New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is launching a campaign to target “man spreaders” and backpack-wearers.
mentakingup2muchspaceonthetrain.tumblr.com
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Tuesday, November 18, 2014
New York Subway Officials To Shame People Sitting With Their Legs Spread
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N.Y. Sues Man For Alleged Cemetery Flooding That Forced Families To Rebury Bodies
The State Attorney General filed a lawsuit against a property owner in Cortland County for desecrating a cemetery. “I went up to my wife’s grave and it looked like a ten foot waterfall and we don’t have waterfalls here.”
New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman filed a lawsuit Tuesday against a Cortland County property owner for allegedly flooding a cemetery causing the desecration of graves and forcing the disinterment and reburial of several bodies.
The lawsuit alleges that James C. Stevens III, who owns property near the St. Mary's Cemetery in Cortland, New York, undertook excavation activities in 2012 which diverted storm water into the cemetery inundating it with mud, rocks and debris. It also caused the flooding of New York State Route 281.
Stevens did not correct the environmental and public nuisance violations, despite the extensive damage caused to the cemetery, the lawsuit said.
Due to construction on his property, Stevens altered the direction of storm water runoff from 120 acres of land, the complaint alleges. Earlier, the water drained into a wooded area, but Stevens' activities redirected it to the cemetery's burial plots.
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Oxford Abortion Debate Between Two Male Journalists Cancelled Due To "Security Concerns"
Well, this didn’t go down well.
A few days ago, the anti-abortion group Oxford Students for Life (OSFL) advertised this debate on its Facebook page.
Last year in Britain, over 185,000 abortions were carried out. What does this say about our national culture? Is it a sign of equality, or does it suggest we treat human life carelessly? Joining OSFL to debate the issue are two prominent journalists.
Tim Stanley is a historian of the United States, and writes for the Telegraph. He has said: 'We desperately need to have an honest conversation about abortion in the West. Free from hysteria, yes, but cognizant of what it really involves. Otherwise, we tolerate the demise of human dignity.'
Brendan O'Neill is the editor of Spiked and a columnist for the Big Issue. 'The right to choose', he has written, 'frees a woman from official prying into the decisions she makes about her body and her life; it increases her humanity, it makes her a fuller, more independent human being.'
There was an outcry on other parts of the site. Here's a page entitled "What The Fuck Is Abortion Culture?" posted by a (now deleted) account called "Oxrev Fems".
CN for the event: really shitty anti-choice rhetoric and probs some cissexism
This Tuesday Oxford Students for Life are putting on a super cute debate with two cis guys on whether people with uteruses deserve to have any choice over their own bodies.
(http://ift.tt/1t9rLBn)We don't think this is okay so (assuming the event is still going ahead) we thought we should go and say hi!
Bring your friends, and if you want take along some non-destructive but oh so disruptive instruments to help demonstrate to the anti-choicers just what we think of their "debate".
We will also have a fundraising bucket for Abortion Support- a charity that helps women in Ireland and Northern Ireland come to the UK for abortions.
It's great that we can have a positive outcome from this shitty initiative.We are still hoping this gets shut down by the college (Christ Church). Let's use the event page for ideas on how best to organise against this debate.
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There Are 37 New Emojis Being Considered And One Is A Taco
Other highlights include “face with rolling eyes” and a crab.
The Unicode Consortium, the group in charge of the way emojis work, announced last week that it has accepted 37 new emoji characters as candidates for next year's update. Included in their post was this mock up of a taco emoji.
• THINKING FACE
• FACE WITH ROLLING EYES
• UPSIDE-DOWN FACE
• FACE WITH HEAD-BANDAGE
• ROBOT FACE
• SYNAGOGUE
• MENORAH WITH NINE BRANCHES
• PLACE OF WORSHIP
• DHYANI BUDDHA
• HOT DOG
• TACO
• BURRITO
• BOTTLE WITH POPPING CORK
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Man Tests Positive For Ebola In India
An Indian returning from Liberia tested positive for the virus and has been quarantined at the Delhi airport.
An Indian national who returned to Delhi from Liberia tested positive for Ebola, marking India's first confirmed case of the virus, The Times of India reported.
Hindustan Times/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
The 26-year-old man has been quarantined in a special facility at the Delhi airport.
According to the health ministry, the man was treated for Ebola in Liberia and showed no symptoms. His semen samples, though, tested positive for the deadly virus. He was immediately isolated on Nov. 10.
The man will remain in isolation until his body fluids test negative and he is fit to be discharged, the ministry said in a statement.
"The situation is under control and there is no need for any alarm. However, all precautions are being taken in this regard," the ministry said.
This is the first case of an Ebola in India, although the man was treated and given a certificate of medical clearance by the Liberian government.
Three of his blood samples in India tested negative but the virus could be positive in urine and semen for a longer time, according to the ministry.
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Ninth Undocumented Immigrant Joins Church Sanctuary Movement
Angela Navarro, a Honduran immigrant with a family of U.S. citizens, has been facing deportation for more than a decade. By moving into a church in North Philadelphia, she is adding to a growing movement of immigrants seeking refuge in churches across the country in defiance of federal deportation orders.
Angela Navarro and her two children in front of West Kensington Ministry in North Philadelphia, where she will seek sanctuary from deportation.
Aidan Un / Via New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia
Angela Navarro, a 28-year-old undocumented immigrant from Honduras, moved into a Philadelphia church on Tuesday morning to seek sanctuary from deportation.
