Saturday, April 4, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/duke-finds-person-responsible-for-hanging-noose-on-campus/

Duke finds person responsible for hanging noose on campus
By MADISON GRAY CBS NEWS
April 2, 2015

Video – Tensions high after noose found on Duke campus

DURHAM, N.C. -- Investigators have located and identified the individual responsible for hanging a noose on the campus of Duke University.

A Duke student admitted placing the noose on a tree, university officials said. A statement from Duke said the student is "no longer on campus" and will be subject to the schools student conduct process.

The identity of the student is being withheld in compliance with federal student privacy regulations. Officials are continuing their investigation to find out if others were involved.

The noose was discovered around 2 a.m. Wednesday and almost immediately struck a chord of tension across the Durham N.C. campus. About 300 students marched to condemn the violent symbol of racism.

"Without dialogue and without having the knowledge, the ignorance that happens here on campus will prevail, National Pan-Hellenic Council president Jason Ross said.

Addressing the student population, Duke president Richard Brodhead rejected the violent hate symbol.

"One person put up that noose, but this is the multitude of people who got together to say that's not the Duke we want," he told the crowd. "That's not the Duke we're here for, and that's not the Duke we're here to create."

Photos of the noose were published by an anonymous student group called The Duke People of Color Caucus.

The group was formed in response to another incident two weeks ago when a black female student claimed she was taunted with the same racist chant made infamous by fraternity brothers at the University of Oklahoma.

On its Tumblr page, the group called their university "a hostile environment for any and all black people."



http://dukepoccaucus.tumblr.com/
Response to President Brodhead and Provost Kornbluth

On Thursday, March 26, 2015, President Brodhead and Provost Kombluth sent"A message from Duke’s president and provost" via email to the student body. The message was in response to “an incident this weekend in which a student on East Campus reported hearing racist speech”—the incident being referenced involved a lone young black woman being targeted by a group of white men on East Campus and taunted with the racist SAE chant. Upon reading their statement, as undergraduates on this campus, the People of Color Caucus finds it wholly unsatisfactory and finds the following parts especially problematic.

1. We Dream in Color — President Brodhead and Provost Kombluth begin the message with the claim that “our dream of a colorblind and inclusive nation still has a long way to go.” We do not desire a colorblind nation or campus. While the People of Color Caucus does desire to make the existence of inclusive communities a material reality, we refuse the assumption that inclusivity is predicated upon or equivalent to colorblindness. The rhetoric of colorblindness is harmful in that it identifies difference (in race, gender, sexuality, ability, class, and more) as the impediment to equity rather than the systems that have registered those differences as inferior. By reducing racism to simply a matter of individuals choosing whether or not to “see” race, color-blind narratives fail to challenge the macroscopic structures that assign power and privileges (or lack thereof) to normative and non-normative bodies. To strive for colorblindness is to ignore the campus’ and nation’s history of racial oppression. Moreover, colorblind narratives, in seeking to achieve equity by erasure of race, actually reinforce whiteness as the norm and goal. We do not want a world where everything is satisfactory because everyone is white or has assimilated to a white standard. Rather, we want a world in which our differences are acknowledged and celebrated. A world that does not ignore our campus’ and nation’s history of racial oppression nor the ways in which this history “colors” our contemporary moment. Our definition of inclusivity does not involve the integration of marginalized groups into current constructions of normativity through coerced adoption of hegemonic ideals. Rather, our vision of radical inclusion involves the carving of spaces in we are free from systematic violence targeting our marginal identities and free to live, to love, to create, to affirm ourselves, to defend ourselves, and to center the complexity of our experiences in our own lives. We do not want to, and more importantly cannot, accomplish our hope for inclusion through colorblindness.

2. With Whom Does Your Concern Lie? — President Brodhead and Provost Kornbluth write that the “Duke community is deeply concerned about these events.” The PoCC does not doubt that the Duke administration is concerned, but we believe that the concerns of the administration and the general student body lie primarily in protecting Duke’s image rather than in protecting the marginalized students currently experiencing the toxicity of these events. When these events that make marginalized students feel unsafe occur, administrators call, text, and email students in an attempt to gauge what students know and how students will respond. The majority of “young Duke,” that is Duke students, is no more “progressive” than the administration. Rather than critically engaging with our critique of the current social order and our demand for the creation of a new one, students actively silence oppressed peoples and peers by defending Duke as “a Duke that is progressing and learning” even as marginalized peoples’ experiences evidence the contrary. The common response that “we wish that Duke could just avoid a scandal for a year” reduces the material, structural issues faced by victims to an inconvenient public relations issue. The statements and actions of administrators along with those of the general student body indicate that both are more concerned with Duke’s public image than with genuinely combating the white supremacist capitalist ableist cis-heteropatriarchy of which this institution is a part.

What would it look like for Duke to take the concerns of people of color seriously? What would it look like for students of color to truly feel welcome on this campus?  If, as it claims, Duke were serious about protecting its students from harm, it would provide more resources and intersectional safe spaces for all students deemed non-normative by society, including but not limited to low-income students, first-generation students, students of color, disabled students, queer students, trans students, and students who experience multiple marginalized identities. It would create an inclusive counseling system at CAPS that doesn’t consistently fail students of color. It would create medical leave policies that serve students’ needs, rather than prioritizing the protection of the university from liability. It would work to break down the culture that allows sexual violence to occur, and provide more resources for victims and survivors. It would publicly acknowledge and challenge the subtle ways that racism, sexism, heterosexism, cissexism, ableism, classism, Islamophobia, and other forms of oppression exist on this campus.

3. What’s in an Education? — President Brodhead and Provost Kornbluth state that “thinking in stereotypes is a failure of intelligence. Education begins the day we learn to pass beyond crude and distorting simplifications.” Not only does this statement reproduce a false, though oft-made, distinction between those who are racist and those who are not, it is also ableist in its implication that a lack of intelligence and bigotry are intimately connected. It is similarly false and misleading to assume that individuals who have attained a particular type of education are absolved from committing outright racist acts and microaggressive behaviors that are similarly oppressive. These binaries of intelligent or unintelligent, educated or uneducated, mask the pervasive nature of racism and oppression that stifles our breathing and leadens our steps as people of color.  If, as President Brodhead and Provost Kornbluth contend, education and intelligence are correlated, then this begs the question of how Duke University is educating its students. At approximately 1am on April 1, 2015, a noose was found hanging on campus by the Bryan Center. What does it say about education that is not explicitly anti-racist if, at an institution that prides itself on its students’ intelligence and its faculty’s research, such a sinister reminder that, in the society we live in, black lives do not matter is implemented? Not only should education and intelligence not be equated, neither formalized education nor intelligence are predictors of racism.

