Study: Blondes Make Men Dumb

(Paris, France) A group of scientists at Paris Nanterre University conducted research to gather evidence that blonde women make men dumb.

The methodology was to have men view a series of pictures of women with different-colored hair and then make the men take a general knowledge test.

Those who had been shown pictures of blonde women scored lower marks than those who had been shown pictures of brunettes and redheads.

Professor Thierry Meyer, joint author of the study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, said: "It proves that people confronted with stereotypes generally behave in line with them.

"Blondes have the potential to make people act in a dumber way, because they mimic the unconscious stereotype of the dumb blonde."

Previously scientists have found that people walk and talk more slowly in front of the elderly, while other studies have revealed that unconscious racial assumptions and prejudices emerge in written tests.

The stereotype of the "dumb blonde" emerged with the development of films, television and glossy magazines.

Notably, there is no scientific evidence that blonde women are less intelligent than brunettes or redheads. Sadly, there now apparently is scientific evidence regarding the intelligence of the men they are with. Personally, I think the study is flawed.

In fact, according to a study conducted in 2004, blonde women became dumber when subjected to negative prejudices toward blondes.

"But after exposure to negative social-stereotypes about them, the fair-haired participants performed significantly more slowly in the tests," said Jens Foerster, a social psychologist from the International University Bremen in Germany.

When people are told they can't perform a task well, they work more slowly to try to make fewer mistakes, explained Foerster.

Regarding men, I think they may actually become smarter when in the presence of a blonde woman. It's been suggested that a smaller auxiliary brain is triggered to work when men are around blondes and this results in an actual increase in total brain mass.

Man Abuses Wife Over Dowry

(Ghaziabad, India) A young woman was married in July 2006 and, shortly afterward, her husband demanded his dowry. Apparently, she didn't have it.

In a gruesome incident, a 24-year-old woman was allegedly raped by seven people, repeatedly, at the instigation of her husband. Reason? She could not bring Rs 2 lakh as dowry. [Rs 2 lakh is about $5,000]

The woman has alleged that she was raped and beaten over 15 days in the house of a person in Dadri's Tulsi Vihar colony. The Dadri police did not register a case despite the woman's father handing over a complaint to the office of Vijay Kumar, Meerut police range deputy IG, on September 12. All the cops did was to go with her parents to rescue her from the house.

The woman was hospitalised three months ago after her husband allegedly tried to hang her. But despite the Ghaziabad hospital sending a memo to Ghaziabad's Kavi Nagar police station, no case was registered. The woman and her mother also claim the victim's father has been taken captive by her husband to deter him from filing a report.

Man, Indian husbands are quite adamant about receiving their dowries. When denied, it seems they go into a violent rage abusing the wives and committing crimes. Frankly, try as I might, I'm never going to be tolerant enough to accept violence against wives.

On a different note, I recall asking my wife about the dowry she was supposed to give me and she responded by throwing a shoe at me. Fortunately, I wasn't asking for much and even though it isn't worth anything close to $5,000, I really prize that shoe. I keep it in the back of a bedroom closet with some of the other prized dowry shoes she threw gave me.

Proposal: Iran to Enrich Uranium in Switzerland

(Tehran, Iran) Whether this plan is workable or not remains to be seen.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday told Dow Jones Newswires he will consult with other Arab nations on a plan to enrich uranium outside the region in a neutral country such as Switzerland.

"We will be talking with our (Arab) friends," he said in exclusive comments to Dow Jones Newswires on the sidelines of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries' heads of state summit in Saudi Arabia.

Under a proposal put to Teheran by the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, a multinational consortium established by the GCC would provide enriched uranium to power plants in Iran, the Middle East Economic Digest reported earlier this month, citing Saudi Arabia's Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.

The facility would produce nuclear fuel that the consortium would supply to Iran and other Middle East states looking to build their own nuclear power programs.

"We believe it should be in a neutral country - Switzerland, for instance," al-Faisal was quoted as saying.

