Society's Child

US: Brooklyn Toddler Dies After Circumcision

Katie Mossie
ABC News
Fri, 06 May 2011 20:38 UTC

New York City's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is investigating the death of 2-year-old Jamaal Coleson, Jr. following a circumcision Tuesday at Manhattan's Beth Israel Medical Center.

"They gave him anesthesia, and after the circumcision he woke up he was fine," said Jabbar Coleson, Jamaal Jr.'s uncle, who lives in Jonesboro, Ga. "He asked to eat, he asked for something to drink, and then he started complaining about pain in his stomach."

Jabbar said his nephew was in the outpatient ward when doctors noticed something was wrong. But four hours passed before the toddler was rushed to the emergency room, he said.

Discovery of Air France Body a 'Relief'

ITN
Fri, 06 May 2011 16:56 UTC

The father of a passenger from the Air France flight that plunged into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009 said the removal of a body from the sea provided some relief for victims' families.

Nelson Marinho, president of the Brazilian Association of Relatives of Victims of Air France Flight 447, was reacting to news of a remote-controlled submarine removing a body from the deep sea wreckage of the plane.

The body was still strapped into the seat, making the recovery difficult, according to a statement from French police.

US: Mysterious Powder Sparks Evacuation at Utah Federal Building

Tim Gurrister and Jessica Miller
Security Info Watch
Thu, 05 May 2011 08:07 UTC

Field test negative for any radiological substances

Ogden - The James V. Hansen Federal Building was evacuated Thursday after an envelope addressed to the IRS was found to contain an unknown powder.

Approximately 200 employees were evacuated from the building at 324 25th St. and sent home. A handful were kept in the building and decontaminated by hazardous materials teams wearing hazmat suits with air tanks.

The FBI is in charge of the investigation.

Debbie Dujanovic Bertram, spokeswoman for the Salt Lake City FBI office, said in an email Thursday evening that a field test of the substance by the Ogden Fire Department was "negative for any radiological substances." Biological testing is being conducted at a lab, and no one in the area where the substance was found has experienced any symptoms.

The incident is the second of its kind in the area in a week. On Friday, a white powdery substance was found at an IRS building in Farr West. The substance turned out to be harmless.

U.S.: Farmers sue Army Corps of Engineers after levee explosion destroys farmland

Farm and Dairy
Fri, 06 May 2011 14:45 UTC

© Jeff Roberson / AP
Missouri farmers worry that their land will be buried under feet of sand and silt, rendering it useless for years.

Washington - Attorneys have filed a class action complaint on behalf of farmers whose land was flooded when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers exploded a levee on the Mississippi River, sending water onto 130,000 acres of prime Missouri farmland.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, contends the property rights of the farmers and landowners under the 5th Amendment to the Constitution were violated when a 15-foot high wall of water was released and flooded their property.

Teens Sue States to Protect Climate, Declare Atmosphere a Public Trust

Matthew McDermott
Treehuger
Sat, 07 May 2011 14:34 UTC

Love the idea, not sure it will succeed: Lawsuits have been filed in several states by climate activists, attempting to declare the atmosphere a public trust and force the US to meaningfully act on climate change. Previously such an approach has been used to clean up polluted waterways, but success here will likely depend on a judge will to break new ground.

The suits were filed in California, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. Additional legal action is planned for Alaska, Arizona, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.

Writing in The Guardian, 16 year old Alex Loorz, listed as plaintiff in the California suit, writes:

Our parents' and grandparents' generation have created a problem. They've developed a society that depends on burning fossil fuels, like coal and oil, to survive. They never realized that there were any huge consequences to running our lives with fossil fuels. But now, we do.

Today, I and other fellow young people are sueing the government, for handing over our future to unjust fossil fuel industries, and ignoring the right of our children to inherit the planet that has sustained all of civilization. I will join with youth and attorneys in every state in the US to demand that our leaders to live and govern as if our future matters.

The government has a legal responsibility to protect the future for our children. So we are demanding that they recognize the atmosphere as a commons that needs to be preserved, and commit to a plan to reduce emissions to a safe level.

