Proposed Base Closings

The official BRAC list has been released and Jeff Quinton is transcribing it from .pdf format. Below, I've transcribed the list for Ohio, divided into three groups.

TO CLOSE

Army National Guard Reserve Center - Mansfield

Army National Guard Reserve Center - Westerfield

Defense Finance and Accounting Service - Dayton

Mansfield Lahm Municipal Airport - Air Guard Station

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center - Akron

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center - Cleveland

Parrot U.S. Army Reserve Center - Kenton

U.S. Army Reserve Center - Whitehall

Leased Space - OH


TO GAIN

Armed Forces Reserve Center - Akron

Defense Supply Center - Columbus

Rickenbacker International Airport - Air Guard Center

Toledo Express Airport - Air Guard Center

Wright Patterson Air Force Base

Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport


TO REALIGN

Defense Finance and Accounting Service - Cleveland

Glenn Research Center

Rickenbacker Army National Guard Bldg 943 - Columbus

Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport - Air Guard Station

After reviewing the entire list, it's notable that the Pentagon is closing finance and accounting facilities throughout the nation in an obvious consolidation effort. It also appears that an across-the-board reduction in satellite reserve centers, affecting almost every state, is planned. As an example, six of nine closures announced for Ohio are reserve centers.

One proposed closure I thought was quite interesting was the Submarine Base in New London, Connecticut. Personally, I was taken aback, thinking the place had more value.

For the entire list in .pdf, go here. In HTML, it's at the Backcountry Conservative.

Arizona Education System is Completely Broken

Citizens in the state of Arizona should be going ballistic. I certainly would be. The overseers and administrators of the public school system have to be criminally incompetent. While spending millions of taxpayer dollars and promising to increase standards, the incompetents are lowering the minimum requirements for a passing test grade to the point where there is an offhand chance that a student flipping a coin would answer enough questions to pass. From The Arizona Republic:

This year's junior class is the first that must pass the reading, writing and math high school AIMS test to get a diploma. They got a considerable break Thursday after state officials reviewed their spring test results and then officially lowered the score needed to pass the exit exam, whose full name is Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards.

With the help of the new, lowered passing scores, and after taking a third crack at the high school AIMS test, an estimated 61 percent of the Class of 2006 passed. That's up from the 43 percent passing rate for the fall 2004 tests.

On Thursday, after two days of deliberations and on the advice of a teacher committee and testing experts, the Arizona State Board of Education reduced the passing score for math to 60 percent correct from 71 percent. It also reduced the passing score for reading to 59 percent correct from 72 percent.

So, they dropped the requirements from about 70% to 60% or less and they still can't get but a lousy 61% to pass.

Most Arizona State Board of Education members said lowering the scores would look as if they were lowering the bar and backing off high standards for high school graduates, but still they voted 9-1 to do it.

It would look like they're lowering the bar and backing off high standards! They are! There's no look like here. And not only that, but the students are taking the test three times to achieve the reduced minimum test scores. This whole situation is absolutely sickening.

Two words. Private School.

Unconfirmed Base Closing List Leaked

It looks like Ohio and neighboring states will realize minimal impact from the base closings. I counted less than a half dozen possibilities. No so with some other states. Tipped by Jeff Quinton who has the list and links.

One command listed is the Naval Support Unit in Saratoga Springs, New York. Oddly, I used to live in Saratoga when I was in the USN and I don't remember a support unit. It must have been real low profile.

Obviously, nothing will be formalized for a while and there'll be some passionate politics before anything happens.

Woman Charged with Statutory Sexual Seduction

(Franklin, Massachusetts) Two FBI agents and Franklin Police Detective Kevin Connolly arrested Jennifer L. Marshall, 34, for allegedly performing oral sex on a 15-year-old boy in Nevada. Marshall is being charged by Las Vegas Metro Police with statutory sexual seduction.

Now, I must digress here. When I first skimmed through this story, I thought, 'My God! How long is this kid's schlong!?' The kid's in Nevada and she's in Massachusetts doing a Lewinsky. I've heard of super-endowed guys but, Holy moly, I've never heard of one that crossed state lines. It sounds like material for a sci-fi porn movie.

Getting back, it's apparent that at some point in time, Marshall was in Nevada and that's when the alleged crime occurred and it also explains why the FBI is involved. It probably has something to do with flight to avoid prosecution, which is a federal crime. I'm guessing here. The initial reporting is understandably sketchy.

Marshall is scheduled to appear in Wrentham District Court later today.

A final thought. I'm intrigued by the idea that a singular activity could, under certain circumstances, occur in two different jurisdictions. Besides the ridiculous thought of a guy being serviced in one jurisdiction by a person in a different jurisdiction, what about the situation where an activity is conducted at the state line? Bear with me a moment. Take the theoretical situation where a pregnant Mexican woman, ready to give birth, is at the U.S.-Mexico border and her entire body is in Mexico. She is scrunched up to the international boundary in such a manner that, when she gives birth, the baby crosses the border into the U.S. The umbilical cord could be knotted and severed at the international boundary. Then the baby would be a U.S. citizen without the mother ever entering the U.S.

This post is brought to you courtesy of a few cups of strong coffee.


[Update 12/5/08]

According to a message left in comments, Jennifer Marshall was cleared of all charges.

Smokers to Pay Higher Insurance

From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Teachers and other state employees who smoke will have to pay $40 a month more for health insurance starting July 1.

Employees are fuming over the surcharge, which hits state workers, public school teachers and their families who admit to smoking or using tobacco in the past 12 months.

[ ... ]

In Georgia, state employees are expected to abide by the honor system when they sign up for insurance coverage and are asked whether they use tobacco, said Tim Burgess, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health. Those caught lying will lose their insurance for a year, he said.

It is not known how this provision is going to be enforced. There are no strong measures to prevent people from signing off that they never smoke while continuing to enjoy their nightly after-dinner cigars in the privacy of their homes. Losing insurance for a year for lying probably won't be a strong deterrent to those who crave nicotine. They'll just practice their habit in secrecy. And, I'm really unclear as to how they can impose a smoking prohibition on the family of a worker.

Curiously, the smoking of marijuana appears to be acceptable since the rule specifically targets tobacco. As an aside, a man used to be able to stop at his local bar and have beer and a smoke while the marijuana users had to hide when they smoked. Nowadays, tobacco is banned in bars while marijuana clubs are opening regularly for dope smokers. So, if you're going to smoke in public, it better be dope.

One last thought. If the tobacco surcharge is warranted because smokers increase the cost of health care, why couldn't the same argument be used to justify a beer surcharge or a weight surcharge?

'Meth for Sex' Story Called Premature

(Salem, Oregon) On Tuesday, it was reported that a dozen girls at Waldo Middle School - some as young as 12 - were involved with trading sex for methamphetamine. Apparently, that story was an overreaction.

It is now being reported that only four girls allegedly were involved and there has been no clear evidence of sexual intercourse. However, touching and petting activities with men during the weekend and evenings are suspected and being investigated.

Earlier reports by Portland television stations were based on sketchy information provided by the statements of one girl. According to Salem-Keizer School District spokeswoman Mary Paulson, school administrators have not received any complaints nor information concerning students using drugs or trading sex for drugs.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.

'Dog Rescues Baby' Story Called Fishy

(Nairobi, Kenya) The story has been reported globally. A foraging dog found an eight-pound baby girl wrapped in a dirty black cloth, carried her across a busy road through a barbed-wire fence, and placed the infant with her own litter of puppies. Well, all may not be as it seems. From NEWS24.com:

As offers to adopt an abandoned Kenyan infant reportedly rescued by a foraging dog continued to pour into Nairobi on Wednesday, officials expressed mounting scepticism at the heart-warming tale.

[ ... ]

While not prepared to dismiss the internationally publicised story as an outright hoax, doctors and employees at Kenyatta National Hospital, where the two-week-old infant girl, named "Angel" is recovering, said it may well be too good to be true.

[ ... ]

The claims sparked heated debate among doctors when the baby was brought to Kenyatta hospital for care, with one group of physicians dismissing the story and another accepting that a female dog nursing puppies could have been driven by maternal instinct to save the child.

