Author: Admin

Newsmax

The Boy Scouts of America on Wednesday chose former U.S. Secretary of Defense and CIA director Robert Gates as its next president, who will face the task of repairing divisions in the organization from a heated debate over accepting gay scouts.

As Defense Secretary, Gates supported President Barack Obama’s withdrawal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that prevented gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. Congress repealed the ban in 2010 and it was lifted in 2011.   Continue reading “Fmr. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to Lead Boy Scouts”

Canada Free Press – by Alan Caruba

If you live in California, I have a bit of advice. Get out now while you can afford the gas to load up the van and head north or east. You won’t be alone.

According to “Crazifornia: How California is Destroying Itself and Why It Matters to America”, about 150,000 Californians have been fleeing the state each year of late. “In fact,” wrote Laer Pearce, “Los Angeles alone has lost more households than New York, Miami, and, incredibly, the economically decimated city of Detroit…combined.”   Continue reading “My Advice to Californians; Get Out Now”

Washington Post – by Keith L. Alexander

The illuminated billboard in the Judiciary Square Metro station near the F Street entrance was strategically placed.

Prospective jurors who take the subway to D.C. Superior Court and exit near the National Building Museum see these words: “Good jurors nullify bad laws” and “You have the right to ‘hang’ the jury with your vote if you cannot agree with other jurors.”   Continue reading “Billboard advocating jury nullification concerns local prosecutors”

Business Insider – by JIM EDWARDS

This is a picture of what is allegedly another Google shipping-container barge being towed into port off the coast of New England. It was taken by the Portland Tugboat company, and posted Facebook with the caption “ROWAN towing the ‘mystery barge’. Entering Portland harbor.”

We recently told you about the mysterious barge Google built which floats in San Francisco Bay. It is surrounded by secrecy, and is either a floating data center or a marketing stunt for Google Glass, depending on which rumor you prefer.   Continue reading “Google Has Reportedly Built Another Mystery Barge — This One Is Floating Off The Coast Of Maine”

Map Light – by Donny Shaw

Later this week, the House of Representatives will be voting on a bipartisan bill to repeal financial bailout protections that Congress passed in 2010 as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The bill, H.R. 992 or the “Swaps Regulatory Improvement Act,” would severely limit the reach of Sec. 716 in Dodd-Frank, which requires banks that are eligible for Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or Federal Reserve lending discounts to spin off their derivatives activities into separate corporate entities that would not be eligible for federal assistance.   Continue reading “House to Vote on Derivatives Bill That Was Written by Citigroup Lobbyists”

Reuters – by Harriet McLeod

Six people, including two children, were shot to death in a South Carolina home on Tuesday in what police believe is a murder-suicide involving members of a family, authorities said.

Investigators in Greenwood County, where the shootings took place, did not immediately release the identity of the shooter.   Continue reading “Six people killed in apparent murder-suicide in South Carolina”

Firefighter Close Calls

Wednesday, October 30, 2013 Did you see the Detroit FD movie “Burn”? If so, you know the story of FF Brendan Milewski, who on August 13, 2010, had his lie change forever. He was operating at a building fire and was hit with a massive chunk of limestone, and that basically exploded his seventh thoracic vertebra. He now lives the rest of his life as a T6 Paraplegic. Fortunately, his city takes care of Firefighters injured in the line of duty….forever. Nope.   Continue reading “THEY HAVE YOUR BACK? Don’t Count On It.”

Who What Why – by Dave Lindorff, Russ Baker and Milicent Cranor

In the six months since the Boston Marathon bombing, the FBI has by all appearances been relentlessly intimidating, punishing, deporting and, in one case, shooting to death, persons connected, sometimes only tangentially, with the alleged bombers.

