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1546

Debate Central / This fatal subway case's similar to the Marine chokehold case? No indictment tho

« on: June 29, 2023, 12:22:09 PM »

...Is it because in the case below, the killer is Black and the Marine is White in the other case?  :

Charges dropped against NYC man accused in fatal subway stabbing

Charges dropped in fatal NYC subway stabbing
A grand jury declined to indict Williams on manslaughter and weapons charges in connection with the June 13 deadly stabbing of Devictor Quedraogo, 36, on a Brooklyn J train. Quedraogo was alleged to have punched Williams' girlfriend and harassed other passengers.

1547

General Discussion / Better than having sex with young boys and girls I suppose? In this RED state

« on: June 29, 2023, 12:17:05 PM »

Texas nun is accused of having sex with a priest. Here’s what we’ve learned about him

FORT WORTH, Texas — The priest identified in a recorded interview as the man with whom a nun from Arlington broke her chastity vow is from North Carolina and recently spent time in Montana contemplating his vocation, according to Catholic officials.

The interview where the priest was identified was with the Rev. Mother Teresa Gerlach of the Carmelite Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington. It was played Tuesday during a hearing in a lawsuit Gerlach filed against Bishop Michael Olson and the Fort Worth Catholic Diocese, alleging that Olson defamed her, took information from her personal devices and invaded her privacy.


In an audio recording played during the hearing, Gerlach reluctantly told Olson that the priest’s name is Bernard Marie.

But the Diocese of Raleigh issued a statement Wednesday identifying him as Philip Johnson.

According to the statement, Johnson was “granted leave” from the diocese to serve as chaplain to a religious community in 2020 and later joined the Transalpine Redemptorist Monastery in Montana in 2022.

The diocese also said in the statement that Johnson recently returned to North Carolina after he resigned from the Redemptorist community, where he served under the chosen name of Father Bernard Marie. Johnson is “not currently exercising” public ministry. “Upon returning to N.C., Fr. Philip Johnson’s priestly faculties were restricted by Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama as a precautionary measure until more clarity regarding his status can be ascertained,” the statement read.

In Montana, Chancellor Darren Eultgen, of the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings, said during an interview with the Star-Telegram that it isn’t unusual for a priest to choose to go by a different name. “We knew him as Brother Bernard,” Eultgen said.

Eultgen also said when Johnson “was living at the monastery, he wasn’t in any sort of public ministry, and he did not say Mass publicly.”

In April of 2022, Johnson came to the Transalpine Redemptorists, a religious community of men near Forsyth, Montana, where he was contemplating “a vocation,” according to the statement from the diocese in Montana.

Eultgen said that on April 26, the diocese in Montana got a call from Fort Worth diocesan officials investigating an incident involving the priest and a “religious sister.”


According to a statement from the diocese in Great Falls-Billings, on April 27, Bishop Michael Warfel “removed the priest’s faculties of ministry.”

Johnson returned to North Carolina on May 1.

According to testimony during Tuesday’s hearing, Gerlach said the priest contacted the Carmelites in Arlington asking for prayers, and that is how they met.

The legal battle between Gerlach and the diocese centers on whether a secular court has jurisdiction in matters involving church investigations . The diocese, which is also conducting a canonical investigation into Gerlach’s actions, argues that courts cannot get entangled in ecclesiastical matters.

Gerlach’s lawsuit states that the diocese and Bishop Olson violated her privacy rights when he took information from electronic devices and that Olson defamed her by posting information about a private confidential matter on the diocese web site.

1548

General Discussion / As a Life Guard, I feel their frustrations after this NFL Quarterback's death

« on: June 29, 2023, 12:13:06 PM »

...Stupid folks just don't listen and chose to ignore warnings until it's too late unfortunately. ..

Bodycam video, new details released after ex-NFL QB's death at beach

Authorities released partial body camera video footage on Wednesday of the scene at a Gulf Coast beach on the Florida panhandle where Ryan Mallett, a former NFL player, died in an apparent drowning earlier this week.

Addressing public speculation about conditions in the water that may have caused the fatal incident, the sheriff said rip currents — which the National Weather Service linked to at least seven deaths at nearby Panama City Beach over the course of nine days this month, between June 15 and 24 — were not present in the area and therefore did not play a role in the fatal incident.

Citing deputies who responded to the drowning incident, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said they arrived at the beach near Gulf Shore Drive in Destin just after 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday afternoon, and found a group of people in the water, near the second sandbar, who had reportedly been struggling to return to shore. One person in the group, later identified as Mallett, went under and was not breathing when lifeguards pulled him out. Destin is about 50 miles away from Panama City Beach.

