text:
Everyday thousands of children are being sexually abused. You can stop the abuse of at least one child by simply praying. You can possibly stop the abuse of thousands of children by forwarding the link in First Time Visitor? by email, Twitter or Facebook to every Christian you know. Save a child or lots of children!!!! Do Something, please!
3:15 PM prayer in brief:
Pray for God to stop 1 child from being molested today.
Pray for God to stop 1 child molestation happening now.
Pray for God to rescue 1 child from sexual slavery.
Pray for God to save 1 girl from genital circumcision.
Pray for God to stop 1 girl from becoming a child-bride.
If you have the faith pray for 100 children rather than one.
Give Thanks. There is more to this prayer here
Please note: All my writings and comments appear in bold italics in this colour
Friday, 30 June 2017
Pervert lets nephew rot in jail for murder he did - Canada
2 Rotherham brothers, gang leaders, have appeal rejected - UK
Company that cares for disabled, blasted by Royal Commission - Australia
Serial predator sent to prison for 13 years for CSA - UK
It Appears a Pedophile Let His Nephew Rot in Jail for a Murder He Committed
Convicted British Columbia child killer wins right to appeal
after 34 years in prison
Lawyers for Phillip Tallio claim he was wrongfully convicted and
DNA could prove relative was the real killerBy Eric Rankin, CBC News
In what his lawyers call an "unprecedented move" the B.C. Court of Appeal is allowing Phillip Tallio to file an appeal of his murder conviction — almost 34 years after the filing deadline passed.
Tallio's lawyers had argued new testing of DNA samples could show he was wrongfully convicted of a child murder.
That claim comes in previously sealed documents, released by the B.C. Court of Appeal.
If true, that would mean Phillip Tallio, who will turn 52 in December, has spent decades behind bars for a crime he didn't commit — more time served than other famous wrongfully convicted Canadian prisoners, such as Donald Marshall (11 years), David Milgaard (23 years) and Ivan Henry (27 years).
According to Tallio's lawyers, new evidence shows a second man — a now-dead close relative of the accused — might have been the real killer.
Publication ban lifted
Until now, the allegations were covered by a publication ban. But on Wednesday more than 800 pages of submissions and affidavits were made public following an order by B.C. Appeal Court Justice Elizabeth Bennett.
Tallio's lawyers were applying to appeal his conviction for second-degree murder more than three decades after the appeal deadline expired. They argued the documents should be released.
Friday morning, Justice Bennett granted the extension of time to file an appeal, stating, "In my view the interest of justice demand that Mr. Tallio be permitted to bring his application for further DNA testing and to go forward with this appeal generally."
Honey Hood, 33, says her father Phillip Tallio has been incarcerated her entire life (Eric Rankin/ CBC)
One of Tallio's lawyers, Rachel Barsky, says the granting of the extension is unprecedented.
"This is a historic day in the world of criminal law and the world of wrongful convictions," says Barsky. "We've got a long road ahead. But this is truly a historic day. There's never been an extension of time that's been granted as long as today."
Tallio's daughter, 33-year-old Honey Hood, has only met her father once since he was jailed. She was in court for the decision.
"I instantly started crying tears of joy," says Hood. "I was so happy for him, because I know how much he's been struggling to be in there."
Tallio maintained innocence
Tallio was 17 when he was arrested in April 1983, accused of suffocating his cousin, 22-month-old Delavina Mack, during a drinking party in Bella Coola.
He originally pleaded not guilty. But nine days into his trial, his lawyers changed the plea to guilty.
Tallio, who is described as having an intellect "far below his years," didn't appeal within the required 30-day period, but he has maintained his innocence ever since.
Now 51, he has repeatedly been denied parole.
Eight years ago, his case caught the attention of the UBC Innocence Project, which according to its website "engages … a selected group of law students to review claims of wrongful conviction in British Columbia."
Some of those students are now fully fledged lawyers, representing Tallio.
'There is fresh evidence'
In the documents unsealed by the B.C. Court of Appeal, his legal team claims "there is fresh evidence" from a DNA test result that excludes Tallio as the killer, and provides information "leading to other possible perpetrators."
Tissue samples taken from the toddler were kept at B.C. Children's hospital. There was no DNA testing available when Tallio was convicted in 1984.
The imprisoned man's lawyers maintain a test for male DNA conducted in 2013 on one sample ruled out Tallio. A test on another sample, however, found Tallio "cannot be excluded" as a suspect.
Barsky says that simply means the second test was inconclusive, given the technology in use four years ago.
"'Cannot be excluded' doesn't mean a match," Barsky told CBC News. "We're dealing with a lot of missing information."
Tallio's uncle 'cannot be excluded'
Based on partial DNA, the killer could have been any male relative of Tallio.
His lawyers argue Tallio's paternal uncle, Cyril Tallio Sr., was also at the party where Mack was killed. His DNA was also tested, and he "cannot be excluded" as a suspect.
The legal submission adds: "Cyril Tallio had a criminal record related to sexually assaulting children." He died in 2014.
Phillip Tallio's lawyers want the court to order the release of the DNA samples held by the Crown for new testing, but so far the Crown has refused.
Now that the application to appeal his conviction has been allowed, there could be months of legal battles ahead over the DNA samples.
But Tallio's lawyers say the DNA must be re-examined for the sake of a man who may have been wrongfully imprisoned for more than three decades. Their submission before the B.C. Court of Appeal is blunt:
"These remaining samples provide the only possibility for DNA to prove Mr. Tallio's innocence."
Rotherham child sex abuse brothers
have appeals rejected
Two Rotherham brothers jailed for raping, abusing and prostituting young girls have had their request for appeals rejected by the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales and two High Court judges.
Arshid Hussain (far left) and Basharat Hussain, who were jailed in February last year for sexually exploiting girls in Rotherham, appeared before the Court of Appeal in Leeds yesterday.
The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales Lord Thomas ruled that all appeals be dismissed.
He also ruled that the sentences handed down to Arshid, 40, of High Street, East Cowick, Goole and Basharat, 39, of no fixed abode, 35-years in prison and 25-years in prison respectively, would stand.
Their uncle Qurban Ali was found guilty of conspiracy to rape and jailed for 10 years. A decision on his appeal against conviction has been adjourned.
Detective Chief Inspector Martin Tate was the Senior Investigating Officer for Operation Clover, the multi-agency investigation into the Hussain brothers and their criminal network who groomed and exploited young girls in Rotherham between 1987 and 2003.
Speaking after the appeal hearing, he said: “I am really pleased with the rulings passed by Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas.
“The sentences given to Arshid and Basharat last year are some of the largest ever imposed for sexual offending in the UK, but Lord Thomas ruled that this was entirely proportionate. The Lord Chief Justice was clear that this was some of the worst sexual offending he had ever presided over, and that these sentences must act as a deterrent nationally. He also stated that no civilised society can tolerate such offending and the courts must protect the public.
“While the appeals process is not normally one that police comment on, I feel it only right that we continue to recognise the bravery of the young women who have had to face yet another challenge in their battle for justice. No sentence will ever recover the years of abuse, and in many people’s eyes, no sentence is ever long enough. In my view however 35 years in prison is a significant message from the courts that any offending of this type will dealt with in the most robust way possible.
“Any appeal hearing can be difficult for victims of crime, but particularly so for victims of child sexual exploitation and especially the young women we have supported throughout Operation Clover.
“This latest hearing understandably caused some concern and anxiety, but they are relieved with the outcome from court. It is entirely understandable that victims and the wider public want justice from these investigations as soon as possible. It is critical however that the police and CPS get these very complex investigations right. They must be legally sound and stand up to intense scrutiny. We obviously have the support of our extremely professional and victim focused prosecution CPS lawyers and appointed barristers. They work tirelessly with us to convict offenders.
“The trial, presided over by HHJ Judge Wright in Sheffield, allowed the victims to tell their story in their own time and with the correct support under the legal provisions of what we call special measures. I hope that encourages other victims that if they come forward they will be heard and we will discuss all options around giving evidence.
“I hope this latest result demonstrates how committed the police and the criminal justice system are in our support for victims of sexual abuse and that once convicted, we continue to do all we can to ensure that dangerous predators remain behind bars.”
Well done! God bless you!
The gun-toting, drug-dealing brothers – known as Mad Ash and Bash – led a gang in the abuse, with children raped, beaten, passed between offenders and used as prostitutes.
Gold Coast-based service FSG Australia slammed by Royal Commission into child sex abuse
Kathleen Skene, Chief reporter, Gold Coast Bulletin
A GOLD Coast disability service failed to properly investigate reports of child sex abuse, or to ensure others were protected from an alleged perpetrator, according to damning findings by a Royal Commission.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse rejected every one of FSG Australia’s submissions in relation to the reported sexual abuse of two children in their care, describing some of their evidence as “false”.
Commissioners were critical of the attitude of CEO Vicki Batten who told them she did not believe anyone in the organisation “then or now” was capable of harming a child.
FSG employs 900 staff to care for vulnerable children from Hervey Bay to Ballina.
The Commission wholly accepted the submissions of two mothers who said their complaints were dismissed by FSG.
Horror story #1
One mother, Maree Welch, whose 13-year-old daughter Bobbie alleged casual carer John O’Connor had sexually molested her in 1995, said when she reported her concerns she was “insulted and intimidated” by members of the group who were once friends.
Vicki Batten, CEO of FSG Australia.
O’Connor has always denied the allegation. He worked at FSG until 2000.
In 1998, Ms Welch made a police complaint.
The Commission heard police substantiated Ms Welch’s complaint but did not take criminal action because Bobbie was not capable of giving evidence.
They found FSG continued to employ Mr O’Connor, including for one-to-one care of children because they were afraid he might sue the organisation.
“FSG took no action to reduce the risk he may have posed to children in the care of FSG,” the findings say.
The Royal Commission found FSG had known about the allegations in 1995, but provided no meaningful support to Ms Welch and that the organisation “misrepresented its knowledge” of the complaint when it resurfaced in 1998 — the same year an FSG solicitor threatened the family with defamation action.
The Commission rejected the evidence of FSG co-ordinator Melissa Edwards, who described the 1995 complaint as a young person having a dislike for an alleged perpetrator.
Commissioners also found manager Dorothy Williams “minimised the seriousness of the complaint” in her signed statement.
Current management of FSG submitted there was no evidence to substantiate the allegations; that Bobbie was an unreliable source; that her mother “convinced herself” her daughter had been raped; that Ms Welch was “working from a script” and using the Royal Commission to air her grievances.
The company’s lawyers described the complaint as “a suspicion or based on a mother’s intuition” and it was “inappropriate” for FSG to conduct an investigation as the suspect had not been spoken to by police.
The Royal Commission rejected every part of the submission. “We are satisfied that Ms Welch conveyed to FSG a complaint of sexual abuse of sufficient particularity to be investigated.
“No reasons or basis was given for the submission that FSG management considered that Mr O’Connor should be treated as having committed no offence because he had not been spoken to by police. There is no reasonable basis for holding that view.”
The Commission heard the Welch family had met with FSG staff twice in 1998, when staff claimed in a file note that if they’d known in 1995 how serious it had been, they would have called police themselves.
The Commission found the file note was “false” as there was evidence “Ms Welch reported her complaint against Mr O’Connor to FSG within hours of the time that the abuse occurred”.
Horror story #2
Another mother said her daughter, who cannot speak but communicates through facial and body expressions, was very distressed after attending respite care at FSG’s Orana House in Southport in 2000. Her daughter disclosed oral sexual abuse using body actions.
The mother said she met with FSG manager Dorothy Williams and Ms Batten, who was then an assistant manager and described the meeting as a “jaw-droppingly bad” “interrogation”.
Under questioning, Ms Batten maintained FSG staff could not have abused the children and denied the meeting was an interrogation.
However the Commission accepted the mother’s recollection of the meeting, which was “clear and compelling”.
Commissioners said Ms Batten “exhibited poor capacity to understand the concerns” of the mother and “showed an unwillingness to accept that sexual abuse could arise at FSG at all”.
“The belief held by FSG’s current CEO, Ms Vikki Batten, that no one at FSG would harm a child is of concern,” their report said.
“Agencies responsible for overseeing FSG are encouraged to consider Ms Batten’s evidence before the Royal Commission.”
FSG receives almost $60 million a year in government funding to support children with disabilities and their families.
The commission heard, and accepted, that the second child’s mother had phoned Surfers Paradise police station and reported the abuse and was told someone would phone her back.
No-one ever phoned her back.
A serial paedophile has been jailed after the
sexual abuse of a young child
A Chatham man has been jailed for 13 years after sexually abusing a young child.
Under the terms of his sentence imposed by Judge Julian Smith yesterday (June 29), he will have to serve two thirds of his sentence before he is up for release and will be on licence for a further six years.
Judge Smith said it was clear Brand was a "danger to young children" and had taken "no responsibility" for his crimes against an extremely vulnerable child. He said: "You cannot be trusted to be left alone with any young children.
"The child was extremely vulnerable."
Brand, who formerly worked as a bus driver and a labourer gave no evidence at trial despite protesting his innocence. James Ross, who was defending Brand, said his client "knows full well he will go to prison for a long time". "What he does understand is that he must never be in a position again where he is left unsupervised with young children," he said.
He added Brand had been in a relationship with a woman for a number of years and she was dependent on him. Brand was her "carer" and she had a number of health issues, he was concerned she would become homeless if he was sent to prison.
Brand had a previous conviction for abusing a child of seven and a child of nine while he was a lodger in a pub in 1997. A sexual harm prevention order was also placed on Brand.
A spokesman for the NSPCC said: "Brand is a serial sexual predator who continues to pose a clear threat to young children."
"While he is behind bars the community is safe from his offending, but it's absolutely vital that Brand receives rehabilitation and treatment to minimise any further danger he poses when he is eventually released.
"His young victim has shown great bravery by giving evidence and helping bring her attacker to justice. We hope she is receiving all available support to overcome her experiences."
I have never been a fan of Theresa May, her spectacular bungling of the child sex abuse inquiry the main reason why. But her reducing police budgets at a time when child sex abuse and terrorism are both exploding across the British Isles, is beyond comprehension and reprehensible.
FILE PHOTO © Hannah Mckay / Reuters
British police forces are to scale back on their monitoring of sex offenders, including rapists, to focus on higher-risk criminals, the National Police Chiefs’ Council has said.
Under the new scheme, the risk sex offenders pose to the public will be reassessed, and thorough measures originally designed to stop them from reoffending, such as annual home visits, will be scrapped.
In order to fall under the ‘low-risk category’ and be exempted from proactive measures, offenders will have to prove that they have not committed any offence for the past three years, they are not under any civil order, and that there is no intelligence suggesting they may reoffend.
Police have reportedly struggled to cope with workloads since Tory Prime Minister Theresa May ordered cuts of 20,000 officers when she was home secretary.
Michelle Skeer, the national police lead for managing sexual offenders, however, dismissed the idea that the scheme has anything to do with a lack of police resources.
“Have we done these changes because we want to save money and we want to cut resources?
“No. It’s about building on the improvements we have made,” she said, according to the Guardian.
Only 2 percent of the 52,000 people currently on the sex offenders register are deemed to be ‘high-risk,’ while a third, around 16,000, are assessed as ‘low-risk.’
As the number of people on the sex offenders register has increased by 7 percent year-on-year, Skeer said the measure would allow forces to manage higher-risk offenders more “actively,” while still applying fair measures to those who have long been assessed as low-risk.
“It is important to remember that people will be on the sex offenders register for a range of crimes – it could be from downloading indecent images to contact offending,” Skeer pointed out.
A spokesperson for the NSPCC, however, did raise the issue of forces lacking funds, stressing that police must be “effectively resourced” in order to protect the public from abuse.
“Police are having to manage a growing number of registered sex offenders with ever tighter restraints on their time, resources, and capacity,” the spokesperson remarked.
“While a bespoke risk assessment is a good development this cannot be at the expense of close supervision of those who have harmed children in the most despicable way.
"If police are to keep children safe they need to be effectively resourced so they can monitor offenders and work with the community to prevent abuse.”
The fear here, of course, is that the police will settle for arresting a sex offender after he re-offends, rather than preventing him from re-offending.
As the nation was struck by four terrorist attacks in a just four months, concerns have been raised over whether police have enough resources to keep the public safe.
The government’s current security and counter-terrorist strategies were called into question after it was revealed terrorists in all of these attacks had previously been known to authorities.
Sarah Thornton, the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, pointed out that in light of the heightened terrorist threat in the UK, detectives from other departments are being called to help counter-terrorism detectives.
She said officers are being asked to work overtime and during their rest days.
Thornton warned the government that police forces need more money to avoid a further 4,000-strong cut of police officers by 2020.
“Look at what’s happened over the last four months … extraordinarily challenging times … We’re just pointing out the facts to government,” Thornton said.
Thursday, 29 June 2017
Is live-streaming kiddie porn child sex abuse - Canada
Pope defrocks pedophile priest again - Italy
Salvation Army officer jailed for historic CSA - Australia
Rochdale MP was called 'racist' for bringing up CSA - UK
Some Telcos not cooperating with police on child porn - Philippines
59 y/o child rapist may get NZ's toughest sentence ever - New Zealand
Cardinal Pell 'strenuously' denies child sex abuse - Vatican
Is live-streaming child sex abuse or child porn?
No 'hands-on offending' warrants seven-year sentence for man who helped live-stream child sex abuse, says defence
The Saskatoon man who paid and directed impoverished women in Romania and the Philippines to live-stream the sexual abuse of their children is just as culpable as the abusers, a Crown prosecutor argued.
“Without the accused, the abuse would not have been perpetrated,” prosecutor Lana Morelli said during the sentencing hearing of Philip Michael Chicoine, which resumed on Thursday in Saskatoon provincial court.
“Without the accused,
the abuse would not have been perpetrated,”
And that's the crux of it! Live-streaming pedophiles must be charged as child sex abusers, not just child pornographers. If they weren't directing the abuse - it would not happen, therefore they are responsible for the abuse as though they committed it themselves.
Morelli said the fact that the women were already selling online child sex abuse shows doesn’t matter — the only relevant factor is that Chicoine participated.
The 27-year-old pleaded guilty to 40 charges including possessing, distributing and making child porn and arranging to commit sexual offences against children between 2011 and 2017.
The Crown argued for a 17-year sentence, which would be the longest child porn-related sentence in Saskatchewan history. Morelli said Chicoine was a party to a “breach of trust” when he paid vulnerable mothers to abuse their kids for his own sexual gratification.
Court heard there were between 19 and 22 child victims. Most were between four and 12 years old; some were as young as 10 months. Chicoine instructed women to perform sex acts on children and then created videos and pictures that he shared with others. He spent $23,000 for the live-stream sex abuse.
Morelli listed aggravating factors such as the nature of Chicoine’s child porn collection — which included “hurt core” material depicting the torture and sexual abuse of babies — the large amount of material, the duration of offending and his attempts at hands-on offending.
There is a difference between hands-on offending and the type of offending Chicoine was involved with, defence lawyer Val Harvey said in arguing for a seven-year sentence. She said her client’s desire to get help and willingness to plead guilty should be considered mitigating factors.
Chicoine likely lands somewhere on the Asperger’s spectrum and has been ostracized and bullied starting in high school and continuing into the work world, Harvey said, adding her client’s first sexual encounter was with a sex worker a year and a half ago.
“He’s been alone most of his life,” Harvey said.
However, court heard Chicoine has very supportive family members who cannot understand how their loved one “went down this road.” Chicoine’s parents were in court for both days of his sentencing hearing.
Harvey said her client can’t articulate the reasons for his behaviour but recognizes the harm he caused the victims. She said he cried when she read him one of the victim impact statements.
When asked if he had anything to say to the court, Chicoine looked down and shook his head.
Although his pre-sentence report indicates he wanted to stop victimizing children but didn’t know how, Morelli noted he was still trying to meet up with kids in Saskatoon the day before he was arrested in March.
A sentencing decision is expected on Sept. 21.
Pope Francis defrocks Italian priest convicted
of child sex abuse
By Josephine McKenna
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis has defrocked an Italian priest who was found guilty of child sex abuse, three years after overturning predecessor Benedict XVI’s decision to do the same after allegations against the priest first came to light.
Mauro Inzoli, 67, was initially defrocked in 2012 after he was first accused of abusing minors, but Francis reversed that decision in 2014, ordering the priest to stay away from children and retire to “a life of prayer and humble discretion.”
On Wednesday (June 28), the priest’s diocese of Crema in northern Italy released a statement saying the pope had made a “definitive ruling” that Inzoli, also known as Don Mauro, should be dismissed from clerical duties.
Bishop Daniele Gianotti of Crema said the Vatican body responsible for church doctrine informed him of the pope’s decision, which Gianotti described as “the worst punishment” to be imposed on a priest.
“We cannot assume that the pope made such a serious decision without carefully examining all the elements in front of God, before making a choice for the good of the church and Don Mauro,” said Gianotti on the diocese website.
Inzoli, who was also dubbed Don Mercedes because of his love of luxury cars, was found guilty last year by an Italian court of eight counts of sexual abuse of children aged 12 to 16. He reportedly paid $28,000 in compensation to five victims he molested between 2004 and 2008.
Gianotti said it had been “very painful” for him to communicate the pope’s decision to Inzoli and urged the faithful to pray for the priest’s victims.
Since Francis’ election in 2013, he has adopted a hard line on pedophilia in the Catholic Church and urged bishops around the world to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to clerical sex abuse. But victims’ groups have often argued he has not done enough to hold perpetrators to account or the bishops who tolerated their behavior.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI first moved to defrock Inzoli but Francis decided to give him another chance before making his latest definitive ruling for something the pope has described as “a sin that shames us.”
Ex-senior Salvo jailed for child sex abuse
An elderly man who sexually abused boys when he was a Salvation Army sergeant major in Perth has been jailed for three years and six months.
William Edwin Steele, 73, indecently assaulted boys aged between 11 and 18 from 1963 to 1990, but has demonstrated no remorse and continues to deny the offending, maintaining he was "set up".
