Society's ChildS


Better Earth

10-year-old Michigan boy saves 80-year-old woman by lucky hunch


Howell - Saturday evening, 10-year-old Danny DiPietro of Howell, Michigan became a local hero when he spotted something peculiar in an open garage on the way home from a hockey game.

As his dad drove the young boy home, he looked through the side window and noticed something moving. At a passing glance, he thought it was a dog accidentally left outside by its owners.

"It was late at night and super cold out and their garage was open and something just didn't feel right," said Danny.

Unable to get the image out of his mind, when he got home he asked his mother Dawn if she could check it out. At first, Dawn was skeptical and tried to assure Danny that the dog was fine and that nobody would leave their dog outside in such severe cold.

Coffee

Swedish homeowner invites would-be burglar for coffee

Coffee
© GvjekoslavA cup of coffee
A man tried to break into a couple's apartment in northern Sweden recently, but got a welcoming surprise. The owner, after making a citizen's arrest, offered him a cup of coffee.

Tomas Holmberg and his wife were sleeping in their home when a noise from the balcony awoke them at 1 a.m. Holmberg immediately ran to the balcony and flung open the door, to find the would-be burglar.

He immediately overpowered the 21-year-old and took him inside.

While awaiting the arrival of the Kvarnåsen police, Holmberg sat the burglar down in the kitchen and offered him a cup of coffee.

Holmberg told the local Västerbottens Folkblad newspaper that the would-be thief looked so forlorn and quite cold, he thought he "could use a gulp of coffee."

The youngster then apologized to Holmberg for trying to break into his apartment and sat quietly enjoying his coffee until the police arrived for him.

Under Swedish law, any individual can make a citizen's arrest when catching a perpetrator in the act of a crime, as long as they hand over the culprit to the police as soon as possible thereafter, and if feeling generous, can offer them refreshment.

Nuke

West Virginia official says residents are breathing cancer-causing agent after chemical spill

Water Distribution
© Reuters/Lisa HecheskyWater is distributed to residents at the South Charleston Community Center in Charleston, West Virginia.

A West Virginia state official told legislators on Wednesday that he "can guarantee" some residents are breathing in a cancer-causing substance due to the chemical spill that occurred earlier in January.

In a recent meeting with a state legislative committee on water resources, Scott Simonton of the West Virginia Environmental Quality Board said that his tests have detected formaldehyde in water samples contaminated by the recent Elk River chemical spill.

"I can guarantee that citizens in this valley are, at least in some instances, breathing formaldehyde," Simonton said, according to the Associated Press. "They're taking a hot shower. This stuff is breaking down into formaldehyde in the shower or in the water system, and they're inhaling it."

As Simonton noted, the chemical mixture that leaked into the Kanawha Valley's water supply - a combination of seven substances used to wash coal that's called "Crude MCHM" - is partly composed of methanol. When this chemical breaks down, it turns into formaldehyde, a carcinogen linked to diseases such as respiratory cancer.

"It's frightening, it really is frightening," the Charleston Gazette quoted Simonton telling state lawmakers. "What we know scares us, and we know there's a lot more we don't know."

Arrow Down

UK government cuts hitting poorest areas hardest, figures show

Street in Liverpool
© Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesA street in Liverpool, the most deprived area.

The most deprived communities in the country are bearing the brunt of government cuts while more affluent areas are escaping relatively unscathed, according to an analysis of official figures.

Labour said the data showed that the government was hitting the poorest communities the hardest and failing to live up to its commitment to ensure that those with the broadest shoulders bear the largest burden.

Councils in the 10 most deprived areas of England are facing cuts averaging 25.3% in the financial years 2010-11 to 2015-16, compared with 2.54% in the 10 least deprived areas.

The figures were drawn up by Paul Woods, the veteran treasurer of Newcastle city council. Woods took government figures on the level of cuts to the 326 local authorities in England and compared them with the multiple indices of deprivation issued by the Department of Communities and Local Government.

Liverpool city council, with the highest deprivation score of 43.45, is suffering cuts of 27.1%. Hart district council, with the lowest deprivation score of 4.47, is facing cuts of 1.5%.

Roses

New Mexico judge affirms right to 'aid in dying'

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© Desdemona Burgin/Compassion & Choices“I don't think anyone should be required to suffer at the end of their lives,” said Aja Riggs, a cancer survivor and one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit that challenged a New Mexico law prohibiting assisted suicide.
Aja Riggs, 50, thought a lot about dying after she was diagnosed with uterine cancer.

She endured surgery in October 2011, then underwent aggressive chemotherapy that made her feel as if her skin was burning. She was constantly tired. Then doctors found a second tumor, which they treated with two different types of radiation.

"It was a pretty darn rough winter, actually," said Riggs of Santa Fe, N.M. "I thought to myself, I don't know if I want to go all the way to the end with a death from cancer." She considered "what I needed to do if I would like to perhaps have a more peaceful and gentle death."

Now, a New Mexico judge has ruled that terminally ill patients like Riggs have the right to "aid in dying" under the state constitution. "Such deaths are not considered 'suicide' under New Mexico's assisted suicide statute," ruled Judge Nan G. Nash of the 2nd District Court in Albuquerque last week.

