Women With Troubles - March 2012

Here is a compilation of women with troubles reported in news stories during March 2012. 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.

(AK) Esther G. Edwards-Gust, 28,
teacher - Accused of manslaughter in death of daughter, 3,

(AL) Kelli Nicole Hussey (aka Kelli Nicole Champion), 37,
neighbor - Gets 20 years prison for another rape conviction involving same victim,

(AZ) Corina Rodriguez, 30,
neighbor - Accused of attempting to drown son, 7,

(CA) Gabriela Cortez, 42,
teacher - Accused of unlawful sex with two male students,

(CA) Stacie Halas, 31,
teacher - Placed on leave after being outed as porn actress,

(CA) Holly Marie Polson, 35,
teacher's aide - Gets seven years prison for molesting boy, 13,

(CA) Janel Ramirez, 31,
teacher - Accused of engaging in sex with a boy,

(CO) Jennifer Gomes, 42,
teacher - Gets probation for false reporting of explosives,

(CT) Cassandra Grant, 22,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 14,

(FL) Ethel Anderson, 29,
teacher - Former Teacher of the Year accused of molesting boy, 12,

(FL) Stephanie Cobb, 26,
teacher - Accused of sex with male student, 16,

(FL) Mary Ann Fedak, 56,
teacher - Accused of doctor shopping to obtain controlled substances,

(FL) Alysia Flynn, 32,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 15,

(FL) Rose M. Hogue, 40,
neighbor - Accused of molesting boy, 6,

(FL) Michelle Kemp, 32,
neighbor - Arrested for failure to register as a sex offender,

(FL) Mandy Marie Walker, 32,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 15,

(GA) Tiarra Shanee Gartrell, 22,
neighbor - Accused of prostitution via online solicitation,

(GA) Janelle Denise Goforth, 33,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 15, allegedly then giving birth,

(IL) Deborah J. Cox, 59,
teacher's aide - Gets probation for aggravated sexual abuse of student, 17,

(IL) Laureth "Laurie" May, 29,
teacher - Accused of kidnapping and sex assault of female student, 17,

(IN) Kristi Metzger, 29,
teacher - Gets probation for sexual misconduct with boy, 15,

(IN) Kristina D. Renner, 42,
neighbor - Guilty of sexual misconduct with minor. Sentencing on April 26,

(KY) Sarah Jones, 26,
teacher/NFL cheerleader - Accused of sex abuse of minor,

(LA) Lana Green, 44,
teacher - Accused of sex with female student,

(LA) Jeannine Seoane, 47,
teacher - Accused of sex with female student, 17,

(MA) Lisa Lavoie, 27,
teacher - On probation for rape conviction then violates probation by being with victim,

(MA) Christine A. McCallum, 32,
teacher - Gets 29 months prison for rape of male student, 13,

(MD) Ashley Nicole Hyde, 26,
neighbor - Accused of gun charges and trafficking narcotics,

(MI) Leslie Buscher, 37,
teacher - Faces appeal on drunk (>0.40 BAC) driving charge,

(MI) Lisa Placek, 45,
teacher - Gets 23 months prison for sex with boy, 15,

(MS) Jennifer McCullum,
teacher - Gets probation for sexual battery of male student, 17,

(NC) Yesenia Alvarez, 29,
neighbor - Accused of burning child, felony child abuse,

(NC) Meredith Pruitt, 31,
teacher - Accused of running school drug scheme,

(ND) Jenelle Chase, 34,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy,

(NE) Deanna Borer, 26,
neighbor - Gets prison for sex assault of boy, 11,

(NH) Lisa DiNucci, 47,
teacher - Accused of repeat DUI,

(NY) Tara Driscoll, 33,
teacher - Gets probation for sexual misconduct with male student, 16,

(NY) Kaitlin Grant, 23,
teacher - Accused of sex with female student, 15,

(NY) Dawa Lama, 24,
neighbor - Accused of dumping newborn into garbage can to die,

(NY) Christa Somers, 18,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 14,

(OH) Michelle Blosser, 44,
teacher - Accused of sexual battery of male student,

(OH) Whitney Chiles, 30,
teacher - Guilty of unlawful sex with male student, 15. Sentencing on April 16,

(OH) Kimberly Sauto, 34,
teacher - Gets year in prison for unlawful sex with boy, 15,

(OH) Constance Yacobozzi, 28,
teacher - Accused of sex with male student, 17,

(OK) Erin Kathleen Queen, 27,
teacher - Accused of rape of 17-year-old,

(PA) Anna Ackerman, 45,
neighbor - Gets 4 to 10 years prison for sex with boy, 15,

(PA) Waleska Guadalupe, 28,
neighbor - Accused of sex assault of girl, 15,

(PA) Nicole Jacques, 25,
teacher - Accused of sex with male student, 15,

(SC) Tameeca Lashae Watt, 30,
neighbor - Accused of sex and biting of boy, 14,

(TN) Tiffany A Conwell, 39,
neighbor - Accused of statutory rape of boy, 16,

(TN) Kyra Bryant, 29,
teacher - Accused of statutory rape of female student, 17,

(TX) Shanice Lambert, 37,
teacher - Accused of sex with student,

(TX) Jordan Lane, 27,
teacher - Gets three years prison for child sex assault,

(TX) Shelley Linder, 25,
teacher - Accused of sex with two male students, 16 and 17,

(TX) Holly Lopez, 32,
teacher - Accused of sex with two male students, 13 and 14,

(TX) Jennifer A. Lopez, 36,
neighbor - Accused of sexually touching female child relative,

(TX) Julia Taylor, 47,
neighbor - Accused of threatening to kill district court judge,

(VA) Tracy H. Allanson, 44,
school bus driver - Guilty of sex with boy, 15. Sentencing in June,

(WA) Kylee Allworth (aka Kyley Allworth), 29,
teacher's aide - Accused of sex with female student, 17,

(WI) Samantha L. Abrahamson, 28,
girl scout leader - Accused of stealing thousands in cookie money,

(WI) Brittany Barcus, 24,
neighbor - Gets three months jail for sex with boy, 13.

Thanks to the tipsters.

Wisconsin Mom Gets 90 Days for Sex with Boy - Updated

(Sussex, Wisconsin) After pleading no contest to engaging in sex with a 13-year-old boy, 24-year-old Brittany Barcus was sentenced to three months in jail followed by three years of probation.

Brittany Barcus entered a plea bargain with the district attorney to lower her felony charges to two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree sexual assault. If convicted of her previous charges, Barcus would have been sentenced to up to 130 [Years, months, or days - not specified.] in prison and $300,000 in fines.

In addition to her jail time and probation, Barcus must seek alcohol and drug treatment, be randomly tested to ensure absolute sobriety, have no other contact with minors outside her three children, attend parenting classes, seek a mental health evaluation and pay $736 in court fees. If she violates probation, Barcus will be sentenced to 18 months in jail.

"I understand the attention I have him was inappropriate, and that wasn't my inention," Barcus told the judge. "I saw a boy with no food, no clothes, no housing, and it broke my heart." (sic all)

The resolution of the case is arguably lenient.

* * * * *
Wisconsin Mom Accused of Sex with Boy
[Previous 9/27/11 post]
(Sussex, Wisconsin) A 24-year-old local mother-of-three, Brittany Barcus, has been accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy at least three times in 2010.

Barcus faces three counts of sexual assault of a child under 16.

Barcus had befriended the boy, who is now 14, prior to the assaults and would invite him to her home on daily basis.

On one occasion, Barcus had sex with the boy in her laundry room while her children were sleeping. A neighbor also reported Barcus and the victim would walk around the neighborhood holding hands like they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

Barcus has denied the allegations.

If Only We All Had (Liberal) Brains, We'd All Believe In Man-Made Global Warming

Marc Morano links below to some recent episodes in the long history of Leftist claims that conservatives are psychologically deficient. The first notable claims of that sort were promulgated in a famous book lead-authored by prominent Marxist theoretician Theodor Adorno (Spanish-speaking readers may wonder why he had a surname that means "ornament" in Spanish. It was his mother's stage name. She was a dancer. His father's thoroughly Yiddish surname was "Wiesengrund", meaning "meadowland").

