Women With Troubles - January 2013

Here is a compilation of women with troubles reported in news stories during January 2013. Each name is linked to an Interested-Participant blog entry displaying details.

For a more comprehensive listing, check the Women With Troubles category link.

(AL) Laura Jean Murphree, 31,
neighbor - Arrested for endangerment of child after newborn tested positive for methamphetamine,

(AR) Kelly O'Rourke,
teacher/coach - Gets 120 days prison for engaging in a sexual relationship with student,

(AR) Stacy Stracener,
teacher - Gets 6 years in prison for more than a dozen counts of sexual assault involving male student, 15,

(AZ) Clarice Lee, 22,
teacher's aide - Accused of engaging in on-campus group sex with several male students,

(CA) Gabriela Cortez, 43,
teacher - Gets no jail for sex with two male students,

(CA) Megan Denham, 30,
teacher - Gets six months jail for 18-month sexual relationship with male student, 17,

(CA) Stacie Halas, 32,
teacher - Lost her appeal to return to the classroom after being fired for her porn star past,

(CA) Jennifer Woods,
teacher - Accused of sex with a minor and oral copulation with boy, 16,

(CO) Susan Diane Christie, 44,
teacher - Guilty of attempted sexual assault on male child, gets no jail in deferred sentence,

(CO) Carly McKinney, 23,
teacher - Accused of posting half-naked pictures on Twitter with jokes about school drug use,

(FL) Rebeca Carvajal, 29,
caregiver - Accused of hauling off and walloping young child (6) with belt,

(FL) Mary Maloney, 53,
teacher - Accused of offering oral sex to a policeman after DUI arrest,

(GA) Danita Wilson, 32,
teacher - Accused of sex with multiple students for more than year,

(IN) Anne Marie Emminger, 20,
neighbor - Accused of sending nude pics and sexual text messages to girl, 13,

(IN) Brenda Sue Phillips, 44,
neighbor - Arrested for sexual misconduct with boy, 15,

(KS) Benita Cardona-Gonzalez, 32,
Mexican national - Gets 18 months in prison and deportation for identity theft,

(KY) Cassandra Rose Elfers, 21,
school sports coach - Accused of engaging in sex with student,

(KY) Sarah Jones, 27,
teacher - Suing website for defamation occurring prior to her arrest for sex with student, 17,

(ME) Katie Dube, 27,
neighbor - Gets 23 years in prison for sexual abuse of boy, 7,

(ME) Cassandra Grant, 22,
neighbor - Gets no jail for sex with boy, 14,

(MI) Andrea Deanna Brennan, 37,
teacher - Gets no jail for using computer to commit crime,

(MO) Brittany Blair Buchanan, 22,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 15,

(MO) Dana Kintz, 28,
neighbor - Gets 120 days jail for sex with dog,

(MT) Dawnette Jean Eaton, 47,
neighbor - Accused of evading arrest and running over police officer with car,

(MT) Jenna Van Delden, 25,
neighbor - Accused of harboring runaway, custodial interference, and sex with boy, 13,

(NC) Monte Sue Diebolt, 73,
teacher - Arrested for taking indecent liberties with a male student, 11,

(NC) Leah Gayle Shipman, 42,
teacher - Gets a suspended jail sentence for resisting an officer and avoided rape charges by marrying victim, 17,

(ND) Jenelle Chase, 34,
neighbor - Gets 20 years in prison for sex abuse of a boy, 12,

(NH) Lisa Biron, 43,
neighbor - Convicted of child pornography, sentencing in April,

(NJ) Jennelin Garcia-Calle, 28,
teacher - Accused of engaging in sex with a male student, 16,

(NJ) Catherine Giaquinto, 36,
neighbor - Arrested for crashing her car and fleeing the scene while allegedly drunk and naked,

(NY) Cara Dickey, 33,
teacher - Convicted of sex offenses, now on the lam,

(OH) Sonya N. Horn, 32,
teacher - Gets four years in prison for sexually assaulting a developmentally-disabled student, 18,

(OH) Jodi A. Kellish, 38,
teacher - Sentenced to 18 months in prison for sex with teenager,

(OK) Kimberly Crain, 49,
teacher - Pleaded no contest to child exploitation and pornography charges, sentencing in March,

(OR) Christal Smith, 20,
neighbor - Arrested for offering sex to an undercover police officer at a police station,

(PA) Christina Layser, 37,
teacher - Gets no jail for unlawful contact with male student, 13,

(PA) Susan Sundo, 45,
rec center worker - Accused of sex with son's buddy, 15,

(SC) Kinsley Wentzky, 34,
teacher - Accused of engaging in sexual intercourse with a male student, 17,

(TN) Dr. Anne Elizabeth Cushing, 49,
school counselor - Arrested for allegedly driving drunk and refusing blood-alcohol test,

(TN) Thadra Tipton, 29,
neighbor - Indicted for engaging in sex with a boy, 15,

(TX) Valorie Martinez Baker, 38,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 15,

(TX) Kayna Cardy, 41,
teacher - Arrested for possession of marijuana at school,

(TX) Tonya Flink, 39,
teacher - Accused of sex with four students,

(TX) Stephanie Raleen Forbes, 40,
teacher - Accused of sex with student,

(TX) Tammy Lowe, 53,
teacher - Accused of killing a 6-year-old boy in hit-and-run,

(TX) Kami Dawn Mauldin, 41,
teacher - Gets no jail for improper relationship with a student, 15,

(TX) Destini Michelle Munoz, 27,
teacher - Gets no jail for sex with student, 18,

(TX) Kathryn Murray, 29,
teacher - Accused of harboring runaway and sex with student, 15,

(UT) Chaarie Lynn Jaramillo, 35,
teacher - Accused of engaging in sex with a male student, 17,

(VA) Kathleen Cawthorne, 32,
teacher - Guilty of taking indecent liberties with a minor and 3 counts of electronic solicitation of a minor, 17,

(VA) Anna Michelle Walters, 24,
teacher - Gets year in jail after student posts texts and nude pics of their sexual relationship,

(VA) Jessica L. Young, 35,
teacher - Accused of possessing drug paraphernalia and heroin at school,

(WA) Donna Lange, 51,
neighbor - Accused of using breasts to smother boyfriend to death,

(WV) Rebecca Jean Ferguson, 41,
teacher - Gets prison for stealing her daughter's identity,

(WV) Carissa Hads, 25,
neighbor - Gets 7 and 1/4 years in prison for traveling across state lines for sex with a girl, 15.

Thanks to the tipsters.

Swiss Cigar Ad Controversy

Sometimes I think the Swiss eat too much cheese.

