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Tag: U.S.

  • Skydiver Planes Collide; Everyone Jumps to Safety

    It was supposed to be an exciting weekend until everything went terrifyingly wrong in a split second for two planes, each full of excited skydivers. CNN reports that those two planes endured a mid-air collision, but everyone on both planes safely landed on the ground. Miraculously, only two passengers were injured in the crash!

    The crash took place last weekend above Superior, Wisconsin near the Minnesota border. The two planes were flying close together as the divers were going to jump in formation, but the lead plane (carrying four plus the pilot) crashed into the trailing plane (carrying five plus the pilot).

    Skydive Superior instructor Mike Robinson, speaking with reporters, said “It’s definitely a reminder of the danger of the sport that we all love.”

    A Battalion Chief with the Superior Fire Department, Vern Johnson, told CNN that the lead plane’s pilot reported a loud bang before seeing the windshield shatter. Video footage appears to show the plane breaking up and catching fire in mid-air.

    The moment nearly killed everyone on the plane. Fortunately, Robinson says, “Everybody got out safely. The pilot got out safely, used his emergency parachute and landed… In the trail plane, all five jumpers got out of the airplane safely and landed safely.”

    Chief Johnson said the lead plane’s pilot “was visibly bloodied about his face and shirt and had one hand wrapped in a garment, but was otherwise lucid, alert and oriented.” The trailing plane’s pilot managed to regain control of the damaged vehicle, and flew it safely onto the runway. He picked up the lead pilot as he taxied.

    A statement on Skydive Superior’s Facebook page said “The jumpers and pilots have been through a very surreal experience, and they are lucky and thankful to be alive.”

    This news clip features terrifying video from the helmet cams of the skydivers:

    If you’re still interested, here’s a small set of interviews with some of the skydivers and pilots:

    [Image via Wikimedia Commons]

  • DARPA Just Spent $26M… On Anti-Missile Laser Beam

    According to an article in Military & Aerospace Electronics, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has given a total of $26 million in contracts to two U.S. defense companies to research a more efficient anti-missile defense system.

    Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems division in Redondo Beach, CA will receive $14.6 million while Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems and Training division in Akron, OH will receive $11.4 million as a part of Project Endurance. Both are engaged currently in the development of laser weapons that could successfully protect aircraft from missiles.

    Project Endurance initially sprung out of DARPA’s Excalibur program, an effort to reduce the size of optical laser arrays by at least 10 times, making it more feasible to load both manned and unmanned aircraft with a missile defense system.

    The idea for a pod-mounted laser that can fit on a plane is hardly a new one. Boeing built a tricked-out 747-400 freighter plane that it called the Airborne Laser, which was sold for scrap last year.

    At the time, researchers believed that a giant plane fitted with a megawatt laser could simply fly ovals around a combat zone and, with clever targeting, could render most ballistic missiles inert before they were fired. At-the-time Defense Secretary Robert Gates scrapped any plans the Air Force may have had to build a second one, saying “The [Airborne Laser] program has significant affordability and technology problems, and the program’s proposed operational role is highly questionable.”

    Boeing’s weapon design was a chemical iodine laser, or COIL, that was fired through the nose of the plane accompanied by two solid state lasers to lock on and control the beam. Here’s a picture of what it looked like; the tracking laser is on top, while the larger laser is on the nose, charging up.


    [YouTube]

    DARPA’s latest designs are a bit smaller and less cumbersome by leaps and bounds. However, they are the first to admit that the size limitations are affecting the power output of their laser. By combining two different types of laser systems (diode lasers and fiber laser amplifiers), DARPA hopes to increase beam efficacy by between 30 and 50 percent.


    [DARPA]

    “To produce a weapons-grade system, however,” Excalibur program manager Joseph Mangano writes, “[the laser’s] output power must be increased without introducing additional optical phase noise and modal instability.” Basically, they won’t be aiming for a Boeing-sized megawatt laser, but a couple hundred kilowatts might be enough to get the job done.

    [Main image via DARPA]

  • F-35 Fighter Drops 1st Bomb Against A Ground Target

    Reuters reported yesterday evening that Lockheed Martin’s stealthy new F-35B Joint Strike Fighter laid waste to a tank at Edwards Air Force Base in California using a 500-pound guided bomb. The Pentagon confirmed this was the first time an F-35 has deployed a weapon.

    The report says the plane fired its laser-guided bomb unit (GBU-12) “Paveway II” from an internal weapons bay while flying at 25,000 feet. The bomb reached its target successfully in 35 seconds. The bomb reportedly contained no real explosives because the point of the test was to make sure the plane could accurately deliver a payload.

    Marine Corps Major Richard Rusnok, who flew the test model, said of the test that “It represents another step forward in development of this vital program… This guided weapons delivery test of a GBU-12 marks the first time the F-35 truly became a weapon system.”

    A 10-year development cycle for the F-35 fighter program has cost $392 billion, and Reuters reports the program is “making strides in testing, production and operations” while the Marine Corps plans to regularly fly the planes in 2015.

    The top arms buyer for the Pentagon, Frank Kendall, said he felt the F-35 program had displayed sufficient progress this week to budget for higher production, but that its software, computer-based logistics, and overall reliability are still questionable.

