Society's ChildS


Magic Hat

'Equality' in Ireland as voters back same-sex marriage in referendum

Vincent Boland
Financial Times
Sat, 23 May 2015 19:29 UTC
gay marriage in Ireland
© Reuters / Cathal McNaughtonA same-sex marriage supporter reacts at Dublin Castle in Dublin, Ireland May 23, 2015.
Irish voters have given their resounding support to same-sex marriage in a popular vote that vaults this tiny and once-conservative country to the forefront of the global gay-rights movement.

After a referendum on changing the Irish constitution to recognise gay marriage that has dominated discussion here for months and generated huge interest abroad, the official result announced before a cheering crowd in Dublin Castle on Saturday showed that nearly two-thirds of voters of voters backed the measure.

It is the most radical social change Irish voters have ever been asked to approve.

The result means that Ireland is the first country to introduce same-sex marriage through a popular vote rather than through legislation or the courts. It reinforces the diminished role of the Catholic Church in shaping Irish society. It also suggests that social changes under way over the past two decades are more far-reaching than Irish political and religious leaders imagined.

"For me, this is not so much a referendum, it is more a social revolution in Ireland," said Leo Varadkar, the health minister. "It makes us a beacon of equality and liberty for the rest of the world." Diarmuid Martin, the archbishop of Dublin, told RTE the result was "a reality check" for the church in its relations with Irish society.

gay marriage in Ireland
© Reuters / Cathal McNaughtonSame-sex marriage supporters pose for a photograph at Dublin Castle in Dublin, Ireland May 23, 2015.

Comment: "This is about a new republic. It was not just a yes, but a resounding yes, for a new, open, equal society."

Meanwhile, institutionalised pedophilia is still prevalent in Ireland as the violent, sexual abusers of children are still protected by the state.

Irish schoolchildren continue to be taught lies about their own history - the Irish Holocaust, or the 'Great Famine' (Irish potato famine), as it is still euphemistically termed.

The greedy bankers who manipulated the Irish Government into a 16 billion dollar bailout in 2008, effectively robbing generations of Irish people, have not been brought to justice, and could be seen on tape laughing about never repaying the bailout money.

Irish police clamp down on water charge protesters, resulting from the severe austerity measures subsequently implemented.

Such emphasis on 'openness and equality' on gay marriage in Ireland - but what about these other issues?

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Sheriff

Ohio cop who shot unarmed civilians cleared from charges, sparks Cleveland protests


RT
Sat, 23 May 2015 01:18 UTC
Image
© Reuters / Tony DejakMichael Brelo
An Ohio police officer has been found not guilty of the voluntary manslaughter of two unarmed black motorists. The verdict has prompted protests in Cleveland, with authorities bracing for the possibility of additional demonstrations.

Cleveland officer Michael Brelo, 31, faced two counts of voluntary manslaughter after mounting the hood of the suspects' car and firing shots into their windshield in 2012. He faced up to 22 years in prison if found guilty.

But Cuyahoga County Judge John P. O'Donnell ruled on Saturday that Brelo's "entire use of deadly force was a constitutionally reasonable response to an objectively reasonably perceived threat of great bodily harm."

The verdict was met with protests from those who say the shooting was racially motivated, as Brelo is white and the motorists were black. Standing at the doors of the Justice Department where Brelo was found not guilty, the demonstrators shouted "No justice, no peace."

A line of police officers in riot gear was initially shown at the doors, though officers later retreated inside.

Brelo was one of 13 officers who fired 137 shots at a car with Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams inside, following a high-speed chase on November 29, 2012.
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Bacon n Eggs

France passes legislation barring supermarkets from spoiling, throwing away food; 1.3bn tons wasted worldwide

Angelique Chrisafis
The Guardian, UK
Fri, 22 May 2015 13:59 UTC
Legislation barring stores from spoiling and throwing away food is aimed at tackling epidemic of waste alongside food poverty
Image
© The Independent
French supermarkets will be banned from throwing away or destroying unsold food and must instead donate it to charities or for animal feed, under a law set to crack down on food waste.

The French national assembly voted unanimously to pass the legislation as France battles an epidemic of wasted food that has highlighted the divide between giant food firms and people who are struggling to eat.

As MPs united in a rare cross-party consensus, the centre-right deputy Yves Jégo told parliament: "There's an absolute urgency - charities are desperate for food. The most moving part of this law is that it opens us up to others who are suffering."

Supermarkets will be barred from deliberately spoiling unsold food so it cannot be eaten. Those with a footprint of 4,305 sq ft (400 sq m) or more will have to sign contracts with charities by July next year or face penalties including fines of up to €75,000 (£53,000) or two years in jail.

"It's scandalous to see bleach being poured into supermarket dustbins along with edible foods," said the Socialist deputy Guillaume Garot, a former food minister who proposed the bill.

