Women With Troubles - August 2014

Here is a compilation of women with troubles reported in news stories during August 2014. Each name is linked to an Interested-Participant blog entry displaying details.

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

(AK) Theresa Hollens, 38,
retail manager - Accused of embezzlement,

(AL) Jennifer Collins McNeill, 40,
teacher - Sentenced to 5 years prison for rape and sodomy of male teen,

(AR) Helen Banks, 57,
teacher - Sentenced to probation for sex with female student,

(AR) Andrea Clevenger, 34,
neighbor - Gets 10 years prison for sex with boy, 13,

(AR) Mary Faith McCormick, 32,
teacher - Accused of raping boy, 13,

(AR) Melissa J. Stevens, 27,
substitute teacher - Sentenced to probation for sex with boy, 15,

(AZ) Stefanie Rachelle Courson, 42,
teacher - Gets 18 months prison in drugs case,

(AZ) Tammy Hankins, 43,
teacher - Gets a 3½-year prison sentence for sex with boy, 16,

(AZ) Kathleen Jardine, 57,
teacher - Accused of consuming alcohol at school,

(FL) Cynthia Lynn Herr, 36,
teacher - Sentenced to 6 years prison for sex with boy, 16,

(FL) Elisha Joy Kingsley, 39,
teacher - Accused of sex with boy, 15,

(IA) Chesna Lipkowitz, 36,
neighbor - Accused of molesting boy, 5,

(ID) Makinzie Sarah Frost, 21,
neighbor - Accused of child sex,

(IL) Leah N. Eames, 32,
teacher - Accused of sexual relationship with female student,

(IN) Melissa Dolen, 45,
neighbor - Arrested for DWI and neglect of male juvenile,

(IN) Briana Holland, 22,
neighbor - Accused of throwing her newborn into the trash,

(IN) Paige E. Mostella (aka Paige Groves), 29,
teacher - Accused of sex with student, 17,

(IN) Shannon J. Woodson, 39,
teacher - Sentenced to home detention for felony child seduction,

(LA) Candice Caulfield, 38,
neighbor - Accused of child sex trafficking,

(LA) Ashley Elizabeth Dowden, 41,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 16,

(MD) Michelle Waro, 43,
neighbor - Accused of reckless endangerment and property destruction,

(ME) Jessica LaPlante, 39,
neighbor - Accused of assaulting daughter, 4, with engraving tool,

(NH) Sarah Haines, 25,
neighbor - Sentenced to probation for assault of 12-day-old baby,

(NM) Shari Walters, 53,
neighbor - Accused of poisoning her roommates and having sex with dogs,

(NV) Shavon Jacklein Aguilar, 31,
neighbor - Indicted for shooting son, 11, in head,

(NY) Bonnie Schilling, 45,
guidance counselor/softball coach - Accused of grade tampering,

(NY) Dawn Seifert, 30,
neighbor - Accused of rape,

(NY) Tanya M. Sochia, 30,
neighbor - Gets 6 months jail for rape of boy, 13,

(OH) Katie Fazekas, 32,
teacher - Sentenced to 17 months prison for sex with female student,

(OH) Jessica Hachat, 30,
teacher - Sentenced to 3 days jail for sex with 2 boys,

(OH) Brittany Hall, 25,
teacher/basketball coach - Gets community control for assault on freshman student,

(OK) Laura Cowan,
teacher - Accused of sex with two students,

(OK) Kelly Goodwin, 28,
neighbor - Accused of larceny,

(OK) Lorie Hill, 49,
teacher - Accused of being drunk at school,

(OK) Callie Miller,
teacher - Accused of inappropriate relations with two male students,

(OK) Jennifer Sexton, 28,
teacher - Accused of rape and sodomy of boy, 15,

(OK) Amy Thompson,
yourh guidance specialist - Accused of molesting a male patient, 15,

(PA) Christina Regusters, 21,
child care worker - Accused of kidnapping and sex assault of girl, 5,

(SC) Mary Blackwell, 20,
neighbor - Accused of child abuse,

(SC) Margaret LaMantia, 24,
teacher - Sentenced to prison for contributing to delinquency and disseminating harmful material,

(SC) Tamara Nicole Shoemaker, 29,
neighbor - Gets prison for criminal sexual conduct with minor, 14,

(TN) Monica Adkins, 36,
teacher - Arrested for methamphetamine,

(TN) Teresa Ann Kincaid, 31,
neighbor - Accused of sexual abuse of girl, 2,

(TN) Krystal Paddock, 24,
teaching intern - Accused of statutory rape by an authority figure,

(TN) Heather Wardlaw, 40,
teacher - Accused of theft of over $10,000 from school accounts,

(TX) Andrea Sandoval, 32,
teacher's aide - Accused of inappropriate relationship with student,

(TX) Megan Updegraff, 28,
teacher - Arrested after arriving at school drunk,

(UT) Michelle Barrett, 37,
neighbor - Accused of meth possession and child endangerment,

(WA) Meredith Powell, 25,
teacher - Gets 6 months jail for sex with minor,

(WA) Jessica Smith, 40,
neighbor - Accused of murdering daughter, 2,

(WV) Jennifer Rachel Baisden, 47,
teacher - Accused of delivering crack cocaine,

(WV) Tressie Montene Duffy, 44,
doctor - Accused of unethical prescriptions and motorboating employee's breasts,

(WY) Anna-Maria Andersen, 54,
teacher - Accused of sexual abuse of minor.

Thanks to the tipsters.

Australian weatherman’s records reveal warming fraud



AS a child, Ian Cole would watch his father Neville take meticulous readings from the Bureau of Meteorology thermometer at the old post office in the western NSW town of Bourke and send the results through by teleprinter.

The temperature was recorded every three hours, including at night when the mercury sometimes plunged to freezing, and the data was logged in handwritten journals that included special notes to help explain the results.

That all changed in 1996 when the Stevenson Screen, the official measuring equipment, was replaced with an automatic station and moved to an airport site.

The Stevenson Screen went to the dump and, but for fate, the handwritten notes could have gone there too. But without instruction, the records were kept and are now under lock and key, held as physical evidence of what the weather was really doing in the mid-20th century.

These Bourke records have ­assumed a new significance in light of concerns about how historic data is being treated at many sites around the country. The records are also important in an ongoing row that frustrates Mr Cole.

The Bourke cotton farmer may be managing director of the local radio station 2WEB but Mr Cole can only broadcast temperature records that date back to 2000 because the Bureau of Meteorology won’t supply historic records to service provider Weatherzone.

As a result “hottest day on record” doesn’t really mean what it seems. “We keep on being told about records that are not actually records and averages that are not quite right,” Mr Cole said.

Worse still there are concerns about what has happened to the precision of those handwritten records in the earlier years. Bourke now forms part of a network of weather stations used to make up the national record known as ACORN-SAT. The raw temperature records are “homogenised”, a method BOM says has been peer-reviewed as world’s best practice and is used by equivalent meteorological organisations across the world.

Independent research, the ­results of which have not been disputed by BOM, has shown that, after homogenisation, a 0.53C warming in the minimum temperature trend has been increased to a 1.64C warming trend. A 1.7C cooling trend in the maximum temperature series in the raw data for Bourke has been changed to a slight warming.

BOM has rejected any suggestion that it has tampered inappropriately with the numbers. It says the major adjustment to Bourke temperatures relate to “site moves in 1994, 1999 and 1938 as well as 1950s in homogeneities that were detected by neighbour comparison which, based on station photos before and after, may relate to changes in vegetation around the site”.

Queensland researcher Jennifer Marohasy, who has analysed the Bourke records, says BOM’s analysis is all very well but the largest adjustments, both to maximum temperature series, ­occurred in the period 1911 and 1915 with a stepdown of about 0.7C, followed by a step-up between 1951 and 1953 of about 0.45C. Of greater concern to Dr Marohasy is that historic high temperatures, such as the record 51.7C recorded on January 3, 1909, were removed from the record on the assumption it was a clerical error. In fact, all the data for Bourke for 40 years before 1910 has been discarded from the official record. If it were there, says Dr Marohasy, the record would show that temperatures were particularly hot during that period.

For Mr Cole it is a simple matter of trusting the care and attention of his father. “Why should you change manually created records?” Mr Cole said. “At the moment they (BOM) are saying we have a warming climate but if the old figures are used we have a cooling climate.”

SOURCE

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

Dethroned Beauty Queen

May Myat Noe - Miss Asia Pacific

Myanmar beauty queen May Myat Noe, who was stripped of her Miss Asia Pacific World Super Talent 2014 title for alleged misconduct, has absconded with her crown and free breast implants, the organiser said Friday (Aug 29).[…]

May Myat Noe, winner of Miss Asia Pacific World Super Talent 2014, was flown to South Korea for preparation to become a K-pop star. But she was stripped of her crown for alleged dishonesty and bad behaviour, according to event spokesman David Kim in Seoul.

"She lied a lot to us about many things. Our past queens also complained - because of her, their reputations will suffer," he told AFP. "We cannot manage her. We are very angry but we don't want a bad relationship between the Korean and Myanmar people."

He said that the organisation had paid US$10,000 for a breast enlargement operation to help her budding singing career. It also prepared two albums for her to record and provided choreographers and accommodation as part of several years of planned training and investment to turn her into a K-pop star, Kim said.

So, she skipped with the crown and the breast enlargements without even a thank you.

Nevada Woman Indicted for Attempted Murder of Son

(Las Vegas, Nevada) A 31-year-old local woman, Shavon Jacklein Aguilar, has been indicted for shooting her 11-year-old son in the head.

Aguilar faces counts of attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon and child abuse.

Prosecutors say that Aguilar was distraught over the breakup of her marriage when she entered a bedroom of a residence near Vegas Drive and Decatur Boulevard and shot her then 11-year-old son with a rifle.

He was transported to University Medical Center in critical condition and is now being treated at a care center, where he continues to suffer from limited movement.

Aguilar was booked into custody at the Clark County Jail with bail set at $750,000.

Arizona Teacher Sentenced on Drug Charge - Update

(Lake Havasu City, Arizona) Stefanie Courson was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in prison.

* * * * *
Arizona Teacher Convicted on Drug Charge - Update
[Previous 5/29/14 post]
(Lake Havasu City, Arizona) Stefanie Rachelle Courson pleaded guilty to a felony charge of solicitation of sale of narcotics drugs. Sentencing is scheduled for July 11.

* * * * *
Arizona Teacher Arrested for Drugs
[Previous 12/8/13 post]

(Lake Havasu, Arizona) A 42-year-old kindergarten teacher at Havasupai Elementary School, Stefanie Courson, has been arrested for alleged possession and sale of drugs after being caught in a month-long sting operation.

Courson faces counts of sale of dangerous drugs, sale of narcotic drugs, sale of prescription only drugs, and possession of prescription only drugs.

At approximately 11:20 a.m. Friday, Courson was taken into custody after an undercover detective made a final purchase from her in the 300 block of Lake Havasu Avenue North.

The undercover detective had bought pills from Courson on several occasions that resulted in the purchase of 225 Morphine pills, 170 Xanax pills, 35 Vicodin pills, and 200 Cyclobenzapriane pills, according to the press release.

Courson was booked into custody at the Lake Havasu City Jail.

Protecting us from umbrellas and cameramen

A hysterical California gun phobe called the police reporting a man with a rifle strolling on the University of San Marcos campus.

The trained, enthusiastic, protectors of the peace responded with a SWAT team and campus lockdown.

They should have sent A Peace Officer to investigate. You DO remember when we hired peace officers instead of ENFORCERS, don’t you?

No reports of shots fired. Only ONE of the thousand cell phones on campus indicated threatening behavior.

Just one caller who saw a man carrying what might be a rifle… or a stick … or a broom … or … an umbrella on a day when it just might rain.

So one loony can call out an entire swat team with no corroborating evidence, no investigation, no scouting party. That is much like the community fire departments sending out every truck and team in the county to find it is just a back yard barbeque happily, innocently grilling burgers.

At least when the firemen arrived, they wouldn’t hose down the neighborhood.

Muzzle sweeping the dormitories.

Full-auto M-16 aimed at the cameraman, and at they guy who dropped his assault umbrella, hands up, with three goons surrounding him … Yeah, he needs to be looking down the barrel of an M-16 too.

Rather obviously, that is what it takes to make these sissies feel whole. Every once in a while they get to gear up and feel like a man. Trust me, little boys, that is not the same feeling.

Corrections officer training stresses rifles or shotguns at “ready” safely pointed at a 45 degree angle to the ground UNLESS you are going to fire. Military and Peace Officer training did as well.

When did this become okay?  Aiming at unarmed bystanders is outrageous.

Probably about the same time government shooters began using what they strategically named “No Hesitation Targets” like the one on the left for practice. Click on the link to see that article and more of those we are the enemy targets they began using a couple years ago.

Of course we sympathize – they do risk their lives every day to protect us, don’t they?

