Women With Troubles - November 2011

Reported in news stories during November 2011, 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. Links to month-by-month compilations are displayed on the navigation bar at left.

(AL) Amanda Watkins,
teacher - Guilty of rape of boy, 15. Sentencing TBD,

(CA) Stephanie Deffner, 32,
teacher - Faces drug charges,

(CA) Chrissy Ann Dunn, 31,
neighbor - Sentenced to year in jail for lewd act and oral copulation of boy, 14,

(CA) Danika Garcia, 32,
teacher - Busted for methamphetamine,

(CA) Patricia Ann Serrano, 43,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 12,

(CO) Terah Allyn Rawlings, 32,
teacher - Accused of sex with boy, 15,

(CT) Tricia Coccomo, 38,
teacher - Supreme Court reinstates convictions and 12-year prison sentence,

(DC) Kimberly Smedley, 45,
neighbor - Accused of administering illegal butt injections,

(FL) Amanda Cooney, 26,
teacher - Accused of interfering with missing boy, 16,

(FL) Oneal Ron Morris, 30,
transgender - Accused of performing illegal butt injections,

(FL) Sheryle Lynn Vanlandingham, 42,
neighbor - Gets 5+ years prison for sex with teen boy,

(ID) Dorothea C. Seidenglanz, 37,
neighbor - Arrested for interfering with flight crew,

(IL) Melissa Calusinski, 25,
daycare worker - Guilty in death of boy, 16 months. Sentencing date TBD,

(IL) Sara Glashagel, 27,
teacher - Arrested for tampering with school's computer to fix grades,

(IN) Katherine Cervantes, 35,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 14,

(KS) Cathleen Balman, 42,
teacher - Accused of indecency with boy, 15,

(KY) Amy Noles, 38,
teacher - Accused of sex abuse of male student,

(LA) Heather N. Daughdrill, 28,
Bible camp teacher - Accused of carnal knowledge of boy, 13

(MI) April Patzkowsky, 32,
teacher's aide - Gets seven years prison for sex with male student, 14,

(MN) Tameshia Leeann Allen-Hodges, 23,
teacher - Accused of pimping disabled female,

(NC) Lori Kirkpatrick, 43,
teacher - Charged with drug possession with intent to deliver,

(NC) Megan Trainor, 24,
teacher - Accused of indecent liberties with male student, 16,

(NC) Yolanda Shonta Williams, 23,
teacher - Accused of sex with student,

(NY) Nicole DeJaynes, 30,
neighbor - Accused of murdering her baby,

(NY) Claudia Tillery, 42,
teacher - Accused of sex/alcohol offenses involving 6th-grade boy,

(OH) Sarah Hickman, 37,
teacher - Accused of contributing to delinquency of student,

(OH) Shannon Hurley, 41,
neighbor - Accused of liquoring up and having sex with two boys, 14 and 16,

(OR) Angel Yvonne Kirk-Miles, 36,
neighbor - Gets 15 years prison for conspiracy to commit murder and robbery,

(PA) Lhonda Kanode, 41,
neighbor - Accused of sex assault of boy, 15,

(PA) Gabrielle Suzanne Marvelli, 39,
teacher - Guilty of sex with male student, 17. Sentencing date TBD,

(SC) Sharon Brabham, 31,
neighbor - Charged with attempted murder of man who dissed her driving,

(SC) Erica Mae Butts, 25,
neighbor - Sentenced to life in prison for death of girl, 3,

(SC) Shanita Latrice Cunningham, 25,
neighbor - Sentenced to life in prison for death of girl, 3,

(SC) Carole Ann Hope, 36,
teacher - Accused of sex with student 11 to 14 years old,

(SC) Tina Lynette Howell, 36,
public safety officer - Accused of official misconduct for relationship with sex predator,

(SC) Shareca Latoya Jones, 28,
neighbor - Accused of smuggling contraband into prison inside Bible,

(SC) Alma Weeks, 45,
teacher - Accused of multiple drug offenses,

(TN) Cindy Garner Clifton, 41,
teacher - Accused of rape/contributing to delinquency of 11 boys, aged 11 to 14,

(TN) Jeana Lynn Gunter, 35,
neighbor - Gets probation for sex with boy, 15,

(TX) Tina Marie Arie, 44,
neighbor - Booked on narcotics charges,

(TX) Lori David, 38,
neighbor - Gets no jail for online solicitation of boy, 16,

(TX) Amanda Lynette Logue, 25,
teacher - Accused of improper relationship with student,

(TX) Herlinda Coronado Magallanes, 43,
Mexican border jumper - Arrested for secretly crawling into US,

(TX) Kaci Pomerenke, 31,
teacher - Gets three days jail for sex with male student, 14,

(TX) Cynthia Stewart, 43,
guidance counselor - Accused of sex offenses involving boy, 15,

(WI) Rebecca Chandler, 22,
neighbor - Accused of satanic sex stabbing of male victim, 18,

(WI) Raven Larrabee, 20,
neighbor - Accused of satanic sex stabbing of male victim, 18,

(WV) Summer Lynn Burford, 34,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 14,

(WV) Kimberly Gibson, 34,
teacher - Charged with possession of controlled substance with intent to deliver,

* * *
(AU) Lesa Louise Grisedale,
teacher - Banned from teaching for five years for inappropriate relations with female student,

(UK) Katherine Goldberg, 25,
teacher - Avoids jail in 'drunken groping on airplane' case,

(UK) Maria Topp, 44,
neighbor - Gets community service for biting off boyfriend's testicles.

Thanks to the tipsters, commenters and readers.

Yoga Pants Banned in School




Why all of a sudden are yoga pants a problem? They have been around for years.

Is Breivik a paranoid schizophrenic?

The report below says he is and the diagnosis is understandable in some ways. Paranoid schizophrenics do not normally present as "mad" and many hold down jobs, have families etc. So his calm and methodical behaviour does not contradict such a diagnosis. There is usually only one focus where paranoids go off the rails. But that focus really IS obviously mad: Hearing voices that are not there, for instance. Psychiatrists commonly cite St. Paul's vision on the road to Damascus and his subsequent obsessive behaviour promulgating a very new message to a skeptical Hellenistic world as indicating paranoid schizophrenia.

But Breivk's focus was not nearly as singular as that. It has often been said that his dislike of the Left-sponsored invasion of Norway by Muslim "refugees" is widely-shared in Norway. And many commenters on Scandiavian internet sites applauded his actions immediately afterwards. His actions could simply be seen as self-sacrificing or as a return of the old Viking spirit.

The thing that most strongly supports a diagnosios of paranoid schiz is his insistence that he is a member of an organization of Knights Templar -- an organization that appears not to exist. That does sound like a very typical paranoid delusion. It must be remembered however that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence and any members of such an orgainization would be highly motivated to lie low immediately after Breivik's actions.

If I had to make a psychological diagnosis of his behaviour I would see some narcissism there but no more than is to be found in the average artist, for instance. Narcissism can have many outlets, not least in politics

So I am fairly sure that the Left-led authorities in Norway will succeed in declaring Breivik insane not because that is a good diagnosis but because they need to. They desperately need to keep him OUT of jail. He would make many converts there and that could lead to more atrocities. Further, it is comforting to think of him as a lone madman rather than someone who may have a point.

A PSYCHIATRIC report on Anders Behring Breivik found that the confessed gunman is insane, meaning he could avoid prison over July's twin attacks in which he killed 77 people, Norwegian prosecutors said today.

"In such instances that the person suffers from such a serious disorder that it would not be warranted to sentence him to prison ... he can be ordered to stay in mental health care institutions," prosecutor Inga Bejer Engh was quoted as saying by AFP.

