David Carlson

Would-Be Killer Stabs Three Homeless In LA

Three homeless have been stabbed in the back by a mystery would-be killer in Los Angeles over the past month. The attacks have all been non-fatal, and each attack has been accompanied by rambling letters titled “death warrants,” according to Newser. The attacks have prompted the LAPD to warn the city’s homeless to stay inside, […]

12y ago

Obama Relying Less On Teleprompter

Lately, President Obama has been leaving behind a once constant companion: the teleprompter. Obama took quite a bit of guff for what opponents took to be an over-reliance on the ubiquitous little screens; Newser reports that Obama may have taken that criticism to heart, as he has been using them less. Indeed, The Hill notes […]

12y ago

Study Suggests Voter ID Laws Include Obstacles That Could Dissuade Poor From Voting

A recent study has found that the voter ID laws recently passed in ten states have some hidden costs that might dissuade low earners from voting. Newser reports that the new laws, which would require voters to present a valid ID before voting, could discourage low-income voters lacking the money or transportation necessary to comply […]

12y ago

disney

Dad Cancels Daughter’s Make-A-Wish Foundation Trip To Disney World

4-year-old McKenna May of Ohio won’t be going on her trip to Disney World after all, because her father refused to sign off. Newser reports that the young May recently learned that she’d been selected by the Make-A-Wish Foundation to fulfill her dream of taking a trip to Disney World, but unfortunately her father stepped […]

12y ago

Detroit|michigan

Detroit Mayor Announces 10% Cut For City Workers’ Wages

The recession might technically be over but the going is still tough for the city of Detroit; today, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing announced that city workers would be taking a 10% cut in pay and decreased benefits. The measure is being enacted in the hopes that it will save some $100 million dollars per year, […]

12y ago

democratic party

Democrats Not Budging On Defense Budget Cuts Or Tax Cuts

Democrats taking a hard-line on both looming defense cuts and expiring Bush-era tax cuts. As we continue along in the final year of a term that promised to promote open dialogue and bipartisan cooperation, Newser reports that high ranking Democrats like Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and the President are refusing to back down on impending […]

12y ago

9/11

Politicians Not Invited for September 11th Anniversary This Year

This year, there will be no politicians speaking at the ceremony for the eleventh anniversary of September 11th. The names of victims will be read aloud by relatives of the victims, and six moments of silence will be observed to commemorate the respective collisions and collapses of the towers, the attack on the Pentagon, and […]

12y ago

afghanistan|iraq

Study Sheds Light On U.S. Military Suicide Problem

When American soldiers attempt suicide, a study has found that the number one reason is to end severe emotional stress. Last month, U.S. military suicides reached a rate of one per day, making suicide the most common cause of death in the military outside of actual combat. Newser reports researchers gave 72 soldiers who had […]

12y ago

holocaust|israel

Hitler Saved Jewish WWI Friend, For A While: Letter Reveals Intervention For Acquaintance

A letter from 27 August 1941 reveals that Hitler personally intervened to spare a former World War I comrade, Ernst Hess, from Nazi persecution. The Telegraph reports that the letter, written by SS commander Heinrich Himmler to the chief of the Dusseldorf Gestapo, directs that Hess be granted “relief and the protection as per the […]

12y ago

Barack Obama|morgan freeman

Barack Obama Does Not Count As First Black President, According To Morgan Freeman

According to Morgan Freeman, Barack Obama just doesn’t qualify as America’s first black president. Newser reports that while Freeman certainly supports Obama, the laurel of first black president has yet to be claimed. In an interview with NPR discussing his latest film, Freeman credited Obama as the nations first “mixed race” president. In Mr. Freeman’s […]

12y ago

New Edition Of Hemingway’s Farewell To Arms To Include 47 Alternate Endings

A new edition of Ernest Hemingway’s classic Farewell to Arms is set to be released next week and will include a whopping forty-seven alternate endings written and ultimately rejected by Hemingway. Newser reports that the new edition will also be published with early drafts of other passages, handwritten notes, alternate titles, and the original cover […]

12y ago

america|independence day

Copy Of 500-Year-Old Map Known As “America’s Birth Certificate” Found In Germany

Just in time for Independence Day, researchers in Germany have announced the discovery of a fifth copy of the 500-year-old map that is credited with first naming the then-recently discovered New World “America.” Popularly known as “America’s birth certificate,” the map was drafted by famous cartographer Martin Waldseemueller in 1507; until now it was believed […]

12y ago

china|environment

Chinese Protests Shut Down Copper Plant Construction

Thousands of Chinese protesters shut down the construction of a molybdenum copper plant in the Sichuan province yesterday over environmental concerns. Newser reports that protesters gathered over concern for the environmental fallout from the plant, fearing toxic byproducts like sulfur odium dioxide and overall harm to the local environment. According to the Guardian, both police […]

12y ago

children|parenting

New Study Suggests Spanking Hurts Future Mental Health

A new study suggests that spanking children can lead to a higher risk of adult mental illness. Earlier this year we reported that another study indicated that spanking wasn’t terribly effective as a means of punishment; a new study suggests that it is actually detrimental. According to Newser, the study reviewed government data on 35,000 […]

12y ago

cuba|Fidel Castro|Yoga

Fidel Castro’s Editorials Are Losing Steam – Yoga Is His Latest Muse

Fidel Castro’s newspaper editorials just aren’t what they used to be – his latest work? A thirty-five word treatise on the wonders of Yoga. Since the Cuban dictator stepped down from power in 2006, he has taken up writing an editorial in the government-run newspaper Granma entitled “Reflection from Comrade Fidel.” In the past these […]

12y ago

al-Qaida|Barack Obama|middle east|United States

United States Considers Sending Military Vehicles to Yemen

It looks like the Pentagon is thinking of sending military aid to Yemen in the form of U.S. aircraft and ground vehicles. According to Newser, the United States is looking into the possibility of sending military jets and other vehicles to the Yemeni government in order to facilitate their efforts in fighting terrorism. The aid […]

12y ago

Delaware|North Carolina

Man Bites Police Dog, Charged With Assault On A Police Animal

Keith Glaspie was charged with biting a police dog, following his release for treatment of dog bites. Newser reports that the Delaware man, wanted as a suspect in a shooting case, bit a two-year old police dog named Maxx on the ear after the dog stopped Glaspie’s flight from police officers. To be fair, the […]

12y ago

Japan|seattle

Possible Remains Of Japanese Home Wash Up In Washington

Workers in Washington have found what appears to be the remains of a Japanese home, the latest in a steady stream of debris from the Japanese tsunami of 2011 to wash ashore on the West Coast. According to Newser, kayakers off the coast of Washington found what they believe to be the remains of a […]

12y ago

afghanistan|Barack Obama|iraq

President Obama Informs Congress That United States Forces Are Fighting In Somalia And Yemen, Apparently.

Did you know that the United States was engaged in fighting in both Somalia and Yemen? Neither did Congress, apparently. In a confession that makes one long for the days when the Legislative Branch actually voted on military action, President Obama admitted in a letter to Congress that ground forces have in fact been committed […]

12y ago

Moscow|russia|syria

Russian Arms Exporter Warns That Weapons Sold To Syria Are Highly Effective, Others Not So Sure

Russian arms exporter warns that the weapons systems that the Russians are selling to Syria are extremely effective. According to Newser, the Russian firm Rosoboronexport has been selling missile defense systems to the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria; for purely defensive purposes, of course. This follows a not-entirely-accurate accusation from Secretary of State Hilary Clinton […]

12y ago