Society's ChildS


Attention

Hacking group Fancy Bears releases emails claiming cover-up of US athletes' drug tests

Fancy Bears
© Richard Heathcote / ReutersThe United States of America Olympic team enters Maracana during the opening ceremony.
The hacking group Fancy Bears, as part of its so-called #OpOlympics, has released emails between US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) employees that it says proves that American athletes have taken banned substances.

On Thursday, Fancy Bears released email correspondence between USADA science director Dr. Matthew Fedoruk and Dana Leenheer, Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) & Drug Reference Specialist. The hacking group claimed that the exchange"reveals that USADA covers up many athletes using prohibited substances. As evidence, see the table containing the data of more than 200 American athletes who have USADA and other organizations' permission to take banned drugs."

Comment: See also:
  • Ya think? Exposed British doper Bradley Wiggins' doctor says therapeutic use exemption looks very suspicious



Pumpkin 2

Grandmother's Halloween display depicts real-life horrors, shootings and Flint water crisis

Grandmother Haddon's real life Halloween display
© Tanya Moutzalias / MLive Detroit"We need to come together, if we don't this scene in my yard is going to be reality every day," said Larethia Haddon of the message her unique halloween display depicts in her front yard of the Bagley neighborhood on Detroit's west side Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016. Haddon said her grandkids helped her come up with display that illustrates their own fears and the real horrors of life. The display includes a messages of police shootings, the Flint water crisis, senseless killings and child predators.
As Halloween approaches, hair-raising yard displays can often cause people to stop, gawk and whip out their cellphones.

Larethia Haddon is well aware of that, and is using it to shine some light on real-life horrors, rather than typical Halloween themes.

In her yard at the corner of Mendota and Santa Maria avenues in Detroit, there are six dummies portraying police shootings, slain children, the Flint water crisis, and other horrors.

Comment:



Gold Seal

Best of the Web: Massive banner of 'Putin as peacemaker' unfurled from New York City bridge

Putin flag in New York
© REUTERS/ Brendan McDermid
A massive banner praising Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "peacemaker" was hung from the Manhattan Bridge on Thursday afternoon.

At around 1:45 p.m., a 20 foot by 30 foot banner, featuring a photo of Putin with Russian and Syrian flags as the background was hung over the Brooklyn side of the bridge. Over an hour later, at around 3 p.m., the banner was removed by city officials, but not before plenty of onlookers grabbed photos to post on social media.

Comment: Good to see that at least some people are aware and awake!


Display

Dark side of blogebrity: Saudi teen arrested for flirtation online with American woman

Abu Sin and Christina
© www.independent.co.ukChristina and Abu Sin
A Saudi Arabian teenager has been arrested for unethical behavior after his video chats with a young American woman went viral. Over the course of several months, 19-year old Saudi-YouTuber Abu Sin chatted animatedly with American vlogger Christina Crockett, although he hardly spoke any English and she does not understand Arabic.

Abu Sin's vibrant personality compensated for a lack of verbal interaction, and the two seemed to be on the same charming wavelength. The language barrier that pushed them to find alternative ways of communication only added to the fun, and goofy videos of their "conversations" went viral as soon as they were uploaded on YouTube. The couple immediately gained thousands of followers, but Abu Sin's fame came back to bite him. As he became popular, Saudi police claimed to receive complaints from vigilant citizens in the kingdom who, apparently, have nothing better to do than watch Americans and Saudis talk on YouTube. On Sunday, the teen was taken into custody in Riyadh. His arrest was recorded on camera.


Comment: An example of the unfortunate byproduct of living under such regimes as in Saudi Arabia where the consequences outweigh the "crime" and religious precepts are intertwined with civil societal control to the point of indistinguishable infraction.


Bomb

Istanbul blast injures ten

istanbul blast
© twitter
An explosion near a police station in Istanbul has injured ten people, according to the city's governor. He says a motorcycle bomb caused the blast. The city's governor, Vasip Şahin, said on Twitter the explosion injured 5 people. He also stated that the blast was caused by a motorcycle bomb. Earlier reports suggested a car was blown up. Media also said one of those injured sustained serious wounds.

Istanbul blast
© www.middleeasteye.net
The blast took place in Istanbul's Yenibosna neighborhood in the Turkish capital's European part. The explosion is said to have been so strong that it was heard at Ataturk airport, some five kilometers away, media reported, citing witnesses. Bomb disposal squads and emergency crews were dispatched to the scene.

The area was immediately cordoned off by police to prevent the possibility of another explosion, Turkish Milliyet reported. The explosive device was reportedly detonated via remote control. After examining a CCTV camera, police have identified a suspect, who fled the site immediately after the attack.

The blast damaged several vehicles and also shattered glass in the buildings nearby, images from the scene showed. The police station in question is in the Yenibosna, or "New Bosnia" neighborhood, just east of Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport.

