The PICs
Witchy sez remember not to drink and drive ... be careful out there ... y'all hear .
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Happy New Year fro the PICs
The PICs
Witchy sez remember not to drink and drive ... be careful out there ... y'all hear .
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Your Roving Reporter :114-year-old woman who challenged Facebook age policy dies
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A 114-year-old woman who challenged Facebook after the social media site wouldn't let her list her real age has died in Minnesota.
Anna Stoehr, one of the nation's oldest residents, died Sunday in her sleep after several days in hospice care, according to her son, Harlan Stoehr.
She drew national attention this year after KARE-TV reported about her attempt to create a Facebook account. The social media site wouldn't let her enter a birth year before 1905, so she listed her age as 99 — but she wrote a letter to the company saying, "I'm still here."
In response, Facebook sent her a bouquet of 114 flowers for her most recent birthday, her son said.
Born in Iowa in 1900, Anna Stoehr's family moved to Wisconsin and South Dakota before settling in Ridgeway, Minnesota, in 1919. She lived in Minnesota the rest of her life, her son said.
The Gerontology Research Group, which tracks many of the world's longest-living people, said Anna Stoehr was the oldest verified resident of Minnesota. She also was the seventh oldest person verified to be living in the U.S. and 12th oldest in the world, according to Robert Young, a senior database administrator for the research group.
Young said living to age "114 is extremely rare." But he said the most amazing thing about Stoehr wasn't just her age, but the fact that she was willing to try new things, including Facebook and smartphones.
Harlan Stoehr said his mother was sharp until the end. He joked that when he saw her a week ago, "it was like she was 112 again."
Your Roving Reporter
Monday, December 22, 2014
North Korea's Internet goes down in possible revenge for Sony hacking scandal
North Korea's Internet –- yes, the country does have web access –- appears to be under a major attack despite many experts doubting the regime's involvement in the Sony Pictures hacking scandal.
The hermit kingdom's usually spotty Internet access is currently experiencing more issues than usual, according to the blog North Korea Tech. This includes all websites hosted inside the country.
The communist country's connection to the outside world is failing and websites hosted within its borders keep going down, according to cyber security firm Dyn Research, which runs the blog.
"I haven't seen such a steady beat of routing instability and outages in KP before," Doug Madory, director of Internet analysis at Dyn Research, wrote in the post.
"Usually there are isolated blips, not continuous connectivity problems. I wouldn't be surprised if they are absorbing some sort of attack presently."
The cyberassault comes only days after President Barack Obama promised a "proportional response" following the FBI's report detailing the North's involvement in hack, which forced Sony to cancel the release of "The Interview."
Modory told the New York Times that the series of events is consistent with a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on their routers.
"Their networks are under duress," he told the paper.
The reclusive regime's Internet presence is scarce, numbering just over 1,000 known IP addresses, according to the Times. By comparison, the U.S. has billions.
Kim Jong Un's starving, oppressed masses are unlikely to even know what the Internet is, let alone be affected by an outage.
The country's nascent web surfing is done mostly by government officials, state-run media and assumed armies of hackers.
Matthew Prince, founder of San Francisco-based web security firm CloudFlare, told the Times that North Korea's Internet is "toast," adding that it has simply "gone away."
The surprising development comes as many experts have called into question the North's involvement in the infiltration of Sony Pictures.
Marc Rodgers, also of CloudFlare, argued on his blog that he believes any North Korean involvement is highly unlikely.
Rodgers' doubt is fueled by nuances in the Korean language unique to the North Korean dialect but not found in any written communications from the hackers, the group's knowledge of Sony's internal systems and the fact that the saboteurs only latched on to "The Interview" after reports North Korea was involved.
"Blaming North Korea is the easy way out for a number of folks, including the security vendors and Sony management," wrote Rodgers. "It probably also suits a number of political agendas."
The Pentagon has not publicly acknowledged the North Korean Internet outage and would likely not admit any possible involvement in such an operation.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Ellen DeGeneres :Comedian
Cause of Choice: Humane Society of the United States and Oceana
Second Chance:
The first time she was scheduled to appear on Johnny Carson, she got bumped when the previous guest, Robert Goulet, kept forgetting the lyrics to the song "Memory."
Big Break: Winning "Showtime's Funniest Person in America" contest in 1982 vaulted her from local New Orleans clubs to a national tour.
Family Act:
Her brother Vance was the first sibling to achieve local celebrity as the bassist of the New Orleans band, The Cold. He now co-runs Steve Carrell's production company.
