Saturday, January 27, 2018

"This week in odd news: Stripper poles, coffin, velociraptor up for grabs in auction"

From The Journal Times.com:

http://journaltimes.com/news/national/this-week-in-odd-news-stripper-poles-coffin-velociraptor-up/collection_7a2a2b5a-cba8-5251-a506-d894a457346b.html


I am so sick and tired of the Journal Times stealing from local blogs.  When Racine Uncovered and Racine County Eye started featuring animals for adoption, the Journal Times did, too.

Now that the JT Irregulars started featuring "weird news," the Journal Times is, too.

I remember back when we started the JT Irregulars, the Journal Times would steal anything that looked promising.  I guess they still do.

"Mount Pleasant asks for dismissal of lawsuit over Foxconn"

From The Journal Times.com:



MOUNT PLEASANT — The Village of Mount Pleasant wants a lawsuit filed over land acquisition for Foxconn Technology Group’s manufacturing development dismissed.

Twelve homeowners filed a federal lawsuit against the village and its president Jan. 8, claiming they were not receiving the same treatment as other people who will lose their property in relation to the Foxconn project. The village’s request, filed Tuesday, makes a variety of arguments, including that the plaintiffs’ complaints come too early for a court to play a role.

The property owners allege that Mount Pleasant plans to use eminent domain to take their land. Other people, they argue, are receiving seven to 10 times the fair-market value of their property so that thee village can take the land for Foxconn’s liquid crystal display panel manufacturing campus. The road and utility expansions for which the plaintiffs’ property is expected to be taken would not occur if not for Foxconn, the homeowners say. They argue they should receive the same treatment as the other property owners.

Open Blog - Weekend


Yes sir!

Friday, January 26, 2018

Four for Fridays!

Good morning everyone I hope you are enjoying the nice weather we have be having so far. This roller coaster of weather is making the doctors real busy these days too. Here are your questions.

1) Do you watch the Superbowl?

2) If you do watch the Superbowl is it for the game?

3) If you do watch the Superbowl is it for the commercials?

4) Who do you think will win the Superbowl this year New England or Philadelphia?

I hope you enjoy the weekend!

"WiGWAG: 'Alternative facts,' drunk droning, and more"

From Wisconsin Gazette.com:

News with a twist
Updated



Non-word of 2017

“Alternative facts” — the phrase used by White House aide Kellyanne Conway to describe the president’s position on the size of his inauguration crowd — is the “non-word” of 2017. A team of six language experts at Darmstadt University in Darmstadt, Germany, chose “alternative facts” from 684 suggestions. Each year, the panel singles out a phrase that runs counter to the principles of democracy or human dignity. Last year, the group chose the German term “Volksverraeter,” which roughly means “traitor to one’s people” and was used by far-right groups to label those with whom they disagreed.

Posh prison

The Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, may reopen in mid-February after serving for months as a prison for “the country’s elite caught up in what the government has described as a crackdown on corruption,” according to The Associated Press. Reservations at the Ritz can be made online for Feb. 14, but callers to the hotel receive a caution: “Local authorities might extend the hotel lockout for security reasons.” Ritz Carltons are in the Marriott family.

Bad breed

A Philadelphia Eagles football fan denied entry to a game for drunkenness and lacking a ticket took out his anger out on a police horse. He punched the horse in the face, neck and shoulder. The 22-year-old also struck a police officer and was arrested for aggravated assault, trespassing and taunting a police animal.

Drunk droning banned

One of Chris Christie’s last acts as governor of New Jersey was to sign into law legislation banning flying a drone while drunk. The law prohibits people from flying a drone when their blood alcohol content is 0.08 percent or higher — the same as for driving a vehicle. Violations can result in six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

She didn’t see it coming?

A self-described psychic was sentenced to 26 months in prison after admitting she failed to pay taxes on more than $3.5 million taken from a Massachusetts woman for an exorcism. The judge in Boston said the wealthy client suffered dementia and was taken advantage of by the psychic over a period of several years.

Maybe he heard wrong

A Texas judge interrupted jury deliberations to tell jurors that God said they should find innocent a woman charged with trafficking a teen girl for sex. Judge Jack Robison said, “When God tells me I gotta do something, I gotta do it,” according to the Herald-Zeitung in New Braunfels. The jurors weren’t having it. They found the woman guilty and she was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Not so sweet, the sound

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico, installed a new electronic bell ringing system that prompted complaints from at least one neighbor who said the constant playing of “Amazing Grace” created a living hell. The bells were ringing about 20 to 25 times a day until the church’s priest changed the music’s start time to 8 a.m. instead of 6 a.m. He also lowered the volume.

Racing heart

Danica Patrick’s heart is racing for Aaron Rodgers. Patrick, a Chicago Bears fan, confirmed she’s dating the Green Bay Packers quarterback. Rodgers ended a three-year relationship with actress Olivia Munn in 2017. In late November, Patrick ended a five-year relationship with fellow NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

They speak the same language

Donald Trump’s pick for chief of external affairs at the Corporation for National and Community Service resigned after CNN dug up racist, sexist, homophobic and xenophobic statements he’s made in the past. Carl Higbie characterized “the black race” as having “lax morality,” said people with PTSD have weak minds and backed the right of Americans to shoot immigrants. And, he had this to say about Muslims: “Go back to your Muslim shithole and go crap in your hands and bang little boys on Thursday nights.” It seems the word “shithole” is becoming a catchword of the Trump administration.

Where’s the money?

It’s been more than a year since Trump took the oath of office, but millions of dollars left over from his inauguration still haven’t been donated to the chosen charities. His inauguration raised a record $107 million. Now a government watchdog group wants to know where the money went. We think it’s pretty easy to figure out.

Elvis drank here

A paper cup allegedly used by Elvis Presley six decades ago in Oklahoma went up for auction, and bids on eBay quickly surpassed $1,200. Wade Jones, a North Carolina collector of all things Elvis, said the crumpled blue-and-white Dixie cup was snagged by a fan in April 1956, after Elvis performed at the Tulsa Fairgrounds Pavilion. Jones said another fan allegedly retrieved the cup “as a little memento” the day after the performance.

From:  http://www.wisconsingazette.com/blogs/wigwag-alternative-facts-drunk-droning-and-more/article_b59cc57a-01dc-11e8-95f8-b7ef1400611f.html

Open Blog - Friday


Have a good day.

Thursday, January 25, 2018

And WTF is Her Problem?

"The Barbie Wannabe Addicted to Tanning and Desperate to Get Darker | This Morning"



She was beautiful before. Now she looks like a mockery of a black woman. Jesus H. Christ. 

https://www.martina-big.com/

"GoFundMe page looking to build life-size bronze statue of South Milwaukee pro-wrestler 'The Crusher'"

From JSOnline:

, Now News Group Published 12:22 p.m. CT Jan. 24, 2018 | Updated 4:10 p.m. CT Jan. 24, 2018

WILL Press Release | WILL Study: Obama-era Education Department Policy Hurts Wisconsin Students

By Cameron Sholty
 Posted January 23, 2018

The Department of Education’s one-size-fits-all softer suspension policies are negatively impacting students

 January 23, 2018 – Milwaukee, WI – Today the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty issued a groundbreaking new study showing that Obama-era suspension policies have hurt academic performance in Wisconsin K-12 public schools.

The report, Collateral Damage: The Impact of Department of Education Policies on Wisconsin Schools, is the first of its kind, using 7 years of data from over 2,000 Wisconsin public schools to provide a comprehensive analysis of the effect of the Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) system on student test scores and suspension rates.  PBIS, a federally funded program the Obama Administration pressured districts to implement, encourages softer discipline policies to address student behavior, such as pro-active interventions, rather than suspensions.

Since the Obama administration’s executive action, there has been little academic research about the effectiveness of PBIS.  There is evidence, however, that PBIS hurts the classroom climate, making teachers feel helpless and students less safe.

The new study, co-authored by WILL Research Director Will Flanders and Research Fellow Natalie Goodnow, makes clear that softer suspension policies implemented through PBIS have hurt academic performance in Wisconsin public schools.  The findings include:
  • Mathematics and reading proficiency are lower in Wisconsin schools that implement PBIS. This negative effect is strongest in suburban and rural public schools.
  • In Milwaukee, there are negative effects on proficiency in English/Language Arts.
  • Schools with large numbers of African American students have seen their suspension rates drop. Schools with small numbers of African American students have seen an increase in suspension rates.
“While the Obama administration may have been well-intentioned in their advocacy for PBIS, they usurped local authority by pushing this one-size-fits-all discipline policy on school districts across the country,” said WILL Research Director Will Flanders.  “This study shows that while these policies may have accomplished their goal in decreasing suspensions among African American students, the policies appear to have unintended consequences on the education climate.”

“Whatever the merits of PBIS, school discipline policies ought to be determined by school boards, district administrators, and teachers, not the federal Department of Education,” said WILL Research Fellow Natalie Goodnow.  “The Obama-era guidance ought to be immediately rescinded by Secretary DeVos, leaving it up to school districts to decide for themselves whether PBIS, and its consequences, best serve their teachers and students.”

http://www.will-law.org/suspension-policy-hurts-wisconsin-students/

 

Alltime10s Thursdays

Open Blog - Thursday


Try to maintain an attitude of gratitude.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

