Just When You Thought You Heard It All News (2-1-2014)

It is without a doubt the stupidest thing a man can do. Yet men, especially men in authority can't seem to resist taking pictures of their private parts and pressing send as if they're going to be the first man who won't get caught trying to be the next John Holmes.

He was not in uniform when he allegedly committed the offense.

Federal Veterans Affairs officer Jason Fougere is accused of sending an unsolicited naked selfie to a woman who had asked for his help tracking down her missing uncle, who is a former soldier.

The selfie, which can be seen in the screen shot above, was allegedly sent to the woman's cell phone.

"It’s shocking,” the woman, who asked not to be identified, told local media sources “No one has ever sent me a nude selfie before. Let alone a police officer who I was going to him for help.”

The woman met the officer in November. A few days after their first encounter, the woman said Fougere sent a text asking her out for coffee. 

Things got more "graphic and dirty" from there.

"Your boobs are humongous,” he allegedly wrote in a text. “They must be fake. Those will be the first fake t**s I touch.”

This guy really has a way with words!

After the woman repeatedly rejected his advances, he decided to send her an unsolicited sample of his "goods". Which turned out to be no so good.

Surely at that point Fougere might remember that he’s an officer and say, “Eh, this one got away.” But. Nope, uprovoked naked selfie time … WHILE HOLDING A RAZOR?

In a vile twist on police brutality.......

A police officer in Michigan lost her job after she was seen on video cutting off a woman's hair weave.

Charda Gregory, 22, was arrested in November for allegedly trashing a motel room.

While in jail, Gregory was reportedly pepper sprayed, pushed against a wall and then strapped to a chair.

That's when Officer Bernadette Najor took out a pair of scissors and started hacking away at her hair like Jason Vorhees in Friday The 13 th.

According to reports, the officer claims she did it because Gregory threatened suicide, but the police chief says that makes no sense.

NOT AT ALL.

Because of the incident, all criminal charges against Gregory have been dropped.

Other officers who were present at the time are also reportedly under investigation.

He found him!

Earlier this month, a man from the U.K. named Jonny Benjamin started asocialmedia campaign called #FindMike to track down the stranger who convinced him not to end his life in 2008.

This week Benjamin found "Mike" whosereal name is Neil Laybourn, according to Rethink Mental Illness, the organization that helped launch Benjamin's search. In the video above, you can watch the men's heartwarming reunion. 

It was Laybourn's fiancé' who saw Benjamin's story and made the connection, BBC News reported. Laybourn quickly reached out.

Benjamin also filmed a YouTube video about his search and wrote a blog post  all so he could thank the good Samaritan who stopped him from jumping off the Waterloo Bridge in London six years ago.

"You can tell he just understands and he doesn't judge," Benjamin says in the video above. "He just sits there with this kind of big smile, I think everyone could do with a friend like Neil."

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3 Reason's Why You Should Stop Living In Denial

#1. Reality is omnipresent. It's always here, it always has been here. If you don't deal with it. It will deal with you.

#2. Just because you live in your own distorted little world, that does not mean that everyone else does. While you're busy ignoring what is real everyone else is living their lives.

#3. Trying to escape never makes anything better. Once you come out of that bottle, recover from your stooper, or wake up from your high, whatever you tried to forget is still there staring you in the face waiting for a solution.

PR

Ladies & Gentlemen........We Finally Have The President That We've All Been Waiting For! Well.....Some Of Us

Many of President Obamas constituent's have expressed disappoinent in his presidency over the years. Particularly the African-American community. One major complaint is that he hasn't done enough for us. Particularly because of his reluctance to speak out on issues concerning people of color. At times he has almost seemed to make a conscious decision to avoid them altogether. But in his 5th year as president, in his last term there has been a noticeable shift in his willingness to speak out on issues, and introduce initiatives to benefit people of color. It started with his admission that most of his opposition was due to that fact that he is black, and then in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Obama, in a relatively rare explicit mention of the race-related goals of a policy, hinted at a planned educational initiative to benefit "young men of color."

"I'm reaching out to some of America's leading foundations and corporations on a new initiative to help more young men of color facing tough odds stay on track and reach their full potential," he said in remarks on efforts to offer hands-on training, give colleges incentives to offer better value and ensure that "no middle-class kid is priced out of a college education."

He did not offer any details on the nature of the partnerships.

"The bottom line is, Michelle and I want every child to have the same chance this country gave us," he said.

The mention of the initiative did not draw applause comparable to what the president's comments about workplace fairness for women received, but listeners took notice.

 President Obama is beginning to show signs of becoming the commander and chief that people of color wanted, and at the same time he is becoming the commander and chief that most of America fears.

PR

Donate To Who?! For What?!

