Yearly Archives: 2013

Russian official demonizes U.S. for ‘inhumane torture’ of adopted children

"A woman in the US state of Texas has killed her adopted Russian son, the Kremlin’s envoy for children said Monday, outlining the latest alleged abuse of an adopted Russian child by American parents. 'A three-year-old Russian child has been murdered by his adoptive mother in the state of Texas,' ombudsman Pavel Astakhov said on his office’s Twitter feed @RFdeti. 'Three-year-old Maxim was beaten (according to the investigators) by his adoptive mother, who fed him psychoactive drugs over a long period of time,' he said, expressing dismay that the US State Department kept silent about the case." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussian official demonizes U.S. for ‘inhumane torture’ of adopted children

Guantánamo commander admits listening devices eavesdropped on lawyer meetings with clients

"The battered credibility of the Guantánamo trials has been further dented by revelations of hidden microphones, intelligence service interference with court proceedings and protests from lawyers who say the US military is preventing a proper defence of the alleged organisers of the 9/11 attacks. In recent days, the commander of the Guantánamo prison, Colonel John Bogdan, was forced to admit on the witness stand that secret listening devices disguised as smoke detectors were installed in the cell where lawyers met their clients, and that he knew nothing about them." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGuantánamo commander admits listening devices eavesdropped on lawyer meetings with clients

Senate committee chair: U.S. will likely have more active military role in Mali

"The United States is likely to play a more active military role in Mali, where French-led forces are battling Islamist rebels, after the country holds elections, the chair of a key Senate sub-committee said Monday. Washington has been providing intelligence, transport and mid-air refuelling to France, which launched its intervention last month, but cannot work directly with the Malian army until a democratically elected government replaces current leaders who came to power after a coup." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSenate committee chair: U.S. will likely have more active military role in Mali

1954 U.S. Comic Book Moral Panic Was Based On Fraudulent Data

"Behavioral problems among teenagers and preteens can be blamed on the media marketed to them – that was the topic of televised public hearings held by the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency in 1954. The hearings, which resulted in the decimation of what was an enormous comic book industry, had been inspired by the book 'Seduction of the Innocent,' by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, based on his own case studies. Wertham’s personal archives, however, show that the doctor revised children’s ages, distorted their quotes, omitted other causal factors and in general “played fast and loose with the data he gathered on comics.'” Continue reading →

Continue Reading1954 U.S. Comic Book Moral Panic Was Based On Fraudulent Data

FDA Going After Raw Milk Cheese Despite Absence of a Single Documented Case in 23 Years

"A newly released 189-page report from the FDA and Health Canada concludes that there is 'a 50- to 160-fold increase in the risk of listeriosis from a serving of soft-ripened raw-milk cheese, compared with cheese made from pasteurized milk.' As a result, they want to see raw milk cheeses like camembert and brie either subject to unprecedented testing, processing similar to pasteurization, or else banned completely. But the actual real-life data presented in the report of illnesses worldwide from listeriosis in soft cheese over a 23-year period between 1986 and 2008 show not a single documented illness in the U.S. from listeriosis due to tainted brie or camembert." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFDA Going After Raw Milk Cheese Despite Absence of a Single Documented Case in 23 Years

Thirty-five Percent of Major U.S. Regulations Were Issued Without Public Notice

"Federal law generally requires that regulations, both major and minor, be opened for public comment, allowing interested parties to read the rules and remark on them, potentially enacting changes to the proposed rules. The GAO report notes that the majority of the regulations published without a notice-and-comment period were done so because the government claimed to have 'good cause' to do so. The federal government invokes 'good cause' when it believes a comment period or comments are contrary to the public interest or if public notice may be deemed unnecessary or impractical." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThirty-five Percent of Major U.S. Regulations Were Issued Without Public Notice

The Unsung, But Massive Obamacare Sales Tax Increase That Is On the Way

"In 2014, Obamacare will take effect, with many of the changes set to roll out over the next six months. There are a number of new taxes that the ACA will bring- twenty one to be exact- but the sales tax on the purchase of health insurance is by far the largest. The tax increases that remain on the books will cost taxpayers more than $675 billion over the next ten years. Chief among these will be the sales tax on the purchase of health insurance, totaling $101.7 billion, and making it larger than all the other industry-specific taxes combined." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Unsung, But Massive Obamacare Sales Tax Increase That Is On the Way

Manny Pacquiao prefers to fight in China because of high U.S. taxes

"Manny Pacquiao's chief adviser insisted Monday that the Filipino superstar's preference is for his next bout – a fifth fight against Juan Manuel Marquez – to take place away from Las Vegas, with the off-shore Chinese gambling resort of Macau emerging as the 'favorite.' Michael Koncz told Yahoo! Sports that the 39.6 percent tax rate Pacquiao would face if he were to fight again in the U.S. makes a fall bout in Las Vegas 'a no go.' Promoter Bob Arum Arum said Pacquiao would not have to pay taxes if the fight takes place in casinos in either Singapore or Macau." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingManny Pacquiao prefers to fight in China because of high U.S. taxes

Major Disinformation Campaign about America’s Gold Begins

"An audit of the gold held at the New York Federal Reserve has been completed and the disinformation campaign has started. The problem is that the gold held at the New York Federal Reserve is not 'The U.S. government’s gold.' It is gold held, for the most part, by the Federal Reserve for foreign countries. Why wasn't an independent auditing firm brought in? And since the gold is held for countries like Germany, why didn't Germany and others who have gold on account get to pick the auditor? Of course, the full truth is this gold has never been audited and unlike the NY Fed, which provides tours, there are no tours of the Fort Knox gold." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMajor Disinformation Campaign about America’s Gold Begins

Obama to receive Israel’s presidential medal of honor

"Barack Obama will become the first serving US president to receive Israel’s presidential medal, from his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres on a visit to the Jewish state next month, Peres’s office said on Monday. 'President Obama has made a unique and meaningful contribution to strengthening the state of Israel and the security of its people,' it said in a statement. 'Barack Obama is a true friend of the state of Israel and has been since the beginning of his public life. As president of the United States he has stood beside Israel in times of crisis,' it added." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama to receive Israel’s presidential medal of honor