The 243-page assessment was made after 13 interviews with Breivik, an interview with his mother and an examination of his medical history. The experts also reviewed police questioning and video from the reconstruction of the shooting rampage on Utoya island, the Dagbladet daily reported.

It found that the 32 year old over time developed "paranoid schizophrenia," according to another prosecutor, Svein Holden.

Holden said the report concluded that Breivik had "grandiose illusions whereby he believes he is to determine who is to live and who is to die." He "committed these executions out of love for his people, as he describes it," Holden said.

The report will be examined by a team of forensic experts to ensure it meets standards, and then a court will rule on whether Breivik can be held responsible, AFP reported.

Breivik, 32, has confessed to carrying out the July 22 twin attacks. First, he detonated a car bomb outside the government buildings in central Oslo that house the offices of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, killing eight people. Then he went on a shooting spree at a youth camp on Utoya island, killing 69 mostly young people.

But he refused to plead guilty, saying that the attacks were "atrocious but necessary" in his campaign against multiculturalism and Muslims in Europe.

SOURCE

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

Nigeria Criminalizing Homosexual Marriage

(Abuja, Nigeria) Gays and lesbians are being targeted for punishment in Nigeria.

Nigeria's senate voted on Tuesday to criminalise gay marriage, instituting prison terms of more than a decade for violations in a nation where gays and lesbians already face discrimination and abuse.

The Bill heads to Nigeria's House of Representatives, who have to approve the Bill and send it to President Goodluck Jonathan for his signature before it becomes law.

However, public opinion -- and lawmakers' calls for even harsher penalties for being gay -- shows wide support for the measure in the deeply religious nation.

Couples could be sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Tennessee Woman Gets No Jail in Child Sex Case

(Marshall County, Tennessee) A 35-year-old Centerville woman, Jeana Lynn Gunter, has admitted to engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old boy.

Gunter pleaded guilty to one count each of criminal attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means.

According to documents in Gunter's case file, authorities found out about her from a tip to the Department of Children's Services child abuse/sex abuse hotline.

Her victim, a 15-year-old boy, admitted he received intimate, revealing photos of her, and chatted with her over the Internet and by text message about having sex.

As a result of her conviction, Gunter received a total of five years and six months on probation and was ordered to pay court costs and a fine.

SoCal Teacher Busted for Meth

(Chula Vista, California) A 32-year-old biology teacher at Castle Park High School, Danika Garcia, has been accused of possession of methamphetamine.

Garcia was arrested on Nov. 10 when police found her in possession of 3.55 grams of meth.

Garcia was placed on leave after district officials were notified of the arrest Nov. 22 by the District Attorney’s Office, spokeswoman Lillian Leopold said.

“She will remain on unpaid leave until final disposition of criminal case, and then once the criminal case is settled, then the district will make its final decision,” Leopold said.

Garcia was booked into custody and released on $5,000 bail. A court appearance is scheduled for January 11.

Mother-in-Law Secretly Filmed

(Laurel, Virginia) A 40-year-old man, Jason Good, has been arrested for secretly recording his mother-in-law undressing in the bathroom.

Mrs. Good called the police after discovering a video on her husband's phone.

When officers arrived to take a statement from Good's wife she directed them to 'a hole located in the wall between the garage and the bathroom'.

If convicted, Mr. Good faces a possible year in prison and a $2,500 fine.

Tip: Barry B.

Man Hires Hooker, Shocked It's His Daughter




(Bulawayo, Zimbabwe) It's understandable that a local man, Mr. Titus Ncube, pleaded with the media crew to not report this story.

A man in Bulawayo’s Nkulumane 5 suburb got the shock of his life after a commercial sex worker he allegedly called to his hotel room turned out to be his daughter.

Mr Titus Ncube is said to have collapsed while the 20-year-old daughter bolted after seeing her father.

Mr. Ncube said he forgave his daughter and hired a therapist for her.

West Virginia Teacher Busted for Drugs

(Charleston, West Virginia) A 34-year-old teacher at Wharton Elementary School, Kimberly Gibson, was arrested Monday afternoon on drug charges.

Gibson faces a charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

Gibson admitted to consuming hydrocodone on her lunch break after the deputy questioned her. She said she get the pills from another person. She gave the deputy a prescription bottle containing two types of hydrocodone.

Gibson was booked into the Southwestern Regional Jail with bond set at $5,000.

Carolina Teacher Faces Drug Charges

(Wilmington, North Carolina) A 43-year-old second-grade teacher at South Topsail Elementary School, Lori Kirkpatrick, was arrested Saturday for allegedly possessing and trafficking drugs.

Kirkpatrick was arrested during a traffic stop along with a companion, Anthony Baxter Lisk, 44.

Both Kirkpatrick and Lisk face charges of trafficking in Schedule II (Dilaudid) and possession with intent to manufacture/sell/deliver Schedule II drugs.

After booking into custody, bond for Kirkpatrick was set at $300,000 and bond for Lisk was set at $500,000. Additionally, Kirkpatrick has been suspended from her teaching position pending the conclusion of an investigation.

Groping Teacher Gets No Jail - Updated



Katherine Goldberg
(London, England) Montessori school teacher, Katherine Goldberg, 25, pleaded guilty to sexual assault and being inebriated on a flight from South Africa to England.

Goldberg had reportedly experienced an "alcohol-induced illusion" that a male flight attendant was her boyfriend and she asserted herself sexually.

According to Prosecutor James O'Connell,

''She sat on his lap and grabbed hold of his genitalia through his trousers.''

She also spoke to the man suggestively and kept ''making offers to him'', the court heard.

She was heard to tell the air steward: ''Let me and you go somewhere. You can touch me anywhere you want, I don't mind.''

As a result of her guilty plea, Goldberg was sentenced to 80 hours community service plus a £1,500 fine and £250 in court costs. She has also been suspended from her teaching position.

* * * * *
In-Flight Groping Alleged
[Previous 9/17/11 post]
(London, England) A 25-year-old schoolteacher, Katherine Goldberg, has been accused of groping a Virgin Atlantic steward at 33,000 feet and demanding sex after drinking a pint of whisky on a flight from South Africa to England.

Goldberg faces charges of sexual assault and being drunk on an aircraft.

Goldberg, who is of South African heritage, is understood to have been returning from visiting relatives when the alleged incident took place on an Airbus A340-600 at 5.30am British time on August 24.

On Tuesday her lawyer, Francis Brennan, told magistrates in Uxbridge, West London that he hoped his client would be let off one of the charges with a caution.

Goldberg is free on bail awaiting a court appearance next week.

China Denied Strategic Land in Iceland - Updated



Iceland
(Reykjavik, Iceland) No deal is possible.

A Chinese entrepreneur's bid to create a vast nature retreat in Iceland was turned down by the north Atlantic island nation's government Friday, amid concern the deal would have handed a major chunk of territory to a foreign investor.

Iceland's interior ministry said it had rejected an application by the Zyongkun Group, a company controlled by Huang Nubo, a 55-year-old former Chinese government official, in part because no foreign buyer had ever bought so much land in the country.

According to the Icelandic Interior Ministry, "it was considered necessary to limit foreigner's rights to property in Iceland to protect Iceland's independence."

* * * * *
China Seeks Strategic Land in Iceland
[Previous 8/30/11 post]
(Reykjavík, Iceland) A former Chinese Propaganda Department Minister who now heads an investment group, Huang Nubo, seeks to buy a sizable chunk of Iceland reportedly to build a luxury hotel and resort.

An offer of one billion kroner ($8.8 million) has been submitted for an area encompassing 155 square miles. However, the proposed deal is controversial.

Critics of the plan fear it could be used by China to gain a strategic foothold in Iceland.

