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The term "whistleblowing" means any information regarding suspicious conduct not compliant with what is established in the Code of Ethics and of Conduct of the Telecom Italia Group, the Policy for Respect of Human Rights and in the 231 Organizational Model adopted by the Group, the internal procedures and the external rules and regulations however applicable to the Group, as well as allegations and complaints received by the Boards of Statutory Auditors of the national companies of the Telecom Italia Group for topics for which they are responsible.
The "Whistleblowing Procedure", which applies to all unlisted national companies of the Telecom Italia Group and to the two subsidiaries established under San Marino law, Telecom Italia San Marino S.p.A. and Telefonia Mobile Sammarinese S.p.A. and which forms a reference for the listed national companies and for the foreign ones, regulates the process of receiving, analysing and handling the allegations sent or transmitted by anyone, even in anonymous form.
The Head of Internal Audit Department is responsible for handling the Whistleblowing allegations.
TIM makes available to anyone (employees, associates, consultants, labour providers and Third Parties, also in business relations with Telecom Italia Group) the Whistleblowing Channel, to send or share, with the maximum guarantee of confidentiality, allegations related mainly to:
- requests for clarification on correctness of behaviours, own or another's, in order to fully comply with the Code of Ethics and of Conduct and with the Values also mentioned in the Policy for Respect of Human Rights;
- communications of alleged breaches, requests or incentives to breach Laws or Regulations, requirements of the Code of Ethics or internal procedures, with reference to the activities or services of Group interest;
- alleged violations of the 231 Organizational Model;
- communications coming from Third Parties regarding alleged matters, irregularities and reprehensible actions;
- allegations on accounting, internal accounting control or auditing matters submitted from anyone or concerns submitted by employees of the Company and the Group, regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters of the direct and sole responsibility of the Board of Statutory Auditors of Telecom Italia (acting also as the Audit Committee).
The Whistleblowing Channel, in order to guarantee total anonymity, does not gather information on the whistleblower or on the method of access (e.g. server, IP address, mac address) and assigns a unique ID code to each allegation entered, which allows the whistleblower to check its processing status in total anonymity.


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Back By Popular Demand Local Legend Mr Ed Rowley Will Be Spinning Some Records @ The Dragonffli Doors 18:00 Free Entry
Posts Categorized: Events
Saturday 6th September – 51st State, The Surgeons + Em Lou.
51st STATE 51st State are a anarcho-punk 2 piece, just drums and bass and a rant at the mike. you don't need the rest of the crap just the noise and energy! Formed in 2007 in small town somerset. A small stream feeding the vast ocean. later we looked for this in the great movements more »
Friday 5th September – By Jupiter + Hazy Tiger
By Jupiter 3-piece from Cardiff, bringing lots of drums and volume to their unique contemporary sound Hazy Tiger Starting in September 2013 as a 5 piece heavy rock band,we slowly progressed into a much more versatile style of music, changing our line up to on a trio. Based in south Wales we hope to reach more »
Saturday 30th August – Tusk + Stunk Doubles.
Tusk 'Tusk' are an alternative rock three piece based in Swansea, Wales, Formed in late 2011, the band mixes a wide range of influences to create a unique style, combining loud fuzz guitars, hypnotic bass lines, powerful drums, and catchy vocal harmonies. Inspired by bands such as the Smashing Pumpkins, Dinosaur Jr,Pavement, and The Cure, more »
Friday August 29th Recluse + Ghosts As Alibis
Recluse "Recluse strike the right balance betweeen classic rock and modern rock… their music is weighty and impressive", Big Cheese Magazine (4/5). "Crooked Heart is a slow burning, chunky, bluesy, riff-fest", Metal Talk. "Recluse Produce a heavy, bass filled sound laced with good, emotive vocals which do the well penned lyrics the justice they deserve. more »
Friday August 8th 2014, RedRacer Play Pontypool @ The Dragonffli!
The Californian desert is vast, wild and untamed. Even on its distant edges, where its barren sprawl meets the outposts of civilisation, there still crackles a certain unhinged, primal power. Listen close to the debut album by RedRacer – recorded at Rancho De La Luna studio, located in Joshua Tree, on the very frontier more »
After their highly controversial exit from the Hog and Hosper in August 2009 – GUNS 2 ROSES are back in Pontypool for the first time in 5 years at the same place now called Dragonffli. To mark the 5 year absence tickets are on sale for only £5. Supports & Special guests TBA http://www.facebook.com/events/488377044627731/
AUG 01 Clarity As Arson + Quarantine UK + The Eden Skyline
We have a great line up for you this evening with three rock, metal and metalcore bands playing and we're open from 6pm. It's free entry and the beer is cheap so rock on down to The Dragonffli tonight! Clarity As Arson Clarity As Arson: "The art of finding cleanliness in a destructive force." We more »
July 17th Weekend – Thank You!
A massive thank you to everyone who turned up this weekend for the gigs including all of the bands. Only one band was unable to make it this weekend so we've had 7 bands on in 2 days! Friday night kicked off with music from Newport based Misled Truth, followed by Cardiff band The Rum more »
JUL 25 Insuna + Dermoid
Doors 18:00 Dermoid 21:00 A dermoid cyst is a cystic teratoma that contains developmentally mature skin complete with hair follicles and sweat glands, sometimes clumps of long hair, and often pockets of sebum, blood, fat, bone, nails, teeth, eyes, cartilage, and thyroid tissue. Also a band from Cardiff. Insuna 22:00 Insuna have been active since more »

subset: commoncrawl


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There were some places that chocolate bars just couldn't go -- like into beach bags destined for days in the sun, a summer hiker's backpack or the hand of a child dressed in summer whites.
But that has changed. There is a new heat-resistant chocolate bar that holds its shape and becomes "fudgelike" at temperatures up to 140 degrees.
Hershey's Desert Bars, now in national distribution, received their "trial by fire" in the desert.
One million bars were shipped to the soldiers of Operation Desert Storm. And those soldiers in Saudi Arabia became a captive "test market" of sorts.


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Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) March 5, 2011
Pull out shelf manufacturer Shelves That Slide now offers pull out trash and recycling options in a variety of sizes, styles, and finishes. With spring approaching and the temperatures finally beginning to warm up, many families are enjoying themselves with outdoor barbeques and social gatherings that inevitably result in an excess amount of trash. It can be difficult to remember to sort recyclables and trash when the bins are separate. However, thanks to Shelves That Slide, recycling is easier than ever thanks to their slide-out trash bins. Two bins can be installed within a kitchen cabinet, allowing you to quickly and easily throw out trash and recyclables from your most recent family dinner or outdoor barbecue.
Plus, multiple trash bins in one convenient location can be used for other purposes, too. One bin can be reserved for trash, while the other can be used to store empty soda cans, glass bottles, or any overflow trash that doesn't fit in the first bin. Shelves That Slide also offers bins in a variety of finishes and with different designs, including bins that are color-coded, vary in size, and even come in different finishes, like their 15 liter lacquered option. The possibilities are endless when it comes to your trash storage needs, and best of all, the storage options offered by Shelves That Slide are inconspicuous and can be easily pushed away under a kitchen sink.
During the recent economic downturn, Shelves that Slide has benefited as a company that provides a cost-effective way to transform your kitchen on a budget. The pull out shelves and other organizational options they offer can increase storage space while making items easier to locate and access. Home improvements such as these can also help increase the resale value of a house or condo, making Shelves that Slide a worthy investment.
In addition to pullout sliding shelves, Shelves that Slide also sells Lazy Susans, drawer organizers, blind corner storage systems, and custom fitted tip-out trays.
The full line of products offered by Shelves that Slide can be found at http://www.shelvesthatslide.com. For contact information, please visit http://www.shelvesthatslide.com/about.htm


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Thinking about buying a car but not sure where to begin? Stop by your Lexington DriveTime Dealership and learn more about finding and financing your next used vehicle with us. At DriveTime, we work to help people find a vehicle that's right for them regardless of their credit. Our goal is to get you into a used car by providing bad credit car financing.
Since 2002, we have differentiated ourselves from other dealerships by providing used cars and bad credit car financing to people who struggle to get approved for financing. Our financial advisors in Lexington are trained to work with all customers to provide them with financing options for purchasing a used car. DriveTime incorporates no-haggle pricing, creating a no-pressure environment where you can focus on finding the car that you want and securing the financing needed to buy it.
When you visit one of our Lexington stores, you will find a large selection of vehicles. Each of our used cars are put through a multi-point inspection* before it ever arrives on the lot and each one is covered by a 30 day / 1500 mile limited warranty. You also have an option to purchase up to a 5 Year / 50,000 Mile Vehicle Protection Plan. We also provide an AutoCheck vehicle history report for each of our cars so you can have peace of mind about the vehicle you're interested in. Once you find your perfect vehicle, our sales advisors work with you to create a financing package that works for you, whether or not you have bad credit.
Visit your nearest Lexington DriveTime dealership and speak to an advisor about your car financing options regardless of your credit. We are committed to helping people that have past financial hardships by providing bad credit car financing. With up to 11,841 cars on our Lexington dealership lots, we will help you will find your next used vehicle, and we will work with you to provide the financing you need to buy it. You can also browse our inventory online, and can begin your application in just two minutes. You can also call us toll free at 1-888-418-1212.
* DriveTime is not able to make safety recall repairs, so vehicles may be subject to open recalls. Visit http://www.safercar.gov/ for more information about recalls.


