Thursday 31 December 2015

Televangelist Describes Commercial Flying As Flying With A Bunch Of Demons



Watch Mega Church douche nozzles Kenneth Copeland and Jesse Duplantis defend their private jet while describing what it would be like flying with the unwashed masses. "This dope filled world and get in an air... get in a long tube with a bunch of demons." (2:40)

Video from YouTube

Donald Trump And Ben Carson Books Removed From Humour Section Of Barnes & Noble

Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ben Carson released nonfiction (allegedly) books this year as they hit the campaign trail. But earlier this week, at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Coral Gables, Florida, the books were shelved in an unconventional location: the "Humour" section.

The misplaced tomes drew immediate conservative attention to Barnes & Noble.

CBS News spoke to a customer service representative at the Coral Gables store who said the books had been removed from the location. The employee, who did not wish to be identified, said that it was "obviously a prank by a customer" and added that none of the Barnes & Noble staff were responsible for filing the books under that section. Cont.

Story from - CBS News

Woman Avoids DWI For Having A Stomach That Acts As A Brewery


When Hamburg Town Police arrested a motorist last year, they measured her blood alcohol content at .33 percent, more than four times higher than the state’s legal limit.

But a town judge recently dismissed the aggravated driving while intoxicated charge, after hearing medical evidence that the woman suffers from a rare intestinal disorder called “Auto-Brewery Syndrome” that sometimes turns ordinary food and beverages into alcohol in a person’s body.

The Erie County District Attorney’s office says it will appeal the judge’s ruling and seek to have the charges against the driver reinstated.

The case involving a 35-year-old school teacher is believed to be among the first of its kind in Western New York, if not the entire state. Cont.

Story from Buffalo News
Image from - Pixabay

Man Pulls Gun On Dell Technician



A SWAT team was called to a former GOP staffer's home after he pulled a fake gun on a Dell technician. Story out of Arlington Virginia:

A lobbyist and self-proclaimed communications expert who got mad when a computer tech couldn’t make repairs Monday began threatening to kill him with a gun he was holding if he couldn’t fix the computer, according to Arlington County Police.

The tech told the homeowner, Joseph “Joe” Nestor Mondello, 50, that he would have to leave because he needed a part to fix the computer, police said.

The news “sent our subject over the edge,” said Dustin Sternbeck, Arlington County Police spokesman. “He became furious and clearly agitated,” telling the tech ”your’e not leaving this house until the computer is fixed.”

Mondello left the room and returned with what looked like a gun held at his side, and began pacing back and forth, said Sternbeck, telling the tech ”I’m going to kill you slowly.”

Mondello’s wife then intervened, coming downstairs after hearing her husband make threats, Sternbeck said, and got between her husband and the tech.

At that point, the tech was able to flee the residence; he contacted his office and they told him to call 9-1-1, Sternbeck said.  Cont.

Story and Image from Arlington Patch

Wednesday 30 December 2015

Ultra-Orthodox Lawmakers In Israel Boycott Swearing In Of Gay Member Of Parliament


Members of the Israeli Knesset's Ultra-Orthodox parties boycotted the swearing-in ceremony on Monday of new Likud MK Amir Ohana, the party's first openly gay lawmaker.

Amir Ohana takes the place of Interior Minister Silvan Shalom, who stepped down from public office last week following sexual assault allegations.

“I am here with all of who I am and what I am, what I’ve chosen and what I haven’t, and am proud of this: Jewish, Israeli, Mizrahi, gay, Likudnik, security-minded, liberal and a free-market-economy man,” Ohana said.

When people cry “Death to the Jews,” Ohana said, using the Arabic phrase, “I am a Jew first.
“When they shoot, boycott, label, and expel — I am a settler. When they try to blur cultures, to minimize and ignore — I am Mizrahi. When they defame IDF soldiers and security forces — I am a soldier,” said Ohana.


“When they stab to death a young woman in the parade of love and tolerance – I’m gay, a gay person who does not hope the day will come but gets up and supplies it," he said. "A gay person who understands that the flag we carry, lesbians and gay men, trans and bi, is the rainbow flag.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the ceremony and welcomed Ohana to the Knesset. Cont.

Story from i- 24 News
Image from - Pxabay

Stressed Out Mailman Trashes Hundreds Of Christmas Cards And Gifts


A Queens mailman was so stressed by the number of holiday cards and gifts he was supposed to deliver this year that he simply dumped hundreds of them in the trash, court papers claim.

Ozone Park postman Daniel Darby, 25, was “overwhelmed” by the uptick in his early December mail, so he went to a neighborhood Stop & Shop the night of Dec. 2 — his first day on a new route — and bought three white garbage bags, according to Brooklyn federal court documents.

Darby then allegedly stuffed the holiday mail in the bags and dumped them in a residential garbage can. They were discovered two days later.

He was arraigned on charges of unlawfully delaying and destroying the mail Tuesday — as was another alleged rogue postal worker.

The second mail carrier, who worked in Brooklyn, is accused of swiping about 50 gift cards from envelopes and then treating himself to $1,000 in goodies over the past year, according to court papers. Cont.

Story from - The New York Post
Image from - Judith E. Bell - Flickr
cc 2.0

Priest Punished By Diocese For Riding "Hoverboard" While Singing


Story out of Manila, Philippines:

One of the priests at the Diocese of San Pablo sang a Christmas song, while going up and down the aisles of the church on a hoverboard, as a way to greet the congregation on Dec. 24, The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Pablo said in a statement.

Members of the congregation took a handful of videos of the incident, many of which have thousands of views on YouTube.  In the videos, people in the congregation appear to clap as the priest begins his journey down the aisle.

While the congregation may have thought the priest’s jaunt on this Christmas’ hottest toy was amusing, the Diocese of San Pablo did not.

“The Eucharist demands utmost respect and reverence. It is the Memorial of the Lord’s Sacrifice,” the diocese said. “It is the source and summit of Christian life. It is the Church’s highest form of worship.”

The diocese said the priest’s actions made the service about him instead of Christ. Cont.