Ellen DeGeneres is a daytime TV juggernaut and entertainment pioneer. Her hit syndicated talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, is a haven for discussion, deadpan comedy, and a collector of over 30 Daytime Emmys. She’s been included in Forbes’s "100 Most Powerful" and Time’s "100 Most Influential" lists and has hosted the Oscars, the Emmys, and the Grammys to wide acclaim. She is the best-selling author of Seriously…I’m Kidding, The Funny Thing Is…, and My Point…And I Do Have One. Her many humanitarian efforts include anti-bullying campaigns and support for Hurricane Katrina victims, as well as animal rescue, global warming and breast cancer awareness organizations.
DeGeneres’s comedy career began as an emcee at a local comedy club in her hometown of New Orleans. She got her start acting on Fox’s sitcom Open House and ABC’s Laurie Hill, before being offered, what would become her trailblazing role, on These Friends of Mine, renamed Ellen after the first season. The popular sitcom made history when Ellen’s character came out of the closet in 1997, becoming the first-ever gay lead character on television. The episode garnered Ellen a coveted Peabody Award and played to a record 46 million viewers. DeGeneres went on to star in hit HBO specials, the critically acclaimed CBS sitcom The Ellen Show, and to voice the beloved Dory in Finding Nemo. She served as the fourth judge on "American Idol" in 2010 and, in May of that year, announced eleveneleven, a record label created in partnership with Telepictures to discover new acts and platform them on her talk show. She has also become a sought after spokesperson featured in highly popular campaigns including JCPenny, Covergirl and American Express.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
'Your Roving Reporter' : New Trial Requested For Boy, 14 , Executed in !944
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -
December 17 , 2014More than 70 years after South Carolina sent a 14-year-old black boy to the electric chair in the killings of two white girls in a segregated mill town, a judge threw out the conviction, saying the state committed a great injustice.
George Stinney was arrested, convicted of murder in a one-day trial and executed in 1944 - all in the span of about three months and without an appeal. The speed in which the state meted out justice against the youngest person executed in the United States in the 20th century was shocking and extremely unfair, Circuit Judge Carmen Mullen wrote in her ruling Wednesday.
"I can think of no greater injustice," Mullen wrote.
The two girls, ages 7 and 11, had been beaten badly in the head with an iron railroad spike in the town of Alcolu in Clarendon County, about 45 miles southeast of Columbia, authorities said. A search by dozens of people found their bodies several hours later.
Investigators arrested Stinney, saying witnesses saw him with the girls as they picked flowers. He was kept away from his parents after his arrest, and authorities later said he confessed.
His supporters said he was a small, frail boy so scared that he said whatever he thought would make the authorities happy. They said there was no physical evidence linking him to the deaths. His executioners noted the electric chair straps didn't fit him, and an electrode was too big for his leg.
During a two-day hearing in January, Mullen heard testimony from Stinney's surviving brother and sisters, someone involved in the search and experts who questioned the autopsy findings and Stinney's confession. Most of the evidence from the original trial was gone and almost all the witnesses were dead.
It took Mullen nearly four times as long to issue her ruling as it took in 1944 to go from arrest to execution.
Stinney's case has long been whispered in civil rights circles in South Carolina as an example of how a black person could be railroaded by a justice system during the Jim Crow era where the investigators, prosecutors and juries were all white.
The case received renewed attention because of a crusade by textile inspector and school board member George Frierson. Armed with a binder full of newspaper articles and other evidence, he and a law firm believed the teen represented everything that was wrong with South Carolina during the era of segregation.
"It was obviously a long shot but one we thought was worth taking," said attorney Matt Burgess, whose firm argued that Stinney should get a new trial.
Mullen went a step further by vacating Stinney's conviction. Her 29-page order included references to the 1931 Scottsboro Boys case in Alabama, where nine black teens were convicted of raping two white women. Eight of them were sentenced to death.
The convictions were eventually overturned before the teens went to the death chamber and the charges were dropped. Mullen noted Stinney did not even get the consideration of an appeal.
The judge was careful to say her ruling doesn't apply to other families who felt their relatives were discriminated against.
"The extraordinary circumstances discussed herein simply do not apply in most cases," Mullen wrote.
