Society's Child

Tempers flare in Venice as angry citizens block cruise ships from docking

Gavin Haines
The Telegraph
Mon, 26 Sep 2016 21:54 UTC

Hundreds of demonstrators have taken to the water in Venice to protest against visiting cruise ships, as relations between tourists and locals reach a new nadir.

Flare-waving protestors used gondolas and small boats to prevent cruise ships, including a vessel belonging to Thomson, from passing through the lagoon on Sunday.

During peak season some 30,000 cruise ship passengers disembark in Venice every day, which locals claim is ruining their city, both environmentally and culturally.

It's not the first time Venetians have tried to block cruise ships from entering the port. In 2013, hundreds of locals donned wetsuits and went for a swim in the world-famous Giudecca Canal to disrupt the passage of vessels.

Cruise ship operators claim their boats create little damage to Venice's fragile palazzi and reckon some 5,000 families in Venice are supported by the tourism they bring.

However, locals fear the influx of visitors is damaging the local environment, spoiling the character of Venice and pricing locals out of the city.

Second US sailor 'under review' for refusing to stand for national anthem

Hope Hodge Seck
Military.com
Fri, 23 Sep 2016 21:03 UTC

Call it the Kaepernick effect.

As more pro athletes around the country follow San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's lead and take a knee for the Star Spangled Banner in protest, a second sailor has gone public with her own gesture of solidarity.

Intelligence Specialist 2nd Class Janaye Ervin, a reservist on active duty within U.S. Pacific Fleet, is subject to administrative actions, still under review, for refusing to stand for the national anthem while in uniform Sept. 19, Bill Doughty, a spokesman for Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Public Affairs told Military.com.

Ervin posted a public account of her actions to Facebook on Sept. 21.

"I have been proudly serving in the US Navy Reserve Force since November 2008. I have pledged to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and to spread freedom and democracy around the world. I will never waver from that pledge," she wrote in the post, which included a photograph of herself in her Navy blue digital camouflage work uniform.

Cashing in on the military-industrial-elementary school complex

Michael Krieger
Liberty Blitzkrieg
Sun, 25 Sep 2016 18:56 UTC

Today's highlighted article was published last month, but I didn't read it at the time and I'm guessing you didn't either.

What's so uniquely tragic about the the intrusion of the police state into America's schools, is it appears the parents themselves are the ones demanding it. This is in contrast to an overbearing surveillance state implemented by government in secret, as well as by private corporations via lengthy terms of service agreements nobody actually reads.

Southern California police report 329 firearms have gone missing in last 5 years

RT
Mon, 26 Sep 2016 20:29 UTC

Law enforcement agencies in Southern California have lost or had stolen a total of 329 firearms - including AR-15 and M16s assault rifles, shotguns, and several handguns - over the past five years, according to a new report.

The 329 firearms that are unaccounted for among 134 state and local law enforcement agencies - located in Southern California as far north as Kern County - likely represent only a small portion of firearms the agencies have actually misplaced or had stolen over the span of the five years analyzed in an investigation conducted by the Orange County Register.

Law enforcement agencies in the US are not required by federal law to track missing firearms, nor are there any state laws that demand the agencies accurately account for guns in their possession, the Register reported.

Furthermore, both on- and off-duty law enforcement officers in California are not held to the same standard as other citizens regarding how firearms must be stored or carried when not in use. The Register also found that none of the agencies it contacted for information on missing guns included details in its internal reports of any officer reprimands that occurred following such mishaps.

Comment: One wonders how many of these weapons have been planted at crime scenes or otherwise used to implicate civilians in a crime.

Rise of the death culture: Murder rate in US up 11%, biggest increase since 1971

RT
Mon, 26 Sep 2016 20:25 UTC

Violent crime is up by nearly 4 percent across the US, while seven cities drove the biggest single-year increase in homicide rates since 1971, says a newly released annual crime report that is causing ripples ahead of the first presidential debate.

The FBI's Uniform Crime Report (UCR) program defines violent crimes as those offenses that involve force or threat of force, and includes murder and non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. As the FBI's definition of rape was changed in 2015, the report contains figures pertaining to the "legacy" definition, the bureau said.

The annual UCR is put together by the FBI from data provided by law enforcement agencies around the country. The 2015 report was released Monday.

With an estimated 372.6 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants, the crime rate rose 3.1 percent in comparison to 2014.

Ya think? Exposed British doper Bradley Wiggins' doctor says therapeutic use exemption looks very suspicious

RT
Mon, 26 Sep 2016 18:17 UTC

A former team doctor who worked with Sir Bradley Wiggins says the decision to authorize the use of a powerful steroid for the five-time Olympic gold medalist before three important races "doesn't look right".

Prentice Steffen, who worked with Wiggins at Garmin Slipstream, says the sport's governing body was wrong to allow Wiggins the use of a powerful corticosteroid.

Therapeutic Use Exemptions allow athletes to take banned substances if there is a genuine medical need, but the timing of the British rider's TUEs have been called into question.

Comment: If they are so sick that they need to take banned substances, they shouldn't be competing in the first place.

Wiggins said his use of the drug was for legitimate medical reasons and that no rules were broken.

An asthma and allergy sufferer, he was allowed to use triamcinolone before three major races, including the 2012 Tour de France.

Comment: Of course it's suspicious. The doping system is set up so that the "chosen" athletes are given a free pass to dope, thus giving them a greater chance of winning. In other cases, athletes are not allowed to dope, thus keeping their countries off the podium. And others - like the Russians - are publicly vilified and banned for what all the big athletes are doing. It's a thoroughly corrupt system, subject to abuse and political agendas, and it deserves to be exposed.

Watching the Killary-Drumpf debate? 26 sobering facts about the economy that every American should know

Michael T. Snyder
The Economic Collapse Blog
Sun, 25 Sep 2016 17:20 UTC

© Reuters/David Becker/Nancy Wiechec/Files
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (L) and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump are seen in a combination of file photos

Are you ready for the most anticipated presidential debate in decades? It is being projected that Monday's debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton could potentially break the all-time record of 80 million viewers that watched Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter debate back in 1980. Many Americans probably hope to see some personal fireworks between the two nominees, but the two candidates have both expressed a desire to focus on substantive issues. There will likely be quite a few questions about the economy, and without a doubt this is an area where Trump and Clinton have some very sharp differences. The mainstream media would have us believe that the U.S. economy is in pretty good shape, and if that was true that would seem to favor Clinton. But is it actually true? The following are 26 incredible facts about the economy that every American should know for the Trump-Clinton debate...

#1 When Barack Obama entered the White House, the U.S. government was 10.6 trillion dollars in debt. Today, the U.S. government is 19.5 trillion dollars in debt, and Obama still has several months to go until the end of his second term. That means that an average of more than 1.1 trillion dollars will be added to the national debt during his presidency. We are stealing a tremendous amount of consumption from the future to make the economy look much, much better than it otherwise would be, and we are systematically destroying the future in the process.

#2 As Obama prepares to leave office, the rate at which we are adding to the national debt is actually increasing. During the fiscal year that is just ending, the U.S. government has added another 1.36 trillion dollars to the national debt.

Comment: Best to get your own house in order. The 'government' won't be there when the economy goes sideways.

Tonight's presidential debate: Watch how it's staged and compare its superficiality with the evening news

Jon Rappoport
Activist Post
Mon, 26 Sep 2016 00:00 UTC

Every television newscast: staged reality

Watch how tonight's Trump-Hillary debate is set up.

Are the two podiums the same size? No? Who has the bigger podium?

Is the lighting even, or are there shadows? Where do the shadows fall?

Is there blue color in the background, which exudes a "calming effect?"

How is the moderator, Lester Holt, lit? Is he spotlighted, haloed, to impart the sense that he's the ultimate authority in the room?

What about camera angles on the two candidates? Are they receiving the same coverage, or is one more prominent? Are there close-ups?

Will cameras impart a sense of distance, in order to reduce dramatic effect and give the impression that the whole event is somewhat monotonous?

'Transgender' couple gives birth

Laura Mowat
Express
Mon, 26 Sep 2016 15:41 UTC

Fernando Machado, who used to be a woman, met Diane Rodriguez, who used to be a man, on social media two years ago and started a relationship.

Ms Rodriguez made headlines in Ecuador in 2013 when she was the first transgender candidate to run for Government.

The couple decided to be just as public with their relationship, sharing pictures on Facebook.

Then they decided they wanted a child, and Mr Machado soon made the discovery he was expecting.

The couple were able to have a baby because neither had undergone corrective surgery.

More corporate hoarding: Nestlé outbids another town for control of the local water supply

Nadia Prupis
Common Dreams
Mon, 26 Sep 2016 15:11 UTC

Council of Canadians launches new Boycott Nestlé campaign in response to company's continued water grabs

Corporate giant Nestlé continued its privatization creep on Thursday as it won approval to take over another Canadian community's water supply, claiming it needed the well to ensure "future business growth."

Nestlé purchased the well near Elora, Ontario from Middlebrook Water Company last month after making a conditional offer in 2015, the Canadian Press reports.

In August, the Township of Centre Wellington made an offer to purchase the Middlebrook well site to protect access to the water for the community. Consequently, the multinational—which claimed it had no idea the community was its competitor—waived all its conditions and matched the township's offer in order to snag the well for itself.

Those conditions included conducting pump tests to determine if the watershed met the company's quality and quantity requirements, the Canadian Press reports.

Comment: The ongoing travesty that is the Nestlé corporation:

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Society's Child

Tempers flare in Venice as angry citizens block cruise ships from docking

Second US sailor 'under review' for refusing to stand for national anthem

Cashing in on the military-industrial-elementary school complex

Southern California police report 329 firearms have gone missing in last 5 years

Rise of the death culture: Murder rate in US up 11%, biggest increase since 1971

Ya think? Exposed British doper Bradley Wiggins' doctor says therapeutic use exemption looks very suspicious

Watching the Killary-Drumpf debate? 26 sobering facts about the economy that every American should know

Tonight's presidential debate: Watch how it's staged and compare its superficiality with the evening news

'Transgender' couple gives birth

More corporate hoarding: Nestlé outbids another town for control of the local water supply

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