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Adidas Exec Facing Charges Following Alleged Bribes Scandal

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Adidas Bribes Story

Adidas has been a household name across North America for decades and one that many people trust and even cherish. From running shoes to sweatpants, Adidas is most famous for its three-stripe trademark logo and high-quality sportswear.

However, following a series of complaints made public by federal investigators recently, Adidas executives, as well as college assistant team coaches, are finding themselves in hot water with allegations of bribes and corruption.

Black Market

Adidas Bribes Story
  Shtuterstock

The numerous complaints, made public in New York, allege that behind the scenes a thriving black market is booming. Apparently, young athletes as well as coaches, agents and financial advisors, trade on budding players’ trust, exploiting their inability to receive compensation due to loopholes in N.C.A.A. amateurism rules and procedures.

Case in Point

Adidas Bribes Story
  eu.haworth.com

One example of the corruption is a major university where a sports agent arranged for the men’s basketball team and a hot high school prospect to receive more than $100,000 if he committed to the school and agreed to sign with Adidas if and when he turned pro.

More Corruption

Adidas Bribes Story
  www.si.com

At another large college, the associate head coach of the basketball team allegedly accepted $100,000 to ensure his team’s top players were assigned to a financial advisor who would manage their future fortunes. Essentially, the deal is that for steering players in the “right direction,” huge sums of cash would be filtered to assistant coaches who towed the line, taking bribes for ensuring players ended up sponsoring the “right” brand.

Open Admittance

Adidas Bribes Story
  www.sportingnews.com

One of the sports agents in this case, as reported by The New York Times, even spoke openly about the corruption scandal, admitting it was illegal. “Some of it can’t be completely accounted for on paper,” said the unnamed sports agent, “because some of it is, whatever you want to call it, illegal.” But federal attorneys and others decided that the game was up and that it was time to blow this scandal out of the water.

Business Investment

Adidas Bribes Story
  www.wsj.com

Even though it’s supposed to be all about the sport, nothing could be further from the truth. As the acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Joon H. Kim explained: “For these men, bribing coaches was a business investment.” That’s the reason charges of bribery and fraud are being brought. Kim went on to explain things to reporters in more detail.

Big Bucks

Adidas Bribes Story
  Shutterstock

According to Kim, “They knew corrupt coaches, in return for bribes, would pressure the players to use their services. They also knew that if and when those young players turned pro, that would mean big bucks for them.” It’s for that reason that Kim, and others, are calling the revelations “the dark underbelly of college basketball.” It was time for arrests to be made and charges to be brought.

Dozens Implicated

Adidas Bribes Story
  www.bizjournals.com

As a result of the investigation so far, dozens of people have been arrested and hauled in for questioning. These people include four Division I assistant coaches, as well as the global marketing director of Adidas basketball himself. The other issue is that the N.C.A.A. relies heavily on its annual tournaments for the vast majority of its income.

Scheme One

Adidas Bribes Story
  www.yorkdispatch.com

Two schemes were implicated, which could cost a lot of people not only their jobs but also some jail time as well as hefty fines. One scheme involved bribing four assistant coaches from Arizona, Auburn, Oklahoma State, and Southern California. These were all part of the so-called Power 5 conferences of college sports, essentially persuading players to give their business to specific financial advisors to manage them at the pro level when they got there.

Scheme Two

Adidas Bribes Story
  www.npr.org

The other scheme related to efforts of funneling funds from Adidas to three players and their families in exchange for promises of commitment to play at Adidas-sponsored college programs and to later sign with the sports giant after going pro. Both of these schemes are highly illegal on numerous levels.

“Player-10”

Adidas Bribes Story
  www.businessinsider.com

Allegedly, in the second scheme, Jim Gatto, a senior exec at Adidas, agreed to pay $100,000 to the family of “Player-10.” This player was a seriously talented young man who showed great potential for the future. As such, he was steered through various bribes to a specific unnamed college. Many people have surmised that the match was with the University of Louisville, which recently signed a 10-year, $160 million clothing contract with Adidas.

Claiming Innocence

Adidas Bribes Story
  www.alux.com

When The New York Times approached Adidas for a statement about the fact that one of their employees was arrested for corruption, they said “Today, we became aware that federal investigators arrested an Adidas employee. We are learning more about the situation. We’re unaware of any misconduct and will fully cooperate with authorities to understand more.” While full cooperation with authorities is questionable, Adidas will certainly understand a whole lot more pretty soon about the ongoing investigation.

Serious Concerns

Adidas Bribes Story
  www.bizjournals.com

Meanwhile, Louisville’s interim president, Gregory C. Postel, also confirmed to the press that his university was involved in the investigation. “While we are just learning about this information,” he said, “this is a serious concern that goes to the heart of our athletic department and the university.” Postel also confirmed that his university was, “committed to ethical behavior and adherence to N.C.A.A. rules.”

More Controversy

Adidas Bribes Story
  www.miaminewtimes.com

In another damning claim, payments to other players’ families were discussed. In one case, a player who was yet to begin his junior year of high school was slated to receive $150,000 to enroll at an Adidas-sponsored college. Officials from the university said they would cooperate fully with investigators if the allegations were brought before them.

Open Corruption

Adidas Bribes Story
  www.collegeandmagnolia.com

While it’s a shame that the good sport of college basketball has been tainted by these allegations, facts are facts, and they simply couldn’t be denied any longer. One open case of corruption relates to Chuck Person, the associate head coach at Auburn, who allegedly solicited bribes from at least one financial advisor, agreeing to steer specific players on his team to specific advisors. Person accepted just under $100,000 for his troubles and is alleged to have given $18,500 to the families of the players involved.

Caught off Guard

Adidas Bribes Story
  www.theathletic.com

At the same time, Mark Emmert, president of the N.C.A.A. said he was caught off guard by the allegations but pledged his full support for the investigations. “Coaches hold a unique position of trust with student-athletes and their families,” Emmert explained, “and these bribery allegations, if true, suggest an extraordinary and despicable breach of that trust,” he added.

Renewed Debate

Adidas Bribes Story
  www.usatoday.com

The shocking revelations mean that a renewed debate is imminent regarding two specific rules which are part and parcel of college basketball. One is the restrictions imposed by the N.C.A.A. on compensation due to antitrust lawsuits. The other is what’s known as the “one-and-done rule” which prohibits N.B.A. players and its unions from entering the N.B.A before the age of 19.

Necessary Rules

Adidas Bribes Story
  www.nbcnews.com

Before these particular rules were implemented, the very best high school players were entitled to simply join the N.B.A. and to receive a full salary, while not having to even think twice about the contradictory N.C.A.A. rules. This all created an environment where players showing the best potential for the future could be bribed illegally, to take part in the various schemes mentioned above; all in the name of earning big but highly illegal bucks.

Undercover Sting

Adidas Bribes Story
  www.aol.com

While there were cooperating witnesses who the Securities and Exchange Commission had used, there were also wiretaps which were employed to uncover the people involved in the bribes. Interestingly though, the allegations were all brought against assistant head coaches and not against a single head coach, but why?

Making too Much

Adidas Bribes Story
  sports.yahoo.com

One defendant explained in an audio recording of a secret meeting during the sting operation that head coaches “ain’t willing” to take bribes, “they’re making too much money. And it’s too risky,” said Christian Dawkins. And that makes sense as it simply isn’t worth the time and hassle for head coaches who make a serious annual salary with some hefty bonuses on top.

Tip of the Iceberg

Adidas Bribes Story
  www.herosports.com

No one assumes that the complaints will stop here as investigators gear up for more allegations of wrongdoing and bribery. The whole debacle has cast a bad light on college basketball, and it seems clear that many more corrupt officials, both within Adidas and at the college level will be implicated, arrested and charged with manipulating young players for their own financial gains.

Adidas Exec Facing Charges Following Alleged Bribes Scandal is an article from: LifeDaily


Woman’s Ancestry.com Results Shed Light On Devastating Scandal

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Kelli Rowlette Story

Graham Greene once wrote “A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead.” This is true of fiction or history, even the personal history of family.

Many of us are curious about the people and stories that came before us which came together to bring us into the world. With sites like Ancestry.com, we can look back into the past in ways that were previously impossible. But sometimes when looking back, we discover shocking truths…

Dreaded Problem

Kelli Rowlette Story
  www.thefertilechickonline.com

Back in the late ‘70s, Sally and Howard were having one of the problems that many young married couples dread. They had been trying to have a child for some time but for whatever reason, they were having trouble conceiving.

Getting Help

Kelli Rowlette Story
  www.idahostatejournal.com

They recognized that they might need some help, so they went to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Associates of Idaho Falls, where they met Dr. Mortimer. The news that they got from him wasn’t that great.

Triple Trouble

Kelli Rowlette Story
  Shutterstock

It turned out that they had been working against a trio of problems. Sally had a tipped uterus and Howard had a low sperm count and low sperm mobility. Dr. Mortimer suggested a procedure where 85 percent of Howard’s sperm would be mixed with a donor’s to increase the odds of conception.

Paying Off

Kelli Rowlette Story
  Shutterstock

The couple agreed and they picked out a donor who was a college student that looked like Howard. Three times a month for the next three months, the couple went to see Dr. Gerald Mortimer for the inseminations. It all paid off and on May 20th, 1981, Sally and Howard gave birth to their daughter Kelli.

Strong Bond

Kelli Rowlette Story
  Shutterstock

In his time working with Sally and Howard, Dr. Mortimer apparently developed so strong a bond with them and their daughter Kelli that some time after her birth, when Sally told the doctor that they would be moving to Washington state, he was actually brought to tears.

Jumping Ahead

Kelli Rowlette Story
  www.taphaps.com

Flash forward to July of 2017 and baby Kelli is all grown up. She’s 36 years old, married and living in Benton County, Washington. A lot of other things changed in that time as well. Her parents’ marriage had broken down along the way and they’d divorced some years ago.

Life Goes On

Kelli Rowlette Story
  www.theglobaldispatch.com

Nearly four decades after he’d delivered the baby he cared so much about, Dr. Mortimer had put his days of practicing medicine behind him. After a long career of helping countless parents and delivering countless babies, he was living out his final years in a comfortable retirement.

Secret Kept

Kelli Rowlette Story
  Shutterstock

And during all of those intervening years, Kelli’s parents had never told her about the fertility treatment they’d had while trying to conceive. They may have never told her if it weren’t for a little bit of natural curiosity on Kelli’s part and Ancestry.com.

Uncovering the Past

Kelli Rowlette Story
  www.ancestry.com

Ancestry.com offers a service where if you send them a sample of your DNA, they analyze it and tell you the secrets held in your genetic code. They can tell you all the different facts about your ethnic origins. They can even tell you about famous ancestors you may have or connect you with long lost relatives.

What’s My History?

Kelli Rowlette Story
  noapologiesforbeingme.blogspot.com

Like so many other people, Kelli Rowlette decided to use Ancestry.com to learn about her genealogy. She sent away a sample of her DNA thinking the most shocking thing that she might get back in the results was that she was X percent of this unexpected ethnicity and Y percent of that one.

Shocking Revalation

Kelli Rowlette Story
  Shutterstock

What she didn’t expect at all was that her Ancestry.com results said that the man she thought of as her dad wasn’t her dad. At first, she just chalked it up to a mistake on the part of the testing process. But when she told her mother about the test, they had a conversation about the fertility treatment. Then Kelli told Sally the name of her father: Dr. Gerald Mortimer.

Family Devastated

Kelli Rowlette Story
  Shutterstock

Now Dr. Mortimer’s tears all those years ago made a little more sense. Sally was completely devastated upon finding out that the man who’d she’d trusted as her OB/GYN was the actual father of her child. When she told her now-ex husband Howard, he was equally shocked and dismayed.

Violatoin of Trust

Kelli Rowlette Story
  www.shared.com

Though Sally and Howard had already known there was a chance that the donor was Kelli’s biological father, they had been entirely betrayed and Sally felt she had been violated by Dr. Mortimer. For Kelli, the entire thing was a whirlwind that, in some ways, threw her entire identity into question.

What to Do?

Kelli Rowlette Story
  Shutterstock

Now there was the question of what they were going to do with the obvious evidence of what Dr. Mortimer had done. In the end, they decided that Dr. Mortimer should have to pay a price for the psychological pain and anguish he’d caused.

Lawsuit

Kelli Rowlette Story
  Shutterstock

Kelli Rowlette filed a lawsuit against Dr. Gerald Mortimer, alleging that he’d used his own sperm to impregnate her mother. “Dr. Mortimer knew Kelli Rowlette was his biological daughter but did not disclose this to [either parent],” the lawsuit said.

Unconscionable Act

Kelli Rowlette Story
  Shutterstock

“Dr. Mortimer fraudulently and knowingly concealed his use of his own genetic material in the procedure,” it continued. The main — and very strong — evidence for the suit was the Ancestry.com genetic testing.

Powerful Discoveries

Kelli Rowlette Story
  blogs.ancestry.com

Ancestry.com is no stranger to uncovering unexpected truths about people’s genetic pasts, Eric Health, Ancestry.com’s Chief Privacy Officer told USA TODAY. He said the company’s tests regularly help people “make new and powerful discoveries about their family history and identity,” which sometimes leads to “unexpected connections.”

Good and Bad

Kelli Rowlette Story
  www.pcmag.com

But at least in Kelly’s case, making those unexpected connections isn’t always a positive thing. Folks looking to learn about accomplished or famous relatives in their past often forget that they may find layabouts and scoundrels too.

Them Too

Kelli Rowlette Story
  Shutterstock

Kelly also included the Obstetrics and Gynecology Associates of Idaho Falls, accusing them of medical negligence, fraud, negligent infliction of emotional distress and breach of contract. It’s not clear if anyone else at the facility had any knowledge of Dr. Mortimer’s alleged actions.

History’s Secrets

Kelli Rowlette Story
  Shutterstock

While Kelli’s biological father turned out to be someone other than the man who raised her, it’s important to remember one thing: DNA is not family. Our families are the people around us who love us without question or condition.

Woman’s Ancestry.com Results Shed Light On Devastating Scandal is an article from: LifeDaily

New York Doctors Caught Using Homeless in Multi-Million Dollar Fraud

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Health Care Fraud Story

When doctors start their careers, they take the Hippocratic Oath swearing to uphold ethical standards. After that, they dedicate their lives to healing the sick as best they can.

Sadly, however, some doctors forget those promises when money comes into play. In 2017, authorities in Brooklyn found out that a group of doctors in the area might be involved with a Medicaid fraud scheme. When they looked into the case, they were sickened by what they found.

The Tip

Health Care Fraud Story
  www.nbcnewyork.com

In 2017, authorities in New York received a tip about a potential Medicare fraud scheme. According to the tip, several clinics around Brooklyn were using homeless people to get away with medical fraud. As soon as authorities heard about the alleged scheme, they immediately opened up an investigation.

Fighting Medical Fraud

Health Care Fraud Story
  www.amny.com

Local authorities in Brooklyn have worked diligently to combat medical fraud. So when they heard about another possible group that had organized a fraud scheme, they didn’t waste any time figuring out if the claims were true. Shortly after hearing about the case, undercover cops were sent out to try and see if they could substantiate any of the claims.

Going Undercover

Health Care Fraud Story
  Shutterstock

The undercover officers had two jobs to accomplish during the preliminary investigation. Some of the officers had been sent out to intercept communications between the suspected parties operating the scheme. Other officers had been sent out to conduct surveillance.

A First-Hand Witness

Health Care Fraud Story
  www.wnyc.org

They hoped to witness the operation as it targeted homeless people in the area. However, they ended up getting to see the operation first-hand after an undercover officer was recruited by the group. At the time, the officer was pretending to be a homeless person. 

Recruited on the Streets

Health Care Fraud Story
  www.aarp.org

After he was approached by a recruiter near a homeless shelter, he was asked if he had a Medicaid or Medicare card. When he presented a valid card, the undercover officer was told that he would be paid $30 if he simply went to a local clinic. After agreeing, the recruiter loaded the undercover officer into a van and brought him to the clinic. 

Free to Go

Health Care Fraud Story
  Shutterstock

Once in the clinic, the undercover agent sat in an office. During that time, he never actually saw a doctor. After about an hour, however, someone came out and gave him $30 as promised. At that point, he was told he was free to go.

The Bill

Health Care Fraud Story
  Shutterstock

When authorities checked records with Medicare, they saw that the clinic had submitted a bill for 18 tests that they claimed were done during the visit. Not only was the bill a complete lie, but it was physically impossible. The undercover officer was in the clinic for just an hour. The 18 tests that were billed would have taken about 12 hours to perform. 

The Investigation Begins

Health Care Fraud Story
  www.nbcnewyork.com

By that point, authorities in Brooklyn knew they had stumbled upon what seemed like an intricate fraud operation. But now, they needed to figure out how large the operation was. They also needed to figure out who was keeping the operation running and what was happening to the stolen money.

Targeting the Homeless

Health Care Fraud Story
  www.nbcnewyork.com

During the following investigation, authorities figured out that the scheme worked by sending out recruiters to areas around soup kitchens or job centers. The recruiters would then approach people in the street and ask them if they had valid Medicare or Medicaid cards.

Unnecessary Tests

Health Care Fraud Story
  Shutterstock

If the person had a valid Medicare or Medicaid card, they would offer the individual anywhere from $30 to $40 if they agreed to go to a clinic for a little while. If the individual agreed, the person would be driven to one of six clinics, where they were released after some time. Sometimes the person would undergo a few unnecessary tests with a technician.  

Turning Paperwork Into Cash

Health Care Fraud Story
  www.abc7ny.com

According to Brooklyn’s District Attorney, technicians would often perform allergy tests, cardiograms, ultrasounds, and nerve tests. The staff at the clinics would then bill publicly funded health care programs for the cost of the tests. When they received the money, it would then be laundered through a series of shell companies.