Hospital spokesman Simon Githae declined to comment on the dispute but said the child did not bear a single scratch despite having been reportedly dragged through barbed wire by the dog.

Javan Agesa Madome, an animal behaviour expert at the Kenya Society for Protection and Care of Animals, said he believed the story but admitted to being unsure how an untrained street canine could have managed the feat.

Evidently, the dog and baby story may be a bunch of cock and bull. Either way, it's still fishy.

Companion post at Backcountry Conservative.

Tortoise on the Lam

(Marin County, California) A meter reader left the backyard gate open at Pat Martin's house and her pet 50-year-old California desert tortoise escaped. Missing pet signs have been posted on poles in the neighborhood. The public is asked to be on the lookout for the 12-pounder, which responds to Heathcliffe.

Dozens Pricked in Middle School

(Harlingen, Texas) According to this report, two 12-year-old students at Memorial Middle School were turned over to police for pricking 15 classmates with Lancet needles, customarily used for testing by diabetics. Yesterday, another report states that four more students were arrested in the pricking prank and the total number of victims now numbers 30. The prickees have been tested for HIV and hepatitis and results are expected by the end of this week. The prickers were sent to the juvenile detention center in San Benito.

Anybody else wonder how this prank was able to grow to involve dozens of sixth-grade students without any teacher, administrator, or parent knowing about it?

San Antonio Saints?

According to this report, New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson wants to move his team to San Antonio. I don't think he's serious, at least not right now. My guess is he's gesturing to force the state of Louisiana to offer him a better deal to stay in New Orleans.

Flagrant Barney Frank

The openly homosexual congressman from Massachusetts, Barney Frank, was photographed grabbing the tush of his gay escort at a recent event in Philadelphia. Nobody complained. I agree with others, homosexuals seem to be indulged by the media to a greater degree than heterosexuals. And, if they are Democrats, they can get away with just about anything. Had Frank grabbed the bottom of a woman, there might be some outrage but it would quickly fade. Some people are just allowed more latitude.

Dutch Emigrating in Droves

It's not just the tourist agencies that talk up how nice The Netherlands are, many people do. For decades, I've heard of the serene European setting, the quaint canals, the tulips and wooden shoes, and, above all, the liberal friendliness of Amsterdam. Well, check out what Expatica says:

AMSTERDAM - About 20,000 Dutch people have serious plans to emigrate permanently, demographic research institute NIDI said on Wednesday.

In general, those with serious plans to emigrate have at least a diploma from upper secondary vocational education (MBO) and are aged between 35 and 44. They often earn a good income.

"Just" 2 percent of the Dutch population aged 15 or older is thinking of emigrating in the future, while about one in 10 of this group has serious plans.

This means, from an adult population of 13.2 million, some 250,000 are thinking of emigrating and about 20,000 have serious plans to leave.

So, if it's such a wonderful place, why are so many people (smart educated people, mind you) anxious to leave? Reasons cited are crowding, crime, noise, and the Dutch mentality, whatever that is. The preferred destinations are Canada, Australia, and France.

Nonetheless, the fact that educated people are leaving does not bode well for the country in the long run. A trend of that nature has the potential of negatively affecting the economy.

White House & Capitol Evacuated - Liveblogging

From TV and radio coverage, it's being reported that a small aircraft violated restricted airspace over Washington. As a result, the White House, its grounds, and the Capitol were ordered evacuated. Fighter jets were scrambled. The President was not in the White House at the time.

12:18pm - All clear

CNN reports that about 15 minutes transpired between first alert and all clear.

FAA reports that the violator was a small Cessna aircraft which is being escorted to a landing site.

[Update @ 12:58pm] - Cessna diverted to Frederick, MD, and the pilot is in custody of Maryland State Police and federal agents. The Supreme Court and the Treasury were also evacuated when the alert was initiated. The aircraft came from Lancaster, PA.

The fighter jets scrambled were F-16s along with a Blackhawk helicopter. Operation designated as Operation Noble Eagle. When in the air, the fighters fired two flares to catch the attention of the Cessna pilot.

MSNBC has an aerial shot of the Cessna on the runway with at least six vehicles around it. Blackhawk menacingly a few yard distant on the grass. They report that the plane was about two minutes away from Capitol when diverted. I count about fifteen people in the area around the plane.

[Update @ 1:15] White House Briefing - Scott McClellan

11:59 - Threat level raised to yellow ...
12:00 - Fighter jets scrambled ...
12:01 - Threat level to orange ...
12:03 - Threat level to red ...
12:11 - Threat level back to yellow ...
12:14 - All Clear.

Reported that the plane was three miles away when diverted. Reported that President Bush's motorcade is heading back to White House from his bike ride.

For some reason, efforts to communicate with the pilot resulted in no response. Blackhawk helicopter is believed to be assigned to Customs Enforcement.

[Update @ 1:24] - Live aerial shot shows Cessna being towed down the runway followed by a caravan of sedans.

1:31 - Plane has been parked. I have the feeling that the pilot may have to wait a while to get it back.

1:40 - Shows over.

Chinese Drug Rehab

The Chinese surely are inscrutable. They have developed a special medical practice to curb drug addiction - brain surgery. From Xinhua:

Qi Guoming, chief of the Science and Education Department under the Health Ministry, said the surgery is still under clinical studies but not for clinical use.

"It is irresponsible and immoral to conduct the operation before an experimental conclusion is reached. Therefore, we are not resuming it," he said.

Brain surgery for curing drug addicts is a key research field and the ministry is thinking about applying for national fund for scientific studies given by the Ministry of Science and Technology, said Qi.

Health Ministry's spokesman Mao Qun said last month that brain surgery to curb drug cravings is a special medical practice. Those hospitals and doctors who perform the operation, as well as the equipment, environment and post-surgery observation, must be qualified and standardized.

Qi also stressed at the same day that before the ministry carries out a scheme and regulation for the clinical studies of brain surgery, any medical unit cannot perform the surgery in the name of clinical study or service.

Brain surgery was suspended on Nov. 2 last year by the ministry because of disputes over its unidentified side effects among medical experts. Evaluation and argument of the operation have been lasting ever since. [Emphasis mine - ed.]

[ ... ]

By Nov. 2 when the operation was suspended, about 500 patients had received the surgery throughout China. Most of them reported positive results, but some of them appeared abnormal symptoms, like the loss of sex drive.

Okay, you're addicted so they operate on your brain and you end up with no libido. Notably, the Russians used to do the same procedure for addiction but they stopped in 2002 because people complained of headaches. Boy, that's a shock. The Russians also found that it didn't cure addiction. Ah, but the inscrutable Chinese persevere.

And you've got to love their reasoning for suspending the practice in Nov. "Disputes over its unidentified side effects among medical experts" has to mean that they were arguing about what they didn't know. Now, that's the cutting edge of science.

AOL Offering Free Email

Effective today, AOL is offering free email to users of its AIM instant messaging service. The company hopes to ultimately profit by selling more advertising. Good Luck.

Lobster Pain

Do lobsters feel pain when plunged into boiling water? I don't know. And frankly, I don't care, but Tony Yaksh does. He's doing research at the University of California at San Diego to answer that exact question.

I suspect that the lobster dies so fast that it doesn't have a chance for any significant nerve response, unlike the trout you pull out of the water and immediately slit from its anus to its head. Even as you scrape the guts out with your Buck knife, that trout opens and closes his mouth in some sort of curdling silent fish scream. You know he's in pain.

Utah Webhost Services Jihadists

It's named United Online Web Services, Inc. with headquarters in Orem, Utah. The service needs to be shut down because it's helping the terrorists to train and to kill American soldiers. Rusty Shackleford has the story.

One question I have is why aren't there provisions in the Patriot Act to go after American businesses that provide support to the enemy? Hell, during WWII, we regularly bombed German and Japanese radio transmission facilities to keep them from broadcasting. Yet, somehow the jihad crowd is able to use U.S.-based Internet resources with impunity. It doesn't make any sense.

'The Gates' in Central Park

(NYC) Remember those orange drapes scattered around Central Park last February? It's estimated they resulted in a $254 million windfall for the city of New York. The figure comes from initial data of economic activity at hotels, restaurants, and cultural institutions near Central Park and across the city.

Since the organizers sank only $21 million into the project, it has to be considered an overwhelming success.

