Pigs with Mouse Genes: GM Animals May Be
Entering the Food Chain without Labeling |
The FDA may be taking the public, and nature, down a dangerous path. On 9/18, the U.S. FDA released guidance on a regulatory framework for approving the entrance of genetically modified animals into the nation's food supply. The term "guidance" is agency-speak for the law will look something like this. Put another way, the FDA has offered advice, considerably weaker than legally enforceable regulation. full story |
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Ron Paul: Obama Won't Pull Troops out of Iraq |
"We have fallen into a terrible trap," Paul explained. "Unfortunately, the two major candidates aren't even talking about Syria, Pakistan, and the things that are important. They essentially agree with that viewpoint; they both say send more troops to Afghanistan. "And, quite frankly, I am not expecting the troops, regardless of whether Obama wins, to be home in 16 months. That is just pure political talk." full story |
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7.5 Million Homeowners 'Underwater' |
At least 7.5 million Americans owe more on their mortgages than their homes are currently worth, according to a real estate research firm's report released Friday. The report on the growing problem of negative equity is a conservative estimate. Some organizations, including Moody's Economy.com, estimate that as many as 12 million borrowers may be underwater. full story |
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North Hollywood Installs "Talking Cameras" |
"Los Angeles police are using motion-activated cameras to warn vandals that they're being watched," reports WOAI for NBC News. "The motion triggers a recorded voice that states, ‘This is the Los Angeles Police Department. It is illegal to spray graffiti or dump trash here.' The voice warns vandals that they are being recorded and will be prosecuted. full story |
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Your New President, Zbig Brother |
Your next President has already been selected. Didn't you know? Sure, go ahead and vote if you like, if you have nothing else to do, if you don't mind standing in long lines between Obamatron morons and McCrud zombies, but enjoy the reassurance of knowing that the powers above Ponzi Paulson and Helicopter Ben Bernanke and Co. have already made their choice. He is Zbigniew Brzezinski. full story |
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Second Planet Needed to Meet Natural-Resources Demand |
Wanted: A Second planet Earth. That's what humans will need by the mid-2030s to keep up with our demand for metals, fossil fuels, timber and waste disposal, the environmental group WWF said in a global survey that found the United Arab Emirates to be the most wasteful country. Humanity's consumption exceeds the Earth's capacity to regenerate its resources by 30%, the organization said today in a joint report. full story |
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Federal Court Blocks ACLU from
Guantanamo Torture Documents |
The records of Combatant Status Review Tribunals contain the detainees' personal accounts of interrogation tactics, including waterboarding, sleep deprivation, extreme temperature exposure and stress positions, that they endured while in custody at secret CIA detention facilities known as "black sites" for up to four years, and then Guantánamo in late '06. "This decision allows the Bush admin. to continue its illegal cover-up of its systemic torture policies." full story |
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Farm Chemicals Can Indirectly Hammer Frogs |
Atrazine, the second-most widely used agricultural pesticide in America, can pose a toxic double whammy to tadpoles. The weed killer not only increases the likelihood that massive concentrations of flatworms will thrive in the amphibians' ponds, a new study reports, but also diminishes the ability of larval frogs to fight infection with these parasites. full story |
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Protesters' Behavior at Heart of Trial on
Whether Chevron Violated Human Rights |
When Larry Bowoto returns to the witness stand in federal court here Thursday, he is expected to recount being shot several times by Nigerian forces called in and allegedly paid for by a Chevron subsidiary during a 1998 protest aboard a barge tethered to an offshore oil rig. Two Ilaje villagers were killed and two others injured when Nigerian soldiers flown onto the barge by helicopter began firing May 28, 1998. full story |
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Hill AFB Officer Worries That Iraqi
Burn Pit Threatens Troops' Health |
The burn pit has become the central part of a conversation about what obligations the military has to keep its members healthy during war. A memo being circulated at military bases across the country, written by an officer from Hill Air Force Base, calls the pit an "acute health hazard" - one that may have increased the risk of chronic problems for hundreds of thousands of service members and contractors who have done tours of duty at the largest base in Iraq. full story |
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FDA Ignored Evidence When Calling BPA Safe |
The Food and Drug Administration ignored evidence when concluding that a chemical in plastic baby bottles is safe. The excluded studies suggest bisphenol A, or BPA, could pose harm to children at levels at least 10 times lower than the amount the agency says is safe, according to the report written by outside scientists asked to review the agency's handling of the controversial substance. full story |
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Australia to Implement Mandatory Internet Censorship |
