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      June 18, 2008

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A federal appeals court judge under scrutiny for sexually explicit videos and photos posted on a personal Web site is the victim of distortions and "outright lies" published by the Los Angeles Times, his wife charged Monday. Marcy Jane Tiffany, wife of 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, described some of the material stored on the home computer as raunchy and juvenile. Only about a half-dozen files among hundreds had a "sexual aspect," but they were not pornography, she said. "Alex is not into porn — he is into funny — and sometimes funny has a sexual character," Tiffany wrote in a nearly 2,000-word defense of her husband, posted on a Web site called patterico.com. In a brief telephone interview, Tiffany confirmed that she wrote the statement and declined further comment, except to quote the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." The newspaper's California editor, David Lauter, said in a statement that the articles were fair and accurate. The stories "raised important issues on a matter of significant public concern," Lauter said. "The judge was presented with the facts ... and was given a full opportunity to respond." Read On

 
         
         

Investigators said Monday that someone angry with the government set the Texas Governor's Mansion on fire this month, and they offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. State Fire Marshal Paul Maldonado had said last week that investigators did not believe the blaze was politically motivated, but he changed course Monday. "It is likely that feelings of anger may have motivated his crime," Maldonado said at a news conference Monday. "He may be known to get angry and express strong opinions about the government, Governor Perry himself, the death penalty, the renovation of the mansion or other political issues." Maldonado did not say what led investigators to that conclusion. He appealed to the arsonist himself for help solving the case. "We do feel you had a message and we would like to hear from you. We're not quite sure what that message is, but please contact us," he said. Maldonado said officials are not ready to release video footage of the alleged arsonist, but said investigators believe they are looking for a white male who was wearing a ball cap, a dark shirt, work-type gloves and blue jeans or cargo-style pants.  The suspect is probably physically fit because he was able to scale an 8-foot chain-link fence to get onto the mansion grounds, he said. Investigators have said video footage shows a suspect in the early morning hours of June 8, standing in front of the Governor's Mansion, igniting an object and throwing it onto the porch of the historic landmark, creating a fireball and blaze that ravaged the 152-year-old structure. Department of Public Safety troopers were on guard at the time. Experts say the historic landmark is salvageable and Gov. Rick Perry has said he's committed to restoring the mansion no matter the cost. Texas first lady Anita Perry will likely lead the restoration effort, he said last week. The Perrys had moved out of the mansion last fall for a renovation project estimated to cost $10 million. Antique furniture and other relics had been placed in storage. The two-story Greek Revival-style house was completed in 1856.
 
 

I owe my father a huge thank you! Sure, I need to thank him for all those years of paying my bills, fixing my bikes, and providing a shoulder to cry on. But this year I realized that his contributions to my childhood were much more than that. He has influenced who I am at the very core of my being. Let me explain. Recently, I’ve talked with several girlfriends who are in terrible relationships. If anyone can pick a loser, um, I mean “not very nice guy” out of a crowd, it is these women. I can understand how a guy could fool a girl into thinking he is Prince Charming for a while, even though he is not. But after enough time with him, it seems they would have to realize the truth. Why do they continue the relationship after learning that he is controlling, abusive, or domineering? I’ve often wondered why any woman would let a man treat her so poorly. As I’ve listened to their stories I’ve realized that these women don’t view themselves as being worthy of anything better. Why is that? I would never even consider letting a man treat me the way they have been treated. But why am I any different than them? I think it can be credited to my father. Thanks, Dad! I grew up as Daddy’s Little Girl. If I had a problem that needed fixing or a question that needed answering, he was the one I ran to. He counseled me through everything from Algebra homework as a high school student to career choices as a young adult. He always expected that I do my best in whatever I did, and he believed I could succeed in anything I put my mind to. As a result, I learned to hold myself to those same standards. The Power of a Father's Love

 
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just released its 2007 report "Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance," a nationally representative sample of 14,000 American students in grades 9-12 that includes national, state and local surveys.1 The good news is that fewer teens engage in risky behavior. The bad news is that far too many of them still do! Teens continue to have less sex: in the early 1990s, more than half of teens reported that they were no longer virgins, whereas in the CDC report for 2007, that number had dropped to only 48 percent. Equally important, fewer teens have had multiple sexual partners: in the early 90s, 19 percent reported having four or more partners, but in 2007 that number was only 15 percent. Sadly, fully 35 percent of high school students describe themselves as sexually active and almost 40 percent of them did not use a condom during their last intercourse. Further, fewer teens are into drugs (marijuana use is down, as is methamphetamine use), alcohol use is down (from 42 percent reporting having a drink in the previous month in 1991 to 35 percent today), more wear seat belts (only 12 percent admit to not seat-belting), an additional 10 percent of students now will refuse to get in a car with a driver who has been drinking, and fewer smoke cigarettes than teens in the 1990s (though 20 percent still smoke). Other risky behaviors continue. Read On
 
 
 
 

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