From the Trenches World Report

A&E and the Robertsons make bank with marketing gimmick.

USA Today – by Gary Levin

A&E has ducked away from a controversy surrounding the stars of its hugely popular reality series Duck Dynasty.

The network issued a statement late Friday backing off from its previously announced suspension of Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the clan behind the successful Louisiana-based Duck Commanderduck-calling business. The suspension was triggered by Robertson’s interview with GQ, published last week, in which he made anti-gay statements, which he said reflected his religious beliefs.   Continue reading “A&E calls off ‘Duck Dynasty’ suspension”

RT News

The Los Angeles Police Department has announced plans to ramp up use of a portable tool that checks for drug use, beginning with a New Year’s Eve crackdown on intoxicated drivers. Officials cited increased medical marijuana use as a main justification.

A state grant supplied the LAPD with a swab testing tool that will be employed at DUI (driving under the influence) checkpoints and jails, Los Angeles officials said at a Friday press conference.   Continue reading “LAPD deploys drug detection swab test at sobriety checkpoints”

LA Times – by THOMAS CURWEN

Frost glistens on the meadow grass. The sun has yet to crest Church Creek Divide, and on his last day in the cabin, Jack English isn’t about to break from routine. He swings his legs out of the bunk.

“Good morning,” he says quietly to Mary. Her ashes are in a small box on the narrow shelf at the head of the bed.

She’s been gone 12 years. He takes her wherever he goes, but in this far-away valley they shared and in this home they built, he feels closest to her.   Continue reading “At 94, he must let go of his piece of paradise”

The Guardian – by Cara Tabachnick 

Kyam Livingston begged for help. After seven hours of lying on the floor of a jail cell, the 38-year-old mother of two died, her calls unheeded by the correction officers providing security for the approximately 15 female inmates at Brooklyn “central booking” jail this past summer, according to witnesses and court documents.

Witnesses told the family that she had died in the cell among fetid conditions before she was taken to Brooklyn Hospital Health Center on 21 July 2013 where Livingston was pronounced dead at 6:58am, according to police reports. A witness, registered nurse Aleah Holland, told The Daily News, that police at Central Booking ignored her complaints of stomach pains and diarrhea. She said that when she and other inmates banged on the bars calling for help, officers told them Livingston was an alcoholic.   Continue reading “There’s an Alarming Number of Deaths in US Jails”

Natural Society- by Christina Sarich

Numerous journals have reported that conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) have ‘anti-proliferative qualities’ for cancer cells. CLAs are dietary fatty acids, an Omega 6, that have both anti-mutagenic and anticarcinogenic qualities. For men with prostate cancer (currently the second most prevalent type of cancer in Western countries) this is great news. While scientists can’t figure out exactly why CLAs help to dissolve cancerous cells and keep them from multiplying, the news is still helpful and positive.   Continue reading “Oxford Scientists: Conjugated Linoleic Acids Kill Cancer Cells”

Computer World – by Lucas Mearian

Computerworld – Approximately 18 people die every day waiting for an organ transplant. But that may change someday sooner than you think — thanks to 3D printing.

Advances in the 3D printing of human tissue have moved fast enough that San Diego-based bio-printing company Organovo now expects to unveil the world’s first printed organ — a human liver — next year.   Continue reading “The first 3D printed organ — a liver — is expected in 2014”

Business Insider – by PAMELA ENGEL

The State’s Attorney of Danbury, Conn. has released its full report on the Dec. 14, 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting.

Authorities released a summary of their report last month that said investigators weren’t able to determine a motive for Adam Lanza’s massacre. He killed 20 school children, six adults, and his own mother before shooting himself in the Newtown, Conn. school.  Continue reading “Full Police Investigation Into Sandy Hook Shooting Released”

capitalistic

My wife asked me why we’re going the extra mile for Christmas, 2013. The simple answer is that we don’t know how many more we’ll have… If we’ll have any more at all. I’ve written elsewhere on the impending economic implosion, and there are many others who’ve done so as well. So it’s no secret, unless you are (like my aged parents) inclined to get your “news” from such sources and MS-NBC, CNN, et al. In other words, you already understand what’s happening, or you’ll never understand. It’s as simple as that, really.   Continue reading “A Stupid Idea…”

Patriot Post – by Mark Alexander

“May the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our paths, and make us in all our several vocations useful here, and in His own due time and way everlastingly happy.” –George Washington (1790)

Standing guard in defense of Liberty is a constant vigil. And it can be as exhausting as it is exhilarating. But like you, your Patriot team never wavers in its steadfast commitment to that defense.   Continue reading “The Father of All Mercies – A Patriot Christmas”

Activist Post

As this year comes to a close it is once again time to reflect, learn from events, and plan for a new year with some predictions.

