Judge who told alleged rape victim to ‘keep her knees together’ should lose his job, committee recommends

A judicial committee is calling for the removal of a Canadian judge who asked an alleged rape victim why she could not “keep her knees together”.

Justice Robin Camp's comments, including that “pain and sex sometimes go together“ in a 2014 rape trial, were strongly condemned by sexual assault victims and advocates.

Alberta’s minister of justice complained to the national judicial council.

Mr Camp acquitted the accused, but the verdict was overturned and a new rape trail was ordered. The verdict is expected in January. 

The committee called for an inquiry into the controversial comments towards the 19-year-old plaintiff, who Mr Camp mistakenly referred to as "the accused" several times during the trial.

She was allegedly raped on a bathroom sink, and he had told her that she could have prevented her attack "by sinking her bottom down into the basin". 

The woman said she had thought about suicide as a result.

"He made me hate myself," she said. 

The judicial committee’s report said: "We conclude that Justice Camp’s conduct … was so manifestly and profoundly destructive of the concept of the impartiality, integrity and independence of the judicial role that public confidence is sufficiently undermined to render the judge incapable of executing the judicial office."

"Accordingly, the inquiry committee expresses the unanimous view that a recommendation by council for Justice Camp’s removal is warranted."

During the inquiry, Mr Camp said he had undergone sensitivity training and counseling with a superior court judge, a psychologist and an expert in sexual assault law.

"I was not the good judge I thought I was," he said, adding he had been “rude” and “facetious”. 

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"I didn't realise the implication came with those words," he said. 

His lawyer described him as a remorseful and complex human being, and removing him from the bench would send the wrong impression to other judges who sought to better themselves.

The committee acknowledged that Mr Camp had expressed remorse and had made a significant effort to repair his ways, but public confidence had been so damaged that he could not return to his position as a provincial court judge in Calgary.

Mr Camp will be able to make written submissions in his defense before the final decision is announced.

Man whose $11K was seized at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport gets it back -- with interest -- after settlement

More than two years after agents at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport seized $11,000 from Charles Clarke, he got his money back -- and then some.

Clarke agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Government Tuesday that would award him his $11,000 plus interest. Clarke was not awarded any compensatory damages.

In Feb. 2014, Clarke was traveling to Florida from CVG when police stopped him, according to the lawsuit. He was 24 at the time.

A ticket agent complained that Clarke smelled like marijuana at the time. During his interview, agents took $11,000 in cash that Clarke said he was going to use to pay for college. Investigators claimed the money came from drug dealing or would be used to purchase drugs.

The ensuing legal battle over civil asset forfeiture made national headlines and illuminated an issue that nets local and federal agencies millions of dollars every year.

Civil asset forfeiture is a practice in which police are able to seize cash and property from people who are suspect of a crime -- even if that person isn’t convicted or sometimes even charged. 

It took Clarke five years to save up the money, according to representatives with the Institute for Justice (IJ), who represented him pro bono. The nonprofit civil liberties group said he is one of thousands of people who have had their money seized through civil forfeiture.

The officer said Clarke became agitated when they took his cash and that he tried to keep officers from the money. At the time, Clarke was charged with assault on a police officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

3 Dams to Be Removed in American West to Restore Rivers: A new $50 million fund will help communities remove “deadbeat dams,” starting in California, Oregon, & Washington.

Within a decade, the Yakama people of south-central Washington State should be able to harvest salmon once again with spears, nets, and other traditional methods along tributaries of the Yakima River.

“We want to return to serving as stewards of the land,” says Philip Rigdon, the deputy director of natural resources for the Yakama Nation.

To make that possible, the Nelson Dam needs to come down first. The eight-foot high irrigation diversion dam on the Naches River sits just upstream of the City of Yakima on the largest tributary of the Yakima River, which flows into the Columbia River. Built in the 1920s, the now unneeded dam blocks the movement of salmon through the area, choking off the ecosystem’s lifeline.

But once the dam is taken out—by 2020, proponents of the removal hope—it will allow fish and nutrients to flow downstream. It will also reduce the risk of flooding in the area. (Learn more about the rapid restoration of a river after dam removal.)

And perhaps surprisingly, removal of the dam will actually increase the water and climate resilience of the area, says Michael Scott, acting director of the environment program of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. That’s because pooling water in a reservoir leads to more evaporation, while sending water downstream means it can recharge natural aquifers. 

The Nelson Dam removal project, a joint effort by the Yakama Nation and local, state, and federal agencies, is one of three test cases the Hewlett Foundation is supporting as part of its new Open Rivers program. On November 29, Giving Tuesday, the foundation announced the creation of that program with a gift of $50 million, honoring the foundation’s 50th anniversary and setting up the largest fund to date that's devoted to dam removal. The money will be administered by the independent Resources Legacy Fund. 

