Following Entry Posted 9/30/2009 11:44:00 PM

Women With Troubles - September 2009

Reported in news stories during September 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, 30,
teacher - Allegedly drugged children for sex,

(AL) Suzanne Morrison, 42,
teacher - Arrested for driving drunk on the way to school,

(AZ) Emili Kay Daniels, 34,
teacher - Gets three and one-half years in prison for sex with minor,

(CA) Krista Arceneaux, 37,
neighbor - Arrested for tongue-kissing boy, 6,

(CA) Leianna Arzate, 33,
neighbor - Gets 11 years prison for kidnapping newborn,

(CA) Deborah Lee Towe, 30,
neighbor - Gets three and one-half months jail for sex with four boys,

(CO) Richael L. Michels, 45,
neighbor - Pleads guilty to sex with friend's son, 16. Sentencing TBD,

(CT) Kathleen Campbell, 50,
neighbor - Guilty of inappropriately touching a boy, 4. Sentencing in December,

(FL) Sylvette M. Barretto (aka Barreto), 31,
neighbor - Gets 30 months prison for sex with boy, 13,

(FL) Julia Bedenbaugh, 39,
prison counselor - Arrested for possession of cocaine,

(FL) Carla Rhea Maldonado, 41, and David Maldonado, 42,
neighbors - Carla guilty of lewd and lascivious with girl, 15. No charges for sex with dog,

(FL) Marcia Rolle, 25,
teacher - Fired from her teaching position for sex with male student,

(FL) Tiffany Shepherd,
former teacher - Reportedly abandoned teaching to become porn star,

(GA) Teresa Boatright, 39,
emergency medical tech - Arrested for engaging in sex with boy, 16,

(IA) Kourtney Joy Babcock, 19,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with two boys, aged 12,

(ID) Kari Atkinson, 28,
teacher - Arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior with boy, 14,

(ID) Ashley Jo Beach, 37,
teacher - Arrested for alleged sex with boy, 13,

(ID) Anna Bettencourt, 38,
teacher - Gets 6 months in retained jurisdiction program for sex with minor,

(IL) Kristin L. Knotts, 33,
prosecutor - Accused of sex with boy,

(IL) Kym A. Krocza, 41,
teacher - Arrested for giving booze/drugs to students,

(IL) Elyse Mamino, 23,
neighbor - Accused of attempted murder for putting baby in toilet,

(IL) Cori L. Rivelli, 26,
youth counselor - Accused of sex with boy, 14,

(IN) Michelle D. Stalker, 34,
neighbor - Arrested after being caught nasty with boy, 14,

(KS) Amanda N. Caley, 30,
teacher - Arrested for abusing 11-year-old female student,

(KS) Jennifer Dawn Liskey, 39,
educator - Gets probation for years-long sex relations with boy, starting at age 13,

(LA) Jada Hendrix, 23,
teacher - Gets no jail for indecent behavior with male student, 16,

(LA) Lisa Newsome, 42,
neighbor - Arrested for stealing beer,

(MD) Theresa Duarte, 45,
teacher - Gets 6 months jail for dealing cocaine to student,

(MI) Aimee Louise Sword, 35,
neighbor - Accused of sex with her biological son given up for adoption,

(MO) Loucinda M. Carroll, 41,
neighbor - Accused of stealing meat,

(MS) Kelly Blossom, 38,
teacher - Arrested for sex with male student, 16,

(NC) Kimberly Ann Surratt, 32,
neighbor - Gets no jail for sex with boy, 14,

(NE) Natasha Afraid of Bear, 26,
neighbor - Arrested for felony child abuse,

(NJ) Megan Laboy, 30,
teacher - Arrested in cash-for-grades scheme,

(NY) Brandy Decker, 21,
neighbor - Gets 8 years prison for sex with boy, 10,

(NY) Nicole Marlow, 28,
babysitter - Gets probation for sex with boy,

(NY) Katie Parker, 20,
neighbor - Accused of child sex abuse on boy, 9,

(NY) Kristen Rehm, 19,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with minor,

(NY) Joey Strong, 35,
volunteer coach - Accused of sex with underage boy,

(OH) Mary Ems, 44,
teacher - Guilty of unlawful sex with minor. Sentencing in Oct.,

(OH) Brenda Osborne,
HS coach - Arrested for sex with female student,

(OH) Theresa Ritchie, 33,
neighbor - Gets one year in prison for sex with boy, 16,

(OK) Tammy Faye Rucker, 36,
babysitter - Arrested for spanking child,

(OR) Wendy Cannin, 30,
teacher - Arrested for sex with two boys, 15 and 17,

(PA) Deidra Diane Beckett, 30,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 15,

(PA) Katherine M. Dennery, 26,
neighbor - Guilty of sex with 13-year-old boys. Sentencing TBD,

(PA) Samantha Jo Harvey, 23,
neighbor - Arrested for raping and torturing man, 22,

(PA) Stephanie Lynn Labe, 19,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 14, she met through MySpace,

(SC) Jennifer Kennedy,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 14,

(TN) Sandra Binkley, 37,
teacher - Convicted of statutory rape of boy. Sentencing in November,

(TN) Jessica Percifull, 26,
teacher - Gets judicial diversion for nude breasts case,

(TX) Ana I. Gonzalez, 30,
school bus driver - Accused of sex with male student, 15,

(TX) Jessica Lynne Kelley, 25,
teacher - Gets two years in prison for sex with boy, 16,

(TX) Rebecca Jael Ruiz, 19,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 13,

(VA) Jennifer Michelle Brennan, 36,
youth minister - Accused of sex with boy, 15

(VA) Lori Anne Jarvis, 43,
teacher - Arrested after juvenile overdoses on her dope,

(VA) Valerie Roesler (aka Roseler), 27,
teacher - Caught drunk at 2 AM with boy, 15,

(WI) Torina Dachel, 28,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 15,

(WA) Michele Taylor, 31,
teacher - Accused of sex with male student, 16,

(WI) Lacy L. Sommers, 20,
neighbor - Guilty of sexual assault of boy, 13.

Thanks to everyone.

Labels: Women With Troubles

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       Following Entry Posted 9/30/2009 06:26:00 PM

WTF Swapped for TFW

(Milwaukee, Wisconsin) The Wisconsin Tourist Federation, a coalition of trade groups charged with the responsibility of boosting tourism to the state, has decided to change its name and corporate logo.

The world of computing has altered the meaning and use of many words and letters. One person's innocent acronym, out of context, could be a censor's (or editor's) nightmare.

To remove doubt and snickers, a group of lobbyists for the state tourism industry has quietly traded Wisconsin Tourism Federation, WTF, for Tourism Federation of Wisconsin, or TFW.

Suggestions by blog-writers (most influentially the Language Log) of "the inherent ambiguity of WTF," persuaded the 30-year-old group to change its name.

Therefore, tourists can expect something other than a WTF experience when they go to Wisconsin.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/30/2009 05:10:00 PM

Registered Sex Offender Ordained as Minister

(Louisville, Kentucky) In 1998, Mark Edward Hourigan was convicted on two counts of child sexual abuse stemming from molestation of an 11-year-old boy. Hourigan was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

Earlier this month, 41-year-old Mark Hourigan was ordained as a minister at The City of Refuge Worship Center in Germantown.

Mark Hourigan agreed to sign a letter stating he won't have unsupervised contact with children when he ministers.

For those who believe that pedophiles can be rehabilitated, making Mark Hourigan a minister is fine. For those who believe that rehabilitation of child molesters is a liberal pipe dream, making Mark Hourigan a minister simply gives him access to more potential victims. I predict that church leaders will regret their decision to ordain Mark Hourigan.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/30/2009 02:42:00 PM

New York Woman Accused of Child Sex Abuse

(Syracuse, New York) A 20-year-old local woman, Katie Parker, has been accused of felony sexual abuse of a 9-year-old boy. She also faces a charge of endangering the welfare of a child.

Lt. Joe Cecile provided the following account:

Parker invited the 9-year-old and a 12-year-old boy into her home when she and her husband, Scott Parker, 19, were living in Syracuse.

When the boys were inside the house, the couple had sex in front of the boys and later had sexual contact with the boys. This happened about a week before the crime was reported to police.

The boys were neighbors of the couple.

