Thomson Reuters GINNY MCCABE May 31st CINCINNATI, May 31 (Reuters) - Police are investigating possible criminal charges in a Cincinnati Zoo incident in which a gorilla was killed in order to rescue a 4-year-old boy who had fallen into its enclosure, a prosecutor said on Tuesday. An animal rights activist group said on Tuesday it had filed a federal negligence complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture against the zoo, seeking the maximum penalty of $10,000 following Saturday's killing of the 450-pound ape named Harambe. "The failure of the Cincinnati Zoo to adequately construct this enclosure to protect both the public and the animal held prisoner there is a clear and fatal violation of the Animal Welfare Act," Stop Animal Exploitation Now said in its complaint letter to the USDA. Mounting outrage over the shooting death of the Western lowland silverback, which is an endangered species, sparked more than 460,000 signatures on online petitions at Change.org, some demanding "Justice for Harambe" and urging police to hold the child's parents accountable. Zoo officials were not immediately available for comment on either the negligence complaint or the police investigation but said on Monday the exhibit was safe and exceeded required protocols. Authorities are taking a second look at the possibility of criminal charges in the incident after police initially said no one was charged. "The incident at the Cincinnati Zoo involving the young child who fell into the gorilla enclosure is under investigation by the Cincinnati Police Department," Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters said in a statement. "Once their investigation is concluded, they will confer with our office on possible criminal charges." Witnesses said the child had expressed a desire to get into the enclosure and he climbed over a 3-foot (1-meter) barrier, falling 15 feet into a moat. His mother on Facebook said he suffered a concussion and scrapes but was otherwise fine. Zookeepers shot Harambe after the 17-year-old animal grabbed the boy and dragged him around. Thane Maynard, director of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens, on Monday stood by the decision to shoot the gorilla, saying he was not simply endangering the child but actually hurting him. The Gorilla World exhibit has been closed since the incident and will reopen on Saturday. Tanya Espinosa, a spokeswoman for the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said the complaint from Stop Animal Exploitation Now had been received but that an investigation had not yet been opened. A review of the USDA inspection reports showed the zoo was cited in March 2016 for failing to close two doors near a service hallway that allowed two polar bears to enter the area housing dangerous items including cleaners and electrical wires. The bears had to be tranquilized before they could be returned to their enclosure, the report said. The zoo also was cited in November 2014 for deteriorating wood in two enclosures for horses and one for Eastern black and white colobus monkeys, the report said. Witcy sez : The USDA regulates zoos, circuses and marine mammal parks under the Animal Welfare Act, the only federal law that requires a minimum standard of humane treatment and care for animals in research, exhibition, transport and by dealers. (Additional reporting by Barbara Goldberg and Gina Cherelus; Editing by Bill Trott)
May 30th 2016 2:11PM Outrage has continued to grow over the killing of a 17-year-old gorilla after a child fell into its enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. And now, thousands are calling for the boy's parents to be held responsible. By Monday afternoon, more than 143,000 people had signed a "Justice for Harambe" online petition calling for the zoo, law enforcement and child protective services to hold the parents responsible. The petition is just one of 13 on Change.org related to Saturday's incident. The boy's family released a statement obtained by Newsy's partners at WCPO that said, in part, "... We extend our heartfelt thanks for the quick action by the Cincinnati Zoo staff. We know that this was a very difficult decision for them and that they are grieving the loss of their gorilla. ..." Multiple media outlets have reported the mother of the boy also posted a message to her critics on Facebook. The post read, "As a society we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off of their child and if anyone knows me I keep a tight watch on my kids." The message has since been taken down. The zoo made the decision to shoot Harambe, a male western lowland gorilla, to protect a 4-year-old boy who climbed into the animal's enclosure and fell into a moat. Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered. The zoo's director said the Dangerous Animal Response Team decided against using a tranquilizer because it would take a while to set in and would agitate the gorilla. But not everyone agrees with the decision. One petition calls for an investigation into the zoo's actions, while another calls for the state of Ohio to create "Harambe's law," which would hold visitors accountable for actions that lead to the injury or death of an endangered animal at a zoo. This is only one comment from a person that were visiting the zoo when Harambe was killed : As for the boy, he is reportedly home after being treated at a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Surprisingly, this happens a lot! The parents should be held accountable. http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/11/us/child-injured-zoo/index.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3035390/2-year-old-injured-falling-cheetah-exhibit-zoo.html http://komonews.com/news/local/boy-2-mauled-to-death-after-falling-into-zoo-exhibit-11-22-2015-081610495
AOL.COM EDITORS May 27th 2016 Larry Hagman, the man who played oil tycoon J.R. Ewing in the TV drama "Dallas," was known as the life of the party. But before his death in 2012, he might've been steeped in regret. His last words to his daughter Kristina: "Forgive me." That's one of many revelations the Daily Mail detailed in Kristina Hagman's new book, "The Eternal Party: Understanding My Dad, Larry Hagman, the TV Star America Loved to Hate." Kristina says growing up with her TV-star father was — as the title indicates — a party, but she also says Larry struggled with substance abuse and infidelity. Hagman said, "People want to believe that he found it easy to quit drinking. ... But it's just not true." Hagman recounts trying LSD with her father, an experience that she said she didn't dislike. But the prevalence of drugs and alcohol in the Hagman household might've led to some dark encounters. Hagman said at 8 years old she was sexually assaulted by drugged-up young men who were supposed to be looking after her while her parents were gone. SHOPPING: BUY HAGMAN'S TELL-ALL BOOK And she alleges when she was 15, a high Dennis Hopper suggested she get in a jacuzzi so he could have sex with her. Larry Hagman had a liver transplant in 1995 that saved his life after years of alcohol abuse. He later died in 2012, just months after the reboot of "Dallas." While Larry reportedly had his own demons, Kristina says her father's complexities made him "a three-dimensional character." Her book is available in hardcover on June 7.