A 3-Year Operation

Health Care Fraud Story
  www.brooklyneagle.com

According to authorities, some of the shell companies used by the organization were based in China, Singapore, Lithuania, Pakistan, Taiwan, and Turkey. After that, the funds were transferred to certain members of the fraud operation. According to the District Attorney, this had been going on for a period of three years starting on January 1, 2015.

Millions of Stolen Funds

Health Care Fraud Story
  www.abc7ny.com

During that time, the District Attorney alleges that the group running the operation submitted false claims to Medicaid, Medicare, and Managed Care Organizations. In total, the claims were worth more than $146 million. According to investigators, that money was split among the organization. 

The Ring Leader

Health Care Fraud Story
  www.abc7ny.com

During the investigation, authorities were able to identify 35-year-old Kristina Mirbabayeva as the leader of the entire operation. Based on social media posts and other incriminating evidence found by investigators, she used the stolen money to fund an extravagant lifestyle, which she often flaunted publicly.

Expensive Taste

Health Care Fraud Story
  www.brooklyneagle.com

According to investigators, the 35-year-old used the money to buy expensive designer clothes and handbags. She also used the stolen funds to pay for extravagant vacations and multi-million dollar homes including a $3.25 million penthouse apartment in Brooklyn.

Corrupt Medicine

Health Care Fraud Story
  brooklyn.news12.com

However, Mirbabayeva didn’t run the organization on her own. She depended on medical staff, including doctors, who would analyze tests performed in the clinics and signed paperwork so the bills could be submitted for the insurance money. According to investigators, the doctors would get paid about $20 to $50 for each test read.

The Doctors Involved

Health Care Fraud Story
  www.abc7ny.com

During their investigation, authorities identified four doctors: Dr. Robert Vaccarino, Dr. Hamid Alam, Dr. Kevin Custis, and Dr. Jeffrey Chess, who were involved with the scheme. Once enough evidence was amassed, the District Attorney in Brooklyn finally arrested everyone involved with the organization. 

The Charges

Health Care Fraud Story
  www.abc7ny.com

In total, 20 people, including the four doctors, were arrested and charged in the health care fraud scheme. In addition to the 20 individuals charges, the District Attorney charged 14 companies for their involvement with the scheme. “Let’s be clear: these people spent your tax money,” acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement after the people and companies were charged in an 878-count indictment. 

A Particularly Cruel Case

Health Care Fraud Story
  www.abc7ny.com

“The case presents a cruel theme: The point of the enterprise was to steal money from Medicare and Medicaid by subjecting the most vulnerable people who reside with us in our city to unnecessary tests and imaginary care,” Gonzales said in a statement. If found guilty and convicted for their crimes, those charged in the case face up to 25 years in prison. 

Fighting For Justice

Health Care Fraud Story
  www.abc7ny.com

“This massive scheme, which provided no patient care at all, wasted millions of taxpayer dollars dedicated to Medicaid and Medicare, which serve as a lifeline for so many Americans – our families, our friends, our neighbors,” said Gonzalez. “I cannot and will not allow this type of corruption and fraud to take place in Brooklyn and will spend every resource to stop it.”

New York Doctors Caught Using Homeless in Multi-Million Dollar Fraud is an article from: LifeDaily

Busiest Train in Europe Delayed By Onboard Miracle

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RER Delayed Story

Those who commute to work each day on public transportation are well aware of the potentiality for delay. In most cases the delays are momentary and forgotten about fairly quickly.

However, in the case of the busiest train in Paris, the delay would last hours — though the reason was arguably miraculous.

Millions of Commuters

RER Delayed Story
  www.thelocal.fr

The Réseau Express Régional (RER) is a transit system that serves commuters in Paris and its outlying suburbs. The RER is similar to the more well-known Metro, but it’s faster and makes fewer stops. The transit system carries more than 1.2 million passengers to and from Paris each day.

Delays, Delays

RER Delayed Story
  www.thelocal.fr

As with most mass transit systems, the RER is not immune to commuter delays. In fact, passengers found themselves planning for what amounted to essentially scheduled delays in recent years. This was due to a group of French rail workers staging rolling strikes from April to June of 2018.

Rolling Strikes

RER Delayed Story
  www.aviationvoice.com

These rolling strikes caused massive delays and threatened to cause travel misery for passengers all across the country, not just for those on the RER. There were also demonstrations from Air France staff as well. It was an innovative way to see changes made, but it left commuters a bit perturbed.

Busiest Trains

RER Delayed Story
  www.tourbytransit.com

The latest delay happened in June of 2018, when an RER train was forced to stop during one of the morning commutes. The RER in question runs from east to west through the city and is widely considered to be not just the busiest line in Paris, but in all of Europe.

Why are we Stopped?

RER Delayed Story
  Wikipedia

Morning commuters were sitting on the train, reading their newspapers and swiping up and down on their phones when suddenly, they stopped. The train lingered there for some time and before long they realized that the trains in both directions had stopped. No one knew what was going on.

Someone Sick

RER Delayed Story
  Shutterstock

Pretty soon, the commuters at Auber station in central Paris began checking tweets from the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP). They told people that a passenger had taken ill at the station and that they had to be removed from the train before service could continue. But it was more complicated than that.

The Usual Excuses

RER Delayed Story
  www.thelocal.fr

Now, although the Paris commuters were quite used to delays thanks to the rolling railway strikes, this particular morning’s commute had been interrupted by something most of them had never encountered. Somewhere on the RER train, a baby was being born.

Helping Hands

RER Delayed Story
  Shutterstock

It began sometime earlier that morning. Two women, Eliane and Aurélie, had noticed something strange occurring in their carriage of the double-decker train. They had both been on the lower level when they heard something strange happening above.

Moans Above

RER Delayed Story
  Shutterstock

Eliane, who hails from Val-de-Marne southeast of Paris and has four children of her own, heard what sounded like weak moans coming from above. At first, she just assumed it was a bunch of kids messing around. Eventually, though, the ensuing commotion told her it was something much more serious.

Something Happening

RER Delayed Story
  Shutterstock

She and Aurélie went up to the second floor together to see what was going on. When they arrived, they found that nearly all the passengers on that part of the train had chosen to get off at Auber, all except one; a very pregnant woman in an increasingly dire situation.

One Thing to Do

RER Delayed Story
  www.indiatimes.com

“We saw the mother wobble,” explained Eliane. They helped her to the ground and did their best to help with the rapidly approaching infant. “We laid her down and I just had time to take hold of the baby that was coming into my arms,” she added.

Touch and Go

RER Delayed Story
  Shutterstock

As the women did what they could to make the baby’s passage into the world as painless as possible, they asked a curious passerby to sound the alarm. He ran off to call for help and the three women were left alone with the newborn baby boy. The long minutes stretched into hours as they awaited emergency crews.

Concern

RER Delayed Story
  Wikipedia

“I could only think about putting the baby aside so he could breathe and cutting the umbilical cord,” Eliane explained. “Aurélie made sure that the mother remained conscious and that the baby was not cold.” They were no longer worried about the baby and help was on the way, but something still bothered Eliane.

Dangerous Indifference

RER Delayed Story
  AndrewCBaker / Twitter

The most serious aspect of this miraculous situation, as far as Eliane was concerned anyway, was the fact that no one seemed to offer help when they first heard the mother moaning. It was this serious indifference that concerned her most. Everyone just ignored her and got off the train and if they hadn’t gone up to help, the situation could have ended very badly.

All’s Well

RER Delayed Story
  Shutterstock

The baby was officially born at 11:40 (09:40 GMT). Eventually, emergency services arrived and took away mother and child. Both were safe and the train soon began moving again. Commuters were informed of the situation over the loudspeaker and we’re assuming that a number of them felt really bad about being so ticked at the over-long delay.

Crazy Events

RER Delayed Story
  www.rtl.fr

Valérie Pécresse, the President of the Ile-de-France region, eventually tweeted about the birth stating that “All sorts of events occur on the RER, some of them happier than others! A long and happy life to the baby.” The RER wasn’t done, however, they still had one more special announcement to make.

Free Travel

RER Delayed Story
  www.asianage.com

The newborn boy is likely to be the envy of many of his fellow commuters in the coming years as well. The RER network had announced that they are giving him a very special gift for being born on one of their trains. He will be able to travel for free on the RER until his 25th birthday.

Always Naysayers

RER Delayed Story
  www.kiwitaxi.com

The miraculous birth went viral on Twitter and as with all remarkable stories that eventually make their way onto the Internet, there are always going to be some trolls and jokers responding to it. Some people lamented that the baby’s first breath of air in the world was underground on the RER.

Strange Links

RER Delayed Story
  www.thelocal.fr

Other responders to the initial tweet had theories as to where the baby came from. They surmised that the baby in question might actually be linked to another viral video released some months ago. This former video apparently showed two people having sex on an RER train.

On Schedule

RER Delayed Story
  www.cnn.com

The next day, the train was back on schedule. This is an unusual story but one that, as Eliane brought up, should have us step back and take a look at how we would deal with an extraordinary situation on our morning commute. If something like this ever happens on your own commute, look to the example of Aurélie and Eliane and step in to help however you can.

Busiest Train in Europe Delayed By Onboard Miracle is an article from: LifeDaily

Thousands of Wells Fargo Employees Lose Their Jobs After Calling HR

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Wells Fargo Story

When large corporations set up ethics hotlines so that their employees can have a place to report wrongdoing, workers expect that their calls will be treated with the utmost respect and discretion.

However, when Wells Fargo admitted to firing at least 5,300 employees, people wanted answers as to why. Since it was for confiding in their hotline, it potentially threatened the comapny’s future in financial services and left a mark on their reputation which will be hard to recover from.

Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo Story
<> on October 11, 2013 in Oakland, California. www.time.com

With offices across the U.S., Wells Fargo is the world’s second-largest bank by market capitalization as well as the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets. A scandal involving the creation of two million fake bank accounts by Wells Fargo employees led to the bank slipping behind JPMorgan Chase in September 2016. But it is the issues surrounding their ethics hotline which caused another big stir.

The Big Four

Wells Fargo Story
  www.wglt.org

Wells Fargo is part of what’s called the “Big Four Banks” of the U.S. With 8,200 retail branches and 13,000 ATMs across the nation, the banking giant operates across 35 countries and has at least 70 million customers worldwide. They also employ tens of thousands of people to run their global operations, while they were recently ordered to pay $185 million in penalties for various malpractices.

Unethical Practices

Wells Fargo Story
  johnib.wordpress.com

When a former Wells Fargo employee, Bill Bado, was asked directly by the bank to engage in illegal sales activities, he refused on ethical grounds. The New Jersey employee then called the company’s ethics hotline and sent an email to human resources. But just eight days after that email was sent, Bado was fired for what the company deemed “tardiness.” Bado claims that it was a bogus charge.

Ethics Hotlines

Wells Fargo Story
  Shutterstock

What makes matters that much worse for employees like Bado is the fact that ethics hotlines are supposed to be anonymous. They are also meant to be a kind of safe haven where disgruntled employees can voice their views without fear of retaliation. But that’s not what happened at Wells Fargo by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, quite the opposite was true as the company doubled down on what it called “whistleblowers.”

Life Ruined

Wells Fargo Story
  www.slate.com

While Bado told CNNMoney that the company had ruined his life, the Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf denied any doubling down in front of a Senate committee recently. “Each team member, no matter where you are in the organization, is encouraged to raise their hands,” Stumpf told lawmakers. adding that when it came to anonymous whistleblowers, “We want to hear from them.”

Shining Lights

Wells Fargo Story
  www.marketwatch.com

While any decent company of this size would welcome tip-offs from employees, Wells Fargo did not, according to the CNN report. One current HR employee even claimed that the bank had a steadfast procedure in place to deal with annoying internal tipsters, “in retaliation for shining light” on sales issues, according to the source. While this HR worker wanted to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, he did explain how things worked at the bank.

You’re Late!

Wells Fargo Story
  Shutterstock

The anonymous source told CNNMoney: “If this person was supposed to be at the branch at 8:30 a.m. and they showed up at 8:32 a.m, they would fire them,” he said, noting that the company would make an excuse to fire the employee but with little-to-no recourse for complaints. But there were even more worrying claims about the bank just ahead after CNN spoke with a number of additional employees.

Clearly Illegal

Wells Fargo Story
  www.wsj.com

As well as being unethical, Wells Fargo could now face legal action for their alleged retaliation of whistleblowers. Harvey Pitt, the former chairman of the SEC also spoke to the news outlet, informing that “It is clearly against the law for any company (or executives of such companies) to try to suppress whistleblowing.” Pitt cited some legal statutes including Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank, which he claims make the matter, “unambiguously clear.”

Harsh Bullying

Wells Fargo Story
  money.cnn.com

The troubling allegations of misconduct were exacerbated by yet another Wells Fargo employee, this time from Round Rock in Texas. Heather Brock, who was a senior business banker at the branch, was fired earlier this month. “I endured harsh bullying … defamation of character, and eventually being pinned for something I didn’t do,” she alleged to reporters. But there were even more horror stories to come.

Senate Hearing

Wells Fargo Story
  www.latimes.com

When CEO Stumpf was faced with difficult questions from Senator Bob Menendez, he claimed he had conveniently forgotten about that poor woman in New Jersey from back in 2011. The woman emailed Stumpf directly at the time, explaining that she felt the sales tactics she was being asked to use were simply wrong. “Did you read that email?” Menendez asked Stumpf. “I don’t remember that one,” was the response. To which Menedez retorted, “Okay, well she was fired. … So much for the safe haven.”

No Justice

Wells Fargo Story
  blogs.wsj.com

While senators tried to get some clarity on the nearly 5,300 low-level Wells Fargo employees who were wrongfully dismissed, according to the reports, Bado’s impromptu firing had a devastating and long-lasting effect on his life. As well as tainting his securities license for life, Bado’s family home is on the verge of foreclosure, as he does what he can to make a living working part-time at Shop-Rite.

What Shouldn’t Happen

Wells Fargo Story
  www.sfgate.com

A former FBI agent who now runs a whistleblower hotline service also spoke to CNN about the alarming allegations against Wells Fargo. “That’s retaliation. It’s a big problem — and a perfect example of what shouldn’t happen,” Ken Springer said. “It looks like there’s been a terrible breakdown of checks and balances at Wells Fargo.” But Wells Fargo denies everything.

Official Response

Wells Fargo Story
  www.guidelightfinancial.com

Wells Fargo had no choice but to release an official statement after the damning revelations came to light. In direct response to the CNN report, a spokeswoman for the company said, “We do not tolerate retaliation against team members who report their concerns in good faith.” She also claimed that employees were regularly encouraged to report unethical practices but people are asking how that could have been the case.

Everything Investigated

Wells Fargo Story
  Shutterstock

The spokeswoman confirmed that everything submitted is investigated. But she was less forthcoming with information about the undue dismissal of Bado. On September 19, 2013, just before Bado was fired, he wrote an email to HR, which he duly copied to his regional manager detailing “improper sales tactics.” Just around a week later, Bado was fired for “excessive tardiness.”

Many Occasions

Wells Fargo Story
  blogs.wsj.com

According to Bado, it wasn’t just one time that his branch manager asked him to send out “pin it” debit cards to customers who hadn’t requested them — it was on “several occasions.” Those practices were the very ones that Wells Fargo was quizzed over by Senators recently. However, the bank is still denying those allegations.

Single Mom

Wells Fargo Story
  www.newser.com

Brock said that Wells Fargo had also ruined her life. At the age of 26 and as a single mother of two, Brock was fired after she contacted the ethics hotline regarding illegal sales practices she had witnessed. But the reason she was fired was fishy in itself.

Falsifying Documents

Wells Fargo Story
  www.fortune.com

Of all the things this young mother could have been fired for, she was stunned when she was accused by her superiors at Wells Fargo of falsifying documents on purpose. According to Brock, the company bullied her into admitting the outlandish allegation, and that’s what got her fired. A current employee who worked alongside Brock told CNN, “That’s really scary when you’re with a big corporation like this and HR doesn’t have your back.”

Powerless Employee

Wells Fargo Story
  www.commondreams.org

For her part, Brock is just hoping that her story will lead to some kind of meaningful and permanent change over at Wells Fargo. “You lose if you do complain and you lose if you don’t. What does a powerless employee do?” Brock said. But she isn’t alone in her plight for justice, having been wronged so badly by a company that should know better.

Unauthorized Accounts

Wells Fargo Story
  www.vox.com

Federal regulators have looked into claims that Wells Fargo created millions of unauthorized bank and credit card accounts, without the knowledge of the customers’ whose names the accounts were in. As Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau told CNNMoney in a report from September 9, “Wells Fargo employees secretly opened unauthorized accounts to hit sales targets and receive bonuses.”

Stones Unturned

Wells Fargo Story
  Shutterstock

For the time being, the Wells Fargo debacle has been uncovered. But it’s little consolation for the thousands of employees who were asked to do illegal things and then promptly fired when they spoke up to the ethics hotline or to HR. That hotline was supposed to protect them and keep their anonymity, but it failed, and miserably so.

Thousands of Wells Fargo Employees Lose Their Jobs After Calling HR is an article from: LifeDaily

Abandoned Lithuanian Teen Escapes Life as a Sex Slave After Year of Subjugation

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The working networks of human trafficking span many countries and languages. It can be nearly impossible for someone removed from their home and native tongue to communicate, and therefore, to escape their fate.

The criminal enterprise continues for many reasons but for those trapped within, any opportunity to get out is welcome. Luckily for one Lithuanian girl, a potential client spoke her language and was able to save her life and more…

Children’s Home

  www.businessinsider.com

Growing up inside one of Lithuania’s children’s homes was not easy. The state-employed wardens who ran these types of organizations were not gentle when it came to dealing with their young wards. Children were beaten and punished badly even for perceived wrongdoing. As such, many children like Loreta either tried running away or else found other means of escapism.