News of the Weird: Jan. 25, 2018

From The Shepherd Express:

by
Linda Jean Fahn, 69, of Goodyear, Ariz., finally succumbed to a frustration many wives suffer. On Dec. 30, as her husband sat on the toilet, she barged in and “shot two bullets at the wall above his head to make him listen,” she told Goodyear police when they were called to the scene. Fahn said her husband “would have had to be 10 feet tall to be hit by the bullets,” as ABC15 in Phoenix reported. However, police officers estimated the bullets struck about seven inches over the man’s head as he ducked. She was charged with aggravated assault.
Blood Sausage to the Rescue!
Chris McCabe, 70, of Totnes, England, escaped a frigid death thanks to his own quick thinking on Dec. 15. McCabe owns a butcher shop, and he had entered the walk-in freezer behind the shop when the door slammed behind him. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t be a problem, as a release button inside the freezer can open the door. But the button was frozen solid. So McCabe looked around the freezer and saw the shop’s last “black pudding,” or blood sausage, which he used as a battering ram to unstick the button. “They are a big, long stick that you can just about get your hand around,” McCabe told The Mirror. “I used it like the police use battering rams to break door locks in. Black pudding saved my life, without a doubt.” He believes he would have died within 30 minutes in the -4 degree temperature had the blood sausage battering ram not worked.
Fighting Fire with…Ice?
One of Quebec City, Canada’s iconic tourist attractions is its ice hotel, the 45-room Hotel de Glace. But on Jan. 9, the hotel’s unlikeliest disaster—a fire—broke out in one of the guest rooms, the CBC reported. Manager Jacques Desbois admitted that, “When I received the phone call, they had to repeat twice that there was a fire in the ice hotel.” Predictably, the flames did not spread and caused little damage to the structure, although smoke spread throughout the hotel and residents were evacuated. “In a room made out of ice and snow, there are few clues to look at,” Desbois said. Each room has candles, and the hotel is considering the possibility that one of them caused the fire.
Family Values vs. Family Valuables
Alyce Davenport, 30, and Diron Conyers, 27, of Southbridge, Mass., couldn’t make it to the funeral of Audra Johnson, Davenport’s mother, on Jan. 5 because they were busy stealing a safe from Johnson’s home. Southbridge police started searching for the pair after the decedent’s boyfriend discovered her safe was missing, reported The Worcester Telegram and Gazette. When police stopped Davenport the next day, they found her deceased mother’s safe in the trunk of the car she was driving (also registered to Johnson) and seized it. Davenport and Conyers were arrested at a Sturbridge motel, where officers found jewelry, keys, cellphones and other items formerly belonging to Audra Johnson.
Pest Control Gone Wrong
An unnamed man tried an unconventional method to kill a wolf spider in his Redding, Calif., apartment on Jan. 7. He set it afire with a torch lighter. Unfortunately, the burning spider ran onto a mattress and caught it on fire. Residents were able to put out the mattress fire, but not before the flames had reached nearby drapes, a flag collection and a closet, reported the Redding Record Searchlight. When a garden hose failed to douse the growing blaze, firefighters were called—preventing it from spreading to other apartments. The blaze caused about $11,000 in damage.
Just Horsing Around?
Daniel Bennett, 18, of Irvington, Ala., was charged in Mobile County with bestiality after “engaging in sexual contact with an animal, to wit: a horse.” The horse’s owner, Francine Janes, and her husband became suspicious when their dogs started barking on the evening of Jan. 4. They found Bennett, dressed in a trench coat and carrying burglar’s tools, hiding in one of their barn stalls, Janes told WPMI-TV. Bennett told Janes “he wanted to pet (Polly) the horse,” but he admitted to sheriff’s investigators he had instead sexually molested Polly. Janes said she suspects Bennett had visited Polly “seven, maybe 10 times,” because “toilet paper had been left; items had been turned over, and that’s as far as I want to go.”
Plan Z From Outer Space?
Troy, Mich., police received two calls early on Jan. 10, both leading them to the Zion Church. One call was from the church, reporting vandalism caused by gunfire. The other was from the alleged shooter, who told police the church was, in fact, “an alien spaceship.” Surveillance video shows the unnamed shooter, 40, driving up to the church around 5 a.m. and firing shots into the doors. “He was talking very strangely about how the Zion Church is an alien spaceship for reptiles,” Troy Police Capt. Bob Redmond told WJBK-TV in Detroit. Police were assessing the shooter’s mental health to determine whether charges would be filed.

From: https://shepherdexpress.com/around-milwaukee/news-of-the-weird/news-of-the-weird/

"Pope Francis warns of the dangers of 'satanic' fake news"

Pope Francis waves to the crowd during a weekly general audience in St Peter's Square, on January 24, 2018. Credit: AFP
Pope Francis became the first pontiff to issue a warning about the dangers of fake news on Wednesday, comparing the purveyors of false information to the snake in the Garden of Eden.

The Pope described false news as being “evil” and accused peddlers of disinformation of employing “snake-tactics” similar to Satan when, disguised as a serpent, he tempted Eve to eat fruit from the forbidden tree.

“This was the strategy employed by the ‘crafty serpent’ in the Book of Genesis, who, at the dawn of humanity, created the first fake news,” said Francis in the first discourse by any pope on the topic.

Fake news had a damaging, serpentine allure, the Pope said, calling it “that sly and dangerous form of seduction that worms its way into the heart with false and alluring arguments”.

