BREAST EXAMS

Phillip Winikoff, 81, Allegedly Impersonated Doctor, Performed Breast Exams
David Lohr davidlohr@davidlohr.netFirst Posted: 10/12/11 02:55 PM ET Updated: 10/12/11 02:55 PM ET

An 81-year-old Florida man, who police say posed as a door-to-door physician and duped at least two women into having their breasts examined, has struck a plea deal with prosecutors.
Phillip Winikoff was charged in 2006 with three counts of sexual battery, two counts of practicing medicine without a license, two counts of simple battery and one count of using the title of doctor without a license.
Winikoff, of Coconut Creek, was 76 years old when police arrested him for fondling two women's breasts and genitals while masquerading as a doctor giving free, unsolicited checkups in an apartment complex.
On Tuesday, his lawyers told Broward Circuit Judge Sandra Perlman that they had reached a deal with prosecutors. The attorneys were late arriving in court, so Perlman, who had another trial to oversee, said she would reschedule the plea hearing. No firm date was set, The Sun Sentinel reported.
Five years ago, Winikoff, carrying a black "doctor's" bag, went to an apartment complex in Lauderdale Lakes. The phony doctor knocked on a unit belonging to a 36-year-old woman. He allegedly said he was visiting on behalf of a local hospital.
"He told the woman that he was in the neighborhood offering free breast exams," Broward County Sheriff's Office spokesman Hugh Graf said.
The unwitting patient let Winikoff into her apartment and he began the exam. After allegedly touching the victim's chest, Winikoff moved an ungloved hand to the woman's genitals and further molested her.
Suspecting that Winikoff was not a real doctor, the victim contacted the sheriff's office. When deputies arrived, the white-haired, fake physician had already left. He did not go far, however. Instead of fleeing the area, Winikoff found another victim, a 33-year-old woman who lived in the same apartment complex as the first victim, police said.
The second victim told police a similar story, saying Winikoff had presented himself as a doctor who was in the area giving free breast exams. Again, the woman let Winikoff into her apartment and again, he allegedly sexually battered his victim.
Deputies later located Winikoff and took the phony physician into custody without incident.
According to Graf, Winikoff was not licensed to practice medicine. At the time of his arrest, he was employed at an automobile dealership as a shuttle driver.

In November, authorities in Idaho investigated a similar case, involving a 37-year-old woman who allegedly impersonated a plastic surgeon and conducted breast exams in local bars. The disposition of that case is not immediately clear.

Neither the prosecution nor the defense has commented on whether Winikoff's plea deal includes any jail time. Had the case gone to trial, Winikoff would have faced up to 55 years behind bars.

Illinois Legislature Overrides Veto, Legalizes Roadkill Collection
Lowering the Bar, Legal Humor.
November 16, 2011
http://www.loweringthebar.net/

In May, we learned that HB 3178 had been passed by the Illinois Legislature, thereby clarifying that it was not illegal to "take or possess" a fur-bearing animal so long as you had the right permit, even if you just found it by the side of the road rather than hunted it down yourself. According to the sponsor, the measure would "help clean up our state at no extra cost" to the taxpayers.

That was certainly great news, but in August, Governor Pat Quinn vetoed the measure. Though he "commend[ed] the sponsors for their hard work on this legislation," Quinn said he was concerned about the safety implications of encouraging people to scour the state's roadways looking to get themselves a free dead mammal. He asked lawmakers to consider "appropriate safety measures" (whatever those might be) in any subsequent roadkill legislation.

Actually, no, the sponsors responded, we'd rather not, and promptly brought a motion to override the veto. That takes a three-fifths majority in Illinois, but that was not a problem - the motion passed 87-28 in the House and 52-0 in the Senate. Once again, therefore, it is legal in Illinois to pick up roadkill if you have the right permit.

I guess I don't know what to think about this, actually. Is it sadder that people are out there peeling dead animals off the roadway, or that our government insists that we need to have a permit to do it?

Harold Camping Prediction: World Survives Doomsday (Again)

Huffington 10/22/11 07:49 PM ET Updated: 10/22/11 07:49 PM ET

The world refused to end yet again on Friday, despite another prediction from Family Radio network owner Harold Camping that it would.
Earlier this year, Camping claimed Judgement Day was coming May 21. Then, when it did not, he said the actual day of reckoning would be October 21.
That day too passed without incident and now the Daily Mail is having a tough time getting Camping or anyone else from Family Radio to explain why the Earth is still turning. The paper's calls to the company were not returned.
In May, thousands of billboards across the country proclaimed the world would end on May 21. One man from New York City said he spent his life savings on advertisements notifying his fellow citizens that the apocalypse was near.
This time, there was no such fanfare, perhaps showing that people have grown weary of trusting a man who is now 0 for 3 when it comes to anticipating Armageddon.

