Just When You Thought You Heard It All News (3-1-2014)

Parents in Sterling, Connecticut town are demanding action by local officials after a man went to a school to pick up his great-grandson and took the wrong child home.

Heres a thought. I have nothing against the elderly. But if Great Grandpa doesn't remember what his Great Grandson looks like, then maybe, just maybe he shouldn't have been sent to pick him up. I'm just saying.......

The 5-year-old boy's mother was among the parents who criticized school officials in Sterling during a board of education meeting Tuesday night.The mother, Angela Stone, says it happened Friday afternoon at Sterling Community School. She says her son refused to get out of the man's car at his home, and the man's wife noticed the mistake. He then drove the boy back to the school.

Stone called school officials incompetent and says they should be disciplined.

School Superintendent Rena Klebart acknowledges mistakes were made and says officials are making changes to prevent it from happening again.

A man arrested Sunday for cocaine possession told police in Key West that he "thought cocaine wasn't illegal in Florida,". He was wrong.

I wouldn't be surprised if George "The new O.J."  Zimmerman is under the same impression. That would explain a lot.

Ignorance aside, authorities still arrested Guy Lanchester, 46, charging him with cocaine possession and felony tampering with evidence. Police say that Lanchester was caught suspiciously tossing a small plastic bag filled with white powder behind a planter.

In fact, cocaine is very illegal in Florida and elsewhere. It is a schedule 2 substance under the Controlled Substances Act.

Still, Lanchester told police, "I don't understand."

Well, it looks like his proclaimed ignorance got him 3 hots and a cot.

Logan Pearson usually has quiet birthdays. 

The 12 year old from North Andover Mass has severe autism and has difficulty in social situations.

"People have just felt like, 'Well, Logan can’t understand, so we aren’t going to do anything for [his birthday] like other kids,'" according to James Pearson, Logan's father.

This is a disturbing choice. Celebrating my children's birthday's are celebrations of their birth's. Even if they never knew or know, I know. Me and my wife know.

This year, Logan's mother, Catherine Pearson, wanted to let her son know that his 12th birthday deserved an epic celebration. So, in January, Pearson asked her facebook friends to send Logan birthday cards Autism Live reported. 

"This year I want to stop feeling downright upset that my son is aging into a young man under a blanket of autism," she wrote on Facebook, "I want to CELEBRATE him and ENJOY his day.”

The post went viral, and soon, cards and gifts began pouring in some even from complete strangers.

"My boy's loved doing this!!!!!" a commenter wrote on Autism Live's Facebook page. "They thought it was 'so cool' sending birthday cards to a boy that they've never met. They said 'I hope he likes it and it makes him happy!'"

When officers from the Cambridge Police Department heard of Pearson's birthday card request, they decided to go a step further and organized a surprise birthday party for Logan at a Fuddruckers in North Andover. Two dozen police officersfromseveral departments attended.

"This is something that I’ll remember forever. I think the other officers and hopefully the family will remember," Lt. Edward Guy told the station during the party. "We’ve made a friend for life."

THANK GOD HIS PARENTS CAME TO THEIR SENSES!

PR

On This Day In Black History (2/29/1940)

            

            Hattie MacDaniel 

            6/10/1892-10/26/1952

On this day in Black history February. 29, 1940 (leap year), Actress Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American to win an Academy Award. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind on this day. 

After working as early as the 1910s as a band vocalist, Hattie McDaniel debuted as a maid in The Golden West (1932). Her maid-mammy characters became steadily more assertive, showing up first in Judge Priest (1934) and becoming pronounced in Alice Adams (1935). In this film she makes it clear she has little use for her employers' pretentious status seeking. In another film The Mad Miss Manton (1938) she actually tells off her socialite employer Barbara Stanwyck and her snooty friends. Something that was unheard of in those days. This path extends into the greatest role of her career, Mammy in Gone With The Wind (1939). In her role as Mammy she is, in a number of ways, superior to most of the white co stars due in part to her commonsensical approach, and forward thinking. From that point her roles unfortunately descended, with her characters becoming more and more menial. She played on the "Amos and Andy" and Eddie Cantor radio shows in the 1930s and 1940s; the title in her own radio show "Beulah" (1947-51), and the same part on TV (Beulah (1950).

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Is Poverty A Choice?

When I ask the question, is poverty a choice, the implication is not whether someone actually chooses to live a life of poverty. That fact is that some people are born into poverty, and no one makes a conscious decision to be poor, with the exception of maybe a monk, who takes a vow of poverty.

Putting this question in context requires some extrapolation. When I ask the question I am referring to the possibility of someone not doing anything to get out of poverty. I am questioning whether the necessary drive or where-with-all it takes to change ones station in life becomes lost in a cycle of complacency or lack of motivation.

