Society's ChildS


Handcuffs

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


RT
Thu, 02 Aug 2018 08:15 UTC
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.
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Red Flag

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

Amanda Prestigiacomo
Daily Wire
Mon, 30 Jul 2018 19:21 UTC
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."
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Pistol

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

Brett Samuels
The Hill
Thu, 02 Aug 2018 12:08 UTC
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.

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UFO

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

Rio Lacanlale
Las Vegas Review Journal
Fri, 13 Apr 2018 22:14 UTC
Art Bell
© 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.


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Laptop

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


RFE/RL
Thu, 02 Aug 2018 17:29 UTC
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.
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Quenelle - Golden

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


RT
Thu, 02 Aug 2018 10:21 UTC
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

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Bad Guys

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


RT
Thu, 02 Aug 2018 17:13 UTC
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:

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Cross

Catholic Church changes teaching on death penalty, Pope calls for worldwide abolition


RT
Thu, 02 Aug 2018 11:20 UTC
Pope Francis gun control
© Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The Roman Catholic Church said that the death penalty is always inadmissible as it "attacks" human dignity, calling for its abolition worldwide. The statement marks a change in Catholic Church teaching.

For a long time "the death penalty by the legitimate authority after a regular trial was considered an adequate response" to some serious crimes, the statement from the Pope said, as cited by Vatican Radio.

The pontiff argues that a person's dignity "is not lost even after committing serious crimes." Today, more "effective detention systems" are being developed, which guarantee proper defense of citizens, and at the same time allow offenders to redeem themselves.

Comment: Reuters adds:
Pope Francis on Sunday called for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty, saying the commandment "You shall not kill" was absolute and equally valid for the guilty as for the innocent.
[..]
"All Christians and men of good will are called on to work not only for the abolition of the death penalty, but also to improve prison conditions so that they respect the human dignity of people who have been deprived of their freedom," he said.

In the past, the pope also denounced life imprisonment, calling it "a hidden death penalty" and saying that more should be done to try to rehabilitate even the most hardened of criminals.


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Pirates

'Worse than the Taliban': Afghan terror victims speak out about ISIS in Afghanistan


Sputnik
Thu, 02 Aug 2018 16:25 UTC
isis iraq
© REUTERS / Thaier Al-Sudani
The victims of Daesh attacks who have fled from the Darzab district of Afghanistan's Jowzjan province have opened up in an interview with Sputnik about what the had to pass through while having encounters with the radical Islamists.

According to the victims, Daesh terrorists kill civilians for no reason, force boys to take part in hostilities, and marry young girls.

Afghanistan has long been suffering from an unstable political, social and security situation due to simmering militant insurgency, including that of the Daesh terrorist group and Taliban radical movement.

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Георгиевская ленточка

Unlike US, polls show significant share of Russian citizens feel capable of influencing their nation


RT
Thu, 02 Aug 2018 15:42 UTC
Russia Day fireworks
© Iliya Pitalev / SputnikRussia Day festivities on Red Square
Ordinary Russians have started to trust in themselves and their ability to influence the life of their nation, according to recent research by a leading economics university.

On Thursday Russia's Higher School of Economics released the results of the research, entitled 'Volunteer movement and social capital.' According to the study, 37 percent of Russians currently think that they are able to influence the life of the nation. The proportion was even higher for those who felt that they could change the situation in the city where they live - 76 percent. The figure reached 88 percent when researchers inquired about the ability of people to influence life in one particular apartment block.
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