From the Trenches World Report

LA 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.

The Hill – by Ramsey Cox

The Senate adjourned Friday afternoon, after a week full of passing a bipartisan budget deal, the Defense spending bill and confirming several of President Obama’s nominees.

On Thursday night, it was unclear if the Senate would have to continue to work on nominations through the weekend, but as it is often threatened and rarely occurs, it was not surprising that Senate leaders reached an agreement to avoid a prolonged schedule.   Continue reading “Senate adjourns after passing resolution condemning Iran”

Politics is big business, with millions spent each year trying to sway the electoral process. Which industries, businesses and outside interests have donated the most to which candidates?

How Much Money Are We Talking About?

In short, lots. Here’s a look at what candidates in 2013-2014 have raised for this election cycle:   Continue reading “Who Owns Your Congressman?”

Reuters – by JOSEPH MENN

As a key part of a campaign to embed encryption software that it could crack into widely used computer products, the U.S. National Security Agency arranged a secret $10 million contract with RSA, one of the most influential firms in the computer security industry, Reuters has learned.

Documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden show that the NSA created and promulgated a flawed formula for generating random numbers to create a “back door” in encryption products, the New York Times reported in September. Reuters later reported that RSA became the most important distributor of that formula by rolling it into a software tool called Bsafe that is used to enhance security in personal computers and many other products.   Continue reading “Secret contract tied NSA and security industry pioneer”

Ben Swann – by Sonya Sandage

Reports came out yesterday in the UK covering Google’s newest release of their “Transparency Report.”  Turkey has been known for it’s total lack of press freedom, and now reports show the U.S. is approaching the same leagues as Turkey.   Continue reading “U.S. Government asks Google to Remove Almost 4,000 Political Items from Search”

Mail.com

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A judge on Friday ordered a California hospital to keep a girl declared brain dead on life support following what was supposed to be a routine tonsillectomy.

The ruling by Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo came as both sides in the case agreed to get together and chose a neurologist to further examine 13-year-old Jahi McMath and determine her condition. The judge scheduled a hearing Monday to appoint a physician.   Continue reading “Judge orders hospital to keep girl on support”

CBS New York

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Six military veterans from across Long Island received keys Thursday to new homes that were built just for them on a big discount.

The homes in Islandia were built by the Long Island Home Builders Care Development Corp. specifically for returning veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.    Continue reading “Veterans Get Keys To Discounted Homes On Long Island”

The Ugly Truth – nbcnews.com

Al Goldstein, the bearded, bird-flipping publisher of Screw magazine who smashed down legal barriers against pornography and raged against politicians, organized religion and anything that even suggested good taste, died Thursday, according to a friend. He was 77.

Goldstein died at a Brooklyn hospice after a long illness, said the friend, attorney Charles C. DeStefano.    Continue reading “Porn pioneer Al Goldstein, publisher of Screw magazine, has died and gone to hell”

Think Progress – by EMILY ATKIN

The Louisiana parish of Plaquemines is taking on a group of oil and gas giants including BP and Chevron for allegedly dumping toxic waste — some of it radioactive — from their drilling operations into its coastal waters, according to a lawsuit removed to federal court on Thursday.

Plaquemines Parish is claiming the companies violated the Louisiana State and Local Coastal Resources Management Act of 1978 by discharging oil field waste directly into the water “without limitation.” Worse, the companies allegedly failed to clear, revegetate, detoxify or restore any of the areas they polluted, as required by state law. The oil and gas companies’ pollution, along with their alleged failure to adequately maintain their oilfields, has caused significant coastal erosion and contaminated groundwater, the lawsuit said.   Continue reading “BP, Chevron Accused Of Illegally Dumping Toxic Radioactive Drilling Waste Into Louisiana Water”

BBC News

Uganda’s parliament has passed a bill to toughen the punishment for homosexual acts to include life imprisonment in some cases.

The anti-homosexuality bill also makes it a crime punishable by a prison sentence not to report gay people.

The prime minister opposed the vote, saying not enough MPs were present.   Continue reading “Ugandan MPs pass life in jail anti-homosexual law”

Word Press

Smileys, also known as “emoticons,” are glyphs used to convey emotions in your writing. They are a great way to brighten up posts. 

Text smileys are created by typing two or more punctuation marks. Type the smileys without the spaces between the : and the other punctuation marks or it will not work.  (I had to put the spaces in to show you what to type or it would just show the smiley faces and you would not know what to type.)

Some examples are:   Continue reading “What Text Do I Type to Make Smileys?”

An old prospector shuffled into the town of El Indio , Texas leading an old tired mule.  The old man headed straight for the only saloon in town, to clear his parched throat.  He walked up to the saloon and tied his old mule to the hitch rail.

As he stood there, brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.

The young gunslinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, “Hey old man, have you ever danced?”    Continue reading “The Old Prospector”

The New American – by Joe Wolverton, II, J.D.

With every new report of a madman opening fire on innocent people, President Obama takes advantage of the tragedy to redouble his efforts to disarm the civilian population of the United States.

One of his chief weapons in the war against the Second Amendment and the right to keep and bear arms that it protects is the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).The New American has covered the creation of the ATT since the time of its proposal.   Continue reading “Missouri Congressman Exposes Dangers of UN Arms Treaty”