Australia will join China in implementing mandatory censoring of the internet under plans put forward by the Federal Government. The government has declared it will not let internet users opt out of the proposed national internet filter. The plan was first created as a way to combat child pronography and adult content, but could be extended to include controversial websites. full story |
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The New Neo-Con Reality |
The neocons used 9/11, as a "new Pearl Harbor" to give power precedence over law domestically and internationally. The executive branch no longer had to obey federal statutes, such as FISA or honor international treaties, such as the Geneva Conventions. An asserted "terrorist threat" to national security became the cloak which hid US imperial interests as the Bush Regime set about dismantling US civil liberties.. full story |
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Last Koala Habitats Get the Chop |
"These public forests are of critical importance to the survival of the remnant of the koala population," said a spokesman, John Hibberd. "The remnant here is thought to be about 10 to 12 individuals, and there's a very real chance that the loss of this habitat, together with the pressures of climate change and drought, could see them die out," Mr Hibberd said. full story |
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Metro to Randomly Search Riders' Bags |
Metro officials yesterday announced plans to immediately begin random searches of backpacks, purses and other bags in a move they say will protect riders and also guard their privacy and minimize delays. The program is modeled after one begun three years ago in New York that has withstood legal challenges. However, experts said it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of such searches. full story |
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Senator Predicts "Revolution" If Banks Don't Lend |
Senator Christopher Dodd has shockingly predicted that public anger at banks' refusal to disperse credit could lead to a "revolution," while another analyst says government intervention could mean banks are cut out of the loop entirely. "If it turns out that they are hoarding, you'll have a revolution on your hands. People will be so livid and furious that their tax money is going to line their pockets instead of doing the right thing. full story |
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Outrage: NJ Cop Puts CBS 2 Cameraman in Chokehold |
After a week of bloody shootings in Newark, family members of the victims killed by gun violence marched in front of churches Sunday to ask the clergy for help. The march ended, however, when a Newark police officer put a CBS 2 photographer in a choke hold, handcuffed him, and put him in the back of a police car. When CBS 2 HD's reporter protested and said he couldn't arrest the cameraman, the officer said, "I can do whatever I want." full story |
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The Only Choice on November 4th.. Don't vote! |
What effect does voting have? It gives them what they need most: a mandate. Nonparticipation helps deny that to them. It makes them, just on the margin, a bit more fearful that they are ruling us without our consent. This is all to the good. The government should fear the people. Not voting is a good beginning toward instilling that fear. This year especially there is no lesser of two evils. There is socialism or fascism. full story |
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Historical Verdict on Bush Will Be Harsh |
The judgment of history may well be that the United States has been "taken into, and kept in, the Iraq War by a guy who is not quite right in his head," a distinguished legal scholar says. "It may take 25 or 50 years, but it is almost certain that one day this character will be exhibit number one for the danger of having a nut job in the oval office," says Lawrence Velvel, dean of the Massachusetts School of Law at Andover. full story |
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Microsoft Patents Censorship Bot |
The corporate behemoth Microsoft is on the verge of unleashing a technology capable of eliminating "green inkers" and conspiracy theorists. "Microsoft has just been awarded a patent for technology designed to automatically detect and remove ‘undesired words or phrases' from all manner of digital communications, ranging from YouTube broadcasts to internet chat and songs." full story |
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Twenty Lion Poachers Imprisoned by Indian Magistrate |
The Asiatic lion once ranged throughout the coastal forests of northern Africa and from northern Greece across southwest Asia to eastern India. Today, the only living representatives of these lions occur in and around the Gir Forest. The unique lions are threatened by poaching for bones, used in traditional Chinese medicine, and claws, used as amulets. Death from electrocution and from being trapped in open wells is also common. full story |
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Transport Experts Spark Global Electric Car Industry |
Cars around the world will one day be propelled by electric motors, transportation expert Daniel Sperling told a meeting of international transportation experts and policymakers. Sperling said the transformation of automobiles and the entire automotive industry has begun with gasoline-electric hybrids, and will continue in the next decades with the wide adoption of plug-in electric hybrids, battery-only electric cars, and fuel cell electric vehicles. full story |
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ACLU: 2/3 of US Population Live in "Constitution-free" Zone |
