Staff at hospital which ignored dying man for six hours while nurses posed for calendar shoot

Smiling for the camera, these are staff at the hospital where a dying man was not seen for six hours - posing for a calendar in which they mock waiting times.
Stewart Fleming, 37, was left doubled up in agony despite arriving in casualty with a letter from his GP saying he needed immediate attention.
After he was finally seen on December 15, he rapidly deteriorated. He died two days after Christmas from a viral illness.

Fooling around: But staff might now regret joking about waiting times at the hospital in their charity calendar

Cardiology assistant practitioner Leanne Thomas dressed up as Baywatch's Pamela Anderson
Yesterday, his family questioned the hospital's decision to release the charity calendar.
Mr Fleming's sister-in-law, Lesley Mavin, 39, said that she did not want to criticise efforts to raise money for a good cause.
However, she added: 'Their main job is to be a hospital.'
The calendar was launched at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham, Kent on December 17, and features doctors and nurses dressed up as stars from Fawlty Towers, Baywatch, Open All Hours and Pirates of the Caribbean.
In one picture a nurse and two medics pose next to a sign that reads: 'Waiting time 26.5 seconds!'. more

72 year old man jumps from second-floor window and extinguishes fire

A 72-year-old Batavia man this morning jumped from the second-floor of his townhouse, broke open a first-floor window and single-handedly extinguished a fire, according to the Batavia Fire Department.Firefighters were called to Walden Estates, an apartment complex at 337 Bank St., about 3:40 a.m. and arrived to find that the male tenant in Apt. 5 had already extinguished the fire, said Batavia Fire Chief Tom Dillon.The 72-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman were sitting in the living room, covered in soot at that time, he said. Firefighters helped the couple exit the townhouse. more

These Wacky Laws Still on the Books in America

From changing the color of baby chicks to shooting effigies to properly honoring the glory of the log cabin, Americans have spent valuable legislative hours throughout the years making sure we're on the straight and narrow.
As a New Year arrives, here are 10 wacky laws that remain on the books across the country:
1. In Billings, Mont., it is illegal for anyone to sell, harbor or give away rats as pets or toys for any purpose other than to feed snakes or birds of prey. Scientists, however, can keep lab rats.
2. Using profanity is against the law on playgrounds and in public parks in Columbia, Md.
3. The last Sunday in June each year is Log Cabin Day in Michigan.
4. In Michigan, it is legal to kill a dog for attacking chickens, livestock or people, but you can't snuff the pooch in a high altitude decompression chamber or by electrocution.
5. In West Virginia, anyone who taunts someone who decides not to participate in a duel or who declines to accept a challenge is guilty of a misdemeanor and can be sent to jail for up to six months and fined up to $100.
6. In Kentucky it is illegal to sell, exchange, offer to sell or exchange, display, or possess living baby chicks, ducklings, or other fowl or rabbits that have been dyed or colored. It is also illegal to dye or color baby chicks, ducklings, fowl or rabbits. And unless they are at least two months old, the aforementioned animals must be sold in batches of six. more

Ex-NFL Player Charged With Raping Teen Student

WRENTHAM, Mass. — A former NFL lineman and high school football coach was ordered held on $100,000 cash bail Tuesday after he was charged with raping a 15-year-old female student whose father allegedly found hundreds of text messages she received from the man.
Danny Villa, who played six seasons with the New England Patriots and was the athletic director at Walpole High School, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Wrentham District Court to three counts of rape of a child over 14 and three counts of enticing a minor. Judge Warren Powers also told Villa to stay away from the girl and her family, Walpole schools and any children under 16 except his own.
Villa's attorney, Heather Baer, said she planned to appeal the bail decision.
Prosecutors said Villa was the girl's basketball coach before she entered high school. The girl told police she had always been good friends with the 44-year-old Villa. more

Banker Buys $37 Million Apartment After Getting $25 Million Buyout

A former top executive at Merrill Lynch who received a $25 million golden parachute after just three months of work has purchased a $37 million Park Avenue palace.
Peter Kraus, 55, paid the staggering sum for a five-bedroom co-op on New York's posh Park Avenue after getting a $25 million buyout from Merrill Lynch when the company was sold to Bank of America in September, the New York Post reported.

The 15-room apartment — featuring 11-foot-high ceilings, four fireplaces, three maid's rooms, a mahogany-paneled library and a gym upstairs — sold for twice what the previous owners, Democratic fundraisers Carl Spielvogel and Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, paid for it nearly two years ago, the Post reported. more

Illinois Man Arrested After Using Pay Stub as Bank Robbery Note

CHICAGO — The robber's threatening note made a Chicago bank job easy to solve: The FBI says the suspect wrote it on his pay stub.
An FBI affidavit says the man walked into a Fifth Third Bank on Friday and handed a teller a note that read "Be Quick Be Quit [sic]. Give your cash or I'll shoot."
The robber got about $400 but left half of his note. Investigators found the other half outside the bank's front doors. Authorities say that part of the man's October pay stub had his name and address.
The suspect was arrested at his Cary home. A judge ordered him held without bond Monday. If convicted of bank robbery, he faces 20 years in prison.

Judge Rules Same-Sex Couple Can Have Both Names on Son's Birth Certificate

NEW ORLEANS — A same-sex couple in California has won a federal court ruling that their adopted son's Louisiana birth certificate must bear the names of both adoptive fathers.
The facts are so clear that no trial is needed, U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey wrote.
"What a great Christmas present for these guys!" said Kenneth D. Upton Jr. who represented Oren Adar and Mickey Ray Smith of San Diego.
In his ruling Monday, Zainey said Louisiana's Office of Vital Records must give full faith and credit to the New York State court in which Adar and Smith adopted the boy, he ruled Monday. The office had refused to issue a birth certificate listing both as the boy's legal parents.
Upton, reached at home Saturday evening, said he hopes to get a birth certificate in the coming week but doesn't know whether the Louisiana Attorney General's Office — which is in charge, although a state health department attorney argued the case — will decide to appeal.
The attorney general's office will look into the matter next week, said Tammi Arender Herring, spokeswoman for Attorney General James "Buddy" Caldwell.
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14 pound baby needed two

