Send in the Robot, Nigeria Bomb Attack

Search: Searchers in the Southern Indian Ocean are preparing to launch a robotic submersible to look for wreckage from the missing Malaysia Flight 370. They’re hunting about 1,000 miles of the coast of Perth, Australia, where search ships last heard pings believed to have come from the jet’s black box. The submersible will be able to search the ocean floor for 16 hours at a time before coming to the surface and downloading data. Nothing has been heard since last Tuesday and the black box batteries are now thought to be dead five weeks into the search for the missing aircraft. The batteries are designed to last roughly 30 days.

World: Seventy-one people were killed and 124 wounded earlier today in a bomb attack on a bus station in Nigeria. Authorities blame the Islamic group Boko Haram. The bus station outside Abuja serves poorer working people who commute to the city. Boko Haram has recently been targeting civilians they believe cooperate with the government and military. Sixteen buses were burned and 24 damaged in the incident.

Nation: Three people were killed by a gunman outside Jewish community and living centers in Kansas City, Mo. yesterday afternoon. Police are  investigating whether it was a hate crime but declined to give specifics. A man and his grandson were killed in the parking lot of the community center and a woman was killed in the parking lot of the living center. Other people were injured by shotgun blasts. Police arrested a 73-year-old man with a record of white supremacy and anti-Semitism.

>Florida wildlife officials have killed four bears believed responsible for an attack on a Seminole County woman in her garage Saturday night. Terri Frana, 45, found several bears routing through her garbage. One of the bears attacked and tried to drag her into the woods. She’s recovering with stitches and staples in her head and claw marks on her back.

Take a Break: That’s enough death and mayhem for one day.

Small Screen: Investigative reporter Michael Isikoff, who broke the news about President Clinton’s relationship with Monica Lewinsky, has left NBC News after four years with the network. He told the NY Times, “It was increasingly clear they were moving in directions in which there were going to be fewer opportunities for my work.” In other words, he couldn’t get on the air. Isikoff had been with Newsweek for many years before going to NBC. He’s being replaced by Cynthia McFadden, late of ABC’s “Nightline.” She’s not known for breaking big stories. CBS investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson also recently departed saying she had trouble getting stories on the air.

Fore: Bubba Watson won his second green jacket in three years at the Masters golf tournament. At one point the veteran was tied with 20-year-old Jordan Spieth who was gunning to become the youngest Masters winner in history, but Spieth finished third.

On the Edge: An Atlantic City casino is accusing poker champion Phil Ivey, Jr. of cheating to win $9.6 million at baccarat. The Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa filed a federal lawsuit accusing him of using a technique known as “edge sorting.” Known for his mathematical skills, Ivey had asked the casino to use an automatic shuffler which never changes the alignment of the cards. That allowed him to memorized tiny flaws in the pattern on the backs of the cards and use that to his advantage. But really, if you’re smart enough to do that, shouldn’t you be able to keep the money?

-30-

 

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Page Two

The Most Corrupt Justice

Monday, October 2, 2023

Democracy and Video in the Dark

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Page Two: Do the Right Thing

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Page Two: Sound Recall

Monday, September 13, 2021

Page Two: Cuomo Must Go

Friday, August 13, 2021

Trump and the Truth

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

The “Great” President

Monday, March 30, 2020

The Wright Stuff

Saturday, February 29, 2020

It's Been Said

"In my mind, I’ve never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate, and I should have, no excuses."

-Andrew Cuomo, resigning as governor of New York after accusations of sexual harassment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.