Switzerland’s truth in advertising commission has called for the withdrawal of a “sexist” advertisement for cigars that shows four women posing in a pool in skimpy string bikinis.

The commission (Schweizerische Lauterkeitscommission) ruled that Villiger Cigars broke Swiss advertising rules by portraying women in a sexist way.

The ad shows the bosomy women standing together in the shallow end of a swimming pool wearing red, blue, black and green bikinis that match the colours of different cigar tube containers shown separately.

Beneath the photo is a slogan, which roughly translated from the German says: Variety is pleasure (abwechslung macht freed). Below the slogan are pictures of the cigar tubes.

Responding to a complaint brought by an unidentified party, the commission found that the image discriminated against women.

Sexism? Discrimination? I don't see it.

Syrians Escaping Violence

Refugees leaving Syria
Estimates on the number of Syrian refugees are likely low.

More than 700,000 refugees have fled Syria and registered in neighboring countries, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

Aid workers are struggling to meet the demands of Syrians fleeing the 22-month conflict, which has led thousands to seek refuge in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey in recent weeks, as fighting in Damascus and Dara’a has intensified.

Sad situation.

Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, Iceland's president, 'Let banks go bankrupt'




As Iceland's President, Olafur does speak for Iceland, though he has little formal power.  Most power resides with the Prime Minister.  Iceland's current unemployment rate is 4.8%.  Eat your heart out almost everyone else.  Australia is 5.4%.  Canada is 7.1% and America's rate is too fudged to be worth mentioning. Obama's statistics are about as believable as Stalin's.  You will get no honesty from the Left unless it suits them.


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

Dimming in France

(Paris, France) According to Delphine Batho, the French Environment Minister, France will pioneer the prevention of light pollution.

As of July, all shops and offices in France will have to shut off their lights at night, under a government decree issued on Wednesday.

The decree, from the Environment Ministry, is intended to save energy and “reduce the print of artificial lighting on the nocturnal environment.”

Arguably, France is following in a path already pioneered by North Korea.

"Turn out the lights. The party's over."

Colorado Teacher Investigated

(Aurora, Colorado) A 23-year-old math teacher at Overland High School, Carly McKinney, has been placed on administrative leave while authorities investigate her activities described on Twitter.

McKinney has been accused of posting half-naked pictures of herself while joking about drug use at school.

In some of the Twitter posts McKinney says she was high grading papers and had marijuana on school grounds. One that was posted during school hours at 10 a.m. Monday stated, “Just got called Ms. McCutie. Points for being clever, however, you are still jailbait.”

“The three posts that we are most concerned about are the ones that may indicate that she violated school policy and/or law,” Tustin Amole with the Cherry Creek School District said.

More as the case develops.

Tennessee School Counselor Collared for DUI

(Chattanooga, Tennessee) A 49-year-old school counselor formerly at Signal Mountain Middle-High School, Dr. Anne Elizabeth Cushing, was involved in an accident last Saturday and arrested for allegedly driving drunk and violating the implied consent law after refusing to have her blood-alcohol level tested.

A sheriff's deputy said he was dispatched to the accident scene and found Dr. Cushing outside of her 2008 Jeep trying to walk out of some woods. He said she could not keep her balance and he helped her to her vehicle. She said she was not injured.

The officer said he could smell an odor of alcohol on her. He said she failed several field tests, including the walk and turn in which she "could not keep her balance and missed heel to toe on every step."

Cushing was booked into custody at the Hamilton County Jail.

Woman Who Posed as Boy Gets Prison - Updated



Carissa Hads
(Clarksburg, West Virginia) In accordance with a binding plea agreement, Carissa Hads pleaded guilty to traveling across state lines — from Massachusetts to West Virginia — for illegal sex with a 15-year-old girl.

Consequently, U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley sentenced Carissa Hads to 7 and one-quarter years in federal prison. Hads was also handed a lifetime term of court-monitored supervision.

* * * * *
Woman Who Posed as Boy Pleads Guilty - Updated
[Previous 10/11/12 post]
(Clarksburg, West Virginia) According to U.S. Attorney William J. Ihrenfeld,

CARISSA HADS, age 25, of Quincy, Massachusetts, entered a plea of guilty on October 10, 2012, in United States District Court in Clarksburg before Magistrate Judge John S Kaull. HADS entered a plea of guilty to traveling in interstate commerce with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct on February 23, 2012, when HADS traveled from Massachusetts to North Central West Virginia to have sex with a minor. Court documents indicate that HADS posed as an 18-year old man on a social media website and also took steps to change her appearance in order to deceive the victim as to her true identity. HADS met the alleged victim online in 2010 and the two communicated for over a year before the first in-person meeting took place.

HADS traveled at least three times from Massachusetts to visit the alleged victim, and was arrested at the Pittsburgh International Airport by FBI agents on May 25, 2012, on one of her visits to the area. As part of her plea, HADS has agreed to the forfeiture of the computer and electronic equipment seized from her and her residence. HADS, who is in custody pending sentencing, faces up to 30 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The case was be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn A Morgan, Chief of the Criminal Division for the United States Attorney’s Office and investigated by the West Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

A sentencing date has not been reported.

* * * * *
Woman Who Posed as Boy to Do Girl - Updated
[Previous 6/24/12 post]
(Clarksburg, West Virginia) Federal charge now filed.

U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld said Wednesday that 25-year-old Carissa Hads of Quincy is charged with one count of traveling in interstate commerce to engage in illegal sexual conduct.

Reportedly, Hads faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

* * * * *
Woman Poses as Boy to Do Girl, 15
[Previous 6/12/12 post]
(Quincy, Massachusetts)

A 24-year-old Massachusetts woman is facing child sex offense charges after allegedly disguising herself as a teenage boy to seduce a 15-year-old girl she met online.

Carissa Hads, from Quincy, was carrying a "fake, flesh-colored penis" when she was arrested in Pittsburgh, where she was planning to meet the West Virginia teen girl, police said.

Hads allegedly began communicating with the girl in October 2010 through a fake social networking profile in the name of "James Puryear Wilson," which claimed that Wilson was a 17-year-old father of twins, the Patriot Ledger reported.

Posing as "Wilson," Hads met the girl, identified as "A.L.," on two previous occasions before her arrest and engaged in sexual encounters with the girl on both visits, according to an affidavit sworn by an Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigator.

Hads was jailed without bail. She is considered a flight risk.

Texas Teacher Accused in Fatal Hit-and-Run

(Grand Prairie, Texas) A 53-year-old teacher at Adams Middle School, Tammy Lowe, has been accused of killing a 6-year-old boy in a hit-and-run accident last week.

Lowe faces charges of manslaughter and failure to stop and render aid.

