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03 Aug 2011 21:36

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U.S., World: Tropical Storm Emily edges closer to land — including Haiti

  • Tropical Storm Emily update: Meteorologists predict that Haiti will receive anywhere between 6 to 12 inches of rain, while some mountain regions could receive up to 20 inches. The current path puts the storm closer to the eastern coast of Florida, but after hitting Haiti/Cuba, the track may change. Worth keeping an eye on, guys. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Aug 2011 14:25

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World: Hosni Mubarak trial begins on not exactly the best of terms

  • You’re seeing correctly. That is former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, in a cage. He’s actually standing trial from a cage, and he’s in a hospital bed. His trial started today, and it’s surprising a lot of Egyptians, who figured he’d use health problems as an excuse to not show up. Mubarak has denied all of the charges against him. We’ll be careful not to drop a reference to The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” in here. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Aug 2011 11:25

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World: Australian teen with bomb strapped to her neck freed (whew)

  • We don’t know what to make of a story this weird. After a 10-hour ordeal involving a bomb and an apparent extortion attempt, an 18-year-old Sydney girl has been freed (the clip reflects the situation before she was freed). “She’s good – she’s been kept in a very uncomfortable position,” New South Wales state Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Murdoch  said. “She has been and will be uncomfortable for a little while to come.” Murdoch says that the device was no joke — it was “very elaborate, very sophisticated.” Right now, officials are trying to learn the identity of the weirdo who did this to her. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Aug 2011 11:14

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World: United Nations: Refugee totals from Somalia reach devastating new highs

  • 860k the number of refugees from Somalia that have left the country due to the debilitating drought
  • 1.5M the number of refugees experts say have been displaced within Somalia by the drought
  • 12M the number of people the United Nations says need food aid within the region source
  • » To put this in perspective: In Somalia alone, experts say that 3.7 million people are directly affected by the drought — roughly half the population in some places. And to be clear, “famine” is a loaded term, but one the UN only uses when the situation meets a very dire statistical level — we’re talking malnutrition rates above 30 percent.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Aug 2011 00:49

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U.S., World: Jon Stewart’s words of inspiration from a soldier in Khandahar

  • We cooperate and we fight as hard as we can, because there will perhaps be disappointment but there will be no shame.
  • A specialist in the 655th TC, writing to Jon Stewart • In a letter Stewart mentioned on Monday’s episode of “The Daily Show.” Stewart used the episode to pay tribute to the soldiers fighting overseas after he paid a visit to Khandahar this past weekend. After displaying several t-shirts that he had promised to wear, he read some of his observations and thank yous. Stewart then read this quote from a letter from a young specialist, from one of the nicest letters he’s ever received. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Aug 2011 16:04

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World: U.S. makes it legal for aid groups to help Somalians

  • before Aid groups couldn’t get food to starving people in al-Shabaab-controlled areas in Somalia. That’s because the U.S. has sanctions against the al-Qaeda affiliated group who is doing everything in their power to ensure aid doesn’t reach civilians — including diverting aid and killing aid workers.
  • now The U.S. now says it won’t prosecute aid groups whose aid falls into the wrong hands — which is a good thing. It’ll make it at least a little easier to get aid to people in Somalia, but it’ll still be dangerous. 14 World Food Programme workers have been killed in the region since 2008 alone. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Aug 2011 10:18

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World: Fukushima radiation: What deadly radiation “hot spots” look like

  • See the red spots? You know, the ones surrounded by blue and green? Those represent 10 sieverts per hour of radiation. That is extremely high and could lead to death within seconds. And at the Fukushima site, that’s what they’re apparently still dealing with … mind you, five months after the fact. “Radiation leakage at the plant may have been contained or slowed but it has not been sealed off completely,” noted Osaka University professor and nuclear engineering expert Kenji Sumita. “The utility is likely to continue finding these spots of high radiation.” To put this in perspective, add three zeros to the number 10, to make it 10,000 millisieverts per hour (mSv). Then, take a look at this graphic. Yeah. Scary as hell, right? We’ll say. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

01 Aug 2011 11:18

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World: Cold case: New evidence in 40-year-old “DB Cooper” plane hijacking

  • 1971 A dude named “Dan Cooper” (more commonly known as “DB Cooper”) hijacked a plane heading between Portland and Seattle. He allowed the passengers to get off in Seattle, received a briefcase with $200,000 in cash inside, had the pilot keep flying, then jumped out of the plane with a parachute over the Cascade Mountains. Crazy, right?
  • 2011 Years later, nobody knows who the suspect is — and little in the way of conclusive evidence has shown up. Over 1,000 people have been pinpointed in the still-open cold case, but surprisingly there is new evidence that authorities are pursuing. Do you guys think they’ll ever catch this dude? Or did their chance pass 40 years ago? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

31 Jul 2011 11:59

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World: Somali women, children face constant danger at Kenyan refugee camps

  • bad Many Somali refugees, struggling to stay alive amid a harrowing drought, have tried leaving the country and heading towards refugee camps in Kenya. The camps are growing by the day.
  • worse Many of the women at these sprawling refugee camps face the constant danger of rape — even when they’re merely trying to take their children to use the bathroom or gather firewood. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jul 2011 11:35

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World: Turkey’s top military commander, other leaders resign in protest

  • Our guess: He resigned after seeing this terrible Photoshop job. For decades, Turkey’s military was seen as one of the country’s most powerful political pillars, one that protected the country’s secular roots. However, in recent years, they’ve faced increased opposition from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and after a number of military officials faced arrest, many of Turkey’s top military leaders, including commander Gen. Isik Kosaner, above, resigned in protest — which gave Erdogan an opportunity to put the dude he wanted in Kosaner’s place, allowing him to assert more control over the military. Sounds messy. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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