I am an Officer, be prepared to get killed

1) North Charleston 

Linky

A white South Carolina police officer has been charged with murder after a black man who appeared to be fleeing from him was shot dead. State investigators arrested North Charleston police officer Michael Slager on Tuesday after viewing a video of the shooting. Authorities say the victim, Walter Lamer Scott, was shot after the officer already targeted him with a stun gun.

... 

A video of the incident published by the New York Times shows a brief scuffle before Scott begins running away. The video then shows the officer firing several shots at Scott, who falls to the ground.

The Post and Courier newspaper of Charleston reported that Scott had been arrested about 10 times, mostly for failing to pay child support or show up for court hearing. Scott's brother, Anthony, told the Post and Courier that he believed his brother fled from Mr Slager because he owed child support. Victim's brother Anthony Scott: "If there wasn't a video would we know the truth? We do know the truth now." 

Free speech

1) University of Michigan screening American Sniper 

Linky

The University of Michigan’s Center for Campus Involvement canceled a planned showing of the movie American Sniper after student complaints about how the film depicts Middle Eastern people, The Michigan Daily, reports. A petition started by a student, Lamees Mekkaoui, garnered the signatures of roughly 200 other students and resulted in this Friday’s cancellation. 

“Although we respect the right to freedom of speech, we believe that with this right comes responsibility: responsibility of action, intention, and outcome,” the letter reads, in part. “The movie American Sniper not only tolerates but promotes anti-Muslim … rhetoric and sympathizes with a mass killer.”

Affirmative action

1) Admitted while black

Linky

Kaling's brother, Vijay Chokal-Ingam, who is an American-Indian man, pretended to be a black man to facilitate getting accepted into med school 15 years ago. ... On his blog, Chokal-Ingam, 38, says that his modest 3.1 GPA didn't seem like it would cut it to get him accepted into a top tier medical school, so he adopted his middle name — Jojo — and gave himself a mini-makeover. "So, I shaved my head, trimmed my long Indian eyelashes, and applied to medical school as a black man," he writes. "My change in appearance was so startling that my own fraternity brothers didn't recognize me at first." 

Chokal-Ingam was accepted into some top medical schools, and he even enrolled in St. Louis University, before ultimately dropping out after two years. "Lucky for you, I never became a doctor," he wrote on his website. He did, however, earn his MBA at UCLA. Perhaps his conscience caught up to him, as he was accepted as an Indian man there. 

On his Facebook page, Vijay has been posting about how his scam awoke him to the realities of affirmative action and racism, calling it a "stomach churning eye opener." But he seems set on letting people know that he did not do anything bad. "For the record, I never lied about anything in my application to medical school except my race," he writes. 

My own rules

1) Cricket association 

Linky

South East defeated USA Development XI in the final of the 2014 USACA T20 Championship by four runs in controversial circumstances after being awarded five penalty runs. According to the live update feed on USACA's official Facebook page, USA Development XI won the game taking the winning single off the final delivery of the match, but about 40 minutes later it replaced that announcement with: "UPDATE: The USA Development team was penalized 5 runs for a batsman obstructing the fielder. The 2015 USACA National T20 Champion is the South East Region!"   

At around 6 am on Monday, about 11 hours after the final ended, USACA's Facebook page was edited to delete the reference to "obstructing the fielder", and was replaced with an explanation that the penalty runs were awarded for "a running-on-the-pitch infraction". 

... This is not the first instance in which South East has won a USACA tournament match in strange circumstances due to being awarded penalty runs. At the 2009 USACA Eastern Conference tournament in Washington, DC, South East needed 200 to beat a USACA Directors XI team, and lost their last recognised batsman for 50, at the team score of 198 for 8. A few moments later, all players began walking off the field, and it was later announced that South East had been awarded five penalty runs by the umpires after one of them claimed that the USACA Directors XI wicketkeeper Carl Monroe "used obscene language". Monroe's coach claimed Monroe was cursing himself for a missed stumping earlier against the same batsman.

