June 7, 2015

Eight Charged In Malala Attack Secretly Acquitted

MINGORA, Pakistan (AP) — The Pakistani police and the country's public prosecutor said Friday that eight out of 10 militants charged with involvement in the 2012 attack on teenage activist and later Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai were actually acquitted in April — and not sentenced to life in prison as reported at the time.

The stunning announcement, which first came from Pakistan's deputy police chief, Azad Khan, offered no explanation as to why authorities had remained silent for so many weeks or why they had failed to correct the facts earlier.

In April, public prosecutor Sayed Naeem said 10 militants charged over the attack were all convicted by an anti-terrorism court and sentenced to life imprisonment. At the time, he said the court announced the ruling at an undisclosed location because of security concerns.

On Friday, Naeem said only two of the militants were imprisoned for life while the others were acquitted due to lack of evidence.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/05/malala-attack-acquitted_n_7518368.html?utm_hp_ref=world

June 7, 2015

Russia, Qatar, Could Lose The World Cup If Dirty Bidding Claims Are Confirmed: FIFA Official

FIFA, the international soccer governing body, could strip Russia and Qatar of their World Cup hosting rights if evidence comes to light there was corruption in the bidding process, a FIFA official said Sunday.

Domenico Scala, the chairman of FIFA's audit and compliance committee, said that 2018 World Cup host Russia and 2022 World Cup host Qatar could be in trouble if allegations of bribery turn out to be true, Reuters reported.

"If evidence should emerge that the awards to Qatar and Russia only came about thanks to bought votes, then the awards could be invalidated," Scala told the Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung Sunday. "This evidence has not yet been brought forth."

Both countries have denied anything improper went down during the bidding process. Qatar officials have called the allegations of a corrupt bid "prejudice" and "racism."


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/07/russia-qatar-world-cup_n_7529490.html

June 7, 2015

Lindsey Graham thinks Caitlyn Jenner should vote for him although ‘I haven’t walked in her shoes’

In an interview with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the recently announced candidate for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination said that Caitlyn Jenner should vote for him, while admitting that “I haven’t walked in her shoes.”

Speaking with Dana Bash on CNN, Graham spoke about the former Olympic athlete who recently came out as Caitlyn Jenner on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine, and defended her against conservatives who say they want no part of her in the Republican Party.

Graham said that Jenner, who identifies as a Republican, would be welcome in his campaign and that he would love to have her vote.

“If Caitlyn Jenner wants to be safe and have a prosperous economy, vote for me,” Graham said. “I’m into addition.”

Occasionally stumbling over pronouns, he added, “I haven’t walked in her shoes. I don’t have all the answers to the mysteries of life, and I can only imagine the torment Bruce Jenner went through. I’m a pro-life, traditional kind of guy, but I’m running to be President of the United States. If Caitlyn Jenner wants to be a Republican, she is welcome in my party.”


http://www.rawstory.com/2015/06/lindsey-graham-thinks-caitlyn-jenner-should-vote-for-him-although-i-havent-walked-in-her-shoes/

June 7, 2015

Sen. Joni Ernst: U.S. troops ‘are ready to go back’ to fight a new war in Iraq

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) said over the weekend that U.S. troops were “ready to go back” to Iraq to fight ISIS.

In an interview with ABC’s Jonathan Karl that aired on Sunday, Ernst pointed out that she had not yet made a call for ground troops to be redeployed to Iraq.

“I am not ready to put ground troops in, but I think we are coming to a juncture where we will have to make that hard decision,” Ernst argued.

“How would you tell those military families, again though, when so many have fought, so many have died, how do you say we’re going to go back again?” Karl wondered.


http://www.rawstory.com/2015/06/sen-joni-ernst-u-s-troops-are-ready-to-go-back-to-iraq/

June 7, 2015

About Time: S.F. school board bans out-of-towners at perfoming arts high school

Personal Note: Perhaps school districts should form a regional performing arts school.


San Francisco will close borders to talented and artistic teens looking for a free and prestigious arts education at the city’s Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, a decision derided by many students, parents and teachers, yet unanimously approved by the school board Tuesday.

The decision ends the long-standing practice of allowing transfer students from other school districts to audition and gain admission to the high school, considered among the region’s most elite public art schools. The new policy will apply to admission for fall 2016. Current out-of-town students would be allowed to complete high school there, as well as those admitted for the incoming freshman class.

Opponents who crowded the school board chambers Tuesday night said the decision would water down the talent pool. Several students held signs that read, “SOTA = Talent,” and “Keep SOTA Pre-Professional,” using the common acronym for the school.
“I have friends that live three or four blocks away outside of San Francisco,” said Salena Nguyen, a junior theater student. “They don’t have any other options for an arts high school.”

Teachers also urged the board to allow them to maintain the quality of their programs.