He issued the unusual warning in a document issued in advance of the Catholic Church's World Day of Social Communications, which takes place on May 13.

After a week in which Francis faced unprecedented bad press during his South American tour, he pope released his annual social communications message, dedicated this year to "fake news and journalism for peace" Credit: AP

Without mentioning specific countries, websites or political figures, he said: “Spreading fake news can serve to advance specific goals, influence political decisions and serve economic interests.”

The Pope acknowledged that it was often hard to distinguish fake news from information reliably reported by authoritative sources.

“The effectiveness of fake news is primarily due to its ability to mimic real news, to seem plausible.

“Untrue stories can spread so quickly that even authoritative denials fail to contain the damage,” he said.

It is the duty of journalists to identify and combat fake news, the Pope said.

“A weighty responsibility rests on the shoulders of those whose job is to provide information, namely, journalists, the protectors of news. In today’s world, theirs is, in every sense, not just a job; it is a mission.”

Newspapers, radio stations and television channels should avoid “feeding frenzies and the mad rush for a scoop.”

Journalists needed to ensure “the accuracy of sources” and concentrate less on breaking news and more on “exploring the underlying causes of conflicts,” Francis said.

Francis was widely praised by the global media for his refreshing honesty and down-to-earth manner after his election in 2013, but has been the subject of greater scrutiny in recent years.

He has been accused, in particular, of having a blind spot on the issue of Catholic clergy who sexually abuse children, apparently failing to appreciate the immense damage it has done to lives around the world and failing to take tough action against perpetrators.

During his tour of South America, which ended on Monday, he was lambasted for defending a Chilean bishop who is accused of protecting the country’s most notorious pedophile priest.

From:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/01/24/pope-francis-warns-dangers-satanic-fake-news/

Dear Madame Zoltar

Pssst.  Over here.  Wanna buy some pictures of the last honest man in Racine?  I'll send them to you if I can ever find them.  So, my dears, how are you?  The weather has given us a respite, but I'm sure we have more cold, ice and snow to deal with.  Typical Wisconsin winter weather.  I'm not going to complain.  To whom?  Ma Nature?  She's like an acid burnout now.  It explains climate change.  The person in charge of our weather has suffered a complete breakdown.  Can't anyone do anything about it?

It's been a bit turbulent in Racine and Mount Pleasant lately.  There was that innocent couple who were struck and maimed by that sliding SUV.  The man who had piloted the stolen vehicle had just gotten out of jail on $3,000 bail for serious offenses.  You can donate to help the couple out at Festival Foods: http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/festival-foods-collecting-donations-for-hospitalized-hit-and-run-victims/article_84fb32b7-8159-5010-8b36-b9ca17c475ca.html.

Then we have the killing of Donte Shannon by two Racine police officers, one of whom had been the shooter of Kurt Hanson's dog, Angel.  The black community in Racine erupted, before all the facts were known.  And even after all the facts were known.  Unfortunately, Mr. Shannon had a history of such behavior.  It's hard for me to get behind a criminal, especially if he was waving a gun in their faces.  NEVER pull a gun on a cop.  No matter what else happens, you will end up wounded, if not dead.  Even the local NAACP has reserved judgment.

The big news today is that Unified's Lolli Haws is leaving RUSD for a position in Iowa.  It will be nice to hear "Moooo," rather than the crack of gunfire and the whine of police sirens.  I just can't take anything that happens at Unified seriously anymore.  I can't believe how much education has changed since I was a child.  And I can't help but believe that if they returned to the methods used in my childhood, they might get the results that we did: productive members of society.

It's hard for me to believe that Junior will ever be productive.  I know that he wants to get reproductive with a couple of girls, but not productive like a job.  His grades have improved since Señor Zanza started tutoring him.  I get all the goodness of a husband from Señor Zanza and none of the hassle.  He's one in a million, gals, and I'm never letting him go.

I have to get going.  These early morning literary excursions leave me exhausted, at the start of the day.  I have a couple of appointments today.  And the weather is supposed to be tolerable.

madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com

Stay warm and stay aligned with your moral code.  To hell with what society thinks.  In fact, it doesn't "think," it just reacts.  I love every last one of you.
 __________________________ 
Please donate: paypal.me/jgmazelis 
If you don't like PayPal, send me a note at madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com and I'll send you my street address so you can send a check or money order.  Thank you.

"Stormy Blather"

From The Shepherd Express:

by
I’m Art Kumbalek and man oh manischewitz what a world, ain’a? So listen, no hard-provoking, thought-throbbing essay on the schmutz of our times this week, no sir. It’s back to the Uptowner tavern/charm school situated at the corner of Hysteric Center Street and Humboldt for more political campaign planning with my so-called brain trust. Come along if you’d like, but you buy the first round. Let’s get going.

Julius: All I’m saying is maybe Trumpel-thinskin talks and acts like a fockstick ’cause he’s got syphilis from one of those siliconed porn stars.

