Women With Troubles - November 2009

Reported in news stories during November 2009, here is a 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) Christian Woods, 21,
neighbor - Accused of killing daughter, 18 months, and throwing her in trash,

(AR) Anita Kay Fine, 40,
neighbor - Gets 10 years prison for sex with boy, 14,

(AR) Joy Trotter, 39,
neighbor - Arrested for pimping teen girls as young as 14,

(CA) Eraelia Glisson, 35,
softball coach - Arrested for sex with girl, 16,

(CA) Maria Angelica Vega, 34,
teacher - Arrested for sex with male student, 17,

(CO) Richael Michels, 45,
neighbor - Gets probation for sex with friend's son, 16,

(FL) Laura Lea Pace, 40,
teacher - Pleaded guilty to sex crimes involving teen boys. Sentencing TBD,

(HI) Lynn M. Dionise, 52,
teacher - Gets five years prison for trafficking methamphetamine,

(IL) Laura A. Bailey, 47,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 14,

(IL) Giana Burkley, 20,
neighbor - Gets 6.5 years in prison for sex with girl, 13,

(IL) Maria Flores, 29,
neighbor - Arrested for repeated sexual abuse of female relative,

(IN) Sheila Granger, 33,
neighbor - Convicted by jury of molesting two 12-year-old boys. Sentencing TBD,

(IN) Sara Smith, 26,
neighbor - Accused of sex with four teen boys,

(KS) Nina Urban, 25,
teacher - Guilty of sex with male student. Sentencing in January 2010,

(LA) Shana Stephenson, 33,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 16,

(MI) Michelle Simonson, 28,
teacher - Guilty of enticing male student, 14. Sentencing in December,

(MN) Melissa Koehn, 31,
teacher - Guilty of criminal sex with girl, 17. Sentencing scheduled for February 2010,

(MO) Emily Bowers, 31,
teacher - Accused of assault on one-year-old,

(MS) Carrie A. Nichols, 31,
neighbor - Gets 40 years in prison for DUI homicide,

(NC) Amanda Metcalf, 24,
neighbor - Gets 94 to 122 months prison for rape of boy, 13,

(NH) Martha Thibodeau, 29,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 14,

(NJ) Dana H. Bell, 34,
neighbor - Arrested for molesting two 14-year-old boys,

(NY) Sharon McDonough, 43,
neighbor - Accused of running concentration camp for animals,

(OH) Jessica M. Delgado, 24,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with teen boy,

(OH) Mary Ems, 44,
teacher - Gets probation for sex with male student, 18,

(OH) Melanie Marie Hearn, 32,
neighbor - Arrested for allowing rape of daughter, 6,

(OH) Jessica L. Negele,
teacher - Teaching credentials revoked for drug problems,

(OH) Naomi Wright, 30,
teacher - Indicted for sex with male student, 17,

(OK) Diana Kay Mills, 37,
neighbor - Accused of drugging, liquoring up and having sex with boy, 13,

(PA) Janelle Olisewski, 25,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 14,

(SC) Jessica Ann Cave, 25,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 12,

(SC) Rosemary Mills, 59,
teacher - Accused of being rough with student,

(SC) Susan Tappeiner, 42,
babysitter - Gets 51 months prison for sex with 13-year-old boy she was caring for,

(SD) Sommar Chaffee, 31,
teacher - Gets two days jail for soliciting minor,

(TN) Sherry D. Barnes, 40,
neighbor - Arrested for engaging in sex with boy, 17,

(TN) Sandra Binkley, 37,
teacher - Gets 12 years in prison for statutory rape of male student, 17,

(TX) Thelma Nicole Miles, 29,
youth counselor - Arrested for sex with boy, 14,

(UT) Kimberly Arigot, 41,
neighbor - Gets year in jail for sex with three teen boys,

(UT) Jennifer Ann Montag, 40,
foster mom - Accused of sex with foster son, 14,

(VA) Ariel Monroe, 22,
neighbor - Gets six months for sex with two 15-year-old boys,

(VT) Allyson Hoffman, 38,
teacher - Gets deferred sentencing and probation for underage booze/drug party,

(WA) Norma J. Dedios, 33,
neighbor - Accused of raping boy, 13,

(WI) Angela Bancroft, 34,
neighbor - Gets 60 days in jail for sex with boy, 15,

(WI) Rebecca Ann O’Malley-Tietz, 34,
teacher's aide - Accused of sex assault of boy, 12.

Thanks to all the readers, commenters, linkers and tipsters.

US Monitoring of International Banking Data

To catch evil-doers, one must follow the money.

As part of the war on terror, American intelligence services have been monitoring European bank transactions since 2001. When the EU found out about it in 2006, they were outraged. But now it looks like the bloc will agree to a controversial deal that will allow the covert data transfer to continue.

The pressure from the Americans was "massive," say diplomats in Brussels. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apparently told her European counterparts that the fate of the West hung in the balance. And in the capital cities of Europe, American ambassadors stormed governments like door-to-door salespeople. As one EU foreign minister put it, "they pulled out all the moral and political stops."

Because what the Americans were selling was controversial indeed. Early next week, the European Parliament's Justice and Home Affairs Council will meet and decide upon a draft agreement between the EU and US, the so-called "SWIFT agreement." This agreement allows the US ongoing access to European banking data for the purposes of anti-terrorism investigations.

And, the Americans said, if Washington's security services were now refused access to the financial transactions of European citizens, then an essential element of the war on terror would be missing. Security levels would drop, the threat of new terrorist attacks would rise -- including in Europe.

The term SWIFT is an acronym for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication which is effectively a switchboard for money transfers. Of SWIFT's two major computer servers, one is in the U.S. which facilitates easy monitoring of the millions of transactions daily.

And then there's this.

Among the grateful users of the SWIFT data that the Americans were extracting were European security agencies. The services are not actually allowed to gather this kind of information themselves. Which is why European anti-terror experts and their political representatives made a point of staying on cozy terms with their American colleagues. As European Commission Vice-President Jacques Barrot has said, trans-Atlantic cooperation in this area is "indispensable" and the data gathered had proven "absolutely useful and effective" in the fight against terrorism.

Obviously, the Europeans remain nervous about loss of privacy but are going to continue to allow it.

Leftist psychologists prove that a conservative is someone who has been mugged by reality

It was of course Irving Kristol who first said that a neoconservative is someone who has been mugged by reality and it was some NYC police chief decades back who said that "A conservative is a liberal who got mugged last night"

So it comes as no surprise that two psychologists have just done some research which showed that people warmed to GWB and military spending after 9/11. The 9/11 events were a rather large lump of reality. And both GWB and military spending offered some prospect of coping with it.

The psychologists concerned explained their results by some babble about "motivated social cognition" but I think Irving Kristol's formulation is a lot simpler and clearer. I have in any case dealt with the "motivated social cognition" nonsense in psychology some time back.

The article is "Conservative Shift among Liberals and Conservatives Following 9/11/01" by Paul R. Nail & Ian McGregor. The journal abstract is below:

Political orientation and political attitudes were measured in two independent adult samples. One sample was taken several months before the terrorist attacks on 9/11/01; the other, shortly after. Liberal and conservative participants alike reported more conservative attitudes following 9/11/01 than before. This conservative shift was strongest on two items with the greatest relevance to 9/11/01: George W. Bush and Increasing Military Spending. Marginally significant conservative shifts were observed on two other items (Conservatives, Socialized Medicine), and the direction of change on eight of eight items was in a conservative direction. These results provide support for the motivated social cognition model of conservatism (Jost et al., 2003) over predictions derived from terror management theory (e.g., Greenberg et al., 1992).

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Suspect Named in Cop Killings - Updated

(Seattle, Washington) The four dead officers have been identified as Lakewood Police Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39; and Officers Ronald Owens, 37; Tina Griswold, 40; and Greg Richards 42.

Meanwhile, an ex-convict named Maurice Clemmons has emerged as the chief suspect and authorities think he may have been wounded.

