Physics Forums - Current Events http://www.physicsforums.com Contemporary developments in local, national, or world affairs en Fri, 24 May 2013 01:52:25 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.physicsforums.com/images/physicsforums/misc/rss.jpg Physics Forums - Current Events http://www.physicsforums.com Terror murder in London http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=693138&goto=newpost Wed, 22 May 2013 19:19:00 GMT This is barbaric. Two men attacked a third in broad daylight with knives before demanding witnesses film them so they could shout political messages.... This is barbaric. Two men attacked a third in broad daylight with knives before demanding witnesses film them so they could shout political messages. They were later shot by police (though apparently they are both alive in hospital) and the government is treating this as a terrorist incident.

Quote:
A man has been killed in a machete attack and two suspects shot by police in Woolwich, south-east London.

Prime Minister David Cameron said there were "strong indications that it is a terrorist incident" and the UK would "never buckle" in the face of such attacks.

Footage has emerged showing a man wielding a bloodied meat cleaver and making political statements.

There are unconfirmed reports that the dead man was a soldier.

Both French President Francois Hollande and MP Nick Raynsford said the dead man had been a soldier at Woolwich barracks.

The footage shown on the ITV website shows a man, dressed in a grey hooded jacket, saying: "We must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

He added: "I apologise that women have had to witness this today, but in our land our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your government, they don't care about you."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22630303

The above link contains a shocking video of one of the men ]]> Current Events Ryan_m_b http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=693138 Moore, Oklahoma tornado http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692820&goto=newpost Tue, 21 May 2013 01:39:55 GMT Massive tornado rips through Moore, Oklahoma; 51 killed, more feared dead... Massive tornado rips through Moore, Oklahoma; 51 killed, more feared dead
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/...205548879.html

Quote:
A devastating, mile-wide tornado touched down near Oklahoma City on Monday, killing at least 51 people and decimating homes, businesses and a pair of elementary schools in the suburb of Moore.

According to the state's medical examiner, the death toll was expected to rise.

The schools—Plaza Towers Elementary and Briarwood Elementary—were leveled by the tornado. It was unclear how many children were in them at the time the twister hit, but according to KFOR, at least seven children died at Plaza Towers, and as many as two dozen more were feared to be trapped inside the rubble. An Associated Press photographer saw rescue workers pull several children out alive. A makeshift triage center was set up in the school's parking lot.

. . . .
Apparently debris from Moore was carried to Tulsa.

The tornado was preliminarily classified as EF4 (200 mph winds). ]]> Current Events Astronuc http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692820 Cooper Union Protests http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692065&goto=newpost Thu, 16 May 2013 17:28:09 GMT So I have some friends that attend Cooper Union and they recently informed me about a protest going on there regarding the sudden change to cut the... So I have some friends that attend Cooper Union and they recently informed me about a protest going on there regarding the sudden change to cut the free tuition label. I then saw this yahoo article on the topic: http://news.yahoo.com/nycs-cooper-un...184300550.html

How many people do you know personally (including yourself) actually identify with the popular theme of the comments in the comment section (scroll to the bottom of the page and the comments will show up)? The popular theme seems to be that these students are selfish, lazy, and self-entitled.

I go to Cornell University and my parents pay give or take 30 grand a year for a physics degree that will most likely get me a job at Walmart and nothing more so I would love to have free tuition like the kids at Cooper or at the very least have the extremely low tuition offered at various European and Canadian universities. It just blows my mind how ignorant and imbecilic the people are who write negatively about the protesting students. I wonder if they even know how much we are cheated out of our money as US college students vs college students in the aforementioned places. So coming back to the original question, do you actually know a majority of people who share this mentality? I personally have never encountered such people but that is largely due to where I grew up and where I went to secondary school. ]]> Current Events WannabeNewton http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=692065 Should the US drunk-driving threshold be lowered? http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=691704&goto=newpost Tue, 14 May 2013 17:39:20 GMT Sounds ok to me. If I have more than two drinks, I don't drive. When I'm out on a weekend I see far to many people get behind a car when they shouldn't. We also need to make the punishments more severe. I hear of many reports of people with 3-4-5 DUIs still with a license or still driving without one.

