Society's ChildS


Airplane

"Totally arbitrary and incompetent": French academic detained, threatened with deportation at Houston airport

Tom Dart
The Guardian, UK
Sun, 26 Feb 2017 20:02 UTC
customs houston airport
© Dave Einsel/Getty ImagesA Customs and Border Protection officer works at George Bush intercontinental airport in Houston, where Henry Rousso was detained.
A prominent French historian has said he was detained for more than 10 hours in Houston and threatened with deportation, in the latest of several examples of high-profile individuals being questioned extensively at US airports before being allowed entry.

Henry Rousso flew from Paris to Houston last Wednesday to take part in a symposium at Texas A&M University but was wrongly detained and almost sent back to France after a border guard failed to understand Rousso's entitlements under visa rules, university officials said.

Rousso said on Twitter that he was "detained 10 hours at [Houston's George Bush intercontinental airport] about to be deported. The officer who arrested me was 'inexperienced'."

While he was held, Rousso contacted university officials who attempted to secure his release. "He was waiting for customs officials to send him back to Paris as an illegal alien on the first flight out," Richard Golsan, a professor at Texas A&M, toldthe Eagle.

Comment: Border security arbitrary and incompetent? Absolutely. It's been like that for years, but perhaps the Guardian failed to notice...

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Oscar

Al-Qaeda gets an Oscar!


Moon of Alabama
Mon, 27 Feb 2017 19:04 UTC
white helmets
© Msallam Abdalbaset / AFP
Hollywood is all about fake. That is what movies are - fake depictions of a fake reality that only exist in the mind of scriptwriters, directors and a usually gullible audience. (Disclosure: I do like some movies.)

Hollywood has never been shy of plagiarizing. Every idea, tale of cinematographic trick that made a splash somewhere - and is thereby a potential money generator - will get copied again and again. Every successful make gets a remake. And another one.

In 2015 the promoting host of the Miss Universe franchise "misread" the name of the winner. He announced "Columbia" when the chosen winner was "Philippines". After a few minutes he "corrected" himself. That "mistake" brought a lot of additional media attention - and financial value - to the event owner.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the U.S. marketing and lobby organization of the movie makers, hands out some yearly rewards arranged to promote specific movies or persons in the movie business. The academy award ceremony is a rather boring event but it gets a lot of hype and media attention (and thereby generates lots of advertisement revenue).

To further increase its value this year's event plagiarized the idea of the Miss Universe promoters. One of the hosts announced the wrong winning movie for some category and then reversed himself to announce a different "real" winner. It was a "mistake" just as surely as Hollywood's latest movie was a description of real life.

Those without memory went into the desired frenzy, the insiders yawned. "Oh, that clumsy fake again."

Comment: A handy list from The Duran: The Syrian cinematographer could not attend the ceremony because, despite having a visa, he was barred for entering the U.S. Whaddyaknow, the U.S. did something right! U.S. officials had reportedly discovered "derogatory information" about Khaled Khatib. The film's producer told AP that the decision was "sad and confusing". Ha! Yep, so confusing that an al-Qaeda operative was denied entry to the U.S.

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Shoe

USADA investigating UK Olympic champion Mo Farah & other runners' involved in doping scandal - report


RT
Sun, 26 Feb 2017 18:38 UTC

A leaked report by the US anti-doping agency, USADA, has revealed that coach Alberto Salazar "almost certainly" broke anti-doping rules by allegedly giving infusions to his athletes, including four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah, the Sunday Times reported.

According to the report published by the British media on Sunday, the coach, who has been previously involved in a doping scandal, has "abused prescription medicines and used prohibited drug infusions to boost testosterone levels and the performance of his runners."

The report said several athletes, including Farah and "six top American runners training with Salazar" had received intravenous infusions of a substance known as L-carnitine during a major training project in the US.

