(Photo: Bob Jagendorf / creative commons)Common Dreams – by Nicole Flatow

Out of California’s years-long litigation over reducing the population of prisons deemed unconstitutionally overcrowded by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2010, another obstacle to addressing the U.S. epidemic of mass incarceration has emerged: The utility of cheap prison labor.

In recent filings, lawyers for the state have resisted court orders that they expand parole programs, reasoning not that releasing inmates early is logistically impossible or would threaten public safety, but instead that prisons won’t have enough minimum security inmates left to perform inmate jobs.   Continue reading “California Tells Court It Can’t Release Inmates Early Because It Would Lose Cheap Prison Labor”

90 year old Mary Helen Morgan. (Image: Albany Police Department)Police State USA

ALBANY, GA — Police raided an elderly woman’s home because they suspected that she was allowing people to play cards and bet money inside without government permission — an “illegal gambling house.”

The raid took place on the evening of November 15th, 2014. Around 8:30 p.m., the Albany Police Department, along with multiple other agencies, entered the home of 90-year-old Mary Helen Morgan to search for evidence of gambling.   Continue reading “Police raid home of 90-year-old Georgia woman for unsanctioned gambling”

The commies are out in force, but it’s for your safety don’t you know! They know what’s best for you! But… It’s not going to work, especially in this little New England town. The woman who proposed the ban had to be escorted to her car by the police, because she feared for her life. 🙂

New York Times – by KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

WESTMINSTER, Mass. — The fury — and make no mistake, it is white-hot fury — went way beyond the ordinary wrath of offended citizenry. A plan here to ban the sale of tobacco has ignited a call to arms.   Continue reading “Firestorm Erupts in Anti-Smoking Massachusetts Town”

Health overhaul's subsidies at Supreme CourtYahoo News – by Rick Newman

Taxes are bad enough when you know they’re coming—and much worse when they arrive unexpectedly.

As the Affordable Care Act enters its second year of operability, a key and controversial element of the plan will begin to affect several million Americans for the first time. People who didn’t have health insurance during 2014 may soon have to pay a penalty fee that starts at $95 and goes up based on how much you earn. Some Americans know about the penalty, and they’ve budgeted for it or at least accepted its inevitability. But several million others could be in for a rude surprise when Washington assesses a fee they didn’t even know was coming.   Continue reading “Another rude Obamacare surprise awaits”

An HSBC branch in London.The Guardian – by Rory Carroll

China has blocked access to HSBC’s banking portal and possibly thousands of other websites in what appears to be a new censorship campaign days before it hosts a major internet industry conference.

Greatfire.org, a group that researches Chinese internet censorship, said on Tuesday HSBC had been caught up in a crackdown against so-called mirror sites which let users access censored sites such as YouTube.

Greatfire.org said Beijing had shut access to HSBCnet and EdgeCast, one of the world’s biggest content delivery networks (CDN) in order to block a pathway to forbidden sites.   Continue reading “China steps up web censorship and blocks HSBC”

Police told not to wear uniform on way to work due to terror fearsMetro

Beat police officers have been warned not to wear their uniforms on the way to work, due to fears they may be targeted by jihadi terrorists.

MI5 chiefs have warned that ‘home grown’ terror groups are planning another attack similar to the slaughter of drummer Lee Rigby.

Police officers have been told not to wear uniform while travelling to and from work – and to be extra careful revealing information on social media.

MI5 also believes that terrorists are scanning personal profiles on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to pick out suitable victims.   Continue reading “Police told not to wear uniform on way to work due to terror fears”

Iraq Intel Report: US Planes Supplying ISIL with Weapons, FoodstuffFarsnews

The Iraqi forces have found out that the US aircraft usually airdrop arms and food cargoes for ISIL militants who collect them on the ground, Asia news agency quoted Iraqi army’s intelligence officers as saying.

“The Iraqi intelligence sources reiterated that the US military planes have airdropped several aid cargoes for ISIL terrorists to help them resist the siege laid by the Iraqi army, security and popular forces,” added the report.

On Saturday, Iraqi security sources disclosed that the ISIL terrorist group is using the state-of-the-art weapons which are only manufactured by the US and each of their bullets are worth thousands of dollars.    Continue reading “Iraq Intel Report: US Planes Supplying ISIL with Weapons, Foodstuff”

Investment Watch

On the same morning that the New York Times published an editorial claiming that Jonathan Gruber’s role in crafting Obamacare was “limited,” former Obama administration advisor Steven Rattner told MSNBC that Gruber was in fact “the guru” in putting together the Affordable Care Act.   Continue reading “Ex-Obama Aide Demolishes NY Times Claim That Gruber’s Role Was “Limited”…. MIT professor was “the guru on health care.””

Press TV

Tensions have been escalating in the occupied Palestinian lands as Israeli forces attack several cities and towns across the West Bank.

Israeli forces with armored vehicles attacked Palestinian cities of Ramallah, al-Bireh and Wadi al-Joz in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, leading to rising tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.   Continue reading “Israel attacks Palestinian cities following synagogue assault”

RT

The US Senate failed to fast-track the Keystone XL pipeline project, falling one vote short of breaking a filibuster against the bill, which would have allowed the transport of crude oil from Canada’s tar sands to the Gulf of Mexico.

The bill failed despite garnering 59 “Yes” votes to 41 “No” votes. All Republican senators voted “Yes,” and they were joined by 14 Democrats. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who co-sponsored the bill, needed one more vote to pass it but could not persuade another Democrat to go along.   Continue reading “Keystone XL pipeline bill fails to pass US Senate by 1 vote”

CEN_GodChild_660.jpgFox News

Thousands have flocked to see a baby born with four arms and four legs in India, reported Central European News (CEN).

The baby, dubbed “God Boy” by his parents because they say he looks like an Indian God, was born in Baruipur, a city in India’s eastern West Bengal State.

“When he first came out we couldn’t believe it,” an unnamed relative told local TV. “The nurses said he was badly deformed, but I could see that this was a sign from God.”   Continue reading “Thousands flock to see baby born with 8 limbs in India”

Mail.com

CHICAGO (AP) — A small twin-engine cargo plane crashed into a home on Chicago’s southwest side Tuesday, killing the pilot but sparing a couple who were asleep just inches away.

The Aero Commander 500-B slammed nose-down into the front of the home around 2:40 a.m., punching through the ground floor into the basement and leaving about a third of the aircraft, including the tail, sticking straight out of the red-brick home.   Continue reading “Small plane crashes into Chicago home”

Mail.com

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai police issued arrest warrants Tuesday for two Americans who attempted to mail a preserved baby’s head, foot and other human body parts to the United States, saying the objects were stolen from a Thai medical museum.

The bizarre case has quickly gained international attention, with Thai police asking Cambodian authorities to help locate the men, who traveled to the neighboring country on Sunday, and the FBI helping with the investigation in the United States.   Continue reading “Stolen body parts: Warrants issued for 2 Americans”

Indian Country Today Media Network

Calling the U.S. House of Representatives’ November 14 vote for the Keystone XL pipeline an “act of war,” the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (Sicangu Lakota Oyate) has vowed to block the project from crossing its lands.

“The House has now signed our death warrants and the death warrants of our children and grandchildren. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe will not allow this pipeline through our lands,” said Rosebud Sioux President Cyril Scott in a statement. “We are outraged at the lack of intergovernmental cooperation. We are a sovereign nation, and we are not being treated as such. We will close our reservation borders to Keystone XL. Authorizing Keystone XL is an act of war against our people.”   Continue reading “Rosebud Sioux Tribe Calls House Keystone XL Passage an ‘Act of War,’ Vows Legal Action”