Authorities are searching for husband Scott Parker as the investigation continues.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/30/2009 01:06:00 PM

Study: Pretty Women Boost Men's Libido

According to a study by researchers at the University of California, men get a biological lift by spending time with pretty women. Specifically, men were found to enjoy a temporary boost in testosterone and cortisol, both of which are associated with alertness. The research apparently did not address the anecdotal evidence of men experiencing a temporary muscle stiffness brought on by spending time with pretty women.

Reportedly, the study's results actually replicate the hormonal increase found in animals known as the "mating response."

[The researchers] recruited 149 male students aged between 18 and 24 with a third interacting with a male researcher of 25 and the others talking to one of seven young female undergraduates aged 18 to 22.

After the short five minute sessions the men were asked to rate the physical attractiveness of the women between one and seven. The average was 5.83 showing they found them alluring.

The participants then swished with mouthwash before providing a sample of saliva into a collection vial which was tested within 20 to 40 minutes of exposure to the women.

Psychologists found that just a five minute talk with an attractive women raised the levels of testosterone by 14 per cent and the anti-stress hormone cortisol by 48 per cent.

Understandably, the level of testosterone and cortisol decreased in men who spent time with other men, apparently despite how pretty they were.

In any event, some people might question the need for such research since the results are predictably obvious. Men with hot babes produces elevated testosterone. Duh.

Incidentally, a similar study in August found that hot cars increase testosterone levels in men. Again -- Duh!

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/30/2009 09:17:00 AM

Must not discuss whether politicians should be murdered?

This was a discussion, not a threat, so is entitled to free speech protections

"The US Secret Service is trying to identify the creator of a Facebook poll asking whether US President Barack Obama should be assassinated.

Facebook this week shot down the user-generated poll, which was titled "Should Obama be killed?" and offered answer choices of yes, no, maybe, and "if he cuts my health care".

"Once we found out about it, we worked with Facebook to have it removed," said secret service spokesman Malcolm Wiley. "We are certainly investigating, just like we would with any threat case."

More than 750 Facebook users had reportedly cast votes by the time the poll was yanked from the wildly popular social networking site.

However not everyone wanted to take part. "This is sick and sad," said one Facebook user as the poll fuelled passionate exchanges. "All of this anti-Obama rage is pure racism."

Source. Another account of the matter here.

It specifically targeted a policy -- healthcare policy -- and not Obama's origins -- but it is still "racism", apparently. I think that false accusations of racism should be made a criminal libel.

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).
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       Following Entry Posted 9/30/2009 08:29:00 AM

Schwarzenegger Calls for Tax Cut

Ruh-oh!

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called on the Legislature today to convene a special session to consider eliminating sales taxes and corporate income taxes, and replacing them with a new business tax.

Well, well, well.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/29/2009 01:58:00 PM

Russia Outlawing Anonymity on Web

(Moscow, Russia) Proposed legislation mandates that undefined "required information" on Internet users be handed over to the government.

Internet providers operating in the Russian segment of the web will be forced to give information about their users to law enforcement agencies, according to a bill posted on the Justice Ministry’s web site.

Neither the bill nor an attached memorandum indicated what kind of information the providers would be obliged to hand over.

The legislation calls for fines to be levied on offending parties for not handing over the required information. The fines range from 1,500 to 2,000 rubles ($49 to $66) for citizens, from 3,000 to 4,000 rubles for officials, and from 30,000 to 40,000 rubles for firms.

In addition, the legislation calls for criminal charges to be filed against those suspected of tampering with state web sites. Misusing or tampering with material on state web sites could result in a fine of 200,000 to 500,000 rubles or up to three years in prison.

If the same crime is carried out by a group or a person with access to state information systems, the law calls for three to seven years in prison.

Once approved by the Justice Ministry, the legislation goes to the Duma.

Reports on the demise of police-state collectivism in Russia might have to be revised. Slowly, incrementally, it seems to be returning under Putin and Medvedev. Notice that I put Putin's name first. According to a poll published today, 67 percent of Russian respondents said they believe Putin still runs the country.

The poll also followed comments by Putin this month in which he said he and Medvedev would decide which of them would run in the next presidential election in 2012, fuelling speculation that he plans to return as head of state.

One source said that Medvedev doesn't even try to challenge Putin. Color me unsurprised.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/29/2009 11:14:00 AM

Teacher Gets No Jail for Improper Relations with Student - Updated

(Mansfield, Louisiana) Yesterday, 23-year-old English teacher formerly at North DeSoto High School, Jada Hendrix, pleaded guilty in accordance with a plea agreement to indecent behavior with a 16-year-old male student.

As a result, Hendrix received a four-year suspended sentence and seven years of probation. She was also barred from contacting her victim.

Hendrix was arrested this past March on a charge of computer-aided solicitation of a juvenile. DeSoto sheriff's investigators said she sent sexually oriented text messages to the teen-ager.

Authorities believe Hendrix and the student were lovers. Shreveport police arrested her, alleging they had sexual relations at her apartment in Shreveport.

Going unreported is whether Hendrix will keep her teaching credentials and whether she will be ordered to register as a sex offender.

Notably, Hendrix also faces a charge of carnal knowledge of a juvenile in Caddo District Court.

* * * * *
Louisiana Teacher Accused of Soliciting Student
[Previous 3/3/09 post]
(Mansfield, Louisiana) A 23-year-old teacher at North DeSoto High School, Jada Hendrix, surrendered to police today to face charges that she sent improper cell phone text messages to a 16-year-old student. Hendrix also resigned her teaching position today.

According to DeSoto Sheriff's Lt. Toni Morris:

Hendrix reportedly has been in contact with the student since about the beginning of February, Morris said. She has given statements to DeSoto investigators and that information will be shared with the other law enforcement agency, Morris added.

It's suspected that Hendrix had sexual relations with the teen and additional charges are anticipated.

Hendrix was booked into custody at the DeSoto Detention Center on one count of computer-aided solicitation of a minor. She was later released on $10,000 bond.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/29/2009 10:09:00 AM

Viewing Porn for Humanity

An audit investigating grant fraud at the taxpayer-funded National Science Foundation (NSF) had to be curtailed due to widespread problems identified with employee misconduct, frequently involving workers accessing pornography on government computers.

One senior executive spent at least 331 days looking at pornography on his government computer and chatting online with nude or partially clad women without being detected, the records show.

When finally caught, the NSF official retired. He even offered, among other explanations, a humanitarian defense, suggesting that he frequented the porn sites to provide a living to the poor overseas women. Investigators put the cost to taxpayers of the senior official's porn surfing at between $13,800 and about $58,000.

"He explained that these young women are from poor countries and need to make money to help their parents and this site helps them do that," investigators wrote in a memo.

Maybe Gallup should do a poll to see how many people buy this porn viewer's explanation. I sure don't.

In any event, I suspect that federal and state bureaucracies are infested with people who do little or nothing to earn a paycheck. Porn viewing probably competes with game-playing as time consumers.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/29/2009 08:56:00 AM

Margarine consumption is linked to lower IQs in children


Most amusing: A "healthy" choice turns out to be anything but. I wonder how the "health" establishment will handle that? Sadly, however, this is not as good an example of the limits of official wisdom as it looks.

The article is a much better example of how medical researchers tend to work in a sort of vacuum and ignore the big picture. It in fact reveals an extraordinary lack of insight into their own society by these eight New Zealand researchers. It was once illegal to buy margarine without a doctor's prescription in N.Z. They have a big dairy industry that they like to prop up. So, given the peculiarly strong emphasis on margarine as a therapeutic agent in New Zealand, it would seem highly likely that people who felt less healthy to start with tended most to buy it. And people with poor health have less healthy children -- and lower IQ is one correlate of poor health. The findings then tell us about who buys margarine rather than any effect that margarine has.

Trans fats indeed! What we see in the report is not the influence of trans fats but the influence of unwarranted assumptions and conventional thinking. It never ceases to amaze me that people who claim to be scientists seem to think they can just intuit the causal relationships in a dataset. They are witchdoctors, not scientists. Not one out of the eight of them said: "Hey! Wait a minute!"