Clemmons is holed up in a Seattle residence.

Negotiators were trying to communicate with Maurice Clemmons, 37, using loudspeakers and explosions to try to prod him from hiding.

At one point, gunshots rang through the neighborhood, which is some 30 miles from the original crime scene.

"We have determined that in fact he has been shot," said Ed Troyer, a spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff. "He may be deceased from his gunshot wound."

Clemmons has a long criminal history and was once pardoned by ex-Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee.

* * * * *
Four Cops Killed in Ambush
[Previous 11/29/09 post]
Breaking news!

(Tacoma, Washington) Four police officers were shot dead in an ambush at a coffee shop this morning.

Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said investigators are immediately offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the suspect, and that number is expected to grow.

He could not say what agency the officers were from.

The officers were sitting in the coffee shop with their computers out when the shooter came in. The officers were targeted, and it was not a robbery, investigators believe.

"It was just a flat out ambush," Troyer said.

Police are searching for two suspects, a black male and a white male. Authorities are asking for tips to the Crime Tipline at (253) 591-5959.

Women Busted for Drugs

(Chadron, Nebraska) A multi-state drug investigation has led to the arrests of two South Dakota women.

Charolotte Weasel Bear, 57, and Geraldine Respects Nothing, 67, were arrested for delivery of cocaine, delivery of marijuana, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and possession of marijuana, more than one ounce but less than one pound. [...]

Weasel Bear and Respects Nothing were stopped near the intersection of highways 385 and 2 Nov. 25. During the stop officers seized eight grams of cocaine and approximately two ounces of marijuana. Also seized were scales and other paraphernalia related to drug use and distribution, as well as the car the two women were traveling in.

Weasel Bear and Respects Nothing were booked into custody at the Dawes County Jail. Bond was set at $100,000 each.

Frankly, I suggest that eight grams of coke and two ounces of pot are hardly major bust amounts.

Tall people face ups, downs

There has long been evidence that tall people are favoured in many ways and the links to illness could be a byproduct of that. Just to name one possibility: Tall men tend to be much more successful with the ladies and that could influence a number of lifestyle factors with health consequences. That tallness of itself is in any way unhealthy is not proven

TALL people are more likely to earn the big bucks, but they're also at increased risk of some cancers, research shows. Brisbane geneticist Brian McEvoy said studies had found taller people were more likely to be diagnosed with thyroid, breast, pancreatic and bowel cancers than their vertically challenged colleagues. But he said short people had more chance of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and osteoarthritis.

Dr McEvoy and colleague Peter Visscher, of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, reviewed 70 scientific studies on human height to get the long and short on how stature affects health. Their findings will be published in the December edition of the journal, Economics and Human Biology.

Dr McEvoy said about 50 genes had been linked to height in the past two years, but geneticists believed hundreds, possibly thousands, of genes were involved. Although genes are believed to be responsible for about 80 per cent of the height differences between people, environmental factors – such as diet and disease exposure – are also important. For example, Dr McEvoy said Dutch men were on average 19cm taller today than they were 150 years ago, probably because of improved diets and better health care.

Studies of genes involved in height are already shedding some light on diseases such as cancer and osteoarthritis. One of the first genes to be associated with height, known as HMG2A, has been found to be over-abundant in many types of cancerous tumours while another height-linked gene, GDF5, is believed to be involved in osteoarthritis. "People with lower levels of GDF5 protein tend to have shorter bones and less cartilage, leading to increased wear and tear at their joints and the pain and movement problems that characterise osteoarthritis," Dr McEvoy said. "Plausible genetic routes are beginning to emerge to biologically explain the statistical correlation between height and many health outcomes."

Dr McEvoy said a clear link had also been found between being tall and improved socioeconomic outcomes. "One Australian study found that a 10cm increase in height was associated with a 3 per cent increase in hourly wages," he said. "Why that is, I'm not so sure. One suggestion is that taller people may grow up to be more confident and that comes through in later life. "If you're taller as a child, perhaps you grow up to have a better self-image and that leads to better interpersonal skills and that, perhaps, leads to earning more."

Dr McEvoy said the results were not "predictive of any particular individual".

SOURCE

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Report: Wife Chased Tiger Woods with Golf Club

From TMZ:

We're told he said his wife had confronted him about reports that he was seeing another woman. The argument got heated and, according to our source, she scratched his face up.

We're told it was then Woods beat a hasty retreat for his SUV -- but according to our source, Woods says his wife followed behind with a golf club. As Tiger drove away, she struck the vehicle several times with the club.

It's speculated that the wife screamed something like, "Get back here. I'll show you how to hit a 1-iron!"

Tip: slwlion

Louisiana Woman Arrested for Molestation of Boy

(Shreveport, Louisiana) A 33-year-old local woman, Shana Stephenson, was arrested by Caddo Parish Sheriff's deputies for allegedly molesting a 16-year-old boy. She faces a charge of child molestation.

Stephenson is accused of having an improper relationship with the teenager at least three times in November while at the boy's house.

Stephenson is a friend of the boy's family.

Stephenson was booked into custody at the Caddo Correctional Center.

Ohio Woman Arrested for Sex with Boy

(Middletown, Ohio) A 24-year-old local mother-of-three, Jessica M. Delgado, was arrested this past week for an alleged sex crime involving a teenage boy. Delgado has been charged with felony sexual imposition.

Police say the boy’s father allegedly caught Delgado kissing and fondling his son, who was between the ages of 13 and 16.

She is currently held on $200,000 bond in the Middletown City Jail, and police said her three children were removed by Butler County Children Services and placed with relatives.

Arraignment is scheduled for December 4.

Russian Train Derailment Called Terrorism



(Bologoye, Russia) A bomb exploded on the railway between Moscow and St. Petersburg, causing a high-speed express train to derail and killing at least 26 people. According to Russia's railway chief Vladimir Yakunin, evidence has also been found of a second home-made explosive device.

"Indeed, this was a terrorist attack," said Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the Investigative Committee within the Russian prosecution system.

Three cars of the Nevsky Express train traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg went off the tracks at 9:30 p.m. Moscow time (1830 GMT) Friday near the town of Bologoye on the border between the Tver and Novgorod regions, the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

According to latest reports, 18 people are missing. It's noteworthy that a similar derailment occurred on the same line two years ago.

The same train service was derailed in 2007 injuring at least 30 people in a blast that the authorities pinned on Chechen rebel sympathisers.

The man the authorities said masterminded that attack – a former Russian soldier turned Islamist extremist – was never caught and is still on the run.

Note that the ex-soldier is still at large. In any event, despite suspicions the derailment remains to be fully confirmed as a terrorist act.

3rd Circus Outlaws Christmas music in NJ schools


We read:

"Singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" might be okay in Maplewood-South Orange schools. But "Silent Night" and "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" are still out.

A board of education policy that prohibits celebratory religious music in district schools was upheld today by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The three-judge panel said there was "no constitutional violation" in the policy because other constitutional principles require public schools to remain strictly secular environments.

"Those of us who were educated in the public schools remember holiday celebrations replete with Christmas carols, and possibly even Chanukah songs, to which no objections had been raised. Since then, the governing principles have been examined and defined with more particularity," Judge Dolores Korman Sloviter wrote for the court.

The judges said public school administrations can discern which songs are most appropriate according to those constitutional guidelines because schools already are charged with the responsibility of creating a secular "inclusive environment" for students every day.

Source

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Remains of Dead Spelunker to Stay in Cave

(Spanish Fork, Utah) Native to Utah, a 26-year-old student attending medical school in Virginia, John Jones, decided to go spelunking while on a visit back to his home state. Unfortunately, on Tuesday Jones became stuck in Nutty Putty Cave and attempts to rescue him were frustrated by equipment problems.

After 24 hours of rescue efforts, Jones began having breathing problems and reportedly died late Wednesday.

Officials say it is just too risky and dangerous to try to remove John Jones body. The cave will be permanently closed and sealed office (sic).

