WTF Humanity?

[Nat]

Sometimes you read or see or hear about things that just make you think WTF??

Here's a thread to post these things.

[Nat]

disabled woman was arrested for sitting (http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2011/09/16/Lawyer-Woman-was-arrested-for-sitting/UPI-44891316198822/)

http://fastcache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/7/2011/09/untitled_17.jpg


ATLANTA, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- A physically disabled Atlanta woman, who said she was thrown to the ground and arrested for refusing to get out of her chair, is seeking compensation.

Dan Grossman, an attorney for Shequita Walker, 40, said she was sitting April 21 on a metal chair in the vacant lot next to her home, where she often sits on hot afternoons, when police officer Kenneth Thomas approached and asked her to move, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday.

Grossman said Walker, who suffers from severe joint pain and has a limited range of motion, told the officer she was within her rights to sit outside and Thomas then twisted her arm, causing her to fall to the concrete.

Walker was treated for a shoulder injury sustained when she hit the ground before spending the night in jail on a disorderly conduct charge, which was later dropped.

The Atlanta Citizen Review Board examined a complaint from Walker and determined the officer should be disciplined.

Grossman said he is hoping to obtain compensation for Walker without having to file a lawsuit against the city.

"It's not like they did this to a healthy woman," Grossman said. "She has very limited range of motion. She suffered and she deserves some compensation."

------------

the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/woman-i-was-arrested-1181947.html):

Thomas...grabbed Walker's wrist and twisted her arm, causing her to fall to the concrete, unable to get up on her own, Walker said...An ambulance was called to transport Walker to Grady Memorial Hospital, where she received treatment for a shoulder injury sustained when she hit the ground, Grossman said.

[Cin]

http://timenewsfeed.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/teresa-culpepper.jpg?w=455Atlanta woman arrested by mistake, jailed 53 days

Atlanta police are launching an internal investigation into the case of a woman who was arrested by mistake and held in jail for nearly two months, Channel 2 Action News reports.

Police are seeking to determine what happened and if any policies or procedures were violated in the arrest of Teresa Culpepper, who spent 53 days wrongfully incarcerated in Fulton County Jail because she had the same name, Teresa, as a woman wanted by authorities.

“I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to get out this situation,” Culpepper told Channel 2.

The woman’s nightmare began Aug. 21, when she called police to report her truck had been taken from in front of her Hawkins Street home. She ended up being arrested for an aggravated assault allegedly committed by another woman named Teresa.

“Her birth date didn't match. Her address didn't match. Her description didn't match. Other than the name Teresa, nothing matched,” said Culpepper’s attorney, Ashleigh Merchant.

Channel 2 tracked down the Teresa actually wanted by police, and the woman told the TV station she had never been arrested for the alleged offense.

Culpepper finally was released Oct. 12 after her public defender got the crime victim to come to court and say the woman in custody was not the attacker.

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/atlanta-woman-arrested-by-1205009.html

[Dominique]

No kidding! As I scrolled down through these two stories, I thought....was this Georgia? WHAT DO YOU THINK? :blink:

[purepisces]

When I woke up this morning I was relieved to hear that Joe Paterno had been fired and the president of Penn State had resigned (why not fired?). I also would have been ok if they had just been suspended without pay while the investigation was completed, although it doesn’t seem that anyone is contesting the fact that there was a cover up.

What I can’t believe is the public’s reaction. WTF people! Rioting in the streets to support the cover up of a child’s rape? I can’t imagine what that young man must be feeling as he witnesses this. Ignoring a pedophile and rapist to protect a football team’s image? How screwed up are we when football is more important than the safety of our children?

***


Penn State Students Take To The Streets, Chant Support For Paterno
First Posted: 11/10/11 12:34 AM ET Updated: 11/10/11 10:07 AM ET

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Hundreds of Penn State students have taken to the streets to chant their support for ousted football coach Joe Paterno.

The students flooded downtown State College on Wednesday night after Paterno and university President Graham Spanier were fired amid a growing furor linked to their handling of sex abuse allegations against a former assistant football coach.

The students gathered about two blocks from the campus, with some chanting `We want Joe! We want Joe!" Some shook a lamp post and others tipped over a news van, kicking out its windows.


A smaller crowd gathered outside Paterno's home. He had earlier in the day announced his intention to retire at the end of the season. After his firing, he told student he would have to get used to not being the coach.

[Dominique]

[QUOTE=purepisces;460353]When I woke up this morning I was relieved to hear that Joe Paterno had been fired and the president of Penn State had resigned (why not fired?). I also would have been ok if they had just been suspended without pay while the investigation was completed, although it doesn’t seem that anyone is contesting the fact that there was a cover up.

What I can’t believe is the public’s reaction. WTF people! Rioting in the streets to support the cover up of a child’s rape? I can’t imagine what that young man must be feeling as he witnesses this. Ignoring a pedophile and rapist to protect a football team’s image? How screwed up are we when football is more important than the safety of our children?

***

As usual, only half of the story was being reported. The rioting was because Joe was fired, when the Attorney General said Although his actions were not criminal, because he reported it to his supervisors, he had a MORAL obligation to do more. The students were also protesting at the Presidents house and office, demanding he resign.

There were LIKE (just over looked) demonstrations by students about the cover up. And yes, how screwed up are we, as you said, when a football
program is more important than the safety of our children.

Penn State was the teaching institution that employed Rene' Portland...remember her? A very successful womens basketball coach who was overtly homophobic. The University let that go on too until they had the pants sued off of them and Rene was forced to resign.

The Penn State story is far from over. (very sad)

[Apocalipstic]

The media leaves out so many important details.

[Rook]

I agree with purepisces 100 %
Outrage and near rioting at him (and the Prez) being fired?????
Where's the Outrage towards his blasé knowledge in regard to child abuse??
Where's the concern over the fact they wanted to protect their precious reputation and coaches over the Victims, so they shut the fuck up, swept it under the rug??
A Football game is more important than this?....
'Success with Honor'....pffft
Their laments and "regrets" are only expressed because they know they did wrong, and got caught.
They're just as guilty.
Accomplices.
If the students are basing their sentiment on the "innocent till proven otherwise"..There's Witnesses within the Staff itself, in Lurid, disturbing detail, I was numb for awhile with the details.....
Hell, the Sick bastard apologized for bathing with a kid, and all they did was wag their proverbial finger and say "no more showers!"....
I thought the town I live in had conceited students, sheeesh.



