Alternative News

WaPo and Bezos: The Hope and the Reality

"The reality: Amazon to buy Washington Post fresh after $800M deal to host CIA servers — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) August 5, 2013. The CIA has reportedly signed a massive cloud computing deal with Amazon, worth up to $600 million over the next 10 years. FCW reports that its sources have told it Amazon will build a private cloud infrastructure for the CIA, to help it 'keep up with emerging technologies like big data in a cost-effective manner not possible under the CIA's previous cloud efforts.' [..] Perhaps the single biggest item on Amazon’s legislative agenda is a bill that would empower all states to collect sales tax from online retailers." Continue reading →

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Exposing high-security flaws with 3D Printing

"MIT students David Lawrence and Eric Van Albert showed how 3D printing could allow anyone to replicate a Schlage key for their high-security Primus locks used in Government offices, medical and detention centres. The Primus lock and key system are tightly controlled by Schlage and bear the words 'Do not duplicate' across the top. They are considered to be one of the hardest locks to pick in the world. With the use of a normal 2D scanner, their code – the software deciphers the code on each key - and the use of a 3D printing service like Shapeways the pair have managed to duplicate working Primus lock keys." Continue reading →

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MIT researches find gold can control blood clotting

"Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists, funded by the US National Science Foundation, have come up with a new technique to control blood clotting by using gold. The method involves small particles of gold and the use of infrared laser light. According to the researchers, who published their findings in the PLoS One journal, one of the main advantages of this method is that coagulation can be turned on or off as needed. Wound healing, surgery and other conditions require handling this process, mainly through the use of anticoagulants such as heparin or warfarin. However, reversing the effects of these drugs is difficult." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMIT researches find gold can control blood clotting

The Best Way to Profit From Private-Equity Crowdfunding

"Instagram and Tumblr are just a couple of examples of young companies that were acquired for hundreds of millions, even billions, of dollars, making their earliest investors fantastically rich. Now, thanks to a vocal group of citizens, ordinary citizens will be able to invest a small and affordable amount of money in a company they believe in and in exchange receive an ownership stake. This revolutionary change is called equity crowdfunding, and hundreds of websites called 'funding portals' — sites like CircleUp and RockThePost, to name two — are popping up to help match startup companies with potential investors like you." Continue reading →

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A Helping Hand for Bernanke and Co.

"Especially in the spirit of Mr. Bernanke’s commitment to transparency and accountability, his concluding remarks surely encourage the prospects for passage of the pending legislation introduced by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, to constitute a Centennial Monetary Commission, HR 1176. The legislation’s purpose: 'To establish a commission to examine the United States monetary policy, evaluate alternative monetary regimes and recommend a course for monetary policy going forward.' The duties set forth for the commission fully coincide with Mr. Bernanke’s public call." Continue reading →

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The US student loan problem – facts, charts, thoughts

"The unlimited availability of student loans has allowed colleges to sharply raise tuition and fees over the past few years - often simply because they could (as they kept on hiring). The rising cost of higher education in turn forced students to take out larger loans and in greater numbers, increasing the overall loan balances. This feedback loop is clearly unsustainable, particularly as household income growth remains weak. Higher delinquencies are inevitable and as long as the government funds this program, there really is only one way to arrest rising levels of student debt." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe US student loan problem – facts, charts, thoughts

86 Congressional signers demand an end to the FDA’s ban on gay blood donors

"Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and a group of 86 other signatories from Congress sent a letter on Thursday to call for an end to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s ban on blood donors who are 'men who have had sex with other men (MSM), at any time since 1977,' a policy the FDA has had in place since the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis in 1992. The American Medical Association, widely regarded as the most mainstream medical organization in the country, recently joined the chorus of those who oppose the FDA’s ban on gay and bisexual blood donors." Continue reading →

Continue Reading86 Congressional signers demand an end to the FDA’s ban on gay blood donors

Why bitcoins are 60% more expensive in Argentina than the US

"The country’s citizens, faced with an annual inflation rate of around 25%, are turning their backs on their national currency. Official figures put the annual rate of inflation at around 10%, but private economists estimate it to be more than double this. In February 2011, the government started issuing fines of up to 500,000 pesos ($123,442) to economists and consulting firms that refuted the official figures. To access dollars legally in Argentina, buyers have to make a request through the central bank and AFIP (the tax revenue office), which check how much the buyer is requesting and what it is for." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy bitcoins are 60% more expensive in Argentina than the US

FBI: nearly twice as many renunciations in first seven months this year

"The FBI has released its latest report on Active Records in the NICS Index as of 31 July 2013. NICS now contains the records of 22,908 renunciants who have been stripped of the right to purchase firearms in the United States. This is an increase of 298 since last month and 2,254 since December last year; this compares to 1,184 renunciants recorded by the FBI in January–July 2012." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFBI: nearly twice as many renunciations in first seven months this year