Society's ChildS


Binoculars

A sign of things to come? Flags atop Brooklyn bridge replaced with faded white versions


Police say the American flags that fly atop the two towers of the Brooklyn Bridge appeared to have been replaced with two white flags early Tuesday morning not long after several people could be seen walking across the iconic span.

"Those people will be of particular interest in this investigation," said John Miller, deputy commissioner of intelligence and counter-terrorism for the New York Police Department.

white flag brooklyn bridge
© Andrew Gompert / European Pressphoto AgencyA New York Police Department helicopter flies past one of the towers of the Brooklyn Bridge, whose American flags had been replaced by white flags.

Comment: Update: August 13th, 2014

'Crime' solved:

German artists claim responsibility for Brooklyn Bridge 'white flag' incident


Arrow Down

NYC approves apartment building with separate entrance for poor people

NY Apartment
© Gawker

It would be difficult to come with a more on-the-nose metaphor for New York City's income inequality problem than the new high-rise apartment building coming to 40 Riverside Boulevard, which will feature separate doors for regular, wealthy humans and whatever you call the scum that rents affordable housing.

Extell Development Company, the firm behind the new building, announced its intentions to segregate the rich and poor to much outrage last year. Fifty-five of the luxury complex's 219 units would be marked for low-income renters - netting some valuable tax breaks for Extell - with the caveat that the less fortunate tenants would stick to their own entrance.

The city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development approved Extell's Inclusionary Housing Program application for the 33-story tower this week, the New York Post reports. The status grants Extell the aforementioned tax breaks and the right to construct a larger building than would ordinarily be allowed.

According to the Daily Mail, affordable housing tenants will enter through a door situated on a "back alley."

Eye 2

Psychopathic Maryland parents arrested after allegedly locking their twin autistic sons in basement every night for 6 years

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© Montgomery County Police DepartmentThese photos released July 21, 2014 show John and Janice Land, who are accused of keeping their autistic twin sons padlocked in a basement room of their house in Rockville, Md. every night for six years
A Rockville, Maryland couple has been arrested and charged with locking their 22-year-old autistic twin sons in the basement of their home.

Montgomery County police told WTTG-TV that the room had no lights, a strong smell of urine, and only a single comforter was provided for the men to sleep on. Police also said the room only had one window, which was far too small for either man to climb through in case of an emergency,

The Washington Post reported that police arrested 57-year-old John Land and 59-year-old Janice Land this past Thursday after showing up at the couple's home to serve a search warrant on an unrelated matter. Once inside, police discovered that one of the doors in the basement was secured from the outside with a deadbolt. When they opened it, they discovered the room and the two men inside.

According to court documents, John Land told police he had been locking up his sons every night between about 10 p.m. to just before 5 a.m. for the past six years in order to prevent them from leaving the house unsupervised, as had happened in the past. The Lands said the twins are nonverbal, and can only communicate by pointing at objects.

Arrow Down

Three out of four Newark Police stops are unconstitutional

Newark Police
© Associated Press
After a three-year investigation, the U.S. Justice Department said today that the Newark Police Department is a corrupt, racist hive of unconstitutional behavior.

A few notable specifics from the DOJ's extensive review of the practices of the department which patrols a city that is plagued by crime (including crime by police officers), via the Star-Ledger:
Police failed to provide a sufficient constitutional reason for some 75 percent of pedestrian stops...

While blacks make up nearly 54 percent of the city's population, they account for 85 percent of pedestrian stops and nearly 80 percent of arrests...

More than 20 percent of officers' reported use of force was unreasonable and violated the constitution.
Newark's PD will now operate under civilian oversight for who knows how many years until they get their shit together. I expect them to be frequently stopped and frisked during that time. These people clearly have a track record of crime.

Handcuffs

Daughter-in-law of Nike founder arrested on student sex charges

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© Jefferson County Sheriff's OfficeMelissa Bowerman, 43, of Fossil
Melissa Bowerman, the daughter-in-law of Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman and head track and field coach at Madras High School, was arrested Monday on sex abuse allegations involving a 17-year-old boy on the team.

State police got a tip that Bowerman, 43, "was involved in an inappropriate relationship with a juvenile male," they said in a news release. She has been coaching the team for two years, police said.

Troopers arrested Bowerman at her home in Fossil. She was taken to the Jefferson County Jail in Madras on suspicion of second-degree sexual abuse, luring a minor, second-degree online sexual corruption of a child and contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor. The first three accusations are felonies and the fourth is a misdemeanor.

The allegations cover conduct since May, police said.

TV

Jon Stewart makes it acceptable to care about Palestinian suffering

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© TheDailyShow.cc.comJon Stewart, host of the Daily Show lets conscience be his guide on the subject of Israel's attacks on Gaza.
This Gaza war has brought a new level of American awareness of the pain of Palestinian civilians. And we have Jon Stewart to thank.

When I interviewed The Daily Show's Jon Stewart two years ago for a documentary I co-directed, The Muslims Are Coming!, one of the questions I posed to the talk show host was: Do you think your show has had an impact on issues?

Surprisingly, Stewart responded "no." At first, my co-director, Negin Farsad, and I thought Stewart was being unduly modest. But he was actually being sincere. Stewart went on to list issues he had railed against for years - such as media sensationalism - and noted that nothing tangible had changed despite his best efforts.

