Flint Mayor says “tremendous progress” made since the water crisis began 5 years ago…

Date: April 29, 2019

01) Flint Mayor says “tremendous progress” made since the water crisis began 5 years ago

02) Direct Download [MP3]

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“It’s been five years since the city of Flint switched its drinking water source from Detroit’s system to the Flint River. That decision that would kick off a years-long public health crisis and impact the health of the city’s nearly 100,000 residents.

Flint Mayor Karen Weaver, who was elected to that position in November 2015, joined Stateside to talk about the “tremendous progress” Flint has made since that fateful switch.”

Family of boy, 5, who was thrown from third-story balcony at Mall of America reveals he is ‘alert and conscious’…

Date: April 29, 2019

01) Little Landen wakes up: Family of boy, 5, who was thrown from third-story balcony at Mall of America reveals he is ‘alert and conscious’ as fundraiser hits $1MILLION

“Landen Hoffmann, who was attacked two weeks ago, is now ‘alert and conscious’

The five-year-old was thrown off a third-story balcony at the Mall of America

A fundraising page has now hit $1 million to cover little Landen’s medical costs

Emmanuel Aranda, 24, was arrested and charged with attempted premeditated first-degree murder for the attack

The family of a five-year-old boy who was thrown off a third-story balcony at the Mall of America two weeks ago has confirmed he is ‘alert and conscious’.

Landen Hoffmann’s family said in a statement he had woken up and is no longer in critical condition.”

I’m glad the boy is stable and getting better…but, good grief…

…for all this talk about “thanking god”, and thanking people for their prayers…and being thankful for the financial donations…

…weren’t the doctors, nurses and emergency personnel [heck, even the mall security] worthy of a simple “thank you” acknowledgement?…

…I suspect they had a whole heck of a lot more to do with this boys survival, than any of the previously mentioned elements.

“He said the mom didn’t want to turn around and leave because they had made plans to meet another mother and one of Landen’s friends, so instead she prayed.

Minutes later she watched in horror as her son fell 40ft and landed on the stone floor.”

So…right after she prays…this happens to her son…and that’s not just a little…I don’t know…bit of a bad sign, as to the effects of prayer?…

…I mean…maybe “god” was mad at her interruption, and answered by having someone throw her child off a high balcony?…

…Or, maybe nothing was happening at all…and prayer bestows no special protection?

I’m just saying…that line of events would not strengthen my faith in prayer…at all.

The boy was extremely lucky, in the way he sustained his injuries, and in the way that a group of people [with their technology] were prepared to deal with those injuries.

IPFS: A peer-to-peer hypermedia protocol to make the web faster, safer, and more open…

….	Date: April 29, 2019 01) IPFS “HTTP is inefficient and expensive HTTP downloads a file from a single computer at a time, instead of getting pieces from multiple computers simultaneously. With video delivery, a P2P approach could save 60% in bandwidth costs. IPFS makes it possible to distribute high volumes of data with high efficiency. And zero duplication means savings in storage. Humanity’s history is deleted daily The average lifespan of a web page is 100 days. Remember GeoCities? The web doesn’t anymore. It’s not good enough for the primary medium of our era to be so fragile. IPFS keeps every version of your files and makes it simple to set up resilient networks for mirroring of data. The web’s centralization limits opportunity The Internet has been one of the great equalizers in human history and a real accelerator of innovation. But the increasing consolidation of control is a threat to that. IPFS remains true to the original vision of the open and flat web, but delivers the technology which makes that vision a reality. Our apps are addicted to the backbone Developing world. Offline. Natural disasters. Intermittent connections. All trivial compared to interplanetary networking. The networks we’re using are so 20th Century. We can do better. IPFS powers the creation of diversely resilient networks which enable persistent availability with or without Internet backbone connectivity. IPFS aims to replace HTTP and build a better web for all of us.” I’d be lying if I said I was clear, as to what this is all about…but, I stumbled across a few web pages, while searching for an old website online…and they were hosted on this service. Thought I’d share it, to see if anyone has anything to say about this. Apparently, this is peer to peer content hosting?	….
….Sub-Blog Archive | Technology Links

Saudi Arabia beheads 37 people, puts body on display (while still on UN human rights council)…

….	Date: April 28, 2019 01) Saudi Arabia beheads 37 people, puts body on display 02) Saudi Arabia beheads 37 people, mostly from Shia minority, puts body on display “The Saudi Interior Ministry said that the men were subjected to capital punishment for their role in spreading extremist ideologies and establishing terrorist cells. Those executed, the ministry argued, were bent on fueling sectarian tension and plunging the country into chaos. Some were found guilty of killing law enforcement officers, staging attacks against security infrastructure, and assisting an enemy of the state.”	….
…..Other Odyssey Islam Posts –

‘I don’t want my son dead’: Alabama prison inmates extort families from behind bars…

Date: April 28, 2019

01) ‘I don’t want my son dead’: Alabama prison inmates extort families from behind bars

“Linda Donahoo says she occasionally gets phone calls from inmates at Easterling Correctional Facility in Barbour County. That’s where her son Shannon is imprisoned.

The phone calls are simple: Send money, or your son could die.

