Society's ChildS


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To prevent terrorists plowing into crowds, northbound Golden Gate traffic will be closed during marathon

golden gate bridge
© Robert Galbraith / Reuters
The world famous Golden Gate Bridge will for the first time shut its northbound lanes for the duration of San Francisco marathon. The unprecedented measure is being implemented as a precaution in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Europe where assailants mowed down crowds with vehicles.

"We wanted to make sure that the tragic incidents seen around the world as drivers have intentionally driven into crowds, was not repeated here at the Golden Gate Bridge," Golden Gate Bridge spokeswoman Priya David Clemens told local reporters.

The decision to shut down part of the traffic on the bridge that leads out of the city has been requested by the Bridge Board of Directors citing "consideration of the recent tragedies brought on by those intentionally driving vehicles into crowds of pedestrians at notable locations."

Bridge administrators even wanted city authorities to cancel the 40th Marathon, but decided it was too late.

Comment: See also:


Cloud Grey

According to bioterrorism experts a deadly plague could potentially be released as a cloud above a city

bioweapons
© REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonPlague is one of the oldest bioweapons out there.
When two cases of plague popped up in New Mexico in June, they served as a reminder that the black death - yes, the plague - is still around.

The infection affects a handful of people in the US every year and between a few hundred and a few thousand annually around the world. Most people survive a plague infection these days, since it can almost always be treated with antibiotics.

But researchers, bioweapons experts, and governments still worry that the plague could be turned into a deadly bioweapon, especially if someone with terroristic intent were to find or engineer a strain that couldn't be treated with common drugs.

Comment: Consider the following, written by Kevin Loria, it's been done before: Clouds of secrecy: Over and over again, the military has conducted dangerous biowarfare experiments on Americans, without their knowledge


Sheriff

Cops turn off body-cams while they knock a man unconscious; street-cams exonerate the victim

Barine Deezia
© FacebookBarine Deezia
As Minneapolis is in an uproar that a resident, Justine Damon, could be shot and killed by police not using their body cameras to capture the horrific incident, one man is suing police for manipulating their own body cams to incriminate him.

Barine Deezia was walking home with his friends early on the morning of March 20, 2016, when police noticed one of his friends, a female, who appeared to be intoxicated.

They wanted to know what bar served her and were following her and Deezia down the street. The group of friends seemed to be managing just fine without the help of police, but like a criminal gang, the police kept following them.

Eventually, Deezia found a place for his female friend to sit and begin to sober up, but police engaged the group again. Because they had switched off their cameras the equipment was not recording the incident in question but street cameras did.

The video shows Deezia and his group of friends sitting and standing on an outside patio of a restaurant, when all of a sudden, police swarmed in and violently slammed Deezia into the restaurant's windows and then forcefully took him to the ground.

Sheriff

Justine Diamond killing: Mixed race protest interrupts Minneapolis mayor's press conference as Chief of Police resigns

justine diamond
© Jules AmeelDemonstrators hold signs, calling for 'Justice for Justine'.
Investigators are questioning a cyclist who witnessed and filmed the aftermath of the shooting of Justine Damond as the police officer behind her killing maintains his silence.

A statement just released by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) says the witness is a cyclist who was riding east along West 51 Street as the shooting unfolded, and stopped to watch as officers sought to revive Ms Damond after she had been shot in the stomach.

According to the Star Tribune, a source said the witness filmed part of the encounter.

"The individual has been cooperative and provided an interview today," the statement reads.

But the police officer at the centre of the controversy has again refused to talk.

Comment: Note how race, religion, gender and orientation roles are all flipped in this case. Who or what is to blame here? The culture? Which culture? The overall culture? The dominant culture within that overall culture? If so, which one is that? The progressive multi-culturalism? The regressive patriarchy? A specific sub-culture? The police culture? One of the minority cultures?


Pistol

Michigan cop who killed unarmed man walking towards him is granted immunity

police murder
The parents of a man killed by police are understandably upset after finding out this week that the cop, officer Justin Schlabach, who shot their unarmed son, Timothy Mitchell, for walking toward him will have immunity in the lawsuit.

Mitchell's family sued Munising Officer Justin Schlabach, saying he used excessive force at the end of a chase in 2014.

According to TV6, in a 2-1 decision Wednesday, the appeals court said the officer had "probable cause" to believe Mitchell was an immediate threat after the man drove into a ditch. The court says dash-cam video shows Mitchell appeared hostile and took "long, purposeful steps" toward Schlabach.

However, the dashcam video shows no such hostility, only a man walking toward a cop.

There was one judge on the panel who dissented against granting the killer cop immunity. Judge Karen Nelson Moore noted that jurors should be able to conclude that Schlabach could have chosen another way to subdue Mitchell. And, when watching the video below, it is entirely clear that deadly force was not at all needed at that time.

Display

Armies of cyber-troops are organized to shape and manipulate public opinion

cyber armies
The Computational Propaganda Research Project (COMPROP) investigates the interaction of algorithms, automation and politics. This work includes analysis of how tools like social media bots are used to manipulate public opinion by amplifying or repressing political content, disinformation, hate speech, junk or fake news.

In their most recent report COMPROP have identified how organizations, often with public money, have created a system to help 'define and manage what is in the best interest of the public.'

COMPROP have compared such organizations across 28 countries, created an inventory system and logged the kinds of messages, valences (positive or negative messaging) and communication strategies used. They have also catalogued organizational forms and evaluated their capacities in terms of budgets and staffing.

Bizarro Earth

Awful: 83 year-old woman sexually assaulted in Washington State assisted-living facility

SeaTac assisted-living facility
SeaTac assisted-living facility
The woman told police she was alone in her room, watching TV with the window open, when she heard a noise and saw the assailant remove the window screen and climb inside, the King County Sheriff's Office said.

