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Ancient Christian Remnants Uncovered Following ISIS Defeat

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Christian Church in Manbij City Story

Having held on to the city of Manbij for more than two years, ISIS terrorists committed some of the most unspeakable atrocities on the local community there. Specifically targeting Christians, as well as Christian holy sites, often killing innocent women and children in their bloody wake. There was no end to the unthinkable horrors these ISIS fighters bought down on a whole city; most of which too horrific to even repeat.

Manbij Liberated

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.alshahidwitness.com

Following more than two years of being held hostage by ISIS, US-backed alliance forces consisting of Arab and Kurdish fighters, had beaten back ISIS in the ancient city, to the point where they were defeated. Spontaneous celebrations erupted in the city, with civilians pouring on to the streets with rebel fighters claiming they had “liberated” the city. Men were seen clipping their beards, while women lifted their veils in a show of defiance and liberation from the brutal occupation…

Under Full Control

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.welat.fm

Everyone across the board was thrilled to see the backs of ISIS after Manbij was liberated, although a lot of damage was already done, some of it irreversible. Nasser Haj Mansour, an adviser to the SDF, confirmed that the city was “under full control,” adding that, “We are all happy. We cleared the city from Daesh and now people are returning to their homes.”

Christian Persecution

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.qz.com

Massive Christian communities have lived side-by-side with their Muslim neighbors for centuries in the city, in almost complete peace and harmony. Only with the advent of ISIS and it’s brand of radical Salafist Islam were racial tensions stirred, as Christians suffered unprecedented persecution just for being Christian. That persecution also included great efforts to eradicate their past, and any connection whatsoever to the land of Syria…

Ancient Sites

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.faithwire.com

Manbij is full of ancient Christian sites, mainly holy churches and the like. It is a treasure trove of archaeological heaven for researchers, with so many untapped relics and artefacts from centuries ago when the Romans ruled over the land. But even in those days Christians were persecuted, showing that sadly. history often repeats itself.

Secret Church

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.factsanddetails.com

The persecution of Christians back in the third and fourth century A.D. at the hands of the Romans was brutal, and even then artefacts were destroyed. Take the ‘Secret Church’ for example, where people of faith centuries ago had to practice and worship in private. “They indicate that there was a significant Christian population in the area which felt they needed to hide their activities,” said John Wineland, professor of history and archaeology at Southeastern University. “This is probably an indication of the persecution by the Roman government, which was common in the period.”

Enter ISIS

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.foxnews.com

All these centuries later but the methods haven’t changed much. Soon after ISIS took control of Manbij, they proceeded to attempt to eradicate every remnant of Christian life there. An ancient Christian refuge was used to dump refuge in the city, although the ISIS thugs didn’t spot the tip of an old gate near to where they threw their garbage.

The Refuge

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.hcef.org

The corner of that undiscovered gate was part of a bigger picture; a much bigger picture. The gate runs a few feet into the ground, all the way down into an ancient Christian refuge, dating back to the very first centuries of Christendom. Abdulwahab Sheko, head of the Exploration Committee at the Ruins Council in Manbij, spoke to reporters, “I was so excited, I can’t describe it. I was holding everything in my hands,” he said…

A Special Place

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.foxnews.com

“This place is so special.” said Sheko, adding, “Here is where I think the security guard would stand at the gate watching for any movement outside. He could warn the others to exit through the other passage if they needed to flee.” The ancient site is fashioned out of narrow tunnels with special grooved shelves for optimal lighting. There are myriads of tunnels and escape routes, built at the time just in case the worshippers were discovered.

Help Needed

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.foxnews.com

The excavation project is massive and very delicate. As always with these things, a serious injection of funds was needed so that Sheko and his team could start uncovering mysteries from the past. A plea went out to international archeologists and organizations who are now in the process of cleaning and identifying artefacts and testing the bones that have been found…

Dangerous Site

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.foxnews.com

Despite its historic merits, this site is riddled with mines and booby traps set up by ISIS just before they lost the city. That makes the archaeologists’ jobs treacherous and dangerous to say the least. They are working slowly through the site, and hope to hold a festival of sorts for locals to attend once the artefacts are cleaned and put on display.

Second Location Found

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.foxnews.com

As well as the ancient refuge, a second hugely historic site was also found after the city was liberated from ISIS. Littered with insects, trash and even a stray dog, 11 old steps lead down to another treasure trove of history. Down the steps is a cave which opens into another labyrinth of tunnels and rooms, clearly once used for religious worship. The rooms are covered with ancient Christian symbols, but till now little is known about the origins of this site…

Ancient Graveyard

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.foxnews.com

As archaeologists delved further into the cave they discovered an ancient indoor graveyard. As Wineland explained, “That is what we would call a secondary use of the tomb, and it might well have been a Christian place of meeting or worship,” he said, adding that the gravesite found would have been reserved only for church clergy, with a tomb bearing an elevated stone cushion to denote religious stature.

Building Complications

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.breakingisraelnews.com

Since the third century it stands to reason that most ancient sites have been covered by buildings over the centuries. Mainly residential buildings stand now as the main obstacle to further exploration by archaeologists in the history-rich area. For the time being the various sites found are guarded by a single man with an AK-47, but that security detail will need to grow as more ancient relics are found…

Greek Found

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.foxnews.com

There are ancient references just about everywhere you look in Manbij. Take for example a Roman-era effigy carved into a limestone building block in a residential area. Nearby there’s even a Greek inscription on an architectural block. “Greek was the common language of the Eastern Roman Empire, which explains why the New Testament is written in Greek during the Roman period,” Wineland explained.

Destroying History

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.foxnews.com

Whenever ISIS soldiers came across ancient sites or artefacts they would spend time meticulously destroying them. Hassan Darwish, the council’s field monitor, explained that they have managed to salvage numerous pieces that were sold off by ISIS in markets, as well as finding age-old mosaics whose faces had been destroyed by the occupiers…

Most Prized City

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

From an historic perspective Manbij is probably the most prized city in Syria. Located in the northeastern Aleppo Governorate near the Turkish border, and just 18 miles west of the Euphrates, many feel they have only scratched the surface when it comes to uncovering ancient treasures from Manbij.

Spread of Islam

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.sputniknews.com

Christianity outdates any Muslim influences in Syria by many hundreds of years. By the 7th century however, Islam began their conquest of the middle east, soon taking over control of almost all parts of ancient Syria. As a result, Syria became majority Muslim over the centuries; a fact that hasn’t boded well of late with local Christians there as mentioned…

Reminded Of Suffering

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.christianjournal.net

Wineland spoke about how the gruesome discoveries in Manbij of broken artefacts is reminiscent of the persecution and suffering of Christians across the middle east. “This has led to a significant decline of Christians in the region. Some have been killed, others have fled, and still others have been coerced into converting to Islam,” he said.

Good People

Christian Church in Manbij City Story
  www.qz.com

Sheko is personally embarrassed about what his fellow Muslims have done in the name of God. He made it clear that not all Muslims are the same and that he will dedicate his life to unearthing and protecting whatever ruins he and his team might find, “We are Muslim, but we are not like ISIS Muslims,” he said. “We take care of these Christian ruins. We respect them. We respect humanity.” He said.

Ancient Christian Remnants Uncovered Following ISIS Defeat is an article from: LifeDaily


Teenage Cheerleader And Boyfriend Did This Simply For Kicks

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Hailey Suder Story

When Austin saw Hailey during cheerleader practice as school, it was love at first sight. Her long blonde hair and stunning blue eyes made her about the best looking cheerleader on the team, and probably one of the prettiest girls in school. Austin was just the kind of tough guy who needed a striking blonde like Hailey on his arm, and he was determined to have her as his girlfriend.

Making The Move

Hailey Suder Story
  www.10news.com

Austin had to have Hailey, and when he approached her, luckily for him, she was totally into him too. Austin had a reputation as well as serious amounts of street cred to boot. He was always trying to impress his buddies and his younger brother Preston. Austin was into football, gory horror movies and paintball guns. His paintball guns would be what ultimately got this kid in a bunch of trouble…

Happy Couple

Hailey Suder Story
  www.morningledger.com

Austin and Hailey were now officially an item, at least as far as everyone at school was concerned. They were always seen hanging out together, both at school and after hours, smooching and laughing, as Austin proved his worth as a boyfriend to the beautiful Hailey. Sure, hanging out sometimes got boring, but they were happy in each other’s company.

Proving Something

Hailey Suder Story
  www.heavy.com

Austin may have been an adult by societal standards but he was barely out of school and still really a kid at heart. He would always play the joker when Hailey was around and often became aggressive with classmates and strangers, if only to prove his prowess to his new bombshell girlfriend. Hailey was the type of girl who lapped it up and thought that Austin was the bees knees…

Fun Hobby

Hailey Suder Story
  www.gundigest.com

Paintballing was something that Austin and his brother Preston were really into. It may not have been real guns but it sure was the next best thing and a lot of fun. The brothers would often go out shooting wild animals or inanimate objects, painting them all the colors of the rainbow. It was just a fun hobby, even if the paintballs were pricey. But it would soon turn into something much much more dangerous.

Totally Bored

Hailey Suder Story
  ww.scallywagandvagabond.com

It was a boring Wednesday and Austin was looking for ways to impress his girlfriend. Shooting wild dogs and cats was getting boring and Austin needed more of a thrill. After school the brothers, along with Hailey, decided to shoot some paintballs at a homeless man in the street. So, paintballs aren’t going to kill anyone but they do sting on impact and make a terrible mess…

Poor Guy

Hailey Suder Story
  www.baptistandreflector.org

The innocent homeless man was worse for wear before Austin and Preston Mostrong got to him. Having been living rough for many years, this guy just wanted some peace and quiet and a hot cup fo tea. What he got from this dastardly trio was a bunch of paintballs at high speed; some of which hit him in the face.

Bystander Steps In

Hailey Suder Story
  Shutterstock

George, a kindly grandfather from Santee, California, was just going about his business on that day when he came across the group abusing the poor homeless man. Being a man of integrity and honor, George didn’t think twice as he approached the trio, pleading with them to stop shooting the man and to go find something better to do…

The Right Thing

Hailey Suder Story
  www.heavy.com

George was the type of person to stick up for other people, no matter what the situation. As his wife Penny Lowery told reporters, “They were shooting him with a paintball gun. My husband took the paintball gun from him. I know he was doing what George always does: sticking up for the underdog.” A family friend, Ashley Ballum added, “Like he was telling them, ‘What did we do to you? There’s no reason to fight over anything! He only wanted peace.”

Next Sunday

Hailey Suder Story
  www.nbcsandiego.com

Fast Forward to that weekend and the kids were once again bored. Austin’s ego needed a massage on that day too so he decided that he would track down George, the man who had thwarted his vicious attack a few days earlier. Hailey and Preston were in tow as the group headed for the encampment in Santee where George lived…

George Found

Hailey Suder Story
  www.nbcsandiego.com

Unfortunately for George, the youngsters got lucky on that day and managed to track him down close to his mobile home. It wasn’t long ago that George had recovered from pancreatic cancer and he was no longer quite the man he used to be. But he was alive and kicking, and despite his life of poverty he was happy. Then Austin and co. found him.

Senseless Violence

Hailey Suder Story
  www.nbcsandiego.com

Forget the paintball guns, Austin wanted some sort of twisted revenge as he and his girlfriend and brother cornered George at a riverbank. They beat him to a pulp, hogtying him and leaving him for dead underneath a piece of wood. When his wife Penny found him he was hardly breathing, “I seen a piece of plywood that goes to where we stay. I heard gurgling. When I picked it up he was gurgling for his life.”

Police Investigate

Hailey Suder Story
  Flickr

It wasn’t long before local law enforcement was all over this case. They were able to put all three of the suspects at the scene at the time of the attack and they were all duly arrested. All three were looking at first-degree murder charges initially, but Hailey Suder’s charge was downgraded to accessory to murder, which could see her behind bars for 25 years if convicted.

Serious Charges

Hailey Suder Story
  www.10news.com

For their parts, Austin and Preston are both looking at life in prison if they are found guilty. While they have both taken their lawyer’s advice and pleaded not guilty, as far as prosecutors are concerned, this is an open and shut case due to the overwhelming evidence they have…

Family Devastated

Hailey Suder Story
  www.ibtimes.co.uk

George’s wife Penny is understandably distraught and grieving the tragic loss of her husband. However, Katey, George’s daughter is also acutely affected by the brutal murder of her father. She wrote on Facebook that she learned about the attack after speaking to her older brother. “‘George was beat up. you need to go get penny and take her to go see him at the hospital” she wrote.

Daughter Distraught

Hailey Suder Story
  www.usatoday.com

After her father’s funeral, Katey took to Facebook again to vent her anger, and understandably so, “I spent the roughest and worst 5 days of my life in that hospital dad right by your side holding your hand talking into your ear hoping you could hear me hoping you’d wake up…you were unconscious since mom found you down in the river,” she posted, adding, “You were taken too soon. Brutally murdered by some punk kids half your age dad.”

Not Random

Hailey Suder Story
  www.sandiegouniontribune.com

According to San Diego Lt. Kenneth Nelson, “This was not a random act. I can’t think of another reason other than viciousness. Why else make a special trip down to the riverbed.” Nelson said that in his opinion the trio seemed to be engaging in some for of bloodsport, “attacking some of the most vulnerable in our society.”

Max Sentence

Hailey Suder Story
  www.ktla.com

George and Penny’s friend, Ashley Ballum, also spoke to reporters about the incident, saying, “I think everybody involved deserves the max sentence. Whether you sat there and watched it and didn’t do anything or if you partook in it—this could have been prevented.” However, it’s hard to prevent such a premeditated and vicious attack, especially when it’s one against three…

Cold-Hearted Crime

Hailey Suder Story
  www.sandiegouniontribune.com

Deputy District Attorney George Modlin is also outraged by the attack. He told reporters outside the hearing that the attack was “brutal, heinous, just cold-hearted” adding, “I’d say the murder charges and the torture charges are very much warranted in this case.” It may not bring George back, but it’s some solace for Penny and Katey.

Tribute To Dad

Hailey Suder Story
  www.gofundme.com/2q5cv88s

Katey posted a lot on Facebook in the following weeks, and why shouldn’t she? After all, this poor girl lost her father in the most tragic of circumstances. In a touching tribute to him, Katey wrote, “Every time I saw you you had the biggest smile on your face nothing could bring you down you were the toughest strongest man I know,” Torres stressed in her post. “You loved with every inch of your body and you never cared what people thought.. You’d help Any stranger with any task no matter the difficulty you’d stop everything your whole day to help this one person.”

Teenage Cheerleader And Boyfriend Did This Simply For Kicks is an article from: LifeDaily

Former Model Struck By Incurable Disease, Her Only Hope Lies In Controversial Cure

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Helen Rowley Story

Helen and her husband Antony had been a happily married couple for decades. Together, they had three beautiful children: 13-year-old Olivia, nine-year-old Harry, 9, and five-year-old Ashleigh. In her younger days, Helen was a pretty young woman whose burgeoning modeling career lay ahead of her.

 

Life’s Plans

Helen Rowley Story
  www.catersnews.com

She did indeed work as a model for some time, but as at home as she was in front of the camera, life had different plans for Helen. She was married, had children, and worked as a beautician for a time. She even owned a nightclub. Then one day fate decided to intervene with something that she never could have expected…

Strange Illness

Helen Rowley Story
  www.catersnews.com

It began before the children, before the nightclub, and the beautician business. It started when Helen was 19 years old and it left her career, and ultimately her life, in tatters. Helen’s dreams of a life of glamour would be replaced with a life of pain and suffering. It all began with a strange illness…

Years Pass

Helen Rowley Story
  www.catersnews.com

The path that her mysterious condition has taken has been a rough one. Indeed when the random muscle spasms and locking limbs first began, she had no idea what it might be. It took her five years before a doctor could even get her a reasonable diagnosis. When she was 24, after years of suffering and uncertainty, she was told what was wrong…

Stiff Person Syndrome

Helen Rowley Story
  www.jnnp.bmj.com

Helen had contracted something called Stiff Person Syndrome, an extremely rare disease that gets worse over time. Stiff Person Syndrome causes a person’s muscles to stiffen and go into painful spasms based on triggers. It’s technically a neurological disorder that acts very similar to an autoimmune disease. This means it can’t be treated easily.

 

When it Hits

Helen Rowley Story
  www.jaoa.org

If left untreated, Helen’s muscles, mostly the ones in her torso and limbs, will slowly stiffen over time until she becomes completely unable to move on her own. Though not many understand what causes it, the condition is often triggered by a period of emotional stress. It commonly hits in a person’s 40s, but Helen was not so lucky…

Triggers

Helen Rowley Story
  Helenrowley3 / Twitter

Those who suffer from Stiff Person Syndrome can also experience a heightened sensitivity to certain stimuli. Things like loud, jarring noise, touch, and emotional distress, can all trigger muscle spasms. It was during her modeling days that Helen first noticed the triggers, when a light, bang, or unusual noise might make her spasm.

Statuesque

Helen Rowley Story
  www.catersnews.com

As far as she is concerned, the devastating disease, which she has suffered from for almost two decades, is slowly transforming her into a human statue. It’s a one-in-a-million illness that has left the former model struggling to walk, and even speak. Not to mention the constant pain she is in because of the spasms. Of course, it is treatable, to a point…

Pills a’ Plenty

Helen Rowley Story
  www.catersnews.com

There is no cure for the disease at at this time, but it can be managed with medication: a lot of medication. Every day, in order to stop the seemingly random spasms, Helen must take a veritable concoction of pills. The same amount of pills that people with liver disease or cancer might have to take.

 

Misery Business

Helen Rowley Story
  www.catersnews.com

Hele has described what it feels like to suffer from this rare condition. “I have up to 10 spasms in the space of 20 minutes every single day. My life now is far from the glamorous days of modelling and looking my best…” She’s even shared a frightening experience she had whilst she was pregnant….