In fact, it is oftentimes specifically the knowledge the university produces that reinforces the ‘rationality’ of racism. In 2012, it was a studyconducted by “educated” and presumably  “intelligent” professors Peter Arcidiacono, a professor of economics; Esteban M. Aucejo, a graduate student in economics; and Kenneth I. Spenner, a professor of sociology that produced the racist “scholarship” that claimed black students were only academically comparable to white students because they chose easier courses of study. This follows in the same history as scholarship that believes there are genetic bases for IQ differences between different racial ethnic groups sponsored by the Pioneer Fund. It follows in the same history as scholarship that supported Eugenic ideologies that utilize(d) those supposed IQ differences to justify the compulsory sterilization of poor and disabled individuals. By linking racism to “a failure of intelligence,” Brodhead and Kornbluth effectively erase the role of the classist intelligentsia in the oppression of marginalized groups; they erase the role of the academy in producing literature and scholarship that serve as means to justify the subjugation of entire sects of society; they erase their roles in reproducing the same reductive narrative that racism and racists are only for those who are “bad” and “unintelligent.” The President and Provost fail to hold themselves and the institutions they represent accountable for their role in the harm caused historically and continually. To distance the university as a site of higher education away from racism is to erroneously distance our campus from racism, erasing and dismissing the systems of oppression that manifest on our campus, in our classrooms, and in our scholarship.

The statement sent out by President Brodhead and Provost Kornbluth on March 26, 2015 is yet another act of silencing marginalized peoples. The statement presents Duke as a place where racist incidents are individual, rare, and dealt with properly - all of which are false. More importantly, racism is not about any one individual act. By releasing irresponsible statements such as this one, the administration contributes to the institutionalization of oppression by their dishonesty and dissemination of inaccurate information.

Addendum: This statement was intended to be released at midnight April 1, 2015 prior to the noose incident on campus. Duke POCC recognizes that this statement does not in any way fully address this most recent manifestation ofracial terror. We believe that the pictures posted previously on this Tumblr and on other social media sites suffice as clarification enough to the current racial climate on campus and do not need further explanation.

The POC caucus is a group of marginalized students who have come together to be in solidarity in struggles toward social justice while creating space to support and learn from each other. We acknowledge that while racism affects us all as people of color, it does so variably based on the ways in which we are racialized in society and has different manifestations dependent on other socially constructed categorizations.



http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=2567940

Your definition or explanation: Cisgender is a term used to describe people who, for the most part, identify as the gender they were assigned at birth. For example, if a doctor said “it’s a boy!” when you were born, and you identify as a man, then you could be described as cisgender. In other words, ‘cisgender’ is used to describe people who are not transgender. So why do we say ‘cisgender’ instead of ‘non-transgender’? Because, referring to cisgender people as ‘non trans’ implies that cisgender people are the default and that being trans is abnormal. Many people have said ‘transgender people’ and ‘normal people’, but when we say ‘cisgender’ and ‘transgender’ neither is implied as more normal than the other.




“Investigators have located and identified the individual responsible for hanging a noose on the campus of Duke University. A Duke student admitted placing the noose on a tree, university officials said. A statement from Duke said the student is "no longer on campus" and will be subject to the schools student conduct process. The identity of the student is being withheld in compliance with federal student privacy regulations. Officials are continuing their investigation to find out if others were involved. …. "One person put up that noose, but this is the multitude of people who got together to say that's not the Duke we want," he told the crowd. "That's not the Duke we're here for, and that's not the Duke we're here to create." Photos of the noose were published by an anonymous student group called The Duke People of Color Caucus. The group was formed in response to another incident two weeks ago when a black female student claimed she was taunted with the same racist chant made infamous by fraternity brothers at the University of Oklahoma. On its Tumblr page, the group called their university "a hostile environment for any and all black people."

All of these incidents need to be reported in the news and the perpetrators punishedsignificantly. Perhaps workshops, group therapy, inclusive student union activities or even courses could be set up to involve the student body and faculty intellectually and emotionally with the complete acceptance without even unconscious criticism of the black/poor/LGBT/non-Christian students on the campus. One problem with Duke -- unlike UNC-CH it is overwhelmingly made up of wealthy people from the faculty to the student body. Add in the sometimes exclusionary practices of fraternities and sororities and it becomes a hotbed of superiority for some and inferiority for others, at least in many people's minds. The writings of the Students of Color group also included in their complaint that old white power belief that blacks are intellectually inferior.

I am glad to see that Duke has either expelled or suspended the person who did this. To me these “nooses” that appear in public around the nation are even more damaging than a chant, because it was the favorite means of the KKK to kill blacks who “forgot their place.” I have come to know many black people now, and unless they are rabidly hostile to whites or a criminal of some kind, I find them easy to like and respect. People are not all alike, and they shouldn't have to be to be acceptable. I want people I associate with to be open, honest, friendly, and tolerant and most blacks who I have had much conversation with are in that category. If I am pleasant, respectful and friendly to them they tend to be the same way to me. I can't say the same for a good many disrespectful and class-conscious whites I've known. That, to me, is a worse flaw than having poor clothing or an "ignorant" accent any day of the week. Everybody has some kind of accent. People who come from "the Bronx" sound largely ignorant to me, but if they are honest and decent I often like them.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/two-nyc-women-accused-of-terrorist-bomb-plot-preferred-target-cops-imam-comments/

Terror suspects considered attacking NYPD funeral
CBS NEWS
April 3, 2015

Two New York City women accused of plotting a terrorist attack are in federal custody. Court documents said Noelle Velentzas, 28, and Asia Siddiqui, 31, were influenced by ISIS and the Boston Marathon bombings.

An undercover informant said the women expressed interest in pressure cooker bombs like the ones used in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, and Velentzas indicated her preferred targets were cops or the military, rather than civilians.

In December of last year, they considered attacking the funeral of one of the two NYPD officers who had been killed two weeks earlier in an ambush attack in Brooklyn.

Valentzas called it "an attractive potential target."

The imam of the mosque in Queens attended by both women said they are being falsely accused and described Velentzas and her family as a positive force in the community.

"They have been here five years. I have not seen any signs of them being radicalized or promoting radical Islam, none of that stuff," he said.

The women, who are U.S. citizens and former roommates who lived in a house in Jamaica, Queens, appeared in federal court Thursday afternoon after an early morning raid of their homes.