I believe that those who are poor and do nothing to try to improve their lives have made a choice to be poor by lack of effort. This does not mean that they don't deserve help. What it does mean is that those who have the capacity, and the faculties to reach out and seek out but don't are failing themselves and their families. I'm not talking about a hand out. But a hand up.

I know that certain segments of our society have been put at a disadvantage by institutionalized racism, predjudice, and disenfranchisement. I know that many of us have found ourselves in certain situations due to circumstances beyond our control. Including me. But I also know that many of us have progressed, and prospered despite falling down. Being a minority, disadvantaged, or unfortunate didn't make a difference to those who were determined to succeed.

My prime source of motivation is my wife, who always seems to know when my stress level is at it's peak. She uses 7 words to motivate me.

"It's about how bad you want it."

Maybe those who live in poverty and do nothing, should ask themselves how bad they want to change their lives. If they really want to at all.

PR

Being (Like) Mary Jane?

In BET's new hit series "Being Mary Jane", Gabrielle Union plays a young African-American women who has a successful career, financial stability, and all of the material trappings that go along with it. But every other aspect of her life is a mess. She's having an affair with a married man, and in one episode even antagonizes this mans wife in public. To top it off, Mary Jane is also in love with another man who is in love with someone else. This character is a confused trifling individual. A slender, train wreck of a woman who's narrative is told from sympathetic, and empathetic points of view. The storyline is designed for the audience to admire her RATCHEDNESS. Yes, I know it's not a real word. But it fits. I'll admitt that the show is fascinating simply by virtue of the fact that it paints a picture of the villain as a protagonist.

The problem is, practically every other day I read an article in which women talk about identifying with this character. They write things like, "Mary Jane is like all of us." "Mary Jane faces the same struggles that many of us face."

But it almost seems as if the "struggles" of this fictional character have been a catalyst for some sort of misguided affirmation amongst some women. The message is, if this successful elitist women can be a flawed mess, then no one can hold them to higher expectations, including themselves. With that being said, this show allows all of those who claim to identify with Mary Jane to side step responsibility for their actions as if things just happen to happen to them. Much like this character.

I miss the days when our heroes set a standard for us to aspire to as opposed to lows that some of us choose to identify with. Where would the world be without those among us who chose to be better and do better instead of aspiring to mediocrity and wearing their short comings as if they were badges if honor?

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The False Prophet

1 John 4:1 - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

1 Corinthians 14:33 - For God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

As always, the Bible says it best. Many who claim to be men and women of God are nothing more than minions of the devil. Misusing the word to cause confusion pain and strife. There is no better example than Pastor Craig Lamar Davis, former pastor of Full Gospel Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia who was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 10 years probation last week for knowingly exposing women in his 

congregation to HIV.

Davis was found guilty in January of two counts of reckless HIV.

Davis, who was married at the time that the allegations came to light, initially denied both his HIV status and cheating on his wife. 

In a last-ditch plea for leniency during Friday’s sentencing hearing, the formerly “unrepentant” pastor said that his actions were “wrong.” Which is the understatement of the decade. 

Running a red light is wrong, cheating on your diet is wrong, stealing supplies from your office is wrong. But infecting women with what basically amounts to a possible death seconds is dispicable.

FORMER Pastor Davis had extramarital affairs with two women and did not tell either that he was HIV positive. During his trial, Davis admitted that doctors diagnosed him with HIV in 2005. And while he admitted to having sex with a Fulton County woman, the former pastor denied a sexual encounter with his second accuser, Ronita McAfee of Clayton County.

McAfee tested negative for HIV, while the second known victim, who was allegedly celibate for 15 years before sleeping with her married pastor, tested positive.

Police are still investigating the possibility of more victims. 

In reality, the victims are not just those who used bad judgement in sleeping with this sleezy false profit. The victims are also those who believed in him, had faith in him, and looked to him for leadership.

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Ordinary People?

We all have days when we wonder why we're here. We think about the purpose of our lives and some of us may even wonder if we have one. Well, on this day I would like to submitt to you and shine a light on the all mighty word of God.

Psalms 139:14

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Do you really believe that you are fearfully and wonderfully made for absolutely no reason at all? We are all wonderful works of God, with unique gifts, talents, and contributions. It is just a matter of realizing, recognizing, understanding our gifts and using them for the glory of God.

You are not a mistake. You are not an accident, and your life is not in vein.

We are all here for a purpose, and you are on purpose.

No matter how things look. Now matter how things seem, and no matter what dark clouds loom over your life, God is sovereign over your situation. Your situation is not your God.

You are not an ordinary person, you are a victorious, gifted individual......and so am I.

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Just When You Thought You Heard It All News (2-22-2014)

It's no secret that jobs are hard to come by. So when have one, you have to do everything that you possibly can to keep it. So you have to be on time, you have to be a team player, and last but not least, whatever you do, please don't pee in the sink!

