Month: August 2015

Ain’t globalism grand?

New York Times – by JODI KANTOR and DAVID STREITFELD

SEATTLE — On Monday mornings, fresh recruits line up for an orientation intended to catapult them into Amazon’s singular way of working.

They are told to forget the “poor habits” they learned at previous jobs, one employee recalled. When they “hit the wall” from the unrelenting pace, there is only one solution: “Climb the wall,” others reported. To be the best Amazonians they can be, they should be guided by the leadership principles, 14 rules inscribed on handy laminated cards. When quizzed days later, those with perfect scores earn a virtual award proclaiming, “I’m Peculiar” — the company’s proud phrase for overturning workplace conventions.   Continue reading “Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace”

RT

A man was critically hurt after setting himself on fire on the steps of the City Hall in Columbus, Ohio.

Fire officials have told local media that a 58-year-old man was taken to Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center in critical condition.

Police is investigating the incident as a possible suicide attempt, according to local TV-station WSYX.     Continue reading “Man sets himself on fire in front of Columbus, Ohio City Hall”

Police State USA

ELIZABETHTOWN, KY — A young couple had their lives turned upside-down when a CPS worker decided to target them with a series of anonymous child-abuse accusations, each prompting a new investigation.

Corey Chaney, 25, and April Rodgers, 23, have come forward to expose their story after spending “every single dime” they had, even relocating their family, in order to escape the torrent of malicious attempts to separate them and put them into financial ruin.   Continue reading “Couple terrorized by series of false child-abuse accusations by CPS worker”

Guardian – by Spenser Ackerman

The Obama administration’s no-fly lists and broader watchlisting system is based on predicting crimes rather than relying on records of demonstrated offenses, the government has been forced to admit in court.

In a little-noticed filing before an Oregon federal judge, the US Justice Department and the FBI conceded that stopping US and other citizens from travelling on airplanes is a matter of “predictive assessments about potential threats”, the government asserted in May.   Continue reading “No-fly list uses ‘predictive assessments’ instead of hard evidence, US admits”

The BRICS Post

Allies China and Russia will hold joint naval drills later this week in the Sea of Japan, officials confirmed.

Experts say this reflects the deepened military cooperation between the two sides.

The two countries will conduct their largest joint Pacific exercise from August 20 to 28.

A Chinese squadron has left the port of Qingdao in Shandong province on Saturday and expected to dock at Russia’s Vladivostok on Thursday.   Continue reading “China, Russia joint naval drills in Sea of Japan this week”

Economic Collapse – by Michael Snyder

Once upon a time, it was popular to say that the U.S. government only had enough wheat stored up to provide everyone in America with half a loaf of bread.  But that is not true anymore.  Recently, I discovered that the U.S. does not have any strategic grain reserves left at all.  Zero.  Nada.  Zilch.  As you will see below, the USDA liquidated the remaining reserves back in 2008.  So if a major food crisis hit this country, our government would have nothing to give us.  Of course the federal government could always go out and try to buy or seize food to feed the population during a major emergency, but that wouldn’t actually increase the total amount of food that was available.  Instead, it would just give the government more power over who gets it.   Continue reading “Did You Know That The U.S. No Longer Has Any Strategic Grain Reserves At All?”

NJ.com – by Kimberly Redmond

NEWTON – The Newton officer accused of exposing himself to male drivers over a 7-month period last year was sentenced to a 2-year probationary term Friday in Superior Court.

Prior to Jason Miller’s sentencing, Judge Thomas Critchley said he believes “it would be off the mark to include a jail term” because he thinks the 38-year-old has already “suffered consequences.”   Continue reading “2 years probation for N.J. cop accused of exposing himself to drivers”

Mail.com

AUBURN, Mass. (AP) — Authorities are trying to determine how a 2-year-old girl died and a second young girl was left in critical condition after they were found unresponsive at a home in Massachusetts.

Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early said Sunday night the girls were discovered at an apartment complex in Auburn, about 45 miles west of Boston, after their foster mother called 911 around 12:30 p.m. Saturday.   Continue reading “Police probing death of foster child; 2nd remains critical”

Mail.com

JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) — An airplane with 54 people on board that crashed in the mountains of eastern Indonesia was carrying nearly half a million dollars in government cash for poor families to help offset a spike in fuel prices, an official said Monday.

