TAPPED OUT

REUTERS/Rebecca Cook

Water bills are skyrocketing, and people of color are being hit hard.

A new Chicago Tribune investigation found that residents in black and Latino communities are charged water rates up to 20-percent higher than those in predominantly white neighborhoods.

The Tribune examined 162 Chicagoland communities with publicly managed systems using water from Lake Michigan. While only 13 percent of the cohorts surveyed are majority-black, those groups included five of the 10 areas with the highest water rates.

Water bills are soaring across the country. A recent USA Today report of 100 municipalities found that over the past 12 years, the monthly cost of water doubled in nearly a third of cities. In Atlanta, San Francisco, and Wilmington, Delaware, the price of water tripled or more.

Low-income residents and communities of color are bearing the brunt of surging water rates, which have buried families in debt, causing some to lose their homes. In Flint, Michigan, more than 8,000 residents faced foreclosure because of unpaid water and sewage bills.

This year, Philadelphia launched an income-based, tiered assistance program to aid low-income residents. City Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez spearheaded the bill because residents in her district — which includes some of Philly’s largest Puerto Rican communities — bore 20 percent of the city’s unpaid water debt despite only being a tenth of its population.

Justine Calma19 hours ago
(GRIST)

48 Christians Massacred in Nigeria; Terrorists Break Through Doors, Burn Houses, Destroy Churches

By Stoyan Zaimov , Christian Post Reporter | Oct 27, 2017 9:44 AM

(PHOTO: REUTERS/AFOLABI SOTUNDE)

Members attend a memorial church service for victims of a suicide bomb attack at St. Theresa's Church in Madalla, on the outskirts of Nigeria's capital Abuja, December 23, 2012.

Forty-eight Christians were massacred in nine days of violent attacks in Nigeria, with some of the survivors describing the terror they felt at the hands of Islamic Fulani herdsmen who broke through their doors and destroyed houses and churches.

"Every one of us ran to save his life," church elder Dauda Samuel Kadiya of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Zanwrua, told Morning Star News. "I was shot at, but the bullet only bruised my hand. You can see the wound yourself."

The herdsmen slaughtered a total of 48 Christians in several attacks carried out in Plateau state between Oct. 8 and Oct. 17, survivors said, with believers fleeing villages and abandoning worship buildings.

"Some of the church buildings were destroyed by the attackers," Kadiya added.

Agado Aura, 62, said he and his wife barely escaped after the herdsmen came one night from the eastern part of their Zanwrua village.

"They broke the doors to our rooms and then set fire on my house," said Aura, a Roman Catholic.

"Having set fire on my house, they went to the next house and did the same. They continued burning houses until they were done, before they left. I was watching all they were doing from my hidden spot behind those rocks you see over there."

International Christian Concern, which reports on the persecution of believers around the world, pointed out that although such raids are not new for the area, the "ferocity and number of attacks in this short period have caused major problems for the beleaguered citizens."

"Also, the fact that there is a military force stationed in the area, that has been completely ineffective, raises even more cause for concern," ICC stated.

Moses Tsohu, a Zanwrua village leader and ECWA member, also asked how is it that the Fulani are carrying out their attacks despite the presence of army soldiers at check points in the area.

"These attacks are being carried out daily. Every blessed day we witness the invasion, killing of our people, and the destruction of their houses," Tsohu said.

Sunday Abdu, president of the Community Development Association of the predominantly Christian Irigwe ethnic group, noted at a press conference:

"It is painful to note that all these happened despite useful, timely information provided to security personnel, regarding movement and mode of operation of the assailants."

The Fulani raids in Plateau State have sparked outrage from Christian leaders, who have accused the army of failing to defend villagers on a number of occasions.

"The soldiers had told the women and children to go and hide in the primary (elementary) school class at night while the men in the village constituted a vigilante group and join[ed] the soldiers in patrolling the area. Sadly, the militia descended and the soldiers fled, leaving the defenseless villagers to be massacred by the terrorists," the Rev. Andrew Okebe, the Zonal Coordinator of Christian Association of Nigeria, Miango District, said after one of the major attacks earlier this month.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari himself has lamented the growing number of casualties.

"President Buhari believes that this madness has gone too far. He has instructed the military and the police to not only bring the violence to an instant end, but to draw up a plan to ensure that there are no further attacks and reprisal attacks by one group against the other," said Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, in a statement earlier this month.

