Women With Troubles - March 2008

Reported in the news during March 2008, here is the compilation of women with troubles. Each name is linked to an Interested-Participant blog entry displaying details.

For a more comprehensive listing, check the Women With Troubles category link.

(AL) Elizabeth Brooks, 43,
teacher - Arrested for meth charges,

(AR) Melissa G. Monroe, 32,
teacher - Terminated by school district for alleged sex with student,

(AZ) Angela Csader, 25,
teacher - Pleads guilty to sex crimes. Sentencing in April,

(AZ) Jennifer Mally, 26,
teacher - Guilty of sex with male student, 16. Sentencing in May,

(CA) Kristen Rene Santoya, 37,
teacher - Gets 180 days jail for stealing student's lunch money,

(CA) Sheila Marie Sikat, 28,
neighbor - Sentenced to 50 years in prison for child molestation,

(CO) Shawna Nelson, 36,
neighbor - Gets life in prison for love triangle murder,

(CO) Yvette Starzyk, 26,
teacher - Accused of engaging in sex with male student, 15,

(CT) Heidi Keller, 37,
pregnant mom, 3 kids - Arrested for narcotics,

(FL) Florida Woman, 40,
neighbor - Accused of abusing girl, 6, with chili peppers,

(FL) Jill Goldsmith, 31,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 15,

(FL) Lisa Robyn Marinelli, 40,
teacher - Arrested for sex with male student,

(FL) Stephanie Marie Ragusa, 28
teacher - Arrested for sex with boy, 14,

(FL) Mary Jo Spack, 45,
teacher - Arrested for alleged orgy with male students,

(GA) Lakeisha Davis, 18,
neighbor - Gets life for cold-blooded murder,

(GA) Alison Diane Ivey, 28,
teacher - Arrested for sex with male student,

(IL) Tabitha A. Cosat, 24,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 13,

(IL) Laura Sieradzki, 34,
teacher - Gets probation for sex with male student and piercing girls' bodies in an inappropriate area,

(IN) Janelle McComas, 20,
neighbor mom - Arrested for reckless driving, drugs with baby in her car,

(IN) Michelle VanMeter, 35,
teacher - Sentenced to 30 years prison for child molestation,

(KS) Katherine J. Harder, 31,
teacher - Caught having sex with male student, 17,

(KY) Shirley Ann Hardin, 38,
neighbor - Indicted for causing a minor to engage in homosexual sexual performance,

(KY) Crystal Wells, 33,
teacher - Guilty of rape, sentencing in April,

(LA) Christine (aka Christina) Marye Araiza, 44,
teacher - Arrested on drug charges,

(MO) Teresa Engelbach, 22,
teacher - Guilty of rape of 14-year-old boy. Sentencing in April,

(NC) Sharelle LaShae Chambers, 25,
neighbor - Arrested for rape of boy, 15,

(NH) Ashley K. Dwyer, 19,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 15,

(NY) Maria Commins, 39,
teacher - Arrested for alleged sex with boy, 15,

(NY) Jennifer Dempsey, 28,
teacher - Accused of intimacy with male student, 16,

(NY) Christel Gravlin, 33,
teacher, beauty queen - Guilty of rape of male student, sentencing in May,

(NY) Dena Greene, 37,
neighbor - Gets six months in jail for sex with boy,

(NY) Heather Kennedy, 25,
teacher - Arrested for sex with male student, 16,

(NY) Gloria A. Shovah, 50,
alleged wrinkly old pervert - Arrested for sexual abuse of girl, 12,

(OH) Tabatha Fidler, 27,
teacher - Accused of sex with male student, 16,

(OH) Becky Jo Tatum, 41,
neighbor mom - Arrested for unlawful sex with a minor,

(OK) Tracy Boshers and Jennifer Cowart,
teachers - Accused of inappropriate behavior with students,

(PA) Shannon Elizabeth Bozel, 22,
neighbor mom - Arrested for drugs and child endangerment,

(PA) Monique Reed, 38,
hairstylist - Arrested for shooting a complaining customer in the buttocks,

(PA) Abbiejane Swogger, 34,
teacher - Accused of a raft of charges related to organizing drugs, sex parties with students,

(TX) Nancy Torres, 29,
teacher - Indicted for sex with male student, 14,

(TX) Kathy Denise White, 42,
teacher - Gets probation for sex with student, 17,

(UT) Cris Lyn Morris, 29,
teacher - Guilty of sex with male student. Sentencing in May,

(WI) Brenda Baillargeon, 39
teacher - Pleaded no contest to sex with student. Sentencing TBD,

(WI) Kelly D. Oiler, 27,
neighbor - Sentenced to six months jail for sex with boy, 14,

(WI) Kelly M. Sweet, 26,
teacher - Arrested for sex with boy, 14,

(WV) Rachel Dawn Watkins, 31,
neighbor - Arrested for sex assault of boy, 14.


****************************
(AU) Valerie Paige Parashumti, 19, and Jessica Ellen Stasinowsky, 21,,
lesbian vampires - Both sentenced to life in prison for murder,

(CA) Lori-Lee Simard,
teacher - Professional conduct under review for relationship with student who killed himself.

Thanks to the tipsters.

Wisconsin Woman Gets Jail in Sex Case

(Sheboygan, Wisconsin) In February 2008, a 27-year-old local mother-of-three, Kelly D. Oiler, was arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with a 14-year-old boy. Apparently, Oiler entertained 14-year-old boys in her apartment and on one occasion, in July 2007, it led to sex.

Today, Oiler was sentenced by Judge Timothy Van Akkeren to six months in jail after pleading no contest to a felony sexual assault charge.

Oiler, who cried throughout the hearing, said in a statement read by her attorney, June Spoerl, that she is racked by guilt from the offense.

"The guilt eats at me," Oiler, a mother of three, said in the statement. "I beg you to please be merciful, my kids need me. ... I promise you will never see me in your courtroom again."

Spoerl said Oiler has psychological problems and no criminal record, but Van Akkeren said that does not excuse her behavior.

"The nature of what you did in this particular instance is not so much something I can simply tie to depression or anxiety," the judge said. "Because of the seriousness of what you have done, there needs to be some aspect of punishment."

As part of the sentence, which begins May 27, Oiler will be released from jail during the day to care for her children. She must also register as a sex offender.

Six months is a gift when compared to the possible 25 years she could have received. Oiler should put Judge Van Akkeren on her Christmas list.

No privacy for role-playing games?


We read:

"The president of the body governing world motor racing - the son of a notorious wartime fascist - has allegedly been caught on video cavorting with prostitutes in a Nazi role-play sex game. Max Mosley - the son of British Union of Fascists party founder Oswald Mosley - was reported by the News of the World to have taken part in the sleazy scene at a London apartment.

A video on the News of the World's website shows a man identified as Mosley arriving at an apartment. The man is then greeted by a woman playing the role of a prison guard, checking his hair to see if he has been kept clean "at the other facility". Later, another woman in a prisoner's uniform enters the video and the man said to be Mosley is heard speaking German.

Source

I have no idea what kinky sex is all about. I must have been born without that gene. Nonetheless, a liking for it seems to be very common -- particularly in Britain. And strange garb and stranger games are apparently a common part of it. And according to a now generally accepted defence of homosexuality, what you do between consenting adults in the privacy of your own bedroom is no business of anybody else. So how did this guy go wrong? Why is he being called on to resign?

Incidentally, Sir Oswald Mosley remained a British patriot both before and during WWII. Leftists generally were patriotic once. Sir Oswald left the British Labour party and founded the British Union of Fascists because the Labour party was not socialist enough for him.

I can't resist mentioning another little titbit about Sir Oswald: He had enormous social acceptance in prewar Britain. The King even came to his wedding! Beat that! Elite Leftism goes back a long way.

Posted by John Ray.

Persian Gulf Beauty Contest

(Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) If one considers that all of the Persian Gulf nations are Muslim-dominated with obsessions about keeping women covered, it doesn't make too much sense for them to stage a beauty contest. That is except in the case where the beauties being judged are camels.

Camels from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia will strut their stuff before a panel of expert judges who will decide which owners should be awarded prize money totalling around 9.5 million dollars.

