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Dec. 5th, 2013 06:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwydion* At least twenty seven people are dead in a suicide bombing and gun battle in the capital of Yemen, Sanaa. It seems to have been an assault on the ministry of defense by men in army uniforms. This had just happened as I wrote this so details are tentative. As you likely remember there have been several years of unrest and government retaliations against protesters and they are working on trying to transition the government, so I'm seeing some speculations, but not much in the way of firm reports beyond the event itself.
* Things continue to deteriorate in the Central African Republic. The number of people who've fled their homes and who are hiding without much in the way of provisions keeps increasing. There are now reports of gun battles in the capitol. There have been calls for UN intervention and the Security Council is expected to look into it today.
* The Mexican Authorities report they have found all the stolen radioactive materials and that it really does look like a truck jacking gone wrong rather than terrorism, as they were saying on last night's Maddow Show.
* Best of luck to fast food workers striking for an increase in the minimum wage. $15.00 an hour would be a good start and a boon to the economy, but I think it's not nearly enough. What our economy needs is a raise of the minimum wage to 1968 standards adjusted for inflation. We need to peg it there with automatic Cost of Living increases. We also need to make sure tipped wait staff get raised to the same level as they've been stuck in place for a couple of decades now and if the tips aren't good they can end up working for free or owing money instead of making it in exchange for their labor. Our economy needs the boost, school children are going hungry which harms their ability to earn, and the current level of wealth inequality is unsustainable.
* "As Hospital Prices Soar, a Stitch Tops $500:" http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/03/health/as-hospital-costs-soar-single-stitch-tops-500.html?_r=2&
* "College Is Free After You Have A Baby, And Other Lies That ‘Crisis Pregnancy Centers’ Tell Real Women:" http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/11/15/2948781/lies-cpc-week-action/
* Thanks to Swisstone for letting me know that I was taken in by craptastic reporting. (I mostly know UK news sources as they relate to archeology/history news, so am apt to have trouble remembering political biases of said news sources. I am much better at spotting hoaxes in US sources than I am at spotting UK ones). Apologies for posting a bad item. Here is a corrective with better information: http://pinktape.co.uk/cases/never-let-the-facts-get-in-the-way-of-a-good-story-eh/
* "Hubble Telescope finds signs of water on five alien planets:" http://www.nbcnews.com/science/hubble-telescope-finds-signs-water-five-alien-planets-2D11690147
* "Stone-Tipped Spears Pre-date the Human Race:" http://gizmodo.com/stone-tipped-spears-predate-the-human-race-1471057957?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_facebook&utm_source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
* "Archaeologists Discover 6,400 Year-Old Human Remains in Barcelona Cave:" http://www.universityherald.com/articles/5871/20131128/archaeologists-6400-year-old-human-remains-barcelona-cave-university-of-barcelona-skeletal-remains.htm
* "Treasure trove reveals Iron Age town:" http://sciencenordic.com/treasure-trove-reveals-iron-age-town
* World War C:
* Heavy Settle - Admissions of Non-Guilt:
* I do love a scathing review. "After Dead (Sookie Stackhouse 13.5) by Charlaine Harris:" http://www.fangsforthefantasy.com/2013/12/after-dead-sookie-stackhouse-135-by.html
* Things continue to deteriorate in the Central African Republic. The number of people who've fled their homes and who are hiding without much in the way of provisions keeps increasing. There are now reports of gun battles in the capitol. There have been calls for UN intervention and the Security Council is expected to look into it today.
* The Mexican Authorities report they have found all the stolen radioactive materials and that it really does look like a truck jacking gone wrong rather than terrorism, as they were saying on last night's Maddow Show.
* Best of luck to fast food workers striking for an increase in the minimum wage. $15.00 an hour would be a good start and a boon to the economy, but I think it's not nearly enough. What our economy needs is a raise of the minimum wage to 1968 standards adjusted for inflation. We need to peg it there with automatic Cost of Living increases. We also need to make sure tipped wait staff get raised to the same level as they've been stuck in place for a couple of decades now and if the tips aren't good they can end up working for free or owing money instead of making it in exchange for their labor. Our economy needs the boost, school children are going hungry which harms their ability to earn, and the current level of wealth inequality is unsustainable.
* "As Hospital Prices Soar, a Stitch Tops $500:" http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/03/health/as-hospital-costs-soar-single-stitch-tops-500.html?_r=2&
* "College Is Free After You Have A Baby, And Other Lies That ‘Crisis Pregnancy Centers’ Tell Real Women:" http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/11/15/2948781/lies-cpc-week-action/
* Thanks to Swisstone for letting me know that I was taken in by craptastic reporting. (I mostly know UK news sources as they relate to archeology/history news, so am apt to have trouble remembering political biases of said news sources. I am much better at spotting hoaxes in US sources than I am at spotting UK ones). Apologies for posting a bad item. Here is a corrective with better information: http://pinktape.co.uk/cases/never-let-the-facts-get-in-the-way-of-a-good-story-eh/
* "Hubble Telescope finds signs of water on five alien planets:" http://www.nbcnews.com/science/hubble-telescope-finds-signs-water-five-alien-planets-2D11690147
* "Stone-Tipped Spears Pre-date the Human Race:" http://gizmodo.com/stone-tipped-spears-predate-the-human-race-1471057957?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_facebook&utm_source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
* "Archaeologists Discover 6,400 Year-Old Human Remains in Barcelona Cave:" http://www.universityherald.com/articles/5871/20131128/archaeologists-6400-year-old-human-remains-barcelona-cave-university-of-barcelona-skeletal-remains.htm
* "Treasure trove reveals Iron Age town:" http://sciencenordic.com/treasure-trove-reveals-iron-age-town
* World War C:
The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook
The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook
* Heavy Settle - Admissions of Non-Guilt:
The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook
* I do love a scathing review. "After Dead (Sookie Stackhouse 13.5) by Charlaine Harris:" http://www.fangsforthefantasy.com/2013/12/after-dead-sookie-stackhouse-135-by.html