Strategic foothold could be a euphemism for a forward operating base.

Some in Iceland have raised concerns about the long term implications of Icelandic territory entering foreign hands, and that the land could give China future access to deep sea ports in the area.

"We face the fact that a foreign tycoon wants to buy 300sq km of Icelandic land. This has to be discussed and not swallowed without chewing," Interior Minister Ogmundur Jonasson wrote on his website.

He said China was known for its "long term thinking alongside buying up the world" and warned against Iceland accepting the purchase without full consideration.

I agree.

Australia: DNA proves man is not child's father, mother must pay back nearly $13k

A WOMAN has been ordered to pay her former husband almost $13,000 in child support after DNA tests confirmed he was not the father of her 14-year-old son.

The man - who once caught his wife in a compromising position with a neighbour - secretly took the boy for a DNA test after his own mother raised doubts about the boy's parentage from the time he was four. "(X) is looking less and less like you. There is nothing similar, not even his ears or toes or fingers," the man's mother said.

The couple began living together in their late 20s and married in 1984. The boy was born in 1995 and still believes the man is his father. "For him, this has been an unfortunate situation not of his own making," Federal Magistrate Stephen Scarlett said in his ruling.

"In January 2009, the parties separated and the person whom the child thought was his father moved out of the matrimonial home. Less than a year and a half later, the child's father figure no longer has anything to do with him. "Effectively, he is now without a father, through no fault of his own. From the child's point of view, his father (as he thought) has rejected him, for no apparent reason.

"The applicant's desire to find out the truth about the child's paternity will result in a financial benefit to him, at the expense of collateral damage to the child."

The couple divorced in 2010, but the father continued paying for the boy's overseas holidays, school fees and $700 a month in child support. Now the court has ordered the women to pay the man $12,969.

The man has had no contact with the boy he believed was his son since the DNA tests confirmed he was not the father. The woman must repay the child support as well as $4038 in court costs within 12 months.

SOURCE

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

Crash From Brain-Power Horsepower Mismatch




(Houston, Texas) The Corvettes suffered significant damage. Warrants have been issued for the drivers' arrest.

The crash of the two beautiful sports cars took place on Thanksgiving Day.

Rare AIDS Strain Spreading

Reported in The Lancet science journal, a rare strain of the AIDS virus, called "Group N" HIV, has spread outside the West African country of Cameroon.

First identified in 1998, only 12 cases of the rare strain were known to exist, all in Cameroon, until this year.

The new case, reported by French doctors, involves a 57-year-old man who was admitted to the Saint Louis Hospital Paris in January suffering from fever, rash, swollen lymph glands and genital ulceration.[…]

Tracing his sexual history, the researchers believe the infection was "probably" acquired from intercourse with a partner in Togo, from which he had just returned.

"This case of HIV-1 group-N primary infection indicates that this rare group is now circulating outside Cameroon, which emphasises the need for rigorous HIV epidemiological monitoring," says the doctors, led by Professor Francois Simon.

The finding is important because the patient suffered not only severe symptoms but also a fast-track decline in his immune system, as shown in the number of his CD4 white blood cells.

Scientist's suggest that "Group N" HIV jumped from chimpanzees to humans through handling of bushmeat.

Al-Shabaab in Kenya



NE Kenya

(Mandera, Kenya) On Friday, Al-Shabaab militants reportedly attacked a village and an Administration Police (AP) station south of Mandera.

Reports indicate that nearly 40 militants armed with AK-47 rifles and bazookas entered the town on Friday night from the Somalia border, in two Land Cruisers and fired at the AP camp forcing the six officers attached to the post to flee after realising they were out numbered.

The Somalia militia group besieged the village for more than three hours. The militants then escaped with a gun the APs abandoned. But before they retreated, they blew up a Safaricom mast at the police station. They also destroyed the police radio communication equipment.

Colonel Cyrus Oguna, spokesman for the Kenya Department of Defense, said that Kenyan troops had "made significant inroads into Al Shabaab-controlled areas in the past week."

Soldier reacts to Leftist hate speech at a Boston university

We read:

"A local Army Reservist serving in Afghanistan resigned this week from his post as an adjunct professor at Suffolk University after a colleague at Suffolk sent an e-mail calling it "shameful" for students at the college to send care packages to soldiers who "have gone overseas to kill other human beings."

Maj. Robert Roughsedge wrote in his resignation letter that he considers comments made in an e-mail by Suffolk law professor Michael Avery to be "hate speech."

Roughsedge's letter was sent from his military post in Kabul, Afghanistan, to Camille Nelson, dean of the Suffolk Law School.

"I have a moral obligation to exercise my First Amendment right of freedom of association and choose not to associate with Suffolk University Law School anymore," Roughsedge wrote. "This is a sad moment for me, because I know that the students do not agree with Professor Avery, and I truly enjoy teaching. However, I must go, else I am tarnished by the association."

Roughsedge has taught a course called Terrorism and the Law at Suffolk.

Last year, Roughsedge was called up for a year of service in Afghanistan, where he is providing training to the Afghan army.

Source

Suffolk University has also distanced itself from its employee's hate speech.

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

Frosty the Snowman Arrested

(Chesterton, Maryland) Frosty the Snowman, appearing in a local parade, was arrested after scuffling with police and kicking a police dog.

Dressed as Frosty, 52-year-old Kevin Michael Walsh claims the coppers hassled him and he didn't do anything wrong with the possible exception of making a joke about the police dog.

The police were seemingly not amused and booked Walsh into custody. He was released on his own recognizance.

Tip: slwlion

Chevrolet Volt Fires

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation to assess the risk of battery fires in Chevrolet Volt electric cars subjected to crashes.



Chevrolet Volt

According top the NHTSA, despite recent incidents it's too early to know whether the investigation will lead to recall of vehicles.

One Volt battery pack that was being closely monitored following a government crash test caught fire Thursday, the safety administration said in a statement.

Another recently crash-tested battery emitted smoke and sparks, the statement said.

There seems to be little cause for concern at present.

Minnesota Teacher Guilty of Prostitution

(St. Paul, Minnesota) A 23-year-old substitute teacher in North St. Paul, Tameshia Leeann Allen-Hodges, pleaded guilty to inducing a 21-year-old female student with developmental disabilities to engage in prostitution.

Allen-Hodges reportedly took photos of the student in lingerie and suggested she perform sex acts for money.

The student told police she received multiple calls and said at least one man came to Allen-Hodges' apartment, though the student said she did not engage in any physical contact with him, according to a criminal complaint.

Police searched Allen-Hodges' cellphone and found seven photos of the scantily clad student dated April 22. Allen-Hodges admitted she posted them online, the complaint said.

Allen-Hodges pleaded guilty to a prostitution charge this week. Sentencing has been scheduled for March 7.

More leftist hate speech

We read:

"NBC television has apologised to Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann after a band played a song entitled "Lyin' Ass B----" during her appearance on a late-night talkshow.

The show's band played part of the song as Mrs Bachmann walked on the set of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, which aired early Tuesday morning.

"The fact that someone did something so hateful and disrespectful is unfortunate," a campaign spokeswoman said.

A day after the appearance, Mrs Bachmann received a personal letter from NBC vice president of late night programming Dough Vaughan, who called the incident "not only unfortunate but also unacceptable".

Before the show aired, Roots drummer Ahmir Thompson, known as "Questlove" had tweeted a teaser, writing: "aight late night walkon song devotees: you love it when we snark: this next one takes the cake. ask around cause i aint tweeting title."

Questlove's Twitter profile picture shows him posing with President Barack Obama.