2) In my flight, my rules even if you have the ticket

Linky

All Elizabeth Sedway wanted was to leave paradise and head home. But she couldn't. Why? Because, according to her, she has cancer. 

That's what she said in a video posted to Facebook that shows her group packing up from their Alaska Airlines plane as it sat at the gate in Hawaii. 

"Your taking me off the airplane because I don't have a doctor's note saying I can fly," a woman is heard saying. "All these people are waiting, and I'm being removed as if I'm a criminal or contagious, because I have cancer and no note to fly." 

Ft. Penitentiary

1) Girls in prison 

Linky

The photos show girls wasting the day in their bunks, staring at the wall. Some struggle with mental illness. The girls obscure their faces or are turned away from the camera. That works to protect their identities, but it also evokes shame. Ross seems to be saying the shame isn't the girls' -- it's ours as a society for jailing children.  

Ross recalled one particularly agonizing interview with a girl who kept telling him, "I can't wait to get out of here so I can kill myself." "She was just a kid, but she was at that place where you have no hope," he said. "I feel all these stories, but that one just hit me hard. I was sobbing. You want to say, 'It will get better,' but you also know the system and you know that you can't say that." 

But times were different then, he said, and there's been a cultural turn in America toward criminalizing a child's bad behavior. He recalls a detention-center director in Reno, Nevada, who asked him to visit and take photos. At intake, he photographed a fifth-grader who had been taken to jail because he had acted up in class.

The American war on wars

1) Fallujah, Iraq

Linky

Dramatic increases in infant mortality, cancer and leukaemia in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, which was bombarded by US Marines in 2004, exceed those reported by survivors of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, according to a new study. Iraqi doctors in Fallujah have complained since 2005 of being overwhelmed by the number of babies with serious birth defects, ranging from a girl born with two heads to paralysis of the lower limbs. They said they were also seeing far more cancers than they did before the battle for Fallujah between US troops and insurgents. 

In the assault US commanders largely treated Fallujah as a free-fire zone to try to reduce casualties among their own troops. British officers were appalled by the lack of concern for civilian casualties. "During preparatory operations in the November 2004 Fallujah clearance operation, on one night over 40 155mm artillery rounds were fired into a small sector of the city," recalled Brigadier Nigel Aylwin-Foster, a British commander serving with the American forces in Baghdad. He added that the US commander who ordered this devastating use of firepower did not consider it significant enough to mention it in his daily report to the US general in command. Dr Busby says that while he cannot identify the type of armaments used by the Marines, the extent of genetic damage suffered by inhabitants suggests the use of uranium in some form. He said: "My guess is that they used a new weapon against buildings to break through walls and kill those inside." 

The study, entitled "Cancer, Infant Mortality and Birth Sex-Ratio in Fallujah, Iraq 2005-2009", is by Dr Busby, Malak Hamdan and Entesar Ariabi, and concludes that anecdotal evidence of a sharp rise in cancer and congenital birth defects is correct. Infant mortality was found to be 80 per 1,000 births compared to 19 in Egypt, 17 in Jordan and 9.7 in Kuwait. The report says that the types of cancer are "similar to that in the Hiroshima survivors who were exposed to ionising radiation from the bomb and uranium in the fallout". 

Of particular significance was the finding that the sex ratio between newborn boys and girls had changed. In a normal population this is 1,050 boys born to 1,000 girls, but for those born from 2005 there was an 18 per cent drop in male births, so the ratio was 850 males to 1,000 females. The sex-ratio is an indicator of genetic damage that affects boys more than girls. A similar change in the sex-ratio was discovered after Hiroshima. 

John Racist

1) Hidden racism

Linky

America may be growing less hateful. That's according to an annual Southern Poverty Law Center report that says the number of hate groups in the United States remains on the decline for the second year in a row. In the "Intelligence Report" released Tuesday, the SPLC says the number of hate groups operating in the U.S. declined 17% between 2013 and 2014. They are now at their lowest levels since 2005, the watchdog organization said.

