June 8, 2016


News and Views


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/stanford-university-sexual-assault-ex-swimmer-brock-turner-probation-report-remorse/

What former Stanford swimmer said in court about sexual assault
CBS NEWS
June 8, 2016, 7:16 AM

Play VIDEO -- Controversy over Stanford student's 6-month sentence for rape


MILPITAS, Calif. - In a probation report obtained by CBS News, Brock Turner, a former Stanford swimmer convicted of sexual assault, apologized to his victim in a statement to the court and expressed remorse for his actions, saying: "I would give anything to change what happened that night... I made a mistake, I drank too much, and my decisions hurt someone."

The former Stanford swimmer is serving a six-month jail penalty for three counts of sexual assault, reports CBS News correspondent John Blackstone. The sentencing itself has become controversial, as many call it too lenient.

"The judge really bent over backwards in order to give this young man a light sentence," Stanford University law professor Michele Dauber said.

Hundreds of thousands are calling for the judge who handed down the punishment, Aaron Persky, to be removed from the bench. But others say he was fair.

In an interview for the probation report last month, the victim herself said: "I want him to be punished, but as a human I just want him to get better... He doesn't need to be behind bars."

"Judge Persky did a tremendous job in deriving this sentence," public defender Gary Goodman said.

Goodman knows Persky well and said he doesn't deserve the backlash he's receiving.

"The fact that people are calling his courtroom and threatening him and his family, hoping that he dies badly... I mean that's just ridiculous," Goodman said.

Persky received at least 39 letters from Turner's family and friends advocating for the 20-year-old. His sister wrote "a series of alcohol-fueled decisions...will define him for the rest of his life."

Turner's sexual assault conviction stems from a 2015 fraternity party on Stanford's campus. Witnesses described the victim as "lying on her back motionless" while Turner "aggressively thrusted his hips into her" in the grass near a dumpster.

"She was unconscious. And I checked her and she didn't move at all," witness Carl-Fredrik Arndt said.

When the victim read an emotional letter in court last week, she said she was "severely disappointed" by his failure to "exhibit remorse or responsibility."

On campus, the reaction to her letter has been "absolute outrage," said Stephanie Pham of the Stanford Association of Students for Sexual Assault Prevention.

"Social media has been on fire. People are angry, they are frustrated and they want to find a place to direct that energy," Pham said.

According to The Stanford Daily, the school newspaper, a protest is being planned for commencement this Sunday.



"I would give anything to change what happened that night... I made a mistake, I drank too much, and my decisions hurt someone." …. Persky received at least 39 letters from Turner's family and friends advocating for the 20-year-old. His sister wrote "a series of alcohol-fueled decisions...will define him for the rest of his life." Turner's sexual assault conviction stems from a 2015 fraternity party on Stanford's campus. Witnesses described the victim as "lying on her back motionless" while Turner "aggressively thrusted his hips into her" in the grass near a dumpster. "She was unconscious. And I checked her and she didn't move at all," witness Carl-Fredrik Arndt said. When the victim read an emotional letter in court last week, she said she was "severely disappointed" by his failure to "exhibit remorse or responsibility." …. "Social media has been on fire. People are angry, they are frustrated and they want to find a place to direct that energy," Pham said. According to The Stanford Daily, the school newspaper, a protest is being planned for commencement this Sunday.”


I was on campus in the late 1960s, but I was married, so I had nothing to do with Fraternity parties. This isn’t the first fraternity centered rape in the last year. I can’t remember much about the other one, but I do remember the girl was dead drunk and more than one guy assaulted her. I am strongly prejudiced against “group-think” as one of the main causes of despicable events like this, which I am mentioning because extreme behavior – drugs, alcohol, annoying loud music, fighting, sex in the form of either rape or voluntary participation, bad grades and academic cheating to “help a brother out” are all group-think issues. Parents fail to a large degree to teach their children to think for themselves and take responsibility for their own actions, no matter what “the guys” are doing. Some colleges have moved to prohibit fraternities on the campus at all. Of course, in many cases the fraternity just rents or purchases a house off campus and has even more wild and destructive fun there.

A death by alcohol poisoning at one of those houses was in the news within the last year or two, and at least one that I remember earlier that occurred in an on campus fraternity house. Hazing was the cause of those two, and other hazing abuse has from time to time been in the news. Kids that age will often endure any sort abuse just to be a part of such a prestigious group as a popular fraternity. Sororities have been in the news for similar things, although they generally have a little more common sense than that. Besides, if their parents find out they will be pulled out of situation immediately and sent to another college.

