Mother Jones – by Caroline Winter, July/August, 2009

Tens of thousands of US inmates are paid from pennies to minimum wage—minus fines and victim compensation—for everything from grunt work to firefighting to specialized labor. Here’s a sampling of what they make, and for whom.

Eating in: Each month, California inmates process more than 680,000 pounds of beef, 400,000 pounds of chicken products, 450,000 gallons of milk, 280,000 loaves of bread, and 2.9 million eggs (from 160,000 inmate-raised hens). Starbucks subcontractor Signature Packaging Solutions has hired Washington prisoners to package holiday coffees (as well as Nintendo Game Boys). Confronted by a reporter in 2001, a Starbucks rep called the setup “entirely consistent with our mission statement.”

Continue reading “What Do Prisoners Make for Victoria’s Secret?”

The Anti-Media – by Clarice Palmer

An amendment added to Congress’ annual intelligence spending bill may help the public gain a better idea of the U.S. government’s relationship with Hollywood.

According to VICE News, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC), included an amendment to S. 3017 that would require the Director of National Intelligence to submit reports detailing the relationship between the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agencies and Hollywood. It would also require 15 other agencies to disclose the nature of their relationships with the film industry. These reports would have to be presented annually to congressional oversight committees.   Continue reading “CIA Ties to Hollywood on Verge of Being Exposed”

Breitbart – by Virginia Hale

Soon after Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU), its foreign affairs chief, Elmar Brok, urged the economic and political bloc to go ahead with plans to create an army.

The German politician told Die Welt that EU countries need to cooperate more closely on issues of defence, and suggested the EU needs a military headquarters. He said:

“We need a common (military) headquarters and a coalition (of EU countries) acting in accordance with the permanent structural cooperation of the EU Treaty. From such a group an EU army could eventually arise.”   Continue reading “EU Foreign Affairs Chief: Europe Needs an EU Army”

The Nation

PARIS – German engineers have created a camera no bigger than a grain of salt that could change the future of health imaging — and clandestine surveillance.

Using 3-D printing, researchers from the University of Stuttgart built a three-lens camera, and fit it onto the end of an optical fibre the width of two hairs.

Such technology could be used as minimally-intrusive endoscopes for exploring inside the human body, the engineers reported in the journal Nature Photonics.   Continue reading “Micro-camera can be injected with a syringe”

AmmoLand – by Justin Stakes

Sacramento, CA -(AmmoLand.com)- Earlier last week, the Senate fast-tracked 5 anti-gun bills out of its fiscal committee despite the fact that these bills have a HUGE cost to the state and gun owners.

Now that these bills have passed through so quickly, they are eligible to be voted on anytime the Senate meets.   Continue reading “California: Watch and Fight Gunpocalypse”

The Hill – by Lydia Wheeler

The Supreme Court handed a victory to former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) on Monday, unanimously tossing out his conviction on corruption charges and his two-year prison sentence.

The court said the parties have not had an opportunity to argue whether the charges should be dismissed due to insufficient evidence, so the justices are leaving it up to a lower court to hold a retrial.     Continue reading “High court overturns bribery conviction of former VA governor McDonnell”

RT

The US Supreme Court has struck down abortion restrictions in Texas, ruled that domestic violence misdemeanor convictions are valid grounds to lose gun ownership rights, and raised the bar for prosecuting public officials on corruption charges.

In the Texas abortion law case, known as Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, the Court threw out a previous ruling by an appellate court in a 5-3 decision. Justices Breyer, Kennedy, Ginsburg, Sotomayor and Kagan were in the majority, while Thomas, Alito and Roberts dissented.   Continue reading “Supreme Court makes major rulings on abortion, gun rights, corruption”

People – by Stephanie Petit

An Oregon mother shot and killed an intruder after coming home to discover him in the bedroom of one of her children early Sunday morning.

According to a statement by Portland police, officers responded to a call from the woman reporting that she opened fire on a stranger inside her home at 1:47 a.m. Police found a dead man inside, the statement said.    Continue reading “Oregon Mother Shoots and Kills Intruder She Discovered in Child’s Bedroom”

CNBC

The Supreme Court weighed in on several closely watched rulings Monday, issuing decisions on a variety of cases including a class-action lawsuit against a debt collector, and a challenge to White House regulations extending minimum wage rights to nearly 2 million home health care workers.

