Finances force sale of beacon Chez Vous

Dorchester venue behind on loan

Greer Toney, owner and general manager of Chez Vous, could lose her business to auction. (Matthew J. Lee/ Globe staff)

By Matt Collette

After years struggling to provide a haven for city youths, Chez Vous roller rink has again fallen prey to fiscal troubles and is set to go on the auction block on Wednesday, Greer Toney, the rink's owner and general manager, said yesterday.

The 77-year-old Dorchester landmark will be sold, Toney said, because she failed to pay the latest mortgage bill. Chez Vous has faced foreclosure in the past and was operating on an agreement with its creditors that it would be auctioned off if it missed a mortgage payment. A letter from creditors at the beginning of the month warned that the auction would go forward if the payment is not made.

Toney said she doesn't have the money to pay.

She said she used the money, about $10,000, to finance the rink's second annual Peace Night, held last Wednesday. Rapper Bow Wow was slated to perform, but his manager cancelled the performance at the last minute, citing safety concerns.

"I couldn't believe it," she said. "I can't believe that any superstar like Bow Wow would do this."

She said she had to refund 500 tickets, which cost $35 each. Because some expenses had to be paid for in advance, Toney said that she had to use personal funds to reimburse ticket-holders. Neither Bow Wow, whose name is Shad Gregory Moss, nor his manager could be reached for comment last night.

Toney said that Rhodes Street, where the rink is located, was shut down by police the night of the concert and that there were close to 50 people working security inside. The rink is behind the Area B-3 police station, which is at Blue Hill Avenue and Morton Street.

The rink is an important part of the community because it offers an alternative to the gang culture that has dominated Dorchester and Mattapan, Toney said.

The Peace Night concert was held to encourage youths to abandon violence. "I've gone to so many funerals, and I'm tired. I'm sick and tired," Toney said. "We came up with the idea to bombard these kids with peace."

In 2006, Chez Vous owed the city more than $80,000 in unpaid taxes, but city officials said they were committed to keeping the business open and set up a payment plan for the rink.

In the past, Mayor Thomas M. Menino helped secure money to keep Chez Vous in business. But now, because of the financial problems plaguing the city, officials are unable to step in and help the rink stay open, said Nick Martin, a spokesman for the mayor. "This time around, the city is not in a financial position to help them out," he said.

Toney said teens often bring their homework to Chez Vous, and older students help younger ones with difficult coursework. She said parents are allowed in for free to encourage adults to be more active in the lives of their children.

"They may be fighting [on the streets], but now you get to know someone in here," she said.

Chez Vous has not always been a haven for peace. In January 1994, hooded gunmen stormed into the rink and opened fire, injuring seven people.

Bruce Wall, pastor of Global Ministries Christian Church, conducted outreach and church services at Chez Vous from 1988 to 1992, when the rink was under different ownership. He described the venue as one of the last places teens could go to escape the streets.

"It was one of the few places left where young people felt like they had a place, like they had a home," Wall said. "To not have that anymore, I feel like it's a major death."

At the rink last night, teens described Chez Vous as an alternative to gang culture.

Ty Avonterogers, 14, said a friend brought him to Chez Vous a few years ago. Now he comes so frequently that he owns his own skates.

"I come here a lot. There's a gang on my street," Avonterogers said last night. "There used to be nothing for me to do."

"To me, it's a family," said 16-year-old Gerald Vick. He said he is afraid more young people will wind up back on the street if Chez Vous closes. "I think more kids will get in trouble. They won't have things to do," he said.

Original here

Time Magazine Throws Up Its Hands As It Gets Pwned By 4Chan

by Erick Schonfeld

The hackers of 4Chan have succeeded in completely gaming Time Magazine’s online poll for its Time 100 list of the most influential people on the planet. At the top of the list is Christopher Poole, aka Moot, the founder of the 4Chan online forum, whose members used some coding to get his name to the top of the list. Not only did they help moot win the poll, but they also arranged the next 20 names to spell out “Marblecake, also the game.” Marblecake is a lewd sexual reference, but is also supposedly the name of the chat room where one of 4Chan’s online collective actions, Project Chanology, originated.