Young people when they are high and excited and “having fun” will do really bad things at with no compunction and little understanding of the consequences. Part of the problem is that until they are 21 or older young people aren’t emotionally in control and mature in their judgement yet. But the greatest cause of trouble is the drinking and drug use. Having women present at such a party at all, and consuming too much alcohol themselves, is also a real problem.

Colleges used to have more restrictive rules on the younger women. The only reason I got into UNC in my sophomore year was that my husband was newly accepted as a graduate student there. That kind of college policy was called “in loco parentis.” Young women at that time were not accepted there until their third year, due to the dangers that existed for them, as evidenced in this case. Both men and women of that age group get into more trouble of dangerous and generally foolish kinds than those who are just a few years older – driving down the highway at over a hundred miles an hour while watching a new hand held computer app that shows their speed and takes a video of them, to cite a recent case. The number of cases I’ve seen lately of young people committing serious crimes while videoing their actions is unnerving. They then proceeded to post it on their social media page!

A couple of recent psychological studies studied that very thing, with the conclusion that the parts of the brain that controls judgement and self-control are not always fully developed yet even into the early twenties. Of course, if a kid of mine did that I would put him under therapeutic psychiatric care so he could “think his way to a better way of thinking.” One to one and group therapies are very, very helpful in many cases. Of course, the kid has to become willing to try to work on his problems. Parents in the old days used to simply punish, and sometimes very severely, but they didn’t consider such actions to be a serious mental aberration. It was “sin” and “an embarrassment.” A couple of the young men who went on shooting sprees these last several years had been known for years to be “quiet” or odd,” but parents did nothing about it. There is a serious lack of understanding among most people about mental illness, and even more unfortunately, they still have a residual societal “shame” over it. Mental illness used to be considered inherited, and a sign that the whole family was suspect.

There are several things going on in this case that bother me. First, colleges have police forces. Big drunken parties like this shouldn’t be condoned and truly ignored by the university. Kids lying around on the lawn drunk are a real danger sign. A few fraternities in the news just in the last couple of years have actually been sanctioned by the university and either closed down or moved off campus for similar reasons. I personally think that the fraternity setting is the first cause of these problems. I would like to see the Greek system eliminated, as street gangs in the cities are. They’re essentially the same kind of thing, and they do not help a young man or woman to become more mature.

Finally, this young man didn’t just “make a bad decision,” he committed a particularly violent rape, according to the eye witness, on a woman who did not give consent and had no ability at the time to defend herself. The eyewitness went over to check on her and he said she was totally unconscious. While due to this boy’s tender age he perhaps shouldn’t have been put in prison for ten to life; he definitely should have been given more time in jail than three months, though. In addition, if a black street kid had been caught doing that he would have been punished much more severely – up to life in prison in some cases.

It is a highly elitist situation (“undesirable” characteristics include race, religion and lack of social status.) It also, like many sports activities, is essentially anti-intellectual rather than merely unintellectual. Being scholarly isn’t masculine or “cool,” in that viewpoint. If you’re a Jew you may have to find a specifically Jewish fraternity, and I have read about at least one exclusively black fraternity.

The whole thing works against the development of a good education, an exposure to a broader social world than is present in any exclusive group like that, and the mental improvement that should be happening in college. That just has to involve studying, and a student who is drunk half the time can’t do that nearly as well as one who is moderate in his habits. If I sound “conservative,” so be it.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-hillary-clinton-hopes-to-unify-the-democratic-party-with-sanders-against-trump/

How Hillary Clinton hopes to "unify the party"
By SHANIKA GUNARATNA CBS NEWS
June 8, 2016, 11:02 AM

Play VIDEO -- Sanders blasts Trump, concedes nothing
Play VIDEO -- Trump knocks Clinton in Tuesday night speech


Hillary Clinton has a new mission to "unify the party" after securing the number of delegates -- 2,838 including both pledged delegates and superdelegates -- needed for the Democratic Party nomination late Monday night.

Clinton said her campaign is reaching out to make inroads with the Sanders campaign.

"Our campaigns are talking to one another. I want to unify the party. I look forward to talking with him personally, because I think his campaign has been a really dynamic and exciting experience for the millions of Americans -- particularly young people -- who supported him," she said in an interview with ABC's David Muir before taking the stage to address supporters in Brooklyn, the home of her campaign.

