Month: December 2014

Bloomberg – by Doni Bloomfield

Two months after the first U.S. Ebola patient died in Dallas, thousands of people have been screened at airports and tracked by health workers, and millions of dollars have been spent readying hospitals.

And there’s been just one new case diagnosed in America.

Of 10 patients treated for the disease in the U.S. — most of which were controlled medical evacuations from the outbreak in West Africa — eight have survived.   Continue reading “U.S. Ebola Panic Vanishes Just as Money Is About to Flow”

NPR – by Krishnadev Calamur

President Obama announced today the most significant change in U.S. policy toward Cuba in more than 50 years, paving the way for the normalization of relations and the opening of a U.S. Embassy in Havana.

Obama said “we will end an outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries.”

He added: “These 50 years have shown, isolation has not worked. It’s time for a new approach.”   Continue reading “Obama Unveils ‘New Approach’ On Cuba As Former Foes Chart New Course”

Veterans Today – by Kevin Barrett

American political commentator Kevin Barrett says Washington’s so-called war on terror is actually a war on Israel’s enemies.

He made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Sunday while commenting on the US Senate’s approval of a multi-billion-dollar military spending bill that includes $350 million for Israel’s Iron Dome missile system.   Continue reading “US war on terror is war on Israel’s enemies”

All Gov – by Noel Brinkerhoff, Danny Biederman

With help from Congress and particularly a U.S. senator, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) spent four years and hundreds of millions of dollars building a special tower for a program that had already been cancelled.

The “A-3 test stand” tower was originally designed to test a new rocket engine—the J-2X—that would be used to take American astronauts back to the moon and even to Mars. It was to cost $119 million and take three years to build.   Continue reading “NASA Spent $349 Million for a Useless Lab Tower for a Project that had Already been Cancelled”

All Gov – by Noel Brinkerhoff, Danny Biederman

Fifty years of firing radioactive munitions by the U.S. Army has left a large swath of Southern Indiana toxic and dangerous: More than 160,000 pounds of depleted uranium projectiles and millions of artillery shells have been left behind, unexploded, at the firing range.

The Army, however, is showing no signs of cleaning up the mess. In fact, it appears to be trying to walk away from the problem altogether, leaving local residents at potential risk.   Continue reading “Army Claims it’s too Dangerous to Clean Up Radioactive Weapons Test Site in Indiana”

The Organic Prepper

Do you love coffee or know someone who does? ‘Tis the season for the fanciest possible version of everything, and your hot beverage is no exception.

Places like Starbucks have taken flavored coffees to  whole new level. At my local grocery store, there’s an entire refrigerated unit dedicated to decadent flavored creamers. Unfortunately, those creamers are rife with chemicals, including artificial flavors and neurotoxins like aspartame and sucralose.  You certainly aren’t giving someone a “treat” by putting that stuff in their coffee. Here’s the list of ingredients for Coffeemate’s Hazelnut Creamer:   Continue reading “25 Homemade Coffee Creamers and Syrups (without the nasty additives)”

NJ.com – by Anthony G. Attrino

PERTH AMBOY – Police Chief Ben Ruiz has been charged with theft and suspended without pay for using a police department mechanic to fix vehicles belonging to himself and a friend, according to Middlesex Prosecutor Andrew Carey.

Ruiz, 53, of Perth Amboy, was charged with one count of theft of services for authorizing the repairs on various occasions between Dec. 8, 2013, and July 29, 2014, the prosecutor said.   Continue reading “Perth Amboy police chief charged with theft, suspended without pay”

Mail.com

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Motorists at the nation’s busiest border crossing were accustomed to waiting hours while vendors paraded between lanes with everything from sliced papaya and hot oatmeal to sombreros and ceramic mugs. Now, thanks to a $741 million construction project, they may not have enough time to lower their windows and order a cappuccino.

Waits to enter San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico, during the morning rush have dropped to less than 45 minutes from two hours since vehicle lanes were added in September. It can be less than 10 minutes during lulls, compared to a few months ago when waits topped four hours on busy weekends.   Continue reading “Upgrades at US border crossing thrill commuters”

Mail.com

DENVER (AP) — The discovery that a Cleveland officer who shot and killed a 12-year-old boy last month had washed out at another police force highlights what some experts call an unnerving truth about policing: Departments don’t always dig deeply enough into recruits’ pasts.

Cleveland police officials didn’t learn until after the Nov. 22 shooting that Officer Timothy Loehmann’s former supervisors at a suburban department noted in his personnel file his “dismal” handgun performance and emotional immaturity. The file shows a deputy chief recommended firing him, but he resigned first.   Continue reading “Expert: Killing shows strict police vetting needed”

Independent – by Gregory Korte, USA Today

President Obama has issued a form of executive action known as the presidential memorandum more often than any other president in history — using it to take unilateral action even as he has signed fewer executive orders.

