Female Arab Minister Survives No-Confidence Vote

(Kuwait) Minister of Education Nouriya Al-Subaih, the only woman in Kuwaiti politics, survived a parliamentary no-confidence vote yesterday by a count of 27 to 19. Al-Subaih had been accused of mismanagement and endangering conservative religious values.

On Jan 8 the minister had to defend herself before Parliament against the allegations that she had attempted to deceive the nation when she denied a press report that three schoolboys had been sexually assaulted by an Asian worker at a state school. She explained she had been misinformed and subsequently issued an apology.

Al-Subaih was also accused of disrespecting Islam because she didn't punish a girl who scribbled a cross on a textbook and then said she hated Islam. The charge was found to be baseless.

The no-confidence measure is indicative of the divide in the Kuwait Parliament between strict Islamist lawmakers and liberal supporters of Al-Subaih.

Al-Subaih is the first minister in the Cabinet of HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah to triumph over a no-confidence motion. Prior to the voting, MP Jaber Al-Muhailbi, who supported the grilling, said those who oppose the no-confidence motion are defying the Islamic Sharia.

"According to Islam, a woman should not hold any leadership post," Al-Muhailbi pointed out.

The Islamists apparently don't really care what Al-Subaih did and coupled with the fact that she refuses to wear a headscarf, they are simply enraged that she is in Parliament and any reason to get her out would likely be fine.

Continued contentiousness in Kuwait's Parliament regarding Al-Subaih's presence should be expected.

Mom, Boyfriend Accused of Torturing Toddler

(Victorville, California) A 22-year-old mother and her 24-year-old boyfriend, Vanessa Woods and Reginald Hardin Jr., were arrested yesterday for allegedly torturing Woods' 21-month-old daughter, who weighed a mere 10 pounds.

According to San Bernardino County Sheriff's Detective Randy German, the child has burns on her feet, arm, chest and genitals, as well as a lacerated liver and a distended stomach from blunt force trauma.

Authorities said that there were cigarette burns on her arms and chest, her feet were completely burnt possibly by putting the child's feet in scalding water, and the burns on her genitals were "consistent with being burned with a curling iron."

 
Vanessa Woods -- Reginald Hardin Jr.

Woods reportedly took the child to Desert Valley Monday hospital (sic) after she began vomiting blood, officials said. She told doctors that the girl had a blistery rash on her forehead, so they gave the infant nearly a full adult dose of penicillin on Sunday, authorities relayed.

"Instead of taking her to the hospital at first they tried to give her apple juice and Tylenol infant drops. Then on Monday morning they said they took her socks off and her skin peeled off with the socks," German said.

When doctors discovered the girl's injuries, especially the scar tissue covering her anus, the adults said "they had no idea how she could've gotten burnt -- they said they thought it was diaper rash," German explained.

When Hardin arrived at the hospital, he apparently did so in a stolen car, and he and Woods were arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property as well as torture and child abuse, officials said.

"It appeared the child had been continually abused for several months," German said.

The infant is in critical condition at the Loma Linda University Medical Center.

Study: Global Warming Causes Fewer Hurricanes

(University of Miami) A new study by University of Miami researchers Wang and Sang-Ki Lee says that global warming causes the oceans to produce fewer and weaker hurricanes. The study is published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Some previous studies found that global warming was increasing the number and intensity of hurricanes, a conclusion that supported the conventional wisdom that warmer seas automatically turbocharge hurricane development.

Therefore, scientific data have been gathered to support the contention that global warming causes more frequent and stronger hurricanes while also supporting the contention that there will be fewer and weaker hurricanes.

I hope this clears up any confusion people may have regarding global warming. Obviously, it's the eco-political trump card, playable at any time for any purpose.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Survey: Swedes Having Even More Sex

From The Local:

Swedes might have long rejected foreigners' assumptions that they have a free-and-easy attitude to sex, but a new survey shows that the country has loosened up considerably in matters of the flesh.

From interviews with 4,000 to 6,000 randomly selected Swedes aged 16 to 44, more people are having more sex with more partners.

On the downside, HIV infections from sexual activity and intravenous drug use are on the increase in Sweden.

Faculty Dumped at Low-Performing School

(Cincinnati, Ohio) I would question why it took so long.

Cincinnati Public Schools will replace the entire staff at the chronically low-performing Taft Elementary School in Mount Auburn.

The action is the result of the school's inability to meet improvement goals mandated by the federal government and, before that, the district for nine consecutive years.

Students there score about 20 points below the district average on standardized tests, according to state data.

The school's principal, 11 teachers and an unknown number of staff are affected.

It's the first time CPS has taken such a radical step as a result of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, which requires drastic overhaul measures for any school that consistently fails to meet goals.

Just think, for at least nine years, the school has been pushing inadequately educated students out the door. Furthermore, it appears that Taft Elementary would have continued to plug along indefinitely if it were not for the No Child Left Behind law.

Companion post at EWI.

Canadian Nurse Finally Allowed to Campaign against Abortion

But it took a court of appeals to get free speech rights even considered:

"A Saskatchewan Court of Appeals has ruled that the suspension of a pro-life protester's nursing license by the Saskatchewan Association of Licensed Practical Nurses (SALPN) was unconstitutional.

In 2002, Bill Whatcott, a licensed practical nurse, participated in a protest outside the Regina Planned Parenthood offices. The Association judged Whatcott's protest to have constituted "professional misconduct" and suspended his nursing license and fined him $15,000.

Whatcott admitted in a court hearing to having carried signs with pictures of foetuses and captions saying "Planned Parenthood Aborts Babies" and "Planned Parenthood refers for abortions," "God's gift of life" and "choice is abortion". Whatcott lost his initial case at the Saskatchewan Court of Queen's Bench and his appeal was later dismissed.

Court documents in the appeal note that the SALPN disciplinary committee did not address constitutional issues of Whatcott's freedom of expression. Whatcott's appeal was upheld by the court that said the case raised "constitutional law issues pertaining to freedom of expression".

The ruling said, "The Discipline Committee did not engage in any of the balancing necessary to weigh Mr. Whatcott's right to work, the high standards to which nurses must aspire and free speech...

The justices wrote that SALPN had failed to demonstrate that the restriction on Whatcott's freedom of expression was reasonable "and the decision is thus unconstitutional."

Source

Whether you agree with abortion or not, trying to throttle one side of the debate is pretty Stalinist.

Posted by John Ray

Hillary Unwelcomed in Harlem

When visiting the Abyssinian Baptist Church, Mrs. Clinton was reportedly told to "Stay out of Harlem" and to stop trying to steal the black vote.

Agreed, it's anecdotal but an important consideration for Hillary's campaign strategists.

Clotheslines in Ontario

It appears that Canadians will soon be saving the planet by hanging their wet laundry on clotheslines instead of using dryers. Unfortunately, current rules ban clotheslines in many large, urban subdivisions because home sellers are impeded when prospective buyers see underwear flapping in the breeze.

Overriding clothesline bans was suggested last November by Ontario's chief conservation officer Peter Love.

But home builders are wondering why there's a rush, saying prospective buyers are not pushing for clotheslines. Acknowledging that "clotheslines are good for the environment," an official from the Ontario Home Builders' Association said "most families don't have the time" to hang their laundry out.

I'd suggest that most people, given a choice, would continue to use dryers. Of course, given a choice, the eco-leftists would probably ban clothes dryers in their apparent campaign to devolve the standard of living to pre-Industrial Revolution circumstances.

Illegals Named for Robbing, Beating Woman, 78

(Daly City, California) A 36-year-old illegal from El Salvador, Juan Carlos Cuellar, was arrested for the break-in of the home of a 78-year-old woman who is in critical condition after being brutally beaten.

Police are searching for his alleged accomplice, 28-year-old Jose Perez-Gonzalez, an illegal from Mexico.

Investigating officers discovered that Perez-Gonzalez apparently called the victim's home before the robbery pretending to be delivering a package to determine what time the victim would be out of the home.

Both men will face a variety of felony offenses, [Daly City Police Lt.] Morena said, which include attempted murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault of an elderly person resulting in great bodily injury and two counts of residential burglary.

However, Cuellar will not speak with detectives and Perez-Gonzalez remains at large.

