Month: February 2015

Reuters – by Erwin Seba

The largest U.S. refinery strike in 35 years entered its fourth week on Sunday as workers at 12 refineries accounting for one-fifth of national production capacity were walking picket lines.

Sources familiar with the negotiations said talks may resume by mid-week to end the walkout by 6,550 members of the United Steelworkers union (USW) at 15 plants, including the 12 refineries.

Representatives of both sides said no date has been set to restart negotiations, however.   Continue reading “U.S. refinery strike affects one-fifth of national capacity”

National Review – by Ryan Lovelace

While a federal judge’s injunction has halted the implementation of President Obama’s sweeping executive actions from November, it appears U.S. Customs and Border Protection never got the news. According to CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske, the relaxed border enforcement guidelines that accompanied Obama’s executive actions should continue apace, unaffected by the judge’s ruling.   Continue reading “The Border Patrol Continues to Act as if a Federal Judge Hadn’t Just Blocked Obama’s Amnesty”

Damn Geeky – by Gaurav

Although making functional weapons can land you in trouble with the local authorities but it is none less the fun building your weapon of mass destruction sans any violence of course. Geek nerds out there are not going to let go of opportunity to build any potent weapon that leaves on lookers bamboozled and amazed. Building weapons on your own carries its risks, but hey if you are reading this then you already know that it should be done in controlled environment with utmost care. So let’s have a look at some of the deadliest weapons you can make easily in your den and brag about it on the streets without causing any offendable violence.   Continue reading “10 Deadliest weapons you can make for yourself”

Business Insider – by Abby Rogers

No matter which side you stand on in the gun debate, it’s pretty well known a whole host of weapons exists in America.

And for some, like flamethrowers or knife-point sharp Wild Kat Keychains, you can hardly believe they’re legal — at least in most states.

We’ve rounded up the best of the best, or the most dangerous of the dangerous, depending on your point of view.   Continue reading “These 12 Outrageously Deadly Weapons Are Legal In Most States”

The Sydney Morning Herald – by Burak Akinci

Ankara: Almost 600 Turkish troops pushed deep into Syria in an unprecedented incursion, evacuating Turkish soldiers guarding a historic tomb who had been stranded in territory controlled by Islamic State jihadists.

The Damascus government, which no longer controls the area but is at loggerheads with Ankara over the Syria conflict, lashed out at what it described as a “flagrant aggression” and said it would hold Ankara responsible for its repercussions.   Continue reading “Turkish troops enter Syria, evacuate guards and remains from tomb”

9 News – by Jonathan Gonzalez

CENTENNIAL — When homeowners on South Olive Way woke up this morning to find their driveways and walkways already shoveled, many didn’t know what to think.

One resident called it a “surprise.”

Another homeowner said it was something “you just don’t see anymore.”

“My daughter came and woke us up and said, ‘look outside,'” said Darcy Peterson. “I mean, I can’t believe it. I cannot believe it.”   Continue reading “Teens ‘pay it forward’ by shoveling 50 driveways”

The Daily Bell

Big Tobacco’s Future: Big Pot … You may like technology (who doesn’t these days) or the energy sector (where would we be without it) – but if you’re making a long-term bet as an investor, there’s a lot going for Big Tobacco. It’s not just that tobacco boasts the best historical performance of all U.S. industries. The industry’s future seems especially bright. As marijuana gradually becomes a legal drug, Big Tobacco is poised to dominate the market. – Bloomberg

Dominant Social Theme: There’s not a lot of money in pot?

Free-Market Analysis: For the most part, the alternative media has led the way when it comes to defining the parameters of the cannabis industry and its potential profits.   Continue reading “Big Tobacco Will Bring Big Profits to Cannabis Entrepreneurs Positioned Now”

Bel Marra Health – by Dr. Victor Marchione

If you were concerned about bisphenol A (BPA) and started to pick up Tupperware and bottles that were labelled BPA-free, you still aren’t in the clear. That’s because recent animal studies have revealed that a replacement for BPA – called bisphenol S (BPS) – may also be hazardous to your health.

