Student injured in assault at School

Student injured in assault at Hannah Penn Middle School

Amplify’d from www.inyork.com

Student injured in assault at Hannah Penn Middle School

GREG GROSS - The York Dispatch

Eight Hannah Penn Middle School students are charged with aggravated assault and related offenses after a fight at the school March 31, York City Police said.

The eighth-grade students allegedly beat up a fellow eighth-grader inside the school, Lt. Erik Kleynen said.

The victim suffered bumps and bruises.

If it weren't for a teacher who intervened in the afternoon fight, the victim could have fared much worse, Kleynen said.

"I don't think they would have stopped," he said.

The teacher suffered a head injury from a bump while breaking up the fight. The teacher was not struck by any of the students during the incident, Kleynen said.

Two 13-year-olds, four 14-year-olds and two 15-year-olds were involved in the assault, police said. In addition to aggravated assault they're also charged with riot, simple assault and disorderly conduct, Kleynen said.

The felony riot charge was included because two or more people were involved in disorderly conduct, he said. Police consulted the York County District Attorney's Office regarding the charge, and office recommended the charge be included, Kleynen said.

Jonathan Heintzman, spokesman for the York City School District, said the eight students will go through an internal discipline process.

The victim and the teacher have returned to school, he said. Read more at www.inyork.com

 

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Suspect in Synagogue Explosion Arrested

Synagogue Explosion Suspect Believed to Have Left Los Angeles for East Coast via Bus

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Synagogue Explosion Suspect Believed to Have Left Los Angeles for East Coast via Bus

UPDATE: An individual believed to be Ron Hirsch, the man wanted in connection with the 4/7/11 explosion in Santa Monica, California, was taken into custody in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Monday evening. The individual in custody was arrested following a call to law enforcement by a concerned citizen who had come into contact with a man believed to be Hirsch. This is a continuing investigation and additional details will be provided as they are developed.

A man wanted for questioning in connection with an investigation into last week’s explosion outside the Chabad House synagogue, in Santa Monica, California, is believed to have boarded a Greyhound bus on the day of the incident, Thursday, April 7, 2011. Investigators confirmed that a man known as J. Fisher, a known alias used by suspect, Ron Hirsch, purchased a Greyhound bus ticket to New York that was originally scheduled to arrive Sunday, April 10. There are at least 10 destinations in between Los Angeles and New York. Additional investigation and video surveillance indicates that Hirsch disembarked the bus in Denver and may have further deviated from his original route. Hirsch is believed to have family in New York.

An investigation has been underway since the initial report of an explosion was received by the Santa Monica Police Department. A lengthy forensic post-blast investigation of the incident site was conducted following the initial field assessment and resulted in evidence indicating that the device appeared to have been deliberately constructed. Investigation determined that Items found in and around the crime scene are linked to Ron Hirsch, identified as a transient.

Ron Hirsch AKA: Israel Fisher, J. Fisher Gender: Male Race: Caucasian Brown hair, green eyes 5’07”, 207 lbs. Date of Birth: December 9, 1950

Hirsch is known to frequent synagogues and Jewish community centers seeking charity from patrons. Hirsch is currently being sought on state charges of possession of a destructive device and unrelated local charges. His photograph is being released publicly and to law enforcement. Federal investigators are also interested in questioning Hirsch.

Based on his suspected involvement in this incident, Hirsch is considered extremely dangerous. Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of Hirsch is urged to contact law enforcement. The FBI can be reached 24 hours a day in Los Angeles at 888 CANT HIDE. Alternatively, anyone with information can dial 911.

No known motive for a deliberate attack is known at this time. A joint investigation by the Santa Monica Police Department, the FBI, the ATF, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the Santa Monica Fire Department is ongoing.

Reward money is available in exchange for information leading to a conviction in connection with this alleged crime.

Media Contacts: FBI: Laura Eimiller: 310 996-3343 Santa Monica Police Department: Lieutenant Jay Trisler: 310 458-8471 ATF: Special Agent Chris Hoffman: 818 265-2507 Read more at losangeles.fbi.gov

 

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Jersey City Council President Sentenced

Former City Council President for Jersey City Sentenced to Prison for Corrupt Payments Conspiracy

Amplify’d from newark.fbi.gov

Former City Council President for Jersey City Sentenced to Prison for Corrupt Payments Conspiracy

NEWARK, NJ—Former Jersey City, N.J., City Council President Mariano Vega was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison for agreeing to accept $30,000 in cash bribes and illicit contributions in exchange for exercising his future official influence and authority, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Vega, 61, of Jersey City, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right. Judge Linares also imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Vega admitted that while he was president of the city council and candidate for re-election, he agreed to accept cash payments and illicit campaign contributions totaling $30,000 from government cooperating witness Solomon Dwek, who purported to be a real estate developer.