Officials have set up a meeting on Monday to talk about how that will be done. A sheriff's deputy will remain at the entrance of the cave until it is permanently sealed to prevent anyone from going inside.

The site will then become a memorial for Jones.

Although the thought of leaving Jones' body in the cave is unpleasant to entertain, it's not unusual for the remains of dead adventurers to be left where they died. Notable examples are the many climbers who are frozen in place forever on Mount Everest, Austin-Godwin (K2) and others.

Condolences to Jones' family and friends.

Teacher Gets Jail for Sex with Boy

(Manchester, England) A 39-year-old mother-of-two and religious education teacher, Madeleine Martin, has been jailed for seducing a 15-year-old boy and engaging in sex with him on several occasions.

Martin reportedly hooked up with the boy through Facebook and started buying him gifts. Ultimately, the boy was lured into bumping uglies in her car and at her home. Police were alerted by the boy's mother.

The religious education teacher also persuaded the pupil to have her name tattooed on his arm after they became involved when she was assigned to mentor him at an all-boys school.

After admitting to ten counts of sexual activity with a child, Martin was sentenced in Manchester Crown Court to 32 months behind bars. She was also ordered to register as a sex offender.

In Martin's defense, attorney Mark Fireman explained that she had been depressed and vulnerable due to personal difficulties.

Tip: Kyros

90 Minutes from Arrest to Flogging

(Khartoum, Sudan) Over a period of merely 90 minutes, a 16-year-old Christian girl, Silva Kashif, was arrested, tried, convicted, sentenced and flogged under sharia law for wearing a skirt too short. She received 50 lashes for the crime of offending public morality.

Kashif, a high-school student, said she was heading to the local market in a Khartoum suburb to buy vegetables when she noticed a man following her. When she confronted him, she said he grabbed her by the hand and led her to a police station, where he charged her with wearing indecent clothes.

Kashif said she was lashed on her back, hands and legs.

"I came home and slept for a whole day. When my family found out, we all cried," she said.

Al-Haj, the human rights lawyer, said his group will protest that authorities gave Kashif the maximum sentence and ignored that she was a minor and a Christian.

"The whole thing from her arrest to her flogging didn't take one hour and half. This is unprecedented," he said. "We want to question the police officers and the judge, to exonerate Silva and to campaign against these laws."

According to women's rights activist Amal Habbani, the quick trials and sentences result in women not speaking about their experiences. It's a "repression of a whole society through its women," she said.

In my estimation, this incident argues against multiculturalism and diversity. Some cultural norms should not be tolerated.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Iran Confiscates Nobel Prize

(Tehran, Iran) The Nobel Prize medal and diploma awarded to human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi in 2003 has been confiscated by the Iranian government. The items were removed from Ebadi's safe deposit box.

Additionally, the Iranian government demanded payment of taxes on the $1.3.million Nobel award money even though it was exempt by law.

Norway has officially complained to Iran.

Abortion in South Korea

With a culture that promotes abortion, South Korea has one of the world's lowest birth rates. Born out of the 1960s over-population scare and fortified by neighboring China's one-child policy, the abortion culture eliminates potential citizens at a demographically-unwise rate.

Official data from the Ministry of Health indicates that doctors perform 350,000 abortions per year, while they deliver on average just 450,000 babies, meaning 43.7 percent of pregnancies end in abortion.

However, the actual number of abortions may be at least five times the official estimate. According to the Korea Times, Rep. Chang Yoon-seok of the ruling Grand National Party said that a National Assembly inspection in October found that the number of illegal abortions in Korea exceeds 1.5 million a year or roughly 4,000 babies aborted per day.

If the National Assembly's estimate is correct, the nation of 48 million commits approximately the same number of abortions as the United States, which has 300 million residents. Presuming the numbers of births recorded by the Health Ministry remains the same, that would mean approximately three out of four pregnancies in South Korea end in abortion.

According to the Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (KAOG), the prevalence of abortion in Korea can be illustrated by the fact that fully one-third of all obstetrics clinics are incapable of handling childbirth.

The government has come to the realization that South Korea will soon become a nation of retirees with few young people populating the employment rolls. Consequently, a pro-birth effort has been announced with "proposals to expand benefits for single mothers and provide greater benefits to families with more than two children." Other incentives were also outlined.

Additionally, although abortion has always been illegal, the law has not been enforced. In fact, most people didn't know that abortion is illegal. Intentions are to begin strictly enforcing the law to help bring about more babies.

Reporting on Climategate

Here's an example of journalistic professionalism and objectivity in reporting facts. No innuendo, no slippery slant and no glaring omissions are scripted for political purposes.



It's sad that this type of effort is a rarity among the American media elite.

Nevertheless, the media continue to remain at fault in reporting on global warming by persistently referring to those with opposing viewpoints as skeptics or, even worse, deniers.

Know that people who disagree with global warmists are led by reputable scientists and pejoratively tagging them as skeptics or deniers is tainting the overall peer-review process. The entire scientific community should be outraged. By the way, for the sake of comparison, the warmists are led by a politician -- Al Gore.

Credibility is at stake. A segment of the scientific community is scamming the public by reporting fraudulent data and suppressing opposing viewpoints. All the while, the media are in cahoots.

Frankly, the scientists and journalists should feel a sense of shame for themselves and their professions.

So Much for Transcending Race

Given how high the hopes were for Barack Obama -- and how many of those hopes were pinned on the candidate's supposed ability to bridge America's racial divide -- it is sobering to analyze this linked Gallup survey.

The President's approval has slid to 39% among whites; the only reason it remains in the high 40's overall is because he enjoys a 73% approval among non-whites (and even higher, understandably, in the African American community alone). Apparently, the racial divide remains with us for the foreseeable future -- perhaps, ironically, worse than ever, to the extent that African Americans perceive any unfairness in the critiques of the President that they attribute, rightly or wrongly, to his race.

But even if the President has proved unable to transcend race, he has done a great favor for America, especially its young, albeit unwittingly. Every generation must be reminded anew about how precious freedom is, and how insidiously government can begin to take over -- and how destructive (to our liberties, to our economy, to our culture, even) an overweening, hyperactive, steroidal government can be.

Jimmy Carter taught an earlier generation about the disaster that lefty economics and soft foreign policy creates. Perhaps it may be that Barack Obama and his "Big Government knows best" agenda is doing the same thing. And if that's the case, I'm thankful -- for that and so much more.

SOURCE


Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Canada: Welcome to Caledonia, where flying the national flag is officially forbidden


But native flags are fine, of course:

"A Caledonia family - Dave Brown, Dana Chatwell and their teenage son Dax - are suing the Ontario government and the OPP for a total of $7-million for effectively abandoning them to the lawlessness surrounding a native occupation of a former development site called Douglas Creek Estates. The family's home is bordered on two sides by the site, part of a simmering Six Nations land claim.

The world of Mr. Brown and Ms. Chatwell, and to a lesser degree that of other Caledonia residents whose homes were also close to the site, was Kafkaesque, a bewildering place where black was white, right was wrong, up was down.

One night, when he asked that the OPP station a car near his house, he implored the dispatcher, "Just don't ignore my calls okay? It's unsafe here, if you ask me. They're shining spotlights all over, all around the perimeter." Police notes duly stated that "Occupiers are in multiple vehicles, shining lights everywhere."

As Christmas of 2006 approached, with Mohawk Warrior flags all over the DCE and on Mr. Brown's street, Caledonia residents had had enough, and decided they would carry or hang a Canadian flag. Mr. Brown decided to fly one in his front yard.

"The Canadian flag was not allowed to be flown," he said. "I'm a very, very proud Canadian. I'm proud of my country. This was my opportunity and my right to believe we still live in this country. "The OPP was not concerned with the Mohawk flags all around my property and on all the telephone poles. They were agitating me.

Mr. Brown's flag was stolen a few days later, and, he told the lawyer, he stood with his uncle, three police cruisers in his driveway, as the "OPP let them [the natives] stand there with my Canadian flag."