Depression and Salvation

Loreta Story
  Shutterstock

Even at 13 years old, Loreta was unhappy and being away from her siblings did little to minimize her growing depression. It was at this tender age that she began to smoke opium as a way to detach from her situation. She did get one visitor, however, a man who claimed to be her godfather. Though he already had two foster children, he promised her she could come to live with him when she turned 15.

First Abuse

Loreta Story
  Shutterstock

Unfortunately, Loreta’s godfather was not the chance at freedom that her friends thought him to be. They kept telling her how lucky she was that someone wanted to care for her when she finally left. Nevertheless, Loreta never wanted to go live with her Godfather. Not after he sexually assaulted her in secret when she was only 13.

Difficult Road Ahead

Loreta Story
  www.globalstorybook.org

Like most of her fellow orphans, Loreta couldn’t wait until she turned 15. Once she turned 15, she could live with a foster parent until she turned 18 and could legally be on her own. She was relieved when that time came, even if it meant she had to live with her godfather. She figured living with him would be better than getting beat or punished incessantly by the workers at the home. But she was wrong…

Back to Him

Loreta Story
  www.navedz.com

Little did she know that she had a hard road ahead of her. Life with her godfather was hardly the life she had dreamed of and Loreta soon turned back to opium for solace. When she was 16, a 21-year-old woman named Dana came by and introduced herself as her “sister.” She was slightly distant, cold even at times, but Loreta hoped their relationship would improve over time.

Visiting Dana

Loreta Story
  Shutterstock

Loreta was invited to visit her older sister’s apartment. Once there, she met a number of young women like her who talked incessantly about going out to bars and “hooking up with some studs.” Young as she was, Loreta didn’t know exactly what they meant, but she would learn about it very soon.

Caught Unaware

Loreta Story
  Shutterstock

Dana asked her if she knew any girlfriends her own age, and Loreta told her she did, but the subject dropped. After that, Dana asked Loreta to come to her place to see how she and her girlfriends lived. She visited and spoke to all of them but had no idea that her sister was not looking to get to know her better, she was inspecting them to see if the girls were fit for prostitution.

An Invitation

Loreta Story
  Shutterstock

At this point in their young lives, Loreta and her friends had never heard the term “human trafficking.” Therefore, when she and a few of her friends were invited to come back to Dana’s apartment to stay over and when she offered to pay for their taxi, the girls thought nothing of it. They didn’t even notice something was wrong when they arrived to find seven Greek men standing in the apartment.

You Owe Me

Loreta Story
  realdealondrugs.blogspot.com

Not only were the seven Greek men drinking and laughing loudly, but they were also speaking in English, a language Loreta didn’t exactly understand well. Dana told the girls and the other three who were there, to go over and chat the men up. Loreta tried to explain that they weren’t comfortable doing that but Dana became angry and demanded they do as she told them.

Threats and Lessons

Loreta Story
  Shutterstock

Loreta’s sister went on to explain how naive she had been to not realize where she was and what she was expected to do with the men. She told the girls that they had been invited there to sell their bodies to the men and that from that point on they were going to be prostitutes. If they didn’t obey, Dana would be forced to call “the gang.”

From Sister to Madam

Loreta Story
  Shutterstock

Loreta was warned that they would be beaten, raped, and buried alive in the woods if she didn’t do as she was told. She began to weep, trying to understand how her sister could do this to her. Yet from that day forward, Dana was not her sister, only her madam. Life as a prostitute made Loreta feel repulsed and humiliated.

Life as a Pro

Loreta Story
  www.thetimes.co.uk

She would shower, hoping to wash away everything that she had done, but it was no use. She and her friends would cry at night, realizing the impossibility of their escape from that wretched life. They met clients in bars, nightclubs, and seedy hotels. Sometimes, Dana brought men up to their apartment and worked them from 4 pm until early in the morning.

A Tender Age

  www.sfexaminer.com

Loreta and her friends were forced to serve between three to four clients a day, many who didn’t speak her language and who didn’t give a whit about her tender age. Some men used protection, others didn’t, and the girls all had to contend with unwanted pregnancies and the further indignity of finding ways to terminate them in the seedy underbelly of the then Soviet Union.

Self-Loathing

Loreta Story
  Shuttestock

Loreta didn’t know how to contact the police but even if she did, she was afraid that they would do nothing to stop it. She also feared retribution from “the gang” if she ran away or called in the authorities. She turned to drugs, her longtime friend, to soothe her growing sense of self-loathing. Yet the numbness she felt from the opium could not soothe the emotional turmoil.

Sold Off

Loreta Story
  www.cruisemapper.com

When Loreta turned 17, Dana informed her that she was being sold by their pimp to some folks abroad. One girl went to Poland, two to Budapest. Loreta and the rest went to Ravenna, Italy. When they arrived in Italy, they were taken to a brothel filled with women from ages 14-32. The women had been trafficked there from Belorussia, Poland, and Lithuania.

There is Hope

Loreta Story
  Shutterstock

Within 15 minutes of their arrival, Loreta and her friends were forced to take care of clients in public restrooms. The pimps in Ravenna were more violent than those in her homeland and beat them mercilessly if they tried to escape. Two weeks into her stay, however, a client came in who spoke Lithuanian. Loreta saw her chance.

Help Arrives

Loreta Story
  www.thetimes.co.uk

Knowing what was at stake, Loretta begged the man for his help. Thankfully, she’d chosen the right man to ask for help. The John had a friend take Loreta and her friends to the Italian police. The Italian officers were kind and even helped them get new documentation to return to Lithuania, complete with new names and appearances to prevent being found.

Healing and Home

Loreta Story
  www.flirtingwiththeglobe.com

The girls were then sent to an Italian organization aimed at helping victims of human trafficking. They remained in protective custody for four months until the documents came through. From there, they were transported to Vilnius, Lithuania and placed in the care of social workers for about a year. There, Loreta and her friends learned to heal.

Spiral Downward

Loreta Story
  Shutterstock

Despite this, Loreta struggled to rebuild her life. She had a ninth-grade education and knew that this was hardly enough to find a career and support herself. She began making and selling drugs until one day, she met the man that would father her first child. Once she became pregnant, the drugs stopped. For the first time in her life, she felt as if she had a purpose.

Only the Children

Loreta Story
  Shutterstock

In the following years, Loreta had three other children with different men. She found it hard to love the fathers or even keep a long-term relationship because of her years of abuse, but she did love her children. Today, she tries her best to help vulnerable children like herself, while also raising her own four children and caring for them above all else.

Abandoned Lithuanian Teen Escapes Life as a Sex Slave After Year of Subjugation is an article from: LifeDaily

Ruling in New Mexico Sets Precedent to Change Forfeiture Laws Across the Country

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Arlene Harjo Story

Civil asset forfeiture, also known as “policing for profit,” allows law enforcement officers to seize personal property without ever charging, or convicting a person of committing a crime.

Although civil forfeiture dates back several hundred years, it’s still utilized today and has most recently been an active law in Albuquerque, New Mexico. However, after many court cases took place throughout the state from angry residents, a judge ruled to abolish to law. The ruling set a precedent that calls many other civil forfeiture programs into question across the country.

Criminal Forfeiture

Arlene Harjo Story
  www.ij.org

In July 2015, New Mexico became the second state (following North Carolina) to require a criminal conviction to forfeit property. On the other hand, under civil asset forfeiture laws across the country, police are allowed to seize property connected to criminal activity even if the owner isn’t being charged with a crime. Albuquerque refused to comply with the new state law, and they continued to seize cars under its municipal forfeiture ordinance.

Albuquerque Laws

Arlene Harjo Story
  www.focusnm.com

According to U.S. District Judge James O. Browning, the city of Albuquerque “has an unconstitutional institutional incentive to prosecute forfeiture cases, because, in practice, the forfeiture program sets its own budget and can spend, without meaningful oversight, all of the excess funds it raises from previous years.” Many Albuquerque residents have been furious about the law saying that it’s a scam and a rip-off.

2016 Incidence

Arlene Harjo Story
  Fire And Police Videos / YouTube

Arlene Harjo, a resident of Albuquerque has experienced the effects of this law firsthand. In April 2016, Arlene lent her Nissan Versa to her son, who said he wanted to use it to drive to the gym. Instead, he drank alcohol and was arrested for a DWI. According to Forbes, even though Arlene wasn’t charged with a crime, Albuquerque police seized her car anyway.

Fighting to Save Her Car

Arlene Harjo Story
  www.ij.org

Harjo told Reason.com, “They’re taking property from people who just loan a vehicle to someone. It’s happened a lot. Everybody I’ve talked to has had it happen to them or somebody they know, and everybody just pays.” Arlene then had to fight to save her car from civil forfeiture and under the city’s ordinance, she had to pay $50 to request an administrative hearing within 10 days of seizure.

A Lengthy and Expensive Process

Arlene Harjo Story
  www.dailysignal.com

If she failed to pay, her car would be declared abandoned and would be auctioned off. Then, even if an owner won at the hearing, the administrative hearing officer could order the owner to pay “storage fees” before the car is returned. These storage fees can accumulate at a rate of $10 per day, amounting to thousands of dollars over the course of a year.

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Arlene Harjo Story
  www.natchitochestimes.com

The worst part of it all is that under Albuquerque law, Arlene was guilty until proven innocent. Forbes explained: “Unlike criminal cases, where defendants are presumed innocent and the government must bear the burden of proof, under Albuquerque’s civil forfeiture ordinance, Arlene had to prove her innocence. Nor was her situation particularly unique.”

Harjo v. Albuquerque

Arlene Harjo Story
  Shutterstock

When the city’s chief hearing officer heard Arlene’s case, he rejected her claim that she was an innocent owner. That’s when Arlene joined with the Institute for Justice, a libertarian public interest law firm, and sued the city in August 2016 to win back her car. A few months after the lawsuit, Albuquerque returned her car, since the Nissan wasn’t even in the city’s jurisdiction when it was seized.

Judge James Browning

Arlene Harjo Story
  lawschool.unm.edu

Judge James Browning ruled in Arlene’s case and declared that the city’s forfeiture program was unconstitutional for two important reasons. The first was that he believed that Albuquerque’s forfeiture program “violates due process by depriving car owners of their property unless they prove their innocence,” which creates an “unconstitutional risk of an erroneous deprivation.”

100-Page Ruling

Arlene Harjo Story
  writtenwordspokenword.blogspot.com

With his ruling spanning more than 100 pages, Judge Browning also rejected the city’s argument that its probable-cause hearings were sufficient to protect due process. “Proving that the City of Albuquerque has probable cause to seize a vehicle does not reveal anything about what the vehicle’s owner could or could not have reasonably foreseen,” Judge Browning noted, according to Forbes. He said those hearings require the city “to prove nothing about the car owner.”

Two Reasons

Arlene Harjo Story
  Shutterstock

The second reason was that Judge Browning ruled that the city has an “unconstitutional institutional incentive to prosecute forfeiture cases because, in practice, the forfeiture program sets its own budget and can spend, without meaningful oversight, all of the excess funds it raises from previous years.”

Large Profits

Arlene Harjo Story
  Shutterstock

Judge Browning continued saying that the program has “de facto power over its spending … the more revenue it raises, the more revenue it can spend,” according to Forbes. Between 2009 and 2016, the program was so lucrative that revenues actually exceeded expenses for four of those years.

A Victory For Fairness

Arlene Harjo Story
  www.ij.org

“Today’s ruling is a total victory for fairness, due process and property owners everywhere,” Robert Everett Johnson, an attorney at the Institute for Justice said. “Together, these rulings strike at the heart of the problem with civil forfeiture. We will undoubtedly use this decision to attack civil forfeiture programs nationwide.”

Arlene’s Statement

Arlene Harjo Story
  www.ij.org

“I’m glad this is going to help people in the same situation,” Arlene said in a statement to the Institute of Justice. “It’s totally wrong what the government is doing. Hopefully, now more people will fight back, and courts will say this has to stop.” Judge Browning’s ruling is the latest turning point in the battle against civil forfeiture in New Mexico.

2014 Conference Call

Arlene Harjo Story
  www.dailysignal.com

The city’s chief hearing officer revealed in a 2014 conference call that “about half of the vehicles that APD seizes are not owned by the offender that we confiscate it from.” Instead, the vehicle owners are the “mothers, the fathers, the wives, the girlfriends, the brothers, [and] the uncles” of the offenders.

Setting a Precedent

Arlene Harjo Story
  Shutterstock

If other courts adopt Judge Browning’s ruling, it could have a major impact on those states as well. To this day, only 16 states put the burden of proof on the government. Marshall v. Jerrico, a case that happened nearly 40 years ago, actually helped protect Arlene’s due process rights.

Marshall v. Jerrico

Arlene Harjo Story
  Shutterstock

In that case, the Supreme Court ruled that the Labor Department’s Employment Standards Administration could reimburse itself with the money collected from civil penalties it had imposed. Judge Browning pointed out that “the undisputed facts of [Arlene’s] case sharply contrast with those in Marshall.

How it Helped Arlene’s Case

Arlene Harjo Story
  Shutterstock

“In Marshall, fees collected represented less than one percent of the program’s budget. [But in Albuquerque] the forfeiture program revenues pay all of the program’s major expenses,” Judge Browning said. Judge Browning directly quoted from the Marshall decision saying “there is a ‘realistic possibility’ that forfeiture officials’ judgment ‘will be distorted by the prospect of institutional gain.’”

Recommendation For Other Cities

Arlene Harjo Story
  Shutterstock

He continued saying that in order to pass constitutional muster, he recommended that cities “place forfeiture revenue directly into its general fund and then appropriate money from that fund to pay for the forfeiture program’s expenses.” The unfortunate thing is that reforms like this one in New Mexico are rare.

Striking Down Forfeiture Rackets

Arlene Harjo Story
  www.koat.com

According to Forbes, the federal government and 43 states let police and prosecutors keep anywhere from 45 to 100 percent of the proceeds of forfeited property. Harjo v. Albuquerque could actually set a precedent to strike down forfeiture rackets in those states.

Major Step Forward

Arlene Harjo Story
  www.abqjournal.com

“Civil forfeiture is one of the most serious assaults on private property rights in the nation today,” said Institute of Justice Senior Attorney Robert Frommer. “For decades, civil forfeiture has lured officials away from impartial enforcement of the law and toward policing for profit. Today’s ruling striking down Albuquerque’s forfeiture program is a major step towards ending forfeiture not only across New Mexico but throughout the United States.”

Ruling in New Mexico Sets Precedent to Change Forfeiture Laws Across the Country is an article from: LifeDaily

South African Author’s Body Found After Exposing Alleged Pedophile Ring

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Mark Minnie Story

When the seed of corruption is planted in the very fibers of government, any soul who dares to expose the truth may find themselves living in fear.

The apparent suicide of a former South African policeman, and author of an explosive book exposing an alleged pedophile ring involving top ranking cabinet members, has rattled his friends and associates who refuse to believe he would take his own life.

A City He Loved

Mark Minnie Story
  www.bloomberg.com

Mark Minnie, born and raised in South Africa, had made quite a name for himself among the residents of his hometown. As a dedicated police officer, he enjoyed patrolling the most violent areas where most people wouldn’t go, vigorously safeguarding the residents of the place he loved so much.

In Search of the Real Thugs

Mark Minnie Story
  www.sowetanlive.co.za

As his tenure as a police officer was coming to an end, Mark had felt a sort of a bittersweet array of emotions. He had felt a profound sense of pride for spending a majority of his life protecting the citizens of South Africa, but knew deep down inside that it was not the low scale thugs that the citizens needed the most protection from.

The Elected Officials

Mark Minnie Story
  Shutterstock

As a police officer with close ties to the government, Mark had acquired enough knowledge and information to discover the real monsters who had plagued South Africa for years. These men were not the low-level criminals that the residents had been drilled to stay clear from. They wore thousand dollar suits, boasted an endless selection of fancy cars, and would be no other than the elected officials from the previous apartheid government.

A Collaboration

Mark Minnie Story
  www.timeslive.co.za

Mark was well aware of the risk involved in exposing the shocking allegations against the government. Although, the allegations targeted South Africa’s previous government, the information he had acquired would undoubtedly disturb the very core of politics. Not only in South Africa, but the shock waves would reach every inch of the globe. Mark was not a journalist nor an experienced writer, so he decided to collaborate with a reputable journalist, Chris Steyn.

An Explosive Book

Mark Minnie Story
  www.amazon.com

Together, the two put their minds together, and coauthored the book: The Lost Boys of Bird Island, which details shocking allegations against Magnus Malan, the once-powerful defense minister who was accused of setting up death squads and sanctioning military raids on neighboring states as he fought to maintain rule in South Africa in the 1980s and 1990s.

A Dark Time

Mark Minnie Story
  www.timeslive.co.za

At the age of 81, in 2011, Malan died of a heart attack. But decades prior, Malan was part of a regime which believed that the Bible justified racism, seeing themselves as knights defending their faith, families, and race from being taken over by “godless communists” and “uncivilized blacks.” This information had lingered above South Africa’s complex history like a dark cloud. In their book, Mark and Chris briefly discuss Malan’s racist agenda, but spent more time depicting Malan as something far more sinister than a white supremacist.

Shocking Allegations

Mark Minnie Story
  www.bbc.com

The coauthors alleged that Malan had been a main participant of a pedophile ring that lured young boys to an island where they were sexually assaulted. The book suggests that Malan and his men were in a secret society that held meetings, parties, and excursions that centered on the molestation of young boys, mostly of mixed race. Allegedly, the brutal rape of these boys had occurred often during “fishing excursions” on Bird Island, a declared nature reserve near Port Elizabeth.

The Lost Boys

Mark Minnie Story
  www.aodl.org

The boys were flown to the island in military helicopters with the promise of hanging out with the elite of South Africa. But, according to Mark, this false promise had simply been bait to lure the boys straight to their predators. In his book, Mark claims that the young boys were exposed to binge drinking during barbecues, and then sexually abused afterwards by Malan and his inner circle.

