Wednesday, October 31, 2007
ooh, an interesting controversy
the headline reads, Norfolk officials divided on felon's appointment to city agency. the gist is that half of the city council is against Albert's appointment to lead Norfolk’s Office of Public and Criminal Justice.
i am angry at the citizens in this region. the paper ran a poll, and the public's answers are astonishing. i mean, this man has been through it all. he may offer wonderful insights into our local criminal justice programs.
The man recently appointed to lead a new anti-crime agency went to prison for manslaughter in the 1970s, committed a series of drug-related felonies in the 1980s and was accused of another killing in 1990.i don't know the specifics of this man's case, i've never even heard of him before. but i'm in agreement with Mayor Fraim and Councilman Riddick on this one. here is finally a story of a man who has been helped by the criminal justice system and has reached soaring levels in his career since his encounters with the system. the public says that they want people to be reformed and successful after they have paid their dues for criminal acts. but when it happens, there is often an uproar or controversy.
Alphonso Albert also has spent the past 15 years helping hundreds of ex-felons redirect their lives, earning him the respect of a host of city officials.
His new job gives him some oversight of the Police Department and others in law enforcement, and some officials question whether he should be allowed to have that position despite what he's accomplished since leaving prison.
i am angry at the citizens in this region. the paper ran a poll, and the public's answers are astonishing. i mean, this man has been through it all. he may offer wonderful insights into our local criminal justice programs.
Should a convicted felon be eligible to lead Norfolk’s Office of Public and Criminal Justice?jeez, people, wake up. with two million people incarcerated and 700,000 released each year, you are going to have to learn to live and work with these people. they are everywhere.
Yes 19.75%
No 76.49%
Undecided 3.76%
Total: 2846 votes
Labels: crime and social justice
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
sex with a bike
a man in scotland has been placed on the sex offenders’ register after being caught trying to have sex with a bicycle.
this is a true story! i wonder if their sex offender registry is as problematic as ours where this guy will end up living under a bridge.*
* someone mentioned this last night in class. in florida, sex offenders are forced to live below the bridge because of the many restrictions placed on them. please don't get the impression that i am out to 'save the sex offenders,' but there are many problems with the registry, including those that get included into this category. in the US, this guy with the bike would surely be included in the registry and labeled a sex offender.
this is a true story! i wonder if their sex offender registry is as problematic as ours where this guy will end up living under a bridge.*
* someone mentioned this last night in class. in florida, sex offenders are forced to live below the bridge because of the many restrictions placed on them. please don't get the impression that i am out to 'save the sex offenders,' but there are many problems with the registry, including those that get included into this category. in the US, this guy with the bike would surely be included in the registry and labeled a sex offender.
Labels: crime and social justice
Monday, October 29, 2007
per a friend's request...
i'm putting this up.
and for all those who ever wanted to know what it looked like under the 'kitty meatloaf.'
hilarious. [via]
Sunday, October 28, 2007
i've always liked this one
"Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps, for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be."
- William Hazlitt
- William Hazlitt
Labels: quotes
Friday, October 26, 2007
what would we do without guns?
this story is from august, but in case you didn't realize, the US has 90 guns for every 100 citizens, making it the most heavily armed society in the world.
i find it interesting that this is another one of those topics in which everyone is an expert. i wonder how long it will take in this current presidential race before this is a major/hot issue.
i find it interesting that this is another one of those topics in which everyone is an expert. i wonder how long it will take in this current presidential race before this is a major/hot issue.
Labels: crime and social justice
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
poodwaddle.com
this is neat:
beverly cleary
is the name i have been trying to think of all evening.
ah, i feel better now.
ah, i feel better now.
Monday, October 22, 2007
out of the closet
J.K. Rowling says that Dumbledore is gay. i shared this story with a Harry Potter-addicted friend and she went on and on about how this makes sense considering...[insert list of factors written in the books].
but I feel that this news is awfully convenient, now that the book series is over. it appears that J.K. didn't want to offend part of her audience, which may have affected book sales. now, she can say whatever with little damage.
but I feel that this news is awfully convenient, now that the book series is over. it appears that J.K. didn't want to offend part of her audience, which may have affected book sales. now, she can say whatever with little damage.
Labels: books
Friday, October 19, 2007
it's all Luka's fault
Thursday, October 18, 2007
halloween dilemma
halloween is a wednesday this year. okay, but i have class that night. trick or treating ends at 8 and i have class from 6-9. this will be a problem since i certainly don't want to miss the 'dark angel' parading about town.
"because we promised you a Mercedes-Benz"
i despise the current Mercedes commercial, only because the way the guy says "Benz" seems funny to me.
this is the Mercedes-Benz SilverFlow - the car for the future.
if we are really driving cars like this is the future, someone surely will be disappointed that we are still driving at all. i'll pass on this design.
