Following Entry Posted 11/22/2009 07:57:00 AM

Some graphic evidence of British climate crookedness


A picture is worth ...



Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).
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       Following Entry Posted 11/22/2009 06:30:00 AM

Postal Service Resumes Santa Letter Program - Updated

The Postal Service has decided to resume the Santa Claus letter program after Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Democratic Sen. Mark Begich and Republican Rep. Don Young sent letters to Postmaster General John Potter expressing concerns.

The letters will now be answered by the North Pole elves under tightened privacy rules implemented nationwide by the Postal Service in response to security concerns that arose in a similar program in Maryland last year.

The group also has been assigned a specific address that will allow its volunteers to run their own alternative program, bypassing the stringent new rules and perhaps lessening the Santa letter load for the Postal Service. The restrictions don't affect privately run letter efforts. Children can write to Santa through that program at: 1 Santa Claus Lane, North Pole, AK 99705.

Merry Christmas to all!

(Hat tip: ron)

* * * * *
Government Cancels Santa Claus
[Previous 11/21/09 post]
Children writing letters to Santa Claus in the Alaska town of North Pole will no longer be receiving responses. The U.S. Postal Service will be rerouting the children's letters for shredding.

Postal officials say the change is being made to protect children from sex offenders.

I'd disagree. I think the government is solving a problem that so far doesn't exist. It's typical bureaucratic activism.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/21/2009 09:54:00 PM

No Mammogram For You!

(Johnson City, Tennesssee) According to decision-makers at the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), no mammogram screening of women between 40 and 49 years of age should be performed. Presumably, it's all about efficiency and cost.

However, not everyone agrees.

Jocelyn Medina, M.D., a radiologist at Mountain States Health Alliance says with the study’s recommendations, many lives in the Tri-Cities would be at risk. From this year alone, cancer cases at the Women’s Health and Imaging Center prove her point.

“I can tell you we had 92 cancers diagnosed. Twenty of those were between age 37 and 50. That to me is not an insignificant number,” she said.

The study also doesn’t recommend self-breast examinations as a method of early detection.

It's not exactly clear why self-examinations would be discouraged. However, since even minor concerns discovered during self-exams would lead to requests for mammograms, a program to mitigate the number of mammograms would likely include measures to reduce the number requested by women examining themselves.

Furthermore, I'd suggest that the reason that mammograms for women 40 to 49 have been eliminated is that breast tumors are very small and difficult to detect within that age range but at the age of 50 and beyond sufficient growth of tumors has occured and they are easily seen. Based on their statistical analysis, the task force experts likely concluded that it's better to wait until the cancers are readily detectable rather than spend money on mammograms producing negative results.

Having medical choices decided by demographics as opposed to diagnostics is disturbing. I'd hate to think that people would have to phony up their personal data just to assure they could see a doctor.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/21/2009 07:58:00 PM

Illinois Woman Accused of Sex with Boy

(Round Lake Beach, Illinois) A 47-year-old local woman, Laura A. Bailey, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly engaging in sex with a 16-year-old boy. She faces two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

The alleged sexual relations reportedly occurred in September.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Stephen Scheller said Bailey was brought into custody Tuesday after admitting to engaging in sex with the teenager on multiple occasions during September.

Authorities were notified of the relationship when rumors surfaced that Bailey was having sex with students who attended one of the Grayslake high schools.

Bailey was booked into custody with bond set at $25,000.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/21/2009 02:50:00 PM

Neighborhood Gnat

(Mobile, Alabama) Responding to citizen complaints of prostitutes working the streets, a female undercover police officer was told to get all gussied up and hit the stroll in a neighborhood to lure customers in a sting operation.

A boy walks up to the officer and says, hey, mama, you got the time for a man like me? And she says, you ain't no man, so go home little boy. He says I ain't no boy, I'm 13 and I got money. She says go away or I'll call the cops. He says no you won't cause you is working the streets and they'd arrest you.

She said no they won't and her fellow officers showed up to take the boy into custody. He was overheard in the patrol car mumbling that she didn't look like no cop. He was booked into the juvenile detention center and later released.