Your Roving Reporter :
Monday, December 15, 2014
The Roving Reporter:' The PICs # 1 Celebrity Pick for 2014 : Prince George
Pictures taken by Prince Harry’s private secretary show toddler wearing sleeveless jumper with guardsmen pattern
Prince George sits for his official Christmas picture. Photograph: Ed Lane Fox/Getty Images
Prince George photographs released by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have released three official Christmas photographs of their son Prince George in a courtyard at his home at Kensington Palace. The pictures of the third in line to the throne, who is nearly 17 months old, were taken late last month by his uncle Harry’s private secretary, Ed Lane Fox, who has previously worked as a freelance photographer.
The toddler is pictured wearing a blue sleeveless jumper decorated with marching guardsmen complete with bearskins and red tunics over a white top, dark shorts and matching socks and shoes. The last official photographs of him were published to mark his first birthday on 22 July.
George shows off his guardsman jumper. Photograph: Ed Lane Fox/Getty Images
Prince William and his wife have recently returned from a three-day trip to the United States, where they visited the 9/11 memorial, attended a charity fund-raising dinner, and met President Obama.
The duchess will not be accompanying her husband on his next official visits to Japan and China early next year as she is expecting their second child at the end of April.
Your Roving Reporter:
Friday, December 12, 2014
'The Roving Reporter : One Of The Worst Serial Killers in History Arrested
By RYAN GORMAN
A Rio de Janeiro man has confessed to killing more than 40 people for fun – making him one of history's most prolific serial killers.
Sailson Jose das Gracas, 26, was arrested shortly after stabbing a woman to death on the outskirts of the sprawling city, and soon confessed to another 41 murders, police said. Thirty-eight of his victims were women, three men and one a two-year-old girl.
Das Graces boasted during a police press conference that he derived great pleasure from the exact moment his victims died and that four of the killings were contract murders for Cleoza Barbina and Jose Messia, a couple who have since also been arrested, according to a police statement.
The couple paid him to kill at least one person over a debt of only $15, according to reports.
Das Graces said the more his victims struggled, the more joy he derived from their deaths.
"I was glad when she struggled, screamed and scratched me," he told police, according to Odia, a local newspaper.
Police said das Graces also removed his victim's nails to add to their torture.
The admitted killer insisted he killed only white women and preferred blondes, according to the BBC. His preferred method was to strangle them to death, but he would also shoot or stab if necessary.
"He wanted to kill women -- white women, not black ones. He followed the victims, studying them closely before committing the crimes," police commissioner Pedro Henrique Medina, from the northern suburb of Nova Iguacu, told AFP.
"Not the black race," he told Globo G1, a Brazilian television station. "Because it is family."
Das Gracas also described how he would stalk victims before ending their lives.
"I observed them, I studied them. I waited for a month, sometimes a week, depending on the place. I tried to ascertain where they lived, what their families were like," said the admitted killer, according to Sky News.
"I kept watch on their houses and then after a while went there at dawn, waited for my chance and entered," he continued.
"I would wait for an opportunity to break into the house and kill," said das Graces, according to the BBC.
The disturbed man told gathered reporters that the murders filled a void in his life.
"When I didn't do it I would get nervous, then I would go hunting," he said, according to Sky News.
"When I wasn't killing someone I got uptight. I would pace up and down at home. Killing calmed me down," he said, according to AFP.
A police official told Odia that das Graces often masturbated over his dead victims, but the killer insists he never sexually assaulted or raped any of the women he killed.
The killing spree lasted nine years, according to das Graces.
"At 17, I killed the first woman and that gave me a buzz. I kept on doing it and I enjoyed it," he said, according to AFP.
Das Graces told reporters he regretted only one murder, the two-year-old child.
"I only regret the child," he said, according to Odia. "The child cried a lot and could have woken the neighbors."
The depraved man was arrested multiple times since 2007 on charges of theft and gun possession.
He otherwise expressed no remorse and even said nothing could stop him from killing more people.
"I don't feel remorse. If I go to jail for 10, 15, 20 years, then as soon as I get out I'll do the same thing all over again."
Das Graces is yet another in a line of serial killers apprehended this year in Brazil.
His death toll tops the 39 killed by Thiago Rocha, a 26-year-old hospital security guard. Another suspect has admitted to killing nine people in the mostly-impoverished South American country.
The maximum prison sentence for a serial killer under Brazilian law is only 30 years.
'Your Roving Reporter'
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
'Eaten Alive' Special Deemed Giant Let Down
Paul Rosolie's daredevil debut didn't go so well.
The researcher and naturalist covered himself in pig's blood and donned a special suit to get swallowed alive by an anaconda and get it all on camera.