When I woke up this morning I was relieved to hear that Joe Paterno had been fired and the president of Penn State had resigned (why not fired?). I also would have been ok if they had just been suspended without pay while the investigation was completed, although it doesn’t seem that anyone is contesting the fact that there was a cover up.

What I can’t believe is the public’s reaction. WTF people! Rioting in the streets to support the cover up of a child’s rape? I can’t imagine what that young man must be feeling as he witnesses this. Ignoring a pedophile and rapist to protect a football team’s image? How screwed up are we when football is more important than the safety of our children?

***


Penn State Students Take To The Streets, Chant Support For Paterno
First Posted: 11/10/11 12:34 AM ET Updated: 11/10/11 10:07 AM ET

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- Hundreds of Penn State students have taken to the streets to chant their support for ousted football coach Joe Paterno.

The students flooded downtown State College on Wednesday night after Paterno and university President Graham Spanier were fired amid a growing furor linked to their handling of sex abuse allegations against a former assistant football coach.

The students gathered about two blocks from the campus, with some chanting `We want Joe! We want Joe!" Some shook a lamp post and others tipped over a news van, kicking out its windows.


A smaller crowd gathered outside Paterno's home. He had earlier in the day announced his intention to retire at the end of the season. After his firing, he told student he would have to get used to not being the coach.

[purepisces]

As usual, only half of the story was being reported. The rioting was because Joe was fired, when the Attorney General said Although his actions were not criminal, because he reported it to his supervisors, he had a MORAL obligation to do more. The students were also protesting at the Presidents house and office, demanding he resign.
The Penn State story is far from over. (very sad)[/QUOTE]

__________________________________________________ ___________

Yes, exactly, they were rioting because Joe was fired. Joe Paterno & Penn State = rape cover up (I believe that Joe is admiting he did nothing but tell the Athletic Director). Therefore, in my eyes, rioting because Joe was fired = support of the cover up.

*To clarify, I don’t think any of the demonstrators were actively supporting rape or its cover up, just poorly placed loyalty.*

[Medusa]

You can insert any number of articles that deal with telling me as a woman what I am "allowed" to do with my body and I pretty much start to twitch.

The idea that I don't own my own body, that another human being has any input on what I do with my vagina, is appalling on every level to me.

The other idea that someone wants to regulate my body based on what they think a God that I don't even believe in says is...well, needless to say I get enraged about this.

[Dominique]

As usual, only half of the story was being reported. The rioting was because Joe was fired, when the Attorney General said Although his actions were not criminal, because he reported it to his supervisors, he had a MORAL obligation to do more. The students were also protesting at the Presidents house and office, demanding he resign.
The Penn State story is far from over. (very sad)

__________________________________________________ ___________

Yes, exactly, they were rioting because Joe was fired. Joe Paterno & Penn State = rape cover up (I believe that Joe is admiting he did nothing but tell the Athletic Director). Therefore, in my eyes, rioting because Joe was fired = support of the cover up.

*To clarify, I don’t think any of the demonstrators were actively supporting rape or its cover up, just poorly placed loyalty.*[/QUOTE]

Please don't misconstrue what I posted as argumentitive. I FULLY AGREE WITH YOU!!! I'm totally blown away it's been buried for as long as 15 years. The 60 min. news this morning had excellent coverage, 45 min. of Penn state. Students, male and female crying. (about the rape cover up)

[SoNotHer]

It is far from over. Now that the facade is down, the unraveling begins.

When lights, cameras, and big contracts became part of college football, folks started to get thrown under the crushing wheel - folks like Lizzy Seeburg, a 19 year old freshman who took her own life last year after she filed charges against a Notre Dame football player for a sexual attack.

In the 15 days Seeberg was alive after the attack, she stated that she feared that others would dislike her for accusing a Notre Dame athlete of a sex crime and that she would wear something 'like a scarlet letter' throughout her college career.

And with good reason. One of the football players texted her the morning after, "Don’t do anything you would regret,” and "Messing with notre dame football is a bad idea.” Prosecutors would later dismiss any idea that the text was a threat that rose to the level of criminality and they waited until after Lizzy's death to interview the accused. They spent six days 'looking for the player,' even after the player had taken the field twice in that time in front of thousands of people.

After being mishandled by the police, the university and a school counselor, Seeburg became despondent and self conscious and took her own life. And it was a promising one.

No charges will be brought now against the player, at least in part because Lizzy isn't alive to offer testimony. A sad irony and a sad statement about the victims an causalities of the crushing machine.

Go team.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1332676/Teen-student-commits-suicide-alleged-rape-Notre-Dame-football-player.html
http://abcnews.go.com/US/family-lizzy-seeberg-college-freshman-accused-notre-dame/story?id=12448195#.TrwWdfJjO2s
http://www.care2.com/causes/notre-dame-freshman-commits-suicide-after-being-raped.html
http://www.newser.com/story/107789/prosecutors-wont-try-notre-dame-rape-case.html


[QUOTE=purepisces;460353]When I woke up this morning I was relieved to hear that Joe Paterno had been fired and the president of Penn State had resigned (why not fired?). I also would have been ok if they had just been suspended without pay while the investigation was completed, although it doesn’t seem that anyone is contesting the fact that there was a cover up.

What I can’t believe is the public’s reaction. WTF people! Rioting in the streets to support the cover up of a child’s rape? I can’t imagine what that young man must be feeling as he witnesses this. Ignoring a pedophile and rapist to protect a football team’s image? How screwed up are we when football is more important than the safety of our children?

***

As usual, only half of the story was being reported. The rioting was because Joe was fired, when the Attorney General said Although his actions were not criminal, because he reported it to his supervisors, he had a MORAL obligation to do more. The students were also protesting at the Presidents house and office, demanding he resign.

