New York Times – by MANNY FERNANDEZ, ERIC SCHMITT and SERGE F. KOVALESKI

KILLEEN, Tex. — The Army specialist at Fort Hood who killed or wounded 19 of his fellow soldiers on Wednesday had a dispute with his superiors over their denial of a leave request shortly before the shooting rampage, a law enforcement official said Friday.

The law enforcement official said Specialist Ivan Antonio Lopez met with Fort Hood officials about the denial on Wednesday shortly before the shooting started and had been clearly agitated and disrespectful after the meeting. It was unclear why he wanted to take time off, but it appeared to involve his family.   Continue reading “Soldier in Fort Hood Attack Was in Dispute Over Leave”

New York Times – by FERNANDA SANTOS and ERICA GOODE

ALBUQUERQUE — James Boyd, a homeless man camping in the Sandia Foothills here, could hear the commands of the police officers who were trying to move him out.

The problem was that Mr. Boyd, 38, had a history of mental illness, and so was living in a different reality, one in which he was a federal agent and not someone to be bossed around.   Continue reading “Police Confront Rising Number of Mentally Ill Suspects”

US Monsanto takes on ‘family farmer’ image to win consumersVoice of Russia

US multinational chemical, and agricultural biotechnology corporation Monsanto is trying to amend its image in order to become more appealing to the audience. The company has recently launched a set of advertisements which were designed to cozy up Monsanto up to the reputation, authenticity and wholesomeness of family farmers, Huffington Post reports. But does this picture reflect the company’s actual policy?   Continue reading “US Monsanto takes on ‘family farmer’ image to win consumers”

Mother Jones- by Tom Philpott

California is locked in an epochal drought—and yet produce aisles nationwide still brim with reasonably prices fruit and vegetables from the Golden State. How does California continue proving half of US-grown vegetables under such parched conditions?

Peter Gleick, president of the president of the Pacific Institute, one of the world’s leading think thanks on water issues, broke it down for me. He says that despite the drought, California farmers will likely idle only about a half million acres this year—less than 10 percent of normal plantings, which are about 8 million acres. And most of the fallowed land will involve “low-value” crops like cotton and alfalfa (used as a feed for the dairy and beef industries)—not the stuff you eat directly, like broccoli, lettuce, and almonds.   Continue reading “California Farmers: Drill, Baby, Drill (for Water, That Is)”

holy-grailSHTF Plan – by Mac Slavo

Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
Matthew 26:27-29   Continue reading “Claim: We Found the Holy Grail: “The Cup Which Touched the Lips of Jesus Christ””

Environmental Working Group – by Thomas Cluderay

Should chemicals we encounter every day be safe?

You’d think the answer would be an obvious and resounding “yes.” But if you ask chemical companies – or some lawmakers – they say that “safe” is relative. In their view, chemical companies should be able to use dangerous chemicals if restricting their use to protect people would be too costly.   Continue reading “House Bill Would Weaken Already Feeble Protections Against Harmful Chemicals”

Obama's America: Almost 70,000 criminal illegal aliens allowed back into USVoice of Russia

In America, which is under the leadership of Barack Obama, nearly 70,000 illegal aliens, who have been considered violent criminals, have been let back into the US, according to data from a new study. It has been noted that exactly 68,000 criminal aliens were allowed back into America while the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and failed to kick out 870,000 illegal immigrants who were given orders to deport in 2013.   Continue reading “Obama’s America: Almost 70,000 criminal illegal aliens allowed back into US”

Pilot Online – by Kerry Dougherty

When it comes to herding us onto planes, the Transportation Security Administration treats everyone as a potential terrorist.

But Jeffrey Tyrone Savage? Who in 2005 shot a man and dumped his body on an interstate off-ramp?

He gets a card from the TSA that gives him access to secure military bases. No problem at all.   Continue reading “Just what are we getting for the $7 billion spent on the TSA?”

Hot Air – by Jazz Shaw

Another story crosses our desk, courtesy of Rationality Rebooted. I’ve gone through a few reports of this story and it’s still not clear why Kevin Mclaughlin went into the Dollar General in Orrville, Alabama last week, but it certainly wasn’t to find a good deal on tube socks. He began shouting and waving a gun around, herding customers and an employee into a back room. Things were looking bad, but that’s when he ran into Marlo Ellis.   Continue reading “Gunman invades Dollar General, meets concealed carry permit holder”

The Diego Garcia Dispute: Time To Resolve International DisagreementsInternational Business Times – by Adam Ereli

Russia’s annexation of Crimea has sent shivers throughout the international community because it revives the practice of using force to settle territorial disputes. The United States and the European Union have responded with serious sanctions on Russia in order to dissuade others from taking similarly destabilizing moves. In Asia, for example, China has laid claims to islands currently held by Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam, not to mention the long-standing Chinese assertions of sovereignty over Taiwan. China’s rapid military buildup and its aggressive diplomacy validate concerns that these disputes could escalate.   Continue reading “The Diego Garcia Dispute: Time To Resolve International Disagreements”