King County sheriff's detectives are investigating a sexual assault and brutal attack of an 83-year-old woman whose assailant used an open window to get into her room at a SeaTac assisted-living facility, the Sheriff's Office said Friday in a news release.

The assault occurred about 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the 21200 block of International Boulevard, according to the Sheriff's Office.

According to the Fire Department, the woman suffered serious head injuries and showed signs of having been sexually assaulted, the release said. She was taken to the hospital.

Attention

3 Israelis stabbed to death in West Bank colony - Israelis increase troop numbers and plan demotion of attacker family's home

israeli ambulance
© Nir Alon / Global Look Press
Three Israelis have been killed and one wounded in a stabbing attack at the Israeli settlement of Halamish in the West Bank late Friday, rescue services report.

"A short while ago, a terrorist infiltrated a home in Neve Tsuf and stabbed 4 Israelis. 2 died and 2 were wounded. The assailant was shot," Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on Twitter.

While initial reports indicated that the attack left two people dead and one injured, the wounded person subsequently succumbed to his injuries, AP reports citing Israel's rescue service.

The attacker was identified as a Palestinian, according to local media citing officials. Israel Radio identified him as a 19-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank village of Khobar near Ramallah.

The attacker was shot by Israeli security personnel which were dispatched to the scene.

Comment: Israeli troops have been placed on high alert after the stabbing, with more troops sent into the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Palestinian was taken to a hospital after being shot be a neighbor of the victims:
On Saturday morning, Israeli troops searched the assailant's family home in the West Bank village of Kobar and detained one of his brothers, the army said. Video footage released by the military shows soldiers leading away a handcuffed and blindfolded man.

The army said soldiers searched the house and measured it in preparation for demolition.

The assailant's father said his son had been angered by the escalation at the Jerusalem shrine, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, and to Jews as the Temple Mount.

"The honor of Muslims is only the Haram," Mohammed al-Abed said. "If it's gone, the Muslims' honor is gone. This was the motive for my son."

Ibrahim al-Abed, an uncle of the assailant, said his nephew had been arrested three months ago by security forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who presides over autonomous enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The uncle said his nephew had spent two weeks in detention and was violently interrogated about alleged plans to attack Israelis before he was released.

The assailant said in a pre-attack Facebook post that he expected to be killed in the attack. He wrote that he wanted his body to be covered by a banner of the Islamic militant Hamas and a photo of Abbas' predecessor, Yasser Arafat, founder of Hamas' main rival, the Fatah movement.
The victims had been celebrating the birth of a new grandchild during their Sabbath dinner when Omar al-Abed entered their home. He killed a man and two of his adult children. The wife was badly injured, and their daughter-in-law hid in a separate room with the children.

The situation in the Old City is escalating:
Following a relatively quiet day, violence resumed late Saturday near the epicenter of the current crisis in the Old City of Jerusalem. After hundreds of Muslim worshippers defiantly held their evening prayers outside the Jerusalem holy site, resuming their protest against security measures Israel imposed after a deadly attack there, clashes unfolded with police firing tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters.

No injuries were reported, but one Palestinian was killed in uncertain circumstances in other low-level clashes that took place throughout the day ...

Disputes over the shrine, revered by Muslims and Jews, have set off major rounds of Israeli-Palestinian confrontations before. They were also at the root of the current violence which began last week when Arab gunmen fired from the shrine, killing two Israeli policemen.

In response, Israel installed metal detectors at the gates of the 37-acre (15-hectare) walled compound, saying the devices were a needed security measure to prevent more attacks and were deployed routinely at holy sites around the world.

Muslims allege Israel was trying to expand its control at the Muslim-administered site under the guise of security - a claim Israel denies - and launched mass prayer protests.

On Friday, tensions boiled over and several thousand Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in the West Bank and in Jerusalem after noon prayers - the centerpiece of the Muslim religious week. Three Palestinians were killed and several dozen wounded in some of the worst street clashes in two years.



Bomb

Be very afraid: Report claims Interpol fears ISIS trained 173 bomb attackers for Europe

Islamic state fighters
© Medyan Dairieh / Global Look Press
A list of dozens of suspected ISIS militants trained to deal with explosives and potentially aiming at terrorist attacks in Europe has been shared with EU intelligence by The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), the Guardian reports.

Interpol issued a list of 173 terrorists linked to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), who "may have manifested willingness to commit a suicidal attack or martyrdom to support Islam," the Guardian reported on Friday, saying it obtained the names.

The specially trained attackers "can travel internationally, to participate in terrorist activities," but it is unclear whether they managed to reach Europe, the report says.

While the document identifies the suspects and provides their photos, it also features such details as the date of recruitment and possible addresses, even including the mosques they could attend.

Quenelle - Golden

Justin Bieber banned from China until he learns to grow up

justin bieber china
© ReutersJustin Bieber performs in China in 2013, but is now banned from the country
Canadian pipsqueak Justin Bieber may have successfully turned around his reputation by staying out of the headlines and converting millions of cynical pop fans by releasing uncomfortably decent music, but his good behaviour tour hasn't yet worked on the Chinese government, who have banned the star from performing in the country.

When a Chinese Bieber fan contacted the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture to ask why her idol hasn't been seen in the country for several years, despite scheduling dates in nearby Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the Philippines on the Asian leg of his latest world tour, they were met with a friendly if firm response.

"Justin Bieber is a gifted singer, but he is also a controversial young foreign singer," the bureau told the fan in a statement. "In order to maintain order in the Chinese market and purify the Chinese performance environment, it is not suitable to bring in badly behaved entertainers.

"We hope that as Justin Bieber matures, he can continue to improve his own words and actions, and truly become a singer beloved by the public."

Comment: China teaching Westerners about civilized behavior. Interesting times!