Hard Times

Helen Rowley Story
  www.catersnews.com

“One time I was walking down the road when I was pregnant, and I had a spasm and fell to the floor feeling frozen.” She eventually got back up, but the psychological toll the condition is having on her is beginning to take affect her everyday demeanor as well. “It is so draining. It’s hard to stay positive but I will try for my kids.” she says.

Tough Decisions

Helen Rowley Story
  www.catersnews.com

Helen, like most who suffer with Stiff Person Syndrome, is running out of time. If her body continues to stiffen as it is, she will likely die an early age. When she realized this, she had to decide if she was going to let it just consume her, or keep fighting to find a cure. She chose the latter…

Autoimmune

Helen Rowley Story
  www.labroots.com

Stiff Person Syndrome affects twice as many women as men. Like other autoimmune type diseases, diabetes, thyroditis, and vitiligo, it seems to come from somewhere within our DNA. What little research has been done on Stiff Person Syndrome, seems to link it to a disconnection or autoimmune response in the brain and spinal cord.

 

Miracle Treatment

Helen Rowley Story
  www.catersnews.com

Like most of those other similar maladies, the secret to the eventual cure seems to lie in stem cell research. Unfortunately, due to the controversial nature of such treatment, Helen Rowley, like so many others, is currently awaiting a stem cell transplant. It’s a long road though, and she may not have the time…

Stem Cells

Helen Rowley Story
  www.journalofnaturallongevity.com

For those of you who don’t know, Stem cell research applies to the use of stem cells to treatment neurodegenerative diseases and conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and rare conditions like the one Helen suffers from. Of course, the cells are cultured from embryonic stem cells, so there is a fair bit of controversy related to abortion politics.

Speaking Out

Helen Rowley Story
  www.longevity.media

Controversial or no, people like Helen have very little choice when it comes to their options. In her case, it’s either she succumb to the disease and becomes a painful living statue, or finds someone able to give her a chance by using stem cells. In the meantime, she has started to raise awareness of the disease and treatments…

One Rough Life

Helen Rowley Story
  www.catersnews.com

“Every day I wake up and question why I am even on earth,” she explains through tears. “This horrible illness is slowly turning me into a statue. On the outside I might look okay but on the inside I am in agony.” The coming stem cell operation is going slow and if it doesn’t happen soon, she may have to resort to desperate measures.

 

Last Resort

Helen Rowley Story
  www.catersnews.com

Helen says that if the operation doesn’t happen in time, she’s going to travel from her home in England to Switzerland for assistance of a different kind. She says that if she has to, she will end her life at an assisted suicide clinic before the disease consumes her entirely. “This condition is going to completely take over my body…I want to die with at least my dignity…”

Uncertain Future

Helen Rowley Story
  www.sanvada.com

She knows the stem cells are her only real hope and Helen prays that they will give her more time: time to watch her children grow, to see them bring grandchildren into the world. She says she will continue to fight, regardless of the uncertainty: for her kids, if for nothing else. But everyone has their breaking point.

Live Your Life

Helen Rowley Story
  www.one-mind-one-energy.com

There are some people out there who would call her selfish for even considering the suicide route, but it seems an unfair thing considering what she is going through. Ultimately though, she wants her story to inspire people to live their lives to the fullest and never take anything, even the good working order of one’s own body, for granted.

Former Model Struck By Incurable Disease, Her Only Hope Lies In Controversial Cure is an article from: LifeDaily

In The Midst Of The Worst Mass Shooting In U.S. History, Two Men’s Heroism Would Save Countless Lives

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Jonathan Smith Story

Jonathan had driven to Las Vegas from Orange County, California to celebrate the 43rd birthday of his brother, Louis, a big country music fan who had attended the festival in the past. They spent the weekend enjoying the music and had scored seats close to the stage for Jason Aldean’s prime-time performance Sunday night.

Spraying Bullets

Jonathan Smith Story
  44news.wevv.com

When the gunshots started, Jonathan initially thought they were fireworks. The music kept playing. But when he saw the bullets plaster into the bodies of the people are around him, he knew he was wrong. The bullets kept coming. Jason Aldean looked with fear at his security guards and ran off the stage. Then the lights shut off…..

A Chaotic Scene

Jonathan Smith Story
  www.metro.co.uk

Louis realized the unfortunate reality of what was occurring and told the entire extended family, all nine of them, to hold hands and run as fast as they could. But by then, it was a stampede. People were running in all directions, frantic, not knowing where to run towards or hide….

Blood Everywhere

Jonathan Smith Story
  www.refinery29.com

Not knowing the location of the shooter, the concertgoers did not know where to search for safety. The bullets seemed like they were coming from everywhere.  Some described it as being ambushed with an endless spray of bulletsBodies of victims lay all over the place with blood splattered in what seemed like every inch of the venue.  But, even then, Jonathan switched to survival mode. He was focused on saving his three nieces but to his horror, they separated in the crowd…

Ran For Their Dear Lives

Jonathan Smith Story
  www.nypost.com

He says he turned back toward the stage to look for them, he saw people hunched behind a sheriff patrol car at the northwest edge of the concert lawn. Others were so frightened they didn’t know what to do. He could have turned away and continued to find a place to hide alone, but this would not be the case. He turned to them and kept shouting, “Active shooter, active shooter, let’s go! We have to run.” So, together, they ran, and ran for their dear lives…

Hiding Behind Cars

Jonathan Smith Story
  www.ibtimes.com

He grabbed more people on the way and told them to follow him toward a handicapped parking area in the direction of the airport, away from Las Vegas Boulevard. It was a large field with several rows of vehicles. Jonathan and the others crouched down behind one of the last rows of cars. And as they stood there in fear, the loudness of the shots and the terrifying screams of the concertogers continued…

A Selfless Act

Jonathan Smith Story
  www.pulse.ng

Jonathan noticed that a few younger girls weren’t fully hidden. In a courageous move, he stood up in the midst of the chaos, moved toward them and urged them to get on the ground for cover. That’s when a bullet struck him in the arm and neck….

A Stranger’s Help

Jonathan Smith Story
  SanDiegoPD / Twitter

Off duty police officer, Tom McGrath was looking for his wife when he found Johnathan. He was dragged to safety by the off-duty police officer who had to put his own fingers in Jonathan’s bullet wound to stanch the bleeding. Tom then flagged down passing cars to try to get Jonathan a ride. Many just drove by, but one amazing person in a pickup truck stopped….

A Truck Full Of Victims

Jonathan Smith Story
  Shutterstock

Tom carried Jonathan’s bloodied body on to the back of the truck. When Tom looked around the truck, he encountered several other wounded victims. A woman laid in the corner with an open wound from a bullet that struck her knee. Tom ran over to the woman and helped tie a tourniquet on her leg to stop it from bleeding. And as Tom finished, he looked towards Jonathan and noticed he was struggling to breathe…

He Thought He Was Going To Die

Jonathan Smith Story
  FOX 11 Los Angeles / YouTube

As blood was running down his neck, Jonathan thought at that moment, this just might be it. He remembers telling Tom that he didn’t want to die. Looking at him with certainty, the officer reassured him that he would be Ok. Jonathan had been saving lives before, and now, his was being saved…

A Hero

Jonathan Smith Story
  ABC2020 / Twitter

It was Jonathan’s heroism that prevented the death toll from rising even further. He is credited with saving at least 30 people from the scene.  But, sadly it seemed likely his life could possibly be lost in the selfless act.

Found The Paramedics

Jonathan Smith Story
  www.iol.co.za

Tom found a paramedics nearby where he transferred the wounded victims including Jonathan. He told the paramedics Jonathan needed to go to a hospital immediately. Tom took a look at Jonathan, and at that moment, thought he would most likely die from his severe neck injury. But, miracles do happen…

Injured Everywhere

Jonathan Smith Story
  www.pbs.org

When Jonathan and the other wounded passengers arrived to Sunrise Hospital, another scene of tragedy would enfold. Injured victims were stumbling out of random cars, some being carried inside by others. A paramaded rushed to Jonathan’s aide, placed him in a wheelchair and pushed him towards the emergency room…

A Tough Operation

Jonathan Smith Story
  www.insideedition.com

After hours of surgery, the prognosis was looking grim for Jonathan. Doctors were not able to remove the bullet in his neck, afraid that by doing so, it would cause more damage. On top of it all, he had a fractured collarbone, a cracked rib and a bruised lung. But, Jonathan would not give up without a fight….

Life Forever Changed

Jonathan Smith Story
  www.washingtonpost.com

With constant care at a rehabilitation center, Jonathan was able to recover, but not fully.  Jonathan’s life will never be the same physically or mentally. Excruciating pain from his injuries has become a normal part of his life. With the bullet still lodged in his neck, Jonathan knows he is still one of the lucky ones…

Two Heroes Cross Path

Jonathan Smith Story
  www.today.com

The aftermath of the tragedy has left countless lives shattered. The devastation and pain it has caused is beyond measurable. But what is helping people cope with the trauma is the stories of heroism like Jonathan and Tom. Although, their paths crossed in the most devastating manner, it would not be the last time…

An Interview

Jonathan Smith Story
  www.sandiegouniontribune.com

Officer Tom and Jonathan would later reconnect and speak at length over the phone. During a CNN interview, Smith said he now considers Tom a brother, and the officer concurred. Jonathan is convinced that he would no be alive if it weren’t for Tom coming to his aide. But both men refuse to attain any credit for their courageous acts, yet alone be called heroes. They both agree that it was simply the right thing to do.

Nobody Suffered Alone

Jonathan Smith Story
  www.cnn.com
The two men speak often about the traumatic experiences that they had endured together. But they also recognized the spirit of togetherness that the traumatic event had brought about. Through this tragedy, nobody suffered alone. When people were dying there was somebody there who was holding their hands or holding them in their arms, comforting them. When people had injuries, no matter how severe it was, others were trying to get them to safety, nobody suffered alone and I think that’s the takeaway from the whole entire situation….

The Support Of The Community

Jonathan Smith Story
  www.wbur.org

During the shooting, the brave and selfless efforts of strangers coming together to save lives even if that meant losing their own demonstrates that in the face of evil, goodness always prevails. On the morning after the shooting, lines to donate blood in Las Vegas stretched for blocks. Wait times were as much as six hours or more. The entire nation had come together raising Millions of dollars to help victims and their families.

Are They Still Friends?

Jonathan Smith Story
  www.pbs.org

The traumatic incident has inflicted mental anguish that will haunt both men for the rest of their lives. Both Jonathan and Tom have to live with constant nightmares of the bloody carnage, unable to shake off the horror of what they witnessed. But their long lasting friendship has worked as a coping mechanism, helping them to slowly move on with their lives.

In The Midst Of The Worst Mass Shooting In U.S. History, Two Men’s Heroism Would Save Countless Lives is an article from: LifeDaily

Lies, Greed, And Murder Lead To Disappearance Upon The High Seas

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Isabella Hellman Story

But, their chance encounter at a local spot in Boca Raton, Florida would not be their last. Lewis’ sea blue eyes and British accent would quickly win over Isabella. Lewis, an engineer, was career driven and successful. He had a spark and intelligence that seemed refreshing from all the other guys Isabella had previously dated. And let’s not forget to mention, Isabella had it all, beauty and brains. Ideally, they were the perfect match, but in reality, they were more like a match made in hell than in heaven…

Opposites Attract

Isabella Hellman Story
  www.people.com

A spontaneous, live by the moment kind of guy, Lewis had a completely different approach to life than Isabella, who planned every detail of her life months in advance. Lewis liked to relocate often, finding it boring to stay in the same place for too long. Isabella enjoyed the familiarity and security in long term establishments. But you know the saying, opposites attract.

A Whirlwind Romance

Isabella Hellman Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

Defying all odds, Lewis and Isabella fell head over heels in love in a whirlwind romance. Surprising to Isabella’s friends and family, within few weeks of dating, she began to call him the one. Soon after, the couple decided to move in together to a house in the ritzy Boca Raton development. But the shock wouldn’t just end there. After only a couple of months, the couple would be expecting their first child together…

Trouble In Paradise

Isabella Hellman Story
  www.telegraph.co.uk

But, it all was too good to be true. The fairytale romance would not last long. Isabella’s friends and family noticed subtle signs of relationship problems. During her pregnancy, Isabella and Lewis often bickered about trivial things like most couples. But the difference here was that their arguments had become a constant shouting match. During their fights, Lewis would become hot tempered and break things, a far cry from his cool and laid back demeanor….

Fighting Continues

Isabella Hellman Story
  Facebook

When Isabella gave birth to their baby girl, the fighting ensued, but this time around, it had been driven by one issue. Lewis pressed Isabella to move back with the child to his native Australia. Isabella refused. Not only were her family and friends in Boca Raton, she also had a successful real estate career that she did not want to give up. Things were looking ugly for the once happy couple, but soon enough, things were going to get much uglier..

Leave Him

Isabella Hellman Story
  www.leaf.tv

Concerned, Isabella’s friends and family urged her to leave Lewis, but she refused to listen to their advice, and instead, would make another jaw dropping decision. Trying to make things work because of their expecting baby, the couple decided to tie the knot. But, this unwise decision would not rescue their failed relationship, but instead lead to a tragic, grim ending..

A Delayed Honeymoon

Isabella Hellman Story
  www.wptv.com

In an attempt to bring a bit of happiness in their doomed relationship, Lewis planned a spontaneous trip or what he liked to call a belated honeymoon on his boat from Florida to the Caribbean Islands. Isabella was ecstatic and grateful for Lewis’ gesture to amend things. She posted on her Facebook on April 29th, “Caribbean, here I come.” But, her joyful anticipation would soon turn into horror…

The Trip Begins

Isabella Hellman Story
  www.whdh.com

Leaving their baby at home with Isabella’s parents, the trip would begin in South Florida to St. Maarten, the Dutch city in the Caribbean where Lewis originally had bought his boat, named Surf Into Summer. Isabella had told her family and friends that she would keep them updated on their journey by using her Facebook account. But for Isabella’s sister this would not be enough, she wasn’t comfortable with her little sister being alone on Lewis’ boat. But, Isabella and Lewis aboarded the boat and had left Florida, for good…..

Happy Facebook Posts

Isabella Hellman Story
  Facebook

On May 1st, Isabella posted a happy picture with Lewis while in Puerto Rico. The sun was beaming on her beautiful face as she flashed a smile towards the camera. And yet another post of the good looking couple with scenic beaches as the backdrop on May 2nd in the British Virgin Islands. But, don’t let the pictures fool you….

Last Phone Call

Isabella Hellman Story
  www.news.com.au

A few days had passed, and no one had heard from Isabella. But, they stopped panicking when Isabella’s mother received a call from her from one evening on May 14th. Isabella told her mother she was currently in the Bahamas and would be heading back to Florida the following day. Little to her mom’s knowing, this would be the last time she would ever hear her daughter’s voice…

A Jolt That Woke Him Up

Isabella Hellman Story
  Shutterstock

Around the time Isabella had spoken to her mother, Lewis claimed he went below the ship’s deck to sleep for the night after an exhausting day in the sun. He claimed he activated the boat on autopilot and left Isabella above to keep watch. But, around 1 am, Lewis described being woken up by a major jolt….

Where Is Isabella?

Isabella Hellman Story
  www.cnn.com

The 37ft catamaran had been struck by an unknown object causing water to pour into the vessel. Lewis frantically searched for Isabella around the boat, screaming her name to no avail. Isabella had disappeared. With the boat taking in vast amounts of water, he decided to abandon it and take a life raft without his wife

Isabella Hellman Story
  www.ybw.com

After a few hours, the Coast Guard rescued Lewis Bennett from his damaged catamaran between the Bahamas and Cuba. When they were told about his missing wife, despite an intensive search, Isabella’s body was not found. When the rescuers spoke to Lewis, they described him as being somewhat calm and relaxed considering the circumstances.  

It Was Him

Isabella Hellman Story
  www.couriermail.com.au

When Lewis was brought back to Florida, Isabella’s family would be given the heartbreaking news of her mysterious disappearance on Lewis’ boat. Without any hesitation, her family knew Lewis had something to do with Isabella vanishing without a trace, but they weren’t the only ones….

Charged With Her Disappearance

Isabella Hellman Story
  www.palmbeachpost.com

The Miami Police and FBI were not buying Lewis’ explanation of events. Lewis was charged with second degree murder on the high seas in the disappearance of Isabella. Lewis thought his knowledge of boats could mask the truth of what had happened by outwitting even the FBI, but boy was he wrong.  

He Tried To Sink Boat

Isabella Hellman Story
  www.kttn.com

In their investigation, the FBI found evidence that Lewis had intentionally tried to sink the boat. For example, portholes below the waterline had been opened and damage to the twin hulls appeared to have been caused from the inside. The complaint points out the escape hatches in both hulls were open, allowing water to enter the vessel. He wanted it to sink…

No Actions To Rescue Wife

Isabella Hellman Story
  www.wptv.com

The feds claim Lewis did nothing to look for his wife, and never looked for the source of the vessel flooding, or attempted to stop it. In addition, the FBI affidavit said Lewis almost immediately got into a life raft with luggage and other items, including a tea set and a jar of peanut butter, but took no actions to find his wife.

Money Hungry

Isabella Hellman Story
  Flickr

Lewis had been attempting numerous times to get Isabella officially declared dead in Florida probate court. According to the FBI, if he did so, he would have rights to her home in Delray Beach and also access to her bank accounts. This they believed was his biggest motive all along. He killed her simply because he wanted her money. A money hungry and twisted soul, Lewis would face yet another allegation, and this would also stem from greed…

A Thief And Murderer

Isabella Hellman Story
  www.denverpost.com

When rescue crews found him in the life raft, they also found 225 silver coins that were rescued and in his belongings. Authorities later learned that Lewis had been first mate on a ship the previous year, when 617 collectible coins were stolen. The ship’s owner identified Lewis’ coins as those stolen. 162 more coins were found at Bennett’s condo. These coins would be worth more than $100,000. Lewis has another charge against him for transporting silver coins.

