Society's ChildS


Boat

Record number of deaths for refugees attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea


RT
Sun, 20 Nov 2016 18:08 UTC
rescue workers
© Hani Amara / ReutersRescue workers remove the dead body of a migrant, who was sailing with others on a boat which authorities believed had capsized last week, on a beach in Tripoli's Janzour city, Libya November 3, 2016.
After the six latest drownings, the number of recorded deaths of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe this year has surpassed that for 2015 by 1,000, reaching 4,621. Over 540 asylum seekers have died in this month alone.

A total of 4,621 people are estimated to have died in the Mediterranean in 2016, according to the latest International Organization for Migration (IOM) report, compared to 3,777 in 2015. Moreover, November's 546 deaths topped those recorded in November of 2015 by 465 victims, a six-fold increase.

The bad weather that has been blamed for the increasing death toll does not appear to have deterred the smugglers transporting the asylum seekers, indicating that the upcoming harsh winter months could be particularly lethal.

"From the first testimonies that we collected so far, it seems that the migrants were forced on board, even though they were clearly afraid of the rough seas. It was extremely dangerous in such bad weather. The rescues were also even more complicated under these conditions," said Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesperson for the IOM Coordination Office for the Mediterranean in Rome.
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TV

Credibility lost: If the media keeps freaking out about Trump no one will listen when a real crisis occurs

Kyle Smith
New York Post
Sun, 20 Nov 2016 17:34 UTC
trump
© REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo
It's contrary to the laws of nature for a tabloid writer to tell the gentry media not to go berserk. It's like a cat telling his owner to stop coughing up hairballs or Iron Man asking Captain America to be less arrogant. Here at The Post, our mission statement does not include understatement. We provide journalistic Red Bull, not Sominex.

Nevertheless, a word of neighborly advice to our more genteel media friends, the ones who sit at the high table in their pristine white dinner jackets and ball gowns. You've been barfing all over yourselves for a week and a half, and it's revolting to watch.

For your own sake, and that of the republic for which you allegedly work, wipe off your chins and regain your composure. I didn't vote for him either, but Trump won. Pull yourselves together and deal with it, if you ever want to be taken seriously again.

What kind of president will Trump be? It's a tad too early to say, isn't it? The media are supposed to tell us what happened, not speculate on the future. But its incessant scaremongering, the utter lack of proportionality and the shameless use of double standards are an embarrassment, one that is demeaning the value of the institution. The press' frantic need to keep the outrage meter dialed up to 11 at all times creates the risk that a desensitized populace will simply shrug off any genuine White House scandals that may lie in the future (or may not).
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Propaganda

Ron Paul reveals hit list of 'fake news' journalists


RT
Sun, 20 Nov 2016 16:56 UTC
Mainstream news personalities
© Ron Paul / Twitter
Former congressman Ron Paul revealed a list of "fake news" journalists he claims are responsible for "bogus wars" and lies about Hillary Clinton's chances of winning the election. Journalists from CNN, the New York Times, and the Guardian are included.

"This list contains the culprits who told us that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and lied us into multiple bogus wars," according to a report on his website, Ron Paul Liberty Report. Paul claims the list is sourced and "holds a lot more water" than a list previously released by Melissa Zimdars, who is described on Paul's website as "a leftist feminist professor."


Comment: Meet leftist assistant professor Melissa Zimdars who wrote 'hit list' of 'fake' news sites


"These are the news sources that told us 'if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor,'" he said. "They told us that Hillary Clinton had a 98% of winning the election. They tell us in a never-ending loop that 'The economy is in great shape!'"
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Pistol

15 y.o. grandson of Chicago Congressman killed in home invasion following fight over gym shoes


RT
Sun, 20 Nov 2016 17:28 UTC
Congressman Danny K. Davis
© Congressman Danny K. Davis / FacebookIn a statement Davis asked how a teenager was in posession of a gun.
The 15-year-old grandson of Congressman Danny Davis was shot dead in his Chicago home, reportedly in a dispute over gym shoes. Two teenagers have been charged with first-degree murder following the fatal incident.

Jovan Wilson, who was a sophomore at Perspectives Charter School, was shot dead in his Englewood home on Friday after a 17-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy forced their way in, according to NBC5. Wilson was shot in the head by the teenage boy, reportedly after a fight ensued over gym shoes.

Wilson's siblings, aged 16, 14, and 8, as well as his uncle, were in the home when the shooting occurred. His mother is understood to have been out at the time.

