Society's ChildS

Light Sabers

State vs Federal Govt. over Immigration law: To hell with California

Kamala Harris
© Unknown
There's a great scene in "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" where Dr. Evil is talking to the President, played by Tim Robbins, and he threatens to blow up cities with a laser from the moon unless he gets $100 billion dollars. Robbins, angry, turns to his generals and says, "I can't believe we're gonna pay that madman. I got nukes out the ying-yang. Just let me launch one, for God's sake." One of the generals responds, "Sir. Are you suggesting that we blow up the moon?" The President then says, "Would you miss it? Would you miss it?"

Of course we would miss the moon, but if you replace "moon" with "California," the answer, at least for me, would be different.

I don't want to nuke California (well...ok, I don't), but I wouldn't mind it if it were to remove itself from the United States because, well, it's essentially trying to.

Comment: See also:


Mr. Potato

Lunatic Fmr CA governor Schwarzenegger vows to sue BigOil for 'first degree murder'

Arnold Schwarzenegger to sue oil companies
© APArnold Schwarzenegger said he was talking to several private law firms about taking on oil companies in court.
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Sunday he is going to sue big oil companies for "first degree murder."

During a live recording of a Politico podcast, Schwarzenegger said he was talking to several private law firms about taking on oil companies in court.

The Hollywood actor compared oil to the tobacco industry, and said both are "knowingly killing people all over the world." Schwarzenegger said the tobacco industry had to pay millions of dollars in court for hiding the fact that tobacco had adverse side effects, and said he hopes oil companies will have to do the same.

Red Flag

Opioid crisis leads to huge jump in ER visits across Midwest and East Coast

heroin
© AP Photo/David Goldman
According to a new report, the opioid crisis in Illinois has driven up emergency room visits by 66 percent.

A report by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that opioid-related emergency room visits rose an average of 35 percent across 16 states between July of 2016 to September of 2017. The highest rise was seen in and around metropolitan areas, according to the Pekin Times.

Increases grew more in large urban centers, such as Chicago, where dealers have taken to cutting heroin with the highly dangerous drug fentanyl, the report said. The report did note that the statistics might be skewed because the study only looked into the hospital visits in 16 states. Still, the numbers are shocking.

Family

Women who wear makeup viewed as less qualified for leadership positions

woman makeup
Ladies looking to move up into a top-level position within their companies may want to give their cosmetic routine a makeover. A new study finds that women who wear too much makeup are viewed as less qualified to hold a position of leadership.

Researchers from Abertay University recruited 168 adults (48 men, 120 women) and had them view computer-altered images of two women. The women were shown with various degrees of makeup applied, from completely natural to done up for a "social night out" on the town.

The results showed a woman was viewed as being a better leader when wearing less makeup. In the study, participants were shown images of the same woman with and without cosmetics.

Arrow Down

Series of mail bombings in Austin, Texas leaves 1 dead, 2 injured

Austin Texas mail bombings
© Sergio Flores / ReutersAn FBI agent exits her car after arriving at the scene of an explosion near north Galindo street. Police investigators are at the home where a 17-year-old boy was killed and a woman injured in a package bomb explosion in Austin, Texas, U.S., March 12, 2018.
Austin police have linked Monday morning's mail bombing, that killed a teen boy and injured a woman, with another deadly explosion earlier this month. A third explosion left a 75-year-old woman with "life-threatening injuries."

Police Chief Brian Manley has warned Austin residents no[t] to open their mail, following dual mail bombings in the Texas city on Monday. The investigation is being coordinated with units from both the FBI and ATF.

"Similar to the other two incidents,the victim came outside and found a package, picked it up and the box detonated," Chief Brian Manley told a press conference. In reference to speculation that the bombings were a spate of hate crimes, Manley added that investigators haven't identified a "specific victimology or ideology based on current evidence... We are willing to investigate any avenue."

Comment: WGN has provided additional details:
The residents found the packages outside their houses, but none was delivered by the Postal Service or delivery services like UPS or FedEx, police said.

All residents of Austin should be careful about packages, Manley said. Investigators have not come up with a motive, and he did not say if anybody has claimed responsibility. It's not known if the victims knew each other or if they were targeted, he said.

SXSW began Friday in downtown Austin, bringing in thousands of people to the state capital. The explosions were not in the immediate vicinity of the festival and authorities say the bombings don't appear connected to the festival.