For 11 of the 12 years she has lived in the United States, Navarro has lived under the threat of a federal deportation order. But she is temporarily safe in the church, because Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has a 2011 memo prohibiting its agents from making arrests in sensitive places like churches and schools without special approval.
"I don't only want to stop one deportation," Navarro told BuzzFeed News. "I want all deportations to stop. There are many of us who are suffering."
Navarro's is the ninth sanctuary case this year in a growing movement of churches publicly providing refuge to undocumented people from deportation. So far, three people who sought sanctuary have won stays of removal or work permits allowing them to stay in the country legally.
Navarro says she will live with her husband and children in West Kensington Ministry, a Presbyterian church in North Philadelphia, until her deportation order is dropped. A cooperative of immigrant day laborers is voluntarily installing a bathroom in the church and building walls to create separate rooms for her and her family.
Navarro seems a good case for relief under President Obama's expected executive action sparing undocumented immigrants from deportation. Her husband and two young children are U.S. citizens. But Obama's action may not shield immigrants with standing deportation cases, meaning Navarro and others like her could be excluded.
Navarro says she has lived in constant fear for a decade. Her uncle was recently arrested and deported by ICE agents at her mother's house, where she had also been living.
"We've had to move four or five times, maybe more," she said. "My uncle and my brothers in law have all been deported. I'm afraid to go to my mother's house. I'm afraid to write my name down anywhere, in the hospital or in the kids' school, because I'm afraid immigration will use it to come find me."
This year's sanctuary movement sees itself as a revival of a similar movement in the 1980s that provided asylum to refugees from civil wars in El Salvador and Guatemala.
The revival started earlier this year at Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson, Arizona, the same church that sparked the movement in the 1980s. As The Daily Beast reported in June, an immigrant who had sought refuge there was recently granted a stay of removal and a work permit in the midst of public outcry fueled by his sanctuary case.
The original sanctuary movement "was a kind of underground railroad for people fleeing U.S.-backed violence in Central America," said Nicole Kligerman, a community organizer for New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia. "Many of us, both immigrants and otherwise, worked in both movements. There are many people still in Philadelphia who are part of that legacy."
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"Vape" Beat Out "Bae," "Normcore," And "Slacktivism" For Oxford Dictionary's Word Of The Year
Hey, anything is better than bae, right?
Vape — which means "to inhale and exhale the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device" — has officially been named Oxford Dictionary's word of the year.
Photo by Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
According to Oxford Dictionary's blog, it was chosen because it's become an incredibly common word very quickly. The blog wrote that you're thirty times more likely to come across the word vape than you were two years ago.
So what words were the runner-ups? One was "bae," defined as "a term of endearment for one’s romantic partner."
"Slacktivism," defined as "informal actions performed via the Internet in support of a political or social cause but regarded as requiring little time or involvement."
Photo by Adam Berry / Getty Images
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Facebook Has Gone Wild For This Dad Trying Very Hard To Stay Mad At His Messy Kids
THIS. IS. THE. CUTEST. THING.
This is completely adorable.
And the reason it's so great is: we have all been this child.
Hands up who hasn't been involved in an exchange like this.
Or ever had to play innocent.
Or had to answer a very difficult question.
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Four Killed In Terror Attack On Jerusalem Synagogue
Israeli police said two Palestinian suspects stormed into a Jerusalem synagogue with guns, knifes and axes and attacked worshippers. At least eight people were injured and officers shot and killed the assailants. BuzzFeed News’ Sheera Frenkel is on the scene in Jerusalem.
Israeli emergency services carry the body of a Palestinian assailant who was shot dead while attacking the synagogue on Nov. 18.
AFP / Getty Images Gali Tibbon
JERUSALEM — Two Palestinian men armed with knives, axes and guns stormed a synagogue in Jerusalem during morning prayers on Tuesday, killing four worshippers and injuring at least eight in the deadliest attack on the city in years.
All four victims were rabbis. Arieh Kupinsky, Kalman Levi and Moshe Twersky have joint U.S.-Israeli citizenship, authorities said. Twersky is a native of Boston, Massachusetts.
The fourth victim, Avraham Goldberg, had joint United Kingdom-Israeli citizenship, police said.
The police spokesman said that Ghassan and Oday Abu Jamal, cousins from East Jerusalem, had been identified as the men behind the attack. They were killed in a shootout with officers, police spokeswoman Luba Samri told the Associated Press.
The synagogue assault, which police described as a "terrorist attack," took place in the Har Nof neighborhood and comes amid a wave of violence in Jerusalem that some have called a third intifada, or Palestinian uprising.
The BBC reported that the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, have claimed responsibility for the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to "respond with a heavy hand to the brutal murder of Jews who came to pray and were met by reprehensible murderers," according to a statement.
Netanyahu blamed Hamas and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas for "incitement" of the attack and said the international community was "irresponsibly ignoring" the situation.
Israeli foreign media police chief Micky Rosenfeld said that the attack happened at 7:01 a.m. He said that they "took advantage of the fact that they had work permits and could freely go around Jerusalem."
"We are looking to see if they were affiliated with Islamic Jihad or Hamas, those two terror groups. Most of the previous attacks have been committed by lone terrorists," he added.
Video purportedly showing police officers in a shootout with the attackers outside the synagogue.
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Adrian Peterson Suspended Without Pay For Rest Of NFL Season
The Vikings running back won’t be considered for reinstatement until April 15, the NFL said. He has been charged with reckless assault for beating his son.
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in 2013.