In all candor, the scheme for Swiss enriched uranium just seems like a ploy to delay the inevitable use of force. It also doesn't address the real concern of the West -- that being a nuclear weapons program buried and busy inside Iran run by a tyrannical regime that vows to start a global conflagration.

Having the Swiss involved is simply a cheesy diversion to buy time.

Journos Face Prison in Sudan

(Khartoum, Sudan) Two Sudanese journalists were convicted of publishing an article that criticized the government security service. They were fined $5,000 each but they refuse to pay.

Fatih Mahjoub Irwaha, editor in chief of Arabic daily Al Sudani, and his deputy and columnist Nurelden Madini, are facing two months in prison after refusing to pay a fine for defamation, staff at the newspaper said.

Sudan's National Intelligence Service said it had been libelled by the paper.

The Al Sudani article discussed the detention of four other writers who were covering protests about the Kajbar dam project in northern Sudan in July.

Al Sudani's news editor Yasser Abdalah criticised the court's decision saying it would 'undermine journalism and obstruct our work'.

Two months in a Sudanese prison sounds terrible. It probably makes Gitmo look like a five-star resort.

Heh.

Woman Normal with Half a Brain

(Wuhan, China) A 39-year-old local woman visited the hospital complaining of feeling weak and stiff. After testing, doctors discovered that she only had half of a brain.

Zhang Linhong, director of Neural Rehabilitation Department at the local hospital, said: "On the MRI scans we were surprised to see that she only has grey matter on the right side.

"Our usual understanding is that the left brain controls language. But this patient has no problem communicating with people."

The woman's mother said her daughter lives a very normal life.

"She graduated from high school with good marks. Her memory is very good. She remembers phone numbers and names immediately."

Feel free to make your own joke.

Notably, some patients with severe brain disease have half the brain surgically removed and they are generally able to function and lead full lives. The story of the Chinese woman is something else, though. She didn't have half her brain removed, rather she woke up to find it gone.

Mom Arrested for Attempted Murder of Her Baby

(Pine Bluff, Arkansas) A 23-year-old local mother, Tonya Reaves, has been arrested for the attempted murder of her 12-day-old son.

The baby's grandparents found the infant bloodied and with his arm twisted unnaturally about the same time that the mother claimed she had been kidnapped.

Initial statements by Tonya Reaves were not consistent with her later versions so detectives interviewed Tonya Reaves at length about her alleged disappearance as well as the injuries to her 12 day old infant son. After the interview and the collection of physical evidence, it was evident to investigators that the alleged kidnapping of Tonya Reaves was false.

The interview also provided crucial information that led to the arrest of the mother, Tonya Reaves, on Probably Cause for the Criminal Attempt Capitol Murder of her 12 day-old infant son. She was transported to a Jefferson County detention facility to be held prior to formal charges being filed by the Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

The infant was in critical condition upon reaching the hospital.

From another source:

The malnourished 12-day-old reportedly had been choked, stabbed in the back and suffered head trauma, several broken ribs, a colllapsed lung and a broken arm.

Police say this incident came as a surprise to people who know Reves, who does not have a previous criminal record.

The baby is less than two weeks old! How demented does someone have to be to harm such an innocent newborn? It's sickening!

LA County Creates First U.S. Hepatitis Czar

(Los Angeles, California) Leave it to the left-coasters -- always aiming to be first.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced Friday the creation of the country's first-ever Hepatitis Coordinator position.

Officials planned to discuss the position Friday at the daylong Fifth Annual Hepatitis C Summit being held at the California Endowment Center in downtown Los Angeles.

The summit is designed to focus attention on the Hepatitis C epidemic, which affects an estimated 180,000 people nationwide, 30 percent of whom are also infected with HIV.

I apologize for the rather snarky approach to this story. It's a serious subject and problem for West Coast and other cities. Maybe by developing a more systematic game plan with a defined organization, the problem of hepatitis can be handled more successfully. I wish them luck.