All of these individuals have something in common: If afforded constitutional protections and treated as witnesses instead of perpetrators, they could potentially help clear up questions about the violence of April 15.  And they might also be able to help clarify the methods and extent of the FBI’s recruitment of immigrants and others for undercover work, and how that could relate to the Bureau’s prior relationship with the bombing suspects—a relationship the Bureau has variously hidden or downplayed.   Continue reading “Feds Accused Of Harassing “Boston Bomber” Friends, And Friends Of Friends”

Anti-War – by Ivan Eland

Sending a shock wave through the U.S. military-industrial complex, NATO ally Turkey passed up the usually dominant American defense industry in favor of an obscure Chinese defense company for a contract on a long-range missile defense system. Unlike the American Patriot system, the Chinese system, produced by China Precision, is not easily compatible with existing NATO air defense systems, and China Precision is even under US sanctions for selling technologies that the US government says could help Syria (Turkey’s new nemesis), Iran, and North Korea develop unconventional weapons. One would think that Turkey would have made sure its primary security guarantor – the United States – was happy, given that a civil war is raging in neighboring Syria and occasionally spilling into its territory. Yet the US quest to be “Big Man on Campus” and retain “influence” in Europe after the Cold War has allowed its NATO allies to get away with even more then they did back then.   Continue reading “Turkey’s Arms Purchase Should Jolt US Alliance Policies”

The BRAD BLOG – by BRAD FRIEDMAN 

One of the world’s largest ATM manufacturers and, formerly, one of the largest manufacturers of electronic voting systems, has been indicted by federal prosecutors for bribery and falsification of documents.

The charges represent only the latest in a long series of criminal and/or unethical misconduct by Diebold, Inc. and their executives over the past decade.

According to Cleveland’s Plain Dealer, a U.S. Attorney says the latest charges are in response to “a worldwide pattern of criminal conduct” by the company….   Continue reading “Diebold Charged With Bribery, Falsifying Docs, ‘Worldwide Pattern of Criminal Conduct’”

Yahoo News

Oslo (AFP) – A Norwegian man who purchased $24 worth of bitcoins and then promptly forgot about it for four years, was able to buy an apartment in central Oslo thanks to the massive appreciation of the virtual currency.

In 2009, Kristoffer Koch was doing research on encryption and on a whim decided to invest a small sum in the recently created bitcoins — a means of payment over the Internet.   Continue reading “Norwegian man buys flat with forgotten $24 bitcoin investment”

The New Yorker – by ANDY BOROWITZ [SATIRE]

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) — Responding to the firestorm of controversy over its spying on European allies, the head of the National Security Agency said today it would do everything in its power to avoid being caught doing it in the future.

“There are two important jobs for every spy agency: spying on people and avoiding detection,” said the N.S.A. chief General Keith Alexander. “Unfortunately, at the N.S.A. we have only done the first job well.”   Continue reading “N.S.A. Promises to Stop Getting Caught Spying on Allies”

RT News

The White House is currently evaluating whether to end surveillance programs allegedly targeting the leaderships of allied nations such as Germany.

This follows criticism from Senator Dianne Feinstein, the Senate Intelligence Committee’s chairwoman, who said that she was “totally opposed” to the collection of intelligence on US allies, and said that such surveillance of foreign heads of state would cease immediately.   Continue reading “White House considers halt to surveillance of allied leaders”

Guns Save Lives – by Dan Cannon

According to the NRA-ILA, the last primary lead smelter in the United States will close down its operation in December.

This means the US will lose its capability to produce lead ammo completely within its borders from the process of mining to production of commercial cartridges.   Continue reading “Last U.S. Lead Smelter to Close in December Due to EPA – Might Affect Ammo Production”

RT News

Senator Rand Paul doesn’t want government officials to receive any sort of special treatment, and a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution courtesy of the Kentucky Republican could accomplish just that.

Sen. Paul’s office announced on Monday that the lawmaker introduced a Constitutional amendment in Washington last week “that would hold government officials to the same standard as the American people.”   Continue reading “Rand Paul proposes constitutional amendment barring government officials from being above the law”

Breitbart – by JON DAVID KAHN

Whoever believes that Britney Spears’ music isn’t powerful, need think again. Chart toppers like “Hit Me Baby One More Time” and “Oops I Did it Again” have proven to be effective weapons when blasted at approaching Somali Pirates who reportedly retreat at the mere sound of the songstress.

Rachel Owens, 34, a merchant navy officer on huge super tankers off the east coast of Africa says music is a really effective way of deterring the pirates and their high-speed skiffs: “Her songs have been chosen by the security team accompanying our tankers because they thought the pirates would hate them most. These guys can’t stand Western culture or music, making Britney’s hits perfect.”   Continue reading “Britney Spears Music Used To Scare Off Somali Pirates”