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Florida single mom injured, spends night in jail for phone recording traffic stop, falsely threatened with felony charges

Jason Howerton
TheBlaze
Tue, 18 Feb 2014 16:37 UTC
police arrest cellphone record
© WPLG-TV
Brandy Burning
A Florida woman spent the night in jail after a Broward County sheriff's deputy accused her of committing a "felony" by audio recording their conversation during a simple traffic stop. Upon review, all charges against her were dropped - but now the Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) is facing a lawsuit.

Brandy Burning, a single mom, was pulled over by BSO Lt. William O'Brien for driving in an HOV lane. After some back-and-forth about her traffic violation, Burning informed the officer that she was recording their conversation.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you I was recording our conversation," Burning is heard saying in the audio.

"I'm sorry?" O'Brien responds.

"I have to tell you, I forgot to tell you I was recording," she repeats.

It was at this point that O'Brien accused her of committing a "felony" and demanded the cellphone. He also told her he knows the law better than she does.

"You are committing a felony. Hand me the phone," O'Brien orders.

"No, I am not," the defiant woman says in the audio. "I am not giving up my phone."


As Washington Post opinion blogger Radley Balko correctly notes, "[In] every state in America, you are well within your rights to record an on-duty police officer."
      Read More...
Sheriff

Georgia cop fatally shoots teen boy who was holding a Wii video game controller

David Edwards
Raw Story
Wed, 19 Feb 2014 15:51 UTC
Image

Christopher Roupe, 17, was in the ROTC at Woodland High School and wanted to join the Marines. His friends said he looked after them
A family in Georgia said this week that a police officer should never have killed 17-year-old Christopher Roupe because he was only holding a video game controller, not a gun as authorities have claimed.

According to WSB-TV, Roupe had been shot to death on Friday when Euharlee officers showed up at his home to serve a probation violation warrant on his father. The officer later told state investigators that she was forced to shoot because Roupe had pointed at gun at her when he opened the door.

But Roupe's family and witnesses who were at the scene said that the officer's statement was just not true.

Attorney Cole Law, who is representing the family, told WSB-TV that the boy was holding a Wii video game controller because he was getting ready to watch a movie.
      Read More...
USA

Blondie Bennett, Barbie-obsessed woman, uses hypnotherapy to make herself 'brainless'


Huffington Post
Wed, 19 Feb 2014 15:44 UTC
Image

Blondie, 38, regularly uses Botox and lip fillers and is training herself to become 'dumb' like the doll she idolises
A California woman who describes herself as Barbie-obsessed says she uses hypnotherapy sessions in the hopes that it will decrease her IQ.

"I just want to be the ultimate Barbie. I actually want to be brainless," Blondie Bennett, 38, told Barcroft TV. "I don't like being human, if that makes sense... Natural is boring... I would love to be like, completely plastic."

Bennett has had five breast augmentations and other procedures in the hopes of attaining her goal. But now she says she's undergoing hypnotherapy sessions two-to-three times a week in order to dumb down her thoughts.

She says it's working.
      Read More...
Handcuffs

Caught on video: Man shoving girlfriend into manhole to escape debt he owed her

YJ News
Anika Rao
Wed, 19 Feb 2014 00:00 UTC
Image
A man owed his girlfriend a lot of money, and rather than paying her back he tried to kill her.

Shocking surveillance video showed the assassination attempt in southern China.

The video that was taken in the city of Haikou, in Hainan province, showed the unidentified man removing a manhole cover and replacing it with a piece of cardboard.

Next, he was seen walking with his girlfriend into the trap he had set for her.

When she fell in, he aggressively pushed her deeper into the sewer drain and replaced the lid.
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Stock Down

Snowballing Disaster: Fourth Georgia hospital closes due to Obamacare payment cuts


The Daily Caller
Wed, 19 Feb 2014 14:26 UTC
Image
The fourth Georgia hospital in two years is closing its doors due to severe financial difficulties caused by Obamacare's payment cuts for emergency services.

The Lower Oconee Community Hospital is, for now, a critical access hospital in southeastern Georgia that holds 25 beds. The hospital is suffering from serious cash-flow problems, largely due to the area's 23 percent uninsured population, and hopes to reopen as "some kind of urgent care center," CEO Karen O'Neal said.

Many hospitals in the 25 states that rejected the Medicaid expansion are facing similar financial problems. Liberal administration ally Think Progress has already faulted Georgia for not expanding Medicaid as Obamacare envisioned.
      Read More...
Arrow Down

Newly found coal ash spill pouring arsenic into North Carolina river

Sarah Lazare
Common Dreams
Wed, 19 Feb 2014 00:00 UTC
Image
© Eric Chance / Appalachian Voice
The Dan River in Danville, approximately 20 miles downstream of the spill, was left dark and cloudy from the first release of tens of thousands of tons of coal ash
North Carolina authorities believe that a second storm pipe has burst at the Eden coal ash dumping pond owned by Duke Energy, sending another mass discharge of arsenic and lead-laden waste into the Dan River, which is still severely polluted from a similar spill in early February.

