Society's ChildS


Light Saber

Better than the lamestream media: Vote for RT in the Webby Awards

Webby Awards
The RT Social Media Team has been nominated for the channel's first-ever Webby Award, where it will compete against the world's biggest media outlets in the News & Information category.

"These are the Oscars of the web media world, and we are competing in a very prestigious category," said RT's Head of Online Projects Kirill Karnovich-Valua.

"We want to thank every member of RT's social media community. We value your support and this nomination wouldn't have happened without our fans and followers. We share this nomination with all of you."

RT will go head-to-head against BBC News, the New York Times, NBC News & Nightly News, and ABC News, before the Webbys are handed out in New York on May 16, during what will be the 20th anniversary edition of the internet's most established awards ceremony.

Comment: To vote for RT, sign up here then go to 'Social News and Information' where RT is listed. Show the mainstream that people are more interested in media that provides an objective view of the world than media that just repeats what the government says.


Sheriff

Baltimore school cop who slapped and kicked student dodges felony child abuse charges

cop kicks student
© Hezakya Mixologist / YouTube
A Baltimore school police officer who was caught on a viral video slapping and kicking a teenager has avoided felony child abuse charges. The officer and his partner, who observed the abuse, now face lesser charges of assault and misconduct in office.

The Baltimore state's attorney's office dropped the second-degree child abuse charges against officer Anthony C. Spence, because they were not found to be "appropriate."

"After obtaining all the facts and analyzing them based on Maryland case law, Pope v. State, as well as the applicable criminal statute, we have determined the defendants in these cases did not have temporary care or custody of the victim, therefore the child abuse charges are not appropriate," spokeswoman Rochelle Ritchie said in a statement.

Spence, 44, has been under investigation since early March, when a video posted on Facebook showed him slapping a 16-year-old across the face three times before kicking him outside the REACH Partnership School in Clifton Park.

Spence's partner, Saverna Bias, 53, was seen standing nearby, reportedly encouraging Spence to "smack him because he has too much mouth."

Comment: Even if this student did spit on the officer, which is highly doubtful, that is no excuse for this officer to slap and kick the student who was clearly no threat to him. What a pathetic attempt to blame the victim for this blatant and vile abuse of power.


Snakes in Suits

Oppositional defiant disorder: Non-conformity and anti-authoritarianism now considered a mental illness

empty suits
The Brave New World of "Mental Health Disorders"

If Albert Einstein was a youth today, there's a good chance he would be saddled with an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis, possibly even Opposition Defiant Disorder (ODD) as well. He ignored his teachers, failed college entrance examinations several times and was hard-pressed in holding down a job.

In 'Einstein: The Life and Times', biographer Ronald Clark argues that Einstein's problem wasn't attention deficits at all, but rather a hatred of authoritarian, Prussian influences in school. "The teachers in the elementary school appeared to me like sergeants and in the gymnasium the teachers were like lieutenants," Einstein once remarked. The fact that he read Kant's difficult Critique of Pure Reason for pleasure is quite revealing. He also refused to prepare for college admissions out of rebellion to his father's "unbearable" path of "practical profession." When he did gain entrance to college, one of his professors chided Einstein, "You have one fault; one can't tell you anything." The very characteristics that troubled authorities, were exactly the ones which helped him to excel.

Considering Einstein's life history, it makes one wonder about the rampant use of ADHD and ODD diagnosis that are plaguing our children and teenagers today. According to the statistical research by Russell Barkley, Ph.D., on average for every 30 children, 1-3 have ADHD. Of these children, 65% have issues with defiance, non-compliance and problems with authority figures, which can manifest as verbal hostility and temper tantrums. It's estimated that between 1-16% of all American children have ODD. The real question, however, is not how many diagnosis there have been, but rather should we be looking at ADHD and ODD as a mental illness in the first place?

Comment: The current state of Western society is such that we are being raised to be obedient, unquestioning wage slaves who do what we're told and don't talk back. Now psychiatrists are trained to label anyone who doesn't do that as having a mental disorder. But what seems obvious is that Western society has a mental disorder, and only a vast rearranging of the system as a whole is going to cure it.


USA

NJ man ready to go to jail rather than take down Trump campaign flag

Joseph Hornick Trump flag
© WNBC-TV
A resident of West Long Branch, New Jersey says he is ready to go to jail rather than take down a Donald Trump campaign flag flying in front of his house. Local laws forbid political signs more than 30 days before an election.

Billionaire businessman Donald Trump entered the Republican presidential race last summer, quickly becoming the front-runner by campaigning against illegal immigration and vowing to "Make America Great Again." The campaign slogan adorns the flag Joe Hornick has been flying outside his home since February.

Hornick's house is located at a busy corner near the Monmouth University campus. He flies the flag day and night, and turns on the lights when it gets dark. The flag has been torn down five times so far, but Hornick keeps putting it back up.

"Let them come, let them rip those flags down because I have a warehouse on alert, and I'll put up a flag every time they tear one down," he told WNBC.

Comment: If only this man would take such a stand for something that actually mattered...


Water

Cincinnati residents warned about city's lead pipes, but don't worry, it's still safe to drink the water

tainted water
Cincinnati city officials sent out letters to 16,000 residents this week, informing them that much of the city's water transporting pipes are still made of lead.

