Society's ChildS


Bomb

St. Petersburg bombing suspect had a record of mental illness, say investigators


RT
Sun, 31 Dec 2017 17:07 UTC
russian police
© Anton Vaganov / Reuters
The suspect in Wednesday's bombing in St. Petersburg has a record of mental illness, investigators say. He was motivated by a bad experience he had with a "personal growth" training course.

The suspect in the crime, which left 18 people injured this week, confessed to planning and carrying out the bomb attack, Russian Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko told journalists on Sunday. He was arrested on Saturday and ordered to be kept in custody by a court on Sunday.

The confession was backed by evidence found by investigators, the spokesperson said. "He hid two USB drives close to the site of the bombing, which contained information about the motive for the act and photos of the explosive device," she said. During the interrogation, the man told police he resorted to violence "due to hatred towards organizers and adepts of a [personal growth] training course he had participated in."

The suspect, identified as Dmitry Lukyanenko, 35, by various media sources, reportedly has previous convictions for drug crimes and battery. The official said the suspect has also had a record of mental illness since the age of 19. An examination will be conducted to establish whether he can be held accountable for the bombing attack.
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Pistol

Denver shooting: Officer killed, deputies and civilians wounded during domestic disturbance


RT
Sun, 31 Dec 2017 16:54 UTC
denver police tape
© Eric Thayer / Reuters
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that one of its deputies was killed and four more wounded after a shooting south of Denver. Two civilians were also wounded while the suspect is believed to be dead.


A Code Red alert has been issued by the sheriff's department, warning citizens to stay indoors as the shooter is believed to still be at large.

A reporter from the local TV channel Denver7 said he heard several gunshots and saw roadblocks being put in place.
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Palette

SOTT Focus: Feminist Artist Thinks Painting Giant Penis on Wall Will Create a Healthy, Non-Violent World

Jennifer Bird
Sott.net
Sun, 31 Dec 2017 18:02 UTC
giant penis grafitti
© carolinafalkholt / Instagram
Self proclaimed feminist and graffiti artist Carolina Falkholt shocked the public when she painted a 40ft penis on the side of a residential NYC building on Christmas eve.

The "work of art" was commissioned by a street art collective called The New Allen which was created by Baby Brasa, a Peruvian restaurant. Fortunately, this was later removed by contractors hired by the landlord.

While some members of the public weren't particularly bothered by the mural and agreed that it was a form of " artistic expression", others blasted Falkholt for her lack of creativity and inconsideration for minors who would inevitably lay eyes on the giant phallus.

Comment: See also:

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Heart - Black

Bee-pocalypse: Vandals destroy beehives in Iowa worth $60,000, kill nearly half a million bees


RT
Sun, 31 Dec 2017 14:21 UTC
Bee boxes
© Wild Hill Honey / Facebook
Vandals have destroyed dozens of beehives in Iowa, killing at least 500,000 bees, the honey business owners said. All of their hives were knocked over and the bees died as they were unable to survive in the freezing temperatures.

The owners of Wild Hill Honey in Sioux Falls, Iowa found their honey business in a gruesome state on Thursday. "We went to clean snow from our hives on the west side near Woodbury Heights and found complete destruction of all our hives and supply shed," the owners wrote in a Facebook post. All 50 hives were destroyed, killing hundreds of thousands of bees, they said.

Justin Engelhardt, one of the owners, told AP that the vandals knocked over the hives, killing around 500,000 bees. The damage was estimated at up to $60,000, he said, adding that the incident "probably sunk us."
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Hourglass

Sex abuse scandals, box office bombs: Disastrous year for Tinseltown comes to a merciful end


RT
Sun, 31 Dec 2017 06:10 UTC
Hollywood
© Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
Hollywood may be eager to say goodbye to 2017 which was one of the worst and craziest years in its history, and there's a number of reasons for that.

Statistics show Americans are falling out of love with going to the movies. Audiences have steadily shrunk as home entertainment options improved and movie theater attendance fell to a 22-year low.

"It's not a sea change, it's a tsunami," Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations, was cited as saying by Variety magazine. "The tide has moved against movies. They used to be the hub of what entertainment is, but that core has shifted to streaming and television. Back in the day, people talked about 'Back to the Future' or 'E.T.' when they talked about entertainment. Today, it's 'Stranger Things' or 'Game of Thrones.'"

Comment: See also:

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Attention

Malmo, Sweden: Police find 'no direct links' after 4th gang rape in 2 months


RT
Sun, 31 Dec 2017 16:01 UTC
woman on bike
© Yves Herman / ReutersA woman rides her bicycle in Malmo.
Yet another woman has been assaulted in the Swedish city of Malmo in another case of suspected gang rape, the fourth in just two months.

The attacks come as activists started nightly street patrols to reassure the community. Police said they do not yet see any apparent link between the appalling attacks, amid the ongoing investigations.

The victim, who is said to be over 18, was attacked by several unidentified assailants in Malmo's Hogaholm district overnight to Friday. She eventually managed to get home by herself and alerted police. An investigation into a suspected gang rape is underway as police believe several people were involved.