LAGUNA HILLS – It took two doctors to lift the baby up during the C-section.
The gasps in the delivery came quickly.
"Oh my God!" a nurse said.
For a second, mother Sara Sault thought something might be wrong.
Nope.
"He's here! He's big!" someone else said.
Got that right.
Father Richard Sault whispered the details in his wife's ear:
"Fourteen pounds, 2 ounces."
Just seconds after his birth, Richard Walker Sault — 21½ inches long — already had outgrown his infant car seat.
He weighed as much as a medium-sized holiday turkey — fitting for a kid born on Dec. 23.
"We thought our first baby was a miracle, and now we have this little guy," said Richard Sault, immediately correcting himself.
"Guess he's not so little."
Richard Sault Jr. is the largest baby ever delivered at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills — most likely in Orange County, according to veteran Saddleback doctors and an informal check of other major county hospitals.
Labor and delivery nurses at UCI Medical Center in Orange can't recall a baby ever being born there weighing more than 13 pounds.
"That's a big baby," said Marty Wright, department manager of labor and delivery at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange. During her 21 years at the hospital, about 102,000 babies have been delivered.
"I remember one that was nearly 12 pounds, but 14.2? Never!" she said. more

Ticketed teens arrested in cop's car burning

Two teenage boys have been arrested on arson charges after police say they torched a truck belonging to a Boulder police officer who had issued a ticket to one of the boys last month, Boulder police said.
No one was hurt in the fire, which police say was set about 11:45 p.m. Friday outside of the home of Officer Kevin Granberg in retaliation for a ticket the officer had issued to one of the boys in November.
"This is every officer's nightmare — to be targeted by criminals simply for doing his or her job," Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner said today. "As a community, we cannot tolerate the targeting of those who daily risk their lives for our safety."
Names of the two Boulder 17-year-olds were not released because they are juveniles.
The incident began shortly before midnight when Officer Granberg and his family awoke to find their 2006 Ford F150 truck on fire.
While on the phone to dispatchers, Granberg saw one of the juveniles outside and began a chase, catching one of the juveniles, police said. The other suspect allegedly shoved Granberg, causing him to let go and fall.
The juveniles ran off, and other officers arrived to join the foot pursuit, which coursed through yards and over fences before the suspects were caught, police said. more

Man Arrested After Days Spent Unnoticed in Family's Attic

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — A family did not realize they had an unexpected Christmas guest until a man who had been in their attic for days emerged wearing their clothes, police said.
Stanley Carter surrendered Friday after police took a dog to search the home in Plains Township, a suburb of Wilkes-Barre about 100 miles north of Philadelphia. He was charged with several counts of burglary, theft, receiving stolen property and criminal trespass.
"When he came down from the attic, he was wearing my daughter's pants and my sweat shirt and sneakers," homeowner Stacy Ferrance said. "From what I gather, he was helping himself to my home, eating my food and stealing my clothes."
Police said the 21-year-old Carter had been staying with his friends, who are Ferrance's neighbors in a duplex. But when they told him to leave, he apparently accessed the shared attic through a trap door in a bedroom ceiling.
The friends said Carter went missing on Dec. 19 and they filed a missing person report a few days before Christmas.
Ferrance said she had heard noises but thought they were caused by her three children. She notified police on Christmas Day when cash, a laptop computer and an iPod disappeared, then called police again the next day when she found footprints in her bedroom closet, where the attic trap door is located. more

A man was stabbed after a fight involving cigarette ashes.

A man was stabbed by his roommate Tuesday afternoon after a fight involving cigarette ashes.
James Hall, 42, was arrested and charged with attempted second degree murder after arguing with his roommate, Russell Ingram, about the cigarette ashes left on the floor of their room at 5892 West Rust in Millington.

According to a police affidavit, the two men started fighting until family members broke it up. Ingram returned to the room, but Hall walked to a nearby shed and moments later came back and began attacking Ingram with a knife. more

man arrested after stalking ex-girlfriend and ramming her car

Memphis police arrested a man Tuesday afternoon after seeing him approach his ex-girlfriend’s car on Elvis Presley Boulevard with a butcher knife in hand.

According to a police affidavit, Darnell Torry was following his former girlfriend, Kim Cobb, and her three child passengers southbound on Elvis Presley when he rammed his green Mercury Marquis into her silver Honda Civic. This caused Cobb to lose control of her car and hit a red F-150 pulling a trailer in the rear.

Police then witnessed Torry get out of his Mercury and approach Cobb’s Honda with a butcher knife. Police stopped Torry at gunpoint, confiscated the knife and arrested him on charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, reckless driving and driving with a revoked or suspended license. more

Mark Everett aka Manuel Benitez Was Hollywood Child was killed at 38

Manuel Benitez, also known as Manuel Velasco, Mike Evers and Mark Everett was killed in Los Angeles last night after a two hour standoff with police. He was holding a 7 year old boy hostage, possibly his son Benjamin.
Benitez was a child actor going by the name of Mark Everett when he appeared in television shows Highway to Heaven, Trapper John, MD and had movie roles in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and Stand and Deliver.
Benitez, 38, was a suspect who was wanted in the 2004 murder of his girlfriend Stephanie Spears in Hawthorne. She was beaten to death with a dumbbell and he escaped with their young son. He has been a fugitive ever since and was featured on America’s Most Wanted earlier this year.
At the time of the crime, Benitez was charged with murder and a California warrant was issued for his arrest. A federal warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was issued in March 2006. An FBI reward of $20,000 was offered for information leading to the capture and arrest of the suspect.
Last night’s standoff began after a police officer noticed a man take a boy off the sidewalk and head to the restaurant. Benitez ignored the officer’s orders to stop and barricaded himself inside.

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Angry wife jailed after biting husband's ...

27-year-old Deltona woman told authorities she bit her husband's penis because she didn't want to have sex with him.Charris Bowers was arrested Saturday by a Volusia County sheriff's deputy, accused of misdemeanor battery. A judge set her free Sunday without requiring her to post bail.Her husband, Delou Bowers, today would not comment.According to a sheriff's office report, the Bowerses had been to a bar Friday night. Delou Bowers told authorities that when they got home, his wife began to perform oral sex on him but then began to bite his penis. more

woman pleaded guilty to first-degree murder of videotape sexual torture and suffocation

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — A suburban Kansas City woman pleaded guilty Monday to killing a woman whose sexual torture and suffocation were videotaped.
In a deal with prosecutors that allowed her to avoid the death penalty, Dena Riley, 42, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the May 2006 death of Marsha Spicer, who was suffocated during sex at an Independence apartment that Riley shared with her boyfriend.
Riley also pleaded guilty to kidnapping, sodomy and sex abuse in the videotaped attack on Spicer, 41, of Independence, and to kidnapping, sodomy, sex abuse and assault in a separate videotaped attack on Michelle Huff-Ricci, 36, of Kansas City. Riley sobbed throughout the hearing as she answered each question from the judge, prosecutor and defense attorney with a simple "yes" or "no."
Huff-Ricci's remains were found in nearby Clay County, where Riley and her boyfriend, Richard Davis, are charged with capital murder.
As part of the deal, Riley was sentenced to life without parole for the murder charge and to eight additional life sentences and 239 years in prison for 25 other counts. She also agreed to plead guilty in Kansas on a federal charge of kidnapping a 5-year-old girl related to Davis after fleeing the Kansas City area in May 2006. Court documents said the girl had injuries consistent with sexual abuse. Earlier this year, Davis was convicted and sentenced to death for Spicer's slaying. He also is charged in the federal case. more

Woman Charged With Stealing $368,000 From Hospital

A former employee of Bayfront Medical Center was arrested Monday night, accused of bilking the hospital out of more than $368,000 over four years, the St. Petersburg Police Department said.