Quote:
A decade-old benchmark for determining when a driver is legally drunk should be lowered in an effort to reduce alcohol-related car crashes that claim about 10,000 lives each year, U.S. safety investigators said on Tuesday.
The National Transportation Safety Board recommended that all 50 states lower the threshold from 0.08 blood-alcohol content (BAC) to 0.05.
The idea is part of a safety board initiative outlined in a staff report and approved by the panel to eliminate drunk driving, which accounts for about a third of all road deaths.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/14/us/ntsb-blood-alcohol ]]> Current Events Greg Bernhardt http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=691704 <![CDATA["Chinese cheats rort NZ universities with fakes"]]> http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=691211&goto=newpost Sat, 11 May 2013 22:58:27 GMT ---Quote--- An investigation has uncovered a well-organised commercial cheating service for Chinese-speaking students in New Zealand. ---End...
Quote:
An investigation has uncovered a well-organised commercial cheating service for Chinese-speaking students in New Zealand.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/educ...ies-with-fakes

Interesting that the request B or B- essay was graded as B+. ]]> Current Events StevieTNZ http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=691211 Ray Harryhausen RIP http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=690565&goto=newpost Wed, 08 May 2013 16:44:31 GMT http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22441567 ---Quote--- Visual effects master Ray Harryhausen, whose stop-motion wizardry graced such... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22441567

Quote:
Visual effects master Ray Harryhausen, whose stop-motion wizardry graced such films as Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans, has died aged 92
One of his best:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF_Fi7x93PY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOZK4MiIMZM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEVvCgdRg-I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-YnMQkEBK0 ]]> Current Events nsaspook http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=690565 The Mark Sanford saga continues... http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=690313&goto=newpost Tue, 07 May 2013 13:21:20 GMT Former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford (R) faces Elizabeth Colbert Busch (D) today in a special election for the House of Representatives seat... Former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford (R) faces Elizabeth Colbert Busch (D) today in a special election for the House of Representatives seat whose district includes Charleston SC. The seat became vacant when SC governor Nikki Haley appointed its former occupant to the Senate to replace Jim DeMint, who resigned late last year to head the Heritage Foundation.

Polls apparently indicate a dead heat. A Democrat normally would not have any chance of winning in this heavily Republican state, but Sanford has a load of baggage which you can review from this previous thread:

www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=321741

Recently it came out that Sanford had entered his ex-wife's house (in her absence) in violation of a court order in Februrary to watch the Super Bowl with one of his sons. That matter is coming up for a court hearing this week.

Mark Sanford Explains He was Watching Super Bowl with Son (WLTX TV, Columbia)

Some commentary from cnn.com:

In South Carolina politics, two very different campaign styles

I'm in a different district, so I'm just a spectator, but I remember Sanford squabbling a lot with the Republican-dominated legislature while he was governor, vetoing spending bills and then the legislature overriding the vetoes. The Republican establishment doesn't like him much. ]]> Current Events jtbell http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=690313 <![CDATA[Stop "Fox North"!]]> http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=690233&goto=newpost Tue, 07 May 2013 00:53:01 GMT This is a copy of an e-mail that a friend sent to me. It is legitimate, and he is a very politically astute man, so I doubt that there's any funny business about it. I've already signed.
Don't be alarmed that you have to register to sign; you can unsubscribe yourself any time thereafter. I don't know whether or not you have to be a Canadian citizen for your vote to count, but the organization is international.
The gall of Murdoch's minions in trying to force this crap down our throats is infuriating.
The issue might violate Forum guidelines concerning political content, but I'll leave it up to them to decide.