The father-of-four, who exploited his position of power in the church and also as manager of a CBD fruit and vegetable market, was sentenced in the District Court of Western Australia on Friday and will be eligible for parole when he has served half of his term.
The Betrayed Girls: MP says she was called 'racist' over Rochdale child sex abuse concerns
By HELEN DALY
The Betrayed Girls is a one-off documentary that will explain more about the true life story which saw nine men guilty of grooming, raping and sex trafficking teenage girls.
In a revealing interview with former Labour MP Ann Cryer, she reveals that she was aware of the grooming issue and tried to take action.
The former MP for Keighley says on the documentary: "I had hoped I would get on board comrades in the Labour party and many were genuinely sympathetic to what I was talking about and sympathetic and supported me in every way.
"But there was a small number who were very openly or perhaps [whispering] things that perhaps I was something of a racist and that was very upsetting.
"I'm convinced it was political correctitude gone mad
and there was no reason for it.
"I was rocking the multicultural boat, but how would you get changes without talking about it?" Cryer added.
Should have sunk that boat Ann. It had no reason to be afloat.
Later on in the documentary, Nazir Afzal discusses his decision to overturn the CPS's decision not take the case to trial while he was Chief Prosecutor in the North West.
He explained: "The thing that struck me most is that they were just children. I have children on my own and when you're 14/15, you can't make informed choices.
"The perpetrators were in their 40s and 50s, my age, who clearly knew better.
"When I read the prosecutor's advice to the officers in the early investigations, things like, 'She has made a choice about her life' and 'She has agreed to be in effect a prostitute for these men', everything about it shocked me to be blunt.
"I was absolutely certain in my mind that the decision was wrong - not just unreasonable, but wrong. If it wrong to maintain public confidence, I had to reverse that decision and so I did," Afzal continued.
The Betrayed Girls will air on Monday July 3 at 8.30pm on BBC One.
Telcos not releasing data in nearly 1 in 5 AFP
child sex abuse investigations
7.30 By Alex McDonald and Samantha Hawley
In a slum on the Philippines island of Cebu, local police have come to rescue two girls.
They've been tipped off by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) that the girls' mother has sent 164 sexually explicit images of her daughters to an Australian man using the Viber messaging app.
The mother was allegedly paid about $800 in return.
When Philippines police arrive at the home, a 15-year-old girl is undressing in front of a webcam.
Three days later in the troubled Mindanao region in the south of the country, another raid begins.
This time explicit footage of four children aged between two and 13 is being streamed live over the internet.
The Philippines National Police is referred more than 6,000 cases of cyber sex abuse each month from around the world.
Do you know more about this story? Email firstname.lastname@example.org
'It's difficult to get the evidence'
The AFP says it is grappling with a "tsunami" of reports of all kinds of sexual abuse and violence against children.
So far this year the AFP has received 4,937 reports of child exploitation.
Chief Judge of the Federal Circuit Court, John Pascoe, has argued for greater cooperation from telcos such as Telstra to help track down the perpetrators.
'Most dark and evil crime'
The AFP warns of an alarming trend where Australians are directing the sexual abuse of children living overseas, through live streaming services like Skype.
"We're talking about the most extreme forms of abuse, where there are some examples where people have been wanting to see, for example, the violent rape of children, five, six, seven years old," he told 7.30.
"It's difficult to get the evidence that someone has been watching this sort of material. "It needs a lot of co-operation between law enforcement authorities, internet service providers and telcos."
The AFP said it has a good working relationship with the telecommunication companies, but there are worrying limitations. 7.30 can reveal that in 18 per cent of cases, Australian telcos are not providing the online information that police request.
According to AFP commander Lesa Gale, when a telco fails to provide sufficient information, the investigation "stops, it ceases, it means we can't do anything more".
Police often request subscriber records or mobile data from the telcos to track down offenders.
"The abuse is getting more and more violent,
the children are getting younger and younger,"
Commander Gale told 7.30.
"The requests are becoming more and more extreme, as if it was almost a competition between offenders and producers to try and make more and more extreme material depicting horrendous acts occurring on babies and young children."
Laws not keeping pace with technology
Chief Judge Pascoe is worried the law is not keeping up with the pace of technological change.
"I think if you look at large corporations, they're made up of many people, employees, shareholders and I think the public does have a right to expect that they will be part of the social contract," he said.
"They will be aware of Australia's obligations and they will do their part to protect children."
He argues that companies have an obligation to protect children at home and abroad under the United Nations convention on the Rights of the Child.
"The law actually needs to recognise the true nature of the crime and give the police the powers they need to appropriately prosecute offenders," he said.
"And I think one of the problems in this area, there somehow seems to be a disconnect between sitting at the computer typing what you want to happen next to the child and actually doing it.
"To me there is no distinction."
Mark Leach, a board member with International Justice Mission Australia, said telecommunications companies have a moral obligation to assist.
"It's our view that the directors and management of any telco in the country would be appalled that their company assets and their business were being used to commission and perpetrate the rape of children in the developing world," he told 7.30.
The AFP said requests might not be fulfilled for a number of reasons, including "the fact that investigators, at times, need to put requests to all major telecommunication companies, knowing that only one of the telecommunication companies would be able to complete the request".
Both Optus and Vodafone told 7.30 they comply with their legal obligations to assist police.
An Optus spokeswoman said: "We have responded to every request we've received from law enforcement agencies this year. There are no requests where we haven't provided some form of response.
"There are circumstances where we have advised law enforcement agencies that we are unable to provide information because we don't capture the specific piece of information requested. There are also some instances where we've asked the AFP to resend a request under the correct part of the legislation."
Telstra said it responds to tens of thousands of requests for customer information. It said it supports law enforcement while protecting the privacy of its customers. "We take very seriously our legal and regulatory obligations to assist law enforcement agencies who are seeking information," a Telstra spokesman said.
NZ's toughest prison sentence considered for multiple child rapist
ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ
A 59-year-old man has pleaded guilty to the sexual abuse of a young girl and will be sentenced in the High Court at New Plymouth on August 23.
New Zealand's toughest prison sentence is being considered for a man who raped a young girl multiple times.
On Friday, Keith Charles Pateman pleaded guilty to eight charges, which include rape and sexual conduct with a child under 12. Three of the charges are representative and involve one victim - an 11-year-old girl.
The majority of the offending took place over a four month period between July and November 2016 at an address in Taranaki.
It involved Pateman kissing the child, slapping her bottom and raping her.
At the 59-year-old's hearing in the High Court at New Plymouth on Friday, Justice Susan Thomas convicted Pateman and ordered for reports to be completed to consider whether preventive detention was necessary.
Preventive detention involves an indeterminate prison term and is often reserved for the country's most violent and dangerous criminals. Offenders who are given preventive detention can be released on parole but are managed by the Department of Corrections for the rest of their life and can be recalled to prison at any time.
A first strike warning was issued by Justice Thomas, who also requested a probation report be prepared ahead of Pateman's sentencing on August 23.
Lawyer Nathan Bourke asked for Pateman to be released on bail prior to his sentencing but this was opposed by the Crown.
Justice Thomas granted the defendant bail for one week in order to give him time to sort out his affairs.
Pateman will be required to present himself to the High Court in Wellington on July 7, when he will be remanded into custody.
Pope aide Pell 'strenuously' denies child sex abuse
Vatican finance chief George Pell "strenuously" denies all allegations of historic child sex offences and will return home to clear his name, Catholic officials said Thursday.
Police charged Australia's most senior Catholic with the offences, citing multiple complainants, and summoned the cleric to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on July 18.
"Although it is still in the early hours of the morning in Rome, Cardinal George Pell has been informed of the decision and action of Victoria Police," the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney said in a statement.
"He has again strenuously denied all allegations."
The Archdiocese said the 76-year-old would return to Australia "as soon as possible to clear his name", after receiving advice and approval from his doctors.
"He said he is looking forward to his day in court and will defend the charges vigorously," the statement added.
Victoria Police did not provide further details of the charges, citing the need to preserve the integrity of the judicial process.
Pell was interviewed in Rome by Australian police last October over the allegations, and has previously strongly denied them.
He had been accused of historic sex abuse claims when he was the Archbishop of Sydney in 2002, but was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
37 y/o man charged with CSA of child under 12 - Alabama
20 y/o accused of raping 5 girls age 12-16 - Alabama
48 y/o convicted of 5 years of child sex abuse - Maryland
Man & son-in-law face dozens of CSA charges - Oregon
Pervert Neurosurgeon has bail set at $6.45m - California
More charges added to bounce house operator - Utah
31 y/o convicted of molesting a 12 y/o 4 years ago - Texas
28 y/o facing felony CSA charges with under 12 y/o - Alabama
20 y/o (1 of 2 perverts) gets 15 yrs for CSA of 2 y/o - N Dakota
35 y/o man charged with at least 18 CSA crimes - Pennsylvania
29 y/o facing <134 yrs in prison for disturbing CSA of boy - Tennessee
Montevallo man charged with sex abuse of a childBY CAROL ROBINSON al.com
A 37-year-old Montevallo man is jailed in Shelby County on charges he sexually abused a young child.
Irwing Ivan Jaramillo-Teodoro was taken into custody Thursday, according to jail and court records. The Montevallo man is charged with one count of sex abuse of a child under the age of 12.
The warrant against Jaramillo-Teodoro was issued in July 2016. The abuse is alleged to have happened between November 2015 and February 2016, records show. No additional information was provided.
Jaramillo-Teodoro remained in the Shelby County Jail Thursday on $30,000 bond.
Shelby County man now charged with rape of
5 underage girls
BY CAROL ROBINSON al.com
A young Helena, Alabama man already facing four charges of second-degree rape is now accused of sexual relations with yet another underage girl.
Helena police have charged Samuel Woods III, now 20, with two more counts of second-degree rape. He is being held without bond in the Shelby County Jail after prosecutors this week sought, and received, a bond revocation on the previous charges.
In all, Woods is accused of having sexual relationships with five girls between the ages of 12 and 16 over the past two years. He fathered a child by one of the girls.
Nearly one year ago, Alabaster police first arrested Woods for allegedly having sex in September 2015 with a girl who was 14 by the time he was taken into custody.
Samuel Woods III, 19, has now been jailed three times in less than two weeks.
A week later, Helena police arrested Woods, claiming he had sexual intercourse on June 6, 2015 with a girl who was 15 years old at the time. He was arrested in June 2016 and released from jail three days later.
Hours after his release on the Helena case, Alabaster police arrested Woods again. Each time, Woods was released on $30,000 - for a total of $120,000 in all four cases - the highest bond allowed for that charge under guidelines. A Shelby County grand jury in December 2016 affirmed the charges by issuing a four-count indictment against him. According to that indictment, the earlier cases happened September 2015, June 2015, April 17, 2016 and April 20, 2016.
