The New York City Board of Health is set to vote today on new rules pushed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg that would force children as young as 6 months old to be immunized annually against influenza if they attend a licensed day care or preschool program.
Citing bogus statistics, the Board — packed with mayoral appointees — produced a notice claiming influenza results in 20,000 hospitalizations and 30 to 150 deaths in children under 5 nationwide each year. There is little or no option to opt out. The vaccination would be required “unless the vaccine may be detrimental to the child’s health, as certified by a physician licensed to practice medicine in this state, or the parent, parents, or guardian of a child hold genuine and sincere religious beliefs which are contrary to the practices herein required.” But history shows jumping through the hoops necessary for exemptions are always daunting. Continue reading “Nanny Mayor’s Parting Shot: Forced Medication Of Children”
Rep. Lou Barletta (R., Pa.) introduced a bill Tuesday that will exempt volunteer fire departments from having to pay for their members’ insurance benefits.
The current IRS policy defines volunteer firefighters as employees for federal tax purposes. If voted into law, the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act will redefine volunteers as non-employees, which will relieve fire departments from the burden of paying for volunteers’ health insurance. Continue reading “Protecting Volunteer Firefighters from Obamacare”
The newly-released budget deal between Democratic Sen. Patty Murray and Republican Rep. Paul Ryan will hike the aviation security fee paid by air travelers by 124 percent, if passed.
PONTIAC, Ill. (AP) — A man who for decades insisted that Chicago police tortured him until he confessed to a rape he did not commit walked out of an Illinois prison on Wednesday after spending 30 years behind bars.
“It’s just an overwhelming feeling of joy, happiness that finally it’s over with,” 59-year-old Stanley Wrice said, moments after he walked into the arms of his two daughters, attorneys and others who greeted him as he left Pontiac Correctional Center. Continue reading “Man alleging police torture released from prison”
It appears that even employees of media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s own publications don’t too much care for the cantankerous octogenarian — and they’re not half bad at puzzles, either.
The Daily Register just reported that DoD expanded the list of those exposed to Agent Orange and dioxin during the Vietnam War to include Thailand. After more than 50 years of denials, DoD has finally admitted its wrongs, at least in Thailand.
NASA scientists have been secretly at work for a year on a walking, humanoid-like robot meant to evoke awe in anyone who comes across it — and it looks like they’ve accomplished their mission.
Researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas have released video footage of what they’re entering in a Pentagon-sponsored robotics contest later this month, and the evidence is enough to give just about anyone some spooky, sci-fi nightmares. Continue reading “NASA unveils 6-foot-tall humanoid robot”
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to a conventional strike and sees them as a “great equalizer” reducing the likelihood of aggression, a senior Russian official said Wednesday.
While Russia amended its military doctrine years ago to allow for the possibility of using nuclear weapons first in retaliation to a non-nuclear attack, the statement by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin reflected Moscow’s concern about prospective U.S. conventional weapons. Continue reading “Russia may answer conventional attack with nukes”
Jay Rockefeller (D WVA) has attached a cyber-security amendment (attached below) to the NDAA 2014 bill in Congress to mandate that precautions be taken to protect America’s cyber infrastructure and private entities. Those of us who represent private entities, will soon find our free access to the internet eliminated.
A MAN who provided sign language interpretation for Barack Obama and other dignitaries at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service was “a fake”, according to multiple sign language experts.