Reuters reported that Christians and other Nigerian civilians continue being terrorized not only by the Fulani but also by the Boko Haram terror group, whose eight-year insurgency has made it very difficult for hundreds of thousands of uprooted people to return home.

Follow Stoyan Zaimov on Facebook: CPSZaimov

(christianpost.com)

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 10/27/2017 10:54:55 AM
	Las Vegas Killer Stephen Paddock’s Brother Arrested for Child Porn in Hollywood October 25, 2017 at 10:04 am Written by S.M. Gibson (ANTIMEDIA) Bruce Paddock, the younger brother of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock, was reportedly arrested Wednesday morning for possession of child pornography, according to entertainment news website TMZ. Paddock was apprehended by a joint task force that included the FBI and LAPD at an assisted living home in North Hollywood, California. Sources speaking to TMZ said the investigation into the younger Paddock began before his brother committed the heinous murders at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on October 1. The attack left 58 people dead and over 500 others injured. It was only after his sibling’s crime that law enforcement received a tip that led them to the assisted living facility where Paddock was residing. Upon searching the computer, police said they found child porn images. Bruce Paddock has reportedly been arrested multiple times over the years for criminal threats, arson, vandalism, petty theft, burglary, marijuana, driving on a suspended license, and contempt. It is currently unknown how many of these arrests resulted in convictions. Creative Commons / Anti-Media
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 10/27/2017 11:02:43 AM
	He was Ireland’s top sportswriter. Then his daughter saw the texts on his old cellphone. By Kyle Swenson October 26 at 5:23 AM Former Irish Times sports journalist Tom Humphries arrives at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Oct. 3. (Brian Lawless/AP) Tom Humphries was once a towering don of the Irish sports pages, firing off his workingman takes on the pitch and field in the Irish Times. A rabid proponent of the Gaelic sporting tradition and an attack-dog critic of the “Fat Cats” on the business end, Humphries achieved awards and acclaim over a 15-year career that extended into books and internationally with stories in Sports Illustrated, the Guardian and the Times of London. “A good journalist & a good man,” one Internet poster wrote in a 2008 thread on his career. “A self indulgent, self serving hypocrite who has a rare gift for writing,” another commented. The long arc of that career crash landed for good this week, when a Dublin Circuit Criminal Court handed Humphries a 2½ year prison term for his part in grooming and abusing an underage girl. The sentence closes a legal case that began in March 2011. And although the ex-writer is in custody, his name is still in print: Both rape survivor groups and hisown former employer have blasted the courts for what they see as the leniency of the sentence. Humphries owes the end of his career to an old cellphone. In March 2011, Humphries was separated from his wife and two daughters, living alone and depressed, the Independent reported. Yet when his daughter went looking for old cellphones to donate to charity, the sportswriter offered up an old mobile. When his daughter powered the cell on, however, she discovered sexual text messages to another caller listed under a pseudonym. Humphries’s wife and his brother-in-law confronted the sportswriter. He attempted suicide, was placed in a hospital and attempted suicide again. The family turned the phone and others over to police. Investigators tracked the number Humphries had on his phone to a teenage girl. The police later determined Humphries had first met the girl in 2008 when he volunteered at a junior camogie club — where they play an Irish stick and ball game similar to field hockey and lacrosse. The writer obtained her number and began texting encouragement. But the texts turned sexual, and in total, he sent more than 16,000 messages to the girl, including pictures of his genitals, according to evidence given at court hearings. According to the Independent, the abuse turned physical in December 2010, when Humphries met the girl — then 16 — outside her school. He brought her back to his apartment, where they had oral sex, prosecutors said. He was 47 at the time. Humphries was formally charged in March 2014. Last March, he entered a guilty plea to six counts, including defilement and inviting a child to participate in a sexually explicit, obscene or indecent act,the Irish Times reported. Three additional charges related to a second victim — another underage athlete — were dismissed by prosecutors. Ironically, in 1998 Humphries penned a column on the “cunning of paedophiles,” and how sports “is a fine feeding ground for those few sick minds who prey on kids.” The writer could have been talking about himself. At his sentencing hearing this week, the exploited girl read a victim impact statement. “I had to deal with sexual encounters at such a young age with a man three times my age, which made me physically, emotionally and mentally ill,” the Independent reported. She also thanked the Humphries family for turning the sportswriter in. “Without them reporting this I do not know where I would be today. I will be forever grateful to them for saving me from this situation.” (The Washington Post)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 10/27/2017 5:03:25 PM