    During the test, the F-35 also live-fired an AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile constructed by Raytheon, also at Edwards AFB. The plane’s ability to drop a 1,000-pound Boeing GBU-32 bomb will be tested next month.

    In recent years, defense experts have found themselves debating whether stealth aircraft will maintain their effectiveness in a world ruled by powerful digital technology and improved radar. The F-35 JSF is one of those aircraft that could turn out to be a huge letdown if its expensive stealth program were to become obsolete.

    Meanwhile, a second Reuters report from yesterday evening noted that the Pentagon might reintegrate developmental and operational testing of the F-35 JSF in order to save money. Check that story out here.

    [Image via this YouTube video showcasing some F-35 flight time]

  • Troops Liposuction: Soldiers Needing to Pass Physicals

    The AP via ABC News reports that desperate service members are seeking liposuction in order to pass the Pentagon’s body fat test, which can determine one’s future in military service by measuring the waist and neck.

    One plastic surgeon, Dr. Adam Tattelbaum out of Rockville, MD, described how “They come in panicked about being kicked out or getting a demerit that will hurt their chances at a promotion.”

    The “tape test” utilizes a tape measure wrapped around the neck and waist rather than relying on the civilian BMI index, which calculates based on height and weight. Those who fail the test are ordered into an exercise and nutrition program (dubbed by the Marines as “doughnut brigade” and “pork chop platoon). Three failures can represent grounds for a discharge.

    Service members have complained that the Department of Defense’s weight-measurement regimen weeds out both the flabby candidates and the bulky ones, who are often lumped together by the test. The Pentagon, meanwhile, defended its policy by saying that only a small fraction of service members who exceeded body fat limits actually performed well in drills.

    The director of the Navy’s Physical Readiness Program, Bill Moore, said “We want everybody to succeed… This isn’t an organization that trains them and says, ‘Hey, get the heck out.’”

    The number of soldiers in the Army being discharged for their weight has risen from 168 in 2008 to 1,815. Marine Corps numbers fluctuated a bit more, with 102 discharges in 2010, 186 in 2011, and 132 in 2012. The Air Force and Navy do not keep track of “tape test” discharges.

    Another plastic surgeon, Dr, Michael Pasquale of Aloha Plastic Surgery in Honolulu, reported his military clientele spiked 30 percent in two years, with about six service members arriving each month looking to have some work done.

    Jeffrey Stout, a professor of sports science at the University of Central Florida, said the tape test accurately describes body shape, not composition or the fat-to-muscle ratio. “I wouldn’t want my career decided on that,” he said.

    [Image via this YouTube video]

  • NSA Washington March Calls for Reducing Spying

    Reuters and CNN reported today on an anti-NSA march that took place in front of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

    Hundreds of protesters turned out for the march, many carrying signs that bore slogans like “Thank You, Edward Snowden,” “Stop Mass Spying” and “Unplug Big Brother.” Although the Capitol Police were asked, they declined to give an estimate on attendance; the protest organizers said over 2000 protesters were there.

    A statement from Snowden, which was provided to American Civil Liberties Union, was read: “We’ve learned that the U.S. intelligence community secretly built a system of pervasive surveillance. Today, no telephone in America makes a call without leaving a record with the NSA. Today, no internet transaction enters or leaves America without passing through the NSA’s hands. Our representatives in Congress tell us this is not surveillance. They’re wrong.”

    The protest was a bipartisan effort, of sorts: Tea Party members showed up alongside left-wing privacy advocates, with everyone in agreement that the government is unlawfully spying on both American citizens and the rest of the world.

    Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) had introduced a bill of his own attempting to limit the NSA’s info-grabbing programs, but his effort was defeated by a seven-vote margin. “We’re going to keep fighting and we’re going to pass something to rein in the NSA,” he said of the defeat.

    The rally was scheduled to happen on the 12th anniversary of the PATRIOT Act, which expanded the United States’ capacity to wage a war on terrorism. Additionally, the recent Snowden leak involving German Chancellor Angela Merkel seems to be adding to the growing wildfire.

    “This isn’t a partisan issue. This is for Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, conservatives and liberals, everyone in between,” Amash added. A new bill, the U.S.A. Freedom Act authored by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and supported by Amash, may stand a better chance on the floor.

    [Image via ThankYouSnowden.org]

  • Belmont, NC Drug Store Standoff Ends Peacefully

    In a story that should be hailed as a shining example of two police departments working together towards a nonviolent goal, the Charlotte Observer reports a six-hour standoff between a lone gunman and law enforcement came to a peaceful end.

    The suspect, 46-year-old Edward Scott Russ, was taken into police custody around 7 a.m. this morning, nearly six hours after he barged into a CVS on Wilkinson Blvd. and took several hostages. Over the next few hours, witnesses indicated that Russ took several pills from the pharmacy. Even more remarkably, two law enforcement agencies arrived simultaneously, and worked together: Charlotte-Mecklenburg and Gastonia Police Department’s SWAT Unit.

    Police Chief Charlie Franklin said to reporters that the police were called almost immediately as the suspect entered the store at 2 a.m. with a 7.62×39 caliber SKS, a semi-automatic assault rifle. When the police arrived, they instructed him to put the weapon down; instead, he fired at them. The police initially fired back, but immediately retreated as soon as they realized there were civilian hostages.

