Dr. Moonda Murder

An update has been posted.

No Coke! Pepsi, Pepsi, Pepsi!

(Gainesville, Florida) The University of Florida has signed an exclusive deal with Pepsi to have its products in campus drink machines for the next ten years. Coca-Cola products will disappear from dormitory cafeterias, university hospitals, sporting events, and vending machines.

So, where are the obesity and food police? How come they haven't weighed in?

Boy Dies in Tank of Hog Manure

(New Madison, Ohio) According to the Dayton Daily News, four-year-old Chase Neanen slipped into a 10-foot-deep hog manure tank on Wednesday night and drowned. After a few minutes, his family noticed he was missing and started a search. A new Madison firefighter found the boy while stirring the manure tank. He was taken by helicopter to Children's Medical Center and pronounced dead about an hour later.

Man Throws Kittens From Car

(Lorain, Ohio) While driving around the countryside, part-time police officer Derrick Wilhelm, 26, decided to throw kittens out the window of his moving vehicle. Somebody saw him. He was arrested and charged with animal cruelty. I wonder if he would have been arrested if he had thrown cockroaches or mice or geckos out of his car.

Media Union Prez Says U.S. Killing Journalists

Following in the soiled footprints of Eason Jordan who, without any evidence, accused U.S. Forces of intentionally targeting and killing journalists, the President of Communications Workers of America, Linda Foley, said the following:

"Journalists, by the way, are not just being targeted verbally or …ah, or… ah, politically. They are also being targeted for real, um…in places like Iraq. What outrages me as a representative of journalists is that there's not more outrage about the number, and the brutality, and the cavalier nature of the U.S. military toward the killing of journalists in Iraq."

"They target and kill journalists…uh, from other countries, particularly Arab countries like Al -, like Arab news services like Al-Jazeera, for example. They actually target them and blow up their studios with impunity…"

Obviously, Foley is just irresponsibly shooting her mouth off without adequate basis. And she has no evidence because it's not happening.

The JunkYardBlog has the whole story. Go visit.

Other coverage:

In The Bullpen
The Blue State Conservatives
RightPundit
Say Anything
MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
OpinionBug
The Dread Pundit Bluto
This Isn't Writing, It's Typing.
La Shawn Barber's Corner
Wizbang

In a way, the mainstream media reminds me of the unpopular kids I remember from elementary school. They constantly made up outrageous stories to get the other kids to like them. When that didn't work, they tripped the fire alarm. I think the MSM are stuck in a do-loop between the outrageous story and the fire alarm, apparently having abandoned any intentions of objectively reporting the news.

(Hat tip: The Jawa Report)

Husband Makes Wife Have Sex With Boy

(Norristown, Pennsylvania) This is an odd story. A man, David S. Knoble, 37, conspires with his wife, Tina Knoble, 35, for her to have 'involuntary deviate' sex with a 14-year-old boy. They both blame alcohol addiction. So, is everybody clear on this? I'm not. It all seems somewhat contradictory to me, but that's what is being reported.

Tina Knoble was sentenced last Friday to five to 15 years in state prison after being convicted of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, statutory sexual assault, indecent assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and corruption of a minor.

For pleading guilty to conspiring to commit statutory sexual assault, corruption of a minor, and endangering the welfare of a child, David Knoble was sentenced yesterday to one to two years in prison, four years probation, $2,000 in fines and court costs, and 200 hours of community service.

Encapsulated, it appears that David and Tina tied one on and then he told her to molest the boy which she did. Based upon the list of crimes, Tina molested the boy in a big way and, as a result, the 14-year-old became traumatized. It's assumed that David just watched while the molestation occurred.

And, there's more. It seems that David Knoble is also awaiting trial in a separate case involving the rape of an 11-year-old girl. He is charged with two counts each of rape of a child, statutory rape, sexual assault, and indecent assault. You know, it seems that some people just beg to have the book thrown at them.

In closing, I have to admit that the concept of "involuntary sexual assault" has my head spinning. Is there also a crime of "involuntary bank robbery?" I don't think so.

And, a final thought, isn't it interesting that the Knobles blamed their troubles on alcohol? We're seeing one of the few instances in the recent past that a crime wasn't blamed on President Bush.