	BRIEFLY Stuff that matters TAPPED OUT REUTERS/Rebecca Cook Water bills are skyrocketing, and people of color are being hit hard. A new Chicago Tribune investigation found that residents in black and Latino communities are charged water rates up to 20-percent higher than those in predominantly white neighborhoods. The Tribune examined 162 Chicagoland communities with publicly managed systems using water from Lake Michigan. While only 13 percent of the cohorts surveyed are majority-black, those groups included five of the 10 areas with the highest water rates. Water bills are soaring across the country. A recent USA Today report of 100 municipalities found that over the past 12 years, the monthly cost of water doubled in nearly a third of cities. In Atlanta, San Francisco, and Wilmington, Delaware, the price of water tripled or more. Low-income residents and communities of color are bearing the brunt of surging water rates, which have buried families in debt, causing some to lose their homes. In Flint, Michigan, more than 8,000 residents faced foreclosure because of unpaid water and sewage bills. This year, Philadelphia launched an income-based, tiered assistance program to aid low-income residents. City Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez spearheaded the bill because residents in her district — which includes some of Philly’s largest Puerto Rican communities — bore 20 percent of the city’s unpaid water debt despite only being a tenth of its population. Justine Calma19 hours ago (GRIST)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 10/27/2017 5:32:50 PM
	48 Christians Massacred in Nigeria; Terrorists Break Through Doors, Burn Houses, Destroy Churches By Stoyan Zaimov , Christian Post Reporter \| Oct 27, 2017 9:44 AM (PHOTO: REUTERS/AFOLABI SOTUNDE) Members attend a memorial church service for victims of a suicide bomb attack at St. Theresa's Church in Madalla, on the outskirts of Nigeria's capital Abuja, December 23, 2012. Forty-eight Christians were massacred in nine days of violent attacks in Nigeria, with some of the survivors describing the terror they felt at the hands of Islamic Fulani herdsmen who broke through their doors and destroyed houses and churches. "Every one of us ran to save his life," church elder Dauda Samuel Kadiya of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Zanwrua, told Morning Star News. "I was shot at, but the bullet only bruised my hand. You can see the wound yourself." The herdsmen slaughtered a total of 48 Christians in several attacks carried out in Plateau state between Oct. 8 and Oct. 17, survivors said, with believers fleeing villages and abandoning worship buildings. "Some of the church buildings were destroyed by the attackers," Kadiya added. Agado Aura, 62, said he and his wife barely escaped after the herdsmen came one night from the eastern part of their Zanwrua village. "They broke the doors to our rooms and then set fire on my house," said Aura, a Roman Catholic. "Having set fire on my house, they went to the next house and did the same. They continued burning houses until they were done, before they left. I was watching all they were doing from my hidden spot behind those rocks you see over there." International Christian Concern, which reports on the persecution of believers around the world, pointed out that although such raids are not new for the area, the "ferocity and number of attacks in this short period have caused major problems for the beleaguered citizens." "Also, the fact that there is a military force stationed in the area, that has been completely ineffective, raises even more cause for concern," ICC stated. Moses Tsohu, a Zanwrua village leader and ECWA member, also asked how is it that the Fulani are carrying out their attacks despite the presence of army soldiers at check points in the area. "These attacks are being carried out daily. Every blessed day we witness the invasion, killing of our people, and the destruction of their houses," Tsohu said. Sunday Abdu, president of the Community Development Association of the predominantly Christian Irigwe ethnic group, noted at a press conference: "It is painful to note that all these happened despite useful, timely information provided to security personnel, regarding movement and mode of operation of the assailants." The Fulani raids in Plateau State have sparked outrage from Christian leaders, who have accused the army of failing to defend villagers on a number of occasions. "The soldiers had told the women and children to go and hide in the primary (elementary) school class at night while the men in the village constituted a vigilante group and join[ed] the soldiers in patrolling the area. Sadly, the militia descended and the soldiers fled, leaving the defenseless villagers to be massacred by the terrorists," the Rev. Andrew Okebe, the Zonal Coordinator of Christian Association of Nigeria, Miango District, said after one of the major attacks earlier this month. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari himself has lamented the growing number of casualties. "President Buhari believes that this madness has gone too far. He has instructed the military and the police to not only bring the violence to an instant end, but to draw up a plan to ensure that there are no further attacks and reprisal attacks by one group against the other," said Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, in a statement earlier this month. Reuters reported that Christians and other Nigerian civilians continue being terrorized not only by the Fulani but also by the Boko Haram terror group, whose eight-year insurgency has made it very difficult for hundreds of thousands of uprooted people to return home. Follow Stoyan Zaimov on Facebook: CPSZaimov (christianpost.com)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 10/27/2017 5:48:45 PM