In particular, she praised Sanders' commitment to universal health care coverage and income inequality. Looking forward, Clinton said she wants to address all Americans, "the struggling, the striving, the successful among us." In particular, she vowed to reach out to "places that are not realizing the benefits of our progressive economy," a potential reference to the predominantly blue-collar, white communities in which Senator Sanders won more votes throughout the primary campaign. The Vermont senator did not concede the race to Clinton in his speech late last night to supporters.

Reflecting on her primary fights in 2008 versus 2016, Clinton said that this time around she was heartened to see less resistance to a female presidential candidate.

"A lot of the challenges that we confronted back in '08 seem to have diminished -- I'm not going to say disappeared, but diminished -- there was a greater acceptance by people that a woman could be president, could be commander in chief. And I didn't really feel like I had to make that case. But instead I had to present my qualifications, my experience, what I want to do with my agenda for this country," she said.

Clinton went on to underscore the importance of having the first female on a major-party presidential ticket in the United States.

"Symbols mean something, and symbols often can spark hope in people, particularly young people. I think it will be a real milestone with our nomination for our country, but it will also send a signal around the world."

Asked about possible vice presidential picks like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, she insisted her campaign does not yet have a short list and will examine all possibilities. She also insisted there is "absolutely" nothing that has yet to be revealed from her email communications while serving as secretary of state that will disrupt her campaign against Donald Trump.

President Obama, who is in New York City today to tape an interview with Jimmy Fallon and attend two Democratic Party fundraisers, has not yet publicly endorsed Clinton but is expected to do so imminently now that the primary campaign has wound down.

"I think we're going to be fighting side by side," the former Secretary of State said of the president.

Pivoting to the general election, she called out Donald Trump for his "racist attack" on an Hispanic federal judge and the "cavalier, casual way" that he discusses the use of nuclear weapons on the world stage.

Clinton said she's looking forward to debating the presumptive Republican nominee one-on-one.

"I think it will be a singular moment in American history," she said.



“In particular, she praised Sanders' commitment to universal health care coverage and income inequality. Looking forward, Clinton said she wants to address all Americans, "the struggling, the striving, the successful among us." In particular, she vowed to reach out to "places that are not realizing the benefits of our progressive economy," a potential reference to the predominantly blue-collar, white communities in which Senator Sanders won more votes throughout the primary campaign. The Vermont senator did not concede the race to Clinton in his speech late last night to supporters. ….


“… there was a greater acceptance by people that a woman could be president, could be commander in chief. And I didn't really feel like I had to make that case. But instead I had to present my qualifications, my experience, what I want to do with my agenda for this country," she said.” My problem with her in this election has nothing to do with whether or not a woman can be a head of state. Of course we can -- Golda Meir, Indira Ghandi, and at least half a dozen others in the last century who are not specifically inheritors of the position like QEII!

I think in many, many cases women make better heads of state than men. They’re not perfect either and can be ambitious and corrupt, but their thinking process is less given to war for its’ own sake and personal advancement by murder. They are almost never what I would call a “dictator.” Well, Cleopatra, maybe. My objections to Clinton are her right-leaning stance these last few years, her “coziness” or so it seems to me with the Billionaires Club, and her noticeable lack of comment on social issues like better public education, the environment, the Social Security system.

If she will speak out on those issues, I will feel much better about voting for her. If she were to name Sanders as Vice President that would be even better. If she doesn’t make some noticeable improvements to further democratize the Democratic primary voting system, no more “superdelegates” for instance, and if the party as a whole doesn’t go back to its old stances in favor of unions and solving the greenhouse gas problem I am going to continue to look at dropping my membership in what has become largely a social club, and joining the Green Party or one that Sanders suggests.

Sanders’ followers are not merely “excited” or “young,” but seriously concerned about the direction of our country. My greatest worry about Trump is not his simple minded cynicism, but the number of followers he has actually amassed. There is a strong fascist movement in this country and other nations as well, and our Democrats need to put out at least propaganda for fairness in public life as the “conservatives” are putting out against it. I really want changes, and I hope she will make a real effort to solve those problems.

