Society's ChildS


Bad Guys

Judge rules that federal prosecutors broke law in Jeffrey Epstein case


Miami Herald
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 11:33 UTC
Jeffrey Epstein
© Splash News/AP
Federal prosecutors, under former Miami U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta, broke the law when they concealed a plea agreement from more than 30 underage victims who had been sexually abused by wealthy New York hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

While the decision marks a victory for crime victims, the federal judge, Kenneth A. Marra, stopped short of overturning Epstein's plea deal, or issuing an order resolving the case. He instead gave federal prosecutors 15 days to confer with Epstein's victims and their attorneys to come up with a settlement. The victims did not seek money or damages as part of the suit.

It's not clear whether the victims, now in their late 20s and early 30s, can, as part of the settlement, demand that the government prosecute Epstein. But others are calling on the Justice Department to take a new look at the case in the wake of the judge's ruling.
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NPC

Conservative activist punched in the face at UC Berkeley

Alana Mastrangelo
Breitbart
Fri, 22 Feb 2019 11:13 UTC
Conservative attacked Berkeley
© screencap
A field representative from the Leadership Institute was punched in the face during an alleged attack at UC Berkeley on Tuesday while training student members for Turning Point USA.

A field representative for the Leadership Institute was allegedly physically assaulted on the campus of UC Berkeley on Tuesday morning while training members for Turning Point USA (TPUSA).

A witness captured the attack on video, which was then sent to TPUSA's founder and executive director, Charlie Kirk, who then posted it to Twitter. "Imagine if the attacker was wearing a MAGA hat," noted Kirk in his tweet.
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X

West Hollywood's gay mayor refuses to resign over sex assault allegations, calls it a 'Salem witch hunt'


RT
Thu, 21 Feb 2019 08:13 UTC
JohnDuran/StormyDaniels
© Reuters/Mike BlakeMayor John Duran with porn star Stormy Daniels
West Hollywood's city council is searching for ways to oust Mayor John Duran, after the scandal-prone gay mayor refused to step down in light of some serious sexual assault allegations that were compared to a 'Salem witch hunt.'

Even by the flamboyant standards of West Hollywood, Mayor John Duran stands out. The openly gay mayor has joked about wearing gold underwear, launched a public forum on anal cancer called 'Booty Call to Action,' and was accused by a fellow councilman of swiping for casual sex on Grindr during council meetings.

While Duran has built a political career on cheekily expressing his sexuality, the lawsuits have piled up.

First the city paid $500,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit against Duran from his former deputy Ian Owens. Duran hired Owens as his deputy after meeting him through Grindr and having sex with him.

Now, more allegations of harassment have surfaced, from the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles, a choir that Duran once chaired. Its members accused the mayor of unwanted groping and inappropriate comments. Several members alleged that Duran cornered and fondled them, before slipping away when they expressed shock.

Comment: See also:
Mayor who honored Stormy Daniels settled $500K in a sexual harassment claim against him in 2016

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Briefcase

Charges filed against all persons involved in Calvey's embezzlement case


TASS
Thu, 21 Feb 2019 15:34 UTC
Michael Calvey
© Sergei Bobylev/TASSMichael Calvey
All of them have been charged with the "fraud committed by an organized group or on an especially large scale"

The investigation filed charges against all the persons involved in the case of embezzling 2.5 bln rubles ($37.5 mln) from the Vostochny Bank, where the founder and managing partner of Baring Vostok investment fund Michael Calvey is the key defendant, a source in investigative agencies told TASS.
"The investigation charged all persons involved in the case were charged under Part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (Fraud committed by an organized group or on an especially large scale). Philippe Delpal (investment partner for the financial industry sector at Baring Vostok - TASS) was the last who was charged."
The source added that all the defendants were re-interrogated and none of them pleaded guilty. Philippe Delpal's lawyer, Barbara Knutova, confirmed that her client was charged and did not admit guilt.

Comment: See also:

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Bulb

'Nothing to do with aid or democracy': Roger Waters rebukes Richard Branson's 'humanitarian' concert for Venezuela


RT
Wed, 20 Feb 2019 02:31 UTC
Roger Waters
Pink Floyd ex-frontman Roger Waters is slamming Virgin tycoon Richard Branson's aid concert for Venezuela as a sham, warning fans and performers not to be "led down a garden path that ends in regime change."

Branson's "Venezuela Aid Live" concert "has nothing to do with the needs of the Venezuelan people, it has nothing to do with democracy, it has nothing to do with freedom, and it has nothing to do with aid," Waters declared in a video released on Tuesday.


Comment: Waters hits the bullseye on this one! See also: Sir Richard Branson feeds narrative to overthrow Maduro with Venezuelan-border PR stunt "Venezuela Aid Live"

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Arrow Down

Texas man confessed to bludgeoning 2-year-old daughter to death with hammer


AP News
Thu, 21 Feb 2019 20:01 UTC
Yovahnis Roque
© Orange County Sheriff's Office via APThis undated photo provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows Yovahnis Roque. A police affidavit says the Southeast Texas man found naked and stained with blood told officers that he killed his 2-year-old daughter, who had been bludgeoned with a hammer. The affidavit says an officer's body camera captured 26-year-old Roque (RAHK) confessing in the death of his child in a home in Orange, near the Louisiana border.
A Southeast Texas man accused of bludgeoning his 2-year-old daughter to death with a hammer was naked and blood-stained when he told police officers he had killed the toddler, according to an affidavit.