Story from USA Today
Video from YouTube

Cleanthony Earl From The New York Knicks Robbed And Shot In Leg


Story out of Queens New York:

A band of masked robbers boxed in New York Knicks player Cleanthony Early's cab with their vehicles as he left a strip club Wednesday, demanding his "gold" before shooting him in the leg, law enforcement officials told the Associated Press.

Early left CityScapes in Queens with his girlfriend at about 4:30 a.m. in an Uber cab when his vehicle was surrounded by at least two other cars and as many as six men got out, the two officials said. Early handed over two gold chains before he was shot in the right kneecap, officials told the AP. Law enforcement officials told WABC-TV in New York that the men even asked for the gold caps from Early's teeth. After the shooting, the men drove off. The Uber driver and girlfriend were uninjured, and the driver was robbed only of his identification.

Early, 24, was hospitalized in stable condition early Wednesday. A spokesperson for Elmhurst Hospital said later Wednesday that Early was released and transferred to another facility.

Williams has declined to comment on the theft, but the case raised questions about whether NBA players should have a curfew like other professional sports. In April, Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland, his girlfriend and another woman were stabbed following a late-night argument on the street near a Manhattan nightclub. Cont . (Video Autoplay)

Story from - ESPN
Image from - Michael Tipton - Flickr
cc 2.0

RELATED - NY Knicks Derrick Williams Robbed By Two Women

Londoners Are Turning Old "Loos" Into Cafés


Sipping a cup of Earl Grey next to a urinal isn't everyone's cup of tea, but at the Attendant, a trendy café in central London, nobody seems to mind.

With stairs leading below street level, the Attendant now occupies what used to be a public toilet — one of 15 Victorian-era "loos."

While it's now a coffee shop, the space retains many of the original elements, such as the urinals, which are now used as a bar.

When asked how customers respond to the idea of eating a meal at a urinal, McKeown says the reaction "has always been great."

"I don't think anyone has ever freaked out or worried about the cleanliness or food hygiene."

Melissa Barnes, who was recently spotted picking up a mid-morning coffee from the Attendant, said, "it's a cheeky-cool concept for a café. Definitely different, but not offputting in any way." Cont. (Video)

Story from - CBC News
Image from - Pixabay

Tuesday 29 December 2015

Texas Strips Planned Parenthood Of HIV Prevention Funding


The State of Texas continued its scorched-earth strategy in dealing with Planned Parenthood this week by stopping more than half a million dollars in federal funding the organization uses for HIV prevention and screening across the Greater Houston area.

That money, some $600,000 every year, comes from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but is administered by state health officials. And for nearly three decades, that money has gone to Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast to fund HIV testing and counseling, condom distribution and referral services to connect anyone who has the virus with specialized care.

That will end on December 31, when the organization's current contract is set to expire, according to a tersely worded letter Planned Parenthood received late Monday from the Texas Department of State Health Services. “There will be no further renewals of this contract,” the letter states, without further explanation.

The move follows the state's decision to kick Planned Parenthood out of the Medicaid program just two months ago. In October, state health officials announced they intend to block the $3.1 million in Medicaid reimbursements the organization receives every year for some 13,500 patients who use Planned Parenthood clinics for cancer screenings, HIV tests, contraceptives and other preventative health services. Cont.

Story from - The Houston Press
Image from - Pixabay

One Person Shows Up To Martin O'Malley's Rally - Is Uncommitted Voter


Mr. O'Malley, party of one:

Amid a vicious winter storm on Monday that forced some presidential campaigns to cancel their scheduled stops in Iowa, only Martin O'Malley decided to press on.

 And one man at his last event, the only person to show up, in fact, "was glad to see me," the former Maryland governor said. But he still would not commit to caucus for O'Malley.

"The very last event of the night, we actually had a whopping total of one person show up, but by God, he was glad to see me. So we spent the time with him," the Democratic presidential candidate told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Tuesday, speaking from Des Moines. Cont.

Story from - Politico
Image from - Wikimedia Commons
cc 2.0

Watch A Song Parody Mocking Donald Trump



Disgusted by the rise of foul-mouthed demagogue Donald Trump, the PIA, (Public Integrity Alliance) which some wags snark also stands for "Pain in the Ass," is taking aim at The Donald and his dumb-as-dirt, ditto-head supporters, lampooning the latter in an awesome new music video for the spoof song, "Make America Great Again." Cont.

Story from Phoenix News Times

A lot of Trump supporters don't seem to be in on the joke.

Monday 28 December 2015

Arizona Woman Shoots Victim In The Eye For Not Believing In God - Keeps Body As Shrine


A valley woman says the body of a victim found by police on her couch was a "shrine from God."

The Phoenix Police Department tells Fox 10 that 39-year-old Anitra Braxton has been charged with murder after police found the body of a woman on her couch inside her apartment on December 26.

Police responded to the apartment at 1515 W. Missouri Avenue after receiving reports of a dead African-American woman covered in a towel laying on the sofa. When officers arrived to the apartment, Braxton told police that no one was inside her apartment and that she lived alone.

However, noticed what appeared to be a body laying on the sofa. Braxton was then arrested and taken to police headquarters. Once police obtained a search warrant for the apartment, they found the body of a towel-covered woman on the couch. The victim had sustained a gunshot wound to the head.

While being questioned, Braxton told police the victim on the couch was a "shrine from God" and was actually her own body. She later told police that the victim had been shot in the eye for not believing in God. Cont.

Story from - Fox 10 Phoenix
Image from - Pixabay

"God Didn't Create Adam and Winston"


Tennessee should stop issuing marriage licenses in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision that made gay marriage legal, state Rep. Rick Womick said.

"The state Constitution says that marriage is between one man and one woman, and my personal belief is that God says that marriage is between one man and one woman," said Womick, a Republican who resides in Rutherford County's Rockvale community southwest of Murfreesboro. "He created Adam and Eve. God didn’t create Adam and Winston."

Although supporters of marriage equality rights for gay couples celebrated the high court's June ruling, Womick said during a Tuesday phone interview that Tennessee should revert back to being a common-law state on marriage and stop issuing licenses for couples to wed.

Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell, a Republican from Nashville, appointed a task force that includes state Rep. Mike Carter to examine how to respond to the court ruling, and the group will soon meet again on the issue, said Carter, a Republican from Ooltewah in Hamilton County in the Chattanooga area.

Gay-rights supporter Laura Bohling during a Saturday phone interview questioned why state lawmakers want to challenge the nation's top court, which in 1967 in the Loving v. Virginia decision ruled that states have to permit marriage of interracial couples in a case involving a white man and a black woman.

"I’m flabbergasted that we are wasting money on a task force to decide what to do on marriage licenses," said Bohling, who served one term as a Republican Circuit Court clerk in Rutherford County from September 2010 to August 2014. "It seems like it’s the land of the free and the home of the brave unless you are gay." Cont.

Story from - Daily News Journal
Image from - Pixabay

Online Retailers Selling Cow Dung Patties


The patties cow poop mixed with hay and dried in the sun, made mainly by women in rural areas and used to fuel fires have long been available in villages. But online retailers including Amazon and eBay are now reaching out to the country’s ever—increasing urban population, feeding into the desire of older city folks to harken back to their childhood in the village.

Some retailers say they’re offering discounts for large orders. Some customers are asking for gift wrapping.

Cow dung cakes have been used for centuries for fires, whether for heating, cooking or religion rituals. Across rural areas, piles of drying cow dung are ubiquitous.Cont.

Story from - The Hindu
Image from - Pixabay

German Man Dies After Blowing Up Condom Machine


Police in Germany say a man has died after he and two others blew up a condom machine and he was hit in the head by a flying piece of metal.

Officers were alerted to the explosion Friday in Schoeppingen, near the Dutch border, and found cash and condom packets lying on the ground apparently untouched.

They say the three men apparently got into a car after triggering the explosion, but the 29-year-old didn't close his door and was hit by debris when the machine exploded. Cont.

Story from - CBS News
Image from - Pixabay

Puerto Rico Cop Shoots 3 Co-Workers Dead


A Puerto Rico policeman fatally shot two high-ranking officers and a policewoman on Monday following an argument at the station where they worked, authorities said. He was immediately placed under arrest.

The suspect, identified as officer Guarionex Candelario, held a female lieutenant, a male commander and a policewoman hostage in an office before he killed them, police spokeswoman Mayra Ayala told The Associated Press.

The shooting occurred at the police headquarters in the southern coastal city of Ponce, Puerto Rico's second-largest municipality. Authorities evacuated the station to investigate threats of a possible explosive device in the suspect's car. There was no immediate word on whether anything was found.

The suspect worked in the anti-drug division and had been arrested. Officers at the scene told reporters that the victims include Lt. Luz Soto Segarra and Cmdr. Frank Roman, both 49. Soto's husband was also a police lieutenant, said Jose Cruz Martinez, vice-president of the Puerto Rican Police Union. Cont.

Story from - CBC News
Image from - Pixabay

Sunday 27 December 2015

YouTube Star 'Baby Scumbag' Promised 12 Year Old Girl MTV Cameo For Sex


Story out of Los Angeles, California:

Steven Fernandez, 15, of Compton, Jose Barajas, 22, and Keelan Lamar Dadd, 27, were arrested and charged with committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Fernandez is a well-known skateboarder with a large following on Twitter and Instagram. He also markets the popular clothing label Honey Brand. Barajas is his manager and Dadd is a fellow professional skater.

Fernandez is accused of using his celebrity status to lure the girl into a car being driven by Barajas on Ventura Boulevard on Nov. 13. Police allege that he promised her fame and even an appearance spot on a nonexistent MTV special in exchange for sex acts.

Four days later, detectives posing as the girl arranged to meet Fernandez and Barajas at an abandoned home allegedly for sex, police said. Both were subsequently arrested during the sting operation. Dadd accompanied by an attorney turned himself into police Dec. 3.

Fernandez was released to his mother and was ordered to wear an ankle tracker pending his court appearance as he is a minor. Cont.

Story from - CBS LA
Image from - Pixabay

Man Diffuses Situation Only To Be Shot Dead By Police


Story out of Douglas County, GA:

 Douglas County sheriff’s deputies got the call around 8:20 p.m. Monday. The security guard for a mobile home park in Douglasville, Ga., said he had just been held at gunpoint for 45 minutes as he made his evening rounds.

That was around the same time that Bobby Daniels, 48, got the frantic calls from loved ones — his 25-year-old son Bias was having an emotional breakdown, he had a gun and had just been holding a hostage.

Bobby Daniels beat the deputies there, and according to family members talked his despondent son into putting the weapon down on the hood of a car. Moments later, the father of five was shot twice — not by his son, but by a Douglas County sheriff’s deputy.

‘Bobby came for the purpose of calming his son down, he arrived before even the police,” said Chris Stewart, a civil rights attorney representing the Daniels family. “His son pointed the weapon at Bobby, and forced him to sit back into the car, and that’s when the police arrived with their weapons drawn.”

The family believes that Bias Daniels was going through a mental and emotional breakdown, which is a common precursor to police shootings this year. Roughly a quarter of all people shot and killed by the police this year have been in the midst of a mental health crisis, according to a Post analysis.

Mr. Stewart said that Bobby Daniels than continued to reason with his son, eventually convincing him to set the gun down on the hood of the car.

It was then, Mr. Stewart says, that deputies attempted to use a stun gun on Bias Daniels — but it was ineffective because he was wearing a heavy coat. Bias Daniels then took a step toward the gun and, in what the family describes as an attempt to keep his son from getting the weapon, Bobby Daniels also went for the gun. Cont.

Story from - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Image from - Pixabay

Saturday 26 December 2015

Man Robs Store For Penis Pump


A man walked into Viva Video, at 918 University Ave. in St. Paul Minnesota, seeking to exchange a penis pump he had purchased, claiming it didn't work as advertised. The clerk argued that any problems were due to "operator error," a police report said.

At that point, the man pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the clerk's head, again demanding a replacement for his used pump.

