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20 Apr 2011 21:39

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U.S.: Tyler Clementi’s roommate charged with hate crimes over suicide

  • The grand jury indictment spells out cold and calculated acts against our son Tyler by his former college roommate. If these facts are true, as they appear to be, then it is important for our criminal justice system to establish clear accountability under the law.
  • A statement from the family of Tyler Clementi • Regarding the charges against the Rutgers student’s former roommate, Dharun Ravi, whose decision to record Clementi on a webcam while with his boyfriend reportedly led to Clementi’s suicide. Ravi is being charged with 15 counts, and the case is being treated like a hate crime, which is a fascinating legal decision that could have long-term ramifications for the way cases like these are treated. By the way, Ravi’s friend Molly Wei, whose room Ravi watched the webcam video from, hasn’t been charged with Ravi, but her case remains open. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Apr 2011 17:15

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Music: Gerard Smith, bassist for TV On The Radio, dies of lung cancer

  • Gerard Smith, dead at 34: Smith was the bass player for eclectic rock band “TV on the Radio,” and was receiving treatment for lung cancer. His bandmates released this statement: “We are very sad to announce the death of our beloved friend and bandmate, Gerard Smith, following a courageous fight against lung cancer. Gerard passed away the morning of April 20th, 2011. We will miss him terribly.” Deepest condolences to his friends and family — 34 is too damn young to go, especially from such a terrible disease. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Apr 2011 16:53

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World: Pentagon proposal for Libya aid awaits Obama’s approval

  • $25 million in proposed non-lethal aid to Libyan rebels source
  • » The Pentagon’s plan awaits President Obama’s approval. That said, $25 million is a relatively very minor cost to the U.S. in the context of a military action. It would, however, explicitly not go towards arming the rebels with western weaponry, but would rather send vehicles, supplies, medicines, and radios. The Gaddafi government threatened that such supply shipments would extend the bloody battles and “encourage the other side to be more defiant,” which is a pretty difficult quote to read with feeling unbearably angry.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Apr 2011 16:39

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Politics: Dilbert’s Scott Adams: Bush, Obama chimp jokes are the same

  • …if I add the context that Googling ‘George Bush monkey’ gives you over 3 million hits, and most of them are jokes where President Bush’s face is transposed on a monkey, you see what’s really going on. Democrats and advocates of civil rights are using the media to further an agenda at the expense of a woman who was probably so non-racist that the photo in question didn’t set off her alarms…
  • “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams • On the topic of Orange County Republican official Marilyn Davenport, who emailed a photo of an Obama “family portrait,” showing two grinning adult chimpanzees with a chimp-ish baby Barack. First of all — the Dilbert guy? What? Why!? But second of all, we agree wholeheartedly with the folks at Mediaite on this one. To compare Bush monkey/chimp jokes to ones directed at Obama is at best silly and at worst willfully evasive and/or ignorant. You don’t have to be a scholarly social critic to understand why a joke aimed at two different people could be construed as racist against one, and at worst stupid or unfunny against the other. To deny this seems like digging your head in the sand about what are and aren’t racial stereotypes in our society. Wanting to excise racism doesn’t necessitate pretending not to recognize it. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Apr 2011 16:10

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World: Doctor urges TEPCO to relieve stressed Fukushima workers

  • Examining doctor Takeshi Tanigawa says the workers could risk death. The doctor, who checked the beleaguered workers recently, has said the personal responsibility they feel to halt the crisis, along with terrible sanitation, little food, little sleep, and pressure from their families not to continue is causing extreme levels of stress, and could lead to depression or death from overwork. That’s all without mentioning the high level of radiation, which is extremely deleterious to health on its own. Tanigawa says TEPCO should mobilize all their employees and give these most dedicated workers a break: “Employees engaged in the dangerous work have human rights and wives and children just like others. We should not treat their lives without due respect.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Apr 2011 15:35

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World: Western Journalists hit with mortar fire in Libya

