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Haleigh Poutre gives dramatic details in abuse case

Thu, 01 May 2008 04:53:24 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: Prosecutors are preparing for a fall trial in one of the state's most horrific child abuse cases, one made even more disturbing by the state's repeated failures to protect Haleigh.

Clip Source: www.boston.com

Haleigh Poutre, a 14-year-old girl once diagnosed as being in an "irreversible vegetative state," has provided police with dramatic testimony about frequent use of corporal punishment during her childhood, but she has not given any specifics about what caused her to suffer a near-fatal head injury more than two years ago, according to two people with direct knowledge of her statements.

Haleigh, who has spent the last two years at a pediatric rehabilitation hospital in Brighton, communicated with simple words and hand gestures in an interview last December. She also spelled out full sentences by pointing to letters of the alphabet on a board, reflecting the remarkable recovery of a girl who nearly was removed from life support by the state after doctors had declared her condition hopeless. She began to breathe on her own just as the state's highest court ruled that she should be allowed to die.

Tags: child, children, abuse, medical, death

Greek islanders seek to reclaim term ‘Lesbian’

Thu, 01 May 2008 04:51:35 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

A Greek court has been asked to draw the line between the natives of the Aegean Sea island of Lesbos and the world's gay women.

Three islanders from Lesbos — home of the ancient poet Sappho, who praised love between women — have taken a gay rights group to court for using the word lesbian in its name.

One of the plaintiffs said Wednesday that the name of the association, Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece, "insults the identity" of the people of Lesbos, who are also known as Lesbians.

"This is not an aggressive act against gay women," Lambrou said. "Let them visit Lesbos and get married and whatever they like. We just want (the group) to remove the word lesbian from their title."

He said the plaintiffs targeted the group because it is the only officially registered gay group in Greece to use the word lesbian in its name. The case will be heard in an Athens court on June 10.

Tags: lesbian, country, greece, gay, women

Things your body can do after you die

Thu, 01 May 2008 04:50:04 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

From getting hitched to saving the environment, here's proof you can still be a busybody long after you kick the bucket.

1. Get married

2. Unwind with a few friends

3. Tour the globe as a scandalous work of art

4. Fuel a city

5. Get sold, chop shop-style

6. Become a Soviet tourist attraction

7. Snuggle up with your stalker

8. Don't spread an epidemic

9. Stand trial

10. Stave off freezer burn

Tags: death, human

How Obama can get beyond Rev. Wright

Thu, 01 May 2008 04:48:20 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

Let's not kid ourselves. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright was going to be a part of this presidential campaign through November, whether Sen. Barack Obama smacked his former pastor upside the head, or not.

Now that he has taken the necessary steps to separate himself from Wright, Obama must go on his most vigorous offensive to date and make it clear that he is running for president, and not Wright.

Obama is leading among the pledged delegates and the popular vote. He's also significantly closed the gap between himself and Clinton in superdelegates. Bottom line: He's winning.

But now it's time for him to ratchet up his message and to take back the stage from Clinton, McCain, and of course, Wright. One way to do that is to be far more forceful in advocating his position and direction for the country. Here are a few suggestions:

Tags: politics, obama, campaign, president

Girl, 6, thrown on fire for being 'lowest class'

Thu, 01 May 2008 04:46:04 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

(CNN) -- A man, incensed that a 6-year-old girl chose to walk through a path reserved for upper caste villagers, pushed her into burning embers, police in north India said Wednesday. She was seriously burned.

The girl is a Dalit, or an "untouchable," according to India's traditional caste system.

The girl was walking with her mother down a path in the city of Mathura when she was accosted by a man in his late teens, said police superintendent R.K. Chaturvedi.

"He scolded them both and pushed her," Chaturvedi said. The girl fell about 3 to 4 feet into pile of burning embers by the side of the road.

The man confessed to the crime and was charged with attempted murder, Chaturvedi said.

Her Bahujan Samaj Party seeks to get more political representation for Dalits, who are considered so low in the social order that they don't even rank among the four classes that make up the caste system.

Hindus believe there are five main groups of people, four of which sprang from the body of the first man.

Tags: india, belief, social, society, children, hindu

GOP Gives Clinton The Silent Treatment

Thu, 01 May 2008 04:41:43 GMT

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Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

Hillary Clinton’s decisive Pennsylvania primary win last week may have reinvigorated her campaign, but you wouldn’t know it from listening to the Republican party.

The National Republican Congressional Committee has purchased $500,000 in anti-Barack Obama ads for use in two upcoming special House elections. The Republican National Committee is flooding reporters with anti-Obama emails. Presumptive nominee John McCain and GOP surrogates have seized on new remarks by Obama’s controversial former pastor.

the working assumption seems to be that the Democratic contest is over and Obama has won.

Even when Clinton attacks McCain, President Bush or GOP policies, the response is either outright silence or snarky, dismissive ridicule about a failed campaign barely relevant enough to merit a response.

“With ads like that, it’s more likely the call at 3 a.m. is ‘Senator, you just lost another superdelegate,’” quipped McCain adviser Steve Schmidt

Tags: politics, clinton, obama, gop, campaign

Web Site Devoted To Roadkill

Thu, 01 May 2008 04:39:53 GMT

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Clip Source: www.cbsnews.com

(AP) Richard Sanders hadn't given much thought to roadkill until a buddy came across a very large bear on the roadside near Hudson. The animal was bigger than any trophy bear the friends had bagged over the years, and they thought it deserved a better fate than rotting by the road.

"It is not their fault they were hit by a car or truck," Sanders said. "They shouldn't go unnoticed."

Recognized big game record books, such as those kept by the Pope & Young and Boone and Crockett clubs, won't list roadkill animals because they weren't taken by bullet or bow.

To remedy that, Sanders created an alternative online: The Road Kill Record Book Club.

"It certainly is a novel idea," said Keith Warnke, Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources big-game specialist. "I suppose it could serve an educational purpose, especially if they provide information on peak seasons and what to do if you see a deer in the road."

Tags: website, animals, wildlife, strange, news

Moderate earthquake rocks northern California

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:28:13 GMT

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Clip Source: www.cnn.com

(CNN) -- A magnitude 5.2 earthquake shook a rural part of northern California on Tuesday evening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The moderate quake hit shortly after 8 p.m. (11 p.m. ET) about 11 miles east-southeast of Willow Creek, which is about 190 miles northwest of Sacramento.

Nita Rowley with the Williow Creek Chamber of Commerce said she felt the earthquake as a rolling jolt, but had not received any reports of damage.

At the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office in Eureka, Sgt. Diana Freese said several people had called to ask whether a quake had struck. She said the office had received no reports of injuries or damage.

Tags: earthquake, california