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25 Apr 2011 15:24

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U.S.: Amateur video shows violent Texas storms in action

  • Stormchasing across Texas: Impressive and awe-inspiring amateur video highlighting a very familiar sight of late — violent, volatile, inclement weather. The footage is always appreciated, but here’s hoping everyone stays safe! source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 14:13

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Politics: Legal firm pulls out of defending DOMA for House GOP

  • For a big law firm with an international reputation like King and Spalding, this could have gotten very ugly for them. This kind of thing could have stuck to them for decades. People no longer want to be associated with this kind of discrimination.
  • Richard Socarides, gay rights advocate • Speaking about legal firm King and Spalding withdrawing from their plan to defend the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA) in service of the House GOP. The decision has caused a split within the firm, as Paul Clement, one of the partners involved with the case, has resigned in protest and will continue to work for DOMA’s defense, saying that even unpopular causes deserve legal representation. Socarides disagrees, claiming the law is discriminatory and thus is un-American, and that there’s no merit in defending such a cause. We agree in the moral sense, perhaps, but ultimately Clement is correct — legal representation is a keystone of our system of justice, and even though King and Spalding has every right not to take this case, at some point some lawyer does have to step up, personal beliefs aside. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 13:48

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World: Assad government turns up military might against protests

  • The dance of an authoritarian state: The crackdown against those Syrians with the courage to protest the rule of Bashar al-Assad is already horribly violent — human rights groups claim the deaths of more than 300 people by the hands of the Assad government since the protests began. That’s just the visible deathtoll, to boot — Syria is widely regarded as one of the world’s worst states on human rights, with torture being a valued tactic, so it’s hard not to believe there are people having some pretty terrible things done to them as we write this. Tanks have now been unleashed into Dara, the origin of much of the anti-government protest. Once you’ve arrived at this point, can there ever truly be a “going back?” It looks like Syria may face a protracted and bloody conflict. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 13:43

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U.S.: Parsing Wikileaks’ trove of Gitmo detainee files

  • The U.S. has a pretty low threshold for proof when it comes to tossing somebody in Guantanamo Bay, at least that’s what seems true when you read the latest files revealed by Wikileaks. As reported by The Guardian, the U.S. government targeted people wearing a certain type of Casio wristwatch (the F-91W) for detention, because that model of wristwatch was known for its use and distribution by al-Qaeda for training in bomb-making. More than fifty of the released detainee files list the cheap, digital timepiece as a point of interest.
  • No exception for age Two early detainees, an 89-year-old and 70-year-old, sound like they never should’ve been there. U.S. doctors described the former as suffering from major depression, senility and dementia, while the latter authorities internally assessed had no real reason for their detainment at Guantanamo Bay.
  • No exception for youth Naqib Ullah was one of the youngest detainees, at just 14 when he spent a year in confinement. Authorities ultimately decided he was telling the truth when he insisted he’d been kidnapped by the Taliban — his file claims to want to “afford him an opportunity to ‘grow out’ of the radical extremism he has been subject to.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 11:48

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World: NATO airstrikes rattle Gaddafi’s home/military compound

  • NATO unleashes attacks in Tripoli: The strikes early Monday morning came with reports from NATO officials that nobody had been badly harmed, though Libyan state TV later claimed 45 civilian casualties. The odds of civilian death in this regard aren’t negligible, as Gaddafi has hosted throngs of still-loyal citizens at his sprawling residence to act as human shields, fully hoping that the risk of killing them would deter NATO from launching attacks like this one — be warned that there is a small amount of graphic imagery in the video. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 10:59

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World: Syria: Bashar Al-Assad has a contradictory legacy to shake

  • This is the moment of truth for Bashar al-Assad. He has potentially the ability to impose reforms on his own Baath Party, but has he the will to do so?
  • Columbia University visiting professor Jean-Pierre Filiu • Describing the situation the controversial Syrian leader currently has to deal with. It’s not clear what he’ll do — enact reforms against the party that gives him power or let them keep doing what they’re doing, both putting him at risk of losing his power — but his history suggests a cycle of giving diplomats hopes that he’ll enact real change, but failing to follow through. A tough legacy to shake, and one that has strong implications for the Middle East. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 10:41

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Tech: Nintendo’s big announcement: A Wii successor in 2012

  • And so the next generation of video games begins. With the Nintendo Wii starting to show its age, the company has announced that they’ll be bringing out a new home game console in 2012. Rumors suggest that the device will finally help the company catch up to Sony and Microsoft technology-wise, and that the device will be bigger than a breadbo… er, Xbox. The controller will also sport a built-in touchscreen, according to the rumor-mongers. We’ll probably know more when Nintendo demos the console at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June. If they release it, will you guys buy it? Or will you stay with that one console whose network has been down for almost a week and goes after hackers in court? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

25 Apr 2011 10:29

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World: Thousands pay homage to Indian spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba

  • A controversial but widely-admired spiritual figure: As many as 200,000 people have gone to visit Sathya Sai Baba since he died yesterday, and numerous prominent figures appear to be on the guest list — including Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and star Cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar. This is a man who inspired such strong feelings that the co-founder of the Hard Rock Cafe recently donated $108 million dollars for a hospital in Sai Baba’s name. But as he would not undergo scientific tests to prove his miracles were real, he scored many critics. Either way, he was widely revered. (photo via PTI) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Apr 2011 01:26

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U.S.: VIDEO: St. Louis Lambert Airport, when the tornado hit

  • At first, it started getting windy. A dude on his cell phone gingerly walked into the bathroom as if things were normal. Then in a moment, it became clear that this was not just any windy airport terminal, and in a moment, the airport was a wreck. Harrowing. (By the way, the tornado was the strongest in the area in 44 years.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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