I spent much of my research career examinging the Adorno claims in depth and found that if one used true random samples of the general population, none of the correlations posited by Adorno emerged. Some details here. The plain fact of the matter is that Left and Right are not distinguished by mental health or by intelligence. They are psychologically different but not in ways that make them better adapted to life overall.

Two of the "research" claims alluded to below I have dissected in detail here and here (By Mooney and Eidelman respectively).

The important thing about Leftist claims is not therefore their verifiability but rather the platform they provide for the Soviet policy of throwing dissenters into psychiatric prisons. The Left used to describe the Soviets as "Liberals in a hurry". The logical corollary that liberals are just slowed-down Soviets tended to be avoided

A whole slew of new “research” on conservatives’ and global warming skeptics’ “brains” has hit the academic circuit.

First off, environment and sociology Prof. Kari Norgaard’s new study claims skeptics of man-made global warming fears should be “treated” for their skepticism. The study compares skepticism to man-made climate fears to the struggle against racism and slavery.

Prof. Norgaard’s concept of “treating” those who do not follow the current day’s political or social orthodoxy is, frightening, not new. A quick look at the 20th century totalitarian super states reveals many similar impulses.

It’s even more chilling that there is a whole new movement afoot by the promoters of man-made global warming theory to intimidate climate skeptics by using new brain “research.”

Other researchers have attempted to tie conservatism (which is identified with the highest number of climate skeptics) to “low brainpower.”

Some global warming promoters claim it is essentially “unethical” to be a skeptic.

Finally, still other climate activists have actually implied that we need to consider “human engineering” to combat global warming skepticism.

NYU Prof. S. Matthew Liao of Center for Bioethics says his human engineering solution “involves the biomedical modification of humans to make them better at mitigating climate change'"

Here are a few more comments by Prof. Liao:

"We shall argue that human engineering potentially offers an effective means of tackling climate change...the possibility of making humans smaller. Human ecological footprints are partly correlated with our size...a more speculative and controversial way of reducing adult height is to reduce birth weight...Pharmacological enhancement of altruism and empathy...could increase the likelihood that we adopt the necessary behavioral & market solutions for curbing climate change."

SOURCE (See the original for links)

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

California Teacher's Aide Gets Prison - Updated

(Palmdale, California) Holly Marie Polson was sentenced yesterday to seven years in prison for molesting a 13-year-old boy. Polson was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

* * * * *
California Teacher's Aide Guilty in Sex Case - Updated
[Previous 3/3/12 post]
(Palmdale, California) Teacher's aide at Shadow Hills Intermediate School, Holly Marie Polson, 35, has pleaded no contest to sexually molesting a 13-year-old male student.

The married Palmdale resident entered her plea before Antelope Valley Superior Court Judge Hayden Zacky.

Polson has remained in custody since her June 14, 2011 arrest.[…]

She admitted to having an ongoing sexual relationship with the student between May 29 and June 10, 2011, while they were in a classroom and in her car, authorities said.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 29.

* * * * *
California Teacher's Aide, 35, and Boy, 13
[Previous 6/16/11 post]
(Palmdale, California) A 35-year-old teacher's aide at Shadow Hills Middle School, Holly Polson, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly engaging in repeated sexual episodes with a 13-year-old boy.

Polson faces four felony counts of lewd acts with a child.

Over the past two weeks, the victim and suspect have engaged in several acts of sexual intercourse while in a vacant classroom on the school campus.

The acts were discovered when a relative of the victim discovered inappropriate text messages from the suspect on the victim’s cell phone.

Polson was booked into custody with bond set at $100,000.

The unending torrent of Leftist hate

I thought it might be interesting to show you the hate prominent conservative women like Michelle Malkin get on a daily basis. As you read these tweets, keep in mind that all of them came from a single 24 hour period (And believe it or not, I only included about half of the anti-Malkin tweets).

Also note that these are just from Michelle’s @michellemalkin Twitter Feed: They don’t include a Twitter search of “Michelle Malkin”, Facebook, email, or anything written on blogs or said on TV.

So, what you’re seeing here, is just a teeny tiny sliver of the hate Malkin has aimed at her by the left on a day-in, day-out basis.

RT @Cliff_Po_UDTV: @michellemalkin needs to die for wat she said about trayvon

@michellemalkin you're just mad cuz the 7 black dudes who ran train on you last weekend didn't call back. #slut #Justice4Trayvon

I like how I've called out shitbag congress members and nobody says anything. I call @michellemalkin an evil bitch and I get hate tweets.

@michellemalkin You ever dream of giving @JonahNRO's hairy ass a rimjob? Hmm, Michelle, my sweet Filipina sex lemur? #tcot

Daily Reminder: @michellemalkin hates you.

@emokidsloveme @michellemalkin hates anything with dark skin and is liberal

“@DAbitty: RT @emokidsloveme: Daily Reminder: @michellemalkin hates you. // ALL of us!”// And the feeling is mutual.

@michellemalkin I don't hate Michelle... I greatly pity her! Hate makes one ugly, and that's sad.

How embarrassing for @twitter: The @KillZimmerman account is STILL active after 4 full days. Story at Twitchy: is.gd/lPJni3

@michellemalkin How embarrassing for you that you spend all of your time being consumed by hate.

#sorosmonkeys at MMFA/TP smear Twitchy, Drudge, #TeamBreitbart, then try to have it both ways - is.gd/2BT8Oi

@michellemalkin Go f@ck yourself!!

.@michellemalkin cried like a little baby over what liberals were saying when Breitbart died ... yet she's doing the same w/Trayvon Martin.

@KathrynJScags @michellemalkin michelle malkin eats batshit off cave walls.

@michellemalkin oh, dear, you're so out of your weight class.

@eddel80 @michellemalkin It is people like you that ruin this country. Get you head out of the government bokks. And your ass.

@michellemalkin is either going to block me like a cowardly little whimp, or answer to why she's the greatest hypocrite EVER

@michellemalkin you're a fucking whore For big business and the rich, wake up sister, don't forget where we came from

@eddel80 @michellemalkin I was not talking to you Ms. Malkin. The idiot that was calling you a bigot.

@jetz52469 @michellemalkin you're a bigot, aren't you?

Last reminder of the day: Stop #waronconservativewomen -Donate to @RebeccaforReal 's fight against prog recall in Wisc: is.gd/Y4SZ9g

@michellemalkin narcissist and hypocrite.

“@DAbitty: RT @emokidsloveme: Daily Reminder: @michellemalkin hates you. // ALL of us!”// And the feeling is mutual.

How did @michellemalkin's brain development go so nightmarishly wrong? #tcot

How embarrassing for @twitter: The @KillZimmerman account is STILL active after 4 full days. Story at Twitchy: is.gd/lPJni3

@michellemalkin just makes my skin crawl! I swear I have no personal grudge against her just her views on life are so simple #silverspoon ??

A new era of "civil unrest" has begun: Trayvon protesters loot Walgreen's - twitchy.com/2012/03/27/tra…

@michellemalkin I heard a rumor that your cousing Marizela met up with George Zimmerman - what can you tell us about that?

@michellemalkin I think you suffer from self-hatred. I literally feel sorry for you. SMH

Is anyone or anything more thoroughly repulsive and thoroughly COMICAL than @michellemalkin ? Honestly I cringe at her every idiocy.

@michellemalkin is human refuse. One of the best examples of lining one's pockets selling outright lies and hate @MsGrumpy

Is anyone or anything more thoroughly repulsive and thoroughly COMICAL than @michellemalkin ? Honestly I cringe at her every idiocy.

More here

No wonder they are always pouncing on all sorts of trivialities uttered by conservatives and calling them "hate speech". It's their only hope of deflecting attention from whom the real haters are.

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

Texas Woman Accused of Sex Assault of Girl Relative

(Odessa, Texas) A 36-year-old local woman, Jennifer A. Lopez, has been accused of sexually touching a female child relative.

Lopez faces a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child.