Zsamiko Walters Reid, 40, of 714 61st Ave. S., St. Petersburg, has been charged with first-degree grand theft. She is being booked tonight at Pinellas County Jail.

Reid worked as a nursing services coordinator at the hospital from 2000 until 2008, a position that included payroll and scheduling responsibilities, detectives say.

She was fired in August when administrators determined she had stolen the money from the hospital
by writing out several hundred payroll checks payable to other employees but converting the funds for her own use, detectives say. more

Woman Sets Self On Fire Dies

The woman, 34, doused herself with gasoline early Sunday afternoon outside the Grace Evangelical Church. Members found her in the parking lot on fire and tried to put out the blaze with water.
This is the second time the unidentified woman set herself on fire at the church in less than two months

Police had said she would undergo a mental evaluation after the first incident.
The woman died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She was allegedly burned over 80 to 90 percent of her body.

Pit bulls mauled 60-year-old man to death

RUBIDOUX, Calif. — A 60-year-old man was mauled to death by a pair of pit bulls Friday in the backyard of his rural Southern California home.
The man was taking a cigarette break when the male and female pit bulls attacked him shortly after noon, said Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
The man, who was the grandfather of the dogs' owner, died at the scene. His name was not released.
County Animal Services spokesman John Welsh said the dogs were euthanized later in the afternoon. The male dog weighed 107 pounds and was about 3 years old, while the female weighed 52 pounds and was about 6 years old.
Welsh said it was unclear why the dogs suddenly attacked the man, who was familiar with them and had played with them before. But he noted that neither dog had been spayed.
"Unaltered dogs are always more aggressive," Welsh said. "We always recommend that for family pets, people spay or neuter their dogs."
Gutierrez called the incident a "vicious attack and very tragic for the family right before the holidays."

Congress gets a pay increase while economy is crumbling

A crumbling economy, more than 2 million constituents who have lost their jobs this year, and congressional demands of CEOs to work for free did not convince lawmakers to freeze their own pay.
Instead, they will get a $4,700 pay increase, amounting to an additional $2.5 million that taxpayers will spend on congressional salaries, and watchdog groups are not happy about it.

A school bus driver was arrested for threatening to cut three sixth-graders

MANSFIELD, Texas — A school bus driver in Texas has been accused of brandishing a knife and threatening to cut three sixth-graders who left Oreo crumbs on a seat.
Officials say police confiscated a pocket knife from 66-year-old William Allen on Friday in Mansfield. He was taken into custody on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Two students told their parents Allen removed them from the bus Wednesday at Mary Orr Intermediate School. They say he threatened to cut their wrists if they didn't admit to spilling crumbs.
Allen is on paid leave until an investigation is complete. He was released from the Tarrant County jail. Online records do not show whether he has an attorney.
Mansfield is southeast of Fort Worth.

Man arrested for throwing snowballs

A Beaverton man, frustrated that no one would stop for him on the freeway this morning, began throwing snowballs at passing vehicles. He eventually got a ride he didn't bargain on to jail.
West Linn police arrested 29-year-old Zack Laughlin Kelly, accusing him of disorderly conduct. He was booked into the Clackamas County Jail, cited and released, pending a court appearance.
Sgt. Neil Hennelly, West Linn police spokesman, said Kelly was seen shortly after 3 a.m. walking in the fast lane of southbound Interstate 205 in West Linn, jumping toward vehicles to try to make them stop. One of the vehicles he jumped toward was a FedEx tractor-trailer rig.
Officers said they found him "marching" back and forth along the fog line, with snowballs in both hands. He also was walking in the center of the fast lane, throwing snowballs at vehicles passing him in the slow lane. more

Duggar Family Welcomes Baby #18 and still wants more

ROGERS, Ark. — An Arkansas woman has given birth to her 18th child. Michelle Duggar delivered the baby girl by Caesarean section Thursday at Mercy Medical Center in Rogers. The baby, named Jordyn-Grace Makiya Duggar, weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces and was 20 inches long.
"The ultimate Christmas gift from God," said Jim Bob Duggar, the father of the 18 children. "She's just absolutely beautiful, like her mom and her sisters."
The Duggars now have 10 sons and eight daughters.
Jim Bob Duggar said Michelle started having contractions Wednesday night. She needed the C-section, her third, because the baby was lying sideways. Jim Bob said both baby and mother were doing well Thursday night.
"We both would love to have more," he said.
The cable network TLC broadcasts a weekly show about the Duggars, called "17 Kids and Counting." Chris Finnegan of TLC _ which handles public relations for the Duggar family _ said the show's name would be updated to account for the latest addition to the family. He said TLC also will air a show Monday on the baby's delivery.
Jim Bob Duggar is 43, a year older than his wife. Their oldest child, Joshua, is 20.
The other Duggar children, in between Joshua and Jordyn-Grace, are Jana, 18; John-David, 18; Jill, 17; Jessa, 16; Jinger, 14; Joseph, 13; Josiah, 12; Joy-Anna, 11; Jeremiah, 9; Jedidiah, 9; Jason, 8; James, 7; Justin, 6; Jackson, 4; Johannah, 3; and Jennifer, 1.
"Our whole family is excited about Jordyn's addition to our family," Jim Bob Duggar said. "She's just perfect in every way."

Police Get The Wrong House In Galveston, Allegedly Assault 12-Year-Old Girl

It was a little before 8 at night when the breaker went out at Emily Milburn's home in Galveston. She was busy preparing her children for school the next day, so she asked her 12-year-old daughter, Dymond, to pop outside and turn the switch back on. As Dymond headed toward the breaker, a blue van drove up and three men jumped out rushing toward her. One of them grabbed her saying, "You're a prostitute. You're coming with me."Dymond grabbed onto a tree and started screaming, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy." One of the men covered her mouth. Two of the men beat her about the face and throat. As it turned out, the three men were plain-clothed Galveston police officers who had been called to the area regarding three white prostitutes soliciting a white man and a black drug dealer.
All this is according to a lawsuit filed in Galveston federal court by Milburn against the officers. The lawsuit alleges that the officers thought Dymond, an African-American, was a hooker due to the "tight shorts" she was wearing, despite not fitting the racial description of any of the female suspects. The police went to the wrong house, two blocks away from the area of the reported illegal activity, Milburn's attorney, Anthony Griffin, tells Hair Balls.After the incident, Dymond was hospitalized and suffered black eyes as well as throat and ear drum injuries. Three weeks later, according to the lawsuit, police went to Dymond's school, where she was an honor student, and arrested her for assaulting a public servant. Griffin says the allegations stem from when Dymond fought back against the three men who were trying to take her from her home. The case went to trial, but the judge declared it a mistrial on the first day, says Griffin. The new trial is set for February."I think we'll be okay," says Griffin. "I don't think a jury will find a 12-year-old girl guilty who's just sitting outside her house. Any 12-year-old attacked by three men and told that she's a prostitute is going to scream and yell for Daddy and hit back and do whatever she can. She's scared to death."

