The Illinois Supreme Court has agreed to take ex-Obama chief aide Rahm Emanuel’s appeal of a decision that threw him off the ballot for Chicago mayor and ordered election officials not to print any mayoral ballots without Emanuel’s name. (Jan. 25)
Continue reading …A war on cops? As I write this, MSNBC is reporting at least 11 shot in a 24-hour period , which certainly seems to point to something more than coincidence. In just 24 hours, at least 11 officers were shot. The shootings included Sunday attacks at traffic stops in Indiana and Oregon, a Detroit police station shooting that wounded four officers, and a shootout at a Port Orchard, Wash., Wal-Mart that injured two deputies. On Monday morning, two officers were shot dead and a U.S. Marshal was wounded by a gunman in St. Petersburg, Fla. On Thursday, two Miami-Dade, Fla., detectives were killed by a murder suspect they were trying to arrest. “It’s not a fluke,” said Richard Roberts, spokesman for the International Union of Police Associations. “There’s a perception among officers in the field that there’s a war on cops going on.” Last week, a LAUSD police officer was shot in Woodland Hills . The suspect is still at large. One of the shootings that took place in the recent 24-hour swarm was in St. Petersburg, FL. According to witnesses, over 100 rounds were fired . I wonder how many were from the police and how many were from the shooter holed up in the attic? Or the shootings in Detroit, where the bad guy was able to shoot four policemen in their precinct before a cop finally killed him? How did that guy manage to land bullets on four cops before they could shoot him? I’d be willing to put money on high-capacity clips as one possible culprit. When I hear the standard NRA drumbeat about how high-capacity clips are really a good thing because they bolster one’s ability to shoot back at the bad guys, I wonder how they justify that statement when the ones with extended clips who are actually using them ARE the bad guys and they’re shooting at good guys. I don’t know if this rash of shootings is mere coincidence or something bigger. What I do know is that the NRA logic is upside-down and nonsensical. The odds of a police officer or even ordinary citizen being on the receiving end of a high-capacity clip in the hands of a criminal are far higher than an ordinary citizen needing a high capacity clip to defend themselves. Is there any room for some common sense measures here?
Continue reading …
Pres. Barack Obama started his State of the Union address by honoring Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was seriously injured in a shooting rampage that killed 6 people. (Jan. 25)
Continue reading …
Reaching for unity in a new era of divided government, President Barack Obama implored Democratic and Republican lawmakers to rally behind his vision of economic revival for an anxious nation, declaring in his State of the Union address Tuesday. (Jan. 25)
Continue reading …
It’s not often we mark the anniversary of a single word around here, but this one’s particularly close to our cold, electronic hearts — it was ninety years ago today that the word ” robot ” was introduced to the public in Karel Capek’s play “R.U.R.” (Rossum’s Universal Robots), which first premiered in Prague in its original Czech language in 1921, and came to New York a year later in English. As Gearlog notes, however, Capek actually gives credit for the origin of the word to his brother Josef, who suggested the term “roboti” that he derived from the Czech word “robota,” which literally means “serf labor,” and can refer to drudgery or hard work. Of course, robots themselves have evolved quite a bit over those ninety years, and — given the pace of development as of late — we’re a bit hesitant to guess what things might be like when the 100th anniversary of the word comes around. ‘Robot’ marks its 90th anniversary as a word originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 22:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Wednesday, 26 January 2011, 2:09 pm Press Release: The White House January 25, 2011 Remarks of President Barack Obama – As Prepared for Delivery State of the Union Address Tuesday, January 25, 2011 Washington, DC As Prepared for Delivery— Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans: Tonight I want to begin by congratulating the men and women of the 112th Congress, as well as your new Speaker, John Boehner. And as we mark this occasion, we are also mindful of the empty chair in this Chamber, and pray for the health of our colleague – and our friend – Gabby Giffords. Related Stories on Scoop 10/01/2011 10/01/2011…
Continue reading …
Surveillance video from Henry County, Georgia, captures a man purchasing a soda before suddenly pulling out a machete and demanding money from the cashier. Local media report police are still looking for the man. (Jan. 25)
Continue reading …
Michael Jackson’s doctor pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the pop superstar’s death as the case moved rapidly toward a trial that will likely be televised. (Jan. 25)
Continue reading …
LAHORETwo bomb attacks in the Pakistani cities of Lahore and Karachi killed at least 11 people on Tuesday and left more than 50 people wounded, officials said. A teenage suicide bomber in Lahore blew himself up near a Shiite Muslim procession, killing at least nine people and wounding more than 50, in an attack claimed by Taliban militants who said they had targeted police. About 90 minutes later a motorcycle bomb detonated in the southern city of Karachi, killing two people, including a policeman, police and hospital officials said. A doctor at Lahore city’s main Mayo Hospital said the dead included at least three…
Continue reading …