Monthly Archives: February 2014

Analyzing Raymond Felton’s gun charges, future in NBA

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FELTON-articleInline New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton has been charged with three offenses under New York law for unlawful possession of a firearm. The most serious is second-degree criminal possession, a felony charge that carries a minimum sentence of three and a half years behind bars. Felton’s charges stem from his estranged wife, Ariane Raymondo-Felton, reportedly handing over a Belgian pistol (FNH 5.7×28 mm) to New York police and claiming it belonged to Felton. Raymondo-Felton’s decision to turn over the gun appears connected to a heated argument Felton may have had with his girlfriend, whose name has not been released by law enforcement.

The charges

Unfortunately for Felton, New York is probably the worst state to be charged with illegal possession of guns. Prosecutors do not need to establish how Felton obtained the gun or why he possessed the gun, only that he possessed the gun. Felton has thus been charged with a strict liability offense: if he possessed the gun, he’s guilty and a judge would sentence him to at least three and a half years behind bars. Felton could seek a plea deal in hopes of a lesser sentence. Former NFL star Plaxico Burress, who faced similar charges in New York, ultimately pleaded guilty to lesser charges, but it was far from a legal win for Burress. Burress spent nearly two years behind bars. Plus, as discussed below, pleading guilty would carry legal significance for the NBA as it considers suspending Felton, while the Knicks could potentially try to void the remainder of Felton’s deal.

Read More at SI.com

Bible stops two bullets to save life of Ohio bus driver, police say

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busmessage
A Bible saved the life of a Ohio bus driver after the man was shot twice in the chest early Monday, police said.

Rickey Waggoner, a Dayton RTA bus driver, was making a mechanical fix outside his bus when three assailants approached him and shot him in what appears to have been a gang initiation, the Dayton Daily News reported.

Waggoner was shot twice in the chest at close range, but a contemporary version of the Bible, titled “The Message,” absorbed the bullets that would otherwise have killed the 49-year-old bus driver, according to police documents obtained by the newspaper.

Read more at FOX News

Government Lab Reveals It Has Operated Quantum Internet for Over Two Years

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MIT Technology Review, May 6, 2013

QC networkA quantum internet capable of sending perfectly secure messages has been running at Los Alamos National Labs for the last two and a half years, say researchers

One of the dreams for security experts is the creation of a quantum internet that allows perfectly secure communication based on the powerful laws of quantum mechanics.

The basic idea here is that the act of measuring a quantum object, such as a photon, always changes it. So any attempt to eavesdrop on a quantum message cannot fail to leave telltale signs of snooping that the receiver can detect. That allows anybody to send a “one-time pad” over a quantum network which can then be used for secure communication using conventional classical communication.

That sets things up nicely for perfectly secure messaging known as quantum cryptography and this is actually a fairly straightforward technique for any half decent quantum optics lab. Indeed, a company called ID Quantique sells an off-the-shelf system that has begun to attract banks and other organisations interested in perfect security.

These systems have an important limitation, however. The current generation of quantum cryptography systems are point-to-point connections over a single length of fibre, So they can send secure messages from A to B but cannot route this information onwards to C, D, E or F. That’s because the act of routing a message means reading the part of it that indicates where it has to be routed. And this inevitably changes it, at least with conventional routers. This makes a quantum internet impossible with today’s technology

Various teams are racing to develop quantum routers that will fix this problem by steering quantum messages without destroying them. We looked at one of the first last year. But the truth is that these devices are still some way from commercial reality.

Read more at MIT Technology Review

NYC: More Black Babies Killed by Abortion Than Born

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According to New York Daily News, there were 236 murders in which a firearm was used in 2012.

AP Photo

AP Photo

(CNSNews.com) – In 2012, there were more black babies killed by abortion (31,328) in New York City than were born there (24,758), and the black children killed comprised 42.4% of the total number of abortions in the Big Apple, according to a report by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

The report is entitled, Summary of Vital Statistics 2012 The City of New York, Pregnancy Outcomes, and was prepared by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Vital Statistics. (See  Pregnancy Outcomes NYC Health 2012.pdf)

Table 1 of the report presents the total number of live births, spontaneous terminations (miscarriages), and induced terminations (abortions) for women in different age brackets between 15 and 49 years of age. The table also breaks that data down by race – Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander, Non-Hispanic White, Non-Hispanic Black – and also by borough of residence: Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island.

– See more at CNS News

Hillsdale College Constitution 101 course starts Monday.

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hillsdale

Hillsdale College Campus

Hillsdale College in Michigan is starting up a free basic online course on the Constitution on Monday, February 24. Potential students can per-register now.

These courses are non-credit courses which are based on the curriculum that the resident students must take in order to graduate. These are great extra-study courses for high school students and students of other colleges.

These well-done courses consist of video lectures and downloads from their Constitutional Reader and other sources. The course covers the Constitution in the view of the founders through their words and the government-approved Federalist Papers.

The course is complete with examinations and you even receive a certificate of completion for the courses.

Upon completion, there is a Constitution 201 course available. They also have two history courses and a new economics course.

The course comes in ten weekly sections with a video about 45-minutes long. The reading depends on how much time you devote. If you want a good understanding of the Constitution, this is about the best ten weeks you can spend.

Job opening at Motel & RV Park.