But if that question were put to Stewart today, honesty would compel him to answer that his efforts have changed the way many who follow him now view one issue: the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Specifically, Stewart has raised awareness about the human toll that this conflict has inflicted upon Palestinian civilians.

I first noticed Stewart's efforts in January 2009 during the 22-day battle between Hamas and the Israeli military. That episode resulted in approximately 1,400 Palestinians being killed, of which human rights groups say 700 were civilians.

Heart - Black

Sky News reporter infuriates family of Flight 17 crash victim after rifling through his belongings live on air

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The brother of flight MH17 crash victim Richard Mayne (pictured right with his two brothers Thomas, left, and William, centre) has condemned Sky News reporter Colin Brazier
The family of a flight MH17 crash victim has condemned Sky News reporter Colin Brazier who was filmed live on air rifling through victims' possessions - branding the footage 'sick.'

In a live broadcast, which has so far sparked 110 Ofcom complaints, the presenter was shown picking items - including a set of keys and a toothbrush - out of the open luggage before saying: 'We really shouldn't be doing this, I suppose.'

Speaking from the family home in Leicester, Richard Mayne's older brother Thomas, 24, branded it 'sick' adding: 'I think it's totally out of order. It's not on.'

This evening Prime Minister David Cameron also condemned the reporter's actions branding it 'completely inappropriate'.

The Leeds University student was one of ten Britons to die when the Malaysia Airlines jet crashed in Ukraine on Thursday.

Star of David

Consequences of Israeli psychopathic government: 80% of British Jews feel blamed for Israeli actions

jew palestine flag
© Reuters/Neil HallSays it all really. Judaism is just a cover used by the psychos in Tel Aviv to satisfy their murderous impulses.
Up to 80 percent of British Jews say non-Jews blame them for the Israeli government's actions, a new study on anti-Semitism in the UK shows.

According to the Institute for Jewish Policy Research study, almost 70 percent of respondents also said they believe anti-Semitism had become more acute in Britain in the five years leading up to 2012.

It found the experience of anti-Semitism is often bound up with perceptions of the political and military decisions of the Israeli government. Publication of the survey has coincided with the Israel Defense Forces' air and ground assault of the Gaza Strip, which has drawn tens of thousands of protestors onto the streets worldwide.

While participants in the survey do not perceive simple criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism, respondents say hostile criticism of the Jewish state is experienced as anti-Semitism, particularly when it involves calls for boycotts, divestment and sanctions, or accusations of ethnic cleansing.

Comment: While it may be true that some Jews are being unfairly held responsible for the actions of the Israeli government, this poll appears to be a response on the part of Jewish activists to counter the increasing outrage and protests over Israels' latest genocidal war in Gaza. The world is waking up, so the Israeli propaganda machine goes into overdrive using the anti-antisemitism meme once again in an attempt to gather sympathy.

Israel's horrific war crimes in Gaza provoke global outrage
People Power! All across UK crowds protest BBC biased reporting on Gaza
London & Oslo: Thousands protest against the psychopathic war machine of Israel
Hundreds show for pro-Palestinian protest in Nicosia, Cyprus
Righteous Anger: Activists in Paris clash with police after they ban pro-Palestinian protests


Blackbox

U.S. Airways and Delta Airlines cancel all flights to Israel indefinitely

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© Getty ImagesTarget: The flight cancellations come a day after a rocket struck a house just 3 miles from Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv
Two U.S. airlines cancelled all flights to Israel until further notice, after a rocket landed near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines said Tuesday they are suspending service between the U.S. and Israel indefinitely. US Airways scrapped its Tel Aviv service Tuesday and said it is monitoring the situation in regards to future flights.

Delta Air Lines' one daily flight was already in the air. Delta said a Boeing 747 from New York was flying over the Mediterranean headed for Tel Aviv when it turned around and flew to Paris instead. Flight 468 had 273 passengers and 17 crew on board.

Israeli police confirmed that a rocket from Gaza landed in an area near the airport. Police spokeswomen Luba Samri said the rocket caused damage to a house and slightly wounded one Israeli.

Bulb

Shock, a government that helps its citizens! Kentucky town opens city-owned gas station to counter high prices

gas station kentucky
© AFP Photo / Scott Olson
A Kentucky town listened to its citizens' complaints about high gas prices within its borders, and responded by opening a gas station run by the city government. Now critics are accusing Somerset's officials of socialism.

The city of 11,000 opened the gas station on Saturday, and 75 customers filled up in the first three hours, according to WDRB. It served 360 vehicles over the course of the entire day, according to WTVQ.

A gallon of regular unleaded - the only type of gas sold - cost $3.36, which is three cents cheaper than at several nearby stations. Gas in the town often averages 20 to 30 cents a gallon more than in neighboring towns, George Wilson, the town's economic development business coordinator, told the Associated Press. The no-frills station does not have a convenience store or a mechanic.

The mayor, Eddie Girdler, said the station was created in response to years of grumbling by townspeople about consistently high prices. It is repurposed from a government-vehicle-only station to one that can be used by the city's residents and visitors.