James Holbrooks

Feds Spent $429,220 Tracking How Latino Families Behave at Grocery Stores

by James Holbrooks | Sep 28, 2017 | Blog

This article originally appeared at Anti-Media. California — It appears the United States government finds it necessary to spend taxpayer funds studying how Latino families behave at grocery stores. From a Washington Free Beacon article on Wednesday: “The National Institutes of Health is spending over $400,000 on a study tracking the eye movements of Latinos and their children at grocery stores in a bid to fight obesity. “The study at San Diego State University is using ‘eye-tracking technology’ to determine how overweight people make their decisions on what to buy at the grocery....

Saudi Official Fired After Image of Jedi Master Yoda in Textbook Goes Viral

by James Holbrooks | Sep 28, 2017 | Blog

This article originally appeared at Anti-Media. Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Education has been given the boot for allowing the image of a pop culture icon to be published in his country’s high school curriculum. From the Associated Press on Monday: “A senior Education Ministry official in Saudi Arabia has been fired after high school students opened their textbooks to find an image of Yoda from the ‘Star Wars’ films seated next to a Saudi king. “The image produced by Saudi artist Abdullah Al Shehri, known as Shaweesh , shows the late King Faisal, who was foreign...

POLITICO Report: Congressional Staffers an Invisible Power on Capitol Hill

by James Holbrooks | Sep 27, 2017 | Blog

This article originally appeared at Anti-Media. Washington, D.C. — It’s rare that we get a glimpse into how the machine actually operates, but POLITICO just gave us one. The findings of an investigation by the news agency, published Monday, reveal that congressional staffers may play a far larger role in greasing the engine of American government than one might assume. From the article by Maggie Severns: “A POLITICO review of federal disclosures for 2015 and 2016 found that some senior aides regularly buy and sell individual stocks that present potential conflicts of interest with...

Journalist discovers the true cost of ‘free’ dating app Tinder is quite alarming

by James Holbrooks | Sep 27, 2017 | Blog

This article originally appeared at Anti-Media. In a piece that speaks directly to life in the modern age, French journalist Judith Duportail just detailed for The Guardian what happened after she requested from dating app Tinder that she be sent all her personal data. With the help of a privacy activist and a human rights attorney, Tinder granted her request. But she says the sheer volume of information she received was “way more than [she] bargained for.” From her article, published Tuesday: “Some 800 pages came back containing information such as my Facebook ‘likes’, my photos...

Journalist discovers the true cost of 'free' dating app Tinder is quite alarming

by James Holbrooks | Sep 27, 2017 | Blog

This article originally appeared at Anti-Media. In a piece that speaks directly to life in the modern age, French journalist Judith Duportail just detailed for The Guardian what happened after she requested from dating app Tinder that she be sent all her personal data. With the help of a privacy activist and a human rights attorney, Tinder granted her request. But she says the sheer volume of information she received was “way more than [she] bargained for.” From her article, published Tuesday: “Some 800 pages came back containing information such as my Facebook ‘likes’, my photos...

The Asia-Pacific Encompasses More Than U.S.-North Korea Relations

by James Holbrooks | Sep 25, 2017 | Blog

This article originally appeared at Anti-Media. In America’s latest show of force on the Korean Peninsula, U.S. jets flew further north of the demilitarized zone than they have at any time in this century. The flight followed a week of name-calling from both the U.S. and North Korea during which nothing of any substance — suggestions on how to scale back tensions, for example — was uttered. The current anxiety surrounding the situation between the United States and North Korea is rooted in uncertainty. No one really seems to know how advanced Kim’s missiles are or if he would...

Sioux Tribe Says Elder Beaten and Tased by Cop While Trying to Visit Dying Mother

by James Holbrooks | Sep 22, 2017 | Blog

This article originally appeared at Anti-Media. South Dakota — The Yankton Sioux Tribe is claiming police used excessive force to prevent one its tribal elders, 64-year-old Raymond Cournoyer Sr., from seeing his dying mother in a nursing home last weekend. Cournoyer was detained following the incident with police and wasn't able to see his mother before she passed. Cournoyer, who spoke to Argus Leader on Tuesday, says he spent most of Saturday at the nursing home and that his mother was doing well, so he left that evening and returned home. He says the call he got from sister telling...

FL Residents Warned They’ll Be Ticketed for Hurricane-Damaged Homes

by James Holbrooks | Sep 21, 2017 | Blog

This article originally appeared at Anti-Media. Miami-Dade County, FL — At a time when South Floridians rocked by Hurricane Irma were still surveying the damage to their properties, the country of Miami-Dade apparently thought it appropriate to begin handing out safety notices. Celso Perez told local WSVN-TV that he, his family, and his neighbors were starting to clear fallen trees from the streets after the storm passed through at nine in the morning on Monday. Hours later, in the afternoon, Perez got a visit from the county. “And we thought he was here to help us or offer some type of...