Source

Eskimos and red Indians are near-sacred in politically correct Canada. They have in practice FAR more rights than anyone else.

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Driver's Licenses for Illegals in Bay State

(Pittsfield, Massachusetts) Under direction from Gov. Deval Patrick, an advisory committee is considering driver's licenses for illegal aliens in Massachusetts. Recommendations are anticipated in February.

"By doing this, we're leading the pack like we are in health care reform," said Brooke Mead, program coordinator at the Berkshire Immigrant Center in Pittsfield. "I think we are going to look back some day and say that immigrant rights are the next Civil Rights movement."

The proposal in question - issued by an advisory council from the state's Office of Refugees and Immigrants and the nonprofit group Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition - touches upon a surprisingly tense issue among the undocumented immigrant community and law enforcement.

Leading the pack, eh? From some of the reports I'm getting, the leading the pack mentality has some folks packing to leave.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.

If the Races Were Reversed, We’d Be Hearing About This Nationwide


By Debbie Schlussel

If White people were targeting Black men at a big city mall in America and beating them senseless and filming it for racial snuff films, I guarantee it’d be a national media story. In fact, we’d see Presidential campaign commercials vilifying the Republican Presidential nominee with it. But, sadly, since it’s the other way around here, it remains a news story confined to Denver. The roles of the races and racism in this case simply don’t fit the mainstream media’s preferred narrative of victims and victimhood.

Peter DeQuattro, a 25-year-old cook, exited the Mall Ride at Civic Center Station around 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 8, after his shift at a Lower Downtown bar. His next recollection was writhing on a gurney in the back of an ambulance, an eye swollen shut and adrenaline pumping as EMTs struggled to restrain him. DeQuattro, who is white, was one of the most recent men targeted in a downtown-centered spree of attacks where small groups of black men and youths — many with admitted gang ties — tried to knock out white or Latino men with whacks to the head. They sometimes stole from them or taunted them with racial epithets.

DeQuattro never knew what hit him, though police have told him three men blindsided him from behind and then pummeled his face while he struggled from the ground to fight them off. In the process, they broke a bone just above his eye. The maroon bruise is just starting to fade, two weeks later.

“I usually don’t have to worry about these things,” said DeQuattro, hinting that his 6-foot, 4-inch stature normally deters would-be muggers. In this case, it might have been an incentive. “I never thought I would be the victim of a hate crime.”

No way. A hate crime like this–a race-based hate crime–would never happen in this Obama era of post-racialism. Would it?

Denver police announced Friday that they’d been investigating the spree of similar assaults in tourist areas like the 16th Street Mall and LoDo for four months and had arrested 32 suspects. Police apprehended a 33rd man, Torrence McCall, when he turned himself in Sunday afternoon after first calling a local television station.

A gang-prevention leader, the Rev. Leon Kelly, has suggested the assaults are being videotaped and used to show how quickly the assailants can knock out their victims. According to Kelly, the recordings are traded on the black market and bolster street credibility.

Hmmm . . . there’s a market for beat-the-cracker snuff films. What does that tell you about racism against White people in the Black community in America? It’s far too accepted. That’s what it tells me.

The 26 attacks that police know about have followed a similar pattern. A small group of black men approach their white or Latino victim. Sometimes, racial epithets are used to taunt victims before they’re attacked. But often, they’re sucker-punched with “a whack to the head” and sometimes robbed, said Lt. Matt Murray.

Like I said, this one is restricted to Denver media reporting because only White on Black racism merits national attention in America.

SOURCE

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Utah Mom Gets Jail for Sex with 3 Boys - Updated

(Salt Lake City, Utah) In October 2009, Kimberlee Williams Arigot (aka Kimberly), accepted a plea agreement with the prosecution.

She pleaded guilty to engaging in sex with several teen boys in exchange for dropping five felony counts of dealing material harmful to minors. The victims were a 15-year-old and two 17-year-old boys.

As a result, Arigot was sentenced to to one year in jail.

Both the prosecutor and defense attorney seemed pleased with the outcome.

Deputy Davis County Attorney Richard Larsen said, "In speaking with the victims, they're pleased. This was the outcome they were hoping for. They're pleased with the outcome."

"Honestly, I think it was a fair sentence," said defense attorney Ryan Bushell. "That's what we'd come in prepared for. We knew there would be some jail time."

Arigot's defense attorney said she was remorseful for what happened. He said she was going through a tough time in her life and acted inappropriately.

Arigot will also serve 36 months of probation with work release privileges after 90 days.

* * * * *
Utah Mom Collared for Naked Pics to Boys, Then Sex
[Previous 11/25/09 post]
(Salt Lake City, Utah) A 40-year-old local mother of a high school student, Kimberly Arigot, was arrested last week for allegedly sending nude photos of herself to several neighborhood teenage boys before ultimately engaging in sex with two of them.

Reportedly, Arigot had sex with a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old in multiple locations, including her own home, for the better part of a year.

Police said the sexy texting ultimately led two boys, 15 and 17, to have sex with Arigot.

“With technology on the rise, we’re seeing an increase in kids sending kids pictures and, unfortunately, adults sending kids pictures,” Lt. Tracy Jenson of the Syracuse Police Department told My FOX Utah.

Arigot reportedly cooperated with police and allegedly confessed before she was released on bail earlier this week. She faces felony charges of unlawful sex and unlawful contact with minors and providing alcohol to the underage boys.

One can logically presume that the teen victims were friends of Arigot's child.

Tip: Ron

[Update 12/11/08]

On 12/09/08, charges were filed against Kimberlee Williams Arigot.

Arigot faces counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, unlawful sexual conduct with a 16- or 17-year-old, dealing in materials harmful to a minor, and child sex abuse.

A court appearance is scheduled for December 22nd.

Wisconsin Woman Gets 60 Days in Jail for Sex with Boy

(Cambria, Wisconsin) A 34-year-old local woman, Angela Bancroft, pleaded no contest to child sex crimes stemming from the repeated sexual assault of a 15-year-old boy.

Bancroft apologized "to everybody this has affected" during a sentencing hearing Tuesday in Columbia County Circuit Court.

"I have never been so ashamed of anything in my life," Bancroft said. "I hope I will earn everyone's forgiveness."

Bancroft told authorities she contacted the boy after becoming attracted to him even though he might be too young, then admitted she knew the boy was 15 when she had sex with him, the complaint stated.

Bancroft met the boy in the parking lot across from a church in Cambria, where they had sex in her van six times between July and September 2008, the complaint stated.

The boy told authorities he thought they had sex four times, according to the complaint.

In accordance with a plea agreement, Judge George Miller sentenced Bancroft to a five-year deferred prosecution sentence, 60 days in jail and four years of probation.

Happy Thanksgiving!



Lemon-breasted Roast Turkey
Recipe here.

Boy Killed by Wood Chipper

(Poquoson, Virginia) A local high school freshman, Frank Anthony Gornik, died last Sunday in a wood chipper accident.

Gornik, 14, was accidentally killed while using a commercial wood chipper to dispose of storm debris created by the recent nor'easter, Poquoson police Chief Cliff Bowen said.

Gornik was with two workers from Old Dominion Tree and Lawn Care at the time of the accident. The teenager had been living with the company's owner, Robert Strickland, and his wife since the death of both his parents.

The Virginia Department of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating.

According to Poquoson Police Chief Cliff Bowen, Gornik was gathering piles of debris and feeding them into the chipper. He used a shovel to push the debris into the chipper when he was sucked in completely. Bowen said Gornik died instantly.

Tragic life, tragic story.

SC Woman Arrested for Sex with Boy, 12

(Myrtle Beach, South Carolina) A 25-year-old local woman, Jessica Ann Cave, has been arrested for allegedly engaging in sexual intercourse with a 12-year-old boy.

Cave has been charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

According to the warrant, the 12-year-old boy told a counselor that he had sex with Cave who's a family friend and neighbor.

The warrant describes how the two touched each other inappropriately on several occassions between January and August 2009.