The Mazayin Dhafra Camel Festival will be held from April 2nd to the 10th. The camels participating are required to be purebred, free from disease and unmarried.

Okay, I made the last requirement up.

Earth People Fun During Earth Hour

Yesterday's Earth Hour, defined as lights out between 8 and 9 PM local time, was reportedly observed in "hundreds" of cities and, according to a report out of Toronto, the Earth people know how to enjoy themselves when the lights go out.

Environmentalist Matthew McKenzie invited some friends to his house to celebrate.

"We're Earth-friendly people, so we thought: What better way to celebrate Earth Hour?" said McKenzie, whose household has well-sealed windows, energy-efficient lightbulbs and produces only half a bag of garbage every other week.

Blindfolded tree hugging would be first up.

"Basically, everyone's going in my front yard, we're going to put a green bag over their head, spin them around, and it'll be a race who can find the tree in my front yard the fastest," he said.

The winner was to get a small potted plant.

Uh -- okay, but I must be missing something. I don't mean to disparage the games McKenzie and his friends find entertaining but bumping into trees blindfolded sounds stupid. And I don't see the relationship between bumping into trees and supposedly saving the planet.

I'd suggest that these people were bumping into trees before they became environmentalists. It would help explain the photo accompanying the article which shows McKenzie's crowd huddled around a roaring fire during Earth Hour. I would wager that the fire added more hydrocarbons to the environment than was presumably prevented from entering the environment by turning the lights off.

MS-13 Stabbing

(Prince William County, Virginia) A 25-year-old El Salvadoran MS-13 gang member, Milton Calderon-Melendez, has been arrested for allegedly conspiring to commit attempted murder in Montgomery County, Maryland.

An illegal immigrant accused of stabbing a man in Maryland while free on bond from a prior assault charge has been arrested in Prince William County, Virginia, but it's not clear how soon he can be extradited.

Unlike Montgomery County, Prince William routinely checks the immigration status of criminal suspects and the county police have informed federal immigration officials of the man's illegal status.

Hey, the message here is that illegals should prefer Maryland over Virginia.

Fitna lives


Post below recycled from Powerline

Death threats by proponents of the religion of peace have led to the removal of the Geert Wilders film "Fitna" from LiveLeak's servers that we linked to yesterday. In a kind of "I am Spartacus" response, numerous sites have reposted the video. Victor Trombettas, for example, has posted it here on his blog's YouTube account; Pat Dollard has posted it here on his site with the vow that he "will NEVER bow to your ******** yappity yapping"; Michelle Malkin has posted it here; Hot Air has posted it here; Rusty Shackleford has posted it here. As of this moment, it is still posted on Google here. Download your own copy here

Posted by John Ray.

Ohio Teacher Indicted for Student Sex

(Williams County, Ohio) A 27-year-old health and physical education teacher at Gorham Fayette High School, Tabatha Fidler, was indicted this week for allegedly engaging in sex with a 16-year-old boy.

The indictment covers one alleged criminal offense at Fidler's home in June 2007. Fidler faces one count of felony sexual battery.

A court appearance has been scheduled for April 10. Fidler is on administrative leave from her teaching position.

Mom Jailed on Drug, Child Endangerment Charges

(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) A 22-year-old local married mother, Shannon Elizabeth Bozel, was arrested this week on alleged drug and child endangerment offenses.

Reportedly, Bozel left her 14-month-old baby in the car with the engine running as she negotiated a deal for heroin for her husband who is on house arrest.

Bozel was charged with possession of a controlled substance, endangering the welfare of a child and driving with a suspended license.

Shannon Elizabeth Bozel left her child in her car in Northview Heights while she purchased some heroin in the 200 block of Essen Street. Shortly after returning to her car and driving away, she struck another vehicle, police and emergency dispatchers said. The owners of the other vehicle called 911, dispatchers said.

Police found three stamp bags of heroin in her car.

Bozel was booked into custody at the Allegheny County Jail with bond set at $25,000. The baby is with a grandmother.

"Boy, it's a bummer being on house arrest. I gotta use the old lady to get some smack, but she goes and wrecks the car, gets pinched and I end up with no smack, a wrecked car and an old lady in the joint. Damn!" [Husband's remarks, telepathically captured.]

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Two OK Female Teachers Investigated for No-Nos with Students

(Vian, Oklahoma) Two female teachers at Vian High School, Tracy Boshers and Jennifer Cowart, have been suspended with pay while an investigation of inappropriate behavior with students is conducted by the Vian Police and the school system.

Police Chief Danny Hoover would not reveal the age, gender or number of possible victims but says some are still attending the school while others are out of school.

Hoover did say that one of the male students involved has come forward. Others are reluctant.

According to Vian Public School’s Superintendent Lawrence Barnes, Boshers and Cowart have pre-termination hearings scheduled for April 14th and 22nd, respectively.

"When it’s personnel stuff we really can’t say a lot," Barnes said. "After the hearings, everything will come out."

Neither teacher has been arrested, Hoover said, but a warrant on a complaint of sexual battery for one of the teachers was taken to the district attorney's office this week, he said.

He would not say for which teacher the warrant was delivered.

Another warrant may be filed with the district attorney next week, he said.

Boshers has taught Spanish at the high school and middle school for more than 10 years. Cowart has been a math teacher at Vian High School for at least the last six years said Superintendent Barnes.

Boshers is represented by attorney Rex Earl Starr. Attorney Frank Sullivan Jr. has been retained by Cowart. Reached for comment, Sullivan stated that "any so-called evidence is conflicting and not credible."

One thing is certain, though, the scandal has changed the normally polite conversations in Vian to bouts of innuendo, rumor and accusation. And with a population of less than 2,000 people, everyone in Vian is affected.

Anti-Muslim film deleted


Summary below excerpted from Mark Steyn. There is now no free speech about Muslims

Geert Wilders' film is a hit - over 1.5 million views in English, over 2.5 million in Dutch last time I checked - but it's nevertheless been yanked by LiveLeak, with the following statement:

"Following threats to our staff of a very serious nature, and some ill informed reports from certain corners of the British media that could directly lead to the harm of some of our staff, Liveleak.com has been left with no other choice but to remove Fitna from our servers. This is a sad day for freedom of speech on the net but we have to place the safety and well being of our staff above all else.

Indeed. The Internet will keep Fitna alive in odd corners hither and yon, but only to those who actively seek it out. In the wider world, it goes without saying that such a film is unacceptable, and that this time round the pre-emptive rage (as Diana West calls it) was so successful the next Fitna will have an even harder time: no movie theaters or broadcast networks or obscure cable channels would even consider showing it, and Google and YouTube and the other Internet biggies have grown increasingly comfortable with political speech-policing, and now one more small net operation has learned that, unless you want to be a 24/7 crusader on this issue, it's not a business worth being in. In effect, the Islamobullies have been rewarded yet again for threatening physical violence.

Posted by John Ray.

Mrs. Sarkozy Naked

I'll confess that I was a bit curious. The new French President, Nikolas Sarkozy, has just seemed so -- uh, well -- ebullient since he married super-model and singer Carla Bruni.

Shown is a head shot from a frontal nude photograph of Bruni taken 15 years ago. The whole pic is here.

Apparently, the nude photo was recently announced to be up for auction next month at Christie's in New York. It's expected to command around $4,000.

Sacre bleu! Mrs. Sarkozy is not amused.

Connecticut - Dirty Driving Schools

(Waterbury, Connecticut) The owner of Diaz' Classic Driving School, Fernando Diaz, and the owner of Express Driving School, Henry Kruszewski, have been arrested for providing forged documents to assist illegal aliens in obtaining drivers' licenses. Each faces charges of forgery and racketeering.

State police detectives executed a search warrant at Diaz' Classic Driving School on March 20, the same day Henry Kruszewski, the owner of the Stratford school and Diaz' former business partner, was arrested on similar charges, police said.

Kruszewski is free on $500,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Bridge port on April 3.

The investigation started in August of 2007 when DMV officials received an anonymous tip that two undocumented immigrants from New Jersey had obtained Connecticut driver's licenses through Express Driving School.