There is a distinct difference between being forgiving and being foolish. Forgiveness is a choice to take the high road in the interest of healing. Being foolish means making a bad decision despite the facts, without utilizing common sense.

But some decisions, and choices are just plain stupid.

Though ex-Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for extortion, bribery, conspiracy and other crimes during his years in office, he still has an active group of supporters who feel he has been railroaded by the system despite the fact that there is clear cut evidence indicating his guilt. A portion of which he provided himself.

In an effort to help the former superstar politician, who was once known as the "hip hop" mayor, fight his federal conviction, a trust has been set up to finance his legal defense. The “Freedom and Justice Trust”, chaired by his mother, former U.S. congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, aims to “raise money to free Kwame Kilpatrick from prison, and support efforts to realize justice in his legal fight.”

Many believe that Cheeks Kilpatrick lost her congressional seat, in part, because of her support of her son.

Kilpatrick, who was ordered to pay $4.6 million for a series of crooked deals he allegedly pushed through while he was mayor, has always denied wrongdoing for the dozens of crimes of which he has been accused and convicted. In a recent speech in front of her son's supporters Cheeks Kilpatrick went on to say,

“The 28-year prison sentence is a culmination of a meticulously-crafted series of events to erase Kilpatrick’s accomplishments from the history books, lay blame on Kilpatrick for every shortcoming the city has faced over the past 50 years and, ultimately, to take Detroit.”

But at this point, who wants Detroit? Far from the thriving "motor city" that it used to be, Detroit is the first major city to file for bankruptcy, and has decided to include the pensions of the city's retirees.

Despite a 6-month trial and a unanimous jury verdict, the trust insists that Kilpatrick is still not guilty.

Kilpatrick is also not going quietly. Since landing in federal prison last year, he has been posting to Facebook about his experiences on the inside. On December 17th, he wrote

” … in spending time here, I have the unique opportunity to accomplish the greatest thing that any man can. The opportunity to learn myself.”

Most of the visitors to Kilpatrick’s Facebook page express support.

One fan wrote, “This is an injustice. He does not deserve to be behind bars.”

Another said: “28 years. What a travesty of justice.”

But at least one critic weighs in, too: “Brotha admit your mistakes. Repay what you owe and make things right for your children. Show they can be proud of their father.”

As for the rules on how one can donate to the trust, the site states that any moneys given to the former mayor are “gifts” and “not tax-deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.” But the site states that, as long as you give less than $14,000, you won’t be subject to a gift tax.

By the way, there is no refund policy.

The fact of the matter is that giving Kilpatrick financial support actually does more harm than good because it feeds his already overly inflated ego, and it never forces him to take responsibility for his crimes. It makes him and all of his supporters believe that it is perfectly ok to live in denial and continue to stay totally detached from reality.

PR

Justin Bieber Vs. Richard Sherman

Of course nobody who has any sense uses the N-word any more. At least not in public. Except rich rappers who know better but refuse to do better. It is an ugly, oppressive word that now has the power to ruin careers, destroy lives, and make political aspirations disappear like magic.

So now a subtle code has been created. Verbal inroads carefully crafted to circumvent accusations of racism, and bad taste while effectively communicating a message. There are phrases like " Inner city youths", and "the underprevaledged", then there are words like "monster", "animal", and "thug". These words may not have the same bite, or represent the same pain but they are just as effective in replicating the same feelings, stirring the same emotions, and validating the same fear in society at large.

Robert Sherman, cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks, caused quite a stir last week when his animated comments became the subject of conversation on virtually overy media outlet. After making the game saving play that would take Seattle to the Super Bowl Sherman was interviewed by a reporter, and went on an adrenaline filled rant. In which he hollered like a nut taunting his on field rivals. 

http://youtu.be/gsotO_nqRwU

Yes, he was loud, wild, and crazy. But there was no profanity, and no disrespect toward the interviewer, who happened to be a blond white woman. There was, however, an aire of high self esteem, confidence, bravado, and certainty when he spoke. Attributes that have been discouraged in African-American men for centuries, especially in the face a white women. This may not have been an intentional part of the backlash. But there is a distinct possibility that the imagery invoked a kind of visceral animosity toward Sherman rooted in cultural conditioning. Almost as if he had broken some unwritten social law. Almost immediately after the interview Sherman was called a fool, a thug, and a classless jerk. But he didn't do anything foolish, or thuggish, and his being a classless jerk is highly subjective. Actually he is as far from being a fool or a thug as humanly possible.

Sherman graduated second in his class in high school and also graduated from Stanford. So not only is he not a fool, odds are he’s smarter than most of the people who call him a fool. 

His degree from Stanford was in communications … which might explain why, while he seemed to be hollering like a crazy person, he didn’t curse and looked into the camera the whole time.

