Following Entry Posted 1/31/2009 11:58:00 PM

Women With Troubles - January 2009

Reported in news stories during January 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) Melissa B. Gray, 29,
teacher - Arrested for child porn and sex charges,

(AL) Barbara Riley-Grissom
teacher - Arrested for being drunk at school,

(AR) Debra Romero, 34,
neighbor - Caught dealing drugs outside courthouse,

(AR) Donna Lou Sanders, 47,
teacher - Gets 50 years in prison for abuse of minors,

(AZ) Glenda L. Rumsey, 43,
neighbor - Sentenced to 14 years prison for vehicular manslaughter while drunk,

(CA) Carmina Lopez, 32,
teacher - Arrested for four years of molesting boy starting at age 11,

(CO) Danelle Daunchet, 52,
neighbor - Arrested for felony abuse of daughter, 10,

(CT) Shonna Couture, 31,
teacher - Charged with sex assault of boy, 16,

(CT) Anastasia Gagnon, 20,
teacher - Arrested for sex with female student, 15,

(CT) Melinda Handlowich, 42,
teacher - Arrested for making advances toward boy, 13,

(FL) Felicia J. Bowen, 41,
teacher's aide - Arrested for possession of cocaine,

(FL) Gina Cevasco, 38,
teacher - Arrested for drug possession,

(FL) Joan Lucille Dewey, 31,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 17,

(FL) Angela Leavitt, 28,
neighbor - Gets year in prison for sex with boy, 16,

(FL) Rebecca Parsons, 22,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 15,

(FL) Kristilyn Smith, 25,
neighbor - Arrested for prostitution and incest with her father,

(FL) Wanda Smith, 58,
retired teacher - Arrested for sex with student in 1980s,

(FL) Lamika Watkins, 29,
teacher - Arrested for injuring student,

(GA) Erika Simmons, 28,
teacher - Arrested for engaging in sex with student, 15,

(IA) Erin Marie Rohwer, 27,
teacher - Accused of sex with 18-year-old male student,

(IL) Kathryn Vail-Wesley, 22,
teacher - Arrested for sex assault of male student, 17,

(KS) Nina Urban,
teacher - Arrested for engaging in sex with male student,

(KY) Nicole Howell, 25,
teacher - Arrested for sex abuse of male student, 16,

(LA) Kendra Hoffpauir, 24,
teacher - Arrested for sex with boy, 15,

(LA) Tracie L. Ingram, 36,
neighbor - Arrested for texting sheriff with request for drugs,

(LA) Brittany Sumrall Johnson, 26,
teacher - Accused of sending inappropriate emails to student,

(LA) Susan Johnston, 40,
neighbor - Indicted for sex with boy, 11,

(LA) Maureen Lirette, 47,
neighbor - Gets probation for gang bang with several underage boys,

(LA) Angela Mayers, 45,
nurse - Arrested for sex with boy, 15,

(MA) Christine A. McCallum, 29,
teacher - Arrested for repeated rape of boy starting at age 13,

(MA) Donna Rao, 20,
prostitute - Arrested for prostitution after calling cops upon being robbed,

(MD) Autumn Leathers, 24,
teacher - Guilty of sex with boy, 15. Sentencing TBD,

(MD) Rene Walbeck, 42,
youth center worker - Indicted for sex with boy, 17,

(MI) Melissa S. Barry, 29,
neighbor - Arrested for sexual acts with 15-month-old boy,

(MN) Brianna Marie Broitzman and Ashton Michelle Larson, both 19,
nursing home workers - Arrested for elderly abuse,

(MO) Sarah L. Brown,
babysitter - Arrested for sex with boy, 13,

(MO) Melody Link, 47,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 16,

(NC) Dawn Perry, 45,
teacher - Arrested for kidnapping and shooting a female student,

(NH) Nicole Belonga, 27,
neighbor - Gets 15 to 30 years in prison for killing daughter,

(NH) Crystal Walden, 34,
neighbor - Arrested for child endangerment for leaving son coatless/shoeless at truck stop while servicing truckers,

(NY) Jessica R. Henry, 23,
neighbor - Arrested for directing a child in sex,

(NY) Cecil (Katie) Suwal, 24,
neighbor - Gets six months jail for promoting prostitution in Gov. Spitzer scandal,

(NY) Lynn Taliento, 42,
teacher - Gets two to six years prison for defrauding elderly woman,

(OH) Tracy Conley, 39,
neighbor - Indicted for sex with two boys,

(PA) Beth Camp, 52,
teacher - Busted for trafficking drugs,

(PA) Patricia J. Gamber, 39,
neighbor - Guilty of sex with boy, 15. Sentencing in Feb.,

(PA) Angela Honeycutt, 39,
neighbor - Gets 11 and one-half months prison for corrupting minors,

(PA) Jeanine Melissa Owens, 29,
neighbor - Arrested for engaging in sex with boy, 12,

(PA) Kathi Louise Turner, 41,
neighbor - Arrested for rape of girl, 11,

(SC) Tara Bowers, 29,
neighbor - Accused of criminal sex with boy, 15,

(SC) Sara Melissa Schneider, 29,
neighbor - Gets 70 months in prison for sex with boy, 15,

(TN) Melissa Dawn McCord, 35,
teacher - Arrested for sex with daughter's date, 14,

(TX) Eloisa Suarez Betancourt, 35,
teacher - Arrested for repeatedly stabbing her husband,

(TX) Misti Dawn Kennair (aka Misti Richards), 30,
neighbor - Arrested for sex assault of boy, 16,

(TX) Eliza Leal and Criselda Reyna, 36 and 21 respectively,
neighbors - Arrested for sex with boy, 15,

(TX) Angela Newport Rowland, 33,
teacher - Arrested for drug possession,

(TX) Melissa Beth Williams, 42,
teacher - Gets six months prison for sex with boy, 17,

(TX) Vanessa Zuniga, 32,
teacher - Arrested for improper relationship with student,

(VA) Kathleen Bernard,
teacher - Accused of being drunk in classroom,

(VA) Cassandra Mays Mawyer, 28,
neighbor - Arrested for carnal knowledge of boy, 13 to 15,

(WI) Angela Bancroft, 33,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 15,

(WI) Megan Gaede,
teacher - Accused of sex with student, resigned position at school.

Thanks to all the tipsters.

Labels: Women With Troubles

|

       Following Entry Posted 1/31/2009 04:30:00 PM

Stimulus Will Crush Cars for Global Warming

Pure insanity, according to Gateway Pundit and I agree.

SEMA ( Specialty Equipment Market Association) is opposing an effort by some Washington lawmakers to include a national car crushing program in the upcoming economic stimulus package.

Vehicles targeted for the scrap pile will likely include Chevy Blazers, Silverados, S-10s and Tahoes; Dodge Dakotas and Rams; Ford Explorers and F-Series; Jeep Cherokees and Wranglers; and any other SUV or truck that obtains less than 18 mpg.

The so-called “Accelerated Retirement of Inefficient Vehicles Act” is "Cash for Clunkers" with a twist. Instead of focusing exclusively on old cars as is typical with scrappage programs, this bill will target any vehicle with lower fuel-economy ratings.

Participants will receive a cash voucher to purchase a more fuel-efficient new car or used car (model year 2004 or later) or receive credit for the purchase of public transportation tickets.

Under the legislation, “fuel efficient” means at least 25% better mileage than the CAFE standard. It will be illegal to resell the scrapped vehicles. Bill sponsors want to destroy 4 million pickups and SUVs over the next four years.

America has cancer and it's called liberalism.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/31/2009 03:33:00 PM

Obama Bro Busted for Pot

(Huruma Slum, Kenya) President Obama's half-brother, 24-year-old George Hussein Onyango, has been arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana.

Inspector Augustine Mutembei said the trainee mechanic would face charges of possession of cannabis and resisting arrest.

But the accused man protested his innocence in comments from behind bars. "They took me from my home," he told a CNN reporter after alerting the local correspondent with a telephone call. "I don't know why they are charging me."

He was later released from custody, according to a relative. It was not immediately clear whether his scheduled court appearance on Monday would go ahead.

Heh.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/31/2009 01:58:00 PM

Border Agent Busted for Smuggling

(Brownsville, Texas) A 40-year-old Border Patrol officer, 12-year veteran Sergio Lopez Hernandez, was arrested this week for alleged involvement with an illegal alien and drug smuggling operation.

Federal agents apprehended Hernandez while he was on duty at the Free Trade Bridge at Los Indios.

Federal agents initially received reports of a smuggling operation in October. Subsequently, investigators set up two successful undercover operations to gather evidence and court documents indicate that Lopez Hernandez received money for every illegal alien he allowed through his checkpoint, allegedly $500.

According to court documents, on Wednesday federal agents set up surveillance at the bridge and recorded Lopez Hernandez allowing the entry of four vehicles previously identified as those used for smuggling undocumented immigrants. The vehicles were intercepted and Alonso Banda, Estrada Lopez and Mejia Fajardo were arrested. The occupants of the fourth vehicle fled into Mexico.

The vehicle driven by Mejia Fajardo contained 15 kilograms of cocaine, according to the criminal complaint.

Lopez Hernandez, Javier Alonso Banda, Jose Estrada Lopez and Francisco Mejia Fajardo, were charged with smuggling illegal aliens. Lopez Hernandez and Mejia Fajardo were also charged with smuggling drugs and with intent to distribute.

I'll make a wild guess that corruption among Border Patrol agents is more common than reported. The temptation of easy money from cash-rich drug cartels is hard to resist.

To be fair, though, I'd wager that the overwhelming majority of Border Patrol agents are honest professionals working under terrible circumstances while sometimes feeling abandoned by their management. I salute them.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/31/2009 09:12:00 AM

Pennsylvania Woman and Boy, 12

(Chambersburg, Pennsylvania) Last month, a 29-year-old area woman, Jeanine Melissa Owens, was arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with a 12-year-old boy.

Owens was charged with rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and statutory sexual assault, along with misdemeanor counts of corruption of a minor and indecent assault.

Pennsylvania State Police in Chambersburg interviewed the victim after receiving an anonymous tip.

The investigating officer said the boy told him the two became "boyfriend/girlfriend" that summer, and began texting each other.

The alleged sexual offenses reportedly occurred between the summer of 2008 and November at Owens' home.

This week, Owens pleaded not guilty at a preliminary hearing. Her trial is scheduled for May. She is currently free on bond.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/31/2009 07:52:00 AM

Bailout hypocrisy

Everyone is talking about how much money the government is spending, but very little attention is being paid to where they are spending it or what they are buying with it. The government is putting money into banks, even when the banks don't want it, in hopes that the banks will put it into circulation. But the latest statistics shows that banks are lending even less money now than they were before the government dumped all that cash on them. Even if it had worked, putting cash into banks, in hopes that they would put it into circulation, seems a rather roundabout way of doing things, especially when the staggering sums of money involved are being justified as an "emergency" measure.

Spending money for infrastructure is another time-consuming way of dealing with what is called an immediate crisis. Infrastructure takes forever to plan, debate, and go through all sorts of hearings and adjudications, before getting approval to build from all the regulatory agencies involved. Out of $355 billion newly appropriated, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that only $26 billion will be spent this fiscal year and only $110 billion by the end of 2010. Using long, drawn-out processes to put money into circulation to meet an emergency is like mailing a letter to the fire department to tell them that your house is on fire.

If you cut taxes tomorrow, people would have more money in their next paycheck, and it would probably be spent by the time they got that paycheck, through increased credit card purchases beforehand. If all this sound and fury in Washington was about getting an economic crisis behind us, tax cuts could do that a lot faster.

None of this is rocket science. And Washington politicians are not all crazy, even if sometimes it looks that way. Often, what they say makes no sense because what they claim to be doing is not what they are actually doing. No matter how many times President Barack Obama tells us that these "extraordinary times" call for "swift action," the kind of economic policies he is promoting take effect very slowly, no matter how quickly the legislation is rushed through Congress. It is the old Army game of hurry up and wait.

If the Beltway politicians aren't really trying to solve this crisis as quickly as they could, what are they trying to do? One important clue may be a recent statement by President Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel, that "A crisis is a terrible thing to waste." This is the kind of cynical revelation that sometimes slips out, despite all the political pieties and spin. Crises have long been seen as great opportunities to expand the federal government's power while the people are too scared to object and before any opposition can get organized. That is why there is such haste to do things that will take effect slowly.

Source

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/30/2009 10:54:00 PM

Virginia Teacher Allegedly Intoxicated in Class

(Bumpass, Virginia) Earlier this month, a Louisa County Middle School special education teacher, Kathleen Bernard, was arrested for allegedly being intoxicated while teaching.

Authorities indicated that her blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

Now the sheriff's office and the school system are working together to resolve this issue.

“I tell all of our parents right now to be very patient. We have taken the matter very seriously. It is being handled as a personnel issue therefore we can't comment much on it, but we're working very closely with the Louisa County Sheriff’s Department to take care of the matter,” said Dr. Dallas Dance, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, Louisa Co. Public Schools.

Being hammered in the middle of the day at work likely indicates a deep-seated problem requiring some form of rehab.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/30/2009 08:36:00 PM

Father-Daughter Incest Results in Four Births

(Harrisonville, Missouri) A married couple, both 47 years old, face charges stemming from a years-long incestuous relationship the father had with one of his daughters.

The incest started when the daughter was 13 years old, she's now 19, and went unreported by the wife although it resulted in four pregnancies.

Authorities were finally alerted by a sister of the victim who said she "got fed up" and couldn't see her older sister suffer anymore.

The tip led to a search of a rural property in Harrisonville where the family used to live. The property's new owners found two sealed coolers with the remains of two infants on Jan. 1.

Authorities said one of those infants died after not receiving medical treatment for pneumonia. The 47-year-old father has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of that baby, who was born in November 2006.

He also is accused of fathering the other infant whose body was found in the coolers, and investigators said they were looking into the circumstances of that baby's death.

Authorities believe a third baby born in 2004 has been buried in Oklahoma where the family once lived. A fourth child, now a 3-year-old boy, is in state custody.

In addition to the murder charge, the father also was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, statutory rape and two counts each of incest and abandoning a corpse. He was being held in the Cass County jail in lieu of a $500,000 bond.

The suspect's wife, also 47, has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child because authorities claimed she did little to stop her daughter's sexual abuse. She was free on bond and due in court next week for a case review.

The father has a preliminary hearing scheduled for March 5.

It doesn't get much sicker nor sadder than this story.

Tip: slwlion
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/30/2009 08:10:00 PM

Call-Girl Boss for Gov. Spitzer Gets Prison

(New York City) Twenty-four-year-old call-girl boss Cecil (Katie) Suwal has been sentenced by a federal judge to six months in prison on charges related to laundering money and promoting prostitution.

Suwal managed the prostitutes that Gov. Eliot Spitzer used and which led to his resignation.

Originally, prosecutors had asked the judge for a two-year sentence, but defense attorneys said Suwal deserved leniency. They said a boyfriend got her involved in the business when she was just 20 years old, and that he psychologically dominated her.

Suwal pleaded guilty last spring to charges involving money laundering and promoting prostitution.

A tearful Suwal apologized to the court during her sentencing.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/30/2009 06:52:00 PM

Hope-Change-Hide

President Obama has taken action to block Google and other search engines from accessing White House web pages.

I guess transparency and openness have been redefined by the Obama administration.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/30/2009 01:22:00 PM

Driver Bitten for Non-Hybrid Bus

That's right. A woman bites the bus driver because the bus he was assigned to operate wasn't a hybrid, save-the-planet vehicle. Global-warming crazy she is.

It is disturbing that the global warming cultists think that they are entirely normal. They're not.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/30/2009 12:43:00 PM

Wisconsin Teacher Resigns on Student Sex Allegation

(Chippewa County, Wisconsin) In December 2008, a Lake Holcombe School District music teacher, Megan Gaede, was questioned about allegations from a student who said he had sex with her at least 10 times. Gaede did not deny the allegations, however, she immediately resigned.

No criminal charges were filed since the student was 18 years old at the time of the sexual relations. Nonetheless, the state Department of Public Instruction is reviewing the case.

Belated reporting on the situation resulted because the school district kept the records confidential until an open records request was filed by the local media.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/30/2009 08:08:00 AM

Hispanic Group Alleges Hate Speech on Cable News

We read:

"In a petition to the FCC this week, the National Hispanic Media Coalition claims that hate speech is "prevalent" on national cable news networks and wants the government to do something about it.

That was one of the assertions made by the group in a formal request that the commission open a notice of inquiry into "the extent, the effect, and possible remedies" to what it said was a pervasive problem, and not just on conservative talk radio.

NHMC, a nonprofit LA based media advocacy group, cited a 2007 Media Matters study that concluded that "the alleged connection between illegal immigration and crime" was discussed on 94 episodes of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, 66 times on Fox's Bill O'Reilly, and 29 times on Glenn Beck's Headline News show.

Source

Media Matters is just a Leftist propaganda outfit but they are right that there is some airing in the media of the fact that immigrants have a high rate of crime. The Hispanic crime rate lies in between the black and white crime rates. See here. I think truth is still a defence in the USA.

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/30/2009 07:59:00 AM

Tennessee Teacher Accused of Doing Daughter's Date

(Milan, Tennessee) A 35-year-old special education teacher at West Carroll Elementary School, Melissa Dawn McCord, was arrested yesterday for allegedly engaging in sex acts with a 14-year-old boy.

McCord is accused of committing oral sex and exchanging sexually explicit text messages. McCord faces several charges including statutory rape by an authority figure.

According to the report, McCord told police that the two exchanged text messages and at one time went to the park together, but would not admit to having oral sex with the boy.

McCord also is charged with providing obscene materials to a minor, solicitation of a minor and solicitation of a minor to observe sexual conduct. [...]

The police report said the teenager's parents had several text conversations between McCord and the boy in their possession.

The two met through McCord's daughter, who was dating him, according to the report.

A court appearance is scheduled for February 6. Meanwhile, McCord has been suspended from her teaching position.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/30/2009 07:10:00 AM

Government by Interpretation

When illustrated, President Obama's interpretation of "shameful" fiscal irresponsibility versus "restrained" financial stimulus is so much more understandable.

Frankly, it reminds me of another Democrat who said oral sex is not sex while creatively interpreting what "is" is.

I'm inclined toward traditional definitions and common sense rather than sailing the ship of hypocrites to Bizarro Land.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/29/2009 11:50:00 PM

North Carolina Teacher Allegedly Shoots Student

(Raleigh, North Carolina) A 45-year-old teacher at the Longview School, Dawn Perry, has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and shooting an 18-year-old female student, Jessica Perry. Dawn Perry is not believed to be related to Jessica.

According to Nash County Sheriff's Lt. Pat Joyner, Dawn Perry has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon causing serious injury and kidnapping.

Joyner said the incident began Jan. 18 at N.C. Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount. Perry waited there for 18-year-old Jessica Perry, a basketball player she had previously coached. [...]

He said Dawn Perry waited for Jessica Perry in a parking lot, where the two women had an argument. Authorities don't know what the dispute was about.

Dawn Perry asked Jessica to take her to Louisburg, Joyner said. The younger woman refused and got in her car, but she was then persuaded to let Dawn in, he said.

"Dawn pulled a firearm and pointed it at Jessica and told her to drive," he said.

Eventually, Dawn Perry fired a shot into Jessica Perry's leg and then drove her to the hospital. Joyner said the gunshot wound turned out to be minor so Jessica Perry was treated and released.

Dawn Perry was booked into custody and later released on $40,000 bond. She has been suspended by the Wake County School system.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/29/2009 09:33:00 PM

Lingerie Bowl Canceled

Something about too much nudity.

Tip: CN
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/29/2009 07:49:00 PM

Arkansas Teacher Gets 50 Years in Child Sex Case - Updated

(Magnolia, Arkansas) Forty-seven-year-old former teacher Donna Lou Sanders pleaded guilty earlier today to five counts of permitting abuse of a minor, charges filed in two different Arkansas counties, Union and Columbia.

As a result, Sanders was sentenced by Circuit Judge Larry Chandler to 50 years in prison, 10 years for each count.

Sanders resigned April 23 from her teaching job, the same day she was arrested after a parent had earlier notified the school superintendent of the allegations.

Prosecutors say she set the girls up to have sex in a motel room and in the back seat of her car.

Reporting has been somewhat sketchy on the Sanders case so we really don't know what she was thinking. Never before have I heard of a teacher taking young girls out of class for purposes of prostituting them. Sanders must have known that she would never get away with it.

Not only that but her husband, as assistant principal, was in charge of school discipline. What in the world was she thinking?

Something is very strange about the case. I tend to believe she committed the offenses with a desire to get caught.


* * * * *
Teacher Accused of Taking Girls to Motel for Sex
[Previous 4/28/08 post]
(Magnolia, Arkansas) A 46-year-old special education teacher at Magnolia Junior High School, Donna Lou Sanders, was arrested this past week for allegedly taking 12- and 13-year-old students to motels to engage in sex.

Police allege that Sanders rented motel rooms in El Dorado for the girls, left them overnight, and returned the next day and picked them up.

She also provided alcoholic beverages to the juveniles, Gorum said. The incidents took place over seven months, beginning in September, all in Union County. Magnolia is in Columbia County.

Sanders was charged with 12 counts of permitting abuse of a minor and 12 counts of accomplice to rape. She was booked into custody at the Columbia County Jail with bond set at $100,000.

Sanders resigned from her position with the school system on Wednesday. Her husband, Magnolia High School asst. principal Terry Sanders has not been accused in the case.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/29/2009 06:18:00 PM

Single-Element Compound

Huh? Not when I was going to school.

Florida International University researchers have helped discover a new single-element compound, a breakthrough that could rewrite chemistry books.

An international group of scientists, led by FIU's Center for the Study of Matters at Extreme Condition, synthesized and characterized a single-element compound, Boron Boride (B28). [...]

Until now, the classic definition of a chemical compound is a substance consisting of two or more different elements chemically bonded together in a fixed proportion by mass.

But the new compound differs from that definition in that it is made up of just one element, formed by pure boron under high pressure and temperature.

In all candor, I thought chemistry books needed rewriting when I was a student. Mine was in Greek.

The research was funded by the government.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/29/2009 04:32:00 PM

Florida Teacher Allegedly Injures Student

(Fort Lauderdale, Florida) A 29-year-old substitute teacher with Broward County Schools, Lamika Watkins, has been arrested for allegedly pushing a student in the chest, sending him backwards into a television set and opening a small laceration.

Watkins has been charged with felony battery.

Police and school officials have not identified the student. The report states that he lives in Pompano Beach, which means he likely attends the school as part of its Montessori magnet program.

Andrew Feirstein, a district spokesman, said Watkins was temporarily removed from the active substitute teachers list after the incident.

Watkins reportedly admitted to the offense.

If I'm not mistaken, the child involved is very young if he is attending a Montessori program. Maybe teaching is too stressful of a career choice for Watkins.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/29/2009 04:09:00 PM

Michigan Woman Accused of Sex with Toddler

(Caro, Michigan) A 29-year-old area woman, Melissa S. Barry, was arrested for engaging in sexual activity with a 15-month-old boy.

Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark E. Reene authorized a six-count warrant charging Barry with first-, second- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

''The defendant is not a relative of the victim but was residing with the victim and his family during the time the incidents occurred in January,'' Reene said.

Barry was booked into custody at the Tuscola County jail with bond set at $150,000. A court appearance is scheduled for February 6.

I hesitate to even think of what's going on here.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/29/2009 03:07:00 PM

Hamas Tagged for Torture Killing

(Gaza Strip) It's hard to disbelieve instances where Islamist militants are accused of heinous acts. They are so good at it.

Osama Atallah, a teacher, was a supporter of the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the sworn enemy of Hamas, whose gunmen drove Fatah militia out of Gaza in 2007 and fought Israel's army in a three-week war this month.

His brother Bassam said on Thursday masked gunmen in two jeeps had arrived at the family home in the city of Gaza on Tuesday. They identified themselves as members of Hamas internal security and they arrested his brother Osama.

Bassam said the Hamas security service told the Atallah family Osama would be released in a matter of hours. But a Hamas government official, who is also a member of the Atallah family, later denied the teacher was in custody.

Osama Atallah died of wounds inflicted during detention by Hamas.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/29/2009 02:11:00 PM

California Teacher Collared on 40 Counts of Child Molestation

(Chula Vista, California) A 32-year-old fifth-grade teacher at Sunnyslope Elementary School, Carmina Lopez, was arrested yesterday for allegedly molesting a male student for four years, starting in 2004 when he was 11 years old. The boy is now 15.

According to Chula Vista Police Lt. Dan Linney, Lopez began the relationship with the boy when she was his sixth-grade teacher.

The relationship with the boy ended last year, Linney said.

Lopez was still being questioned by detectives early Thursday. She faces at least 40 counts of unlawful sex with a minor and child molestation charges, Linney said.

The investigation continues.

Tip: David L.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/29/2009 12:39:00 PM

Russian Gas/Oil Drilling in Mediterranean

(Davos, Switzerland) At the World Economic Forum in Davos, a place that is absolutely infested with greenies, a surprising disclosure came from Leonid Mikhelson, CEO of the Russian energy producer, Novatek.

Later this year, Novatek will start drilling off of Egyptian coastal waters.

In September 2007, Novatek bought a 50% stake in a concession agreement for the exploration and development of the El-Arish offshore deposit in Egypt from Tharwa Petroleum S.A.E.

The offshore block covering approximately 2,300 sq km (888 sq miles) is located along the Mediterranean coast to the north of the Sinai. Half of the block lies at depths of up to 50 meters (164 ft) with the rest located as deep as 500 meters (1,640 ft).

Drill, baby, drill! is obviously understood by the Russians.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/29/2009 12:09:00 PM

Defining the Followers of Obama

Just change she to he and girl to guy. Arguably, it's an apropo musical representation of the hopey-changey followers.


Catchy too.

"One singular sensation
Every little step (he) takes
One thrilling combination
Every move that (he) makes
One smile and suddenly no one else will do
You know you'll never be lonely with you know who ..."

Heh.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/29/2009 11:14:00 AM

Driving Drunk While Pregnant at 14

(Whangarei, New Zealand) A 14-year-old girl, four months pregnant and drunk at a level almost six times over the legal limit, was caught driving erratically.

Whangarei police Acting Sergeant Kevin Crawford said the girl was stopped after her driving caught police attention on Tuesday evening.

She gave a false name and had difficulty spelling it. She was forbidden to drive and taken to Whangarei police station, where she recorded a breath-alcohol level of 828mcg. The legal limit for drivers under 20 is 150mcg and driving licences are not issued to people under 15.

The girl will be referred to Youth Aid, Mr Crawford said.

Some concern was reported regarding the health of her fetus, however, no concerns surfaced regarding how the 14-year-old got pregnant in the first place. There must be laws that protect young girls.

If anyone can translate 828mcg into percent blood alcohol level, by all means, leave a comment.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/29/2009 10:40:00 AM

Russia Wants Sunken Treasure

From RIA Novosti:

Experts in Russia say the country could have the right to file a claim for part of treasure worth billions of dollars on board a British cargo ship sunk by a German submarine during World War II.

