Society's ChildS


Wedding Rings

Elderly Irishman marries his best friend and caregiver to avoid inheritance tax that would force the sale of their home

Pádraig Collins
The Guardian
Sat, 23 Dec 2017 05:03 UTC
irishmen marry avoid inheritance tax
Matt Murphy, 83, intends to leave his house to his carer Michael O’Sullivan, 58, but it would have left him with a €50,000 tax bill.
Two Irish men have married in Dublin to avoid paying €50,000 in inheritance tax on a house.

Best friends Matt Murphy and Michael O'Sullivan are both heterosexual, but decided to get married when they discovered how much tax would have to be paid on the house Murphy, 83, intended to leave in his will to O'Sullivan, 58, who is his carer.

"I've known Matty for 30 years. We became very friendly after my second relationship broke up," O'Sullivan, a father of three, told the Irish Mirror.
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Pirates

Ex-Marine charged with plotting SF Pier 39 ISIS attack


RT
Fri, 22 Dec 2017 23:26 UTC
Pier39
© Daniel Slim / AFP
FBI officials arrested and charged an ex-Marine accused of plotting a Christmas Day terrorist attack on San Francisco's Pier 39 on behalf of Islamic State (ISIS). Undercover FBI agents were key elements of the plot.

Everitt Aaron Jameson, 26, also known as Abdallah al-Amriki, is accused of providing "material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization" and being willing to do "do anything for the cause," according to an affidavit by FBI special agent Christopher McKinney, filed before a federal magistrate in Fresno, California.

A resident of Modesto, California, Jameson was in contact with two FBI informants, one of whom he believed was associated with Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).


Comment: This sounds like the guy was set up and lead down a path he ultimately couldn't go. See also: FBI Entrapment Operation Nabs Delusional California Ginger Flake for 'Plotting Christmas Attack'

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Dollars

Senate committee reveals another $600K in taxpayer money used to settle misconduct claims; no names given

Christina Laila
The Gateway Pundit
Sat, 23 Dec 2017 00:00 UTC
US capital building
© Jason Reed / Reuters

The Senate Rules and Appropriations Committee released new data Thursday evening revealing another 13 cases in which $600,000 in taxpayer money was used to settle Senate misconduct between 1997 to present, however; no names were given.

The data released didn't give specifics about the settlements so it is unknown if sexual harassment was involved, however; it does show one settlement for $14,260.25 for a sex discrimination violation.

Other settlements include age, race and disability discrimination.

President Trump wants the names of Congressmen who have settled sexual harassment cases to be released to the public.

Comment: While it could safely be said that many (if not most) US politicians are arrogant and self-absorbed to the extent that they feel the rules of society don't apply to them and thus act accordingly, we would do well to remember that not all claims of misconduct are necessarily true. That said, the American people deserve to know the true character of those running the country - and politicians need to reap what they have sown, if not in a court of law then at least in the court of public opinion.

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Fire

Gas cylinder explodes in busy market in south east Spain injuring three people

Paul Harper and Gerard Couzens
The Sun
Sat, 23 Dec 2017 13:22 UTC
Explosion Lorca Spain
The explosion happened at a market in Lorca in Murcia, south east Spain, which was hit by an earthquake in 2011
A massive explosion ripped through a packed market in a Spanish city this morning injuring three people.

One woman was rushed to hospital with leg injuries following the blast in Lorca, Murcia.

The area was evacuated while emergency services got to work.

Pictures from the scene showed shattered glass and debris following the explosion, which was blamed on a gas cylinder exploding when welding work was taking place nearby.
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Bandaid

Germany's "voluntary return" scheme for failed asylum seekers isn't working


Westmonster
Thu, 21 Dec 2017 19:21 UTC
Angela Merkel
Germany's voluntary return scheme for failed asylum seekers isn't working, which is hardly a shock.

Fewer than 28,000 failed asylum seekers voluntarily returned to their countries of origin this year, compared to the more than 50,000 who agreed in 2016.

This is despite them being offered cash incentives to go home.

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere announced the government was raising the financial incentives for rejected asylum seekers: families can now receive up to €3,000 and individuals up to €1,000 if they voluntarily return home by the end of February.

Figures also showed that the number of deportations had also decreased - from more than 25,000 in 2016 to just over 22,000 this year.

So in Germany if you illegally enter the country, get caught and get told to go home, you can say no and either a) get paid to return voluntarily or b) just not leave. And this is the European Union's flagship nation. Is it any wonder the EU's in such a mess?

Comment: Totally incompetent: Germany now offering money for migrants to go back home
Captain Picard facepalm


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Dollar Gold

Helping refugees in home countries 135 times cheaper than helping them in the West, according to Oxford prof


Voice of Europe
Sat, 23 Dec 2017 19:13 UTC
refugees
© photofilippo66 / Shutterstock.com
According to Oxford professor Paul Collier, Western countries can help more than one hundred refugees locally, for the same money we spend here on one of them.

The professor spoke at a conference of Denmark's Social Democracy party in Copenhagen last week. He rejected the idea that Europe should receive migrants and said:
"We spend 135 dollars for every person who shows up here, compared to one dollar for every person that we help in their own region. Those staying home are often much weaker than the ones who have the resources to get to Europe."
Collier also made a statement about the migrants and refugees who come to Europe:
"Almost everyone coming to Europe from countries where they were already safe... The idea that this group has an enormous need for help, is simply irresponsible and a result of intellectual laziness."