Where Is He Now?

Isabella Hellman Story
  www.penningtonsheriff.org

Currently, Lewis is serving 7 months in jail for transporting the stolen coins, but he is still awaiting trial for the second degree murder of Isabella, whose body is still missing, stripping her family from the closure they desperately need. Completely heartbroken, her family has not seen their granddaughter, Emilia, for almost a year. Emilia was taken from them by Lewis and given to his family in Britain.

Lies, Greed, And Murder Lead To Disappearance Upon The High Seas is an article from: LifeDaily

Ancient Spears Discovered In Germany Provide Insight Into Practices Of Early European Hunters

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Schoningen Spears Story

In today’s world, many of us will simply go to the local supermarket when we need to buy food, but thousands of years ago, it was not that simple. People had to hunt for their food and even before that time period, people were scavengers.

But a new discovery has given us insight into the early European hunters who roamed the Earth 400,000 years ago. Before this, little was known about how people lived during this time period…

The Oldest Human Tools

Schoningen Spears Story
  Wikipedia

Researchers have successfully discovered eight spears in an Ice Age coal deposit near Schoningen, Germany. They are calling these the oldest human tools.

First Evidence

Schoningen Spears Story
  Wikipedia

The wooden spears provide the first evidence that early humans in Europe were active hunters of large animals. Additionally, they offer a window into the lives of Europeans about 400,000 years ago…

Groundbreaking Discovery

Schoningen Spears Story
  eyeonicr.wordpress.com

Since wood is not preserved for so long, these findings provide a look into a normally invisible aspect of paleolithic technology. Until the discovery, the oldest wooden spear from Europe is one dating back to 125,000 years ago.

Schoningen Site

Schoningen Spears Story
  www.thesubversivearchaeologist.com

It was found in 1948 between the ribs of an elephant skeleton in Lehringen, not too far from the Schoningen site. The newest spears indicate that premodern humans were more ingenious than many believed…

Findings From 2012

Schoningen Spears Story
  www.popular-archaeology.com

The site of the findings is one of the 13 Palaeolithic places of discovery in the working area of the south, which was excavated from 1992 to 2009. The 200 by 160 ft excavation base that was excluded from coal mining represents a small segment of the zone.

The Project

Schoningen Spears Story
  www.alchetron.com

The project was headed by Professor Nicholas Conard and the excavations were supervised by Dr. Jordi Sergangeli. They applied their skills at the uniquely well-preserved site to find out more about how humans lived in the environment thousands of years ago…

Preservation

Schoningen Spears Story
  Wikipedia

Found buried underground in the mine, the artifacts were well preserved because they were submerged continuously in watery mud for thousands of years. Since no oxygen permeated the site, the spears were kept in surprisingly great condition.

Made From The Trunks Of Trees

Schoningen Spears Story
  Wikipedia

It’s believed that the spears were made from the trunks of small spruce trees, no more than 5 cm in diameter and about 2 meters long. The spears’ center of gravity resembles that of a javelin, indicating that they were used as throwing spears, used for killing horses, whose bones were also present at the site…

Other Findings

Schoningen Spears Story
  Wikipedia

The site also contained fossils of fruit, other vegetation, birds, fish, and thousands of mammal bones representing elephants, cows, rhinoceros, red deer, horses, and many smaller animals. Such a mix of various animals and human remains clearly indicates that a severe Ice Age storm washed them into a low-lying area and quickly covered them with mud.

Other Tools

Schoningen Spears Story
  www.popular-archaeology.com

Other items found nearby include a long sharpened stick, possibly used as a throwing stick, also for killing animals, and shorter sticks with notches that might have been made to hold pieces of flint. Which, if so, would make them the oldest composite tools discovered thus far…

Interglacial Period

Schoningen Spears Story
  www.thesubversivearchaeologist.com

The tools were roughly dated to an interglacial period 400,000 years ago, where, in that part of the world, the climate and geologic sequences are worked out. The spears showed design and construction skills previously attributed only to modern humans.

High-Tech Tools

Schoningen Spears Story
  www.landesarchaeologen.de

“They are really high tech,” says Hartmut Thieme, who discovered them while excavating in advance of a rotary shovel digger used in the mine. The spears are made of very tough Picea (spruce) trunk and are similarly carved, proving just how eye-opening this discovery truly is…

Tournament Javelins

Schoningen Spears Story
  www.npr.org

They spears are similar to today’s tournament javelins, where the greatest diameter and its center of gravity is in the front third of the shaft. Additionally, the tips are worked symmetrically from the base of the stems, and the end of the tips were worked beside the weakest part of the stem, on purpose.

Throwing Qualities

Schoningen Spears Story
  www.vsathletics.com

As for their throwing qualities, the Schoningen spears are equal to modern tournament javelins. During tests, athletes could throw replicas up to 230 ft. It’s likely the choice of wood for the spears was climatically determined because, during the cooler climate near the end of the interglacial period, conifers grew close to the site of the findings…

Little Evidence Of Humans From This Era

Schoningen Spears Story
  www.evohaft.org

Being that there is little artifactual evidence of humans from this era, archaeologists have been divided over whether they were hunters. Previous evidence leaned on the people being envisioned as mostly scavengers. But now, for the first time, they have proved sophisticated hunting techniques.

Archaic Homo Sapiens

Schoningen Spears Story
  www.thinglink.com

It’s likely that the hunters were archaic Homo sapiens, and extremely sturdy individuals able to wield cumbersome weapons. The rugged thigh bone of such an individual has been found at Boxgrove, a 500,000-year-old site in England…

Boxgrove

Schoningen Spears Story
  www.wikiwand.com

Boxgrove was excavated between 1983 and 1996 by a team led by Mark Roberts of University College London. Numerous Acheulean flint tools and remains of animals were found dating back 500,000 years ago.

Findings

Schoningen Spears Story
  www.ancient.eu

This proves that the area was therefore used by some of the earliest occupants of the British Isles. Remains of Homo heidelbergensis were found at the site in 1994, which is the only postcranial hominid bone to have been found in Northern Europe. But regarding the spears, whoever made them is responsible for the kind of discovery that has left everyone speechless. The only comparable find is…

Similar Finds

Schoningen Spears Story
  Wikipedia

The only comparable find dating to the same period is a yew lance tip from Clacton-on-Sea, England, discovered in 1911. However, the Schoningen discovery is important because it proves that the Clacton lance tip was not just a chance find and the spears were probably being made in large quantities.

Serious Hunters

Schoningen Spears Story
  www.archaeologie-online.de

The Clacton lance tip suggested that people may been hunting, however the spears from Schoningen make it certain that they were not merely scavenger-gatherers. It’s clear now that early man hunted big game.

Ancient Spears Discovered In Germany Provide Insight Into Practices Of Early European Hunters is an article from: LifeDaily

OKCupid Date Ends In Painful But Positive Decision For Young Writer

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Kristen V. Brown Story

Every day, whether we realize it or not, we are faced with decisions that will affect our foreseeable future. Very often, we can feel the significance of these decisions based solely on the experience that surrounded them.

This story, originally told by the woman who went through it, has stirred some controversy in recent months about the nature of trust and the importance of making monumental life decisions for yourself and on your own terms…

New Life, New York

Kristen V. Brown Story
  sf2017.synbiobeta.com

Kristen was finally done with grad school. Though she had been living in New York City, a new career in Albany beckoned. It was a smaller pond but it was also a year-and-a-half long newspaper fellowship and it was going to push her career along in a very real way. Still, it’s never easy living in a new city.

 

Mr. Nice Guy

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.okcupid.com

The budding writer didn’t know anyone in Albany. She had no friends, no paramour, but what she did have was a dating profile on the free dating website, OkCupid. She surfed profiles for a while until she found a man she thought seemed nice enough to get to know better. They dated for a few weeks and despite her reservations, things escalated quickly…

Cross-Purposes

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.lifenews.com

Kristen was only in Albany for a short time so when Mr. Nice Guy bought a house and then a puppy, it became abundantly clear that he was the type to settle down with. Kristen was not, or at least was not ready to at that stage in her life. She decided they should part ways, but one lonely Friday night later and she’d asked him to dinner again.

Too Much

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.foodimentary.com

What Kristen remembers of that night, above all else, was that she drank too much. By the time dinner was over, they were at his place and she recalled them moving towards the bedroom. She asked him to wear a condom, but he declined. Drunk as she was, Kristen didn’t protest and the two hooked up…

Ridding Herself

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.gizmodo.com

The next day, recalling what the night before had brought, Kristen decided to err on the side of caution and make an appointment for an STD test. When she was sure that all that was squared away, she blocked Mr. Nice Guy’s number, unfriended him on Facebook, and decided that she was perfectly happy never seeing or speaking to him again.

Not the Flu

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.kinja.com

A few weeks passed and soon, like many of her coworkers, Kristen had picked up a bit of a flu bug. She was dizzy, nauseous, feverish, achy, it had all the hallmarks of the flu. She went to the drug store to pick up some medicine and while she was there, realized that what she might be feeling, could be something else entirely…

Shouldn’t Have Worked

Kristen V. Brown Story
  forums.thebump.com

At the time, Kristen didn’t want to believe it was true. She couldn’t have been pregnant. She had been on the pill for years, condom or no condom. Yet she bore all the signs, and a CVS pregnancy test soon revealed what she feared the most: that all her plans for the future were about to come crashing down because of one drunken hookup with an ex.

Broke and Busted

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.fusion.tv

The pregnancy couldn’t have come at a worse time in her life. She was already broke from quitting her job in NYC to take the low-paying fellowship upstate. Not to mention the fact that she was alone and mostly friendless in Albany, a city which she hated nearly as much as Mr. Nice Guy. What could she do?

Phone a Friend

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.freeimages.com

Kristen had to make a difficult choice, bring a child she wasn’t prepared to care for into the world, or terminate the pregnancy. She decided on the second option. She was told the process was not an easy one though, even only a few weeks into the pregnancy, and that she might want to ask a friend to be around when things did go down. She just had to find one.

I Need Some Bleedin’ Help

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.cbsnews.com

Despite the fact that she barely knew anyone, Kristen Brown reached out to one of her coworkers for help. She asked her to stay by her side for a few hours after she took the abortion pill, which she knew might be dangerous. Kristen offered her pizza and booze, and the girl accepted. Now all she had to do was get through the process without bleeding to death…

Nightmares

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.ambienins0mnia.com

Kristen, like so many before her, into the Planned Parenthood building to receive her prescription for the abortion pill. The already uncomfortable situation was made even more uncomfortable by the fact that she had been besieged by nightmares for many nights beforehand. Her nightmares were about not losing the baby and her being stuck with a child she had no means to care for and that she didn’t want.

Art Imitates Life

Kristen V. Brown Story
  Pinterest

These fears were apparently exacerbated sometime later when she caught an episode of Private Practice on TV. In the episode, a woman got an abortion which ended up not taking because the doctor who performed it botched the procedure. Sure, she had her doubts, like anyone, but deep down she knew that her only option was to go through with the termination…

Life Begins

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.cbsnews.com

For years, the abortion debate has raged on and especially in the United States. There’s a good portion of the population that believes life begins as soon as the sperm implants itself in the egg. Therefore aborting the fetus even at a few weeks within “quickening” is, as far as they are concerned, murder. Worse yet, it’s murder of an innocent.

 

Choices Are Made

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.mirror.co.uk

The other half of the population are a bit more scientific, some may even say more pragmatic about abortion. Kristen was one of these people. She knew that if the baby was born she would have to quit her fellowship, halting her career indefinitely, and move back home to California. The pregnancy was making her sick and worrying was maker her worse, so she took the pill…

Life is Brighter

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.aothunthongdiep.com

Kristen’s abortion was done in a night and she didn’t bleed out in the least. There was pain of course, but by the time it was over, her life was back to normal. All her worries about the future and the uncertainty of it all was over and she felt in command of her own body, nay, her life for the first time in weeks.

Taking Power Back

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.kristenvbrown.com

She described in detail how powerful she felt and how free. She felt that she had a responsibility to herself and only herself. In fact, she was so overcome with optimism, that she decided she wanted to write about her positive abortion experience online. As you can imagine, the account drew some serious criticism from the Pro-Life side of the debate…

Enjoying Abortion

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.nytimes.com

One of her loudest critics was Allan Parker Jr., a lawyer with the anti-abortion group the Justice Foundation. He wrote in The New York Times condemning her account and its publication saying, “The abortion industry is trying to make it sound like abortion is a joyful experience,” Parker told the Times, “But even women who say it was necessary say it was not joyful. It is a grief and a blackness, and it changes you.”

 

Empowerment

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.splinternews.com

Kristen of course submits that her abortion did indeed change her, but in a good and empowering way. It affirmed for her that she was in control of how she chose to live her life and how she chose to deal with a difficult situation. She added that she was grateful that there are laws in place which allow her to do what she wanted with her own body. Though not everyone believes that choice is supposed to lie with her…

Laws and Lives

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.victoriapickering.com

Currently, the Supreme Court is getting ready to hear Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, a challenge to a Texas law that if passed, will shutter the vast majority of the state’s abortion clinics. The problem for the Pro-Choice side of things lies in the fact that there are some members of the Supreme Court who are staunchly Pro-Life.

Nothing to Regret

Kristen V. Brown Story
  www.muckrack.com

One of these Justices believes some women come to regret the decision they’ve made far too late. Kristen Brown doesn’t feel regret and while she does agree that some women can of course have those regrets, she believes that the majority of them will feel relief and a newborn faith in themselves.

OKCupid Date Ends In Painful But Positive Decision For Young Writer is an article from: LifeDaily

Amazon Billionaire Could Have Discovered The Rockets That Launched Apollo 11’s Mission To The Moon

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Apollo 11 Rocket Story

Four decades ago, the engines that powered Apollo 11 to the moon have laid untouched at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. But thanks to Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, they have risen again.

In March 2012, the billionaire entrepreneur underwrote a private and secret expedition to find and recover the Apollo engines that launched astronauts like Neil Armstrong to the moon. Here’s how he did it and what he found…

Apollo 11 Spacecraft

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www.nasa.gov

On July 16, 1969, the entire world watched as the Apollo 11 spacecraft launched from Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. With three crewmen on board, Neil Armstrong became the first human ever to set foot on the moon.

Jeff Bezos

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www.forbes.com

The original rocket engines that powered the launch fell to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and had not been seen in four decades since. But that wasn’t the case for long when Amazon’s Jeff Bezos announced that he located the rockets and planned to bring them to the surface…

Huge Announcement

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www.newyorker.com

Bezos wrote on his blog: “Millions of people were inspired by the Apollo Program. I was five years old when I watched Apollo 11 unfold on television, and without any doubt, it was a big contributor to my passions for science, engineering, and exploration…A year or so ago, I started to wonder, with the right team of undersea pros, could we find and potentially recover the F-1 engines that started mankind’s mission to the moon?”

Using State-Of-The-Art Technology

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www1.udel.edu

Then, Bezos reported that using state-of-the-art deep sea sonar, his team found the Apollo 11’s engines lying 14,000 feet below the surface. The team used remotely operated vehicles and worked at a depth of more than 14,000 feet. All while tied to the ship with fiber optics for data and electric cables transmitting power at more than 4,000 volts…

Raising The Engines

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www.businessinsider.com

He added that he was making plans to raise one or more of them from the ocean floor. He said that he didn’t yet know what condition the engines were in as they hit the ocean at high velocity as they have been in salt water for more than 40 years.

Big Hopes

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www.medium.com

“Though they’ve been on the ocean floor for a long time, the engines remain the property of NASA. If we are able to recover one of these F-1 engines that started mankind on its first journey to another heavenly body, I imagine that NASA would decide to make it available to the Smithsonian for all to see,” Bezos wrote.

Bezos’ Plans

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  Wikipedia

“If we’re able to raise more than one engine, I’ve asked NASA if they would consider making it available to the excellent Museum of Flight here in Seattle,” he continued. Revealing the find, Bezos hailed the discovery as an “incredible adventure.”

A 3-Week Expedition

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www.bezosexpeditions.com

He described being onboard the Seabed Worker headed back to Cape Canaveral after finishing three weeks at sea, working 3 miles below the surface. “We found so much.” Bezos described what the underwater world looked like…

Photography Down Below

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  Popular Mechanics SA / YouTube

He saw an incredible sculpture garden of twisted F-1 engines that told the story of a violent end of the Apollo mission. His team photographed many beautiful objects in situ and have recovered many prime pieces.

F-1 Engines

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www.zmescience.com

Each piece, he says, was brought on deck and reminded him of the thousands of engineers who worked together back then to do for that time, what most thought was impossible. However, the team was disappointed when they were unable to identify which mission the rockets were used on…

Astronauts

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www.bezosexpeditions.com

They hoped that they could be the F-1 engines on Apollo’s Saturn V rocket dropped into the Atlantic minutes after they launched astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins on their voyage to the moon. But upon taking a closer look, they discovered that many of the original serial numbers were missing or partly missing.

Mission Identification

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www.seattletimes.com

This would make mission identification pretty difficult. “There was one secret that the ocean didn’t give up easily: mission identification,” Bezos said. This is because the components’ fiery end and heavy corrosion after 43 years underwater removed or covered up most of the original serial numbers.”

Inspecting Each Component

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www.wired.com

The job of identifying the heritage of the gas generators, heat exchangers, thrust chambers, turbines, fuel manifolds and dozens of other F-1 engine artifacts fell to the conservation team at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Kansas. Besides their work of cleaning and stabilizing the parts for public display, the conservators had to meticulously inspect and document each component.