Usa Today Sports / Reuters
Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings was notified today that he has been suspended without pay for at least the remainder of the 2014 NFL season, and will not be considered for reinstatement before April 15, for violating the NFL Personal Conduct Policy in an incident of abusive discipline that he inflicted on his four-year-old son last May. Peterson pled no contest on November 4 in state court in Montgomery County, Texas to reckless assault of the child.
In a letter to Peterson, Commissioner Roger Goodell said, "The timing of your potential reinstatement will be based on the results of the counseling and treatment program set forth in this decision. Under this two-step approach, the precise length of the suspension will depend on your actions. We are prepared to put in place a program that can help you to succeed, but no program can succeed without your genuine and continuing engagement. You must commit yourself to your counseling and rehabilitative effort, properly care for your children, and have no further violations of law or league policy."
Under Article 46 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Peterson may appeal the decision by giving written notice to the commissioner within three business days. If he appeals, a hearing will be scheduled promptly, at which he may be represented by counsel of his choice and by the NFLPA and at which he will have the opportunity to present evidence in support of his appeal. If he appeals, Peterson will remain on the Exempt List and continue to be paid pending a decision.
In modifying the NFL Personal Conduct Policy August 28, Commissioner Goodell established a baseline discipline of a suspension without pay for six games for certain offenses, including a first offense of assault, battery, or domestic violence. He also identified aggravating circumstances that would warrant higher levels of discipline. In his letter, Commissioner Goodell identified several aggravating circumstances present in this case:
"First, the injury was inflicted on a child who was only four years old. The difference in size and strength between you and the child is significant, and your actions clearly caused physical injury to the child. While an adult may have a number of options when confronted with abuse – to flee, to fight back, or to seek help from law enforcement – none of those options is realistically available to a four-year old child. Further, the injury inflicted on your son includes the emotional and psychological trauma to a young child who suffers criminal physical abuse at the hands of his father.
"Second, the repetitive use of a switch in this instance is the functional equivalent of a weapon, particularly in the hands of someone with the strength of an accomplished professional athlete.
"Third, you have shown no meaningful remorse for your conduct. When indicted, you acknowledged what you did but said that you would not 'eliminate whooping my kids' and defended your conduct in numerous published text messages to the child's mother. You also said that you felt 'very confident with my actions because I know my intent.' These comments raise the serious concern that you do not fully appreciate the seriousness of your conduct, or even worse, that you may feel free to engage in similar conduct in the future."
On November 6, the NFL requested that Peterson and the NFL Players Association furnish a range of information that would be relevant to evaluating Peterson's conduct under the Personal Conduct Policy. No information was provided beyond some of the court papers relating to his November 4 plea agreement. This request was reiterated on November 11. Although there were several additional exchanges of correspondence between the NFL and NFLPA, no further information was provided, other than the name of a professional with whom Peterson has consulted during the past two months.
Peterson was advised on November 11 that a hearing had been scheduled for November 14 to review his case and to allow him or his representatives, as well as the NFLPA, to offer their views and present information on the question of discipline under the Personal Conduct Policy. The NFL then was advised that neither Peterson nor the NFLPA would participate in the hearing scheduled for November 14. The NFL offered to hold the hearing the following day, but was told that date was similarly unacceptable.
Under the Personal Conduct Policy, a deferred adjudication of the kind entered in Montgomery County establishes a basis for imposing discipline. In addition, many prior decisions confirm that the judgment entered with Peterson's consent is entirely sufficient to find that he violated the Personal Conduct Policy.
"Your plea agreement in Texas, and the related violation of the Personal Conduct Policy, arise out of abusive injuries that you inflicted on your son earlier this year," Commissioner Goodell said in his letter. "Based on public reports of your statements and photographs that were made public at the time of the indictment, you used a 'switch' – a flexible tree branch – to punish your son, striking him in the ankles, limbs, back, buttocks, and genitals, leaving visible swelling, marks, and cuts on his body and risking severe and long-term damage. The visible injuries were such that a local pediatrician in Minnesota, upon examining your son, felt obligated to make a child abuse report to the police. According to contemporaneous media reports, police and medical examiners termed the cuts as 'extensive' and as 'clinically diagnostic of child physical abuse.' Based on the severity of those injuries, a grand jury made up of citizens of Montgomery County, Texas, voted to indict you on a felony charge, reflecting their belief that there was reasonable cause to conclude that you had overstepped the bounds of acceptable corporal punishment and engaged in physical abuse of your child. Moreover, it appears that this is not the first time that you have punished children in this way. Public statements attributed to you indicate that you believe that this kind of discipline is appropriate and that you do not intend to stop disciplining your children this way."
Commissioner Goodell's decision includes mechanisms to ensure, insofar as possible, that there will be no repetition of this conduct. Peterson was directed to meet with Dr. April Kuchuk, an instructor in the NYU Department of Psychiatry and a forensic consultant to the New York City District Attorney's offices and New York courts, by December 1. After this meeting, Dr. Kuchuk will design a program of counseling, therapy, and community service as appropriate, which will be shared with the commissioner and NFLPA. Peterson will be expected to adhere to that program. Dr. Kuchuk will report any failure to do so to the commissioner and NFLPA.
On Sunday, Peterson made Dr. Cynthia Winston, a professor of psychology at Howard University, available to meet with Dr. Kuchuk to discuss the case. Dr. Winston advised that she was contacted by an attorney representing Peterson to conduct an assessment and that she has met with him in connection with this matter. Dr. Winston, a respected academic and practicing psychologist, advised Dr. Kuchuk that she does not have a background in child abuse or in assessing or treating victims or perpetrators of child abuse.
