massachusetts State Police.

As I recall, all legal fees and expenditures incurred by the ACLU are paid for by American taxpayers which explains why we see so many lawsuits from the ACLU. Despite the outcome, the taxpayer foots the bill.

This case is ludicrous. Given that Downing refused "to give ID after leaving and re-entering the terminal," I'm convinced that security officers acted appropriately. I personally wouldn't want anything less.

Monday, December 03, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/03/2007 11:32:00 PM

School Nurse, Boys & Booze

(Berryville, Arkansas) A 30-year-old former school nurse, Jennifer Cisco, was arrested last month for engaging in sex with a 17-year-old student she had liquored up.

Cisco was booked into custody at the Carroll County Jail and later released on her own recognizance. As a result of the charges, Cisco was terminated from her position with the Green Forest School District.

Today, Cisco was back in court after allegedly being found in a motel with boys and booze.

"When we got the call, she was with boys at a motel in Harrison," said Sheriff Bob Grudek.

Grudek says, this time, it was with a 16 year old at a Days Inn. The boy's mother testified in court on Monday but did not wish to do an interview with a reporter. She told the judge that Cisco got her son drunk before having sex with him.

"She's very unhappy, extremely unhappy," said Grudek.

Cisco revisited booking at the Carroll County Jail and was later released on $25,000 bond.

Tip: Don Morgenstern

Following Entry Posted 12/03/2007 02:20:00 PM

Global Warming Predictions (600 +)

The American Thinker posted a compilation of links to everything blamed on global warming. British engineering professor Dr. John Brignell (website) gathered the information.

The listing demonstrates the hysteria produced by the global warming alarmists. Man, there are a lot of people buying into the scam. Take a look at the listing and see its absolute silliness.

As a teaser, here's one section:

. . . Earth biodiversity crisis, Earth dying, Earth even hotter, Earth light dimming, Earth lopsided, Earth melting, Earth morbid fever, Earth on fast track, Earth past point of no return, Earth slowing down, Earth spinning out of control, Earth spins faster, Earth to explode, earth upside down, Earth wobbling, . . .

Realize that each of those entries is linked to a media story. You couldn't make this stuff up.

Tip: Dirty Balmer

Following Entry Posted 12/03/2007 01:25:00 PM

Sperm Donor Must Pay Child Support

(London, England) This is a definitive case of being shafted.

Daily Mail:

A London man who donated sperm to a lesbian couple is being made to pay child support, it was revealed today.

Andy Bathie, 37, a firefighter from Enfield, agreed to help Sharon and Terri Arnold after they assured him he would have no involvement in the children's upbringing and no financial commitment.

But he is now having his pay docked to pay thousands of pounds in child maintenance even though he has no legal rights over the boy and girl the couple had.

He says the payments mean he and his wife cannot afford to have children of their own.

The lesbians broke up and he has to foot the bill. Bathie is fighting the ruling but, despite the outcome, the poor guy is being hosed for simply doing some friends a favor.

Listen up, men. Where your sperm goes, so does your money -- for years. Never forget it. It's fine to be chummy with lesbians but be sure to balk when begged for baby batter.

Tip: Travis Evans

Following Entry Posted 12/03/2007 10:35:00 AM

Indonesian Trees Offset Bali Conference Polluters

(Bali, Indonesia) Since the attendees at the global warming conference in Bali arrive in polluting jet aircraft, the government of Indonesia is planting trees.

More likely, the tree-planting announcement is aimed to counter accusations of gross hypocrisy on the part of the global warming schemers.

Indonesia has planted millions of trees to soak up an estimated 50,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases to be emitted during U.N.-led climate talks in Bali, Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar said on Monday.

More than 10,000 politicians, officials, activists and journalists are expected to attend the December 3-14 talks on the tropical resort island. Delegates will discuss ways to widen a U.N.-led fight against global warming to all nations.

And to provide extra offset for the estimated 50,000 tonnes of gas, Indonesia has prohibited motor vehicles at the conference location, encouraging the attendees to walk or cycle from one meeting to another.

Therefore, all the kleptocrats arrive in fancy-schmancy jet planes and then are forced to walk around town in tropical heat. What a sweaty shame. Of course, it's assumed that there will be plenty of refreshing kool-aid available to avoid dehydration and the delirium of rational thought.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Following Entry Posted 12/03/2007 08:26:00 AM

Girl, 13, Charged with Sex Assault of Boy, 6

(East St. Louis, Illinois) Here's a sex assault story with very sketchy information due to the ages of the alleged offender and the victim.

An incident occurred within the East St. Louis School District where a 13-year-old girl allegedly sexually assaulted a six-year-old boy by pulling down his pants and biting him. The girl is charged with juvenile battery. Action on the case has been pursued by the victim's mother for 18 months.

A trial is scheduled for January 2008.

Tip: greggmkay

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/02/2007 09:30:00 PM

Rapist Jeni Lee Dinkel Out of Jail

(Covington, Kentucky) After serving 57 days of a 60-day sentence for rape of a 15-year-old schoolboy, Jeni Lee Dinkel was released from the Kenton County Jail just after midnight last night.

