Society's ChildS


Heart

Opera singer performs Schubert while undergoing brain surgery


RT
Wed, 12 Aug 2015 17:19 UTC
Image
© Ambrož Bajec-Lapajne / YouTube
An opera singer from Slovenia was performing Schubert while undergoing a brain cancer surgery in a Dutch clinic, later posting the video from the operating room online.

The doctors at the University Medical Center Utrecht asked Ambroz Bajec-Lapajne to sing in order to monitor his ability to vocalize and recognize the key change during the brain tumor surgery.

The tenor opted for 'Gute Nacht' (Good Night) by Austrian 19th century composer, Franz Peter Schubert, performing the opening and the final couplets from the song.

The doctors were clearly impressed by the young man's talent.

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Megaphone

New poll shows half of registered voters want criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email use


RT
Thu, 13 Aug 2015 17:14 UTC
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© Brian Snyder / ReutersU.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton
As Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton turns over her private email server to the FBI, a new poll shows that just over half of registered voters want to see a criminal investigation over the incident.

The Democratic frontrunner has been embroiled in controversy ever since it was revealed that she used a private server to conduct government business during her four years as secretary of state. Just this week, the intelligence community inspector general said that several emails stored on the server featured classified information.

Clinton's use of a private server is particularly controversial because of the possibility that foreign hackers could have snooped on the emails.

According to a new poll, registered voters don't necessarily suspect malicious intent behind Clinton's email use, but the majority still want a thorough accounting of the data stored on the server.

"Even though most voters feel Clinton's intentions may have been acceptable, a majority (52%) say that her emails should be subject to a criminal investigation for the potential release of classified material," a poll conducted by Monmouth University. Forty-one percent said the emails shouldn't be looked into.
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Books

Iowa barber gives haircuts in exchange for children reading stories to him


Globe Gazette
Tue, 11 Aug 2015 16:54 UTC
child gets haircut
© MIKE BURLEY, Telegraph Herald via APCourtney Holmes, right, listens to Jeremiah Reddick, 9, of Dubuque, as he reads while receiving a free haircut Saturday during the Back to School Bash in Comiskey Park, in Dubuque. Holmes offered his services to children who read while getting their hair cut.
Children who read books to a local barber have received a free haircut as part of a community event in Dubuque to help families prepare for the upcoming school year.

Barber Courtney Holmes traded the tales for trims on Saturday during the second annual Back to School Bash in Comiskey Park.

Tayshawn Kirby, 9, of Dubuque, read from "Fats, Oils and Sweets," by Carol Parenzan Smalley, informing Holmes that the average person eats 150 pounds of sugar each year. Before Tayshawn's 10-year-old brother, Titan Feeney, took his turn in the barber chair, he told his brother the new look was great.

"I just want to support kids reading," Holmes said.

Comment: Paying for a service in a currency other than fiat paper, what a 'novel' idea!

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Bulb

Illinois governor signs sweeping police reform bill with rules on body cameras and chokeholds


RT
Thu, 13 Aug 2015 17:05 UTC
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© Scott Olson / AFP
The governor of Illinois signed a sweeping police reform law which establishes wide-ranging rules for body cameras, largely prohibits chokeholds, introduces bias-free policing, and demands more data collection on arrests.

The measure, dubbed the Police and Community Improvement Act, is a compilation of 200 separate pieces of legislation intended to reform policing practices. It passed by a wide margin in the House and Senate and was signed into law on Wednesday by Governor Bruce Rauner.

"Illinois has set the standard, set the standard nationally," State Senator Kawame Raoul, a Chicago Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill, said a press conference, according to the AP.

The 174-page measure largely prohibits chokeholds except when deadly force is necessary. Deadly force is warranted under Illinois Criminal Code, 2012, article 7 when officers need to defend themselves or another person, or to protect property.


Comment: That's basically a loophole to allow police to use deadly force. Eric Garner was killed by a chokehold and all he did was argue with police, but apparently even an argument is sufficient to invoke the deadly force excuse.


The law also adds training guidelines to help officers become more aware of bias and achieve cultural competency.

Comment: Since the governor appears to want to get tough on police brutality and overall police accountability, perhaps he would like to do something about the ongoing torture center operating in Chicago for the last ten years:

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Handcuffs

Lawyer for Chelsea Manning says whistleblower faces indefinite solitary confinement


RT
Fri, 14 Aug 2015 17:00 UTC
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© U.S. Army / ReutersU.S. Army Private First Class Bradley Manning
Whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who is serving a 35-year sentence for leaking thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks, faces indefinite solitary confinement after being charged with possessing prohibited materials in prison, according to her lawyer.

Prison officials have brought four charges against Manning including disorderly conduct, possession of prohibited property, misusing medicine, and being disrespectful, according to a document posted on freechelsea.com, a Chelsea Manning support group website.

Specifically, the charges involve four incidents. The disorderly conduct charge stems from an incident when she allegedly swept some food onto the floor and asked to speak to her lawyer when confronted by a guard. She is also accused of having books and magazines in her cell, and being in possession of a tube of toothpaste past its expiration date.


Comment: The charges are ridiculous, and point to the high likelihood that Chelsea is being punished not for the offenses given, but for blowing the whistle on government surveillance.

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Heart - Black

Autistic sister of Russian model and activist Natalya Vodianova kicked out of cafe sparks widespread condemnation and outrage


RT
Fri, 14 Aug 2015 16:51 UTC
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© Vladimir Astapkovich / RIA NovostiTop-model and philanthropist Natalya Vodianova
A public outcry has been raised after Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova's autistic younger sister was kicked out of a cafe in Nizhny Novgorod. The manager, who ordered her out to avoid "scaring off customers," now faces criminal charges.

According to a Facebook post by Natalia Vodianova on Wednesday, her 27-year-old sister, Oksana Vodianova, who suffers from Kanner's syndrome and cerebral palsy, entered the cafe in her hometown of Nizhny Novgorod with her nurse.

Instead of a hot chocolate, ordered by the nurse for Oksana, the cafe's manager came out and demanded that Oksana leave immediately. "Get out, will you," Natalia Vodianova reported the manager as saying. "You're scaring off all our customers. Go and get some treatment, cure your child. And then come to a public place."

The nurse tried to explain that Oksana is a person with special needs, that she just needed to sit awhile and would quietly leave, but the manager called security to force the two women to leave. A security guard threatened to "call the nuthouse, call an ambulance" and even to lock them in the cellar.

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Eye 2

Western countries account for 75% of the world's debt


Sputnik News
Fri, 14 Aug 2015 15:24 UTC
dollar euro
© AFP 2015 / Philippe Huguen
Western countries account for three quarters of the world's total debt, the website Alles Schall und Rauch wrote.

The West accounts for about 75% of the world's total debt, while Russia's share is only 0.49%.

The exact amount of the world's total debt is 60 trillion dollars. The statistics do not take into account the private debts of the population and enterprises, as well as planned payments for social benefits.

Comment: This system of debt is weaponized, in order to keep everyone in the West in line:

The Greek coup: Liquidity as a weapon of coercion

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Attention

Heavy metal contamination in Animas River could persist for decades

Joshua Krause
Natural Blaze
Fri, 14 Aug 2015 00:00 UTC
animas river, gold king mine spill
Ever since the EPA accidentally dumped 3 million gallons of toxic mine water into the Animas River, Colorado authorities have been keen on reopening the river for public use as soon as possible. The river is a significant source of tourist income in the region, and they don't want the toxic spill to put a damper on their summer.

Governor John Hickenlooper is one of those authorities, and he's determined to prove that everything is back to normal. So on Tuesday, after being given the challenge by the Durango Herald, he decided to take a big gulp of river water for the cameras. After 24 hours, he reported that he was still in perfect health.

However, that hardly proves that the river is safe, at least in the long-term. Granted, the EPA has tested the water and found that its toxicity has returned to pre-spill levels, but all of this is based on only a few days of water testing, which hardly enough time to draw a proper conclusion. Even the EPA admitted that during a recent public meeting between themselves and the Governor.

Comment: These bureaucrats seem to be more concerned with burying the news of this spill to facilitate the return of tourism, so aren't likely to inform the public of the real dangers. These toxins may persist in the environment and could have serious health consequences for those who are exposed to the river water. Heavy metals act as free radicals in the body, causing cellular damage, resulting in rapid aging and depletion of the body's natural capacities to heal itself, aggravating disease. Heavy metals slowly accumulate in the kidneys, liver, pancreas, bones, central nervous system and brain where they degrade health without being noticed or diagnosed.

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Bad Guys

Letter to editor predicted Colorado EPA spill one week before catastrophe; So EPA could secure control of area

Jim Hoft
Gateway Pundit
Wed, 12 Aug 2015 08:09 UTC
epa soill
© ABC News
Last Wednesday, a small EPA-supervised work crew inspecting the Gold King mine accidentally knocked a hole in a waste pit, releasing at least three million gallons of acidic liquid laden with toxic heavy metals. (ABC)

This letter to editor, posted below, and written by Dave Taylor, from Farmington, New Mexico, was published in The Silverton Standard and The Miner local newspaper, authored by a retired geologist, one week before EPA mine spill. The letter detailed verbatim, how EPA officials would foul up the Animas River on purpose in order to secure superfund money. If the Gold King mine was declared a superfund site it would essentially kill future development for the mining industry in the area. The Obama EPA is vehemently opposed to mining and development.

The EPA pushed for nearly 25 years, to apply its Superfund program to the Gold King mine. If a leak occurred the EPA would then receive superfund status. That is exactly what happened.

The EPA today admitted they misjudged the pressure in the gold mine before the spill - just as this editorial predicted.

The letter was included in their print edition on July 30, 2015. The spill occurred one week later.
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Better Earth

Russian farmers on the increase, $23,000 government grants

Maria Karnaukh
Russia Beyond The Headlines
Mon, 10 Aug 2015 15:53 UTC
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© Shutter Stock/Legion MediaBeginning farmers to receive 1.5 million rubles from the state.
Sanctions against European food products are putting Russian farmers in the Kremlin's spotlight. Government grants to help farmers set up in business are growing.

Comment: Things are looking up for the small time Russian farmer.

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