But when Discovery aired the Eaten Alive special, viewers found the stunt...hard to swallow. After a nearly two-hour build-up, Rosolie settled on a smaller snake than planned. But we could cut him slack on that...I mean an anaconda is an anaconda. Then the 250-pound snake squeezed him, got its jaws around the top of his head before Rosolie called it quits, and his assistants rescued him.
Rosolie explained, "I started to feel the blood drain out of my hand and I felt the bone flex. And when I got to the point where I felt like it was going to snap I had to tap out," he said.
Within minutes, he was mocked all-over Twitter.
Witchy Sez :
This stunt had "stupid" written all over it.
Monday, December 8, 2014
More Municipal Bans on Fracking Pose Setback to Domestic Energy Boom
The surge in domestic-energy production that has created millions of new jobs and abundant natural gas and oil is now facing a potential setback, with cities across the country imposing bans on the widely-used deep-drilling process known as fracking.
At least three U.S. cities and two counties in the November elections voted in favor of such a ban. And courts in Pennsylvania and New York have recently ruled in favor of letting cities have some control over the drilling.
There is little surprise that Texas is at the forefront of the fight between energy companies and other fracking supporters and critics who say the drilling process is noisy, pollutes water supplies and triggers earthquakes.
Most of the attention in Texas is now on Denton, a college town near Dallas that sits on the Barnett shale formation that is full of natural gas.
The city became the first in Texas to impose the ban and has emerged as a test case for municipalities across the state trying to halt the drilling -- particularly in the face of the powerful energy industry and the Texas General Land Office, which owns 13 million acres of land across Texas and uses revenue from the mineral rights to fund public education.
Denton residents approved the ban in a Nov. 4 referendum that promptly resulted in at least two lawsuits including one by the land office and the Texas Oil & Gas Association, an industry group.
The ban on fracking went into effect Tuesday, but the situation appears headed for a lengthy legal battle.
"Whatever happens next will take place in a courtroom," Ed Ireland, executive director of the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council, a group aligned with producers, told Reuters.
Property rights are a part of Texas' cultural fabric. But the desire to develop hydrocarbons such as oil and gas is equally powerful.
Another factor is that property rights are separate under state law from mineral rights, making it possible to own one but not the other.
The process of fracking involves shooting a mix of pressurized water, sand and chemicals to split rock formations and release the gas and so-called tight oil.
Fracking supporters say the industry in 2012 supported 2.1 million jobs across the country and contributed nearly $284 billion to the country’s Gross Domestic Product, according to most recent figures.
In Ohio, which is home to the Utica shale gas field and is enjoying a manufacturing renaissance as a result of fracking, the cities of Youngstown, Gates Mills and Kent on election day rejected proposed bans. However, the city of Athens approved one. They join the Ohio cities of Broadview Heights, Mansfield, Oberlin and Yellow Springs in the banning of fracking within city limits.
California voters in San Benito and Mendocino counties passed bans, while those in Santa Barbara defeated one. Santa Cruz County had already enacted one, and Los Angeles was already in the process of imposing a temporary ban. At least on local referendum has passed in Colorado, but the courts have ruled against it.
In Texas, the fight against fracking also pits municipalities against the Texas Railroad Commission, which governs the oil and gas industry.
"Regulation doesn't work very well in the state of Texas because the Railroad Commission doesn't work on the public's behalf," said Dan Dowdey, who is asking Alpine city commissioners to ban fracking in the nearby Permian Basin and Eagle Ford shale formations, though the closest drilling is more than 100 miles away.
And residents of Reno, which had its first recorded earthquake last year and hundreds since then, took their first step this past spring toward a ban. The ban limits fracking activities to operators who can prove the injections won't cause earthquakes.
Cities might never be able to prove definitively that fracking causes earthquakes.
Texas hired its first seismologist to investigate the potential link after Reno Mayor Lyndamyrth Stokes led an effort to get the Railroad Commission to halt the drilling in her area. Stokes say the seismologist told her that making such a definitive connection would be impossible.
On Monday, potential 2016 Democratic White House Candidate Hillary Clinton, who will need a domestic-energy platform, tried walking the narrow line between fracking supporters and critics.
“It is crucial we put in place smart regulations and enforce them including deciding not to drill when the risks to local communities, landscapes and ecosystems are just too high,” she told the League of Conservation Voters in New York. But “natural gas can play an important bridge role in the transition to a cleaner, greener economy.”
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Rapist' written on Bill Cosby's Walk of Fame star
The perpetrator used a purple marker to write the word three times on the embedded contribution to Cosby, which had been awarded to him in 1997. Once discovered, a crew was called in to refinish his star.
