Society's ChildS


Dollars

'Great RESPONSIBILTY': New Aussie banknotes fail spell check


RT
Thu, 09 May 2019 17:58 UTC
aussie dollars
© banknotes.rba.gov.au
Reading the fine print may lead to astounding discoveries. Just look at this Australian who found a typo in the minuscule text printed on the nation's brand new and improved AU$50 note.

The new bill is part of next-generation currency currently being rolled out by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). It was first revealed in February and entered circulation in October, with some 46 million printed.

It took the public several months to notice that something was wrong with it. It may be distinctive and hard to counterfeit, as advertised by the RBA, but it also misspells the maiden speech delivered by Edith Cowan, the first Australian female MP. "I stand here today in the unique position of being the first woman in an Australian parliament. It is a great responsibilty," the near-microscopic text over her shoulder reads, missing an "i".
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NPC

Cenk Uygur as Deep State puppet: Young Turks host believes Trump's irritation at Bolton proves president is taking orders from Putin


RT
Thu, 09 May 2019 17:51 UTC
trump
© REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst / REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Donald Trump is reportedly irritated that John Bolton failed to deliver a quick and easy victory in Venezuela. But one US journalist says it proves the US president is taking direct orders from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Last week, Washington's chosen guy to take power in Venezuela, Juan Guaido, tried and failed to stage "a military coup". Senior US officials, like National Security Advisor John Bolton, were first cheering him and celebrating the imminent "liberation" of the Venezuelan people. Then they were struggling to find an explanation for President Nicolas Maduro remaining in power.

The embarrassing flop didn't dissuade Washington from continuing their backing of Guaido, of course. But President Trump is reportedly quite frustrated with not getting what he was promised by Bolton and Co. The Washington Post printed a lengthy piece about it on Wednesday, citing anonymous insiders. The White House is preparing for the long haul now, expecting Maduro to eventually fall under the crippling sanctions imposed by the US on Venezuela, the newspaper said.
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Syringe

Against parents' wishes, judge orders Tampa boy with leukemia to resume chemotherapy

Tony Marrero
Tampa Bay Times
Thu, 09 May 2019 17:26 UTC
Michael Minardi, Joshua McAdams, Taylor Bland-Ball
© TONY MARRERO l TimesAttorney Michael Minardi speaks with reporters Tuesday while flanked by his clients Joshua McAdams, left, and Taylor Bland-Ball, who are trying to convince a judge that they should be able to treat their son’s Noah leukemia with medical marijuana, not chemotherapy.
Standing in front of a row of news cameras, Joshua McAdams had a simple answer when asked how he felt about a judge ordering that his 3-year-old son resume chemotherapy treatment.

"It could have been worse," said the 28-year-old father.

Moments earlier, Hillsborough Circuit Judge Caroline Tesche Arkin ruled Wednesday that Noah McAdams must immediately resume the first phase of chemotherapy to treat his leukemia against the wishes of his parents. Joshua McAdams and Taylor Bland-Ball wanted to use medical marijuana and other natural remedies to treat their son instead of chemotherapy, which experts say is the most effective treatment to keep the child's cancer from returning.
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Star of David

Australian, Canadian & German firms pull out of tramway expansion linking Israeli settlements in occupied West Bank

Ali Abunimah
Electronic Intifada
Wed, 08 May 2019 00:00 UTC
jerusalem light rail, illegal settlements West Bank
© Faiz Abu Rmeleh / Active StillsThe Jerusalem light rail which links Israel’s illegal West Bank colonies is a symbol of oppression to Palestinians.
The Electronic Intifada can exclusively reveal that Canadian engineering giant Bombardier has pulled out of a bid to expand and operate an Israeli tramway linking settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Bombardier is one of several global firms - two others being Australia's Macquarie and Germany's Siemens - to drop out of the tender to build the next phase of the Jerusalem light rail.

The light rail system links settlements to each other and to Jerusalem, helping to entrench and facilitate Israel's colonial expansion in the occupied territory - a war crime.

The tramway is a symbol of oppression for Palestinians.

Last month Israeli business publication Globes reported that investment fund Macquarie was withdrawing its support from the bidding consortium that includes Bombardier and Austrian company Wiener Linien.

According to Globes, the consortium was "looking for an investment fund to replace Australian fund Macquarie."

However, a spokesperson for Macquarie confirmed to The Electronic Intifada on Wednesday that not only had the Australian financier withdrawn, but the entire consortium spearheaded by Bombardier had pulled out altogether.

Comment: Perhaps if the names of corporations who profit from illegal settlements were more widely circulated, the bad publicity and threat of a consumer backlash would deter more investments: UN fails to name and shame firms profiting from illegal settlements in West Bank

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Heart - Black

UN calls for Julian Assange's release from UK high-security jail citing human rights violations

Damien Gayle
The Guardian
Thu, 09 May 2019 17:37 UTC
assange
© Justin Lane/EPA
UN experts have called for Julian Assange to be released from prison and criticised the British government for breaching his human rights.

The WikiLeaks publisher was jailed for 50 weeks on Wednesday for breaking bail conditions imposed seven years earlier by seeking asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

The UN working group on arbitrary detention (WGAD) said it was deeply concerned by the "disproportionate sentence" imposed on Assange for violating the terms of his bail, which it described as a "minor violation".