Unlawful Sex with Students

(Oakland, California) Former physical education teacher and girls basketball coach at Encinal High School, Tanda Rucker, 31, pleaded not guilty last Thursday to 26 felony counts of unlawful sex with teenage girls.


Tanda Rucker
Explaining the 26 total felony charges, it's alleged that Rucker has had illegal sex with several young girls over the past decade, including a tryst with a 15-year-old girl in the summer of 1995. She was originally charged in March 2004, however, additional charges have been tacked on since one girl spilled her guts to Alameda police in a fit of lesbian jealousy.

Interestingly, Rucker was a standout basketball player at Berkeley High School, winning the state championship in 1991, and Stanford University, National Champions in 1992. She was known for her layups and high scoring.

Rucker is free on $680,000 bond and returns to court on June 8 for assignment of a trial date.


[Update 11/19/05]

Tanda Rucker pleads no contest to sex with schoolgirls. Sentencing is scheduled for February 2006.


[Update 02/15/06]

Rucker sentenced to wrist slap.

FedEx Makes Bombing Run

(Danville, California) No one was injured, but many people called police to complain when airplane parts fell from the sky in several residential neighborhoods. From the ContraCostaTimes:

Airplane pieces fell from the sky over Danville Monday night, surprising residents and FedEx and causing damages to at least one house, but injuring no one.

FedEx spokeswoman Sally Davenport said this morning the flight from Oakland landed safely as scheduled in Dallas-Fort Worth with two pilots and an assortment of packages aboard.

Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration said three pieces came off the MD11 jet.

A FedEx spokesman called the incident highly unusual and plans to be in contact with homeowners in the area about the debris.

So, despite missing some parts, including one that was about 10 feet long, the plane flew all the way to Dallas and landed safely. And, inexplicably, the pilots didn't know that their plane was falling apart. According to FAA spokesman Donn Walker, the parts came from an engine thrust reverser.

Maybe I'm being overly critical, but the fact that the pilots didn't know they had a problem is somewhat troubling. It begs the question of just how much of the plane has to become dismantled in flight to achieve the threshold for pilot awareness. Is it okay for five percent of the plane to fall from the sky without pilot knowledge? Ten percent? Twenty?

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Feds to Fund Illegal Alien Medical Costs

Arizona Republic:

WASHINGTON - Starting today, hospitals and doctors in Arizona and other states can charge the federal government for the costs of providing emergency care to undocumented immigrants.

Arizona hospitals could receive up to $45 million a year for the next four years, according to guidelines released Monday by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

So, in a nutshell, the costs of treating citizens of foreign countries will be distributed to the taxpayers of all 50 states. All an illegal has to do is cross the border to get medical care and it's paid for by picking the pockets of every American taxpayer.

Simply put, I think this move will be a disaster. First, forget about any estimates cited in various reports and get ready for a massive increase in costs. History has proven as much. Once the government starts funding something, it grows exponentially and never goes away.

Secondly, the United States government rarely (almost never) gives money without strings attached. Consequently, any emergency room that takes one dollar of U.S. taxpayer funds is looking at a long term relationship with the regulatory whims and caprice of the federal government.

Thirdly, a precedent has been established for the federal government to wedge its nose into the operations of any medical facility that provides emergency services.

Fourthly, if the federal government pays for the medical care, is it not, in a sense, the de facto medical insurance agency of the illegal alien? As an insurer for patient medical care, is this not the stated goal of Hillary Clinton's socialized medical scheme?

In summary, having the feds pay for illegals is bad cheese.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.

Loyal Employee Reward Policy

(Kokomo, Indiana) Last February, we heard the news that an employee of Miller Brewing was fired for drinking a beer made by Anheuser-Busch. Apparently, drinking a competitor's beer was an intolerable level of disloyalty. Along the same lines, we now have DaimlerChrysler doing something quite similar. From the Kokomo Tribune:

Drive Ford or General Motors vehicles and walk farther.

That's the message of a new parking policy that takes effect Monday for DaimlerChrysler workers at Kokomo's Indiana Transmission Plant I and Indiana Transmission Plant II.

Blue lines now separate areas signed as "Competitor Vehicle Parking" and "DaimlerChrysler Vehicle Parking" in ITP 1's lots. A "DaimlerChrysler Parking Only" sign marks the dividing line at the ITP 2 lot.

About 80 percent of the parking spaces are designated for Chrysler vehicles only.

Parking Restricted at DaimlerChrysler
(Photo - E. Markov, Kokomo Tribune)
For those that violate the policy and park non-Chrysler vehicles in spots reserved for Chrysler vehicles, their cars will be towed at a cost of $200. Reaction to the parking policy is mixed, but it shouldn't be surprising. Companies frequently demand a sense of loyalty from their employees. And, sometimes they penalize those that don't display that loyalty and reward those that do. On a side note, I wonder if the unions will weigh in on the policy.

Teacher's Rape Trial to Proceed

(Sevierville, Tennessee) Former biology teacher at Seymour High School, Kristi Dance Oakes, 32, charged with statutory rape of a 16-year-old boy, appeared in court today to hear the ruling on her request for judicial diversion. Circuit Court Judge Richard Vance turned down the request. The judicial diversion would have allowed the charges to be dropped provided Oakes complied with court orders for a specific period of time.


Kristi Dance Oakes
In addition to the rape charge, Oakes faces prosecution for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. If convicted, the rape charge carries a maximum of two years in prison. The maximum sentence for the contributing to the delinquency charge is no more than one year. Oakes is currently out on bail. Her trial has been scheduled for July 27.


[Update 06/19/06]

Oakes pleads guilty.

Dirty Bomb Rockets For Sale

Via The Jawa Report comes this story from The Sunday Times:

THREE radioactive rockets capable of contaminating a city centre were offered for sale last week to a Sunday Times reporter posing as a middleman for Islamic terrorists.

Of note is that the rockets are apparently in the possession of arms dealers in Moldova's breakaway region known as Transdniester. It seems that the government is conspiring with arms dealers to sell the rockets leftover from the Cold War era.

Notably, from a source citing a Washington Post report from December 2003:

In the ethnic conflicts that surrounded the collapse of the Soviet Union, the three-foot-long Alazan rocket, originally designed for weather experiments, was transformed into a terror weapon, packed with explosives, and lobbed into cities. Military records show that at least thirty-eight Alazan warheads were modified to carry radioactive material, effectively creating the world's first surface-to-surface dirty bomb. The warheads are not known to have been used. But now, according to experts and officials, they have disappeared.

Well, it looks like some of the have reappeared, thanks to a Sunday Times reporter.

Also, according to the CIA World Factbook, the region is one of the world's poorest with 80% of the population living below the poverty line. It is also a transshipment point for illegal drugs from SW Asia through Central Asia to Russia, Western Europe and possibly the U.S. With widespread crime and a vigorous underground economy, the best characterization would be to say the region is essentially lawless. Consequently, it quite understandable that the area would be a base of operations for renegade arms merchants.

Maybe I'm looking at this wrong but, if there are 38 rockets and we have an idea where they are, why doesn't someone in the administration arrange for their purchase? At $200,000 each, the total bill for all the rockets would be less than $8 million. That's probably not too much to pay for at least a billion dollars in peace of mind. Otherwise, we'll continue to worry about who has 38 highly-portable dirty bombs and wonder what they plan to do with them.

Additional coverage: Dean's World, The Moderate Voice

Aussies Invent 'Turbo Booster' for Heart

(Auckland, New Zealand) A 56-year-old man suffering from a weak heart is recovering in Auckland City Hospital after an operation to install a first-of-its-kind device which helps the heart pump blood. According to Dr. William Peters who designed the device with Dr. Paget Milsom,

[T]he key component of the device, developed by Australian company Sunshine Heart Incorporated, was a balloon cuff, similar to a blood pressure cuff, which was wrapped around the patient's aorta.

A sensing wire picks up the heart's electrical signals, allowing the device to time the inflation and deflation of the balloon to the heart beat.

Sunshine Heart - Internal
Driving the device are battery-powered wearable units and plug-in home units which can be turned off occasionally without affecting the patient.

