Alternative News

New Mexico’s Torture State

"The habeas corpus guarantee requires that anyone arrested by the police be quickly brought before a judge and either formally charged or released. