Archive for the 'Elite' Category
Here Come the Unregulated GMOs
April 18th, 2016Via: MIT Technology Review: People are arguing about whether genetically modified foods should carry labels. But the next generation of GMOs might not only be unlabeled—they might be unregulated. Over at Scientific American you can read a 6,000-word story about how one such plant, a GM mushroom, was created. The short version is that a […]
Saudis Threaten to Sell $750 Billion in U.S. Treasuries Over 9/11 Bill
April 17th, 2016The word, “Bush” doesn’t appear in this piece even once. And what is Marvin up to these days? Via: New York Times: Saudi Arabia has told the Obama administration and members of Congress that it will sell off hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of American assets held by the kingdom if Congress passes a […]
When Lobbying Was Illegal
April 16th, 2016Via: Priceonomics: Wouldn’t it be nice if lobbying were illegal? It’s a tempting thought. But it seems impossible. Lobbying is a multi-billion dollar industry and an accepted—if hated—part of American politics. American courts have ruled that lobbying is constitutionally protected free speech, and lawyers and laymen alike generally accept this. The same is true of […]
Bernie Earned Less in Year than Hillary Made in Single Speech
April 15th, 2016Via: Weekly Standard: Bernie Sanders reportedly earned just over $200,000 in 2014. That same year, Hillary Clinton, Sanders’s top Democratic rival, gave about 45 paid speeches, many of which paid her more in a single hour than Sanders made the entire year. The Washington Post reports on Sanders’s income. “The senator from Vermont reported income […]
The Plan to Send Featherweight Robotic Spacecraft to the Nearest Star at One-Fifth of the Speed of Light
April 13th, 2016100 billion-watt laser??? Via: Guardian: In an unprecedented boost for interstellar travel, the Silicon Valley philanthropist Yuri Milner and the world’s most famous cosmologist Stephen Hawking have announced $100m (£70m) for research into a 20-year voyage to the nearest stars, at one fifth of the speed of light. Breakthrough Starshot – the third Breakthrough initiative […]
Swiss Banker Whistleblower: CIA Behind Panama Papers
April 12th, 2016Via: CNBC: Bradley Birkenfeld is the most significant financial whistleblower of all time, so you might think he’d be cheering on the disclosures in the new Panama Papers leaks. But today, Birkenfeld is raising questions about the source of the information that is shaking political regimes around the world. Birkenfeld, an American citizen, was a […]
Goldman Sachs to Pay $5 Billion in Damages Over Mortgage Bond Swindling
April 11th, 2016Via: Reuters: Goldman Sachs Group Inc has agreed to pay $5.06 billion to settle claims that it misled mortgage bond investors during the financial crisis, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Monday. The settlement, which Goldman disclosed in January, stems from the firm’s conduct in its packaging, securitization, marketing and sale of residential mortgage-backed […]
The Sugar Conspiracy
April 7th, 2016Via: Guardian: In 2008, researchers from Oxford University undertook a Europe-wide study of the causes of heart disease. Its data shows an inverse correlation between saturated fat and heart disease, across the continent. France, the country with the highest intake of saturated fat, has the lowest rate of heart disease; Ukraine, the country with the […]
The Panama Papers: Massive Leak About Shell Companies Operated Through Law Firm Mossack Fonseca
April 3rd, 2016The media organizations involved with this story want to present it as an endless drip of information for as long as possible. Here are a few portals to begin with: Süddeutsche Zeitung Guardian The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists If you want a single story summary of what this is, see, What Are the Panama […]
Saudi Arabia Plans $2 Trillion Megafund for Post-Oil Era
April 1st, 2016Via: Bloomberg: Saudi Arabia is getting ready for the twilight of the oil age by creating the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund for the kingdom’s most prized assets. Over a five-hour conversation, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman laid out his vision for the Public Investment Fund, which will eventually control more than $2 trillion […]
