Instead of Playing Golf, the World's Elderly Are Staging Heists and Robbing Banks

Loneliness and poverty are two factors blamed for increased criminal activity among senior citizens

(Bloomberg.com) - British tabloids were abuzz after a dramatic recent heist in London's Hatton Garden diamond district, as thieves made off with more than £10 million ($15.5 million) in cash and gems from a heavily secured vault. According to one theory, the gang used a contortionist who slithered into the vault. Others held that a thirtysomething criminal genius known as the "King of Diamonds" had masterminded the caper.

But when police arrested nine suspects, the most striking thing about the crew wasn't physical dexterity or villainous brilliance. It was age. The youngest suspect in the case is 42, and most are much older, including two men in their mid-seventies. At a preliminary hearing on May 21, a 74-year-old suspect said he couldn't understand a clerk's questions because he was hard of hearing. A second suspect, 59, walked with a pronounced limp.

Young men still commit a disproportionate share of crimes in most countries. But crime rates among the elderly are rising in Britain and other European and Asian nations, adding a worrisome new dimension to the problem of aging populations.

South Korea reported this month that crimes committed by people 65 and over rose 12.2 percent from 2011 to 2013—including an eye-popping 40 percent increase in violent crime—outstripping a 9.6 percent rise in the country's elderly population during the period. In Japan, crime by people over 65 more than doubled from 2003 to 2013, with elderly people accounting for more shoplifting than teenagers. In the Netherlands, a 2010 study found a sharp rise in arrests and incarceration of elderly people. And in London, police say that arrests of people 65 and over rose 10 percent from March 2009 to March 2014, even as arrests of under-65s fell 24 percent. The number of elderly British prison inmates has been rising at a rate more than three times that of the overall prison population for most of the past decade.

The U.S seems to have escaped the trend: According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the rate of elderly crime among people aged 55 to 65 has decreased since the 1980s. While the population of elderly prison inmates has grown, that mainly reflects longer sentences, especially for drug-related crimes. Full Story

Minimum Wages Are Rising Across the US. Should They Apply to Minors?

(Slate.com) = The minimum wage is having a moment. As the cost of living sails past them, cities and states across the country are ditching the federal base and raising the pay floor to catch up. Last January, 11 states and the District of Columbia raised their minimum wage as the result of legislative action or voter initiatives. Twenty-nine states currently boast minimum wages above the federal rate, and cities like Seattle, San Francisco, and soon Los Angeles—whose city council is poised to raise the minimum wage to $15—have nearly doubled it. While the popularity of higher base pay isn’t surprising in blue states and progressive metropolises, the minimum wage is also inching up in solidly conservative places like, Arkansas, South Dakota, Alaska, and Nebraska. In some of those places—both blue and red—legislators have tried to make sure one group doesn’t benefit: minors.

South Dakota residents voted to raise the state’s minimum wage to $8.50 last year, but this March, Gov. Dennis Daugaard signed into law a bill that sets a separate, lower rate of $7.50 an hour for workers under the age of 18. (Unlike the wage hike, the minimum wage for minors will not annually adjust for the cost of living.) Last April, Minnesota folded a subminimum youth wage into its overall wage increase. The most recent example didn't quite make it to the finish line: A bill in Nebraska designed to establish a lower minimum wage for student workers aged 18 and younger broke a filibuster and advanced through two rounds of debate before finally dying on the floor of the nonpartisan unicameral Legislature. State Sen. Laura Ebke, a self-proclaimed“Republican and conservative libertarian,” introduced LB599 just months after Nebraska voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure to increase the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour by 2016. Nebraska’s “Student Minimum Wage” proposal fell just four votes shy of the supermajority required under the state constitution to amend a law passed by public vote. Noting a “limited window of opportunity,” Ebke says she has no plans to reintroduce a similar bill in future legislative sessions.

Why raise the minimum wage, only to try and lower it for the youngest workers? While critics of the Nebraska bill portrayed it as a conservative attempt to dial back the minimum wage and unjustly discriminate against the voteless, its defenders described it as a plan to save high school jobs, provide “educational” opportunities, and boost the rural economy. Echoing their conservative peers in the South Dakota Legislature, supporters of LB599 warned that Nebraska’s recent wage hike could prevent many small businesses from hiring student workers. Without a bill like LB599, supporters claimed, rural mom-and-pop shops hiring high school students for low wages would be more likely to hire part-time adult workers who don’t require hand-holding and can legally handle tasks like selling alcohol or manning power tools. The lower wage, Ebke wrote on her website, “may help to incentivize employers to give young workers their first chance at a job.” (Of course, attempts to secure exceptions from minimum wage laws aren’t exclusive to pay for minors: After aiding in the campaign for a higher minimum wage in L.A., union leaders there are seeking an exemption for businesses with collective bargaining.)