"While we want it to run most of the time to unload the heart, it's safe and expected to be able to turn the device off and disconnect it if you want to have a shower, for example," he said.

"If it fails, the balloon will just collapse and deflate. The heart and the blood vessels are all in their natural state and just carry on as they would."

Dr Peters said unlike other heart pumps, the C-pulse avoided blood contact, reducing the risk of blood clots.

Since the balloon cuff is wrapped around the aorta, it doesn't come into contact with the heart directly, making implantation easier and safer. The overall result is that coronary blood flow nearly doubles with the device. Says Dr. Peters, "It's like a little turbo booster on top of the heart."

In all honesty, the news of this device somehow seems like deja vu. As I recall from my reading, a quite similar technology was pioneered and implemented decades ago in an apparatus used to counter male impotence and loss of libido. Of course, I could be mistaken.

Flight Attendants Claim Age Discrimination

The story from Australia is that Virgin Blue Air Lines, owned by the ostentatious mogul Richard Branson, is guilty of age discrimination for not hiring seasoned flight attendants who had lost their jobs when the regional carrier Ansett Airlines collapsed. One worker, Theresa Stewart, 52, told the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal in Brisbane that she wasn't even asked about her 27 years of experience when Virgin refused to hire her.

Ms Stewart said she went to a Virgin Blue "assessment centre" as part of her job application and was not asked about her experience but rather made to perform role plays and make up a "ditty" with other group members.

She was unequivocal that it was young, attractive staff they were after.

"It was a cattle yard; a one-hour holding area," Ms Stewart told the tribunal.

[ ... ]

"If you had two beautiful blonde girls, 25 and gorgeous, then they went to them like homing pigeons."

Homing isn't exactly the word I would use. However, Stewart and seven other former Ansett workers are convinced that they weren't hired because they look like old withered hosebags and that's against the law. Thus far, it hasn't been suggested that the collapse of Ansett may have resulted from the fact that its employees were a group of whiny old hens that drove business away. Nevertheless, the hearing before the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal continues.

Personally, I can see both sides of the issue. Virgin is looking to staff its workforce with vibrant, young women who'll appeal to the lucrative businessmen trade. Ms. Stewart and the fossils of the air crowd likely have a valid complaint if the laws prevent age discrimination. It's up to the tribunal to determine if Virgin will be allowed to hire people they want or if cranky old grandmothers go to the head of the line.

Woman Charged with Molesting Boy

(Bainbridge Island, Washington) Lucrecia Martinez-Rowe, 38, pleaded not guilty last month to charges she had sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old neighborhood boy. She had been charged with third degree child rape, which carries a possible five-year prison sentence upon conviction. From the Kitsap Sun:

According to a Bainbridge Island police report, Martinez-Rowe supplied a 14-year-old boy with alcohol and had sex with him. She also admitted to supplying alcohol and having sex on more than two occasions with another 14-year-old boy during the same time frame. Martinez-Rowe voluntarily provided a taped statement admitting to the sex and alcohol violations.

According to a relative of the victim, Martinez-Rowe lived across the street from one of the 14-year-old boys. He performed odd jobs around the house for her. The 14-year-old boy and a friend of his would visit Martinez-Rowe. And the relationship of the three grew from there.

Besides the apparent tag-team aspect, just doing the math gives an indication of the seriousness of her alleged crime. Martinez-Rowe, at 38, has ten years on the two boys even after adding their ages together. Throw in the booze and the fact that the crime was repeated and you have yourself a child molester. Of course, she's innocent until proven guilty.

Accompanied by attorney Jeanette Dalton, Martinez-Rowe appeared before Judge Ted Spearman this week and was awarded a continuance to allow for the completion of a sex offender sentencing alternative. The case continues with a scheduled hearing on June 15 and a trial on July 27.

As an afterthought, what do you think a 38-year-old man would be looking at if he were caught liquoring up 14-year-old neighborhood girls for some sexual threebies? As reported, Martinez-Rowe is looking at five years and maybe a fine. She'll probably get less after a "sentencing alternative" is decided. I wonder if a 38-year-old man would get the same treatment?

Guard Gator

(Cleveland, Ohio) If you're protecting your drug operation, forget about using a yapping dog and get yourself a guard alligator. Unfortunately, a guard gator won't assure complete protection since deputies were still able to shut down the drug house.

Melissa Michelle Deel Sentenced for Sex with Boy

(Abingdon, Virginia) In March, Melissa Michelle Deel, 32, pleaded guilty in federal court to crossing the state line to have oral sex with a student, a 13-year-old boy. This week, the eighth-grade history teacher at Virginia Middle School was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James Jones to a year and two months in federal prison for traveling in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct. She was also sentenced to probation for five years and she must register as a sex offender.


Melissa Michelle Deel
In her plea agreement, Deel vowed to never profit from her crime and to not communicate with the victim or his family without the court's permission. About 10 family members and friends, including her husband, were in court to show support for the teary-eyed Deel. Her husband, James, indicated that Deel is "sorry for what's happened."

Chicken Ticketed for Crossing Road

(Ridgecrest, California) On March 26, Kern County Sheriff's Deputy J. Nicholson issued a ticket to Linc and Helena Moore because their chicken impeded traffic while crossing the road. According to the Sacramento Bee:

The Moores arrived in Superior Court on Friday to plead not guilty to their chicken's alleged transgression. A trial was scheduled for May 16.

Nicholson has declined to discuss the matter, but sheriff's Sgt. Francis Moore said chickens on the roadway have been a problem in the community of 50 residents. Officials didn't believe it could be resolved by simply issuing the couple a warning.

"Sometimes you have to let people talk to the judge," Moore said.

By pleading not guilty, the Moores obviously think there's a basis to squawk. Personally, I'd like to see a copy of the actual ticket.

Illegal Aliens Gather and Protest

(Rockville, Maryland) It appears that the Rockville cops are not only sanctioning the breaking of the law, they are also providing protection for the lawbreakers. In the parlance of law enforcement, they've been "turned." So, forget about relying on the police to protect you when someone breaks into your house. They will be busy helping the lawbreakers.

That's what happened yesterday at an illegal alien protest rally at a high school in Rockville. With the cops functioning as taxpayer-funded thugs for criminals, one would imagine that someone should be culpable for aiding and abetting.

Michael Graham of WMAL Radio and Michelle Malkin were in attendance to provide sane coverage of the insanity.

Other outrage: Diggers Realm, Hyscience

Army Deserter Denied Flight by Delta

(West Palm Beach, Florida) Sgt. Karim Iraq deserted the U.S. Army because he was disillusioned with war and wasn't accepted by his fellow soldiers. On the lam, he was arrested on Tuesday when deputies found his stolen backpack containing information leading to his whereabouts. Not surprisingly, the backpack also contained a notebook with anti-American slogans. Subsequently, according to the Palm Beach Post:

U.S. Army Sgt. Karim Iraq attempted Friday to return to the Georgia military base he left six months ago, but Delta Air Lines officials turned him away because they considered him a security risk, his father said.

Iraq, 25, of Wellington was arrested Tuesday on a warrant for deserting the military. He was released from the Palm Beach County Jail two days later with orders to board Delta Flight 729 at 12:50 p.m. Friday, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said.

He showed up at Palm Beach International Airport with his father, Zayed Iraq, but airline representatives said he could not board the plane.

"The airline said they had understood someone was going to escort him, that he's not going to be all alone," Zayed Iraq said. "Some kind of security issues."

Holy moly! Until his case is adjudicated, Karim Iraq shouldn't be allowed to be anywhere near an airplane unless he's handcuffed, shackled, and escorted. A deserter with anti-American writings in his possession has to be considered a security risk. In my estimation, Delta Air Lines acted appropriately.

Interestingly, as of yesterday afternoon, Sgt. Iraq had not shown up at Ft. Stewart as ordered.

Companion post at Our Life.

Over 200 Licensed Brothels in Toronto

According to the Toronto Star:

Minutes after she arrived for a job interview at a holistic health centre last fall, Michelle found herself naked from the waist up, giving a customer a full body massage in a back storage room filled with mops, dirty laundry and cigarette butts.

"I had no idea what it was going to be like," the petite 22-year-old recalls. "I kind of had to learn on the job."

