Man breaks into adult toy shop for sex with dolls

In a report from Australia, a man smashed into an adult toy shop and had sex with the blow-up dolls before abandoning them in an alley.

Business owners in Cairns believe the same culprit is responsible for the break-ins and cash register thefts at the Sapphire Bar as well as three break-ins at the Laneway Adult Shop in recent days.  He reportedly would smash through walls and squeeze through tight areas (the original report said “tight holes” but I wasn’t going there).

The owner of the adult shop, who wished to be named only as Vogue, said that in a first unreported break-in, the man had stolen five dolls and had sex with one of them.

“He has been taking the dolls out the back and blowing them up and using the dolls and leaving them in the alley,” he said.  “It is totally bizarre.  It is a real concern that someone like that is out on the street.”

Vogue said a sex toy also went missing in the second break-in and that the offender had a liking for the doll model named “Jungle Jane,” which had been taken on both occasions.  He said he was dumbfounded that the burglar also had the “weird” habit of cleaning up the mess he had made after entering the building.  The burglar again smashed through a wall in the roof area of the shop earlier this week but was scared off by a newly installed alarm system.

Vogue and David Sharman, the owner of the Sapphire Bar that has an entry (original report stated it’s a “rear entry” but, once again, I try to remain tasteful) in the same alley as the adult shop, both believe they have been targeted by the same thief.  Both men said fleeting video images showed the burglar as being a tall, skinny Caucasian.  He has left DNA evidence at the crime scene.  No kidding….

Mr Sharman said in regards to one break-in at his business:  “The burglar smashed a hole near the top of the roof line. He then clambered 15m down a sheer wall.  He (only) took the surveillance recorders – we found them in the bin.”

Japanese adult video theatre fire kills 15

Wednesday, a man set fire to a Japanese adult video theatre in a failed suicide attempt and killed 15 others.  He was arrested and confessed to setting the fire with a bag of newspapers.  Public broadcaster NHK reported that the man stated he committed the crime because he was “tired of living.”

The Cats Adult Video Theater was located on the ground floor of a seven-story building in Osaka’s entertainment district.  When the fire started, most of the 32 viewing cubicles — equipped with a television, DVD player, and cot — wer occupied.  Not all of the cubicles were being used to view adult films, however.  Occasionally businessmen would use the rooms if they missed the last train home and many who could not afford proper housing use them live in these types of lounges.  This particular theater also offered DVD cartoons and Hollywood films for those not wishing to view porn.

Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has instructed fire departments to conduct nationwide emergency inspections of all video shops, Internet cafes, karaoke bars, and other facilities that utilize individual cubicles.

Crystal Gunns resigns from school post over scandal

Louisa C. Tuck, also known as former porn star Crystal Gunns, has decided to hang up her cafeteria apron and leave the New Jersey school district where she had worked since June 2008.  In a one-sentence resignation, she stated she was “resigning in good standing” effective December 8.

Vineland Public Schools Superintendent Charles D. Ottinger stated that the school district did not wish for nor requested the resignation from Ms. Tuck.  The resignation letter did not give any hints as to whether or not the recent publicity had played any part in her decision.  Vineland YMCA Executive Director and CEO George Steinbronn stated that Ms. Tuck is still employed as a supervisor for children’s programs.

Ms. Tuck’s resignation, however, has not been approved by the school board and she can rescind it at any time before the next meeting, scheduled for January 21.  Ottinger stated that the board would most likey allow her to keep her job if she changes her mind because they did not request the resignation.

So, once again the parents who feel they must shelter their little darlings from the non-existent evils of the world (see my previous blog) have caused someone who has done nothing wrong to leave.  Ms. Tuck has not received poor reviews, nor has her previous career caused a problem except in the eyes of these over-protective, knee-jerk parents.  I personally hope that Ms. Tuck reconsiders her decision, but I can also completely agree if she doesn’t.  It is hard to live and work in an area where the moral majority dictates who is and who isn’t acceptable in society.

String him up! Babysitter uses child in porn film.

