US Air Force: Captain James M. Steel

US Air Force Captain James M. Steel, twenty-nine of Tampa, Florida, died on April 3.

His F16 crashed near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

He was assigned to the 77th Fighter Squadron out of Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.

Steel graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 2006.

BEARD PAC Formed

BEARD PAC is now an official political action group in the United States.

The group filed their paperwork on Wednesday, with the Federal Elections Committee.

A non partisan organization, they will only support people with beards.

Candidates who shave off their bears, will automatically be kicked out of the PAC.

According to their press statement:

Bearded Entrepreneurs for the Advancement of a Responsible Democracy will act to independently support the candidacies of bearded candidates nationwide.

“With the resurgence of beards in popular culture and among today’s younger generation, we believe the time is now to bring facial hair back into politics” said BEARD PAC Founder Jonathan Sessions.  He added “We haven’t had a bearded major party candidate run for President since Charles Evans Hughes ran and lost in 1916, and there has been a recent wave of retirements amongst bearded Congressmen, including David Obey and Steve LaTourette. Our hope is that we can start to reverse this disturbing trend.”  

BEARD PAC is non-partisan, and will support candidates from across the political spectrum and across all levels of government, so long as they meet minimum facial hair requirements.  

“It’s been 125 years since our last bearded President, Benjamin Harrison, was elected” said BEARD PAC Communications Director Andy Shapero. “We’re hoping that with our support, bearded individuals will shrug off over a century of political irrelevance and start running for office again.”

Philippines and US Begin Annual War Games

Annual war games between the Philippines and the US began on Friday.

More than eight thousand troops are involved in the exercises, which will last for twelve days.

The exercises are focused on disaster relief training, as well as strengthening ties between the allied nations.

They also come at a time that sees the Philippines, and other countries in the region, arguing with China over ownership of islands, in the South China Sea.

Those disputes have been overshadowed by the world's issues with North Korea.

Building Collapse Leaves 41 Dead and 50 Injured

Forty-one people were killed and fifty injured when a building collapsed.

It happened Thursday night, in Thane, India.

Fifteen people were rescued from the rubble and at least twenty are still missing.

Authorities said the building was illegally constructed, and the faulty construction is to blame for the collapse.

China Begins Culling Birds as Death Toll Reaches 6

A sixth person has now died from the H7N9 strand of bird flu, in China.

Eight other people are ill from the disease.

On Thursday, officials went through a market in Huhai after the strand was located in pigeons there.

Culling crews killed over twenty thousand birds, at that market alone.

Authorities are trying to avoid a panic, by pointing out that Tamiflu can be used as a cure, as long as bird flu is caught early enough.

Other countries are beginning to react by banning imports of Chinese birds, as well as increased health checks at airports.

Airlines are already reporting a decrease in ticket purchases in the region.

South Korea Deploys Ships as North Warns Embassies to Close

North Korean mid range mobile missile

South Korea has deployed anti missile warships to both coasts as the North moves missiles around and possibly loads them.

The North has continued it's threats against the US and now has warned Russia, the UK, and other countries that they should close their embassies, in Pyongyang.

Japanese, South Korean, and US forces in the area are on alert for any hostility that goes beyond verbal.

China also seems to be tiring of the war of words, seemingly more and more irritated by their small neighbor, which they alone defend at times.

Meanwhile, in North Korea, things remain apparently calm, despite the rhetoric and closing of all lines of communication with the South.

Troops from the US and South continue their war games, which have been mainly focused on practicing defending the South from missile attacks. 

Hard to Assimilate

Just like the Doctor, Rose, and Mickey Smith, I refuse to assimilate.

Granted the assimilation that is asked of me is not like that of a Cyberman, but still they want me to change my thought pattern. You see, I belong to a labor union.

I joined the union about six and a half years ago. When I first joined no one made a big deal of it, we were just a union. You pay your dues, go to a monthly meeting, and do your best at work. Then two years ago, it started to change.

I noticed that the union was beginning to become more forceful, more intimidating.

Every month, we get a local newsletter. It has articles from each businesses bargaining chairperson, retiree chairperson, president of the local, and political cartoons. 

Here are some examples of the cartoons:

Signs went up. Every Wednesday we are to wear red. If you want to pay ten dollars, the union has red shirts with their logo and motto on it so you have something red to wear. I refuse. I don't even wear any red shirt to work any day of the week. I don't want them to get ideas. Yet, every Wednesday, at my shift meeting, I get harassed because I'm not wearing red.

I was asked to go to Black Lake. That's my union's "education center". I said no, because its way up north and it was winter. The real reason, its an indoctrination center. You sit in 'class' for six to eight hours a day, learning how great the union is. They sing Solidarity Forever every day to people can recite it on cue. No thanks. I've seen how people came back from there. They take good, hard workers & make them whiny, lazy ones.

During the campaign, Obama/Biden buttons were handed out. One was accepted on my behalf. In other words, before I had a chance to say no thanks, someone said yes for me. I found during this time, it would be really bad to outed as anything but an Obama supporter. 

Shortly after the election, there was a Right to Work protest rally in Lansing. I had to go! Can I just say, "WOW"? We met at the regional hall before leaving. We were told there that our fearless leaders didn't even know what was in the Right to Work bill, but we're protesting it anyway! While on the bus, a legal pad went around for us to put our information down on in case we got arrested for civil unrest. I knew then, I had to keep a lot of my opinions to myself. They were prepped for battle & I was alone. 

For as much as they fought that day, the bill was passed. They yelled for days. "We're going to sue!" "Snyder did this illegally!" "They can't union bust us!" Yet, on the day that Right to Work became legal, nothing was heard from the shop floor. *crickets*

How does this happen, you say. Easy. The rank & file of the union only get upset when they're told to get upset. They are told not to snitch on each other. They are told you get paid by the hour, not by the part. These are the rules. Can't get upset because you'll get reminded. Get reminded too much, a target appears on your back.

Like I said, I've been a part of this union for six and a half years. I have yet to assimilate. My work ethic is too strong.

Disney Closing LucasArts

Gamers were devastated to learn that LucasArts is to be shut down.

On Wednesday, Disney announced the gaming part of the Lucas empire, which they purchased in October, will be phased out.

Disney plans to license the current Star wars games out to other game developers.

However, they will be shutting down work on two games which were being created.

Once all games are licensed out, Disney will completely close LucasArts.

Til then only a small team will remain working for the company.

17 Colorado Sheriffs Protest Obama and Anti Gun Laws

Sheriffs from seventeen Colorado counties, gathered in Denver on Wednesday, to protest President Obama's visit to the state and recent anti gun laws being passed.

They were joined by state senators and representatives, as well as concerned citizens.

It was but the latest protest, in Colorado, against restrictive gun laws.

Opponents of the bills say that they are unconstitutional.

Several sheriffs have already stated that they will not enforce the laws, which Colorado's Democrat controlled legislature passed.

A Hundred Fast Food Workers Strike in NYC Demanding Wage Increases

Over a hundred fast food workers in New York City walked off their jobs, on Thursday.

Bus loads of people from DC were brought in to make their numbers look bigger.

They did so to protest and demand that minimum wage be raised to fifteen dollars an hour.

The strikers also want to form a union to support their demands.

Strikers say that raising minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour would allow for workers to be brought above the poverty line.

Restaurant chains state that doing so will only make it more difficult for them to hire.

Opponents of an increase and economists point out that if minimum wage was raised, prices would have to go up to match, meaning it would actually back fire.