Society's ChildS


Eye 1

Palestinians report dramatic rise in settler attacks

Jaafar Ashtiyeh
Agence France-Presse
Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:19 UTC
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© AFP

Attacks by Jewish settlers on Palestinian farmland and crops increased "dramatically" in June, a report released by the Palestinian Authority has shown.

"Since the beginning of June, the settlers attacks escalated dramatically, especially against the land and the trees. In the first week of June, settlers burnt 350 trees Deir al-Hatab village near Nablus, 20 grape vines in Hebron and uprooted 40 grape vines in Beit Ummar village," said a statement from the government released on Wednesday.

Settlers also burned dozens of acres of farmland and more than 1,000 olive trees, the report said.
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Wolf

Prison inmates replace unionized workers in Racine, Wisconsin

Eric W. Dolan
Raw Story
Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:14 UTC
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Prison inmates have replaced union workers in Racine County, Wisconsin, thanks to the changes to the states collective bargaining laws that went into effect at the end of June.

The Journal Times reported prison inmates will now be able to do tasks such as landscaping, painting, and shoveling sidewalks in the winter that were previously performed by unionized employees.

Inmates are not required to do any work for the county, but can receive time off their sentence if they do. Racine County Executive Jim Ladwig said the use of prison labor would not result in any public works staff reductions.
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Star of David

Riposte Against Zionism: Go Tell It To The People

Dr. Alan Sabrosky
Veterans Today
Tue, 05 Jul 2011 11:44 UTC
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Archimedes once said, "Give me a place to stand and I will move the world." In the preceding articles in this series (listed below after my bio), I have developed the basic theses of my analysis that define the place we stand now, and where we must stand if we wish to alter the world Zionism has contrived for us. One is that we must focus our attention on the edifice of Zionist influence and control in the US, and not be mesmerized by events in and around Palestine. Another is that our efforts to date, with the partial exception of the BDS (Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions) campaign, have been ineffectual at best and counterproductive at worst. And the third, most critical point is that the gate to containing Zionism is in the US; the lock to the gate is in the heartland of the US and not Washington; and the key to that lock is the Israeli orchestration of 9/11 and its spin-off wars.
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Eye 1

After Caylee, what about Zahra Baker?


Charlotte Observer
Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:36 UTC
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So, what about Zahra Baker? Will there be justice for her?

We pondered that even before the "not guilty" verdict was rendered for Casey Anthony in the death her 2-year-old daughter Caylee. Tuesday's acquittal, which many observers are calling stunning, makes us ponder that question anew.

In the frenzied, often sensational trial of Casey Anthony, Caylee Anthony's death became almost an afterthought. The trial was filled with charges from the prosecution that a self-centered, party-girl mother, who first concocted a false story about an imaginary nanny taking the girl, killed the child to be free to spend time with her boyfriend. Anthony's defense team countered, claiming that the accused had been abused by her father who helped her cover up the accidental drowning of Caylee. The father denied the abuse and cover-up, and the judge said the lawyers couldn't use the unverified assertion in closing arguments.
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Briefcase

A trial ends, but a case is not closed

Tommy Tomlinson
Charlotte Observer
Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:29 UTC
caylee anthony

That Casey Anthony trial was one unsatisfying TV show.

Millions of Americans are walking around stunned today, still wondering why the music didn't swell and the camera didn't close in on the judge's face and the shot didn't go to freeze-frame right after the word "guilty."

It was so obvious to everyone that Anthony had killed her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee - obvious to everyone but the jury, who took less than 11 hours to rule that the prosecutors hadn't proved it.
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Sherlock

UK Coroner Closes Case On 130-year-old Murder Case


weirdnews.aol.com
Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:41 UTC
Solved old murder case

London- A skull dug up in a back garden has solved a 130-year-old mystery surrounding the murder of a wealthy London widow.

Julia Thomas was murdered by her housekeeper in 1879, but her head was never found, and the case was dubbed the "Barnes mystery" by the Victorians for the area of London where the woman was killed.

In October - more than a century after the murder - excavators discovered a skull in nature documentary maker David Attenborough's back garden. He lives near where Thomas was slain.

Reviewing records of the murder and census records, and using radiocarbon testing, detectives connected the skull with the murder case. West London Coroner Alison Thompson ruled Tuesday that the skull belonged to Thomas.
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Arrow Down

US: Exxon Yellowstone River pipeline leaked for twice as long as company admitted... as 40 landowners claim damage from spill


Mail Online
Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:22 UTC
While clean up crews continue to sop up oil spilled Friday night into Montana's Yellowstone River, critics probe ExxonMobil's response, and others worry about their property.

Federal documents show it took ExxonMobil nearly twice as long as it publicly disclosed to fully seal the pipeline that spilled roughly 1,000 barrels (42,000 gallons) of crude oil into the Yellowstone River, the AP reports.

Details about the company's response to the Montana pipeline burst emerged late Tuesday as the Department of Transportation ordered the company bury the duct deeper beneath the riverbed, where it is buried 5 to 8 feet underground to deliver 40,000 barrels of oil a day to a refinery in Billings.

Yellowstone 1
© ReutersSopping up: An emergency response crew hired by ExxonMobil cleans up the oil spill along the Yellowstone River in Laurel, Montana
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2 + 2 = 4

US: Indiana schools to stop teaching cursive writing


WGN News
Thu, 30 Jun 2011 09:01 UTC
cursive writing
© Laurence Mouton, PhotoAlto / AP Photo
Starting this fall, schools in Indiana won't have to teach kids how to write in cursive.

Until now, kids started learning cursive handwriting in 2nd grade; but state education officials say computers and web books have made cursive a relic of the past; so it won't be required any more.

Local school districts can still teach it if they want; but the state says it's more important to teach kids good keyboard skills.

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Beaker

How Science Fell Short in Anthony Case

Marianne English
Discovery News
Wed, 06 Jul 2011 07:45 UTC
Casey Anthony
© Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/MCT/GettyCasey Anthony
Casey Anthony's trial for the 2008 death of her 2-year-old daughter has roused discussion about the role of scientific evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt that a person committed the crime he or she is accused of.

Regardless of Anthony's acquittal for murder and public opinion on the verdict, the scientific evidence presented by prosecutors was portrayed as fallible by the defense.

The prosecution thought the evidence it brought forward was convincing: DNA analysis of a strand of hair found in Anthony's car; results showing that chloroform and signs of decomposition could be measured in the car's trunk, where Anthony was accused of hiding and transporting her daughter's body; and Internet searches for incriminating terms such as "chloroform."
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Document

US: Oklahoma Lawmaker Plans to Introduce "Caylee's law"

Cynthia Johnston
Reuters
Thu, 07 Jul 2011 02:11 UTC
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© unknown
An Oklahoma lawmaker said on Wednesday he planned to introduce a "Caylee's law" in his state requiring parents to swiftly report the death or disappearance of a child in the first legislation stemming from the death of the Florida toddler.

A jury found Casey Anthony not guilty on Tuesday of murder in the death of 2-year-old Caylee, whose skeletal remains were found in woods near the Anthony family home with duct tape dangling from her skull.

Casey, who was convicted of lying to police, had initially said Caylee had been kidnapped by a nanny, triggering a nationwide search before her remains were found six months later.

"It is unconscionable for a parent to delay notifying the authorities of the death of their child. Most parents would immediately notify authorities if their child had gone missing," state Rep. Paul Wesselhoft said, adding he planned to introduce the law in Oklahoma's 2012 legislative session.
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