During an appearance on Fox News, Mrs Bachmann said she accepted Fallon's apology but was outraged over the incident. "This is clearly a form of bias on the part of the Hollywood entertainment elite," she said. "This wouldn't be tolerated if this was Michelle Obama. It shouldn't be tolerated if it's a conservative woman either."

Source

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

Google Jettisons Renewable Energy Plan



Google Inc. has announced the end of its renewable energy ambition.

Google Inc has abandoned an ambitious project to make renewable energy cheaper than coal, the latest target of Chief Executive Larry Page's moves to focus the Internet giant on fewer efforts.[…]

Among the other projects included in Tuesday's "spring cleaning" were Google Knol, Google Search Timeline, Google Gear, Google Friend Connect, Google Bookmarks Lists and Google Wave, an ill-fated social networking and communication service that Google had previously said it would cease developing.

Evidently, the end of Google's renewable energy efforts appears to be part of an overall belt-tightening.

Putin Booed at Russian Martial Arts Event




(Moscow, Russia) After a martial arts match at Moscow's Olimpisky Arena, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin climbed into the ring to congratulate the winner, Fedor Emelianenko.

Immediately, the crowd of spectators started to boo and jeer Putin.

To minimize negative impressions, official media accounts have been edited to indicate that the boos were directed at the American opponent, Jeff "The Snowman" Monson, not Putin. It appears that Putin is not as popular as he thinks he is.

No Islamists in Mexico

(Mexico City, Mexico) Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espionosa has denied claims made during the Republican presidential debate that Islamists are operating in Mexico.

“There is no foundation that can support the kinds of statements” made during the Republican presidential debate earlier this week, Espinosa said.

“We were very surprised when assertions were made during the debate without providing any kind of element of respect,” the foreign secretary said, referring to allegations that members of the radical Islamic groups Hamas and Hezbollah were using Mexico to enter the United States.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a leading contender for the GOP nomination, said during Tuesday night’s debate on foreign policy that Hezbollah was operating in Mexico and other Latin American countries.

“We have, right now, Hezbollah, which is working throughout Latin America, in Venezuela, in Mexico, throughout Latin America, which poses a very significant and imminent threat to the United States of America,” Romney said during the debate in Washington.

Espinoza urged the candidates to watch what they are saying about "delicate issues."

Home Cooking

(Karachi, Pakistan) A 42-year-old woman, Zainab Bibi, has been arrested for murdering her husband, "chopping his body into pieces and boiling them."

Reportedly, the killing occurred after the husband tried to sexually assault Zainab's 17-year-old daughter from another marriage.

Police investigated after neighbors complained about a terrible smell coming from the home.

26 Corpses Found in Guadalajara

(Guadalajara, Mexico) Yesterday morning, 26 bodies were found in three vehicles abandoned near the landmark Millennium Arches.

A threatening message from an alleged drug gang was left with the victims, who had been tied and gagged, sparking fears that Jalisco could become the focus of a new power struggle between rival criminal groups.

The bodies were discovered at 6.30 a.m., less than 24 hours after 17 charred corpses were found in two pickup trucks in a similar incident in Culiacan, Sinaloa.

One has to wonder whether any of the 'fast and furious' guns were used in the murders. Nevertheless, there doesn't seem to be any indication that Mexican law enforcement efforts are producing results. Bodies continue to pile up.

Fiat ad under fire

We read:

"A raunchy new ad campaign from Italian car brand Fiat is unlikely to be used in Australia or in the US – but for very different reasons.

The campaign has been put together for the US launch of the 500 Abarth city car, and it features some risqué subject matter and some risky driving manoeuvres.

The racy ad, known as "Seduction", features an attractive Italian-speaking woman accosting a geeky looking man that she catches ogling her behind. The ad goes on to show the woman dip her finger in the foam on top of the man's coffee, splattering it on her cleavage and drawing the man closer to her suggestively.

US media commentators are speculating it will be too racy for US regulators. But while it's the sexual innuendo that will get the US hot under the collar, in Australia it's the glorification of speed that's expected to earn social - and eventually official - condemnation.

The 60 second ad winds up with a 500 Abarth performing some raucous driving and tyre-screeching stunts, including a handbrake turn through an intersection – and Fiat says it's the ending, rather than the hormone-charged antics of the actors, that will stop it being used in Australia.

Source

Video at link

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

Transvestite Show Stopped by Islamic Officials




(Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia) It seems that impersonating a woman is illegal in Malaysia.

THE Sabah Islamic Affairs Department stopped a transvestite fashion show held at an entertainment centre in a shopping mall in Kota Kinabalu.

Harian Metro reported that the show, called “Pink Tiffany”, had 19 contestants who were dressed skimpily.

A total of 14 were Muslim.

The department's religious enforcement deputy head Khamis Jamil said all of them were taken to the Kota Kinabalu police headquarters to have their statements recorded.

Khamis said the 14 were detained under Section 92 of the state Syariah Criminal Enactment 1995 for impersonating women.

It's not known if there are penalties in addition to arrest and booking for female impersonation.

Sex Assaults on Journalists in Egypt

(Cairo, Egypt) Two female journalists, Caroline Sinz and Mona Eltahawy, have reported harrowing sexual assaults by crowds and police while trying to cover demonstrations in Tahrir Square.


 
Caroline Sinz -- Mona Eltahawy

(Source)

Sex appeal now incorrect in Britain




We read:

"Advertisements for Lynx deodorant featuring glamour model Lucy Pinder have been banned for degrading women and treating them as sex objects.

The lads mag model was seen wearing very little and flashing her cleavage in a series of provocative video ads that hark back to the 1970s.

Lynx is marketed using tongue in cheek humour that suggests the men who use it instantly become more attractive, with beautiful women falling at their feet.

[One ad.] featured an image of the model in her underwear and bending over an oven door. The text stated ‘Can she make you lose control?’.

In a ruling published today, the watchdog said: ‘We considered that the various activities that Ms Pinder carried out were presented in a sexually provocative way, and that alongside the focus on Ms Pinder's cleavage … were likely to be seen as gratuitous and to objectify women.

Criticising the poster, the ASA said the language was ‘clearly intended to imply that using the advertised product would lead to more uninhibited sexual behaviour’. [How AWFUL!!!]

Source

Just the usual feminist hatred of attractive women

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

Brooklyn Teacher Accused of Sex with Boy

(Brooklyn, New York) A 42-year-old humanities teacher at Middle School 35 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Claudia Tillery, was arrested yesterday for allegedly bribing a 6th-grade boy with marijuana and alcohol and sexually abusing him.

The victim, now 14, stated he had been having sex with Tillery for two years.

The boy reported the sexual encounters to police this year, according to sources.

Tillery faces multiple charges including rape, criminal sexual act and sexual abuse and unlawful dealing of drugs and alcohol to a child.

Information on booking and bond is unavailable.

Teacher Accused of Improper Relations with Student

(Mount Pleasant, Texas) A 25-year-old music teacher at Mount Pleasant ISD Junior High School, Amanda Lynette Logue, has been accused of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a student.

Logue faces a charge of second-degree felony improper relationship between educator and student.

It is believed her relationship was with a high school student rather than one of the students in her classes. At this time, no details are available concerning the relationship.

Logue was booked into custody and released on bond.

Russian Health Care Changes

(Moscow, Russia) President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a sweeping health care reform law which critics say is the first step toward abolishing free health care in Russia by legalizing paid medical services in government facilities.

Consequently, an element of free enterprise is being incorporated in the Russian health care system, largely prompted by the fact that most funding for health services is already derived from graft and under-the-table payments. So the new law simply codifies what has been common practice.

Ironically, while the United States is seemingly destined - barring any dramatic turnaround - to fully implement a socialized health care system (ObamaCare), Russia is taking steps in abandoning socialized medicine for a free market health care system.

