Search Results for “https:” – Page 935

Bill Bonner: Fed’s QE has not created one single extra job

“Our central banks are engaged in a breathtaking program of activism. We don’t know where it will lead. But, from the historical record, activism and central banking go no better together than drinking and driving. Keep it up long enough and you’re bound to have an accident. But the accident hasn’t happened yet. So most people have stopped worrying about it. They smell the liquor on the driver’s breath. But they get on the bus anyway. The most reckless driving in central bank history…raising the footings of the US financial system by a factor of 5 times…from $800 billion to $4 trillion…and it has not resulted in one single extra job.” Continue reading →

Britain signs agreement with off-shore havens to share tax information

“Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands have agreed to ‘much greater levels of transparency of accounts held in those jurisdictions’, Britain’s Treasury said. The agreement means the jurisdictions have agreed to pass on names, addresses, dates of birth, account numbers, account balances and details of payments into the accounts. The jurisdictions will share the details with Britain but also with tax authorities in France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Britain recently reached similar tax information-sharing agreements with Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.” Continue reading →

Engineers build bug-eyed camera that sees the world as flies do

“Taking their cue from Nature, engineers have built a camera using stretchable electronics that scans the world like a fly’s compound eye — with a wide field of view and no distortion, they said Wednesday. The digital device, which has a multitude of tiny, pliable lenses like those found in ant, beetle, and lobster eyes, also allows for a near-infinite depth of field and high motion sensitivity, the team wrote in the journal Nature. ‘We’ve figured out ways to make cameras that incorporate all of the essential design features of eyes found in the insect world,’ study co-author John Rogers of the University of Illinois’ engineering department told AFP.” Continue reading →

Iraq still using James McCormick’s fake bomb detectors at checkpoints

“A policeman in Baghdad knows the bomb detector he uses is fake, and will do virtually nothing to save anyone’s life, but he has his orders. ‘If I were given a mop and told that it detects bombs in cars, I would still do it without any hesitation,’ he told AFP, asking not to be identified. ‘The device is a 100-percent failure and we know that, but it is imposed on us; we cannot disobey direct orders,’ he added. James McCormick, a British businessman, made an estimated £50 million ($76 million/59 million euros) selling the ‘bomb detectors,’ based on a novelty golf ball finder, to Iraq and other countries. He was sentenced on Thursday to 10 years in jail for fraud.” Continue reading →

Colorado legislator wants to treat ‘High Times’ magazine like porn

“A Colorado Senate committee is considering putting marijuana-themed publications like High Times behind the counter. ‘It’s analogous to the pornography example,’ Rep. Bob Gardner (R-Colorado Springs), who proposed the idea, explained to The Associated Press. Gardner’s legislation was offered as an amendment to a larger marijuana regulation bill. If approved, stores accessible to those under 21 would be required to place marijuana-themed magazines behind the counter with other adult publications like Playboy. David Holland, a lawyer for High Times, told the Associated Press the magazine would sue the state if it enacted such a law.” Continue reading →

Jay Leno’s Gitmo Solution

“President Obama held a press conference earlier today, and he said he still wants to close the Guantanamo Bay prison facility, but he doesn’t know how to do it. He should do what he always does: declare it a small business and tax it out of existence. It will be gone in a minute. Be gone in a minute! One month! Be out of there!” Continue reading →

High school student facing terrorism charge over Boston Marathon rap

“An 18-year-old high school student from Methuen, Massachusetts was arrested on Wednesday and charged with making a terroristic threat for a rap song he sent in a text message and on social media referencing the Boston Marathon bombing and the White House. It is not clear what exactly Cameron D’Ambrosio said that upset authorities so much, but footage published to his YouTube account (embedded below) features him wearing a hoodie and calling himself ‘Killa Cam,’ rapping about how he got into a fight and didn’t care.” Continue reading →

Pentagon considers arming Syrian rebels again

“The United States is taking a fresh look at whether to provide weapons to Syria’s rebels after having rejected the idea previously, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday. At a news conference with his British counterpart Philip Hammond, Hagel was asked if the US government was rethinking its opposition to arming the rebels and replied: ‘Yes.’ After the White House acknowledged last week that US intelligence agencies believe the Syrian regime may have used chemical weapons on a small-scale, speculation has mounted that President Barack Obama could reverse his opposition to arming the rebels.” Continue reading →