Month: March 2015

UPI – by Amy R Connolly

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla., March 28 (UPI) — A spring break party turned violent early Saturday, when a gunman opened fire near a home, leaving seven people, including several Alabama A&M University students, critically injured.

Investigators said at least one of the victims was shot in the head and others were hit multiple times. They were all taken to local hospitals.   Continue reading “Seven critical after Florida spring break shooting”

The New American – by Alex Newman

A massive U.S. military drill dubbed “Jade Helm 15” lists Texas, Utah, and part of California as “hostile” or “insurgent pocket” territory. The unclassified information about this drill is causing widespread alarm nationwide, with more than a few analysts suggesting it may be some sort of exercise practicing to impose martial law on Americans fed up with an out-of-control federal government. During the exercises, which will take place over the summer, Special Forces from various branches of the military will work with local law-enforcement in scenarios that, to critics at least, sound suspiciously like they are aimed at subduing rebellious American civilians and states amid a civil war or large-scale unrest. The federal government issued a response dismissing the concerns and saying that the training is to help U.S. forces prepare for overseas missions, but not everyone is convinced.   Continue reading “Military Drill Identifying “Hostile” U.S. States Sparks Alarm”

Consortium News – by Robert Parry

If two major newspapers in, say, Russia published major articles openly advocating the unprovoked bombing of a country, say, Israel, the U.S. government and news media would be aflame with denunciations about “aggression,” “criminality,” “madness,” and “behavior not fitting the Twenty-first Century.”

But when the newspapers are American – the New York Times and the Washington Post – and the target country is Iran, no one in the U.S. government and media bats an eye. These inflammatory articles – these incitements to murder and violation of international law – are considered just normal discussion in the Land of Exceptionalism.   Continue reading “NYT Publishes Call to Bomb Iran”

The Guardian

 

World leaders, current and former, were due to attend the state funeral on Sunday of Singapore’s first prime minister and founding father Lee Kuan Yew.

The Indonesian president Joko Widodo, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe will attend as will the Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott.

Former leaders, including US president Bill Clinton and US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, will also be among mourners.   Continue reading “World leaders gather for Lee Kuan Yew’s funeral in Singapore”

Washington Post – by Michael Cavna

IN THE Martin Scorsese-directed “Life Lessons,” within the larger film“New York Stories,” a grizzled abstract painter played by Nick Nolte is cleaned-up and charismatic in tux and tales – yes, tales, because a man with an ego the size of his Manhattan loft has to lubricate his big exhibition opening not only with Smirnoff’s Gold, but also silver tongue. And fortunately for Nolte’s “action” artist, Lionel Dobie, he has literal war stories to tell these bejeweled patrons — shaggy anecdotes about how his X-rated doodles were once dropped beyond enemy lines, as renderings intended to deflate the fighting hearts and minds and cartoon-helpless eyes of the humble foot soldier.   Continue reading “Shock and Draw: Here’s the graphic cartoon U.S. airdropped on ISIS”

AOL – by David Pit

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Food manufacturers and restaurants are taking the dairy industry by the horns on an animal welfare issue that’s long bothered activists but is little known to consumers: the painful removal of budding horn tissue from calves so farm workers or other animals don’t get gored later.

It’s routine to remove the horn tissue from young calves before it attaches to the skull, either by burning it out with heat or chemicals or digging it out with sharp instruments. While veterinary groups recommend pain treatment, only about 10 percent of calves are properly medicated, according to Vermont dairy cattle breeder Mark Rodgers.   Continue reading “Dairy farms asked to consider breeding no-horn cows”

Tulsa World – by ZIVA BRANSTETTER

MEDFORD — State officials are expanding the number of counties included in earthquake “areas of interest” and have told nearly 100 companies to prove that their oil and gas waste-water disposal wells are not too deep.

Officials with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission detailed the new requirements during a town hall meeting in Medford on Wednesday evening. The small town in Grant County near the Kansas border has been plagued with frequent earthquakes linked to oil and gas disposal wells.

More than 100 people from the area packed into the Medford town hall to view presentations from state officials and to ask questions about the issue.   Continue reading “State adds new earthquake zones, requirements for well operators”

Police One

BESSEMER, Ala. — Bessemer police arrested a man after what was nearly a four-hour standoff at the man’s apartment complex.

Police responded to a domestic disturbance in progress call at the apartment complex, according to AL.com, when the suspect shot an arrow toward officers from his balcony.   Continue reading “Ala. man shoots at police with bow and arrow, prompts standoff”

NJ.com – by Agustin C. Torres

OK, it’s past 5 p.m. on Friday, as I write, and that means all federal employees, as well as most taxpayer-paid employees — except uniformed services — have been on their way home hours ago. U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez isn’t getting indicted this week.

Since published reports, sourced from leaks, indicated it was only a matter of when Menendez would be federally indicted on corruption charges, and most were predicting this (past) week. It appears we’ll have to wait a little longer. I can’t imagine that it is a result of second thoughts in the Justice Department but rather because of meetings between los federales and Menendez’s legal team. More time may also be needed to convince Florida eye surgeon Salomon Melgen that it is in his best interest to testify against his friend the New Jersey senator.   Continue reading “Political Insider: No indictment of Sen. Menendez this week”

Bloomberg – by Michael C Bender, Mark Halperin

Senator Marco Rubio plans to announce his campaign for president on April 13 in Miami, two Republican sources confirmed to Bloomberg on Saturday.

That could make Rubio the third Republican senator to enter his party’s presidential nomination contest, which is shaping up to be one of the most wide-open races of recent election cycles. Ted Cruz of Texas last week became the first formally declared candidate, and Rand Paul of Kentucky is expected to announce his plans April 7 in Louisville.   Continue reading “Marco Rubio Plans to Announce Presidential Campaign April 13, Sources Confirm”

Englewood-Englewood Cliffs Patch – by NATALIE MIELES

The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office has charged six individuals who they say fraudulently obtained New Jersey driver’s licenses with other identities.

The charges are a result of a 2012 anti-fraud initiative by the Motor Vehicle Commission and Division of Criminal Justice that used “cutting edge facial scrub software to determine if the same individual was maintaining more than one record in the motor vehicle database,” Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said.   Continue reading “Six Charged With Using Fraudulent Information to Obtain Drivers Licenses”

Cleveland – by James F. McCarty

CLEVELAND, Ohio – In the past five years, Cleveland police officer Aaron Reese has twice been suspended from duty and accused of steroid use and fraud. Prior to being hired in 2009, he was accused of child abuse and civil rights violations.

He also was promoted to detective in December and received a Medal of Heroism after arresting a suspect who he and a partner accused of shooting at them in 2012, even though some city officials doubted that the citizen, who had a permit to carry the gun, ever fired it at the officers.   Continue reading “How one Cleveland police officer’s lawsuit gives public rare view of department’s disciplinary process”

Yahoo News

BOSTON (AP) — A decorated Boston police officer remained in a medically induced coma Saturday, a night after he was shot in the face during a traffic stop that ended when other officers fatally shot his attacker, the city’s police commissioner said.

Officer John Moynihan, 34, was struck just below his right eye and the bullet remains lodged below his right ear. He was listed in critical condition, Commissioner William Evans said.   Continue reading “Decorated Boston cop in coma after being shot in face”

Fox News

COALINGA, Calif. –  A small earthquake jolted an area of central California, but there were no reports of damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the temblor occurred at 6:30 a.m. Friday and had a preliminary magnitude of 4.2. It was centered 6 miles north of Coalinga and occurred at a depth of 7 miles.   Continue reading “Magnitude-4.2 earthquake jolts central California”