From the Trenches World Report

ABC News – by JOHN HEILPRIN Associated Press

The United Nations said Monday it needs almost $13 billion to meet some of the world’s biggest humanitarian needs in 2014, and almost half of that amount would go to Syria and its surrounding region.

The request is meant to reach 52 million people in 17 countries, and is the largest amount that the U.N. and its partner agencies have ever asked at the start of the year to meet global humanitarian needs, officials said.   Continue reading “UN: $12.9 Billion Aid Needs in 2014, Half to Syria”

ABC News

A clash between knife-wielding assailants and police officers in China’s restive Xinjiang region left 16 people dead, including two police, state media said Monday.

The region’s official news portal, Tianshan Net, said “several thugs” threw explosives Sunday night at the officers, who were pursuing unidentified suspects, and attacked them with knives.   Continue reading “16 Die in Clash in Restive Western China”

New York Times – by ERICA GOODE

GREELEY, Colo. — When Sheriff John Cooke of Weld County explains in speeches why he is not enforcing the state’s new gun laws, he holds up two 30-round magazines. One, he says, he had before July 1, when the law banning the possession, sale or transfer of the large-capacity magazines went into effect. The other, he “maybe” obtained afterward.

He shuffles the magazines, which look identical, and then challenges the audience to tell the difference.   Continue reading “Sheriffs Refuse to Enforce Laws on Gun Control”

The Morning Call – by Manuel Gamiz Jr.

The Missouri Torch – by Duane Lester

A pre-filed bill in the Missouri Senate would require parents of a public school student to report to the school if they own a gun.

Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal filed SB 549, which reads:   Continue reading “Missouri Bill Mandates Parents Report Gun Ownership to School Their Child Attends”

AlterNet – by Emily DePrang, Texas Observer

On October 24, the Houston Police Department announced the results of its yearlong investigation into the shooting death of Brian Claunch, a mentally ill double amputee killed by an officer last September after refusing to drop a pen. HPD cleared the officer, Matthew Marin, of any wrongdoing.

That may not come as a surprise, since HPD hasn’t found a single police shooting unjustified in at least six years. Between 2007 and 2012, HPD officers fatally shot 109 people and injured another 111. All those shootings were found justified. (For the full story on HPD shootings and beatings, read the Observer investigation here.)   Continue reading “How a Texas Cop Who Killed a Double Amputee Holding a Ballpoint Pen Got Away With It”

The Telegraph – by JOE KOVAC JR.

After his midnight shift began on a Wednesday evening late last January, Macon police officer Troy Guidry sent a text message to a buddy on the force.

“Ready to go shopping tonight,” Guidry’s text to officer Jon Wantz said.

For weeks, Guidry had had his eyes peeled for a tractor. He’d been wanting to spruce up the tree line around his 2½ acre yard in eastern Monroe County.   Continue reading “Badges of dishonor: How two Macon cops became crooks”

America’s Watchtower

Edward Snowden, through the leakage of several top secret NSA documents, has reveals the depths of the NSA spying program. Because of this he was forced to flee the United States and now lives in asylum in Russia.

While the ramifications of the Snowden leaks have been far reaching it has been reported that only 1% of the documents in Edward Snowden’s possession have been made public. This means that there is an astronomical amount of potentially damaging material which has not yet come to light, and the NSA will do just about anything to ensure it never does–up to an including granting Edward Snowden amnesty in return for the unreleased documents.   Continue reading “The NSA is considering granting Edward Snowden amnesty in return for the stolen documents”

The Tap

Several companies have stopped using BPA in plastic production due to consumer outrage, but just because a plastic container says it is “BPA Free” doesn’t mean it’s free of potentially harmful chemicals. As a matter of fact, recent research out of Germany indicates there are more than 24,000 of such chemicals in any given bottle of water—with some of them causing serious hormone-disrupting effects.

According to the story from Goethe University Frankfort, the researchers tested 18 different bottled water products in an effort to look for endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs. They found far more than expected, identifying 24,520 different chemicals in their testing. After isolating the chemicals and determining their impact on the body, the researchers narrowed down those with anti-estrogenic properties to one: DEHF or di(2-ethylhexyl) fumarate. This finding was of major concern.   Continue reading “Bottled water wreaking havoc with our bodies”

Truth Dig – by Alexander Reed Kelly

The actor’s 1962 portrayal of an English ally of embattled Arabs is a high water mark of cinema. Long after overcoming stomach cancer in the 1970s, Peter O’Toole died in a London hospital following an illness.

O’Toole stopped acting last year, saying, “I bid the profession a dry-eyed and profoundly grateful farewell.” He said his career in movies and on stage fulfilled him emotionally and financially, connecting him “with fine people, good companions with whom I’ve shared the inevitable lot of all actors: flops and hits.”   Continue reading “Peter O’Toole, Star of ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’ Dead at 81”

The People’s Voice – by Katherine Smith, PhD

Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, happened 75 years ago when Nazi thugs conducted a wave of violent anti-Jewish pogroms on the streets of Berlin and other cities in Germany. U.S. President Barack Obama, on the 2014 Anniversary of Kristallnacht, issued a statement to commemorate the anniversary of Kristallnacht, stating that “the event foreshadowed the systematic slaughter of six million Jews and millions of other innocent victims.”   Continue reading “The Modern State of Israel: A Hegelian Paradigm”