    A police negotiator was called in, and over the next two hours, three hostages (two male, one female) were released uninjured. The last remaining hostage, a male, was released around 4 a.m. The suspect laid down his rifle and walked out the front door with his hands up. The chief noted that the suspect “appeared apologetic” and said he was sorry.

    NBC News reporter Glenn Counts noted some specific details from a parking lot a couple blocks from the CVS: apparently, a CVS customer called the police so early in the incident that the cops arrived before any kind of verbal exchange could occur between Russ and the hostages.

    Counts also noted that, since Russ was carrying 7.62×39, typical law enforcement Kevlar would have failed to protect them from his rifle in the event of the police storming the store.

    You can check out that report here:

    [Image via an NBC news report on YouTube]

  • Boeing 747 May Get 86’d in the Years to Come

    The Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet has been hailed as a double-decker revolution in air travel that shrank the globe by the Associated Press, yet even Arsenio Hall seems able to offer one as a (seemingly unattainable) prize on his new show.

    Despite that glowing remark from the AP, Boeing has had to cut its 747 production line two times in the last six months, and the flying corporate giant will only end up producing 36 of the iconic planes in the next two years.

    That weak performance does not dampen Boeing’s commitment to the 747; it plans to try to sell the jets to Asia like it sold its only five 747’s this year, but most Asia-based airlines are looking for cheaper, two-engine planes that will make the same trip for less fuel.

    Even Delta Airlines CEO Richard Anderson joined them in their preference when he said at a press conference, “Now jet engines are amazing, amazing machines and you only need two of them.”

    A Boeing 747 can seat between 380 and 560 people depending on how a particular airline company chooses to arrange its layout, but it’s considered cumbersome because of its four engines. A full 747 really brought in the bacon, but a plane that fails to fill every seat has to spread a $200,000 jet fuel cost across the passengers they still have.

    The jumbo size is too big for most markets, it seems. The AP wrote that no airline could financially justify regional jumbo jet flights between Paris, France and Atlanta, GA, for example, and that business passengers prefer multiple flights for the sake of flexibility, making it more feasible for airlines to run small planes instead of the 747.

    The Boeing 747 was, upon its construction, a six-story engineering marvel that could safely carry several hundred people 6,000 miles. The model became particularly famous for piggybacking NASA’s space shuttles around as well as the POTUS in the form of Air Force One.

    [Image via a National Geographic YouTube video]

  • Alan Grayson Likens Tea Party to KKK

    Yahoo News reports Democratic firebrand and Florida congressman Alan Grayson stirred up a Tea Party hornet’s nest when he told Al Sharpton on MSNBC that the Tea Party movement is really about as popular as famous white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan.

    In the interview, Grayson describes how he believes ordinary Americans are angry and fed up with the Tea Party’s tactics. “They come to the President saying, ‘If you don’t let us steal your car, then, we are going to burn down your house,’” Grayson said, referring to the Tea Party caucus.

    Far from slinking into the shadows like a typical Democrat, Grayson embraced and continued the controversy, following his comments with a logo he sent out attached to a fundraising email:

    [Image from Alan Grayson’s Emails]

    The Roll Call noted the National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Matt Gorman saying “There’s no excuse for the hateful words and imagery used by Congressman Grayson. House Democrats should swiftly and strongly condemn him and return the money he has raised for them. This hate-filled rhetoric has Americans fed up with Washington.”

    Grayson responded to these allegations in a statement, arguing that the Tea Party was responsible for more negativity than he could possibly create. “Tea Party members have circulated countless altered pictures depicting President Obama and the First Lady as monkeys. Tea Party members also called my fellow Member of Congress, civil rights hero John Lewis, a ‘n***ger,’ and Rep. Barney Frank a ‘faggot,’” Grayson wrote.

    “One could go on and on, because there is overwhelming evidence that the Tea Party is the home of bigotry and discrimination in America today, just as the KKK was for an earlier generation,” he continued. “If the shoe fits, wear it.”

    The transcript of Grayson’s interview with Sharpton is available here on Grayson’s website.

    [main image via an MSNBC interview with Grayson]

  • BART Strike Over; Full Service Expected In Afternoon

    The Wall Street Journal and KTVU local news both report that the BART transit strike that has frustrated California for four days is finally over.

    California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom said “This has gotta be the last time this happens. I think everyone’s fed up, and nobody wants to see this ever happen again. The people of this region don’t deserve it, the folks behind me on both sides don’t deserve it.”

    Although the deal still requires union approval, then BART’s board of director’s approval, but one BART chapter president seems optimistic. John Arantes of the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 said last night “I’m very happy to announce the end of an unfair labor practice strike. This was not a financial strike. We apologize to our riders for the hardship you have experienced these past few days. We are able to stand up for worker’s rights, safety, and the rider’s safety.”

    The system was not ready this morning at 4 a.m., but BART officials indicated they expect to have the trains moving again this afternoon.

    The recent BART strike can trace its roots to union talks in April, where the unions asked for 23.2 percent raises over three years. Neither side wanted to negotiate as BART countered that it needed that money to control costs of new rail cars and improving infrastructure.

    The main sticking point from the strike was work rules, which dictate how schedules are made, grievances handled, and how reports are written. Strict work rules are typically thought of as good for workers who need the stability, but managers are finding their style cramped, and see efficiency lost as a result. Some of BART’s biggest changes to their work rules involve shift distribution and worker protection.

    ATU BART President Antoinette Bryant said, “We would like especially to thank our riders, who stood by us and understood that what were doing was fighting for a working wage for families in the Bay Area, and that we will continue that fight for middle class jobs.”

    [Image via this YouTube video of the workers talking about the strike’s end]

  • Drug Cartel Leader Shot… By Clown

    Reuters and The New York Post have both reported that one of Mexico’s most powerful ex-drug lords was shot by children’s clowns as he attended a party in Cabo San Lucas.

    A former Tijuana Cartel boss, the 63-year-old Francisco Rafael Arellano Felix sustained a bullet to the head at point-blank range during a family gathering at the Los Cabos resort in the southern part of Baja California. Francisco Rafael was the oldest of the seven Arellano Felix brothers, who helped to popularize trafficking drugs between Mexico and California. Their story inspired Steven Soderbergh’s 2000 drug war film Traffic.

    Rafael was first arrested in 1980 for selling drugs in San Diego. He returned to Mexico, where he continued to sell drugs. A second arrest in 1993 connected with the murder of a Roman Catholic Cardinal, Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo, did not dampen his efforts, and in 2006 the cartel made headlines when smuggling tunnels were discovered connecting Tijuana to the United States.

    Security experts have indicated that they believe Tijuana’s cartel is still operational, and that the Arellano Felix legacy is being continued by their sister and her son, alias “The Engineer.”

    Although Rafael was released in 2008 for good behavior, his enemies were more than willing to wait for the opportune moment to strike. Since most of the Arellano Felix brothers have been arrested or killed, their rivals have supplanted their place in the Latin American illicit drug trade, and officials have speculated that the assassins had ties to organized crime.

    The AP reported a former San Diego prosecutor who penned one of the cartel’s indictments, John Kirby, as saying “[Rafael] was never really part of the leadership of the big organization, mostly because he was in [Mexican] jail. He was arrested before they became what they really became.”

    Mexican authorities had hoped to let the United States deal with Rafael, but even after an extradition request to finish out a weapons possession sentence, Kirby said “The Mexicans were very concerned he was going to get out.” The Mexicans were right; Rafael’s 2008 release followed a six-year prison sentence from 2006 for drug trafficking, but he was released on parole and was deported to Mexico shortly after.

    [Image via Google Maps]

  • Saudi Arabia Rejects U.N. Security Council Seat

    CBS News reported that Saudi Arabia rejected its seat on the U.N. Security Council just mere hours after the five new members were announced.

    Saudi Arabian discontent seems directed at the United States over some of D.C.’s decisions in the Middle East. The Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a statement: “Allowing the ruling regime in Syria to kill its people and burn them with chemical weapons in front of the entire world and without any deterrent or punishment is clear proof and evidence of the U.N. Security Council’s inability to perform its duties and shoulder its responsibilities,” it boldly declares, as if they were powerless to help their Arab brothers, so we should have done something about it.

    With regard to the Syrian conflict, Saudi Arabia has been openly backing the Free Syrian Army since 2011. Most Security Council attempts to address the problem go nowhere because of Russia’s repeated disapproval of resolutions against Syria, although they did manage to pass the resolution that ordered Assad’s chemical weapons to be destroyed.

    In response to his government’s decision, Saudi Ambassador to the U.N. Abdallah Al-Mouallimi said the Security Council election was taken seriously and that it was “a reflection of a longstanding policy in support of moderation and in support of resolving disputes in peaceful means.” Russia, meanwhile, was described as “surprised” and “baffled” at Saudi Arabia’s move in the wake of agreements to disarm Damascus.

    The U.N.’s Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, said in response to questions that “I would like to caution you that I have received no official notification in this regard” and “We also are looking forward to working very closely in addressing many important challenges with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” going on to mention the Syrian civil war, terrorism, and nuclear proliferation. He reported getting in a brief private conversation with a senior Saudi official, but the details of that conversation are not known.

    [Image via this YouTube video]

  • Foster Farms Recall Would Be A Good Business Decision

    It’s been two days since three Foster Farms plants in California were discovered to be the source of the drug-resistant salmonella outbreak, which turns out to be the second outbreak to hit Foster Farms this year. In that time, Foster Farms has issued no recalls, but plenty of press statements about the safety of their chicken.

    Less than 12 hours before this writing, Foster Farms released another press statement from president and CEO Ron Foster attempting to reassure the public. “Consumers should know that as recently as Oct. 8, USDA-FSIS publicly assured the safety of our chicken: ‘Foster Farms chicken is safe to eat but, as with all raw chicken, consumers must use proper preparation, handling and cooking practices.’ There is no recall in effect and FSIS continues to inspect our poultry on a daily basis, certifying it as Grade A wholesome,” the press statement said.

    The statement went on to address the USDA’s Notifications of Intended Enforcement for food plants in Livingston and Fresno, California. “Foster Farms is dedicated to resolving any concerns by the USDA. We are fully cooperating with FSIS during this process and are responding with new and already implemented practices in the affected plants. Some of these interventions have been in place for nearly two months and are proving to be successful. In addition, we have brought in national food safety experts to assess our processes,” the statement continued.

    The LA Times notes that, in spite of the outbreak of salmonella Heidelberg, Foster Farms has no plans to recall any of the chicken products potentially involved in the outbreak (the ones with serial numbers P6137, P6137A and P7632). This isn’t surprising because they refused to recall their products from the last outbreak, as well.

    Craig Hedberg, a food safety expert from the University of Minnesota, believes that “From a business standpoint, it sends a tremendously bad message to your customers… They obviously have this strain present in their chickens and they’re not adequately controlling it in their plants and it’s getting out to customers.”

    A toxicologist and executive director of the Consumer Reports’ Food Safety and Sustainability Center, Urvashi Rangan, said in a statement, “It is outrageous that Foster Farms has not issued a recall in the face of so many illnesses associated with their product… Foster Farms has a responsibility to public health to take this step. Telling consumers to not worry and cook their chicken thoroughly is simply inadequate and irresponsible. How many illnesses will they wait for before taking action?”

    [Image via this YouTube news report of the subject]

  • ATF: Man Can’t Publish Book About Our Screw-Ups

    In 2012, former-ATF-agent-turned-whistleblower John Dodson revealed that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms was supplying guns to the Mexican drug cartels via a “gunwalking” sting called Operation: Fast and Furious. Now, Fox News has reported that John Dodson’s book is being blocked by the ATF under the justification that it will have bad effects on agent morale.

    Agent Dodson first attempted to stop the operation in 2010 from inside the ATF, but failed. When ATF agent Brian Terry was gunned down using weapons sold in the ATF sting, a media storm ensued that caused General Eric Holder to be held in contempt of Congress over decisions regarding documents about Operation: Fast and Furious, and the family of Brian Terry would file suit against those they believed responsible.

    Dodson’s efforts, meanwhile, continued: having affiliated himself with publisher Simon & Schuster, Dodson submitted a manuscript for his book The Unarmed Truth to the ATF’s Ethics department for review. The book, which represents the first insider’s story of how the U.S. government sold 2000 guns to Mexican cartels, was denied review altogether.

    An ethics official with the ATF, Greg Serres, said that they can deny Dodson’s request for any reason, specifically that “this would have a negative impact on morale and would have a detrimental effect on our relationships with DEA and FBI [agents].”

    The ATF’s outside work policies state that employees can’t make outside money as a speaker or writer without permission, but the ACLU argues that the policies are too restrictive.

    The ACLU attorney who represents Dodson, Lee Rowland, has said that the ATF’s policy “grants supervisors the discretion to censor critical speech simply because it annoys the supervisor or embarasses the ATF.”

    “Given the national importance of both the Fast and Furious operation and ATF practices more broadly, ATF faces an extremely high burden in demonstrating that its interests outweigh Agent Dodson’s right to speak — and the public’s right to hear — his views about Operation Fast and Furious,” she added.

    Meanwhile, the family of Brian Terry has released a statement through the Brian Terry Foundation in which they express solidarity with John Dodson.

    “Do we really need to remind ATF leadership that the men that killed Brian Terry were carrying weapons supplied to them by ATF during Operation Fast and Furious, an investigation that both President Obama and Attorney General Holder have publicly called ill-conceived?” Ralph Terry, the foundation’s president, said.

    [Image via this CBSNews YouTube report]

  • FBI 2012 Crime Stats: Tennessee is Most Dangerous State

    24/7 Wall St.com did an analysis last week of the FBI’s recently released 2012 crime statistics, but before anyone starts hastily comparing states, it should be noted that the FBI does remind people not to compare state violence in rankings.

    “These rough rankings provide no insight into the numerous variables that mold crime in a particular town, city, county, state, tribal area, or region,” the FBI said at the end of their report. “Consequently, they lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents.”

    Because no system of ranking could fairly gauge the numerous unknown variables, and because crime is reported and measured in different ways by different states, Urban Institute senior fellow John Roman would also caution against comparing them. The trend of declining crime since the 1990s is not clearly traced to any one factor, though experts have suggested demography, higher incarceration, falling crack use and new social programs as reasons for the decline.

    But trends always have exceptions. Alaska, Delaware, and Maryland are states with a high level of education and a high income, yet they are found within the top 10 because of small urban areas with a high crime rate (the city of Baltimore comes to mind).

    The 24/7 Wall St analysis was calculated by using the FBI’s population estimates and comparing four types of violent crime per 100,000 residents: homicide, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. Income, poverty, and education statistics were also compared as the relationship between the uneducated, the impoverished, and rising crime rates has been followed for decades.

    Here are the top 10 most violent states in the U.S. based on their calculations. If you want to see the report for yourself, you can find it here. Included are explanations of each states’ crime rates and the factors that contributed.

    1. Tennessee
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 643.6
    > Poverty rate: 17.9%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 24.3%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 3,371.4 (10th highest)

    2. Nevada
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 607.6
    > Poverty rate: 16.4%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 22.4%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 2,809.4 (23rd highest)

    3. Alaska
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 603.2
    > Poverty rate: 10.1%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 28.0%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 2,739.4 (24th lowest)

    4. New Mexico
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 559.1
    > Poverty rate: 20.8%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 26.1%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 3,600.7 (4th highest)

    5. South Carolina
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 558.8
    > Poverty rate: 18.3%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 25.1%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 3,822.2 (the highest)

    6. Delaware
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 547.4
    > Poverty rate: 12.0%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 29.5%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 3,340.9 (13th highest)

    7. Louisiana
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 496.9
    > Poverty rate: 19.9%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 22%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 3,540.6 (5th highest)

    8. Florida
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 487.1
    > Poverty rate: 17.1%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 26.8%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 3,276.7 (15th highest)

    9. Maryland
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 476.8
    > Poverty rate: 10.3%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 36.9%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 2,753.5 (25th lowest)

    10. Oklahoma
    > Violent crimes per 100,000: 469.3
    > Poverty rate: 17.2%
    > Pct. of population with bachelor’s degree or higher: 23.8%
    > Property crimes per 100,000: 3,401.0 (9th highest)

    [Image via Google Maps]

  • Iranian Spy Case: Israel Shows Off Captured Spy

    Reuters reported yesterday that Israeli courts heard the case of an Iranian spy on Monday, which some analysts are suggesting represents an effort by Israel to discredit new relations between Iran and the United States.

    The spy has been identified as Ali Mansouri, and he was arrested by Shin Bet security officials on September 11 under suspicion of spying for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Mansouri is a 55-year-old Iranian-Belgian, and it is alleged that he photographed the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv while establishing a cover story for espionage activity. Formal charges have not yet been filed.

    The case was heard by the court just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to the States to discuss Iranian uranium enrichment programs with the United States.

    Israeli officials said to reporters that Mansouri’s picture-taking of the embassy was likely an intelligence-gathering mission “for a possible terror attack.”

    Michal Okabi, Mansouri’s lawyer, defended his client by saying, “The apocalyptic picture that the Shin Bet is painting is a lot more complicated and the attempt to claim that our client came here in order to carry out attacks in Israel is far from reality and without foundation.”

    A military affairs reporter for the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Alex Fishman, wrote that the Shin Bet released the details of Mansouri’s arrest with great haste. “It was not by chance that it was decided in the Prime Minister’s Office to disclose the affair on the eve of [the Prime Minister’s U.S. trip],” he wrote. “Israel is trying to embarrass the Iranians to counter the successful public relations campaign that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani waged in the United States last week.”

    Reuters did ask the Shin Bet security officials if the announcement of Mansouri’s arrest was influenced by Netanyahu’s trip to the States. Shin Bet declined to comment, but the military affairs correspondent for Israel Radio said that it’s likely the Shin Bet publicized the case “out of a national interest – that is, the prime minister’s trip to the United States and his speech at the General Assembly.”

    [Image via this YouTube video of the arrested spy]

  • Government Shutdown: What to Expect

    Government Shutdown: What to Expect

    Since Congress was unable to agree on the fiscal near-future, it’s looking likely that the government will grind to a screeching halt.

    As complex as the process is, and as unpredictable as it may be (Congress may reach a last-minute agreement unbeknownst to the public), government programs have begun to identify areas that need to remain in operation. Any workers not responsible for life or property will keep working, but will not be paid until the shutdown is resolved.

    CNN Money reported a large series of updates today about the potential effects of the government shutdown:

    •Military service members will see a paycheck delay, although all active-duty military and reserve personnel will remain working.
    •Temporary duty travel will be canceled unless its related to the war in Afghanistan or connected to the safety of life, protection of property, or maintaining foreign relations.
    •Families of service members who died in the line of duty will not receive benefits until the shutdown is resolved.
    •Essential civilian defense personnel will keep working, but non-essential personnel will be furloughed without pay unless their salary isn’t funded by appropriations.
    •Museums and zoos run by the federal government will be closed, and tourists will be turned away.
    •The housing department will be furloughed; thus, FHA loans may be delayed.
    •The Department of Housing and Urban Development will furlough 96 percent of its workforce.
    •Employees whose jobs are not funded by federal appropriations will keep working, alongside presidential appointees.
    •The Federal Courts will remain open for approximately 10 business days; all proceedings and deadlines will remain unaffected unless otherwise indicated.
    •The Department of Justice will furlough 15 percent of its workforce.
    •The Department of Health and Human Services will furlough 52 percent of its workforce; hardest hit will be the Administration for Children and Families, the Administration for Community Living and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
    •The Center for Disease Control will maintain a minimal amount of staff required to oversee outbreak investigations, protect lab samples and staff the 24/7 emergency operations center.
    •The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will continue to implement the Affordable Healthcare Act (popularly known as Obamacare) and that Medicare will largely remain uninterrupted.
    •Chemical spill investigations will be halted, as the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board will furlough 37 of 40 staff members.
    •NASA will keep enough employees on to verify the safety of crews on the International Space Station and continue in-progress satellite missions. All other NASA activity will virtually cease.

    In addition, USA Today has a fantastic Q-and-A session regarding the shutdown, which you can check out here.

    [Image via an 11-second HD YouTube video of the Capitol Building]

  • United States & Iran Hold First Talks in 3 Decades

    The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the United States and Iran held the highest level of talks in 36 years. The topic of conversation: Tehran’s nuclear program, enriched Uranium, and the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The meeting was held at the United Nations in New York.

    It began with Western nations attempting to coalesce a program that would “inspect, verify, and curtail” any Iranian nuclear weapons programs. Neither side was enthusiastic about the possibility.