In recent years, French media have highlighted how poor families, students, unemployed or homeless people often stealthily forage in supermarket bins at night to feed themselves, able to survive on edible products which had been thrown out just as their best-before dates approached.

Comment: With extreme weather, the collapsing global economy, and the destruction of the ecosystem of our planet, food waste will soon be the least of France's worries.

See also: UN warns of looming worldwide food crisis in 2013: Collapse of global food supply inevitable

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Stormtrooper

Cop resigns after body cam shows him pepper-spray & taser a man for having a medical emergency

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Sat, 23 May 2015 23:08 UTC
fredericksburg
© YouTube
One of Fredericksburg's finest will no longer be part of their police department after resigning this month. The resignation took place after the officer violated department policy by tasering and pepper-spraying a man during a medical emergency.

On May 4th, David Washington was driving his car down Route 1 near the University of Mary Washington when he experienced a medical emergency. The emergency caused him to black out, hit a jeep, and cross over the median striking a road sign.

The driver of the jeep called 9-1-1 to report the crash and officer Shaun Jergens arrived on the scene. Body cam footage shows that Jergens cared not about the man in obvious medical distress.

As Jergens approached the car, the distressed and barely responsive Washington was blasted pepper-sprayed and tasered.

"Get out the car or I'm going to fucking smoke you," says Jergens after assaulting Washington.

Jergens then dragged the sick man out of his car and continued his assault by laying him on the hot asphalt. As if being pepper-sprayed, tasered, thrown on the ground and handcuffed wasn't enough, police allowed the car to roll on top of Washington's foot.

Washington was then taken to the hospital to be treated for his assault and doctors discovered that he had in fact been experiencing a medical emergency.

After reviewing the incident in accordance with department policy, Command Staff determined that the force used by the officers involved in the incidence was "not appropriate," according to WJLA.
"The use of force demonstrated in the incident involving Mr. Washington was not in compliance with department policy or training," said Captain Rick Pennock in a news release. "We take matters such as these very seriously and require that officers at all times exercise appropriate restraint and good judgment in their dealings with citizens."
Jurgens resigned from the department on May 14.

No charges have been filed against Jergens for his abuse. None of the officers involved face charges for failing to stop this assault either. However, Washington was charged with hit-and-run, hit-and-run (property damage), reckless driving, and driving on a revoked or suspended license. Is this justice?

Below are the three different body cam videos from the officers on the scene.

Comment: Heartbreaking that someone was treated this way, and to know this is how anyone of us can be treated at any time. Everyone is considered a threat to the police at all times.

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Padlock

Israel follows through with fascist declaration to jail Palestinians who make 'anti-Israel' comments on social media

Patrick Strickland
Al Jazeera
Sat, 23 May 2015 13:49 UTC
Image
© Al JazeeraPalestinians mark Prisoners Day in the occupied West Bank.
[Israel] wants Palestinians to shut up and be quiet, to accept the occupation. Israel is trying to deliver a message that any Palestinians - whether from Hamas, Fatah or the Popular Front [for the Liberation of Palestine] - can be arrested.
~Iyab Shalabi, Son of jailed Palestinian activist
Iyab Shalabi has only been allowed to visit his father, Omar, in prison once since December, when he and eight other Palestinians from occupied East Jerusalem were arrested by Israel for posts they wrote on Facebook and other social media outlets.

"Several months went by before they actually gave me a permit to visit my dad," Iyab, 22, told Al Jazeera. "My mother has been completely banned from visiting him till now."

Earlier this month, Omar, 44, was sentenced to nine months in an Israeli prison for charges related to incitement and "supporting terror" against Israelis. He is the former secretary-general of Jerusalem's branch of Fatah, the Palestinian political party that dominates the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.

"It was very clear from the beginning that my father was targeted because he is still an influential activist and has a lot of support and respect in the community," Iyab continued.

The court cited several of Shalabi's Facebook postings about Muhammad Abu Khudair, a 17-year-old Palestinian kidnapped and burned alive by Israeli settlers in Jerusalem last July, as well as "statuses" he wrote supporting Palestinian attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians in the city.

Iyab rejects the assertion that his father's Facebook postings posed any threat to Israel's security. "They don't have any real evidence that he presented any danger to anyone's safety," he argued. "Of course, this is oppression and discrimination. Everyone writes their opinion on Facebook."
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Attention

Ukrainian terrorists execute NAF militia man and his pregnant wife


Fort Russ
Thu, 21 May 2015 21:49 UTC
ukraine execution
These psychopaths are supported by the United States.
Information agency NewsFront posted a video discovered on the cell phone of one of the fighters of the Ukrainian battalion, liquidated by people's militia of Lugansk Republic.

His name and the date of liquidation were not disclosed.

On the video men in masks and camouflage with Ukrainian markings performed a cold-blooded execution of two people by hanging on a specially constructed gallows in the woods. A vehicle "Niva" was used as a scaffold. The event was recorded by the executioners on a cell phone camera.