One of the oldest and most infamous hate groups in the United States, the KKK took its foothold after the Civil War, terrorizing the African-American population with intimidation and violent actions, including lynching. The Klan's growth slowed after the establishment of Jim Crow laws in the American South, according to the SPLC. The KKK's last resurgence came during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The group was again responsible for large-scale terror against the South's African-American population. In 1990, the SPLC started to keep track of the number of KKK chapters, which reached a high of 221 in 2010, in response to President Barack Obama's election, according to the report. Since then, the numbers have been on the decline. The SPLC now reports 72 chapters, down from 163 a year ago.

The reason for the decline of the Ku Klux Klan is not totally clear, though the report even suggests the groups may be going deeper underground. "It appears that most of the groups simply faded as their leaders and members got older, but it is also very possible that many simply stopped announcing where their chapters were," the report said. The center estimates that between 5,000 and 8,000 people are Klan members in the United States. The SPLC report also notes that more people may be operating as so-called lone wolves. Lone wolves are a concern, the report said, because 90% of all domestic terror attacks since 2009 were carried out by individuals or pairs.

The overall number of hate groups peaked in 2011 and has been on the decline since. However, the number of registered users to Stormfront -- a website claiming to be "the voice of the new, embattled White minority!" -- has doubled since 2008. It now has nearly 300,000 users. 

The SPLC refers to this and other indicators to say that many individuals may be moving from organized groups to the Internet, to become more anonymous. Looking towards next year, SPLC is "expecting a real wave of Islamophobia" because of the proliferation of ISIS and the heavy media coverage of the extremist group, Potok told reporters. 

2)  Burn the Quran pastor 

Linky 

With pressure building on potential nominees for the 2016 U.S. presidential election to declare their candidacy, a surprise entrant who added colour to the race this week was controversial Florida pastor Terry Jones.

Jones who is avowedly “anti-Obama,” and described as a “fringe front-runner” in the race, made headlines in 2010 when he declared his intention to burn the Koran on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, causing deep consternation in the U.S. administration, which feared a violent backlash.

When Jones announced his plans to hold an “International Burn a Koran Day,” he faced major pressure from world leaders and U.S. President Barack Obama to call off the event.

St. Monopoly

1) Secret monopolies you did nt know

Linky

Remember back when you watched The Matrix for the first time and ran down to the store to buy sunglasses and a trench coat? There were so many sunglass brands to choose from: Oakley, Ray-Ban, Revo, Vogue, DKNY, and if you must have only the best, $500 designer glasses from Prada and BVLGARI (which has that V-instead-of-a-U thing, so you know it's classy like ancient Rome). The thing is, all of those are made by one manufacturer -- Luxottica. 

... 

Whoever controls the corn controls ... maybe not the universe, but a lot of money. And the king of American corn is Monsanto, a biotech company. Unlike evil movie biotech companies -- with their dubious business models of inventing mutants or viruses that kill everyone -- Monsanto built their empire on a pretty boring one two punch: weed killer and seeds. The weed killer, Roundup, is the biggest selling herbicide in the world. The seeds are genetically engineered corn seeds that are immune to Roundup. If you want to grow corn and kill weeds that hurt the corn, Monsanto has the best product on the market by a mile. That's why 80 percent of all corn planted in the U.S. goes into the ground with Monsanto's trademark on it. But plants will be plants, and make more seeds, so the farmers don't have to keep buying Monsanto seeds year after year, right? Don't be silly. Monsanto's not going to let their money run away like that. Their first plan was to incorporate something called a "Terminator" (otherwise known as the "let's just stop pretending we're not evil") gene that automatically sterilizes the plant so it can't make any more seeds. Then farmers have to buy new seeds every time they plant, just like nature intended. People objected to this quite a bit for some reason, forcing Monsanto to back down and instead just make farmers sign a contract saying that they won't use the seeds the plants make ... or else. So instead of screwing farmers with a terminator gene, they're just asking the farmers to agree to screw themselves. 

Religio-gogues

1) Rich pastors

Linky

Creflo Dollar is hoping a few folks will see fit to bless him.  

