behemot
JoinedPosts by behemot
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Former JW Elder who sexually abused teenager gets only 6 months
by behemot indavid nelson, a former elder at the madison park congregation jehovah's witness church in phoenix, admitted to authorities that he sexually abused a teenage boy on several occasions in the early 1980s.. with a confession from the suspect, it seems like a slam-dunk case but not for the maricopa county attorney's office, which brokered a slap-on-the-wrist plea agreement that nelson signed, the terms of which landed him in county jail for six months.
in addition to the jail time, nelson was sentenced to three years' probation and must register as a sex offender.. when asked for an explanation of the seemingly light sentence, mcao spokesman jerry cobb told new times that among other reasons the victim in the case (whom we'll refer to as kevin) was okay with the plea agreement.that wasn't true.
in fact, after learning nelson had pleaded guilty to two reduced charges not the six class-two felonies on which he was initially indicted kevin tried to commit suicide by shooting himself in the head just four days after nelson pleaded guilty.. "thirty-one days [kevin] had a tube down his throat [in the hospital following the march 12 suicide attempt].
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behemot
David Nelson, a former elder at the Madison Park Congregation Jehovah's Witness Church in Phoenix, admitted to authorities that he sexually abused a teenage boy on several occasions in the early 1980s.
With a confession from the suspect, it seems like a slam-dunk case — but not for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, which brokered a slap-on-the-wrist plea agreement that Nelson signed, the terms of which landed him in county jail for six months. In addition to the jail time, Nelson was sentenced to three years' probation and must register as a sex offender.
When asked for an explanation of the seemingly light sentence, MCAO spokesman Jerry Cobb told New Times that — among other reasons — the victim in the case (whom we'll refer to as Kevin) was okay with the plea agreement.
That wasn't true. In fact, after learning Nelson had pleaded guilty to two reduced charges — not the six class-two felonies on which he was initially indicted — Kevin tried to commit suicide by shooting himself in the head just four days after Nelson pleaded guilty.
"Thirty-one days [Kevin] had a tube down his throat [in the hospital following the March 12 suicide attempt]. We didn't know what was going to happen," Kevin's wife (whom we'll call Laura) tells New Times.
The shooting was one of two suicide attempts, Laura says, that were a direct result of years of sexual abuse — and the lousy plea deal.
"The first time, he tried to shoot himself in the head. The second time, he took well over 300 pills," she says. "The last time was pretty bad. Now he wishes he'd never come forward . . . because of what the [County Attorney's Office] has done."
Kevin brought the years of abuse to the attention of the Phoenix Police Department on September 7, 2010 — nearly 30 years after the last time he was abused.
According to the police report, obtained by New Times through a public-records request, Kevin told police the abuse started when he was 6 or 7 years old, living with his family in New York, and attending the same Jehovah's Witness church as Nelson.
Nelson, then in his late 20s, began hanging out at the family's home to visit with Kevin's mother. Eventually, he began taking Kevin to movies and out to eat. That, Kevin told police, is when the abuse started.
When Kevin was 14 in 1980, his family moved to Phoenix. David Nelson, then a family friend, followed — and so did the abuse.
Nelson didn't live with Kevin and his family in their Phoenix apartment but would often see the boy and take him to movies or let him play video games at his house.
Kevin's mother grew suspicious of the relationship and asked both Kevin and his brother whether Nelson had touched them inappropriately. Kevin always said no — later telling detectives he had been too embarrassed to tell the truth. His brother also denied that he was touched inappropriately, though when Kevin asked him about the abuse years later, he sensed his brother was hiding something.
At one point, Kevin's brother also attempted to kill himself by jamming a knife into his wrist. He called Kevin, who rushed to his house. As he was trying to take the knife away from his suicidal brother, Kevin asked, "What's wrong? What's wrong? Is it Dave?"
Kevin's brother responded, "He's a fucking faggot."
Nelson, in his 30s at this point, would coax the 14-year-old Kevin into playing card games. The loser of the games, Nelson decided, had to remove his clothes.
