An employee of the Chicago airports O’Hare and Midway has been accused of starting a fire in the FAA Air Route Traffic Control facility in Aurora, III. The fire caused the delay and cancellation of over 2,000 of flights out of both of the airports and disrupted even more throughout the entire country. Since failing to cut his own throat near the location of the fire, he has been charged with the destruction of aircraft and aircraft facilities and faces twenty years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Six months after its initial outbreak, over 2,900 counted victims of Ebola still lie in wait for the much needed supplies and health workers promised from countries around the world. While the generous offers of aid are already pouring into the afflicted countries, it is reportedly too little, too late; the disease has already killed over half of its victims and is continuing to affect even more daily. Dr. Heinz Feldmann sums things up in his recent statement, “The situation of the ground is just disastrous… we need to find a solution now.” Various donors are making promises of more equipment and medical personnel, but, due to the sheer size of the outbreak, the future is still bleak.
The US Forest Service is planning to charge a fee for photos taken on its lands. These permits could cost upwards of $1,500 and fines for shooting fine photography on forest service property could be as high as $1000. While the law is likely to go into effect in the near future as a gesture, ‘in good faith towards ensuring the fullest protection of America’s wild places’ it is already coming under attack as being too vague and its foreseen infringement of the first amendment. The US Forest Service is also planning on raising general admission prices to its parks along with this photo fee.
British Parliament declared war on ISIS on this September 26th after a six-hour emergency debate where an overwhelming 524 members voted in support of backing US air strikes in Iraq through tactical and strategic air support. While supporting actions in Iraq as a refusal to “walk on by” the threat of terrorism, Parliament refused to influence the ongoing war in nearby Syria with similar actions.
Fired Oklahoma worker Alton Nolen beheaded one co-worker and stabbed another last Thursday. Reportedly, immediately after being fired he drove from his office at the human resources building to another on the Vaughan Foods Plant property and proceeded to attack the first two women he found at the front office. Currently it is believed that the violence is a result of workplace anger alone with no connections to terrorism.
After Scotland voted down its independence September 16, the Spanish province of Catalonia is calling for its own secession vote. While this vote is almost certain to be turned down by the Spanish government, Catalan leader Artur Mas is determined that, “Like all the nations of the world, Catalonia has the right to decide its political future.” If the referendum for independence does eventually go through many loyal Spaniards highly expect the even deeper separatist sentiment in the northern Basque region to represent itself.
