Society's ChildS


Boat

Record 4,200 migrants rescued at sea by Italian coastguard, 17 dead


RT
Sat, 30 May 2015 10:40 UTC
Migrants on boat
© Reuters/Alessandro BianchiA group of 300 sub-Saharan Africans, sit aboard the Italian Finance Police vessel Di Bartolo during a rescue operation off the coast of Sicily, May 14, 2015.
Up to 4,200 migrants sailing across the Mediterranean Sea were rescued by European ships on Friday, but 17 people died during the journey on unseaworthy boats. The number rescued in 24 hours appears to be one of the highest in recent years.

The 17 bodies were found on three inflatable dinghies, from which over 300 other migrants were rescued alive, the Italian Navy said on Twitter.

Friday's rescue operations were led by the Italian coastguard, and involved German and Irish naval ships working under the auspices of the EU's Frontex border agency.

A similar international maritime mission off the coast of Sicily on Thursday resulted in the rescue of over 700 migrants from Libya in six boats.

So far, the busiest days this year have been on April 12 when 3,791 migrants were rescued and the May 2 rescue of 3,690 people.

Italian Coast Guard
© AFP Photo/Andreas SolaroItalian officer Gianluca D'Agostino of the Italian Coast Guard, looks at a map of the Mediterranean Sea, in the control center at the headquarter of Italian Coast Guard, on May 28 2015, in Rome.
Over 40,400 boat migrants, many of them fleeing poverty and conflict-stricken countries such as Syria and Eritrea, have arrived in Italy since the start of the year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

New statistics gathered by IOM confirm 2015 appears to be "an even deadlier year than 2014," when nearly 3,300 migrants perished trying to enter Europe. While last year the number of migrants dying in all Mediterranean crossings from January to April was 96, this year's toll is an estimated 1,770 so far through to April 30, IOM said.

EU ministers have approved plans for a military operation to fight people smugglers in the Mediterranean. Proposals to destroy traffickers' boats in Libyan waters still need UN approval, however. The European Commission plans to make the rest of the 28-nation EU share the burden of frontline, brunt bearing states such as Italy, Greece and Malta, although some countries, the UK among them, are against the plan.

Comment: A proposed solution to this terrible, ongoing humanitarian crisis is discussed in this article: Problem solved: NATO and EU want to bomb refugee terrorists they created

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Cell Phone

California school district uses spyware to monitor student social media accounts


Sputnik
Sat, 30 May 2015 00:02 UTC
social media balloon
© www.cmo.com.auHow students connect. Do they have a right to privacy?
An Orange County school district is using new software to spy on their students social media accounts, to "help prevent crime". Students are calling the efforts an invasion of privacy.

The school district has obtained a new social media program called SnapTrends, which will allow them to monitor student's Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Foursquare, Vine, and Instagram accounts when used on campus.

The software works by looking for keywords being used within a predetermined area based on GPS locations. The social media conversations can be monitored in real-time as they stream in and a security team can zoom in on users it views as influential.

"This information builds a clear view of social conversations when and where they unfold, the influencers driving those conversation, and why; ultimately giving you the ability to make more informed decisions and take more effective actions." the SnapTrends website explains.

The district claims that they will be using the software to prevent and stop cyber bullying, keep an eye out for students who are a risk to themselves or others, as well as criminal activities. They will receive assistance from local law enforcement in monitoring their students.

When questioned about privacy concerns, Orange County Public Schools Senior Director of Safety and Security Doug Tripp ignores that issue and just reiterates that it is to "protect our children." These privacy issues come at a time when Southern California schools have also been under scrutiny for their militarized school police forces.

The nearby Los Angeles School Police Department had received an MRAP via the Department of Defense 1033 program and was pushed to return it after a wave of harsh criticism. They have also been in possession of three grenade launchers since 2001, and 61 M-16 assault rifles. San Diego School Police are also in possession of an MRAP.

Comment: MRAP (mine resistant ambush protected vehicle)? Assault rifles? Grenade launchers? Spy programs? The police state has moved its parameters into school systems. What "untapped" area is next, nursery schools and daycare? PRIVACY not PRYVACY! Get a grip, America!!!

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Smoking

More anti-smoking fascism: Seattle parks poised to go tobacco free


King 5 News
Sat, 30 May 2015 14:12 UTC
smoking
© KING 5Seattle is considering banning smoking in all public parks. The public can weigh in on the proposal at a hearing on Thursday night.
Seattle city parks are closer to going tobacco free.

City parks department commission on Thursday approved a ban set to take effect July 1.

The ban would expand a current city ordinance which bans "smoking, chewing, or other tobacco use...within 25 feet of other park patrons and in play areas, beaches, or playgrounds."

Several major cities have already adopted a parks-wide smoking ban including Los Angeles, New York City, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco.

"We think protecting people from secondhand smoke, which there is no safe level of secondhand smoke, makes sense," Parks and Recreation acting Superintendent Christopher Williams has said. "It makes sense for us to be doing this as a parks and recreation department."

Comment: The science supporting the dangers of second-hand smoke is dubious at best. This is not about healthier parks. This is about absolute control.

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Clipboard

Ten things I had to unlearn that my children won't

The Dissident Dad
libertyblitzkrieg.com
Thu, 28 May 2015 16:41 UTC
Image
This list could grow to 1,000 ideas, but I've kept it down to ten. In the future, I might update it and add some more.

There are a lot of bad ideas that dominate the world we live in today, most of which are uncritically accepted as the norm and fully embraced by society.

