Friday, 12 July 2013

Catholic church accused of covering up for priest Malcolm McLennan who abused altar boy at St Simon Stock Church in Walderslade

St Simon Stock Church in Walderslade

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A former altar boy abused by a Catholic priest has accused the church of covering up his crimes.

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The victim, now in his 30s and with a family, said a bishop told him not to continue "his silly talk" when he originally complained 25 years ago.

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That was despite the fact Malcolm McLennan already had convictions for gross indecency and had been the subject of complaints alleging he had abused boys at another parish before being moved to St Simon Stock Church in Walderslade.

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McLennan, now 69, appeared at Medway Magistrates' Court this week where he admitted indecent assault against a minor. He has been sent to the crown court to be sentenced.

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He already has convictions dating back to the 1970s for indecency involving having sex with men in public toilets and in 2009 admitted indecent assaults involving three boys at another church.?

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He was jailed for 18 months and placed on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

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"It seems as soon as an allegation came to light he was just moved from parish to parish, he should have been stopped from being a priest..." - Malcolm McLennan's victim

Following his latest admission, the victim has spoken out about the devastating effect the abuse had on his life and has strongly criticised the church for the way his allegations were dismissed.

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He said he finally reported his attacker to police following the Jimmy Savile scandal.

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The man - who cannot be identified for legal reasons - said: "It's disgusting for a religious organisation to not protect the welfare of all its parishioners, especially children.

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"It seems as soon as an allegation came to light he was just moved from parish to parish, he should have been stopped from being a priest."

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McLennan admitted molesting an altar boy at a church in Medway around 25 years ago when he appeared in court on Monday.

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Medway magistrates heard how the then Father Frederick Malcolm McLennan put his hands down the boy's pants and fondled him when he was a teenager at St Simon Stock Church.

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McLennan was known as Father Malcolm and was an assistant priest at the church in Bleakwood Drive, Chatham.

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He now works as an infirmary assistant looking after monks at an Abbey in Gloucestershire.?

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Father Malcolm McLennan was an assistant priest at St Simon Stock Church

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Alcoholic?McLennan committed the offence between December 1987 and January 1989 while the boy was changing into his ceremonial robes.

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The court also heard he had previously been an assistant priest at a church in Tunbridge Wells in the mid-1980s and indecently assaulted three choir boys there.

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In 2009, McLennan appeared at Maidstone Crown Court where he admitted indecently assaulting the youths at St Augustine's Catholic Church.

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He abused them at a children's video club, which he ran in his sitting room. Two of the boys he abused were brothers.

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A third boy did not make a complaint, but McLennan eventually made a confession that led to one of the charges.

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He was jailed for 18 months for the three indecent assaults and placed on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

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He already had convictions for gross indecency dating back to 1973, 1977 and 1989 involving offences in public toilets with men.

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Fr Malcolm McLennan abused an altar boy at his church

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In court this week, prosecutor Debbie Jones said while the altar boy was getting changed McLennan would brush past him and cuddle him.

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She added: "He came up to him and put one arm round him and then put his hand down the front of his pants.

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"A few weeks later the defendant took the boy's hand and tried to place it on his penis. It was then the boy ran off and spoke to others."

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The court also heard the incident was reported to the senior priest at the church, Father Ernest, who then apparently reported it to the area bishop.

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However, when the bishop saw the boy, he told him he did not want to hear any more of his "silly talk".

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It is believed both the bishop and Father Ernest are now dead.

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"He does not recall very much from that time as he was a very heavy alcoholic. He left a few weeks after this and spent four months in rehab..." - Luke Mayer, defending

The incident was not reported to the police at the time, but the boy eventually reported the matter to police and McLennan was arrested in December last year.

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The prosecutor added: "During interview he told police he couldn't recall the boy and said he never touched him, but has entered a guilty plea today.

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"He has similar convictions for historic matters which only recently came to light [in 2009]."

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Magistrates also heard that several weeks after the incident, McLennan, now of Teal Close, Quedgeley, Gloucester, left the parish and did not return to the priesthood.

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Luke Mayer, defending, said: "He does not recall very much from that time as he was a very heavy alcoholic. He left a few weeks after this and spent four months in rehab.