Obama Fingered on Russian Television - Updated

(Moscow, Russia) Award-winning newsreader Tatyana Limanova on the privately held REN TV channel has created a stir by editorializing about President Obama during a news segment.

Russian news anchor shows Obama the middle finger - November 21, 2011 Vidéo mirrorthis2010 sélectionnée dans Actualité

Source:

In the footage, Tatyana Limanova, an award-winning senior newsreader at the channel, can be seen briskly reading out an item about how Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has just assumed the rotating chairmanship of the Asia Pacific Cooperation organisation.

She is then heard to say that the post "has (previously) been held by Barack Obama" before mechanically and unambiguously raising her left arm and showing the camera her raised middle finger in an offensive gesture that is sometimes known as "flipping the bird."

Efforts to explain away the gesture have been futile.

Tip: Charley Nestor

* * *
[Update 11/24/11]
Ms. Limanova has been fired.

Underweight patients more likely to die than mildly obese patients

This is an old story now but it needs a lot of repetition before it becomes accepted: The healthiest weight is a middling weight

Underweight patients may have more possibilities of mortality within 30 days of general and vascular surgery compared with mildly obese patients, according to a research published online in Archives of Surgery Tuesday.

Researchers at the U.S. National Surgical Quality Improvement Program conducted the research for the years 2005 and 2006, and assessed the contribution of BMI (Body Mass Index) to 189,533 postsurgeries morbidity and mortality by obesity classes.

They found that compared with the middle BMI quintile group, patients with BMI value below 23.1, had greater chances for death. For the highest BMI quintile group, higher mortality rate was also observed.

However, the researchers also found that obesity may as well be associated with increased mortality for some individual types of surgeries.

"These individual types of procedures include procedures with which the general surgeon should have definite experience: colorectal resection, colostomy formation, cholecystectomy, hernia repair, mastectomy, and wound debridement," said George J. Stukenborg, PhD, of the University of Virginia inCharlottesvilleand his colleagues.

Based on a 30 –day morbidity and mortality risk calculation, the sample patients were categorized into BMI quintile ranges. BMI value of less than 23.1 was considered as lowest, values from 26.3 to 29.6 considered as the middle quintile, and above 35.2 considered as the highest.

Factors such as lack of enough data on nonfatal complications and hospital resources, or examining mortality over the 30-day baseline, may cause limitations and inaccuracy to the research and more studies on a wider range of patients in terms of BMI are needed to further confirm the current conclusion, researchers said.

SOURCE

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

Carolina Woman Accused of Smuggling Contraband

(Lancaster County, South Carolina) A 28-year-old local woman, Shareca Latoya Jones, has been arrested for attempting to smuggle contraband into prison inside a Bible.

Jones faces charges of trafficking cocaine, distribution of a controlled substance, providing contraband to an inmate, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute a schedule IV controlled substance, unlawful carrying of a handgun and possession with intent to distribute a schedule I controlled substance.

The investigation began when a package mailed to the Lieber Correction Institution in Ridgeville was returned to a business in Lancaster earlier this month, according to the release.

The package contained razor knives, a cell phone, about 30 ecstasy pills and about 28.8 grams of cocaine concealed inside a Bible.

Jones was booked into custody and released on $52,000 bond.

Occupy Seattle Health and Safety Problems

(Seattle, Washington) An official inspection of the Occupy Seattle encampment at Seattle Central Community College has found unsafe and unhealthy conditions.

College officials are pursuing emergency action to evict.

A draft of an emergency rule prepared for the state says the college needs to take action because of unsafe conditions at the encampment, including syringes and needles on the ground, drug and alcohol use, lack of hygiene facilities and other risk factors near the college child-care center.

"This overcrowded and unsanitary camp requires these emergency rules to protect the public health, safety and general welfare of the college community and the inhabitants of Occupy Seattle," says the draft.

An Occupy Seattle spokesman said many of the college's allegations were unfounded. He said the Capitol Hill neighborhood where the college is located is known for drug use and transients and that college day-care workers routinely checked the children's play area for needles and syringes even before the political activists moved in.

In summary, the Occupy Seattle spokesman, who declined to reveal his name, said we are not responsible, the place was drug-infested and filthy when we arrived.

British wind turbines turned off when it's windy ... because high winds make them too noisy for nearby residents

You can't make stuff like this up

Wind turbines are being turned off during high winds because they are too noisy. Documents from local authorities show that 269 complaints were received about noise from the rotating blades in the past three years. Some came from residents living up to three miles away.

In nearly half of these cases, operators switched turbines off or reduced their speed. The owner of one wind farm in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, was served with a noise abatement notice.

At Askam wind farm near Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, a control system was installed to turn the seven turbines off at high wind speeds.

Council officers found 12 turbines on a former RAF base in Lissett, near Bridlington in East Yorkshire, had exceeded noise limits after complaints from residents. They arranged with the operators for some to turn more slowly. Similar action was taken following complaints about turbines in Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire and Skelmonae in Aberdeenshire.

A quarter of the complaints were related to small wind turbines which can be fitted on to homes, schools and hospitals. But the rest involved large turbines which can be more than 400ft high.

One in six large wind farms built since 2008 have attracted noise complaints, with residents reporting that humming sounds disrupt their sleep. Locals near a 22-turbine farm in Fullabrook, Devon, said the noise was like a tumble dryer.

A 2009 study of people living close to wind farms in Britain, the U.S., Italy, Ireland and Canada found they caused stress and could increase the risk of heart disease, panic attacks and migraines.

A spokesman for Renewables UK, which represents the industry, said: ‘Wind farm operators strive to be good neighbours and are conscientious in responding to local concerns.’

SOURCE

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

Teacher Banned for Lesbian Affair with Schoolgirl

(Queensland, Australia) A female high school teacher, Lesa Louise Grisedale, has been banned from teaching for five years after the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal determined she had an inappropriate relationship with a female student.

The tribunal was told Grisedale did not teach the student any subjects but formed a "romantic and or affectionate'' relationship with the child between September 15 and November 20, 2008.

A three-member QCAT panel, comprising members Peta Stilgoe, Stuart MacDonald and Christine Trueman, said Grisedale commenced a sexual relationship with the student after she graduated -- including arranging for the former pupil to move into her unit.

Before applying to teach again, Grisedale must provide a psychological report addressing her suitability to teach.

Tip: JR

#Occupy Hosts Gay Porn

(Oakland, California) The #Occupy Oakland site has been used in making a gay porn production by the Dirty Boy Video company. Report here.

Drug Cartels Warn Social Media Users

(Nuevo Laredo, Mexico) Mexican drug cartels are expressing displeasure at citizens using social media.

A Mexican man has been decapitated, in an apparent warning to social media users to stop tipping off the authorities about the local drug cartel.

The man appears to have been handcuffed, tortured, decapitated and dumped beside a statue of Christopher Columbus one mile from the Texas border. Below the man’s body was a partially obscured and blood-stained blanket. Written on the blanket in black ink: “Hi I’m ‘Rascatripas’ and this happened to me because I didn’t understand I shouldn’t post things on social networks.”

The discovery of the body Wednesday morning brings the total number of murders associated with social media over the past three months in the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo to four.

Meanwhile, evidence indicates that Mexican drug cartels have created a notable presence in the far northwest San Juan County of New Mexico.



The cartels are using San Juan County as a base of operations for drug distribution and recruitment of gang members. The San Juan County Sheriff's Office has been asking for federal help.

West Virginia Woman Accused of Sex with Boy

(Winfield, West Virginia) A 34-year-old local woman, Summer Lynn Burford, was arrested last Friday for allegedly engaging in sex with a boy.

Burford faces six counts of third-degree sexual assault and six counts of sexual abuse.

