Mercury Of The Dead | Incestuous Innuendos of Partisan Politics is Pornographic

Metal Sphere Falls To Earth - Riacho dos Poços, Brazil

2012-02-24T16:07:00.004-06:00

RT | An identified metal sphere has plunged from the sky on unsuspecting villagers in northern Brazil, causing an uproar. According to eyewitnesses, the UFO weighs about 50 kilograms and measures roughly one meter in diameter. The sphere fell on Wednesday in a village of Riacho dos Poços in Brazilian Maranhão state. No casualties were reported apart from an unfortunate cashew tree that was severed by the object as it plunged to the ground, according to Mr. Noticias, a Mata Roma news site. Valdir José Mendes, 46, told police the sphere landed several meters from his house leaving a one-meter-deep hole in the yard.

Obama, Romney Tax Plans Are "Silly Politics"

2012-02-23T22:25:00.000-06:00

YahooNews | here has been a barrage of headlines about the tax plans released Wednesday by President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney. Obama announced closing corporate tax loopholes and lowering the rate corporations would pay from 35% to 28%. And in recent weeks Obama has indicated he'd keep the Bush tax cuts in place for most Americans and raise the effective tax rate on individuals making more than $250,000 a year. Meanwhile Romney announced cutting the individual tax rate by 20% across the board. The former Massachusetts governor was already on the record for cutting corporate tax rates form 35% to 25%. Beyond those details, we do no know much more about the plans, yet analysts and pundits have managed to scrutinize the impact each would have on individuals, corporations and the U.S. debt load.

Trillion Dollar Terror Plot Exposed

2012-02-23T15:01:00.002-06:00

VeteransToday | At surface, it appears we have stumbled upon the largest terrorist organization in the world and have found original documents tracing its funding to the Secretary of the Treasury and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, two of the top financial officers in the US. A cursory review of terrorism statues in the US indicate that all transactions we will learn about are, in fact, to be assumed “terrorist money laundering” and that the only thing preventing the immediate arrest of hundreds of top financial officials is their political connections alone. On February 16, 2012, Lord James of Blackheath, member of Britain’s House of Lords presented evidence of an illegal scheme begun in 2009. His documents show the illegal “off the books” transfer by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York of $15 trillion to HSBC London, then on to Bank Of Scotland.

How Safe Is Pastuerized Milk? The CDC Won't Tell You

2012-02-22T16:28:00.001-06:00

NaturalNews | The vaccine-pushing, disease scare-mongering agency known as the CDC has put out a stunning piece of propaganda attacking fresh milk (raw dairy), claiming it is "150 times more dangerous" than pasteurized milk. This is all part of their anti-American agenda to crush food freedom and criminalize fundamental farming practices upon which this very nation was founded. But what the CDC won't dare reveal to the public is the far more horrifying truth: Pasteurized dairy is produced in the dirtiest milk factories imaginable, where blood, pus, e.coli and other truly dangerous pathogens are routinely bottled into milk containers and fed to consumers.

You Are NOT Free To Move About The Country

2012-02-22T14:10:00.002-06:00

C4L | Did you know if your passport is damaged, you can be stopped from traveling Internationally? That happened to the Gosnell family from Denver, CO earlier this week while on their way to a family vacation in Belize. When the family attempted to board a flight in Dallas, TX, American Airline officials refused to allow Kyle Gosnell to board the flight because his passport had a small crease on the back cover and appeared weathered and worn down. KDVR in Denver reports: Ray Priest, owner of International Passport Visas in Denver, said your passport isn’t actually yours at all; it belongs to the US government. He said the issue may be with a microchip embedded in the back of all new passports. “They have no reason in the world to let you travel if it’s been damaged, It’s like cutting your photo out or something if that chip doesn’t work.”

Some Greeks Might Have To Pay For Their Jobs

2012-02-22T14:00:00.001-06:00

The Atlantic | It's being called the "negative salary": Due to austerity measures in Greece, it's being reported that up to 64,000 Greeks will go without pay this month, and some will have to pay for having a job. Numbers in austerity reports have usually reflected figures in the millions, since they reflect industry-wide cuts (i.e. a 537-million euro cut to health and pension funds). And plans of cutting minimum wage by up to 32% is all but a given in the country. Today's "negative salary" deal—which could have government employees returning funds— reveals the real human impact of the austerity measures.