Written in March 2016, the anti-doping agency official report stated that "substantial and compelling evidence" had been found that the coach and a doctor from his team "conspired" to use some medical substances in "sometimes potentially unlawful" ways, according to the Sunday Times. Farah was among those allegedly given drugs to run faster, it added.

The USADA confirmed it had prepared a report in relation to the alleged doping abuse by Salazar's athletes, AFP reported. "It appears that a draft of this report was leaked" to the British media, the agency said, citing a USADA statement. USADA added that its dossier had been leaked by hacker group Fancy Bears, allegedly "affiliated" with Moscow.

Comment: See also: 'Fancy Bears' hackers leak IOC letter showing McLaren report lacked evidence of Russian doping

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Sheriff

Raging cop slams 86-yo grandma down, then maces elderly woman helping her (VIDEO)

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Mon, 27 Feb 2017 16:29 UTC
Tuscon police cars
© Mike Christy/Arizona Daily Star
Disturbing body camera footage has been released this week showing a Tuscon cop assault an 86-year-old grandma by throwing her to the ground and then pepper spray a 65-year-old woman for trying to help her up.

Naturally, police are claiming they feared for their safety and were forced to use violence against the 4'5″ 100-lb elderly woman and her 65-year-old friend.

Two weeks ago, protesters gathered in downtown Tuscon to voice their discontent with Tump's travel ban and immigration crackdown. Although the assault was reported then, the body cam video was not released until now.
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Handcuffs

Pedophile cop faces 50 felony counts of child pornography for online distribution ring

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Mon, 27 Feb 2017 16:31 UTC
Chad Howell
© CBS 21 NewsOfficer Chad Howell
Not 1, not 5, not a dozen — but 50 counts of child pornography have been levied against one of York County's finest after he was turned in for distributing the horrific images online.

Officer Chad Howell, with the West Manchester Township police department, now finds himself in an orange jumpsuit rather than his normal uniform. He now faces 50 felony counts of child pornography for possessing and distributing nude or partially nude images of young girls from the ages of 15 down to 8.

West Manchester Township resident Kathryn Decoste said, "I'm saddened, and I'm sickened. The trust we put in our police officers to help us, to even be inspirational to our children, hearing this kind of news is just as seriously disturbing."

Pennsylvania attorney general Josh Shapiro said, "Every case involving child pornography or the sexual exploitation of children is abhorrent. The fact that the defendant is in a position of public trust is especially concerning. Our office will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law," Shapiro added.

Comment: Sexual predators often take positions in the community where they have easy access to children. The best protection we have is to educate ourselves and gain a better understanding of how these predators operate. Listen to or read our interview with Dr. Anna Salter, author of the best-selling book, Predators: Pedophiles, Rapists, and Other Sex Offenders, Who They Are, How They Operate, and How We Can Protect Ourselves and Our Children.

Behind the Headlines: Predators Among Us - Interview With Dr. Anna Salter

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People

Chinese veterans staging organized protests in Beijing over military pensions

Philip Wen & Ben Blanchard
Reuters
Mon, 27 Feb 2017 15:11 UTC
chinese military
© Andy Wong/Associated Press
Chinese military veterans have demonstrated in central Beijing for two days, demanding unpaid retirement benefits in a new wave of protests highlighting the difficulty in managing demobilized troops.

Hundreds of protesters, dressed in green and blue camouflage fatigues, gathered on Wednesday morning outside the Communist Party's anti-corruption agency, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, standing in rows and chanting slogans.

Reuters was sent footage of the protest by participants.

Comment: Looks like another opening for agitation by Western 'color revolution' agents.

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Bomb

Police officers injured in suicide blast at Algeria police station


RT
Mon, 27 Feb 2017 15:10 UTC
Algeriaa suicide bomb attack
© annaharkw / Instagram
Several police officers have suffered injuries after a man wearing a suicide belt detonated himself at the entrance to the police station in a densely populated district in the northeastern Algerian city of Constantine, local media reported.

