On April 24th the NYPD will conduct a test for any lieutenants wishing to become captains. However, apparently only 537—about 30%—of the departments lieutenants have signed up for the exam. The Post reports that many cops say they can earn as much money as a lieutenant in their current position, and don't have to deal with the added pressure of the higher ranking job. Former cop Gene O'Donnell believes this doesn't bode well for morale in the organization. "The middle level is not inclined to take a test to rise in the organization, and that's an indicator that they plan not to make policing a career and will leave." more ›

As long as he lives, U.S. Airways Captain Chesley Sullenberger will travel the land to tell the amazing story of his successful emergency landing on the Hudson River in January; this morning found him in Washington to testify during hearings held by the National Transportation Safety Board on air safety and the growing threat of bird strikes. (According to the Times, researchers counted 229 people killed and 210 aircraft destroyed as a result of bird strikes in the last 20 years.) And yesterday the Smithsonian Institution announced that isotopic analysis of goose remains found in Flight 1549's engines confirmed that the birds were migratory, thus suggesting that habitat destruction would not have prevented the accident. more ›

After the U.S. Navy killed three Somali pirates holding an American container ship captain hostage, pirates have seized four ships in 48 hours. BBC News reports the most recent was a Greek-managed ship with 22 Filipino crew members. NATO Lt. Commander Alexandre Fernandes told Reuters news agency, "There was only three minutes between the alarm and the hijack... They attacked at night, which was very unusual. They were using the moonlight as it's still quite bright." more ›