… You caused injuries to her brain, face, arms and legs with a combination of punches, slaps and, bordering on the sadistic, pinches.
“This was the way you chose to cope with a demanding little girl who demanded your attention and interrupted your time-consuming hobby of playing computer games.”
The judge said the blow to Violet’s stomach was delivered with such force that it tore her internal organs. Alcock then put her in her cot and waited for Flanagan to return home.
Flanagan had ignored bloodstains on her daughter’s clothing, in her cot and on her bedroom walls. She did nothing, even though the child reacted whenever Alcock entered a room.
A health visitor described Flanagan as a caring mum who desperately wanted to be loved. Her childhood and teenage years had been marred by physical abuse and neglect, turbulent stints in care homes from the age of 10 and street prostitution.

See the full article from “The Guardian”

… It’s no Pretty Woman, but there’s always a bit of suspended disbelief necessary when Hollywood makes a film about a well-meaning man trying to rescue a prostitute who is down on her luck or just trying to pay her bills. In the case of Welcome to the Rileys, great work by James Gandolfini (The Sopranos), Melissa Leo (Treme) and Kristen Stewart (Twilight) make it solidly entertaining. And director Jake Scott does a great job of setting most of the the film in New Orleans without making the city into a character or distraction. There’s only one roving second-line marching through a brief scene, and the only bad accent is the Midwestern twang Gandolfini occasionally overplays.
  Doug Riley (Gandolfini) and wife Lois (Leo) have slipped into a lifeless marriage in suburban Indianapolis after the death of their teenage daughter. Doug travels to New Orleans on a business trip, and in his boredom and loneliness finds himself in a strip club — and kudos to Scott for having him pass by Bourbon Street addresses for the grittier Iberville clubs, where he meets underage stripper Mallory (Stewart).

See the full article from “bestofneworleans.com”

… Rep. Charles Boustany of Lafayette, who faced only token opposition, is the frontrunner to gain the most stature. Early on, Boustany forged a close relationship with Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, who is expected to become Speaker of the House. “That in itself is a really big deal,” Cross says.
  If last week’s balloting weakened the Democrats, it also restored U.S. Sen. David Vitter to a position of prominence and influence, particularly in Louisiana. Vitter, a Metairie Republican, easily beat back a challenge from Melancon and 10 others by capturing 56.5 percent of the vote to Melancon’s 37.7 percent.
  ”Once all the dust settles from this election cycle, all the brouhaha about prostitution will be behind him,” Cross says. “After another six years in office, he can probably just put it to rest. Of course, there will always be people who try to make hay of it. That won’t change.”

See the full article from “bestofneworleans.com”

The superstar MC was released from prison Thursday after serving eight months in New York’s Rikers Island. He flew to Arizona the next day to finalize his probation stemming from another case, and he later made quick appearances in New Orleans and Las Vegas over the weekend.
Now, the rapper has returned to Miami, in his state of residency, where he’s set to be feted at a welcome-home party Sunday night (November 7) in his honor.
“I went to Tom Ford to get something to wear,” Drake told MTV News about the affair.
Wayne is scheduled to attend a private dinner with his Cash Money affiliates, including label heads Bryan “Baby” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams, and later, Weezy will party the night away at King of Diamonds, a gentleman’s club in the Sunshine State.

See the full article from “MTV.com”

The star spent a few quiet days reconnecting with his family including his four children and then it was on to the party to celebrate his release after eight months behind bars.   The first stop on his tour of the country was a fly-by to sit court-side at the New Orleans Hornets vs. Miami Heat game at the New Orleans Arena on Friday evening.  Saturday included a stop in Las Vegas for Drake’s tour finale.  Tonight features the official Miami homecoming party full of fun, strippers, and lots of champagne.

See the full article from “Babble (blog)”

Bacchanalia and everything that is perhaps morally scary about American society. And, of course, over Shabbat I bounced back and forth between the two.
People ask whether you’ve walked down Burboun, the strip famous for its strip clubs and Hurricanes — the frozen concoction of rum, vodka, other liquors and something sweet in pretty much any color you could desire. But, in truth, there is no walking Burboun Street. If you’re among the tens of thousands of tourists who flock there every night specifically to engage in the alcohol culture of New Orleans, the walk is more a stumble pushed along by the current of hundreds of drunks, most trying to find random sexual titillation in exchange for plastic beads. If you’re not drunk, the walk is a combination of avoiding getting swallowed by the current mixed with either a tinge of disgust or envy.

See the full article from “Jewish Telegraphic Agency (blog)”

Cross said that’s due to Boustany’s relationship with Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, who is expected to become speaker.
“That in itself is a really big deal,” Cross said.
If this week’s balloting resulted in a weakened Democratic front, as some suggest, then it also served to build up U.S. Sen. David Vitter as arguably one of the most powerful politicians in the state, Cross added.
Vitter, a Metairie Republican, bested Melancon and 10 others with 57 percent of the vote.
“Once all the dust settles from this election cycle, all the brouhaha about prostitution will be behind him. Then probably after another six years in office, he can probably just put it rest,” Cross said. “Of course, there will always be people who try to make hay of it. That won’t change.”

See the full article from “Houma Courier”

The semi-organized Fight Club-style melee, which was caught on cellphone camera before the video was presented to ABC26 News, was a topic at Friday Morning’s Comstat meeting.
During that meeting NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas told 8th District Captain Ed Hosli, the department was far behind the curve with respect to the fight.
Officers say they weren’t around when it happened because they were dealing with a deadly stabbing nearby. Eight-District Officers are trying to identify the men in the exclusive ABC26 video.
The station provided the footage to 8th District detectives.
Police say they have strip club security video showing the fight after 5a.m., and that the slug-fest where pairs of men are seen taking turns fighting inside a ring of people in Bourbon’s 200-block only lasted five minutes, but the passerby who shot and provided ABC26 the video says the brawl happened at 3a.m. and lasted 30 minutes.

See the full article from “NewOrleans.Com”

Phone records from 1999 and revealed in 2007 linked Vitter to a prostitution ring in the nations capitol. This year, he was criticized for keeping an aide on the Senate payroll for two years after the man was charged with attacking his ex-girlfriend with a knife.
Melancon also was viewed unfavorably by about half of the voters surveyed in the exit poll. It showed him with strong leads in New Orleans and the Baton Rouge area.

Cindy Gremillion, 53, and her daughter, Angelina, 21, said they were bothered by the attitude of Vitter, who ducked media questions about his own controversy but had harshly criticized President Bill Clinton following the Monica Lewinsky scandal. We dont think its so bad that he had a thing with a prostitute, but hes such a hypocrite for wanting to impeach Bill Clinton.

See the full article from “Alexandria Town Talk”

A Serious Sin
AUTHOR | Max Fargotstein | Contributing Writer
U.S.
Senator David Vitter was re-elected Tuesday night to a second six-year term. The victory is the explanation point on a shocking rebound for a senator whose political career was considered to be on its last leg. Vitter’s phone number was found in the logs of a prostitution service in 2007. In addition to the “
D.C.
Madam scandal,” Vitter was accused of being connected to another prostitution ring operated by the Canal Street Madam right here in New Orleans. This past June,
News reported that an aide on Vitter’s staff, Brent Furer, had an extensive criminal record including violent altercations with his ex-girlfriend; Vitter knowingly allowed a man with a vast criminal record to work on his staff.
The long list of Vitter’s morally questionable acts is not new for Louisiana politicians. Former Congressman Billy Tauzin could not have summed it up better: “Half of Louisiana is under water and the other half is under indictment.”

See the full article from “The Hullabaloo Online”