Wednesday, 18 December 2013 In an angry exchange with Barack Obama, Angela Merkel has compared the snooping practices of the US with those of the Stasi, the ubiquitous and all-powerful secret police of the communist dictatorship in East Germany, where… Read More ›
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Engineers Claim They Were Fired for Refusing to Sign off on Defense Fraud
By MATT REYNOLDS LOS ANGELES (CN) – A defense contractor fired two engineers for refusing to lie about flawed missiles that could endanger Navy pilots, the men claim in court. Tom Donnelly and Paul Braatz sued Alliant Techsystems… Read More ›
Italy’s president fears violent insurrection in 2014 but offers no remedy
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard Economics Last updated: December 17th, 2013 Hundreds of students wrap themselves in an Italian tricolour during a Pitchforks Movement protest in Turin on Wednesday. (Photo: EPA) Events in Italy are turning serious. President Giorgio Napolitano… Read More ›
Moscow confirms deployment of ( Short range Nukes ) Iskander missiles on NATO borders
Published time: December 16, 2013 18:12 Iskander high-precision missile system in place during military exercises. (RIA Novosti/Alexei Danichev) The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed media reports on the deployment of short-range Iskander missiles in the country’s west, near its… Read More ›
People born in the 1960s and 1970s will have to rely on inheritances if they are to be better off than their parents in retirement, a study has found
Post-war pensions boom ‘is coming to an end’ Only people who receive a large inheritance will be able to enjoy a more comfortable old-age than previous generations, Institute for Fiscal Studies report finds People born in the 1960s and 1970s… Read More ›
EPA reels as climate-change expert awaits sentencing for $1m CIA fraud
• John Beale pretended to be CIA agent for a decade • Republicans round on agency chief Gina McCarthy Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent theguardian.com, Monday 16 December 2013 14.19 EST EPA administrator Gina McCarthy testifies before a Senate committee… Read More ›
Colorado sheriffs refusing to enforce state’s new strict gun law branding it ‘unconstitutional’
By James Nye PUBLISHED: 02:18 EST, 16 December 2013 | UPDATED: 06:32 EST, 16 December 2013 All but seven of Colorado’s 62-elected sheriff’s are refusing to enforce a law they have sworn to uphold by failing to enact universal… Read More ›
Poll: Americans want the government to stop banning everything they like
Posted By Breanna Deutsch On 6:40 PM 12/14/2013 In Americans want the government to stop acting like their mother. According to a Reason-Rupe poll, Americans do not want government to ban trans-fats, e-cigarettes, online poker, violent video games or genetic… Read More ›
Study: Earth was warmer in Roman, Medieval Times
Sunday, 15 December 2013 If you think the Earth is hot now, try wearing plate armor in the Middle Ages. A Swedish study found that the planet was warmer in ancient Roman times and the Middle Ages than today,… Read More ›
China bitterly attacks Japanese prime minister over air zone remarks / “The Diaoyus are an inherent territory of China. Japan’s seizure and occupation of the islands are illegal and invalid”
China bitterly attacks Japanese prime minister over air zone remarks Shinzo Abe’s comments that Beijing is violating freedom of aviation are condemned as ‘malicious slander’ Staff and agencies in Beijing theguardian.com, Sunday 15 December 2013 00.02 EST Shinzo Abe,… Read More ›
Ethan Couch: Texas quadruple murderer – or a victim of ‘affluenza’?
Texan teen given parole after mowing down four people while drunk – but his family is so wealthy he believed his actions had no consequences Tim Walker Friday, 13 December 2013 A wealthy Texan teenager who mowed down and killed… Read More ›
Is Europe on the verge of a popular uprising?
