Monthly Archives: July 2013

Crisis in Egypt: ‘We didn’t have space in the fridges for all the bodies’

"Tens of thousands of pro-Morsi supporters have camped outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque since late June, when Morsi’s overthrow began to seem likely. Egypt’s interior minister has made it clear that he intends to clear Rabaa as soon as possible, and Saturday’s nearby massacre was considered an attempt to intimidate the protesters into leaving. Hundreds of thousands of anti-Morsi protesters also turned out on Friday to support a call by Egypt’s army chief, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, for a crackdown on what he called terrorists – a move sceptics saw as a veiled threat to protesters at Rabaa." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCrisis in Egypt: ‘We didn’t have space in the fridges for all the bodies’

Las Vegas woman sexually assaulted by court officer, then arrested for reporting it

"Contreras was approached by Court Marshal Ron Fox, who ordered her into a side room for a random drug search. Fox allegedly groped her breasts and buttocks, then ordered Contreras to expose her breasts, at which point she fled into the open courtroom and requested a female marshal. On courtroom video, a confrontation can be seen in which Marshal James Kenyon arrests Contreras on charges of making false accusations against a police officer. Judge Patricia Donninger watched and took no action as Kenyon and Fox hectored Contreras into recanting her story, then arrested her when she refused to repeat it over the courtroom public address system." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLas Vegas woman sexually assaulted by court officer, then arrested for reporting it

IRS Wants to Be Exempt from Obamacare While also Making the Rest of Us Comply

"There are lots of despicable people in Washington engaged in a lot of unsavory behavior, so it would be very difficult to get agreement if you asked regular people to select the most odious feature of the political class. Many people would probably choose corruption as the defining characteristic of Washington, and it would be hard to argue with that choice, but I think hypocrisy is an even better choice. There’s something fundamentally wrong when people push for policies while making sure they don’t have to abide by the results. Yet it happens all the time in government." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIRS Wants to Be Exempt from Obamacare While also Making the Rest of Us Comply

MIT creates the first perfect mirror

"Physicists at MIT have created the first perfect mirror. When light hits the mirror — or indeed any other kind of wave, including acoustic and water waves – it bounces off perfectly, introducing no distortion and exactly preserving the original image (signal). While this is primarily big news for narcissistic MySpacers, these perfect mirrors could also lead to breakthroughs in solar power, lasers, fiber optic networks, or just about anything that involves the reflecting or capturing of light." Continue reading →

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Too Stoned to Drive? There’s an App for That.

"CheckPlusBalance was developed specifically to help people who want to be confident that they can perform at a safe level after taking medication, alcohol, recreational drugs, or who have any reason to confirm their current level of functioning. The test takes about two minutes to complete and it provides an accurate snapshot of the subject’s memory, balance, reaction time and time perception. Individuals can create their own personal sober 'baseline' when they feel 'okay.' The baseline can be reset anytime and standard baselines are included. The app is currently available free as a public service to anyone who wants it." Continue reading →

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Declare Detroit a Free City

"Do not expect overnight success, but who knows? A free market always surprises us with new innovations. At first one can expect lots of mom and pop startups, sidewalk vendors, unlicensed and untaxed services such as simple property repair, home schools, private taxis, etc. But if Nike and other American businesses are enticed by lower costs and fewer regulatory burdens to outsource their manufacturing operations overseas, why would they not take a good look at a Free Detroit? Expect to be amazed. Allow Detroit to become a safe, cooperative city that represents the best that America can be. Economic freedom will ensure the rebirth of Detroit." Continue reading →

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Are We Investing or Are We Just Dodging Thieves?

"The skill we need today is not traditional investing skill; it is thief-dodging skill. It consists of knowing the thieves’ techniques and whom they are targeting, of knowing the bad neighborhoods to avoid, knowing how to avoid being a target, trying to stay one jump ahead of them as they target new victim groups. These are skills people had back in the Dark Ages, and as we enter a new Dark Ages, these are skills we need again. Millions of middle class Americans are being wiped out by thieves, and millions more will be wiped out as trends continue. But those who can successfully dodge the thieves can continue to maintain some civilized standards as they hope for better days." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAre We Investing or Are We Just Dodging Thieves?

Gravy for U.S. Energy Producers

"In response to evident repudiation of a 'democratically elected' government (long story there…), the well-fed Egyptian military guys answered the call by removing the clerical fascists who were and are, by most metrics, utterly incompetent to govern. Here’s a look at just how this 'Middle East Effect' has played out. Each time the market heads lower toward the $85 threshold, a Middle East event spurs prices higher. I won’t get into conspiracy theory in this write-up, but OPEC has all the incentive in the world to keep the threat of volatility alive and well. After all, the $10-20 bump in prices since mid-April is nothing but money in the bank for OPEC producers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGravy for U.S. Energy Producers