Society's ChildS


Black Cat

Australian Blogger fined more than $400,000 for lying about claims of how she beat cancer, donating money to charity

Belle Gibson
Belle Gibson’s bestselling app and cookbook were based on what she now admits were lies
Judge: 'If there is one theme or pattern which emerges through her conduct, it is her relentless obsession with herself and what best serves her interests'

An Australian cookbook author who falsely said she beat cancer through healthy eating has been fined for misleading consumers by lying about her charitable donations.

The judge had ruled in March that Belle Gibson's deceptive claims of donating the proceeds from the sales of The Whole Pantry and a related app constituted unconscionable conduct under Australian consumer law.

The book and app were withdrawn and now Federal Court Justice Debra Mortimer has ordered Gibson to pay a total of A$410,000 (£240,000) for five contraventions of the law relating to false claims that the proceeds would go to various charities.

Comment: Belle Gibson would seem to be, to put it kindly, a bit of a narciscist - if not worse. She has with her lies also cast a pall upon all those honest and sincere researchers of health who have treated cancer and other illnesses through natural means.


Bullseye

New FEMA Director calls for Americans to develop "a true culture of preparedness" - but no one is listening

FEMA's new director Brock Long
It looks like preppers aren't that crazy after all. FEMA's new director, Brock Long, has repeatedly said that Americans do not have a "culture of preparedness," something that is much-needed with the startling uptick in natural disasters. Long has only been the director of FEMA since June 20 of this year and already has had to deal with a historic number of disasters in this short period of time.

It appears that Mr. Long has a mindset of self-reliance based on a couple of recent statements he has made to the media, but the MSM doesn't seem too interested in his ideas about fostering a culture of preparedness, despite the practicality and essential nature of his suggestions.

First, in an interview from Sept. 11 that I personally only heard about yesterday, FEMA's new director, Brock Long, spoke with journalists to discuss the response to Hurricane Irma. In the interview, he said some things that vindicate all of us who have spent time and money working toward being prepared.

Comment: And the sad fact of the matter is that, in all probability, we ain't seen nothing yet.


Brain

LeBron James: Trump voters were 'uneducated'

LeBron James
NBA all-star LeBron James seems unaware of the fact that insulting a large percentage of your fans as ignorant morons because of their political affiliations leads to ruin, a hard lesson that the NFL is very quickly realizing.

Showing solidarity with the social justice cause celebre of athletes kneeling during the national anthem, James hit President Trump on Twitter over the weekend for lambasting the protests and calling for boycotts against the NFL. However, his rhetoric against the President went a particularly ill-advised direction when he trashed his supporters during a press conference on Monday.

According to James, his home state of Ohio "made a mistake" voting for Trump because they were "uneducated."

"No matter whether you voted for him or not, you may have made a mistake and that's OK, if you voted for him. It's OK. I've done things for my daughter and realized I shouldn't have gave my daughter that many damn Skittles. Maybe I shouldn't have done that," he said.

Comment: The people that voted for Trump did so because they were educated and were informed about the state of the world. They could see that the American political system was and still is corrupt to its core, and that a Killary presidency would have meant more of the same. So, they went with the political outsider. That's really the bottom line.


Windsock

Media bias: CNN gave 5X more coverage to Stevens' trial than Menendez's

Stevens/Menendez
© The New York Times/PoliticoFormer Alaska Senator Ted Stevens (R) • New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez (D)
CNN devoted five times more coverage to a Republican senator's 2008 corruption trial than they have to current Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez's (N.J.) corruption trial.

In 2008, Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens faced charges he failed to disclose gifts he received from a pipeline and construction company. CNN aired 36 stories about Stevens in the first three weeks of his trial, according to a report from the conservative Media Research Center.

Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, is currently on trial facing charges of corruption, bribery, and fraud. However, in the same three-week period, CNN only aired seven stories on the trial.

