From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
Daily Finance – by John Grgurich, The Motley Fool
In January, 11 European countries moved significantly closer to implementing a financial transaction tax, known informally as a “Robin Hood” tax, which would be levied on stock, bond, and derivatives trades, with the proceeds potentially used to fight poverty and climate change. Continue reading “Investors, Take Note: The Robin Hood Tax Might Be Coming to America”
NEW YORK — Lovers of the unusual are getting another chance to impress their Valentines this year in New York City.
The Department of Environmental Protection is again offering Valentine’s Day tours of the Newtown Creek sewage treatment plant in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint section. Continue reading “NYC Valentine’s Day Sewage Tour Back By ‘Demand’”
New York City police handcuffed and “interrogated” 7-year-old Wilson Reyes for hours on December 4, after a playground dispute in which $5 went missing. Wilson’s family alleges that he was held at the 44th Precinct house in the Bronx for a total of ten hours during which he was handcuffed to a metal bar, says the New York Post.
$5 belonging to another student that was to be used for a cancelled school trip, “had fallen on the ground” in front of Wilson and two other boys. One boy took the money; Wilson was falsely accused of doing so as a result of which he “scuffled” with one of the other boys. Continue reading “Tell the NYPD: Don’t Handcuff Students!”
Authorities in Delaware responded Monday morning to reports of gunshots fired inside the New Castle County Courthouse, Delaware Online reports.
Two women, including the shooter’s estranged wife, were fatally wounded in the incident. Two police officers were also transported to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Authorities say the shooter — identified as 45-year-old David Matusiewicz — is dead, NBC Philadelphia reports. Continue reading “New Castle County Courthouse Shooting: Delaware Police Say 3 Dead, 2 Injured”
BOSTON (AP) – Snow-covered car exhaust pipes killed two people and sent two others to the hospital in three separate incidents Saturday.
All three tragedies happened much the same way: People trying to warm up while they or their parents dug out their vehicle sought refuge in the car while its tailpipe was still blocked with snow. Continue reading “Snow-Covered Cars Become Deadly Traps in Boston”
As the ground search resumed Saturday in Bear Bear for a disgruntled ex-cop suspected of hunting down LAPD officials and their families, authorities pledged to continue until they find Christopher Jordan Dorner.
Dorner, a 33-year-old former Los Angeles police officer, is suspected of killing three people and wounding two. Continue reading “Dorner manhunt: Search resumes in Big Bear mountains”
Daily Intelligencer – by Joe Coscarelli
To push the release of its “Stop and Frisk Watch” iPhone app today, the NYCLU released a short clip of police officers demonstrating the technology on the previously mentioned Android version. Whereas the technology was designed with the hope of “[empowering] New Yorkers to confront abusive, discriminatory policing” by allowing them to tape the controversial searches in action and submit them for a legal review, the NYPD officers in the promo just giggle, say bad words, and give the middle finger. Continue reading “Cops Inadvertently Endorse Stop-and-Frisk iPhone App”
Business Insider – by Rick Pearson and Bill Ruthhart , Chicago Tribune
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s super political action committee has spent at least $660,000 for 12 days of TV ads blasting Democratic congressional candidate Debbie Halvorson’s past support from the National Rifle Association, records filed by local affiliates of the four major networks showed Thursday.
When its current ad buy ends Sunday, the Independence USA super PAC will have aired 574 half-minute broadcast TV commercials to influence the outcome of the 2nd Congressional District special election, records show. Continue reading “Michael Bloomberg’s PAC Spent $660,000 In 12 Days To Try To Sink The Candidacy Of A Pro-Gun Democrat”
Huffington Post – by Meredith Bennett-Smith
World’s most unfortunate butt dial?
A prisoner at Welikada jail in Colombo, Sri Lanka, got into trouble this week, after he attempted to hide a smuggled cell phone in his rectum.
The Agence France-Presse reports that the 58-year-old convict had concealed the phone, along with a hands-free headset, in his body cavity. The items were discovered when prison guards heard a suspicious ringing. Continue reading “Sri Lankan Prisoner Hides Smuggled Cell Phone In Butt, Foiled When Device Rings”
Call it the “Dark Knight Complex.” In the age of the Internet and social media, behind certain high-profile alleged murderers, there are loyal fans.
Supporters of Christopher Dorner, the former LA policeman turned “cop killer,” have shown up online, with tweets and fan pages on Facebook. Some call Dorner a “hero” for writing a nine-page manifesto alleged on racism and corruption within the LAPD. Continue reading “Christopher Dorner Fans On Facebook, Twitter Call Alleged Cop Killer A ‘Hero,’ Citing Police Brutality”
SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) – The massive manhunt for former LAPD officer, Christopher Dorner, has entered its second day. The search for the triple murder suspect is centered in Big Bear, but also extends throughout Southern California and has touched parts of Southern Nevada.
The latest Dorner sighting has come out of Los Angeles, where the LAPD has reinstated a city wide tactical alert, after Dorner may have been spotted in the LA area. The tactical alert was canceled Friday morning around 7:30 a.m., but was issued again after 11:00 a.m. Continue reading “Search for Dorner continues in Big Bear”
Huffington Post – by Agence France Presse
People whose homes or farms were hit by radiation from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant will file class-action lawsuits next month to seek damages from the Japanese government, lawyers said Friday.
At least 350 residents are to file a case with Fukushima District Court on March 11, the second anniversary of the disaster, the lawyers said, describing it as the largest class-action on the issue against the state. Continue reading “Fukushima Survivors To Sue Japan Government Over Role In Nuclear Disaster”
Yahoo News – by KIMBERLY DOZIER | Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of a Senate committee recessed John Brennan’s CIA confirmation hearing and cleared the room after protesters persistently interrupted the proceedings.
Police removed several protesters at the beginning of the hearing on Thursday. More began yelling after Brennan began testifying, and Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein ordered the hearing recessed while the room was cleared of spectators by Capitol Police. The protesters were shouting objections to lethal U.S. drone strikes and harsh interrogation methods. Continue reading “Protesters interrupt CIA nominee Brennan hearing”
Huffington Post – by CASSANDRA VINOGRAD
LONDON — Some beef lasagna products recalled from British stores contained more than 60 percent horsemeat, U.K. food safety authorities said Thursday. It was the latest revelation in a growing scandal surrounding the use of horsemeat and the mislabeling of meat products in Europe.
Frozen-food company Findus recalled the beef lasagna meals earlier this week after French supplier Comigel raised concerns that the products didn’t “conform to specification.” The U.K. Food Standards Agency said the lasagnas were tested as part of an ongoing investigation into mislabeled meat. Continue reading “Recalled Beef Lasagna Products Contain More Than 60 Percent Horsemeat: UK”
Huffington Post – by Lynne Peeples
In 1991, as part of Operation Desert Storm, former U.S. Army Spc. Candy Lovett arrived in Kuwait a healthy 29-year-old eager to serve her country. Two decades later, she’s accumulated a stack of medical records over five feet high — none of which relates to injuries inflicted by bullets or shrapnel.
“It’s just been one thing after another,” said the veteran, who now resides in Miami and whose ailments run the gamut from lung disease and sleep apnea to, most recently, terminal breast cancer. “At one point,” she said, “I was on over 50 pills.” Continue reading “Gulf War Syndrome, Other Illnesses Among Veterans May Be Due To Toxic Environments”