Companion post at Conservative Thinking.

Wal-Mart Opens Supercenter in Amish Country

(Middlefield, Ohio) Yesterday was opening day and upwards of 5,000 people visited Geauga County's first Wal-Mart Supercenter, right in the center of a rural Amish region. Notably, the Middlefield store provides special parking for Amish buggies. Employing 350 people, the store is one of 25 new Wal-Marts inaugurated Wednesday, said Wal-Mart spokeswoman Melissa O'Brien. Other new Supercenters include ones in Kenton, west of Mansfield, and Oxford, southwest of Dayton.

Additionally, according to Lyndhurst developer Mitchell Schneider, the planned Wal-Mart Supercenter for the $90 million Steelyard Commons Shopping Center southwest of downtown Cleveland has been given the go ahead. When opened, it will be Cleveland's first Wal-Mart. Inexplicably, the unions haven't weighed in yet. It's certain that they will have some comments about non-union Wal-Mart entering an area largely populated by union supporters. I expect some protest.

Teacher Charged in Student Sex Case

(Hanford, California) Arrested last month, former teacher Elisa Kawasaki has been charged with having sex with a 16-year-old student.


Elisa Kawasaki
Kawasaki faces counts of unlawful sex with a minor and child molestation. She remains free on bail.

[Update 5/25/05] This past week, prosecutors in Kings County filed statutory rape charges against 25-year-old Kawasaki. Specifically, she faces one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and one count of annoying or molesting a child younger than 18. Under consideration is the possibility that charges will also be filed in Madera County since it's where most of the sexual encounters between Kawasaki and the boy occurred.

An odd aspect of this case is that Kawasaki started as a first-year teacher only last January and by April she had acquired an arrest record for molestation of a student. During her short tenure, she and the student scratched each other's itches on 15 to 20 different occasions. Consequently, it doesn't appear that her relationship with the boy matured slowly to intimacy over time. Kawasaki probably cut her colt from the herd and had him mounted within the first couple of weeks of class.

Blogwarming

Conservative Thinking has been launched. Readers are encouraged to stop by and kick the tires.

Deserter Pablo Paredes Sentenced

(San Diego, California) Pablo Paredes, who refused to deploy on the USS Bonhomme Richard on December 6, 2004, was convicted and sentenced this past week. According to this report:

A Navy judge in San Diego, California on Thursday sentenced Pablo Paredes, a 23-year-old US Navy sailor, to three months of hard labor for refusing to board a military ship headed to Iraq last December. The judge also demoted Paredes, who was convicted Wednesday of "missing movement" with his unit, from petty officer third class to seaman recruit, the lowest rank in the Navy, which reduces his pay.

The sentence handed down by Navy Lieutenant Commander Robert Klant was not as harsh as the maximum penalty Paredes could have received: one year in prison, a bad conduct discharge and the loss of two-thirds of his pay. Paredes' attorney, Jeremy Warren, said he was pleased with the lesser sentence.

So, he gets demoted from E-4 to E-1, gets sent to the brig for three months of hard labor, and, apparently, continues on as a sailor until his obligation is satisfied. The sentence handed down seems to be giving Paredes the chance to redeem himself by completing all his obligations and getting an Honorable Discharge. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Paredes deserted, wants out of the military, and even joined up and protested with anti-military elements in society. Why keep him in?

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

(Frederick, Maryland) Two Gov. Thomas Johnson High School girls were quoted in the local newspaper, The Frederick News-Post, as saying they were going drinking after this year's prom. Their principal saw the article and barred them from attending the prom. The girls say the newspaper misquoted them, but the newspaper stands by its story.

Consequently, Shawnda Lawson and Nicole Taylor, both 18, will be able to get an earlier start on tossing down the prom night liquor than originally anticipated. Interestingly, according to another report, Shawnda doesn't believe that she did anything inappropriate and that she's just being treated unfairly.

The saddest part of this story is the simple realization that Shawnda is old enough to vote.