Dr. Kuchuk has informed the NFL she believes it is essential for her to meet with Peterson personally to review his counseling and other therapeutic work to date. Dr. Kuchuk states that two evidence-based forms of therapy have been shown to contribute to reducing the risk of future abusive behavior in child abuse cases: first, therapy that addresses parenting your children, in particular those who do not live with you, using a modality called parent-child interactive therapy; and second, cognitive-behavioral therapy that teaches the effects of abusive behavior on children and how it traumatizes them. Dr. Kuchuk's understanding is that Dr. Winston does not provide these types of cognitive and behavioral therapies.
Commissioner Goodell encouraged Peterson to take advantage of the counseling and other resources available to his son through NFL Player Assistance and Counseling Services.
"The well-being of your children is of paramount concern," Commissioner Goodell wrote. "In the absence of speaking to you to understand your current disposition toward child discipline, we cannot be sure that this conduct will not be repeated. Moreover, we are unaware of any effort on your part to acknowledge the seriousness of your conduct and your responsibility to demonstrate a genuine commitment to change.
"In order to assess your progress going forward, I will establish periodic reviews, the first of which will be on or about April 15, 2015. At that time, I will meet with you and your representatives and the NFLPA to review the extent to which you have complied with your program of counseling and therapy and both made and lived up to an affirmative commitment to change such that this conduct will not occur again. A failure to cooperate and follow your plan will result in a lengthier suspension without pay."
Peterson also is required to adhere to all conditions imposed on him by the Montgomery County Court as part of his plea agreement and deferred adjudication. If he fails to adhere to any of those conditions, he is obligated to promptly report that failure to the commissioner, who may elect to impose further discipline.
"It is imperative that you to avoid any incident of this kind in the future," Commissioner Goodell stated in his letter. "Any further violation of the Personal Conduct Policy will result in additional discipline and may subject you to banishment from the NFL."
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Live Updates: Ferguson Awaits The Grand Jury's Decision
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency Monday ahead of the grand jury’s decision on whether to indict police officer Darren Wilson for the death of unarmed teen Michael Brown. The FBI says unrest is likely.
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Japan's Prime Minister Dissolves Government, Calls For Elections
Shinzo Abe’s decision came after data showed his country slipped into a recession.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after a walk around the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane Nov. 15.
Pool / Reuters
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday he would dissolve his government by week's end and called for elections after economic data earlier this week showed his country has slipped into a recession.
Abe also said he would delay a planned sales tax hike for October 2015.
Abe made his announcements at a news conference. As The Associated Press reported:
"I've been pondering this problem," Abe told a news conference. "Even if we raise the tax as planned, tax revenue will not increase if the economy does not recover."
Abe said he will dissolve parliament on Friday, setting an election for mid-December to seek public approval for his decision, which he said was needed to ensure the success of his "Abenomics" policies of extreme monetary easing, heavy government spending and economic reforms.
"I need to hear the voice of the people," Abe said. "I will step down if we fail to keep our majority because that would mean our Abenomics is rejected."
LINK: Japan Is In a Recession
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German Town Plays Brilliant Prank On Neo-Nazis During Annual March
The event turned into the country’s most “involuntary walkathon”.
On 15 November, a group of neo-Nazis carried out their annual march through the town of Wunsiedel in east Germany.
Rechts gegen Rechts / Via youtube.com
The event attracts hundreds of people to the site where Rudolf Hess, Adolf Hitler’s deputy, was buried until 2011.
Rechts gegen Rechts / Via youtube.com
The inhabitants of Wunsiedel had previously watched the march from a distance, the Washington Post reported, but this year decided they'd had enough and took action in the most brilliant way.
Rechts gegen Rechts / Via youtube.com
The town turned the funeral march into “Germany’s most involuntary walkathon”.
Without the neo-Nazis’ knowledge, an initiative called Rechts gegen Rechts, Rights against Rights, created a scheme whereby for every metre the neo-Nazis walked, local residents and businesses would donate €10 to a programme aimed at making it easier for people to leave extreme right-wing groups.
Rechts gegen Rechts / Via youtube.com
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Myleene Klass Ranted At Ed Miliband About The Mansion Tax On TV And It Was All A Bit Weird
KLASS WAR! Yes. Nailed it. Thanks.
ITV
ITV
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Monday, November 17, 2014
"Terrorist Attack" On Jerusalem Synagogue Leaves 4 Dead, 6 Injured
Israeli police said 10 people were killed or injured in an attack on worshippers in Jerusalem. Two Palestinian suspects were reportedly killed.
Israeli security personnel run next to a synagogue where the attack took place, in Jerusalem on Nov. 18
Reuters / Ronen Zvulun
Four people were killed and six others injured Tuesday morning when two men armed with knives, axes and guns attacked worshippers at a synagogue in West Jerusalem, Israeli police said.
Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri told the Associated Press two attackers were later killed in a shootout with officers. The suspects were said to be Palestinians from East Jerusalem.
The assault, which police described as a "terrorist attack," took place in the Har Nof neighborhood and comes amid a wave of violence in Jerusalem that some have called a third intifada, or Palestinian uprising.
Video purportedly captured from the scene showed police officers engaged in a shootout with the attackers.
This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates and follow @BuzzFeedNews on Twitter.
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Bill Cosby Once Did A Comedy Bit About Drugging Women's Drinks
The clip, from 1969, was tracked down by the Village Voice .