There were LIKE (just over looked) demonstrations by students about the cover up. And yes, how screwed up are we, as you said, when a football
program is more important than the safety of our children.

Penn State was the teaching institution that employed Rene' Portland...remember her? A very successful womens basketball coach who was overtly homophobic. The University let that go on too until they had the pants sued off of them and Rene was forced to resign.

The Penn State story is far from over. (very sad)

[AtLast]

This is just horrible! The whole damn thing! And take a look at this-

Sister of Jerry Sandusky victim talks about the pain of life at Penn State where students are joking about being 'Sanduskied'

All of the school officials are responsible for this abuse continuing! This should have been reported to police immediately- in fact, that is the law, teachers, administrators, etc. are required to report.

The only action taken with Sandusky was that his keys to the showers/locker room were taken away??

Paterno and all are culpable. I hope that they all face criminal charges as well as have their asses sued by the victims and their families.

What is wrong with people? I guess it's that Paterno is God...

[Dominique]

This is just horrible! The whole damn thing! And take a look at this-

Sister of Jerry Sandusky victim talks about the pain of life at Penn State where students are joking about being 'Sanduskied'

All of the school officials are responsible for this abuse continuing! This should have been reported to police immediately- in fact, that is the law, teachers, administrators, etc. are required to report.

The only action taken with Sandusky was that his keys to the showers/locker room were taken away??

Paterno and all are culpable. I hope that they all face criminal charges as well as have their asses sued by the victims and their families.

What is wrong with people? I guess it's that Paterno is God...


The *talk* around town, after a private meeting tomorrow with the Gov. and the Attorney General and what's left at Penn State, Tom Ridge will be brought in to take over. I hope so!

Also, the voice of Penn State yesterday was John Surma, President and C.E.O of U.S. Steel. He was quoted in the Pgh paper this morning saying *Since Penn State refused to inform the public and made themselves unavailable to any form of media, I was available.* He was acting on behalf of the Board.

[Dominique]

Can I just say....They fired Paterno over the phone....

Ironic isn't it. All he had to do was pick up a phone and tell *someone*

[AtLast]

Can I just say....They fired Paterno over the phone....

Ironic isn't it. All he had to do was pick up a phone and tell *someone*

Whoa, this is ironic! Also, when he told his superior- that idiot should have picked up the damn phone!

I hope Paterno has good legal representation- his "retirement" is about to get very expensive.

[Dominique]

I can give you a rumor and I can give you something I think might happen," Madden said on the radio (http://www.nesn.com/2011/11/jerry-sandusky-rumored-to-have-been-pimping-out-young-boys-to-rich-donors-says-mark-madden.html). "I hear there's a rumor that there will be a more shocking development from the Second Mile Foundation -- and hold on to your stomachs, boys, this is gross, I will use the only language I can -- that Jerry Sandusky and Second Mile were pimping out young boys to rich donors. That was being investigated by two prominent columnists even as I speak."

[SoNotHer]

Wow, YB. That's so out there yet not so implausible as to not be believed. Whatever happens, let this be some kind of wake up call.

Over 25 years ago, I watched University of Maryland players throw a variety of objects through dorm windows, take variations of basket weaving courses and conduct themselves in all manner of ways with impunity. And all I knew or was ever told was to avoid them and to say nothing.

At some point, schools have to go back to being schools, and if we want to cultivate junior athletes, we do that through a farm system as we do in baseball.

I do know there's more to come with this, and it won't be pretty.




I can give you a rumor and I can give you something I think might happen," Madden said on the radio (http://www.nesn.com/2011/11/jerry-sandusky-rumored-to-have-been-pimping-out-young-boys-to-rich-donors-says-mark-madden.html). "I hear there's a rumor that there will be a more shocking development from the Second Mile Foundation -- and hold on to your stomachs, boys, this is gross, I will use the only language I can -- that Jerry Sandusky and Second Mile were pimping out young boys to rich donors. That was being investigated by two prominent columnists even as I speak."

[Dominique]

Wow, YB. That's so out there yet not so implausible as to not be believed. Whatever happens, let this be some kind of wake up call.
.

His {Sandusky} Daughter in law, asked a Judge last night to forbid Sandusky from being near his grand children. The Judge approved that. I knew then, this is Big and very Bad. Very SICK and Sad.

A perfect example of the good old boys club!

[Rook]

Yeah, this is news in Ohio....
I can understand their Rights within their Religion as Pacifists and keeping it amongst themselves, but within their own community, shouldn't they remind in *this* case a Commandment regarding Parents???
The Accused who started all this snapped at a reporter once, asking if cutting beards was a crime.....
Technically, in these related case....Yup....
Let's see, Assault, Trespassing, Breaking & Entering, Hate Crime laws.
If nothing else then at least Hate Crime...Must be good for somethin' in Ohio, after all in Ohio it doesn't cover LGBTQQA.....
Might as well help some other way since they won't "Shun"
New beard-cutting attack on Amish man in Ohio (http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/11/us-amish-beard-idUSTRE7AA5NC20111111?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews)

[Julien]

Here's what I found this morning on MSNBC. Just read the first paragraph and it will make you angry.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45267885/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/

[Bard]

In many cases the Campus Police hands are tied by the upper administration and the fact that the "athletics" bring money into the university. I don't like it it pisses me off I have SEEN when a player was reported to have sexually assaulted a young lady and the campus police did due diligence and arrested the suspected player. Only to have the head coach come down on us for doing so and for interviewing HIS player...

[Dominique]

Of corse Bard, the football program, ahead of the safety of the student.

Just curious, Are you protected under the whistle blower act?

I realize that in itself is a double edged sword.:blink:

[Bard]

Of corse Bard, the football program, ahead of the safety of the student.

Just curious, Are you protected under the whistle blower act?

I realize that in itself is a double edged sword.:blink:

not sure as a supervisor it is murky. But as a sworn law enforcement officer I have a duty and obligation to report. The Cleary Act is very specific and for good reason people are entrusting us with their most precious child. I look at it like this I have a daughter what if that victim was my child?

and it was not a football player it was Basketball. the head coach of football we have has stones and morals. He understands we have a job to do.

