Society's Child

71-year-old Georgia man dies in home explosion; several houses damaged, pushed off foundation

Raisa Habersham
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tue, 07 Feb 2017 19:43 UTC

Edgar Brummett had a lot to be thankful for. The 71-year-old had just celebrated his birthday a week and a half earlier.

"He had 71 shots for his birthday, instead of blowing out 71 candles," daughter Ginevra Boyes told Channel 2 Action News.

On Friday, the beloved grandfather died in a White County home explosion when he went to check on the heat after the furnace went out. The explosion reportedly damaged seven homes in the area and pushed some off their foundation.

"Losing the house and all of our grandparents' belongings was one thing," granddaughter Katie McDonald told Channel 2, "but when you lose a loved one, the stuff doesn't even matter anymore."

According to officials, a propane gas leak inside the home led to the explosion along 64 Rhododendron Lane in the unincorporated Sautee Nacoochee community. All indications are that the leak came from inside the home, according to David Murphy, the White County director of public safety.

Irish Data Protection Commissioner challenges Facebook over personal data transfer

RT
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 15:59 UTC

The transfer of user's personal information by Facebook from the European Union to the US faces another legal hurdle. The Irish Data Protection Commissioner (IDPC) has started the referral process to Europe's top court.

Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon wants the EU Court of Justice to determine the validity of Facebook's "model contracts" that are represented by common legal arrangements used by thousands of firms to move personal data outside the bloc.

Dixon suggests some of the complaints against the model contracts are "well founded," according to Michael Collins, a lawyer for the commissioner.

Tests reveal lead in drinking water at New York school higher than in Flint, Michigan

RT
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 16:02 UTC

A public school in the Bronx has been found to have 16 times the level of lead in its water supply than was recorded in Flint, Michigan, according to recent Department of Education (DOE) tests.

The tests were carried out by the DOE in conjunction with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Two schools, P.S.41 and I.S.158, had lead levels exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency's 'action level' threshold. The threshold, of 15 parts per billion, was passed multiple times by both schools, with P.S .41 faring particularly badly.

Five faucets at the school tested more than 100 ppb, with one a staggering 442 ppb. I.S.158 fared better with the highest level of lead coming in at 63.8 ppb. To put this into context, during the Flint crisis 90 percent of homes tested had a lead rating of 27 ppb.

Majority of Europeans say Muslim immigration should be stopped

RT
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 15:48 UTC

More than 55 percent of Europeans say that immigration from Muslim-majority countries should be stopped, a poll from a London-based think tank says.

The poll, carried out by the Royal Institute of International Affairs, also known as Chatham House, a group which analyzes major international issues and current affairs, was released on Tuesday.

More than 10,000 people from 10 European states took part in the survey. The respondents were given the following statement: "All further migration from mainly Muslim countries should be stopped."

San Francisco reaches deal for free tuition at City College

Nanette Asimov
SF Gate
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 15:37 UTC

City College of San Francisco will be free of charge to all city residents under a deal announced Monday by Mayor Ed Lee and Supervisor Jane Kim that college trustees hope will lead to an enrollment jolt and more state funding for the school.

Under the agreement, which is expected to take effect in the fall, the city will pay $5.4 million a year to buy out the $46-a-credit fee usually paid by students.

The city's contribution will also provide $250 a semester to full-time, low-income students who already receive a state-funded fee waiver. They will be able to use the money to pay for books, transportation, school supplies and health fees. Part-time students with fee waivers will get $100 a semester for the same purpose.

"Now we can say to California resident students that your City College is free," Lee said at a City Hall news conference with Kim, City College trustees, faculty members, acting Chancellor Susan Lamb and others. "This is a good story."

France shocked by death of 5yo boy beaten by stepfather for bedwetting

RT
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 05:02 UTC

The shocking death of a 5-year-old boy who was found near the side of a town canal only in socks and underwear with multiple head fractures has stirred the French media. The boy is said to have been cruelly punished by his stepfather for wetting the bed.

The incident took place in the commune of Aire-sur-la-Lys, located in northern French Pas-de-Calais department at about 2:45am on Monday. The boy, identified as Yanis, was found some 200 meters from the house of his stepfather, 30, and his mother, 22, police said, Le Parisien newspaper reports. La Voix Du Nord newspaper, however, reported that the house belonged to the boys' stepfather and his mother lived at a different place.