Lucas Jackson / Reuters
Though the drug has been rumored to act as an aphrodisiac, it really is "an irritant that's sometimes deadly," reported Gawker .
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Police Seeking Suspect After NYC Dad Pushed In Front Of Subway Train
The fatal push appears to have been random, and police are asking the public’s help in finding the man responsible for the death of 61-year-old Wai Kuen Kwok.
New York police are seeking a "person of interest" who may have pushed a 61-year-old man in front of a subway train.
Wai Kuen Kwok died Sunday morning after he was struck by a subway train at the 167th Street and Grand Concourse station in the Bronx. He was pushed by an unknown man, who then fled the scene, the New York Police Department said.
Kwok, a father of two, had been waiting for the train with his wife on their weekly trip to Chinatown for dim sum and shopping, the New York Times reported. His wife saw a hand push her husband, the Times reported, but she was not able to clearly see the fleeing man's face. No words were spoken, and no motive is known.
Police on Monday told CBS News they believe they are close to finding the man.
Based on surveillance video, the New York Post reported one person had identified the man as a 35-year-old panhandler. Authorities have not officially identified him or made an arrest.
In 2012, two people died in separate incidents when they were pushed in front of trains. No other fatal pushes have been reported since.
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8 Women Testify That Oklahoma City Police Officer Sexually Assaulted Them
Eight women testified in a preliminary hearing Monday that Officer Daniel Holtzclaw used his authority as a police officer to sexually assault them.
Daniel Holtzclaw is led into a courtroom for a bond hearing in Oklahoma City on Sept. 3.
AP/Sue Ogrocki
Eight women faced an Oklahoma City police officer in court Monday, detailing how he used his authority to sexually assault them.
Daniel Holtzclaw, 27, was arrested in August after he was accused of assaulting eight women. As the investigation continued, more came forward, and he now faces 32 charges including rape and sexual battery related to the abuse of 13 women.
Prosecutors have said that Holtzclaw targeted black women in a high-crime area; women who might fear to speak out against him. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his family has said they believe the women have ulterior motives.
On Monday, a 23-year-old woman described how he assaulted her while she was high on PCP and handcuffed to a hospital bed, the Associated Press reported.
"I just really can't believe it because it's the police," she said.
Prosecutors also said DNA from one of the victims — a 17-year-old girl — was found inside Holtzclaw's uniform pants, the Oklahoman reported. The girl told the court Holtzclaw threatened to arrest her on outstanding warrants, then drove her to her mother's home. He pulled down her pants and forced her to have sex with him, she said.
"What am I going to do? Call the cops? He was a cop," she said.
A 52-year-old woman said she didn't think anyone would believe her story. She had been arrested numerous times and has been convicted of seven felonies.
She said Holtzclaw stopped her, then ran his hand up her shirt and into her jeans. He left without arresting her.
"It's my word against his," she said.
The hearing is expected to continue on Tuesday, and a judge will determine if there is enough evidence to move forward to trial.
LINK: More Charges Filed Against Oklahoma City Cop Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Women
LINK: How Police Caught The Cop Who Allegedly Sexually Abused 8 Black Women
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Charles Manson Gets Marriage License To Wed His 26-Year-Old Girlfriend
The marriage license was issued Nov. 7, and the couple have 90 days to get married. Afton Burton, who calls herself Star, said in August she already considers herself the 80-year-old mass murderer’s wife.
Charles Manson, right, autographed a photo in 2013 of himself with Star, and a friend, for one of his correspondents.
AP Photo/The Hutchinson News, Tim Goessman
The couple received a marriage license on Nov. 7, and may get married within the next 90 days.
Manson is serving a life sentence in California's Corcoran State Prison for his role in a 1969 killing spree in Los Angeles that left seven people dead, including actress Sharon Tate. Prosecutors at the time said Manson led his hippie "family" of followers — who included several young women — in the violent stabbings of affluent white stars in an attempt to start a race war.
Manson had faced execution, but his sentence was overturned in 1972 when California temporarily found the death penalty unconstitutional. Two women of the Manson Family, who were convicted with him, also remain imprisoned, and a third died behind bars.
In 2012, Manson was denied parole. A prison psychologist testified that Manson bragged about the killings and being a "dangerous man."
Handout / Reuters
Manson is next eligible for parole in 2027, when he would be in his 90s. And because he has no firm parole date, prison officials told the AP he would not be allowed family or conjugal visits after his marriage.
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Ferguson Corrections Officer Accused Of Sexually Assaulting A Pregnant Woman In Jail
A St. Louis, Missouri, woman says that she was raped by a corrections officer in exchange for her release from the Ferguson jail. WARNING: Graphic Language.
Jaris M. Hayden
A corrections officer is being sued for the alleged rape of a pregnant woman and being criminally charged for sexual contact with a prisoner at the jail in Ferguson, Missouri.
On Nov. 14, sexual assault charges were filed against Jaris Hayden, 29, by a St. Louis woman who is only identified as J.W.
According to the complaint, on Oct. 9, 2013, J.W. was driving her car in Ferguson when she got pulled over for expired plates. During the stop, J.W. gave the police officer a false name and she was arrested. She was brought to the Ferguson jail for booking.
When she arrived at the jail, Hayden booked J.W. and she claims she heard him say, "You smell good" and "This will teach you a lesson." J.W. was then put into a cell. She says Hayden kept walking by her and talking to her in a "sexually provocative manner."