The journal abstract is here. The title of the article is "Dietary patterns and intelligence in early and middle childhood" and the leading author is Reremoana F. Theodore. No corresponding author or email address is given, which is rather strange

It became popular as a healthier alternative to butter. But children who ate margarine every day had lower IQs than those who did not, a study has found. At the age of three-and-a-half, they scored three points lower on intelligence tests than other youngsters. Importantly, the link held even when parental occupation and other factors affecting wealth and class were taken into account, the study of children born in the mid-1990s showed.

By the age of seven, scores were six points lower – but only in children that had been underweight when born, suggesting that diet is particularly important for brain development in the more vulnerable. Writing in the journal Intelligence, the researchers from New Zealand’s Auckland University said it is unclear what lies behind the link.

However, trans fats may be to blame. The fats have been linked to memory problems in animal tests and may make it harder for the body to process healthier fats. In the mid-1990s, trans fats formed up to 17 per cent of the mix of some margarines. Today, however, levels are around 1 per cent – significantly lower than some butters. The discovery in recent years that the fats clog up the arteries, raising the risk of heart disease, has led to concerted efforts to cut levels in food. However, the high amounts in the past may have hampered the development of today’s adults.

The researchers, whose study showed that eating fish and cereal boosted intelligence, said: ‘We found a number of dietary factors to be significantly associated with intelligence measures. The association between margarine consumption and IQ scores was the most consistent and novel finding.’

The researchers said that more work was needed to confirm if trans fats, which are formed when vegetable oil is solidified, were at fault, or if something else was to blame. They said: ‘Children who ate margarine daily had IQ scores that were up to six points lower compared to children who did not. ‘The impact of regular margarine consumption on intelligence now warrants further investigation in order to replicate these findings and to identify possible mechanisms that may underlie this association.’

Sian Porter, of the British Dietetic Association, said that margarine is generally healthier than butter but the high fat content means that both should be used sparingly. A spokesman for the Food Standards Agency said that trans fat consumption in the UK is now below the recommended levels.

SOURCE

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).
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       Following Entry Posted 9/29/2009 07:02:00 AM

2016 Olympic Games

President Obama and a team of celebrities are going to Copenhagen, Denmark, to advocate for the selection of Chicago as the site of the 2016 Olympic Games. Despite the downside of the Olympic venue being a choice target for terrorists, I'm in favor of having the games in the United States.

However, as a blogger there's a tiny part of me that prefers for the Olympic selection committee to pick a different venue. Then I could write the headline, "Obama Given Copenhagen Snuff."
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       Following Entry Posted 9/29/2009 06:28:00 AM

Health Care for Illegal Aliens

Correct me if I'm mistaken.

Assuming that Obama's health care reform legislation provides coverage for illegal aliens, wouldn't that mean that the American health care system is theoretically obligated to treat every person on Earth? Seven billion potential patients?

Any person from any country would simply have to sneak into the U.S. through historically porous borders.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/29/2009 05:32:00 AM

IED Kills 2 U.S. Seabees in Philippines

(Jolo Island, Southern Philippines) Early this morning on the island of Jolo, two U.S. Navy Seabees (non-combatant construction team) were killed in a roadside IED explosion while riding in a Humvee.

Military spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said one Filipino soldier was killed while two others were also wounded when the vehicle they were riding in struck an improvised landmine near Indanan town on the island of Jolo, a stronghold of Abu Sayyaf militants.

"At 8:30 a.m., September 29, there was an [improvised explosive device] attack in front of the Philippine Marines detachment which is based between Luamsing and Kagay barangays. As a result of this, two US servicemen were killed and one Philippine Marine was also killed and two other Philippine Marines [were] wounded," he told reporters.

Investigators reportedly have no leads despite the fact that al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf operates on the island. The Philippine Army is investigating the possibility that the IED was remotely detonated. Typically, IED attacks in the Philippines are infrequent and have been confined to the island of Mindanao. The IED attack on Jolo plus a January 2009 assassination attempt on the governor of Masbate Island indicate the deployment of IED tactics is widening.

Sadly, the two American Seabees were on Jolo to supervise construction of a medical clinic, an elementary school, and various other projects. They were a long way from home. Condolences to their families.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/28/2009 08:32:00 PM

Texas Teacher Gets Prison for Sex with Student

(Spring, Texas) A 25-year-old geography teacher formerly at Spring High School, Jessica Lynne Kelley, pleaded guilty earlier today to engaging in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student. In exchange for her plea, counts of sexual assault were dropped.

Court documents say Kelley and the boy had sex three times in July of 2008 at the teacher’s home.

According to documents, the first incident occurred when the male student and a friend went to Kelley’s home together.

After the first time, documents indicate the male student went to the teacher’s home alone and spent the entire night there on two occasions.

As a result of her conviction for improper relations with a student, Kelley was sentenced to two years in prison.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/28/2009 01:26:00 PM

Win the Afghan War with Safer Driving

(Washington) General Stanley McChrystal appeared on CBS 60 Minutes last night and said that the Afghan War can be won if bombing of the enemy is halted to protect civilians and U.S. forces support the local people by driving safer.

Pursuing civilian support is now the objective and I contend that it's absolutely nuts from a military standpoint. The social workers should mobilize after the war is won.

As I recall, the U.S. went into Afghanistan to kill terrorists and devastate their training grounds. It wasn't to become constables who drive safely which, by the way, is erroneously believed to engender support from civilians.

I contend that "civilian support" is an unreliable entity in Afghanistan or any country under invasion. When U.S. forces are handing out goodies, the "supportive civilians" gather around. Later, under the dark of night, many of the same "supportive civilians" are donning bandoliers, shouldering AK-47s and RPGs, detonating bombs at girls schools and burying IEDs.

Any fixation on getting the Afghan people to support having foreign armies in their midst is a pipe dream. Foreign forces in-country, I contend, besmirch every Afghan's pride.

Before U.S. forces arrived, the Afghans were leading lives of desperation under Sharia laws imposed by the brutal, authoritarian Taliban. Society was feudal and tribal and bitterly harsh. With U.S. forces in the country, the Afghans continue to lead lives of desperation except now there is a shooting war. From the standpoint of the average Afghan, things got worse when the foreigners arrived. The foreigners who, the Afghans know, will ultimately leave.

Therefore, despite how nice the U.S. forces are, how safely they drive and how many goodies they give out, things got worse after they arrived and they are going to depart, leaving Afghans still desperate and brutalized in a feudal and tribal society. [The alternative, total occupation of a mountainous, land-locked country for several generations, is unthinkable.]

In summary, U.S. forces initially entered Afghanistan to kill terrorists and devastate their training grounds. That objective has not been achieved. Years hence, we have the commanding officer saying the military objective has changed and now U.S. forces will protect the civilian population and drive safely in lieu of pursuing and killing the enemy. It's a losing strategy.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/28/2009 09:23:00 AM

Islamist Suspects Detained at Oktoberfest

(Munich, Germany) Heightened security at the Oktoberfest includes bag checks, increased video surveillance, establishment of a temporary no-fly zone over the grounds and hundreds of additional police officers.

Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Hermann said the increased security is precautionary and not in response to a specific threat which is odd since recent videos released by the Taliban and al-Qaeda have specifically threatened Munich.

The videos threatened Germans with terrorist attacks unless they elected a government on Sunday that would withdraw the nation’s troops from Afghanistan.

Meanwhile Munich police announced on Monday morning that they had arrested two suspected Islamists in connection with the videos. Both suspects allegedly had contact with al Qaida member Bekkay Harrach – who threatened Germany in one of the videos, police said.

The two men, who come from the Middle East, will be held until after the festival ends, they said.

Given that Angela Merkel was re-elected as Chancellor on Sunday, it appears that the preconditions for a terrorist attack have been met.

Note that an estimated 6 million beer-lovers are expected to attend the festival. Since the terrorists want to kill as many people as possible, don't be surprised if an ugly situation develops in Munich between now and Sunday (10/4) when the Oktoberfest ends.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/28/2009 09:04:00 AM

Proof conclusive that Obama is a robot

Just watch the smile

Barack Obama's amazingly consistent smile from Eric Spiegelman on Vimeo.

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).
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       Following Entry Posted 9/27/2009 10:53:00 PM

NC Woman Gets No Jail for Sex with Boy

(Marion, North Carolina) In March 2009, a 32-year-old local woman, Kimberly Ann Surratt, was arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with a 14-year-old boy. She was charged with one felony count of statutory rape.