Comment:




Card - VISA

Fired Pentagon adviser charges $3k to govt credit card at strip clubs, DOD averages 5000 charges $1M+ per year

General Ron Lewis
© OSD Deputy Secretary of Defense / FlickrDeputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter speaks with Regional East deputy commander Brigadier General Ron Lewis.
A two-star general who was previously fired from a top post at the Pentagon and demoted in rank misused his government credit card at strip clubs and had "inappropriate interactions" with female subordinates, a Defense Department report has concluded. Misuse of government credit cards at strip clubs and casinos has been an ongoing problem for the Pentagon. Department of Defense employees, both civilian and military, racked up 5,000 charges at casinos and strip clubs totaling more than $1 million over the course of a year.

Now it appears that such charges extend all the way up the chain of command to almost the very top: Major General Ron Lewis, the former senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Ash Carter. Lewis was fired from his post in November after the DOD announced he was under investigation for undefined "misconduct allegations." He was transferred to serve as a special assistant to Lieutenant General James McConville, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel matters, and demoted in rank to a two-star general.

We have now learned what that misconduct was: Accusations that Lewis "misused his government travel charge card for personal expenses; made false official statements regarding his government travel card misuse; and engaged in other inappropriate behavior," Kathie Scarrah, a spokeswoman for the Pentagon's Office of the Inspector General (IG),told AP.


Comment: US tax dollars at work (and play). Outrageous.


Sheriff

Two cops lose their jobs after being caught making racial slurs and plotting to target black drivers

former deputy Brant Gaither
© The Free Thought Project
"It's supposed to rain tomorrow. Might not get too many niggs."— said the racist cop.

One Georgia sheriff's deputy has now been fired and a second resigned abruptly after an investigation disclosed a bevy of racist and sexist posts to social media and an apparent pattern of targeting African Americans for traffic stops.

McIntosh County Sheriff's Department deputies Brant Gaither and Jeremy Owens patrolled Interstate 95 between Savannah and Brunswick as part of a special traffic unit, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

A supervisor stumbled onto the two cops' Facebook Messenger exchanges, initiated an internal investigation, and terminated Gaither on July 25. Owens — responsible for the quote at the beginning of this article — resigned the following day.

Racial slurs peppered their messages, as did overtly racist stereotypes and denigrating comments about women, the Journal-Constitution found. In one example, renowned civil rights and peace activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech became the subject of abject mockery.

"I have a dream," Gaither wrote. "That one day my people will not act like animals."

Owens replied, "Lol. That'll never happen."

Other exchanges included quips about domestic violence and something unspecified concerning a black pregnancy test and fried chicken.

House

New Jersey gas explosion collapses duplex; second explosion in two days

NJ home explosion
© Kevin Shea/Advance Media
Two houses were badly damaged and two residents injured in an apparent explosion in Trenton Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

Residents reported hearing a "boom" sound and came outside to see the Wayne Avenue duplex collapsing and debris strewn in the street.

Two people were taken to a local hospital from the scene of the 3:20 p.m. explosion, on a side street between Calhoun Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

One other person was near the explosion, but not injured, officials said. City firefighters first on scene did not enter the structure, waiting for all the utilities to be shut off. Shortly before 4 p.m., the strong smell of natural gas permeated the block in North Trenton.

A PSE&G spokeswoman said utility crews shut off the gas to the two homes, and the cause of the incident was under investigation.

Comment: Gas explosion destroys two homes in New Jersey


Arrow Up

Putin the Peacemaker

Putin the Peacemaker
© Twitter
A giant flag of Russian President Vladimir Putin was draped along the side of the Manhattan Bridge Thursday. The massive flag featured the Russian leader in a suit and tie along with the word "peacemaker" at the bottom. People quickly took to social media and posted photos of the mysterious flag.

"2 dudes just hung a giant Vladimir Putin 'Peacemaker' flag of the manhattan bridge," Twitter user @FAMOUSCLASS tweeted.


Sherlock

Dept. of Justice opens investigation into Alabama treatment of male prisoners

handcuffs
© Enrique Castro-Mendivil / Reuters
The US Department of Justice has launched a statewide investigation into the conditions of Alabama's prisons for men. The probe will look at whether prisoners are protected from other prisoners and correctional officers, and into the living conditions.

The DOJ will focus on claims of physical and sexual violence by inmates on each other and accusations of excessive force and sexual abuse by prison guards and other staff members. On top of that, the agency will look into whether the prisons are sanitary, secure and safe, the Justice Department said in a statement.

"Our obligation is to protect the civil rights of all citizens, including those who are incarcerated," said US Attorney Joyce White Vance of the Northern District of Alabama. "This investigation provides us with an opportunity to work collaboratively with the state of Alabama to assess current conditions and ensure constitutionally sufficient conditions exist for all prisoners."

The DOJ Civil Rights Division's Special Litigation Section and the three US Attorney's Offices in Alabama will conduct the investigation.