Friday, September 21, 2012

Updates 9/21/12

Hello everyone.



I think today is the first day that I've actually been glad to be stuck at home. There is some crazy stuff happening at my university. First, a threat (of some sort, they won't tell us what) was mailed in to the university post office. Because the sender used the USPS to mail it, the FBI showed up to investigate. They don't think it's a credible threat, but still won't reveal what it was. Then, last night around 11 p.m., the university received a bomb threat on the Brush Towers, which are the three "skyscraper" dorms that house thousands of students. Each building has 17 floors, and every floor has upwards of forty students. It took them about 30 minutes to evacuate, according to the news, and bomb-sniffing dogs were brought in. Two hours later, the students were given the all-clear and allowed back in. A lot of the students are pretty afraid to go to classes now. We aren't sure what's going on. Apparently the FBI is still on campus, from what I've heard. This is some really scary stuff. Usually when we get threats, it's proven false pretty quickly and they catch the person doing it. I don't even know if they have a suspect. If you want to read what little there is about this story, follow the link. 




But our university isn't the only one with problems. I've heard that multiple other universities have been receiving threats recently. 


-- With students in mind, a friend on Facebook posted this story/petition. This is a truly horrifying event that this young man went through, and his attackers should be caught and brought to justice. This young man is Jewish, and was attacked by two men who said they were part of the KKK, performed a Hitler salute, and stapled his mouth shut while other party-goers watched. The police are saying this is NOT a hate crime.




-- [Charles] In Illinois, workers have set up an encampment outside a factory owned by Bain Capital to protest the plans to close the plant and move it to China. Workers are calling on Romney to help save their jobs. The mayor supports the encampment, called "Bainport," and has defended it against calls to remove it. Here is an interview with two of the workers and the mayor. 




-- [Charles] What do we know about GMOs, and what can we do about them? This article addresses the facts associated with the food supply and biotech companies, to differentiate between what is the truth, and what the companies want you to think. 




-- [Charles] Speaking of foods, people in Greece are facing more and more extreme difficulties in securing food and health care for themselves and their families. Hospitals are open, but the staff are protesting wage cuts, and the delay of payment for over two months. Elderly, children, and even healthy people are digging through marketplace garbage to find food, with some denying their actions, trying to retain dignity. This article details how the people are surviving, if only barely.




-- Two Occupiers are suing for false arrests, and their lawsuit names Ray Kelly, Anthony Bologna, and New York City itself. They are challenging their arrests from the first week of the movement last year, saying that both were arrested while legally walking on the sidewalk after being trapped by police netting. 




***Solidarity***

To contact me, email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks.

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