This week, it was reported that Kimberly Surratt pleaded guilty to three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child and was sentenced.

Judge Bradley Letts gave Surratt a 19- to 23-month suspended sentence and placed her on intensive supervised probation for 24 months.

She was ordered to serve 12 days in jail and was given credit for that amount of time spent in pretrial confinement.

Surratt must also pay court costs, a $300 fine and reimbursement of $1,087.50 for a court-appointed attorney and register as a sex offender for 30 years.

Heh.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/27/2009 03:15:00 PM

Lawsuits Allege Doctor Let Patient Die to Steal Rolex

(Stockton, California) A 32-year-old traveling doctor, Cleveland James Enmon, faces criminal and civil lawsuits for allegedly allowing patient Jerry Kubena Sr. to die so that he could steal his Rolex, valued at greater than $11,000.

Details of Enmon's Aug. 25 indictment by a San Joaquin County grand jury remain secret until his arraignment Monday. The 15-page civil lawsuit lays out the allegations like this:

Kubena was taken by ambulance to the hospital's emergency room. After he died, a puzzled nurse asked, "Where is the wristwatch?" Two nurses then noticed a watch-like bulge in Enmon's pocket.

Nobody responded to the question, so hospital security was called. Enmon defied orders to stay put and walked outside to the hospital parking lot. A nurse who followed said she saw Enmon toss something from his pocket into the grass.

The nurse retrieved the watch, and hospital administrators fired Enmon on the spot. Surveillance cameras captured Enmon walking to the parking lot and then back inside the hospital.

The civil lawsuit alleges that the St. Joseph's Medical Center administrators conspired to conceal the entire episode and seeks an undisclosed amount of money. St. Joseph's administrator Michael Ricks; Catholic Healthcare West; and Apexx Physicians Medical Corporation, Enmon's direct employer, are also named in the lawsuit.

"Watch-like bulge?"
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       Following Entry Posted 9/27/2009 11:44:00 AM

Hawaiian Garbage Goes to Washington

(Honolulu, Hawaii) To help keep the island of Oahu clean and green, Hawaiian garbage will be exported to the state of Washington starting tomorrow.

The city and Seattle-based Hawaiian Waste Systems reached agreement on a contract in August. The company will haul up to 100,000 tons of solid waste each year at a cost of $99 per ton to a landfill in Washington state.

I've heard environmentalists cry that we are running out of landfill space. Frankly, those environmentalists are being disingenuous or they haven't had the pleasure of actually driving across the U.S.

Washington has enough space to bring in garbage from another state and Michigan has been importing Canadian garbage for years. The U.S. is not running out of landfill space.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/27/2009 08:54:00 AM

An orgy of Leftist hate-speech

A man, Bill Sparkman, who was apparently a part-time census worker, was found tied to a tree and dead from asphyxiation. One source alleges that he had the word "fed" scrawled on his chest.

That has been enough to ignite a huge outpouring of hate speech directed at conservatives from the Left. They have built huge castles in the air over that one word "fed". Apparently every conservative radio host in America is directly responsible for the death and all other conservatives are guilty for listening to such hosts. Never mind that the police investigation is in its early stages and that even suicide has not been ruled out. Michelle Malkin has the details.

But when their little bubble pops, the Left will move on with no sign of guilt or contrition for their outpouring of unjustified hate. They will act as if nothing had happened. If conservatives had done anything similar, you would never stop hearing about it.

There are no doubt some murderers with conservative views but the Left is INHERENTLY murderous. The American Left has to pretend that conservatives are murderous in order to deflect attention from the direct involvement in mass murder by socialists worldwide from the French revolution on, including self-described socialists in Soviet Russia and Mao's China. And the American Left supported, condoned and excused the murderous Soviet regime right up until the end of that regime. They used to say that Communists "are just liberals in a hurry". The obvious corollary -- that "liberals" are slowed-down Communists -- never seemed to bother them. All the great mass murders of the 20th century were the work of "socialist" regimes under men like Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mao and Pol Pot. And to this day, see if you can find a single American Leftist who will condemn the "socialist" tyranny in Cuba. When "Fidel" dies there will be mourning throughout the USA. That he came to power over the blood of tens of thousands of Cubans will be ignored. Killing doesn't bother Leftists at all -- for all that they pretend it does when it suits them.

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).
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       Following Entry Posted 9/26/2009 08:37:00 PM

Iowa Woman Accused of Sex with Boys

(Yarmouth, Iowa) A 19-year-old local woman, Kourtney Joy Babcock, was arrested Wednesday by Des Moines County Sheriff's deputies for allegedly engaging in sex with two 12-year-old boys.

Babcock faces three counts of third-degree sexual abuse.

Authorities said the arrest stemmed from an investigation that started in July. Detectives said their office received a report that Babcock had sexual contact with two 12-year-old boys inside a home in Mediapolis.

Detectives allege Babcock "had performed multiple sex acts" with the two boys.

Babcock was booked into jail. No information has been disclosed regarding bond.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/26/2009 05:09:00 PM

Florida Teacher Fired for Sex with Student

(Oakland Park, Florida) A 25-year-old English teacher at Life Skills Center charter school of Broward County, Marcia Rolle, has been fired for engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a student, 19-year-old Christopher Peterson.

"We initiated our own independent investigation after the [Broward School] district's SIU [Special Investigations Unit] had closed theirs, and based on our investigation, which determined she did have a relationship with the student, we suspended her without pay on Aug. 25," said Andrew Kantor, an attorney who represents the school.

"After being suspended without pay in August, we contacted her to advise her of the results of our investigation, but she declined, and would not meet with us for a follow-up conference," said Kantor, an attorney with the Jacksonville-based Brennen, Manna, and Diamond law firm.

The firm represents White Hat Management, parent company of Life Skills Center of Broward County in Oakland Park. The school is privately owned, but receives funding from the Broward school district. "She was terminated as a teacher for the Life Skills Center on Sept. 13," he said.

No criminal charges have been filed since the student was not a minor. However, Florida regulations prohibit teachers from doing the nasty with students, regardless of age.

In a separate action, Marcia Rolle's husband, Wilson Rolle Jr., has filed for divorce and he claims he has evidence of his wife's infidelity. Reportedly, an audio recorder planted in his bedroom captured the intimate sounds of Marcia and Christopher making whoopie.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/26/2009 10:08:00 AM

Toilet Paper News

Last month, the Cuban state-run toilet paper company, Cimex, announced that it is unable to supply adequate toilet paper to the nation until at least December 2009. Budget cuts slashed imports and Cuba has a shortage of raw materials to manufacture enough toilet paper to meet demand. Therefore:

"Until more supplies are produced, citizens are encouraged to conserve toilet paper by tearing off fewer squares, switching from two-ply to one-ply or using cigar wrappers."

It's assumed that the guidance referring to cigar wrappers applies to specifically-grown, broad tobacco leaves as opposed to the actual people who wrap cigars. It would be unreasonable to envision having, for example, Edwardo or Rosita standing by to cleanse human effluent openings.

Interestingly, reference sources assert that the cigar wrapper is responsible for 60 percent of a cigar's flavor and therefore it's highly valued. As such, Cuban cigar wrappers could be considered, in an odd way of thinking, as a step up from plain paper toilet tissue, being more flavorful and all.

Furthermore, Cuban broadleaf tobacco is considered by many to be the world's finest so individuals using it as a toilet paper substitute can bask in the knowledge that they are wiping with the very best.

Meanwhile, people who arguably do wipe with the very best, Americans, are being criticized for using plush three-ply toilet paper. Americans prefer and seek softness in toilet tissue and environmentalists contend that old-growth forests are being destroyed because of the preference.

"It's a menace, environmental groups say -- and a dark-comedy example of American excess.

The reason, they say, is that plush U.S. toilet paper is usually made by chopping down and grinding up trees that were decades or even a century old. They want Americans, like Europeans, to wipe with tissue made from recycled paper goods.

It has been slow going. Big toilet-paper makers say that they've taken steps to become more Earth-friendly but that their customers still want the soft stuff, so they're still selling it."