Smoldering wreckage of the Trigana Air Service turboprop plane was spotted from the air Monday morning in a rugged area of the easternmost province of Papua, rescue officials said. There was no immediate word of any survivors from Sunday’s crash, which happened in bad weather.   Continue reading “Crashed Indonesian plane was carrying $500,000 in cash”

Mail.com

CHICAGO (AP) — Members of a U.S. Army skydiving team will return to their base where they will have access to counseling after a parachutist from their unit died from injuries suffered during a stunt at the Chicago Air & Water Show, a spokeswoman for the group said.

The Golden Knights demonstration team has been put on a “safety stand down” after the death of Sgt. 1st Class Corey Hood, spokeswoman Donna Dixon said Sunday. The group will head to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where they can meet with chaplains as the Army works to ensure everyone is mentally and physically fit to continue with the show season, she said. The team’s performance schedule could be affected.   Continue reading “Army skydivers returning to Fort Bragg after member’s death”

New York Times – by Clifford Krauss

HOUSTON — The Obama administration on Friday gave oil companies temporary permission to export a limited amount of oil to Mexico at a time when a glut is cutting into domestic petroleum profits and employment.

The decision by the Commerce Department fell short of removing a ban on crude exports that goes back to the 1970s, when international oil boycotts produced long lines at gasoline stations and threatened the American economy. It also does not make a broad national security exception for Mexico, which has long existed for Canada, to release larger-scale exports.   Continue reading “U.S. Allows Limited Oil Exports to Mexico”

Biz Journals – by Cathy Proctor

For sale to the highest bidder: Thousands of acres of federally owned mineral rights in two southern Colorado counties and in the Pawnee National Grassland near the Colorado-Wyoming border.

Grassland-area drilling would only be allowed from private parcels adjacent to federal property, however.   Continue reading “BLM to auction more drilling rights on Pawnee National Grassland”

PR Web

Contrary to many stories in the media about how low-wage jobs have dominated since the recovery began in 2010, the largest job growth has come from good jobs, according to a new study from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

Good Jobs Are Back: College Graduates Are First in Line reveals that the economy has added 6.6 million jobs since 2010, 2.9 million of which were good jobs. These jobs paid more than $53,000, tended to be full time and provided health insurance and retirement plans. In addition to the 2.9 million good jobs created, the economy also created 1.9 million middle-wage jobs and 1.8 million low-wage jobs.   Continue reading “Good Jobs Account for Almost Half of All Job Growth During the Recovery, New Georgetown University Study Finds”

LA Times – by Quakebot

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake was reported Monday morning in Piedmont, Calif., near Oakland, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The temblor occurred at 6:49 a.m. Pacific time at a depth of 3.1 miles.

According to the USGS, the epicenter was two miles from Emeryville, Calif., three miles from Oakland, three miles from Berkeley and 64 miles from Sacramento.   Continue reading “Earthquake strikes San Francisco Bay Area”

Jon Rappoport

“The less government we have, the better, — the fewer laws, and the less confided power. The antidote to this abuse of formal Government [taking more power for itself], is, the influence of private character, the growth of the Individual.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844)

“If it were felt that the free development of individuality is one of the leading essentials of well-being…there would be no danger that liberty should be undervalued.” (John Stuart Mill, 1859)   Continue reading “England, Australia, Canada, USA: poof The program to erase the individual”

Cops Caught on Tape

So far this year, 6 officers have killed their own K9’s by leaving them in vehicles with no air conditioning. One officer, as you’ll read below, somehow managed to forget about having TWO K9’s in his vehicle.  According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, at least 37 K9’s have died of heat exhaustion since 2001. Here is a look at the K9’s that have died this year after their handlers left them to die a horrible, excruciating death. (Out of the 19 K9’s that died this year, 2 were killed by other animals, 1 died in a vehicle accident, 1 drowned, 2 died during a fire, 1 was poisoned, 1 struck by a vehicle, and 3 died from gunfire – a total of 8 died of heat exhaustion).   Continue reading “Police Killing Their Own K9’s At An Alarming Rate”