The sting operation netted 15 arrests.

Tip: slwlion
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       Following Entry Posted 11/21/2009 11:36:00 AM

NH Woman Accused of Sex Assault of Boy

(Rochester, New Hampshire) A 29-year-old local woman, Martha Thibodeau, has been accused of engaging in a pattern of inappropriate sexual behavior with a 14-year-old boy.

Thibodeau faces one felony count of aggravated felonious sexual assault.

The charge alleges she engaged in a pattern of sexual assaults by committing various sex acts on a 14-year-old boy on more than one occasion between Aug. 1 and Oct. 16.

Authorities say the alleged victim lives near her in another unit at Cold Spring Manor. Thibodeau's bail was originally set at $5,000 cash, but it converted to personal recognizance after she underwent a mental health referral.

According to County Administrator Ray Bower, she entered into Community Corrections' monitoring program on Friday, Nov. 13.

Thibodeau's case will now go before a grand jury.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/21/2009 10:15:00 AM

Ft. Hood-Style "Re-enactment" Threatened at Ft. Benning

From ArmyTimes:

A box of hollow-point bullets and an anonymous note threatening an incident like the one at Fort Hood, Texas, were discovered Thursday at Fort Benning, Ga., sparking a criminal investigation and greater police presence, a witness told Army Times.

According to a witness at the scene, a box of 20 hollow-point shells and a handwritten note were found in the motor pool area between 1st Battalion and 2nd Battalion, 29th Infantry, under the 197th Infantry Training Brigade.

“The note said ‘tell the commanding general to call off all charges or there will be a re-enactment of Fort Hood,’ ” the witness told Army Times. He spoke on condition he wouldn’t be identified.

After the discovery, he said, military police arrived with dogs, cordoned off a 20-foot perimeter around the box and began dusting for fingerprints and questioning people.

Just freaking great.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/21/2009 09:10:00 AM

Obama Blocking Compensation to Beirut Bombing Families

This is just cruel. The American people have a constitutionally-mandated expectation of support from their government that is being bastardized.

The Obama administration is blocking court-ordered compensation for the families of the 241 Americans who died in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut.

Obama administration is going to court to try to block payments from Iranian assets that the families’ lawyers want seized, contending that it would jeopardize sensitive negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and establish a potentially damaging precedent.

I suggest the Obama administration will experience even more sensitive negotiations with the American electorate after throwing citizens under the bus.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/21/2009 08:07:00 AM

Even Hispanics and Filipinos aren't supposed to use the word "negro"?

We read:

"A civil rights group has chided Dionisia Pacquiao, mother of famed Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, for using the word "Negro" in a public statement. The Color People Advancement Community (CPAC), a small Las Vegas-based ethnic rights group, was reacting to statements made by Mrs. Pacquiao after her son's match against Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Arena on November 14.

Pacquiao, along with his entourage, had proceeded to the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino a few blocks away for a post-fight party and mini-concert. There, Mrs. Pacquiao gave interviews and described her alarm at watching her son fight it out with Cotto for 12 rounds.

Mrs. Pacquiao also thanked all her son's supporters. "Nagpapasalamat ako hindi lang sa mga Pilipino. At pati na rin sa mga Amerikano at mga Negro. (I thank not only the Filipinos, I also thank Americans and Negroes)," she said.

According to reports from the Bandera tabloid and boxing website Philboxing.com, the CPAC in Las Vegas issued a statement asking Mrs. Pacquiao to refrain from using politically incorrect words in public "so as not to inflame emotional outrage" from groups in the United States.

Source

"Negro" was once the proper scientific term for the race concerned but these days the more ponderous geographical term "Sub-Saharan African" is used in scientific writing. That's a bit stupid, though, as there are about 4 million "Sub-Saharan Africans" who are white, mostly in South Africa.

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).
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       Following Entry Posted 11/21/2009 07:51:00 AM

Probably NSFW

Here is arguably sufficient evidence to support the contention that hardware stores should be exposed-thongs-forbidden zones.