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"He has now been alcohol-free for 23 years and has completely changed.

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"He had a meeting with the bishop at the time but the church did not take the matter further, which was not unusual in the 1980s."

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Magistrates sent McLennan to Maidstone Crown Court for sentencing.

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Craig Mackinlay, chairman of the bench, said: "This is a serious matter, you were in a position of trust."

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McLennan was granted bail until his sentencing.

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Medway Magistrates' Court in Chatham

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After the case, Archbishop of Southwark Peter Smith said: "The Archdiocese of Southwark is aware that Malcolm McLennan has pleaded guilty to indecent assault of a minor during the period 1987 to 1989, when he was assistant priest in the parish of St Simon Stock, Walderslade.

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"The Archdiocese greatly regrets the suffering that has been caused to those affected by Malcolm McLennan's behaviour.

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"McLennan, who lives in Gloucestershire, was removed from public ministry in 1989 at the time of his conviction for gross indecency and formerly stripped of the priesthood (laicised) in 2011.

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"It was reported at that time that he had previous convictions of which the Archdiocese was unaware."

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The Archbishop added: "The Archdiocese has co-operated fully with the police in their investigations since the first allegation against Malcolm McLennan was received in December 2006."

For the full interview with McLennon's victim, pick up a copy of the Medway Messenger - out today.?

Source: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway_messenger/news/Evil-priest-3300

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Glenn Greenwald Destroys MSNBC's Attempted Propaganda

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ERIC CANTOR / Cantor is the only Jewish Republican in the United States Congress.

As of December 2010, Cantor is the only Jewish Republican in the United States Congress.[2][11][20]
Cantor stated that a ?stronger U.S.-Israel relationship? remains a top priority for him and that he would be ?very outspoken? if Obama "did anything to undermine those ties."[11][24] He supports strong United States-Israel relations.[2][6]
In October 2008, Cantor advocated and voted for the TARP program which aided distressed banks.[29 ]
Shortly after the 2010 midterm elections, Cantor met privately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, just before Netanyahu was to meet with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. According to Cantor's office, he "stressed that the new Republican majority will serve as a check on the Administration" and "made clear that the Republican majority understands the special relationship between Israel and the United States."[25]

ERIC CANTOR
Campaign office incident

After the passage of the health care reform bill in March 2010, Cantor reported that somebody had shot a bullet through a window of his campaign office in Richmond, Virginia. A spokesman for the Richmond Police later stated that the bullet was not intentionally fired at Cantor's office, saying that it was instead random gunfire, as there were no signs outside the office identifying the office as being Cantor's.[16] A preliminary investigation indicated that the bullet was fired into the air and hit the office window going down. The bullet landed within a foot of the window.[17] Cantor responded to this by saying that Democratic leaders in the House should stop "dangerously fanning the flames" by blaming Republicans for threats against House Democrats who voted for the health care legislation.[18]

He voted against raising the minimum wage to US$ 7.25 in 2007.

Cantor also reported that he had received threatening e-mails related to the passage of the bill, but he declined to hand over copies of the e-mails, saying that doing so would encourage similar activity.[19]

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest federation of trade unions in the United States, rates Cantor 0%, indicating an anti-Union voting record.

READ THE ENTIRE HR 3200 HEALTH CARE BILL /CLICK LINK BELOW.

True statement: concerning ."AVCA" listed on nasdaq, DIVERSICARE and nursing homes in my area

To ParkView Care Center owned or run by Diversicare management services home office located in Tennessee.
Neglect and abuse was present at the time i had my elderly father admitted as a resident in the Park view care center nursing home located in Paris Texas.
"Just imagine", if you where sick with some thing and you continued to get worse as the days went by how long would you stick it out before you went to see the doctor 2 days , 3days, 4days, 5 days , . The first month my elderly father was a resident in ParkView Care Center owned or run by [Diversicare management Services home office located in Tennessee] he went 23 days before one of the day nurse's decide he needed to be taken to the hospital.
I had been harping to nurse's about my elderly fathers condition every day before he was sent to hospital by ambulance[ I WAS IGNORED] .
To make a true and factual statement about 3 of the nursing homes i had my elderly father in ,i noticed one thing in common with all of the three nursing homes . The staff are friendly to family members when they are on the sight of the nursing home. If a family member makes a special effort like being at the nursing home every day 7 days a week for extended periods of time. The staff and the employees become paranoid about your presents, reason they get paranoid is they become lax and complacent in their duties and tend to set around and do nothing when ever they get the chance.

