Society's ChildS


Quenelle

Donetsk and Lugansk militias force Kiev troops to retreat

donetsk fighters
© EPA/ANASTASIA VLASOVA
Self-defense fighters in the southeast Ukrainian Donetsk and Luhansk regions have forced the Ukrainian military to retreat, the local news agency Novorossiya reported on its website on Thursday.

The Ukrainian troops have left their positions in the settlements of Sabovka, Govorukha, Roskoshnoye and Georgiyevka outside Luhansk and retreated to the west, the news agency said.

The militia has also established control over the settlement of Marinovka in the Donetsk Region. During the battle, the Ukrainian troops were surrounded by self-defense forces and had to retreat.

Troops of the Donetsk People's Republic opened fire from 120 mm mortars against the Ukrainian military's fortified positions in the area of the settlement of Mospino in the Donetsk Region, destroying a KAMAZ truck, an armored personnel carrier and an anti-tank system and killing and wounding about 50 personnel, self-defense militia reported.

Kiev has not yet commented on this information.

Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council spokesman Andriy Lysenko said on Wednesday evening that fierce fighting was underway between self-defense militia and the Ukrainian military in the settlements of Amvrosiyevka, Marinovka and Izvarino in the Donetsk Region.

Comment: So the shootdown of MH17 came hot on the heels of this humiliating defeat for the Kiev forces. Coincidence?


Airplane

Malaysian flight pilot diverted plane into danger zone, instructed to fly lower

mh17 flight path
Is this proof that MH17 change course into a war zone? A route map compiled by Twitter user Vagelis Karmiros using data from flight-tracking website Flightaware claims to show how the doomed Malaysia Airlines plane took a different flightpath to the ones taken by the previous ten MH17 flights
The pilot of MH17 radioed that he 'felt uncomfortable' about the route he was flying while over Ukraine and fatally altered his course to hostile territory, according to an expert.

Dr Igor Sutyagin, Research Fellow in Russian Studies from the Royal United Services Institute, believes that MH17 was shot down by rebels based in the 3rd District of Torez, in eastern Ukraine, after mistaking his plane for a government military transport aircraft.

He told MailOnline that information had been leaked from a source he was unwilling to name that the pilot of MH17 'felt bad' about his course over Ukrainian airspace, so changed direction.

Little did he know, according to Dr Sutyagin, that his plane would then be mistaken by rebels who brought it down using a ground-to-air Buk missile system. Malaysia Airlines today denied that the plane was told to alter its course.

His comments come as Vladimir Putin called for a ceasefire by pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government forces to allow for negotiations.

Dr Sutyagin's theory appears to be supported by a route map which shows the passenger plane travelling on a different course to the ones taken by the previous ten MH17 flights.

Clipboard

Putin calls for full investigation of Malaysian airliner tragedy in Ukraine

Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash
© Reuters / Maxim ZmeyevAn armed pro-Russian separatist stands at a site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash in the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17, 2014.
The crash of a Malaysian Airlines plane in eastern Ukraine must be investigated thoroughly and objectively, Russian President Putin said in a statement. The tragedy underlines the urgent need for a peaceful resolution of the armed conflict in Ukraine.

Putin's statement came after he contacted Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to express condolences over the deaths of his fellow citizens in the disaster.

The majority of the passengers of the ill-fated flight, which was apparently shot down over the war zone in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, were from the Netherlands.

Earlier the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), a Russia-based international body tasked with investigation of all civil aircraft incidents in most former Soviet republics, including Ukraine, called for the formation of an international investigative group under the aegis of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN body, to investigate the incident.

The IAC said such a group should be handed over MH17 flight recorders, which are currently being recovered in Ukraine's Donetsk Region.

So far two flight recorders from the plane have been reportedly recovered in the region currently controlled by the militia forces. Some militia officials said they intended to hand them over to Moscow because they didn't trust Kiev to properly investigate the incident.

The probe into the loss of the Boeing-777 is bound to be a politically loaded one. There was no official confirmation that the plane was shot down rather than crashed from a different cause, but the parties involved are already trading blame for the tragedy.

