Society's Child

UK homeless rate rises by 25% in the recent three years

PressTV
Wed, 01 Aug 2012 20:06 UTC

© Unknown
A new research shows the number of homeless households in England has surged by a quarter in the recent three years.

The number of the homeless families and individuals in England has surged by 25 percent in the recent three years, a new research shows.

The number of homeless families and individuals in England has surged by a quarter in the recent three years, a new research warns.

According to data experts SSentif, the number of people classed as homeless and in need of emergency accommodation was 50,290 in 2011-12, showing an increase of over 25 percent when compared to 40,020 in 2009-10.

The research also found that regionally, the East of England faced the highest increase, with the number of cases increasing from 3,660 in 2009-10 to 5,270 in 2011-12, up by 44 percent.

Moreover, the figures revealed that the British government's spending on tackling the problem of homelessness has dropped from £213.7m in 2009-10 to £199.8m in 2010-11.

However, a spokesman for the UK Department for Communities and Local Government claimed that these figures were "a narrow and misleading snapshot," adding that the homelessness "is actually lower than for 28 of the last 30 years - and is half the average rate seen under the previous government".

Powercut Cripples Grand Cayman

Søren Dreier
Zen-Haven
Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00 UTC

A power outage in Grand Cayman, which started at 6:30 this morning and lasted until late afternoon, crippled the entire island Wednesday.

Businesses across Grand Cayman were forced to draw operations to a halt due to the loss of electricity, with many telling their employees to stay home.

Hospitals used backup generators to continue offering services, while police had to be dispatched to direct motorists on the street due to the blackout.

Caribbean Utilities Company, the only electricity provider on the island, said the outage was caused by a fault in one of its substations which affected the entire system.

Assange's Mother Worried About His Health in Embassy 'Conditions Similar to Detention'

Diego Torres
Associated Press
Tue, 31 Jul 2012 00:00 UTC

© AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa
Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino, right, talks with mother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Christine Assange, during their meeting in Quito, Ecuador, Monday, July 30, 2012. Christine Assange is in Quito to appeal to Ecuador's government to grant her son asylum. The 40-year-old Australian has been holed up inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since applying for political asylum on June 19.

Quito, Ecuador - The mother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Monday after meeting with Ecuador's foreign minister that she's worried about her son's health after nearly seven weeks' confinement at the South American nation's London embassy.

''He is under a lot of stress and it's been long-term stress now for nearly two years and in conditions which are similar to detention,'' Christine Assange told The Associated Press.

Her son took refuge in the embassy on June 19, requesting political asylum after exhausting all legal appeals to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning about sexual misconduct allegations.

Julian Assange, who angered U.S. officials by publishing secret U.S. diplomatic cables and military documents, calls the accusations trumped up and says he fears Sweden will extradite him to the United States for trial.

Ecuadorean officials have said they will not announce a decision on the asylum request until after the London Olympic Games end in mid-August.

San Antonio Airport reopened after bomb threat

NBC News
Wed, 01 Aug 2012 15:00 UTC

San Antonio Airport -- shut down on Wednesday afternoon due to a bomb threat -- has been reopened. About 2,000 passengers are returning to terminals, an airport spokesperson said.

Both terminals were evacuated earlier in the day after a caller reported a bomb threat inside the parking garage, officials said.

The garage in question remains closed and a bomb squad is evaluating two suspicious cars, the airport spokesperson added. No car traffic is allowed to enter the airport.

A caller reported the threat at 3:19 p.m. ET and mentioned three devices, according to the airport.

On its Twitter feed, San Antonio Airport posted: "We are evacuating the terminals at this time."

Aussie Tycoon Wants to Clone Dinosaurs for His Real Life, Resort-Based Jurassic Park

Kathy Sundstrom
Sunshine Coast Daily, Australia
Wed, 01 Aug 2012 16:34 UTC

The suggestion would be considered unbelievable - if it involved anyone other than Clive Palmer.

The controversial billionaire is rumoured to be planning to clone a dinosaur from DNA so he can set it free in a Jurassic Park-style area at his new Palmer Resort in Coolum.

Mr Palmer has, apparently, been in deep discussion with the people who successfully cloned Dolly the sheep to bring his dinosaur vision to life.

If Mr Palmer can resurrect the Titanic, what is to stop him from trying with another of his other alleged passions - dinosaurs?

This is just one of the rumours circulating about Mr Palmer's plans for Coolum.

And while the concept sounds like a joke, it apparently comes from a source close to Mr Palmer's inner circle.

