The President’s Address about the Islamic State
The problems in Iraq have been a growing concern for the American people and the Obama administration for the last several months. btw has been providing some summary stories on the advance of the group sometimes known as The Islamic State in Syria (ISIS), the Islamic State in Libya (ISIL), or simply The Islamic State. […]
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Iraq Erupts Into Violence It has been a while since btw reported on major military and political activity in Iraq. Recently, however, members of the militant group called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) seized control of various border crossings into neighboring Jordan and Syria. The group, known for its very strict view of […]
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Heartbleed Bug Security Breach In the midst of recent concerns about online security, another digital vulnerability has been discovered that might put million of online identities at risk. Its technical name is CVE-2014-0160, but has been nicknamed the “heartbleed” bug. Experts believe that about 2/3rd of all websites are now vulnerable. Fortunately, most banks use their […]
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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Legends of the music world have been honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame each year since its creation in 1983. While the foundation and museum are located in Cleveland, Ohio (where local radio helped establish the credibility and early popularity for the music) the induction […]
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The Mystery of Flight 370 Continues On March 8, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 departed the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on its way to Beijing, China. Less than an hour later it lost contact with air traffic control. Despite subsequent tracking by satellite that showed the aircraft traveling off course for at least seven […]
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A Year of Action: President Gives State of the Union When writing the Constitution, our forefathers decided that our president would, “from time to time, give to the Congress information of the State of the Union.” In it, he would “recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary.” This means summarizing the […]
President Obama Announces NSA Reforms
Last summer, btw reported on accusations made against the National Security Agency (NSA). Edward Snowden, a former independent contractor for the CIA, exposed questionable surveillance practices of the United States government. It sparked a national debate about the balance between our country’s ability to defend itself and the rights of its citizens against government interference. […]
btw’s Year in Review: U.S. News
It’s that time of year again, time to take a break from the frantic pace of the holidays and reflect on the year behind us. Doing so not only reminds us what happened, but allows us to reflect on trends, learn from our successes and failures, and speculate on what might have lasting impact. 2013 […]
Shutdown Showdown
For the first time in seventeen years, the U.S. government is in the midst of a shutdown. This means that a number of federally-funded programs and services have been suspended and its workers “furloughed.” Furloughted workers are not allowed to work or get paid until the shutdown has been resolved and the continuing resolution that […]
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Income Gap Between Americans Grows A group made up of economists from around the world compiled IRS figures from the past 100 years. They concluded that the difference in income between the richest 1% of earners in America and the rest is the widest since the Great Depression. Even though the gap has been growing […]