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While I am in the process of refreshing this site, you can still see my work and also download a resume.
I am an art director and graphic designer with over 30 years of (very) hands-on experience. The first half of my career was spent largely in publishing working in-house. I've been self-employed for the past fifteen years working with a wide range of small businesses, corporations, nonprofits, and individuals to help shape their message and presentation through promotional materials, websites, identities and logos.
I am now interested in exploring a full-time position. I have managed a large design staff, created presentations and lead meetings as an Art Director, and taught a college course in Web Design. However, I will always consider myself foremost a hands-on, problem-solving graphic designer.
You can also find me on LinkedIn, and visit my blog Getting Graphic.
Howard Grossman
December, 2016


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Women's Health Resources
Financial Assistance
Abortion Care
Northland Family Planning has financial assistance available for women living on a low income. Our staff is exceptional at helping women in need obtain this funding assistance. We can complete eligibility for funding at the same time you call to make your appointment. We do not offer a payment plan option but we will personally help you brainstorm ways to raise money, or work overtime ourselves to call funding agencies on your behalf. We are dedicated funding advocates for women- give us a call.
Gynecology Care
Northland Centers provide excellent gynecology care and we are proud that we are able to keep our fees LOWER than any other family planning center. We also offer reduced fees for minors with high school ID. Most insurance plans should now cover well-woman visits with no copay. However, if you currently do not have insurance, please call us for our reduced fees and click HERE to access our money-saving coupons.
HPV Vaccine
Our office is also a provider of the HPV vaccine, Gardasil. There is assistance available if you don't have insurance or it doesn't cover this vaccine. Northland has applications for this assistance in our office. It only takes about 20 minutes to find out if you're eligible. Stop by any of our locations to find out. For more information about these assistance programs, see this link.
Insurance Coverage: NFP is credentialed by most major insurance and managed care companies.
We are proud of our high standing within the medical community and have passed every inspection and credentialing process with flying colors.
Abortion Care
Abortion insurance coverage in the state of Michigan has changed dramatically as of March 14, 2014. On this date, the Michigan Insurance Opt Out Act became law. It is a complicated law that prohibits insurance plans from offering insurance for abortion without a rider UNLESS IT IS A SELF-FUNDED GROUP health plan. It also prohibits a doctor or clinic from billing certain insurance companies for elective abortion & related services NO matter the reason or health consequences for the woman. Furthermore, there is no exception for rape or incest. If you do not have this rider or benefit, Northland Family Planning cannot bill your insurance for any services related to elective abortion.
When you call to make your appointment we will need you to have your insurance card with you. If you have a Benefits Book, have that with you, as well. These are the things we will need to know:
- if your insurance is through a group plan or if it is an individual policy
- the name of your employer
- your employer's headquarter address
- if your employer is headquartered in Michigan or just has locations in Michigan
- if your insurance is through a self-funded plan (this should be in your benefits book)
Northland Family Planning will attempt to verify coverage for elective abortion. If we are unable to confirm coverage to our satisfaction, we will not be able to bill the insurance company for any services related to an abortion.
Gynecology/Well-woman/Annual Exam Visits
Northland Family Planning is in network with most insurance companies. At this time, most insurance companies cover well-woman visits with no copay or deductible due to the Affordable Care Act requirements! There are NO COPAYS OR DEDUCTIBLES for your annual Pap smear exams! And STI testing and family planning are included! We are in network with most insurance companies, including the Expanded Medicaid Healthy Michigan program. We will verify your insurance coverage over the phone prior to your appointment.
Your insurance coverage and benefits must be verified by Northland Family Planning before your appointment. When you call to schedule an appointment, please have your insurance information handy (membership card and number). We will gladly check your coverage for you.
The following is a short list of insurance groups that have contracted with us.
- Molina
- Medicaid
- McLaren Health Plan
- Blue Cross/Blue Shield
- Blue Care Network
- HAP Network
- Cofinity
- Cigna
- Aetna US Healthcare
- Total Healthcare
- Priority Health
- DMC Care
- United Health Care
- And many others… please call us to check about your specific insurance


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GameZone writes: "Dead Island: Game of the Year Edition is a nice package for gamers who want to destroy legions of undead monsters. Is it worthy of the title Game of the Year? That's debatable. But at $30, it's tough to pass this game up."
Something is wrong with gaming if someone thought this was Game of the Year.


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Do not write of the U.S.
Just occasionally, I come across writings that beg for reproduction within blogosphere and Greg Sheridan's latest piece is screaming for exposure further afield on blogs like, American Interests even though the blog is laying dorment for now. Indeed, I have written more than the usual piece on America's capacity to regenerate as a world power and, stay ahead of the pack, so it is fitting to highlight Greg's latest at The Australian.
In such globally unstable economic times - words such as flux, fluid, anxious and unstable are getting a solid workout everywhere -- the hardest thing of all to do is to predict long-term trends.
This column, in its fearless fashion, is now going to do just that. Let me give you the headline first: the US will be the leading, probably dominant, global economy emerging out of this period of instability.
Sorting out cyclical swings from long-term, structural trends is a big challenge in this kind of analysis. Here is a cautionary tale.
In 1997 the East Asian economic crisis hit. For a short time it was popular to pour scorn on those (your columnist humbly among them) who had been celebrating the East Asian rise and predicting its continuation. But George Yeo, one of the smartest men in Southeast Asia and for a long time Singapore's foreign minister, at the height of the crisis told me to disregard such naysayers. At worst, the economic crisis would put East Asia's rise back a few years, nothing more.
Yeo was right, as he usually was. I now apply the same spirit of his analysis to the US. It's worth noting, by the way, that through all the magnificent rise of Asia, the US's share of the global economy shifted very little. Amid the ups and downs, Africa, Latin America and Europe declined somewhat as a share of the global economy, the US stayed rather constant.
I don't deny the US is in a troubled moment just now, but I want to offer you, future alarums and temporary reversals notwithstanding, seven reasons why the US will pull through this period and emerge triumphant once more.
The astonishing revival of US manufacturing and exporting. There are many ways to measure manufacturing. If you measure it by employment, US manufacturing appears to be in a small recovery. If you measure it by value, it is starting to boom. This is because of the turn of the cost structure wheel. Manufacturing jobs have been flowing out of the US and into Asia and Latin America for years because US labour rates cannot compete with China's or other developing nations. But guess what? Labour is an ever diminishing part of manufacturing's cost structure. Increasingly, machines are making machines. This plays to US strengths. Bigger costs, given the rise in fuel prices, are transport. Being inside a giant market like the US is a big advantage. A new term has been coined - "insourcing".
The US's flexible industrial relations system also means new manufacturing jobs are being negotiated at competitive wage rates - $12 or $14 an hour or so. This does not provide a comfortable middle-class life, but it's a million times better than unemployment. If you can get healthcare insurance with it, it's manageable.
Moreover, the rise of the Asian middle class means a growing demand for US-style hi-tech exports. As the economist Tyler Cowen argued recently: "The leading categories of American exports today - civilian aircraft, semiconductors, cars, pharmaceuticals, machinery and equipment, automobile accessories, and entertainment - are going to be the sweet spot of growing demand in what we call the developing world."
In 2010, US exports to China grew by 32 per cent. It might not be a huge amount of jobs, but it will be a huge amount of dollars. Watch this trend very closely.
Then there is energy. God may just be an American after all. All this shale oil, and the new technologies to extract it, mean that at anything above $US70 a barrel the US has commercially viable oil reserves that dwarf those of Saudi Arabia. Fracking, the technique to extract this oil, has its problems but this is a giant development. Not to mention the massive gas discoveries.
The status of the US dollar as the world's reserve currency, and main currency of trade, is not remotely threatened. The euro, the only candidate to compete with the dollar, is in desperate eclipse. This status gives the US all kinds of institutional advantages. It might end one day, but not for a long, long time.
The US has the most effective competitive federalism of any nation in the world. Wisconsin, of all places, passed quite tough industrial relations laws designed to improve productivity and competitiveness. There was a massive reaction and an effort to recall the reforming Republican governor. But the voters of Wisconsin endorsed the changes.
With all the talk of US political dysfunction, this is one of the most powerful competitive advantages the US political system has. States force an element of good policy on each other by innovating successfully and attracting investment, and prosperity, away from their neighbours. Competitive federalism works in the US.
Both the size, and the composition, of the US's demographic dynamic is superior to any other developed country in the world, and superior to most developing countries, too.
Read the rest here. Subscription required
See also my 2008 piece "America will remain strong"