The assailant reportedly intended to blow himself up inside the police station, but fell short of the target after being stopped by a vigilant police officer, who fired shots at the perpetrator, "precisely targeting the explosive belt carried by the terrorist,"TSA reported, citing Directorate General for National Security (DGNS), Algeria's civil police.

However, the suicide bomber still managed to denote the explosive device as he was falling to the ground.
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Heart - Black

Vandals topple dozens of headstones at Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia (VIDEO)


RT
Mon, 27 Feb 2017 11:34 UTC
Cemetery
© Dominick Reuter / AFPJewish Mount Carmel Cemetery, February 26, 2017, in Philadelphia, PA.
Dozens of tombstones at a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia were discovered toppled and damaged, according to media reports. Police classified the incident as an act of vandalism, the second in a week since the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis.

The discovery was made on Sunday morning at the Mount Carmel Cemetery in the Wissinoming neighborhood of Philadelphia by a local man who came to visit the grave of his father.

Police say up to 100 graves were affected, while locals claim up to 500 tombstones had been overturned, according to ABC6.


Comment: See also:

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No Entry

The retail apocalypse gains momentum as debt ceiling holiday approaches

Michael Snyder
The Economic Collapse
Sun, 26 Feb 2017 15:44 UTC
abandoned mall
© Seph Lawless
J.C. Penney and Family Christian Stores are the latest retail giants to announce widespread store closings. As you will see below, J.C. Penney plans to close between 130 and 140 stores, and Family Christian is closing all of their 240 stores. In recent months the stock market has been absolutely soaring, and so most people have simply assumed that the "real economy" must be doing well. But that is not the case at all. In fact, the retail apocalypse that I have been documenting for quite some time appears to be gaining momentum.

J.C. Penney is not in as rough shape as Sears is just yet, but it is definitely on a similar trajectory. In the end, they are both headed for bankruptcy. That is why it wasn't too much of a surprise when J.C. Penney announced that they are getting rid of about 6,000 workers and closing at least 130 stores...
J.C. Penney (JCP) plans to close 130 to 140 stores and offer buyouts to 6,000 workers as the department-store industry sags in competition with online sellers and nimble niche retailers.

The company said Friday that it would shutter 13% to 14% of its locations and introduce new goods and services aimed at the shifting preferences of its customer base.
Meanwhile, many observers were quite surprised when Family Christian Stores decided to fold up shop for good. They were known as the largest Christian retailer on the entire planet, but now after 85 years they are going out of business forever...

Comment: The last time this occurred in stock markets an epic crash followed

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USA

Campus wars against BDS activism rage on

Nada Elia
Mondoweiss
Sat, 25 Feb 2017 15:10 UTC
israel protest
© FacebookPro-Israel stand in front of pro-Palestinian students during protest at the University of California, Berkeley, March 2016.
Activists for Palestinian rights have long known that our universities are overwhelmingly-hostile environments where freedom of speech about, and critical inquiry into, Israel's oppressive policies are heavily censored. The mainstreaming of BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) and the growing support this grassroots movement is gaining have had the effect of increasing, rather than alleviating, university administrators' clamping down on support for Palestinian rights.

Over the past few weeks, two separate and noteworthy incidents have illustrated this heavy-handed approach. And while these incidents are particularly outrageous, they are not exceptional, but rather indicative of the overall climate of political repression that continues to blanket the nation.

On Thursday, Feb. 23, in an egregious twist to a still-unfolding story, Fordham University student Sapphira Lurie received a "disciplinary reprimand" by Dean of Students Keith Eldredge, in what the advocacy organization Palestine Legal has described as a "pre-determined outcome."

Lurie, a senior at Fordham, had been found in violation of her school's "demonstration policy" when she participated in a Jan. 23 rally protesting the dean's decision to deny her request to start a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine on her campus. That decision, as well as the charge, was condemned by civil rights groups as a violation of the school's free speech and association policies.
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