Year: 2014

Natural Society – by Elizabeth Renter

In an about-face, two California organizations who previously opposed any state-level efforts to regulate medical marijuana are now backing a bill that would create the basis of state licensing and regulation while limiting doctors who can prescribe pot. According to the Fresno Bee, SB 1262 has the backing of  the League of California Cities and the California Police Chiefs Association. And while their support of any marijuana measure is progress, this bill is not likely to gain support of marijuana advocacy groups.   Continue reading “California Bill Would License Medical Pot Dispensaries but Limit Patient Access”

Golden Age of Gaia – by Stephen Cook

Stephen: There’s not a photo of her to be found anywhere on the internet,. Nor any info (well, not in English anyway). My gut is though, that she has an open heart  and will use some of that fortune to help those struggling. Her father, pictured at right, recently donated HKD$1,000,000 to  to The Community Chest of Hong Kong to help those in need, which is wonderful to hear. But oh, what many of us could do to have even a portion of that abundance to help build a world that works for everyone, eh?   Continue reading “24-Year-Old Hong Kong Chinese Woman is World’s Youngest Billionaire”

Citizen Link – by Bethany Monk

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will allow a German homeschooling family, who has long been seeking asylum in the U.S., to stay in the country. This comes just one day after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the family’s case.

“This is an incredible victory that I can only credit to Almighty God,” said Michael Farris, chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). “I also want to thank those who spoke up on this issue.”   Continue reading “Department of Homeland Security: German Homeschooling Family Can Stay”

The Independent

Video Rebel’s Blog

This is Myles Eckert of Toledo, Ohio. He is 8 years old. He is hugging the gravestone of his father who died in Iraq when he was 5 weeks old. He never saw his father. He learns of his father through his medals, ID tags, wedding ring, photos and family stories. Myles had wanted to go to the cemetery to talk to the man he never knew. At her son’s request, his mother stayed in the car so he could be alone to talk. His mother took this photo. His father died because our politicians and our news media were willing to believe lies fed to us by Israel.   Continue reading “An 8 Year-Old Boy In Ohio Hugs The Gravestone Of His Father Who Died In Iraq.”

The American Conservative – by PATRICK J. BUCHANAN

With Vladimir Putin’s dispatch of Russian troops into Crimea, our war hawks are breathing fire. Russophobia is rampant and the op-ed pages are ablaze here. Barack Obama should tune them out, and reflect on how Cold War presidents dealt with far graver clashes with Moscow.

When Red Army tank divisions crushed the Hungarian freedom fighters in 1956, killing 50,000, Eisenhower did not lift a finger. When Khrushchev built the Berlin Wall, JFK went to Berlin and gave a speech. When Warsaw Pact troops crushed the Prague Spring in 1968, LBJ did nothing. When, Moscow ordered Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski to smash Solidarity, Ronald Reagan refused to put Warsaw in default. These presidents saw no vital U.S. interest imperiled in these Soviet actions, however brutal. They sensed that time was on our side in the Cold War. And history has proven them right.   Continue reading “Resist the War Party on Crimea”

The Complete Patient – by David Gumpert

I have found myself thinking a lot about last week’s courtroom antics of Harold Martin, the Michigan assistant attorney general, which have been viewed more than 1,000 times already on YouTube.  While it’s tempting to simply label Martin as unprofessional and less than competent, I think there was much more to it than that. I explore some of the less obvious messages in an Open Letter to Martin.    Continue reading “Hidden Message in MI AG’s Court Shenanigans: Baker Hog Case Far from Over”

Daily Slave

An incredibly bizarre story has emerged from China.  According to various media reports a slashing rampage has allegedly left 29 people killed and over 100 wounded at a train station located in Southern China.  Several individuals wearing masks and wielding knives were allegedly responsible for the attacks.  Police were said to have shot and killed 4 of the attackers increasing the death toll to 33.  Based upon the information that has been released so far, this whole event appears to be a staged hoax.   Continue reading “Knife Attack Rampage at Chinese Train Station Appears to be Another Staged Hoax”

CenturyLink – by TIM SULLIVAN

MOSCOW (AP) — Stepping back from the brink of war, Vladimir Putin talked tough but cooled tensions in the Ukraine crisis Tuesday, saying Russia has no intention “to fight the Ukrainian people” but reserves the right to use force.

As the Russian president held court in his personal residence, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Kiev’s fledgling government and urged Putin to stand down.   Continue reading “Putin talks tough but cools tensions over Ukraine”

ABC News

Acting at Ukraine’s request, the United States and 14 other nations on Tuesday formed a military observer mission intended to monitor the tense Crimea region, and a U.S. official said the team planned to leave within 24 hours.

Daniel Baer, the chief U.S. delegate to the Organization for Security and Cooperation, told The Associated Press that each country was contributing two individuals. But with more OSCE member nations expected to join, he said the mission could grow beyond its present strength of 30 people.   Continue reading “OSCE sending military observer mission to Ukraine”

The Telegraph – by Katherine Rushton

New Straits Times

LOS ANGELES: A US couple who unearthed gold coins worth more than $10 million might have to return them as they may have been stolen, a report said.

The California couple uncovered eight cans filled with more than 1,400  coins on their property, in what is believed to be the most valuable treasure  trove ever discovered in the United States.   Continue reading “Questions raised over California treasure trove”

Twin Cities – by Mila Koumpilova

A St. Paul student in a wet swimsuit spent 10 bone-chilling minutes outside her school Wednesday when a false fire alarm interrupted her class in the school’s swimming pool.

When smoke from a science project triggered a fire alarm at Como Park Senior High School, freshman Kayona Tietz ended up outside barefoot in her wet bathing suit and a towel. Her mother, Eva Tietz, took to the district’s Facebook page to criticize the district’s handling of the incident, saying the girl suffered minor frostbite to her feet.   Continue reading “Como Park High student in wet bathing suit suffers frostbite”

Tenth Amendment Center

OKLAHOMA CITY, Mar. 4, 2014 – A bill that would nullify Agenda 21 in Oklahoma passed through the state house today

HB2807, the “Oklahoma Community Protection Act,” would prohibit any state agency or political subdivision from adopting or implementing “policy recommendations that deliberately or inadvertently infringe upon or restrict private property rights without due process.” It also would void any previous commitments which may have been made under Agenda 21 or a similar program. It reads, “any debt or commitment to an international or federal entity whereby the citizens did not have the ability to exercise their constitutional rights shall be considered null and void.”   Continue reading “Oklahoma House votes to nullify Agenda 21, 66-26”

Nature – by Ed Yong

In what seems like a plot straight out of a low-budget science-fiction film, scientists have revived a giant virus that was buried in Siberian ice for 30,000 years — and it is still infectious. Its targets, fortunately, are amoebae, but the researchers suggest that as Earth’s ice melts, this could trigger the return of other ancient viruses, with potential risks for human health.

The newly thawed virus is the biggest one ever found. At 1.5 micrometres long, it is comparable in size to a small bacterium. Evolutionary biologists Jean-Michel Claverie and Chantal Abergel, the husband-and-wife team at Aix-Marseille University in France who led the work, named it Pithovirus sibericum, inspired by the Greek word ‘pithos’ for the large container used by the ancient Greeks to store wine and food. “We’re French, so we had to put wine in the story,” says Claverie. The results are published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences¹.   Continue reading “Giant virus resurrected from 30,000-year-old ice”