Archive for October, 2005

Cops try to keep sex abuse suspect in jail

// October 19th, 2005 // 2 Comments » // Events

Story by Rob Lamberti, TORONTO SUN

The list of alleged victims of a suspected child abuser is growing and Toronto Police are going to court today to fight his getting bail.

The 26-year-old North York man, who has been a child-care worker and a supply teacher since 1997, was arrested Monday for breaching bail conditions by allegedly contacting a victim.

He was also charged with eight more sex-related offences involving three other boys aged 11 and 12 years old.

“It’s alleged the suspect basically lured small boys into a life of sexual activity, specifically it’s been more fondling than any other sex act,” Det.-Const. Gord Reifenstein said.

The suspect worked in Dublin Heights Elementary and Middle School, Charles H. Best Elementary, now known as Wilmington Elementary, and at Charles H. Best Middle School in North York. He also worked as a child care worker.

Reifenstein said a public meeting was held Monday night at Best Middle School and he was shocked at how many were “fooled” by the suspect.

“He (allegedly) manipulated parents, other adults who don’t have children and he just did a phenomenal job with these people. He snowed them beyond belief.”

Reifenstein said the community is angry and the suspect’s safety is one reason he shouldn’t be given bail.

“I’m concerned, not that we have a vigilante group out there, but let’s keep a calm, cool head about it and hopefully the court system will help us,” he said.

After the community meeting, Reifenstein said he was approached by two boys, around 14, contemplating filing charges and yesterday there were two more, between 18 and 20 years old, who might come forward.

MORE VICTIMS?

“All of a sudden, you see the (suspect) on the news and hearing the stories and all of a sudden your emotions come to the top as well,” he said of the alleged victims. “They’re having to deal with a lot of stuff just to see if they could … assist us in the investigation.”

Reifenstein described the alleged crimes as the work of a “typical pedophile,” who showered boys with gifts.

Pedophiles are patient, taking their time to get the child “on their side,” he said.

Joshua Adam Weinstein, 26, is charged with four counts of sexual interference, two of sexual assault and breach of recognizance, and single counts of invitation to sexual touching and luring a child under 14 by Internet.

The only reason I’m showing you this article is that “Josh” was a daycare worker where we used to take my daughter, so now we’ll have to check with my daughter that nothing untoward happened with her and Josh.

Fortunately, I suppose, is that the article mentions that the charges are all to do with boys, so perhaps my daughter was safe.

Holding my Breath

// October 11th, 2005 // No Comments » // Just Stuff

I’ve been waiting to hear about a job I applied for last week. Well, last week was the third interview, and the third interview was the “behavioural inteview”.

What, you may ask, is a “behavioural interview”? Well, according to Quintessential Careers, this is where they’ll ask you questions like:

  • Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.
  • Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills.
  • Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
  • Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone’s opinion.
  • Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.
  • Please discuss an important written document you were required to complete.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.

Those will give you an idea of what type of questions I was answering. And, so, you never know the answer to those. You never know how your experience helped (or didn’t) get you a job.

Behavioral interviewing is a relatively new mode of job interviewing. Employers such as AT&T and Accenture (the former Andersen Consulting) have been using behavioral interviewing for about 15 years now, and because increasing numbers of employers are using behavior-based methods to screen job candidates, understanding how to excel in this interview environment is becoming a crucial job-hunting skill.

The premise behind behavioral interviewing is that the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations. Behavioral interviewing, in fact, is said to be 55 percent predictive of future on-the-job behavior, while traditional interviewing is only 10 percent predictive.

Supposedly I’ll find out whether I got the job by the end of this week. Wish me luck.

UPDATE: I did not get the job. I must have “behaved” wrongly.