Most thugs, and fools never finish high school much less get a degree in communications from an Ivy League university like Standford. 

With that being said, I believe that it is important both for the sake of clarity, and in the interest full disclosure that we know what a thug is. A thug is basically anyone who continually runs afoul of the law. They think nothing of breaking the rules, and laws that have been created to insure that we, for the most part, have a civilized society. They generally have no regard for those around them, and they play by their own rules.

They do things like drive drunk, putting everyone else's lives in danger. They possess and consume illegal substances with wreckless abandon and show disdain for the authorities. They may even drag race and destroy someone else property.

This sounds a lot like......I don't know......maybe Justin Bieber!

Bieber is the epitome of an overnight sensation who was able to rise from trailor park obscurity in Canada to become the biggest teen idol in decades. He earns about $55 million a year, and has an ever growing list of both criminal and social infractions including, drug possession, vandalism, spitting on and it his neighbors faces, showing a blatant disregard for law enforcement, and going off on profanity laced rants towards those who disagree with him. Yet he has never been referred to as a thug, a fool, or a classless jerk even though he undoubtedly is. An imported thuggish, foolishish, classless jerk who despite being arrested on an almost a daily basis has not been criticized nearly as much as Robert Sherman for being excited about taking the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl. Why are these words not applied to Justin Bieber? Because for those who use the code they are not meant to be.

PR

The President Speaks The Truth

“There’s no doubt that there’s some folks who just really dislike me because they don’t like the idea of a black President,” Obama said. “There is a historic connection between some of the arguments that we have politically and the history of race in our country, and sometimes it’s hard to disentangle those issues.”

This is a comment that President Obama made in an interview with The New Yorker in reference to those  who disagree with his political views and his presidency. This seemingly sudden ephiphany serves as a long awaited vindication for those of us who realized, recognized and understand that behind the opposition of the presidents every move there is thinly valed and at times not so subtle racist agenda. I have been waiting, hoping, and eagerly anticipating the day when the president would speak the truth. President Obama is a political Grand Master who picks and chooses each and every move that he makes, and although the vast majority of the African-American community expected him to swoop down with his cape blowing in the wind intent on righting every racial wrong and personally delivering 40 acres and a mule to each and every African-American home, he was smart to stay above the fray when it comes to issues of race even when confronted with it at every turn.

Of course, right wing, and conservative talking heads like failed vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and the unofficial head of the G.O.P and drug addicted windbag Rush Limbaugh engaged in there usual criticism of all things Obama. In what wrecks of desperation, and a desire to once again be relevant, Palin posted the following message on Facebook,

 “Mr. President, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. and all who commit to ending any racial divide, no more playing the race card."

Limbaugh was quoted as saying,

 “This is not a racist country.”

He obviously lives in a totally different America than I do. He cannot possibly be talking about the America that I know and love. 

While everyone in America is not racist. Without racism there would be no America as we know it. The very industry that sparked the industrial revolution was the cotton industry, and industry fueled by the blood, sweat, and tears of the millions of African's who were forced into slavery to pick cotton long before Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. America is a country that was birthed, nurtured, and grown from the seeds of hatred, predjudice, exploitation, savagery and terrorism. A study of the Native American holocaust can attest to that. This is a legacy that only those whose ancestors arrived here on the Nina, the Pinta, or the Santa Maria have the luxury of dismissing or ignoring.

If the overwhelming sentiment of a certain segment of America is not racist, then why has President Obama received more death threats than any other President in the history of the United States?

The facts are undeniable, and the truth is a welcome change from the usual lies and propaganda.

PR

This Boy Is A Hero!!!

A hero is someone who sees a need, and rises to the occasion even is it means making the ultimate sacrifice. This is the story of one such hero. A little boy who taught the world a lesson in heroism and sacrifice.

 In his final moments, 8-year-old Tyler Doohan managed to become a hero when he rescued six people including two younger children from a burning mobile home in upstate New York

His last effort, however, to save his bedridden grandfather cost the boy his life. His body was found by his grandfather, whom Tyler considered a best friend.

"It makes me really proud, it really does, but I would give anything just to have him back," Tyler's mother, Crystal Vrooman told the local media

Tyler, an East Rochester resident, was staying at the home of relatives in the nearby town of Penfield on Sunday night when he noticed a fire in the single-wide trailer, said Penfield Fire Chief Chris Ebmeyer.

As firefighters and sheriff's deputies responded to 4:45 a.m. emergency call, Tyler was able to wake six other people in the small trailer, including two more children, ages 4 and 6, the fire chief said.

Then Tyler went back into the blaze to help his grandfather, who was disabled and would have been unable to get out of the home on his own, Ebmeyer said.