The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources announced Tuesday that it had made the discovery while investigating the site. Their statement noted "elevated levels of arsenic" in the water.

"Given what we've seen, we're concerned that this second stormwater pipe on site may also be leaking water contaminated with coal ash pollutants into the Dan River," said Tom Reeder, director of the N.C. Division of Water Resources. "As such, we are ordering Duke Energy to eliminate this unauthorized discharge immediately."
      Read More...
Pirates

Soccer world cup 2022: 'Over 500 Indian migrants died in Qatar since 2012'


Press TV
Wed, 19 Feb 2014 12:55 UTC
Migrant workers deaths in Qatar
© AFP Photo / Carl Court
Protesters demonstrate against the perceived exploitation of workers in Qatar, the location of the 2022 World Cup, before a UEFA Congress in central London on May 24, 2013.

Since the beginning of 2012, more than 500 Indian migrant workers have died in Qatar as Doha prepares for the 2022 World Cup scheduled to be held in the country.According to official figures confirmed by the Indian embassy in Doha, 237 Indians died in 2012, while 241 lost their lives in 2013. Another 24 deaths have also been recorded for January this year.

The Indian embassy also said that since the World Cup was awarded to Qatar in late 2010, a total of 717 deaths have been registered. In 2010, 233 Indian migrants working on construction projects lost their lives, while another 239 died in 2011.

Indian officials have not yet released information such as the migrants' identities or the exact causes of deaths.

Meanwhile, Qatar's National Human Rights Committee has described the number of deaths to be "normal," saying Indians form the country's largest community.

"Indians make up the largest community in Qatar... twice the number of Qatari nationals," the committee said in a statement.
      Read More...
USA

Meet Thomas Galante - The corrupt head librarian with a $2 million golden parachute

Michael Krieger
Liberty Blitzkrieg
Wed, 19 Feb 2014 12:17 UTC
Thomas Galante
© Christie Farriella/New York Daily News
Queens Library CEO Thomas Galante, shown, is in Queens Borough President Melinda Katz's crosshairs after his $2 million golden parachute, $392,000 salary, $200,000 secret job and bill for $140,000 in renovations to his executive offices came to light.
An incredible story of shameless corruption by a "public servant" has been exposed by the New York Daily News. Sure we've all heard of banksters and Congress getting away with wild amounts of theft and lawlessness at the public's expense and then walking off even wealthier for it, but it appears the epidemic of theft is spreading fast throughout society.

Meet Thomas Galante, head of the Queens Library. As "chief executive" of the library, we find out that his many duties consisted of a taxpayer funded $329,000 salary, a sports car, $140,000 in renovations to his office, including a $26,000 private smoking deck.

Oh, but that's not it. No, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Galante was also working a side job as a "business consultant" for the Elmont Union Free School District in Long Island, a role that earned him an additional $143,000 annually. Wait, it gets even better. Now that all of this has been uncovered, he is set to receive a $2 million golden parachute if he is fired. $2 million for a head librarian.

This guy has learned very well from his proximity to Wall Street.
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Snakes in Suits

Chevron apologizes to residents of small town after their fracking well exploded and burned for five days leaving one dead...with a coupon for free PIZZA

Joshua Gardner
Daily Mail, UK
Tue, 18 Feb 2014 11:36 UTC
Image

What the frack? Residents of Bobtown, Pennsylvania got an apology for a massive fracking well explosion in the form of a coupon for pizza
* Residents of Bobtown, Pennsylvania received coupons for a free large pizza as an apology the massive explosion in their tiny town

* Townspeople heard a deafening boom and and then saw flames shoot into the air February 11

* Many residents were concerned over what toxins were released into the soil, water and air

* The coupon also entitles them to a free 2-liter of soda


One hundred residents of a tiny Pennsylvania town where a fracking well exploded last week into a specular and deadly tower of flame, killing one and burning extremely hot for five days, have received an apology in the form of a pizza coupon.

Chevron sent the people of Bobtown a certificate that entitles them to a large pie at their local pizza joint, along with a letter dated February 16 assuring residents of the $250 billion company's dedication to safety.

The gift certificate also gets its holder a free 2-liter of soda.
      Read More...
Star of David

Denmark accused of anti-Semitism as it bans religious slaughter of animals for kosher and halal meat

William Turvill
Daily Mail
Wed, 19 Feb 2014 10:43 UTC
Halal meat ban
© Alamy
The Danish government has passed a law banning the religious slaughter of animals for halal and kosher meat.
The government in Denmark has been accused of anti-Semitism after passing a law banning the religious slaughter of animals for halal and kosher meat.

After years of campaigning in the Scandinavian country, the ban came in to law yesterday.

The change has been described as 'anti-Semitic and 'a clear interference in religious freedom' by a group petitioning against the change.

Under European regulations, animals are required to be stunned before slaughter unless an exemption can be found on religious grounds.

And animals must be conscious when killed for the resultant meat to be kosher under Jewish law and halal under Islamic law.

But, following criticism, the country's Minister for Food, Dan Jorgensen, told Denmark's TV2 that 'animal rights come before religion'.
      Read More...
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