Things to Know - 24 April (the real one)

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1.  The 20th anniversary of the beating of Rodney King has come and gone, and he's alive and telling his story.  However, in the same vein has Rodney King, here is a very disturbing story and video of the beating and murder of  Anastacio Hernandez-Rojas at the hands of a band of US Border Patrol officers.  It was a criminal act that was silenced until the recorded video was brought forth as part of a PBS documentary.  This is what is left of his story:

https://rt.com/usa/news/mexico-border-patrol-death-video-64

2.  Here is Rodney King's story:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-riot-rodney-king-20120423-1,0,4440439,print.story

3.  The story of another war that has been too long, too costly, one with many innocent victims, and another one that is lost:

http://www.cagle.com/2012/04/up-in-smoke/

4.  In the aftermath of the BP Gulf disaster (too big to let it still be called a "spill"), it comes to light that BP could have, should have, must have learned from a similar situation that happend in one of their operations in the Caspian Sea two years earlier.   It is very difficult, if not impossible to believe any of the slick ads that we are splattered with by Big Energy on TV.  With promises of good practices, safe systems, and vigilance, we are told that safe operations are guaranteed and that problems are quickly resolved.  There is too much at stake unless rigid regulation and oversight prevails.  Fighting back Big Energy's requests (demands!) and obscene donations to Super PAC and elected officials is needed:

http://truth-out.org/news/item/8682-bp-covered-up-blow-out-two-years-prior-to-deadly-deepwater-horizon-spill?tmpl=component&print=1

5.  Thom Hartmann's substitute gives us the concise and easy to follow bullet items to know:

http://truth-out.org/news/item/8688-on-the-news-with-thom-hartmann

6.  Eric Cantor in his assessment of tax reform has suggested that too many people do not pay income taxes.  In order to be fair, he suggests that the those who do not now reach the minimum qualifying income (the poor, seniors, college students, etc) should pay as well.  Read more, and barf later:

http://loyalopposition.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/23/a-dastardly-plot-to-avoid-taxes/?pagemode=print

7.  David Brooks writes about "Creative Monopoly".  Competition to be the best in something that is already being done, isn't necessarily the best exercise for someone who is talented and creative.   Someone who is really creative and talented will find something that is set apart from the rest of the run for the roses, and find something that is going to change the metrics and monopolize it...or so it is according to Mr. Brooks:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/24/opinion/brooks-the-creative-monopoly.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

8.  For the LA basin readers, the easiest part of extending the Red Line to the sea is actually building it.  The hardest part is (1) getting the funding and (2) the politics of it all tops all of the work required.  The rest of you can read about how Los Angeles is working hard to solve its transportation issues:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-subway-stop-beverly-hills-20120421,0,3654976,print.story

--
Juan

"The saying "Getting there is half the fun" became obsolete with the advent of commercial airlines." 
       -- Henry J. Tillman

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction." 
       -- Blaise Pascal

"Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come." 
       -- Matt Groening

"If all the rich people in the world divided up their money among themselves there wouldn't be enough to go around." 
       -- Christina Stead