From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
Yahoo News – by TRACIE CONE | Associated Press
LAKEPORT, Calif. (AP) — Scott and Robin Spivey had a sinking feeling that something was wrong with their home when cracks began snaking across their walls in March.
The cracks soon turned into gaping fractures, and within two weeks their 600-square-foot garage broke from the house and the entire property — manicured lawn and all — dropped 10 feet below the street. Continue reading “One by one, homes in Calif. subdivision sinking”
When NYPD Chief Ray Kelly said “privacy was off the table” following the Boston bombing, we all knew this was a one-way “exchange.” It was always going to be average citizens losing out on their privacy. The NYPD would remain unaffected and continue to operate the way it has for years: behind the thin thick blue line of opacity.
Salon’s CJ Ciaramella takes a detailed look at the NYPD’s track record on Freedom of Information requests. The results are unsurprising. The public entities that demand the most from their constituents are often the most reluctant to give anything back. Continue reading “NYPD Chief Ray Kelly And Mayor Bloomberg Still Think Privacy Is A Good Thing — Just Not YOUR Privacy”
Business Insider -by Walter Hickey
With marijuana legal or medically available in 16 states, a new industry is rising to capitalize on the new commodity.
Interestingly, many of the entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry are finding a way to run their business without even touching the drug, which remains federally illegal. Continue reading “Meet The Guys Who Want To Do For Marijuana What Michael Bloomberg Did For Finance”
Huffington Post – by David Moye
Police in Port Angeles, Wash., have arrested a man accused of stealing a bulldozer and using it to destroy two homes and power lines.
“A person with a piece of heavy equipment that was very upset, struck two homes in the area and also a truck,” Jim Borte with the Clallam County Sheriff’s Department told KOMO-TV. Continue reading “Man In Stolen Bulldozer Destroys 2 Homes, Power Lines In Port Angeles, Wa.”
Huffington Post – by Amanda L. Chan
Eating peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables from the Solanaceae plant familymight help to lower your risk of Parkinson’s disease, a new study suggests.
Published in the journal Annals of Neurology, researchers from the University of Washington found that the higher the consumption of vegetables in this plant family — especially peppers — the lower the risk of Parkinson’s disease. They noted that a possible reason for this is the nicotine that is naturally present in this plant family; nicotine and tobacco smoking has been shown in past research to be associated with decreased risk of Parkinson’s disease. Continue reading “Nicotine In Peppers, Other Plants Linked With Lower Parkinson’s Risk: Study”
The bomb that exploded at the finish line of Monday’s Boston Marathon sent shock waves across the country. Crime scene photos obtained exclusively by FOX 5 Atlanta are the first look at what is left of the first deadly device.
The investigation into the explosion is already well underway, as agents sift through the remaining pieces of the bomb– hoping to draw a clear picture of how it was built, where it was built, and ultimately, who built it. Continue reading “PHOTOS: Boston Marathon Bombs”
American Thinker – by William A. Levinson
The New York Daily News lauded the effectiveness of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s sting operation in which his office hired private investigators to buy guns without background checks at gun shows. The article omits, however, a warning from the U.S. Justice Department that Mayor “Kim Jong” Bloomberg’s anti-Second Amendment vigilantism has strayed into a legal gray area, the black side of which is a felony (straw firearm purchases). It is important to circulate this letter as widely as possible, noting that at least one mayor resigned from Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns when he found out about it. I am sending copies of both letters to the mayor of Wilkes-Barre, Thomas Leighton. Continue reading “Michael Bloomberg’s Gun Stings”
The pro-gun California Democrat who was defeated last year because he was targeted by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s super PAC is running for Congress again.
Joe Baca announced on his website Monday that he’ll run in California’s 31st District to take on GOP Rep. Gary Miller, a top Democratic target for 2014. Baca had previously indicated he would seek a rematch against Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod, also a Democrat, in the 35th District. Continue reading “Pro-Gun Democrat Targeted By Bloomberg Runs For Congress Again”
Hmmm…A fan shoots himself in the head during a race sponsored by the NRA. Is it just me, or is there something Very “Fishy” about this?
FORT WORTH, Texas — A medical examiner says a man who died in the infield during Saturday’s NASCAR race at Texas Motor Speedway shot himself in the head. Continue reading “Death of NASCAR spectator at Texas track ruled suicide”
New York Post – by KATE BRIQUELET
The 9/11 Memorial foundation, funded to the tune of $830 million, has begun nickel-and-diming visitors for ticket reservations.