Interviews With Alleged Victims

Mark Minnie Story
  www.mg.co.za

Malan’s family and former colleagues strongly rejected the allegations against him, but the jaw dropping accusations did not stop there. Other shocking allegations against Malan and his cabinet members were based on countless interviews with alleged victims. Some of the victims regarded Malan as an especially “cruel uncle,” and nicknamed him “Ears” because of his big ears.

Brutality and a Coverup

Mark Minnie Story
  Shutterstock

On one alleged occasion, a gun was inserted into the anus of a boy. A shot was fired by Malan, and the critically injured boy was flown to a hospital in Port Elizabeth for treatment. Based on multiple sources, Mark and Chris claim that the victim’s family and the hospital matron were paid to remain silent.

A Can of Worms

Mark Minnie Story
  www.bbc.com

The book had undoubtedly opened a can of worms. Although, it had been published decades after the alleged misconduct, countless colleagues of Malan were in fear of being named as perpetrators. Mark knew he had to do what was right, and certainly he was in fear of the repercussions of his book, but was determined to rip off the masks of these powerful figures, and exposing their true rotten personas.

Higher-Ups in Pedophile Ring

Mark Minnie Story
  www.iol.co.za

Mark alleged that the pedophile ring, which operated in the 1980s, included then-Environmental Affairs Minister John Wiley and wealthy businessman and diver Dave Allen. Mark said he had arrested Dave Allen previously for allegedly having sex with children and for possessing child pornography.  Mark expressed that Allen had “sung like a canary” and dropped another bombshell when he had been interviewed. And not just any name, but the name of a very powerful cabinet minister.

Mysterious Deaths

Mark Minnie Story
  city-press.news24.com

But, Allen would never stand trial for the alleged crimes he had committed. Ironically, he was found dead, at the age of 37, with a bullet wound to his head. But, the plot thickens when John Wiley, the Environmental Minister, had also been found dead with a gunshot wound to the head. In 1987, both men died within a few weeks of each other.

Coincidence or Something More?

Mark Minnie Story
  www.timeslive.co.za

According to a police investigation, both men had taken their own lives. Now, more than 30 years later, Mark has also died with a bullet wound to the head. Had this all just been a mere coincidence, three men linked to the same case, all dying of self-inflicted gunshot wounds? Or could this in all actuality be a calculated, sinister plot to execute anyone who is seen as a threat to exposing the truth?

A Suspicious Suicide

Mark Minnie Story
  www.mg.co.za

Nine days after The Lost Boys of Bird Island was released, coauthor Mark was found dead at the property of a friend in Theescombe, Port Elizabeth.  Mark’s body was found with a firearm next to his body. Police confirmed that there was a suicide note and there was no suspicion of foul play. But, friends and relatives are adamant that Mark would never commit suicide and that in reality, revenge and murder had been the actual culprits.

Life in Danger

Mark Minnie Story
  www.yournewswire.com

Mark’s relative, Tersia Dodo, told SABC news outlet, that he had feared for his life and told family and friends that he was being watched. “I spoke to a couple of my cousins today and to all of them, he expressed that his life was in danger, and that if anything did happen to him, we must know that it was done to him, not by himself,” Dodo said. Co-author Chris Steyn also expressed his own awareness of the dangers in exposing in what he believed was the truth.  “I really did not think about the danger my life was in. I still don’t. If they kill me, it will be a good death and it will just make others more determined to keep digging,” said Steyn.

A False Suicide Note

Mark Minnie Story
  Shutterstock

The family, according to Dodo, believes the suicide note found at the scene was staged. “This supposed suicide note was … written under duress, and I would like to see it before I will believe that it was written by Mark.” The family insists that Mark was not the type of man who would have opted for suicide as a way out. In a separate telephone interview, it was revealed that Mark, who worked as a lecturer in China at the time of his death, had only been in South Africa for a couple of weeks, eagerly meeting regularly with the book’s publishers.

Concrete Evidence

Mark Minnie Story
  www.iol.co.za

“I do not believe he would have taken his own life,” a friend of Mark’s said. The friend, who did not want to be named, in fear for his safety, said he believed Mark had even more information that he wanted to reveal and more allegations to come forward. “I am aware that he had photographic evidence he kept with him.” This concrete evidence would be damning to the alleged perpetrators, destroying their credibility, tarnishing their reputations, and most importantly, possibly used in the court of law to lock them up for their crimes.

Still Hope For Truth

Mark Minnie Story
  www.biznews.com

Journalist Marianne Thamm, who wrote the foreword of the book, said that a “state-sanctioned” assassination unit that might have been used to stage suicides during the apartheid era was currently under investigation. The Foundation for Human Rights also wants to take up the matter on behalf of the boys of Bird Island. After Mark’s shocking allegations and mysterious death, various authors and journalists are working closely together to continue investigating his claims, hoping that one day, Mark’s legacy will live on by giving justice to the boys of Bird Island. 

Justice Will Prevail

Mark Minnie Story
  www.news24.com

Chris Steyn, who is shattered by his friend’s sudden and suspicious death, said it may be too late for Mark, but not for the victims. “Mark said it was our task to have justice prevail for the victims. He would have wanted me to continue and that is exactly what I’ll be doing.”

South African Author’s Body Found After Exposing Alleged Pedophile Ring is an article from: LifeDaily


Popular Breakfast Foods Under Fire After Tests Find They Contain Controversial Chemical

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Glyphosate in Cereal Story

A Parents job is simply to love, protect, and support their children the best they can. However, that job has become more complicated as new, conflicting information gets released every day about how best to do it.

For decades, parents have been told all the best foods to feed their children to support their health. However, a recent study suggests that some of the foods parents have been feeding their children for years contain a controversial and potentially dangerous chemical.

An American Staple

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  www.101cookbooks.com

For decades, families all around the United States have enjoyed foods like cereal and oatmeal every morning for breakfast. Parents have felt good about giving their children these breakfast staples not only because their kids liked them but because they were good for them as well.

A Healthy Choice

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  www.inc.com

According to health experts, oat-based foods are a great source of fiber and essential nutrients for both children and adults. Over time, eating oat-based foods has even been touted for lowering cholesterol and decreasing cardiovascular disease. For those reasons, parents believed cereal and oatmeal were the best choices for their children’s breakfasts.

A Cause For Concern

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  Shutterstock

While oat-based foods are a great source of fiber and nutrients, they might not be the greatest thing to be feeding your children. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the reason why parents should rethink the breakfast food of choice is that they have been linked to a controversial and potentially harmful chemical.

An Independent Test

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  Wikipedia

Recently, EWG, an American activist group that specializes in research and advocacy, commissioned independent laboratory tests to see if popular oat cereals, oatmeal, granola, and snack bars had been tainted with a chemical called glyphosate. The results of those tests have since made headlines around the world.

The Chemical in Question

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  www.ucanr.edu

Glyphosate is the main active ingredient in weed killers like Roundup, one of the most popular weed killers in the world that was created by Monsanto. According to EWG, more than 250 million pounds of glyphosate are sprayed on American crops each year. Traditionally, the weed killer was sprayed on genetically modified corn and soybeans as they were specifically created to withstand the chemical.

Cutting Corners

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  non-gmoreport.com

In recent years, however, farmers have been using the herbicide on crops like wheat, barley, oats, and beans, which have not been genetically modified and are not ‘Roundup-ready.’ When sprayed on the crops just before harvest, the chemical kills the crops and dries them out so that they can be harvested sooner than if farmers had to wait for the crops to dry up naturally.

Controversy Over Safety

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  www.ecowatch.com

For decades, the public has been told that weed killers containing glyphosate are perfectly safe. However, in recent years, that fact has been hotly debated by scientists around the world. According to scientists in California as well as scientists from the World Health Organization, the chemical has been linked to cancer.

Other Health Concerns

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  www.thevidawell.com

In addition to being linked to cancer, glyphosate has been linked to numerous other health conditions. According to scientists, glyphosate in our food, water, and air can be linked to ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, celiac disease, gluten intolerance, ALS, diabetes, reproductive issues, and a variety of cancers.

A Landmark Case

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  www.fortune.com

In 2018, 46-year-old Dewayne Johnson even sued Monsanto over the chemical, which they continue to insist was safe. According to Johnson, his terminal cancer is a result of his repeated exposure to Roundup while he worked as a school groundskeeper. And the jury agreed.

The Jury’s Decision

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  www.chemistryworld.com

In a landmark decision, the jury found Monsanto’s weed killer had caused Johnson’s cancer and that the company not only failed to warn users about health risks related to exposure to the chemical but intentionally covered up those risks. As a result, the jury ordered Monsanto to pay Johnson $289 million in damages.  

A Private Conversation Goes Public

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  www.time.com

Naturally, health experts at EWG and around the world have been concerned about the public’s increasing exposure to glyphosate. But when internal emails from the FDA that showed scientists found glyphosate in countless popular foods were made public in April, experts were even more concerned about exposure to the potentially dangerous chemical.

Secret Results

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  www.sustainablepulse.com

“I have brought wheat crackers, granola cereal and cornmeal from home and there’s a fair amount in all of them,” FDA chemist Richard Thompson wrote in a now-public email to colleagues about glyphosate. For the past few years, the FDA has been trying to figure out how much weed killer is in our food supply, but they have never released the results of their tests.

A Right to Know

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  www.ucsf.edu

“People care about what contaminants are in their food. If there is scientific information about these residues in the food, the FDA should release it,” Tracey Woodruff, a professor at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, told The Guardian. “It helps people make informed decisions. Taxpayers paid for the government to do this work, they should get to see the information.”

Tired of Waiting

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  www.tastingtable.com

As a result, EWG decided to conduct their own tests to see how much glyphosate is in popular foods. The tests revealed that glyphosate was present in all but two of the 45 conventionally grown oat-derived products that were tested. According to EWG, three out of four of the products contained levels of glyphosate that exceeded levels the EWG considers safe for children.

Troubling Results

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  www.foodnavigator-usa.com

What was particularly worrying to scientists conducting the independent tests was the products with the highest levels of the chemical are made and marketed for children. Those products included granola, oats, and snack bars made by Quaker, Kellogg’s, and General Mills. According to EWG, conventional products aren’t the only ones containing traces of glyphosate.

A Universal Problem

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  www.wellplated.com

The study looked at 16 samples of organic oat-based products. Tests showed that five of the products, which came from Bob’s Red Mill and Nature’s Path, contained a detectable amount of glyphosate. While organic farming prohibits the use of glyphosate, organic products can’t always escape the chemical. Occasionally, glyphosate drifts from nearby fields of conventionally grown crops. Organic products also can be contaminated if processed at a facility that handles non-organic crops.

Informing the Public

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  Environmental Working Group (EWG) / YouTube

“I grew up eating Cheerios and Quaker Oats long before they were tainted with glyphosate,” said EWG’s president Ken Cook in a statement after the results of their tests were published. “No one wants to eat a weedkiller for breakfast, and no one should have to do so.”

Demanding Action

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  www.researchgate.net

“It is very troubling that cereals children like to eat contain glyphosate,” Alexis Temkin, an EWG toxicologist and the author of the report, said in a statement. “Parents shouldn’t worry about whether feeding their children healthy oat foods will also expose them to a chemical linked to cancer. The government must take steps to protect our most vulnerable populations.”

The Critics

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  www.todayifoundout.com

However, critics of EWG’s study have noted that the study came up with their own, arbitrary number for what levels of glyphosate should be considered safe. They quickly discredited the study by pointing out that none of the samples exceeded the safety level set by the EPA. Cook and EWG argued that the EPA’s standards are actually outdated.

Outdated and Dangerous

Glyphosate in Cereal Story
  www.cheatsheet.com

“Our view is that the government standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency pose real health risks to Americans ­– particularly children, who are more sensitive to the effects of toxic chemicals than adults,” Cook said in a statement. “We will petition the Environmental Protection Agency to do its job and end uses of glyphosate that resulted in the contamination we report today,” he added.

Popular Breakfast Foods Under Fire After Tests Find They Contain Controversial Chemical is an article from: LifeDaily

Why Johnny Depp’s Drunken Attack on Crew Member May Have Been Justified

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Johnny Depp Story

Johnny Depp is a household celebrity name across the U.S. and the world. Having featured in some of the best-selling Hollywood blockbusters of our time, Depp is loved and Cherished by millions of fans around the world.

However, controversy is seldom far away from a man with such a high profile and his recent all-day drinking on the City of Lies set where he was filming, landed the star in a bunch of trouble. He allegedly punched a crew member twice, but some are saying his actions were justified.

Humble Beginnings

Johnny Depp Story
  STUFF WORKS / YouTube

Like most Hollywood actors, Depp came from humble beginnings. Having been born in Owensboro, Kentucky, Depp was the youngest of four siblings, while his mother worked as a waitress and his father as a civil engineer. The family wasn’t wealthy by most standards, but they were comfortable enough and always managed to make ends meet. It’s the Depp heritage which is a little more exciting though.

Mixed Race

Johnny Depp Story
  caitimor.blog.hu

Although he might not look it at first glance, Depp has English, Dutch, Belgium, French, and even African ancestry. Depp is descended from a French Huguenot immigrant who settled in Virginia all the way back in 1700, and also from a colonial freedom fighter named Elizabeth Key Grinstead who was the daughter of a British nobleman and an African woman who he conceived with.

Moving Around

Johnny Depp Story
  www.buzzfeed.com

Life for Depp was interesting as a child but also somewhat unstable. For their own reasons, his parents moved more than 20 times, eventually settling in Miramar, Florida back in 1970. When Depp’s parents divorced when he was 15, his step-father, Robert Palmer, would become a man Depp described as “an inspiration.” He went on to become a musician and then a highly successful actor thanks to some timely advice from Nicholas Cage, but his troubled childhood seemed to follow him everywhere.

Starring Roles

Johnny Depp Story
  www.irishmirror.ie

Having starred in Hollywood blockbusters such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Private Resort and Platoon during his early days, Depp won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl back in 2003. But his alcohol and drug abuse often got the better of him during certain periods of his career, as is often the way with A-list celebs.

City of Lies

Johnny Depp Story
  www.indiewire.com

City of Lies is an American biographical crime film, directed by Brad Furman, due to hit the big screen soon after it’s slated September 7 release date was postponed. The film, based on the book Labyrinth by Randall Sullivan, depicts the murder investigation of The Notorious B.I.G. Depp’s role in the movie is that of the retired LAPD detective who worked the case at the time.

Drinking Again

Johnny Depp Story
  Shutterstock

While it wasn’t uncommon for Depp to be found drinking heavily during the filming of the movie, he also allegedly abused drugs on set on some occasions. On one particular day though, the actor had been drinking more than usual, and people working alongside him could smell the alcohol on his breath. One crew member then fell foul of Depp, and his name is Greg “Rocky” Brooks.

Location Manager

Johnny Depp Story
  www.hollywoodreporter.com

Brooks, in his capacity as a location manager, has been involved in a number of Hollywood shoots, with his latest being City of Lies. However, after allegedly being punched at least twice by a very drunk Depp, Brooks is now suing the film’s director and producers for unspecified damage. To that end, Brooks has already filed a lawsuit with the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Tell him Yourself

Johnny Depp Story
  www.theknockturnal.com

It was back in April 2017 when Brooks informed the movie director Brad Furman that the next take with Depp would need to be the last outdoor shot of the night due to the specific details of legal permits. The lawsuit alleges that Furman made Brooks tell Depp the bad news directly, and when he did, Depp allegedly launched into an angry and violent tirade.

Shouting Obscenities

Johnny Depp Story
  www.joe.ie

According to Brooks, the argument soon turned nasty as Depp flew off the handle calling the location manager just about every name under the sun. When Brooks remained calm in the face of the abuse, Depp allegedly punched him “angrily and forcefully” twice in the rib cage. Just before Depp’s bodyguards pulled him away, he goaded Brooks, screaming “I will give you one hundred thousand dollars to punch me in the face right now!” according to reports in The Seattle Times.

Don’t Sue

Johnny Depp Story
  Shutterstock

When Brooks returned to work on the following Monday morning, according to the lawsuit, he was asked to promise not to sue Depp and to sign a declaration to that effect. When he refused to sign that declaration, Brooks was then fired on the spot. There was no way Brooks was about to let anyone get away with abusing him publicly like that, not even the famous Johnny Depp.

Should Have Known

Johnny Depp Story
  Shutterstock

According to the suit, Brooks suffered “humiliation, wrongful termination, and physical and mental pain” as a result of Depp’s actions that night. Moreover, lawyers claimed that the filmmakers, directors, and producers, should have known that Depp was abusing alcohol and drugs while on set and that that constituted a threat to the well-being of other people involved in the filming.

No Stranger

Johnny Depp Story
  www.pagesix.com

Depp is no stranger to controversy or the long arm of the law. The actor has paid tens of thousands of dollars to lawyers and financial advisers alike over the years. Whether disagreements with former financial advisers or his bitter divorce from ex-wife Amber Heard, legal issues have cost Depp a pretty penny.

False Claim

Johnny Depp Story
  www.slashfilm.com

It’s often hard to figure out the real truth of the matter with incidents such as these. However, one woman, a script supervisor on the City of Lies set, said that Brooks’ claim against Depp is a false one and that Brooks very much deserved the blows to the ribs after he abused a homeless African-American woman who was in his way. This is where the story takes a bizarre turn.

Defending the Homeless

Johnny Depp Story
  www.nycitylens.com

According to the Hollywood Reporter, script supervisor Emma Danoff witnessed the violent attack and even submitted a declaration blaming Brooks for the incident. According to Danoff, during the filming which was taking place outside the studio, Brooks berated a homeless African-American woman with “racial and derogatory slurs” because she was in his way. Depp apparently heard the altercation and stepped in.