A cover up had to come in the other case at Penn from high up administration and the head of campus police with possible pressure from the head coach

[Dominique]

Thanks for coming back and answering Bard. Penn State has a history of covering up. Just a little snip of what I was talking about before.


Training Rules chronicles a lawsuit filed in 2006 by student athlete Jennifer Harris against Penn State University and women’s basketball head coach Rene Portland. During her 27 years of coaching, Portland enforced three strict rules: no drinking, no drugs and no lesbians. The documentary examines how a wealthy athletic department, enabled by the silence of a complacent university, allowed talented athletes, thought to be gay, to be dismissed from their college team.

Joe Paterno defended Portland to the end!

Joe Paterno describes the current *tragedy* at Penn State as “…one of the great sorrows of my life.”
He should add to that list the devastating harm he did in protecting women’s basketball coach Rene Portland while she blatantly discriminated against the women on her team who she presumed were lesbian. She was public about her practices until 1992 when Penn State included sexual orientation in their non-descrimination policy.
Apparently that didn’t stop Portland. In 2005 Jennifer Harris, a star player for the Lady Lions, was dismissed from the team. She charged Rene Portland, Tim Curley and Penn State with discrimination based on her perceived sexual orientation. Penn State tried to wiggle out of it saying that their non-discrimination policy was not a legal document. The case was settled in 2007. The film Training Rules (http://www.trainingrules.com/) depicts the 27 years that Portland was able to wreak havoc on the lives of so many of her players while Paterno and the university did absolutely nothing to stop her.

[LeftWriteFemme]

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2011/11/baylor_gay_class_drug.php

Baylor's "Homosexuality as Gateway Drug" Class


​One thing about Baylor: It stands by its convictions, no matter how wacky.
Take, for instance, the class they offer called "Homosexuality as Gateway Drug." Some might find that hilariously offensive, or offensively hilarious, but Baylor knows it is a serious look at how homosexuality can lead to....heroin? Bestiality? We guess you'd have to take the class to find out.

Baylor, of course, had no problem with the course. And so when popular Web sites Buzzfeed and Reddit took note of the class, Baylor stood its ground. For about 24 hours.

Then it took the bold, decisive and principled move of renaming the class "Family Studies."

Meaning the family is a gateway drug?

We guess you'll have to take the class to find out.

[Julien]

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2011/11/baylor_gay_class_drug.php

Baylor's "Homosexuality as Gateway Drug" Class


​One thing about Baylor: It stands by its convictions, no matter how wacky.
Take, for instance, the class they offer called "Homosexuality as Gateway Drug." Some might find that hilariously offensive, or offensively hilarious, but Baylor knows it is a serious look at how homosexuality can lead to....heroin? Bestiality? We guess you'd have to take the class to find out.

Baylor, of course, had no problem with the course. And so when popular Web sites Buzzfeed and Reddit took note of the class, Baylor stood its ground. For about 24 hours.

Then it took the bold, decisive and principled move of renaming the class "Family Studies."

Meaning the family is a gateway drug?

We guess you'll have to take the class to find out.

I am curious to see what the course has to offer and what readings are involved.

[SoNotHer]

Actually, it makes me sick to my stomach.

"Penn State scandal shows how sex crimes on campus are covered up. 'There are a lot of very invidious ways that a school can go about squelching these reports. This is everyone's problem,' lawyer says

After the body of an Eastern Michigan University freshman was found in her dorm room in December 2006, naked from the waist down with a pillow over her head, the chief of the university police said there was “no reason to suspect foul play,” and let her parents believe she had died of natural causes.

That silence held for more than two months. In that time, the student who was eventually convicted in her murder had free run of a campus where he was previously caught climbing into a window of a university building...."

Here's what I found this morning on MSNBC. Just read the first paragraph and it will make you angry.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45267885/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/

[SoNotHer]

I am grateful to see this -

Thousands at Penn State honor alleged sex abuse victims

http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/111111-pennstatevigil-hmed-711p.grid-8x2.jpg

People gather in front of the Old Main building for a candlelight vigil on the Penn State campus Friday in State College, Pa. The vigil is being held in support of the alleged victims of a child sex abuse scandal involving a former assistant football coach.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45260778/ns/us_news-life/t/thousands-penn-state-honor-alleged-sex-abuse-victims/#.TsM8ZPJjO2s

[Novelafemme]

I am grateful to see this -

Thousands at Penn State honor alleged sex abuse victims

http://msnbcmedia1.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/111111-pennstatevigil-hmed-711p.grid-8x2.jpg

People gather in front of the Old Main building for a candlelight vigil on the Penn State campus Friday in State College, Pa. The vigil is being held in support of the alleged victims of a child sex abuse scandal involving a former assistant football coach.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45260778/ns/us_news-life/t/thousands-penn-state-honor-alleged-sex-abuse-victims/#.TsM8ZPJjO2s

Thank you for sharing this SNH! My heart aches for everyone hurt by that monster.

[SoNotHer]

Me too, Catalina Rose, and I am grateful to see the focus shift from Paterno and the Lions to the children who have been sexualized and victimized and whose lives will be forever changed.

Thank you for sharing this SNH! My heart aches for everyone hurt by that monster.

[Dominique]

Me too, Catalina Rose, and I am grateful to see the focus shift from Paterno and the Lions to the children who have been sexualized and victimized and whose lives will be forever changed.

The vigil was immediate! (I posted that) however the media chose to ignore that and gave fuel to the students who were outside Paterno's house and then eventually rioting in the streets. Thats how sick our society is.

More SICK news to report. Paterno is going to collect half a million in retirement. Wait! How does that work....he was fired.....:readfineprint: I'm not understand the boys club rules.

[AtLast]

Actually, it makes me sick to my stomach.

