Yearly Archives: 2013

Michael Hastings Cremated, Family Never Requested; Wife Hires Private Investigator

"Hastings' friend and confidant SSgt. Joe Biggs disclosed a macabre twist in the award-winning journalist's death in a suspicious single-car accident. According to SSgt. Biggs, 'Michael Hastings' body was returned to Vermont in an urn.' He further alleged, 'Family members did not want Michael's body cremated.' This revelation provides another wrinkle in the Los Angeles Police Department's (LAPD) handling of a case they labeled 'no foul play' only hours after the writer's death." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMichael Hastings Cremated, Family Never Requested; Wife Hires Private Investigator

Why Can’t We Party Like It’s 1905?

"So, do you think life was nasty, brutish, and short in 1905? The Wright brothers were flying for 30 minutes at a crack; Einstein was upgrading the laws of physics; telephones and electric lights were being installed all across America; Henry Ford was getting the final pieces in place for his moving assembly line and Model T; radio was being developed; art was flourishing; and the world was more or less at peace. People in 1905 lived in heated homes, refrigerated their food, had access to professional physicians, traveled the world, read daily newspapers, watched movies, and ate just about the same foods we eat." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy Can’t We Party Like It’s 1905?

Utah lawmaker calls for an end to compulsory education

"Osmond argues that requiring children to attend school has caused some parents to 'completely disengage themselves from their obligation to oversee and ensure the successful education of their children.' 'I believe the time has come for us to re-evaluate what we expect of parents and the public education system.' Osmond recommends 'restoring the parental right to decide if and when a child will go to public school' to uphold the 'principles of personal freedom and unalienable rights.' Part of the solution, he believes, is to 'stop dictating the number of hours a child must be present in a classroom.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUtah lawmaker calls for an end to compulsory education

Riot in India as ‘poisonous’ school lunch kills 21 children

"Twenty-one children have died after eating a free lunch feared to contain poisonous chemicals at a school in eastern India, officials said Wednesday, sparking angry protests as mobs ran riot. Another 30 children remained ill in hospital after consuming the meal of lentils, vegetables and rice. Free lunches are offered to poorer students in state-run schools as part of government welfare measures in many of India’s 29 states. Educators see the midday meal scheme as a way to increase school attendance. But children often suffer from food poisoning due to poor hygiene in kitchens and occasionally sub-standard food." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRiot in India as ‘poisonous’ school lunch kills 21 children

School board members among 109 New Jerseyans faking income for free school meal program

"New Jersey state Comptroller Matthew Boxer announced on Wednesday that 109 public employees, spouses and family members will be prosecuted on fraud charges after a state investigation found they lied about their incomes to qualify for a free school lunch program. Boxer did not identify the employees, but mentioned that 40 of them worked for school districts, including six board members. The 109 cheaters hid a combined $13 million in underreported income to claim their children qualified for participation in the National School Lunch Program, which offers free or discounted breakfasts and lunches for children from lower-income families." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSchool board members among 109 New Jerseyans faking income for free school meal program

Caregiver Bloomberg Now Wants New Yorkers To Use The Stairs

"Bloomberg recently signed an Executive Order (which probably created an exhilarating rush) that: '...requires that agencies assess opportunities to promote the use of stairways, and that agencies train design and construction personnel in the use of the City’s Active Design Guidelines.' [...] 'Additionally, the Bloomberg Administration plans two items of legislation to promote access to stairways in all new construction and buildings undergoing major renovations in New York City. The first bill requires that building owners give occupants access to at least one, clearly identified stairway in the building; and post signs that prompt stair use near elevators.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCaregiver Bloomberg Now Wants New Yorkers To Use The Stairs

Pennsylvania Court Upholds Seatbelt Roadblocks

"Motorists traveling along a highway in Pennsylvania can be stopped at roadblocks specifically set up just to issue seatbelt citations. A three-judge panel of the superior court on Friday endorsed the practice of using federal grants to set up seatbelt checkpoints statewide on high-volume roadways. Even though failure to wear a seatbelt cannot justify a traffic stop under Pennsylvania law, the court asserted that the seatbelt roadblock was lawful because it met the state supreme court criteria for holding a drunk-driving checkpoint." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPennsylvania Court Upholds Seatbelt Roadblocks

Congressional Picks for DHS Head Include Backers of Mass Surveillance

"Lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee are suggesting individuals who have supported programs similar to National Security Agency digital surveillance initiatives. Among the people ranking Democrat Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Tenn., would prefer, according to minority committee aides, is Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., a committee member who supported the divisive Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, known as CISPA. The measure, which the House approved by a 288-127 vote in April, would allow the intelligence community to monitor the metadata of private emails for threat signatures or indicators of malicious software." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCongressional Picks for DHS Head Include Backers of Mass Surveillance

Millions of U.S. license plates tracked and stored – and it’s not just government agencies

"'License plate readers are the most pervasive method of location tracking that nobody has heard of,' said Catherine Crump, ACLU lawyer and lead author of the report. 'They collect data on millions of Americans, the overwhelming number of whom are entirely innocent of any wrongdoing.' Crump said that the creeping growth of licence plate scanners echoed the debate over the National Security Agency. 'It raises the same question as the NSA controversy: do we want to live in a world where the government makes a record of everything we do – because that’s what’s being created by the growth of databases linked to license plate readers.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMillions of U.S. license plates tracked and stored – and it’s not just government agencies

Unitarian Church, Gun Groups Join EFF to Sue NSA Over Illegal Surveillance

"'People who hold controversial views – whether it's about gun ownership policies, drug legalization, or immigration – often must express views as a group in order to act and advocate effectively,' said Cohn. 'But fear of individual exposure when participating in political debates over high-stakes issues can dissuade people from taking part. That's why the Supreme Court ruled in 1958 that membership lists of groups have strong First Amendment protection. Telephone records, especially complete records collected over many years, are even more invasive than membership lists, since they show casual or repeated inquiries as well as full membership.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUnitarian Church, Gun Groups Join EFF to Sue NSA Over Illegal Surveillance