Marketing the 'Runaway Bride'

Unlike the real-life Jennifer, who would leave you standing at the altar, moaning "Oh, Jennifer!" this stuff:


Jennifer's High Tailin' Hot Sauce
Will likely have you sitting on the throne, screaming "Oh, Jiminy!" On the back of the bottle is a warning which states, "This sauce may cause you to seek intense professional help ... voluntarily" -- an obvious dig at Jennifer Wilbanks' decision to seek therapy. Available from PappysPeppers.com.

There is also a RUNAWAY BRIDE 12" Action Figure with towel and CROP TOP VEGAS BABY Jogging T-Shirt for only $24.95 available at Herobuilders.com.

Don't you just love capitalism?

Teacher's Aide Suzanne Eble Sentenced

(Canton Township, Michigan) Updating a previous report, 35-year-old teacher's aide Suzanne (Susanne) Eble pleaded no contest in Wayne County Circuit Court to three counts of third-degree and one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct for having sexual relations with a 14-year-old boy. Eble was sentenced Monday to not less than 15 months and not more than 15 years in prison.

My prediction is that she won't even spend six months in jail, if that. Now, if a 35-year-old man were looking at the punishment for felony criminal sexual conduct with a 14-year-old girl, the scenario would likely have a completely different outcome.

Personally, I don't think Eble's motivation for having sex with a boy was adequately explored in the investigation. I mean, is she a pedophile? Or, was she distraught or drugged and the temptation of forbidden sex was too alluring to resist? Did her dog die? Is she stupid? Hell! We just don't know, do we? And she's going to lead the rest of her life, raising her two children, being around her two children's friends, and nobody knows exactly what kind of threat she'll be.

Obviously, I believe that, across the board, sexual offenders are treated with dangerous lenience, male and female both. In the case of Eble, she was a teacher's aide when the sex occurred but, and the court made special note of this fact, she didn't meet the boy at school. Somehow, this mitigates the severity of her crime in the court's eyes which, apparently, justifies her light sentence. I don't see it that way. If she didn't meet the kid in school, so what? Obviously then, she must have met him while cruising the neighborhood or by luring him into her gingerbread house. What difference does it make? Seems the same to me.

In any event, there's no mention of registration as a sex offender nor is it known whether she'll continue to be allowed to teach. As for corrective action to preclude future criminal behavior? I guess society will just have to hope that her husband keeps an eye on her.

Bottle Bomb Explodes at Cleveland High School

(Cleveland, Ohio) Yesterday at Collinwood High School a homemade bottle bomb comprised of cleaning solution and aluminum exploded. The school was evacuated and one student was briefly hospitalized. Two students, a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old, were arrested and charged with aggravated arson, arson, possession of a dangerous ordnance in school safety zone, and unlawful possession of deadly ordnance.

The bombing appears to be nothing more than a prank, however, Cleveland City Councilman Mike Polensek took the opportunity to sharply criticize school CEO Barbara Byrd Bennett for not rushing to the scene and for not establishing a zero tolerance policy regarding violence.

My take is that, if you take away the media exposure and the political opportunism, the bottle bomb event was an isolated incident and fairly minor in significance. It's been reported that the student who went to the hospital had a minor hearing problem due to the loud noise.

French Court Jails Terrorists

CNN.com is reporting that a French court has sentenced five Islamic 'militants' to prison terms ranging from two to seven years. They were convicted of "providing logistic support to the killers of Afghan anti-Taliban commander Ahmed Shah Massood or for recruiting young Muslims to Afghan training camps."

The names of the convicts are Abderrahmane Ameuroud, Merhez Azouz, Khellaf Hama, Adel Tebourski, and Youcef el-Aouni. All are terrorists that have been involved in deadly conspiracies and all were let off with very light sentences. After they serve their two years or five years or whatever, they'll be back plotting to kill.

It's hard to understand why these guys weren't treated more harshly by the judicial system.

Reconstituted Iraqi Army Opens Headquarters

(Baghdad, Iraq) The Iraqi Ground Forces Headquarters was inaugurated yesterday in a ceremony attended by "a small group" of Iraqi and Coalition dignitaries. The location has not been revealed, obviously for security reasons. According to a statement from Iraqi Ground Forces commander Gen. Abdul Qadir Jassim,

"We are celebrating today a historical event and the rebuilding of the Iraqi army. Having the headquarters of our ground forces here is an indication of the Iraqi army controlling its own destiny."