Uh, not exactly. In fact cops don’t even rank in the top 10 most dangerous jobs in the country... The reality is, at 16th, police fall just below below taxi drivers …

And of the police deaths, 56% are from traffic accidents not related to high-speed chases. If they walked their beats, they probably wouldn’t make the top 40. Better still, if they carried no more firepower than a revolver and did no SWAT training, it would be safer than running a day care.

The ACLU reported recently that SWAT teams in the United States conduct around 45,000 raids each year, only 7 percent of which have anything whatsoever to do with the hostage situations with which those teams were assembled to contend. Paramilitary operations, the ACLU concluded, are “happening in about 124 homes every day — or more likely every night” — and four in five of those are performed in order that authorities might “search homes, usually for drugs.” Such raids routinely involve “armored personnel carriers,” “military equipment like battering rams,” and “flashbang grenades.” Were the military being used in such a manner, we would be rightly outraged.

The Baltimore Sun did an analysis of SWAT deployment in Maryland and found the militarized team was sent out nearly five times each day. Only 6% of SWAT-involved incidents were for extreme emergency situations (bank robberies, barricades, hostage holding) – most were for search warrants or apprehending suspects involved in trivial matters like misdemeanors.

This shift toward a heavy reliance on SWAT teams does not fulfill the mission of “protecting and serving.” If anything, the violent tactics put everyone – including bystanders – in more danger. Let’s not understate the psychology of the situation either – when you dress police in war gear, they’re going to feel like soldiers out for a kill, not officers of peace.

In the last decade alone the number of people murdered by police has reached 5,000. The number of soldiers killed since the inception of the Iraq war, 4489.

So as it turns out, everybody BUT the police should be armed…

Oh yeah, and that California caller who can’t tell an umbrella from a rifle.

SOURCE

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

Carolina Woman Sentenced for Sex Assaults of Boys

Tamara Nicole Shoemaker
(Spartanburg, South Carolina) A 29-year-old Woodruff SC woman, Tamara Nicole Shoemaker, pleaded no contest this week to two counts each of first-degree assault and battery in connection to the sexual assaults of two boys.

Circuit Judge Roger Couch sentenced Shoemaker to 10 years, suspended to the service of three years and five years of probation for each crime. The sentences will run concurrently. Shoemaker will be evaluated after she’s released from prison to determine if she must register as a sex offender.

Shoemaker was charged in September 2011 with two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor age 11-14 after one of the boy’s relatives told police that he caught Shoemaker performing oral sex on a then 14-year-old.

Details on incarceration not provided.

Washington Teacher Gets Jail for Sex with Students - Update

(Tacoma, Washington)

The families of high school students who had sex with former Tacoma teacher Meredith Powell expressed anger that she will only spend six months behind bars.

The 25-year-old former Lincoln High School math teacher pleaded guilty in July to two counts of child rape and one count of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.

In addition to six months in jail, Powell must register as a sex offender for life.

* * * * *
Washington Teacher Guilty of Sex with Students - Update
[Previous 7/24/14 post]
(Tacoma, Washington)

A former Tacoma math teacher accused of having sexual relations with her students made a plea deal Wednesday that could get her a shorter time behind bars.

Meredith Powell was teaching at Lincoln High School when male students came forward early this year accusing her of sending inappropriate texts and engaging in sexual activity. Wednesday she pleaded guilty to two counts of rape of a child in the third degree and one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes.

Tacoma Schools representatives said they were grateful she finally admitted to her wrongdoing that ultimately affected students and her colleagues.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 29.

* * * * *
Washington Teacher Accused of Sex with Students
[Previous 2/6/14 post]
(Tacoma, Washington) A 24-year-old math teacher at Lincoln High School, Meredith Claire Powell, has been accused of engaging in sex with students.

Powell faces counts of third-degree child rape and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.

Tacoma schools spokesman Dan Voelpel said the district received an anonymous tip about allegations of sexual activity with students at Lincoln High on Tuesday and immediately passed that information along to the Tacoma Police Department.

Powell was placed on paid leave according to Voelpel. He said when the district learned Powell had been arrested she was placed on unpaid leave.

Powell was booked into custody at the Pierce County Jail.

Population of Beautiful Young Women

Pulchritude in Noiva do Cordeiro
(Noiva do Cordeiro, Brazil)

More than 600 women make up the population of Noiva do Cordeiro, southeast Brazil, and they are renowned in the local area for being extremely attractive.

A town where the entire population is made up of young women has made an appeal for single men - but only those willing to live by female rules.

Over 600 women make up the population of Noiva do Cordeiro, southeast Brazil - most aged between 20 and 35.

Although some are married with families, their husbands are made to work away from home, only being allowed to return at weekends.

Sons are sent away when they reach 18 and no other men are permitted to live in the town, which sits in a remote valley 60 miles east of Belo Horizonte.

The entire town, eh? Interesting.

Drug Ship Scuttled

MV Bushehr Amin Darya
(Mombasa, Kenya)

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday proudly gave an order to Kenyan Defence Forces to destroy the ship and drugs at the center of a record heroin bust in July.

The MV Bushehr Amin Darya was seized July 15 at the port of Mombasa after authorities were tipped off that the vessel may have been carrying drugs. Authorities eventually found a reported 341 kg of heroin stashed in the diesel tank of the vessel. The seizure was hailed as the biggest single seizure of drugs ever at the port.

A total of nine suspects were arrested as result of the bust, including six Pakistanis, two Indians and an Iranian, Reuters reported in July.

President Kenyatta made destruction of the ship a public spectacle to discourage future smugglers.

Carolina Teacher Sentenced for Inappropriate Acts

(Beaufort County, South Carolina) Former Hilton Head High School Spanish teacher Margaret LaMantia, 24, has pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor and disseminating harmful material to a minor.

Back in December of last year, a 16-year-old boy told his father that he had bought marijuana at the request of his teacher and she had sent him a provocative photograph.

As a result, LaMantia was sentenced to 'up to six years' in prison.

It's not clear exactly what 'up to six years' means.

* * * * *
Carolina Teacher Accused of Inappropriate Acts with Student
[Previous 12/11/13 post]
(Beaufort County, South Carolina) A 23-year-old substitute Spanish teacher at Hilton Head Island High School, Margaret Ann LaMantia, has been accused of sending inappropriate pictures to a 16-year-old student and asking the student to buy marijuana for her.

LaMantia faces counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and disseminating harmful material to a minor.

According to the release, the student's parents filed a report with the school resource officer after they learned of what they believed to be an inappropriate relationship between LaMantia and their son.

LaMantia and the student first met at school and exchanged phone numbers before Thanksgiving, the release said. The two began texting, and LaMantia sent pictures of her genitalia to the student through the Snapchat phone application between Nov. 29 and 30, the release said. The app allows photos to be viewed from 1 to 10 seconds before they are deleted.