Ray: I’ve heard the reason Trump wants a government shutdown is he thinks that means he doesn’t have to sit in his office for work—like a kid getting a snow day from school.

Emil: So the wife wants me to go out and get either a dog or a gun for the home security deterrence.

Herbie: Go for the gun, Emil. Low maintenance. Plus, you’re white and a focking idiot. I’m thinking the Republicans might even pay guys like you to have a gun.

Little Jimmy Iodine: And with a dog, when a stranger comes to the house, you don’t know if Fido might bark and scare the person off, or instead perform a quick crotch-sniff and go straight to the leg-humping welcome.

Ernie: I’d sure like to know who the first knucklehead was who had the focking stupid bright idea of taking an otherwise productive animal from out there in the wild and, instead, keep it in his hovel or yurt and call it a pet, where its job would be to do abso-focking-lutely nothing.

Herbie: Anthropologistically, I’d say it would be some kind of king or liege lord suffering from the effects of too many generations of royal inbreeding and too much time on his hands.

Julius: Animals belong either in the woods or on a menu, but not in my living room going nuts trying to get at something that rolled or crawled under the sofa. Like Artie says, until the free enterprise system can put a house-pet on the market that can operate a microwave, flush a toilet and clean a handgun, you can forget about me having something with four legs in my apartment besides a coffee table or, god willing, twin 21-year-old blonde pole dancers, what the fock.

Ray: And speaking of focking idiot…

Little Jimmy Iodine: Hey, Artie! Over here. Put a load on your keister.

Art: Hey, gents. What do you hear, what do you know.

Ernie: I know the wife’s all upset since she thought she read on the internet that the astronomers have discovered that the stars have shifted alignment, and so everything you thought you knew about the science of astrology is bullshit.

Emil: You got to be jerking my beefaroni. Astrology is bullshit?

Ernie: All I know is that she thought she was a Virgo and now she’s Leo.

Herbie: It happens. Do we ever really know who we are? I knew a guy married to a nice gal named Lenore, cooked and cleaned to beat the band. She got a little bored with the domestic life, took a night course at a women’s college. Next thing you know, she cleaned out the bank account, took a trip to Sweden, and when she returned Lenore was now Leon.

Ray: So he’s married to a guy now?

Herbie: Yeah, but he says it’s no big deal. She likes football a lot more than she used to. And because they’re still married, sex remains a non-issue and there’s never, ever a domestic dispute about whether the goddamn toilet seat is up or down. They seem happy.

Little Jimmy: Cripes, our astronomers must be working overtime these days ’cause the other week I heard they discovered another new planet out there in space somewheres, and that this one might actually be able to have some life on it, maybe even like ours.

Julius: It’s about time. We all know that someday our sun is going to go kaput and we’re going to have to move somewhere else on another planet. So far we’ve only been to the moon—a place that looks just like Nevada minus the gambling and legalized prostitution. Who in their focking right mind would want to live there?

Herbie: OK. OK. OK. Let’s keep cool heads about moving to a new planet. Obviously, us Americans need to get their first and get things organized, especially if this new planet is just like Earth. Like, what are we going to do about the people in North Korea who try to survive on one bowl of porridge per year? If you don’t think they’re going to want to live in “New Las Vegas” and get in on those daily all-you-can-eat breakfast buffets for $4.95—think again.

(It’s getting late and I know you got to go, but thanks for letting us bend your ear, ’cause I’m Art Kumbalek and I told you so.)

From:  https://shepherdexpress.com/around-milwaukee/art-kumbalek/stormy-blather/

Open Blog - Wednesday


Have a wacky one.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Alien Time Traveler




"Millennials: 1 in 6 now have $100,000 socked away"

From USA TODAY:

"Festival Foods collecting donations for hospitalized hit-and-run victims"

From The Journal Times.com:

MOUNT PLEASANT — For the next three weeks, the public will have a chance to donate money at Festival Foods to help the victims of a recent life-altering hit-and-run in front of the grocery store.

Cheryl L. Coopman, 47, and Jeffery J. Coopman, 53, of Union Grove, were critically injured on Jan. 14 in front of Festival Foods, 5740 Washington Ave., when they were struck by a speeding vehicle. The vehicle, a 2001 Toyota Sequoia, was allegedly driven by Isaiah D. Degroot, 17, of the 2000 block of Hickory Grove Avenue.

Read more: http://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/festival-foods-collecting-donations-for-hospitalized-hit-and-run-victims/article_84fb32b7-8159-5010-8b36-b9ca17c475ca.html#comments 


 Isaiah D. Degroot - http://racinecountycorruption.blogspot.com/2018/01/state-vs_19.html
He should have been in Jail, but, what the hell, he only destroyed two lives.

"Community packs town hall meeting following death of Donte Shannon"

From Racine County Eye:

 


Donte Shannon’s family acknowledges the 26-year-old didn’t always do the right thing when he was alive, but they struggle with not knowing the circumstances around his death and wonder why he was shot so many times.