When checking plumbing appurtenances at the hardware store, I'd rather they not be human.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/21/2009 06:46:00 AM

Palestinians Put Bounty on Israeli Soldiers

(Gaza Strip) Here we have an unwelcome but predictable consequence to negotiating with terrorists.

A Gaza charity headed by the interior minister of Hamas yesterday offered $1.4 million to any Arab citizen of Israel who abducts an Israeli soldier. Palestinians have frequently called on Israeli Arabs to abduct soldiers, but this is the first time money has been offered.

Just wonderful, kidnapping has become an advertised for-profit industry.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/21/2009 06:21:00 AM

Teacher's Aide Allegedly Threatens Boy in Sex Case - Updated

(River Falls, Wisconsin) The allegations of sexual assault of a 12-year-old boy by teacher's aide Rebecca Ann O’Malley-Tietz include a disturbing threat.

The 12-year-old boy saw Rebecca O'Malley-Tietz standing in her bathroom with her hand behind her back.

According to a criminal complaint filed Thursday, his former teacher's aide asked him if he had told anyone about their sexual relationship. He told her he hadn't.

She took a gun from behind her back, put the muzzle under his chin and threatened to hurt him and his family if he did, the complaint states.

If true, it would explain why the boy was initially reluctant to cooperate with investigators. The story came out last Friday when the boy told a social worker. After her arrest on Wednesday, O’Malley-Tietz relayed an entirely different account.

She said she was "more like a mother" to the child. According to the complaint, she said any sexual contact the two had was nonconsensual; the child spanked and kissed her and then forced her to have intercourse, she said.

During her interview, O’Malley-Tietz was reportedly observed to be behaving strangely, leading to speculation that she may be suffering from mental illness.

Thursday, O’Malley-Tietz was released from jail on $25,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 12.

* * * * *
Teacher's Aide Accused of Sex with Boy, 12
[Previous 11/19/09 post]
(River Falls, Wisconsin) A 34-year-old teacher's aide formerly at River Falls Academy, Rebecca Ann O’Malley-Tietz, was arrested yesterday for allegedly engaging in sex with a 12-year-old boy. She faces a charge of first-degree sexual assault of a child.

River Falls police Sgt. Jon Aubart said the incident reportedly took place in 2007 off school grounds. The victim is a boy who was 12 at the time.

Police investigated the case but dropped it when the victim wouldn’t cooperate.

Later, when the victim was going through counseling, more information was disclosed and police got involved again.

O’Malley-Tietz was booked into custody at the Pierce County Jail.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/20/2009 07:34:00 PM

Global Warmists Caught with Their Flies Open

In today's UK Telegraph, James Delingpole summarizes the contents of confidential global warming files dumped on the Internet by a hacker. Called Climategate, the information released includes 1079 emails and 72 documents from the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit (aka Hadley CRU).

According to Delingpole's piece, hacked emails attest to a conspiracy of prominent climate scientists to manipulate and suppress scientific data and to marginalize colleagues with differing opinions. Specifically, the emails suggest:

Conspiracy, collusion in exaggerating warming data, possibly illegal destruction of embarrassing information, organised resistance to disclosure, manipulation of data, private admissions of flaws in their public claims and much more.

Take a look. It's an earthquake of information which supports the growing and correct belief that man-made global warming is nothing but a political power grab. Sadly, though, the elite media will probably look the other way and environmental science will continue to be infested with politics.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/20/2009 04:51:00 PM

Arkansas Woman Gets Prison for Sex with Boy - Updated

(Bentonville, Arkansas) Forty-year-old Anita Kay Fine appeared in court yesterday and pleaded guilty to sexual assault and possession of a controlled substance.

As a result, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Fine was originally charged with rape, a class Y felony, but agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charged under a plea agreement her attorney Shane Wilkinson reached with Chief Deputy Prosecutor Stuart Cearley. [...]

Circuit Judge Robin Green accepted the plea agreement and Fine’s guilty plea.