Last Friday, she asked the student to buy marijuana for her, and the student agreed to buy a small amount, according to the release.

LaMantia was booked into custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center with bond set at $25,000.

US Muslim Admits to Multiple Killings

Ali Muhammad Brown
(Seattle, Washington) A 40-year-old self-described Muslim jihadist, Ali Muhammad Brown, has been accused of gunning down four Americans in a cross-country crime spree.

Brown reportedly confessed to the murders of three men in Washington and another in New Jersey.

The first attack, which took place in King County, Wash. on April 27, resulted in the death of 30-year-old Leroy Henderson. The victim reportedly sustained 10 gunshot wounds – all in the back – as he was walking toward his house.

In June, Brown confirmed that he killed two more men, Ahmed Said and Dwone Anderson-Young, in Seattle. After leaving the state, he said he fatally shot Bendan Tevlin near Newark, N.J. later the same month.

Details on the criminal case not reported.

Biking in Skirt



SOURCE:

1. Find a penny or something similar.

2. Find a rubber band.

3. Now put on your favourite skirt!

4. Push the penny from the back of your skirt to the front, through both layers.

5. Form a button at the front of the skirt, using both layers.

6. Wrap the band around the button making sure it’s secure.

7. Now get out there and enjoy your new freedom!

You're welcome.

Who would be giving the Communist clenched-fist salute these days?




Ecofascists, of course.  The pic above is apparently from a new film full of Warmist hysteria.  Some of the speakers sound a lot like old uncle Adolf too.  One totalitarianism is as good as another to them, I guess.

Details here

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

Alaska Woman Accused of Embezzlement

(North Pole, Alaska) A 38-year-old local woman, Theresa Hollens, has been accused of embezzling $76,000 from a convenience store while she worked as the assistant manager.

Hollens allegedly took the money from daily deposits over a period of 13 months.

Suspicions about Hollens’ activity was reported to troopers in September 2013. An investigation by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation’s Financial Crimes Unit led to the arrest.

Hollens was indicted by a Fairbanks Grand Jury last week on charges of scheme to defraud, first-degree theft and falsifying business records. She was arrested on Monday.

Hollens was booked into custody at the Fairbanks Correctional Center with bail set at $20,000.

Illinois Teacher Accused of Sex Crimes

Leah N. Eames
(DeKalb County, Illinois) A 32-year-old teacher at Sycamore High School, Leah N. Eames, has been accused of doing the nasty with a female student between the ages of 13 and 18. Eames was also a boys and girls swim coach.

Eames faces counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and criminal sexual assault.

The investigation began on August 10th, 2014, after a DeKalb Police Officer who was doing a building check located Eames in the Huntley School YMCA, located on south Fourth Street, working out with a student after hours. The circumstances were such that the DeKalb Police examined the video surveillance for the time frame during which the offender and student were present which showed Eames and a female student holding hands after the workout.

This observation led to the identification of the student who was later interviewed by Detectives. The subsequent investigation revealed that Eames had been engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with the victim over a period of time.

Eames was booked into custody with bond set at $75,000.

Ohio Teacher Sentenced for Sex with Student - Update

(Bucyrus, Ohio) Former Crestline teacher and girls basketball coach Brittany Hall, 25, pleaded no contest in Crawford County Common Pleas Court to an amended charge of first-degree misdemeanor assault.

As a result, Hall was sentenced to community control for one year and fined $250.

Hall was alleged to have been involved in a sexual relationship with one of her students during the spring of 2012. The victim was a freshman.

The alleged affair was not discovered until a year later. Hall was placed on paid administrative leave May 3, 2013. She resigned her position March 7, 2014.

Hall also surrendered her teaching license. Overall, the sentencing seems ultra lenient.

* * * * *
Ohio Teacher Accused of Sex with Student
[Previous 1/23/14 post]
(Bucyrus, Ohio) A 24-year-old English teacher and girls basketball coach at Crestline High School, Brittany Hall, has been indicted for allegedly engaging in sex with a student.

Hall faces counts of sexual battery and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

The alleged victim was a teenage Crestline High School student when the incident occurred between March 1 and May 31, 2012, according to the indictment.

Hall's case has been continued in Crawford County Common Pleas Court.

Buy Home, Get Free Cat

Russian Mortgage Cats
From the Moscow Times:

Russia's biggest lender, Sberbank, is looking to boost mortgage sales by offering a free cat to anyone willing to buy a property with money loaned from the bank.

The bank is offering a choice of 10 cats to mortgage-buyers, who will get the pet brought to their door by a new delivery service. According to a special website, KotoService.ru, the felines on offer include a ginger cat called "Apricot" and a hairless cat known as "Kuzya."

Reportedly, a video shows cats in empty apartments with smiling homeowners.

Note that the cats have to be returned to the bank. They are only provided for a short period to provide good luck in accordance with superstition.

Louisiana Woman Accused of Child Sex Trafficking

(Marrero, Louisiana) A 38-year-old local woman, Candice Caulfield, has been accused of trafficking a child for sex.

Caulfield faces counts of human trafficking, trafficking of a child for sexual purposes, second-degree cruelty to juveniles, contributing to the endangerment of a juvenile, promoting prostitution, enticing a person into prostitution.

In a written statement, Attorney General James Caldwell said his investigators joined forces with local, federal and non-profit agencies to "combat the buying, selling and abuse of innocent children."

"It's important for people to know that child sex trafficking is not just something that happens in other countries or something you see in the movies. It's real, and, despite having some of the toughest human trafficking laws in the nation, it exists right here in Louisiana," Caldwell said.

Caulfield was booked into custody at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center without bond.

Maine Mom Accused of Burning Daughter

(Stratton, Maine) A 39-year-old local woman, Jessica LaPlante, has been arrested for allegedly burning her 4-year-old daughter with a wood engraving tool.

LaPlante faces a charge of assault.

The Sheriff's Department said the girl's father filed a complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services after taking his daughter to the doctor with what looked like burns on her legs.

Investigators said the child told her father that her mother had burned her because she was "being bad." The family doctor verified that the wounds on the child were consistent with burn marks, according to the Sheriff''s Department.

More charges could arise after the case is reviewed by the district attorney.

Geography Guide for Lost Russian Soldiers

SOURCE:

Twice in the past three days, Ukraine has accused Russian soldiers of crossing the border and fighting alongside pro-Russian rebels in southeastern Ukraine. Ukraine's state security service said Monday it detained 10 Russian paratroopers who crossed into Ukrainian territory.