“The idea is to build community, not just give money,” says Scott. “We are not going to be funding advocacy efforts to try to take out dams, we are looking for places where the community has already come together and decided to remove a dam but they need a little extra help in getting it done.”

Dam removal projects that will provide significant ecological benefits, such as the Nelson, are of the highest priority, says Scott. Another requirement is that the structure be a “deadbeat dam”—one that has outlived its useful life and has now become a hazard.

More than 14,000 such dams exist around the country already. By 2020, more than 70 percent of the U.S.’s dams will be more than 50 years old, with many of those soon becoming candidates for removal. It’s a growing movement, with dozens of dams coming down every year. The main obstacle is the often high price tag of removal, which can run tens of millions of dollars. Yet maintaining old dams and retrofitting them to meet newer standards also comes at a cost.

Just taking out a dam isn’t the whole picture, adds Rigdon. To get the most benefits to the environment and community, a dam removal should be part of a wider restoration plan—like the Yakama Nation’s 30-year plan for the Yakima Basin. The nation came to this decision after realizing that securing rights to half of the area’s fish in the 1960s would actually amount to little if it ended up being “half of nothing,” says Rigdon.

The Yakama Nation has already worked with government and nonprofit partners to dismantle the 125-foot, nearly 100-year old Condit Dam. It finally came down in 2011. Within months, steelhead returned to the river. 

THE “DAMNATION DAM”

Another deadbeat dam that will likely be demolished soon, thanks to the Hewlett fund, is the 168-foot-tall Matilija Dam in California’s Ventura County, which was featured in the documentary DamNation with graffiti of scissors cutting it apart. Built in 1947 along a tributary to the Ventura River, the dam is so silted in that it no longer can effectively store water for agriculture, its original purpose. (Watch a haunting clip from the film.)

Patagonia, the Ventura-based outdoor clothing and gear company, is working with Hewlett and other groups to raise the funds needed to take out the dam by 2020. It would be the largest dam removal in California history (eclipsing the recent San Clemente project).

“The Matilija is right in Patagonia’s backyard and it needs to come down,” says Lisa Pike Sheehy, vice president of environmental activism at the company. "We want rivers to be free.” Free for fish and other organisms, she adds—but also for anglers, rafters, and paddlers.  

THE ROGUE RIVER

The third dam site the Hewlett Foundation’s fund is targeting is actually a series of small dams and other impediments in the Rogue River Basin in southwestern Oregon. The river’s mainstem flows free for 150 miles, earning the federal designation of Wild and Free. But other barriers in the drainage system block fish and movement of nutrients, while no longer serving useful functions.

The foundation is working with the Rogue Basin Partnership and the Rogue River Watershed Council to put together a plan to remove up to 50 dams and impediments over the next ten years. It's an important contribution to a movement that is growing but which still has a long way to go, supporters say.

Read More:http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/11/dam-removal-nelson-dam-matiliha-rogue-river-hewlett-foundation-open-rivers/

Widow of Hunter S Thompson plans to clone and sell his marijuana stash

The widow of legendary journalist and hell-raiser Hunter S. Thompson is working on cloning the writer's personal marijuana stash so it can be sold on the mass market.

Anita Thompson, who married Hunter in 2003 two years before his suicide, said in a post on her Facebook page that she had found a legal method to extract the DNA from the author's personal marijuana and hashish stash that she had saved for 12 to 15 years. 

"I am in the process of making the strains available to those who would like to enjoy the authentic Gonzo strains in legal states," she said in the post. "I am looking forward to making the authentic strains available in legal states to support the farm and the scholarships." 

In an article in The Aspen Times this week, she added that she is currently in talks with a company about cloning, growing and selling the cannabis.

Anita Thompson, who took over ownership of her late husband's 42-acre Owl Farm property in Colorado this year, told the newspaper that proceeds from the sales would go towards renovating the property and turning into a private museum and writer's retreat.

Colorado is one of eight U.S. states, plus the District of Columbia, where adult recreational use of marijuana has been legalized in some form. 

Nationally, legal sales of marijuana will reach $7.4 billion this year and surpass $20.6 billion by 2020, with recreational marijuana sales making up about 53 percent of the market, according to Arcview Market Research.

Here Is What China’s Five Star Toilet Looks Like (14 pics)

This is a new five-star restroom in the Bishan district of Chongqing, China. The facility is 150 square meters and has an elegant interior design as well as quality materials: like marble floors, granite imitation walls, lacquered wood doors and urinal separators, even chandeliers. A central heating system and 24-hour air-conditioning keep the place at a constant temperature of 26 degrees Celsius all the time. There is also a high-quality stereo system that plays soothing music. The five-star public restroom cost about 800,000 yuan ($115,785) to build.

Watercress and broccoli found to kill cancer stem cells within 24 hours

Adults and children alike tend to have a strong opinion about cruciferous vegetables.  Vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage are vegetables that some people really love, while others only tolerate them smothered in cheese.