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Blog Archive
- ► 2017 (45)
- ► 2016 (36)
- ► 2015 (52)
- ▼ December (5)
- ► November (3)
Save the 1 Speaker Websites
Friday, December 19, 2014
Our Grandson -- the Light in the Darkness After Our 14 Year Old Daughter Was Raped by Angi Grogg
Four years ago, I was going through life like I had it all figured out -- perfect family, perfect job, perfect home. Our proud military family was living the American dream -- we had it all. On December 21, 2010 -- the darkest day of the year, everything changed for us as a family. Little did we know our lives were forever transformed or what that ill-lighted date would come to represent.
Mother's Day 2011 -- the memory of that day is so surreal. It is the day I found out our 14 year old daughter Pyper had been raped by an 18 year old soldier and was pregnant as a result. There was no going back to our perfect life, and this would be the first of many painful days for our family.
Our family has experienced too many low points over the past four years to count. For me, the hardest is a reoccurring nightmare which happens around the same time every year in December. Invariably, over the past three years, instead of making holiday plans, we found ourselves reacting to or reeling from some event resultant from that day in December, 2010.
In December, 2011, while joyous over the birth of our grandson Noah a few months before and looking forward to his first Christmas, we were haunted by the circumstance surrounding his conception and the fear of what the future held for us. The process of reporting the rape to the military and civilian authorities and the investigation into happened to Pyper was in its infancy, so the wounds were still fresh. It seemed that everything and everyone was against us. Our friends and family questioned our choices, they blamed my husband and I for what happened, and some even abandoned us because they just couldn't process it. In fact, our church family urged that it would be better if we didn't make a big issue of it -- just ignore the 800 pound gorilla in the room.
As 2012 progressed, the fight to right Pyper's wrong intensified. In December, 2012, we were facing one of the most daunting tasks of our lives. No one could have prepared us for the horrors of what we were about to endure, which included a defense attorney suggesting to our daughter that she wasn't really raped because she failed to abort. We spent the week preceding December 21st sitting in a military courtroom half-way across the country praying that our ordeal would end. It didn't. What prosecutors told us should have been a slum-dunk case involving not only forcible rape, but strict liability statutory rape, inexplicably ended in a 3-3 hung jury. In the military, this means the rapist is acquitted. On the 21st -- that same dark date, we found ourselves packed inside a minivan, in shock and disbelief, driving a thousand miles to get back home.
Our situation was about to get worse, as our grandson Noah was in danger. In response to our daughter pressing charges, the rapist's attorney had filed for custody. We'd been warned that this was a common strategy, and with the failure to obtain justice in the criminal trial, the stage had been set for a bitter custody battle in civil court.
Over the next twelve months, we were hit with a deluge of court documents and besieged by harassment and threats. Each day brought a new fear -- the distress was consuming, but as our days grew darker, our resolve grew stronger. There was no way we were going to give up! December, 2013 found us sitting in a different courtroom, in a different town, over the same dark days as the past three years. This time it wasn't about right and wrong -- we were fighting for our very lives; we were fighting for Noah. Expending every fiber of our being, down to our last breath, we battled for our precious little boy. This time, the outcome would be different.
On the day the court's decision came in, we didn't celebrate. Instead, we passed the day in reverent silence with just a few calls to the family and friends who remained. The freedom from our tormentors was final in March, 2014, and we slowly began to regain some of what we lost; to find our new normal.
As December, 2014 clicks by, we still find ourselves looking over our shoulders, watching and waiting; paying close attention to what is happening around us. Our enemy is silent, but we remain vigilant; ready to fight hell itself to protect our "hand-picked" angel. We have our little Noah -- our gift, our daughter's beauty from the ashes.
My husband has this to offer, "There is nothing that can sufficiently prepare you for the trials you face. Although there are many horrible things that could happen, the present conflict is always the worst. What happened yesterday is past, tomorrow is not here, focus on today and no matter what you are up against, keep pressing forward. As a parent or grandparent, you have to stay strong and fight with an unbridled tenacity because at the end of the day, next to God, your family is all that matters."
It has been by God's mercy and grace alone that we are where we are. He has taken an act of iniquity and turned it into an act of goodness to bring glory to His name. Our grandson is the ark that carried our family through our darkest days. He has been and is the light in the darkness; the anchor given to us by God to hold us firm in our faith.
BIO: Angi Grogg is a wife of 20 years and mother of four. She's the co-founder and a Board Member of Hope After Rape Conception, and a national pro-life speaker and blogger for Save The 1.
Labels: Angela Grogg, Angi Grogg, Conceived in Rape, failed to abort, Hope After Rape Conception, justice for rape victims, pregnant by rape, Pro-life speaker, Save the 1 | 0 comments
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
How I Faked an Abortion and Escaped Sex Trafficking by Darlene Pawlik
I was trapped in the sex trafficking industry from age 14-17. Trafficking in persons is not like any regulated industry. It is unmitigated anarchy. There are no rules.
I was conceived during a brutal rape and learned of it when I was very young. That knowledge and child sexual abuse by my own father and later by a maternal uncle had me feeling worth less than others and vulnerable. I was 12 when my mother got her second divorce. By thirteen, I'd been dabbling in drugs and alcohol, wandering the neighborhood and hanging out with a bodybuilder in a black Cadillac. He was patient as he courted me and manipulated me into his bed.
I wasn't held in sex trafficking with locks, bars or handcuffs, but by fear, threats and hopelessness. I had no hope in the authorities helping me. One apartment I stayed in was leased to the candidate for sheriff of that small city. Some of the buyers were businessmen, a city councilman, professionals, as well as derelicts who thrived on violence and pain.
He sold me for the first time on my fourteenth birthday. I stood in three inches of slush, my sneakers full of icy water, shivering in front of a local drug store at the end of the street where we lived waiting for Ace to pick me up. The buyer was thrilled to know I was so young, awkward and afraid.
Ace sold me for sex hundreds of times. He then sold me to another man who sold me for sex too. It was a quagmire of abuses, gang rape, attempted suicide, sleeplessness, huddling in doorways and church steps, drugs, drinking, arrests and foster care, and running away again. At seventeen, I was sold to a man as a "house pet." I thought I'd be safer -- at least I would only have to serve him. He dressed me up and took me to nice dinners. I got a job. Finally, I felt kind of stable, kind of normal.
He'd told me that if I got pregnant, I would have to have an abortion. It scared me, but I didn't feel I had any choice.
After four months, I did get pregnant. As he slammed his fist on the wooden arm of the couch, he shouted, "I want NO life!" It was terrifying -- his voice shot right through me. The man was a small-time organized crime boss. He said that I would have an abortion or he'd kill me, and I knew this was true. One of his enforcers had been my trafficker and beaten and raped me numerous times. I made the appointment in his presence.
That evening, I literally threw my hands in the air as I cried and prayed, "God, if you're real, please help me!" Somehow, I fell asleep and I had a dream of an abortion in living color from the perspective of inside of the womb. I had no knowledge of abortion at the time, but I now know that it was accurate for the level of development in great detail. Those little hands and feet, that tiny face, the ribs and blood -- it was horrifying! I wanted to be a mom for as long as I could remember.
When I awoke, I called everyone I could think of, going through old business cards people had once handed me. I reached a social worker who had tried to help me as a runaway. She found a maternity home that would take me. Some friends would take my things to storage. But how would I get away? My captor insisted that we would go out to dinner after the abortion appointment.
So, the day came. I left and made arrangements with the social worker, but I returned and got ready for dinner. I'd been so scared that I was crying and near hysterical all day. With my face swollen, eyes bloodshot, trembling and shallow breaths, I got into the car. I fidgeted -- my breaths uneven. I stuttered, as I told him that I wanted to go live with a cousin who would give me a job. "Something happened to me on that table," I said, "I don't want to be here anymore." I thought he would understand because he had told me of other girls who he'd forced to have abortions and they were let go. The whole evening, I couldn't sit still at all because I was so afraid he'd find out. I went to the bathroom frequently and cried through the meal, pretending to be nauseous and in pain. On the way home, he said I could go, but if I came back to town, I would have to find him.
I moved quickly the next day. I promised God that I would bring my children up in the fear and admonition of the Lord, if my baby was okay. She was, and I did. People who know me today, cannot fathom that I had lived such a life. I explain to them -- saving my baby saved my life.
BIO: Darlene Pawlik is a wife of 24 years and mother of 5. She's also an author, a practicing nurse, the Chair of the Educational Trust for New Hampshire Right to Life, an Executive Board Member of Personhood Alliance, the Vice-President of Save The 1, and a pro-life speaker and blogger for Save The 1.
Labels: Conceived in Rape, Darlene Pawlik, Faked Abortion, in cases of rape, maternity home, New Hampshire Right to Life, Personhood Alliance, pregnant by rape, Pro-life, Pro-life speaker, Save the 1, Sex Trafficking | 0 comments
Monday, December 15, 2014
THE PEACE CORPSE: THE INNOCENT CHILD CONCEIVED IN RAPE -- There's Nothing Peace-ful About Abortion, by Rebecca Kiessling
The liberal press and abortion advocates are presently celebrating a victory – the $1.1 trillion spending bill passed by the Senate on Sat., December 13, 2014, which includes unprecedented abortion coverage for Peace Corps volunteers in cases of rape, incest and "life endangerment." Think Progress reports: Government Spending Bill Quietly Resolves Peace Corps Abortion Coverage Debate . "Quietly" – because not one GOP member of the House Appropriations Committee spoke out against it back in June, 2014, although the Republican committee members had blocked the measure in 2013. In 2014, there was no debate to be had – the GOP committee members summarily wrote us off, allowing the discriminatory practice of targeting and killing innocent children for the crimes of our rapist fathers.
BIO: Rebecca Kiessling is a wife, mother of 5, attorney, international pro-life speaker, and founder and President of Save The 1, as well as co-founder of Hope After Rape Conception.
For the record, those silent Republican House Appropriations Committee members are as follows, with each one inexplicably enjoying a 100% approval rating with National Right to Life Committee on their scorecard, except for Frelinghuysen from New Jersey and Charles W. Dent from Pennsylvania who both have a 75% approval rating:
- Harold Rogers, Kentucky, Chairman
- Frank R. Wolf, Virginia
- Jack Kingston, Georgia
- Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, New Jersey 75%
- Tom Latham, Iowa
- Robert B. Aderholt, Alabama
- Kay Granger, Texas
- Michael K. Simpson, Idaho
- John Abney Culberson, Texas
- Ander Crenshaw, Florida
- John R. Carter, Texas
- Ken Calvert, California
- Tom Cole, Oklahoma
- Mario Diaz-Balart, Florida
- Charles W. Dent, Pennsylvania 75%
- Tom Graves, Georgia
- Kevin Yoder, Kansas
- Steve Womack, Arkansas
- Alan Nunnelee, Mississippi
- Jeff Fortenberry, Nebraska
- Tom Rooney, Florida
- Chuck Fleischmann, Tennessee
- Jaime Herrera Beutler, Washington
- David Joyce, Ohio
- David Valadao, California
- Andy Harris, MD, Maryland
- Martha Roby, Alabama
- Mark Amodei, Nevada
- Chris Stewart, Utah