Ultimately, the challenge for the environmentalists is to convince the American public to adopt a cult-like, save-the-planet mentality and welcome scratchiness in toilet tissue -- or -- get a law passed. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that liberal special interest groups are working on a toilet paper law right now. Hell, the environmentalist crowd got laws passed for those squiggly light bulbs that don't seem to put out as much light and laws for toilets that need to be flushed twice, so it's perfectly reasonable to expect a toilet paper law sometime in the future.

In any event, the toilet paper situations in Cuba and in the U.S. have at least one thing in common -- an underlying utopian philosophy. In Cuba, it's Marxist utopianism where everyone shares in the sacrifice, except for those who do the divvying, of course. In the U.S., it's environmentalist utopianism where everyone shares in the sacrifice, also except for those who do the divvying.

In conclusion, one result of utopianism in Cuba is the people being told to wipe their behinds with leaves, just like the Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon did, and it could be argued that the environmentalists would be happy if the same thing happened in the U.S.

I'm not implying that Marxists and environmentalists want society to return to the Stone Age, but I believe they would love to goosestep in a pre-Industrial Revolution society where the hallmark of utopianism, widespread deprivation, is not unusual.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/26/2009 09:29:00 AM

Don't want Obamacare? Go to jail!

This doesn't happen often enough.

Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) received a handwritten note Thursday from Joint Committee on Taxation Chief of Staff Tom Barthold confirming the penalty for failing to pay the up to $1,900 fee for not buying health insurance.

Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and could face up to a year in jail or a $25,000 penalty, Barthold wrote on JCT letterhead. He signed it "Sincerely, Thomas A. Barthold."

The note was a follow-up to Ensign's questioning at the markup.

SOURCE

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).
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       Following Entry Posted 9/25/2009 03:12:00 PM

Former Chief Cop Accused of Sex with Boy

(Hopedale, Ohio) A 51-year-old former police chief, Ronald Bone, was arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with a 17-year-old boy. It's reported that the boy had sex with a uniformed Bone inside police headquarters.

People are shocked since the local and area law enforcement communities have had a decades-long working relationship with Bone as a respected police officer.

A court appearance is scheduled for today.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/25/2009 02:37:00 PM

Ford Motor in China, India

From AP:

Ford Motor Co. said Friday it plans to spend $490 million on building a third assembly plant in China, ramping up production to meet surging demand in this fast-growing market as the U.S. automaker expands in Asia.

The factory, to be built in the central Chinese city of Chongqing, will make the next-generation Focus compact car, which Ford plans to sell globally.

The announcement from Chongqing came the day after the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker unveiled a made-in-India compact car - part of a plan to boost sales in Asia, a region the U.S. automaker has hardly dented but is counting on to drive growth.

"Today's announcement reinforces our commitment to the further expansion of our China operations to meet the continued rise in demand from Chinese consumers for world-class Ford products and services," Ford chief executive Alan Mulally said in a statement.

In India earlier this week, Mulally said he expects a third of global car sales to come from Asia in 20 years, a third from the Americas and a third from Europe and Russia.

I bet you could get a good price on an Indian or Chinese Ford but you probably couldn't import one into the U.S. without expensive upgrades.

Heh. Surging demand in Asia while dealerships in the U.S. are folding. What's wrong with this picture?
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       Following Entry Posted 9/25/2009 01:36:00 PM

Former Prosecutor Accused of Sex with Boy

(Springfield, Illinois) In July 2009, a 33-year-old former Colorado prosecuting attorney, Kristin L. Knotts, was accused of allegedly engaging in sex with a boy less than 17-years old. A $50,000 felony warrant on suspicion of four counts of aggravated sexual abuse was issued in Sangamon County, Illinois. In mid-August, Knotts was arrested in Colorado and returned to Springfield, Illinois, to answer the charges.

Yesterday, Kristin Knotts was indicted by a Sangamon County grand jury on three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a boy at least 13 years of age but under 17.

The alleged sex acts reportedly took place in Sangamon County between June 1 and June 12.

Prior to November 2008, Knotts was a prosecuting attorney in Grand Junction, Colorado. She resigned her position with the district attorney's office. No reason has been disclosed.

Knotts is scheduled to be arraigned on November 5.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/25/2009 09:06:00 AM

The term "illegal immigrant" is hate speech?

Sounds like straight description to me but not to the loony Latina below. According to her, even Obama uses hate speech

"Knowing that words matter, and some more than others, it was disappointing to hear President Obama repeatedly use the term "illegal immigrant" in his recent healthcare speech to the joint session of Congress.

In the past, he has referred to this population by its more accurate description of "undocumented immigrants" and so the prevailing thought among immigrant advocates is that the President's use of the term was a subtle political olive branch to those like "Joe the Congressional Heckler" Wilson.

Yet, as we now know, the usage of the term didn't appease anyone but merely added to the antagonism already felt by some in the room -- not to mention that it elevated a term regarded by many as hate speech as now having White House approval.

Source

The claim that "undocumented immigrants" is more accurate is a laugh. It's not documents they lack but permission to be in the country. And as CIS points out, about half of them do have documents anyway, just not legitimate ones.


Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).
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       Following Entry Posted 9/24/2009 10:31:00 PM

Nebraska Woman Accused of Child Abuse

(Chadron, Nebraska) A 26-year-old local woman, Natasha Afraid of Bear, was arrested by Chadron Police Monday for alleged child abuse. Afraid of Bear faces counts of second degree assault, felony child abuse, and use of a deadly weapon other than a firearm to commit a felony.

The CPD made the arrest after responding to a report of child abuse at Regency Trailer Court. Upon investigating the alleged abuse, the officers served a search warrant and found evidence of abuse, including two knives and bloody clothing.

Two boys, ages 4 and 5, were placed with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Afraid of Bear was booked into custody at the Dawes County Jail with bond set at 10 percent of $20,000.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/24/2009 05:40:00 PM

Homegrown Jihadi Plotted Attack in Springfield, Illinois

From the Journal-Register:

A 29-year-old Decatur man arrested on charges of attempted murder of a federal employees and attempting to use explosives to detonate a vehicle bomb at the federal building downtown Springfield had his first court appearance this afternoon at that very building.

Michael C. Finton, also known as “Talib Islam,” according to a statement from federal prosecutors, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Byron Cudmore and waived his right to a detention hearing. He remains in custody.

Federal officials allege that on Wednesday, Finton drove a van containing what he thought was explosive material and parked it directly in front of the northwest corner of the Paul Findley Federal Building. He got out of the van, locked the door and got into another vehicle driven by an undercover FBI officer and drove away. Within a few blocks of the federal building, Finton made a cell phone call to remotely detonate the purported bomb,” officials said.

He was arrested immediately after he attempted to detonate the device.

Finton allegedly wanted to kill as many people as possible while also taking out Congressman Aaron Schock (R-Peoria) in his office.

Finton works as a cook and is a big fan of John Walker Lindh, the American Taliban currently in prison. Reportedly, Finton became a Muslim terrorist in prison and expressed a desire to go overseas to become a jihadist fighter.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/24/2009 02:41:00 PM

Woman, 50, Guilty of Touching Boy, 4

(New London, Connecticut) A 50-year-old Norwich woman, Kathleen Campbell, pleaded no contest this week to inappropriately touching a 4-year-old boy.

Conviction on one count of risk of injury to a minor carries a possible punishment of two years in prison and registration as a sex offender. Sentencing is scheduled for December 22.

After her plea, Campbell was taken into custody.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/24/2009 01:39:00 PM

Apple



Horticulturists say it's a random genetic mutation.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/24/2009 12:23:00 PM

Cow Palace Gun Shows

(Sacramento, California) The California Legislature has passed a bill, SB585, to shut down gun shows at the legendary Cow Palace which straddles San Mateo and San Francisco Counties. Sponsored by uber-liberal San Francisco Democrat Senator Mark Leno, the bill will limit gun shows until 2013 when they will be completely outlawed.


According to the San Francisco Chronicle:

The measure has the potential to limit gun violence by ending sales.

Frankly, I contend that ending gun shows at the Cow Palace has a greater potential of limiting law-abiding citizens from obtaining guns to protect themselves. Violent criminals customarily don't obtain their weapons through legal means. They don't pass background checks, take safety courses and wait 10 days to take possession, all of which are reportedly required at Cow Palace gun shows.

