Network Archives

Anti-cocaine vaccine research edges closer to human trials

"Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have successfully used a vaccine to produce a long-lasting anti-cocaine immunity in nonhuman primates. 'The vaccine eats up the cocaine in the blood like a little Pac-man before it can reach the brain,' the study’s lead investigator, Dr. Ronald G. Crystal, said in a news release. Using PET imaging, Crystal and his colleagues found the vaccine prevented cocaine from reaching the brain. The vaccine stimulated the immune system to produce specific antibodies that attached themselves to cocaine molecules in the bloodstream. This prevented the drug from passing through the blood-brain barrier." Continue reading →

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U.S. Government vs. DEFCAD 3D Printable Gun: You Can’t Fix Stupid

"They’re like the Society Matron who walks into the dining hall in a Three Stooges short and demands 'What is the meaning of this?!!' To them the Internet is just a big Series of Tubes, and all they have to do is shut off a valve somewhere to control the flow of information. Only the Internet doesn’t work that way. In John Gilmore's phrasing, it treats censorship as damage and routes around it. Their legal rationale — export control legislation — displays the same conceptual failure. They couldn’t quite grasp that the 'goods' that DEFCAD was 'exporting' arrived in their destination ports around the world the second the files were uploaded to the website." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. Government vs. DEFCAD 3D Printable Gun: You Can’t Fix Stupid

Donald Trump gets into crowdfunding

"Donald Trump is putting his stamp of approval, but not his name, on a new crowdfunding platform that is scheduled to launch tomorrow. He's also an investor in the site, and each week will personally contribute to one or more projects that strike his fancy. FundAnything projects could include tech inventions, new uniforms for a school sports team, helping out someone with a medical emergency, etc. Not only will Trump personally back new projects each week -- tomorrow he'll unveil the recipients of his first personal investments -- but he'll also promote those choices via his Twitter feed (which currently has 2.2 million followers)." Continue reading →

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Dodd-Frank Creates A Prebuilt Loan Predicament

"Loans with rates and fees above certain thresholds are supposed to be designated 'high cost' by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and thus subject to fewer legal protections. The bureau earlier this year decided to call loans high-cost if they have an annual percentage rate of more than 6.5 percentage points above a national average and 8.5 percentage points for many loans under $50,000. Lenders to manufactured-home buyers say many of their loans would fall into the high-cost category with this regulation, which goes into effect in January. They warn that they won't make such loans because they carry increased legal risk." Continue reading →

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The Bennett Hypothesis: Why College Tuitions Are Out of Control

"Some researchers argue that government subsidies have had the perverse effect of encouraging colleges to increase tuition so as to capture more federal dollars, an effect known in the literature as the 'Bennett hypothesis'. To see how this could work, imagine a school that charged $0 in tuition and fees. Suppose that the federal government then offered $5,000 vouchers to pay for college tuition, but only at schools that charge tuition. Obviously, our hypothetical free school is going to increase tuition to $5,000 a year to take advantage of that money. That’s just money on the table." Continue reading →

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Missouri Legislature Nullifies All Federal Gun Control Measures by a Veto-Proof Majority

"All federal acts, laws, orders, rules, and regulations, whether past, present, or future, which infringe on the people’s right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 23 of the Missouri Constitution shall be invalid in this state, shall not be recognized by this state, shall be specifically rejected by this state, and shall be considered null and void and of no effect in this state." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMissouri Legislature Nullifies All Federal Gun Control Measures by a Veto-Proof Majority

TSA bomb-sniffing dog bites woman at Hartsfield-Jackson

"A Rome woman is still recovering after being bitten in the side by a TSA bomb-sniffing dog. The incident happened on May 2nd in the south terminal baggage claim carousel at Hartsfield-Jackson airport. Sue Dubitsky told 11Alive News she was standing in the baggage claim area and noticed the K-9 officer and handler standing beside her. She said she was barely paying them any attention when the dog suddenly lunged and bit her in the lower stomach." Continue reading →

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Obama Sees ObamaCare as Legacy Too Worthy to Resist

"Obama summoned about 20 senior administration officials to the White House’s Roosevelt Room for an hour-long meeting on the implementation of his health-care law. Obama began by reminding his staff that the Affordable Care Act would be one of his major legacies and its execution among the highest priorities of his second term, according to a Democrat familiar with the gathering. The session, which has been followed by regular presidential briefings, led to a two-track campaign to defend the measure against united Republican opposition declaring it a failure and to motivate uninsured Americans to sign up for health-care coverage." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama Sees ObamaCare as Legacy Too Worthy to Resist

Wall Street hires Washington

"The financial industry has long been a draw for former political operatives seeking a bigger paycheck and New York lifestyle. But with the big banks now under constant assault from reformers, regulators and some members of Congress, the flow of top talent from Washington to Wall Street has become a small flood. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley will soon have top-level executives with the ear of the CEO who once occupied senior jobs in the White House and the U.S. Treasury. Other banks including Citigroup, Credit Suisse and JPMorgan Chase also have staffed up with former political and regulatory officials." Continue reading →

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