Standing Up

Johnny Depp Story
  www.mirror.co.uk

Danoff explained to reporters that Depp was sitting about 25 feet away from where Brooks was situated on the street. “He immediately stood up from our shared seat on the edge of a planter bench and went over to Brooks to stand up for the woman,” she said. “Mr. Depp said to Mr. Brooks, ‘You can’t talk to her like that. You think she is something less than you? Who do you think you are? How dare you?'”

Really a Hero?

Johnny Depp Story
  inema.everyeye.it

If Danoff is correct, as at least 40 time-stamped photos she took prove according to her, that Depp is not the villain here but rather the hero. Depp allegedly saved face for this homeless woman and didn’t allow Brooks to abuse her verbally with racial slurs.

No Punches Thrown

Johnny Depp Story
  www.deadline.com

According to Danoff’s version of events that night, there was no offer by Depp of $100,000 to be punched in the face, nor were any punches thrown in the direction of Brooks. The fact she claims to have time-stamped photos which somehow prove Depp’s innocence was good news for Depp’s attorney, Adam Waldman.

Abusing Johnny

Johnny Depp Story
  www.today.com

While it’s nearly impossible to establish what the truth is in a case such as this, it’s also hard to believe sob stories from a man like Depp who, despite his brilliance as an actor, is a known alcohol and drug abuser. Nevertheless, in this particular case, he is sticking to his guns, as his attorney explained, “Mr. Brooks, and others who have abused Mr. Depp, are about to discover the consequences for making false accusations,” said Waldman.

Never Acceptable

Johnny Depp Story
  www.salon.com

While the details remain somewhat cloudy, it must be pointed out that racism such as the allegation made here, is never acceptable — especially so if slurs are leveled against a perfectly innocent homeless woman who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Awaiting Settlement

Johnny Depp Story
  www.hollywoodreporter.com

As is usually the case with incidents such as these, a financial settlement will most likely be forthcoming soon. The truth may never be known about whether Johnny Depp is the hero or the villain in this on-set debacle, with evidence both for and against him in the public domain. The case is ongoing for the time being.

Why Johnny Depp’s Drunken Attack on Crew Member May Have Been Justified is an article from: LifeDaily

DNA Test Reveals Costly Lie Australian Fisherman Fell For 18 Years Ago

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Kerry Headley Story

When someone becomes a parent, they have a responsibility to their child to support them at all costs.

Almost two decades ago, a fisherman from Australia found out that he was going to become a father after a one night stand resulted in pregnancy. While he and the mother had no plans of staying together, he was committed to supporting his child. However, that commitment finally ended after he received the results of a DNA test.

A One Night Stand

Kerry Headley Story
  Shutterstock

18 years ago, Kerry Headley was a local football star in Cervantes, a coastal town in Western Australia. As a young man, he spent most of his time training, as football was his biggest priority. However that all changed after having a one night stand with a woman who was 11 years his senior.

A One Time Thing

Kerry Headley Story
  Shutterstock

At first, Headley never expected to hear from the woman, Julie, again. They had slept together but neither of them were interested in starting a relationship. So when he heard from Julie a few months later, he was surprised and confused why she was reaching out.

Shocking News

Kerry Headley Story
  Shutterstock

According to Headley, Julie told him that she was only getting in touch with him to tell him that she was pregnant. At the time, Julie told Headley that he was the father and she figured he should know about the baby. However, he never got a chance to be in his child’s life.

Skipping Town

Kerry Headley Story
  Shutterstock

After telling Headley that he was going to be a father for the first time, Julie left town. He didn’t hear from her again. However, months later, Headley, who started working as a fisherman, got a notice about a child support payment that he owed.

Reasonable Doubts

Kerry Headley Story
  Shutterstock

Before that moment, Headley always wondered if Julie had been telling him the truth all those months before. According to him, Julie had been seeing a few other men at the time. As a result, he couldn’t help but wonder if the child was actually his.

Growing Debt

Kerry Headley Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

So when Headley finally did get a child support notice, he didn’t take it too seriously and put it aside. However, after a while, the child support bills started to build up. Headley’s debt was steadily growing and he couldn’t ignore the matter any longer.

The Only Option

Kerry Headley Story
  Shutterstock

At the time, Headley felt he had no other option than to start paying child support. Not only was the Child Support Agency hounding him to pay his balance, but he figured that there was a chance he was the child’s father. And if the child was actually his, he wanted to support his daughter even if he wasn’t in her life.

Forcing His Hand

Kerry Headley Story
  www.9news.com.au

“The bills started to pile up and I had to take action because if I didn’t, they would,” Headley said in an interview with A Current Affair. “The first time they froze my account was during a fishing season. I had my passport frozen and told that it wouldn’t be reinstated until I had paid the bill in full.”

A Forced Payment

Kerry Headley Story
  Shutterstock

After his accounts were frozen, Headley had no choice but to pay the child support. At the time, the balance was almost $30,000. “I had $26,000 taken out,” Headley said. However, that payment only brought him up to date with what was owed.

Struggling to Keep Up

Kerry Headley Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

As time went on, Headley received more and more child support bills. As a seasonal fisherman, Headley didn’t always make a steady paycheck. If he and the rest of the crew on the fishing boat managed to catch a lot of fish during a season, he would bring in a decent amount of money. But that wasn’t always the case.

An Inconsistent Income

Kerry Headley Story
  Shutterstock

If conditions were bad during a season, Headley wouldn’t bring in much money. As a result, he struggled to keep up with child support payments. Before long, he was drowning in debt from the child support payments that were building up again.

The Right Thing

Kerry Headley Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

However, Headley did everything he could to make the payments. Not only did he want to get out of debt, but he wanted to make sure that he doing the right thing by his daughter. Over the years, Headley ended up paying Julie $60,000 to help support her while she raised their daughter.

A Nagging Suspicion

Kerry Headley Story
  www.9news.com.au

However, over those 18 years, Headley couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. “Even at the start he was like, ‘I don’t know how I can be the father, because there’s quite a few suitors going around here,’” Headley’s wife, Shannon, told 9News.

18 Years Later

Kerry Headley Story
  Shutterstock

After a while, Headley couldn’t ignore his suspicions any longer. He wanted to get to the bottom of the situation once and for all, so he decided to contact the Child Support Agency. Once in contact with a consultant, Headley explained the situation.

The Missing DNA Test

Kerry Headley Story
  Shutterstock

While on the phone, the consultant from the agency asked Headley about his paternity test. While looking at his file, the consultant explained that he didn’t see any results for a DNA test. “The consultant from Child Support, when he asked me, I can’t see a result for a DNA test here,” Headley said.

The Next Step

Kerry Headley Story
  www.9news.com.au

“I said, ‘Because I didn’t have one’,” Headley explained. When the consultant heard that Headley had never had a paternity test, he told him to get one straight away. “And he pretty much on the phone called me a stupid idiot and to go and get one done as soon as I could.”

The Paternity Test

Kerry Headley Story
  Shutterstock

So Headley organized a DNA test as soon as he could. Not long after, he received the results from the test and discovered that the girl he believed to be his daughter didn’t actually belong to him. Whether Julie meant to or not, she lied to Headley and made him believe he was responsible for her daughter. Headley was furious that he had been lied to for 18 years. After the shock wore off, however, he just wanted to be repaid the $60,000 he was wrongly forced to pay over the years. Yet when he contacted the Child Support Agency again, he received another shock.

An Expensive Lie

Kerry Headley Story
  www.dailymail.co.uk

While speaking to a consultant, Headley demanded to know how he had been forced to pay 18 years worth of child support when they had no proof that he was the child’s father. At that point, he learned that Julie lied to the agency and told them they had been living together when her daughter was conceived. That lie alone was what caused Headley to be hounded by the agency for almost two decades.

Julie’s Side of the Story

Kerry Headley Story
  www.9news.com.au

After Headley went public with the story, Julie issued a statement to tell her side of the story. “Over the last 18 years Kerry has had the chance to get a DNA test but as myself and Child Support could never get in contact with him, it never happened, and now he is coming out with accusations that are unfounded and untrue,” Julie told A Current Affair in the statement.

“Where’s My Money?”

Kerry Headley Story
  www.9news.com.au

Now, Julie has been ordered to repay Headley, however, because she doesn’t work, she can only pay him back in installments of $49.80. Since the payment will be made every other week, it will take 44 years for Headley to get his money back. “I’ve been hassled non-stop by Child Support, but the reason they thought I was the dad wasn’t right. They accepted me as the father without any proof. That’s what makes me angry, really,” said Headley, who believed Child Support should reimburse him for their mistake. “This proves I’m not the dad, so where’s my money?”

DNA Test Reveals Costly Lie Australian Fisherman Fell For 18 Years Ago is an article from: LifeDaily

Couple Narrowly Avoids Becoming Latest Victims of Potential California Serial Killer

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Malibu Creek State Park Story

When one goes out into the wilderness, either to camp for a weekend, take a brisk hike, or just to have a nice picnic in a field somewhere, they can be fairly sure that they’ll return to civilization mostly unscathed. That is, with the exception of a light sunburn, some bug bites, or if they’re very unlucky, a severe case of poison ivy.

Camping in our society has become little more than a vacation from the pervasive digital age and despite animals and the occasional natural disaster, it’s mostly safe. Recently, however, some California campers learned that even out in the wilderness, we cannot always escape the dangers of our modern world.

Sleeping Soundly

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  www.lamag.com

Melissa Tatangelo and her boyfriend were on a brief camping trip to Calabasas park in California. After a day of hiking and sun, the two exhausted lovers decided that, for whatever reason, they would forgo the tent and lie together in the back of their car’s cargo area. It was 5 a.m. when they awoke to the sound of something “thumping” against the car.

A Thump in the Night

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  Shutterstock

The “large thump” stirred them from slumber for only a moment before they turned over and went back to sleep. When they awoke in the morning and went out to inspect the side of the car, they found a hole in the side of the vehicle.

Call the Rangers

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  www.latimes.com

Melissa called the park rangers, who came out to examine the bullet hole. What they determined, even from an initial investigation, was that bullet had been fired at a very close range to the car. What Melissa didn’t know at the time, was that she had come very close to being the latest in a string of recent unexplained deaths in the park.

Lifeless Body

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  losangeles.cbslocal.com

One of those recent deaths involved Francisco Reynaldo Cruz, 52, who was found in a ditch across the road from Malibu Creek. Cruz had sharp force injuries to his chest and neck, as well as a blunt force injury to the head. Police speculated that he was killed elsewhere and dumped in the canyon, but many believe the murder is indicative of something far more troubling.

Camping Chemist

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  www.independent.co.uk

In the early summer of 2018, 35-year-old Tristan Beaudette, a chemist and father-of-two, was killed in his tent by a gunshot wound. He and his daughters, ages two and four, were camping at the time. Their mother was home studying and didn’t join them. Though neither of the girls were hurt, they both witnessed the shooting.

Gunned Down

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  www.cnn.com

The small family had been camping out at Malibu Creek State Park near the 1900 block of Las Virgenes road in Calabasas. Beaudette was shot once in the upper chest, but no shells or gunshot residue could be found at the scene. As for a motive for this senseless act, police have yet to determine any. It seems that, like many of the killings in that region, it was completely random.

Mysterious Motives

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  www.today.com

Yet, people are reticent to conclude that Beaudette’s murder was nothing more than a random attack. This is partly due to the rash of killings in that area in recent years. If the killer had a motive or reason to kill Beaudette but leave his children, then it may speak to a grudge. If not, it may mean that some mysterious killer is slaying random people in the popular park.

Closed Off

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  www.latimes.com

Police were brought in to investigate Beaudette’s death and though they closed the park for a time in order to do so, it has since been reopened. Nevertheless, deputy patrols have been increased in the area and 60 of the area’s campsites have been closed indefinitely, or at least until police figure out what is going on. Though many dispute the theory of a serial killer, there is sufficient evidence to give it credence.

Four Days Before

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  www.malibutimes.com

Beaudette’s shooting was reported four days after Melissa Tatangelo and her boyfriend had their car shot. Both were in fairly close proximity to one another and accompanied by a total of six other mysterious shootings going back to Nov. 3, 2016. Four of these took place within the jurisdiction of the California State Park system.

Biologist

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  www.fws.gov

In November, 2016, James Rogers, a wildlife biologist, who was no stranger to living in the wilderness, was spending the night in a hammock in Malibu when he awoke to a strange sensation in his arm. The arm was bleeding and the pattern of wounds appeared to have been made by buckshot. He lived of course, but it was an unusual situation, to say the least.

Soundly Sleeping and Shooting

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  Shutterstock

Six days after that, another man was also shot in Creek state park. Like Melissa, Rogers, and most likely Beaudette, the man had also been sleeping when he was shot at. He woke up at 3 a.m. with a similar stinging pain. He pulled out his earphones and looked down at his stinging arm. Before he could get out of the hammock, he struggled and fell to the ground.

Stinging Sensation

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  Shutterstock

A moment later and buckshot pellets starting falling out of his right arm. He didn’t know it at the time, but the buckshot was the same as James Rogers had been hit with days before. He was lucky to be mostly unharmed, but a pattern was clearly emerging.

Taken Seriously

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  www.policecararchives.org

As for biologist James Rogers, he went to the California State Parks department but never received any sort of follow-up. Even two years after the incident Rogers says that no official report has been made. He also believes that investigators never really took his concerns seriously.

Largely Unreported

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  www.socalregion.com

Regardless of the obvious pattern, the police were remiss to ascribe them all to a single perpetrator. At least two cars have been hit by gunfire in recent months in the area of Malibu Canyon. Many readers might be asking themselves, why wouldn’t the police try and determine if the shooter was indeed one single cowardly killer, acting under cover of darkness?

Upper Crust

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  www.bcre.com

The answer is actually quite simple. These local canyons aren’t just a haven for hikers and campers escaping city life, they also happen to be close to the homes of many Hollywood A-listers. They didn’t want to throw anyone into a panic, least of all celebrities who might draw more unwanted attention to the shootings.

Spree on the Way

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  losangeles.cbslocal.com

At this point, it’s easy enough to extrapolate that this was some sort of spree, one that has gone from merely inconveniencing to outright deadly in only a few years. Anyone who has ever watched a crime drama will understand that this represents escalation on the part of a perpetrator or perpetrators.

Reconsider

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  www.latimes.com

The sheriff’s department and California State Parks have both received extensive criticism for not alerting campers to the shootings ahead of time. Melissa Tatangelo said that if she had known about the danger, she and her boyfriend would not have chosen to visit the campsite that weekend.

Fair Warning

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  cece90265 / Twitter

CeCe Woods, editor in chief of The Local Malibu, recently spoke to CBS2 stating that “If an alert had been issued to the public by the authorities, Tristan Beaudette may have made a different decision as far as his camping plans that night, and he may still be alive today.” Still, Beaudette’s death has changed things a bit.

Inconclusive

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  www.messengermountainnews.com

Thus far the investigation is still ongoing and no further information has been released to the public. As always though, amateur sleuths and reporters have been coming up with their own theories. Some believe that the shooter is an expert marksman, practicing his prowess from hundreds of yards away. Although this doesn’t gel with Melissa’s close-range bullet hole.

Speculation

Malibu Creek State Park Story
  www.nbcnews.com

Another speculation has the culprit being connected to drug gangs in the area. The theory is that they might be growing marijuana in remote parts of the state park. The most unusual theory involves a missing psychology student who disappeared in 2009 and is now allegedly living in the woods, shooting random people.

Couple Narrowly Avoids Becoming Latest Victims of Potential California Serial Killer is an article from: LifeDaily

Recovering Alcoholic Makes the Ultimate Sacrifice to Save Another

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Melissa Lehew Story

Heroes and heroines take many forms, whether it’s active military, firefighters, police officers, medical professionals, or teachers. But the protagonist in the following story was just a regular woman trying to turn her life around.

When the opportunity presented itself to help someone in need, our heroine took it, and unfortunately it cost her her life. Her boyfriend opened up about the terrifying moment she was swept away by flood waters.

Leaped With Her Heart

Melissa Lehew Story
  baltimore.cbslocal.com

Melissa Lehew’s friends and family described her as a woman who leaped with her heart, regardless of the consequences. It was her big heart, they believe, that led to her death at only 34 years old. One Friday evening, Lehew and her boyfriend, Kyle Bowman, 31, were driving home from a local store when they noticed a disabled car.

Trying to Save a Man

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.baltimoresun.com

The car was stuck on a flooded bridge on a road in Maryland and as the water rose, Lehew told Bowman, “We have to do something.” Bowman detailed the incident to The Baltimore Sun saying that he backed his truck into the water, being careful not to go too deep and he tied a rope to his bumper. With the water up to his hips, the rope wasn’t long enough to reach the stranded driver.

Knocked Off Their Feet

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.people.com

Then, before Bowman could get back to his truck, the rushing water knocked him and Lehew off their feet, and they slammed up against a guardrail. Bowman made his way over to Lehew as she clutched desperately to a telephone pole. “I made my way over to her and pulled her head up from the water so she could breathe,” he said.

Holding on For Dear Life

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.baltimoresun.com

“She got to a telephone pole and was holding onto that. I was holding onto a bush. I was trying to pull her up and I just couldn’t. She couldn’t hold on. She just got swept away. As I was pulling myself out with the rope the car also washed over the guardrail and went into the creek too,” Bowman said. At that very moment, Bowman knew his girlfriend was gone and he thought he was going to be next.

Losing His Girlfriend

Melissa Lehew Story
  kimdaceywbal / Twitter

“I knew she was gone. I thought I was going to go, too. One slip and I was going to go.” But seconds later, the water washed the car, with the driver, Daniel Samis, 67, inside, and he went over the bridge into Broad Run. Rescue crews recovered his body the following morning, although, Lehew’s body wasn’t immediately found.

Carried Away

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.baltimoresun.com

The search for her body took three days. As the search was suspended after two days, Baltimore City search divers were flown to Maryland Shock Trauma for treatment after being injured during their dive. Bowman was the one who made the discovery of his girlfriend’s body when he got a group of people together and went out to search.