In 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the sale of baby bottles containing BPA, a chemical compound often found in plastics. The ban followed the discovery that the chemical mimics estrogen, harming the brain and reproductive development in fetuses, infants and children.   Continue reading “New toxin in your water bottle is just as bad as bisphenol A or BPA”

UPI

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23 (UPI) — The In Memoriam reel at the Oscars had a glaring omission after failing to mention the death of comedian Joan Rivers.

Rivers, who appeared in several movies including Spaceballs and The Muppets Take Manhattan, but was not included in the segment.   Continue reading “Joan Rivers omitted from In Memoriam reel during Oscars”

Free Thought Project – by John Vibes

Besides cops, handcuff companies, and BDSM enthusiasts, hardly anyone will cheer this potent symbol of state oppression.

Handcuffs provide an easy pathway for police brutality. Whether it’s beating children, raping women, or garden variety savagery, cops routinely carry out violence on people while they are handcuffed.   Continue reading “Sadistic Police Likely Salivating Over New Handcuffs that Will Shock and Drug the Restrained”

EcoIntersect – by Niall McCarthy

The Islamic State is seen as the gravest threat to the United States, according to a new poll from Gallup.

The group released its latest horror video at the weekend, showing the mass beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts in Libya. The gruesome images have suggested that Isis is expanding its reach into North Africa, far from its current battlegrounds and havens in Iraq and Syria. Egypt carried out airstrikes in response to the beheadings.   Continue reading “Americans View ISIS As Their Greatest Threat”

Yahoo News – by Matt Siegel

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian air force personnel have begun training on armed drones in the United States, Australian defense officials said on Monday, less than a week after Washington said it would begin exporting the controversial weapons system.

The U.S. State Department last week said it would allow exports of lethal military drones under strict conditions, such as sales through government programs and agreements by recipient nations to provide “end-use assurances.”   Continue reading “Australia begins training on armed U.S. Reaper drones”

Reuters

A former police officer shot a Georgia county sheriff and his deputy when they intervened in a domestic dispute in which three people were killed, local media said on Monday.

Habersham County’s Joey Terrell and Deputy Bill Zigan had been called out late on Sunday to a house in Clarkesville, northeastern Georgia, where they had found a woman dead in the garage, the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) reported, citing the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.   Continue reading “Former officer shoots Georgia sheriff and deputy, three others dead: media”

RT

The Department of Homeland Security has denied it is aware of any credible terrorist plots against shopping centers on US soil after their chief advised shoppers, particularly in the Mall of America, to be careful following threats from Somali extremists.

“We are not aware of any specific, credible plot against the Mall of America or any other domestic commercial shopping center,” Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Marsha Catron said in a statement. She noted, however, that federal agents have shared the information with local law enforcement and “private sector partners.”   Continue reading “‘No credible plot’: DHS distances itself from chief’s ‘mall terror threat’ warnings”

RT

France has deployed its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier against the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in Iraq, as part of the US-led military campaign, French media report, citing government officials.

“The integration of the Charles de Gaulle in the operation… (in Iraq) begins this morning,” a member of Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s staff told AFP.   Continue reading “France deploys aircraft carrier against ISIS in Iraq – ministry”

Mail.com

LONDON (AP) — Turkish police searched Monday for three missing British schoolgirls believed to have gone to Syria to join the Islamic State extremist group and their families issued emotional appeals urging the girls to return home.

The girls, said to be “straight-A students” from the same east London school, disappeared last Tuesday without leaving any messages. Authorities said they boarded a plane to Istanbul. The relatives of Shamima Begum and Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, broke down in tears as they spoke of their loss in televised interviews on British media.   Continue reading “Families of 3 missing UK girls urge ‘Please come home!’”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of people could lose health insurance subsidies in the coming months if the Supreme Court sides with opponents of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.

And one thing was clear this weekend as the nation’s governors gathered in Washington: Many of the states that could be affected are not prepared for the potential fallout. In rounds of interviews at the National Governors Association’s winter meeting, several governors indicated they could do little about the estimated 8 million people who could drop coverage if they were to lose health insurance subsidies later this year — a scenario that legal experts suggest is a real possibility. While preliminary state-level discussions have begun in some cases, many governors charged that Congress should bear the burden of fixing any problems.   Continue reading “Governors: No clear plan if health care subsidies fall”