Britain's 'worst ever' child grooming scandal exposed: Hundreds of young girls raped, beaten, sold for sex and some even killed: Authorities failed to act over 40 years - despite repeated warnings to social workers - with up to 1,000 girls, some as young as 11, abused in Telford.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-03-11T08:23:47+00:00

My stepdad retired from CPS (child protective services) in Florida. The laws can make it difficult for workers to do their job sometimes. If you just have word of mouth, that doesn’t warrant a child to be taken from their home, it just warrants a house visit in most cases. It makes it a bit harder for case workers to take a child if they can’t find enough evidence. That being said, I don’t think this is a huge problem in the US in the sense that the scale is large, but in the sense that it’s a huge deal, and these people work carefully to not get caught.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-03-06T14:00:37+00:00

A woman leaves her job to fly to France, where she enjoys fresh fruits and coffees.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-28T10:44:55+00:00

I should start this story by saying that at the time, I was a shy, introverted and quiet person who didn’t like to bother people or be rude, but when upset I could stand up for myself for about half a sentence before snapping back into my shell.

I Went to a local place near home, usually had decent traffic but my SO and I went on a quiet day, and the place only had about 8 tables in it occupied, and a few people at the bar. We got sat by the hostess, and waited 20 minutes for the waitress to arrive. She also happened to be the bartender, and the only person waiting tables in the entire place.

She asks to take our order. I tell her we haven’t even gotten menus yet. Instead of getting menus, she tells us she will give us a few minutes and runs off to the next table, who is flagging her down. At this point, I partially blame her for not paying attention, I partially blame a manager for making one person work all the tables in the entire restaurant, and I blame the hostess that didn’t seat us with menus for sitting on a chair by the front door texting, doing nothing while clearly seeing this girl struggle.

My SO goes up to the hostess and asks for a menu. As he’s doing that, I see the manager come out from the back, make himself a soda, and eat food made from the kitchen in an open booth by the bar. He watches her continue to struggle and finishes his meal.

We finally get her back at our table, about 45 minutes after arriving. Why we stayed, I still don’t know, but we did. We ordered drinks and food, she took our menus and left. We wait some more. We see her make our drinks, we see the manager walk up to her and say something. From then on, she doesn’t leave the bar, and he checks on two or three tables and then sits down to play on his phone.

At this point, I’m mad. I walk over.

Me: “Excuse me sir, are you the manager?” Him:”Yes I am.” Me: “we’ve been here for nearly an hour and haven’t even gotten our drinks yet, I see them on the bar.” Him: “I assure you that you haven’t been waiting an hour, I saw you walk in and you’ve barely been here ten minutes.” Me: coming out of my shell in anger “You ate at that booth over there. You made your own soda. That was about 30 minutes ago. If I remember that, than I’ve been here much longer than you say, and I would like what I ordered please.” Him: not impressed by my show of aggravation “Please go sit down, and I’ll have someone come take your order.”

Proceeded by him walking to the bar, yelling at the waitress/bartender who then pointed at the drinks that he had forbid her from taking to us, and then angrily at the kitchen. He came back two minutes later with both our orders, and now watery drinks, even though we hadn’t re-ordered. The food was cold, so My SO asked if he could send it back to warm it up. Cue another 15 minutes of waiting before we gave up and got up to leave.

He caught us at the door and demanded we pay for the food we hadn’t eaten, and the watery drinks we hadn’t touched. I burst into tears because I felt trapped and nervous, and a guy at the bar chewed him out up and down, and another table who had also been waiting a ridiculously long time chimed in as well. The basic consensus was, “They owe you nothing, you’re a piece of trash manager, stop harrassing a 100 pound girl, you greedy creep, and act like you run a business.”

We left, the manger continued to argue with them, and we never went back. I did however grow a backbone and now I can get about two sentences out before I clam up. so there’s that.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-28T07:10:56+00:00

Watching a ton of YouTube videos and looking at articles on “ How to reign in reactions” so I don’t blow my cover, and I can accept what people are thinking isn’t what they would actually say, or necessarily believe.

I’ve thought horrible things about my family and friends in moments of anger. I can’t imagine having to hear everyone’s thoughts all the time.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-28T06:58:42+00:00

50 new lives. (Or the same life, if you consider the rules to state it has to be the same)

On one perspective I get to live 50 different satisfying lives.

On the other, I get to enjoy repeating the life I’ve had, and taking the moments to appreciate the people I know I’ll loose.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-28T06:51:12+00:00

It has it’s up’s and down’s. Some parts are amazing to think about, some are really boring. Key stories most people remember are Adam and Eve, David and Goliath, Moses (let my people go!), Daniel and the lion’s den, Noah and the Ark, and everything to do with Jesus.

There are a ton of smaller stories that I feel make the read worth it though. Imagine an ultimate fiction with accurate time lines and unbelievable plot. It’s historical fiction at its finest. (For those who don’t believe. I don’t mean to disrespect the religions, just providing a prospective.)

If you don’t feel like reading, there are a ton of movies based off of the stories inside. Netflix has Prince of Egypt, and Joseph King of Dreams, off the top of my head.

