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The place where the world comes together in honesty and mirth.
Windmills Tilted, Scared Cows Butchered, Lies Skewered on the Lance of Reality ... or something to that effect.


Friday, May 14, 2010

The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift
Today's horoscope says:
Today is all about recycling -- in all its forms.
You can (and should) rid yourself of excess, but you need to make sure that you also reuse anything that can somehow be given new life.
Some of our readers today have been in:
Whitby, Ontario, Canada
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Lincoln, England, United Kingdom
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
New Delhi, Delhi, India
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Quebec, Quebec, Canada
Brussels, Brussels Hoofdstedlijk Gewest, Belgium
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Bucharest, Bucuresti, Romania
Bremen, Bremen, Germany

as well as Poland, and the United States in such cities as San Diego, Staatsburg, Alpena, La Porte and more

Today is Friday, May 14, the 134th day of 2010.
There are 231 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holidays or celebrations are:
Mike, The Headless Chicken Day
The Chicken Dance Day
and
Underground America Day
 

Glenn Beck has Nazi Tourettes

This is effing brilliant.

Daily Show correspondent Lewis Black was surprised last night that Glenn Beck had criticized those who have compared Arizona's immigration law to Nazi Germany. "This is a guy," he said, "who uses more swastika props and video of the Nuremberg rallies than the History Channel." - TPM
The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Back in Black - Glenn Beck's Nazi Tourette's
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorTea Party

As The World Turns

As The World Turns
Chaos, Violence Grips Thai Capital
The Thai capital Bangkok was embroiled in violence that has left four dead after the shooting a day earlier of an opposition leader inflamed tensions already high after weeks of unrest.

Bomb explodes inside Greek courthouse
A powerful bomb has exploded inside a courthouse in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki.

Shahzad's Pakistani trainer arrested
Pakistani officials said they arrested a man who admitted to training Faisal Shahzad, the man accused in the failed Times Square bomb attempt.

Underground network snarls terror probes

A centuries-old system that moves billions of dollars under the radar defies efforts to shut it down.  
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Scences from a local Renaissance Faire featuring music by Albanach

Albanach

Now, that's a first

Pretty Woman - bet you never saw this before.

Things not to do when gardening

If your plants aren't flourishing, you're probably guilty of one of these miscues.  
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Hero hits gunman with chair in shop

A robber who carried out a series of gunpoint raids at betting shops was finally caught when a brave customer struck him with a chair and then sat on him till police arrived. Leeds Crown Court heard yesterday Azar Sulman had already targeted the William Hill shop in Kirkstall Road, Leeds, once, and the Hyde Park Road branch on two previous occasions before he returned there again on January 28.

But this time when he brandished a pistol at terrified staff the court heard the raider met his match in 38-year-old Martin Richardson. After checking outside that the robber did not have any accomplices Mr Richardson closed the door to keep him inside and then struck him in the face with a chair.



Michael Smith, prosecuting, said when that did not appear to have any effect on Sulman, Mr Richardson struck him again. This time he went down and the customer grabbed his wrist forcing him to drop the weapon, kicking it out of reach before sitting on him until help arrived.

The gun turned out to be an air pistol but Mr Richardson told police he felt he had to act: "I was scared, I couldn't be certain whether the gun was real or not, I thought the male might shoot me anyway for getting in his way." Sentencing Sulman to six years in a young offender institution, Judge Scott Wolstenholme paid tribute to Mr Richardson's bravery and awarded him £250 from public funds.

Suspect in 1988 Texas polygamist deaths arrested in Honduras, extradited to face charges

The fugitive daughter of a deceased Utah polygamist sect leader wanted in a 1988 quadruple slaying has been arrested in Honduras and extradited to Houston to face charges, the FBI said Friday.

Ziggy

http://imgsrv.gocomics.com/dim/?fh=8a1dba7c121cea15e97181956a0b93f8&w=450.0

Culinary DeLites

Culinary DeLites
The worst juice choices are loaded with added sugar and water and contain very little fruit.  
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The freezer aisle has healthy, timesaving options as well as salty, fattening meals.  
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How does Taco Bell's new $2 deal for an entrée, drink, and chips compare to McDonald's Dollar Menu? 
Also: 
These grocery store items are must-haves because they make food preparation a flash.
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Germ-zapping products put to the test

These gadgets promise to limit your exposure to harmful organisms, but do they deliver?  
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In Albania, 750,000 Bunkers Converted Into Hotels, Cottages, and Bars With Gorgeous Views

mushroom bunkers converted photo inside
Mushroom hotel room- credit Abitare
Albania's Enver Hoxha ruled from 1945 to 1985 and towards the end made North Korea's Kim Jong-il look normal. Being a bit paranoid, he constructed an extraordinary three quarters of a million mushroom-shaped bunkers. That presents a lot of opportunity for creative re-purposing and reuse.