An officer's body camera captured 26-year-old Yovahnis Roque confessing Tuesday in the death of his child at their home in Orange, near the Louisiana border, according to the police affidavit. Roque was arrested and charged with capital murder .

Roque lived with his mother at the house and it was she who found the girl's body and called police.

Officers found Roque "completely covered in blood" and discovered the girl's body in a closet, the affidavit says. Orange police Capt. Robert Enmon has described it as the most horrific crime he's dealt with in his 29-year career, calling it "the crime scene of nightmares."

Comment: It seems that with each passing horrific crimes are occurring ever more frequently:

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X

Jussie Smollett has history of lying: In 2007 he claimed to be his brother when arrested for DUI

Peter Sblendorio, Nancy Dillon
NY Daily News
Wed, 20 Feb 2019 18:34 UTC
Jussie Smollett
© JM11/Joseph Marzullo/WENN/NewscomJussie Smollett
More than a decade before the investigation involving Jussie Smollett's hate attack claims, the "Empire" actor pleaded no contest to providing authorities with false information in a DUI case.

Smollett, 36, gave police the wrong name - Jake, the name of his brother - after being stopped in 2007, according to a complaint filed by the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office.

The actor pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor charges in that incident: driving with a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit, driving without a license and lying to the cop.
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Family

Lessons from a recovering identity warrior's journey

Maziar Ghaderi
Quillette
Thu, 21 Feb 2019 19:09 UTC
Maziar Ghaderi yearbook picture
© Maziar GhaderiMaziar Ghaderi at age 14 (Burnaby, B.C., Canada, 1997).
In 1988, my family fled Iran to seek political asylum in Canada. I was 5 years old. When we arrived, we did what all desperate immigrants from war-torn countries do: We found our ethnic enclave and surrounded ourselves in it as much as possible to help ease the transition.

During these years, I thought I was the default, the norm. That is to say, I thought I was white.

Almost all of my friends were Iranian. We ate the same food, pronounced each other's names correctly, and our parents spoke the same language at home. I never had to deal with any racial tensions at all. All of the other ethnic groups at school - the Tamils, Latinos and Jamaicans - did the same. Everything fit.

My ethnic identity wasn't something I thought much about. That was until we moved from the multicultural milieu of Scarborough (a suburb of Toronto) to Burnaby, British Columbia, when I was 11 years old. My new school featured only one other set of Iranian siblings amidst a sea of white and Chinese kids.

Comment: The author's turnaround came when he began to interact with and concretely contribute to the world. It's interesting to note that Mr. Ghaderi is involved with a film about Dr. Peterson. He has taken Peterson's message to heart, and found his version of 'meaningful (meaning-filled) work'.

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Red Flag

Major advertisers jump ship as YouTube hit with 'softcore child porn' scandal


RT
Thu, 21 Feb 2019 19:21 UTC
youtube
© Pixabay / germany_photography
YouTube is in damage-control mode after several large companies, including Disney, Nestlé, McDonalds and Epic Games, pulled ads in response to a report accusing the platform of harboring a pedophile ring hiding in plain sight.

Multiple major corporations have temporarily suspended all YouTube advertising after learning their ads were playing before videos featuring minors as young as five performing sexualized versions of everyday activities. The advertisers were informed by Wired on Wednesday that their ads were playing before videos similar to the clips highlighted in blogger Matt Watson's video exposé, posted earlier this week. Most responded with shock.

"We're absolutely horrified and have reached out to YouTube to rectify this immediately," a spokesperson from advertiser Grammarly told Wired, while a World Business Forum spokesperson declared it "repulsive that pedophiles are using YouTube for their criminal activities."
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Fire

Fire guts oldest part of Bangladeshi capital, killing dozens

Julhas Alam
Associated Press
Thu, 21 Feb 2019 19:06 UTC
dhaka fire
© AP PhotoIn this Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019, photo, firefighters try to douse flames in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A devastating fire raced through at least five buildings in an old part of Bangladesh's capital and killed scores of people
In the day since a devastating fire erupted in the oldest part of Bangladesh's capital, Awal Hossain has been searching for his younger brother.

Hossain stood outside the Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Thursday evening along with others holding pictures of family members missing after the blaze. Others brought relatives out of the morgue in coffins.

"The body of his acquaintance has been found, but I can't find him," Hossain said.

The fire raced through densely packed buildings in a centuries-old district of Dhaka, killing at least 67 people, officials and witnesses said Thursday.

The fire in the Chawkbazar area was mostly under control after more than 10 hours of frantic firefighting efforts. About 50 people were injured, with some critically burned.
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