10 Signs That America Is Decomposing Right In Front Of Our Eyes

2012-02-21T13:38:00.002-06:00

TruthAlliance | The decay of society is so much harder to quantify than economic decline is. The government keeps lots of statistics on things like unemployment and inflation, but it really does not keep track of how sick and twisted people are becoming. Most of us recognize that the character of the American people has changed dramatically over the decades, but unlike the national debt, you can't easily point to a chart or a graph to show exactly how bad things are getting. Our cities our decaying, thieves are becoming bolder, you never know who you can trust and everyone seems depressed. America is decomposing right in front of our eyes, and it is time that we all admitted it.

Rootworm Beetle Destroying Entire GM Monsanto Crops

2012-02-20T14:10:00.003-06:00

WakeUpWorld | Nature herself may be the best opponent of genetically modified crops and pesticides. Not only plants, but insects are also developing resistance. The Western rootworm beetle – one of the most serious threats to corn – has developed resistance to Monsanto’s Bt-corn, and entire crops are being lost. Farmers from several Midwest states began reporting root damage to corn that was specifically engineered with a toxin to kill the rootworm. Iowa State University entomologist Aaron Gassmann recently confirmed that the beetle, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, has developed resistance to the Bt protein, Cry3Bb1. Two-thirds of all US corn is genetically modified per the USDA, and the bulk of that is Bt-corn.

SOPA Author Lamar Smith's New Internet Surveillance Bill Intensifies Threats to Online Privacy

2012-02-20T14:01:00.005-06:00

IB Times | Following the massive world-wide protests over the Internet in January, the infamous SOPA and PIPA are mostly dead with the author Lamar Smith saying he won't take the bill up in committee until a "wider agreement on a solution" is reached. While people have been celebrating the victory over SOPA and PIPA, here's what has managed to slip by relatively unobserved, until now. A bill, titled H.R. 1981, "Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act of 2011," is being sponsored by Lamar Smith and is considered to be a wide-ranging Internet surveillance bill with many other domineering attempts by the government to invade privacy and control the Internet.

NYPD Stalked Muslim Students All Over Northeast

2012-02-18T16:17:00.005-06:00

AP | The New York Police Department monitored Muslim college students far more broadly than previously known, at schools far beyond the city limits, including the elite Ivy League colleges of Yale and the University of Pennsylvania, The Associated Press has learned. Police talked with local authorities about professors 300 miles away in Buffalo and even sent an undercover agent on a whitewater rafting trip, where he recorded students' names and noted in police intelligence files how many times they prayed. Detectives trawled Muslim student websites every day and, although professors and students had not been accused of any wrongdoing, their names were recorded in reports prepared for Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

Federal Agent Opened Fire During Job Performance Discussion

2012-02-17T23:02:00.001-06:00

AP | LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — It had all the ingredients of workplace violence: a manager, an angry employee, a discussion about job performance and at least one gun. But in this case, both people were federal agents. And when gunfire erupted in a government office building, a third agent drew his handgun and took out the shooter, helping save the manager's life. Investigators on Friday were still piecing together the details of Thursday's chaotic scene at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Long Beach. The confrontation apparently began during a discussion involving Kevin Kozak, the agency's second-in-command for the Los Angeles area, and a lower-ranking supervisor agent named Ezequiel Garcia.At some point, the discussion escalated, and Garcia pulled out his weapon and fired. Kozak was hit six times, in the upper torso, legs and hands. He was hospitalized in stable condition but was alert and talking.

Harvard's New Rapid-Production Micro Insects

2012-02-15T18:02:00.002-06:00

Physorg | Devised by engineers at Harvard, the ingenious layering and folding process enables the rapid fabrication of not just microrobots, but a broad range of electromechanical devices. In prototypes, 18 layers of carbon fiber, Kapton (a plastic film), titanium, brass, ceramic, and adhesive sheets have been laminated together in a complex, laser-cut design. The structure incorporates flexible hinges that allow the three-dimensional product—just 2.4 millimeters tall—to assemble in one movement, like a pop-up book. The entire product is approximately the size of a U.S. quarter, and dozens of these microrobots could be fabricated in parallel on a single sheet. "This takes what is a craft, an artisanal process, and transforms it for automated mass production," says Pratheev Sreetharan, who co-developed the technique with J. Peter Whitney. Both are doctoral candidates at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Obama's New Budget Will Put Americans In The Poor House, Increase Debt $3.6 Trillion

2012-02-14T14:03:00.001-06:00

The Examiner | How credible is President Obama on taxes and spending? In recent days, he's repeatedly condemned the "fact" that billionaire investor Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than does his secretary. So in the 2013 budget proposal Obama unveiled yesterday, he proposes a new millionaires tax to make sure people like Buffett pay their "fair share." But guess what we find when we look a little closer at the president's tax proposals, as former New York Sun managing editor and current futureofcapitalism.com blogger Ira Stoll did? We find a bottom-line tax cut for Buffett worth an estimated $1.1 billion. Let there be no further denials that Obama is practicing precisely the demagoguery of a class warrior.