He fled without a new pump, saying he'd be back. Cont.

Story from - Twin Cities
Image from - Scott Davidson - Flickr
cc 2.0

Thursday 24 December 2015

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Orders The Removal Of A Winter Solstice Display


To celebrate the season, the Texas Capitol has multiple Christmas trees and a Nativity scene on its grounds. But after a complaint by Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday, "a winter solstice" display urging the separation of church and state has been kicked out.

The display was a cardboard cutout of the nation's founding fathers and the Statue of Liberty looking down at the Bill of Rights in a manger. It had been set up in the Capitol's basement, hardly a high-traffic area, and didn't generate much of a public response.


But after finding out about it, Abbott called it a "juvenile parody" in a letter asking the State Preservation Board to remove the exhibit.

Now that it's gone, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the group behind the display, says it's considering its legal options.

The removal comes a week after Abbott publicly expressed his support for a Nativity scene outside the city of Orange municipal building. He argued that the city had a Constitutional right to display the religious imagery.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a Madison, Wisconsin-based nonprofit organization that describes itself as dedicated to promoting "the constitutional principle of separation of state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism." Cont.

Story from - The Texas Tribune
Image from - Wikipedia
cc 3.0

Israel Is Now Numbering Palestinians


On October 30, the Israeli military announced a closed military zone over the area of Hebron under full Israeli security control.

To enforce the closure, the Israeli army introduced a new system of identification numbers for the 30,000 Palestinian residents of the cordoned-off H2 district which encompasses about 20 percent of Hebron and includes Shuhada Street and a number of Israeli settlements.The remaining 80 percent of the city is under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.

In addition to presenting their identification cards at 17 internal checkpoints and undergoing security checks, Palestinians must now orally give soldiers their new ID number when entering and leaving the blockades that enclose Shuhada Street.

The army did not distribute paper documents with the new identification number. Once a soldier is told the number, he then cross-references it with a printed list.

"Anyone who does not have a number is removed or arrested. The Israeli army detained at least 20 international volunteers who monitor H2 area," said Sohaib Zahda, of the Hebron-based activist group Youth Against Settlements.

"Even the little kids have numbers," said Anas Murakatan, 27, who lives in an apartment near a checkpoint at the entrance to Shuhada Street. "I am 58; she is 59," Anas said, pointing to his pregnant wife, Fadwa Murakatan. His children are 60 and 61.

"When the baby is born, she will get one too." Cont.

Story from - Al Jazeera
Image from - Pixabay

Wednesday 23 December 2015

Girl Calls 911 After Knocking Over Elf On A Shelf


A 7-year-old New Jersey girl called 911 in a panic when she did something that she thought would get her in trouble with Santa.

Isabella LaPeruta, of Old Bridge, contacted cops after she accidentally touched her Elf on the Shelf -- a no-no, according to the popular children's book, because doing so means the Christmas magic goes away from the home.

Police were understanding. "To her, it was an emergency when she touched the elf, and she's going to ruin Christmas, so that was her emergency," said Old Bridge Police Lt. Joseph Mandola. "In her mind, she did right, and it was   fine with us. Cont. (Video Autoplay)

Story from - NBC NY
Image from - Wikimedia Commons

Drone Nearly Crashes Into Skier


Story out of Vienna, Italy:

The international ski federation is banning camera drones from its World Cup races after one of the flying objects crashed and nearly hit Austrian skier Marcel Hirscher during a slalom in Italy.

FIS will prohibit drones "as long as I am responsible .... because they are a bad thing for safety," men's race director Markus Waldner told The Associated Press on Wednesday, a day after the night's race in Madonna di Campiglio.

"It was huge luck that Marcel was not hurt," Waldner said. "I am very angry."

The drone carrying a TV camera came down and shattered on the icy slope just behind Hirscher, a few seconds after the Olympic silver medallist started his second run.

Drones have been used many times before at ski races. The ski federation said the new technology was aimed at enhancing the experience for TV viewers as it provides moving pictures from an overhead angle which regular cameras can't shoot. Cont.  (Video Autoplay)

Story from - Huffington Post
Image from - Pixabay

Man Assaults Child For Being late For Church


Story out of Orlando, Florida:

According to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, the child, whose age was not released, was getting ready to go to church with Rivera, but the child was having trouble putting on shoes because of an ankle brace.

According to deputies, the child said Angel Rivera (49) got upset, so the child went into a room and tried to close the door. Rivera tried to stop the child, but the door hit him in the face, deputies said.

Rivera was able to get into the room and punched the child in the face, deputies said. The child, who was bleeding and had a black and blue eye, was taken to a hospital, deputies said.

Angel Rivera was arrested on charges of child abuse and battery. Cont.

Story from - Click Orlando
Image from - Pixabay

US Stops Muslim Family From Vacationing In Disneyland


A British Muslim family heading for Disneyland was barred from boarding a flight to Los Angeles by US authorities at London’s Gatwick airport amid concerns of an American overreaction to the perceived terrorist threat.

US Department of Homeland Security officials provided no explanation for why the country refused to allow the family of 11 to board the plane even though they had been granted travel authorization online ahead of their planned 15 December flight.

Senior politicians have been drawn into the case, warning that a growing number of British Muslims are being barred from the US without being told the reason for their exclusion.

Comments by the Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump calling for a ban on all Muslims entering the US have also contributed to the tense atmosphere.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said Cameron would consider the issues raised in Creasy’s letter and respond in due course. The prime minister has already described Trump’s remarks as “stupid divisive and wrong”. Cont.

Story from - The Guardian
Image from - Pixabay

Tuesday 22 December 2015

Woman Calls Police On Couple For Chanting 'ISIS Is Great' While Having Sex


Story out of Brown Deer, Wisconsin:

An 82-year-old woman called Brown Deer Police Sunday night requesting police because she heard someone chanting, "ISIS is good, ISIS is great" while having sex.

The incident took place in the 4400 block of Dean Road.

Police advised the woman to call back if she heard the chanting again.