As a millennial myself, I've noticed my peers seem to accept most of these as conventional wisdom. Hook, line, and sinker.

Here are some ideas I was propagandized with that I hope my children will never have to "unlearn."
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Attention

VIDEO: The worst place to be during a dollar collapse

TruthNeverTold
Activist Post
Fri, 29 May 2015 00:00 UTC
Image
Ironically, the places that benefited the most from the debt-and-death paradigm are likely to see the quickest outbreak of chaos when dollar collapse begins in earnest. The concentrated aggression, hyper-competitive atmosphere, and wealth disparity of the typical city should be avoided if possible. Recent riots serve as a clear example of what can happen ... and the lights are still on and the financial infrastructure is still in place. In a full-blown dollar collapse, all bets are off. So, think about moving to "boring" parts of the country with real communities. Do it on your terms while options still remain.

Comment: The time to begin preparing for such sad and difficult eventualities is right now.

See also:

Prepare yourselves, your homes, and your neighborhoods for the violence that is going to sweep America

Full scale simulation: New study reveals where to go when civilization collapses

A good way to invest your money: Store large amounts of food, like now

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Heart - Black

Hysteria: Heartless school employee throws away 10-year-old's hot lunch over past due account

Connie Leonard
Wave 3 News
Fri, 29 May 2015 20:19 UTC
Image
© WAVE 3
Several parents are fired up after hearing a student's hot lunch was dumped in the trash in front of her classmates because her lunch account was past due.

Parents claim Bedford Elementary School did something it preaches against: In their words, "bullying" the child, not to mention wasting food to embarrass her.

On May 20 an elementary school lunch was packed with a hidden punch a child never saw coming.

"Someone came and took her lunch while she was sitting there with her friends and everybody else," said the girl's aunt, Leslie Chilton, who also happens to be the Bedford Elementary PTO Treasurer.

Chilton said it would be embarrassing for any child who has no idea their lunch account had a negative balance.

"An actual employee told me that afternoon because I was at school," she said of the incident." It was awful to think about her being there, sitting there and she was crying. She's a shy girl anyway, she's 10 years old and she's knows what's going on."

Comment: The employee should be fired and the school held accountable. It makes no sense to throw the food away after the child has already received it. To then come and take it away is not just disgusting and disgraceful treatment of a child, it's a waste of food. What's wrong with having the family pay after the fact? Even in schools, it seems that it's hard to find the humanity in people anymore.

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Attention

New York investment banker jumps to his death from luxury downtown building

Tyler Durden
Zerohedge
Fri, 29 May 2015 20:20 UTC
Yesterday, New Yorkers walking by the Ocean Luxury Rental apartment building at 1 West St around 10:40am, were greeted with a gruesome sight: a 29-year-old man had just jumped to his death from the 24th floor.


Comment: We may see much more of this once markets really start going down.

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Arrow Down

Four commercial airplanes struck by green laser while airborne near New York City


RT
Fri, 29 May 2015 19:04 UTC
airplane
© Reuters/Tim Wimborne
The Federal Aviation Administration says that four commercial airplanes were struck by a green laser while in the sky on Thursday evening outside New York City.

No injuries were reported, the FAA said, but federal officials consider illuminating an aircraft to be a serious crime punishable by up to five years in prison and a hefty $250,000 fine.

The four planes—American 185, Shuttle America 4213, Delta 2292 and Delta 2631—were each around 8,000 feet off the ground on Thursday evening when they were hit while traveling over Long Island. The incidents all occurred between 9:30pm and 10:00pm, and at least two of the planes were leaving John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, according to the Associated Press.

A local CBS News affiliate obtained audio from an exchange between air traffic controllers and one of the pilots affected:
"Looks like some lasers coming outside now," the pilot said, adding later that "it is lighting up the inside of the windshield."

A provision tacked on to the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 makes it illegal to aim a laser pointer at an aircraft.

Comment: Laser pointer attacks on airplane pilots have jumped 1100% since 2005

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Heart - Black

The criminalization of homelessness

Bauer Marshall
False Empowerment
Wed, 27 May 2015 16:30 UTC
homeless man
© Spencer Platt / Getty Images / AFP
For the past 25 years, the criminalization of the homeless in the United States has been increasing.

As the National Coalition of Homeless points out, criminalization of homeless refers to laws that prohibit life sustaining activities "sleeping/camping, eating, sitting, and/or asking for money/resources in public spaces" and include criminal penalties if someone violates the ordinances.

This issue, while not dormant, I believe came to light more when Pastor Dwayne Black along with pastor Mark Sims and 90-year-old Arnold Abbott were arrested for feeding the homeless in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 2014.

"We fed about six or seven people when the police approached," Black told The Christian Post. "We actually said a prayer and then gave communion to the homeless. If feeding them is going to get me arrested, let me get arrested for giving them communion. The police stayed off to the side, but then they suddenly made a move forward, and Abbott and I stayed."

Comment: See also:

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Pistol

'Bigger and badder': US volunteers head to fight Islamic State


RT
Fri, 29 May 2015 15:16 UTC
Image
© RT
A group of US volunteers is headed to the Philippines on a contract to fight groups allied with the Islamic State. One counterinsurgency specialist wonders if their enthusiasm will make up for the lack of logistics, weapons and training.

Those in the group have day jobs and regular lives but feel the need to help people endangered by militants who have pledged loyalty to the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), a group in southern Florida told RT's Maria Finoshina.

Comment: So how is this guy going to make any difference to the US funded IS?

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