“SOTA is a school for classical arts, not cartooning, graffiti art and hip-hop dance,” said teacher Donald Fontowitz in an e-mail to the school board and The Chronicle, urging the district to beef up classical art instruction in elementary and middle schools to increase city applicants. “We know how to run our school, we don't need help from downtown.”


http://www.sfgate.com/education/article/S-F-district-bans-out-of-towners-at-art-high-6288171.php

June 7, 2015

Vallejo pastor to teachers: If you don't feel safe, just leave.

“You, as a board, should be trying to protect children from being portrayed as animals,” he said. “But please, stop saying that people are being shot, stabbed, and killed in Vallejo public schools. That is not happening.”

Quick also said if teachers don’t feel safe in the district, they should leave.

“If teachers don’t like being here, and aren’t safe, they shouldn’t teach here,” Quick said. “You can’t teach a child you’re afraid of.”


http://www.timesheraldonline.com/social-affairs/20150604/community-shows-support-for-vallejo-school-superintendent

June 7, 2015

Joni Ernst Tells Hillary to Focus on Women’s Issues, Like ‘Strong Nat’l Defense’

Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), who’s been auditioning for the role of Iowa king/queenmaker in the 2016 GOP primary, told putative Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton that the candidate’s gender mattered less than her focus on women’s issues — which, according to Ernst, included a strong national defense.

The comment was a reference to one of Clinton’s from last fall’s midterm, in which Clinton told Ernst “it’s not enough to be a woman,” days before Ernst won her election.

“Hillary, it’s not enough to be a woman, you have to care about women’s issues,” Ernst said. “Women’s issues here in Iowa are that we have a strong economy, we have jobs that our sons and daughters can go off to some day. We have a great education system. And women want strong national defense. We want to know that our families are going to be safe.”


http://www.mediaite.com/tv/joni-ernst-tells-hillary-to-focus-on-womens-issues-like-strong-natl-defense/

June 7, 2015

Florida man exercises Second Amendment rights on own brother.

A man from Orlando, Florida, was asleep in his home on Friday night with his wife when he heard a noise in his kitchen. He grabbed his semi-automatic handgun and went to check out the sound. He saw someone standing in the home and fired his weapon. The man then realized the person he just shot was his teen brother. He immediately performed CPR, and his wife called 911. Sadly, the 17-year-old brother, Leonard “Leo” Stay, passed away from his injuries.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that Leonard “Leo” Stay was a beloved teen that attended Ocoee High School. The 17-year-old would have been a senior next year. Teachers at Leo’s school say he had a big heart and was always smiling. Leo had joined the wrestling team during the spring semester, and his coach says he was known for lifting people up and his positive nature.

In addition to being a caring student at Ocoee High School, Leo was also involved in his local church, Mt. Zion Tabernacle Christian Church in Pine Hills. Leo’s pastor, Stanley Murray, says the teen spent a lot of time with the church and could be found feeding the homeless, serving as an usher, and mentoring other youth at the church. He also was the coordinator of a traveling mime dance troop. The troop would travel for performances at other churches in the area. Murray says despite all of his talents, the teen was very humble.

Unfortunately, all of that came to an end on Friday night when Leo’s 32-year-old brother shot and killed him after he mistook the teen for a home intruder. The report indicates that Leo lived with his older brother and his brother’s wife, but that for some unknown reason on Friday night around 11:30 pm, his brother shot him after hearing a noise in the home.



http://www.inquisitr.com/2151796/florida-man-shoots-dead-his-teen-brother-after-he-mistook-him-for-home-intruder/#38MyMbdsKBDO2g5s.99

June 7, 2015

Florida Man calls 911 to brag about big muscles, hits on dispatcher

A 911 dispatcher received an odd call Wednesday night when the Florida man on the other end didn't have an emergency, but instead wanted to brag about his "big muscles."

Eduardo Raoul Garcia of Fruitland Park went on to ask the female dispatcher if she was single and continued to describe his "big muscles."

He called the dispatcher two more times before she hung up and notified enforcement.

When cops finally found Garcia, he was camped out in a tent in Lake Griffin State Park, 50 miles north of Orlando, with an open can of beer in hand and three more cold ones beside him.


http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/national/florida-man-calls-911-brag-about-big-muscles-hits-/nmXqP/#__federated=1

June 7, 2015

Dear Rick Perry: No, Hillary is not trying to play to Texas.

Rick Perry is pressing his attack on Hillary Clinton on voting rights, accusing her of calling out Texas voters for their support of voter ID laws.

Asked about the Democratic front-runner’s speech last week, railing against voter ID laws like those in Texas, Perry said Clinton was alienating voters.

“This is a state issue,” said the former Republican governor of Texas, who often invokes states’ rights and the 10th Amendment. “This is an issue that the people of the state of Texas overwhelmingly support...I don’t know who she’s playing to, but she’s not playing to the people of the state of Texas.”

In 2011, Texas,passed a strict voter identification law required for voters at the polls, which was upheld by U.S. the Supreme Court.



http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/perry-hits-clinton-for-dissing-texas-on-voter-ids-118707.html#ixzz3cOX7Qrdo