Lopez’s arrest warrant affidavit stated that in August of 2011 a 16-year-old girl told her Odessa High School counselor that from the age of 6 to 11, she was "raped" by Lopez while they lived with a relative in Austin.

The girl was interviewed at Harmony Home in Odessa on Aug. 30, where she said when she was in first grade, Lopez touched and put her mouth on her breasts and touched her genitals, the affidavit stated. The girl said she also put her mouth on Lopez’s breasts and that Lopez told the girl to touch Lopez’s genitals, the affidavit stated.

The girl said she remembered that the last sexual assault happened when she was almost a 11 years old, the affidavit stated.

Lopez was booked into custody at the Ector County Detention Center.

Friday Pop Question




So, why does Jane Fonda express disbelief at a public display of birthday wishes for Clint Eastwood?

Answer

Oksana Makar Dies From Injuries - Updated

(Donetsk, Ukraine) Sadly, 18-year-old Oksana Makar has died from her burns and damaged lungs. A video at the link shows some of Oksana's last moments.

* * * * *
Brutal Gang-Rape in Ukraine
[Previous 3/19/12 post]
(Mykolayiv, Ukraine) On March 10, an 18-year-old local woman, Oksana Makar, was found in a pit at a construction site after reportedly being gang-raped, choked and set on fire by three men, sons of government functionaries.

Oksana Makar was found barely alive. She may not survive.

Doctors say that 55 percent of her skin is gone, and her kidneys are burned completely.

One arm and two feet had to be amputated soon after she got to the hospital.

The suspects were arrested on the same day. But by the moment Makar went into the surgery room, two of the suspects were already walking free.

Nataliya Abramova, a spokeswoman for Mykolayiv’s prosecutor office, said local officials did not have enough evidence to hold them in detention.

“They were classified as witnesses. The third one is a suspect,” she said.

In the meantime, the victim was not even questioned by the prosecutors, who kept repeating that she is unconscious, despite her mother’s statements that she is awake and talking.

Local media organizations found that the two people released, aged 21 and 23, are sons of local ex-officials. The news of them walking free, despite the gravity of crime they allegedly committed, caused an explosion of public anger.

Their photos and personal details were posted and reposted in social networks, along with threats and angry outcries.

Joining the angry protest, members of the women's rights group Femen took their shirts off for a loud display outside the state prosecutor's office in Kiev.




Due to the public outrage, the three suspects were arrested again on attempted murder charges and Ukrainian President Yanukovych ordered a special prosecutor to oversee the case.

Illinois Teacher Accused of Sex Assault/Kidnapping

(Cicero, Illinois) A 29-year-old teacher formerly at Acacia Academy in LaGrange Highlands, Laureth "Laurie" May, has been accused of kidnapping and sexual assault for skipping town and engaging in sex with a 17-year-old former female student.

Family and friends say her erratic behavior of late was out of character. Her fiance claims she was suffering from post-partum depression.

May was found with her three sons and former student, Destiny Gruba, 17, in Florida on March 20.

Upon alleged evidence of sexual misconduct with a minor, Cicero Police charged May, 29, with kidnapping and sexual assault. Police claim that they have May’s confession that her and Gruba were in a sexual relationship.

May was booked into custody with bond set at $500,000.

Tarnished Silver Tongue?




Source

TSA Mgr Popped for Prostitution Ring

(Silver Spring, Maryland) A 39-year-old Transportation Security Administration (TSA) manager, Bryant Jermaine Livingston, has been accused of operating a prostitution ring.

Livingston faces five prostitution-related charges. A spokesman stated Livingston is "no longer employed by TSA."

According to charging documents, on February 15th, Livingston used cash to rent a room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring, Md. The hotel manager recognized Livingston as a previous customer who, on earlier occasions had "groups of males and females frequently entering and exiting Livingston's room," according to a court document.

Similar activity was happening on February 15, so the manager called Montgomery County Police to report likely prostitution. Responding officers offered to accompany the manager as she went to evict the people from the room.[…]

Responding officers say they saw, "11 people inside the room [including] three naked females and four males attempting to get dressed. Multiple people were laying on the two beds and other people were sitting in chairs and standing in the room."

In a hallway interview, Bryant Livingston told the police officers he "runs the airport security at Dulles," according to the charging document.

One participant stated he paid $100 to enter the room and have sex.

Tip: Charlie Nestor

Vegans Protest Starbucks



Starbucks Label

Vegans are protesting the use of cochineal extract from bugs by Starbucks for coloring its Strawberries and Crème Frappuccinos. According to Daelyn Fortney, a vegan writer:

“It’s not really an issue of, ‘Oh, gross, bugs.’ We are just letting people know that this drink isn’t vegan friendly,” Fortney said.

Fortney has started an online petition at change.org to get Starbucks to use something vegan-friendly to color the drinks.

Ironically, Starbucks started using cochineal in lieu of frowned-upon artificial coloring.

Georgia Woman, 33, and Boy, 15

(Decatur, Georgia) A 33-year-old local woman, Janelle Denise Goforth, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy, allegedly resulting in pregnancy and the birth of a child.

Goforth faces counts of statutory rape and child molestation.

According to the arrest warrant and an Atlanta Journal-Constitution interview Tuesday with the teenager's guardian, Goforth was caught with the youth in April 2011 and warned that he was under the age of 16, the age of consent in Georgia.

Tia Stephens, the guardian, said she discovered her nephew, a ninth-grader, trying to sneak Goforth out of Stephens’ back door.

Goforth was booked into custody at the DeKalb County Jail with bond set at $1,000 on each count.

The Zimmerman hysteria



The biggest outpouring of hate speech today is in America. It surpasses even what is coming out of Muslim lands. And it comes of course from the Left and from black race hustlers. It is aimed at George Zimmerman, a tubby Hispanic do-gooder.

All the evidence shows that George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin only after Martin had knocked him down and then continued attacking him. Zimmerman fired to save his life.

All the media depictions of Martin show an innocent little kid -- but those photos were taken long ago. The photo above is a recent one of Martin. The Left-run media are running a deliberate attempt at deception by photograph.

And how many reports mention that Martin was in fact 6'3" tall? Some kid! Martin was in fact an aggressive young black buck. Zimmerman is 5'9" and not in good shape so he would be a snack for Martin.

Much more detail at GUN WATCH, with more to come. See also the comments by Thomas Sowell on today's DISSECTING LEFTISM

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

New York Mom Kills Baby

(Queens, New York) A 24-year-old local woman, Dawa Lama, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter for dumping her newborn baby into a hospital garbage can.

Police say the Queens woman was arrested in May of last year after her daughter was discovered in critical condition in the trashcan of a bathroom at Elmhurst Hospital Center.

She died a week later.

Sentencing has been scheduled for April 16.

According to Lama's defense attorney, she is remorseful. In any event, significant prison time is expected and likely deportation after completion of her term.

US - Australia Military Ties

In November 2011, President Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard tentatively agreed to an expansion of military ties, including drone flights from the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean.




The Cocos Islands, a coral atoll, was previously used as a base for Allied fighters and bombers during World War II, attacking Japanese targets in southeast Asia.

U.S. and Australian officials said the atoll could be an ideal site not only for manned U.S. surveillance aircraft but for Global Hawks, an unarmed, high-altitude surveillance drone. The U.S. Navy is developing a newer version of the Global Hawk, known as the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance drone, or BAMS, that is scheduled to become operational in 2015. Aircraft based in the Cocos would be well-positioned to launch spy flights over the South China Sea.

However, Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith said use of the Cocos is constrained by a needed $75 million upgrade to the island airstrip and a limited supply of fresh water restraining the number of people who can be accommodated.

Meanwhile, discussions are finalizing the planned deployment of 2,500 U.S. Marines to Darwin, on Australia's north coast, and the expansion of the Stirling Naval Base in Perth to provide for U.S. Navy ships and submarines.

U.S. military presence is also expected to be expanded in the Philippines and Singapore and the notion of a U.S. presence at Brisbane, on Australia's east coast, has also been mentioned.