In days, the CRTC could decide whether Canadians should be forced to pay for Sun News or 'Fox News North'. Both Avaaz and Sun News have been asked to appear at the hearing, and Sun News has built a petition of 53,000 over months. We have just a few days to blow it out of the water.

After Harper and his top spin doctor Kory Teneycke met secretly with Rupert Murdoch, Teneycke was involved in modelling Sun News after Murdoch's Fox News, the political propaganda network that has poisoned U.S. politics. It's Canadian crony-media -- run by a political crony, pushing a political agenda, and now seeking to be funded by a government handout, asking the CRTC to force it onto our basic cable packages.

Sun News have been pushing their petition non-stop for months. If we can double it in a few days, it will send a powerful signal to the CRTC about where Canadians stand -- click below to sign and share this email with everyone who cares about Canadian democracy:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_fox_new...rtc_2/?tNrHreb

The CRTC is the government agency that implements and enforces Canada's broadcasting laws. Among other things, it has the power to require all Canadian cable providers to carry certain channels. But it rarely does this because it would prefer to let consumers choose what channels they want. Canadians aren't choosing to pay for Sun News, and it's losing millions of dollars. So Sun is asking the CRTC to order all cable providers to carry Sun News and pass the cost on to us -- even if we don't want it!

In 2010, tens of thousands of us banded together and helped stop "Fox News North" from getting a similar deal -- even contributing to Harper's aide, Kory Teneycke, resigning as head of the network! But then, the network sneakily hired him back and now they are launching a similar application, hoping we won't speak up while they try and recoup their $17 million in losses from our pockets!

Fox News fuels hate. While constantly claiming to be “fair and balanced,” it has allowed hysterical anchors like Glenn Beck to compare President Obama to "Hitler." Bill O’Reilly, another anchor, has threatened to boycott Canada, and Anne Coulter has said on its network that Canada is lucky the US allows it to "exist on the same continent.” The network has cunningly fuelled the tea party movement in the US, a mobilisation of the fringe right with members who threaten violence upon its opponents and wear guns to political rallies.

This is a fight for the soul of Canadian democracy. Our media is not perfect, but a ‘news’ network that slavishly serves a political agenda through mass manipulation and fear threatens the fabric of our democratic society. And while such a network has the right to offer its views, it doesn't have a right to demand we subsidize it.

Canadians don't like watching "Fox News North", which is why they are losing millions and need a sweet government deal to survive. But we can stop the CRTC from taking money from our pockets to pay for right-wing news. Click below to stand with Avaaz's representative at the live hearing and help us build a big enough call to hammer home our best legal arguments:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_fox_new...rtc_2/?tNrHreb

"Fox News North" threatens to make the country we love look more like the U.S. Thankfully, the CRTC and their public process stands in the way -- let's use this chance to be heard and stop Sun News's grab for our dollars for good.

With hope,

Jeremy, Ari, Emma, Ricken, Mélanie, Laryn and the entire Avaaz team

SOURCES

Sun News Must-Carry Application: CRTC Sounds Skeptical About News Network's Bid (Huffington Post)
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/04...n_3141932.html

Sun News On Basic Cable? CRTC Opens Hearings As Channel's Losses Widen (Huffington Post)
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/04...n_3133898.html

Hating the Jew, hating the ‘gypsy’ (National Post)
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/...ing-the-gypsy/

As losses mount, Sun turns to CRTC (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...rticle7597155/

Sun News Network viewership lags on first anniversary, controversies continue (Canadian Press)
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/04...n_1433521.html

Sun Media breaches Code of Ethics (Canadian Broadcast Standards Council - CBSC)
http://www.cbsc.ca/english/decisions/2012/120613.php

Investigation into alleged racist comments against blacks (CBSC)
http://www.cbsc.ca/english/decisions/2012/120620.php

Warning: This column contains scary Sun News scenes unsuitable for some readers (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/...rticle5215962/




Avaaz.org is a 21-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

You are getting this message because you signed "Live hearing in days -- Stop "Fox News North"" on 2013-04-24 19:32:15 using the email address am6580@telus.net.