The minister, known for being a prosperity preacher at his Atlanta-area World Changers Church International, is seeking "200,000 people committed to sow $300 or more (to) help achieve our goal to purchase the G650 airplane." 

The figures were presented Friday in a nearly six-minute video on the Creflo Dollar Ministries website and total more than $60 million needed to buy the Gulfstream G650, which goes for a reported $65 million. 

The page featuring the video and information on the fundraiser has been taken down, but those wishing to donate are still able to do so on the church's gift page. 

... Prosperity gospel is a theology that promises wealth and health to those who tithe 10% of their income to the church. 

...In soliciting the donations, Dollar's site states, "We need your help to continue reaching a lost and dying world for the Lord Jesus Christ. Your love gift of any amount will be greatly appreciated." 

2)  Burn the Quran pastor

Linky

With pressure building on potential nominees for the 2016 U.S. presidential election to declare their candidacy, a surprise entrant who added colour to the race this week was controversial Florida pastor Terry Jones.

Jones who is avowedly “anti-Obama,” and described as a “fringe front-runner” in the race, made headlines in 2010 when he declared his intention to burn the Koran on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, causing deep consternation in the U.S. administration, which feared a violent backlash.

When Jones announced his plans to hold an “International Burn a Koran Day,” he faced major pressure from world leaders and U.S. President Barack Obama to call off the event.

Of the rich, by the rich, for the rich

1) Rich politicians 

Linky

There seem to be two prerequisites for the modern U.S. presidency. 

1. Being fabulously rich.  
2. Successfully pretending you're not.

 ...

Crowdpac estimates Hillary Clinton's net worth to be $21.5 million (more if you include Bill). Jeb Bush's: $10 million. Even Elizabeth Warren, enemy of Wall Street, champion of populist financial-sector reform, is estimated to be worth $3.7 million to $10 million, according to CNN Money. Of the 26 potential candidates identified by Crowdpac, only four -- Joe Biden, Marco Rubio, Bernie Sanders and Mike Pence -- are estimated to be worth less than $1 million.

With a net worth of $150,000, Mike Pence, governor of Indiana, is perhaps the middle-classiest of the bunch. But don't worry, his campaign would have backing from the billionaire Koch brothers and Steve Forbes, according to The Washington Post. He's also little-known and has basically no chance of winning the increasingly claustrophobic Republican primary. 

... 

These folks may want to represent an America where median wealth is only $44,900. Meanwhile, the national median income is about $54,000 per year, and one in five children lives below the federal poverty line, which is about $24,000 annually for a family of four. The gap between rich and poor in the United States has been growing since the 1970s -- and it's wider than in almost any other industrialized country. (Iran and Nigeria are better.) 

None of these would-be candidates can claim to represent that America. None comes close.

 2)  Burn the Quran pastor 

Linky 

With pressure building on potential nominees for the 2016 U.S. presidential election to declare their candidacy, a surprise entrant who added colour to the race this week was controversial Florida pastor Terry Jones.

Jones who is avowedly “anti-Obama,” and described as a “fringe front-runner” in the race, made headlines in 2010 when he declared his intention to burn the Koran on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, causing deep consternation in the U.S. administration, which feared a violent backlash.

When Jones announced his plans to hold an “International Burn a Koran Day,” he faced major pressure from world leaders and U.S. President Barack Obama to call off the event.

Shut your eyes, dammit

1) Being a lesbian in the Air Force

Linky

When I entered college and started travelling the world, I learned more about who I was (Democrat, lesbian, etc.), and the less the military appealed to me. I also worked in President Barack Obama’s office when he was senator of Illinois, and I was working on veteran affairs. This also taught me much more than one could ever know about the military as an institution — how it treats veterans, what its policies are on mental health, how much discrimination minorities face, etc. But once you sign the contract, you’re stuck. 

As with all discrimination in the U.S., things aren’t apparent on the surface, but when you dig just a little deeper, it’s crazy what comes out. When my story was being covered in the local papers, people would post online comments all the time saying “go back to your country”, “good riddance”, etc. 