She says she sent $300 last time. She’s sent larger sums over the years – $400, $500. The money is sent through Green Dot, Pay Pal, Western Union or Walmart cards. She reports the calls, she says, to the Alabama Department of Corrections and to federal authorities.

Donahoo’s story of extortion is similar to those found during an extensive two-and-a-half-year federal investigation of Alabama prisons, released this month by the U.S. Department of Justice. “Alabama’s inability to prevent and address the extortion of prisoners and prisoners’ family members leads to a substantial risk of serious harm,” the report stated.”

Bernie Sanders – ‘Let Prisoners Participate in Democracy’…

Date: April 28, 2019

01) I do believe that even if they are in jail…

Sen. Bernie Sanders: "I do believe that even if they are in jail, they are paying their price to society, but that should not take away their inherent American right to participate in our democracy." https://t.co/hWDi5KAgbT pic.twitter.com/uL3BweucBq

— The Hill (@thehill) April 23, 2019

“Sen. Bernie Sanders: “I do believe that even if they are in jail, they are paying their price to society, but that should not take away their inherent American right to participate in our democracy.”

Child porn bust: Anatomy of an international child pornography investigation [2013]…

….	Date: April 28, 2019 01) Child porn bust: Anatomy of an international child pornography investigation “This case has really challenged people to reconsider what nudism and child modelling are,” said Toronto police Detective-Constable Lisa Belanger, who led the investigation. “It’s caused countries around the world to look at this material and ask whether it’s OK for doctors, teachers, daycare providers and hockey coaches to be buying this kind of material. Countries from South Africa to Australia, Isle of Man to Hong Kong and Spain have all said it’s not OK. I think it’s going to have ripple effects everywhere.” The charges against Way, who is in custody, have not yet been proven in court. His lawyer, Nyron Dwyer, declined repeated requests for comment on behalf of his client. Among Way’s alleged Canadian clients are a Chatham volunteer hockey coach, a teacher in Toronto, a priest and a Boy Scout leader in Quebec, and a retired high-school principal in Nova Scotia. In the U.S., those arrested include police officers, a high-profile pediatrician, school teachers, principals and coaches and a Boy Scout leader. In all, 108 Canadians have been arrested in Project Spade sweeps (50 in Ontario, of whom at least 20 have so far pleaded guilty to various charges). Another 76 Americans face charges. Internationally, another 164 are before the courts. And hundreds more remain under investigation.” This was the AZOV case. I never had any dealings with AZOV…They sold naturist videos…I wasn’t aware of the modeling photos [and videos?]. They effectively [if not literally], arrested and charged hundreds of people, over material which had previously been considered legal. …A lot of people got blindsided by this monstrous act. This is how the state works…They simply strike, whether the laws are there or not. It’s all reinterpretation, long after the fact. You wouldn’t think they’d be this brazen…but they are.	….
…..TAP-Net Website | Sub-Blog Archive

Sexual Human Rights!…

….	Date: April 28, 2019 01) Sexual Human Rights! “The importance of listing sexual human rights is that they offer a framework of protection against abuse as well as unjust or harsh punishment for alleged immoral behavior, and provide general criteria for a positive approach to sexual feelings and practices, educational principles, legal and social reform. DISCLAIMER: All of our content is within YouTube guidelines. We do not have an opinion of this topic. We do not advocate for any changes in the law. You must obey your country’s laws at all times. We do not condone any form of child oppression, exploitation or abuse. We do believe in examining all sides of an issue to best empower and protect young people. We do not tolerate aggressive or threatening or comments of any kind. http://www.sexualskills.co.uk/ visit the website of the Dutch Society for Sexual Reform (NVSH) for more information.”	….
– M.A. Net

Heartbreaking poems reveal pain of children with parents in prison…

Date: April 28, 2019

01) Heartbreaking poems reveal pain of children with parents in prison

“A heartbreaking set of published poems reveal the strain on children of having a parent behind bars.

The collection titled ‘Seen & Heard’, comprises 100 poems and a series of drawings, created by children and parents from across the UK and beyond whose lives have been impacted by imprisonment.

Contributing “poets” include a 13-year-old boy with both parents in jail, a 5-year-old girl who “misses her mum”, and “children” who have since grown up but remain profoundly affected by losing a parent to a cell.

There is minimal data about children affected by parental imprisonment and these vulnerable young people are paid too little attention. Their voices are so often muted, missing or silenced,” the book’s editor Lucy Baldwin told The Standard.

“I realised it was time to hear the raw voices of the children and parents whose lives are being torn apart.”

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An estimated 312,000 children are affected by imprisonment annually, 17,000 of whom are separated from their mothers, often for sentences of less than six months.

Only five per cent of children remain in their own home, with many displaced to be cared for by local authorities.

“When parents are sentenced, so are the children,” said Ms Baldwin.”

You must read this.

A Point of View – Luke’s short film!…

Date: April 28, 2019

01) A Point of View – Luke’s short film!

“Luke, alongside his volunteer mentor Jess decided that he would like to make a film which he titled “A Point of View”. The film is about what is it like to have a parent in prison from Luke’s perspective.”