Sherman A1
Sherman A1's JournalLengthy Webster U. Harassment Investigation Spurs Student Outcry, University Audit
The first time Tamsen Reed heard the rumors was over a text message from a soon-to-be roommate. Almost immediately, she began to feel trapped.
The rumors kept piling on. She’d hear them in her university classrooms. Once, a stranger shared them with one of Reed’s housemates, not realizing they lived together. Another time, a date brought them up to Reed.
“Oh my gosh,” her date said. “You’re the one Yates is talking about.”
Joshua Yates, the head of the Webster University’s game design program, was allegedly bragging to students and fellow professors that Reed was flirting with him and trying to seduce him. So Reed filed a Title IX sexual misconduct report with the university. That was more than a year ago.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/lengthy-webster-u-harassment-investigation-spurs-student-outcry-university-audit
Model railway lovers devastated as vandals smash years of work
Vandals have smashed up a model railway show, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage and leaving exhibitors “devastated and distraught”.
Members of Market Deeping Model Railway club were forced to cancel their annual exhibition at Welland academy in Stamford, Lincolnshire, after the break-in and rampage in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The club’s chairman, Peter Davies, 70, told BBC News that the exhibits, including a locomotive unit worth around £8,500, had been smashed, thrown around and stamped on.
Four youths who were arrested on suspicion of burglary and criminal damage have since been released on conditional bail pending further inquiries.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/may/19/model-railway-lovers-devastated-vandals-lincolnshire?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Now in the big picture of our world's many issues, this is small potatoes but as a hobbyist who does similar work building terrain and models for tabletop gaming I just find this Damn Sad. 
Missouri attorney general closes investigation into Greitens' use of office staff
JEFFERSON CITY • Attorney General Eric Schmitt is closing an investigation into whether former Gov. Eric Greitens improperly used his office staff to work on his campaign's social media accounts.
The Kansas City Star reported that Schmitt's announcement concludes what is believed to be the last investigation into alleged wrongdoing during Greitens' administration. Greitens resigned last spring amid allegations of sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations.
Former Attorney General Josh Hawley, now a U.S. senator, began an investigation last year into whether taxpayer resources were illegally misused and whether Greitens and his staff violated Missouri's open records laws.
Schmitt's office said Thursday that the issue is closed. New Gov. Mike Parson's office has signed agreements essentially promising that he and future governors will use best practices in using social media and email.
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/missouri-attorney-general-closes-investigation-into-greitens-use-of-office/article_fb4543a8-91f0-5dd7-82cc-1d2277eb75d9.html
Andrew Yang Policy on NCAA SHOULD PAY ATHLETES
Star Student-Athletes are told that they should be grateful that they are receiving a free education. Meanwhile, schools generate tens of millions in revenue and corporate sponsorship and coaches and athletic directors are paid multiple millions of dollars because of their athletic exploits.
The NCAA should accept the reality that certain of its sports have become entertainment properties and the athletes should be compensated accordingly. This is particularly true for Division I Men’s Football and Men’s Basketball.
We should create a new type of college athlete—“Performer athlete”—who is entitled to market-based compensation. This would not affect the status of any other student-athletes nor the tax-exempt status of the university. However, each university with a “Performer athlete” would be required to start an affiliated taxable for-profit entity through which both corporate sponsorships and Performer athlete salaries would flow.
Paying athletes in certain sports would lead to more resources going to the players who are both the main attraction and putting their bodies on the line each game.
"College sports are awesome and a lot of fun. But it’s pure exploitation that schools make millions off of student athletes, including television contracts and corporate sponsorships, and then hide behind their tax-exempt status as a school of higher education. It’s immoral that these kids are scrounging for meal money while the adults around them are making millions off of them each year. That’s the wrong lesson and the wrong role modeling for them to follow."
https://www.yang2020.com/policies/ncaa-pay-athletes/
Andrew Yang Policy on NCAA SHOULD PAY ATHLETES
Star Student-Athletes are told that they should be grateful that they are receiving a free education. Meanwhile, schools generate tens of millions in revenue and corporate sponsorship and coaches and athletic directors are paid multiple millions of dollars because of their athletic exploits.
The NCAA should accept the reality that certain of its sports have become entertainment properties and the athletes should be compensated accordingly. This is particularly true for Division I Men’s Football and Men’s Basketball.
