Brazilian Beauty Has Feet, Hands Amputated

(Serra, Brazil) About three weeks ago, a 20-year-old Brazilian model and beauty queen, Mariana Bridi, fell ill, went to the hospital and subsequently sent home, diagnosed with a kidney stone.

Two days later, she returned to the hospital and was diagnosed with a severe urinary tract infection. Bridi also lost circulation in her feet so doctors amputated them.

On Tuesday of this week, doctors amputated her hands. On Wednesday, they removed her stomach due to internal bleeding.

From news report:

Bridi is a two-time finalist in the search for Brazil's Miss World contestant in 2006 and 2007.

She also represented Brazil in the 2007 Miss Bikini International competition, taking sixth place and an award for Most Beautiful Body.

"We are all absolutely distraught and are just praying now that she can pull through," her boyfriend said.

In summary, in less than a month, a vibrant beautiful woman lies in a hospital bed fighting for her life after having her feet, hands and stomach removed due to some unknown illness.

The rapid decline in Bridi's health needs to be explained. Either that or the hospital needs to be invesigated. Something seems wrong.


[Update 1/24/09]

Sadly, Mariana Bridi has died. Antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa is blamed for her deadly infection.

Boy, 3, Smoking with Mom, Caught on Film

From the UK:

A British mother has been given a suspended sentence after her toddler was filmed smoking a cigarette in front of her.

Kelly Marie Pocock, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of cruelty to a child under 16 at a hearing last month, the British Press Association (PA) reported.

Details of the case emerged when she appeared in the Merthyr Crown Court on Thursday for sentencing and were reported by PA.

Prosecutor Jonathan Rees told the court: "The video demonstrates the boy placing a cigarette into his mouth, lighting it with a lighter and sucking, drawing smoke clearly into the lungs and he seems to do it with some accomplishment.

Teach your children well. Pretty sick, eh?

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy

Louisiana Woman Indicted for Molestation of Boy

(Shreveport, Louisiana) A 40-year-old local woman Susan Johnston, was arrested Thursday after being indicted for allegedly engaging in sex with an 11-year-old boy. She faces charges of aggravated rape and molestation of juveniles.

Assistant District Attorney Hugo Holland said Johnston is accused of having sexual relations with a boy beginning when he was 11 years old and continuing for two years.

The little girl was molested starting at age 8, Holland said. The children were also told to have sex with each other on a handful of occasions, Holland said.

Under Louisiana law, sexual relations with a child under the age of 13 is considered aggravated rape.

Notably, Johnston and her husband, Brandon Johnston, were charged with child cruelty in January 2008 in the stabbing of their eight-year-old daughter. Susan was out on bond when arrested. Brandon remains in jail.

Brandon Johnston is a convicted sex offender out of Texas who also faces charges for failing to register as a sex offender.

Susan Johnston was booked into custody at the Caddo Parish Jail.

New York Teacher Gets Prison in Massive Fraud Case

(Rochester, New York) In June 2007, a 42-year-old teacher with the Rush-Henrietta School District, Lynn Taliento, was arrested for defrauding an elderly woman out of $745,000.

Both Taliento and her husband, Ralph Taliento, were charged with grand larceny and scheme to defraud and a misdemeanor of petit larceny.

Lynn Taliento pleaded guilty to the charges in November 2008. Ralph later pleaded guilty to grand larceny and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3.

Earlier today, Lynn Taliento, now 44, was sentenced by Monroe County Court Judge John Connell to two to six years in prison. It was the maximum sentence allowed by the plea agreement.

“I tell you, frankly, I wish I could give you more years,” Connell said, calling the victim, 74-year-old Shirley Gatti, “a good and trusting heart.”

“You knew there was money there, and you kept going back and back and back and back, for years and years and years.”

Gatti read a statement before the sentencing, saying the swindle started when Taliento called and said she needed help with a financial problem. Gatti complied, and Taliento continued to ask for more money. To avoid Taliento's ongoing pleas, Gatti said, she eventually changed her phone number to an unlisted line, and moved.

“It was very, very stressful,” Gatti said. “I was very scared for my safety. She was someone who seemed like a friend. … She lied to me, used me, abused me.”

Lynn Taliento apologized, saying she was "very sorry."

