February 24, 2011
My name is Erik and I am a dean’s list student at Penn State. When I came to State College as a freshman, I knew I wanted to be involved in as much as I could. I was extremely involved in high school as a student leader, athlete and scholar. With my love for Penn State, I wanted to continue this over the next four years in Happy Valley.
Freshman year I accomplished everything I set out to. I studied hard, became involved in myriad activities, and assumed prominent leadership roles. Bleeding blue and white, I considered myself to be the consummate Penn Stater. Unfortunately this meant I also partied like a true Nittany Lion: hard and often.
Eventually my drinking landed me in the hospital from an alcohol overdose. Because that was my first time in the emergency room, I wrote it off as bad luck. I had not had a history of binge drinking in high school and wasn’t worried about my frequent drinking habits at Penn State. Read the rest of this entry »
Kristen Doerschner
Beaver County Times
February 19, 2011
People often talk about Big Brother keeping tabs on everyone. But with technology constantly advancing and use of the Internet becoming more and more widespread, we can all essentially be Big Brother.
You can find out whether your mom has ever gotten a speeding ticket, your neighbor has filed for bankruptcy, or your company janitor has a criminal history. A potential employer may check out your social networking activity. Personal information about most of us is readily available with just a few clicks of the mouse.
While much of the information that’s out there is public – such as property values, criminal histories and bankruptcy filings – it’s also important for computer users, and especially teenagers, to be aware of what they’re putting on the Internet that can be accessed by virtually anyone. Read the rest of this entry »
February 18, 2011|
Peter Hall
THE MORNING CALL
PHILADELPHIA — An attorney for two Easton Area Middle School girls threatened with discipline last fall for wearing rubber bracelets with the slogan “I ♥ Boobies!” to promote breast cancer awareness argued in a hearing Friday the message wasn’t intended to be sexual and didn’t warrant the school’s ban on the apparel.
The bracelets use the heart symbol popularized by New York’s “I love New York” campaign.
School district solicitor John Freund told U.S. District Judge Mary A. McLaughlin that the intent didn’t matter; it was the perception and context that mattered. Testimony from administrators in the district’s seventh- and eighth-grade middle school building clearly shows other students saw a sexual double entendre in the message. Read the rest of this entry »
(HARRISBURG) – Minors who call 911 to help an intoxicated friend in an emergency situation would be spared prosecution under legislation that has been reintroduced by Senator John Rafferty (R-Montgomery).
Specifically, Senate Bill 448 would grant immunity to an individual for the summary offense of underage drinking as it relates to the consumption of alcoholic beverages by a person under the age of 21. Under the provisions of Senator Rafferty’s legislation, an individual must call 911 to report the person in need of medical attention, must provide their name to the dispatcher, and must remain with the person in need of assistance.
Senator Rafferty, who has been an ardent supporter and author of tougher laws to prevent underage drinking, said his legislation – which passed unanimously out of the Senate last session – is intended to protect public safety and prevent needless tragedies.
“Underage drinking is a serious matter, and we don’t want to give minors a free pass. But if kids are in trouble and require medical attention, we shouldn’t discourage anyone in a position to help them from seeking critical and timely aid,” Senator Rafferty said. “This legislation has support from several groups, including the Pennsylvania DUI Association and state District Attorneys Association because it provides a safe way to defuse an unsafe situation.”
WTAE
PITTSBURGH — Lawsuits were filed against the Centers for Rehab Services by two employees who were fired over an e-mail comparing President Barack Obama to a tar ball washing ashore in the Gulf of Mexico.
The company said the e-mail was inappropriate, but the employees said they were just expressing their political views and were wrongfully fired.
Team 4 investigator Paul Van Osdol reported that the e-mail in question was circulated last summer while the federal government was trying to contain the massive Gulf oil spill. It showed an image of Obama walking along a Gulf beach with the caption, “Another tar ball washed up on the shore.” In a memo, a Centers for Rehab Services official called it “an inappropriate e-mail that contained political and discriminatory content.”