Discoveries

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www.bezosexpeditions.com

One of the conservators who was scanning the objects with a black light and a special lens filter made a breakthrough discovery- “2044” stenciled in black paint of the side of one of the massive thrust chambers. “2044” is the Rocketdyne serial number that correlates to NASA number 6044, which is the serial number for F-1 Engine #5 from Apollo 11…

Process Of Conservation

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www.cnn.com

After removing more corrosion from the base of the same thrust chamber, the conservator also found “Unit No 2044.” This was stamped into the large engine’s metal surface. Bezos acknowledged the hard work of the conservators, saying, “Huge kudos to the conservation team…Conservation is painstaking work that requires remarkable levels of patience and attention to detail, and these guys have both.”

Conservation Of The Engines

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www.kmuw.org

The team at the Kansas Cosmosphere expected that it would take about two years to complete the conservation of the engines. During that time, the public would be able to view the parts and see the work being done to preserve them through a special tour…

SpaceWorks

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  GeekWire / YouTube

The tour would be offered at the museum’s SpaceWorks facility. A website with a live camera view of the facility was also available to watch. Like Bezos had hoped, the conservation work is being done under an agreement between him and NASA. NASA is retaining ownership of the artifacts and will ultimately decide where they go on museum display.

Space Centered Project

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www.cnbc.com

The Apollo 11 is Bezos’ second space-centered project. Blue Origin, is Bezos’ commercial spaceflight company which he founded in 2000. Partially funded by NASA, Blue Origin has been developing commercial spaceship capable of flying people to and from the Earth’s orbit…

Blue Origin

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www.qz.com

Blue Origin has been developing technologies to enable private human access to space with the goal to dramatically lower costs and increase reliability. Developmental test flights began in 2015 and flight testing is continuing into 2018, with first passenger carrying spaceflight expected in late 2018.

Inspiring Youth

Apollo 11 Rocket Story
  www.studybreaks.com

As far as his rocket engine discovery, Bezos concluded on his blog: “NASA is one of the few institutions I know that can inspire five-year-olds. It sure inspired me, and with this endeavor, maybe we can inspire a few more youth to invent and explore.”

Amazon Billionaire Could Have Discovered The Rockets That Launched Apollo 11’s Mission To The Moon is an article from: LifeDaily


Russian Police Discover Disquieting Shack And Find The Man Behind Dozens of Unsolved Crimes

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Sergei Ryakhovsky Story

The police had been called out to a shack in the middle of nowhere. It was the type of place you’d see at the beginning of a horror movie or in this case, the end of a such a film.

It was the end of the line for a killer, the likes of which their department had never encountered. Like it or not, the Moscow police were now in a real life horror movie and the terror the story inspired, was very real…

The Shack

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.yourdictionary.com

The officers had been called in to do a routine search of the area around a crime scene. It was here, amidst the detritus of the human and natural world that they found the shack. The outside of the shack was fairly unassuming and the furnishings inside were bare to say the least. The one thing that stuck out to them, was the noose carefully affixed to the ceiling.

 

Towering Shadow

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  FastActionBlades / YouTube

The noose was a clear indication to the police that the killer they’d been chasing for months was preparing to bring his next victim to the shack. They decided to lie in wait in order to ambush the murderer upon his return. A shadow stood outside the shack windows. Even stretched by the fading light of dusk the police could tell the man they were dealing with was enormous…

Big Kid

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.pixabay.com

The man who would be the killer was not always the giant that the police officers beheld that day. When little Sergei was born in December of 1962, his parents couldn’t have been more happy. Sergei’s parents lived in the Saltykovka area of Balashikha, Moscow Oblast, which was about a mile or so outside Moscow. By the time he reached puberty, he had begun to tower over nearly all his relatives.

Desire for Intimacy

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.murderpedia.org

In the 1980’s by the time Sergei had reached his early 20’s, he began to feel what he would come to express as “an irresistible desire for intimacy with a woman.” Unfortunately, his size and awkward upbringing had resulted in a rather unhealthy take on physical relationships. This culminated in several attempts to sexually force himself on elderly women…

Urges Return

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.penningtonsheriff.org

Sergei was soon on police radar and when he was finally tracked down a few months later, he was convicted of hooliganism and received a four-year prison sentence. Six years later, after he was released, this same irresistible desire reared its ugly head. Unfortunately, his incarceration had done little to quell those urges.

Hating the World

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.murderpedia.org

Sergei Ryakhovsky was on the hunt for someone to love, but that desire for physical connection had warped into something dark and terrible. He committed his first murder when he killed a homosexual man in Bitsa, outside Moscow. It was in this moment, as he ended the life of another person that he found relief from his urges…

Hating “Only” Gays

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.tripadvisor.com.au

The floodgates in Sergei’s mind were open. Later that same year he killed three more homosexual men in Izmailovski Park. It was becoming a mission of sorts for Ryakhovsky. He felt that it was his duty to cleanse society by killing homosexuals and prostitutes alike. It was the way many serial killers start: a way to feel justified.

Shifting Focus

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.murderpedia.org

He killed five men and two teenagers during those days. Strangely enough, even though he felt his mission was to rid the world of these so-called “unclean” people, the majority of Ryakhovsky’s victims were elderly women: the same people he had been trying to become intimate with in his younger, less murderous days. He was far from done, however…

Murderous Methodology

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.bt.dk

For these poor souls, Ryakhovsky reserved the most brutal of killing methods. His main methods of killing were stabbing or strangulation, either with rope like the one the police would find in the shack, or with his bare hands. Sergei was a big man and it wasn’t as if he did not possess the strength to do the deed himself. In some ways, he must have preferred it even.

Big Fella

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.wickedwe.com

Standing at six feet six inches tall and weighing 280 lbs, Sergei Ryakhovsky was a veritable ogre of a man. Thanks to his hulking size and amoral attitude, his sadism knew no bounds. His early attempts to discriminate and only kill homosexuals had given way to a desire to kill anyone that happened to catch his ire..

Elderly Victims

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.thevoicebw.com

In January 1993, Ryakhovsky murdered a 78-year-old man. Like he did with most of his victims, he returned after the kill in order to mutilate the body. In this case, he cut off the man’s head with a hunting knife and returned a day later to cut off his leg. The next kill, a 65-year-old woman, had her stomach exploded with a firecracker after she’d died.

Necrophiliac

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  Kiefer89 / YouTube

Generally, Ryakhovsky usually mutilated the genital regions of his victims. This was particularly telling in the crimes where he killed homosexuals. To make matters even more gruesome, he also sexually abused the corpses of his victims after the fact as well. Sergei was a who’s who of psychosexual psychopathy and it was a good thing he was about to be caught…

Arrest on Arrival

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.wzakcleveland.com

When he returned to that shack on April 13, 1993, police arrested him on sight: his size notwithstanding. It seemed that even with his considerable strength and violent temperament, Ryakhovsky didn’t want to resist. He saw the officers’ weapons and became frozen with a fear he had not known in all his days.

Nickname

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.murderpedia.org

Stories of Ryakhovsky’s dreadful deeds soon found their way into the Russian press. His size and stature earned him a number of appropriate nicknames such as, “The Balashikha Ripper” and the much crueler, “The Hippopotamus.” No sooner had they sat him down in the interrogation chair, than Sergie began to spill his guts…

Told Them Everything

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.murderpedia.org

Ryakhovsky cooperated completely with all the officials and investigators. He told them everything: about the crime scenes, his victims, his methods, and most telling of all, why he killed them. According to Sergei, most of his murders were not planned and instead were the result of a sudden, murderous impulse.

One Exception

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.murderpedia.org

There was an exception, as there always is. The three homosexuals he had met and killed in Izmailovski Park in 1988 were planned, meticulously so. Back then he had felt justified in killing homosexuals and had gone into the murder biz with that purpose. Yet why had he gone from rape to murder? What caused that escalation and shift away from his focus?

Glitch in the System

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.outlookindia.com

Sergei Ryakhovsky was examined by psychiatrists from the Moscow Serbsky Institute, who wanted some insight into why he did what he did. In general, necrophiliac tendencies are caused by a malfunction in one’s central nervous system. Yet regardless of this, he was evaluated as sane and competent for trial. Therefore he was declared fully responsible for his actions.

 

Change of Black Heart

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.learning-history.com

Learning he was considered “sane” was apparently a severe blow to Sergei Ryakhovsky. After that, his genial and supportive behaviour towards investigators changed dramatically. His compliance turned to obstruction and he completely stopped cooperating altogether. He even went so far as to revoke his previous confessions…

“Innocent Victim”

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.emadion.it

It was 1993 and Russia, as it did in those days, was having a bit of a constitutional crisis. Despite his incarceration, Ryakhovsky, supported the Supreme Soviet regime and even went so far as to write a letter to Alexander Rutskoy claiming that he is an innocent victim of what he called the “anti-national authority.”

Firing Squad

Sergei Ryakhovsky Story
  www.blogspot.com

That went nowhere, however and Sergei Ryakhovsky was ultimately sentenced to death by firing squad. At the end of the hearing, he stated, “I will be back.” A few years later, Russia imposed a ban on all executions and the Hippopotamus’ sentence was commuted to life in prison. His death sentence did come to pass however in 2005 when he died from a long untreated bout of tuberculosis.

Russian Police Discover Disquieting Shack And Find The Man Behind Dozens of Unsolved Crimes is an article from: LifeDaily

Yale “Troubled” By Student’s Call To Police About Sleeping Classmate

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Lolade Siyonbola Story

College is a time when kids become adults, leaving the comfort of their childhood to discover new ideas and become independent thinkers. That usually includes sharing a room with strangers, and certainly involves broadening horizons and experiencing new things.

But sometimes too much change is just too difficult for some kids to handle; even if they’re considered to be the cream of the crop, attending such auspicious colleges as Yale. When one student called the police on a classmate, all hell broke lose…

Learning Together

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  www.promiseofnewhaven.org

Yale is a place which prides itself on inclusion. So when one student called the police because another student was asleep in the early hours in the student’s common room, administrators were left scratching their heads, wondering what the bizarre incident was all about.

No Rights

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  www.rollingout.com

According to the student who called the police, the sleeping student had no right to be in that part of the campus, let alone catching 40 winks there. When Lolade was confronted by the student, she was less than happy about being told to leave, unhappy about being woken up, and even more unhappy about being told she had no right to be in the student common room…

Police Called

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  african.macmillan.yale.edu

When the students failed to reason with each other, the incident turned a little aggressive. Lolade had been burning the candle at both ends recently, ahead of her end of year tests, and had simply fallen asleep in a heap on her books while she was studying throughout the night. The last thing she wanted to be told by another student was that she had to get up and leave immediately.

All Recorded

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  www.heavy.com

This whole incident only made the light of day due to the fact that Lolade recorded the whole interaction on her phone, uploading it to Facebook and other social media, almost in real time. However, the main thing on the Yale administrators minds’ was whether or not this incident was about to spark a race war on campus; something they would be desperate to avoid at all costs. You see Lolade is black and student who called the police is white, not that that should make any difference at all…

Master’s Degree

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  www.crimeola.com

Lolade, a mature student aged 34, who is working at the moment towards a master’s degree in African studies, told reporters that she had been working that night on a “marathon of papers” and had fallen asleep. When the other student came to confront Lolade, she told her, “I have every right to call the police. You cannot sleep in that room.”

Asking For ID

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  Lolade Siyonbola / Facebook

Soon after the Yale campus police arrived, with two officers in tow, they asked Lolade for her ID, saying, “We need to make sure that you belong here.” However, when Lolade responded with “I am not going to justify my existence here,” the officers weren’t sure what they were in for. Was there about to be a confrontation, or maybe even some violence? In those few minutes, the situation turned from bad to worse…

Following Procedures

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  Lolade Siyonbola / Facebook

While Lolade and her Facebook friends may have been offended that the police asked her for ID, Yale said they were satisfied that the Yale police had followed “proper procedures” but with one caveat. Being ever careful and always wanting to fall on the side of caution, the Yale statement in response to the incident was clearly two-sided. But places like Yale have to tow the line always, as they have many sensitivities to consider.

Could Do Better

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  www.alchetron.com

Wanting to keep the whole thing under wraps, Yale spokesperson Tom Conroy said that the university believes, “The Yale police who responded followed procedures.” But added, “As we do with every incident, we will be reviewing the call and the response of the police officers to ensure that the proper protocol was followed and to determine if there was anything we could have done better. they said…

Every Right

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  Lolade Siyonbola / Facebook

Nevertheless, the police officers who attended to the call sided eventually with Lolade, as Conroy explained, “The Yale police officers who responded spoke with both parties and subsequently admonished the complaining student that the other student had every right to be present.” So it turned out in the end that the complaining student who made the call was the one who was in trouble for wasting police time.

ID Issues

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  Lolade Siyonbola / Facebook

At first, Lolade had also been defensive about her ID card as the name on her card was her “preferred name” and not her real name. Students are permitted to go by different names at Yale in order to take care of transgender and race issues that could arise. It took police a few minutes to ascertain Lolade’s real name and status. But once they had done that, they realised they had been called out for no good reason, and began wondering if the student who made the call could have had a racist agenda…

Highly Trained

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  news.yale.edu

According to Conroy, Yale police officers are highly trained, “on unconscious bias, de-escalation techniques, and problem-solving, and seek to treat each individual with respect.” As such, in an email sent to Yale students following the incident from administration, students were told that the incident, “remind[s] us of the continued work needed to make Yale a truly inclusive place.”

Welcoming Environment

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  your.yale.edu

A university as big and prestigious as Yale needs to be squeaky clean all the time as they have so much at stake in terms of their reputation. The head of Yale reiterated that she is, “committed to redoubling our efforts to build a supportive community in which all graduate students are empowered in their intellectual pursuits and professional goals within a welcoming environment.” Even though no express racism seemed to be at play there, Yale needed to cover their backs just in case it could be perceived that way by someone…

Listening Session

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  news.yale.edu

Even though nothing actually happened, a Yale student’s sensitivities were offended, and that’s enough at a place like Yale for all hell to break lose. With their ‘safe spaces’ and other measures meant to protect students there, Yale wanted to ensure all students knew that racism was not acceptable at the university. Meanwhile, Yale’s Vice President for Student Life, Kimberly Goff-Crews, wrote in an email to all graduate students informing them that she was “personally troubled” by the incident and would be conducting ‘listening sessions’ for students who wanted them.

Black Yale Community

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  www.essence.com

Sadly, it seems that Lolade made a race issue out of this incident even though there was no racism necessarily present. While she wasn’t called a racist name or anything of that nature, Lolade’s implication was that the student took issue with her for the color of her skin. Then, Lolade posted a thank you to Facebook, “Black Yale community is beyond incredible and is taking good care of me,” she wrote, totally ignoring all the white people and those of other races who came immediately to her side to support her…

Clear Agenda

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  www.gadgetrio.us

Some have suggested that Lolada may have her own agenda here and that agenda became clearer when she decided to take this opportunity to talk about ‘black trauma.’ As she wrote later on her Facebook page, “I know this incident is a drop in the bucket of trauma Black folk have endured since Day 1 America, and you all have stories.” While there’s no denying traditional racism in America has existed for years, some have questioned Lolada’s time in this instance.

Big Mystery

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  www.nydailynews.com

When the student who called the police in the first place was asked if she told Lolade to leave to because of the color of her skin she denied it. The student simply claimed that she was erring on the side of caution after she saw a person sleeping in the student common room, a practice which is not usual at Yale as most students study in the common room and sleep at their dorms.

Just In Case

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  YaleUniversity / YouTube

As far as Vice President for Student Life, Kimberly Goff-Crews is concerned, the mere suggestion that maybe Lolade was asked to leave the Common room was because she was black and that warranted an email to all students. That email was telling, as she spoke about “racial bias, discrimination and harassment,” even though there hand’t been any as such in this case. The email continued, “This incident and others recently reported to me underscore that we have work to do to make Yale not only excellent but also inclusive.” Simply the suggestion of a possible undertone was enough to send the Yale administration into a panic.

Full Inclusion?

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  www-news.uchicago.edu

On the other hand, the incident does raise interesting questions about discrimination at universities across North America; something that is absolutely unacceptable in this day and age. The fact that Lolade felt she was racially targeted is a terrible thing, as no student should ever be made to feel that way. As Goff-Crews wrote, “I strongly believe we must strive to create an environment that values equity and justice and in which all students are empowered to pursue their personal and professional goals – an environment that is diverse, intellectually challenging, and broadly welcoming.”

Reporting Racism

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  your.yale.edu

If nothing else, this unfortunate incident highlights the need for the right procedures to be in place for cases where students feel they have been discriminated against racially. Fortunately for students at Yale at least, as Goff-Crews wrote, “This past year, we also launched a comprehensive website and adopted a discrimination and harassment reporting protocol using the Bulldog Mobile (LiveSafe) app and have been looking at ways to make this more accessible. As already planned, we will share this tool more broadly with students and clarify the reporting process.”

Lessons Learned

Lolade Siyonbola Story
  www.notduck.com

It is hoped that everyone involved in this incident learnt some important lessons. For her part, Sarah, the student who called the police, could learn to be more sensitive to other’s feelings, even if she is an overly conscientious type. Lolade might learn how not to take quite the offense she did about being asked why she was sleeping in the common room, while the administration at Yale walks a tricky tightrope in their attempts to placate a volatile situation and keep everybody happy.

Yale “Troubled” By Student’s Call To Police About Sleeping Classmate is an article from: LifeDaily

New Yorker Gets Life In Prison For Bringing To Life Terrifying Urban Legend

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Cropsey Story

As children, our dreams are haunted by ghoulish creatures like the boogeyman. But as we get older, we realize that those monsters aren’t actually real and the fear naturally dissipates.