Police say Burford is a family acquaintance of the boy, who is 13 or 14 years of age.

The sexual assaults are alleged to have occurred from September until November, according to police.

Burford was booked into custody at the Western Regional Jail with bond set at $100,000.

Must not tell Muslims to clean up after themselves



Britain:

"A Labour council was at the centre of a race row last night after printing a leaflet targeted at Muslims that invoked the name of Allah in urging them to stop littering the streets.

Bradford City Council was accused of inciting racial hatred by publishing leaflets that showed rubbish-strewn pavements – and appeared to place the blame on Muslims.

The pamphlet, titled ‘Be proud of your environment’, used the Koran to lecture them about breaking the law and making a ‘horrible’ mess of the city.

It said: ‘We should respect Allah’s creations and the environments they live in. We should not act with ungratefulness by treating our surroundings with disrespect and throwing litter.’

It was aimed at an area of the city boasting a high concentration of Muslims and which the council says has a problem with messy streets.

Last night, Ian Greenwood, the Labour leader of the council, admitted the idea had been insensitive and said that the leaflets had been withdrawn.

Source

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

Nursing Home Woes



(Ann Arbor, Michigan) The Whitehall Healthcare Center has been cited for violations of standards of care. Documents specifically cite:

…failure to supervise two residents in wheelchairs, both of whom were injured as a result; failure to provide a sanitary, comfortable and orderly interior; failure to adequately monitor the fluid intake and output for a patient who became dehydrated; and failure to maintain complete staff personnel files and complete required certification, license and background checks.

The documents … also show that a nursing assistant said maggots were still in the genital area of a 66-year-old woman unable to get out of bed on her own three days after their initial discovery.

Staff members told a state inspector they had observed flies on and near the woman about two weeks before the discovery of the maggots and one staffer even reported telling a supervisor “she’s gonna get maggots.”

Whitehall faces fines.

EU Outlaws Claiming Water Prevents Dehydration



(Brussels, Belgium) After a three-year investigation, the bureaucrats of the European Union have ruled there's no evidence to claim that drinking water prevents dehydration. Consequently, a law was passed.

Producers of bottled water are now forbidden by law from making the claim and will face a two-year jail sentence if they defy the edict, which comes into force in the UK next month.

Big government-types are probably tickled.

Tip: slwlion

‘A Filthy Religion’: TSA Worker Fired for Anti-Muslim Facebook Posts

A pretty clear First Amendment violation by the TSA

"A Transportation Security Administration officer has been fired for posting a series of anti-Muslim messages on his Facebook page, including ones calling Islam “a filthy religion” and saying Muslims “need to be exterminated.”

Roy Egan had been a baggage screener at Chicago‘s O’Hare International Airport for nine years, nearly since the agency’s inception. He was terminated earlier this month after a ABC affiliate WLS-TV uncovered hundreds of derogatory comments on his Facebook page, which was open for anyone to see.

Egan, 46, identified himself on Facebook as a TSA employee, with the note, “I look for bad stuff going on airplanes.”

Among his postings were ones that read, “Islam, a cult that glorifies death“ and ”Does anything at all make you smile more than a Muslim burning by his own hateful hand?” WLS reported.

His comments also targeted gays, Hispanics and blacks, including “crude racial descriptions” of President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, whom he said should “die tasting your own blood.”

Despite the tenor of his posts, Egan said his views never interfered with his job, and called them “common stuff I picked off the web and made comments on.“ He said he was ”taken out of context“ and that he is ”in no way a racist,“ though he admitted to calling President Obama the ”Muslim-in-chief.“

He has continued to post other articles involving Muslims, including at least one from The Blaze. His most recent post Thursday is a blog post purportedly linking Muslim immigration to the “rape epidemic of Norweigian girls” with the comment, “but Im the Bad Guy for telling you this!!!!”

Source

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

Illegal Butt Injections

(Washington, D.C.) A 45-year-old Georgia woman, Kimberly Smedley, has been arrested for allegedly administering illegal silicone butt injections.

Reportedly, the illegal silicone injections are quite popular with the transgender community.

Federal agents had been investigating 45-year old Kimberly Smedley for six months. The probe began after an exotic dancer from Baltimore reported that Smedley injected her buttocks and hips with silicone.

She said it happened on a bed in Smedley's room at the Renaissance Hotel, and that she paid the 45-year old unlicensed woman, $4000 for four shots.

Smedley was booked and released on bail.

Faster Than the Speed of Light?

Recent experiments suggest that Einstein was wrong.

A fiercely contested experiment that appears to show the accepted speed limit of the Universe can be broken has yielded the same results in a re-run, European physicists said on Friday.

But counterparts in the United States said the experiment still did not resolve doubts and the Europeans themselves acknowledged this was not the end of the story.

On September 23rd, the European team issued a massive challenge to fundamental physics by saying they had measured particles called neutrinos which travelled around six kilometres (3.75 miles) per second faster than the velocity of light, determined by Einstein to be the highest speed possible.

The neutrinos had been measured along a 732-kilometre trajectory between the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland and a laboratory in Italy.

The scientists at CERN and the Gran Sasso Laboratory in Italy scrutinised the results of the so-called OPERA experiment for nearly six months before cautiously making the announcement.

Expect continued controversy.

Deer Crossing




Believable? Readers can decide.

You never know what will offend

A business that sells baldness treatments trips up

The hair-loss clinic pulled its latest TV ad featuring the spin king after the logo on Scrawnie's T-shirt - "No Hair, No Life" - sparked the ire of cancer patients.

The Anti-Cancer Council and former cancer patients complained about the ad.

Complainant and former sufferer Kate Alexander said: "I couldn't bear the idea of someone just being told they were going to lose their hair and then being told that without hair they had no life."

Advanced Hair Studio CEO Stephen Jeffery yesterday confirmed the clinic had its agency remaster the clip, digitally blacking out the offending slogan. The new ad went to air on Wednesday night.

Source

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

NY Mom Accused of Killing Her Baby

(Syracuse, New York) A 30-year-old local woman, Nicole DeJaynes, has been accused of killing her baby and placing the body in a dumpster.

DeJaynes faces one count of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree manslaughter.

In January, Liverpool Police responded to a report of a newborn infant found dead in a dumpster outside the Pearl Street Apartment complex.

A medical examiner’s report revealed that the child was born alive and then suffocated.

The baby was allegedly killed on Jan. 5, but police couldn’t find DeJaynes until about a week later.

DeJaynes was booked into custody without bail.

Carolina Teacher Accused of Sex with Student

(Southern Pines, North Carolina) A 23-year-old teacher who substitutes at Pinecrest High School, Yolanda Shonta Williams, has been accused of engaging in sex with a student and contributing to delinquency.

Williams faces three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile and one count of sex offense with a student.

Schools police arrested Yolanda Shonta Williams, 23, Wednesday afternoon. She is accused of taking three students from Pinecrest High School to her home at 115 Austin Ridge Circle in Southern Pines for alcohol and sex, according to an incident report.

The report alleges that Williams had sex with one student.

Williams was booked and released on $25,000 bond.

"We Really Suck" School Spirit

(New York City) The record to date of Columbia University's 2011 football team is a dismal 0-9. Consequently, school spirit has circled the drain and seemingly disappeared, replacing the expected Go team go! with a general "we really suck, don't even try" acquiescence.

It's reported that the university band was "briefly barred" from tomorrow's game with Brown University after changing the lyrics to the school's fight song to:

We always lose lose lose;
by a lot and sometimes by a little;
we all were winners at the start;
but four years has taught us all the value of just giving up,
cause we really suck;
why are we even trying?;
we always lose lose lose;
but we take solace in our booze.

