Archive for December, 2012
U.S. Air Force X-37B Returns to Orbit
December 12th, 2012Via: NBC: An Atlas 5 rocket sent the Air Force’s X-37B mini-shuttle on its first repeat flight on Tuesday, kicking off a months-long classified mission reportedly aimed at testing advanced spy satellite sensors.
More Fed Pumping
December 12th, 2012Who needs the Chinese to buy this stuff? Not the Fed. Via: Bloomberg: The Federal Reserve will amplify record accommodation tomorrow by announcing $45 billion in monthly Treasury buying that will push its balance sheet almost to $4 trillion, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists. Forty-eight of 49 economists predict the Federal Open Market […]
U.S. Providing Syrian Rebels with Training on ‘How to Secure Chemical Weapons’
December 12th, 2012Via: CNN: The United States and some European allies are using defense contractors to train Syrian rebels on how to secure chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria, a senior U.S. official and several senior diplomats told CNN Sunday. The training, which is taking place in Jordan and Turkey, involves how to monitor and secure stockpiles and […]
U.S. Recognizes Syrian Opposition Group
December 12th, 2012The blowback from this one is going to be interesting. Via: ABC: In a diplomatic shift, President Obama said today his administration now formally recognizes the newly-formed, leading coalition of Syrian rebels who are fighting to topple Syria’s embattled President Bashar Assad. “We’ve made a decision that the Syrian Opposition Coalition is now inclusive enough, […]
HSBC Said to Near $1.9 Billion Settlement Over Money Laundering
December 10th, 2012Via: New York Times: Federal and state authorities plan to announce a record $1.9 billion settlement with HSBC on Tuesday, a major victory in the government’s broad crackdown on money laundering at banks. The settlement with HSBC stems from accusations that the British banking giant transferred billions of dollars on behalf of sanctioned nations like […]
Public Buses Across Country Quietly Adding Microphones to Record Passenger Conversations
December 10th, 2012Via: Wired: Transit authorities in cities across the country are quietly installing microphone-enabled surveillance systems on public buses that would give them the ability to record and store private conversations, according to documents obtained by a news outlet.
Eurozone Crisis Has Pushed Millions Into Poverty
December 10th, 2012Via: AFP: Crushed by an austerity squeeze and towering unemployment, millions of Europeans joined the ranks of the newly poor in 2012 in a crisis that showed no mercy for the old, women or children. An arc of misery spread pitilessly across southern Europe’s middle classes, engulfing bailed-out nations Greece and Portugal and tottering heavyweights […]
Egypt’s Army Given Power to Arrest Civilians
December 10th, 2012Via: AFP: President Mohamed Morsi has ordered Egypt’s army from Monday to take on police powers — including the right to arrest civilians — in the run-up to a divisive constitutional referendum that has triggered mass street protests. The decree, published in the government gazette, takes effect on the eve of mass rival protests on […]
Over 1 Million Americans Enter Poverty In Last Two Months
December 10th, 2012Via: ZeroHedge: And we thought last month’s delayed foodstamp data was bad. The just reported foodstamp number for September was a doozy, with 607,544 new Americans becoming eligible for foodstamps, as a record 47.7 million Americans are now living in poverty at least according to the USDA. The monthly increase was the highest since May […]
Insecticide Use on Planes
December 10th, 2012A reader reported that, during a flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, the cabin crew sprayed insecticide throughout the cabin. While this was a genuine WTF moment for me, I asked my wife about it, who has flown much more than I have, and she had experienced it on a flight from Australia to New […]
