Yearly Archives: 2013

California man jailed for painting crosswalk

"A Northern California man is facing vandalism charges after authorities say he painted a crosswalk on a street, allegedly telling officials it was needed. Fifty-two-year-old Anthony Cardenas was arrested Thursday morning in Vallejo and booked into Solano County Jail on suspicion of felony vandalism. Solano County Sheriff's Lt. Brad DeWall says workers spotted Cardenas committing the vandalism at a city intersection. State transportation workers painted over Cardenas' alleged crosswalk later in the day. A police cadet had been posted at the intersection until then to keep pedestrians from using it." Continue reading →

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Georgian president accused of using state funds for botox treatments

"Georgian prosecutors said Friday they were probing the alleged misuse of state funds, as accusations surfaced that President Mikheil Saakashvili had spent thousands of dollars of government money on botox treatments in the United States. According to alleged expense documents aired by anti-Saakashvili broadcaster Imedi on Friday, the president splashed out more than $11,000 (8500 euro) in government money on cosmetic procedures while visiting New York in 2009 and 2011. The documents also purported to show that Saakashvili spent around $9,000 of state money in the United Kingdom on a naked portrait of an unspecified US actress." Continue reading →

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New Zealand police ordered to return Dotcom material

"A New Zealand judge on Friday ordered police to return any digital material seized in an armed raid on Internet mogul Kim Dotcom’s mansion last year not directly related to the prosecution against him. The decision by High Court chief judge Helen Winkelmann follows a ruling last year that the January 2012 raid on Dotcom’s Auckland mansion was illegal because the search warrants used were too broad to be considered reasonable. Digital material such as computer hard drives were taken in the dawn swoop as part of a US probe into allegations of massive online piracy by Dotcom’s now-defunct Megaupload empire." Continue reading →

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Your Tax Dollars at Work: Medicare Financing Plastic Surgery

"Aging Americans worried about their droopy upper eyelids often rely on the plastic surgeon’s scalpel to turn back the hands of time. Increasingly, Medicare is footing the bill. Yes, Medicare. The public health insurance program for people over 65 typically does not cover cosmetic surgery… In recent years, though, a rapid rise in the number of so-called functional eyelid lifts, or blepharoplasty, has led some to question whether Medicare is letting procedures that are really cosmetic slip through the cracks — at a cost of millions of dollars. In 2001, physicians billed taxpayers a total of $20 million for the procedure. By 2011, the price tag had quadrupled to $80 million." Continue reading →

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The Real Reason Governments Are Killing Financial Privacy

"With the deficit in 2012 for the US federal government at $1.1 trillion, the expected $900 million from FATCA is not even a drop in the bucket. Even in the unlikely event that the US will moderately reduce its deficit in the future, the revenue from FATCA will remain a pittance in comparison. Why would the US government go through all the enormous trouble of implementing FATCA if it's going to bring in such a meager amount of money? If it's not money, it appears the primary motivation here is control. The new 'global standard' is a path that will put governments around the world one step closer to being able to track and control every penny you earn and every penny you spend." Continue reading →

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Bill Bonner: Fed’s policies are bringing poverty

"The Panic of 1907, before all these 'protections' were put in place, was over in 3 months...followed by full employment. The Crash of 1921 took longer - about 18 months - but when it was over anyone who wanted a job could find one. But now, we've been in the Great Correction for 5 years. Millions of people have given up; they're no longer even looking for work. And suicide has replaced car accidents as the number one threat to working-age Americans. You want to reduce the rate of suicide? Eliminate the barriers to saving, capital formation and employment." Continue reading →

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David Galland: Three Reasons the Case for Gold Remains Intact

"While it's nice to see gold bounce off recent lows and stage a rally of late, short-term price action is of little personal concern as I don't trade the physical metals: I own them as a long-term insurance against further currency depreciation. In that regard, however, it's worth periodically pondering whether the base case for holding gold – or any asset, for that matter – remains intact. Here are three quick observations on why I think the gold bull is still well intact." Continue reading →

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Obama picks former Bush official James Comey as new FBI director

"Barack Obama is preparing to name a former Bush administration who was heavily involved in some of the most controversial issues of that era, including illegal wiretapping and torture, as the new director of the FBI. Since leaving the Justice Department, Comey has been working as a hedge fund manager and lecturer. Comey, 52, is set to replace Robert Mueller, who has headed the agency since the week before the 9/11 attack and is due to step down in September. The expected nomination comes at a time when the agency is under siege on a series of issues." Continue reading →

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Why Did KKR Hire a Four Star General for a High Profile Private Equity Position?

"More and more of business needs a nod from Washington D.C. for its operations. If you don't have a D.C. insider, you are not protected. KKR, in the hiring of David Petraeus, just bought itself major protection. Big business is building a moat around itself, using government regulators to keep out competition. It will get tougher and tougher for new businesses to launch with just grit and a great idea, when big business is hiring DC insiders who have the power to snuff out new operators. This is one of the reasons there are fewer exciting jobs for new college graduates. They are often hired by upstarts, the type big business is doing a pretty good job of snuffing out." Continue reading →

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Speed Cameras Tear Apart Ohio Town

"The village of Elmwood Place, Ohio can no longer perform all the functions of local government, thanks to speed cameras. Four of the village's six councilmen have resigned over the way automated ticketing machines are used, and without a quorum village can no longer take any actions it faces a court contempt hearing on Tuesday. The controversy began in September 2012 when the village allowed Optotraffic to begin issuing $105 tickets using a portable speed camera with a 40 percent cut of the revenue going to the private company. Tickets were being issued at a rate that would have generated $2 million per year, or over $1000 per resident." Continue reading →

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