Published April 18, 2016 South Africa's former Olympic track star Oscar Pistorius appeared briefly in a Pretoria court where a judge scheduled five days in June to determine his sentence for murdering his girlfriend. The sentencing hearing for Pistorius will be held from June 13 to 17 at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. The 29-year-old double amputee sprinter, who was found guilty of murdering Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013, was greeted by a small group of vocal supporters outside the court. The sentencing hearing will be heard by Judge Thokozile Masipa, who presided over Pistorius's trial and found him guilty of manslaughter, a verdict that was overturned by a higher court that found him guilty of the more serious charge of murder. Pistorius appealed his murder conviction, arguing that a lower court erred when it overturned his manslaughter conviction. But at South Africa's Constitutional Court dismissed his appeal. The minimum sentence for murder in South Africa is 15 years, although it can be reduced in some circumstances. Pistorius is expected to argue for a lesser sentence. He has already spent one year in the hospital wing of Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria. He is currently serving the remainder of his five year manslaughter sentence under house arrest and he stays at his uncle's home in Pretoria. Pistorius was cheered by his supporters, most of who were dressed in white, when he left the court and navigated his way through a scrum of reporters. A leader of the supporters, Don Hassett, appealed for a lenient sentence for Pistorius. "He knows it was wrong and he has admitted that, but the media has generated hatred against Oscar," Hasset told reporters. Before the proceedings a group of supporters gathered inside the courtroom and prayed for the athlete.
Thomson Reuters JOSEPH AX May 24th 2016 NORRISTOWN, Pa. (Reuters) - A Pennsylvania judge on Tuesday ordered entertainer Bill Cosby to stand trial on sexual assault charges over allegations that he drugged and assaulted a woman in 2004. The ruling came after a preliminary hearing that Cosby, 78, attended in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in which witnesses testified about statements that Cosby and his accuser, Andrea Constand, gave to police in 2005. In court, Cosby responded with "thank you" when Judge Elizabeth McHugh announced her decision. She wished him luck. Constand, a former basketball coach at Cosby's Temple University alma mater, is the only woman whose accusations of sexual assault have resulted in criminal charges against Cosby. Once one of the most beloved U.S. entertainers, Cosby has been hit by a wave of sexual assault allegations from more than 50 women, although most of the cases are too old to be prosecuted. He has denied ever assaulting anyone. Constand told police she was attacked as she lay on a sofa "paralyzed" by drugs the entertainer had given her, said a former detective reading from a transcript of Constand's police interview. Cosby told her the pills would help her relax and "take the edge off." So Constand swallowed the pills, added a sip of wine and told the comedian that she trusted him, the former detective said. Less than an hour later, according to Constand, Cosby sexually assaulted her as she lay incapacitated by the drugs she had taken, the former detective said. Cosby's own 2005 interview with police in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, where the purported 2004 assault took place, also was introduced as evidence. Cosby admitted giving Constand 1-1/2 pills of the antihistamine Benadryl to relax her, Cheltenham Police Chief John Norris testified. Cosby said Constand never told him to stop and was fully conscious during what he called the "petting" encounter, which he said involved fondling of genitals, Norris testified. The hearing followed Sunday's Associated Press report of new revelations about Cosby from his 2005 and 2006 sworn depositions, including his admission that he gave drugs to a 19-year-old woman before having sex.
Witchy's view .....It's too bad all the people,businesses,even entire industries who,over the years,turned their backs on this story,pushed away the women who were victimized,pressured them to be silent,all just because Cosby was a cash cow and they didn't want to stop that flow of money he produced,aren't also on trial for these crimes because they are all nearly just as responsible.This all could have been stopped years ago....but there was too much money being made. Bill Cosby has brought this shame on his wife, his children, and himself. If he had not indulged in sexual activities outside of his marriage, he would not be facing a trial. His wife, Camille, knew what he was doing, but she wanted to "maintain her social and economic position". She should be ashamed of her herself. Maybe his son was murdered because of Bill's sexual actions. As we say down here , 'STUPID IS ' AS STUPID DOES." This S**T will drive you to drink ... HeHe
New York Magazine CATIE L'HEUREUX May 24th 2016 Ahead of Bill Cosby's Tuesday morning court appearance — for a preliminary hearing in Andrea Constand's sexual-assault case, one of his many lawsuits — newly revealed court papers released on Monday show the entertainer admitted to abusing women years ago. Questioned by lawyers for Constand's lawsuit in 2005 and 2006, Cosby acknowledged drugging and giving alcohol to women before having sex with them. At one point, an unnamed modeling agency would send him "five or six" young women weekly, the depositions show.
