Society's ChildS


Newspaper

The Guardian's Alan Rusbridger: 'It's Essential to Be Paranoid'


NY Times
Fri, 07 Mar 2014 00:00 UTC
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© Jude Edginton/Redux, for The New York Times Alan Rusbridger
You've played piano since you were a child, and you've written about parallels between this pursuit and digital news. Can you explain that?

Amateur music-making used to be very commonplace and was valued in its own right. When recorded sound came along, most people became the passive receivers of other people's music. I do think that mirrors something that's going on in journalism at the moment, which is that anybody can blog, anybody can tweet, anybody can write and publish.

You've said you want to make The Guardian a platform as well as a publisher. Is this an effort to tap into that?

Absolutely. For years, news organizations had a quasi monopoly on information simply because we had the means of distribution. I think if as a journalist you are not intensely curious about what has been created by people who are not journalists, then you're missing out on a lot.

But you also have to maintain The Guardian's credibility.

Yes, obviously. But as long as the reader can see for themselves which writer is ours and which is not, then I think it's fine. Glenn Greenwald is an interesting voice. He is not a Guardian reporter, but what he writes is interesting. If we hadn't have hired him, we wouldn't have gotten Edward Snowden. Small things lead to big things.
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Snakes in Suits

Here We Go Again Dept.: Perry's fiery speech ignites CPAC


The HIll
Fri, 07 Mar 2014 09:28 UTC
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Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) rallied the early morning crowd to its feet to kick off the second day of the Conservative Political Action Conference, giving one of the more rousing speeches so far delivered at the three-day event.

"It is time for Washington to focus on the few things the Constitution establishes as the federal government's role. Defend our country, provide a cogent foreign policy, and what the heck, deliver the mail, preferably on time and on Saturdays," Perry said, bouncing on his heels and waving his fist, whipping the conservative crowd into a frenzy.

"Get out of the healthcare business. Get out of the education business. Stop hammering industry. Wake the sleeping giant of American enterprise," Perry said to roaring cheers.

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Bad Guys

Brain deterioration from too much lying? Obama misspells 'respect'


CBS DC
Fri, 07 Mar 2014 08:56 UTC
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© Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty ImagesPresident Barack Obama delivers remarks while hosting the event, “In Performance at the White House – Women of Soul,” on March 6, 2014 in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C.
O-O-P-S. President Barack Obama had a spelling blunder Thursday while praising Aretha Franklin.

Obama misspelled "respect" while lauding the "Queen of Soul" before a White House concert featuring several musical legends.

"When Aretha first told us what R-S-P-E-C-T meant to her," Obama said, before the audience in the East Room erupted into laughter. He then continued, ""She had no idea it would become a rallying cry for African-Americans, and women, and then everyone who felt marginalized because of what they looked like or who they loved. They wanted some respect. Later, when somebody asked her why it had such an impact, she said, 'I guess everybody just wants a little respect.' Today, they still do."

First up in the East Room lineup was Patti LaBelle, with a thundering delivery of "Over the Rainbow" that had the audience on its feet.
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Cult

Arguing over trifles while the world burns: Megachurch pays millions to leave nation's biggest Presbyterian denomination - major rift over 'Who Jesus is'

Billy Hallowell
The Blaze
Thu, 06 Mar 2014 13:06 UTC
church letter doctrine split 1
© Menlo Park Presbyterian Church/VimeoPastor John Ortberg addresses his congregation
A California megachurch has voted to officially leave the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a Christian denomination that is the largest in the nation.

Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, Calif., one of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s largest congregations, made the choice despite facing a $8.89 million cost for the church's property and membership fees, Religion News Service reported.

With 4,000 members, including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Menlo Park's decision is a major development in the lifecycle of a denomination that continues to experience ideological infighting over its more liberal stances on controversial issues.

In sum, 2,024 ballots were cast in support of separation, with only 158 individuals in opposition - an overwhelming 93 percent of the votes were in favor of Menlo Park moving on to join ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.

ECO is a relatively new denomination that was founded in January 2012 amid ongoing theological debate among Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) church leaders. According to Religion News Service, the Christian body has attracted 115 Presbyterian churches since its inception.

"This is a major milestone, and not an ending but a beginning," Pastor John Ortberg wrote in a letter to parishioners on March 2. "There's a lot yet to come of what Dallas Willard called the unique life of spiritual adventure in living with God daily - entering fully into the good news that Jesus has brought, for ourselves, and for us as a church."
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Newspaper

Michigan woman's mummified body found in her car six years after her death

Arturo Garcia
The Raw Story
Fri, 07 Mar 2014 12:36 UTC
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The mummified remains of a Pontiac, Michigan woman were found in the back seat of her car, about six years after her death, CNN reported on Friday.

Authorities said a contractor found Pia Farrenkopf's body in the vehicle, which was parked in her garage with the key halfway in the ignition.

"I've been doing this 37 years," Oakland County Undersheriff Mike McCabe was quoted as saying. "Never seen anything like this before."

The cause of Farrenkopf's death has not been determined, but authorities said it remained a secret in part because her bank account, which reportedly contained around $54,000, was set up to make automatic payments for her bills. After the money ran out of her account, the bank holding her mortgage foreclosed on the property. But the outside of the house showed no signs of mistreatment because a neighbor would cut her lawn every week, and the post office collected her mail. Her employer last reported seeing her in September 2008.

Nearby residents told WXYZ-TV that Farrenkopf, who would be 49 today if she were still alive, was reclusive, but traveled often. One neighbor, who chose to remain anonymous, said she had not seen any activity at the house in three years.
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Arrow Up

World food prices advance most in 19 months on weather woes

Rudy Ruitenberg
Live Mint
Thu, 06 Mar 2014 10:37 UTC
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© ReutersAn index of grain prices rose 3.6% last month to 195.8 points. That’s still below where the gauge was in October, and 19% below the year-earlier level
An index of 55 food items rose 2.6% to 208.1 points from a restated 202.9 in January

World food prices posted the biggest gain in 19 months in February on concern cold weather and drought in the US, the world's biggest exporter of wheat, and dryness in top-sugar producer Brazil will harm crops.

An index of 55 food items rose 2.6% to 208.1 points from a restated 202.9 in January, when it dropped to the lowest level since June 2012, the Rome-based United Nations' Food & Agriculture Organization said. The gauge is still down 2.1% from a year earlier.

The FAO's food index hasn't fully reflected lower prices of grain and oilseeds, where bigger crops are forecast to pad stockpiles by the end of the 2013-14 season, according the UN Corn futures fell 40% in Chicago last year on an outlook for record production.

There have been some areas of concern regarding wheat, there have been drought problems in Australia, there's also drought in the US central Plains, Concepcion Calpe, an economist at the FAO, said by phone from Rome on Thursday. There are other factors, for example what is happening in Ukraine and Russia.
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Airplane

Oil slick hints missing Malaysian jet may have crashed at sea

Keith Bradsher
The New York Times
Sat, 08 Mar 2014 09:54 UTC
Malaysian crash
© Ng Han Guan/Associated PressRelatives of passengers aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines flight grieve at Beijing International Airpor
A 12-mile-long oil slick spotted between Malaysia and Vietnam on Saturday afternoon is thought to be the first sign that a missing Malaysia Airlines flight with 239 people aboard went down in the waters between southernmost Vietnam and northern Malaysia, according to Vietnam's director of civil aviation.

"An AN26 aircraft of the Vietnam Navy has discovered an oil slick about 20 kilometers in the search area, which is suspected of being a crashed Boeing aircraft," Lai Xuan Thanh, the director of the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam said. "We have announced that information to Singapore and Malaysia and we continue the search."

Mr. Thanh said the oil on the surface of the water was somewhat closer to Vietnam than Malaysia, at the mouth of the shallow Gulf of Thailand. The last coordinates automatically transmitted by the aircraft were from on the Malaysian side near the midpoint between the two countries, when the plane appeared to be in stable flight at 35,000 feet.
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Camera

Big Brother: Milwaukee to give away 2,000 surveillance cameras for citywide NSA spy grid

Kristan T. Harris
CudahyNow
Fri, 07 Mar 2014 10:29 UTC
Milwaukee Skyline
© CudahyNow
The city of Milwaukee will be giving away 2,000 security cameras to south side businesses. A grant has been provided to the city and they are eager to get started. Is this a violation of our constitutional 4th amendment right? These cameras will come with facial recognition and subsequently will track your behaviors. They will also be able to collect meta data on your habits, cell phone conversations, what you buy and who you associate with. This information will be collaborated with your cell phone id and facial recognition software provided by these cameras to monitor your voyage around town and record your trends.

This information will be trolled by the Milwaukee Fusion spy center, used to track your internet, cell phone activity and behaviors. Stored and saved for future reference indefinitely. The original intent of fusion centers was to prevent terrorist attacks from foreign interests. Now it's used to spy on American citizens The fusion center works in conjunction with the NSA, CIA, FBI and local police to profile everyone. The most frightening thing about fusion centers is the lack of over site and the inability to hold a fusion center accountable both personally and legally.

These surveillance grids are often abused such as using these systems to snoop on lovers and blackmailing individuals.
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Telephone

Shocking message left by 'spoiled' New Jersey teen suing her parents

Kevin Fobbs
examiner.com
Fri, 07 Mar 2014 10:22 UTC
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© Facebook – Shock MansionRachel Canning swears up a storm in phone message to mom then sues mom and dad
You have to be a special kind of spoiled brat to think that parents that raised you, fed you and even enrolled you in a private school in order to provide the best education would be steamed rolled over by shocking horrid language that would make a sailor blush. Yet, according to the Blaze, Rachel Canning who saw part of her lawsuit against her parents rejected left her mom a message that even angered New Jersey Morris County Court Judge Peter Bogaard.

The 18-year-old high school senior, who can easily claim the "Worst Daughter of the Year" award, did not feel that she needed to bow to the parental rules being set for her. Imagine the outrage she reasoned in having to:
  • Keep parental curfew rules
  • Doing chores around the home
  • Reconsider her boyfriend relationship which was upsetting her parents
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Pistol

Florida man accidentally shoots passing 12-year-old and self - while giving gun safety demo

David Ferguson
The Raw Story
Wed, 05 Mar 2014 09:44 UTC
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© Shutterstock
A Florida man claims he was showing a friend how to clean a gun when he discharged the weapon and struck a 12-year-old girl in a passing car, then accidentally shot himself.

The Orlando Sentinel reported that 60-year-old Ventura Santos Matteo was in his garage on Friday when his gun-safety demonstration went awry.

Matteo accidentally fired the Sig Sauer pistol, which struck a 12-year-old girl in a passing car. The bullet penetrated the door and struck her in the right upper arm. Her younger brother, who was riding in the back seat, was unharmed.

Startled by the gunshot, Matteo then discharged a second bullet into his left thigh.

The girl was treated at the Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital and is expected to recover. The Sentinel said that Matteo is scheduled for surgery at Orlando Regional Medical Center and is also expected to recover.
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