On the front page, Editor-in-Chief of THE BLAZE Scott Baker has a post about a new book : “A Nation of Moochers.” The book takes a look at mooching in America in the macro sense. But I took a look at mooching in the micro sense, meaning a few of our writers here. FireWire editor Mike Opelka told me that he’s a “recovering moocher” but added, “I give, too.” (P.S- Opelka had a lot more to say on this, which I’ll be writing in a follow-up post). “Moocher: no. Smoocher: yes,” BLAZE magazine editor Chris Field said. “I come from a small farming community where everybody works from the time they’re kids.” The Newt Gingrich American dream. I asked our business editor Becket Adams for an example of how he mooches. He said he catches the draft of semi trucks to “save on gas.” I asked if that was the only thing he did. “That’s not strictly illegal, that I’ll admit in public? Yes,” he said. Chris Santarelli , an assistant editor, is one of those people who refuses to buy their own french fries and instead nibbles on the ones his friends order. “I never buy fries, say I don’t like them, but always ask for one from a friend,” he told me. The worst. Buck Sexton , who writes on the front page, dismissed the idea of him mooching altogether. “I’m a WASP. We hate mooching,” he said. As for me, I work in media living in D.C. Events around the city are typically free for journalists, often with open-bars and free dinners. Hors d’oeuvrs, at the least. Mooching is almost forced on me.
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Santarelli mooches on friend fries
Occupy Oakland protestors burn an American flag found inside Oakland City Hall during an Occupy Oakland protest on the steps of City Hall, Saturday, January 28, 2012, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Beck Diefenbach)
AP
Mass arrests outside YMCA
AP
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‘Kill the Police’: Cops Arrest Hundreds of Occupy Oakland Protestors After Street Clashes
The protesters at Occupy DC threaten the health and well being of the city, as the fetid camp breeds rats and vermin.
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Occupy DC and Obama administration showdown looming
Students who struggle with spelling at Marta Valle High School on New York City’s Lower East Side may have trouble finding positive reinforcement just outside their school property. The New York Post reports that a humiliating spelling error — “SHCOOL X-NG”– has been plastered on the street outside the high school for months: “It’s embarrassing for the city!” Luis Maldonado, a 50-year-old maintenance worker in the area, told the Post. “Teaching kids to read and write correctly is very important!” Residents in the area said construction crews worked on the street over the summer, and a city official told the Post that when utilities or contractors are done working on a city street they are required to restore it correctly and reinstall all marks. To add insult to injury, it appears that no officials have noticed, let alone reported, the error for months. “Nothing surprises me anymore at this school,” the school’s PTA President Linda Surles told the Post. “What’s ironic is that the principal has probably painted the lunchroom and rooms inside over about five times since 2010.” A Department of Transportation spokesman told the Post that they were making arrangements to correct the error promptly, but insisted that the spelling mistake was made by a utility provider not the city or any of its contractors. ABC News reports on the embarrassing error: video platform video management video solutions video player Editor’s note: we realize that “school” is spelled wrong in the title. That’s the point.
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Can You Spot What‘s Wrong with This ’Shcool’ Sign?
According to Wired, the Department of Homeland Security is looking into employing technology used in war zones for near-constant surveillance on American soil. Wired explained that DHS is seeking industry feedback on what involves Wide Area Surveillance System, which can monitor four square miles for unprecedented lengths of time: The Department of Homeland Security says it’s interested in a system that can see between five to 10 square kilometers — that’s between two and four square miles, roughly the size of Brooklyn, New York’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood — in its “persistent mode.” By “persistent,” it means the cameras should stare at the area in question for an unspecified number of hours to collect what the military likes to call “pattern of life” data — that is, what “normal” activity looks like for a given area. Persistence typically depends on how long the vehicle carrying the camera suite can stay aloft; DHS wants something that can fit into a manned P-3 Orion spy plane or a Predator drone — of which it has a couple . When not in “persistent mode,” the cameras ought to be able to see much, much further: “long linear areas, tens to hundreds of kilometers in extent, such as open, remote borders.” The request for industry feedback from DHS states that it is looking into using such technology for Customs and Border Protection and the Coast Guard. But Wired takes issue with even this use: Even if the wide-area surveillance DHS is after is just used at borders or airports, those are still places where Americans go about their business, under the presumption that they’re not living in a government panopticon. Wired points out that citizens from Iraq and Afghanistan, where such technology has been used, weren’t protected under the Fourth Amendment rights, like those held by citizens of the United States. The system DHS describes in its draft RFP states: The surveillance system shall have an electro-optical capability for daylight missions but can have an infrared capability for day or night operations. The sensor shall integrate with an airborne platform for data gathering. The imagery data shall be displayed at a DHS operations center and have the capability for forensic analysis within 36 hours of the flight. DHS states on its website that it is not requesting a proposal or capability statements; it is simply looking to “obtain industry feedback on the draft Wide Area Aerial Surveillance System RFP.” On a similar note, last month, The Blaze reported that although military drones have held a strong presence abroad, a new study revealed that they were being used more and more by local law enforcement in the U.S. Also related to increased drone use by local authorities, CBS 2 in New York reported that drones are being discussed to keep tabs on the Big Apple as well: “We’re always looking at technology,” said NYPD Spokesman Paul Browne. “Drones aren’t that exotic anymore. Brookstone sells them. We’ve looked at them but haven’t tested or deployed any.” Former NYPD officer Gary Weksler said drones make sense. “Not only would it be a form of intelligence gathering to protect the public, it also in many respects removes the officers, who might be attempting to identify issues, from harm’s way,” Weksler said. Although it’s not a done deal, CBS 2 reports that security experts expect drones will remain a discussion point as the city seeks to prevent terrorism.