This is just the “people’s choice” list, not the official list picked by Time’s editors, but still it makes you wonder whether the editors at Time bother to read anything on the Internet. It is pretty well-documented that the 4Chan community was trying to manipulate the poll results. Nevertheless, Time just threw up its hands and named Moot the winner. Time is obviously aware of the controversy, but tries to justify the choice nonetheless by writing that:

Moot denies knowing about any concerted plan by his followers to influence the poll, though TIME.com’s technical team did detect and extinguish several attempts to hack the vote.

Except Time.com’s technical team didn’t do a very good job, because the top 21 names still spell out the Marblecake sentence. Time knows it was pwned by 4Chan, but simply throws up its hands. Time.com’s managing editor Josh Tyrangiel tries to defuse criticism by admitting that the poll is meaningless. He says, “I would remind anyone who doubts the results that this is an Internet poll. Doubting the results is kind of the point.” Or maybe the point is to name an Internet celebrity and create a controversy so that people click through to read the results. Well played.

Original here

'Put your dead baby in the fridge': What nurse told mother who suffered miscarriage

'Traumatised': Sophie Hill, with her seven-month-old daughter Marnie-Faye, stored the foetus in a Tupperware box

She had just endured the trauma of a miscarriage.

But when Sophie Hill phoned her hospital with her dead child next to her, she was simply told to put it in the fridge for two days until her scheduled appointment.

Confused and in shock, Miss Hill followed the nurse's instructions and stored the foetus in a Tupperware box in her fridge so it could be kept cool for testing.

Last night, as hospital bosses investigated, Miss Hill said she had been 'betrayed by the NHS' and her father called for the nurse who gave the advice to be suspended.

Miss Hill, 21, was overjoyed when she become pregnant for a second time with boyfriend Jamie George, 29, and the pair had been planning for the arrival of what they hoped would be a second daughter.

The 12-week scan showed the baby was growing well but subsequent tests revealed problems.

She was told in February, when she was four months pregnant, that the baby had died.

Weeks later, she miscarried.

Miss Hill, from Crawley, West Sussex, said: 'I was woken up at three in the morning with horrific pains in my stomach.

'I was in agony and went to the toilet and that's when it happened. I thought I should keep it and next morning I spoke to the hospital to find out what I should do.'

She phoned the early pregnancy unit at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill and spoke to a nurse.

'I said to the woman what had happened and asked what I should do,' she said.

'I don't think she really understood what I was saying or believed me. She replied that I was not due back in for my next appointment for another two days so I would have to wait until then because they were unable to see me.

'She said I had to keep the child cold for testing reasons and I should keep it in the fridge until my appointment.

Let down: East Surrey Hospital where Miss Hill sought help is managed by the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

'At no point did she say I should go to hospital. I was really upset, my head was a mess and I did what she said. When you call up a pregnancy unit at a hospital you expect them to give you good advice so I took it as gospel.

'I put it in a Tupperware box and sealed it up and wrapped it in a plastic bag because I could see the arms and legs and some of the head and put it in the fridge towards the back.

'It was horrible. Every time I went to the fridge I had to look at it.'

Miss Hill took the child to her appointment two days later.

Later on, her health visitor said the nurse's guidance was entirely wrong and she should have sought immediate medical attention.

She added that in 25 years of midwifery she had never seen anything like it.

Miss Hill, whose daughter Marnie-Faye is seven months old, said: 'I'm furious at how I've been treated and I can't understand why on earth the nurse told me what she did.

'I'm haunted by what happened to me and shudder every time I look at my little girl because it reminds me.

'I want her to have a sister one day but I will wait because I'm so traumatised and let down by the hospital.'

Miss Hill's father Paul, 45, a cargo handler with British Airways, last night attacked the hospital for their 'neglect' of his daughter.

He said: 'I'm disgusted with the way they treated her and that nurse should at least be suspended.

'She had no support, no counselling and has had no apology.'

It is understood the nurse who advised Miss Hill is on holiday and has not been disciplined.

A Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust spokesman, said: 'We acknowledge and
appreciate that Sophie Hill has been through a very difficult time and would
like to express our sympathy for her loss.

'Our Early Pregnancy Unit provides care to women during the early stages of their pregnancies and we strive to offer responsive, supportive and sensitive care to a high standard.

All our nurses are specifically trained to offer advice and support to women at
varying stages of pregnancy.

'Our early Pregnancy Unit advice is that in exceptional circumstances in
order to find out why a woman has miscarried the foetus will need to be
examined at the hospital. The woman will be advised to come to the hospital
immediately. If she is unable to come to the hospital, she will need to keep
the foetus preserved for it to be suitable for examination.

'We are unable to discuss the individual circumstances of this case, but
would welcome Sophie contacting the hospital to arrange a meeting with her
and offer our support.'

The spokesman added the Trust hadn't received a formal complaint from Miss Hill and if they received one they would have a full internal investigation.

Original here

5 things I fear more than the swine flu

By: Bobby Finstock

WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!! Of course we all are eventually. But if you have watched any cable news in the last week you would know that it is going to happen soon and it is going to be from swine flu. More people have died from being struck by lightening in the US than have died of swine flu but we need to ramp up the hysterics. (Thanks 24-7 cable news with nothing to talk about!) It cracks me up to think that if the outbreak stayed to Mexico we all would have listened to the 20 second news story which would be buried 18 minutes into the nightly news broadcast and just thought, “Meh… maybe it will clear up the drug cartel problem down there. I want ice cream.”

I have determined that there are actually five more things that I fear more than swine flu right now.

5) Getting HIV from playing basketball with someone wearing a Magic Johnson jersey

When Magic returned to the NBA a few players said they feared getting HIV from him if they sweated on by him, if he bled on them, or if he had anal sex with them while fighting for a rebound. (Maybe that last one wasn’t a reason.) Of course none of this was really possible but the fear and rumors were out there. I will never play against him but the dangers could possibly be transmitted via his jersey.

I think though I have a better chance of getting HIV from playing basketball with someone wearing a Magic Johnson jersey than getting swine flu.

4) Heidi and Spencer procreating

The idea that children will be born with giant teeth, plastic noses, and a disgusting desire to be the largest attention whores possible.

“Mom I am going to take my diaper off and shove shit through the screen door at about 11 am. Can you make sure the paparazzi are there so they can ‘catch me in the act’? Thanks babe, whip out your tit at noon and we will do lunch.”

Through there constant attention whoring they will come media moguls and eventually will enslave the entire human race through mind control.

3) Getting hit by a piano/safe that has fallen from an apartment window

Shit these things happen on cartoons… Cartoons are on TV…. And ANYTHING on television HAS to be true. (Except anything said by Glenn Beck. He makes Charles Manson seem well adjusted.)

I don’t know about you but the last thing I want to happen is to walk down the street and get crushed by a large object that 97% of America doesn’t have in their apartments anymore. But that is more likely to happen than me getting the swine flu.

2) Becoming retarded because I got vaccinated from swine flu

Apparently according to some people that are super intelligent:

There is a major link between autism and vaccinations. I don’t know if it is true or not but when a chick that posed naked in Playboy and has contributed such important things to my life like “Singled Out” well I know I should listen to and fear what she says.

So if it gets to the point where we all need to get vaccinated in order to prevent the spread of swine flu I worry that I could possibly become retarded and have to wear a diaper for the rest of my life because I was vaccinated.

(Note: If you have autism it does not make you retarded. But listening to Jenny McCarthy does.)

1) A Zombie Chuck Norris

I think that threat speaks for itself. Not only would our way of life be endangered but the internet would implode when two stupid and annoying memes unite. Remember Chuck Norris jokes suck.

What do you fear more than swine flu?

About the author

Bobby Finstock

Bobby Finstock is the founder of pointlessbanter.net and writes here on a semi-daily basis. He enjoys scatological humor, pop culture, politics, and is a closet watcher of the Bachelor. Finstock hopes to one day be able to write under his real name again and to cure his issues with premature ejaculation.

Original here

6 Ways That Porn Runs The World

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.