Aug.10, 2013
Global TV News – Erica Tucker
Double-edged sword: who the new cyberbullying law will help and hurt
The article on the Nova Scotia’s new law, implemented yesterday, includes a video of the father of Rehtaeh Parsons speaking to the recent arrest of two males, charged under the youth act and about whom very little further information has been revealed. Dr. Neil Gottheil, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Clinical Psychologist, thinks the law could be a double-edged sword. http://globalnews.ca/news/769503/double-edged-sword-who-the-new-cyberbullying-law-will-help-and-hurt
Three related articles:
Guardian (UK)
Hannah Smith suicide: MPs call for education in social-media awareness http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/aug/07/hannah-smith-suicide-cyberbullying-ask-fm-twitter
Irish Examiner (Ireland)
Father of cyber bullying victim calls for criminal charges against site
CBC News
Child porn charges against 2 teens in Rehtaeh Parsons case
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2013/08/08/ns-rehtaeh-cyberbullying-arrests.html
CBC News (Calgary)
Police chief says 50% of inmates suffer from mental illness
Police Chief Rick Hanson says mentally ill people are plugging up the justice system. He says when he was a beat cop he met with war vets dumpster diving for food. “That kind of thing sticks with you so that … you start to question why people are on the street, and is there more we can do about mental illness? It’s a motivator,” Hanson says.http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2013/03/22/calgary-police-chief-fixing-justice-system.html
Nunatsiaq News-on-line
Nunavut judge explains how plea agreements work – Court accepts sentencing deal for man who brutalized two people
Given that the case involved some circumstances that meant the sentence would be at the low end of appropriate, Nunavut Justice Robert Kilpatrick goes to some lengths to explain the process and rationale for plea bargaining. “Plea agreements save time and public money. They also spare crime victims the torment of reliving their experiences in court, Kilpatrick said. At the same time, accused persons plead guilty and waive their right to a trial after negotiating a more lenient sentence.” http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_judge_explains_how_plea_agreements_work
CNN Opinion – Ruben Navarrette
Why not let 9 Dreamers into U.S.?
The ‘Dream 9’ have now been released from detention and will have their day in immigration court. So the question becomes, do people who resist unfair laws still fit in the American dream? Or are they rabble who need to be deported. The reflection by Navarrete invites most all of us to consider our immigrant roots. http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/07/opinion/navarrette-dream/index.html Related article: AlterNet – Colorlines – Aura Bogado 9 Things You Probably Don’t Know About the Dream 9 http://www.alternet.org/immigration/9-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-dream-9 Related article: MSNBC Rachel Maddow Dream #9 Lulu Martinez speaks with Rachel Maddow on Solitary http://politic365.com/2013/08/09/dream9-lulu-martinez-speaks-with-rachel-maddow
Neighborhood News Services (Milwaukee, US)
Poverty, crime contribute to ‘uncertain outlook’ for Milwaukee Public Schools
This article looks at the financial problems and overlays the community problems around poverty and crime in the struggle for quality education for 79,000 students, an estimated 20% of which are special needs students.http://www.milwaukeenns.org/2013/08/09/poverty-crime-contribute-to-uncertain-outlook-for-mps/?cat=203#sthash.Y8V0nZcs.dpuf
Mail and Guardian (Africa)
Venezuela’s ‘conflict weaves’ makes waves
See a sample of their wares and how the product is derived – at gunpoint! The trade is so profitable that gangs in Venezuela are holding women at gunpoint to cut their hair off for weaves. http://mg.co.za/article/2013-08-09-conflict-weaves-makes-waves Related article: The Times of London Venezuelan gangs steal hair from women’s heads http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/americas/article3837766.ece
National Post – Tobi Cohen
Moscow’s homophobic new laws could cause gay Russians to seek refuge in Canada
The outrage over the homophobic anti-homosexual aggression in Russian in anticipation of the Olympic Games is drawing some attention from Canada’s federal government and even from Real Women, a conservative women’s group who are challenging the Federal government policy and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. This article wonders if we will see a large spike in refugee applications from Russian gays and lesbians as the Olympics unfold. http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/08/09/moscows-homophobic-new-laws-could-cause-gay-russians-to-seek-refuge-in-canada Related article: National Post – Jake Edmiston John Baird’s defence of gay rights ‘highly offensive,’ conservative women’s group says http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/08/07/john-bairds-defence-of-gay-rights-highly-offensive-conservative-womens-group-says Related article: Regina Leader Post Lee Berthiaume (Postmedia News) Baird’s defence of gay rights abroad could cause Tories problems at home http://www.leaderpost.com/news/national/Baird+defence+rights+abroad+could+cause+Tories+problems+home/8770657/story.html
Ottawa Citizen – Kelly Egan
You’ve come a long way, baby – Women are muscling in on violent crime statistics
Egan is suggesting that there has been a significant increase in the rates of women involved in violence and over 1979-2009 a 5% increase in women in jail. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Kelly+Egan+come+long+baby/8765562/story.html
N. Y. Times – Editorial
Bad Prison Policy for Women
The federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, has made a decision to transfer about 1,100 women, many to prisons far from the families of the inmates. The growth in the number of women inmates is directly due to the increase in convictions under drug laws and for non-violent crimes in the face of mandatory minimums. The prison authorities say the move is consequent to overcrowding but 11 Senators from the Northwest say the decision is just bad policy. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/10/opinion/bad-prison-policy-for-women.html?_r=0