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Oxford computing prof claims overpopulation is at the root of all the planet's troubles

Robin McKie
The Raw Story
Mon, 16 Jul 2012 06:59 UTC
Image
© Unknown
Science has not shouted out about unchecked human expansion. Now, one professor, Stephen Emmott, will proclaim its dangers on stage.
Stephen Emmott is a professor of computing at Oxford University and head of Microsoft's Computational Science Laboratory in Cambridge. His lab is devoted to finding new techniques and ideas for solving key scientific problems. One of his research groups works on small-scale issues including the make-up of living cells and includes immunologists and neuroscientists. Another group is focused on global problems including the carbon cycle and is made up of plant biologists and marine ecologists.

Emmott, who is 52, is also the star of the forthcoming solo theatrical production Ten Billion, a co-operation between himself and distinguished director Katie Mitchell, whose past works have included A Woman Killed with Kindness at the National Theatre. The show opens at the Royal Court in London this week and focuses on the state our planet will be in when its population reaches 10 billion.
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Megaphone

Hard Rock Calling 2012: England a 'Police State', Says Bruce Springsteen Guitarist

Andrew Hough
The Telegraph
Mon, 16 Jul 2012 02:39 UTC
Steven Van Zandt, a guitarist in Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band, has accused England of becoming "police state" after "The Boss" and Sir Paul McCartney were silenced for breaching a council curfew at Hard Rock Calling.
Image
© Giovanni Canitano/Rex Features
Sir Paul McCartney with Bruce Springsteen on stage at the Hard Rock Calling festival, Hyde Park, London

Van Zandt, 61, who has also stared in cult US drama series The Sopranos, aired his frustration at the gig's premature ending at the concert in Hyde Park, central London on Saturday night.

Organisers said it was "unfortunate" that the performance was stopped at the end but insisted the curfew was put in place for to help protect "public health and safety".

The decision, however, sparked outrage amongst fans while Van Zandt took to Twitter to accuse England of becoming a "police state".

Sir Paul had joined Springsteen, 62, and his E Street band on stage at the Hard Rock Calling music festival following a performance by the American rock star that had lasted more than three hours.

The US singer greeted the former Beatle, 70, by saying "I've been waiting for this for 50 years".

Springsteen, known for his long performances, had exceeded the curfew by half an hour.
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Arrow Down

11 Killed as Building Collapses in Egypt


Sky News
Mon, 16 Jul 2012 00:00 UTC
Image
© unknown
An 11-story building under construction in Egypt has collapsed and killed people in smaller buildings around it.

The ministry said five people were injured and teams were searching on Sunday for survivors buried under rubble.

The 11-story building in the poor Alexandria neighborhood of al-Gomrouk collapsed late on Saturday onto three adjacent buildings, reducing much of the structures to rubble. All the dead and injured were in the three smaller buildings.

Building collapses are not uncommon in Egypt, where shoddy construction is widespread in shanty towns, poor city neighborhoods and rural areas.

With real estate at a premium in big cities like Alexandria and Cairo, developers seeking bigger profits frequently violate planning permits and exceed the number of storeys allowed.
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Bizarro Earth

Haiti Earthquake Camps Clearing Out; Problems Now Become Hidden

Allyn Gaestel
Los Angeles Times
Sun, 15 Jul 2012 00:00 UTC
Many Haitians displaced by the 2010 earthquake are moving to crowded homes or slums. Others fare better with a rental subsidy, but it's temporary.
Image
© Dieu Nalio Chery, Associated Press
Charles Kerby, 6, walks through what remains of the St. Therese camp, set up for people displaced by the 2010 earthquake, in Petionville, Haiti, last month.
Port-au-Prince, Haiti - Facing the crumpled remnants of the national palace, an expansive plaza is punctuated by trees, benches and statues of Haitian heroes. Students read in the shade, women gossip, children play soccer.

This serene picture in Port-au-Prince's central square might seem ordinary, but it is not. After a massive earthquake devastated Haiti's capital on Jan. 12, 2010, about 5,000 displaced people took shelter on the square, turning it into a crowded and dangerous new neighborhood.

Now, 2 1/2 years later, the plaza known as Champs de Mars has been cleared, save for a few straggling tents.

The number of displaced Haitians has dropped from 1.5 million to just under 400,000, according to the International Organization of Migration, changing the look of a capital whose landscape was defined for many months by piles of rubble and fraying tent encampments.

But the progress is largely cosmetic. Although a few camps have benefited from aid programs, a grave underlying housing shortage means that the majority of those who left the camps have disappeared into the overcrowded homes of relatives or constructed precarious shacks in hillside slums.
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Stormtrooper

Vermont State Police Trooper Arraigned for Felony Pay Padding, but no charges for Corrupt Banks!

Taylor Dobbs
VTDigger
Sat, 14 Jul 2012 00:00 UTC
Image
© Vermont State Police
James Deeghan

The Vermont State Police sergeant who allegedly defrauded the state of thousands of dollars in overtime faces two felony charges of false claims greater than $500, with a possible sentence for each of up to five years in prison or $10,000 in fines.

Chittenden County State's Attorney TJ Donovan, whose office is prosecuting the case, said it went beyond Deeghan simply claiming to work when he wasn't.

"It's not just padding a paycheck. It's fabricating events that did not occur," Donovan said.