Gay Rights Trump Christian Rights

(Bristol, England) In March 2008, a 47-year-old Christian sex therapist, Mr. McFarlane, was fired from the National Counseling Service for refusing to provide sex therapy to homosexual couples because it encouraged gay sex and was contrary to his religious beliefs.

McFarlane took his case to an employment tribunal claiming unlawful religious discrimination.

The employment tribunal has now ruled that the National Counseling Service, Relate, was entitled to fire McFarlane. Therefore, the discrimination was lawful.

The decision prompted Christian groups to demand a rethink of religious discrimination laws, following a string of other high-profile cases in which courts have found against Christians who claim they have suffered as a result of standing up for their beliefs.

Andrea Williams, director of the Christian Legal Centre, which supported Mr McFarlane in his claim, said the religious discrimination law was "in danger of becoming a dead letter", while the Christian Institute said there was a growing feeling among churchgoers that religious discrimination laws only applied to Muslims and other minority faiths.

Legal experts suggested the ruling had left discrimination laws in "a confused state" by giving the impression that "gay rights trump Christian rights" when they directly oppose each other.

I would suggest the "impression" that gay rights trump Christian rights is more like a tattoo. The issue has advanced past theory and it is now a fact.

Must not be silent

We read:

"A federal judge has ruled that a state law requiring a moment of silence in public schools across Illinois is unconstitutional, saying it crosses the line separating church and state. "The statute is a subtle effort to force students at impressionable ages to contemplate religion," U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman said in his ruling yesterday.

The ruling came in a lawsuit designed to bar schools from enforcing the Illinois Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act. It was filed by talk-show host Rob Sherman, an outspoken atheist, and his daughter, Dawn, a high school student.

Gettleman's ruling was not a surprise. He had already ruled in favor of Sherman in two previous decisions.

As passed by the Illinois General Assembly, the law allows students to reflect on the day's activities rather than pray if that is their choice and defenders have said it therefore doesn't force religion on anyone. But Gettleman backed critics such as the American Civil Liberties Union, who say the law is a thinly disguised effort to bring religion into the schools.

Source

Posted by John Ray.

Minnesota Women Accused of Elderly Abuse

(Albert Lea, Minnesota) Two 19-year-old nursing home assistants at the Good Samaritan Society, Brianna Marie Broitzman and Ashton Michelle Larson, have been accused of abusing elderly residents suffering from dementia. Broitzman and Larson allegedly poked, groped and spanked the oldsters while laughing at them.


Brianna Marie Broitzman and Ashton Michelle Larson
Freeborn County Attorney Craig Nelson voiced concern for the victims, saying the community's most vulnerable citizens were abused.

The allegations surfaced when a teenage nursing assistant told an administrator about alleged abuse during an exit interview, prosecutors said.

Follow-up interviews by state investigators and police found that Broitzman and Larson “would talk and laugh about the incidents” with others, including young co-workers who were sometimes witnesses, according to the complaint.

Broitzman and Larson, who no longer work at the home, considered the abuse “something fun to do at work,” the complaint said. The two were confident they wouldn’t get caught because “residents did not have their minds,” a co-worker told investigators.

Many of the patients suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia.

Broitzman and Larson face multiple counts of abuse. Both have been released on bail.

Tip: slwlion

Florida Woman Accused of Sex with Male Teen

(Spring Hill, Florida) A 31-year-old local woman, Joan Lucille Dewey, was arrested yesterday for allegedly engaging in sex with a 17-year-old boy and providing him with prescription drugs.

Dewey faces one count each of felony sexual battery, aggravated child abuse and possession or sale of a controlled substance.

Authorities arrested Dewey after the teen had to be taken by ambulance to a hospital for a possible drug overdose. She later admitted to having sex with the teen at her home at 8357 Omaha Circle.

A search of the home found a quantity of methadone and carisoprodol, a muscle relaxant.

Dewey was booked into custody at the Hernando County Jail with bond set at $25,000.

TARP Song


This is entertaining.

Illegal Arrested for Sex Assault of Girl, 5

(Cliffside Park, New Jersey) A 34-year-old Guatemalan illegally in the U.S., Gualter Diaz-Muray, was arrested yesterday for allegedly forcing himself on a five-year-old girl. Diaz-Muray is accused of restraining the girl and sexually assaulting her when she tried to run away.