State police conducted searches of Kruszewski's property and found considerable evidence.

At his home they found pre-stamped, blank immigration documents; immigration stamps; and blank, pre-stamped and sealed Polish birth certificates, according to DMV documents.

At the offices they found blank or partially completed immigration documents, Social Security documents, more immigration stamps and more original Polish birth certificates.

Heh. Kind of makes me wonder if there are examples of Hispanics using Polish birth certificates.

Also: Diggers Realm

Teacher Arrested for 2004 Sex with Boy

(Aurora, Colorado) A 26-year-old former teacher and girls athletic trainer at Hinkley High School, Yvette Starzyk, was arrested today for allegedly engaging in sex with a 15-year-old male student.

Starzyk faces felony charges of sexual abuse of a child and sexual assault of a child by one in a position of trust.

The arrest was a result of offenses which allegedly occurred in 2004 between Starzyk and the now 18-year-old former student.

The investigation, which began last week, showed that Starzyk allegedly had an ongoing sexual affair with a former student who was 15 at the time, police said. The sexual encounters took place at several locations away from the school.

Police did not say what happened to open the investigation four years later.

Starzyk was booked into custody at the Aurora Detention Center with bond set at $20,000.

By the way, authorities suspect that there may be more victims.


[Update 12/23/08]

Starzyk sentenced to probation.

Obama in brief

Interesting point from Arlene Peck about Obama's Muslim origins: "I put it to you that Obama never converted to Christianity. Such a conversion would have been marked by baptism. Had he been baptized, he would have made mention of it when referring to the baptism of his children."


More Obama deception: "In his autobiographical book "Dreams from My Father," Barack Obama paints a heroic picture of his father as having emerged from a poor Kenyan village, where he was nothing more than a simple goat herder, to become a Harvard-educated economist, destined to return to Africa to fulfill his promise. Unfortunately, the reality is much bleaker than the tale Obama tells in his book. In truth, Barack Obama senior, Obama's father, was a polygamist who had already abandoned one wife and child in Africa when he met Obama's mother in Hawaii. After being educated at Harvard, Obama senior returned to Africa, abandoning Obama and his mother, to live the life of a chronic alcoholic who ultimately killed himself in his second drink-induced car accident, while driving drunk on the streets of Nairobi."

Posted by John Ray.

Seven Kids Hospitalized by Muslim Bomb

(Yala, Thailand) In Thailand's Muslim-dominated southern provinces, over 2,000 people have been killed by "Islamic militants" since 2004. Yesterday, seven children and one soldier were injured when a motorbike-bomb exploded.

The blast happened as the children had gathered to watch television in a nearby house.

Two men parked the motorbike in front of the house, ostensibly to target a group of soldiers who were expected to patrol the area, police said. The bomb, detonated by remote control, injured one soldier who was on patrol, and seven children aged under ten who were watching television inside the house. All of them were admitted to a Yala hospital.

Yala Governor Theera Minthrasak condemned the attackers, saying that if they were Islamic militants, the act against innocent children absolutely violated Islamic principles.

"Islamic doctrine says killing a single innocent person is equal to killing every human being in the whole world," he said, "We should not forgive them for this action and I condemn them."

The Yala Governor appears to cite an Islamic doctrine of notable obscurity. Empirical evidence would support the contention that Muslim killers don't care one whit who they are killing. They kill infidels, Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, other Muslims, family members, the elderly, the mentally-challenged, children and babies.

Also: Jawa Report

Saudis Behead Condemned Man

(Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) A Saudi man, Mohammed bin Duhaim al-Dossari, was beheaded by sword yesterday in Wadi al-Dawasser in the Riyadh region, bring to 37 the number of lopectomies in Saudi Arabia this year.

Duhaim had been convicted of killing Mohammed bin Mubarak al-Muaili following an argument.

Last year, a record number of 153 heads rolled in Saudi Arabia.

South Korea Discloses Plans to Attack North Korean Nukes

(Seoul, South Korea) It's news when a country mentions its "pre-emptive strike" plans regarding a neighboring country.

The South Korean military is prepared to launch a pre-emptive attack on North Korea’s nuclear installations if they become a military threat, Gen. Kim Tae-young, the newly designated chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a hearing yesterday.

Now, the North Koreans will have to say or do something in response. Oh, wait a minute! They did.

North Korea on Friday fired several short-range missiles off its west coast, Yonhap news agency reported.

The South Korean agency, quoting a government source, said the missiles were fired at 10.30 am (0130 GMT) into the Yellow Sea. It said South Korean military authorities are closely watching the North’s military movements.

So, the South is talking about tossing missiles around while the North is tossing missiles around. Just lovely.

Zimbabwe Presidential Election, Mugabe Favored

(Harare, Zimbabwe) According to a survey conducted by the University of Zimbabwe, 84-year-old President Robert Mugabe, arguably the continent's most vile thug dictator, is predicted to win tomorrow's presidential election with at least 56 percent of the vote.

THE WORLD'S EYES ARE ON Zimbabwe this weekend as the country plunges into a historic election. For the first time in its history, the southern African country is conducting presidential, parliamentary and civic polls at once, thanks to a constitutional amendment of October 2007.

Zimbabwe has acquired a special place in this part of the world over the last decade or so. With a strongly anti-West leader who has made it his pastime to kick white Zimbabweans around, Zimbabwe is a powder-cage in the literal sense.

The inflation rate is more than 100,000 per cent, and over 4.5 million Zimbabweans (out of a total population of 12.3 million) are in economic and political exile all over the world. The majority vow never to step in Zimbabwe as long as Robert Mugabe remains president.

What intrigues many observers is the ease with which Mugabe, the country's leader since independence from Britain in 1980, gets away with impunity.

The chances of losing the election are slim since Mugabe has had plenty of time to rig the process and he has been out buying votes. He recently gave out 450 cars to senior and middle-level doctors and 300 flat screen televisions to hospitals.

Nevertheless, no one actually believes that Mugabe would relinquish power even if he lost the election. He would just use his military to declare the election invalid and carry on as usual. If the citizenry crowds the streets in protest, Mugabe would likely order a violent response and mass arrests.

Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) contends that the election is being rigged by President Robert Mugabe to perpetuate rule by his ZANU-PF government. Professor Rowly Brucken is the American country spokesman on Zimbabwe for Amnesty International. He says that a recent suggestion by Zimbabwe police that any other outcome to tomorrow's vote will not be tolerated should be taken as a serious threat.

"We have heard statements from the head of the Zimbabwe Republic Police that he would not respect any government that was not one led by Robert Mugabe. Robert Mugabe has issued troubling statements that he would not let the MDC take power while he is alive."

Not while he is alive, eh? Frankly, that's not an insurmountable hurdle.


Media Blackout

Most foreign media have been barred from reporting on this weekend's elections.

International journalists have condemned the Zimbabwean government's denial of accreditation to almost every major news organisation outside the country to cover weekend polls.

Major news organisations such as the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Cable News Network (CNN) and the New York Times were all denied the right to cover the general elections.

According to Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, "Non-accreditated media houses like the BBC and CNN have set up broadcasting facilities at secret locations ... not for professional reporting but for fuelling negative stories to fulfill their prophesy of doom on their regime change agenda."

Heh.

Fitna the Movie

Despite death threats to the Dutchman, Geert Wilders' film about the Quran (English) is posted on the Internet.

The message is clear. "Radical elements of Islam" are not at war with civilization. Islam, as defined in the Quran, is at war with civilization.

Hillary gets it right!

Or is that "Wright"? She cries "Hate Speech" on a black man! I thought that was impossible (according to liberals) -- unless a black insults homosexuals, of course. And even that unforgiveable crime gets a pass most of the time where blacks are concerned.

"After weeks of silence and a lot of questions answered with "you'll have to ask Senator Obama about that" Hillary Clinton has decided to speak up on the Rev Wright controversy - telling the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review "He would not have been my pastor."

In a wide ranging interview, Clinton told the paper's editors "You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend." She called anti-American remarks by Sen Barack Obama's pastor "hate speech," saying "I just think you have to speak out against that. You certainly have to do that, if not explicitly, then implicitly by getting up and moving."

Source

Posted by John Ray.

