tagged w/ Current News US
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A new Chinese family planning study has shown that birth defects have risen by 40 per cent in just six years.A new Chinese family planning study has shown that birth defects have risen by 40 per... more
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Another snippet for the I Shit You Not File: In the New York Times, a head hunter for banks defends the $18 billion in taxpayer-subsidized bonus payouts to Wall Street executives and traders by insisting that those executives and traders can't be expected to live on $150,000 to $180,000 a year - I shit you not:
"Without a doubt, $18 billion is a lot of money, but it's a drop in the bucket on Wall Street," said Gustavo Dolfino, president of the WhiteRock Group, a headhunter for the banks. "These bonuses are down, and the salaries are not enough for these people. They can't live on $150 to $180,000, so they haven't saved any money. They put it on credit lines and at bonus time, they thought they'd pay it off."
The median household income in the United States is about $49,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau - and that's for full, multi-person households. But Wall Street would have believe that individual executives and traders "can't live on $150,000 to $180,000 a year," and so the same taxpayers whose median household income is $49,000 a year must subsidize their bonuses.
Welcome to the kleptocracy.
[Apolgies for quoting the entire article by David Sirota. And for seizing on the term "kleptocracy." I'll give credit.]Another snippet for the I Shit You Not File: In the New York Times, a head hunter for... more
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Like many people when I go to a restaurant I usually take advantage of the free tap water that’s provided. Some places even offer their own filtered water. The Tap Project however wants to change this for a week.
“In 2007, the Tap Project was born in New York City based on a simple concept: restaurants would ask their patrons to donate $1 or more for the tap water they usually enjoy for free, and all funds raised would support UNICEF’s efforts to bring clean and accessible water to millions of children around the world.
Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/ab3gcgLike many people when I go to a restaurant I usually take advantage of the free tap... more
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Compassion clubs and other medical marijuana distributors should have restrictions on them lifted, a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled on Monday.
To the delight of a packed courtroom in Vancouver, Justice Marvyn Koenigsberg said federal regulations that limit people’s access to medicinal cannabis are “constitutionally invalid” and gave the government a year to amend the rules.Compassion clubs and other medical marijuana distributors should have restrictions on... more
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"US President Barack Obama has warned that more US banks are likely to fail, as the full extent of their losses in the economic crisis becomes clear.
Speaking to NBC News, Mr Obama said "some banks won't make it" but stressed that people's deposits would be safe.
He has also asked Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to draw up guidelines for banks receiving taxpayers' money.
"If a bank or a financial institution is getting relief then they've got to abide by certain conditions," he said.
The president has been critical of bank executives receiving bonuses despite taking government bail-outs.
In an interview with NBC to be aired on Monday, Mr Obama said it was likely the banks had not yet fully acknowledged the extent of their losses.
"The banks, because of mismanagement, because of huge risk-taking, are now in a very vulnerable position," he said.
"We can expect that we're going to have to do more to shore up the financial system.""US President Barack Obama has warned that more US banks are likely to fail, as... more
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Turns out, books really do let you live vicariously through their characters. Scientist have just completed a study which proves that reading about actions done by characters in a book will increase neural activity as if the reader were performing the actions.
This also means that reading about activities can also make you better at them, as it stimulates the brain, strengthening the neural pathways.
Participants in the study read four short stories one word at a time, so that their brain activity could be monitored at every moment.Turns out, books really do let you live vicariously through their characters.... more
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Population: The elephant in the room.
Uncontrolled population growth threatens to undermine efforts to save the planet; the environmental movement must stop running scared of this controversial topic.
It's the great taboo of environmentalism: the size and growth of the human population.
It has a profound impact on all life on Earth, yet for decades it has been conspicuously absent from public debate.
Most natural scientists agree our growing numbers and our unchecked impact on the natural environment move us inexorably toward global calamities of unthinkable severity.
They agree the need to address population has become desperate.
Yet many environmentalists avoid the subject, a few objecting strongly to any focus on our numbers.
Some activists insist acting to influence population growth infringes on human rights; they maintain that it is best to leave the problem alone.
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What do we do about the population problem? How do we address the problem without infringing on human rights? Perhaps more to the point, is it a human right to have as many kids as you please?Population: The elephant in the room.
Uncontrolled population growth threatens to... more
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Facebook is planning to exploit the vast amount of personal information it holds on its 150m members by creating one of the world's largest market research databases.
