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Sandusky denies wrongdoing
The New York Times has a detailed interview with Jerry Sandusky, accused of child sexual abuse at Penn State. He denies everything.
Pepper spray is A-OK
So if pepper spray is OK to use on peaceful protestors, why not fellow Wal-Mart shoppers?
This is so sad. But the constant barrage of advertisements calling for more shopping and deals that cannot be matched, coupled with the recession, is certainly an inducement for such behavior.
Meanwhile, an off-duty police officer pepper sprayed Wal-Mart shoppers in North Carolina.
God, I love the commercial nature of America. Merry Christmas.
Related articles
- Now You Can Get Pepper-Sprayed While Shopping [Video] (jezebel.com)
- Shopper Pepper-Sprays Shoppers (slog.thestranger.com)
- Police Blast Pepper Spray At Unruly Black Friday Shoppers Inside North Carolina Wal-Mart (mediaite.com)
- This Is Your Second Walmart Pepper-Spraying Today (slog.thestranger.com)
Nebraska suggesting fans not wear red (updated)
Nebraska’s Athletic Director has advised its fans not to wear red tomorrow at the game with Penn State for fear of their safety.
Tom Osborne, Nebraska’s athletic director, has asked his team’s usually decked-out fans to refrain from wearing Nebraska’s trademark red. Osborne said he was not worried about the football team’s safety, but he wanted to make sure the team’s fans stayed safe.
“I just don’t know if it’s a good idea in this circumstance to stand out,” Osborne said to The Associated Press on Thursday.
Update: And, oh, a new investigation has been opened in Texas with respect to the same former Penn State coach. And Paterno has reportedly lawyered up.
Generally speaking, it is easy for a scandal like this to become overblown and hysterical, identifying abusers everywhere and this argues in favor of restraint and care in evaluating exactly what happened and what is a false claim. In this case, however, we have an eyewitness to at least one abuse incident who was 28 years old at the time he saw the abuse first-hand, and at least 8 victims (now adults, not children) testifying. The compaining individual in the Texas event was not one of the 8 in the original indictment.
Related articles
- Nebraska asks fans not to wear red to Penn St. (espn.go.com)
- Neb regent fears for player, fan safety at PSU (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Nebraska Cornhusker fans worry about security at Penn State after Joe Paterno firing (pennlive.com)
- Penn State Scandal: PSU Students Must Not Make Things Worse at Nebraska Game (bleacherreport.com)
Moody’s and Penn State
Because of the child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State, Moody’s is reviewing whether a Penn State credit rating reduction is called for.
Moody’s Investors Service has placed the Aa1 revenue bond rating of Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) on review for possible downgrade to assess credit risks emanating from the announcement this week by the Pennsylvania Attorney General of the filing of criminal charges involving child sexual abuse against a former assistant football coach, as well as perjury and failure to report charges against two senior university officials, including the CFO of the university. The university board has also dismissed Penn State’s president and head football coach.
Over the next several months, Moody’s will evaluate the potential scope of reputational and financial risk arising from these events. While the full impact of these increased risks will only unfold over a period of years, we will also assess the degree of near and medium term risks to determine whether to downgrade the current Aa1 rating. We will monitor possible emerging risks emanating from potential lawsuits/settlements, weaker student demand, declines in philanthropic support, changes in state relationship and significant management or governance changes.
As of today, Penn State’s debt is rated Aa1 by Moody’s.
Related articles
- Moody’s may downgrade Penn State debt rating (marketwatch.com)
- Penn State Could Lose Millions In Sex Scandal Fallout (huffingtonpost.com)
- Cars.com Has Pulled Its Sponsorship Of The Penn State Game On ESPN This Weekend (businessinsider.com)
- The Quad: What Should Penn State Applicants Think? (thequad.blogs.nytimes.com)
Can the NCAA be far behind?
Given the outrageous failure to alert police to child sexual abuse occurring on the Penn State campus, will the NCAA launch an investigation into the football program? The inaction by Penn State officials would seem to be highly damaging to college football’s reputation.
Shameless press release of the day
I am absolutely devastated by the developments in this case. I grieve for the children and their families, and I pray for their comfort and relief.
That’s why I have decided to announce my retirement effective at the end of this season. At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can. This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.
My goals now are to keep my commitments to my players and staff and finish the season with dignity and determination. And then I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to help this University.
– former Penn State Football Coach Joe Paterno a few hours before he was fired by the Board of Trustees.