Green followed the plea agreement’s sentencing recommendation and ordered Fine to serve 10 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction. Fine was given a 10-year suspended sentence on the drug charge.

Fine must complete the prison’s sex-offender treatment program and must register as a sex offender. She was ordered not to have any contact with the victim.

Fine gets credit for 74 days time served.

* * * * *
Arkansas Woman Accused of Sex with Boy
[Previous 6/24/09 post]
(Bentonville, Arkansas) A 39-year-old woman, Anita Kay Fine, was arrested last Saturday for allegedly engaging in sex with a 14-year-old boy. Fine faces charges of felony sexual assault of a child and sexual indecency with a child.

Fine's arrest stems from a 1:09 a.m. Saturday call to Lowell police from a caller reporting that she needed assistance removing a naked female from her 14-year-old son's bedroom, according to court documents.

When a Lowell police officer arrived at the scene, he heard the caller telling another woman to get out of her house and claiming that the woman had been in the caller's son's room naked, according to an affidavit in the case.

The boy's mother had allowed Fine to spend the night in her home, but later found her naked son hiding under a bed, and Fine was naked underneath the covers, according to court documents.

The 14-year-old told police that Fine performed oral sex on him and the two had sexual intercourse, the affidavit states.

Fine was booked into custody at the Benton County Jail with bond set at $10,000.

Tip on pic: uneeda in Comments
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       Following Entry Posted 11/20/2009 03:48:00 PM

Man Finds 3.2-Carat Diamond

(Murfreesboro, Arkansas) A 45-year-old local man, Billy Moore, found a 3.2-carat diamond at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, the only diamond mine in North America where the public can keep diamonds found.

Billy Moore says he initially thought he had found a wadded-up piece of gum paper while sifting on Oct. 30 in the park's 37.5-acre diamond search area.

The 45-year-old Moore says he rolled his find around with his finger and saw a shiny side.

The diamond is about the size of an English pea, has a rough, rounded shape and is sparkling white.

He's named the diamond "The Frosty" because of its appearance. He says he plans to sell the gem, which was the second-largest diamond found this year at the park.

Heh. Merry Christmas, Mr. Moore.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/20/2009 03:38:00 PM

Woman Arrested for Pimping Teen Girls

(Fort Smith, Arkansas) A 39-year-old local woman, Joy Trotter, was arrested yesterday for allegedly transporting teenage girls to various locations for sex. Trotter faces a charge of felony first-degree promoting prostitution.

Notably, one of the teen girls has been identified as Trotter's 14-year-old relative.

The arrest came after a lengthy investigation into allegations Trotter was transporting underage females to motels and residences for sex, said detective Cpl. Jeff Taylor. Police were contacted several weeks ago by an alleged victim who authorities said told them about Trotter’s operation.

Trotter allegedly asked the girls if they wanted to make some quick money, Taylor said. The investigation also revealed one of the girls is 14 years old.

Trotter allegedly would pick up an underage girl and drop her off at a location for sex with a client.

The investigation is ongoing. Other arrests are expected, including Trotter’s “customers,” police said. Police are trying to identify other teenage girls who may have been caught up in the operation.

Trotter was booked into custody at the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center without bail.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/20/2009 02:55:00 PM

Woman Allegedly Watched While Daughter Raped

(Wooster, Ohio) A 32-year-old woman from Louisiana, Melanie Marie Hearn, was arrested on a fugitive warrant for allegedly allowing her six-year-old daughter to be raped.

She faces a charge of aggravated rape.

Louisiana authorities alleged that she witnessed the rape of her six year old daughter but failed to do anything about it.

Police say she is also wanted on probation violation for prior cocaine convictions.

Hearn was booked into custody at the Wayne County Jail and now awaits extradition to Louisiana.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/20/2009 01:13:00 PM

To Protect and Serve

(Walhalla, South Carolina) An employee of the Oconee County Sheriff's Department, Kathleen Taylor, 43, has been accused of embezzling from the sheriff's office. In the last two and one-half years, Taylor has allegedly walked out of the office with approximately $500,000.