This is almost too disgusting for words!!  A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to using a child in a porn film after answering an online ad for babysitting services.

Aaron J. Lemon admitted this past Wednesday to producing the video.  Police state that this scumbag used Craigslist to answer a legitimate ad requesting a babysitter and coerced a 2-year-old girl into explicit acts.  He faces a maximum of 30 years in prison.

That’s all??  A predator like this faces only up to 30 years??

This is part of what really, really disgusts me about people.  This man explicity used an online resource to seek out a victim who couldn’t possibly begin to give any type of consent, much less the fact that it’s completely illegal!  Not to mention absolutely disgusting.  Many predators try to excuse their actions because they say the victim “told them it was okay” and understood what was happening or they “wanted it to happen.”  But to seek out a 2-year-old???

String him up!  And you can guess which part I’d like the rope around….  Our children need to be protected from perverts like this.  Many, many thanks go out to the police and U.S. Attorney’s office who stated that Lemon was caught through a project that encourages agencies to investigate sexual exploitation of children over the Internet.

This is a time where my usual rant of parental responsibility and ensuring your children are safe isn’t warranted.  The parents hired a babysitter on the premise that he was going to actually do his job, not molest their child.  Maybe they could have requested more references and/or background checks.  And maybe they did and this guy passed them all.  The bottom line is he sought-out his victim.  He is the one who filmed it.  And he is the one responsible for all of this.  We need more people making sure these sickos don’t harm any more kids.

Update & Opinion – School drops Crystal Gunns case

You’ve probably already read my blog entry about Louisa C. Tuck (aka Crystal Gunns) and the school district that had planned to fire her.  If you haven’t read it, go back there and get caught up on the story!!

Now the district has decided to drop the case.  The question of the day is this – who ratted her out?

Charles D. Ottinger, Superintendent of Schools at Vineland School District, states:

Neither the Vineland Board of Education nor the Vineland Public School District initiated the investigation into Louisa Tuck.  We started our investigation after a reporter for The Daily Journal contacted our board president.

In an article by AdultFYI.com, the statement by Mr. Ottinger includes concerns for the students and their families but does not denigrate Ms. Tuck for her previous employment.  He also states that he understands how many students are exposed to various items of questionable nature on a daily basis.

It is admirable how Mr. Ottinger believes the school district should help be the “moral compass” for the students.  But, this is obviously a man with his head on straight and a firm grip on reality.  He believes that if the employees conduct themselves in a professional and forthright manner at all times there shouldn’t be a problem.  Isn’t that the way it should be?

Mr. Ottinger said that only upon hearing the allegations did the school district seek legal counsel for input.  After being advised that nothing could or should be done, the district ended it’s investigation.  And that’s as it should be.  To drag something on just because other people have their feathers in a ruff is not good business and not good for the students.  If the parents and town busybodies can’t let it go, then it’s their fault when the kids have problems with it.

I do take issue with part of Mr. Ottinger’s statement, however.  He says:

I certainly understand that people make mistakes, and when given the opportunity many people learn from their mistakes and actually become better people for having gone through that type of experience.  While we want to teach our students about forgiveness, we also want them to understand that certain behavior is still considered by many to be unacceptable.  Notwithstanding that point, it has been made clear to me that most of our parents do not want their children involved in any type of negative behavior they feel might have a detrimental impact on their children’s futures.  So there really is a fine line between forgiveness and accountability, and both are important life lessons.

Make mistakes?  Who said she made a mistake?  And who is he to judge whether her previous life choices were wrong or not?

I can agree with keeping kids from “unacceptable behavior,” but let’s remember that there are many teachers and other school employees across this country who are either alleged to have had or convicted of illicit activities with their students!  Shouldn’t we be more concerned about keeping the children away from them?  Those are the people that can actually hurt them, not some static photo or video on a website an elementary child shouldn’t be viewing anyway.  That’s the parents’ responsibility to keep the kids away from porn!  It’s only the school’s responsibility during school hours.