Fabrizio Gallanti of Abitare
shows some of the more interesting ones; some have been turned into restaurants, used for making wine, and even a sustainable eco-resort.
Article continues: In Albania, 750,000 Bunkers Converted Into Hotels, Cottages, and Bars With Gorgeous Views

Renaissance Faire

Blackmore's Night performing Renaissance Faire

Cars you might be driving in 2020

These high-tech, super-efficient concept cars offer a preview of what could hit showrooms. 
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Privacy controversy haunts Facebook

The social networking site is facing growing outcry over its privacy policy.  
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"Hero" Philadelphia Police Sgt. Shot Himself; Made Up Story That Black Men Shot Him

A Philadelphia police officer who told authorities he was shot while on patrol has admitted he shot himself intentionally, the police commissioner said. Ralston had previously said that a black male with cornrows shot him in the shoulder. The rest of the 19th Precinct sent out SWAT teams and searched for the suspects, but with no success. It's unknown why Robert Ralston shot himself, or why he chose African-Americans to be his phantom scapegoats.

Ex-Scientologist Reveals Details Behind 'Dangerous Cult'

Most people know very little about Scientology aside from the fact that Tom Cruise, John Travolta and other celebrities are a part of it, and that it's had its fair share of controversy over the years. A new book is looking to pull back the curtain on the mysterious religion founded by L. Ron Hubbard, and the author certainly knows her stuff.

Amy Scobee is a former Scientologist who was in the church for more than two decades, and worked in the all-important Celebrity Centers portion of the organization. In her just-released book, 'Scientology: Abuse at the Top,' Scobee details all of the troubling things she saw that made her flee what she once called her trusted religion, but now refers to as a "dangerous cult." Scobee spoke exclusively to PopEater over e-mail about her shocking book, her time with Tom Cruise and other Scientology bigwigs, and the (her words) brainwashing, systematic violence and slave labor camps she saw during her 27 years there. Her terrifying claims ... after the jump!

Could you explain your role within the Church of Scientology?
I worked in the upper management of Scientology for two decades. For a good portion of that time, I was responsible for the international network of Celebrity Centers, which service people in the field of the arts, government and sports -- people with high profiles in the world who are capable of creating a lot of influence on the population.

You were a member for 27 years. What was the spark plug for your departure?
I became less and less tolerant of the abuse that I witnessed as it got more and more harsh. People were very unhappy, family members were being separated, David Miscavige [the current "leader" of Scientology] committed assault and battery on my friends on numerous occasions. I could not justify continuing to support such an organization bent on threats and severe human rights violations, which were a dichotomy of the stated goals and reason I joined in the first place. I wanted to help people and create a better world based on love and compassion for mankind.

Why is there such a big push to recruit celebrities to Scientology?
A strategic priority for Scientology is to bring in big-name celebrities as they can influence whole populations. If they endorse Scientology, then masses will want to join, as well. That means expansion, more money, more members who in turn bring in others. The stated goal for Celebrity Center is to make celebrities into "walking success stories" of Scientology so they promote their success and attribute it to what they learned in Scientology.

In the press, there's often articles that are negative towards the Church. Why would they want to attract more celebrities, and in turn, more attention?
They think that any negative press is just a result of "disgruntled ex-members" and should be ignored.

Tom Cruise is by far the most known Scientologist. What types of interaction did you have with him during your time there, and what can you say about him as a person?
I met Tom Cruise and members of his family. I did a project to locate Scientologists for him to hire in order to fill specific positions in his household -- such as executive housekeeper, maid, cook, nanny. Personally, I do not have much respect for Tom at all for a few very important reasons. First of all, I think he has abused his "power" as a well-known figure to gain special favors from Scientology. I know of several examples of this, including the fact that I was personally assigned to select his personal entourage, which had nothing to do with my job at the time. I was a full-time staff member in the Sea Organization.