I've had my own problems in the "Constitution-free zone" that exists in US airports, but an aggressive new ACLU campaign highlights a fact of which I was previously unaware: the Constitution-free zone that exists a US borders and airports actually extends 100 air miles inland and encompasses two-thirds of the country's population. The US Border Patrol can set up checkpoints anywhere in this region and question citizens. full story |
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"October Surprise": Preparing for "Something Unexpected"? |
The two scenarios, a staged event before the voting and another manufactured crisis following inauguration, are not mutually exclusive. In this article I argue for both occurring, as part of a multi-phased shock and awe campaign designed to move us into full scale martial law with the help of Barak Obama as the new national savior in a time of peril. full story |
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FDA Conspired with Chemical Industry
to Declare Bisphenol-A Harmless |
The FDA has been caught red-handed conspiring with the chemical industry to conclude that Bisphenol-A, the plastics chemical, is harmless to human health. As revealed by the Environmental Working Group (see below), the FDA based its evaluation of BPA on a report authored by the American Chemistry Council (ACC), a trade group that represents chemical companies and plastics manufacturers. full story |
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EU Calls For "New World Governance" |
This video shows Sarkozy (French President holding EU Presidency) and Barroso (EU Commission President) calling for a New World Order, "New World Governance", "New Global Order". The two also talk about how the EU and globalists are determined to use crises to setup the final stages of what they call the "New World Order". full story |
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Militarization of the American Homeland:
Suppression of "Civil Disturbances" |
Rules for domestic military operations, including as an armed force to suppress "civil disturbances," are clearly spelled out in DoD Directive 3025.12, "Military Assistance for Civil Disturbances" (MACDIS). Army doctrine and rules of engagement for civil disturbance and "riot control" planning have long recommended equipping troops with "non-lethal weapons" for what the Pentagon euphemistically calls "operations other than war." full story |
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Darpa Wants to See Inside Your House |
The Pentagon wants to be able to peer inside your apartment building -- picking out where all the major rooms, stairways, and dens of evil-doers are. By the end of the project, Darpa wants a set of technologies that can see into a 10-story building with a two-level basement in a "high-density urban block" -- and produce a kind of digital blueprint of the place. full story |
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Ohio Secretary of State Hit by Death Threats, Cyberattacks |
A GOP attempt to force as many as 200,000 newly-registered voters in Ohio to cast provisional ballots was rejected last week by the US Supreme Court. Since then, reports CNN's John Roberts, things in Ohio have gotten "downright nasty." Roberts spoke with Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, who has had her official state website hacked and has even been receiving death threats. full story |
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Worst Forms of Pollution Killing Millions |
Gold mining and recycling car batteries are two of the world's Top 10 most dangerous pollution problems, and the least known. The health of hundreds of millions of people is affected and millions die because of preventable pollution problems like toxic waste, air pollution, ground and surface water contamination, metal smelting and processing, used car battery recycling and artisanal gold mining, the "Top Ten" report found. full story |
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Compulsory Sex Education Lessons Will Start at the Age of Seven |
Children as young as seven will be taught the facts of life in compulsory sex education lessons. Family campaigners are furious at the measures. However, ministers have yet to decide whether parents will be able to withdraw children from the classes, due to be introduced by 2010. The reforms bring personal, social and health education on to the mandatory school curriculum alongside subjects such as maths and English. full story |
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Pentagon Wants Packs of Robots to
Detect "Non-cooperative Humans" |
The Pentagon has put out a request to contractors to develop teams of robots that can search for, detect and track "non-cooperative" humans in "pursuit/evasion scenarios". The proposal describes the need to "develop a software/hardware suit that would enable a multi-robot team, together with a human operator, to search for and detect a non-cooperative human subject." full story |
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Lawmakers Back Animal-human Embryo Research |
The lower house of parliament approved legislation Wednesday allowing scientists to create animal-human embryos for medical research, in the biggest shake-up of embryology laws in two decades. Despite opposition from religious and pro-life groups, MPs in the House of Commons backed the Human Embryology and Fertilisation Bill by 355 votes to 129. full story |
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Job Losses Accelerate, Signaling Deeper Distress |
Employers are moving to aggressively cut jobs and reduce costs in the face of the nation's economic crisis, preparing for what many fear will be a long and painful recession. The labor market has been weak all year, with a slow drip of workers losing their jobs each month. But the deterioration of the job market is now emerging as a driver of economic distress, according to a wide range of data and anecdotal reports from corporate America. full story |