The British cargo ship, torpedoed in June 1942 while carrying precious metals to the United States to help pay for the Allied war effort under the Lend-Lease Act, was recently discovered by the Sub Sea Research company off Guyana.

The sunken ship, possibly called the Blue Baron, is believed to contain gold, platinum and diamonds worth some $3.7 billion. A large part of the cargo is thought to have belonged to the Soviet Union.

The Russian thinking appears to be that they can claim ownership despite the fact it was intended for a Lend-Lease payment to the U.S. They believe that the sunken loot is no longer owed for Lend-Lease since other repayment arrangements were made after the loss of the ship. Kinda makes sense.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/29/2009 08:03:00 AM

Teeth incorrect??




Are models not supposed to have teeth?? The contant use of bony models is a big attack on the natural looks of most people and now this. Will a gummy skeleton become the ideal to which women are supposed to conform? There is a very heavy involvement of male homosexuals in fashion and the abnormal-looking women that they promote certainly are consistent with them not liking women generally. The "teeth" flap, however, is the work of a female editor.

"Notorious US Vogue editor Anna Wintour and her team superimposed a picture of Sienna Miller's face onto another one of her body after complaining she was too "toothy" for their front cover, a new film reveals. The decision is documented in The September Issue, an 89-minute fly-on-the-wall exploration of life behind the scenes at Vogue, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last week.

In it, director and producer RJ Cutler tracks the compilation of the magazine's biggest ever issue, which ended up weighing nearly two kilograms and selling 13 million copies.

According to British newspaper The Telegraph, editor-in-chief Wintour is shown complaining that actress Miller - their chosen cover girl - is too "toothy", while other magazine staff comment on the number of fillings she has.

Renowned Peruvian photographer Mario Testino took the shots but the magazine ending up using one shot of Miller's face and superimposing it on another taken of her body.

Source

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/29/2009 12:16:00 AM

Dems Own Porkzilla

The Democrat so-called "stimulus" appropriations bill was passed by the House of Representatives without a single Republican vote. The pork-laden give-away package, or Porkzilla, is now completely a Democrat initiative.

Success or failure, it's their legacy.

Good.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/29/2009 12:07:00 AM

Two Texas Women Accused of Sex with Boy

(Robstown, Texas) Two local women, 36-year-old Eliza Leal and 21-year-old Criselda Reyna, were arrested yesterday for the alleged sex with a 15-year-old boy.

The alleged offenses reportedly occurred in May 2008 and came to light only recently when the victim told his father.

Leal and Reyna were booked into custody and await a bond hearing.

Poor kid.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/28/2009 09:53:00 PM

Convicted Terrorist Claims Human Rights Violated

(Wakefield Prison, England) Kamel Bourgass is a 33-year-old Al-Qaeda terrorist serving life in prison for the 2004 stabbing death of Special Branch Detective Constable Stephen Oake.

In prison, Bourgass has become an annoying pain in the gluteals by preaching Islamist hate and demanding that female wardens wear veils. He's threatening legal action on the veil issue, claiming women without veils violate his human rights.

The Algerian had been preparing a deadly ricin poison attack on Britain when father-of-three Detective Constable Oake, 40, arrested him.

Bourgass, the first Muslim fanatic to murder a British police officer, has been in Wakefield jail for just a few weeks.

But insiders claim he has already begun preaching Islamist hate against the West to inmates. [...]

A prison insider revealed: “He is very abusive and confrontational with staff and says female officers in prayer meetings are a breach of his human rights.

Bourgass was sentenced to a minimum 22 years for murder and 17 years for the ricin poison plot. Now, under the British Human Rights Act, courts will have to waste their time adjudicating this butthole's whining.

Frankly, I need to be reminded why the death penalty is a bad thing.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/28/2009 01:09:00 PM

Taliban Surging Toward Islamabad

As Taliban forces move toward the capital, a parallel government is being instituted. They are setting up courts and collecting taxes while establishing patrols and checkpoints. Currently, there is no indication that the Pakistani government will be able to stop the advance of the Taliban.

Pakistani lawmakers have even warned that the Taliban insurgency "was spilling over to the rest of the country and would reach Islamabad sooner than Lahore."

To remind readers, Pakistan has nuclear weapons and it's a frightening thought that the Taliban may ultimately take possession of them.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/28/2009 12:01:00 PM

Louisiana Woman Requests Drugs from Sheriff

(Jena, Louisiana) A 36-year-old local woman, Tracie L. Ingram, was arrested Monday for allegedly texting the LaSalle Parish Sheriff's Office to make a drug deal. Through texts, Ingram indicated that she wanted to buy $500 worth of cocaine.

The Sheriff's Office, with assistance from Louisiana State Police, had patrol cars hidden when Ingram pulled up to make the buy, officials said.

"I wish all of our arrests would fall into our laps like this one," [Sheriff] Franklin joked. "They say that our business is one of the only ones you don't have to advertise for, it just comes to us. But in this case, well, that's stretching that concept a little far. It's never this easy."

The arrest of Ingram came about because she was texting her drug request to a person she thought was a drug dealer. Unbeknownst to her, though, was that the cell phone number of her dealer had been reassigned to a new cell phone line in the Sheriff's Office. Consequently, instead of a drug dealer receiving her texts, it was a detective.

Ingram has been charged with criminal conspiracy to commit possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia found in her car. She was booked into custody at the Richland Parish Women's Detention Facility. Bond has yet to be set.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/28/2009 11:21:00 AM

Overdue Library Book Results in Theft Charge

(Jesup, Iowa) A 39-year-old area woman, Shelly Koontz, was arrested last Thursday by Jesup Police for theft because she failed to return an overdue library book.

Koontz checked out the book in April 2008. Library staff called Koontz four times asking for the book to be returned. Officials sent three letters to Koontz's home and a fourth, certified letter, which Koontz refused to sign for, police said.

A police officer visited Koontz at home in September and told Koontz's teenage daughter that the book needed to be returned or paid for.

After another month passed, [Jesup Police Sgt.] Boos advised Jesup library director Cindy Lellig and the library board that Koontz could be arrested on a theft charge.

Koontz was booked into custody at the Buchanan County Jail and subsequently released on $250 bond.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/28/2009 11:04:00 AM

Can You Hear Me Now?

(Middletown, Connecticut) A 54-year-old local woman, Emily Arsenault, was arrested Monday for allegedly standing on her porch for an hour and yelling the "f-word" for no apparent reason.

Arsenault was charged with breach of the peace.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/28/2009 10:28:00 AM

Arkansas Woman Busted for Dealing Drugs Outside Courthouse

(Lonoke, Arkansas) A 34-year-old local woman, Debra Romero, was arrested yesterday by Lonoke County Sheriff's deputies for selling drugs outside the courthouse while visiting as a spectator in a friend's proceedings.

Romero has been charged with possession and delivery of methamphetamine.

Romero exited the courthouse, completed a drug deal with undercover officers, then returned inside.

Investigators retrieved Romero from the courtroom and transported her to the Lonoke County Sheriff's office.

Further investigation resulted in the locating and seizing of methamphetamine and prescription pills from Romero's vehicle, which was in the parking lot.

Romero was booked into the Lonoke County Jail with bond set at $20,000.

Now, if someone is conducting illegal business outside the courthouse in the middle of the day, it's reasonable to suspect that the person has a few neurons misfiring.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/28/2009 08:02:00 AM

Now Greenies don't like tidal power, either

It might upset the fish, you know. So: Coal, nuclear and hydroelectic are positively EVIL; windmills are no good; tidal power is no good. There's just no such thing as a happy Greenie. Report from Britain:

Whichever, if any, tidal scheme is built on the Severn, it is sure to anger some environmentalists. Being a renewable source of electricity, tidal generators might be assumed to be popular with the green lobby. Yet there are serious reservations over the environmental costs of a barrage or lagoon in the estuary - and they have split the environmentalist movement.

On the one hand there is the appeal of doing something positive about climate change by turning to a renewable, rather than burnable, source of energy. Environmental activists have been urging governments, power companies and the public to embrace renewable energy because it is cleaner than fossil fuels and nuclear power. On the other hand, thousands of hectares of shoreline will be destroyed as a feeding ground for birds - an internationally important feeding ground, no less. There are also deep concerns about the impact on the fish and invertebrates in the Severn. Barrages and, to a lesser extent, lagoons form a physical barrier to species such as salmon and eels as they migrate. The dilemma is balancing the potential damage to habitat against the gains made in combating climate change.

If measures such as the Cardiff-Weston barrage are not taken, how much of the river will be claimed anyway by sea-level rises from melting ice caps and how many creatures will be forced to find somewhere else to live because temperatures have become unbearable?

Some of the projects that missed the shortlist are regarded as having less of an impact on the environment but they are the most unproven schemes and, however attractive their merits, their effectiveness is questionable. When coming to their decision on tidal schemes for the Severn - and perhaps one day the Mersey, the Wyre and the Thames - ministers will have plenty of factors to weigh up. There will be the jobs created - the bigger the scheme the bigger the job creation prospects - and there will be the economic damage caused by limiting navigation of the Severn and access to upstream ports. There will be the attraction of plumping for a huge barrage that will be a monument to their tenure in office, to be set against the affordability of constructing such an edifice.

But most of all they will have to judge whether the wider environment will best be served by sacrifice or preservation.

SOURCE


Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/27/2009 09:18:00 PM

Woman Gets 70 Months Prison for Sex with Boy - Updated

(Pickens County, South Carolina) Twenty-nine-year-old Sara Schneider pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct with a minor in accordance with a plea agreement and was sentenced to 70 months in prison.

The victim, who was 15 years old in the summer of 2007, met Schneider through a poker Web site, and they started communicating via instant message, letters and phone calls, according to Susanna Ringler of the S.C. Attorney General’s Office.

The relationship escalated to a sexual nature that fall via phone and webcam, she said.

After her release from prison, Schneider must serve four years probation.


* * * * *
Woman Jailed for Solicitation of Boy
[Previous 5/2/08 post]
(Pickens County, South Carolina) A 28-year-old woman, Sara Melissa Schneider, has been indicted by a Pickens County grand jury on charges resulting from her traveling from Wisconsin to South Carolina to have sex with a 15-year-old boy she met over the Internet.

Schneider faces one count of criminal solicitation of a minor.

The 15-year-old boy's parents alerted authorities of the plan and deputies arrested Schneider when she arrived at the boy's home.

Schneider was booked into custody at the Pickens County Detention Center.

This is interesting. Earlier this week, a woman from New York traveled to Wisconsin to have sex with a 15-year-old boy she met over the Internet. And now we have a woman from Wisconsin traveling to South Carolina to have sex with a 15-year-old boy. Jeez, you'd think the child molesters would be more coordinated.

The Wisconsin woman, Schneider, could have simply stayed and molested the home state boy while the New York woman, Tracy Taylor, could have traveled to South Carolina for child sex. Saves energy and fights global warming.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/27/2009 04:25:00 PM

Schools Issue Marijuana Handbook

(North Tyneside, England) The British National Drugs Education Programme is providing 20-page "Know Cannabis" handbooks to students giving guidance on smoking marijuana in bongs and on proper joint rolling.

Two-thirds of the way through the handbook, students are informed that marijuana is illegal.

Parents in the North East have demanded the booklets be removed from schools after claiming they are advertising the drug.

Aimed at youngsters, it includes advice on how best to take the drug.

It carries the cost of 'vaporisers' which are a 'less risky' way to take the drug and warn not to roll a cannabis cigarette with too many cigarette papers as 'three skinners will do'.

The booklets begin by telling youngsters to 'Know the effects, how it is used, the risks, and how to avoid them'. [...]

One 45-year-old mum from North Tyneside said she was outraged when her 15-year-old asthmatic son came home and told her he had been given 'a lesson on how to smoke cannabis safely'.

Just great, eh?

It's difficult to dispute the contention that British schools are raising a generation of dope-numbed idiots. Why the parents are allowing advocacy of marijuana is unknown. Could it be that one generation of mind-numbed robots has already reached adulthood?

Also, should we now expect to see a handbook on pills, crack cocaine, meth and Ecstasy and the proper use of syringes? Of course, there should also be guidance on glue-sniffing, frog-licking and mushrooms.

More greatness from Great Britain? I don't think so. Realistically, though, I shouldn't be too critical without mentioning that marijuana promotion is also occurring in parts of the U.S.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/27/2009 01:36:00 PM

Brit NHS: Diagnoses by Phone, No Meat on Hospital Menus

(UK) The National Health Service (NHS) in Britain is instituting policy changes to reduce carbon emissions and, as the largest public sector employer in the country, to lead the nation in the fight against global warming.

Ministers want family doctors to hold more 'phone-in' surgeries to help the environment by cutting carbon emissions from cars.

They also want hospitals to achieve their green targets by reducing the amount of meat they serve to patients in wards.

With Dial-A-Doctor diagnostics and meat erased from the menu, the NHS hopes to see a 10 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2015. According to NHS Chief Executive David Nicholson, "I want to encourage NHS staff to really get involved and do their bit to create a greener NHS."

Critics claim that telephone diagnoses are dangerous and could lead to incorrect treatment or death. Taxpayers' Alliance spokesman Mark Wallace indicated that the environment is again being used to trim health care services.

Logically, the give-everything-to-everybody socialized medical scheme is flawed in theory because it assumes infinite resources. Resources are not infinite and, as a consequence, Brits should expect health care services to be further pared back to reduce costs.

It's predictable that future reductions in health services will be needed and they will be justified as saving the planet or "for the children" or maybe something new and innovative will come out of the political correctness toy box.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/27/2009 08:28:00 AM

"Some of my best friends are Jews"


There are some politically active people in the Melbourne Jewish community and I do what I can to circulate their material when I can. One of their movers and shakers, Ralph Zwier, has recently written a small article on the old, old controversy about people saying "Some of my best friends are Jews". That remark is, rather paradoxically, usually interpreted as indicating that the person uttering it is antisemitic. So although Ralph and I have had an amicable and frequent correspondence for some time, you can understand why I would never dare to call him one of my best friends!

But isn't that a bit paradoxical? What are genuinely philosemitic people supposed to say? Are they supposed to say: "None of my best friends are Jews"? There is actually an answer to that in the Bible. I find it in three of the Proverbs of Solomon the Wise: "He who flatters a man spreads a net for his feet" (Proverbs 29:5 R.S.V.); "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy" (Proverbs 27: 6. R.S.V.); "He who rebukes a man will afterward find more favour than he who flatters with his tongue" (Proverbs 28: 23 R.S.V.). In short, a true friend is CRITICAL, but constructively so. So by that standard I think I stand up rather well, in that I have on several occasions (e.g. here) remarked that Jews as a whole tend to be politically stupid and have endeavoured to point to wiser paths that they might follow.

But that does that wash? I perfectly understand that many Jews might see me as being simply impertinent and ignorant. So is it the case that Gentiles are damned whether they speak either good or ill of Jews? Nearly but not quite. Ralph Zwier's point is that antisemites say things which indicate that they have BENEFITED from Jews. the obvious corollary is that a real philosemite would actually do things the other way around: He would do things that benefit Jews rather than seeking benefits FROM Jews. And I think that is a completely commonsense observation. My way of supporting the Jewish community is to defend Israel in any way I can and to donate to Israeli charities. And, Yes, I do have some Jewish friends whom I value greatly.

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/27/2009 06:47:00 AM

Connecticut Teacher Accused of Inappropriateness with Boy

(North Canaan, Connecticut) A 42-year-old teacher at North Canaan Elementary School, Melinda Handlowich, was arrested on January 15 for allegedly making advances toward a 13-year-old male student.

Handlowich has been charged with risk of injury to a minor and disorderly conduct with a minor between September 2007 and May 2008.

[T]he boy told police that his paraprofessional, Melinda Handlowich, repeatedly asked him to come live with her, and that he remembered approximately nine instances when she tried to hug and kiss him in the special education room at school. He told police he would push her, duck out of the way or run to try to escape. [...]

The boy told police he reported the problem to his parents after Handlowich had tried to hug and kiss him all day, according to the warrant. That same day, he told police he saw her driving back and forth in her car watching him play in a baseball game after school.

In addition to police, DCF also investigated Handlowich. The agency found no evidence of sexual abuse, according to the warrant.

Handlowich was booked and released on $2,500 bond.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/27/2009 06:02:00 AM

Louisiana Nurse Arrested for Sex with Boy

(Gonzales, Louisiana) A 45-year-old nurse, Angela Mayers, was arrested after being caught playing doctor with a 15-year-old boy.

Mayers has been charged with obscenity, carnal knowledge of a juvenile, and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

An officer says he caught Angela Mayers and the teenage boy inside a car at the city baseball park along Burnside Avenue.

Mayers was booked into custody and subsequently released on bond.

Tip: FSD
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/27/2009 05:23:00 AM

Woman Naughty at Truck Stop

(Portsmouth, New Hampshire) A 34-year-old woman, Crystal Walden, was arrested Saturday night for child endangerment after her 10-year-old son was found wandering coatless and shoeless in a truck stop parking lot.

Reportedly, Walden was drunk and engaging in sex with truck drivers at the time.

According to an affidavit by Greenland police Sgt. Dawn Sawyer, Walden was arrested Jan. 24 at 10:30 p.m. after two officers found the boy at the truck stop and asked him where his mother was.

“She’s in a truck having sex with the driver,” the boy told police, according to court records. [...]

The trucker is alleged to have confirmed the boy’s story, after police found Walden in his truck, “visibly intoxicated” and with her pants inside out, according to police.

“It’s only because I was drinking tequila,” Walden said during her Monday arraignment. “I promise I will never take another drink again. I made a mistake.”

Yesterday, Walden was arraigned on two counts of class A misdemeanor child endangerment.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/26/2009 09:54:00 PM

Nicole Belonga Gets 15 to 30 Years for Killing Daughter - Updated

(Nashua, New Hampshire) Earlier today, 27-year-old Nicole Belonga was sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison for shaking her 21-month-old daughter, Rylea, to death.

"A lot of your family and friends describe your good character and caring demeanor," Hillsborough County Superior Court Judge William Groff said in handing down the maximum sentence.

"But sometimes a crime is so heinous that previous character matters little. Good people sometimes commit horrible crimes. A person who testified for you -- I don’t remember who it was -- said the state was trying to make you out to be a monster. Well, you were a monster that day." [...]

But several of Belonga’s friends and relatives described her as a loving mother who spent her time caring for others and working with disabled and troubled teens. They also pointed out that even while grieving for her daughter, she managed to become president of an honor society at Hesser College.

She is a role model," said Kate Thibeault, of Hooksett, a friend of Belonga. "And a person that other people should aspire to be. I know I do."

Belonga’s sister Monique Belonga, of Hudson, made a statement on behalf of the family after the sentence was read.

"She is still innocent to us and the person who really did this is still out there," she said. "We are here for her today, and will be there for her when she gets out. We love her. I love her."

As to whether justice was served, it depends on who you talk to. Lots of controversy remains in the case.


* * * * *
Nicole Belonga Guilty of Killing Her Daughter - Updated
[Previous 11/15/08]
(Nashua, New Hampshire) This week in Hillsborough County Superior Court, 27-year-old Nicole Belonga was convicted of manslaughter in the death of her 21-month-old daughter, Rylea. Free on bail during the trial, Belonga was jailed immediately after the conviction. The jury took five days to reach a verdict.

The jury deliberated painstakingly over whether to convict on second-degree murder or the lesser, included crime of manslaughter. The difference depended on whether Belonga "knowingly" or "recklessly" killed her daughter. The jury found that she recklessly committed the killing, thereby resulting in the manslaughter conviction.

Manslaughter carries a maximum of 15 to 30 years in prison. There is no mandatory minimum sentence which means she could be sentenced to virtually anything less than 15 years.

Sentencing has been scheduled for January 26th.


* * * * *
Woman Accused of Killing Her Toddler
[Previous 10/13/08 post - bumped from 06/07]
(Nashua, New Hampshire) A 26-year-old local woman, Nicole Belonga, faces murder charges in the death of her two-year-old daughter, Rylea Belonga.

Rylea was allegedly killed by "strangling . . . and striking her head against a hard surface," causing fatal arterial and brain injuries.

Rylea Belonga was hospitalized Jan. 6, 2006, and died later of what doctors concluded was a brain injury caused by choking and blunt force to her head, police reported.

Belonga's lawyers have pointed out that Belonga never told police she choked or strangled Rylea or hit Rylea's head. She did admit to handling Rylea roughly while changing a diaper and while sending her into a "time out."

Belonga was due to stand trial this month in Hillsborough County Superior Court, but the case has been delayed to clarify the charges against her.


[Update 10/13/08]

(Nashua, New Hampshire) Jury selection in the second-degree murder trial of Nicole Belonga, now 27, is scheduled to begin October 20. Belonga faces possible life in prison, if convicted. According to the lead prosecutor, the trial should take three weeks.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/26/2009 08:25:00 PM

"Rehabilitated" Islamists Arrested in Saudi Arabia

(Saudi Arabia) It appears that the Saudi Terrorist Rehab Program is not entirely effective.

Nine Saudi Islamic militants, including former Guantanamo inmates, have been rearrested in the Kingdom despite completing a controversial rehabilitation programme.

The arrests follow the embarrassing revelation last week that another Saudi Guantanamo Bay detainee who was released to the authorities in 2007 has emerged as the deputy leader of al-Qaeda’s Yemeni branch of the terrorist organisation.

Both incidents are a serious setback for the experimental regime in which Saudi terror suspects are "weaned off" Islamic militancy at the so-called "Betty Ford clinic" for jihadists.

Nevertheless, one Saudi source says that the program is still an overall success.

It has weaned 218 people off terrorism, off twisted and un-Islamic ideas. It has brought them back into the mainstream. There are 218 terror suspects who are no longer dangerous to society. That must not be forgotten. It would, therefore, be wrong to rush and make changes because rehabilitation did not work with only two former [Gitmo] detainees.

Not everyone shares the optimism.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/26/2009 07:10:00 PM

Thai Military Cast Burmese Refugees Adrift

After fleeing oppression in Burma, refugees were rounded up by the Thai military in a crackdown on illegal immigration.

Mainly Rohingya Muslims from western Burma, about 1,000 refugees were detained on the island of Koh Sai Baed before being towed into international waters and allegedly abandoned at sea.

Pictures have now surfaced allegedly showing the creative and harsh Thai resolution to the refugee problem.

About 500 men are now missing and feared drowned, and Thailand faces the possibility of bodies washing up on popular tourist beaches in Phang Nga and Phuket.

Since media reports began circulating about the mistreatment of the refugees, Thailand has faced international condemnation, and the Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, has promised an investigation.

At the center of the scandal, Thai Army Colonel Manat Kongpat has reportedly denied the allegations.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/26/2009 04:39:00 PM

UK: Former Soldiers Guarding Jewish Schools

(London, England) In the wake of the Gaza skirmish, Jewish schools throughout Britain have hired former elite soldiers to guard against Islamic extremists.

Classrooms are being swept for bombs and visitors searched for weapons after Hamas said Jewish children are legitimate targets.

A staff member at North West London Jewish Day School said the premises now resembles a military barracks. He added: "Many of the security staff served in armies in specialist units."

Phaivish Pink, head at Manchester Jewish Grammar School, said: "Like most other schools we've taken steps to ensure pupils, staff and visitors are safe."

Although I haven't seen any reports, it's logical to assume that Islamic schools have hired additional security to guard against Jewish extremists -- uh, or maybe not.

Companion post at EdWatch.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/26/2009 12:09:00 PM

African Taliban Website Finally Shut Down

It's a damn shame that jihad websites are hosted in the U.S. and it's outrageous that the site providers are reluctant to take action against them, even when repeatedly notified. It's taken almost a year to get the Al-Shabaab website, noted for recruiting terrorists, shut down.

Congratulations are in order.

[Update] To illustrate the problem with jihad-recruiting websites, yesterday 15 Somali-Americans were arrested as terrorists in Somaliland, an autonomous part of Somalia. Yes, they are Americans recruited through the Al-Shabaab website.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/26/2009 10:20:00 AM

Chinese Human Pipeline Goes Through Ecuador

(Lima, Peru) Fourteen Chinese nationals with phony Japanese passports were arrested during raids by Peruvian Police last week at two Lima-area locations. According to police, the Chinese intended to travel to the U.S. on Japanese passports.

A “great quantity” of documents was seized at the first locale: Chinese and Japanese passports, immigration seals from other countries, computers, a modern printer, photographs of oriental persons and Peruvian I.D. cards issued to aliens who reside permanently in that country.

The whole operation was being run by a Chinese, now a naturalized Peruvian, called variously Cheng Ying Wi and also Jen Gui Zheng.

The phony documents reportedly cost each person $10,000.

To assess potential threats, it surely would be helpful if there were some information provided about the Chinese individuals. Right now, it's not known whether they are spies, criminals, computer experts or dry cleaners.

Nonetheless, the smuggling operation indicates substantial funding and sophistication. A reasonable assumption is that there are other similar operations.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/26/2009 08:35:00 AM

Youths Sleep in Cardboard Boxes to Raise Awareness

(Lakewood, Ohio) Between 6PM Saturday and noon Sunday, a group of youths spent the night outside St. Peter's Episcopal Church in cardboard boxes to raise their awareness of the plight of the homeless. The temperatures were icily below freezing.

Although it would be just as reasonable, having the youths trek dozens of miles across the searing desert to raise awareness of the plight of illegal aliens is apparently not scheduled. Raising awareness of the plight of ex-con parolees in halfway houses is also not on the agenda. No also to raising awareness of kids in foster homes and the victims of child abuse. And, most troubling, the kids are seldom taught awareness of the many people who have served, been wounded and died to protect the United States from foreign and domestic enemies.

However, it's probably a good idea to teach the children alternative lifestyles. Since the high school graduation rate hovers dismally around 50 percent in Cleveland, homelessness skills are arguably desirable. After all, without an education, where else can they turn?

As a suggestion for the organizers of the vagrancy-r-us project, the curricula should definitely include some on-the-job experience at begging and panhandling. The youths then would be fully prepared to support and be included in the homeless demographic and help increase the size of the non-productive segment of society.

Sarcasm aside, the sleeping in cardboard boxes is nothing more than political indoctrination. Kids are being taught to have sympathy for the homeless. They should already know, without the experience, that cardboard boxes make terrible shelters and that it's cold in the middle of winter.

Instead of teaching kids sympathy for the homeless, teaching sympathy for the small business owner would be more appropriate. Let them realize the challenge of trying to succeed with high taxes, massive government regulation and rampant crime. Teaching kids how to achieve is far more important than teaching them sympathy for the losers.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/26/2009 08:05:00 AM

Silvio does it again


Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is one of my favorite people. He is constantly being accused of incorrectness but carries on regardless.