The following statement happened to me at ParkView Care Center located in Paris Texas. I had a female nurse make special effort to confront me for about three days in a row when i walked into to check on my elderly father, this nurse would walk up to me as i entered the ParkView Care Center nursing home and she ask me --(DONT YOU HAVE A JOB YOU NEED TO GO TOO ) this nurse was i assume trying to intimidate me i guess .
I was offended by this statement but said nothing at the time . The red headed female nurse did this the following 2 days as i went to visit my elderly father.
This kinda of behavior leads me to think that they [ OF COURSE I'M SURE THEY WOULDN'T ADMIT TO THIS THOUGH ] ' where trying to get me to stop my regular visits. [ GOD FOR BID I WOULDN'T WON'T TO INTERFERE WITH THE FOLKS CHAIR AND RELAXATION TIME, IF YOU CATCH MY DRIFT. ]
I myself have seen bed alarms at PARK VIEW CARE CENTER NURSING HOME go off beeping for 2 to 3 hours at a time from the elderly residence rooms ,which needed a nurse to check on them .The third shift was the worse! On regular occasion's the residence bed alarms would be ignored by the nurse's at the nurse's station for periods from 1hour up to 3 hours at a time. [ Good God where is the compassion , these people should be ashamed of their selves.] ,One night i was up late with my elderly father watching television in the front of the building .
I heard the night nurse scream at the top of her voice at one of the elderly female residence's. The night nurse jumped up from her chair [ setting down imagine that ] and trotted from behind the nurse's station the whole time screaming at the top of her voice at the elderly woman , as the nurse got close enough to the chair which the elderly woman set in , the nurse grabbed both arms of the elderly residents chair and the nurse placed her face about 2 inches from the elderly resident face screaming as loud as she could at the elderly resident, for spitting on the floor. The poor old lady had Parkinson's .
The elderly woman didn't realize where she was, the elderly lady was handicapped. The night nurse must have lost her mind . [scared the holy hell out of the old lady]. The nurse did not know i was up front with my elderly father watching television late in the evening when this event happened. Once the night nurse noticed me watching what she was doing , she quickly walked back to her chair behind her official nurse's station. The night nurse scared the old lady so bad the elderly woman did not say anything verbally out loud to anyone the whole time that i noticed while i was visiting at this nursing home and i was there 7 days a week 5 to 8 hours a day.

One thing i will not forget is the bed alarms which go off at night from the elderly residents rooms . The nurse's on the night shift set at the nurse's station and ignore the loud beeping alarms and the flashing lights. [good god this is pitiful] this was a regular thing on the late shift for the most part .
The most upsetting thing i happen to witness once was an elderly resident go code blue [ stop breathing ] one night . The young nurse on duty ran from the room to the phone to call the doctor on the phone [she said the doctor would not answer the page] then she gave up on trying to reach the doctor she then called her head nurse at home [this all happened about 9:45pm at night] .
Mean while the elderly resident has gone with out breathing for about 9 or 10 minutes at this point, the head nurse told the young nurse on duty to call 911 and get the EMS guys to try to revive him . She then called 911 the EMS guys took about 6 minutes to arrive . Point of this story is the elderly man coded blue and went about 14 too 15 minutes with out any attempt to revive him ,while i stood watching all this [I thought to myself good god is this the way you do things] 14 too 15 minutes is way too dam long to let an elderly person go before you attempt to revive him.
[ This code blue happened at LEGENDS NURSING HOME in Paris Texas ]. The things which go on in nursing homes is ungodly i could write a small book but i will keep the rest of this to my self for now.