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Powder Laced Letters Sent to Banks in 9 Cities |
More than 30 letters containing a suspicious powder were mailed to Chase bank branches and federal banking regulators' offices in nine cities, authorities said Tuesday in what was being investigated as a first, if extreme, public backlash over the nation's financial crisis. Initial tests on the powder proved negative for poisonous or otherwise dangerous toxins, the FBI said. full story |
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Police Prepare for Unrest |
Police departments in cities across the country are beefing up their ranks for Election Day, preparing for possible civil unrest and riots after the historic presidential contest. Public safety officials said in interviews with The Hill that the election, which will end with either the nation’s first black president or its first female vice president, demanded a stronger police presence. full story |
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U.S. Policymakers Mull Creation of Domestic Intelligence Agency |
At the request of Congress, the RAND Corp. outlined the pros and cons of establishing a domestic intelligence agency. It also discussed different ways to organize a new entity, either as part of an existing dept. or as a new agency. Collecting intelligence domestically always has been a sensitive issue, at least partially because of episodic abuses by the govt., notably against civil rights leaders, unions, antiwar org.s or even communists and hate groups. full story |
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ACLU Files FOIA on Brigade Deployed in U.S. |
"The ACLU today demanded information from the govt. about reports that an active military unit has been deployed inside the U.S. to help with 'civil unrest' and 'crowd control' – matters traditionally handled by civilian authorities," a press release on the ACLU site explains. "This deployment jeopardizes the longstanding separation between civilian and military government and the public has a right to know where and why the unit has been deployed." full story |
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Palin Still Doesn't Grasp Role of VP |
In an interview with a local Colorado TV station, Palin said the vice president is "in charge of the United States Senate" and "can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes." Palin's statement seems to betray a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature of the vice president's job. As regards the Senate, the vice president's official role is to serve as presiding officer. full story |
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Hard Times Have Some Flirting with Survivalism |
With foreclosure rates running rampant, financial institutions teetering and falling, prices for many goods and services climbing, and jobs being slashed, many Americans are making preparations for worse times ahead. For some, that means cutting spending and saving more. For others, it means taking a step into survivalism, once regarded solely as the province of religious End-of-Timers, sci-fi fans and extremists. full story |
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JCS, European Military Leaders Descend on Upstate New York |
It was a small news item tucked in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise over the weekend. "Powerful generals and admirals from some of the most powerful nations on Earth are reportedly meeting somewhere in the local area this weekend." The visitors consisted of the Joint Chiefs and "their counterparts from France, Germany and another country, possibly Great Britain, according to Barry DeFuria." full story |
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Is America Fascist? |
America is a nation in deepening crisis, a nation whose leaders repeatedly plunge their citizens into, and make them pay for, serial wars abroad, while stealing their liberties at home. USA has become a country that trashes its citizens(New Orleans), tortures its enemies(Abu Ghraib), threatens other nations with nuclear fire(Iran), flouts international treaties(UN Charter re Iraq), and spies on(FISA), and intimidates, its critics (No Fly). full story |
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Human Tissue Could Be Taken from Infirm
without Consent And Used for Research |
On Wednesday MPs will vote on a bill which would allow the creation of human/animal hybrid embryos to be used for stem cell research, change the conditions for granting IVF, and possibly liberalise the abortion laws. Failed attempts to outlaw late abortion have dominated the debate, while scientists, medical ethics experts and religious leaders have clashed over the hybrid embryo issue. full story |
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Big Brother Database Threatens to 'Break the Back of Freedom' |
Government plans to build a giant database holding information about every phone call, email and internet visit were last night dealt a major blow after the man in charge of prosecuting terrorism in England and Wales warned of the dangers posed by a "Big Brother" security state. Under the proposal, isps and telecoms cos would surrender phone and internet records to the Home Office, which would store them for at least 12 months. full story |
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Homeless Numbers 'Alarming' |
More families with children are becoming homeless as they face mounting economic pressures, including mortgage foreclosures, according to a USA TODAY survey of a dozen of the largest cities in the nation. Other factors have been higher food and fuel prices hitting families with "no cushion," says Nan Roman of the National Alliance to End Homelessness. full story |
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Food Authority Accused over GM Decisions |
The food authority responsible for approving genetically modified products has been accused of pandering to agrochemical giants at the expense of consumer health, in a report set to be released today analysing the authority's recent decisions. Over the past 12 years the authority has approved more than 50 varieties of genetically engineered crops, from corn and soy to potato and sugar beet the report found. full story |
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New Law to Allow Police to Collect DNA in Secret from Teacups |
MI5 and the police may be allowed to secretly collect genetic samples from items such as cigarette butts and teacups under new laws that could massively expand the national DNA database. The powers would allow investigators to break in to suspects’ homes to collect DNA which could then be shared with foreign governments to check for links to crime and terrorism. full story |
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Kucinich Calls for Probe of Bonuses for Wall Street Aid Recipients |
Dennis Kucinich has called for a probe into $70 billion worth of pay deals planned for employees of failed banking firms receiving govt. aid. Kucinich said Sunday that he was directing his staff to immediately probe Wall Street firms that have received any portion of the $700 billion bailout plan recently passed by Congress, in response to a recent report by The Guardian outlining the firms' dramatic drops in revenue, but not in executive compensation. full story |
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Reflections on the 'Crisis' |
As we consider our government’s forced federal bailout/buyout of what many Americans believed were private banking, investment, insurance, and auto industries, the key word is not "government bailout," or "nationalized" or "socialism," or even "private." As George Washington and his compatriots understood, the key word is "force." full story |
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Scientists Raise Alarm as Britain's Seals Disappear |
Common seals are one of Britain's largest and most charismatic marine predators and the most likely to be seen by holidaymakers and sailors. But the latest surveys have revealed a dramatic decline in their numbers in Scotland's waters and along eastern England. In the worst affected areas, such as the Orkney islands, the numbers of common seals are falling by 10% a year, and have dropped by as much as half in the past six years. full story |
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Parents Asked to Study Perils of Vaccinations |
Americans have a basic right to decide whether their children should be vaccinated, Barbara Loe Fisher, a veteran crusader against govt.-mandated immunizations, said Saturday. Parental informed consent is "a civil right, a human right to be free to make intelligent, rational decisions about using pharmaceutical products that risk their children's lives," Fisher told the Holistic Moms Network fifth annual Natural Living Conference. full story |
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Mobile Phone Radiation Fries Sperm: Study |
Men who talk for hours on their mobile phone could be jeopardising their chance of fathering a child, Australian research suggests. An experiment on semen has revealed evidence of DNA damage after 16 hours of exposure to radiation similar to the output of a mobile phone. The preliminary study is the first of its kind, and supports US research showing heavy mobile phone users have up to 40% lower sperm counts than lighter users. full story |
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Biofuel Boom Endangers Orangutan Habitat |
In the rush to feed the world's growing appetite for climate-friendly fuel and cooking oil that doesn't clog arteries, the Bornean orangutan could get plowed over. Several plantation owners are eyeing Tanjung Puting park, a sanctuary for 6,000 of the endangered animals. It is the world's second-largest population of a primate that experts warn could be extinct in less than two decades if a massive assault on its forest habitat is not stopped. full story |
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NSA Spying and the Shredding of the Constitution |
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests demanding that the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) and the National Security Agency (NSA) disclose "any policies and procedures" that protect Americans’ privacy rights when the ultra-spooky agency "collects, stores and disseminates private U.S. communications." full story |
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Passports Will Be Needed to Buy Mobile Phones |
Everyone who buys a mobile telephone will be forced to register their identity on a national database under government plans to extend massively the powers of state surveillance. Phone buyers would have to present a passport or other official form of identification at the point of purchase. Privacy campaigners fear it marks the latest government move to create a surveillance society. full story |
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TSA Agent Steals $200K Worth of Travelers'
Belongings, Resells It on eBay |
The TSA reached a mind-boggling new low in customer service this week when it was revealed that one agent had single-handedly absconded with over $200,000 worth of travelers' belongings, primarily cameras and laptops, and proceeded to unload his booty on eBay. His latest haul: A near-$50,000 camera that an HBO employee had been traveling with. full story |
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More Americans Turn to Food Stamps |
