Author Archive

NY Pols to Ban Anonymous Internet Posts

Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012

photo of Fist Amendment

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Photo credti: dcwriterdawn on Flickr

NYS Senate bill 06779

AN ACT to amend the civil rights law, in relation to protecting a person’s right to know who is behind an anonymous internet posting

The Senate sponsor is Republican Thomas O’Mara, 53rd Senate district. The Assembly sponsor is Republican James Conte, 10th Assembly district.

As Wired reports

Proposed legislation in both chambers would require New York-based websites, such as blogs and newspapers, to “remove any comments posted on his or her website by an anonymous poster unless such anonymous poster agrees to attach his or her name to the post.” … Oddly, the bill has no identification requirement for those who request the takedown of anonymous content.

There are a lot of idiots in the world, and some of them are unfortunately Republican. O’Mara’s Senate district includes Ithaca, Elmira, Corning and my birthplace of Arkport. Conte’s district is a chunk of Suffolk County gerrymandered to include a winding piece of Nassau County. I suspect the voters of both districts may wish to choose another representative in the next election, based solely on the sheer stupidity of their current state Senator and Assemblyman.

Penn Schools Have Poor Immunization Record

Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012
a public health nurse gives an injection

A public health nurse gives an immunization injection.

As reported here on May 16, schools across Pennsylvania were forced to ban students from attending as part of an effort to catch up on required immunizations and record keeping. Reports suggest that the effort payed off in many school districts. It took eight months plus two weeks, and the exclusion of hundreds of students to reach that end.
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Joplin Missouri – One Year Ago

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012

Here is a link to our coverage of the tornado that tore through Joplin Missouri just one year ago.

Joplin Missouri

Sean Penn Does Not Forget Haiti

Sunday, May 20th, 2012

Sean Penn’s plea to his fellow celebs at a Cannes gala “Haiti is watching us tonight like you cannot believe.” Reuters reports that the event raised $2 million for aid to the poverty stricken nation still reeling from the massive earthquake of January 2010.

Lest we forget:

Our coverage of the Haiti earthquake and its aftermath

U.S. Geological Survey – report of the 7.0 earthquake on January 12, 2010

CNN – special report on the Haiti earthquake

USAID – American assistance provided to the Haitian people after the earthquake

Clinton Bush Haiti Fund

Our Best – Senior Airman Lanea Trevino

Friday, May 18th, 2012

Air Force Senior Airman Lanea Trevino

Air Force Senior Airman Lanea Trevino, a command post controller with the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing in Southwest Asia, prevented a tragedy when she acted quickly to help a female comrade who collapsed from dehydration. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nathanael Callon

Department of Defense
By Air Force Senior Airman Michael Charles
379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

While preparing for her night shift, Air Force Senior Airman Lanea Trevino noticed something odd about the shower stall next to hers.

The shower supplies, visible through the half-opened curtain, had remained untouched for the entire time she had been there.

“It was strange,” Trevino said. “I had seen nobody else in the facility so it was odd that an entire set of supplies would be left.”
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