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THIS TO ANYONE READING THIS, IF YOU HAVE FAMILY THAT YOU TRULY LOVE AND ARE CONCERNED ABOUT ,"DO NOT" FULLY TRUST STRANGERS TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR LOVED ONES . One last note PARK VIEW CARE CENTER IN Paris Texas should be closed down . One more thing if your loved one dies while in the care of the Park view care center be prepared for a complete change in the way the staff at this facility talk with you and treat you if you return to discuss pro rated billing [ which means they try to stiff you with back dated charges] or to visit other residents at this nursing home .
The staff becomes real real paranoid and unfriendly . I even had the janitor walk up to me and with a condescending smile get in my face and he said [ don't make me have to throw you out of here] ""WHAT A DUM ASS THIS GUY WAS"".
I was always polite with all employees at this nursing home in fear that my elderly father might be treated badly in retaliation if i had made someone mad. I will post more about the Paris Texas Nursing homes in my area in coming articles . I WRITE THESE ARTICLES FROM MY EYE WITNESS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ELDERLY AND THE HANDICAPPED PEOPLE, WHO NEED ALL THE HELP THEY CAN GET BECAUSE THE ELDERLY FOR THE MOST PART ARE HELPLESS AND NEED THE YOUNGER PEOPLE TO GET THERE ASS IN GEAR AND HELP OUT NOT LOOK FOR A EASY WAY OUT .

"FOR PROFIT " HEALTH CARE IS DEEPLY FLAWED AND NEEDS A SEVERE CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. AFTER GOING THROUGH THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM WITH MY ELDERLY FATHER I HAVE LEARNED A LESSON I WILL REMEMBER THE REST OF MY LIVING DAYS . ""ITS A DAM SHAME "" to be continued ------------ call this PART #1

AVCA, ADVOCAT INC. DIVERSACARE, PROFIT BY DEATH AND SUFFERING OF THE ELDERLY.

The following information is public information published on the internet concerning

Comment:
-AVCA- ADVOCAT INC. WALL STREET PROFITEERS . WHO PROFIT WHILE YOUR ELDERLY FAMILY MEMBERS SUFFER AND DIE.

Officers
William R. Council, IIIPresident and Chief Executive Officer

L. Glynn Riddle, Jr.Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Raymond L. Tyler, Jr.Senior Vice President of Nursing Home Operations

THIS ARTICLE WAS CUT AND PASTED FROM -- FORM 10-K-- FROM THE INTERNET HERE IS A LINK http://www.getfilings.com/o0000950144-04-003095.html

The Company cannot predict the likelihood, scope or outcome of any such investigations on its facilities. On August 5, 2002, the Company was served in a lawsuit filed by the State of Arkansas styled Arkansas v. Diversicare Leasing Corp. d/b/a Eureka Springs Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, et. al., case number 02-6822 in the Circuit Court of Pulaski County, Arkansas. The allegations against the Company include violations of the Arkansas Abuse of Adults Act and violation of the Arkansas Medicaid False Claims Act with respect to a resident of the Eureka Springs facility. This action is scheduled for trial on September 13, 2004. On February 18, 2004, the Company was served in six additional lawsuits filed by the State of Arkansas in the Circuit Court of Pulaski County, Arkansas. The six lawsuits involve fifteen patients at five nursing homes operated by the Company in Arkansas and also allege violations of the Arkansas Abuse of Adults Act and the Arkansas Medicaid False Claims Act. The six complaints, in the aggregate, seek actual damages totaling approximately $250,000 and fines and penalties in excess of $45 million. No trial date has been set in these six actions. However, the Company cannot currently predict with certainty the ultimate impact of the above cases on the Company?s financial condition, cash flows or results of operations. The Company intends to vigorously defend itself against the allegations in all of these lawsuits.

Comment:

DON'T BE SURPRISED IF THE STAFF AT PARKVIEW CARE CENTER WILL NOT GIVE YOU THE PHONE NUMBERS OF DIVERSICARE, OR ADVOCAT INC. CORPORATE OFFICE , THEY REFUSED TO GIVE THEM TO ME AFTER MY FATHER DIED . CONTACT ME AT WALTIP@GMAIL.COM with information as how your loved ones were treated while in the care of nursing homes in the Paris ,Texas, area, I will gladly post your comments on this site.