Man's Best Friend Politicized




Tip: Rita and Eugene

Authorizing Cyberattacks




(Washington, D.C.) Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, the head of Cyber Command, said the President and the Secretary of Defense should approve computer attacks in foreign space.

“It really comes down to, so what are those reactions that make sense that we can do defensively, analogous to the missile shoot-down?” he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Okay.

The New civility: Twitter explodes with Cheney hate following heart transplant

I fully expected someone to make the obvious crack that they didn't know he had a heart but it was much worse than that

While Dick Cheney was recovering from his heart transplant in the intensive care unit of Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Va. Saturday, Twitter exploded with hate and ill wishes for the former vice president.

“Whoever donated their heart to dick cheney: fuck you,” tweeted @yokelesy.

“Cheney’s black soul keeps rotting out his heart. Fuck that bitch,” @SolidGlo waxed poetic.

“Why in the contumacious fuck are we wasting a perfectly good heart on dick cheney?” tweeted @mr_senor_pete

Another offered a different if similar perspective, expressing happiness for Cheney’s transplant — so that Cheney could one day meet his demise in a fire.

“I’m glad Cheney survived his heart transplant because I’ve always wanted him to die in a horrible fire,” @Jedimasterbator tweeted.

Source

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

Cheating on College Boards?

(Mineola, New York) New security measures are to be required for taking the SAT and ACT.

The two companies that administer the tests, the College Board and ACT Inc., agreed to the precautions under public pressure brought to bear by Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, who is overseeing the investigation. The measures take effect in the fall.

"I believe these reforms, and many others which are happening behind the scenes, will prevent the kind of cheating that our investigation uncovered and give high schools and colleges the tools they need to identify those who try to cheat," Rice said.

Rice has charged 20 current or former students from a cluster of well-to-do, high-achieving suburbs on Long Island with participating in a scheme in which teenagers hired other people for as much as $3,500 each to take the exam for them. The five alleged ringers arrested in the case were accused of flashing phony IDs when they showed up for the tests. All 20 have pleaded not guilty.

Head shots will now be required when applying to take the tests. The photo will then be printed on the admission ticket mailed to each student. A photo will also accompany test results which will go to the applicant's guidance counselor.

Bay State Teacher Gets Prison for Rape of Boy - Updated

(Brockton, Massachusetts) Earlier today, former Abington schoolteacher Christine A. McCallum, 32, pleaded guilty to all 14 charges against her, 12 counts of statutory rape of a child and one count each of drugging for sexual intercourse and providing liquor to a minor.

As a result, McCallum was sentenced to 29 months in the Barnstable House of Correction.

Christine McCallum also showed little emotion when the prosecution outlined the allegations against her.

Prosecutor Sharon Donatelle, in Brockton Superior Court, told Judge Carol Ball that Christine McCallum, in the fall of 2005, met the young man while tutoring his younger brother in a local library, and then later at her Rockland home.

Donatelle said McCallum and the victim began a sexual relationship in January of 2006 which lasted for the next 20 months until McCallum gave the the underage victim an ultimatum to either move out or continue the relationship, after the boy allegedly met a girl who he liked in school.

McCallum will be eligible for parole after serving half her sentence.

* * * * *
Massachusetts Teacher Arrested for Rape of Boy - Updated
[Previous 1/10/09 post]
(Abington, Massachusetts) A 29-year-old local teacher at Woodsdale Elementary School, Christine A. McCallum, was arrested last night for allegedly engaging in sex repeatedly with a male student starting when he was 13. McCallum faces seven (7) counts of rape of a child.

McCallum allegedly began abusing the boy when he was 13 years old and it continued until he was 16 years old, said a spokeswoman for [District Attorney Timothy] Cruz, Bridget Norton Middleton.

Four of the alleged assaults took place in Rockland and three occurred in Abington, officials said.

McCallum was booked into custody. Arraignment is scheduled for today in Brockton District Court. [1/9/09 post]

[Update 1/10/09]

WOW!

Check out the additional information regarding the allegations against McCallum.

McCallum weaved her way into the boy’s life in late 2005, prosecutors said, when she became a tutor for his younger brother, let them stay at her house, emptied their backpacks after school, fed them dinner and gave them rides.

But within months, prosecutors said, McCallum was plying the boy with cranberry and vodka drinks, Jell-o shots and rum, and sleeping with him in her house and his house.

McCallum ended the relationship in November 2007 in a fit of jealousy, after she found out he was using the cell phone she bought him to text other girls, police said.

McCallum obviously lost sight of the fact that she is a married, 29-year-old teacher.

Reportedly, McCallum's victim told police they had sex more than 300 times during the time he was 13, 14 and 15 years old. The first time was on McCallum's couch while trusting hubby slept upstairs. Then the sex was in the shower, on the kitchen floor, on a shag carpet in the living room, yada, yada, yada. We can probably eliminate incidental lapse of judgment as an excuse.

Authorities were ultimately alerted by the boy's father. Understandably, McCallum has been described as being obsessed with the boy, writing 10 love letters.

She has been charged with seven counts of statutory rape.

Mullah Krekar Gets Prison - Updated



Mullah Krekar

(Oslo, Norway) Islamist founder of Ansar al-Islam, Mullah Krekar, has been sentenced to five years in prison in Norway for issuing death threats.

An Oslo district court found the 55-year-old guilty on Monday of threatening the life of Erna Solberg, a former government minister who signed an order expelling Krekar in 2003 because he was considered a threat to national security, the Agence France Presse reported.

Krekar, who came to Norway as a refugee from Iraq with his family in 1991, and whose real name is Najmeddine Faraj Ahmad, was also found guilty of threatening three other Kurds living in Norway who had burned pages of the Qu’ran or insulted it in other ways.

An appeal is being prepared. (Tip: Barry B)

* * * * *
Islamist Wants New Attacks in US
[Previous 12/11/11 post]
(Oslo, Norway)

Norway’s Progress Party has called for the immediate arrest of Mullah Krekar after the firebrand jihadist spoke of the need for renewed terrorist attacks on the United States.

The Norway-based extremist made the comments in an interview with Finland’s MTV3. He also claimed that Islam “will control the entire world” within the next 20 years.

More than a decade on from the devastating terrorist attacks in the United States that left almost 3,000 people dead, Krekar said:

“They have learned nothing from the 9/11 attacks. That’s why they need two more attacks. It’s the only way the Americans will understand that we [Muslims] are people and not animals or slaves.”

Besides advocating hatred and violence, Mullah Krekar's argument is flawed. Americans don't treat Muslims like animals or slaves, it's Muslims who most often treat their fellow Muslims like animals or slaves.

Stupid Leftist atheists

They fail to realize that the vast majority of Americans don't share their rage and hate. And foul language is a big turnoff too. What do they think they will achieve by their obnoxious behaviour? What they WILL achieve is to turn most people away from them and their cause.

But it's all a good recommendation for free speech. That freedom has enabled us all to see the darkness in their dismal hearts

Australia is a very irreligious country but most Australians would regard foul-mouthed attacks on Catholics as ignorant and repulsive. The singer below therefore represents neither Australians in particular nor religious skeptics generally

The Reason Rally, held in the shadow of the Washington Monument this weekend, has been heralded as historic for many reasons. But the “largest gathering of the secular movement in world history” might have just hit the record books again: for dropping the most f-bombs through loudspeakers on the National Mall.

This historic achievement was reached through the joint efforts of a couple speakers headlining the Rally. However, the golden participation award certainly goes to songwriter Tim Minchin. Minchin was a paid performer who spoke and sang onstage for more than 20 minutes. The Australian entertainer, not exactly known for his civility, dropped more that 75 f-bombs in that interval. Minchin’s performance was in the middle of the National Mall and in front of some estimated 10,000 people.

Performing in front of The Washington Monument and flanked by the Smithsonian Museum of American History, the Smithsonian Castle and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Minchin’s near-80 f-bombs echoed through to countless children and families simply touring the nation’s capital on a Saturday afternoon.

The major offense came from Minchin’s performance of the ‘Pope Song’ which includes lyrics about Catholics:

So f–k the motherf–ker ,
And f–k you, motherf–ker
If you’re still a motherf–king papist.