In a Lifesitenews article covering the committee vote last June, pro-life nurse and blogger Jill Stanek strongly condemned the GOP action: "This is outrageous. . . . The GOP, whose platform formally opposes abortion, just passed a pro-abortion bill through one of Capitol Hill's most influential committees. . . . This might be good politics in the Beltway, but all the GOP really did was cave to feminist rhetoric and decide that throwing more taxpayer money to the abortion industry is acceptable public policy."
In the same article, Human Life International Communications Director Adam Cassandra vehemently defended children conceived in rape and their pregnant mothers: "further assaulting a woman who is a victim of rape with the violent act of abortion is in no way a humane or compassionate response to her situation, and taking the life of that child can never be justified."
The Peace Corps' federal funding provision has had a no-exceptions rider in place since 1979 barring any of their funding from being used to pay for abortions – until now. A 35-year precedent, and the Republicans stood silent.
Reporter Dustin Siggins, in Lifesitenews' most recent article on the passage of the "Cromnibus bill", calls the Peace Corps abortion funding "the greatest loss for pro-lifers" within the huge spending package.
So is this now to be the standard protocol within Congress whenever a rape exception is introduced? No objection? None? Congressman Chris Smith introduced the No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act, with the rape exception already in it. Is this now the norm? I pray that it's not.
My hope that pro-life activists will become more aware of the blatant discrimination within these congressional bills, and will rise up to object to the seemingly now-standard "exceptions." It shouldn't just be the voices of those of us who actually fit into the "conceived in rape" category, because our class of persons is small. But Jesus made it clear that it is every person's duty to protect "the least of these," and to leave the 99 to save the 1.
BIO: Rebecca Kiessling is a wife, mother of 5, attorney, international pro-life speaker, and founder and President of Save The 1, as well as co-founder of Hope After Rape Conception.
Labels: Abortion, abortion funding, in cases of rape, National Right to Life Conference, Peace Corps, Pro-life, Pro-life speaker, rape exception, Rebecca Kiessling, Save the 1 | 0 comments
Monday, December 8, 2014
Raped While on a Business Trip, My Husband and I Chose Life! by Jennifer Christie
Last January, I was travelling on business, staying in a little hotel in a college town. I like to think I'm usually more aware of my surroundings, but it was so snowy and windy that I wouldn't have heard his footsteps even if he had he been stomping. It happened so fast. I got the door open, turned around to close it, and he was there - a huge man. My first instinct wasn't fear, just confusion. In an instant, he punched me in the face. I don't remember being dragged from the room, but I was found in the stairwell. I don't know why -- maybe I was trying to go for help.
The rape kit came back negative for HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, and dozens of other things I'd never heard of. God is gracious.
The following month, I was scheduled to work on a cruise ship. Struck with dysentery on day two and not getting better with antibiotics, I was taken to what passes for a hospital when we docked in Cartagena, Colombia. Concerned about intestinal obstruction, I was given an ultrasound. And we saw the pea -- my son. Happy Valentine's Day.
Back on the ship, I told the doctors an abbreviated version of my story, which resulted in me being quarantined. Suicide watch? In danger of a psychotic break that will have me running naked across the shuffleboard courts? Who knows. What I know is that I spent the next week listening to a team of very well meaning doctors and nurses console me with how "easy" it would be to "take care of it" -- to kill the child. To start over. Easy???
There were a lot of things discussed over scratchy, tearful transatlantic phone calls home that week, but the possibility of "taking care of it" never came off my lips. Or my husband's. When I told him I was pregnant, he said with his voice calm and steady, "Okay. Okay . . . all right . . . this is all right." I asked him, "What do you MEAN this is all right?" "I mean we can do this. We'll get through this. It'll be okay. And, . . . I love babies. We're going to have another baby. Sweetheart, this is a gift. This is something wonderful from something terrible. We can DO this." And I began to feel the stirrings of joy for the new life in my womb, blossoming under my heart. That new love that would grow so fierce it overwhelmed any trepidation or angst. And my husband was right. We could do it.
On my last morning aboard the ship, I said to this caring team, "If you ever think about this again, if you ever wonder what happened to me -- I had a beautiful baby in October 2014." Their reaction . . . , the looks on their faces . . . , the doctor who had pushed abortion more vehemently than the others -- she had tears in her eyes. For the first time, I thought of how God can use this, this nightmare I'd endured. Use me.
I live in North Carolina. My OB who delivered my last two children was running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. He talks to people all the time who challenge him with the "What about in cases of rape?" question. What about them? My son will have a voice. Until he can use it, it's my responsibility -- my privilege -- to speak for him. That's my story.
During my pregnancy, I was in and out of the hospital for a couple of months - more in than out. I had preeclampsia, high blood pressure and uncontrolled seizures. It was terrifying at 26 weeks when they admitted me saying they might have to deliver that night -- terrifying because I desperately wanted my son to live! We got past that fear. I had strict bed rest, but was home. Every week we made it further was awesome, knowing how glad I'd be once he got here safely in my arms. Emotionally, I was doing very well.
We were working with a really godly team of doctors. It's just a matter of trusting utterly. This wasn't new. I'd felt completely out of control since the assault in January -- not that "control" is ever anything but an illusion, but, you know. 8-1/2 months ago the world upended and hadn't righted since -- until my son was born. It's not a bad thing. It keeps me on my knees, keeps me from my arrogant, self reliant "It's okay, God. I got this" attitude, which I'm so quick to adopt.
Our little boy may have been conceived in violence, but he is a gift from God -- a delicious gift that filled the hole in our family that we never realized was there. He made us complete.
I'm so thankful to have been connected to other mothers who became pregnant by rape as well. We are survivors. Not victims. My son has healed me.
The pressure to abort from the medical community was extremely eye opening to me. So many times I was told how "simple" it would be and how quickly I could just "get on with my life" once it was over. It was heartbreaking to have to repeatedly hear it. Even some friends thought keeping the baby was a mistake -- that I wouldn't be able to handle things emotionally. Every time we, as rape survivor mothers, share our stories, we are strengthened as we strengthen others. . . . And who knows what lives might be spared?
BIO: Jennifer Christie is a wife and mother of 5, international pro-life speaker and a blogger for
Save The 1. She's using her middle name in lieu of her surname in order to protect the identity of her family. Read her other blogs for Save The 1, with her husband Jeff's blogs:
Raped, Married, and Pregnant: When People Said We Shouldn't Have You, We Loved You Louder (update to "Raped While on a Business Trip"
My son was never a "rapist's baby" or a "product of rape" — he's my child
My Wife and I Both Saw This Baby as Something Beautiful Coming From Such Evil, by Jeff (husband of Jennifer Christie)
I didn't become pregnant after rape, but my wife did. ..and I have an opinion by Jeff Christie (husband of Jennifer Christie)
Labels: Abortion, in cases of rape, Jennifer Christie, pregnant after rape, pregnant by rape, Pro-life, Pro-life speaker, product of rape, rape survivor, rapist's baby, Save the 1 | 46 comments
Monday, December 1, 2014
Terminating Parental Rights of Rapists
My custody case in Florida against my rapist started in 2010 and went on for a little over two years. Though I had a restraining order and had pursued prosecution, he was not convicted of rape. At the time he sued for custody, I did not know how many states had no or limited legal protection at that time from a rapist biological father when the child was conceived from his attack. Those states which had laws required a rape conviction. For me, all that counted at the time was that Florida had no legal protection at all for this. I recall the judge asking if there was any law to prohibit this -- even a federal law --and me replying: "Not yet, but I am working on it."
I'm one of the original co-founders of Hope After Rape Conception (HARC.) We came up with model legislation through HARC with the "clear and convincing evidence" standard which the U.S. Supreme Court has required for terminating parental rights. No rape conviction should be necessary -- the same as other termination of parental rights cases such as child abuse or neglect, where a criminal conviction is not mandatory.
Having this model legislation, I contacted a friend of mine I had known and whose opinion I have valued since years ago when I was a law student at Florida State University College of Law. Since he had also served as a Florida legislative member in the past, I asked who he recommended contacting about sponsoring our model legislation. It was my hope that Florida could go from being one of the worst states for this situation where there was no legal protection in place to being the best.
I followed through on that recommendation, and contacted the member of the Florida House of Representatives who was running for a seat in the Florida Senate. Since that was an election year and some legislators were termed out from their service, we had to wait until after the election for the proposed legislation to be moved forward, but the newly-elected Senator Joseph Abruzzo followed through on his promise since he had also made this issue part of his legislative platform. I continued to contact and share my story with legislators on both sides of the aisle in order to gather support.
Legislative members in the House and Senate were willing to get bipartisan support for the sake of the people of Florida. Sen. Abruzzo found a house sponsor, Representative Dave Kerner. I continued to work closely with Senator Abruzzo's office on the drafting. One thing that was needed was a better understanding of why the clear and convincing evidence standard should apply. So, I reached out to a trusted law professor who had taught me years ago -- Professor Charles Ehrhardt at FSU. He was eager to help during the legislative process and, since he literally wrote the Florida Evidence Code, was invaluable in helping to explain to those involved why clear and convincing evidence was the correct legal standard.
It became my personal goal to get this law passed with unanimous bipartisan support because I wanted Florida to set the example of turning things around for my daughter's sake, and for everyone else who was in this situation of choosing life and raising a child conceived in rape here in Florida -- so that they could be set free from the rapist. Sharing my personal story with the legislature definitely made a difference -- especially because in Florida it is the "best interest of the child" that is of primary importance. Here is some of what I shared with these state leaders:
Years ago I was raped and then learned that I had become pregnant as a result of his attack. I thought that I had fought him off successfully despite the pain throughout every fiber of my body. I fought to make him stop. He would not. I was eventually rendered unconscious from his attack. He even subsequently broke into my home and pointed a gun at my pregnant belly threatening to kill "it" now or later if I did not drop the prosecution against him.
More than half a decade later, during which time there was no contact with my child by the man who raped me -- which is how she was conceived, there he was in a Florida court asking for visitation and all other parental rights to which he should have never been entitled. I was horrified and shocked. How could this now be possible when it was not before? And how could the laws of the state where he raped me and where she was born -- Louisiana, which had kept us protected from this terror no longer seemed to matter? It was because we were now Florida residents. The State of Florida did not have any laws that would protect my child from suddenly being forced into a relationship with her biological father who raped me, and the State forced me to relive through this court action the circumstances of her conception, which resulted from his attack.
