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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
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26 Jul 2011 13:29

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U.S.: Rep. David Wu explains why he’s resigning from Congress

  • The wellbeing of my children must come before anything else. With great sadness, I therefore intend to resign effective upon the resolution of the debt-ceiling crisis.
  • Rep. David Wu • Discussing his decision to resign from Congress amid allegations that he had unwanted sexual contact with an 18-year-old woman. Earlier he said he wouldn’t seek reelection after this controversy, but now he’s resigning after increasing pressure from other representatives. He’s had his fair share of troubles — namely his wife father passing away, and a midlife crisis that’s manifested itself in embarrassing ways. At least he’s making it clear that he’s doing this to help his kids out, and let’s hope this doesn’t turn into Weinergate 2.0. source
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08 Jul 2011 16:58

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U.S.: Picasso drawing thief caught thanks to cameras in a restaraunt

  • A couple of days ago, a man blatantly stole a Picasso drawing from a San Francisco gallery in broad daylight. Authorities didn’t expect to catch the thief, but yesterday, they got a break. Authorities spotted the suspect, Mark Lugo (shown left), with the help of surveillance cameras outside a restaurant he happened to walk by. He tried to mail the drawing, authorities say. However, before he could do so, authorities reached him first and recovered the drawing. The museum said they would tighten security as a result of the incident. (photos via ABC7News.com) source
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08 Jul 2011 14:08

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U.S.: Breakthrough Medicaid study proves its usefulness

  • 35% increased likelihood Medicaid users would go to a doctor
  • 15% increased likelihood they would use prescription drugs
  • 30% increased likelihood they would get admitted to the hospital source
  • » A new study with broad ramifications: The results of the National Bureau of Economic Research’s study may seem obvious, but the debate on whether or not to cut funding for Medicaid has long rested on whether experts thought low-income people would actually use the public form of medical insurance. The new study proves this is the case, and does it in an interesting way — rather than comparing the insured to the uninsured (a common tactic used before), the study treated Medicaid the same way researchers might treat a drug. The result? Fellow researchers are hailing the study as “historic” and say it’ll shape national health care debates for years to come.
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07 Jul 2011 14:03

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World: Recovering Yemeni President Saleh shows up on television

  • President Ali Abdullah Saleh showed up on Yemeni television in a prerecorded speech about his health. He was wounded and severely burned in a bomb blast at his palace earlier this month, and has gone through 8 surgeries since then. He’s making the speech to ensure the people of Yemen that he is recovering, but it’s unclear how true that is — he hasn’t been seen in public since the incident last month. (Photo via Aljazeera) source
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04 Jul 2011 15:52

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World: Rebels invite Gaddafi to stay in Libya … after he resigns

  • If he desires to stay in Libya, we will be the ones to determine the place and there will be international supervision on all his movements and communications.
  • Mustafa Abdel Jalil, a rebel leader in Libya • He’s saying that Gaddafi can stay in Libya after he resigns, so long as he has supervision. It just shows that rebels are more eager to get to a peace deal. Rather than having him exiled, they’re willing to let him hang around after he’s out of power. This is all coming in response to a proposal from the African Union that rebels have interpreted as saying that Gaddafi shouldn’t have any sort of power anymore. source
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23 Jun 2011 14:39

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U.S.: Pentagon bomb-scare suspect tied to building shootings

  • Remember those mysterious building shootings near DC a while back? Remember that Marine reservist who got arrested at Arlington National Cemetery last week with some possibly-for-bomb-making fertilizer on his back? Probably the same guy. At least that’s what authorities say about Yonathan Melaku, whom they charged with both crimes earlier today. The FBI says they found a video of him firing at what looks like the Marine Corps Museum in his apartment, along with some bomb-making materials and a list of other things he needed. It’s a good thing they caught this guy when they did, because he may have been a “lone wolf” seriously looking to do some damage. source
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17 Jun 2011 14:36

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U.S.: Pentagon scare: Marine reservist claimed he had explosives

  • claim Someone left a car near the Pentagon early this morning, and authorities thought that it might have a bomb in it. When the owner, a lance corporal in the Marines, was found at the then-closed Arlington National Cemetery and questioned, he claimed that he had explosive material on him.
  • truth Yonathan Melaku, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Ethiopia, carried an unknown quantity of ammonium nitrate, a non-explosive chemical fertilizer often used in explosives, in his possession. While nothing was in his car, he possessed a notebook with al-Qaeda-related notes in it — scary stuff. source
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17 Jun 2011 13:43

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World: Yemen: Allies suggest injured president Saleh will return soon

  • Rebels in Yemen do not welcome this news. A few weeks ago, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was badly injured and burned in an attack on his palace, forcing him to receive medical treatment in nearby Saudi Arabia — a situation which led to an interim leader and celebrations in the streets. But the celebrations might have been a little premature if there’s any truth to reports that Saleh will return to the country soon, having recovered significantly from his injuries. “He will return home after medical reports said he is getting better,” ruling party official Yasser al-Yamani explained. Protesters rallied in the wake of the news; as you might guess, they’re not ready to welcome him back. source
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15 Jun 2011 14:22

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Biz: FDA takes steps to make sunscreen more consumer-friendly

  • beforeSunscreen was pretty misleading. The SPF only referred to how well the sunscreen protected against UVB rays, completely neglecting the still-harmful UVA rays. There were also a few false claims on those bottles of sunscreen — mainly those calling it waterproof.
  • afterNew requirements will make sunscreens much more consumer-friendly. SPF will tell how well the sunscreen protects against UVA and UVB rays. Sunscreen won’t be called sunblock, nor will it be called waterproof or sweatproof — no sunscreen really is. source
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