Eisenhower Had Meetings With Alien Beings, Claims Fmr Pentagon Consultant

2012-02-14T13:55:00.004-06:00

DailyMail | Former American President Dwight D. Eisenhower had three secret meetings with aliens, a former US government consultant has claimed. The 34th President of the United States met the extra terrestrials at a remote air base in New Mexico in 1954, according to lecturer and author Timothy Good. Eisenhower and other FBI officials are said to have organised the showdown with the space creatures by sending out 'telepathic messages.' The two parties finally met up on three separate occasions at the Holloman Air Force base and there were 'many witnesses'. Conspiracy theorists have circulated increased rumours in recent months that the meeting between the Commander-in-Chief and people from another planet took place. But the claims from Mr Good, a former U.S. Congress and Pentagon consultant, are the first to be made publicly by a prominent academic. Speaking on Frank Skinner's BBC2 current affairs show Opinionated, he said that governments around the world have been in regular contact with aliens for many decades.

GOP Puppets Vow To Enforce Federal Obscenity Laws

2012-02-13T21:59:00.004-06:00

Reason | Morality in Media (MIM) is pleased to announce that "three of the leading GOP 2012 Presidential candidates have made statements committing to enforce existing federal obscenity laws if they are elected." The Justice Department's decision to focus on child pornography, rather than sexual material produced by and for consenting adults, has been one of the few bright spots in the Obama administration's civil liberties record. But those priorities anger social conservatives who think any porn that is sufficiently icky, whether or not its production violates someone's rights, should be punished by prison. Last spring 42 senators urged the Justice Department "vigorously to enforce federal obscenity laws against major commercial distributors of hardcore adult pornography." MIM notes that three Republican presidential candidates have promised to do just that if elected

TPP Negotiators Meet With MPAA In Hollywood Hotel, Public Interest Groups Banned

2012-02-09T15:19:00.002-06:00

techdirty | We've been talking about the ridiculous levels of secrecy around the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) agreement -- a trade agreement that is being designed to push through basically everything that Hollywood wants in international copyright law. Last week, we mentioned that various civil society groups were planning to hold an open meeting about TPP in the same hotel where the negotiations were being held (in Hollywood, of course). However, it appears that once the USTR found out about this, it got the hotel to cancel the group's reservation at the hotel. According to Sean Flynn, the Associate Director of the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property (PIJIP) at American University - The public interest briefing was booked last week and advertised to all delegations, including the host USTR. An hour after the invitation was sent, we received a cancellation of our venue by the hotel.

Obama Appoints New ICE 'Public Advocate'

2012-02-08T20:44:00.001-06:00

Immigration911 | ICE announced yesterday that they have created a new Public Advocate position to “serve as a point of contact for individuals, including those in immigration proceedings, non-governmental organizations and other community and advocacy groups, who have concerns, questions, recommendations or other issues they would like to raise.” According to ICE, in his new role as Public Advocate, Lorenzen-Strait will report to the Enforcement and Removal Operation’s (EPO) chief and be responsible for Assisting individuals and community stakeholders in addressing and resolving complaints and concerns in accordance with agency policies and operations, particularly concerns related to ICE enforcement actions involving U.S. citizens; Informing stakeholders on ERO policies, programs and initiatives, and enhance understanding of ERO’s mission and core values...

FBI: Bulk Buying & Paying With Cash a Potential Terrorist Activity

2012-02-08T16:14:00.003-06:00

PrisonPlanet | As part of its effort to encourage business owners to spy on their customers, the FBI has labeled the bulk purchase of food as a potential indication of terrorist activity, despite the fact that FEMA itself last year purchased $1 billion dollars worth of storable food. A flyer aimed at Military Surplus stores produced under the auspices of the FBI’s Communities Against Terrorism project, encourages owners to report people who “make bulk purchases of items to include….meals ready to eat”. According to the flyer, the FBI advises store owners to demand ID’s from all new customers, as well as asking them questions about their purchase and being aware of “suspicious statements”. The flyer also characterizes paying with cash or “demanding identity privacy” as an indication of terrorism.

