Although the fact that the still-unsolved attack on a power station near San Jose occurred just a handful of hours after the Boston Marathon bombing - and apparently raised a few eyebrows initially - its ride in the public eye has been decidedly under the radar to date.

But that may be changing.

Now that the ranking member of the House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee is decrying the incident as possibly indicative of a wider security issue, the brazen attack is getting a bit more attention, noted Foreign Policy.

"It is clear that the electric grid is not adequately protected from physical or cyber attacks," said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) at a hearing on regulatory issues earlier this month, Foreign Policy noted.

When U.S. officials warn about "attacks" on electric power facilities these days, the first thing that comes to mind is probably a computer hacker trying to shut the lights off in a city with malware. But a more traditional attack on a power station in California has U.S. officials puzzled and worried about the physical security of the the electrical grid--from attackers who come in with guns blazing.

Around 1:00 AM on April 16, at least one individual (possibly two) entered two different manholes at the PG&E Metcalf power substation, southeast of San Jose, and cut fiber cables in the area around the substation. That knocked out some local 911 services, landline service to the substation, and cell phone service in the area, a senior U.S. intelligence official told Foreign Policy. The intruder(s) then fired more than 100 rounds from what two officials described as a high-powered rifle at several transformers in the facility. Ten transformers were damaged in one area of the facility, and three transformer banks -- or groups of transformers -- were hit in another, according to a PG&E spokesman.

One of Barack Obama's chief accomplishments has been to return the Constitution to a central place in our public discourse.

Unfortunately, the president fomented this upswing in civic interest not by talking up the constitutional aspects of his policy agenda, but by blatantly violating the strictures of our founding document. And he's been most frustrated with the separation of powers, which doesn't allow him to "fundamentally transform" the country without congressional acquiescence.

But that hasn't stopped him. In its first term, the Administration launched a "We Can't Wait" initiative, with senior aide Dan Pfeiffer explaining that "when Congress won't act, this president will." And earlier this year, President Obama said in announcing his new economic plans that "I will not allow gridlock, or inaction, or willful indifference to get in our way."

And so, as we reach the end of another year of political strife that's fundamentally based on clashing views on the role of government in society, I thought I'd update a list I made two years ago and hereby present President Obama's top 10 constitutional violations of 2013.

The serenity of President Barack Obama's Hawaiian vacation was rattled a little on Saturday when demonstrators aired grievances against unmanned aircraft and other issues in a small protest zone near the first family's upscale rented house.

Returning from an early morning gym visit at nearby Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Obama's motorcade passed a few dozen protesters holding signs with slogans including "Drones: Unethical and Illegal," "U.S. Bases Out" and "Close Guantanamo Now." Others expressed their opposition to genetically modified foods.

French President Francois Hollande has finally got his super tax on high incomes after the country's highest court upheld the law's latest version.

Hollande originally promised a 75 percent tax on income over 1 million euros ($1.38 million). It would have affected a tiny number of taxpayers, but it became a symbol of Hollande's campaign promise to make France fairer for the middle class.

But the constitutional council threw out that tax as unfair.

Hollande's administration rewrote the tax in the 2014 budget. It is now a 50 percent tax paid by the employer, and doesn't reduce employees' earnings.

The council ruled Sunday that tax was constitutional. In a series of rulings on the budget, it declared a change to the wealth tax that would have taxed latent revenue unconstitutional.

Source: Associated Press

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) sent out a paranoid email Saturday evening urging supporters to vote for Democrats so that Republicans can't impeach President Obama.

The email, subject line "Impeachment," was sent to Obama for America supporters, imploring them to contribute to the DNC's 2014 efforts. "What do these people all have in common?," the email asked, featuring quotes from Republican Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, Rep. Kerry Bentivolio of Michigan, and Rep. Blake Farenthold of Texas discussing the possibility of impeaching Obama for one of his numerous instances of presidential misconduct.

The DNC email discussed the "I-Word" and said that "Republicans are actually excited about the idea."

© yupedia.com

#1 TIPPING 101:

So I'm the owner of Company X. My workers' used to be paid a whopping 7.25 per/hour because of the ridiculous "minimum wage" labor laws that are seriously cutting into my profits. I only want to pay them 2.13 per/hour, which is still way too much! If I do this I can save about $5 dollars per hour on every employee. Actually, I don't want to pay them anything, but I know that won't fly. They might start asking for a fair wage or even worse: dreaded "union" representation! If I have 50 full-time employees I can make an extra $500,000 extra dollars a year! How can I achieve this? The law is against me. Or is it? DING DING. TIPPING!

So people can come to my restaurant and give TIPS to my workers for "good" service. What if I make tipping account for nearly their entire wage? That way the CUSTOMER has to pay for their labor while I don't need to pay my workers an EXTRA penny! I don't even have to include it into the price of the food or on the bill most of the time. It's just an additional cost the customer should be expected to pay. Now, let's make it part of the LAW and the CULTURE and VOILA! You got yourself some home grown All-American authentic: CORPORATE CHARITY. What a brilliant CORPORATE SCAM!

Because my customers have morals and don't want to bear witness to their poor server on the street, begging for loose change; they will act as CHARITY. To top it off, my employees will "work" even harder if their pay is "performance" based - especially if they want to beat minimum wage on slower days. So, if they want acceptable CHARITY TIPS they have to please my customers who, if continue patronizing my establishment, will fully cover the cost of my 3rd vacation home in Florida.

Saudi Arabia has secretly offered Russia a sweeping deal to control the global oil market and safeguard Russia's gas contracts, if the Kremlin backs away from the Assad regime in Syria.

The revelations come amid high tension in the Middle East, with US, British, and French warships poised for missile strikes against Syria, and Iran threatening to retaliate. The strategic jitters pushed Brent crude prices to a five-month high of $US112 a barrel.

''We are only one incident away from a serious oil spike. The market is a lot tighter than people think,'' said Chris Skrebowski, editor of Petroleum Review.

Leaked transcripts of a behind closed doors meeting between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan shed an extraordinary light on the hard-nosed Realpolitik of the two sides.

Television presenters, former sports stars and an actor from The Bill were among those recruited by police forces to help front safety campaigns and attend awards nights, new figures show.

The list, which reads like the contents of Alan Partridge's contacts book, shows a handful of police forces in England and Wales sought the clout of celebrity status from the likes of ex-newsreader Angela Rippon, former England footballer Jack Charlton and Gladiator "Atlas" over a three-year period.

Forces paid nearly £30,000 to hire the celebrities, although many of the fees were covered by sponsorship.

In some cases, payment took the form of a donation which was passed on to a charity of the celebrity's choosing.

Norfolk police made three separate payments including giving £3,000 to Graham Cole, who plays PC Tony Stamp in the ITV police drama The Bill, to feature in a staff film about "customer service".

In the film, which can be viewed on the force's website, Cole is seen walking through the streets in uniform discussing public perception of the police.

Police released thousands of pages Friday from their investigation into the Newtown massacre, providing the most detailed and disturbing picture yet of the rampage and Adam Lanza's fascination with murder, while also depicting school employees' brave and clearheaded attempts to protect the children.

Among the details: more than a dozen bodies, mostly children, were discovered packed "like sardines" in a bathroom where they had hidden. And the horrors encountered inside the school were so great that when police sent in paramedics, they tried to select ones capable of handling what they were about to witness.

"This will be the worst day of your life," police Sgt William Cario warned one.

The documents' release marks the end of the investigation into the December 14, 2012, shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary that left 20 first-graders and six educators dead.

Lanza, 20, went to the school after killing his mother, Nancy, inside their home. He committed suicide with a handgun as police arrived at the school.