NEW CORRECTIONS PAGE

130px-Wite-Out_123.PNG180px-Pencil_EraserOn a trial basis, I have added a new corrections page at the top of the blog to allow readers to spot and raise any factual or grammatical problems with stories. I often add blog stories early in the morning or during brief windows of free time during the day. In the rush to get out a new story, I will sometimes miss typos that can be understandably annoying to readers. I am a terrible typist. This page is an effort to enlist our regulars in spotting any such problems to improve the site.
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Matchmaker: New York Rabbi Arrested As Head of International Organ Trafficking Ring

200px-MatchmakerDVD2Rabbi Izhak Levy Rosenbaum of Brooklyn has been arrested for running an international human organ selling ring. Rosenbaum’s role was disclosed to the FBI by an anthropologist, Nancy Scheper-Hughes of the University of California, Berkeley, who has been studying organ markets. She described him as the “main broker” in the international trafficking of human organs — allegedly taken from “vulnerable” people in Moldova, Israel and possibly other countries and sold to wealthy recipients in the United States. Rosenbaum called himself “the matchmaker.”
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Saudi Arabia Arrests Man For Speaking About His Sex Life in Public

Saudi Arabia flagSaudi Arabian police have arrested Mazen Abdul Jawad for the crime of speaking about his sex life in public. Shariah law makes it a crime for him to be “publicizing his sinful behavior,” according to prosecutors. Various people filed complaints after Jawad appeared on a Lebanese show called “Red Line.”
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Palin: Being American is Never To Have To Say You’re Sorry

225px-palin1Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin continued to leave her mark on American politics just days before leaving officer early. In a speech before a wildly enthusiastic group, Palin told fans that good Americans should “never apologize for our country.” It was a curious lesson to give children at a picnic — no matter what our nation does, we should never apologize because we are Americans. Apologies are for non-Americans to make (who should presumably also apologize for not being Americans).
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Report: Bush Considered Sending Troops Into Buffalo for Terror Sweep

225px-richard_cheney_2005_official_portrait180px-Cpt._J._Dow_Covey_and_Staff_Sgt._Justin_Evaristo_2nd_Infantry_Division,_IraqIn yet another indication of how extreme Bush officials were in their war on terrorism, the New York Times is reporting that Vice President Dick Cheney and others pushed former President George Bush to send troops into Buffalo New York to arrest a group of men accused of terrorism.
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Conyers Calls for Special Prosecutor on Alleged Bush Crimes

160px-john_conyersholderericThe chairman of the House Judiciary Committee today called for U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special counsel to probe potential abuses of power under the Bush administration. House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) has called upon U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a special prosecutor to look into alleged Bush crimes. Holder has continued a rather transparent effort to block or curtail any investigation to prevent the prosecution of Bush officials for the torture and surveillance programs.

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If You Prick Us, Do We Not Bleed? New York Lawyer Prevails in Contesting Arrest for Foul Language

nicubunu_open_mouthIt took New York Attorney Joseph DePaula four years but he has finally prevailed in his false arrest claim after he was thrown into jail for calling an officer a “prick” in court in 2005.
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Arizona Father Reportedly Tells Police to Keep Raped Eight-Year-Old Girl

125px-Flag_of_Liberia.svg200px-flag_of_the_united_statessvgThe recent gang rape of an eight-year-old girl by four boys — aged 9-14 — was shocking enough. Now, police have stated that the girl’s father — who is from Liberia — blamed the girl for being raped and told that police “Take her, I don’t want her.”
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North Korea Executes Woman For Distributing Bibles

140px-Family-bible225px-Kim-jong-il_portrait North Korea has added yet another infamy to its record: the execution of Ri Hyon Ok, 33, for distributing Bibles. As is often the case, North Korea tacked on a charge of spying for South Korea and the United States — as if the two countries would enlist a spy who divides her time between surveillance and evangelical activities.
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Obama: I Did Not Mean “Stupidity” As a Slight of the Cambridge Officers

225px-official_portrait_of_barack_obama180px-Henry_Louis_GatesAs expected, President Barack Obama attempted to backtrack from his statements yesterday denouncing the police for the “stupidity” of their arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates. In today’s statement, Obama insisted that when he referred to their stupidity he did not mean to malign them. While “stupidity” is not a term of endearment, it can apparently be used without any negative connotations for the arresting officers — even when linked with the nation’s history of racism and profiling abuses.

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Report: Sgt. Crowley Considering Defamation Lawsuit in Gates Controversy

180px-Henry_Louis_Gates250px-al_sharpton_by_david_shankboneCambridge Police Sergeant James M. Crowley is considering a defamation lawsuit, according to his lawyer. The possibility of a lawsuit adds an intriguing element to this controversy over the arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. The Massachusetts Police Commissioner Robert Hass has also come out to criticize the comments of President Barack Obama denouncing the actions of the police as “stupidity” and suggesting that it was a case of racial profiling.
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Pressing the Flesh: Complaint Filed Against Transgender Mayor for Showing “Too Much Skin”

StuPhoto2There is an interesting fight brewing in Silverton, Oregon. The people of Silverton received national attention with the election of Stu Rasmussen, the nation’s first openly transgender mayor. Now, however, a complaint has been filed against Rasmussen who showed up in a swim top and miniskirt to meet with local kids. A parent has charged that Rasmussen showed “too much skin” while Rasmussen insists that it was too “hot and sticky” to wear anything else.
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