There are indications that al-Qaeda is planning to carry out an attack against a target inside of Sanaa, possibly our embassy. And what we do is to take every measure possible to ensure the safety of our diplomats and citizens abroad, so the decision was made to close the embassy.
Assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism John Brennan • Regarding the government’s decision to close its Yemeni base. (Britain did the same, by the way.) The country, which is becoming a large hub for terrorism, has been the scene of a major battlefront in the war on al-Qaeda in the last few weeks, and the U.S. isn’t taking any chances. source
She was reportedly the target of a foiled bus attack in Kenya. The suspect, who we can’t name due to Danish law, reportedly tried to attack the former Secretary of State during her 11-day tour of the country in September. He was sent back to Denmark due to lack of evidence. Now we can probably agree that something is up with this dude who was arrested. source
36 years ago, this guy was responsible for one of the cheesiest, corniest songs to ever become a No. 1 pop hit, “The Streak.” (In his defense, Owl City’s blatant Postal Service rip-off “Fireflies” might be cornier and cheesier.) Since then, he’s maintained a cult audience, but in recent years, he’s taken to releasing topical country “comedy” songs about current events, with a far rightward lean. This one, “We the People,” threatens congressmen who vote for health care. And it has a million views on YouTube. Who are these million viewers, and what are they doing searching for “Ray Stevens” on YouTube? It’s not even funny!
The history of the Internet suggests that there have been cool Web sites that go in and out of fashion and then there have been open standards that become plumbing. Twitter is looking more and more like plumbing, and plumbing is eternal.
Technology observer Steven Johnson • On Twitter’s long-term prospects as a communication mechanism. Johnson’s comments are the centerpiece of an article by New York Times media columnist David Carr, who makes the argument that Twitter may just stick around as a long-term mechanism rather than a trend like MySpace or Friendster. Carr still sounds a little cynical of the idea, but even so, makes a killer point: “Professional acquaintances whom I find insufferable on every other platform suddenly become interesting within the confines of Twitter.” Twitter win. source
Western governments have until the end of the month to take Iran’s offer. Remember how the U.S. tried really hard to convince Iran to agree to a nuclear plan that limited their ability to create nuclear weapons? And how Iran pussyfooted around with them? Well, after ignoring the offer and missing a deadline, now Iran’s playing hardball, setting a counter-offer and saying the West has to agree or they’ll just do what they want. Great. source