The once-beloved actor/comedian has been accused by more than a dozen women of sexual abuse including groping and drugging and rape. Cosby was recently sued by a woman who claims she was assaulted by the comedian when she was 15 years old.
While allegations against him continue to grow, Cosby has never been charged with a crime relating to sexual misconduct.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce issued a statement following the vandalism saying, "When people are unhappy with one of our honorees, we would hope that they would project their anger in more positive ways then to vandalize a California state landmark."
A day before his star was tarnished, actor/director Debbie Allen told MSNBC whether the allegations are true or not, Cosby's reputation is already damaged.
"Just imagine Mickey Mouse saying that he raped Minnie," Allen said. "Mickey Mouse is part of the fabric of America. Whether he did it or not, the question is being raised and so it'll leave a thought."
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Your Roving Reporter :Cassidy defeats Landrieu in Louisiana Senate race, bolstering GOP majority in new Senate
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy has defeated Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu, denying her a fourth term and extending the GOP's domination of the 2014 midterm elections that put Republicans in charge of Capitol Hill for the final two years of President Barack Obama's tenure.
With Cassidy's victory, the GOP will hold 54 seats when the Senate convenes in January, nine more than they have now. Republican victories in two Louisiana House districts Saturday - including the seat Cassidy now holds - ensure at least 246 seats, compared to 188 for Democrats, the largest GOP advantage since the Truman administration after World War II. An Arizona recount leaves one race still outstanding.
In Louisiana, early returns showed Cassidy with a wide lead.
Landrieu had narrowly led a Nov. 4 primary ballot that included eight candidates from all parties. But at 42 percent, she fell well below her marks in previous races, leaving the incumbent scrambling in a one-month runoff campaign that Republicans dominated via the air waves while national Democrats financially abandoned her effort.
Landrieu's defeat is a blow for one of Louisiana's most famous political families, leaving her brother, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, to carry the banner. The GOP sweep also denied former Gov. Edwin Edwards a political comeback; the colorful 87-year-old politician, who had served four terms as governor, sought to regain public office after serving eight years in federal prison on corruption charges.
In the South, Democrats will be left without a single governor or U.S. senator across nine states stretching from the Carolinas to Texas. And the House delegations from the same region are divided almost entirely by race, with white Republicans representing majority-white districts, while majority non-white districts are represented by black or Hispanic Democrats.
The Louisiana Senate race mirrored contests in other states Obama lost in 2012, with Landrieu, 59, joining Alaska Sen. Mark Begich, North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan and Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor in defeat. Democrats ceded seats in Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia after incumbents opted not to run again.
Like victorious Republicans in those races, Cassidy, 57, made his bid against Landrieu as more about Obama than about his own vision for the job. An Illinois native, Cassidy made few public appearances during the runoff, seeking to avoid missteps that could change the race.
But in a state where 73 percent of white voters on Nov. 4 told pollsters they "strongly disapproved" of the president, that was enough to prevent Landrieu from finding her footing. Cassidy also enjoyed a prodigious advertising advantage in the runoff: Of every dollar spent by outside groups during the one-month runoff, 97 cents benefited the congressman.
Landrieu tried several messages over the course of her losing effort.
Most recently, she had hammered Cassidy as unfit for the job and interested more in partisanship than helping Louisiana. She directed her most pointed criticism at Cassidy's medical teaching job with the Louisiana State University hospital system. Calling Cassidy "Dr. Double Dip," Landrieu suggested the congressman collected a $20,000, taxpayer-funded salary for little or no work, describing gaps and discrepancies in Cassidy's LSU timesheets. LSU said it's looking into the timesheet questions.
She argued that the race shouldn't be about Obama, but also targeted advertising on radio stations geared to the black community, where the president remains popular.
Her anchor argument was that her seniority was a boon for Louisiana, particularly her chairmanship of the Senate's energy committee, an important panel for this oil-rich state.
Your Roving Reporter
Discovery Channel : Eaten Alive
Rosolie, 27, is an expert and advocate for the Amazonian habitat that the green anaconda and countless other tropical species call home. The Internet has been buzzing about Rosolie since the announcement of "Eaten Alive" by Discovery. e snake-proof suit Paul Rosolie will wear while being eaten by an anaconda Rosolie and Discovery have since drawn criticism from some groups over concerns about the welfare of the giant snake as it attempts to devour Rosolie, who will be wearing a customized suit that will keep him from being crushed by the giant reptile during the encounter.