DIVERSICARE 1621 Galleria Blvd Brentwood, TN 37027(615) 771-7575 Map

Advocat Inc.1621 Galleria BoulevardBrentwood, TN 37027United States - Map Phone: 615-771-7575 Fax: 615-771-7409

KEY EXECUTIVES------

Mr. William R. Council III, 47Chief Exec. Officer, Pres and Exec. Director ---Mr. L. Glynn Riddle Jr., 49Chief Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer, Exec. VP and Sec. ---

Mr. Raymond L. Tyler Jr., 58Sr. VP of Nursing Home Operations --- Mr. Richard M. Brame , 55Director, Chairman of Compensation Committee, Member of Audit Committee and Chief Financial Officer of Covington Sr. Living LLC ---

Mr. Chad A. McCurdy , 40Director, Member of Audit Committee, Member of Nominating & Corp. Governance Committee and Managing Partner of Marlin Capital Partners LLC .

Comment : ADVOCAT INC. AND DIVERSICARE --
While you are counting your money , think about how you really operate your business, I have seen how you operate one of your facilities first hand. I believe you are heart less souls and you should have compassion. But im sure you will laugh at this article and giggle your way to the bank .
YOUR DAY WILL COME!

Source: http://waltip.blogspot.com/2013/07/glenn-greenwald-destroys-msnbcs.html

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Arizona requires financial literacy in school curriculum ? MSNBC

Patti Karr checks Justin Kramer's spelling words in her 4th grade classroom at Franklin Northeast Elementary School in Mesa, Ariz., on Feb. 6, 2012.    (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Mark Henle)

Patti Karr checks Justin Kramer?s spelling words in her 4th grade classroom at Franklin Northeast Elementary School in Mesa, Ariz., on Feb. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Mark Henle)

In the upcoming school year Arizona will have a new requirement for their students: personal finance.

Starting in fall, a new state law, Senate Bill 1449, will require the State Board of Education to adjust curriculum to include personal finance teaching. Financing concepts are required to be taught starting in first grade. Students will be exposed to ideas such as budgeting, saving, investing and credit.

Senate Bill 1449 came about when accountant Sharon Lechter, the driving force behind this bill, decided to adjust her career?s focus to financial education and literacy after discovering her oldest son had fallen into credit card debit post high school graduation.

?I realized when my own child had that kind of problem, what about the kids that aren?t getting any financial education?? Lechtcher said in an?Arizona Daily Star?interview. The goal of this law is for students to be able to manage their futures by freeing themselves from unnecessary financial burdens by graduating with basic understanding of finance management, she said.

This symbolic move by the Arizona Department of Education is a step forward in addressing new ways to prepare the country?s youth with skills necessary for success. Not long ago, there was a push to teach children vocational skills?in elementary and high school. Perhaps at a time of 7.6% unemployment with about 12 million Americans still looking for work, it?s not a bad time to re-examine alternative routes to educate to inspire our the next generation in our country?

Source: http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/07/11/arizona-requires-financial-literacy-in-school-curriculum/

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PFT: Cowboys' Murray says it's not all on Romo

Carlos OrtizAP

On Tuesday, limited snippets of an affidavit filed in a Florida court emerged, via the Associated Press.? And while the information published by the AP was accurate, it was hardly complete.

Albert Breer of NFL Network has passed along the entire affidavit, and it paints a much more comprehensive picture of what Carlos Ortiz said, and when and where he said it.

Basically, Ortiz said everything he knows.

As of Tuesday, June 25, Ortiz was on probation.? He showed up that day for a previously-scheduled meeting with his probation officer.? When Ortiz got there, he learned that there was another purpose for that day?s meeting.

Investigators provided Ortiz with the so-called Miranda warnings (?you have the right to remain silent . . .?), and Ortiz nevertheless agreed to speak.? Both the video and audio were recorded.

Ortiz said that he and Wallace arrived at Hernandez?s home in North Attleboro just after midnight on June 17, 2013.? Hernandez and Shayanna Jenkins weren?t home; a babysitter let Wallace and Ortiz into the home.

Ortiz saw ?a small and large handgun? in the home, and when Hernandez returned with Jenkins, Ortiz saw Hernandez ?carrying a handgun.?

