The idea of an al Qaeda magazine is bizarre enough, but when the publication ran an analysis piece on the recently foiled package bomb plot, which came within minutes of blowing up a cargo plane in the air over the U.S., it was sobering. “Inspire,” the English-language al Qaeda magazine, revealed that the package plot cost just $4,200 and that the aim was not killing Westerners but rather cripple the air travel and transport industry. "We will continue with similar operations and we do not mind at all in this stage if they are intercepted," one article said. "It is such a good bargain for us to spread fear amongst the enemy... in exchange for a few months of work and a few thousand bucks." In light of the outrage expressed over enhanced security measures at the airport and the beginning of the holiday travel season, it’s beyond troubling how little it takes for a terrorist group to sow fear and chaos among millions. Can high tech security measures thwart such simple, low-tech terror plots?
The first salvo in what threatens to be a protracted war over unemployment benefits was launched today when the House of Representatives failed to pass a bill that would have given the unemployed three more months to file for extended jobless benefits. Congress has extended the deadline to file for unemployment four times in the past year but with the changed political climate and Republicans about to take over the House, this fight promises to be especially bitter. Republicans want the benefits, which cost billions of dollars, to be made budget neutral to lessen their impact on the federal deficit; they also want them tied to a permanent extension of the Bush-era tax cuts. Democrats, on the defensive, argue that one of the government’s biggest jobs is to support Americans in need, and with millions of Americans out of work now is not the time to be haggling over the debt. The unemployed have collected $319 billion in benefits over the past three years—should the benefits have an end in sight or is the economy just too weak to cut the unemployed loose?
It’s a story that may sound very familiar to a lot of Americans as of late: “jobless crusader Unemployed Man and his sidekick Plan B embark on a heroic search for work – and quickly find themselves waging an epic battle against The Just Us League, a dastardly group of supervillains.” From the creatively hilarious minds behind Goodnight Bush comes a new graphic novel chronicling the current economic landscape in the style of classic superhero comics. Read as Unemployed Man clashes with the formidable forces of economic evil including The Human Resource, Toxic Debt Blob, and Pink Slip.
Lawmakers, the Obama Administration, and federal regulators are all gearing up to take action on the issue of internet privacy. The only problem is they can’t seem to agree on how much consumer protection, if any, is appropriate. The Commerce Department, for example, wants the industry to regulate itself, while the Federal Trade Commission is developing stricter standards including a “do not track” registry (similar to the “do not call” registry) which would seek to limit advertisers’ ability to track and share consumer information. The Obama Administration, meanwhile, set up its own interagency panel to investigate ways to both protect consumers and keep business competitive. With all the disagreement about how to keep personal information protected on the internet, it’s at least somewhat ironic that the only place there is agreement is in Congress.
According to a recent poll conducted by TIME magazine in association with Pew Research Center, 40% of Americans believe that marriage is obsolete. Yes, you read that correctly – obsolete. Eight times as many children are born out of wedlock today than in 1960, those without a college education are increasingly less likely to get married and Americans that do get married are waiting longer and longer before they tie the knot – the average age being about 28 for men and 26 for women. Why are people less inclined to take the plunge? It seems that even though marriage remains revered and even desired by many Americans it is also not practically necessary in the way it used to be. So, what difference does it make if you I DO or if you I DON'T?
Patt Morrison is known for its innovative discussions of local politics and culture, as well as its presentation of the effects of national and world news on Southern California.