But a Russian defense ministry source said the soldiers crossed "most likely by accident," according to Reuters.

To aid Russian soldiers about geography, the Canadian delegation to NATO posted a helpful guide on Twitter.

The Canadian delegation also stated, "Geography can be tough. Here’s a guide for Russian soldiers who keep getting lost & ‘accidentally’ entering."

We're running out of food!

So says the gullible Justin Gillis of the NYT -- completely ignoring all the facts.  Take for instance the current situation  in icy Canada:  “In Western Canada, we’re moving from a huge glut of wheat to still a pretty big carry-over, but by no means the kind of over-supply we had in the last year.  And in 2013: “Canola - Nationally, canola production increased 29.5% from 2012 to a record 18.0 million tonnes; “Wheat: Farmers reported record wheat production of 37.5 million tonnes, a 38.0% increase from 2012.".  The only crop not a record in 2013 was Barley and Oats."  Anybody who knows anything about international trade in farm products knows that the chronic problem is surpluses, not shortages

Runaway growth in the emission of greenhouse gases is swamping all political efforts to deal with the problem, raising the risk of “severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts” over the coming decades, according to a draft of a major new United Nations report.

Global warming is already cutting grain production by several percentage points, the report found, and that could grow much worse if emissions continue unchecked. Higher seas, devastating heat waves, torrential rain and other climate extremes are also being felt around the world as a result of human-produced emissions, the draft report said, and those problems are likely to intensify unless the gases are brought under control.

The world may already be nearing a temperature at which the loss of the vast ice sheet covering Greenland would become inevitable, the report said. The actual melting would then take centuries, but it would be unstoppable and could result in a sea level rise of 23 feet, with additional increases from other sources like melting Antarctic ice, potentially flooding the world’s major cities.

“Human influence has been detected in warming of the atmosphere and the ocean, in changes in the global water cycle, in reduction in snow and ice, and in global mean-sea-level rise; and it is extremely likely to have been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century,” the draft report said. “The risk of abrupt and irreversible change increases as the magnitude of the warming increases.”

The report was drafted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a body of scientists and other experts appointed by the United Nations that periodically reviews and summarizes climate research. It is not final and could change substantially before release.

The report, intended to summarize and restate a string of earlier reports about climate change released over the past year, is to be unveiled in early November, after an intensive editing session in Copenhagen. A late draft was sent to the world’s governments for review this week, and a copy of that version was obtained by The New York Times.

Using blunter, more forceful language than the reports that underpin it, the new draft highlights the urgency of the risks that are likely to be intensified by continued emissions of heat-trapping gases, primarily carbon dioxide released by the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.

The report found that companies and governments had identified reserves of these fuels at least four times larger than could safely be burned if global warming is to be kept to a tolerable level.

From 1970 to 2000, global emissions of greenhouse gases grew at 1.3 percent a year. But from 2000 to 2010, that rate jumped to 2.2 percent a year, the report found, and the pace seems to be accelerating further in this decade.

A major part of the jump was caused by industrialization in China, which now accounts for half the world’s coal use. Those emissions are being incurred in large part to produce goods for consumption in the West.

The report noted that severe weather events, some of them linked to human-produced emissions, had disrupted the food supply in recent years, leading to several spikes in the prices of staple grains and destabilizing some governments in poorer countries.

Continued warming, the report found, is likely to “slow down economic growth, make poverty reduction more difficult, further erode food security, and prolong existing poverty traps and create new ones, the latter particularly in urban areas and emerging hot spots of hunger.”

More HERE

Further comments on the above from Prof. Don Easterbrook, who has studied global climate change for five decades:

"Global warming is already cutting grain production by several percentage points", the report found, With no global warming in 15-18 years, how can 'global warming' cut grain production?

"and that could grow much worse if emissions continue unchecked."  The total increase in atmospheric CO2 during the only period when both CO2 and temp increased (1978-1998) was a whopping 0.004%.  That's going to cause a lot of warming?

Higher seas, In areas cited as 'drowning (Maldives, Kiribati, Bangladesh), the sea level in the Maldives has dropped a full meter since 1979; sea level in Kiribati is not rising faster than coral is growing upward; sea level change in Bangladesh is due largely to compaction of delta sediments, and on and on.  In the next 50 years (2064) global sea level rise will be only about 3 inches!

"devastating heat waves, torrential rain and other climate extremes" This is simply not true--hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, etc are all declining, not increasing.

"The world may already be nearing a temperature at which the loss of the vast ice sheet covering Greenland would become inevitable, the report said. The actual melting would then take centuries, but it would be unstoppable and could result in a sea level rise of 23 feet, with additional increases from other sources like melting Antarctic ice, potentially flooding the world’s major cities."  Nonsense! Except for a few small blips, all of the past 10,000 years to 1500 years ago were 2.5 to 5.5 F warmer than present in Greenland and the ice sheet didn't disappear. As for the Antarctic, the average annual temp is -58 F so warming of 100 F would be required to melt the Antarctic ice sheet.

“Human influence has been detected in warming of the atmosphere and the ocean, in changes in the global water cycle, in reduction in snow and ice, and in global mean-sea-level rise; and it is extremely likely to have been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century,” Global snow and ice is on the increase, not decreasing, the rate of global sea level rise has decreased in recent years, modeling results have not even come close to predicting global temperatures in the past few decades and with no warming in 18 years, how can human influence be invoked?

"A continued rapid growth of emissions in coming decades could conceivably lead to a global warming exceeding 8 degrees Fahrenheit, the report found."  This is based on computer models that have proven to be totally worthless in predicting global temperature for even a few decades, so why should this number have any credibility?

What is really astonishing, is how the discredited IPCC can continue to put out such nonsense totally contrary to real evidence and still pretend to be scientists.

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

New York Woman Sentenced for Rape of Boy

Tanya M. Sochia
(Central Square, New York) A 30-year-old local woman, Tanya M. Sochia, pleaded guilty this week to second-degree rape of a 13-year-old boy.

As a result, Sochia was sentenced by Oswego County Judge Donald Todd to 6 months in the county jail and 10 years of probation.

The rape took place in January. The boy's mother was friends with Sochia at the time of the incident.

The mother of the boy said she is upset with the sentence.

"She walks away with barely nothing and my son's scars will never heal," she said. "It also makes me want to push for stricter laws here for child molesters."

Sochia also must register as a sex offender.

WV Teacher Faces Drug Charges

Jennifer Rachel Baisden
(Logan County, West Virginia) A 47-year-old teacher formerly at Chapmanville Regional High School, Jennifer Rachel Baisden, has been accused of multiple counts of providing crack cocaine.

Baisden faces four counts of delivery of crack cocaine.

