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23 Nov 2011 14:50

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U.S.: New allegations against Jerry Sandusky made by family member

  • from bad… Yesterday brought reports that two more allegations of sexual assault had been leveled at former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky. The claims are being investigated by the state’s Children and Youth Services, which means the two accusers are under the age of 18.
  • …to worse Subsequent reporting today suggests that one of the two juvenile accusers is, in fact, a member of the Sandusky family. According to Sandusky’s attorney, Joe Amendola (a dubious choice), the claims were brought forward after his client’s arrest. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Nov 2011 14:38

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U.S.: Penn State: Number of allegations against Sandusky roughly doubles

  • 10 or so new claims of sexual assault against Jerry Sandusky source
  • » The floodgates open: One of the macabre ongoing aspects of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse story has been the suspicion that the eight children the authorities believed had been victimized weren’t the only ones. This fear looks to have been warranted, as a source close to the investigation told the New York Times yesterday that about ten more people had come forward to authorities with new allegations. This comes on the heels of Sandusky’s interview last night with Bob Costas, in which he insisted the allegations were untrue and that he’d only showered with children and “horsed around” with them.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 May 2011 20:13

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World: Strauss-Kahn case may change France’s lassiez-faire views on sex

  • 1980 the year rape was formally outlawed in France — which is fairly late by historic standards
  • 75k number of rapes per year, according to France’s own government studies
  • 10% share of victims that file complaints each year, according to French women’s groups source
  • » The catalyst for changing perceptions? French society has long considered sexual matters private, but the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case — taking place in a society with a more stringent view on women’s’ rights — could help change that. While French legislation slowly turns the screws in favor of protecting victims of harassment and sexual abuse, the trial of a very powerful figure could have a lasting cultural effect, according to Claude Katz, a French attorney who focuses on sexual harassment cases. “It will empower victims of sexual abuse in France because if a maid can speak against a powerful man, others will have a stronger voice,” he explains.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Mar 2011 14:21

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World: Released NYT journalists recount arrest horror

  • I heard in Arabic, ‘shoot them,’ and we all thought it was over.
  • New York Times foreign correspondent Anthony Shadid • Reflecting on his arrest, as well as his three NYT compatriots, at the hands of pro-Gaddafi forces in Libya. The story seems to indicate a reluctance Gaddafi’s people had to actually make good on that remark and shoot the journalists; upon realizing they were Americans, they thankfully scuttled that plan. Lynsey Addario got the worst treatment, having “every inch of [her] body” groped by the pro-Gaddafi soldiers, while photographer Tyler Hicks was threatened with decapitation. So, all in all, a pretty sickening story, and one that we hope people remember when somebody is mocking a journalist on the ground for feeling threatened. These are real dangers, folks. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Sep 2010 10:15

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World: Pope Benedict’s response the talk of Twitter this morning


Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Sep 2010 10:10

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World: Pope Benedict finally decides to criticize the abuse crisis

  • I must say that these revelations were a shock for me, a great sadness.
  • Pope Benedict XVI • Stumbling to the kind of response he should’ve made a long time ago about the sex abuse crisis, and the church’s pathetic response. “The first interest is the victims,” he said, and that the church was trying to figure out “how can we repair, what can we do to help them to overcome the trauma, to re-find their lives.” Pope Benedict made these comments in Britain in the first papal trip to the country since 1982. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Jun 2010 11:37

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U.S.: People are abusing painkillers more than ever before

  • 145k number of emergency visits caused by the nonmedical abuse of painkillers of 2004
  • 305k number of emergency visits caused by the nonmedical abuse of painkillers in 2008
  • 111% the size of the increase; the CDC says urgent action is needed to limit further abuse source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

18 Apr 2010 11:05

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World: We have no soul: Post about Pope right after “Shake Weight” parody

Pope Benedict, currently in damage-control mode, apologized directly to eight abuse victims in Malta and said the Church would right the wrongs of the past. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Apr 2010 09:56

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World: The Vatican’s Jewish persecution comparison didn’t go over well

  • “This is really in bad taste.” On the list of least likely things you would’ve expected to come from the Vatican, a comparison of an abuse scandal and cover-up to Jewish persecution is pretty high. And a bunch of Jews aren’t happy about it, either. A Vatican spokesperson finally did some damage control, saying the line “is absolutely not the line of the Vatican and of the Catholic Church,” but the damage has already been done. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

01 Apr 2010 10:13

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World: Could Pope Benedict be charged in a abuse scandal cover-up?

  • NO because he’s a head of state, the Vatican says source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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