Wednesday, June 11, 2014


News Clips For The Day


Lawyer of Slender Man Stabbing Suspect to Ask for Mental Evaluation – NBC
BY DANIEL ARKIN
First published June 10th 2014

The attorney for one of the 12-year-old girls accused of brutally stabbing a classmate in the Wisconsin woods will ask for a mental health evaluation during Wednesday's court hearing.

The judge would then appoint an examiner who would have 15 days to file a report and advise whether the girl is mentally competent to exercise her rights, attorney Tony Cotton told NBC News.

Both suspects, whom NBC News is not identifying because of their age, are being tried as adults.

Prosecutors say the near-fatal stabbing in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha was inspired by an eerie online meme known as Slender Man. The alleged attackers reportedly told investigators they were trying to pay homage to the faceless ghoul they discovered on a horror-themed website by stabbing their 12-year-old victim 19 times.

The girls face one count each of first-degree "attempted homicide with a knife enhancer" and could get up to 65 years in the state prison system.

Wisconsin laws dictate anyone over 10 years old charged with homicide is automatically considered an adult. Four states set the age threshold at 13 years old.

Cotton has said he believed the two alleged attackers may be the youngest ever charged as adults in Waukesha County.

The alleged stabbers are set to appear in court Wednesday for a general status hearing before Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael O. Bohren, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The prosecution of either or both of the girls could be ordered to children's court — a move their lawyers are expected to pursue, the newspaper reported.

Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel told the Journal Sentinel that he would resist such a move.

“It’s troubling when a person lashes out in anger,” Schimel said. “It’s more troubling when they lash out in cold blood. Isn’t that the worst kind of killer, the cold-blooded killer?”

Meanwhile, the young victim investigators say was lured to the woods by two supposed friends under the guise of a game of hide-and-seek is slowly recovering after being released from the hospital.

She is "happy to be home," but every day is a struggle, according to family friend and spokeswoman Dana Hoffmann.

"Like any girl who comes out of the hospital, she has good days and bad days," Hoffmann told NBC News. "Overall, she's doing incredible compared to what she was last week and compared to how bad her injuries could have been given the severity of the incident."

As she adjusts to the new normal, the girl has taken comfort in her pet cats, the family dog and reruns of the sitcom "Full House," Hoffmann said.

Investigators say she was held down by one of the alleged attackers and brutally stabbed on her arms, legs and torso by the other girls in a wooded area of Waukesha.

The girl was having trouble breathing and was covered in dried blood when a bicyclist who found her called 911. Police arrived and she gave them the name of one of the girls who allegedly attacked her.

The bizarre nature of the attack has stunned the community of 70,000. Many are showing their love and support by wearing purple, the girl's favorite color, per the family's request.

“Our daughter has already received dozens of purple hearts, along with other care packages, letters and well wishes, and for this, we can't thank the community enough,” the girl's family said in a statement, according to NBC Chicago.

“Our focus moving forward is to relax, bond and establish a 'new normal' together as a family. We know that we have a long road ahead but will recover from this in time.”

The girl's family has launched a Facebook page where users can leave messages of encouragement.




The 12 year old girls may get up to 65 years in the state prison system if they are convicted. At least the prosecutor isn't going for a death penalty. “Wisconsin laws dictate anyone over 10 years old charged with homicide is automatically considered an adult. Four states set the age threshold at 13 years old.” Lawyers for both girls will petition for trial as a child. I'm glad to see that. Wisconsin's law seems extreme to me. While I think a healthy twelve year old will be able to differentiate between fantasy and fact, some children are behind in their development. I think these kids should not only receive tests for psychosis, but also to see if they have a normal IQ. District Attorney Brad Schimel told reporters, “'It’s troubling when a person lashes out in anger,” Schimel said. “It’s more troubling when they lash out in cold blood. Isn’t that the worst kind of killer, the cold-blooded killer?'”

