Society's ChildS

Ambulance

Video shows terrifying last seconds of Mexico plane crash

durango airport plane crash
A passenger has shared the recording of what appear to be the last seconds of Aeromexico Flight 2431 and the panic that followed the crash. The man, a Christian pastor, also appeared to accuse authorities of a cover-up.

The video shows the Embraer 190 jet with 103 on board trying to take off in a rainstorm at Durango airport, failing to achieve altitude, and crashing back down, several hundred yards beyond the runway, all in a matter of seconds.

During the two-minute clip, a scream can be heard in the background, even before the plane has finished its takeoff, and after the camera juts following the crash, there are loud calls to God, and more urgent instructions of "Open the Door!"

Shoe

Missing college student one of dozens to disappear this month in Iowa

Mollie Tibbetts
© FacebookMissing student Mollie Tibbetts
A 20-year-old college student missing in Iowa is one of 48 young people who have vanished in the state this month, according to reports.

The seemingly alarming number of missing persons cases has sparked widespread panic on social media and a flood of conspiracy theories as the search intensifies for Mollie Tibbetts, who was last seen July 19.

"40 people have gone missing in Iowa in 10 days. 40. People. How is this possible ?!!!!!!!!!!!?!" posted one person on Facebook, adding: "keep tabs on your friends and family, be aware of everything and everyone around you."

Added Heather Loshaw in a local Facebook group: "WTH is going on here?? Be careful out there please."

"Don't think it can't happen to you," warned Shannon Kelly on Twitter, in a post that was shared thousands of times. "It's happening across rural and urban Iowa."

The Iowa Department of Public Safety has received many calls about the missing persons statistics since Tibbetts' disappearance, the Argus Leader reported.

Comment: More from Inside Edition:
Investigators are hoping electronic data from a physical activity device will help them find 20-year-old college student Mollie Tibbetts, who vanished last week in Iowa while jogging at night.

The avid runner always wore a Fitbit, which tracks steps and distance traveled, as well as other information. Tibbetts was seen by neighbors near her boyfriend's home on July 18. Her brother had dropped her off in the small town of Brooklyn, where she was dog-sitting for her boyfriend, Dalton Jack, who was out of town on a construction job. Police have said he is not a suspect.

Federal investigators are helping local law enforcement agencies comb through massive amounts of electronic data obtained from Tibbetts' Fitbit, cellphone and social media accounts.

"We are getting a lot of information back from that process. We are very hopeful with the electronic data we are getting back," said Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, according to the Des Moines Register. "We are relying on the FBI heavily because it's an ever-changing world in technology."

But as the days pass, Mortvedt said, "it's more and more suspicious to us."

Jack told the Register Tibbetts sent him a Snapchat message on the night she disappeared, which he opened about 10 p.m., he said. The image she posted looked like it had been taken indoors, he said.

Investigators say the missing woman is a creature of habit and they are searching the routes she used for her runs and interviewing residents who lived in those areas.



Laptop

Spotify removes podcasts of 'The Alex Jones Show' citing 'hate content'

Alex Jones Spotify ban
© AP
The music streaming service Spotify says it has removed some episodes of "The Alex Jones Show" podcast for violating its hate content policy. The move followed a backlash on social media.

"We take reports of hate content seriously and review any podcast episode or song that is flagged by our community," the company said in a statement late Wednesday.

"Spotify can confirm it has removed specific episodes of 'The Alex Jones Show' podcast for violating our hate content policy," it said.

Most "Infowars" Spotify content from Jones, an Austin, Texas-based radio host and conspiracy theorist, appears to still be available.

Comment: Facebook has also banned Jones for 30 days stating his posts are 'bullying, hate speech'.


Handcuffs

GE engineer charged with stealing trade secrets he encrypted into a photograph

Xiaoqing Zheng
© The Daily GazetteXiaoqing Zheng
Xiaoqing Zheng, 55, a US citizen with interests in several Chinese businesses - some state-funded - has been charged with stealing troves of General Electric data using sophisticated encryption. He faces up to 10 years in jail.

FBI agents handling the engineer's case say it is the first time they have seen a suspect using this method of encryption, "uncommon even among trained computer professionals," to cover his tracks.

The complaint alleges the man employed "elaborate and sophisticated means" to obtain General Electric files relating to turbine technologies, and that Zheng used "steganography to hide data files belonging to GE into an innocuous looking digital picture of a sunset" before sending this image, containing 40 coded files, to his Hotmail address. The image was allegedly accompanied with a rather obvious reminder to himself - "nice view to keep" - as the subject line.

Red Flag

National Geographic admits viral photo of polar bear dying from "climate change" was fake news

climate change fake news
One year later, National Geographic has finally admitted to facilitating "fake news" regarding climate change. The magazine's most viral video ever, which featured heart-wrenching images of a starving polar bear, perpetuated the narrative that the animal's imminent death was caused by climate change. However, the climate change aspect of the story is void of any real evidence.

