Monthly Archives: July 2013

Family of Egypt’s Morsi threaten legal action over ‘abduction’

"The family of Egypt’s ousted Islamist president, Mohamed Mursi, said on Monday it would take legal action against the army for abducting him. Mursi has been held at an undisclosed military facility since the army deposed him on July 3 and suspended the constitution in the wake of huge street protests against his one-year rule. The army says Mursi is being held for his own safety. Mursi’s supporters are maintaining a round-the-clock vigil in a Cairo suburb, now in its third week. They say they will stay put until Mursi is returned to office." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFamily of Egypt’s Morsi threaten legal action over ‘abduction’

A CEO’s-Eye View of ObamaCare

"The ACA could actually cause the number of our covered employees to decrease, particularly in the first year. The penalty for declining coverage will be low compared with the cost of coverage; and employees will know that if they happen to get sick, they can get insurance after that. So the economically rational decision for young people, like our crew employees, is to pay the penalty and forego the insurance. Despite what the government may believe, our employees are smart enough to figure this out. For insurers, it's simple math: Premiums collected must exceed claims paid. If too few young healthy people enroll, insurers will raise premiums on those who do." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA CEO’s-Eye View of ObamaCare

New ID rules would threaten citizens’ rights

"Any citizen wanting to take a job would face the regulation that his or her digitized high-resolution passport or driver's license photo be collected and stored centrally in a Department of Homeland Security Citizenship and Immigration Services database. The pictures in the national database would then need to be matched against the job applicant's government-issued 'enhanced' ID card, using a Homeland Security-mandated facial-recognition 'photo tool.' Only when those systems worked perfectly could the new hire take the job." Continue reading →

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Former jail keeps memory of Communist repression raw in Romania

"The extent of the suffering had largely been hidden. Stalinist purges in the former Soviet Union and Communist repression in Eastern Europe claimed millions of lives in the 20th century, according to historians. In Romania alone, more than 600,000 people were sentenced and jailed between 1945 and 1989 for political reasons. Stanca was one of them. 'In the jail, we suffered from hunger, we did not get any medical assistance, we were continuously humiliated,' he said. He was then sent to a labour camp to erect dikes along the Danube river. 'I think only the pyramids were built with such inhumane physical work,' he added." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer jail keeps memory of Communist repression raw in Romania

Man persecuted over raw milk resurrects olive oil from thousand-year-old olive trees

"Six months ago, California 'raw milk man' James Stewart was sitting in a jail cell in Los Angeles county, shivering from hypothermia, his body wrapped in chains from hands to ankles. He had been raided at gunpoint by the LA County Sheriff's office under orders from the FDA, then labeled a 'terrorist' and literally subjected to extreme torture in the L.A. jail system. His crime? He was distributing fresh, wholesome milk to moms and families. Over the last year, he has risen from the dirt that the state tried to pound his face into and now commands what may soon become one of the most celebrated specialty olive oil suppliers in North America: Oliflix." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMan persecuted over raw milk resurrects olive oil from thousand-year-old olive trees

Eric Margolis: The Road To Nowhere – Kerry Mideast Journey

"Israel’s economy is doing very well, thanks in part to billions in US economic and military aid, privileged access to the US market, and exports of arms and electronics. Israel’s high tech and medical industries are among the world’s leaders. New gas and oil finds between Israel and Cyprus may make Israel an energy exporter within a decade. The United States has eliminated any possible Arab military challenge to Israel’s absolute military domination of the Mideast by destroying Iraq as a functioning state and then fueling Syria’s civil war. Egypt, once Israel’s leading foe, has been bought off by American money." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEric Margolis: The Road To Nowhere – Kerry Mideast Journey

‘Crack baby’ study ends with unexpected but clear result

"A social worker on TV predicted that a crack baby would grow up to 'have an IQ of perhaps 50.' A print article quoted a psychologist as saying 'crack was interfering with the central core of what it is to be human,' and yet another article predicted that crack babies were 'doomed to a life of uncertain suffering, of probable deviance, of permanent inferiority.' But the researchers consistently found no significant differences between the cocaine-exposed children and the controls. Drug use did not differ between the exposed and nonexposed participants as young adults." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Crack baby’ study ends with unexpected but clear result

Weed War: Marijuana Plants Sprout across German City

"The German university city of Göttingen is being taken over by marijuana plants. Behind the phenomenon is a group of pro-pot activists who planted seeds around town to stir debate over the plant's illegal status. City authorities are not amused. The university town of Göttingen is getting greener and greener. But not everyone is pleased: The new plants sprouting up in parks, planter boxes and gardens across the city aren't part of an official city-beautification project. Planting the seeds was a protest against Germany's 'restrictive drug policies,' the group said, arguing that it's incomprehensible 'why cannabis, unlike alcohol, cannot be legally purchased.'" Continue reading →

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Japan warns Britain to stay in the European Union

"Japan has warned that tens of thousands of British jobs with Japanese firms could be at risk if London pulls out of the European Union, a newspaper reported on Sunday. Tokyo’s submission to a British government consultation said Japanese companies liked Britain because it offered a gateway to the European market, the Sunday Times said. Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the EU and then hold a referendum on membership before the end of 2017 if he is still in office. Close ally the United States has also previously warned Britain against isolating itself from the EU." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJapan warns Britain to stay in the European Union

Fukushima Plant Admits Radioactive Water Leaked To Sea

"Japanese utility said Monday its crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is likely leaking contaminated water into sea, acknowledging for the first time a problem long suspected by experts. Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, also came under fire Monday for not disclosing earlier that the number of plant workers with thyroid radiation exposures exceeding threshold levels for increased cancer risks was 10 times what it said released earlier. TEPCO has been repeatedly blamed for overlooking early signs, and covering up or delaying the disclosure of problems and mishaps." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFukushima Plant Admits Radioactive Water Leaked To Sea