According to law enforcement officials, the women expressed violent jihadist beliefs and a desire to execute a terrorist attack on American soil.

According to court documents, Velentzas told an undercover informant that "she did not understand why people were traveling overseas to wage jihad when there were more opportunities of 'pleasing Allah' here in the United States."

The documents also said the two women spent months researching how to make bombs, discussing targets and stockpiling the materials. Authorities became concerned when the women obtained several canisters of propane gas, but police say there was no imminent threat.

Siddiqui's attorney spoke after her court appearance.

"My client will enter a plea of not guilty even when there's an indictment, and she and I will address everything in the courtroom, where it belongs," Dunn said.

Court documents also claim both women had copies of "The Anarchist Cookbook," which explains how to make explosives.




“An undercover informant said the women expressed interest in pressure cooker bombs like the ones used in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, and Velentzas indicated her preferred targets were cops or the military, rather than civilians. …. The imam of the mosque in Queens attended by both women said they are being falsely accused and described Velentzas and her family as a positive force in the community. "They have been here five years. I have not seen any signs of them being radicalized or promoting radical Islam, none of that stuff," he said. The women, who are U.S. citizens and former roommates who lived in a house in Jamaica, Queens, appeared in federal court Thursday afternoon after an early morning raid of their homes. According to law enforcement officials, the women expressed violent jihadist beliefs and a desire to execute a terrorist attack on American soil. …. According to court documents, Velentzas told an undercover informant that "she did not understand why people were traveling overseas to wage jihad when there were more opportunities of 'pleasing Allah' here in the United States." …. Court documents also claim both women had copies of "The Anarchist Cookbook," which explains how to make explosives.”

The Imam at their mosque said that the two women showed no signs of being radicalized. He had known them about five years. The two were long term friends and apparently roommates. In the photograph only one wore the Islamic headscarf. Their reference to violent jihad as “pleasing Allah” really is chilling. I wonder what things are like in that mosque. Just because the Imam referred to radicalization and promoting such viewpoints as “any of that stuff,” doesn't mean that the radical element is not present in the mosque. He himself could very well be promoting it, although from what I gather many young people are picking up this particular social virus on the Internet. Some people have a deep-seated desire to “follow the leader,” and I have never understood them. I don't think they are unintelligent, but they are, to me, obviously mentally ill. Luckily the FBI or Homeland Security or someone was aware of their activities and decided it was the time to arrest them. This “Anarchist Cookbook is apparently similar to Timothy McVeigh's “Turner Diaries.” Due to American laws which I do support fully on censorship, we can't just quietly ban both books. It's becoming a scary world, unfortunately.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-it-time-to-end-the-war-on-crime/

Is it time to end the war on crime?
By STEPHANIE CONDON CBS NEWS
April 3, 2015

Photograph – A sheriff's deputy checks the handcuffs on inmates at the Los Angeles Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles, 19 May 2004.  ROBYN BECK/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

For decades, Democrats and Republicans worked together to combat on crime. The crackdown began in the 1960s, as Americans grappled with social upheaval, simmering racial tension and the assassination of national leaders. The national violent crime rate was steadily ticking up.

"I hope that 1965 will be regarded as the year when this country began in earnest a thorough, intelligent, and effective war against crime," President Lyndon Johnson declared when he established the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice.

Five years later, President Richard Nixon agreed, "If there is one area where the word "war" is appropriate it is in the fight against crime."

The national crime rate continued to climb, Justice Department statistics show, and politicians responded by locking up violent criminals and nonviolent drug offenders alike. They also stepped up federal involvement with local police forces, supplying them with military equipment. Meanwhile, fear-driven campaigns like the infamous "Willie Horton" ad of 1988 kept politicians wary of appearing too "soft on crime."

In 1991, just three years after that infamous ad ran, stats show the national violent crime rate peaked at 758.2 per 100,000 people. As of 2012, according to the Justice Department, that rate had fallen to 386.9 per 100,000 people.

Even so, many of the stiff laws enacted as part of the "war on crime" or the "war on drugs" remain in place -- and America is now feeling the consequences. The number of people behind bars in the U.S. has exploded the past half century --according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the prison population has increased 700 percent since 1970. More than 2 million people are now locked up in the U.S. -- that's nearly one out of 100 people. Now, while the United States is home to just 5 percent of the world's population, it houses 25 percent of the world's prisoners. The pricetag for incarcerating so many people comes to around $80 billion annually. That amounts to $260 per U.S. resident -- up from $77 in 1980.

"We know that Americans are not innately bad people -- it makes no sense whatsoever that we're the number one jailer in the world," Alison Holcomb, director of the ACLU's Campaign to End Mass Incarceration, said to CBS News last week at a bipartisan summit on criminal justice reform.

As bloated prisons strain state budgets and mass incarceration tears families apart -- particularly in communities of color -- the issue of criminal justice reform has gained remarkable traction among both liberals and conservatives. In the past year, the issue came to the forefront of the national dialogue when militarized police forces grimly confronted protesters already angry over police abuse.

"This is a moment in time, we should not let it slip by," Pastor Michael McBride of the faith-based group PICO Network told CBS. "We have mass movements of social justice and social awareness in the streets -- people agree that something is wrong in our country."

McBride called reforming the criminal justice system "the civil rights issue of our generation -- the human rights issue of our generation."

Even conservatives like Newt Gingrich agree that the issue is a moral one. On top of that, there have been enough successful reforms at the state level that there's no longer any excuse for inaction.

Results in states like Texas and Georgia have created "a real track record so it's not a theory" anymore, Gingrich said. "Part of this is an argument... if something really works, if it's better for human beings, if it's also less expensive, tell me why it is we wouldn't do it. That fact-based argument wasn't available 10 years ago, and now it's unavoidable."

State-based reforms

The deep-red state of Texas is often held up as the prime example of a state -- led by conservatives -- that has successfully embraced a series of criminal justice reforms. About a decade ago, facing a prison population that was about to grow untenably high, state leaders began investing in vocational training and educational programs for inmates, drug treatment programs and other initiatives to keep former inmates from returning to jail. Under former Gov. Rick Perry's watch, the state closed three prisons -- marking the first time any prisons had been closed in the state in over a century. Perry, now an advocate for criminal justice reform, boasts that his administration saved Texas taxpayers $2 billion while bringing the state's crime rate down to its lowest level since 1968.

Criminal justice reform advocates have also hailed the passage of Proposition 47 in California. Since enacted by the voters last year, reducing punishments for some nonviolent criminals like drug offenders, the state has already released 2.700 inmates whose felony convictions were reduced to misdemeanors.

