Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

06 Jul 2011 17:04

tags

U.S.: TSA warns of implant-based bomb concealment

  • The new normal in airport security? It was announced today by the TSA that terrorists might try to surgically implant bombs into themselves to bypass airport checkpoints, a warning which seems to imply further heightening of security could be coming. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney explicitly said that the warning “does not relate to an imminent or specific threat.” That said, that a terrorist could hide a bomb in their body is fairly obvious, so whatever intelligence they’ve gleaned must be enough to drag this out of the realm of the hypothetical. The TSA has also advised international airports to tighten their security. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2011 15:21

tags

U.S.: Incredible footage of the climatic Phoenix dust storm

  • Adventures in time-lapse: Here we have some videos (credit to Mike Olbinski and Blaine Coury) of the colossal dust storms that touched down in Phoenix, Arizona on July 5th. As always, safety is crucial during extreme natural events. We’ll admit, though, it’s hard to watch this footage without feeling wonderment and stark awe towards the natural world. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2011 13:29

tags

U.S.: President changes military condolence policy for suicides

  • This issue is emotional, painful, and complicated. But these Americans served our nation bravely … we need to do everything in our power to honor their service, and to help them stay strong for themselves, for their families and for our nation.
  • President Barack Obama • Reversing a previous policy that didn’t send military families condolence letters if their family member had committed suicide. This is definitely a good thing, because suicide is actually a common cause of death in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just because a soldier isn’t killed by the enemy, doesn’t mean their life means any less — military families deserve a letter from the president, regardless of the cause of death. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jul 2011 13:08

tags

U.S.: A tale of two unemployment rates, through an urban microcosm

  • 9.8% the unemployment rate in the Washington, DC — a little higher than the rest of the nation
  • 3.6% the unemployment rate for the more affluent areas of DC — mostly populated by whites source
  • » This isn’t good. The unemployment rate of Anacostia, a district in Southeast DC east of the river mostly populated by blacks? Nearly 20 percent. DC is merely just a flash point for a much-larger trend. All over the United States, blacks are twice as likely to be unemployed as whites. What’s worse is there’s no real explanation for it — other than the obvious one.
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Jul 2011 16:45

tags

U.S.: DSK accuser files libel lawsuit against the New York Post

  • action In an article from July 2nd, the New York Post cited “a source close to the defense investigation” on the rape allegations against Dominique Strauss-Kahn. The source said the accuser got very large tips from guests, then the article stated The Post had learned that she worked as a prostitute.
  • reaction The accuser, a Guinean immigrant and maid at the Sofitel Hotel, filed a libel lawsuit against The Post — and five of its reporters —today. It alleges the newspaper acted “falsely, maliciously, and with reckless disregard for the truth” when they published the prostitution claims. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jul 2011 16:53

tags

U.S.: California’s new district lines no longer in political hands

  • 14 California residents control the state’s political redistricting source
  • » Power to some people! It’s congressional redistricting time in California, which can play as big a role in the outcomes of elections as the candidates themselves. By way of a 2008 ballot initiative against gerrymandering, that power has put in the hands of fourteen citizens. Criticism has come quickly — Latino advocacy groups are saying that the influence of their voters will be diminished by the first drafts of the new map, and retiring congresswoman Lynn Woolsey complains that her once compact Marin County district would stretch more than 350 miles up the west coast. Principally, we object to gerrymandering; it’s an unpleasant underbelly of American politics. That said, subjective judgments that will tilt the balance of power are a necessity of the system, as there isn’t really such a thing as an objectively honest state district map. So, can you really avoid this problem just by bringing in ostensibly less political people? We’re not so sure.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jul 2011 16:31

tags

U.S.: Follow the leader: Joe Biden has an official VP twitter account

  • A few days after President Obama started tweeting, our VP is too. Well, it’s not really him, but it still shows how hard the White House is trying to reach people through social media. Sure, it’s kinda lame, but it’s also pretty cool – after all, they wouldn’t be trying things like this if they didn’t care, right? It’s also pretty interesting to note that Joe Biden had a Twitter account back when he was a senator, but it hasn’t been updated since August of 2008. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

04 Jul 2011 10:35

tags

U.S.: Motorcycle helmet protester dies; friends won’t put theirs on

  • He’s a rebel. That’s what he felt like doing. He protested everything.
  • Richard Contos • Describing his brother, Philip, who died Saturday in a motorcycle accident that he probably would’ve survived had he worn a helmet. However — here’s the kicker — he wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time because he was protesting helmet laws. So is Philip’s death going to change things among his biking buddies? Nope. “It’s not going to stop us protesting our right to wear a helmet or not wear a helmet,” said Christinea Rathbun, the president of the Syracuse chapter of American Bikers Aimed Towards Education, a group that Philip Contos took part in. “It’s your own risk.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jul 2011 18:13

tags

U.S.: In this video, the NYPD blows up illegal fireworks by the thousands

  • This scene reminds us of a great line from the Simpsons. “Celebrate the independence of your nation by blowing up a small part of it!” Fortunately, the NYPD did that for us. You know, without blowing off our limbs or anything dangerous like that. (via Gawker) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jul 2011 09:59

tags

U.S.: Guineans in NYC worry how Strauss-Kahn twist affects them

  • It will be very hard to believe in the future what African people say. She has to repent if she’s lying.
  • Nigerian Imam Nurudeen Sulayman • Discussing the NYC African community’s feelings on the Dominique Strauss-Kahn accuser — especially among Guineans. To put it simply, they worry that it reflects badly on their community. The new developments around the accuser, who reportedly called a prison inmate and talked to him about extorting Strauss-Kahn in a rare dialect of Fulani, have put unwelcome attention on fellow Guineans in the city. “It’s about the two of them,” said Mamadou Diallo, president of the Futa Islamic Center, where the accuser reportedly attended services. “All we can do is stand still and watch.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>