"Premier Silvio Berlusconi is being criticized for suggesting that Italy's women are so beautiful they need military escorts to avoid rape. Berlusconi made the comments Sunday, responding to questions about a proposal to deploy 300,000 soldiers in the streets to fight crime. A series of violent crimes, including a rape in Rome on New Year's Eve and another outside the capital this week, prompted the proposal.

But Berlusconi said even with added police, such crimes can happen, and that "We would need so many soldiers because our women are so beautiful."

Opposition lawmaker Giovanna Melandri said Berlusconi's comments were "profoundly offensive."

Berlusconi says he was complimenting women.

Source

Italian men are great pursuers of women and Silvio is one of them. It escapes me what was offensive about his remarks. They sound complimentary to me too. But I guess it is the feminist cr*p about women's attractiveness being unimportant.

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/26/2009 07:45:00 AM

Hamas and Civilian Ambulances in Gaza

(Gaza Strip) Frankly, although this story is quite believable, I'm surprised it was allowed to be reported. It's more typical for the media to protect Hamas from negative news.

Reportedly, it's second-hand information from a 30-year-old Palestinian ambulance driver, Mohammed Shriteh.

"We would co-ordinate with the Israelis before we pick up patients, because they have all our names, and our IDs, so they would not shoot at us."

Mr Shriteh said the more immediate threat was from Hamas, who would lure the ambulances into the heart of a battle to transport fighters to safety.

"After the first week, at night time, there was a call for a house in Jabaliya. I got to the house and there was lots of shooting and explosions all around," he said.

Because of the urgency of the call, Mr Shriteh said there was no time to arrange his movements with the IDF.

"I knew the Israelis were watching me because I could see the red laser beam in the ambulance and on me, on my body," he said.

Getting out of the ambulance and entering the house, he saw there were three Hamas fighters taking cover inside. One half of the building had already been destroyed.

"They were very scared, and very nervous … They dropped their weapons and ordered me to get them out, to put them in the ambulance and take them away. I refused, because if the IDF sees me doing this I am finished, I cannot pick up any more wounded people.

"And then one of the fighters picked up a gun and held it to my head, to force me. I still refused, and then they allowed me to leave."

According to Mr. Shriteh, Hamas made several attempts to hijack ambulances.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/26/2009 07:22:00 AM

Mexican Man Dissolved Bodies

(Tijuana, Mexico) A 45-year-old Mexican man known as the "Stew Maker," Santiago Meza Lopez, was arrested last Thursday for allegedly disposing of 300 bodies in vats of caustic soda in the last ten years.

Drug boss Eduardo Garcia Simental paid Lopez $600 per week to dispose of bodies.

"El Teo" Simental is one of the most-wanted members of the Tijuana drug cartel.

Lopez, known as Posolero del Teo (Teo's Stew Maker), said he got rid of the bodies, "the products of the drug war, enemies or debtors of Simental", by dissolving them in industrial drums on the outskirts of Tijuana, using caustic soda, a highly corrosive substance.

It's not known whether the bodies dissolved in acid were counted among the Mexican murder totals.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/25/2009 06:37:00 PM

Snow in the UAE

(Ras al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates) For only the second time in recorded history, it snowed in the Jebel Jais area, about 60 miles northeast of Dubai. Presumably, the rare event was caused by global warming.

So rare was the event that one lifelong resident said the local dialect had no word for it.

According to the RAK Government, temperatures on Jebel Jais dropped to -3°C on Friday night. On Saturday, the area had reached 1°C.

Major Saeed Rashid al Yamahi, a helicopter pilot and the manager of the Air Wing of RAK Police, said the snow covered an area of five kilometres and was 10cm deep.

“The sight up there this morning was totally unbelievable, with the snow-capped mountain and the entire area covered with fresh, dazzling white snow,” Major al Yamahi said.

“The snowfall started at 3pm Friday, and heavy snowing began at 8pm and continued till midnight, covering the entire area in a thick blanket of snow. Much of the snow was still there even when we flew back from the mountain this afternoon. It is still freezing cold up there and there are chances that it might snow again tonight.”

Aisha al Hebsy, a woman in her 50s who has lived in the mountains near Jebel Jais all her life, said snowfall in the area was so unheard of the local dialect does not even have a word for it. Hail is known as bared, which literally translates as cold. “Twenty years ago we had lots of hail,” said Ms al Hebsy. “Last night was like this. At four in the morning we came out and the ground was white.”

Jebel Jais was dusted in snow on Dec 28, 2004, the first snowfall in living memory for Ras al Khaimah residents.

Jebel Jais is a 5,700-foot tall mountain which the government hopes to turn into a ski resort with snow-making equipment.

Tip: CN
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/25/2009 09:27:00 AM

California Out of Money

(Sacramento, California) According to California State Controller John Chiang, it's tin cup time in the golden state.

The controller says California is down to Plan D on its checklist of paying bills. Its cash reserves are piddling; the special funds it borrows from are tapped out, and no one in the private sector is going to lend it any cash at a reasonable interest rate.

That leaves what in state government circles are called "payment deferrals" and what in real life is called "stiffing your creditors."

In this case the creditors include income taxpayers expecting refunds, college students waiting on state aid, counties that operate public assistance programs, and companies that sell goods and services to state agencies.

Fortunately, just as the state of California goes into an official begging mode, President Obama and Congressional Democrats are finalizing a gargantuan giveaway program. How fortuitous, eh?

Interestingly, Arnold Schwarzenegger defeated every conceivable enemy during his acting career only to have The Terminator turn into Spineless Jellyman when confronted with the challenges of governing. It shows the disconnect between fiction and reality. All too often, the hero in the movies is no more than an ordinary schlub in real life.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/25/2009 08:02:00 AM

Tennessee "English only" requirement racist?


Even though people of many races speak English? The amendment says that all city business must be conducted in English.

"Too many have been quick to label anyone who supports the amendment as racist and xenophobic. At best, proponents are called ignorant and insensitive. To be sure, Nashville has its share of people who are hateful and cruel, judging by the ugly online comments to news stories related to immigration. But with their dismissive attitude toward anyone who has a different point of view, many opponents of English-Only can hardly claim the high road.

Yet, as an ESL teacher who promotes assimilation, I believe in encouraging a common language and culture. I have problems with driver's license tests being offered in other languages, and I want to know why students can take the GED in Spanish or French when they're required to know English to be eligible to take the test. I would welcome better thought out and more narrowly focused English policies that are more likely to have a practical impact and limit the number of unintended consequences.

Source

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/24/2009 06:20:00 PM

Mom Loses Custody for Alienating Kids Against Dad

I suspect that a divorced mother losing custody of her children for incessantly badgering them about their father being a bad guy rarely happens. In my opinion, this is a landmark case.

At the same time, I'm fairly confident that a significant percentage of divorced mothers regularly badger their children about how bad their fathers are.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/24/2009 03:19:00 PM

$15 Mil Lawsuit in Honor Killing Case

(Lodi, California) In April 2008, a 56-year-old Sikh man, Gurparkash Khalsa, was indicted for the murder of a 23-year-old Lodi man, Ajmer Singh Hothi, in an alleged honor killing.

Hothi had dated Khalsa's daughter but the family strongly disapproved due to class differences recognized among the Sikhs. Khalsa was the prosperous owner of a trucking firm while Hothi was a lowly trucker.

Khalsa later learned that his daughter had aborted Hothi's child.

The father then demanded the couple marry. But in the meantime Hothi's parents had sent their son to India for an arranged marriage, according to court papers.

Prosecutors accuse Khalsa of tracking down Hothi and ambushing him in the cab of his big rig.

Hothi was shot nine times with a Beretta handgun similar to one Khalsa had registered years before, according to a police report.

San Joaquin County Prosecutors will seek life in prison for Khalsa.

Meanwhile, the family of Ajmer Hothi has filed a $15 million civil lawsuit against Gurparkash Khalsa claiming wrongful death inflicting emotional suffering. The Hothi's family members want compensation for their loss and to send a message that honor killings will empty the perpetrator's wallet.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/24/2009 11:05:00 AM

Russian Vodka Ministry Proposes Tax Cut

Apparently, the taxes on legal vodka are so high that many people are buying fake vodka products made with dangerous ingredients.

An increasing number of cash-strapped Russians are turning to cheap fake vodka. An estimated one in three bottles of vodka sold is contraband; many people die each year from drinking adulterated alcohol.

The tax cut was proposed by the new state alcohol agency which is otherwise known as the 'ministry of vodka'.

I suspect that the ministry of hooch is less interested in the health of vodka drinkers and more interested in sales of legal vodka.

Note that this is an example of the disconnect between the thinking of those who levy taxes and those who attempt to operate a business selling products that are taxed. Government tax-mongers seldom comprehend that a high level of taxation actually diminishes sales of legal products while spurring the creation of black market products.

Instances abound here in the U.S. where we see examples of state governments increasing taxes on particular products and then, with jaw-dropping dumbfoundedness, cry foul as customers resort to black market items or drive to the next state to buy the products.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/24/2009 08:01:00 AM

Old Dutch tradition comes under fire in Britain




It's a Dutch version of the "blackface" controversy except that the character in the Dutch tradition did not "black up" as an imitation of an African. It is part of a traditional Dutch Christmas. "Black Pete" is the companion of the Dutch Santa Claus (Sinterklaas), as you see above.

"A celebration held by Dutch students at University College has been condemned as "racially insensitive, and arguably racist" by prominent members of the MCR. Both the Vice-President and Treasurer of University College's MCR have condemned the celebration and attacked the "endemic apathy towards racism in the Oxford community."

Micaela Owusu, the MCR treasurer, wrote an open letter to the college, condemning the "Zwarte Piet" celebration which was held in the college at the end of last November. Owusu has stated that she saw two students in black face make-up sitting within a crowd of students to mark the Dutch holiday celebration.

Traditionally, the "Zwarte Piet" feast is held on the 5th of December in Holland and celebrates "Black Peter" as the companion of St. Nicholas. It has frequently involved "blacking up" in imitation of the character. Owusu stated that as "one of a literal handful of black students at University College" she felt "extremely isolated and targeted in such a scenario."

Source

I believe Piet is black because he does the climbing down chimneys in Holland

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/24/2009 12:09:00 AM

Mom Accused of Child Abuse, Zip Ties Daughter

(Denver, Colorado) A 52-year-old local mother, Danelle Daunchet, faces charges of child abuse for allegedly restraining her 10-year-old daughter with plastic zip ties to keep her from eating.

Daunchet faces counts of felony child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury and two misdemeanor counts of child abuse.

The charges, filed by the Denver District Attorney's office, allege Daunchet used the plastic ties to tie her daughter's hands behind her back before bed time to keep her from "stealing" food.

The girl hands were bound while she slept on her side.

A doctor said the girl may suffer from permanent disfigurement.

Daunchet was booked and released on $50,000 bond.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/23/2009 11:15:00 PM

Texas Teacher Busted for Drugs

(Baytown, Texas) A 33-year-old teacher with Goose Creek Schools, Angela Newport Rowland, was arrested this week for allegedly possessing drugs.

Rowland has been charged with three counts of drug possession after Montgomery County Sheriff's deputies found marijuana, cocaine and Ecstasy inside a motor home in which she was riding.

Authorities stopped the motor home on Interstate 45 near Texas 242 because it had an expired registration, sheriff’s officials said.

After smelling the odor of marijuana, deputies asked to search the vehicle, investigators said. Rowland and three others riding in the motor home consented to the search, they said.

The deputies reported finding small quantities of marijuana, cocaine and the designer drug Ecstasy.

Also arrested were Catherine Elizabeth Labure, 45, of Highlands; Matthew Edward Rowland, 40, of Baytown; and John Douglas Rowland, 43, also of Baytown.

All four were booked into the Montgomery County Jail and later released on bail. Rowland was placed on administrative leave by the school system.

Heh. Riding around with illegal drugs in a vehicle with an expired registration is absolutely dumb. I bet the dope made them stupid.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/23/2009 10:06:00 PM

Brazilian Beauty Has Feet, Hands Amputated

(Serra, Brazil) About three weeks ago, a 20-year-old Brazilian model and beauty queen, Mariana Bridi, fell ill, went to the hospital and subsequently sent home, diagnosed with a kidney stone.

Two days later, she returned to the hospital and was diagnosed with a severe urinary tract infection. Bridi also lost circulation in her feet so doctors amputated them.

On Tuesday of this week, doctors amputated her hands. On Wednesday, they removed her stomach due to internal bleeding.

From news report:

Bridi is a two-time finalist in the search for Brazil's Miss World contestant in 2006 and 2007.

She also represented Brazil in the 2007 Miss Bikini International competition, taking sixth place and an award for Most Beautiful Body.

"We are all absolutely distraught and are just praying now that she can pull through," her boyfriend said.

In summary, in less than a month, a vibrant beautiful woman lies in a hospital bed fighting for her life after having her feet, hands and stomach removed due to some unknown illness.

The rapid decline in Bridi's health needs to be explained. Either that or the hospital needs to be invesigated. Something seems wrong.


[Update 1/24/09]

Sadly, Mariana Bridi has died. Antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa is blamed for her deadly infection.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/23/2009 07:34:00 PM

Boy, 3, Smoking with Mom, Caught on Film

From the UK:

A British mother has been given a suspended sentence after her toddler was filmed smoking a cigarette in front of her.

Kelly Marie Pocock, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of cruelty to a child under 16 at a hearing last month, the British Press Association (PA) reported.

Details of the case emerged when she appeared in the Merthyr Crown Court on Thursday for sentencing and were reported by PA.

Prosecutor Jonathan Rees told the court: "The video demonstrates the boy placing a cigarette into his mouth, lighting it with a lighter and sucking, drawing smoke clearly into the lungs and he seems to do it with some accomplishment.

Teach your children well. Pretty sick, eh?

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/23/2009 05:54:00 PM

Louisiana Woman Indicted for Molestation of Boy

(Shreveport, Louisiana) A 40-year-old local woman Susan Johnston, was arrested Thursday after being indicted for allegedly engaging in sex with an 11-year-old boy. She faces charges of aggravated rape and molestation of juveniles.

Assistant District Attorney Hugo Holland said Johnston is accused of having sexual relations with a boy beginning when he was 11 years old and continuing for two years.

The little girl was molested starting at age 8, Holland said. The children were also told to have sex with each other on a handful of occasions, Holland said.

Under Louisiana law, sexual relations with a child under the age of 13 is considered aggravated rape.

Notably, Johnston and her husband, Brandon Johnston, were charged with child cruelty in January 2008 in the stabbing of their eight-year-old daughter. Susan was out on bond when arrested. Brandon remains in jail.

Brandon Johnston is a convicted sex offender out of Texas who also faces charges for failing to register as a sex offender.

Susan Johnston was booked into custody at the Caddo Parish Jail.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/23/2009 04:50:00 PM

New York Teacher Gets Prison in Massive Fraud Case

(Rochester, New York) In June 2007, a 42-year-old teacher with the Rush-Henrietta School District, Lynn Taliento, was arrested for defrauding an elderly woman out of $745,000.

Both Taliento and her husband, Ralph Taliento, were charged with grand larceny and scheme to defraud and a misdemeanor of petit larceny.

Lynn Taliento pleaded guilty to the charges in November 2008. Ralph later pleaded guilty to grand larceny and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3.

Earlier today, Lynn Taliento, now 44, was sentenced by Monroe County Court Judge John Connell to two to six years in prison. It was the maximum sentence allowed by the plea agreement.

“I tell you, frankly, I wish I could give you more years,” Connell said, calling the victim, 74-year-old Shirley Gatti, “a good and trusting heart.”

“You knew there was money there, and you kept going back and back and back and back, for years and years and years.”

Gatti read a statement before the sentencing, saying the swindle started when Taliento called and said she needed help with a financial problem. Gatti complied, and Taliento continued to ask for more money. To avoid Taliento's ongoing pleas, Gatti said, she eventually changed her phone number to an unlisted line, and moved.

“It was very, very stressful,” Gatti said. “I was very scared for my safety. She was someone who seemed like a friend. … She lied to me, used me, abused me.”

Lynn Taliento apologized, saying she was "very sorry."
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/23/2009 10:27:00 AM

Gay Rights Trump Christian Rights

(Bristol, England) In March 2008, a 47-year-old Christian sex therapist, Mr. McFarlane, was fired from the National Counseling Service for refusing to provide sex therapy to homosexual couples because it encouraged gay sex and was contrary to his religious beliefs.

McFarlane took his case to an employment tribunal claiming unlawful religious discrimination.

The employment tribunal has now ruled that the National Counseling Service, Relate, was entitled to fire McFarlane. Therefore, the discrimination was lawful.

The decision prompted Christian groups to demand a rethink of religious discrimination laws, following a string of other high-profile cases in which courts have found against Christians who claim they have suffered as a result of standing up for their beliefs.

Andrea Williams, director of the Christian Legal Centre, which supported Mr McFarlane in his claim, said the religious discrimination law was "in danger of becoming a dead letter", while the Christian Institute said there was a growing feeling among churchgoers that religious discrimination laws only applied to Muslims and other minority faiths.

Legal experts suggested the ruling had left discrimination laws in "a confused state" by giving the impression that "gay rights trump Christian rights" when they directly oppose each other.

I would suggest the "impression" that gay rights trump Christian rights is more like a tattoo. The issue has advanced past theory and it is now a fact.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/23/2009 08:14:00 AM

Must not be silent

We read:

"A federal judge has ruled that a state law requiring a moment of silence in public schools across Illinois is unconstitutional, saying it crosses the line separating church and state. "The statute is a subtle effort to force students at impressionable ages to contemplate religion," U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman said in his ruling yesterday.

The ruling came in a lawsuit designed to bar schools from enforcing the Illinois Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act. It was filed by talk-show host Rob Sherman, an outspoken atheist, and his daughter, Dawn, a high school student.

Gettleman's ruling was not a surprise. He had already ruled in favor of Sherman in two previous decisions.

As passed by the Illinois General Assembly, the law allows students to reflect on the day's activities rather than pray if that is their choice and defenders have said it therefore doesn't force religion on anyone. But Gettleman backed critics such as the American Civil Liberties Union, who say the law is a thinly disguised effort to bring religion into the schools.

Source

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/23/2009 12:15:00 AM

Minnesota Women Accused of Elderly Abuse

(Albert Lea, Minnesota) Two 19-year-old nursing home assistants at the Good Samaritan Society, Brianna Marie Broitzman and Ashton Michelle Larson, have been accused of abusing elderly residents suffering from dementia. Broitzman and Larson allegedly poked, groped and spanked the oldsters while laughing at them.


Brianna Marie Broitzman and Ashton Michelle Larson
Freeborn County Attorney Craig Nelson voiced concern for the victims, saying the community's most vulnerable citizens were abused.

The allegations surfaced when a teenage nursing assistant told an administrator about alleged abuse during an exit interview, prosecutors said.

Follow-up interviews by state investigators and police found that Broitzman and Larson “would talk and laugh about the incidents” with others, including young co-workers who were sometimes witnesses, according to the complaint.

Broitzman and Larson, who no longer work at the home, considered the abuse “something fun to do at work,” the complaint said. The two were confident they wouldn’t get caught because “residents did not have their minds,” a co-worker told investigators.

Many of the patients suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia.

Broitzman and Larson face multiple counts of abuse. Both have been released on bail.

Tip: slwlion
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/22/2009 09:26:00 PM

Florida Woman Accused of Sex with Male Teen

(Spring Hill, Florida) A 31-year-old local woman, Joan Lucille Dewey, was arrested yesterday for allegedly engaging in sex with a 17-year-old boy and providing him with prescription drugs.

Dewey faces one count each of felony sexual battery, aggravated child abuse and possession or sale of a controlled substance.

Authorities arrested Dewey after the teen had to be taken by ambulance to a hospital for a possible drug overdose. She later admitted to having sex with the teen at her home at 8357 Omaha Circle.

A search of the home found a quantity of methadone and carisoprodol, a muscle relaxant.

Dewey was booked into custody at the Hernando County Jail with bond set at $25,000.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/22/2009 08:32:00 PM

TARP Song


This is entertaining.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/22/2009 05:57:00 PM

Illegal Arrested for Sex Assault of Girl, 5

(Cliffside Park, New Jersey) A 34-year-old Guatemalan illegally in the U.S., Gualter Diaz-Muray, was arrested yesterday for allegedly forcing himself on a five-year-old girl. Diaz-Muray is accused of restraining the girl and sexually assaulting her when she tried to run away.

The alleged offenses took place in a house in Cliffside Park.

Arguably one ugly bastard, Diaz-Muray probably scared the hell out of the little girl. He faces counts of aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, and endangering the welfare of a child.

Diaz-Muray was booked into custody at the Bergen County Jail with bail set at $400,000. Naturally, an immigration hold would be appropriate but who knows what the local law enforcers do.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/22/2009 03:06:00 PM

French Cheese Emergency

(France) Last week, the U.S. government increased the import duties on Roquefort cheese by 300 percent in reported retaliation for France's refusal to accept American beef that has been administered growth hormones.

Some in France have been quick to see the new Washington measure as petty, belated revenge against the "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" for their opposition to the 2003 Iraq invasion.

The Americans slapped new duty on an array of other EU food imports, including fruit, chocolate and chewing gum, but none was subject to the 300 percent reserved for roquefort.

Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier has called on President Obama to reverse the cheese decision or expect an economic attack against American products. McDonald's and Coca Cola were specifically named as targets in a weak threat.

The French are not holding their collective breath expecting action from Obama, though, since it was a fellow Democrat, Bill Clinton, who imposed the original tax on Roquefort cheese. Consequently, the French complaints will likely fade and they'll simply pay the import duty on the cheese and whine about it.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/22/2009 01:03:00 PM

Gov. Blogo's Wife Fired

(Chicago, Illinois) Patti Blagojevich, First Lady of Illinois, was fired from her job as a fundraiser for the homeless. She apparently wasn't bringing in enough money.

One source said that her husband's political problems have hampered her ability to get contributions.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/22/2009 09:52:00 AM

Islamic Cleric: OK to Beat and Rape Wives

(Melbourne, Australia) A Muslim cleric with the Coburg Mosque and head of the Islamic Information and Services Network of Australasia, Samir Abu Hamza, has created a storm of controversy by directing his followers to beat their wives and force them to have sex.

In a lecture titled "The Keys to a Successful Marriage", which has since been posted on the internet and viewed thousands of times, Mr Hamza said men could beat their wives, "to shape them up", but should try not to draw blood or bruise them.

He also said women "must respond" if their husbands wanted to have sex, and ridiculed laws that prohibit rape within marriage.

"In this country if the husband wants to sleep with his wife and she does not want to and she hasn't got a sickness or whatever, there is nothing wrong with her she just does not feel like it, and he ends up sleeping with her by force ... it is known to be as rape," Mr Hamza said.

"Amazing, how can a person rape his wife?" [...]

In the sermon Mr Hamza initially tells his listeners "don't hit your wife".

But he goes on to detail how men should hit their wives, according to his interpretation of Islamic teachings.

He says it is permissible to hit women as a "last resort" but that "the beating the Mohammed showed is like the toothbrush that you use to brush your teeth".

"You are not allowed to bruise them, you are not allowed to make them bleed.

"You don't go and grab a broomstick and say that is what Allah has said."

Therefore, According to Mr. Hamza, it is permissible to smack the wife around if she balks at having sex, but don't leave bruises or make her bleed. What a guy, eh?

A little background on Mr. Hamza indicates that he's also known as Samir Mohtadi, a Lebanese Salafist immigrant to Australia who maintains a hatred for the Bible.

"If there's one book that should be banned, it is the Bible. So I would not allow my sons or my daughters or my friends or my enemies to read that Bible. I am too embarrassed to read some of the things in the Bible."

Regarding his beat-the-old-lady sermon, Hamza refuses to retract his statements and said they have been taken out of context. He says he was simply being metaphorical.

Nevertheless, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and several Islamic leaders have condemned Hamza's teachings. Rudd called for repudiation and an apology. Haset Seli of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils called Hamza a lunatic and by his lecture he demonstrated his ignorance.

To preclude any followers of Islam and followers of Hamza from using violence against women by accidentally misinterpreting metaphors, the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) is planning workshops with imams next week. Presumably, once the male followers of the religion of peace are properly trained in the application of forceful marital metaphors, women will be safe.

Mr. Hamza is unavailable for comment since he's on holiday at an unknown location for the next "couple of weeks."

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/22/2009 07:55:00 AM

Dutch court to prosecute criticism of Islam

They won't prosecute Muslim antisemites but they will prosecute those who criticize Muslim antisemites. The Netherlands is sick to the core.

"A Dutch court has ordered prosecutors to put a right-wing politician on trial for making anti-Islamic statements. Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders made a controversial film last year equating Islam with violence and has likened the Koran to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.

"In a democratic system, hate speech is considered so serious that it is in the general interest to... draw a clear line," the court in Amsterdam said.

Mr Wilders said the judgement was an "attack on the freedom of expression". "Participation in the public debate has become a dangerous activity. If you give your opinion, you risk being prosecuted," he said. Not only he, but all Dutch citizens opposed to the "Islamisation" of their country would be on trial, Mr Wilders warned. "Who will stand up for our culture if I am silenced?" he added.

The three judges said that they had weighed Mr Wilders's "one-sided generalisations" against his right to free speech, and ruled that he had gone beyond the normal leeway granted to politicians.

Source

If even a prominent politician is not free to speak out, what hope is there for the little guy?

There could however be a silver lining here. Everything Wilders said is true -- and proving that in court could be a real wake-up for the Dutch. Wilders may even have had that in mind from the beginning.

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/22/2009 06:45:00 AM

Texas Woman Accused of Sex Assault of Two Boys

(Temple, Texas) A 30-year-old local woman, Misti Dawn Kennair (aka Misti Richards), was arrested on January 7 for alleged sexual assault of a 16-year-old boy and possession of dangerous drugs.

She was booked into custody at the Bell County Jail with bail set at $300,000.

During investigation, police found evidence that Kennair/Richards had also been involved with a 14-year-old boy. She was served with the warrant for her arrest at the Bell County Jail.

Kennair/Richards is currently being held with bail totaling $605,000. She faces charges of sexual assault, enticing a child and possession of dangerous drugs.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/21/2009 06:41:00 PM

Louisiana Woman Gets No Jail for Sex with Group of Boys

(Houma, Louisiana) In May 2008, a 47-year-old local house cleaner, Maureen Lirette, was arrested for engaging in sex with a group of at least seven teenage boys -- two as young as 13 -- during a party at her trailer.

Yesterday, Lirette pleaded guilty and, astonishingly, she was sentenced to probation while the judge apologized for embarrassing her.

After a late-night card game on May 21, Lirette brought the boys, along with four 18-year-olds, in her bedroom and had sex with each while the others watched, police said.

[Asst. District Attorney] Pickett explained the charges in court Tuesday to Judge Timothy Ellender, who reacted with disgust.

“So this was a gang bang?” Ellender said. “Are you pleased with yourself? Can’t you get yourself a man?” [...]

Ellender said if a man had committed the crimes Lirette pleaded guilty to, he would have received a much harsher sentence, perhaps even death.

