At first, we sorta thought those air raid sirens (you know, the ones that are freakin' loud enough to wake the dead) were enough of an "emergency alert" as it was, but consider this: they usually don't tell you the nature of the emergency or give you instructions on exactly how you're supposed to proceed.

ENGADGET: Sprint Nextel first national to test emergency alerts

Gusty Spence, who organised the UVF in the 1960s, made the call in the wake of the murder of Bobby Moffett, shot dead by UVF members in May.

BBC: Gusty Spence calls for UVF to disband

The GOP-controlled House Tuesday passed a measure that would help states update their background-check systems. ( Full story) The measure had moved quickly in the wake of the shootings, which have left nine people dead and two wounded.

CNN: Attacks puts fresh focus on gun control

And in the wake of that, after four years, a quarter of a million people were dead, two and a half million people were refugees, many of them have still not gone home.

CNN: Transcript: Clinton speaks at Memorial Day Event

Giffords and Kelly have spoken out in the wake of last month's slaughter in Newtown, Connecticut, that left 27 people dead, 26 of them at Sandy Hook Elementary School -- including 20 children.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

It has left one man dead in its wake so far and taken electricity from over 650, 000 customers in the Northeast.

CNN: 1 dead, 650,000 without power as the snowstorm recedes