Society's ChildS


Whistle

Oh, the irony! Whistleblower Protection Program worker fired for blowing the whistle

Joshua Krause
The Daily Sheeple
Fri, 16 Oct 2015 00:01 UTC
whistleblower
Earlier this year, Darrel Whitman decided to sound the alarm over the dysfunction he had seen while working for OSHA. He was employed with the Whistleblower Protection Program within OSHA, and investigated claims of illegal activity and safety issues among workers. But after revealing that his department managers closed complaints to alleviate backlogs, altered reports, and failed to protect workers who complained, he was fired. In other words, a worker for a department dedicated to protecting whistleblowers, has been fired for blowing the whistle.

Whitman told NBC news that "They got rid of the squeaky wheel" before adding "I was going to report what I thought to be violations of law and policy...they were going to have to answer to those reports and they didn't like that." In fact, Whitman was featured on the Daily Show with John Stewart several months ago, and admitted that he was going to be fired if the interview was ever aired. OSHA cited 6 different reasons for his termination, including "lack of candor during an investigatory meeting" and releasing government documents without permission (i.e. exactly the sort of thing a whistleblower has to do).
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Arrow Up

Personal injury law firms gearing up for mass tort actions against Monsanto claiming it knew glyphosate was toxic

Carey Gillam
Reuters
Thu, 15 Oct 2015 18:37 UTC
roundup
Personal injury law firms around the United States are lining up plaintiffs for what they say could be "mass tort" actions against agrichemical giant Monsanto Co that claim the company's Roundup herbicide has caused cancer in farm workers and others exposed to the chemical.

The latest lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Delaware Superior Court by three law firms representing three plaintiffs.

The lawsuit is similar to others filed last month in New York and California accusing Monsanto of long knowing that the main ingredient in Roundup, glyphosate, was hazardous to human health." the lawsuit states.

The litigation follows the World Health Organization's declaration in March that there was sufficient evidence to classify glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans."

Comment: There is now an enormous cache of evidence on both scientific and legal grounds that Monsanto in fact conducted numerous studies in the 1970s and 1980s on glyphosate's toxicity and health risks and intentionally sealed this research from independent and public review and scrutiny.

Monsanto knew all along! Sealed documents reveal the truth behind Roundup's toxicological dangers

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Pills

Has the United States lost its collective mind?: Top selling drug is antipsychotic

Robert Bridge
RT
Thu, 15 Oct 2015 14:26 UTC
Image
© Shutterstock
From Ferguson, Missouri to the deserts of Afghanistan the specter of US aggression is fueling the flames of civil strife and military conflict around an increasingly volatile planet. Much of the problem may be connected to the breakdown of the American psyche.

Before attempting to shed some light on America's mental condition, let's open with a pop quiz question: What is the top-selling prescription drug in the US? Nope, it's not Viagra, not Prozac, forget the Percocet. If you don't know, take a peek in the medicine cabinet because there's a high chance it's lurking in there, right behind that purple people eater. Yes, you got it. The top-selling drug in the Land of the Free and Disturbed is an antipsychotic, happily named Abilify.

Once again: The top-selling drug in America is an antipsychotic. Now some might say that's mental.

Comment: While pharmaceuticals aren't the only problem Americans face, nor even the cause of the general insanity that's swept the nation, it should be extremely alarming that so many Americans are on psychotropic drugs. At the very least, they have reduced psychological and emotional health along with physical health from the "side" effects of the drug, as well as being dependent upon a pharmaceutical to be functional human beings. But worse than that, they've turned away from reality, and no problems can be solved - in fact, nothing positive can be done - without dealing with actual reality.

Even worse than that is the potential for a quickening of psychological disintegration from cosmic influences.