Michelle learned quickly. By the end of the day, she had earned $300 providing services routinely offered in most of Toronto's city-licensed holistic centres - "nude reverses," "body slides" and "hand releases."

Currently, over 2,600 people work in the 200+ holistic centers and, according to facilities inspector James Slocum, up to 75% are sex dens. Complaints from the public are continuously investigated and prosecuted, costing taxpayers $2.5 million yearly, even while the city issues new licenses. So far, politicians haven't done anything to close down the operations. This is possibly because being paid for sex in Toronto is legal but running a business that offers sex for money is illegal. Evidently there's much confusion about how to handle the issue.

However, one probably needs to consider that maybe the city of Toronto just wants to develop a new image. If so, a few hundred whorehouses will likely do it.

By the way, to allay any mistaken impressions, it's beyond me as to what is involved in the holistic center routine services. I've heard of a "naked bootleg" in football, but "nude reverses" has me stymied. I guess I haven't been around the block enough times.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Outsourcing Tech Business to India - via Canada

(Toronto) It does sound politically more proper to say that "We send some business to Toronto" than to say "We outsource to India." But that's only one of the benefits to be derived by having Indian companies set up operations in Canada. From the Toronto Star (reg. req'd):

For Polaris, a software company headquartered in Chennai, India, setting up shop in Toronto made good business sense.

Having an office in the Exchange Tower at York and King Sts. gave the publicly listed company - with annual revenues of $180 million (U.S.) and 6,000 employees around the world - easy access to the all-important American market without the hassles of visa restrictions and the higher costs associated with basing itself there.

"We were looking for a near-shore centre that would let us access the Canadian financial market as well as help us support the U.S. as a marketplace in North America," said Rahul Petkar, who established the Toronto office last fall with a dozen employees.

Polaris derives more than 40% of its revenue from the U.S. by providing technology services for banks and insurance companies. By operating out of Canada, the company can do business about 30% cheaper than in the U.S.

All this appears to indicate that a company could very well be outsourcing to India (or anywhere) just by going across the border into Ontario. I will agree that this is not a new phenomenon, just a recent example.

German Unemployment Called Health Threat

According to a conference of German physicians, the dismal and persistent double-digit unemployment rate in Germany is a health threat. The doctors contend that "unemployment really makes people sick, and results in additional costs for health insurance." A study by the Robert Koch Institute concluded that people without jobs, particularly the long-term unemployed, are at twice the risk of getting seriously ill than people that are employed. The deprivation, instability, and unhealthy lifestyles of the unemployed tend to lead to mental disorders, addictions, heart attacks, accidents, and cancer.

Interestingly, emphasis on the unemployment - ill health relationship comes on the heels of implementation of a government labor market reform called Hartz IV which reduces jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. Hartz IV is expected to dramatically worsen the situation by giving even less benefits to those that are already suffering deprivation.

To help the situation, the doctors recommended that the socially deprived in society be exempted from having to pay fees for doctors' visits which, by the way, were only recently imposed to encourage cost-consciousness on the part of patients.

In summary, doctors are emphasizing that the high rate of persistent joblessness in Germany is leading to increased health problems and costs. The doctors, however, offer no solutions for the high unemployment problem.

Notch One for The Jawa Report

I suspect it may have occurred but, to my direct knowledge, no terrorist has ever been arrested due to a blog, that is, with the exception of The Jawa Report. Dr. Rusty Shackleford gets credit for helping lead the FBI to apprehending a terrorist who made the mistake of commenting on a post in The Jawa Report. Also, based on recent history, the MSM hasn't pointed the FBI to a terrorist, not once, so Rusty has set a precedent.

Rusty sketches some details of the situation in a post and promises to explain the whole story once authorization is given to do so. In any event, applause and congratulations are due to Rusty and all others involved.

Of course, we are all aware that information leading to the capture and prosecution of a terrorist is customarily rewarded by payment of outrageous sums of money by the U.S. government. In the case of bin Laden and Zarqawi, I believe the sum is $25 million each.

Now, I don't know where this character caught by Rusty sits on the reward scale but, for the sake of argument, let's say he's worth $1,000,000. The way I figure it, after Glenn Reynolds skims his Godfather cut (he automatically gets the most of everything in the blogosphere), Rusty will probably be left with about $200,000 for himself and distribution to collaborators and linkers. Assuming that he decides to recognize 100 collaborators and linkers and gives each $1,000, Rusty would be left with the handsome reward of $100,000 for himself and his family. And, he deserves it.

Teacher-Student Sex Results in Jail Time

(Victoria, Australia) From the Herald Sun comes the report of a 37-year-old female physical education teacher, Karen Louise Ellis, convicted of having sex with a 15-year-old boy.


Karen Louise Ellis
Ellis pleaded guilty to six charges of unlawful sex with the student. Interestingly, she was originally sentenced to probation for the crimes, but the Director of Public Prosecutions appealed on the basis that the sentence wasn't harsh enough. Subsequently, the appeals court gave her six months in the slammer. It seems that a disagreement on the sentencing by a court can be the basis for appeal in Australia. I've never heard of the same thing happening in the U.S.

If a sentence is in accordance with the law in the U.S., i.e. not cruel or unusual nor contrary to sentencing guidelines, then I understand there's no basis for appeal with regard to the sentence. In Australia, it seems the adequacy of a sentence is determined by a person outside the confines of the court who can appeal when he feels the sentence was not adequate.

If my understanding is correct, this represents a significant difference between the judicial systems in the U.S. and Australia.

Suspicious Package Closes Manhattan Bridge

The authorities are being extremely cautious after yesterday's grenade explosions outside the British Consulate. The suspicious package was removed and the bridge was reopened to traffic. No other details at this time.

Kerry Campaigns in Louisiana

(Baton Rouge, Louisiana) Yesterday, Senator John Kerry met with elementary school students to ostensibly talk about political history at the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge. However, political history was pushed aside for town-hall style campaign rhetoric pushing his Kids First bill to provide health care to 11 million uninsured American children.

According to this report, Kerry, only months removed from his November election loss, is "campaigning again."

David Vitter, Louisiana's Republican senator, after hearing about Kerry's meeting, predicted in a telephone interview that the Massachusetts senator will not succeed with this venture, either.

"I think it's pretty clear that Sen. Kerry hasn't learned much since he lost Louisiana in the presidential race by a very wide margin," Vitter said. "He's still pushing the same liberalism based on huge tax increases and huge government-centered programs."

In Louisiana, Kerry lost to Bush by a margin of 57 percent to 42 percent, but said he was encouraged because he got 30,000 more votes here than Democratic nominee Al Gore claimed in 2000.

Evidently, Kerry is doing the exact same thing he did before in anticipation of different results. It momentarily escapes me, but there's a word for that.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.

Little Girl "Precious Doe" Identified

(Kansas City, Missouri) Four years ago, the headless body of a little girl was found along side a road and nobody came forward and identified her. She became known as "Precious Doe" and the public held candlelight vigils, distributed fliers with an artist's rendition of her likeness, and volunteered to man call-in lines. The FBI and the television show America's Most Wanted became involved, but with no success in finding out who she was. However, after a local community activist, Alonzo Washington, placed a newspaper advertisement seeking leads, a tip broke the case wide open.

From KCTV - Kansas City:

On Thursday, police identified the girl, arrested her mother and stepfather on murder charges, and pronounced the sad mystery solved.

The girl with big brown eyes and neat cornrows in her hair was identified as Erica Michelle Marie Green, just shy of 4 when she was found.


Erica Michelle Marie Green
"Precious Doe"
Her mother, Michelle M. Johnson, 30, and stepfather Harrell Johnson, 25, were charged with murder and endangering the welfare of a child. Police said the mother told them Harrell Johnson killed the girl with a kick to the head and used hedge clippers to sever her head.

Both suspects were being held in Oklahoma, where they live.

"We have closure," Police Chief James Corwin said. "The little girl that we've known for four years as Precious Doe has a name."

No motive has been identified for her murder which authorities said occurred in Kansas City. Since Missouri has the death penalty, I think it should be seriously considered as punishment for the scum that killed Erica Green. Details of Erica's death are at the link.

Trackback to Wizbang Carnival of the Trackbacks.