"Penn State scandal shows how sex crimes on campus are covered up. 'There are a lot of very invidious ways that a school can go about squelching these reports. This is everyone's problem,' lawyer says

After the body of an Eastern Michigan University freshman was found in her dorm room in December 2006, naked from the waist down with a pillow over her head, the chief of the university police said there was “no reason to suspect foul play,” and let her parents believe she had died of natural causes.

That silence held for more than two months. In that time, the student who was eventually convicted in her murder had free run of a campus where he was previously caught climbing into a window of a university building...."

There are cover-ups all over our college and university scandals including a hell of a lot concerning rape of female students. My hope is that this blows apart a hell of a lot of administrations across the US including what is going on outside of athletics.

I think the Penn State students at large are doing a good job in getting sentiments out about what has happened to the victims and their families. And Penn has always been up there in terms of several academic programs it has. I also don't negatively judge the students in athletics around this.

[SoNotHer]

Wouldn't it though. I would love for the culture that breeds this to change.

There are cover-ups all over our college and university scandals including a hell of a lot concerning rape of female students. My hope is that this blows apart a hell of a lot of administrations across the US including what is going on outside of athletics.

I think the Penn State students at large are doing a good job in getting sentiments out about what has happened to the victims and their families. And Penn has always been up there in terms of several academic programs it has. I also don't negatively judge the students in athletics around this.

[SoNotHer]

Yes, the retirement money is one new piece of this, and in another, he may have well had some sense of what was coming down the pick. He transferred home ownwership of his house to his wife for $1 in July:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/sports/ncaafootball/in-july-paterno-transferred-ownership-of-home-to-his-wife-for-1.html

The vigil was immediate! (I posted that) however the media chose to ignore that and gave fuel to the students who were outside Paterno's house and then eventually rioting in the streets. Thats how sick our society is.

More SICK news to report. Paterno is going to collect half a million in retirement. Wait! How does that work....he was fired.....:readfineprint: I'm not understand the boys club rules.

[AtLast]

Yes, the retirement money is one new piece of this, and in another, he may have well had some sense of what was coming down the pick. He transferred home ownwership of his house to his wife for $1 in July:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/sports/ncaafootball/in-july-paterno-transferred-ownership-of-home-to-his-wife-for-1.html

UGH! Well, this investigation has actually been going on for quite a few years. All of these people have been collecting pay checks from a state run educational institution on the tax payer's dime! Also, there is an Asst. DA still "missing" from the earlier cases that never got to court.

By the time this goes through the courts (both criminal and civil), we are going to see a lot uncovered that will be sickening, yet, nothing new. And that bugs the hell out of me.

[Corkey]

UGH! Well, this investigation has actually been going on for quite a few years. All of these people have been collecting pay checks from a state run educational institution on the tax payer's dime! Also, there is an Asst. DA still "missing" from the earlier cases that never got to court.

By the time this goes through the courts (both criminal and civil), we are going to see a lot uncovered that will be sickening, yet, nothing new. And that bugs the hell out of me.

The DA who first was involved is now our Governor. He's a piece of tea party crap.

[SoNotHer]

Oh, Jeez, Corkey. Lucky you...

This story has become a freefall. I'm actually grateful it won't go away, especially if it brings so much to light.

The DA who first was involved is now our Governor. He's a piece of tea party crap.

[AtLast]

Oh, Jeez, Corkey. Lucky you...

This story has become a freefall. I'm actually grateful it won't go away, especially if it brings so much to light.

Yup! And I think this is going to blow the lid off of much more than child sex abuse as it unfolds. And it should because it is not only child sexual abuse predators that do the actual abuse- this issue is very much tied to power dynamics and politics- mainly patriarchal power politics. The Catholic Church is the prime example of this. And one would have to be stuck on stupid to not connect the dots with other patriarchal based institutions all around us that self-protect.

[LeftWriteFemme]

Is tap water causing gayness?


The mayor of a small town in Peru is concerned that mineral levels in the water could lead to an increase in homosexuality, LGBT Asylum News reports.

José Benítez, the mayor of Huarmey, a coastal town in the Ancash Region of Peru, made the comment at the launch of a local project designed to increase access to water.

The town of Huarmey is famed for its abundant shrimp and long beaches, but the mayor has become concerned it may gain a different sort of reputation due to high levels of strontium in the tap water.

The metal, he claimed, reduces male hormones and could cause an increase in homosexuality among the population.

The water comes from Tabalosos, a town which a Lima-based television station famously said in 2000 was inhabited by 14,000 exclusively-gay men.

The Tabalosina mayor, Jorge Luis Vasquez, said: “Young people have low self-esteem by this stigma”.

Dr. Robert Castro Rodriguez, the dean of the College of Pharmaceutical Chemistry of Lima, told a radio station that strontium can cause bone cancer, anaemia and cardiovascular problems. A link with homosexuality has yet to be identified.

[Dutch Leonard]

This was a movie:

It's In The Water

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116661/

[AtLast]

Tue Nov 22, 2011 at 07:32 AM PST.

Penn State victim bullied out of school

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/22/1039016/-Penn-State-victim-bullied-out-of-school

I posted this in the breaking news thread also- WTF, is right!

[Sachita]

In many cases the Campus Police hands are tied by the upper administration and the fact that the "athletics" bring money into the university. I don't like it it pisses me off I have SEEN when a player was reported to have sexually assaulted a young lady and the campus police did due diligence and arrested the suspected player. Only to have the head coach come down on us for doing so and for interviewing HIS player...

Even more reason why standards have to be met. In any cover-up, that is prove, there should be automatic stiff penalties- jobs loss and heavy fines.

[Sachita]

with everything going on I am sadden by the commercialism with Christmas. I actually turned the TV off watching Black Friday incidents. I have been following a garage sale on Facebook to buy Mia toys, clothes and items for myself. I think it's great to do this because you help someone else and save money. Anyhow, I meet a girl to pick up a 5.00 block set for Mia. We chatted for a few moments, a young girl, maybe 26, and she was almost shaking. I asked her if she was ok and she literally broke down and started crying. I held her for a while until she stopped.

She was crying because she didn't have enough money to buy her kids toys for xmas. She started naming off toys that were easily 100.00 or more. She was upset because she thought she as a bad mother because of this and that she didn't want her kids feeling left out while other kids got expensive gifts.

