Mercury News

TWO US officials have announced plans to introduce legislation requiring smart phones to have a “kill switch” that would render stolen or lost devices inoperable.

California State Senator Mark Leno and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon announced on Thursday that the bill they believe will be the first of its kind in the United States will be formally introduced in January.   Continue reading “US bill requires smart phone ‘kill switch’”

On foot: After the crash, the DUI suspect tries to drive his totaled car but crashes it into a telephone pole while backing up and it won't move. He is then seen getting out of the carDaily Mail – by ASHLEY COLLMAN and RYAN GORMAN

The father of the man shot dead on live television by Los Angeles police officers has broken his silence over the traumatic ordeal.

Bill Beaird, 80, watched as three LAPD officers shot son Brian Beaird 22 times after he led them on an hour-long car chase through the city before crashing his silver Corvette and spinning out of control.   Continue reading “Devastated father tells how he watched on live television as LAPD cops shot dead his unarmed son after chase through city”

New skill: Belka took to howling with enthusiasm, much to her owner's amusementDaily Mail

Human babies learn to talk by listening to their parents, and it seems that dogs are no different.

In an adorable video posted to YouTube, Belka, a three-week-old Alaskan malamute-Siberian husky gets the hang of howling with some help from her human boy owner.   Continue reading “Call of the wild: Adorable video of boy teaching his three-week-old husky to howl”

cloud securityPC World – by Antone Gonsalves

The Target security breach that left millions of debit and credit card holders at risk of becoming victims of fraud left experts pondering the question of how such a massive theft might have occurred.

Theories varied, but the scant details released by the retailer Thursday left some experts believing the criminals had to have some inside knowledge of the company’s point-of-sale system in order to compromise it so effectively.   Continue reading “Target breach likely involved inside knowledge, experts say”

As different pyramids were built, the Egyptians learnt from the construction mistakes made on previous versions to build stronger versions later on. The true pyramids, so called because they were exact pyramid shapes, would have been the culmination of trial and error, according to engineer Peter JamesDaily Mail –  by VICTORIA WOOLLASTON

For centuries it’s been thought that the ancient Egyptians built their huge pyramids by hauling heavy granite blocks up specially crafted ramps.

Yet Newport engineer Peter James has branded this ‘impossible’, claiming the ramps would need to have been a quarter of a mile long or else they would have been too steep to carry the large blocks up.   Continue reading “Were the pyramids built INSIDE OUT?”

Charles DickensVeterans Today – by Jonas E. Alexis

Christmas has always been considered part of the American spirit and tradition, essentially associated with the celebration of the birth of Christ, and Christmas trees around public buildings were considered part of that tradition.[1]

In fact, Christmas, as scholar Karal Ann Marling puts it, is “America’s greatest holiday.”[2] This is also the case in many European countries and indeed much of the Western world.[3]  Books such as A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens were firmly planted in that tradition.   Continue reading “Jewish Subversion of Christmas and the Political Order”

ndaa flagThe Daily Sheeple

While everyone is distracted with the holiday festivities, Congress has been hard at work, screwing us over in the name of national security.

Yesterday the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act was fast-tracked through the Senate, with no time for discussion or amendments.  And you know, its Christmastime, so they just passed it so that they could recess for the holidays. The new version of the NDAA has already been quietly passed by the House of Representatives.   Continue reading “Bigger, Badder NDAA 2014 Quietly Passed the House and Senate – and It Is On the Way to Obama’s Desk”

Cartoon animals warrantlessly search a family's belongings. (Source: YouTube)Police State USA

In an effort to condition children to accept the police state, the TSA has released a cartoon depicting an animated family enduring a warrantless federal checkpoint at an airport.

The video casts the the travelers and government agents as cute doggie characters that show how fun it can be to go through a checkpoint.   Continue reading “TSA releases cartoon animation to introduce kids to warrantless checkpoints”

utahinternal.jpgFox News

A federal judge struck down Utah’s same-sex marriage ban Friday in a decision that brings an increasing nationwide shift toward allowing gay marriage to a conservative state where the Mormon church has long been against it.

U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby issued a 53-page ruling saying Utah’s law passed by voters in 2004 violates gay and lesbian couples’ rights to due process and equal protection under the 14th Amendment.   Continue reading “Judge strikes down Utah’s same-sex marriage ban as unconstitutional”

In this photo taken Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013 and released by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), civilians fleeing violence seek refuge at the UNMISS compound in Bor, capital of Jonglei state, in South Sudan. (AP Photo/UNMISS, Hailemichael Gebrekrstos)The Daily Star – by Jason Straziuso

KAMPALA, Uganda: Rebel fire hit two U.S. military aircraft responding to the outbreak in violence in South Sudan on Saturday, wounding three U.S. service members and heavily damaging at least one of the aircraft, officials said. South Sudan blamed the attack on renegade troops in control of the breakaway region.

The U.S. military aircraft were heading to Bor, the capital of the state of Jonglei and scene of some of the nation’s worst violence over the last week. One American service member was reported to be in critical condition. Officials said after the aircraft took incoming fire, they turned around and headed to Kampala, Uganda. From there the service members were flown on to Nairobi, Kenya for medical treatment, the officials said.   Continue reading “U.S. military aircraft hit in South Sudan”

Alejandro MayorkasLA Times – by Brian Bennett and Lisa Mascaro

WASHINGTON — In its last workday of the year, the Democratic-controlled Senate overcame GOP objections Friday to confirm two high-profile Obama nominees to the Department of Homeland Security and the Internal Revenue Service, but put off final approval of Federal Reserve chairwoman candidate Janet L. Yellen until January as part of a late-night cease-fire so lawmakers could adjourn for the holiday recess.

After heated debate, the Senate narrowly approved Alejandro Mayorkas, President Obama’s controversial pick for the No. 2 job at Homeland Security, in a 54-41 vote. No Republicans voted yes. Mayorkas will report to the new Homeland Security secretary, Jeh Johnson, who was confirmed Tuesday.   Continue reading “Senate confirms new Homeland Security deputy and IRS chief”