Shannon fled on foot following a traffic stop and brandished a gun. A witness reported hearing officers tell Donte several times to drop the gun. He was shot Wednesday in the 1400 block of Park Avenue by Racine Police officers Chad Stillman and Peter Boeck. 

Now officials with the Wisconsin Department of Justice are investigating the shooting and are expected to report their findings to the Racine County District Attorney’s Office. Donte’s father Nakia Shannon said his son was shot 17 times, but that detail has not been confirmed by the DOJ.

At a town hall meeting Monday night, hundreds of community members, family, and friends filled the common council chambers at City Hall. Alderman John Tate II and Racine Mayor Cory Mason called the meeting so the community could ask questions about the shooting. 

“We want you to have the opportunity to say your peace and know that you are being listened to,” Tate said. “So ask questions, but know that we don’t have the answers. We will, however, work to get them from the Department of Justice.”

Attendees questioned where the gun was that Donte had when he ran from police, why Stillman and Boeck stopped Donte in the first place, why the officers didn’t have body cameras, and what the department’s procedures were around the use of force. 

“I hurt. I hurt for my family. But most of all, I hurt for my grandbaby who is never going to have her daddy,” Nakia said.

But Donte’s criminal history is peppered with drug charges of possession of marijuana, a hit-and-run, bail jumping, gun possession, and obstructing police. Some of those charges were dismissed, others were not over the past 10 years. 

“He may have done some things wrong, but he never did anything violent and never should have been shot 17 times,” Nakia said.

Read more: https://www.racinecountyeye.com/community-packs-town-hall-meeting-following-death-of-donte-shannon/

"'I Have To Apologize' - Contrite Pope Sorry For Accusing Child Sex-Abuse Victims Of Lying"

A day after Pope Francis ended his trip to Chile by publicly defending a bishop who victims have accused of covering up widespread pedophilia in the country, by attacking the credibility of child sex abuse victims in a shocking move made at the end of a trip which he had hoped to 'heal' the wounds of said abuse, The Holy See has stunned Catholics again... and apologized.

As we detailed over the weekend,  Associated Press reported that Francis made the shocking comments in a discussion about Rev. Fernando Karadima who has been found guilty of sexually abusing a slew of minors as a member of the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis accused victims of Chile’s most notorious pedophile of slander Thursday, an astonishing end to a visit meant to help heal the wounds of a sex abuse scandal that has cost the Catholic Church its credibility in the country.

“The day I see proof against Bishop Barros, then I will talk. There is not a single piece of evidence against him. It is all slander. Is that clear?” the pope replied in a snippy tone.

The pope’s remarks drew shock from Chileans and immediate rebuke from victims and their advocates. They noted the accusers were deemed credible enough by the Vatican that it sentenced Karadima to a lifetime of “penance and prayer” for his crimes in 2011.

A Chilean judge also found the victims to be credible, saying that while she had to drop criminal charges against Karadima because too much time had passed, proof of his crimes wasn’t lacking.

And now, as Reuters reports, Pope Francis, in an extremely rare act of self-criticism, apologised to victims of clerical sex abuse on Sunday, acknowledging he had “wounded many” in comments defending a Chilean bishop who is under scrutiny.

However, while the pope was sorry for his choice of words, he hastily added that he was certain that the prelate, Juan Barros, who has been accused of being complicit in the cover-up of the disgusting acts, was innocent.

“I have to apologise,” an unusually contrite pope told reporters aboard the plane returning to Rome from a week-long trip to Chile and Peru, saying he realised he had “wounded many people who were abused”.
“I apologise to them if I hurt them without realising it, but it was a wound that I inflicted without meaning to,” he said. “It pains me very much.”
But, in the latest twist to a saga that has gripped Chile, Francis said Barros, who is accused of protecting a notorious paedophile, would remain in his place in the diocese of Osorno because there currently was no credible evidence against him.
Francis said on the plane: “I know how much they (abuse victims) suffer in hearing the pope say to them ‘bring me a letter with the proof,’ I realise that it is a slap in their faces, and now I realise that my expression was an unfortunate one”.
In his comments on the plane, the pope disclosed that Barros had offered to resign twice in recent years but Francis rejected the offers.
“I can’t condemn him because I don’t have evidence and because I am convinced he is innocent,” Francis said.
He said Barros would remain in his place unless credible evidence is found against him.
Juan Carlos Claret, a spokesman for anti-Barros Catholics in Osorno, southern Chile, said during the trip that he worried the pope’s response to the reporter before the apology would discourage more victims from speaking out.
“What incentive will victims have to come forward when even if the courts and the Vatican have said they are right, in the end the pope says they are pure lies?” he said in an telephone interview.

Does Racine Have an Enforcer on the Police Payroll?