 Health officials have temporarily shut down a southern West Virginia pizza restaurant after a district manager was caught on surveillance video urinating into a sink.

A district freakin manager!

Local media reported that the Mingo County health department ordered the Pizza Hut in Kermit, about 85 miles southwest of Charleston, to shut down. Pizza Hut Corp. released a statement saying it was "embarrassed" by the manager's actions. The company says it has "zero tolerance" for violations of its operating standards. The employee was fired. His name was not released.

The manager was caught on video urinating in a sink in the kitchen.

Pizza Hut says the incident occurred after business hours.

City health official Brett Vance says the restaurant is closed until it is thoroughly cleaned and there are reassurances of safeguards in place.

O........k.

A South Carolina woman spent a night in jail last week for failing to return a video she rented  in 2005.

It was a VHS tape. Of a Jennifer Lopez movie.

Finley, 27, was arrested last week in Pickens County, South Carolina, on a misdemeanor charge of failure to return the video.

The movie, "Monster-In-Law," starring Lopez and Jane Fonda as a feuding potential daughter- and mother-in-law, was rented from a video store, Dalton Videos, that is now out of business.

They arrested her for not returning "Monster In Law?" I could see if it was "New Jack City" or "Beaches".......

Yes, I like "Beaches". SO WHAT!

According to local media sources, Finley was at the county sheriff's office on another matter when an active warrant for her arrest was discovered. Chief Deputy Creed Hashe told the station that the store's owner had asked a Pickens County judge for the warrant years ago when Finley didn't return her video.

Hashe said Finley had been sent several certified letters asking her to turn herself in.

Finley spent the night in jail because her bond hearing couldn't be held until Friday morning. A judge released her on $2,000 bond.

I would never give that video back.

Efforts to reach out to Finley via social media were unsuccessful early. But a woman identifying herself as Finley, and whose profile picture appeared similar to Finley's mug shot, took to a local media outlets Facebook page to defend herself.

She said that after renting the movie she had to move out of state because of her husband's job and that she simply forgot about it.

I guess this means that I have to retune my VHS copy of "Super Fuzz" now.

      Side Bar: The only thing that looks better than the one covered in chocolate is the one cloaked in chocolate.

 A foolish Iowa man has lost his job and unemployment benefits for using a forklift to get a candy bar from a malfunctioning vending machine, state records say.

According to state unemployment records released last month, Robert McKevitt, 27, of Spirit Lake, was working at Polaris Industries' warehouse in Milford when the incident occurred last fall.

McKevitt wanted some candy, so he deposited $1 in a vending machine for a 90-cent Twix candy bar.

He banged it and rocked it, but that didn't work.

I wonder if he thought the golden ticket was in it.

The state records said McKevitt then commandeered a forklift, picked up the machine at least six times and dropped it about 2 feet onto the concrete floor. Three candy bars fell.

McKevitt was fired five days later.

McKevitt told the newspaper recently that he never lifted and dropped the vending machine but did use the forklift to move the machine back in place.

"That machine was trouble," McKevitt said. "They fired me, and now I hear they have all new vending machines there."

In a ruling released last month, a judge denied McKevitt's claim for unemployment benefits, saying he willfully disregarded his employer's interests.

Well, at least he doesn't have to worry about that troublesome vending machine anymore. The only thing that he has to worry about now is making a living........

PR

On This Day In Black History (Feb. 21, 1965)

In New York City Malcolm X, a Black nationalist and religious leader, was assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights.

Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1925, Malcolm was the son of James Earl Little, a Baptist preacher who advocated the black nationalist ideals of Marcus Garvey. Threats from the Ku Klux Klan forced the family to move to Lansing, Michigan where his father continued to preach his controversial sermons despite continuing threats. In 1931, Malcolm's father was brutally murdered by the white supremacist Black Legion, and Michigan authorities refused to prosecute those responsible. In 1937, Malcolm was taken from his family by welfare caseworkers. By the time he reached high school age, he had dropped out of school and moved to Boston, where he became increasingly involved in criminal activities.

In 1946, at the age of 21, Malcolm was sent to prison on a burglary conviction. It was there he discovered the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam, whose members are popularly known as Black Muslims. The Nation of Islam advocated black nationalism and racial separatism and condemned Americans of European descent as immoral "devils." Muhammad's teachings had a strong effect on Malcolm, who entered into an intense program of self-education and took the last name "X" to symbolize his stolen African identity.

After six years, Malcolm was released from prison and became a loyal and effective minister of the Nation of Islam in Harlem, New York. In contrast with civil rights leaders such as The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X advocated self-defense and the liberation of African Americans "by any means necessary." A fiery orator, Malcolm was admired by the African American community in New York and around the country.