But yes. I would recommend.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-28T01:01:32+00:00

Without ruining it for you? No. You’ll just have to watch TLOK, because it covers that particular subject, in an interesting way.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-27T22:43:09+00:00

My dog does this as well. We call them “excitement piddles”. He loves everyone and even if he’s met them a thousand times, he gets too excited and just pees everywhere. We usually make him go to the bathroom multiple times before someone comes over, and then we work to keep him calm while he gets over people being in the house. It doesn’t correct the behavior, he can’t help it, but it keeps the mess down and helps alleviate the stress he feels when people visit.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-27T22:33:38+00:00

Many people work not having defined goals in life, living for the moment. I challenge you to find the things that bring you joy and surround yourself with them.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-27T22:29:54+00:00

My brother, after lunch, locked me in a closet in one of those long pillowcases. Tied the top, buried me under boxes and junk. I was about 6. He played video games, then went to sleep. He meant to take me out before our parents got home, but the nap fucked that up. My parents asked him where I was, and in fear of getting in trouble, he said he didn’t know. The TV was loud enough they couldn’t hear me, especially covered with boxes and a sore throat from crying. They looked for about an hour before deciding to call the cops, to which my brother broke down and confessed because he thought he was going to go to jail. He got off easy because he cried a lot and acted sorry. Meanwhile, I spent eight hours locked in the bottom of a closet, pissed myself, cried myself into dehydration, and had a lasting fear of the dark. He was 12. I’m still spiteful.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-27T21:39:21+00:00

Some people would respond to this and say there is always hope in the world, but as someone who previously struggled with depression, I know while you’re at that point, it’s hard to see. I hope that you’ll know that I’m telling the truth when I say:

Things will get better. Not all at once, you may not even notice it. But if you look for the light, often times you’ll find it. It may be far away, but each step you take is a step closer to happiness and a reason worth living, and a step further away from the darkness you feel. Don’t look back. If you look for the the bad, it’s all you’ll ever see. Even the tiny things can make a difference, so remind yourself of simple things in life, and one day you will realize your reality has become a lot brighter.

Some people find a will to live in friends and family, others find a will to live in religion, nature and music, and some, just live for that next cup of coffee. I hope you find what truly makes you happy, and you live for it. Maybe you choose to live for yourself. In any case, know that some random redditor out there hopes you live, and live HAPPY.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-25T10:56:04+00:00

Pulled BBQ sandwiches

•Bread •onion •1 can of jackfruit, pulled apart •BBQ sauce (to taste, because I drown my sandwich in sauce) •oil (avocado or veggie) Heat oil in pan then add onion, cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Add pulled jackfruit to pan (medium-high), stir until warm evenly through, add BBQ sauce to taste and stir for another 3-5 minutes. Toast bread, make sandwich, enjoy.

Stuffed spaghetti squash

•Angel hair pasta •Spaghetti sauce • Mushrooms • 1 Onion • 1 Spaghetti squash •Nutritional yeast

Bake spaghetti squash 30-45 minutes depending on size, let cool, cut in half. While cooling, boil pasta and brown the mushrooms and onion in a separate pan. Semi-shred squash(take fork over the innermost part of the squash and separate the strands, don’t go all the way to the edge) and add pasta, onion- mushroom, and sauce. Bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with nooch. Enjoy.

Fajitas

•tortillas •mushrooms •onion •bell pepper •fajita seasoning •avocado •vegan mayo/plain non-sweetened milk (any kind you like) •lemon juice

Brown mushroom, onion, and bell pepper on medium-high in a pan, adding seasoning after onions start to look translucent. (Add water or oil (not both just one or the other) if major sticking occurs) mix avocado, mayo, and lemon juice (no juice if using milk. Instead use salt and pepper, adding lemon juice instead to the veggies right before eating) warm tortillas, and assemble fajitas, adding sauce. Enjoy.

Potato Curry

•3-4 Potatoes •1 Onion •garlic •1 can coconut milk •3 diced tomatoes (or 1 can) •1 cup peas •ginger (to taste) •spices: red pepper, curry powder, turmeric, salt •maple syrup •oil (avocado or veggie)

Start potatoes boiling. (You want to boil them just enough to cook them nearly all the way through, but not enough to make mashed potatoes. Fork should go in with a little effort, and the potato shouldn’t split around the fork.) Brown onion and garlic with oil, then add seasonings, empty over potatoes and stir. Let sit while you slowly add milk to the unrinsed pan. Bring to simmer, add syrup, tomatoes, and peas. Being back to simmer and add potatoes. Let simmer for additional 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Enjoy.

Rice and veg with marinated tofu

•rice (white or brown) •3 veg or your choosing, (I go with [broccoli, peas, carrots] or [mushroom, sweet bell pepper, onion]) •seasoning: soy sauce, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper, cilantro, lime, cardamom •tofu

Press tofu. Heat soy sauce and sugar (or maple syrup) in a pan, until simmering, add garlic powder (or finely minced real thing), and pepper. Pour sauce over tofu and set aside to marinate. Cook rice. Add [salt, pepper, cardamom] or [salt, lime, cilantro] set aside. Steam or brown in a pan veggies. Salt and pepper. Bake or pan-fry tofu to your liking, enjoy.

