His lunch was “the bomb,” but the security process was not: Jason Michael Cruz was at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport last Thursday when the Transportation Security Administration came after him.A TSA officer had overheard the young man talk to a friend and describe a deli sandwich he bought as “the wrong kind of bomb.” Cruz was referring to a 12-inch sandwich that a local Astoria deli calls “The Bomb” – a slang term that indicates both the excellence of the sandwich and the ‘explosively’ jam-packed ingredients between the bread. The sandwich was fully packed with cold cuts, cheese and toppings, but a nearby TSA agent didn’t know the context of the conversation between Cruz and his friend, Matthew Okumoto.Cruz said he wanted to bring “The Bomb” aboard the plane in his carry-on luggage, which a TSA official interpreted as a discussion about an explosive device, the New York Post reports. Paranoid that the men planned to detonate an explosive weapon on their plane to Los Angeles, the official reported the conversation to her supervisor, Robert Haddock.Officers then detained the pair at a security checkpoint, subjected them to questioning in a holding area, called the airport police and caused the men to miss their flight.“The TSA clerk probably got a merit badge for her quick thinking in reporting the Scary Terroristy Threat to a supervisor, and that supervisor probably got promoted. Meanwhile, Cruz missed his flight,” writes Lisa Simeone, a blogger for the TSA News Blog.Meanwhile, TSA agents fail to discover explosives going through airport security. Last month, an undercover TSA agent successfully bypassed security at Newark Liberty National Airport with a mock bomb. To test the effectiveness of the security screening procedures, the agent went through two screenings with an improvised explosive device-like contraption in his pants.TSA never discovered the device. Instead, agents have stopped passengers for describing sandwiches, removed the legs of a double-amputee, laughed at nude images of airline passengers, stolen expensive jewelry from travelers and arrested a man for carrying a jar of peanut butter.Travelers wishing to avoid arrest should refrain from describing their lunch items as “the bomb” – even if they do provide an “explosion” of flavor. Speaking about contraptions at an airport may more quickly lead to an arrest than discretely bringing one. … Read More
Obama on Boston: ‘The American people refuse to be terrorized’
Less than 24 hours after a pair of explosives detonated near the finish line of the annual 26-mile run in Boston, Massachusetts, Pres. Obama made his second address to the American public late Tuesday morning.“Obviously our first thoughts this morning are with the victims, their families and the city of Boston,” the president said from the White House in Washington.So far three fatalities have been attributed to Monday’s incident, as well as over 100 injuries.“This was a heinous and cowardly act,” said the president, “and given what we now know the FBI is investigating it as an act of terrorism.”“Anytime a bomb is used to target civilians, it is an act of terror,” said Obama.“The American people refuse to be terrorized.”So far the president says the FBI is not sure what to make of the attack. He said during Tuesday’s briefing that he met earlier that day with FBI Director Robert Mueller, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Attorney General Eric Holder and Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security Lisa Monaco, but the administration has been unable to identify a motive or suspect.The president said investigators were unsure of who carried out the attack, and suggested the options are plentiful — the attack, said Obama, could have come from a terrorist either foreign or domestic, suspect, suspects or an entire organization.He also suggested commenters should be less quick to jump the gun with coming to conclusions. “We don’t have a sense of motive yet. Everything else at this point is speculation,” said the president.“In the coming days we will pursue every effort to get to the bottom of what happened and we will continue to be vigilant,” he continued, adding that his administration has been directed to implement “appropriate security measures to protect the American people,” the specifics of which were unannounced.Moments before Pres. Obama address the nation, the central terminal of New York’s LaGuardia Airport was evacuated after a suspicious package was found. The scene was determined to be safe shortly after. … Read More
Filmmaker: Obama’s war on whistleblowers ‘a terrible disservice to democracy’
Appearing on CNN Sunday, documentary filmmaker Robert Greenwald said that his latest film will highlight the Obama administration’s ongoing “war” against people who reveal the government’s embarrassing and sometimes shocking secrets. “War on Whistleblowers: Free Press…
Supreme Court to decide if human genes can be patented