"We had lost control of the narrative," admitted Cristina Mittermeier, the photographer of the polar bear. Mittermeier explained the climate change deception in a piece titled "Starving-Polar-Bear Photographer Recalls What Went Wrong" for the magazine's August issue.

Mittermeier conceded that the images of the bony, emaciated polar bear were meant to sound an alarm about climate change, though she complains that people took the image "literally."

Pistol

Man arrested after leaving firearm, ammunition in car parked near US Capitol

US Capitol dome
© The Hill
Police arrested a man on Thursday who had a weapon and ammunition in his vehicle, which had been left parked near the Capitol.

A Capitol Police spokesperson said in a release that officers made the discovery during "routine parking enforcement" along the 300 block of New Jersey Avenue. Authorities did not find any evidence showing a link to terrorism.

Shortly after 9 a.m., officers received consent to search the car and discovered a weapon, ammunition and other items, Capitol Police said. The owner was arrested and charges are pending.


UFO

'Coast to Coast AM' radio host Art Bell dies at 72 (Update)

Art Bell
ยฉ Las Vegas Review Journal
Art Bell seen at his home in Pahrump in 1996.
He was awake when most of the country was asleep, cultivating a loyal following while sharing his fascination with the unexplained on his nighttime paranormal-themed show.

For the better part of two decades, longtime late-night radio personality Art Bell was his own producer, engineer and host of his show, "Coast to Coast AM." He later launched his own satellite radio program from his Pahrump home after retiring from full-time hosting duties in 2003.

On the airwaves, Bell captivated listeners with his fascination for the unexplained, such as UFOs, alien abductions and crop circles. He died Friday at his home at the age of 72.

Comment: Coast to Coast AM was an institution and Art Bell will surely be missed.

Here's a rather famous clip from Coast to Coast AM from 1997:


Update: August 1, 2018


The Las Vegas Review Journal reports that Art Bell died of an accidental drug overdose:
The coroner's office determined he had four prescription medications in his system: the opioid oxycodone, the analgesic hydrocodone, diazepam, often marketed as Valium, and carisoprodol, a muscle-relaxant. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hypertension contributed to his death, the coroner's office said.



Laptop

Three Ukrainians arrested for 'massive' hacking attack on US companies

hacker
© Shutterstock
Three Ukrainian men have been arrested for allegedly hacking more than 100 U.S. companies and stealing millions of customer records, U.S. officials say.

The Justice Department on August 1 alleged that the men are associated with the hacking group FIN7 and that they were arrested earlier this year in Europe.

The suspects, Fedir Hladyr, 33, Dmytro Fedorov, 44, and Andriy Kolpakov, 30, were arrested between January and June, said the Justice Department, which accused them of being members of a "sophisticated international cybercrime group" called FIN7.

It added that Hladyr was arrested in Dresden, Germany, and is being held in Seattle, Washington, ahead of trial.

Fedorov was arrested in Bielsko-Biala, Poland, while Kopakov is being detained in Spain, both pending extradition procedures initiated by the United States.

Quenelle - Golden

Courageous and persistent: Ahed Tamimi vows to continue fighting for Palestine, would risk going to jail again

ahed tamimi released
© Screen shot / YouTubeAhed Tamimi at a press conference after her release from prison.
Iconic young activist Ahed Tamimi told RT she will continue to fight for the Palestinian cause, despite the hardships she faced in an Israeli military prison. Tamimi said she would risk going to jail again for her country.

The teenager, who has become a symbol of Palestinian resistance and was even called the Palestinian Joan of Arc, was released from prison on Sunday after serving eight months for confronting IDF soldiers.

"I hope nobody ever goes through what I went through. But I'm glad I ended up there for my beliefs," the 17-year-old activist told RT Arabic. "And I'm ready to go to prison a hundred more times if it serves the good of my country."


Comment: The wisdom Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi learned in colonial Israeli prison


Bad Guys

South Africa's land expropriation law: Will it be devastating for the country?

Cyril Ramaphosa
© Mike Hutchings / ReutersSouth African President Cyril Ramaphosa
The proposed amendment to the South African constitution that will see farmers' land seized without compensation will scare away foreign investors and imperil food security, the head of Transvaal Agricultural Union told RT.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Tuesday that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) would formally introduce an amendment into the parliament that would legalize the redistribution of land, most of which has been owned by the country's white minority since the 1600s.

Ramaphosa cited the overwhelming support the controversial proposal received at public hearings, arguing that the expropriations would "unlock economic growth" and "bring more land in South Africa to full use."

Bennie Van Zyl, the general manager of the Agricultural Union of South Africa (TAU SA), believes the result would be the exact opposite.

Comment: