From the Trenches World Report

Nutritional Anarchy – by Melissa Melton

I’m always making a joke that our overblown government couldn’t even get together and make a noodle salad without finding some magical way to screw it up.

Apparently, and sadly so, that snarky bit of sarcasm isn’t all that far off the mark.

Food served at a Food Safety Summit held earlier this month between several of our federal agencies including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Big Food industry giants the likes of Tyson, ConAgra and McDonald’s, actually gave some of the people who attended food poisoning.   Continue reading “The Most Irony Ever: Food Poisoning Strikes Diners at Gov’t Food Safety Summit”

Tech Dirt – by Timothy Geigner

When we talk about the stupidity that are school-affiliated zero-tolerance policies, those stories usually revolve around an administration’s inability to marry common sense with their reactions to non-issues. This can produce somewhat varied results, from really dumb stories about children being children and ending up in serious trouble, to a far more angering practice of victim-blaming. What it all boils down to, though, is an overreaction to certain tragic situations that results in bureaucratic lunacy on a level I never would have thought possible. School shootings and violence are the impetus in these cases, but we see this elsewhere as well. 9/11 resulted in the s#!*-show we know as airport security and NSA surveillance. The Boston Marathon bombing has resulted in the kind of militarized protection and media-blitzkrieg that would likely have other world nations that deal with far more terrorism shaking their heads. And, in each of these cases, we learn a simple truth that we should have seen coming all along: reactionary policies breed stupidity, corruption, and trouble.    Continue reading “The Logical Conclusion Of Zero Tolerance: College Prof Suspended Because Daughter Wore A GoT Tshirt”

Philly.com – by Matthew Brown

Sovereign Man – by Simon Black

In the Land of the Free, people grow up hearing a lot of things about their freedom.

You’re told that you live in the freest country on the planet. You’re told that other nations ‘hate you’ for your freedom.

And you’re told that you have the most open and fair justice system in the world.   Continue reading “New court decision destroys the last element of the justice system”

The Economic Collapse – by Michael Snyder

Did you know that Family Dollar is closing 370 stores? When I learned of this, I was quite stunned. I knew that retailers that serve the middle class were really struggling right now, but I had no idea that things had gotten so bad for low end stores like Family Dollar. In the post-2008 era, dollar stores had generally been one of the few bright spots in the retail industry. As millions of Americans fell out of the middle class, they were looking to stretch their family budgets as far as possible, and dollar stores helped them do that. It would be great if we could say that the reason why Family Dollar is doing so poorly is because average Americans have more money now and have resumed shopping at retailers that target the middle class, but that is not happening. Rather, as you will see later in this article, things just continue to get even worse for Americans at the low end of the income scale.   Continue reading “Two More Victims Of The Retail Apocalypse: Family Dollar And Coldwater Creek”

Police State USA

LOUISVILLE, KY — When an esteemed police detective discovered that an innocent woman had spent years in prison for a murder she didn’t commit, he notified his supervisors and tried to make the tragic error known.  Instead of seeing that the new evidence came to light, police brass demoted the whistleblower and kicked out of his unit.  Another veteran officer stood up for the whistleblower, earning him termination from the department after decades of service.  The Louisville Metropolitan Police Department has taken nefarious steps to hide a dark secret.   Continue reading “Louisville officers fired/demoted for exposing a wrongful conviction”

Cop Block

Date of Interaction: 4/15/14
Police Employees Involved: Unnamed Morgan County Deputy
Police Employee Contact Information: 256-351-4800

Earlier this week, an off duty Morgan County Deputy shot an unarmed fleeing suspect at a WalMart in Huntsville, Alabama. The suspect was allegedly wanted on a warrant for a probation violation. Upon seeing the suspect run, the deputy squared up and fired a shot, striking the suspect in the leg. This was confirmed by witnesses. The off duty deputy, whose name is not being released, claims his firearm accidentally discharged during the pursuit. Will this officer be held accountable for going against policy and firing on a fleeing unarmed suspect and putting citizens in way more danger than the suspect? Why are all LEO’s so anxious to fire their weapon and strike another? The following is the news report from WHNT.com.   Continue reading “Off Duty Cop Shoots Fleeing Unarmed Suspect”

The Daily Beast – by Eli Lake

The Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. military and American intelligence agencies have quietly pushed the White House in recent weeks to deny a new Russian surveillance plane the right to fly over U.S. territory. This week, the White House finally began consideration of the decision whether to certify the new Russian aircraft under the so-called “Open Skies Treaty.” And now the question becomes: Will the spies and generals get their way?   Continue reading “Pentagon Moves to Block Russian Spy Plane in American Skies”

Huffington Post- by Nick Wing

A version of this story first appeared in January.

For the first 4/20 ever, people will gather in Colorado this weekend to show support for fully legal marijuana. Just months after the state opened its doors to recreational pot, crowds will head to events on Sunday like the sold-out Cannabis Cup, all to celebrate a plant that brought Colorado $14 million in taxed sales in January alone. Colorado’s example has served as a promising sign that legal marijuana can be a strong source of income for other states interested in scaling back harsh anti-pot laws and listening to voters, who have increasingly shown support for legalizing marijuana.   Continue reading “These States Are Most Likely To Legalize Weed Next. Will You Have A Happier 4/20 In 2015?”

Examiner – by Samantha Chang

For years, cancer was considered a genetic disorder, but emerging evidence suggests that cancer is a metabolic disease that can be prevented and managed with the low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet.

According to cancer researcher Dr. Dominic D’Agostino, the ketogenic diet, in conjunction with ketone supplementation, can significantly reduce the spread of cancer, and may prevent the onset of cancer by improving metabolic health.   Continue reading “Low-carb ketogenic diet prevents & treats cancer: Cancer is a metabolic disease”

Huffington Post – by Amanda Terkel

WASHINGTON — The negative attention on drone strikes appears to be taking a toll on the people who control these unmanned aircraft, with a new government report finding that Air Force drone pilots are suffering from low morale.

The Government Accountability Office report, released this week, looked at 10 focus groups of active-duty Air Force drone pilots, known as remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) operators. Investigators found that these individuals feel stressed and overworked as they face uncertainty in their careers, long hours, negative public perception and a prohibition on talking about what they do, which is often classified.   Continue reading “Drone Pilots Are Suffering From Low Morale: GAO Report”

The Huffington Post – by Joseph Erbentraut

Though more than a month has passed since ice coverage on the Great Lakes reached a near-record high, the amount of ice that still remains could have a big impact on the environment in the months — and years — ahead.   Continue reading “The Great Lakes Are Still Almost Half Frozen”