Meanwhile, more than a dozen other states have, with support from the Justice Department, directed funding away from prison construction and toward drug treatment programs and other forms of intervention aimed and reducing recidivism. The Urban Institute reported last year that those 17 states will save $4.6 billion over 11 years.

In Georgia, one of those 17 states, the prison population more than doubled between 2000 and 2011. But reforms enacted in 2012 are already saving the state money and bringing down its inmate population. They're also helping mitigate the racial inequities in the system. A Justice Department report released last week shows that since Georgia enacted its reforms, prison admissions have fallen by 8 percent while admissions among African Americans have fallen by 11 percent. Even so, African Americans still make up 61 percent of Georgia's prison population -- but just 31 percent of the state's resident population.

Bipartisan interest in Washington

At the federal level, the Obama administration has attempted to reform the criminal justice system without the help of Congress. In 2013, Attorney General Eric Holder announced a change in Justice Department policy to avoid draconian mandatory minimum sentencing rules. The department now charges low-level, non-violent drug offenders with offenses that don't impose mandatory minimum sentences.

Last year, Holder boasted last week at the #cut50 summit, the U.S. saw its first overall reduction in the federal prison population in 32 years. The U.S. last year also cut its overall crime rate -- marking the first simultaneous national reduction in both crime and incarceration rates in more than four decades.

Still, there's a long way to go in reforming the federal prison system. With about 218,000 federal inmates locked up, the Bureau of Prisons reports a crowding rate of about 40 percent. With so many prisoners to deal with, the bureau has moved thousands of low-security inmates to private prisons.

About half of federal inmates are nonviolent drug offenders, and multiple bills in Congress focus on reducing that segment of the prison population.

The Corrections Act, introduced by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, aims to shorten sentences for low-risk federal inmates while also reducing their chances of returning to prison.

A handful of liberals and conservatives -- including Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Jeff Flake of Arizona, and Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Cory Booker of New Jersey -- have introduced the Smarter Sentencing Act. Two 2016 Republican hopefuls, Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky, have also signed on to the bill, which would give judges more discretion in sentencing those convicted of nonviolent drug offenses.

Paul and Booker have also introduced a bill crafted to complement other sentencing reform efforts, called the Redeem Act (the "Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment" Act) to reduce recidivism.
So what's the hold up?

The group FreedomWorks, best known for taking on tea party causes like opposing the Affordable Care Act, is supporting several of these bills after its grassroots supporters called for more attention on the issue of criminal justice. FreedomWorks president Matt Kibbe told CBS that the legislative effort seems "doable" this year but challenging -- "Inertia rules in Washington," he said.

"We're going to have to demonstrate, to Republicans in particular, that there is grassroots support for changing the system and it's not just a financial issue -- it's a values issue, it's a justice issue."

Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik told CBS that criminal justice reforms have started at the state level because state governments are obligated to stick to a budget -- unlike the federal government.

"The federal government continues to put money into the system," he said. "And if you continue putting money into it, it's going to continue to grow, and that's what's happening."

Kerik -- who served his own time in federal prison -- said real reforms will be more realistic once the public has a better understanding of the deep, long-lasting impact that a felony conviction has on a person and his community.

"I don't think the American public understands that when someone is convicted of a felony in this country, it is life sentence," he said. "There's no paying your debt to society-- your debt is never paid... 70 percent of your ability to obtain real, substantial employment is reduced, you can't get federal housing, in some cases people can't get checking accounts, bank accounts, they can't rent apartments -- this is all of a result of their conviction."




“The crackdown began in the 1960s, as Americans grappled with social upheaval, simmering racial tension and the assassination of national leaders. The national violent crime rate was steadily ticking up. "I hope that 1965 will be regarded as the year when this country began in earnest a thorough, intelligent, and effective war against crime," President Lyndon Johnson declared when he established the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice. …. The national crime rate continued to climb, Justice Department statistics show, and politicians responded by locking up violent criminals and nonviolent drug offenders alike. They also stepped up federal involvement with local police forces, supplying them with military equipment. …. The number of people behind bars in the U.S. has exploded the past half century --according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the prison population has increased 700 percent since 1970. …. the issue of criminal justice reform has gained remarkable traction among both liberals and conservatives. In the past year, the issue came to the forefront of the national dialogue when militarized police forces grimly confronted protesters already angry over police abuse. "This is a moment in time, we should not let it slip by," Pastor Michael McBride of the faith-based group PICO Network told CBS. "We have mass movements of social justice and social awareness in the streets -- people agree that something is wrong in our country." …. Even conservatives like Newt Gingrich agree that the issue is a moral one. On top of that, there have been enough successful reforms at the state level that there's no longer any excuse for inaction. …. About a decade ago, facing a prison population that was about to grow untenably high, state leaders began investing in vocational training and educational programs for inmates, drug treatment programs and other initiatives to keep former inmates from returning to jail. Under former Gov. Rick Perry's watch, the state closed three prisons -- marking the first time any prisons had been closed in the state in over a century. Perry, now an advocate for criminal justice reform, boasts that his administration saved Texas taxpayers $2 billion while bringing the state's crime rate down to its lowest level since 1968. …. Proposition 47 in California. Since enacted by the voters last year, reducing punishments for some nonviolent criminals like drug offenders, the state has already released 2.700 inmates whose felony convictions were reduced to misdemeanors. …. They're also helping mitigate the racial inequities in the system. A Justice Department report released last week shows that since Georgia enacted its reforms, prison admissions have fallen by 8 percent while admissions among African Americans have fallen by 11 percent. Even so, African Americans still make up 61 percent of Georgia's prison population -- but just 31 percent of the state's resident population. ….