In the early 1960s, he began to develop a more outspoken philosophy than that of Elijah Muhammad, whom he felt did not sufficiently support the civil rights movement. In late 1963, Malcolm's suggestion that President John F. Kennedy's assassination was a matter of the "chickens coming home to roost" provided Elijah Muhammad, who believed that Malcolm had become too powerful, with a convenient opportunity to suspend him from the Nation of Islam.

A few months later, Malcolm formally left the organization and made a Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, where he was profoundly affected by the lack of racial discord among orthodox Muslims. He returned to America as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and in June 1964 founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity, which advocated black identity and held that racism, not the white race, was the greatest foe of the African American. Malcolm's new movement steadily gained followers, and his more moderate philosophy became increasingly influential in the civil rights movement, especially among the leaders of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.

On February 21, 1965, one week after his home was firebombed, Malcolm X was shot to death by Nation of Islam members while speaking at a rally of his organization in New York City.

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Baby Making Monster

Some people are just not meant to be parents. But unfortunately, just about anybody can procreate. It's one of life's greatest mysteries. Unfit people becoming unfit parents over and over again as if nature turns a blind eye to these low life's. While I do believe that God does not make mistakes, the authorities are failing to protect the innocent lives that he has allowed to be birthed into this world, the results can be disastrous.

Rachel Fryer buried her infant son nearly three years ago, after claiming that she accidentally rolled over on him as they slept. Now the 2-year-old female twin of the deceased infant has been laid to rest as well.

This time, Fryer told Sanford, Fla. police investigators that her daughter had stopped breathing following an asthma attack and so she buried the toddler without calling 911 for assistance. Police officials aren’t buying Fryer’s story and arrested the mom of five on Tuesday, charging her with aggravated child neglect.

The case came to light Feb. 10, when Fryer turned herself in to police and in a startling admission, confessed that she had buried her toddler in a shallow grave in Crescent City, Florida. When investigators went to the burial site, they discovered a leopard print suitcase that had been tossed to the side and a child’s shoe sticking out of a freshly dug gravesite. Upon further investigation, authorities stumbled upon the little girl’s decomposing body.

According to Fryer’s account, she found her daughter to be unresponsive on Feb. 6. After trying to resuscitate the child, Fryer decided to place her daughter’s lifeless body into the suitcase and take it to the Crescent City burial spot.

Just three years earlier, Fryer’s 2-month-old son Tavont’ae Gordon died of mechanical asphyxiation, a co-sleeping fatality, according to a medical examiner. Fryer told investigators at the time that she had fallen asleep and accidentally rolled over on her boy. Even though police determined that the 32-year-old woman had reportedly been under the influence of cocaine at the time, for some strange reason she was not charged for the crime.

Fryer, who is now pregnant, had her children taken away from her by the state after her infant son passed away. The kids were placed in foster care but were returned last November, after the Department of Children and Families and a county judge determined that Fryer could be “trusted” to care for them. 

An arrest warrant reportedly indicated that not only does Fryer have an extensive history of arrests and drug use but the "mom" has also been violent towards her children, using various make shift weapons such as wire hangers, a broom stick and flip-flops to discipline them.

Meanwhile, Fryer’s surviving three children are back in the foster care system, thank God, and she is being held on a $950,000 bail. Which is $950,000 too little. Hopefully she will never get custody of her children again.

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Choices & Mistakes

None of us are perfect people. In fact we were born to make mistakes, unless we are, or just happen to be that unique individual who has never made one. If you are, stop reading this now and seek therapy.

Ok, now that I have weeded out the delusional people who may have been reading this, those of us who live life with our feet firmly planted in reality can continue. The worst thing that we can do is beat ourselves up over our mistakes and live in regret with a bad case of the woulda, shoulda, coulda's. But if you choose to, don't expect everyone around you to play musical chairs at your pity party. We must ask ourselves first and foremost if repeating the same pattern over and over again qualifies as a mistake, insanity, or just bad judgement. I am of the opinion that a pattern represents a personal choice. The reasons or motives behind the choices are a different story entirely.

With that being said, the fact is that certain choices, and mistakes cannot be erased, reset or done over. 

We have to live with them the best way that we can, and not expect the world to have pity, mercy, sympathy, or empathy for us.

The world doesn't owe us anything. But we owe ourselves everything.

PR

Fatal Decisions & Bad Choices.

A hot tempered Arkansas man is in custody after he allegedly fired rounds into a car full of teens early Saturday morning, killing a 15-year-old girl.

Little Rock resident Willie Noble, 48, faces a slew of charges, including first degree murder, one count of a terroristic act and five counts of aggravated assault.

At approximately 1 a.m., a group of seven teenagers reportedly threw eggs, mayonnaise, toilet paper and leaves at Noble's car.

An irate Noble is accused of storming out of his house in a fit of rage and firing shots. According to Police the teenagers fled the scene in a car after the suspect riddled the vehicle with bullets and shot Adrian Broadway in the head.