Our party has quit saying the things that need to be said to attract the many poor and ethnic people who are out there -- supporting worker actions and unions, increasing rather than diminishing the economic divide, making a real fight against the resegregation that is going on in the schools, the reemergence of localized repressive laws against minorities and unions, the fairly new issue of LGBT rights, and more. We need to be the Party of the People again. Go away, Koch Brothers!!!



http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/06/07/race-all-but-over-sanders-still-hopes-superdelegates-come-his-way/85546156/

Sanders says 'the struggle continues' even as Clinton declares victory
Nicole Gaudiano, USA TODAY
6:35 a.m. EDT June 8, 2016

Photograph -- Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders is vowing to stay in the presidential race. Sanders spoke in Santa Monica, California and vowed to take his fight to this summer's Democratic Convention. (June 8) AP
Photograph -- Bernie Sanders and his wife, Jane, in 1990. Gannett
USA TODAY -- Clinton makes history, declares win in Democratic race
USA TODAY -- Hillary Clinton clinches nomination: Here's how she did it


WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders isn’t giving up, at least for now, though the end appears to be coming near.

Hours after Hillary Clinton declared herself the winner of the Democratic nomination, Sanders pledged to continue his fight through the last primary on June 14 in Washington, D.C., where he will hold a rally Thursday, and then at the Democratic Party's convention in Philadelphia next month.

"I am pretty good in arithmetic and I know that the fight in front of us is a very, very steep fight," he told cheering supporters at an election night rally in Santa Monica. "But we will continue to fight for every vote and every delegate ... The struggle continues!"

The Associated Press announced Monday night that Hillary Clinton had secured support from enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination, and Tuesday she took the stage after a big victory in the New Jersey primary and declared the race over. Clinton was the winner in the South Dakota and New Mexico primaries and Sanders the winner in Montana's primary and North Dakota's caucus. The AP, CNN and NBC all called California for Clinton early Wednesday.

Sanders' delegate deficit has long been all but insurmountable. Clinton's campaign claimed a majority of the pledged convention delegates, though she will still need superdelegates to put her over the top for the nomination. The New York Times reported Tuesday that Sanders plans to lay off at least half his campaign staff on Wednesday, citing sources close to the campaign.

The White House announced on Tuesday night that President Obama will meet with Sanders — at the senator's request — on Thursday to continue discussing issues at stake in the election for working families. Obama called both Sanders and Clinton to congratulate them on their campaigns. He congratulated Clinton for securing the delegates necessary to clinch the Democratic nomination.

During his remarks, Sanders said he looks forward to working with Obama "to make sure that we move this country forward." His supporters booed when he said he received a "very gracious call" from Clinton and he congratulated her on her victories in Tuesday's contests.

Sanders' campaign continues to maintain some superdelegates — who may support the candidate of their choice — will switch their allegiance from Clinton to Sanders at next month's Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

"Superdelegates have a very important decision to make," Sanders told Lester Holt on NBC Nightly News on Tuesday. His supporters are calling superdelegates now, hoping to convince them he would do better than Clinton against GOP presumptive nominee Donald Trump in November.

Sanders laughed when Holt said that strategy defies history and the will of voters.

"Defying history is what this campaign has been about," he said.



"Superdelegates have a very important decision to make," Sanders told Lester Holt on NBC Nightly News on Tuesday. His supporters are calling superdelegates now, hoping to convince them he would do better than Clinton against GOP presumptive nominee Donald Trump in November. Sanders laughed when Holt said that strategy defies history and the will of voters. "Defying history is what this campaign has been about," he said.”


Sanders has been on a quest to right wrong, and it is not really foolish as some have already made it out to be. The worst failures are those which are never tried. His goal is worth the fight, which is why people are following him. Politicians without vision are empty shells, even if they make millions of dollars and reach positions of great power. Most politicians are of this sort, so I’m glad to have experienced his thoughts, goals and courage. I am also glad to be in a country which, so far at least, allows people to speak their mind in ways and areas that are controversial. Thank goodness for America.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pakistan-mom-burns-daughter-alive-honor-killing/

Mom burns daughter alive for eloping, has no regrets
AP June 8, 2016, 12:14 PM

Photograph -- Pakistani Hassan Khan shows a picture of his wife, Zeenat Rafiq, who was burned alive, allegedly by her mother, on a mobile phone to media at his home in Lahore, Pakistan, on June 8, 2016. AP PHOTO/K.M. CHAUDARY


LAHORE, Pakistan -- A woman in Pakistan burned her 17-year-old daughter alive on Wednesday to punish her for marrying against the family's wishes, the latest in a series of so-called "honor killings" that claim the lives of nearly 1,000 women every year in the conservative Muslim country.