For the complete breakdown of Dinkel's crime, prosecution and conviction, see previous entry.

Notably, a civil lawsuit filed by the mother of the victim remains to be litigated.

[Update 02/19/08]

Dinkel arrested for violating her probation.

Following Entry Posted 12/02/2007 06:50:00 PM

Avoiding the Smoking Ban

(Bellingham, Washington) The only local establishment where people can legally light up their favorite tobacco product is the Cobra Lounge, owned by Paul Green and Erin Cobb.

The Cobra Lounge sidesteps the statewide law against smoking which was passed ostensibly to protect "workers" from second-hand smoke.

From the Seattle Times:

The trick is that Green and Cobb actually opened two places. In one, they sell the tobacco (called shisha) along with private club memberships ($1 for life!). In the other, 10 steps along the alley, is the club. That's where the smoking happens. There are no workers there -- it's like a co-op -- so it's exempt from the ban.

I have to applaud Green and Cobb for their innovation. Despite the statewide ban, they have opened a place that's legal -- for now. Local authorities are not amused and have ominously vowed to investigate.

Following Entry Posted 12/02/2007 05:06:00 AM

Brits Warned on Chinese Cyber-Spying

(UK) Jonathan Evans, head of the British domestic intelligence agency MI5, has officially notified key members of the UK economy that China is actively engaged in espionage of computer networks.

The Government has openly accused China of carrying out state-sponsored espionage against vital parts of Britain's economy, including the computer systems of big banks and financial services firms.

In an unprecedented alert, the Director-General of MI5 sent a confidential letter to 300 chief executives and security chiefs at banks, accountants and legal firms this week warning them that they were under attack from "Chinese state organisations". It is believed to be the first time that the Government has directly accused China of involvement in web-based espionage.

Such a blunt and explicit warning from Jonathan Evans could have serious diplomatic consequences and cast a shadow over Gordon Brown's first official visit to China as Prime Minister early in the new year.

The letter from MI5 provides guidance on tactics and techniques used by Chinese hackers and a listing of known web signatures and addresses used in attacks.

Frankly, anyone who has been watching the aggressive mischief of the Chinese in recent times shouldn't be surprised in the least by the MI5 announcement. There have been previous reports of the Chinese hacking into other nation's computer networks, most notably German and American. It logically follows that the ChiComs want an advantage over all nations they compete with. And, as police-state communists, they don't allow rules to get in the way of results.

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Following Entry Posted 12/01/2007 05:07:00 PM

Teacher Guilty of Measuring Student Genitalia

(Fort Ann, New York) A 27-year-old teacher and basketball coach at a Fort Ann elementary school, Jared P. Bromley, pleaded guilty this week to charges related to allowing middle school students masturbate in front of him and allegedly measuring their genitalia with a ruler.

Bromley's plea deal indicates he will likely get 60 days in jail for a conviction on felony sexual conduct against a child. His trial had been scheduled to begin on Monday.

Bromley was initially charged with two misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly allowing two 13-year old boys to fondle themselves in front of him in various instances since December 2005. There were no allegations that he had had any sexual contact with them. [See here for chronology of the case.]

He was then charged with second degree sexual abuse for allegedly touching one of the male students with a ruler, telling the student he was measuring his genitalia. Police said that the teens allege that Bromley would measure their genitalia, using a masking tape "harness."

Three felony charges of course of sexual conduct against a child and first degree coercion were then lodged against Bromley by a Washington County Grand Jury as well as making a false statement in the case.

Bromley had been charged Feb. 7 after two students said they interrupted an incident involving one of the boys in the coach's office which is located in the boys' locker room at the Washington County school. Bromley was initially suspended from his teaching duties but later resigned from his teaching position and as coach in March.

If convicted at trial, Bromley faced a possible 18 years in prison. With the plea bargain, he will likely get 60 days jail, 10 years probation and an order to register as a sex offender. Sentencing is scheduled for January 11th.

So, tell me. How does a pervert like Bromley ever get hired? Somebody must have known that he was unsuited for working with kids. I don't believe that, all of a sudden at age 27, a person decides to become a child molester.

Following Entry Posted 12/01/2007 08:26:00 AM

Teacher Celeste Adamski Gets No Jail

(Kearny, New Jersey) In June 2007, a 27-year-old English teacher at Kearny High School, Celeste Adamski, was suspended from her teaching position for alleged inappropriate sexual activity with up to four male students.

In October 2007, Adamski pleaded guilty to official misconduct in accordance with a "put this behind us" plea deal which seemed to indicate that Prosecutor Debra Simon and Superior Court Judge Peter Vazquez were checking their watches, tapping their feet and complaining about being late for lunch. At the time, I predicted a hand slap was forthcoming.

Yesterday, a hand slap was administered. Adamski was sentenced to probation, 50 hours of community service and $155 in fines.

Following Entry Posted 12/01/2007 12:31:00 AM

I Love My Car But There's A Limit

Some guys are car lovers and some guys make love to cars. Wong is the latter and he is freaky.

We have whole new meanings for "parking" and "autoerotic." Check the link.

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