Rosolie insists that the snake was not harmed and that he would never do anything to endanger the animal. His stated purpose for being eaten alive is to do something so big and attention grabbing that it draws public focus to the plight of the Amazon basin and the creatures that live in it.
"I think that this is something that can be used to bring attention to the jungle. I think that this is something that would be really exciting for people to see," Rosolie said.
In response to his critics, Rosolie told the New York Post, "Anacondas are a major player in the Amazon ecosystem that provides 1/5 of our planet's oxygen and contains 1/5 of the planets fresh water. For those worried about animal cruelty, I invite you to research my work – read my book. Then ask yourself: would this person ever hurt an animal?"
In order to survive being crushed and consumed by the anaconda, Rosolie will wear a customized suit of "armor" consisting of many layers. One layer will protect Rosolie from the snake's powerful stomach acids, one from the intense Amazonian heat and another from its toothy bite.
Finally, an outer layer comprised of composite materials specially formed to Rosolie's body will protect him from the crushing forces of being constricted. Rosolie will breathe and communicate with his team using the same kind of mask worn by firefighters.
To make Rosolie appetizing to the anaconda, the suit will be covered in pig blood before the encounter.
"Eaten Alive" will premiere Sunday 12 /7 at 9/8 Central on the Discovery Channel.
Witchy is wondering will you watch ...HeHe
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Your Roving Reporter : Dez Duron
After graduating at the top of his high school class, Dez received an invitation to play football at Yale University. Dez loved everything about Yale, but when his lifelong dream came calling in the form of an audition for NBC’s “The Voice,” he decided to take a break and move to Hollywood.
Dez is still actively pursuing his career as singer, songwriter, and entertainer. He is busy writing music, performing, and recording. The recording studio is not new to Dez. He literally grew up in a recording studio as one of the “Best Buddies,” a musical group made up of his siblings that have provided Godly lessons to children around the world. When Dez was twelve, he and his sister DawnChere and brother Denny Rodney recorded and released a contemporary Christian project as the group “Duron” entitled Silver Lining. This group performed at numerous events before DawnChere and Denny Rodney moved on to other pursuits. When asked about his favorite style, Dez is quick to confirm his love for jazz and the Big Band era standards. He quickly adds that he also loves Pop and R&B.
Dez talks easily about almost anything but himself. His endearing, honest humility is a throwback to an earlier era, but so are many of the artists. (His favorites are Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, and Paul McCartney just to name a few.) Dez is a devoted Christian and worshiper who feels God has called us to be His light in every venue of life. Dez was named as Gatorade Player of the Year in Louisiana for 2009 after leading his team to the State Championship and throwing a record 58 touchdowns.
Dez is kept busy when in town , he's a hot item at the Eldorado Celebrity Club and opens up for many preforming acts around the city .
Your Roving Reporter
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Rolling Stones' sax player Bobby Keys dead
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Bobby Keys, a saxophonist and life-long rock 'n roller known to millions for his blasting solo on the Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar," has died at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. He was 70 years old.
Michael Webb, who played keyboard with Keys, said Keys died on Tuesday after a lengthy illness. Keys had been out on tour with the Stones earlier this year before his health prevented him from performing.
"The Rolling Stones are devastated by the loss of their very dear friend and legendary saxophone player, Bobby Keys," the band said in a statement. "Bobby made a unique musical contribution to the band since the 1960s. He will be greatly missed."
Known for his heavy jowls and forceful style, the Texas native was born on the same day as Keith Richards - Dec. 18, 1943 - and the Stones' guitarist would often cite Keys as a soul mate and favorite musician. Besides "Brown Sugar," Keys also played memorable solos on such Stones favorites as the 7-minute jam "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" and the country-styled "Sweet Virginia." Other career highlights included John Lennon's chart-topping "Whatever Gets You Through the Night."
"I have lost the largest pal in the world, and I can't express the sense of sadness I feel, although Bobby would tell me to cheer up," Keith Richards wrote in a statement.
Keys' career dated back to the 1950s, when as a teenager he played with Buddy Holly and The Crickets. He joined the Stones in the late 1960s and was with them off and on over the following decades. He also played on Richards' solo album "Talk is Cheap."
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Cosby Testimony Describes Accusers Spiked Story
Bill Cosby testified under oath in 2005 that he gave the National Enquirer an exclusive interview about looming sexual-assault accusations by a Canadian woman against him in exchange for the tabloid spiking a second accuser's story.
Excerpts released Wednesday of Cosby's deposition from a civil lawsuit filed by Andrea Constand quote Cosby as saying he feared the public would believe her sexual-assault accusations if the Enquirer published similar claims by Beth Ferrier. Both women accused Cosby of drugging and molesting them.
