Society's ChildS


Black Magic

Maryland mother who killed two children in exorcism committed to psychiatric hospital

Ian Simpson
Reuters
Thu, 15 Sep 2016 12:33 UTC
Zakieya Avery
© APZakieya Avery mugshot
A judge ordered a Maryland woman who killed two of her children in what she called an exorcism committed to a psychiatric hospital on Thursday, a prosecutor's spokesman said.

Zakieya Avery, 31, of Germantown, pleaded guilty this week to killing her 1-year-old son and daughter, 2, in January 2014 during a ritual she believed would drive evil spirits out of their bodies. Two of her other children were also injured.

Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Terrence McGann ordered Avery held indefinitely in a psychiatric hospital after declaring her not criminally responsible, the spokesman said. The "not criminally responsible" finding is Maryland's version of not guilty by reason of insanity in other states.

Avery had pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. The two slain children were stabbed and strangled.

Avery's housemate, Monifa Sanford, was ordered committed to a psychiatric hospital last year after pleading guilty to her involvement in the killings.
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Eye 2

Idaho prosecutor exposed in pattern of lenient punishment of child rapists, sex abusers

Travis Gettys
Raw Story
Thu, 15 Sep 2016 10:39 UTC
Karl Lewies
© FacebookKarl Lewies
An Idaho prosecuting attorney is drawing complaints for allowing child sex abuse suspects to escape serious punishment with plea deals considered to be too lenient by some members of the community he serves.

East Idaho News investigated some of those complaints and found Karl Lewies, the Fremont County prosecutor, had allowed men accused of raping and sexually abusing children to admit to less serious charges and avoid prison time and even skip sex offender registration.

Lewies refused to answer questions by email or phone about the plea agreements, and the prosecutor lashed out when East Idaho News reporter Nate Eaton confronted him for an explanation earlier this month at the courthouse. "No, nothing I want to say," Lewies said. "Not this style, Nate, not this style."

Eaton reminded the prosecutor that he's neglected to return phone calls and emails seeking comment, and the reporter told Lewies that he was investigating citizen complaints about his handling of sex abuse cases. "I'd ask who they are," Lewies said, before getting into an elevator to leave. The prosecutor emailed the reporter hours later to complain that his actions in the courthouse were "appalling and unnecessary."
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Book 2

Hillary Clinton's new book branded 'most excellent toilet paper ever' on dismal sales


RT
Thu, 15 Sep 2016 18:15 UTC
Hillary Clinton with new book
© Brian Snyder / Reuters
She's leading in the polls but US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is floundering in the book charts as sales of her new tome tank and critics put the boot in.

Stronger Together, which the Democratic nominee wrote with her running mate Tim Kaine, sold fewer than 3,000 copies in its first week on sale, according to Nielsen BookScan.

This compares very poorly with Clinton's 2014 memoir Hard Choices, which sold more than 85,000 copies in its first week.

Even that book was considered a disappointment following Clinton's 2003 memoir Living History which focused on her years in the White House and shifted around 500,000 copies in its first seven days on sale.
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Laptop

Virtual reality romance on display at annual Tokyo Game Show

Hiroshani Hiyama
Yahoo! News
Thu, 15 Sep 2016 16:57 UTC
Japan Game Show
© AFP/Toru YamanakaAttendants hold smartphones to introduce games at the Tokyo Game Show 2016 in Chiba, a suburb of Tokyo, on September 15, 2016.
Game geeks with a heart for digital romance have something to celebrate as sensual, soft-spoken cyber women are blurring the line between reality and fantasy at the Tokyo Game Show.

Virtual reality took centre stage at the annual exhibition Thursday, with Sony Interactive Entertainment showcasing PlayStationVR (PSVR), a much-anticipated head-mounted display debuting next month.

Dozens of software titles for the device are in the pipeline, allowing players to fly like an eagle, drive sports cars in high-speed races, and explore castles. Gamers can also indulge in fantasy by flirting with virtual females thanks to increasingly realistic VR technology.

Among such offerings is "Summer Lesson", which puts the user in the company of a soft-spoken, yet chatty, beauty. "One thing that we cared the most about for 'Summer Lesson' was to create a sense that a character is truly there," said Jun Tamaoki, a developer behind the software by Japanese toy and game giant Bandai Namco, told AFP.

However, Tamaoki shrugged off concerns that such an experience could discourage players from going out to meet real women. "I think this could improve the communications skills" of even the shiest game players, Tamaoki said. "Summer Lesson" is playable on the PSVR but does not feature male characters to interact with.

Comment: Scary study shows virtual reality games could be used as pain killers

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Bomb

TSA K-9 dogs are failing bomb-sniffing tests

Scott Freidman
NBC News
Thu, 15 Sep 2016 16:49 UTC
airport dog
© Michael Dwyer / AP fileMassachusetts State Police officer Rob Gallant patrols with his bomb-sniffing dog Chico at Logan International Airport in Boston on July 1.
Bomb-sniffing K-9 teams at 10 major U.S. airports have failed tests that check how accurately they can detect explosives, according to an NBC News investigation.

New records obtained by KXAS through a Freedom of Information Act request call into question whether those dog teams are training enough to stay sharp and keep bombs out of airports and off planes by screening baggage, cargo and passengers for potential threats.

