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Despite Ongoing Protest, Obama Resumes Drone Attacks in Pakistan

"Despite repeated and recent warnings that such attacks are destabilizing and an affront to its territorial sovereignty, reports indicate the US military executed a pair of drone missile strikes in Pakistan on Wednesday in what appears to be an attempt to assassinate a high-level Taliban commander. It remains unclear whether or not Wali-ur-Rehman—the reported target of the attack— was, in fact, killed, but reports from various media outlets suggest between four and seven fatalities resulted from the attack that occurred in the North Waziristan tribal region." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDespite Ongoing Protest, Obama Resumes Drone Attacks in Pakistan

Turkish PM urges end to Istanbul protests as police pull out after 2 days

"Turkey’s prime minister on Saturday called for an immediate end to violent protests which have engulfed Istanbul for two days, in what were one of the biggest anti-government demonstrations since the Islamist-rooted leadership came to power. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan admitted that 'there have been some mistakes, extremism in police response' and that legal action would be taken against officers who added disproportionately. But he also remained defiant, vowing to push forward with controversial plans to redevelop the iconic Taksim square — the catalyst that had sparked the protests." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTurkish PM urges end to Istanbul protests as police pull out after 2 days

Far-right and anti-fascists face off over London soldier murder

"Dozens of people were arrested in London on Saturday as rival far-right and anti-fascist groups faced off over the murder of a British soldier by suspected Islamists. London’s Metropolitan Police said 58 people from the Unite Against Fascism pressure group were arrested after they gathered to oppose a rally by the far-right British National Party (BNP) near the Houses of Parliament. The arrested UAF protesters, who were part of a group of around 300 people opposing the 150-strong BNP rally, were detained on suspicion of breaching the Public Order Act, Scotland Yard added." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFar-right and anti-fascists face off over London soldier murder

Google ordered to obey FBI’s warrantless data requests

"A federal judge has rejected Google’s request to not have to comply with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) warrantless requests for users’ data records, the Associated Press reported on Friday. In a May 28 ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston decided that the 'national security letters' issued by the bureau were not unconstitutional, as the tech company had argued, but delayed her ruling pending a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Illston ruled that after receiving sworn statements from two high-ranking FBI officials, she determined that the bureau followed proper procedure in issuing 17 of 19 letters to Google." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGoogle ordered to obey FBI’s warrantless data requests

Social (Un)Security: “You Died This Month? We’ll Keep Your Dough.”

"With the recent death of a family member on the 26th of the month, I was reminded of a special provision for social security that gives the government a free pass for a last moment of theft, and that's after a lifetime of theft under the guise of overseeing one's 'security.' The provision essentially states that in the month of death, a person shall not receive any benefits for that month for the days that person was alive." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSocial (Un)Security: “You Died This Month? We’ll Keep Your Dough.”

Cowboy-style cap gun gets 5-year-old ousted from school in Calvert County

"A kindergartner who brought a cowboy-style cap gun onto his Calvert County school bus was suspended for 10 days after showing a friend the orange-tipped toy, which he had tucked inside his backpack on his way to school, according to his family and a lawyer. The child was questioned for more than two hours before his mother was called, she said, adding that he uncharacteristically wet his pants during the episode. If the punishment stands, it would become part of the boy’s permanent school record and keep him out of classes the rest of the school year, the family said. He would miss his end-of-year kindergarten program at Dowell Elementary School in Lusby." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCowboy-style cap gun gets 5-year-old ousted from school in Calvert County

California man jailed for painting crosswalk

"A Northern California man is facing vandalism charges after authorities say he painted a crosswalk on a street, allegedly telling officials it was needed. Fifty-two-year-old Anthony Cardenas was arrested Thursday morning in Vallejo and booked into Solano County Jail on suspicion of felony vandalism. Solano County Sheriff's Lt. Brad DeWall says workers spotted Cardenas committing the vandalism at a city intersection. State transportation workers painted over Cardenas' alleged crosswalk later in the day. A police cadet had been posted at the intersection until then to keep pedestrians from using it." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCalifornia man jailed for painting crosswalk

Georgian president accused of using state funds for botox treatments

"Georgian prosecutors said Friday they were probing the alleged misuse of state funds, as accusations surfaced that President Mikheil Saakashvili had spent thousands of dollars of government money on botox treatments in the United States. According to alleged expense documents aired by anti-Saakashvili broadcaster Imedi on Friday, the president splashed out more than $11,000 (8500 euro) in government money on cosmetic procedures while visiting New York in 2009 and 2011. The documents also purported to show that Saakashvili spent around $9,000 of state money in the United Kingdom on a naked portrait of an unspecified US actress." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGeorgian president accused of using state funds for botox treatments

New Zealand police ordered to return Dotcom material

"A New Zealand judge on Friday ordered police to return any digital material seized in an armed raid on Internet mogul Kim Dotcom’s mansion last year not directly related to the prosecution against him. The decision by High Court chief judge Helen Winkelmann follows a ruling last year that the January 2012 raid on Dotcom’s Auckland mansion was illegal because the search warrants used were too broad to be considered reasonable. Digital material such as computer hard drives were taken in the dawn swoop as part of a US probe into allegations of massive online piracy by Dotcom’s now-defunct Megaupload empire." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew Zealand police ordered to return Dotcom material

Your Tax Dollars at Work: Medicare Financing Plastic Surgery

"Aging Americans worried about their droopy upper eyelids often rely on the plastic surgeon’s scalpel to turn back the hands of time. Increasingly, Medicare is footing the bill. Yes, Medicare. The public health insurance program for people over 65 typically does not cover cosmetic surgery… In recent years, though, a rapid rise in the number of so-called functional eyelid lifts, or blepharoplasty, has led some to question whether Medicare is letting procedures that are really cosmetic slip through the cracks — at a cost of millions of dollars. In 2001, physicians billed taxpayers a total of $20 million for the procedure. By 2011, the price tag had quadrupled to $80 million." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingYour Tax Dollars at Work: Medicare Financing Plastic Surgery