"I did not get paid for that service, I did not get thanked for that service. I was at the International Management base in Hemet when he came to do Scientology services for an extended period of time. The staff members there were not set up to service a celebrity at that property. People were pulled off their own jobs to cater to him. I knew of people [Sea org members] doing his laundry, supervising him in the course room, supervising his counseling, the music studio conference room was converted to a course room for him, many staff members were utilized to establish audio-visual facilities in his home. Many staff members had to stay up day and night, because on the 500 acre property there were some brown patches on the lawns -- it's in the middle of the desert in Hemet. Those brown patches could be seen by helicopter per David Miscavige, and Cruise was going to arrive via helicopter, so we laid sod for days -- night and day.

"The other factor is that Tom Cruise has proclaimed David Miscavige to be a "LEADER OF LEADERS" and announced to all Scientologists attending the International Association of Scientologists Event in 2004 that David Miscavige was the best leader and said that he should know "because I've met them ALL." That's an arrogant statement, plus David Miscavige viciously beats his staff members. So to give Miscavige all this praise puts in concrete to Scientology followers to listen to this "leader" who has NO BUSINESS being in that position because he's DANGEROUS.

Recently, reports surfaced claiming that David Miscavige played Tom Cruise's confession tapes -- which are meant to be private -- to fellow church members for a laugh over drinks. Does that seem like something he'd do, or have you known this to be true?

Yes -- David Miscavige talked about people's private confidential information. I witnessed this myself. I included some specifics of this in my book regarding another celebrity. He also did it to staff -- snickering about things that came up in their confessionals and TELLING the specifics to whoever was at the meeting with him at the time. He did that to me. And he did that to many, many others. Including calling all-base staff briefings and reporting embarrassing details about supposed transgressions in order to intimidate people. One of my friends told me how Miscavige and he were standing outside when staff were walking between buildings -- like for lunch break or something -- and he pointed to random people giving "tid-bits" on each one as they passed, to "prove" how much "in the know" he is. It's a complete violation of the priest-penitent privilege and a total invasion of privacy.

What was the Church's reaction to his showdown with Matt Lauer?

I was already out of Scientology when that happened. I saw the show and thought Tom was being very arrogant towards Matt Lauer. I don't know what the Church response was because I wasn't there, but I presume they would have patted Tom on the back for "standing up" to Lauer and telling the world how bad psychiatric drugs are for people.

Scientology often gets criticized for mobilizing when there's a tragedy (9/11, the Haiti earthquake) as people feel they're trying to recruit. What can you share on that?

They ARE trying to recruit and create good PR for Scientology -- "good works, well publicized" is the goal, so as to become more accepted in society and to bring in new members. People are instructed to video [tape] their actions and get media if they can so this can then be shown at their very frequent PR events to "prove" to their members how much they are accepted and expanding and doing good for the world.

Do you think more and more celebrities will lean towards Scientology as time goes on, or has it hit its high point star-wise?

No. Scientology celebrities are already beginning to turn away and have publicly resigned their membership. Award-winning writer/director Paul Haggis, actor Jason Beghe and actor Larry Anderson are a few recent examples. I think more celebrities will walk away as they discover the truth and cease turning a blind eye to the blatant human rights violations so many people are exposing inside Scientology.

During an interview with ABC, you detail your experience with Scientology's purification treatment. You eventually began taking massive amounts of niacin, which led to some side effects. Could you detail that?

The purification program is supposed to be relatively short, where you exercise for a period of time per day and then sweat in the sauna in order to rid the body of any residual drugs and toxins. Miscavige decided that executives in International Management were "incompetent" as they were "dead heads" due to past drug histories being "unhandled." So he decided to create a weird variation of the purification program where many of us were put in the sauna 5 hours per day for MONTHS at a time. I was on it for 8 months and I know of several others who were on even longer. You take high dosages of niacin -- 5000 mg per day -- while on this program.

"I got freaked out that my body was being damaged. I had gray matter coming out of my pores and I asked if it could please be checked into by the lab or doctor, which was never done. This is the point when I started to plan my escape from that place. I felt trapped, and at risk both physically and mentally. And it didn't help to have an abusive and nasty leader dictating our lives at that point either. I was sent to Florida and I left from there in March 2005.

What good things are there that Scientology does that people may not know about?