[via presurfer]
Monday, October 15, 2007
wouldn't it be the first baby conceived after that time
how do they know she really is the first baby boomer? i see how the date corresponds, but really?
as you can see, i'm not reading too much into this.
as you can see, i'm not reading too much into this.
Friday, October 12, 2007
somehow i believe these are related
"As of Friday, Oct. 12, 2007, at least 3,823 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count."
Al Gore wins the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize (shared with the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). congrats Al. he says he will donate his share of the prize money to that Alliance for Climate Protection.
Al Gore wins the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize (shared with the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). congrats Al. he says he will donate his share of the prize money to that Alliance for Climate Protection.
rules of thumb
There's nothing uglier than a thirteen year old boy.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
no free speech at Regent
a student at Regent University, posted a picture of university president Pat Robertson demonstrating an obscene hand gesture (the finger) on his personal Facebook site. now he's in trouble.
it's a shame that we are losing first amendment rights in this country. but it's not a shock from Pat Robertson.
The student, Adam M. Key, defended his action as constitutionally protected free speech in a 14-page legal brief he presented to the dean of the law school ... [the] second-year law student, said he refused to apologize and “be muzzled” by the university, so he composed the document, which includes citations from noted First Amendment cases ...one motivating factor, he said, for attending Regent, was “the opportunity to show people that liberalism isn’t a sin.”
In earlier Internet postings, Key has criticized public statements Robertson has made, including a suggestion in 2005 that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez should be assassinated. He said he posted the Robertson photo in the spirit of satire and is protected under the First Amendment.
“I didn’t put it on there to make a big stink,” he said of the photo. “I was exercising my right to free expression. All I would say to Regent is, 'Please respect my right to express myself.’”
it's a shame that we are losing first amendment rights in this country. but it's not a shock from Pat Robertson.
Labels: crime and social justice
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
i've left michael vick alone for a while now
but now they want to take away his $20 million! the pilot online poll suggests that readers find this right, or justified.
Should Michael Vick be forced to return nearly $20 million in bonus money to the Atlanta Falcons?
Yes 82.37%
No 14.95%
Undecided 2.69%
Total: 1860 votes
Should Michael Vick be forced to return nearly $20 million in bonus money to the Atlanta Falcons?
Yes 82.37%
No 14.95%
Undecided 2.69%
Total: 1860 votes
although lame
you may be interested in this list of 66 Celebrities that Blog.
i didn't look at them all, just a select few. man, roseanne really hates bush.
i didn't look at them all, just a select few. man, roseanne really hates bush.
Monday, October 08, 2007
stupid quote of the day*
"We are no longer doing movies with women in the lead."
- Warner Bros president of production Jeff Robinov, in response to the failed brave one (jodi foster) and the invasion (nicole kidman).
* i'm doubt stupid is the right word, but i'm too worn out to think about.
- Warner Bros president of production Jeff Robinov, in response to the failed brave one (jodi foster) and the invasion (nicole kidman).
* i'm doubt stupid is the right word, but i'm too worn out to think about.
Labels: quotes
Sunday, October 07, 2007
i'm not dead
it only appears so here. wow, what a week. scheduling laser eye surgery, relaxing over stress with an assignment grade, worrying about quarterly reports, learning about HIV in China, brushing up on criminal justice policies from the past 30 years, and so on. but i'm not dead.
here's some stuff i'm trying not to stress over:
Ann Coulter, the misogynist. "If we took away women’s right to vote, we’d never have to worry about another Democrat president. It’s kind of a pipe dream, it’s a personal fantasy of mine, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. And it is a good way of making the point that women are voting so stupidly, at least single women." really, she said that! no comment. i wouldn't want to stoop to her level. i mean, if you wanna talk about democrats, then fine, but suggesting to take away women's right to vote, and dreaming of it... wait, i'm not commenting. [via feministing, emphasis added.]
prison nation - full speed ahead. we hit over 2 million incarcerated. the 'worst' line that sums up the impact: "blacks and Hispanics were about three times as likely to be imprisoned than to be living in a dormitory." oh yeah, that's progress.
pinkle. stupid.
here's some stuff i'm trying not to stress over:
Ann Coulter, the misogynist. "If we took away women’s right to vote, we’d never have to worry about another Democrat president. It’s kind of a pipe dream, it’s a personal fantasy of mine, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. And it is a good way of making the point that women are voting so stupidly, at least single women." really, she said that! no comment. i wouldn't want to stoop to her level. i mean, if you wanna talk about democrats, then fine, but suggesting to take away women's right to vote, and dreaming of it... wait, i'm not commenting. [via feministing, emphasis added.]
prison nation - full speed ahead. we hit over 2 million incarcerated. the 'worst' line that sums up the impact: "blacks and Hispanics were about three times as likely to be imprisoned than to be living in a dormitory." oh yeah, that's progress.
pinkle. stupid.
Labels: crime and social justice
you made it down here?
what? you want a reward?