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Che Guevara

Arab artists hired to paint 'Homeland' set reveal walls were covered with graffiti saying the show is 'racist' and a 'joke'

Corey Charlton
Daily Mail
Thu, 15 Oct 2015 21:13 UTC
homeland artist protest
© ShowtimeClaire Danes' character walks past a slogan that translates to 'Homeland is racist' in a scene from the show
  • A group of artists were asked to add authenticity to the refugee camp set
  • Arabic slogans were spray painted across the set on the outskirts of Berlin
  • The messages included: 'Homeland is a joke that didn't make us laugh'
  • Others are said to state '#blacklivesmatter' and 'Homeland is a watermelon'
  • Those behind the messages said the show portrays Muslims 'inaccurately'
A group of street artists hired to give the new Homeland series authenticity have bombed its set with hidden messages in Arabic calling the show a 'joke' and 'racist'.The slogans, sprayed across the walls of a set designed to be of a Syrian refugee camp, went unnoticed and broadcast on the second episode of the new series.
homeland artistic protest
© ShowtimeThis frame, taken from episode two in the show's fifth season, features graffiti that reads '1,001 calamities'
Claiming it was an opportunity to voice their discontent at Homeland's portrayal of Muslims, the artists blasted the show for its 'highly biased depiction of Arabs, Pakistanis, and Afghans'.

The group said their employers told them their messages must be apolitical, but the set designers were too busy to pay attention to their work once it was completed.

The award winning show, featuring Claire Danes as a CIA agent navigating the murky world of terrorism and modern day espionage, has been criticised in the past for its portrayal of Muslims and the Middle East.

Among the messages spray painted across the set were 'Homeland is racist', 'ready to die', 'Homeland is NOT a series' and '#blacklivesmatter'.
homeland artistic protest
© ShowtimeClaire Danes and British actor Max Beesley's characters wander past a message stating 'Homeland is not a series'
Others were more humorous, with 'Homeland is a watermelon', 'Homeland is a joke that didn't make us laugh', and 'this show does not represent the views of the artists' included.One of the members of the group, Egyptian visual artist Heba Amin, explained the group's motivation on her website.
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Pistol

Israeli stabs Jew in failed attempt at hate crime


RT
Thu, 15 Oct 2015 17:09 UTC
Image
© Xinhua News Agency/REX SUriel Razkan, an Israeli Jew, was stabbed by an Orthodox Jewish man who believed he was an Arab
An Israeli man stabbed a fellow Jew by mistake, in apparent revenge for the recent spate of Palestinian-on-Israeli stabbings. The specter of increasingly violent nationalism has steadily been rising on both sides.

The stabbing occurred in the Haifa suburb of Kiryat Ata on Tuesday, according to Haaretz. The attacker allegedly thought his victim was an Arab. When it became clear what had transpired, he sought to flee the scene. A security guard shot at him, grazing a bystander's arm in the process.

The suspect was apprehended and is now being questioned by police. He is a local, aged 36. His victim is 23 and is from the same town. The injured man's condition has been described by doctors as moderate. He sustained several stab wounds to the back.

Comment: Could this be symbolic of the effects that the psychopaths in power in Israel are having on the Jews?

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Pumpkin 2

Hysteria! Panic strikes Texas high school after student asks for 'gum'

Kyle Skinner
EAG News
Wed, 14 Oct 2015 18:32 UTC
Image
© Eagnews.org
Emotions are on a hair trigger in schools these days.

So much so, just hearing the word "gum" can cause a school-wide freak-out, as evidenced by an episode Wednesday.

A student at Lehman High School student reportedly asked for some chewing gum, but another student thought the student said "gun," KCEN reports.

No gun was found and Hays County, Texas school district spokesman Tim Savoy insists the school was never in "lock down," though school administrators did "hold students in their extended class periods to investigate the concern with little to no disruption to their schedule."

Principal Michelle Chae sent a letter home to parents after the incident, according to the Hays Free Press, writing:
Dear Lobo Parents,

This morning we received a report from a student that there was allegedly a weapon on campus. After investigating the concern, it was determined that a student thought he heard the word "gun," but in fact it was another student asking for some "gum."

The safety of our students is always foremost on our list of priorities, so we take these concerns seriously. We continue to encourage students to report anything they see or hear that causes them concern. Fortunately, in this case, it was a misunderstanding and there was no threat to our school or need to conduct a lockdown.