I think their reason for attacking their friend so viciously is in itself a sign of some kind of mental problem. They not only were enthralled with this creepy fictional character, they believed in him. It's like the violent video games that are so popular now. I've seen clips of them on the news and, while they aren't always very well drawn and lifelike, the violence that they portray is realistic and extreme. Many of the people who play those games are well up into their teens or even their twenties. Most of the gamers are young men, but some girls do play as well. Many kids are highly energized by those things and often “addicted” to the darker turn of mind that they initiate. Yet most kids don't consider what they see to be real. Both of these girls were actually afraid of the Slender Man, and trying to appease him by the attempted murder.

Too many young people are being brought up without their parents instilling empathy into them. People have to be taught, I believe, to be gentle. Bringing kids up with loving support and the encouragement of developing empathy is important – that's from their earliest years. One article on bullying said that some babies of as little as eighteen months had been caught bullying. A warm and gentle upbringing not only helps them to feel secure and loved, it also teaches them to be gentle toward others and arouses a natural love within them. If they are allowed to bedevil their younger brothers and sisters, they will, I believe, become more heartless and vicious at a young age than if parents pay attention to the problem and stop it. Little kids, when angry, hit and otherwise attack other people (including their parents) until their parents effectively restrain them and “talk to them” about feeling sorry for the other children when they cry or act hurt.

At an early age they can be taught to feel sorry for anyone who has been hurt, and to stop their attacks on them. It is my belief that parents who are violent with their children – especially overly violent -- to “teach them a lesson” are not only making the child more angry and even hate-filled, they are modeling the very behavior that they are trying to stop. Children, above all, follow the examples of their parents. A man who beats his wife is teaching his sons to hurt women. Of course, that doesn't explain the failure of these nearly teenaged girls to tell fact from fiction. That's what I think is really indicative of mental illness or arrested intelligence. By twelve years old they should have known better. I hope these girls will be tried in juvenile court and will be examined, and maybe treated, for mental deficiencies, rather than merely jailed.






Judge strikes down teacher tenure in California
CBS/AP June 11, 2014

LOS ANGELES - A judge struck down tenure and other job protections for California's public school teachers Tuesday, saying such laws harm students - especially poor and minority ones - by saddling them with bad teachers who are almost impossible to fire.

In a landmark decision that could influence the gathering debate over tenure across the country, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu cited the historic case of Brown v. Board of Education in ruling that students have a fundamental right to equal education.

Siding with the nine students who brought the lawsuit, he ruled that California's laws on hiring and firing in schools have resulted in "a significant number of grossly ineffective teachers currently active in California classrooms."

He agreed, too, that a disproportionate number of these teachers are in schools that have mostly minority and low-income students.

CBS News legal analyst Jack Ford said one of the most interesting things about this case is that the decision came from a court, not at the bargaining table, not from legislators, where the debate had been largely playing out previously.

"The judge said, 'Look, you're not just entitled to access to education you're entitled to quality education,'" Ford said.

Another interesting part of the ruling, according to Ford, was that the judge used the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education to justify the idea that students have a right to a quality education.
The judge stayed the ruling pending appeals. The case involves 6 million students from kindergarten through 12th grade.

The California Attorney General's office said it is considering its legal options, while the California Teachers Association, the state's biggest teachers union with 325,000 members, vowed an appeal.

"Circumventing the legislative process to strip teachers of their professional rights hurts our students and our schools," the union said.

Teachers have long argued that tenure prevents administrators from firing teachers on a whim. They contend also that the system preserves academic freedom and helps attract talented teachers to a profession that doesn't pay well.

Other states have been paying close attention to how the case plays out in the nation's most populous state.

"It's powerful," said Theodore Boutrous Jr., the students' attorney. "It's a landmark decision that can change the face of education in California and nationally."

He added: "This is going to be a huge template for what's wrong with education."

The lawsuit was backed by wealthy Silicon Valley entrepreneur David Welch's nonprofit group Students Matter, which assembled a high-profile legal team including Boutrous, who successfully fought to overturn California's gay-marriage ban.

In an interview following the decision, Welch tried to open a door to working with teachers' unions, but the enmity of the two sides intensified.

"Inherently it is not a battle with the teachers union. It's a battle with the education system," Welch said. "Unfortunately, the teachers union has decided that the rights of children are not their priority."

He said he hoped union leaders can eventually work with his group to put in place a system that ensures children get a better education.

But the unions were having none of it.

Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, the nation's biggest teachers union, bitterly criticized the lawsuit as "yet another attempt by millionaires and corporate special interests to undermine the teaching profession" and privatize public education.

They vowed to appeal the ruling for as long as necessary to overturn it.

The judge declined to tell the Legislature exactly how to change the system, but expressed confidence it will do so in a way that passes constitutional muster and provides "each child in this state with a basically equal opportunity to achieve a quality education."

The lawsuit contended that incompetent teachers are so heavily protected by tenure laws that they are almost impossible to fire. The plaintiffs also charged that schools in poor neighborhoods are used as dumping grounds for bad teachers.

In striking down several laws regarding tenure, seniority and other protections, the judge said there was compelling evidence of the harm inflicted on students by incompetent teachers.

"Indeed, it shocks the conscience," Treu said.

He cited an expert's finding that a single year with a grossly Ineffective teacher costs a student $50,000 in potential lifetime earnings.

California teachers receive tenure after just two years, sooner than in virtually any other state. If a school district moves to fire a tenured teacher and the educator puts up a fight, it triggers a long, drawn-out process, including a trial-like hearing and appeals.

Los Angeles School Superintendent John Deasy testified it can take over two years on average - and sometimes as long as 10 - to fire an incompetent tenured teacher. The cost, he said, can run from $250,000 to $450,000.

In his ruling, the judge, a Republican appointee to the bench, said the procedure under the law for firing teachers is "so complex, time-consuming and expensive as to make an effective, efficient yet fair dismissal of a grossly ineffective teacher illusory."

The judge also took issue with laws that say the last-hired teacher must be the first fired when layoffs occur - even if the new teacher is gifted and the veteran is inept.

The case was brought by a group of students who said they were stuck with teachers who let classrooms get out of control, came to school unprepared and in some cases told them they'd never make anything of themselves.

"Being a kid, sometimes it's easy to feel like your voice is not heard. Today, I am glad I did not stay quiet," said one of the students, Julia Macias. "I'm glad that with the support of my parents I was able to stand up for my right to a great education."

The trial represented the latest battle in a nationwide movement to abolish or toughen the standards for granting teachers permanent employment protection and seniority-based preferences during layoffs.

Dozens of states have moved in recent years to get rid of such protections or raise the standards for obtaining them.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan hailed the judge's ruling as a chance for schools everywhere to open a conversation on equal opportunity in education.

"The students who brought this lawsuit are, unfortunately, just nine out of millions of young people in America who are disadvantaged by laws, practices and systems that fail to identify and support our best teachers and match them with our neediest students," he said. "Today's court decision is a mandate to fix these problems."





Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu, using Brown v Board of Education to back his argument, “ruled that California's laws on hiring and firing in schools have resulted in 'a significant number of grossly ineffective teachers currently active in California classrooms.' … He agreed, too, that a disproportionate number of these teachers are in schools that have mostly minority and low-income students.” This was what many Southern schools were doing before the Supreme Court decision that desegregated the schools – separate, but unequal. I heard that one white school system used to give its outdated textbooks to the local black school rather than buying them new ones. “U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan hailed the judge's ruling as a chance for schools everywhere to open a conversation on equal opportunity in education.”

“Teachers have long argued that tenure prevents administrators from firing teachers on a whim. They contend also that the system preserves academic freedom and helps attract talented teachers to a profession that doesn't pay well.” Dennis Van Roekel, of the NEA, calls it an attempt to “undermine the teaching profession and privatize public education.” The plaintiffs, on the other hand, claim that schools where poor students are concentrated are “dumping grounds” for ineffective teachers. “California teachers receive tenure after just two years, sooner than in virtually any other state.” I must say, though I sympathize with the teachers, because the discipline problems alone would keep me from trying to teach in today's schools, they are barely fully trained after two years in front of a classroom and shouldn't have tenure so soon if at all. Given the need for extra help for some students, whose homes are not conducive to rapid learning and, too often, proper social development, the teachers need to be superior rather than lackadaisical or even undereducated for the task. Making it impossible to fire them when they need to be fired truly doesn't help the school system. Van Roekel claims that the judge's ruling is an assault on the public education system, but I think it is an effort to protect the school system and students against ineffective or even abusive teachers.