Baisden was arrested on Monday by the U.S. 119 Task Force and was assisted by the sheriff’s department.

The counts alleged that Baisden sold crack cocaine to a cooperating individual for U.S. currency on four separate occasions, the sheriff’s office said.

Baisden was booked into custody at the Southwestern Regional Jail with bond set at $10,000.

Recycling Plant Explosion

Totall Metal Recycling Plant
(Granite City, Illinois)

A recycling plant explosion in Granite City, Illinois has left two dead.

Local police officers and firefighters cannot get inside the recycling plant at this time due to safety concerns. A breaking news report about the Granite City explosion on Fox News indicates that first responders fear the death toll could grow substantially higher.

The Totall Metal Recycling plant employs more than 160 people, according to the business website.

Reportedly, one mortar shell detonated and there may be more.

Pennsylvania Woman Accused of Kidnapping Young Girl

Christina Regusters
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) The trial started Monday for 21-year-old former child care worker, Christina Regusters, who faces charges of kidnapping and sex assault of a 5-year-old girl.

Regusters, 21, is the lone person charged in the brazen attack, although the defense has said others must be involved. The little girl herself believes she was attacked by a man, because that's what she was told when blindfolded, a prosecutor said.

"This is the man your mommy sold you to," the girl was told earlier as she was shown a cellphone photo, according to Assistant District Attorney Erin O'Brien.

The woman who signed the girl out of her classroom had donned a Muslim veil and floor-length khamir to pose as the child's mother at Bryant Elementary School on Jan. 14, 2013.[…]

The girl was stuffed into a laundry bag as she was carried into a west Philadelphia home, where she heard a talking bird, one of several clues that led police to Regusters, O'Brien said. She was sexually assaulted with an unknown object, and later abandoned the next morning on a playground, wearing only a T-shirt, the prosecutor said.

The young girl, now 7-years-old, is expected to testify.

Pope Francis Says Use Force Against ISIS in Iraq

Pope Francis I
(Vatican City)

Pope Francis on Monday endorsed the use of force to stop Islamic militants from attacking religious minorities in Iraq but said the international community — and not just one country — should decide how to intervene.

Arguably, the Pope's action could be considered the path to a 21st Century Crusade.

Hundreds of 'toxic' methane vents discovered in the Atlantic's depths - and they could be caused by global warming

Toxic, my foot!  Methane is the main component of natural gas.  Your gas stove probably runs on it.  And nor could the seeps be caused by global warming -- because there hasn't been any global warming for a long time now

Scientists have been left shocked by the surprising appearance of hundreds of methane vents off the US East Coast. More than 500 vents have been found where methane is seeping into the ocean.

And there is concern that these increased amounts of gas could be caused by global warming.

The study published in Nature Geosciences was carried out by researchers from Mississippi State University, the US Geological Survey (USGS) and other institutions.

The research suggests that natural methane leakage from the seafloor is far more widespread in the US Atlantic than previously thought.

In total more than 570 seafloor cold seeps were observed between Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and Georges Bank, Massachusetts.

Cold seeps are areas where gases and fluids leak into the surrounding water from sediments on the seafloor.

The seeps were found on the outer continental shelf and the continental slope of the eastern US.  Previously, only three seep areas had been identified in this area - making the findings a dramatic increase on what was known before.

‘Widespread seepage had not been expected on the Atlantic margin,’ said Adam Skarke, the study’s lead author and a professor at Mississippi State University.

‘It is not near a plate tectonic boundary like the US Pacific coast, nor associated with a petroleum basin like the northern Gulf of Mexico.’

The location of the seeps and knowledge of the underlying geology suggests the leaking methane is being produced by microbial processes in shallow sediments.

At depths of more than 2,000 feet (600 metres) in some places, the seeps are too deep to release methane directly into the atmosphere.

However, there is the danger that if the methane stays in the water, it could oxidise into carbon dioxide.

This can increase the acidity of ocean waters and reduce oxygen levels, which can be harmful to marine life.

While not directly pointing a finger at climate change, the researchers indicate that global warming could be the cause of the problem.

‘Warming of ocean temperatures on seasonal, decadal or much longer time scales can cause gas hydrate to release its methane, which may then be emitted at seep sites,’ said Dr Carolyn Ruppel, study co-author and chief of the USGS Gas Hydrates Project.

‘Such continental slope seeps have previously been recognised in the Arctic, but not at mid-latitudes. So this is a first.

SOURCE

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

Record Level of Executions

(Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

A person has been put to death in Saudi Arabia almost every day this month with the country expected to have added to that figure with the execution of its 23rd inmate yesterday.

Hajras al-Qurey will become the latest person to be executed in the last three weeks with human rights groups horrified by what they are calling a surge in executions.

The execution of al-Qurey will top off a deadly week around the world with the beheading of an Egyptian man by Libya armed groups and the execution of 18 informers by Hamas, according to Amnesty International.[…]

According to Amnesty, there has been a surge in executions in Saudi Arabia since the end of Ramadan on July 28, with 22 executions taking place between August 4 and August 22, compared to 17 executions between January and July this year.

One can lose his/her noggin for just about anything in Saudi Arabia, it seems. Interestingly, nobody is protesting the inhumane slaughter.

Texas Teacher Charged with Public Intoxication

(Arlington, Texas) A 28-year-old first-grade teacher at West Elementary School, Megan Updegraff, has been arrested after arriving at work drunk.

Updegraff has been charged with public intoxication.

The AISD School is actually in Grand Prairie, and Grand Prairie police arrested her after giving her a Breathalyzer and field sobriety tests.

Police won't release where Updegraff had been prior to arriving at school, or her blood alcohol level.

Police say a colleague at school called 911 to report that she was intoxicated.

Updegraff has been placed on administrative leave by the school.

Unique Delicacy - Rat

(Phnom Penh, Cambodia)

A unique harvest is under way in the rice fields of Cambodia where tens of thousands of wild rats are being trapped alive each day to feed a growing export market for the meat of rural rodents.

Popularly considered a disease-carrying nuisance in many societies, the rice field rats, Rattus argentiventer, of this small South-East Asian nation are considered a healthy delicacy due to their free-range lifestyle and largely organic diet.

Rat-catching season reaches its height after the rice harvest in June and July when rats have little to eat in this part of rural Kompong Cham province, some 60km from the capital Phnom Penh.

It's said that wild rats are tasty because they eat organic food, not trash. Tastes like pork.