The alleged offenses took place in a house in Cliffside Park.

Arguably one ugly bastard, Diaz-Muray probably scared the hell out of the little girl. He faces counts of aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, and endangering the welfare of a child.

Diaz-Muray was booked into custody at the Bergen County Jail with bail set at $400,000. Naturally, an immigration hold would be appropriate but who knows what the local law enforcers do.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.

French Cheese Emergency

(France) Last week, the U.S. government increased the import duties on Roquefort cheese by 300 percent in reported retaliation for France's refusal to accept American beef that has been administered growth hormones.

Some in France have been quick to see the new Washington measure as petty, belated revenge against the "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" for their opposition to the 2003 Iraq invasion.

The Americans slapped new duty on an array of other EU food imports, including fruit, chocolate and chewing gum, but none was subject to the 300 percent reserved for roquefort.

Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier has called on President Obama to reverse the cheese decision or expect an economic attack against American products. McDonald's and Coca Cola were specifically named as targets in a weak threat.

The French are not holding their collective breath expecting action from Obama, though, since it was a fellow Democrat, Bill Clinton, who imposed the original tax on Roquefort cheese. Consequently, the French complaints will likely fade and they'll simply pay the import duty on the cheese and whine about it.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Gov. Blogo's Wife Fired

(Chicago, Illinois) Patti Blagojevich, First Lady of Illinois, was fired from her job as a fundraiser for the homeless. She apparently wasn't bringing in enough money.

One source said that her husband's political problems have hampered her ability to get contributions.

Islamic Cleric: OK to Beat and Rape Wives

(Melbourne, Australia) A Muslim cleric with the Coburg Mosque and head of the Islamic Information and Services Network of Australasia, Samir Abu Hamza, has created a storm of controversy by directing his followers to beat their wives and force them to have sex.

In a lecture titled "The Keys to a Successful Marriage", which has since been posted on the internet and viewed thousands of times, Mr Hamza said men could beat their wives, "to shape them up", but should try not to draw blood or bruise them.

He also said women "must respond" if their husbands wanted to have sex, and ridiculed laws that prohibit rape within marriage.

"In this country if the husband wants to sleep with his wife and she does not want to and she hasn't got a sickness or whatever, there is nothing wrong with her she just does not feel like it, and he ends up sleeping with her by force ... it is known to be as rape," Mr Hamza said.

"Amazing, how can a person rape his wife?" [...]

In the sermon Mr Hamza initially tells his listeners "don't hit your wife".

But he goes on to detail how men should hit their wives, according to his interpretation of Islamic teachings.

He says it is permissible to hit women as a "last resort" but that "the beating the Mohammed showed is like the toothbrush that you use to brush your teeth".

"You are not allowed to bruise them, you are not allowed to make them bleed.

"You don't go and grab a broomstick and say that is what Allah has said."

Therefore, According to Mr. Hamza, it is permissible to smack the wife around if she balks at having sex, but don't leave bruises or make her bleed. What a guy, eh?

A little background on Mr. Hamza indicates that he's also known as Samir Mohtadi, a Lebanese Salafist immigrant to Australia who maintains a hatred for the Bible.

"If there's one book that should be banned, it is the Bible. So I would not allow my sons or my daughters or my friends or my enemies to read that Bible. I am too embarrassed to read some of the things in the Bible."

Regarding his beat-the-old-lady sermon, Hamza refuses to retract his statements and said they have been taken out of context. He says he was simply being metaphorical.

Nevertheless, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and several Islamic leaders have condemned Hamza's teachings. Rudd called for repudiation and an apology. Haset Seli of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils called Hamza a lunatic and by his lecture he demonstrated his ignorance.

To preclude any followers of Islam and followers of Hamza from using violence against women by accidentally misinterpreting metaphors, the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) is planning workshops with imams next week. Presumably, once the male followers of the religion of peace are properly trained in the application of forceful marital metaphors, women will be safe.

Mr. Hamza is unavailable for comment since he's on holiday at an unknown location for the next "couple of weeks."

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Dutch court to prosecute criticism of Islam

They won't prosecute Muslim antisemites but they will prosecute those who criticize Muslim antisemites. The Netherlands is sick to the core.

