Society's Child

UK security services 'accidentally' delete biometric records of potential terror suspects

RT
Fri, 27 May 2016 19:01 UTC

british police deleter terrorists biometric profiles

© Monty Rakusen/Getty Images/Cultura RF
Fingerprints being analysed in a laboratory. Officers failed to meet deadlines in the paper trail that would have allowed them to store the data, which meant it was deleted six months after it was collected.

Police have accidentally deleted the DNA and fingerprint evidence of up to 800 terror suspects due to an administrative error.

The important material was accidentally thrown out because the correct paperwork had not been submitted, according to a report by the Telegraph.

Current rules state that evidence must be destroyed after six months if the subject has committed no offence.

However, special legislation allows for the information to be kept indefinitely if an application is made to have it deemed of national security importance. In this case the application was not submitted on time and the material was destroyed.

The error first came to light in March when it was reported only 450 files were affected, but a new report says the number of lost samples could be as high as 810.

Biometrics Commissioner Alastair MacGregor QC told the BBC on Friday that up to 108 files would have been approved for indefinite retention on national security grounds.

Terror spree in Tartus and Jableh, Syria, survivors tell story

RT
Wed, 25 May 2016 04:59 UTC

A series of blasts that struck the Syrian coastal cities of Jableh and Tartus left a trail of over 140 dead on Monday. As medics fought to help survivors live, RT managed to talk to some of those injured in the gruesome terror attack.

Four car bombs and three suicide bombers shook the relatively peaceful existence of the two Mediterranean cities, known for their loyalty to Damascus. According to the Syrian foreign ministry, terrorists first detonated a car bomb at the main bus station in Tartus, which was immediately followed by two suicide bomb explosions, one inside the bus station and the other in a nearby residential neighborhood.

At least 48 people were killed in Tartous on Monday. Visiting the site of the bus terminal atrocities, an RT Arabic crew managed to view firsthand the scene of the extensive destruction, noting that many of those killed and injured had been school children or university students.

Machine bias: Flawed computer algorithm used throughout U.S. to predict future criminals is biased against blacks

Julia Angwin, Jeff Larson, Surya Mattu and Lauren Kirchner
ProPublica
Mon, 23 May 2016 00:00 UTC

On a spring afternoon in 2014, Brisha Borden was running late to pick up her god-sister from school when she spotted an unlocked kid's blue Huffy bicycle and a silver Razor scooter. Borden and a friend grabbed the bike and scooter and tried to ride them down the street in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Coral Springs.

Just as the 18-year-old girls were realizing they were too big for the tiny conveyances — which belonged to a 6-year-old boy — a woman came running after them saying, "That's my kid's stuff." Borden and her friend immediately dropped the bike and scooter and walked away.

But it was too late — a neighbor who witnessed the heist had already called the police. Borden and her friend were arrested and charged with burglary and petty theft for the items, which were valued at a total of $80.

Compare their crime with a similar one: The previous summer, 41-year-old Vernon Prater was picked up for shoplifting $86.35 worth of tools from a nearby Home Depot store.

Prater was the more seasoned criminal. He had already been convicted of armed robbery and attempted armed robbery, for which he served five years in prison, in addition to another armed robbery charge. Borden had a record, too, but it was for misdemeanors committed when she was a juvenile.

Yet something odd happened when Borden and Prater were booked into jail: A computer program spat out a score predicting the likelihood of each committing a future crime. Borden — who is black — was rated a high risk. Prater — who is white — was rated a low risk.

Two years later, we know the computer algorithm got it exactly backward. Borden has not been charged with any new crimes. Prater is serving an eight-year prison term for subsequently breaking into a warehouse and stealing thousands of dollars' worth of electronics.

Comment:

KoreanAir jet catches fire just before takeoff at Japan's Haneda Airport

RT
Fri, 27 May 2016 06:06 UTC

© Kyodo / Reuters
Firefighters spray foam at the engine of a Korean Air Lines plane after smoke rose from it at Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan, May 27, 2016

A dramatic rescue has taken place on a runway at Tokyo's Haneda Airport after one of KoreanAir Boeing's engines caught fire just before taking off.

