Society's ChildS


Jet3

Saudi-led coalition airstrike kills Yemen's Houthi second in command Saleh Al-Sammad

Hani Hazaimeh and Siraj Wahab
Arab News
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 12:07 UTC
Saudi Arabia fighter jets
© AFP 2016/ FAYEZ NURELDINE
  • Saleh Al-Sammad was No. 2 on the Saudi-led coalition's most-wanted list, after leader Abdel Malek Al-Houthi
  • A $20 million reward was earlier offered by the coalition for the head of Al-Sammad
Jeddah: Saleh Al-Sammad, the second in command of the Houthi militia, was killed last week in an air strike by the Saudi-led coalition, the Iran-allied militia confirmed on Monday.

Al-Sammad, head of the Houthis' so-called Supreme Political Council, was killed in the eastern province of Hodeida on Thursday, the militia announced in a statement published on the Houthi-run Saba news agency.

He was second only to Houthi leader Abdel Malek Al-Houthi on the coalition's most-wanted list. A $20 million reward had been offered for any information leading to Al-Sammad's capture.

His death deals a major blow to the Shiite militias, who have been fighting the coalition-backed pro-government forces since March 2015.

At the beginning of April, Al-Sammad described 2018 as "the year of ballistic excellence," referring to missiles the militias fired across the border.

Comment: Also: Saudi strikes kill 20 civilians in Yemen



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Radar

South Front war report: April 23, 2018 - Militant-held pockets crumbling in Western Syria (VIDEO)


South Front
Mon, 23 Apr 2018 11:20 UTC
Militants Syria
© Farsnews
Syrian government forces are developing an advance against ISIS in the Yarmouk refugee camp area in southern Damascus. The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies have liberated the al-Mujahedeen mosque reaching the Taqadom district and captured a major part of the Zain district.

This area is the last militant-held pocket near Damascus. If it's liberated, the Syrian capital will be fully secured.

According to pro-government sources, the sides are still negotiating on a possible deal that would allow ISIS members to withdraw to the Homs desert. However, the deal has not been reached yet. So, government forces are developing their military operation in the area.


Comment: With terrorist groups almost entirely gone off the Syrian map, what is the US to do if not simply settle down in the country for no reason whatsoever?

No plans to leave: Lavrov says US has settled in Syria, contrary to 'terrorist defeat' promise

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Heart - Black

Monument to Nazi massacre victims desecrated in Ukraine - a target for vandalism for decades


RT
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 21:21 UTC
Nazis during WWII in the Ukrainian city of Poltava.
© Ltava TV Channel / YouTubeThe desecrated memorial to the people killed by Nazis during WWII in the Ukrainian city of Poltava.
Vandals have desecrated a memorial to the people killed by Nazis during WWII in the Ukrainian city of Poltava, an installation known as The Grieving Mother. Swastikas and offensive slogans were painted on the monument.

The memorial at the site, where the Nazis gunned down thousands of locals, Soviet prisoners of war and Jews, was painted with the slogans "Heil Hitler" ("Glory to Hitler") and "Death to the Jews." The vandals, who remain unidentified, also painted a swastika on the main part of the monument and covered the eyes of the portrait sculpture, depicting the Grieving Mother, with black paint.

Photos of the incident were then uploaded to social networks and have provoked public outrage. According to some reports, some locals even came to the memorial site and painted over the offensive inscriptions.

Comment: This is the Western backed, EU candidates in Ukraine ladies and gentlemen! And if the established powers have their way, Armenia may be the next country to succumb:

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Newspaper

Trump is proposing to classify Native Americans as 'race' not Nations


Telesurv
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 10:40 UTC
The tribal leaders are contesting U.S. administration's stance, which they say, violates centuries-old protection treaties.
Native Americans
© Reuters"Without supplemental Medicaid resources, the Indian health system will not survive,” W. Ron Allen — a tribal leader warned.
The U.S. Donald Trump administration has proposed a major change to Native Americans health program, by dismissing their sovereignty and classifying them as a race, under which the Indigenous communities will be included in Medicaid work rules, a move which could further marginalize them and pose a serious threat to their health access.
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Arrow Down

Sex cults, cancer scams and pyramid schemes: A profile of recent high-profile lifestyle scams


RT
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 07:44 UTC
Allison Mack
© Gus Ruelas / Reuters
In the wake of the arrest of the Nxivm sex cult's leaders, RT looks at other lifestyle gurus who trick often vulnerable members of the public by using their celebrity or social media for financial gain.

Smallville actress' sex cult

'Smallville' actress Allison Mack has been accused of being second-in-command in the Nxivm cult. Mack has pled not guilty to sex trafficking and forced labor charges.

Nxivm was founded as a self-help organization and centers around leader Keith Raniere, whom followers refer to as Vanguard. Chosen recruits were allegedly starved in order to achieve Reniere's body ideal and were branded with his initials. The women were forced to pose naked for photographs and were told to share secrets as a form of collateral to enter the secret society.
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Blackbox

Tucker Carlson misses 3rd day after dropping Russia/Syria truth bombs, internet abuzz with speculation

Michael Quinn
Russia Insider
Sun, 22 Apr 2018 09:26 UTC
tucker carlson1
The Tuck was again missing from Friday's show, extending his absence to a disquieting 3 days.

The internet is abuzz with speculation on 4chan, reddit, and other forums. Type 'Tucker Carlson MIA' into Google and you get dozens of results. Here's a meme someone made:

We started covering his absence on Friday morning, wondering if his truth bombs about Syria and Russia had ticked off the wrong people. He has become the most powerful journalist to point out that the Syria gassing was most likely a false flag - something the rest of the mainstream media, like the NY Times and The Washington Post, are desperately trying to cover up with bogus stories spread by UK intelligence that the Russians and Syrians are trying to block an investigation. In fact the opposite is true, they are insisting on one, confident that the fraud will be exposed if a fair investigation is conducted. We wrote about this on Friday: Media Keeps Parroting Fake News of Russian / Syrian 'Cover-Up' of Chemical Sites.

Comment: The internet can relax now. Turns out to be the rumors were true, and Tucker is back on the air. It will be interesting to see if he will be allowed to drop any more truth bombs in the future though.



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Camcorder

Police launch investigation after hidden camera found in Starbucks bathroom


New York Post
Sun, 22 Apr 2018 09:04 UTC
Starbucks
© Getty Images
Police have launched an investigation after a camera was discovered last week inside a restroom at a Starbucks store in an Atlanta suburb.

A 25-year-old customer reportedly found the device Tuesday, taped under a baby changing station.

According to a police report, the woman removed the camera and alerted the manager. The manager then notified Starbucks' corporate office.

"We were quite concerned to learn this and are grateful to our customers and partners who took action to involve local authorities," a Starbucks spokesperson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Comment: See also:

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Briefcase

County in Illinois refuses to obey new gun control law, calls itself gun owner sanctuary

Jack Burns
Free Thought Project
Sun, 22 Apr 2018 00:00 UTC
second amendment
A county in Illinois has declared itself a "sanctuary" for gun owners in an attempt to stand up to the state's efforts to unconstitutionally restrict the Second Amendment.

Amid political buzzwords of "sanctuary cities" and "gun bans," one Illinois county decided to wade into the fray by declaring itself a sanctuary for gun owners. The Effingham County board voted this past week, 8-1, to order its employees not to enforce any laws that would "unconstitutionally restrict the Second Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution.

Effingham County State's Attorney Bryan Kibler said the measure is meant to act as a warning shot to tell the state legislature that the county does not want unnecessary gun control measures, or for the sale of firearms to be jeopardized. The resolution states:
"The Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms is guaranteed as an Individual Right under the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and under the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and; the Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms for defense of Life, Liberty, and Property is regarded as an Inalienable Right by the People of Effingham County, Illinois, and the People of Effingham County, Illinois, derive economic benefit from all safe forms of firearms recreation, hunting, and shooting conducted within Effingham County using all types of firearms allowable under the United States Constitution."
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Compass

Natalie Portman, Jeremy Corbyn and Israel's authoritarian tribalism

Gilad
Gilad Atzmon
Sun, 22 Apr 2018 00:00 UTC
Portman and Corbyn
Last Thursday, The Genesis Prize announced it was cancelling its so-called "Jewish Nobel" prize ceremony in Israel in June because its 2018 recipient, Natalie Portman, said she would not take part in light of "recent events."

The Jewish foundation said that Portman's representative notified it that "recent events in Israel have been extremely distressing to her and she does not feel comfortable participating in any public events in Israel" and that "she cannot in good conscience move forward with the ceremony."

According to the Forward Portman didn't reject the prize itself, but said she could not "in good conscience" share a stage with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

So again, the Israelis are upset. Gilad Erdan, Minister of Public Security, Strategic Affairs and Minister of Information wrote to Portman to tell her that she had been hoodwinked by Hamas propaganda and invited the Jerusalem-born Hollywood star to come and see the truth.

Comment: See also:

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Laptop

'Facebook has never cared' about privacy says Cambridge Analytic app developer


RT
Mon, 23 Apr 2018 13:49 UTC
FacebookCA
© Global Look Press
Through a simple quiz app, Aleksandr Kogan was able to collect the personal data of some 87 million Facebook users. However, tens of thousands of app developers did the exact same thing.

A scientist at the University of Cambridge, Kogan developed a quiz app that was used by consulting firm Cambridge Analytica to mine the data of 87 million Facebook users, including their private messages. That data was then used to target political advertisements in the run-up to the 2016 election in the US.

Kogan's app collected data not just from users who accepted its terms, but from their friends and contacts too. It did this through a feature called 'Friend Permissions.' Sandy Parakilas, a former data protection manager at Facebook, told NBC's Lesley Stahl how this worked:
"The way it works is if you're using an app and I'm your friend, the app can say, 'Hey, Lesley, we want to get your data for use in this app, and we also want to get your friends' data.' If you say, 'I will allow that,' then the app gets my data, too."

"It seems crazy now," said Kogan. "But this was a core feature of the Facebook platform for years. This was not a special permission you had to get. This was just something that was available to anybody who wanted it who was a developer."
According to Kogan, "tens of thousands" of app developers did the exact same thing, until Facebook recently removed the 'Friend Permissions' feature after the Cambridge Analytica scandal went public last month.
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