This is a red line for the United States. I am not going to telegraph in any specifics what we would do in the event of credible evidence that the Assad regime has resorted to using chemical weapons against their own people. But suffice it to say we are certainly planning to take action if that eventuality were to occur.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton • Making clear that the United States will not remain idle on the sidelines any longer if the Syrian government uses chemical weapons on civilians or rebel forces inside the country. The United States and other nations have maintained a mostly hands-off policy with regards to the conflict in Syria, instead pushing for change via diplomacy, though international pressure has yet to yield any significant results outside of occasional political defections. The Syrian government has already responded with a denial that they own such weapons, saying officials would never do such a thing “under any circumstances.” source
Pretty soon you’ll be able to print your 3D projects at the local Staples.
A new service called “Staples Easy 3D” will allow customers to upload their designs to Staples’ website, then pick up the printed objects at their local office supply megastore, or have them shipped to their home or business — not unlike the photo- and document-printing service the company already offers.
The project was announced today at Euromold 2012 by 3-D printer manufacturer Mcor Technologies, who is partnering with Staples to provide its new Iris printers for the service.
An interesting decision, though one we suspect will work out for the company based on the increasing popularity of 3D printing thanks to companies like MakerBot Industries. Between this and the introduction of more Dunder Mifflin office supplies, we think we might be spending a little more time at this particular office supply chain in the future.
I didn’t feel that PFC Manning should be detained more than 90 days in the brig.Daniel Choike, former commander of Marine Corps Base Quantico • Testifying on recommendations he made to the Pentagon regarding the long-term detention of Pfc. Bradley Manning during a pre-trial hearing today. The hearing in Fort Meade, Maryland is scheduled to last until Sunday, and Manning’s legal team hopes to convince the judge that the young soldier was subjected to illegal pre-trial punishment. If they are able to do so, Manning’s charges and sentence could be reduced or dismissed entirely. source
A new study from the Instituto Mexicano Para La Competitividad A.C. (Mexican Institute for Competitiveness) reveals potentially devastating consequences for a number of Mexican drug cartels should marijuana be legalized in a handful of the United States. The Mexican think thank believes the legalization measures on the ballot in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington could cut combined cartel profits by as much as 22 to 30 percent, and could severely cripple the infamous Sinaloa Cartel that operates in Western Mexico. source
I’m moving back to New York in a few days. Unlike past...
OMG. I got so...
In this week’s Newsweek, a little...
Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
#@#$%!.tumblr.com
Here’s a hidden feature that shipped in...
Watch: PCB gets a visual shout out on GMA’s Yahoo/Tumblr...
Former Penn State president Graham Spanier will face perjury charges, as a result of the testimony he gave during the Jerry Sandusky trial, according to a new report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Unidentified sources told the paper that Spanier, who was fired from Penn State after 16 years as president, has been under investigation for statements he made before a grand jury in 2011. Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly and state Police Commissioner Frank Noonan will hold a press conference this afternoon to discuss the case in more detail. (Photo via AP/Gene J. Puskar/ABC News) source
Anybody else suddenly feel like there’s something that our government isn’t telling us? We don’t recall the zombie apocalypse ever being mentioned when the Obama Administration introduced the National Terrorism Advisory System back in 2011. We’d like to humbly suggest that a “Threat Level Gray” warning accompany any word of a zombie attack from here on out. source
A divided federal appeals court in Manhattan struck down the Defense of Marriage Act Thursday as unconstitutional, joining an appeals court in Boston in rejecting the law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. The Supreme Court is expected to take up the case in the next year.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its 2-to-1 ruling only weeks after hearing arguments on a lower court judge’s findings that the 1996 law was unconstitutional.
The majority opinion written by Judge Dennis Jacobs rejected a section of the law that says “marriage” only means a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife and that the word “spouse” refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife. A federal appeals court in Boston earlier this year also found it unconstitutional.
Big news out of New York this afternoon. An appeal to the Supreme Court is expected, but that doesn’t change how important this is for millions of Americans. You can probably expect to hear quite a bit of discussion about Judge Jacobs’ rejection of the defense’s argument, that marriage has a traditional definition, in the next few weeks too.
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