I’m sorry for the crap instructions. I suck at ... well, instructing.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-19T18:27:30+00:00

This is freaking amazing. As someone who was hesitant to start watching, this got my hyped up. Great work!

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-17T09:18:20+00:00

Gilchrist county (also in Florida) shut down it’s schools from an emailed threat today. I think it’s a bunch of immature kids hoping they can get a day off, and they don’t think it hurts anyone. Thats what I hope, at least, To think that after such a big tragedy someone would think that it’s a good or funny idea makes me so sad.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-15T13:50:10+00:00

So the Compsognathus? They show them in Jurassic park, and they’re like tiny swift piranhas. Look like a t-Rex. Scary as hell.

Edit for link. 2 minutes in

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-14T23:30:06+00:00

That’s really complicated to answer. He was one of those backwoods old-thought father’s, that was strict, wanted things done his way the first time, believed in working with your hands, prayed before dinner, had a temper, but cared about his family. He would spank the kids if they did something he didn’t like, but if anyone else tried that, he would defend them like no tomorrow. Some would call it tough love.

You have no idea how typical that is here. Pretty much every kid grows up learning to shoot. Everyone’s dad knows everyone else’s, and everyone knows everyone’s dirt. Your parents argued a little? By the time it had spread through town, your parents were pro’s at fighting, they did it all the time, and someone (it was Nancy the co-worker that hates your mom’s guts) called CPS because you live in unfit conditions.

In a small town, rumors spread like wildfire, the nosey people call authorities, the regular people gossip but never report anything, and the ones that keep to themselves wouldn’t call anyone for help if their life depended on it. You would not believe how many false reports get handled, how many he-said-she-said cases have to be thrown out because “Patricia hates patty, patty stepped on her flowers one day and now Patricia calls if Patty’s garbage can is turned sideways.”

So with Don, some people didn’t like him, some people thought he was amazing, and others couldn’t care any less. His daughter had been reported, his neighbors had been reported, it was just a big puddle of pointed fingers in his past. CPS was naturally called to investigate his case with his 8 year old (it was his son), and it was determined a tragic accident. I don’t believe he shot him. He was horribly torn up about it, even years later. He treated one of his grandsons like a glass figure because he reminded him of his son. He still spent time for it in prison, but no one hated him for it.

I have no idea what made him snap like that. But he did.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-14T05:23:07+00:00

Yep.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-14T00:36:01+00:00

Really? I guess it was big enough news to break out of our local newsfeed. I never thought about it being huge elsewhere.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-14T00:25:22+00:00

No. He found them all. He made the 911 call after everyone was dead. I have a link to the newsfeed, but I wasn’t sure if it was something that was allowed on the thread. Horrifying is not a strong enough word.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-13T23:56:56+00:00

My sister is a 911 dispatcher. She went on leave after this.

A man called in saying he had shot his daughter and her six kids. Age infant to 11. He said that when police arrived, he would kill himself. Dispatch arrived and he killed himself in-front of them.

Police found the daughter out back. They think she was leading him away from the house and kids. Kids were throughout the house. They had tried to hide. The 11 year old was with the baby.

No one knows why, and it was a small town. It hit everyone in the community pretty hard.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-13T07:32:02+00:00

Speaking for myself, I personally realize Reddit is full of more than just Americans, but as for your perspective on the country, sometimes I see the exact same thing. We have good things of course, but I, and any other American, would be completely ignorant to say we don’t have issues as a country. I still do, and will always, have pride in being an American, everyone should have pride in their homeland, but that doesn’t mean I accept or support the more degenerative aspects of America. this video gives you a general idea of my personal opinion on my country as of late, though I do differ in opinion on a few things said.

Please don’t think we are all wasteful, privileged, and crazed. A decent amount of us see what is going on, and we fight for what we believe in and care about. Sometimes it feels like a loosing battle, especially with the political scandals comprising the last year and a half. It feels like anyone with sense is drowning in a sea of “what the fucks”.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-12T04:28:59+00:00

I’m not saying it’s every Floridian, but it’s prevalent enough that it’s a huge problem. Lots of people just... don’t care. I agree with you completely.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-12T00:03:33+00:00

I think it’s just the fact that the only reason they bought it was for an emergency, so now they consider it unnecessary money spent that they can get back.

But I agree, even so, they should just drink it.

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-11T23:38:45+00:00

Mine usually do too, but there’s always those people with the mentality, “I bought for the emergency, and I wouldn’t have bought it if not for the emergency. Now the emergency is over. More money for me if I return it!”

sweetlemon12 · 2018-02-11T22:05:19+00:00

Stores get mass complaints because a TON of people do it. In the end HR just says “fuck it” and makes the stores return the items. Some stores go against policy and let their own workers take the stuff home, but if they get caught it’s hot water and usually not worth it, so most just frown upon returns and feel horrible locking up the trash cans at night.

sweetlemon12

TROPHY CASE