"Did you ever think that if Beth Ferrier's story was printed in the National Enquirer, that that would make the public believe that maybe Andrea was also telling the truth?" Cosby was asked.
"Exactly," Cosby replied, according to court motions initially filed under seal and made available from archived federal court records.
Cosby, in the deposition, said he had a contract with the Enquirer.
"I would give them an exclusive story, my words," Cosby said in the Sept. 29, 2005, deposition. In return, "they would not print the story of - print Beth's story."
The release of the documents comes after Cosby this month was shown on an Associated Press video trying to persuade the news cooperative not to use his response when asked this month about sexual-abuse allegations.
"I would appreciate if it was scuttled," Cosby said in a videotaped exchange with the AP on Nov. 6.
Cosby said in 2005 he had been given a draft of Ferrier's interview with the Enquirer and was told she had passed its lie-detector test. He said he also was given an advance look at his exclusive, titled "My Story," which warned that he would defend against anyone trying to "exploit" him.
Constand later sued Cosby and the Enquirer, alleging defamation. The claims were consolidated with her sexual-assault lawsuit against Cosby and were settled.
A representative for American Media, Inc., which owns the National Enquirer, said in an emailed statement Wednesday that the Enquirer was "unflinching" in its coverage of the allegations against Cosby.
"We continue to remain aggressive in our reporting today and stand by the integrity of our coverage of this story which we have taken the lead on for more than a decade," the representative said.
Cosby had said at his deposition that Constand and her mother asked only for an apology in early phone calls about the issue in January 2005, and he said they received one.
"Andrea's mother said, `That's all I wanted, Bill,'" Cosby testified.
Constand's lawyers argued in their defamation suit: "Requesting only an apology is not the action of an extortionist or someone who wants to `exploit' a celebrity."
They said that Cosby later called back and offered to pay for Constand's "education."
Constand had met Cosby through her job with the women's basketball team at Temple University in Philadelphia, and she said he sexually assaulted her at his nearby home in 2004. She quit the job and moved home that year, and she first filed a report with Ontario police on Jan. 13, 2005, and filed a federal civil suit that March. After prosecutors near Philadelphia decided not to file criminal charges, several other women came forward to support Constand's claims, including Ferrier.
Ferrier has gone public about what she called her brief affair with Cosby when she was a model in 1984. She said that he once drugged her coffee during an encounter in Denver and that she woke up hours later in the backseat of her car with her clothes disheveled. The Enquirer in 2005 withheld her story and instead published Cosby's account, in which he said, "Sometimes you try to help people and it backfires on you and then they try to take advantage of you."
In the legal deposition, taken at a Philadelphia hotel, Constand's lawyer asked Cosby if he tried in the Enquirer article "to make the public believe that Andrea was not telling the truth?"
"Yes," Cosby replied.
Constand's civil lawsuit grew to include nine women willing to testify about allegations of sexual assaults involving Cosby. Some came forward after a suburban Philadelphia prosecutor declined to file criminal charges over Constand's police complaint.
A comedian this year referenced the accusations anew in a performance, prompting some of the suit's Jane Doe witnesses to reveal their names and other women to raise new accusations.
Cosby has refused to discuss allegations raised in recent weeks by numerous women.
In the end a man's sins will come to haunt him and his good deeds will return to give him comfort.
Looks like Mr Cosby's sins far out number his good deeds and now he has to live with them.
I feel very sorry for his loving wife as she also has to go thru this repayment for his past sins.
Just saying
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Your Roving Reporter : Widower Eats Breakfast with His Wife's Photo Every Day
Travis orders bacon, two eggs and a waffle every morning at Another Broken Egg restaurant in Shreveport, Louisiana, and sits in the same seat where he has a special place for her. According to the Daily Mail, Travis was divorced and feeling low about his family life when he was set up by a friend to meet Billy Mae decades ago. He found his blind date beautiful, and they were later married, working together for several years in Shreveport at Travis Shoe Stores.
Of her death, Travis says, "It was the hardest thing that's ever happened to me." When other customers started noticing him eating at the restaurant next to his wife's picture, they decided to share his love story.
As reported by KSLA, Travis suffered a heart attack on November 13, but he's doing well and is ready to have breakfast again with his wife very soon.
Your Roving Reporter : G.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Bill Cosby's traveling circus to make stop in Florida as ANOTHER sex assault accusation is made
The Bill Cosby comedy empire is crumbling, and it looks like Florida might be the beleaguered comedian's last stand.