Piercing King

(Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

The world's most-pierced man, Rolf Buchholz, was just deported from Dubai, for fear of 'black magic', he says.[…]

While the 55-year-old from Dortmund's 458 metal piercings include 127 in and around his lips, 25 in his eyebrows and 8 in his nose, a further 278 punctuate his genital area. We'll leave it to the imagination what that must look like or demand in the way of maintenance.

Add the twin horns, giant earlobe tunnels and equally prolific swathes of tattoos acquired during the past 15 years, and he makes an undeniably striking figure.[…]

The Cirque le Soir nightclub in Dubai, which had invited him to join an array of sword swallowers and other distinctive guests at an event, said airport authorities cited “security reasons” in denying him entry.

I suspect the Dubai officials were spooked by Buchholz's appearance and didn't want to take any chance that he would disrupt society in Dubai.

Libertarians, Ferguson, and "Racism"

“Paleo-libertarian” and long-standing World Net Daily writer, Ilana Mercer, takes to task Paul Craig Roberts, who recently suggested that “racism” may very well play a role in accounting for why so many whites are inclined to think that the shooting was justified. In her own inimitable way, Mercer puts this line out to pasture by noting it for the “nonsense” and “bullshit” that it is.

There could be any number of reasons for why white Americans are disposed to sympathize with the decorated police officer for whose death the rioters are now calling, Mercer notes. Among such reasons, she remarks, is that these “ordinary Americans who Paul Craig Roberts maligns as likely racists…have simply experienced ‘black crime’ first hand, or are fearful of experiencing ‘black-on-white’ violence in all its ferocity [.]”

Some remarks are in order here.

First, anyone who is interested in thinking clearly and honestly must realize that “racism” is the rhetorical ware of bumper stickers and t-shirts: Because it means—and is intended to mean—all things to all people, it has become meaningless. All that we do know is that “racism” is a dreadful, probably the most dreadfulthing, of which a white person can be accused.

To be called a “racist,” then, is like being called a “creep” or a “jerk,” only much, much worse.

Of course, no one knows why it’s supposed to be so terrible to be a “racist.” In and of itself, a “racist” could signify someone who has a special place in his heart, a certain partiality, toward the members of his own race. Yet such affection for the members of one’s race no more betrays a weakness in one’s character than does a fondness for one’s family or one’s nation.

May not “racism” be the moral equivalent to “family-ism” or “patriotism?”

However we choose to slice and dice this matter, the point is that “racism” is a vapid term that any thoughtful person should’ve abandoned long ago.

But there is another reason why this silly word should never spring from the lips of any self-professed lover of liberty: the word isn’t just silly, it is dangerous.

In fact, “racism” has proven to be more inimical to liberty in our time than has any other.

It is under the pretext of combating “racism,” after all, that freedom of association, private property rights, “’states’ rights”—comprehensively, the principle of “equality under the law”—have been decisively routed. Our national government has all but revoked the federal government ratified by our Founders. To no slight measure, this has occurred in the name of securing “racial equality” (while generating more inequality than ever).

In fueling the notion that, to this day, white America remains consumed by “racism,” self-avowed “libertarians,” whether they realize it or not, hasten liberty’s extinction by exacerbating the steady impulse toward ever greater concentrations of power.

The verdict is unambiguous: Incessant chirping over “racism” is inimical to both good sense and freedom alike.

SOURCE

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

Kurdish Women Soldiers Take on ISIS

Kurdish Women Soldiers
(Kurdistan, Iraq)

There is a new weapon being used against the brutal ISIS forces terrorizing Iraq and Syria. Kurdish women are fighting the Islamic State terrorists and are demonstrating that they are formidable in battle. They also bear a significant psychological advantage – dying at the hand of a woman supposedly means the jihadist won’t get his automatic 70 virgins and go to heaven. Aw.

Battle strategy 101 teaches, “First, know thine enemy.” The Kurdish forces obviously do. ISIS jihadists have clearly demonstrated a collective mentality of an intense devaluation of women. Recent actions have reduced women in their world to little more than sexual slaves. To die at the hand of a woman is the ultimate humiliation for the men who apparently feel no shame for any other reason.

Kurdish women, according to Syria Deeply, are no stranger to fighting in battle, and are “regarded as some of the most liberal in the region.” Because of the violence that women in the area have been suffering at the hands of the Islamic State militants, female Kurdish soldiers have been signing up in increasing numbers to fight back, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The 2nd Peshmerga Battalion is a battalion of fighters – all women – who fight with the Turkish PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party). “Peshmerga” means “those who confront death.” The PKK is based in Turkey, but Kurds are spread throughout the region in parts of Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq.

Interesting, eh?

Pennsylvania Teacher Gets 3 Days Jail for Sex with 2 Boys

Jessica Hachat
(Lancaster, Ohio) A 30-year-old local teacher, Jessica Hachat, has been convicted on two counts of endangering children for engaging in sex with two special needs boys.

As a result, Hachat was sentenced Friday to three days in the Lancaster jail.

Detectives say Hachat met one of her victims at the West Afterschool Summer Lunch Program in Lancaster. That special needs 17-year old boy introduced another 17-year-old - who is also special needs - to Hatchet.

While the second 17-year-old wasn't in court, his father read his impact statement. “If I didn't do what I did, my family wouldn't be in this situation and we would all be happy,” he said.

Arguably, three days jail is a slap on the hand.

Large conclusions drawn from just 3 years of Cryosat-2 data

Even using ICEsat data extends the series to only 5 years  -- far too little to support claims of a trend.  A larger series could reveal very different earlier changes. The report below is objective enough.  It is only the spin Warmists are putting on it that is fanciful.  Note that the report below admits that the Antarctic sheet is both thickening and thinning (in different places)  -- so any trend is not even Antarctic-wide, let alone global

Elevation and elevation change of Greenland and Antarctica derived from CryoSat-2

By V. Helm, A. Humbert, and H. Miller

Abstract.

This study focuses on the present-day surface elevation of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. Based on 3 years of CryoSat-2 data acquisition we derived new elevation models (DEMs) as well as elevation change maps and volume change estimates for both ice sheets. Here we present the new DEMs and their corresponding error maps. The accuracy of the derived DEMs for Greenland and Antarctica is similar to those of previous DEMs obtained by satellite-based laser and radar altimeters. Comparisons with ICESat data show that 80% of the CryoSat-2 DEMs have an uncertainty of less than 3 m ± 15 m. The surface elevation change rates between January 2011 and January 2014 are presented for both ice sheets. We compared our results to elevation change rates obtained from ICESat data covering the time period from 2003 to 2009. The comparison reveals that in West Antarctica the volume loss has increased by a factor of 3. It also shows an anomalous thickening in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica which represents a known large-scale accumulation event. This anomaly partly compensates for the observed increased volume loss of the Antarctic Peninsula and West Antarctica. For Greenland we find a volume loss increased by a factor of 2.5 compared to the ICESat period with large negative elevation changes concentrated at the west and southeast coasts. The combined volume change of Greenland and Antarctica for the observation period is estimated to be −503 ± 107 km3 yr−1. Greenland contributes nearly 75% to the total volume change with −375 ± 24 km3 yr−1.