Grand Prairie police say Tammy Lowe turned herself in on Tuesday to answer for the deadly accident that killed John Raidy.

Police say the boy was crossing a street on Thursday when a vehicle ran a red light and struck him as his mother and sister watched.

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

Super Bowl XLVII Tickets

In one transaction on eBay, the above two tickets for Sunday's Super Bowl game in New Orleans have been sold for US$5,151 ($2,575.50 each) which is a pretty premium over the displayed face value of US$950 ($1,900 for two).

However, according to GoTickets.com, some individual ticket prices now exceed $10,000.

For the sake of reference, I attended Super Bowl XV years ago in New Orleans and the face value of the ticket was $40. Of course, I had to pay a cutthroat scalper $100. Times change and prices always increase.

Air Pollution in China

(Beijing, China) Since local air quality readings regularly show pollutants at 20 times recommended limits, it's not surprising that someone decided to start selling fresh air.

Chen Guangbiao, an entrepreneur worth $740 million … has started selling cans of fresh air for people to crack open and suck in.

They go for 5 yuan each [about 80 cents U.S.] and, according to one report, they come with atmospheric flavours including “pristine Tibet, post-industrial Taiwan and revolutionary Yan'an.” Presumably the “pristine Tibet” can smells ever so slightly of gunpowder.

Heh.

Antigua - US Trade Dispute

Antigua and Barbuda
(St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda)

The islands of Antigua and Barbuda are threatening to strip intellectual property protections from American goods as part of a long-running trade dispute over the U.S. embargo on the tiny Caribbean nation's online gambling industry.

U.S. officials say the proposed copyright haven - whose broad outlines were approved Monday at the World Trade Organization in Geneva - amounts to "government-authorized piracy." But Antiguans, who've won a series of legal victories against the U.S. at the international trade body, reject any suggestion that they're pirates.

"We have followed the rules and procedures of the WTO to the letter," Antigua's high commissioner to London, Carl Roberts, said in a statement Monday. "Our little country is doing precisely what it has earned the right to do under international agreements."

The U.S. and Antigua have been tussling for years over the ability of Americans to use online casinos based in the Caribbean nation.

So little David Antigua isn't rolling over for Goliath United States. Heh.

GLOBAL WARMERS' RECORD FOR MAKING CORRECT PREDICTIONS

By Gregg Thompson, Astrophysicist, Australia:

Now that none of the predictions made by Global Warmers have not eventuated and that the opposite has occurred, it's time for government to admit that Climate Change it is an extremely expensive scam on taxpayers.

The number of predictions GWers have got right is ZERO.  The media should be publishing the following.

LOOK AT THEIR MAJOR PREDICTIONS. All have been WRONG.

Temperatures would continue to go up.

WRONG. They haven't since 1997 and since 2007 they have gone down. Climate centres and NASA are finally admitting this.

Snow would never be seen again by many children. They  would not know what it is.

WRONG. Since 2006/7 winter there have been the heaviest snow falls in the northern hemisphere for 20 -80 years and in some places as far back as records go.

The Arctic would be half the size by now and it will be completely gone within this decade.

WRONG. It has gone back to its typical cold cycle size and it will not be gone due to the Sun being so dormant. It has never disappeared even when the Sun is at maximum for long periods because it is only summer there for 6 weeks and the rest of the time it is -25C to -50C.

Glaciers would continue to recede and many would no longer exist.

WRONG. Almost all glaciers are surging due to years of very heavy snow falls.

Drought would continue and this would have caused water wars by now.

WRONG. Since 2006, we have had huge floods, many the biggest on record across all developed continents . Many places like Lake Eyre have filled four times in 3 years! There has never been any water wars.  

Sea level would have risen by 2000 to start flooding low lying areas in cities at sea level. Flooded subways, basements and underground carparks would have make cities unliveable by now.  
   
WRONG. Sea level have not risen and there is no sign that it will. No islands at sea level have been evacuated as Al Gore so fraudulently claimed. And Bangladesh is still above sea level, contrary to his predictions.

CO2 causes heating of the climate.

WRONG. Changes in Solar Activity accounts for 99.99% of climate changes on Earth. The trivial amount of manmade CO2 at one ten millionth of the atmosphere has zero effect.

Received via email.  The author has requested that his email address not be published -- but all his facts are readily checkable


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

Female Orgasm Event

Promotional Poster
(Minneapolis, Minnesota)

The University of Minnesota - Twin Cities (UMTC) is set to hold an event this spring designed to help its female undergraduate students achieve more and greater orgasms.

The university’s official online description of the event entitled, “The Female Orgasm,” describes it as open to both male and female students.

“Orgasm aficionados and beginners of all genders are welcome to come learn about everything from multiple orgasms to that mysterious G-spot,” reads the description posted on the school’s official events calendar.

“Whether you want to learn how to have your first orgasm, how to have better ones, or how to help you girlfriend, Kate and Marshall cover it all…” it adds.

“Are you coming?” it asks.

Nothing like a college education, eh?

France Orders Twitter to Identify Racists

(Paris, France)

A French court ruled Thursday that Twitter must help identify the authors of racist tweets posted on its site.

The ruling follows a complaint brought by an activist group in October that argued such tweets breach laws against inciting racial hatred.

Microblogging site Twitter must hand over data to help identify users who post racist and anti-Semitic comments, a French court ruled on Thursday.

Twitter folks and government ministers will meet next month to discuss the issue.

Elite Soldiers Grow Breasts

Elite German Troops
(Berlin, Germany)

An alarming study has been revealed which suggests that soldiers in a German army guard battalion that performs in major state ceremonies are growing breasts - as a side effect of military drills.

The study, carried out by plastic and hand surgeons at the Bundeswehr hospital in Berlin, found that the guards were at greater risk of developing a condition called gynaecomastia, or an enlargement of the mammary gland, on the left side, the Hamburger Morgenpost newspaper recently reported.

Though gynaecomastia is usually a hormonal condition, the study found that serving in the guard battalion can also be a cause, because it requires soldiers to repeatedly slam their rifles into the left side of their chest during military drills.

Presumably, the elite troops are all male thereby making enlarged breasts unusual. Nevertheless, I'm skeptical. If military drills, which have been conducted for millennia, cause breasts to grow, someone would have noticed it before now.

Jail time for hurting someone’s feelings?

On November 28 a municipal judge in Canton, Ohio, sentenced William Bailey to 30 days in jail after Bailey pleaded no contest to criminal charges of disorderly conduct and aggravated menacing. According to a story on Fox News, “Bailey was caught on cell phone video at a school bus stop in October making fun of how [a] ten-year-old disabled girl walks.”

There were no allegations of physical or even verbal assault — the jail time is just for making fun of how she walks.

