Breaking News Events

[LeftWriteFemme]

Love and survival through Khmer Rouge years


http://www.fridae.asia/newsfeatures/...er-rouge-years

[Andrea]

Public Swearing In Middleborough, Mass. Now Subject To Fine

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/12/public-swearing-middleborough-fine_n_1587270.html

[Nat]

Georgia blocks KKK from Adopting a stretch of highway

The US state of Georgia has turned down an offer by the Ku Klux Klan to adopt a stretch of highway to keep it tidy, saying the sight of the group's name on a sign would be distressing.

Members of the white supremacist organisation applied to the Adopt-A-Highway program last month. The program enlists the help of volunteers to remove rubbish from the sides of roads. ''The impact of erecting a sign naming an organisation which has a long-rooted history of civil disturbance would cause a significant public concern,'' Georgia transportation commissioner Keith Golden wrote.

Missouri rejected a similar request in 1997, but a federal appeals court later ruled in favour of the Klan.

[Kent]

[UofMfan]

Apple iOS 6 'Emojis' Will Include Gay And Lesbian Emoticons

[Kobi]

Pentagon To Mark Gay Pride Month


WASHINGTON (AP) — Last summer, gays in the military dared not acknowledge their sexual orientation. This summer, the Pentagon will salute them, marking June as gay pride month just as it has marked other celebrations honoring racial or ethnic groups.

In the latest remarkable sign of change since the military repealed the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, the Defense Department will soon hold its first event to recognize gay and lesbian troops. It comes nine months after repeal of the policy that had prohibited gay troops from serving openly and forced more than 13,500 service members out of the armed forces.

Details are still being worked out, but officials say Defense Secretary Leon Panetta wants to honor the contributions of gay service members.

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Kobi

Pentagon To Mark Gay Pride Month


WASHINGTON (AP) — Last summer, gays in the military dared not acknowledge their sexual orientation. This summer, the Pentagon will salute them, marking June as gay pride month just as it has marked other celebrations honoring racial or ethnic groups.

In the latest remarkable sign of change since the military repealed the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, the Defense Department will soon hold its first event to recognize gay and lesbian troops. It comes nine months after repeal of the policy that had prohibited gay troops from serving openly and forced more than 13,500 service members out of the armed forces.

Details are still being worked out, but officials say Defense Secretary Leon Panetta wants to honor the contributions of gay service members.

Wow. This is great!

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by UofMfan

Apple iOS 6 'Emojis' Will Include Gay And Lesbian Emoticons

Way Kewl!!!

[Nat]

Penneys shows modest profit

[Hollylane]

China warns its rare earth reserves are declining




China has warned that the decline in its rare earth reserves in major mining areas is "accelerating", as most of the original resources are depleted.

In a policy paper, China's cabinet blamed excessive exploitation and illegal mining for the decline.

China accounts for more than 90% of the world's rare earth supplies, but has just 23% of global reserves.

It has urged those with reserves to boost production of the elements, which are used to make electrical goods.

"After more than 50 years of excessive mining, China's rare earth reserves have kept declining and the years of guaranteed rare earth supply have been reducing," China's cabinet said in the paper on the rare earth industry published by the official Xinhua news agency.
'Willing to cooperate'

The term rare earth refers to a group of 17 elements that are used to make a range of hi-tech gadgets.

These elements are used in products ranging from MP3 players to mobile phones, flatscreen TVs and hybrid batteries.

With those products becoming increasingly popular, the demand for rare earths has been rising.

But China has imposed export quotas on these elements. It says it has done so to prevent excessive mining of these elements, which also causes damage to the environment.

The US, Japan and the European Union have called the quotas illegal and dragged Beijing to the World Trade Organization (WTO) over the matter.

However, Gao Yunhu, deputy chief of the Rare Earth Office at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said China's policies were in compliance with the WTO rules and that Beijing was keen to settle the dispute with its trading partners.

"We're willing to cooperate with the parties involved to solve the dispute as soon as possible," Mr Gao was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

"At the same time, we will actively use WTO rules to defend China's legitimate rights and interests."

In the policy paper, China added that it would implement "stricter standards" and "protective exploitation policies" to ensure sustained growth of the sector.

[Novelafemme]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1612925.html

Let's discuss.

I for one am so appalled I want to fly to Greece, NY and smack the ever-loving snot out of those "kids".

[Kobi]

Originally Posted by Novelafemme

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1612925.html

Let's discuss.

I for one am so appalled I want to fly to Greece, NY and smack the ever-loving snot out of those "kids".

I will go with you. And when you are done smacking the kids, can we go smack their parents as well? This is learned behavior and they didnt learn it in a vacuum.

[Kobi]

Just hours after the sex abuse trial of former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky wrapped up on Thursday, his adopted son revealed that he had been "a victim of Jerry Sandusky's abuse" and had offered to testify against his father.

It is unclear whether prosecutors were prepared to put Matt Sandusky on the stand. But NBC News reports that Jerry Sandusky's defense team decided against having the former coach testify on his own behalf after they learned that prosecutors planned to call a new witness -- believed to be Matt Sandusky.

Earlier Thursday, the jury of seven women and five men began their deliberations on the 48 charges levied against Sundusky. They are sequestered and there have been no indication when they might deliver a verdict. Those jurors heard both Jerry Sandusky's defense attorney and the lead prosecutor in the case deliver pointed closing arguments. Defense attorney Joe Amendola painted the former coach as a man victimized by overagressive cops, social works and even the media. In response, Deputy Attorney General Joseph E. McGettigan III dismissed the concept that Jerry Sandusky was targeted by anyone - an idea that would have required dozens of people to conspire of more than a decade.