First Karaoke, Now Afrec

The latest innovation in entertainment from Japan, it's like karaoke but with more people participating.

The machine -- called "afrec!" in an abbreviation of "after recording" -- shows a 30-second scene cut from well-known Japanese animation or "anime" programmes involving two characters.

Two participants read their parts at the bottom of the screen after hearing the performance by professional voice actors and actresses. Recordings are made automatically and played back instantly.

Everybody at the party can enjoy at once.

Afrec! and cocktails -- sounds like a party.

Moscow's Street Cats

From Moscow Times:

Gusts of wind lifted a pack of street cats into the air for several minutes in central Moscow, Interfax reported Wednesday

The cats meowed wildly as the wind carried them along late Tuesday night on Gruzinsky Val, near the Belorussky Station in central Moscow, Interfax reported.

In the morning, the cats all appeared to be unharmed, the report said.

Heh.

It's Official, The Left Coast Is Going to Hell!

The San Diego City Council has passed a resolution "commending the American Civil Liberties Union of the San Diego and Imperial Counties for its continuous advocacy for the rights and freedoms of all San Diego."

Undoubtedly, with spread-eagled useful idiots on the San Diego City Kommissariat Council, expect the ACLU to be even more demanding in southern California. All of the customs and institutions that have made America great are at further risk of ACLU attacks.

March 13th has been proclaimed as ACLU Day in the city of San Diego. Celebrants will be expected to complain about America. Other festivities may include flag-burning, public readings of Karl Marx and "How To Be Offended" teach-ins.

And, yet, some people wonder why it's a struggle to find a U-Haul in California.

Georgia Teen Girl Gets Life for Murders

(Dublin, Georgia) In August 2005, two teen females, Lakeisha Davis, 15, and Lesha Ross, 14, were arrested for the alleged cold-blooded murders of Reante' Antwan Stanley, 26, and Fredrick Rodricus Williams, 25.

According to police, Davis and her friend flagged down a car carrying Williams and Stanley and they proceeded to make plans for the evening after Davis assured the men that both girls were 18.

Finally reaching the Irish Motel on North Jefferson Street, the two men checked into separate rooms.

The investigation reportedly showed Davis shot one of the victims execution style in the chest and head, then went to the other room and told her friend to exit. There she is said to have repeated the execution shooting of the second victim.

After the shootings, the other female teen reportedly told investigators that she declined a portion of the $200 gained in the robbery and homicides, however she eventually accepted some of the money because Davis threatened her if she did not. Davis then took the weapon, wrapped it in a bloody dress, and stashed it by a pole near her home.

Once clear of Davis, the other teen told her family what had transpired. Police were soon notified and they found the bodies of Williams and Stanley by 11 a.m. the next day. The girls were arrested the following day at their homes.

Ross ultimately pleaded guilty to theft and was sentenced in juvenile court. Davis faced a jury trial in adult court on two counts of malice murder and armed robbery. This week, however, Davis pleaded guilty just before the scheduled start of her trial.

Lakeisha Davis, now 18, was sentenced Tuesday in Laurens County Superior Court to three concurrent life terms in prison. She won't be eligible for parole for 30 years.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Al-Jazeera Staffers Quit English Service

(Doha, Qatar) According to this report, al-Jazeera English is burping disharmony.

Al-Jazeera English, the global news channel launched as a sibling to the Arab-language service, has suffered its most high profile defections yet amid growing unease among staff about its future.

Steve Clark, a former senior executive at ITN and Sky News and a driving force behind the launch of al-Jazeera English, resigned at the end of last week while David Marash, a former CBS Nightline presenter who was the senior anchor in Washington, has also quit.

Insiders say more than 15 staff have quit or resigned in recent months amid complaints of a lack of clarity over its direction, contractual disputes and speculation over a relaunch later this year.

It seems to be that managers cannot agree on what direction al-Jazeera should take. And there have been rumors of sex, race and religious discrimination. Hmmm -- imagine that.

Also: Jawa Report

United States Passports Outsourced

This can't be a good idea. In fact, at first glance, it seems to be absolutely ludicrous.

The United States has outsourced the manufacturing of its electronic passports to overseas companies - including one in Thailand that was victimized by Chinese espionage - raising concerns that cost savings are being put ahead of national security.

Let me guess. Next we are going to outsource U.S. currency to North Korea?

Refugees Struggle to Prove Their Homosexuality

According to a recent report, a gay Iranian, Mehdi Kazemi, was refused asylum by Britain because he could not provide authorities with actual proof that homosexuals are being persecuted in Iran. Fortunately, due to an outcry via the media, Kazemi's case is being re-evaluated. More on this later.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, gay asylum-seekers are confronted with a somewhat similar problem in proceedings before the Canadian Refugee Board. The Refugee Board doesn't want proof that homosexuals are persecuted in the asylum-seekers' home country, the board wants proof that the asylum-seekers are, in fact, homosexuals.

However, being homosexual is a lot easier than proving your homosexuality in public in a civilized manner. As a result, refugees are often relegated to simply pleading before the board "I'm gay! I'm gay! Can't you see I'm gay?" because no genuine, verifiable proof is available. What's needed is a sexual orientation test -- or something.

Last week MP Thomas Mulcair exploded at hecklers in the Commons and later shed tears at a news conference after Immigration Minister Diane Finley refused to allow Canada's latest gay refugee claimant Kulenthiran Amirthalingam stay in the country on compassionate grounds.

Reportedly gay Nicaraguan Alvaro Orozco, 22, is another asylum-seeker who was rejected. The adjudicator accused him of lying about his sexual orientation just to stay in Canada. Orozco is presently hiding out in Toronto.


Alvaro Orozco
All the while, the Refugee Board makes decisions in the context of a burdensome, politically correct environment that won't tolerate any hint of stereotyping or profiling of gay individuals. Therefore, all persons seeking asylum in Canada by claiming to be gay must make sure that their homosexuality is supported by evidence of some nature.

The Canadians are determined to prevent heterosexuals, masked as homosexuals, from entering the country as refugees.

Obama update


Conservatives' Hate-Based Campaign Against Obama

The heading above comes from an article by Paul Waldman in the Leftist American Prospect magazine. The article begins as follows:

"The right-wing smear campaign against Barack Obama has already begun. Conservatives intend, as they have so many times before, to appeal to Americans' ugliest prejudices and most craven fears

The article that follows is full of hate -- towards conservatives -- and is just one long accusatory diatribe about race. So who is the hater and who is obsessed by race?

As far as one can make out, the "campaign" Waldman refers to is the publicity about Obama's crackpot black racist Pastor. So objecting to black racism makes you a racist, apparently. That probably makes sense in the weird world of the Left. What is in no doubt, however, is that Waldman himself is filled with hate. Just read his article if you do doubt it.

For instance, he says that the GOP will "wage a campaign appealing to the ugliest prejudices, the most craven fears, the most vile hatreds". If that's not hate, I'd like to see him get wound up!

*******************



For those who are interested, Obama has been having a lovely vacation in the Virgin Islands, in his usual (crackpot) sort of company. More here

Shocker: NYT Uses Dreaded L-Word To Describe Obama: "At the core of Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign is a promise that he can transcend the starkly red-and-blue politics of the last 15 years, end the partisan and ideological wars and build a new governing majority. To achieve the change the country wants, he says, "we need a leader who can finally move beyond the divisive politics of Washington and bring Democrats, independents and Republicans together to get things done." But this promise leads, inevitably, to a question: Can such a majority be built and led by Mr. Obama, whose voting record was, by one ranking, the most liberal in the Senate last year?

Posted by John Ray. Don't forget your summary of Obama news and commentary at OBAMA WATCH

Kentucky Woman Indicted in Sex Case

(Bloomfield, Kentucky) A 38-year-old local woman, Shirley Ann Hardin, has been indicted for allegedly causing a minor to engage in homosexual sexual performance.

Police said two weeks ago, she bought alcohol for an 18-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy, and then coerced the minor to engage in a sexual act.

"Once the alcohol was purchased, she drank with the juvenile. The juvenile became intoxicated. She told one juvenile to do certain things to an 18-year-old male, which eventually led to the male committing sodomy against a 15-year-old minor," said Nelson County Sheriff's Department Detective Ed Mattingly.

