Archive for January, 2010
Move Your Money (Out of Giant Vampire Squid Banks)
January 13th, 2010Via: Move Your Money: People all over the country are choosing to move their money out of bigger banks and into smaller, community-oriented financial institutions that generally avoided the reckless investments and schemes that helped cause the financial crisis. Fueled by the personal initiatives of thousands, it’s a grassroots effort that has the potential to […]
Monsanto’s GM Corn Damages Organs: A Comparison of the Effects of Three GM Corn Varieties on Mammalian Health
January 13th, 2010Via: International Journal of Biological Sciences: We present for the first time a comparative analysis of blood and organ system data from trials with rats fed three main commercialized genetically modified (GM) maize (NK 603, MON 810, MON 863), which are present in food and feed in the world. NK 603 has been modified to […]
North Carolina Port Shut Down After Explosives Leak
January 13th, 2010Does this make sense to anyone? The accident occurred about 4:40 a.m., when a forklift operator punctured a container, putting holes in nine 110-pound drums containing PETN, according to Scott Hembrook, a Coast Guard Sector North spokesman. Via: New York Times: An early morning accident at the port in Morehead City spilled as many as […]
Google Considers Pulling Out of China and Will Provide Uncensored Search Results in Wake of Chinese Information Warfare Operations
January 13th, 2010Via: GoogleBlog: These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered–combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web–have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on […]
SEC Orders AIG Bailout Details Sealed Until 2018
January 13th, 2010Via: Reuters: It could take until November 2018 to get the full story behind the U.S. bailout of insurance giant American International Group (AIG.N) because of an action taken last year by the Securities and Exchange Commission. In May, the SEC approved a request by AIG to keep secret an exhibit to a year-old regulatory […]
Federal Reserve Seeks to Protect U.S. Bailout Secrets
January 12th, 2010Via: Bloomberg: The Federal Reserve asked a U.S. appeals court to block a ruling that for the first time would force the central bank to reveal secret identities of financial firms that might have collapsed without the largest government bailout in U.S. history. The U.S. Court of Appeals in Manhattan will decide whether the Fed […]
IRS Commissioner Doesn’t File His Own Taxes; Tax Code Too Complex
January 12th, 2010Via: The Hill: IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman does not file his own taxes in part because he believes the tax code is complex. During an interview on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” program that aired on Sunday, Shulman said he uses a tax preparer for his own returns. “I’ve used one for years. I find it convenient. I […]
Israeli Military Robots
January 12th, 2010Via: Wall Street Journal: Israel is developing an army of robotic fighting machines that offers a window onto the potential future of warfare. Sixty years of near-constant war, a low tolerance for enduring casualties in conflict, and its high-tech industry have long made Israel one of the world’s leading innovators of military robotics. “We’re trying […]
Obama Establishes Council of Governors Via Executive Order: “Synchronization and Integration of State and Federal Military Activities in the United States”
January 12th, 2010How many FEMA regions are there? You guessed it: 10. Now, from the text of the executive order, “The Council shall consist of 10 State Governors appointed by the President.” Here are some other interesting bits: Sec. 2. Functions. The Council shall meet at the call of the Secretary of Defense or the Co-Chairs of […]
Italy: Race Riots
January 12th, 2010Via: New York Times: More than a thousand African workers were put aboard buses and trains in the southern Italian region of Calabria over the weekend and shipped out to immigrant detention centers, following some of the country’s worst riots in years. The clashes began Thursday night in Rosarno, a working-class city amid citrus groves […]