Cambridge man convicted of sex abuse of a minor
DORCHESTER COUNTY, Md. - The Office of the Dorchester County State's Attorney says that a 48-year-old man was found guilty of child sex abuse on Monday.
48-year-old Timothy Scott Moxey of Cambridge, was convicted of one count of sexual abuse of a minor and one count of continuing course of conduct with a child during the years 2006 through 2011.
Moxey faces up to 55 years in prison. Sentencing is set for later this year. Moxey is set for trial on more counts of child sexual abuse and related offenses later this year.
Dorchester County State's Attorney William Jones applauded the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation of this case. Jones also thanked Deputy State's Attorney Jamie Dykes who prosecuted the case
Police arrest second suspect in NE Portland
child sex abuse and pornography case
by Catherine Van, KATU News
PORTLAND, Ore. — A woman's life is turned upside down after police arrested her estranged husband and her former son-in-law on dozens of charges of child sex abuse and pornography.
KATU News first first broke the story earlier this week.
Randall Henrichs, 62, pleaded not guilty to 45 charges of sex abuse, child pornography and invasion of privacy in court Monday.
Two days later, police arrested 32-year-old, Trevor Standfill who allegedly conspired with Henrichs.
Standfill's former mother-in-law, who we are calling Sandra because she doesn't want to be identified, says nobody in her family suspected either men of such lewd acts. She said Standfill was a big part of the family, a man she loved like her own son.
In a secret indictment, police accused Standfill and Henrichs of sexually abusing a child under 14 and sharing naked pictures of her along with two other women online.
Sandra is also Henrich's estranged wife. She says she married him 10 years ago and filed for divorce right after his arrest in November. She said Henrichs is now a man she doesn't even know anymore.
The same could be said about her former son-in-law.
Standfill worked as a nurse at Legacy Good Samaritan. A spokesperson from the hospital confirms he is now on administrative leave while police investigate, though there are no indications in court documents that these charges had anything to do with his workplace.
Sandra says whatever comes of the trials, it will take years before she can even come to terms with how two men close in her life turned it upside down.
Bail is set at $2,980,000 for Henrichs, that amount is more than doubled for Standfill at $5,251,500.
Both men are due in court Thursday morning.
Bail set at $6.4M for brain surgeon
charged with child rape
Officials said Kohut also discussed impregnating women to give birth to children he could sexually abuse in a so-called taboo family lifestyle
SAN FRANCISCO —
A judge set bail at $6.45 million on Wednesday for a Northern California brain surgeon charged with sexually abusing children.
Prosecutors had opposed bail for Dr. James Kohut, saying the neurologist is a public danger who recruits women to help find child victims.
The Santa Cruz district attorney’s office said Kohut also discussed impregnating women to give birth to children he could sexually abuse in a so-called taboo family lifestyle.
Prosecutors have said there is no evidence he created such a family, but they have charged him with 11 counts of sexually abusing children under the age of 14.
Kohut has pleaded not guilty.
His lawyer, Jay Rorty, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment but has previously declined the prosecutor’s allegations. Rorty argued in court papers that Kohut does not represent a danger to the public or a flight risk.
Kohut was arrested in his Santa Cruz, California home last month along with two nurses who are charged with participating in child sex abuse with the 57-year-old doctor.
If Kohut does post bail, he will be monitored electronically. He voluntarily suspended his California medical license while the case is pending and faces 165 years in prison if convicted.
Kohut was arrested four days after police arrested Rashel Brandon, a nurse who worked with the surgeon at a nearby hospital.
Brandon was arrested after her husband gave police a video recording he found that investigators say shows Brandon and another nurse, Emily Stephens, sexually abusing children.
Court records and lawyers said Brandon implicated Kohut. Brandon is also charged with sexually abusing children and her bail has been set at $500,000.
Stephens was arrested in Tuscon, Arizona and is being held there while Santa Cruz authorities seek a court-ordered transfer to Northern California to face similar charges.
Brandon’s attorney Anthony Robinson did not immediately respond phone message seeking comment. It is unclear if Stephens has retained an attorney.
Heber City bounce house operator has child porn added to child sex abuse charges
BY TAMARA VAIFANUA,
HEBER CITY – A man accused of sexually abusing two children, is also facing child pornography charges. He appeared in court for a bail hearing Wednesday, where his attorney argued he be released under strict conditions.
Bryce Johnson stood silently next to his attorney inside the Fourth District courtroom. The 33-year-old was arrested earlier this month for child sex abuse. Police say there are at least five victims.
The operator of a bounce house is now facing new charges that include 20 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Investigators say they found pornographic images of pre-pubescent children inside his home, some of whom were involved in sexual acts.
His attorney, Susanne Gustin, pleaded with the judge to release him as his case goes through the process. Gustin reassured the judge her client would not contact any of the victims.
But prosecutors say this case is extremely disturbing on multiple levels. McKay King told the judge that the youth sports coach, ice skating teacher and foster parent is a threat to the community and should remain in custody.
“Mr. Johnson has crafted his entire life to place him in contact with children on a regular basis," King said.
In the end, Judge Jennifer A. Brown set bail for $150,000, cash only.
“We will aggressively fight the charges,” Gustin said.
Karen Martinez is watching this case closely. She says Johnson fostered her 15-year-old brother and was in the process of adopting him.
“My brother has had a rough life and Bryce was kind of that support for him, and that one person that kinda stuck around: until this.”
Mr. Johnson is due back in court August 2 for a status conference.
Waco man convicted in child sexual abuse case
By TOMMY WITHERSPOON
A former warehouse worker was convicted Wednesday of fondling a 12-year-old girl four years ago.
Jurors in Waco’s 54th State District Court deliberated about two hours before finding Justin Russell Murdoch guilty of two counts of indecency with a child by contact.
Murdoch, 31, faces from two to 20 years in prison on each count.
Prosecutors Hilary LaBorde and Christi Hunting Horse presented punishment evidence Wednesday afternoon that showed Murdoch has a prior state-jail felony conviction for theft and a misdemeanor conviction for criminal mischief for destroying a visitation monitor at the county jail. He also has three misdemeanor assault convictions, two for driving with an invalid license, and one each for theft, marijuana possession and failure to ID while a fugitive.
In defense punishment testimony, Murdoch’s wife, father and sister testified that he is a good person who is deserving of leniency.
The girl, who is now 16, testified Tuesday that she spent three or four nights in October 2013 with her best friend at the North Waco home that Murdoch was sharing with a woman and her son and daughter. Murdoch has since married the woman despite the allegations that he molested her daughter’s best friend.
The girl testified that her friend had gone to bed, her friend’s little brother was asleep on the couch and she and Murdoch were lying on the floor watching a horror movie.
She said Murdoch “brushed” his hand against her breast and she thought at first that it could have been inadvertent. But Murdoch moved his hand back to her breast and left it there longer, she said, making her uncomfortable.
Next, his hand went under her clothes, and he also groped her buttocks, she said. He also took her hand and placed it on the crotch area of his jeans, the girl said.
‘I was paralyzed’
“I remember thinking this is the type of stuff you see in movies,” she said. “I was paralyzed, and then I realized why those girls don’t know what to do. They are frozen.”
In defense testimony Wednesday, Genevieve Murdoch, the defendant’s wife who married him after the allegations surfaced, testified that she at first told Murdoch to leave her home, until she investigated the allegations and determined she didn’t believe them.
“In my heart, I felt it wasn’t true, but as a mom, I had to protect my kids,” she said.
She said she didn’t believe the allegations because her son was in the room with them the whole time.
“He wasn’t asleep. He was in and out,” she said. “He likes to pull all-nighters. That’s what he does.”
The girl testified Tuesday that after Murdoch groped her, he pulled the blanket over their heads and tried to kiss her. She was crying, and he asked her what was wrong.
She said he got up and looked worried. He left the room but came back and asked her to go outside with him. She said Murdoch apologized to her and said he thought she liked him. He made her promise not to tell anyone, which she did, and then he asked if he could hug her. She said they hugged.
“He asked her what is wrong. He thought she liked him,” Hunting Horse said in jury summations. “Did he think he was on a date? That’s the most bizarre statement. But it goes along with his bizarre behavior. It’s not a date. She’s a 12-year-old girl.”
Defense attorney Jonathan Sibley told jurors that it is possible the girl dreamed of the sexual abuse or got it confused with the abuse she reportedly suffered from another man who previously was in her life.
“What would you do if you were accused of something like this?” Sibley said. “How do you defend yourself? You have this man’s life in your hands.”
Attorneys will give closing summations Thursday morning before the jury deliberates punishment.
Montgomery man faces felony child sex abuse charges
Rebecca Burylo , Montgomery Advertiser
A man faces felony sex abuse charges after Montgomery police accused him of forcing a girl younger than 12 years old to touch him inappropriately.
Eric Corbitt, 28, of Montgomery, was charged with sexual abuse of a child under 12.
He is accused of going into the girl's room inside his home off Carter Hill Road and touching her inappropriately, according to court documents. He then allegedly took the girl's hands and forced her to touch him.
Police report the incident occurred sometime between 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. from May 14 to May 18.
Corbitt was taken to the Montgomery County Detention Facility, where he was held under a $30,000 bond.
Grand Forks man sentenced to prison for
sexually abusing 2 y/o
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — One of two men accused of sexually assaulting a 2-year-old girl in 2014 has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
WDAZ reports that 20-year-old Cody Atkins of Grand Forks was sentenced on Monday.
Atkins pleaded guilty in March to felony gross sexual imposition.
Another man, 22-year-old Thomas Pinkney, also has pleaded guilty to gross sexual imposition in the case. His sentencing is set for Wednesday.
Gross sexual imposition is a Class A felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
Palmyra man arrested for child sex abuse
By Chris Eckstine
PALMYRA, Pa. (WHTM) – The Palmyra Borough Police Department arrested a borough resident this week for sexual abuse of children and other related charges.
According to the department, charges against 35-year-old Diego Morazzoni Sr. stem from an incident reported to police around 9 p.m. Wednesday night at Morazzoni’s residence in the 100 block of North College Street.
Morazzoni was charged with two counts of statutory sexual assault, five counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, sexual abuse of children, two counts of aggravated assault, corruption of minors, endangering the welfare of a child, four counts of indecent assault and indecent exposure.
Online court documents show Morazzoni is in Lebanon County Correctional Facility in lieu of $150,000 bail.
Testimony in 'appalling' Nashville child rape case included sex abuse of animals
by WZTV Staff
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Testimony about the sexual abuse of children and animals was brought up during a Nashville rape case which prosecutors describe as one of the most "disturbing and appalling cases they had seen."
It took a Davidson County jury less than an hour to convict Jeremy Ledbetter, 29, of two counts of rape of a child, two counts of aggravated sexual battery of a victim under 13 years old, two counts of induce sexual activity by a minor and display of sexual acts to a minor under 13 years old.
The young victim testified that the rape and abuse occurred from the time he was 10 to 12 years old.
“All victims of child sexual abuse who testify in front of their abusers are brave to do so. The young victim in this case was particularly courageous for standing up and testifying about the type of humiliating abuse he suffered at the hands of Jeremy Ledbetter,” Assistant District Attorney Chad Butler said.
Ledbetter faces up to 134 years in prison. He will be sentenced on Aug. 18.

