Society's Child

Putin's a hit in Japan: Sales of Putin calendars through the roof at Japanese chain store

Sputnik
Fri, 27 Jan 2017 17:06 UTC

Japanese chain store Loft has a hit on its hands after publishing 2017 souvenir calendars featuring the Russian leader. The immense popularity of the calendar reflects the growing public interest towards Vladimir Putin's personality amid excitement both before and as a result of his visit in December 2016.

Loft started selling Putin calendars exclusively since August after receiving customer inquiries amid increasing media coverage of Putin's expected visit to Japan in December 2016, The Japan Timesreported. Until 2017 the calendar has been unavailable in other stores across the country.

The calendar is in eight languages, including English and Japanese, and was officially authorized by the Russian government and produced by Mednyi Vsadnik, a Saint Petersburg-based printing firm.

Cop Who Gave Homeless Man a Sh*t Sandwich, Fired for His Disgusting, Vile Act

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Fri, 27 Jan 2017 00:00 UTC

In November, the Free Thought Project brought you the disgusting story of a San Antonio cop defecating on a piece of bread and giving it to a homeless man as food. For making a literal sh*t sandwich,San Antonio police officer Matthew Lockhurst was fired. However, the Free Thought Project has just learned that Lockhurst was involved in yet another feces related 'prank' — after the sh*t sandwich.

"It was a disgusting, vile act — that, there is no excuse; there is no explaining it; there is no justification," San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told KOMO News after the termination of an officer for, quite literally, giving a homeless man a sh*t sandwich.

"It's a disgrace to the department, it's a disgrace to the badge," McManus continued.

In May, Officer Matthew Luckhurst inexplicably thought it would be humorous to place feces in between two slices of bread and offer it to a likely-starving homeless person in a styrofoam takeout box, and then boast of this 'prank' to his partner.

Comment: See also: Cop tased homeless man as he was surrendering

New York moves to acquire facial recognition camera system at bridges, tunnels

Kevin Collier
Vocativ
Fri, 27 Jan 2017 09:27 UTC

Proposal obtained by Vocativ asks for surveillance at nine NYC 'crossing points'

The state of New York has privately asked surveillance companies to pitch a vast camera system that would scan and identify people who drive in and out of New York City, according to a December memo obtained by Vocativ.

The call for private companies to submit plans is part of Governor Andrew Cuomo's major infrastructure package, which he introduced in October. Though much of the related proposals would be indisputably welcome to most New Yorkers — renovating airports and improving public transportation — a little-noticed detail included installing cameras to "test emerging facial recognition software and equipment."

"This is a highly advanced system they're asking for," said Clare Garvie, a law fellow at Georgetown University's Center for Privacy and Technology, and who specializes in police use of face recognition technologies. "This is going to be terabytes — if not petabytes — of data, and multiple cameras running 24 hours a day. In order to be face recognition compliant they probably have to be pretty high definition."

German publisher Joffe: Murder in the White House would be easiest way to stop "Trump catastrophe"

RT
Fri, 27 Jan 2017 16:29 UTC

A German editor-publisher said that "murder in the White House" would be the easiest way to stop the "Trump catastrophe" as official impeachment through the US Congress would be too difficult.

Josef Joffe, editor and publisher of the left-leaning German newspaper Die Zeit, made the remarks during an episode of the 'Presse club' show on public broadcaster ARD on Wednesday.

The show featured questions from viewers, with one calling in to ask the panel if it was possible to impeach President Donald Trump and thus end what she called the "Trump catastrophe."

"Is there still a way out of the Trump catastrophe? Is there a legal possible scenario or a passage in the Constitution which would lead to his removal from office?" the viewer asked.

'Self-Defense': Cop Claims He Punched Handcuffed 14yo Girl in the Face Twice After She Spit On Him

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Thu, 26 Jan 2017 00:00 UTC

On Monday, a St. Paul police officer was charged with misdemeanor assault after he punched a handcuffed child in the face twice while she was getting placed in the back of his squad car.

Officer Michael Soucheray II has been placed on administrative duty after punching the 14-year-old girl for allegedly spitting on him. The 14-year-old was at the East Side shelter for girls when police responded to a call of a suicidal girl.

According to the criminal complaint, as reported by WCCO, officers were trying to take the girl to a hospital because she was reportedly suicidal, but she refused to go and became agitated, screaming and at one point going limp.

Because the girl, who was clearly in the midst of a psychological crisis, refused to get into an ambulance, police force was escalated.

Comment: See also: 'They killed the wrong guy': Cops respond to home invasion and kill homeowner

'Armed march' planned by Black Panthers in Wilmington

Hannah DelaCourt and Adam Wagner
Star News
Fri, 27 Jan 2017 15:51 UTC

The Revolutionary Black Panther Party of Wilmington raised concerns among local officials this week when it announced its plans to host an "armed human rights march and armed freedom ride" Sunday in Wilmington.

Mayor Bill Saffo is concerned about attendees possibly being armed, but is confident Sunday's march will pass without incident.

