Year: 2015

Opposing Views – by Ethan Brown

Republican leaders in the House of Representatives and Senate are differing on how to fund the Department of Homeland Security as deadlines loom before the department would shut down.

House Speaker John Boehner said in an interview on Feb. 15 that he is “certainly” willing to let funding for the DHS to expire, based on his Republican colleagues’ desires to see President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration be stopped.  Republicans in the House want to tie the agency’s funding to the dismantling of the president’s executive action.   Continue reading “John Boehner Says He Is ‘Certainly’ Ready To Cut Off Homeland Security Funding”

Prison Planet – by Kurt Nimmo

Masoumeh Ebtekar, the first female vice president of Iran, has singled out the United States and the CIA as the progenitor of ISIS or IS, the Islamic State.

“Well, I think there’s a lot of skepticism about the role of the United States in dealing with ISIS, because the support they initially provided for ISIS in Syria strengthened this group at that time, and then also other reasons to believe this is not a genuine group, it somehow instigated or created by, I don’t know, a certain intelligence agency,” Ebtekar said when asked about IS during an interview conducted by ABC News.   Continue reading “Iranian VP: CIA Behind Islamic State”

RT

An Oakland artist is ingeniously battling homelessness in Oakland, California: he builds small houses out of materials he can find in the streets, with each edifice costing around forty bucks.

The tiny homes are made of pallets, bed boards, washing machine doors, and other bizarre objects that catch Greg Kloehn’s attention. Mr Kloehn first noticed that homeless people built shelters from whatever they find in the street, and he wanted to make a house like this.   Continue reading “‘Tiny houses’: California homelessness gets new $40 solution”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Never underestimate the staying power of big tobacco.

In 2006, U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler ordered the nation’s largest cigarette makers to publicly admit that they had lied for decades about the dangers of smoking. The basis for the punishment: Testimony from 162 witnesses, a nine-month bench trial and thousands of findings by the judge that defendants engaged in what the largest public health organizations in the country have called a massive campaign of fraud.   Continue reading “Tobacco giants resist harsh public admissions about smoking”

Mail.com

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — For nearly a century, the gasoline tax has provided the financial foundation for the nation’s roads. For each gallon they pump, motorists have paid several additional cents in taxes to their state and federal governments.

That is still the case in most places. But as vehicles have become more fuel-efficient, gas tax revenue has plateaued. And the federal gas tax has lost more than one-third of its value to inflation since it was last raised to 18.4 cents a gallon in 1993.   Continue reading “Alternative ways to pay for highway repairs, construction”

Mail.com

STEPHENVILLE, Texas (AP) — An ex-Marine charged with shooting “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle and another man was not legally insane, a prosecution expert said, suggesting the man may have gotten some of his ideas from the television show “Seinfeld.”

Prosecutors called rebuttal witnesses Friday in the trial of Eddie Ray Routh, who is charged with killing Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield. Routh’s attorneys, who are pursuing an insanity defense, rested their case Thursday.   Continue reading “Prosecution expert says ‘American Sniper’ suspect not insane”

Market Watch – by LAURA STEVENS, ERICA E. PHILLIPS

West Coast port employers and their union said they reached a tentative five-year agreement on a new contract late Friday. The pact brings an end to a nine-month standoff that resulted in significant slowdowns at the ports.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association were locked in negotiations all day Friday after the White House sent Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez to urge the two groups to come to an agreement. He threatened to send the parties to Washington, D.C., if the situation wasn’t resolved by the end of the day.   Continue reading “West Coast port employers, union reach tentative pact”

Web of Love

The inspiring story of Rick and Dick Hoyt (Team Hoyt) was originally published in Sports Illustrated. After reading this incredibly moving story of transformation between a father and his son, don’t miss the four-minute video of this amazing love story available here. May we all find inspiration both within and outside of ourselves every day to be the very best we can be.   Continue reading “Rick and Dick Hoyt: Team Hoyt”

Survival Scout – by Matt Redhawk

Hungry?

Whether you choose to eat a piece of fruit or drink a glass of milk, there’s a good chance you’re consuming food that has been genetically modified.

You may have heard the term “GMO” tossed around on talk radio or news channels. It means “Genetically Modified Organism.” GMOs are the result of scientifically altering the genes of the DNA of one species with the DNA of another. Various genes could come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans.   Continue reading “Why Are GMO Foods Such A Big Deal?”

Yahoo News

Washington (AFP) – In some of its sharpest criticism to date, Washington accused Moscow on Friday of “undermining” the global order by supporting rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Germany and France also demanded that a crumbling Ukraine truce be “fully respected,” but the words appeared hollow as pro-Russian rebels celebrated a battlefield victory in the strategic town of Debaltseve.   Continue reading “Russia ‘undermining’ global world order: US”

Yahoo News – by Russ Bynum

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Convicted of extortion and illegal gambling, Savannah’s former police chief will continue to collect a pension worth nearly $130,000 a year while he serves 7 ½ years in federal prison.

That comes to more than $970,000 before taxes.

Some City Council members have called for revoking or slashing the retirement benefits of former Savannah-Chatham County Police Chief Willie Lovett, who was sentenced by a U.S. District Court judge earlier this month. But City Attorney Brooks Stillwell told council members Thursday a state law that forces convicted public employees to surrender a chunk of their pensions can’t be applied to the ex-chief.   Continue reading “Convicted Georgia police chief to collect pension in prison”

Reuters – by David French

Hundreds of people in Dubai were evacuated from one of the world’s tallest residential buildings on Saturday when fire swept through The Torch, a 79-story skyscraper, residents said.

Dubai’s police chief, General Khamis Mattar, said the fire appeared to be the result of an accident and did not suspect it was caused by any deliberate criminal act, in comments carried by state news agency WAM.

He added that an investigation had started to determine the cause of the blaze, WAM reported.   Continue reading “Hundreds evacuated after fire at Dubai skyscraper”