The couple, which had not been known to police before, were unemployed. Married since August 2015, they did not have any other children.

Rescuers from CODIS (Departmental Operational Center of Fire and Rescue) who arrived at the scene of the incident said the boy died of "cardiac arrest." Police stated that the stepfather alerted them about the incident, saying that the child was found unconscious.

The child's parents were taken for questioning on suspicion of "voluntary violence causing death without intention" into police custody in near-by Saint-Omer commune, police said. French media cited sources as saying the boy had a broken nose and traces of old injuries.

15,000 homeless after Philippines slum devastated by fire

RT
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 15:30 UTC

Residents look on as a fire destroys hundreds of houses Manila

© Noel Celis / AFP
Residents look on as a fire destroys hundreds of houses at an informal settlers community in Delpan, Tondo, Manila on February 7, 2017.

A massive blaze at an overcrowded slum in the Philippines capital of Manila, has left at least 15,000 people homeless.

The fire swept through the shanty town after breaking out in the Parola Compound near the city's port late Tuesday night. It raged for 10 hours into Wednesday morning, according to authorities cited by Reuters.

Hundreds of firefighters fought to contain the flames. Seven people were injured in the rapidly-spreading blaze, according to fire officer Edilberto Cruz.

"The houses in that place are all (made of) light materials. That is why the fire was quick to spread. We are just lucky that no-one was killed," he said, as reported by AFP.

Professors at Indiana University call FBI, investigates white supremacy fliers found on campuses nationwide

RT
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 14:30 UTC

Professors of color at Indiana University (IU) contacted the FBI after their office doors were littered with fliers from a white supremacy group.

The fliers were "posted under cover of darkness" by a group that identifies itself with white supremacy, according to a statement released on Monday by IU's Provost and Executive Vice President, Lauren Robel.

The fliers were posted on office doors, and specifically targeted "faculty members of color or scholars of race and ethnicity," Robel said, adding that they were posted to "intimidate, threaten, scare, and provoke anger among faculty, staff, students and visitors."

Charlie Geyh, a law professor at IU, responded to the incident on Facebook, calling the fliers "burning crosses for the 21st century."

Comment: It would be interesting to know who's behind "Identity Evropa."

Homeland Security arrests South Carolina deputy for soliciting child pornography

WNCN
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 14:34 UTC

A Spartanburg County sheriff's deputy has been arrested by Homeland Security, according to the Sheriff's Office.

On Tuesday, January 31 the Sheriff's Office was alerted by the Department of Homeland Security about an investigation that involved Chris Wilbanks and inappropriate communication with a juvenile in another state.

Sergeant Wilbanks was arrested Friday as part of that ongoing investigation into child pornography, according to the Sheriff's Office. Wilbanks was arraigned in federal court on Monday morning. He faces a charge of intention to induce or coerce a minor into a sexually explicit act with the purpose of producing a visual depiction of the conduct. In the hearing, Assistant William Wilkins says the former deputy attempted to get pictures from the minor between January 2 and 4th.

Court documents show an 11-year-old girl in Washington state was taken to the police department after her mother discovered that the girl was sending nude photos to a person over the app Kik.

An investigation revealed that the 11-year-old girl had been speaking with a user by the name of "Redneck Rick" on Kik who claimed to be a 14-year-old boy in her class. Conversations on the Kik app between the girl and "Redneck Rick" revealed that he was asking the girl to send him pictures of her naked so he could see how "fit her body was."

Centre shuts health mission gate on Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Economic Times
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 14:53 UTC

The Centre has shut the gate on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on a critical national health mission, and possible conflict of interest issues arising from the foundation's "ties" with pharmaceutical companies is one of the reasons.

All financial ties of the country's apex immunisation advisory body, National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), with the Gates Foundation have been cut off.

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Society's Child

71-year-old Georgia man dies in home explosion; several houses damaged, pushed off foundation

Irish Data Protection Commissioner challenges Facebook over personal data transfer

Tests reveal lead in drinking water at New York school higher than in Flint, Michigan

Majority of Europeans say Muslim immigration should be stopped

San Francisco reaches deal for free tuition at City College

France shocked by death of 5yo boy beaten by stepfather for bedwetting

15,000 homeless after Philippines slum devastated by fire

Professors at Indiana University call FBI, investigates white supremacy fliers found on campuses nationwide

Homeland Security arrests South Carolina deputy for soliciting child pornography

Centre shuts health mission gate on Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

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