Politics After Paris, Food Delivery, and Why Belgium?

The Syrian refugee crisis has become a political football since the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday. Republican presidential candidates and governors are now saying the U.S. needs to stop taking in Syrian refugees.

And why didn’t the French have advance intelligence about Friday’s attacks? With all the surveillance going on, how could they have missed what had to be elaborate planning? For some, including California Senator Diane Feinstein, one answer is encryption. The terrorists may have used tools that evaded surveillance.

Then, before Friday’s attacks, there was the foiled attack on a French train in August. And before that, there was Charlie Hebdo. All of these attacks have something in common: they share some origins in Belgium. Specifically, the district of Molenbeek on the edge of Brussels. Yesterday, Belgian police conducted a series of raids in the neighborhood.

Next, the LA Police Commission is a five-member board that is supposed to oversee the LAPD. The new board president has called the rise in police shootings in LA “alarming,” and has asked the department to provide an extensive analysis of its training and use of force policies.

Finally, food delivery is big business these days. Companies like Postmates, UberEATS and Seamless deliver food from restaurants that don’t offer delivery themselves. Or, if you’re more ambitious, you can try services like Blue Apron or Purple Carrot.

Banner Image: The Eiffel Tower lit up in French colours after the Novermber 2015 Paris attacks.