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29 Aug 2011 17:06

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World: Islamic sect Boko Haram claims responsibility for Nigerian bombing

  • nigeria A bombing against the U.N. headquarters in the Nigerian city of Abuja took place last Friday, which left 23 people dead and many more injured. Reuters reports this may be the first case of suicide bombing in Nigeria, as the driver of the bomber  vehicle blew himself up as well.
  • boko haram A fundamentalist Islamic sect which claimed responsibility for the bombing. Worryingly, the Nigerian government doesn’t seem to have the ability to fight back, which has hurt the standing of President Goodluck Jonathan and weakened faith in basic safety. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Aug 2011 16:32

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U.S.: Alan Krueger named chairman of White House economic advisers

  • So, here’s the new Austan Goolsbee, America. Princeton University’s Alan Krueger, age 50, is President Obama’s selection to serve as chairman of the White House Council of Economic Affairs. While we readily confess we don’t know a terrible lot about him or his philosophies (he served as assistant Treasury secretary the first two years of the Obama administration, which while an important job isn’t as visible as it might be), the article suggests he may want more aggressive government action on joblessness. This is theoretical, of course — it still requires Senate confirmation, which has been hard to come by of late. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Aug 2011 11:10

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World: Meet Yoshihiko Noda, Japan’s likely new Prime Minister

Now here’s a guy that shouldn’t get too comfortable. Noda will likely be Japan’s sixth Prime Minister in five years, and the track record for keeping this job isn’t great. Plus, Fukushima’s still an issue. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Aug 2011 10:58

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Politics: OMG: Rick Perry just called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme”

  • It is a Ponzi scheme for these young people. The idea that they’re working and paying into Social Security today, that the current program is going to be there for them, is a lie.
  • Texas Gov. Rick Perry • Talking about Social Security and leaving us pretty much speechless in one fell swoop. This is impressive because we like to talk a lot. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Aug 2011 10:51

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Politics: Eric Cantor hates people who ride bikes, apparently

  • The government spends billions on cars each year. That takes many forms, including interstate highways and subsidies to oil and gas companies. You’d think House Majority Leader Eric Cantor would be happy with people being willing to ride bikes a little more often. But nooooooo — this jerk wants to ditch bikeshare programs. As part of his YouCut program, he made one of the three options municipal bikeshares. These programs are popular in their communities — you should see how many people ride them in DC — and discourage people from driving cars, which in the long run is cheaper and better for the environment. Watch your back, Cantor: Some angry cyclist might try to hit you with a Schwinn. (photo via MedillDC on Flickr) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Aug 2011 10:34

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U.S.: Post-Katrina general: Changing attitudes at play with Hurricane Irene

  • Before Katrina, it was a longstanding tradition in our country for political officials to wait until the last minute to warn, to take action, to evacuate. No more. With Irene, you had mass evacuations — mandatory ones — issued days ahead of time. That was the right thing to do.
  • Retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore • Regarding the changing approach to hurricanes since Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall in Louisiana six years ago today. Honore was one of the officials whose work on the recovery from that storm was widely respected. To put his point another way: “I’ve been in the storm business for years and I’ve never seen officials be prudent enough to cancel commercial and sporting events before a storm. Folks in the Northeast did that. The day before Katrina, we had a football game in Baton Rouge. That’s how far the community has come.” So there you have it: The guy who coordinated much of the the Katrina response says they did the right thing on Irene. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Aug 2011 10:21

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U.S.: Commuters in NYC slowly getting back to normal after Irene

  • positive All of New York City’s subway routes are moving along without much trouble. While service was supposed to be lighter than usual, many riders said they didn’t notice any significant delays.
  • negative However, if you’re commuting from outside the city — especially Connecticut or New Jersey, you’re out of luck. All lines of the Metro-North Railroad are down, as are New Jersey Transit trains. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

29 Aug 2011 01:30

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U.S.: Irene’s remnants catch Vermont off-guard, cause heavy flooding

  • Our emergency management people are flat-out trying as hard as they can to avoid loss of life. We have been encouraging any Vermonter who lives near a brook, river or lake should head to higher ground.
  • Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin • Offering a message to people in his state affected by the now-former tropical storm Irene, which is really now just a giant storm that’s dropping a ton of rain on Shumlin’s state. And the state wasn’t expecting it: According to Shumlin, officials expected the storm to nail the Connecticut River Valley, but the storm track changed and now it’s over Vermont. Some locals have called it the worst flooding the region has seen in a generation. So yeah, Irene’s nothing to screw with even though she’s no longer a tropical storm. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Aug 2011 20:25

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U.S.: Hurricane Irene’s costs — both in human and monetary form

  • 19 deaths reported so far from Hurricane Irene source
  • » And damages in “the tens of billions”: With the storm largely past U.S. shores, now begins the tallying of damages. You’ve seen some examples of this already. But while it’s too soon to predict exactly what the final tally will be, in New Jersey, Chris Christie is already throwing a price tag on things. “I’ve got to imagine that the damage estimates are going to be in the billions of dollars, if not in the tens of billions of dollars,” he told “Meet the Press” this morning. These costs will largely be eaten by the federal government. The loss of human life, however, won’t be. Click the source link above. It’s a blow by blow of saddening proportions.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Aug 2011 11:34

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World: Indian anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare’s starvation plan succeeds

It took twelve days of starvation, but he won his demands for an independent anti-corruption agency. His first post-strike nourishment? A cup of juice from a five-year-old girl. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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