Xbox Chat Leads To 22 Stab Wounds

Sacramento.cbslocal.com
Tue, 31 Jul 2012 13:46 UTC

An online fight led to an in-person attack for a young man in Oakley, and he ended up with nearly two dozen stab wounds.

This stabbing all started with a conversation on an Xbox Live headset that allegedly set a 17-year-old off, not with a joystick, but with a real knife and gun.

Kevin Kemp, 20, didn't mind showing the scars from his battle Monday. There are 22 stab wounds now stitched back up.

That was the end result of what started as an exchange with a family friend online.

Teen Girls: When Anger is Masked by Depression and Powerlessness?

Soraya Chemaly
Huffingtonpost.com
Tue, 31 Jul 2012 12:46 UTC

Growing up, lots of girls get the message that the phrase "angry woman" is an oxymoron. A little like boys might get the message that "sad man" is. Girls are taught that overtly expressing anger threatens their relationships. Depression, on the other hand, does not.

New data from a national survey conducted between 2008 and 2010 reveals that between the ages of 12-15, the number of girls experiencing depression triples. This happens at a rate of three times that of boys. Girls attempt suicide in greater numbers but boys, who tend to use guns more, succeed more often. As last week's Huffington Post article about the study explained, before puberty, boys and girls typically experience depression at the same frequency. "Social pressures" appear to be greater for girls and, of course, we've all been schooled on the impact of "hormones and emotions." Doctors believe it is vital that we teach teenage girls coping skills and social support systems so that they can better avoid depression. But girls aren't just depressed when they are teens. Remember that 2009 study "Why are Women Increasingly Unhappy?" They grow up to be more depressed in their 20's, 30's, 40's and beyond.

Signed Consent Form Required For Teen Body Piercings In New York

Connie K. Ho
RedOrbit
Wed, 01 Aug 2012 12:54 UTC

Teenagers in New York looking to express themselves with body piercings should look for a different method. A new law surrounding body piercing was recently passed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The New York Daily News recently reported that teens under 18 in New York will need permission from their parents' to pierce body parts other than their ears.

In regards to piercings, Cuomo signed a bill that required young adults under 18 to receive written permission from a parent or guardian. Body piercing studios also have to conduct identification checks of teenagers. In particular, those who are under 18 must provide a consent form signed by a parent or guardian and the form must be signed in front of the owner or the body piercing specialist. The bill aims to provide better protection from infections and blood-borne diseases for teens. It was passed by the both the New York Senate and Assembly.

"Body piercing can result in severe health risks and it is our obligation as New Yorkers and parents to make sure that our teens are taking every precaution to remain healthy and safe," commented Cuomo in a prepared statement. "I thank Senator Robach and Assembly Member Simanowitz for their hard work on this legislation."

Before the bill was signed, New York law did not provide a minimum age requirement for body piercings. According to the Governor's Press Office, around 20 percent of all body piercings lead to infection and there are is also the possibility of contracting hepatitis. The law will become in effect in 90 days.

Writer Gore Vidal, 86, has died

Elaine Woo
Los Angeles Times
Tue, 31 Jul 2012 21:02 UTC

Gore Vidal, the iconoclastic writer, savvy analyst and imperious gadfly on the national conscience, has died. He was 86.

Vidal died Tuesday at his home in the Hollywood Hills of complications of pneumonia, said nephew Burr Steers.

Vidal was a literary juggernaut who wrote 25 novels, including historical works such as Lincoln and Burr and satires such as Myra Breckinridge and Duluth. He was also a prolific essayist whose pieces on politics, sexuality, religion and literature -- once described as "elegantly sustained demolition derbies" -- both delighted and inflamed and in 1993 earned him a National Book Award for his massive United States Essays, 1952-1992.

US Drone Pilot: 'I Feel No Emotional Attachment'

Common Dreams
Tue, 31 Jul 2012 22:33 UTC

© Heather Ainsworth for The New York Times
A drone pilot at the base at Hancock Field, near Syracuse, working the controls of a craft flying over Afghanistan.

Intimate look at Afghan family life from above does impact execution of 'duty,' say US drone pilots

In a profile piece in the New York Times on Monday, interviews with military operators of US drones operating in the skies over Afghanistan and Pakistan reveal a class of pilots who remotely control the targeted killings of human beings thousands of miles away.

"I see mothers with children, I see fathers with children, I see fathers with mothers, I see kids playing soccer," says Colonel Brenton, one of the pilots profiled who works out of a dark control room in the suburbs of Syracuse, New York.

But, when it comes to engaging the target and after stipulating this means that the children and mothers away from the fire zone -- for example, "out at the market" -- he says: "I feel no emotional attachment to the enemy. I have a duty, and I execute the duty."