“There’s a double standard,” he told Lirette. “Some people think you did a 13-year-old boy a favor. I certainly don’t.”

“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you,” he said. “But you need to be embarrassed.”

According to the Terrebonne Parish District Attorney's Office, the families of the victims did not want Lirette to go to jail. As a consequence, she only gets five years' probation. However, she will have to register as a sex offender.

Notably, we can chalk up another judge who openly admits there is no equality under the law for sex offenders. I should make a list. Interestingly, though, Judge Ellender is the first I've heard apologize to a convicted child sex offender.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/21/2009 04:50:00 PM

Treasury Secretary-Designate Apologizes

Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner told the Senate Finance Committee that he was sorry that he didn't pay his taxes.

"These were careless mistakes. They were avoidable mistakes."

"But they were unintentional," he said.

Interesting.

As I recall from reading somewhere, Al Capone said something quite similar just before his handcuffed and shackled carcass was hauled off to Alcatraz. I don't think Geithner even received the equivalent of a parking ticket.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/21/2009 04:01:00 PM

Florida Teacher's Aide Caught with Cocaine

(Weston, Florida) A 41-year-old teacher's aide at Falcon Cove Middle School, Felicia J. Bowen, was arrested yesterday more than a month after she allegedly was found to be in possession of cocaine.

Officers had witnessed a hand-to-hand buy of the drug in the parking lot of the Seminole Truck Stop on Highway 27 on December 17.

Officers pulled her over at US 27 and Johnson Street on traffic violations. When they approached her, Bowen confessed, the report's author Detective Aldemar Rengifo said.

"The defendant spontaneously uttered she had just purchased cocaine and proceeded to remove the two baggies containing field tested positive cocaine powder from her bra area," Rengifo said.

According to Broward County Sheriff's deputies, Bowen was found to be in possession of 2.3 grams of cocaine. They delayed arresting her to allow for more investigation.

Yesterday, Bowen surrendered herself to the officers at the Weston Sheriff's office and was booked into custody. Subsequently, she was released on $1,000 bond.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/21/2009 02:50:00 PM

Louisiana Teacher Arrested for Being Naughty with Boy

(Leesville, Louisiana) A 24-year-old teacher's aide at Vernon Middle School, Kendra Hoffpauir, was arrested last Friday for allegedly engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old boy.

Hoffpauir has been charged with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

According to Vernon Parish Sheriff's deputies, the boy's mother alerted the authorities.

Reportedly, the boy was not a student under Hoffpauir's tutelage although she does work for the Vernon Parish School Board.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/21/2009 01:06:00 PM

Texas Man Guilty in Child Porn Case - Updated

(Dallas, Texas) Fifty-year-old Kevin Russell Moake pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to one charge of possession of child pornography, according to a press release by James Jacks, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

The release stated that Kevin Moake, 50, was arrested May 30, 2007, in Dallas for attempting to buy a 9-year-old girl for sex. During the arrest, police discovered in his vehicle a laptop that contained about 600 images of child pornography.

Moake faces a possible 10 years in prison when sentenced on April 13.

Moake faces additional charges in Dallas County stemming from his original arrest in a sting operation. The Dallas Police Department and the FBI are investigating. For my money, they are taking their sweet time since the case goes back 18 months. Of course, it's possible that Dallas County prosecutors are waiting for the feds to finish the child porn case.


* * * * *
Man Arrested for Attempted Purchase of Girl
[Previous 6/1/07 post]
(Dallas, Texas) A 49-year-old local man, Kevin Russell Moake, was arrested after attempting to purchase of Mexican girl for purposes of sexual slavery.

According to Lt. C.L. Williams, head of the Dallas Police Department's child exploitation unit, Moake was cuffed right after giving an undercover Dallas Police officer $100 as a down payment of a "rent-to-own" deal for the girl.

From Star-Telegram:

The operation began after police learned about noon Wednesday that Moake was trying to buy a child for sex, Williams said.

An undercover officer telephoned Moake and told him that a girl from Mexico was available, Williams said.

Initially, Moake was going to buy the girl for about $2,000, but he became indecisive because he did not have a place to keep her, Williams said.

Moake decided to "rent-to-own" the girl, Williams said.

During the negotiations, Moake asked the undercover officer at the other end of the phone line, "You aren't police, are you?" and laughed, Williams said.

The deal went down less than 12 hours after police began investigating. Moake initially agreed to meet the undercover officer at a hotel on Walnut Hill Lane but changed his mind. Instead, he met the undercover officer about 11:45 p.m. in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant near Love Field, Williams said.

Moake handed the undercover officer five $20 bills and officers took him into custody.

Moake faces charges of attempting to traffic in humans and attempting sexual performance with a child. Booked into the Dallas County Jail, Moake's bail was set at $100,000.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/21/2009 11:48:00 AM

Obama Success? In your dreams, America!

While confessing to be a lightweight regarding knowledge of U.S. politics, British writer James Delingpole claims a handicapper's insight about what to expect during Barack Obama's tenure as President of the United States.

Delingpole asserts that President Obama's legacy will be similar to British Prime Minister Tony Blair's legacy and it largely can be blamed on a shopping list of "scuzzballs, communists and eco-loons" who are elevated to powerful positions.

An excerpt from Welcome to Obamaland: I Have Seen Your Future and It Doesn't Work by James Delingpole:

In four, or more likely, eight years time, America is going to wake up one morning -- rather as Britain did in the dog-end of the Blair years -- with the most terrible hang-over, only to find its pockets empty, its savings gone, its property trashed to virtual worthlessness, its streets rife with crime and its traditional liberties circumscribed by nannying bureaucrats and pettifogging regulation, and it’s going to ask itself: ‘Huh? How did that happen? Did someone drug me? Why didn’t I see that one coming?’

As one who did and does see it coming, I find it hard to summon too much sympathy. It’s like Dr Faustus complaining when, having been granted his every earthly fantasy, the devil turns up at the end to steal away his soul. It’s like the citizens of Hamlyn complaining when, having welshed on their deal with the Pied Piper, he lures all their kids inside the mountain. You just want to give them all a good shake and say: ‘Did you think it was going to come free, this once-in-a-lifetime wonder deal you made with the mysterious dark stranger you met at the crossroads at midnight?’ In your dreams, America. In your dreams!

Heh.

I'll reserve comment until after I read the book. Amazon says the title will be released on January 26. Maybe the publisher will send me a review copy.

Tip: Brian Kissack
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/21/2009 10:04:00 AM

Colleges Enact "Bias Incident Reporting"

(Columbus, Ohio) So, you're a college student and someone in the dormitory calls you a stupid doofus because you flunked a math test. You are offended but not powerless because you can now retaliate anonymously and report to the Bias Assessment Response Team that the guy who offended you committed a bias act.

Hell, it's anonymous. You could go after the guy despite whether he did or said anything offensive.

Consequently:

No crime committed, no state law violated, nor university policy or code of conduct, but. . .it can still be reported if someone suspects the perp’s “motivation” and feels offended. A teaching career or a school record can all go up in smoke from an anonymous report.

And what recourse does the “reported” one have? Who is the judge and jury? Imagine the twit or bureaucrat getting on this board, committee, task force. Oh the rush of power!

This is one of the most alarming things I’ve ever read on an Ohio State web site--but your school probably has one too. [...]

“Bias Incidents: Acts or behavior motivated by the offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, veteran status, ethnic/national origin groups or sexual-orientation group.

While these acts do not necessarily rise to the level of a crime, a violation of state law, University policy, or the student code of conduct; a bias act may contribute to creating an unsafe, negative, or unwelcome environment for the victim, anyone who shares the same social identity as the victim, and/or community members of the University.”

Looking through the list of “protected elites,” on the web site, I’d say the only target of this harassment could be white, male, heterosexual Christian students, staff and faculty.

Political correctness leading to anonymous allegations documented in one's dossier reminds me of the workings of the (former) East German Secret Police -- the STASI. Be apprised that it's happening in America's river cities.

More at the link.

Companion post at EdWatch.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/21/2009 09:15:00 AM

Ontario Teacher Denied Early Release - Updated

(Cornwall, Ontario) Forty-two-year-old Jennifer Dorland went before the Ontario Parole Board and the Early Release Board in an attempt to be set free two months into her six-month sentence.

The parole board said Dorland, who now uses the surname Toews, would pose a risk to society if she were to be released and that she is at risk to re-offend.

The board added Dorland only recently admitted being responsible for her crimes and had maintained her innocence from the time she was charged until after she was initially incarcerated.

"The board found you rationalized your involvement," the decision reads, "and minimized what you did."

The board also said that the counseling Dorland/Toews has been receiving hasn't addressed her proclivity to sexually offend, rather she has been counseled for emotional issues.

As a result, her request for early release was denied.

Tip from Anonymous in comments.


* * * * *
Ontario Teacher Gets Jail for Sex with Boy
[Previous 10/28/08 post]
(Cornwall, Ontario) Forty-something teacher Jennifer Dorland (aka Jennifer Toews, aka Jennifer MacDonald) was sentenced to six months in jail earlier today.

Crown Jennifer Burke had asked Justice Julianne Parfett that Dorland serve a 15-month sentence as a general deterrent and denunciation of this type of breach of trust. Dorland's lawyers said she deserved a 12 to 18 month conditional sentence, most of which should be served under house arrest.

Earlier in the trial, the teen testified that Dorland drove him to her Ingleside home one morning in September 2004, where for two hours they kissed and fondled each other. He also testified of further sexual contact with Dorland in her car and during and after a series of tutoring sessions around the same period.

Parfett had previously questioned Dorland’s credibility and pointed to several "troubling aspects" in her evidence, including a series of e-mails she sent the teen.

In one e-mail, dated Sept. 11, 2004, Dorland wrote: "It has to be slow, really slow and deliberate. I love groans. I love hands on my stomach. That's all for this year."

In May, the Ontario College of Teachers withdrew the teaching licence of Jennifer Dorland, after finding her guilty of eight counts of professional misconduct under the Ontario College of Teachers Act.

Finally, it’s over. I’ve been following this case for years.


* * * * *
Teacher Guilty in Sex Assault
[Previous 12/21/07 post]
(Cornwall, Ontario) In January 2006, a teacher at Rothwell-Osnabruck Public School in Ingleside and a mother of two, Jennifer Dorland, was charged with sexual assault of a 13-year-old male student.

In February 2007, a preliminary hearing was conducted and resulted in the finding that there is evidence of inappropriate touching and contact occurring between Dorland and the boy in September 2004.

This week, Jennifer Dorland (aka Jennifer Toews, aka Jennifer MacDonald) was found guilty on counts of sexual assault, sexual interference and invitation to sexual touching. Justice Julie-Ann Parfett said she found the victim's testimony credible while doubting Dorland's.

Dorland faces a possible 10 years in prison on each count when she is sentenced on February 25, 2008.

Tip: Don Morgenstern
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/21/2009 08:52:00 AM

Child Plays with Phone, Dad Arrested for Dope

(White Rock, British Columbia) A 29-year-old father was minding his 11-month-old son and gave the boy a cordless phone to play with. The toddler joyfully punched the buttons including, unbeknownst to the father, 9-1-1.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constables were dispatched to the home.

Officers arrived at the residence and after numerous knocks on the door went unanswered, they entered the home.

"The gentleman was quite surprised," said White Rock RCMP Const. Janelle Canning.

She said the 29-year-old male, startled by the sudden sight of police, insisted he hadn't made the call.

When it was suggested a child might have dialled, the father objected and said his son was far too young.

That's when police spotted the baby boy, phone in hand.

"We saw him playing with the cordless phone and just pressing all the buttons, so evidently he had called 9-1-1," Canning said.

With that mystery solved, officers began inspecting the residence and soon discovered a 500-plant marijuana grow operation.

The child was removed from the residence and the father was arrested and charged with production of a controlled substance.

Heh, what a dope.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/21/2009 08:04:00 AM

I've been trumped!


In my recent onomastic post I remarked that blacks and whites in America tend to give their children different names -- something that I imagine is well-known to almost every American. A reader has subsequently alerted me to what those hilarious villains at The Onion have to say about the matter:



Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/21/2009 07:51:00 AM

Arizona Woman Gets Prison in DUI Death

(Tucson, Arizona) In January 2008, local mother-of-two Glenda L. Rumsey was arrested for allegedly causing the death of 14-year-old Jose Rincon during a drunken driving accident.

Jose Rincon and Oscar Perez were riding their bicycles east on Broadway near Vozack Lane on the East Side at around 7:20 p.m. Jan. 12 when Rumsey struck both teens with her car.

Rumsey continued driving but stopped a half-mile later, police said. She was indicted Jan. 22 on manslaughter, aggravated assault and driving under the influence charges. She was also charged with leaving the scene after causing a fatal crash.

Rumsey's blood alcohol level was recorded at 0.249 two hours after the crash, more than three times the legal limit.

Yesterday, 43-year-old Rumsey was sentenced by Pima County Superior Court Judge Richard Fields to 14 years in prison with credit for 56 days already served. She will be eligible for release after serving 85 percent of the term.

An emotional Rumsey said she will regret the day of the crash the rest of her life and realizes Jose Rincon Jr. died because she made poor decisions.

"I had no right driving that night. Jose Rincon was in the right, and I was in the wrong," Rumsey said.

Had someone killed her 10- and 12-year-old children, she would feel the same anger as the Rincons, Rumsey said.

Jose Rincon's father, also called Jose, said the sentence was bittersweet.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/21/2009 07:20:00 AM

China Censors Part of Obama's Speech

As is typical, when President Obama referred to communism in his inaugural address, Chinese censors went to work.

In his inauguration address, President Obama said: "Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions."

That entire passage was retained for an English-language version of the speech that appeared on the website of state-run Xinhua news agency.

But in the Chinese-language version, the word "communism" was taken out.

President Obama's comments addressed to world leaders who "blame their society's ills on the West" also fell foul of the censor's red pen.

"To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history," the president said.

Once again, Xinhua included the passage in full in its English version, but the sentence was taken out of the Chinese translation.

Interestingly, Chinese officials have expressed some worry that President Obama won't be as friendly to China as President Bush. This is curious since I would contend that ideological underpinnings of the Chinese government and Obama are similar -- serfdom creates utopia.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/21/2009 06:52:00 AM

Czech Art Called Objectionable

(Brussels, Belgium) A Czech art display at the European Council Building in Brussels was created to commemorate the start of the six-month Czech presidency of the European Union.

Designed and constructed by controversial Czech artist David Cerny, the art has shocked, surprised and insulted onlookers.

In particular, citizens of the nation of Bulgaria are outraged that their country is depicted as a toilet.

"Entropa" portrays Bulgaria as a squad toilet, Romania as a Dracula theme-park, France is covered with the inscription "Strike!," Sweden looks like an IKEA box, the Netherlands is shown as series of minarets submerged by a flood, Germany is a network of motorways vaguely resembling a swastika, Spain is depicted entirely covered with concrete, Italy looks like a giant football stadium while the UK is absent from Europe altogether.

David Cerny has often been called the "enfant terrible" of the Czech art world and his commissioning by the Czech government to create the installation, raised quite a few eyebrows. In the early 1990s he made another stir when he painted a Soviet tank, a Second World War memorial in a Prague square, bright pink.

Cerny has presented "Entropa" to his government with a brochure describing each of the artworks of the 27 supposed contributors from each member state. The artist has already apologized for misleading Czech ministers, but not for the installation itself.

The Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Alexandr Vondra, apologized for the insult to Bulgaria and the offensive section was covered with a black cloth. Logically, Bulgaria should now commission a work which depicts the Czech Republic as the head of a penis.

Frankly, I think it's more telling that the UK wasn't included as part of Europe. The hint could be that Eastern Europeans don't see the UK as one of them.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/21/2009 06:20:00 AM

Overweight Daughter Chained to Bed

(Las Vegas, Nevada) A 53-year-old local man, Robert Blue, was arrested yesterday for allegedly chaining his 15-year-old daughter to her bed to prevent her from eating. Blue felt the girl was overweight.

Police said Blue had been chaining his daughter to the bed with a padlock and chain since Jan. 12, when he said he found pea and corn containers in her room. He said she had found a way around the chains on the pantry and refrigerator over the past month.

Blue also stated he didn't think he had committed a crime and that he was acting in his daughter's best interest.

Police said a counselor at the 15-year-old's school claimed the girl was chained up.

Blue was charged with false imprisonment, child endangerment and child abuse.

There has been no word yet on whether or not Blue's wife knew what was going. He does have other children who were placed in protective custody.

The girl weighs 165 and Mr. Blue wanted her between 140 and 145. Blue was booked into custody at the Clark County Detention Center.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/20/2009 05:31:00 PM

Powerful


Tip: Tom Blumer at BizzyBlog
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/20/2009 05:11:00 PM

Woman Arrested for Sex Assault of Girl

(West Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania) A 41-year-old local woman, Kathi Louise Turner, was arrested last Friday for allegedly restraining an 11-year-old girl while her former boyfriend raped her.

Turner was charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful restraint and endangering the welfare of a child. She has also been charged with allowing the girl to perform sex acts on her and other children.

The sexual episodes allegedly occurred four years ago.

Police said they filed the charges against Turner after the girl, who is now 15, came forward in August.

In August 2006, the former boyfriend, Corey Linn Hammaker, 36, of Rye Twp., pleaded guilty to raping the girl.

In January 2007, Hammaker was sentenced to 5 to 10 years in state prison.

Hammaker is also serving 41/2 to 10 years in state prison for pushing Turner's then-9-year-old son down the stairs in 2003 for urinating in his pants, court records state.

The boy required brain surgery and was in a coma for a week. When he recovered he told investigators that Hammaker had pushed him, records state.

The boy also had bruising on his body and wounds to his feet that were later determined to be cigarette burns.

Turner was booked into custody at the county prison with bail set at $100,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/20/2009 12:58:00 PM

Walking on Hot Coals Proves Innocence

(Azizabad, Balochistan, Pakistan) A 40-year-old local man, Nazim Ali, became entangled in a property dispute with his brother who, Nazim claimed, still owed him his share. The brother denied that he owed anything to Nazim.

After consulting with tribal officials in an effort to prove the validity of his claim, Nazim agreed to walk on burning coals.

If Nazim was truthful and innocent in his claim that property was still owed to him, he would emerge from the burning coals without burn marks on his feet.

If Nazim's feet displayed burn marks, he would be ruled guilty of untruthfulness.

A group of tribal elders, called a Jirga, would decide.

A trench was dug, 12 feet long by two feet wide and two feet deep, and filled with dry wood. The wood was set on fire and allowed to burn for two hours.

As the time to take the test of innocence approached, a veteran walked close to the fire and recited verses from the holy Qura’an. One of the elders told the verses were recited to bring the fire ‘under control’ so that it would not harm the innocent and only burn the guilty.

Hundreds of people, including friends and relatives of the accused, stood around the burning coal when the accused took a walk on burning coal. He was immediately taken to a bucket filled with the blood of a slaughtered goat and dipped his feet in it.

“If there were burn marks on his feet, the man is considered guilty and Jirga decides further course of action against him. If his feet remain safe, he will be declared innocent,” another tribesman Muhammad Saleem said.

The incident was witnessed by hundreds of people and widely reported in the media.

Reportedly, the final decision on Nazim's guilt or innocence will be announced today.

Surprisingly, there is a belief among Muslims that reciting the Qu'ran over a fire actually places the fire under control. It logically should be considered a myth.

To conclude, it's not clear whether the walking-on-coals practice is part of Sharia or simply a traditional custom but it seems clear that any truly tolerant and diverse society will approve the methodology as an acceptable way to resolve conflicts.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/20/2009 08:17:00 AM

British kids wearing stab-proof vests to school


BRITISH children are wearing stab-proof vests to protect themselves from becoming victims of violence, according to a report on the impact of gangs on schools. The report, given to London's The Independent newspaper, said teachers at one school where pupils are said to be "seriously involved in gangs" were "aware of young people wearing bullet-proof/stab-proof vests in school".

It cites one estimate that the number of pupils under 16 involved in gangs had doubled in the past five years.

The report, commissioned by the NASUWT teachers' union and prepared by consultancy firm Perpetuity, is the first in-depth look at how youth gang culture is influencing schools, The Independent reports. It comes to the conclusion that children as young as nine at primary school are becoming involved with gangs used as "runners" and "couriers" to ferry messages by older members.

"Some of the case study schools felt the problem had increased over the last few years with gangs becoming more dangerous involving children at a younger age," the research says. "Some schools have problems with pupils carrying weapons in school. This can include young people who carry weapons and/or those who hide weapons in and around school grounds." The most common weapons teachers reported seeing were BB air pistols and batons. In one incident a teacher saw a meat cleaver.

One pupil told researchers he was wearing body armour because of "needing to", although attacks were more likely to take place on the way to and from school. The report suggests several measures to lessen the impact of gang involvement, such as sending children on prison visits to see the effect of loss of liberty

SOURCE

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/20/2009 07:48:00 AM

Hugo Chavez: Obama Stinks Like Bush

With his transition into the seat of power as President of the United States, Barack Obama is receiving congratulatory messages from around the world, but not from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Although Obama has promised to sit down with Chavez for a no-preconditions chummy chat session, the incoming President also said recently that Chavez exports terrorism and supports the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). As a result, South America's leading thug became puckered and said Obama has the "same stench" as President Bush.

"There is still time" for Obama to correct his views, the Venezuelan leader said, but he added: "No one should say that I threw the first stone at Obama. He threw it at me."

Chavez also said that Obama is now taking orders from the dark forces inside "the empire."

Two things. First, all the Obama campaign promises of face-to-face chats with adversaries "without preconditions" were simply horse manure having no real applicability to governing. In fact, those promises must now be rationalized away or surreptitiously retracted.

And secondly, Chavez will always be a paranoid thug and sitting down with him only guarantees the expedient receipt of his verbal horse manure. Fortunately, Chavez is consistent so no guessing is necessary -- 100% horse manure, 100% of the time.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/19/2009 08:41:00 PM

Gun Rights Notification Bill

(Cheyenne, Wyoming) The Wyoming Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved a measure requiring judges to warn defendants in misdemeanor domestic violence cases that they will lose their right to bear arms if they plead guilty.

Misdemeanor domestic violence is also being reclassified as a serious offense requiring defendants to have legal representation.

Republican Sen. Cale Case of Lander is the bill's main sponsor.

He told the committee that the state needs to make sure citizens realize that they can lose their constitutional right to own guns as a result of misdemeanor convictions.

It appears that misdemeanor domestic violence is going to be treated similar to a felony charge. Lawmakers have successfully confused major vs. minor criminal acts.

Doesn't make sense, I think. And, under no circumstances should a person permanently lose his/her constitutional rights because of a misdemeanor.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/19/2009 08:14:00 PM

Woman Accused of Using Child in Sex

(Oakfield, New York) A 23-year-old local woman, Jessica R. Henry, was arrested last Wednesday for allegedly directing a child to perform multiple sex acts with an adult male.

Henry’s arrest Wednesday follows last week’s apprehension of Corey W. Klase, 24, of Main Street, Oakfield, on 14 felony counts related to multiple sexual acts with an underage female.

Klase was charged after authorities found videos showing his alleged crimes. He was charged with rape and promoting obscene sexual performances by a child.

Henry faces charges of using a child in a sexual performance, promoting a sexual performance by a child and promoting an obscene sexual performance by a child. She was also tagged with unlawful possession of marijuana.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/19/2009 07:28:00 PM

Mom Pleads Insane in Children Drowning Case

(Cleveland, Ohio) In October 2007, a 22-year-old local mother, Amber C. Hill, was arrested for the alleged bathtub drowning of her two daughters, Jannelle, 4, and Cecess, 2. Hill was charged with two counts of aggravated murder.

Ms. Hill allegedly had a stormy relationship with her children's father, Jaime Cintron, and the drownings occurred after a fight. On the day of the alleged crimes, Cintron threatened to take the children away from Hill and then he left for work.

In his statement, Cintron told police that Amber Hill called him about 12:30 p.m. and told him the children "were at peace."

He raced to the apartment and found the children motionless in the tub.

In a chilling 9-1-1 call, Jaime Cintron wailed, "Why? Why? Why?"

The children were taken to MetroHealth Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead. [...]

The 4-year-old, Janelle, had marks on her neck and bleeding around the eyes, an indication that she may have been strangled, Cuyahoga County Coroner Frank Miller said.

Miller said that the drowning of Janelle and her 2-year-old sister, Cecess, would happen quickly. After being submerged for just 30 seconds, they would become unconscious and, unless resuscitated, would die.

Last Thursday, Amber Hill, now 23, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity while waiving her right to a jury trial. A jury trial was scheduled to begin this Tuesday, however, now her case will be heard by a three-judge panel in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason is seeking the death penalty.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/19/2009 05:55:00 PM

Hooker Robbed, Calls Cops, Gets Arrested

(Boston, Massachusetts) A 20-year-old San Francisco woman, Donna Rao, advertised the sale of sex on Craigslist then traveled to Massachusetts to consummate transactions with customers. After getting a hotel room on Saturday, two men pushed their way into her room and robbed her at gunpoint. Rao called the police.

Officers dispatched to the Sheraton Hotel then arrested Rao and charged her with prostitution.

According to police spokesman Eddy Chrispin, officers searched the hotel area for the robbery suspects with no results. Police continue to investigate.

Moral of this story? Hookers are stupid.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/19/2009 04:39:00 PM

Global Warming Hysteria

(Madison, Wisconsin) In the state capital of Madison, a city of academicians and politicians plush with ideology and someone else's money, global warming hysteria is the zeitgeist and environmental sustainability is the road to utopia.

According to the “Broad Strategies” section of a meeting agenda recently posted on the City of Madison Web site, an ordinance being considered would force city zoning to account for and mitigate climate change:

10. Zoning should adapt to meet the demands of climate change; use zoning to address or mitigate effects, or adapt to climate change; remove any barriers to mitigating the effects, adapting to climate change (trees, green space, mobility, renewable energy, land use).

Another item in the “Broad Strategies” section has a grim outlook for the future. It includes a proposal that spells out a doomsday scenario – allowing for the city to function should shortages in energy and food occur:

11. Write the code to allow the city to function when automobile travel will be severely limited and oil-related products, including food and heating fuel, become prohibitively expensive because of the scarcity and high-cost of fuel.

Other proposals throughout the document would push for use of alternative energies (solar, geothermal and wind), conservation, electric cars and urban agriculture.

Other more Draconian regulations throughout the document would:

- Limit waterfront development in the name of water sustainability,

- Require two trees to be planted if one is removed from your property

- Limit the “number/density of fast food outlets and drive-through windows” in the name of public health

- Discourage individual parking options to promote public transportation usage.

Frankly, I'm convinced that anyone displaying common sense in public in Madison, Wisconsin, is liable to be arrested for disorderly conduct.

Tip: Charley Nestor
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/19/2009 03:32:00 PM

Women's Protest Rally Blocked by Sharia Police

(Kano, Nigeria) The local Sharia Police, or Hisbah, has forced the cancellation of a protest planned by divorced women who complain that they are being forced from their homes, losing their children and becoming destitute.