The group has twice previously called for Assange to be freed, after it judged his confinement to the Ecuadorian embassy by the threat of arrest should he leave amounted to arbitrary detention.
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Shopping Bag

Auschwitz urges online store to stop selling mini-skirts and tote bags showing images of the infamous Nazi death camp

Bill Bostock
Business Insider
Wed, 08 May 2019 16:51 UTC
Auschwitz Redbubble mini-skirt
© Red BubbleThe mini-skirt for sale on Redbubble covered with an image of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz.
The Auschwitz Memorial criticized an online marketplace for selling mini-skirts and tote bags covered with images of the Nazi death camp where 1.1 million people were murdered.

In messages posted on Twitter, staff who run the memorial highlighted items sold by Redbubble, a US online marketplace for independent designers.

Auschwitz listed the following items which feature photos of the death camp, the most notorious of the sites used by Nazi Germany for the mass murder of Jews and other minorities.
  • A $45 throw cushion with a photo of Auschwitz's train tracks - used to transport hundreds of thousands of victims to their deaths.
  • A $15 tote bag with an image of Auschwitz's electric fence, used to deter escapees, with the German for "Attention! High voltage! Risk of death!" on it.
  • A $40 mini-skirt depicting an image of the main Nazi guardhouse at Auschwitz.
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Marijuana

Denver votes to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms

David Kelly
LA Times
Wed, 08 May 2019 16:53 UTC
mushrooms
© Peter Dejong / Associated Press
In a last-minute surprise, it appears this city has lived up to its libertarian leanings and passed an ordinance decriminalizing hallucinogenic magic mushrooms, the first measure of its kind in the nation.

For much of the last two days, Initiative 301 appeared headed for defeat, but late Wednesday the city of Denver released what it called the "final unofficial results" showing the measure passing by a razor-thin vote margin of 50.56% to 49.44%. The results will be certified May 16.

"The last 24 hours have been a hell of a ride," said Kevin Matthews, who heads Decriminalize Denver, which spearheaded the ordinance. "Most of the votes are in, though there are still some outstanding absentee ballots. This is the unofficial, official victory."

And he said it sends a clear message to the rest of the country.

"That message is that the American people are ready for a broader conversation around psilocybin and that no person should ever be treated like a criminal for using a mushroom," he said.
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Eye 1

Veteran Chicago cop charged with inappropriate physical contact with 3 women while on duty

Jeremy Gorner
Chicago Tribune
Thu, 09 May 2019 16:39 UTC
Corey Deanes
© Chicago Police DepartmentChicago police Officer Corey Deanes
A veteran Chicago police officer has been arrested on charges he had inappropriate physical contact with three women on separate occasions while on-duty on the North Side, authorities said Wednesday.

Cook County prosecutors said Officer Corey Deanes, while on patrol in a marked police car in the Lincoln Park and Lakeview communities, pulled over or approached the women when each was alone late at night, commented on their looks and hugged or touched them inappropriately.

Prosecutors proposed that Deanes be released on his own recognizance, but Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. set bond at $200,000, calling the officer's actions "extremely scary and troubling."

"We always forget the psychological effect this has on people," Lyke said. "You have the ability to stop somebody at night, and they're totally alone."
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Георгиевская ленточка

Best of the Web: Immortal Regiment marches take place across the globe


Russia Beyond
Wed, 08 May 2019 14:17 UTC
immortal regiment
© Tati Gavrilova /lookbook.mediaImmortal Regiment march in NYC, 4th May 2019
Descendants of WWII soldiers take part in processions to commemorate the memory of their relatives.

It originally began in 2012 in the Siberian city of Tomsk, but this year, the Immortal Regiment is held in more than 110 countries and 500 cities all over the world. People join the processions holding the portraits of their relatives who fought in World War II, and every year the number of participating cities grows.

1. New York, U.S., May 4
Immortal regiment NYC
© Tati Gavrilova /lookbook.media

Comment: Western elites don't see this as 'free of politics', which is why they neither participate in them, nor report on them.

Anything with the potential to improve perceptions of Russia must be either ignored or attacked.

It's a crying shame because WW2 commemoration is a great way to build cross-cultural bridges.

In the meantime, these serve as useful community-building exercises for the tens of millions of Russian/Eurasian emigrés around the world.

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Георгиевская ленточка

Best of the Web: Hurrah! Highlights of the May 9th Victory Day Parade in Moscow


Sputnik
Thu, 09 May 2019 13:23 UTC
may 9th victory parade moscow
© SputnikPutin speaks at the 74th anniversary WW2 Victory Parade in Moscow
A military parade to commemorate the 74th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War was held on Moscow's Red Square on 9 May. The parade showcased sophisticated Russian military hardware, including tanks and missile systems.

Interestingly, Russian-made Aurus luxury cars were for the first time used during the parade to transport Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who inspected the event, and Oleg Salyukov, commander-in-chief of the Russian Ground Forces, who was in charge of the parade.

Aurus vehicles are part of the Kortezh project, which envisages the creation of luxury cars for top state officials. The cars, which are on a par with foreign analogues in terms of performance characteristics, are already used by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the country's Federal Protective Service.


Comment: There is still nothing like it in the West, partly because Nazism was never an existential threat there, and partly because military parades are 'bad', or something...

Immortal Regiment marches were also held across Russia today. Between those and Victory Day parades, it's estimated that over half of Russia's population of 150 million people are participating.

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