Lifesaving measures were unsuccessful, and Mallett was later pronounced dead at the Destin Emergency Room, according to the sheriff's office.

"In response to dozens of media inquiries from across the U.S., we wanted to report that Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office investigators are continuing to gather information in the drowning of an Arkansas tourist Tuesday afternoon in the Gulf of Mexico," the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said in a post shared to Facebook on Wednesday, which included a brief clip that showed a deputy running down the beach while responding to the scene.

"Investigators say Mallett began struggling while attempting to swim to a second sandbar about 150 feet offshore of the beach near Gulf Shores Drive in Destin around 2:15 p.m.," the post continued, adding, "Despite widespread media misinformation, yellow beach safety flags were flying at the time and there were no indications of any 'riptides.'"

1549

General Discussion / Oh so that's why these Asians look one year older than they really are? Must be

« on: June 29, 2023, 01:13:30 AM »

...nice to be able to turn the age clock back  :

South Korea abolishes traditional age system

Why are South Koreans suddenly younger? New age system explained
South Koreans officially became a year or two younger on Wednesday as new laws requiring the international method of age counting took effect.

South Koreans woke up a year or two younger after the government changed the East Asian nation’s traditional age-counting system.

Here is what you need to know..

Why are South Koreans younger?

A law passed in December that scrapped the “Korean” method of counting someone’s age came into effect on Wednesday.

Under the “Korean age” system, babies are considered to be one year old on the day they are born, and every January 1, a year is added to people’s ages – regardless of their actual birthdate. For example, a baby born on New Year’s Eve becomes two years old the next day.

There is a second counting method – a mix of the international and Korean age systems – in which a baby is born at zero years, and one year is added every January 1.

So if a woman was born in August 2003, she would be 19 years old under the international system, 20 using the mixed method and 21 under the Korean system.

Is this a radical change?

Under the new law, the country will use the international system that calculates age according to a person’s actual date of birth, meaning everyone will officially become a year or two younger.

But in reality, the change will have limited impact.

Many legal and administrative functions – including ages listed on passports, the age at which one can be prosecuted as a juvenile, and those to qualify for retirement benefits and healthcare services – already use actual dates of birth rather than the Korean system.

Other key areas such as school year eligibility, compulsory military service, and legal drinking and smoking are based on the mixed counting method  and will remain in place for now, Minister of Government Legislation Lee Wan-kyu told a news briefing on Monday.

1550

General Discussion / Having lived there, I can see why so many would rather remain lost in S.E. Asia

« on: June 29, 2023, 01:08:38 AM »

Meet the ‘lost boys’ of south-east Asia – who went backpacking but never came home
Each year, countless travel novices set off on adventures with the intention of returning home, yet many decide to stay. Here’s why


It’s impossible to know how many of the 45 million backpacking trips taken each year end with the making of another lost boy. It’s uncharted territory – perhaps because those who become lost deliberately choose to live on continents where they cannot be found.

Southeast Asia is one such region. A hotspot for digital nomads and backpackers alike, an estimated 500,000 to one million expats currently reside in Thailand, and Vietnam is home to 100,000 more, yet these figures do not provide a clear picture. These statistics largely tally residential or working visas, but some long-term residents use tourist visas to stay in their chosen country. They fly abroad to backpack new territories and ultimately slip through the cracks, becoming untethered lost boys with endless adventurous avenues to pursue.

The reasons behind their decision to remain abroad are difficult to interpret. In 2020, 281 million people lived in a different country than the one they were born in, a figure that has more than doubled since 1990. But this data does not distinguish between those who made the decision ahead of their departure and people who spontaneously forged a new life abroad during – or as a result of – a backpacking trip.

Explorers arrive in new territories with an open-ended ticket and get sucked in by the culture, the people or the affordability of a different nation. Enticed by the vast contrast to the frantic, work-focused culture of home, travellers choose a ‘lost life’ to escape the pre-planned one etched into Western standards of living.

Any visitor to Southeast Asia can attest to the presence of the lost boys; a group...

1551

Debate Central / Why is "indict" even in the conversation? So stupid IMO, idiot killed 4 Asians

« on: June 29, 2023, 01:01:26 AM »

Dramatic body camera video released as grand jury refuses to indict officer who killed mass shooter at Texas mall
June 28, 2023


(ALLEN, Texas) -- As a Texas grand jury declined to indict the police officer who killed a mass shooter at an outlet mall in May, authorities released dramatic body camera video Wednesday of the officer racing toward the gunfire and taking down the assailant accused of shooting 15 people, eight fatally.