The Director General of the Hisbah, Saidu Dukawa, said there were also security concerns over the protest.

"We fear what could happen in the streets if there is a large gathering of people, it could get out of control," he told the BBC's Hausa Service.

Large gatherings of people can be volatile in Nigeria, which has been rocked by violence between Muslims and Christians over the last 10 years. [...]

He also said the idea of street protests were "un-Islamic", and "morally wrong".

What?

Apparently Mr. Dukawa didn't get the memo from peebah. Protesting is pretty much all that the radical Muslims do when they are not stoning or beheading people.

Even so, I find it hard to believe that a person is unaware of the worldwide cartoon protests, the daily car burnings by European Muslim youth or the widespread street protests of the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Obviously, Mr. Dukawa is blowing smoke.

I know it's called taqqiya when Muslims lie to infidels but when they lie to fellow Muslims, I believe it's called business as usual.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/19/2009 02:03:00 PM

Ramos, Compean Terms Commuted

(Washington) On March 20th, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean will be released from prison. Both had their prison terms commuted by President Bush on his last full day in office.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/19/2009 01:43:00 PM

Narco Juniors - Mexico's Teen Assassins

(Tijuana, Mexico) Mexican drug gangs are recruiting teens as young as 15 years old to commit murders of rival gang members.

Feuding gangs in the violent cities of Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez prize teenage drug cartel members, known as "narco juniors", because they give the attacks an added element of surprise and because they can't be given long prison sentences, police and social workers say.

"There are lots of us and we get $300 for each kill," said 17-year-old Eduardo, a middle-class student who was arrested in December after an army raid on a drug safe house in Tijuana.

Mexican law doesn't treat teenage murderers as criminals, rather they are considered delinquents who need counseling.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/19/2009 08:22:00 AM

Wealthy men give women more orgasms -- in China

This has been a hugely hyped study -- presumably because people want to believe it -- but the fact that it is based on Chinese data is never stressed. That there may be genetic and cultural differences among the Chinese seems never to be considered. There is a trailing reference to Western research showing body symmetry and attractiveness also to be linked with orgasm but that is a different finding altogether. It is however an important finding. Body symmetry is integral to attractiveness and attractiveness is a sign of good health -- and rich men mostly get attractive and hence healthy women. And healthy women have more orgasms! Big non-surprise. So even the Chinese data were probably misinterpreted. It is good health that confers more orgasms, not the partner's wallet

Scientists have found that the pleasure women get from making love is directly linked to the size of their partner's bank balance. They found that the wealthier a man is, the more frequently his partner has orgasms. "Women's orgasm frequency increases with the income of their partner," said Dr Thomas Pollet, the Newcastle University psychologist behind the research. He believes the phenomenon is an "evolutionary adaptation" that is hard-wired into women, driving them to select men on the basis of their perceived quality.

The study is certain to prove controversial, suggesting that women are inherently programmed to be gold-diggers. However, it fits into a wider body of research known as evolutionary psychology which suggests that both men and women are genetically predisposed to ruthlessly exploit each other to achieve the best chances of survival for their genes. The female orgasm is the focus of much research because it appears to have no reproductive purpose. Women can become pregnant whatever their pleasure levels.

Pollet, and Professor Daniel Nettle, his co-author, believed, however, that the female orgasm is an evolutionary adaptation that drives women to choose and retain high-quality partners. He and Nettle tested that idea using data gathered in one of the world's biggest lifestyle studies. The Chinese Health and Family Life Survey targeted 5,000 people across China for in-depth interviews about their personal lives, including questions about their sex lives, income and other factors. Among these were 1,534 women with male partners whose data was the basis for the study. They found that 121 of these women always had orgasms during sex, while 408 more had them "often". Another 762 "sometimes" orgasmed while 243 had them rarely or never. Such figures are similar to those for western countries.

There were of course, several factors involved in such differences but, said Pollet, money was one of the main ones. He said: "Increasing partner income had a highly positive effect on women's self-reported frequency of orgasm. More desirable mates cause women to experience more orgasms."

This is not an effect limited to Chinese women. Previous research in Germany and America has looked at attributes such as body symmetry and attractiveness, finding that these are also linked with orgasm frequency. Money, however, seems even more important.

David Buss, professor of psychology at the University of Texas, Austin, who raised this question in his book The Evolution of Desire believes female orgasms have several possible purposes. "They could promote emotional bonding with a high-quality male or they could serve as a signal that women are highly sexually satisfied, and hence unlikely to seek sex with other men," he said. "What those orgasms are saying is `I'm extremely loyal, so you should invest in me and my children'."

SOURCE

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/19/2009 06:12:00 AM

Al-Qaeda Cell Infected with Bubonic Plague - Update: Possible Chem or Bio Weapon

The Osama bin Laden affiliate in North Africa, al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb or AQLIM, lives in camps and caves while plotting their terrorist activities and, apparently, they don't live alone. It seems their dwellings are also infested with carriers of the bubonic plague.

Reportedly, 40 al-Qaeda terrorists have died horrible deaths so far.

Now al-Qaeda chiefs fear the plague has been passed to other terror cells -- or Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

One security source said: “This is the deadliest weapon yet in the war against terror. Most of the terrorists do not have the basic medical supplies needed to treat the disease.

“It spreads quickly and kills within hours. This will be really worrying al-Qaeda.”

Black Death comes in various forms.

Bubonic Plague is spread by bites from infected rat fleas. Symptoms include boils in the groin, neck and armpits. In Pneumonic Plague, airborn bacteria spread like flu.

It can be in the body for more than a week -- highly contagious but not revealing tell-tale symptoms.

The epidemic was first noticed at cave encampments east of Algiers which had to be turned into mass grave sites as the terrorists fled. The particular group is led by terror boss Abdelmalek Droudkal who fears that he will lose members as they surrender to authorities to escape the Black Death.

Perhaps I can be criticized for not demonstrating an appropriate level of compassion for the sufferers of the Black Death, but it's pretty much okay with me when terrorists quit breathing.

From Opinion Bug


[Update 1/20/09]

Ace reports that the al-Qaeda deaths were likely caused by an Oops! associated with a chemical or biological weapon.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/18/2009 10:09:00 PM

Hamas Claims Victory

I can't explain this.

Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniya said the Gaza war with Israel amounted to a "great victory" for the Palestinians, in a televised speech on Sunday.

"God has granted us a great victory, not for one faction, or party, or area, but for our entire people," said Haniya, the prime minister appointed by the Islamist movement Hamas in the impoverished territory.

"We have stopped the aggression and the enemy has failed to achieve any of its goals," he added, less than 24 hours after Israeli halted a massive offensive on Gaza that killed more than 1,300 Palestinians.

Perhaps the criteria for winning and losing needs more clarification.

This reminds me of an old Monty Python skit where the Black Knight loses his arms and legs while continuing to act as though he's winning the fight.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/18/2009 05:17:00 PM

British Food Police Now Entering Homes

To fight global warming, the British government has launched a pilot project to reduce household waste, specifically leftover food, by dispatching food police officials known as "food champions" to individual homes.

The seven-week, £30,000 trial scheme is funded by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to be carried out by a private firm called Waste Watch.

The project is part of WRAP's "Love Food Hate Waste" campaign, which has so far cost £4 million. The organisation says food waste has a significant environmental impact, in terms of the carbon generated to grow, transport and package items and the cost of having to dispose of them.

It has calculated that stopping food waste could reduce the annual emission of carbon dioxide by 18 million tonnes - the same effect as taking one in five cars off the roads.

The "food champions", who will be employed by a private contractor, will advise householders to plan their shopping carefully so that they do not over-cater. They will explain the difference between "best before", "use by" and "sell by" dates, and will give out tips for home composting.

According to one Waste Watch food police official, Tim Burns, "Food waste has such a high impact on climate change and it is something we can all do something about." Consequently, householders will have to sit down and listen to government representatives tell them how to run their kitchens. Thankfully, food policemen will receive a day's-worth of training which the government believes makes them experts.

Opponents have claimed the idea is simply a nanny-state waste of money and resources. I suggest that the food waste program is merely a first step toward legislating the behavior of private citizens in their own kitchens. The Brits can logically expect food police advisors to be followed by private kitchen laws and law enforcement penalties.

Ominously, it's also logical to expect that government nanny-staters are even now designing a human waste reduction scheme, empowering a wipe and flush police force to enter citizens' bathrooms to dispense guidance to limit the amount and nature of substances entering sanitary sewers.

From Random Nuclear Strikes.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/18/2009 08:25:00 AM

Greenies caused the crash of US Airways Flight 1549 into the Hudson River


A flock of Canada Geese (called "large birds" in the media) appears to have brought down the plane by being sucked into its engines. The plague of Canada geese in much of the United States exists because of evironmental protection laws. They would soon make lovely roasts on lots of dining-room tables otherwise. But, obnoxious as the geese are, the power of the Greenie lobby prevents any culling. And Congress has done its best to back up the Greenies by funding "non-lethal" measures to remove the geese. Clearly, those methods did not work

January 22, 2004: SCHUMER:$200,000 FOR "GEESEPEACE" SOLUTION TO CANADA GEESE PROBLEM PASSES CONGRESS

Geese overpopulation is a major health hazard to local residents and the environment. Federal funds will go towards "Geesepeace" program for New York that uses humane methods to stop Canadian geese from ruining parks and fields

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that Congress has passed $200,000 in federal funds for the US Fish and Wildlife Service to implement a Geesepeace program that works to alleviate the Canada geese overpopulation problem that threatens the health of local residents and the environment. Geesepeace is a national non-profit organization that uses non-lethal methods to reduce the number of geese and redirect them to areas where they pose less of a threat to people. The funds come as part of the agricultural appropriations component of the Omnibus bill passed today by the Senate and have been earmarked to be used specifically for New York. The bill, previously passed by the House, now awaits the President's signature.

"Canada geese are overrunning our parks and open spaces and their droppings are polluting our water and our land," Schumer said. "When you talk to anyone who uses local parks, playgrounds, open spaces, athletic fields and golf courses, you hear the same complaint, time and time again. That's why we need a solution to this problem and that's what we have with the Geesepeace program. It will control the goose population and keep our parks and open spaces clean, green and beautiful."

This issue came up in 2004 when Geesepeace was trying to save a flock of geese from Riker's Island (in the flight path of Laguardia) rather than have the geese killed:

In this time of trouble in faraway places, the man-versus-fowl struggle brewing on Rikers Island may seem trivial. But its implications are dire for a certain flock. On one side are geese, slender-necked and given to relieving themselves liberally, who like where they are living, a stone's throw away from La Guardia Airport. On the other is a worried band of federal officials who believe the geese are too close to planes carrying millions of passengers in and out of one of the nation's busiest airports.

History teaches that these things hardly ever end well - for the birds at least. Indeed, by the end of the day today, barring a last minute reprieve, 495 Canada geese will be on their way to an upstate slaughterhouse, Port Authority and federal wildlife officials said yesterday.

There's nothing in the New York Times archives between the 2004 slaughter and the crash yesterday, but I think an investigation into what was or wasn't done over the years to control the geese is in order. If environmental concerns overrode passenger safety then that's something that needs to be debated in light of yesterday's miracle.

SOURCE


Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/18/2009 05:23:00 AM

Thin Air, Hard Men and Leather Balls

Since the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra increases and improves blood flow and the muscle-enhancer hasn't been prohibited by sports regulators, one creative trainer for a Brazilian soccer team has decided to game-test the drug on his players.

The Brazilian Club Gremio is scheduled to play in the thin air of Bolivia at 8,200 feet during the Copa Libertadores Cup games and trainer Alarico Endres will give each player Viagra beforehand in hopes of improved performance.

"I had this illumination by reading a magazine, which wasn't a medical one: so we decided to elaborate this topic with a scientific test, and now we shall also give an indication to the technical commission," he [Endres] said.

A high-scoring game is predicted, presumably with the Viagra-enhanced players forcefully thrusting into opposing territory many times.

On the negative side, some concern has been expressed regarding how the Viagra-users will conceal the medically-intended effect of the drug during play. Perhaps a quick in-and-out training session on an improvised male sports harness is necessary.

Meanwhile, oddsmakers are unsure how to properly handicap the possible "Oh, Fernando! You look MAHVELOUS!" effect on the more progressive participants. It's believed that it will lead to more scoring but nobody is sure whether a team will get points every time a player yells "GOAL!"

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/17/2009 06:41:00 PM

Princess Leia's Obamajama Party

(Washington) Tomorrow night, Carrie Fisher of Princess Leia fame will host a party to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States.

Admission is $300 per person for the Obama Pajama Party at the Ronald Reagan Building. Dress is pajamas or black tie.

Just imagine all those hot Democrat women in their pajamas. Let's see, there's Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Boxer, Maxine Waters and many others who would make a splash if they attend.

Inauguration visitors without invitations to a particular party may be comforted by the fact that the bars will stay open until 4AM Wednesday morning.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/17/2009 05:36:00 PM

Inaugural Prostitution

(Washington, D.C.) District of Columbia streets are being posted with anti-prostitution signs for the inauguration of Barack Obama. The signs display "Warning, Prostitution Free Zone."

A woman who calls herself Tamira and advertises her services on Craigslist, said otherwise. She said prostitutes who work the streets may ignore the signs. However, she said, some prostitutes may move elsewhere.

"If I saw a sign that said, 'Prostitution Free Zone' I would feel a little uncomfortable that there would be a house next store where police are at," she said.

Tamira also believes some visitors will come to the inauguration for legitimate business, but prostitute on the side to make extra money. (sic all)

Hookers caught violating the prohibition face possible jail and a $300 fine.

I believe the signs are more symbolic than threatening and send a signal to Washington's streetwalking crowd to be somewhat discreet during the inauguration so as not to embarrass the city or the new administration. After all, what's more difficult to explain? Anecdotal reports of hookers on the streets or jail records of the arrests of a thousand hookers?

Tip: Charley Nestor
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/17/2009 02:08:00 PM

Ambulance Delays Longer in Toronto

(Toronto, Ontario) According to the Ontario Ministry of Health, ambulance response times are becoming progressively longer, with Toronto exhibiting the worst performance, despite province-wide efforts to shorten them.

The widespread increase in urban response times, said Emergency Medical Services officials, hospital doctors and the province, is largely the result of systemic problems outside EMS's control.

Demand for ambulance care has boomed as cities have both grown and aged, far outpacing increases in EMS budgets.

Increasingly overburdened emergency rooms, unable to quickly find hospital beds for admitted patients, have become slower to take responsibility for people brought in by ambulance, forcing paramedics to continue to provide care instead of returning to the streets to respond to new calls.

"Really, the ambulance response time problem is a symptom of the underlying problem: not enough capacity within the whole system. And it's predictable," said Dr. Dante Morra, medical director of the University Health Network's Centre for Innovation in Complex Care.

"The EMS group, and how they respond, is captive to how the hospitals act. The main problem here is that we do not have enough in-patient beds to take care of sick patients. ... These EMS people, who should just walk into the emerg, drop their patient off, and then leave, are frozen in the emerg for a long period of time, because there aren't enough resources there. But the problem isn't even an emerg problem. It's a flow problem."

In summary, increases in demand for emergency services, coupled with the "off-load" delay times when paramedics must sit on their thumbs waiting for emergency rooms to accept patients, are causing ambulance response times to become longer.

From a nuts and bolts perspective, it appears that insufficient resources are being allocated to meet growing demand for emergency care and the situation is most notably exposed through increases in ambulance response times.

Companion post at SocGlory.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/17/2009 08:57:00 AM

Islam Promoted on County Buses


(Broward County, Florida) The Broward County Commission contracted with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) for advertising banners to be placed on 50 county buses. The ads are plastered on the exterior of the buses and state:

ISLAM: The Way of Life of Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.

The implication that Abraham, Moses and Jesus Christ were Muslim is obvious and, understandably, it has angered many non-Muslims.

As a result, about a hundred demonstrators, led by Joe Kaufman of Americans Against Hate, gathered at the Broward County Government Center to protest and demand that the ads be taken down.

The group broke into chants of "Shame, shame, shame," when Kaufman excoriated the county for accepting CAIR's money.

Demonstrators lined Andrews Avenue with signs that read, "Hamas = Murderers" and "Throw CAIR off the bus."

According to a spokeswoman for the transit department, Phyllis Berry, it's a free speech issue, apparently indicating that anything is allowed on the sides of buses.

Broward Mayor Stacey Ritter claimed ignorance, stating that the County Commission doesn't know what is in ads before they are placed on the buses. He pointed the finger at the agency responsible for ad sales, Lamar Advertising. However, Ritter did promise to have the commission look at religious advertising in the future, after the current contract with CAIR ends on January 26.

Defending CAIR, local director Altaf Ali said they were just trying to inform people about Islam as he scoffed at the demonstration as a "big joke." Ali's arrogance is duly noted.

From my perspective, saying that Jesus followed the way of Islam is not only offensive but it doesn't inform, it misinforms. And that's not a joke.


[Update 1/18/09]

Tensions remain high as the mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Jim Naugle, joins the protest demanding the advertisements be removed.

Pic thanks to ScoopThis.org.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/17/2009 07:48:00 AM

Eskimos say no decline in polar bear numbers

But the elitist knowalls just ignore such "primitives", of course

Canada is home to about two-thirds of the world's polar bears but scientists warn populations are starting to dwindle because of thawing sea ice, over-hunting, industrial activity in the Arctic and an increase of toxins in the food chain. Some have said two-thirds of the world's polar bears could disappear within 50 years if nothing is done to slow the loss of sea ice.

But many Inuit say they haven't seen a decline in the population and worry that overly harsh restrictions that threaten the northern way of life will be imposed to appease people who don't depend on the bears for their livelihood. "We feel our polar bears are doing fine," said Nunavut Environment Minister Daniel Shewchuk. "We're basing that on living there and living with polar bears all of our lives ... People are encountering more polar bears out on the land."

When the bear population increases, it becomes a safety issue for residents who can no longer even go camping, Shewchuk said. The Inuit would like to do a proper survey of the bears once they get funding, he added.

Peter Ewins, director of species conservation at the World Wildlife Federation, said more than half of Canada's polar bear subpopulations are dwindling. "Sea ice is what polar bears live on and it's vanishing at accelerating rates," [That has now gone into reverse] said Ewins, who will be a presenter at the summit. "There is a major problem. Many things need to be done to fix it."

The government needs to protect polar bear habitat by curbing industrial activity in the North and by taking bold measures to address global warming, he said. People must also stop hunting in Baffin Bay until the bear population has a chance to recover, he added. "It comes down to a simple reality - there is a problem here. You can't deny scientific consensus. [You can if it's wrong]

More here

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/17/2009 05:47:00 AM

Son Assaults Mom with Taco

(Deltona, Florida) A 19-year-old man with more attitude than intelligence, Zachary Moir, was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly attacking his mother with a taco. According to the police report, mom Dena Moir called her son to dinner.

Zachary Moir then came to eat while his mother was cleaning the kitchen and when she pushed him to get him out of the way, Zachary slapped her left arm, called her a "retard" and threw a taco in her face, the report said.

As a result, Dena Moir called the police and Zachary was arrested for domestic violence. He was booked into custody at the Volusia County jail with bond set at $1,500. Reportedly, Zachary Moir was still in jail as of yesterday.

Boy! He showed her, eh?
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/17/2009 12:06:00 AM

Defense Lawyer Busted for Snorting Cocaine During Trial

(Winona, Minnesota) Charles Ramsay, a 41-year-old criminal defense lawyer, has apparently allowed drugs to dramatically affect his professional life. Of all the people to be involved in drugs, one would imagine that those tied to law enforcement would know better.

A trial involving an accused killer. A "Super Lawyer" allegedly with cocaine in his pocket. And a police officer, there to testify in that Winona, Minn., trial, who said he saw the defense lawyer duck out of a court restroom, pinching his nose and "sniffing profusely." Without flushing.

Put together, according to a criminal complaint, the circumstances led to the arrest Thursday of Charles Ramsay, 41, a Roseville-based defense lawyer who specializes in DWI cases and is the brother of Duluth's police chief.

Ramsay, of New Brighton, was charged Friday with two counts of drug possession for allegedly carrying five grams of cocaine in his bag and pocket during the trial.

Ramsay was booked into custody and released yesterday on $10,000 bond.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/16/2009 05:47:00 PM

Florida Teacher Busted for Drugs

(Jacksonville, Florida) A 38-year-old teacher at Cedar Hills Elementary School, Gina Cevasco, was arrested this week for alleged drug possession.

Police say a search of her home in response to a complaint found marijuana, a crack pipe, a gun and a ski mask.

According to an arrest report, when an officer was let in he saw "loose marijuana and a marijuana pipe in plain view on the living room table."

The report also states someone in the house had a "crack pipe in his pocket."

Officers said Cevasco's son consented to a search of his bedroom, and in the bedroom officers found "a black handgun wrapped in a blue and black bandana," as well as "a black ski mask and gloves."

Police said Cevasco eventually came home and gave the officer permission to search of her bedroom. During that search, the officer found "loose marijuana" and "multiple prescription pills," which Cevasco claimed came from a friend.

The school placed Cevasco in a non-teaching position until an investigation is completed.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/16/2009 05:08:00 PM

Missouri Woman Accused of Sex with Boy

(Columbia, Missouri) A 47-year-old local woman, Melody Link, was arrested yesterday for allegedly engaging in sex with a 16-year-old boy.

Allegedly, Link has had an ongoing relationship with the boy since August 2008. Link has been charged with statutory rape and sodomy.

Link owns a home on Eagle Trace Dr. in the Eagle Knoll subdivision, however, she rented a house on Forest Avenue in Columbia - across from Hickman High School.

Police reports indicate that the teenager and Link engaged in intercourse and oral sex daily since August. Reports also note that Link provided the teen and his friends with food, cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana.

Columbia Police say they are looking into the possibility there are more victims.

Link was booked into the Boone County Jail and later released on $13,500 bond.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/16/2009 04:30:00 PM

Texas Teacher Arrested for Stabbing Husband

(Brownsville, Texas) A 35-year-old reading teacher at Faulk Middle School, Eloisa Suarez Betancourt, was arrested last night by Brownsville Police for allegedly stabbing her husband, Antonio Suarez, repeatedly.

Eloisa was wanted on a warrant out of Medina County for the stabbing which occurred last week. She faces one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The incident took place Jan. 9, at a construction site at the intersection of Medina County roads 471 and 211 where the husband works, said Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Doug Christian.

Authorities report the couple was involved in an argument and an altercation ensued. Eloisa Suarez reportedly stabbed her husband in the neck and chest area before turning the knife on herself. She received stab wounds to the chest and stomach area.

Both had been transported to San Antonio area hospitals.

Eloisa was booked into custody at the Cameron County Jail.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/16/2009 01:55:00 PM

Wisconsin Woman Accused of Sex with Boy

(Portage, Wisconsin) A 33-year-old Cambria woman, Angela Bancroft, faces charges of sexual assault stemming from an intimate relationship with a 15-year-old boy. In Columbia County Circuit Court on Wednesday, Bancroft was charged with four counts of felony sexual assault of a child younger than age 16.

Bancroft allegedly told authorities she contacted the 15-year-old boy after becoming attracted to him even though he might be too young, according to a criminal complaint. Bancroft admitted she knew the boy was 15 when she had sex with him, the complaint stated.

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

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

Bancroft is free on $10,000 signature bond. A pretrial conference is scheduled for February 16.

Regarding she says six times and he says four, I believe both could be right. Women are known to holler "Bingo!" more often than men.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/16/2009 11:11:00 AM

Party Mom Gets Prison in Teen Sleepover Case - Updated

(Doylestown, Pennsylvania) Yesterday afternoon, 39-year-old Angela Honeycutt was sentenced to 11 and one-half months in prison by Bucks County Court Judge John J. Rufe.

Rufe sentenced Honeycutt to serve 81/2 to 17 months in the Bucks County prison for the two misdemeanor crimes. Then he tacked on an additional three to six months for violating her probation on an unrelated drug conviction.

The judge told Honeycutt that under the law she was no different from a man who had taken advantage of teenage girls, acknowledging that some people see a double standard in cases such as hers.

"Some people might even suggest that you committed a crime with no victims," the judge told Honeycutt. "The Pennsylvania Legislature has made no distinction, and neither do I."

Well, holy-moly! Finally, a female guilty of corruption of minors is sentenced in accordance with the law and not some arbitrary double standard. Good going, Judge Rufe. You da' man!


* * * * *
Women Avoid Serious Charges in Teen Sleepover Case - Updated
[Previous 12/5/08 post]
(Doylestown, Pennsylvania) In a mild surprise, a Bucks County jury found Angela Honeycutt guilty on two misdemeanor counts of corruption of a minor.

Jurors found Honeycutt not guilty of statutory sexual assault -- a second-degree felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years -- as well as unlawful conduct and two counts of indecent assault.

She was convicted of two counts of corruption of a minor and faces a sentence of three-to-14 months on each count.

It appears that the testimony of the two teens wasn't sufficient to convince the jury.

Leaving court, Honeycutt took full responsibility for behaving badly and making a series of bad judgments. She was released on $15,000 bail pending sentencing.

No sentencing date was reported for Honeycutt. The same holds true for Lynne Long-Hinham, 45, who was convicted of endangering children and corruption in September.


* * * * *
Women Do Boys
[Previous 6/12/08 post]
(Lower Makefield, Pennsylvania) A 38-year-old local mother of two, Angela Honeycutt, has been arrested for being nasty with teen boys.

Allegedly, Honeycutt got frisky during a sleepover at friend Lynne Long's house and was naughty with six boys, ages 14 to 16.

According to a police report, Long encouraged the boys to listen by a bedroom doorway while the two were having sex.

"First, there's conversation, and then the female defendant takes one of the males into her bedroom and allegedly has sexual intercourse with that one male. When she was finished, she then takes another male into a shower and indecently assaults that male. Now, prior to all of this we understand that she exposed herself to the entire group of youngsters," Lower Makefield Police Chief Ken Coluzzi said.

In addition to exposing herself, police said Honeycutt also kissed some of the teens and engaged in conversations of a sexual nature.

Both Honeycutt and Long were booked and released.

Tip: Rob J


[Update 9/15/08]

Today, Lynne Long pleaded guilty to endangering children and corruption of minors. No sentencing date reported.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/16/2009 07:51:00 AM

What's in a name?

Sorry for that facile heading on a deadly serious subject.

Most governments worldwide have given themselves the right to take children away from their parents -- one of the most horrible things anyone can do to a family. And the children concerned are often farmed out to people who do not take good care of them -- which is even worse.

But where children are being seriously injured, there is public support for such a grave deed. It is when the injury is mere speculation -- a common occurrence in Britain -- that there is a need for the actions of the State to be very closely scrutinized at the least. But scrutiny is exactly what many jurisdictions do not allow -- hence the many abuses in Britain -- abuses that eventually grew so bad that the courts concerned WERE opened up to the public at long last.