One of the police involved in recently shooting to death a suspect, Donte Shannon, was  the policeman who shot to death Angel, Kurt Hanson's dog.  The officer is  Peter Boeck.

https://www.facebook.com/770670289647802/videos/770673059647525/

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9C_ZWBH5MSYQVlyaEFaeHQyWG8/view




Open Blog - Tuesday


Totally!

Monday, January 22, 2018

"History of the F Word"

"Is it necessary to marry in life? What's the physical relationship between man & woman? Krishnamurti"

Transcending the Self

Transcending the Self

Krishnamurti-Who-am-I


"Vikings suffer shocking blowout loss to Eagles, 38-7, in NFC Championship Game"

There were no miracles in Philadelphia as the Vikings lost a sixth NFC championship and ended their season in humiliating fashion with the 38-7 defeat.

– The fact the Vikings were here at all, a week after the miraculous finish that defied six decades of precedent, was enough to suggest that things might really be different this time, that the franchise’s sixth NFC Championship Game after its fourth Super Bowl defeat would be something more than yet another exercise in heartbreak.

The Vikings marched into Philadelphia as three-point favorites, with the NFL’s top-ranked defense against a backup quarterback that hadn’t thrown for more than 300 yards in a game since 2014. One game away from becoming the first team in NFL history to play a Super Bowl in tis home stadium, Minnesota had given its fans reason to believe the payoff was finally here, that Charlie Brown’s right foot would finally meet the pigskin squarely and send it soaring.

But in the end, with a crowd of Eagles fans jeering as they stood witness, Lucy pulled the ball again.

It’s difficult, so soon after the Vikings’ 38-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, to rank their most recent defeat among their most crushing NFC title game losses. But this one had to sting, both because of the opportunity lost and the manner in which it disappeared, in a game where most of what the Vikings had come to count on evaded them.

https://youtu.be/W2VTam8QIOo

Open Blog - Monday


What's up?

Sunday, January 21, 2018

"WHERE SHOULD THE BAIL/BOND MONEY GO?"

From Racine County Corruption:
 
State vs. Isaiah DeGroot
Racine County Circuit Court case # 17CF1505

WHERE SHOULD THE 
BAIL/BOND MONEY GO?

Below is the signed surety bail/bond agreement that set 
Isaiah Degroot
 free to ravage and pillage our community 
as he pleased
 
 
Note the language;
 if the defendant does not comply 
with the terms of this bail/bond,
the bail/bond will be forfeited and the defendant and or surety may be ordered to pay that amount of the bond.
Any restitution, recompense, fines, forfeitures, or cost imposed against the defendant shall be paid out of the cash bail/bond without further notice.
 

"News of the Weird: Jan. 18, 2018"

The Unkindest Cut of All

Khaled A. Shabani, 46, a hairstylist in Madison, Wis., was arrested on a tentative charge of mayhem and disorderly conduct while armed after an altercation with a customer on Dec. 22. Shabani scolded the 22-year-old customer for fidgeting, then taught him a lesson by using the “shortest possible attachment” to “run down the middle of the customer’s head,” reported the Wisconsin State Journal. Shabani also clipped the customer’s ear with his scissors, and, “While it is not a crime to give someone a bad haircut, you will get arrested for intentionally snipping their ear with a scissors,” reports police spokesman Joel DeSpain.

Least Competent Criminal

When Dustin Johnson, 22, of Minot, N.D., tried to steal $4,000 worth of merchandise from a local Hobby Lobby, he failed to take into account that shopping carts don’t have snow tires. The Grand Forks Herald reported that over a seven-hour period on Jan. 3, Johnson filled a cart and then quickly fled the store—where his loot-filled cart promptly became stuck in the snow in the parking lot, flipping over. Johnson fell down but got up to run—leaving behind his wallet with photo ID matching the shoplifter’s description. Minot police caught up with Johnson at his home.

The Long and Melting Road

It may be cold where you are, but it’s hot in Broadford, a small town about an hour from Melbourne, Australia, where on Jan. 5, the highway began melting. Temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit and higher reactivated an ingredient in the road surface, turning the Hume Freeway into a hot, gooey, sticky mess, 9News reported. Motorists were warned by Victoria police to avoid the area and expect delays over a 10km stretch. Officials also put in place a fire ban and urged people to stay indoors until the heat abated.

The Lucky 1%

Researchers have discovered that 99% of green sea turtles born in the northern parts of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef are now female. Sea turtles’ gender is determined by the temperature at which the eggs are incubated, and warmer temperatures reduce the number of male hatchlings. The author of a new study, marine biologist Michael Jensen, told The New York Times the shift in gender suggests climate change is having a more dramatic effect on sea turtle populations than scientists realized. “We’re all trying to wrap our heads around how these populations are going to respond to those changes,” he said. Researchers warn that continued global warming will threaten the persistence of these populations.