What could he have been thinking? That he was entitled to choose his own departure date (and cut off discussion by the Board of Trustees) after it became known that he did not report child abuse occurring on Penn State’s campus 10 years ago? If he grieves for the victims, perhaps he should have taken real action to protect children before they were victimized. And did he think that he could actually appear with the Penn State team on the sidelines at their game with Nebraska this weekend? And why did he need “hindsight” to decide that more should have been done.
The cruelest show on Earth
If you care about animal welfare, do not EVER attend a Ringling Brothers circus or anything produced by Feld Entertainment, the company that owns Ringling brothers.
Steve Jobs is dead (updated multiple times)
I am so sad. He was a great man who lead a great company. But he was also a very private man. My heart goes out to his family.
Go to apple.com for the official reaction.
And if you haven’t ever seen it before, take a look at his commencement address at Stanford in 2005:
According to Om Malik, Tim Cook sent this email to Apple employees shortly before 5 pm today:
Team,
I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today.
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com.
No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.
A flavor of the man:
And what is happening online (a world he was instrumental in creating) right now:
RT @bill_gross: 6.36% of EVERY Tweet on Twitter right now is about Steve Jobs, but he is in 100% of our thoughts.
@SameerPatel
Sameer Patel
A statement from Bill Gates:
I’m truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’ death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work.
Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives.
The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.
For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.
And I like this video montage put together by Wired:
Other media coverage:
- New York Times (full obituary)
- Wall Street Journal
- John Gruber
Note: Check my Twitter feed for more links. Look on the right side of this page or follow @b_freer on Twitter.
9/11 was only the beginning
Everything has gotten worse since 9/11, as reported by the best news source in the country. Excerpt:
As media coverage of the 10th anniversary of 9/11 ramps up this week, citizens across the United States collectively realized they would rather think about the terrorist attacks of 2001 than about anything else that has transpired in the subsequent decade.
Research chimps freed
A group of chimpanzees who were used for years of medical testing indoors without ever seeing the sun have been released into a preserve. Watch this very emotional video of the event.
More details (in English) here.
Hiroshima after the bomb
360Cities has posted a collection of 360-degree panoramas of Hiroshima following the atomic bombing of the City. They show amazing detail and are powerful argument against future use of these horrible weapons against civilian non-combatants. Click the full screen button for the full view closeup. (via Boing Boing)
Related articles
- Amazing Panoramic Photos Of Hiroshima After The Atomic Bomb Blast (techcrunch.com)
Foreclosure suffering continues…
Watch all these clips about the suffering that is still plaguing Americans and largely caused by mortgage lenders. It makes so sad and so angry as well. Besides the terrible suffering for the homeowners involved, this type of behavior continues the decline in real estate values for everyone. Over 5 million foreclosures and counting. Where is the outrage? Why is all the governmental support going to the banks and not to people?
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
The text version of this story is available here.
Pictures from inside the Fukushima plant (updated)
The first pictures from inside the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant have been released. They show the members of the heroic Fukushima Fifty, the workers and managers who have continued to fight to regain some control of the plant. The darkness inside shows how terrifying this effort must be.
Inside the control room of units 1 and 2
Update: The Wall Street Journal describes the larger number of low level workers who are being asked to report to the plant voluntarily, and at standard pay, to help out.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., or Tepco, and other companies that are sending employees to the Fukushima Daiichi plant say they aren’t paying the workers extra or providing benefits beyond existing accident and sickness insurance. The companies say they have been too busy dealing with the emergency to consider such things. Workers haven’t raised the issue either, they say, in a country where pushing for more cash in such a time of crisis is seen as crass.
“There isn’t a single person who’s been doing this because of money,” says Tadashi Ikeda, senior managing director of Tokai Toso. Plenty of workers are locals who have been forced out of their homes by the radiation levels and are eager to help get things back to normal, he adds.
Mr. Tada says he typically earns about ¥200,000 ($2,470) a month, well below Japan’s average monthly salary of ¥291,000. “It can’t be helped,” he says, adding his mother doesn’t want him to go. “Someone has to do it.”
Related articles
- Picture post: workers toil inside Fukushima’s control room (blogs.nature.com)
- The First Pictures Of The Heroic Fukushima 50 — The Nuclear-Plant Workers Who Stayed (businessinsider.com)
- The Fukushima Fifty… (delong.typepad.com)
- First Photos Of The Fukushima 50 (buzzfeed.com)
