Society's ChildS


Cardboard Box

Vanished: 130,000 refugees missing after German registration


RT
Fri, 26 Feb 2016 08:40 UTC
Syrian refugees
© anongalactic.com
Some 13 percent of all migrants who officially entered Germany in 2015 never turned up at the accommodation provided for them, Süddeutsche Zeitung reported Thursday. The news comes as Berlin tightens laws on asylum seekers. The newspaper's report is based on Germany's Federal Interior Ministry's official response to a request filed by the Left Party. The ministry provided two explanations for the phenomenon: the refugees either continued their journey to another European country or choose to live illegally within Germany.

Germany has welcomed an estimated 1.1 million refugees in 2015, mostly from the Middle East and Northern Africa, of which about a half are either without official documents or have disappeared. According to Frank-Jürgen Weise, the head of Germany's Federal Office for Migration (BAMF), there are as many as 400,000 asylum seekers within the country who have no ID documents and German authorities have proven unable to identify them, the head of the BAMF agency said in Berlin on Thursday.

Last year, Berlin was unable to expel all illegal aliens to the country responsible for them, which according to the Dublin Regulation is the EU state a refugee first entered. Only one in 10 asylum seekers was returned to the country from which they entered [into] Germany, and in 2014 it was one in five refugees. The reluctance of other European states to take back the refugees is understandable: Greece alone has witnessed a 21-fold growth in immigrants in one year.

Comment: While no country in Europe was adequately prepared for the rapid rising influx of refugees and asylum seekers, losing track of such a mass of people seems 'off' in this day of spy cams and facial recognition gizmos. Must be some other explanation than the two offered.

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Stock Down

What economic recovery? 13 of the biggest retailers in America are closing down stores

Michael Snyder
The Economic Collapse
Thu, 25 Feb 2016 19:11 UTC
Closed sign
Barack Obama recently stated that anyone that is claiming that America's economy is in decline is "peddling fiction". Well, if the economy is in such great shape, why are major retailers shutting down hundreds of stores all over the country? Last month, I wrote about the "retail apocalypse" that is sweeping the nation, but since then it has gotten even worse. Closing stores has become the "hot new trend" in the retail world, and "space available" signs are going up in mall windows all over the United States. Barack Obama can continue huffing and puffing about how well the middle class is doing all he wants, but the truth is that the cold, hard numbers that retailers are reporting tell an entirely different story.

Earlier today, Sears Chairman Eddie Lampert released a letter to shareholders that was filled with all kinds of bad news. In this letter, he blamed the horrible results that Sears has been experiencing lately on "tectonic shifts" in consumer spending...
In a letter to shareholders on Thursday, Lampert said the impact of "tectonic shifts" in consumer spending has spread more broadly in the last year to retailers "that had previously proven to be relatively immune to such shifts."

"Walmart, Nordstrom, Macy's, Staples, Whole Foods and many others have felt the impact of disruptive changes from online competition and new business models," Lampert wrote.
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Sheriff

El Paso man reports police beat him after seizure, car accident


RT
Fri, 26 Feb 2016 15:28 UTC
El Paso police
© Spencer Platt/AFP
Javier Ortega, Jr. claims El Paso police beat him in an overreaction to his having a seizure during and after a car accident, but Ortega has no memory of the events and police are refusing to release dashcam footage, citing an internal investigation.

The incident took place in December, when Ortega was on a 12-mile drive back home from his children's mother's house when he stopped to get gas. He was extremely tired and admits to falling asleep at the wheel, according to KFOX.

"I stopped at the Circle K just up the street. I don't remember what I put. To this day, I don't remember what I put. I had to check my bank account," Ortega told KFOX.

Ortega doesn't remember anything after that except waking up at University Medical Center. But he does take issue with police accounts of the incident, so he turned to local media for an interview and investigation.

"I had some bruises on my face and I could feel it when making [facial] gestures," Ortega said, but he and his family are sure his worst injuries aren't a result of a car accident. There were also bruises on Ortega's arms, legs, feet, and back, broken bones in one hand and two fingers, along with two Taser lacerations on his stomach, according to medical records. Additionally, records say Ortega had a grand mal seizure while in his car. That explains certain details in the police report, Ortega and his mother say.

The police accident report describes officers responding at 12:45 a.m. to Ortega doing "donuts," or spinning his car until it rammed a rock wall. During or immediately after that moment is when Ortega is believed to have suffered a seizure, which police allegedly unknowingly witnessed.

"When he comes out of [a seizure], that's when he's like walking around like in a state of confusion," Olaya Calanche, Ortega's mother, told KFOX. "I've talked to him and I'll be like 'Junior, Junior, it's Mom.' He'll look at me but like he looks past me."

Comment: Certainly, a lack of education could have played a part in this attack by police, but what sort of person finds this level of violence necessary to 'restrain' someone?