In the newly revealed interviews, as reported by the New York Post, Cosby admitted to giving pills to Constand, a former Temple University employee who claims he drugged and molested her at his Philadelphia mansion in 2004. He also describes giving Quaaludes to then-19-year-old model Therese Picking (now Therese Serignese): "She became, in those days, what was called high," Cosby said. Constand's lawyer asked whether Serignese gave consent for sex. "I don't know. How many years are we talking about? 197[6]?" he said. "I meet Ms. Picking in Las Vegas. She meets me backstage. I give her Quaaludes. We then have sex. ... I don't hear her say anything . . . And so I continue and I go into the area that is somewhere between permission and rejection." He describes another 18- or 19-year-old woman who visited his home in 2000 to discuss her acting career: "On a later occasion, you had her masturbate you with lotion, did that ever happen?" Constrand's lawyer asked. "Yes," he said. "[She] used the lotion to rub your penis and make you ejaculate?" Cosby was asked. "Bingo," he replied. Constand's case, which Cosby originally settled with an undisclosed sum in 2006, reopened last year after dozens of women voiced similar claims. On Monday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected Cosby's request to delay today's pretrial hearing.
Witchy's take on douchebag Cosby : Get this old perv behind bars................. he's trying delay it until he's DEAD........ WOMEN OF THE WORLD WANT THIS PIG BEHIND BARS AND BANKRUPT...... What a creepy predator in his private life. He presented such a clean, family man image to the public and had millions of admirers. We have been duped! Instead of trying to lie his way out of this, he should publicly apologize to all the young people who looked upon him as a role model. The only thing more disturbing than the Cosby doing all these things is his wife with that smug look on her face. She allowed all this because of his money. What garbage. Amazing how he was able to get by all this years , and fool people that he was a nice guy. What a POS................... HeHe
Mattie Shaw Mattie Shaw was the wife of John L. Nelson. Born: 1933 Died: 2002 Children: Prince, Tyka Nelson Date of Birth11 November 1933, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Date of Death15 February 2002, Edina, Minnesota, USA (lengthy illness) Mini Bio (1) Mattie Shaw was born on November 11, 1933 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. She was an actress, known for First Steps (1985). She was married to Hayward Baker and John L. Nelson. She died on February 15, 2002 in Edina, Minnesota. Spouse (2) Hayward Baker(1967 - 15 February 2002) (his death) (1 child) John L. Nelson(1951 - 1966) (divorced) (2 children) Trivia (5) Mother of singer Prince. Was a longtime social worker in the Minneapolis public school system. She was a singer who joined the Prince Rogers Trio in the 1950s. Ex-wife of John L. Nelson Mother of Prince's sister Tyka, and half-brother, Omarr. She was the daughter of Lucille (Bonnell) and Frank Shaw, both of whom were from Louisiana.
John L. Nelson Birth nameJohn Lewis Nelson BornJune 29, 1916 Louisiana, U.S. DiedAugust 25, 2001 (aged 85) Chanhassen, Minnesota, U.S. Years active1948—1966 Associated actsPrince, The Prince Rogers Trio John Lewis Nelson (June 29, 1916 – August 25, 2001), also known as Prince Rogers, was an American jazz musician. He was the father of musician Prince and a credited co-writer of some of his songs.
2Children Work with Prince References Life and career Nelson was born in Louisiana, the son of Carrie (Jenkins) and Clarence Nelson. The Nelsons had four other children. He traveled to Minneapolis to become a musician in 1948. Playing the piano, he used Prince Rogers as a stage name and started The Prince Rogers Trio with local musicians. Nelson maintained an on-off relationship with Vivian Nelson. With her, he had five children: Sharon (born 1940), Norrine (born 1942), Lorna (1943–2006), John (born 1944),[1] and Duane (1959–2011). In 1956, he met Mattie Della Shaw (1933–2002), at a show on the north side of Minneapolis. Shaw was an aspiring jazz musician who became the musical group's singer. Nelson married Shaw and the couple had two more children, musician Prince[4] (1958–2016) (who was named after his father's stage name) and daughter Tika Evene (born 1960) (usually known as Tyka). When Nelson's career failed in late 1960, the couple became estranged and formally separated in 1966. Nelson died on August 25, 2001, aged 85, in his home in Chanhassen, Minnesota. That year Prince dedicated Joni Mitchell's song "A Case of U", on his One Nite Alone... album, to his father. Children Sharon Louise Nelson (born 1940) Norrine Patricia Nelson (born 1941) Lorna Lee Nelson (1942–2006) John Rodger Nelson (born 1944) Prince Rogers Nelson (1958–2016) Duane Joseph Nelson (1959–2011) Tika (Tyka) Evene Nelson (born 1960) Stay tune , getting very interesting HUH ???
