zoey
01-11-2001, 07:22 PM
1.)This is why i will not have children:<Br>
MURPHYSBORO, Ill. –– A southern Illinois woman is suing a McDonald's
owner, Wal-Mart, a cup maker and her own mother over
spilled coffee she
says was too hot.
Teresa Reed claims in the lawsuit against Short
Enterprises, owner of the
Murphysboro McDonald's, that a cup of coffee she bought at the
drive-through window in 1998 spilled and scalded her ankle, allegedly
leaving a permanent scar.
Reed said the coffee, which the suit alleged was "served at
a temperature
too hot for consumption and hot enough to scald the human
body," spilled
and burned her after she placed it in a cup holder in her
mother's car.
The suit, filed last month, seeks $450,000 from Short
Enterprises, as well
as from cup maker Cobb Manufacturing and Wal-Mart, the
manufacturer of the
cup holder.
The suit also accuses Reed's mother of negligence, saying
Carol Sanders
"owed a duty of care for the safety of others riding in her
vehicle."
Source: Associated Press
2.) This is why some people are cool:
OHIO— City police prevented a man from jumping off a bridge over
Interstate 77 on Sunday. But a counselor says people below
who encouraged
the man to jump also need to be helped.
“They may be angry or depressed about their own situation,
and project on
that person up there, and really wish they were up there
jumping,” said
Marsha Manfred, a licensed professional clinical counselor
at Nova
Behavioral Health.
“I wouldn’t necessarily judge this person as there’s some
sicko down there
saying, ‘jump,’ ” she said. “It’s a shame they’re not
getting some
treatment, and if we knew who they were, we’d definitely
give some
outreach (counseling services) to them.”
At about 4:40 p.m. Sunday, Canton Patrol Officer Charles
“Chuck” Saler
grabbed onto a man who was dangling from the I-77 bridge
over Sixth Street
SW.
The 45-year-old Osnaburg Township man was walking on the
railing on the
east side of the bridge. He was threatening suicide.
It took the combined efforts of Saler, a fellow officer, a
park police
officer, a firefighter and a passing motorist to pull the
man to safety,
as he struggled to free himself from their grasp.
But their efforts weren’t helped by the fact that onlookers
urged the man
to jump.
City Prosecutor Frank Forchione said the bystanders could
be charged with
disorderly conduct, a minor misdemeanor, or misconduct at
an emergency, a
misdemeanor of the first degree.
“Anyone contemplating suicide is at the most vulnerable
point of their
lives,” he said, “and they deserve compassion, not taunting
or challenging
conduct.
“I think anybody who would encourage someone to commit
suicide has to have
some mental problems of their own,” said Forchione, “or
have no
conscience. I mean, that type of behavior is the lowest
point of life.”
The charge of misconduct at an emergency carries a maximum
jail sentence
of six months, he said.
Forchione, however, said he’s unaware of the charge being
filed in Ohio
during the last 20 years.
“I think it’s very difficult to prove,” he said, “because
most people are
focusing on (helping) the person (who’s contemplating
suicide) rather than
gathering witnesses.”
“We wouldn’t hesitate if people stepped forward,” Forchione
said of filing
charges.
Police Department Capt. James Myers and Fire Department
Battalion Chief
Ray Harple said they believe a segment of the population
enjoys violence
and destruction.
“People like gore,” Harple said. “They like the excitement
of it."
"There’s a lot of crazy, sick people out there,” he said,
adding that most
people act appropriately.
Said Myers, “It doesn’t surprise me that these people would
be saying
this, because a certain segment of our society is sick.
It’s a lack of
compassion for fellow man,” he said.
“I would think the majority of the onlookers were in favor
of the victim,”
Myers said. “There were probably one or two people who felt
like that.”
Manfred and psychologist Denis Ward said several factors
could cause
people to taunt someone who is trying to harm himself.
Ward is a psychologist at Comprehensive Psychological
Services of Jackson
Township.
“There are some people ... who have personality disorders
who lack
capacity for empathy or compassion,” he said. “They just
don’t get it,
they don’t see things beyond their own self-centered needs.”
Empathy may be lacking because they weren’t treated
compassionately as
children, Ward said.
Society is evolving into more of a “dog-eat-dog mentality,”
he said.
“It’s like the bumper sticker, ‘The person with the most
toys wins,’ ” he
said, “and they forget the selfishness behind that way of thinking.”
The media and some television shows influence that
mentality, he said.
Manfred said age could contribute to the behavior.
“One thing that comes to mind,” she said, “is that young
people today are
desensitized to violence ... and don’t take (a suicide
attempt) seriously.”
Manfred also said someone could be seeking attention.
She stressed that there’s no clear diagnosis for someone
who doesn’t
express empathy.
However, someone who “has lost the ability to feel
emotions” wouldn’t be
likely to take the time to stand and watch someone threaten
to jump off a
bridge, she said.
Such behavior might stem from someone losing a job, losing
a loved one or
having “issues with the police,” she said.
“This type of thing happens to many people with different diagnoses,”
Manfred said. “You can see this displayed as a symptom of
many different
things.”
Ward said psychologists debate whether someone who lacks
empathy can be
helped.
Intensive counseling could help, Ward said, but he said
some psychologists
believe children have a “window of opportunity” to learn compassion.
Source: Canton Repository<Br><Br>
[This message has been edited by zoey (edited 01-11-2001).]