In any event, the bill is expected to be on Gov. Schwarzenegger's desk shortly for signature.

Notably, the adjacent counties of Marin and Alameda have previously banned gun shows and it's presumed that statistics are being compiled reflecting a dramatic drop in gun violence -- uh, or maybe not.

Companion posts at The Jawa Report and GunWatch.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/24/2009 09:20:00 AM

Race-Based Punishment at Tucson Schools

(Tucson, Arizona) It appears that white students will receive harsher punishments than black and Hispanic students under a social justice system of discipline passed by the Tucson school board.

Shocked? I think it's illegal.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/24/2009 09:07:00 AM

A conservatism hater


David Greenberg, a professor of history at Rutgers, has a very self-satisfied and sneering essay in Slate which admits his failure to understand conservatism at great length. Apparently inspired by the latest "Time" magazine, he dredges up the old Marxist nonsense of Hofstader, Adorno & Co. and seems to think that there is something in it, but ends up admitting that none of them give a useful explanation of modern-day American conservative politics. Rather amusing really.

It is difficult to fisk something as lightweight as Greenberg's essay but maybe I should make two points:

In typical Leftist style, he projects onto conservatives the very thing that most moves Leftists: Hate. The title of his essay is "The Obama haters". That people might violently disagree with Obama's policies without hating him seems to be a combination outside Greenberg's limited emotional range. Again in good Leftist style he offers no evidence that ANYBODY hates Obama. He just asserts it. He KNOWS! Obama is personally a very agreeable personality so I find it hard to imagine that anyone hates him. Obama's extremely limited understanding of economics (e.g. his claim that he can give healthcare to more people with less money) does reduce one to despair at times, but despair is a long way from hate.

But I suppose the main defence mechanism that keeps Greenberg's sense of superiority alive is not so much projection as denial. He just cannot see that people like Glenn Beck have reasonable points to make: Points reasonable enough to cause at least one Obama appointee to resign. So if the words of Beck & Co. are not reasonable, there must be something other than reason behind them. Frustratingly for Greenberg, he just cannot figure out what that might be. Again, quite amusing.

If Greenberg reads this, he will probably accuse me of "psychologizing" or some such. That would be amusing too as that was precisely what Greenberg tried to do, but could not convince even himself. But I do after all have over 100 papers in the academic literature on the psychology of politics so I probably have a more useful background for "psychologizing" about politics than he does.

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).
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       Following Entry Posted 9/23/2009 11:11:00 PM

Poaching Recyclables

(Marin County, California) A 63-year-old woman, Marta Deleon, was cited by San Anselmo Police on Monday for allegedly poaching curbside recyclables and placing them in a black plastic bag. It was the second time in a month that Deleon was cited. She is free on a promise to appear in court.

I'm confused. If someone discards recyclable refuse by the side of the street and a stranger comes along and collects the recyclable for some other use, what's the crime? Illegal promptness in recycling? Whoever finds a use for items after they have been discarded is recycling -- by definition.

Also, doesn't the police department have anything more pressing to do than chase down alleged garbage poachers?
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       Following Entry Posted 9/23/2009 07:23:00 PM

Snake With Hand



Snake with hand
(Beijing, China) Called "truly shocking," the snake is 40 cm long and about the thickness of a little finger.

A 68-year-old woman, Xiu Qiong Duan, found the snake in her bedroom. It scared the noodles right out of her so she killed it. She preserved it in alcohol and gave it to the Life Sciences Department at China's West Normal University in Nanchang.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/23/2009 05:21:00 PM

AZ Teacher Gets Prison for Sex with Student - Updated

(Cottonwood, Arizona) Former charter school teacher Emili Kay Daniels was sentenced yesterday by Superior Court Judge Tina Ainley to three and one-half years in state prison for sexual conduct with a minor.

When released, Daniels will be on a lifetime supervised probation for her guilty pleas to three counts of attempted sexual conduct.

In sentencing the 34-year-old mother of two Tuesday, the judge said that Daniels could have contact with her own children, but with no other minors younger than 18.

Interestingly, when Daniels pleaded guilty Judge Ainley indicated that she would receive a sentence of greater than five years in prison but, on decision day, she only got three and one-half. Regarding possible registration as a sex offender, nothing was reported.

* * * * *
AZ Teacher Caught with Student Pleads Guilty - Updated
[Previous 8/14/09 post]
(Cottonwood, Arizona) This week, 34-year-old former Cottonwood teacher Emili Kay Daniels pleaded guilty to engaging in sex with a 17-year-old male student.

For conviction on one count of sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of attempted sexual conduct, Daniels will reportedly receive prison time.

There is no probation available for the single count of sexual conduct with a minor, which occurred in November, according to the plea.

The class-2 felony crime could bring a sentence as long as 12.5 years in prison or as little as three years. The presumptive term is five years. Daniels must serve every day of the sentence, called flat-time, without the chance for early release.

Probation is available for counts two, three and four, charging attempted sexual conduct with a minor. A prison sentence would span the range of 2.5 to 8.75 years.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 22. Judge Tina Ashley said probation is not an option and Daniels will be required to register as a sex offender.

* * * * *
Arizona Teacher Caught with Male Student
[Previous 3/7/09 post]
(Cottonwood, Arizona) A biology teacher at the American Heritage Academy charter school, Emili Kay Daniels, has been arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with a 17-year-old male student. The school's principal alerted authorities.

The principal told officers that he'd gone to Daniel's classroom to speak to her, but the door was locked.

When he unlocked the door, he saw Daniels and the student, whose pants were undone, exposing his underwear.

Both Daniels and the student initially denied they had a sexual relationship.

The student admitted the next day that he'd had a relationship with Daniels beginning in October 2008, and that they'd had three sexually-related encounters beginning in November.

Daniels has been charged with three counts of sexual conduct with a minor.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/23/2009 08:57:00 AM

Racist speech from an Obama "Czar"

And he doesn't like free speech either:

"President Obama's diversity czar at the Federal Communications Commission has spoken publicly of getting white media executives to "step down" in favor of minorities, prescribed policies to make liberal talk radio more successful, and described Hugo Chavez's rise to power in Venezuela "an incredible revolution."

Mark Lloyd's provocative comments - most made during a tenure at the liberal Center for American Progress think tank - are giving fodder to critics who say Mr. Obama has appointed too many "czars" to government positions that don't require congressional approval. They are also worrying to some conservatives who fear the FCC might use its powers to remove their competitive advantage on talk radio and television.

Mr. Lloyd spoke about the need to remove white people from powerful positions in the media to give minorities a fairer chance. "There's nothing more difficult than this because we have really truly, good, white people in important positions, and the fact of the matter is that there are a limited number of those positions," he said. "And unless we are conscious of the need to have more people of color, gays, other people in those positions, we will not change the problem. But we're in a position where you have to say who is going to step down so someone else can have power."

Other bloggers are questioning Mr. Lloyd's commitment to free speech based on a line in his 2006 book, "Prologue to a Farce: Communication and Democracy in America": "At the very least, blind references to freedom of speech or the press serve as a distraction from the critical examination of other communications policies," Mr. Lloyd wrote. "The purpose of free speech is warped to protect global corporations and block rules that would promote democratic governance."

Source

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).
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       Following Entry Posted 9/23/2009 08:53:00 AM

Before Morning Coffee

This morning, prior to taking one sip from my morning coffee, Mrs. Participant hands me a sealed envelope with my name on it. I said, where's this from? She said, from me. I said, for what? She said, anniversary. I said, who's anni . . . and caught myself. The utterance, unfortunately, had entered the ether and there was no way to suck the sounds back into my throat.

Caught! I was caught being stereotypical. The thoughtless husband who doesn't remember his blessed marriage.

However, in my defense I plead that I had a chemical imbalance. It is difficult to respond to challenging situations in the morning prior to the first jolt of caffeine, especially when caught by surprise.

I'd also like to suggest that Mrs. Participant should share in the blame because she didn't give me any heads up. Now just how hard would it have been for her to mention something last week? Something like, hey, what do you have planned for our anniversary?

Of course, nothing mitigates my error. If there's a lesson to be learned, I'd say don't ask or answer questions before morning coffee. Nodding and saying nothing is recommended.