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DHS Looks for Feedback on Potentially Massive Surveillance Project…on U.S. Soil
A Virginia man claimed to be a Navy SEAL to talk his way out of a gun possession arrest on Thursday, and the New York Police Department committed him to a psych ward thinking his claims of elite military status were the rantings of a lunatic. Turns out the guy was in fact an elite Navy SEAL. But as the New York Post put it, telling the NYPD “I’m in an elite military unit, you can’t arrest me,” doesn’t help much when the city’s draconian gun laws are at issue. Twenty-nine-year-old Shaun Day was on a leave from his duty as a Navy SEAL duty when cops nailed him for running a red light in Manhattan, New York on Thursday. NYPD officers searched Day’s pickup truck and found a 9mm semiautomatic pistol and three magazines full of ammo. During the arrest, police claim Day was babbling incoherently and repeatedly claimed that he was an elite Navy SEAL with “top- secret clearance,” but was unable to provide any documentation for police. After getting shipped off to the psych ward, sources told The Post the Navy sent staffers to talk to Day in Bellevue Hospital, where he was undergoing a psychiatric evaluation. According to Gothamist : “He was released [Friday] in their care, and they were going to treat him for post-traumatic stress. All charges against Day have been deferred, and it’s unclear how he was able to prove his status.” So far, the charges against Day of weapons possession and a traffic violation have been deferred. Over the past few months, other out-of-towners , however, including a former marine , have been arrested for illegal gun possession in New York and face years in prison despite pleas for leniency . Editor’s note: The lawyer for former Marine Ryan Jerome, one of those arrested recently, joined The Blaze Editor-in-Chief Scott Baker on Friday’s GBTV ‘For the Record’ program. Here’s an excerpt from that interview:
Ynet News Image of Gabi Cadis
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Leader of Christian Community in Israel Murdered by Man Dressed as Santa Claus
An Albuquerque father did not think twice before diving into 10-feet of sewage to rescue his 5-year-old son who had fallen into an uncovered manhole in the middle of a construction zone. Nearly one week since the accident and without any changes to the way such manholes are covered, Bob Anderson tells KOB that he is demanding that the City of Albuquerque acts to improve public safety: Anderson told KRQE that it was dark when his family were on their evening walk, and the metal cover that was supposed to block the manhole had been moved. The boy fell into the hole after running ahead. Without hesitation, Anderson followed into the disgusting pool and secured his son, as his wife then helped pull them back above ground. Nearly one week later, Anderson explained to KRQE that the steel plate covering the manhole is not enough to prevent such accidents from happening again, because “anyone can just pick this up and throw this off.” He is now demanding more should be done to secure the covers and make sure they can’t be tampered with. “They’re (the city) trying to blame the people for their sloppiness and their job here,” Anderson told KRQE. “I’m afraid somebody’s going to get hurt before this is all over.” Mark Motsko, Albuquerque Department of Municipal Development spokesman,told KOB that the city cannot change the covers because anything heavier would be a hazard to get off if there was an accident. To remedy the danger brought to the city’s attention by the Anderson accident, Motsko says increased patrol have been placed in the contruction area. “We’ve added an inspector all weekend from now until the project is complete to go up and down twice a day on the weekends to make sure that the covers are in place and that the barrels are also in place,” Motsko said. As for the boy who first fell into the manhole, Anderson tells KRQE that his son is fine now and that “it scared him more than anything.” However, the father has not felt so good and told KOB that he has been to the emergency room “a couple of times from some kind of bacteria.” The construction project at the site of the manhole is scheduled for completion this spring.