And for the parents who “do not want their children involved in any type of negative behavior” — get a life!  If you’re going to shelter your children so much that they never, ever hear a foul word or see a questionable photo, then don’t expect the rest of society to pick up after your mess when your kids can’t deal with the real world.

There are reports all over the news about “helicopter parents” who just can’t let go and expect “Billy” and “Susie” to get top grades, the best teachers, and no responsibilities just because they whine about it (the parents, that is, not the kids).  These are the types of parents that have children who can’t function the first time someone reprimands them at their first job when they do something outrageously unsafe.  These are the parents who have children who can’t pass a class in college and the instructors are sick to death of hearing their students ask if mom or dad can call to negotiate a higher grade.

A little self-responsibility is what people need.  And if you have children too young to be responsible for themselves, remember that they are your children.  They don’t belong to the school district, church, civic group, or any other agency you want to pawn off your responsibilities to raise your kids.

“Forgiveness and accountability are both important life lessons,” to paraphrase Mr. Ottinger.  Let’s all be more forgiving after we’ve taken responsibility for our own families and lives.

XXX Files – Porn at work on the rise

Sure, many would kill to be able to look at porn while at work.  Even more would love to be making porn at or for work.  But now more and more employees are indulging their porn fantasies at their 9-to-5 jobs.

M.J. McMahon, publisher of AVN Online Magazine, recently reported that the Nielsen Online ratings (yes…the same company that rates the TV programs) show that roughly one quarter of employees view porn at their workplace during working hours.  That’s up 23% — which shows that they’ve been tracking this for a long time!

Steve Hirsch, CEO of Vivid Entertainment Group, attributes the upswing to the failing economy.  “People are looking for an escape,” he said.  And that’s most likely true.  But we also live in a point-and-click world and many who are now entering the workforce are used to having whatever they want, whenever they want it, right at their fingertips.  Many have no inhibitions about clicking on a porn site and then hitting the Alt+Tab buttons as they see the boss approaching to hide what they’re doing.

In a recent Newsweek article, Dawn Adams, CEO of HResults, said:

Managers are dealing with so many issues right now that sometimes people are able to hide out and no one knows what they’re doing.

And with the increase in free porn sites, it’s easier for many to access.  Viewers aren’t afraid of logging in and out of them quickly and there’s no credit card bill to argue with the spouse over.  And the stigma over porn in general isn’t as scandalous as it once was.  After video tapes brought porn into most homes and out of the seedy movie theaters, the idea of casually watching two (or more!) people engaging in a wide variety of sexual acts became common.

Do I disagree with porn in the workplace?  Only if it’s not your job to be viewing it while working.  There is a fine line to be drawn between personal choice and freedom and the responsibility of employees to do what they’re paid to do.  It also could bring about a sexual harassment issue if someone looks over your shoulder and sees something he or she doesn’t like.  Also, some adult content sites harbor viruses, adware, and spyware.  These cause computer systems to crash and can lead your employer’s IT department right back to the source.

In Washington, DC, nine city employees were fired for viewing porn sites thousands of times over the Internet while on the job.  Reportedly, one was a Child and Family Services employee and another reportedly logged hits every 2.5 minutes.

The argument over lost productivity versus freedom to surf during an unpaid break will go on forever.  The best rule of thumb is if it’s not your personal computer or you’re getting paid to do something other than look at porn, it’s best not to do it.  That five minute (or five hour, in some cases!) peep at a bit of forbidden goodness could cost you not only your job but financial responsibility should your employer charge you the extra cost of cleaning their computer systems.  It also could cost you dearly if someone files sexual harassment charges.  And unless you have an open relationship where both parties agree on the use of porn, it could cost you even more with your significant other.

Don’t always assume that your boss doesn’t know what you’re doing.  Enjoy porn!  Just be sure to enjoy it responsibly.

Snap nude pics, lose your phone, be humiliated on the Internet. Who’s to blame?

I think I’ve heard about three different versions of the story coming out of Northwest Arkansas where Phillip and Tina Sherman filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s.  No, they didn’t spill scalding coffee in their laps.  No, their children didn’t get stuck in the Playland apparatus and suffer injuries.  The Shermans allege that McDonald’s is to blame because, after Phillip lost his cell phone, nude photos of Tina appeared on a website.

