In the news

[mlp]

Shut Up or Get Out: PA City Punishes Domestic Violence Victims Who Call the Police.

Oh jeez.

In other news, now that Elvis impersonators no longer need to be feared, be afraid of martial arts instructors:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...est-in-case-ricin-laced-letter-sent-to-obama/

 

[Blobbenstein]

A millionaire businessman who sold fake bomb detectors to countries including Iraq and Georgia, knowing they did not work, has been convicted of fraud.
James McCormick, 56, of Langport, Somerset, is said to have made £50m from sales and sold more than 6,000 in Iraq, the Old Bailey heard.
Police said the devices, modelled on a novelty golf ball finder, are still in use at some checkpoints.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22266051

 

[Amy SF]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22266051

 

[mlp]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22266051

For something like this, where lives are at stake, it should be possible to prosecute and convict for more than mere fraud.

 

[Blobbenstein]

I wonder if it did any good, in a deterrent capacity.

 

[Calliegirl]

Indian man single-handedly plants a 1,360-acre forest

A little more than 30 years ago, a teenager named Jadav "Molai" Payeng began burying seeds along a barren sandbar near his birthplace in northern India's Assam region to grow a refuge for wildlife. Not long after, he decided to dedicate his life to this endeavor, so he moved to the site where he could work full-time creating a lush new forest ecosystem. Incredibly, the spot today hosts a sprawling 1,360 acres of jungle that Payeng planted — single-handedly.

The Times of India recently caught up with Payeng in his remote forest lodge to learn more about how he came to leave such an indelible mark on the landscape.

It all started way back in 1979, when floods washed a large number of snakes ashore on the sandbar. One day, after the waters had receded, Payeng, only 16 then, found the place dotted with the dead reptiles. That was the turning point of his life.

"The snakes died in the heat, without any tree cover. I sat down and wept over their lifeless forms. It was carnage. I alerted the forest department and asked them if they could grow trees there. They said nothing would grow there. Instead, they asked me to try growing bamboo. It was painful, but I did it. There was nobody to help me. Nobody was interested," says Payeng, now 47...

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wi...man-single-handedly-plants-a-1360-acre-forest

 

[mlp]

^^^Wow. What dedication.

 

[Moll Flanders]

BBC News - Annual beard competition in Germany

 

[Amy SF]

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wi...man-single-handedly-plants-a-1360-acre-forest

I love this.

 

[Spang]

Al Jazeera has been banned in Iraq:

Qatar-based channel and nine other stations have licences revoked as government claims they fuel bloodshed

 

[Spang]

Almost 60 years after the US Supreme Court desegregated public schools, one high school has only just had its first integrated prom. The traditional end-of-term dance party - held in almost every US school as the semester draws to a close - was for the first time attended by both black and white students in the school in Rochelle, in the state of Georgia.

"You can't make change without a fuss. That's the way the world works."

 

[beancounter]

And the award for "too little too late" goes to...

http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/...stice-has-second-thoughts-on-bush-v-gore?lite

 

[Muggle]

Why NBA center Jason Collins is coming out now

 

[Calliegirl]

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/...year-old-to-get-pregnant-judge?lite&gt1=43001

She only got 5 years after forcing her teen daughter to get pregnant? Hopefully she won't be able to get any of her kids back after she gets out of jail.

 

[Amy SF]

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/...year-old-to-get-pregnant-judge?lite&gt1=43001

She only got 5 years after forcing her teen daughter to get pregnant? Hopefully she won't be able to get any of her kids back after she gets out of jail.

Holy ****.

 

[Spang]

So, despite there being an integrated prom for the first time ever in the backwards county of Wilcox, there was still a whites-only prom.

 

[Ansciess]

And the award for "too little too late" goes to...

http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/...stice-has-second-thoughts-on-bush-v-gore?lite

I'm almost irritated that she even bothered to come out with this, given what an extremely problematic ruling it was, and the obvious impact the ruling would have. Like she just now got it.

 

[Amy SF]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/dog-stranded-car-6-days-article-1.1327016

That poor dog.

Even one day stuck in a hot car can be deadly. Can you imagine if it was 6?

 

[das_nut]

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/...year-old-to-get-pregnant-judge?lite&gt1=43001

She only got 5 years after forcing her teen daughter to get pregnant? Hopefully she won't be able to get any of her kids back after she gets out of jail.

To play devil's advocate, prison is probably not the right solution.

What's called for is long-term psychiatric counseling as well as vigilant oversight to ensure she'll never be around children unsupervised.

 

[Alice-Bee]

Wasnt sure whether to start a new thread for this as its animal related but this has had me in tears today.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...ders-who-buried-puppies-alive-are-jailed.html