The warrant alleges the criminal sexual conduct occurred at Cave's residence on Appleton Way in Myrtle Beach.

Cave was booked into custody at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center with bail set at $10,000.

Virginia Woman Gets 6 Months for Sex with Boys - Updated

(Poquoson, Virginia) Twenty-two-year-old Ariel Monroe pleaded guilty yesterday to two counts each of indecent liberties with a minor and crimes against nature stemming from incidents of sexual relations with two 15-year-old boys.

As a result, Monroe gets six months behind bars.

Substitute Judge Thomas Nance sentenced Monroe to 20 years in prison, with all but six months suspended, for the crimes, which involved two 15-year-old boys in July 2008.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Barbara Cooke said the two teens were staying with Monroe watching movies when one of the boys came across a magazine and inquired about the sexual acts in it.

Monroe asked the boys if either of them had ever had sex, and sent one of the boys out of the room and began kissing the other, she said.

The other boy returned and she began fondling both boys, and they eventually had sex, the prosecutor told the judge.

Cooke said Monroe told the boys not to tell their parents about the incident because she was over 18 and would get in trouble for having sex with them, but she later told their parents herself.

Monroe was also ordered to register as a sex offender.

Tip: FemPedoExposer

* * * * *
Virginia Woman Accused of Sex with Two Boys
[Previous 7/10/09 post]
(Poquoson, Virginia) A 22-year-old local woman, Ariel Monroe, has been accused of engaging in sex with two boys she was caring for.

The investigation started when the teens’ parents talked with police.

Monroe faces two counts each of taking indecent liberties with a child, having carnal knowledge of a juvenile and contributing to the delinquency of a minor by having consensual sex with someone 15-years-old or younger.

A court appearance is scheduled for October 8.

Maureen Dowd: Hopes for Obama Being Questioned

In her op-ed column today, Maureen Dowd bemoans the fact that President Obama has been noticeably neglecting some of his most loyal supporters, people who have invested their careers, their fortunes and their reputations in Obama.

Dowd cites names and circumstances but the overall theme is that Democrats and liberals, particularly campaign contributors, are questioning their hopes for Obama. They sense a letdown, having hoped for more. Loyalists feel a chill.

Additionally, given that Obama "faces tough midterms and a less-than-certain re-election," Ms. Dowd is perplexed by Obama's icy detachment as important helpers are figuratively nudged off curbs just as buses pass.

In summary, a life-long, high-profile liberal woman, Maureen Dowd, is raising questions about the "hopey" part of "hopey-changey" and the seemingly-heartless disposability of Obama loyalists. Also, it appears that anxiety in Obama's camp is troubling enough to write about.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

"Best Buy" wouldn't say "Merry Christmas", but have wished Muslims "Happy Eid Al-Adha"

We read:

"Best Buy stands by its decision to wish U.S. Muslims a Happy Eid Al-Adha, a rep for the company said, and though some Best Buy customers took offense, a Muslim advocacy group praised the move.

The retailer got some flak this week for including, along with its circular advertising Thanksgiving Day sales, a note saying "Happy Eid Al-Adha," which refers to a holiday of sacrifice for followers of Islam on Nov. 27 this year.

After TechCrunch ran an item about the circular, some claimed offense and said they'd take their business elsewhere. "I spent about $3,000 with . . . your store. I will be shopping somewhere else," one consumer wrote on Best Buy's Web forum. "BB has the Muslims covered with the 'Happy Eid,' but what about the rest of us Americans?" wrote another. "Do we get a 'Happy Thanksgiving'?"

Source

I guess they want only Muslim customers. Christians should take the hint and stay away. BB do seem to be worried about that. They now say they are going to recognize Christmas this year.

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

HIV/AIDS in China

(Beijing, China) Frankly, I tend to believe that these numbers are low and wouldn't be surprised if the actual number infected were ten times or more higher. Call it an innate mistrust of official ChiCom data.

The number of HIV positive people in China probably stands at around 740,000, up from the estimated 700,000 who had the virus in 2007, the country's health minister said Tuesday.

Sex between men is now one of the main reasons for the spread of the disease, said Chen Zhu.

As of Oct 31, China had recorded 319,877 HIV infections, 102,323 of which had developed into AIDS. China has had 49,845 AIDS deaths since it detected its first HIV infection in 1985, Chen said during the 5th Conference of International Cooperation Programmes on HIV/AIDS in China.

Chen said experts predict there will be 48,000 new infections in 2009, compared to 50,000 in 2007.

Of the new infections, sexual transmissions will account for more than 70 percent of cases. Some 42.2 percent will come from heterosexual transmission. The number was 44.7 percent in 2007.

Chen said there had been a dramatic increase in the number of HIV infections resulting from homosexual encounters. Those infections now account for 32.5 percent of transmissions. They only accounted for 12.2 percent in 2007.

China's gay population is estimated at 5-10 million.

Interestingly, the homosexual population in China is officially estimated to be 0.75 percent or less of all Chinese (10 million divided by 1.338 billion). Percentage estimates in Western countries run several times higher.

Nevertheless, to counter the increase in HIV/AIDS patients the ChiCom government plans to step up education and public awareness efforts.

Miss Earth 2009 Pageant



Miss Earth 2009 Winners
Four winners were announced Sunday on the Philippine island of Boracay. From left to right: Miss Earth Water - Jessica Barboza of Venezuela, 22, Miss Earth Air - Sandra Seifert of the Philippines, 25, Miss Earth - Larissa Ramos of Brazil, 20, and Miss Earth Fire - Alejandra Echevarria of Spain, 20.

Eighty contestants competed.

Sexual Exploitation Leads to License Revocation

(Wausau, Wisconsin) In September 2009, a 32-year-old drug and alcohol counselor at ATTIC Correctional Services in Wausau, Jacqueline Clifton, pleaded guilty to felony sexual exploitation stemming from engaging in sex with her clients

Clifton was sentenced to nine months in jail, 50 hours of community service and five years of probation.

Last week, the Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing revoked Clifton's right to renew her therapist's license as a result of the conviction.

Educator Accused of DWI

(Cincinnati, Ohio) A 26-year-old speech pathologist at Princeton High School, Anna McBride, was arrested just before midnight last Saturday for allegedly driving drunk.

Cincinnati police seized Anna McBride’s driver’s license after she blew .357 during a test that measures intoxication levels, according to her traffic ticket.

Ohio’s legal limit for driving is .08. Police pulled over her silver 2000 Toyota Avalon for weaving in the 4800 block of Reading Road in Bond Hill just before midnight Saturday, the ticket states.

McBride was booked into custody and released.

Over four times the legal limit, eh? Boy, she was hammered.

Ahmadinejad: US, Israel Lack Gonads

(Brasilia, Brazil) Visiting Brazil, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held a press conference yesterday and said military threats against Iran are a thing of the past.

Fielding a question on whether he feared an attack from Israel or the United States, Ahmadinejad said armed confrontation was no longer a possibility.

That's clear "even for mentally challenged people," he said with a smile.

Besides, he added, "those you mention (Israel and United States) don't have the courage to attack Iran. They're not even thinking about it."

So, Americans and Israelis are dumb cowards, according to Ahmadinejad. Heh. In most neighborhoods, those are fighting words.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Warmist pseudo-scientists admit that the hacked CRU emails are genuine

A leading climate change scientist whose private e-mails are included in thousands of documents that were stolen by hackers and posted online said the leaks may have been aimed at undermining next month's global climate summit in Denmark.

Kevin Trenberth, of the US National Center for Atmospheric Research, in Colorado, said he believes the hackers who stole a decade's worth of correspondence from a British university's computer server deliberately distributed only those documents that could help attempts by skeptics to undermine the scientific consensus on man-made climate change. Trenberth, a well respected atmospheric scientist, said it did not appear that all the documents stolen from the university had been distributed on the internet by the hackers.

