Disasters Of State

Hacking Through the Ole Gordian Knot

"Our Rulers couldn't get serfs to their jobs at all last week, and yesterday, they expected workers to stand in line for two hours just to get on a bus, never mind the actual commute. But suddenly, miraculously, these wunderkinds are 'providing free [sic for 'paid for by others'] 'voter shuttles' ... for people in the Rockaways, Staten Island, and Coney Island whose regular polling places were damaged in last week's storm. The MTA says the shuttle buses will run every 15 to 20 minutes ... in addition to regular bus service and carry voters to alternate voting sites.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHacking Through the Ole Gordian Knot

Sandy victims furious as FEMA troubles begin to build

"Homeowners looking to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for assistance to rebuild their homes are learning they won’t get the immediate aid they expected. And maybe no aid at all. While the federal agency has approved $210 million in financial assistance — mostly in vouchers for hotel rooms — aid for rebuilding homes damaged or destroyed last week isn’t flowing as smoothly. FEMA won’t award grants for damage to second homes. It won’t duplicate benefits paid by private insurance. And most of its recovery aid comes in the form of low-interest disaster loans." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSandy victims furious as FEMA troubles begin to build

New Jersey’s decision to allow post-Sandy email voting prompts firestorm of protest

"Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno said the move was designed 'to help alleviate pressure on polling places.' But some experts say email voting, which is being allowed by some states for military and overseas voters, has not been tested on a large scale and opens up a host of technical and legal obstacles. Email ballots could be vulnerable to hacking or computer viruses, and could put the election at risk, says Matt Blaze, a University of Pennsylvania computer scientist specializing in security." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew Jersey’s decision to allow post-Sandy email voting prompts firestorm of protest

NYC Mayor Bloomberg spending millions on political ads as ‘counterweight’ to NRA

"NRA spokesperson Andrew Arulanandam said the group had 'billions of reasons' to take Bloomberg’s efforts seriously, making reference to his estimated net worth, but criticized his efforts in the wake of superstorm Sandy, which has left millions of Bloomberg’s constituents without power. 'The message that he’s sending is he’s so obsessed with banning guns that he’s trying to influence federal and state races from Pennsylvania to Florida to California instead of helping the victims of Hurricane Sandy,' Arulanandam said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNYC Mayor Bloomberg spending millions on political ads as ‘counterweight’ to NRA

Police Arrest Gas Buyer In New York

"Police arrested a 47-year-old New York man accused of filling up 30 five-gallon Home Depot buckets with gasoline on Saturday night. According to investigators, Yunus Latif, of Richmond Hill, collected money from his neighbors, bought gas at a Valero station in Orange and planned to bring it back to his neighborhood, where they had no power and gas. The owner of the Valero gas station, located at 347 Boston Post Road, was arrested as well. Police claimed Muniruzzaman Gomosta should have known what Latif was doing since he came into the store several times to pay for buckets of gasoline." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice Arrest Gas Buyer In New York