domain: law


text:
A local man says he shot a suspected car burglar outside his home who appeared to have a gun.
Texas Crime Stories dives into the murder and the criminal proceedings for the seven co-defendants charged.
A man was cut several times on his arm and leg on the West Side overnight and police have a suspect in custody.
Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputies are trying to figure out what led to a stabbing at a bar overnight.
An altercation overnight ended with a man’s wrist almost getting cut off with a machete, San Antonio police said.

domain: news


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Debian Security Advisory
DSA-2453-1 gajim -- several vulnerabilities
- Date Reported:
- 16 Apr 2012
- Affected Packages:
- Security database references:
- In the Debian bugtracking system: Bug 668038.
In Mitre's CVE dictionary: CVE-2012-2093, CVE-2012-2086, CVE-2012-2085.
- More information:
Several vulnerabilities have been discovered in Gajim, a feature-rich Jabber client. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project identifies the following problems:
Gajim is not properly sanitizing input before passing it to shell commands. An attacker can use this flaw to execute arbitrary code on behalf of the victim if the user e.g. clicks on a specially crafted URL in an instant message.
Gajim is using predictable temporary files in an insecure manner when converting instant messages containing LaTeX to images. A local attacker can use this flaw to conduct symlink attacks and overwrite files the victim has write access to.
Gajim is not properly sanitizing input when logging conversations which results in the possibility to conduct SQL injection attacks.
For the stable distribution (squeeze), this problem has been fixed in version 0.13.4-3+squeeze3.
For the testing distribution (wheezy), this problem has been fixed in version 0.15-1.
For the unstable distribution (sid), this problem has been fixed in version 0.15-1.
We recommend that you upgrade your gajim packages.