The Cryosphere, 8, 1539-1559, 2014.

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

European Satellite Problems

Galileo satellite artist impression

Two satellites meant to form part of Europe's Galileo navigation system - a rival to the American GPS – have been launched into the wrong orbit, it emerged Saturday.

It was not immediately clear whether the satellites, launched using a Russian-built Soyuz rocket on Friday, could use their on-board propulsion systems to move into the correct orbit, nor what the impact on their ability to function would be if they could not be moved.

The European Space Agency (ESA) had initially said the launch from Kourou in French Guyana had been successful. But Arianespace, the firm overseeing the launch, revealed the error in a statement released Saturday.

It's currently unknown whether the satellite trajectories can be corrected.

Iowa Woman Accused of Molesting Boy, 5

Chesna Lipkowitz
(Bettendorf, Iowa) A 36-year-old local woman, Chesna Lipkowitz, has been accused of molesting a 5-year-old boy at least 10 times a decade ago.

Lipkowitz faces two counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of lascivious acts with a child.

Lipkowitz admitted to police that the victim was 5 years old when she molested him for her own sexual gratification, according to her arrest affidavit.

The victim said Lipkowitz performed sex acts with him on at least 10 occasions in her home, the affidavit states.

She admitted performing a sex act on the child on five occasions as well as making him perform sex acts on her during each instance, the affidavit further states. She did not deny that other sex acts with the victim occurred as he claimed, but she did not recall them taking place, according to the affidavit.

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

Global warming pause 'may last for another decade', scientists suggest

Basic physics:  When something is hot, its molecules are farther apart than when it is cold. When water is hot, its molecules are further apart, so it takes up more room. That makes hot water lighter than cold water, because the cold water has more molecules in the same amount of room. And put a ping-pong ball into any container of water and watch it sink to the bottom (NOT!).  It's only in Warmist models that hot (less dense) water sinks.  And the Warmists not only say that warm water sinks to the bottom but they also say that the warm water stays down there for many years.  It's science fantasy, not science fact.  There's no science left in Warmism

The “pause” in global warming may last another decade before surface temperatures start rising again, according to scientists who say heat is being stored in the depths of the Atlantic and Southern Oceans.

Global average surface temperatures rose rapidly from the 1970s but have been relatively stable since the late 1990s, in a trend that has been seized upon by climate sceptics who question the science of man-made warming.

Climate change scientists have proposed more than a dozen theories to explain the "hiatus", which they say is a "distraction" from the widespread consensus on global warming.

A new study, published in the journal Science, suggests that a natural cycle of ocean currents has caused the phenomenon by drawing heat from shallow waters down almost a mile into the depths of the Atlantic and Southern Oceans.

The cycle naturally produces periods of roughly 30 years in which heat is stored near the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, leading to warmer temperatures, followed by roughly 30 years in which it is stored in the depths, causing cooler surface temperatures, it suggests.

Rising surface temperatures in the last three decades of the 20th century were roughly half caused by man-made global warming and half by the ocean currents keeping more heat near the surface, it finds.

When the ocean cycle reversed around the turn of the century, drawing heat down into the depths, this served to counteract the effects of man-made global warming.

"When the internal variability that is responsible for the current hiatus switches sign, as it inevitably will, another episode of accelerated global warming should ensue," the study concludes.

Prof Ka-Kit Tung of the University of Washington, one of the report's authors, said: "Historically the cool period lasted 20 to 35 years. The current period already lasted 15 years, so roughly there [are] 10 more years to go."

But he said that other impacts of climate change could upset the cycle, which is caused by variation in the salinity of the water as denser, saltier water sinks.

Prof Tung said the study's findings were a surprise because previous studies had suggested it was the Pacific Ocean that was "the culprit for hiding heat".

"The data are quite convincing and they show otherwise," he said.

Prof Piers Forster, professor of climate change at the University of Leeds, said the paper was "another a nail in the coffin of the idea that the hiatus is evidence that our projections of long term climate change need revising down".

"Variability in the ocean will not affect long-term climate trends but may mean we have a period of accelerated warming to look forward to," he said.

Prof Richard Allan, professor of climate science at the University of Reading, said: "Although it is human nature to seek a single cause for notable events, in reality the complexity of the climate system means that there is not one simple explanation for a decade of unusual climatic conditions."

SOURCE

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

NY School Counselor Accused of Tampering with Grades

Bonnie Schilling
(Poughkeepsie, New York) A 45-year-old guidance counselor and softball coach at John Jay High School, Bonnie Schilling, has been accused of tampering with a student's grades.

Schilling faces charges of tampering with public records, a Class D felony.

Schilling's arrest followed a five-month investigation in concert with the Wappingers Central School District, police said. The findings determined that Schilling affected the grades of one student, which police said was "not a member of any sports teams at the time of the incident."

Schilling's attorney, Michael Sussman of Goshen, said last month the allegations against Schilling were that she tampered with her son's transcripts, and said Schilling denied the allegation. Sussman did not reply to multiple messages Friday.

Schilling was booked and released on her own recognizance.

Louisiana Teacher, 41, and Boy, 16

Ashley Elizabeth Dowden
(Baton Rouge, Louisiana) A 41-year-old local woman, Ashley Elizabeth Dowden, has been arrested for engaging in sex with a 16-year-old boy.

Dowden faces counts of computer aided solicitation of a juvenile, indecent behavior with juveniles, and carnal knowledge of juveniles.

The teen, who does not attend the school where the woman is employed, was questioned by deputies on Aug. 16.

"…He admitted that he had sexual intercourse with [his teacher] at [the] school…," the deputy noted.

Deputies recovered nude photographs of the woman, Ashley Elizabeth Dowden, as well as sexually explicit text messages. Deputies interviewed Dowden on Thursday, Aug. 21.

"Initially, [Dowden] made the post Miranda statements that the allegations were not true," the deputy noted. "However, the accused admitted that she had sex with the victim and she exchanged nude photographs and sexually explicit messages with him, after she was confronted with the images that were recovered from his phone."

Dowden was booked into custody at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison and released on $15,000 bond.

Marriage

(Zhejiang Province, China) Dearly beloved. Here we unite a cement truck and a passenger vehicle.

Reportedly, there were no fatalities.