"This video shows how quickly a routine interaction with the public turned into a life-and-death situation," Allen, Texas, Police Chief Brian Harvey said in a statement Wednesday. "The officer recognized the danger, ran toward the gunfire and neutralized the threat -- and for his actions, the Allen community is forever grateful."

The mass shooting unfolded on May 6 at the Allen Premium Outlets, north of Dallas, Texas.

The suspect was identified as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, according to law enforcement officials. Police said Garcia was armed with an AR-15 rifle.

Garcia, 33, was fatally shot by a police officer who rushed to the gunfire and confronted him, police said.

Among those killed in the rampage were two sisters, ages 8 and 11, and a 3-year-old boy and his parents.

The suspect left a trail of social media activity indicating he may have scouted the location weeks prior to the deadly shooting, according to police. A profile appearing to belong to Garcia also contained numerous references to Nazi ideology, hatred of women, racism and antisemitism, ABC News previously reported.

The body camera video released Wednesday by the Allen Police Department, warned the footage is "disturbing and recommend a high level of discretion when viewing."

The video begins by showing the officer, whose name has not been released, speaking to a mother and her two children, telling the boys, "Make sure you wear your seatbelts when mommy's driving." Suddenly, multiple gunshots erupted in the distance, according to the video.

The officer radioed in he was hearing gunfire at the outlet mall, the video shows. The officer then immediately went to his police cruiser, grabbed a rifle and began running in the direction of the gunfire, yelling into his radio, "I'm on foot. I need everybody I got," the video shows.

"I'm moving as fast as I can to try to get over there," the officer is heard saying in the video.

As the shooting continued, the officer radioed in, "I'm at Tommy Hilfiger. I don't know where he's at."

Moments later, the officer spots the gunman firing his weapon, according to the video. The officer returned fire from a distance, striking and killing the gunman.

"Shots fired by police. I've got him down," the officer radioed in before moving toward the gunman, yelling, "Drop the gun," according to the video.

Prosecutors from the Collin County District Attorney's Office and the Texas Rangers presented evidence to a grand jury on Monday, and after reviewing the facts, the panel returned a "no bill" decision on Tuesday, declining to indict the officer on any charges.

The Allen Police Department released a statement, saying it "appreciates the hard work of the grand jury, Texas Rangers and the District Attorney's Office by ensuring a process that helps promote accountability, community involvement and transparency."

The police department said it has also requested a "comprehensive and independent" review of the incident by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

"The resulting after-action report will offer insight and best practices to support future training and emergency response provided by Allen Police," the statement said.

1552

General Discussion / Looks like their version of Daunte Wright & George Floyd with similar reactions?

« on: June 28, 2023, 04:39:20 PM »

Teenager's death during police traffic stop sparks violent unrest in Paris suburb
A 17-year-old boy was shot and killed by police in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.


PARIS and LONDON -- French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin called for "calm" on Wednesday after a night of violent protests over a teenager's death at the hands of police in a Paris suburb.

"We want to have the whole truth about what happened, while respecting the time of justice," Darmanin said during a press conference.

A 17-year-old driver was shot and killed by a police officer on Tuesday morning during a traffic check in Nanterre, a suburb of France's capital. The officer remains detained on suspicion of manslaughter amid an ongoing investigation into the incident, according to the local prosecutor's office.

1553

General Discussion / You folks take care at the J4 event this weekend in MN, wear a mask if needed

« on: June 28, 2023, 04:33:48 PM »

Over 80 million people from the Midwest to the East Coast are under air quality alerts as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts to the US

Fortunately, I didn't have to deal with the Canadian wildfire smoke when I enjoyed my roast duck there:

1554

General Discussion / Father doesn't always "knows best" as his sons did the right thing in Minnesota

« on: June 28, 2023, 04:26:21 PM »

Jan. 6 defendant, representing himself, questions son who turned him into the FBI

WASHINGTON — The trial of a Jan. 6 defendant turned into a kind of family therapy session last week, as a Capitol attack defendant representing himself questioned one of his own sons, who was one of several tipsters who turned him into the FBI.

Brian Mock of Minnesota was arrested in June 2021 and was later indicted on several charges including civil disorder; assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers; and theft of government property. His bench trial before Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, where Mock is representing himself pro se, began last week and is set to resume on July 11, when Mock will retake the stand in his own defense.

Mock's son A.J. Mock was one of several tipsters who turned him into the FBI after the Capitol attack. The younger Mock indicated in his testimony that his father told him that he might not come back after Jan. 6.

"Are you dead?" A.J. Mock asked in one text to his dad after the attack, which was introduced as evidence in the trial.

"Yes, this is how I'm haunting you," Brian Mock replied.