I believe that the study technology has really helped people because I've read many rave success stories -- where people who could not learn before obtained simple tools to be able to read and learn and increase their competence as a result. One doesn't have to be a Scientologist to apply the basic tools of study, such as using a dictionary to clear words and terms one doesn't understand in order to obtain a conceptual understanding of what you are reading and to study a subject on a gradient and to balance the significance with the actual mass of what you're learning -- such as LOOK at the piece of equipment while reading the manual!

Scientology believes that one is a spiritual being that has lived before and will continue to live. This is not unique to Scientology, but a basis of a lot of religions. They do promote a moral code of love and compassion and following the laws of the land, which is helpful to those who will actually apply those concepts.

What are some of the worst things?
-- Family disconnection and their manipulation, blackmail and control through the threat of being cut off from family, which has devastating effects, and being denied your "only road to salvation as a spiritual being."

-- The Rehabilitation Project Force, which I cover in detail in my book. This is a slave labor camp within the Sea Organization where people who have supposedly messed up get sent for sometimes years and years. They are separated from family, segregated from the rest of the group, made to run everywhere, put on hard manual physical work and paid 1/4 the regular staff pay -- about $12 per WEEK. I've known several people on that program for over a decade for minor offenses. It's inhumane and that "program" should be shut down.

-- The way Scientology goes after critics. It's their policy to utterly annihilate the credibility of anyone speaking out against the "church." They have done brutal things in the past along these lines and are still pulling these stunts currently. I've been followed by private investigators – sometimes several at a time, my family's house watched, they've tried to get my in-laws (never even in Scientology) to kick me out of the family, which they refused and dismissed as a completely insane and evil proposal. They put out publications with vicious false and defamatory information about me to hopefully make the readers think I was incapable of accurately reporting on my observations with regards to their illegal activities.

-- Another key thing is INFORMATION CONTROL. This is a form of mind control. If one controls what you can and can not see or hear, one is unable to make a rational decision about that matter. Scientology specializes in information control -- one is banned from upper levels of "spiritual enlightenment' if it is discovered that you read anything negative about Scientology or talked to someone about it. People are put in for routine confessionals to find out if you "committed this sin." So you are careful to avoid any contact with the media when it comes to Scientology or to read about any exposure about what is going on at the highest echelons. If the general public knew, they would stop supporting Scientology.

"They would walk away. They'd have the INFORMATION to be able to make that decision. Instead, all they hear is what the head of Scientology (Miscavige) reports at their frequent PR events -- how the expansion is better than ever and popularity of Scientology is at an all-time high, etc. They applaud, thinking it's all wonderful and donate a lot of money for the cause to "keep the expansion going." It's very sad. I want people to have the truth. When I informed a family member of mine, who had been a dedicated Scientologist for about 30 years, what was really going on at the top of his church, he chose to walk away and he has officially resigned. That's the logical thing to do. He still believes the technology itself is beneficial, but will no longer support that organization – in fact he has also now requested all of his money back.

"Something dangerous about Scientology is that they truly believe that they are the "only salvation" for mankind. They therefore consider they can do all sorts of things -- even if it breaks the law -- because it's "the greatest good" and forwards their overall mission to ensure everyone's future eternity. Crush a critic into silence, lie on national television, beat a staff member who is not behaving as you'd like, blackmail people using family disconnection and other threats to keep them in line, use personal information obtained on people to smear their name, keep people on the RPF for years, force staff to work around the clock for almost no pay, hide evidence that could be damning if it were discovered -- on and on. They are fanatics about being the ONLY salvation and the end justifies the means.

Germany recently declared Scientology a cult. Do you think that's an accurate definition?

Yes -- I believe Scientology is actually a dangerous cult. By definition, a "destructive cult" is a religion or other group which has caused or has a high probability of causing harm to its own members or to others. Some researchers define "harm" in this case with a narrow focus, specifically groups which have deliberately physically injured or killed other individuals, while others define the term more broadly and include emotional abuse among the types of harm inflicted. Both physical and spiritual/mental abuse has occurred, and from what I understand is continuing to occur, within Scientology -- at its highest ranks. I observed quite a bit of such destructive action and this is detailed in my new book.

Is there a single most-shocking incident or occasion that stands out in your mind from your time in Scientology?

Yes -- my realization that I had just spent 27 years of my life supporting what I now realize is a dangerous and destructive cult -- a so-called "religion" that hides behind its status as a "church" to cover up crimes and major human rights violations. My own personal integrity is intact and I am determined to expose the abuse to hopefully put it to an end.

