Month: October 2014

Reuters – by Aruna Viswanatha

Oct 6 (Reuters) – Former Treasury Secretary Henry “Hank” Paulson told a packed courtroom on Monday that AIG shareholders were singled out for punishment as part of the U.S. government’s attempt to contain the contagion of the 2008 financial crisis.

The testimony from Paulson appeared to bolster some claims contained in a lawsuit brought by former AIG Chief Executive Hank Greenberg, who contends the terms of a government loan to AIG cheated its shareholders.   Continue reading “Ex-Treasury Secretary Paulson says AIG bailout was punitive”

The Daily Sheeple

Usually, when the mainstream media mentions preppers and survivalists, the angle is not flattering.  Maybe someone who considers himself a survivalist has committed a heinous crime and is on the loose.  Perhaps a prepared family is beaming from the page while sitting in their bunker, hundreds of food buckets in the background and 17 paragraphs of mockery in the article below the photo.

But the possibility of a pandemic changes things, and with the Ebola case in Dallas, Texas, the folks in the mainstream media have a lot of questions for the preparedness community. With only a couple of exceptions, the reports have been a lot more open-minded than usual, if a little lacking in understanding of the preparedness community.   Continue reading “The Mainstream Media: Preppers Aren’t So Crazy Anymore”

Huffington Post – by Sara C. Nelson

A gruesome picture purporting to be that of a Liberian Ebola victim “risen from the dead” has gone viral online.

The image is accompanied with the words: “For the first time in human history, confirmed footage of a man who scientists watched die from Ebola then only several hours later, regain life and rise from the dead.” (sic)

It then cites Bible passage Isaiah 26:19-20: “Your dead shall live, their bodies shall rise.”   Continue reading “Ebola Zombie ‘Risen From The Dead’ Is A Horrible Viral Hoax”

The Clarion-Ledger – by Therese Apel

A Jackson County woman caught allegedly burglarizing cars in the parking lot of her children’s school who then told police that she was actually hunting terrorists has been given a $5,000 bond.

Lisa Carol Roche, 41, of Hurley, told police she was “looking for ISIS terrorists” when she was found allegedly taking sunglasses and other items out of cars at East Central High School late last week, said Jackson County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Curtis Speirs.   Continue reading “Mississippi woman ‘hunting ISIS’ at school gets $5K bond on burglary charges”

BBC News

The Spanish health minister has confirmed that a nurse who treated a victim of Ebola in Madrid has tested positive for the disease.

The nurse is said to be the first person in the current outbreak known to have contracted Ebola outside Africa.

Health Minister Ana Mato said the woman was part of the team that treated Spanish priest Manuel Garcia Viejo, who died of the virus on 25 September.   Continue reading “Ebola outbreak: Nurse infected in Spain”

Charlotte Observer – by John Murawski

An experimental drug made by Durham drug developer Chimerix is being administered in Texas to a Liberian man infected with the Ebola virus.

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas on Monday confirmed that Thomas Duncan is receiving the treatment.

“Mr. Duncan remains in critical condition. His condition is stable,” the hospital’s statement said. “He is now receiving an investigational medication, brincidofovir, for Ebola Virus Disease.”   Continue reading “Drug made by Durham’s Chimerix given to Texas Ebola patient”

NPR – by SCOTT NEUMAN

Freelance journalist Ashoka Mukpo, who contracted Ebola in Liberia, arrived at the University of Nebraska Medical Center today, becoming the second patient with the deadly disease to be treated there.

Why is he being sent to Nebraska instead of some other facility? Because the hospital is home to the largest of four high-level biocontainment patient care units in the U.S.   Continue reading “Why Ebola Patients Are Getting Treatment In Nebraska”

Guns Save Lives – by Dan Cannon

A homeowner in the Houston area of Texas faced a terrifying situation when three armed men burst into his home in broad daylight late last week.

The homeowner was home with one of his roommate’s sons when the suspects burst into the home, held the two at gunpoint and tied them up.

Fortunately, the homeowner was able to escape and get himself to his gun safe when the suspects left the room where the victims were being held.   Continue reading “TX Homeowner Was Tied Up by Home Invaders, Manages to Escape, Shoots Two Suspects”

The Daily Beast – by Gordon G. Chang

Out of sight for a month, young Kim is supposedly ill. But rumors are swirling he’s been deposed—and North Korea’s second most powerful man now feels confident enough to travel South.

Hwang Pyong So must be feeling pretty good about himself right now. At the latest Supreme People’s Assembly meeting, he was made vice chairman of the National Defense Commission. This was after his promotion to director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People’s Army, making him the top political officer in the military. In a country where there is supposed to be no No. 2 official, he is called the second-most powerful figure.   Continue reading “Has North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Been Toppled?”

The Huffington Post

Growing up in a low income neighborhood in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Marvin Callahan intimately knew the struggle of poverty from a young age. His father went to work every day and his mother stayed home to take care of the children. The family barely scraped by on his meager salary.

Callahan recalls going to Catholic school and having to bring in his tuition in a little envelope each month. His family was only able to pay a fraction of the full price.   Continue reading “This Teacher Gives Money From His Own Pocket To Feed His Hungry First-Graders”

New York Times – by MATT FLEGENHEIMER

Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, has had a longstanding fondness for Britain — choosing London as the European home for both his company and charity, trading advice with the city’s mayor, Boris Johnson, and throwing parties at his two-story apartment on Cadogan Square.

On Monday, the affection was returned in earnest: Queen Elizabeth II named Mr. Bloomberg an honorary knight. The announcement cited Mr. Bloomberg’s “prodigious entrepreneurial and philanthropic endeavors, and the many ways in which they have benefited the United Kingdom and the U.K.-U.S. special relationship.”   Continue reading “Bloomberg Named an Honorary Knight”

Yahoo News

WASHINGTON (AP) — An al-Qaida cell in Syria that was targeted in American military airstrikes last month could still be working on a plan to attack the United States or its allies and is “looking to do it very, very soon,” the head of the FBI says.

“Given our visibility we know they’re serious people, bent on destruction,” FBI Director James Comey said.   Continue reading “FBI: Militants may be working on plan to strike US”

BBC News

A fire and explosion at a military explosives facility near the Iranian capital Tehran has left at least two people dead, reports say.

The semi-official Iranian Students News Agency (Isna) said the fire was in an “explosive materials production unit”.

A pro-opposition website reported a huge blast near the Parchin military site, south-east of the capital, but this was not confirmed.   Continue reading “‘Deadly fire’ at Iran military explosives facility”