"By that time, the fire had traveled to the back of the trailer," said Ebmeyer. "Unfortunately they both succumbed to heat and smoke."

The pair were found together on a bed in the back room. It appeared that the boy was trying to lift his grandfather from the bed when he was overcome by the smoke and fire, the fire chief said. Tyler and his grandfather were like best friends, Vrooman said.

An online fundraising campaign on YouCaring.com had raised more than $28,000 as of Wednesday for Tyler's funeral and his family.

Tyler's uncle also was killed in the fire. His body was found in a front room, Ebmeyer said.

Earlier, fire officials had released a mistaken version of the incident, where the grandfather's and uncle's locations were switched, due to incorrect information provided by a family member.

Tyler's mother said the boy broke away from his aunt outside the burning trailer and ran back inside to try to save his grandfather.

"All I could think about is how he couldn't breathe," Vrooman told WHAM.

She added: "I'm just so grateful that he went with people that he loved. He didn't go alone."

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation but believed to be accidental.

The conditions of the six survivors were not immediately available.

Ebmeyer said the trailer had no working smoke detector. He lamented that with so many people in one small mobile home, one alarm could have easily woken everyone in time to escape.

There was at least one space heater inside the trailer, the fire chief said.

Several pets -- including dogs, cats, a rabbit and hamsters -- also died in the fire, Ebmeyer said.

The Penfield Fire Company -- a volunteer unit -- intends to create a public service initiative to spread awareness and get smoke detectors out to the public, he said.

Meanwhile, Richard Stutzman Jr., interim superintendent of the East Rochester School District, where Tyler attended fourth grade, issued a statement:

"In bravely and selflessly giving his own life, he was able to save the lives of six others -- and he truly is a hero."

PR

Another Nail

& the Christie drama continues!

To say that this has been a bad month for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie would be something of an understatement. On top of the ongoing “bridge-gate” scandal, he’s now fighting allegations that his administration used Superstorm Sandy recovery funds to both strong-arm Hobokens mayor on a development dealand promote himself in election-year advertisements. 

But another scandal, one that’s still below the radar of most pundits, could be more outrageous and even more damaging to Christie’s political prospects. 

Data obtained by the Fair Share Housing Centers show that the Christie administration has rejected African Americans seeking major post-Sandy rebuilding support at more than twice the rate of white applicants, and Latinos at 50 percent higher rates than whites. Adding insult to injury, the administration reportedly posted inaccurate informationon the Spanish-language version of the state’s Sandy website and has no public plan for accommodating  the people who were harmed by the misinformation. 

Superstorm Sandy did not discriminate. But the Christie administration appears to be doing so, whether intentionally or through neglect, in the federally funded recovery effort.

For thousands of New Jersey residents of color, this unequal treatment is like a second devastating storm surge, sweeping them farther and farther from economic security, family stability and a return to normalcy more than a year after the storm. Furthermore in addition being a slap in the face to these residents, it potentially violates federal laws requiring state and local governments using federal funds to protect civil rights and affirmatively further fair housing.

For Christie, this scandal is especially treacherous. He’s been talked about as a favorite for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016—in part because of his appeal across racial, ethnic and party lines in the generally blue state of New Jersey. He was re-elected last year with 51 percent of the Latino vote and 21 percent of the African-American vote. Compare that with Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s 27 percent of the Latino vote and just 6 percent of the black vote in the 2012 presidential election.

Voters of color will be watching closely to see how Christie responds to this latest crisis. Will he belittle the concerns and attack the messengers, as he initially did with the George Washington Bridge scandal? Or will he take in the evidence of unequal opportunity derived from the state’s own data and develop a plan to correct it?

The state will soon release, for public comment, amendments to its action plan for $1.4 billion in additional federal Sandy funds. The governor should follow the recommendations of the Fair Share Housing Center, the NAACP New Jersey State Conference and others by adopting new, clear rules for the fair distribution of funds to all communities affected by Sandy.

Our nation has made great progress toward equal opportunity since the Fair Housing Act and other civil rights laws were passed. But the pattern of racially unequal treatment in recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ike and now Superstorm Sandy speaks to the challenges that remain.

The question for Christie is whether he will rise to those challenges or shrink from them.

To me this is yet another nail in the coffin eulogizing what once was Christies political career.

PR

Side Bar: thinking, "Donuts make everything better."

Lost.........and Found

This is a follow up to a piece that I wrote back in October "Perception & Race" part 2. It saddens me to report that the New York City medical examiner has confirmed that human remains found along the East River last week are the body of an autistic teen who vanished more than three months ago after walking out of his school in the middle of the day.

The announcement was widely expected for several days, but it still devastated the family of Avonte Oquendo, who was 14 and had a form of autism that made it impossible for him to speak.

