Archive for the 'Economy' Category
Heroin a Growing Threat Across USA, Police Say
April 17th, 2014In other news, Afghanistan Opium Harvest at Record High: Afghan opium cultivation has reached a record level, with more than 200,000 hectares planted with the poppy for the first time, the United Nations says. The UNODC report said the harvest was 36% up on last year, and if fully realised would outstrip global demand. Most […]
TurboTax Maker Linked to ‘Grassroots’ Campaign Against Free, Simple Tax Filing
April 16th, 2014Via: ProPublica: Intuit and its allies are continuing to work against proposals for what’s known as return-free filing.
The Guardian Launches Small-Run Newspaper in U.S. — Stories Picked by Machine
April 16th, 2014Via: Venture Beat: The Guardian is bringing automated content-curation to U.S. newsstands using some tried and true technology: the print newspaper. The U.K.-based newspaper will launch a monthly print edition in the U.S. on Wednesday dubbed #Open001, filled with stories selected by a proprietary algorithm. The Guardian has already tested the waters with roboticcally compiled […]
Young Children Experiencing Developmental Problems Related to Use of Mobile Devices
April 15th, 2014Via: Telegraph: Rising numbers of infants lack the motor skills needed to play with building blocks because of an “addiction” to tablet computers and smartphones, according to teachers. Many children aged just three or four can “swipe a screen” but have little or no dexterity in their fingers after spending hours glued to iPads, it […]
Florida: Coast Guard in Miami Beach Unloads Bales of Cocaine with a Street Value of About $350 Million
April 15th, 2014The 80-pound bricks, which were seized in two separate cases in Southwestern Caribbean waters, were handed over to federal agents and will be destroyed. *wink* Ah well, at least they didn’t need U.S. Air Force transports this time. Via: Miami Herald: Wearing protective gloves and masks, members of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Legare carried […]
Google Buys Drone Maker Titan Aerospace
April 14th, 2014Via: CNN: Get ready for Google drones. The technology company announced Monday that it has acquired Titan Aerospace, a start-up founded in 2012 that makes high-altitude, solar-powered drones. The purchase is part of the new push in Silicon Valley to find ways of delivering Internet service to underserved areas, particularly in the developing world. “Titan […]
Europe’s Top Banks Cut 80,000 More Staff
April 13th, 2014Ah yes, it’s nearly time for riot season in Europe. Via: Reuters: Europe’s largest banks cut their staff by another 3.5 percent last year and the prospect of a return to pre-crisis employment levels seems far off, despite the region’s fledgling economic recovery. Spurred into action by falling revenue, mounting losses and the need to […]
Goldman Sachs Steals Open Source Code, Jails Coder
April 13th, 2014This is an excerpt from, Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis. Via: Cryptome: He didn’t fully understand how Goldman could think it was okay to benefit so greatly from the work of others and then behave so selfishly toward them. “You don’t create intellectual property,” he said. “You create a program that […]
‘The Astounding Conspiracy Theories of Wall Street Genius Mark Gorton’
April 12th, 2014Via: Gawker: This week, we were forwarded documents that Gorton was sending out to employees at Tower Research. These documents—embedded at the bottom of this post—are essays by Mark Gorton, laying out his theories on the secret high-level murderous criminal “Cabal” that is responsible for, among other things, the JFK and RFK assassinations, the presidential […]
SEC Trial Lawyer: Agency’s Penalties Have Become, “At Most a Tollbooth on the Bankster Turnpike”
April 11th, 2014Via: Bloomberg: A trial attorney from the Securities and Exchange Commission said his bosses were too “tentative and fearful” to bring many Wall Street leaders to heel after the 2008 credit crisis, echoing the regulator’s outside critics. James Kidney, who joined the SEC in 1986 and retired this month, offered the critique in a speech […]