Brad McIntire, the 18-year-old, was later indicted on the charge of sodomy and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

A grand jury indicted Hardin for the use of a minor in a sexual performance and unlawful transaction with a minor.

Apparently, Hardin is known around the town of Bloomfield (pop. less than 1,000) as a troublemaker.

Court Okays Assaulting Cops

(Toronto, Canada) Here's a bit of depressing lunacy from an activist judge in the Great White North.

Ontario Justice Carol Brewer this week handed down her written ruling and dismissed criminal charges against a citizen by the name of Fitzroy Osbourne who was charged last year for causing a disturbance and for striking a female police officer who had stopped to talk to Mr. Osbourne.

It seems that Officer Judy Grant, of the Toronto Police Services, was subjected to an obscenity laced tirade from Osbourne and attempted to detain him to explain his erratic actions. In the confrontation that followed, Osbourne struck the offending officer with a punch to the female officer’s chest.

Justice Brewer ruled that the accused was within his rights to do so to the officer who he claimed unjustifiably detained him and in doing so opened a Pandora’s Box that will effectively put handcuffs not on the deserving scumbag criminals but on the wrists of the police that have to bravely combat open warfare crime on the streets.

Brewer is a poster person for everything that is wrong in this once safe and beautiful city of ours. Can you imagine what long term implications her misguided ruling may affect policing in this city with the ever growing crime statistics? May I be the first to apologize to Officer Grant and tell her not to be offended by such a disgusting ruling by another member of an entrenched left wing judicial system whose actions not only negatively interfere with the polices ability to handle crime, but puts every officer in even more danger in the pursuit and apprehension of such scumbag potential criminals.

Utterly ridiculous, I'd say.

Britain: Girls' computer game condemned


Shoot-em-up games are OK but encouraging weight loss is bad??

"A website that encourages girls as young as 9 to embrace plastic surgery and extreme dieting in the search for the perfect figure was condemned as lethal by parents' groups and healthcare experts yesterday. The Miss Bimbo internet game has attracted prepubescent girls who are told to buy their virtual characters breast enlargement surgery and to keep them "waif thin" with diet pills.

Healthcare professionals, a parents' group and an organisation representing people suffering anorexia and bulimia criticised the website for sending a dangerous message to impressionable children.

In the month since it opened the site, which is aimed at girls aged from 9 to 16, has attracted 200,000 members. Players keep a constant watch on the weight, wardrobe, wealth and happiness of their character to create "the coolest, richest and most famous bimbo in the world". Competing against other children they earn "bimbo dollars" to buy plastic surgery, diet pills, facelifts, lingerie and fashionable nightclub outfits. The website sparked controversy when it was introduced in France, where it attracted 1.2 million players.

Source

And all the government propaganda attacking "obesity" is OK? Somebody is deeply confused here.

Anorexia is mainly an hereditary mental illness anyway, nothing to do with looking at slim actresses etc. It's a type of OCD (Obsessive-compulsive disorder).

Posted by John Ray.

Hugo Chavez Meddling in Peru

(Lima, Peru) Given the ambitions of Hugo Chavez, the New World's premier socialist thug, this report should be less than surprising.

Hugo Chavez has been accused of using Venezuela's oil riches to meddle in Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia and Nicaragua. Now, Peru's president says the Venezuelan leader may be doing it here by funding militants and anti-poverty centers that preach populist revolution.

In recent weeks, Peruvian police have arrested nine people the government alleges are militants bankrolled by Venezuela. And the head of a Congressional investigatory committee accused Venezuela of supplying funds to outreach centers he says agitate against the government.

As long as he has oil revenue coming in, you can count on Chavez being politically adventurous.

Muslim Grudge Match - Bakri v. Khan

Radical, hate-filled Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed, 49, created a large measure of outrage yesterday by calling British boxing icon Amir Khan, 21, an "ignorant deviant."

Bakri, the fanatical supporter of suicide bombers who was exiled from Britain to Lebanon, made his slurs toward Amir Khan on an Internet forum.

He said that Khan was a bad role model since he wrapped himself in the Union Jack. Bakri called it a sin to wear the flag of Britain.

"Well, Crikey!"

In retaliation, Tory MP Andrew Rosindell called for a grudge match between Amir and Bakri in the ring.

"I'd love to see the two of them slugging it out.

"I’ll be cheering for Amir. What Bakri said is appalling."

Mr Rosindell added: "A sportsman represents his country. He is British first and Muslim second -- and can be both. Amir is a positive role model to the young. Bakri is an unsavoury character whose words should be discounted."

A friend of the boxer did say that the words of the cleric will sting Amir since he is a proud Muslim who tries to do what is right.

NHS Pain Care Deemed Inadequate

The Scottish National Health Service (NHS) is being criticized for not providing adequate care for over 200,000 Scots suffering from chronic pain. As with all socialized medicine schemes, which promise everything to everybody for free but are funded by finite resources, units of health care ultimately must be rationed. One area being denied is pain management.

Thousands of patients living with incurable pain are being let down by the Scottish NHS, according to a hard-hitting report by the health service's own watchdog.

Despite four official investigations in the past 14 years highlighting worrying gaps in care, the research reveals there has been very little improvement.

Specialist support for people who suffer chronic pain is patchy and inadequate, patients are confused and clinicians are frustrated, say the authors.

To emphasize, the NHS's own watchdog is doing the criticizing.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland, which monitors standards in the health service, has published the latest report.

It notes the Scottish Office first described services as patchy in 1994 and further documents published by very experienced people in 2000, 2002 and 2004 raised the same issues.

"Despite all of this, very little progress has been made. Access to specialist services is poor."

NHS QIS found not one health board could accurately describe the services they did offer.

So, there you go. The Scottish NHS has repeatedly been attacked for uncorrected deficiencies over the years and it's as bad now as it's ever been. Not only that, but the quality improvement people couldn't find anyone in the Scottish NHS who knew what the NHS provides.

Coming soon to America, government-run health care.

Companion post at SocGlory.

Wish I'd Said It

Comedian Jackie Mason weighs in on Hillary Clinton's claims of executive experience.

"If a guy is a pilot and suddenly he's not there to make the dangerous landing, of course everybody says right away: "Quick, where's the wife?"

Heh.

Brief Hillary updates

Sinbad Was Right-- Hero Hillary Lied About Bosnia (Video Proof): "There was a saying around the White House that if a place was too small, too poor, or too dangerous, the president couldn't go, so send the First Lady. That's where we went. I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base..." It was all a lie. Every single word was a lie except for the fact that she was in a plane and it landed. Here is more proof that the Clinton's will do anything- and SAY ANYTHING- to get back into the White House."


Hillary opposes law enforcement: "Hillary Clinton's endlessly recalibrated position on providing driver's licenses for illegal aliens captures her career in miniature. After arguing that a New York proposal to give illegals driver's licenses "makes a lot of sense," she promptly denied having said such a thing, gave an incomprehensible and classically Clintonian non-answer to the question at the Democratic debate in Philadelphia, and now offers this gem of an explanation: "I do not think it is appropriate to give a driver's license to someone who is here undocumented, putting them frankly at risk, because that is clear evidence that they are not here legally." To repeat: Clinton opposes licenses for illegals because such documents might provide evidence for American law-enforcement agencies. As first lady, she garnered valuable experience in hiding evidence of wrongdoing, but we never expected she'd make a policy proposal out of doing so."

Posted by John Ray.

Sexual Harassment in Saudi Arabia

(Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) Although women and men are now able to work in unison in retail establishments, no formal legal policies and protocols have been developed which define how they are supposed to behave toward each other. As a result, sexual harassment complaints are not being resolved.

Two young girls were buying lingerie from a man in a lingerie shop. He told one of them that the item she had chosen wasn't suitable for her but would be for her friend because her breast size was larger. Both of them were embarrassed and left the shop immediately.

What the salesman committed was verbal harassment. If he had known that there were laws to punish him for what he said while doing his job, he might have thought twice before saying what he did. He should have been punished for his callous remark.

WTF?