Information leading to the arrest and conviction of Perez-Gonzalez reaps a reward of $10,000 from the city of Daly City. He's 5',6", weighs 145 lbs., has black hair and brown eyes. A "Mexico" tattoo appears on his right forearm. A "Harley Davidson" emblem and red dragon tattoos appear on his right arm. Those with information should contact Daly City police at (650) 991-8119.

No information was disclosed regarding whether Cuellar and Perez-Gonzalez have prior convictions or deportations. Frankly, I'd presume so.

"Gay Rights" Quietly Put on Ballot

(Miami, Florida) Gay rights advocates are trying to keep this issue quiet. An informed electorate is apparently the adversary of gay-rights supporters.

Miami voters are being asked Jan. 29 to approve a "Citizens' Bill of Rights'' that would, among other things, promote religious freedom, clean air and scenic beauty.

It would also ban discrimination on the basis of domestic relationship status, sexual orientation and gender identity and expression -- though relatively few people are aware of it.

The proposed city charter change hasn't drawn much attention. The actual ballot wording never mentions gay or transgender rights. On Monday, even some leading gay and Christian activists didn't know anything about it.

Heddy Pena, leader of SAVE, Miami's largest gay-rights group, said that gays are trying to avoid making the issue political because then "you have a fight on your hands." It's thought that a ballot entry described as "Citizens' Bill of Rights" without reference to homosexuality will adequately camouflage the gay-rights provisions of the measure.

According to Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, sponsor of the legislation,

"It would bring a modern approach to people's rights in the city of Miami, including sexual preference and gender identification as classifications that are rights that will be upheld in the city of Miami."

Members of SAVE helped craft the wording in the proposed ordinance. Once passed, it's expected that transgender protections will be added to the ordinance.

Notably, this isn't the first time that a special interest group in Florida has used sneaky means to get controversial measures passed by the voters. Some may recall that after a mendacious petition drive, the Florida Constitution was amended to protect pregnant pigs.

Deportation of Vietnamese Illegals

(Hanoi, Vietnam) Per agreement completed today, about 6,200 Vietnamese living illegally in the U.S. will face deportation. Another 1,500 are in some stage of the deportation process. Previously, Vietnam didn't want them back.

This is all well and good but a drop in the bucket. It seems barely noteworthy when the 7,700 represent less than the number of illegals estimated to regularly barrel through the porous southern U.S. border in just a few days.

Gas Sold for One-Tenth Cent

(Charleston, West Virginia) A 25-year-old local woman, Madeline Jordan, was arrested for defrauding her boss when she worked as a gas station clerk. She scammed nearly $50,000 by resetting the gas price to one-tenth of a cent and sold many gallons to her family and friends.

The gas station owner noticed that his receipts were on the light side so police were notified. A sting operation was then launched and Jordan was caught.

Apparently, the scam was a Sunday morning ritual for Jordan's mother, Mary Jordan, 58, of Charleston; her brother, John Jordan, 27, of Charleston; cousin Vonnie Oldham, 38, of Leon; Clifford Parker, 47, of Leon; and Glennis Fields, 39, of Dunbar. All were arrested and booked into custody at the South Central Regional Jail.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Weak Leftist grip on reality

There is a post here which shows that everybody (both GOP and Donk voters) rightly sees the GOP presidential candidates as being on the conservative side of American politics but Democrat voters see their candidates as centrist. Once again we see a reliance among Leftists on a false "consensus" and a poor grip on reality. The post takes a bit of thought to get the point but it is a striking and important point.

Posted by John Ray

Paper Plane Launch from International Space Station

(University of Tokyo) In preparation for a launch from space, an experiment has proven that a paper plane can withstand a Mach-7 air stream for 10 seconds without burning up.

Shinji Suzuki, a professor in aerospace engineering at the university who took part in the experiment, said that in the plane's actual flight, it would be released from the International Space Station, 400 kilometers from the earth, at mach 20, but immediately after entering the earth's atmosphere at an altitude of about 80 kilometers, it would slow to about mach 7, matching the conditions of the experiment at the university.

Researchers plan to calculate the plane's return trajectory based on experiment data such as the pressure exerted on the aircraft, and design a paper plane to be launched from the International Space Station. The plane will be 30 to 40 centimeters long and weigh about 30 grams, bigger than the 7-centimeter-long plane used in the experiment.

Data from the paper plane project will be applied to the development of new transport craft. Unfortunately, no information has been disclosed regarding plans for experimental cosmic spitballs.

In-Store Sex Mixing

(Kota Bahru, Malaysia) Here's an odd requirement of the religion of peace.

In 1996, a regulation was enacted which requires separate checkout counters for males and for females in supermarkets and department stores. Separate counters are deemed necessary to suppress mixing of the sexes, to curb social ills like kissing and to "prevent perverts from groping women" in line.

Unfortunately, compliance with the law has been lax so the municipal council has been ordered by the local government minister, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, to impose fines for violations. Up to RM1,000 ($300) will be assessed on the store owners if customers are checked through the wrong line.

Oklahoma Teacher Busted for Drugs

(Ada, Oklahoma) A 31-year-old special education teacher at Willard Grade Center, Konawha Don Ade, was arrested last week after attempting to buy cocaine from undercover police officers. Ade also works for the Pontotoc County Co-op Preschool Program.

Reportedly, Ade faces additional drug charges. She is one of eight people arrested by Ada Narcotics Officers in a sting operation.

Ade was booked into custody with bond set at $30,000.

Hugo Chavez: I Chew Coca Every Day

President Chavez admitted to chewing coca and it's being viewed as an endorsement of illegal drug use. I'm not surprised.

From Miami Herald:

Chavez's comments on coca initially went almost unnoticed, coming amid a four-hour speech to the National Assembly during which he made international headlines by calling on other countries to stop branding two leftist Colombian guerrilla groups as terrorists and instead recognize them as "armies."

"I chew coca every day in the morning . . . and look how I am," he is seen saying on a video of the speech, as he shows his biceps to the audience.

Chavez, who does not drink alcohol, added that just as Fidel Castro "sends me Coppelia ice cream and a lot of other things that regularly reach me from Havana," Bolivian President Evo Morales "sends me coca paste . . . I recommend it to you."

It was not clear what Chavez meant. Indigenous Bolivians and Peruvians can legally chew coca leaves as a mild stimulant and to kill hunger. But coca paste is a semi-refined product -- between leaves and cocaine -- considered highly addictive and often smoked as basuco or pitillo.

"It is another symptom that [Chavez] has totally lost the concept of limits," said Aníbal Romero, a political scientist with the Caracas Metropolitan University. "It shows Chavez is a man out of control."

Chavez has praised coca before, saying he wanted to de-Satanize the product.

All this information possibly sheds a new perspective on why Hollywood-types and other celebrities flock to have meetings with Chavez. Also somewhat explained is Chavez's apparent paranoia regarding the U.S. and the ease with which he can give four-hour speeches.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Silenced Pope Update



Students who were blocked by Italy's modern-day Fascist Left from hearing the Pope go to where they can hear him:

"It was announced yesterday that a scheduled visit by Pope Benedict to La Sapienza University had been cancelled due to the rowdy protests of a contingent of students who argued that the Pontiff was "anti-science." Previously the students had announced their intention to disrupt the Pope's scheduled speech by blasting rock music over loudspeakers.

The Vatican cancelled the Pope's visit to the university, which was started by a pope in 1303, following a break-in and sit-in by 50 students in the university rector's office. Vatican spokesmen said it was "considered opportune to postpone the event," which had been planned "by invitation of the major rector."

Students of La Sapienza opposed to the protests, however, responded by flocking to Benedict's Wednesday general audience at Paul VI Hall on January 16 as a show of solidarity to the Pontiff. They displayed banners that read "If Benedict doesn't come to La Sapienza, La Sapienza goes to Benedict," and "Students with the Pope."

A professor from La Sapienza has also responded to to the protests, and has written an article accusing the protestors of being bigoted intellectuals who have a personal dislike for Pope Benedict XVI..... "[The students] have never expressed a word of criticism against Islamic fundamentalism or against those denying the Shoah [Holocaust]. This is just a part of the secularist culture that has no argument, so it demonizes, it does not argue as a real secular culture, but creates monsters."