And includes lyrics about the pope:

As that motherf–king, power-hungry
Self-aggrandized bigot
In the stupid f–king hat.

The performance was met with crowd exuberance and participation. Minchin received a standing ovation after the set.

Source

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

Human Smugglers Get Prison - Updated

(St. Stephen, New Brunswick) In September 2010, Savita Singh-Murray, 45, was found guilty of conspiracy to induce or encourage people to enter the United States illegally between May 2007 and May 2009.

Singh-Murray was convicted with co-conspirators Mohamed Habin Yusef and Ravindra Hariprasad.

Savita Singh-Murray and Mohamed Habin Yusef were sentenced by Judge William McCarroll to two years in prison. Ravindra Hariprasad received one year in prison due to reduced involvement in the smuggling operation.

* * * * *
Guyana - Canada - U.S. Smuggling Ring
[Previous 1/30/07 post]
Readers may recall previous posts (here and here) regarding Byron Murray and his wife Savita Singh-Murray being caught trying to smuggle Guyanese nationals into the U.S.

- According to court documents, they were implicated in the past in Buffalo, NY, for smuggling Guyanese nationals into the U.S.

- Savita Singh-Murray, 40, was convicted in September 2005 for attempting to smuggle three Guyanese nationals into the U.S. The Guyanese had entered Canada with forged passports. U.S. District Judge John Woodcock sentenced her to time served, or 132 days in jail, and sent her back to Canada.

- Last week, Byron Murray, 56, was arrested by the RCMP for attempting to smuggle two Guyanese nationals, 40-year-old Deoranie Ramkissoon and a 17-year-old boy, via a train trestle over the St. Croix River into Maine. Arrested with Murray were John Wayne Richardson, 47, and his 20-year-old son John Jason Richardson. All three were released on bail with stipulations that they stay in New Brunswick and check in with the RCMP once a week. The Guyanese are in custody of the Canada Border Services Agency.

Now, it certainly appears that the Murray human trafficking ring is a mom-and-pop operation yet, by its perseverance, one must assume that it has achieved some enduring success. At the same time, one must wonder why Guyanese nationals go through the trouble of sneaking into Canada, arguably a country which is quite accommodating to foreign nationals, only to risk being caught sneaking into the U.S. Since Guyana is known as a transshipment point for illegal drugs and is implicated in international money laundering and human smuggling, I tend to think that there is much more to the story.

Nevertheless, the RCMP's Integrated Border Enforcement Team and the Ministry of Public Safety claim to be on top of border security issues between New Brunswick and Maine. Hopefully, we won't see Byron Murray's nor Savita Singh-Murray's names pop up in the news again.


[Update 04/22/08]

Charges dismissed due to unresponsiveness by U.S. Attorney.

Texas Teacher Gets Prison in Child Sex Case - Updated

(Bonham, Texas) Earlier today, former Fannin County teacher Jordan Lane pleaded guilty to child sexual assault and was sentenced to three years in prison.

* * * * *
Texas Teacher Accused of Improper Relations
[Previous 8/22/11 post]
(Honey Grove, Texas) A 27-year-old teacher formerly with the Honey Grove ISD, Jordan Lane, has been accused of engaging in an improper relationship with a 14-year-old boy.

According to Chief Mark Johnson of the Honey Grove Police Department,

"the improper conduct happened after hours, after school hours. What I gathered through the investigation, the relationship started during the school year but it didn't really get deep into a relationship until the end of the year."

Honey Grove Police, along with another agency, conducted a forensic interview at the young man's home. They also spoke with local witnesses to build what they consider a strong case against Lane. The investigation that began August 2nd, 2011 is nearing a close.

"We are going to re-evaluate what I'm doing and there may possibly be different charges filed other than what I have filed," said Johnson.

Chief Johnson is working closely with Fannin County District Attorney Richard Glaser to determine if Lane will be charged with one count of having an improper relationship or several counts of aggravated sexual assault.

Lane was booked into custody and subsequently released on bond.

Study: Eat Chocolate, Lose Weight

According to a study of more than 1,000 people by Dr. Beatrice Golomb and her colleagues at the University of California, San Diego, eating chocolate is linked to lower body mass index.

So, if eating chocolate leads to weight loss, candy bars are diet food. Right?

The wisdom of Christ bears good fruit

We read:

"Turning the other cheek is a Biblical teaching that can be difficult to live out in practice. That being said, it seems at least one group of Christians is able to embrace the tenet with grace and humility. A church in Athens, Texas, decided to help an atheist in need by raising money for his groceries and other essentials.

The individual who received the aid, Patrick Greene, had recently threatened to sue over the presence of a nativity scene on public property. He abandoned the lawsuit, the Friendly Atheist blog reports, when he found out that he was suffering from a serious eye condition that could lead to blindness.

Despite the rift between Greene and the Christians supporting the scene, Jessica Crye, an Athens woman, rallied believers to assist Greene in paying for groceries and other needs following his retirement as a result of the illness. “I knew of his lawsuit and threats and thought how sad it was for him"

Now retired, Greene replied that he needed some funds for groceries and other expenses to carry him and his wife, Karen, while they got squared away with the start-up of Social Security income and pay their taxes.

A check was sent. Greene said he and his wife debated whether the check might be for $10 or maybe $50 or even $60. To their astonishment that any Christian would ignore the fact that they are atheist and help, the check was for $400.

“Why not turn this into something else? This is a great opportunity to turn the other cheek and show God’s love,” Crye said.

Her pastor, Rev. Erick Graham of Sand Springs Church, said that giving Greene the $400 dollars was a no-brainer. “We didn’t have to think about it or pray about (it). We saw the need, he said. “We don’t discriminate on who we help, whether they are Christians or non-Christians, church members or not. We just help those with a need.”

The man and his wife were so moved by the gesture that they actually purchased an electrical star for the nativity scene and had it shipped to Henderson County.

“I saw the nativity scene on a video on YouTube. There’s no star on top of it. Shouldn’t there be one?,” Greene pondered. “I just hope that the Christians that weren‘t a part of this contribution to us don’t mind that an atheist bought them a star.”

Source

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

Dooms Day Comes This Year



Pic de Bugarach

An estimated 100,000 New Agers, hippies and cultists are expected to travel to the 1,230-meter Pic de Bugarach in Southern France for the apocalypse on December 21. For decades, the mountain has been thought to possess eery power and emit special magnetic waves.

Some even believe Pic de Bugarach inspired Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth and Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Based upon the Mayan calendar, the apocalyptic date of 12/21/12 is when aliens will emerge from the mountain and take any nearby humans with them.

"The apocalypse we believe in is the end of a certain world and the beginning of another," said a man called Jean, who has lived in a wooded area near the forest for several years.

"A new spiritual world. The year 2012 is the end of a cycle of suffering. Bugarach is one of the major chakras [energy centers] of the Earth, a place devoted to welcoming the energies of tomorrow."

Bugarach Mayor Jean-Pierre Delord has alerted national authorities of the situation in fear of a mass suicide.

Mark your calendars, readers.

Super-sensitive Britain



"Tosser" in British slang is a masturbator or a worthless person. So the sign is a pun designed to get attention

The message upon entering the village proudly declares: 'Stamfordham welcomes you, not litter'. But it appears the rather modest sign, planted in a bed of daffodils, is not having the desired effect.

In recent weeks, one resident has become increasingly frustrated at having to pick up a deluge of rubbish outside her home, including condoms and pornographic videos.

So when Jo Riddell decided to take a more obviously proactive approach, she could be forgiven for thinking she would have the backing of her fellow villagers.

Instead, the 49-year-old has found herself at the centre of a storm after her bright-yellow signs bearing the slogan 'Don't be a tosser - take your rubbish home' were branded 'offensive and garish'.

She put up the placards after claiming to have collected 27 bags of rubbish along the roadside on her land in the Cheeseburn Grange Hall Estate, near Stamfordham, Northumberland in recent weeks. Most were thrown from passing cars.

Source

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

Nebraska Woman Gets Prison for Sex with Boy, 11

(Madison, Nebraska) A 26-year-old local woman, Deanna Borer, has been convicted and sentenced for the sexual assault of an 11-year-old boy. Borer received five to 10 years in prison.