53,000 High School Diplomas Recalled

(Baton Rouge, Louisiana) When Louisiana Education Superintendent Cecil Picard discovered that a change had been made to the official high school diploma without his authorization, he ordered them to be recalled and destroyed. About 53,000 diplomas need to be replaced because a lower level committee decided to change the date format from A.D. - "the year of our Lord" - to C.E. - the notation for "common era," without Cecil Picard's approval.

The department committee apparently believed that eliminating a reference to God was merely an administrative change and it didn't require authorization. The committee erred.

Al Gore to Get Lifetime Award for Internet

For some not-widely-known reason, there are people who imagine that Al Gore is still strong in the Democratic Party. Therefore, the country is periodically subjected to efforts to keep Gore's political torch brightly lit. The latest effort is spearheaded by Tiffany Shlain, founder of the Webby Awards, who plans on giving Al Gore "lifetime" recognition for three decades of "amazing work" contributing to the Internet.

Call me flummoxed on two counts. First, as a political player, Al Gore can't be looking at anything more than the occasional pinch hitting slot. There's no indication that he'll ever again be in a national leadership position. And, secondly, if Al Gore really wants a legacy tied to the Internet, he should get the appropriate information out to the public. It's my guess that the overwhelming majority of Internet users have no idea that Al Gore has ever looked at a keyboard. I'm one of them.

In my opinion, if Gore wants to rehabilitate his image, it would be best to avoid mentioning the Internet. People have been conditioned for a joke when they see the words "Gore" and "Internet" in the same sentence. It's similar to "Quayle" and "potato" or "Clinton" and "cigar." Quite chuckle-worthy.

Kevin at Wizbang has the whole story. Go visit. It's a hoot.

20 Illegals Crammed in Motel Room

Houston Chronicle:

Immigration authorities are investigating whether 20 people found in a southwest Houston motel room today were being held against their will by smugglers demanding money.

The U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement took 22 people into custody at the Post Oak Inn in the 14700 block of Post Oak. Two of those arrested are suspected smugglers, and the other 20 are illegal immigrants from Central America, ICE spokeswoman Luisa Deason said.

The immigrants were found just before 11 a.m. when one of the room's occupants escaped and told a nearby businessman to call police.

Houston Police responded and found 20 illegal aliens and two suspected smugglers, known as coyotes. The illegals said they came from Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico and that they had checked into the motel on Tuesday. Immigration officials took custody of the illegals and, according to Deason, plan to treat the incident as a smuggling case.

Interestingly, none of the illegals crammed into the motel room were bound nor did any claim to be hostages. According to HPD Sgt. David Hallene, not counting the coyotes and the guy who originally escaped from the motel, the illegals comprised 16 men, one woman, and three teens. It's not known what will happen to them, but I suspect they'll probably soon be on the streets of Houston. And, frankly, it's understandable. There just are not enough officers, facilities, money, and other resources necessary to handle the absolute avalanche of people crossing the border.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.

Two Attorneys Dead in Suspected Murder-Suicide

(Houston, Texas) Houston Police Capt. Dwayne Ready believes the two dead attorneys found in an enclosed offices of Cooper Cameron, an oil industry supplier, were the result of a murder-suicide. Both died of gunshot wounds to the head. Names are being withheld pending notification of kin. The lawyers were in their 50s or 60s and no motive is currently known.

At first glance, this incident has mystery painted all over it.

Polite Sisters Plead Guilty to Robbery Spree

(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) Due to being courteous while committing robberies, Carrie Ann Huchel, 33, and Heather Huchel, 31, are called the "polite bandits." Nonetheless, they were apprehended and charged with a string of holdups at service stations and convenience stores from March 31 to April 9, 2004. They have pleaded guilty to the charges and are scheduled to be sentenced on August 3. The sisters testified that they committed the robberies to support their drug habits.

The Huchels were regionally known as "polite bandits" because they said "please" and "thank you" while brandishing a firearm during the robberies. It's nice to see a sense of decorum and common decency displayed in society. Too bad it came from a couple of crooks.

Foster Kids Used to Test AIDS Drugs

Associated Press:

WASHINGTON - To gain access to hundreds of HIV-infected foster children, federally funded researchers promised in writing to provide an independent advocate to safeguard the kids' well-being as they tested potent AIDS drugs. But most of the time, that special protection never materialized, an Associated Press review has found.

The research funded by the National Institutes of Health spanned the country. It was most widespread in the 1990s as foster care agencies sought treatments for their HIV-infected children that weren't yet available in the marketplace.

The practice ensured that foster children - mostly poor or minority - received care from world-class researchers at government expense, slowing their rate of death and extending their lives. But it also exposed a vulnerable population to the risks of medical research and drugs that were known to have serious side effects in adults and for which the safety for children was unknown.

The research was conducted in at least seven states - Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Colorado and Texas - and involved more than four dozen different studies. The foster children ranged from infants to late teens, according to interviews and government records.

The report additionally describes the program as providing generally inadequate protection for the children with at least one study finding a "disturbing" high death rate among children in the test. An investigation on the use of foster kids as AIDS guinea pigs is being conducted by the U.S. Office for Human Research Protections which has refused to comment on the case. Unbelievably, the foster kids were used in some of the riskiest drug tests - those which determine side effects and safe dosages - without having been provided with an independent advocate to monitor their health and well-being.

This situation has "major scandal" written all over it and it sure seems that every group involved may be culpable. I don't see much difference between this event and the notorious Tuskegee syphilis studies on black men in the 1930s.

Proposed Beer Tax Protested

(Columbus, Ohio) Well, the pick-pocketeers in Columbus have mined the tobacco smokers to the endangered level and now they're going after the beer drinkers. Hold on to your wallet. From nbc4i.com:

One of the state's loudest protests occurred at the Statehouse Wednesday. A line of beer trucks dropped off petitions with thousands of signatures in hope of convincing lawmakers not to double the current beer tax.

"We're the fourth-largest beer-producing state in the country," said Kevin Lee of Anheuser-Busch. "We have about 35,000 beer-dependent jobs in Ohio. We project 1,500 of those jobs will be lost."

If passed, Ohio's beer tax would go from 18 cents to 36 cents, making the cost of beer significantly higher than in neighboring states, Ivanic reported. The cost of a case of beer would go up by about $1.

Local distributors and dealers say the higher cost will be passed directly to consumers.

Opponents are upset that beer is targeted and the public won't get a chance to vote on the proposal.

Explosion Outside British Consulate in NYC

At the same time Britons were voting in a national election, a small explosive device detonated outside the East Side building housing the British Consulate on Third Avenue. Streets have been closed while authorities investigate. The device went off about 3:45am and blew out the front window of the building.

[Update 1030am EDT] Another report states that two relatively unsophisticated explosive devices were placed in a cement planter outside the building. The explosions caused no injuries. Investigators pieced together schrapnel to determine that the devices were toy grenades filled with gunpowder and without timing devices. The motive and the perpetrator remain unknown.

Terrorist Letter Intercepted, Translated

A letter to Abu Musab Zarqawi from an Al Qaeda subordinate, Abu Asim al-Qusaymi al-Yemeni, was intercepted and translated by U.S.-led forces. The document contained complaints of low morale, weak and incompetent leadership in the ranks, and dwindling support for jihad. Authorities believe the letter indicates a weakening in Zarqawi's influence and effectiveness.

Chad Evans at In The Bullpen and Rusty Shackleford at The Jawa Report have the whole story covered. My only comment would be with regard to the signature displayed on the letter. It's signed:

Abu 'Asim al-Yamani, al Qusaymi
Al-Qaida Organization, Iraq Division

I might be reading too much into it, but it seems to be a formal (regulation?) military transmittal inferring that the terrorists are organized in more than one division. Also, the author identifies himself as a member of al-Qaida. Something is fishy.

First, this suggests that the terrorists have instituted bureaucratic administrative requirements for their written communications. Call me skeptical. For an organization with the sole function of killing people while smothered in secrecy to have a style guide for letters is hard to believe. Secondly, for the author to identify himself as a member of al-Qaida makes no sense. Who else would send Zarqawi such a letter? Also, the letter starts by addressing Zarqawi as "The Sheik" which indicates some familiarity. However, it ends in a formal businesslike manner. I would have expected something friendlier or maybe "God is Great" in Arabic. It surprises me that it ends in a manner similar to what my insurance agent sends me. The incongruity makes me suspicious.