The girl, Hope Holcomb, suffers from cerebral palsy and claims she was regularly teased in this way by Bailey and his son. Apparently the families have been feuding for years.

Bailey said he was reacting to his son’s being teased, reported Trace Gallagher for Fox News. Hope’s family didn’t believe this, however, and the girl’s grandmother went down to the bus stop one afternoon to get video. The family then took the video to the police.

Kelly and Gallagher need to get a grip here. No one was injured; no one was even threatened. No property was damaged. Was there really a need to involve the police and a criminal court in this family feud? Mean people are not automatically criminals.

It’s fair to ask what possible ramifications may ensue from this precedent. For example, if criminal charges like “disorderly conduct” and “aggravated menacing” — sufficiently vague already — can now be stretched to include an act of insulting insensitivity, imagine the recourse available to a restaurateur who gets a bad review, a severely heckled comedian, or even a politician offended by protesters. Remember that a man has now been sent to jail just for hurting someone’s feelings.

Source


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

Nightclub Inferno Kills 233 in Brazil

Nightclub Fire 1/26/13
(Santa Maria, Brazil) A band's pyrotechnic show set ablaze a nightclub known as Boate Kiss, killing at least 233 people between last Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

The blaze in the university town of Santa Maria was ignited by sparks from pyrotechnics used by the band for visual effects. They set fire to soundproofing on the ceiling and the club rapidly filled with toxic smoke, local fire officials said.

Most of those who died were suffocated by fumes, fire brigade Sergeant Robson Muller told Reuters. Others were crushed in the stampede.

Officials said more than 1,000 people were likely in the club, exceeding occupancy limits.

Serious questions on Benghazi



The underlying attitude

A rather restrained media comment below.  No mention of the blocking of rescue efforts etc.

BLUSTER by outgoing US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is no answer to the serious questions still surrounding the al-Qa'ida attack on September 11 last year that killed four American officials in Benghazi, including US ambassador Christopher Stevens.

Criticism of Mrs Clinton, of course, has a political motive, with Republicans hoping some mud will stick and thwart any bid by her to win the presidency in 2016. But Mrs Clinton ill-serves her reputation as a hardworking and widely-admired Secretary of State by dismissively telling interlocutors: "Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided to go kill some Americans? What difference, at this point, does it make?"

The answer is, it makes a lot of difference. A State Department report and other inquiries have shown the death of the first US ambassador killed on duty in 25 years resulted from systemic leadership and management failures, for which Mrs Clinton was ultimately responsible. The 9/11 anniversary assault caught the US understaffed and ill-prepared in one of the world's most hostile regions, with pleas from US officials on the ground rebuffed.

Mrs Clinton claims she didn't see cables from Stevens outlining his security concerns. Other critics say there was a naive belief by the Obama administration, amid the over-hyped expectations of the Arab Spring, that the war against al-Qa'ida and terrorism was just about over. This has been comprehensively debunked by events in Algeria and Mali, where the Timbuktu Taliban is on the march.

Mrs Clinton cannot be blamed for all these failures, but as a well-regarded secretary and potential presidential candidate, she can do better than bluster when asked legitimate questions about them.

SOURCE


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

Iran Displays Finger Amputation Machine

(Tehran, Iran) Reportedly, Iran uses an amputation machine to remove thieves' fingers.

According to the INSA press agency, the man shown getting his finger cut off was charged with robbery and adultery by a court in the southwestern city of Shiraz. He was also accused of being at the head of a criminal organisation. On top of losing one of his fingers, he was sentenced to three years in prison and 99 whip lashes.

No independent witnesses were able to recount the circumstances under which this amputation took place. Four photos of the scene published by the press agency were widely relayed on social media networks.

Interestingly, the finger amputation machine looks a lot like an everyday table saw. In any event, public incidents of gruesome punishment are likely intended to frighten voters in the run-up to June's presidential election.

Texas Woman Accused of Sex with Boy

(New Braunfels, Texas) A 38-year-old local woman, Valorie Martinez Baker, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy.

Baker faces a charge of second-degree felony sexual assault of a child.

Detectives began investigating this case after a 15-year-old male made an outcry that Baker had had inappropriate sexual contact with him inside the city of New Braunfels' jurisdiction.

Investigators said the incident occurred on Dec. 21, 2012, and that Baker is a friend of the victim's family.

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

Prostitution Arrest at Police Station

Christal Smith
(Salem, Oregon) A 20-year-old Portland woman, Christal Smith, has been accused of offering sex to an undercover police officer. Smith faces charges of prostitution and promoting prostitution.

Smith, of Portland, had been communicating with undercover Salem Police Street Crimes Detectives through a website, phone and text messages for a couple of days.

Smith and the undercover detectives negotiated sex in exchange for money and set up a time to meet in Salem Jan. 11. Smith drove from Portland to Salem to meet the “John” at an unmarked door of the police department.

Smith was arrested and booked into custody at the Marion County Jail.

A man who can't see what his own graph shows

After crowing about the high average temperature recorded for the USA in 2012, Warmist Zeke Hausfather grudgingly admits that the USA is not the globe.  He says:

"While the U.S. temperature topped the charts in 2012, the world as a whole was not quite so hot. Nonetheless, it still ranks as either the 9th, 10th, or 11th hottest year on record depending on which record is used. Figure 5 shows surface temperatures from NASA, NOAA, and the United Kingdom’s Hadley Centre from 1880-2012 and satellite temperature records from the University of Alabama, Huntsville (UAH) and Remote Sensing Systems (RSS) from 1979-2012. While the satellite records run slightly lower than the surface temperature records, the trends are comparable in magnitude."


Figure 5: Annual temperature anomalies from major global (land/ocean) records.

SOURCE

The graph shows clearly what even some Warmists are now admitting  -- that the GLOBE has shown no warming trend in recent years.  Depending on where you start, you could even see a cooling trend.

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.). 

Florida Woman Accused of Aggravated Child Abuse

(Kissimmee, Florida) A 29-year-old local woman, Rebeca Carvajal, has been accused of hauling off and walloping a young child with a belt.

Carvajal faces charges of domestic aggravated child abuse and domestic child neglect.

The investigation began on January 22 when deputies took a possible child abuse report. The complainant indicated her relative, a 6-year-old girl was under the care of Carvajal when Carvajal struck the child with a belt.

The child had bruising around both of her eyes. Deputies spoke with Carvajal who said she watches the child frequently and typically disciplines her by spanking the child with her hand or a belt. In this instance, which took place several weeks before, Carvajal accidentally hit the child's face with the belt. She did not seek medical attention for the child even though there was severe bruising on her face.

Carvajal was booked into custody.