"A Dutch court has ordered prosecutors to put a right-wing politician on trial for making anti-Islamic statements. Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders made a controversial film last year equating Islam with violence and has likened the Koran to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.

"In a democratic system, hate speech is considered so serious that it is in the general interest to... draw a clear line," the court in Amsterdam said.

Mr Wilders said the judgement was an "attack on the freedom of expression". "Participation in the public debate has become a dangerous activity. If you give your opinion, you risk being prosecuted," he said. Not only he, but all Dutch citizens opposed to the "Islamisation" of their country would be on trial, Mr Wilders warned. "Who will stand up for our culture if I am silenced?" he added.

The three judges said that they had weighed Mr Wilders's "one-sided generalisations" against his right to free speech, and ruled that he had gone beyond the normal leeway granted to politicians.

Source

If even a prominent politician is not free to speak out, what hope is there for the little guy?

There could however be a silver lining here. Everything Wilders said is true -- and proving that in court could be a real wake-up for the Dutch. Wilders may even have had that in mind from the beginning.

Posted by John Ray.

Texas Woman Accused of Sex Assault of Two Boys

(Temple, Texas) A 30-year-old local woman, Misti Dawn Kennair (aka Misti Richards), was arrested on January 7 for alleged sexual assault of a 16-year-old boy and possession of dangerous drugs.

She was booked into custody at the Bell County Jail with bail set at $300,000.

During investigation, police found evidence that Kennair/Richards had also been involved with a 14-year-old boy. She was served with the warrant for her arrest at the Bell County Jail.

Kennair/Richards is currently being held with bail totaling $605,000. She faces charges of sexual assault, enticing a child and possession of dangerous drugs.

Louisiana Woman Gets No Jail for Sex with Group of Boys

(Houma, Louisiana) In May 2008, a 47-year-old local house cleaner, Maureen Lirette, was arrested for engaging in sex with a group of at least seven teenage boys -- two as young as 13 -- during a party at her trailer.

Yesterday, Lirette pleaded guilty and, astonishingly, she was sentenced to probation while the judge apologized for embarrassing her.

After a late-night card game on May 21, Lirette brought the boys, along with four 18-year-olds, in her bedroom and had sex with each while the others watched, police said.

[Asst. District Attorney] Pickett explained the charges in court Tuesday to Judge Timothy Ellender, who reacted with disgust.

“So this was a gang bang?” Ellender said. “Are you pleased with yourself? Can’t you get yourself a man?” [...]

Ellender said if a man had committed the crimes Lirette pleaded guilty to, he would have received a much harsher sentence, perhaps even death.

“There’s a double standard,” he told Lirette. “Some people think you did a 13-year-old boy a favor. I certainly don’t.”

“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you,” he said. “But you need to be embarrassed.”

According to the Terrebonne Parish District Attorney's Office, the families of the victims did not want Lirette to go to jail. As a consequence, she only gets five years' probation. However, she will have to register as a sex offender.

Notably, we can chalk up another judge who openly admits there is no equality under the law for sex offenders. I should make a list. Interestingly, though, Judge Ellender is the first I've heard apologize to a convicted child sex offender.

Treasury Secretary-Designate Apologizes

Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner told the Senate Finance Committee that he was sorry that he didn't pay his taxes.

"These were careless mistakes. They were avoidable mistakes."

"But they were unintentional," he said.

Interesting.

As I recall from reading somewhere, Al Capone said something quite similar just before his handcuffed and shackled carcass was hauled off to Alcatraz. I don't think Geithner even received the equivalent of a parking ticket.

Florida Teacher's Aide Caught with Cocaine

(Weston, Florida) A 41-year-old teacher's aide at Falcon Cove Middle School, Felicia J. Bowen, was arrested yesterday more than a month after she allegedly was found to be in possession of cocaine.

Officers had witnessed a hand-to-hand buy of the drug in the parking lot of the Seminole Truck Stop on Highway 27 on December 17.

Officers pulled her over at US 27 and Johnson Street on traffic violations. When they approached her, Bowen confessed, the report's author Detective Aldemar Rengifo said.

"The defendant spontaneously uttered she had just purchased cocaine and proceeded to remove the two baggies containing field tested positive cocaine powder from her bra area," Rengifo said.