    U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accompanied Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to the Security Council’s consultation chamber for the meeting, where foreign dignitaries from the UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany also joined them for the conversation. “[Zarif’s argument was] very different in tone and very different in the vision that he held out with respect to the possibilities of the future,” Kerry said of the meeting.

    Zarif, meanwhile, described the meetings from his perspective as “very substantive” and “businesslike,” while he argued that the West would need to ease sanctions on Iran for the talks to move forward. “In the endgame, there has to be a total lifting of all sanctions…We hope to be able to move in that direction within a short span of time,” Zarif said.

    William Hague, British Foreign Secretary, said of the meeting that it represented “a good start,” particularly coupled with the scheduling of a second discussion between the world powers on October 15 and 16 in Geneva. That conversation would hopefully result in a 1-year time frame to resolve the issue of Iran’s weapons program.

    Western powers have charged Tehran’s government with directly attempting to produce nuclear weapons of mass destruction, but Iranian president Hasan Rouhani has continued to reiterate in recent days that his nation’s program is not a hostile one. Rouhani also objected to Israel’s lack of participation in nuclear non-proliferation. “Almost four decades of international efforts to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East have regrettably failed… Israel, the only nonparty to the Nonproliferation Treaty in this region, should join thereto without any further delay,” Rouhani said at a nuclear disarmament meeting.

    The entire meeting was over in about an hour. The European dignitaries found the meeting to be highly successful; German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle told reporters as he exited that “This week, a window of opportunity has opened” and that actions, not words, will truly count as the negotiations proceed.

    [Image via a CNN report on YouTube of the landmark meeting]

  • Mitch McConnell & Ted Cruz: How Do We Defund Obamacare?

    Mitch McConnell & Ted Cruz: How Do We Defund Obamacare?

    The Washington Examiner reported on Monday that Kentucky Senator and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that he would not support Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee in their efforts to filibuster a resolution that would defund Obamacare. Consequently, because House Republicans sponsored the resolution that Cruz and Lee want to filibuster, a distinct possibility exists that the government will shut down by next week.

    The filibuster efforts weren’t helped by Minority Whip John Cornyn, who joined McConnell in siding against Cruz and Lee. The move is politically unusual, mostly because McConnell, Cornyn, Cruz, and Lee all want the same thing: funding for the government, but no funding for Obamacare.

    The Wall Street Journal reported McConnell saying, “I just don’t happen to think filibustering a bill that defunds Obamacare is the best route to defunding Obamacare. All it does is shut down the government and keep Obamacare funded. And none of us want that.”

    McConnell believes that the final vote, scheduled by Harry Reid for today, would be the primary test of Democrats going face-to-face with an unenthusiastic electorate. “If five Senate Democrats vote against the Majority Leader, Obamacare will be defunded. That’s a vote we should want to have,” McConnell said.

    Across the aisle, Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid charged Republicans to back down and give up fighting a law that was passed three years ago. Reid went on to suggest that if a government shutdown takes place, Republicans will be to blame. Then, he quoted Confucius: “When an anger rises, think of the consequences… It is time to stop obsessing over old battles.”

    A spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Matt Canter, told the Wall Street Journal that McConnell is fighting an uphill battle against both parties. “Mitch McConnell is terrified of Ted Cruz and the tea party… Regardless of his rhetoric, voters know that McConnell is the reason for gridlock and dysfunction in Washington, and if there is a shutdown, he will shoulder the blame,” Canter said.

    If you’re interested in reading quotes from other politicians about the filibuster, Fox News collected some from the talk show circuit.

    [Image via a YouTube video of McConnell trashing Harry Reid]

  • U.S. Strike Syria: What to Expect in Coming Hours

    With official confirmation coming from Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on the United States’ readiness to strike, at the time of posting, it’s surely a mere matter of hours before the United States launches missiles in retaliation for chemical weapons usage by the Assad regime in Syria.

    Regardless of whether an attack takes place, this article will attempt to focus the media frenzy surrounding the possibility of a U.S. strike against Syria from a variety of sources, and assure readers that it is unlikely that World War III will start in the next day.

    As of this posting, President Obama is continually refusing the suggestion that he has already authorized an attack, although he has concluded along with Vice President Biden that “[Syria] in fact carried these [chemical weapon attacks] out. And if that’s so, there needs to be international consequences… We do not believe given the delivery system using rockets, that the opposition could have carried out these attacks.” Obama has also been working closely with the UK’s prime minister, David Cameron, in coordinating the response along with the French and German governments.

    An LA Times article from last evening involved discussions with both current and former U.S. officials, who confirm that a U.S. attack on Syria would take place at night and involve fiery explosions at military bases, targeted artillery pieces, and a variety of regime strongholds. Assad’s defenses would likely involve a bunch of flak anti-air guns trying to shoot down the Tomahawk missiles. Analysts speaking with the Times said that if President Obama wants more targets destroyed, the Pentagon may use warplanes in concert with the guided cruise missiles.

    Because of Syria’s recent chemical weapons activity, Obama has indicated that the halting of chemical weapon proliferation would be a priority for a strike. That does not mean that they will drop cruise missiles on chemical weapons sites; planners are far too worried that such tactics would unleash truckloads of toxins.