J.W. began having "pain and discharges" and told Hayden that she was several months pregnant. Hayden called for ambulance, which eventually arrived with EMTs who checked J.W.'s vital signs, but Hayden never released J.W. to hospital custody.
At some point, J.W.'s boyfriend arrived and posted her $200 bond.
Hayden removed J.W. from the cell and said, "You're the type of girl that can get me in trouble."
J.W. told Hayden, "I will do anything to go home." The complaint notes that the comment was not intended to suggest that she would have sex with Hayden.
Hayden said, "Follow me." Then led J.W. to a boiler room in the City of Ferguson Jail.
J.W. says that Hayden told her, "You gonna suck my dick" and motioned for J.W. to give him oral sex. Because she was afraid, J.W. began to perform oral sex on Hayden.
Hayden then took J.W. further into the boiler room and had vaginal intercourse with her, ejaculating into his hand.
After the alleged rape, Hayden took J.W. to the side door of the building and released her from jail custody. J.W. says that Hayden stated, "Tell anyone who asks that Wellston picked you up" then told her to run.
Immediately after she was released, J.W. went to a Subway restaurant across the street from the jail and obtained a bag "to hold the captured pubic hair."
Her sister picked her up and took her to the emergency room, and DNA analysis later confirmed that the pubic hair was Hayden's.
According to court documents, Hayden has been indicted and faces charges in St. Louis County for "acceding to corruption by a public servant," "sexual contact with a prisoner" and "permitting escape." He is also being sued for rape by J.W. in a federal civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis
On Nov. 13, Hayden was arrested and released on $10,000 bond. His lawyer Scott Rosenblum told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that his client has entered a plea of not guilty.
The City of Ferguson is also named in the civil suit. The complaint claims a pattern of violence and constitutional violations of citizens by the City of Ferguson law enforcement and makes mention of the Aug. 9 shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson.
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Missouri Governor Signs Order Activating National Guard Ahead Of Ferguson Grand Jury Decision
Gov. Jay Nixon said the National Guard will support law enforcement in the event of “unrest that might occur following the grand jury’s decision concerning the investigation into the death of Michael Brown.” The St. Louis County prosecutor has said an announcement will be made later this month.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, center, at a news conference last week.
MCT via Getty Images St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed an executive order Monday activating the National Guard to assist law enforcement officials if needed following a grand jury decision whether indict Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson in the killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown.
The St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert P. McCulloch has said an announcement of the grand jury's decision will be made later this month.
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay added in a news conference Monday that the National Guard would play a secondary role to local police officers. Guard members would be deployed to protect local shopping centers, for example, instead of interacting directly with protesters.
"We do not want to make this look like it's the militarization of our police department," Slay said. "The cops are just here to keep the peace. They're not here to clash with protesters."
He added local law enforcement deserved appreciation for their efforts over the last weeks. Officers as well as local leaders have been talking with members of the protest movement, he added, in an aim to keep communication open if any conflict arises.
"We want everyone to know we're doing everything in our power, first of all, that people and property are going to be safe, and that protesters can protest freely," he said.
Last week, Nixon said the responsibility for managing protests and demonstrations after the grand jury's decision will be handled by a "unified" group consisting of Missouri State Highway Patrol, St. Louis County Police Department, and St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. He said last week the National Guard has been part of the planning discussions.
"As part of our ongoing efforts to plan and be prepared for any contingency, it is necessary to have these resources in place in advance of any announcement of the grand jury's decision," Nixon said in a statement. "These additional resources will support law enforcement's efforts to maintain peace and protect those exercising their right to free speech."
Brown was fatally shot by Wilson on Aug. 9.
WHEREAS, the City of Ferguson and the St. Louis region have experienced periods of unrest over the past three months; and
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Justice and St. Louis County authorities are conducting separate criminal investigations into the facts surrounding the death of Michael Brown; and
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Justice and St. Louis County authorities could soon announce the findings of their independent criminal investigations; and
WHEREAS, regardless of the outcomes of the federal and state criminal investigations, there is the possibility of expanded unrest; and
WHEREAS, the State of Missouri will be prepared to appropriately respond to any reaction to these announcements; and
WHEREAS, our citizens have the right to peacefully assemble and protest and the State of Missouri is committed to protecting those rights; and
WHEREAS, our citizens and businesses must be protected from violence and damage; and
WHEREAS, an invocation of the provisions of Sections 44.010 through 44.130, RSMo, is appropriate to ensure the safety and welfare of our citizens.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JEREMIAH W. (JAY) NIXON, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Laws of the State of Missouri, including Sections 44.010 through 44.130, RSMo, do hereby declare a State of Emergency exists in the State of Missouri.
I further direct the Missouri State Highway Patrol together with the St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to operate as a Unified Command to protect civil rights and ensure public safety in the City of Ferguson and the St. Louis region.
I further order that the St. Louis County Police Department shall have command and operational control over security in the City of Ferguson relating to areas of protests, acts of civil disobedience and conduct otherwise arising from such activities.
I further order that the Unified Command may exercise operational authority in such other jurisdictions it deems necessary to protect civil rights and ensure public safety and that other law enforcement agencies shall assist the Unified Command when so requested and shall cooperate with operational directives of the Unified Command.
I further order, pursuant to Section 41.480, RSMo, the Adjutant General of the State of Missouri, or his designee, to forthwith call and order into active service such portions of the organized militia as he deems necessary to protect life and property and assist civilian authorities and it is further directed that the Adjutant General or his designee, and through him, the commanding officer of any unit or other organization of such organized militia so called into active service take such action and employ such equipment as may be necessary to carry out requests processed through the Missouri State Highway Patrol and ordered by the Governor of the state to protect life and property and support civilian authorities.
