Monday, January 26, 2015
Millions of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Could Be Released in Florida
Scientists could release millions of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys in an attempt to kill off insects that spread the diseases dengue and chikungunya — if their proposal wins regulatory approval.Source
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Op-Ed The Trans-Pacific Partnership won't deliver jobs or curb China's power
As counselor to the secretary of Commerce in the Reagan administration, I was involved in a number of trade negotiations, including the so-called MOSS (market-oriented sector-selective) talks. Some veteran negotiators waggishly renamed those negotiations — to paraphrase in family friendly terms — “more of the same old stuff.” And that's what President Obama called for in his State of the Union proposal for completion and adoption of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement, or TPP, for the Asia-Pacific region.
The president, unfortunately, doesn't know much about the history of U.S. trade deals, but his proposals are being touted by many who do and who should know better about this one.
Analysis: Secret Israeli-Saudi ties likely to continue despite Abdullah's death
This kind of article wouldn't appear in the U.S. press. There is no debate about our relationship with Israel in America. Any paper that wrote an article like this might be accused of being anti-Israel, or worse:
The tacit security and intelligence cooperation that has come to characterize Israel’s clandestine relationship with Saudi Arabia is likely to remain intact even as the House of Saud undergoes a transition of power following Thursday’s passing of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud.
“The changes that the Middle East has experienced in recent years have created a set of joint interests between the two countries,” said Dr. Michal Yaari, an expert on Saudi foreign policy and a lecturer at the Open University.
Barrett Brown Conviction Part of Reign of Terror Against Hacktivists
While the U.S. government is free to break into computers and networks--illegally--all others who do the same are treated like al Qaeda terrorists. It's all about power. We don't have it and the government does. And if you complain about it you will go to jail. Thank goodness that there are those--like Brown and Edward Snowden--willing to risk their lives so that we live free:
...Barrett Brown is nonetheless the latest victim of what advocate and lawyer Gráinne O’Neill has dubbed “the nerd scare”: Over the past couple of years, scores of hackers have been arrested in a single, unprecedented, cohesive swoop—and largely in direct retaliation to politically motivated hacks, such as those organized by the collective Anonymous. These hacks are not about getting rich—they are digital direct action intended to increase transparency and to protest censorship and corruption.
Man Acquitted of Stabbing a Police Officer, Juror says he Was “Protecting his Family
A Texas man has been acquitted after being accused of stabbing a police officer during a violent confrontation with six “amped up” police officers.
A jury of seven women and five men cleared Shane French, 38, of four counts of assaulting a peace officer and three counts of resisting arrest. After the incident in February, French was originally charged with attempted murder.
Pope Francis Wants All Annulments To Be Free
source
Pope Francis on Friday (Jan. 23) warned the Vatican’s top marriage judges that they should not “lock the salvation of persons within the straits of legalism” and indicated he wants the church to no longer charge for the sometimes onerous and expensive annulment process.
“This is a point I want to emphasize: the sacraments are free,” Francis told jurists of the Roman Rota, the church’s final court of appeals for annulments.
“The sacraments give us grace,” he said. “And a marriage proceeding” — like an annulment — “touches on the sacrament of marriage.”
“How I wish all marriage proceedings were free of charge!” he added.
Netanyahu 'spat in our face,' White House officials said to say
This demonstrates what little respect foreign leaders have for this President. And that's very dangerous. It's also shows that Republicans will do anything to attack Obama. There whole agenda is to attack this President. If the Democrats had done the same thing to a Republican President they would be screaming "treason."
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Conservatives At Iowa Freedom Summit Would Rather Not Talk About Gay Marriage
Many topics animated GOP officials, activists and operatives that gathered at Saturday's Iowa Freedom Summit, which marked the unofficial start of the 2016 presidential primary.
But an issue that once faced vehement opposition within the party -- gay marriage -- remained conspicuously absent from the lips of many speakers who took the stage, demonstrating how dramatically politics around the issue has shifted in just a few years.
More homeless camps are appearing beyond downtown L.A.'s skid row
Over the last two years, street encampments have jumped their historic boundaries in downtown Los Angeles, lining freeways and filling underpasses from Echo Park to South Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a city-county agency, received 767 calls about street encampments in 2014, up 60% from the 479 in 2013.Some residents believe the city is exporting its downtown homeless problem to their neighborhoods. But social service agencies and volunteers say it isn't that simple. They say that although downtown development and skid row cleanups are squeezing out some homeless people, many camps are filled with locals.
Man Accused of Taking His Dead Mother’s Body to Bank to Withdraw Money
Not cool:
A Minnesota man has been accused of taking his mother’s dead body to the bank to withdraw her money hours before he reported her dead. Plymouth County authorities are already investigating David Vanzo for elderly neglect and financial exploitation of his mother.