In Nebraska, the effort to reduce the minimum wage for young workers was backed by the Nebraska Grocery Industry Association, whose members are likely among the biggest employers in the state of high school–aged workers. Despite a highly visible, monthslong campaign to increase the minimum wage—and despite the fact that Nebraska (save for minor exemptions) has always enforced a uniform minimum wage—the group and other supporters of LB599 alleged that the original initiative wasn’t clear about which workers it would help and that most Nebraska voters aren’t opposed to paying students less than their senior counterparts. According to Kathy Siefken, executive director of the Nebraska Grocery Industry Association, “no one voted on that.”

Nearly unheard from in the debate were student workers themselves, despite the bill’s underlying question: How much are student workers really worth? Eighteen-year-old Grace Miller, a high school senior in Arcadia, Nebraska, who’s been working part-time jobs since she turned 16, told me, “I think we deserve as much pay as the adults.” For the last eight months, Miller has been working after-school shifts at Orscheln’s Farm & Home store in Broken Bow, Nebraska. “We’ve got as much going on as they do, maybe even more. Most adults just work an eight-hour day, while I go to school and then go to work for four hours.”

Conservatives have long argued that higher minimum wages deplete employment opportunities, especially for young and entry-level workers. To make up for the higher wages, they say, employers will freeze or slow down their hiring practices. Citing the most extreme possibility put forth by a February 2014 Congressional Budget Office study, Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell claimed raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10, as President Obama has pushed for, would "destroy half a million to 1 million jobs."

So does lowering the minimum wage for minors really create, or at least preserve, an incentive to hire them? And could it mitigate some of the supposedly deleterious effects of a wage hike? The evidence is hardly conclusive, but several previous studies suggest it might. According to a 2003 cross-national analysis from the Federal Reserve, “the evidence … suggests that the employment effects of minimum wages vary considerably across countries. In particular, disemployment effects of minimum wages appear to be smaller in countries that have subminimum wage provisions for youths." A study of state-sponsored minimum wages conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research in 1991 offered similar results. To varying degrees, Australia and much of Europe allow for youth subminimum wage provisions. Federal law in the United States allows employers to pay workers under the age of 20 a training wage as low as $4.25 an hour during their first 90 days of employment.

But the Nebraska debate highlights other questions likely to shape the debate if and when similar bills emerge: Should exemptions be made for minors with dependents, or who are no longer enrolled in school? If it’s illegal to ask someone’s age in a job interview, can an employer even legally utilize a youth minimum wage bill? And what message does such a law send to young workers? “As a grocery store manager, I had lazy and inexperienced employees that were over the age of 19, and I had some that, yes, were under the age of 19,” Nebraska state Sen. Adam Morfeld said during a hearing on LB599. “We shouldn’t be characterizing a certain class of individuals as more lazy or less experienced. We should be judging them on their work ethic. We shouldn’t be making arbitrary distinctions based on age.”

No other states are currently considering a similar proposal, but as the minimum wage continues to rise in states and cities across the country, there’s a good chance conservative opposition—having won once already in South Dakota—will try it on for size again. Full Story

Study: Hawaii most expensive rental market, largest gap between wage and rent

(Khon2.com) - A report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) found that Hawaii has the most expensive rental housing in the Union.

The 2015 Housing Wage report says that Hawaii residents need a $31.61 hourly wage to rent a two bedroom unit.

That is in sharp contrast to the average renter wage of $14.49 per hour. That equates to a $17.12 per hour gap between the average renter wage and the two bedroom housing wage.

The national hourly wage needed to rent a two bedroom unit was $19.35. That is more than 2.5 times the federal minimum wage, and $4 more than the estimated average wage of renters nationwide.

The wages cited above are an estimate of the full time hourly wage that a household needs to earn to afford a 2 bedroom unit that is less than 30% of their total income.

“In Hawaii, the Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a two bedroom apartment is $1,644. In order to afford this level of rent and utilities — without paying more than 30% of income on housing — a household must earn $5,479 monthly or $65,746 annually.”