To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information, contact us, or simply go here to unsubscribe.To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at www.avaaz.org/en/contact or call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US).

I haven't been able to discern exactly when this vote is going to be held; I hope this isn't too late. ]]> Current Events Danger http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=690233 Do you support an internet tax? http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=690223&goto=newpost Tue, 07 May 2013 00:02:46 GMT So the bill passed the senate. Will it pass the house? Do you support it?

As someone who buys most things online I'm against it, but it's hard to justify.

Quote:
The Senate approved a long-anticipated Internet sales tax proposal on Monday, moving the legislation one step closer to enactment and paving the way for shoppers to pay sales tax on the majority of online purchases.
The so-called Marketplace Fairness Act would allow the 45 states (and the District of Columbia) that currently charge sales taxes to require large online retailers to collect tax on purchases made by their residents. The law would only apply to online sellers that have sales of at least $1 million in states where they don't have physical operations, like a store or a warehouse.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/06/pf/t...ote/index.html ]]> Current Events Greg Bernhardt http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=690223 Sioux City makes lemonade out of a lemon (their airport code) http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=689929&goto=newpost Sun, 05 May 2013 16:34:49 GMT Sioux City SUX, and that's OK (CNN.com)

]]> Current Events jtbell http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=689929 Chinese incursion leaves India on verge of crisis http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=689713&goto=newpost Sat, 04 May 2013 15:47:10 GMT Chinese incursion leaves India on verge of crisis (http://news.yahoo.com/chinese-incursion-leaves-india-verge-130502539.html) ---Quote--- NEW... Chinese incursion leaves India on verge of crisis


Quote:
NEW DELHI (AP) -- The platoon of Chinese soldiers slipped across the boundary into India in the middle of the night, according to Indian officials. They were ferried across the bitterly cold moonscape in Chinese army vehicles, then got out to traverse a dry creek bed with a helicopter hovering overhead for protection.
They finally reached their destination and pitched a tent in the barren Depsang Valley in the Ladakh region, a symbolic claim of sovereignty deep inside Indian-held territory. So stealthy was the operation that India did not discover the incursion until a day later, Indian officials said.
China denies any incursion, but Indian officials say that for two weeks, the soldiers have refused to move back over the so-called Line of Actual Control that divides Indian-ruled territory from Chinese-run land, leaving the government on the verge of a crisis with its powerful northeastern neighbor.