Court documents say Borer witnessed her husband in sexual acts with the boy and that she also participated in sexually assaulting the boy. Her husband also faces trial on a first-degree sexual assault charge in the case.

The judge in the case noted that Borer has a low IQ and was a victim, herself, of child sexual assault, but said that did not absolve her.

Borer was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

FARC Camp Attacked by Colombian Military



Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon news briefing

(Bogota, Colombia) Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon held a news conference to announce that the Colombian military bombed a FARC camp and killed 39 rebels.

He described the bombing of the rebel camp as the biggest blow against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, in the past five years.

Twelve alleged rebels were also captured during the military operations on Tuesday and Wednesday, Pinzon said.

FARC is believed responsible for last week's Colombia-Venezuela border attack on Colombian soldiers, killing 11.

Georgia 'Juicy' Busted in Prostitution Sting

(Decatur, Georgia) A 22-year-old local woman, Tiarra Shanee Gartrell, has been accused of offering sex for money via an online solicitation.

Gartrell was arrested during a sting operation by an officer posing as a customer.

The officer, M. Johnson, answered a posting by "Juicy" on a website for escorts and was told her fee would be $80 for half an hour. They agreed to meet at the hotel, located at 1820 Mountain Industrial Boulevard. He was also told to "pick up some condoms" on the way, the report says.

Johnson continues in the report: "Once inside the room, the female later indentified as Tiarra Shanee Gartrell sat on the bed as I gave her $80 derived from DeKalb County Investigative funds." The officer says that Gartrell took the money and began undressing. Johnson then gave a signal to three other officers stationed outside who placed Gartrell under arrest.

Information on booking is unavailable.

AZ Mom Accused of Trying to Kill Her Son

(Sahuarita, Arizona) A 30-year-old local woman, Corina Rodriguez, has been accused of attempting to drown her seven-year-old son in the bathtub.

Rodriguez faces a charge of attempted second-degree murder.

Police say she was living on and off with her parents at a home on the 300 block of Rock Station Drive. After a series of domestic disputes involving Rodriguez, Child Protective Services began investigating the family in early March.

"CPS had gone to talk to the seven-year-old about the situation occurring in the house and that's when he said he had been almost drowned by his mother in the bathtub," Sam Almodova of the Sahuarita Police Department says.

Rodriguez was booked into custody at the Pima County Jail.

P&G Cutting Jobs

(Dayton, Ohio) Proctor and Gamble officials have announced cost-cutting measures encompassing the elimination of 5,700 nonmanufacturing positions.

Reportedly, the "cutbacks are a normal part of the company’s efforts to improve productivity."

That's the ticket. Slash the workforce to increase productivity.

Happy days are here again; The sky is blue, let's cheer again!

The sort of election result that conservatives can normally only dream about has just happened in my home State of Queensland. The conservatives obliterated the outgoing Leftist government -- with a provisional 75 seats in the parliament for the conservatives versus only 6 for the Leftists.

Much was owed to the charismatic leader of the conservatives, Campbell Newman. I know him slightly and have always been impressed by his helpful attitude. He is a former military man too, a graduate of Duntroon, Australia's equivalent of West Point. He reached the rank of major during his service. So he knows about decisiveness and leadership.

My State is now in good hands. It is bigger than California and Texas combined so it is of some significance.

The first thing Newman said in his victory speech was "Thank you for voting for change" So much for the puerile Leftist claim that conservatives are opposed to change. It is only Leftist changes that they oppose.

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

Steven Crowder on Gun Control




Good stuff.

PA Woman Accused of Child Sex Abuse

(Scranton, Pennsylvania) Earlier this month, a 28-year-old local woman, Waleska Guadalupe, was arrested on charges of statutory sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and corruption of a minor stemming from a prolonged sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl.

Guadalupe was booked into custody at the Lackawanna County Prison and subsequently released on bail.

This week, Guadalupe was arrested again, this time for repeatedly performing sex acts on a seven-year-old boy.

Authorities learned of the abuse during an interview with the boy at the Children's Advocacy Center last week, according to the complaint.

During the interview with a CAC employee, the child said the abuse made him feel nervous, and he would sometimes hide from Ms. Guadalupe to avoid repeat occurrences.

Guadalupe was booked into custody with additional bail set at $25,000. A court appearance is scheduled for March 28.

Carolina Woman Accused of Sex with Boy

(Central, South Carolina) A 30-year-old local woman, Tameeca Lashae Watt, has been accused of engaging in sex and biting the neck of a 14-year-old boy, her son's friend.

Watt faces two counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

According to Chief Kerry Avery, the victim spent the night at Watt's house on Johnson Road on March 16 because he was friends with her teenage son.[...]

Watt performed a second sex act on the teen in her car on the side of the road after a trip to a convenience store.

The report said after the boy came home, his mother asked him about the mark on his neck. Watt told the mother that the boy met a girl at a park, and the girl gave him a "hickey," according to the report.

Avery said the mother didn't believe Watt's story, and brought her son the the police station. Avery said the boy told police about having sex with Watt.

Watt was booked into custody at the Pickens County Detention Center with bond set at $40,000.

Sperm Hunters Attack in Zimbabwe




(Harare, Zimbabwe) Male hitchhikers in Zimbabwe, don't travel alone. Beware of attacks by female sperm harvesters.

Local authorities in Zimbabwe are investigating the spate of sexual assaults on men which the attackers believe will bring good luck.

According to the report, naïve travelers are picked up by "gangs of beautiful women" and are drugged and forced to have sex and later dumped on the freeways. Some of the attackers are armed, using guns, knives and, in one instance, a live snake was used to overpower victims, before collecting their semen in condoms.

The news service added that such incidents have been on the rise since 2009, but so far only three women were arrested after police found a stash of knotted condoms in October 2011.[…]

Many suspect that the exact purpose of forcibly collecting semen is meant for business purposes or even "Juju," a form of African witchcraft.

According to the report, attackers refrain from collecting semen from loved ones as the rituals bring bad luck and, in some cases, even death to the victims.

Reportedly, the current market price for a sperm-filled condom is $400.

Companion post at TJR.

An unGRACEful finding

According to some Warmist scientists using the GRACE satellite experiment, the earth's glaciers have been melting at a great rate and pouring a torrent of water into the ocean. See below. So how come sea levels have been falling in recent years? How come lots of other data show Antarctica to be getting cooler, if anything? One has to ask: Could there be something wrong with the GRACE data or its interpretation?

John Wahr (author below) knows of one possibility: The earth moves. He said so in a 2007 paper titled: "Elastic uplift in southeast Greenland due to rapid ice mass loss". So what GRACE is detecting could be at least in part earth movements rather than changes in the ice on top of it.

But the man is clearly dishonest. Look at the last sentence below. He admits that very cold ice won't melt in response to recent small changes in atmospheric temperatures. But how cold are Greenland and the Antarctic? Are they very cold too? They sure are -- averaging around minus 30 degree Celsius for Greenland and minus 40 degrees for Antartica. So on his own admission they COULD NOT be melting. There is something fishy with either the GRACE data or his interpretation of it.

Earth’s glaciers and ice caps outside of the regions of Greenland and Antarctica are shedding about 150 billion tons of ice annually, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder.

The total mass ice loss from Greenland, Antarctica and all Earth’s glaciers and ice caps between 2003 to 2010 was 1,000 cubic miles, about eight times the water volume of Lake Erie.

“The total amount of ice lost to Earth’s oceans from 2003 to 2010 would cover the entire United States in about 1 and one-half feet of water,” said CU-Boulder physics Professor John Wahr, who helped lead the study.

The research effort is the first comprehensive satellite study of the contribution of the world’s melting glaciers and ice caps to global sea level rise. The results indicate all the melted ice is raising sea levels by about 0.4 millimeters annually, said

The measurements are important because the melting of the world’s glaciers and ice caps, along with Greenland and Antarctica, pose the greatest threat to sea level increases in the future, Wahr said.