Manley said the packages are "average sized delivery boxes, not exceptionally large" that the residents found outside their houses.

"These are very powerful devices," he said, declining to be specific. "There's a certain level of skill required to move a device like this."
See also: FBI, police investigate deadly explosion in Austin, Texas - 2nd linked occurrence this month


Sherlock

Vanessa Beeley chronicles the violent reality of Western propaganda construct White Helmets

white helmets
Despite the virtually impenetrable fog of war that has hung over Syria ever since 2011, Western media and politicians alike have have apparently been able to identify one group of 'good guys' in the conflict with unanimous precision.

Formed in 2013, the White Helmets are universally presented in the mainstream as a band of humanitarian volunteer rescue workers - including current and former teachers, engineers, doctors and firefighters - working primarily to rescue people from rubble created by bombing raids and offer medical help to injured civilians. They are alleged to have saved thousands of lives in the process, have been nominated twice for a Nobel peace prize, and in 2016 was the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary.

This benevolent picture of the White Helmets is, however, not one independent researchers who've actually travelled to Syria - much less civilians in areas the group operates - remotely recognize.

Gear

Steel tariffs breath new life into Illinois industrial town

U.S. Steel office
© WHITNEY CURTIS FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNALThe Tri-Cities Labor Temple and U.S. Steelโ€™s office in Granite City, Ill., face each other on State Street.
Ever since the layoffs a few years ago, many residents here had wondered when the local steel plant would again fire up its furnaces-or close forever.

Not only were hundreds of steelworkers left jobless when United States Steel Corp. X -5.51% scaled down its operations in Granite City, Ill., in 2015, but lunch deliveries to the plant vanished for a local diner while a shoe store's work-boot sales plummeted. At least 26 businesses closed within a year, according to an area chamber of commerce.

"We were in a deep state of depression here, and not sure if it would ever open again," said Mayor Ed Hagnauer, who was first elected in 2005.

Quenelle

Assange slams UK government: "Hypocritical motherf*ckers... remember how I exposed your secret deal with the Saudis"

assange
© Peter Nicholls / Reuters
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange lashed out at the UK government over Twitter on Friday after Britain's official UN account (UK Mission to the United Nations) tweeted "A free and independent media fulfils a vital role in holding the powerful to account and giving a voice to the powerless," with a link to a puff piece waxing eloquent over the UK's commitment to free speech.

Assange - apparently not included in the UK's definition of "free and independent media" (facing arrest and detention should he leave the Embassy), fired off a stunning reply - claiming that the UK's has spent roughly twice as much spying on him as it has on their entire international human rights program.

Comment: Kudos to Assange for hammering away on the truth.


Laptop

Porn age-verification laws delayed by UK government amid row over enforcement

young boy computer
© kati / Global Look Press
Here's some great news for teen boys and privacy campaigners everywhere: Plans to introduce age checks for pornography websites have been delayed by the UK government amid a row over how they would be enforced.

All pornography sites had been expected to introduce age-verification measures by April. Now, the policy will not be enforced until later in the year to allow more time to "get the implementation of the policy right." The delay will allow the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) regulator time to launch a public consultation on its draft guidance this month.

The BBFC was only formally designated as the age-verification regulator in February - even though the BBFC was invited to take on the role, and agreed to become the age-verification regulator in November 2016.

Star of David

Ultra-Orthodox Jews clash with Israeli police over military draft (VIDEOS)

ultra orthodox jews protest draft
© Ahmad Gharabli / Agence France-PresseBnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, March 12, 2018.
Hundreds of Ultra-Orthodox Jews have blocked roads and clashed with police in Israel, protesting military drafts. Footage shows protesters being dragged away by law enforcement.

The latest violent encounter between the members of Ultra-Orthodox community and law enforcement happened in the center of Bnei Brak city, several kilometers east of Tel Aviv, on Monday evening, Israeli media reported. Demonstrators blocked the city's main road and a nearby highway, leading to scuffles with police.

"We'd rather die and not enlist, we'll happily go to jail," the demonstrators were heard shouting. The banners held by young ultra-Orthodox said: "Stop the oppression of the religious minority in Israel." The rally followed a similar protest on Thursday when the demonstrators gathered against the arrest of a young man, a member of the radical Jerusalem Faction.