"We know that Americans are not innately bad people -- it makes no sense whatsoever that we're the number one jailer in the world," Alison Holcomb, director of the ACLU's Campaign to End Mass Incarceration, said to CBS News last week at a bipartisan summit on criminal justice reform. We have been, over the years since I've been paying attention, giving stiffer and stiffer sentences, especially to blacks, and the rehabilitative function of prisons has been left behind. Meanwhile people like Sheriff Arpaio have been increasingly oppressive to the prisoners. That business of making men wear pink and feeding them “the loaf” instead of real food looks a lot like cruel and unusual punishment to me. Also the fact that so many go inside the prison for being caught with one marijuana cigarette or stealing a car, instead of court mandated drug treatment and group therapy which can be surprisingly effective for changing the way people, especially young people, look at the world. Preparing them to take a job in the outside world would also help. There is a plan in Florida for prisoners who have been well-behaved, and at least somewhat rehabilitated, are allowed out part of each day to work at a local business. One of the hardest things when someone has a criminal record is find work when they get out. Education, a job, some decent clothing to wear, and continued group therapy would really help. That shift from rehabilitation efforts to a stance of harsher and harsher punishments is even worse than the extremely high number of our people who end up in prison. To solve that problem we need to go to solutions that don't involve prison, especially for young and non-violent offenders. We also, as a society, need to make inroads against the prevalent problem of dire poverty, poor reading and math skills and abusive home environments which do breed criminals. A psychiatrist in talking about sociopaths was quoted in an article as stating “We need to stop torturing our children.” Granted not all abused children become criminals, but many do. Unfortunately many of those parents were likewise abused in their own upbringing. Parenting is a learned skill and well-brought up kids learn how to do it for their children when the time comes.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/robin-williams-restricted-use-of-his-image-for-25-years-after-his-death/

Robin Williams restricted use of his image for 25 years after his death
By JESSICA DERSCHOWITZ CBS NEWS
March 31, 2015

Photographs – Robin Williams 1951-2014

Legal documents show that Robin Williams has restricted the use of his image for the next quarter-century.

The Robin Williams Trust, filed as an exhibit as part of a dispute over the late actor's personal property, details how his image can (or, rather, can't) be used going forward.

Williams, who took his own life in August 2014, passed on rights to his name, signature, image and likeness to the Windfall Foundation, a charitable organization set up by his legal reps, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Trust restricts the use of Williams' likeness until 25 years after his death, meaning there won't be any authorized advertisements featuring the star until at least Aug. 11, 2039. The provision also blocks anyone from using a hologram of Williams or digitally inserting him into a film.

THR notes that this unconventional move could be in reaction to evolving technologies and a legal battle happening between Michael Jackson's estate and the IRS over how to value the King of Pop's posthumous publicity rights for estate tax purposes.

Earlier this week, attorneys for Williams' wife and three adult children agreed to try to resolve their dispute over his personal items out of court.



https://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/robin-williams

Robin Williams Charity Work, Events and Causes

Williams took part in the America: A Tribute to Heroes charity telethon for victims of 9/11.

He performed at the 2008 We are Amused comedy night to benefit Prince's Trust.

Robin Williams is one of many famous people who show signs of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and he uses these characteristics to bring laughter to those who need it most.

“You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it,” Williams has said.

Williams began his life as a comedian in an attempt to gain attention from his mother, who was away working as a fashion model much of the time, leaving him to be raised by the maid employed by his family.

Being, in his words, “short, shy, chubby and lonely” as a child, he also found comedy a helpful way to get his classmates to like him. His talent won him a full scholarship to the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City, where he became close friends with his classmate, Christopher Reeve.

The two remained close, and after the horse riding accident that left Reeve paralyzed, Williams was there to show his friend how to smile again, arriving dressed as a doctor and claiming to be Reeve’s proctologist. It was the first time Reeve laughed after the incident.

Williams went on to join the board of the Christopher Reeve Foundation, and also founded his own Windfall Foundation.

He used his incredible energy to help a variety of causes, from visiting children’s wards in hospitals to entertaining US troops in war zones. His frenetic behavior, typical of those who suffer from ADD, heightens his performance, coaxing those in difficult situations to let their problems go and laugh.

“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.”

Robin’s charity work has covered the spectrum from health care and human rights, to education, environmental protection, and the arts. He toured the Middle East with the USOa total of five times, including visits to Iraq and Afghanistan, to help raise morale among the troops and was, perhaps, best known philanthropically for his affiliation with Comic Relief, which was founded in 1986 as a non-profit organization to help America’s homeless.

Williams funded the Robin Williams Scholarship at his alma mater, Julliard. The school published a statement on his passing.

In 2010, Robin gave 100% of the proceeds from his shows in New Zealand to victims of the devastating earthquake in Christchurch.

Robin Williams died in August, 2014.




CBS – “Williams, who took his own life in August 2014, passed on rights to his name, signature, image and likeness to the Windfall Foundation, a charitable organization set up by his legal reps, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Trust restricts the use of Williams' likeness until 25 years after his death, meaning there won't be any authorized advertisements featuring the star until at least Aug. 11, 2039. The provision also blocks anyone from using a hologram of Williams or digitally inserting him into a film. …. Earlier this week, attorneys for Williams' wife and three adult children agreed to try to resolve their dispute over his personal items out of court." THR notes that this unconventional move could be in reaction to evolving technologies and a legal battle happening between Michael Jackson's estate and the IRS over how to value the King of Pop's posthumous publicity rights for estate tax purposes."

looktothestars.org -- "Robin Williams is one of many famous people who show signs of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and he uses these characteristics to bring laughter to those who need it most. “You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it,” Williams has said. Williams began his life as a comedian in an attempt to gain attention from his mother, who was away working as a fashion model much of the time, leaving him to be raised by the maid employed by his family. Being, in his words, “short, shy, chubby and lonely” as a child, he also found comedy a helpful way to get his classmates to like him. His talent won him a full scholarship to the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City, where he became close friends with his classmate, Christopher Reeve. The two remained close, and after the horse riding accident that left Reeve paralyzed, Williams was there to show his friend how to smile again, arriving dressed as a doctor and claiming to be Reeve’s proctologist. It was the first time Reeve laughed after the incident.”

It is always sad to me when the deceased's family members get into a war over the estate. I do hope Williams did not totally cut his family off financially in his will or behave hurtfully toward them in his life, but it is clear that at least a great deal of his money went to charities serving the cause of education and the homeless. He also helped the troops overseas to have a break from the war with his hilarious style of humor. He reminds me most of Jonathan Winters, who was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder. They both had a genius for what is and isn't funny, and the acting skill to portray their wild and wooly characters. I was impressed by a number of serious or partly serious acting roles, such as “Awakenings” and “The World According To Garp.” He is one of those performers who will never be forgotten, like Lucille Ball. I was very sorry when I learned of his suicide. I wish he could have been more thoroughly happy in his life.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-jersey-sen-bob-menendez-indicted-by-federal-grand-jury/

New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez indicted on federal corruption charges
By JAKE MILLER, REBECCA KAPLAN CBS NEWS
April 1, 2015

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, speaks as he visits the Pen Company of America to discuss the America Star program on March 23, 2015 in Garwood, New Jersey.  JEFF ZELEVANSKY, GETTY IMAGES

The Justice Department formally handed down an indictment for New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez on Wednesday, alleging that the Democrat used his Senate office to promote the interests of friend and Democratic donor Dr. Salomon Melgen.