I give up. What did he say that was callous?

"I'm sorry miss. You don't have the bosom to wear that article of clothing. But your friend does."

Apparently, the callousness is criminal. So, they want to enact a law which would punish the person making that comment. I hesitate to think of what punishment would be appropriate.

Big Meat Pounded in Arkansas

(Booneville, Arkansas) A large, out-of-control fire yesterday afternoon completely burned down the Cargill Beef Packing Plant in Logan County.

About 200 people were evacuated from the surrounding area. No injuries have been reported as the blaze was allowed to burn itself out.

The fire possibly started from lack of awareness during some welding activities by contracted help.

The plant employed about 800 people who have been notified to not come to work. A decision to rebuild the plant, Booneville's largest employer, has not yet been made.

Feces in "Hot Pot"

(Watertown, New York) Read about one exceedingly stupid young man, Christian Bulifant. The 16-year-old was originally arrested for violating a protective order but, since then, has committed several more serious crimes.

An inmate at the Metro-Jefferson Public Safety Building is accused of putting human feces in a "hot pot" that supplies 32 inmates with a continuous supply of hot water for their consumption, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department.

Christian M.G. Bulifant, 16, of 313 S. Rutland St., was charged Saturday afternoon with aggravated harassment of an employee by an inmate, a felony, second-degree reckless endangerment, fourth-degree criminal mischief, and criminal nuisance.

Deputies said Mr. Bulifant "shat" in the "hot pot" on March 2.

It wouldn't surprise me if Bulifant spends many years in prison. The guy just doesn't seem to have the smarts to comprehend the concept of rules or to know that when you're in a hole, quit digging.

Asbestos Inspector Arrested

There are scams and there are asbestos scams.

AMAGASAKI, Hyogo -- A member of the Nishinomiya Municipal Assembly has been arrested for fondling a schoolgirl's breasts after she let him into her home because he told her he wanted to check for asbestos, police said.

Twenty-seven-year old Seiji Sakano was arrested on a charge of indecent assault.

Doctor Accused of Sex with Kids

(Portland, Oregon) A 39-year-old local doctor, Thomas Lee, was indicted on Friday by a Washington County grand jury on charges related to sexually abusing two young children.

Dr. Lee faces four counts of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration and seven counts of first-degree sex abuse. The sexual abuse allegedly occurred at Dr. Lee's home.

Dr. Lee was booked into custody with bail set at $2.25 million.

Lee is a neonatologist with the Northwest Perinatal Center in Portland.

Teachers Want to Nationalize Private Schools

(Manchester, England) Imagine for a moment, dear readers, that you are given a proposal to evaluate.

You are confronted with a bushel basket of rotting apples surrounded by a large number of individual, crisp and nutritious apples. Now, the proposal is to place the crisp and nutritious apples into the bushel basket with the stated reason of seeing "some urgent improvements" in the condition of all the apples.

Good idea or not? You make the call.

Okay, now change the apples to public and private schools, respectively, and I contend that the proposal is an example of unfathomably irrational thinking and it comes from, not surprisingly, a teachers union. Using their logic, we could sardine a bunch of healthy folks into a tuberculosis ward and overall health would improve.

The new head of Britain's biggest teaching union has called for the private education system to be nationalised.

Bill Greenshields, incoming president of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), said such a move would improve state education and make it fairer.

The NUT, the most left-wing of the teaching unions, has long been hostile to independent education and to Labour’s programme of setting up academies with private-sector sponsors to replace failing schools.

But Greenshields's comments to the union's annual conference in Manchester yesterday went one step further.

"Let's consider our own direction of travel -- from private to public, towards bringing all schools into the state sector," he said. "Then we would soon see some urgent improvements in our state system."

And this guy was chosen as president of the organization! It's hard to picture what the more extreme members of the NUTs have on their minds. By the way, you have to give the group credit for coming up with a most apropos acronym.

Companioned at Education Watch.

Cellphone hell

"Raised voices, disputes over money, abrupt hang-ups. Asad Baig has experienced all the hallmarks of a stormy relationship with his cell phone company-actually five different ones over the last four years. Once, he fought with his carrier over charges for text messages that resulted in a $400 monthly bill despite signing up for an unlimited texting package. Another time, he got socked with an unexpected phone upgrade fee.

Baig said he has encountered customer service representatives ranging from friendly to incompetent to openly hostile. "The most discouraging thing is that in order to get anything accomplished, I have to get angry," said Baig, 25, a law student at the University of Illinois. "It's such a waste of energy and time."

Consumer discontent with wireless service has been brewing for years, resulting in lawsuits across the country and requests for government intervention. Now there's movement at the federal level to address long-standing concerns such as mandatory contract extensions, early termination fees and confusing billing."

More here

[If ever there's a good cellphone company, it will get a rush of customers. I have yet to find one. See here]

Posted by John Ray.

Burqa-Wearing Robbers

(United Kingdom) If a masked man walks into a jewelry store, the owner will call the police immediately -- right? Uh, well, not in Britain.

Police are hunting a 6ft 6in man wearing a burqa who led an armed robbery at a jewellers in Smethwick, West Midlands, on Wednesday, escaping with about £200,000 worth of gems.

A man similarly dressed tried to rob a Securicor guard at a shopping centre in Birmingham six days earlier.

It would, of course, be intolerant if a masked, burqa-wearing customer or thief were denied access to establishments open to the public.

Assuming that it's the same guy in both robberies, it shouldn't be too difficult to find him since less than one percent of the population is six-foot-six.

Global Warming Has Stalled

From The Australian:

CATASTROPHIC predictions of global warming usually conjure with the notion of a tipping point, a point of no return.

Last Monday - on ABC Radio National, of all places - there was a tipping point of a different kind in the debate on climate change. It was a remarkable interview involving the co-host of Counterpoint, Michael Duffy and Jennifer Marohasy, a biologist and senior fellow of Melbourne-based think tank the Institute of Public Affairs. Anyone in public life who takes a position on the greenhouse gas hypothesis will ignore it at their peril.

Duffy asked Marohasy: "Is the Earth still warming?"

She replied: "No, actually, there has been cooling, if you take 1998 as your point of reference. If you take 2002 as your point of reference, then temperatures have plateaued. This is certainly not what you'd expect if carbon dioxide is driving temperature because carbon dioxide levels have been increasing but temperatures have actually been coming down over the last 10 years."

Duffy: "Is this a matter of any controversy?"

Marohasy: "Actually, no. The head of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has actually acknowledged it. He talks about the apparent plateau in temperatures so far this century. So he recognises that in this century, over the past eight years, temperatures have plateaued ... This is not what you'd expect, as I said, because if carbon dioxide is driving temperature then you'd expect that, given carbon dioxide levels have been continuing to increase, temperatures should be going up ... So (it's) very unexpected, not something that's being discussed. It should be being discussed, though, because it's very significant."

The fact that the Earth isn't warming has prompted the global warming devotees (i.e. mainstream media) to start using the term "climate change." Watch for the switch in terminology.

Tip: slwlion

Medical Mistake: New Anus Instead of Knee Repair

(Munchberg, Germany) Eine 78-jahr-alt frau haben der Clinic zu visiten fur fixin' das Knee Joint. Die frau macht gesleepen mit der guten Narcotische Injection. Zwei Doctoren kommt die Operation mit zee Paperien.

Doctor No. 1 - "Haben zee Papers?"

Doctor No.2 - "Ja. Vee haff zee Papers! Wir machen Poopenschaft."

"Poopenschaft machen? Ach du lieber!"

"Ja. Es ist eine Poopenschaft."

Doctors 1 and 2 singing - "Das ist eine Poopenschaft!"
"Ja, est is eine Poopenschaft."
"Poopenschaft, Poopenschaft!"

"Poopenschaft! HMO! Poopenschaft! HMO!"
"Es ist eine Poopenschaft."

"Geben sie mir eine Beer. Wir machen eine Poopenschaft."

Levity aside, the clinic made a mistake and gave the woman an artificial anus instead of repairing her knee. Apparently, they had one in stock.

I find this all very interesting since I didn't know there was such a thing as an artificial anus. However, I'm not ignorant to the need -- having met a number of individuals who were so full ot it that an alternative waste outlet would be an improvement.