1555

Marriage & Family Life / Unfortunately these douche Asian apes don't care what they do to the women there

« on: June 28, 2023, 01:21:31 PM »

The Marriage Scam That’s Left Thousands of Indian Women Broke or Abandoned

In Akalgarh, a village in the northern Indian state of Punjab, Jagdeep Kaur’s family cobbled together a hefty $8,500—almost four times the average annual salary in India—for a dowry to wed Sukhminder Singh. Kaur’s family also gifted gold, expensive clothes, and furniture during the wedding, which they used a loan to pay for. They hoped that by marrying Singh, a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) living in Hamburg, Germany, Kaur would have a better life abroad.

But the blissful union was never meant to be. A mere month into their marriage in 2009, Singh returned to Germany, where he had a job at a restaurant. He promised Kaur that he would soon get her paperwork done and bring her with him to Europe. That never happened, and Kaur, now 43, met Singh, also 43, only a few times during his subsequent trips back to India.

Kaur is still married to Singh and in 2017 she learned about her husband’s dark secret: not only did he have another wife in Germany, but two children. “I was shocked and didn’t know what to do,” Kaur tells TIME from her home in Ludhiana, swabbing tears from her face with her scarf. She has now filed cases at the Judicial Magistrate Court in Jagraon—a town around 25 miles from Ludhiana—against Singh and his family members in the area for cruelty, fraud, and cheating.

Kaur is one of thousands of wives who have been deceived by husbands living abroad, and hoping to get justice through India’s overburdened legal system. Though official statistics are hard to come by, a 2018 petition by eight such women in India’s Supreme Court said there are more than 40,000 wives who have been deceived into marrying NRI men. India’s government has dealt with more than 6,000 grievances against NRI men from 2015 to 2019.

Many Indian families hope an NRI son-in-law would provide better opportunities for their daughters. That has prompted some to spend exorbitant amounts on dowries to secure an NRI son-in-law, says Mamatha Raghuveer Achanta, founder of the Network Of International Legal Activists (NILA), a nonprofit that has assisted more than 250 women who have been deceived by NRI husbands. “They neglect to verify the credentials of the groom, resulting in many Indian women being abandoned by their husbands,” she says.

1556

General Discussion / Hope CA does it as I've been to that exact spot & it is 6x the size of Yosemite

« on: June 28, 2023, 12:45:02 PM »

This new wildlife sanctuary will be unlike any other part of the U.S. — and it’s 6 times the size of Yosemite National Park

A 156-mile stretch of coastline in central California is on the verge of being turned into a national marine sanctuary, co-managed by the Chumash people, other local tribal groups, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Guardian reported. It will be the first tribally-nominated, tribally-led sanctuary on the U.S. mainland if approved. It will also be physically huge — encompassing 156 miles of coastline and 7,670 square miles of ocean, the sanctuary would protect an area six times the size of Yosemite, all of which is under severe threat of the effects of climate change and pollution. The water off the California coastline is acidifying at double the rate of the rest of the ocean, and the area has already dealt with oil spills from pipelines and petrol tanks, urban stormwater and agricultural runoffs, and offshore oil drilling, which is still legal in California.

Here are some photos I took up and down that area. Big Sur is one of my favorite spots in the world so I promote it  :

1557

General Discussion / Got invited to Freedom event so thought about NtsesHnub

« on: June 28, 2023, 12:22:08 PM »

No entrance fee, and they'll also throw in lunch and a shirt at no charge  :

1558

General Discussion / 4x4 Etiquettes and cautions, learned it from my deer hunting days decades ago

« on: June 28, 2023, 03:23:16 AM »

Number one etiquette: Leave things they way you found them

For example, if the trail you're on has a gate, open it to get through but close it like the way you found it...

1559

General Discussion / Oh so that's why it's called capitol reef?

« on: June 28, 2023, 02:55:25 AM »

Why is Capitol Reef called a reef? What travelers should know about the national park.

Capitol Reef is named for a particularly colorful section of the fold where rounded Navajo sandstone forms capitol-like domes and sheer cliffs form a barrier to travel, often referred to as a "reef." Although a highway now crosses the "reef," travel is still challenging for those wishing to see the park's more remote

Was just there and found out the Mormons named these rock formation, the "Temple of the Sun and Moon":

1560

General Discussion / Yeah, just common sense, don't even think the illegal migrants want to cross it

« on: June 28, 2023, 02:25:21 AM »

...during this time of the year. Not just the heat but the humidity too:

A man and his stepson die after hiking in Big Bend National Park in 119-degree heat

The 31-year-old man had been hiking the Marufo Vega Trail in west Texas with his two stepsons, ages 14 and 21. The National Park Service says temperatures at the time were 119 degrees.