Menendez, 61, of Union City, New Jersey, and Melgen, 61, of West Palm Beach, Florida, were indicted in the District of New Jersey for one count of conspiracy, one count of violating the travel act, eight counts of bribery and three counts of honest services fraud. Menendez was also charged with one count of making false statements. The case is being handled by the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section.

"Between January 2006 and January 2013, Menendez accepted close to $1 million worth of lavish gifts and campaign contributions from Melgen in exchange for using the power of his Senate office to influence the outcome of ongoing contractual and Medicare billing disputes worth tens of millions of dollars to Melgen and to support the visa applications of several of Melgen's girlfriends," the Justice Department explained in a statement."

Those gifts included "flights on Melgen's private jet, a first-class commercial flight and a flight on a chartered jet; numerous vacations at Melgen's Caribbean villa in the Dominican Republic and at a hotel room in Paris; and $40,000 in contributions to his legal defense fund and over $750,000 in campaign contributions," according to the statement. "Menendez never disclosed any of the reportable gifts that he received from Melgen on his financial disclosure forms."

Investigators have been looking into the relationship between the two men for several years, but the senator has maintained his innocence throughout, previously deriding the investigation as a politically-motivated "smear campaign."

Wednesday night, Menendez told supporters he was "angry and ready to fight" the charges.

"Let me be very clear, I have always conducted myself appropriately and in accordance with the law," Menendez said during a press conference earlier this month after Attorney General Eric Holder approved prosecutors' request to move forward with the charges. "Every action that I and my office have taken for the last 23 years that I have been privileged to be in the United States Congress has been based on pursuing the best policies for the people of New Jersey and this entire country."

"I'm not going anywhere," Menendez added.

But with the indictment official, he does plan to voluntarily and temporarily step aside from his post as ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a source familiar with the decision told CBS News.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) blasted Menendez in the wake of the indictment.

"Senator Menendez's ethics lapses have long been a distraction to the United States Senate. With today's indictment, the FBI and the Justice Department made it clear that Senator Menendez has betrayed the trust of New Jersey families," said NRSC spokeswoman Andrea Bozek in a statement. "His actions reinforce all that the American people believe is wrong with Washington Democrats and closes the book on a Senate Democrat majority that put their personal interests ahead of the American people."

Menendez's fellow New Jersey senator, Cory Booker, offered some kind words for his embattled colleague in his own statement.

"Senator Menendez has never wavered in his commitment to the people of New Jersey," Booker said. "He's been an invaluable resource and a mentor to me since I arrived in the Senate. Our system of justice is designed to be fair and impartial, and it presumes innocence before guilt. I won't waver in my commitment to stand alongside my senior Senator to serve our great state."

The relationship between Menendez and Melgen first came under scrutiny when the FBI received a tip that the senator had solicited underage prostitutes during a trip to the Dominican Republican that he took on Melgen's private jet in 2010.That accusation soon fell apart after the women withdrew their accusations.

Investigators continued probing the ties between Menendez and Melgen, however, examining a series of trips that Menendez took on Melgen's private jet in 2010. In 2013, Menendez reimbursed Melgen for the free airfare, calling his earlier failure to do so an "oversight."

Authorities have also examined whether Menendez improperly pressured the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to change its reimbursement formula in a way that would benefit Melgen. The doctor had been accused of overbilling Medicare by $8.9 million, and the FBI raided his office in 2013. Melgen insisted he'd simply been confused by what was allowed under the complex payment formula.

Menendez acknowledged that he'd raised concerns with CMS about the payment formula, but he denied any accusation that he'd improperly intervened in the standoff between the doctor and the government. "The bottom line is, we raised concerns with CMS over policy and over ambiguities that are difficult for medical providers to understand and to seek a clarification," Menendez said.

The Department of Justice's statement alluded to the CMS billing issue and several other incidents in which Menendez allegedly used his office to benefit Melgen.

"First, Menendez allegedly pressured executive agencies in connection with a conflict between Melgen and the government of the Dominican Republic relating to a disputed contract that Melgen purchased to provide exclusive screening of containers coming through Dominican ports," the statement explained. "Second, Menendez allegedly advocated on behalf of Melgen in connection with a Medicare billing dispute worth approximately $8.9 million to Melgen. Third, Menendez allegedly took active steps to support the tourist and student visa applications of three of Melgen's girlfriends, as well as the visa application of the younger sister of one of Melgen's girlfriends."

"Throughout these efforts, Menendez allegedly engaged in advocacy for Melgen all the way up to the highest levels of the U.S. government, including meeting with a U.S. cabinet secretary, contacting a U.S. Ambassador, meeting with the heads of executive agencies and other senior executive officials and soliciting other U.S. Senators, all in order to assist Melgen's personal and pecuniary interests," the statement added.

CBS News Justice Department reporter Paula Reid and CBS News Senate producer John Nolen contributed to this story.




“The Justice Department formally handed down an indictment for New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez on Wednesday, alleging that the Democrat used his Senate office to promote the interests of friend and Democratic donor Dr. Salomon Melgen. Menendez, 61, of Union City, New Jersey, and Melgen, 61, of West Palm Beach, Florida, were indicted in the District of New Jersey for one count of conspiracy, one count of violating the travel act, eight counts of bribery and three counts of honest services fraud. Menendez was also charged with one count of making false statements. The case is being handled by the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section. …. Investigators have been looking into the relationship between the two men for several years, but the senator has maintained his innocence throughout, previously deriding the investigation as a politically-motivated "smear campaign." Wednesday night, Menendez told supporters he was "angry and ready to fight" the charges. …. Authorities have also examined whether Menendez improperly pressured the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to change its reimbursement formula in a way that would benefit Melgen. The doctor had been accused of overbilling Medicare by $8.9 million, and the FBI raided his office in 2013. Melgen insisted he'd simply been confused by what was allowed under the complex payment formula. …. contacting a U.S. Ambassador, meeting with the heads of executive agencies and other senior executive officials and soliciting other U.S. Senators, all in order to assist Melgen's personal and pecuniary interests," the statement added.”

Well, this is a fairly shocking article on the abuse of power by, I am sorry to say, a Democrat. He will probably see some prison time. Of course if he does, it will be in one of those country club prisons that the wealthy go to. Pardon my cynicism.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/archaeologists-fighting-to-save-what-isis-may-destroy/

Archaeologists fighting to save what ISIS destroys
By CLARISSA WARD CBS NEWS
April 1, 2015

Photograph – These busts are among the many artifacts that have been looted.
 CBS NEWS

GAZIANTEP, Turkey -- Among the tragedies of the conflict between the two branches of Islam is the destruction of irreplaceable art in Syria, a nation that was once one of the world's great museums of antiquity.