Nevertheless, it's unknown how someone confused a knee and an anus. It also seems somewhat imprudent to subject a 78-year-old woman to major surgery -- mistaken or otherwise. And, I would definitely call reaming somebody a new a**hole major surgery.

Surging Dutch Rats

(The Netherlands) The black rat (Rattus rattus), notorious as a carrier of bubonic plaque and the hanta virus, is making a resurgence in Holland.

The number of hanta virus infections more than tripled between 2006 and 2007.

Heh.

Muslims Want Geert Wilders' Film Banned Before Viewing

(The Netherlands) The Netherlands Islamic Federation has asked a court in The Hague to authorize a group of censors to find a reason to ban a film which is critical of Islam and the Koran. Sounds like a fishing expedition, eh?

Right-wing lawmaker Geert Wilders plans to release the film before April 1st.

Wilders said in November that the 15-minute film would show the Koran was a 'fascist book', a claim which has already drawn complaints from several Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Iran and Afghanistan.

Dutch officials have unsuccessfully urged him to drop the project, fearing a repeat of the violent protests that erupted in many countries when European newspapers printed cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammed.

The Muslims have a problem with getting the film banned since the government cannot legally censor it before it has been shown.

Free speech... even for Marines


We read:

"A U.S. Marine Corps reservist won't be charged for ignoring police requests and wading into a protest to rescue an American Flag. Ray Adam Modisette, 20, said he was reacting to a war protester who was stuffing an American flag down her pants.

Modisette of Shawnee was arrested Friday afternoon on a complaint of interfering with official police process. Modisette was leaving Tinker Air Force Base in his car Friday when he saw the protester with the flag. He said he turned around and headed for the crowd to get the flag. He was handcuffed after ignoring several requests by officers to move away from the small group of demonstrators from Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan.

If desecrating Old Glory is protected speech, then so is rescuing it.

Source

Posted by John Ray.

Georgia Teacher and Male Student, 17

(Milledgeville, Georgia) A 28-year-old marketing teacher at Baldwin High School, Alison Diane Ivey, was arrested yesterday for allegedly engaging in a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old male student.

Ivey has been charged with one count of sexual assault.

Ivey allegedly had sex with a 17-year-old male student at least once, according to Tom Davis, special agent in charge of the GBI [Georgia Bureau of Investigation] in Milledgeville.

"I really can't go into what we have as far as evidence in this case, but we feel like we have a very strong case against her," Davis said.

Notably, Alison Ivey's mother, Judy Ivey, is a member of the Baldwin County Board of Education. Boy, she must be embarrassed.

Alison Ivey was booked into the Baldwin County Jail and released on $25,000 bond. She has been placed on paid leave from her teaching position.


[Update 10/16/08]

Ivey, now 29, has been indicted on five counts of sexual assault for having sexual intercourse with two male students during the 2007-2008 school year.

Ivey is accused of performing oral sex on a then 17-year-old student and having sexual intercourse with him twice, said Fred Bright, district attorney for the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit.

She also is accused of having sexual intercourse with a then 18-year-old student, Bright said.

Although both students were over Georgia's age of consent, which is 16, the sexual contact was against the law, Bright said.

If convicted, Ivey faces a possible 30 years in prison for each of the five counts, Bright said.

Wisconsin Teacher and Boy,14

(St. Francis, Wisconsin) A 26-year-old eighth-grade teacher at Deer Creek Intermediate School, Kelly M. Sweet, has been charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy.

Yesterday, Sweet pleaded not guilty to felony sexual assault of a child.

According to a criminal complaint, the boy was sitting on a sofa watching a movie at Sweet's apartment March 9 while Sweet, who was lying on the sofa, rested her head on his lap. She began kissing him and initiated sexual contact, the complaint says.

The boy told investigators that he knew Sweet, but it was not clear from the complaint whether he was her student.

Sweet was booked into custody at the Milwaukee County Jail.


[Update 8/26/08]

Kelly Sweet sentenced.

Arab Murder Suspect Flees to Yemen

(London, England) The student son of a wealthy Yemeni businessman, 21-year-old Farouk Abdulhak, is being sought by British authorities for questioning in the death of Norwegian socialite, Martine Vik Magnussen, 23.

Farouk fled Britain last Saturday, smuggled out on a private jet, to Athens and then to Yemen which, by the way, has a no-extradition clause in its Constitution.

Farouk's father, Shaher Abdulhak, is a politically-savvy billionaire in Yemen, known as the "King of Sugar."

A Western diplomatic source said of Mr Abdulhak's case: "If the father decides his son will not be touched, he will not be touched. He will be completely protected."

Magnussen was last seen alive with Farouk as they left an exclusive Mayfair nightclub. Two days later and the day after Farouk left Britain, her partially-clothed body was found hidden in a basement of Farouk's apartment building.

Dr Abu Bakr al-Qurbi, Yemen's foreign minister, said: "It is with regret that we have read about the incident in the newspapers.

"We are prepared to co-operate with British authorities, but for the time being we are awaiting more information about the subject matter."

I'm not convinced that "prepared to co-operate" means anything, especially since Farouk's father has already hired a London-based international extradition expert law firm.

Also not to be discounted is the fact that the Yemenis are still mad at the Brits for not handing over the hook-handed Muslim hate preacher Abu Hamza. Instead, Hamza was extradited to the U.S. to face terrorism charges.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Suicide Robot

(Queensland, Australia) It's reported that he was old and unhappy.

An elderly man has killed himself by programming a robot to shoot him in the head after building the machine from plans downloaded from the internet.

Francis Tovey, 81, who lived alone in Burleigh Heads on the Australian Gold Coast, was found dead in his driveway. [ ... ]

Notes left by Mr Tovey -- who was born in England -- revealed that he had scoured the internet for plans before constructing his complex machine, which involved a jigsaw power tool and was connected to a .22 semi-automatic pistol loaded with four bullets. It could fire multiple shots once triggered remotely.

Personally, I fail to see the difference between a suicide robot and a mechanical soldier.

OK to ask for English to be spoken



We read:

"This is America: WHEN ORDERING `PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH.' And this is also America: If I want to ask customers to order in English, I can.

2 1/2 years after Joe Vento posted his order-in-English signs at his cheesesteak shop in Philadelphia, the city's Commission on Human Relations panel finally got around to saying that's OK. It's his shop.

And it is not like he is saying English only. He's making a simple request. I never, ever got how anyone could be offended. The sign is in English. If you can read the sign, you should be able to order in English. The guy makes cheesesteaks. He likely doesn't have a lot of time trying to decipher orders in 20 different languages.

The AP story said: "The case went to a public hearing, where an attorney for the commission argued that the sign was about intimidation, not political speech. Intimidation? It is a sign. Guess what? There are plenty of other cheesesteak joints in town. It's Philadelphia.

Source

See also here. Previous story from 2006 here


Posted by John Ray.

Easter Health Warning

(Manila, Philippines) The government has issued health warnings to worshippers for Easter weekend regarding crucifixions.

Please use clean whips and nails. A tetanus shot is also recommended.

Tourists and spectators are encouraged to carry their own food to avoid getting diarrhea, hepatitis A and typhoid from food provided by street vendors.

Superwoman, 66, Captures Robber

Some stories just make you feel good.

CAMAS, Wash. -- A 66-year-old woman wrestled a robber to the ground Wednesday, giving police time to arrive at the scene and take him into custody, police said.

Mary Chamberlain, of Camas, chased down Joshua Crowley, 22, of Washougal, after a Kentucky Fried Chicken clerk described the suspect after being robbed at knifepoint, said Mitch Lackey of the Camas Police Department.

Chamberlain, an American woman, was driving by when she saw Crowley running. She jumped out of her car, ran and caught Crowley and wrestled him to the ground.

Sixty-six years old and she takes down a 22-year-old thief -- absolutely splendid!

Tip: slwlion

Teacher Accused of Orgy with Students

(Tampa, Florida) A 45-year-old Honors English teacher at Freedom High School, Mary Jo Spack, has been arrested for allegedly engaging in sexual activity involving a group of high school boys in what has been described as an orgy situation.