In the 1960s and ’70s, the creature that haunted the dreams of the children of 1 New York City borough went by the name ‘Cropsey’. One day, however, those nightmares became real when children suddenly started to vanish…

The Urban Legend

Cropsey Story
  www.historynewsnetwork.org

For decades, kids around Staten Island, New York have been terrified by stories of a shady figure called Cropsey. According to the legends, Cropsey was an escaped mental patient at the Willowbrook Mental Institution on Staten Island and would snatch innocent children.

 

‘Cropsey’

Cropsey Story
  www.amazon.com

Like most urban legends, the story of Cropsey changes depending on who tells it. Some claim Cropsey has a hook for a hand that he uses to steal away kids. Some say Cropsey carries around a bloody ax, and others claim Cropsey isn’t actually a man but a demon that terrorizes the woods at night…

 

Just A Scary Story

Cropsey Story
  www.active.com

The stories of Cropsey would terrify kids all around Staten Island after hearing them from older siblings or parents who would teasingly threaten that Cropsey would come for them if they didn’t go to bed. As they got older, however, they realized that Cropsey wasn’t real.

 

The Legend Becomes Reality

Cropsey Story
  ny.curbed.com

In the early 1970s, however, the parents who chose to raise their children on Staten Island became terrified when they discovered that the Cropsey stories weren’t entirely made up. To their horror, a monster was really in their midst preying on young, defenseless children…

 

The First Victim

Cropsey Story
  www.crimewatchers.net

In 1972, a 5-year-old little girl named Alice Pereira suddenly vanished without a trace. Police opened up an investigation and found that she had last been seen in the lobby of a building on the island and disappeared when her brother left her alone in the lobby for a second.

 

No Evidence

Cropsey Story
  www.silive.com

According to the police’s investigation, witnesses claimed to have seen the 5-year-old later at a park. No matter how long they searched, however, detectives were never able to track Alice down or find her body. They were also never able to find any concrete evidence tying their main suspect, a drifter named Andre Rand, to Alice’s disappearance…

 

The Main Suspect

Cropsey Story
  www.allthatsinteresting.com

Rand, who was born as Frank Rushan in 1944, worked on Staten Island in the mid-1960s as a custodian at Willowbrook State School, a controversial institution for disabled children. Willowbrook was open for 40 years, and before it eventually closed in 1987, people found out that patients were horribly neglected and mistreated.

 

Holly Ann Hughes

Cropsey Story
  www.findagrave.com

The case was an eye-opener for the tight-knit communities that called the island home, and to their dismay, it happened again in 1981. On July 15, 1981, 7-year-old Holly Ann Hughes was last seen buying a bar of soap from the store with a friend…

 

The Eye-Witness Report

Cropsey Story
  www.allthatsinteresting.com

When Holly never returned home, her parents called the police to report their little girl was missing. Witnesses told police they saw the drifter, Andre Rand, pull his car up beside Holly and drive off with her. However, like the case with Alice, there wasn’t enough evidence at the time to convict Rand.

 

Another Missing Child

Cropsey Story
  www.alchetron.com

In 1983, 11-year-old Tiahease Jackson’s mother sent her to the store to pick up some food. When she never returned, Tiahease’s mother called the police and reported her missing. This time, police found witnesses who claimed they saw the 11-year-old exiting the Mariner’s Harbor Motel on the island…

 

Gone Without A Trace

Cropsey Story
  www.allthatsinteresting.com

Like the other missing children, Tiahease was never seen again. Although no one witnessed Tiahease with Rand, he had just gotten out of prison for a separate offense 12 days before the 11-year-old went missing so police questioned him. Ultimately, there wasn’t enough proof to build a case and police were forced to let Rand go.

 

‘Cropsey’ Strikes Again

Cropsey Story
  www.cropseylegend.com

One year later in 1984, Hank Gafforio vanished and was reported missing by his parents after he failed to come home 1 night. Unlike the other missing children, Hank was 22 years old when he vanished, but his I.Q. was only in the 70s and those who knew him described him as being ‘slow’…

 

The Case Goes Cold

Cropsey Story
  www.tumblr.com

Witnesses told police that they saw Hank at a diner on Staten Island with Rand, but they were never able to find the 22-year-old. Like all the other cases, Hank’s body was never found and there was no evidence tying Rand to the crime besides a statement from a witness.

 

The Last Victim

Cropsey Story
  www.viralnova.com

Then in 1987, residents on Staten Island were rocked yet again when another little girl disappeared on July 9 of that year. This time, the victim was 12-year-old Jennifer Schweiger, who was born with Down Syndrome. According to her parents, she went out for a walk and never came back…

 

The Search Begins

Cropsey Story
  www.ranker.com

By this time, the community was terrified of the person snatching away young, defenseless, and handicapped kids so police began a massive search party. All they knew was that Jennifer had gone out for a walk and was last seen walking with Rand, their prime suspect yet again.

 

The Foot

Cropsey Story
  digest.bps.org.uk

Police officers and volunteers around Staten Island came together and searched the island for 35 days. On the 35th day, a retired New York City firefighter, George Kramer, was searching the woods surrounding the Willowbrook State School and stopped in his tracks when he saw what looked like a small foot peeking out from the ground…

 

The First Body

Cropsey Story
  www.policeny.com

“When we dug it up and found a little foot there,” said Bob Devine, a volunteer who was at the scene. “It’s something that’s going to stick with you the rest of your life.” In the shallow grave, the crew uncovered the rest of a body, which belonged to Jennifer. Not far away, was Rand’s campsite where he lived in the woods.

 

Public Opinion

Cropsey Story
  www.theapricity.com

Rand was immediately arrested and charged with Jennifer’s kidnapping and murder. Before even going to trial, the community was convinced Rand was guilty since he had been arrested in 1969 after trying to rape a young girl. He also kidnapped 11 children on a school bus in 1983 and drove them to the airport but did not harm them…

 

The Trial

Cropsey Story
  www.theapricity.com

The community wanted the ‘Cropsey’ nightmare to be over, so when it came time for the trial, the jury found Rand guilty of kidnapping Jennifer. Even though the jury dismissed the murder charges since there wasn’t enough evidence, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Still Looking For Closure

Cropsey Story
  www.silive.com

In 2008, Rand was up for parole, but 4 years before that happened, he was put on trial yet again in 2004 for the 23-year-old missing persons case of Holly Ann Hughes. This time, the prosecution had new evidence tying him to her kidnapping and was sentenced to another 25 years to life in prison. Today, Rand is still behind bars, but the bodies of the other missing kids were never found and the community hasn’t forgotten. “He terrified a whole community. He still haunts us,” said Donna Cutugno, president of a volunteer group that still searched Staten Island 2 times a year for the other missing children.

New Yorker Gets Life In Prison For Bringing To Life Terrifying Urban Legend is an article from: LifeDaily

Mysterious Disappearance Of Young Girl Hampered By Negligent Police Work

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Regina Armstrong Story

While Disney World in Florida has been dubbed “The Happiest Place on Earth,” the Sunshine State also harbors a dark side. Serial killers like Ted Bundy and Aileen Wuornos helped give Florida its dark reputation, and 845 serial killings since 1900 have solidified that notoriety.

When Regina was just 5 years old, she was living an idyllic life along with her older sister and parents. The family lived in a tidy apartment in the East Orlando commercial district and the family were comfortable enough. When disaster struck, Florida went into shock, and for good reason…

Growing Up

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.bentley.edu

Born in the spring of 1979, Regina’s mom, Donna, was responsible for running the cafeteria at the Mid-Florida Tech, while her father, Bob, worked for a water conditioning company in Orlando. The family weren’t wealthy by any means, but they were comfortable, and neither Regina nor her 9-year-old sister, Christina, wanted for anything. Sadly, Christina was born with a rare disease which limited her enjoyment of life.

Loving Sisters

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.theodysseyonline.com

The four-year age gap between the sisters meant they weren’t as close as other siblings although they both loved each other and often played outside together. Having been born with Alport’s Syndrome, a hereditary nephritis which affects the hearing, Christina wasn’t quite like other kids in the neigborhood, a reality that Regina was aware of and highly tuned in to…

Real Tomboy

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.morbidology.com

Sure, Regina was as cute as a button but she had a real tomboy side to her too. She loved climbing trees and collecting bugs, and always returned home filthy dirty. As her dad joked, “but you put her in a dress and a pair of shoes and she would try to be a lady.” Regina was also unusually into food for a girl her age, and could down a three course meal to match even the appetite of the hungriest adult.

Babysitter Time

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.morbidology.com

It was a beautiful summer’s morning in June when Bob dropped his girls off at their babysitter’s apartment in Semoran Boulevard. As usual, Regina kissed and hugged her dad hard, telling him, “Daddy, I love you. I’ll see you tonight.” With that, the girls hopped out of the van and went to the babysitter. Little did anyone know what was about to happen to poor Regina…

Out To Play

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.videoblocks.com

The girls hungrily ate the lunch their babysitter had prepared for them. After lunch, the girls decided to go outside to play with their babysitter’s son who they got along with well as they were of similar ages. At about midday, witnesses said a man approached the kids, then left, and then returned to engage with them again. But this time the mysterious man had on offer for the girls; sadly, an offer they just couldn’t refuse.

Just $2

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.thriftyfun.com

The man talked the kids into coming with him, after he offered them just $2 to watch an apartment he claimed belonged to his wife. Christina and the boy were to watch the place down the street, while the man took Regina to pick up his grandchildren with him. While any teen or young adult would know not to speak to such a man, these kids were young and innocent and didn’t know better…

Police Program

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.cityoforlando.net

Just to make this tragic story even worse, Regina had attended an Orlando police program just a week earlier, designed to teach kids how to avoid speaking to strangers and to avoid dangerous situations. However, on that fateful day, nothing Regina learnt at that program would make any difference at all. When Regina failed to return half an hour later as the man had promised, Christina started to worry. She rushed back to the babysitter’s apartment and informed her of what had happened. For whatever reason, the babysitter didn’t take any notice of her, and locked the door for the next two hours.

Police Called

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.morbidology.com

It wasn’t long before the babysitter realized that something was wrong; very wrong. She called the police to inform them that the little girl was missing, and they initiated a door to door search of the Orlando neighborhood, desperately looking for the missing Regina. They rode on horseback through wooded areas along with special sniffer dogs, and there was even a helicopter above. However, they police found no leads at all. Where was Regina?…

Largest Manhunt

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.morbidology.com

Just a day later, and 100 Navy cadets had joined the search party as authorities scrambled to find the missing girl. As each minute passed the chances of finding her alive became ever bleaker. The initial search was so extensive that it was recorded as the largest manhunt in Orlando’s history. Barbara Tashlein, executive director of Adam Wash Child Resource Center in Winter Park, said at the time, “The whole city really came together on every level to help search for Regina Mae. It had an incredible effect on the community.”

Composite Sketch

Regina Armstrong Story
  stillunsolved.wordpress.com

While missing person posters were plastered all over Orlando, a composite sketch, based on Christina’s recollection of the man who took her sister, was drafted. The sketch showed a man aged around 40, standing at six feet tall with a medium build and wearing faded jeans and a check shirt. According to Christina, “He smelled oily, like he worked for a mechanic or on cars. He didn’t seem like a normal guy.” He also had tattoos and a split upper lip as if he had been in some kind of fight recently…

Another Victim

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.morbidology.com

The man’s sketch was put across all the media networks, and that led to another little girl from Cocoa Beach telling her father she recognised the man. According to 7-year-old Erin, that same man had tried to abduct her from her home just days before Regina was taken. Erin was asleep when the man broke into her room after he attempted to take her out through the window. She screamed so hard that the man left and sprinted away from the scene.

Thousands of Calls

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.morbidology.com

In the first few days after Regina went missing, authorities received thousands of calls from people wanting to help, some with leads. Both Bob and Donna Armstrong took time off work and helped police with their door to door searches. They waded through the swamps of Orlando and stopped at nothing to try to find their little girl. By this time, 18 full time detectives were working the case in an attempt to find little Regina, dead or alive…

Regina Spotted?

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.popeyeshawaii.com

One of the hot tips that came to the helpline was from a man who said he saw a little girl who looked like Regina at Disney World. Another, towards the end of June, came from a man called Jeff, the assistant manager at Popeye’s Famous Fried Chicken. He said he saw a man who looked exactly like the suspect in the restaurant the day before. Jeff called the police but the man made a quick exit, getting into his car and wheel spinning off.

Another Sighting

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.agahgroup.com

A few weeks later and police had another solid lead. A maid who worked at a small hotel on U.S. Highway 192 said she saw two men checking into the hotel with a small girl, saying that one of the men looked like the suspect. While police found a missing person poster of Regina ripped up into pieces in the hotel room, there was no sign of Regina or the men, leading police down another dead end…

Best Break Yet

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.aclunc.org

After investigators received a number of complaints months later, focused in a specific area, they felt they had a real chance of catching the man they were looking for. Police organized a stakeout, with undercover officers who asked marked police cars to leave the area. However, when a man was identified in the area, he was an innocent father with his 6-year-old girl who just happened to resemble Regina. Police and the Armstrongs all but lost hope at this point of ever finding Regina alive.

40 Million Postcards

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.morbidology.com

Neither the Armstrongs nor the police gave up hope while they continued to search for the missing girl. The search soon spread even wider, and in the summer of 1985, 40 million postcards baring Regina’s face were distributed by Advo-System. These postcard were mailed to houses nationwide directly, but even that failed to bring any answers. When Regina’s birthday came around, her parents sold their apartment and moved due to the memories of Regina which they found hard to cope with.

Christina Suffers

Regina Armstrong Story
  Pinterest

Understandably, the whole Armstrong family were badly traumatised by the abduction of Regina. The fact they had no idea whether she was dead or alive just made the whole thing that much worse. They became overly strict with Christina, almost to the point of obsessive, not allowing her even to the mail box alone. Home life was stressed and painful, and Regina’s parents were having a hard time keeping it together.

Splitting Up

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.jbwilsonlaw.com

Neither Bob nor Donna could handle it anymore and the couple soon divorced, going their separate ways. “You find yourself snapping at each other for no reason,” Bob said, like so many other happy couples who have had their kids taken. But the real issue was some serious negligence on behalf of the police, who acted less than conscientiously. Numerous solid leads had been ignored or mislaid, and that left Donna and Bob even more furious when they found out about those leads on TV…

Regina Found

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.morbidology.com

In September 1987, a child’s skull was found on a construction site in Oviedo. The new police chief, Dennis Peterson, noticed that the dress found matched Reginas and that was enough to give the family the closure they needed. As a result of the find, Regina’s death certificate was signed, even though her remains couldn’t be officially identified as they had degraded too much in the Orlando heat.

Never Forgotten

Regina Armstrong Story
  www.morbidology.com

Even though there was such a vivid description of Regina’s kidnapper thanks to Christina, the man to this day has never been found. That fact ruined Bob and Donna’s marriage, as did losing their beloved daughter. However, Regina is not forgotten and never will be, as Bob said to reporters, “I have not forgotten about Regina, and I do not want Central Florida to forget about Regina.” It’s unlikely that anyone involved in this tragic case will forget Regina Armstrong any time soon.

Mysterious Disappearance Of Young Girl Hampered By Negligent Police Work is an article from: LifeDaily

Mother Left Toddlers In Hot Car To Teach Them A “Lesson”

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Cynthia Randolph Story

Bickering kids in the back seat of a sweltering hot car on a summer’s day is one of every parent’s worst nightmares. The screaming, the crying, the fighting; it’s enough to send any mom a little loopy. But kids will be kids, and every parent knows that as soon as they enter the vehicle.

When one Texas mother found her young toddlers playing in her car without permission in the driveway she was livid, and decided it was high time to teach them a lesson….

Bored Kids

Cynthia Randolph Story
  www.star-telegram.com

It was a hot day in May and Cynthia was getting frustrated with her kids as was usual. They didn’t want to do arts and crafts or watch cartoons on the TV. They were restless and full of energy, and Cynthia just wasn’t in the mood for them that day. The children were more boisterous than usual but the shouting just seemed to make them even more excitable.

Kids Being Kids

Cynthia Randolph Story
  Facebook

Juliet may only have been 2 years old but she was a real handful, even if she was good at looking after her 16-month-old brother Cavanaugh. On that day however, Juliet was just being a kid and her brother was right there behind her. The keys weren’t in the car so Juliet knew there was no real danger. She was the taxi driver and her brother was the passenger; what could possibly be wrong with a little game to break the boredom?…

Stop That!

Cynthia Randolph Story
  Facebook

Cynthia wasn’t in the patient mommy kind of mood, in fact she was feeling particularly ratty and short tempered on that day. She screamed at her kids and told them to stop fooling around. They were good kids on the whole, but they were playing and they didn’t see what the big deal was. However, for Cynthia it was a big deal as she didn’t want the car to get messed up.

Young Mom

Cynthia Randolph Story
  Facebook

The kids weren’t in school, they were excitable and fooling around and Cynthia had enough. She herself was bored and wanting to watch her favorite daytime show on television. At the age of 24, Cynthia was young, and had only been a mom for two years. The stresses of motherhood had gotten to Cynthia, but she was holding it together. For now…

Second Thoughts

Cynthia Randolph Story
  Facebook

Cynthia would often lament about the single life she gave up to become a mother. She often had regrets, as is normal for any new parent, and she loved her kids totally. It was just those niggling thoughts she would have about everything she gave up, and how she was now just a bored housewife for the most part.

