Month: August 2014

Web MD – by Dennis Thompson

MONDAY, Aug. 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) — States that have legalized medical marijuana tend to experience an unexpected benefit — fewer overdose deaths from narcotic painkillers, a new study suggests.

Access to medical marijuana is associated with 25 percent fewer prescription drug overdose deaths each year compared to states where medical pot is illegal, according to findings published Aug. 25 in JAMA Internal Medicine.   Continue reading “Fewer Painkiller Deaths in States With Medical Pot”

Apple Insider – by Mikey Campbell

After being passed by the California Senate two weeks ago, the new kill switch measure calls on smartphone makers to offer a remote disablement function that activates upon initial device setup. The law is set to take effect by July 2015. 

Introduced by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) in February, the kill switch initiative looks to thwart a growing smartphone theft “epidemic” by building in security features that allow users to remotely disable their device when stolen or lost. Other states have forwarded similar legislation, though California is the first to place responsibility on manufacturers.     Continue reading “California governor signs ‘kill switch’ bill into law, required on all smartphones by 2015”

ABC News – by Don Thompson

A federal judge has overturned part of a California law requiring a 10-day waiting period for gun buyers, ruling that it does not apply to those who already own firearms.

U.S. District Judge Anthony Ishii of Fresno ruled late last week that “10-day waiting periods impermissibly violate the Second Amendment” for gun-buyers who already passed background checks or are authorized to carry concealed weapons.   Continue reading “California Wait Period Doesn’t Apply to Gun Owners”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

Over the past week a new geopolitical mystery emerged: an “unknown” party was launching airstrikes against Libya, which is already reeling in its latest political crisis where headlines such as this have become the norm:

• MILITIA MEN SET HOUSE OF LIBYAN PM THENI ABLAZE: ARABIYA
• LIBYA’S NEIGHBOURS AGREE NOT TO INTERVENE IN LIBYAN AFFAIRS, CALL FOR NATIONAL DIALOGUE

Continue reading “US Furious After Source Of “Mystery” Libya Bombing Raids Revealed”

RT

The US Senator from Kentucky has warned that if Hillary Clinton, the former US Secretary of State, becomes the next American president, she could get the United States bogged down in yet another conflict in the Middle East.

Following in the footsteps of his Libertarian father, Ron Paul, who spent much of his lengthy political career demanding a more isolationist US foreign policy, Rand Paul told NBC’s Meet the Press that the 2016 presidential election could be “transformational” if a “war hawk” like Hillary Rodham Clinton gets into the Oval Office.   Continue reading “Hillary Clinton is a war hawk – Sen. Rand Paul”

RT

The French government has resigned despite being formed just 4 months ago. They quit after ministers slammed President Francois Hollande’s plans for taxation and cuts, while also being critical of Germany’s austerity program.

The statement published on Monday said the new office would be formed on Tuesday and would be in the “direction he (the president) has defined for our country.”   Continue reading “French goverment resigns amid rancor over German austerity pressure”

Breitbart – by ILDEFONSO ORTIZ

MCALLEN, Texas — Sheriff’s deputies, in the Texas border county of Starr, are looking for a prison gang member who allegedly shot at them over the weekend striking one of their patrol vehicles.

Information released from Starr County Sheriff’s Office shows the alleged shooting took place Saturday, just after 1:30 a.m., in a residential area just west of Rio Grande City. Officials responded to a call of a man, identified as Juan Antonio Perez, shooting off a gun.   Continue reading “Prison Gang Member Allegedly Shoots at Texas Border Sheriff’s Deputies”

RT

Following revelations of America’s National Security Agency’s global internet surveillance system, combined with a desire to enhance domestic production, China is beating a path towards unveiling its own operating systems in October.

The Chinese-made substitutes would first be introduced on desktop devices, later expanding to include smartphones and other hand-held devices, Ni Guangnan heads an official operating system development alliance established in March, Xinhau reported at the weekend.   Continue reading “China may unveil homegrown OS rivals to Windows, Google and Apple”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — While in office, former President George H. W. Bush once plaintively asked, “What is it about August?”

Indeed, this sultry month usually associated with the doldrums of summer has burdened modern presidents with personal, domestic or international crises. And for President Barack Obama, who returned to Washington Sunday from a two-week Martha’s Vineyard vacation, what remains of the August calendar looks perhaps more daunting than when he left.   Continue reading “Obama back in DC amid crises; as if he never left”

Economic Collapse – by Michael Snyder

If you thought that the earthquake that struck northern California on Sunday was something, just wait until you see what is coming in the years ahead.  As you will read about below, we live at a time when earthquake activity is dramatically increasing.  This is especially true of the “Ring of Fire” which runs roughly along the outer perimeter of the Pacific Ocean.  Approximately 81 percent of all big earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire, and the entire west coast of the United States falls within the danger zone.  Over the past few years, we have seen huge earthquake after huge earthquake strike various areas along the Ring of Fire, but up until now the California coastline has mostly been spared.  However, there are indications that this may be about to change in a big way.   Continue reading “Why The Earthquake Near San Francisco Is Just The Start Of The Shaking In California”

Forbes – by Jon Hartley

In an unexpected and interesting move, Burger King is in talks to buy Canadian coffee-and-doughnut chain Tim Horton’s Inc., a merger that would be structured as a “tax inversion” which would effectively move Burger King’s headquarters to Canada (more specifically, my hometown of Oakville, Ontario). For those who are unfamiliar with Tim Horton’s, the brand is tantamount to Canada’s version of Dunkin Donuts that could just as easily adopt its own version of the tagline “America Runs on Dunkin” (think “Canada Runs on Tim Horton’s”). Tim Horton’s is no small coffee-shop chain. Tim Horton’s, Canada’s largest coffee-shop chain, has a market capitalization of about $8.4 billion, while Burger King’s market capitalization is about $9.6 billion; the proposed merger would form a new entity worth about $18 billion.   Continue reading “Burger King’s Tax Inversion and Canada’s Favorable Corporate Tax Rates”

Yahoo News – by Becky Oskin

In an unexpected discovery, hundreds of gas plumes bubbling up from the seafloor were spotted during a sweeping survey of the U.S. Atlantic Coast.

Even though ocean explorers have yet to test the gas, the bubbles are almost certainly methane, researchers report today (Aug. 24) in the journal Nature Geoscience.

“We don’t know of any explanation that fits as well as methane,” said lead study author Adam Skarke, a geologist at Mississippi State University in Mississippi State.   Continue reading “Hundreds of Methane Plumes Erupting Along East Coast”

Breitbart – by ILDEFONSO ORTIZ

MCALLEN, Texas — Border Patrol agents seized more than $650,000 in cash that had been left behind near the Rio Grande River that separates Texas from Mexico.

The seizure was made Thursday night when U.S. Border Patrol Agents following a set of footprints near Sullivan City ended up coming across four backpacks filled with bulk cash and a little more than a kilo of cocaine, an agency news release shows.    Continue reading “Texas Border Bust: Cash, Weapons and Grenades Seized”

Reuters – by NADIA DAMOUNI

Budget pressures at the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division are cutting the number of investigators there to the lowest level in four decades, and officials say the changes are forcing the division to scale back its fight of financial crime.

It will also hurt government coffers, they add, since IRS probes can bring in hefty fines.

The division investigates a variety of financial misconduct, from tax fraud and money laundering to identity theft, narcotics and counter-terrorism. Federal prosecutors around the country often seek help for cases involving money issues.   Continue reading “Exclusive: IRS enforcement agent numbers could drop to lowest levels since 1970s”