The strange thing about the policy was that it really was “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. You’re allowed to be in the military if you are queer, but you are not supposed to ‘engage in homosexual conduct’. If you are lesbian/ gay/ bisexual/, nobody is supposed to ask and nobody should tell. And I have to say, I think this ‘hiding’ is much more psychologically damaging to people than it would be to have a ‘no queers allowed’ policy. It is difficult for young people, of course, but the older you get and the higher you move up in the ranks, the more you have to lose... most people spend their careers hiding, sometimes being hunted down (at gay bars and other places) and then get kicked out. Then, there was me, screaming at my commander, “Hello, I am lesbian!” and they wouldn’t kick me out. Eventually, when I married, I became the first person in the history of the military to have been married to a person of the same sex and still be kept in the military. And when I was finally kicked out, I was the only Indian person kicked out under the DADT. 

Pay me, pay me now!

1) Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson (Linky)  

Debt collection horror stories are nothing new. But there's a whole other side to the industry that no one’s talking about: collectors hired by government agencies to hunt down debtors. 

In this world, forgotten tolls can easily snowball into hundreds of dollars in debt, and an unpaid speeding ticket can land you in jail. 

That’s because government debt collectors are rarely held to the same consumer protection laws as collectors that go after credit card debt or auto loans. And with the power of state and local governments behind them, these debt collectors can charge steep fees and make scary threats, warning that the government will suspend your driver’s license, garnish your wages – even issue a warrant for your arrest. 

CNNMoney spent months investigating this booming business and one of its biggest players, Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson. We analyzed hundreds of consumer complaints from state attorneys general and the Federal Trade Commission, among other organizations, and interviewed dozens of attorneys and other experts. We also spoke with consumers who received threatening letters from Linebarger seeking to collect on debts.  

Among them: A Brooklyn mom who received a $710 bill for damage to the police car that killed her son. A Texas Air Force Major who was threatened with foreclosure while he was serving overseas. And an Oklahoma man who was billed more than $100,000 for taxes he had already paid. 

Many people are shocked when they receive terrifying letters like these and confused by the sky-high fees and huge bills they may not have owed in the first place. 

Linebarger alone collects $1 billion for government agencies each year. Its clients include 2,300 state and local governments in 21 states, including Texas, Florida, Illinois and New York. 

Once a small Texas law firm, Linebarger has transformed itself into a national debt collection powerhouse by wining and dining politicians and spending millions on lobbying and political campaigns. It has donated to everyone from small-town school board members to Rick Perry and Greg Abbott, the current governor of Texas. It even puts current elected officials on its payroll. 

Its controversial political ties have also landed it in the middle of a number of big scandals, including one that landed a former partner in jail. 

But Linebarger continues to rake in lucrative government contracts, making its top executives and founders rich while the debtors it goes after are left scrambling to pay its steep fees.

Vanakkam and Vandhanam

This blog serves the purpose of shining a mirror at the custodians of democracy, liberalism, tolerance, milk and honey. Coming from a place besotted with liebe for all things American, it is good to be realistic in documenting the real problems of a real place such as America, despite claims to Utopia from neo-converts as well as the established erudites.

First, it is an educational exercise that roads often go two ways. A by-product of that education could be the nominal reduction in self-goals and perhaps, a self-reflection at either end. Second, it is fun and educational to play with numbers. But to play, one needs data -- qualitative as well as quantitative (easier said than done, especially when dealing with non-esoterica). New numbers lead to new techniques, new appraisals on effective and efficient data gathering mechanisms, confirming often hunched-upon conclusions based on solid rationale or dispelling popular myths, and more. Third, it is arrant commonsense to dispel myths of extraordinary exceptionalism. Like great power comes with great responsibility, claims to extraordinary exceptionalism should be associated with extraordinary scrutiny. And as the saying also goes, the top dog always gets hunted.

And finally, as a sucker for word plays, puns, double entendres, and the like, the post title is a pun on the need to meet a Vanakkam and a Vandhanam at a half-way street to take on the Greats of life. Short of that ideal goal, taking on the Great is a harder job than it could seem.