Source

Posted by John Ray

Mom Accused of Intimacy with Son's Friends - Updated

(Ramapo, New York) A 44-year-old mother-of-four and wife of the Spring Valley Police Chief, Beth Modica, has been accused of hosting wild parties and engaging in intimate relations with high school boys as young as 16 at her home in Sloatsburg.

Modica has been under investigation since rumors started to circulate at Suffern High School last year. An indictment delineating specific charges will be unsealed on Tuesday.

A high-ranking official said that on at least one occasion Modica provided alcohol and marijuana for some of her 16-year-old son's teammates on the Suffern Mounties ice hockey team.

She is also accused of having intimate relations with some players as young as 16, the official said.

"This is a very delicate thing . . . this is a very sad story for her family and friends," he said. "It's a very shocking, disturbing and sad incident."

It was not clear whether Modica's son or her husband, Paul, the police chief in Spring Valley, were home at the time of the parties.

Beth Modica is a former PTA President and prosecuting attorney.


[Update 04/12/08]

From Lohud.com:

A former prosecutor admitted in court yesterday that she had sex with two teenage boys in her Sloatsburg home during the summer.

Beth Modica, 44, a PTA mother of four children, faces a maximum sentence of two years in state prison at her June sentencing on yesterday's guilty pleas to felony charges of third-degree rape and third-degree criminal sexual act. She faced 1 1/2 to four years on each felony count.

The judge ordered Modica held in Rockland County jail until her June 13 sentencing. Jail officials transferred Modica to an upstate facility for her protection.

Based on her guilty plea, Modica also faces 10 years post-release supervision, registering as a sex offender and paying about $1,300 in DNA testing and court fees. She also will be disbarred.

Modica's lawyer, Gerard Damiani of New City, still hopes to persuade acting state Supreme Court Justice Catherine Bartlett to sentence Modica to county jail time or probation. A presentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 4.

Standing with Damiani yesterday in the courtroom, Modica admitted that in July she had intercourse with a 15-year-old boy in her bed and gave oral sex to a 16-year-old boy in the bathroom of her house.

She softly answered "yes" to at times graphic questions about her sexual acts from Supervising Assistant District Attorney Dominic Crispino.

Modica admitted she knew that both Suffern High School boys - who were friends with her eldest son - were underage when she had sex with them. She had been accused of providing oral sex to the 15-year-old on several other occasions.

Heh.

An old but instructive deception



Those of us who are old enough to remember the Vietnam era will remember how the two photos above were ceaselessly used by the media to denigrate the American war effort. Larger versions of the photos are here and here. One depicts a little girl running naked from a napalm bombing and the other depicts a Vietcong assassin being executed.

The impression always given is that America was guilty of brutality towards innocent Vietnamese. See here for the real story. American forces were not involved at all. It helps put in context the way deceptive photographs are repeatedly used to denigrate Israel's attempts to defend itself -- with the connivance of the Western media again, of course.

Posted by John Ray

Earth Hour - Incremental De-Modernization

(Toronto, Canada) As one of 17 cities in seven countries, Toronto will participate in a voluntary Earth Hour when everyone turns the lights off to save the planet from people.

With vast clouds of greenhouse gases spewing from vehicles, factories and generating stations around the world, it's like an ant trying to halt the juggernaut of destructive climate change.

But Earth Hour is all about the power of one, multiplied many, many times.

If you, your neighbours and many others take the little step between 8 and 9 p.m. on March 29, not only will the city's electricity consumption drop for 60 minutes, you'll be making a major statement to sluggish governments and industry, and to one another.

"Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action," says the World Wildlife Fund, a main organizer of what, in its second year, has become a global event.

The next logical step is for the cities to make lights off mandatory by law and have Earth Hour on a weekly, then a daily, basis. Acclimating the population will take some time but, ultimately, Earth Hour could be incrementally increased to two, four, eight or even 12 hours hours a day.

It's unclear exactly how much reduction in the "vast clouds of greenhouse gases spewing" will be realized by shutting down cities, however, it's fairly clear that eco-leftists with derive an elevated sense of superiority and arrogance from turning steaming horseflop into warm and welcoming breakfast muffins.

In the end, just think, people will only use what is allowed, capitalism will be extinct, everyone will receive rations from the government and the planet will be saved. Mother Gaia will be proud.

Venezuelan Military Buildup

(Bogota, Colombia) Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen visited Colombia and spoke a few words about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Mullen spoke at a news conference with Colombia's Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos and Armed Forces Chief General Freddy Padilla at the outset of a two-day visit.

Chavez is negotiating with Russia to buy five diesel electric submarines that he says Venezuela needs to protect its extensive offshore oil drilling facilities.

He also went shopping in Belarus in June for an air defense system.

And in 2006, Venezuela signed contracts with Russia to buy 53 Mi-24 armored helicopter gunships, Sukhoi 30 fighter planes and 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles.

The Venezuelans also have talked about building a factory to manufacture the AK-47 assault rifles in Venezuela, a development that US and Colombian officials fear could flood the region with arms.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has taken a dim view of Chavez's intentions, accusing him of supporting Colombia's main rebel group, the FARC, and rejecting his call for it to be removed from the US list of terrorist organizations. (ed. bold)

I'd say that Chavez's intentions must be questioned because it looks like he's going to be starting something.

British government renames Islamic terrorism as 'anti-Islamic activity'

Yes. You read that right:

"Ministers have adopted a new language for declarations on Islamic terrorism. In future, fanatics will be referred to as pursuing "anti-Islamic activity". Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said that extremists were behaving contrary to their faith, rather than acting in the name of Islam.

Security officials believe that directly linking terrorism to Islam is inflammatory, and risks alienating mainstream Muslim opinion. In her first major speech on radicalisation, Miss Smith repeatedly used the phrase "anti-Islamic".

Source

She should read the Koran. Take the comment in Sura 4:89 about Non-Muslims:

"They long that ye should disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that ye may be upon a level (with them). So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them"

Even Hitler was not that blunt -- though he was just as genocidal in practice, of course.

The above passage is in my copy of the Koran and my copy was printed in India under the auspices of the Nizam of Hyderabad so I am pretty sure I have not been misled by a neocon plot.

Posted by John Ray

Born in the Toilet

(Norway) Here's a strange story. It's reported that 23 years ago a 17-year-old girl named Brita surprisingly gave birth to a son in the toilet.

Brita thought she had an upset stomach but, instead, she was unknowingly pregnant.

Somehow the birth was discovered by the media and became front page news throughout the nation with the headline "Gave Birth to Son in the Loo." Imagine the teasing the boy was destined for.

Well, the story doesn't end there. It seems that the boy, now 23-year-old Robert Midtrud, who started in the toilet, recently completed requirements to become a plumber. What irony?

And to celebrate receiving a plumber's diploma, the editor of the newspaper that heralded the birth gave Robert a copy of the front page at a ceremony (pic) in Robert's home as mom, Brita Midtrud Moller, looked on.

Tip: Barry (providing translation)

Wal-Mart Purges Mag Racks

Announced on January 15, Wal-Mart is eliminating more than 1,000 titles from its magazine racks. Many of the the newly-denied are small but there are some biggies.

BusinessWeek, The Economist, Forbes, Better Homes and Gardens, Ladies Home Journal and The Saturday Evening Post are a few well-known publications being snuffed.

Mexican Police Death Rate

According to a report in La Cronica de Hoy, Mexican police officers are being killed at a rate of more than one a day. Specifically, data indicate that 20 officers were murdered in the first 17 days of 2008.

The murdered policemen were largely victims of organized crime groups, narco-traffickers.

It's inexcusable that these daily tragedies are not being reported, much less emphasized, by the American mainstream media. We've got a full-blown shooting war occurring on our southern border while the majority of the American public is kept unaware.

Mexico Condemns Anti-Immigrant Actions by U.S.

From Borderfire Report:

The "Permanent Commission" of the Mexican Senate "expressed its most energetic repudiation concerning the xenophobic actions materialized in the United States against Mexican emigrants."

A resolution approved by senators of all political parties "also stated its opposition to round-ups and massive deportations of Mexicans carried out by American immigration authorities."

The accord exhorts the Executive Branch to use all diplomatic and consular channels for the purpose of emphasizing protective and defensive activities for those countrymen victims of human rights violations in the neighboring country.

It also condemned the construction by the United States of a fence on the northern border and pointed out that neither fences nor restrictive walls are what is needed to stimulate the integration and cooperation between the two nations.