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Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush was beaten

BAGHDAD (AP) - The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush during a news conference was beaten afterward and had bruises on his face and around his eyes, a judge said Friday.
Judge Dhia al-Kinani, the magistrate investigating the incident, said the court has opened an investigation into the alleged beating of journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi.
Al-Zeidi was wrestled to the ground after throwing his shoes during the news conference Sunday by Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and there has been conflicting claims on his condition since then. One of his brothers said he was harshly beaten, but another said he seemed to be in good condition.
Al-Zeidi "was beaten in the news conference and we will watch the tape and write an official letter asking for the names of those who assaulted him," the judge told The Associated Press. "Al-Zeidi has the right to drop this case."
The journalist was in custody and was expected to eventually face charges of insulting a foreign leader. A conviction could bring a sentence of two years in prison.
Al-Kinani also confirmed that the journalist had written a letter of apology to al-Maliki. Iraq's president can grant pardons that are requested by the prime minister, but the judge said such a pardon can be issued only after a conviction. more

Miami Police Shot Protester, then laugh about it.

Gov. Paterson couldn't see the humor in a "Saturday Night Live" skit

Gov. Paterson didn't see the humor in a "Saturday Night Live" bit that mocked his blindness.

During the "Weekend Update" segment of NBC's irreverent comedy show, actor Fred Armisen played Paterson, imitating his wandering eye, gravelly voice and blunt, self-effacing demeanor
But Paterson and advocates for the visually impaired didn't appreciate stock blind jokes that had Armisen pretending to be disoriented and wandering aimlessly.

"I can take a joke," Paterson told reporters.

But he called the SNL spoof a "third-grade depiction of people and the way they look" that could lead others to believe that "disability goes hand-in-hand with an inability to run a government or business." more

Man charged with domestic battery after hitting his girlfriend in the face with sandwich

Emmanuelle Rodriguez, 19, was reportedly picked up by his girlfriend and seven-month-old son from his mother's house in Port St Lucie, Florida.

The alleged incident took place on Interstate 95, as the couple were travelling north to their new apartment in Fort Pierce.

Following an argument, Rodriguez knocked off his girlfriend's glasses and nearly caused a traffic pile-up.

According to the report, the victim told police that Rodriguez got angry while she drove and "started to hit her in the arm and striking her in the face with a sandwich, knocking her glasses off her face." more

"ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS … a WIFE for my SON

Jason's mom (we are not using his last name) took out an ad in The Tampa Tribune to help him land a wife — or at least a few potential candidates — by Christmas. If you're interested, send a photograph and information about yourself to: Christmas Mother-in Law, P.O. Box 11802, Blacksburg VA 24062. She'll respond with a thank-you note and send each reply to her son, who says he will meet with every person. We'll keep you posted on his progress.

TAMPA - Mom thinks her boy is a catch, so much so she shells out 500 bucks for an ad in The Tampa Tribune.

"ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS … a WIFE for my SON," it begins.

Signed Christmas Mother-in Law, the plea continues: "I'm sad that he's alone, a 37 year old handsome Tampa professional …

"Help me find him a wife!"

Prospective brides are asked to contact a post office box in Virginia. more

Claudia, the mother-in-law-in-waiting, is a tad concerned about the family's safety. One never knows who might show up at your door, whether you're a good-looking Tampa bachelor or his loving family up in Virginia.

Italian man rescued 65 miles from completing 10,000 nautical miles journey

short of rowing Pacific Ocean solo
An Italian man who was trying to complete a journey of 10,000 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean in a row boat had to be rescued just 65 nautical miles (75 miles) from his destination in Australia.

It was a rather ignominious end to a grand adventure. After 10 months of rowing alone across the vast Pacific Ocean, eating only dried food and with nothing but emails from fans for company, Alex Bellini was rescued by a tugboat, just 65 nautical miles from his destination.

Mr Bellini, 30, set off on his solo crossing from Lima, Peru, in February, and had planned to next set foot on land in Sydney on Saturday. His plan was to row across the great ocean in his 25-foot boat. For 99 per cent of the gruelling journey, success seemed to be within his grasp.

But, suffering from exhaustion and battered by fierce storms off the eastern coast of Australia, he was forced to call his wife on Friday and ask her to send for help. The New South Wales mid-north coast was just beyond the horizon.

Salvation came hours later in the form of an Australian search and rescue aircraft and a New Zealand-registered tugboat. more

mother accused of selling newborn twin boys for £9,000 to pay for cosmetic surgery

A mother has been accused of selling newborn twin boys for £9,000 to pay for cosmetic surgery. Sonia Ringoir, a 31-year-old restaurant worker from the Belgian tourist haven of Ghent, was arrested and charged last week after the allegations were made by her estranged husband.

Marc Poppe, 48, told an undercover reporter for Dutch television that Ringoir had sold the babies to a friend to fund liposuction, the fat removal procedure. He said the couple had searched the internet to find a quick way of making money: “It was financially attractive to us. Of course we wouldn’t do it for nothing.”

Since Belgium has no law banning the sale of children, Ringoir has been charged with “degrading treatment” of the twins. She has also been charged with fraud after a Dutch couple alleged she had conned them by falsely offering to be a surrogate mother. If convicted, she could face between one month and five years in jail.

After spending five days in jail, Ringoir was released last Wednesday to await the results of police inquiries. She denied the allegations, claiming she gave her babies away for free last March to a friend who could not have her own child because of a weak heart. more

x porn star quit her job as school lunch lady

woman who left the porn industry to work as an elementary school lunch lady in Vineland, N.J. has quit her position. Louisa Tuck offered a one-sentence resignation to the Vineland, N.J. school district this week, Fox 29 News has confirmed.

Tuck, also know as Crystal Gunns, told school officials she was leaving in "good standing." The letter didn't indicate why Tuck was quitting Tuck revealed in November that she was Crystal Gunns, an adult model/actress with a big Internet following.

At the time, she was working as an cafeteria and playground aide at the D'Ippolito Elementary School.