His grandfather, Danny Davis, who is now serving his 11th term as the US Representative for Illinois' 7th congressional district, said in a statement, "I grieve for my family, I grieve for the young man that pulled the trigger, I grieve for his family, his parents, his friends, some of whom will never see him again."
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Info

Meet leftist assistant professor Melissa Zimdars who wrote 'hit list' of 'fake' news sites

Chelsea Schilling
WND
Sun, 20 Nov 2016 17:07 UTC
Merrimack College
© TwitterMerrimack College assistant professor Melissa Zimdars, author of the “fake news” list circulated online.
The mainstream media are going wild circulating a viral list of so-called "fake news" websites - and the list includes established news sites like WND, Breitbart, Red State, the Daily Wire and Project Veritas - but WND has found a leftist, Trump-bashing assistant professor in Massachusetts who specialized in "fat studies" is behind the effort to target and discredit legitimate news organizations.

Meet Merrimack College Assistant Professor Melissa Zimdars, a 30-something self-identified feminist and activist who has expressed great dislike for President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence.

Melissa "Mish" Zimdars is an assistant professor of communication at Merrimack College in Massachusetts

She's only actually held her teaching position at the private college in North Andover, Mass., for 15 months.
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Megaphone

There is no specific threat, but FBI issues Thanksgiving terror warning


CBS Boston
Thu, 17 Nov 2016 17:18 UTC
FBI terror threat
As the holiday bustle picks up, so does law enforcement awareness.

Sources tell CBS News the FBI is alerting police across the country about a potential terrorist attack around Thanksgiving.

It specifically warns of homegrown terrorists. Potential targets? Shopping malls, special events, crowded venues - locations in Washington, D.C. and Virginia described as target-rich zones. ISIS's magazine called New York City's Macy's Parade an excellent target.

And potential tactics could include guns, IEDs, or drones equipped with IEDs.

Comment: Propaganda alert! US officials hype non-specific holiday terror attack warning

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Cut

'Hi Mum, I'm broke': Thousands protest education cuts in London


RT
Sat, 19 Nov 2016 21:37 UTC
Education protest
© Ruptly
Thousands of students, teachers and university staff took to the streets of the British capital in what they called a national protest against the education bill, which was earlier introduced by Teresa May's government.

The national demonstration, dubbed "United for Education," was organized by the National Union of Students (NUS) and the University and College Union (UCU), an association of lecturers and other staff, who want "free, accessible and quality education" for everyone.

More than 2,500 students and university staff said they are willing to join the rally on the event's Facebook page and another 3,000 signaled that they might be interested in joining the protest.

However, the real number of protesters was significantly higher as the authorities describe it as "thousands" and Malia Bouattia, the president of NUS, put it at 15,000.
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People

Flashback CDC: Nation's percentage of LGBT is less than supposed

William Bigelow
Breitbart
Tue, 15 Jul 2014 00:00 UTC
Kissing Gays
© Unknown
The Washington Post reports that a highly definitive study from 2013 has pegged the size of the gay population in the United States at far less than has sometimes been estimated.

The National Health Interview Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is the federal government's most relied upon estimate of the nation's health and behaviors, found that fewer than 3% of respondents self-identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Only 1.6% of respondents self-identified as gay or lesbian, and even less, 0.7%, self-identified as bisexual.

The estimate of the percentage of bisexuals was lower than the 2008 General Social Survey, which estimated that number at 1.1 percent, while other surveys have intimated that the percentage of bisexuals is the same as gays.
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Pistol

4 police killed after helicopter 'shot down' in Rio


RT
Sun, 20 Nov 2016 16:37 UTC
helicopter ‘shot down’ in Rio
© Tony Barros / YouTube
Four police officers have died as their helicopter was "downed" in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro amid an ongoing operation, local media report. Videos of the crashed aircraft emerged, with reports saying there was shooting in the area prior to the crash.

Police have confirmed the death of four policemen in the crash, Brazilian news portal G1reported, citing Major Ivan Blaz, media coordinator of the Brazilian Military Police.

BandNews FM reported, an investigation into the causes of the crash will be carried by Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center, a unit of Brazilian Air Force, on Sunday.

Eyewitnesses on Twitter reported continuous shooting and a police presence in the Cidade de Deus (City of God) neighborhood in western Rio de Janeiro, which is a well-known Brazilian slum area often referred to as CDD.
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Eye 1

US police spend millions on social media monitoring


RT
Sun, 20 Nov 2016 16:25 UTC
US police social media
© guyen Huy Kham / Reuters
A new study has found law enforcement agencies spent $4.75 million on social media monitoring tools between 2013 and 2016 to surveil the public and investigate possible crimes, although this sum is "massively understated," according to researchers.

The Brennan Center for Justice published an analysisof 151 US cities, counties and law enforcement departments that have spent more than $10,000 on software to monitor social media, using public records to compile the list.

The study found the City of Los Angeles, the County of Sacramento, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Macomb County in Michigan and Texas Department of Public Safety were the biggest users of surveillance, spending about $70,000 each over the past three years.
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