The legislators stated they were for an "integral migratory reform" which supports a framework of shared responsibility, aids family reunification and preserves human rights and international law.

Frankly, what is meant by "integral migratory reform" is unclear. I think it means elimination of the border and allowing Mexican nationals to roam the United States as they please.

Obviously, the Mexican Senate is not on the same wavelength as the American people who believe a secure border is necessary. In any event, this is barely newsworthy since official pronouncements have previously come out of Mexico denouncing American attempts to slow the flood of illegals. It is worthwhile, though, to know what is in the minds of adversaries.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.

SC Woman Accused of Sex with Boy

(Sumter, South Carolina) A 31-year-old woman, Connie Gainey (aka Michelle), was arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy. The sexual episodes allegedly occurred between October and November 2007. The boy's guardian reported the offense.

Gainey has been charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy


[Update 01/23/08]

Gainey arrested again for violating the conditions of her bond. She was ordered not to have contact with her alleged victim. On Monday, the boy ran away from home and spent time with Gainey.

Blasting Brains From Pigs' Heads

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating an illness reported at pig slaughterhouses by workers blasting the brains out of pigs' heads using jets of compressed air.

Originally seen at the Quality Pork Processors Inc. plant in Austin, MN, the illness is described as neurological with changes in sensation and weakness in the limbs. Eleven Minnesota workers were afflicted.

According to Lola Russell, spokeswoman for the CDC, the illness is only associated with slaughterhouse workers who handle pigs' heads. Only three plants (MN, IN and NE) have been identified as having used compressed air to blast pig brains and all three have ceased using the technique.

Homeless in Dallas Cost Over $43 Million Per Year

(Dallas, Texas) Here's a cluster of interesting numbers from Dallas.

In 2000, the City of Dallas, Dallas County, other government agencies and charitable organizations spent a total of $20,341,000.00 serving the homeless population in our community. By 2006, that total had more than doubled to an estimated $43,785,577.00 annually.

Recent "point in time" census counts of the homeless population indicates that there are somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 homeless individuals on the streets of Dallas at any one time. About 1,000 are chronically homeless.

The chronically homeless use 50% of the shelter capacity of our community.

Almost half (43%) of those surveyed in 2006 reported that they were homeless due to the lose of a job. In that same count, 12% reported that they had been homeless on four or more occasions in the past three years.

Here in Dallas more than 45 agencies offer housing, food, medical care and counseling/employment services to the homeless population.

I'm skeptical regarding the accuracy of the population numbers simply because "between 5,000 and 6,000" is not a point-in-time census count. It's obviously an estimate.

And, logically, estimates of homeless populations tend to be exaggerated because the people who customarily conduct the censuses are the same people who receive funds to help the homeless. There is a built-in bias to enhance the numbers.

On the other hand, estimates are not immune to being low because entire groups of homeless can erroneously be missed. Nonetheless, I'd trust the former occurring much more often than the latter.


[Update 01/19/08]

Interestingly, according to this report, Dallas and Collins Counties will undergo a census of homeless people next Tuesday. It's also reported that the 2007 count found 5,163 homeless people in Dallas County.

The Dallas Homeless Alliance will conduct Tuesday's census, accompanied by Dallas Police.

Florida Woman Jailed for Sex with Boy

(Ocala, Florida) A 47-year-old woman, Jennifer Lyn Crossin, was arrested this week for allegedly engaging in sexual activities with a 16-year-old boy more than once.

Detective Frank Scala went to the teen's home on Dec. 4, where the boy's father relayed the story.

On Dec. 13, Scala interviewed the teen at the Marion County Sheriff's Office. He reportedly told the detective that sometime in July, he and his brother went to Crossin's home where they watched television. The boy said he was sitting on the couch when Crossin began making sexual comments to him, then began touching his legs.

She told the boy's brother to leave, but the brother told investigators that he watched the activities with his minor brother from the window. The 16-year-old told detectives he eventually went into her bedroom.

In his report, Scala noted that the victim told him they had sex on two occasions. Scala also talked with the victim's other brother, who told him Crossin allegedly fondled him, but he left.

Crossin was booked into custody at the Marion County Jail with bail set at $15,000.

Something strange here, it seems. Why would teen boys gather at the home of a middle-aged neighbor woman to watch television?

Quote of the Day

Jack Nicholson says age has changed him.

"I can't hit on a girl in public like I used to," he says.

Heh. I'd suggest he's still ahead of most guys, even at age 70.

Homeless Update - Baltimore, MD

Yesterday, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon announced the launching of a 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness. The plan includes vigorous pursuit of drug and alcohol treatment, creation of an affordable housing trust, nondiscrimination of homeless legislation and the leasing of 500 housing units.

Cost will be covered by "many millions of dollars" from state and federal sources. The money would be in addition to the $100 million the city has received from federal funds in the last five years.

According to the 2007 homeless census, there are about 3,000 people homeless in Baltimore on any given night.

If the experience of other cities can be used as an indicator, it's likely that the 10-year plan will not significantly decrease, if at all, the population of homeless people. Also, just penciling some numbers, it appears that in excess of $200 million will be allocated over 10 years for the 3,000 homeless people.

South Carolina Woman Jailed for Child Neglect

(Conway, South Carolina) A 35-year-old Myrtle Beach woman, Patricia Collins Eudy, was arrested for allegedly harming and neglecting her five children.

The children have been placed in the custody of the Department of Social Services with one, a 5-year-old daughter, hospitalized with serious injuries.

Eudy, 35, is charged with assault and battery with intent to kill, unlawful neglect of a child or helpless person by legal guardian and inflicting great bodily harm on a child, according to court records. She is being held without bail at J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

Her boyfriend, Aubrey Johnson, 26, is charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, unlawful neglect of a child by legal custodian and inflicting great bodily harm on a child, according to jail records. He is being held in lieu of $125,000 bail at J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

The arrest warrant said Eudy admitted causing "violent injury" to the girl without "adequate cause or provocation" and that Johnson was present when the acts were committed.

A hearing on child custody is scheduled for February 7. Several family members have expressed interest in gaining custody.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

THE CRUISER AND FREE SPEECH


Scientology church put stop to leaked Tom Cruise web video

We read:

"Scientologists have forced internet giant Google to remove a leaked web video that featured Hollywood star Tom Cruise praising the niche religion. The Scientology video was removed from Google's YouTube video site today. "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Church of Scientology International," said a message on the site.

A Google Australia spokesman denied the company giant had "buckled under pressure" from the Church of Scientology, but confirmed Google had "complied with our legal obligation to remove material".

Source

There is a bit of a surge lately in using copyright laws to suppress speech. If any of these cases get to court, however, I think they will die. Copyright laws do permit use of excerpts and that is all that happened above as far as I can work out.


More on the Cruiser



I have noted before threats by the Church of Scientology to sue anybody who distributes an unauthorized biography of Tom Cruise -- threats that have succeeeded in getting the book pulled from some bookstores. It seems however that the book really contains very little of substance. There is a run-down of what is in it here. The only bit in it that I thought vaguely interesting was the following:

"Morton says Tom "progressed to what Scientologists call 'the Wall of Fire,' or Operating Thetan III, where the secrets of the universe according to Hubbard [are] revealed." Allegedly, "Tom found the knowledge he had just received disturbing and alarming, as he struggled to reconcile the creationist myth with the more practical teachings contained in the lower levels of Scientology...Tom [complained] that he had studied all these years and the whole faith was about space aliens."'

Some Cruise scientology craziness that apparently is not in the book can be found here

Posted by John Ray

Babysitter Accused of Murdering Toddler

(Hartford, Connecticut) A 25-year-old babysitter, Yalines Torres, was arrested yesterday for allegedly causing the death of a 19-month-old child she was watching.

Torres has been charged with capital felony murder.

Torres was watching 19-month-old Elijah Gasque on Friday evening while his mother worked. According to a police report, Torres told Julie Adkins-Gasque that Elijah had a seizure and collapsed during a game of ring-around-the-rosy.

Police said Torres made conflicting statements to them about the injury, saying that her own 2-year-old son struck him in the head with a xylophone toy and that Elijah may have been hurt when he fell after she twirled him in the air and set him down.

But after more questioning, police said Torres said Elijah was injured in a game in which she bundled him in a closed sleeping bag and she jogged through her apartment with the bag slung over her shoulder.