As the games progressed, Nelson created new rules: The loser had to perform oral sex on the winner.
Kevin later told police that he felt Nelson lost on purpose, because Nelson performed oral sex on Kevin several times. Kevin says he also was forced to perform oral sex on Nelson, but Nelson later told police he couldn't remember whether that had happened.
Kevin told police that one time in particular, after Nelson had performed oral sex on him, Nelson hummed as he went to the bathroom to spit out the semen. Kevin says he remembers he was a freshman in high school — shortly after he'd moved to Phoenix — and it was warm outside. He was certain it was before Thanksgiving, when he was only 14 years old.
Specific memories and timing — "time anchors" — are important in proving old sex crimes, Rachel Mitchell, sex crimes bureau chief for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, tells New Times, because the age of the victim at the time of abuse can vastly alter sentencing guidelines.
"It's not uncommon for victims, especially teenage male victims, to tell you, 'I was this age when it happened,'" she says. "Then, when you get 'time anchors' from them, you find out they were actually older. It's a normal thing to do where you have a coping mechanism [in which] they imagine that they were younger, because, 'If I were older I wouldn't have let it happen.' I think that's probably a little bit of what you've got going on here."
Kevin, however, maintains that the abuse began when he was as young as 6 and went on throughout his teenage years. He estimates that Nelson sexually abused him on at least 30 occasions.
This happened for 10 years — 10 whole years! — and [prosecutors] keep saying, 'It only happened once when he was 14.' This is so untrue," Kevin's wife says. "The county attorneys would not listen to us."
Nelson himself later admitted to detectives — after initially lying to police, calling the accusations of abuse "ludicrous" — that he had abused Kevin when he was 14 or 15. He even corroborated his story about often walking to the bathroom to spit out the ejaculate after he was finished, although, he didn't mention anything about humming.
Before admitting to the abuse, Nelson continuously apologized during an interview with detectives. When asked why he was apologizing, Nelson finally said: "For crippling that boy."
Nelson told detectives he'd performed oral sex on Kevin, starting, he claims, in the early 1980s, when Kevin was 14 or 15.
Nelson told detectives it was a "sin" and "against nature." He went on to say he was a "pervert" for what he'd done to the young boy and that he wished he could meet with Kevin now so his victim could "punch or kill him."
The detectives who'd taken Nelson's confession — and spoken, at length, with Kevin — recommended he be charged with two counts of sexual conduct with a minor, two counts of child molestation, and two counts of public sexual indecency, all class-two felonies with stiff sentencing guidelines. Initially, prosecutors in the County Attorney's Office, and the head of the Phoenix PD's sex-crimes unit, signed off on the charges, leading to a grand jury indictment of Nelson on each of the class-two felonies.
However, after the indictment, Mitchell and the deputy county attorney who prosecuted the case, Rachel Reames, decided they weren't satisfied with the interview Phoenix detectives had conducted with Kevin.
"When we initially got the case in early November, it was a little bit ambiguous," Mitchell says. "There had been an initial interview by a detective, and there were some concerns about the quality of that interview, um, specifically [about how the detective narrowed] down timeframes that were critical."
So Mitchell called in Wendy Dutton, a veteran forensic interviewer at St. Joseph's Hospital who specializes in interviewing victims of child sex crimes. Dutton and Mitchell have worked together on several childhood-abuse cases. In most, however, the victims were still children.
Under normal circumstances, Mitchell concedes, someone like Dutton would not be used to interview an adult victim, like Kevin. Detectives are well trained in conducting forensic interviews themselves.
According to Mitchell, though, these weren't normal circumstances.
"We had asked to have him interviewed by somebody who is a dedicated forensic interviewer. In other words, that's all they do all day long, versus being busy with investigations and detective work," Mitchell says. "[Dedicated forensic interviewers] are not limited to children and people with developmental disabilities. I would certainly say that a 30-year-old case is one of those situations where you might want to [have a forensic interviewer] look at it."