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Heart - Black

Israeli ordnance left from 2014 military onslaught kills Gaza child, injures another


Press TV
Thu, 25 Feb 2016 18:11 UTC
gaza children
© Agence France-PressePalestinian children play in a poverty-stricken quarter of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on January 5, 2016.
A Palestinian child has lost his life and another sustained serious injuries when an explosive device that had been left from Israel's last military onslaught against the Gaza Strip went off in the besieged coastal enclave.

Palestinian medical sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the explosion took place in the city of Jabalia, located four kilometers (2.5 miles) north of Gaza City, on Thursday evening.

They identified the slain child as five-year-old Suhayb Saqir, adding that his brother Mus'ab, 6, was gravely injured in the blast. The injured child was later taken to the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza Strip for treatment.

More than 7,000 un-exploded bombs were left throughout the Gaza Strip following the Israeli military attacks against the impoverished Palestinian territory in summer 2014.
gaza children
© Agence France-PresseA Palestinian boy walks past a building, which was damaged during Israel’s war against the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2014, during a winter storm in the city of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip on January 24, 2016. AFP
A report, released by the British NGO Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) last year, showed that the use of explosive artillery by Israeli forces in the 2014 war on Gaza had increased by over 530 percent compared to the Israeli regime's military offensive on the coastal enclave six years earlier.

It further revealed that Israeli forces increased their firing of high explosive artillery by 533 percent during the 2014 war compared to the military aggression in 2008-2009.
gaza man rebuilding
© Agence France-PresseA Palestinian worker carries metal bars on February 20, 2016 in the eastern part of Gaza City at a scrap yard, where metal from the houses that were destroyed during Israel’s 2014 war against the Gaza Strip, is collected and stored before being reused.
The 2014 military aggression killed nearly 2,200 Palestinians, including 577 children. Over 11,100 others - including 3,374 children, 2,088 women and 410 elderly people - were also wounded in the Israeli war.

Comment: Further reading:

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Gold Seal

Actor, former NFL player Terry Crews opens up about his pornography addiction

Carly Ledbetter
Huffington Post
Thu, 25 Feb 2016 13:51 UTC
Terry Owens
© Via Instagram/Terry Owens (2015)
Actor Terry Crews is shedding light on a pornography addiction that took over his life and nearly ended his marriage.

Calling his confessional series "Dirty Little Secret," the "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" star has released three videos on Facebook in which he openly talks about his problem with porn.

"Pornography, it really, really messed up my life in a lot of ways," Crews said in his first video, adding that day turned into night while he watched. "My wife was literally like, 'I don't know you anymore. I'm out of here.' And that changed me."

Crews said he went to rehab for his addiction about six or seven years ago to get the help he needed.

In the second video of his series, Crews devoted time to answering fan questions about how he overcame his addiction. The actor and former NFL player candidly talked about therapy and battling depression.

Terry Crews and wife, Rebecca King-Crews
© Tibrina Hobson/Getty ImagesTerry Crews and his wife Rebecca King-Crews pose as they arrive to attend the Warner Music After Party, in Hollywood, California, on February 16, 2016.
"I went to therapy, big time. When I went into therapy I didn't know what was going on, how to beat it, I couldn't do it alone," Crews said, adding that he focused on becoming more aware. "I had to realize when I was depressed. I had to realize when I was sad about something or when I was feeling lonely. Because those were the times I was more likely to use pornography."

Crews also said that he had to overcome shame and a big sense of entitlement to get better.

"I felt the world owed me something. I felt like my wife owed me sex," Crews said. "I felt that everybody owed me. And when you have a sense of entitlement, it's extremely dangerous."

Crews mended his relationship with his wife, telling HuffPost Live last year that the two completed a sex fast that left them "more in love" than ever.

"Ninety days -- no sex, all relationship, all talk, all cuddle," the actor said. "I found that at the end of that 90 days ... I knew who she was, and it wasn't about 'Let's go out because I know I'm gonna get some sex later.' It was like, 'Let's go because I want to talk to you. I want to know you.'"


Comment: See also:

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Piggy Bank

US banks warning 81% chance of economic downturn in 2016

Kristian Rouz
Sputnik
Fri, 26 Feb 2016 17:46 UTC
New York Stock Exchange
© AFP 2016/ JEWEL SAMAD
The recent surge of anti-corporate sentiment trending across America is likely to play a nasty joke on the US economy; as growth stalls amid threats of a full-blown recession, shrinking corporate profits won't allow American businesses to muster a recovery within the existing environment of excessive governmental involvement and regulation.

After two consecutive quarters of declines in US corporate earnings due to the dollar's strength slashing overseas profits, and the government's excessive involvement in the domestic economy undermining market competition, the broader economy is heading for a recession which may happen as soon as later this year. Capital wipeouts on Wall Street and the ongoing oil bust support the gloomy outlook, while declining prices keep inflation subtle, holding back consumer spending, one of the US economy's key drivers. Unless the US corporate sector is able to recover through tax cuts and a quick re-prioritization favoring the domestic market, the overall economic perspective is likely to deteriorate.

Comment: With the American consumer tapped out and short of an all out war, we are headed for some economic hard times.