Europe’s ‘crisis after the crisis’ poses uncertainty in 2014 14 Dec 2013 The question was asked by one of Greece’s most respected newspapers as another year of painful austerity drew to a close. If public anger does explode on… Read More ›
From Rich Kids of Instagram to kings of cable TV? Six wealthy social media stars turn lives of leisure into television career
By Snejana Farberov PUBLISHED: 11:48 EST, 14 December 2013 | UPDATED: 12:43 EST, 14 December 2013 All those who have enjoyed hate-browsing the popular Tumblr account ‘The Rich Kids of Instagram’ will soon be able to hate-watch it on… Read More ›
Teenager who was paralyzed when his drunk driving friend killed four pedestrians is suing the driver’s ‘affluent’ ( Being Rich is a new Legal Defense ) family for $20m as doctors never expect him to recover
Ethan Couch, 16, faced 20 years behind bars for killing four people in a car crash but walked away with 10 years probation Tuesday Youth pastor Brian Jennings; mother and daughter Hollie and Shelby Boyles; and 24-year-old Breanna Mitchell all… Read More ›
Bubonic plague ‘worse than Black Death’ kills 39 in Madagascar ( pneumonic plague that can kill within three days )
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 12 December, 2013, 10:35pm UPDATED : Friday, 13 December, 2013, 10:29pm Agence France-Presse in Antananarivo Bubonic plague bacteria. Photo: AFP An outbreak of plague even more vicious than the bubonic strain dubbed the black death has killed… Read More ›
You can STILL be jailed for being a republican, government confirms, and it remains illegal to even ‘imagine’ overthrowing the Queen
Government admits it mistakenly included a law that threatens to jail for life anyone who has called for the abolition of the monarchy on a list of recently repealed offences John Hall Friday, 13 December 2013 The government has confirmed… Read More ›
US and Chinese warships nearly collide amid tensions over airspace
USS Cowpens was near Liaoning aircraft carrier in South China Sea when another Chinese ship closed in, officials say Reuters in Washington theguardian.com, Friday 13 December 2013 22.30 EST China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier on an East China Sea exercise in… Read More ›
Whooping cough vaccine antigen disappearing from bacteria in US
Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology Vaccines for whooping cough contain three to five protective antigens, the presence of which are critical to the vaccine’s effectiveness. But one of the antigens, pertactin, which had been present in… Read More ›
New study shows link between perfluorinated compounds and diabetes
Press release Published 2013-12-12 Perfluorinated compounds are environmental toxins that are found in fire extinguishing foam and water-repellent textiles and, for example. In a new study, a research team led from Uppsala University has seen links between high levels of… Read More ›
US ranks near bottom among industrialized nations in efficiency of health care spending
Contact: Carla Denly cdenly@support.ucla.edu 310-825-6738 University of California – Los Angeles UCLA, McGill study also shows women fare worse than men in most countries A new study by researchers at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and McGill University… Read More ›
From friend to foe: How benign bacteria evolve to virulent pathogens
Contact: Isabel Gordo igordo@igc.gulbenkian.pt 351-214-407-915 Public Library of Science Bacteria can evolve rapidly to adapt to environmental change. When the “environment” is the immune response of an infected host, this evolution can turn harmless bacteria into life-threatening pathogens. A study… Read More ›
Half of psychiatrists reject private and federal insurance, preferring cash
Contact: Jen Gundersen jeg2034@med.cornell.edu 646-317-7402 Weill Cornell Medical College Researchers warn that just when the need for mental health services is recognized on a national level, access to help is declining at an alarming rate
Personal care products are possible sources of potentially harmful parabens for babies
Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 202-872-6042 American Chemical Society Through lotions, shampoos and other personal care products (PCPs), infants and toddlers are likely becoming exposed to potentially harmful substances, called parabens, at an even higher level than adult women in the… Read More ›
Food and Chemical Toxicology Editor-in-Chief, A. Wallace Hayes, publishes response to letters to the editor / Was Monsanto involved in the retraction?