Even though the nonprofit has long vowed admission to the sacred site would be free, it is now demanding $2 per ticket for all advance reservations made online or by phone. Continue reading “9/11 Memorial goes back on its word, charges reservation fee; victims’ families furious”
NEW YORK — Sometimes the bait is a small amount of cash in a stray wallet. Or a credit card. Even a pack of cigarettes can do the trick.
Police in New York City leave the items unattended – on subway platforms, on park benches, in cars – and wait to see if someone grabs them. Continue reading “NYPD ‘Lucky Bag’ Tactic, Use To Fight Theft, Comes Under Criticism”
The New York Times – by PETER LUDLOW
Around 400 B.C., Socrates was brought to trial on charges of corrupting the youth of Athens and “impiety.” Presumably, however, people believed then as we do now, that Socrates’ real crime was being too clever and, not insignificantly, a royal pain to those in power or, as Plato put it, a gadfly. Just as a gadfly is an insect that could sting a horse and prod it into action, so too could Socrates sting the state. He challenged the moral values of his contemporaries and refused to go along with unjust demands of tyrants, often obstructing their plans when he could. Socrates thought his service to Athens should have earned him free dinners for life. He was given a cup of hemlock instead. Continue reading “Hacktivists as Gadflies”
NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says a Louisiana-based meat packing company has expanded a recall of meat products because of possible bacterial contamination. No illnesses have been reported
The Manda Packing Company recall announced this past week now includes 468,000 pounds of roast beef, ham, turkey breast, tasso pork, ham shanks, hog headcheese, corned beef, and pastrami. Continue reading “Manda Packing Company Recalls 468,000 Pounds Of Meat Over Possible Bacterial Contamination”
Take Part – by Salvatore Cardoni
If Francis Ford Coppola ever came out of semi-retirement and directed a fourth Godfather film (he shouldn’t, since the Corleone saga should have concluded with Michael alone on Lake Tahoe at the end of II) theatergoers might very well be treated to a sit-down scene in Palermo between Don Vincent Mancini, played by an aging Andy Garcia, and some middleman energy pusher begging for a second chance after double-crossing the cappo di tutti cappo. Continue reading “Leave the Gun, Take the Turbine: Italy Seizes Mafia-Run Wind Companies”
Keystone XL proponents are telling all sorts of lies in order to push this dirty pipeline and we need your help to push back. They say Keystone would help us achieve so-called “energy independence”…but they’re wrong.
10 days to tell the State Department: #NoKXL
Can you send a message TODAY to the State Department to tell them we don’t want this dirty pipeline? Continue reading “They’re lying about Keystone XL”
A picture of an Orthodox Jew encased in a giant plastic bag is causing some debate on the Internet this week, as commenters attempt to explain the man’s unusual traveling garb.
Redditor “FinalSay” posted the picture of the man early Thursday morning to the r/atheism subreddit, with the caption, “An Orthodox Jew in an airplane with women – so he covers himself with a plastic bag…” Continue reading “Orthodox Jew Flies In Plane Covered In Huge Plastic Bag, Possibly To Avoid Cemetery Flyover”
New York Times – by WENDY RUDERMAN
As the officers walked up to the entrance of a Harlem housing project, a loose knot of people out front scattered into the damp, dark night and a few lingerers cast cold stares at the officers. One of the officers reached into his pocket and pulled out the newest tool in the Police Department’s crime-fighting arsenal: a smartphone.
The Police Department has distributed about 400 phones to officers. Continue reading “New Tool for Police Officers: Records at Their Fingertips”
A new bill in Congress will ensure that the federal government won’t interfere with states that decide to reform their marijuana laws. Take action today!
Cosponsor the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2013
Dear [Decision Maker],
I urge you to cosponsor the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act of 2013 which would protect state marijuana laws from federal interference and eliminate federal enforcement against law-abiding citizens in states that have reformed their marijuana laws. Continue reading “Tell Congress: Protect State Marijuana Reform Laws”
Middletown, CT Patch – by Cassandra Day
OUTSIDE HARTFORD, CT — A city student was subdued Wednesday morning with a Taser by Middletown Police outside Woodrow Wilson Middle School.
Middletown Police student resource and patrol officers “were called to the school today to assist the staff,” according to Lt. Heather Desmond. Continue reading “Taser Used on Middle School Student”
My Fox Boston 
USA Today – by Catalina Camia
Huffington Post – by Tom Hays
Huffington Post