“The judge also took issue with laws that say the last-hired teacher must be the first fired when layoffs occur - even if the new teacher is gifted and the veteran is inept.” This particular thing occurs in many job environments and is itself grossly inefficient and unfair. Its a rule of the ''Good old boy” network, and makes no common sense. No wonder young teachers get discouraged and quit teaching.

“The case was brought by a group of students who said they were stuck with teachers who let classrooms get out of control, came to school unprepared and in some cases told them they'd never make anything of themselves.” I have heard of teachers who are particularly discouraging to poor or struggling students, the very ones who need support and extra help. I know some teachers themselves get discouraged, but if that comes out in the form of their failing to invest effort in their students, they should just quit teaching and take up some other job. Teachers, the ministry, the police force are all “sacred trusts,” as those functions are so important to our society and so influential on young people who are growing and, hopefully, developing into knowledgeable, good citizens. I did have mainly good teachers and I look back on my school years as being both enjoyable and crucial in my becoming an adult.






Pollution forms a new kind of rock, "plastiglomerate”
By ELIENE AUGENBRAUN CBS NEWS June 11, 2014

What happens when you start a campfire on a rocky, polluted beach? According to a new study in the Geological Society of America journal GSA Today, you create an entirely new kind of rock: plastiglomerate.

Plastiglomerate is formed when plastic melts and mixes with beach sediment, debris, and pieces of basalt lava fragments.

The new rock could last a long time, perhaps hundreds of thousands of years or longer, especially if it is hidden from the destructive rays of the sun, deep in the dirt or ocean.

The scientists studied Kamilo Beach in Hawaii because it is isolated and receives large deposits of ocean debris, including plastic.

"We observed that some of the plastiglomerate had been buried by sand and organic debris, as well as having been trapped within vegetation, which demonstrates the potential for preservation in the future rock record," the researchers report in their article. That longevity could create a record of how humans polluted the planet that will last far into the future.

Nearly half of the plastic that could be identified in plastiglomerates was "confetti," or tiny bits of broken, decomposing plastic. Nearly a quarter came from broken lid containers. Fishing related debris was found in 20 percent of the samples.

Characteristics of the two types of plastiglomerate. (A) In situ plastiglomerate wherein molten plastic is adhered to the surface of a basalt flow. Field book is 18 cm long. (B) Clastic plastiglomerate containing molten plastic and basalt and coral fragments. (C) Plastic amygdales in a basalt flow. (D) Large in situ plastiglomerate fragment. Adhered molten plastic was found 15 cm below the surface.
 GSA TODAY





Remember when nature was “pristine?” Man's mark has been made in so many ways that you can't go anywhere without encountering it. Fish and birds are dying from eating small fragments of partially degraded plastic, seals are found with those plastic canned drink holders tightly lodged around their necks and choking them, and there are “garbage patches” in both the Pacific and the Atlantic which are full of all sizes and types of plastic. Now it's in rocks. The natural world as I knew it as a child often makes me sad now, rather than enthralled. I wish people could learn to pick up after themselves out in public. How they keep their house is not my concern, but what they leave lying on the ground on a city street is. Some people just don't care about what they do, or how the environment looks. To me they are not fully “developed” as adult human beings. No wonder crime abounds in our cities. Too many people are too discouraged by life to try very hard to be “good citizens.” There is scorn for such things nowadays.





The Islamic Group Threatening Iraq Is Too Extreme for Al Qaeda – ABC


The militant Islamic group known as ISIS has taken control of the Iraqi cities of Mosul of Tikrit this week, moving closer to its goal of creating a unified Islamic state that straddles the Iraq and Syrian border.

The Iraqi Army, which was expected to defend Mosul, fled the city as the ISIS attack began. ISIS had previously overrun the city of Fallujah. This week's advances give ISIS control over a vast swath of territory from the edge of Aleppo in western Syria to Mosul in Iraq and as far south as Fallujah.

In addition, ISIS forces have currently surrounded the Syrian border town of Deir el-Zour, one of the last pockets of resistance to ISIS in northern Syria.