Jeez, with all the cops around, you'd think someone would have noticed.

Tip: SuidaeEmpathy
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       Following Entry Posted 11/20/2009 08:46:00 AM

Cat Dies From Swine Flu

(Lebanon, Oregon) A local cat died of swine flu. It was the first in the nation.

On Nov. 4, a 10-year-old male cat was brought to the Animal Clinic in Lebanon with rapid, shallow breathing. The cat's temperature was 101.7 degrees, but it was not coughing or sneezing. X-ray results were consistent with pneumonia.

The next day, the cat's symptoms got worse. It died on Nov. 7, the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association announced today.

The Oregon State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory found that the cat carried the H1N1 virus.

While this is the third confirmed case of a cat with H1N1, it is the first feline fatality nationwide. The other two cats with swine flu -- one in Iowa, one in Utah -- recovered.

The cat is believed to have acquired the H1N1 virus from a human and not any of the other three cats living in the same house.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/20/2009 08:42:00 AM

Terms "Mental Retardation" and "Mentally Disabled" now wrong


We read:

"U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski today introduced Rosa’s Law, a bill that will eliminate the terms “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” from the federal law books. U.S. Senator Michael B. Enzi (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, is the Republican sponsor of the bill.

Under Rosa’s Law, those terms would be replaced with “intellectual disability” and “individual with an intellectual disability” in federal education, health and labor law. The bill does not expand or diminish services, rights or educational opportunities. It simply makes the federal law language consistent with that used by the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and the President of the United States, through his Committee on Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.

Rosa’s Law replicates a law recently adopted in Maryland. Senator Mikulski first heard about the state law from Rosa’s mother during a roundtable discussion about special education held in Edgewater, Maryland. Due to requirements in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), each student who receives special education services at public schools has an individualized education program (IEP) that describes the student’s disability and the special education and services that child will receive. Rosa has an intellectual disability – Downs Syndrome – and so was designated as a student with “mental retardation” in her IEP, giving way to people at the school referring to Rosa as retarded. Senator Mikulski promised Rosa’s mother that if the bill became law in Maryland, she would take it to the floor of the United States Senate.

Source

Leftists have a long history of belief in verbal magic. They believe that by changing the name for a thing you somehow alter the underlying reality and people's attitude towards it.

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).
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       Following Entry Posted 11/19/2009 11:48:00 PM

Aussie Teacher Gets Prison in Sex Case - Updated

(Ballarat, Australia) Former music teacher at Ballarat High School, Michelle Lynn Dennis, 33, admitted to engaging in sex with two boys, aged 14 and 17.

The County Court at Ballarat heard Dennis sent more than 1300 text messages to the students over a two-year period.

She also sent one of the boys naked pictures of herself and invited one of his friend's to have a threesome with them, which the friend rejected.

Dennis pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual penetration of a child under supervision and one count of sexual penetration of a child under 16.

She was convicted and sentenced to four years and three months' jail, with a minimum of two years and 10 months to serve.

She was also ordered to be placed on the sex offenders' register for life.

Dennis reportedly cried during the proceeding.

* * * * *
Aussie Teacher Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Charges - Updated
[Previous 8/11/09 post]
(Ballarat, Australia) Yesterday, 33-year-old former teacher Michelle Lynn Dennis appeared in Ballarat Magistrates Court and pleaded not guilty to 26 counts of sexual assault stemming from allegations of sex acts with two male students outside school grounds.

Dennis sat with her mother and two supporters during the one-day hearing before Magistrate Peter Couzens.

Dennis was committed to stand trial on 12 counts of sexual penetration of a child, nine counts of an indecent act with a child under care/supervision and five counts of indecent acts with a child.

Dennis has a hearing scheduled for September 8 in Melbourne County Court.

* * * * *
Aussie Teacher Faces Multiple Sex Charges
[Previous 11/3/08 post]
(Ballarat, Australia) A 32-year-old teacher at Ballarat High School, Michelle Dennis, was charged this past week with engaging in sex with male teen students. This is the second group of charges leveled against Dennis.