Take 2

Online file sharing, pirating has minimal impact on motion picture industry

Image
© FBI
Internet pirates may have a new piece of evidence to rationalize their free downloading of movies. A study by University of Kansas Economist Koleman Strumpf shows that torrenting movies has a minimal impact on the motion picture industry.

That minimal impact: $200 million from 2003-2009.

Although a substantial amount when viewed without context, Strumpf told TorrentFreak that it amounts to "three tenths of a percent of what movies actually earned." That being said, the entertainment industry may be hard pressed to accept any loss to piracy.

The study used information from the Hollywood Stock Exchange, an online game that estimates the value of motion pictures, and data obtained from a BitTorrent tracker. Analyzing the research allowed Strumpf to reach the conclusion that pirating movies does not have a significant impact on profits during the first month of a film's release, and may also slightly raise the profits earned by the industry.

This latter point is a common argument among pirating enthusiasts, who often claim downloading movies and TV series acts as a form of promotion. The more people who torrent - the most popular way to download large files - a work, the theory goes, the more popular and buzz worthy it becomes, creating more profits than would occur otherwise.

Arrow Down

Connecticut man arrested for "passive aggressive" behavior to a watermelon

Watermelon
© Liberty Blitzkrieg
As is typically the case with posts on Liberty Blitzkrieg, the reason for highlighting this story is to see it in the context of other cultural trends happening within society.

One of my biggest themes in 2014 has to do with the aggressive manner in which "authorities" relentlessly pursue average citizens for the most insignificant of infractions, while the most dastardly and destructive of criminals (financial oligarchs and others) receive, at worst, a slap on the wrist. Some of the more egregious examples of this behavior can be found below:

New Jersey Threatens to Take 13-Year-Old Student From His Father Due to "Non-Conforming Behavior"

Hyper-Sensitive Illinois Mayor Orders Police Raid Over Parody Twitter Account

Charleston Man Receives $525 Federal Fine for Failing to Pay for a $0.89 Refill

The "War on Street Artists" - Puppeteer Unlawfully Arrested and Harassed in NYC Subway

Video of the Day - Thuggish Militarized Police Terrorize and SWAT Team Iowa Family

Arrow Down

Florida city imposes fines and jailtime for violating dress code on public property

Dress Code
© Reuters/Lucas JacksonA suspected pants sagger concealing his waistline.
Ocala - A city council has voted unanimously to impose a public dress code, enforceable by the police, and punishable by fines and up to 6 months in jail.

The 4-0 vote on July 15th officially created a new crime in the City of Ocala: wearing saggy pants. Councilwoman Mary Rich introduced it, as she did once before in 2009.

Individuals whose pants sag two (2) inches below the natural waistline may now be issued a 2nd Degree Misdemeanor. The punishment is fines of up to $500.00 or the possibility of jail time up to 180 days.

Officials lauded the new policy, citing it as "the right thing to do" and an improvement on "public decency." Others questioned how it could be enforced and what kind of confrontations it might create between police and citizens.

The dress code can be enforced on any property that is owned or leased by the city. That includes streets, sidewalks, parking lots, parks, sports & recreation facilities, swimming pools, municipal buildings, the downtown square, and public transportation.

City Attorney Patrick Gilligan could not definitively say how the law applies to bathing suits. "If that becomes a problem, we will start dealing with that," said Gilligan. "Right now, it's pants on men or women."

Eye 1

More than 64,000 female African-Americans are currently missing in the U.S. - 34 percent of all missing persons

Image
© PressTVStatistics show more than 64,000 African-American women are missing in the US.
More than 64,000 African-American women are currently missing in the United States, according to latest statistics.

Despite representing 12.85 percent of the population, black Americans accounted for nearly 226,000 - or 34 percent - of all missing persons reported in 2012, said an article by Identities Mic, citing FBI figures.

According to the National Crime Information Center, more than 270,000 minorities have been reported missing since 2010, half of them African Americans. Black women and girls comprised more than 64,000 of the missing reports.

The Black and Missing Foundation has also documented the disappearances of these women.

However, there has not been much coverage in the mainstream media about these appearances in the US. Critics say this underlines a racial divide in news coverage of such incidents.