The absence of any legal protection for us here in Florida allowed this traumatic nightmare to happen. I felt the same horror of being raped by him again, only this time it was through a Florida court where I had it explained to me by those involved that he had "only" raped me and not the child, and he is equal to every other father in Florida under the law -- that he had equal rights to her just as any biological father in Florida would and is therefore not deprived of his rights here since we reside in this state. Even his past and future threats of harm he made did not matter because the child had not yet been born when that occurred, so therefore the child did not experience this directly since I had been merely pregnant with her at the time that occurred. This was the logical explanation I was repeatedly given as everything in my body and soul screamed, "Why is this legal and how is this possibly in her 'best interest' ever?!"
I contacted grass roots activists and key individuals who are in Tallahassee government relations. I shared my story for the legislative members and committees. I kept saying we need unanimous bipartisan support and that I want Florida to go from being a state with no protection to having the best. I was driven for my firstborn and by my love for all my children. The biggest legislative obstacle was a legislator who wanted a competing bill which would have had the legislation only apply to future cases and, therefore, it wouldn't protect my daughter. So I was certain to continue advocating and got others to help get his alternate bill thrown out. I was relentless, I persevered, and in the end, I got what I asking for: the law protecting me and my daughter -- and all other Florida rape victim mothers and their children -- passed in 2013 with unanimous bipartisan support and reflects our model legislation from HARC!
After the law was passed in Florida in 2013, it became the state that not only had the model legislation we were seeking nationally through Hope After Rape Conception, but Florida is also where the first federal legislation on this issue originated: Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz proposed the Rape Survivor Child Custody Act, echoing the Florida law, with the clear and convincing evidence standard. And just like at the state level, she immediately reached across party lines and had a co-sponsor from the Republican side, U.S. Representative Marino. I was invited to participate in a press conference at a rape crisis center to share my story and be a part of this journey forward from the terror I had survived before. Video footage: http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/09/04/wasserman-schultz-urges-the-protection-of-rape-survivors-parental-rights/ Currently, the bill is not moving forward and must be reintroduced during the next session of Congress.
Every pro-life organization needs to be behind our model legislation, making it a legislative priority. Even though we had bi-partisan support, the law is pro-life in effect. If pregnant rape victims know that their State protects them from the rapist having parental rights, they will be less likely to choose abortion. The FL House sponsor, Rep. Kerner, was quoted by the press as saying that this new law can hopefully encourage those in this same situation to choose life. Furthermore, it's a prime opportunity for 100% pro-life legislators to show how much concern they have for pregnant rape victims -- by protecting them from the rapist.
BIO: Analyn Megison is a graduate of Florida State University College of Law. In her second year of law school, she was a visiting student at Georgetown University Law Center and interned with a federal judge in Washington, D.C.. She was appointed as the Special Assistant on Women's Policy for the Office of the Governor of Louisiana, and she currently serves on a Domestic and Sexual Violence Task Force in Florida. She's a pro-life speaker, co-founder of Hope After Rape Conception and a blogger for Save The 1.
Labels: Analyn Megison, Hope After Rape Conception, mother from rape, pregnant by rape, Pro-life speaker, Save the 1 | 1 comments
Friday, November 14, 2014
Roots and Your Family Tree
Ever think about your roots? As an adoptee, when I hear others talk about their genealogy or family reunions, it can cause mixed emotions. Many who are adopted eagerly desire to connect with their birth families and actively seek them out. In my case, though, my adoption was open. As I grew older, the more I learned of my birth parents, the more it caused me to reject the idea of being connected to them. The truth came at me in waves.
The first one hit when I was five-years-old, the night before my adoption became final. Up until that moment I was technically an orphan, being cared for by a wonderful couple. Even though I had been with my birth mother for periodic visits until the age of two, I didn't remember who she was. "Who is my mother?" I asked and pleaded then was shocked to hear the truth. She was the odd, quiet woman that frightened me.
My birth mother has paranoid schizophrenia. As a young adult, I finally understood why this loving couple had agreed to care for me and had finally asked for permission to adopt me. My birth mother was unable to raise me. When people learned I was adopted and asked if I would search for my birth family, I quickly answered that I knew my birth mother and had no desire to reunite.
Soon after turning eighteen, another wave hit me as I received a letter from my maternal aunt in Texas who wanted me to know that I had nine aunts and uncles in Texas! One aunt led me to believe that the entire family was splintered; the hope and desire I had to connect with them was soon shattered. However, they did want to know, was their sister okay? It was hard telling them that I did not know, I did not visit her. I was left feeling confused about my responsibility to them and her.
As an adult, my childhood fears and misunderstandings of mental illness wracked me with guilt. I decided to visit my birth mother. Though her living situation was unlike anything I had ever experienced and her quiet, odd behavior left me feeling uncomfortable, I was satisfied that I had made the first step in connecting with my roots.
Sadly, a tidal wave came as the result: a few days after the visit, I received a phone call from my birth mother's legal guardian chastising me for visiting her. Supposedly, the visit had caused her to have an "episode" resulting in disruptive--possibly even illegal--behavior towards others. I was told that I needed permission from the guardian before I ever visited her again. This left me drowning in a wave of emotions that affected me for more than ten years.
In those ensuing years, I mailed letters and gifts. When he was in the hospital, I occasionally visited her husband, who was also mentally disabled. I considered this man my birth father. He was now my only connection to my birth mother. He would keep me updated about her. Sadly, his untimely death dealt the final blow to any hopes I had of staying connected to my birth mother.
I called his cousin to pass along the news that my father had died. The cousin quickly replied, "You know he is not your 'real' dad, right?" Finally! Someone was willing to explain the mystery surrounding my paternity about which I had always been curious. I knew my adopted mother had heard rumors. My birth mother had made statements about it the one time I did visit. But now her husband's relative was telling me the truth! The truth I had been afraid to seek out while my father was alive. I had been afraid to dishonor the man who was so proud of me, proud of my good grades as a girl, and later on as a grown woman, proud of my cute kids, his grandkids.
I learned the startling truth, a truth I was not prepared to hear. The man married to my mother was not my father. This cousin divulged the ugly news: my birth mother had been raped. Her husband knew, they had told relatives and had gone to the police. To preserve her honor, he had publicly claimed me as his own. I now realized that my birth parents consisted of a woman who is mentally ill and a violent criminal, the man that raped her.
Thankfully, at the time I learned this, my life was stable and my relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ was strong. Instead of experiencing an identity crisis, I simply embraced my identity in Christ. A daughter of the Most High King was the only identity I desired. Birth family roots seemed unimportant, and, instead, I would embrace the love of my adopted family. I also began to share my story, bringing light and truth to counter the dark lie of "pro-life except in cases of rape".
Then my maternal aunt sent me a Facebook message, stating that she and one of my uncles wanted to come to Michigan to visit me. As plans materialized, I learned that she and THREE uncles planned to visit! My birth mother had not seen any of her family for almost forty years. Little did I know how disruptive this visit would be. Deep down I felt bewildered: what were these uncles' intentions? I didn't even know their names nor had I ever spoken with them. Could it possibly be that they simply wanted to meet me? Why?
The night they arrived in Michigan, I drove to the house at which they were staying and noticed a man standing outside the door. He quickly introduced himself as one of my uncles and then told me that he had wanted to come to Michigan to meet me more than 20 years ago, just to let me know that they loved me. Peace flooded over me. All my uncles had similar sentiments of love, affection and concern for me. For the first time in a very long time, I felt genuine fatherly love. While I know I did not need this to feel complete, it felt so good, so validating. While their trip was short, the aftershock has not been.
Soon, I was invited to and attended their family reunion in Texas. I know that if they had not first visited me, I likely would not have gone. But I was extremely blessed and surprised by my uncles' desire to spend extra time with me during the visit. These men whom I had only met weeks before, valued me, accepted me, had true fatherly concern over my wellbeing, and enjoyed my company.
I never expected to be so loved. I am the long-lost niece, found and now surprised by such lavish attention. Waves of joy have washed over me ever since, as I've relished the feeling of being so wanted. My conception may have been the result of violence, and my mother may endure a lifelong struggle with mental illness, but my life and purpose defy such confusion. I am wanted. Thank you, Mom, for choosing to labor and birth me.
Mary Rathke is a Board member and one of the national speakers for Savethe1 from Michigan.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Threatened with a Plastic Coat Hanger by Rebecca Kiessling
I recently spoke at the University of Waterloo, in Ontario, Canada, for a Students for Life event. The leadership team explained to me that they'd arranged for a police officer and campus security to be present because at their last event, protesters disrupted their speaker. The disturbances included witches trying to cast spells on the pro-life guest, Canadian Member of Parliament Stephen Woodworth.
Shortly before my event, I noticed some abortion advocates entering the room with signs. Since I've seen YouTube videos of some of my pro-life colleagues being interrupted during their speeches on college campuses, just to be safe, I asked the police officer to stay inside the room during my speech, and I clarified with him that the protesters would be escorted out if they tried to interrupt at all. Good. Beyond that, I truly owe the abortion activists a debt of gratitude, because they provide me with an endless supply of great material!
For anyone who's ever heard my speech, you know that much of it includes all of the horrible things which abortion supporters say to me -- things like, "You must take after your rapist father," and "Okay, so what you're saying is that if abortion had been legal, you wouldn't be here today. Well, if your birthmother hadn't been raped, you wouldn't be here today either, so doesn't that make youpro-rape?" People really say that to me!
I explain to them that there's a huge moral difference because I did exist, and my life would have been ended because I would have been killed through a brutal abortion. I may not look the same as I did when I was 4 years old, or 4 days old yet unborn in my mother's womb, but that was still undeniably me, and I would have been killed.
The typical response is then: "But that wouldn't have been you." Well, who would it have been?! "That just wouldn't have been you yet." So I ask the crowd of students: How many of you have ultrasound photos in your baby album? (Most do.) And what do your parents say to you? "I don't really know what that is. It's some kind of glob of tissue -- I don't even know what it's doing in there!" (Laughter ensues.) No, of course not! Parents say, "That was -- " and the students finish the sentence -- "you." They understand that. They get it. That was me. They comprehend the connection. But somehow, when it comes to the issue of abortion, all of a sudden, some "don't know what that is," or, "that wouldn't have been you." It's complete intellectual dishonesty.
Another cherished line they'll say is, "I have no problem looking you in the eyes and saying to you that I think that your mother should have been able to abort you, and I fully understand that it would mean that you'd be dead right now. Yeah, I have no problem doing that." Of course, this is out of their "care for women" that they would say such a thing to a woman like me! Can you feel the love? Cuz I'm not feelin' it!