NJ Teacher Accused of Sex with Male Student

(Fort Lauderdale, Florida) A 28-year-old algebra teacher at Plainfield (NJ) High School, Jennelin Garcia-Calle, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 16-year-old male student.

Reportedly, when Garcia-Calle learned that a warrant had been issued for her arrest, she fled to Florida. U.S. Marshals apprehended Garcia-Calle in South Florida this week after tracking her through cell phone and text messages.

“It was in her classroom after school,” said prosecutor Ted Romankow. “The door was locked, the window was blocked and they had the relations there.”[…]

“She had told either friends or associates that she was going to South Florida to get help,” said U.S. Marshal’s spokesperson Barry Golden.

“Obviously Ms. Garcia-Calle was aware that these charges were forthcoming. She was aware that she was probably going to be in a lot of trouble and that’s when she fled the New Jersey area.”

Garcia-Calle awaits extradition to New Jersey to face sex assault charges.

Egypt: Sign of the Times

(Cairo, Egypt) Image is from Tahrir Square today as thousands of people gather to mark the second anniversary of "the uprising."

Source

Dakota Woman Gets 20 Years in Child Sex Case - Update

(Mandan, North Dakota) In August 2012, a 34-year-old local woman, Jenelle Chase, was found guilty by a jury of continuous sex abuse of a 12-year-old boy and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The verdict was appealed to the North Dakota Supreme Court.

Chase argued on appeal that the jury should have been required to unanimously agree on three specific instances of sexual abuse, not just that three instances had occurred.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Chase’s conviction in a three paragraph opinion, writing that the verdict was supported by substantial evidence and that court precedent holds that the jury did not have to unanimously agree on three specific acts.

Chase must also serve five years of probation and register as a sex offender.

* * * * *
Dakota Woman Accused of Sex with Boy
[Previous 3/28/12 post]
(Mandan, North Dakota) A 34-year-old local woman, Jenelle Chase, has been accused of engaging in sex with a young boy over a period of 18 months.

Chase faces a charge of continuous sex abuse of a child, a felony.

The crime happened from August of 2009 to March of 2011.

According to court records, Chase had sex numerous times with the boy when he was 12 and 13 years old.

The boy was staying with Chase at the time. He told authorities he was sexually assaulted every day.

Chase has a prior conviction of child neglect.

Details on booking are unavailable.

Arizona Educator Accused of Group Sex with Students

(Tucson, Arizona) A 22-year-old special needs teacher's aide at Amphitheater High School, Clarice Lee, has been accused of engaging in on-campus group sex with several male students during their lunch period last Friday.

Lee faces four counts of sexual misconduct with a minor.

According to the detectives, Lee and six male students went to a location on campus during their lunch period on Jan. 18 where Lee allegedly engaged in sexual contact with two 18-year-olds and sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old in front of three other students.

Detectives said one of the students filmed the incident with his cellphone.

Lee has resigned her teaching position.



Meanwhile, according to Detective Cindy Mechtel of the Tucson Police Department's child sexual assault unit,

The sex romp took minutes and she did not know if the video was shared with anyone or uploaded to the Internet.

Mechtel said the teacher knew the students from passing them in the hall, but the incident appeared to be spontaneous.

'As far as we know, this is an isolated incident,' Mechtel said. 'The incident appeared to be spontaneous.

Lee, a mother-of-two, was arrested Tuesday and booked into custody at the Pima County Jail.

Woman Collared for Driving Drunk and Naked

Catherine Giaquinto
(Sparta, New Jersey) A 36-year-old New York woman, Catherine Giaquinto, was arrested last weekend for crashing her car and fleeing the scene while allegedly drunk and naked.

Police spotted Giaquinto’s clothes in the back seat and asked her to get dressed before she was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, refusal to submit breath test, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident, careless driving, failure to wear a seat belt and a documentation violation.

Details on booking are unavailable.

Fox News gets results

Facebook on Wednesday apologized for threatening to shut down the “Chicks on the Right” Facebook page because of a post critical of the Obama administration, Fox News’ Todd Starnes reports. The site claims the users were “incorrectly warned” by the site’s User Operation’s Team.

Mockarena, one of the two women who runs “Chicks on the Right,” a conservative website with more than 100,000 fans on their official Facebook page, reportedly received a notice on Wednesday informing her that she would be locked out of not only her “Chicks on the Right” Facebook page, but her personal page as well. Facebook accused her of violating the company’s standards with one of her posts.

The post in question was directed at White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. The post referred users to a website posting titled, “You Know What? Liberal Hypocrisy is Starting to Cause Me Actual Physical Pain.”  “Jay Carney can kiss my assular area,” Mockarena wrote.

However, shortly after Fox News reported on the incident, Facebook issued an apologetic statement.

“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience…Unfortunately, the users were incorrectly warned by our User Operation’s Team and we have already removed all associated blocks from the accounts,” Facebook spokesman Fred Wolens told Fox News.

Source


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

Newborn Tests Positive for Methamphetamine

(Boaz, Alabama) Last Friday, a 31-year-old Marshall County woman, Laura Jean Murphree, gave birth.

Subsequently, medical testing indicated that Murphree's newborn child was positive for methamphetamine. As a result, Murphree was arrested Sunday upon discharge from the hospital.

Murphree faces a charge of chemical endangerment of a child.

Murphree was booked into custody at the Marshall County Jail with bond set at $500,000.

Utah Teacher Accused of Sex with Student

(Layton, Utah) A 35-year-old teacher formerly at Northridge High School, Chaarie Lynn Jaramillo, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 17-year-old male student nearly 10 years ago.

Jaramillo was arrested yesterday by Layton Police to face multiple counts of rape and forcible sexual abuse.

Police learned in February 2012 about a possible relationship between Jaramillo and a 17-year-old male student at Northridge High School from 2003 to 2004, that allegedly lasted more than a year, according to a news release from Layton police.

Jaramillo was a teacher there at the time and therefore held a special "position of trust" with students, according to the release.

Jaramillo was booked into custody at the Davis County Jail with bail set at $30,000.

Georgia Man Sues State Over Gay Vanity Plates

(Atlanta, Georgia) A 30-year-old local man, James Cyrus Gilbert, applied for personalized license plates displaying “4GAYLIB,” “GAYPWR” or “GAYGUY” and was rejected.

As a result, Gilbert is suing the State of Georgia for violating his constitutional right to free speech.

The lawyers fighting the case said the issue may seem trivial to some, but it is representative of a wider attitude toward allowing freedom of speech.

In order for the state to keep the word “gay” from appearing on its plates, they would have to declare the word obscene, a move that many wager licensing officials won’t be willing to do.