Debt Collection

(Reuters) The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed a class-action lawsuit against debt collector Encore Capital Group Inc to move forward, declining to hear its claim that such companies should be protected from state “usury” laws barring money-lending at unreasonably high interest rates.   Continue reading “Supreme court rules on debt collection case, medical marijuana, and more”

RT

A North Carolina waterpark has closed after a teen girl was killed by a brain-eating amoeba. The 18-year-old got the death disease while taking part in a whitewater rafting.

Authorities said Lauren Seitz was exposed to the amoeba at the US National Whitewater Center (USNWC) when she was riding a raft that overturned.

“Initial test results found naegleria fowleri DNA was present in the whitewater system,” the USNWC said in a statement.   Continue reading “Brain-eating amoeba causes closure of N. Carolina waterpark, after 18-yo girl dies”

RT

A woman has been charged after her six-year-old son accidentally shot and fatally injured his younger brother, aged four, in their home in New Jersey.

The boy was playing with his mother’s loaded gun when he accidentally shot the younger child in the head.

The shooting occurred Saturday around 11:15am at a Norman Street residence in East Orange, according to CBS New York.   Continue reading “Mother charged after 6yo boy fatally shoots younger brother in New Jersey”

Mail.com

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi forces say they have completely liberated the city of Fallujah from the Islamic State group after a monthlong operation, marking one of their biggest victories since the extremists swept across large parts of the country in 2014.

But the IS group still controls parts of northern and western Iraq, including the country’s second largest city, Mosul. And the militants have shown they can still launch large-scale suicide bombings and other attacks. Here’s a look at what lies ahead for Iraq and the U.S.-led military coalition battling the extremists.   Continue reading “A look at Iraq’s war against IS after Fallujah”

Mail.com

LONDON (AP) — European stocks and the pound fell further on Monday as concern grew over the potential economic costs of Britain’s vote to bring its country, the world’s fifth-largest economy, out of the European Union.

The British pound, which last week plunged to its lowest level since 1985, dropped another 2.4 percent to $1.3352, despite the British Treasury’s reassurances that the economy was strong enough to withstand the uncertainty.   Continue reading “Stocks, pound fall again due to UK vote uncertainty”

Mail.com

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The recent deaths of two women during a rafting excursion illustrate not only how unpredictably dangerous Alaska’s wilderness can be, but also how limited resources are in the nation’s largest state.

The women’s families are questioning why it took so long for help to arrive, but one official notes the nearest rescuers had to travel hundreds of miles and deal with all the logistics that go with it. In Alaska, the harsh reality is that people are literally on their own when they veer away from the limited road system of the state, which is more than two-and-a-half times the size of Texas but with a population equal to the metro area of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.   Continue reading “Alaska rafting deaths highlight response challenges”

OPB – by Rob Manning

Harney County Judge Steve Grasty is fighting a recall effort against him. Grasty was among the fiercest opponents of the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County.

His critics collected more than the 444 signatures to put a recall on the county ballot.

Petitioners argued Grasty and other officials in Harney County were hindering the rights of citizens.   Continue reading “Voters To Decide Recall Against Harney County Judge Grasty In June”

Reuters

TransCanada Corp is formally requesting arbitration over U.S. President Barack Obama’s rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline, seeking $15 billion in damages, the company said in legal papers dated Friday.

TransCanada submitted a notice for an arbitration claim in January and had then tried to negotiate with the U.S. government to “reach an amicable settlement,” the company said in files posted on the pipeline’s website.   Continue reading “TransCanada formally seeks $15 billion NAFTA damages in Keystone XL rejection”

Oregon Live – by Maxine Bernstein

The federal investigation into an FBI agent’s apparent firing of gunshots at Robert “LaVoy” Finicum and the alleged FBI tampering with evidence at the scene has gone to a grand jury.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Gorder Jr.revealed the grand jury hearing in court papers Thursday explaining the government’s desire to keep its memorandum about the inspector general’s investigation into the FBI’s handling of the Jan. 26 shooting out of the hands of defense lawyers.   Continue reading “Oregon standoff: Case of possible misconduct by FBI in LaVoy Finicum shooting now before grand jury”

Sent to us by a reader.

“Do not allow to slip away from you freedoms the people who came before you won with such hard knocks.”

“The only justice is to follow the sincere intuition of the soul, angry or gentle.”

“It’s bad taste to be wise all the time, like being at a perpetual funeral.”

“One must learn to love, and go through a good deal of suffering to get to it… and the journey is always towards the other soul.”