US Drones Get Ok'd By Congress

2012-02-08T16:04:00.000-06:00

Washington Times | Look! Up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It’s … a drone, and it’s watching you. That’s what privacy advocates fear from a bill Congress passed this week to make it easier for the government to fly unmanned spy planes in U.S. airspace. The FAA Reauthorization Act, which President Obama is expected to sign, also orders the Federal Aviation Administration to develop regulations for the testing and licensing of commercial drones by 2015. Privacy advocates say the measure will lead to widespread use of drones for electronic surveillance by police agencies across the country and eventually by private companies as well. “There are serious policy questions on the horizon about privacy and surveillance, by both government agencies and commercial entities,” said Steven Aftergood, who heads the Project on Government Secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists.

Susan G Komen Foundation Under Scrutiny For Research Funding

2012-02-08T14:13:00.001-06:00

Reuters | The Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity defines its mission as finding a cure for breast cancer. In recent years, however, it has cut by nearly half the proportion of fund-raising dollars it spends on grants to scientists working to understand the causes and develop effective new treatments for the disease. While the absolute dollar amount of those grants has steadily grown, it has not kept pace with the surge in donations Komen has received, a Reuters analysis of the group's financial statements shows. Komen has come under heavy public scrutiny since it moved last week to cut funding to Planned Parenthood, a women's health network that provides birth control, abortions and other services. Although it reversed that decision on Friday, the outcry has prompted a closer look from activists, media and lawmakers.

Argentinian President Denounces UK Militarization Of Atlantic

2012-02-07T19:05:00.003-06:00

CNN | Amid escalating tensions over the Falkland Islands, Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner accused Great Britain of militarizing the South Atlantic and said Tuesday her country would file a protest at the United Nations. "I have instructed our chancellor to formally present before the U.N. Security Council and the U.N. General Assembly this militarization of the South Atlantic, which implies a great risk for international safety," she said during a speech in Buenos Aires. "We're going to file a protest," Fernandez added. Speculation in recent days had been that she would cut the Falklands air link to the South American mainland by banning the airline LAN Chile from using Argentinian airspace to fly to the islands from Chile. The Saturday flights are the only scheduled air service to the Falklands and carry fresh food as well as passengers.

US Tightens Sanctions On Iran Gov't & Central Bank

2012-02-06T14:36:00.003-06:00

BBC News | US President Barack Obama has placed stricter sanctions on Iran's government, including its central bank. In an executive order, Mr Obama said he was freezing all Iranian government assets held or traded in the US. On Sunday, Mr Obama said the US and Israel were "in lockstep" in their policy towards Iran. Concerns have grown in Israel and the West that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, although Tehran says its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful. The new US sanctions include blocks on the Central Bank of Iran, imposed "in light of the deceptive practices" the bank to conceal transactions already banned by previous sanctions. The curbs were also prompted by Iran's "deficient" efforts to combat money-laundering, the executive order said.

2012 and Electromagnetic Effects on Consciousness

2012-02-04T15:11:00.005-06:00

Dieter Broers | David Samuels from Israel's Weizmann Institute has estimated that the brain's basic range of activities is driven by between 100,000 and 1 billion different chemical reactions every minute. The average human brain contains a minimum of 10 billion individual neurons or nerve cells -- a figure that is even more astounding when you stop to think that each neuron can interact with many other neurons. In 1974 neurophysiologists discovered that some 10800 (10 to the 800th) interconnections come into play in this regard. The magnitude of this capacity is comparable with the following cosmic facts and figures: inasmuch as the atom is the smallest unit in the universe and the universe itself the largest, it is estimated that the universe contains a total of 1080 (10 to the 80th) atoms. In other words, the number of interactions in the human brain far exceeds the number of atoms in the universe. (excerpted from Revolution 2012 by Dieter Broers First English language edition 2010 ©2010 Scorpio Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin • Munich Translation by Robert Nusbaum.)

How to File a Complaint with the Federal Trade Commission

2012-02-02T20:46:00.006-06:00

Student Faces Town’s Wrath in Protest Against a Prayer

2012-01-27T16:32:00.005-06:00

New York Times | She is 16, the daughter of a firefighter and a nurse, a self-proclaimed nerd who loves Harry Potter and Facebook. But Jessica Ahlquist is also an outspoken atheist who has incensed this heavily Roman Catholic city with a successful lawsuit to get a prayer removed from the wall of her high school auditorium, where it has hung for 49 years. A federal judge ruled this month that the prayer’s presence at Cranston High School West was unconstitutional, concluding that it violated the principle of government neutrality in religion. In the weeks since, residents have crowded school board meetings to demand an appeal, Jessica has received online threats and the police have escorted her at school, and Cranston, a dense city of 80,000 just south of Providence, has throbbed with raw emotion.