But that secrecy seems to be still well-entreched in New Jersey, where the children of a family who named a son "Adolf Hitler" were taken away last week. The father is due in court about now.

Secrecy prevents the reasons for the seizure of the children being made known but note that a representative of the "welfare" agency involved has said that: "I’ve dealt with the family for years and as far as the children are concerned, I have never had any reports of any abuse with the children," Harris said. "As far as I know, he’s always been very good with the children."

So it would seem that disapproval of an admittedly idiotic name is the sole reason for the attack on the family concerned. That is a VERY slim reason for breaking up a family and I doubt that it will be sustained through the courts. The seizure of Mormon chidren in Texas last year did not survive judicial scrutiny, either.

There is however a certain Fascistic element in the official action. They know that even if what they do is illegal they will not suffer for it but the family will.

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/16/2009 05:36:00 AM

$3.7 Million Bid for Woman's Virginity - Feds Say It's Legal

(San Diego, California) In September 2008, a 22-year-old San Diego woman calling herself Natalie Dylan, a pseudonym for safety reasons, announced that she is auctioning her virginity on the Internet.

Natalie Dylan is offering her maidenhood to a bidder selected from entrants participating online via bunnyranch.com, the website for Nevada's infamous Moonlight Bunny Ranch.

"I'm not just looking for the highest bidder," says Dylan. "I'm looking for someone who is a genuine, overall nice person."

Interest in Dylan's virginity thus far has been brisk. Over 10,000 bidders have put a price on her precious flower with the highest, reported by the Bunny Ranch, at $3.7 million.

Understandably, some groups object to prostitution being advertised over the Internet, fearing that the immoral and indecent practice will reach beyond the borders of the bordello state. However, legal experts contend that prostitution is allowed under Nevada law and there are no federal laws which prohibit advertising legal goods and services for sale. Actual completion of the sale will have to occur in Nevada, of course.

Dylan has said that she needs the money to finance graduate studies in Marriage and Family Therapy. I'd contend that a return of $3.7 million for her buttercup would allow her to simply sit back and spend the interest. She surely wouldn't need to work. The return on passbook savings alone would allow Natalie Dylan to be comfortably idle.

Interestingly, one source reports that Natalie Dylan has voiced a preference to be deflowered by socialite Kim Kardashian. "She's really beautiful," Dylan is quoted. "I'm heterosexual. I just admire her beauty," she continued.

Okay, but I question whether a deflowering by a woman counts. Bear with me since I have no personal familiarity with the loss of maidenhood experience, but it would seem that an official loss of virginity episode should involve copulation with the opposite sex. Arguably, girl and girl touchy-feely is generally considered to be just usual fun stuff that happens at camp and slumber parties.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/15/2009 01:59:00 PM

San Francisco City ID Card

(San Francisco, California) Today is the first day that San Francisco City ID Cards are available to serve as proof of identity and residency. Check out the administrative process at links.sfgate.com/ZFWA.

Since a person doesn't have to be a resident to vote in San Francisco, the Board of Supervisors thankfully didn't make actual residency a requirement for an ID Card either. For example, a Matricula Consular card, arguably of questionable value to start and easy to counterfeit, can "prove" one's identity and a note from a homeless shelter can "prove" that one has been in San Francisco for a couple weeks. There are several ways to "prove" being in the city but they don't necessarily require someone to have an actual residence.

In a nutshell, anyone with an official or quasi-official piece of paper displaying his/her name who can get somebody to vouch that he/she has been around town for a couple weeks can qualify for a San Francisco City ID Card.

Granted, I'm interpreting the administrative specifications to a certain degree. Readers should take a look for themselves.

On a related note, those individuals who previously didn't qualify for free sandbags during the rainy season will now be able to obtain them with an SFID Card.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/15/2009 10:11:00 AM

Red Cross Team Kidnapped in Philippines

(Jolo Island, Philippines) Sen. Richard Gordon of the Philippine National Red Cross reported that three Red Cross workers have been kidnapped by the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.

The three are identified as Andreas Notter, a 38-year-old Swiss national; Eugenio Vagni, a 62-year-old Italian and Mary Jean Lacaba, a 37-year-old citizen of the Philippines.

Reportedly, while traveling in a Red Cross vehicle they were stopped by armed men on motorbikes and taken away. Three Filipinos riding with the Red Cross workers were robbed and released.

Brigadier General Eugene Clemen, commander of the 3rd Marine Brigade, said they believed an Abu Sayyaf group under Albader Parad is responsible for the kidnappings.

Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan said all available military and police forces have been mobilized to go after the kidnappers and their victims.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/15/2009 07:57:00 AM

Why We Need Secure Driver Licenses


For the past two years DHS has shown ramped up commitment to helping states diminish fraud and increase security by enhancing driver license issuance across the board. Using the monies Congress has provided to date, alongside final regulation guidance and contracts with individual states to move secure ID issuance forward, a key 9/11 Commission recommendation is being fulfilled. However, the incoming Obama Administration may begin backpedaling on our security. In 2008 President-Elect Obama stated that he does not support REAL ID "because it is an unfunded mandate, and not enough work has been done with the states to help them implement the program."

To date, states have received a total of $130 million from the federal government towards implementation, with Congress appropriating another $100 million in 2008. In an effort to continue progress, Secretary Chertoff released $48.6 million in December 2008 to all 56 U.S. jurisdictions based on driver license production, not compliance, as prior year grants had been. There is no doubt that to fulfill this 9/11 Commission recommendation, sustained federal dollars are needed to fully secure driver license and ID issuance. Rather than another program that drains the federal budget, REAL ID implementation is showing itself to be a return on investment, eliminating waste by reducing fraud. For example, in key areas such as digitization of vital record information (11 states online since March 2007) and proof of legal status (25 states in the last 20 months have signed up to check legal status), states are seeing positive results by cutting off vulnerabilities that made them magnets for fraud, counterfeiting, identity theft, illicit drug running, illegal immigration and alien smuggling activity. States that have failed to do so, like Maryland, are seeing a surge in fraud and depletion of resources that extends to education and healthcare, as was testified to by Maryland officials just a few weeks ago.

With the disconnect between the significant progress of states in securing their ID issuance processes and the on-the-record concerns of the President-Elect, the Center for Immigration Studies has produced a two-part educational video series narrated by the Center's Director of National Security Policy, Janice Kephart. These videos are the first in a series on border policy.

Why We Need Secure Driver Licenses Part I: The 9/11 Story (Jan. 13, 2009) How the 9/11 hijackers acquired their 30 state-issued IDs, and why our state and federal government need to secure ID issuance.

Why We Need Secure Driver Licenses Part II: REAL ID Fact and Fiction (Jan. 13, 2009) Discerning fact from fiction in the secure ID debate.

Press release from CIS above. Contact: Janice Kephart, jlk@cis.org, (202) 466-8185

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/15/2009 07:30:00 AM

Brit Boy's Teacher Accused of Doing Boys

(Merseyside, England) A 24-year-old teacher at Merchant Taylors' Boys' School, Hannah McIntyre, has been arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with male students.

The classics teacher was arrested and questioned by police last week on suspicion of abusing her position of trust. Social services are also investigating.

She has been granted bail while further inquiries are made.

The alleged sexual activity is said to have taken place away from the premises of the £8,000-a-year school, whose former pupils include ex-Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie.

Although sixth-form students are above the age of consent, it is a criminal offence for teachers to engage in sexual activity with them because of their 'relationship of trust'.

Government guidance also warns teachers that 'intimate or sexual relationships between staff and pupils will be regarded as a grave breach of trust'.

As I understand, sixth form students in Britain are the equivalent of juniors and seniors in American high schools.

Tip: JR
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/15/2009 06:32:00 AM

Chicago Teacher Accused of Sex with Boy

(Chicago, Illinois) In October 2008, a 22-year-old math teacher at Chicago Hope Academy, Kathryn Vail-Wesley, was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old student in her home and the classroom. Vail-Wesley faces five counts of criminal sexual assault.

According to the boy's mother, the student was in Vail-Wesley's class. The mother said Shane Wesley -- Vail-Wesley's husband and also a teacher at the private high school -- discovered his wife and the student together and punched the student. No charges were filed against the husband.

School officials said they notified law enforcement as required by law, but they would not confirm whether the teachers still taught at the school. The student's mother said Shane Wesley still teaches there. But she was told if she didn't withdraw her son from the school, the student faced expulsion. She said parents were told of the incident when they arrived to pick up report cards in October.

School officials have refused to discuss specifics of the case as Vail-Wesley awaits trial. Meanwhile, a victims' rights group has asked for an explanation of why the victim, a star football player, was forced to leave school.

The student's mother said she was given an ultimatum a few days after the sexual assault allegations came to light.

School officials told her, "That this was the last straw. He wasn't welcome back, that I could either take him out in good standing or they would expel him," the mother said Wednesday. She asked not to have her name used.

The mother said her son can be "mouthy," but she didn't know of any serious discipline problems at school. She said he now attends a public school in the western suburbs.

Reportedly, Vail-Wesley no longer works at the school. Regarding the Vail-Wesley marriage, the status hasn't been reported but it's speculated that the Mr. is keeping a much closer eye on the Mrs.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/15/2009 12:05:00 AM

Meet At The Pole


JDLong of Alamo City Pundit and others are promoting Christian involvement in the observance of the inauguration of Barack Obama with local "Meet Me At The Pole" events. The concept of informal, unofficial prayer gatherings at flagpoles outside of businesses and schools has been occurring for a few years.

To wish the President-elect the best and pray for his success, a gathering is scheduled for January 19th at noon EST. Join an observance locally or JD in San Antonio. (More here)

By the way, the pole gatherings are simply a few moments of prayer by Christian believers and, in no manner, threatening or disruptive. Nevertheless, liberal activist groups have expressed outrage that the practice is allowed to occur. Any demonstration of Christian belief gives liberals the reds.

Heh, reason enough to join in, I'd say.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/14/2009 06:01:00 PM

Youth Worker Indicted for Sex with Boy

(Galena, Maryland) A 42-year-old youth center worker, Rene Walbeck, surrendered to Maryland State Police today to face charges stemming from an alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old boy at Kent Youth Incorporated.

A Kent County grand jury has indicted Walbeck on charges of sexual abuse of a minor and sexual conduct with a confined minor.

The youth told police Walbeck engaged in sexual acts with the youth from August to September while he lived at Kent Youth Incorporated.

Kent County Social Services staff contacted state police after the boy went to the Carter Youth Facility in Chestertown for an unrelated incident.

Walbeck was booked into custody. No information on bond.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/14/2009 04:43:00 PM

Teen Girls Accused of Sending Nude Pics

(Greensburg, Pennsylvania) Three teen girls, ages 14/15, who attend Greenburg Salem High School, have been charged with child pornography for sending nude pictures of themselves to teenage boys.

Three 16/17-year-old boys have been charged with the same offense for receiving the pictures.

Police said school officials learned of the photos in October. That's when a student was seen using a cell phone during school hours, which violates school rules. The phone was seized, and the photos were found on it, police said. When police investigated, other phones with more pictures were seized.

"Taking nude pictures of yourself, nothing good can come out of it," said [Greenburg Police Capt.] Seranko.

The Greensburg Salem School District issued a statement on Tuesday saying there was “no evidence of inappropriate activity on school grounds or during the school day other than the violation of the (school's) electronic devices policy.”

The school district said it only became aware of the arrest of the students on Monday and will continue to work cooperatively with police, as well as continue to enforce its electronic devices policy and educate students on the dangers of inappropriate use of electronic devices.

Police said the girls are being charged with manufacturing, disseminating or possessing child pornography while the boys face charges of possession.

Heh.

Tip: slwlion
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/14/2009 12:21:00 PM

Wonkette Joins Air America

Heh.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/14/2009 11:42:00 AM

Man Trades Daughter, 14, for Beer, Cash, Food

(Greenfield, California) A 36-year-old local man, Marcelino de Jesus Martinez, was arrested Monday for selling his 14-year-old daughter into a marriage with an 18-year-old man.

In return for his daughter, Martinez was to receive 160 cases of beer, 100 cases of soda, 50 cases of Gatorade, two cases of wine, six cases of meat and $16,000 in cash.

The prospective bridegroom, Margarito de Jesus Galindo, of Gonzales, California, had the young girl move in with him. Reportedly, she went willingly.

However, Galindo wasn't sufficiently willing with his agreed upon payments to the girl's father. As a result, Martinez called the cops, saying he wanted his daughter back. The 14-year-old was reported as a runaway juvenile and a missing-persons report was filed.

Further investigation by the police revealed the arranged marriage scheme, a traditional practice in Mexico where Martinez and Galindo hail. Subsequently, Martinez was arrested on felony charges of causing a person to cohabitate for money and Galindo was arrested for statutory rape. Martinez was still in jail yesterday. Galindo was released.

Offhand, I trust that the players in this soap opera are likely not American citizens who have taken an oath to follow the laws of the United States. On the other hand, it would seem that a truly diverse and tolerant America would accept the cultural eccentricities of Martinez and Galindo.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/14/2009 10:20:00 AM

Alabama Teacher Resigns After Intoxication Charge

(Foley, Alabama) A 55-year-old seventh-grade English teacher at Foley Middle School, Barbara Riley-Grissom, was arrested last Friday for being intoxicated at school.

Baldwin County Public Schools spokesman Terry Wilhite said a co-worker noticed that the seventh-grade English teacher appeared to be stumbling, and the co-worker alerted an administrator.

Wilhite said Riley-Grissom was removed from the classroom when school leadership was informed that she might be intoxicated. She was arrested after students were released for the day, according to the police report.

Yesterday, Riley-Grissom resigned her teaching position.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/14/2009 08:05:00 AM

British Royal family set to gain new admirers


The many people who are sick and tired of the pursed-mouth reaction to any reference to race have had Prince Harry to applaud lately -- and now Prince Charles sets an example of harmless frankness too:

"Britain's royal family is embroiled in another race row after reports the Prince of Wales calls a friend "Sooty". Prince Charles used the "affectionate nickname" to address Kolin Dhillon, whose family come from the Indian subcontinent, at Cirencester Polo Club, Britain's The Daily Telegraph reported. "Charles, along with both of his boys, have called this chap Sooty because it is his nickname and he is perfectly comfortable with it," an un-named member of the club told the newspaper.

Source

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/14/2009 08:03:00 AM

Oklahoma Mom, 4 Kids Murdered

(El Reno, Oklahoma) A 25-year-old local mother, Summer Garas, and her four young children were found dead in their apartment Monday afternoon.

An officer went to the apartment to check on the welfare of the occupants and found the five bodies shortly after 4 p.m. Monday, said Jessica Brown, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The children ranged in age from 3 to 7.

Brown said in an afternoon news conference that the victims were not shot or stabbed, but declined to say how they were killed pending work by the state Medical Examiner's office. Cherokee Ballard, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner, would confirm only that the deaths were homicides.

Arrest warrants for the murders were issued for 25-year-old Joshua Steven Durcho of El Reno, the slain woman's boyfriend.

Last night, Texas Department of Public Safety officers apprehended Durcho after a one-car crash on State Highway 36 outside Hamilton, Texas.

A check of Durcho's identification showed that he was wanted in Oklahoma for murder. After being treated for minor injuries, Durcho was taken to the Hamilton County Jail where he awaits extradition back to Oklahoma.

Not to be gruesome, but I'm very curious about how the family was killed. If not shot or stabbed, what remains? It's also quite unusual for someone to kill four young children plus the mother. I have to speculate that drug use of some nature is involved.

Condolences to the family and friends of Summer Garas, 25, her daughters Kirsten Rust, 7; Autumn Rust, 6; and Evynn Garas, 3; and a son, Teagin Rust, 4.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/14/2009 05:34:00 AM

Court: Teacher-Student Sex Ruled Okay

(Olympia, Washington) According to a state appeals court, sex between teachers and students who are 18 years old is not prohibited by law.

"Thus, we conclude that the legislative history of [the statute] clarifies that the legislature intended ... to criminalize only sexual misconduct between school employees and 16- and 17-year-old students," wrote Judge Marywave Van Deren in an opinion signed by colleagues Christine Quinn-Brintnall and J. Robin Hunt.

It's not clear whether legislators will write a law which protects all students while in high school. Nothing has been reported yet.

Meanwhile, however, the senior classes of every Washington high school have now become target-rich, albeit minefield-dangerous, teacher-student dating environments.

Companion post at EdWatch.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/13/2009 10:04:00 PM

Entire Family Gets Life for Honor Killing

(Diyarbakir, Turkey) Sixteen-year-old Naile Erdas became pregnant because of a rape and her family colluded to murder her to preserve the family honor. As a consequence, five members of the same family have been sentenced to life in prison.

In its verdict Friday, a court in the eastern city of Van sentenced the murder victim's brother to life in jail for the 2006 murder said to have been committed to cleanse the family honor, the Van Women's Association said.

The girl's father, mother and two uncles were also given life sentences for instigating the murder, while a third uncle was jailed for 16 years and eight months for failing to report the murder in one of the heaviest sentences handed down in Turkey for such a killing.

"We can say this verdict is a first in terms of the harshness of the sentences and the fact that the entire family was convicted," Mazlum Bağlı, a researcher into honor killings at Dicle University in Diyarbakır....

Sadly, one week after giving birth, the prosecutor sent Naile Erdas home after the father promised she wouldn't be harmed but, within mere hours, her brother fatally shot her.

In summary, the daughter is dead and the family is in prison for life. Some honor, eh?

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/13/2009 08:01:00 AM

A defender of hopeless causes?

I think there is a saint for hopeless causes. I will have to look him up and shoot him a prayer. I think I need him.

My mother told me once that when I was a kid and she asked me if I had done something naughty I would always admit that I had. She said that I was so honest that she never had the heart to punish me. I sometimes wonder if that honesty is a curse. It sure gets me into a lot of trouble. I am always blowing the whistle on popular beliefs that I can see to be wrong -- as my GREENIE WATCH and FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC blogs attest. If I went with the flow, I would have a lot more fame and fortune, I think. But I do pretty well anyway. My latest bit of skepticism is:

"Some people even believe that William Zantzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll"

And I am sure that we can all remember Bob Dylan (aka Shabtai Zisel ben Avraham) singing that accusation in his nasal voice. But as far as I can see, Zantzinger was innocent. "Zantzinger" is a marvellous name to conjure with (Dylan even invented a "diamond ring finger" to rhyme with it) so no wonder Dylan was tempted but even Dylan's biographer says that the song was a libel:

The Dylan song followed him around his whole life, though he steadfastly refused to talk about it with reporters. In 2001 Bob Dylan biographical Howard Sounes actually got a quote out of him. "[Dylan] is a no-account song a bitch," Zantzinger said. "He's just like a scum bag of the earth. I should have sued him and put him in jail. [The song is] a total lie." Clinton Heylin - perhaps the world's authority on all things Dylan - seems to agree. "Dylan's concern was not the fact themselves but how they might fit with his preconceived notions of injustice and corruption," he wrote in Behind The Shades. "That the song itself is a masterpiece of drama and wordplay does not excuse Dylan's distortions, and 36 years on he continues to misrepresent poor William Zantzinger in concert."

What actually happened seems to be that Zantzinger was drunk after a celebration and did insult the lady and tap her on the shoulder with a toy cane but that did not kill her. She died several hours later of her chronic medical condition: hypertension, arteriosclerosis and a burst cerebral aneurism -- a "stroke" in popular parlance. Zantzinger was convicted of manslaughter because his actions were deemed to have brought on the stroke but that is speculation. Clearly, if the woman had been in normal health, nothing would have happened. So the light sentence Zantzinger received reflected his very low level of culpability rather than anything more sinister. If the court had really been "racist" or even fair, it would not have convicted him of anything at all. And Zantzinger's continued good standing in his community can also be seen as a judgement about his innocence rather than as evidence of "racism" Who among us has not committed indiscretions while drunk?

Hey! Aren't the Lefty whiners who monitor me going to love this one! I wrote the last sentence above ("Who among us...) with them in mind. They will surely use it as a summary of what I say about Zantzinger. Leftists love to quote out of context. The whole truth is generally too destructive of their simplistic ideas. I should have mentioned previously that my fellow Brisbane conservative blogger Leon Bertrand gives the whiners concerned a hard time occasionally.

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/13/2009 07:12:00 AM

Immigrant Feelings Project

(Wurtsboro, New York) Fifth-graders at Chase Elementary School have been indoctrinated in an immigrant feelings project. Teachers Marilyn Lounsbury, Karen Crofoot and Dorrie Lounsbury were faculty participants.

Students put together their "baggage," which included an autobiography and a letter of reference for their person to come into the U.S. They gave themselves pseudonyms. Students were to talk with their families about their family heritage and also to do research on their country of origin. They were to place artifacts, recipes, facts, the national flag, a map and other interesting things about their heritage and country in a shoebox as their suitcases. Students were given passports and asked to dress as immigrants for their Ellis Island experience.

When they arrived at Ellis Island, they went through a background information check station with Lea Walters and Marilyn Lounsbury where they were to present their important paperwork. They went through a vocation station with literacy coach Ann Kurthy, checking information about their job skills and plans for potential employment. Dorrie Lounsbury put them through the Character Station, where they were interrogated with such questions as "Were you ever arrested? Are you in debt? Did you leave sick relatives at home?"

Students had to be cleared by nurse Pam Shimer. They had their temperatures taken (with candy cane thermometers) and were checked for eye diseases, skin rashes or other health problems. Those who were not cleared medically or in any of the stations had to go to an Appeals Station manned by Karen Crofoot. Linda Holmes checked their baggage. She also did the Money Exchange Station and final welcome to America. Crofoot administered the Oath of Allegiance.

The project is part of a curricula called "Where We Are in Place and Time."

Frankly, it would be prudent to include in the feelings coursework an exercise which replicates the experience of an illegal alien entering the United States. The experience of trekking through the desert, scaling fences, forging documents, hiding in the holds of ships, and dealing with snakeheads and coyotes (human smugglers) shouldn't be overlooked.

After all, we wouldn't want the youngsters to be confused about the difference between an illegal alien and a legal immigrant. Now, would we?

Companion post at EdWatch.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/13/2009 06:36:00 AM

Georgia Teacher Busted for Cocaine

(Columbus, Georgia) A special education teacher at Marshall Middle School, Carolyn Mitchell, was arrested Sunday for alleged drug possession offenses.

Mitchell was arrested at her residence along with 35-year-old Eric Reynolds who has been charged with trafficking in cocaine.

Investigators discovered 25.6 grams of cocaine, with a street value of about $2,500, inside the home. Officers found another 13.5 grams of cocaine, with a street value of about $1,350, in a 1985 Pontiac seized during the investigation.

School district spokesperson Valerie Fuller said Mitchell has been employed with the district since August 1997.

Mitchell is charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.


[Update 1/14/09]

Charges against Carolyn Mitchell dropped. Reportedly, her roommate Reynolds was dealing in crack, admitted to it and claimed Mitchell didn't know. Detectives remain dubious, saying that anyone living in the home would have known of the drugs.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/13/2009 05:51:00 AM

Connecticut Teacher Accused of Sex with Male Student

(New London, Connecticut) A 31-year-old teacher's aide formerly at Robert E. Fitch High School, Shonna Couture, has been charged with engaging in sex with a 16-year-old male student.

Couture faces counts of second-degree sexual assault, providing alcohol to a minor and risk of injury to a child.

On the weekend of Dec. 5, she said she rented a room at the Econo Lodge and had consensual sex with the student.

On Dec. 7, the boy asked Couture to pick up a 15-year-old female at her house. Around 7 p.m., Couture brought the girl back to the motel, where all three of them drank from Couture's bottle of Smirnoff vodka. Couture told police the girl appeared intoxicated.

Couture also told police she had sex with the boy at her house sometime between Dec. 7 and Dec. 13.

A court appearance is scheduled for February 3.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/13/2009 05:21:00 AM

South Carolina Woman Accused of Sex with Boy

(Greenwood, South Carolina) In a case that is more than two years old, a 29-year-old local woman, Tara Bowers, will go to court on a charge of criminal sexual conduct with a minor. The Greenwood County Sheriff's Office originally charged Bowers in November 2006.

According to GCSO reports, deputies met with the the 15-year-old boy and his parents in Nov. 2006. The boy’s parents went to police after he reportedly disclosed his relationship with Bowers to his pastor. The boy told deputies that he and Bowers had sexual intercourse on several occasions over a two or three month period. The acts reportedly took place at Bowers home.

The boy’s parents provided deputies with a handwritten letter, allegedly from Bowers, stating that she was aware that the boy was 15-years-old, but that she loved him. Deputies say the letter also explains that Bowers had an abortion after becoming pregnant with the boy’s child.

Reportedly, Bowers admitted to the sexual relationship when interviewed by deputies. The exact date of her trial wasn't reported.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/13/2009 05:00:00 AM

Female Teacher and Female Student

(Rockville, Connecticut) A 20-year-old teacher at Capital Theater Arts Academy, Anastasia Gagnon, has been arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with a 15-year-old female student. Yesterday, Gagnon was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

The 15-year-old told state police and a state Department of Children and Families social worker that she initiated the sex with Gagnon and that they had sex twice, according to an arrest warrant. After that, the student told investigators, Gagnon said that what they were doing was wrong and broke it off.

Gagnon was booked into custody and subsequently released on $15,000 bail. She no longer works at the school.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/12/2009 02:23:00 PM

Hate Crime?

(Morris, Illinois) Based upon the reporting, I'd like to think that there is more to this hate crime.

A Morris man was sentenced in circuit court Thursday to 18 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to a hate crime.

Charles Woods, 19, 816 E. Benton St., was given credit for 141 days served. He was fined $200 and ordered to submit a DNA sample and pay the $200 fee.

A battery charge for punching Carlos Luevano in the face at 326 E. Jackson St. on July 28 was dismissed.

Woods was charged with a hate crime for punching Luevano because of his national origin.

A year and a half in prison for one punch in the chops seems harsh. It also seems that the determination of a hate crime is arbitrary. If I slug a guy for offending me and he turns out to be from some hate-worthy origin, whether I knew it or not, it would be classified as a hate crime. That doesn't seem right.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/12/2009 10:32:00 AM

Brit Hacker Trying to Avoid Extradition

(UK) A 42-year-old British computer geek, Gary McKinnon, who illegally accessed and damaged 97 U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, Pentagon and NASA computers, is seeking to avoid being sent to the United States by confessing to a non-extraditable crime.

The U.S. military also accuses McKinnon of disabling 300 U.S. Naval weapons systems computers immediately after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. He faces up to 70 years in prison if convicted in the U.S.

McKinnon hopes his signed confession to a charge under the Misuse of Computers Act will preclude being extradited.

His lawyer Karen Todner said he still denies causing damage, which the US authorities put at 800,000 dollars (£532,500), but signed a statement offering to plead guilty under UK law to hacking into the computers.

Ms Todner said she was awaiting a response from the director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, but added she was hopeful prosecutors would accept the deal.

"They are different offences to what he was being extradited for, but it reflects his culpability for what he did," she said.