The Shermans are suing McDonald’s, the management agency that owns the local franchise, and the manager of the restaurant, Aaron Brummley.  They want a jury trial and $3 million in damages for suffering, embarrassment, loss of wages, and having to move to a new home.

Granted, Mrs. Sherman may have been upset after receiving text messages from the misplaced phone saying that the photos had been viewed by someone other than her husband.  And, she was probably upset after finding out that it would take 72 hours to remove the photos from the website where they were uploaded.  I’m just not sure it’s all worth $3 million.

First of all, the versions of the story I’ve heard don’t agree on how the phone was lost.  One said that Mr. Sherman threw it away by accident.  Another says that it was simply left behind in the restaurant.  However, none of them specify if Mr. Sherman actually called the restaurant and asked if the phone was in the manager’s possession.  The Northwest Arkansas News article the link above comes from states that Mr. Brummley, on-duty manager at the restaurant in question, called Mr. Sherman’s mother from the cell phone and stated that he would keep the phone secure until Mr. Sherman returned for it.  Other articles state that Mr. Brummley has made no comments regarding the issue and only that employees promised to keep it safe.

Does anyone really believe that your average McDonald’s employee will keep anything that doesn’t belong to them safe?  When I was in college I worked as an assistant manager at three McDonald’s.  I didn’t trust any of the employees I had under me any farther than I could throw them.  Most were snotty high school students who were only there because their parents made them get a job or they wanted to work only long enough to earn money for prom, graduation, or an awesome spring break.  Many of the rest were there only because that was the first or last place they had applied and couldn’t find anything else but were happy to complain about having to work and only getting minimum wage.  Not all McDonald’s employees are like that, however.  I don’t want to start getting hate mail from them, so I figured I’d better clear that up right here.

That leads me into my next question.  Why would you carry anything with you that you might be embarrassed about someone else getting their hands on?  Reportedly, Mrs. Sherman sent the nude photos of herself to her husband.  True, they were “for his own use” (a phrase quickly thrown out there by lawyers, no doubt).  But if there’s any chance whatsoever that someone, ANYONE might see them — even by accident — why keep them there?  Is it an ego thing?  Did he want to show them to his friends?

I’m not going to judge Mrs. Sherman for taking or sending the photos.  People do that all the time.  What consenting adults do within their relationship is no business of mine.  Someone posed the question of whether or not it was illegal for her to do that since it went over the cell phone transmission waves and could have been intercepted.  I’m not that technically adept, but I think if it were there would be many more who are guilty of illegal actions when sending pornographic photos over their dial-up or DSL lines by email.

Should the restaurant have kept the phone safe?  If they were aware of it being lost and had it in the possession of employees or the manager, then I’d say yes.  Is it the responsibility of the manager to ensure that nothing happened to it?  Again, only if it was already in the possession of staff and management.  If someone else got hold of it before then, it’s not the restaurant’s fault.

So, who’s really to blame?  If we go back to the source, then Mr. & Mrs. Sherman are really to blame.  I’m not condoning or excusing what happened to the photos after the phone was lost.  Mrs. Sherman is embarrassed by the use of her image online and the countless number of people who saw it.  The Shermans state that they had to move away from the town they lived in due to the embarrassment.  But what ever happened to personal responsibility?

If you don’t want nude photos of you to show up somewhere public, don’t take them.  Or, at least don’t take nude photos digitally.  It’s harder for your old glossy prints to end up on the Internet without you personally scanning them or the negatives.  If you have photos like that, make sure they are secured where no one but you and/or your intended viewer(s) can get to them.  And above all, do NOT put them on a device that can be easily lost and have it’s memory retrieved by anyone!  Those minimum-wage employees at McDonald’s I supervised had to be watched like a hawk because they would pilfer anything that wasn’t nailed down if they thought it was fun to play with or they could make some money on.