Tuck's past triggered a national debate about her future employment with the school district. more

Man shot in hip, said cat did it

A man in Eden, N.C., told sheriff’s deputies Friday that his cat accidentally shot him.
Charlie Busick said his .45-caliber pistol was on a loveseat when the cat jumped onto it, the Greensboro News & Record reported. Busick was shot in the hip and had a friend take him to a hospital.

But the sheriff’s office said Busick later changed his story, saying the cat had nothing to do with it. I am wondering who will be charged now?

Illinois Governor Blago Could Step Aside and Keep Paycheck

ABC News' Tahman Bradley Reports: Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan raised the possibility Sunday that embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich could step aside, if only temporarily, and still receive his salary.

Madigan, who on Friday asked the Illinois Supreme Court to temporarily remove Blagojevich from office in the wake of a federal investigation into his alleged effort to sale or trade Barack Obama's old Senate seat, appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press".

"We have heard that there is the possibility that tomorrow he will make an announcement that he will step aside. I don’t know if that means he will resign or take another option that’s provided under the Illinois Constitution where he can voluntarily recognize that there’s a serious impediment to his ability to carry out his duties and therefore temporarily remove himself."

She added, "I think that second option would potentially allow him to keep his salary. And again, I have heard as well that that is one of his main concerns – his financial circumstances right now."

In the 78-page criminal complaint against him, Blagojevich is caught on tape allegedly discussing his financial circumstances and the hope that he might be able to sell his sole power to appoint the U.S. Senate vacancy to enrich himself. The Illinois governor makes $177,412 annually. more

Black and White twins

61 people arrested in global child pornography ring

U.S. law enforcement agencies have arrested 61 people and rescued 11 children as part of the larger takedown of a far-reaching global child pornography ring, Attorney General Michael Mukasey announced Friday.
Mukasey said the international law enforcement effort started after a "horrible" discovery in 2006: Australian authorities discovered a child abuse video depicting a father who had been "sexually abusing his young daughters and producing images of that abuse."
The video had been widely distributed online in closed Internet forums and servers that authorities discovered.
Authorities arrested the father, identified only as a Belgian national, about a month after the discovery of the video.
The man allegedly had large amounts of child pornography in his possession, and had allegedly enlisted the services of an Italian photographer whom officials said documented the sexual abuse and added the documentation to as many as seven Web sites. more

31-year-old man with gang history shot at funeral service

PORTLAND, Ore. – Gunfire erupted during a funeral service at a church on the north side of Portland on Friday, gravely wounding a 31-year-old man with a history of gang activity and sending mourners fleeing.
Sgt. Brian Schmautz of the Portland police said the wounded man, Darshawn Lavone Cross, had a criminal history of gang-related activity.
Although the neighborhood has been gentrifying in recent years, it has in the past been the scene of gang activity.
Schmautz said the shooter was still on the loose.
The shooting happened shortly after noon at the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, where a funeral was being held for an elderly woman, Schmautz said. He said he did not know of any connections or relationship among her, the victim and the shooter.
Charles Jointer, the son of pastor the Rev. Robert C. Jointer, said he was in his father's study in the church when shots were fired.
"All I really saw was a lot of people panicking, running, and that gave me the instinct that there was a gun somewhere," he said. "Everything was so fast."
Charles Jointer, 26, said he swept his 2-year-old son into his arms, ran back to his father's office and locked the doors.
Police responded to an emergency call within about five minutes, he said.
He said about 50 people were at the funeral service, and no one else was injured.

Nuts under her hood

DEMOTTE, Ind. (AP) - Aw, nuts. That's likely what Hope Wideup thought when her car's turn signal and windshield wipers wouldn't work. It's also what she found later when she opened the hood. "There were thousands in there. They were everywhere," she said, speculating a chipmunk found its way into her car, which had been sitting idle for several weeks, and used the engine compartment as a storage depot for a trove of black walnuts.
Wideup thinks it all started last fall when a chipmunk snatched a garden glove from her yard. She later found the glove in the engine compartment when she was trying to repair the broken turn signal. Unable to fix the problem, however, Wideup let the car sit unused for a couple of weeks and then heard a loud revving sound from the engine when she tried to start the vehicle.
That's when she looked under the hood again and found the walnuts.
"Apparently this little guy stuffed a bunch of these nuts in the accelerator throttle," said Wideup, who had to spend $242 for towing and repairs.
The chipmunk hasn't returned, Wideup told the Post-Tribune for a story published Wednesday. But she's not taking any chances, alternating use of her two cars so neither one is sitting too long.
"It's funny, but it's not," she said.

Three students at Miramar middle school were suspended inappropriate sexual behavior

At least three students at Glades Middle School complained about "inappropriate sexual conduct" by fellow students in a class there, a Miramar police spokeswoman said.The three students, all 12-year-old girls, told police that two boys, ages 13 and 14, and a 13-year-old girl began committing the acts in September and stopped when one of the victims reported the incidents Thursday, said police spokeswoman Detective Yessenia Diaz.The first girl came forward Dec. 4, after her parents insisted she tell them why her grades were slipping, Diaz said.More students may have been victimized, said Diaz, who urged parents and students to alert school officials and law enforcement.

Research shows children becoming sexually active at younger ages, and preteens in middle school also are highly susceptible to peer pressure, said Jennifer Lansford, associate research professor with the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University. more

McDonald's billboard in sight of Starbucks headquarters declaring, "four bucks is dumb."

Earlier: Coffee Smackdown: In new ad drive, Dunkin' Donuts is claiming a taste-test victory over Starbucks
If Dunkin' Donuts' taste test commercials were the schoolyard equivalent of blowing spitballs at the coffee giant from afar, then the latest from McDonald's is like pulling a wedgie. Starbucks employees driving northbound can see the billboard on their way into the city.

Another billboard slogan jabs, "large is the new grande." The two phrases are displayed on 140 billboards in Western Washington, some of them near Starbucks cafes.

"The billboard placement was done because we picked high visibility locations," said Alan Finkelstein, who owns four McDonald's in King County. "We really wanted to point out that ordering an espresso at McDonald's is quick and simple. Small, medium and large. It's easy."

Earlier this year, McDonald's started unsnobbycoffee.com to promote the launch of espresso drinks in the Seattle market.

Will Starbucks respond in kind? Unlikely.

While the coffee wars received much media and Wall Street trumpeting this year, Starbucks has been mostly silent, maintaining that its customer base is different.

Starbucks could fire back that not all of its coffee costs four bucks, or that extra cents help pay for health care for baristas. (A 12-ounce cup of brew starts at $1.40 at Starbucks, a penny more than the average McDonald's brew price. A small McDonald's latte costs $1.99 compared with $2.45 to $3.15 at Starbucks.)