Here are five things to understand about ISIS and its fight across the Middle East:

Who They Are: ISIS stands for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The group is trying to form an independent state with territory in Iraq, Syria, and parts of Lebanon. They are led by an Iraqi cleric who goes by the name Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

What They Do: ISIS has been fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as well as other militant Islamic groups in Syria for control of parts of Syria while also fighting the Iraqi government in its quest to form the unified ISIS state. Its brutal tactics have been disavowed as too extreme by al Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

How Powerful They Are: This week, ISIS forces took Mosul, the third biggest city in Iraq and the biggest one along the Iraq-Syria border. When they took the city, the ISIS seized more than $400 million from city banks, making it richer than many small nations. According to the Associated Press ISIS has also taken effective control of Tikrit, where Saddam Hussein was born.

How They're Able to Fight: Since it controls cities on either side of the Syria-Iraq border, ISIS forces were able to quickly move weapons seized from Mosul into Syria on Monday. The weapons, including Humvees, rifles, missiles and ammunition, will help arm ISIS in its fights on both sides of the border.

The State They Want to Create: The territory in the western part of Iraq that ISIS wants is made up of mostly Sunni Muslims, as is the part of Syria that ISIS wants. Many Sunni Muslims in Iraq have joined ISIS in fighting against the Iraqi Army, which is under the control of a Shiite minority that mainly lives on the other side of the country.





Al-Qaeda is not generally trying to set up a state of its own, but this group ISIS is operating like Hitler – trying to conquer new territory. “The Iraqi Army, which was expected to defend Mosul, fled the city as the ISIS attack began.” So many of those countries have weak governments and armies, as well as a demoralized citizenry. That's the real problem that Ukraine has, too. In pushing against Russia, they are opposing a much stronger force. I feel for small nations who try to assert themselves, but too often they don't really have a chance. I hope ISIS doesn't become the newest aggressor in the world and start a World War.





Writing Away Societal Stereotypes, One Daddy Blog at a Time – ABC


He is not stupid. He’s not hopeless, clumsy or inept at parenthood. And he’s definitely not quiet.

He’s a “daddy blogger,” a modern man with a voice and a platform for sharing funny stories, connecting with other dads, shifting societal expectations about fatherhood, and letting marketers know that the hapless dad character of years past no longer has a place in advertising.
Speaking up online may have been considered primarily in the mommy Web’s wheelhouse in the past, but now it’s daddy’s turn as well.
“We, as dad bloggers, have a specific voice,” says Adrian Kulp, a former executive at Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions turned stay-at-home dad and author of the blog, Dad or Alive. “We’re all in it to be better fathers and to provide a different perspective than mom might have.”

More influence, more purchasing power

According to a 2012 online survey of 1000 dads across the U.S. by Euro RSCG, 52 percent of "Digital Dads"—online influencers who are shaping trends—and 20 percent of "Average Joes" who were surveyed have written about parenting online via a blog, Facebook or another site.

These digital dads are creating a new narrative around fatherhood, says Kulp. Their perspectives are refreshing and raw, adding some masculinity to a growing parent publishing world that is still largely dominated by women.
“Dad bloggers can make you cry an honest tear in one paragraph and have you gut-laughing in the next,” says Jeff Bogle, author behind Out With the Kids. “We’re an honest bunch trying to tell honest stories of our parenting journeys.”

While fellow dads have followed daddy bloggers for years, marketers have been slower to pay attention to this growing demographic. But a study shows fathers wield more household purchasing power now than they once did. According to research by Nielsen, fathers spent an average of $34.81 per grocery store trip in 2010, compared with $27.49 in 2004. That’s something marketers pay attention to.

Kulp enjoys the way the role of fathers has shifted in some families. “I do the grocery shopping every single week. I plan the meals, take the kids to the store and load the cart up,” he says. “Moms aren’t making all the household decisions anymore.”
Shifting “foolish father” stereotypes

Daddy bloggers are unimpressed with dumb dad depictions, and are using their voices to put a stop to them, says Mike Adamick, the voice behind his eponymous blog and a regular “Daddy Issues” columnist for Jezebel.com.

The stereotypical media depictions are consistently one of the main topics of conversation at the annual Dad 2.0 Summit — the premier gathering of the dad blogging community.