Telling the world how much you're worth

From the "Not a very good idea, there buddy" Department:
Comparing net worth has become an obsession for people like Joey Kincer.
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It's The Economy Stupid

It's The Economy Stupid
The worst frequent-flier program could fulfill just 10.7% of requests for award seats.  
Also: 
Without improvements in these key areas, most Americans won't feel the economic recovery.  
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How companies dodge $60 billion in taxes

Hundreds of U.S. companies have figured out how to avoid paying taxes on profits.
You'd never know the country was in a recession based on these nine-figure asking prices.  
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On The Job

On The Job
A man who lived off frequent flier miles and hotel points for months lands an impressive new gig.  
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Campaign ads stir up tension, controversy

A sly dig and an eerily familiar scene add intrigue to a key Senate showdown.  
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Worst-Case Thinking

mushroom cloud
Worst-case thinking means generally bad decision making for several reasons. First, it’s only half of the cost-benefit equation. Every decision has costs and benefits, risks and rewards. By speculating about what can possibly go wrong, and then acting as if that is likely to happen, worst-case thinking focuses only on the extreme but improbable risks and does a poor job at assessing outcomes.
Second, it’s based on flawed logic. It begs the question by assuming that a proponent of an action must prove that the nightmare scenario is impossible.
Third, it can be used to support any position or its opposite. If we build a nuclear power plant, it could melt down. If we don’t build it, we will run short of power and society will collapse into anarchy. If we allow flights near Iceland’s volcanic ash, planes will crash and people will die. If we don’t, organs won’t arrive in time for transplant operations and people will die. If we don’t invade Iraq, Saddam Hussein might use the nuclear weapons he might have. If we do, we might destabilize the Middle East, leading to widespread violence and death.
Of course, not all fears are equal. Those that we tend to exaggerate are more easily justified by worst-case thinking. So terrorism fears trump privacy fears, and almost everything else; technology is hard to understand and therefore scary; nuclear weapons are worse than conventional weapons; our children need to be protected at all costs; and annihilating the planet is bad. Basically, any fear that would make a good movie plot is amenable to worst-case thinking.
The other extreme is militant positive thinking. The modern condition seems to be a constant fluctuation between these two extremes: irrational fear and irrational optimism.

Suckers Continue to Be Born Every Minute as Pastor Ted Haggard Starts a New Church

Ted Haggard is back. The disgraced former pastor and his loyal wife Gayle (her new book is out on why she stayed with him) have incorporated a new church -- sort of.

A new church incorporation in Colorado Springs tends to pass unnoticed. After all, there are some 500 churches in the area.

But an incorporation last week stands out because it was done by none other than Ted and Gayle Haggard.

The Haggards give their home address on Old Ranch Road as the site of their new church, which they call St. James. The name is a nod to the passage “faith without works is dead” in the Book of James.

Ted Haggard said Tuesday that St. James was incorporated “to keep the accounting in order” of the paid talks they’ve given for about a year and a half at evangelical churches across the country. The Haggards incur out-of-pocket expenses while on the road, so St. James is a way to be reimbursed for those costs in an orderly manner, he said.

But Haggard doesn’t rule out the possibility that St. James will become in the future a bona fide church with a members roll and choir.

“Sometime, somewhere we will do some type of ministry,” Haggard said.

Interest in Haggard’s ministry plans have been high ever since he and his family returned to Colorado Springs in June 2008.

The Haggards had been living for months in other states due to an agreement he reached with board members at New Life Church at the time of Haggard’s sex scandal in November 2006. Among the stipulations that Haggard agreed to were to resign as senior pastor of the church he founded 25 years ago and leave Colorado Springs, according to Haggard.

Haggard laid low about his Springs ministry plans until November 2009, when he held a prayer meeting at his home that he also referred to as a church gathering. A week later, he held another prayer meeting, this time in his barn.

Because of the crush of people attending, more than 100 people for each meeting, Haggard realized he would need to rent space to accommodate everyone, he said. But he wasn’t ready to do that. So he suspended gatherings through the holidays and focused again on his and Gayle’s weekly itinerant church talks.

Former New Life member Richard Tegtmeier said Tuesday that if the Haggards offer future St. James gatherings, he’ll be there.