Coast Guard searches for boater missing in Grand Traverse Bay
By Julie Hoogland The Grand Rapids Press MLive.com
Published: Sunday, October 16, 2011

TRAVERSE CITY -- The Coast Guard was searching Grand Traverse Bay today for a missing boater last seen Saturday morning -- one of three people missing in Lake Michigan over the weekend.

Jay Evens Farr, 59, of Northport was in a 10-foot dinghy at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, headed from the Leelanau Peninsula to get his sailboat at North Point Marina, Coast Guard officials said. It was not known whether he was wearing a lifejacket.

High winds created perilous conditions and waves of 8 to 14 feet in many locations around the lake.

"All around the Great Lakes there were storm warnings and gale warnings," Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Kyle Niemi said.

Rescuers were also searching this weekend for a kayaker missing near New Buffalo and a jet skier missing near Holland.

Storm warnings and gale warnings, waves of 8 to 14 feet, and the guy goes out in a 10-foot dinghy? Ditto for a kayak and a jet ski. And the temperature was about 50. Hello, anybody home up there?

Northeast, Not Bible Belt, Has Lowest Divorce Rate In America
By Amy KuperinskyReligion News ServicePublished: Monday, September 26, 2011, 8:30 AM

A recent U.S. Census report shows the Northeast -- and New Jersey in particular -- has the lowest divorce rate in America, trailed closely by New York.

The Bible Belt, meanwhile, home to Southern hospitality, church telethons and country music, has more "shotgun" weddings and the most divorces.
"People assume that people in the Northeast divorce easily because they're less religious, but that's not the case," said Deborah Carr, a professor of sociology at Rutgers University.
In the Northeast, 7.2 per 1,000 men and 7.5 per 1,000 women got divorced. In the South, the rates were 10.2 for men and 11.1 for women. New Jersey's rates were 6.1 for men and 6 for women, according to the 2009 American Community Survey, which released the data in August.
The South sees more divorce for several reasons, Carr said:
First, Southerners tend to marry young, partly due to a lower rate of college attendance.
Second, couples don't usually move in together while unwed, a trend tied to religious beliefs. They often frown upon birth control, and are "more likely to have nonmarital pregnancies, which... then trigger 'shotgun' marriages."
Third, there are simply more marriages in the South. New Jersey had the second-lowest marriage rates, just above Maine. The Census survey reported while New Jersey's marriage rate is 14.8 for men and 13.3 for women, Georgia's is 22.1 and 20.4, respectively.

And though it's not a Southern state, Alaska ranks like one, with the highest divorce rate for women, at 16.2. (For men, it's Arkansas at 13.5.)

Read more: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/09/nj_leads_nation_in_lowest_divo.html

Outsourcing Again

Iran: Cheap Qurans from China filled with typos
CBSNEWS.COM September 1, 2011 9:54 AM

(AP) TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian publishers are complaining that cost-saving plans to print Qurans (Korans) in China are yielding embarrassing results: A slew of typos.

The head of Iran's Quran oversight office says some of the Chinese-printed versions of Islam's holy book are littered with spelling errors.

Ahmad Haji-Sharif is quoted by Iran's semiofficial Mehr news agency as warning consumers that lower-cost Qurans may have mistakes in the holy verses. He noted earlier this week that Iranian-produced Qurans carry a higher price but have passed a careful inspection for any flaws.

Officials are now discussing a ban on Chinese-printed Qurans.

Forced sex at the Free Will Baptist Church

Pastor accused of raping 2 women near church
Associated Press Aug. 18, 2011 02:40 PM

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. - A South Carolina pastor has been charged with raping two women in a trailer behind his church.

A magistrate denied bond Thursday for Dale Richardson of Summerville, which is about 25 miles northwest of Charleston. He also was charged with a third sexual assault that occurred in January 2010.

An arrest warrant claims Richardson picked up a woman hitchhiking and took her to a wooded area.
He is also charged with a separate kidnapping.

Authorities say Richardson is accused of giving two of the victims a ride, drawing a gun and taking them to a trailer behind the Free Will Baptist Church.

Richardson said he understood the charges against him, but he said little else during the hearing.

Amish man charged with sexting, soliciting minor for sex in his buggy

By Douglas Stanglin, USA TODAY Jun 21, 2011

An Amish man accused of sexting a minor with graphic photos was arrested after arriving in a horse-drawn buggy for what he thought was a sexual encounter with the 12-year-old girl, WRTV reports.
Willard Yoder, 21, of Milroy, Ind., has been charged with soliciting a minor, the Indianapolis TV station reports.

Connersville police allege that Yoder had sent the girl 600 texts, nude photos and videos and said he wanted to have sex with her in his buggy.

The girl informed her parents of the unsolicited text messages. They pretended to be her to arrange the rendezvous last week as part of a sting operation with police.

Yoder was arrested outside a restaurant after he pulled up in the buggy.

WRTV says members of the Amish community typically shun any technology but some increasingly use cell phones in some communities.