Avonte’s mother, Vanessa Fontaine, was understandably inconsolable, said her lawyer, David Perecman.

“Now that the inevitable, unfortunately, has occurred, undoubtedly she’ll go through a metamorphosis of sorts, and I’m sure she’ll get good and angry,” he said. Perecman said the family intends to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, alleging that school officials failed to monitor the boy or call the police quickly enough when he left the school.

“There were so many things that went wrong, it boggles the mind,” he said.

The discovery of Avonte’s partly decomposed body on the riverbank, about 11 miles from where he vanished, was a sad end to a massive citywide search that included hundreds of officers, marine units and volunteers. Missing person posters were plastered on lamp posts and placed on car windshields throughout the city. Announcements were made for weeks on city subways, imploring people to contact the police if they had any information.

The medical examiner’s office used DNA tests to identify the remains discovered last week. Further study was needed to determine the cause and manner of death, the office said.

Avonte had been missing since Oct. 4, when he walked out of his school toward a park overlooking the river.

One investigative theory was that Avonte might have tumbled into the river near the park, though his family has said he was fearful of water. It wasn’t clear how his remains had traveled so far, but authorities noted that the East River is a tidal strait with strong currents that reverse flow many times a day.

The family first said in October that it would sue the city. At the time, city authorities had defended the school safety officer who last saw the boy, saying she told him to go back to his classroom and he left the hallway.

Carmen Farina, the city’s newly appointed education chancellor, said she was heartbroken.

“As chancellor, I am determined that we learn every lesson we can from this terrible tragedy and do everything in our power to prevent incidents like this from ever occurring again,” she said.

The city’s law department called the boy’s death a tragedy and said its attorneys would review the lawsuit once it’s filed.

But no time spent in review, or reflection, nor monetary amount will bring this innocent young man back.

But there is comfort in knowing that he now resides in a place where he has been healed and lives in perfect peace.

PR

M.L.K. (Should We Know It Everything?)

It has always been my opinion that when people die it preserves their legacy. The thought is rather elementary when you think about it. In death there is no chance to tarnish good deeds, great accomplishments, and towering reputations with faux pas, or mistakes.

This rings especially true for people who have gained some measure of notoriety. But is it fair to pick and choose certain aspects of their lives to embrace, and certain aspects of their lives to ignore?

Oliver Stone announced that he is no longer on board to write and direct a biopic about the The Reverand Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Stone took to Twitter to explain that his rewrite of the script, which dealt with “issues of adultery, conflicts within the movement, and King’s spiritual transformation” was not well received by producers. It’s unclear how or if Stone’s leaving will affect Jamie Foxx, who was attached to star in the DreamWorks and Warner Bros production.

Warner Bros. declined to comment on the news. 

Read Stone’s explanation below, ending with a note to King himself:

Sad news. My MLK project involvement has ended. I did an extensive rewrite of the script, but the producers won’t go with it.

— Oliver Stone (@TheOliverStone) January 17, 2014

The script dealt w/ issues of adultery, conflicts within the movement, and King’s spiritual transformation into a higher, more radical being — Oliver Stone (@TheOliverStone)January 17, 2014

I’m told the estate & the ‘respectable’ black community that guard King’s reputation won’t approve it. They suffocate the man & the truth. — Oliver Stone (@TheOliverStone)January 17, 2014

I wish you could see the film I would’ve made. I fear if ‘they’ ever make it, it’ll be just another commemoration of the March on Washington

— Oliver Stone (@TheOliverStone) January 17, 2014

Martin, I grieve for you. You are still a great inspiration for your fellow Americans—but, thank God, not a saint.

— Oliver Stone (@TheOliverStone) January 17, 2014

While it is always a beautiful thing to highlight and honor the life of Dr. King, and hold him up as a shining example to the world, it is as equally important to point out that he was able to change the world despite his flaws. If we choose to pronounce his attributes while ignoring his humanity it acts as a detourant to the very same people that Dr. King hoped to inspire. In fact it renders the aspirations of those who hope to be like him impossible.

PR

Just When You Thought You Heard It All News (1-25-2014)

This story is proof that God puts some people in our lives for a season and others for a reason.

Six years ago, Jonny Benjamin almost jumped off the Waterloo Bridge in London.

The then-20-year-old had just been diagnosed with socio schizophrenic disorder. Benjamin wrote that he couldn't come to terms with the diagnosis, so he decided to end his life.

But before he jumped a passerby approached him, according to Rethink Mental Illness, an organization that provides support to people with mental illnesses and for which Benjamin is now an ambassador.

"The man was saying to me." "Please don't do this mate." Benjamin  told BBC Radio 4. "'You can get through it. You can get better. Let's go for a coffee and talk it over.'"

