Society's ChildS


Heart - Black

Hidden in plain sight: US child homicide rate leads West - UNICEF

Image
© Reuters / Michelle McLoughlin
The US leads Western nations in child homicide rates, while millions of children around the world are threatened with physical, sexual and emotional abuse, including murder, rape and bullying, a new UNICEF report revealed.

The report, entitled 'Hidden in Plain Sight: A Statistical Analysis of Violence against Children', demonstrated that death by homicide is every much a threat for young people as it is for adults.

Dollars

Judge rules BP's reckless conduct and gross negligence were responsible for Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Image
© US Coast Guard/EPAA fire aboard the mobile offshore oil drilling unit Deepwater Horizon, located in the Gulf of Mexico some 50 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, US
BP bears the majority of responsibility among the companies involved in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a federal judge ruled Thursday, citing the energy giant's reckless conduct over the disaster in a ruling that exposes it to billions of dollars in penalties.

BP plc already has agreed to pay billions of dollars in criminal fines and compensation to people and businesses affected by the disaster, the worst-ever US oil spill. But US district Judge Carl Barbier's ruling could nearly quadruple what the London-based company has to pay in civil fines for polluting the Gulf of Mexico during the 2010 spill.

Barbier presided over a trial in 2013 to apportion blame for the spill that spewed oil for 87 days in 2010. Eleven men died after the well blew.

The judge essentially divided blame among the three companies involved in the spill, ruling that BP bears 67% of the blame; Swiss-based drilling rig owner Transocean Ltd takes 30%; and Houston-based cement contractor Halliburton Energy Service takes 3%.

Comment: See also:

Over a million birds died during Deepwater Horizon disaster
BP hit with new $34 billion Deepwater Horizon claim from southern state governments
BP 'close to deal' on Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill


Pistol

Sadistic Texas cops shot at schizophrenic man 80 times, killing him

Image
© Reuters / Mike Stone
Police in Laredo, Texas opened fire on a schizophrenic man armed with a pellet gun this week, killing him after unleashing upwards of 80 shots, according to the victim's family.

Six officers from the Laredo Police Department have been reassigned to administrative duties while officials investigate the incident, which occurred early Saturday morning outside of a truck stop in the southern part of the Lone Star State.


Comment: It wouldn't be surprising if they end up with a promotion.

Goon cops have gone wild all over America


According to authorities, police spent around five minutes attempting to negotiate with 30-year-old Jose Walter Garza before the man made an "offensive gesture," then allegedly aimed the would-be weapon - a pellet gun made to resemble a semiautomatic handgun, according to the Laredo Morning Times - at the cops who then opened fire.

"He put his finger in the trigger guard and pointed it at the officers," Joe E. Baeza, an investigator and police spokesperson, told the paper.

Law enforcement has since opened a probe in order to get to the bottom of the incident, but Andrea Martinez, Garza's cousin, told the New York Daily News that police shot no fewer than 80 times. Surveillance footage from a camera at the truck stop has since been published online, but the angle it was filmed from shows only the fatal shots, and not how Garza acted beforehand.

Ambulance

Third American doctor infected with Ebola heading back to US for treatment

Image
© AFP Photo / Chris KeaneBruce Johnson, president, SIM USA speaks regarding the third U.S. doctor contracted Ebola
The latest American to be infected with Ebola while working as a missionary doctor in Africa will be flown in to the Nebraska Medical Center in order to receive treatment.

Missionary doctor Rick Sacra, 51, is scheduled to arrive in Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday, according to the international Christian aid organization SIM. Upon his arrival, he will be transported to the hospital's Biocontainment Patient Care Unit for treatment.

Although Sacra was not actually working with Ebola patients during his time in Liberia - he was serving pregnant women at the ELWA Hospital instead - he was recently confirmed to have the virus and his condition is serious enough to warrant a return to the United States.

"Rick was receiving excellent care from our SIM/ELWA staff in Liberia at our Ebola 2 Care Center," SIM USA President Bruce Johnson said in a statement. "They all love and admire him deeply. However, The Nebraska Medical Center provides advanced monitoring equipment and wider availability of treatment options."