Going through one doorway, Torres lost her balance and the bag struck the door frame twice, police said. When she opened the bag, Elijah was pale and not breathing, according to the police report.

He died at a hospital the next day. A police report noted Elijah had a skull fracture and bleeding in the brain, and the medical examiner's office ruled the death a homicide.

Torres was booked into custody with bond set at $1 million.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Spanking Case Verdict Overturned

(Fresno, California) Remember Janet Orlando? She is the 50-something woman who received $1.7 million in a judgment against her employer, Alarm One, which administered office spankings.

Orlando's story made national news and she appeared on several television shows.

Well, poor thing, the appeals court overturned the jury's decision in her case.

Several days ago an appellate court decided the jury was wrong and overturned Orlando's verdict.

Alarm one's defense attorney poncho Baker said, "Hopefully national news will pick it up that Miss Orlando has received zero dollars at the present time."

Poncho Baker was the Defense Attorney for Alarm One. Baker said the jury didn't follow special instructions on how to determine guilt in the case. Baker says that's why the appellate court overturned the verdict.

"A wrong instruction had been given so the appellate court reversed it and remanded it for a new trail. So Miss Orlando is back to square one" said Baker. (sic all)

Orlando's attorney, Butch Wagner, said they would be ready for trial within the next year.

Women's Mag Shifts Farther Left

(New York) An advertisement titled "This is Israel" featuring three prominent Israeli women was rejected by the editors of Ms. magazine because, according to managing editor Katherine Spiller, it was "outside the publication's mission."

"Our role at Ms. magazine is not to promote countries, it is to report on what's happening to women in different countries."

Sounds like double-talk to me and others concur. One author, Phyllis Chesler, said that the magazine has recently been "consistently and sickeningly anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian." Another author, Blu Greenberg, said that the forces at Ms. have aligned themselves "with those on the political far left whose agenda is to totally delegitimize Israel."

So, in rejecting the ad the editor of Ms. says it's not the mag's role while others say the mag is anti-Israel. Readers can make up their own minds. I'd say the latter makes more sense.

US Navy Will Use SONAR, Despite Whales

(San Francisco, California) According to this report, the environmentalists are seeing red.

The Bush administration jumped into a long-running legal fray in California on Tuesday, exempting the Navy from a law that environmental groups have used to prevent the use of a type of powerful sonar that is believed to harm whales.

The waiver exempts the Navy from the Coastal Zone Management Act, which allows states a voice in federal activities along their shores. The law had been cited in early January by a federal district judge who issued an injunction against the Navy, stopping it from using the midfrequency sonar in exercises off the Southern Californian coast because of concerns about its effect on certain species of whales.

But on Tuesday, the White House announced that such sonar exercises, used to track enemy submarines, were "essential to national security."

To me, it seems to be a ridiculous controversy. Defense of the United States must have priority over defending against possible harm to whales.

In opposition, Senator Barbara Boxer complained that more tax dollars will now have to be "wasted defending a misguided decision." I agree with Senator Boxer, which is a rarity. Fighting a losing battle in court is a waste and, presumably, if the voting population of the U.S. decided which is more important, the U.S. or the whales? I think the whales are sure losers.

Joel Reynolds, the head whale guy at the Natural Resources Defense Council, also weighed in, stating that it's no secret that the Navy and the White House are "not friendly to the environment." Well, that may or may not be the case, but it's not the primary consideration. Friendly or unfriendly to the environment, the President's job is to protect and defend the United States.

Oregon Woman Gets 60 Days for Sex with Boys

(Vale, Oregon) A 49-year-old woman, Janis Ribeiro, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Malheur County Circuit Court to charges of felony sex with two 15-year-old boys.

The felony sex abuse offenses occurred between April and May 2007 and police were alerted by the parents of one boy and an adult friend of the other boy.

According to police reports, Ribeiro, in some instances, met with the two boys -- both 15 at the time of the incidents -- at night, picking them up outside their homes. Then Ribeiro and the victims would drive to a secluded location where they engaged in sexual intercourse and/or oral sex.

In accordance with a plea agreement, Ribeiro was sentenced to 60 days in the Malheur County Jail with 30 days on work release. She was also assessed about $1,000 in fees.

Although the parents of one of the boys expressed dissatisfaction with the sentence, the judge reportedly imposed the maximum punishment under Oregon state law.

Germany: Anger at "Jewish star" smokers' shirts

We read:

"Opponents of Germany's new smoking ban have appalled Jewish leaders by selling more than 1,000 'smokers' T-shirts' that display a yellow Star of David and suggest that discrimination against nicotine addicts is like Nazi anti-Semitism during the Third Reich.

The controversial T-shirts went on sale on an internet site in the run-up to a smoking ban which came in to force in 10 of Germany's 16 federal states on New Year's Day. Its promoters insisted that Germany needed to be woken up to what it described as 'disgraceful discrimination against smokers' in bars and restaurants and claimed that its shirts were 'the most aggressive smokers' resistance shirt available.'"

Source

I can see both sides of this argument. Jews are asked to "get over" an awful lot. But it is also true that Hitler campaigned against smoking

Posted by John Ray

Female Coach Accused of Sex with Girl

(San Antonio, Texas) A 26-year-old basketball coach formerly at Madison High School, Summer Allen, was arrested today for allegedly having an improper relationship with a female player, beginning in 2006.

Allen resigned her position in February 2007 after the student exposed the relationship.

Allen was booked into custody at the Bexar County Jail with bail set at $20,000.

Dakota Woman Guilty of Raping Boy, 14

(Fort Pierre, South Dakota) A 39-year-old local woman, Andrea Herald, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of fourth-degree rape of a 14-year-old boy. Herald's crime resulted from incidents with two boys in Stanley and Hughes Counties in May and June of 2007.

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped other charges of rape, giving alcohol and marijuana to a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Herald faces sentencing on March 26 and could receive a possible 15 years in prison.

Newspeak Campaign in Elementary and Middle Schools

Take note, readers. If your child is falling behind in reading, writing and arithmetic, part of the reason is probably stuff like the following.

Thousands of American schools are expected to take part in the fifth annual "No Name-Calling Week," a homosexual advocacy group announced on Monday.

The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) said the campaign is aimed at children in grades 5-8, and the group offers additional lesson plans for earlier grades.

"No Name-Calling Week, Jan. 21-25, is an annual week of educational activities aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate bullying in their communities," GLSEN said in a news release.

According to its website, GLSEN promotes normalization and acceptance of homosexuality in the minds of children while guiding them to start "gay-straight alliances."

The campaign has the support of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishers, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, Girl Scouts of the USA, the National School Boards Association and the National Education Association.

Saving Major Coughlin


"It may not be too late to save the career of a Pentagon analyst of jihad threats whose frank and honest work has gotten him into trouble. Bill Gertz in his weekly Washington Times "Inside the Ring" column (1/11/08) reported that "Pentagon and military leaders, along with lots of working-level officials, are quietly rallying" in support of Major Stephen Coughlin (USAR), whose plight I have discussed, earlier here. Gertz also makes clear in no uncertain terms, dismissing some rumor mongering, that Coughlin was being accused "falsely" of talking "out of school to the press."

More here

Posted by John Ray

Pentagon Fires Islamic Law Expert

(Washington) Triggered by a disagreement with Hasham Islam, a special assistant to defense bigshot Gordon England, terror analyst Stephen Coughlin was fired by the Pentagon.

Mr. Islam, a Muslim, referred to Mr. Coughlin as a "Christian zealot with a pen" during the meeting several weeks ago, a slur rejected by Mr. Coughlin's supporters.

Critics of Mr. Coughlin are spreading word -- falsely -- that he is being let go because he talked out of school to the press. One official suggested the action was due to budget cuts.

But defense and military officials supportive of Mr. Coughlin said the real reason is that critics, like Mr. Islam, want him sidelined because they oppose his hard-to-refute views on the relationship between Islamic law and Islamist jihad doctrine. (my bold)

Those views have triggered a harsh debate challenging the widespread and politically correct view of Islam as a religion of peace hijacked by extremists.

A number of senior officials have spoken in support of Coughlin, indicating that he has been a leader in promoting understanding of radical Islam. It's believed that the Joint Staff has lost its only Islamic law scholar if the firing stands.