The University of East Anglia, in eastern England, said hackers last week stole from its computer server about a decade's worth of data from its Climatic Research Unit, a leading global research center on climate change. About 1000 e-mails and 3000 documents have been posted on websites and seized on by climate change sceptics, who claim correspondence shows collusion between scientists to overstate the case for global warming, and evidence that some have manipulated evidence.

"It is right before the Copenhagen debate, I'm sure that is not a coincidence," Trenberth said in a telephone interview from Colorado.

At least 65 world leaders will attend the Copenhagen climate summit in December as representatives of 191 nations seek agreement on a new global treaty on limiting emissions of greenhouse gases.

Trenberth, a lead author on the 2001 and 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments, said he had found 102 of his own e-mails posted online. "I personally feel violated," he said. "I'm appalled at the very selective use of the e-mails, and the fact they've been taken out of context."

In one of the stolen e-mails, Trenberth is quoted as saying "we can't account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty that we can't." He said the comment is presented by sceptics as evidence scientists can't explain some trends that appear to contradict their stance on climate change. Trenberth explained his phrase was actually contained in a paper he wrote about the need for better monitoring of global warming to explain the anomalies — in particular improved recording of rising sea surface temperatures.

In another e-mail posted online, and unrelated to Trenberth, the British research centre's director, Phil Jones, wrote that he had used a "trick" to "hide the decline" in a chart detailing recent global temperatures. Jones has denied manipulating evidence and insisted his comment had been misunderstood. He said in a statement Saturday that he'd used the word trick "as in a clever thing to do."

Trenberth acknowledged that language used by some colleagues in the hacked e-mails "looks awkward at best," particularly messages which criticise climate change sceptics.

SOURCE

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Application for Job




Sadly, he was rejected.

Chinese Drywall

According to a study by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Chinese drywall is linked elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide in American homes.

Officials handpicked 51 homes for the initial study, which found a link between Chinese drywall and sulfur and other gasses blamed for corroding wiring on air conditioning units and causing other property damage in homes outfitted with the faulty building materials.

The CPSC recently said it has received complaints about Chinese drywall problems from more than 2,000 homeowners from 32 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, making the continuing probe one of the largest consumer product investigations in U.S. history.

Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed by homeowners.

Utopia

When social justice, economic justice and racial justice have been achieved.

Heh.

Teacher Gets 2 Days Jail for Solicitation of Minor - Updated

(Hill City, South Dakota) Former music teacher Sommar Chaffee, 31, pleaded guilty today to a reduced charge of misdemeanor soliciting of a minor and was sentenced to two days in jail.

Seventh District Court Magistrate Judge Scott Bogue sentenced Chaffee to 180 days in jail, but suspended all but two days. Chaffee was fined $400 and ordered to pay court costs. She can have no contact with the victim.

Chaffee must under go (sic) psychiatric treatment with her physician reporting to the court every four months for one year.

Chaffee will voluntarily relinquish her teaching license, but the giving it up could be fundamental because she is subject to a state review board if a formal complaint was filed against her.

Two days jail? Heh, why bother?

* * * * *
South Dakota Teacher Accused of Exploitation of Minor
[Previous 6/21/09 post]
(Hill City, South Dakota) A 31-year-old music teacher formerly at Hill City High School, Sommar Chaffee, was arrested last night in Sioux Falls for alleged solicitation and exploitation of a minor.

Chaffee faces two charges, solicitation of a minor alleged to have occurred between April 1 and 14, 2009, and exploitation of a minor alleged to have occurred between April 12 and 13, 2008.

Chaffee was booked into custody at the Minnehaha County Jail and later released on $1,500 bond.

Woman Accused of Child Rape

(Bellevue, Washington) A 33-year-old local woman, Norma J. Dedios, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old boy.

Dedios faces charges of second-degree child rape, third-degree child rape and second-degree child molestation.

Investigators said the crimes occurred at Dedios' Bellevue home in June and were brought to the attention of police after the boy told a counselor that he had sex with Dedios.

When police interviewed Dedios she denied having sex with the boy, but said she let him spend the night at her house and he twice sneaked into her room and touched her inappropriately, according to court documents.

Police wrote that she told a detective she let the boy stay with her because she was trying to get back at her boyfriend, who did not like it when the teen was at the house.

After taking a polygraph test, Dedios admitted to having sex with the boy after he came into her room, the court documents said.

Dedios was booked into custody and released on bond.

Now I'm not clairvoyant but I'd wager my pearls of reproductivity that if I became intimate with a 13-year-old girl, nobody would care that I wanted to get back at my girlfriend. The excuse doesn't make a lick of sense to me.

9th Circus does something useful

Rejects discrimination against Christians

We read:

"The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled Friday that a federal district court should have considered whether a Gilbert, Ariz., sign ordinance unconstitutionally discriminates against religious signs among all non-commercial signs. The court sent the case, filed by attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund who represent Good News Community Church, back to district court for a decision.

“Churches shouldn’t be discriminated against by a city’s sign ordinances,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman, who argued the case before the 9th Circuit on April 15. “The government cannot require churches to abide by stricter rules than it places on other non-commercial signs. The Constitution prohibits government officials from singling out religious groups for that kind of discrimination.”

In its opinion in Reed v. Town of Gilbert, the 9th Circuit wrote that “Gilbert has adopted a sign ordinance that makes one’s head spin to figure out the bounds of its restrictions and exemptions.”

Source

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Drunk Driving Self-Reporting

(Seattle, Washington) A 19-year-old local female, Alysha McInnis, called 911 about 5 AM last Monday to report a "very drunk" driver -- herself. According to Washington State Trooper Dan McDonald:

McInnis told the dispatcher that she was underage and very drunk. She said she was given alcohol at a party without her knowledge, and her friends told her that she could call 911 to have the police come pick her up and take her to the hospital to detox, McDonald said.

She told the dispatcher that she pulled to the shoulder because she was intoxicated and began to lose her vision.

When a trooper arrived at the scene, McInnis had bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech and appeared extremely intoxicated, McDonald said.

McInnis was arrested and later released for detoxification.

I'd suggest that it might be prudent for investigators to check out the place that appears to be juicing-up young women without their knowledge.

Tip: slwlion

Spree Killer in North Marianas

(SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands) A 42-year-old Chinese man and shooting range employee, Zhongren Li, opened fire at the range on Friday and killed four people. Reportedly, he had emotional and financial problems.

He then drove to a popular tourist site, known as The Last Command Post, and fired on a group of South Korean visitors, wounding eight before travelling to another tourist site and shooting himself in the head.

Li shot himself at Banzai Cliff, the site where "thousands of Japanese civilians threw themselves into the sea as American troops invaded the island during World War II."

When police arrived, they found Li's body on the edge of the cliff several metres (yards) from his van with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and a .223 rifle strapped around his shoulder.

Smoke was pouring from the van, where Li had attempted to destroy his personal identification and documents by setting them on fire.

Also inside the van were another three rifles and more than 750 rounds of ammunition for rifles, shotguns and handguns.

Northern Marianas officials have been quick to investigate and resolve all issues related to the shooting spree to reassure potential tourists. The islands rely heavily on tourism for income.

Chicago Woman Arrested for Repeated Child Sex Abuse

(Chicago, Illinois) A 29-year-old northwest Chicago woman, Maria Flores, has been arrested for the repeated sexual abuse of a female relative over the course of three years.

Police were alerted to the abuse by school officials. Flores faces charges of predatory criminal sexual assault, aggravated battery of a child, domestic battery causing bodily harm and endangering the life of a child.

Kendall Marlowe, a spokesman for the state Department of Children and Family Services, said the agency is also investigating the allegations against Flores. The female relative is in DCFS custody and four other children in the household are in the care of relatives.

Flores was booked into custody. A court appearance is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Ohio Teacher Indicted for Sex with Student

(Cleveland, Ohio) A 30-year-old special needs teacher at the Virtual School House charter school, Naomi Wright, has been indicted on charges stemming from alleged sexual relations with a 17-year-old student. Wright faces 12 counts of sexual battery and four counts of corrupting another with drugs.

