MassPrivateI

Taser International, Inc. announced it had given up its fight in two major legal battles over “suspect injury or death.” In a 275-word statement submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the company’s chief financial officer said it would pay a total of $2.3 million in settlements to plaintiffs who had sued the company in product liability cases.

This was rare. Taser prides itself in fighting to the bitter end in any case alleging that its products do anything but save lives. Yet there it was in a financial disclosure — Taser backing down.   Continue reading “Taser is paying out millions in secret death settlements”

New York Daily News – by Joe Kemp

Harvard University issued an evacuation notice after possible explosives were found on campus Monday.

Authorities with Cambridge Police Department and school officers descended on four sites at the Ivy League school that included it’s science center and freshman dorms.

“Alert: Unconfirmed reports of explosives at four sites on campus,” the school said in a Twitter message.   Continue reading “Evacuations underway at Harvard University after reports of explosives on campus”

World Events and the Bible

(Lew Rockwell) – Readers of this page are well aware of the revelations during the past six months of spying by the National Security Agency (NSA). Edward Snowden, a former employee of an NSA vendor, risked his life and liberty to inform us of a governmental conspiracy to violate our right to privacy, a right guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment.

The conspiracy he revealed is vast. It involves former President George W. Bush, President Obama and their aides, a dozen or so members of Congress, federal judges, executives and technicians at American computer ISPs and telecoms, and the thousands of NSA employees and vendors who have manipulated their fellow conspirators. The conspirators all agreed that it would be a crime for any of them to reveal the conspiracy. Snowden violated that agreement in order to uphold his higher oath to defend the Constitution.   Continue reading “A Conspiracy So Vast”

ABC News – by JOHN HEILPRIN Associated Press

The United Nations said Monday it needs almost $13 billion to meet some of the world’s biggest humanitarian needs in 2014, and almost half of that amount would go to Syria and its surrounding region.

The request is meant to reach 52 million people in 17 countries, and is the largest amount that the U.N. and its partner agencies have ever asked at the start of the year to meet global humanitarian needs, officials said.   Continue reading “UN: $12.9 Billion Aid Needs in 2014, Half to Syria”

ABC News

A clash between knife-wielding assailants and police officers in China’s restive Xinjiang region left 16 people dead, including two police, state media said Monday.

The region’s official news portal, Tianshan Net, said “several thugs” threw explosives Sunday night at the officers, who were pursuing unidentified suspects, and attacked them with knives.   Continue reading “16 Die in Clash in Restive Western China”

New York Times – by ERICA GOODE

GREELEY, Colo. — When Sheriff John Cooke of Weld County explains in speeches why he is not enforcing the state’s new gun laws, he holds up two 30-round magazines. One, he says, he had before July 1, when the law banning the possession, sale or transfer of the large-capacity magazines went into effect. The other, he “maybe” obtained afterward.

He shuffles the magazines, which look identical, and then challenges the audience to tell the difference.   Continue reading “Sheriffs Refuse to Enforce Laws on Gun Control”

The Morning Call – by Manuel Gamiz Jr.

When a state trooper pulled the couple over along Interstate 78 last month, he said he stopped them because they were going 5 miles over the speed limit and hugging the side of the lane.

The trooper said he smelled marijuana. The driver of the new Mercedes-Benz, 26-year-old Annadel Cruz, told him she had smoked the drug before she left New York City, but had not done so in the car.   Continue reading “Drug suspects had soap, not cocaine bricks. Pair spent month in prison before lab results came back.”

WND

It’s not just a game anymore; it’s deadly.

The violent and racially charged “Knockout Game” – where participants, often black youths, attack an unsuspecting victim unprovoked, attempting to “knock out” the target – has gained increased national attention. But there is one shocking aspect of the brutal trend that is rarely mentioned: Nationwide, there have been at least six deaths attributed to the Knockout Game.   Continue reading “Deadly Truth Behind ‘Knockout Game’”

2220683741_5e6317a4be_bThe Missouri Torch – by Duane Lester

A pre-filed bill in the Missouri Senate would require parents of a public school student to report to the school if they own a gun.

Senator Maria Chappelle-Nadal filed SB 549, which reads:   Continue reading “Missouri Bill Mandates Parents Report Gun Ownership to School Their Child Attends”

AlterNet – by Emily DePrang, Texas Observer

On October 24, the Houston Police Department announced the results of its yearlong investigation into the shooting death of Brian Claunch, a mentally ill double amputee killed by an officer last September after refusing to drop a pen. HPD cleared the officer, Matthew Marin, of any wrongdoing.

That may not come as a surprise, since HPD hasn’t found a single police shooting unjustified in at least six years. Between 2007 and 2012, HPD officers fatally shot 109 people and injured another 111. All those shootings were found justified. (For the full story on HPD shootings and beatings, read the Observer investigation here.)   Continue reading “How a Texas Cop Who Killed a Double Amputee Holding a Ballpoint Pen Got Away With It”

The Telegraph – by JOE KOVAC JR.

After his midnight shift began on a Wednesday evening late last January, Macon police officer Troy Guidry sent a text message to a buddy on the force.

“Ready to go shopping tonight,” Guidry’s text to officer Jon Wantz said.

For weeks, Guidry had had his eyes peeled for a tractor. He’d been wanting to spruce up the tree line around his 2½ acre yard in eastern Monroe County.   Continue reading “Badges of dishonor: How two Macon cops became crooks”

America’s Watchtower

Edward Snowden, through the leakage of several top secret NSA documents, has reveals the depths of the NSA spying program. Because of this he was forced to flee the United States and now lives in asylum in Russia.

While the ramifications of the Snowden leaks have been far reaching it has been reported that only 1% of the documents in Edward Snowden’s possession have been made public. This means that there is an astronomical amount of potentially damaging material which has not yet come to light, and the NSA will do just about anything to ensure it never does–up to an including granting Edward Snowden amnesty in return for the unreleased documents.   Continue reading “The NSA is considering granting Edward Snowden amnesty in return for the stolen documents”

The Tap

Several companies have stopped using BPA in plastic production due to consumer outrage, but just because a plastic container says it is “BPA Free” doesn’t mean it’s free of potentially harmful chemicals. As a matter of fact, recent research out of Germany indicates there are more than 24,000 of such chemicals in any given bottle of water—with some of them causing serious hormone-disrupting effects.

According to the story from Goethe University Frankfort, the researchers tested 18 different bottled water products in an effort to look for endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs. They found far more than expected, identifying 24,520 different chemicals in their testing. After isolating the chemicals and determining their impact on the body, the researchers narrowed down those with anti-estrogenic properties to one: DEHF or di(2-ethylhexyl) fumarate. This finding was of major concern.   Continue reading “Bottled water wreaking havoc with our bodies”