Possible reasons for the Menendez trial not being covered more thoroughly, such as a crowded news cycle, don't quite pass the smell test, according to the MRC. "The Stevens trial in 2008 happened during the heat of a presidential campaign and a once-in-a-generation financial crisis, and CNN found a way to cover that case," the MRC wrote.

The MRC said the implications of both trials were the same. "Both trials threatened to overturn party control of a Senate seat: Stevens lost re-election to a Democrat shortly after his conviction; if Menendez is convicted, Republican Governor Chris Christie will appoint a replacement."

Stevens was eventually found guilty of the charges. Prior to sentencing, an FBI whistleblower revealed that the prosecution had withheld crucial evidence and the conviction was set aside.

Comment: It's a sad day for political criminals in Sheeplamerica when they are unequally favored in regards to corruption coverage. It's unfair. It's unforgivable. At the end of the day, when those alert and observant US citizens realize that their favorite corrupt politician has been shockingly slighted (by CNN, no less!) just remember, Senator Menendez, you are owed 5X more coverage! And, you will NEVER get it unless you demand it!


Footprints

Venezuelans are crossing into Colombia as crisis deepens

Venezuelans leaving
© devilexcrement.comExodus Venezuela
At 05:00 in the morning, a steady stream of Venezuelans heads into Colombia. Many have queued overnight, waiting patiently for the Simón Bolívar International bridge to open. Some 25,000 people cross the bridge into Colombia every day. It is a short walk between the two countries but with the political and economic crisis in Venezuela deepening, the two neighbours now seem worlds apart.

Venezuela is suffering from acute shortages of medicines, hospitals struggle to treat patients and staple goods have become scarce and unaffordable to many. Mothers cradle their babies, bringing them to the hospital in the town of Cúcuta, on the Colombian side of the border, to get them vaccinated.

Families push poorly relatives in wheelchairs. Others cross into Colombia with empty suitcases, filling them up with food and supplies they cannot get in Venezuela. Two women with a baby in a pushchair walk past the border guard, muttering: "What a humiliation." They are clearly embarrassed they have to do this.

Attention

Louisiana congressman pushes bill to defund New Orleans football team over player protests

saints protest anthem
© AP Photo/Bob Leverone
Louisiana Republican state representative Kenny Havard is pushing a bill most Americans should be able to get behind.

He wants his state to stop subsidizing the New Orleans Saints football team after watching 10 players sit during the National Anthem on Sunday.

Anybody have a problem with that?

I'd hope not. After all, we're talking about taxpayer cash.

"This is a state-funded sporting event-or subsidized sporting event, not fully by the state, but it is, so we have all the right to defund that," Republican state representative Kenny Havard stated. "I totally agree with their right to protest and I think it just needs to be done somewhere else. They can do it in the streets, they can do it on Sunday mornings... They can do it wherever they want, but not during our national anthem. I think it's disgraceful."

According to a 2015 piece in Forbes, Saints owner Tom Benson could potentially make around $400 million via state taxpayer dollars through 2025.

Comment:


2 + 2 = 4

6-year-old boy reprimanded for taking a knee at school during pledge, because he didn't have a permission slip

child kneeling pledge of allegiance
Patriotism, in the ostensible land of the free, is no longer measured by how much freedom you fight for or corruption you expose, it is now measured by how hard you praise the state and how much loyalty you show to your rulers. Those who challenge the state and stand up for their rights are now cast out as un-American and treasonous. Now, the argument over when these personal choices of expression should and shouldn't take place has spread to children.

The mother of a six-year-old boy in Florida is furious after she says her son was admonished for silently and respectfully taking a knee during the morning pledge of allegiance at Wiregrass Elementary School in Wesley Chapel.

Eugenia McDowell said she had no idea her son was going to kneel for the pledge and that she only learned about it when the school sent her a text message Monday evening explaining how out of line his actions were.

The message read: "I knew where he had seen it [going down on one knee], but I did tell him that in the classroom, we are learning what it means to be a good citizen, we're learning about respecting the United States of America and our country symbols and showing loyalty and patriotism and that we stand for the Pledge of Allegiance."