WTF? Now this is just bullshit. It's gone too far and I wonder why we have slid so far away from core values. Who is to blame for this? parents? media? marketing?

I sat with her a while and talked about the gifts she could give her children is to teach them NOT to feed into this. To take them to some shelters, volunteer and help them to feel gratitude and pride. To give them the gift of love... all of your attention and joy. To be happy and grateful for the moments that go by so quickly.

Another day, not long ago I'm sitting in Sweet Frogs, a frozen yogurt place. There was a young mother with two small kids. As they sat there the whole time she was glued to her smart phone texting. If one of the kids moved or said anything she screamed at them. I admit that I had to fight hard to mind my own business.

here's one last WTF- our food safety is greatly at risk. There is research, facts and you don't need to know rocket science to see what is going on IF you chose to see it. Why so many americans chose to turn a blind eye is beyond me. Our society is more concerned about instant results rather then the long term. This will cost us all. Wake up!

[SoNotHer]

Buy local, buy fresh, grow your own as much as possible -

Can Soup and BPA

ENN: Environmental News Network -- Know Your Environment
From: Andy Soos, ENN
Published November 23, 2011 08:12 AM
Can Soup and BPA

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an organic compound with two phenol functional groups. It is used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, along with other applications. As it has been known to be estrogenic since the mid 1930s, concerns about the use of bisphenol A in consumer products were regularly reported in the news media in 2008, after several governments issued reports questioning its safety, prompting some retailers to remove products containing it from their shelves. A new study from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has found that a group of volunteers who consumed a serving of canned soup each day for five days had a more than 1,000% increase in urinary bisphenol A (BPA) concentrations compared with when the same individuals consumed fresh soup daily for five days. The study is one of the first to quantify BPA levels in humans after ingestion of canned foods.

BPA has been known to be estrogenic since the mid 1930s, concerns about the use of bisphenol A in consumer products were regularly reported in the news media in 2008, after several governments issued reports questioning its safety, prompting some retailers to remove products containing it from their shelves. A 2010 report from the United States Food and Drug Administration raised further concerns regarding exposure of fetuses, infants and young children. In September 2010, Canada became the first country to declare BPA a toxic substance. In the European Union and Canada, BPA use is banned in baby bottles.

World production capacity of this compound was 1 million tons in the 1980s, and more than 2.2 million tons in 2009. In 2003, U.S. consumption was 856,000 tons, 72% of which was used to make polycarbonate plastic and 21% going into epoxy resins. In the US, less than 5% of the BPA produced is used in food contact applications.

The findings were published online November 22, 2011, in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and will appear in the November 23/30 print issue.

"Previous studies have linked elevated BPA levels with adverse health effects. The next step was to figure out how people are getting exposed to BPA. We’ve known for a while that drinking beverages that have been stored in certain hard plastics can increase the amount of BPA in your body. This study suggests that canned foods may be an even greater concern, especially given their wide use," said Jenny Carwile, a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology at HSPH and lead author of the study.

Exposure to the endocrine-disrupting chemical BPA, used in the lining of metal food and beverage cans, has been shown to interfere with reproductive development in animals and has been linked with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity in humans. In addition to the lining of food and beverage cans, BPA is also found in polycarbonate bottles and dentistry composites and sealants.

The researchers, led by Carwile and Karin Michels, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology, set out to quantify whether canned-soup consumption would increase urinary BPA concentrations relative to eating fresh soup.

They recruited student and staff volunteers from HSPH. One group consumed a 12-ounce serving of vegetarian canned soup each day for five days; another group consumed 12 ounces of vegetarian fresh soup (prepared without canned ingredients) daily for five days. After a two-day washout period, the groups reversed their assignments.

Urine samples of the 75 volunteers taken during the testing showed that consumption of a serving of canned soup daily was associated with a 1,221% increase in BPA compared to levels in urine collected after consumption of fresh soup.

The researchers note that the elevation in urinary BPA concentrations may be temporary and that further research is needed to quantify its duration.

"The magnitude of the rise in urinary BPA we observed after just one serving of soup was unexpected and may be of concern among individuals who regularly consume foods from cans or drink several canned beverages daily. It may be advisable for manufacturers to consider eliminating BPA from can linings," said Michels, senior author of the study.

http://www.enn.com/enn_original_news/article/43609

For further information: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2011-releases/canned-soup-bpa.html

[AtLast]

Buy local, buy fresh, grow your own as much as possible -

Can Soup and BPA

ENN: Environmental News Network -- Know Your Environment
From: Andy Soos, ENN
Published November 23, 2011 08:12 AM
Can Soup and BPA

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an organic compound with two phenol functional groups. It is used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, along with other applications. As it has been known to be estrogenic since the mid 1930s, concerns about the use of bisphenol A in consumer products were regularly reported in the news media in 2008, after several governments issued reports questioning its safety, prompting some retailers to remove products containing it from their shelves. A new study from researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has found that a group of volunteers who consumed a serving of canned soup each day for five days had a more than 1,000% increase in urinary bisphenol A (BPA) concentrations compared with when the same individuals consumed fresh soup daily for five days. The study is one of the first to quantify BPA levels in humans after ingestion of canned foods.

BPA has been known to be estrogenic since the mid 1930s, concerns about the use of bisphenol A in consumer products were regularly reported in the news media in 2008, after several governments issued reports questioning its safety, prompting some retailers to remove products containing it from their shelves. A 2010 report from the United States Food and Drug Administration raised further concerns regarding exposure of fetuses, infants and young children. In September 2010, Canada became the first country to declare BPA a toxic substance. In the European Union and Canada, BPA use is banned in baby bottles.

World production capacity of this compound was 1 million tons in the 1980s, and more than 2.2 million tons in 2009. In 2003, U.S. consumption was 856,000 tons, 72% of which was used to make polycarbonate plastic and 21% going into epoxy resins. In the US, less than 5% of the BPA produced is used in food contact applications.