Postnatal Issues

Cynthia Randolph Story
  SpokeOnline / YouTube

Postpartum Disorder, or baby blues as some still call it, is never pleasant. The hormone imbalances following birth can cause some mothers to become depressed. It’s often these mothers who end up either leaving their kids or doing something bad to them. Cynthia had no bad intentions at all towards her little ones, life just got frustrating and a little depressing sometimes. Besides, two kids under the age of two is hard going for anyone…

Chill Time

Cynthia Randolph Story
  www.whec.com

Cynthia was done screaming and trying to reason with her kids, she wanted to chill. So, without thinking too much about it Cynthia smoked some cannabis, even though it was still morning, and put on her favorite show, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” which she watched, stoned, leaving her children to their own devices out in the driveway and in her car.

Nap Time

Cynthia Randolph Story
  www.heelease.co.uk

When her show was over and the effects of the cannabis had worn off, Cynthia was understandably feeling tired. She didn’t even go outside to check on her kids, assuming they were still wrecking her car. By that stage Cynthia was too tired to care, so she went upstairs to her bedroom and took a three hour nap…

Disaster Strikes

Cynthia Randolph Story
  www.talklocal.com

The story only goes downhill from here unfortunately, as what happened next was probably the most shocking thing that could happen. While Cynthia was smoking weed and watching reality TV, her kids had inadvertently locked themselves inside her Honda Crosstour which was parked in the driveway. It was unseasonably hot that day, and the dry Texas heat was stifling in itself. But the temperature inside the car was even higher and there was no water.

Just Too Hot

Cynthia Randolph Story
  www.talklocal.com

The temperature in the car was just too much as Juliet desperately tried to get her and her brother out of the vehicle. However, her screams went unheard and ignored, and the poor little siblings perished inside the car, both dying from heat after just a few hours. All the while, their mother was asleep in a stupor in her bedroom and had no idea what was going on…

Unresponsive Kids

Cynthia Randolph Story
  dfw.cbslocal.com

Eventually, Cynthia woke up from her daytime nap, still feeling groggy but somewhat refreshed. As she came to she gave a thought to her kids and decided it would be a good idea to go check on them. She searched the house but then remembered they had been playing in her car earlier. When she reached her car she was devastated to see that her kids were both unconscious and totally unresponsive.

Police Arrive

Cynthia Randolph Story
  dfw.cbslocal.com

After first responders arrived the children were pronounced dead.  Police arrived soon after at the house to speak to Cynthia about what had happened. Cynthia was clearly in shock but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t responsible for what had happened to her kids. After all, they had both died under her watch…

Fabricated Story

Cynthia Randolph Story
  dfw.cbslocal.com

Cynthia wasn’t about to take the blame for it though, showing just how despicable a mom can get sometimes. She spun the investigating officers a yarn of lies and deceit, all in order to get herself off the hook and not be prosecuted for the death of her children. How could a mother who was truly grieving the sudden death of her two children be in her right mind to tell police officers lies?

Folding Laundry?

Cynthia Randolph Story
  dfw.cbslocal.com

Cynthia painted herself as the model housewife and mother, telling police that she had been folding laundry and watching a little TV while her kids played in an enclosed sun room on the back porch. But that wasn’t true at all as Cynthia knew full well that her kids were playing in her car in the driveway…

Teaching Them A Lesson

Cynthia Randolph Story
  www.people.com

It might be unbelievable to many readers but in this story Cynthia actually knew her kids were inside a hot car but wanted to “teach them a lesson,” in her own words. So she just left them inside, went to get high and watch television, and then took a nap. A probable cause affidavit for the incident stated that, “When they refused to exit, Randolph told police she shut the car door to teach Juliet a lesson, thinking she could get herself and her brother out of the car when ready. The defendant went inside the house, smoked marijuana and took a nap. The defendant said she was asleep for two or three hours.”

Emotional Trial

Cynthia Randolph Story
  www.greensboro.com

Cynthia told the police such a pack of lies that it was all bound to come out eventually in court, and come it did. As prosecutor Kathleen Catania said, “We thought that the evidence supported a finding that she acted knowingly. This distinction was a pretty challenging one for jurors to make. We appreciate the jury’s dedication throughout this long and emotional trial.” However, Cynthia was guilty of negligence and she needed to be held responsible for that…

Guilty Verdict

Cynthia Randolph Story
  zeenews.india.com

After much difficult deliberation, the jury found Cynthia Randolph guilty of two counts of reckless injury to a child. Both counts are considered second-degree felonies, which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars. Cynthia will serve both sentences at the same time and will have plenty of time in jail to think about what she did.

700 Children

Cynthia Randolph Story
  www.noheatstroke.org

Jan Null, who heads up a website called noheatstroke.org, spoke to reporters about the fact that many kids die as a result of being left in hot cars. According to Null’s figures around 700 children have died from being left in a car in America over the past 20 years. However, “Every one of these can be prevented,” said Null…

Most Just Forgotten

Cynthia Randolph Story
  www.noheatstroke.org

While some cases of children being left in cars on purpose or negligently make up some of those numbers, the huge majority come from parents who simply forgot their kid was in the car while running errands. In fact, according to Null, only about 28 percent of car deaths happen as a result of kids playing in their parents’ cars.

 

No Excuses

Cynthia Randolph Story
  www.star-telegram.com

Whether it’s because a child is fooling around in a car or because their parents forgot them, there can never be any excuse for allowing anyone, especially a child, to perish in this way. What happened to these two poor children could so easily have been avoided. It is hoped that any parents reading this tragic story will take note, and next time they exit their car ensure they double check that no kids are in the back.

Mother Left Toddlers In Hot Car To Teach Them A “Lesson” is an article from: LifeDaily

Cheerleading Team Is Outraged When School Announces It’s New Tryout Policy

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Hanover High School Story

For hopeful cheerleaders, making their high school’s cheerleading squad means achieving a coveted position. In addition to possessing a high level of skill, most schools require students to maintain an above average grade point average if they want to stay on the team.

But a high school in New Jersey is causing an uproar after it changed a longstanding tryout rule after receiving a complaint from a parent. Students and parents alike were furious after receiving a letter from the school…

Hanover Park High School

Hanover High School Story
  www.patch.com

When one young woman didn’t make the cheerleading squad at Hanover Park High School in East Hanover, New Jersey, her mother called the school to complain. That complaint led to Hanover Park High School launching an investigation into the cheerleading scoring and tryout process.

The Letter

Hanover High School Story
  newyork.cbslocal.com

A letter to parents and students of the school read, “In the wake of try-outs for the 2018-2019 Cheerleading Squad, the high school administration received multiple appeals from several parents concerning the selection process for the cheerleading try-outs.” That concern then led to an investigation by the Principal…

“Irregularity”

Hanover High School Story
  newyork.cbslocal.com

During the investigation, the school discovered an irregularity with its process of picking cheerleaders, which called into question “the validity of the results.” School district officials explained that only six students achieved the cutoff score for the top team under the initial scoring system.

Lowering The Cutoff Score

Hanover High School Story
  www.hanoverpark.org

“Selection guidelines indicate that to be a member of the Black Squad, a person trying out would have to score an “87 or better.” In response, the school decided to lower the cutoff score so that five more students could join the squad. “The score was arbitrarily lowered to a 78,” the letter read…

Implementing A More Inclusive Policy

Hanover High School Story
  newjersey.news12.com

However, this still meant that other students missed out on making the team, so school officials decided a more inclusive policy was more in line with the school’s values. The high school principal then decided that for the 2018-2019 school year, the three skill-level squads will be broken up into two general squads based only on a student’s grade and not skill.

More Opportunities

Hanover High School Story
  www.tapinto.net

“Our goal in doing so was to include more opportunities for those who want to be on the squad…We had a shortage of members of the team, so our goal was to get more participants onto the team for a full squad,” said Superintendent Gross. He continued…

Structural Change

Hanover High School Story
  newjersey.news12.com

“Therefore, the Hanover Park Regional Board of Education supports the structural change as follows,” Grades 11 and 12 Cheerleaders will make up the Black Squad” and “Grades 9 and 10 Cheerleaders will make up the White Squad.” But this decision annoyed many current cheerleaders and their parents, especially those young women who had been training vigorously for months to make the team.

Fighting Back

Hanover High School Story
  newjersey.news12.com

Unwilling to accept the school’s new policy, the current cheerleaders fought back. A group of ten cheerleaders even showed up as a school board meeting to push back and they addressed the board of education. A sophomore named Jada Alcontara said, “I came up here to state that I did not put in 18 months of work to lead up to this moment, just to be told it didn’t matter anymore.” Another student agreed, saying that the school’s decision undermined her hard work…

“Everything Is Out The Window”

Hanover High School Story
  newyork.cbslocal.com

Stephanie Krueger told the board, “I tried my hardest. Now everything is going away because of one child who did not make the team. Their parent complained so now all of my hard work has been thrown out the window…All the time I’ve spent in my cheer gym practicing, constantly flipping, practicing my jumps, all was just gone. I can’t believe, like, my hard work just dropped…It’s like telling a football player- your star varsity football player- they can’t play anymore because we want to make it all inclusive.”

Sore Losers?

Hanover High School Story
  newjersey.news12.com

The superintendent claimed that this decision was in the best interests of the students and that it “was made to be as inclusive as possible.” The only students who agreed with the decision were ones who lacked the skills and training of the cheerleaders who actually made the squad…

Cheerleading Parents Were Enraged

Hanover High School Story
  newjersey.news12.com

Cheerleading parent Lisa Krueger was upset after her daughter Stephanie worked vigorously to make the team. “My biggest gripe is if you want to make a change, do it for next season. But don’t do it for this season…You already had the tryout.”

“Everybody Doesn’t Get A Trophy”

Hanover High School Story
  newjersey.news12.com

Another parent, Sharon Issa said, “I think it’s a bad precedent because this really actually isn’t the way the world is…Everybody doesn’t get a trophy. You can’t be a Giants player just because you play football.” Many parents agreed that Issa had a good point and it raised the question: Are these guidelines really fair?

“Mommy Holding Your Hand”

Hanover High School Story
  newjersey.news12.com

Many other parents chimed in, comparing this to the real world. “What about life? What about getting a job? You’re going to have your mom come with you too to hold your hand?” Sandy Prociello said. And when former Hanover Park High School cheerleaders heard of the new guidelines, they too, were outraged.

Graduates Speaking Out

Hanover High School Story
  newyork.cbslocal.com

“I was head cheerleader and my sister didn’t make it. My mom said, ‘You better get to work,” said Amy Rega, who graduated from the school in 2003. The school’s mascot is the hornet and many are saying that the issue is tumbling into quite the hornet’s nest…

It’s Not Good For Cheerleading In General

Hanover High School Story
  newyork.cbslocal.com

Private cheer coach Lisa Kretschman said the change could make it less likely for colleges to recruit cheerleaders from the school. “These kids are muscular, they’re strong, they’re fast…It’s not good for the image of cheerleading in general because you’re talking about a sport that already has to fight to be recognized.”

People Are Lashing Out On Facebook

Hanover High School Story
  www.sea-globe.com

On Facebook, critics are flooding the school’s page with comments about the policy breeding “fragile snowflakes.” One woman said, “CHEERLEADERS JUST DON’T CHEER. Let the suckie babie whose mommie complained cheer by herself.” Another wrote…

“This Is Not A Way To Raise Children”

Hanover High School Story
  Facebook

“Wow, way to NOT raise children to learn to accept failure and move on. Boo hoooo.” Then, one man took a direct hit at the girl who complained to her mom about not making the team, “How about when this fragile snowflakes college non-acceptance letters start rolling in? Is mommy going to call the deans and whine that her precious feels excluded?”

Opinionated Facebook Users

Hanover High School Story
  newjersey.news12.com

He imagined her mother would say, “[My daughter] really deserves to be at Harvard, dean…She simply does not identify with those high school grades and SAT scores which have been assigned to her.” In response to all of the messages, the school had one thing to say and it wasn’t regarding this year’s decision…

Next Years Tryouts

Hanover High School Story
  www.patch.com

“Moving forward, next year, we will be releasing the new designations along with the clear scoring process prior to holding tryouts to clarify the requirements for varsity and junior varsity squads,” Superintendent Grossi said.

Cheerleading Is Not Recognized As A Sport

Hanover High School Story
  newjersey.news12.com

Although the students and parents of Hanover have been outraged since the decision, the state organization which governs the rules of high school sports said it doesn’t recognize cheerleading as a sport. Therefore, the policy is ultimately up to the local school board to decide.

Cheerleading Team Is Outraged When School Announces It’s New Tryout Policy is an article from: LifeDaily

Builders Uncover Los Angeles’ 10,000-Year-Old Secret In The Subway

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Westside Subway Extension Story

Los Angeles is a city rich in history. Walk down almost any street and you can find traces of the Hollywood stars that have made the city famous since the beginning of the silver screen.

But Los Angeles’ history goes back far before the invention of movies, and during a recent construction project, builders and a group of scientists discovered the city’s 10,000-year-old secret history…

The Purple Line Extension

Westside Subway Extension Story
  la.streetsblog.org

On November 11, 2014, construction began on a multi-billion dollar project called the Purple Line Extension, or the Westside Subway Extension, began in Los Angeles. The project, which is scheduled to be complete in 2026, will add about 7 miles of new subway service to the city of Los Angeles.

 

Protecting The Environment

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.cogstone.com

Because California has strict laws to protect the environment, scientists are required to be on site at certain construction projects, especially projects like the Purple Line where there will be major digging. So when construction began on November 11, Ashley Leger, a paleontologist, was there to witness the groundbreaking…

 

Inhabited Land

Westside Subway Extension Story
  la.curbed.com

While most paleontologists spend their time digging through remote deserts and uninhabited plains around the world, Ashley works to find fossils in the middle of cities with a company, Cogstone Resource Management, that Los Angeles transportation officials contracted to help supervise their subway extension project.

 

An Important Job

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.cbsnews.com

Because they dig into an area that has never been dug so deeply, Ashley and her colleagues were on site to make sure any bones or fossils that the construction crews came across didn’t get destroyed and were properly removed from the earth to be studied…

 

A Treasure Trove

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.cbsnews.com

“This treasure trove is coming out of an area where you don’t usually get to dig a giant 80-foot-deep pit,” said Ashley, who waits each day until she gets a notification on her phone to go down to the construction site. Some days, the crews don’t find anything during their excavation so she’s not needed at the site.

 

Waiting For The Next Find

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.cbsnews.com

But on the days Ashley does get a notification, she puts on her hard hat, vest, and goggles and descends far below the busy streets of Los Angeles. “They’re making sure that they’re recovering every single fossil that could possibly show up,” Ashley said…

 

Blast From The Past

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.cbsnews.com

“They call me anytime things are large and we need to lead an excavation,” Ashley said about the important work she and her colleagues do at the excavation site. Since work began on the subway extension project, Ashley and the team of paleontologists have recovered the remains and fossils of animals that walked the land that would become Los Angeles, California around 10,000 years ago.

 

Small Discoveries

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.cbsnews.com

Each time Ashley gets the notification to come down to the site, she and her team are bursting with excitement at the idea of what they will find. After a few months, they managed to find a mastodon tooth, a tooth and ankle bone from a horse, bison vertebrae, a piece of a rabbit jaw, and a camel foreleg…

 

A Late-Night Find

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.cbsnews.com

While all of those finds were exciting, they weren’t the big find that Ashley hoped for during the project. So when she got a notification on her phone late 1 night as she was getting ready for bed, she wasn’t sure what to expect.

 

The Call

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.cbsnews.com

According to Ashley, she was just about to get into bed for the night when she got a call from 1 of her monitors. “It looks big,” he told her,” the man told her. Ashley couldn’t contain her excitement at what they had found, so the next morning, she arrived at the site bright and early…

 

The Work Begins

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.cbsnews.com

Ashley got down on her hands and started to inspect the ground as the construction crews were diverted to let her work. “Our crews try to be as mindful as possible to help them do their jobs. We get out of their way,” said Dave Sotero, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

 

A 15-Hour Excavation

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.wtop.com

Normally, work has to be diverted for a few hours at most when a fossil or bones are uncovered. This time, however, it took nearly 15 hours before Ashley was finished with her work and the construction workers were finally able to continue their digging and building…

 

Ashley’s ‘Big Find’

Westside Subway Extension Story
  la.curbed.com

At first, Ashley thought the crews had unearthed part of an elephant skull. But as she carefully started brushing away the dirt, her heart started racing. The skull that she first believed to have belonged to an elephant was actually an intact skull of a juvenile mammoth.

 

The Mammoth Skull

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.scpr.org

After Ashley and the crew spent 15 hours carefully brushing the dirt away from the skull, which she calls her ‘big find’, her team and the construction crews worked together to carefully transport the skull from the digging site to Los Angeles’ La Brea Tar Pits and Museum to be studied…

 

A Paleontologist’s Dream

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.usatoday.com

“It’s an absolute dream come true for me,” said Ashley, who spent a decade searching the South Dakota mammoth site without ever finding anything significant. “It’s the one fossil you always want to find in your career,” she explained.

 

A Rare Specimen

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.scpr.org

Not only was the find exciting for Ashley because only 30 mammoths have been found in the Los Angeles area, but mammoth skulls are rarely ever found intact without damage to the tusks. The mammoth skull that Ashley and the crew discovered was in perfect condition with both tusks attached…

 

A Mammoth Named Hayden

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.finance-commerce.com

After being unearthed, Ashley and the crew decided to name the 8- to 12-year-old Colombian mammoth ‘Hayden’ after actress Hayden Panettiere since she was on a TV monitor on the construction site when the skull was found.

 

On Display

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.columbian.com

After being carefully transported about a mile to the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, the mammoth skull is still being studied and examined in a glass-walled Fossil Lab that allows the public to view Hayden as scientists complete their work…

 

The Work Continues

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.cbsnews.com

Meanwhile, work on the Purple Line Extension is still underway and Ashley and the team of paleontologists are working hard to preserve all the fossils and bones that they find. “We’ve got mammoths and mastodons on one end. We’re finding horses over here. It’s been really fun,” said Ashley. “Fossils are always rare. We estimate that less than 1 percent of life on Earth actually fossilizes. So the fact that we get anything is incredible.”