She has already been charged with three counts of sexual penetration of a student, aged 17 or under.

These charges, which were laid in late October, are believed to have involved a current student.

It is alleged all seven charges relate to sexual encounters with the two males outside the school grounds last year.

Dennis has been suspended from her teaching position. A court appearance is scheduled for January 22.

(h/t JR)
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       Following Entry Posted 11/19/2009 04:08:00 PM

California Softball Coach Accused of Sex Crimes

(Monterey, California) In 2007, 33-year-old youth softball coach Eraelia Glisson was arrested for allegedly hosting a party in which 14- and 15-year-old girls were allowed to drink alcohol.

Glisson was charged with child endangerment, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and hosting a party that provided alcohol to minors.

In October 2007, Glisson pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years of probation.

Last Saturday, Eraelia Glisson, now 35, was arrested again -- this time on charges stemming from alleged sex with a 16-year-old between October 14 and November 11 this year. On Tuesday, she pleaded not guilty.

Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Hulsey said Glisson faces violations of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, oral copulation with a minor, and charges related to child pornography.

Glisson has been booked into custody at the Monterey County Jail with bail set at $200,000.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/19/2009 08:33:00 AM

Federal Agents Raid Gibson Guitar Factory

(Nashville, Tennessee) Thanks to Greenpeace and other environmental groups, the feds are going after the evil-doers making guitars. Gibson has been raided.

An international crackdown on the use of endangered woods from the world's rain forests to make musical instruments bubbled over to Music City on Tuesday with a federal raid on Gibson Guitar 's manufacturing plant, but no arrests.

Agents of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service made a midday appearance and served a search warrant on company officials at Gibson's Massman Drive manufacturing plant, where it makes acoustic and electric guitars.

Gibson issued a statement saying it is "fully cooperating with agents of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as it pertains to an issue with harvested wood." The company said it did nothing wrong.

Federal officials declined to say whether anything was removed from Gibson's plant or what specifically the agents were trying to find. But some exotic hardwoods traditionally used in making premium guitars, such as rosewood from the rain forests of Madagascar and Brazil, have been banned from commercial trade because of environmental concerns under a recently revised federal law.

Interestingly, there's a systemic problem associated with knowing that your wood is good since it slips through many hands before crafting and traceability can be lost. Even environmentalists admit that bad wood is often unknowingly used because "it can be tricky to be certain of the source." It's anybody's guess how many of the world's guitar players are already fingering bad wood.

In any event, I suggest that Greenpeace and other environmental groups are at risk of disturbing the affectionate relations they have with their most prominent and loudest supporters, music industry performers. Even worse, some musicians may even start questioning their blind support of save-the-planet initiatives and begin thinking of consequences. Few follow a bandwagon when the music dies.

Meanwhile, Gibson's CEO and chairman, Henry Juszkiewicz, has walked away from his position with the board of the Rainforest Alliance as a result of the federal raid. Juszkiewicz has held a leadership position with the Rainforest Alliance for 15 years and now apparently senses possible "conflict or distraction." Frankly, I'd be somewhat jacked if I worked for 15 years promoting greenie initiatives and it ended up biting me in the glutes. Heh. No good deed goes unpunished.

In conclusion, the United States government is hassling a guitar-maker in Nashville, Tennessee, to save the rainforests in Madagascar and Brazil. In my opinion, the U.S. government should be doing everything to save the guitar-maker and let the nations of Madagascar and Brazil take care of their rainforests.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/19/2009 07:55:00 AM

Climate Theology: Gore's new book offers eco-salvation to his followers: 'I'm offering you the choice of life or death'

As the scientific basis for Warmism becomes vanishingly small, the religious nature of it comes to the fore

On a page by itself, we find this inside the front cover of Al Gore's latest climate fraud promotion book: "I'm offering you the choice of life or death. You can choose either blessings or curses." --Deuteronomy Chapter 30, Verse 19

Let's imagine that a Republican former vice president (say Dan Quayle or Dick Cheney) authored a similar book telling us that apocalypse was at hand unless we shoveled massive amounts of public money toward companies they've heavily invested in. Let's say the Republican-authored book also prominently featured the Bible verse above, suggesting that Quayle or Cheney was offering the reader the choice between life of death.