WATERCRESS AND BROCCOLI SHOWN TO INCREASE ANTIOXIDANTS IN THE BLOOD AND LOWER RISK OF PROSTATE, COLON, AND BREAST CANCERS.

Cruciferous vegetables are well known for their anticancer effects.  Recent research has paired watercress with these powerhouse vegetables.  Watercress is showing great potential for cancer prevention and management.  This peppery green has been shown to increase the levels of antioxidants in the blood and protect the body’s DNA against damage.  Growing evidence now suggests that eating watercress may lower risk of prostate, colon, and breast cancer, and counteract the process in which cancer grows and spreads.  

Watercress and broccoli contain glucosinolates, which are phytochemicals that produce isothiocyanates, which have been found to have anticancer effects.  These compounds have been shown to protect against breast, lung, colorectal, head and neck, and prostate cancer.  

When a tumor outgrows its own blood or food supply, it will then send signals to the surrounding tissue to deliver more oxygen and nutrients.  Compounds in watercress has been shown to shut off this signal.  

COMPOUND PRODUCED WHEN CHEWING WATERCRESS AND BROCCOLI CAN KILL CANCER STEM CELLS WITHIN 24 HOURS.

New research adds to the current data that broccoli and watercress will help keep cancer at bay.  This research shows that when the compounds and enzymes found in cruciferous vegetables are combined with the chewing process, phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) is produced.  The study found that sufficient cancer-preventing levels of PEITC can be achieved through diet alone! 

When cancer is treated with chemotherapy or radiation, the tumor disappears, but the cancer stem cells live on. “These cells are frequently resistant to conventional therapies,” associate professor Moul Dey said. 

“These tiny cells are very difficult to detect in a tumor,” Dey pointed, adding that for a long time scientists did not even know they existed. “It’s like finding a needle in a haystack.” 

Cancer stem cells make up less than 5 percent of a tumor, but are powerful in that they can regenerate the original tumor and spread cancer to secondary locations. 

The research team treated cervical cancer stem cells with PEITC and found that 75 percent of these stem cells died within 24 hours.  The research team found that even low concentrations of PEITC are effective and produce similar results.

Critical Things About Coconut Oil that Cancer Conventional Medicine Doesn’t Want You To Know

Recent studies prove the relationship existing between coconut oil and cancer.  In one study, results confirm the ability of lauric acid, a medium chained fatty acid, to kill up to 93% of colon cancer cells within 48 hours.

Here are essential things about how coconut oil can be your natural solution to prevent and help cure cancer.

Lauric Acid Content

Pure coconut oil is an excellent source of lauric acid. It contains about 50 percent lauric acid, a fat which is actually rarely found in nature.

This acid is one of the worst enemies of cancer cells.  Lauric acid works like poison that kills cancer cells and prevents them to form and spread in your body.

Cancer cells thrive in a body where free radicals easily unleash their wrath.  When your body produces more free radicals than it can counteract the damage, it becomes a potential host to cancer cells. What Lauric acid does is to tilt the balance in favor of antioxidants.  You need antioxidants because they counteract free radical damage.  Antioxidants must overpower free radicals to beat cancer.

Backed by Science

Scientific evidence proves that pure coconut oil may kill and prevent cancer cells.  The thing is that these studies do not get the publicity they deserve.  Perhaps the reason is that drug-based cancer treatment is big business.

In addition to the study proving how lauric acid kills 93% of colon cancer, another study confirms how coconut oil can also treat and prevent breast cancer. Results prove that virgin coconut oil is an effective adjunct treatment for breast cancer.

Benefits of Saturated Fat

Coconut oil is a saturated fat.  Recent studies have debunked the misconceptions about saturated fats. 

The saturated fat in coconut oil belongs to medium chain triglycerides.  This type of fats is easier to digest.  Further, medium chain triglycerides are the ones that can hardly trigger the formation of cancer cells.

Regulates Blood Sugar

Cancer cells need sugar to form, spread, and survive in your body.  Thus, to prevent their formation and to get rid of them, deny these cells the environment they need to thrive.

Coconut oil is an effective natural remedy for managing and controlling blood sugar. It can even help in reversing type 2 diabetes.  This is important since diabetes can make matter worst for cancer patients.

According to health experts at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the formation of cancer cells is one of the long-term effects of unregulated blood sugar, pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes.

Experts worldwide continue to explore the link between coconut oil and cancer.  Use pure coconut oil as part of your cancer treatment.  Note that the oil is not a substitute for other treatments that you need.    It is also best to use pure coconut oil as preventive treatment for cancer.

While more research is definitely needed in the field, you can’t go wrong by starting to cook your dishes with coconut oil or add it by the spoon to your morning smoothies. Not only will it help your body prevent and fight cancer, it enables your body to absorb more nutrients from the food you eat as well.