When asked about the incident, Brown Deer Police Chief Kass replied, "maybe taking see something, say something a little too far?" Cont. (Video, Tweets)

Story from -CBS 58
Image from - Wikipedia
cc 3.0

Secret Service Agent Robbed


Story out of Honolulu, Hawaii:

A Secret Service agent's gun, badge, radio, handcuffs and flash drive were stolen in broad daylight Monday near the agency's headquarters in Washington, according to a police report and sources briefed on the incident.

The agent's belongings were taken from his personal vehicle while it was parked on G Place in downtown Washington around 4 p.m. ET.

A report filed with the Metropolitan Police Department several hours later describes the agent returning to his car and noticing the back rear window of his car had been "unzipped." The report says the agent noticed "a bag with the listed property was taken out of the vehicle."

The Secret Service declined Tuesday to comment on the incident. But a law enforcement official noted that the USB is encrypted and password protected and argued the theft does not appear to be a threat to the agency. Cont. (Video Autoplay)

Story from - CNN
Image from - Wikimedia Commons
cc 2.0

Monday 21 December 2015

Donald Trump's Campaign Itself Is This Years PolitiFact Lie Of The Year


PolitiFact has been documenting Trump’s statements on our Truth-O-Meter, where we’ve rated 76 percent of them Mostly False, False or
Pants On Fire, out of 77 statements checked. No other politician has as many statements rated so far down on the dial.

In considering our annual Lie of the Year, we found our only real contenders were Trump’s -- his various statements also led our Readers’ Poll. But it was hard to single one out from the others. So we have rolled them into one big trophy.

To the candidate who says he’s all about winning, PolitiFact designates the many campaign misstatements of Donald Trump as our 2015 Lie of the Year.

As of Monday, Trump was in first place among Republican-leaning voters with 34 percent support, according to Real Clear Politics national polling average.  Experts speculate that this is because Trump’s supporters, like their candidate, don’t mind the hyperbole. Cont.

Story from - PolitiFact
Image from - Pixabay

NY Knicks Derrick Williams Robbed By Two Women


Knicks forward Derrick Williams was robbed of $750,000 in jewelry at his Tribeca apartment early Saturday — and he’s blaming two women he took home from a Meatpacking District club earlier in the evening.

Williams, 24, had been celebrating Friday night’s 107-97 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers with a group of friends at the Up & Down club.

Afterward, they headed back to Williams’ Broadway apartment — along with two women whom they had just met and who may have been using false names, the sources said.

After more partying at Williams’ bachelor pad, everyone went home.
But not before the two party girls found the Louis Vuitton case stuffed with three-quarters of a million dollars worth of jewelry in one of Williams’ closets.

Police are probing whether the Williams theft is part of a pattern of robberies committed by young women who prey upon wealthy, bling-flashing men at clubs and hotel bars, the sources said. Cont.

Story from - New York Post
Image from - Michael Tipton - Flickr
cc 2.0

Man Says He Would Follow Trump 'To The End Of The World' While Plotting To Blow Up Muslims


A neighborhood in Richmond had to be evacuated Sunday when police say a man was making explosives in his home with the intent of harming the Muslim community.

Police received a tip from a caller on December 17th who said a man was making the devices and threatening to harm Muslims.

Police removed a device from the home on the 5100 block of Mcbryde Avenue, and the Walnut Creek bomb squad detonated a device before neighbors were allowed to return to their homes.

The suspect was identified by police as 55 year old William Celli.  He was arrested, and booked into the Contra Costa County jail Sunday afternoon.

Celli appeared to be a supporter of Presidential candidate Donald Trump.  A post on his Facebook page said he would follow Trump “to the end of the world.” Cont. (Video)

Story from - CBS SF

Woman Live Streams As Anthony Cumia Attacks Her


Story out of Long Island, New York: 

Anthony Cumia, the shock jock fired by Sirius XM last year after a series of racially-charged tweets, was arrested over the weekend for allegedly attacking a woman in his Long Island home, the Associated Press reports.

The alleged victim, identified by the user name of Dani Golightly, live-streamed the aftermath on Periscope (later posted by another user on YouTube), saying that she is in Long Island and "got my hand broken, I'm waiting for the police to come." Then the camera moves suddenly, and she says, "Oh my God, don't hit me again! Stay away from me!"

"But you're moving your hand," a man says in the background before the woman turns the camera around to show Cumia, 54, laughing and addressing the audience, "Ladies and gentleman, it's the Anthony and Dani Show." Cont. (Video)

Story from - True Jersey Via AP
Image from - Pixabay

Frank Luntz Complains That No One Listens To Muslims While Not Listening To Muslims


When a CBS News segment featuring a focus group of American Muslims aired Friday, it highlighted their relationship to terrorism, with a particular fixation on how much responsibility they felt to condemn terrorist attacks.

But in interviews with The Intercept, two Muslim Americans who took part in the group complained that CBS edited out parts of the discussion where they raised their own concerns — including critiques of U.S. militarism, surveillance, and entrapment.

They also said that Frank Luntz, the right-wing pollster who led the focus group, silenced members of the group when they criticized discriminatory U.S. government policies.

Sarah Harvard, a New York City journalist who was in the group, wrote a lengthy Facebook (Here) post after the airing of the CBS segment where she noted that the total time spent filming was around an hour — and that the most telling exchanges were cut out.

Harvard wrote that several participants expressed criticisms of U.S. government policy toward Muslims, such as “entrapment cases and surveillance programs” as well as institutional racism. None of that made it into the segment.

Luntz told CBS news anchors after the segment aired that the focus group had expressed “very deep frustration that nobody’s listening to them … that they are the focus of all sorts of conversations, many of them negative, and that they don’t have a voice. That they’re being attacked by the leading presidential candidate [sic] and no one is hearing a response. They were so grateful to be gathered in that room, to have a chance to speak out.” Cont. (Video)

In 2010 Luntz was given the 'Lie Of The Year Award' by PolitiFact for the phrase 'government takeover' to refer to healthcare reform.