The three men ? Hernandez, Ortiz, and Wallace ? left the home at 1:09 a.m., stopping once for gas and then picking up Odin Lloyd and traveling back to North Attleboro.

Ortiz told police that, on the drive back, ?he overheard Mr. Hernandez state directly to Mr. Lloyd that he was ?chilling? with people that [Hernandez] had problems with.?? Ortiz said that Hernandez and Lloyd ?made up by ?shaking hands? and added that ?it? was squashed.?

Ortiz then fell asleep.? He woke up when the vehicle stopped, and Ortiz saw the other three men ? Hernandez, Wallace, and Lloyd ? get out of the car ?to urinate.?

Ortiz then heard gunshots.

Hernandez and Wallace got back in to the car ?without Mr. Lloyd,? and the vehicle ?fled? the scene.

Because he had been asleep and stayed in the car, Ortiz didn?t know who had fired the shots, which makes Monday?s report that Wallace told Ortiz that Hernandez fired the shots now more sensible.

When the vehicle returned to Hernandez?s house, Wallace asked Ortiz to get a small gun located under the rear of the driver?s seat.? Ortiz got the gun, carried it inside, and gave it to Hernandez.

Ortiz said that he then went back to sleep.

The affidavit confirms that it was Ortiz who told police about the things Hernandez said to Lloyd in the car, but Ortiz?s version as explained in the affidavit differs from the representations made in court by prosecutor Bill McCauley during Hernandez?s arraignment.? For example, McCauley mentioned that Hernandez spoke about not being able to trust anyone, and that Hernandez wasn?t upset about Lloyd ?chilling? with people Hernandez had issues with but that Lloyd had actually said something to them that called his trustworthiness in to question.? Also, McCauley said nothing about Hernandez and Lloyd making up.

Still, if Ortiz repeats his story in court, it will be very hard to overcome the clear and complete picture it paints.? While Hernandez?s lawyers surely will try to paint Ortiz as a liar, the reality is that Hernandez specifically asked Ortiz and Wallace to come to Massachusetts from Connecticut.? As a practical matter, Hernandez is pretty much stuck with whatever Ortiz says happened, unless Hernandez and Wallace plan to offer an alternative explanation on the witness stand at trial.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/07/10/demarco-murray-its-not-all-on-romo/related/

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Israeli military focuses on northern border

ELYAKIM, Israel (AP) ? An Israeli soldier collapses onto the floor of a house in Lebanon, shot by Hezbollah fighters. As his squad mates clear out the second floor, a medic rushes over, pulling on latex gloves and digging into his first aid kit. Gunfire echoes down the stairs as he starts to work on the wound.

The Israeli military experienced this kind of brutal house-to-house warfare during its inconclusive 2006 war with Hezbollah. As it trains in a mock village in its base in this northern Israeli town, it is recreating similar battle scenarios as it prepares for the next confrontation with the Lebanese militant group. Officials say such a conflict could erupt at any time.

While the world has focused its attention on the turmoil in Egypt following the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, Israel is keeping a close eye on its northern flank, where officials say the Syrian civil war, and Hezbollah's increasing involvement there, have created a combustible mix that could draw in Israel with little notice.

"They are more and more deeply embedded in their infighting and we have to be prepared, we have to watch the border and have the forces that will enable us to respond quickly and decisively," said Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military spokesman.

Israel has been warily watching the Syrian conflict since it erupted in March 2011, fearing that sophisticated weapons could be transferred to Hezbollah during the chaos. Though they have not taken sides, Israeli leaders have said they would take military action to prevent "game-changing" arms from reaching the militant group.

Israeli warplanes have carried out at least three airstrikes in recent months on what were believed to be advanced missiles on their way to Hezbollah. A pair of mysterious explosions over the past week, one at an arms depot in Syria and a second in a Hezbollah stronghold in Lebanon, has raised suspicions that Israel was involved.

Israel has not confirmed involvement in any of the airstrikes or explosions, but even the perception of an Israeli connection raises the risk of a reprisal.

On several occasions this year, mortar shells and tank rounds from Syria have landed inside Israeli-controlled territory, causing damage and spreading panic but causing no injuries. Israel says most of the attacks have been errant fire, but it has sometimes accused Syria of aiming at Israeli targets, and has briefly fired back across the border.

In the wake of an Israeli airstrike in May, Syrian President Bashar Assad threatened to retaliate, while Israel's air force chief has warned that a "surprise war" could break out at any time.

Conflict with Syria would almost certainly mean renewed hostilities with Hezbollah, Syrian President Bashar Assad's close ally, which battled Israel in a month-long war in 2006 that ended in stalemate. During the fighting, Hezbollah fired some 4,000 rockets and missiles into Israel. Defense officials believe Hezbollah has restocked its arsenal with tens of thousands of missiles, some capable of striking deep inside the Jewish state.

The base in Elyakim, in northern Israel, plays a key role in preparing for any future confrontation. The military built the complex after the 2006 war to institutionalize the lessons of guerrilla warfare. The village complex features networks of tunnels, and trainers frequently take hostages as part of battlefield scenarios like the one involving the wounded soldier and the frantic fight for control of the house.

Lt. Archie Leonard, a spokesman for the school, said the experience of the last war gives the soldiers an important step up compared to 2006. He said intelligence keeps the trainers up to date on Hezbollah tactics.

"The next time that we'll go in, if we go in, we'll be much more forceful and more effective," he said. "I think the Hezbollah is getting better, but we're ahead of them and we'll always be a step of ahead of their abilities."

Such training is only one step in a series of measures Israel has taken to boost security along its borders with Lebanon and Syria. The military has beefed up its physical defenses in the Golan Heights over the past two years, and officials say it has improved its intelligence operation to give early warning of potential attacks.

Reflecting the high priority of the northern front, the military announced plans this week to create a new army division to oversee the Golan Heights, along the Syrian front, and "address emerging threats" like the one from Hezbollah.

It approved the step even as defense officials slash their budget. The military is turning its forces away from heavy arms like tanks toward non-traditional forms of warfare like the guerrilla battle it faced in Lebanon. Defense Minister Moshe Ayalon said on Thursday that "army-to-army battles of the type we last saw 40 years ago in the Yom Kippur War are becoming less and less relevant," referring to the 1973 conflict in which Israeli forces confronted mass formations of Egyptian and Syrian tanks.

For now, Israeli officials believe neither Syria nor Hezbollah is interested in war. Assad is preoccupied with rebels trying to oust him, and the Israeli military estimates that around 3,000 Hezbollah fighters have entered Syria to aid him. Officials believe the group has lost some 200 fighters.

Such losses have may have weakened Hezbollah in the short term. But officials say Hezbollah's experience in the civil war may prove a valuable training ground. Officials point to the heavy Hezbollah involvement in the Syrian government's attack on the city of Qusair several weeks ago, and said that Israel has seen Hezbollah fighters operating tanks.

In May, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that the group would help Syria retake the Golan Heights or accept upgraded arms from its military. "The resistance is prepared to accept any sophisticated weaponry even if it was to break the balance (of force)," he said.

Yoram Schweitzer, a terrorism expert at the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv think tank, said that even a weakened Hezbollah still can hurt Israel.

"In spite of its dire straits situation in Syria, mainly, the way it was equipped with very sophisticated armament and training by states is still posing a threat to Israel," Schweitzer said. No matter how many fighters Hezbollah loses, he argued, it maintains the ability "to send many rockets to Israel to devastate the country."

Source: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/world/article/Israeli-military-focuses-on-northern-border-4661208.php

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As ice cover disappears, life in the frigid Antarctic moves fast

As ice cover disappears, life in the frigid Antarctic moves fast [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 11-Jul-2013
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Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary
moleary@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press

It might be cold in the Antarctic, but that doesn't mean that life there necessarily moves slowly. A report appearing in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, on July 11 reveals the discovery of a surprisingly fast-growing community of glass sponges in an area formerly covered by permanent ice. With the ice at the surface disappearing, those little-known sponges are launching a seafloor takeover.

That's a surprise, given that glass sponges were thought to have very long and slow lives, the researchers say. The boldest estimates suggest lifetimes of more than 10,000 years.