Boy Gets 60 Years in Prison

(Clayton, Missouri) A 15-year-old boy, Sherman Burnett Jr., was sentenced by St. Louis County Circuit Judge Melvyn W. Wiesman this week to 60 years in prison for kidnapping, beating and sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl. Burnett was age 13 at the time of the attack.

In imposing the lengthy sentence -- Burnett will be ineligible for parole until at least the year 2056, when he is 64 -- Wiesman rejected confining Burnett in a juvenile offender program in Montgomery City, Mo., where Burnett could have gotten a chance at probation as early as age 17.

Apparently, Burnett believes the girl is partly to blame which makes him a very unsympathetic defendant. Consequently, Weisman gave Burnett 20 years for kidnapping, 20 years for assault, 10 years for sodomy and 10 years for attempted rape, all to run consecutively.

Tip: slwlion

Teacher Allegedly Indecent with Deaf Girl

(Baton Rouge, Louisiana) A 29-year-old teacher at the Louisiana School for the Deaf, Amanda Elizabeth Key, has been accused of an improper relationship with a 16-year-old female student.

Last week, the mother of the 16-year-old girl discovered her daughter was communicating via e-mail and text messages with Key and at least two others connected to the school, Christopher John Watson, 38, and Nathan Daniel Boyes, 26.

Key, of 235 Cloud Drive, sent the 16-year-old student naked pictures of herself via e-mail, [police spokesman] McKneely said.

Key has been booked into custody at Parish Prison on one count of indecent behavior with a juvenile.

Boyes and Watson, both deaf, were arrested and booked on charges of indecent behavior with a juvenile. Both are in Parish Prison. Boyes is a physical education teacher at the School for the Deaf. Watson is a former teacher at the school.

Dakota Woman and Boy, 14

(Grand Forks, North Dakota) A 34-year-old Grand Forks woman, Renae Hofstad, has been accused of engaging in sexual contact with and liquoring up a 14-year-old boy between October and December 2006.

Hofstad has been charged with felony gross sexual imposition and misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Yesterday in Grand Forks District Court, Hofstad pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Hofstad remains in custody at the Grand Forks County Jail. A pretrial court appearance is scheduled for January 17th.

Tip: Don Morgenstern


[Update 01/17/08]

From Grand Forks Herald:

Hofstad pleaded guilty as part of an agreement that reduces the gross sexual imposition charge a Class A felony to a corruption or solicitation of a minor charge, which is a Class C felony.

The plea agreement would dismiss an additional charge of contributing to the delinquency of a child, a Class A misdemeanor, for giving the boy alcohol.

The agreement calls for five years in prison, with four years suspended, meaning if the plea is accepted, Hofstad would spend about a year behind bars. She'd also be required to spend four years on supervised probation and required to register as a sex offender for a minimum of 15 years.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 19.

Woman Gets 200 Lashes, Sports Figure Gets 80

(Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) In 2006, a young woman got into a car with seven men who were not her relatives and was sentenced to six months in jail and 90 lashes for violating Saudi Arabia's strict prohibition on mixing of the sexes.

Notably, concurrent with the young woman's riding offense, the men raped her, were later apprehended and tried. After conviction, they were sentenced to 10 months to five years in prison.

The lawyer for the 19-year-old rape victim, known as the Girl from Qatif, argued that the sentences for the rapists were too lenient. As a consequence of the ruckus raised by the lawyer, he was banned from representing the girl and his license to practice law was confiscated. It seems the Saudi judiciary doesn't like public criticism.

Additionally, the Saudi judges were so angered that they increased the number of lashes for the rape victim to 200 and doubled the sentences for the rapists.

In summary, it's best not to criticize Saudi judges and their decisions.


* * * * * * * * * * *
(Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) In another law enforcement action, an international Saudi player (team and sport not specified), has been sentenced to 80 lashes for drunk driving and causing an accident.