Contact: Meghan Jendrysik m.jendrysik@elsevier.com 617-397-2845 Elsevier Cambridge, MA, December 10, 2013 – The following statement will be published in the journal, Food and Chemical Toxicology, alongside a selection of letters to the editors regarding the decision to retract the paper… Read More ›
Long-term use of common heartburn and ulcer medications linked to vitamin B12 deficiency
Contact: Cyrus Hedayati chedayati@golinharris.com 415-318-4377 Kaiser Permanente OAKLAND, Calif. — Long-term use of commonly prescribed heartburn and ulcer medications is linked to a higher risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, according to a new study published in the Journal of the… Read More ›
2012 solar storm points up need for society to prepare/ Adopted new worst case space weather scenario
CU-Boulder scientist: 2012 solar storm points up need for society to prepare December 9, 2013 • Institutes A massive ejection of material from the sun initially traveling at over 7 million miles per hour that narrowly missed Earth last year… Read More ›
New demographic data show how diversely different species age – biologists cannot explain why
Aging out of bounds December 08, 2013 Despite aging being one the hottest topic in the media recently, scientists have no coherent explanation for it. New demographic data on humans, animals and plants for the first time unveil such an… Read More ›
‘Affluenza’ Springs Teen in Fatal DWI in Texas / “felt wealth bought privilege and that there was no rational link between behavior and consequences”
By DAVID LEE FORT WORTH (CN) – A Texas judge believed a teenager’s “affluenza” defense regarding the drunken driving deaths of four people and sentenced him to only probation, outraging the victims’ family. Judge Jean Boyd sentenced Ethan Couch, 16,… Read More ›
Snowden latest: NSA stalks the human race using Google, ad cookies
Every single day, every word you say, every game you play, they’ll be watching you Every single day, every word you say, every game you play, they’ll be watching you By Iain Thomson Posted in Security, 12th December 2013… Read More ›
Queen angry at police officers eating her Bombay mix, court hears
Royal protection officers were warned to stop eating snacks meant for the Queen according to News of the World memos It was suggested that the Queen became so incensed she began marking the bowls to check if the levels were… Read More ›
Hunt for mysterious interpreter who faked sign language at Mandela memorial / Catastrophic Security Failure
Published time: December 11, 2013 21:06 President Barack Obama delivers a speech next to a sign language interpreter (R) during the memorial service for late South African President Nelson Mandela at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.(AFP Photo / Alexander… Read More ›
No Clear Strategy On China, Experts Say
Dec. 11, 2013 – 07:09PM | By CHRISTOPHER P. CAVAS | A Chinese boy looks at a photo of the Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier. The ship gives the Chinese navy more options in projecting power in the western Pacific… Read More ›
Death of global web: Internet will end in 2014 – Kaspersky Lab
Collage: Voice of Russia The Internet as a global network may cease to exist in 2014, giving way to dozens of national webs with limited access to foreign web resources, Alexander Gostev, an expert at the Kaspersky Laboratory, told reporters…. Read More ›
Nature trumps nurture in exam success: GCSE results are ‘mainly determined by genes,’ says landmark study of twins
Conclusion that teachers are less important than biology sparks outrage, as researchers call for national curriculum to be abandoned in favour of personalised lesson plans Richard Garner Wednesday, 11 December 2013 Genetics has a more powerful influence on pupils’ GCSE… Read More ›
Bizarre Complaint Stems From Auto-Complete
By RYAN ABBOTT ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CN) – The federal government is stalking a former contractor because Google auto-completed his intended search: “How do I build a radio controlled airplane?” to the unfortunate query “How do I build a… Read More ›
NLST data highlight probability of lung cancer overdiagnosis / overdiagnosis rate for bronchioloalveolar lung cancer was 78.9 percent
Contact: Shawn Farley PR@acr.org 703-648-8936 American College of Radiology NLST data highlight probability of lung cancer overdiagnosis with low-dose CT screening Philadelphia, PA—Data from the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST)—conducted by the American College of Radiology Imaging Network and… Read More ›