	Catalan parliament declares independence from Spain Daniel Bosque with Mariette le Roux in Madrid AFPOctober 27, 2017 Celebrations erupted in Barcelona after Catalonia's parliament voted to declare independence from Spain (AFP Photo/PAU BARRENA) Barcelona (AFP) - Catalan lawmakers voted Friday to declare independence from Spain but Madrid immediately moved to quash the breakaway bid in a sharp escalation of a crisis that has caused jitters in secession-wary Europe. As tens of thousands of pro-independence activists gathered outside, the regional parliament in Barcelona passed a resolution to "declare Catalonia an independent state in the form of a republic". Demonstrators broke out in ecstatic cheers and shouts of: "Independence!" as the vote count was announced, while MPs inside cheered, clapped and embraced before breaking out in the Catalan anthem. Urging Spaniards to "remain calm" as the country headed into the unknown, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy insisted that "the rule of law will restore legality in Catalonia". Rajoy has called a crisis meeting of his cabinet for Friday evening, as the European Union and the United States voiced their support for a united Spain. The Catalan resolution, which Madrid says the region cannot legally execute, was passed by 70 votes to 10. There were two abstentions, but dozens of opposition MPS walked out before the secret ballot in the 135-seat assembly, where 68 votes constitute a majority. One lamented "a dark day" for democracy, and shares in Spanish companies, particularly Catalan banks, dropped sharply after the vote. - Building 'a new country' - In Madrid, the Spanish Senate agreed to give Rajoy powers to impose direct rule on the semi-autonomous region. The measures under Article 155 of the constitution, designed to rein in rebels among Spain´s 17 regions, could see Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, his deputy and regional ministers out of a job by Saturday. Madrid could also seize control of Catalonia's civil service, police and finances -- measures that would remain in place until a new parliament is elected. Popping bottles of cava, Catalan sparkling wine, pro-secessionists waved the red-and-yellow Catalan flag and cheered as the vote count came up on two big screens erected outside the regional parliament building, then sang the region´s anthem with raised fists. "It has cost us so much to get here," 38-year-old social worker Judith Rodriguez told AFP with tears in her eyes. "I am very emotional about finally moving forward, to be able to build a Republic, a new country, from scratch." In a bar in Madrid, however, diners were not happy, with several shouting "to jail with them all!" at the TV screen. "They are crazy!" exclaimed Alicia Lombardia, a 79-year-old retiree. "This is like a bomb attack. There could be a war -- people are afraid." EU President Donald Tusk insisted Madrid "remains our only interlocutor" in Spain after the independence vote that could test the stability of a key member of the bloc. Wary of nationalist and secessionist sentiment, particularly after Britain's dramatic decision last year to leave the EU, the bloc has stood firmly behind Madrid in the escalating standoff. Tusk urged Madrid to exercise restraint. "I hope the Spanish government favours force of argument, not argument of force," he tweeted. The United States, which is one of Spain's NATO allies, declared its backing for Madrid. "Catalonia is an integral part of Spain, and the United States supports the Spanish government's constitutional measures to keep Spain strong and united," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. - To the wire - Roughly the size of Belgium, the wealthy Catalan region accounts for about 16 percent of Spain's population and a fifth of its economic output. Resentment to Madrid's perceived interference has been growing for years, culminating in an October 1 independence vote deemed illegal by the central government and the courts. But while fiercely protective of their language, culture and autonomy -- restored at the end of the 1939-1975 dictatorship of Francisco Franco -- Catalans are deeply divided on independence. Catalan authorities said 90 percent voted "Yes" in the unregulated plebiscite held up by secessionist leaders as a mandate for independence for the wealthy region of 7.5 million people. However, only about 43 percent of voters turned out, with many anti-secessionists staying away and others prevented from casting their ballot by Spanish police in a crackdown that turned violent Rajoy sought Friday to place the blame for Spain's worst political crisis in decades squarely on separatist shoulders. The government´s steps under Article 155 were not aimed against the people of the region, he insisted, but "to prevent abuse of Catalonia" by its own leaders. Far-left groups have already threatened "massive civil disobedience" if Madrid moves to usurp its autonomy. (Yahoo)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

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