“The blundering dad image is horrible for families,” says Adamick. “It makes it seem normal for dads to put in zero effort, which affects how society expects us all to behave. We’re going to see more companies pay attention to what we have to say.”
Changes in perception, changes in expectations





“We, as dad bloggers, have a specific voice,” says Adrian Kulp, a former executive at Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions turned stay-at-home dad and author of the blog, Dad or Alive. “We’re all in it to be better fathers and to provide a different perspective than mom might have.” “'Dad bloggers can make you cry an honest tear in one paragraph and have you gut-laughing in the next,' says Jeff Bogle, author behind Out With the Kids. 'We’re an honest bunch trying to tell honest stories of our parenting journeys.'”

I had an “involved” father who did, he said, change diapers (that's in 1945!), and I have seen him cook simple dishes – if he hunted and fished, bringing in food, he would often fry it, and if Mother was sick he would make something we could all eat like scrambled eggs or hot dogs. He also told us stories about his years growing up or Grimm's fairy tales and would recite long, complex poems of the type that kids in his generation were required to learn – “The Deathwatch Of Benedict Arnold,” and “The Ancient Mariner.”. That particular art form is almost gone now, I'm afraid, and I really enjoyed it. He was a very good narrator and made the poetry come to life. He was also the “boss” when he thought that was necessary, and was very often a confidante for me when Mother wasn't. He was fair to me most of the time, and I trusted him. He did have a temper, but so did I, so I forgave it. He wasn't one of those uninvolved, almost absent fathers that you used to see in the media, always “at the office.” Some professions, like lawyers, do require lots of time being spent at the office, and children were sometimes short-changed in the fifties and earlier by their fathers, with their mother being the most important of the two parents. We had a more balanced home in that respect. I'm so glad to see that fathers are stepping forward as caregivers among the younger men. It's what I've wanted to see as a feminist, and it doesn't make them “effeminate” or “hen-pecked.” It makes them real.





Strippers Danced Away With $200K, Indictment Claims
By Aaron Katersky
Jun 11, 2014 

Four women described as professional strippers have been arrested in New York for defrauding well-to-do men -  including a doctor, a lawyer and a banker – by spiking their drinks and racking up $200,000 in charges on their credit cards, authorities said.

Some of the alleged victims came forward to authorities although no names were mentioned in court records.

The accused women, Samantha Barbash, Karina Pascucci, Marsi Rosen and Roselyn Keo, face charges of grand larceny, assault and forgery.  The manager of Roadhouse Gentlemen’s Club, Carmine Vitolo, was also arrested as part of the alleged conspiracy.

The women would meet men and arrange a date at a bar or club in New York City or on Long Island, according to court documents.  They would then “provide the victims with drugs and acquire their credit cards” and use them to make $200,000 worth of unauthorized charges, court records said.

“This repugnant scheme involved not only the theft of $200,000, but compromised the health, safety and security of victims by covertly giving them harmful substances,” said Bridget Brennan, the special narcotics prosecutor in New York City. ”The defendants were banking on the victims being too afraid to contact the police, but as the indictment and arrests show, they made a serious miscalculation.”

Prosecutors said the women and the club manager worked together to use ketamine,” molly” and cocaine to drug their victims, take them to either Scores New York in Manhattan or RoadHouse Gentlemen’s Club in Queens where the alleged scam went down in private rooms.

At the end of the night, prosecutors said some victims woke up in their beds and had no knowledge of having gone to a club the night before. Investigators believe that a combination of different drugs utilized on the victims sometimes caused memory loss. The victims learned of the extent of the charges to their credit cards only after they checked their statement or received a call from their credit card companies. Each of the four victims attempted to reverse some or all of the charges. In response, the defendants allegedly sent threatening text messages telling the victims not to contest the charges.

One of the alleged victims was identified by his attorneys as Dr. Zyad Younan of New Jersey. Younan had been sued by Scores for not paying a $135,000 credit card bill.

“We were always confident that law enforcement’s efforts would expose that my client was preyed upon by this ring and not responsible for charges to his credit card,” Younan’s legal team of Michael Weinstein and Cole Schotz said in a statement today.