Without question, 2013 was not the best year for freedom, economic prosperity or peace. The police state has gotten more militarized, intrusive and violent. More laws against protesting and press freedoms infested the Western world. More money was funneled from the poor to the rich. And more war was waged with a careless joystick trigger finger.   Continue reading “10 Predictions For 2014”

Last Resistance – by Philip Hodges

South Carolina’s got an Obamacare nullification bill that’s about to be voted on in the State Senate next month. It passed the State House easily, and it’s expected to be signed by the state’s Governor Nikki Haley, assuming it passes the State Senate.

According to CNS News, the legislation would “prohibit all state agencies, public officials and state employees from implementing the federal health care law.” Further, according to CNS News:   Continue reading “South Carolina Poised to Nullify Obamacare”

Epoch Times – by Joshua Philipp

China may soon be open to U.S. beef imports, officials announced after a Dec. 20 meeting of the U.S.–China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade.

The deal has been years in the making, and experts said it was part of a tradeoff to open the United States to Chinese chicken imports.   Continue reading “China May Approve US Beef, Following Chicken Deal”

RT News

During a simple discussion of the National Security Agency’s surveillance practices, a US radio program experienced a unique “technological meltdown” on Thursday, prompting many to question whether the NSA was censoring the show.

During an interview with Larry Klayman, the lawyer who recently won a preliminary injunction against the NSA’s bulk collection of phone records, Aaron Klein’s WABC radio program began experiencing what was termed a “tech meltdown” on the air.   Continue reading “Radio station experiences major software meltdown during anti-NSA broadcast”

RT News

While American drones patrol the skies in war-torn countries like Afghanistan, the United States is also looking to establish a similar presence in the world’s oceans – by using underwater drones.

The new ocean-faring drones, called “Slocum Gliders,” won’t need fuel to function like their aerial counterparts do. Instead, they’ll power themselves with the ocean current itself, stealthily scanning the surrounding area and feeding information back to other military vessels.   Continue reading “Navy’s ocean-powered drones to wage underwater war”

RT News

An Arabic language student was told he cannot sue two FBI agents and three TSA agents for a 2009 incident in which he was held at Philadelphia International Airport for carrying flashcards and a book which were critical of US policy in the Middle East.

Nicholas George was traveling from his home in suburban Philadelphia back to school at Pomona College in California in August 2009 when agents found flashcards containing translations for “bomb” and “terrorist” in his possession. He was then apprehended.   Continue reading “Arabic language student detained for carrying flashcards can’t sue TSA, court rules”

RT News

In defending the NSA’s surveillance policies, many have cited the agency’s claim that it merely collects phone numbers dialed, lengths of calls, and other metadata. Yet researchers now say the NSA can identify individuals in that vast collection of data.

Scholars at Stanford University in California set out to determine how, if at all, the NSA’s metadata collection impacts the individual Americans whose information is swept up. The indiscriminate collection of phone records is one of the NSA’s primary surveillance programs, and one of the first revealed by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. US President Obama sat down with Charlie Rose of PBS in June to defend the government’s position.   Continue reading “NSA can easily find individuals hidden in metadata – study”

Mail.com

TOKYO (AP) — Threatening lawsuits and protests, opponents are gearing up to fight a decision by Okinawa’s governor that could pave the way for a new U.S. military base on the southern Japanese island.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel welcomed Friday’s decision, calling it “the most significant milestone” so far in a long-running battle to realign U.S. forces in Okinawa. The new base is designed to reduce the impact of the heavy U.S. military presence in Okinawa by replacing another base in a more congested area, but opponents want the operations moved off Okinawa completely.   Continue reading “Opponents to fight new US military base on Okinawa”