This Order shall expire in thirty days unless extended in whole or in part by subsequent Executive Order.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Missouri, in the City of Jefferson, on this 17th day of November, 2014.
LINK: Ferguson Braces For An “Uprising”
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One In Every 30 Children In The U.S. Is Homeless
A study titled America’s Youngest Outcasts: A Report Card on Child Homelessness found that child homelessness is on the rise in 31 states.
The National Center on Family Homelessness published a study Monday that analyzed federal data from 2012 and 2013, finding that nearly 2.5 million children are currently homeless.
Melody, who is 4 years old, makes a paper whale at the Transition House’s Technology and Literacy for Children story time in Santa Barbara, California in June 2014.
Kimberly Kavish / AP Photo
The center combined information on child homelessness from the U.S. Department of Education and the 2013 Census, finding an 8% increase across the country. Child homeless has risen in 31 states and the District of Columbia; 10 states and the District of Columbia have experienced an increase of 10% or more.
The U.S. defines homelessness by a variety of factors. It counts people with a lack of "fixed, regular, adequate nighttime residence," people who have a residence that "provides temporary living arrangements (including hotels and motels)," and people who "will imminently lose their housing." At 2,483,539 (or one in 30 people under the age of 18), child homelessness is "an historic high," the report says.
The study also calculated state-specific scores on the conditions of child homelessness, taking into consideration the extent and risk of homelessness, the well-being of the child, and policy efforts to address homelessness. Based on the composite scores, which range from 1 to 50 (the higher score correlates with more threatening homelessness conditions), Minnesota received the best report card, while Alabama came in last.
The National Center on Family Homelessness
The Associated Press pointed out California as a "particularly severe" state because it comprises one-eighth of the U.S. population, but accounts for one-fifth of all homeless child cases.
The non-profit National Center on Family Homelessness listed a number of contributing factors causing homelessness and its continued prevalence. In addition to poverty, a lack of affordable housing, and the ongoing recession, the center also said the unique challenges of single parenthood was a cause. Single mothers, for example, earned a median salary of $25,493 in 2012, which was one-third the income generated by two-parent families that year. These modest incomes have a significant impact on the ability to obtain secure housing.
"Single homeless mothers, notably those with young children, have little income, are un/underemployed, and often have high debt accumulation. Without adequate education, job skills, childcare and transportation, they are unable to enter the workforce, become self-sufficient and support their families," the report found.
The study also highlighted a racial disparity in child homelessness: In 2012, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that while the black population comprises 12.5% of the national total, it accounts of 38% of all shelter residents. Data also found that "black children under five years of age were 29 times more likely than white children to be in emergency shelter."
Homelessness tends to affect other areas of children's lives, like physical and mental health and education. In light of the study, the National Center on Family Homelessness press release said, "up to 25% of homeless pre-school children have mental health problems requiring clinical evaluation; this increases to 40% among homeless school-age children. Many homeless children struggle in school, missing days and repeating grades until they drop out."
Via homelesschildrenamerica.org
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Patti Smith Will Perform At The Vatican's Christmas Concert
The rocker was invited by Pope Francis to appear in the Concerto di Natale in Rome on December 13th.
Rocker Patti Smith will be one of the performers at the Vatican's annual Christmas concert, according to an announcement on the Concerto de Natale's official website.
Patti Smith is greeted by Pope Francis at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican in 2013.
AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho
Smith, who famously met Pope Francis at a general audience in April 2013, said she is honored to have been asked to perform again. She was also a musical guest at last year's Concerto di Natale.
The concert will take place at the Auditorium Conciliazione, a venue near Vatican City, and will also feature performers such as French house music DJ Bob Sinclar and Sister Cristina Scucci, the "singing nun" who won the the 2014 season of Italy's "The Voice."
The pope extended the invitation to Smith even as an organization in Naples is asking its archbishop to block the rocker from performing at the Basilica of San Giovanni Maggiore in the city in December. The Catholic Portosalvo committee claimed such a performance would be "blasphemous" mere days before Smith's presence at the Vatican's Christmas concert was announced.
"As usual Pope Francis surprises everyone," the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera wrote on November 10th. "While in Naples they discuss whether or not to host a Patti Smith concert in San Giovanni Maggiore's basilica on the 9th of December, he has called the rock singer to the Vatican for the grand Christmas event."
Smith performed her hit "Because the Night" and "O Holy Night" at the Vatican's Christmas concert last year.
This year's concert will be broadcast on Christmas Eve.
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This Dad Surprised His Son Battling Cancer By Jumping Off The Roof Dressed Like Spider-Man
This is amazing and spectacular and all of the other Spider-Man superlatives.
Jayden Wilson is a five-year-old from Hampshire, England. Jayden was diagnosed with a Grade 4 Brain Stem Tumor and doctors estimate he only one has a year to live.
Jayden's dad, Mike Wilson, decided that Spider-Man should probably swing by for Jayden's birthday. Mike had a replica Spidey suit made and surprised his son by jumping off the roof of his house.
Facebook: MikeWilson3runOfficial
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This Stunning Timelapse Video Shows The UK Airspace On An Average Day
SPOILER: It’s very busy up there.
This video has been released by air traffic management company NATS:
NATS / Via vimeo.com
The clip shows the day starting with the transatlantic flights entering UK airspace.
NATS / Via vimeo.com
We're then shown the incredible number of flights in and out of London every single day.
