Drug Traffickers Catch World Cup Fever

Staff / Truthdig Jul 4, 2010 Whatever your take is on drugs, you have to give traffickers some credit for their innovation: A fake World Cup trophy has been seized by police in Colombia after the 14-inch, 24-pound replica was discovered by investigators and found to be made entirely of cocaine. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Obama Visits Afghanistan (Update: Video)

Staff / Truthdig Mar 28, 2010 President Obama arrived in Kabul on Sunday on a surprise visit to Afghanistan, where he is expected to address U.S. troops as well as put pressure on Afghan President Hamid Karzai to step up the fight against corruption and drug trafficking. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

This Common-Sense Solution Brought to You by the 19th Century

Staff / Truthdig Jan 13, 2009 Barack Obama wants to spend as much as a trillion dollars on the nation's infrastructure, from roads to bridges. A video on his transition Web site even touts the economic advantages of fixing potholes. Why so car-centric? A new article in the Washington Monthly claims that spending some of that money on rail lines instead of roads could pay dividends. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Profiles in Courage: Women Journalists Speak Out

Staff / Truthdig Nov 9, 2007 This year's winners of the International Women's Media Foundation's Courage in Journalism Awards are truly remarkable journalists who uphold the highest standards of the profession -- and, as they reveal in their speeches, risk paying the highest price for their perseverance and dedication. Dig deeper ( 8 Min. Read )

Thou Shalt Not Exceed the Speed Limit

Staff / Truthdig Jun 20, 2007 The Vatican has come up with "Ten Commandments" for drivers, warning that cars can be "an occasion of sin." The document recommends prayer for surviving the road in good physical and spiritual condition, especially saying the rosary while driving because its "rhythm and gentle repetition does not distract the driver's attention." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Unfair at Any Speed

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig May 1, 2007 This just in: Driving while black is still unsafe at any speed, even zero miles per hour. The same goes for driving while brown. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

How Americans Get Around Town

Staff / Truthdig Feb 5, 2007 On Friday, "Countdown" aired this troubling video of American soldiers negotiating Iraqi traffic by bumping cars out of the way and driving on the wrong side of the road. The soldiers would rather avoid making themselves stationary targets than build goodwill among the already outraged Iraqis. (h/t: Crooks and Liars) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Europe Is Called Lax in Fight Against Child Trafficking

Staff / Truthdig Aug 31, 2006 A report by UNICEF and Terre des Hommes says Europe is not doing enough to address child trafficking, with thousands of children smuggled into Western Europe annually to become sex workers and slaves. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Web Ratings Down for Many Conservative Biggies

Staff / Truthdig Jun 30, 2006 According to Alexa ratings: AnnCoulter.com is down 10%; Fox News is down 13%; RushLimbaugh.com is down 18%; The Drudge Report is down 21%; Townhall.com is down 24%; the Washington Times? website down 27%. And BillOreilly.com down 40%. Meanwhile, traffic is up at lots of progressive sites. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Salon: Is the NSA Spying on U.S. Internet Traffic?

Staff / Truthdig Jun 21, 2006 Two former AT&T workers have told Salon that the telecom company has maintained a secret, highly secured room in a St. Louis network operations center where, the two workers were told, employees have been "monitoring network traffic." Salon's security experts say the operation has all the hallmarks of an NSA operation. Summary Full story (Reg. or ad-watching req'd.) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Anti-U.S. Riots in Kabul Show Mission Unaccomplished

Staff / Truthdig May 29, 2006 A traffic incident in the Afghan capital led to rumors of an American-on-Afghan massacre. Massive riots ensued. Bitter resentment of occupying U.S. forces has been laid bare. "Today has set us back 10 years," said a NATO-employed Afghani security worker. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Brit Ponders America’s Love Affair With Cars

Staff / Truthdig May 19, 2006 Next time you're stuck in gridlock, keep in mind that many American cities had fantastic public rail systems until Big Auto bought up all the tracks and scrapped them to make way for cars. The Observer reminds us that "it did not have to be like this." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )