Mainstream News

Mayor Bloomberg Calls Video Cameras For NYPD Officers “A Nightmare”

"When Judge Shira A. Scheindlin, of Federal District Court in Manhattan, ruled on Monday that the city’s stop-and-frisk program was unconstitutional and ordered that police officers in certain precincts strap tiny cameras to their uniforms to record their dealings with the public, Mr. Bloomberg’s response was immediate and emphatic. 'It would be a nightmare,' he said. 'We can’t have your cameraman follow you around and film things without people questioning whether they deliberately chose an angle, whether they got the whole picture in.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMayor Bloomberg Calls Video Cameras For NYPD Officers “A Nightmare”

Fake police gang nabbed in western Switzerland

"Swiss police have arrested a gang of fake officers who stole tens of thousands of dollars from tourists in the Lake Geneva area this summer. The gang, made up mainly of Romanian nationals, had been posing as officers in some of the top tourist spots in Geneva and neighbouring Vaud, police said on Friday. The set-up was always the same: a plain-clothed member of the gang would ask an unsuspecting tourist for directions, only to be interrupted by two accomplices wearing police uniforms demanding to see his and the tourist's identification. With the tourist's wallet in hand, the phony officers discretely pocketed the cash inside." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFake police gang nabbed in western Switzerland

Michelle Obama: America ready for female president

"Asked if she thinks the country will see a female president in her lifetime, the wife of President Barack Obama said: 'Yes, I think the country is ready for it. It’s just a question of who’s the best person out there.' She added that she herself will not run for president. Obama also said she thinks her husband’s time in office has helped ease racial prejudice in the United States. 'Children born in the last eight years will only know an African-American man being president of the United States. That changes the bar for all of our children, regardless of their race, their sexual orientation, their gender,' Obama said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMichelle Obama: America ready for female president

Obama has not delivered on May’s promise of transparency on drones

"When the president acknowledges four deaths of US citizens, but not 4,000 deaths of non-Americans, he signals to the world a callous and discriminatory disregard for human life. Perhaps only a fraction of these 4,000 deaths were unlawful. But acknowledging and investigating these deaths is a matter of dignity and justice – for the survivors of strikes, their communities and their countrymen. When deaths are found to be unlawful, victims’ families and survivors have a right to reparation. Refusing to investigate deaths is a matter of disrespect both for international law and for the public’s right to know the full truth." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama has not delivered on May’s promise of transparency on drones

The Ron Paul Channel: libertarianism ‘unfiltered and uninterrupted’

"Filmed in the little town of Clute, Texas, and Los Angeles, the Ron Paul Channel will publish three 30-minute shows per week. Its slogan: 'Turn Off Your TV. Turn On the Truth' suggests a combative tone, while those behind it say there has been an 'outpouring of interest' in the first few days. It's Paul's first major initiative since retiring from Congress in January. He told the Guardian that he opted for a news channel 'because the mainstream media is not telling the stories that Americans really need to know'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Ron Paul Channel: libertarianism ‘unfiltered and uninterrupted’

Al-Jazeera set to tackle U.S. market with stories ignored by mainstream media

"With a cast of TV news stars, deep pockets and an ambitious agenda, Al-Jazeera launches its US news channel on Tuesday, aiming to shake up the broadcast journalism market stateside. The US cable channel will reach more than 40 million households and vastly expands the footprint of the Qatar-based media group, despite questions about how it will be received by American viewers. But the selling point will be long-form reporting of stories overlooked by other news organizations. 850 staff have been hired for 12 US bureaus, and will draw on 70 bureaus worldwide to give Al-Jazeera unmatched scale." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAl-Jazeera set to tackle U.S. market with stories ignored by mainstream media

Al-Jazeera set to tackle U.S. market with stories ignored by mainstream media

"With a cast of TV news stars, deep pockets and an ambitious agenda, Al-Jazeera launches its US news channel on Tuesday, aiming to shake up the broadcast journalism market stateside. The US cable channel will reach more than 40 million households and vastly expands the footprint of the Qatar-based media group, despite questions about how it will be received by American viewers. But the selling point will be long-form reporting of stories overlooked by other news organizations. 850 staff have been hired for 12 US bureaus, and will draw on 70 bureaus worldwide to give Al-Jazeera unmatched scale." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAl-Jazeera set to tackle U.S. market with stories ignored by mainstream media

How An African ‘Princess’ Banked $3 Billion In A Country Living On $2 A Day

"For the past year Forbes has been tracing Isabel dos Santos’ path to riches, reviewing a score of documents and speaking with dozens of people on the ground. As best as we can trace, every major Angolan investment held by Dos Santos stems either from taking a chunk of a company that wants to do business in the country or from a stroke of the president’s pen that cut her into the action. Her story is a rare window into the same, tragic kleptocratic narrative that grips resource-rich countries around the world. For President Dos Santos it’s a foolproof way to extract money from his country, while keeping a putative arm’s-length distance away." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow An African ‘Princess’ Banked $3 Billion In A Country Living On $2 A Day

How An African ‘Princess’ Banked $3 Billion In A Country Living On $2 A Day

"For the past year Forbes has been tracing Isabel dos Santos’ path to riches, reviewing a score of documents and speaking with dozens of people on the ground. As best as we can trace, every major Angolan investment held by Dos Santos stems either from taking a chunk of a company that wants to do business in the country or from a stroke of the president’s pen that cut her into the action. Her story is a rare window into the same, tragic kleptocratic narrative that grips resource-rich countries around the world. For President Dos Santos it’s a foolproof way to extract money from his country, while keeping a putative arm’s-length distance away." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow An African ‘Princess’ Banked $3 Billion In A Country Living On $2 A Day

Philadelphia Borrows $50 Million So Its Schools Can Open on Time

"Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said the $50 million was necessary to provide the minimum staffing needed for the basic safety of the district’s 136,000 students. In June, the district closed 24 schools and laid off 3,783 employees, including 127 assistant principals, 646 teachers and more than 1,200 aides, leaving no one even to answer phones. For a number of years, Mayor Michael A. Nutter and the City Council have been working, with some success and a fair amount of taxpayer pain, to shore up the city’s finances, which have been troubled by mounting debt, a shrinking tax base and unfunded pension and health care obligations to retirees." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPhiladelphia Borrows $50 Million So Its Schools Can Open on Time