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Eye 1

Creepy smart toys allow anyone to track and talk directly to kids

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Tue, 18 Jul 2017 19:57 UTC
smart toy spying
A particularly ominous warning was put out by the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center this week alerting people to the potential dangers internet-connected toys pose to adults and children alike. Not only do these 'spy toys' have the potential to record kids' conversations, track their movements, reveal their location — they even allow perverts to TALK to children directly.

The alert, titled: CONSUMER NOTICE: INTERNET-CONNECTED TOYS COULD PRESENT PRIVACY AND CONTACT CONCERNS FOR CHILDREN, warns users of the security risks and vulnerabilities posed by this new line of smart toys that connect via wifi or Bluetooth to your home network.

The toys, according to the warning, typically contain sensors, microphones, cameras, data storage components, and other multimedia capabilities - including speech recognition and GPS options.

According to the FBI, "microphones could record and collect conversations within earshot of the device. Information such as the child's name, school, likes and dislikes, and activities may be disclosed through normal conversation with the toy or in the surrounding environment. The collection of a child's personal information combined with a toy's ability to connect to the Internet or other devices raises concerns for privacy and physical safety."

Comment: See also:

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Eye 2

Insanity: Authorities struggle to determine motives after uncovering gruesome killings by cousins

Anthony Izaguirre and Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press
Delco Times
Sun, 16 Jul 2017 12:48 UTC
Cosmo Dinarod and Sean Kratz

Cosmo Dinarod and Sean Kratz
Two cousins charged in a gruesome crime spree that ended with police unearthing the bodies of four young men buried on a family farm started off committing small crimes.

But authorities don't know why the 20-year-old suspects escalated from offenses like break-ins and jewelry heists to allegedly killing their victims and burying them in two pits so deep beneath the ground that a backhoe and dozens of people were needed to sift through the dirt.

Police found the missing men after a grueling, five-day search in sweltering heat and pelting rain.

For Cosmo DiNardo, whose lawyer said he confessed to all four killings in exchange for being spared the death penalty, brushes with the law began in his early teenage years.
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Fire

Off-road vehicle ignites rare sulfur fire in Wyoming

Ben Hooper
UPI
Thu, 13 Jul 2017 18:59 UTC
Sulphur fire in WY
© UPI
Firefighters in Wyoming shared video of the unusual flames that resulted when an off-road motorcycle ignited a sulfur mound.

The Worland Volunteer Fire Department posted a video to Facebook that was captured by Capt. Brandon Yule when the department responded Friday to Smet Recycling on Highway 20 North in Worland.

"Despite the beautiful flames, burning sulfur creates a hazardous gas called sulfur dioxide. WFD was able to position apparatus in a safe location and lay in a line to extinguish the fire," the post said.

The department said firefighters donned protective gear when fighting the flames to prevent from inhaling any of the dangerous gas.

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Arrow Down

Poll shows massive dissatisfaction with American regime - both Democrats and Republicans

Eric Zuesse
Strategic Culture Foundation
Mon, 17 Jul 2017 18:06 UTC
Americans eating
The Monthly Harvard-Harris Poll: June 2017 is the latest poll in that series, and it scientifically sampled 2,258 U.S. registered voters, of whom (as shown on page 30) 35% were Democrat, 29% were Republican, and 30% were independent). It indicates (page 24) that 37% 'approve' and 63% 'disapprove' of "the way the Republican Party is handling its job". It also indicates (page 25) that 38% 'approve', and 62% 'disapprove', of "the way the Democratic Party is handling its job". So: despite there being 6% more self-described Democrat's than Republican's, there was only 1% more disapproval of the Republican Party than of the Democratic Party; and, this indicates that there was a substantial disapproval of the Democratic Party by Democratic voters (more disaffection by them for their Party, than Republicans have for theirs).

The answers to other questions in the poll also help to provide an answer as to why this is so, and why the voting public don't hold either Party in high regard — why America's supposedly 'democratic' (small-'D') politics is currently a contest between uglies, with neither Party offering anything like what the U.S. voting public want their government to do (i.e., it fits what this scientific study found actually to control U.S. politics):
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Handcuffs

At least 5 Germans incl 16yo girl reportedly among 20 female ISIS fighters captured in Mosul


RT
Tue, 18 Jul 2017 20:07 UTC
The flag of ISIL
© Global Look Press
Iraqi forces have detained a group of female Islamic State fighters in Mosul, five of whom are reportedly German. Berlin is investigating whether one of them is a 16-year-old girl who left the country a year ago to join the terrorist group.

Iraqi troops captured a group of some 20 female fighters last week in the city of Mosul, which was held by Islamic State (IS, formerly known as ISIS/ISIL), Die Welt reported.

It added that at least five of them were German citizens, while others came from Russia, Turkey, Canada, Syria, Libya and the Caucasus.

The women were hiding in tunnels built by the terrorists, media reported, adding that Iraqi forces allegedly found weapons and suicide vests during the arrests.