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Front Office: Motel & RV Park Office

Self Starter ~ Performance Driven ~ Quick Learner ~ Detail Oriented & Attentive. Positions available both full & part time, seasonal & long term. Must be able to multi-task, good under pressure, be able to handle volume and provide excellent customer service. Must be computer literate and have admirable phone skills. Person must be friendly and able to work well with others & the general public. Great hospitality skills is a Super Plus+.

Hourly Salary is based on skill level, knowledge, performance and reliability. Schedule to be determined. Please e-mail your resume to canyonmotel@aol.com with your list of skills, past employers, references etc. Looking for someone who makes a difference to join our team. SENIORS & RETIRED applicants are viewed as advantageous.

Air Force will take ‘appropriate action’ over viral POW/MIA emblem photo

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By Jon Harper
Stars and Stripes

pow-imageWASHINGTON — The Air Force is “disappointed” in the airman who appeared in a photo that is being circulated of her posing with her tongue in the mouth of the prisoner of war depicted on the iconic black-and-white POW/MIA emblem.

“We do not yet have all the details behind the photo, but it certainly is a concern; it’s a concern any time someone shows disrespect for prisoners of war and those missing in action,” Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James Cody said in a statement. “They deserve our utmost respect and we must always remember their sacrifice and the legacy they’ve left for us as men and women serving our nation.

“I want to make it clear that this is not a reflection of Airmen who wear this uniform; it is a case of poor judgment of one Airman … to say we are disappointed would be an understatement. We are gathering all the details and will take appropriate action at the appropriate level,” he said. “Our Airmen fully understand the significance of the POW/MIA flag and the sacrifice of the men and women it honors.”

Read more at Stars and Stripes

Coconino County Sheriff’s Office & Taverna Greek Grill Sponsor Tip-A-Cop Fundraiser for Special Olympics on Feb 18

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Flagstaff – Join the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and Taverna Greek Grill, 420 S Woodland Blvd in Flagstaff, to raise funds for Northern Arizona Special Olympics athletes.  The Tip-A-Cop event will be held on Tuesday, February 18, 2014.  All day, 15% of sales will go toward AZ Special Olympics.  From 5 pm – 9 pm Sheriff’s Office employees will be assisting the waiters and helping to serve you.  Officers will be accepting any tax deductible charitable donations you wish to give to help support local AZ Special Olympics athletes.

Special Olympic events were created for children and adults with intellectual disabilities to explore their abilities in a variety of sports and physical activities.  The Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) is a branch of Special Olympics that was founded by the International Association of Chiefs of Police in the 1980’s.  LETR is committed not only to raising funds for Special Olympics Athletes, but also to sharing awareness and promoting opportunities for the athletes.  In Arizona, Special Olympics offers 22 sporting events, 170 programs and five statewide competitions for over 13,000 athletes each year.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run earned its name because law enforcement personnel run, walk, and bicycle carrying the Special Olympics Torch to its destination for local, state, and worldwide Special Olympics Games.  As such, law enforcement has become the “Guardian of the Flame” for Special Olympics.  Later this spring, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office will again be among the law enforcement agencies that guard the Flame of Hope as it journeys through our state and makes its way to the summer state games in Phoenix, AZ.

In preparation for those games and to help raise funds for our local athletes to train and participate in the sporting events, we are kicking off 2014 with Tip-A-Cop at Taverna Greek Grill in Flagstaff.  We also will be working with community partners throughout Coconino County for additional Tip-A-Cop events and other fundraising opportunities as we help athletes realize their goals and promote community awareness for Special Olympics.  Watch for these and other events on our Facebook page CoconinoSO and our Twitter account CoconinoSheriff:

  • AZ Special Olympics Winter Games are February 21-22, 2014 in Flagstaff
  • Polar Plunge fundraiser is March 8, 2014 in Flagstaff
  • AZ Special Olympics Summer Games are May 1-3, 2014 in Phoenix

To learn more about the Arizona Special Olympics, please visit the website:  http://www.specialolympicsarizona.org

You also can learn more about the partnership of Arizona law enforcement officers and Special Olympics athletes in a series of videos highlighting their stories.  Athlete Christopher Lee and Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Detention Sergeant Corey Ringenberg share their stories at:  http://youtu.be/B-TCXC25Dxo.  A new video is scheduled to be unveiled each month, so watch for more videos and get to know some of the athletes.

Love in bloom

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This column first appeared in Stars and Stripes on Feb. 8, 2011. It is now part of an upcoming book by Terri Barnes, “Spouse Calls: Messages From a Military Life,” (Elva Resa Publishing) available March 1.

By Terri Barnes

The sign said “One dozen Roses — Only $6 for Valentine’s Day delivery.” What was an 11-year-old to think?

He figured he had more than enough.

Quite a few bills and coins rustled and rattled in the jar he used for his savings, left over from cash sent by grandparents for his birthday and Christmas. He knew he had way more than six dollars.

He probably spread the money out on his bed, counting it carefully before putting it all in his jeans pocket.

It’s likely his mom thought he was off to play with the neighborhood boys when he hopped on his bike and headed down the street.

The flower shop wasn’t too far away. He didn’t even have to cross a big street to get there. He only had to follow the residential streets for a couple of blocks, then cut across on the dirt road that came up behind the shopping center.

His mom sometimes let him go that far anyway, he reasoned, to skateboard in the parking lot or buy candy and a Coke at the convenience store. Maybe she wouldn’t mind — if she found out.

He parked his bike and went inside.

Read more at Stars and Stripes