In an attempt to finally monetise the social networking site, once valued at $15bn (£10.4bn), it will soon allow multinational companies to selectively target its members in order to research the appeal of new products. Companies will be able to pose questions to specially selected members based on such intimate details as whether they are single or married and even whether they are gay or straight.Facebook is planning to exploit the vast amount of personal information it holds on... more
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heatX
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added this
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3 years ago
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Japanese whalers blasted conservationists with a water cannon and hurled hunks of metal and golf balls at them in a clash Monday in icy Antarctic waters, an anti-whaling group said.
Two members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society were lightly injured in the early morning fracas in heavy seas about 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) southeast of the Australian state of Tasmania, said Paul Watson, the group's leader.
A spokesman for the whalers said he had no information on the claims.
The group — which routinely harasses the Japanese whaling fleet during its annual hunt in the Antarctic Ocean — sent a helicopter and two inflatable boats toward one of the ships in the Japanese fleet.
The whalers began blasting conservationists on one raft with a water cannon, knocking one man off his feet and leaving him with cuts and bruises, Watson told The Associated Press by satellite phone.
Another protester was hit in the face with a large chunk of metal lobbed from a harpoon boat. He was wearing a shield on his helmet, but still suffered bruises, Watson said.
The Japanese also aimed a "military grade" noise weapon that can cause deafness and vomiting at the Sea Shepherd crew, Watson said. Some felt its vibrations but were too far away to be otherwise affected, he said.
Glenn Inwood, the New Zealand-based spokesman for Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research — a Japanese government-affiliated organization that oversees the hunt — said he could not immediately confirm or deny the Sea Shepherd's claims.
"All legal means available will be used to protect the Japanese crew and the scientists," he said.
Japan, which has described the Sea Shepherd protesters as terrorists, plans to harvest up to 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales this season. Under International Whaling Commission rules, the mammals may be killed for research but not for commercial purposes. Opponents say the Japanese research expeditions are simply a cover for commercial whaling, which was banned in 1986.
Protesters aboard the ship, named after the late Australian conservationist and TV personality Steve Irwin, set off from Australia in early December for the remote and icy Antarctic Ocean, chasing the whaling fleet for about 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) before stopping two weeks ago in Tasmania to refuel. The group found the whalers again on Sunday and resumed their pursuit.
In December, the protesters lobbed bottles of rancid butter at the Japanese.
"I will not allow them to kill a whale while we're here, and they know that," Watson said. "I'll literally rip their harpoon off their deck if I have to."Japanese whalers blasted conservationists with a water cannon and hurled hunks of... more
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In an effort to bridge the "digital divide" between rich and poor, India's government is set to unveil an ultra-cheap laptop computer tomorrow. It's the latest example of low cost engineering to come from India. It's an answer to OLPC program launched by Nicholas Negraponte, who created the $200 laptop last year.
This computer is expected to gain favour from affluent Westerners as well. Would you buy one? I would!In an effort to bridge the "digital divide" between rich and poor,... more
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Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act on Jan. 29, 2009, keeping a longstanding promise to counter a Supreme Court decision that limited workers' ability to sue for pay discrimination. We moved the Obameter and gave him a Promise Kept.
But we also had to give him his first Promise Broken for the same signing. As part of his agenda to bring more transparency to government, Obama said he would institute "sunlight before signing" -- posting laws to the White House Web site for five days of public comment before he signed off on them.
Shouldn't we expect our new Commander in Chief Keep his promises? Or, is asking even that much of him, too much to bear? Is this all just a little overrated? Watch the video for yourself in the above link and tell us what you think.
Share your thoughts,not your threats, Current users.Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act on Jan. 29, 2009, keeping a... more
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Google has already conquered the land with Google Earth, but they're getting ready to continue charting the earth by delving into the ocean. The new portions of Google Earth are expected to show views of the ocean and parts of seabed.Google has already conquered the land with Google Earth, but they're getting... more
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From a humanitarian standpoint it is hard to believe this is just incidental and accidental on the part of the Israeli military and government.The damage to all of the farms in Gaza that were either blown apart or bulldozed down leaving a food and water crisis as results of its wrath is nothing short of a war crime. Whenever you attack and destroy a people's ability to feed themselves it is a human rights abuse.
From reading this article I can also already see Monsanto and others licking their chops to put its GM crap in Gaza as they did in Iraq. These are the types of situations corporations on the prowl for profit look for: Desperate, hungry, thirsty people who can easily be swayed to accept any food that comes along.