Health plans argue they are the best group to manage and receive funding from the CMS if it decides to pay for housing, transportation and other social determinants of health.
HHS Secretary Alex Azar shook up the industry when he remarked last month that the agency is putting together a pilot model that would allow healthcare organizations to bill the CMS for providing services such as assistance with food and housing.
And although details about the program are unknown at this time, it didn’t take long for health systems to speak out and say they would be smart benefactors of such a payment.
Payers beg to differ.
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Health plans—particularly those caring for Medicaid beneficiaries— think they should be the ones getting paid by the CMS for managing social determinants of health, given their access to members no matter the care setting, their experience in taking on risk and the work they are already doing to address members’ social risk factors.
“We have the population. You should start with the health plan because they have all the members,” said Michael Schrader, CEO of CalOptima, a Medicaid and Medicare health plan based in Orange County, Calif. “You can go to a hospital, but all services don’t happen at the hospital. Hospitals are only going to touch a small number of our members in any given year.”
Hospital industry representatives, though, argue their connection to the community is one of the reasons why they should be a major part of managing social determinants. “America’s hospitals and health systems are leading the way in addressing the social determinants of health,” said Joanna Hiatt Kim, vice president of payment policy at the American Hospital Association. Kim said the AHA supports an enhanced version of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation’s Accountable Health Communities model, which involves providers working with community groups to address patient’s social risk factors. Health plans aren’t part of the model at this time.
“The AHA will continue to prioritize supporting hospitals, health systems and clinicians as they address social determinants of health, work to eliminate healthcare disparities and provide comprehensive care to every patient in every community,” Kim added.
HHS’ plans are unclear. Azar’s comments about the model were vague and didn’t directly address who would receive the payments. At one point in his remarks, however, he did refer to patients as beneficiaries. “What if we provide solutions for the whole person, including addressing housing, nutrition and other social needs?” Azar said. “What if we gave organizations more flexibility so they could pay a beneficiary’s rent if they were in unstable housing or make sure that a diabetic had access to, and could afford, nutritious food? If that sounds like an exciting idea … I want you to stay tuned to what CMMI is up to.”
More recently, a CMS spokesman said the agency didn’t have any additional details regarding who would receive the payments in such a model.
The biggest barrier to CMS paying for housing? Congress
The CMS has some big regulatory hoops to jump through to realize the agency’s vision of paying for housing and other social determinants of health.
Under current law, Medicare and Medicaid funds can’t be used to pay directly for housing. If the plan to do so moves ahead, the CMS would likely pilot the model through the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation.
But if it wants to integrate the assistance as part of the Medicare or Medicaid programs, it would need Congress to change the Social Security Act.
And health policy experts said changing the law would be a tough sell on Capitol Hill. Dr. Anthony Shih, president of New York-based not-for-profit United Hospital Fund, called the statutory limitations, the “biggest barrier” to integrating payment for housing and other social needs in CMS programs.
But others were optimistic that Congress may get on board if it’s proven that the pilot model leads to reductions in costs and improvements in outcomes. “They will change the statute based on evidence,” said Len Nichols, professor of health policy at George Mason University.
There has been growth in published literature showing that addressing social risk factors can improve patients’ outcomes as well as decrease costs for health plans and providers through lower utilization of emergency departments and reduced readmission rates.
“There’s a lot of evidence out there that some of these social determinants of health interventions can pay for themselves,” Nichols said.
Insurers want in
Health plan officials are excited about the prospect of the CMS offering a payment mechanism to provide social services because they are already doing so with their own dollars.
CalOptima has invested $11 million since 2015 to provide housing and other support services to 445 of its homeless Medicaid members. CEO Schrader said he felt it was CalOptima’s duty to try to address the growing homeless population in Orange County, a situation that has become contentious. A federal judge recently ordered a stay on an Orange County ordinance that would allow local authorities to prosecute homeless people for camping in public places.
Schrader said more than half of the county’s homeless population are CalOptima members. “Homelessness is an issue for our community and CalOptima is very much part of the community,” he said.
CalOptima partnered in 2015 with the not-for-profit Illumination Foundation to offer temporary housing for homeless individuals. The housing is staffed with support workers who help members stay on their medications, find employment and eat well.
Since 2015, roughly 20% of the individuals have graduated from the program to permanent housing while others were transferred to long-term care.
Schrader said the $11 million investment made sense for CalOptima. Under California’s Medicaid program, CalOptima is paid through capitation, or a fixed rate, to cover all the health costs for members.
It costs the health plan about $200 a day to provide housing for a member compared with an emergency room visit that can cost CalOptima at least $1,200.
Schrader said given the success CalOptima has experienced so far with this program, CMS’ potential model “is really appealing. These are things we are starting to pay for now, but we have no reimbursement from the Medicaid program.”
They have the data
Another capability that health plans have and providers don’t is extensive data about members, said Allen Karp, executive vice president of healthcare management and transformation at Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey.
As healthcare services are increasingly provided outside the walls of hospitals, in-depth patient information is hard for providers to gather. Health plans follow their members through all of their interactions with the healthcare system no matter the setting, insurance executives say.
Horizon has recently used its data capabilities to try to address its members’ social needs. Horizon has worked with RWJBarnabas Health since April 2017 to address the social risk factors affecting high-risk members across Newark, N.J.
Horizon helped RWJBarnabas identify the patients who would benefit most from the program through its data analytics and then together both organizations funded community health workers to help those patients “with whatever made sense for them,” said Mary Ann Christopher, Horizon’s vice president for community health. “The kind of intervention took the form of what the need for that member was.”
The intervention has led to reductions in ED visits, inpatient stays and an increase in behavioral health services because a lot of patients had undiagnosed behavioral health problems, Karp said. Horizon plans to expand the program in the first quarter of 2019 to more areas of New Jersey. Horizon is the largest Medicaid plan in the state with roughly 900,000 members.
Karp noted that the inherent mission of health plans makes them a better fit for the CMS model than hospitals. “We can improve outcomes and reduce the cost. That is one of the main things we do for a living, whereas hospitals are focused on getting people well once they are in the hospital,” he said.
Payers can also be the unifiers for the fragmented healthcare system that patients currently struggle to deal with, said Dr. Priya Batra, senior medical director for family and community health at Inland Empire Health Plan based in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Given the fact that health plans follow members throughout all their healthcare interactions and already work with health systems and the not-for-profit sector, health plans “are well-positioned to coordinate a lot of these types of programs.”
Inland has about 1.2 million members in California’s Medicaid program. It’s in the early stages of addressing members’ social determinants of health, Batra said.
In terms of likely additional regulations that the CMS will require to prove that the model reduces cost and improves outcome, health plan executives said they aren’t too concerned.
“I think it’s to be expected. It’s par for the course,” CalOptima’s Schrader said.
“We have to evaluate these programs and I think doing that from a return-on-investment standpoint is reasonable,” Batra said. But she also added that “you have to be realistic about when you’ll see the benefits of these types of interventions and it might take longer” for the benefits to be fully realized.
Karp at Horizon also said he expects additional regulation, but “if it’s over-regulated, that stunts creativity; that would be our concern.” Although he added that given the Trump administration’s focus on reducing burdensome oversight, he expects “they don’t want to over-regulate” the model.
Date: December 19, 2018


text:
Quinoa: The Not So New Whole Grain You Should Still Be Eating
No, it’s not the new superfood on the block, but that doesn’t mean quinoa has faded from the limelight. This superfood is here to stay and if you’re still not well acquainted, it’s time to embrace and taste the healthy trend turned staple.
Not sure where to begin?
Here are the Quinoa basics:
It’s pronounced keen-wa.
That little tail? Don’t worry, it’s just the germ and it’s normal for it to pop out of the quinoa when cooked
Which is best - red, white, or black? Nutritionally, they’re all comparable, so opt for what tastes best to you, or go wild and mix them together.
Red and black quinoa are a little chewier than white, which is why those are the ones often used in salads and cold dishes
White quinoa tends to taste less bitter than black and red
Quinoa typically cooks in 15-20 minutes, quicker than many whole grains
Eating quinoa doesn’t cause a dramatic spike in insulin production (which may be because it is technically a pseudocereal related to spinach and amaranth) - a perk if you have diabetes
How about the flavor?
Quinoa is tasty - a little nutty, but pretty mild. It’s filling, easy, and a nutrition powerhouse, so we’re not surprised it has secured a seat in the superfood hall of fame. Quinoa has a lot to offer on the nutrition front. It:
Is loaded with antioxidants, which essentially fight potential damage in the body
Harbors a ton of vitamins and minerals; bring on the vitamin c, magnesium, iron, and even omega 3 fatty acids
Is one of the few vegetarian complete proteins that provides all 9 essential amino acids making it one of the few vegan sources of complete protein
Is full of fiber; half a cup has almost 3 grams
Don’t run the next time you see quinoa on a menu. If you don’t want to wait that long for a taste, it’s simple to make at home. Take a page from my book where there’s frequently a cooked batch in the fridge (I do white, and it will last through the work week) to make satisfying salads or impromptu breakfast bowls.
If you don’t feel like cooking, Grateful Plate frequently has their delicious take of quinoa on the menu as a compliment to dishes such as Za'atar Chicken and Apricot Miso Glazed Salmon. The served variety includes options such as…
Parsley Red Quinoa
Quinoa Almond Pilaf
Lemon Pesto over Quinoa
Quinoa Pilaf with Shredded Cabbage & Carrots
Greek Quinoa & Vegetable Bowl
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds over Quinoa
Coconut Quinoa Dried Cherry Pilaf
Red Quinoa Pilaf with Swiss Chard & Leeks
Want to learn about another food or health and wellness topic? Email us here.
Jenny a Philadelphia-based Registered Dietitian who helps women, children, and their families understand how to eat to feel better. She believes that good health starts in the kitchen and that fostering a nourishing relationship with food leads to a happier, healthier, and more balanced life. Learn more about Jenny at https://www.nutritionwithjenny.com/.
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domain: food


A buzzer-beating try from Zachary Bain capped a dramatic rally and lifted the W.A. Fraser Falcons to the Fraser Valley Grade 8 boys rugby title last week.
The Falcons had trailed Langley’s undefeated H.D. Stafford Skyhawks 18-5 with 10 minutes to go, but battled back to draw to within 18-17 in the late going.
With time ticking down, Bain scored in the corner on the final play of the game to give the Falcons a 22-18 victory and their fifth regional title in eight years.
“The boys just decided to rally back,” marveled coach Ryan McWhinney, whose team had lost twice to Stafford earlier in the year. “They were able to improve throughout the season, and take down the giants who were undefeated.”
Bain’s try was his second of the game, and Eric Chartier and Shaun Murray chipped in with one apiece and Jayden Ned booted a convert.
The win capped a terrific rugby season at Fraser Middle. The Grade 7 boys won the St. Michael’s University School sevens tournament in Victoria behind an MVP performance from Carter Miller, who scored 17 tries in the tourney.
Additionally, the Grade 7/8 girls rugby team won the Abby-Mission title, beating Heritage Park of Mission in the final. Alex Motoc, Brenna Hannan, Kylie Ratzlaff, Brooklyn Murphy, Kylie Ratzlaff and Sarah Thiessen scored tries, with converts by Sapna Deo.
The Eugene Reimer Ravens Grade 8 boys won the Fraser Valley bronze medal, beating Queen Elizabeth of Surrey 26-12. Chavis Spencer (2), Arbazz Gill and Bobby Narang scored tries, while Arvin Sharma kicked two penalties and Karn Minhaf picked up man of the match honours.
“They finished off their season strong, and put together a complete game,” Reimer coach Mark Grillandini said. “It was a great way to end their Grade 8 careers.”