NATS / Via vimeo.com
And the fascinating "holding stacks" above the main airports used to maintain UK air traffic.
NATS / Via vimeo.com
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This Woman Took Her Late Husband's Ashes To A T-Mobile Shop Because They Kept Sending Threatening Bill Demands
Maria Raybould says she visited the shop twice before to tell them her husband had died.
This is Maria Raybould from North Cardiff. Her husband David died of cancer aged 57 in August.
Before he died he was apparently paying £26 a month for a Samsung Galaxy mini SII on a T-Mobile contract.
BPM MEDIA WALES Richard Williams
David died on the Friday and the day after my son Craig went in to sort out the phone bill at their Caerphilly branch so it would be one less thing for us to worry about.
They told him he would have to bring in David's death certificate. He went back with the death certificate and they told him they would send a copy of it to head office...
I've been up to the shop with the death certificate, with a letter from the crematorium, the funeral bills – even his ashes. I took in everything I could.
However, the bills kept coming.
BPM MEDIA WALES / Richard Williams
It's gone downhill since then. I've had texts since then asking if David wanted to pay an extra £2.50 for broadband and letters saying that bailiffs would be coming...My son spoke with T-Mobile again and was assured it was sent in error and that it wasn't going to happen again.
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"Stop Calling Me The Ebola Nurse:" Kaci Hickox
The nurse who defied Maine’s quarantine laws criticizes “fear-mongering, lying” American politicians in an op-ed for The Guardian .
AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File
AP Photo/Steven Hyman, File
Hickox, who returned to the U.S. after caring for Ebola patients in West Africa, has been very vocal in her criticism of some states' Ebola quarantine laws.
She wrote:
"I never had Ebola. I never had symptoms of Ebola. I tested negative for Ebola the first night I stayed in New Jersey governor Chris Christie's private prison in Newark. I am now past the incubation period – meaning that I will not develop symptoms of Ebola.
I never had Ebola, so please stop calling me "the Ebola Nurse" – now!"
After confronting Christie, she defied quarantine laws in her home state of Maine forcing the governor to seek legal action to enforce the quarantine. However, Hickox settled the lawsuit with the state and was allowed to travel freely in public during her 21-day monitoring period.
"I was quarantined against my will by overzealous politicians after I volunteered to go and treat people affected by Ebola in West Africa," Hickox wrote. "My liberty, my interests and consequently my civil rights were ignored because some ambitious governors saw an opportunity to use an age-old political tactic: fear."
She accused Christie and Maine governor, Paul LePage, of disregarding medical science and manipulating the public by "multiplying the existing fear and misinformation about Ebola" in the hopes of advancing their careers and proclaiming themselves "the protectors of the people."
"Politicians who tell lies such as 'she is obviously ill' and mistreat citizens by telling them to 'sit down and shut up' will hopefully never make it to the White House," Hickox said.
She also wrote that "Illegitimate fear" of the disease and its transmission prevented her partner from returning to his nursing school in Maine and discriminated against others who had returned to the U.S. from West Africa.
"I want to live in a country that understands Ebola," she said. "I want to live in a world that cares about those dying from this terrible disease in West Africa. Nobody should've had to watch me ride my bicycle out in the open as politicians fed the public false fears and misinformation. I want to live in an America that reaches out to aid workers as they return from West Africa and says, "We loved and stood by you when you were fighting this disease. We will love and stand by you now."
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Clashes In East Jerusalem After Palestinian Man Found Hanged
Israeli police have said there were no signs of foul play after the 32-year-old bus driver was found hanged in a Jerusalem depot. However, rumors have spread among Palestinians that he was attacked by a group of Jewish extremists.
Clashes have broken out in East Jerusalem overnight after a 32-year-old Palestinian bus driver was found hanged in a depot late on Sunday, Haaretz reported.
Palestinian protesters burn a tyre in front of the barrier that separates the West Bank town of Abu Dis from Jerusalem on November 17.
AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP / Getty Images
Israeli police have said they do not suspect any foul play or violence in the case. However, AFP and Palestinian media outlets including Ma'an and Al-Quds have reports of witnesses claiming that he was attacked by a group of Israelis.
Palestinian protesters burn tyres while one of them tries to hammer a hole through Israel's controversial barrier that separates the West Bank town of Abu Dis (L) from Jerusalem on November 17.
AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP / Getty Images
The bus driver has been identified in Palestinian media as Yousuf Hassan Al-Ramouni from El Tur in East Jerusalem. He worked for Israel's Egged bus company, and was found dead inside his vehicle at Har Hotzvim terminal, Jerusalem.
A Palestinian protester holds a national flag as he stands on top of Israel's controversial barrier that separates the West Bank town of Abu Dis from Jerusalem on November 17.
AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP / Getty Images
Ramouni's body was discovered by colleagues at 10p.m. local time Sunday after they noticed his bus was still parked in the terminal after he was due to start his 9.20p.m. shift on the 57 bus route, Haaretz reported.
A Palestinian protester tries to hammer a hole through Israel's controversial barrier that separates the West Bank town of Abu Dis from Jerusalem on November 17.
AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP / Getty Images
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Facebook Is Going Nuts For This Video Of An Italian Cook Trying To Pronounce "Worcestershire Sauce"
Repeat after me…
Here are the outtakes from Pasquale Sciarappa's latest video. In just a moment you'll see why Britain now loves him.
Nope.
Nope.
NOOOPE.
If only he'd spent a bit of time here.
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