We should create a new type of college athlete—“Performer athlete”—who is entitled to market-based compensation. This would not affect the status of any other student-athletes nor the tax-exempt status of the university. However, each university with a “Performer athlete” would be required to start an affiliated taxable for-profit entity through which both corporate sponsorships and Performer athlete salaries would flow.
Paying athletes in certain sports would lead to more resources going to the players who are both the main attraction and putting their bodies on the line each game.
"College sports are awesome and a lot of fun. But it’s pure exploitation that schools make millions off of student athletes, including television contracts and corporate sponsorships, and then hide behind their tax-exempt status as a school of higher education. It’s immoral that these kids are scrounging for meal money while the adults around them are making millions off of them each year. That’s the wrong lesson and the wrong role modeling for them to follow."
https://www.yang2020.com/policies/ncaa-pay-athletes/
St. Louis halfway house for federal prisoners turns into cash cow for family that runs it
ST. LOUIS — The oldest halfway house in America was founded on a simple premise, to “provide assistance to the downtrodden and other victims of misfortune ….”
These days, the Dismas House of St. Louis is run like a family business, and a lucrative one at that.
Founded as a nonprofit in 1959 by a colorful Jesuit priest and a lawyer for the mob, Dismas House serves as the last stop for some federal prisoners before they go on probation and reenter society. Long considered a religious ministry, the organization currently has no apparent connection to either the Missouri Jesuit Province or the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
Since 2006, the board has been controlled by John Flatley and his sister, Vivienne Bess, and the two siblings have turned the nonprofit’s contract with the federal Bureau of Prisons into their personal piggy bank.
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/tony-messenger/st-louis-halfway-house-for-federal-prisoners-turns-into-cash/article_9cbabc3e-a1de-589e-81ab-439a1ae7565b.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-2
Andrew Yang Policy on EVERY COP GETS A CAMERA
The benefits of body cameras on police officers are clear: A YEAR-LONG STUDY in Rialto, California showed a reduction of the rate of use-of-force incidents of 60% and an 88% reduction in complaints. Studies have shown that complaints drop dramatically when police officers are wearing cameras, both because of police conduct and because suspects behave better when they know they’re being recorded. It’s common sense. Everyone is going to act differently if they think what they’re saying or doing can be played back in a courtroom months later.
There are 18,000 different local law enforcement agencies, from the smallest town’s to the NYPD. Each agency is subject to its own budget, leadership, and regulations. Nationally, there are thousands of decision makers each balancing different interests and budgetary constraints, making widespread adoption difficult.
It would cost approximately $400 million to equip all 1.1 million US police officers with body-worn cameras (current costs are approximately $350 apiece, not including data storage costs and maintenance).
Approximately 400 to 1,000 Americans get shot and killed per year by police (the stats aren’t clearly kept, which is its OWN MASSIVE PROBLEM), some of which may be avoidable. Additionally, police departments receive thousands of complaints and lawsuits per year. Cameras would save many municipalities money by reducing legal costs defending against complaints, from the frivolous to the legitimate. This expense line is massive—the NYPD spent $136 million ON LEGAL SETTLEMENTS FOR complaints about police misconduct in 2010 alone. If cameras reduced this amount by any percentage they’d easily pay for themselves. The same is true for other cities around the country. Cameras would not only save lives and reduce incidents but they’d save cities millions in legal costs.
As one company that manufactures cameras puts it: “Made for cops by cops. Prove the truth.”
"Police officers do a dangerous job every day and deserve our support. Having a camera will help both the public and the police officer resolve complaints. It’s the 21st century and it’s now possible to equip police officers with more advanced equipment than ever before. We should invest in making our police officers as effective as possible while truly being servants and protectors of the communities they serve."
https://www.yang2020.com/policies/every-cop-gets-camera/
Andrew Yang Policy on EVERY COP GETS A CAMERA
The benefits of body cameras on police officers are clear: A YEAR-LONG STUDY in Rialto, California showed a reduction of the rate of use-of-force incidents of 60% and an 88% reduction in complaints. Studies have shown that complaints drop dramatically when police officers are wearing cameras, both because of police conduct and because suspects behave better when they know they’re being recorded. It’s common sense. Everyone is going to act differently if they think what they’re saying or doing can be played back in a courtroom months later.