According to Broward County Sheriff's deputies, Bowen was found to be in possession of 2.3 grams of cocaine. They delayed arresting her to allow for more investigation.

Yesterday, Bowen surrendered herself to the officers at the Weston Sheriff's office and was booked into custody. Subsequently, she was released on $1,000 bond.

Texas Man Guilty in Child Porn Case - Updated

(Dallas, Texas) Fifty-year-old Kevin Russell Moake pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to one charge of possession of child pornography, according to a press release by James Jacks, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

The release stated that Kevin Moake, 50, was arrested May 30, 2007, in Dallas for attempting to buy a 9-year-old girl for sex. During the arrest, police discovered in his vehicle a laptop that contained about 600 images of child pornography.

Moake faces a possible 10 years in prison when sentenced on April 13.

Moake faces additional charges in Dallas County stemming from his original arrest in a sting operation. The Dallas Police Department and the FBI are investigating. For my money, they are taking their sweet time since the case goes back 18 months. Of course, it's possible that Dallas County prosecutors are waiting for the feds to finish the child porn case.


* * * * *
Man Arrested for Attempted Purchase of Girl
[Previous 6/1/07 post]
(Dallas, Texas) A 49-year-old local man, Kevin Russell Moake, was arrested after attempting to purchase of Mexican girl for purposes of sexual slavery.

According to Lt. C.L. Williams, head of the Dallas Police Department's child exploitation unit, Moake was cuffed right after giving an undercover Dallas Police officer $100 as a down payment of a "rent-to-own" deal for the girl.

From Star-Telegram:

The operation began after police learned about noon Wednesday that Moake was trying to buy a child for sex, Williams said.

An undercover officer telephoned Moake and told him that a girl from Mexico was available, Williams said.

Initially, Moake was going to buy the girl for about $2,000, but he became indecisive because he did not have a place to keep her, Williams said.

Moake decided to "rent-to-own" the girl, Williams said.

During the negotiations, Moake asked the undercover officer at the other end of the phone line, "You aren't police, are you?" and laughed, Williams said.

The deal went down less than 12 hours after police began investigating. Moake initially agreed to meet the undercover officer at a hotel on Walnut Hill Lane but changed his mind. Instead, he met the undercover officer about 11:45 p.m. in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant near Love Field, Williams said.

Moake handed the undercover officer five $20 bills and officers took him into custody.

Moake faces charges of attempting to traffic in humans and attempting sexual performance with a child. Booked into the Dallas County Jail, Moake's bail was set at $100,000.

Obama Success? In your dreams, America!

While confessing to be a lightweight regarding knowledge of U.S. politics, British writer James Delingpole claims a handicapper's insight about what to expect during Barack Obama's tenure as President of the United States.

Delingpole asserts that President Obama's legacy will be similar to British Prime Minister Tony Blair's legacy and it largely can be blamed on a shopping list of "scuzzballs, communists and eco-loons" who are elevated to powerful positions.

An excerpt from Welcome to Obamaland: I Have Seen Your Future and It Doesn't Work by James Delingpole:

In four, or more likely, eight years time, America is going to wake up one morning -- rather as Britain did in the dog-end of the Blair years -- with the most terrible hang-over, only to find its pockets empty, its savings gone, its property trashed to virtual worthlessness, its streets rife with crime and its traditional liberties circumscribed by nannying bureaucrats and pettifogging regulation, and it’s going to ask itself: ‘Huh? How did that happen? Did someone drug me? Why didn’t I see that one coming?’

As one who did and does see it coming, I find it hard to summon too much sympathy. It’s like Dr Faustus complaining when, having been granted his every earthly fantasy, the devil turns up at the end to steal away his soul. It’s like the citizens of Hamlyn complaining when, having welshed on their deal with the Pied Piper, he lures all their kids inside the mountain. You just want to give them all a good shake and say: ‘Did you think it was going to come free, this once-in-a-lifetime wonder deal you made with the mysterious dark stranger you met at the crossroads at midnight?’ In your dreams, America. In your dreams!

Heh.

I'll reserve comment until after I read the book. Amazon says the title will be released on January 26. Maybe the publisher will send me a review copy.

Tip: Brian Kissack