According to prosecution spokesman Ryan Miday:

"Wright knew the victim had an interest in music and became close with the victim as she did the music programs at the school," Miday said. "The victim was bringing all his work to her room and he was doing better in school. The victim's mother came to trust Wright and the victim and another student would go to Wright's home to record music, around the latter part of 2008."

Miday said eventually the victim's mother allowed the boy to sleep at Wright's home during the week and during that time they developed a sexual relationship.

Reportedly, the drug charge involved marijuana.

Some graphic evidence of British climate crookedness


A picture is worth ...



Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Postal Service Resumes Santa Letter Program - Updated

The Postal Service has decided to resume the Santa Claus letter program after Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Democratic Sen. Mark Begich and Republican Rep. Don Young sent letters to Postmaster General John Potter expressing concerns.

The letters will now be answered by the North Pole elves under tightened privacy rules implemented nationwide by the Postal Service in response to security concerns that arose in a similar program in Maryland last year.

The group also has been assigned a specific address that will allow its volunteers to run their own alternative program, bypassing the stringent new rules and perhaps lessening the Santa letter load for the Postal Service. The restrictions don't affect privately run letter efforts. Children can write to Santa through that program at: 1 Santa Claus Lane, North Pole, AK 99705.

Merry Christmas to all!

(Hat tip: ron)

* * * * *
Government Cancels Santa Claus
[Previous 11/21/09 post]
Children writing letters to Santa Claus in the Alaska town of North Pole will no longer be receiving responses. The U.S. Postal Service will be rerouting the children's letters for shredding.

Postal officials say the change is being made to protect children from sex offenders.

I'd disagree. I think the government is solving a problem that so far doesn't exist. It's typical bureaucratic activism.

No Mammogram For You!

(Johnson City, Tennesssee) According to decision-makers at the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), no mammogram screening of women between 40 and 49 years of age should be performed. Presumably, it's all about efficiency and cost.

However, not everyone agrees.

Jocelyn Medina, M.D., a radiologist at Mountain States Health Alliance says with the study’s recommendations, many lives in the Tri-Cities would be at risk. From this year alone, cancer cases at the Women’s Health and Imaging Center prove her point.

“I can tell you we had 92 cancers diagnosed. Twenty of those were between age 37 and 50. That to me is not an insignificant number,” she said.

The study also doesn’t recommend self-breast examinations as a method of early detection.

It's not exactly clear why self-examinations would be discouraged. However, since even minor concerns discovered during self-exams would lead to requests for mammograms, a program to mitigate the number of mammograms would likely include measures to reduce the number requested by women examining themselves.

Furthermore, I'd suggest that the reason that mammograms for women 40 to 49 have been eliminated is that breast tumors are very small and difficult to detect within that age range but at the age of 50 and beyond sufficient growth of tumors has occured and they are easily seen. Based on their statistical analysis, the task force experts likely concluded that it's better to wait until the cancers are readily detectable rather than spend money on mammograms producing negative results.

Having medical choices decided by demographics as opposed to diagnostics is disturbing. I'd hate to think that people would have to phony up their personal data just to assure they could see a doctor.

Illinois Woman Accused of Sex with Boy

(Round Lake Beach, Illinois) A 47-year-old local woman, Laura A. Bailey, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly engaging in sex with a 16-year-old boy. She faces two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

The alleged sexual relations reportedly occurred in September.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Stephen Scheller said Bailey was brought into custody Tuesday after admitting to engaging in sex with the teenager on multiple occasions during September.

Authorities were notified of the relationship when rumors surfaced that Bailey was having sex with students who attended one of the Grayslake high schools.

Bailey was booked into custody with bond set at $25,000.

Neighborhood Gnat

(Mobile, Alabama) Responding to citizen complaints of prostitutes working the streets, a female undercover police officer was told to get all gussied up and hit the stroll in a neighborhood to lure customers in a sting operation.

A boy walks up to the officer and says, hey, mama, you got the time for a man like me? And she says, you ain't no man, so go home little boy. He says I ain't no boy, I'm 13 and I got money. She says go away or I'll call the cops. He says no you won't cause you is working the streets and they'd arrest you.

She said no they won't and her fellow officers showed up to take the boy into custody. He was overheard in the patrol car mumbling that she didn't look like no cop. He was booked into the juvenile detention center and later released.

The sting operation netted 15 arrests.

Tip: slwlion

Ft. Hood-Style "Re-enactment" Threatened at Ft. Benning

From ArmyTimes:

A box of hollow-point bullets and an anonymous note threatening an incident like the one at Fort Hood, Texas, were discovered Thursday at Fort Benning, Ga., sparking a criminal investigation and greater police presence, a witness told Army Times.

According to a witness at the scene, a box of 20 hollow-point shells and a handwritten note were found in the motor pool area between 1st Battalion and 2nd Battalion, 29th Infantry, under the 197th Infantry Training Brigade.

“The note said ‘tell the commanding general to call off all charges or there will be a re-enactment of Fort Hood,’ ” the witness told Army Times. He spoke on condition he wouldn’t be identified.

After the discovery, he said, military police arrived with dogs, cordoned off a 20-foot perimeter around the box and began dusting for fingerprints and questioning people.

Just freaking great.

Obama Blocking Compensation to Beirut Bombing Families

This is just cruel. The American people have a constitutionally-mandated expectation of support from their government that is being bastardized.

The Obama administration is blocking court-ordered compensation for the families of the 241 Americans who died in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut.

Obama administration is going to court to try to block payments from Iranian assets that the families’ lawyers want seized, contending that it would jeopardize sensitive negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and establish a potentially damaging precedent.

I suggest the Obama administration will experience even more sensitive negotiations with the American electorate after throwing citizens under the bus.

Even Hispanics and Filipinos aren't supposed to use the word "negro"?

We read:

"A civil rights group has chided Dionisia Pacquiao, mother of famed Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, for using the word "Negro" in a public statement. The Color People Advancement Community (CPAC), a small Las Vegas-based ethnic rights group, was reacting to statements made by Mrs. Pacquiao after her son's match against Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Arena on November 14.

Pacquiao, along with his entourage, had proceeded to the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino a few blocks away for a post-fight party and mini-concert. There, Mrs. Pacquiao gave interviews and described her alarm at watching her son fight it out with Cotto for 12 rounds.

Mrs. Pacquiao also thanked all her son's supporters. "Nagpapasalamat ako hindi lang sa mga Pilipino. At pati na rin sa mga Amerikano at mga Negro. (I thank not only the Filipinos, I also thank Americans and Negroes)," she said.

According to reports from the Bandera tabloid and boxing website Philboxing.com, the CPAC in Las Vegas issued a statement asking Mrs. Pacquiao to refrain from using politically incorrect words in public "so as not to inflame emotional outrage" from groups in the United States.

Source

"Negro" was once the proper scientific term for the race concerned but these days the more ponderous geographical term "Sub-Saharan African" is used in scientific writing. That's a bit stupid, though, as there are about 4 million "Sub-Saharan Africans" who are white, mostly in South Africa.

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Probably NSFW

Here is arguably sufficient evidence to support the contention that hardware stores should be exposed-thongs-forbidden zones.

When checking plumbing appurtenances at the hardware store, I'd rather they not be human.

Palestinians Put Bounty on Israeli Soldiers

(Gaza Strip) Here we have an unwelcome but predictable consequence to negotiating with terrorists.

A Gaza charity headed by the interior minister of Hamas yesterday offered $1.4 million to any Arab citizen of Israel who abducts an Israeli soldier. Palestinians have frequently called on Israeli Arabs to abduct soldiers, but this is the first time money has been offered.

Just wonderful, kidnapping has become an advertised for-profit industry.

Global Warmists Caught with Their Flies Open

In today's UK Telegraph, James Delingpole summarizes the contents of confidential global warming files dumped on the Internet by a hacker. Called Climategate, the information released includes 1079 emails and 72 documents from the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit (aka Hadley CRU).