People

New study: Undocumented immigrants in California contribute $130 billion to State GDP

immigrants
© Shutterstock
Yet they lack basic civil rights protections and face the daily threat of deportation.

A new study on immigrant contributions at the University of Southern California has revealed that undocumented immigrants in California make up 10% of the workforce and contribute $130 billion to the gross domestic product, the LA Times reported.

The study, conducted in conjunction with the California Immigrant Policy Center, explores the various ways that the estimated 2.6 million immigrants who lack legal status participate in state life, with a particular focus on their contributions to the state's GDP. The study found that most immigrant workers lack basic civil rights protections and are faced with the daily threat of family separation and deportation due to the federal government's inability to create a "rational immigration system."

Other key findings in the report with respect to undocumented immigrants in California include:
  • 58% do not have health insurance
  • 38% work in the agriculture industry
  • Half have been in the state for at least 10 years
  • Three quarters live in households that include U.S. citizens
  • Of the 4.4 million immigrants living in the greater L.A. region, 1.1 million are undocumented, contributing $57 billion to the regional GDP
And yet, CIPC says the undocumented immigrant population in California has suffered some 117,000 deportations in recent years from one deportation program alone.

Phoenix

Oregon woman ignited massive fire for 'bored' firefighters, heads to prison

oregon fire
© Reuters / Max Whittaker
An Oregon woman convicted of igniting an enormous wildfire simply to give firefighters something to put out will now spend more than one year in jail.

On Wednesday, Sadie Renee Johnson, 23, was sentenced to 18 months in prison by US District Judge Marco Hernandez. In May, she pleaded guilty to sparking a fire that burned through 51,000 acres southeast of Portland, Oregon, back in July 2013. The fire ravaged the Warm Springs Indian Reservation for more than a week and cost almost $8 million to extinguish.

Johnson will also perform 200 hours of community service in the affected area, a sentence that Hernandez reportedly considered light, according to the Associated Press.

"You owe them much more than that," he said to her in court.

The fire began when Johnson threw a firework out of her car and lit up some brush, as noted by Reuters. Two days later, with the fire still raging, Johnson posted a status update on Facebook that read, "Like my fire?" which led detectives to detain her. Johnson eventually claimed that she started the fire because her friends in the fire department "were bored and needed work."

The young woman has also stated she does have substance abuse problems, something that was taken into account by the judge as he determined her sentence. She could have potentially faced five years in prison.

Whistle

How supporting Israel undermines the U.S.

Blasting Gaza into rubble has affected the average American in ways that U.S. politicians will learn to regret. The result is more than bleeding heart sympathy for dead Palestinian children (430 at last count). There is a deeper political effect happening, as young and old alike realize for the first time the cancerous lies coursing through the veins of the U.S. media and political system.
bombing of Gaza
© www.islamicinvitationturkey.comHow long can Israel commit heinous war crimes while America just covers its eyes?
The U.S. government's support of Israel - which includes Obama and all 100 senators - further exposes the gigantic clash between the unpopular foreign policy of the U.S. versus the desires of its residents. The government will be further pushed by corporate interests to pursue these profitable overseas policies, which are teaching millions of people about the reality of their government, consequently undermining the "stable foundation" of the U.S. government.

Merely glancing at the casualty statistics was enough for most Americans to know their TV was lying to them: 1900 Palestinians have died, 10,0000 have been injured - 80 percent of them civilians. Meanwhile, three Israeli civilians have died, zero injured. There is more damage after a Super Bowl victory party than Israel has suffered from Hamas' laughable fireworks.

Americans reacted in horror to Israel's massively disproportionate violence - an obvious war crime as defined by the Geneva Convention. And even more obvious war crimes were committed: the high profile Israeli missile attacks on Gaza hospitals, schools and UN bomb shelters.

During this carnage American viewers were endlessly told by "experts" that "Israel has a right to defend itself," a completely meaningless phrase when entire Gaza neighborhoods were obliterated to pebbles, while the U.S. media searched in vain for ANY damage caused by the "terrifying" Hamas' rockets.