The explosive disclosure that Matt Sandusky had offered to testify came following the release of a statement from lawyers Andrew Shubin and Justine Andronici, who represent two alleged victims of Jerry Sandusky.

"During the trial, Matt Sandusky contacted us and requested our advice and assistance in arranging a meeting with prosecutors to disclose for the first time in this case that he is a victim of Jerry Sandusky's abuse," the statement reads. "At Matt's request, we immediately arranged a meeting between him and the prosecutors and investigators."

The statement continued: "This has been an extremely painful experience for Matt and he has asked us to convey his request that the media respect his privacy."

Matt Sandusky moved into the Sandusky home when he was 11, having been involved in Second Mile, the charity for troubled children founded by Jerry Sandusky in 1977. Prosecutors have said Jerry Sandusky used Second Mile to find his abuse victims. Earlier in the trial, it was disclosed that Matt Sandusky's former wife, Jill Jones, sought a restraining order in 2011 to prevent her former father-in-law from hosting sleep-overs with the couple's three young children. The Associated Press also reported that Matt Sandusky attempted to commit suicide in 1995, several months after he moved into the Sandusky home. Matt Sandusky's biological mother, Debra Long, has claimed that Jerry Sandusky effectively 'stole' her son, and told a grand jury considering the charges against the former coach that Matt was upset about staying with his adoptive father.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/...214145968.html

[Soon]

ICE asks public's help identifying 'endangered' boy in video

.....

The images show a boy between 13 and 19 years old and in a basement, the agents believe. Neudauer would not say what the boy is doing in the video.
"We believe there's an adult involved in all of this," Neudauer said from Minneapolis, Minnesota. "If we can identify the young person involved, we suspect that we'll be able to remove a couple of young people from a dangerous environment and also, perhaps, identify an adult."

pictures of boy: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...tery-teen.html

[Corkey]

Sandusky guilty of 45 out of 48 counts.
He will never see the light of day again. As it should be.

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Corkey

Sandusky guilty of 45 out of 48 counts.
He will never see the light of day again. As it should be.

Sentencing in 3 months.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-foo...6pLid%3D172657

[Kobi]

Pa. Catholic official convicted of child endangerment


PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Roman Catholic church official was convicted Friday of child endangerment but acquitted of conspiracy in a groundbreaking clergy-abuse trial, becoming the first U.S. church official convicted of a crime for mishandling abuse claims.

Monsignor William Lynn helped the archdiocese keep predators in ministry, and the public in the dark, by telling parishes their priests were being removed for health reasons and then sending the men to unsuspecting churches, prosecutors said.

Lynn, 61, had faced about 10 to 20 years in prison if convicted of all three counts he faced — conspiracy and two counts of child endangerment. He was convicted only on one of the endangerment counts, leaving him with the possibility of 3 1/2 to seven years in prison.

Full Story

[Jett]

Originally Posted by Novelafemme

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1612925.html

Let's discuss.

I for one am so appalled I want to fly to Greece, NY and smack the ever-loving snot out of those "kids".

Originally Posted by Kobi

I will go with you. And when you are done smacking the kids, can we go smack their parents as well? This is learned behavior and they didnt learn it in a vacuum.

Truth, I watched the entire video this morning... it's appalling to say the least. My disbelief and disgust in these "kids" is only trumped by my sadness over the state of humanity that this is too often what we are turning out now.
There is not only what's in them that shouldn't be, there is what is missing that should have stopped them from a natural standpoint... a heart, a conscience... compassion... on and on. It's a scary testiment to the decay of our society...

[Greco]

Penn. Attorney General Speaks About Sandusky's Conviction



Thank you Corkey for posting your earlier update.

Sharing this video in addition and in support of the young
men/survivors, and all of those who, "believe the kids."

Greco

[Kobi]

Been thinking about the convictions of Sandusky and Lynn and how both of these will be ushering in a new era of criminal accountability within hierachial structures.

Sandusky's conviction gives further credibility to the charges brought against administrators of university for failing to report, for covering up, and perpetuating the conspiracy of silence that allowed this behavior to go on. This is huge.

Same with Lynn's conviction. Individual priests have been criminally convicted. The catholic church has been held accountable in civil suits and trials. But, this is the first time, I believe, that the actual hierarchy of the church has been held criminally responsible for enforcing church policy.

Will be interesting, in case law, to see if this prosecution will continue up the chain of command to the place it needs to reach - the person or people who instituted the policy others were beholden to enforce.

Kind of blows my mind to think of the amazing change in collective consciousness that was required for these cases to be successful. It's mind boggling to think of the far reaching implications of both cases both in terms of organizational accountability and for individual accountability within these organizations. Hopefully, there will not be appeals threatening to derail the progress.

One can only hope we will continue recreating this in such a way that doctrine and policy will no longer be a valid excuse for not doing the right thing.

It may certainly usher in a new era of protection for children. But, it also can be expanded to protect other vulnerable groups. And, it will force each of us, as individuals and as employees, to confront the fact that we are responsible for one another - morally, ethically, and now legally.

That is just fucking amazing. Kind of like the universe saying...."hey people, I keep telling ya you are all one. Now, I'm gonna force you to act like it."