But Vanzo says he did nothing wrong and denies the allegation.
“My mother and I had an agreement,” he told a KMSP reporter. “I took care of my mom for years. I’m the good guy here, not the bad guy.”
Egyptian Activist Shot Dead In Cairo
On social media, people were sharing a picture of a man holding Sabagh and claiming she was “dying in her husband’s arms.” However, an activist at the protest identified the man in the photo as Sayyed Abu el-Ela, a lawyer and friend of Sabagh. Activists tweeted that he had been detained by police shortly after the photo was taken.
Security officials told the Associated Press say they arrested 11 people in ensuing clashes.
The Egyptian government has been cracking down on all forms of dissent in the country, banning demonstrations without government approval.
Women Still a Minority in Film Industry
Female students who want to make their mark in the film industry still face an uphill battle. So says a new study from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, which looked at the top 250 domestic grossing movies of 2014 and found that women occupied only 17% of leadership roles in the industry — the same percentage as they did in 1998.
The positions looked at included directors, cinematographers, executive producers, producers, editors and writers.
U.S. Suspends Some Counterterrorism Efforts Against Al Qaeda In Yemen: Officials
How ironic. And what a mess:
The United States has halted somecounter-terrorism operations against al Qaeda militants in Yemenfollowing a takeover of the country by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, U.S.officials said on Friday.
The collapse of the U.S.-backed government of Yemen on Thursday has left America's counter-terrorism campaign "paralyzed," two U.S. securityofficials said, dealing a major setback to Washington's fight against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a potent wing of the militantnetwork.
Three U.S. officials said the halt in operations included drone strikes,at least temporarily, following the abrupt resignation of thepresident, prime minister and cabinet amid mounting fears the Arab world's poorest country was veering toward civil war.
Students who survived Mexico’s night of bloody horror accuse army and police
Alonso survived the horrific attack on unarmed students by state and criminal forces last September in the southern state of Guerrero, which left six people dead, 25 injured and 43 trainee teachers forcibly disappeared.
“Five carloads of masked police surrounded our three buses, and as we got out to see what they wanted they started shooting. There were bullets flying everywhere, and people started running. I saw one of my classmates go down. He’d been shot in the head, everyone was crying and screaming, but I was really surprised how calm I was. I started calling friends at the school to help us.”
Alonso was among those who managed to hide as dozens of his classmates were forced into police trucks and driven away. “I thought they would beat them, but that we’d get them back the next day. We hadn’t done anything, we were just students going to a protest.”
Omar García, 24, another survivor, was among the students Alonso called when the ambush happened. He rushed to the scene where, he says, “we started collecting evidence like bullet casings, and calling the local media. We felt calmer when they arrived, as we thought nothing would happen in front of journalists. But around midnight the police started firing again, directly at us as we tried to run away.” García helped carry one of the injured to a nearby private health clinic. “There were no doctors, but soon two trucks of soldiers arrived from the 27th infantry battalion, which has a base close by. They started accusing us of criminality and violence, as if we were combatants, not students.”
1-Month-Old Baby Has Nose, Lip & Cheek Eaten by Family's Ferrets
A family's pet ferrets chewed off part of a one-month-old child's face in a "horrific" mauling, police in Delaware County, Pennsylvania said.
New York Police Pursue Man Who Allegedly Shot 4 Family Members, Killing 3
Guns make it too easy to kill people. And when guns fall into the hands of sick people they do terrible things.
Raw: Obama Visit Draws Protests in India
This President can't seem to do anything right. He's running off to Saudi Arabia because of criticism he didn't show up in France a couple of weeks ago. Then again U.S. Presidents tend to be very loyal to the monarchy there. Remember Bush holding hands with the King?
Two dead and six wounded in shooting at house party in Omaha, Nebraska
Too many guns in too many hands
Hammond: Sheldon Silver is charged with robbing the poor
How typical is that:
What sets the beautiful charges against Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver apart from other Albany scandals is the breathtaking cynicism and hypocrisy of his alleged schemes.
Liberal Democrat that he is, Silver has constantly self-righteously postured as the champion of the poor and downtrodden.
But if the details presented by federal prosecutors prove correct, he was exploiting small guys with abandon.
Woman Gets Bag Full of Cash at Burger King Drive-Thru
Woman Gets Bag Full of Cash at Burger King Drive-Thru - ABC News
A New Hampshire woman got a surprise at a Burger King drive-thru: a bag full of cash instead of food.Janelle Jones says she discovered on the way home that the bag did not
contain the sweet tea and junior spicy chicken sandwich that she had
ordered Friday at the Rochester fast-food restaurant.Foster's Daily Democrat ( http://bit.ly/1EEYFl9 ) reports that Jones called her husband and they decided to return the $2,631, which was a Burger King bank deposit.
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