Comment: It seems the only "legitimate" reason for the migrant crisis is virtue signaling. Even then, the so-called moral reasons for opening Europe's borders completely are delusional. It would be better for everyone if aid were given for refugees home countries: end the interventions, fund infrastructure, rebuild the countries. The crisis, and the events that led to it, have just been one bad idea after another, each compounding the one before it. See: Also: Brexit motivations: Immigration control, criminal checks, not racism

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Light Sabers

Putin shows off hockey skills with a host of NHL legends on Red Square ice rink (VIDEO)


RT
Sat, 23 Dec 2017 16:13 UTC
Putin on ice
© Aleksey Nikolskyi / SputnikRussian President Vladimir Putin during a Night Hockey League match on the GUM skating rink.
Russian President Vladimir Putin faced off against legendary Russian players in a Night Hockey League match late Friday on Red Square, just outside of his workplace in the Kremlin.

The president was joined on the ice by Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu and a host of Russian hockey greats, including NHL legends Viacheslav Fetisov, Sergey Fedorov, and Pavel Bure.

Comment: Bravo President Putin!

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No Entry

New sexual consent law in Sweden: The castration of Odin


Cultural Analysis Blog
Sat, 23 Dec 2017 18:36 UTC
sigurd and brunhilde
In Norse mythology, Odin - Allfather, the archetypal male and king of the world- symbolises traits that feminism derogates as 'toxic masculinity' associated with the feminist conception of patriarchy. The proposed amendments to the sexual consent law in Sweden can be analysed as a symbolic castration of the Nordic male, but a further symbolic implication is that of neutering his female partner Frigg, the goddess of fertility, motherhood, love and marriage - Earthmother, the archetypal female and queen of the world - whose divinity is tied to the libidinal potency of Odin.

In my earlier article Semantogymnastics about Microconsent I have evaluated an emerging trend in the jurisprudence of sexual consent. It appears that the first country to apply the associated principles to criminal law will be Sweden.

Sweden plans changing the law to require explicit consent before sexual contact (The Guardian) and at each step of sexual encounter (RT). I have contacted the Swedish Ministry of Justice for comment and have been advised by Kristoffer Strömgren that the wording of the draft legislation has now been amended by removing the 'explicit consent' requirement in favour of just 'consent'.

The Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven previously attempted to clarify the meaning of the proposed legislation by stating that you should not engage in sex unless you are sure that consent had been granted - "If you are unsure, then refrain!" (The Independent). This seemingly innocuous answer does not clarify the matter at all - it is now unclear what would constitute a reasonable ground of being sure that consent had been granted. It also implies a requirement of strict certainty rather than all-things-considered subjective judgement that would allow for the possibility of fair misunderstanding - on one view, we can never be sure about the state of mind of another.

Comment: The solution is obvious and simple: government-issued permits and contracts signed before, during, and after each and every sexual encounter, signed by witnesses. And to confirm repeated and continuous consent and rule out forgery or coercion to sign such documents, each sexual encounter must be videotaped and/or witnessed by a neutral third party (preferably government-approved). With such measures, Sweden will become a sexual utopia, free of sex of any kind.

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Bulb

Brexit motivations: Immigration control, criminal checks, not racism

Liam Deacon
Breitbart
Fri, 22 Dec 2017 17:27 UTC
brexit sign
© DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty
The British people predominantly did not vote to leave the European Union (EU) because they are racist and the public's desire for control over immigration is not driven by prejudice, a report has found.

The study, by the liberal think tank Open Europe, found that the public's greatest concern about immigration was that background and criminal checks are made. The race or ethnic background of new arrivals was largely unimportant to people.

People were also concerned if migrants would claim benefits, if they spoke English, and whether or not there were well educated, but they were less worried about their sexuality and if they were Christian.

EU membership mandates unrestricted and uncontrolled immigration, which the public opposes, but not because of bigotry, according to the study.

"Since the Leave vote in last year's referendum, commentators and politicians have wrongly interpreted Brexit as a mandate simply to pull up the drawbridge," the authors explained.

"We found that people's attitudes on immigration are far more nuanced and sophisticated than often is portrayed in political or media debate."

Aarti Shankar, a policy analyst for Open Europe, added: "We found little evidence that the desire to control migration was driven by racism or xenophobia."

Comment: What, Brits who voted to leave aren't racist white supremacists? "Far more nuanced and sophisticated than often is portrayed in political or media debate". Think about those words for a second. There's a big truth hidden in there: political and media debate is oversimplified, misrepresentative, and have an agenda. It's the same with the "Trump voter" perception in the U.S. A politically motivated fantasy is projected on a group of people which doesn't represent their actual motivations. That fantasy is accepted as reality, creating an opposition movement that opposes a fictional creation. That only further polarizes groups and makes reconciliation more unlikely. It's a recipe for disaster, and the solution is so simple: look at the data with an open mind.

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Info

'Kung fu nuns' cycle pilgrimage to raise awareness about human trafficking and gender equality


Digital Journal
Sat, 23 Dec 2017 10:44 UTC
Kung-Fu Nuns_2
© Prakash Mathema, AFP'Kung fu nuns' prepare for a month-long cycle ride on the outskirts of Kathmandu to raise awareness against human trafficking, the environment and promote gender equality.
About 200 "Kung fu nuns" kicked off a month-long journey from Nepal through India on Saturday, swapping their flowing maroon robes for lycra leggings to raise awareness about human trafficking and gender equality.

The Buddhist nuns are trained in martial arts and frequently organise pilgrimages and cycling trips to promote gender equality.

"We are starting our fifth cycle yatra (pilgrimage) today and our main mission is about increasing awareness about female empowerment, the environment and human trafficking," nun Yeshe Lhamo told AFP.

Each year thousands of women and children across South Asia are lured into cities and across borders with promises of lucrative jobs but are instead sold into modern-day slavery.

Nepal has seen an upswing in the number of cases of trafficking since a devastating earthquake in 2015 left thousands homeless.
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