The findings were published online November 22, 2011, in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and will appear in the November 23/30 print issue.

"Previous studies have linked elevated BPA levels with adverse health effects. The next step was to figure out how people are getting exposed to BPA. We’ve known for a while that drinking beverages that have been stored in certain hard plastics can increase the amount of BPA in your body. This study suggests that canned foods may be an even greater concern, especially given their wide use," said Jenny Carwile, a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology at HSPH and lead author of the study.

Exposure to the endocrine-disrupting chemical BPA, used in the lining of metal food and beverage cans, has been shown to interfere with reproductive development in animals and has been linked with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity in humans. In addition to the lining of food and beverage cans, BPA is also found in polycarbonate bottles and dentistry composites and sealants.

The researchers, led by Carwile and Karin Michels, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology, set out to quantify whether canned-soup consumption would increase urinary BPA concentrations relative to eating fresh soup.

They recruited student and staff volunteers from HSPH. One group consumed a 12-ounce serving of vegetarian canned soup each day for five days; another group consumed 12 ounces of vegetarian fresh soup (prepared without canned ingredients) daily for five days. After a two-day washout period, the groups reversed their assignments.

Urine samples of the 75 volunteers taken during the testing showed that consumption of a serving of canned soup daily was associated with a 1,221% increase in BPA compared to levels in urine collected after consumption of fresh soup.

The researchers note that the elevation in urinary BPA concentrations may be temporary and that further research is needed to quantify its duration.

"The magnitude of the rise in urinary BPA we observed after just one serving of soup was unexpected and may be of concern among individuals who regularly consume foods from cans or drink several canned beverages daily. It may be advisable for manufacturers to consider eliminating BPA from can linings," said Michels, senior author of the study.

http://www.enn.com/enn_original_news/article/43609

For further information: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2011-releases/canned-soup-bpa.html

Thanks for posting this- I saw info on this last week. What came t mind is just how many people eat canned soups. Think about it- mostly people in economic straights because it is fairly cheap and many think the veggies in it are a good thing. Lots of poor people just don't have the kinds of kitchens or a freezer (even a fridge) to make homemade soups and store it. Then there is just the fast food way of life in the US even if people don't buy at chains.

The frozen entress as well as freeze-dried goods are not much better with all the preservatives and sodium in them. Again, they store more easily and people without kitchens so many just have a hot plate, a cooler and maybe a microwave) eat like this all of the time- many working poor stay in cheap hotels as shelter. Plus, look at what ends up in food bank drive bags.

I can't wait for Spring- the small, local farmer's markets will be back at least 2 days a week here. And I grow some veggies myself. But I think about how even these kinds of things are not really available for so many people that have lost so much during this very long recession.

[Hollylane]

Black Friday Death Spurs Outrage
Posted: Nov 28, 2011 9:15 AM PST Updated: Nov 28, 2011 9:15 AM PST

HUFFINGTONPOST.COM - A Black Friday shopper who collapsed while shopping at a Target store in West Virginia went almost unnoticed as customers continued to hunt for bargain deals.

Walter Vance, the 61-year-old pharmacist, who reportedly suffered from a prior heart condition, later died in hospital, reports MSNBC.

Witnesses say some shoppers ignored and even walked over the man's body as they continued to shop, reports the New York Daily News.

Friends and co-workers saddened to learn of his death, expressed outrage over the way he was treated by shoppers.

"Where is the good Samaritan side of people?" Vance's co-worker Sue Compton told WSAZ-TV.

"How could you not notice someone was in trouble? I just don't understand if people didn't help what their reason was, other than greed because of a sale."

Gawker points out there is no legal obligation to come to someone's rescue, only a moral one.

While some news organizations say that no one helped the collapsed man, his wife refuted this report.

Lynne Vance said six nurses shopping in the store came to her husband's rescue and performed CPR until paramedics arrived, notes the Sunday Gazette Mail.

This wasn't the only incident to taint America's biggest shopping day.

While one customer sprayed fellow shoppers with pepper spray so she could snag a video game, another scenario involved an exhausted Target worker accidentally driving her car into a canal after working the Black Friday midnight shift.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some of the comments:

Laura

This is a prime example of today's me, me attitude. Shame on all those people and they know who they are, that saw - yet ignored, that walked over - without a pause, that thought that shopping for a holiday based on the life and teachings of Jesus was so much more important than a man's life at their feet. Shame, shame... this I'm sure will be in the ledgers of their life at their final judgement.

crikey

That's what America's come to ~ a pack of souless zombies out for themselves. And they wonder why we revere the 2nd Amendment....

Jessica

wonder what the shoppers were thinking, "hmm, what an odd place to take a nap..." or "jeez old people are always so slow!" people are naturally self centered, thank goodness for the wierdos like nurses who find service to e natural to them. really?

http://www.khq.com/story/16135793/black-friday-death-spurs-outrage
(http://www.khq.com/story/16135793/black-friday-death-spurs-outrage)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Wow. WTF Humanity??

[DapperButch]

We’ve known for a while that drinking beverages that have been stored in certain hard plastics can increase the amount of BPA in your body.

Such as the bottle in the water cooler at your workplace.

As an aside, I saw an excellent documentary, "Tapped". Excellent film about water...tap water, spring, purified. It also talked about all of the environmental damage due to all the bottles. You can find it on netflix.

I plan to purchase a reverse osmosis system for my sink. I believe this to be the best option. This movie confirmed it.

[SoNotHer]

Which explains why the cooler talk may get crazy, lol. Yes, "Tapped" is a great documentary, and Blue Gold by Maude Barlow is a must read:

http://books.google.com/books?id=8KsONoioTb4C&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&edge=curl

Such as the bottle in the water cooler at your workplace.

As an aside, I saw an excellent documentary, "Tapped". Excellent film about water...tap water, spring, purified. It also talked about all of the environmental damage due to all the bottles. You can find it on netflix.

I plan to purchase a reverse osmosis system for my sink. I believe this to be the best option. This movie confirmed it.

[Cin]

Thanks for posting this- I saw info on this last week. What came t mind is just how many people eat canned soups. Think about it- mostly people in economic straights because it is fairly cheap and many think the veggies in it are a good thing.

Congress voted in October to have anything with two tablespoons of tomato sauce classified as a vegetable. Makes me feel better when I eat within my budget and find among the few things I can afford is BPA filled soup and tap water drunk out of BPA plastic bottles purchased at the dollar store. At least the on sale for $2.50 frozen pizza I can buy for $1.50 with my web saver coupon is a healthy choice.

[Cin]

Texas Teen Mistakenly Deported to Colombia is Back in US

Published January 07, 2012

Fox News Latino

The Texas teenager who U.S. officials mistakenly deported to Colombia after she claimed to be an undocumented immigrant was returned to the United States Friday evening.

Her family has questioned why U.S. officials didn't do more to verify her identity and say she is not fluent in Spanish and had no ties to Colombia. While many facts of the case involving Jakadrien Lorece Turner remain unclear, U.S. and Colombian officials have pointed fingers over who is responsible.

Jakadrien, 15, arrived in Dallas on Friday evening and was reunited with her family. She was flanked by her mother, grandmother and law enforcement when she emerged from the international gate at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport shortly before 10 p.m.

"She's happy to be home," the family's attorney, Ray Jackson, said, adding that the family would not be issuing any statements Friday night.

He said the family was "ecstatic" to have Jakadrien back in Texas and they plan to "do what we can to make sure she gets back to a normal life."

Immigration experts say that while cases of mistaken identity are rare, people can slip through the cracks, especially if they don't have legal help or family members working on their behalf. But they say U.S. immigration authorities had the responsibility to determine if a person is a citizen.

"Often in these situations they have these group hearings where they tell everybody you're going to be deported," said Jacqueline Stevens, a political science professor at Northwestern University, who is an expert on immigration issues. "Everything is really quick, even if you understand English you wouldn't understand what is going on. If she were in that situation as a 14-year-old she would be herded through like cattle and not have a chance to talk to the judge about her situation."

Jakadrien's saga began when the teen ran away more than a year ago. Jakadrien's family said she left home in November 2010. Houston police said the girl was arrested on April 2, 2011, for misdemeanor theft in that city and claimed to be Tika Lanay Cortez, a Colombian woman born in 1990. It was unclear if she has been living under that name.

Houston police said in a statement that her name was run through a database to determine if she was wanted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement but the results were negative. She was then turned over to the Harris County jail and booked on the theft charge.

The county sheriff's office said it ran her through the available databases and did the interviews necessary to establish her identity and immigration status in the country, with negative results. A sheriff's office employee recommended that an immigration detainer be put on her, and upon her release from jail she was turned over to ICE.

U.S. immigration officials insist they followed procedure and found nothing to indicate that the girl wasn't a Colombian woman living illegally in the country.

An ICE official said the teen claimed to be Cortez throughout the criminal proceedings in Houston and the ensuing deportation process, in which an immigration judge ultimately ordered her back to Colombia.

Standard procedure before any deportation is to coordinate with the other country in order to establish that person is from there, the ICE official said.

The ICE official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to not being authorized to discuss additional details of the case, said the teenager was interviewed by a representative from the Colombian consulate and that country's government issued her a travel document to enter Colombia.

Jakadrien was issued travel documents at the request of U.S. officials using information they provided, the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Colombian officials are investigating what kind of verification was conducted by its Houston consulate to issue the temporary passport.

The girl was given Colombian citizenship upon arriving in that country, the ICE official said.

According to the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the girl was enrolled in the country's "Welcome Home" program after she arrived there. She was given shelter, psychological assistance and a job at a call center, a statement from the agency said.

"If she looked like an adult, and she told them she was a 21-year-old Colombian citizen, and she didn't show up in their databases, this was inevitable," said Albert Armendáriz, an immigration attorney from El Paso.

Jakadrien's family says they have no idea why she ended up in Colombia. Johnisa Turner said the girl is a U.S. citizen who was born in Dallas and was not fluent in Spanish. She said neither she nor the teen's father had ties to Colombia. Jakadrien's grandmother, Lorene Turner, called the deportation a "big mistake somebody made."

"She looks like a kid, she acts like a kid. How could they think she wasn't a kid?" Lorene Turner asked on Thursday.

Lorene Turner, a Dallas hairstylist, said she spent a lot of time on the Internet trying to track down Jakadrien.

Ultimately, the girl was found in Bogota by the Dallas Police Department with help from Colombian and U.S. officials.

Dallas Police detective C'mon (pronounced Simone) Wingo, the detective in charge of the case, said she was contacted in August by the girl's grandmother, who said Jakadrien had posted "kind of disturbing" messages on a Facebook account where she goes by yet another name.

Wingo said the girl was located in early November through her use of a computer to log into Facebook. Relatives were then put into contact with the U.S. embassy in Bogota to provide pictures and documents to prove Jakadrien's identity.

Colombian officials said when the government discovered she was a U.S. citizen and a minor, it put her under the care of a welfare program.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the case was brought to the State Department's attention in mid-December.

"We didn't have any involvement at all in this case until it came to light that there may be a problem with an American minor in Colombia, and that — and then we became involved both with Colombian authorities and with folks in Dallas," Nuland said.

Stephen Yale-Loehr, who teaches immigration law at Cornell Law School, said hundreds of U.S. citizens are wrongfully detained or deported each year.

"There are a variety of legitimate reasons why somebody might not appear to be a U.S. citizen at first glance." he said. "It's the duty of the U.S. federal immigration agency to make sure that we do not detain and deport U.S. citizens erroneously. And this, unfortunately happened in this case."

[Nat]

hDBehp1T1AE

VyOcxSfvfhQ

[Venus007]

The thing that makes me nuts is this culture of fear that the media is pushing on us just to make us consume. It is insidious and horrible and has immobilized and filled with anxiety our culture so much that people are afraid to let their kids play outside or we are afraid to eat certain foods or god forbid have bodies not conforming to the holy flawed BMI paradigm. Disgusting, reprehensible, and all out irresponsible journalism and all to sell add time.