The distraught 20-year-old climbed back over the bridge's railing, where authorities were waiting to take him to a local hospital.

Now, Benjamin, who's since learned how to manage his mental illness, is on a mission to find the good Samaritan he calls "Mike" -- he can't remember if that's his name. Benjamin has started a #findMike social media campaign with Rethink Mental Illness, so he can thank the man who saw a stranger in need and acted.

"He was the first person to give me hope," Benjamin states in the video above. "His words actually prompted my recovery."

Benjamin told the BBC that he also wants to get people talking about suicide, an issue he thinks society tends to ignore.

"Hopefully it will promote a message of hope and recovery," he told the station, "that you can overcome any sort of adversities in life."

This next story is amazing to say the least.

Arno Michaelis once a devoted member of the Neo-Nazi Movement he participated in white supremacist rallies, was a fervent supporter of what he called a Racial Holy War, and was the lead singer in a hate metal band called Centurion. Michaelis says that "single parenthood, love for my daughter, and the forgiveness shown by people I once hated," changed him and guided him toward a life of tolerance, acceptance and peace.

Michaelis' story was featured in recent article which chronicled inspirational stories of people overcoming differences in sexuality, religion, race and nationality to do the right thing.

Michaelis was kind of enough to comment on the piece personally, where he revealed that he was actually inspired by another story in the article, about Keshia Thomas, a black teenager who during a 1996 KKK rally saved the life of a white supremacist in danger of being killed by a mob of counter-demonstrators.

?????? He's definitely more of a humanitarian than me.

"It's such an honor to be included among these amazing examples of humanity. Each is an inspiration, but I'm especially moved by Keshia's amazing exhibit of courage. I was on the white supremacist side of an Ann Arbor rally in 1988, and the hate the protesters reflected and amplified back at us was instrumental in justifying the white supremacist dogma that I ran with for the next 7 years. Aggression is fuel to neo-nazis. Keshia struck the most devastating blow to hate possible and I strive to follow her lead."

Keshia and Arno's stories prove that a culture of tolerance can have a powerful domino effect. It just takes one person with the courage to stand up for what is right, and then others are inspired to follow their example.

This is without a doubt the most bizarre story that I have ever heard.

A Wisconsin man who became lodged in the windshield of a car that struck him said he turned to the driver and said, "Hello, I'm the guy you hit on the 

bicycle."

Wow, this guy had nerves of steel. I would have been calling for Jesus so loud that the whole world would have heard me.

The driver did not respond, but continued on, running a stop sign and hitting another vehicle before he arrived home, the cyclist, Steven Gove, told the local media.

The man finally noticed Gove when he stopped the car outside his home.

"He looked at me and said 'Who are you? What are you doing in the car?'" Gove said. "He started freaking out: 'I'm going to jail, I'm going to jail.'"

Hmmm, I'd say so.

The man then locked the car doors and went into his home. Gove, whose body had gone most of the way through the windshield, then pulled his knees and feet into the car.

"I righted myself and got out," he said. "I unlocked the passenger's side door and started walking down the street."

A witness had called police, who found Gove as he was walking and took him to a hospital. Doctors removed glass from Gove's eyes and treated him for other cuts to the head and leg.

The driver, a 20-year-old Manitowoc man, was found at the home and treated at a hospital for a serious cut to the hand. He hadn't been formally charged as of Tuesday morning, but he was facing several preliminary charges, including suspicion of drunken driving, suspicion of hit-and-run causing injury and suspicion of failing to render aid.

Gove, a 56-year-old newspaper carrier, was shocked that the driver didn't see him on his three-wheeled delivery bike.

Isn't a three-wheeled bike called a tricycle?

"I was wearing my blue overcoat with my neon reflective vest," said Gove. "I had my front and rear flashers on. I have no idea why he didn't see me."

PR

Death On A Dime

 On a cold, rainy night in late November, Douglas Wright sat amid the thick of the East Texas underbrush, watching over the body of his 28-year-old son, Alfred, who had mysteriously disappeared almost three weeks earlier. His murder is the tragic end to a narrative with so many twists and turns that it reminiscent of a Hollywood screenplay.

"His spirits got to me: 'Daddy, I knew you would find me,'" Wright says, recalling the relief that had washed over him.

Sabine County sheriff's deputies had searched for Alfred Wright but didn't find him, and volunteer searchers later found his body, his family says.

A medical examiner says the death was accidental, but the family rejects that notion, citing what a different pathologist says appears to be "severe trauma" to his body. The Texas Rangers and FBI are investigating.

Alfred Wright was last seen arounddusk on November 7. Wright, who was a physical therapist was on his way to treat a patient. He had been having trouble with his pickup and pulled into CL&M Grocer, one of the few stores along an isolated stretch of Route 87.