Story from - The Intercept
Image from - Wikimedia Commons

Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst Is Banned From Ukraine


Fred Durst, the founder of the group and its lead singer, was quoted in news reports in October as saying he was interested in buying a house in Crimea, the Black Sea region annexed by Russia in 2014.

The Ukrainian online publication Apostrof on Monday reported that the security service in November had banned Durst's entry for five years "in the interests of guaranteeing the security of our state." The Interfax news agency reported that the security service had confirmed the ban, but did not give details. Cont.

Story from - CBS News
Image from - Wikimedia Commons
cc 3.0

Sunday 20 December 2015

The Freak Out Awakens


A crowd watching "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" at a theater in Hollywood collectively pitched a fit Friday night when the projector stopped, then restarted 15 or 20 minutes ahead in the action, said Erik Melendez, who spoke to CNN and posted cell phone video of the moment on Facebook. Here. (Autoplay Loud)
    From the screams in the ArcLight Theater, you'd have thought the "Star Wars" franchise had been abandoned, not reborn.

    Most people thought they were about to see the ending of the movie without preceding plot developments, Melendez said.

    Some people in the audience yelled "No no no!" over and over. Cont. 

    Story from - CNN
    Image from - Imgur 

    Saturday 19 December 2015

    Kevin McCallister From Home Alone Is Back



    Video from YouTube

    Caitlyn Jenner Prays With Anti-LGBT Pastor


    Story out of Houston, Texas:

    Jenner spent the past two days in Houston attending a unity event that was apparently unpublicized. She also met with the mother of a transgender son who says her child's life will be more difficult because of the rejection of the city's equal rights ordinance. In November, 61 percent of voters said no to the measure, which would have made discrimination against protected classes, including LGBT, in the city.

    After the event, pictures were taken of Pastor Ed Young speaking with, and then praying with Jenner and her group, which included members of her reality TV show.

    Reverend Young is one of several pastors who publicly opposed the so-called HERO measure, which was also billed as the "bathroom ordinance," claiming that men could use women's public restrooms under the measure. Supporters deny that. Cont.

    Story from - ABC 13
    Image from - Pixabay

    Matador Gored In Heart But Survives


    Mexican matador Mauricio Martínez Kingston suffered serious wounds to the chest, lungs, heart and eye when he was stabbed in the left armpit by a bull during the fifth fight of the night at the Monumental Plaza in Mexico City on Thursday.

    His condition was described as critical but stable.

    Many people opposed to the blood sport sided with the bull, which was killed after the fight.

    "Good, I hate that activity (it's not a sport). A bunch of loser brightly dressed clowns abusing an animal," said one commentator. Cont. (Video)

    Story from - Mirror
    Image from - Wikipedia
    cc 3.0

    French Models Must Provide A Doctors Note Saying They're Not Too Skinny


    After years of speculation about France's impending ban on "super-skinny" models, lawmakers in the country have finally adopted a bill that makes medical certificates a must-have accessory in the fashion capitol of the world.

    The new law, approved by French MPs on Thursday, mandates that all models must provide their employers with doctors notes confirming a healthy body weight before legally working in France.

    Employers who fail to provide these health documents upon inspection can be punished for up to six months in jail and a whopping €75,000 (approximately $114,000 Cdn) fine.

    Harsh as the punishment may seem, an estimated 30-000 - 40,000 people in France have been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa according to French legistlator Olivier Veran – many of them teenagers.

    A previous (and perhaps more contentious) version of the bill France just adopted proposed that there should be a minimum Body Mass Index (BMI) for models. But, as critics pointed out at the time, a person's BMI is far from the only indicator of their general health. Cont.

    Story from - CBC News
    Image from - Sean Loyless - Flickr
    cc 2.0

    Friday 18 December 2015

    30% Of GOP Voters Would Bomb A Fictional City


    Almost one-third of Republican primary voters would support bombing the fictional kingdom of Agrabah, according to a report released by Public Policy Polling on Friday.

    More than 530 Republican primary voters were polled this week on their support for Republican candidates and foreign policy issues including banning Muslims from entering the US, Japanese internment camps from the second world war and bombing Agrabah, the kingdom from Disney’s animated classic, Aladdin.

    Republican primary voters polled by the PPP aren’t just worried about Agrabah. Of those polled, 36% believe that thousands of Arabs in New Jersey cheered when the World Trade Center collapsed on 9/11. About 54% of those polled support banning Muslims from entering the United States and 46% support the creation of a national database of Muslims in the United States.

    Public Policy Polling also polled Democratic primary voters: only 19% of them said they would support bombing Agrabah, while 36% said they would oppose it. Cont.

    Story from - The Guardian
    Image from - Victoria Wong - Flickr
    cc 2.0

    A Boob Bites A Boob


    Story out of New York:

    Azealia Banks is accused of assault, disorderly conduct and harassment (in the second degree), according to Detective Annette Shelton.

    It's claimed Azealia Banks was being escorted out of the club when she became verbally abusive and started punching a 28-year-old female.

    The detective also says the star allegedly bit the woman on her breast.

    The incident is said to have taken place while Azealia Banks was attending a private party at Up & Down nightclub in New York's Meatpacking District. Cont.


    Story from - BBC News
    Image from - Wikimedia Commons
    cc 2.0

    Man Playing Fallout 4 Hit by Car


    Story out of Dallas Texas:

    Ben Rose said he was playing Fallout 4 last Sunday when the driver of a Hyundai Sonata plowed through the wall of his home. “You play in a wasteland and then your apartment turns into a wasteland.”

    The car came completely through the wall and hit him. The impact fractured his vertebra and sliced his Achilles tendon.

    “Cars versus people don’t really end up well. So I really thought it was over,” said Rose. “Everybody asks were you walking in your parking lot? Or were you in your car? What do you mean she drove through your apartment?” Cont.

    Story from - CBS DFW

    Two Men Fired From Paris Airport For 'Long Beards'


    The men have launched legal action after management at Orly airport allegedly rounded up Muslim staff and asked them to trim their facial hair in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

    One of the men, named only as Bachir, claimed he had faced negative comments from colleagues, with one supervisor 'offering to bring in a lawnmower' to trim his beard.
    But he refused to comply with the grooming policy, insisting his beard 'was for fashion in a hipster style... and not for religion.'