“This crime ring targeted wealthy men in the New York City area to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said James Hunt, acting special agent in charge of the DEA office in New York.  “Case in point, four women and one man preyed on, drugged, endangered and robbed unsuspecting victims while they were under the influence of synthetic drugs used as a date rape drug.”






I have limited sympathy for men who visit “gentlemen's clubs,” since we all know that they aren't being “gentlemen” when they go there. Strip joints bring down the basic safety and quality of the neighborhood where they operate. Street thugs, drug addicts and organized crime are attracted to them. I'm sorry these men were drugged and then robbed, but if they had stayed out of stripper bars they wouldn't be in that trouble. I'm glad to see the strippers and the manager of the club were arrested and charged, but I think the men should be charged for patronizing such a place. “Johns” are arrested along with prostitutes, and so should these men be. Meanwhile, as they are lasciviously watching women strip, their wife is at home watching TV or doing house chores. Sorry, guys.





More Young Adults Get Inpatient Psychiatric Care After Health Law – NPR
by JAY HANCOCK
June 11, 2014

Mental health admissions of young people rose 9 percent after implementation of a key portion of the Affordable Care Act, researchers say.

Expanded coverage for young adults under the Affordable Care Act substantially raised inpatient hospital visits related to mental health, finds a study conducted by researchers at Indiana and Purdue universities.

That looks like good news: Better access to care for a population with higher-than-average levels of mental illness that too often endangers them and people nearby.

But it might not be the best result, said Kosali Simon, an economist at Indiana University and one of the authors. Greater hospital use by the newly insured might be caused by inadequate outpatient resources to treat mental health patients earlier and less expensively, she said.

The health law let people under age 26 stay on their parents' group insurance plans starting in late 2010. Other research shows the provision raised coverage for young adults.

The latest findings are described in a paper by Yaa Akosa Antwi, Asako S. Moriya and Simon, published on the National Bureau of Economic Research website. The researchers, who based their work on a big national sample from community hospitals, found the law also increased young people's hospital use.

Total inpatient visits for those aged 19 to 25 increased 3.5 percent compared with people aged 27 to 29, who couldn't be on their parents' plans. Mental health admissions increased much more — by 9 percent.

That's a little puzzling. When Massachusetts broadened medical coverage with its 2006 state-based health reform law there were no big increases in mental health hospitalizations for young adults there.

But psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health providers are more available in Massachusetts than elsewhere, Simon said. Perhaps community caregivers largely met the needs of newly insured Bay Staters, saving them from crisis visits to the emergency room.

In the national study, a large portion of psychiatric admissions came through emergency departments.

Neither the Massachusetts study nor the national study looked at the volume of outpatient mental health care. But even if they had, they wouldn't have produced a final answer on the effectiveness of expanded coverage.

That will take more research. Increasing insurance and treatments aren't necessarily the same as helping patients.

"We eventually judge all these [insurance] expansions based on the final outcomes that we care about," said Simon. "How did this affect the well-being of young adults? Is there a measurable improvement of health status? Does it appear that there is better mental health as a result of this increase?"





“When Massachusetts broadened medical coverage with its 2006 state-based health reform law there were no big increases in mental health hospitalizations for young adults there. But psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health providers are more available in Massachusetts than elsewhere, Simon said. Perhaps community caregivers largely met the needs of newly insured Bay Staters, saving them from crisis visits to the emergency room.” So, okay, we need more outpatient practitioners also. Both schizophrenia and manic depressive illness tend to come out by around the late teens or early twenties. That's a crisis period for them.

They need mental health care badly, not “pastoral counseling” or greater parental discipline, so if the new health plan allows them to afford care, they should get it, inpatient or outpatient. Judging from the violent and psychotic conditions the shooters of the last ten or so years have been in, they needed inpatient care where they could be medicated reliably (not given a choice of whether or not to take the pills), given daily talk therapy and observed thoroughly. Maybe then they would have been stabilized and their thought patterns would have improved, hence they wouldn't have been free to “go off their meds” and shoot a dozen people. It looks like success to me. There is a place for the hospitalization of severely ill mental patients. Once a week talk therapy after a cursory examination and some anti-depressants aren't necessarily enough. Obamacare is proving its value.