He called his wife, Lauren, and gave her directions to the store. Because their two young sons were home sick, she called his parents, who immediately left on the hour long drive. What happened next changed everything.

"The last time I called him, I just heard heavy breathing. He was in distress of some sort. He was not responding to anything I was saying," Lauren Wright says.

Around 6 pm Alfred Wright disappeared from where he was last seen alive. When his parents arrived about 20 minutes later, his truck was in the parking lot, but he was nowhere to be seen. His father asked the store clerk what happened. He says she told him that she was out having a smoke when Wright "all of a sudden put his cell phone in his sock and took off like the truck was going to blow up."

The clerk did not want to be interviewed on camera but did say that Wright "left on his own free will," a phrase she repeated several times as if it were a rehearsed response.

The next day, his personal effects, including his watch and ID, turned up on a nearby ranch. Deputies searched the property with cadaver dogs. His family says it was told by the deputies that Wright's scent had "disappeared" at a nearby creek.

Four days after Wright vanished, Sabine County Sheriff Thomas Maddox called off the search, telling the family, "Your son's just a missing person. My guys are tired. We've exhausted our resources and funds. We're done," family lawyer Ryan MacLeod says.

Family members say the sheriff told them that "there was no foul play" and that Wright's disappearance was probably "drug-related," most likely related to methamphetamine even though Wright had no history of drug abuse or a criminal record.

The sheriff's daughter and Wright apparently knew each other through their health care jobs, which made the sheriff's actions even more surprising to the Wrights, who were left to search for their son on their own. The Sheriff's daughter emphatically denies claims that she knew Wright, much less spoke to him despite numerous accounts to the contrary.

He had been missing for 19 days when, during Thanksgiving week, dozens of volunteers did their own search in the cold and rain. Wright's body was found nearly three weeks after his truck broke down, in an area of the ranch supposedly already searched by deputies.

Volunteer searchers found a shiny dime in plain view at the very edge of the trail where Wright's body was found. This may seem like nothing more that a lost coin dropped by God knows who. But when Brenda Chastain, who dated Sheriff Maddox for 2 years heard about this seeming minute detail she was shakin to her core. In an interview with local media Chastain said that it was not uncommon for her to find shiny dimes strategically placed and hidden under the sheets in her bed once her relationship with Maddox ended. 

Walking to the spot, Douglas Wright describes the position in which his son lay: "His head was in this area, and his feet was back here. He was just, if I might say, he was neatly laid. He was neatly laid."

Alfred Wright was wearing only boxer shorts, tennis shoes and a single sock, inside of which was his cell phone, just as the clerk had described. The second sock was under the body. "I was told by the mortician at the autopsy that when they pulled off his left sock, his keys was under his left foot in his shoe," his father says.

"What was weird about his sock," says his father, is that it "was clean, and his sock was pulled up with his phone stuck in it as if he was in a Sunday school class. Neat. His tennis shoes was very clean."

And not just the position of the body seemed strange. "This is the first thing I noticed,  how smooth his forearms and his back was. No scratches at all," his father says. After just one day, he and the other volunteers were caked in mud and their clothing torn from brambles, he says.

Alfred Wright was missing an ear, two front teeth, and his throat appeared to be cut. The medical examiner attributed the trauma to "animal and insect activity." What's more, in an echo of the sheriff's prediction, the coroner's toxicology report described Wright's body as filled with drugs cocaine, meth and amphetamines. His death was ruled "accidental" due to a "combined drug intoxication."

His family doesn't believe it. Family members say they never saw him do drugs, nor had his personality changed to suggest he was using drugs. They say he was the fun-loving, hardworking father he had always been. They want to know if the drugs entered his body while he was missing.

Suspicious of the investigation, the family hired their own pathologist, who ultimately did a separate autopsy and, contrary to the medical examiner, found what appears to be "severe trauma to the neck and head."

A month after Wright's body was found, Maddox handed the investigation over to the Texas Rangers. They have called the death "questionable" and say the autopsy is just one part of an active investigation. The week, the Texas Rangers announced they had called in the FBI to assist.

After Alfred Wright's death, wife Lauren went through bank records. She found three charges her husband made at local hotels when she and the children were away the month before he died. Texas Rangers are pulling video from one of the hotels to review it for possible evidence.

Is the dime a warning to stay quiet, or the bazaar calling card of a killer? Is there a link between the emphatic denial of the Sheriff's daughter, and the fact that Wright had rented a Hotel room each time his wife was out of town?

These questions are of course rhetorical. Because evidence of foul play is far too obvious to ignore.

