False Sense Of Security

City of Yokohama Mistakenly Tweets of North Korean Missile Launch

"In this environment, it's easy to make a mistake and jump the gun. And that's precisely what happened in Yokohama, Japan. On Wednesday, city officials used Twitter to warn of a North Korean missile launch — one that never had happened. At 8:11 p.m. local time, the official disaster management Twitter account of the city prematurely announced: 'North Korea has launched a missile'. As it turns out, it was just a misfired tweet that was ready in case of a real launch. The tweet stayed up for approximately 20 minutes, when the city took it down and posted an official apology (Google Translate), saying the tweet was delivered by mistake." Continue reading →

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Texas prosecutor, wife gunned down two months after assistant DA killed

"The top law enforcement officer in one Texas county and his wife were found shot to death in their home on Saturday. Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Justin Lewis confirmed to KTVT that Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and Cynthia McLelland had been killed. An assault rifle had been used to shoot the district attorney multiple times, KTVT reported. His wife was only shot once. Their home reportedly showed no signs of forced entry. Authorities are investigating if the case is related to the January slaying of Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse, according to Kaufman Police Department Chief Chris Aulbaugh." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTexas prosecutor, wife gunned down two months after assistant DA killed

West Virginia sheriff fatally gunned down outside courthouse

"A West Virginia sheriff was shot and killed outside a courthouse in downtown Williamson on Wednesday. According to WCHS-TV, Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum had been shot and killed at around 12:04 p.m. A suspected shooter was also shot before being taken into custody. The condition of the suspect was not immediately known. Officials told WSAZ that Crum had been on his lunch break when he was gunned down. The Mingo County Courthouse was evacuated, but no other injuries were reported. Crum was known for his Operation Zero Tolerance program targeting illegal drug trafficking." Continue reading →

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Police In New York Times Determine The Obvious: “Defend Yourself”

"The speed and deadliness of recent high-profile shootings have prompted police departments to recommend fleeing, hiding or fighting in the event of a mass attack, instead of remaining passive and waiting for help. The traditional advice to the public has been 'don’t get involved, call 911.' But research on mass shootings over the last decade has bolstered the idea that people at the scene of an attack have a better chance of survival if they take an active stance rather than waiting to be rescued by the police, who in many cases cannot get there fast enough to prevent the loss of life." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice In New York Times Determine The Obvious: “Defend Yourself”

Police Nationwide Say “You’re On Your Own”

"Project Veritas visited police stations nationwide and asked law enforcement officials how they could protect themselves in the event of an armed break-in. 'Go get some bleach. Go get ammonia,' one officer instructed. Yet another officer instructed the undercover journalist to, 'lock yourself in a bedroom' and 'start yelling and screaming.' Vice President Joe Biden recently advised Americans to, 'get a shotgun' for home protection. But when asked whether or not they should follow the Vice President’s advice, law enforcement officials told the undercover journalists they would be arrested for doing so." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice Nationwide Say “You’re On Your Own”

Ex-Goldman Sachs trader charged with $118 million trading fraud

"A former trader with US banking giant Goldman Sachs was arrested Wednesday on criminal charges of fraud linked to a scheme to hide an $8 billion futures bet, officials said. The federal prosecutor’s office in Manhattan said Taylor was due to appear before a judge on the charges 'in connection with a scheme to accumulate and conceal an unauthorized $8 billion position in a trading account that he managed at Goldman, Sachs & Co.' In November, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission filed a civil suit accusing Taylor of defrauding his employer 'by intentionally concealing… the true huge size, as well as the risk and potential profits or losses associated.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEx-Goldman Sachs trader charged with $118 million trading fraud

More than two-thirds of Americans still use phones while driving

"More than two-thirds of American motorists use a mobile phone while driving despite recent laws in many jurisdictions banning the practice, a survey showed Thursday. The study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 69 percent of US drivers talked on their cell phone while driving within the 30 days before they were surveyed. Some 31 percent of drivers also said that they had read or sent text messages or emails while driving." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMore than two-thirds of Americans still use phones while driving

US issues health warning over mercury fillings [2008]

"Amalgam dental fillings – which contain the highly toxic metal mercury – pose a health risk, the world's top medical regulatory agency has conceded. After years of insisting the fillings are safe, the US government's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a health warning about them. It represents a landmark victory for campaigners, who say the fillings are responsible for a range of ailments, including heart conditions and Alzheimer's disease. The FDA is now reviewing its rules and may end up restricting or banning the use of the metal." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS issues health warning over mercury fillings [2008]

Beekeepers sue EPA over failing to stop harmful pesticides

"The US government is being sued by a coalition of beekeepers, conservation and food campaigners over pesticides linked to serious harm in bees. The lawsuit accuses the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of failing to protect the insects – which pollinate three-quarters of all food crops – from nerve agents that it says should be suspended from use. Neonicotinoids, the world’s most widely used insecticides, are also facing the prospect of suspension in the European Union, after the health commissioner pledged to press on with the proposed ban despite opposition from the UK and Germany." Continue reading →

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State seizes couple’s four babies due to father’s juvenile sex offense

"All of their children, from several months old to age five, have been put up for adoption. The last three children were seized shortly after birth at hospital. 'It’s a heartbreaking experience,' the father told the Citizen. 'They come in and take your baby. It’s like they are stripping your life away.' The father said it was wrong for a court to punish him for future crimes a judge said he was likely to commit. He pleaded guilty for sex crimes against children when he was 12. 'I was a kid. I didn’t know what I was doing, so I pleaded guilty. But there was no sex, it was experimenting as a 12-year-old boy.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingState seizes couple’s four babies due to father’s juvenile sex offense