An affidavit submitted to the Chittenden County District Court arraignment Friday allege that former Sgt. James Deeghan, 49, who has been a State Police officer since 1990, fraudulently claimed 63 hours of overtime between June 3 and June 30. A state police investigation suggests Deeghan made up entire incidents, such as three traffic tickets, two car accidents and a building alarm.

The fraudulent timesheet claims add up to $3,023.28 for the month of June, according to a report submitted by Lt. James Cruise of the State Police. Since the fraud in question took place over two separate pay periods, the state was able to bring two felony counts against Deeghan.
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Beer

State Trooper Charged with Drunken Driving While on Duty

Pamela Lehman
Pocono Record
Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:00 UTC
Pennsylvania - A state trooper was arrested Thursday night and charged with drunken driving while behind the wheel of his police cruiser, police said.

Kevin Daniel Wackley, 47, of Tamaqua, was on duty at the time of his arrest at 8 p.m. on old state Route 22 near Reservoir Road in Windsor Township, Berks County, a news release states.

Police said they received information that Wackley may be intoxicated and determined that he had been drinking, the release states.

Police did not provide Wackley's blood-alcohol level.

Wackley has been suspended pending the disposition of the investigation, state police said.

Charges against Wackley will be filed via summons, police said.

Source: MCT Information Services
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V

LAPD Clashes with Occupy Protesters at Art Walk, 19 Arrested


RT
Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:00 UTC
Image
© Reuters / Sam Mircovich
California - Police have clashed with crowds in downtown Los Angeles, where the monthly Art Walk event was being held. Officials say 4 policemen were treated for minor injuries.

The Los Angeles Times said 19 people have been arrested after a skirmish, according to local authorities.

The otherwise peaceful party night apparently turned violent, as police wearing riot gear tried to disperse members of the Occupy movement. Some 200 Occupiers joined the festivities and were writing protest slogans in chalk.
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Smoking

Anti-Smoking Fascism: Californian City Extends Smoking Ban to Include Apartments


RT
Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:00 UTC
anti-smoking
© unknown
The ability to light up a cigarette in Santa Monica is about to go up in smoke for many residents of the coastal town outside of Los Angeles. The city's board voted this week to soon impose a ban inside the homes of local tenants.

If you rent or lease your residence in Santa Monica, things could soon be very different. Tuesday's 4-2 vote means that a smoking prohibition across the city will be extended to include all newly condos and apartments for new tenants. Additionally, the legislation includes a provision that will force property owners to designate their homes as either smoking or non-, letting them decide if even their current residents - even those who have spent their life in certain properties - can continue to smoke.

"Under the proposed law, current occupants of apartments and condominiums would be able to choose either smoking or non-smoking status for their dwelling unit," city officials explain. "If a unit is designated non-smoking, then smoking would thereafter be prohibited in that unit. If a unit is vacated (including a smoking unit), the unit's designation would be non-smoking for the next occupant and thereafter."

Comment: The dangers of smoking have been overstated in the media and the benefits all but ignored. For more information read:
Let's All Light Up!
First They Came for the Smokers... And I said Nothing Because I Was Not a Smoker
Study finds smoking wards off Parkinson's disease
Nicotine helps Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Patients
Nicotine Lessens Symptoms Of Depression In Nonsmokers
Scientists Identify Brain Regions Where Nicotine Improves Attention, Other Cognitive Skills
Can Smoking be GOOD for SOME People?

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Pistol

Tragedy: 3-Year-Old Indiana Boy Accidentally Shoots, Kills Father

Sarah Eisenmenger and David Williams
Wave 3 News
Sat, 14 Jul 2012 01:45 UTC
Salem, Indiana - A father is dead after police said he was shot by his 3-year-old son.

According to Indiana State Police, around 9:55 p.m. Friday Michael Bayless, 33, was found dead in a home in the 3600 block of Vincennes Trail.

Bayless' wife, his three children and another child related to the family were home when investigators found his body.


    • Detectives and crime scene investigators stated after a preliminary investigation they believe Bayless was watching television with two of the children when the 3-year-old found Bayless' loaded handgun and accidentally shot him.

    Indiana State Police Sergeant Jerry Goodin said, "There's a lot of things we're still asking questions about and we've still go to get some answers. But, right now, really the only thing that we know is the child was able to gain access to [sic] the handgun. The handgun did discharge. It did strike Michael Bayless causing a fatal wound to him."
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    Info

    Woman Convicted of Battery for Protesting TSA Pat-Down


    RT
    Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:00 UTC
    TSA
    © unknown

    A Florida woman has learned that being a TSA agent isn't all just fun, games and genital grabbing - it can actually be quite costly. For demonstrating on an agent just how invasive those pat downs are, Carol Jean Price has been convicted of battery.

    Price, 59, was charged earlier this year after she used a hand-on approach to show a Transportation Security Administration supervisor just how intrusive the screening she had just received was. Now a jury has convicted her of battery and she is being forced to pay $500 and has received six months of probation.

    According to Price, she was stopped while attempting to fly to Cleveland, Ohio on April 20 to attend her brother's funeral when she was forced to undergo a bit too rigorous of a screening. Price says of all people, she should know - she used to work for the TSA.

    "(The screener) dug into my bra strap coming down," Price told the jury. "She also swiped the palm of her hand down the front of my breast."
          Read More...
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