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02 May 2011 16:52

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Offbeat: Gary Weddle’s beard, 2001-2011

  • The “playoff beard” to its logical extreme: Gary Weddle, 50, made a vow following al-Qaeda’s attack on September 11th, 2001 — that he wouldn’t shave until Osama bin Laden was captured or confirmed dead. “I spent my first five minutes crying and then I couldn’t get it off fast enough,” Weddle said. His wife, on the beard’s departure: “I respected his passion and keeping a vow. I was willing to look past the beard because I love him… He looks 10 years younger.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 May 2011 16:22

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Politics: Counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan gives more info on bin Laden killing

  • Insider insight into bin Laden mission: As stated by Obama administration counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan, the U.S. would have claimed bin Laden alive if possible, but the al-Qaeda leader and his allies started a firefight that led to his death. He also said that President Obama and his aides were watching the operation in real time in the White House Situation Room, which he called “clearly very intense.” No kidding! Brennan also revealed that there are, in fact, photos of bin Laden’s corpse, but the White House has not yet decided whether to release them — a sensitive decision to be sure. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 May 2011 15:52

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World: Bin Laden compound close to Pakistani military academy

  • Where it all went down: The Guardian has a nice article up about the town of Abbottabad, where U.S. special forces killed Osama bin Laden at his compound, pictured above. One of the big early questions raised by bin Laden’s location was his surprising proximity to the Pakistani capitol of Islamabad, and whether the Pakistani authorities had any inklings the al-Qaeda mastermind was hiding in their midst. A less than encouraging tidbit on that front — bin Laden’s compound sat just a “few streets away” from a sprawling Pakistani military academy specializing in training officers. This is maybe the most relevant ongoing geopolitical story to come out of bin Laden’s death, and one which we’ll be watching with interest in the weeks to come. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 May 2011 15:03

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Politics: Conservatives praise Obama on bin Laden killing

  • question One political question in the wake of the killing of Osama bin Laden is how the President’s political rivals, usually a very vociferous bunch, would react to the news that a person they’d built into such a boogeyman pulled this off.
  • answer All it takes to get bipartisanship is to kill a nationally loathed terrorist, it seems. Rush Limbaugh praised Obama today, as did Dick Cheney and John Boehner — this is a watershed moment for people’s perception of the President. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 May 2011 13:32

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U.S.: Osama bin Laden’s death not enough to raise terror threat level

  • We remain at a heightened state of vigilance, but the Department of Homeland Security does not intend to issue an NTAS alert at this time.
  • Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano • Revealing that despite the death of Osama Bin Laden, Homeland Security’s new National Terrorism Advisory System (the one that doesn’t use the much-maligned color codes but instead provides specific information) won’t get its premiere thanks to the obviously front-of-mind news. At the moment, the system lists “no current alerts.” This is separate, by the way, from the State Department’s travel advisory last night, which affects U.S. nationals abroad. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 May 2011 13:08

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Tech: Protip: Be careful when searching for anything Bin Laden-related

  • cause Whenever a story comes out of nowhere to be a major news story — say, Japan’s earthquake or Osama bin Laden’s death — it tends to draw a lot of search traffic overnight to new terms that come up based on the story.
  • effect Now that anything Bin Laden-related is SEO platinum, malware creators are using the opportunity to load your computer with a virus — using such mechanisms as Google Image Search. Be careful out there, guys. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 May 2011 03:07

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World: U.S. State Dept.: Travel advisory after Osama bin Laden’s death

  • U.S. citizens in areas where recent events could cause anti-American violence are strongly urged to limit their travel outside of their homes and hotels and avoid mass gatherings and demonstrations.
  • A statement from the U.S. State Department • Offering a travel advisory to people in countries which may have “enhanced potential” for a strong anti-American sentiment in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death. The travel warning lasts until August 1st. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

02 May 2011 01:58

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U.S.: For those who missed it: Obama’s full speech on bin Laden’s death

Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 May 2011 01:21

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U.S.: Posted without comment: In front of the White House tonight

Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 May 2011 01:12

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Politics: President Obama reassures American Muslims: ‘no war on Islam’

  • I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity.
  • President Barack Obama • In his speech tonight, announcing that a U.S. special operation had killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. The President takes a very good tact here in distancing bin Laden and his organization from the Muslim community writ large. His reminder that bin Laden had himself killed many Muslims in service of his terror campaigns (and within our nation, as well, with many Muslims killed on 9/11) is an important one, too often lost in recent politicking. Even amidst what looks like broad jubilation domestically at the news, it’s important to keep the celebrating a positive thing, not something that turns at all ugly on our Muslim brethren. The President clearly wanted to short circuit that, as best he could, by emphasizing solidarity. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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