Like I said, the ending of the letter seems fishy.

Illinois Woman Broadcasts Child Porn via Webcam

Pantagraph.com:

PEORIA - A 21-year-old Woodford County woman is in federal custody on charges she fondled an infant in a broadcast to an Internet chat room.

Taylor A. March of Minonk was arrested Monday and is accused of fondling a boy younger than 24 months she was baby-sitting at her home and showing the act to members of a chat room. One of the people logged on to the Yahoo Messenger Service chat room, Preeteen [sic] Sex on Camera, was an FBI agent in the Central Illinois Cybercrime Unit, according to court documents filed by prosecutors.

The woman faces federal charges because prosecutors say the images were broadcast over the Internet, and it is a federal crime to produce a depiction of sexual conduct involving minors while knowing the depiction likely will be distributed in interstate commerce.

March talked with members of the chat room about having sex with and committing sex acts with children, court documents say.

Apparently an FBI agent was able to capture a copy of the video where March actually manipulated the boy's genitals with one hand while adjusting the camera with her other hand. Since March cared for several children, authorities are investigating the possibility of other victims

March is charged in federal court with one count of production of child pornography and, if convicted, faces a possible 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. She remains in custody pending a hearing later this week.

Elizabeth Stow Goes To Court

(Tulare, California) Last month, 26-year-old English teacher, Elizabeth Stow, was arrested and charged with seven counts of having sex with a minor and five counts of oral copulation with a minor for incidents with three underage students. Yesterday, Stow appeared in Tulare County Superior Court before Judge Walter Gorelick and waived her right to a speedy preliminary hearing. Oddly, when Stow arrived in court, her mother held up a Bible to shield the former teacher. From what is not known.


Elizabeth Stow in Court
It seems that Stow's attorney, David Allen, is maneuvering for more time to negotiate a plea agreement with the prosecution. As more information about Elizabeth Stow filters out, it would seem prudent to do whatever is necessary to avoid a jury trial.

First of all, Stow was on probation for a drunk driving conviction when she was arrested and charged with the sex offenses. Secondly, immediately after graduating from college, Stow was hired to teach at Tulare High School, starting last September. Thirdly, the alleged sexual encounters with three students started at the same time she started teaching and lasted through October. So, it appears that Stow carried her college-student, party-hardy, irresponsible demeanor into the classroom and she cut some ponies from the herd and had them mounted before the first mid-term.

Obviously, having teaching credentials provides no assurance that a person is mature and responsible with an awareness of the law.

Stow goes back to court on June 3. In the meantime, she's free on $10,000 bail.


[Update 11/19/05]

Elizabeth Stow was sentenced to one year. Full report at link.

One-Dollar Counterfeit Ring

(Porterville, California) One-dollar counterfeit bills with identical serial numbers have been found circulating in Porterville and the police department is investigating. It's suspected that the counterfeit ring is comprised of underachievers.

Trackback to Wizbang's 10 Spot.

Pablo Paredes - The Deserter

A deserved and smart salute goes to Citizen Smash, The Indepundit, who was able to collar Pablo Paredes for a few minutes during an Earth Day event in San Diego. We get a glimpse of the thinking that motivates disloyalty - abject selfishness and ignorance.

Interestingly, had Paredes sailed with the USS Bonhomme Richard as opposed to deserting, he would have been part of one of the largest rescue and relief efforts in history - Operation Unified Assistance. The USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) was called to aid the people of Sri Lanka who were devastated by the Southeast Asian tsunami on December 26, 2004. Paredes would have been able to proudly relate his honorable experience to his grandchildren. But, he wasn't there. He deserted the United States Navy in a time of war and in a time of humanitarian need.

Pablo Paredes' court martial commences on May 11. As an amicus blog comment, I recommend that the court impose a meaningful and unforgettable penalty.

Also blogging: Our Life

Who Are The Terrorists?

For those who believe that the terrorists are surely the enemy but, otherwise, they're just poverty stricken, uneducated, and misled people from other countries, think again.

Realize first that the terrorists are overwhelmingly attacking their neighbors, their friends, and their relatives. The Arabs and Muslims are being killed in large numbers. The Coalition Forces suffer losses which pale in comparison. Terrorists kill their own people and they do it in the most insidious, barbaric, and evil manner. Based upon an interview, Chad Evans describes the circumstance where the terrorists kill an Iraqi and then pack his body with explosives. When the family of the slain man retrieves the body, the terrorists detonate the explosives, obliterating the whole family.

In another story, Rusty Shackleford details how the terrorists are kidnapping women and children to force the husbands and fathers to become suicide bombers. Since Zarqawi isn't getting enough volunteers, he's resorting to extortion. Bastard!

Read both stories and you'll know who the terrorists are - the personification of all that is evil. The thought of treating these animals humanely just sickens me.

Canada Wooing Mexicans

(Mexico City, Mexico) The United States has been portrayed as a big meanie by even mentioning there is a border between the U.S. and Mexico and now Canada is using the image in a recruiting effort. From The Arizona Republic:

The Canadian government has been relaxing its immigration rules in an effort to attract students and skilled workers from all over the world. That, and the push by companies promising jobs and visas, is attracting Mexican professionals turned off by the Minuteman Project, new border walls, tougher U.S. entry requirements and laws like Proposition 200 in Arizona.

"Live in Canada!" says a Mexico City newspaper ad placed by a Canadian labor recruiter, as a photo of the Toronto skyline beckons. "Voted the No. 1 country in the world for living four years in a row," an immigration counseling company boasts on its Web site.

"Canada has its arms open to immigrants, and the United States has its arms closed. It's as simple as that," accountant Marcos Ramirez Posadas said as he stood in line with other visa applicants outside the Canadian Embassy in Mexico City.

What a cheap shot! Notice that they're looking for students and skilled workers, not millions of manual laborers that don't even speak English. They should just try tacking on 11 million illegals to their over-stretched welfare, education, and health care systems.

And, I don't know who voted Canada the No.1 country for living but, if it's so great, why do the illegals stay in the U.S.? It seems they should all be heading for the U.S. - Canadian border. They aren't doing that though. Are they? Eh?

Officer Charged, Gave Beer & Porn to Teens

(Westerville, Ohio) According to reporter Karin Hirschey, eight-year veteran Westerville Police Officer Brian Bouk pleaded not guilty to 27 misdemeanor charges resulting from allegations he supplied alcohol and pornography to teenagers. Bouk has been assigned as the police resource officer at Walnut Springs Middle School for the past three years.

According to the criminal complaint, on two separate occasions in February Bouk invited seven kids between the ages of 15 and 16 to his house in Canal Winchester. He allegedly provided beer and vodka and allowed the kids to watch X-rated videotapes, Hirschey reported.

"The officer was placed on administrative leave immediately," Westerville City Schools spokesman Mark Hershiser said. "He has not been in the building since we were made aware of it."

I think this is more than an isolated case of lapse in judgment. Consequently, if convicted, Bouk should be meaningfully punished - no simple hand slap. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for June 1.

Suspected Bomb Causes School Lockdown

(Clovis, New Mexico) Marshall Junior High School was locked down after a kid was seen carrying a suspected bomb.

Police put armed officers on rooftops and closed nearby streets. But the security alert was lifted a couple of hours later after officers identified the suspicious object as a 30-inch burrito, stuffed with steak, guacamole, lettuce, salsa and jalapenos. It was wrapped in foil and a white T-shirt.

Principal Diana Russell said that eighth-grader Michael Morrissey created the giant burrito as an extra-credit marketing assignment.

Salsa, jalapenos! I do believe that ultimately there will be some type of explosion. (Hat tip: Expat Rob)

More Equal Animals

FOXNews.com:

SANTA CRUZ ISLAND, Calif. - Norm Macdonald rises each morning with the sun, grabs his .223-caliber rifle and slips into the passenger seat of a tiny, doorless helicopter for another day of shooting pigs.

As the chopper skims over rugged terrain, Macdonald scans dozens of simple fence traps he's set up for the thousands of wild swine that have overrun this Southern California island.