In a statement issued yesterday, the band manager apologized to fellow classmates and coaches "who were offended" and the athletic department lifted its ban.

I'm reminded of an unrelated incident years ago when enraged fans attacked the bus carrying the opposing team's band members and, immediately, the entire football team intervened to protect the band. One has to wonder if Columbia's football team would act as quickly in a similar circumstance.

Arguably, the notion of being true to your school is not enrolled at Columbia University.

Illinois Teacher Accused of Fondling Himself in Class

(Schaumburg, Illinois) Last Friday, a 75-year-old teacher at Schaumburg Christian School, Paul LaDuke, was accused of lewd behavior inside his classroom with students present. LaDuke was fired by the school.

LaDuke faces one count of felony sexual exploitation of a child.

Prosecutors say during a 10 a.m. algebra class Friday, the defendant placed an apron over his clothing and sat behind his teaching podium.

While the students were doing an assignment, prosecutors say LaDuke unbuckled his pants and slid them down just below his hips and began to masturbate while 13 students were in the room.

In a written statement, LaDuke admitted to masturbating in class multiple times per year over the 10 years he taught at the school.

LaDuke was booked into custody and released Wednesday on $40,000 bond.

The Citadel vs. Penn State

At the same time, two universities experience significant sex scandals. However, only one receives significant media coverage.

Why not both?

Hypersonic Weapon Test Successful




A hypersonic weapon was tested today.

The Army made it happen, it successfully tested its own hypersonic weapon prototype that could lead to a class of conventionally-armed missiles capable of striking any target on Earth in less than two hours.

The Advanced Hypersonic Weapon was launched from Hawaii this morning at 6:30 Eastern time and flew roughly 2,400 miles to Kwajelien atoll. No word yet on how fast the AHW glide vehicle, (the part that would carry a weapon), powered by a three-stage booster rocket, made the journey.

The Army says it reached hypersonic speeds; that means it had to be flying at more than Mach 5 at some point.

The test collected data on "hypersonic boost-glide technologies and test range performance for long-range atmospheric flight."

Must not support normal marriage in Canada

We read:

"On May 9, 2011 Damian had it all: a loving wife, two small children, and a dream job he loved as a sportscaster, for the Canadian equivalent of ESPN.

What happened to him is an absolute outrage. As the battle in New York over same-sex marriage heated up, Damian wrote a note stating his views on his own personal twitter account — to just 175 or so followers: "I completely and whole-heartedly support Todd Reynolds and his support for the traditional and TRUE meaning of marriage."

The next day he was called in by his bosses. He expected a slap on the wrist, maybe a demand he apologize — "How can I apologize for something I don't want to apologize for?" he recalls wondering to himself. Instead he was summarily fired. "We're terminating your contract."

One of his bosses twisted the knife "Damian do you remember that conversation we had a while ago about the plans we had for you and these other shows at Sportsnet? Well that's not happening now, you're fired!"

More here

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

Texas Conjugal Arrest



Tina Marie Arie and Howard Windham

(Montgomery County, Texas) Called to drug activity at Whataburger, cop collars and cuffs couple and stuffs them in back of cruiser.

Tina Marie Arie, 44, and Howard Windham, 30, intimately shared a seat, reportedly his.

When the officer looked in his rear view mirror, he “could no longer see Tina Arie,” who subsequently explained that she was resting her head in Windham’s lap because she was “tired.”

Suspicious, the officer pulled over to the side of the road to further investigate, according to a press statement.

He discovered that, “despite being handcuffed behind their backs,” the pair were engaged in a sexual act. Windham’s jeans were undone “and Arie was servicing his exposed genitalia.”

Arie and Windham were booked into custody on felony narcotics charges.

Tip: several

Global Warmist Endorses Huntsman for President

(Salt Lake City) From his prison cell, global warming advocate Tim DeChristopher has endorsed Republican candidate Jon Huntsman for President of the United States.

DeChristopher, writing from his federal prison cell where he is serving a two-year sentence, offered his support to Huntsman saying he would make a better leader for the environment than President Barack Obama and encouraged climate change activists to coalesce around the former Utah governor’s campaign.

“The climate movement could also rock the boat by campaigning for Jon Huntsman right now,” DeChristopher wrote to the website, Grist.com, which has published occasional letters from him.

In addition to teaching Democrats that they can’t take environmentalists’ votes for granted, he said, “I genuinely believe that Jon Huntsman would make a better president than Obama.”

Huntsman's campaign acknowledged the endorsement and quickly changed the subject.

18 Chinese Preschoolers Die in Crash



Deadly Crash in Gansu Province

(Beijing, China) Eighteen children aged 5 and 6 died earlier today in a traffic accident in northwest China.

An overloaded school minibus crashed head-on with a truck in rural western China on Wednesday, killing at least 18 kindergarten children on their way to class, officials said.

Two adults — the driver of the minibus and a teacher at the kindergarten — also died in the accident, said an emergency official surnamed Fan. News of the crash ignited public anger across China, highlighting an underfunded education system that especially shortchanges students in remote areas.

The bus had nine seats, but Fan said it was jammed with 62 children and two adults when it collided with the truck in China's Gansu province, leaving the orange school vehicle crumpled and twisted. Authorities blamed the overloading for the accident, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Four children and the bus driver died at the scene, said Fan, the director of the emergency office of the Gansu provincial work safety bureau. Gao Shaobo, head of traffic police in Zhengning county, where the school is located, later said that 20 people had died and 44 were still hospitalized — two in critical condition and 12 with serious injuries.

Sadly, bus crashes with significant injury and death are not uncommon in China due to poor safety standards.

Gecko Allegedly Cures AIDS



Tokay Gecko
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) Demand for the nocturnal Asian Tokay Gecko has exploded since being perceived as a miracle cure for AIDS. The gecko is reportedly on the verge of becoming a threatened species, according to anti-smuggling group TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.

Conservation groups are voicing alarm and proposing the Tokay Gecko receive more protection.

The geckos, popular as pets in Asia, have long been used as traditional medicine for illnesses such as diabetes, asthma, skin disease and cancer, the report said.

Their carcasses are dried up and ground into powder for consumption. In some parts of Asia, Tokay wine or whisky is consumed to boost energy.

The Tokay Gecko, which has distinct orange-spotted, blue-grey skin, can grow up to 15.7 inches (40 centimeters) in length. The reptiles feed on insects and worms, helping to regulate pests and maintain the ecosystem.

TRAFFIC said more than eight and a half tons of dried geckos were legally imported into the United States between 1998 and 2002 for use in traditional medicine.

Huge numbers are traded within Asia and it said Malaysia has emerged as a key hub to meet demand, especially in China.

Largely, the lizard's guts and tongue are claimed to have medicinal value in treating HIV-positive patients.

Forgive me while I laugh

Read the UPI "news" report below and then read the academic article it is based on. I will then have some comments on both

A U.S. study shows day-to-day weather has grown increasingly erratic and extreme, with significant fluctuations in sunshine and rainfall around the planet.

Princeton University researchers say extremely sunny or cloudy days are more common than in the early 1980s, and swings from thunderstorms to dry days rose considerably since the late 1990s.

These swings could have consequences for industries such as agriculture and solar-energy production, which are vulnerable to inconsistent and extreme weather, the researchers said in a release issued by the Ivy League school in New Jersey Tuesday.

Existing climate-change models have historically been based on monthly averages, an approach that hides variability, David Medvigy, an assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences, said.

"Monthly averages reflect a misty world that is a little rainy and cloudy every day. That is very different from the weather of our actual world, where some days are very sunny and dry," Medvigy said.

"Nobody has looked for these daily changes on a global scale. We usually think of climate change as an increase in mean global temperature and potentially more extreme conditions -- there's practically no discussion of day-to-day variability."