Weirdly Wild Turkeys

Postal workers in the Rocky River suburb of Cleveland were unable to deliver mail to about two dozen homes for three weeks in December and January after being attacked by aggressive wild turkeys. Local ordinances prevented the city from eliminating the birds, so residents were asked to pick up their mail at the post office. Rocky River Mayor Pam Bobst encouraged residents to stop putting out bird food, hoping that would discourage the turkeys from hanging around. “There’s a lot of bird feeders over there, so there’s a food source in that area,” she told Cleveland.com. The USPS said several carriers were pecked, but no serious injuries had been reported.

© 2018 ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

https://shepherdexpress.com/around-milwaukee/news-of-the-weird/news-of-the-weird-jan-18-2018/

Thug Cat knocks glass off table

This cat be straight thuggin, he don't give a fuck about you. He knocks whatever he wants off the table. Just try to stop him

"Former Beck Aluminum Plant in Mount Pleasant WI is Closing Down Operations"

As part of the Company’s continued focus on rationalizing costs and improving efficiency, Real Alloy announced that it will cease operations at its Mt Pleasant, WI facility, which was acquired from Beck Aluminum at the end of 2016. Real Alloy expects to utilize available production capacity in nearby Indiana and Michigan facilities, and feels that shutting down the facility allows the business to better utilize production capacity and reduce overall capital needs

Previously, the Journal Times, on April 27,2015, had announced that Beck Aluminum was expanding in Mount Pleasant - that lasted 3 years:

MOUNT PLEASANT — Beck Aluminum Racine will relocate and expand to a former manufacturing plant at 7505 Durand Ave. and add 25 new jobs, the building owner has announced.

Beck, 1349 23rd St., executed a long-term lease for the 192,000-square-foot building on Durand which was previously a Bosch Rexroth manufacturing plant. Bosch closed the plant in 2002 with the loss of more than 200 local jobs.

Beck settled on the Durand Avenue location based on several factors, Phoenix said in a news release, including support and financial assistance from Racine County Economic Development Corp. and Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., and its “seasoned workforce.” Beck now employs about 43 people.

Don't Worry! According to the Politicians, Foxconn will be different!

"Wisconsin Women's March organizer pushes for change with Saturday rallies in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Eau Claire"



https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2018/01/18/wisconsin-womens-march-organizer-pushes-change-rallies-planned-saturday-milwaukee-green-bay-and-eau/1038512001/

How Much Do Taxpayers Spend on City of Racine’s Mayor Office?


A reminder that:

 So – the Probable cause for initiating a traffic stop and accusing a person of  being a criminal wasn’t displaying a front license plate. While former Mayor John Dickert claimed to have fired an Embezzler employed by City of Racine – but that person was never identified, and the City was not only sued, but agreed to pay John Dickert’s legal expenses of over $100,000?! Since Mr. DIckert was ruled to be acting as Mayor while campaigning on  a radio show. 

OK.

So White Privilege and Racism can't possibly exist in Racine.

The scales of Justice are always held in the balance.

Sincerely,

Tim & Cindy

How Much Do Taxpayers Spend on City of Racine’s Mayor Office?

A Mayor is popularly elected and needs no other qualifications that getting enough votes to have the position.

A City Administrator is an appointed position and requires some professional qualifications and real world experience.

When life was simpler, Mayors with minimal qualifications and experience could perform the duties and responsibilities necessary to operate a municipal corporation. Those days are long gone, so now a professionally educated City Administrator is necessary, meaning that the Mayor’s position is largely symbolic and a relic of simpler times.

The Argument shouldn’t be about if the Mayor’s position should be full time or part time because today’s Mayor is just a figurehead who presents an Image of the City he was elected to represent.  It should be an unfunded position for those who aspire to true public service – to remind the public what service to a Community is all about – selfless dedication, devotion, and commitment.

Alderman Melissa Lemke is correct in her thinking that the Mayor’s Position should be voluntary – when a City Administrator is present. The reason – cost – hides the truth that the Mayor is now an overpaid Figurehead, bloats the budget,  and that the Dignity of the Position should be reward enough in itself. But we do not live in an Altruistic Age – instead it is the Age of Greed.



 Former Racine Mayor and taxpayer shakedown artist John Dickert  artist epitomized greed  and selfishness – will Cory Mason step up and become altruistic; after all, his wife, Rebecca, is also the highly paid municipal Judge for City of Racine. This clearly spells disaster for City of Racine already overburdened taxpayers.

 One elected Mayor plus 2.5 appointed bureaucrats consume $460,020 in public resources to operate a City which is crumbling as it is being unindustralized,  enveloped in lawsuits for multiple failed developments, tax shifting via TIDS is out of control, and whose Police Department has been a leading source of lawsuits for violating civil rights, excessive force, shooting with unrestrained behavior, and murdering Dogs; with impunity; can only lead to one conclusion – City of Racine is a Criminal Organization – run by Criminals – for profit and gain.

 https://youtu.be/e2CrYPl5nQc

 https://arrestrecordsofracinewipublicofficials.wordpress.com/2018/01/21/how-much-do-taxpayers-spend-on-city-of-racines-mayor-office/