Horse

Senate bill would allow the euthanasia of wild mustangs

wild horses
© CBS SAN FRANCISCOA wild horse jumps into a fence while being rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management in Utah.
The fate of thousands of wild horses hangs in the balance as the Senate considers an amendment to a spending bill that would allow euthanasia of mustangs and burros roaming free on land owned by the federal government.

The amendment would allow the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to sell excess wild horses without an assurance they wouldn't be slaughtered. The matter will eventually be settled in negotiations between the Senate and the House.

CBS San Francisco traveled to the Utah desert, 50 miles northwest of Cedar City, to witness a federally mandated round-up of an icon of the American West.

Using a helicopter that looks like it was stolen from the set of M*A*S*H, federal agents began the process of gathering 50 wild horses.

"When you have horses that close, when they come into a trap site, they're very fresh, they have a lot of energy. When you're gathering wild horses, they are wild animals," said Gus Ward, the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro lead for Utah.

Cult

'Rioting, obstruction, battery': Antifa leader and California middle school teacher arrested again

Yvonne Felarca
© Berkley Police DepartmentMiddle school teacher, Yvonne Felarca.
A violent Berkeley middle school teacher who leads the By Any Means Necessary Antifa group was arrested again on Tuesday for assaulting people she disagrees with.

University of California-Berkeley students with the group Patriot Prayer held a rally on campus alongside Berkeley College Republicans on Tuesday to protest a canceled "Free Speech Week," which allegedly fell apart because of bureaucratic demands from school officials, according to a letter from a lawyer representing the organizers.

The student group Berkeley Patriot worked with conservative firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos to host the Free Speech Week, an event set for this week featuring several conservative and controversial speakers who were previously blocked from speaking on campus.

The speakers, including Yiannopoulos, faced fierce opposition from left-wing anti-fascist radicals who destroyed vehicles, attacked police, and ultimately convinced administrators to cancel events so someone didn't get killed.


Comment: See also: Berkeley mayor member of 'anti-fascist' social media group that helped organize city riots


USA

NFL sees wave of anthem protests amid clashes with Trump - UPDATES

nfl protest
© Paul Childs / Reuters
Sunday saw an unprecedented number of NFL players and staff engaging in a protest against the US national anthem after President Donald Trump called for protesting players to be fired.

In the opening game of the day, more than 20 players from the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars knelt and linked arms during the pre-game national anthem as an act of protest.

The owner of the Jaguars, Shad Khan, also took part in the demonstration. Khan had previously donated $1 million to the Trump inauguration fund.

Comment: In contrast to the NFL, NASCAR owners are standing firm against kneeling:
Richard Petty who co-owns Richard Petty Motorsports told the AP that anyone who refuses to stand for the national anthem should be forced to leave the country.

"Anybody that don't stand up for the anthem oughta be out of the country. Period. What got 'em where they're at? The United States," Petty said.

Those sentiments were echoed by another owner, Richard Childress, who said any protests from his team members would "get you a ride on a Greyhound bus."

"Anybody that works for me should respect the country we live in. So many people gave their lives for it. This is America," Childress said according to Yahoo sports.

Owner Andy Murstein also condemned the protesters but took a more conciliatory stance. When asked what he would do with an employee who takes a knee, Murstein told ESPN: "I would sit down with them and say it's the wrong thing to do that and many people, including myself, view it as an affront to our great country."

"If there is disenchantment towards the president or a few bad law enforcement officers, don't have it cross over to all that is still good and right about our country."

There was one notable exception to the hegemony, however, with driver and team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr backing the right of all Americans to peaceful protest, by quoting JFK on Twitter.

Trump tweeted his appreciation for the stance of most involved with NASCAR on Monday morning, saying he's "so proud" of the sporting organization and its fans.
Judge Jeanine Pirro chimed on on Fox to say "shame on you" to all players taking the knee, as well as commissioner Roger Goodell:
Roger, if my memory serves me correctly your stance on some of the NFL players and the women they batter is somewhat problematic. Think Ray Rice... and Josh Brown.

