XIAM007 - Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World: 11/25/11

Friday, 25 November 2011

The Return Of Debtors Prisons: Collection Agencies Now Want Deadbeats Arrested

The Return Of Debtors Prisons: Collection Agencies Now Want Deadbeats Arrested -

As if life wasn't already tense enough for Americans who can't pay their debts, collection agencies are now taking advantage of archaic state laws to have some debtors arrested and sent to jail.

More than one-third of US states allow debtors to be arrested and jailed, says Jessica Silver-Greenberg in the Wall Street Journal.

Judges typically grant arrest warrants when the debtors have failed to show up for court dates or failed to make court-ordered payments.

Of course, the reason debtors have failed to make court-ordered payments is often the same reason they didn't pay their debts in the first place: They don't have any money.

In September, a 53 year-old woman named Vivian Joy was stopped for a broken tail-light in Champaign, Illinois. And then, because the cops discovered that she still hadn't paid $2,200 to a collection agency, she was cuffed and carted off to jail.

Joy's excuse?

She doesn't have any money.

Jailing debtors for not paying their debts is apparently especially popular in Illinois.

(This practice, needless to say, is preposterous. If people can't pay their debts and have no prospect of being able to pay their debts, they should declare bankruptcy. And the debts should be written off. Companies don't go to jail when they default. Neither should people.)

'RoboCop' guards to patrol South Korean prisons - with sensors to detect abnormal behaviour -

Robot guards with sensors to detect abnormal behaviour will soon begin patrolling South Korean prisons to ease the burden on their human counterparts, researchers said on Thursday.

A group of scientists has developed the robot warders under a one billion won (£546,000) project organised by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.

The robots – 1.5 metres (five feet) high and running on four wheels – will mostly be used at night.

They can connect prisoners with officers through a remote conversation function, according to a statement from the Asian Forum for Corrections (AFC), a South Korea-based group of researchers in criminality and prison policies.

It pioneered the project with the justice ministry's co-operation.

The robots' sensors will enable them to detect abnormalities such as suicidal behaviour and violence and report it to officers in charge, the statement said.

Read more -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8911980/RoboCop-guards-to-patrol-South-Korean-prisons.html

UK cyber security law to ban 'criminals, bullies' from Web... -

It calls for police and courts to make more use of existing “cyber sanctions” to restrict access to the social networks and instant messaging services in cases of hacking, fraud and online bullying. Sex offenders and those convicted of harrassment or anti-social behaviour also face more internet restrictions under the new strategy.
Similar orders have been imposed on those charged with involvement in a series of cyber attacks by the Anonymous and LulzSec groups earlier this year, while they await trial.
Cyber sanctions were also used following the riots this summer. Two teenagers in Dundee were banned from the web for inciting riots via Facebook.
Officials are now looking into whether "cyber tag" technology could be used to monitor offenders and report to authorities if break their bail or sentence conditions by using the internet.
"The Ministry of Justice and the Home Office will consider and scope the development of a new way of enforcing these orders, using ‘cyber-tags’ which are triggered by the offender breaching the conditions that have been put on their internet use, and which will automatically inform the police or probation service," cyber security strategy said.

Read more -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8915245/Criminals-and-cyber-bullies-to-be-banned-from-the-web.html

Twilight “Breaking Dawn: Part One” Birthing Scene Sparks Seizure Reports Nationwide... -

A local man says the latest movie in the popular ‘Twilight’ franchise triggered a seizure, and similar incidents have been reported in theaters around the country.

Brandon Gephart and Kelly Bauman said they were watching “Breaking Dawn: Part One” at a theater Friday night when Brandon sudden began convulsing during a graphic birthing scene.

Brandon said he doesn’t remember anything until he woke up on the theater floor, but Kelly said he was, “convulsing, snorting, trying to breathe.”

“He scared me big time,” she added. Paramedics transported the man to the emergency room and the theater had to cancel the rest of the movie for that showing.

Several reports on internet movie sites show reports of other people suffering similar symptoms during the same scene, which contains flashes of red, black and white. Dr. Michael G. Chez, the medical director of pediatric neurology and epilepsy for Sutter Sacramento, said the reports indicate the scene may be triggering an episode of photosensitive epilepsy.

While rare, the condition can be triggered by flashing red lights in people who are genetically predisposed.

“It’s like a light switch going off, because it hits your brain all at once,” Dr. Chez said.

Similar reports resulted after a 1990s episode of the television show Pokémon, which triggered seizures in children. Manufacturers have revamped modern television and video games so screens don’t project the dangerous light frequency, Dr. Chez said.

“The trouble with theaters, it’s dark, the lights flashing in there is more like a strobe light,” he added.

A single seizure should not cause long-term damage to most patients, Dr. Chez said. Wearing sunglasses with cheap blue lenses can filter the red light for moviegoers who want to be on the safe side.

Read more -
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2011/11/23/intense-twilight-scene-triggers-seizure-reports/