The History Of Los Angeles

Westside Subway Extension Story
  www.cbsnews.com

The mammoth skull was discovered about 25 feet below the streets of Beverly Hills, but as the digging goes deeper, Ashley has been finding traces of animals that inhabited the area hundreds of thousands of years ago when Los Angeles was under water. “I see the history of Los Angeles… Hundreds of thousands of years ago, animals like whales were swimming in the ocean that was in that exact same area,” she said. “Yes, it’s mind-blowing to think about, but really exciting.”

Builders Uncover Los Angeles’ 10,000-Year-Old Secret In The Subway is an article from: LifeDaily


System Fails Serial Rapist’s Victims Yet Again After Cops Laughed At Their Claims

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John Worboys Story

After being violated by their attackers, survivors of rape and sexual assault should be able to turn to the people who have sworn to protect the public, but sadly, that’s not always the case.

Over the span of 6 years, victims of a serial rapist tried repeatedly to report their attacks to the police. Rather than getting help, many were brushed off and some were even laughed at. As if that wasn’t bad enough, those victims have been put through hell yet again just a few years after they thought they were finally safe…

The First Police Report

John Worboys Story
  www.independent.co.uk

In 2002, a woman from London turned to the police after a strange experience in 1 of the city’s famous black cabs. According to the woman, she hailed a cab, climbed inside, and was greeted by a friendly driver. However, that’s the last normal thing to happen.

 

The Last Memory

John Worboys Story
  YouTube

The woman woke up in her home with no recollection of how she got there. The last thing she clearly could remember was chatting politely with the cab driver, which was especially strange since she wasn’t drunk at the time so there was no reason for her to have no memory of such a large chunk of time…

 

14 More Victims

John Worboys Story
  www.londonpolice.ca

Rather than thoroughly investigate the report, police brushed the woman off. Over the next 6 years, about 14 other women contacted local police stations around London to report similar experiences of hazy memories after getting into a black cab.

 

Similar Stories

John Worboys Story
  www.thesun.co.uk

While some women told police they mysteriously couldn’t remember what happened, others told police they couldn’t remember everything after getting into a black cab, but had clear memories of the driver sexually assaulting them before waking up at home…

 

Disgraceful Behavior

John Worboys Story
  www.theday.com

Despite the numerous similarities between more than a dozen reports, the police failed to link the cases. Not only did the police fail to make such an obvious connection in the cases, but officers actually laughed at several of the victims, calling them drug addicts and drunks, so they wouldn’t take the claims seriously. 

The First Investigation

John Worboys Story
  www.directenquiries.com

Eventually, however, police from a station in Plumstead, southeast London, listened to a 19-year-old girl in July 2007 after she came into the station and claimed she had been attacked by a black cab driver. Instead of laughing at her and turning her away, the police took her claims seriously and actually investigated them…

 

The Driver

John Worboys Story
  www.getwestlondon.co.uk

Police managed to track down the driver of the black cab, a man named John Worboys, and arrested him on suspicion of raping the 19-year-old girl. While back at the police station in Plumstead, Worboys denied that he raped the young woman.

Caught On Camera

John Worboys Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

Worboys told police that the 19-year-old was drunk at the time and kissed him. According to Worboys, he believed he had her consent. Investigators found security footage from the area where Worboys dropped the teenager off and released the driver when they saw the girl kiss him as she left the cab…

Another Victim Files A Report

John Worboys Story
  www.secondnexus.com

A few months later, a 26-year-old woman came to a London police station and made a complaint about a black cab driver who drugged her and raped her. Police took the victim seriously, but they ruled out Worboys as a suspect since a DNA sample didn’t match Worboy’s.

Too Much To Ignore

John Worboys Story
  www.lasentinel.net

About a month later in January 2008, a 29-year-old insurance broker contacted the Essex Police with another similar report. Then about a month later, a lawyer filed a report with police about being raped by a cab driver. At that point, police couldn’t ignore what was happening to innocent women around the city anymore…

A Serial Rapist

John Worboys Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

After 6 years, police finally linked the reports of a black cab driver targeting lone, female passengers between the ages of 18 and 34 years old. After going over all the reports, police realized they were dealing with a serial rapist and made a public request for anyone with information related to the attacker or the attacks

Answering The Appeal

John Worboys Story
  staging.waymarking.com

A staff member at a sexual referral unit heard the police’s appeal and instantly thought about the 19-year-old girl who claimed she was raped by her cab driver in 2007, as the details of that case seemed to line up with details of the other attacks…

John Worboys’ Arrest

John Worboys Story
  www.telegraph.co.uk

After replying to the police’s appeal, investigators tracked Worboys down at his home in Rotherhithe, a residential district in south east London, where they arrested the black cab driver, who worked as a milkman, a security guard, a stripper, and a porn actor before becoming a taxi driver in London.

The Evidence Piles Up

John Worboys Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

While searching for evidence, police found what they called Worboys’ ‘rape kit’ in his car. It contained miniature champagne bottles, gloves, a torch, vibrators, condoms, sleeping tablets, and an ashtray to crush the pills. They also found a wristband that belonged to 1 of the victims in Worboys’ home, DNA evidence from another victim on the vibrator, and another victim’s home address written in his notebook. Later, police matched Worboys’ DNA to a semen stain on 1 victim’s underwear…

The Method

John Worboys Story
  commons.wikimedia.org

According to police, Worboys would pick women up late at night and tell that that he had just won a large sum of money. After holding up a large bag of money as proof, he would give them a mini bottle of champagne to celebrate, which most would drink to be polite. What the victims didn’t know, was that Worboys had laced the champagne with temazepam, a sleeping drug he had stockpiled after being prescribed it for years for his own sleeping issues. When the women were sedated, Worboys would rape them.

Facing Charges

John Worboys Story
  www.wassonthornhill.com

When Worboys went to trial in March 2009, 14 victims testified against him as he faced 23 charges, all of which he plead not guilty to. However, on March 13, he was convicted of 1 count of rape, 5 sexual assaults, 1 attempted assault, and 12 drugging charges…

‘Indeterminate Sentence’

John Worboys Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

Worboys received an indeterminate sentence with a minimum term of 8 years in prison, which meant he had to serve at least 8 years but would not be released until it could be determined without a doubt that he was no longer a threat to women. This was not just a win to the handful of women who reported their attacks, but it was also a win for the other 100 victims that came forward before and after the trial.

9 Years Later

John Worboys Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

The victims had to go through hell just to get justice, however, the system failed them yet again after it was announced that a parole board determined Worboys, now 60 years old, will be released from prison this year after 2 psychologists hired by Worboys’ defense claimed he wasn’t a threat to women if released because he never took responsibility for the attacks or showed empathy for the victims, which are the very things almost all other experts say prove he is very likely to be a repeat offender…

Challenging The Board

John Worboys Story
  subscriber.telegraph.co.uk

“Since 4 January, I have felt frozen in shock, disgusted and traumatised by the thought that Worboys could be on the streets so soon,” said 1 of Worboys’ victims, who came together with another victim to challenge the parole board’s decision in court. Thankfully, a 3-judge High Court panel agreed with the victims and ruled Worboy should remain in prison. The judges claimed the board didn’t do enough to prove he wasn’t a threat to women and didn’t consider the overwhelming amount of new attacks he is suspected of committing.

Temporary Relief

John Worboys Story
  www.zimbio.com

The ruling was a huge relief to all of Worboys’ victims, however, he plans on applying for parole again in May 2018. “I always feared he would go before the board again but this feels far too soon,” a victim said. “It feels far too soon for this dangerous and manipulative perpetrator to be released into the public having served this woefully short time in prison,” Yvonne Traynor, from Rape Crisis South London, added. “He may be free to live amongst us but the women he raped will never be totally free from his despicable actions.”

System Fails Serial Rapist’s Victims Yet Again After Cops Laughed At Their Claims is an article from: LifeDaily

Unluckiest Man In Australia Suffers Remarkable Injury Twice In Same Porta-Potty

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Unluckiest Man in Australia Story

Some people are born lucky. Everything just seems to come easily to them and even when things aren’t going their way for a time, things seem to turn around. It’s almost like an aura about them.

This story is about the unusual circumstances that sent one Australian tradesman to the emergency room twice. It’s a story of two injuries in the same location and the one unlucky fellow who could have avoided the second if only he’d waited…

A Tradesman by Trade

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  www.vnmanpower.com

Jordan was a blue-collar worker doing construction near his home in Sydney. At 21 years old, he was lucky to have secured such a solid position, even if the work was hard. Jordan was the type of guy that everyone liked, the kind of good-natured guy who lit up the room.

 

Gotta Go

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  www.arabianindustry.com

It was a warm, sunny September day on the jobsite. Jordan’s stomach had been acting up all day and though he didn’t want to, he was beginning to think that he might have to bite the bullet and use the porta-potty to relieve some of the pressure. It wasn’t that he was disgusted by portable toilets, because really, who isn’t? No, Jordan’s reticence was born of experience…

Emergency Situation

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  www.wasteconnectionswichita.com

After the first time it happened, Jordan didn’t really want to use the portable toilet again. It wasn’t that it wasn’t clean, this particular toilet got such frequent use by the men at the worksite that it got cleaned nearly every day. He knew for a fact that they’d cleaned it earlier that day, so if there was ever a time to use it, it was then.

Careful

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  www.rajarental.com

Jordan carefully went into the toilet and closed the door behind him. The sun-baked outhouse had an ever-present odor of excrement, but its plastic surfaces were shiny and there was a whiff of ammonia in the air. He looked under both seats and when he was sure that it was safe, lowered his trousers and sat down. No sooner had he done so, than something struck him…

Familiar Sting

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  www.webmd.com

The next thing Jordan knew, he was feeling as if he had been bitten by something. It was a familiar sting. A moment later and he was bent over in pain from whatever it was. Whatever had nipped at him was nothing innocent, he knew that for certain: mainly because it felt exactly as it had the first time it happened.

 

Same Spot

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  melanieboda.wordpress.com

Despite his reservations, Jordan had taken the chance and visited the porta-potty. It was his first visit to a portable toilet since his last encounter with one of Australia’s minuscule terrors. To make matters worse, the creepy critter hadn’t just bit him, it bit him in almost the exact same spot: on his very tender, very private privates…

Butt Bite

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  wall.alphacoders.com

Jordan had his meat minced by a spider, for the second time in a year. The biting buggy had apparently got its fangs in a bit deeper this time as well. The April beforehand, he’d been treated for a similar bite. This felt different though and it worried him a little. He yelled for the foreman.

Not Sure

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  www.axisimagingnews.com

As funny as the coincidence was, it was still very important that Jordan get to the hospital as quickly as possible. Because it happened on a porta-potty toilet, he hadn’t had a chance to see what spider bit him. This would be a problem, because administering the proper anti-venom was very important and could mean the difference between life and death…

Jokes

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  www.vix.com

One of his colleagues, the same one who found him the last time, told him to zip up and helped him over to his truck. They were going from the worksite in north-west Sydney to Blacktown Hospital, not too far away. The last time, most of them had been worried about Jordan, but for it to happen again…well it seemed that he had now become the butt of many of their jokes.

More Painful

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  www.hawkesburygazette.com.au

Jordan noticed that the pain was much sharper this time around. It was intense at the start and the area around the bite swelled up and reddened much more than it had the first time. Pain was shooting down his legs now, radiating out from his groin. He was reasonably sure he knew what spider it was…

Spidery Scourge

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  www.lifehacker.com.au

The creepy crawly critter that had taken a bite out of Jordan’s little fella was a Redback spiders, one of the more venomous spiders in a country already full to bursting with poisonous pests. It is known for the distinctive red stripe on its upper abdomen and can be found across the country. About 4,000 people are bitten a year and about 250 of them also require antivenom.

Second Time’s the Charm

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  www.physiqz.com

The craziest thing about this situation is not only that he was bitten again on the toilet, but the spider got him right where it had before…that is to say, on his penis. Jordan was in an intense amount of pain and it was coupled with nausea and severe swelling to his erm…area. But there was hope…

Redback Venom

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  ant.caretwinyes.site

Redback spiders are closely related to the black widow spider and as such have extremely potent venom that can be fatal if not treated, but no fatalities have occurred since antivenom was developed in the 1950s. Their bites can cause severe pain, sweating and nausea: as Jordan learned for the second time.

 

Common Biters

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  abc.net.au

Redbacks, being relatively common in Australia, are a household hazard in the Land Down Under. Most people have learned to be careful when putting on shoes or sitting down on the toilet, but there are still about 2,000 people bitten each year. Jordan’s situation, however, was “one-in-a-million…”

Remembered Me

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  www.voalte.com

Jordan couldn’t believe that when they finally arrived at the hospital, the nurses remembered him from the last time. They started giggling as he described the nature of his injury. Even he had to admit, it was a pretty funny situation and soon enough, everyone was laughing with him.

Extremely Rare

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  www.unicrewvolunteers.org

“Everyone was laughing, calling me the unluckiest man in Australia.” explains Jordan. I mean, to be bitten twice, on his privates, in less than six months, is a pretty unlucky thing. As per protocol, they gave him both a tetanus shot and redback antivenom. Also some anti-inflammatory medication for the swelling…

Innocuous Inoculations

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  www.lakeforestgroup.com

Most spider bites only require minimal treatment. Usually all you’ll get is an itchy, swollen red blotch that goes away with a little hydrocortisone. That being said, most experts recommend at least locating the spider that bit you just in case antivenom is required. If the wrong antivenom is given, the results could be disastrous.

 

Good Health

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  www.mirror.co.uk

Jordan was treated for the bite and released in perfect health with everything….present and accounted for: no amputation needed. As for his next trip to the toilet? Jordan had something to say about that. “I think I’ll be holding on for dear life to be honest,” he said, laughing. Other spider bites have resulted in some bizarre side effects over the years…

Powerful Aphrodisiac

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  stevedownerfilms.wordpress.com

There is a story of one Brazilian spider’s venom that contains a toxin that can induce erections. The Brazilian wandering spider has such an interesting after-effect that its even attracted the attention of some pharmaceutical companies looking to bottle this effect for sufferers of erectile dysfunction.

Not an Aphrodisiac

Unluckiest Man in Australia Story
  www.everydayhealth.com

Some other cases are less than whimsical however, many spider bites can result in something called necrosis, or tissue death. One woman was bit in her ear while visiting Italy by a brown recluse spider. Her ear rotted away and in the end her doctor had to remove the necrotic tissue and eventually restored her ear with cartilage from her rib.

Unluckiest Man In Australia Suffers Remarkable Injury Twice In Same Porta-Potty is an article from: LifeDaily

FBI Baffled By String Of Brazen Heists Until Tip Points To Mild-Mannered Aspiring Businessman

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Redrick Batiste Story

The saying “appearances can be deceiving” has been said so often that it’s become somewhat of a cliche. Nevertheless, it proves itself to be true time and time again. In one man’s case, the respectable image he presented to the world was a cover for a double life no one would suspect.

Redrick, “Red” for short, was a 36-year-old man living with his 2 bulldogs in a small home in Acres Homes, a modest suburb just outside of Houston, Texas. He was the kind of guy who wore polo shirts, got a haircut once a week, asked his guests to remove their shoes when they came inside, and regularly visited his aging parents…

Doing Things Right

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.killedbypolice.net

When he wasn’t visiting family, he was usually reading books on self improvement or spending time with his girlfriend, Buchi Okoh, and her 2 children from a previous relationship and, eventually, a daughter they shared. Red was determined “to be the best person he could possibly be, building his life the right way,” his girlfriend said.

Raised Right

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.awarenessjunkie.com

Red seemed like exactly the kind of person you would expect, if you knew his upbringing. His father Roy was a Houston bus driver and his mother Joyce worked in the purchasing department for Compaq. Devoted to raising their son well, they took him to church every Sunday and enrolled him in private school. Despite their working class income,“he didn’t suffer for anything,” Joyce said…

Aspirations

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.texasmonthly.com

He’d since grew into a hard-working, respectable adult working for a roofing, fencing, and landscaping company. But red had ambitions beyond blue-collar work. Though his girlfriend worked as a Cadillac salesperson she was a licensed real estate agent. Perhaps inspired by her, Red’s aim was to become a real estate developer, buying and renovating small homes…

Making It Happen

Redrick Batiste Story
  buchi.okah / Twitter

He was well on his way to achieving that goal, too. In addition to the small home he lived in, he owned 2 other homes, one valued at around $46,000 and another at about $30,000 and a vacant lot he intended to build upon. He’d moved Buchi and her children into the nicer home when she got pregnant but fully intended to develop the other 2 properties…

Double Life

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.hackread.com

All in all, Red could easily be described as an upstanding guy and a real go-getter. The last thing you would expect of such a person is that they would be a cold-blooded criminal mastermind…

FBI Investigation

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.aclj.org

Yet in 2016, the FBI began investigating Redrick “Red” Batiste in connection with a string of crimes as remarkable for their efficiency as for their brutality. In truth, his criminal behavior had begun just after his 17th birthday when he was arrested for unlawfully carrying a weapon and a year later, was arrested for getting into a fistfight with a man who’d crashed into his car…

Minor Crimes

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.gunmemorial.org

Over the next 3 years, he spent short stints in jail for misdemeanors like marijuana possession, driving under the influence, and getting into another fight. Then in 2000, Red was convicted of his first “real” crime, an illegal firearm sale, and spent 5 years in a federal prison before getting out only to be put back behind bars for credit card fraud…

‘Perfectly Polite’

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.stylemagazine.com

Despite his criminal activity, Red still wasn’t considered dangerous by most accounts. His lawyer Vivian King described him as “one of the most well-mannered clients I ever had” and “perfectly polite.” When he finally got out of prison in 2009, it seemed as if the well-mannered man had turned over a new leaf and given up on crime, devoting himself to his self improvement and business goals instead…

Daring Heists

Redrick Batiste Story
  keithssongs.blogspot.com

But then why would the FBI be looking into him 7 years later? In short, there had been a series of daring and violent heists that took place in the Houston area over the last couple of years that had baffled law enforcement and Red had become their number one suspect…

Ambush

Redrick Batiste Story
  securityguardjob.weebly.com

The first heist took place in February of 2015, when a Brinks armored car  was stopped in front of a Capital One bank. As the driver waited in the vehicle, another Brinks employee, wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a high-powered handgun, went inside to collect bags of cash for transport. When he came out of the bank wheeling the cart full of cash, 3 armed men in body armor and masks rushed toward him…

Take The Money And Run

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.chron.com

The carrier only had time to shout as one of the men wordlessly raised a rifle and fired a shot at him, hitting him in the head. As the driver set off the car’s alarm and leaned out of the driver’s side door to fire at the robbers, the men returned fire, pinning her inside the vehicle as they grabbed the cash, loaded it into a pickup truck that backed up behind the armored car, and sped away.