In the police report posted by TheSmokingGun.com, an officer quotes Yoder as saying he thought the girl was 13. He said, according to the report that he "realized it was a bad decision and had never done anything like this before."

What? She was 12 years old, but he thought she was 13?

Man told to stop wearing black bunny suit in public
Aug. 2, 2011 10:21 AM
Associated Press

Idaho Falls, Idaho -- Police in Idaho Falls have told a 34-year-old man to stop wearing his bunny suit in public because it was annoying his neighbors and frightening their children.

A police report says officers responded Monday after a resident reported her son had been frightened by William Falkingham wearing a black bunny costume and hiding behind a tree pointing his finger at the boy like it was a gun.

The officer spoke with other neighbors, who were also disturbed by Falkingham wearing the bunny suit. They also reported he occasionally wears a tutu with the costume.

The report says Falkingham told officers he enjoys wearing the suit, but understood his neighbors' concerns.

protest ride against helmet laws

Motorcyclist Dies On Ride Protesting Helmet Law In New York
07/ 3/11 11:24 AM ET
ONONDAGA, N.Y. -- Police say a motorcyclist participating in a protest ride against helmet laws in upstate New York died after he flipped over the bike's handlebars and hit his head on the pavement.

The accident happened Saturday afternoon in the town of Onondaga, in central New York near Syracuse.

State troopers tell The Post-Standard of Syracuse that 55-year-old Philip A. Contos of Parish, N.Y., was driving a 1983 Harley Davidson with a group of bikers who were protesting helmet laws by not wearing helmets.

Troopers say Contos hit his brakes and the motorcycle fishtailed. The bike spun out of control, and Contos toppled over the handlebars. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Troopers say Contos would have likely survived if he had been wearing a helmet.

‘…flipped over the bike’s handlebars’? ‘…hit his brakes and the motorcycle fishtailed and the bike spun out of control’? A Harley Spun out of control? Fishtailed?

Animal Sex and Baggy Pants

Bills banning bestiality, baggy pants pass in Fla.
Legislation awaits Gov. Rick Scott's signature

By Brian Hamacher
NBCMIAMI.com NBCMIAMI.com
updated 5/5/2011 6:40:26 PM ET

Floridians are going to have to start pulling up their pants and stop having sex with animals soon.
It's up to Gov. Rick Scott to sign off on two bills passed in the Florida Senate and House Wednesday which target droopy drawers and bestiality.
The bestiality bill (SB 344) bans sexual activity between humans and animals and has been championed for years by Sen. Nan Rich, from Sunrise.
Rich took up the anti-bestiality fight after a number of cases involving sexual activity with animals in recent years, including a Panhandle man who was suspected of accidentally asphyxiating a family goat during a sex act and the abuse of a horse in the Keys. The bill would make such acts a first-degree misdemeanor.
Also passed by the House and Senate Wednesday is the so-called "droopy drawers bill" (SB 228), will will force students to hike up their pants while at school.
Students caught showing their underwear or butt crack could face suspensions and other punishments.

Caught With His Hand In His Pants

Grant Storms Arrested: Anti-Gay Christian Pastor Charged Over Public Masturbation
The Huffington Post Nick Wing
03/ 1/11 05:40 PM Updated: 03/ 1/11 06:31 PM

Rev. Grant Storms, a renowned anti-gay Christian pastor from Louisiana, was arrested last week for masturbating at a public park, in the vicinity of a carousel and playground where children were present.

After being apprehended by authorities, Storms claimed that he had been urinating into a bottle. He was then booked for obscenity -- charges that he denied -- and then released due to overcrowding in the jail.

The reverend appeared less willing to discuss the matter at a press conference on Tuesday, during which he blamed "pornography" for the incident. "Pornography is destructive and it can ruin a person's life, and it ruined my life," he said at the conference, admitting that he had his hands in his pants, but maintaining that he wasn't masturbating. "Do I have problems? Yes. Did I do something wrong? Yes."

Storms denied claims that he had been "looking at the children" in the area.

DDOT bus driver drove with woman on lap
BY MATT HELMS, FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Posted: Jan. 14, 2011

A Detroit bus driver has been suspended for 30 days and could be fired after a passenger filmed him driving with a woman on his lap, officials said.

The passenger shot the video on a camera phone and gave a copy to WJBK-TV (Channel 2) and Mayor Dave Bing’s office, said Bing spokesman Dan Lijana. City officials ordered the Detroit Department of Transportation driver to be suspended and possibly fired, pending a formal review of the incident.

“You’re creating a public safety issue, and this administration is focused on customer service,” Lijana said this afternoon. “That’s not the kind of customer service we’re interested in providing or showing to residents.”

The incident was first reported Thursday night on WJBK.

Henry Gaffney, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 26, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment but told the station that the driver realizes he made a mistake and contends it was an isolated incident that doesn’t warrant dismissal.