When there are pigs in the traps - and there always are - Macdonald leans out and pumps two bullets into each animal: One for the heart and one for the head.

Each pig's death brings conservationists one step closer to their goal of saving the tiny Santa Cruz fox, an endangered species found only on this 96-square-mile island off Santa Barbara. Experts believe it's the best way to mend the island's delicate ecological web, which was torn when domesticated pigs escaped from now-abandoned ranches as early as the 1850s.

The National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy are paying $5 million to pump lead into the pigs. They plan to take more than two years to kill the estimated 3,000 pigs while using trained dogs, infrared sensing devices, and radio trackers.

Naturally, animal rights advocates are outraged and have asked for an explanation. In response, Lotus Vermeer, the pig-killing project director, stated, "It's not just about killing pigs, it's about saving a native species. What we're choosing to do here is save biodiversity."

So, there you have it. Darwinism is trumped by diversity. The minority rules and political correctness dictates policy in the natural world. Curiously, diversity has become justification for eliminating opposing viewpoints.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.

Margaret Hassan's Murderers Arrested

Last November, I was deeply saddened by the news of Margaret Hassan's cold-blooded execution by terrorists. She was a charitable woman who worked for CARE International and a threat to no one. Nonetheless, she was ruthlessly murdered.

Yesterday, according to this report, five people that were detained during raids by U.S. Forces have admitted complicity in Hassan's murder. Authorities say that clothing and documents belonging to Margaret Hassan were found.

This breakthrough in the investigation of Hassan's death is welcome news. Hopefully, those responsible will be tried, convicted, and sentenced to the ultimate punishment. In my opinion, it's impossible to punish the killers of Margaret Hassan in a cruel or unusual way.

More at In The Bullpen.

First Lady Goes Wild

(Nairobi, Kenya) The wife of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, First Lady Lucy Kibaki, has been at the center of a political firestorm in Kenya and she caused it.


First Lady Lucy Kibaki
From The Standard:

First Lady Lucy Kibaki was yesterday the target of national anger following reports she caused a scene at a private farewell party for outgoing World Bank Country Director Makhtar Diop.

Reaction was hostile to her three-time nocturnal invasion of Diop's house on Saturday and the attempt to unplug the electrical system at the party graced by the top cream of the diplomatic, donor and private sector circuit.

The First Lady's actions drew a chorus of condemnation, with many questioning her role as a family role model.

Leaders said The First Lady's behaviour did not befit the stature of her office. Some chose not to comment, arguing that her actions were so outrageous they should be left out of the orbit of public debate.

It would seem that prancing in pajamas to protest a princely party would be enough scandal for First Lady Lucy, but there's more. On several occasions, the First Lady has inserted herself in the workings of the government to the extent that "a cross-section of Kenyans and leaders asked the government to assign a special role for her to avert conflicts with government officers." In other words, they want her position and authority as First Lady to be defined. Her disruptive actions are a national embarrassment. Parliament member William Ruto stated:

"We cannot be subjected to persistent wrangles within the ruling National Rainbow Coalition and then see a First Lady walking in pyjamas at night to stop a party. This is ridiculous."

No doubt about it, First Lady Lucy puts the 'party' into party politics.

NZ Tells Former Iraqi Diplomat to Leave ASAP

From a Xinhua report, Immigration Minister Paul Swain told a former diplomat for Saddam Hussein to get the hell out of New Zealand. The diplomat wasn't named and the only reason given was that it was "unsuitable" for the man and his wife to stay.

I'm curious. Do we have a situation where a bunch of Saddam Hussein's henchmen are meandering around the globe looking for countries to call home? If so, I bet there's a few in South America. As exemplified by the Nazis, murdering bastards are magnetically drawn there.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.

Aussie Taken Hostage in Iraq

With no specific details on how it came about, an Austrailian man who lives in California has been kidnapped. After viewing a video ostensibly posted by the Shura Council of the Mujahedden of Iraq, the wife of 63-year-old civilian contract engineer Douglas Wood confirmed his identity as the hostage.


Mr. Wood is heard on the tape to say,

"President Bush, Prime Minister Howard, Governor Schwarzenegger ... take the troops out of here and let Iraq look after itself."

The little-known Shura Council of the Mujaheddan released a statement indicating that the abduction was timed to coincide with Australian Defence Minister Robert Hill's visit to Iraq.

Oddly, the kidnappers think Gov. Schwarzenegger is at least partially responsible for American troops being in Iraq, which makes no sense. However, without being specific, Prime Minister Howard stated that the government will do everything possible to secure the release of Mr. Wood. He did reiterate the Australian position of not giving in to hostage takers.

The abductors are described on the tape by Wood as "patriotic" which would tend to indicate a home-grown group as opposed to Al Qaeda, which is manned primarily by foreigners. Another report says that the Shura Council of the Mujaheddan has "previously claimed responsibility for attacks on US soldiers and Iraqi forces and another kidnapping." I don't recall hearing of the group before. The Jawa Report has a video link.

More coverage: In The Bullpen

[Update] Added video link.

Woman Guilty of Boy's Rape

(Bowling Green, Ohio) A 35-year-old Toledo woman, Leslie Thrasher, pleaded guilty this week in Wood County Common Pleas Court to two charges of rape of a 12-year-old boy. The plea agreement eliminates the necessity for the young victim to testify.


Leslie Thrasher
(Photo - Toledo Blade)
As part of her plea agreement, three counts of rape will be dismissed at sentencing which is scheduled for June 20. Thrasher faces a possible 20 years in prison. Judge Reeve Kelsey presided.

Sgt. Hassan Akbar Gets Death Sentence

For the early morning grenade attack on fellow members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division at a camp in Kuwait, Sgt. Hassan Akbar was sentenced to death by a military court. The grenade killed Major Gregory Stone and Captain Christopher Seifert and wounded 14 other soldiers. Any other ruling would have been an injustice.

Interestingly, a review of various Arab websites resulted in finding only one mention of the trial of Sgt. Akbar, that being in the Arab News. Other media sources have completely ignored the fate of Sgt. Akbar. Those reviewed were Aljazeera.com, Aljazeera.net, the Turkish Press, the Gulf Daily News, the Turkish Daily News, the Gulf Times, and the Bahrain Tribune. Obviously, the group of Arab news sources is not all-encompassing, but it sure is noticeable that only one of the eight even mentioned Sgt. Akbar. It seems to indicate that the commission of heinous violent crimes for the glory of Allah doesn't get the perpetrator much notoriety.

All in all, despite the hyperbole and frenzy espoused by Islamic terrorists, there seems to be scant enduring acclaim in performing the job of a sneaky, murdering bastard. All the better reason to hang on to the hope of 72 virgins because you sure can't count on 72 newspaper articles.

Other coverage:

Diggers Realm
The Jawa Report
Michelle Malkin
Ramblings' Journal

As a final thought, I expect the ACLU to protest the verdict, probably on the basis of religious discrimination against Akbar or that the court was unconstitutional.

Giving Hubby Money

(Asir Province, Saudi Arabia) A female Saudi teacher bribed her husband 100,000 Saudi riyals (approximately US$33,000) to not take another wife.

The wife tried to convince her husband not to marry again but when she saw that he was insisting, she took the desperate measure of resorting to paying him not to. The husband signed an agreement with his current wife promising that he would never marry another one as long as he is paid.

So, can we now agree that a precedent has been set for husbands to say, "Yes, I love you, baby. Now, give me some money."

Syrian President Bashar May Fall

According to a report in Aljazeera.com, the head of Israeli Military Intelligence, Aharon Zeevi, believes that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could easily be booted from power because of immense political pressure.

"His regime's stability is in great danger today, more than in the past. The economic problems will get worse."

[ ... ]

"People are already saying that perhaps Bashar is not supplying the goods, that perhaps he should be replaced," Zeevi said.

Names in the hopper for possible succession include General Asaf Shaukat, head of intelligence and Assad's brother-in-law, and the president's brother, Maher Assad.

Since Syria has been a despotic state with the al-Assads dictating actions for so long, it's difficult to imagine the workings of internal political discontent. However, it's probably safe to say that Hezbollah and the Baathist Party are upset with the direction that Syria has been taken by Bashar.