    The 28-year-old, who had worked at the airport for five years, claims he was fired just days later after filed a discrimination complaint, it was reported by Le Parisien.
    Another guard, named as Bechir, told BFM TV he suspected he was fired over his beard, although he was told he had lost his job months before the Paris attacks because he was 'medically unfit.' Cont.

    Story from - Daily Mail
    Image from - Pixabay 

    Child Molester Tried To Hire Hitman To Take Out His Victims


    According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, millionaire Loomes Wheeler attempted to give a hit man $95,000 to kill the assistant state attorney, law enforcement officers and judge presiding over his case.

    Wheeler was convicted of molesting two girls in the Bahamas a few years ago and was recently sentenced to life in prison. While incarcerated, Wheeler allegedly wrote a letter inquiring an inmate to help him hire a hit man. In the letter, Wheeler said he wanted the hit man to kill his two victims “as soon as possible” and to burn their homes down. He also wanted the hit man “to use a shotgun so he could drive beside the detectives and shoot them out of the window,” WESH reports.

    The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office got word of Wheeler’s revenge plot in late October, and the hit man Wheeler thought he was writing to was actually a FDLE agent. Cont.

    Story from - Palm Beach Post
    Image from - Pixabay

    Catholic School loses Discrimination Case


    Story out of Massachusetts:

    In a decision being called the first of its kind nationally, a state judge has ruled that an all-girls Catholic school in Milton discriminated against a gay man when it rescinded a job offer after learning he was in a same-sex marriage.

    Matthew Barrett accepted a position as food services director at Fontbonne Academy in 2013, but the school withdrew the offer days later after Barrett listed his husband as an emergency contact on an employee form, according to a 21-page court ruling issued Wednesday.

    The decision was blasted by the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, which called it “a frontal assault on religious freedom” and “an appalling subordination of the First Amendment to the Massachusetts gay rights law.” The organization is an independent group directed by a lay person. Cont.

    Story from - Metro
    Image from - Pixabay

    Tim Horton's employee Throws Coffee At Customer



    The Video shows a man drive up to the take-out window and reportedly ask a female employee to throw out an old cup of coffee. The employee refuses. The customer then apparently refuses to accept the hot cup of coffee he just ordered.

    That’s when the video shows a male employee rush to the scene and toss the hot coffee at the customer, while appearing to yell at him. More chaos ensues when the customer exits his vehicle and both men take turns throwing items at each other. Cont.

    Story from City News
    Video from YouTube

    No Nutella For You!


    A six-year-old Toronto girl named Isis is unhappy that Nutella has refused to print her name on a personalized jar of its hazelnut spread.

    Isis Redbanks, an adorable redhead, was excited about Your Nutella Your Way, a promotion for kids to get their names printed on labels of the company's products.

    Her mother Ella Redbanks came across the promotion while shopping in a department store. But things turned a bit nutty when a company representative told Isis's mother they would not put her daughter's name on the product because Isis is on its list of banned words.

    ​Ella says she and her husband named their daughter Isis because he's from Oxfordshire, England, where people sometimes use the name to refer to that part of the River Thames. Cont. (Video)

    RELATED - Isis Pharmaceuticals on Friday announced that it will change its name to Ionis Pharmaceuticals. Cont. from USA Today

    Story from - CBC News
    Image from - Jean-Pierre Magnan - flickr
    cc 2.0

    Florida Judge And Lawyer Have Confrontation


    A Florida judge who was caught on camera threatening to beat down a lawyer in court last year — and then allegedly made good on his promise — has been removed from his post thanks to his dishonorable behavior.

    The Florida Supreme Court decided Thursday that Brevard County Judge John C. Murphy should be taken off the bench after his “grievous misconduct became a national spectacle and an embarrassment to Florida’s judicial system.”

     Murphy’s courtroom conflict erupted last June during an argument with a public defender, Andrew Weinstock, over a client’s right to a speedy trial.

    Once it escalated, Murphy seemed ready to strike down the attorney.
    “You know if I had a rock, I would throw it at you right now,” Murphy said.

    “Stop pissing me off... If you want to fight, let’s go out back, and I’ll beat your ass.”

    The two took their dispute into the hallway, and Weinstock later accused the judge of hitting him. Cont.

    Story from - Daily News
    Image from - Pixabay

    Virginia School District Closes Over Calligraphy Lesson


    Schools in Augusta County Virginia will be closed on Friday after a calligraphy lesson prompted a disturbing anti-Muslim backlash.

    The controversy started when a lesson in World Geography class asked students to try to copy an example of Arabic calligraphy. The phrase was a statement of Islamic faith but the students were “not asked to translate the statement or to recite it.” Rather, the purpose of the exercise was to give students an “idea of the artistic complexity of calligraphy.”

    Some students refused to complete the assignments and several parents protested at a meeting earlier this week. Kimberly Herndon, the parent who organized the protest, called the lesson “indoctrination.”

    This prompted over-the-top national coverage from places like Fox News and the story quickly spread on social media.

    The attention resulted in “voluminous phone calls and electronic mail locally and from outside the area” to the school district. A statement from Augusta County Public Schools said the decision to close the schools was based on the “tone and content” of the communications “based on the recommendations of law enforcement.” Cont.

    So basically it was the violent rhetoric from Conservatives and right wing media but not Islam that got the district closed.

    Story from - Think Progress
    Image from - Pixabay

    Golfer's Wife Injured In Courtside Collision With LeBron James


    Golfer Jason Day was sitting courtside with his wife, Ellie, at Thursday’s contest between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder at Quicken Loans Arena when LeBron James came crashing into their section of the crowd while chasing a loose ball.

    According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com, Day’s wife was “taken off the court on a stretcher with her head stabilized in a brace” after the incident. Chris Fedor of Northeast Ohio Media Group noted there was a stoppage in play as she was removed from the arena. Cont.