The goals of NLIHC are to “preserve existing federally assisted homes and housing resources, expand the supply of low income housing, and establish housing stability as the primary purpose of federal low income housing policy.”

In order to highlight this, NLIHC measures the number of hours an individual earning minimum wage would need to work to pay for the two bedroom unit. Hawaii currently has a minimum wage of $7.75 per hour. This would mean a minimum wage earner would have to work 125 hours to afford Fair Market Rent for a two bedroom apartment.

Even Hawaii’s counties, metropolitan, and non-metropolitan, rank high compared to the rest of the U.S.

On the county level, Honolulu ranks fourth behind just the California counties of Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo.

As for metropolitan areas, Honolulu ranks third behind San Francisco and Stamford-Norwalk, CT.

For non-metropolitan areas, Hawaii ranks second behind Massachusetts.

Hawaii Counties (2-Bedroom Housing Wage):

• HONOLULU COUNTY* $34.81
• MAUI COUNTY $24.31
• KAUAI COUNTY $23.50
• HAWAII COUNTY $22.13

*50th percentile FMR area

The NLIHC found that many renters in Hawaii are extremely low income (ELI), and that there is a deficit of rental units both affordable and available to that demographic. ELI is defined as earning
less than 30% of the Area Median Income (AMI). In Hawaii, ELI are earning less that $25,394 annually.

42 percent of households (190,501 units) in the state are renters and about 19% of them are extremely low income. Full Story

Man Going To Trust Society’s Determination That He Deserves His Privilege

(TheOnion) IRVINE, CA—Assuming that the many benefits he enjoys every day would not have been granted to him if he weren’t fully entitled to them, local man Brandon Naylor told reporters Wednesday he is willing to accept society’s determination that he deserves his privilege.

“If our culture has decided I get to live a life of ease and limitless opportunity—and clearly it has—there’s got to be a good reason for that, right?” said the 29-year-old, who reportedly possesses such advantages as financial security, the routine deference of almost everyone he meets, and a general freedom from discomfort or want. “As far back as I can remember, I’ve been helped along by a social order that has smoothed the path in front of me, and I can’t imagine that would continue to happen if it weren’t somehow justified.”

“There’s really no other explanation if you think about it,” he added.

As a result, Naylor stated, he has full faith society has acted fairly in bestowing upon him a relatively privileged upbringing in a safe neighborhood, quickly approved loan applications, the ability to get a job interview just about anywhere with a few phone calls, and, generally speaking, the benefit of the doubt in almost every area of his life. The Orange County native reasoned that the hundreds of millions of people who compose society had made a conscious, collective decision to grant him such perks, and that it was not for him to question their judgment.

Pointing to his strong educational advantages and the fact that he has never once felt threatened by law enforcement, Naylor acknowledged his situation contrasts starkly with that of individuals who lack the resources necessary to ensure they will never have to try particularly hard to obtain the things they want.

“I look around and see a lot of people who don’t have what I have, which leads me to conclude our social institutions have these built-in disparities for a purpose—one that I trust makes perfect sense,” he said, explaining that “someone probably would have done something about it” otherwise. “In fact, I would go so far as to presume that, for some reason or another, these people do not deserve the same personal, professional, and monetary leg up that I’ve had every step of the way. It’s just common sense.”

Though the Claremont McKenna College graduate conceded he cannot remember doing anything that would warrant him receiving the helpful connections with others in high places, the fast track to professional advancement, and the plain old social standing that have allowed him to pursue his happiness unimpeded, he remarked that he is not the only one to have been afforded such benefits. Indeed, he pointed to numerous similarly advantaged individuals around him whose situations, he has deduced, must also be justified.

“Most of my friends and coworkers seem to be pretty well set as far as being successful and fulfilled goes, so society must have decided they deserve it, too,” Naylor said. “And come to think of it, everyone in my family also has a pretty easy life. It’s been that way for generations, actually.”

“And unless something changes, my plan is to just keep going with it,” he added. “I guess it’s possible things could be different someday, but I kind of doubt it.”

Yemen on Brink of 'Extreme Humanitarian Catastrophe'

(Newsweek) - Yemen is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe as some 16 million citizens have no clean drinking water and UN-brokered peace talks were postponed indefinitely, relief organization Oxfam said Tuesday.

Oxfam said that the water shortage was affecting almost two-thirds of the country's population, raising the specter of an epidemic of waterborne diseases such as cholera, as desperate citizens drink from unsanitary sources and unprotected wells.