A seventh-century mosque is blasted by a shell.

The ancient city of Apamea, dating back some 2,300 years, is seen in satellite photos in 2011, now pockmarked with the so-called robber holes of looters.

Priceless funeral busts from Palmyra, a World Heritage site, stolen from their tombs.


It's what compelled Syrian-British archaeologist Dr. Amr al-Azm to organize his former colleagues and students inside Syria. Together they launched an effort to protect what could be salvaged and to create a record of what could not.

"Some of them were once museum curators, archaeologists who feel passionate about their own culture, their own history, and their own country, and they feel it is part of their duty, their responsibility to protect this cultural heritage," said Al-Azm.

Armed only with cellphone cameras, notepads and sandbags to protect fragile mosaics and artifacts, Al-Azm's men routinely brave regime shells and snipers and travel through dangerous ISIS territory.

Al-Azm says selling antiquities on the black market has become a major moneymaker for ISIS.

"Digging by hand is one thing," he said, explaining the process. "Digging by machine is extremely dangerous. They're bulldozing to move as much earth as possible in order to sieve it and get the artifacts out," he said, noting that the process is very lucrative for the extremists.


When shelling damaged a museum in his hometown, volunteer Ayman Inabu led a team to protect its invaluable contents.

"Antiquities represent our heritage, our identity," said Inabu. "Those who have no history, have no future. In the beginning I was afraid, but if we die at least future generations will testify about what we have done."

But Al-Azm says with the scale of the damage being done, his side is not winning. So why does he do it?

"Because it's better than doing nothing," he said. "My daughters will ask me the question: What did you do in the war? What did you do to save something that you believed was very important? And I would be ashamed to say to them that I did nothing," he said, his lip quivering. "Shameful. I can't. You have to do something."
A duty to prevent a great loss, not just for Syria, but for the world.




“Among the tragedies of the conflict between the two branches of Islam is the destruction of irreplaceable art in Syria, a nation that was once one of the world's great museums of antiquity. A seventh-century mosque is blasted by a shell. The ancient city of Apamea, dating back some 2,300 years, is seen in satellite photos in 2011, now pockmarked with the so-called robber holes of looters. Priceless funeral busts from Palmyra, a World Heritage site, stolen from their tombs. …. Al-Azm says selling antiquities on the black market has become a major moneymaker for ISIS. "Digging by hand is one thing," he said, explaining the process. "Digging by machine is extremely dangerous. They're bulldozing to move as much earth as possible in order to sieve it and get the artifacts out," he said, noting that the process is very lucrative for the extremists. …. "Antiquities represent our heritage, our identity," said Inabu. "Those who have no history, have no future. In the beginning I was afraid, but if we die at least future generations will testify about what we have done." But Al-Azm says with the scale of the damage being done, his side is not winning. So why does he do it? "Because it's better than doing nothing," he said.”

Mankind is basically simple and gold is always worth big money, so tombs and other sites will be looted as long as there is a black market. This is a very sad article, but most precious things are also unfortunately fragile. In the Valley Of The Kings in Egypt most of those tombs had long since been looted when the archaeologists got there to dig. Thank goodness for museums. Of course the worst loss in Syria and Iraq is that of human life. That's another thing that turns up in archaeological digs – mass graves where people have simply been slaughtered and thrown in a pit. None of these evils are new.





http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/medieval-and-ancient-medicine-we-still-use/
Medieval and ancient medicine we still use
April 2, 2015

Going medieval on superbugs

A a 1,000-year-old recipe, pulled from an ancient text called Bald's Leechbook in England, has proven effective against the antibiotic-resistant MRSA superbug, one of the banes of modern medicine.
CREDIT: The British Library Board

Superbug salve

So what's in the medieval "eyesalve" that obliterated the MRSA bug? Hey, glad you asked.
Researchers at the University of Nottingham started with fresh garlic...
CREDIT: Pascal Lauener/Reuters

Cow cure

The medieval remedy also called for bile from a cow's stomach. The recipe gives instructions to brew it with fresh garlic and let it sit for 9 days. The resulting formula killed 999 out of 1,000 MRSA cells.
And it's not the only medieval remedy to survive into the 21st century...
CREDIT: Library of Congress

Maggot therapy

From ancient times through the Renaissance, there are records of bug larva being used to clean dead tissue from living people.
And the practice is still used today.
CREDIT: David Hecker/AFP/Getty Images)

Draining of wounds

Medieval doctors contributed to modern medicine in more ways than you might think. For example, pioneering medieval researchers bucked ancient doctors by insisting that pus should not always remain in wounds. Instead, medieval surgeons Hugo of Lucca, Theoderic of Servia, and his pupil Henri de Mandeville advocated for draining and cleaning wounds, and dressing them after suturing.
CREDIT: Columbia University Libraries

Draining of wounds

To this day, doctors -- including this military physician treating an Afghan man suffering from a gunshot infection -- still drain wounds when necessary.
CREDIT: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters

Dissection

Dissection is an ancient tradition, but it wasn't always widely accepted as a medical tool. In medieval times more doctors began to engage in the crucial practice.
CREDIT: Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty Images

Hearts and minds
Dissection for medical purposes really took off in the late 1200s, thanks in part to an early record of an autopsy dating to 1286.
CREDIT: Jeff Zelevansky/Reuters

Innovations in childbirth

Mankind has always sought the safest ways to bring children into the world. It's the ancient physician Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi, born in 936, who is credited with early documentation of the "Walcher position" in obstetrics, a technique still used by some midwives.
CREDIT: Library of Congress

Bring on the leeches

Ancient and medieval physicians used leeches for a variety of treatments. Today, leeches are making a comeback, largely in reconstructive surgery.
CREDIT: Sam Panthaky/AFP/Getty Images

Cesarean sections

The method of delivering babies through a cut in the abdomen dates back to at least 320 B.C.
CREDIT: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

Holes in your head

During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, doctors drilled holes in patients' heads to cure everything from seizures to skull fractures.
Today, doctors are still at it, albeit for different reasons, such as relieving cranial pressure.
CREDIT: Matthew Dunham/Reuters

Stool transplants

Fourth-century Chinese documents describe the practice of treating fecal diseases with fecal matter.
Cut to today, and modern science is embracing fecal microbiota transplantation, also known as a stool transplant, to help a range of infections and  gastrointestinal problems.
CREDIT: Library of Congress

Take the nose

Need to reach the brain? Shortcut through the nose. That's what ancient Egyptians did with their mummies, and it's what doctors do today to fight tumors.
CREDIT: Harold B. Lee Library/Brigham Young University

In stitches

Ever get stitches after an unlucky accident? Consider: The oldest known wound suture was found in a mummy from 1100 B.C.
CREDIT: iStock Photo




I will only make one comment on this information – which is taken from the explanations of an interesting collection of photographs at the website given above. These shots are worth your examination. See the original article for that.

