Network Archives

Airliner diverted as secure cockpit door locks pilot out mid-flight

"An Air India flight to Bangalore was diverted to another city after the pilot returned from a toilet break and found the door to the cockpit jammed shut, the state-run carrier says. The flight left Delhi but the plane had to be diverted to Bhopal in central India when the pilot realised he could not get back to the controls. 'The commander of the flight had left the cockpit for a short while to visit the toilet and on returning to the cockpit found the door locked,' Air India said in statement. It said that 'all efforts to open the door, even from inside by the co-pilot, failed'. The co-pilot was forced to diverted the flight to Bhopal where the door was repaired." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAirliner diverted as secure cockpit door locks pilot out mid-flight

TSA issued $1.8 million in airport firearms fines last year

"There were 1,549 firearms discovered at TSA checkpoints nationwide in 2012. TSA has found 10 guns at Memphis International Airport this year and six at McGhee Tyson. Weapons — included guns — are not permitted in carry-on baggage. Passengers are responsible for the contents of bags they bring to the security checkpoint. Passengers who bring firearms to a checkpoint face a civil penalty from TSA, which last year assessed more than $1.8 million in civil penalties for firearms discovered in passenger carry-on bags." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTSA issued $1.8 million in airport firearms fines last year

More On Silva Murder By Police

"Mr. Silva’s murderers are back from the vacation to which we treated them and once again swaggering the streets of Kern County, hunting their next victim. Residents may want to 'shelter' indoors for protection from these sadists. Many have sent me articles on the ghastly crimes against serfs at least two of Mr. Silva’s assailants have previously committed. And you can see why they continue to exterminate us: 'The deputies did not face criminal charges in the death of [Jose Lucero]' -- though his family received $4.5 million in a civil suit. This was a particularly heartrending butchery as his parents watched uniformed killers beat and Taser their boy to death." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMore On Silva Murder By Police

Gitmo-izing Air Passengers

"Sometimes the most unpleasant and important truths are disclosed in unintended ways. Speaking on behalf of military officials at Guantanamo, Lt. Col. Samuel House denied that the searches are abusive. According to House, the searches imposed on Gitmo detainees 'are conducted with clothes on, similar to pat-down searches conducted by an airport security screener.' Doesn’t this mean that it is standard operating procedure for TSA screeners to treat innocent American air travelers as if they were Gitmo detainees?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGitmo-izing Air Passengers

It’s time to tell the TSA what you really think of it – and for it to listen

"The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has ordered the TSA to engage in something known as notice-and-comment rulemaking on its screening procedures, and specifically its use of full-body scanners. You can leave your comment at the Federal Register website until June 24th. The TSA hopes the public it’s assigned to protect will approve of the scanners and the way they’re used. But it promises to 'review and analyze' the comments to develop a final rule related to the use of airport scanners. What could they do? That isn’t entirely clear. The lengthy document seems to suggest that four options are on the table." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIt’s time to tell the TSA what you really think of it – and for it to listen

IRS exec got $42k in bonuses in addition to $700k in salary from 2009-2012

"Lois Lerner, the senior executive in charge of the IRS tax exemption department and the federal employee at the center of the exploding scandal over the IRS targeting of conservative, evangelical and pro-Israel non-profits, was given $42,531 in bonuses between 2009 and 2011. That figure was included in data provided by the IRS in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by The Washington Examiner. Lerner is director of the IRS exempt organizations division, which processes and approves or denies applications from groups seeking tax-exempt status. With the bonuses, Lerner was paid a total of $740,931 for the four-year period." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIRS exec got $42k in bonuses in addition to $700k in salary from 2009-2012

Who will pay more under Obamacare? Young men

"Obamacare limits the amount insurers can charge older enrollees to three times the amount charged for younger participants. Men usually pay less than women, since they typically visit the doctor less frequently. The Affordable Care Act, however, doesn't allow insurers to charge different rates to men and women. Taken together, men ages 25 to 36 could see rate increases greater than 50%, according to Milliman's O'Connor, but women of the same age will only see their premiums creep up 4%. Meanwhile, men age 60 to 64 could see their premiums drop by 12%." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWho will pay more under Obamacare? Young men

Law Professor Wants To Do Away With Most C’s Because They Make Students Feel Bad

"Hey, why even make the kids take the classes? Let's just give them degrees! With honors! Law schools should 'substantially eliminate' 'C' grades because they're stress-inducing and make it more difficult for students to get jobs, a law professor argues in the University of San Francisco Law Review. Does this prof not realize that if everyone is given a grade of B or better that a college degree becomes even more useless than it now is in judging a graduate for employment? I give the prof an F for failure to understand the real world consequences of his proposal." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLaw Professor Wants To Do Away With Most C’s Because They Make Students Feel Bad

How Mapping Student Debt Changes the Debate

"While soaring college tuition and low barriers to borrowing have been widely blamed, the New York Fed's maps indicate that the worst employment environment in a generation has had a powerful effect. In fact, those states with high delinquency rates on student loans are having trouble with all kinds of debt. The regions on the map with the most red ink—the Deep South and Southeast—also have the highest consumer bankruptcy rates, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute. The Fed's report further connects the dots between the student debt crisis and the nation's overall financial health. It also gives policymakers contemplating a bailout something to think about." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow Mapping Student Debt Changes the Debate

Student Loans are About to Cross the Trillion Dollar Mark

"In the first quarter of 2013, students owed $986 billion in student loans, up $20 billion from $966 billion in the fourth quarter. Student-loan balances outstanding have soared 70% in the past five years, thanks to government backing of loan programs---which has done nothing but sent the price of a near useless education soaring. Prices fall and quality improves where the government doesn't intervene (see: cell phones, televisions personal computers). Prices soar and quality fall where the government gets heavily involved (see: the health sector and education sector)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStudent Loans are About to Cross the Trillion Dollar Mark