Instead, it is fighting back in a more subtle way. Executives have hinted that Starbucks is taking the high road.

"We get a lot of questions on the competition and that everyone seems to be picking on Starbucks through their advertising and try to reposition Starbucks as expensive or snobby, and, boy, when is Starbucks going to start advertising and join in that coffee conversation?" Starbucks Chief Marketing Officer Terry Davenport told investors last week in New York.

"We're not going to get into that conversation. We're not going to get sucked into the, 'My coffee is better than your coffee,' price point type of coffee conversation. We're going to play at a much higher level."

Starbucks is relatively new to the advertising game after two decades of building its brand on word of mouth. However, armed with newly hired advertising agency BBDO New York, Starbucks placed two commercials recently. One, which ran during the "Saturday Night Live" show before Election Day, advertised that Starbucks would give out free coffee Nov. 4.

The second ran on the heavily traveled Wednesday before Thanksgiving, on the Weather Channel and CNN, to let customers know that Starbucks would be donating portions of coffee sales to help African AIDS victims.

The coffee giant also is turning to cheaper modes of advertising via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
more

Broken tree limb looks like an alligator

FORT WALTON BEACH - In the dark, a shadowy figure looked ominous to some residents on Marshall Court.

It was an alligator, they told Fort Walton Beach police.

Police investigated the incident but found nothing startling in a fenced-in area around an apartment complex.

The "alligator" was actually a 4- to 5-foot-long broken tree limb.

The people who called police had spotted the limb from a second-floor window, and "could not see very well due to low light," an officer wrote in his report.

A 4-foot alligator was, however, lassoed in Destin last week. It was relocated to Blackwater Creek.

And in related wildlife news, a 4-foot boa constrictor was caught inside a garbage can at Wholesale Nation on Dec. 1. When no one from Panhandle Animal Welfare Services or the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission could respond, police took it to the station for safe keeping.

Ford Says It Doesn't Need Bailout

DEARBORN, Mich. — By shunning government loans, Ford Motor Co.'s top executives say they hope to buff up the automaker's image and set it apart from its cash-starved Detroit competitors, General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC.

GM and Chrysler are in desperate need of government money and may not last until the end of the year without it. But Ford set up $23.5 billion worth of credit back in 2006, and both Chief Executive Alan Mulally and Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. told The Associated Press Tuesday they are confident that the borrowing, coupled with restructuring and new product plans, will get them through the recession without relying on the government.

Ford even said the century-old company that bears his family's name might be able to use the independence from loans to its advantage.

"I think if they see Ford as a company trying to pull itself up by its own bootstraps, and making it on its own and pulling the right levers, I think that could be a positive for us," Ford said.

Mulally said Ford has completed much of the restructuring that Congress is demanding of the other two, slimming down its brands by selling Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin and studying the sale of Sweden's Volvo.

Ford, he said, has cut its factory capacity to match demand, and it anticipates no further cuts will be necessary as long as the U.S. auto market doesn't worsen considerably. The company has announced the closure of 17 factories and eliminated 50,000 jobs since 2005, many through buyout and early retirement offers.

The interviews came as weary Democratic congressional leaders pushed to clear the final obstacles to a $15 billion bailout of Chrysler and GM Tuesday night, but the rescue plan faced new snags as Republicans raised deep concerns.

Among the requirements in the Democrats' proposed legislation is the appointment of a "car czar" to oversee Chrysler and GM with authority to yank the loans if the companies don't make substantial progress toward restructuring. more

Robber Suspect Flees to the Ohio State Highway Patrol training center.

Print StoryE-mail StoryCOLUMBUS, Ohio — A man suspected of robbing a north side gas station early Monday was arrested outside the Ohio State Highway Patrol training center.

Police said two men robbed the Speedway gas station, located at 3974 Cleveland Avenue, at about 3 a.m., 10TV's Tino Ramos reported.

They fled the scene in a pickup. Police put out a description of the vehicle and an officer spotted it on Interstate 71 near Weber Road. more

Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich is in hot water

Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff, John Harris, were arrested today by FBI agents on federal corruption charges alleging that they and others are engaging in ongoing criminal activity: conspiring to obtain personal financial benefits for Blagojevich by leveraging his sole authority to appoint a United States Senator; threatening to withhold substantial state assistance to the Tribune Company in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field to induce the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members sharply critical of Blagojevich; and to obtain campaign contributions in exchange for official actions – both historically and now in a push before a new state ethics law takes effect January 1, 2009.

Blagojevich, 51, and Harris, 46, both of Chicago, were each charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. They were charged in a two-count criminal complaint that was sworn out on Sunday and unsealed today following their arrests, which occurred without incident, announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Both men were expected to appear later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nan Nolan in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

A 76-page FBI affidavit alleges that Blagojevich, a Democrat, was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps during the last month conspiring to sell or trade Illinois' U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama for financial and other personal benefits for himself and his wife. At various times, in exchange for the Senate appointment, Blagojevich discussed obtaining:

A substantial salary for himself at a either a non-profit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions;

Placing his wife on paid corporate boards where he speculated she might garner as much as $150,000 a year;

Promises of campaign funds – including cash up front; and

A cabinet post or ambassadorship for himself. more

High School Football Star Dies During Traffic Stop

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- A George County High School football star died early Monday after being pulled over by authorities, a coach said.

Assistant coach Darwin Nelson said he was called to help identify the body of the teenager, who was a star running back at the school. Nelson said the wound appeared to be self-inflicted.

An official with the George County Sheriff's Department said a statement was being prepared.

Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Charlie Cook said the sheriff asked the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation to look into the death.

Nelson said the youth apparently took his on life after the deputy who pulled him over walked back to the patrol car to run a license check.

Man died after being stabbed for hogging microphone at a karaoke

A Malaysian man died after being stabbed during a row that erupted after he was accused of hogging the microphone at a karaoke venue, state media reports.

Police in Sandakan on Borneo island said that 23-year-old Abdul Sani Doli was believed to have angered other patrons by singing one tune after another, and refusing to hand over the microphone.

A row broke out with three men at the next table, escalating into a fist fight outside the karaoke joint, Sandakan police chief Rosli Mohd Isa said, according to the official Bernama news agency.

Abdul Sani was stabbed in the chest and died, and two men have been arrested in connection with the murder, it said.

Rockland County teacher fired for Reenactments and demonstrations slavery

HAVERSTRAW, N.Y. (CBS) ― Reenactments and demonstrations can be helpful teaching tools, but did a Rockland County teacher take that approach too far? She's under fire for binding the hands of black students and having them sit under a desk during a lesson on slavery.

Christine Shand says it was a terrible experience for her daughter, Gaby, descended, like most Jamaicans, from slaves.