There are 18,000 different local law enforcement agencies, from the smallest town’s to the NYPD. Each agency is subject to its own budget, leadership, and regulations. Nationally, there are thousands of decision makers each balancing different interests and budgetary constraints, making widespread adoption difficult.
It would cost approximately $400 million to equip all 1.1 million US police officers with body-worn cameras (current costs are approximately $350 apiece, not including data storage costs and maintenance).
Approximately 400 to 1,000 Americans get shot and killed per year by police (the stats aren’t clearly kept, which is its OWN MASSIVE PROBLEM), some of which may be avoidable. Additionally, police departments receive thousands of complaints and lawsuits per year. Cameras would save many municipalities money by reducing legal costs defending against complaints, from the frivolous to the legitimate. This expense line is massive—the NYPD spent $136 million ON LEGAL SETTLEMENTS FOR complaints about police misconduct in 2010 alone. If cameras reduced this amount by any percentage they’d easily pay for themselves. The same is true for other cities around the country. Cameras would not only save lives and reduce incidents but they’d save cities millions in legal costs.
As one company that manufactures cameras puts it: “Made for cops by cops. Prove the truth.”
"Police officers do a dangerous job every day and deserve our support. Having a camera will help both the public and the police officer resolve complaints. It’s the 21st century and it’s now possible to equip police officers with more advanced equipment than ever before. We should invest in making our police officers as effective as possible while truly being servants and protectors of the communities they serve."
https://www.yang2020.com/policies/every-cop-gets-camera/
Missouri voters to decide on more term limits
JEFFERSON CITY • Missouri voters will decide next year whether to impose term limits on all statewide elected officials following action Friday by the Legislature.
Lawmakers gave final approval Friday to a proposed constitutional amendment to limit the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, auditor and attorney general to being elected to two four-year terms.
That would match term limits already in place for the governor and state treasurer. State legislators already are limited to two four-year terms in the Senate and four two-year terms in the House.
The amendment on executive-branch term limits will appear on the November 2020 ballot unless Gov. Mike Parson schedules an earlier vote.
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/missouri-voters-to-decide-on-more-term-limits/article_a825a688-7b56-56bd-98c4-7fbfcc3b6d22.html
Andrew Yang Policy on REDUCE HARM TO CHILDREN CAUSED BY SMARTPHONES
Somewhere between 2.1 and 2.5 billion humans currently own a smartphone. While early models were released as early as 1992, the first iPhone (a good line-in-the-sand for widespread adoption of the technology) was released in 2007. In a little over a decade, these machines have become ubiquitous throughout the world. In the USA, around 70% of adults have smartphones.
What about children? Research suggests 22% of young children, 60% of tweens, and 84% of teenagers currently use a smartphone.
While these devices provide unparalleled access to information, their impact on the mind is barely understood. Researchers are just beginning to look at the impact focusing on a screen all day has on human development, and the conclusions are devastating.
There has been an unprecedented surge in depression, anxiety, and suicide, and a marked decrease in sociability. Teenagers are spending more time worrying about whether their online acquaintances like their recent post than they are in person with their friends hanging out and developing social skills. The average teenager spends Friday nights at home, interacting with a machine, instead of out with friends at a game or event.
Those who have worked within the industry describe the work they’ve done in stark terms. Often relating apps to slot machines, they say that the smartest minds of a generation are spending their time getting teenagers to click on ads and obsess over social media posts to see how many acquaintances respond or react to their posts.
In short, many experts are worrying that the widespread adoption of a poorly understood technology have destroyed the psyches of a generation.
"Smartphones are turning our kids into anxious and depressed zombies. Parents can’t compete - we need to help people take control and make smartphone use healthy and productive. Asking technology companies to regulate themselves is unfeasible - they will always want to maximize engagement regardless of the social impact. Government must provide guardrails to keep technology from corroding our mental and emotional well-being, particularly for young people. I love my smartphone too but we need to get a grip on the impact of this technology for the sake of our children."
https://www.yang2020.com/policies/effects-smartphones-human-development/
Profile Information
Gender: MaleCurrent location: U.S.
Member since: Sat May 13, 2006, 07:37 AM
Number of posts: 38,958