The message is kind of contradictory, admitting the pipes are problematic, while assuring residents that it's safe because they have a "successful lead corrosion control program."

According to Cincinnati.com:
City leaders here in Cincinnati don't want citizens to panic. Greater Cincinnati Water Works closely monitors its water and has never had a lead violation, according to officials. Cincinnati has had a successful lead corrosion control program that has protected customers for years.

But the pipes' mere existence can cause a threat, officials confirm.

Comment: If so much money wasn't spent on needless wars, perhaps the US could afford to update its infrastructure. Lead contamination is an issue all over the US.


Red Flag

Signs of societal decline: New Jersey high school students caught playing 'Jews vs. Nazis' drinking game

Holocaust Pong
© Jamaica Ponder/Snapchat
A group of New Jersey high school students is in hot water with their school and the public after a photograph of them playing a drinking game revolving around the Holocaust surfaced online.

The photograph was originally shared on Snapchat, but Princeton High School student Jamaica Ponder, 17, snagged the image of her fellow schoolmates before it disappeared and posted it online alongside a blog post about the game.

The photo itself shows multiple male students engaged in a game that wraps beer pong in World War II trappings and sets up a scenario of Jews versus Nazis. The team representing Jews creates a formation of cups shaped like the Star of David, while the Nazi team creates a swastika.

Comment: That such a game exists is utterly appalling, and that high school students decided to share such insensitive antics on social media is shocking. The downward spiral American society into new depths of moral depravity should astound, amaze, and disgust anyone with a functioning conscience. It doesn't matter who gets voted in as president, there is no hope left for America.


Heart - Black

LA's newest law: Homeless can only own a trashcan's worth of belongings

trash digger
© empire news
As though homeless people don't already own so few possessions, the city of Los Angeles just passed a law saying that the amount of things a homeless person can own must fit inside of a trashcan. They even have size dimensions for the trashcan, noting that the items must fit in a 60-gallon trashcan and the lid must close over it.

The new law allows police to even confiscate tents that are still standing on public property during daylight hours. Taking away a homeless person's shelter is not constructive, and in fact only makes them feel less secure in a time when they need a solid foundation to get back on their feet.

This law is in response to LA's homeless epidemic, which has been on the rise recently, with an increase in 20% over just the last two years.

Comment: Homelessness is not an insoluble problem


Laptop

Hackers post personal information of 50 million Turkish citizens online

hackers
© Kacper Pempel / Reuters
A database reportedly containing the personal information of nearly 50 million Turkish citizens, including that of the country's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was posted online by a hacking group.

The database, which comprises 49,611,709 documents, was posted on the website of an Icelandic group that specializes in divulging leaks on Monday.

Hacktivists claim the leaked information uploaded in the 6.6 GB file includes the first and last names, parents' names, national ID number, gender, place of birth, date of birth, full address, current city and district of those in the database.

The attack seems to be politically motivated. "Who would have imagined that backwards ideologies, cronyism and rising religious extremism in Turkey would lead to a crumbling and vulnerable technical infrastructure?" the hackers wrote on the database's front page, which features Erdogan's profile.

Hardhat

Energy bridge to Crimea to be finished ahead of schedule

power lines
© Sergey Malgavko / Reuters
The energy needs of Crimea will almost completely be met when the next thread of the energy bridge is operational in a few days time, says Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich.

"An extra thread of the power linkup with Crimea will start working in the near future," said Dvorkovich on Friday, stressing that stable electricity supplies for the peninsula was the key task for the Energy Ministry.

The minister pointed out the energy bridge connecting Russia's Unified Energy System and the Crimean power grid is ahead of schedule.

Crimea was completely blacked out on the night of November 22, 2015, when all four power lines to the peninsula were blown up in Ukraine. Since then, Crimea has been suffering constant blackouts.

The situation improved with the opening of the first thread of the energy bridge from the Krasnodar region across the Kerch Strait on December 2. After two weeks, the second thread started working, increasing the capacity to 400 MW.

Russia plans to finish the second power bridge by the end of next month, which will ensure Crimea won't need electricity from Ukraine.

Last week, Ukraine's Ukrenergo said three power lines from Ukraine to Crimea have been rebuilt, and Kiev is ready to renew supplies in a matter of hours. Crimea's First Deputy Prime Minister Mikhail Sheremet said the peninsula no longer needs Ukrainian energy, as Kiev authorities have proven themselves as unreliable partners.

Heart - Black

English council plans to fine homeless £50 for begging in the streets

homeless
© Suzanne Plunkett / Reuters
A council in Britain is preparing to begin fining homeless people £50 (US$70.50) if they are caught begging for money in the streets, it has emerged.

Worthing Council is expected to approve the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) later this month, which will allow it to target beggars on the street. It will also introduce laws to stop drinking and camping in the town center.

The move has been called "disgusting" by local activists, who think it will unfairly penalize homeless people.

PSPO legislation was initially rolled out in 2014, commonly known as 'ASBOs for public spaces'. They allow councils to ban a usually legal action in a specific area.


More than 5,000 people have signed a petition against the PSPO.

Comment: Homelessness is not an insoluble problem