More than 29 million Americans received food stamps in July, an increase of close to one million over just three months earlier, according to the latest figures released by the US Department of Agriculture, which distributes the benefits -- these days most often by magnetized debit cards -- to households living below and just over the poverty line. full story |
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Iraq Veterans Arrested, Trampled at Pres. Debates |
The contingent of veterans in dress uniforms and combat uniforms attempted to enter the building where the debate was to be held in order to ask their questions but were turned back by police. The IVAW members at the front of the formation were immediately arrested, and others were pushed back into the crowd by police on horseback. Several members were injured. full story |
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Alaska Beluga Whales Put on Endangered List |
The Bush administration Friday designated a small, isolated population of beluga whales in Alaska's Cook Inlet as endangered, rejecting arguments from Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin that the small, white whales were on their way to recovery. The National Marine Fisheries Service decided to extend federal protections to these whales near Anchorage after their numbers declined nearly 50% in the 1990s. full story |
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NJ Flu-shot Mandate for Preschoolers Draws Outcry |
As flu season approaches, many NJ parents are furious over a first-in-the-nation requirement that children get a flu shot in order to attend preschools and day-care centers. The decision should be the parents', not the state's, they contend. Hundreds of parents and other activists rallied outside the NJ Statehouse on Thursday, decrying the policy and voicing support for a bill that would allow parents to opt out of mandatory vaccinations for their children. full story |
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Criminalising Dissent |
In this post 9-11 world of paranoia and political expediency protest, an essence of democracy, has morphed into something perfectly Orwellian: terrorism. Last week, the Maryland state police disclosed that 53 nonviolent anti-war and anti-death penalty activists were tracked for 14 months in '05 and '06 under the state's terrorism surveillance programme, and that their names had been added to the state's and the National Security Agency's database. full story |
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Colbert: NSA Needs Its 'Freaky Three-way Calling' |
The revelation last week that the National Security Agency has routinely been listening to the personal phone calls of American soldiers, journalists, and aid workers abroad has led to fresh calls for government surveillance to be reined in. Stephen Colbert, however, was certain in his mock-pundit persona that "the terrorists are still out there plotting our destruction on the phone, specially during free nights and weekends." full story |
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WHTI: Another Link in the Control and Surveillance Grid |
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security claim this little biometric card will make traveling “more efficient,” not for tourists and business travelers, of course, but for the government. On June 1, 2009, U.S. citizens returning from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda will be required to have this card, otherwise they will not be allowed in the country. full story |
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One Million Britons on the Dole by Christmas |
More than a million Britons will be out of work and on the dole by next month as the toxic fallout from Black October filters down to ordinary families, economists are warning. Companies are now being squeezed on two vital fronts, with shoppers abandoning the high street and bank lending drying up, making it almost impossible for smaller businesses to get credit to stay afloat. full story |
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Atlanta Cops Roll Out SWAT APC |
"Don't be surprised to see an Army tank rolling down a street near you," chides the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "The Cobb County police dept. has refurbished a donated Armored Personnel Carrier for officers to use in SWAT situations." Apparently, the cops think those on the receiving end of any SWAT operation using this military vehicle are armed to the teeth like the resistance in Iraq or maybe the Taliban in Afghanistan. full story |
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The Coming Liberal Thugocracy |
"I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors," Barack Obama told a crowd in Elko, Nev. "I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face." Actually, Obama supporters are doing a lot more than getting into people's faces. They seem determined to shut people up. full story |
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Militarizing the "Homeland": NORTHCOM's
Joint Task Force-Civil Support |
Wholesale spying on activists by the Pentagon's now defunct Counterintelligence Field Activity (CIFA), as well as revelations that State police agencies in Maryland routinely spied on antiwar organizers, shared this information with the National Security Agency and classified them as "terrorists" in government-run databases, are viewed as exemplary means to "keep the rabble in line"--and under wraps, if necessary. full story |
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Man Jailed for Having Brown Lawn |
On Friday morning, Joseph Prudente put on a pair of shorts and his "Grandpa Gone Wild" T-shirt. He took off his wedding band and put his heart medication in a plastic Wal-Mart bag. Then his daughter drove him to jail. Grandpa had time to do. His crime? He had disobeyed a court order that he sod the lawn at his Beacon Woods home. His bail? Zero. full story |