In the scenario above, would the mainstream media give Quayle or Cheney with the same respect and free book promotion airtime that Gore has received in recent weeks?

SOURCE

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).
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       Following Entry Posted 11/18/2009 09:14:00 PM

Hawaii Teacher Gets Prison for Drugs

(Hilo, Hawaii) In April 2008, a 51-year-old special-education teacher at Keaukaha Elementary School, Lynn M. Dionise, was arrested for trafficking in methamphetamine after a police raid on her condominium.

Yesterday, U.S. District Senior Judge Susan Oki Mollway sentenced Dionise, now 52, to five years in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.

The FBI says Dionise was among a group of 10 people who brought methamphetamine into Hawaii from California in 2007 and 2008 and distributed the drugs on Oahu and the Big Island.

The government said the group used Dionise's condominium as a meeting place and that Dionise used her credit card to arrange airline flights and car rentals for members of the group.

All but one of her co-defendants in the federal case have pleaded guilty.

Dionise also faces state charges of trafficking and possession of methamphetamine which remain to be adjudicated.

Judge Mollway is allowing Dionise to remain free on bail until February 1, 2010, when she must turn herself in to begin her federal sentence.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/18/2009 07:55:00 PM

Teacher Accused of Assault of Infant

(North Kansas City, Missouri) A 31-year-old kindergarten teacher at Northview Elementary School, Emily Bowers, has been accused of third-degree assault stemming from an incident where a one-year-old infant was injured while in her care.

Bowers was charged before she started working for the school district. A background check performed before she was hired failed to identify the alleged assault.

The school district placed Bowers on paid leave.

Bowers has pleaded not guilty to the assault charge.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/18/2009 05:37:00 PM

North Carolina Woman Gets Prison for Raping Boy - Updated

(Mars Hill, North Carolina) Convicted rapist Amanda Metcalf, 24, appeared before Superior Court Judge Philip Ginn last week and was sentenced to prison for felony statutory rape of a 13-year-old boy.

The sexual activity reportedly occurred around spring break in 2008.

Metcalf must serve at least 94 months and no more than 122 months in the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh. Under state sentencing guidelines, Metcalf had faced a possible 40 years in prison.

After she is released, Metcalf was ordered to register as a sex offender "for 30 years."

* * * * *
North Carolina Woman Accused of Raping Boy
[Previous 4/8/09 post]
(Madison County, North Carolina) A 23-year-old area woman, Amanda Metcalf, has been arrested for the alleged statutory rape of a 13-year-old boy.

According to Madison County Sheriff's Detective Mike Boone, an anonymous tip led to an investigation which resulted in Metcalf being charged with felony statutory rape.

Boone said he was able to identify the minor, and then "spoke to the parent and with the minor himself."

He said the mother was "very upset; had not a clue" what might be going on between the adult woman and her boy.

Boone said the boy, who is not identified, admitted "there was a ... relationship" with Metcalf.

He said Metcalf "confirmed it" when interviewed, Boone said. She was then arrested on the felony charge.

Metcalf was booked into custody in Haywood County with bond set at $25,000.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/18/2009 02:42:00 PM

Imaginary Ohio Jobs

According to this report, Recovery.gov claims that more than $3.4 million dollars of federal stimulus funding was allocated to nine "imaginary" Ohio congressional districts for job creation.

Unfortunately, the districts don't exist.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/18/2009 02:08:00 PM

Eating Seal

(Ottawa, Canada) To show support for commercial seal hunting, the Canadian Parliament will be including seal meat on its restaurant menu. As a consequence, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) are protesting.

Members of Parliament and senators soon will be able to decide for themselves when seal meat comes to their swishy private restaurant on Parliament Hill.

"I think it's going to be an attractive addition to the menu when it's available," said Quebec Liberal MP Marcel Proulx, a spokesman for the Board of Internal Economy, which oversees administration of the parliamentary precinct.