According to Delingpole's piece, hacked emails attest to a conspiracy of prominent climate scientists to manipulate and suppress scientific data and to marginalize colleagues with differing opinions. Specifically, the emails suggest:

Conspiracy, collusion in exaggerating warming data, possibly illegal destruction of embarrassing information, organised resistance to disclosure, manipulation of data, private admissions of flaws in their public claims and much more.

Take a look. It's an earthquake of information which supports the growing and correct belief that man-made global warming is nothing but a political power grab. Sadly, though, the elite media will probably look the other way and environmental science will continue to be infested with politics.

Arkansas Woman Gets Prison for Sex with Boy - Updated

(Bentonville, Arkansas) Forty-year-old Anita Kay Fine appeared in court yesterday and pleaded guilty to sexual assault and possession of a controlled substance.

As a result, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Fine was originally charged with rape, a class Y felony, but agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charged under a plea agreement her attorney Shane Wilkinson reached with Chief Deputy Prosecutor Stuart Cearley. [...]

Circuit Judge Robin Green accepted the plea agreement and Fine’s guilty plea.

Green followed the plea agreement’s sentencing recommendation and ordered Fine to serve 10 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction. Fine was given a 10-year suspended sentence on the drug charge.

Fine must complete the prison’s sex-offender treatment program and must register as a sex offender. She was ordered not to have any contact with the victim.

Fine gets credit for 74 days time served.

* * * * *
Arkansas Woman Accused of Sex with Boy
[Previous 6/24/09 post]
(Bentonville, Arkansas) A 39-year-old woman, Anita Kay Fine, was arrested last Saturday for allegedly engaging in sex with a 14-year-old boy. Fine faces charges of felony sexual assault of a child and sexual indecency with a child.

Fine's arrest stems from a 1:09 a.m. Saturday call to Lowell police from a caller reporting that she needed assistance removing a naked female from her 14-year-old son's bedroom, according to court documents.

When a Lowell police officer arrived at the scene, he heard the caller telling another woman to get out of her house and claiming that the woman had been in the caller's son's room naked, according to an affidavit in the case.

The boy's mother had allowed Fine to spend the night in her home, but later found her naked son hiding under a bed, and Fine was naked underneath the covers, according to court documents.

The 14-year-old told police that Fine performed oral sex on him and the two had sexual intercourse, the affidavit states.

Fine was booked into custody at the Benton County Jail with bond set at $10,000.

Tip on pic: uneeda in Comments

Man Finds 3.2-Carat Diamond

(Murfreesboro, Arkansas) A 45-year-old local man, Billy Moore, found a 3.2-carat diamond at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, the only diamond mine in North America where the public can keep diamonds found.

Billy Moore says he initially thought he had found a wadded-up piece of gum paper while sifting on Oct. 30 in the park's 37.5-acre diamond search area.

The 45-year-old Moore says he rolled his find around with his finger and saw a shiny side.

The diamond is about the size of an English pea, has a rough, rounded shape and is sparkling white.

He's named the diamond "The Frosty" because of its appearance. He says he plans to sell the gem, which was the second-largest diamond found this year at the park.

Heh. Merry Christmas, Mr. Moore.

Woman Allegedly Watched While Daughter Raped

(Wooster, Ohio) A 32-year-old woman from Louisiana, Melanie Marie Hearn, was arrested on a fugitive warrant for allegedly allowing her six-year-old daughter to be raped.

She faces a charge of aggravated rape.

Louisiana authorities alleged that she witnessed the rape of her six year old daughter but failed to do anything about it.

Police say she is also wanted on probation violation for prior cocaine convictions.

Hearn was booked into custody at the Wayne County Jail and now awaits extradition to Louisiana.

To Protect and Serve

(Walhalla, South Carolina) An employee of the Oconee County Sheriff's Department, Kathleen Taylor, 43, has been accused of embezzling from the sheriff's office. In the last two and one-half years, Taylor has allegedly walked out of the office with approximately $500,000.

Jeez, with all the cops around, you'd think someone would have noticed.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Cat Dies From Swine Flu

(Lebanon, Oregon) A local cat died of swine flu. It was the first in the nation.

On Nov. 4, a 10-year-old male cat was brought to the Animal Clinic in Lebanon with rapid, shallow breathing. The cat's temperature was 101.7 degrees, but it was not coughing or sneezing. X-ray results were consistent with pneumonia.

The next day, the cat's symptoms got worse. It died on Nov. 7, the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association announced today.

The Oregon State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory found that the cat carried the H1N1 virus.

While this is the third confirmed case of a cat with H1N1, it is the first feline fatality nationwide. The other two cats with swine flu -- one in Iowa, one in Utah -- recovered.

The cat is believed to have acquired the H1N1 virus from a human and not any of the other three cats living in the same house.

Terms "Mental Retardation" and "Mentally Disabled" now wrong


We read:

"U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski today introduced Rosa’s Law, a bill that will eliminate the terms “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” from the federal law books. U.S. Senator Michael B. Enzi (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, is the Republican sponsor of the bill.

Under Rosa’s Law, those terms would be replaced with “intellectual disability” and “individual with an intellectual disability” in federal education, health and labor law. The bill does not expand or diminish services, rights or educational opportunities. It simply makes the federal law language consistent with that used by the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and the President of the United States, through his Committee on Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.

Rosa’s Law replicates a law recently adopted in Maryland. Senator Mikulski first heard about the state law from Rosa’s mother during a roundtable discussion about special education held in Edgewater, Maryland. Due to requirements in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), each student who receives special education services at public schools has an individualized education program (IEP) that describes the student’s disability and the special education and services that child will receive. Rosa has an intellectual disability – Downs Syndrome – and so was designated as a student with “mental retardation” in her IEP, giving way to people at the school referring to Rosa as retarded. Senator Mikulski promised Rosa’s mother that if the bill became law in Maryland, she would take it to the floor of the United States Senate.

Source

Leftists have a long history of belief in verbal magic. They believe that by changing the name for a thing you somehow alter the underlying reality and people's attitude towards it.

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Aussie Teacher Gets Prison in Sex Case - Updated

(Ballarat, Australia) Former music teacher at Ballarat High School, Michelle Lynn Dennis, 33, admitted to engaging in sex with two boys, aged 14 and 17.

The County Court at Ballarat heard Dennis sent more than 1300 text messages to the students over a two-year period.

She also sent one of the boys naked pictures of herself and invited one of his friend's to have a threesome with them, which the friend rejected.

Dennis pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual penetration of a child under supervision and one count of sexual penetration of a child under 16.

She was convicted and sentenced to four years and three months' jail, with a minimum of two years and 10 months to serve.

She was also ordered to be placed on the sex offenders' register for life.

Dennis reportedly cried during the proceeding.

* * * * *
Aussie Teacher Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Charges - Updated
[Previous 8/11/09 post]
(Ballarat, Australia) Yesterday, 33-year-old former teacher Michelle Lynn Dennis appeared in Ballarat Magistrates Court and pleaded not guilty to 26 counts of sexual assault stemming from allegations of sex acts with two male students outside school grounds.

Dennis sat with her mother and two supporters during the one-day hearing before Magistrate Peter Couzens.

Dennis was committed to stand trial on 12 counts of sexual penetration of a child, nine counts of an indecent act with a child under care/supervision and five counts of indecent acts with a child.

Dennis has a hearing scheduled for September 8 in Melbourne County Court.

* * * * *
Aussie Teacher Faces Multiple Sex Charges
[Previous 11/3/08 post]
(Ballarat, Australia) A 32-year-old teacher at Ballarat High School, Michelle Dennis, was charged this past week with engaging in sex with male teen students. This is the second group of charges leveled against Dennis.

She has already been charged with three counts of sexual penetration of a student, aged 17 or under.

These charges, which were laid in late October, are believed to have involved a current student.

It is alleged all seven charges relate to sexual encounters with the two males outside the school grounds last year.

Dennis has been suspended from her teaching position. A court appearance is scheduled for January 22.

(h/t JR)