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Chile to Join US Visa Waiver Program

“As Chileans become increasingly wealthy and have more disposable income, they are starting to travel more, and as more of them go on vacation or shopping sprees in the US. American’s will eventually start to learn about this relatively small country of 17 million people. There will also inevitably be more information sharing between the US and Chilean governments. I know some people down here who aren’t thrilled about this and are worried about politicians throughout the world being ‘in cahoots’ more and more every day. I agree; however, it’s a situation that’s not unique to Chile.” Continue reading →

Even when jobs return, Detroit’s workers fall short on skills

“Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr has a long list of things to fix in the city and among them is one that may sound surprising: there are not enough skilled workers to fill job openings as they become available. Seismic shifts in the local labor market have left many unskilled workers behind. Public-sector efforts at job training have shown scant results. After then-governor Jennifer Granholm established a $500 million job training program in 2007, roughly $100 million was spent in Detroit through 2010, but few got jobs because so few positions were available, said Jose Reyes, chief operating officer of the DESC job training agency.” Continue reading →

The ‘new GDP’ methodology: What you need to know

“The Commerce Department has made changes to how it calculates gross domestic product, designed to have the data better reflect the so-called knowledge economy. The U.S. government adjusted data all the way back to 1929, and other countries have or are about to make similar changes to their data. At the same time, the government also went back and revised data for the past five years.What’s the upshot? The rate of growth hasn’t changed all that much, though there are big shifts in a few time periods. But the level of output is higher — $559.8 billion larger, with $526 billion of that amount due to definitional changes.” Continue reading →

U.S. gives seal of approval to Egypt’s new leaders

“Supporters of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi prepared for confrontation on Friday, and the United States said Egypt’s military had been ‘restoring democracy’ when it drove him from office. Thousands were gathered in two Muslim Brotherhood camps in Cairo, defying warnings from the new army-backed government to abandon their protest or face action from security forces. Mursi, an Islamist who became Egypt’s first freely-elected president in June 2011, had faced weeks of street demonstrations against his rule. The turmoil has left Egypt more polarized than at any time since U.S.-backed autocrat Hosni Mubarak was toppled in 2011.” Continue reading →

Al-Qaeda Backers Found With U.S. Contracts in Afghanistan

“Supporters of the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan have been getting U.S. military contracts, and American officials are citing ‘due process rights’ as a reason not to cancel the agreements, according to an independent agency monitoring spending. The U.S. Army Suspension and Debarment Office has declined to act in 43 such cases, John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, said today. ‘I am deeply troubled that the U.S. military can pursue, attack, and even kill terrorists and their supporters, but that some in the U.S. government believe we cannot prevent these same people from receiving a government contract,’ Sopko said.” Continue reading →

Exclusive: Dozens of CIA operatives on the ground during Benghazi attack

“Four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, were killed in the assault by armed militants last September 11 in eastern Libya. Sources now tell CNN dozens of people working for the CIA were on the ground that night, and that the agency is going to great lengths to make sure whatever it was doing, remains a secret. Since January, some CIA operatives involved in the agency’s missions in Libya, have been subjected to frequent, even monthly polygraph examinations, according to a source with deep inside knowledge of the agency’s workings. The goal of the questioning, according to sources, is to find out if anyone is talking to the media or Congress.” Continue reading →

Now We Know Why Googling Pressure Cooker Bombs Gets a Visit from Cops

“Michele Catalano was looking for information online about pressure cookers. Her husband, in the same time frame, was Googling backpacks. Wednesday morning, six men from a joint terrorism task force showed up at their house to see if they were terrorists. Which prompts the question: How’d the government know what they were Googling? Because the Googling happened at work. One hundred times a week, groups of six armed men drive to houses in three black SUVs, conducting consented-if-casual searches of the property perhaps in part because of things people looked up online.” Continue reading →

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Sends SWAT Team To Gun Down a Fawn

“The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources sent an armed SWAT team to kill a fawn in an animal shelter. People at the DNR know their jobs. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. Nine DNR personnel. Four deputy sheriffs. When you need force, use it! These people earn their keep. They leave no stone unturned. They even used aerial reconnaisance to spot the fawn. This was a major case. At $200 a day, times 13 men, that’s $2,600. Plus it took days of planning. Maybe another $2,000. That was an expensive fawn.” Continue reading →