But Bill Richardson, a retired sex-crimes detective from the Mesa Police Department, disagrees that a forensic interviewer who is accustomed to dealing with juvenile victims is the proper way to go. Further, Richardson, who's handled multiple child sex-abuse cases, says it makes no sense to have a second interview conducted by someone who wasn't the detective who initially spoke to the victim.
"In all sex crimes, trust is the most important thing — the victim needs to trust the detective; [the victim] needs to tell him things he normally wouldn't tell anyone else. It's especially important with male victims, who may be ashamed they were abused by another man," Richardson says. "If the [County Attorney's Office] wanted more information, it's only logical to send [the detective] back in to interview the victim . . . Why would you want to bring a third party into it?"
By sending in someone who specializes in interviewing children to interview an adult, Richardson says, the risk is run that the victim will feel he's being talked down to.
The PPD, Richardson says, holds sex-crimes detectives to very high standards. In other words, to become a sex-crimes detective with the department, a detective must be the best of the best.
"If the issue is the county [prosecutor] doesn't trust these detectives, or doesn't like these detectives, that's a problem," he says. "In this case, [County Attorney] Bill Montgomery signed off on the charges, the sex-crimes unit [of the PPD] signed off on the charges, and a grand jury signed off on the charges. If they needed more information, you send the detective back in, not a third party."
Even Kevin was confused as to why he was re-interviewed by someone other than the detective in whom he'd initially confided.
"I'm wondering what we're doing this for. Why I'm digging up more shit that I don't want to talk about," Kevin told Dutton during her interview. "I'm sure [the detective] is doing his shit right, but if I need to talk to you, I'll talk to you. Because he did really good for me."
Kevin went on to tell Dutton that he'd continue to talk to her but that the two detectives who worked the case were the ones he "totally trusts."
The result of the interview conducted by Dutton — and ordered by the County Attorney's Office — was that Kevin was only able to identify one solid "time anchor": a movie Nelson had taken him to see before one of the times he was abused. Mitchell referred to it as "the Porky's incident."
"Tell me what you remember about that movie," Dutton asked Kevin during the interview.
"I want to say it was a, well, I'm pretty sure it was Porky's," Kevin responded. "He let me pick out the movie, and we went to see Porky's."
Porky's came out in 1982, when Kevin was 15. Because that was the only instance for which he could give a specific enough account to satisfy prosecutors, the six class-two felonies on which Nelson initially was indicted could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, according to Mitchell.
"Then [in the 1980s], as now, there's a great dividing line between the ages of 14 and 15. If a victim is 14 or younger, it's a class-two [felony]. If a victim is 15 or older, it's a class-six," she says. "It became very clear that not only was it not on the border [of 14 or 15] but that it was probably within him being 15 or older — [even] 16 or 17. Specifically, one of the anchors he gave us was the Porky's incident, and that makes him absolutely 15, because we looked up when that was released in the United States."
Kevin's account of "the Porky's incident" is about as specific as Kevin's account of other instances of abuse — for example, his time anchor of knowing abuse occurred his freshman year of high school "before Thanksgiving" — when he would definitely have been 14 or younger.
Mitchell said because Kevin couldn't narrow this down to a specific date, the allegation would be difficult to prove in court.
Kevin's wife is aghast: "They took away six counts of sexual molestation that were the charges that we wanted instead of misconduct with a minor — even though we had the proof."
Because prosecutors didn't think they could prove Kevin was 14 at the time of the abuse, Reames offered Nelson a plea deal: in exchange for pleading guilty to two counts of sexual conduct with a minor — class-six felonies — Reames would recommend his sentence not exceed one year in county jail, and three years' probation.
"[Prosecutors] had told us, 'This is the plea agreement we can do,'" Kevin's wife says. "They told us that the plea agreement [depends on] what the law was 30 years ago when this took place. That I understand. But [the year in jail] they told us [Nelson] would get, he didn't get."
The maximum penalty for class-six felony sexual conduct with a minor — under 1981 sentencing guidelines — was 1.875 years. Had Nelson been given the maximum sentence for each count — and a judge ruled that they run consecutively — Nelson could have been sentenced to nearly four years in prison.
But Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Karen O'Connor sentenced Nelson to even less time than the year Reames had requested: six months in county jail and three years' probation.
Everyone involved in the case — the County Attorney's Office, the PPD, and the victim — agree on one thing: Nelson got off easy. The County Attorney's Office maintains Kevin and his family approved the plea deal.
David Nelson is scheduled to be released from county jail on November 5.
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NY rabbi ascribes earthquake to gay activism
by behemot innew york city's rabbi yehuda levin, who recently blamed the murder of an eight year-old boy on the passage of same-sex marriage, says that yesterday's earthquake expressed god's great disgust with gay activism.
"one of the reasons that god brings earthquakes to the world is because of the transgression of homosexuality.
the talmud states, 'you have shaken your male member in a place where it doesn't belong.
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behemot
New York City's Rabbi Yehuda Levin, who recently blamed the murder of an eight year-old boy on the passage of same-sex marriage, says that yesterday's earthquake expressed God's great disgust with gay activism. "One of the reasons that God brings earthquakes to the world is because of the transgression of homosexuality. The Talmud states, 'You have shaken your male member in a place where it doesn't belong. I too, will shake the earth.'"
source: http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2011/08/gay-marriage-caused-earthquake.html
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Palermo (Italy): JW donates her organs
by behemot inaccording to this article (in italian), a 56 y. o. jehovahs witness, dying for cerebral hemorrhage, donated her liver, kidneys and cornea.
the article says that the peculiarity of this multi-organ withdrawal is that the donor was a jehovahs witness.
for jws, in fact, donation is a matter of individual conscience, given that all organs and tissue must be completely bloodless.. http://palermo.repubblica.it/dettaglio-news/12:35/4022250.
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behemot
According to this article (in Italian), a 56 y. o. Jehovah’s Witness, dying for cerebral hemorrhage, donated her liver, kidneys and cornea. The article says that “the peculiarity of this multi-organ withdrawal is that the donor was a Jehovah’s Witness. For JWs, in fact, donation is a matter of individual conscience, given that all organs and tissue must be completely bloodless.”
http://palermo.repubblica.it/dettaglio-news/12:35/4022250
The article does not specify whether the woman was a voluntary donor or whether her family made a decision for her.
In my experience, it’s the first time I hear of a JW who performs such a tangible act of love. I take my hat off to her.
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Cambridge: JW tries to entice 11 y. o. boy into having sex
by behemot ina jehovah's witness who tried to get an 11-year-old boy to have sex with him turned himself in to police after being told to by counsellors.. cambridge crown court heard kirk lefcovitch, 25, had repeatedly asked the child to perform sexual acts, as well as handing him pornography and sex toys.. despite his admissions, and previous convictions against a boy aged 8 in 2000, he was spared jail.. sara walker, prosecuting, said: in december last year mr lefcovitch asked the 11-year-old to expose himself, and the boy refused.. the defendant then offered to show the boy his privates, to which the boy replied that he didnt want to see it.. he then showed the victim some porn and told him he wanted to have sex with him.. there were occasions when the two spoke on the phone, and mr lefcovitch also made inappropriate comments then.. the court heard that lefcovitch had made a full confession to police, who were previously unaware of the incident, after being advised to do so by a counsellor at cambridges centre 33 an organisation which gives advice to young people aged up to 25.. georgina gibbs, mitigating, said: it is a very rare occurrence for an offender of this type to put themselves at risk and report themselves.. the defendant has been receiving help from centre 33 and his jehovahs witness group.. he is trying to go down a different course in his life.
he has thrown away all his porn and has been deliberately excluding himself from activities which could have him in close proximity to youngsters.. lefcovitch, of the brook, sutton, was described in a pre-sentence report as a serious risk to children.. he has a previous conviction from 2000 for a string of sexual assaults on an 8-year-old boy.. judge anthony bate said: there was clearly an intention for the offence with the 11-year-old to go further than it did, but the prison sentences suggested in my guidelines would not be long enough for you to complete a sex offenders course in prison.. judge bate instead ordered lefcovitch to take part in the thames valley programme, which is a community sex offender group work course.. lefcovitch was also made the subject of a 3-year community order with supervision requirements, and he must pay 400 court costs.. source: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/home/religious-man-tried-to-entice-boy-11-into-sex-24082011.htm.