Sir Paul McCartney to wed for third time

Gordon Smart
The Sun
Sat, 07 May 2011 13:56 UTC

The Beatles legend, 68, confirmed he has proposed to long-term girlfriend Nancy Shevell.

And last night, American businesswoman Nancy - 17 years his junior - said: "It's true."

Macca has been dating Nancy since 2007. Their relationship began after his bitter split from former glamour model Heather Mills - known as Mucca over her porn past.

Australia: Flood victim's bizarre claims

Jim Campbell
The Chronicle
Sat, 07 May 2011 13:45 UTC

Flood survivor Danny McGuire was yesterday at the heart of a bizarre story involving claims he could be charged with causing the tragic deaths of his family in the floods.

Acting Police Commissioner Ian Stewart and even Premier Anna Bligh were eventually forced to dismiss claims made by Mr McGuire yesterday morning.

Mr McGuire told media he would be charged with driving an emergency vehicle causing death and driving the vehicle while unlicensed.

U.S.: Mysterious gas smell triggers neighborhood lockdown

(CBS 8)
Sat, 07 May 2011 13:06 UTC

San Diego- It was a mystery that took roughly four hours to figure out for a section of a Paradise Hills neighborhood.

San Diego Fire and Rescue crews along with Hazardous Materials crews from both the city and county responded to investigate a gas odor in the 6200 block of Childs Avenue.

The primary odor seemed to linger in one area, but reports came in from a four to five block area, according to San Diego Fire and Rescue Deputy Fire Chief Perry Peake.

As a precautionary measure firefighters went door to door notifying residents to stay inside and not to start up their barbecues.

Japan utility delays decision on halting reactors

Mari Yamaguchi
Associated Press
Sat, 07 May 2011 12:20 UTC

Tokyo - A Japanese power company postponed its decision Saturday on a government request that it halt three reactors at a coastal nuclear plant until safety measures can be improved to guard against future earthquakes and tsunamis.

Shutting down the reactors would likely worsen power shortages expected this summer.

On Friday, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said he had asked Chubu Electric Power Co. to suspend operation of the reactors at the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station in Shizuoka prefecture until a seawall is built and backup systems are improved. Though not legally binding, the request is a virtual order.

The government is reviewing the safety of the country's 54 atomic reactors since a March 11 earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in the north. The disaster left more than 25,000 people dead or missing on the northeast coast.

The Hamaoka plant, which is about 125 miles (200 kilometers) west of Tokyo in an area where a major quake is expected within decades, has been a major concern for years.

Chubu Electric executives failed to reach a decision after discussing the request Saturday afternoon and decided to meet again after the weekend, company official Mikio Inomata said.

Child abuse an 'epidemic' in Costa Rica

Heidi Romanish
Tico Times
Fri, 06 May 2011 22:03 UTC

© Mónica Quesada
A Classless Act: Officials at the National Children’s Hospital are drawing attention to an increasing number of child abuse cases reported in Costa Rica. The victims are society’s most innocent.

Child abuse in Costa Rica has reached epidemic proportions.

Officials at the National Children's Hospital made this dramatic statement on January 19 to draw attention to the growing problem, which now affects more than 1,000 Costa Rican children every year, although officials believe the actual number is much larger.

Hospital officials say they are using the term epidemic because of an alarming increase of reported child abuse cases committed over a short period of time across a broad segment of Costa Rican society.

The World Health Organization uses the term when a health phenomenon affects 10 of every 100,000 habitants.

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Society's Child

US: Brooklyn Toddler Dies After Circumcision

Discovery of Air France Body a 'Relief'

US: Mysterious Powder Sparks Evacuation at Utah Federal Building

U.S.: Farmers sue Army Corps of Engineers after levee explosion destroys farmland

Teens Sue States to Protect Climate, Declare Atmosphere a Public Trust

Sir Paul McCartney to wed for third time

Australia: Flood victim's bizarre claims

U.S.: Mysterious gas smell triggers neighborhood lockdown

Japan utility delays decision on halting reactors

Child abuse an 'epidemic' in Costa Rica

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