That's the thing -- they always talk about how much they "care about women," so I challenge them: "I'm a woman! Now tell me, what good is my right to anything as a woman if I don't have my right to life?" They can never answer that question, because all other rights are worthless if you don't have your right to life.
When I speak on college campuses, the Students for Life leadership often tell me how the Feminists For Life poster of me, "Did I Deserve the Death Penalty?" gets taken down or defaced. Under that question, they often write in large letters, "YES!!!" -- that I did deserve the death penalty. I understand that they'd prefer it if children like me hadn't survived to put faces, voices and stories to this issue. But their utter inhumanity actually serves the cause of life because it awakens the average student in the middle who wasn't really sure how they felt about this issue. They in fact lose people because of their lack of reason and their cruelty.
Last week's protesters were no exception. First of all, they held their signs during my speech -- as they sat in the back rows so that I couldn't even read their signs. If you really want the speaker to see your signs, you might want to try sitting in the front row.
Then, about half-way through my speech, they all began to raise up plastic coat hangers -- yes,plastic. Because nothing is more terrifying than a plastic coat hanger -- especially the teal one which a guy kept waving as he was trying to stare me down. It was as if he thought he was threatening me with it, like I deserved to have been killed by his teal-colored plastic coat hanger. Yeah, that happened. One has to wonder whether he has some sort of Mommie Dearest complex.
Then, during Q & A, he called us all hypocrites for not being vegans. I explained that many of my pro-life colleagues actually are vegans, but then I asked him how he felt about puppy abortions. As is typical, his response was disbelief that it occurs, but when many of us assured him that it in fact does, I asked again, and his response was that he doesn't know how he feels about puppy abortions -- the same reply I get every time. You see, it cuts them to the core to hear about violence against animals and they just can't condone it.
Another abortion activist who says that she helps deliver babies and also helps assist in abortions, asked me if I'd ever been to a termination, because if I've never been to a termination, then she says I shouldn't have the right to stand up there and speak.
I told the crowd that many may be shocked to hear -- especially given my story -- that I actually terminated three of my pregnancies prematurely. All three of my daughters are doing quite well now. My doctor broke my water (using something that actually resembled a wire coat hanger,) and induced labor with all three, so they are alive and well, despite my having prematurely terminated those pregnancies. Then I asked her, "But that's not what you're talking about, is it? When you say 'termination,' you're not talking about ones resulting in live babies, right? Just the dead ones, or do you include the termination of pregnancies with live babies too? -- because I've participated in those."
She looked a bit confused, but the room was full of laughter. I explained to her that the words you use are significant, so say exactly what you mean. I asked her whether she's talking about being present at an abortion, and if so, then define abortion. What is an abortion? She wouldn't answer that one, of course. They never want to talk about what an abortion really is.
So some pro-life supporters hear about protesters, they see the photos with the cruel and unusual posters, and they wonder how so many of us endure it. First of all, the protesters are actually helping our cause with their asinine antics. Secondly, I'm secure in my identity as a child of God and firm in His calling on my life, that nothing could deter me. I'm energized when I'm "in the zone," fulfilling this purpose, and knowing that lives are saved along the way because someone remembered my story. And lastly, I'm extremely grateful for them sitting through my speech, because these protesters are lost. I shared stories with them of pro-life activists who were once abortion rights advocates, and I offered them all hope that it's never too late to change your mind!
BIO: Rebecca Kiessling is an international pro-life speaker, attorney, President of Save The 1 -- www.savethe1.com, and co-founder of Hope After Rape Conception -- www.hopeafterrapeconception.org
Labels: Abortion, Conceived in Rape, death penalty, Pro-life speaker, Rebecca Kiessling, Save the 1 | 1 comments
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Finally Pregnant, Now Abort?!
My husband, Peter, and I had tried for almost 7 years to have a child.After a specialist found and removed my endometriosis, I was able to conceive. The elation we felt was indescribable. We began telling people immediately after I found out I was pregnant. The specialist released me into the care of a practice that was known to be one of the best. My husband and I never thought to question the referral, as we never realized that not all doctors value life.
My pregnancy started off fine, but before the end of the first trimester I began to get horribly sick. The doctor said everything was normal. My mother felt I needed to get an IV right away, but every time I consulted my ob/gyn, he assured me that I was fine. During a visit, he told me that my protein test indicated there was a chance that my baby had Downs Syndrome and he wanted to do an amniocentesis test. I assured him that even if the baby did in fact have Downs that we loved him or her and would not risk harming the baby with the test.
I went in for the ultrasound in week 22 even though my husband was out of town on business. Not long after the ultrasound began, the technician asked to leave for a moment. I was not prepared for what was about to happen. A doctor from the practice, not my primary doctor, came in and very frantically started to tell me my baby must not have any kidneys and must have a chromosomal abnormality not compatible with life. She wanted me to have an abortion since half my amniotic fluid was gone. I immediately told this doctor that I would never have an abortion. The doctor insisted the baby would never live and I might die, too.
I immediately called my husband. He said that he would try and reach my primary doctor and be back in touch with me. My primary doctor told him it was nothing to worry about and for me to just drink more water. This absolutely stunned me and I immediately called my mother, a great lover of Jesus and a prayer warrior, and she began to pray.
Two weeks later on March 24, 1998, my husband and I went back for the follow up ultrasound at 24 weeks. The same doctor I had seen at the last ultrasound came back in and this time said NOW I HAD NO AMNIOTIC fluid. The doctor was more frantic as she said there must be a chromosomal abnormality incompatible with life. Again, we refused to even consider abortion. This doctor said there was no way the baby would live and if for some reason the baby did, that the lungs would be so premature that there would be nothing they could do. We were devastated and shocked. Our primary doctor was still unavailable so we went upstairs to another doctor.
We were about to have one of the most shocking conversations of our lives. For at least 20 minutes we sat across from this doctor who kept telling us we needed to abort. Another doctor said that the only test offered would be an autopsy. Over and over AND OVER my husband and I refused. This doctor said that our child would have no quality of life. We explained that yes this child would because this child would be loved unconditionally. No matter what I said, this doctor refused to listen. This doctor's words were grieving to our hearts as he said, "In seven years of practice, no one in your position has ever not aborted." We were sick at the thought of all those babies that were aborted because of a poor in utero diagnosis! It was clear at that point that our family had been written off by this doctor and his practice.
We were about to have one of the most shocking conversations of our lives. For at least 20 minutes we sat across from this doctor who kept telling us we needed to abort. Another doctor said that the only test offered would be an autopsy. Over and over AND OVER my husband and I refused. This doctor said that our child would have no quality of life. We explained that yes this child would because this child would be loved unconditionally. No matter what I said, this doctor refused to listen. This doctor's words were grieving to our hearts as he said, "In seven years of practice, no one in your position has ever not aborted." We were sick at the thought of all those babies that were aborted because of a poor in utero diagnosis! It was clear at that point that our family had been written off by this doctor and his practice.
We went home and called my mom who said the most powerful words straight from Jesus, "As long as there is a heartbeat, there is hope. We pray!" That put our focus back on Jesus and the great hope that there was still a life to be fought for. A friend of ours from church, also a doctor, found a doctor to help us. He used words like "reasonable hope," and did not think there was a chromosomal abnormality. He was committed to honor our request to fight for life. He valiantlyfought for our Rachel, as did his colleague, and Rachel was born via C section at week 26, at one pound two ounces and was in the hospital for 5 and 1/2 months.
Today at 16 years old she is the picture of health and a joy to our hearts and many others.
Suzanne Guy lives with her husband and daughter, Rachel in Georgia. She and Rachel tell their story to the glory of God.
Suzanne Guy lives with her husband and daughter, Rachel in Georgia. She and Rachel tell their story to the glory of God.
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Recent Events
Israel at the Crossroads: Conversation with Natasha Mozgovaya, Oct. 24, 2012.
Left On Pearl, October 18, 2012.
Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) 2012 Conference, Boston,
June 14-17, 2012.
"Not My Life," March 26, 2012.
"The Red Market: Scott Carney," March 7, 2012.
"Undoing FGM," March 7, 2012.
Intersectionality Symposium:
Innovations in Research,
Policy and Teaching
When: November 8-9, 2012
Where: Rapaporte Treasure Hall, Goldfarb Library
Brandeis University
The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University will host a two-day symposium on intersectionality, a concept which describes the simultaneous intersections between aspects of social difference and identity (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, class, etc.) and forms of systematic oppression such as racism, sexism and classism at micro and macro levels.
On Thursday evening November 8, the reception begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by introductory remarks and the keynote address by Kimberlé Crenshaw, JD at 7:00 p.m., concluding the event at 8:30 p.m.
On Friday morning November 9, a welcome coffee will begin at 8:00 a.m. The program will consist of two sessions with Prof. Crenshaw, one focusing on research and policy and another on teaching. A comprehensive wrap-up session with Professor Crenshaw will provide participants with the opportunity to reflect upon and express ideas and thoughts on the role of intersectionality in the academy and through public engagement. Professor Crenshaw has authored some of the most important works on intersectionality, and is credited with being the founder of this perspective.
Registration is now open.
Download the poster>
Event cosponsors:
- Association of American Colleges and Universities
- Office of the Provost
- Dean's Office of Arts and Sciences
- Graduate School Council
- Mandel Center for the Humanities
- International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life
- Women's and Gender Studies Department
- African and Afro-American Studies Department
- Politics Department; Sociology Department
- Social Justice and Social Policy Program
- Health: Science, Society, and Policy Program
- Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism
- Schusterman Center for Israeli Studies
- Women's Studies Research Center
- Heller School Dean's Office
- Sillerman Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy
- Institute on Assets and Social Policy
- Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy
- Schneider Institutes for Health Policy
- Masters in Public Policy Program
- Master's Program in Coexistence and Conflict Program
- Lurie Institute for Disability Policy
- Feminist Sexual Ethics Project
- Women of Color Alliance
For more information contact Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson '80, Ph.D. '06.
More Heller events listed at the Heller Bulletin>
All events are FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC unless otherwise stated.
*For full description and calendar listings of SoJust events, please visit our pages dedicated to the Social Justice Leadership Series.


