DAN YODER: After some reflection, I’ve decided to delete my account on Facebook. I’d like to encourage you to do the same. This is part altruism and part selfish. The altruism part is that I think Facebook, as a company, is unethical. The selfish part is that I’d like my own social network to migrate away from Facebook so that I’m not missing anything. In any event, here’s my “Top Ten” reasons for why you should join me and many others and delete your account. MORE RELATED: As grumbling about Facebook’s ever-shifting privacy policies gets louder, a new study from […]
THE ERRORIST: A Bad Man Is Not Hard To Find
NEW YORKER: Last week, before the Times Square incident, I was talking with a former U.S. intelligence officer who worked extensively on jihadi cases during several overseas tours. He said that when a singleton of Shahzad’s profile—especially a U.S. citizen—turns up in a place like Peshawar, local jihadi groups are much more likely to assess him as a probable U.S. spy than as a genuine volunteer. At best, the jihadi groups might conclude that a particular U.S.-originated individual’s case is uncertain. They might then encourage the person to go home and carry out an attack—without giving him any training or […]
TONITE: Broad Street Bullying
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: It’s a bittersweet feeling to watch HBO’s lively and engaging new documentary on the mid-1970s Philadelphia Flyers. The “Broad Street Bullies” remain one of the most distinctively branded sports teams of modern times, an intriguing mix of wonderful hockey skill and medieval intimidation. You can’t argue with their success and this documentary doesn’t, celebrating their Stanley Cup victories in 1974 and 1975 with gleeful exuberance. Even if you hated the Flyers, which most New York hockey fans did, it’s fun to watch. At the same time, the documentary acknowledges that in some ways the Flyers did hockey […]
Blackwater’s Secret Plans For World Domination (On Behalf Of The U.S. Government, Of Course)
THE NATION: Erik Prince, the reclusive owner of the Blackwater empire, rarely gives public speeches and when he does he attempts to ban journalists from attending and forbids recording or videotaping of his remarks. On May 5, that is exactly what Prince is trying to do when he speaks at DeVos Fieldhouse as the keynote speaker for the “Tulip Time Festival” in his hometown of Holland, Michigan. He told the event’s organizers no news reporting could be done on his speech and they consented to the ban. Journalists and media associations in Michigan are protesting this attempt to bar reporting […]
SPORTO: Don’t Tase Me, Bro
Last night, a towel-waving fan ran onto the field at Citizen’s Bank and got tasered by the popo. Who doesn’t love a happy ending? DAN RUBIN: The Phillies and police met yesterday to work out some procedures for future run-ons. Here’s my vote: Sending a cop out with a Taser gun is plain idiocy. Let’s start with what could go wrong. This year, CNN investigated police use of Tasers because a California man went into cardiac arrest after an officer fired an “Electronic Control Device” three times into his chest. The man, Stephen Butler, had been drinking. Butler is now […]
BREAKING: Arrest Made In Times Square Bomb Plot
NEW YORK TIMES: Federal agents and police detectives arrested a Connecticut man, a naturalized United States citizen from Pakistan, early Tuesday in connection with the failed Times Square car bombing, according to people briefed on the investigation. The man, Faisal Shahzad, was believed to have recently bought the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder that was found loaded with gasoline, propane, fireworks and fertilizer in the heart of Times Square, one of the people briefed on the development said. Mr. Shahzad was taken into custody at a New York-area airport, apparently trying to flee, one of the people said. Charges against Mr. Shahzad, […]
DEENEY: When The State Orders Abortion
[Illustration by LEONARDO DA VINCI] BY JEFF DEENEY The Daily News’s most recent assault on incompetence and systemic failure at DHS deals with a touchy topic: the agency’s unusual role as abortion advocate with its pregnant juvenile clients. Regina Medina’s story details how the agency got a court to order the procedure after the client’s birth mother refused to comply with the agency’s demand for it. The pregnant teen eventually had to seek a late term abortion in New Jersey because the court proceeding and a failed first attempt to access women’s health services had dragged the process on long […]
40 YEARS AGO: 10 Soldiers And Nixon Coming
INQUIRER: On Tuesday, it will be 40 years since my son Jeff was shot and killed on the campus of his college. He and three of his classmates were murdered by the National Guard at an antiwar demonstration at Kent State. During a 13-second fusillade of rifle fire, Jeff, Allison Krause, Sandy Scheuer, and Bill Schroeder were killed and nine of their fellow students were wounded. The students who had gathered that day – all unarmed – held a large range of opinions about the seemingly endless war in Vietnam. Some, including Jeff, objected intensely to the increasing escalation of […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR Philadelphia Daily News reporters Barbara Laker and Wendy Ruderman received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting for the 10-month series “Tainted Justice,” an expose of alleged corruption among members of an elite narcotics squad on the Philadelphia police force. During their reporting, Laker and Ruderman uncovered allegations against officers that included committing sexual assaults, disabling surveillance cameras during drug raids to hide their misdeeds, and filing fraudulent warrants. During several raids, the police allegedly stole thousands of dollars in merchandise and money from small retailers. As a result of Laker and Ruderman’s investigation, hundreds of drug cases […]
EXPERTS: Halliburton Likely Responsible For Oil Spill
WALL STREET JOURNAL: The scrutiny on cementing will focus attention on Halliburton Co., the oilfield-services firm that was handling the cementing process on the rig, which burned and sank last week. The disaster, which killed 11, has left a gusher of oil streaming into the Gulf from a mile under the surface. Federal officials declined to comment on their investigation, and Halliburton didn’t respond to questions from The Wall Street Journal. According to Transocean Ltd., the operator of the drilling rig, Halliburton had finished cementing the 18,000-foot well shortly before the explosion. Houston-based Halliburton is the largest company in the […]
GUNCRAZY: Off-Duty Cop Kills One, Wounds Two, Over Water Battle; Infant And Adolescents Shot
INQUIRER: An off-duty Philadelphia police officer allegedly shot and killed a man and wounded two other people in South Philadelphia on Sunday night after what witnesses said was an argument over a playful water battle. The encounter happened around 6:30 on the 1800 block of Hoffman Street, according to police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore. MORE RELATED: Around 8 p.m. Jesus, still holding the baby, began walking across the street toward her home. Suddenly, two young men opened fire at each other, police said. The baby was caught in the cross fire and was hit in the right armpit. She was […]
BURIED LEDE: Broad Street Run Hurts 179 People
INQUIRER: City emergency medical officials brought extra ambulances to the finish line, where they expected a gathering of more than 40,000 athletes and spectators. By 10:15 a.m., a steady stream of racers-turned-patients had walked or were wheeled into the medical tent. “Our enemy just came out,” Jeremiah Laster, the Philadelphia Fire Department’s medical-services field operation chief, said, referring to the sun. The number-one medical issue for runners, he said, was dehydration. In all, 179 people were seen for injuries ranging from sprains and cramps to heat-related illnesses. Thirty-six, including racers who needed assistance along the route, were transported to hospitals […]
MOST WANTED: Police Release Video Of Man Wanted In Connection With Times Square Bomb Plot
BLOOMBERG NEWS: New York detectives sought to identify a person seen in Times Square around the hour of yesterday’s attempted car bombing, while police and building owners stepped up security in midtown Manhattan. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said investigators are looking for a man caught on a video camera walking away from the site near Times Square where they found a Nissan Pathfinder SUV with an explosive device inside. MORE