Let’s all take some responsibility for ourselves.  Otherwise, I want $3 million for the mental anguish of having to deal with irresponsible people on a daily basis who feel the need to sue corporations and make my cheeseburgers and fries more expensive.

Former porn star employed by school. Does it really matter?

When is your past no longer private?  Well, if you’re a convicted felon, a sex offender, someone applying for a governmental position, planning to join the military, or want to work with kids you really should expect someone to poke around in your history.  Background checks are done for very valid reasons –  particularly when we’re entrusting our children to the care of adults.  I’m pretty sure we’ll all agree that no one wants a convicted pedophile or child abuser working in our schools and daycare centers.

But what if you haven’t done anything illegal?  What if you’re a mature adult (or maybe not so mature but over legal age) who chose a career path that isn’t in lockstep with the moral majority?  Should you be punished?

The newest brouhaha is over Louisa C. Tuck who works at a school and YMCA center in Vineland, NJ.  She helps in the cafeteria and on the playground at the school.  Many parents of children who have attended functions through the YMCA describe her as “an excellent role model.”  So why is everyone upset with Ms. Tuck?  It seems that she is also known as Crystal Gunns and is a former porn star.

There are tons of articles and blogs being written as we speak on the subject.  The question, however, is this:  Does it really matter?

The school district in which Ms. Tuck is employed has been advised to not take action against her employment status.  The superintendent states there are no legal grounds with which to terminate her current employment based solely on her previous employment.  It’s been five years since Ms. Tuck was active in the porn community and I’ve not been able to find any records showing where anything she did while a part of it was illegal.

I’ve worked part-time as a substitute teacher and had to undergo a thorough background check even though I wasn’t going to be with the kids every day for nine months.  Surely a cafeteria employee and playground attendant would have to do the same.  And if not, then doesn’t that mean they don’t have prolonged direct contact with the students?  Isn’t that enough?

And, sure, someone will say that she has an active website and the kids could find her videos and photos.  Really?  Someone under 18 finding pornography on the Internet?  Yes, it can happen — but then that’s the fault of the parents who refuse to police their children (under 18).  You would think most responsible parents would have installed protective filters on every computer their little ones come within 10 miles of after all the Dateline: To Catch a Predator episodes out there.  Ms. Tuck isn’t a predator but her website and videos would certainly be blocked by the filters.

Just because she worked in the adult industry in the past most certainly doesn’t mean that she’s a bad person.  It doesn’t mean that she cannot work with children or be a positive role model.  Parents tolerate their children idolizing celebrities and sports stars who have questionable morals and public activities.  They buy them the latest clothes and accessories with their photo or jersey number on them and say, “Kids will be kids.”  Anyone remember when Charles Barkley did the “I am not a role model” commercial for Nike?

Instead of focusing on a former porn star working at a school, how about focusing on the actual teachers who have been convicted in pornography cases?  Earlier this month a former middle-school teacher in Bedford County, VA, was sentenced to 56 years in prison for felony child pornography.  He was caught after exchanging explicit texts with an investigator posing as a minor.  (Everyone says they watch To Catch a Predatorbut every day more idiots get caught that way!)  In Boyertown, PA this past May, a teacher was convicted of having pornographic videos of children performing sex acts.  In 2007, a substitute teacher in Windham, CT, was convicted for exposing students to pornographic images she claims were displayed on the computer by undetected spyware.

We have all heard about the teachers, both male and female, who have had sex with their underage students.  There are even cases of teachers and administrators having sexual relations at the school after hours and being caught on tape.  Aren’t these much worse than the former career of a current employee who doesn’t seem to have violated any policies?  Don’t they speak to their morals as well?

Today’s headlines and blog feeds are crammed with information about Ms. Tuck.  Farther back from the fray is the report filed today that a Louisville, KY, teacher has been indicted on Federal child porn charges.  If we’re so sensationist that we’re more interested in something someone did in the past, it’s no wonder we sit blindly by while people really exploit children and then ask how it could have happened.  Let’s protect our kids.  But let’s be intelligent and protect them from people and actions that will actually hurt them.