Year: 2014

Natural News – by Daniel Barker

An impending showdown between Utah and the federal government may set a precedent affecting future disputes regarding state vs. federal land ownership.

In 2012, Governor Gary Herbert formally challenged the feds over the right to control 31.2 million acres of Utah land when he signed the “Transfer of Public Lands Act.” One of the provisions of the act demands that the federal government turn over the lands by December 31, 2014.   Continue reading “Utah showdown with the feds as Dec. 31 deadline approaches for state to reclaim its land”

Natural News – by Michael Ravensthorpe

Hydrogen peroxide is an odorless, colorless chemical compound comprised of water and oxygen. It was first identified and isolated by the French chemist Louis Jacques Thenard in 1818 and, by the beginning of the 20th century, had become one of Europe’s most popular surface disinfectants due to the speed with which it kills microorganisms through oxidation.

Hydrogen peroxide is still found in most chemists today, and remains a much-loved alternative to bleach due to its low cost and environmentally friendly nature. However, this germicidal agent is highly versatile and provides far more uses than most people realize.   Continue reading “Four surprising uses for hydrogen peroxide”

RT

Scientists from Simon Fraser University in Canada have invented an effective bait-and-trap against bed bugs that uses chemical attractants, or pheromones. In order to test the trap, a team member had to endure up to 180,000 bites from the nasty insects.

The bait, which the scientists say will be commercially available next year, turned out to be a real ordeal to develop.    Continue reading “Canadian scientists develop trap to lure blood-sucking bed bugs”

RT

Massive snowfall, aggravated by strong winds and ice in the French Alps, has trapped thousands of holidaymakers, with up to 15,000 people forced to spend Saturday night in emergency accommodation centers in the Savoie region in southeastern France.

Conditions remained difficult on Sunday, a spokesman for the Savoie prefecture said. Authorities set up shelters in a dozen towns for stranded tourists in the area.    Continue reading “French Alps hit by massive snowfall, thousands of cars stranded”

Mail.com

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma’s last execution went so badly that the state tried to cancel it before it was over. With the inmate writhing while the lethal drugs seeped into his body, his executioners drew the viewing gallery curtains, concealing what the warden later described as “a bloody mess.”

The botched execution of Clayton Lockett in April and other troubling ones this year in Ohio and Arizona gave capital punishment opponents a flicker of hope that areas of the country that most enthusiastically support the death penalty might have a change of heart. They didn’t.   Continue reading “Death penalty states unmoved by botched execution”

90 Miles From Tyranny

America the Battlefield – by Timothy A. Pope

Do you want to know how it all happened? Do you really want to know the cause behind the rapid deterioration in the United States of America from a domestic cold war of incremental democratization, into a hot totalitarian socialist State? Aside from an abject hatred for religion and morality, one of the root causes of the accelerated decline is “psychopolitics,” the art and science of asserting and maintaining dominion over the thoughts and loyalties of individuals, officers, bureaus, and masses, and the effecting of the conquest of enemy nations through “mental healing.”

Psychopolitics, at its very core, is the Soviet art of brainwashing. Since 1933, the United States has been subject to a far-reaching and comprehensive campaign of psychopolitical warfare aimed at subverting and destroying our Constitutional Republic, and according to the Lucille Miller case of 1950, to “recruit every agency of the nation marked for slaughter into a foaming hatred of religious healing.”   Continue reading “Psychopolitical Warfare and the Soviet Brainwashing of the United States”

AZ Central – by Jennifer Soules and Ken Alltucker

A 24-year-old Flagstaff police officer with less than one year on the job was shot in the face and killed by a 28-year-old man who then turned the gun on himself, police said.

Officer Tyler Stewart encountered a suspect at a home in the 800 block of West Clay Avenue during an investigation of an earlier domestic-violence call, spokeswoman Sgt. Margaret Bentzen said. Robert W. Smith of Prescott, fired several shots at Stewart, who was outside his patrol car, police said. Smith then shot himself dead, according to police.   Continue reading “Flagstaff officer killed by gunman”

Reuters

Mauritania on Thursday condemned a man to death for “insulting the prophet”, a human rights group said, a day after the country opened the trial of an anti-slavery activist.