"By comparing identical tracks video-surveyed by remotely operated underwater vehicle in one of the least accessible parts of the Antarctic, we found two- and three-fold increases in the biomass and abundance of glass sponges, respectively, from 2007 to 2011," says Claudio Richter of the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany. "This is much faster than any of us would have thought possible."

"A general principle to be learned from our study is that benthic communities are very dynamic, even under the extreme environmental conditions prevailing in the Antarctic," says the study's first author, Laura Fillinger. "Only four years ago, the study area was dominated by a species of sea squirt. Now this pioneer species has all but disappeared, giving way to a community dominated by young individuals of a glass sponge."

Richter and Fillinger plan to keep going back to this polar site, to see what might happen next. They suspect the seafloor there will ultimately reach a climax community that looks like those in other shallow and seasonally ice-covered Antarctic waters; at this rate, that could happen within decades, not centuries.

Exactly what this will mean for the rest of the Antarctic or the planet is impossible to say. Glass sponges serve as important habitat for diverse communities of fish and invertebrates, but there is still a lot that no one really knows about them.

Ultimately, the future is anyone's guess. If you are a glass sponge, it does appear to be good news. "If the alarming rate of ice shelf disintegration continues glass sponges may find themselves on the winners' side of climate change," the researchers write.

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Current Biology, Fillinger et al.: "Rapid glass sponge expansion after climate-induced Antarctic ice shelf collapse."


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As ice cover disappears, life in the frigid Antarctic moves fast [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 11-Jul-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary
moleary@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press

It might be cold in the Antarctic, but that doesn't mean that life there necessarily moves slowly. A report appearing in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, on July 11 reveals the discovery of a surprisingly fast-growing community of glass sponges in an area formerly covered by permanent ice. With the ice at the surface disappearing, those little-known sponges are launching a seafloor takeover.

That's a surprise, given that glass sponges were thought to have very long and slow lives, the researchers say. The boldest estimates suggest lifetimes of more than 10,000 years.

"By comparing identical tracks video-surveyed by remotely operated underwater vehicle in one of the least accessible parts of the Antarctic, we found two- and three-fold increases in the biomass and abundance of glass sponges, respectively, from 2007 to 2011," says Claudio Richter of the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany. "This is much faster than any of us would have thought possible."

"A general principle to be learned from our study is that benthic communities are very dynamic, even under the extreme environmental conditions prevailing in the Antarctic," says the study's first author, Laura Fillinger. "Only four years ago, the study area was dominated by a species of sea squirt. Now this pioneer species has all but disappeared, giving way to a community dominated by young individuals of a glass sponge."

Richter and Fillinger plan to keep going back to this polar site, to see what might happen next. They suspect the seafloor there will ultimately reach a climax community that looks like those in other shallow and seasonally ice-covered Antarctic waters; at this rate, that could happen within decades, not centuries.

Exactly what this will mean for the rest of the Antarctic or the planet is impossible to say. Glass sponges serve as important habitat for diverse communities of fish and invertebrates, but there is still a lot that no one really knows about them.

Ultimately, the future is anyone's guess. If you are a glass sponge, it does appear to be good news. "If the alarming rate of ice shelf disintegration continues glass sponges may find themselves on the winners' side of climate change," the researchers write.

###

Current Biology, Fillinger et al.: "Rapid glass sponge expansion after climate-induced Antarctic ice shelf collapse."


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-07/cp-aic070313.php

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Six held after London skyscraper protest

Six Greenpeace protesters who scaled Britain's tallest building are in police custody after being arrested over the stunt.

The group of female activists reached the top of the Shard in central London on Thursday evening following 15 hours of climbing in protest at oil drilling in the Arctic.

On reaching the top of the 72-storey building, two of the campaigners unfurled a 10 metre by 10 metre blue flag with 'Save the Arctic' written in white across it.

They were later arrested by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of aggravated trespass.

The women, who evaded security guards to begin their climb in the early morning, said it was intended to put Shell and other oil companies in the spotlight.

The demonstrators live-streamed the climb from helmet cameras, with birds-eye views of their ascent broadcast live at www.iceclimb.savethearctic.org.

Source: http://bigpondnews.com/articles/TopStories/2013/07/12/Six_held_after_London_skyscraper_protest_887347.html

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