Sunday, May 15, 2011

Fit Friday: Cafeteria cams measure kids' calories

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/13/fit-friday-cafeteria-cams-measure-kids-calories/


Kids often toss the apple from their lunch trays and dive straight into the cookies. But, now cafeteria cameras can track what they’re really eating. Health officials are using a $2 million federal grant to install cameras that will track eating habits at five San Antonio, Texas elementary schools.  The camera program will analyze the food on the trays for kids whose parents give permission. Parents can get reports about what their kids ate in school. The cameras will record what the students put on their lunch tray.  A computer program analyzes the food to calculate the amount of food and calories.  Then it will also take an image of the students’ trays when they are done – this will enable calculation of the nutrition that the children consumed. I think it seems a little unfair to the kid's privacy and their choice of food. I don't think they would want their parents telling them what to eat at school because it takes away their freedom. On the other hand, it is also benificial to stopping diabetes and over weight in America. Overall, I say this camera method should be allowed even if it seems ridiculous. 

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Conservative group sues over bin Laden death photos

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/05/13/bin.laden.photos.lawsuit/index.html?hpt=T2

A conservative legal watchdog group has filed the first lawsuit seeking public release of video and photographs of the U.S. military raid and aftermath that left al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden dead. A conservative legal watchdog group has filed the first lawsuit seeking public release of video and photographs of the U.S. military raid and aftermath that left al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden dead. "The American people have a right to know, by law, basic information about the killing of Osama bin Laden," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. Obama had barred any public release of photos or video, telling CBS News, "It is important to make sure that very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence or as a propaganda tool." He added, "We don't trot this stuff out as trophies. We don't need to spike the football." I think both sides make a good point. Like Trevor said in class, it's like "cheating". But even if the pictures are released, would it change anything? Except for the fact that it might cause more issues as adressed by the president Barrack Obama.

Mears, Bill. "Conservative Group Sues over Bin Laden Death Photos - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Web. 14 May

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

U.S. was prepared to fight Pakistani forces

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/10/pakistan.us.military.fight/index.html?hpt=T2

The two U.S. officials also told CNN about the plan if bin Laden had been captured alive, which included taking him to Afghanistan and then out to the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea. All of the senior U.S. officials in the White House Situation Room during the assault were prepared to call their Pakistani counterparts if fighting between U.S. and Pakistani forces appeared imminent, one of the officials told CNN. The SEALs at all times retained the right of self-defense, and they could have fired at the Pakistanis to defend themselves. As the assault on bin Laden's compound commenced, the United States had a number of aircraft flying protective missions. None of the aircraft entered Pakistani airspace, but they were prepared to do so if needed. These included fixed wing fighter jets that would have provided firepower if the team came under opposition fire it could not handle. Additionally, the Air Force had a full team of combat search and rescue helicopters including MH-53 Pave Low and HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters flying. The plan was for bin Laden to be flown back to Afghanistan aboard U.S. military helicopters and then flown out to the USS Carl Vinson in the north Arabian Sea. There was a team of lawyers, medical personnel, interrogators and translators standing by to deal with bin Laden if that was the scenario that unfolded. A major concern was to immediately "preserve evidence" and put bin Laden into a legal framework that would ensure he could be charged and tried some day, the official said. "We didn't want to have some case thrown out on a technicality."


Starr, Barbara. "U.S. Was Prepared to Fight Pakistani Forces, Officials Say - CNN.com."CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Web. 11 May 2011. 

Monday, May 9, 2011

Source: U.S. needs permission to interview bin Laden wives

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/09/pakistan.bin.laden/index.html?hpt=T2


Pakistan will allow the United States to question or take into custody the apparent wives of Osama bin Laden only if their "country of origin has been asked for permission," a senior Pakistani intelligence source told CNN on Monday. The 29-year-old Yemeni wife, Amal Ahmed Abdulfattah, was wounded during the raid. The U.S. official identified the other two women as Khairiah Sabar, also known as "Umm Hamza," and Siham Sabar, or "Umm Khalid." The official identified the other men killed in the raid as bin Laden's son Khalid; two couriers, known around the town of Abbottabad by the aliases Arshad Khan and Tariq Khan. The official would not provide their real names. Bin Laden was found in a compound in Abbottabad, a city with a heavy military presence about 50 km (31 miles) from Islamabad. That has led several U.S. officials to question whether some within the Pakistani government or military helped shield bin Laden or failed to look for him. In an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday night, Obama said, "We think that there had to be some sort of support network for bin Laden inside of Pakistan. But we don't know who or what that support network was." The president said U.S. officials "don't know whether there might have been some people inside of government (or) people outside of government, and that's something that we have to investigate.""More importantly," he added, "the Pakistani government has to investigate."





 "Source: U.S. Needs Permission to Interview Bin Laden Wives - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Web. 09 May 2011.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Obama says bin Laden had 'support network' in Pakistan

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/05/08/pakistan.us.relations/index.html?hpt=T1

 President Barack Obama says Osama bin Laden had a group of supporters within Pakistan helping to keep the al Qaeda leader secure for years. Top U.S. officials insist Pakistan remains a critical U.S. ally in the fight against terrorism, but are demanding answers to troubling about questions bin Laden's presence in that country over the course of the last six years. Pakistani authorities have "indicated they have a profound interest in finding out what kinds of support networks bin Laden might have had," Obama noted. "But these are questions that we're not going to be able to answer" immediately after the raid on bin Laden's compound.
Pakistani leaders insist they didn't take part in either the establishment or the maintenance of bin Laden's safe haven, and have promised a full examination of the circumstances that allowed him spend years in Abbottabad, a city with a heavy military presence located a mere 30 miles north of the country's capital.
But if evidence is discovered that is "highly disturbing, we'll certainly press that," he said. Donilon's comments came amid calls in Congress and elsewhere to cut U.S. financial assistance in Pakistan, which currently receives roughly $1.5 billion in annual aid.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

The killing of bin Laden: Was it legal?

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/04/bin.laden.legal/index.html



Argument saying that it’s legal of killing Bin Laden was that the head of al Qaeda, an organization that had conducted the attacks of September the 11th," Holder said. "It's lawful to target an enemy commander in the field." "there is simply no question that this operation was lawful. ... (Bin Laden) had continued to plot attacks against the United States." Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama had all issued orders to kill or capture the al Qaeda leader. Arguments against it were "Obviously, under the rules of engagement, if he had in fact thrown up his hands, surrendered, and didn't appear to be representing any kind of threat, then they were to capture him. But they had full authority to kill him." "If a person has his hands in the air, you're not supposed to kill him," said Steven Groves, a fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation. U.S. officials have revised their account of the assault on the compound in Pakistan. Bin Laden was not armed during the 40-minute raid, they now say, but he put up resistance to U.S. forces.


Silverleib, Alan. "The Killing of Bin Laden: Was It Legal? - CNN.com." CNN.com International - Breaking, World, Business, Sports, Entertainment and Video News. Web. 05 May 2011. <http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/04/bin.laden.legal/index.html>.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Official: 5 troops killed in Afghanistan bombing are all Americans


Five troops killed in a suicide bombing this weekend at a military base in eastern Afghanistan were members of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division, a senior U.S. military official said Sunday.
Earlier, authorities had said only that five members of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, which includes troops from the United States and other nations, were killed in the Saturday incident.
The families of all five have been notified of the deaths, and a formal announcement from the Army is forthcoming, said the official, who declined to be identified pending the announcement.