Some said Coughlin was fired for merely telling the truth and not toeing the politically correct line.

So, one has to ask, "Does America want radical Islam to be unexamined by the Pentagon?" Apparently, SecDef Deputy Gordon England does.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Gay Security Guy Depressed by Woman

(London) A gay security worker, Allwyn Rondeau, complained that he suffers from anxiety and depression because a female coworker "wobbled" her breasts at him and "hassled him for intercourse."

Allwyn Rondeau told a tribunal that Lucy Chilton stuck her bottom in the air and said "come on give it to me" in one attempt at seduction. Miss Chilton, 42, also pinched his bottom and grabbed his crotch, it is claimed.

 
Mr Rondeau, who lives with his partner of 15 years, worked for G4S Security Service, previously known as Group 4, and was responsible for guarding planes, scanning luggage and frisking passengers at Heathrow airport.

The 46-year-old said he enjoyed his job until he met Miss Chilton at their work Christmas party in December 2005.

The tribunal has yet to rule on Mr. Rondeau's discrimination complaint.

Since Mr. Rondeau can't handle a coworker's bothersome behavior without suffering psychological problems, one must wonder how he would handle a potentially deadly security threat against the airlines. Presumably, airline security is not fortified if the first level of protection succumbs to wobbly breasts.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not taking sides. Mr. Rondeau was probably in a very uncomfortable position at work and his complaint appears legitimate. However, since the unpleasant and easily correctable circumstances resulted in psychological problems, the security firm may not be adequately screening job applicants for mental toughness.

Lastly and contrary to the article, if a woman came to me with her caboose in the air and said "come give it to me," I believe she blew the doors off the seduction phase of the relationship.

A not so merry old Cole

Juan Cole is a University of Michigan Middle East studies professor who is so dumb as to believe that Iraq is on the Mediterranean. And if you read here you will see that the wacky Prof. Cole does not even know that a large part of what is the USA today was taken from Mexico! He really is a rather pathetic case. Leftists and the facts just do not get on. Cole calls his blog Informed Comment, in the fine old Leftist tradition of calling a thing by its opposite.

Unfortunately, however, many unaware people could well take him seriously so we need to note that he is also a deliberate distorter of the facts and a deceiver of the public -- as this article reveals. Cole purports to believe the Iranian propaganda about the recent confrontation in the Straits of Hormuz between the U.S. navy and Iranian speedboats and is willing to misrepresent easily checkable facts in order to support that propaganda.

He must be one of the lowest-quality professors around. Students who have paid to attend his courses ought to demand a refund! Pro-Leftist and pro-Islamic distortions are just about all that they will have learned.

Posted by John Ray

Presbyterian College Lacrosse Players Suspended

(Clinton, South Carolina) Two Presbyterian College students, Rachel Beaumont and Trista Sturdivant, have been suspended from the school's lacrosse team for reporting a fictitious attack. Police investigated for a month to identify the culprit who, supposedly, jumped out of the woods and attacked Sturdivant.

Police ultimately determined that the girls had lied. It appears that the girls, like, were really, you know, stressed out by school and stuff so they came up with an idea that they thought would work, you know. You see, the plan was for Rachel to whack Trista in the head with a lacrosse stick, claim she was, like, attacked, and then she wouldn't have to do her schoolwork, ya' see.

So, Rachel played T-ball with Trista's noggin, causing a cut. Now, to be fair, my version of the incident could be wrong and the whole episode could have been started by a simple accident.

Nonetheless, the police were called, only to waste man-hours chasing a nonexistent attacker.

Sturdivant is charged with filing a false police report. Beaumont is charged with giving false information.

Both have been suspended from the lacrosse team and the college's honor council will decide if they can remain at the school.

Kids with minds full of mush, acting dumb. So, what else is new?

One final note. It's somewhat sad that these two girls, with the apparent reasoning abilities of 10-year-old children, are probably old enough to vote.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Georgia Student Files Federal Lawsuit Against Valdosta State University After Expulsion for Peaceful Protest


We read:

"Expelled Valdosta State University (VSU) student T. Hayden Barnes has filed a lawsuit against the university, VSU President Ronald Zaccari, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, and other VSU administrators after being punished for publicly protesting the school's decision to construct two new parking garages on campus. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in cooperation with the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) and eminent First Amendment attorney and FIRE Legal Network member Robert Corn-Revere.

"VSU's concerted effort to silence and punish Hayden Barnes is an unconscionable attempt to violate his First Amendment rights-and VSU, as a public institution, is legally required to protect these rights," FIRE President Greg Lukianoff said. "Now VSU must answer for its actions in court."

Source

Am I losing my mojo? I put up a post yesterday defending Hillary and now this post is in defence of a Greenie! Though I have always said that even Fascists have rights! And from a libertarian point of view both Hillary and the Greenies have a lot in common with Benito Mussolini. Did you know that Musso was a keen conservationist in various ways? See here.

Posted by John Ray

Homeless Update - Montgomery County, MD

From WaPo:

In 2002, Montgomery County officials vowed to end homelessness in the county within 10 years. As part of their initiative, they said they would construct 800 studio apartments by 2012.

Six years later, only 48 such units have been created -- eight of which opened last month. And according to the most recent census of homelessness in the region, there are more homeless people on the streets of Montgomery than there were in the year before then-County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D) made his pledge.

"Six years have gone by, and we haven't made any progress," said council member George L. Leventhal (D-At Large). "We haven't fulfilled our promise." (my bold)

Many towns and cities in the nation have launched grand plans to end homelessness and, thus far, it appears that all are in trouble. It will be interesting to watch as each of the communities backs out of its promises.

The problem appears to be that the grand plans to end homelessness, which provide shelters and permanent housing and services, etc., do not seem to have any impact on the actual number of homeless people. In virtually every case, the population stays the same or increases. Take the example of Montgomery County, permanent housing was created to reduce the number of homeless and the exact opposite result was achieved.

I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that all plans to end homelessness are destined to fail. A more logical approach would be to work for a reduction in the homeless population that is reasonably achieveable.

Couple Indicted in MySpace Teen Sex Case

(Queens, New York) A 22-year-old stripper, Sophie Soto, and her 31-year-old stripper husband, Julio Rojas, were arraigned last Saturday on 56 criminal counts resulting from multiple sexual incidents with two under-15-year-old girls during a six-month period between 2006 and 2007.

 
The variety of sex crimes, including statutory rape and sexual abuse, were announced yesterday by Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

"The defendants are accused of using the Internet to lure two obviously troubled young girls to their apartment where they were plied with liquor before being used to satisfy the defendants' own illicit carnal cravings," Brown said.

Soto allegedly portrayed herself as an 18-year-old virgin on MySpace seeking another girl to help her not be nervous when she had sex for the first time with a boy. A girl replied that she would help and bring along another girl. When the girls arrived at Soto's and Rojas' apartment, they were plied with booze and sexually abused.

Later that night, the couple took the girls, who were under 15 but were given fake identification cards, to a Manhattan strip club, where Soto and an exotic dancer dragged them on stage, slipped their clothes off and made them have oral sex with patrons, the district attorney said.

The couple has been booked into custody with Soto's bail set at $250,000 and Rojas' bail set at $500,000. A court appearance is scheduled for January 28.

Notably, MySpace.com administrators announced additional controls on the website's use on the same day of the announcement of charges against Soto and Rojas. District Attorney Brown stated the changes on MySpace will help in protecting the vulnerable from predators.

Two Teachers Hammered

(Clay County, Indiana) Two area teachers, Melinda Ellis and Anita Miller, were arrested last evening for a variety of offenses related to being intoxicated and wrecking their 2003 Jeep Liberty. The vehicle ended up in a ditch with the front end nearly vertical in the air.

Melinda Ellis teaches science at White River Jr.-Sr. High School.

Melinda Ellis, the driver of the vehicle, approached the officers. Police say she smelled of alcohol, and the deputies administered a field block alcohol test.

She registered 0.12 blood alcohol content (BAC). The officers also discovered an undetermined amount of marijuana on her person.

Ellis was arrested on charges of operating while intoxicated, possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia.

Anita Miller teaches physical education at North Clay Middle School.

Officers at the scene say the vehicle's passenger, Anita Miller, was not only intoxicated but disorderly. They say at one point she stumbled out into the roadway, dropped her pants to her ankles, and began to urinate on the ground.