The teens were able to escape and made it to a gas station where authorities were called. Broadway was taken to Children's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

According to her Facebook page, Broadway enjoyed the Hunger Games book series, and was a member of her school's cheer team.

Whenever a child dies it is a tragedy of epic proportions. Simply because another young life lost represents more potential that will never be realized. With that being said, we must keep our children safe by teaching them how to keep themselves safe. The fact of the matter is that we are all one bad decision away from disaster. The difference is, most children lack the ability to think, reason, or understand on an adult level. So we must teach them how to be cognoscente, and reasonable.

This goes far beyond being on the look out for dark windowed "child abduction vans", and staying away from stranger's. We must make a concentrated effort to raise a nation of thinkers. Children who are able to recognize and understand the price that can come with provocation. Children who recognize and understand that depending on the mistake, or the reaction to it, there may be no tomorrow. Then maybe they can avoid the "Willie Noble's" of the world. 

However, there is an ever growing segment of scribes, and "leader's" who seem to support and condone teenage foolishness simply by defending their right to be foolish. A "right" that has cost many a child their lives. But there is rarely any discussion about the consequences that are often a result of this kind of mischievousness.

No, I don't blame this cute, young cheerleader for her murder. But if just one of the teens in that car thought about the possible ramifications of their actions, maybe Adrian Broadway would still be alive. Prevention is always better than a knee jerk reaction, or a misguidied defense after the fact.

There are some crazed lunatic's in this world who have no problem killing children.

PR

The Death of Jordan Russell Davis (Follow Up)

In December of 2012 I wrote an article about the murder of Jordan Russell Davis,

http://theprbrownreport.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-death-of-jordan-russell-davis.html?m=1

In November of 2012, 17 year old Jordan Davis was shot and killed by Michael Dunn, a 45 year old trigger happy racist who chose to kill for an innocent teenager. Jordan's crime? Hanging out with his friends outside of a convenience store while playing loud music. 

The case just went to trial a few days ago, and Michael Dunn was found guilty on four charges, including three for attempted second-degree murder, which could land him behind bars for decades. Yet there was no verdict on the first-degree murder charge tied to the death of 17-year-old Jordan Davis.

Jordan would have turned 19 yesterday.

As the jury's decisions became clear about 7 p.m. Saturday, Dunn looked ahead solemnly with a frown but no tears. His lawyer, Cory Strolla, told reporters later that his client was "in disbelief."

"Even as he sat next to me, he asked, how is this happening," Strolla said. "... It has not set in. I don't think it will set in anytime soon."

The incomplete finale to this emotional, hot button trial partly because of the fact Dunn is white and the teenagers who were shot at, including Davis, are black echoed George Zimmerman's trial for the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin about 120 miles down the road in Sanford, Florida. While "stand your ground" wasn't used by Dunn, his lawyers did argue that he fired in self-defense.

Given the partially hung jury, State Attorney Angela Corey said prosecutors would press for a new trial in Duval County on the murder charge.

"Justice for Jordan Davis is as important as it is for any victim," said Corey, whose office also handled the Zimmerman case.

Even without a final decision on the murder count and pending defense appeals the 47-year-old Dunn is looking at a lengthy prison term.

Prosecutor Erin Wolfson explained Saturday night that each attempted second-degree murder conviction carries a minimum sentence of at least 20 years. There's also a 15-year sentence possible on the conviction for shooting in the teenager's vehicle.

"You are looking at basically at life in prison," Strolla said, even as he vowed to challenge the convictions. "At 47 years old, that's a life sentence regardless of count one."

The decision to convict on these counts, and not on murder, didn't come easily for a jury that had deliberated for about 30 hours since getting the case late Wednesday.

Judge Russell Healey acknowledged earlier Saturday that the jury of four white women, two black women, four white men, an Asian woman and a Hispanic man was "struggling, obviously."

"But it's not for want of trying to reconcile all of this," he said then. "I think we've got some analytical people in there who are trying to do just that trying to analyze this from every possible angle."

The lack of a murder conviction upset some, including protesters who marched outside the Jacksonville courthouse calling for Corey to lose her job. "The people united will never be defeated," they chanted.

Yet Davis' mother, Lucia McBath, didn't express any anger when she addressed reporters Saturday night. Her family, she said, is "so very happy to have just a little bit of closure."

"It's sad for Mr. Dunn that he will live the rest of his life in that sense of torment, and I will pray for him," McBath said. "And I've asked my family to pray for him."

The most important thing is that there is justice for Jordan Davis and his family.

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Just When You Thought You Heard It All News (2-15-2014)

Nothing can stop true love. Not even prison bars, a prison sentence or razor wire.

 An Arizona jail inmate who escaped by climbing two walls and crawling through razor wire and was reportedly meeting his sweetheart on Valentine's Day is back in custody.

The Pinal County Sheriff's office says in a release that inmate Joseph Andrew Dekenipp was arrested in the town of Coolidge, a few hours after he escaped Friday from the county detention center.

The office says he would undergo treatment for serious cuts he got from the wire.

The Arizona Republic reports that the 40-year-old Dekenipp was arrested without incident after he arrived at a saloon and grill where he was to meet his girlfriend.

Dekenipp has been in jail since his arrest Jan. 10 on suspicion of vehicle theft, trafficking in stolen property, unlawful flight, and driving on a suspended license.

Officials say he is now facing an escape charge.

I hope it was worth it!

"A Christmas Story" is one of my favorite movies. Especially the part when Flick gets "double dog dared" to lick an ice cold flag pole and actually does it. His friends run off and leave him in the school yard when the bell rings, and his teacher looks out of the window and there he is looking like a fool with his tongue stuck to the flag pole.

A middle school student in Easthampton, Mass., is feeling licked after getting his tongue stuck on a metal pole.

The student, whose name has not been released, apparently attempted to reenact a scene from the 1983 holiday classic, "A Christmas Story," Wednesday morning by sticking his tongue against the pole.

In a case of life imitating art, one boy decided to reinact the scene, and just like in the movie it didn't end well.

A rescue crew was called to White Brook Middle School and helped the tongue-stuck student get free by pouring hot water on the pole and the tongue.

It took a couple of buckets of water to unstick the student. Teachers shielded the boy during the rescue mission while other students were arriving to class.

EMT's evaluated the boy's tongue called his mother to reassure her that he was fine and then sent him off to class.

Easthampton Fire Chief David A. Mottor said it was the second tongue-sticking he had seen in his 20-year career. The first involved a kid who licked a chain-link fence post.

“I wouldn’t recommend putting your tongue on anything metal for the rest of the winter,” Mottor told the paper.

This isn't the first tongue-licking sticking of the year.

Last month, Maddie Gilmartin, 12, of East Kingston, N.H. decided on a whim to touch the flag pole with her tongue and she also got stuck.

She was able to get free with the help of warm water, but told the station her lips felt like they had been stung by a lot of bees.

CALLING ALL PARENTS!!! Please teach your children how to separate fact from fiction. Things that are funny in movies, can be sad and stupid in real life.

Far too often we make life complicated. But some things are simple, and little things mean a lot.

Tim Harris and his hug have made headlines before.

The 28-year-old with Down syndrome is the founder of Tim's Place "The World's Friendliest Restaurant"  in Albuquerque, N.M., where he's known for serving breakfast and lunch with an extra-big hug.

But last year, when Harris' family realized that his birthday fell on National Hug Day (Jan. 21), they knew they wanted to dish out more than just good meals and warm embraces.

So, they hosted the first annual Hug-A-Thon, where Harris hugged more than 1,000 people and raised $6000 in three days. The money went to Firefighters Random Acts, a nonprofit that enables firefighters to perform random acts of kindness in their community, according to its website.

This year, Harris set a new goal: 2,000 hugs and $10,000. In four days he beat that according to the Tim's Place Facebook page. He hugged more than 2,000 people and earned $13,000 in donations.

"This is so amazing". Harris says, choking back tears during this year's Hug-A-Thon. "I'm very happy. I have somebody here to love. Everybody, I love every one of you!"

PR

With You, Or Beside You?

Almost 2 weeks ago a guest minister at our church preached a sermon entitled, "Everyone who is beside you is not with you."

This is one of the most profound messages that I have ever heard, and once this metaphor was contextualized the premise was crystal clear. Simply put, some of the people who are closest to you may not necessarily be advocates for your progress or supporters of your  dreams.

Someone who is with you will always want to see you win, help you win, and enjoy the journey to achievement just because they love, and support you.

If the person beside you is not with you, then they are nothing more than a proverbial thorn in your side. An impediment that could prove fatal to your dreams. That is why it is important to take stock, and examine those who are in your circle every now and then, and ask yourself, if they're with you or just beside you.

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                Are you sure?

Blame A Black Man

I'd like to dedicate this story to all of those who think that Black people are paranoid whiner's who love to play the race card.

In a shocking, or maybe not so shocking revelation, depending on who you are, A California man admitted to authorities this week that he lied about being shot by a black man.

In an interview on Monday, Brent Thomas Posada told the Redding Police Department that he actually shot himself with a high-powered air rifle at the beginning of the month.

It all began after a medical center reported a gunshot victim to the authorities. When questioned, Posada claimed that he was on the sidewalk when a black man came up and pointed a gun to his head. He said he pushed the assailant's arm away, but was shot in the abdomen as a result.

Posada described his shooter as a 6-foot-tall black male in his late 20s, weighing approximately 185 pounds. He even described the outfit the supposed shooter was wearing, saying he had on a black hoodie sweatshirt, blue jeans and black, silver-striped high-top shoes.