The lawsuit said the e-mail led the company to fire Deborah Bonanno and James Sprung, who received the e-mail and forwarded it to co-workers. Read the rest of this entry »
By Kristina Bui
February 9, 2011
Arizona Daily Wildcat
You know that photo of you, bleary-eyed and smiley, red plastic cup in hand? You know the one. You look like a hot, drunk mess, your friend keeps tagging you in it, it’s on Facebook for the whole Internet to see? That one. I bet you’d be having words with your tag-happy little pal if the UA administration were keeping tabs on your profile.
According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, much of the discussion at the National Conference on Law and Higher Education centered around issues presented by Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites. These issues have colleges wondering if there is a need to police the Internet in order to monitor what their students and faculty members are doing or posting online.
In May 2006, Stacey Snyder was a student at Millersville University in Pennsylvania, just days away from her graduation at the time. Then the university denied her a teaching degree. The university claimed it was because a photo on her MySpace profile. Remember, it was 2006 and people still used MySpace. Read the rest of this entry »
By Nancy Phillips and Craig R. McCoy
Inquirer Staff Writers
In a move that will spare thousands of crime victims from having to testify at initial court hearings, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ordered judges to accept the testimony of police officers, rather than victims, against defendants accused of property crimes.
“This is monumental,” said Supreme Court Justice Seamus McCaffery, who joined with Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille in pushing for the policy. “This will make things more just for the victims and the accused.”
Each year in Philadelphia, as many as 5,000 victims of car thefts, burglaries, frauds, and other felony property crimes will be spared initial court appearances. Instead, police will testify that the items in question were reported stolen.
The change is designed to end the practice by which victims must go to court merely to testify that they owned property and gave no one permission to take it. Given the delays that plague the Philadelphia courts, this has forced victims to show up repeatedly – and led many to simply give up. Read the rest of this entry »
Human Rights Watch
US citizens enjoy a broad range of civil liberties and have recourse to a strong system of independent federal and state courts, but continuing failures-notably in the criminal justice and immigration systems and in counterterrorism law and policy-mar its human rights record. Although the Obama administration has pledged to address many of these concerns, progress has been slow; in some areas it has been nonexistent.
There were positive developments in 2010, including a Supreme Court ruling abolishing the sentencing of children to life in prison without parole for non-homicide crimes; a new law that promises to reduce racial disparities in the sentencing of cocaine offenders; and a healthcare law promising health insurance to an estimated 32 million uninsured Americans.
All of these topics were examined in November 2010 during the first-ever Universal Periodic Review of the US at the United Nations Human Rights Council, part of a larger process in which the Council examines the human rights records of all 192 UN member states. Read the rest of this entry »
Amy Crawford | Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Monday, January 17, 2011
Like many of her peers, Hempfield Area senior Ali Weatherton uses the social networking website Facebook nearly every day.
“The first thing I do when I come home is check Facebook,” said Weatherton, 17, who called the site “addictive.”
But though Facebook makes it easy to keep in touch with friends, Weatherton has discovered that the constant connection has its downside.
For most of her junior year, Weatherton was harassed online by a jealous former friend and her allies, who posted insults on Facebook and made fun of the clothes Weatherton wore to school.
“It got really embarrassing,” she said.
Though the bullies did most of the tormenting through Facebook, their reach was not confined to the Internet. The stress caused Weatherton to suffer seizures, and she was afraid to attend school activities.
“It had a real impact on my life,” Weatherton said. “I didn’t want to go to school some days.” Read the rest of this entry »
By J. Scott Applewhite, AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from opponents of same-sex marriage who are seeking to put a proposal on the ballot to overturn the District of Columbia’s gay marriage law.
The court did not comment Tuesday in turning away a challenge from a Maryland pastor and others who want Washingtonians to vote on a measure that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
Bishop Harry Jackson led a lawsuit against the district’s Board of Elections and Ethics after the board refused to put the initiative on the ballot. The board ruled that the ballot question would in effect authorize discrimination.
Last year Washington began issuing marriage licenses for same-sex couples and began in 2009 began recognizing gay marriages performed elsewhere.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