Sista Afia goes hard on Efia Odo for accusing her of planning fake ‘beefs’ on UnitedShowbiz [Video]
The jeje hitmaker had gone hard on Efia Odo for saying she had been planning fake “beefs” to retain popularity and activeness.
Sista Afia, who was not on the show phoned in to blast the social media influencer, enterprenuer, actress, Efia Odo as it didn’t go well with her.
According to her she would have beat Efia if she was on the show. She even asked Efia Odo to fix a date to beat her.
The panelists tried to calm nerves down and to settle their issue on the show. They apologized to each other.


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The bright red tomato originally belonged to the genus “Solanum” until 1768 when it received its own genus, “Lipcopersicon esculentum.” The garden tomato is described by many people as being juicier and tastier, as compared to the store-bought alternative.
Of course, this is only possible with proper maintenance. Tomatoes require nutrients, water, sunlight, and fertilizer to flourish. Consistency is an important component of the maintenance process.
This is especially true when watering tomatoes, which is where the soaker hose comes in handy. It is ideal for small- to medium-sized tomato beds. How long to run a soaker hose for tomatoes?
The amount of time to run a soaker hose for tomatoes varies, depending on the setup, hose diameter, PSI, and garden or bed size. But as a rule of thumb, water the plant till the soil is damp and not puddling.
[Related Article: Can You Eat Tomatoes With Blossom End Rot]
Watering is one of the most grueling components of tomato maintenance. To ensure more efficiency, botanists have created three watering techniques for large commercial farms, backyard gardens, beds, and buckets.
The soaker system is a popular watering technique for tomato beds. The layout depends on the width and length of your bed.
It is recommended to wind (snake) the soaker hose back and forth around the tomato plants. Narrow tomato beds just require a straight host from one end to the other end.
With the soaker hose in place, the nozzle end should be attached to a traditional garden hose to increase the PSI.
The drip system is another watering technique for most backyard gardens. The installation is complex, requiring a bit of measuring without exceeding a 400-feet submain.
Start by measuring the length and width of your tomato garden. Again, avoid exceeding 400 feet of submain to ensure sufficient water pressure.
Utilizing a hose bib, connect one end of the submain to a traditional garden hose outlet. A hose bit is a kit that includes a coupler, pressure reducer, filter, and adapter.
It is recommended to let the submain warm in the sun before installation. This will ensure adequate flexibility throughout the installation process.
Continue the installation until the drip-irrigation system is functioning properly. Monitor the first few waterings carefully to avoid under- and over-watering.
If you spot a puddle near the emitter, turn down the water volume. The earth should only be damp, not soaked.
Spray systems are popular among backyard gardeners because they are so diverse. Integrating the system with a smart watering timer ensure maximum efficiency, accuracy, and convenience.
A quality smart timer permits gardeners to create watering schedules that are automated.
Preset the watering schedule bi-weekly. Start with a 30-minute watering session, adjusting as needed. If the earth is still dry, increase the session by no more than 5 minutes. If puddles are detected, decrease the session by 5 minutes.
Growing tomatoes is a fairly easy process, with the proper resources. In fact, the young tomato seedling can as easily flourish in an upside-down 10-gallon bucket.
To ensure an abundance of fresh, organic tomatoes, tenants of flats, condos, and apartments utilize this growing technique. Commercial farmers and independent gardeners take their tomato gardens to the next level.
Of course, it is not necessary, but it can earn a decent yield at harvest time.

domain: agronomy


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Lea Michele and her boyfriend, Theo Stockman, stripped down to their swimsuits and hit the waves in Hawaii yesterday. She's kicking back on a well-deserved vacation following Glee's North American Summer tour — you can see Lea, Cory Monteith, Chris Colfer, and the whole cast on the big screen when Glee 3D hit theaters Aug. 12. Lea's future on Glee is still up in the air after news broke last week that her character will graduate at the end of the show's next season. However, it seems she'll still be a part of the show, just perhaps not as a student. It was also unveiled during a Comic-Con panel over the weekend that Chord Overstreet won't return to the show, as writer Brad Falchuk commented that the actor is looking to pursue other opportunities.
Lea Michele Has a Bikini-Filled Holiday Away From High School Drama
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domain: celebrity


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Vintage Themed Journal – Blank- Agatha Christie
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Capture the grace of the past with our Vintage Themed Journals. Order now to infuse your writing with timeless charm and create an inspiring space for your thoughts and ideas. Your search for the perfect journal ends here.

domain: literature


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From the back cover:
THE LIFE OF RILEY by Cara Summers
He's working on a case of puppy love...
Cop Jack DeRosa's life is going to the dogs. After being out on sick leave, the only way he's getting his beat back is to strike gold on his latest case. The assignment--to investigate pet caretaker and probable thief Riley Foster. Undercover, Jack manages to deal with rambunctious mutts, clinging kittens and opinionated birds. But one look from his sassy suspect and Jack knows he's in over his head...
NAKED IN NEW ENGLAND by Jacquie D'Alessandro
Going back to nature...
Ryan Monroe is finished with women! After giving his latest girlfriend, Ms. You-mean-I-can't-sleep-around?, her walking papers, he heads off to the mountains for a little R & R. The last thing he expects to find in his friend's backwoods cabin is a woman--especially one in her birthday suit! But when a storm leaves them stranded, what else can Ryan do but convince his bathing beauty that it's more fun to be naked in New England--together!
And my review:
I'd never read anything from the Harlequin Duets line before I tried this book, so maybe I expected these stories to be funnier than they were. After all, they are labelled romantic comedies.
THE LIFE OF RILEY was fairly well written, but I didn't find it very funny. In fact, in her attempt to be funny, the author came across as silly. I felt that the main plot-line of the book (about the robberies) was too heavy for a comedy. There were just too many contrived situations for me to stomach, and I gave up halfway through. Two stars.
NAKED IN NEW ENGLAND was the reason I bought this book, though. I've already read three books by D'Alessandro, and they've all been keepers, five-star reads. This is an author who can do humor with a light hand, has delightful running jokes throughout her books (if you've read her work, you'll understand what I mean) and has wonderful, human characters that jump straight into your heart and stay there.
So why the low rating? The romance had nothing going for it but sex! Usually, D'Alessandro is able to handle the sexual tension beautifully, but not here. I felt like I was being sledgehammered with the instant lust between these two. There was just nothing else between them but the siren call of their libidos. And I need more than that to cheer a couple on. Sex is not enough.
Maybe this smaller format made the difference, as I'd only read full-length novels (at least 400 pages) from her before. I sure don't like when a romance novel ends with a "We'll need four-dozen condoms" comment from the hero. Yuck! Seriously, that's the last line of the story. Okay, they've decided to get married, but still. I like the last line of a romance to give me the "warm fuzzies" and that just doesn't do it.
If you want really good writing by D'Alessandro, I highly recommend THE BRIDE THIEF and WHO WILL TAKE THIS MAN? Those books were fabulous. But as for this collection, I'd skip it.

domain: library


Sony has launched a new mid-telephoto prime lens, introducing the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 – price tag £550.
The new compact, lightweight FE 85mm f/1.8 mid-telephoto prime lens (model SEL85F18) is aimed at enthusiast photographers who may have just stepped up to a full-frame or APS-C-format camera.
It’s bright f/1.8 maximum aperture offers great bokeh and low-light photography opportunities, and is designed for portraiture.
The new Sony prime lens features a 9-blade circular aperture mechanism and a double linear motor system, which Sony says allows for faster, quieter and more accurate focusing.
The Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 also features a focus hold button that can be customised and assigned together with functions in the camera body, such as the Eye-AF feature.
There is also a focus ring and an AF/MF switch on the lens barrel. Sony says its new lens is also dust and moisture resistant.
The Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 release date is set for March 2017.
Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 Specification
Minimum focus distance: 0.8m (2.63 ft)
Maximum magnification ratio: 0.13x
Filter diameter: 67mm
Weight: 371g (13.1 oz.)