Because we are conducting the PSAT, we were able to hold students in their extended class periods to investigate the concern with little to no disruption to their schedule.

Sincerely,

Michelle Chae
Principal, LHS
No gun was ever found. No word on if the student ever got the requested gum.
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Hearts

Russia's 41st humanitarian aid convoy heads to southeast Ukraine


Sputnik
Thu, 15 Oct 2015 05:54 UTC
Image
© Sputnik/Sergey Plvovarov
Russia's 41st humanitarian aid convoy for residents of Ukraine's crisis-hit southeast (Donbass) has departed for Ukraine, a spokesperson of the Russian Emergencies Ministry said early on Thursday.

The convoy includes 100 vehicles that are carrying over 1,100 metric tons of aid for residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. The humanitarian cargo consists of food, medicine, items of first necessity, firefighting equipment and school supplies.

"The convoy left the Donskoy rescue center of the Russian Emergencies Ministry in the Rostov region at 04:00 Moscow time [01:00 GMT] and is headed for the state border," the spokesperson told journalists.

In November 2014, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko ordered to impose an economic blockade on Donbass, withdrawing all state-funded health, educational and social protections from the region.

Overall, Russia has sent more than 49,000 metric tons of humanitarian aid to Donbas since August 2014.

According to the Emergencies Ministry, Russia plans to send humanitarian convoys to Donbass weekly till the end of 2015.

Comment: Kudos to Russia for their humanity.

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Eye 1

Pharmaceutical company that hiked up AIDS drug from $14 to $750 facing anti-trust probe


RT
Wed, 14 Oct 2015 16:42 UTC
Image
© Reuters
Turing Pharmaceuticals, the company that increased the price of a drug used by AIDS and cancer patients by more than fifty times, is now facing an antitrust probe by the New York state attorney general.

Upon acquiring Daraprim, a 62-year-old drug no longer under patent protection, Turing raised the price from $13.50 a pill all the way up to $750, leading to widespread outrage and igniting a debate about pharmaceutical industry practices.

The office of the Attorney General of New York, Eric Schneiderman, wrote to Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli on Monday, inquiring about concerns that the company might be trying to prevent generic versions of Daraprim from being produced. The antitrust office is concerned that Turing may have restricted distribution of the drug specifically so that generic drug manufacturers couldn't get the samples they need to create their own version.

Companies that make generics need the name-brand versions for testing purposes, to prove that the drug they manufacture is pharmaceutically equivalent and can be substituted in treatment.
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Heart - Black

Infant died after family was evicted from social housing


Source
Thu, 15 Oct 2015 16:31 UTC
Image
© Carlos Garcia Rawlins / Reuters
A 10-week old baby, born prematurely, died after his parents and sister were evicted from social housing in Warwickshire following the withdrawal of tenancy support, a serious case review has found.

"John," who was ten-weeks old, died on the night the family was forced from their home in September 2013.

He died during the night while sharing his grandparents' sofa with one of his parents, Warwickshire Safeguarding Children Board (WSCB) said.

A serious case review into the incident found the eviction had taken place after the social housing agency had withdrawn the family's tenancy support.

The damning report also ruled a wide range of organizations and state agencies "could have done more" to help the family handle the eviction.

Agency responses were sometimes "superficial and do not always get to the heart of what the issues are, and therefore do not fully address risk," the report said.

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Health

About time: UK to investigate use of psychosis inducing anti-malarial drug which has been banned in other countries


Sputnik
Thu, 15 Oct 2015 14:38 UTC
Malaria Mosquito
© Unknown
A UK House of Commons Committee is to hold an inquiry into the Ministry of Defense's (MoD) use of the anti-malarial drug Lariam, with concerns it can induce psychotic behavior and other mental health side effects.

Following long-held concerns over the use of the drug, the Commons Defense Select Committee released a statement saying they will be taking evidence into the issuing of Lariam to defense personnel.

"The Committee believes that this is a matter which merits further scrutiny. Therefore, it intends to take oral evidence on the use of Lariam by the armed forces. Details of witnesses and terms of reference will be announced in due course."

Comment:

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