The board, made up of MPs from all parties, was first asked to add seal meat to the restaurant's menu in 2008 by senators wanting to show support for the small commercial seal hunt as Canada stared down a European Union trade ban that was adopted this year.

The only problem was finding a reliable supplier of seal meat. [...]

The Magdalen Islands seal hunt, one of less than half a dozen centres for the annual cull, begins in March, meaning parliamentarians could be feasting on the traditional dish in the early spring of 2010.

I'd suggest seal goes well with a robust burgundy.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/18/2009 01:16:00 PM

Minimum School Grading Mandates

(El Paso, Texas) Last month, the local teachers' union filed a class-action grievance with the El Paso Independent School District (EPISD), contending that the district grading policy violates state law.

The battle is over a district policy that requires teachers, in most cases, to give students a grade that is no lower than a 50 for the first grading period of each semester, even if the student's performance merits a lower grade. [...]

A law passed during the Texas legislative session states that a school district may not require teachers to give a minimum grade for an assignment if the student did not earn that grade.

EPISD Superintendent Lorenzo García has said that state law isn't violated since it only applies to classroom assignments and the district's minimum grade policy applies to end-of-period grades. Therefore, actual grades earned will be given for homework, class assignments and tests and it's only at the end of six-week grading periods that the minimum fudging of marks applies.

In a nutshell, school administrators want district performance numbers to be artificially increased, arguably sidestepping state law, and the teachers are strongly opposed to the policy. District officials said they will meet to discuss revising the grading policy. Currently, it's not exactly clear how the teacher-administrator impasse will be resolved.

Companion post at EdWatch.
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       Following Entry Posted 11/18/2009 08:59:00 AM

Court turns down student over religious speech

What part of "prohibiting the free exercise" of religion (in 1st Amendment) do the judges not understand?

"The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a student who complained that high school officials violated her constitutional rights when they turned off her microphone during her religion-tinged graduation speech.

The justices said Monday they will not revive a lawsuit filed by Brittany McComb of Henderson, Nev. challenging the actions of Clark County school officials. A federal appeals court ruled previously ruled against her.

During McComb's speech at the Foothill High School graduation in 2006, officials turned off McComb's microphone when the school valedictorian strayed from an approved text to provide a graphic account of Jesus' crucifixion and credit God for her success in school.

Source

Posted by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).
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       Following Entry Posted 11/18/2009 06:14:00 AM

"Allah Is Power" Mall Attack

(Pleasanton, California) Last week in Alameda Superior Court in Pleasanton, a 22-year-old recent arrival to the U.S., Abdul Walid Hamid, pleaded not guilty during arraignment on charges of battery, grand theft and making terroristic threats stemming from an incident at the Stoneridge Shopping Center in Hayward.

Hamid allegedly ripped a crucifix off a fellow shopper's neck while yelling "Allah is power" and "Islam is great" and brandishing a pen in a fist over his head. According to witnesses, Hamid shouted anti-Christian statements. Hamid reportedly had to be restrained and forcefully arrested by Pleasanton Police.

Hamid's family members claimed that the incident was a misunderstanding and an accident, explaining that he had only been in the U.S. a short time and he was still learning the language.

Inexplicably, the mainstream media have avoided the story as if it were radioactive and the local police department seems bent on downplaying the hate-crime and violent nature of the incident. Pleasanton Police Lt. Mike Elerick, for example, excused Hamid's belligerence by saying it was similar to the behavior of loud Christian activists. Honestly, I'm more than skeptical. Never have I heard of an instance when a Christian attacked a Muslim while shouting "Jesus Christ hu akbar."

Nevertheless, since Hamid recently arrived in the U.S., it would be nice to know from where he came. After all, his behavior could at least partially be explained if he had come from a jihadi training compound in Pakistan or Somalia or Yemen. Right now, Hamid is free on $27,000 bail.

Regarding the nuts and bolts of the legal issues involved, Eugene Volokh weighs in here.

Tip: Charley Nestor
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