A 16-year-old student from the German federal state of Saxony, Linda W., is presumably among the five German women, Die Welt newspaper reported, citing security sources. The authorities are investigating whether the teen held in Mosul was Linda, Lorenz Haase, chief prosecutor for the state of Saxony, said.
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Magnify

Former SJW: Regressive Leftism represents a "normalization of political violence"

Keri Smith
Medium.com
Tue, 18 Jul 2017 15:28 UTC
Berkley protest violent
There's a recent article over at Role Reboot titled, I'm Done Pretending Men Are Safe (Even My Sons). I hesitated writing about it, because I don't want to single out the author. It's not about her as a person, or any one person for that matter. There are countless people who believe in the underlying ideology guiding her piece, an ideology I myself used to preach. It's not even about the subject of her piece in particular, "rape culture," and I don't intend to write about that subject here. It could have been about any number of subjects; what I find striking about it is that it illustrates a few clear examples of what I consider to be the insidious nature of SJW ideology.

Though it claims to be about ending oppression and promoting equality, if taken to its logical conclusion, I believe the ultimate ends of SJWism (or Regressive Leftism) are a normalization of political violence. This may seem absurd with no context, especially if you're a well-meaning SJW who is in the movement for what you consider to be good intentions. I do believe such people exist, and may even make up a majority of the movement. I got wrapped up in this ideology because I believe inequality still exists, and I thought I was fighting the good fight on behalf of marginalized groups. I no longer believe the latter to be the case, for reasons so complex and yet to be untangled in my mind that they are probably best left for a separate essay.
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Attention

Propaganda fail: More Ukrainians see NATO as a threat rather than protection


Russia Insider
Tue, 18 Jul 2017 17:53 UTC
Ukraine and US army
Additionally more Ukrainians again see Russia in a positive, rather than negative, light.

According to new Gallup poll, 29 percent of Ukrainians see NATO as "protection", while 35 percent see it as a threat.

Additionally more Ukrainians again see Russia in a positive, rather than negative, light. 37 percent of Ukrainians have a negative view of Russia, but 44 percent have a positive view.

That is even though many people who were polled refused to answer, particularly in the pro-Russian east, indicating they did not feel it safe to do so, and that the actual percentage of people who sees Russia in a positive light is even higher.
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Handcuffs

Jordanian soldier sentenced to life for murdering 3 U.S. Green Berets


Sputnik
Tue, 18 Jul 2017 16:20 UTC
green berets
© BeretsYoutube/CBS This Morning
On Monday a Jordanian soldier was convicted in military court and sentenced to life in prison for shooting and killing three US Green Berets at an air base in Amman.

First Sgt. Marik al-Tuwayha said he only shot the troops because he thought they may be attacking the base, not out of resentment for Americans. He entered a plea of not guilty.

"I have all the respect for the king, but I was doing my job," al-Tuwayha said as he was led out of the courtroom.

On November 4, 2016, Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe, 30, of Tucson, Arizona; Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen, 27, of Kirksville, Missouri; and Staff Sgt. James F. Moriarty, 27, of Kerrville, Texas were killed while their four-vehicle convoy waited at the base's gate.

The three troops were in Jordan working for the CIA training Syrian rebels.

Comment: Tuwayha's story sounds like a bad cover story. More on the background for this case here:

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Books

Novelist Bret Easton Ellis branded Trump apologist, Putin lackey

Arlene Washington
Hollywood Reporter
Sun, 16 Jul 2017 16:12 UTC
Bret Easton Ellis
After attending a Hollywood dinner, the 'American Psycho' writer tweeted he "wasn't having political discussions anymore" because they cause "too much insanity."

Writer Bret Easton Ellis says he was called a "Trump apologist" and accused of colluding with Russia while leaving the Sunset Tower Hotel in Los Angeles. Ellis — who has been open about his thoughts on Hollywood liberals who continue to denounce Trump and not accept his presidency — also questioned whether the left is "nuts" on Twitter.

The American Psycho writer says political discussions are "ruining" his dinner. He posted on Twitter that he was yelled at and called a "Trump apologist" recently.

"Defending the American voter I'm yelled at in Sunset Tower for being a Trump apologist and colluding with Russia. Is the Left f***ing NUTS?" Ellis tweeted Saturday night.

Prior to tweeting about his encounter, he shared that he was at "another dinner with the Hollywood liberal establishment defending HRC, fake news, intersectionality, identity politics, PC virtue signaling."
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Eye 2

'Like hell': Catholic school teachers abused over 500 students past 50yrs in Germany, investigator reports


RT
Tue, 18 Jul 2017 15:58 UTC
Regensburg, home to the famous German cathedral choir
© Wikipedia
Hundreds of school pupils in the Bavarian town of Regensburg, home to the famous German cathedral choir, suffered from physical and sexual abuse for decades, an investigator says, adding that no abusers will be prosecuted due to a lapse in the claims.

Some 500 instances of alleged physical abuse and 67 instances of alleged sexual abuse that took place over almost five decades were uncovered during an investigation against the famous Regensburger Domspatzen (Regensburg Cathedral Sparrows) choir, the special investigator, attorney Ulrich Weber, told journalists during a press conference, where he presented his 450-page report on the issue.

The abuse practices continued in the school for almost 50 years from 1945, with the most recent cases dating back to 1992, Weber said.

He went on to say that some victims were subjected both to physical and sexual abuse and put the total number of victims at 549. At the same time, he said that the real number of those who suffered from various forms of abuse at the Catholic school could be even higher, and cited unofficial data that suggest the number of victims could amount to at least 700 people, as reported by the German Die Zeit daily.
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