By the way, none of this morning's embarrassment would have happened if I had an assistant.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/23/2009 08:07:00 AM

Spectacular Heist in Sweden

(Stockholm, Sweden) Around 5AM this morning, Ulrika Lönngren, Police Chief of Västberga, heard several loud explosions and a helicopter hovering above the G4S Security Company facility, including a cash depot. The helicopter then left and headed north.

“The helicopter landed on the roof. Then they entered the building by breaking some windows. Next, several explosions were heard from within the building, and then they were seen loading things into the helicopter and lifting off,” she told the TT news agency.

The entire area surrounding the G4S facility has been cordoned off and police have set up a command centre at a nearby petrol station, where a large number of officers, police dogs, and emergency vehicles have gathered.

An officer on the scene told TT that the robbers made their daring rooftop landing and then entered the building using sledgehammers or something similar to break through the roof.

Caltraps - spikes spread across the road to burst car tyres - had been placed near the facility in an attempt to complicate efforts by police to approach the scene.

According to the southern district police, Sweden’s National Task Force, a paramilitary tactical unit within the National Criminal Investigation Department (Rikskriminalpolisen) is involved in the investigation.

The entire operation lasted about 20 minutes, but it remains unclear if the robbers made off with anything, police spokesperson Björn Engström said. [Note: Later report said they got away with 1 billion kronor ($146 million) which will cause short-term cash problems in the Stockholm area.]

Police helicopters located on nearby Värmdö were unable to be used in response to the robbery, prompting suspicions that they had been sabotaged.

But Engström said that the helicopters hadn’t been damaged. Rather, they found a bag marked "bomb" near the helicopters forcing officers to inspect the bags and the helicopters before attempting to take off, the Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) newspaper reports.

Police have confirmed the helicopter used in the heist, a Bell 206 Jet Ranger, was stolen overnight from a helicopter hangar near Norrtälje north of Stockholm.

Later Wednesday morning the helicopter was found near Arninge about 30 kilometres north of the crime scene.

The manager of the cash depot said the facility has cameras everywhere. Therefore, I suspect the perpetrators will be quickly identified.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/23/2009 07:07:00 AM

Environmentally-Friendly Marital Aid

(Sweden) A new environmentally-friendly marital aid is now on the market and gaining in popularity.

Made from recycled plastic and metal, "Earth Angel" is charged by turning the specially adapted key in its base. Four minutes of hand-turning is said to give 30 minutes of intense vibrations - saving money on new batteries.

And the good news for environmentalists is that "Earth Angel" has now reached Sweden.

Anna Sundström at erotic store Afrodites Apotek in Stockholm believes that it will be a big hit. "Many of our customers are environmentally conscious and often say 'no' to a plastic bag. It saves the environment when you don't use batteries," she said to Expressen.

The only downside to the Irish-made sex toy is the price tag. At 1,050 kronor ($153), it costs twice as much as a normal dildo. But, as it's self-charging, there's no need to buy expensive replacement batteries.

Just think. Dim lights, a pitcher of your finest Kool-Aid and four minutes of hand-turning will allow you to experience an Earth-friendly marital session without messy battery cleanup. Heh.

I suggest that the green dildo be recognized as the symbol of the entire Save-the-Planet movement. It best represents what is being done to taxpayers everywhere.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/23/2009 05:54:00 AM

Ohio Woman Gets One Year for Sex with Boy - Updated

(Warren County, Ohio) In August, 33-year-old Theresa Ritchie was convicted of seven counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

According to prosecutors:

Ritchie gave drugs and alcohol to a teenage boy she hired to do yard work and odd jobs around her house.

Yesterday, Ritchie was sentenced to one year in prison. Upon her release, Ritchie will serve five years of probation. She was also ordered to register as a sex offender and attend drug and alcohol counseling.

The age of her victim has only been reported as under 16 years old.

* * * * *
Ohio Woman Accused of Sex with Boy
[Previous 6/8/09 post]
(Hamilton, Ohio) A 33-year-old local woman, Theresa Ritchie, has been accused of engaging in sex with a boy under the age of 16 and providing him and his buddies with drugs and alcohol.

As a result, Ritchie has been indicted by a Warren County grand jury on 12 counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child.

The alleged offenses were exposed when the boy told school officials.

Matt Nolan, a spokesman for the Warren County prosecutor's office, said the alleged incidents occurred between June and August, 2007 at Ritchie's home on Beatrice Drive.

Ritchie knew the boy from a drive-through store where she had worked and also had hired the boy to do yard work, he said.

Ritchie was arrested Friday and booked into the Warren County Jail without bond. An arraignment is scheduled for June 10.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/22/2009 05:22:00 PM

Woman Guilty of Sex with Girl, Sex with Dog Ruled Legal - Updated

(Palm Coast, Florida) Unable to impugn documented pictorial evidence on a CD, 41-year-old Carla Rhea Maldonado pleaded no contest yesterday to lewd and lascivious battery of a 15-year-old girl in February 2005.

For engaging in sex with her German shepherd, Carla Maldonado was not charged since it's not criminal to screw your dog in Florida.

In her defense, Carla Maldonado said she didn't know her husband was taking pictures.

Maldonado, who does not have a prior criminal record, will likely be sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison followed by five years' probation, according to a discussion by the prosecutor and assistant public defender in court Monday. She will also have to register as a sex offender.

But Circuit Judge Kim C. Hammond could send her to prison for up to 15 years when she is sentenced Oct. 19.

Husband David Maldonado's case remains to be adjudicated. (h/t Lame)

* * * * *
Florida Man Faces Child Porn Charges - Updated
[Previous 5/30/09 post]
(Palm Coast, Florida) At the time of their original arrest, the Maldonados were charged for offenses involving a dog and a 15-year-old girl. Now, according to Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Debra Johnson, there's a new development.

At the time of their arrest, two computers were seized from the Maldonados' home and taken to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office where they were analyzed, Johnson said.

The State Attorney's Office determined 50 charges would be filed against David Maldonado -- 25 of the charges dealing with photographs and 25 with videos.

"This was a thorough investigation, and these latest charges close out this case," Sheriff Donald Fleming said.

Consequently, David Maldonado faces 50 counts of possession of child pornography. He was arrested last night and booked into custody at the Flagler County Inmate Facility with bail set at $1.25 million. (h/t slwlion)

* * * * *
Florida Couple Arrested for Dog/Child Sex Crimes
[Previous 12/6/08 post]
(Palm Coast, Florida) David and Carla Maldonado, a local married couple, have been arrested for sex crimes allegedly documented in pictures contained on a compact disc.

The pictures, allegedly taken by David Maldonado, 42, are believed by investigators to show Carla Maldonado, 40, engaging in sex with dogs and a 15-year-old female acquaintance.

The Maldonados have been charged with lewd and lascivious battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Flagler County sheriff's investigators said the Flagler County Humane Society, where Carla Maldonado had worked, turned over the compact disc in November. The humane society terminated her employment upon receipt of the CD.

Investigators have stated that the disc also contained 16 photographs of Carla Maldonado engaged in sexual activity with a 15-year-old female who was an acquaintance with the family. David Maldonado photographed the sex acts, according to investigators.

Both Carla and David Maldonado were charged with providing the victim alcohol and encouraging the participation in the sex acts.

David and Carla were booked into custody at the Flagler County Inmate Facility with bond set at $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy
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       Following Entry Posted 9/22/2009 04:18:00 PM

Fact-Checking Obama

This week, President Obama disparaged the blogosphere during an interview with the Toledo Blade on the basis that there is "no serious fact-checking." Contrary to his assertion, Maggie Thurber did some fact-checking and found inaccuracies within the following BO statement.

"When I came into office, we were losing 700,000 jobs per month. Credit was frozen so that small businesses and large businesses alike couldn't borrow. You couldn't get an auto loan even if you had good credit. People were losing their homes at an extraordinary pace." [emphasis added]

According to Maggie's documented research, both of the high-lighted contentions are wrong. It's subjective as to whether the President misspoke, lied or was simply exaggerating.

In any event, Mr. President, your facts were checked and definitely determined to be "your facts" since they cannot be verified by reputable sources -- one of which is the blogosphere.