Mohamed Cheikh Ould Mkhaitir, 28, was arrested a year ago for writing an article about the Prophet Mohammad and the caste system, an extremely sensitive subject in a West African country with deep social and racial divisions.   Continue reading “Mauritania condemns man to death for ‘insulting the prophet’”

IFL Science – by Justine Alford

Have you ever noticed a strange little worm-like speck drifting aimlessly about in your field of vision? These annoying little squiggly lines, or “cobwebs,” are called floaters and are experienced by around 70% of people. So what are they?

Floaters are actually shadows cast by objects suspended in the clear, gel-like substance that makes up the majority of the eye’s interior. This substance is called vitreous humor and helps to maintain the eye’s round shape. After passing through the lens, focused light has to pass through the vitreous humor in order to reach the retina at the back of the eye. It’s mostly composed of water but also contains proteins and various other substances.   Continue reading “What Are Those Strange Things You See Floating In Your Eye?”

Oddity Central – by Spooky

Known as Dekotora, Decotora, or simply as Japanese art trucks, these incredible masterpieces on four wheelshave become a symbol of Japan.

Dekotora is an abbreviation for “decoration truck”, and if you can say something about these trucks it’s that they are very decorated. That’s basically what defines the Dekotora art movement – adding as many decorations to your truck, as you possibly can, while keeping it operational. And making use of the ingenuity that defines the Japanese, they have been able to create some truly impressive rigs that blow your mind. Neon lights, flashy spoilers, manga and kabuki artworks are all part of a Dekotora artist’s arsenal, in his quest of creating the flashiest truck possible.   Continue reading “Japan’s Amazing Dekotora Trucks”

Yahoo News – by Oliver Libaw

Call it the Christmas controversy that just wouldn’t die.

Jasen Dixon is not backing down after being ordered to remove his frontyard zombie-themed nativity scene, featuring an undead baby, three ghoulish kings, and a severed head — all under a glowing pentagram.

Instead, Dixon is raising money for a bigger undead display next December.

“I want to make a better zombie nativity scene for everyone to see next year and [raise] funds to pay the township citations for having the structure,” he says on his IndieGogo crowdfunding page.

He’s hoping to bring in $5,000 for bigger and better fake corpses and accessories. (Perhaps undead barn animals are in the works?)

There is a long tradition of dark humor around the holidays to balance out all that earnest good cheer, of course. From songs that belong on Santa’s naughty list to Christmas sweaters that you wouldn’t wear in front of mom. And if you if you haven’t gotten an offbeat or slightly inappropriate holiday card over the years, you might want to upgrade your circle of friends.

You can even buy a handmade zombie nativity scene of your own on Etsy.com. (The seller says it’s from the 1960s, proving that zombie kitsch is not a new phenomenon.)

But Dixon has provoked substantial ire from many of his fellow residents in Sycamore Township, Ohio.

“The neighbors don’t like it. My father hates it,” Dixon admits to Fox19 WXIX.

Dixon claims he simply worked with what he had at hand. Since he manages a chain of haunted houses, that meant using some unorthodox materials for the manger. Dixon lists his profession as artist on his Facebook page.

“I wanted a nativity scene and I worked with what I had,” he tells Fox19.

He was ordered two days before Christmas to take it down or face a $1,000 fine, but he won’t be putting the controversy to rest anytime soon.

Officials insist the problem is building codes, not bad taste.  Township Administrator Greg Bickford tells Cincinnati.com Dixon’s scene violates restrictions on erecting structures on your property.

“This is no different than having a garden shed in your front yard,” Bickford says.

(All photos courtesy Jasen Dixon/Facebook)

Dixon rejects that claim.

“I’ve lived here for 15 years and I’ve never had a violation of any kind,” Dixon tells Fox19. “It’s a holiday decoration. I know if it was a real pretty nativity scene they wouldn’t be saying anything.”

Continue reading “Zombie Nativity Scene Creator Vows to Do It Again Next year”

Publius Forum – by Warner Todd Huston

This is why I despise government. Every decision made in DC adds thousands of new government placemen at a cost of millions in salary and an ever expanding government. That is what happened when John Boehner did not immediately put a stop to Obama’s amnesty plans in that recently concluded budget negotiations.

One of the things that Barack Obama kicked into high gear with his illicit amnesty announcement was a government employee hiring frenzy. As The New York Times reports, as soon as GOP House Speaker John Boehner allowed Obama’s amnesty plan to keep its funding, 1,000 new federal jobs were opened up at a cost to the taxpayer of $40 million annually in salaries and benefits.   Continue reading “Boehner and GOP Allowed Obama to Add thousands of New Amnesty Workers With That 2015 Budget”