Police say Zeenat Rafiq's mother, Parveen, tied her to a cot and drenched her with kerosene before lighting her on fire. Neighbors in the congested, working-class neighborhood in the eastern city of Lahore came running when they heard the screams, but family members kept them from entering the house, said Nighat Bibi, who lives nearby.

The police eventually arrived and found the charred body near a staircase. They arrested the mother soon thereafter.

The victim's husband, Hassan Khan, told reporters the two had been "in love since our school days" but the family had rejected several marriage proposals, forcing them to elope last month. He showed an affidavit of consent signed by his wife before a magistrate. He also showed cellphone photos of a smiling Zeenat wearing a red dress.

Sheikh Hammad, a local police official, said Parveen confessed to killing her daughter with the help of her son Ahmar. He quoted the woman as saying "I don't have any regrets." Another police officer, Ibadat Nisar, said the body showed signs of beating and strangulation.

Hundreds of women are killed every year in Pakistan -- often by their own family members -- for violating the country's conservative norms regarding love and marriage. Sex outside of marriage is seen by conservative Pakistanis as a stain on the honor of the woman's entire family, one that can only be removed by killing her.

Last week a schoolteacher, Maria Bibi, was set on fire for refusing to marry a man twice her age. The prime suspect in the case - the father of the man she refused to marry - and the other four are in custody.

A month earlier, police arrested 13 members of a local tribal council who allegedly strangled a girl and set her on fire for helping a friend elope. The charred body of 17-year-old Ambreen Riasat was found in a burned van.

Khan, the husband of the woman killed in Lahore, said her mother and uncle had visited her three days ago to try to persuade her to return home and have a marriage ceremony with the family, so that she wouldn't be branded as someone who had eloped. He recalled his wife telling him: "Don't let me go, they will kill me."



Religion is one of the most harmful things in the world, if it is one of those that requires OBEDIENCE over THOUGHT; and most or all of the “conservative” religious groups are of that nature. More Group-think run amok! It isn’t just Islamic groups, either. A man and woman who were heads of a very small and extreme Protestant group in the US, who focused on beating their children as a command from God, were in the news about six months ago for actually beating their older teenaged son to death for disobedience. It was a group thing, with the whole family including his siblings joining in. I am glad to say that mentally healthy and fully intelligent people don’t do things like that. I won’t say that Pakistanis are primitive or that all Islam is evil, but I do say that this “honor killing” thing is. If I were a prophet of old, I would say “Repent!” A normal person has enough basic empathy not to do such vicious things. Those parents were arrested, of course, but the mental seed from which that action was born remains at large. Religions in this country are like police officers – there are very few actual restraints on what they are allowed to do and get away with it.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/video-mom-fights-off-daughters-attempted-kidnapper/

Watch: Mom fights off daughter's attempted kidnapper
By CRIMESIDER STAFF CBS NEWS
June 8, 2016, 10:29 AM

Photograph -- craig-bonello.jpg, Craig Bonello, CITRUS COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT
Photograph -- 1acitrus.jpg, Citrus County Sheriff's Deputy John Behnen addressing the media Wednesday, June 8, 2016 CITRUS COUNTY SHERIFF VIA FACEBOOK


HERNANDO, Fla. - A Florida man was arrested on charges of kidnapping and child abuse after store surveillance video showed him dragging a 13-year-old girl away from a desperate mother.

Surveillance video shows the suspect, who police say is 30-year-old Craig Bonello, calmly pushing a shopping cart inside a Dollar General in Hernando, Florida Tuesday before abandoning the cart and walking toward the woman.

A few seconds later the man can be seen toward the edge of the screen lunging for the girl, then dragging her toward the camera and through the store, as the mother gives chase. Near the front of the store, he can be seen struggling as the woman tries to pull her child away.

"He was getting his butt kicked by mom," Citrus County Sheriff Jeffrey Dawsy said at a press conference Wednesday.

Finally the man lets go and takes off running. Outside the store, the mother and the store manager flagged down off-duty Deputy John Behnen.

Investigators believe the attack was random, but premeditated.

"You can tell he searched out his victims, he stretched and he went after that child with terrible terrible motives," Dawsy said.

Behnen also spoke at Wednesday's press conference.