Late Sunday, Yemeni officials said that ceasefire talks scheduled to take place in Geneva this week had been postponed.

More than 1,400 people have been killed in fighting in Yemen since 19 March, according to the UN. In late March, Saudi Arabia launched a campaign of airstrikes against the Houthis, an Iranian-backed Shia military force which had forced president Hadi out of the capital Sanaa last September.

The country's water problems existed long before the current wave of conflict broke out. Prior to the recent outbreak of fighting, some 13 million Yemenis did not have access to clean drinking water. Only 40% of Sanaa households are connected to the municipal water supply, with the figures likely much lower in rural areas where 70% of Yemenis live.

Some estimates predict that the capital could run out of viable water resources in the next two years as groundwater levels continue to decrease by four to six metres per year. Existing groundwater levels have plummeted by more than five times in the past 40 years.

The country is also suffering a food shortage due to an ongoing blockade of its ports. Yemen imports more than 90% of its food, including the majority of its rice and wheat, and last month had around six months worth of supplies remaining.

Saudi forces have imposed a naval blockade on Yemeni ports in order to prevent the shipment of arms and fighters to the Houthis. However, the blockade has also deterred commercial shipments of food and fuel, meaning that the price of petrol has risen by as much as 10 times in parts of Yemen, according to Oxfam.

The fuel shortages also mean that water, food and other aid supplies cannot be transported around the country to areas of greatest need.

Hisham al-Omeisy, an independent political analyst based in Sanaa, says that the conflict has crippled areas including Aden and Taiz, two of Yemen's largest cities and Houthi strongholds.

"When you transport water, you need gas and fuel. Because of the severe shortage of gas, usually you'd buy a tank of water for 3,000-4,000 rials, whereas now you'd buy it for triple the price and because of the poverty rate in those areas, people cannot afford it," says Omeisy.

Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, with a GDP per capita of $3,900 (€3,600) - in contrast, Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $52,800 (€48,500). Some 45% of the population is food insecure.

Spring heat wave kills more than 1,100 in India

We are the world India!

(CNN) 05/26/15 = Stifling heat has killed more than 1,100 people in India in less than one week.

The worst-hit area is the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, where authorities say 852 people have died in the heat wave. Another 266 have died in the neighboring state of Telangana.

India recorded its highest maximum temperature of 47 degrees Celsius -- 117 degrees Fahrenheit -- at Angul in the state of Odisha on Monday, according to B.P. Yadav, director of the India Meteorological Department.

Hot, dry conditions are being made worse by winds blowing in from Pakistan's Sindh province across the northern and central plains of India. "This extreme, dry heat is being blown into India by westerly winds," Yadav said.

The high temperatures are expected to continue for another two days before any respite, the meteorological department warned Tuesday. However, the agency said that another hot spell would likely soon follow.

Among the worst-hit states are Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the south. The northern states of Rajasthan and Haryana are also reeling from the intense summer as is India's capital, New Delhi, Yadav said. Full Story

Two dead, one wounded in shooting at North Dakota Walmart

(Reuters) - A U.S. airman apparently shot two Walmart (WMT.N) employees early Tuesday at a store in Grand Forks, North Dakota, killing one of them, before fatally shooting himself, police said.

It was not clear what, if any, connection the airman, who police identified as Marcell Willis, 21, had to the workers or the store.

Willis was on active duty at the nearby Grand Forks Air Force Base, police said.

Willis apparently shot the workers shortly after entering the store early Tuesday and fired at, but missed, a third Walmart employee, then turned the gun on himself, police said in a statement. A handgun was found near his body.

The third person was hospitalized in satisfactory condition after the shooting, Altru Health System said in a statement.

Many other customers and workers at the store, which is open 24 hours a day, took shelter or fled when the shots were fired, police said. Officers reached the store within four minutes of the first emergency calls reporting shots fired.

One witness who spoke with WDAZ Television said he heard "popping sounds" in the store and when he left the building later, saw a Walmart employee covered in blood.

Officers immediately entered the store to stop the threat, render aid and evacuate customers and workers. Police said there did not appear to be any further threat to the public.

Grand Forks police said they planned to release on Wednesday the names of the Walmart employees who were shot.

The Air Force said its Office of Special Investigations was working with Grand Forks police on the incident.

"We are deeply saddened about this situation and our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families," Walmart said in a statement.