Comment: It is not enough to awaken social consciousness, we must also awaken social responsibility. Obviously the U.S. congress doesn't have either, especially if they are rulled by Israeli propaganda and U.S. corporate profit while closing their minds, eyes and hearts to civil atrocities such as the blatant slaughter in Gaza. It is not enough to disagree, have druthers, or disown one's government, one has to stand up and be accountable to the change that is pleading to be made. If the only thing you can do is put the message out there...DO IT.


Arrow Down

Do you receive free lunch at work? The IRS wants to tax it...

IRS
© consumertaxreviews.org
The IRS. There are few agencies more hated, corrupt, and degraded in the entire nation, and that's saying a lot.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past couple of years, you are well aware of the fact that the IRS was caught consistently abusing its extraordinary power in order to selectively target groups with which leadership disagreed with politically.

We also know that the IRS, and its former director of the Exempt Organizations Unit, Lois Lerner, subsequently destroyed evidence of misconduct by claiming emails had been lost and are unrecoverable, in a ludicrous series of purported events.

I thought the following Tweet summarized my sentiments as well as anything else I have seen.
One thing the celebrity nude pictures story shows us is the only thing ever permanently deleted from the internet is Lois Lerner's emails.

- Derek Hunter (@derekahunter) September 2, 2014
So with the scandal now behind the IRS, and nobody held accountable as usual, at least we can rest assured that the tax agency has finally gotten its priorities straight.

Laptop

Top web companies to join internet slowdown protest for net neutrality

Image
© Reuters / Fabrizio Bensch
Leading web companies like Mozilla, Foursquare and reddit will take part in the Internet Slowdown protest next week to urge US authorities to change their view on a proposal that allows the creation of "fast lanes" on the internet for some companies.

The protesting companies will display a widget with a "loading" symbol on their websites to show how the internet would look should the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) impose the law, thus overturning "net neutrality" rules.

The FCC proposed rules will allow cable giants like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon to create a two-tiered internet, with "slow lanes" for most internet companies, and "fast lanes" for corporations that are willing to pay extra for a faster service.

According to the new rules cable companies would have the power to discriminate against online content and applications, shake sites down for fees, block content for political reasons, and make it easier for internet users to view content the cable companies own.

Some of the world's largest internet companies, including Etsy, Kickstarter, Mozilla, reddit, imgur, Foursquare, Vimeo, and Wordpress announced on Thursday they will join more than 35 advocacy organizations and hundreds of thousands of activists on September 10 to show how the internet might look if the FCC's proposed rules go into effect.

However the FCC has left open the possibility of reclassifying internet service as a telecommunications service, and require internet service providers to deliver all content at equal speeds.

The protest comes just five days before the FCC's next comment deadline on September 15th.

Quenelle

Irony RIP: Tony Blair wins Philanthropist of the Year

Image
© (Photo: GQ/Getty)Me? Really?
Satire died when Henry Kissinger won the Nobel Peace Prize, said Tom Lehrer. Now irony has followed it to the grave. GQ's Philanthropist of the Year is Tony Blair. And no, this isn't some cunning wind-up by the magazine. They gave the former PM a bauble at a ceremony last night. I'd like to say that Blair looks suitably embarrassed holding it, but nope. Neither he nor the lady wife 'do' embarrassment.

Even nice Gary Lineker had a go at GQ on Twitter. 'People will be greatly concerned and wonder if this was the right decision,' he tweeted when the news came through. They will indeed wonder. Employing four-letter words, I suspect.

I would love to have been at the Condé Nast meeting at which this one was agreed. I won't risk a libel action by speculating about the conversation, but please let your imaginations roam. The tribute to the winner on GQ's website reads: 'In 2007 Tony Blair stepped down as prime minister, but his surging momentum's shown no signs of slowing.' So that's another ceremony to look forward to: Private Eye awards Dylan Jones the Order of the Brown Nose (OBN).

Comment: How obscene! A more appropriate award would have been 'Hypocrite of the Year'! Or 'Psychopath of the Year' (backdated for 2003 in particular - Iraq War turkey shoot!)

Tony Blair is a psychopathic war criminal. For more articles on this generous 'peace envoy' and philanthropist, see here and here and here!