The player -- whose name, the game he plays and the name of his club have all been withheld -- was said to have been driving on King Abdul Aziz Road in Jeddah under the influence of alcohol. He crashed into another car and caused heavy damage to both the vehicles. The driver of the other car was seriously injured.

Judge Saleh Al-Zahrani, who heard the case, sentenced the player to 80 lashes because of the seriousness of the accident.

Some very important people triad to intercede on behalf of the player but were unsuccessful.

Tip: WW

Permanent Sexual Arousal Syndrome

(London, England) A 24-year-old skin care specialist, Sarah Carmen, has been diagnosed with Permanent Sexual Arousal Syndrome (PSAS), where there is increased blood flow to the sex organs. Frequent unexpected orgasms result, as many as 200 a day.

She said: "Sometimes I have so much sex to try to calm myself down I get bored of it. And men I sleep with don't seem to make as much effort because I climax so easily."

As she chatted, Sarah became increasingly flustered.

"Sorry, you'll have to excuse me for a minute. I'll be with you in a sec," she mumbled before letting out a long sigh.

Sarah, from London, developed PSAS after being prescribed anti-depressants at 19.

She believes her condition was brought on by the pills.

She said: "Within a few weeks I just began to get more and more aroused more and more of the time and I just kept having endless orgasms.

"It started off in bed where sex sessions would last for hours and my boyfriend would be stunned at how many times I would orgasm.

"Then it would happen after sex. I'd be thinking about what we'd done in bed and I'd start feeling a bit flushed, then I'd become aroused and climax.

"In six months I was having 150 orgasms a day -- and it has been as many as 200."

Worldwide, millions of women have sent letters, emails, money and family heirlooms to Carmen with questions about the bingo pills and how to get them. Meanwhile, scientific researchers are scurrying to discover a way to control a permanent, gloating smile. Uh, I presume.

Tip: The Jawa Report

Rove & Kos

So Karl Rove and Markos Moulitsas are brother contributors for Newsweek. A rather incendiary combination, I'd say.

Patient Unknowingly Transplanted From High-Risk Donor

(Chicago, Illinois) A 30-ish woman received an organ transplant from a high-risk donor and wasn't informed. Now she has hepatitis and HIV. According to attorney Thomas Demetrio, "She's really a mess right now."

The woman had been told the donor was a healthy young man, her attorney said. But on Tuesday, hospital officials disclosed to the woman that he [the donor] was actually high-risk, a 38-year-old gay man.

Interestingly, everyone knew the donor was high-risk except for the patient. Four people received transplants from the one gay donor and all four people became infected with hepatitis and HIV.

Four patients got organs in January at three Chicago hospitals from a donor who died after a traumatic injury. The donor had engaged in high-risk behaviors, according to a screening questionnaire, but standard testing showed the donor did not have AIDS or hepatitis C.

Gift of Hope tested the organs and approved them for donation, telling the three hospitals that they came from a high-risk donor.

Several months later, when one of the patients was being evaluated, blood tests showed the patient had HIV and hepatitis C. The other three patients were notified and tested, showing they had both viruses.

The CDC says it's the first time ever that both viruses were transmitted simultaneously through an organ transplant. It's also the first known time since 1986 that HIV was transmitted through organ donation.

Transplanting infected organs is unexcusable. Maybe when we get universal health care, the government will make sure this type of mistake never occurs.

On second thought, maybe not.

Tip: Travis Evans

Woman Gets 30 Days for Smuggling Contraband

(Augusta, Maine) A 22-year-old Belgrade woman, Jennifer Hawes, pleaded guilty this week to trafficking contraband into the Kennebec County Jail.

Hawes was caught in a scheme to smuggle 2.5 grams of heroin by using dental floss strung out a third-floor jail cell window. It didn't go unnoticed by the surveillance cameras.

Hawes was sentenced to three years in jail, all but 30 days suspended, plus two years probation and a $400 fine. Since the incident, dental floss has been banned at the jail.

