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07 May 2011 23:07

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U.S.: Mississippi River flooding: Near-record floodwaters in Memphis

  • 46′ the current levels of the Mississippi river in Memphis; some areas are already underwater
  • 48.7′ the prior record levels of the river in the area — set during a historic flood way back in 1937
  • 48′ the expected crest of the river in the area, which officials expect on Wednesday source
  • » A little bit of good news: While the floodwaters are extremely high, authorities say there will be no new rain until Tuesday, giving residents an opportunity to deal with the water already there, as well as to consider evacuation plans. (EDIT: A prior version of this story listed a 1927 flood as the record-setter. While the flood was devastating, it was not the worst. We apologize for the error.)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 May 2011 15:40

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U.S.: Back in vogue: Unfounded fears of Muslims flying on planes

  • what Two Memphis-based Muslim scholars — who passed a security check and were already on the plane, by the way — were barred from flying yesterday. Ironically, they were headed to a conference on American fears of Islam.
  • why Apparently, the pilot was to blame — he apparently forced them to go through additional security procedures, and after they passed those wouldn’t fly with the two men on board. All in all, a great day for religious tolerance. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 May 2011 14:22

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U.S.: Accessory in Tyler Clementi suicide case accepts plea deal

  • An accessory to Tyler Clementi’s bullying scores a deal: While not completely in the clear, Molly Wei avoided jail time in the webcam bullying incident that officials believe led to Clementi’s suicide. The incident, which we’ve mentioned numerous times in the past, involved Clementi’s Rutgers roommate, Dharun Rhavi, reportedly streaming from a webcam in their room while Clementi was making out with his boyfriend. Rhavi watched from Wei’s room. Not long after Clementi found out about the spying, he jumped off the George Washington Bridge, causing a huge outcry against bullying. As part of Wei’s plea deal, she’ll testify against Rhavi (who faces hate crime charges), serve 300 hours of community service, and take classes on cyberbullying and tolerance. Clementi’s family accepted the deal, saying that “Wei’s actions, although unlawful, were substantially different in their nature.” Wei’s lawyer, whole accepting the deal, says his client denies being a bully. Either way, we hope soon for the closure of this difficult case.  source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 May 2011 17:25

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U.S.: Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the new chair of the DNC

  • Democrats get a new boss: Debbie Wasserman Schultz, 44, will likely be approved as the new chair of the Democratic National Committee today, assuming a position vacated by former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine. Whether this signals a shift in Democratic Party politics writ large is hard to say, but it bears mentioning that she’s considerably more left-wing than her predecessor. The Florida congresswoman is known for her staunch defenses of Democratic ideals, as well as her fundraising acumen, which figure to be keys to any success Democrats may have in the 2012 elections. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 May 2011 12:36

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U.S.: Blackwater (er, Xe) turns the page … with John Ashcroft?

  • problem Xe Services, better known as Blackwater, has had some major PR problems ever since a 2007 shooting where Iraqi civilians died at the hands of the company’s private contractors. It led in part to their name change.
  • solution The company has hired John Ashcroft, the former Attorney General under Bush forever tied to his counterterrorism efforts, as an independent director. Really? Is that the right guy to rehab your long-damaged image? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 May 2011 09:58

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U.S.: States struggle to handle Mississippi River’s rising floodwaters

  • We’re making a lot of unfortunate history here in Mississippi in April and May.
  • Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Jeff Rent • Putting a pretty unfortunate period on the end of the sentence that is the Mississippi River’s flooding — along with last week’s tornadoes. All along the Misssissippi River, floodwaters are reaching record levels, putting some in precarious situations — or forcing some necessary but undesirable decisions, like blowing holes in levees that flood crops but save towns. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 May 2011 09:41

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U.S.: Birds Point levee blast eases pressure on Mississippi River

  • cause In a controversial move that may have saved a town but Missouri fought against in court (claiming it would hurt farms), officials started blowing holes in the Birds Point levee last night.
  • effect Since the initial blast, the Mississippi River’s level at Cairo, Illinois has gone down a solid foot, lowering the pressure and possibly ensuring that the town may avoid a massive flood. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

03 May 2011 09:15

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U.S., World: White House’s John Brennan: We can take out al-Qaeda now

  • We’re going to try to take advantage of this opportunity we have now with the death of al Qaeda’s leader, bin Laden, to ensure that we’re able to destroy that organization. We’re determined to do so and we believe we can.
  • White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan • Sounding a little boasty by saying that the next plan, post-Bin Laden, is to basically take down all of al-Qaeda. “We believe that we have damaged the organization, degraded its capability and made it much more difficult for it to operate inside of Pakistan as well as beyond,” he continued. Do you guys think he’s right, or just on a bit of a high right now? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 May 2011 01:29

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U.S.: Stay in school and you’re much, much more likely to get a job

  • This is why they tell you to stay in school, kids. Seriously, look at that discrepancy! Of course, the usual causation-correlation disclaimer is in effect here; maybe the kids who graduated college were the ones naturally more predisposed to keeping a job anyway? Nevertheless, this should give pause to any high schoolers considering dropping out. (source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis) source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 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
 
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