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Stocks Are on Track for Their Worst Year Since 1937 |
Fear and foreboding took hold Thursday on Wall Street, as the market again plunged and investors became convinced that the nation is on the verge of a deep and prolonged recession. The decline continued in Asia, where stocks plummeted in early trading today. "I've never seen a panic like this," said David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poor's. "I've seen stock market drops, but not an overall panic." full story |
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U.S. Army Prepares to Invade U.S. |
The plans to implement martial law in America have been taking shape for decades, hidden behind "Continuity of Government" contingency planning. Now, with public outcry over the banker bailout bill at fever pitch, all of the pieces are in place for the U.S. Army to start policing American citizens. full story |
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Tens of Thousands Illegally Denied Voting Rights |
Tens of thousands of voters in at least six battleground states have been removed from election rolls or have been illegally blocked from registering to vote, according to an investigation by the New York Times published Thursday. In Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina, eligible voters were taken off rolls, and new registrations were blocked, illegally. full story |
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Birds in "Big Trouble" Due to Drugs, Fishing, More |
Bird species are in "big trouble" worldwide, a sign that the planet's health is also faltering, according to a new report released today at International Union for Conservation of Nature. Not only are rare birds getting rarer, but migratory songbirds, seabirds, and even common backyard birds are also plummeting, according to the State of the World's Birds, a report by the U.K. nonprofit BirdLife International. full story |
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Thousands of Troops Deployed on U.S. Streets
Ready to Carry Out "Crowd Control" |
Members of Congress were told they could face martial law if they didn't pass the bailout bill. This will not be the last time. Background: the First Brigade of the Third Infantry Division, three to four thousand soldiers, has been deployed in the United States as of October 1. Their stated mission is the form of crowd control they practiced in Iraq, subduing "unruly individuals," and the management of a national emergency. full story |
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It Takes a Village to Raise an Idiot:
California and Parental Rights |
For teachers unions and education bureaucrats, compulsory school attendance is a tool of social control. Educated people today seem to be embracing concepts that clearheaded philosophers of an earlier era would quickly recognize as lunacy. An interviewee of the San Francisco Chronicle has recently trotted out one of the oldest, but most disturbing ideas: that the government has a more basic claim on children than parents do. full story |
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EPA Won't Regulate Rocket Fuel Toxic in Drinking Water |
Perchlorate, a toxic component of rocket fuel that contaminates drinking water at sites in at least 35 states, will not be regulated at the national level the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has decided. The chemical has been found not only in drinking water but also in lettuce and milk. In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration reported finding perchlorate in 217 of 232 samples of milk and lettuce in 15 states. full story |
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Half of Mammals 'in Decline', Says Extinction Red List |
A comprehensive survey of mammals included in the annual report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which covers more than 44,000 animal and plant species, shows that a quarter of the planet's 5,487 known mammals are clearly at risk of disappearing forever. "In reality, the number of threatened mammals could be as high as 36 percent," said IUCN scientist Jan Schipper. full story |
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Police Train for Riot Scenarios |
Inspector Mac McGarry, of Gloucestershire Constabulary Operational Services, said: "These are very important and impactive sessions because it is essential all officers allocated to the Public Disorder Unit experience the sort of difficulties they will encounter in real-life situations. "It also gives us the chance to test the command structure we have in place and the inter-operability with other forces." full story |
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Betrayed by the Bailout: The Death of Democracy |
In '06, 9.6 million Americans had to frequently skip meals or eat too little, and often had to go without food for a whole day. Today, as members of Congress voted to reward the richest and most greedy members of our society, they ignored those without the most basic necessity for survival. This morning, they rewarded the most powerful and best-fed members of our society, and gave no thought to the helpless children who will go to bed hungry tonight. full story |
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Homeland Security's Space-Based Spying Goes Live |
National Applications Office will coordinate how domestic law enforcement and "disaster relief" agencies such as FEMA use satellite imagery intelligence (IMINT) generated by U.S. spy satellites. Based on available evidence, hard to come by since these programs are classified "above top secret," the technological power of these military assets are truly terrifying. full story |
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Northern Exposure: Sarah Palin's Toxic Paradise |
