Sunday, January 25, 2015

Alan Dershowitz’s Accuser Swears By Her Story Of Sexual Misconduct

The woman who accused Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz of having sexual relations with her while she was a minor has filed a declaration in federal court in the Southern District of Florida this week.  In her declaration, she affirms her earlier allegations and fills in a few more details about her alleged encounters with Dershowitz.  The woman is believed to be Virginia Roberts, based on her self-disclosure to media sources.

Dershowitz has vigorously defended himself against the allegations since they appeared in a December 30 motion to join additional plaintiffs to an ongoing Crime Victims' Rights Act suit against the United States.  Virginia Roberts, identified in the motion as Jane Doe #3, is one of the women asking to join the suit.  The plaintiffs in the CVRA suit claim that federal prosecutors violated the plaintiffs' rights by secretly negotiating a sweetheart plea deal with billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.  On January 5, Dershowitz filed a declaration with the court, disputing the charges of sexual wrongdoing.

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What Suicidal Depression Feels Like

I don't know if you have noticed, but ever since Robin Williams died, I have removed the filter from my writing that keeps me safe of jaw dropping, disappointing head gestures, and all kinds of judgments that authentic writing invites. I just really don't care anymore what people think because lives are at stake.

If this brutal beast of an illness is strong enough to kill someone with the passion, determination, and genius of Robin Williams, than we must do everything we can to protect those who are more fragile. That means being brave and writing as honestly as I can, on a taboo subject so few people understand, even if it means getting disapproving stares from other parents at my kids' school.

When I first heard about Robin's death, my first reaction was this: "The poor guy sneezed."

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Roll Tide and Read Your Bible: Alabama Ranks No. 1 for Scripture Lovers

Southern states dominate annual list of Bible-minded cities.

The Bible Belt lived up to its name as Southern locales topped the American Bible Society (ABS) and Barna Group's annual list of Bible-minded cities, with Birmingham, Alabama, earning the No. 1 spot.

The rankings, based on a city's Bible reading habits and beliefs, come from a decade of interviews with more than 63,000 adults in the country's 100 largest metropolitan areas. While the study crowned a new winner (Chattanooga ranked first last year), manydemographic trends stayed the same, notes ABS:

As in past years, the Bible Belt performed strongly in the 2015 rankings, while East Coast cities once again brought up the rear of the list. Small cities also generally performed better than did large cities. Just one of the top 10 Bible-minded cities ranks in the top 25 media markets.

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