Author: Admin

USA Today – by David Jackson

From White House spokesman Jay Carney:

“President Obama and the First Lady will go to South Africa next week to pay their respects to the memory of Nelson Mandela and to participate in memorial events. We’ll have further updates on timing and logistics as they become available.”

Officials have held off on a detailed announcement as travel plans, logistics, and security are worked out; services for Mandela will be part of a mourning period in South Africa that will last about 10 days.   Continue reading “Obama to attend Mandela services”

Fox News – by Perry Chiaramonte

The independent auditor who postponed a probe into a $34 million “white elephant” of a military facility the Pentagon built in Afghanistan over objections from top leaders is reopening his investigation.

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko delayed his initial probe last summer, after the Pentagon vowed to investigate why millions were apparently wasted on the hulking headquarters at Camp Leatherneck in southwestern Afghanistan. But Sopko said defense officials have not addressed concerns he initially raised, leaving him no choice but to restart his inquiry.   Continue reading “Military watchdog to re-open probe of $34M facility built in Afghanistan but never used”

Wall Street Journal – by JEFFREY SPARSHOTT And SARAH PORTLOCK

WASHINGTON—U.S. employers continued to add jobs at a steady pace and the unemployment rate fell in November, a sign of stronger economic growth that may intensify debate within the Federal Reserve about reducing central bank bond purchases as early as this month.

U.S. payrolls rose by 203,000 last month, the Labor Department said Friday. The unemployment rate dropped three-tenths of a percentage point to 7.0%, the lowest level in five years. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast nonfarm payrolls would rise by 180,000 and the unemployment rate would tick down to 7.2%. September and October payroll numbers were revised up by a combined 8,000.   Continue reading “U.S. Businesses Add 203,000 Jobs; Unemployment Rate Falls to 7.0%”

StoryLeak – by Mikael Thalen

Parents from Washington state’s Puyallup School District successfully ended the implementation of palm-scanners this week after attempts to push the system without parental approval backfired.

According to the district, the devices, which use infrared technology to map vein patterns in students’ palms, would cut back on fraud by linking students pre-paid lunch account information to their biometric data.   Continue reading “Parents Defeat School’s Attempt To Implement Infrared Palm Scanners”

Liberty Gold and Silver – Mike McGill

With the precious metals market in the doldrums and at the bottom of a thirty month correction, there has definitely been some hand wringing and a whole bunch of moping from investors who purchased gold and silver at or near the 2011 highs. This is natural and to be expected. Nobody wants to lose money. People purchase investments ostensibly to make money – hopefully, a lot of it.   Continue reading “Forget about Trying to get Rich with Gold…You’re going to Need it to Survive!”

NBC New York – by Jonathan Dienst and Joe Valiquette

Dozens of Russian diplomats and their spouses living and working in New York have been charged with defrauding the Medicaid system of about $1.5 million in benefits over a nine-year period, federal prosecutors say.

The Russian diplomats and their spouses allegedly spent tens of thousands of dollars on luxury vacations as well as jewelry and clothing at Bloomingdale’s, Tiffany’s and other retailers. They also spent thousands of dollars online to buy merchandise including Apple products and concert tickets, prosecutors say.   Continue reading “Dozens of Russian Diplomats in NY Defrauded Medicaid System: Prosecutors”

A walk through the many fields of this life

Beauty easily seen, woven into such mystery

Flowers and butterflies

Men and women and children, ourselves,

A hummingbird sips from a backyard feeder on a cold, frosty morning.

The heart tugs at purpose and deepest meaning   Continue reading “Hidden Treasure – A Gift”

New York Times – by JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.

An unarmed, emotionally disturbed man shot at by the police as he was lurching around traffic near Times Square in September has been charged with assault, on the theory that he was responsible for bullet wounds suffered by two bystanders, according to an indictment unsealed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Wednesday.

The man, Glenn Broadnax, 35, of Brooklyn, created a disturbance on Sept. 14, wading into traffic at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue and throwing himself into the path of oncoming cars.   Continue reading “Unarmed Man Is Charged With Wounding Bystanders Shot by Police Near Times Square”

USA Today – by Erich Pratt

If you like your Second Amendment, you can keep it.

That seems to be the promise being put forward by many politicians on Capitol Hill, even while they are rushing headlong to renew a gun ban that is set to expire next week.

The gun ban supposedly outlaws “plastic guns,” but it’s so poorly drafted, it’s potentially much broader.   Continue reading “A Truly Plastic Gun Ban”

RT News, November 22, 2013

The chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee submitted on Thursday an already-approved cybersecurity bill to be considered as an amendment to next year’s National Defense Authorization Act.

If the amendment manages to stay intact as Congress prepares to approve the 2014 NDAA, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-West Virginia)’s Cybersecurity Act of 2013 may finally be codified into law.   Continue reading “Rockefeller attaches cybersecurity bill to NDAA 2014”

Fox News

BEIRUT –  Gunmen shot dead a senior Hezbollah commander outside his home Wednesday in southern Beirut, an attack that the Iranian-backed group quickly blamed on arch-enemy Israel. Israeli officials denied any involvement.

Hezbollah ceremoniously announced the death of Hassan al-Laqis and described him as one of the founding members of the group, suggesting he was a high-level commander close to the Shiite party’s leadership.   Continue reading “Hezbollah commander killed outside home; Israel denies involvement”

Washington Times – by Stephen Dinan

House Speaker John A. Boehner announced Tuesday that he has hired a longtime advocate of legalizing illegal immigrants to be an adviser, signaling that the Republican is still intent on trying to pass an immigration bill during this congressional session.

Immigrant rights advocates cheered the move as a sign of Mr. Boehner’s dedication to action. Those who want a crackdown on illegal immigration said the top Republican in the House has moved closer to embracing amnesty by hiring Rebecca Tallent, a former staffer for Sen. John McCain and fellow Arizona Republican Jim Kolbe.   Continue reading “Hola: Boehner prepares to push amnesty bill through House”

RT News

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Detroit, Michigan is indeed eligible for bankruptcy protection, giving the go-ahead to the once booming Motor City to move forward with plans to restructure more than $18 billion in debt.

Amid reading excerpts from a lengthy decision of more than 140 pages, United States Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes announced during Tuesday morning’s historic hearing that he approved of Detroit’s Chapter 9 filing, in turn authorizing the largest municipal bankruptcy ever in the US to proceed.   Continue reading “Federal judge lets Detroit move forward with largest bankruptcy in US history”

All Gov – by Noel Brinkerhoff, Danny Biederman

Among the thousands of patents reviewed and approved each year by the federal government, a select group is kept secret from the public—a group that has grown in number lately.

During the previous fiscal year, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) approved 139 new “secrecy orders” on patent applications, according to data obtained by Secrecy News.   Continue reading “Secret Patent Applications on the Rise”

BBC News

Hong Kong has confirmed its first case of the new strain of the H7N9 bird flu in a domestic worker from Indonesia.

The worker, 36, recently travelled to Shenzhen in the mainland and came into contact with live poultry. She is in critical condition, officials say.

H7N9 has infected more than 100 people since it emerged earlier this year.   Continue reading “Hong Kong confirms first case of H7N9 bird flu”