One of the victims - a pregnant woman. The executioners put bags on the heads of the victims. The video had no sound.

NewsFront commented that it does not guarantee the authenticity of this video. The only sure thing is that the video was found on the phone of a murdered punisher, noted the agency. Judging by the twitches of the executed man, it is not likely to be staged.


Comment: The MSM rants about Islamic militants wanting to bring us back to the Middle Ages. Well, Ukraine is already there, and it's got nothing to do with Islamic ideology. This psychopathic barbarism is here to stay, and it is fully supported by the United States.

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Red Flag

Woman discovered pushing dead son in park swing

Kasey Jones
Associated Press
Fri, 22 May 2015 14:53 UTC
Image
© WUSA9
A woman was found pushing her dead 3-year-old son in a park swing Friday, and authorities say she may have been there for hours, or even since the day before.

There were no obvious signs of foul play, but it has not been ruled out, said Diane Richardson, a spokeswoman with the Charles County Sheriff's Office.

Richardson said authorities are trying to trace the 24-year-old woman's movements over the past several days "to find out what was going on in her life, what led to this moment."

Sheriff's deputies went to the park in La Plata, Maryland, about 7 a.m. after being called to check on the welfare of the woman and child, Richardson said. The officers went to remove the boy from the swing and give him first aid, but "it was instantaneously clear the child was dead," she said. There were no signs of trauma to his body.
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House

Minimum wage workers cannot afford a one-bedroom apartment in any state in the US

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Sat, 23 May 2015 01:30 UTC
Reuters Poor
© Reuters/John Gress
Earlier this month we learned that in 21 out of the 26 OECD member countries that have a minimum wage, working 40 hours per week at the pay floor would not be sufficient to keep one's family out of poverty. That rather stunning revelation comes as Democrats in the US push for a $12 minimum wage by 2020 and as pressure grows on companies like McDonald's to raise wages for its lowest-paid employees.

Of course rising minimum wages can also have the rather counterintuitive side effect of harming those they're meant to help because after all, when the cost of labor goes up, employers may simply fire people or, as we saw yesterday when McDonald's pledged to reduce the number of company-owned restaurants by 10% over the next several years, resort to other measures aimed at getting around pay floor hikes.

So while one can debate pros and cons of addressing abysmal wage growth by legislating a non-market-driven solution, what is not up for debate is this: it's getting harder and harder to subsist above the poverty line for low-income workers.

In fact, as the following map shows, in no state can a minimum wage worker afford a one bedroom apartment.
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Question

Mystery of 9 brains found in US county village remains unsolved

Ken Sturtz
www.syracuse.com
Thu, 21 May 2015 23:51 UTC
Brain
© _DJ_/Flickr
Nine brains inexplicably appeared earlier this week along a street in a St. Lawrence County village. How the brains got there and where they came from remains a mystery.

Residents discovered the brains on Beck with Street near railroad tracks and called the police.

Gouverneur police collected one of the brains and brought it to a local veterinarian for an examination, WWNY TV 7 reported. The veterinarian determined the brain had been professionally removed -- likely from a dog -- and preserved in formaldehyde.

The veterinarian told North Country Now that the brain was consistent with a beagle-sized brain and was in very good condition with no damage.

But a chemistry professor at Clarkson University told North Country Now the specimen was possibly from a sheep, not a dog.

Regardless, police told both news outlets there was little to fear. The nine brains are believed to have been part of a collection for educational or research purposes and no criminal activity, other than littering, is suspected, police said.

As unusual as it might seem, mishaps with preserved brains do happen. Last year the University of Texas in Austin said dozens of human brains stored in jars of formaldehyde and reported missing were actually destroyed in 2002. The brains had been donated for teaching and research.
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Stormtrooper

LAPD cop who kicked Alesia Thomas to death is now on trial

S. Wooten and Jackson Marciana
Counter Current News
Fri, 22 May 2015 12:34 UTC
LA cop punt
© NBC screenshot
The LAPD cop who kicked Alesia Thomas to death was recorded on dashcam saying: "I'm going to punt you in your p*ssy."

Those words of Officer Mary O'Callaghan were said as Thomas was handcuffed and her legs restrained.

The video clearly shows Thomas getting punched in the throat, as well as kicked in the groin over and over by Officer O'Callaghan, in the video that surfaced nearly three years ago.

Watch the full report in the video below...

In the video we can clearly see Officer O'Callaghan punching Thomas' throat.

Thomas is seen tied with a nylon restraint, saying "I can't" over and over.

The video showed O'Callaghan raise her boot and strike Thomas, whose body shook in response. A few minutes later, Thomas' eyes closed and her head fell backward, the video showed. The recording then cut off.

She died at the hospital that evening. The video of her being assaulted was just released for the first time in court and can be seen below.

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