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Rose

South Carolina woman dies of dehydration after being dragged out of hospital to jail over unpaid court fines

Travis Gettys
Raw Story
Fri, 26 Feb 2016 11:33 UTC
Joyce Curnell
© Screenshot via WCBD TVJoyce Curnell
A South Carolina woman died 27 hours after she was hauled out of a hospital and taken to jail over unpaid court fines — and her family said she was denied water and medical care.

Joyce Curnell was found dead in her cell July 22, one day after she was arrested at Roper Hospital, where she had been treated for a stomach illness, and taken to the Charleston County Jail, reported The Post and Courier.

The 50-year-old Curnell became too ill to eat or call for help, according to court documents filed this week as part of a planned lawsuit.

Curnell had been taken by ambulance to Roper Hospital from her Edisto Island home after complaining of nausea and vomiting, and she was diagnosed with gastroenteritis in the emergency room. A bench warrant was discovered at some point during her hospital stay, and someone alerted law enforcement officers.

Curnell had been placed on a payment plan in April 2012 to pay $1,148.90 in fines related to a shoplifting case, but she apparently quit paying the following January and a warrant was issued in August 2014.

The newspaper reported Thursday afternoon that Curnell's son, who is planning the lawsuit, notified law enforcement of the open warrant. However, the newspaper did not report whether Javon Curnell was asked about his mother's criminal background — or why.

A local doctor told Curnell's family that her death could likely have been prevented if she had been properly treated for dehydration and the irritation of her stomach and intestines. Simply put: Ms. Curnell died because she was deprived of water," said Dr. Maria Gibson, of Medical University Hospital.
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Chart Bar

Iranians go to the polls for dignity and to disappoint their enemies


RT
Fri, 26 Feb 2016 17:05 UTC
iran tehran elections
© Raheb Homavandi / ReutersIranians fill in their ballots during elections for the parliament and Assembly of Experts, which has the power to appoint and dismiss the supreme leader, in Tehran February 26, 2016.
Millions of Iranians have been lining up at polling stations across the country to take part in elections. Control over the 290-seat parliament and 88-member Assembly of Experts, the body empowered to appoint and dismiss the supreme leader, is at stake.

The massive turnout has forced authorities to extend the voting by two hours to let everyone who wants cast their ballots do so.

"Anybody who loves Iran, anybody who loves the Islamic Republic and national dignity, grandeur and glory is advised to participate in the elections, which is both duty and right of the people," Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated after casting his ballot in the first polls since a nuclear deal last year finally led to the long-awaited lifting of the US and EU sanctions from Iran.

"All should participate in the elections in order to increase national prestige and dignity and disappoint the enemies," he added, the official IRNA news agency reported.


Comment: Democracy is alive and well in Iran. Too bad the same can't be said for the U.S. and Israel... In the last parliamentary elections (2012), the voter turnout in Iran was 62%. In the last U.S. parliamentary elections (2014), a whopping 33% of Americans came out to vote. Says a lot, doesn't it?

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Laptop

A threat to all iPhone users: Apple tells court to prevent FBI back-door order


RT
Fri, 26 Feb 2016 16:08 UTC
apple
© Brendan McDermid / Reuters
Apple has asked the court to reverse its order compelling the company to help the FBI hack an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino terrorists. The motion argues the Justice Department and the FBI are seeking "a dangerous power."

"This is not a case about one isolated iPhone," Apple wrote in the motion filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California on Thursday, the latest salvo in a court battle that between national security and digital privacy.

"Rather, this case is about the Department of Justice and the FBI seeking through the courts a dangerous power that Congress and the American people have withheld: the ability to force companies like Apple to undermine the basic security and privacy interests of hundreds of millions of individuals around the globe," the Cupertino-based company argued.

Apple has said it wants to cooperate with law enforcement, but creating a backdoor that would allow the FBI to unlock the iPhone of Syed Farook, one of the San Bernardino shooters, would threaten the security of all its customers.

"The government says: 'Just this once' and 'Just this phone.' But the government knows those statements are not true," lawyers for Apple wrote in the motion submitted to Magistrate Sheri Pym.

Comment: This story is getting a lot of news coverage. If only there was the same amount of ongoing coverage on the NSA's existing abilities to spy on ordinary citizens. The sad thing is that even if Apple wins its case and doesn't have to create the back-door to all its iPhones, it won't change the fact that our security is already severely compromised.

Further reading:


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Sheriff

Virginia Senate passes bill that turns cops into secret police

Clarice Palmer
Activist Post
Fri, 26 Feb 2016 15:15 UTC
secret police
In the United States, the Fourth Estate, also known as the Fourth Power or the fourth branch of government, has always been a popular label for the media's role in a free society. But in the state of Virginia, legislators want to remove that power from the press by shielding police officers from public scrutiny.

Senate Bill 552, which has already been approved by the Senate, hopes to classify the names of all local police officers and fire marshals as "personnel records," shielding these individuals from the responsibility of dealing with public backlash in the case that something goes awry.
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