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17 Feb 2011 15:16

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World: And now in Libya, the beat goes on…

  • Today the Libyans broke the barrier of fear, it is a new dawn.
  • Faiz Jibril, exiled Libyan opposition figure • Commenting on the raucous protests which have recently turned violent, with reports of unarmed protesters being shot (at times shot dead) by the police. Reports are that hospitals are swamped, as well, with people needing treatment for critical gunshot wounds. A lot of ink was devoted after the Tunisian revolt, as to whether it would serve as a catalyst for other uprisings, whether the factors that existed in Tunisia could be sensibly said to exist in other dictatorial states in the region. Those factors, it seems, are no longer relevant. The uprisings themselves are the reason for more uprisings. What we’re witnessing is a geopolitical domino effect unlike anything we’ve seen before. source

01 Feb 2011 14:20

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World: This week in horror: Swiss therapist arrested for molestation

  • 122 disabled adults, children molested by therapist source
  • » The disgustingly evil are unabated: A 54-year-old man, name hitherto unknown, admitted to Swiss authorities that he had sexually abused over 100 people in the course of his career as a therapist to disabled adults and children. The police say they’ve identified 122 of the victims, and that the youngest was 1-year-old at the time of the abuse. Stories like these make everyday life harder and harder to stomach. Anybody know how to build an evil detector?

29 Jan 2011 19:36

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World: Egypt protests turn deadly after police station attacks

  • 17 protesters killed while attempting to attack two police stations source
  • » What happened: The attacks, which happened in two separate police stations in towns within the Beni Suef Governorate south of Cairo, also led to dozens of other injuries. The attacks are part of a spate of widespread retaliation against police officers, who are hated because of their brutality – a major contrast between what’s happening with the military – with which no major spats have been reported.

27 Jan 2011 13:36

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World: Italian PM Berlusconi accused of another underage prostitute liaison

  • Another day, another sex scandal: The water continues to heat up on Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, as the police have alleged a second liaison with a seventeen-year-old prostitute. While prostitution is not illegal in Italy, and the age of legal consent is fourteen, it is illegal to hire a prostitute under the age of eighteen. (photo via europeanpeoplesparty) source

25 Jan 2011 14:39

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U.S.: In spite of dangers, police officer deaths declining over time

  • cloud The recent rash of police killings throughout America, claiming the lives of two and wounding at least nine in a 24-hour period.
  • silver lining The casualty rate for police over the last twenty years has been improving, despite the ever-present dangers of the job. source

24 Jan 2011 13:18

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Tech: Australian iPhone users fight back against pricey citations

  • I could show you a list of maybe 20 to 30 parking tickets that I had last year, in my town, just by being a normal driver. I must have spent thousands of dollars.
  • Joseph Darling • The Australian man, through his firm, developed an iPhone app called “ParkPatrol,” which allows users to update and notify each other when parking police are in the area. The app displays the locations on a map, with cartoon policemen denoting where, at last notice, the citation-wielding officers are. Darling stated the idea was “pretty much born out of frustration.” source

23 Jan 2011 20:57

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U.S.: Detroit’s violence happening INSIDE police stations now. Yikes

  • 4 officers shot INSIDE of a Detroit police precinct; the gunman died source
  • » A rough weekend for the Motor City: Ten people have been shot and injured or killed in the city in the last three days – the police precinct shooting of course being the most disturbing. One of the officers in today’s shooting was shot in the head, but is talking and moving his arms. The rest suffered minor wounds.
 

20 Jan 2011 12:36

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World: High deathtoll for Shi’ites, police following bombing in Iraq

  • 48+ people killed by bombs targeting Shi’ites, police source
  • » A horribly bloody week in Iraq Following a particularly devastating attack on police recruits in Tekrit, the sectarian bombings and targeting of Shi’ites and Iraqi forces continue. There’s not much that can be said to add significance to this. It’s the definition of terrorism, cold and stark.

19 Jan 2011 15:33

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Politics: Baltimore Police Commissioner Bealefeld no fan of “The Wire”

  • Charm City’s Top Cop: Frederick H. Bealefeld, Commissioner of Baltimore Police, does not care for your “critically acclaimed television.” Why couldn’t McNulty be a hip, cool CSI type? source

18 Jan 2011 21:14

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U.S.: Protip: Don’t go to Camden expecting the police to help you

  • bad Camden, NJ, a city that was once home to Walt Whitman, has the second-highest crime rate in the entire country.
  • worse The formerly industrial city, in steep decline, has a massive budget shortfall – it’s roughly $26.5 million in the red.
  • worser To solve the worse problem, they chose the cut the police force by half, making the bad problem worser. source