"She burst into tears, she was crying and she was horrified," Shand told CBS 2 HD.

In a social studies class at Haverstraw Middle School, teacher Eileen Bernstein chose Gaby and another girl for a demonstration of conditions on ships that carried slaves out of Africa.

One African-American student raised her hand to volunteer for the demonstration. Gaby did not volunteer, but was chosen anyway.

"She taped their hands together, taped their feet together, and she had them crawl under the desk as if they were on a slave ship," her mother told CBS 2. more

Car dealer sales pitch buy one, get one free

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Buy one, get one free: it's a familiar sales pitch for happy-hour cocktails or last season's fashions, but now a Belgian car dealer is luring customers with just that line.

Antwerp-based Cardoen, which sells about 10,000 new and nearly new cars per year, started the promotion at the end of November and said it would run until December 15.

During that period, customers can choose from a range of new, full-price cars -- the cheapest being a 22,800 euro ($28,930) Hyundai van -- and then pick a second free vehicle from a selection that goes up to 14,000 euros.

"People have been coming in from all over Belgium and abroad," Cardoen's Commercial Director Ivo Willems said, adding that Cardoen's eight showrooms had seen more than 10 times their usual number of visitors since the promotion began. more

parents are suing the district for suspending girls for nude photographs

The parents of two Seattle-area high school cheerleaders are suing the district for suspending the girls from the squad after nude photographs of them circulated via text message.
The two teens were suspended from the squad — one for 30 days and one for the entire year — after school officials learned of the photos in August, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.
The families suing Northshore School District weren't identified because the girls are minors.
The lawsuits, filed on Nov. 17, say the district violated the girls' due process rights, according to the paper. The families allege it was unnecessary for school officials to share the photos with other staff members, and claim they were negligent in failing to report the matter to police as a potential case of child pornography.
Matthew King, the attorney representing the families, told the Post-Intelligencer that it was unfair to punish the cheerleaders but not the other students who received or forwarded the photos.
"We're not technically challenging the sanctions as being too strict, we're saying they weren't evenly enforced across the school," said King. "There should have been some punishment meted out to those who were in possession of the photos. ... It seems like the girls are getting the brunt of it." more

central Illinois high schooler faces battery charges

NORMAL, Ill. — A central Illinois high schooler faces battery charges after allegedly poking students in the buttocks with a pin in the school's halls.
The student at Normal Community West High School is charged with aggravated battery and has been released to his parents. He is not being named because he's been charged as a juvenile.
Normal Police Chief Kent Crutcher tells The Pantagraph newspaper that one or two other students may also face charges.
It's not clear how many students were injured in the incident.
Police were called to the school Wednesday, when a student who was poked sought medical attention. He was examined at a hospital as a precaution but not seriously injured.

Mother went undercover spying on jurors who found her son guilty

She gave herself an extreme makeover — blonde dye job, fake tan, sexy wardrobe, phony name — and began spying on jurors. She befriended one juror to root out any possible misdeeds at the trial, and for nearly eight months, they drank at bars, smoked marijuana and shared meals in her tiny Brooklyn hideaway.
The juror eventually opened up to her about his time as a juror, completely unaware that this seductive older woman was the same dutiful mother who sat through the entire trial just a few feet (meters) away from him.
The bizarre saga has become the basis for a defense motion filed this week demanding that the verdict be set aside, while exposing the desperate attempt that Giuliano made to win her son's freedom.
"What she did was extraordinarily commendable," said one of Giuliano's lawyers, Ezra Glaser. "It shows the love of a mother and the great lengths she'll go to to help her child."
The juror, naturally, doesn't quite see it that way. Jason Allo faces the possibility of being hauled into court to explain conversations recorded by a seductive undercover mother wearing a wire.
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"He didn't do anything wrong," said his attorney, Salvatore Strazzullo. "We're going to defend Mr. Allo's actions to the full extent of the law."
Among other things, the motion accuses the 33-year-old Allo of concealing that he had personal knowledge that Giuliano's son, John Giuca, ran with a rough crowd, and of defying orders to avoid news coverage once the highly publicized proceedings started. It argues that Allo "admitted the outside information he obtained about the case prejudiced him against Mr. Giuca."
A spokesman for the Brooklyn District attorney's office said only that the motion was being reviewed. But the defense is a longshot: Courts rarely overturn guilty jury verdicts.
Guica was convicted of the 2003 murder of Mark Fisher, a 19-year-old college student from Andover, New Jersey, who had gone to an after-hours party Guica hosted in Brooklyn while his parents were out of town.
Prosecutors say Giuca, then a skinny 20-year-old, was a leader of a self-styled gang called the Ghetto Mafia. At trial, prosecutors said Fisher was targeted for showing "disrespect" by sitting on a table in Giuca's house.
Giuca ordered another gang member "to go show that guy what's up," then gave the shooter a .22-caliber handgun, prosecutors said. At dawn, police responding to a report of gunshots found Fisher's body shot five times and dumped on a sidewalk.
It took more than a year for police to arrest the shooter. Giuca was taken into custody one month later after authorities secured witnesses who linked him to the crime.
A jury deliberated only two hours before convicting Giuca of second-degree murder in 2005. He and the gunman were sentenced to 25 years to life in prison by a judge who told them that because the killing was callous, "my sentence will be callous." more

trooper gave a $100 citation to woman in labor

All too often, the congested roads of Greater Boston conspire with the vagaries of childbirth to leave a mother-to-be in a car on the roadside at one of life's most critical moments. A hard-bitten state trooper shows up and morphs into a highway midwife, clearing the newborn's nose and mouth, cutting the cord, and sometimes even saving a life.


Jennifer Davis was stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Nov. 18, her contractions just 3 minutes apart. Her husband, John, was trying to appear calm for his wife's sake, driving in the breakdown lane of Route 2. They pulled up behind a state trooper to ask whether they could continue using the lane to reach the next exit, near Alewife Station.
Not only did the trooper say no, he gave them a $100 citation for driving in the breakdown lane, made them wait for their citation while he finished writing someone else's ticket, and even seemed to ask for proof of pregnancy, Jennifer Davis said.
"He said, 'What's under your jacket?' I said, 'My belly,' " Davis said. "He waited and gestured with his head like, 'OK, let's see it.' He waited for me to unzip my jacket. I mean, it was so clear that I was pregnant."
The Davises say the contretemps occurred after two other troopers they encountered had waved them along in the highway breakdown lane, allowing them to evade gridlock while advising them to be cautious and keep their hazard lights on.
While State Police spokesman David Procopio declined to comment on the merits of this stop, he noted that state law prohibits driving in breakdown lanes on Route 2.
"The trooper made a judgment call to enforce the law governing the use of the breakdown lane," said Procopio. "If the couple does choose to submit a letter of complaint, we'll review it in accordance with our procedure."
The officer who gave the citation - Trooper Michael Galluccio of the Brighton barracks, according to his identification number - could not immediately be reached for comment.
Though the Davises live about 30 miles away in Dracut, Jennifer Davis, 38, wanted to have her baby at Mount Auburn, where she had also given birth to her 7-year-old son, Brendan. more

Colorado man faces criminal charge in libel case

J.P. Weichel is accused of writing defamatory comments about his former girlfriend on a Craigslist forum. Free-speech advocates are outraged.
By Nicholas Riccardi December 4, 2008
Reporting from Fort Collins, Colo. -- Locked in a visitation dispute with his former girlfriend over their young daughter, J.P. Weichel wanted to vent, court records say.Weichel, 40, allegedly posted comments about the woman on the Craigslist "rants and raves" forum, accusing her of child abuse and welfare fraud and making crude comments about her sex life.