Vega admitted that all of the $30,000 payments were in exchange for his future official assistance, action, and influence in Jersey City government matters pertaining to Dwek’s anticipated real estate development projects. Vega also admitted that all of the payments he accepted from Dwek were paid through Maher Khalil, who was the assistant director of the Jersey City Department of Health and Human Services at the time. Khalil pleaded guilty to the same charge on September 9, 2010, and awaits sentencing.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Linares ordered Vega to serve two years of supervised release and to forfeit $20,000—the amount of the corrupt bribes that he had received at the time of his arrest in July 2009. Judge Linares continued Vega’s release on a $75,000 bond pending his surrender to officials with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on June 6, 2011.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward, and special agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Victor W. Lessoff, for the investigation leading to today’s sentence.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra L. Moser of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

Defense counsel: Peter Willis, Jersey City, N.J. Read more at newark.fbi.gov

 

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Former Laredo Police Officer Sentenced

Former Laredo Police Department Officer Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Term for Drug Trafficking and Firearms Convictions

Amplify’d from sanantonio.fbi.gov

Former Laredo Police Department Officer Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Term for Drug Trafficking and Firearms Convictions

LAREDO, TX—Former Laredo Police Department (LPD) officer Orlando Jesus Hale, 28, has been sentenced to almost 25 years in federal prison without parole for drug trafficking and using a firearm during and in relation to the drug trafficking offense, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today

U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced Hale this morning to 235 months for his conviction of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine between Oct. 15, 2008, and Nov. 30, 2008. He also received a consecutive 60-month prison term for using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime and possessing the firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime in November 2008,, for a total of 295 months, or 24.5 years’ imprisonment. Immediately following today’s sentencing hearing, Judge Alvarez ordered Hale into the custody of the United States Marshals Service to begin serving his sentence pending transfer to a Bureau of Prisons facility to be designated in the near future. Hale had been free on bond until today’s sentencing hearing.

Hale was convicted following a jury trial in September 2010 of conspiring with another former Laredo Police Officer, Pedro Martinez III, to escort cocaine-loaded vehicles through Laredo, Texas using their police-issued radios to monitor Laredo Police Department dispatch traffic during the escort. The firearms conviction is a result of Hale carrying a firearm during a meeting at a hotel in Laredo at which the co-conspirators discussed the details of the planned escorts with each other, and with an FBI undercover agent whom they believed was a drug trafficker.

During the trial, evidence was presented proving that Hale and then-fellow LPD officer, Pedro Martinez III, met with an FBI undercover agent posing as a drug dealer in a hotel room in Laredo on Nov. 7, 2008. During the recorded meet, Hale and Martinez discussed how the two officers could escort loads of 20 kilograms each of cocaine from south to north Laredo using their personal vehicles and police-issued radios to monitor dispatch traffic.

On Nov. 13, 2008, first Martinez, then Hale, each escorted a load vehicle during afternoon rush-hour traffic. Each vehicle contained 20 kilograms of sham cocaine. On Nov. 25, Hale and Martinez arranged to meet the payoff person in San Antonio, Texas, to receive payment for the protective escort services they had provided. Hale and Martinez each received $1,000 from another undercover agent posing as the organization’s moneyman. Martinez, who pleaded guilty prior to trial, testified against Hale at trial.

In addition to the terms of imprisonment, Hale was order to pay a $2,000 fine and to serve a five-year term of supervised release upon release from prison.

The investigation leading to the charges was conducted by the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Immigration Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, and Customs Border Protection, with the assistance and cooperation of the LPD. Assistant United States Attorney Roberto F. Ramirez prosecuted the case. Read more at sanantonio.fbi.gov

 

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Lack of US Radiation Monitoring Data

Fukushima Accident Severity Level Raised to '7': Gundersen Discusses Lack of US Radiation Monitoring Data from Fairewinds Associates on Vimeo.



http://vimeo.com/22352930

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Amplify’d from www.eurekastreet.com.au

Muslims who venerate St George

William Gourlay

On an island known to the Greeks as Prinkipo, Ayshe Özakcam spends six months of the year attending a small stall beside a steep cobbled path. She sells home-grown plums, and apples, which she peels and quarters deftly with a sharp knife, to pilgrims passing en route to the Orthodox Church of Ayios Giorgios (St George) on the summit of the island.

What is intriguing about this is not that Ayshe ekes out a living by selling apples, or that she sits all day in the full glare of the Mediterranean sun, but that she is a Muslim, that the island is off the coast of Istanbul, the great Turkish metropolis, and that the majority of visitors to the Orthodox church are in fact Ayshe's fellow Turks.