The researchers used satellite measurements from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) to calculate that the world’s glaciers and ice caps lost about 148 billion tons, or about 39 cubic miles of ice annually from 2003 to 2010. The total does not count the mass from individual glacier and ice caps on the fringes of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, which could add up to an additional 80 billion tons.

“This is the first time anyone has looked at all of the mass loss from all of Earth’s glaciers and ice caps with GRACE,” said Wahr. “The Earth is losing an incredible amount of ice to the oceans annually, and these new results will help us answer important questions in terms of both sea rise and how the planet’s cold regions are responding to global change.”

One unexpected study result from GRACE was that the estimated ice loss from high Asia mountains — including ranges like the Himalaya, the Pamir and the Tien Shan — was only about 4 billion tons of ice annually. Some previous ground-based estimates of ice loss in the high Asia mountains have ranged up to 50 billion tons annually, Wahr said.

“The GRACE results in this region really were a surprise,” said Wahr. “One possible explanation is that previous estimates were based on measurements taken primarily from some of the lower, more accessible glaciers in Asia and were extrapolated to infer the behavior of higher glaciers. But unlike the lower glaciers, many of the high glaciers would still be too cold to lose mass even in the presence of atmospheric warming.”

More HERE

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

Spring Break Attack

Bloody Spring Break Attack Caught on Video: MyFoxDFW.com

Florida Woman Accused of Molesting Boy, 6

(Bradenton, Florida) A 40-year-old local woman, Rose M. Hogue, has been accused of molesting a six-year-old boy.

Hogue was arrested Wednesday by Bradenton Police.

The male victim was six years of age when the offense(s) occurred in the 1100 block of 7th Ave. East, Bradenton, Fl.

Ms. Hogue was charged with (3) counts of Lewd or Lascivious Molestation on a child less than 12 years old, which is a Life Felony offense.

Information on booking is unavailable.

Date with Porn Star Nixed

(Oakdale, Minnesota) An 18-year-old student at Tartan High School, Mike Stone, asked porn star Megan Piper, 19, to be his date for the prom.

Piper said yes but the school district said no.

Patty Phillips, superintendent of the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District, told FoxNews.com in an email that Piper, 19, would be prohibited from attending the dance because her appearance would be "inconsistent" with two district policies pertaining to visitors to school buildings and sites.

The policy states that any individual or group can be denied entry to those events if the visit is "not in the best interest" of the district, district spokeswoman Jennifer McNeil told FoxNews.com.

Tip: slwlion

Box for Sale




Government surplus pricing. Advertised here.

Tip: Charlie Nestor

Greenies acknowledge complexity for once

Warmist models take into account only a fraction of the potential influences on climate, which is the fundamental reason why they have no predictive skill. But that they take more than one factor in account is very sophisticated by the standards of how science is generally conducted. Particularly in the reports I cover in my FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC blog, medical scientists usually write as if there is just a one-to-one relationship between two variables. The possibility of a third variable complicating the story is rarely considered.

And a good example of such limited thinking among Greenie researchers was the cry of woe when they found that pine beetles are twice as active these days in lodgepole pine forests than they used to be. The Greenies of course attributed that to global warming without asking how a temperature change measured only in tenths of one degree could have such a large effect.

One group of researchers, however, were proper scientists and realized that there were a number of variables involved and decided to study several factors together to get a fuller picture of what is happening. And what they found was that pine beetle infestations REDUCE another great danger to the forests concerned -- fire.

An evolutionary speculation which might flow from that is that the trees have not evolved good defences (such as toxins) against the beetles precisely because the beetles are on balance good for the tree. All that is far too profound for your average Warmist, of course. Journal abstract below:

Do mountain pine beetle outbreaks change the probability of active crown fire in lodgepole pine forests?

By Martin Simard et al.

Disturbance interactions have received growing interest in ecological research in the last decade. Fire and bark beetle outbreaks have recently increased in severity and extent across western North America, raising concerns about their possible interactions. Although it is often presumed that bark beetle outbreaks increase probability of active crown fire by producing high loads of surface and canopy dead fuels, empirical data are scarce and results are ambivalent. We combined field measurements and modeling to address the following question: How do fuel characteristics, microclimate, and potential fire behavior change with time since a severe mountain pine beetle outbreak in Pinus contorta forests of Greater Yellowstone (Wyoming, USA)? We measured surface and canopy fuels, and soil surface temperature in a time-since-beetle-outbreak chronosequence (n = 35 sites) from undisturbed to 36 years post-outbreak, including stands in red- and gray-needle stages (respectively, 1–2 and 3–5 years post-outbreak). Field data were used to parameterize the fire behavior model NEXUS and predict potential fire behavior at each site.

Dead surface fuel loads of all size categories did not differ among undisturbed, red, and gray-stage stands. Compared to undisturbed sites, red and gray-stage sites had on average 53% lower canopy bulk density, 42% lower canopy fuel load, and 29% lower canopy moisture content, but had similar canopy base heights (3.1 m). In subsequent decades, coarse wood loads doubled and canopy base height declined to 0 m. Modeling results suggested that undisturbed, red, and gray-stage stands were unlikely to exhibit transition of surface fires to tree crowns (torching), and that the likelihood of sustaining an active crown fire (crowning) decreased from undisturbed to gray-stage stands. Simulated fire behavior was little affected by beetle disturbance when wind speed was either below 40 km/h or above 60 km/h, but at intermediate wind speeds, probability of crowning in red- and gray-stage stands was lower than in undisturbed stands, and old post-outbreak stands were predicted to have passive crown fires. Results were consistent across a range of fuel moisture scenarios. Our results suggest that mountain pine beetle outbreaks in Greater Yellowstone may reduce the probability of active crown fire in the short term by thinning lodgepole pine canopies.

Ecological Monographs 81:3–24. 2011

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

Scientology Books Banned in Russia

From RFERL:

A Moscow regional court has upheld a lower court decision declaring books on Scientology to be extremist literature and banning publication or distribution of books from Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.

That's a shame.

Mexican Mom Accused of Burning Child

(Raleigh, North Carolina) A 29-year-old Mexican woman, Yesenia Alvarez, has been accused of felony child abuse for allegedly burning her 11-year-old child on the hands.

An arrest warrant alleges that Yesenia Alvarez, 29, of 4359 Old Poole Road "did intentionally inflict seriously bodily injury" on the child, who suffered second-degree burns on the hands.

Investigators did not release further details about the child or the crime.[…]

She appeared in Wake County District Court Wednesday, where she told a judge she did not want to return to Mexico because she has been threatened by her husband.

Alvarez was booked into custody at the Wake County Jail with bond set at $25,000. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency issued an immigration detainer.

Michigan Teacher Gets Prison in Sex Case - Updated

(Traverse City, Michigan) Earlier this month, former teacher and coach at Traverse City West Senior High School, Lisa Placek, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of criminal sexual conduct/assault with intent to commit sexual penetration of a 15-year-old boy.

She was originally charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct after police said she had oral sex with a West sophomore male student in December.

Yesterday morning, Placek appeared before Leelanau County 13th Circuit Court Judge Thomas Power and was sentenced to a minimum of 23 months in prison.

* * * * *
Michigan Teacher and Boy, 15
[Previous 2/1/12 post]
(Traverse City, Michigan) A language arts teacher and girls volleyball coach at Traverse City West High School, Lisa Placek, has been accused of engaging in sexual conduct with a 15-year-old male student.

Placek faces a charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Superintendent Steve Cousins says she resigned last week.

Court documents say police believe Placek committed a sexual act on a 15-year-old male student in her vehicle in Leelanau County's Elmwood Township on Dec. 31. District officials contacted police after getting an anonymous tip.

Placek was booked into custody with bail denied. A court appearance is scheduled for February 10.

Girl Scout Leader Accused of Stealing Cookie Dough

(Fond du Lac, Wisconsin) A 28-year-old Girl Scout Leader, Samantha L. Abrahamson, has been accused of theft for allegedly stealing all the cookie money collected by her group of girls.



The total amount taken is reportedly about $4,000. Abrahamson faces five counts of misdemeanor theft.