Frankly, I suggest that Mr. Gilbert is a rather gutsy guy. Cruising the highways of the deep South with "GayGuy" license plates might possibly poke a disruption in the good old boy domestic tranquility.

Obama inadvertently got it right

His penchant for vague assertions  betrays him.  Read this excerpt from his inaugural again:  "Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms.'

That is literally true.  None of us can avoid the impact of extreme weather events.  CO2 control won't help.  Nothing will.  The idea of human control over climate is a delusion.

Those with ears of faith will however hear a different message.   They will hear an assertion that "raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms" have become more common in recent times.  Steve Goddard has the documentation to show that such things were in fact worse in the 19th century.


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

Tennessee Woman Indicted for Sex with Boy

(Grainger County, Tennessee) A 29-year-old local woman, Thadra Tipton, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy.

Tipton was indicted this week by a Grainger County grand jury on two felony counts of aggravated statutory rape.

Tipton allegedly had sex with the teenage boy on two separate occasions at a Thorn Hill, Tenn., residence.

DNA and other evidence aided in the investigation, the sheriff said.

Tipton was booked into custody and released on $23,000 bond.

Carolina Teacher Accused of 1982 Child Abuse

(Charlotte, North Carolina) In 1982, a former teacher at Marie G. Davis Elementary School, Monte Sue Diebolt, 73, allegedly abused an 11-year-old male student.

The victim reported the crime in 2012. Diebolt's arrest followed when she was charged with taking indecent liberties with a child.

"It's extraordinarily difficult for the police department to make an arrest in a case like this that has so much age on it," said the victim's attorney, Melissa Owen. She says the lead detective stuck with the investigation and came through with the evidence.

Owen says a recorded phone call is part of the evidence. Her client accused Diebolt of leaving him notes at school and keeping him back from PE class so they could be alone. She says the abuse happened repeatedly.

Owen says her client came forward after knowing what could happen when his own child starts to attend school. "It has been nagging at him his whole life," she said.

Diebolt was booked and released on bond.

Gun Ownership vs. Homicides

Interesting assertion from the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy:

Russia’s (legal) gun ownership rate is a rock-bottom 4,000 per 100,000 citizens and the country has a murder rate exceeding 15; Norway’s gun ownership rate is 30,000 per 100,000 and the murder rate is below 1.

Remember, guns don't kill people, people kill people.

Companion post at GunWatch.

Arkansas Teacher Gets Prison for Sex Assault - Update

(Lonoke County, Arkansas)

A former Cabot junior high school teacher who pleaded guilty last month to more than a dozen counts of sexual assault involving a juvenile student has been sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender.

Prosecuting Attorney Chuck Graham said Stacy Stracener was sentenced Tuesday morning in Lonoke County Circuit Court to 15 years in prison with nine of them suspended. Stracener must serve at least two years before becoming eligible for parole.

Stracener's teaching license has been suspended and she was ordered to pay $700 in fines.

* * * * *
Arkansas Teacher Guilty of Sex Assault - Update
[Previous 12/19/12 post]
(Cabot, Arkansas)

Stacy Stracener pleaded guilty to 11 counts of First Degree Sexual Assault and two counts of Second Degree Sexual Assault.

The former science teacher at Cabot Junior High North was arrested in February 2012, after police took a report from the school about the alleged incident with a 15-year-old.

In March, Stracener pleaded not guilty to her charges.

Sentencing is scheduled for next month.

* * * * *
Arkansas Teacher Accused of Sex Assault
[Previous 2/14/12 post]
(Cabot, Arkansas) A science teacher at Cabot Junior High School, Stacy Stracener, has been accused of engaging in sex with a male student.

Stracener faces 11 counts of first degree sexual assault and two counts of second degree sexual assault.

A report was filed last week that Stracener had allegedly made contact with a male student at the school.

Cabot police began an investigation after the complaint was filed with the school of Stracener’s activity.

Stracener was booked into custody at the Lonoke County Detention Center. A court appearance is scheduled for later today.

Rapper Lupe Fiasco Rants Anti-Obama, Gets Pulled from Stage




(Washington, D.C.) During an inauguration event, rapper Lupe Fiasco was pulled off the stage by security guards because his performance criticized President Obama.

Fiasco, whose birth name according to the conservative Daily Caller website is Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, is a 30-year-old artist from Obama’s hometown of Chicago. He had been billed as the headline act at the StartUp RockOn inauguration concert event on Sunday.

In a statement released Monday as news of the incident spread, the organizers of the event insisted that he was not removed from the stage because of his acerbic attack on Obama but because his performance was judged “bizarrely repetitive” and “jarring.”

Heh.

Starbucks Commercial Parody

Some commenters assert that the Saturday Night Live parody is racist. Check the link if the video doesn't play here. It's chucklable.

Canada's Maple Leaf Controversy

(Ottawa, Canada)

The Bank of Canada blundered by using a Norwegian maple leaf instead of the country's native variety on its new banknotes, plant experts have claimed.

Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre botanist Sean Blaney highlighted the difference between the leaf on new \$20, \$50 and \$100 notes and the North American sugar maple.

He said: "It's really hard to deny the image is of a Norway maple."

He said the Norway maple has more lobes - or sections - has a more pointed outline than the sugar maple and the lobe that rises in the centre is shorter than the sugar maple's.

The Norway maple was imported from Europe and is now also common in North America. But Mr Blaney said it should not be on the Canadian currency.

"We wouldn't think of putting a palm tree on the Canadian currency or a tiger or baboon or something that doesn't occur in Canada as a native species, and the same should go for Norway maple," he added.

According to the Bank of Canada, the currency doesn't display a Norway maple leaf. Rather, it's a "stylized" maple leaf. However, botany professor Jullian Starr of the University of Ottawa asserts that the leaf is definitely from a Norway maple.

Interestingly, Norway maple trees are considered invasive in North America.

Atheists to encourage Bible reading!

Atheists plan to give Florida schoolkids free atheist literature as a response to free Bibles being given out.  I doubt that either will be much read  -- with one exception.  The atheists are giving out a book titled: “An X-Rated Book: Sex & Obscenity in the Bible.”.  That would interest any kid and should lead to more Bible reading!

Atheists in Orange County, Fla., are taking the Bible to task. Central Florida Freethought (CFF), a local, secular group associated with the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), plans to distribute atheist books in public schools after a religious organization began giving away free Bibles in 11 of the county’s public schools. At least one of the literary works, “An X-Rated Book: Sex & Obscenity in the Bible,” is sure to raise eyebrows.

Under the district’s rules, outside groups — believing and non-believing, alike — are invited to hand out faith-based materials. However, representatives of various organizations are not allowed to have contact with students. They can, however, setup a table and leave the materials for consumption. Information that includes pornographic material and references that tout tobacco, alcohol and drugs will not be allowed.