Social media has been flooded with photos and videos showing the plane being sprayed with foam by fire trucks and crowds of passengers gathered next to the runway.

The incident took place as Flight 2708 was preparing to head to Seoul. At least two fire trucks arrived to battle the flames, Japanese television reported. It also showed emergency chutes and the plane surrounded by white foam.

All 302 passengers and 17 crew members were safely evacuated from the jet.

According to Kyosuke Okada, a government official assigned to Haneda, the cause of the incident is as yet unknown.

The authorities had to temporarily halt flights at Haneda Airport, which is the fifth busiest in the world. In 2015, it served over 75 million passengers.

Comment: Some other aircraft related incidents in recent times include: Planes suddenly 'disappearing' from radar, sometimes in "unprecedented" blackouts; more planes diverting due to "electrical burning and smoke smells", dramatic evacuations following 'catastrophic' engine failure, "engine fires" and plane wings "bursting into flames".

Judge breaks rank by sentencing nonviolent drug offender to probation instead of prison

Justin Gardner
The Free Thought Project
Fri, 27 May 2016 16:17 UTC

It appears that America has awakened to the problem of mass incarceration - an issue underscored by the fact that the U.S. holds less than 5 percent of the world's population but houses about 22 percent of the world's prisoners. Congress is now making a token effort at criminal justice reform, including the reduction of mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent offenders, but even this faces opposition from the most fervent police state crusaders.

In the face of inaction, one New York judge is stepping outside the box to breathe life into a much-needed national debate. Judge Frederick Block of the Federal District Court chose not to send a woman to prison who was convicted of felony drug charges, instead sentencing her to probation.

Block said that the plethora of collateral consequences that people face after being convicted—amounting to 50,000 federal and state statutes—serve "no useful function other than to further punish criminal defendants after they have completed their court-imposed sentences."

Brought to you by NATO: Terrifying migrant boat disaster witnessed as orphaned baby steals Italy's heart

RT
Thu, 26 May 2016 15:28 UTC

The Italian Navy has released dramatic footage of a rescue off the coast of Libya where they brought 562 migrants to safety after their overcrowded boat capsized.

The fishing vessel overturned Wednesday when migrants reportedly rushed to one side after spotting the naval boat nearby. At least five people are believed to have died in the tragedy.

The Italian navy patrol boat Bettica responded to a call for help made by a satellite phone some 18 nautical miles off Libya, according to The Local.

As the rescue boat approached the migrants to prove them with life jackets, the sudden push of passengers caused the vessel to overturn.

A helicopter and several rubber boats were deployed in the rescue operation.

The video shows the migrants swimming for life jackets and buoys, and later being pulled to safety.

Comment: These tragedies would not be occurring without NATO's war on the world:

Transgender activist dies after being shot 8 times and denied treatment at hospital

Sarah K. Burris
Raw Story
Thu, 26 May 2016 17:04 UTC

Sunday night, Alesha, a 23-year-old transgender District Coordinator for TransAction in northern Pakistan, was attacked and shot eight times, according to a Facebook post from the organization. Her friends rushed her to the hospital, but doctors wouldn't treat her and she died Wednesday morning.

"Congratulations KP Govt," TransAction posted. "The TransAction Board Member and the district coordinator of the transgender Provincial Alliance Alesha died in LRH because she never received intensive medical attention."

The hospital told them that no bed was available for her.

TransAction posted that the gang that shot Alesha is known for targeting members of the transgender community, The Washington Post reports. At times, they have sexually assaulted transgender people and recorded the crime on video.

Stunt patrol: US Special Ops Forces stage a 'raid in search of pirates', Tampa, FL

RT
Fri, 27 May 2016 03:57 UTC

United States Special Operations Forces descended from buildings, jumped from a Black Hawk helicopter and fired shots as they ambushed downtown Tampa, Florida, where 'pirates' had 'captured' the mayor. The stunt even took place in broad daylight. The rescue effort on was to test readiness in a crisis situation by carrying out a 30-minute drill exercise during the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference in the central Florida city Wednesday.

"To come here and showcase frankly was a little easier. It was daylight. Everything was on our terms, good weather, no bad guys; the manatees didn't interfere, no lightning, but the interoperability was already," Special Forces Lt. Col. Chris Robeshaw told reporters, according to WFLA.

Joining US Special Operations forces in the exercise were Navy SEALS, Marine Raiders and Army Green Berets, plus members from 15 other nations including Ireland and Jordan, many in make-up and disguises.

"You are just humbled to be amongst them. This is a great demo, but this is serious business for them," said rescued Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn who was captured by pirates in the scenario told WFLA. The Washington Post reported "role players, dressed in black and carrying Kalashnikovs, feigned gunshot wounds as the coalition of commandos swooped in."

Comment: The military 'dog and pony' show, aimed at curving public opinion, looks great in daylight with no opposition or obstacles, no blood or gore, a Tampa movie set with a typically law enforcement-level scenario. This demo is in essence a slick, subliminal message for civilians to remain a non-reactionary, asleep population, unwilling to rise to the task of self-defense, unwilling to challenge the PTB and NWO. If you train where you intend to fight, expect Special Ops covert forces in urban USA.

Anonymous on the warpath: Hack attacks hit New York Stock Exchange, World Bank, The Fed and Vatican, total media blackout

Jay Syrmopoulos
Activist Post
Thu, 26 May 2016 00:00 UTC

Amidst a global media blackout of Anonymous' ongoing worldwide attacks on the "corrupt banking cartels," the hacking collective has now taken down some of the most prestigious institutions in global governance. OpIcarus has recently taken offline the World Bank, the New York Stock Exchange, five U.S. Federal Reserve Banks and the Vatican.

Just say no to idiocy: Common Core opt-out movement is growing

TJ Martinell
Tenth Amendment Center
Tue, 24 May 2016 20:32 UTC

Nationwide opposition to Common Core is on the rise, and more and more students and parents are choosing to opt-out on their own. According to a story by U.S. News & World Report over half a million school-aged children opted out of Common Core standardized testing last year. In New York around a fifth of students simply didn't take the tests.

In November 2013, Federal Education Secretary Arne Duncan attributed opposition to Common Core to "white suburban moms" who discovered that "all of a sudden, their child isn't as brilliant as they thought they were and their school isn't quite as good as they thought."

Like so many federal bureaucrats, Duncan was dead wrong, as USA News reports the opt-out movement reflects widespread distaste crossing demographic lines:

Comment: See also:

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Orwik

Jut for laffs here's George Carlin doing a spoof as the Architect in the Matrix: [Link] * BTW, this just came out today: Leonard Cohen - Puppets...

parzival

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.. .. jUS Con gress shid show [Link] Let's go pfhizer [Link]

Jibrish

Society's Child

UK security services 'accidentally' delete biometric records of potential terror suspects

Terror spree in Tartus and Jableh, Syria, survivors tell story

Machine bias: Flawed computer algorithm used throughout U.S. to predict future criminals is biased against blacks

KoreanAir jet catches fire just before takeoff at Japan's Haneda Airport

Judge breaks rank by sentencing nonviolent drug offender to probation instead of prison

Brought to you by NATO: Terrifying migrant boat disaster witnessed as orphaned baby steals Italy's heart

Transgender activist dies after being shot 8 times and denied treatment at hospital

Stunt patrol: US Special Ops Forces stage a 'raid in search of pirates', Tampa, FL

Anonymous on the warpath: Hack attacks hit New York Stock Exchange, World Bank, The Fed and Vatican, total media blackout

Just say no to idiocy: Common Core opt-out movement is growing

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