Comment:
  • Racism is linked to religious dogmatism
  • Christianity and the Heresy of Capitalism



Heart - Black

Sick! Connecticut trooper admits to stealing cash, gold crucifix from dying motorcyclist

state trooper
© Reuters/Eric Thayer
A veteran Connecticut state trooper faces a year and a half in prison after he pleaded guilty on Wednesday to stealing a dying motorcyclist's cash and gold crucifix at the scene of a 2012 crash.

Aaron "AJ" Huntsman, 45, was caught by his own dashboard camera stealing the items belonging to John Scalesse, who was killed on Sept. 22, 2012 after his motorcycle crashed into a construction company truck in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Huntsman, a 19-year veteran of the state police force, pleaded guilty to two felonies: third-degree larceny and tampering with evidence. Superior Court Judge Robert Devlin imposed a term in prison of 16 months and then five years of probation, opposed to the possible 10 years Huntsman could have received.

The former trooper's plea was made under the Alford Doctrine, meaning Huntsman did not admit guilt but is conceding that there is high probability he would be found guilty if the case went to trial. After the plea, the judge then found Huntsman guilty.

Upon sentencing on October 3, Huntsman has the right to argue for a lesser term.

Huntsman left the courtroom on Wednesday "with a big smile on his face following the hearing," the Connecticut Post reported. Huntsman declined to offer comment at the time.

Huntsman was the first trooper on the scene after Scalesse, a former executive of the JAS Masonry, crashed on the Merritt Parkway in 2012. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Huntsman approached Scalesse as he lay dying and picked up Scalesse's gold chain from a pool of blood. The trooper then took a roll of bills totaling $3,700 from Scalesse's pocket. Huntsman later told Scalesee's father that he did not find any money on the victim, according to the affidavit.

The money was later found under the front seat of Huntsman's cruiser. Connecticut state police said the trooper maintained his innocence even after he was shown the video, from his own dashboard camera, of him taking the money.

"John didn't deserve his memory to be tarnished like this and we are finally glad it's almost over," said Scalesse's mother, Marguerite Scalesse, the Post reported. "After all we have gone through we are glad that he (Huntsman) at least didn't make us go through a trial."


Comment: Huntsman's evident delight at beating the system, plus clinging to his story about the stolen money even after it was found in his own car, are two strong data points that he is a psychopath. A state trooper has prestige and power, two elements that are attract this destructive personality type. He should have gotten at least the ten years, to protect the public.

What Is a Psychopath? Definition and basic criteria


Boat

Woman found stuck in quicksand at Arches National Park

Image
© CC/Toholio
MOAB, Utah - A 78-year-old woman who was reported missing after she failed to show up to an event at a nearby library was found stuck in quicksand, authorities said.

Grand County sheriff's deputies said the woman had water and was in good condition when she was found the night of July 9, about 14 hours after one of her legs sank up to the knee.

Deputies said they searched a bike path at the Courthouse Wash in Arches National Park, where the woman was known to walk. Investigators found her car in a parking area first, then heard her calling out to them and discovered her about a quarter mile up the wash.

Sharon Brussell, who works at Arches, said about four people helped dig her out and struggled because the quicksand kept filling back in. The woman was tired but "extremely grateful" for rescuers, who carried her up to her car in a litter, Brussell said.

Quenelle

We're all Palestinians: Protests worldwide demand end to Gaza slaughter

Image
© AFP Photo / Jewel SamadProtesters lay on the street symbolizing Palestinians killed by Israel's bombing in Gaza during a demonstration in front of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 16, 2014
Rallies in support of the Palestinian victims of Israel's military onslaught were held across the world's major cities this week. Thousands marched in France, Germany, Argentina, the US, the UK and other countries.

The British capital saw one of the largest turnouts with thousands of protesters rallying outside the Israeli Embassy on Friday. Demonstrators flooded the streets around the building waving placards that read "Gaza: End the Siege" and "Freedom for Palestine."

A group of 17 protesters brought traffic grinding to a halt on Kensington High Street when they scaled one of the city's iconic double-decker buses. The activists suspended a banner from the vehicle, emblazoned with the slogan "Judaism rejects the Zionist state and condemns its criminal siege and occupation."

The same took place in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.