Considering these banned subjects, the FFRF’s book, “An X-Rated Book: Sex & Obscenity in the Bible,” will likely raise the ire of critics. The title alone leads one to wonder if the contents will render it unacceptable.

Source


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

Another "scientist" who thinks that truth is detemined by majority vote


Amusing that he admits global warming to be the ruling paradigm.  He should read Thomas Kuhn on paradigm shifts.  Given the recent admissions by the British Met office and others, we may right now be at the beginning of a paradigm shift.

But to address his article in more detail: I found the same in my research career in psychology.  There was an almost universal view that conservatives were maladjusted.  When I presented evidence undermining that view, a very high standard of proof -- far higher than normal  -- was required of me for my articles to get published.  Fortunately, as a born academic, I could do that and 200+ of my papers were eventually published in the academic journals.

But I might as well have not bothered.  My papers were ignored.  Despite meeting higher quality standards, they had no impact on  opinion in the discipline.  So the huge bias towards Green/Left beliefs that we see in the climate literature was previously very well-known to me from my research career in psychology.  It is the ruling paradigm that determines what gets published and what gets noticed.  It takes a huge "hit on the head" to budge that and for many no budge is possible.  They just have to die out

As the geochemist James Lawrence Powell notes, opinion polls in the US show a large number of people believe that scientists “substantially disagree about human-caused global warming”. So Powell, who was appointed by Ronald Reagan to the US National Board for Science and Technology, set out to examine the evidence.

“If there is disagreement among scientists, based not on opinion but on hard evidence, it will be found in the peer-reviewed literature,” he writes, because this is the “gold standard” of scientific research. So he trawled through the Web of Science searching for scientific articles with the keywords “global warming” or “global climate change”.

Going way back to January 1st, 1991, and right up to date, Powell’s search turned up a total of 13,950 articles. Of these, just 24 – 0.17 per cent or one in 581 – clearly rejected global warming or endorsed a cause other than carbon dioxide emissions for the observed warming of 0.8 degrees since the beginning of the industrial era.

“To be classified as rejecting, an article had to clearly and explicitly state that the theory of global warming is false or, as happened in a few cases, that some other process better explains the observed warming,” Powell says, adding that he did not classify as “rejecting” articles that merely claimed to have found small discrepancies.

“Of one thing we can be certain: had any of these articles presented the magic bullet that falsifies human-caused global warming, that article would be on its way to becoming one of the most-cited in the history of science,” he wrote. Indeed it would be absolutely sensational, however unlikely it is to happen.

“Global warming deniers often claim that bias prevents them from publishing in peer-reviewed journals. But 24 articles in 18 different journals . . . expose that claim as false. Articles rejecting global warming can be published, but those that have been have earned little support or notice, even from other deniers,” according to Powell.

The 24 “denial” articles have been cited by others a total of 113 times over the nearly 21-year period, for an average of close to five citations each – compared to an average of about 19 citations for articles answering to “global warming”. Four of the “rejecting” articles have never been cited while another four have 10 or more.

He notes that the 13,950 articles he found had a total of 33,690 individual authors, with the top 10 (in descending order) coming from the US, Britain, China, Germany, Japan, Canada, Australia, France, Spain and the Netherlands. A similarly broad range would also be reflected in the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

“Only one conclusion is possible: within science, global warming denial has virtually no influence. Its influence is instead on a misguided media, politicians all-too-willing to deny science for their own gain, and a gullible public”, writes Powell, the author of The Inquisition of Climate Science, an illuminating book published in 2011.

“Scientists do not disagree about human-caused global warming. It is the ruling paradigm of climate science, in the same way that plate tectonics is the ruling paradigm of geology. We know that continents move. We know that the earth is warming and that human emissions of greenhouse gases are the primary cause.”

More HERE


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

Betting When Cancer Patients Will Die

Death Gambling Street
(Taichung, Taiwan) According to a recent report,

[A]n unhealthy gambling trend has appeared on Shijia East Street of Taichung’s East District, where over a hundred businesses under the guise of being elderly associations, and with the agreement of family members, used when the terminally ill would die for gambling, involving over 1 billion yuan. On one street just a short 200 metres long, there were 10 fronts participating in the ‘death gambling’ business, making it ‘death gambling street’!

The article noted that poor family member could because of this forgo emergency treatment [to dying family members] and immoral doctors could place bets to win money, both becoming participants in the gambling.[…]

If the patient dies between 1 and 6 months, the bettor is paid 3x their wager. Government officials and family members can also get 10% dividend/share. However, if the patient dies within one month, there is no payout. After 6 months, the payout is decreased and if after a year, the bettor may lose money. “Even more ridiculous” is that doctors provided consultation for bettors on a patient’s condition.

I would be nervous about trusting my care to family members and professionals who were betting on when I would die.

Lard on British Beach

(St. Cyrus Nature Reserve, Scotland)

Staff at St Cyrus nature reserve said four large, barrel-shaped pieces of lard have appeared on the shore.

The fat is believed to have escaped from the wreck of a merchant vessel ….

Okay.

Toy makers bullied into ceasing production of action figures from Tarantino’s latest film Django Unchained

Toy makers have ceased production of controversial dolls of slave characters from Quentin Tarantino's blockbuster Django Unchained after outraged civil rights activists demanded they be withdrawn from sale.

The figurines represent characters from the ultra-violent film Django Unchained, which tells the story of a former slave who travels across America to find his wife and free her from slavery at the hands of a cruel plantation owner.

Amazon.com was selling three, eight-inch tall plastic dolls representing the black slaves Django, Broomhilda and Stephen as part of a series of figures from the film.

But black community leaders called for them to be withdrawn from sale saying they 'trivialise the horrors of slavery'.

TMZ reported that shortly after advocacy groups including Al Sharpton's National Action Network and Project Islamic Hope spoke out, the Weinstein Company asked that the toy line be discontinued as soon as possible.

They were produced by National Entertainment Collectibles Assocation (NECA) in collaboration with the Weinstein Company, the studio that produced Django Unchained.

The toy company, which said they had no intention of causing controversy, ceased production immediately.

Source

History is incorrect, apparently


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

Texas Teacher Gets No Jail for Relations with Boy

(Wilbarger County, Texas)

A 41-year-old former Vernon High School science teacher pleaded guilty in 46th District Court in Wilbarger County, opting out of a possible grand jury indictment and jury trial.

Kami Dawn Mauldin, of Electra, was sentenced to 10 years of probation for having an improper relationship with a student, a statement from the Wilbarger District Attorney's Office said.