I guess a hoodie is now the uniform of choice for imaginary Black criminals. Maybe he would have gotten away with it if he claimed that this phantom menace had skittles and iced tea.

But a quick search by the authorities showed no evidence, and his clothing and injuries did not add up. He eventually changed his story, saying that he had shot himself while at home.

It is as yet undetermined as to whether or not charges will be filed, but the case has been referred to the district attorney’s office.

The last time I checked filing a false police report was a crime in most jurisdictions.

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I Didn't Know What To Write Last Night

I didn't know what to write last night. It felt like my heart was breaking. Kept praying all day before the sun went down when it felt like my heart was aching.

It's in my nature to try to understand everything. But no matter how hard I try, I just can't, and this confusion does nothing to help me sooth the hurt that I feel inside. 

But I know that God is still in control!

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Fried Chicken & Watermelon For Black History Month?!

I can't quite decide whether this is more racist, stupid, offensive, or insensitive. Maybe equal amounts of all four.

An all-girls Catholic high school had the terrible idea to celebrate Black History Month by creating a special cafeteria menu that included fried chicken, watermelon and cornbread. What?! No chitterlings or collard greens.

Carondelet High School in Concord, Calif. announced Monday it would be serving the racially offensive meal that week, but when students and parents got word immediate backlash ensued, prompting the school to hold an assembly and send out an explanatory letter. As if any collection of words, phrases, or paragraphs could possibly explain the motive behind such foolishness.

The school’s principal revealed that she had met with the leaders of the Black Student Union and apologized if the menu announcement offended anyone.

IF?!

“I'd like to apologize for this announcement and any hurt this caused students, parents or community members," she said. "Please know that at no time at Carondelet do we wish to perpetuate racial stereotypes.”

The menu has since been removed and the school is scheduled to have an assembly on diversity.

Foods like fried chicken and watermelon have long been depicted as stereotypical in that they are eaten with your hands, and therefore are deemed dirty, though historically it remains a staple in many Black households and restaurants, such foods were given to us during slavery because they were considered inferior foods that were deemed too good for the "master".

Blacks have often been portrayed eating this kind of food in film and television during slavery and Jim Crow, but in a way that was used to dehumanize them and portray them as poor and ill-mannered people.

Moral of the story: if you’re white, just stay away from the mentioning of fried chicken, watermelon, or any other stereotype as it relates to Black Americans. It'll save you a lot of trouble. Next time either ask a Black friend, or make a Black friend who will tell you the truth.

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Child Brutalized By NYC Police Officer

The NYPD has sank to a new low, and proved that they are equal opportunity brutalizer's.

In a lawsuit filed in New York City, Krystle Silvera claims that she was sexually assaulted and her son Courtney’s leg was broken after police knocked on her door looking for her ex-boyfriend. 

Courtney Silvera, age 10, was eating cereal at 7 a.m. on Jan. 30, 2013, when the police knocked on the door. They were looking for his mother's ex-boyfriend, who had possibly violated an order of protection. His grandmother, who is suffering from brain and lung cancer, answered the door but had difficulty understanding the cops' reason for being there. So Courtney grabbed his mom's cellphone and began recording the conversation.

One cop didn't like that, so he kicked the boy in the shin, breaking his leg, according to a complaint filed in Brooklyn Federal Court.

"The police had come to our house before due to the domestic violence complaint Courtney Silvera, age 10, was eating cereal at 7 a.m. on Jan. 30, 2013, when the police knocked on the door. They were looking for his mother's ex-boyfriend, who had possibly violated an order of protection. His grandmother, who is suffering from brain and lung cancer, answered the door but had difficulty understanding the cops' reason for being there. So Courtney grabbed his mom's cellphone and began recording the conversation.

One cop didn't like that, so he kicked the boy in the shin, breaking his leg, according to a complaint filed in Brooklyn Federal Court.

"The police had come to our house before due to the domestic violence complaint, and he's fascinated by the police; he looks up to them," 

But apparently, this Police Officer looked down on him.

Courtney's mom, Krystle Silvera, 30, a nursing student at Long Island University, told the local media.

Silvera was upstairs getting her 5-year-old daughter ready for school when she heard the commotion. "I heard my son screaming, 'You can't do that! You're hurting me! Don't hit me!' " she said. She bolted downstairs, dressed only in her underclothes, to see what was going on. She alleges that she was grabbed by a police officer who pulled her out in the freezing cold, the Daily News reports.

According to the suit, Silvera's pierced breast popped out of her bra while she was being restrained.

"The officer flicked the piercing. he flicked the ring up with his finger on my right breast". "He said, 'Is this what mothers look like these days?' My neighbors saw me naked. It was degrading. I can deal with the embarrassment of what [the police] did to me in front of my neighbors, but the hardest thing is explaining to my kids that not all police are bad."