The practice of “drilling holes in the skull” or cutting a piece of the skull bone out with a stone cutting tool actually goes back to the neolithic times. A number of trepanned skulls have been found in caves by archaeologists. The speculations about the purpose of the operation included an attempt to cure headaches or perhaps a religious practice. Also a number of bear skulls have been found in caves with such trephinations. See https://www.google.com/search?q=trepanned+bear+skulls&rlz=1C1VASI_enUS513US564&es_sm=122&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=bzEgVf6rOILjsAWQjYC4Cg&ved=0CCsQ7Ak&biw=850&bih=624 for a very interesting series of prehistoric examples. In the article below it states that a number of those skulls did heal over, too, so either it cured the condition – blood pooled in the brain for instance – or it wasn't performed so inexpertly that the patient died from the treatment. In the Wikipedia article below there are three illustrations from the Middle Ages showing an operation being performed on a man who was awake at the time and sitting upright in a chair. Ouch!

This subject is a little grisly, but it's also very interesting and points to a sophistication of shamans at that time which is surprising. After all, there was no written language to continue the knowledge from one generation and culture to another. Word of mouth, mentoring and memorization were apparently enough. See the following:

Trepanning
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Trepanning, also known as trepanation,trephination, trephining or making a burr hole (the verb trepan derives via Old French via Medieval Latin from the Greek noun of relevant meaning trypanon, literally "(a) borer, (an) auger")[1][2] is a surgical intervention in which a hole isdrilled or scraped into the human skull, exposing the dura mater to treat health problems related to intracranial diseases.   A trephine is an instrument used for cutting out a round piece of skull bone.

In ancient times, holes were drilled into a person who was behaving in what was considered an abnormal way to let out what they believed were evil spirits.[3] Evidence of trepanation has been found in prehistoric human remains fromNeolithic times onward. Cave paintings indicate that people believed the practice would cure epileptic seizures, migraines, and mental disorders.[4] The bone that was trepanned was kept by the prehistoric people and may have been worn as a charm to keep evil spirits away. Evidence also suggests that trepanation was primitive emergency surgery after head wounds[5] to remove shattered bits of bone from a fractured skull and clean out the blood that often pools under the skull after a blow to the head. Such injuries were typical for primitive weaponry such as slings and war clubs.[6]

Prehistoric evidence[edit]

Trepanation is perhaps the oldest surgical procedure for which there is archaeological evidence,[7] and in some areas may have been quite widespread. Out of 120 prehistoric skulls found at one burial site in France dated to 6500 BC, 40 had trepanation holes.[8] Many prehistoric and premodern patients had signs of their skull structure healing, suggesting that many of those subjected to the surgery survived. Another skull with a trepanation hole was found at burial site Chalaghantepe (Agdam Rayon,Azerbaijan) dated to 5th millennium BC.





http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/04/04/397509157/owner-of-revenge-porn-site-sentenced-to-18-years-in-jail

Owner Of 'Revenge Porn' Site Sentenced To 18 Years In Jail
Scott Neuman
April 4, 2015

A man in San Diego who ran a so-called "revenge porn" site that charged hundreds of dollars to remove anonymously posted nude photos has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after his conviction on 21 counts of identity theft and six counts of extortion.

Kevin Bollaert, 28, ran the sites UGotPosted.com and ChangeMyReputation.com.

NPR's John Burnett reports: "The way it worked: angry lovers could post intimate photos of people as well as gossip about them without their consent on ... UGotPosted.com. It quickly became popular: in a 10-month period more than 10,000 racy photos were posted, mostly of women. When the subjects objected, they were directed to ... ChangeMyReputation.com and had to pay $250 to $300 to have them taken down."

"Today's sentence makes clear there will be severe consequences for those that profit from the exploitation of victims online," California Attorney General Kamala Harris said.

The Associated Press says:

"Victims included teachers, wives and professionals. The compromising photos cost people jobs, damaged relationships and led to one attempted suicide.

"Bollaert earned about $900 a month in website ad revenue and collected about $30,000 from victims."

California's Attorney General Kamala Harris warned that "Sitting behind a computer, committing what is essentially a cowardly and criminal act will not shield predators from the law or jail. We will continue to be vigilant and investigate and prosecute those who commit these deplorable acts," she said.




“A man in San Diego who ran a so-called "revenge porn" site that charged hundreds of dollars to remove anonymously posted nude photos has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after his conviction on 21 counts of identity theft and six counts of extortion. Kevin Bollaert, 28, ran the sites UGotPosted.com and ChangeMyReputation.com. …. When the subjects objected, they were directed to ... ChangeMyReputation.com and had to pay $250 to $300 to have them taken down." "Today's sentence makes clear there will be severe consequences for those that profit from the exploitation of victims online," California Attorney General Kamala Harris said. …. "Bollaert earned about $900 a month in website ad revenue and collected about $30,000 from victims."

I am so glad to see that the anonymous vicious and heartless individuals who are doing these things are being tracked down, caught and punished. Eighteen years should be enough to make an impression on the owner of those two websites that worked so devastatingly together to rake in thousands of dollars and harm the victims very badly. Loss of jobs, loss of relationships and attempted suicide. It was such a clever plot. A disgruntled man “shares” photos of a woman without her knowledge until she is notified by “UgotPosted.com”, and then she – or possibly he – is charged megabucks to get the stuff removed. Some people just ain't no good. They should rot in jail.

I assume these victims can succeed in law suits to recover some of their lost funds from the “mastermind” of this Internet ambush. Kevin Bollaert, who is a mere 28 years old – must have gotten rich doing that, so now he can pay his ill gotten gains back to the victims. Now if they can catch all the online bullies who have been causing high schoolers to attempt suicide and the kiddie porn sites which have hundreds of photos of abused children on them, perhaps those “perps” will end up in prison also. My tastes in Internet viewing are so plain vanilla compared to such things. I can't relate to anyone who chooses to go to such sites daily. Whether they actually ever rape anyone or not, they are sick in the same way that rapists are. They don't care at all about the human beings behind the photos.