  • Tim Hetherington, dead at 40: Here’s Hetherington with Sebastian Junger. The two war journalists co-directed “Restrepo,” the Oscar-nominated documentary for which both men braved being embedded with the U.S. military in the Korengal Valley, the most dangerous battlefield in all of Afghanistan. This tells you all you need to know about Hetherington, and what a serious, dedicated and courageous man he was. It’s intensely sad to report, then, of Hetherington’s death by mortar fire today in Misrata, Libya. Hetherington’s last post on Twitter: “In besieged Libyan city of Misrata. Indiscriminate shelling by Qaddafi forces. No sign of NATO.” His tragic death underlines the dangers embedded journalists face.
  • Three more photographers hurt Chris Hondros, a U.S. photographer and Pulitzer-prize winner, is in critical condition with a severe brain injury; Guy Martin, a British photographer, is also critical after the attack; Michael Christopher Brown was reportedly a third victim, though his status is reportedly not life-threatening.
  • Journalism and danger in Libya International journalism advocacy groups have decried a dangerous state of affairs facing journalists covering the Arab Spring uprisings — with at least 10 killed so far. International Criminal Court prosecutor José Luis Moreno Ocampo says that about 16 journalists are missing within Libya. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Apr 2011 14:33

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World: Wikileaks: U.S. has financial hand in Syria’s opposition

  • $6 million in secret U.S. funding to Syrian opposition causes source
  • » Wikileaks strikes again: Cables released by the organization say that after the Bush administration’s severing of diplomatic ties with the Syrian regime in 2005, the U.S. had funnelled money to groups hostile to the Bashar al-Assad government. About $6 million went to a group of Syrian exiles in London with connections to Barada TV, a satellite station that beams into Syria and provides coverage of the protests against Assad. The funding began in 2006, and continued at least until September 2010, meaning the Obama administration’s diplomatic overtures to the Assad regime weren’t very sincere — frankly, this makes us feel a little better about U.S. policy towards them. Be sure to notch another tally for Wikileaks, exposing yet more profoundly relevant, enthralling information about our geopolitical world.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

20 Apr 2011 11:10

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U.S.: Federal rules: If the airlines screw you, they have to reimburse you

  • We want Ray LaHood to say stuff like this all the time: “It’s just common sense that if an airline loses your bag or you get bumped from a flight because it was oversold, you should be reimbursed.” The U.S. transportation secretary said that when talking about a bunch of new rules his organization is putting in place. The rules would force airlines to advertise prices that include taxes and fees; to pay more for “bumping” passengers; to limit passenger waits on runways to under four hours; and (this is the key one) force airlines to reimburse you for checked bag fees in the cae of lost luggage. If luggage is delayed, though, no refund. Still, though, as long as they can keep their air-traffic controllers awake, we’re all for this. (photo by ToastyKen on Flickr) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Apr 2011 10:41

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Tech: Hilarious/sad: AT&T blocks the BlackBerry Playbook’s tethering

  • Hey RIM, didya forget about how stupid AT&T is? The BlackBerry Playbook’s utterly bizarre requirement that forces you to tether your phone to your tablet to check your e-mail is bad enough, but there’s an even worse problem for the company, and it’s one that most iPhone customers know all too well about. See, AT&T isn’t all that hot about the concept of tethering devices unless they can make money off of it. So … guess what AT&T isn’t allowing on the BlackBerry Playbook right now? That’s right. Tethering. So, if you’re an AT&T customer, you can’t check your e-mail on your shiny new tablet. And they may charge $45 a month for the privilege. In other news, launch day sales for the Playbook were a relatively robust 45,000. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Apr 2011 10:13

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World: Yemen’s possible plan to transfer power: Two months of transition

  • 30 days After the deal was made, longstanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh would agree to step down from power, in exchange for immunity from criminal charges for him, his family and his aides. This is a good idea! Wowza!
  • 60 days Around 30 days after that, fresh elections would be held. Saleh would give his power to a caretaker government that would shepherd things until the election. It’s not clear, though, if Saleh would go for this well-constructed plan. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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