    Strike planners don’t intend to destroy Assad’s conventional war forces, instead choosing to target Assad’s most loyal units that assisted in the carrying out of the August 21 chemical attack: “They want to send a signal that those units are being targeted as much as possible because of their specific involvement” in the deployment of chemical weapons, one official told the LA Times.

    Syria attempted to step up its own rhetoric when a senior official said earlier this week that any international attack would be met by Syrian defenses, and that such an attack would create a “chaos” that could threaten global stability.

    Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad, speaking to the AP, said on Monday that “there will be no international military intervention… If individual countries want to pursue aggressive and adventurous policies, the natural answer … would be that Syria, which has been fighting against terrorism for almost three years, will also defend itself against any international attack.”

    Mikdad went on to say that each country will bear responsibility for the thousands of innocents who will die because of the “criminal actions against a sovereign country…Syria will not be an easy target.” Mikdad refused to go into detail about what Syria’s actual tactics might be, giving as much credibility to his country’s chest-thumping as the Syrian Presidency’s Instagram account gives to the regime.

    Some news outlets have speculated about a variety of Islamist groups’ response to a U.S. assault on Syria. However, since the Iranian scientists were killed, Iran’s ability to orchestrate terror attacks has all but faded away, and Michael Leiter, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center between 2007 and 2011, was quoted by the Daily Beast as saying “it is more likely Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah operatives would target U.S., Israeli, and Western assets in Lebanon, Iraq, and elsewhere in the region.” Take a deep breath, reader: extremist attacks on U.S. soil itself or on U.S. forces in the Mediterranean in retaliation for the bombing of Syria would be highly unlikely.

    If you want to read possible repercussions, an ABC News story via Yahoo has five interesting hypotheticals, but they are just hypotheticals.

    [Image via a Youtube video of the USS Stout launching a cruise missile]

  • State Department Bureau Spent $630,000 Garnering Facebook Likes

    In your “why-the-hell” story of the day, it appears that a federal agency spent $630,000 in a campaign to acquire Facebook likes over the last couple of years.

    The Bureau of International Information Programs, part of the U.S. Department of State, is responsible for foreign public diplomacy and communications. Its job is to “provide and support the places, content, and infrastructure needed for sustained conversations with foreign audiences to build America’s reputation abroad.”

    And apparently, they wanted to spread that goodwill via Facebook.

    From 2011 until March 2013, the expensive campaign increased IIP’s English-language Facebook page likes from 100,000 to 2 million. The foreign language pages also got a boost – from around 68,000 likes to 450,000.

    “Many in the bureau criticize the advertising campaigns as ‘buying fans’ who may have once clicked on an ad or ‘liked’ a photo but have no real interest in the topic and have never engaged further,” says a recently released Inspector General report.

    “With the Department’s use of social media comes strategic questions of the role, purpose, and limitations of the medium. A consensus is emerging that developing numbers of Facebook followers and Twitter fans may not lead automatically to target audience engagement,” says the report.

    The Bureau found out what most businesses on Facebook find out eventually – that likes do not necessarily correlate to engagement.

    “IIP’s four global thematic English-language Facebook pages had garnered more than 2.5 million fans each by mid-March 2013; the number actually engaging with each page was considerably smaller, with just over 2 percent ‘liking,’ sharing, or commenting on any item within the previous week,” says the Inspector General’s report.

    Just…why the hell?

  • China Will Beat Out U.S. To Become Top Smart Device Market This Month

    Over the past few years, China has quickly become one of the largest consumers of smart devices. The iPhone is incredibly popular in the country, and cheap Android devices are obviously very popular as well. Despite that, the U.S. still held the lead as having the most activated smart devices.

    Flurry, a mobile analytics company, released new numbers today which says China will surpass the U.S. in total smart device activations at the end of February. Using its tracking technology, Flurry was able to determine that China, if its growth continues like it has in the past, will have 246 million smart devices compared to the United States’ 230 million.

    China Will Beat Out U.S. Smart Device

    Will there be any way for the U.S. to catch back up after losing out to China later this month? No, at least according to Flurry’s statistics. The U.S. will hit a population barrier way before China ever does, and China has a quickly growing middle class that will be in the market for new smart devices for years to come.

    Of course, all of this doesn’t mean that China will remain unchallenged in the world of smart device activations. India poses a small threat to China’s dominance with its massive population of 1.2 billion people. Flurry points out, however, that India only has 19 million smart device activations at this point, and the country doesn’t have the same middle class growth spurt that China is now experiencing.

    In short, nobody will reasonably challenge China’s smart device dominance anytime soon, but there are countries experiencing massive growth in the proliferation of smart devices. China was number one in growth last year according to Flurry’s numbers, but now it’s in sixth place. Taking the number one spot this year is Colombia, followed by Vietnam, Turkey, the Ukraine and Egypt in that order.

    China Wil Beat Out U.S.

    With growth like this, it becomes obvious why companies like Mozilla and Canonical want to get into the smartphone business. These emerging markets are looking for entry smart devices that most of the major smartphone manufacturers can’t capitalize on without making some major concessions in regards to build quality or feature sets. Apple is rumored to be making a cheaper iPhone for these markets, and you can expect other OEMs to start making more entry level Android devices for these markets as well.