My theory is that sheriff Maddox orchestrated a not so elaborate scheme to kill Wright, who is African-American because of his alleged involvement with his Caucasian daughter in a Texas fit of racist anger. The dynamics of said relationship will probably remain unknown. But one thing is for certain. The Wright family deserves to know the truth.

PR

Just When You Thought You Heard It All News (1-18-2014)

The real O.D.B ( Old Dirty Basta...) is alive and.....not so well.

He claims cleanliness brings him sickness.

By that logic, you'd probably smoke animal turds, too. 

Amou Haji, an 80-year-old Iranian, is being called the world's dirtiest man. In an article published Jan. 6, he told the Tehran Times that he hasn't bathed in 60 years.

Haji reportedly lives in isolation in Dejgah village, in the Southern Iranian province of Fars, subsists on rotten porcupine meat, and says the thought of a bath after all this time makes him very angry and

the way he smells probably makes makes other people angry.

He said he adopted his extreme, isolated lifestyle after suffering emotional setbacks in his youth. 

It's amazing how 60 year old scars can last a lifetime.

A Pennsylvania area McDonalds has a brand new menu item. But it's not a burger, fries, or a wrap. Can you say.......

McSmack?

A McDonalds employee was arrested after allegedly selling heroin.

Theodore Levon Upshaw, 28, was charged Wednesday with possession of heroin, possession with intent to deliver and delivery of heroin.

The arrest was made after a narcotics informant purchased heroin from the suspect in the parking lot of a McDonalds in Murrysville, Penn.

Mike Manko, a spokesman for the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Narcotics Enforcement Team, said the informant previously made other purchases inside the restaurant.

Upshaw was previously convicted on possession with intent to deliver, and got the job at McDonalds after being released early from the state prison in Mercer.

Upshaw is being held in the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 straight cash bond. 

Moments later a friend with curly, fiery red hair, big red floppy shoes, and a yellow jump suit arrived with the cash and bonded Upshaw out. Hmmmmmm.

No words............But of all the things you can put in your mouth.......

As addictions go, a 22-year-old woman named Keyshia has a quite a fetish.

She's addicted to the taste of dirty, pee-filled diapers, which she developed a taste for two years ago.

Since that first stained diaper, Keyshia estimates she slurped her way through 25,000 soiled Huggies which is enough for six babies' lifetimes.

Ewwwwww!

Her fiancé Jerome gripes about how she leaves the diapers everywhere, including mugs.

"Just wash the cup" is her retort.

And this is who he wants to marry?!

Her fiance is shocked by how far she will go for a taste.

"I've tried to work with her, but she goes beyond for her diapers," Jerome said. "She's even willing to dig in the garbage."

And this is who he wants to marry?!

In the episode, Keyshia attempts to get the diaper-soiled monkey off her back.

But it's not easy.

"I'm going to smell them one last time then you can have them," she said.

Two years ago, 22-year-old Keyshia developed a strange addiction chewing on and smelling dirty diapers.

Since then, she has been filling her cupboards, drawers and purse with pee-soaked diapers to satisfy her cravings.

She needs Jesus!

PR

"Killing Her Wasn't On The Menu."

I believe that everybody has a limit, and when they are pushed to that limit anybody is capable of anything. The human mind is a complex organ with incredible depth an a propensity toward unpredictability in times of crisis.

A Dallas man who police say admitted to killing his mistress after she revealed that she was HIV positive told police, "She killed me, so I killed her."

Larry Dunn, who has not yet tested positive for HIV, visited Cicely Lee Bolden's home for unprotected sex one last time in September 2012, and then took a knife from the kitchen and stabbed Bolden in the neck as she laid in bed, according to his video testimony that was played in court at his murder trial.

Her body was reportedly discovered by her two young children in bed, naked from the waist down."She didn't see it until it was in her throat," Dunn reportedly told police. "She wasn't very strong."

If convicted, Dunn, who said he was worried he infected his wife, faces up to life in prison in the killing. His attorney reportedly will try to prove he acted with "sudden passion," which carries a 20-year sentence.

Dunn initially denied killing Bolden when he was initially confronted by police, the report said.

Brian Tabor, a Dallas detective, reportedly told the court that Dunn was convincing, but he continued pressing the suspect because of his likely connection. He reportedly admitted to the crime in a second interview.

"I wanted to make her pay," Dunn said in the recorded interview. "Killing her wasn"t on the menu. That's just how it ended up."

This should serve as a cautionary tale to anyone who is contemplating taking on a mistriss or a mister. Each and every time you "step out" on your spouse and have  sex with a stranger (and most of the time they are strangers because you really don't know them), you run the risk of contracting HIV or the AIDS virus. You put yourself, and your spouse in danger. Lust should never override common sense. Because the result can be deadly.

PR