72-Hours to Find Her Body

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.baltimoresun.com

“As soon as we were in the lake I saw her floating maybe a hundred yards off from where I put the kayak in from,” Bowman said. “At least now we found her and we don’t have to go diving in that lake.” Despite both bodies being found, their loved ones are still coming to terms with the discoveries.

Dying a Hero

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.baltimoresun.com

To Bowman, Lehew died a hero on the road to redemption. He explained how she had not fully conquered her demons as she’d lost custody of her children and was battling with her addiction to alcohol. Online court records show that Lehew faced multiple legal troubles, involving hearings on probation violations.

Legal Issues

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.connellyfuneralhome.com

One of the violations was a 2017 misdemeanor trespassing conviction and another was a 2017 misdemeanor child neglect conviction for which she was sentenced to four and a half years in jail. She also pleaded guilty in May 2015 to driving under the influence of alcohol. Lehew and Bowman first met at a sobriety meeting as they both worked to overcome addiction.

Mother of Four

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.scallywagandvagabond.com

Lehew was a mother of four and she became a deeply religious woman when she joined Mount Zion Church in Bel Air over the summer. She described herself online as a “sinner … saved by the grace of God” and she regularly posted videos of her singing hymns for her 4,700 Facebook friends to see.

Religion Led Her Life

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.bwcumc.org

Bowman said, “Religion was kind of her guidepost for life,” and that the months she served in jail were a “wake-up call” for her to make changes in her life. Rev. Craig McLaughlin, pastor of Mount Zion, said Lehew worshiped weekly at the church since she joined several months ago. She also regularly volunteered her time to give care to the elderly in the community and was trying to establish a volleyball team.

Conquering Huge Challenges

Melissa Lehew Story
  plus.google.com

“She was walking through huge challenges, but we saw that light come on and get brighter,” McLaughlin said. Lehew was open with the church community about leaning on her faith and God along her path to sobriety. “She knew she needed God and she knew she wasn’t going to make it without God’s help and she was seeking God’s help.”

GoFundMe Page

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.people.com

Bowman said that Lehew’s past led her to have estranged relationships with her family. There was family trouble when Bowman set up a GoFundMe page to raise $10,000 to help pay for Lehew’s “final expenses.” He said that any extra money would go into a trust for her children. But some family members took issue with his attempts to raise money.

Family Disputes

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.foxbaltimore.com

Apparently, the family said they already paid for her funeral expenses. Then, after $1,000 was raised on the GoFundMe, the campaign was closed. An online obituary for an Essex funeral home listed Lehew as private and didn’t provide any details and her family reportedly couldn’t be reached on the matter.

Changing Her Name

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.mylife.com

Despite her family troubles, Lehew was so committed to building a new life that she even rebranded herself as “Elizabeth,” inspired by a mid-century missionary of the same name, in an attempt to shed the associations with her given name, “Melissa.” Lehew’s cousin, Jennifer Ragan, said that Lehew left “love bags” around her home for those in need.

Selfless Woman

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.wmar2news.com

The love bags were filled with canned food, toiletries, and items like flashlights and matches to hand out to the homeless or anyone she saw who was struggling. She wanted to live her life according to the faith that she believed in, and Ragan said it was that faith that enabled Lehew to have a fresh start. Ragan is not surprised that her cousin lost her life trying to save another.

Beautiful Soul

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.myspace.com

“Her last act was for someone else,” said Ragan, who is in the process of adopting Lehew’s youngest daughter. “I can’t stress enough what a beautiful soul she had. It was tormented, and now it is at peace.” Lehew always felt closest to God alongside the river, Ragan said, so she loved the area where she took her last breath.

Staying Sober

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.irishtimes.com

Ann Dowsett Johnston, the author of “Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol,” said that addiction recovery is “attainable and sustainable,” but achieving sobriety is “not for the faint of heart.” Johnston explains that it can take a person repeated attempts to break the cycle, especially in a culture where drinking is so prevalent and normalized. “It takes a real determination, and some would say blessings from the skies above to stay sober, but millions do.”

Recovery Revolution

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.tvo.org

Johnston, who is a recovering alcoholic herself, says, “Many recover in church basements, invisible to the public. … We are highly unaware of the level to which we’re rubbing shoulders at the grocery store or in the office with people who have been on that path. But we are coming out of the closet, and I think we will see a recovery revolution.”

Binge Drinking

Melissa Lehew Story
  www.baltimoresun.com

She feels that alcoholism receives less attention than other substance abuse, and as a result, it receives less devotion to finding solutions than it deserves. “We normalize binge drinking in our cultures, in the movies and on television.” Hopefully other women like Lehew will seek help and get their lives on the right path just like she did. She died a hero.

Recovering Alcoholic Makes the Ultimate Sacrifice to Save Another is an article from: LifeDaily

Many Questions Remain Unanswered After Police Officer Enters Wrong Apartment

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Botham Shem Jean Story

Cases of mistaken identity happen all the time. More often than not, the results of these cases are trivial and non-impactful. Unfortunately for the poor individual in this sordid tale, this case of mistaken identity involved a police officer and a deadly weapon.

The incident occurred just before 10 p.m. in an upscale apartment complex just south of Dallas’ downtown area. The victim was sitting at home alone, minding his own business, when he heard something outside his door.

Bo Jean

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.fox4news.com

Prior to that fateful night, Botham “Bo” Shem Jean, was a 26-year-old former native of the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, living in Dallas. Prior to moving to Texas, Bo had attended Harding University, a private Christian institution in Arkansas. He was the type of man who held tight to his faith.

Good News

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.nbcnews.com

Bo was a member of the Good News Singers. He loved serving as a song leader in the church and leading worship whenever they asked him to. By all accounts, he was a decent, hardworking man and a fine example to those in his parish.

Unquiet Night

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.fox4news.com

Around 10 p.m. one night, Bo heard yelling and banging on his apartment door. There’s some speculation about how the person yelling and banging entered the apartment, but shortly after the commotion a female police officer fired her gun into his chest. He collapsed to the ground and the shooter, officer Amber Guyger, called for backup and an ambulance.

What in the World?

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.fox4news.com

As there is little to no evidence as to how or why officer Guyger entered Bo’s apartment, and even less evidence as to why she shot him, police must investigate further as to why this bizarre incident occurred in the first place.

Heartbroken

Botham Shem Jean Story
  Shutterstock

Officers and paramedics arrived. Bo was stabilized and taken to a local hospital. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to save Bo’s life. His heartbroken mother, who was still living in St. Lucia, was informed of his death soon after, but no one could tell her exactly why it happened.

Wrong Apartment

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.fox4news.com

The department questioned the female officer, asking why she had come into the apartment and shot an unarmed man. The answer she gave them was rather peculiar. Officer Guyger claimed she had been returning home from a shift and was alarmed to see a strange man in what she believed was her apartment.

Explanation

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.fox4news.com

The explanation was peculiar for a few reasons. First, it was on a different floor than her apartment. Second, her key obviously would not have worked in his apartment door. Third, the large, red welcome mat outside the door was something her apartment lacked. All clear indications from the onset that something was wrong.

Pending Investigation

Botham Shem Jean Story
  dfw.cbslocal.com

Of course, it wasn’t until after she fired upon him that she realized the truth and the immensity of what she’d done. The Dallas police department, wanting to remain impartial, set out to discover if this was truly just a case of mistaken identity. Was there more to this tale than meets the eye? The department would have no choice, they’d have to find out for sure.

Blood Sample

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.kut.org

The department issued officer Guyger a warrant for manslaughter and Police Chief Reneé Hall also requested that a blood sample be drawn. They wanted to obtain officer Guyger’s drug and alcohol levels to make sure that she wasn’t impaired when she fired the gun. A full scale, independent investigation was also launched by the Texas Rangers.

Things Don’t Gel

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.standard.co.uk

There were reasons for the Texas Rangers’ involvement. There were a number of things about the case that didn’t quite gel. There was still a good deal of investigation to pursue. In the meantime, the story of Bo’s shooting would have far-reaching consequences and go through a number of twists and turns along the way.

Grieving Mother

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.nbcdfw.com

Allie Jean, Bo’s grieving mother, used to speak with her son daily. He would call her in St. Lucia to catch up and see how she was. She had been in New York visiting with her daughter when she received the news and circumstances surrounding Bo’s death.

Loved Everyone

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.local10.com

After college, Bo got a job as an associate in a risk assurance department. He was happy and Allie explained that even though he lived in a gated apartment complex, he trusted everyone. He had no reason to worry about someone knocking on his door, however fervently that knocking sounded. Bo was always friendly, always smiling, and was an all around good person.

Everything Gone Away

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.dallasnews.com

“She took away my heart, she took away my soul, she took away everything,” she told NBC News. “He didn’t deserve to die like that. … We were very, very close … We would talk about everything, about politics. Botham loved everyone, and everyone loved him.” This was all corroborated at his funeral by friends and family alike.

Questions Remain

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.dreshare.com

Had Officer Guyger shot him on purpose because of some kind of personal vendetta? Had she been inebriated following her shift, or impaired somehow? These were some of the questions Dallas police and Texas Rangers had to answer, but before they could, more questions arose…

Drug Warrant

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.dallasnews.com

Several hours after Bo’s funeral, an official document became public. The document in question described narcotics found in Bo’s apartment as a result of a warrant issued posthumously. It listed several questionable items found in his apartment.

What They Found

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.dallasobserver.com

The inventory document referenced several items found in the home. These included: two fired cartridge casings, a laptop computer, one black backpack with police equipment and paperwork, an insulated lunch box, one black ballistic vest with “police” markings, 10.4 grams of marijuana in ziplock bags, one metal marijuana grinder, two RFID keys, and two used packages of medical aid.

Used Items

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.fox4news.com

Now, many of these items are directly linked to officer Guyger’s appearance in the apartment and the shooting itself. The medical aid passages, shell casings, paperwork, equipment, police vests, and her lunch box specifically. Though now that they had found marijuana in Bo’s apartment, some questions had been raised. “I think it’s unfortunate that law enforcement begins to immediately criminalize the victim. In this case, someone who was clearly the victim that has absolutely no bearing on the fact that he was shot in his home,” said Lee Merrit, the family’s attorney following the release of the suspiciously posthumous warrant.

Considering

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.mydaytondailynews.com

Of course, even assuming that Bo had some small amount of marijuana in his possession at his death doesn’t do anything to change officer Guyger’s story. Her original take is that she simply entered the wrong apartment and thought there was a man in her home come to harm her.

Assassination of Character

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.fox4news.com

Bo’s family lawyers see the release as an attempt to assassinate his character as surely as he himself was allegedly murdered. Those who loved him won’t allow this to stain his reputation. Indeed, considering how virtuously he lived his life, it would be hard to do such a thing.

Sordid Details

Botham Shem Jean Story
  www.dallasobserver.com

Officer Guyger has indeed been arrested on manslaughter charges but it remains to be seen if she will see any jail time. That being said, many details of the case remain undiscovered. Time will tell what fresh mysteries this tragic situation has yet to reveal.

Many Questions Remain Unanswered After Police Officer Enters Wrong Apartment is an article from: LifeDaily

Investigators Uncover Slavery Conditions Found at Starbucks-Connected Coffee Farm

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Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story

These days, it’s not unusual for big corporations to be in the news for, shall we say, less than stellar reasons. Rumors of corruption, embezzlement, or general misconduct attach to some of these corporations and become synonymous with them across all forms of media.

Luckily, many of those organizations are big enough and popular enough that it won’t stop most people from using their products or services. Recently, however, a Starbucks in Brazil was linked to some rather questionable human rights practices at one of its coffee plantations.

First Glance

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  www.trip101.com

If one walked past the Córrego das Almas farm in Piumhi, in rural Minas Gerais, Brazil, they might immediately assume that the modest property is nothing more than a prospering agricultural institution. At first glance, you might notice the international certifications on the gate, including one showing it’s affiliation to the Starbucks Corporation.

Abolished

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  news.mongabay.com

You might also notice the sign that reads, “No slave or forced labor is allowed.” This, of course, seems to many of us like a no-brainer. Yet though slavery has been mostly abolished in some areas of the world, there are still places where the conditions for workers are such that they might be compared directly to slavery.

Grim Discovery

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  www.baristamagazine.com

The Brazil Labor Ministry investigators who arrived at Córrego das Almas farm saw the sign and believed that what the farm asserted was true. That was until they began looking around the place and discovered the 18 workers laboring in the coffee field were living and working in brutal, almost slave-like conditions.

Substandard Conditions

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  www.reporterbrasil.org.br

The living conditions for the workers at Córrego das Almas farm were downright deplorable. Their substandard living quarters lacked almost all the basic amenities necessary for human habitation, including working sewage and drinkable water. The workers also had to share living space with some unwelcome roommates as well.

Collective Housing

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  portalctb.org.br

All of the housing was collective housing as well and, bereft of proper plumbing as it was, was a health hazard all on its own. The lack of sanitation in the houses was so bad that it put the workers’ health at risk. Inspectors found dead bats in the water tanks but regardless of this fact, workers were still using the potentially disease-laden water for cooking and drinking.

Vermin

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  Shutterstock

Bats and mice were everywhere they looked, not only inside the workers’ homes, but also in their food stores, barns, and storehouses. The inspectors also found evidence that it wasn’t just the living conditions the owners provided that were substandard, but also the operational standards as well.

Poor Pay

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  www.nucafe.org

One of the workers spoke out against their treatment at the farm. “We weren’t paid for holidays, Sundays, nothing,” they explained. “We worked from Monday to Saturday with no record of the hours. During the week, we would start at 6 am and only stop at 5 pm.” According to them, they also received payment based on the amount of coffee beans they picked.

Rigged Reporting

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  www.climatechangenews.com

Unfortunately, this payment structure was also rigged to benefit the farm owners. Workers would harvest coffee beans then leave them to be weighed the next day. By the time they returned to weigh their previous day’s work, the beans would be gone and their work would count for nothing. When asked where their coffee was, the overseers would just laugh.

Pay to Get Paid

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  Shutterstock

None of the workers made enough money to send to their relatives back home, let alone afford food at the farms nearby every week. If workers did want to cash their checks or purchase food, they would have to pay $20 for a plantation-owned bus to transport them there and back. Essentially, they had to pay in order to get paid.

Huge Farm

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  www.monmouthcoffee.co.uk

The Córrego das Almas farm has three million coffee trees, herds of cattle, and over 151 employees. It has been leased and managed by Fabiana Soares, who apparently didn’t know about the slave labor going on. According to her lawyer, Ms. Soares didn’t learn about the conditions until the inspection took place.

Try to Comply

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  www.longbottomcoffee.com

Ms. Soares’ lawyer even released a statement to the press following the incident which read, “Our farm has been operating in the coffee market for many years and has always sought to comply with all legal requirements, that includes obtaining all certifications, licenses, and awards whose requirements are extremely strict.”

Certification

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  www.glassdoor.com

Besides the obvious human rights violations, there is another reason that the loathsome conditions at the Córrego das Almas farm are getting so much media attention. The farm holds the C.A.F.E. Practices certification, which is owned by Starbucks in partnership with SCS Global Services. This means that in general, the farm has been inspected for quality by a highly regarded purveyor of coffee, and fairly recently in fact.

Deniability

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  www.time.com

Starbucks, of course, denies that they have bought any coffee from the farm in recent years and went on to attest that they haven’t been certified since 2016. Nevertheless, the coffee conglomerate has also stated that they are in the process of re-evaluating the seal and plan to pay closer attention to any labor violations they might uncover.

Famous Certificate

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  www.southafricatoday.net

In addition to the C.A.F.E. certification, the Córrego das Almas farm also boasts the UTZ seal. This Netherlands-based certificate is given in recognition of sustainable farming and is only given to the most prestigious agricultural institutions in the coffee industry. Like the C.A.F.E. seal, however, the inspection brought the farm’s UTZ seal into question.

Integral Part

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  Shutterstock

UTZ representatives have said that workers’ rights and their well-being are of the utmost importance to the standards they have used to award such certificates. “Whenever we receive reliable evidence of breaches on UTZ certified farms, we take immediate action, which includes conducting a thorough investigation,” said the organization.

More in Bondage

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  Emidinho Madeira / YouTube

Because of the issues at Córrego das Almas farm, additional inspections were held at other farms in the area. Another inspection occurred in the town of Muzambinho at a farm owned by Maria Júlia Pereira. Maria happens to be the sister-in-law of a state deputy, Emidinho Madeira. The search uncovered 15 workers in slave-like conditions; one of whom was only 17 years old.

More Horrific Conditions

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  pgcpsmess.wordpress.com

The 15 laborers on the Periera-owned farm revealed that conditions on their farm were similar to the ones on the Córrego das Almas farm. The workers were forced to buy their own equipment which in turn indebted them to the farm’s owner for between $2,500-$3,000. That’s before the harvesting even began.

No Time for Breaks

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  www.tripadvisor.com

The workers were also forced to work for 90 days straight. They worked from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. with no breaks for lunch and barely any bathroom breaks, either. The only times the coffee harvesting stopped at all was on rainy days. It was brutal, but thankfully when the revelations came to light, reparations were made.

Repayment

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  www.knowyourgrinder.com

The farms’ owners now had to pay for their negligence. The Córrego da Prata Farm was cited for 34 violations and ended up paying $87,000 in damages to its workers. Meanwhile, Córrego das Almas farm was given 27 notifications and ordered to pay $ 71,000 in severance.

Labor Rights

Brazil Starbucks Slavery Story
  www.fotune.com

The revelations on these farms have shed new light into not only the certification process but upon the often overlooked practices of large corporations like Starbucks. It’s easy to forget such things as we hastily slurp our morning Macchiato but now that the human rights abuses on these farms have come into the public eye, there is hope that they will cease happening.