Analogously, it appears McKinnon is willing to admit culpability to vehicular homicide while only pleading guilty to speeding.

Just from a criminality perspective, prosecution to less than the full extent of the law doesn't make a lick of sense to me. I contend that McKinnon should be put on a plane and face his accusers in America. In any event, the case will be heard before the British High Court on January 20.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/12/2009 08:20:00 AM

Take Your Clothes Off, I'm a Doctor

(Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) A Medical Violations Committee has sentenced five Saudi men to prison for impersonating doctors.

Five young men who had posed as doctors to “examine” women patients, were sentenced to 6 months in prison and fined SR100,000 each. [...]

The young men would wear white coats, hang a stethoscope around the neck and slip into different hospitals here during visiting hours, said Dr. Sami Badawood, director of the Jeddah Health Affairs.

Apparently these guys were successful a number of times before they were caught. I wonder what the Koran says about playing doctor with the ladies.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/12/2009 08:18:00 AM

Another Southern tradition is "incorrect"



We read:

"State NAACP President Edward Vaughn objects to having Mobile's Azalea Trail Maids as Alabama's only group in the upcoming presidential inaugural parade, saying they remind him of slavery days - a characterization that Trail Maids supporters decry. Vaughn said he thinks that Alabama will be a "laughingstock" at the Jan. 20 inauguration. He made his comments in a front-page Montgomery Advertiser story published Thursday.

Vaughn suggested that the Trail Maids' costumes - hoop dresses with matching bonnets and parasols - reflect the state's slavery past and have no place at the inauguration of the first African-American president, Barack Obama.

This year's Trail Maids include eight black members, two maids of Indian descent, one Asian and 39 whites, said Andy Marasca, president of the group. Marasca said he learned of Vaughn's concerns from local media.

"The Trail Maids do not represent the Confederacy or antebellum times but reflect the beauty of Mobile and its 300-plus years of fascinating history," commissioners said in a statement. The first Trail Maid court was formed in 1949, according to the group's Web site.

Source

I must say that they look a bit over the top to me but I am a long way away from Alabama.


Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/12/2009 07:08:00 AM

Five New Oil Fields Found in Saudi Arabia

(Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) The Saudi Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Al-Naimi announced that five new oil fields and three new gas fields have been discovered by Saudi Aramco north of Dhahran in the Eastern Province.

It's believed that the resources were discovered because the government allows people to search for oil and gas and then drill the Earth to extract it. Imagine that.

However, a contrary view is held by arrogant Gaia-worshipping nations advancing towards utopia. Searching for new resources is considered a primitive approach which has largely been abandoned in favor of recycling, wind power, sun power, geo-thermal power and other alternatives.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/11/2009 11:58:00 PM

George the Giant Lobster

(New York City) George, the giant lobster, a 20-pounder estimated to be at least 80 years old, was caught off the coast of Canada and purchased by City Crab and Seafood. Languishing in City Crab's lobster tank, George was like a mascot, never meant to be sold and eaten. Pictured is George's cousin, Typical.

Nevertheless, a City Crab patron dropped a dime and called People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), ostensibly to complain of George's detention and torturous humiliation. City Crab grabbed its ankles and succumbed to PETA pressure.

George will be released off the coast of Maine back into the Atlantic Ocean where he is sure to be the main course in a feast for other lobsters, cod, octopus, slimy hagfish and other creatures on the PETA-approved lobster consumers list.

According to PETA pronouncer Michael McGraw, "We're really eager to return him to freedom."

Although George was caught in Canadian waters, he's being released off the coast of Maine, presumably because Maine is the proposed location of the PETA Lobster Empathy Center. According to PETA President Ingrid Newkirk:

"Mainers have been dragging lobsters from their ocean homes for generations -- it's time for them to learn that these fascinating animals deserve more than being treated as mere commodities ...

Incarcerating lobsters in filthy tanks and sentencing them to death by boiling is every bit as unacceptable as abusing cats, dogs, or other animals."

The Lobster Empathy Center would simulate supermarket lobster tanks by having visitors rubber-band their fingers together and walk into a dirty tank while pressed against other visitors. It's not certain that tourists will line up with fists full of dollars to enjoy the empathy experience.

An idea that's likely not going anywhere is the Baby Harp Seal Empathy Center where visitors are clubbed until bloody and then dragged through the exhibits.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/11/2009 08:33:00 AM

Government Bailout Stock Index

If someone throws money into a smelly hole with intentions of improving the odor, every now and then it would be nice to know if the stink is lessened. That's essentially what the Nasdaq OMX Group plans.

The trans-Atlantic exchange operator's first launch is the Government Relief Index, or GRI, which will track the stocks of 24 companies that have received more than $1 billion apiece in backing from the U.S. Troubled Asset Relief Program or other support mechanisms.

John Jacobs, an executive vice president at Nasdaq OMX, said the exchange plans to launch indexes tracking smaller recipients of U.S. state aid, as well as versions reflecting support to European companies. It is looking at licensing options and exchange-traded funds based on the initial GRI index to third parties.

Mr. Jacobs said the first index will act as a long-term benchmark to measure the effectiveness of the TARP and other programs. "If these companies outperform the overall market over next five years, we can say that this was the right thing to do," he said.

So, through the Government Relief Index, taxpayers can periodically get a whiff of the smelly hole without having to stick their noses in it.

Meanwhile, I would speculate that Congress will launch an American taxpayer smell desensitization initiative to re-calibrate judgmental odor receptors in the noses of the public.

After all, when being led down the road toward utopia, it's important that noses are re-educated to be tolerant. This is necessary because it's possible to throw enough money into a hole such that the hole disappears completely, leaving only the smell.

Arguably, the stench will never disperse and, in a way, it's a blessing. When all the wealth has evaporated, it's strangely comforting to have a reminder, even if it stinks.

Therefore, I recommend that the Government Relief Index be nicknamed the Stink Fund Index.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/11/2009 07:53:00 AM

Are abbreviations offensive?

In the story below they seem to be. "Paki" is a common British abbreviation for a Pakistani. In Australia "Aborigine" is commonly abbreviated to "Abo" and that is held by some to be offensive too

"Britain's Prince Harry apologised today after reports he filmed himself calling an Asian army colleague a "Paki." The News of the World said the recording was made in 2006, a year after the prince was pilloried for wearing a Nazi uniform at a costume party, a gaffe that sparked international outcry. The paper said Harry, 24, and third in line to the British throne, could be heard saying: "Anyone else here ... ah, our little Paki friend ... Ahmed" as he zoomed onto the face of an Asian cadet while waiting at an airport to fly to Cyprus.

A royal spokesman said there had been no racist intent in Harry's words. "Prince Harry fully understands how offensive this term (Paki) can be, and is extremely sorry for any offence his words might cause," the spokesman said. "However, on this occasion three years ago, Prince Harry used the term without any malice and as a nickname about a highly popular member of his platoon.
"There is no question that Prince Harry was in any way seeking to insult his friend."

Source

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/10/2009 11:27:00 PM

Licensing of Strippers

"Yes, ma'am, I'm an authorized investigator verifying compliance with the stripper licensing law. You must show me your -- uh -- credentials."

I know what you're thinking. They're my thoughts too. (link)
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/10/2009 10:58:00 PM

Google Spycam Captures Urinating Woman

(Madrid, Spain) A couple weeks ago, sharp-eyed Spanish bloggers noticed that a Google Street View spymobile had captured the image of a woman urinating behind a parked car on the Calle de Cefeo in Madrid.

Subsequently, the picture was broadcast throughout the Internet.

When Google became aware of the picture and realized that the buttock-smudging software wasn't working, the photo was scrubbed from the database and replaced with a black page displaying a window announcing, "This image is no longer available."

So much for privacy, eh? Of course, the moral of this story is that all people who decide to relieve themselves on a public street should wear clean underwear and be sure to smile.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/10/2009 08:27:00 PM

Vixens Sexually Assaulted, Dumped in Alley

(Cairns, Australia) Police are searching for a sex pervert burglar for a bizarre series of break-ins at two downtown adult retail establishments.

Disturbingly, more than once Jungle Jane was taken into the alley and defiled (Crime scene photo at right). Notably, both adult businesses are accessible through a shared rear entry.

A PERVERT has twice broken into a Cairns adult shop and had sex with blow-up dolls before abandoning the vinyl vixens in a nearby lane.

However, police are on his tail, because the thief left his DNA on a doll and possible fingerprints on its face along with three other inflatable dolls and lubricants.

Business owners believe the same culprit is responsible for break-ins and till thefts at the Sapphire Bar on Lake St and three break-ins at the Laneway Adult Shop off Spence St in the past several days.

His method of entry is to smash through walls and squeeze through tight holes.

The owner of the adult shop, who wished to be named only as Vogue, said that in a first unreported break-in at his recently opened shop, the doll-snatcher had stolen five dolls and had sex with one of them.

“He has been taking the dolls out the back and blowing them up and using the dolls and leaving them in the alley,” he said.

Video identifies the pervert as a tall, skinny white man. He is wanted for breaking through the walls and ceilings of the businesses, stealing property and money, and then leaving his sex syrup all over the places. The perverted thief also took surveillance recorders but discarded them close by in dumpsters.

Although it's not clear what it means, one source described the burglar as "light-fingered." Frankly, I believe that someone who breaks through walls and ceilings to have sex with blow-up dolls is not light-fingered.

Tip: Charley Nestor
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/10/2009 06:18:00 PM

Pennsylvania Teacher Busted for Drugs

(Williamsport, Pennsylvania) A 52-year-old teacher at Round Hills Elementary School, Beth Camp, was arrested yesterday, along with her husband and her 33-year-old son, on drug trafficking charges. The three have been charged with possession with the intent to deliver.

Police say they seized 72 pounds of marijuana from the Lycoming Township home of 52-year-old Beth Camp on Friday. They also seized about $6,000 in cash, along with several handguns and rifles.

Police estimate the value of the drugs seized at $350,000.

If the reporting is correct, the marijuana is quite expensive. The math sets the value around $4,800 per pound, $300 per ounce or over $10 per gram. And that's wholesale! Honestly, the numbers seem high.

In any event, school officials will have to tell the students why Mrs. Camp is absent.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/10/2009 09:51:00 AM

Massachusetts Teacher Arrested for Rape of Boy - Updated

(Abington, Massachusetts) A 29-year-old local teacher at Woodsdale Elementary School, Christine A. McCallum, was arrested last night for allegedly engaging in sex repeatedly with a male student starting when he was 13. McCallum faces seven (7) counts of rape of a child.

McCallum allegedly began abusing the boy when he was 13 years old and it continued until he was 16 years old, said a spokeswoman for [District Attorney Timothy] Cruz, Bridget Norton Middleton.

Four of the alleged assaults took place in Rockland and three occurred in Abington, officials said.

McCallum was booked into custody. Arraignment is scheduled for today in Brockton District Court. [1/9/09 post]


[Update 1/10/09]

WOW!

Check out the additional information regarding the allegations against McCallum.

McCallum weaved her way into the boy’s life in late 2005, prosecutors said, when she became a tutor for his younger brother, let them stay at her house, emptied their backpacks after school, fed them dinner and gave them rides.

But within months, prosecutors said, McCallum was plying the boy with cranberry and vodka drinks, Jell-o shots and rum, and sleeping with him in her house and his house.

McCallum ended the relationship in November 2007 in a fit of jealousy, after she found out he was using the cell phone she bought him to text other girls, police said.

McCallum obviously lost sight of the fact that she is a married, 29-year-old teacher.

Reportedly, McCallum's victim told police they had sex more than 300 times during the time he was 13, 14 and 15 years old. The first time was on McCallum's couch while trusting hubby slept upstairs. Then the sex was in the shower, on the kitchen floor, on a shag carpet in the living room, yada, yada, yada. We can probably eliminate incidental lapse of judgment as an excuse.

Authorities were ultimately alerted by the boy's father. Understandably, McCallum has been described as being obsessed with the boy, writing 10 love letters.

She has been charged with seven counts of statutory rape.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/10/2009 08:19:00 AM

Texas Teacher Gets 6 Months for Student Sex

(Huntington, Texas) In April 2008, a Huntington ISD teacher, Melissa Beth Williams, was charged with having an improper relationship between an educator and a student. Reportedly, the mother of the 17-year-old male victim alerted authorities.

Yesterday in Angelina County Court, 42-year-old Melissa Beth Williams pleaded guilty to engaging in a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student in accordance with a plea agreement.

As a result, Williams was given a 10-year sentence with the provision that after serving six months in prison, the remainder will be served on probation. Terms of the probation haven't yet been reported.

As a reminder, several years ago Texas legislators made it a felony offense for a teacher and a student to have a relationship, despite their ages. Otherwise, the age of consent in Texas is 17.

Notably, Williams has four children, one of which is a male high school student the same age as her victim.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/10/2009 08:00:00 AM

Germany having 'one of the coldest winters in 100 years'

The cold has so far cost four people their lives and caused even the Muritzsee [a large lake] to freeze up.

One of the coldest winters in 100 years has cost Germany more lives. At minus 16 degrees a homeless man in Rhineland-Palatinate froze to death. Police said yersterday that the 58-year-old had for two years lived with a 43-year-old in a tent.

On Friday morning, a 53-year old Berliner was fished out dead from a hole in the ice in the Elde in Grabow (District Ludwigslust). According to the police at directorate Schwerin, the man's car was found with the key still in the ignition on the bridge of the federal 5th

In Nidda a man who lived in a nursing home became a victim of the cold, according to the police in Friedberg. The corpse of a man who on Sunday ran away from home, was found on Monday. Only now it has been established that he froze to death. On Monday in Weimar a demented 77 - year-old who had got lost froze to death.....

According to the German Weather Service (DWD), this is one of the coldest winters of the past 100 years. It is quite rare that such low temperatures as in the past days were recorded, the DWD meteorologist Thomas Schmidt said yesterday. The weather service Meteomedia reported yesterday a temperature of minus 34.6 degrees at the Funtensee in the Bavarian Alps. It was there in Christmas 2001, that the lowest temperature so far in Germany was recorded -- at minus 45.9 degrees Celsius, .

For the first time in years the Mueritz lake in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania -- with 11,700 hectares of Germany's largest lake scenery -- was again completely covered with ice. In northern Germany ice increasingly hampered inland ship movements: The Elbe was from Friday morning closed to shipping above Hamburg because of a thick blanket of ice.

More here. (Quick translation by JR)

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/09/2009 10:28:00 PM

Sheriff Skimped on Jail Food, Pocketed Difference

(Decatur, Alabama) U. W. Clemon of Federal District Court in Birmingham ordered Morgan County Sheriff Greg Bartlett to jail this week for allegedly serving jail inmates insufficient food to save money which he pocketed.

The inmates' diet kept them alive but they lost weight and testified that they were always hungry.

Judge Clemon and Sheriff Bartlett blame an outdated Alabama law which allows the state’s sheriffs to keep for themselves whatever money is left over after they feed their prisoners. Sheriff Bartlett was able to augment his income by $212,000 over the last three years.

In Bartlett's defense, Bobby Timmons of the Alabama Sheriffs Association said that Sheriff Bartlett was merely following the law. The feeding allowance for the inmates is by the rules, he said.

The inmates’ complaints came to light because the jail, which holds about 300, was already under a federal consent decree governing conditions there.

“Given the testimony about the fairly blatant violations of the consent decree, I knew of no more efficient means of impressing on the sheriff the seriousness of the matter than by placing him in jail until he indicated a willingness to comply,” the judge said.

Sheriff Bartlett was released from jail on Thursday afternoon, after he submitted a plan that satisfied the judge. He will now spend all the food money solely on food and will “no longer keep any funds for his personal use,” Judge Clemon said.

After his release, Sheriff Bartlett issued a statement.

In the Morgan County Jail, we have several procedures in place to catch and correct those issues and other complaints filed by inmates. I heard some of those complaints for the first time in preparing for the hearing. I have taken corrective measures to receive and review all complaints in Morgan County Jail and make sure those complaints have been addressed.

I know that the portion size issue came up, and it is possible for inmates serving in the kitchen to short another inmate they had a grudge with or just didn't like. I have been told by staff members and inmates that this may have occurred on some occasions. Staff will now directly observe portion sizes of all meals.

The Morgan County Jail served over 328,000 meals in 2008 and only received 15 complaints on the issue of food. That is a very low number, especially coming from a jail. I have never or would not ever have tolerated an inmate being fed inadequate portions or meals for any reason. That never happened to my knowledge.

In summary, Sheriff Bartlett denies any wrongdoing.

For comparison sake, there have been no reported complaints about the food at Gitmo.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/09/2009 09:18:00 PM

Sen. Harry Reid Leaving Senate?

Check out the ingenious plan to remove Democrat Sen. Harry Reid from his position as Senate Majority Leader.

I'm guessing it was one of those stinking tourists who thought up the scheme.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/09/2009 10:37:00 AM

Florida Mom Gets Prison for Sex with Minor - Updated

(Pensacola, Florida) A tearful Angela Leavitt dabbed her cheeks as Circuit Judge Ron Swanson imposed her sentence yesterday.

Swanson gave Leavitt a 3½-year suspended sentence, which requires her to spend at least one year in state prison. Should she violate the terms of her 96-month probation, she'll return to prison to finish the rest of the sentence.

Leavitt also is required to register as a sex offender and attend counseling.

Meanwhile, it's reported that Leavitt and her husband are divorcing.

In Leavitt's defense, her lawyer Kenneth Ridlehoover indicated that Leavitt was actually the victim in the case because she is emotionally stunted from childhood abuse and a bad marriage. Not only that but the boy approached her. Despite Ridlehoover's assertions, Leavitt is going to the slammer.


* * * * *
Florida Mom Guilty of Sex with Minor
[Previous 11/10/08 post bumped]
(Pensacola, Florida) In June 2008, 28-year-old Angela Leavitt learned that a warrant was issued for her arrest for allegedly engaging in unlawful sex with a 16-year-old boy. As a consequence, she and the boy fled.

Investigators contend that Leavitt, a married mother of two, had an extended-term sexual relationship with the boy, her coworker at a fast food burger business.

Leavitt left home with the boy June 3 - taking her own 8- and 9-year-old children with her - because she knew she was about to be arrested, lawmen say. The boy's parents had filed a restraining order against her after the pair were found together in Leavitt's Dodge Durango more than once.

Lawmen began searching for her as her husband went public, asking for the safe return of his children.

The manhunt ended a week later, when Leavitt was arrested at Pensacola Regional Airport - where she said she was planning to turn herself in, anyway. The boy had come home a day earlier via Greyhound bus.

On June 17, Leavitt was released from custody on bond and ordered to have no contact with minors, to wear a GPS monitor and to stay in the local area.

Last Friday, Angela Leavitt pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual activity with a minor. She is scheduled to be sentenced on January 8th.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/09/2009 07:54:00 AM

Gangster-Style Russian Roulette

(Dayton, Ohio) Last night, a 17-year-old female was hospitalized after being shot in the mouth allegedly during a game of Russian Roulette. Her 18-year-old gang member companion has been detained for questioning.

The young woman, whose name was not immediately available, was taken to Miami Valley Hospital where she was in serious, but not life-threatening, condition, Dayton Lt. John Bardun said.

She and the male were playing Russian Roulette in the living room of the dwelling, using a .357 Magnum handgun. There were at least two other witnesses, Bardun said.

He put the gun to her mouth and pulled the trigger more than once, Bardun said.

Investigators found five bullets in the dwelling, which could indicate that they had been removed to leave one round in the weapon -- as the game is played.

Police have not recovered the gun, Bardun said.

After he shot her, he told her he loved her, Bardun said.

So, he puts the gun in her mouth, pulls the trigger and calls it Russian Roulette. Uh, I'm missing something.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/09/2009 07:49:00 AM

The virtues of Christianity -- one tiny example


There are lots of people -- atheists, Leftists, foolish Jews etc. -- who say horrible things about Christianity. And I find that very unbalanced.

In my early life I was steeped in Christianity so I think I know a little about it. And although I have been an utter atheist for all my adult life (I am now 65), I still enjoy reading my Bible on occasions and I still have a lot of time for those whom I once called "brothers". So I think I do have some standing to defend Christianity.

Social scientists and statisticians hate it (and I am of that ilk too) but for most people examples are more persuasive than generalizations and averages so I just want to give here one tiny example of why I still heart the Protestant faith into which I grew up.

My old church in Brisbane is Ann St Presbyterian. In the 60s I was a communicant member there. Nowadays I pop in very rarely, maybe at Easter or some other day of special significance. And I always feel most at home there and love singing the old hymns.

But what I want to mention on this occasion -- at peril of embarrassing him -- is one of the elders there. Presbyterian churches are very democratic and are governed by elected elders rather than by Bishops and suchlike. And whenever I walk into my old church for a service, the elders are there by the door to greet people as they arrive -- a thoroughly admirable custom in my view.

And one of the elders who seems always to be there must have been -- in my guess -- a butcher at some stage. He has lost most of his fingers on his right hand. Butchers regularly sacrificed fingers to the bandsaw in the old days and I guess some still do. So is the elder concerned embarrassed to do what elders do -- shake hands with people as they arrive? Not at all. He holds out what is left of his hand with perfect good cheer and we are all glad to shake it. He always looks as spruce as can be, dressed in an old-fashioned but immaculate suit, and is an example to us all not to be ground down by adversity.

The church has given him a respected role and self-esteem and he has given back inspiration and a lesson to all who shake his hand. How can I not respect a faith and a church that has done that? Maybe I am just a sentimental old fool but I will take that risk.

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/09/2009 06:21:00 AM

Teacher Arrested on Child Porn, Sex Charges

(Mobile. Alabama) On Wednesday, a 29-year-old teacher formerly at Little Flower Catholic School, Melissa B. Gray, was arrested on child pornography and sex charges.

Reportedly, Gray traded child porn with a Florida man, Jonathan Daniel Bervig, along with arranging sexual encounters for him with two children, one an eight-year-old girl.

Gray was booked into the Mobile County Jail and subsequently released.


[Update 9/17/09]

Melissa Gray will plead guilty to child porn charges. Sentencing scheduled for next week.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/09/2009 05:00:00 AM

Korean BBQ Taco Truck

Americanized barbecued Korean food served from a truck. Apparently, it's all the rage.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/08/2009 11:56:00 PM

Pro-Rocket vs. Anti-Rocket

There appears to be a significant level of confusion regarding the current conflict in the Gaza Strip. I'd suggest that part of the confusion arises from the fact that many people are unaware of what the Gaza Strip is much less where it is.

A salient level of ignorance can only be attributed to incompetence in educational systems and the marionette mainstream media, both of which frequently ignore reporting facts and, instead, take sides and report opinion.

Therefore, I believe it's worthwhile to simply explain exactly what the two competing sides in the Gaza conflict actually disagree about. Notably, hundreds of millions of people support each viewpoint.

Viewpoint A

Held by people who believe that launching rockets into neighboring communities is an acceptable nuisance which must be tolerated. Any forceful armed action to stop the rocket launching is considered disproportionate and unjustified.

Viewpoint B

Held by people who believe that launching rockets into neighboring communities is an act of terrorism which frequently results in property damage, injury and death. Armed action is a justifiable defense to stop the rocket launches.

Given the substance of the conflict in Gaza, it's difficult to understand how any rational mentality could support Viewpoint A. Yet, many putatively rational beings apparently do support having rockets lobbed in their, or others, neighborhoods.

For example, the UN, virtually all Arab countries, France, Indonesia, Hugo Chavez, at least half of Africa, the United Methodist Church, plus many others support Viewpoint A, the practice of launching rockets with impunity.

Ironically, some Viewpoint A believers also believe that what goes around, comes around, indicating that perhaps the Viewpoint A believers will someday be on the receiving end of indiscriminate rocket launches into their homes. Hopefully, not.

Now, I'm not naive enough to disregard the complexities of the Gaza controversy. They are numerous and have little, if anything, to do with the actual current conflict. Realistically, any time the marionette mainstream media are listening, as in an armed incursion, it's seen as an opportunity to empty festering ditty bags full of bitches and complaints. And that's what the marionette media report to the public, a mish-mash of grievances. Therein comes the confusion.

I recommend that people just ignore the complexities when assessing the current controversy. It's all about one community launching thousands of rockets at the homes and businesses of an adjacent community and the adjacent community is using force to try to stop the rockets.

In conclusion, readers can make up their own minds. Just remember the nuts and bolts of the situation and decide. Are you pro-rocket or anti-rocket?
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/08/2009 09:08:00 PM

Florida Teacher Accused of 1980s Child Sex

(Orange County, Florida) A 58-year-old retired teacher formerly at Carver Middle School, Wanda Smith, was arrested today for allegedly engaging in sex with a male student in the 1980s. She faces a charge of sexual battery.

She is accused of having sex with a student for several years starting when he was 11 years old and in 6th grade. The victim, who was interviewed by Orlando police detectives, said the sexual contact continued for several years until he was about 16.

The acts were occasionally videotaped.

Smith's stepson, Nick Smith, found a copy of a video recording in 2005 while cleaning out his father's home.

Nick Smith reported the video to the police, but no arrests were made at the time because the victim was not identified and detectives could not determine an age of the person seen in the video.

Ultimately, a former student of Smith tied the tape to a named individual and charges were filed. Smith was booked into custody at the Orange County Jail.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/08/2009 11:18:00 AM

Israeli Ambassador Booted by Hugo Chavez

(Caracas, Venezuela) Right on the heels of declaring the situation in Gaza a "holocaust," President Hugo Chavez booted Israel's ambassador out of Venezuela as a protest to the Gaza offensive.

Israel's ambassador to Venezuela, Shlomo Cohen, and his staff were given 72 hours to leave the country. [...]

On Tuesday night, Ambassador Cohen received a telephone call from the Foreign Ministry informing him that an official letter was on its way, declaring him and the other six members of the diplomatic mission in Caracas persona non grata and requiring them to depart the country within three days.

Following this development, a special crew flew to Venezuela to assist in evacuating the embassy and its classified documents and equipment.

There was, however, no mention of severing diplomatic ties with Israel.

Nevertheless, given the close relationship between Chavez and Iran's Ahmadinejad, the Venezuelan Jewish community is understandably apprehensive. Under Chavez, there has been no officially sanctioned anti-Jewish activity in Venezuela but Chavez is known to be vehemently anti-semitic in his rhetoric.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry is contemplating kicking Venezuela's diplomats out of Israel in response to Chavez's action. Venezuela has an office staffed with two diplomats but no ambassador.

Frankly, I wouldn't recommend playing Chavez's game. He's just a thug.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/08/2009 10:08:00 AM

World Bank Shills for Hamas

On first glance, this report might make one believe that the World Bank has some business-busting investments in Gaza. I don't think so, but how else does one explain why the World Bank is the pseudo-official complaint department for Hamas?

Ten thousand people risk drowning in septic waste as Gaza’s sewage system is threatened by Israeli bombardment and the inability to operate pumps, the World Bank said on Wednesday.