Police Response

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.fbi.gov

The Houston PD and the FBI were on the scene in minutes, but by then the robbers were long gone. The Ford F-250 used in the brazen daylight robbery, which was stolen,  was found in a parking garage a few blocks away. With so little evidence, it would seem that the robbers had made off with a huge sum of money and were in the clear…

Criminal Rarity

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.click2houston.com

Not only was the robbery expertly planned and executed, it was singularly brazen and violent. There are typically only 30 or so armored car robberies attempted in the US each year, mostly due to the fact that armored car employees are armed and authorized to use deadly force the moment they believe they’re in danger of bodily harm. On top of that, not a single armored car employee had been killed in the line of duty since 2002.

Execution

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.houstonchronicle.com

But in this robbery, the armed guard had been essentially executed without being given the option to surrender. After that attack, 3 more ambush style attacks were attempted on armored cars in the Houston area, 2 of them successful, though the guard survived several shots and was able to thwart the robbery. In total, several hundred thousands of dollars were stolen and no significant evidence was left behind at any of the robberies…

Insider Tip

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.worldsbestgolfdestinations.com

It would seem that the authorities might never have figured out who was behind the robberies until someone came forward claiming to have inside information. The informant had apparently had a falling-out with the ringleader of the heists, that ringleader being a would-be real estate entrepreneur named Red Batiste.

Him?

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.neowin.net

At a glance, the FBI was doubtful that the seemingly reformed man was behind the heists. But with no other leads, they began to thoroughly investigate him. They quickly uncovered that he was in contact with a small group of violent ex-cons, that he had the keys to a stolen White Jeep Wrangler they suspected had been involved in the heists and would move the car once every week or so…

Mounting Evidence

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.bizjournals.com

After tapping his phone and the phones of his accomplices, authorities also discovered that Red was planning another heist. He had been scoping out Amegy bank with the intent of ambushing the armored car as the guard refilled its ATM. They also found that he’d rented a car from an Enterprise lot then returned it a few days later after switching out the real key fob for a dud and putting a tracking device under its hood so he could steal it when it was time for the job.

Counter-Devices

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.covertservicesdurham.co.uk

To catch him in the act, the FBI rented the same car from Enterprise and installed their own tracking device, a camera, and a kill switch that could remotely turn off the engine. When Red came to steal the rental from a hotel parking lot where the FBI had left it, they set their trap in motion…

Ambushing The Ambushers

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.abc7news.com

A few days later, as Red Batiste and his crew were waiting for the armored car to pull up, coordinating their actions, a Houston PD armored personnel vehicle came around the corner with tires screeching, barreling into Red’s vehicle. Two men inside the vehicle tried to flee as SWAT officers from the vehicle and from a nearby parking lot gave chase. But Red had no intention of being caught.

Hail Of Bullets

Redrick Batiste Story
  www.chron.com

Rather than trying to flee or surrendering, he came out of the driver’s side of the vehicle, guns blazing. He got off a couple of shots with his rifle before the SWAT officers returned fire, hitting him in the chest and leg, dropping him to the ground where he died shortly after. While the rest of his accomplices were rounded up and sent to prison, the question of why he’d gone back to crime despite having his life in order went with him to the grave.

FBI Baffled By String Of Brazen Heists Until Tip Points To Mild-Mannered Aspiring Businessman is an article from: LifeDaily

Nurses Save Newborn From Lethal Condition So Now Mom Is Paying It Forward

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Lauren Harper Story

They say that life is never the same after the birth of your first child, and every emotion, from love to fear, becomes more intense than ever before.

When one Indiana mom gave birth to her first child, she experienced feelings of love and happiness stronger than she ever had in her life. However, that happiness turned to paralyzing fear when her baby boy was suddenly fighting for his life. Now, she wants to make sure no parent has to go through what she did…

The Firstborn

Lauren Harper Story
  www.wrightsonandplatt.com

After patiently waiting 9 long months to meet her first child, Lauren Harper went into labor and was overjoyed when nurses handed over her newborn baby and announced she had given birth to a healthy son, who Lauren and her husband named Tyler.

 

Short-Lived Bliss

Lauren Harper Story
  www.rileychildrens.org

All Lauren and her husband cared about was that their baby was healthy, so when they first laid eyes on their baby boy, who weighed a healthy 10.9 pounds at birth, he was everything they dreamed he would be. Unfortunately, that bliss didn’t last long.

 

A Mother’s Intuition

Lauren Harper Story
  www.rileychildrens.org

Shortly after the new parents brought Tyler home, they started to worry that something wasn’t right. Tyler started losing weight and vomited after every feeding. Both are normal for newborn babies, however, Lauren was convinced something was wrong…

 

A Trip To The Hospital

Lauren Harper Story
  www.iuhealth.org

When Tyler’s weight continued to plummet and he failed to keep any milk down, he started showing signs of dehydration. Lauren and her husband refused to try and wait any longer for the ‘phase’ to pass and immediately rushed him to the hospital…

 

The Diagnosis

Lauren Harper Story
  www.thefertilechickonline.com

After arriving at the IU Health West Hospital in Avon, Indiana, doctors confirmed their worst fear. Tyler was sick, and if he didn’t get treatment soon, he wouldn’t make it. After examining the newborn, doctors told his parents that he had been born with Pyloric Stenosis.

 

Pyloric Stenosis

Lauren Harper Story
  www.diseasedefinition.info

Pyloric Stenosis is a condition that affects 1 in approximately every 300 babies and typically occurs in first-born male babies. In healthy babies, food moves through the stomach and into the intestines without issue. For babies with the condition, that doesn’t happen…

 

An Enlarged Pylorus

Lauren Harper Story
  Nucleus Medical Media / YouTube

For babies with the condition, food cannot empty out of the stomach because the opening into the small intestine is not large enough. When the food cannot pass into the intestines, the food is forcefully vomited out, which leads to severe dehydration and prevents the baby from absorbing badly needed nutrients from food.

 

The Wait Begins

Lauren Harper Story
  www.pxhere.com

While the condition is serious and life-threatening, it can be easily treated with a simple surgery. The news should have been comforting to the new parents, however, there were no beds open at the hospital and Tyler would have to wait another 48 hours to undergo the lifesaving surgery…

 

Intensified Fears

Lauren Harper Story
  www.indystar.com

Lauren and her husband were terrified that Tyler wouldn’t make it another 48 hours. Even though the doctors and nurses assured them Tyler would be fine, their fear was intensified since they were first-time parents and didn’t know what to do for their son.

 

The Surgery

Lauren Harper Story
  www.neoalta.com

Like the doctors and nurses told them, Tyler was fine and went into surgery to correct the condition. The surgery was a success and a day later, Tyler was released from the hospital and Lauren and her husband were able to take their 1-month-old baby boy home for good…

 

The ‘Aha’ Moment

Lauren Harper Story
  www.rileychildrens.org

The experience terrified the new parents, but Lauren was grateful to all the nurses that helped her son and assured her that everything would be OK. “I watched the nurses care for Tyler like he was their own,” Lauren said. “I wanted to do that for someone else’s child, and I knew that I could.”

 

The Wrong Career

Lauren Harper Story
  www.indystar.com

At the time, Lauren had a business degree from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and was working as a manager at 2 car rental businesses. However, after the terrifying experience, Lauren knew it wasn’t what she was meant to do with her life…

 

A Life Overhaul

Lauren Harper Story
  www.workingnurse.com

After watching the nurses save her son’s life and care for him like their own, she wanted to do the same thing for other parents going through the worst moment of their lives. So after Tyler was all better, Lauren quit her job immediately enrolled in a nursing school.

 

The Right Reason

Lauren Harper Story
  www.rileychildrens.org

Lauren juggled being a new mom with being a new student, which was extremely challenging. But whenever Lauren doubted what she was doing, she just had to look at her son and the small scar on his stomach to be reminded of the reason she was doing it…

 

Coming Full Circle

Lauren Harper Story
  www.rileychildrens.org

After countless sleepless nights spent studying for exams, Lauren graduated and got her license as a registered nurse, which made all the hard work worth it. Once she had her license, Lauren was hired to work as an operating room nurse at the same hospital that saved her son’s life.

 

7 Years Later

Lauren Harper Story
  www.rileychildrens.org

7 years later, Lauren still works at IU Health West Hospital for the children’s pre and post operation unit where she spends her days caring for sick kids and easing the worries of their anxious parents. According to Lauren, she still sees herself when she looks into the eyes of the terrified parents she sees…

 

A Leap Of Faith

Lauren Harper Story
  www.rileychildrens.org

“I’ve seen that look; I’ve been there before,” Lauren said. “The worst is when dads cry. I can keep it together when moms cry, but when you see a dad start to cry… it’s just the fear, the unknown, the uncertainty. You’re letting someone you don’t know take your kid and you have to give them that trust.”

 

No Empty Promises

Lauren Harper Story
  www.rileychildrens.org

“She knows what it feels like for that parent to be vulnerable and to hand over their most precious thing in life. When she says, ‘I’m going to take great care of your daughter or son,’ parents can feel it,” said Rachel Janitz, a fellow nurse that started her first day working at the hospital the same day Lauren did…

 

A Natural Caregiver

Lauren Harper Story
  www.rileychildrens.org

According to Janitz, Lauren is such an excellent nurse because she knows exactly what the parents are going through and advocates for them.  “It’s not for everyone,” Janitz said. “You definitely find your friends. And you find the one that lifts you higher and is always there for you. Lauren is selfless in such a way that it radiates to everyone around her.”

A Calling Not A Career

Lauren Harper Story
  www.rileychildrens.org

While working as a nurse can be physically and emotionally exhausting, especially since they can’t save every child, the reward of helping just 1 child makes it all worth it. “There’s so much more good that I get to experience here,” Lauren said. “I feel very blessed to be working at the place where my son was so well-cared for. This is definitely what I was called to do.”

Nurses Save Newborn From Lethal Condition So Now Mom Is Paying It Forward is an article from: LifeDaily

11-Year-Old Catches 475-Million-Year-Old Miracle During Fishing Trip

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Trilobite Discovery Story

Kids who are sent to schools to get an education spend their days cooped up in classrooms learning about the world through a textbook. Kids who are homeschooled, on the other hand, get to use the world as their classrooms.

While most kids were sitting in a classroom on a Monday afternoon in late April, an 11-year-old was out with her family fishing and exploring at a local Tennessee lake, which became her classroom for the day. By the end of the afternoon, however, the homeschooler accomplished something most scientists can only dream of…

An Alternative Education

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.knoxnews.com

After deciding to homeschool her child, Tammy Taylor made sure her daughter Ryleigh Taylor was learning everything that children in traditional schools were learning. However, she also wanted Ryleigh to not just learn about the world by reading about it in a book, but also by going out and exploring it for herself.

 

Taking The Lesson Outside

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.seviervillehomes.com

So on a Monday morning in late April 2018, Tammy decided to bring 11-year-old Ryleigh’s lesson outside to enjoy the warm spring weather. That morning, Tammy, Ryleigh, and the rest of their family drove out to Douglas Lake in Dandridge, Tennessee, for a day of fishing and exploring…

 

A Short Break

Trilobite Discovery Story
  fw.ky.gov

While everyone was fishing, Ryleigh decided to take a break from trying to catch a fish and go exploring for a little while instead. “My friend took over the rod because I got tired, and I started to walk over all the rocks,” the 11-year-old said.

 

A Stroll Along The Shore

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.wate.com

Ryleigh went walking by the shore of the lake. She had no idea at the time, but when she stopped trying to catch a fish, she was setting herself up to catch something even rarer and more exciting than anything she could have caught with her fishing pole…

 

Trying Not To Fall

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.wate.com

While on her way back to her parents and her friend, Linda Gail Mayes, the 11-year-old was walking along the rocky shoreline and taking care not to slip on them. “Then on my way back I was looking down so I wouldn’t fall,” Ryleigh explained. While looking down, however, something strange looking caught her attention.

 

An Exciting Discovery

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.knoxnews.com

“I thought it was a bug at first, so I went over to see what it was,” said Ryleigh, who went over to investigate what the weird creature was. When she looked closer, however, she yelled out for her parents 4 times to stop what they were doing and come right away…

 

A Silly Trick

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.wate.com

Ryleigh told everyone that she thought she found a fossil and insisted that they come look. Tammy, however, thought her daughter was trying to trick her. “She was trying to get us to come over and look at it, and I wouldn’t because I just knew it wasn’t…I just thought it was something on the rock,” Tammy said.

 

The Fossil

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.wate.com

When her parents wouldn’t come look at what she found, Ryleigh picked the fossil up and carefully brought it over to them to prove it. “Oh my gosh, that is a fossil,” Tammy said when she finally looked carefully at the fossil, which looked like a large rock at first glance…

 

A School Project

Trilobite Discovery Story
  cronicaglobal.elespanol.com

Ryleigh knew she had found a fossil, but had no idea what it was, so Tammy suggested they take it home as it would be a good school project to try and figure out what it could be. “We bring [the fossil] home and she keeps on to us about calling somebody and finding out what kind it is,” Tammy said.

 

Making Some Calls

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.kxro.com

“Even the next morning, she woke up begging us to call. So finally, I got on the phone,” Tammy added. Not knowing who would be able to help them, Tammy called some professors at a local community college that she knew, hoping they would be able to point them in the right direction…

 

The Associate Professor

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.wate.com

“I called Walters State Community College because I know some professors there, and was referred to Dr. Katherine Stone who works with fossils,” Tammy explained. “She referred me to Jim Richards at UT and he sent me to UT’s Associate Professor of Paleobiology Dr. Colin Sumrall.”

 

A Regular Request

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.pixabay.com

According to Dr. Sumrall, he gets contacted at least once a week by strangers asking him to look at photos of ‘fossils’ that they found for help identifying what creature it is. About 95 percent of the time, however, Sumrall says the so-called fossils are just rocks…

 

Low Expectations

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.knoxnews.com

So when Tammy contacted him about a fossil that her daughter had discovered while walking along the shoreline of Douglas Lake, he was already getting ready to break the news to the 11-year-old that she had just found an ordinary rock.

 

A Surprising Realization

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.wate.com

However, when Sumrall looked at the photo that Tammy had send in her email, he was stunned to see that her 11-year-old daughter had, in fact, found a fossil. What was even more surprising was that the fossil was actually incredibly rare and incredibly old…

 

The Trilobite

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.11alive.com

Sumrall asked Tammy and Ryleigh to send more detailed photos of the fossil, and this time place it next to a measuring tape. After reviewing the new photos, Sumrall told the 11-year-old that she managed to find the fossil of a 475-million-year-old trilobite, an arachnomorph arthropod that went extinct before dinosaurs walked the earth.

 

A 475-Million-Year-Old Discovery

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.canadianhomesteading.ca

According to Sumrall, trilobites would relate closest to present-day horseshoe crabs. “She laughed and was jumping,” Tammy said of Ryleigh’s reaction after finding out what she found. “That’s hard to take in… 475 million years, that’s a long time.” Ryleigh’s excitement only grew when Sumrall told her just how rare her discovery was…

 

As Old As It Gets

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.mentalfloss.com

“It’s actually fairly unusual for someone to find a fossil,” said Sumrall, who didn’t find a fossil until he was 20 years old. Sumrall then explained that fossils of trilobites are some of the oldest you can find. “That’s about as old as you can get,” Sumrall said. “The oldest fossils are maybe a little older than that.”

 

An Intact Specimen

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.bgr.com

Not only was Ryleigh’s discovery rare because of its age, but fossils of trilobites are rarely ever still intact. “Typically when we look at fossils of trilobites, they decay when they grow. So what happens is, when the trilobite skeleton just crumbles into hundreds of little pieces,” Sumrall explained…

 

A Budding Paleontologist

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.wate.com

“To find one where all the pieces are intact, it’s actually a pretty lucky find,” Sumrall added. While the fossil is still in Ryleigh’s possession, she doesn’t want to keep it. Instead, she wants it to go to a museum so other kids can see it. “I hope this will encourage other kids to go outside more instead of spending so much time on their electronics,” said the 11-year-old, who plans on hunting for more fossils.

The Benefits Of Homeschooling

Trilobite Discovery Story
  www.wate.com

“To find something like that, it could spark this youngster into a whole career. Maybe she’ll become a great paleontologist one day,” said Sumrall. Tammy attributes Ryleigh’s discovery and interest in science and exploring to homeschooling. “I think it’s wonderful because you’re not just sitting in a classroom, you’re actually outdoors, you go, and it’s a hands-on thing, just like this trilobite, this fossil,” Tammy said. “Had she not been outdoors that day, instead of sitting in a classroom, she would have never found this.”

11-Year-Old Catches 475-Million-Year-Old Miracle During Fishing Trip is an article from: LifeDaily

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