Ayshe sees nothing remarkable in this. She doesn't appear to dwell on the faith or motivations of those puffing past her up the hill. When I ask her who the most common visitors are here she can't answer definitively. 'Greek, Turks,' she shrugs. 'Everybody!'

On the day of my visit, in late summer, she may not be far wrong. On the island (called Büyükada by the Turks), I encounter well-healed Istanbul locals, Turkish matriarchs in headscarves and dour gabardines, a black-garbed Greek widow, and a gaggle of Iranian tourists who offer around pistachios.

But the busiest day of the year is St George's Day, April 23, when Turks come by the thousands, taking advantage of the fact that the date coincides with a national public holiday, Independence Day. Crowding onto ferries in Istanbul, they arrive on Büyükada early in the morning, Muslim pilgrims en route to a Greek Orthodox church to ask favours of St George.

'The path to the monastery is packed with bodies,' recalls long-term Turkish resident and journalist Pat Yale of her visit on St George's Day last year. A festive air reigns. At the base of the hill pilgrims buy charms and trinkets designated for whatever they may be praying for: health, love, marriage, children. 'People unspool cotton along the lower slopes,' says Pat, 'and some hand out cubes of sugar.'

These are Muslim customs; cotton threads in white, red or green signify wishes for peace, love or money; the sharing of sugar and sweets is characteristic of Turkish hospitality and communal gaiety.

At the top of the hill pilgrims bustle forward to be allowed into the church in small groups where, with hands upturned in an attitude of prayer, they pass slowly before Greek icons and place handwritten entreaties to St George in a wish box. Outside again they form an orderly queue to be blessed by an Orthodox priest and then proceed on their way.

But aren't the Greeks and Turks mortal enemies? Isn't their mutual antagonism prima facie evidence of the 'clash of civilisations', the incompatibility of Muslim and Christian cultures? On the face of this, perhaps not. No one is sure when the Muslim practice of venerating St George began, but it is well documented.

In the early 1900s, Edith Durham encountered Albanian Sufis who observed St George's feast day. In his much-lauded travelogue, From the Holy Mountain, William Dalrymple tells of Palestinian Muslims crowding into a musty Church of St George near Jerusalem. These are just a few of countless instances of Muslim-Christian symbiosis throughout the Balkans and the Levant.

After enjoying one of Ayshe's tart apples, I continue up the path towards the church, enjoying sweeping views of the Sea of Marmara and the Asian and European shores of Istanbul. Along the route, remnant cotton threads linger on the trunks of scrubby oak and pine trees, and votive rags flutter from the branches of wild olives.

The church itself is not of architectural note, but it too offers panoramic views. Nearby the Turks have, perhaps inevitably, built a teahouse and restaurant. The site seems quintessentially Mediterranean to me, combining the Greek genius for building places of worship in remote locales with the Turkish predilection for tea and other such sedate pleasures in picturesque landscapes.

A Turkish teahouse abutting a Greek church, and Muslim pilgrims receiving blessing from Orthodox priests strike me as powerful evidence that civilisations do not inevitably clash, that where faiths meet the result need not be a tussle whereby one must cancel the other out. Through long interaction and mutual respect, cultures can fuse and meld, adopting and adapting from each other.

St George, the 'warrior saint', may be puzzled by all of this. Known for smiting the dragon he offered inspiration to belligerent Crusaders, but for countless years on Büyükada he has brought members of different faiths together. On April 23rd, as at many times during the year, their prayers in different languages will again intermingle and rise heavenwards.

William Gourlay is a Melbourne writer and editor who regularly contributes to Neos Kosmos. He is currently writing a thesis to complete a Master of Islamic Studies at Monash University. Read more at www.eurekastreet.com.au

 

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Jesuits, what they do for a living.

Amplify’d from www.youtube.com

Jesuits, what they do for a living.

Jesuits don't want you reading the truth. Read more at www.youtube.com

 

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Professor's ‘Strippers in Class’ Method

Amplify’d from gawker.com

Professor Wins Fame with Innovative ‘Strippers in Class’ Method

Hamilton Nolan — We must beg your apologies for a brief delay in bringing you the very latest news in College Professor In-Class Sex Demonstration Scandals, but we think you'll be pleased with the most recent developments in the field. Jack Rappaport, an assistant professor of management at La Salle University in Philly, has been suspended while the school investigates allegations that he hired strippers to give lap dances at a $150 extra-credit symposium on "the application of Platonic and Hegelian ethics to business." What?

There's some disagreement over just what the strippers did during the class—the Philly City Paper says they gave lap dances "to willing students - and even Rappaport - while he lectured," but the Philly Inquirer quotes students who say that the strippers merely walked around, and that "no suggestive dancing occurred."

