Archive for March, 2013
National Planning Cyprus-Style Solution for New Zealand Banks
March 19th, 2013We have always assumed that a total loss of deposits was possible with New Zealand banks. So, *meh* Via: Green Party: The National Government is pushing a Cyprus-style solution to bank failure in New Zealand which will see small depositors lose some of their savings to fund big bank bailouts, the Green Party said today. […]
New Zealand: Possible GM Outbreak at Lincoln University Investigated
March 19th, 2013Via: New Zealand Herald: The Government is investigating a potential outbreak of genetically modified fungus at Lincoln University. Two secured laboratories and a greenhouse have been locked down as the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) checks the biological scare. Lincoln University researchers informed MPI and the Environmental Protection Agency on March 7 that it had […]
Infections With ‘Nightmare Bacteria’ Are On The Rise In U.S. Hospitals
March 19th, 2013Almost as an afterthought, this sentence closes out the piece: And doctors have to use antibiotics more carefully to prevent more germs from developing into dangerous superbugs. So, in other news, The Insane Overuse of Antibiotics in Industrial Meat Production and FDA Won’t Regulate Use of Antibiotics in Healthy Livestock Intended for Human Consumption. And […]
‘How did the chair of the House ethics committee end up on a corporate-backed African safari?’
March 19th, 2013Via: Mother Jones: In August 2012, as most members of Congress were hitting the campaign trail, three Republican lawmakers were enjoying an all-expenses-paid retreat at Ol Jogi, a private 66,000-acre ranch in Kenya’s lush highlands. This “African Versailles” features a golf course, racetrack, dozens of man-made lakes, around 120 miles of road, more than 200 […]
Risks of MRI Dye Omniscan? ‘Burn the Data’
March 19th, 2013Via: ProPublica: In 1994, a scientist studying her company’s new medical imaging dye reached troubling findings. Her boss, she recalls, told her to “burn the data.” That alleged request surfaced this week in a groundbreaking trial over the dye, which is injected into patients to sharpen MRI scans and has been owned since 2004 by […]
Everything We Know About What Data Brokers Know About You
March 19th, 2013Via: ProPublica: Data companies are scooping up enormous amounts of information about almost every American. They sell information about whether you’re pregnant or divorced or trying to lose weight, about how rich you are and what kinds of cars you have. Regulators and some in Congress have been taking a closer look at these so-called […]
Cyprus Considers Zero Tax on Smaller Bank Deposits; All Banks Remain Closed
March 19th, 2013Via: BBC: The Cyprus finance ministry suggests savers holding less than 20,000 euros (£17,000) would be exempt from a bank levy which has caused much alarm. Amounts between 20,000 and 100,000 euros would face a 6.75% tax. The levy on savings above 100,000 would remain at 9.9%. The levy has enraged Cypriots. The earlier plan […]
‘Why the Cyprus Bail In Is a Bigger Deal Than You Think’
March 19th, 2013Via: Yahoo Finance: So, assuming Cyprus’s government approves the deal (still pending–with the vote now postponed until Wednesday), depositors will have some of their money seized. Now, half of these depositors are said to be Russian oligarchs and other non-residents. And unless you happen to have the misfortune of having an account in a Cyprus […]
Poor Often Don’t Have Legal Representation in Court
March 18th, 2013Via: New York Times: Today, many states and counties do not offer lawyers to the poor in major civil disputes, and in some criminal ones as well. Those states that do are finding that more people than ever are qualifying for such help, making it impossible to keep up with the need. The result is […]
Lockheed Martin Developing Desalination Method That Uses Much Less Energy Than Reverse Osmosis
March 18th, 2013Via: Reuters: A defense contractor better known for building jet fighters and lethal missiles says it has found a way to slash the amount of energy needed to remove salt from seawater, potentially making it vastly cheaper to produce clean water at a time when scarcity has become a global security issue. The process, officials […]