A criminal complaint alleges that Abrahamson, the Girls Scouts leader of seven girls in Fond du Lac, would receive the money gathered by girls in her troop and then use it on personal expenses.

According to the criminal complaint:

Abrahamson was committing the crimes between March and December of 2008.

She also failed to show up for two scheduled meetings with Detective Dan Razner.

When Abrahamson was tracked down in December 2011, she allegedly admitted to spending the cash and never opening a bank account for the money made by cookie sales.

Abrahamson explains she was doing pills at the time.

Heh. Whatever happened to the days when the Girl Scouts were viewed as examples of moral and ethical purity?

Hubba Hubba Hubcaps




(Edmonton, Canada) The libertarian Wildrose party launched its legislative campaign this week with a bus emblazoned with a picture of the party leader, Danielle Smith. Unfortunately, Danielle's photo appears above the two rear tires, making them look like her breasts.

The picture and story have gone viral on the interwebs.

Tip: Charlie Nestor

French School Shootings

(Toulouse, France) The heinous murders of three children and a rabbi at a Jewish school this week were allegedly committed by 24-year-old Mohammed Merah, a Frenchman of Algerian origin who claims he is a member of al-Qaeda.

The Jawa Report writers are investigating and reporting. Go visit.

Note that descriptions of the murders are particularly barbaric.

Hilarious! The new British climate record (HadCRUT4) reinforces how FLAT average temperatures have been in the last 12 years

The differences between years are only in hundredths of one degree! How trivial can you get?

The media have almost unanimously said that HadCRUT4 now makes 2010 the hottest year. But what HadCRUT4 actually shows is that 2010 ties with 2005 for the hottest year and a trivial 0.01 deg C above 1998. Given the errors (0.1 deg C or ten times the difference being quoted) the only scientifically respectable way to describe the warmest years would be to say that 1998, 2005 and 2010 all tied, but that would have perhaps been a little to inconvenient. I note that NasaGiss, and here, faced a similar problem but chose to follow the respectable route in not calling a record if a year has a temperature difference of only 0.01 deg C.

In fact a better way to summarise HadCRUT4 is that one cannot rank with confidence the top eight years (ranging from 0.53 to 0.48 deg C) so they should all be declared statistically indistinguishable.

Bad Practice

It is regrettable, and in my view poor form, to release the HadCRUT4 top ten years and not simultaneously release the complete dataset so that a more detailed look can be made at the time the media are compiling their stories based on the Met Office press release. Not releasing the full dataset could lead to accusations of ‘spinning’ the data. The HadCRUT4 complete data is said to be available in a few days. There is no reason why the Met Office’s press release of the 19th March could not have been held for a few days to coincide with the full data. In most other scientific disciplines this is standard practice.

Some parts of the media are claiming that HadCRUT4 shows an increased warming since 1998 of 0.11 deg C (said to be 0.04 deg C more). However, until the full data is available it will not be possible to look at this figure in more detail though looking at the data that is available I don’t think that figure will stand up.

Also mentioned in the Met Office press release is the global warming ‘signal’ seen since 1900, which they say is 0.75 deg C. Of course that ‘signal’ is not homogenous as we have discussed because it includes the periods not influenced by mankind and those said to be under his influence.

Overall the new HadCRUT4 dataset does not seem to change anything. It even seems to emphasise the lack of warming in the past 10-15 years more than HadCRUT3 did. Although we do not yet have HadCRUT4 data for 2008 it is obvious that HadCRUT4 has less variance in this short period. HadCRUT3 had a range of 0.12 between the top ten warmest years with a fairly even spread. HadCRUT4 has the top three years separated by 0.01 and years 4 -8 also separated by 0.01 deg C, in fact years 4,5,6,7 are identical numerically.

More HERE (See the original for links, graphics etc.)

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

San Francisco Pot Kerfuffle

(San Francisco, California) District Attorney George Gascón has issued a position paper stating that local dispensaries are illegally selling marijuana.

“Yes,” said David Goldman, a medical cannabis patient and leading member of Americans for Safe Access in San Francisco.

“It doesn't look good. It severely jeopardizes safe access.”

A PDF of the memo from Gascón’s office began circulating last weekend. Gascon’s office filed the memo in San Francisco County Superior Court in a case against a medical cannabis dispensary that delivered the anti-nausea drug to a collective member.

It's not clear how the controversy will be resolved. Existing laws and regulations are somewhat ambiguous.

Mississippi Teacher Gets Probation in Sex Case



Jennifer McCullum before Judge Helfrich
(Hattiesburg, Mississippi) Former teacher at Petal High School, Jennifer McCullum, appeared before 12th District Court Judge Robert Helfrich yesterday and pleaded guilty to sexual battery upon a 17-year-old male student.

Sexual episodes reportedly occurred between November 2009 and January 2010.

As a result of the plea, McCullum was sentenced to five years of probation.

A Country Flooded with Guns

(Mexico City) According to this report, the entire nation of Mexico has one legal gun store, located on a military base and operated by the army.

Chinese Learning French to Emigrate to Canada

"Sacre bleu!"

(Beijing, China) Despite the economic surge experienced by China in recent years, Chinese citizens still crave a ticket out of the communist country.

Chinese desperate to emigrate have discovered a backdoor into Canada that involves applying for entry into the country's francophone province of Quebec -- as long as you have a good working knowledge of the local lingo.

So, while learning French as an additional language is losing ground in many parts of the world -- even as Mandarin classes proliferate because of China's rise on the international stage -- many Chinese are busy learning how to say, "Bonjour, je m'appelle Zhang."[…]

Despite China's growing prosperity and clout, more and more of its citizens are rushing to the exits, eager to provide better education prospects for their children and escape from their country's long-standing problems, including hazardous pollution and contaminated food.

The province of Quebec has its own immigration procedures, apart from the Canadian national policy, without any cap or backlog.

Simply acquire a working knowledge of the French language and you're accepted as an immigrant. Afterward, new arrivals can move to any location in the entire nation.

Companion post at Immigration Watch.

Warmists revise their facts once again

Having global warming evangelists in charge of the temperature record is a joke and their unending "adjustments" of it show vividly what a joke it is. See Anthony Watts for details of their track record.

But note something amusing: The temperature differences they talk about are so tiny that they are still statistically insignificant (i.e. are indistinguishable from random fluctuations) even after all the "adjustments". At that rate there will be more adjustments coming down the pike, I am sure

And an important logical point: If their past facts were wrong, how can we know that the latest facts are right? Constantly-changing facts lack credibility as facts at all.

Britain's Climatic Research Unit (CRU), which for years maintained that 1998 was the hottest year, has published new data showing warmer years since, further undermining a sceptic view of stalled global warming.

The findings could helpfully move the focus from whether the world is warming due to human activities - it almost certainly is - to more pressing research areas, especially about the scale and urgency of human impacts.

After adding new data, the CRU team working alongside Britain's Met Office Hadley Centre said on Monday that the hottest two years in a 150-year data record were 2005 and 2010 - previously they had said the record was 1998.

None of these findings are statistically significant given the temperature differences between the three years were and remain far smaller than the uncertainties in temperature readings.

CRU drew fire during the 2009 "Climategate" scandal which derailed UN talks in Copenhagen and tripped up efforts at a U.S. climate bill. It was sparked after leaked emails showed CRU scientists, led by Phil Jones, sniping at rivals. The CRU was criticised in subsequent public enquiries for not sharing data but exonerated of any manipulation.

Nevertheless, it was the most cautious major climate research centre, in cooperation with the Met Office Hadley Centre, holding the view that 1998 was the hottest year in an observation record dating back to around 1850.

Its peers are the U.S.-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

Both had already found that 2005 and 2010 were warmer than 1998. They used an approach which gave more weight to the Arctic, where temperatures have risen faster than the rest of the world, but where there are also fewer observations.

They expanded Arctic coverage by statistically inferring warming in areas without weather stations, using neighbouring observations.

Now the CRU-Hadley Centre team have included more than 400 extra actual Arctic observations from Russia and Canada, as these countries have made these available, leading to the change in the annual ranking, which is based on fractions of a degree.

More HERE

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