Silvera was charged with assaulting the cops and was released two days later on $1,500 bail. She would later plead guilty to disorderly conduct, the Daily News reports.

Once she returned home, she noticed that her son's leg was bruised and swollen. Courtney was taken to the hospital, where an X-ray showed that his leg was fractured.

"I've seen a lot of police-brutality cases, but nothing as low as this, kicking a 10-year-old boy," said the family's lawyer, Anthony Ofodile.

Silvera is currently seeking unspecified monetary damages for the alleged civil rights violations, the Daily News reports.

An NYPD spokeswoman told the Daily News that the Internal Affairs Bureau has opened an investigation based on the allegations in the suit.

Although Courtney's leg was fractured, his dream of one day being a detective hasn't been broken. "I told my mom being a detective would be cool," he told the local media . "I want to be a better detective than the one who did this.", and he's fascinated by the police; he looks up to them," Courtney's mom, Krystle Silvera, 30, a nursing student at Long Island University, said in an interview.

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On This Day In Black History (February 7, 1923)

       On this day in Black History

Dr. Carter G. Woodson who is considered a pioneer in the study of African-American history and is known as “The Father of Black History,” designated the second week of February as Negro History Week in 1926. In 1976, Negro History Week would be expanded to the entire month of February, or Black History Month. Woodson, a son of former slaves who eventually earned a PhD from Harvard, chose the second week of February as it marked the birthday of abolitionist Frederick Douglass (Feb. 14) and President Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12), who signed the Emancipation Proclamation abolishing slavery in the southern states.

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George "The New O.J." Zimmerman Is At It Again

There have been very few occasions in my life when I've been angry, annoyed, and confused all at the same time. But 4 words have managed to invoke these emotions. George Zimmerman "celebrity" boxing match! In the interest of full disclosure I have to admit that I heard this story several days ago, but it sounded so far fetched, and so absurd that I believed that is was nothing more than a sick joke. But it turns out that I was wrong. 

It seems that in this you tube generation people have confused famous with infamous, and there seems to be a warped sense of celebrity. Everyone who is note worthy is not a celebrity. However there are people who are both noteworthy, and notorious. The word celebrity comes from the word celebrate. What has George "The New OJ" Zimmerman done that is worthy of celebration? If committing atrocities makes someone a celebrity then wouldn't that make Hitler a celebrity also? Of course not. Zimmerman is the last man in the universe who should be celebrated, except for maybe Rush Limbaugh, and those who condone this nonsense, or consent to it by remaining silent are like co-conspirators. If you watch this devious spectacle which, may I add was announced on Trayvon Martin's birthday, Feb. 5, you will be supporting a monster.

Yes, this is real. You would think that after being acquitted of killing Trayvon Martin, thus getting away with murder he would lay low. Unfortunately Zimmerman has proven to be somewhat of an attention whore and now he has signed a contract with celebrity boxing match promotor Damon Feldman. Feldman has delivered on his reputation for head-spinning matchups such as, Tonya Harding vs. a waitress by selecting DMX as Zimmerman's opponent. George Zimmerman will fight DMX, who happens to have enough demon's of his own to battle.

Details of the fight, which takes place on March 1st, will be announced during a news conference next Wednesday.

Here are a few reasons why you shouldn't watch this nonsense.

1. Watching this spectacle financially supports a man who gained notoriety by killing a black boy. Let me phrase that another way: the man who got away with killing a 17-year-old will get your money if you watch him on TV. You will be financially supporting George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed Trayvon Martin.

2. Watching this spectacle will ensure we continue to see Zimmerman's face until the end of time. Do you think the media will rest at one match? No. As long as there is green in the udder of the cash cow, they will milk it. One boxing match becomes another boxing match becomes more television exposure becomes a reality show. You know how it is. Do you want to see George Zimmerman on TV for the rest of your life? No? Then do not watch this match.

3. You will be financially supporting George Zimmerman, the man who killed Trayvon Martin.

4. The match is being promoted by Damon Feldman a guy who was charged with fixing celebrity boxing matches and promoting without a license. Do you really want to watch George Zimmerman win with a loaded deck? Again?

5. You will be financially supporting George Zimmerman, the man who killed Trayvon Martin. This point cannot be stated enough.

6. This is the most important point. By watching this boxing match, by giving in to the notion that George Zimmerman is indeed a celebrity, you are accepting the subtle message that what Zimmerman does deserve to be celebrated. By resting your eyes on the program for one moment, you are accepting that black boys who are killed before their 18th birthdays don't deserve justice at all, that their killers should be allowed to profit from their crimes. By allowing George Zimmerman onto your television screen, you are contributing to a world in which the death of a child is one soulless scene in a shiny reality show. One meaningless event on a path to fame and fortune.

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