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behemot
A Jehovah's Witness who tried to get an 11-year-old boy to have sex with him turned himself in to police after being told to by counsellors.
Cambridge Crown Court heard Kirk Lefcovitch, 25, had repeatedly asked the child to perform sexual acts, as well as handing him pornography and sex toys.
Despite his admissions, and previous convictions against a boy aged 8 in 2000, he was spared jail.
Sara Walker, prosecuting, said: “In December last year Mr Lefcovitch asked the 11-year-old to expose himself, and the boy refused.
“The defendant then offered to show the boy his privates, to which the boy replied that he didn’t want to see it.
“He then showed the victim some porn and told him he wanted to have sex with him.
“There were occasions when the two spoke on the phone, and Mr Lefcovitch also made inappropriate comments then.”
The court heard that Lefcovitch had made a full confession to police, who were previously unaware of the incident, after being advised to do so by a counsellor at Cambridge’s Centre 33 – an organisation which gives advice to young people aged up to 25.
Georgina Gibbs, mitigating, said: “It is a very rare occurrence for an offender of this type to put themselves at risk and report themselves.
“The defendant has been receiving help from Centre 33 and his Jehovah’s Witness group.
“He is trying to go down a different course in his life. He has thrown away all his porn and has been deliberately excluding himself from activities which could have him in close proximity to youngsters.”
Lefcovitch, of The Brook, Sutton, was described in a pre-sentence report as a serious risk to children.
He has a previous conviction from 2000 for a string of sexual assaults on an 8-year-old boy.
Judge Anthony Bate said: “There was clearly an intention for the offence with the 11-year-old to go further than it did, but the prison sentences suggested in my guidelines would not be long enough for you to complete a sex offender’s course in prison.”
Judge Bate instead ordered Lefcovitch to take part in the Thames Valley Programme, which is a community sex offender group work course.
Lefcovitch was also made the subject of a 3-year community order with supervision requirements, and he must pay £400 court costs.
source: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/Religious-man-tried-to-entice-boy-11-into-sex-24082011.htm
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JW loses malpractice suit over a blood transfusion.
by behemot ina jehovah's witness has lost a malpractice suit over a blood transfusion.. .
she survived and sued, claiming medical malpractice.. .
the new york trial court dismissed the case, holding there is no precedent for finding medical malpractice when a blood transfusion was the proximate case of saving a live -- regardless if the patient may be offended or even emotionally distressed by the hospital's actions, which in this case were inconsistent with her religious beliefs.. mat staver, dean of liberty university's school of law and founder of orlando-based liberty counsel, takes issue with the ruling.. .
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behemot
A Jehovah's Witness has lost a malpractice suit over a blood transfusion.
The unidentified plaintiff had complications after childbirth, and her husband -- also a Jehovah's Witness -- granted permission for the blood transfusion after doctors told him that his wife, who had already refused permission, would otherwise die. She survived and sued, claiming medical malpractice.
The New York trial court dismissed the case, holding there is no precedent for finding medical malpractice when a blood transfusion was the proximate case of saving a live -- regardless if the patient may be offended or even emotionally distressed by the hospital's actions, which in this case were inconsistent with her religious beliefs.Mat Staver, dean of Liberty University's School of Law and founder of Orlando-based Liberty Counsel, takes issue with the ruling.
"This lower-court judge dismissed this five-year-old case against the doctor and the university hospital, ruling that the transfusion did not deviate from accepted standards of care; and that this individual had failed to show that the infusion of someone else's blood had hurt her," he explains.
That, according to Staver, is not the appropriate legal standard. "The criteria is not whether it actually hurt her -- the criteria is whether she has a religious objection to having a blood transfusion. And the answer clearly, for most Jehovah's Witnesses, is yes -- and therefore that's the end of the story. This judge clearly got it wrong on the constitutional issues involved."