"Our streets have been covered in blood, and we want to clean this place with the help of our friends the Americans."

In response, Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, commander of Multi-National Corps-Iraq, stated,

"As soon as you feel you are ready, we will hand over operations. And the coalition will return to their own countries."

This is the first somewhat formal declaration of an exit point -- when the Iraqi commander believes his army can do the job -- for the Coalition Forces go home.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Chief Wahoo Protesters Snubbed by SCOTUS

(Cleveland, Ohio) Every year, it seems the same handful or so of Native American protesters stand outside of Jacobs Field on Opening Day with placards saying that the symbol of the Cleveland Indians, Chief Wahoo, is racist. Typically, they are ignored by all except the media. It can be comical. For instance, I remember one year seeing eight or nine television and newspaper people surrounding no more than six protesters. And, of course, it was played up on the 6pm and 11pm news as a major story.

Anyway, in 1998 the protesters decided to set fire to a three-foot effigy to get attention. In the interest of public safety, the police arrested five protesters (probably all that were there). The case was appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court on the basis that the protesters were denied their freedom of expression.

Without comment, SCOTUS declined to review the case.

Good.

Outsourcing News Production

Newsday.com:

Union employees at Reuters are stepping up their campaign against the wire service's outsourcing of U.S. jobs, most recently transferring the editing and caption writing of photos to its Singapore office and some Internet work to Toronto.

Members of the Newspaper Guild-Communications Workers of America have distributed leaflets outside Reuters' office in Times Square. Critical ads also have been placed in Investor's Business Daily and the Columbia Journalism Review, and more are planned for the Web.

The union complains that the quality and accuracy of the news suffers. Reuters says there is no unacceptable departure from company standards and it's cheaper to outsource certain functions. In any event, there's nothing to prevent the company from sending work to outsiders and it's a prudent business move. Reuters is believed to be the first in the media world to outsource news production and it's suspected that others will soon follow.

[Update] A reader has mentioned that the actual quality of the news produced may suffer due to language differences between the U.S. and Asian countries. Notably, the outsourced production work is performed by people who have only second-language knowledge of English and, therefore, may not comprehend all its subtleties. As a result, final news reports may be nuanced unintentionally or miss a desired slant.

We know that criticism is occasionally and deservedly leveled at Asian call centers because of language differences, but the criticism concerns voice communication. With respect to outsourcing news production, it's print communication which, to my knowledge, has not been a source of concern. Since the Reuters outsourcing plan is the first to be tried for the print media, we'll just have to wait and see if something is lost in translation. My guess would be that the scheme will work fine for Reuters, although its employees may experience some stress.

The 'Russ' Tradition and Teen Stripping

The russ tradition is at least fifty years old and has provided students with a period for letting off steam before final exams. It started simply enough. All that was needed was a Coca-Cola and a car.


Old 'Russ' Tradition - circa 1960
But times change. Aftenposten:

Antics by Norway's 'russ', reveling high-school students who celebrate impending final exams with often unbridled debauchery, have caused a new controversy after a stripping stunt was filmed and publicized via the Internet.

A 19-year-old girl promoted her campaign to be the local russ president by stripping naked at a student assembly at Atlanten High School in Kristiansund two weeks ago.

This received a new wave of publicity when someone posted a video of the performance online and Norwegian news site TV 2 Nettavisen made the controversial decision to provide a link to the video on their site.

Forget the cola and forget the car. Now, it's a bus and beer.


New 'Russ' Tradition
Obviously, it's not news that young people like to party and do so quite often, but it's certainly not the best way to prepare for final exams. Although I personally would have preferred to party, there is no way I could have afforded to neglect the books prior to finals. With regard to the 19-year-old Norwegian girl stripping, it's disgusting. Here's a link for the video. Also, a steamy hot video capture is here. (Warning: NSFW)

Sex Merit Badge

The Swedish-Norwegian sex education group RFSU offers students the opportunity to earn a sex merit badge this summer. The sex badge is modeled after a recognized swimming merit badge and is awarded for answering 10 of 13 questions about sex. RFSU (Swedish Association for Sexuality Education) specializes in campaigns promoting safe sex and, coincidentally, is also the main producer and importer of condoms.

Imagine that.