Miller's BAC registered 0.17. She was arrested on charges of public intoxication, public nudity, and disorderly conduct.

The story doesn't end there.

At the Clay County Jail, Miller's raucous behavior continued. While in book-in, she dropped her pants again, exposing herself to the jail staff. Officers put her in a padded cell.

Ellis and Miller have been placed on administrative leave from their teaching positions.

Da Vinci's Mona Lisa ID'd

It has been claimed that one of the most provocative and enduring identity verification cases has been solved.

The true identity of the woman in Leonardo da Vinci's most famous portrait "Mona Lisa" has been revealed, said German scientist Veit Probst.

Director of the Heidelberg University Library, Probst said the woman with a puzzling smile in Da Vinci's world-renowned portrait "Mona Lisa" is absolutely Lisa Gherardini, wife of a Florentine cloth merchant named Francesco del Giocondo.

The Mona Lisa was painted between the years 1503 and 1506 and is one of the most precious works of art on display in Paris's Louvre Museum. The portrait used to be called La Gioconda.

The identity of Mona Lisa was revealed thanks to a handwritten footnote on a document that belonged to the former owner of the famous painting, Probst said.

Notably, it has historically been thought that Lisa, wife of del Giocondo, was, in fact, the subject of Leonardo's painting, however, documented evidence was lacking. Apparently Probst's contribution to the case is the discovery of a handwritten piece of evidence. A scientific article will be published soon, Probst promised.

Brutality of Women in India

(New Delhi, India) According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), every hour of every day during 2006, an average of 18 Indian women were victimized. That equals 432 per day and over 150,000 per year.

From Khaleej Times:

Every hour that ticks by in India inflicts more brutality on women, with two rapes, two kidnappings, four molestations and seven incidents of cruelty from husbands and relatives, reveal the latest national crime statistics.

By comparing the statistics for India with those of the U.S., it would appear that India is a more law-abiding country. As a general observation, U.S. statistics compiled by the FBI appear to indicate a significantly greater incidence of all crimes. A direct comparison is not possible since the FBI does not specifically tabulate a 'crimes against women' category.

But since India has three times the population of the U.S. with only a fraction of the crimes reported, I suspect that there is a great difference between the methodologies of defining and documenting crimes.

In other words, take Indian crime stats with a grain of salt.

Mainstream Editor Becomes ACLU Director

(Abilene, Texas) Congratulations are appropriate for Terri Burke, the former editor of the Abilene Reporter-News. She has been chosen for the position of Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas. Tomorrow is her first day.

Burke says her new job seems like a continuation of her work in the newspaper business.

Really?

Frankly, I concluded long ago that there is barely a breath of difference between the mainstream media-types and hardcore leftist-types and Burke's assertion of interchangeability provides confirmation.

Burke takes a wealth of experience with her to the ACLU. She previously held management positions with the Hartford Courant in Connecticut, the Dallas Morning News, the Albuquerque Tribune and the Austin American-Statesman. Obviously, her mainstream media connections will be valuable in getting the ACLU's message heard.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

9th Circus - No background checks on NASA employees

""A federal appeals court ruled Friday that NASA should be blocked from conducting background checks on low-risk employees at its Jet Propulsion Laboratory, saying the practice threatens workers' constitutional rights. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the 28 scientists and engineers who refused to submit to the background checks "face a stark choice - either violation of their constitutional rights or loss of their jobs." The decision written by Judge Kim Wardlaw reversed a ruling by U.S. District Judge Otis Wright and sent the case back to him with orders to issue an injunction on the workers' behalf. The workers sued the federal government, claiming that NASA was invading their privacy by requiring the investigations, which included probes into medical records and questioning of friends about everything from their finances to their sex lives. If they didn't agree to the checks, they could be fired."

More here

Posted by John Ray

USS Cole Victim's Father Writes Yemen's Prez

In October 2000, 17 American sailors died aboard the USS Cole from a suicide attack in Yemen's Aden harbor and, to date, there has been no reasonable punishment for the perpetrators of the heinous act of terror.

Fireman Gary Graham Swenchonis, 26, was one of the sailors who died. Gary Swenchonis Sr., the father of Fireman Swenchonis, has now written a letter to President Saleh of Yemen expressing his outrage at justice denied. Here's an excerpt:

You never even denounced that horrible tragedy, nor did anyone in your government. On the contrary, your government hindered the investigation at every turn. But then, so did our own; US Ambassador Bodine continually obstructed the FBI’s investigation.

When the trials were held in Yemen, the resulting sentences were a mockery of justice considering the heinous crime and multiple loss of life. Then those sentences were reduced upon appeal. Now it is my understanding that one or more of the killers recently received a conditional pardon from you. This is despicable sir!

But we expected no less from you or your government from the beginning. We pleaded with our government to have the killers extradited for trial to another country where the government is not in league with terrorists. I want you to know that I am doing everything in my power to see to it that Yemen is placed on the United States list of countries that "Support and Sanction Terrorists Acts."

Jane Novak of the Armies of Liberation and The Jawa Report was asked by Gary Swenchonis Sr. to publish the letter to assure the widest possible readership.

See Jane's post here. Go visit and leave a comment showing your support. If you have a blog, see if you can mention the letter. The Yemeni government needs to be put in the spotlight.

Helene Berr Holocaust Diary

Kept hidden for more than 60 years, the diary of Helene Berr, a young French woman who died in a concentration camp, has been published.

It has been described as a publishing sensation. Helene Berr was a young French student murdered in a Nazi concentration camp. Her recently discovered journal has now hit French bookstores -- and become an immediate bestseller.

"I sense that a great dark path awaits me." The words were written over six decades ago by a young Jewish student named Helene Berr not long before she lost her life in a German concentration camp. But they are only just now coming to light.

The "Helene Berr Journal" was published on Jan. 3 and hit the bookshops in France this week. It is a moving portrayal of how a young woman's carefree life in Paris is slowly shattered as she becomes increasingly certain of her eventual terrible fate.

Described as the publishing sensation of 2008 by the French daily Liberation, the book has likewise been called a "testimonial of rare power" by Le Figaro. And with 26,000 copies sold in just three days, it has been flying off the shelves.

The book will be available in English in September.

New York Teacher Removed From Classroom

(Lockport, New York) A 35-year-old fourth-grade teacher at Roy B. Kelly Elementary School, Marcy L. Cole, was removed from the classroom and arrested this week for felony drunk driving and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Troopers said Cole's license was revoked in October following a DWI arrest in April.

A parent of a pupil in Cole's classroom said her daughter came home from school on Tuesday and said Cole appeared intoxicated earlier in the day and swore at a pupil before being escorted out of the school.

Cole has not returned to the school since, said the parent, who asked that her name not be used out of concern for her daughter.

A letter went home to parents on Friday informing them that Cole would not be returning to the classroom for the rest of the school year.

Lockport School Superintendent Terry Ann Carbone claimed the school staff was unaware of the felony charge against Cole since the Department of Motor Vehicles does not have to notify them.

Man Accused of Murdering Wife, 4 Kids

(Mason, Ohio) A 34-year-old married, father-of-four, Michel Veillette, was charged yesterday with five counts of murder and one count of arson in the deaths of his wife, Nadya Ferrari-Veillette, 33, and four children, Jacob and Mia, both 3, Vincent, 4, and Marguerite, 8.

Police and fire squads were called to the Veillette residence about 10 P.M. Friday to find it ablaze, an apparent arson in which an accelerant was used.

The Warren County coroner said today that Nadya Ferrari-Veillette died from multiple stab wounds while her 4-year-old son, Vincent, likely was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning due to smoke inhalation. Accelerant was used to start the fire, he said.

Toxicology tests, due from Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab in six to eight weeks, could confirm the cause for Vincent’s death, Dr. Russell Uptegrove said.

Uptegrove wouldn’t say how many times Ferrari-Veillette was stabbed or the location of the wounds. The knife was recovered from the Brackenview Court house, where accelerant was used to start the fire, he said.

The causes of death of the other three Veillette children may be released in two days, when toxicology tests are finished, said Hamilton County Coroner O’dell Owens.

"The key will be toxicology," Owens said. Police have said that none of the children were stabbed.