More at the link.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/22/2009 03:05:00 PM

Proposed French Law Requires Warning on Photoshop Pix

(Paris, France) Valerie Boyer, a member of the French Parliament, is spearheading an effort to outlaw photoshopped and airbrushed fashion photos of women unless they are accompanied with a government health warning.

"Many young people, particularly girls, do not know the difference between the virtual and reality, and can develop complexes from a very young age.

"In some cases this leads to anorexia or bulimia and very serious health problems.

"It's not just a question of public health, but also a way of protecting the consumer."

The proposed legislation calls for photographs to display a statement saying "digitally enhanced to modify a person's body image."

Valerie Boyer has been working for a couple years trying to enact specifically-targeted restrictions on airbrushed and photoshopped advertising for the sake of "national health." "Promotion of extreme thinness" will apparently be a punishable offense.

Interestingly, the proposed legislation doesn't seem to exclude minor digital enhancements for cosmetic purposes, such as the removal of a skin blemish or errant hair.

It's unclear what the final law will contain but Boyer wants a wide scope. Photos in all forms of mass communication, including newspapers, magazines, blogs and websites, billboards, product packaging, political and artistic photos, are being considered and penalties of up to three years in jail and possible fines of $71,000 for noncompliance have been mentioned.

Mrs Boyer said she wanted a fine of 30,000 pounds, or up to 50 per cent of the cost of the publicity campaign, for advertisers that break the law.

But she added: "It is not an attempt to damage creativity of photographers or publicity campaigns, but to advise the public on whether what they are seeing is real or not."

In conclusion, enhanced pictures of women must carry a government warning. Strangely, news services inclined to digitally enhance pictures to interject a political viewpoint may continue to do so without warning the public (i.e. fauxtography).

When it comes to world affairs, current events and politics, the French are unconcerned that the public is sometimes deceived. When it comes to fashion models, though, the French adamantly want the public to know the truth and to be warned of deceit.

It's for the sake of the children and for public health.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/22/2009 09:22:00 AM

Company fined in religious discrimination case

This was probably sound insurance practice. Churchgoers are probably lower risk customers. But anti-discrimination laws ban lots of reasonable behaviour. We are supposed to pretend that everyone is the same. So people who deserve lower premiums have to pay the high premiums that are needed to cover every Tom, Dick and Harry

An insurance company has agreed to pay almost $75,000 in fines to settle a religious discrimination claim.

The Justice Department announced the settlement Friday involving Des Moines, Iowa-based Guideone Mutual Insurance Co. and two authorized agents, which had advertised special homeowners' and renters' benefits called FaithGuard to "churchgoers" and "persons of faith."

Under the agreement, the defendants must pay a total of $29,500 to three plaintiffs and $45,000 as a civil penalty.

GuideOne had offered the FaithGuard endorsement in at least 19 states. It must cease the practice under the agreement.

The lawsuit was the result of complaints filed by an atheist, an agnostic, and the Lexington Fair Housing Council. The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky in conjunction with a proposed consent decree.

SOURCE

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).
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       Following Entry Posted 9/22/2009 09:17:00 AM

Health insurer not entitled to free political speech??

The Obama healthcare proposals are clearly a hot political issue so why should ANYONE be prevented from giving their opinion of what is proposed? It sounds to me like the insurer was warning of an attack on a program that IS under attack. Saying that the criticism is "misleading" is standard Democrat boilerplate at the moment. They call ALL criticism misleading. And if all misleading political speech were banned, a lot of Democrats would be struck dumb. It would not be worthwhile for Joe Biden even to get out of bed. Joe assured us that FDR went on TV to make his case -- even though there was no TV for him to go on in that early era! And who the heck is Joe Biden? He's only the Vice President of the United States.

"The government is investigating a major insurance company for allegedly trying to scare seniors with a mailer warning they could lose important benefits under health care legislation in Congress. The Health and Human Services Department launched its investigation of Humana after getting a complaint from Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., a senior lawmaker usually viewed as a reliable ally of the insurance industry.

"It is wholly unacceptable for insurance companies to mislead seniors regarding any subject — particularly on a subject as important to them, and to the nation, as health care reform," Baucus said Monday, disclosing the HHS investigation.

Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is cooperating with the investigation and stopped the mailer earlier this month, company spokesman Tom Noland said Monday.

Humana is one of the largest private carriers serving seniors under a program called Medicare Advantage. About one-fourth of the elderly and disabled people covered under Medicare participate in the Advantage program, which offers a choice of private plans that usually deliver added benefits. Humana has about 1.4 million Medicare Advantage enrollees, and the program accounts for about half the company's revenue, Noland said.

Government experts say the private plans are being paid too much — about 14 percent more than it costs to care for seniors in traditional Medicare. The Baucus plan — and other proposals — would reduce payments to the plans, and the health insurance industry is fighting back. The Humana mailer focused squarely on the Medicare Advantage program.

Source

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).
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       Following Entry Posted 9/21/2009 09:15:00 PM

Virginia Teacher Caught with Boy

(Fairfax, Virginia) A 27-year-old teacher at Hayfield Secondary School, Valerie Roesler (aka Roseler), was arrested Sunday morning after being caught drunk in a car with a 15-year-old boy.

Investigators say Valerie Roesler of Alexandria is charged with being drunk in public and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

According to Franconia Police, an officer saw Roesler and the 15 year old in a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer parked in the 7900 block of Gunston Hill Lane just before 2 a.m. on Sunday. They say the boy had left home without his parents knowledge.

Roesler was booked into custody at the Fairfax County Detention Center.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/21/2009 07:05:00 PM

Tennessee Teacher Gets Probation in Nude Breasts Case - Updated

(Clarksville, Tennessee) According to the district attorney's office, Jessica Percifull was scheduled to go to trial today on a charge of sexual exploitation of a minor. She had been indicted for allegedly taking a picture of her nude upper body and e-mailing it to a 17-year-old student.

Instead of a trial, the case was dismissed and Percifull entered guilty pleas to two counts of exhibiting harmful material to a minor. Both charges are A misdemeanors.

Through an agreement reached by Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Lund and Percifull's attorney John Maher, Percifull was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days on each charge, giving her an almost two-year sentence.

She will serve the consecutive sentences on a judicial diversion and will have to report to probation.

Percifull was also barred from teaching, having contact with her victim or contact with any children other than her own.

* * * * *
Teacher Accused of Sexual Exploitation
[Previous 12/6/08 post]
(Clarksville, Tennessee) A 26-year-old biology teacher at Northeast High School, Jessica Percifull (aka Perciful), was arrested on Thursday for alleged sexual exploitation of a minor. Percifull is married to a U.S. Army soldier stationed at Ft. Campbell and has a son.

Specific details of the alleged crime have not been released.

Jim Knoll, public information officer for the Clarksville Police Department, said last week that the allegation against the teacher was turned over to the Child Advocacy Center, and was being investigated by Detective Ginger Fitting.

Elise Shelton, chief communications officer for the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System, said last week that Percifull was under investigation and was put on administrative leave Nov. 1.

Percifull was booked into custody at the Montgomery County Jail and later released on $10,000 bond.
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       Following Entry Posted 9/21/2009 03:59:00 PM

Teacher Gets Jail for Lesbian Tryst with Student

(London, England) A 26-year-old music teacher at a girls school, Helen Goddard, was sentenced today in Southwark Crown Court to 15 months in jail for engaging in a five-month lesbian relationship with a 15-year-old girl.

Goddard admitted to six counts of sexual activity with the girl between February and July 2009.

Looking inexplicably cocky in her photo (right), Goddard claimed she had been "pressurised" into the relationship which began with coffee after classes and progressed to months of intimacy. They even marched together in a gay pride parade during a weekend in Paris.

Their illict meetings remained a secret until the £13,000-a-year top London public school for girls, which cannot be named for legal reasons, received an anonymous tip-off and care workers immediately contacted the police.

When officers raided the teacher's housing estate maisonette in Greenwich they found the teenager with the 26-year-old and seized various sex toys including vibrators and "fluffy handcuffs".

It's presumed that the girl willingly offered her fluffy for handcuffing since she lied to her parents when she visited Goddard by telling them that she was staying "over at friends' houses."

Judge Anthony Pitts ordered Goddard to register as a sex offender for 10 years in addition to the jail time. Goddard is also banned from working with children for life.
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