Cosby's management team said Friday his scheduled show in Melbourne, Florida, will go on. The announcement came as other venues scrambled to cancel shows after yet another woman stepped forward to claim Cosby drugged and assaulted her.
Shows in Las Vegas, Arizona and Illinois have been cancelled, but Friday night's show at the King Center for the Performing Arts will go on.
Renita Chaney Hill, 47, told KDKA that she was only 15-years-old when she met Cosby back in the 1980s. An aspiring model and actress at the time, she claims to have been star struck by the legendary comedian.
The Cos was in Steel City seeking recruits for the "Picture Pages" educational segments that aired on television back then, according to Hill.
"Promises of bright lights and fame. That's where I thought I was headed, that's what everyone who knew me thought I was headed," Hill told the station.
Hill began appearing in Cosby's videos, and soon after, found herself in his hotel room where she was drugged and likely assaulted, she recalled.
Cosby, now 77-years-old, flew her around the country to meet him in his hotel room at night, she said.
"One time, I remember just before I passed out, I remember him kissing and touching me and I remember the taste of his cigar on his breath, and I didn't like it," Hill said.
"I remember another time when I woke up in my bed the next day and he was leaving, he mentioned you should probably lose a little weight. I thought that odd, how would he know that?"
The then-underage teen remembers feeling confused about blacking out and waking up in her bed. She is not sure she was raped because she was always unconscious.
"It just felt weird to me, and I remember being in high school saying to him, 'I'll come see you, but I don't want to drink because it makes me feel funny,'" Hill continued. "And he would tell me that if I didn't drink, I couldn't come see him."
At 19, she cut off all communications with Cosby.
This is the latest in a tsunami of sex assault allegations to hit the showbiz legend in recent weeks, all sparked by an October appearance by comedian Hannibal Buress, in Cosby's hometown Philadelphia, in which Buress brought the star's sordid past back in to the limelight.
"You're a rapist," Buress said of Cosby.
More than a dozen women have since come forward with details supporting Buress' claim.
Cosby has repeatedly denied the accusations through lawyers and spokespersons. He also had a bizarre, rambling exchange with an AP reporter who nervously stood his ground when the comedian appeared to threaten his career if the footage was made public.
The embattled septuagenarian has since seen an NBC project scuttled, a Netflix special postponed and sold-out shows around the country being cancelled.
The three latest dominoes to fall are a show at an Arizona casino; another at Treasure Island, in Las Vegas; and a third scheduled for April at the Virginia Theater, in Champaign.
Cosby was, until recently, one of the country's most beloved performers, an unstoppable juggernaut.
His legacy is now disappearing faster than a Jell-O pudding pop on a hot summer day.
November 21, 2014, at the King Performing Arts Center: Remember the date and location – it may be Cosby's last stand.
Witchy asks when will this crap stop:
I think if he were really innocent he would be trying like hell to protect his reputation. But that interview he gave the other day to me made him look guilty as hell. They can't all be wrong, or after money. After a while, it's starting to not look good for Bill Cosby.
If this is true, it's heartbreaking. If it's false, it's heartbreaking. It's like having your father accused of raping all the girls you went to school with. How his family must be suffering. I so hope these accusations are all lies, but soooo many people coming forward makes it less and less likely. He has given the world so much joy and laughter. For this to be true is tantamount to Santa Claus being a serial killer.
It doesn't really matter what public opinion is (or even my opinion for that matter). In this country, as an American Citizen he is entitled to his day in court and is innocent until proven guilty. Until that happens it's all just conjecture.
Nuff sez
Your Roving Reporter :Explosion on Gulf platform; 1 dead, 3 injured
An explosion has occurred on an offshore oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico, killing one person and injuring three.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said Fieldwood Energy reported the explosion on its Echo Platform just before 3 p.m. Thursday about 12 miles off Louisiana's coast. A telephone call to the Houston, Texas-based company was not immediately returned.
The bureau said in a statement that the platform was not in production at the time of the explosion and damage was limited to the area. The statement said there was no indication that any oil had spilled into the ocean.
Bureau spokeswoman Chauntra Rideaux said the injured workers were being treated at a medical facility. She did not say where or have their conditions.
She said the explosion is under investigation.
The explosion occurred about two months after a contractor was killed and two others hurt during maintenance work in September on a Chevron natural gas pipeline, also off the Louisiana coast. The cause remains under investigation.
Stay tuned : Updates as they become available .
Your Roving Reporter