Recall Petition Targets Sheriff Joe Arpaio

(Phoenix, Arizona) A group called Arizonans for the U.S. Constitution and Recall of Joe Arpaio wants 283,300 valid registered county voters to sign up for the recall of Sheriff Joe. The signatures must be turned in by February 26th.


[Update 11/21/07]

According to a poll conducted by Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Eight/KAET-TV involving 697 registered voters, three out of four respondents oppose the recall.

Poll director Bruce Merrill, a retired Arizona State University professor, said the support for Arpaio and Thomas will make it difficult for a citizens group to collect the more than 200,000 signatures necessary to require a recall vote.

"It's going to be very difficult for the people who want to recall both of them to get enough signatures ... because two out of every three voters have a favorable opinion of them."

Recall organizer Leonard Clark said "the movement will gather steam as his group spreads its message."

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

ICE Memo: Release Illegal Alien Lactators

Although Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) asserts that its catch and release program for illegal aliens has been discontinued, a work-around has been inaugurated. Female illegals apprehended just have to say that they are lactating and then they are released.

Since ICE agents would be acting inappropriately if they sought proof, the simple declaration by a woman that she is lactating has to be relied upon.

ICE Chieftess Julie Myers codified the policy in a memo which categorizes the release of lactating illegals (lactationers?) as a meritorious health-related issue.

Via DebbieSchlussel.com

Kentucky College Professor, Crack Cocaine, and a Baby

(Morehead, Kentucky) A 35-year-old assistant professor of government at Morehead State University, Noelle N'Diaye, was arrested last Sunday for child endangerment after her two-month-old daughter tested positive for cocaine.

According to Morehead City Police Capt. Mike Adams, N'Diaye was charged with first-degree wanton endangerment.

N'Diaye's husband had called police on Saturday night to say he could not locate her or his daughter. Early Sunday, police received a call of a woman who had locked herself out of her car at an Interstate 64 rest area with her daughter inside. The woman turned out to be N'Diaye, Adams said, and she was returned home.

N'Diaye's husband, Ibrahim N'Diaye, who also teaches at Morehead State, called police later and reported that his wife had allegedly smoked crack cocaine in the car with their daughter present.

Reportedly, N'Diaye told investigators that she drove to Charleston, WV, to buy crack cocaine and she smoked it in the car with her daughter present.

N'Diaye was booked into custody at the Montgomery County Regional Jail on $10,000 full-cash bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 19th.

Crack-addicted college government professor? Not necessarily newsworthy. However, crack-addicted college government professor smoking around a kid? Big news.

Illegal Guilty of Molesting Boy

(San Diego, California) A 30-year-old illegal alien, Jesus Mora Nava, pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of lewd and lascivious acts with a child related to the molestation of a 13-year-old boy.

Nava, who is from Mexico, was arrested July 17 in Poway, the same day he befriended the boy and assaulted him, said prosecutor Dino Paraskevopoulos. Nava gave the boy alcohol and took him to an encampment in a wooded area, Paraskevopoulos said

A sheriff's helicopter with a heat-seeking sensor was used to find Nava after the boy reported the assault to a Poway man who was jogging in the area.

Nava also pleaded guilty to using fake documentation to hide his lack of citizenship.

Sentencing is scheduled for January 3rd when Nava faces a possible 16 years in prison and deportation.

Upstate NY Woman Nabbed for Meth Operation

(Genoa, New York) A 46-year-old local woman, Melissa L. Brady, was arrested Wednesday on drug charges after a traffic stop.

A vehicle search led to the discovery of anhydrous ammonia hidden inside the cab of the pickup truck Brady was driving. A Cayuga County Sheriff's sergeant had to be treated for exposure to ammonia vapors.

Subsequently, a thorough search of Brady's vehicle and home found methamphetamine and methamphetamine manufacturing materials.

Brady was charged with unlawful manufacture of methamphetamine, criminal possession of precursors of methamphetamine, criminal possession of a controlled substance and failure to stop at a stop sign.

Brady was booked into custody at the Cayuga County jail in lieu of $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond.