Archive for December, 2010
Slumtube
December 19th, 2010Via: Inhabitat: Remember the efficient and affordable Pallet House from last spring? Well designers Andreas Claus Schnetzer and Pils Gregor have bested their original design with an even lower-cost shipping pallet home that was completed this year in South Africa. The ‘Slumtube’ utilizes discarded pallets along with other local materials like clay and straw to […]
Overstock Accuses Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch of Racketeering
December 19th, 2010Via: Reuters: Overstock.com Inc plans to amend a lawsuit it filed in early 2007 to include racketeering claims against Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch, the online retailer said on Thursday. The original lawsuit, filed in the California superior court in San Francisco, alleged that Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Bank of America’s Merrill Lynch unit […]
Pfizer Targeted Nigerian Attorney General to Undermine Suit Over Fatal Drug Tests
December 17th, 2010Via: Democracy Now: Diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks show the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer hired investigators to find evidence of corruption against the Nigerian attorney general to pressure him to drop a $6 billion lawsuit over fraudulent drug tests on Nigerian children. Researchers did not obtain signed consent forms, and medical personnel said Pfizer did not […]
CIA Gave Torturers $5 Million Legal Shield
December 17th, 2010Via: AP: The CIA agreed to cover at least $5 million in legal fees for two contractors who were the architects of the agency’s interrogation program and personally conducted dozens of waterboarding sessions on terror detainees, former U.S. officials said. The secret agreement means taxpayers are paying to defend the men in a federal investigation […]
U.S. and Canada Planning North American Perimeter
December 17th, 2010Via: National Post: The Conservative government is set to announce a landmark security and trade deal with the United States, designed to create a perimeter around North America and allow people and goods to flow more freely across the border. Sources suggested that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama will sign the broad-ranging […]
Ireland’s Credit Rating Cut Five Levels by Moody’s With a Negative Outlook
December 17th, 2010Via: Bloomberg: Ireland’s credit rating was cut five levels by Moody’s Investors Service and further downgrades are possible as the government struggles to contain losses in the country’s banking system. The rating was lowered to Baa1 from Aa2, Moody’s said in an e-mailed statement from London today. That’s three levels above non-investment grade and the […]
Nashville: Sheriff Rolls Out Mobile Booking Unit
December 17th, 2010Via: WSNV: The Davidson County Sheriff’s Office has a new mobile booking unit. It’s a bus bought and outfitted with a $300,000 grant from the state to help police officers get back on the street more quickly after an arrest. … But there’s a missing step that’s causing some concern: the officer never appears before […]
Food Price Inflation
December 17th, 2010Via: San Francisco Chronicle: For the first time since 2008, inflation is hitting consumers in the stomach. Grocery prices grew by more than 1 1/2 times the overall rate of inflation this year, outpaced only by costs of transportation and medical care, according to numbers released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists […]
There Are Now Enough Vacant Properties In China To House Over Half Of America
December 17th, 2010Via: Business Insider: Property stocks in China were weak today due to media reports that the Beijing and Shanghai authorities were investigating the high vacancy rate for Chinese property. Markets are worried they’ll be shocked by what they discover and clamp down on speculation even harder than they have. How large might the vacancy problem […]
Vi Hart
December 17th, 2010Vi Hart might be interesting for Cryptogon homeschoolers out there.