How sad and outrageous to me that politics and hatred will now stop this area from ever really thriving again. Shame on those who applaud it.From a humanitarian standpoint it is hard to believe this is just incidental and... more
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The quest to expand the technology has invigorated a debate about how widely jamming should be allowed and whether its value as a common crime-fighting strategy outweighs its downsides, including restricting the constant access to the airwaves that Americans have come to expect.The quest to expand the technology has invigorated a debate about how widely jamming... more
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Finally something that we can all get behind: Don't pay your bills. It's not my idea, although it has appeal. It's the Fed's and it's the cornerstone of the new Homeownership Preservation Policy. To qualify for aid, the homeowner must be at least 60 days past due on his or her mortgage payments. (This program is for mortgages acquired from Bear Stearns and AIG rescues. Another program begun in December 2008 required that the homeowner be 90 days late.) At the same time, the mortgagee must be able to make a reduced monthly payment, therefore, must have some income, presumably a job. The having a job part might be tough; the missing two payments part, easy.Finally something that we can all get behind: Don't pay your bills. It's not... more
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Environmentalists are encouraged by President Barack Obama's focus this week on renewable energy and stricter emissions standards, although some economists are skeptical he can pull the country out of the recession while cleaning up the planet.Environmentalists are encouraged by President Barack Obama's focus this week on... more
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Iulian
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3 years ago
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Charleston, SC - It's hard to miss an unholy sign looming over the holy city.
"It makes me mad. I think it's wrong and I believe in God,” said Mike Anderson, a firm believer in God.
"I think everybody has the right to believe in what they believe in whether you don't believe in God or not," said Cheryl Cabiad.
The billboard along I-26 asks “Do You Believe in God? If Not You’re Not Alone.” The organization behind it is the Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry.
"The purpose is not to try to convert it's to say we exist and we know there are a lot of others in Charleston who are also non-believers," said Vice President of the organization Herb Silverman.
Silverman has considered himself an atheist since his early teens. He said non-believers deserve just as much respect as those who follow organized religion.
"We believe we can be good for goodness sake we don't feel we need to go to an authority of a book written a couple thousand years ago," said Silverman.
Here in the buckle of the Bible belt, church leaders are keeping their faith squarely in God.
"It says don't believe in God then you're not alone...that's ironic for us because if you don’t' believe in God then you truly are alone," said Father Gregory Wilson.
Father Wilson doesn't believe the sign will seriously hurt the church. He also said he'd be happy to help non-believers find the Almighty.
"I think when people say God isn't real, obviously they have something deep within them that they're still searching for," he told ABC News 4’s Josh Cascio. "I think God is reaching out even to those who put up things like they don't believe in God because God believes in them," he added.
Whether you like this sign or not you can expect to see it on I-26 through February.
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Is this good news for free speech? Or have the atheists gone too far in making their point?Charleston, SC - It's hard to miss an unholy sign looming over the holy city.... more
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As the U.S. economy continued its steep fall into a deeper recession, many major oil companies - in particular Exxon Mobil - enjoyed a steep ascent into record-setting profits.As the U.S. economy continued its steep fall into a deeper recession, many major oil... more
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Get ready people to do your patriotic duty and serve your country, Obama wants YOU. Will you be willing to go and show us all how much you back your president and how glad you all are that you voted for him. Somehow I doubt it.
The Defense Secretary signed Defense Department directive 1404.10 which provides a summation of the duties the workforce will undertake
While the directive suggest that the DoD will seek volunteers at first section 4, subsection {e} paragraph 2 states " Management retains the authority to direct and assign civillians either volutarily, involuntarily, or on an unexpected basis to accomplish the DoD mission
So stand up those of you who voted for Obama and show him your there for him. Dont make him come looking for you.Get ready people to do your patriotic duty and serve your country, Obama wants YOU.... more
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If you remember the End The Fed Rally back in 2008 get ready for the most important one yet to kick off in about 3 months! The process to the rally is unique indeed too. The website endthefed.us has become a national center for people to become signature gatherers and locally organize with others. They can download forms and the petition itself and everything is kept up to date and managed on the site. So that's the key to this effort but the End The Fed Rally is on April 25th and on April 27th the petition and signatures will be presented as Ron Paul speaks at the National Press Club! Let's bomb the bailouts - Sound Money for America!
If we wait to see it fail, we've failed while waiting...If you remember the End The Fed Rally back in 2008 get ready for the most important... more
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