As governor of a state with a birth-defect rate that's twice the national average, and which has the gloomy status as repository of toxic chemicals from around the world, Palin has pursued environmental policies that seem perfectly crafted to swell the ranks of special-needs kids. It's true that Alaska's top leaders have placed industry wishes over environmental protection for years. But, instead of correcting this problem, she's compounded it. full story |
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Seas Turn to Acid as They Soak up CO2 |
Beneath the waves, scientists have uncovered an alarming secret. They have found streams of gas bubbling up from the seabed around the island of Ischia. 'The waters are like a Jacuzzi - there is so much CO2 fizzing up from the seabed,' said Dr Hall-Spencer. 'Millions of litres of gas bubble up every day.' The gas streams have turned Ischia's waters into acid, and this has had a major impact on sea life and aquatic plants. full story |
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People Face Critical Health Risks from Plastics |
Plastic products contain "endocrine disrupting chemicals" like phthalates used in PVC plastic, that can block the production of the male sex hormone testosterone, mimic the action of the sex hormone estrogen (bisphenol A or BPA used in polycarbonate plastic), and interfere with thyroid hormone (brominated flame retardants or PBDEs used in many types of plastic). full story |
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DHS Satellite Spy Program Going Forward Despite Objections |
After more than a year of delay, Congress quietly authorized DHS to begin sharing data gathered by military satellites with civilian and law enforcement agencies. A $634 billion spending bill signed into law earlier this week provides funds for DHS to establish the satellite surveillance program without addressing the myriad concerns about NAO privacy and civil liberties protections that had been delaying its implementation. full story |
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Expert: Iran Strike Would Cause 'Serious Depression' |
A former CIA agent and expert on Iran offered a grim assessment on Tuesday of American options in dealing with that nation, saying that "sanctions have failed," surgical strikes will lead to unacceptable retaliation against US interests. the Iranians, are going to hit Saudi oil facilities, they're going to hit tankers, they're going to hit our troops in Iraq. ... They're going to take off 17 million barrels of oil a day in the Gulf." full story |
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The Shadow of the Pitchfork: Elite
Panic Attack as Bailout Goes Bust |
The vote by the House of Representatives to defeat the Wall Street bailout plan is the first act of political courage that the Congress of the United States has mounted in the last seven years. The fact that it was due largely to right-wing Republicans afraid of going down with the sinking ship of the witless leader they have followed blindly throughout his reign is a delicious irony, but the whys and wherefores of the vote are not important. full story |
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FBI Prevents Agents from Telling 'Truth' About 9/11 on PBS |
The FBI has blocked two of its veteran counterterrorism agents from going public with accusations that the CIA deliberately withheld crucial intelligence before the 9/11 attacks. FBI Special Agents Mark Rossini and Douglas Miller have asked for permission to appear in an upcoming public television documentary, scheduled to air in January, on pre-9/11 rivalries between the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency. full story |
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Candy with Chemical in Chinese Milk Found in Connecticut |
An industrial chemical blamed for sickening thousands of infants in China was found in candy in four Connecticut stores this week, a state official said Wednesday. Days after contaminated White Rabbit Creamy Candy was found in California, Connecticut Consumer Protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell Jr. said tests found melamine in bags of the candy sold at two New Haven stores, a West Hartford and an East Haven store. full story |
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EU to Introduce Virtual Strip Searches at Airports by 2010 |
Digital body scanners which leave little to the imagination will be used by airport security on passengers travelling across the European Union within two years. Many travellers have been alarmed by the graphic nature of the black and white images body scanners generate -- including revealing outlines of genitalia -- raising concerns about privacy. full story |
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Congress Approval Rating Just 10% as
Bush Goes from 'Lame to Dead Duck' |
"Monday's crash and burn of the Paulson plan on Capitol Hill reveals a Washington elite that has earned every bit of the disdain that Americans have for it. Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives were excoriated for political cowardice, childish disputatiousness, and a selfish desire to get re-elected next month at any cost. full story |
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'Car Sleepers' the New US Homeless |
In a car park across the street from luxury mansions, the evening brings a strange sight. A few cars arrive and take up spaces in different corners. In each car, a woman, perhaps a few pets, bags of possessions and bedding. Across the street from homes with bedrooms to spare, these are Santa Barbara's car sleepers. Homeless within the last year, they are a direct consequence of America's housing market collapse. full story |
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