Staver adds that usually when courts step in and order a blood transfusion for a Jehovah's Witness, it involves a child.source: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=1415916
Are they nuts or what? The husbands grants permission for the transfusion "after doctors told him that his wife would otherwise die"; she gets blood, survives, and they sue? She should sue her husband, in case. Yes, they are nuts, we know.
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Do You Think President Obama Takes Too Many Vacations?
by minimus inthis guy enjoys his fun time!.
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behemot
If you think Obama takes too many vacations, look at this:
It's a pic taken on August 17 at the Italian Senate: only 11 present out of 315. Keep in mind that country is at the moment facing severe crisis needing serious political attention ...
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Paedophile, 86, appeals against ban from all churches
by behemot ina child sex abuser of 86 is appealing against his ban from all churches, claiming it violates his human rights.. jehovahs witness john drury used his respected position to entice vulnerable girls before carrying out a series of sex attacks.. the former raf man befriended the families of his victims at church before inviting the children to his luxury six-bedroom home.. he was jailed for four years in 2005 after being found guilty of attacking girls between 1991 and 1998 as they played hide and seek.. after his release police became concerned about his behaviour and fears grew that he could strike again.. officers got a court order banning drury from any place of worship unless he gives seven days notice.. but now the pensioner, from colchester, essex, is appealing, saying his human rights are being eroded.. the hearing is at chelmsford crown court next month.. source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/08/18/paedophile-86-appeals-against-ban-from-all-churches-115875-23352020/.
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behemot
A CHILD sex abuser of 86 is appealing against his ban from all churches, claiming it violates his human rights.
Jehovah’s Witness John Drury used his respected position to entice vulnerable girls before carrying out a series of sex attacks.
The former RAF man befriended the families of his victims at church before inviting the children to his luxury six-bedroom home.
He was jailed for four years in 2005 after being found guilty of attacking girls between 1991 and 1998 as they played hide and seek.
After his release police became concerned about his behaviour and fears grew that he could strike again.
Officers got a court order banning Drury from any place of worship unless he gives seven days’ notice.
But now the pensioner, from Colchester, Essex, is appealing, saying his human rights are “being eroded”.
The hearing is at Chelmsford crown court next month.
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Please reccomend a book
by mankkeli inwould anyone reccomend a good material on .
(1) the history of the world.
(2) the history of religion.. i am just interested in man's development over the years to create gods for himself, any good book would be appreciated, and a review of the book highlighting a short summary is also welcome..
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behemot
Check this:
http://www.amazon.com/History-God-000-Year-Judaism-Christianity/dp/0345384563
A History of God is a best-selling book by Karen Armstrong. It details the history of the three major monotheistic traditions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Also included in the book are Buddhism and Hinduism. The evolution of the idea of God is traced from its ancient roots in the Middle East up to the present day.
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Papal toilet paper
by behemot inyes, we know that times are hard out there.
business needs to latch onto any event it can in order to stimulate sales.
but might the issuing of special, celebratory, papal toilet paper be just that tiny step too far?.
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behemot
Yes, we know that times are hard out there. Business needs to latch onto any event it can in order to stimulate sales. But might the issuing of special, celebratory, papal toilet paper be just that tiny step too far?
No, I know, crazed but true all the same :
Yellow and white being the colours of the Papal flag so why not celebrate the arrival of El Papa in Madrid by….no, not that.
Renova wants to be present on this year´s most important event in Madrid, where more than one million youths are expected to gather for the World Youth Day (WYD) around the Pope Benedict XVI. Is there any better way to liven up the streets than using these large streamers with the Vatican’s colour-scheme? Open your windows to celebrate! Welcome Pope Benedict!
It’s the party streamers, the ticker tape parade, in one handy package.
Even though the Vatican’s pretty liberal these days, and even with the hard times in business, no one’s actually suggesting that one celebrate the arrival of the Pope by making that visit to the littlest room armed with a paper copy of the Papal Flag: or its colours.
I hope.
source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2011/08/06/the-celebratory-papal-toilet-paper/