Canada’s forgotten rainforest
Less than one-third of the world’s primary forests are still intact. Deep in the interior of British Columbia, a temperate rainforest that holds vast stores of carbon and is home to endangered caribou is being clear-cut as fast as the Amazon
By Sarah Cox, Originally published on Jul 27, 2019 at The Narwhal
On a balmy day in mid-July, in the heart of British Columbia, Dominick DellaSala steps out of a rented truck to examine the remains of one of the rarest ecosystems on the planet.
DellaSala, a scientist studying global forests that hold vast stores of carbon, is silent for a moment as he surveys a logging road punched through an ancient red cedar and western hemlock grove only days earlier.
A spared cedar tree, at least 400 years old, stands uncloaked in the sun beside the road, an empty bear den hidden in its hollow trunk.
“I haven’t seen logging this bad since I flew over Borneo,” says DellaSala, president and chief scientist at the Geos Institute in Ashland, Oregon, a partner in an international project to map the world’s most important unlogged forests.
“It was a rainforest. Now it’s a wasteland.”
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BAGHDAD — American and Iraqi forces attempting to capture a "high- value target" in an Iraqi town on Sunday came under attack during the operation and in the ensuing battle the U.S. military said the joint forces killed about 30 fighters.
The military said in a statement that the forces had detained the unidentified person whom they were seeking in the town of Diwaniya.
Diwaniya is about 240 kilometers, or 150 miles, south of the capital and has been the scene of previous battles between joint Iraqi and American patrols and elements of a Shiite militia loyal to Moktada al-Sadr, the anti-American Shiite cleric who controls a militia, the Mahdi Army. The U.S. statement did not identify the affiliation, if any, of the attackers.
A Mahdi Army official, who declined to be identified, denied any involvement in the fighting Sunday and blamed rogue gunmen, Reuters reported. Another Mahdi Army official denied that 30 militants had been killed and said that just three people had been wounded, the news agency reported, adding that hospital officials said four civilians were wounded.
The fighting underlined the chronic insecurity gripping Iraq, where an estimated 100 people die violently every day.Continue reading the main story
The police reported 28 deaths elsewhere in Iraq, including the discovery in Baghdad of the bullet-riddled body of Colonel Thamir Selman, a senior Interior Ministry official.
The U.S. military said two soldiers were killed Saturday, bringing to 26 the number killed in eight days.
U.S. forces suffer two to three deaths a day on average.
An U.S. military statement said that Iraqi soldiers and American forces were on the joint combat mission in Diwaniya on Sunday when they were attacked by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades before the Iraqi forces seized the target. Rounds of grenades pounded an American M1A2 Abrams tank and severely damaged it, the statement said.
Residents quoted by Reuters said that the tank was ablaze and that a curfew was imposed for several hours.
"There is an American tank on every corner of Diwaniya," said one resident, who declined to be identified. "Nobody slept in Diwaniya last night. The fighting was very fierce."
Last month in Diwaniya, a joint Iraqi and American patrol raided a Sadr office, leading to a three-hour exchange of gunfire between militia forces and Iraqi police commandos, said Brigadier Abdul Khaliq Badir Lafta, commander of the Diwaniya police. The previous month, government troops clashed in a battle that lasted for about 14 hours with Shiite militias.
Iraq has been ridden with an escalation of sectarian violence since the bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra in February, and recently an Iraqi police brigade was disbanded after some of its officers were suspected of taking part in the kidnapping and killing of Sunni Arab workers from a food-processing plant.
The Iraqi government moved to tighten security in Baghdad in June, and in August the American military began the most systematic series of sweeps of Baghdad since the war began, trying to make the worst neighborhoods safe for a return to normal life.
It appeared to be bearing some fruit, with deaths in the city down about 17 percent in August from July, according to a United Nations report based on morgue statistics.
On Sunday, on the CNN program "Late Edition," the Iraqi foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, said the government needed to rise to the challenge of imposing security: "This has been slow but we have been moving steadily forward."
Zebari said that the dissolving of the police brigade was an "encouraging" sign that showed the seriousness of the government to address the security issues.
"This is a major challenge now in front of the government and the government is committed to bring this level of violence down," he said.
Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, under increasing pressure from Washington, has vowed to crack down on militias, blamed for many of the revenge killings fueling the Sunni-Shiite violence. Several, though, are tied to parties within his government and his critics have accused him of lacking the political will to disband them.
The fighting in Diwaniya came a day after Iraqi forces arrested 184 people and seized hundreds of weapons in a crackdown in the oil city of Kirkuk, which has experienced an explosion of violence. The curfew was lifted Sunday morning. $@Continue reading the main story

domain: politics


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Flowers of the Sun
Sunflowers are my favorite flower and they actually spark a sense of joy inside me when I see them. Currently I am waiting for the sunflower seeds I planted in my yard to mature into sunflowers.
So far I have sunflower plant stems sprouted from the ground with their leaves and hopefully soon I will have the flowers themselves. I’ve spotted a few sunflowers in full bloom in around the neighborhoods I walk and bike. The feature photo on this post is from such a flower.
I think my obsession began with a lovely gift I was given by my friend Michele many years ago – an artificial potted plant of sunflowers (that looked quite real). That potted plant began my collection of sunflower related items.
My sunroom is decorated in a sunflower theme (I tried not to overdo it and it keep it semi subtle) and here is the plant that started it all along with a couple other sunflower themed items in the corner of my sunroom:
Here is the sunflower themed quilt in my sunroom – it has sunflower themed flannel on the back! (You can read posts about this quilt – Ugly Sunflower Fabric Challenge and Ugly Sunflower Fabric Challenge” Part II):
I also have sunflower art around the house. Here is a sunflower vintage style piece of art in my sunroom:
And a sunflower wallhanging which I made from a painted fabric sunflower panel which I machine quilted:
If You Plant Them, They will Come
I am thinking of the line from the movie Field of Dreams (1989): “If you build it, he will come”. I am patiently awaiting the arrival of the sunflowers I have planted including those I planted in the raised beds that surround the outside of my sunroom!
I will have sunflowers peeking into my sunroom and not just sunflower themed items around the sunroom!
I was luckily enough to discover the blog of a talented painter who has a lot of sunflower themed art: Brush of Dawn Oil Paintings. Her sunflower paintings make me smile whenever I see them.
Here is a bonus sunflower, from an old post, in an unusual color!
Of course I could not refuse sharing a quote about sunflowers:
I don’t think there’s anything on this planet that more trumpets life that the sunflower. For me that’s because of the reason behind its name. Not because it looks like the sun but because it follows the sun. During the course of the day, the head tracks the journey of the sun across the sky. A satellite dish for sunshine. Wherever light is, no matter how weak, these flowers will find it. And that’s such an admirable thing. And such a lesson in life.

domain: artistic


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The kids are struggling a bit with my efforts to get us back on real food. I was expecting it so I made some plans for a few of their favorites. They call these my crispy bits potatoes. I start with a little bit of olive oil and an even smaller amount of bacon fat. I slice the white potatoes into bite sized pieces and sauté until they are golden brown-making sure to scrape off all of the crispy bits. We love the corn syrup free ketchup from Local Folks Foods.
Recipes inspired by the weekly harvest on our full-diet farm in South Central, Kentucky.


For the last several years, David Lynch (filmmaker, artist, composer, singer, photographer) has been making lithographs at the famed Item éditions lithography atelier in Paris, home to Solnhofen stone slabs (used in the printing process) and historical presses that have printed such artists as Picasso, Matisse, and Miró. Lynch works with wet drawings, where the black ink is dissolved right onto the limestone, producing an image with depth, akin to watercolor. Lynch says, “For me, at the present time, I’m feeling that color weakens the image. In lithography, it is not just black and white or the off-white of the paper. There can be a huge range of grey colors between the black and the white. For the time being, this is thrilling to me – just working with the black ink on the stone.”
The pieces are as dark, dense, and enigmatic as his films... and like his films, they feel like they spring from a pre-verbal place, a place of dreams, a place of the subconscious.
Top to bottom: This Is My Dream; Mister Jim Studies Abstraction; It was at Night when the Hands Reached Out and Gathered the Clouds from the Eyes and I Saw Myself; Murdered Woman In Burning Car; The Season Of The Witch
Art publishing group Hatje Cantz has published a collection of these lithographs:
And visit Lynch's own site to experience his other work:


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This article will reflect on the compensation paid to Chin Khoo who has served as CEO of Rubberex Corporation (M) Berhad (KLSE:RUBEREX) since 2013. This analysis will also evaluate the appropriateness of CEO compensation when taking into account the earnings and shareholder returns of the company.
How Does Total Compensation For Chin Khoo Compare With Other Companies In The Industry?
According to our data, Rubberex Corporation (M) Berhad has a market capitalization of RM929m, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth RM943k over the year to December 2019. Notably, that's an increase of 54% over the year before. Notably, the salary of RM943k is the entirety of the CEO compensation.
For comparison, other companies in the same industry with market capitalizations ranging between RM426m and RM1.7b had a median total CEO compensation of RM1.3m. This suggests that Rubberex Corporation (M) Berhad remunerates its CEO largely in line with the industry average.
On an industry level, roughly 64% of total compensation represents salary and 36% is other remuneration. On a company level, Rubberex Corporation (M) Berhad prefers to reward its CEO through a salary, opting not to pay Chin Khoo through non-salary benefits. If salary is the major component in total compensation, it suggests that the CEO receives a higher fixed proportion of the total compensation, regardless of performance.
A Look at Rubberex Corporation (M) Berhad's Growth Numbers
Rubberex Corporation (M) Berhad has reduced its earnings per share by 7.0% a year over the last three years. Its revenue is up 15% over the last year.
The decrease in earnings could be a concern for some investors. But on the other hand, revenue growth is strong, suggesting a brighter future. It's hard to reach a conclusion about business performance right now. This may be one to watch. Looking ahead, you might want to check this free visual report on analyst forecasts for the company's future earnings..
Has Rubberex Corporation (M) Berhad Been A Good Investment?
We think that the total shareholder return of 365%, over three years, would leave most Rubberex Corporation (M) Berhad shareholders smiling. This strong performance might mean some shareholders don't mind if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for a company of its size.
Rubberex Corporation (M) Berhad rewards its CEO solely through a salary, ignoring non-salary benefits completely. As we noted earlier, Rubberex Corporation (M) Berhad pays its CEO in line with similar-sized companies belonging to the same industry. Investors will be happy that Rubberex Corporation (M) Berhad has produced strong shareholder returns for the past three years. At the same time, revenues are also moving northwards at a healthy pace. On a worrying note, its important to acknowledge that EPS growth has been negative recently. However, considering overall positive performance, we think Chin, shareholders might not be too worried about the CEO's compensation.
CEO pay is simply one of the many factors that need to be considered while examining business performance. We identified 3 warning signs for Rubberex Corporation (M) Berhad (1 can't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
Arguably, business quality is much more important than CEO compensation levels. So check out this free list of interesting companies that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.
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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
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domain: finance