Pumps transferring sewage from large cesspools to filtration basins in northern Gaza are not operating because of a lack of electricity and fuel, the bank said. These pumps are critical to relieve pressure on the Beit Lahya sewage lake structure. The lake’s walls are also threatened “by the potential impact of nearby explosions and sonic booms and possibly heavy rain.”

“Failure of the lake structure would put the about 10,000 residents of the surrounding area in danger of drowning,” the World Bank said. [...]

The World Bank said there were also severe shortages of drinking water, adding that the water utility had only enough fuel to enable one day of pumping, but is unable to distribute it as the Israeli offensive continues.

Despite the validity of the assertions regarding Gaza, it would seem more appropriate for reports of disaster and tragedy to come from a relief or humanitarian organization, not a banker.

Maybe I'm missing something. Nevertheless, it's likely prudent to prepare for reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency of a possible cholera outbreak in Gaza or perhaps dengue fever in Malaysia.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/08/2009 08:09:00 AM

Florida Woman Accused of Sex with Her Father

(Bunnell, Florida) A 25-year-old local woman, Kristilyn Smith, faces charges of prostitution and incest. Smith allegedly ran a prostitution ring out of her house and allegedly engaged in sex with her father, 46-year-old Alton Smith.

According to a news release, witnesses told investigators that Kristilyn Smith had sex with her 46-year-old father in August 2008 at the family’s Carlos Court home in Palm Coast.

Alton Smith also is charged with incest, as well as 37 counts of possession of child pornography. He also is being held on a total of $950,000 bail at the same jail as his daughter.

Also at the jail is Tina Marie Smith, 43, who was arrested on Dec. 30 and charged with 37 counts of possession of child pornography. Her bail is $925,000.

Kristilyn Smith was booked into custody at the Flagler County Inmate Facility with bond set at $25,000.

Expect a lot more to be reported on the dysfunctional Smiths.

Tip: slwlion
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/08/2009 08:02:00 AM

From '1930 through 1997, the annual average U.S. temperature actually declined'

The post below is from a moderate Warmist site -- which says that there has been warming but it is not a threat. They make below the interesting point that although there has been no warming over the last 10 years, temperatures remained at an unusually high level -- giving rise to the appearance of an overall warming trend since 1900 and justifying Warmist claims that each recent year has been the 9th (etc.) hottest year of some recent time period. The high temperatures have now however stopped with an overdue cooling effect cutting in. Note also from the graph that the trend was always a weak (and hence unreliable) one -- with highs in the 1930s also.


The data are just in from the National Climatic Data Center and they show that for the year 2008, the average temperature across the United States (lower 48 States) was 1.34 degrees F lower than last year, and a mere one-quarter of a degree above the long-term 1901-2000 average. The temperature in 2008 dropped back down to the range that characterized most of the 20th century.

Figure 1 shows the U.S. temperature history from 1895 to 2008. Notice the unusual grouping of warm years that have occurred since the 1998 El Nino. Once the 1998 El Nino elevated the temperatures across the country, they never seemed to return to where they were before. Proponents of catastrophic global warming liked to claim that is was our own doing through the burning of fossil fuels, but others were more inclined to scratch their heads at the odd nature of the record and wait to see what happened next.



Figure 1. U.S. average annual temperature history 1895-2008 (source: National Climatic Data Center)

You see, prior to 1998, there was little of note in the long-term U.S. temperature record. Temperatures fluctuated a bit from year to year, but the long-term trend was slight and driven by the cold string of years in the late 19th and early 20th century rather than by any warmth at the end of the record. In fact, from the period 1930 through 1997, the annual average temperature actually declined a hair-despite the on-going build-up of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.

The only suggestion that "global warming" had involved the U.S. was to be found in the post-1997 period-a period unusual in that the temperatures went up and stayed up at near-record levels year after year. It was not so much that temperatures continued to climb after 1998, but just that they never fell.

This grouping of warm years nearly doubled the apparent overall warming trend in U.S. temperatures (starting in 1895) from 0.07 degrees F/dedade (ending in 1997) to 0.13 degrees F/decade (ending in 2007). And with this doubling of the warming trend came the big push for emissions restrictions.

But now, 2008 comes along and has broken this warm stranglehold. Perhaps this is an indication that the conditions responsible for the unusual string of warm years have broken down-and maybe they weren't a sudden apparition of anthropogenic global warming after all. Only time will tell for sure. But, at least for now, things seem like they have returned to a more "normal" state of being.

Source

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/08/2009 07:44:00 AM

Homeless Man Kills Homeless Advocate

(Indianapolis, Indiana) A 45-year-old homeless man, Samuel Fancher, was charged yesterday with the murder of Gregory Kemp, a faith-based counselor for the homeless.

Gregory Kemp was found dead inside his home on November 22.

No good deed goes unpunished.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/08/2009 07:19:00 AM

Obama Names Chief Performance Officer

Yesterday, President-elect Obama announced that former Clinton administration functionary Nancy Killefer has been selected as the nation's first Chief Performance Officer. As Chief Performance Officer, Killefer will be responsible for identifying and reporting on wanton government spending.

Concurrently, Mr. Obama also announced his jobs plan to spend $775 billion over two years which economists contend will actually cost $1.2 trillion.

It’s very interesting that Obama would announce the creation, and appointment, of this new government position as he announced the astronomical estimated costs of his economic stimulus plans.

Judging from the failure of the first bailout plan--how is it that our government can lend money to people who created the economic crisis in the first place, and then be surprised that the money is gone?

Really! While designating a wanton spending investigator, Obama directs the most wanton spending plan in the nation's history. These actions indicate a stratospheric level of arrogance.

One must conclude that the position of Chief Performance Officer will have all the authority of a plastic badge shaken out of a cereal box. Mr. Obama must think all Americans are complete idiots.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/08/2009 12:03:00 AM

Pioneer Stock in Britain

(Cornwall, England) A 36-year-old local woman, Karen Holmes, deserves congratulations and applause. At 7:36 AM on Christmas morning, she gave birth to a 7-lb, 4-oz son named Samuel.

Being a trooper of hearty disposition, Holmes then sprang from the delivery bed and started to make a noontime Christmas dinner for her family.

'It was not bad as far as births go but it still wasn't easy. I thought perhaps once I'd had him that the day would be a write-off.

'However, come dinner time I thought I can get up and do things. We were planning to have a small family Christmas anyway so it wasn't a problem.

'We actually had chicken because my daughter hates turkey. The next day it hit me that I was really tired.'

Holmes decided to have the baby delivered at home and attended to by midwives rather than chance a British hospital with its famous infections.

Tip: slwlion
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/07/2009 09:59:00 PM

Florida Babe Accused of Sex with Boy

(Beverly Hills, Florida) A 22-year-old local babe, Rebecca Parsons, was arrested yesterday for allegedly engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy.

Parsons has been charged with lewd and lascivious battery on a person 12 to 16 years old.

According to the arrest report, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office received an allegation on Dec. 30 that Parsons had sex with the victim at her home, and that the victim was under 16 years of age.

Deputies questioned Parsons who, after being read her rights, confessed having sex with the victim on about July 31, and that it was consensual.

Parsons was booked into custody with bond set at $15,000.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/07/2009 02:32:00 PM

Georgia Teacher Accused of Sex with Student

(Garden City, Georgia) A 28-year-old teacher at Myers Middle School, Erika Simmons, was arrested yesterday for allegedly engaging in sex with a 15-year-old student. Simmons has been charged with rape, child molestation and enticing a child for indecent purposes.

Police say the incident happened back in November at Simmons' Garden City apartment, but it wasn't until December 29 that it was brought to the attention of campus police.

"It came to the attention of the school board police from some students and staff members who heard rumors of this and they picked up on it and began an initial investigation, until they found out it occurred within the city limits of Garden City and they brought it to us," said Garden City police chief David Lyons.

Police tell us it appears the incident only happened once.

Reportedly, Simmons was fired by the school district. Arraignment is scheduled for today.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/07/2009 07:54:00 AM

The bombed "school" in Gaza

"Allow me to propose a metric for evaluating whether a journalist is behaving responsibly or not: If he reports that Israel bombed a UN school and killed 30 civilians, he is irresponsible. If he reports that Hamas used a UN school as a weapons cache and base of operations for launching mortars at the IDF, and the IDF's return fire killed the Hamas cell along, tragically, with a yet-unspecified number of civilians, then he is behaving responsibly.

If he wishes to be particularly scrupulous, he might additionally note that Hamas had rigged the school with explosives which detonated after the IDF took out the mortar team, killing a large additional number of civilians. And he might add that you can go to the IDF's Youtube channel to view footage from 2007 of Hamas using the very same school as a mortar-launching base.

Journalists who abjure reporting the vital details of this story should be called what they are - activists masquerading as reporters."

Source:

Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/07/2009 06:38:00 AM

Texas Teacher Accused of No-No with Student

(McCamey, Texas) A 32-year-old teacher at McCamey High School, Vanessa Zuniga, surrendered to the Upton County Sheriff yesterday to face charges that she allegedly engaged in an improper relationship with a student.

"All you can do is apologize," Superintendent Donny Wylie, said.

"The community of McCamey is a very good place, it's a great place to live. We've got great schools. Sure any time this kind of situation happens, in any school district, you must over come it."

School officials aren't releasing the students age, but state officials say it doesn't matter.

"Texas has a law that is outlined in the penal code, even if it's consensual and even if the student is of legal," Suzanne Marchman, a spokesperson for the TEA says it is still a second degree felony punishable by up to 20 years behind bars and up to a $10,000 dollar fine. [sic all]

Zuniga was booked into custody. She resigned her teaching position last week.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/07/2009 05:38:00 AM

Brits Panic Buy Last Incandescent Light Bulbs

(UK) The oppressive hand of the British government will assure that incandescent bulbs will soon disappear from the United Kingdom.

Britain has signed up to an European Union decision to replace conventional 100-watt bulbs with supposedly greener, low-energy alternatives.

It means that the staple household item is vanishing from the high street after 120 years.

Leading supermarkets and DIY chains, including Sainsbury's, Asda and Homebase, have already sold all their final stocks of the bulbs.

Other stores have reported that the only have enough to last until the end of next week.

The European Union will officially classify incandescent bulbs as contraband, effective September 2009. Sales will be illegal.

And the global warming fantasy train chugs along.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary putty-brains in London have not bothered to check the weather. Forget global warming. Data indicate it's getting colder. Of course, data become moot when public opinion is deemed an acceptable alternative to science.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/07/2009 12:20:00 AM

Third-Hand Smoke

(Boston, Massachusetts) Prefacing a study led by Dr. Jonathan Winickoff of Harvard Medical School is that babies and young children are harmed by "third-hand smoke" which is defined as toxins left on surfaces after the smoke has cleared. The danger of the toxins, or clinging pollutants, was not addressed by the study, rather the study polled the public to determine how many people agree with Dr. Winickoff.

Therefore, the Winickoff study is a focus group-type effort to collect baseline data ostensibly for future socio-political initiatives. The medical study was simply a public opinion poll.

Undoubtedly, public opinion is important, especially when there is scant data to back up putative scientific findings. Think global warming, for example.

Furthermore, public opinion regarding second-hand smoke prompted the enactment of anti-smoking laws for restaurants, bars, office buildings, public parks and elsewhere. To date, reported deleterious effects of second-hand smoke have been largely anecdotal in nature, not scientific.

Therefore, it appears that the Winickoff study is merely perching the third-hand smoke theme on top of the flagpole to see how many people salute. Results so far have been disappointing. Less than half (43.3 percent) of the respondents agreed that third-hand smoke is a problem. As a consequence, the socio-political researchers are calling on the government to make the public more aware of the dangers of third-hand smoke.

Ominously, it appears that the researchers' goal is to strongly push the third-hand smoke issue and achieve a level of public agreement sufficient to justify enacting laws which would make it illegal to smoke in private dwellings.

Ironically, while Harvard Medical School researchers are conjuring up innovative ways to limit personal freedom, Massachusetts citizens saw a law take effect which decriminalizes the possession and use of marijuana. I'll bet that the third-hand smoke project didn't address marijuana smoke, rather it was likely an anti-tobacco effort from the get-go.

Nevertheless, it must logically be assumed that a fourth-hand smoke study is also being designed, possibly with the help of Madison Avenue ad executives whose successes include being able to convince the public that a six-bladed razor actually scares whiskers into protruding outward so they can be cut deep in the follicle. The fourth-hand smoke will likely be defined as respiration from a person who smokes. If enough of the public buys that line, then laws can be passed to prohibit smokers from coming within 50 feet of non-smokers.

Notably, although there has been nothing reported, it's expected that the socio-political quest to limit personal liberty will address second and third-hand diesel exhaust, clinging pollutants acquired at bus and truck stops. Then there's also second and third-hand E-coli contamination due to intruded flatulence in seat cushions. Just think. When enough people buy into those dangers, laws can be passed to ban all diesel engines and require every chair to be covered in an impermeable plastic sleeve.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/07/2009 12:07:00 AM

Sikhs Accused of Pushing Pigs into Muslim Homes

(Jammu and Kashmir, India) In the majority Muslim village of Bathuni-Muradpur, government authorities have given the minority Sikh community permission to establish a pig farm.

The followers of the religion of peace are outraged. Muslim families allege that the pigs wander in the streets and even accuse Sikhs of pushing pigs into Muslim homes to "hurt their sentiments."

Obviously, some diversity and tolerance training is needed.

In any event, the pigs have caused hundreds of Muslims to take to the streets in protest against the Sikh community.

The protests were led by Haji Akbar Hussain and Safia Begum – the elderly residents.

Talking to Rising Kashmir, Safia Begum said that in the interview on Friday and Saturday, Sikh community members intentionally pushed these pigs into the houses of Muslims to hurt their sentiments.

She said that a dozen pigs were seen coming out of the house of Master Abdul Gani "These pigs were wandering in their kitchen and near water tanks," she said. “They had earlier objected to this farm but their pleas fell to deaf ears.”

Master Abdul Gani, a resident of the village said: “We are ready to die but will not live among pigs. The matter was already taken up by the Muslim community with police, Tehsildar and District Development Commissioner Rajouri but nothing was sorted out.”

The protestors alleged that on Saturday when the Muslim community approached the local Sikhs to lodge their protest and request them to close this farm, they were shown rifles and pushed back.

“We were shown rifles and warned that if we move toward their houses they will open fire," Safia Begum alleged. "Krishan Singh, Sadakar Singh, Babu Singh and Shamsher Singh showed us rifles and threaten to kill us."

The Muslims allege that the Indian Army supplied the pigs to the Sikhs and have called for an investigation.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/06/2009 10:52:00 AM

Muslim Murderer Sentenced

(Middlesex, England) A 41-year-old Pakistani cab driver illegally in the UK, Mohammed Habib, has been sentenced to detention for life after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the death of a wealthy businessman.

A Muslim minicab driver Mohammed Habib, 41, attacked 58-year-old entrepreneur Ahmed Shah near his home after blinding him with red chilli powder and covered him with diesel.

The killer was arrested in Edinburgh a month later after police launched a nationwide manhunt.

Habib, who came to the UK from Pakistan in 1996, claimed Mr Shah was persecuting him by exposing his false claims to be an Afghan refugee.

Psychiatrists have since diagnosed him as suffering from paranoid psychosis.

Habib, of Southall, Middlesex, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility.

Judge Richard Hone put Habib away under the Mental Health Act with no time limit.

One of these days I'd like to see homicidal barbarians, who sneak into the country, treated as murdering scum without psychiatric evaluations in accordance with a Let's Get Real Act. Killers like Habib deserve no special consideration.

As far as being paranoid, I disagree. Habib had real reasons for thinking people were out to get him. He was illegally in the UK and he was pulling a scam on the government. Fear of being exposed was based on reality, not imagination.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/06/2009 07:57:00 AM

The Gaza campaign so far


A view from Israel

The first stages were done by the air force, in a pattern first used by the Americans in Iraq in January 1991, but adapted to the conditions of Gaza. The first stage was to kill as many Hamas men as possible, in as many sites as possible. The goal was to throw Hamas into immediate confusion and never allow it to recuperate. Hundreds of dead and many hundreds of wounded - the majority not innocent bystanders, of course - taxing the hospitals, sowing panic and demoralization or at least its potential, disrupting any type of public order, forcing the leadership underground, hopefully severing some of their command and control capabilities.

On the second day we also destroyed some of their tunnels, effectively cutting off, or at least significantly reducing, their logistic hinterland.

By the third day the initial wave of airborne successes had been achieved, and David Grossman, assuming we were still in 2006, called for a halt: the air force had done its best, and from here on there wasn't much left for it to do other than rearrange the rubble and kill civilians. Better to call it a victory and stop. In hindsight, arguably this may have been true by the end of the first week, but it wasn't true on the third day. On days 3 through 7, the air force did something many of us hadn't thought of: it pulverized the middle level of the Hamas fighting machine. The head had been confused frightened and forced underground on day one; the fighting units, to the extent Hamas has them, and the 15,000-some armed men, were mostly unscathed. During those days, however, their immediate hinterland was targeted and apparently seriously hit. These were the dozens of homes of senior Haman figures pulverized, mostly while they were empty of people but still full of weapons. And tunnels. By destroying them, the IDF seriously crimped the ability of the Hamas units to function except where they already were. They couldn't be moved or regrouped. They can't be resupplied. They are where they are, armed as they are, period. They cannot be relieved. They probably have intermittent connections with their commanders at best.

This was achieved with limited loss of Hamas lives, and very few of civilians. True, someday the international media will enter Gaza freely, and they'll show endless footage of destroyed buildings, but by then it won't make much difference, will it. They'll be preaching to the believers, and anyway there will be a new story, somewhere else.

The next stage of the attrition focused on the barriers to a land invasion. The myths told about this stage were endless, even in Israel, and I'm not going to repeat them, but the general idea was that Hamas had created a series of fortifications, barriers and impediments to the advance of IDF ground forces. The Hamas leadership seems to have believed this, too, witness their proclamations as recently as three days ago that the ground forces will never come because the cowardly Israelis know they'll be cut down if they ever try.

In spite of the total fog of war that first evening, it was clear within about three hours that this probably wasn't what had happened. On the contrary: the IDF forces sailed through those lines of defense with very little action, few casualties, and, one might add, not very many dead Hamas fighters, either. My explanation for this is that for an army to slow down an invader on a fortified line, it has to be an army: with training, weaponry, command and control systems, reinforcements on their way, and so on. (The Israeli failures on the Golan and Suez on October 6-7th 1973 demonstrate this, and that IDF was always much more formidable than Hamas). Hamas would never have been able to stop a concerted effort of the IDF to get in, but it expected to bloody them. The attrition of days 3-7 prevented that.

By noon after the invasion Gaza had been bisected, with powerful forces sitting on the hilltops (such as there are in Gaza), or tall rooftops, and lines of supply back to their rear echelons. Casualties can be evacuated, supplies can get in; in the rear, meanwhile, new brigades are carefully and purposefully preparing themselves for battle: the reservists. Experienced veterans of previous campaigns, who flocked to their units when called up two nights ago, irrespective of how inconvenient it was in their regular lives.

Where are we now? The next line of Hamas defense, and its main one, was always the inevitable weakness of an attacking army in an urban environment. Even the most brutal and ruthless armies invade cities at their extreme peril: think Red Army in Berlin, April 1945, taking more than 100,000 casualties (the number of dead Berliners was, of course, much higher). Keep in mind, however, that the commanders of the IDF know that; they don't need to be informed by the media. Keep in mind also that Hamas has to be hit, as explained above. Ergo, a way had to be found, and prepared, trained and prepared for.

I'm no more informed than the rest of you, but allow me to suggest what may be happening (this is pure conjecture). As described above, at this stage of attrition the Hamas men are almost on their own, perhaps in small groups. They're tired and frightened, or at least, tired and very tense. They've been under fire for ten days, most of which were filled with frustrated anticipation: even assuming they've been raring for a fight the whole time, it has been slow in coming and doesn't appear all that imminent even now. Their leaders are out of sight, their closer commanders may also be gone. They realize that the tunnel they intended to use to resupply has been bombed, nor are many reinforcements likely to come. All this would still be alright if only the IDF infantry would walk into their carefully prepared traps. But the IDF isn't doing that. Instead, it's inching forward. Its infantry seems to have excellent intelligence about each building; instead of racing forward like an elephant into a booby-mined trap, it fights for a building, kills some of the defenders but captures others, interrogates them about the other buildings on the street and only then moves forward to the next one.

More here



Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/06/2009 07:19:00 AM

EPA Plans Livestock Tax

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) for regulating greenhouse gas emissions proposes to levy a global warming tax on livestock. According to calculations by the New York Farm Bureau, a global warming tax will be oppressive.

“The tax for dairy cows could be $175 per cow, and $87.50 per head of beef cattle. The tax on hogs would [be] upwards of $20 per hog,” the release said. “Any operation with more than 25 dairy cows, 50 beef cattle or 200 hogs would have to obtain permits.”

The Department of Agriculture has weighed in with a warning that the regulatory compliance costs would be unbearable for smaller livestock operations.

To refresh memories, the nation of New Zealand attempted to levy a flatulence tax on livestock back in 2003 but ultimately abandoned the idea.

At first, the New Zealand political class wanted the tax to mitigate global warming but later changed its argument to a desire to fund research on global warming. In any event, the result was massive outrage and protests by the agricultural sector of the economy and the politicians decided to discontinue their fart tax grab.

Personally, I'm troubled by the idea of the EPA having the authority to impose taxes. It's burdensome already that the EPA imposes fines for violations. Although it's a pipe dream, I firmly believe that all global warming concerns would realize the most mitigation by the complete dismantling of the EPA.

Tip: Charley Nestor

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/05/2009 11:18:00 PM

Britain Is An Islamist Swamp

According to this report, the CIA is quite active in Britain with four out of every 10 ongoing operations conducted to prevent attacks in the U.S. and the UK. Reportedly, along with MI5, the CIA is monitoring 4,000 terrorism suspects.

A British official said: "There is a great deal of CIA activity inside the UK. The CIA has been given a free rein to raise, handle and process from intelligence sources inside the UK.

"In many cases we do not know who their assets are. Several of the recently foiled terrorist plots inside the UK were uncovered by informants run by US source handlers. We've been able to interdict these plots."

A former CIA officer who still carries out freelance work for the agency voiced the irritation of some American spies. "It's certainly frustrating that Britain is an Islamist swamp," he said.

To drain a swamp, first it must be decided that draining is desired. However, with the prevailing level of dhimmitude and political correctness in the UK, it's hard to dispute the contention that the Brits jolly well like the swamp just as it is.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/05/2009 09:55:00 PM

Poll: Finns Approve of Israel's Ground Attack

(Finland) It appears that the Finnish mainstream media have not been entirely successful in re-educating the public to dhimmitude and political correctness. According to polling, the responses to the question:

"Do you believe that Israel's ground attack in Gaza is one of self defence?"

are

51.8 percent voting "Yes"

and

48.2 percent voting "No"

Apparently, at least some Europeans believe that lobbing rockets into residential communities is reason enough to retaliate.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/05/2009 07:07:00 PM

Fat Females Fired from Flying

Ten overweight female flight attendants have been fired by Air India for not meeting minimum physical fitness standards after being warned. The women were offered ground assignments but refused.

Meanwhile, a lawyer plans to take the case to India's Supreme Court. Attorney Arvind Sharma said, "The action is illegal and against the natural justice. I will soon file an application in the Supreme Court against the (sacking) order."

Against the natural justice!

Heh.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/05/2009 03:35:00 PM

Warehousing Garbage


From DailyMail:

Bale after bale of waste paper sits unwanted at a depot in the south of England.

It is a sight being repeated all over the country because the market for all the paper and card so carefully put aside by households has collapsed.

In fact, the country’s mountain of such waste, growing at a rate of 8,300 tons a week, is costing taxpayers millions of pounds because the private firms contracted by councils to collect and dispose of it are now charging them to store it.

The bottom line is always the bottom line. When the cost to recycle exceeds the price returned on sale of recycled products, the public's wallets must be rifled. And it's customary, not unusual.

Be advised that virtually every recycling scheme has to be propped up with public funding.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/05/2009 07:57:00 AM

Philadelphia: Immigrant skit upsets sensitive souls




Joe Vento is known for the "Speak English" sign in the window of his cheesesteak shop:

"Geno's Steaks owner Joey Vento might make a delicious Philly cheesesteak, but he's not exactly the poster boy for good taste. So it's not surprising that a few people who watched this year's Mummers Parade took offense to Vento's starring role in a performance by Comics brigade B. Love Strutters titled "Aliens of an Illegal Kind." The skit featured Vento popping out of the top of a float labeled "Gewizno's Steaks" with a "When ordering, speak English" sign. Vento waved a poster reading, "What?" and tossed fake cheesesteaks into the crowd.

Then an announcer for B. Love Strutters cried out, "Uh-oh, here comes the Border Patrol!" Club members wearing Texas-sized cowboy hats and brandishing wooden rifles pretended to hold back a rioting crowd of "immigrants" from storming the border "fences." As the immigrants burst forth, they traded in their country's flag for an American flag, and a Mummer dressed as President-elect Barack Obama handed out Green Cards....

As the performance unfolded, Channel 17 anchor/parade host Steve Highsmith said, "Oh look, it's Joey Vento standing behind that very controversial sign." Highsmith added, "By the way, [Geno's staff] never turned anyone away who didn't [speak English]." A female commentator on air with Highsmith remarked, "This looks like a celebration of diversity."

When asked about that characterization yesterday, the 69-year-old Vento said, "Diversity? It's a celebration to get a message across that we love immigrants here, we just want you here legally and we want you to speak English."...

The majority of the crowd seemed to love the act; most cheered wildly when Vento popped out. "Maybe the [B. Love Strutters] were saying that Joey Vento is wrong and now Obama is going to come and save everybody," Dignam mused. "Some people, unfortunately, are just looking for a way to be offended." *

Source

The skit shows the illegals eventually getting work permits so one might have thought that the sensitive souls would have seen it as a "happy" ending.


Posted by John Ray.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/05/2009 07:44:00 AM

Britain: Sex Clinics Planned for Every School

(UK) The British are planning on placing sex clinics in all secondary schools and colleges to make sure that "sexual health services" are available to all youngsters without parental involvement. Critics of the plan say that the sex clinics for students as young as 11 merely encourage under-age sex. And data appear to support the contention.

The UK has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Europe with the rate increasing every year. At least some of the blame must be directed toward the fact that a third of all secondary schools already have sex clinics. Apparently, they aren't working as intended.

Given the disappointing results thus far, one might expect that the British would try something different. But NO-O-O! The nanny state stumbles and bumbles along.
|

       Following Entry Posted 1/05/2009 05:36:00 AM

Boy, 4: "Someone shot my mommy"

(Dayton, Ohio) On Friday, a couple from Maryland found a 4-year-old boy wandering alone at an Interstate-70 rest stop without shoes or a winter coat. When asked what happened to him, the little boy told Michael and Judith McConnell that "a bad man came into my house without knocking and shot my mommy." The police were called immediately.

The boy, William Nelson, was unhar