She will have to register as a sex offender for the next five years, pay a $2,500 fine, lose her teacher's certificate and perform 100 hours of community service. Mauldin also is prohibited from making contact with the 15-year-old victim.

District Attorney Staley Heatly said Mauldin was officially charged with the offense Friday morning as part of the process for accepting a plea bargain before a grand jury indictment.

Mauldin had faced a possible long stretch in prison.

Something's Wrong

Story

NC Teacher Marries Victim, Avoids Rape Charge - Update

(Wilmington, North Carolina) Leah Gayle Shipman, 42, skirted prosecution on student sex offenses by marrying her victim. She pleaded guilty last month to a misdemeanor resisting an officer charge.

Shipman was a married Brunswick County Academy teacher when she was arrested in January 2009 on charges of sexual offense with a student, statutory rape and taking indecent liberties with a student. Shipman was immediately suspended from her job and her contract wasn't renewed.

Court records indicate that on Jan. 19, 2011, she divorced her husband of 19 years, and on Jan. 25, 2011, Shipman married student Johnnie Ray Ison in Brunswick County after obtaining a marriage license from Columbus County.

According to the Columbus County register of deeds office, Ison was 17 at the time of the marriage, and his mother, Susan Wilson, signed the paperwork allowing him to marry.

Consequently, given that the victim cannot be compelled to testify against his wife, the entire statutory rape case disappears. However, for the resisting charge Shipman received a suspended 30-day jail sentence, a year of probation and $345 in restitution. Additionally, her teaching credentials are toast.

* * * * *
NC Teacher Arrested for Sex with Student
[Previous 1/7/10 post]
(Wilmington, North Carolina) A 39-year-old teacher t Brunswick County Academy, Leah Gayle Shipman, has been arrested by sheriff's deputies for allegedly engaging in sex with a 15-year-old student.

Shipman has been charged with sexual offense with a student, statutory rape and taking indecent liberties with a student.

Shipman is a Transitional Curriculum teacher at Brunswick County Academy. Brunswick County Schools Superintendent Katie McGee said in a written statement that the school system will continue to work with the sheriff's department on this investigation.

Shipman has been suspended from her teaching position. She was booked into custody at the Brunswick County Jail with bond set at $100,000.

Pennsylvania Teacher Gets No Jail in Sex Case - Update

(Lancaster, Pennsylvania) Married mother-of-two Christina Layser gets no jail in student sex case.

A former teacher will have an opportunity to erase charges that she had a romantic relationship with a seventh-grader at Reynolds Middle School.

Christina Layser was accepted Friday into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program, meaning she can have the sex charges dismissed if she obeys the program for the next seven months.

Lancaster city police allege that Layser had unlawful contact with a 13-year-old student, including kissing, touching and the exchange of love letters.

The incidents occurred in the math teacher's classroom and in a bathroom after school hours between October and Dec. 21 of 2011, according to police.

At a preliminary hearing last year, the student testified that he believed Layser, 37, to be his girlfriend. He and the teacher told each other, "I love you," the boy testified.

Maybe it was the love-story nature of Layser's relations with the 13-year-old that swayed the judge's mind to order rehabilitation.

* * * * *
Pennsylvania Teacher and Boy, 13
[Previous 1/7/12 post]
(Lancaster, Pennsylvania) A teacher at Reynolds Middle School, Christina Layser, has been accused of engaging in sexual contact with a 13-year-old boy.

Layser faces counts of unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors, and indecent assault.

City police said 36-year-old Christina Layser after normal school hours kissed and fondled the boy in her classroom at Reynolds Middle School on various dates between October and December.

The student reported the incidents to a school resource officer assigned to Reynolds this week, police said.

Layser was booked and released on $100,000 bail.

UK: Arrested for rant against Islam on Facebook?


Since I have repeated the "offending" words below, it will be interesting to see if the British try to extradite me to their nasty little police state.  This post will presumably be read in Britain so they could have grounds.

I would certainly be rash to visit Britain again.  The British have in the past dragged an Australian (Toben) off a plane at a British airport for things he said in Australia.  A nasty little police state indeed  -- made even nastier by the fact that what Toben was arrested for was eventually found in the courts not to be a crime in Britain  -- and he was acquitted of any offence and released  --  but released only after a considerable, prolonged and expensive ordeal.  So he was in effect punished for a non-existent crime

Anyone in the UK prone to ranting on Facebook should be afraid. Given a case earlier this week, it now seems that simply posting offensive comments is enough to have you arrested and forced to pay regular visits to a police station.

The comments posted by the co-leader of the English Defence League (EDL), Kevin Carroll, will certainly offend some people. Responding to an article about a ritual slaughter of cattle for the Islamic Eid al-Adha festival, complete with pictures of a dozen cows lying in pools of blood in an arena, Carroll wrote in block capitals: ‘They are all fucking backward savages, a devil-spawned death cult worshipping all that is unholy and barbaric, pure evil.’

Such a rant, while certainly distasteful, is hardly uncommon on Facebook or other types of social media. In this case, much the same sentiment could have been uttered by an animal-rights activist expressing his distaste about the Halal method of slaughtering cattle. It seems, however, that one of Carroll’s so-called Facebook ‘friends’ took offence and sent a screengrab of the comments to police. And, according to the British Freedom Party (BFP) - which Carroll has recently become chairman of - the police deemed these comments sufficient to have him arrested in dramatic fashion on his way to a meeting in Luton last Saturday. As Carroll describes: ‘They swooped down on me, blues flashing and sirens wailing - you would have thought I was a serial killer or something. Right in the middle of the town centre.’

According to Bedfordshire police, Carroll was arrested for ‘display[ing] threatening abusive / insulting written material with intent / likely to stir up racial hatred’. Racial hatred? While certainly Carroll’s comments could be seen to be offensive to Muslims, such a charge appears to overlook the fact that Islam is a religion, not a race. Indeed, to make the odd assumption that Islam only has an appeal to a particular race speaks volumes about the prejudices of those making such an assumption. Islam is no more a race than Christianity or Buddhism.

Equally, the Koran itself is hardly averse to expressing disdain for those who hold differing beliefs. Take for example this quote from ‘The Cow’ by Dawood: ‘God’s curse be upon the infidels! Evil is that for which they have bartered away their souls… They have incurred God’s most inexorable wrath. An ignominious punishment awaits the unbelievers.’ Should Muslims also be concerned that if they post excerpts from the Koran, they too will be arrested for stirring up hatred against those who worship religions other than Islam?

But this raises the question: why should anyone be arrested for expressing their views, regardless of how offensive? You don’t have to be an EDL supporter – which certainly I am not – to be chilled by the fact that you can be arrested for saying what’s on your mind.

Source

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