She was not their teacher, police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.

On March 14, she met the students and took them to a liquor store, a police release states. Then she drove them to a Howard Johnson Motel on Fowler Avenue, where they drank alcohol together.

"Those kids were texting some friends that they were going to have a party at this motel," McElroy said.

Three other students from the school joined them in the motel room, according to the release.

Spack has been charged with unlawful sex with a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

It's odd that Spack would allow this type incident to occur. Logically, she should be very sensitive to any allegations of inappropriate behavior since the entire Tampa-St.Pete area has seen its share of high-profile teacher-student sex stories.

Debra Lafave immediately comes to mind and, just last week, Hillsborough County middle school teacher Stephanie Ragusa was arrested for mixing it up with a boy. Mary Jo Spack had to know all this when she was driving the boys to the motel. I suspect that she wanted to get caught.

A HUGE double standard


As Taranto and others are pointing out, Don Imus was fired just for using ordinary black vocabulary but the HUGE hate speech emanating from Obama's pastor is being given a pass by the Left.

This must be the most colossal double standard ever. That Obama was one of those calling for the firing of Imus shows that Obama is a man of no principles at all. How can he soak in a bath of hate while condemning it in others?

Posted by John Ray.

Outsourcing Food Production to China

(Seoul, South Korea) Recently, a Korean woman was surprised to find a rat's head in her bag of shrimp snacks.

Manufacturer Nongshim issued a public apology and recalled the snacks. They inspected a factory in South Korea and will go to China to visit another factory involved in the production of the shrimp snack.

The Korean media is sounding the alarm over the outsourcing of food production to China. Coming on the heels of last month's pesticide-tainted gyoza scare, which hospitalized ten people in Japan, this can't be good news for China's food export industry.

The hard, oily rat head had burnt hair and it had the remains of eyes and a nose. It measured 1.6 centimeters long.

Although there is insufficient reason to harbor a blanket distrust of products from China, there has been a recent history of problems which warrant an elevated level of awareness. To simplify, stuff from China deserves a second look.

More here and here.

Ashley Alexandra Dupre Video

It's from her Girls Gone Wild appearance when she was 18 years old.

The video is probably only interesting to those engaged in serious journalistic and historical research. And, of course, pervs.

Link

Louisiana Teacher Jailed for Drugs

(Rapides Parish, Louisiana) A 44-year-old special education teacher at Glenmora High School, Christine (aka Christina) Marye Araiza, was arrested this week for alleged drug charges.

The Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office narcotics unit was alerted by a tipster to possible drug possession by Araiza. It's suspected that Araiza used drugs with at least one student.

According to Sheriff's Assistant Chief Herman Walters, the narcotics unit took its drug dog, Max, to school.

Max alerted onto Araiza's desk, Walters said. No drugs were found in her desk, although Walters said the K-9's alert meant that drugs had once been there or on Araiza near the desk.

Officers then searched Araiza's car but didn't find any illegal drugs. The search continued to her Ashmore Road home, where they found marijuana and drug paraphernalia, he said.

Araiza was charged with obstruction of justice because she sent a text message to her 16-year-old daughter telling her to destroy evidence of the drugs at the home because officers were on their way there, Walters said.

Agents found residual amounts of marijuana in the toilet and suspect there was much more there before they arrived but was disposed of.

Yesterday, Araiza resigned her teaching position.

Mom Puts Ecstasy in Love Tunnel

(Torrington, Connecticut) A 37-year-old pregnant mother-of-three, Heidi Keller, was arrested last Saturday night for allegedly selling Ecstasy pills on the side of the road.

Police were alerted to the alleged offense by a tipster and found Keller in possession of crack-smoking paraphernalia and a kitchen knife.

Police said officers noticed Keller putting her hands down inside her crotch area shortly after being handcuffed, and that they suspected she was hiding drugs.

Keller repeatedly denied hiding drugs, according to Torrington officers. Police were granted permission for a female officer to perform a strip search on Keller, during which they said an open plastic bag with 14 Ecstasy pills was found inside her vagina.

Keller was arraigned on Monday on numerous charges, including narcotics and evidence tampering and risk of injury.

Keller was booked into custody with bond set at $50,000.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Hot Potato with Gay Iranian

A gay Iranian, Mehdi Kazemi, applied for asylum in the United Kingdom and was rejected, setting in motion the wheels to have him sent back to Iran. Before that could happen, though, Kazemi skipped to the Netherlands.

Britain denied the asylum request because authorities had no actual proof that homosexuals are being persecuted in Iran. In fact, President Ahmadinejad said there are no homosexuals in Iran, therefore, none could be persecuted.

Nonetheless, the Dutch authorities don't want to send Kazemi back to Britain because they would send him to Iran. Meanwhile, the Dutch are unable to offer asylum since EU rules specify that only one asylum application in one European country is allowed. As a consequence, the Dutch have asked the British authorities to reconsider Kazemi's case.

So, it's hot potato with the gay Iranian. Britain rejected him, the Dutch want him but can't grant asylum due to EU rules. And, keeping gay Iranians in the lurch will be the norm until verifiable information is available that Iran is, in fact, executing gay people for their homosexuality.

In an update to the story, British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced that 19-year-old Kazemi's case will be reconsidered.

Confirmed: Lynndie England Is An Idiot

Abu Ghraib's poster girl Lynndie England blames the media for exposing her inappropriate behavior to the world. It's as though she feels her right to privacy during war was violated. And then there's this:

"I'm saying that what we did happens in war. It just isn't documented," she was quoted as saying. "If it had been broken by the news without the pictures it wouldn't have been that big."

She told the magazine that there are other photographs that have not been released that contain more graphic images than those that were seen on television, in newspapers and on the Internet.

"You see the dogs biting the prisoners. Or you see bite marks from the dogs. You can see MPs (military police) holding down a prisoner so a medic can give him a shot," she said. "If those had been made public at the time, then the whole world would have looked at those and not at mine."

Good grief!

Now we're going to have everyone with a laptop and a checkbook looking for those pictures. Get ready for another round of stories about the torture at Abu Ghraib.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Some wimmin news



A nasty gold-digger: "While Sir Paul McCartney expressed himself moderately throughout his divorce hearing, his estranged wife was inaccurate, inconsistent and less than candid, a judge said in a ruling the former model did not want the world to see. The full judgment of the divorce battle between Ms Mills and Sir Paul was released today after her attempt to appeal against Mr Justice Bennett's decision to release it failed at the Court of Appeal. The judge described Sir Paul's evidence as "balanced".


Woman owes $60,000 in traffic fines: "For three years Kylie Denton collected unpaid fines the way Imelda Marcos collected shoes. Yesterday, the 26-year-old fronted Geelong Magistrates' Court where she pleaded guilty to racking up a whopping $60,000 in unpaid fines. Magistrate Michael Coghlan described the pile of unpaid fines before him as the biggest he had ever seen. "These include warrants for unpaid parking and tollway fines as well as those relating to driving an unregistered car on a tollway," Mr Coghlan said... "These are for fines she has incurred over a long period of time, during which she has decided to drive through toll zones without paying, park wherever she liked and not pay the fines." Mr Coghlan said he could either sentence Denton to a reduced term of imprisonment or she could start paying off the $60,000. Mr Streager said Denton could arrange to pay $5000 immediately and then pay a significant amount each month. Mr Coghlan adjourned the matter for a further hearing on April 29."


Female writers reject feminist prize: "The all-women Orange literature prize is still needed, despite women winning prizes in fair competition with men, the organisers have said. The Orange prize longlist, published yesterday, includes Anne Enright's The Gathering, which won the unisex Booker a few weeks ago. In the past two years, women have won both the Booker and Costa literary awards. The novelist A. S. Byatt told The Times that the Orange was a sexist prize, saying that she was so critical of what it stands for that she forbids her publishers to submit her novels for consideration. "Such a prize was never needed," she said, noting that many works of literature were by women. John Sutherland, the academic, said that ghettoising women writers did them more harm them good. Anita Brookner, a Booker winner, has dismissed positive discrimination and is also believed to have declined having her novels entered for the Orange."

Posted by John Ray.