    Story from - The Bleacher Report
    Image from - Pixabay

    UPDATE 1 - Jason Day's wife is out of hospital.

    UPDATE 2 - She's fine.

    Thursday 17 December 2015

    Florida Man Breaks Into Jail To Visit Buddies


    A Florida man was arrested for allegedly trying to break into Indian River County Jail by driving his car into the front door and then trying to climb a fence.

    Patrick Rempe, 24, admitted to deputies that he was high on a drug known as “Flakka” and that he wanted to visit his friends who were locked up in the jail, officials said.

    He is currently under investigation and faces charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, battery on a law enforcement officer, three counts of felony criminal mischief, leaving the scene of a crash with property damage and driving under the influence. He may face additional charges in the future, officials said. Cont. (Autoplay Video)

    Story from - Inside Edition
    Image from - Pixabay

    C-SPAN Caller Asks Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) "Can I Sh*t In Your Mouth?"


    Video from - YouTube

    Man Convicted For Killing Friend Over Super Bowl Bet


    A New Jersey man has been convicted of killing a friend over a $700 bet on the 2013 Super Bowl.

    Thirty-one-year-old Eddie Roberson, of Newark, was convicted Wednesday of killing 38-year-old Talif Crowley, of Bloomfield, in February 2013.

    Prosecutors say Roberson did not want to pay Crowley after losing the bet after the San Francisco 49ers lost to the Baltimore Ravens. He believed the 49ers were cheated in the 34-31 loss. Cont.

    Story from - CBS News
    Image from - Wikipedia
    cc 2.0

    Spain's Prime Minister Punched In The Face


    Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy suffered a scare Wednesday when a 17-year-old youth punched him in the face during a campaign appearance in his northwestern fiefdom of Galicia, breaking his glasses. Cont.

    Story from USA Today
    Video from YouTube

    Air India Employee Gets Sucked Into Aircraft Engine


    The incident took place around 8.30pm when the aircraft which was to operate the Mumbai-Hyderabad AI flight 619 was being pushed back from the parking bay before take off. An aircraft can only move forward and so needs external help to reverse from the parking bay. A tow van is used to push back the aircraft and the process is carried out with an engineer positioned in front of the aircraft nose, so as to be visible to the pilots. The flight was being piloted by a new co-pilot and a seasoned commander A G Sharma. Subramanium, the technician (service engineer), was supervising the push back. "No one knew what happened. All of a sudden we hear that we heard that the technician has been sucked into the engine," said an airline source. A CISF official said "the body has been badly mutilated".

    Many of the around 100 passengers who were on the flight are said to have been traumatized by the incident. Cont.

    Story from - The Times of India
    Image from - Wikipedia
    cc 3.0

    Black Man Arrested 50 Years Ago For Wearing Santa Suit Is Now Towns First Black Santa



    In 1966, Merlin Kennedy had protested the town’s “One Santa Rule” by attending the annual Christmas parade as Santa Claus.

    According to the McLean County Museum of History, Kennedy was riding on an NAACP float, but police stopped it before it could reach the parade route. So Kennedy and others climbed off the float walked the parade route instead, waving to the children.

    “They just seen the suit and they didn’t recognize a black person in the suit. One [white] woman almost jerked her little boy’s arm off because he called me Santa Claus,” Kennedy later recalled.

    But before they could finish the route, a police officer told Kennedy that he was “under arrest for disturbing the peace.” Although the incident generated sensational headlines at the time, officers eventually declined to go through with the arrest. Cont. (Video)

    Image and story from Rawstory

    Bank Robber vs Door



    In Omaha. Suspects on the run.

    Story from WOWT


    Putin Heaps Praise On 'The Donald'


    According to an Interfax report of his annual year-end news conference, Putin called the Republican presidential candidate “a very bright and talented man,” as well as an “absolute leader” in the race for the presidency. (Another account, from Reuters, translated Putin as saying Trump is “a very flamboyant man.”)

    “He says that he wants to move to another level of relations, to a deeper level of relations with Russia. How can we not welcome that? Of course we welcome it,” Putin said, according to Reuters’ report.

    Trump has repeatedly praised the Russian leader’s toughness and said he would be able to cut deals with him. Cont.

    Story from - Politico
    Image from - Pixabay

    Martin Shkreli Arrested


    Story out of Manhattan, New York:

    Martin Shkreli, 32, ignited a firestorm over drug prices in September and became a symbol of defiant greed. The federal case against him has nothing to do with pharmaceutical costs, however. Prosecutors in Brooklyn charged him with illegally taking stock from Retrophin Inc., a biotechnology firm he started in 2011, and using it to pay off debts from unrelated business dealings. He was later ousted from the company, where he’d been chief executive officer, and sued by its board.

    In the case that closely tracks that suit, federal prosecutors accused Shkreli of engaging in a complicated shell game after his defunct hedge fund, MSMB Capital Management, lost millions. He is alleged to have made secret payoffs and set up sham consulting arrangements. A New York lawyer, Evan Greebel, was also arrested early Thursday. He's accused of conspiring with Shkreli in part of the scheme.

    Shkreli’s lawyer didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Spokeswomen for Kaye Scholer LLP, where Greebel works, and Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Robert Capers declined to comment. Capers will discuss the case at a press conference Thursday in Brooklyn. Cont.

    Story from - Bloomberg
    Image from - Pixabay

    Oklahoma Sheriff Sends Fear Mongering Letter To Citizens



    Because of the recent attack in San Bernardino California and across our nation, Radical Islam is bringing the fight to our homeland and killing innocent citizens. As you know, the world is becoming more violent towards Americans. As your Sheriff of Carter County, I am joining other sheriffs across the country urging you as citizens of this county to exercise your Second Amendment right to bear arms. I urge you as citizens to apply and follow the guidelines and laws to obtain your permit to carry a handgun. Times are changing and we live in a more violent world. It may come a time that you as citizens may be called upon to defend the citizens of this county against all enemies foreign and domestic that want to do us harm or kill us. By no means do I want to scare anyone, but the attacks are real. God bless each and every one of you and God Bless our county and the United States of America. Image from Facebook