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Spanish culture website for 4/11 -->
If you are having trouble in Spanish class, I am happy to meet with you during the following times: Tuesday mornings from 7:30-8:40. Additionally, I can make myself available if prior arrangements are made. Please see me to make an appointment. I am happy to help!
If you want some exercises to do to improve your Spanish, please click this link Resources
¡Bienvenido a la clase de Español!Please take a look at the CALENDER to find out about the homework you missed. This is an easy way for you to stay caught up in the event you have to miss class.
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Your class:Exploratory Spanish-6th Grade
Spanish I- 7th grade
Spanish I- 8th grade


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The Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development produces insurance form agreements and documents, reports its website. ACORD's fillable forms are available to participants in certain programs, such as ACORD's Advantage Program. At the organization's website, users may complete, save and send fillable forms and view help and instructions.Continue Reading
ACORD is a nonprofit organization founded in 1970 that promotes insurance industry standardization, explains IBM. Its members include carriers, brokers and agents, and it provides services for annuities, life and health insurance, property and casualty insurance, and reinsurance.
ACORD submits its forms to state regulators for approval, notes its website. As a result, users may not modify them. ACORD updates its forms periodically to reflect changes in industry practice or new regulatory requirements.Learn more about Financial Planning


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Transhumanism, Robots, AI and Hopium
Yes – because you are human, you can ascertain what the tone of this essay will be, along with the subject.
No – there is no computer that can both determine the subject (Transhumanism-Robots-AI-Hopium) and realize the tone and direction we will be taking here in this essay.
Why? Well, computers, even the much-vaunted artificially intelligent ones, are PDD (pretty damned dumb). I use the above part of this essay as proof of that very thing. Let's call the 'leading' title of this essay exhibit "A", because an AI computer cannot follow the slim data your brain can and arrive at a general direction of thought. In fact, an AI will not know what to make of the term "leading title", other than l'leading' means it precedes another object. It will not realize the other, more humanistic use of the word "leading".
So let's just sort of lay out some rudimentary essay research here:
ONE second of thinking like a human takes nearly 83,000 processors? Seems the brain is kind of complex then, compared to supercomputers. Some additional research also tells us that the computer this simulation was run on is called the "K" computer. It uses 9.89 megawatts of power to operate, the equivalent of 10,000 suburban homes. Now that's really great, but I can ride my bicycle in traffic all morning after eating 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon and some juice. Hmmmm….
Let's call that exhibit "B" – supercomputers are terribly huge, expensive, inefficient and immobile. Yet they are the only type of computer that can mimic a single second of human neural activity.
One of the biggest issues with human+computer thinking is that the brain is analog – it carries an immense amount of information that is scalar in nature, because the signals are sent and received with variable frequencies and amplitudes. Digital systems are purely frequency based – a bit is either on or it is off. In an analog system, a bit can be in on, off, standby, overdrive and all points in between. Our analog data is communicated by a network of massively interconnected electro-chemical cells, some of which are highly specialized and many are more general in nature.
If we take exhibits A + B, we can extrapolate that to mimic the brain of a mouse for a second would take a computer the size of a house, if only we could miniaturize what we have today, reduce the energy requirements by a mere 10,000% and have a better way to interconnect the CPU modules. In the future, if we get even more miniaturization (getting harder every year) and more efficient interconnection (again, very hard to get much more than a 3D array), we could do what a mouse does for an entire second of time, but the power required is still much more than a house, because there are limits to silicon technology.
I agree that the Terminator movies and the Star Wars movies were great, but we are nowhere near that, not even in decades. Even with quantum computing, there are power issues, density issues, storage issues and giant manufacturing issues. The power for the Terminator was a nuclear battery, and nobody even has a clue how one might work. Shielding it alone would be a nightmare, and the politics of it? The takeaway here is that until a supreme amount of innovation happens in both the CPU engineering and in the power consumption curves, there are some very big hurdles to having a computer remotely resembling mouse intelligence that isn't as big as a navy destroyer. A generational timeline is more appropriate when you look at the pace of scientific advance coupled with engineering advances.
Let's look at what some of the current crop of tekkies had to say recently:
Some quotes…
Some object-recognition software today "is 90% accurate, you go to Facebook, there are just so many faces — [but there is] 90% accuracy" in identification. Still, even at 90% "your computer-vision colleagues would tell you 'that's dumb'…. But to get from 90% accuracy to 99% accuracy requires a lot more data" — exponentially more data. And then to get from 99% accuracy to 99.9% accuracy, guess what? That needs even more data……."And that's why I think self-driving cars, which involve taking actions based on data, are extremely hard [to perfect]…. "Yes, it's a great concept, and yes, we're making major strides, but … to solve it to the point that we feel absolutely comfortable — it will take a long time."
"Here's a simple fact. To fly a drone requires about 200 watts per kilo. So, if you want to lift a 75-kilo individual into the air, that's a lot of power. Where are you going to get the batteries to do that?" The only power source with enough "power density" to lift such heavy payloads is fossil fuels. "You could get small jet turbines to power drones. But to have electric power and motors and batteries to power drones that can lift people in the air — I think this is a pipe dream."
"You look at electric motors, it's World War II technology. So, on the physical side we are not making the same progress we are on the information side. And guess what? In the U.S., 2% of all of electricity consumption is through data centers. If you really want that much more data, if you want to confront the hockey stick, you are going to burn a lot of power just getting the data centers to work. I think at some point it gets harder and harder and harder…."
"… A deep-learning algorithm that can do just speech recognition, which is translating what you are saying, has to be trained on millions of hours of data "and uses huge data farms," Fung noted. And while a deep-learning network might have hundreds of thousands of neurons, the human brain has trillions. Humans, for the time being, are much more energy-efficient. They can work "all day on a tiny slice of pizza," she joked.
These are some very bright, highly motivated engineers we are quoting here. They are working on the cutting edge of AI and robotics. They are in agreement that the evolution the media is hyping is generations away. They are also in agreement that powering all of this is not going to work with batteries, as we know them today.
Here is another article that lends some credence to the direction of this essay:
Kennedy is a true believer – his actions indicate that, whether you believe them heroic or foolhardy. What is most interesting here is that he glossed over several issues that will always plague any interfacing with the brain. One is that the brain floats in a bath of cerebral fluid and moves. That is what absorbs shocks and keeps this tender neural organ safe and happy in our skulls. Tying an electrode or a golden net into the brain, where one end of it is anchored in neural tissue and the other must exit the skull via a plug – problematic for the potential to damage the brain from impact.
The healing is also problematic. There are many instances where attaching electrodes produces scarring in the nearby neurons or accretions of unwanted tissues. There are people whose bodies always reject piercings, and the same is true for brains – some bodies will not tolerate a foreign object and actively work to expel them. Some bodies treat any foreign object as an infection, which makes rejection very severe.
Finally, there is Kennedy's work, which is still in limbo. Deciphering the way the brain talks within itself and handles data to form knowledge – that is very honestly generations away. And yet there are those who believe we can mimic the human brain, when we do not even know how it moves and resolves data into knowledge. In other words, nobody knows how I am able to think; to collate facts, weight them, infer other lines of thought, review experiences and draw a conclusion. If we cannot describe how the brain functions effectively, then how in hell do these people think we are going to make an artificial intelligence that actually comes close to a human being? We have yet to define what makes a human, well… human.
Another few fun facts to digest revolve around (now legal) bionic eyes. But we need to know what the eye has in terms of bandwidth; the human eye sees in near-limitless colors and has an optic nerve attached to each of your retinas. The diameter of the optic nerve is around 3mm, and each contains around 1,400,000 nerves for each eye.
The bionic eyes they are currently implanting contain 40-150 electrodes (nerve equivalents) that can transmit digital (on/off – black/white) signals. There are many problems, the largest of which is that these electrodes stimulate groups of nerves due to their size relative to the actual individual optic nerves. This causes 'streaking' and 'meteors' per the patients who have implants, likely caused by their own nerves "shorting out" via the larger implanted electrodes.
Bio-engineers are hoping that someday, using nanotechnology, they can produce an implant that contains 1096 electrodes. <– read that again We have, within each eye, 1,400,000 nerves from nature that see in all colors, and we are hoping to, some day, have 1096 that see in black and white.
The final subject is robots, which are coming to take our jobs, one and all – not. There was a company named Boston Dynamics that was making robots for military use using DARPA funding. If you search for this company, you will find some quite scary looking robots. It is easy to imagine them armed with lasers or mini-guns and just killing people like cutting wheat in a battlefield – they have no fear or remorse due to being robots.
In some of the videos, you can hear what sounds like a leaf blower running in the background. It actually is a leaf blower motor, running the generator to power the robot. I refer you back to the quotes from the tekkies above, in particular regarding the subject of drones carrying a person. I ask you to remember the nuclear battery that the Terminator robot had, because we don't have anything remotely like that. Hence these larger robots require an ICE (internal combustion engine) and generator to do any serious amounts of work.
Think about your rechargeable electric drill or electric weed whacker. You have about 15-30 minutes continuous use, under normal load, if you have a fully charged, large battery. Then you have to swap a new one in. Now imagine running the actuators, servos, sensors, step motors and the computers and software for one of these robots on lithium batteries. In the big ones, they don't even try – they have an ICE/generator within the chassis.
This was enough to put the army off the trail for everything except the self-balancing and mobility of these bots. Hard to hide the IR signature or ignore the whine of the motor on the big ones. And yet the army needs the big ones, because they want to replace humans.
So everything is waiting for the "Terminator battery" in robotics. A Japanese company recently bought Boston Dynamics, which is not surprising since the Japanese have adored robots for decades. Don't believe me – go watch some anime.
This is also why you are seeing the army and DARPA latching onto the smaller robots being used as a swarm. This is actually doable, but thinking they will survive an EM battlefield is questionable at best. If DARPA wants them to be smart and autonomous, then we are back at the AI issue, which we have already addressed. What is more likely is a highly programmed bot running an expert software routine specifically designed to differentiate between IR signatures and IFF signals. That way only the bad guys get targeted, but it also means that good guys must have an IFF on their person. Electronic warfare with bots will be bloody and very unforgiving.
Robots have the same problem as drones – power density required to perform serious work. Until either battery tech or electric motor tech take a quantum leap, bots that can do serious work will have a plug or an ICE.
I do not want to discourage anyone from pursuing work in any of these fields. My vision always was of benevolent robots doing things that break peoples backs – like pulling weeds and clearing fence lines. I think robots have quite a future ahead, as does AI. Transhumanism? Well, let me just say that Kennedy was the first and won't be the last. Yet until some of these many issues are worked out, interfacing man and machine will likely end in train wrecks or aborted projects.
I do want people to read and think about where we are, what the real issues are, and be able to discern doom porn and hype from media outlets looking for clicks and viewers. There aren't too many lies regarding these fields, but there is quite a bit of omission and literally no backstory out there from people in these industries. In some cases, companies are seeking financing, and they will be very "forward looking" in what they release to the public. When the Boston Dynamics videos were first released, the volume was either turned down tremendously or the videos were mute. To think this wasn't intentional would be foolish. Similar things happen when companies try to put the best face they can, on what they have, to generate interest
It's interesting to see that the tekkies think it is mid-level workers most at risk of AI replacing them, isn't it? And I am very happy that they are seeking creative people rather than just those with multiple degrees or good GPA's. I think there is a good future for those wishing to work in robotics, even if we don't get the Terminator battery. I think AI is promising too, and I don't worry about an AI "fooling" me on the phone – they are easy to trip up and I don't live on my phone. AI running the stock market has train wreck written all over it. AI will likely hit those jobs where process is the most important – where creativity is not always desired. Authoring fiction? I think it will be quite a while before AI rivals a good author with command of characters, plot and the native language. Maybe comic books…?
There is little more human than creativity, and it will be needed to handle the many issues these technologies bring as they mature with our children, and their own.