Investigators Uncover Slavery Conditions Found at Starbucks-Connected Coffee Farm is an article from: LifeDaily


State Farm Exposed in Lawsuit Claiming the Company Discriminates Against Clients of Jewish Lawyers

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State Farm Story

Unfortunately, many insurance companies are engaged in secret claims conduct that is intentionally designed so that policyholders get less than what they bargained for at the point of sale.

These lawsuits, like the one in the following story, expose what many insurance regulators are doing behind the scenes that no one knows about. Some of America’s most popular insurance companies are settling claims cases for millions of dollars, instead of going through with a public trial. The following story explains the case: Hindin v. State Farm.

State Farm Pays $30 Million

State Farm Story
  www.statefarm.com

In 1993, after years of litigation, State Farm paid $30 million to a group of clients to settle their claims of bad faith and religious national origin discrimination. Los Angeles attorney Todd Hindin represented the clients and worked diligently to go after State Farm who was handling their uninsured motorist claims.

Hindin V. State Farm

State Farm Story
  Shutterstock

Everyone thought that the four individual plaintiffs wound up receiving $34,000 each, but that wasn’t the case. They actually received a lot more. The incident that the case referred to was an automobile-versus-automobile accident in February 1987 and State Farm petitioned the court to vacate the award, although this request was dismissed before it was even heard.

Hindin V. State Farm Continued

State Farm Story
  Shutterstock

In response, State Farm obtained information indicating that the underlying insurance claims were in part, fraudulent. In response, on February 14, 1996, State Farm filed a federal court fraud action against its former insureds and their attorneys, the Hindin parties. They sought both restitution of the $30 million payment and return of internal documents it had produced during the bad faith/discrimination litigation. 

Secret Documents

State Farm Story
  www.statefarm.com

In addition, State Farm also requested equitable relief to prevent further dissemination of those documents. But everyone wondered what was in those documents that was so damaging to State Farm? What were they trying to cover up and prevent from ever seeing the light of day? Attorney Todd Hindin sought to find that out…

Bad Faith Case

State Farm Story
  www.elnuevodia.com

According to Chip Merlin, from Merlin Law Group, Hindin wound up settling the case confidentially with State Farm for $30 million. No one even knew about this bad faith case settlement until State Farm made a huge deal about it and filed a lawsuit against Hindin and others asking for its $30 million back.

Citing Discrimination

State Farm Story
  Shutterstock

The case wound up being settled before Ronald Middler, Divisional Claims Superintendent, was scheduled to testify at the bad faith/discrimination trial concerning State Farm. Apparently, Hindin was citing discrimination based on race, religion and national origin as being the reason for the lawsuit.

Jewish Lawyers Lists

State Farm Story
  Shutterstock

State Farm had an internal list of the names of Jewish lawyers, which they referred to as the Jewish Lawyers List. The claims of the clients of the attorneys whose names appeared on the Jewish Lawyers List were automatically transferred to State Farm’s fraud unit simply because the lawyer’s name appeared on the Jewish Lawyers List, the litigation report said.

Jewish Names

State Farm Story
  www.chicagotribune.com

If your name was on the list of Jewish lawyers, your client’s claim would be automatically referred to the fraud unit and never settled or paid.” Dr. Frank Taylor, an economist with a doctorate and a former college professor of economics, insurance, and finance, was called on to investigate the religious background of the people whose names were on the list.

Discrimination Trial

State Farm Story
  www.statefarm.com

There were a total of 240 separate names that appeared on the two Jewish Lawyers Lists provided to Dr. Taylor. All of those names had been produced by State Farm at the bad faith/discrimination trial. Out of those 240 names, Dr. Taylor was able to obtain the necessary information on 193 of those attorneys, translating to 80 percent.

Alarming Percentages

State Farm Story
  Shutterstock

In the end, it was found that 115 of 193 (or 77 percent) of the lawyers on the lists were of Jewish decent. The remaining 28 lawyers on the list, though not Jewish, were members of a racial or ethnic minority.

Jewish Population

State Farm Story
  www.tripsavvy.com

The case explained that Jews comprise 2.9% of the population of the State of California, 5.9% of the population of the County of Los Angeles and 2.5 % of the population of Orange County. But, the Jewish composition of the State Farm Attorneys lists is more than 10 times the percentage that would accurately depict the Jewish composition of the general Los Angeles population.  

The Numbers Didn’t Make Sense

State Farm Story
  Shutterstock

Additionally, the list is more than 20 times what you would expect as a result of the Jewish composition of the general population of the State of California. Hindin asked Dr. Taylor to assume that insurance claims of clients represented by attorneys whose names appear on these lists are assigned to the handling units operated at State Farm. The reason being is that the attorneys names appear on one or more of the lists experienced substantial delays in the processing of their claims.

The Investigation

State Farm Story
  Shutterstock

They also received substantially smaller offers to settle their claims than they would have received had they not been assigned one of these special units. “Dr. Taylor opined that based on his investigation and assuming the facts that Hindin has asked him to assume, there is very substantial evidence that State Farm discriminates against Jewish lawyers and their clients in the operation of the special units. It is unlikely that the result occurred by chance. It is likely that it occurred by design.”

A Conscious Intent

State Farm Story
  www.chicagotribune.com

“The reason for Dr. Taylor’s opinion is that based upon his knowledge of statistics and the insurance industry, it is highly unlikely that these lists of names could be constructed with predominantly Jewish attorneys being listed by chance. Rather, it is clear that the insertion of predominantly Jewish names on these lists for special claims handling is the result of a conscious intent,” the litigation report said.

Jewish Discrimination

State Farm Story
  Shutterstock

Therefore, “It is highly unlikely such a predominately Jewish list of attorneys would be submitted to the special claims units if Jewish discrimination were not a primary factor.” “Hindin sued State Farm for malicious prosecution and various other theories of liability. The appellate court upheld a dismissal of this lengthy litigation because Hindin failed to get the case to trial,” Chip Merlin wrote.

State Farm Agrees to Pay $250 Million

State Farm Story
  Shutterstock

But this wasn’t the only State Farm lawsuit that ended with them shelling out millions. In September 2018, Law360 reported that State Farm settled a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) lawsuit for $250 million. This settlement stems from a 1999 case where customers sued State Farm alleging they were given generic car parts of lower quality instead of original equipment for more than a decade.

Breach of Contract

State Farm Story
  www.wglt.org

This clearly violated the terms of their insurance policies so they took State Farm to court. The Illinois State Court jury awarded the customers $456 million for the breach of contract and the trial judge added $730 million in damages on a fraud claim. Even though an appellate court reduced the verdict to $1.056 billion, it was still one of the largest class-action awards in U.S. legal history.

State Farm Recruiting a Judge

State Farm Story
  www.chicagotribune.com

Then, in 2004, Judge Lloyd Karmeier, a Republican who had been a circuit judge in Washington County for almost two decades, was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court. One year later, the court threw out the award and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review the case. The plaintiffs sought to revive the lawsuit, claiming that State Farm spent more than $3.5 million on Karmeier’s election and continued to conceal its role even during the attempt to reinstate the original claim.

RICO

State Farm Story
  www.sj-r.com

The appeal was rejected but months later, the policyholders filed the new racketeering lawsuit in federal court. The customers accused State Farm of leading an effort to recruit a judge friendly to its cause for the Illinois Supreme Court, secretly funding Judge Karmeier’s 2004 election campaign by funneling money through advocacy groups that didn’t disclose donors.

Nearly 20 Years Later

State Farm Story
  www.pantagraph.com

State Farm denied any wrongdoing in settling the claim, saying the settlement was made “simply to bring an end to the entire litigation” and “to avoid protracted litigation and appeals that could continue for several more years.” State Farm agreed to pay $250 million to the trial of customers who claimed they tried to rig the Illinois justice system to wipe out a $1 billion jury verdict from 19 years ago.

State Farm Exposed in Lawsuit Claiming the Company Discriminates Against Clients of Jewish Lawyers is an article from: LifeDaily

Australian Man Saves Millions of Lives With Extraordinary Inner Gift

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James Harrison Story

There will always be those people who like to help others. Whether it’s a talent of theirs, an idea they brought to fruition, or something passive, they spend their lives making the world a better place.

One Australian man spent his life giving to help others. But it wasn’t money or even time that he sacrificed, but an actual piece of himself that was used to save millions of lives.

Normal Guy

James Harrison Story
  news.sky.com

If you were to look at him, you probably wouldn’t think there was anything special about James. On the surface, he just seems like a typical guy in his early 80s. He loves his daughter and grandchildren and spends his days collecting stamps and going for walks near his home on Australia’s central coast.

Special Blood

James Harrison Story
  Shutterstock

But beneath the surface, James is anything but ordinary. There is something special about his blood that makes him different from just about everyone else on the planet. And because of that difference, he’s been a powerful force for good.

Near-Death Experience

James Harrison Story
  Shutterstock

It all started back when he was just a very sick child. “In 1951, I had a chest operation where they removed a lung,” said James, who was 14 at the time of his surgery. “When I came out of the operation, or a couple days after, my father was explaining what had happened.”

Me Too

James Harrison Story
  Shutterstock

“He said [I received 13 liters] of blood and my life had been saved by unknown people,” he continued. “He was a donor himself, so I said when I’m old enough, I’ll become a blood donor.” James started donating blood as soon as he turned 18 in 1954 and shortly after he did, he discovered something amazing.

Fantastic News

James Harrison Story
  Shutterstock

After just a few donations, doctors called James to come in and speak with them with very important, very good news. They told him that in his blood was the solution to a deadly problem that affected a huge number of people.

Terrible Problem

James Harrison Story
  www.cnn.com

“In Australia, up until about 1967, there were literally thousands of babies dying each year, doctors didn’t know why, and it was awful,” explained Jemma Falkenmire of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. “Women were having numerous miscarriages and babies were being born with brain damage.”

Rhesus Disease

James Harrison Story
  www.slideplayer.com

It turned out to be a result of rhesus disease, a condition where a pregnant woman with rhesus-negative blood (RhD negative) has a baby in her womb with rhesus-positive blood (RhD positive) inherited from its father. If the mother has been sensitized to RhD-positive blood, usually during a previous pregnancy, she may produce antibodies that attack and destroy the baby’s blood cells.

Special Gift

James Harrison Story
  Shutterstock

James Harrison’s blood contained a rare antibody that could fight against rhesus disease, likely as a result of the massive donation of blood he’d received when he was a child. Simply put, he had within his veins the key to saving countless lives.

Big Change

James Harrison Story
  abcnews.go.com

“Australia was one of the first countries to discover a blood donor with this antibody, so it was quite revolutionary at the time,” said Falkenmire. When doctors told him how he could help, James jumped at the opportunity.

New Medication

James Harrison Story
  Shutterstock

He began donating his plasma regularly and in the 1960s, worked with doctors to develop a medication based on his blood called Anti-D, which stopped RhD negative women from developing the antibodies that would harm their babies during pregnancy.

Regular Donations

James Harrison Story
  www.2hd.com.au

From the time he was informed of the special quality of his blood, James kept up a busy schedule of donating plasma an average of one time every three weeks, which was the only way Anti-D could be produced in any considerable quantity. “Every batch of Anti-D that has ever been made in Australia has come from James’ blood,” said Falkenmire back in 2015.

Lifetime of Giving

James Harrison Story
  www.mymodernmet.com

“And more than 17% of women in Australia are at risk, so James has helped save a lot of lives,” she added. In total, James donated his blood or plasma 1,173 times starting at the age of 18. He would still be donating today but Australian policy prohibits blood donations from those past the age of 81.

Millions Saved

James Harrison Story
  www.redflag.org

Through those many donations and the development of Anti-D, it’s estimated that James Harrison has saved over 2.4 million unborn babies from rhesus disease, including someone very dear to him.

Family Too

James Harrison Story
  www.mom.me

James Harrison’s own daughter had a pregnancy with a risk of rhesus and was given the Anti-D vaccine. “That resulted in my second grandson being born healthy,” he said. “And that makes you feel good yourself that you saved a life there, and you saved many more and that’s great.”

National Hero

James Harrison Story
  www.redflag.org

For all that he’s done, James is considered a national hero in Australia. He’s won a number of awards for his generosity, including the Medal of the Order of Australia. “It becomes quite humbling when they say, ‘oh you’ve done this or you’ve done that or you’re a hero,’“ he said.

Single Talent

James Harrison Story
  abcnews.go.com

“It’s something I can do. It’s one of my talents, probably my only talent, is that I can be a blood donor.” Funnily enough, he’s not even all that great of a donor when it comes to actually sticking the needle in and extracting the blood.

I Hate Needles

James Harrison Story
  www.cnn.com

For all of the times he’s donated blood, James absolutely hates needles. “Never once have I watched the needle go in my arm,” he said. “I look at the ceiling or the nurses, maybe talk to them a bit, but never once have I watched the needle go in my arm. I can’t stand the sight of blood, and I can’t stand pain.”

Passing the Torch

James Harrison Story
  www.goodnet.org

But now that James is past the age where he can give blood, scientists are going to need new donors with the same rare antibodies that are found in his body if they are going to continue to produce Anti-D.

Others Step In

James Harrison Story
  www.northerndailyleader.com.au

Thankfully, there are others stepping up to the plate to give in James’ wake. In Australia, a country with a population of about 24 million, approximately 200 donors have been found in the past few years that have the rare antibody necessary in their blood.

Giving Feels Good

James Harrison Story
  www.redcross.org

If you would like to give blood and help save lives, you can do so through donations to the Red Cross, which operates in 190 countries around the world. You can find out how at redcross.org. If giving blood is not your thing, there are countless other ways you can help your community and they’re all worth it, no matter how small.

Australian Man Saves Millions of Lives With Extraordinary Inner Gift is an article from: LifeDaily

Scientists Find 100-Percent Success Rate In Rats With New Cancer Treatment

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Melanoma Vaccine Story

Cancer is an insidious disease that does not discriminate. Whether it be a first-hand experience or watching a loved one fight for their life, almost everyone has been affected by cancer in some way.

At some point, everyone who has been affected by cancer has wished for a miraculous cure that would wipe out cancer cells. Now, scientists are closer than ever to making that wish a reality after making a slight adjustment to an experimental skin cancer treatment.

Scary Stats

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  Shutterstock

In 2018 alone, it’s estimated that there will be more than 1,700,000 new cases of cancer diagnosed throughout the United States. Tragically, many patients fighting cancer will eventually lose their battle. According to the National Cancer Institute, more than 600,000 will die from the disease in 2018.

The Most Common Diagnosis

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  Shutterstock

Based on statistics from the institute, the most common cancers in the United States are breast cancer, lung and bronchus cancer, prostate cancer, colon and rectum cancer, melanoma of the skin, bladder cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, kidney and renal pelvis cancer, endometrial cancer, and leukemia. All of the more than 100 different types of cancer comes with its own prognosis and survival rate.

A Difficult Battle

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  Shutterstock

Regardless of the diagnosis, however, one thing is certain: those who have been given a cancer diagnosis will have to fight to stay alive. For some, that means undergoing painful and invasive surgeries. For others, it means pumping poison into their bodies with the hope that the cancer cells die before they do.

A Growing Problem

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  ccr.cancer.gov

Sadly, cancer isn’t a problem that scientists expect to get better on its own. As time goes on, scientists actually expect cancer rates to continue to increase. According to experts at the National Cancer Institute, approximately 38.4 percent of men and women in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives.

A Worldwide Epidemic

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  Shutterstock

Not only are cancer rates increasing in the United States, but people around the world are also seeing an increase in rates. Throughout the world, cancer is one of the leading causes of death. By 2030, experts expect the number of new cancer cases will rise to 23.6 million per year.

Waiting For a Cure

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  Shutterstock

As a result, scientists have dedicated their entire careers to finding a cure for cancer. As technology has advanced, scientists have been able to create new and more effective treatment options. However, people are still waiting for a miraculous cure to wipe cancer out completely.

One Step Closer

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  Shutterstock

Despite the incredible challenge of finding a cure for cancer, scientists are still working as hard as possible to crack the disease once and for all. Lately, a team of scientists in the United States has gotten one step closer to making that dream a reality.

Strengthening the Immune Response

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  Shutterstock

When cancer cells spread throughout the body, scientists have found that T cells, the cells in the immune system that fight cancer cells, are inhibited. So in recent years, scientists have been working on immunotherapies and vaccines to battle cancer.

An Intense Reaction

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  Shutterstock

Their aim has been to use cancer vaccines to cause the body’s immune system to target and fight tumors. Normally, those vaccines are paired with adjuvants, which are molecules that cause the immune system to have a more intense reaction to a specific antigen. As a result, the adjuvants make the vaccine more efficient at combating cancer cells in and out of a tumor.

Toxic Substances

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  Shutterstock

In the past, scientists have used a few different adjuvants during preclinical trials with varying degrees of success. However, they aren’t viable options for fighting cancer in humans. Not only are the adjuvants difficult for scientists to synthesize, but they can be toxic themselves.

Looking For an Alternative

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  www.utexas.edu

A team of researchers from the University of Texas and The Scripps Research Institute started working on finding an alternative adjuvant that would not only be effective at killing cancerous tumors but would be safe for people. To begin, the team screened 100,000 synthetic compounds that could possibly serve as the adjuvant.

The Perfect Fit

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  www.kpbs.org

After screening the library for potential compounds, the team found a chemical called Diprovocim. The chemical seemed to be an ideal fit since it is able to bind to the same immune receptors as other adjuvants used. But that wasn’t the only thing that made Diprovocim promising.

Testing It

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  Shutterstock

According to the team of scientists, Diprovocim is safe, easy to produce in a lab, and easy to modify. After identifying the chemical, the team decided to test it in mice suffering from an aggressive form of skin cancer. The results of that test left the entire team stunned.

The Experiment Begins

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  Shutterstock

During the test, researchers gave all of the mice suffering from the aggressive form of melanoma the anti-cancer therapy known as anti-PD-L1. After that, the mice were split into three different groups. One of those groups was given nothing but the anti-cancer vaccine.