Proposed federal legislation targets 32 US states that retain laws making it illegal to not declare HIV status to sexual partners
New bill seeks to repeal outdated state HIV discrimination laws Dan Roberts in Washington theguardian.com, Tuesday 10 December 2013 15.48 EST ProPublica’s study ound 541 cases over the last decade where people have been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to,… Read More ›
Proposed federal legislation targets 32 US states that retain laws making it illegal to not declare HIV status to sexual partners
New bill seeks to repeal outdated state HIV discrimination laws Dan Roberts in Washington theguardian.com, Tuesday 10 December 2013 15.48 EST ProPublica’s study ound 541 cases over the last decade where people have been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to,… Read More ›
Guilty: The ex-assistant city manager facing 17 years jail for ‘corruption on steroids’ by approving enormous salaries and nearly bankrupting the city
Angela Spaccia, 55, found guilty of 11 corruption charges by jury today Bell, Los Angeles officials said to be guilty of ‘grand theft by paycheck’ Her former boss Robert Rizzo had previously admitted 69 charges By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED:… Read More ›
Victor Dahdaleh corruption case collapses
Tom Harper Tuesday, 10 December 2013 A major anti-corruption trial brought by the Serious Fraud Office collapsed today following the intervention of the deputy prime minister of Bahrain and sudden withdrawal of key witnesses. Billionaire Victor Dahdaleh — a… Read More ›
Little boy makes pretend arrow-shooting gesture, could be expelled
Posted By Robby Soave On 9:32 PM 12/08/2013 In | Yet more evidence that schools go to extreme lengths to punish children for even thinking about weapons: A 10-year-old Georgia boy was suspended for a day after he pretended to… Read More ›
Impending Japan-China war has the makings of a Clancy classic
by Mark Schreiber Online: Dec 07, 2013 Print: Dec 08, 2013 Last Modified: Dec 08, 2013 – On Nov. 23, China announced the creation of a newly expanded air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea, overlapping a… Read More ›
Heroic Pakistani doctor who helped CIA capture Bin Laden speaks out about prison torture in secret letter smuggled out of Pakistan
Shakil Afridi ran a vaccination program for the CIA to pinpoint Osama bin Laden in Pakistan before the raid that killed him The doctor was sentenced to 33 years in jail after the mission for ‘conspiring against the state’ While… Read More ›
‘A public safety disaster’: Obamacare could force THOUSANDS of volunteer fire departments to close
The Affordable Care Act forces companies with more than 50 workers to buy them all health insurance or pay hefty fines The IRS says volunteer firefighters are ’employees,’ even though the Department of Labor says they’re ‘volunteers’ Out of more… Read More ›
Spy agencies infiltrate gaming world
Xbox Live among game services targeted by US and UK spy agencies NSA and GCHQ collect gamers’ chats and deploy real-life agents into World of Warcraft and Second Life Read the NSA document: Exploiting Terrorist Use of Games & Virtual… Read More ›
Housing double whammy: A whole generation ‘won’t be able to buy or rent a home’ (U.K.)
Unless we build affordable housing, more and more people will be priced out, say experts Andrew Grice Tuesday, 10 December 2013 A generation of Britons faces a housing “double whammy” as a growing number of people cannot afford to buy… Read More ›
2.5m people will have to take out a loan just to afford central heating this Christmas (U.K.)
Shocking figures revealed as winter fuel costs are hiked by up to £120 Simon Read Monday, 9 December 2013 Some 2.5 million people will have to borrow money to heat their homes this Christmas. The shock statistics are published as… Read More ›
How the scare tactics of the past shape the Affordable Care Act debate today
The long, lurid tradition of public health propaganda By Kevin Hartnett December 08, 2013 A creepy looking Uncle Sam in anti-ACA ads. The Affordable Care Act has prompted a Supreme Court case, polarized… Read More ›
Care at top hospitals is NOT INCLUDED in Obamacare, report reveals
Insurers selling cover on the new exchanges will not offer access to cancer centers, Memorial Sloan Kettering in Manhattan and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Access to Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, one of the top research and teaching hospitals,… Read More ›
Engineering Evil 