The state's assisted suicide law classifies helping with suicide as a fourth-degree felony.

Aid in dying refers to doctors prescribing a fatal dose of drugs so patients can "achieve a peaceful death and thereby avoid further suffering," Nash wrote.

Magnify

USDA shut down New Jersey slaughterhouse over calf treatment - Investigation Launched

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© Provided by Humane Society of the United StatesA still from a Humane Society of the United States undercover investigation video of the Catelli Bros. slaughterhouse in Shrewsbury.(Photo:
Slaughterhouses aren't places for the squeamish, but a secret video taken last year of calves at a Catelli Bros. plant was enough for federal regulators to draw the line.

The U.S Department of Agriculture, after reviewing the Humane Society's video, suspended the Collingswood, N.J.-based company's operations in Shrewsbury and started an investigation into the company's treatment of cattle, the animal rights group said Monday.

"We commend USDA for taking action to shut down the operation at Catelli Bros.," said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States. But he also called on regulators to close a loophole "that perpetuates continuing cruelty to young calves."

Catelli Bros. says it is one of the nation's biggest veal and lamb companies, with about 250 employees. It supplies both grocery stores and restaurants.

Spokesman Tony Catelli said the firm is "deeply concerned" about the allegations and is "cooperating fully" with federal regulators. "Any mistreatment of animals at our facility is unacceptable," he said in a statement.

Bomb

Little Psychopath: Middle School student accused of pouring bleach in opposing team's Gatorade cooler

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A basketball player at Gaffney middle school allegedly admitted to pouring bleach into his opponents' Gatorade cooler last week. Cleveland Smith, whose son plays on the Granard Middle School basketball team, said something wasn't right with his the team's Gatorade after his son complained about not feeling well.

"He [Smith's son] said once he came out of the game and started putting it to his lips said his mouth started burning but no one knew anything then," Smith said. The next day, Smith said his son complained that his stomach hurt. Rumors reportedly began swirling about a student possibly tampering with the Gatorade. Smith said his son received a text message explaining what had happened: "He told me somebody text him and told him they put bleach in the Gatorade."

According to Smith, his son drank four cups of the tainted Gatorade. It wasn't clear how much bleach was dumped into the cooler, but in a statement to police, the suspect said he did not meant to harm anyone.

Students and staff from both schools drank the Gatorade, the police report states.

As of Friday, no charges have been filed but the case remains under investigation, according to Cherokee County Schools Superintendent Dr. Quincie Moore. Several eighth grade students have been disciplined, according to Moore.

Eye 2

Psychopath? Ex-Bronx principal fired from Pennsylvania Catholic school after identity revealed

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© DUBOIS AREA CATHOLIC SCHOOL VIA FACEBOOKWhile using the name Mario Bella, Frank Borzellieri, second person from right, was welcomed in December to the DuBois Area Catholic School in Pennsylvania in an official letter, far right, and by clerics who didn’t know of his bigotry-espousing past.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel School's former leader Frank Borzellieri - who considered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 'anti-American' and warned against rising black and Hispanic populations - got the boot Friday after his new bosses at the Diocese of Erie, Pa., found out he lied on his application.

A Bronx principal who was canned after being exposed as a bigot has been fired from another Catholic school in Pennsylvania after he was unmasked as a liar.

Frank Borzellieri, the former head of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, got the boot Friday after his new bosses at the Diocese of Erie, Pa., found out who he really was.

"It came to our attention that it wasn't his real name, and the reason he was let go in New York was based on false information," Bishop Lawrence Persico told the Daily News. "He no longer works at the school, effective immediately."

Beer

Fox News has more viewers than CNN and MSNBC combined - Sad Commentary on American Intelligence

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Fox News Channel extended its cable news winning streak to 145 consecutive months with the release of January ratings. In overall audience FNC outstripped CNN and MSNBC combined in prime and in total day; it also led in the news demo, though by smaller margins.

With total viewers, FNC landed in the Top-5 among all cable networks in total day, while CNN and MSNBC settled for No. 38 and No. 29, respectively, and HLN clocked in at No. 47. In prime, FNC finished January at No. 7, CNN at No. 40, MSNBC at No. 30, and HLN at No. 46.

In primetime, only HLN grew year to year, in the demo - 6%, to 123,000 viewers. That said, FNC, at a leading 264,000 viewers, was down just 1% in the demo in primetime. CNN plunged 35% to 131,000 viewers in the age bracket, and MSNBC slid 2% to 231,000 viewers. In total day in the demo, HLN grew 11% to 101,000 viewers, besting CNN's 98,000 - a 27% drop. MSNBC fell 8% to 148,00 viewers, while FNC grew 5% to lead the pack with 220,000 viewers.

Handcuffs

Iceland says it has asked CPS why men are being tried for taking food from bins

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© Martin GodwinPaul May, one of three men due in court after being found taking tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese from bins.
The chief executive of Iceland has said he has contacted the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to ask why three men caught taking food from bins outside an Iceland store are being taken to court, stating that the company did not seek their prosecution.

The men will stand trial next month after being caught taking some tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese from the dustbins behind a branch of Iceland.

"We are currently trying to find out from the Crown Prosecution Service why they believe that it is in the public interest to pursue a case against these three individuals," the company said in a statement.