“Ted is a very effective teacher,” Tegtmeier said. “The extreme difficulty he’s been through has deepened and enriched his life.”

Daddy's Home

http://imgsrv.gocomics.com/dim/?fh=3a8c31f31105d364a8e5129b419c73f1&w=900.0

It's Only The Environment After All

It's Only The Environment After All
It's been 3 weeks since the Deepwater Horizon disaster, but much of the oil still hasn't been seen on the coast.  
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Tar balls wash up on Gulf shores

Blobs of tar as big as 8 inches across have some worried about the impact on beach tourism.
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Unexpected benefits of exercise

Being active can boost your immune system, improve your vocabulary, and even help your teeth.
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Controversy prevents teen sailing record

Jessica Watson's epic solo trip around the world is coming to a successful end.  
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Original 'Law & Order' series canceled

The blockbuster show ends after 20 years, as another version of the franchise is announced.  
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Cop's name triggers legal nightmare

Igor Groysman says he's been hounded over a huge debt owed by a man with the same name.
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Chef hurls meat cleaver at fleeing thief, nails him in the back

A chef at a Stockholm restaurant rushed out of his kitchen on Thursday afternoon and threw a meat cleaver at a departing thief as his restaurant was robbed for the second time in a week.

Teacher sacked after being filmed beating student

Sherri Davis, a science teacher at Jamie's House Charter School in Houston, backed 13-year-old Isaiah Johnson into a corner and began beating him while his classmates watched. Janiqua Johnson, one of Isaiah's classmates, filmed the attack on her mobile phone. In the footage, Ms Davis cane be seen dragging Isaiah across the floor before kicking and slapping him.

The video shows that the children initially thought that Ms Davis was joking with the boy after he teased a female classmate. At the beginning of the video the children laugh and clap, but the laughter stops abruptly when Ms Davis starts hitting the boy.



Janiqua said that the teacher "snapped". "She just started beating him up," Janiqua Johnson said. "His behaviour may have been bad but he didn't deserve that," she said. Ms Davis was placed on administrative leave when school officials learned of the incident, but was fired when officials saw the video.

Isaiah's mother Alesha Johnson said the video was now in the hands of Harris County Sheriff's investigators and she has filed criminal charges. She said: "I'm horrified. I just can't believe something like that would happen to my child."

Six-year-old handcuffed at school

A New Orleans elementary school is under fire after a 6-year-old student was handcuffed by an armed security guard on campus.

Ja'Brieil Weston, a first grader at Sarah T. Reed School, was handcuffed after getting into a fight in the lunchroom. His parents say Ja'Briel's feet were also cuffed.

The school district issued a statement stating they are investigating the incident.

The family said Ja-Briel was suspended after his father complained at a meeting last Friday.

Woman arrested after taking toddler to jail in handcuffs

An Albuquerque mother was arrested for child abuse after police said she left a pair of toy handcuffs tightly attached to her son's leg for 24 hours. Monique Garcia, 19, and her baby boy went to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque to visit her husband on Sunday. Deputies said when she got there she asked a deputy if he had a key that would unlock some plastic handcuffs on her son's leg.

"The child's leg, foot was turning purple and losing circulation," Tommy Trujillo, Deputy Chief of Security at MDC, said. According to a criminal complaint, Garcia's friend, who was watching the child on Saturday, put the toy cuffs on the boy because he was being fussy. 24 hours later, when Garcia was at MDC for her visit, jail staff told her they did not have a key that worked on the cuffs. They advised Garcia to the hospital immediately to get her son examined.


Garcia did not go to the hospital and instead took a seat in the jail waiting room to visit her husband. "She was more concerned about getting the visit she came out here for instead of taking her child for emergency care," Trujillo said. Once deputies saw Garcia was not going to get help, she was arrested for child abuse while an ambulance came to remove the cuffs and check on the boy.

Emergency crews had to cut off the toy handcuffs, according to deputies. According to the criminal complain, Monique Garcia told police she did not call them on Saturday when she saw the cuffs on her son because, "she is not a police person". Garcia is still behind bars on a $100,000 bond.

Odds and Sods

Odds and Sods
In Cop News









People take their ketchup very seriously, and for many only one brand will do, the one that was born in Pittsburgh more than 150 years ago.

A warring Welsh couple were given a court asbo order in a bid to stop them arguing in their own home, The Sun reported Thursday.