The case involves the Utah biotech firm Myriad Genetics, which for years has been facing a lawsuit for placing patents on human genes and restricting cancer patients’ treatment options.The molecular diagnostic company, which is based in Salt Lake City, holds a number of patents on genes related to breast cancer and ovarian cancer, two of which US District Court Judge Robert W. Sweet ruled invalid in 2010, the decision that Myriad appealed. The genes in question, BRCA1 an BRCA2, often appear in cancer patients, sometimes before the cancer has even developed. With methods to diagnose these genes patented by Myriad Genetics, patients are unable to go to any other doctors for a second opinion before seeking treatment.“Myriad is gate-keeping who can do what research on these genes and they are uniquely aggressive in how they control a patent,” Karuna Jagger, executive director of Breast Cancer Action, told The Guardian. As a result of Myriad’s gene-ownership, other doctors and researchers are unable to develop alternate tests or treatment options, thereby giving cancer patients very few options.Women with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes have no other options aside from taking the Myriad test, which is expensive and not always covered by insurance. Breast cancer survivors are expected to speak before the Supreme Court next week, where they will talk about the costs of the $3,000 tests that their health insurances did not cover.“The Supreme Court has the opportunity to right this wrong, to correct a problem that could free up human genomics to develop new diagnostic tests,” Jagger said.A coalition of cancer survivors, scientists, cancer patients, medical associations and support groups have expressed their outrage at the biotech firm for patenting parts of the human body, which they say are “products of nature” and should not be financially exploited. The group claims that the patents violate the First Amendment by restricting the free exchange of ideas on human body parts.Runi Limary, a 36-year-old breast cancer survivor, told USA TODAY that one of the patented genes showed up in her body when she was 28. Suspecting ovarian cancer, she debated having her ovaries removed, but couldn’t get a second opinion because Myriad held a patent on the mutated gene that she developed.“It’s so frustrating,” she said. “I’m really trying to buy time until I’m 40.”Limary has not yet had her ovaries removed, since doing so would diminish her ability to have children. She claims that if Myriad didn’t have a patent on the mutated gene, she could seek better treatment options and medical advice.In its defense, Myriad argues that without the ability to have such patents, which financially sustain the industry, research and development would dry up. But patent-opponents claim that the resulting competition would cause medical bills to go down in price and lead to greater scientific discoveries.“It’s about the future of personalized medicine for every single human being on this planet, and actually animals too,” Ellen Matloff, director of cancer genetic counseling at Yale School of Medicine, told USA TODAY.Currently, about 20 percent of the 4,000 genes found in the human body are already covered by a patent, including some linked to colon cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Some patents are owned by research institutions that try to prevent large corporations from using them for profit.The Supreme Court ruling on Myriad’s patents could affect the entire medical industry. The court will ultimately decide whether or not human genes can be ‘owned’ by corporations, which continues to encourage a race towards discovering them, while also limiting research after their discovery.“You have to ask, how is it possible that my doctor cannot look at my DNA without being concerned about patent infringement?” Christopher Mason, assistant professor at Weill Medical College, told The Guardian.But in order to strike down Myriad’s patents, the Supreme Court would likely have to rule against a law that has already allowed about a thousand human genes to become patented – a landmark decision that would overhaul the US medical research system. … Read More
Robert Redford decries sale of Hopi artifacts as ‘sacrilege’
Hollywood actor and director Robert Redford on Thursday weighed into a row about plans to auction off 70 ceremonial masks originating from the Hopi tribe of Arizona, calling the proposed sale “sacrilege”. In a letter of support, Redford condemned the looming auction in Paris and warned…
Test-tube baby pioneer Robert Edwards dies aged 87
British scientist Robert Edwards, who was awarded a Nobel prize for his pioneering work in developing in vitro fertilisation (IVF), died on Wednesday aged 87, his university announced. Edwards spent his career making the dream of having a baby come true for millions of people worldwide, running…
Father of in vitro fertilization Robert Edwards dies at 87
Robert Edwards, the British scientist awarded a Nobel prize for his pioneering work in developing in vitro fertilisation (IVF), died on Monday aged 87, his university announced. “It is with deep sadness that the family announces that Professor Sir Robert Edwards, Nobel prizewinner, scientist…