"When I first saw him run out of the building, I have to be honest, I just thought it was shoplifting," Behnen said.

But then he noticed the girl's mother and the store manager who alerted him to the alleged attempted kidnapping.

Behnen said he followed the suspect, who had gotten into a car, and cornered him.

"I banged on the glass with my gun to try and break (it)," Behnen said.

Ultimately, Behnen managed to open the car door, and get Bonello to the ground, he said.

"He fought a little bit, but when he realized I had the upper edge, he complied with everything thereafter," Behnen said.

Bonello made his first court appearance Wednesday. The child and her mother were not injured during the incident, authorities said. They told investigators that they have never met the suspect before, according to an affidavit obtained by CBS News.

Bonello allegedly admitted to investigators that he did not know the victims, according to the affidavit.

"The defendant would not advise what he planned on doing after he would have taken the victim," a detective wrote in the affidavit.

At the press conference on Wednesday, Dawsy encouraged parents to fight back if they find themselves in a similar situation the mother faced Tuesday.

"In that particular situation you don't back away," Dawsy said. "If your child is being snatched, you are going to do anything."



“Bonello allegedly admitted to investigators that he did not know the victims, according to the affidavit. "The defendant would not advise what he planned on doing after he would have taken the victim," a detective wrote in the affidavit. At the press conference on Wednesday, Dawsy encouraged parents to fight back if they find themselves in a similar situation the mother faced Tuesday.”


A lot of people do have the idea that being a pacifist is going to get them into heaven, but I absolutely do not agree. Kids on the playground, especially in those rough schools, will be bullied if they behave in a passive and or timid way. We need to teach the ability to fight and do it effectively, but the understanding and temperament not to do it unnecessarily. The woman’s actions in this case were “spot on,” as the Brits say.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/super-pac-launches-ad-hitting-trump-over-mocking-disabled-reporter/

Super PAC launches ad hitting Trump over mockery of disabled reporter
By REENA FLORES CBS NEWS
June 8, 2016, 12:01 PM

Priorities USA Action, a super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton, launched a devastating new ad this week resurfacing Donald Trump's mockery of a disabled reporter.

The minute-long spot, titled "Grace," features Chris and Lauren Glaros of Columbus, Ohio, a couple whose daughter was born with spina bifida, a disability where a baby's spinal cord fails to properly develop.

"Grace is the happiest child you've ever seen," Chris Glaros says in the ad, as photos of their smiling daughter appear on screen. "Despite all of her medical challenges, she brings out the goodness in each person."

"When I saw Donald Trump mock a disabled person, I was shocked," Lauren Glaros said.

The video cuts to a CNN report of Trump's comments, made back in November, ridiculing New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski.

"You should've seen this guy -- 'Ahh, I don't know what I said, I don't remember,'" Trump mocked at a South Carolina rally, flailing his arms around in an apparent impersonation of Kovaleski, who suffers from a condition that limits the mobility of his joints.

"The children at Grace's school all know never to mock her," Lauren Glaros continued. "And so for an adult to mock someone with a disability is shocking."

Her husband added: "When I saw Donald Trump mock someone with a disability, it showed me his soul. It showed me his heart. I didn't like what I saw."

Watch it in full here:

For his part, Trump has taken issue with the characterization that he had poked fun at Kovaleski for his disability.

After a media firestorm over the comments, Trump, now the presumptive Republican nominee, denied that he was "mocking" the reporter.

"They said I was mocking him," Trump explained in late November. "I would never mock a person that has difficulty. I would never do that -- I'm telling you. I would never do it."

Instead, Trump said, his gesticulating was simply "trying to show somebody groveling to take back the statement he made."

The spot will air as part of a $20 million Priorities USA reservation. The group intends to air it from Wednesday through the Republican convention in July in seven critical general election states: Ohio, Virginia, Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa, Colorado and Nevada.


"The children at Grace's school all know never to mock her," Lauren Glaros continued. "And so for an adult to mock someone with a disability is shocking." Her husband added: "When I saw Donald Trump mock someone with a disability, it showed me his soul. It showed me his heart. I didn't like what I saw." …. Instead, Trump said, his gesticulating was simply "trying to show somebody groveling to take back the statement he made." The spot will air as part of a $20 million Priorities USA reservation. The group intends to air it from Wednesday through the Republican convention in July in seven critical general election states: Ohio, Virginia, Florida, New Hampshire, Iowa, Colorado and Nevada.”