K-9 teams funded by the Transportation Security Administration have failed annual certification tests at 10 large airports 52 times between Jan. 1, 2013, and June 15, 2015, the most recent detailed numbers TSA provided. Some teams failed to find explosives, while others had too many false alarms that could cause unnecessary airport evacuations.

Dog teams failed 21 times at Los Angeles International, and 10 times at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C., during the same time period. Teams at Chicago's O'Hare, Reagan National in D.C., JFK in New York, San Diego and Bradley International in Hartford, Connecticut, all failed from one and three times.

Comment:



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Fire

Islamophobia: Suspect in 9/11 anniversary arson attack on Florida mosque arrested


RT
Thu, 15 Sep 2016 00:49 UTC
Islamic Center of Fort Pierce
© Mike Brown/ReutersA view of the Islamic Center of Fort Pierce
A man suspected of starting the fire that heavily damaged the Islamic Center in Fort Pierce, Florida has been arrested. The crime was committed on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

"A fire at any place of worship is a tragedy. Early evidence led to us to believe this was an arson attempt," St. Lucie County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Garry Wilson told reporters on Wednesday. "An arrest has been made 65 hours after the fire was started."

The sheriff's office said they arrested Joseph Michael Schreiber, 32, who had a previous conviction for armed robbery. The sheriff said they followed up on community tips and surveillance footage, which showed a man leaving the mosque on a motorcycle.

After obtaining a search warrant to investigate Schreiber's home, a motorcycle found there matched the one seen on surveillance footage. Police were still at the home collecting evidence at the time of the Wednesday evening news conference.
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Arrow Down

Facebook censoring Dakota Access pipeline livestream protests


RT
Thu, 15 Sep 2016 03:07 UTC
Dakota access pipeline protest
© Andrew Cullen / Reuters Protesters demonstrate against the Energy Transfer Partners' Dakota Access oil pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, U.S. September 9, 2016
An alternative media group's live coverage of riot police clashing with protesters at a construction site of the Dakota Access pipeline was blocked by "Facebook's automated censorship system". However, the social network hasn't been doing much about it.

Unicorn Riot was in North Dakota Tuesday, covering a "direct action" protest against the Dakota Access pipeline. Any time they tried to post their livestream, Facebook rejected the link as one that "our security systems detected to be unsafe."

Twenty-two protesters were arrested by police in riot gear, including two Unicorn Riot journalists. The crude oil pipeline is the subject of protest, in part, because environmentalists and the Standing Rock Sioux tribe claim its construction is destroying sacred sites and natural resources or risks damaging them.

Comment: Facebook is behaving more like an information gatekeeper for the PTB every day:

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Dollars

Leaked documents link Wisconsin governor Scott Walker's campaign with questionable dark money fundraising


RT
Thu, 15 Sep 2016 06:45 UTC
Scott Walker
© Brian Snyder / Reuters Former Republican U.S. presidential candidate and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker faced threats of losing his title in 2012 during a recall election. He won, but newly-leaked documents show that Walker and his team may have only done so by engaging in questionable fundraising.

Documents recently released to the Guardian show the extent to which Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker had to pursue money during a tough recall in 2012. They reveal the way that politicians rely on private donors and shadowy nonprofits.

According to the documents, Walker may have owed his successful recall election to private donors who were able to secretly fund his campaign using tricks that pushed the limits of the law.

Fundraising isn't the only fishy aspect of what the Guardian refers to as the "John Doe Files." Rather, it is the first step in a long chain of events that cast a shadow over Wisconsin's politics and the cozy relationship between corporations and politicians that is bolstered by campaign finance committees posing as nonprofits.

Comment: Unfortunately this appears to be business as usual; all U.S. elections are rigged:

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Pistol

Ohio cop kills 13yo boy after he pulls BB gun


RT
Thu, 15 Sep 2016 15:20 UTC
cop kills 13 yo boy
© Phil Noble / Reuters
Columbus Police Department, Ohio was responding to a report of an armed robbery when the incident occurred. The robbery victim told police that they had been approached by a group of people demanding money and one of them had a gun.

Officers said they saw three suspects fitting their descriptions and approached them. Two of the suspects fled on foot while officers tried to arrest the third suspect, identified as 13-year-old Tyree King.

"Officers followed the males to the alley ... and attempted to take them into custody when one suspect pulled a gun from his waistband," police said in a statement early Thursday. "One officer shot and struck the suspect multiple times."
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People

Far from over: Paris anti-labor reform protests turns violent


RT
Thu, 15 Sep 2016 15:21 UTC
Paris labor clashes
© Ruptly
People took to the streets across France on Thursday to once again protest the government's controversial labor reforms. Violent clashes with police were reported in Paris and Nantes where tear gas was used.

There was a heavy presence of riot police in the French capital where thousands marched against the legislation, which allows employers to hire and fire people more easily, as well as negotiate working times with their staff directly.

Clashes broke out in Paris as groups of young protesters, who had their faces covered, provoked the police by throwing stones and flares. Law enforcement replied with batons and pepper spray.

Five police officers and at least one protestor were injured in clashes in Paris, French broadcaster iTELE reported, adding that 10 people were detained.
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