When these two forms of directives are taken together, Obama is on track to take more high-level executive actions than any president since Harry Truman battled the “Do Nothing Congress” almost seven decades ago, according to a USA TODAY review of presidential documents.   Continue reading “Barack Obama issues ‘executive orders by another name’”

ABC News

A man who can’t use his arms because of a spinal condition is being held in jail while facing a gun possession charge his lawyer calls shocking.

Bail was lowered Tuesday for Marcus Hubbard, who has been jailed since his arrest in Trenton in August.

Defense lawyer Caroline Turner said the case against Hubbard, who injured his spine in a car accident and may have Lou Gehrig’s disease, “shocks the conscience.”   Continue reading “Man Unable to Use Arms Faces Gun Possession Charge”

Wired – by Jordon Golson

The American military does a lot of work in the field of biomimicry, stealing designs from nature for use in new technology. After all, if you’re going to design a robot, where better to draw inspiration than from billions of years of evolution? The latest result of these efforts is the GhostSwimmer: The Navy’s underwater drone designed to look and swim like a real fish, and a liability to spook the bejeezus out of any beach goer who’s familiar with Jaws.

The new gizmo, at five feet long and nearly 100 pounds, is about the size of an albacore tuna but looks more like a shark, at least from a distance. It’s part of an experiment to explore the possibilities of using biomimetic, unmanned, underwater vehicles, and the Navy announced it wrapped up testing of the design last week.   Continue reading “The Navy’s New Robot Looks and Swims Just Like a Shark”

4 Closure Fraud

A 55-year-old Palm Springs man with cancer was arrested Friday and charged with trying to blow up his home, which was in foreclosure.

Tony Garcia Sr. hobbled into court on Saturday morning using a walker and said little in response to questions by County Judge Barry Cohen.   Continue reading “Florida Cancer Victim Charged With Trying To Blow Up House Which Was In Foreclosure”

UPI – by Scott Smith

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (UPI) — American contractor Alan Gross, 65, has been released in a prisoner swap with Cuba after 5 years in prison.

The swap is part of a larger initiative by President Barack Obama to overhaul frigid relations with Cuba.

The White House has scheduled a press conference for noon, when Obama is expected to deliver a statement on the most sweeping changes in relations between the United States and Cuba since the 1961 embargo was imposed.   Continue reading “American contractor Alan Gross freed after 5 years in Cuban prison”

Gun Watch – by Dean Weingarten

Who would suspect that when burglars are shot, the burglary rate would go down?

I have seen the sentiment before, but never in quite such a succinct way.  The article was about a third burglar suspect being shot and killed in Richmond, California, this year.  From  richmondconfidential.org:

Terrell Ruben, 42, became the third person shot and killed in an attempted burglary in Richmond this year. A Richmond homeowner shot Ruben in the chest after he discovered Ruben and another man attempting to steal property from his backyard last Saturday.

Continue reading “CA: More Burglars Shot, Less Burglaries. Who Knew?”

Bloomberg – by Alex Webb and Stefan Nicola

Warren Buffett wants to tell you the best time to wash your clothes.

Or at least his energy company in the U.K does. Buffett’s Northern Powergrid Holdings Co. is working with Siemens AG (SIE) to test a so-called smart grid that has the ability to control when consumer appliances will be used in the home.   Continue reading “Buffett’s Smart-Grid Idea Takes Over Your Washing Machine”

WSOC TV

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said the second man involved in a home break-in that turned deadly near the man involved in a home break-in that turned deadly near the Charlotte/Mint Hill border has been arrested. Another suspected intruder was killed when a 14-year-old inside the house shot and killed him Tuesday night.

Two intruders, who police identified as 18-year-old Isai Delcid and 22-year-old Carlos Delcid, attempted to break into the home on Rolling Fields Lane just after 5 p.m., according to investigators. Isai was shot and died at the scene while police said Carlos fled.   Continue reading “CMPD identify break-in suspect shot dead; second suspect arrested”

The Watchers – by Adonai

A rapidly intensifying low-pressure mass, which started in eastern China earlier this week, is causing heavy snow, strong winds and high waves across the northern Japan today. By Wednesday morning, extreme weather events already claimed lives of at least 3 people.

Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said storms will continue today and through Thursday, especially in Hokkaido and other parts of northern Japan. They warned of blizzards, tidal waves and avalanches and called for people to refrain from going outside.   Continue reading “Rapidly intensifying winter storm turns deadly, Japan”

Natural Society – by Christina Sarich

An attorney for the SHAKA Movement in Hawaii that has been trying to uphold a democratically voted moratorium on GMOs on the island of Maui reports that residents and activists have won. An intervention in a federal lawsuit that was brought on by Monsanto and Dow trying to push their genetically modified agenda on islanders will not go through.

The federal lawsuit filed last month against Maui County by Monsanto Co. and a unit of Dow Chemical Co. thankfully flew over judge, Barry Kurren, who has deep ties with Monsanto, Dow, and Big Ag. The judge has recently overturned a democratically voted initiative to limit GMOs on the Big Island of Hawaii. Without an upswelling of public pressure, he could have done the same in Maui.   Continue reading “Breaking News: Maui Wins! Monsanto and Dow will Follow New GMO Moratorium”