People who make fun of the unfortunate really are disgusting to me and to most decent people. That scene of him waving his arms around and grimacing left a visual impression on my mind which I won’t forget. I do hope some of his followers actually do have a conscience, however, so that they will not vote for him in November. If Clinton’s PAC money can be put to good use, I would say this instance is one of those.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/yellowstone-national-park-visitor-dead-hot-spring/

Rangers search for man who fell into Yellowstone hot spring
CBS/AP June 8, 2016, 9:44 AM

12 Photos -- A view of the Norris Geyser Basin at Yellowstone National Park on May 12, 2016. MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
12 PHOTOS -- National Geographic explores Yellowstone


YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- Rangers searched Tuesday for a man who fell into a hot spring at Yellowstone National Park.

A witness reported seeing a man in his early 20s walk off the boardwalk in the Norris Geyser Basin area and fall into the thermal spring about 225 yards away, park officials said in a statement to CBS affiliate KRTV.

Rangers said the man probably died because he has not been located, and searchers are being extra cautious because of the spring's dangerous thermal features.

"The recovery process is very difficult because of the hazards of the environment," park spokeswoman Charissa Reid told KRTV.

Reid said the man is in his 20s, but she would not identify the man or where he is from.

The Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest and most dynamic thermal area in Yellowstone, which features springs that can reach temperatures close to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tuesday's search comes on the heels of several other high-profile incidents at the park.

On Saturday, a 13-year-old boy was burned around his ankle and foot after his father, who had been carrying him, slipped in the park's Upper Geyser Basin hot spring.

In May, a Canadian film crew was accused of leaving an established boardwalk and stepping onto a geothermal feature where they snapped photos and took video of themselves.

Also last month, another Canadian man loaded a bison calf into his SUV because he thought it was cold. The calf later had to be euthanized because it could not be reunited with its herd.

In April, park officials warned people against approaching wildlife in the park after a woman was caught on video petting a bison.

Nearly 4.1 million people visited Yellowstone in 2015.


Dumb ta dumb dumb, dumb! The several incidents described in this article show a level of carelessness that I would not expect to see. Yellowstone isn’t a theme park. It’s a live volcano.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kerry-washington-lost-tv-show-jobs-for-not-being-sounding-hood-enough/

By PHILIANA NG ET ONLINE June 8, 2016, 12:39 PM
Kerry Washington lost TV show jobs for not being sounding "hood" enough

Photograph -- Kerry Washington attends the "Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2016 in New York City. MIKE COPPOLA/GETTY IMAGES
Related: Kerry Washington slams photoshopped AdWeek cover


Before landing ABC's hit drama "Scandal," Kerry Washington says she was let go from several television projects for not fulfilling Hollywood stereotypes of black women.

"Before 'Scandal,' I was actually cast in two other pilots. Both went to series, but I was fired and recast," the 39-year-old actress recently revealed during Variety's Actors on Actors series, where she was joined by "Master of None"'s Aziz Ansari.

"For both, it was because they wanted me to sound more 'girlfriend,' more like 'hood,' more 'urban,'" she explained.

But Washington isn't alone. She recounted past conversations she's had with friends who recalled similar experiences they faced when overcoming Hollywood stereotypes.

"I've had friends of mine say they're tired of 'gayface' and I was like, 'What's gayface?' They were like, 'It's the gay version of blackface. Like, come in and be more effeminate,'" she recalled pals telling her.

Damning study finds a "whitewashed" Hollywood

Ansari chimed in with his own stories of casting stereotypes, saying he's found out after the fact that he booked certain roles because they were looking for a specific look. The actor and comedian even addressed the issue in an episode of "Master of None."

"A lot of other minority actors have told me, 'Oh, this so rings a bell,' when you go into an audition room and you see a bunch of people that look like you and you just start feeling like, 'Oh, I'm not here [for me]. I'm here because I fit what looks like the person they want in here,'" the former "Parks and Recreation" star said.



Hollywood is obviously trying to fulfill what the director/producer THINKS the audience wants, and as a result they produce shows that I would describe as “shallow, plastic, silly, poorly directed,” etc. They’re trying to find the magic button for an instant success by the process of dumbing down, but they lose out in the end, because when I see that trailer on TV, I look to see what quality of production it seems to be. If it looks false and ridiculous I won’t spend my money on it, not even as a rental.