The woman said the postings were defamatory. But unlike the majority of libel cases, which are tried in civil court, local authorities have taken the unusual step of charging Weichel with a crime.Colorado is one of a dwindling number of states with a criminal law against libel. The statute dates to the 19th century and is rarely used.But Larimer County Dist. Atty. Larry Abrahamson said Colorado's statute applied precisely to what Weichel was accused of doing.
"This is what the Legislature of the state of Colorado has determined is criminal," Abrahamson said. "We're obligated to enforce the laws in the state of Colorado."Weichel could not be reached for comment, and his lawyer, Michael Liggett, has a policy of not speaking with reporters, an assistant in his law office said.But several lawyers said the case should be handled in civil court. Bringing the government into the dispute, they said, is a troubling infringement on free speech."Being a jerk isn't necessarily grounds for felony prosecution," said Mark Silverstein, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado.Gregory Lisby, a communications professor at Georgia State University, has tracked criminal libel prosecutions. He said the states that retained such statues -- there are 17, according to free-speech groups -- had simply not updated laws from English common law.Criminal libel prosecutions are "a sledgehammer when a scalpel would do the same trick," Lisby said.His research shows that criminal libel cases have dropped, but the Internet could reverse that, he said. People don't realize that scathing postings or e-mails can make them liable for defamation charges. more

Police arrested a man who said he killed 110 children

UYO, Nigeria - Police have arrested a man in southeastern Nigeria who said in a television documentary he had killed 110 children he believed to be possessed by evil spirits, officials said on Wednesday.
Rights campaigners say fraudulent pastors or "witchdoctors" in some parts of Nigeria convince parents that their children are possessed and will bring misfortune such as divorce or disease so as to extort money to perform exorcisms.
Some accused children fall into the hands of child trafficking networks after being handed over by their parents.
"We are working on the orders of the state governor to arrest all those involved in all forms of child abuse and trafficking," Akwa Ibom state's commissioner for information, Aniekan Umanah, told Reuters.
Umanah said Bishop Sunday Ulup-Aya, arrested in Mbo close to the Atlantic coast with six other suspects, had claimed in a documentary to have killed 110 children beset by evil spirits.
"I am not denying that I am a witchdoctor, but what I killed are witches in my patients with herbs, not children," Ulup-Aya said while in detention. more

I will survive

SING IT GIRLS!!! OUT LOUD

At first I was afraid, I was petrified.When you said you had 10 inches, Lord I almost died!But I'd spent so many years just waiting for a man that long,That I grew strong, and I knew that I could take you on...But there you are, another lie,I was ready for a Big Mac and you've brought me a French fry!I should have known that it was bulls***t, Just a sad pathetic dreamShould have known there was no Anaconda lurking in those Jeans! Go on now-go! , Walk out the door,Don't you promise me 10 inches, then turn up with only 4!Weren't you a brat to think I wouldn't find you out!?Don't you know we're only joking when we say size don't count??!! [Chorus] I will survive! I will survive!Cuz as long as I have batteries,My sex life's gonna thrive!I will always have good sex,With a handful of latex!I will survive! I will survive! Hey! Hey! It took all my self control not to laugh out loud,When I saw your little weiner standing tall and proud!But to hell with you r ego and to hell with all your needs,Now I'm saving all my lovin' for a cordless multispeed![Chorus] I will survive! I will survive!Cuz as long as I have batteries,My sex life's gonna thrive!I will always have good sex,With a handful of latex!I will survive! I will survive! Hey! Hey!

Our Secret

The feeling was euphoric: squinted and dilated eyes, tensed muscels, and blood rushing to my head. The fluid gushing from my mouth looked like a pre-schoolers rainbow. So vile and dirty the colors were. I felt strangely relived because I had cleansed myself of the filth. I was pure until the next time I was forced to succumb to the sinful temptation once more.

“Guess what, I have a secret.” Alexis whispered to me in her airy voice.
“What” I asked in the same tautly giddy resonance.
“I found a way to get skinny faster” she whispered back conspiratorrally.I was instantly interested. Alexis and I had been committed to loosing weight. It was our dream to walk the runways of places like Milan, Paris, and Tokyo. After watching models on television we both agreed; models aren’t fat. It was the motto we used on each other when we felt like giving up the newest crazy diet or the near impossible exercise plan.

“Okay so all you have to do is take an old tooth brush. Like this one.” She held up an old, red, baby tooth brush, “and stick it down your throat, and touch that pink thing that hangs down there”.
“Lexi, girl what did I tell you about smokin’ that stuff and not sharin’.Do you know how dangerous that is?”

“Stop worrying it’ll be fine. It works and that’s all that matters.” She said breezily. The look on my face must have said differently because she quickly added, “And we’ll be really really cross my heart. Here try it.” she said as she pushed me into the bathroom with the toothbrush. Once the door closed Alexis shouted, “Remember models aren’t fat!” That’s when I decided my fate and Alexis’s…

“Alexis! Lexi! Oh my God, wake up please”, my screams pierced through the stunned silence that filled the room. With bleared vision I watched as the paramedics lifted a limp and impossibly slender body onto a stretcher. I watched as the foamed spit and smeared crimson flooded from its mouth. I watched as the body jerked as if it were a child’s plaything. I watched in fascinated horror as my best friend had a massive seizure.

“Stop blaming yourself”, Alexis rasped, “This is my fault”. I smiled and took Alexis’s tiny hand but didn’t bother to contradict her again. I tried to hold back the moisture that seemed intent on breaking my carefully molded cheerful façade. But I couldn’t help it. She had changed so much; I couldn’t even see her as “Lexi” anymore. She told me not to blame myself but how I can not. I could have prevented all this chaos if I had been stronger. I could have saved my Lexi from becoming this shell, this fakeness, this sicklier version of… me.