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I must firstly say how obsessed i have become with lush and wanting to get my hands on the new products they bring out on a regular basis. While shopping on my day off, i popped into my local Solihull Lush store to pick up a Valentine's unicorn bubble bar before they go and thats when i came across the new Spring and Mothers Day collections. I obviously had to have a little haul and i really did need it because i was running low on my lush stash! Continue reading
Lush Spring Haul 2015


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If the USF end zone could speak, it would put out an all-points, missing-persons bulletin.
This poor little patch of green hasn't had a USF offensive player visit its home in three games. Loneliness has never been so triumphant.
But it didn't have to scream for help, thanks to Willie Taggart.
The USF coach had seen enough, or perhaps it was what he hadn't seen.
With less than eight minutes left in the Bulls' 34-3 loss to Louisville on Saturday, Taggart pulled the redshirt cape off true freshman quarterback Mike White.
Taggart said the move was fueled by desire not desperation.
"It wasn't that I had to try it. I wanted to try it," Taggart said. "I wanted to see what the kid can do for us. He's going to get the opportunity, and we'll see how he does."
If Taggart isn't desperate, he has to be frustrated.
USF (2-5) has scored six offensive touchdowns in its seven games. Thanks to the defense, the Bulls are somehow 2-1 in the American Athletic Conference.
The last time the USF offense scored a touchdown came with two seconds left in a 49-21 loss to Miami. Prior to that, the Bulls scored in the second quarter of a loss to FAU; if you are counting, the offense has scored one touchdown in the last 18 quarters.
Against Louisville, the Bulls had 25 yards of total offense at halftime and finished with 133. Louisville's time of possession was more than twice that of USF.
White verbally committed to USF on Dec. 8, the day Taggart was hired as the Bulls head coach.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder led Fort Lauderdale University High to a state title last year, completing 70 percent of his passes for his undefeated team. It was the only year he started.
"He is a smart kid and has a little swagger that you like at the quarterback position." Taggart said. "He has great anticipation when he throws the football and has a great touch on the deep ball.
"He is a pure drop-back quarterback and can make all the throws we need him to make. But he is green."
White only got to throw two passes and completed one. But Taggart said he would start Thursday night at Houston.
White will be the Bulls' fourth starting quarterback. Matt Floyd started the first game and gave way to Bobby Eveld in the second game. Eveld then started and struggled and was replaced by Steven Bench, who looked decent in a loss to Miami but gave the job back to Eveld because of an injury.
Eveld got hurt against Louisville and was on crutches. Bench replaced him. He completed 4 of 12 passes for 68 yards and threw a 70-yard interception for a touchdown before White replaced him.
"When it comes to redshirts, I always say we will do what is best for the player and for the program," Taggart said. "Right now, I am going to go with Mike and see if he can give us some juice. We are trying to win some ballgames."
People who don't know Taggart will say this was a move made out of desperation, maybe even panic. But his personal history says otherwise.
He was a scrawny kid who looked like he needed a meal when he took over Joe Kinnan's offense as a junior and led Manatee to a state title. He set 11 school offensive records at WKU, including the Division I record for rushing yards by a quarterback.
"We are looking for playmakers. I don't care if we have to play guys both ways," Taggart said. "Our defense played good today, but was on the field too much. You can't expect to hold a team like Louisville down for long."
Copeland scores
The Cardinals came into the game ranked first in the conference in total offense and scored on their first possession when Palmetto High graduate Damian Copeland caught a 20-yard TD pass from Teddy Bridgewater.
Making his 21st consecutive start and named team captain for the game, Copeland caught five passes for 63 yards.
Bridgewater completed 25 of 29 passes for 344 yards. The Bulls sacked him three times and registered five sacks and 11 tackles for a loss. The defense just couldn't get any help.
"Our defense kept us in the ball game for awhile. If we could get some help from our offense, it would've been a totally different game," Taggart said. "You've got to get some touchdowns against a team like that to have a chance."
USF has had nine true freshmen play this year (six on defense, three on offense). Marvin Kloss kicked a 50-yard field goal. It was his 10th straight make, and he is 3-for-3 on field goals of 50 plus yards
Alan Dell, Herald sports writer, can be reached at 941-745-7056. Follow him on Twitter at @ADellSports.


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Tachinid flies (Tachinidae) are a prime example of the many beneficial, but mostly unseen, creatures that make it possible for us to enjoy naturally healthy gardens without the use of pesticides. They are small and inconspicuous, but they are doing a mighty big job for us.
Tachinids parasitize other insects. They employ a variety of tactics as "the party guest from hell" when they move in, uninvited, and proceed to eat their hosts. They may glue their eggs to their host or lay their eggs on foliage where the host larvae will eat them. Some have ovipositors with which they inject their eggs directly into the unsuspecting host's body.
Extremely beneficial because of their diversity, tachinids also can be very under-appreciated due to their small size and unseen activities. They help control garden pests such as gypsy moths, cabbage loopers, Japanese beetles, armyworms, cutworms, sawflies, codling moths, peach twig borers, pink bollworms, tent caterpillars, squash bugs and many more.
The scientific information is rather general concerning tachinids. Only a few of the 1,300 North American species have common names, and only about 20 percent can be identified with a hand lens and field guide.
Tachinid flies are similar in shape and size to houseflies (usually less than a half inch in length) but they usually project a few stiff hairs backwards, over and slightly beyond the abdomen. Most of them are considered rather drab in color.
The tachinid species that seek out moth and butterfly hosts usually glue their eggs to the moth or butterfly larvae; after the eggs hatch, the resulting fly larvae bore into their host, eventually killing it. When beetles are the host, either larva or adults can be parasitized, depending on what kind of tachinid is involved. Tachinids usually attack adults of the true bug and grasshopper orders.
Egg and larvae development happen quickly in tachinid flies. Many species pass from the early stages to adulthood in just three to four weeks. If the host also moves through life stages quickly, several generations can be produced in one garden season.
After a larva has invaded or formed inside the host, it maintains respiration by either attaching its breathing (posterior) end to its victim's tracheal system or leaving that end protruding from the victim's body.
Research is ongoing on several species of tachinids; to date, the cutworm type has been shown to reduce populations of the variegated cutworm, the army worm and the yellow-striped army worm.
Unfortunately, tachinids are not available as commercial pest controls, but the adult flies feed on nectar, so you can attract them to your garden by growing plants with umbel-type flowers, including carrots, cilantro, dill, coriander, buckwheat and sweet clover.
(For more, see "Protect Your Garden With Beneficial Insects".)
Whether you want to learn how to grow and raise your own food, build your own root cellar, or create a green dream home, come out and learn everything you need to know — and then some!LEARN MORE
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STUDIO CITY, Calif. --Some local kids gave a helping hand to the people of earthquake ravaged Haiti.They set up a lemonade stand on Saturday in Studio City with proceeds going to an orphanage.
The idea started a few days ago, when a 6-year-old asked his dad if people in Haiti still needed help.
More than 1.5 million people remain homeless in Haiti, many still living under tarps and tents.