MURPHYSBORO, Ill. –– A southern Illinois woman is suing a McDonald's
owner, Wal-Mart, a cup maker and her own mother over
spilled coffee she
says was too hot.
Teresa Reed claims in the lawsuit against Short
Enterprises, owner of the
Murphysboro McDonald's, that a cup of coffee she bought at the
drive-through window in 1998 spilled and scalded her ankle, allegedly
leaving a permanent scar.
Reed said the coffee, which the suit alleged was "served at
a temperature
too hot for consumption and hot enough to scald the human
body," spilled
and burned her after she placed it in a cup holder in her
mother's car.
The suit, filed last month, seeks $450,000 from Short
Enterprises, as well
as from cup maker Cobb Manufacturing and Wal-Mart, the
manufacturer of the
cup holder.
The suit also accuses Reed's mother of negligence, saying
Carol Sanders
"owed a duty of care for the safety of others riding in her
vehicle."
Source: Associated Press
2.) This is why some people are cool:
OHIO— City police prevented a man from jumping off a bridge over
Interstate 77 on Sunday. But a counselor says people below
who encouraged
the man to jump also need to be helped.
“They may be angry or depressed about their own situation,
and project on
that person up there, and really wish they were up there
jumping,” said
Marsha Manfred, a licensed professional clinical counselor
at Nova
Behavioral Health.
“I wouldn’t necessarily judge this person as there’s some
sicko down there
saying, ‘jump,’ ” she said. “It’s a shame they’re not
getting some
treatment, and if we knew who they were, we’d definitely
give some
outreach (counseling services) to them.”
At about 4:40 p.m. Sunday, Canton Patrol Officer Charles
“Chuck” Saler
grabbed onto a man who was dangling from the I-77 bridge
over Sixth Street
SW.
The 45-year-old Osnaburg Township man was walking on the
railing on the
east side of the bridge. He was threatening suicide.
It took the combined efforts of Saler, a fellow officer, a
park police
officer, a firefighter and a passing motorist to pull the
man to safety,
as he struggled to free himself from their grasp.
But their efforts weren’t helped by the fact that onlookers
urged the man
to jump.
City Prosecutor Frank Forchione said the bystanders could
be charged with
disorderly conduct, a minor misdemeanor, or misconduct at
an emergency, a
misdemeanor of the first degree.
“Anyone contemplating suicide is at the most vulnerable
point of their
lives,” he said, “and they deserve compassion, not taunting
or challenging
conduct.
“I think anybody who would encourage someone to commit
suicide has to have
some mental problems of their own,” said Forchione, “or
have no
conscience. I mean, that type of behavior is the lowest
point of life.”
The charge of misconduct at an emergency carries a maximum
jail sentence
of six months, he said.
Forchione, however, said he’s unaware of the charge being
filed in Ohio
during the last 20 years.
“I think it’s very difficult to prove,” he said, “because
most people are
focusing on (helping) the person (who’s contemplating
suicide) rather than
gathering witnesses.”
“We wouldn’t hesitate if people stepped forward,” Forchione
said of filing
charges.
Police Department Capt. James Myers and Fire Department
Battalion Chief
Ray Harple said they believe a segment of the population
enjoys violence
and destruction.
“People like gore,” Harple said. “They like the excitement
of it."
"There’s a lot of crazy, sick people out there,” he said,
adding that most
people act appropriately.
Said Myers, “It doesn’t surprise me that these people would
be saying
this, because a certain segment of our society is sick.
It’s a lack of
compassion for fellow man,” he said.
“I would think the majority of the onlookers were in favor
of the victim,”
Myers said. “There were probably one or two people who felt
like that.”
Manfred and psychologist Denis Ward said several factors
could cause
people to taunt someone who is trying to harm himself.
Ward is a psychologist at Comprehensive Psychological
Services of Jackson
Township.
“There are some people ... who have personality disorders
who lack
capacity for empathy or compassion,” he said. “They just
don’t get it,
they don’t see things beyond their own self-centered needs.”
Empathy may be lacking because they weren’t treated
compassionately as
children, Ward said.
Society is evolving into more of a “dog-eat-dog mentality,”
he said.
“It’s like the bumper sticker, ‘The person with the most
toys wins,’ ” he
said, “and they forget the selfishness behind that way of thinking.”
The media and some television shows influence that
mentality, he said.
Manfred said age could contribute to the behavior.
“One thing that comes to mind,” she said, “is that young
people today are
desensitized to violence ... and don’t take (a suicide
attempt) seriously.”
Manfred also said someone could be seeking attention.
She stressed that there’s no clear diagnosis for someone
who doesn’t
express empathy.
However, someone who “has lost the ability to feel
emotions” wouldn’t be
likely to take the time to stand and watch someone threaten
to jump off a
bridge, she said.
Such behavior might stem from someone losing a job, losing
a loved one or
having “issues with the police,” she said.
“This type of thing happens to many people with different diagnoses,”
Manfred said. “You can see this displayed as a symptom of
many different
things.”
Ward said psychologists debate whether someone who lacks
empathy can be
helped.
Intensive counseling could help, Ward said, but he said
some psychologists
believe children have a “window of opportunity” to learn compassion.
Source: Canton Repository<Br><Br>
[This message has been edited by zoey (edited 01-11-2001).]