Which would be kind of a letdown, because for $150 all they get is a lecture on statistics? That's not the sort of "value proposition" that kids are looking for in these tough times. Rappaport says in his bio, "I try to enrich my teaching by using interesting real life applications such as the use of the horse race betting market in the teaching of statistics." And strippers too, for some reason I can't quite fathom! Must "the man" always try to crush any professor who seeks to inspire our youth with "outside the box" methods? This is just like that movie Dead Poets Society. With strippers.

Fucksaws for everyone!

Do you know more about this very intriguing La Salle class? Email me.

[Via Inside Higher Ed, photo via Shutterstock] Read more at gawker.com

 

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Catholic Group Pushing Gay Agenda

Promoted on Capitol Hill by Priest Who Won’t Say If He Agrees with Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality

Amplify’d from www.cnsnews.com

Catholic Group Pushing Gay Agenda Promoted on Capitol Hill by Priest Who Won’t Say If He Agrees with Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality

By Dan Joseph

(CNSNews.com) – A Catholic priest who works with a group that advocates "full equality" of homosexuals would not say whether he agrees with the Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality.

Equally Blessed, which describes itself as “a coalition of faithful Catholics who support full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people both in the church and in civil society,” held a Mar. 30 briefing on Capitol Hill.

At that briefing, the group focused on recent polls showing increased tolerance by Catholic parishioners for homosexuals and their behavior, including issues such as gays adopting children and same-sex marriage.

Rev. Bryan Massingale, a priest with the archdiocese of Milwaukee and an associate professor of moral theology at Marquette University, a Catholic institution, and Sr. Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK, a national Catholic social justice lobby, spoke at the briefing.

CNSNews.com asked Rev. Massingale, “Section 2357 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that ‘homosexual acts are contrary to the natural law.  They close the sexual act to the gift of life.  They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.’ That’s a quote. So, from your presence here today, is it safe to say that both of you disagree with this portion of Catholic law?”

Rev. Massingale said, “First, we have to become clear about, that it’s not Catholic law, it’s a Catholic teaching. It’s a distinction and a difference there. So let’s phrase your question more precisely –” at which point CNSNews.com asked, “Do you disagree with Catholic teaching on that?”

Rev. Massingale then said, “I would be much more nuanced instead of saying agree or not because I think the issue before us right now as Congress, or as a body, is this: Regardless of human behavior, what is our stance regarding the protection of fundamental human dignity?  -- which is the reason why I phrased my intervention the way I did.”

“If we look at the numbers that were just given, that 64 percent of Catholics who attend Mass weekly or more, favor some form of recognition of same-sex relationships of some kind,” said Rev. Massingale. “It says to me that they’re not necessarily saying that they’re approving of conduct. I think that for a Congress is -- to get into the issue of conduct or not, that’s an issue for intra-Catholic debate and reform.  But I think the issue before us as a nation is how do we ensure the protection of human rights regardless of behavior?”

Rev. Bryan Massingale, STD (Photo: Marquette University)

“So, for example, I as a Catholic can say that I disagree profoundly with murder,” said Rev. Massingale. “However, I also still want to be in favor of the fair treatment of felons.  So I think that regardless of one’s stance on behavior -- and that is the discussion that’s going on in church, indeed to enter into Congress’ purview.  I think that the fundamental thing that I want to emphasize is the need to respect the human dignity of people regardless of our moral judgments on behavior.”

When asked by a moderator if she wanted to add anything to Rev. Massingale’s remarks, Sr. Campbell said, “Amen. I’m a civil lawyer but church teaching certainly speaks to my heart, that it’s about the protection of rights, separation of behavior.”

Further inquiries by e-mail from CNSNews.com to Rev. Massingale to clarify clearly whether he agrees with the Catechism's teaching on homosexual behavior, were not answered.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the official text of the entire theological and moral teachings of the Catholic Church. The event with Equally Blessed was sponsored by Rep. Loretta Sanchez (R-Calif.), Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Mike Doyle(D-Penn.), all three of whom are Catholics.

In a Sept. 21, 2006 commentary published in the Catholic Herald, Rev. Massingale argued for voting against a measure to amend the Wisconsin constitution to define marriage as the union between one man and one woman because the amendment also stated that “a legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state.”

Massingale said he thought the latter point could endanger health care benefits for people in unmarried households. “Voting ‘yes,’ on the marriage amendment,” wrote Massingale, “risks harming children and families. Therefore, voting ‘no’ on the marriage amendment, in my judgment, is the best way to respect all of our Catholic beliefs and values.”

The archdiocese of Milwaukee is headed by Archbishop Jerome Listecki, who was appointed to that position in 2009, replacing Arbp. Timothy Dolan, the current archbishop of New York.

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