Analysis of erratic daily conditions such as frequent thunderstorms may be crucial to understanding factors shaping the climate and affecting the atmosphere, the researchers said.

SOURCE

Journal of Climate 2011 ; e-View
doi: 10.1175/2011JCLI4115.1

Trends in daily solar radiation and precipitation coefficients of variation since 1984

David Medvigya and Claudie Beaulieu

Abstract

This study investigates the possibility of changes in daily-scale solar radiation and precipitation variability. Coefficients of variation (CV) were computed for the daily downward surface solar radiation product from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project and the daily precipitation product from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project. Regression analysis was used to identify trends in CV. Statistically significant changes in solar radiation variability were found for 35% of the globe, and particularly large increases were found for tropical Africa and the Maritime Continent. These increases in solar radiation variability were correlated with increases in precipitation variability and increases in deep convective cloud amount. The changes in high-frequency climate variability identified here have consequences for any process depending nonlinearly on climate, including solar energy production and terrestrial ecosystem photosynthesis. In order to assess these consequences, additional work is needed to understand how high-frequency climate variability will change in the coming decades.

The first thing to note here is that we are NOT dealing with a global phenomenon. Changes in cloud cover were observed for only one third of the globe. We are looking at local effects. And what did changes in cloud cover affect? Hold on to your hat for the amazing news: RAIN!

No mention of clouds affecting temperature. And that is the dog that did not bark. Cloud changes SHOULD have affected temperature. Why is the effect not reported? That the effect was COOLING, not the warming assumed by Warmists is the obvious conjecture. What a crock!

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

American Politician Gets Scammed in Ukraine

(Chernovtsky, Ukraine) A Green Party candidate for governor of Arizona in 2010, Cary Dolego, 53, was recently found disheveled and homeless in a train station in Ukraine.

Volunteer workers in the town of Chernovtsy, near the Romanian border, made the shocking discovery when they approached a group of homeless people in the station, and an "exceptionally unkempt" man responded in fluent English and presented an American passport.

Dolego, 53, then opened his suitcase to reveal a notebook computer and a clean suit, volunteer Anastasia Beridze said.

Dolego told aid workers a harrowing story of love and delusion that began with an Internet friendship with a woman named Yulia, who invited him to Ukraine in May to share his "innovative research" on aviation and shipping safety.

But Yulia did not show up at an arranged meeting in Chernovtsy, and after Dolego's debit card was blocked, he found himself broke and alone in a freezing train station.

There's a lesson here.

Man Killed by Pet Hippo



Marius Els rides Humphrey

(Klerksdorp, South Africa) Local farmer Marius Els has been killed by his pet hippopotamus, Humphrey.

Els had said that Humphrey was like a son to him.

What an idiot. You can convince yourself that a wild animal isn't wild but you can't convince the animal.

Cincinnati Jerusalem Restaurant Explosion




(Cincinnati, Ohio) An explosion occurred at the Jerusalem Restaurant on Sunday shortly before 9PM, causing heavy damage. Federal agents are investigating after ruling out a gas leak.

The blast caused an estimated $60,000 damage.

Curious, eh?

(More….)

Coal Train Derails in Kansas

(Topeka, Kansas) Last night, 22 loaded cars of an eastbound coal train and 10 empty cars of a westbound freight train derailed just west of Topeka. Cause of the derailment has not been determined.

I'm suspicious.

It's just too easy for a dedicated evildoer to fiddle with the tracks. Also, the coal train was destined for a smoke-belching, atmosphere-polluting electric power plant.

Of course, the derailment could have been the result of age and degradation of the tracks or rail bed. We'll see.

Raging debate inside Richard Muller's head: “we’re getting very steep warming” and "we don't know that it's warming"

Is he schizophrenic, manic or what?

Quote 1:

"...today he told MSNBC’s Morning Joe today that “we’re getting very steep warming” and that because “we are dumping enough carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that we’re working in a dangerous realm, I realm where I think, we may really have trouble in the next coming decades.”

Quote 2:

"Right now," he says of the earth as a whole, "we don't know that it's warming. It may be constant, we don't know."

The quotes both come after the release of his findings but the latter was to a more sophisticated audience. He certainly does his bit to underline the shiftiness of Warmists

More HERE (See the original for links)

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

Texas Mom Gets No Jail in Solicitation Case

(Katy, Texas) Last Friday, a 38-year-old local woman, Lori David, admitted to sending lewd pictures showing her breasts and vagina to a 16-year-old boy, her son's friend.

David pleaded guilty to one count of online solicitation of a minor. While she was looking at a potential two to ten years in prison, Judge Vanessa Velasquez instead sentenced her to five years probation.

There are a number of stipulations to that sentence.

David is to be listed as a sex offender for the next 15 years. She will not be allowed to use the Internet (except for work) until she completes her probation.

She is not allowed to text anyone except family members, and she is not allowed around any children save members of her family. Judge Velasquez says that will remain the case until a psychiatrist tells her that David is rehabilitating.

The judge further told David that she could not attend any of her son's school functions save his graduation from Katy Taylor High School.

Carolina Teacher Accused of Indecency with Student

(Roxboro, North Carolina) A 24-year-old math teacher at Person County High School, Megan Trainor, is being sought by law enforcers for alleged indecent liberties with a 16-year-old male student.

Warrants for Trainor's arrest have been issued on charges of taking indecent liberties and preparing obscene photos, slides or motion pictures.

Model American Family



Theodora, Patti and Alexandra Richards

The cover of the December 2011 issue of Town & Country magazine features a trio of blondes, the daughters and wife of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. They are described as the model American family.

It's more than surprising that Keith Richards is the patriarch of the model American family. Given the rumors of drugs, sex and rock & roll for the last 40 years, one might expect that Richards never had the opportunity to establish a stable and enduring marriage and family.

Mom Patti, 55, a cancer survivor, is interviewed in the magazine regarding her ordeal. Sisters Theodora, 26, and Alexandra, 25, are models and "best friends." The daughters respond to the nickname "T&A."

Joint Deficit Reduction Committee




(Washington) Political wrangling within the committee continues with a deadline of November 23 for finding $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction.

They have been meeting for two months, poring over concepts and ideas already hashed out by three other groups over the past year.

But 10 days before their deadline, members of the so-called congressional "super committee" created to forge a deficit reduction deal indicated Sunday that they remain hung up on basic issues of tax and entitlement reform that have previously stymied agreement.

I suspect the committee will find a way to delay making a final decision.

Carbon-Offset Plan Scrapped




The 'ClimateSmart' program was launched in 2007 by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to allow utility customers to voluntarily purchase carbon-offsets for the greenhouse gases produced by electric power plants.

Poor participation in ClimateSmart has resulted in its demise.

PG&E customers who joined the program pay a little extra on their monthly bills - about $3.30 for a typical homeowner. PG&E uses the money to fund projects that fight the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as preserving forests from logging or capturing methane from cow manure.

But the program attracted just a fraction of the roughly 168,000 customers that PG&E predicted. Enrollment peaked in 2008 at just under 31,000. By the end of last year, it had slipped to 29,623.

ClimateSmart was created as a three-year experiment, and California energy regulators extended it until the end of this year despite concerns about weak participation.

According to PG&E spokeswoman Katie Romans, the ClimateSmart "demonstration" program has concluded after meeting its goal. I'd suggest ClimateSmart became a "demonstration" program after it was clearly a failure.

On the other hand, it is possible that the goal of ClimateSmart was to clearly demonstrate that ClimateSmart, despite being politically-correct, fashionable and trendy, was actually a pretty dumb idea.

Companion post at A Western Heart.