And here is yet another crisis engineered by China. I'm really surprised this doesn't get more media attention, if China keeps openly provoking its neighbors like this it could easily lead to a shooting war. ]]> Current Events aquitaine http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=689713 Middle School Anti-Bullying Lesson Includes Lesbian Role Play http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=689681&goto=newpost Sat, 04 May 2013 12:55:46 GMT ---Quote--- Young girls at a New York middle school were instructed to ask one another for a lesbian kiss and boys were given guidance on how to...
Quote:
Young girls at a New York middle school were instructed to ask one another for a lesbian kiss and boys were given guidance on how to tell if women are sluts during an anti-bullying presentation on gender identity and sexual orientation, angry parents allege.
The special health class was held last week at Linden Avenue Middle School in Red Hook, NY. The students were separated by gender – with students from Bard College leading the workshops.
Parents are especially furious after their young daughters were told that it was perfectly normal for 14-year-old girls to have sex and there was nothing their parents could do to intervene.
The boys and girls were also given a sexual vocabulary primer – that included words like “pansexual” and “genderqueer.”
“I am furious,” said Mandy Coon, whose daughter was in the class. “I am her parent. Where does anyone get the right to tell her that it’s okay for her to have sex?”
Coon told Fox News that her daughter was upset by the classroom lecture and was confused about why she had to ask another girl for a kiss.
“She told me, ‘Mom, we all get teased and picked on enough – now I’m going to be called a lesbian because I had to ask another girl if I could kiss her,’” Coon said.
She said the school told her that the purpose of the lesson was to “teach girls boundaries and how to say no.”
“They also picked two girls to stand in front of the class and pretend they were lesbians on a date,” Coons said.
Paul Finch, the superintendent of the Red Hook Central School District, told the Poughkeepsie Journal that the workshop focused on “improving culture, relationships, communication and self-perceptions.”
He told the newspaper those were issues the school was obligated to teach under the state’s Dignity for All Students Act.
The state law requires schools to create a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment and bullying, the newspaper reported.
Parents said they were not notified about the class or the subject matter.
“The school is overstepping its bounds in not notifying parents first and giving us the choice,” parent Tara Burns told Fox News. “I thought it was very inappropriate. That kind of instruction is best left up to the parents.”
Parents of male students were also upset after the college-aged lecturer discussed items like condom usage and whether girls are sluts.
“I was absolutely furious – really furious,” said the parent of a 13-year-old who asked not to be identified. “They were teaching the boys how to decipher if a girl is a slut.”
The parent said the boys were told you could make that determination by how girls dress or how many boys they date.
“We don’t judge people like that in our family,” she said. “We don’t call women names because of what they wear or who they date.”
The parent told Fox News that boys were also instructed to always have a condom in their wallet.
“These are just kids,” she said. “I’m dumbfounded that they found this class was appropriate.”
Coon wondered why the school district allowed college students to lead the workshops without teacher involvement.
“Those student were not licensed, they are not trained professionals,” she said.
Todd is the author of Dispatches From Bitter America – endorsed by Sarah Palin, Mark Levin and Sean Hannity. Click here to get your copy!
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes...role-play.html ]]> Current Events Kholdstare http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=689681 Joanne Chesimard, militant cop killer, becomes first woman on FBI’s mo http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=689639&goto=newpost Sat, 04 May 2013 07:37:20 GMT ---Quote--- Assata Shakur, whose original name is Joanne Chesimard, was a member of the Black Liberation Army. She killed a New Jersey state trooper...
Quote:
Assata Shakur, whose original name is Joanne Chesimard, was a member of the Black Liberation Army. She killed a New Jersey state trooper 40 years ago. She has been on the run since escaping prison in 1979, at which time she fled to Cuba.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...#ixzz2SJ6zOSYI ]]> Current Events Kholdstare http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=689639 China with Drones? http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=689594&goto=newpost Sat, 04 May 2013 00:05:49 GMT Is this what the world really needs right now. China with thousands of military drones? ... Is this what the world really needs right now. China with thousands of military drones?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3207392.html ]]> Current Events DiracPool http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=689594 Guns for four year old children http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=689279&goto=newpost Thu, 02 May 2013 08:51:23 GMT This is sick and twisted. A rifle for a four year old child? ---Quote--- BURKESVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A 5-year-old boy accidentally shot his... This is sick and twisted. A rifle for a four year old child?

Quote:
BURKESVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A 5-year-old boy accidentally shot his 2-year-old sister to death in rural southern Kentucky with a rifle he had received as a gift last year, authorities said.

The children's mother was home at the time of the shooting Tuesday afternoon but had stepped out to the front porch for a few minutes and "she heard the gun go off," Cumberland County Coroner Gary White said. He said the rifle was kept in a corner and the family didn't realize a bullet was left inside it.

White told the Lexington Herald-Leader the boy received the .22-caliber rifle as a gift.

"It's a Crickett," White said, referring to a company that specifically makes guns, clothes and books for children. "It's a little rifle for a kid. ... The little boy's used to shooting the little gun."

The shooting, while accidental, highlights a cultural divide in the gun debate. While many suburban and urban areas work to keep guns out of the hands of children, it's not uncommon for youths in rural areas to own guns for target practice and hunting.
http://news.yahoo.com/5-old-boy-shoo...161229579.html ]]> Current Events Evo http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=689279