The Experimental Groups

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  Shutterstock

The second group was given the vaccine along with Diprovocim, which they hoped would stimulate the immune system. Lastly, the third group was given the vaccine and compound called alum. Alum is another adjuvant derived from aluminum that also stimulates the immune system.

54 Days Later

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  Shutterstock

Each mouse was given a second shot seven days after the first injection. After 54 days, the first group, which had been given just the anti-cancer vaccine, had all died. The group that had been given alum in addition to the vaccine had a 25 percent survival rate. Incredibly, the group that had been given Diprovocim had a 100 percent survival rate.

A Curative Response

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  www.scripps.edu

“This co-therapy produced a complete response—a curative response—in the treatment of melanoma,” said Scripps Research Professor Dale Boger in a statement. Boger co-led the study with Bruce Beutler, MD, of UT Southwestern. “It was exciting to see the vaccine working simultaneously with a cancer immunotherapy like anti-PD-L1,” Boger added.

An Added Bonus

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  www.scripps.edu

Not only was Diprovocim completely successful at killing melanoma cells, but further tests proved the compound was even more effective than the team had hoped. When scientists tried to re-establish the tumor in the mice, their bodies fought it off again. “It wouldn’t take,” Boger explained. “The animal is already vaccinated against it.”

Preventing Relapses

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  www.nbcsandiego.com

Essentially, if the cancer were to return in the future, the immune system would immediately know what to do. Before a tumor could even start growing, the immune systems would attack the cancerous cells.” Just as a vaccine can train the body to fight off external pathogens, this vaccine trains the immune system to go after the tumour.”

The Next Steps

Melanoma Vaccine Story
  Wikipedia

Now, the team is hoping to do more pre-clinical tests to see if its effective at destroying other types of cancers. They also need to figure out if the treatment works alongside other forms of therapy. After that, the treatment would need to be tested for its effectiveness in humans.

Scientists Find 100-Percent Success Rate In Rats With New Cancer Treatment is an article from: LifeDaily

Video Series Highlights Miracle Medical Treatment Known as MIIP

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Dr. Gregg Alzate Story

In the Age of Information, businesses and organizations are finding new ways to spread their message to consumers. The Internet allows for more than just printed news to alert the masses of breakthroughs in technology, medicine, politics etc.

When a few interventional radiologists had a breakthrough in new, non-surgical technology to treat some of humanity’s worst diseases and conditions, they decided to make a video series to spread the message.

A Human Condition

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  Shutterstock

The scene is set in a hospital room. Margarita sits in a hospital bed, her leg raised, her blackened, gangrene toes exposed. Margarita’s daughter sits next to her, holding her hand and trying to calm both of them down. They aren’t stupid, they know the doctor is about to suggest amputation.

Blocked Vessels

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  www.ihamedya.com

Dr. Gregg Alzate is the interventional radiologist assigned to treat Margarita’s blocked blood vessels; the reason for her gangrene. The television show that depicts them both is about to display how Dr. Alzate treats her illness without any sort of invasive surgery and without any amputation.

Without a Scalpel

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  www.vimeo.com

The program we’re describing is called “Without a Scalpel”, a documentary series about several patients undergoing minimally invasive, image-guided procedures otherwise known as MIIPs. It’s also about the interventional radiologists who treat those desperate patients.

Avoiding Amputation

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  Shutterstock

Cases of gangrene almost always end in amputation, if only to halt the spread of deadly infection to other, more delicate body tissues and organs. In Margarita’s case, Dr. Alzate is using an angioplasty catheter to perform this particular brand of MIIP. If his efforts are successful, he will be able to unblock the vessels and save Margarita from a painful, life-altering amputation.

Offering Explanations

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  Shutterstock

Trying to explain interventional radiology is no easy task, which is why co-creators Susan Jackson and Isabel Newton have endeavored to do so through video. Susan is a former interventional technologist with an MBA and marketing background, and Isabel is an interventional radiologist.

Education Tools

  www.nationaldaycalendar.com

The organization that Newton and Jackson have started is called the Interventional Initiative. Its goal is to draw attention to the amazing advantages of MIIPs through engaging user-friendly education tools. Their website, videos, and podcasts of personal stories like Margarita’s are just the beginning. They also intend to take advantage of the amazing power of social media by using things like Facebook and Twitter.

Microcosms of Anatomy

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  www.theii.org

Jackson and Susan explain it quite poetically, in fact. “Traveling through the blood vessels like highways, they (interventional radiologists) penetrate the microcosmos of human anatomy, offering big solutions without big incisions, expanding the realm of the possible, giving hope where there was none.”

Layman’s Terms

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  www.charlotteradiology.com

In layman’s terms, a more basic explanation might be that interventional radiologists use medical images such as X-rays to see inside the body. These specialized doctors can treat major maladies through a pinhole and see what’s going on inside via modern imaging techniques.

Many Maladies

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  Shutterstock

Using this remarkable new technology, the specialists can treat diseases and conditions that affect the brain, lung, chest, liver, gallbladder, stomach, intestines, kidneys, back, bones, legs, and reproductive system. They can treat fibroids in women, enlarged prostate in men, and infertility in both.

Noninvasive

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  Shutterstock

Jackson added that there are many advantages to MIIPs, the majority of them involve the noninvasive nature of the treatments. “These procedures often offer lower complication rates and a shorter recovery time. They get people back to their normal lives quicker.” Her co-creator added that people leave with merely a Band-Aid.

Small Miracles

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  Shutterstock

“You can cure cancer in an hour or less and take somebody who is completely incapacitated and make them walk again,” Newton explained to Radiology Today. “It is nothing short of small miracles.” She is right of course, the ability to treat something as severe as gangrene or cancer without the added trauma of surgery is truly an amazing thing, even today.

Triumph

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  radiology.ucsf.edu

At the end of the first episode, we see a large auditorium full of cheering people and Margarita is standing among them. She is well enough to attend the ceremony, which is one of great importance to her and her family, because on that day, she became an American citizen.

Out of Business

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  www.dicardiology.com

Seeing stories like Margarita’s displayed for the whole world to see is undoubtedly going to make surgeons nervous. Indeed, many surgeons are already worried that skilled and noninvasive MIIPs may put them out of business. As remarkable as this new technology is, however, it’s not about put an end to conventional surgery anytime soon.

A Toolbox

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  Shutterstock

Dr. Newton likened surgery and MIIPs to a toolbox. “Everything can’t be solved with one tool; you can only treat people by having the full complement of tools in your toolbox,” she says. Jackson added that minimally invasive procedures may sometimes act as a complement to surgery or vice versa. “It’s not an either/or kind of thing,” she says.

Connecting with the Public

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  Shutterstock

The video series showcases compelling, human stories of suffering and survival to members of the public. Newton explains it as people connecting with these stories in a palpable way. Margarita’s tale is particularly poignant, especially for the 29.1 million people with diabetes in the U.S., many of whom worry about blood flow problems and possible amputation.

Many Episodes

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  www.imdb.com

The episodes are as follows, Episode 1: Bloodless. It focuses on the stories of three women who suffer from blocked blood vessels. The second episode, entitled The Cancer Snipers, features cancer patients who have undergone MIIPs to great effect. The third focuses on conditions that affect women’s health and features procedures like uterine fibroid embolization.

A Face to the Industry

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  www.imdb.com

Until now, interventional radiologists have been working in the shadows, trying their best to save lives. Without a Scalpel is attempting to change that by bringing them into the public eye. It’s also attempting to inform patients about the options available to them. As self-serving as this may seem on the part of the co-creators, it is purely altruistic.

The Best Choices

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  www.imdb.com

It’s true that better recognition will invariably bring more business towards interventional radiologists, but that was never the point. “We do this as a nonprofit,” explain Jackson and Newton. “It is entirely a public service-type mission because patients actually do worse when they don’t understand their options.”

Great Feedback

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  Shutterstock

Newton, who also serves as program director for the research residency, conducts lectures at medical schools about MIIPs as well. Thanks to her erudition on the subject and the documentaries, medical students are leaving school with a much better understanding of the new technology available in patient care.

A Medical Mystery

Dr. Gregg Alzate Story
  www.vet.upenn.edu

Before they began their campaign of information, many people, patients, and physicians alike, didn’t really know about MIIPs as treatment options. Hospital executives were similarly clueless. Thanks to their efforts, Newton and Jackson’s message has been positively received. More people are aware of the alternative treatments available to them, and that’s what matters.

Video Series Highlights Miracle Medical Treatment Known as MIIP is an article from: LifeDaily

Drug Addict Finds Mysterious Miracle Cure South of The Border

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Dustin Dextraze Story

In the U.S., some medical professionals believe that recovering addicts have the highest chance of overcoming an addiction if they stay consistent with treatment and have supportive people around them.

Despite this, many addicts are choosing psychedelic treatment in Mexico as opposed to high-quality treatment centers in the U.S. The man in the following story was so desperate to overcome his opioid addiction that he traveled to Mexico to see what all the fuss was about.

Addicted to Painkillers

Dustin Dextraze Story
  Shutterstock

After three years of taking prescription painkillers recreationally, Dustin Dextraze finally came to a breaking point. At 36, he had been living with his parents, while every day focusing on panhandling to get money to buy drugs. He told Wbur (Boston’s NPR News Station) that he did this to avoid being sick from withdrawing from opioid use. But as he walked the streets of Dover, New Hampshire, Dextraze felt so sick that he could barely focus.

Panhandling For Drugs

Dustin Dextraze Story
  Shutterstock

“I’m gonna be alright. I have to be until I go find someone to find something for me,” he says while chain-smoking cigarettes, and stopping strangers to ask for money or drugs. Despite the fact that he roamed the streets nearly every day, Dextraze said he hated panhandling to get drugs. For years he told himself he would quit and he even went to several rehabs, taken addiction medications, and attended support groups, but nothing worked.

Controversial Drug

Dustin Dextraze Story
  Shutterstock

Dextraze’s drug use even landed himself in the hospital with hepatitis C, and he went to jail for possession. “The day I got out of jail I used,” Dextraze said. “It’s just a constant cycle, and it becomes such a vicious cycle, you can’t get out of it.” Feeling like he had to break this vicious cycle, he researched an alternative psychedelic treatment called ibogaine.

What is Ibogaine?

Dustin Dextraze Story
  www.psychedelictimes.com

Ibogaine is a substance from the iboga plant that’s commonly found in Africa and it’s believed to be used in coming-of-age ceremonies by the Bwiti region. For years, people have reported it eliminates withdrawal symptoms and cravings associated with various drugs. The only problem is, the treatment isn’t available in the U.S. “I’ve tried everything they’ve offered me to try, and this is the last thing that I know of,” Dextraze said. “My whole life is riding on this ibogaine.”

Studies

Dustin Dextraze Story
  ibogaine.mindvox.com

But, according to Dr. Kenneth Alper, an associate professor of psychiatry and neurology at NYU, ibogaine was declared a Schedule 1 drug in the U.S. because of its psychoactive effects. The World Health Assembly classified ibogaine as a “substance likely to cause dependency or endanger human health.” At one point in the 1990s, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved testing it, but it was never completed because of health risks. One of Alper’s studies found that 19 people died after using ibogaine between 1990 and 2008.

Testing The Drug’s Safety

Dustin Dextraze Story
  Martin H / YouTube

Because of this, many researchers are reluctant to do more research on the drug. But Dr. Martin Polanco, the founder of an addiction treatment center in northern Mexico, has studied ibogaine and he says the drug is safe if properly administered. Still, Polanco warns people that they should research their provider, saying “the quality of treatment and medical oversight can vary from one clinic to another.”

Hitting Rock Bottom

Dustin Dextraze Story
  www.wbur.org

Feeling like he had nothing left to lose, Dextraze searched for a reputable provider through someone he knew from Massachusetts, who works at a clinic in Mexico. Dextraze’s friends even offered to pay $5,000 for one week of treatment and his mother agreed to purchase his plane ticket. Dextraze wasn’t scared by any potential health risks since his drug use has already put him in a dangerous place.

Scheduling The Treatment

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“I was ready to die anyways,” Dextraze said. “So I’d rather take this chance and be able to live a normal life than not take this chance and die a horrible death on dope.” But before arriving at the clinic in Mexico, he landed in San Diego and immediately left to look for drugs. Dextraze went missing for a few days but he finally got in touch with the clinic.

Medical Tests

Dustin Dextraze Story
  www.wbur.org

For the first few days at the Experience Ibogaine Treatment Center in Mexico, Dextraze went through medical tests of his heart and liver and took short-acting opioids so he didn’t get sick. He then rested and did light exercise while learning about what to expect from the treatment. The clinic is two homes next door to each other so that clinic owners rent their property in a gated residential community.

The Clinic

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The homes are private with one perched on a hill south of Tijuana and another with treatment rooms and staff offices. On the grounds are a sauna, hot tub, hammocks, a chef preparing meals, and staffers who oversee the patients. Once Dextraze was medically cleared, he would be given ibogaine at night. “I was a little nervous, but I’m just going to remind myself that this is in my head and none of it’s real — nothing can hurt me,” Dextraze said.

Preparing For Treatment

Dustin Dextraze Story
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The next day, Dextraze fasted after breakfast and two nurses, a doctor, and Aeden Smith-Ahearn, the treatment coordinator, monitored him. “It’s absolutely crucial to have medical staff here because it is a dangerous substance,” Smith-Ahearn said. “It’s cardiotoxic.” Smith-Ahearn came to Mexico to get ibogaine treatment for his own addiction to opioids and he’s been an ibogaine enthusiast ever since. Out of the 1,000 people he’s treated in the past five years, more than 95 percent came from the U.S. The clinic says that it gets the ibogaine from a lab it trusts in Africa.

Spiritual Experience

Dustin Dextraze Story
  www.wbur.org

Dr. Paul Castillo administered the ibogaine to Dextraze, giving him a capsule containing a small “test dose” to make sure he didn’t have an adverse reaction. Then, after about an hour, he administered the full dose. Castillo believes the treatment is partially spiritual, so he and the nurses dim the lights, speak softly, and put on soft flute music. Smith-Ahearn even burns sage in the treatment rooms for cleansing.

The Day of Treatment

Dustin Dextraze Story
  www.wbur.org

For the next 10 hours, Dextraze laid in the dark room with medical staff staying with him for most of the night. The following morning, he described feeling as if his body was vibrating and he also saw visions, like someone was showing him photos of the negative things he has done. “I saw my kids when I left them,” Dextraze said, “and I knew that they were sad and afraid that I wasn’t coming back.” After the treatment, for the first time in three years, Dextraze said he didn’t have any withdrawal symptoms.

Resetting The Brain

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While it’s not exactly clear how ibogaine eliminates withdrawal, most studies say that it affects the brain’s receptors in a way that resets them back to their pre-addictive state. Dr. Alan Davis, a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University says that many of those who reported success from ibogaine attributed it to the psychedelic experience. He believes that they benefit just as much from the psychedelic trip as they do from the removal of the physical withdrawal symptoms.

Positive Experience

Dustin Dextraze Story
  www.wbur.org

Dextraze’s treatment of ibogaine was considered somewhat minimal so three days after taking it, the clinic gave him 5 MEO-DMT. He inhaled it from a glass pipe and started “intensely tripping.” After being coherent again, Dextraze described the experience as one of the most positive, intense things he’s ever been through. But the question remains, will ibogaine work in the long term?

Long-Term Success Rate

Dustin Dextraze Story
  www.wbur.org

The long-term success rate of ibogaine is not known but clinics believe that the key to success for patients is ongoing support, even after they leave the clinic. Davis says, “Largely absent [in his ibogaine study] was any follow-up aftercare. So people who return home may not have the support they need to continue making changes in their lives.” Since finishing his treatment, Dextraze now needs to start with counseling and join support groups while looking into how long it will take to get into inpatient treatment.

Maintaining it’s a Miracle

Dustin Dextraze Story
  www.wbur.org

But a few days after returning to his mother’s home, Dextraze maintains that ibogaine is a miracle. “Not just 100 percent — I’m 110 percent. Like I am totally OK with myself. I’m not trying to escape life anymore. I’ve never felt this way in my whole entire life,” Dextraze says. “It’s not just [that] it gets you off the heroin, it’s like, it hits the reset button — that’s the only way to really explain it. It’s like a new brain.” Dextraze is reuniting with his children, he got a part-time job and he’s going to counseling and attending support meetings. “I think now it’s to help other people — that’s why I’m going to the meetings,” he says. “And by helping them, I’m helping myself, because we are all one.”

Constant Support

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Still, his mother worries about the long-term effects of the drug. She hopes her son will stay sober but only time will tell. Several studies show that ibogaine remains in the body for weeks and people appear to be refraining from drugs at first. “My best representative guess would be that it’s usually in the range of about one to three months of diminished drug use,” Alper says. “People need to use this opportunity to restructure their lives.”

A Totally Different Experience

Dustin Dextraze Story
  www.collective-evolution.com

There was a problem with ibogaine for Kathleen Cochran’s daughter who went to Mexico for treatment three years ago. “I understand that it works for some people, but it ended up not working for my daughter,” Cochran says. She says the psychoactive experience caused her daughter to have visions of unresolved childhood trauma, and there was no support to help deal with it. Thankfully, her 27-year-old daughter is now stable on methadone.

Not A Magic Pill

Dustin Dextraze Story
  www.verp.ca

Harvard Medical School professor, Dr. Bertha Madras, says she understands that the opioid epidemic has made many people feel desperate, but there is already treatment in this country that’s backed by strong scientific research. “People think there is going to be a magic pill that’s going to erase addiction, and that’s just not reality,” Madras says. “What they should not be desperate for is a quick fix. High-quality treatment centers do exist in this country, and that’s where they should be flocking to, as opposed to places that have undocumented data and anecdotal evidence. I just think it’s fraught with hazard.”

Drug Addict Finds Mysterious Miracle Cure South of The Border is an article from: LifeDaily

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