And a neuropathologist examining the brains of 111 NFL players found 110 to have CTE aka "chronic traumatic encephalopathy" the degenerative disease linked to repeated blows to the head.

Instead of mouthing off about how you are a force for good, Roger, maybe you ought to get ready to reveal damaging information when the lawsuits start. Think Aaron Hernandez.

According to USA Today NFL player arrests are not only disproportionate to the general population, but the violence associated with these arrests is shocking. And I'm not even talking about the homicides.

And Commissioner, instead of taking sides against the national anthem, maybe you ought to think about your stock holders, your investors.

Even though the stock market, thanks to President Trump is at an all-time high, there is one area that is suffering greatly. Companies that broadcast, yes, the NFL games.

They are all down. Do you think that just maybe there is a correlation between the NFL broadcasting stock slump, the NFL TV ratings fall off, as the protests by these Bozos rises? Attendance is down at NFL games. Sunday night football viewership is down at least 7 percent.
...
Here's my take: People watch sports to get away from day-to-day stresses, work, illness, financial worries, we don't need to be reminded of political divisions.
...
There are so many of you who make tens of millions of dollars why don't you get together and take care of the social injustice instead of disrespecting our country?

The country that has turned you into heroes while you train 8-year-olds who don't know any better to take a knee against America... because they're taking their lead from all of you when they don't know any better.
See also: Update (Sept. 26)

Restaurants across the US are boycotting NFL games due to the player protests. They say they'll start showing the games again once players begin paying respect to their flag and country again. The crowd at Monday's Dallas Cowboys game booed the team as the entire members locked arms and kneeled before the anthem. However, they stood up for the anthem, earning some Trump praise:



The opposing team, Arizona's Cardinals, stood with arms locked.

Update (Sept. 28): When games were broadcast on Sunday, networks made sure not to show images of angry fans booing the anthem protest. One staffer even told Sporting News that camera operators had been told to avoid crowd shots for this very reason (CBS denied the allegation). Networks usually don't broadcast the anthem. As Sporting News put it yesterday:
By covering one of the most significant days in NFL history with rose-colored glasses, the networks cheated viewers. We got an incomplete picture of what really happened in stadiums on Sunday and Monday.
Whatever the politics involved, the protests are bad for business. The CEO Hardwick Clothing, America's oldest suit maker, just announced he is pulling the company's wardrobe sponsorship and advertising from the NFL. Louisiana state rep Kenny Havard is pushing a bill to stop subsidizing the New Orleans Saints.
"I totally agree with their right to protest and I think it just needs to be done somewhere else. They can do it in the streets, they can do it on Sunday mornings... They can do it wherever they want, but not during our national anthem. I think it's disgraceful."

According to a 2015 piece in Forbes, Saints owner Tom Benson could potentially make around $400 million via state taxpayer dollars through 2025.
And just in case you thought this was an issue that could in no way involve Russians, you were wrong. Russian trolls are allegedly fanning the flames:
Russian Internet "trolls" are exploiting a controversy over protests against police violence by black American football players to stir up divisions in the United States, a senator on the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee said on September 27.

Senator James Lankford (Republican-Oklahoma) said paid social-media users, or what he called "trolls," have been fanning both sides of a heated public debate that emerged recently after some black football players, to protest against recently reported incidents of police violence against black crime suspects, knelt on the ground rather than stood up, as is traditional when the U.S. national anthem is played.
...
Lankford said the Russian trolls, who congressional aides said were detected by U.S. intelligence agencies that briefed committee members, are not taking sides in the dispute but rather are seeking to amplify the anger expressed by people on both sides.

"They were taking both sides of the argument this past weekend, and pushing them out from their troll farms as much as they could to try to just raise the noise level in America and to make a big issue seem like an even bigger issue," Lankford said at a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.