The autopsies are being split between counties, because Ferrari-Veillette and Vincent died at the scene in Warren County while the other three children died at Bethesda North Hospital in Hamilton County. Warren County has Montgomery County Coroner’s Office in Dayton perform its autopsies.

The children -- 3-year-old twins Jacob and Mia, 4-year-old Vincent and 8-year-old Marguerite -- were so badly burned that a strong smell of smoke lingered long after they were pronounced dead at Bethesda North Hospital Friday night.

Michel Veillette, a self-employed contract engineer, survived the fire. He was found sitting in the front yard of the residence when authorities arrived. Like his wife, he had stab wounds. Veillette is in serious condition at University Hospital in Cincinnati. No motive for the deaths has been disclosed.

Inexplicably, the Veillette tragedy is the third report in less than a week where four children in one family were murdered. On Wednesday, it was reported that a crack-addicted father, Lam Luong, threw his four young children into the Intracoastal Waterway along the Gulf Coast. On Saturday, it was reported that a Washington, D.C., mother, Banita Jacks, is responsible for the strangulation and/or blunt trauma deaths of her four children.

I pray there's no more.

PETA Tombstone Stunt

(Louisville, Kentucky) By taking its radical animal rights campaign into a cemetery, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) show scant respect for our dearly departed.

PETA proudly placed a headstone, inscribed with animal rights propaganda, near Colonel Sanders' grave.

From PETA.org:

Visitors to Louisville's Cave Hill Cemetery--the final resting place of KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders--will notice a new headstone just a stone's throw away from the colonel's.

The new headstone is inscribed with a moving tribute to a "Kind Friend of Chickens," but upon closer examination, the bright-red letters down the left side of the poem spell out an unmistakable message: "KFC Tortures Birds."

By going into a cemetery to disrespect the dead, PETA has shown itself to be categorically similar to the late-night vandals who knock over tombstones and deface them with swastikas.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Soros Paid for Bogus War Dead Study

This report should surprise nobody. George Soros' taint is usually affixed to anti-American studies. In fact, one customarily doesn't have to search long to discover that Soros money is the bedrock of anti-U.S. efforts.

A STUDY that claimed 650,000 people were killed as a result of the invasion of Iraq was partly funded by the antiwar billionaire George Soros.

Soros, 77, provided almost half the £50,000 cost of the research, which appeared in The Lancet, the medical journal. Its claim was 10 times higher than consensus estimates of the number of war dead.

The study, published in 2006, was hailed by antiwar campaigners as evidence of the scale of the disaster caused by the invasion, but Downing Street and President George Bush challenged its methodology.

New research published by The New England Journal of Medicine estimates that 151,000 people - less than a quarter of The Lancet estimate - have died since the invasion in 2003.

"The authors should have disclosed the [Soros] donation and for many people that would have been a disqualifying factor in terms of publishing the research," said Michael Spagat, economics professor at Royal Holloway, University of London.

The fact that The Lancet published the bogus numbers while surely aware that Soros funded the effort is also quite telling. The Lancet obviously has its own political agenda. As a reminder, the study with the bogus number was published immediately prior to the 2006 elections with the goal of swaying voter opinion.

By the way, as an exercise in frustration, try to keep track of all the leftists who keep quoting the 650,000 number.

Pair Liquors Up Girls During Sleepover

(Lexington County, South Carolina) An Irmo couple, Stephanie Kae Cassel, 35, and James Wesley Lewis, 28, surrendered to authorities to face charges related to allegedly liquoring up four 11-year-old girls during a sleepover. The mother of one of the girls reported the incident to police.

The four girls reportedly drank enough to lose consciousness and become physically ill.

Arrest warrants allege that the girls were encouraged to drink "a gross amount of Bacardi rum, Absolut vodka, Bahama Mama and other liquors for two hours, starting at 10:00pm, during the sleepover party at the Irmo home," according to Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts.

Lewis provided the liquor to the four girls before he and Cassel went to a bedroom to go to sleep, Metts said. Lewis exited the bedroom several times to ensure that the girls were drinking the liquors that he had provided to them. Lewis also briefly drank liquor with the girls.

One of the girls became physically ill several times overnight because she had consumed too much liquor, Metts said. Cassel, who works as an emergency medical technician for a private ambulance service, and Lewis provided no assistance to the girls when the girls became physically ill because they had consumed too much liquor.

Cassel and Lewis were booked into custody at the Lexington County Detention Center and later released on bail.

Throw Away the Key on Terror Suspects

From an op-ed by John Farmer in today's NYT:

Imagine what might have happened had the government not detained Mr. Padilla back in 2002 -- if he had carried out a large-scale bombing, killing thousands, and if it had emerged later that the government had had information implicating him and done nothing. Would that have been a risk worth taking? Scotland Yard took that risk when it put surveillance on, but failed to detain, the future London subway bombers.

It is time to stop pretending that the criminal justice system is a viable primary option for preventing terrorism. The Bush administration should propose and Congress should pass legislation allowing for preventive detention in future terrorism cases like that of Mr. Padilla. It is the best way to ensure both the integrity of our criminal law and the safety of our nation.

In the cases of non-U.S. citizens, preventive detention shouldn't be a problem although the ACLU and other civil liberties advocates would disagree. For U.S. citizens, legislation is needed to precisely define as illegal the behavior which is a precursor to terrorist acts.

Even so, preventive detention of Americans is fraught with obstacles. For example, a formula to sidestep habeas corpus and speedy trial provisions needs to be created. Possibly, a special court could be impaneled to legally decide that preventive detention is necessary for terror suspects since they are a danger to themselves and others.

In any event, I agree with Mr. Farmer.

Canadian Publisher Persecuted for Mindcrime

There are 3 videos here of an interrogation conducted by the Canadian Human Rights Commission. They are interrogating Ezra Levant, publisher of The Western Standard and the man who published the "Mohammed" cartoons in Canada.

A comment from Belmont Club:

"They said inquisitions couldn't happen in North American. Certainly not in the 21st century. But they have. Whether or not Ezra Levant is declared "innocent" or "guilty" by the Canadian Human Rights Commission of publishing the "Mohammed Cartoons" is beside the point. What is at issue is whether or not a Canadian government agency has the competence to punish someone for what in saner times would be considered a routine exercise in free speech. It is the legitimacy of the Canadian Human Rights Commission that is on trial here. They themselves are in the dock and they have put themselves there.

Some more comments here.

My comment: Prof. Ward Churchill accused the workers in the NYC twin towers on 9/11 of being "little Eichmanns". But Canada today has REAL "little Eichmanns". You can see one in the video.

The original Eichmann was a Nazi bureaucrat who just sat in his office for most of the war but he accomplished great evil nonetheless -- organizing the transport of Jews to the gas chambers.

Posted by John Ray

Arrest for Smoking Dope While Pregnant

(Martins Ferry, Ohio) A 23-year-old expectant mother, Laura M. Thornton, was arrested this week for allegedly smoking marijuana while pregnant.

Thornton admitted to police that she had smoked a "blunt" on Tuesday night. She was charged with drug abuse involving an unborn child.

What! Another Headache?

(Warsaw, Poland) Having a bad day? Check out a worse one.

A Polish man got the shock of his life when he visited a brothel and spotted his wife among the establishment's employees. Polish tabloid Super Express said the woman had been making some extra money on the side while telling her husband she worked at a store in a nearby town.

They have decided to divorce.

Tip: slwlion

Sunday School Teacher Accused of Selling Crack Cocaine

(Magnolia, Texas) A 60-year-old disabled Sunday school teacher, Beatrice Charles, was arrested this week for allegedly selling cocaine to an undercover officer.

Charles (maiden name Ramirez) has been charged with first-degree felony delivery of a controlled substance.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Special Investigation Unit began an investigation following numerous complaints from Charles' neighbors about activity at her wood-frame single-family home in the 24000 block of Zhan Street, according to Sgt. David Womack, who said neighbors reported frequent short-time visits by numerous people.

After the alleged sale to an undercover officer, investigators obtained a search warrant for the residence.

Charles was home when the warrant was served, Womack said.

"We recovered more than four but less than 200 grams of cocaine that was separated into approximately 40 baggies for sale," he said. "We also recovered digital scales and other paraphernalia along with nine weapons."

The weapons consisted of three semi-automatic handguns and six hunting rifles.

Charles was booked into custody at the Montgomery County Jail with bail set at $75,000.