The woman suffered only minor physical injuries but was deeply traumatized by the experience, police said. No one has been detained so far, as police continue examining forensic evidence and questioning the woman.

Comment: Hundreds protest in Sweden to demand government action after recent gang rapes

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Gold Coins

'Cash for work': Germany paid €230mn this year to create jobs to keep Syrian refugees in the Middle East


RT
Sun, 31 Dec 2017 11:12 UTC
Syrian refugees
© Muhammad Hamed / ReutersSyrian refugee metalshop trainees work at one of the vocational centres at a refugee camp in the Jordanian city of Mafraq, September 15, 2014.
Germany paid €230 million this year to create 20,000 jobs for Syrian refugees stranded in countries like Jordan or Turkey. The measure is said to give people the means for life, but also to prevent them from entering Europe.

Funded by the German government and some NGOs, thousands of Syrians are now engaged in low-paying jobs like waste disposal or street cleaning in host countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, Die Welt reported on Sunday.

This year, Germany sponsored the creation of almost 20,000 new jobs for Syrian refugees in the Middle East, Development Minister Gerd Mueller told the newspaper. According to the official, targeted funding of refugees in host countries - called the Middle East Employment Initiative - might prevent individuals or whole families from sneaking into Europe.

In December, the International Organization for Migration (ION) recorded 170,249 migrants and refugees arriving in Europe by sea in 2017. Just over 70 percent of them landed in Italy, with the rest spread out between Greece, Cyprus, and Spain. The agency said the figure is much smaller compared to the 359,160 arrivals recorded last year.

Comment: See also: UK Tory minister regrets not invading Syria - to save Syrians, by killing them

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Stop

Utah art teacher fired after showing classical nude paintings to his class


RT
Sun, 31 Dec 2017 14:42 UTC
School children kids
© Getty Images/iStockphoto
Educational cards depicting Impressionist and Rococo nudes were accidentally shown to 6th graders, and now a Utah art teacher is fighting for his job back. A pornography complaint lodged against him was rejected by prosecutors.

Mateo Rueda plans to appeal his firing, claiming defamation of character over how Lincoln Elementary School handled it. The school, however, reportedly didn't fire Rueda strictly over the nude paintings, but for how Rueda reacted once students were upset by them, according to the Herald Journal.

The incident occurred on December 4, when students were instructed to study art postcards from the Cache County school's library. 'The Art Box' collection had been a part of the library for years, before Rueda began teaching there, and he says he was unaware that several of the 100 cards contained nudity.
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Briefcase

Detroit files lawsuit against opioid manufacturers

Kelly Burch
The Fix
Thu, 21 Dec 2017 17:17 UTC
opioid lawsuit
© WXYZ.com
The lawsuit targets major pharmaceutical companies such as Purdue as well as drug distributors and retail pharmacy chains.

Detroit is the latest city to sue opioid manufacturers, joining forces with nearby Macomb County to launch a lawsuit that includes many Michigan cities to attempt to stop pharmaceutical companies from making false or misleading marketing claims.

"Opioids-profligately sold to treat virtually any ailment-have destroyed the lives of countless men and women who had the misfortune of suffering from back pain, arthritis, workplace injuries and a countless array of other relatively minor and term-limited painful conditions," the lawsuit reads, according to MLive.

Comment: Will opioid lawsuits by county officials against big pharma set a legal precedent?
According to the attorney who will be filing Bensalem's lawsuit, Greg Heller as pro bono counsel, "Nuisance, fraud negligence, in some situations, breach of contract," apparently will be some of the charges filed. Fraud seems to be a prominent 'attribute' mentioned by those who complain about Pharma tactics regarding pill-pushing...

It will be extremely efficacious legally when some lawsuit can get that legal point "embedded in case law" and have it applied at law regarding the overly-powerful, "money talks" Big Pharma strangleholds on the CDC, FDA and public health agencies due to their lobbying techniques but, more so, with their fraudulent, self-produced-funded-often-fraudulent-and-pseudoscientific "consensus science" research, plus their ever-present sham medical journals they own, produce and publish. Let's not forget Big Pharma's media presence, advertising and political leverage.


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Airplane

Captain Jack Sparrow? Delta pilot reroutes jet back to Detroit due to a bird in a cockpit


RT
Sun, 31 Dec 2017 12:08 UTC
Bird in jet
© Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP
A Delta flight had to reroute and return to Detroit after an unexpected 'feathered' passenger was discovered inside a cockpit. The stowaway - reportedly a tiny sparrow - apparently sneaked inside the flight deck during boarding.

The pilots of Flight 1943 from Detroit to Atlanta saw a small bird that snuck on board shortly after take-off on Saturday, AP reported, citing Delta's statement. The captain decided to turn the jet around and return to Detroit to "avoid a potential distraction" during the flight, Delta said.

The plane landed safely in Detroit, and the unexpected passenger was removed from the cockpit and set free unharmed. While Fox 2 Detroit says it was a sparrow, the captain told ClickOnDetroit.com that the bird looked like a hummingbird.
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