"I don't think there's a reason to come armed to an event. ... If there's an altercation with somebody, in the heat of the moment a tragedy could happen," Saffo said, adding, "If you want to picket or you want to demonstrate in the City of Wilmington, it's your right to do that, but you're not allowed to bring a gun."

Actor commits suicide on Facebook Live following arrest on sexual assault charges

Sputnik
Fri, 27 Jan 2017 15:39 UTC

A 33-year-old actor committed suicide on Facebook Live Monday morning, reported the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Frederick Jay Bowdy shot himself in the head before a live web audience following an arrest the week prior for sexual assault.

Bowdy, livestreaming from inside his car, told viewers that he intended to kill himself. One, a family member of Bowdy's, alerted the LAPD but Bowdy was already dead by the time they arrived.

The video has been removed by Facebook. "We take our responsibility to keep people safe on Facebook very seriously and work with organizations around the world to provide assistance for people in distress," the social media site wrote in a statement. "Our Community Standards regulate what kinds of content can be shared on Facebook."

The footage horrified those who saw it. "His voice. His pain. His tears. Everything he said. The sound of him pulling that trigger and hearing his blood pouring messed me up," wrote one viewer. "I will NEVER forget that sound. Shook me to my core."

Comment: This continues a disturbing trend of extremely violent acts being live-streamed on the internet:

War and violence costs world economy almost $14 trillion a year

RT
Fri, 27 Jan 2017 15:20 UTC

© Khalil Ashawi / Reuters
A girl plays near rubble of damaged buildings in al-Rai town, northern Aleppo countryside, Syria

The economic impact of violence and conflict to the global economy was $13.6 trillion in 2015, according to a report from the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). The figure is equivalent to 13.3 percent of the world GDP, it said.

"While the devastating human suffering caused by war is the most obvious impact, the long-term cost to the economy can be crippling for a region's infrastructure and stability," IEP said in its Economic Value of Peace report.

The figures in the report are expressed in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.

Supposed 'gag order' on USDA scientists came from within, not Trump administration

Jeffrey Mervis
Science Insider
Thu, 26 Jan 2017 00:00 UTC

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's research center in Beltsville, Maryland.

Don't blame this one on the Trump administration.

In a bungled attempt to anticipate the wishes of their new political bosses, the U.S. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) on Monday imposed what was widely interpreted as a gag order on its scientists communicating with the public. But a senior ARS official tells ScienceInsider that it was a poorly worded effort by career officials—not anyone appointed by Trump—to remind employees of a longstanding U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) policy on clearing statements that have policy relevance with senior officials before releasing them.

The statement was rescinded the next day after a flurry of media reports accused the new Trump administration of attempting to still the voice of scientists at ARS.

Christopher Bentley, ARS's communications chief in Beltsville, Maryland, blames himself for the wording in a two-sentence staff memo declaring that "until further notice, ARS will not release any public-facing documents." Bentley says the memo, issued by Chief of Staff Sharon Drumm, used the wrong phrase to describe what is standard operating practice at USDA. (Both Bentley and Drumm are career civil servants; indeed, ARS has no political appointees, not even ARS Administrator Chavonda Jacobs-Young.)

Charges dropped against woman after cop's body cam footage shows him using excessive force and kicking woman's 15yo daughter

RT
Fri, 27 Jan 2017 15:01 UTC

Video footage of a racially-charged arrest in Texas shows the police officer used excessive force and indicates he falsified details of the incident in his official statement. In response to the leak, the charges against Jacqueline Craig were dropped.

Through what he called a trusted source, Lee Merritt, Craig's attorney, obtained police body camera footage of the December 21 arrest. The arrest occurred after Craig called police to report that a neighbor had assaulted her young son.

Video of the arrest captured by Craig's 19-year-old daughter was immediately posted on Facebook Live and went viral. The newly released video from the arresting cop's bodycam shows him kicking Craig's 15 year-old daughter.

Merritt's previous requests of the Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD) for that video had gone unfulfilled. In addition, Merritt accessed FWPD documents related to the arrest. The video and documentation were given to various news outlets including The Root, which released the materials early Thursday.

In response to the leak, Fort Worth authorities have dropped all charges against Craig and her 19-year-old daughter, Brea Hymond. The city also announced that the neighbor, Itamar Vardi, will be charged with a Class C misdemeanor assault charge, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Merritt had previously called for the neighbor to be charged with felony assault.

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Society's Child

Putin's a hit in Japan: Sales of Putin calendars through the roof at Japanese chain store

Cop Who Gave Homeless Man a Sh*t Sandwich, Fired for His Disgusting, Vile Act

New York moves to acquire facial recognition camera system at bridges, tunnels

German publisher Joffe: Murder in the White House would be easiest way to stop "Trump catastrophe"

'Self-Defense': Cop Claims He Punched Handcuffed 14yo Girl in the Face Twice After She Spit On Him

'Armed march' planned by Black Panthers in Wilmington

Actor commits suicide on Facebook Live following arrest on sexual assault charges

War and violence costs world economy almost $14 trillion a year

Supposed 'gag order' on USDA scientists came from within, not Trump administration

Charges dropped against woman after cop's body cam footage shows him using excessive force and kicking woman's 15yo daughter

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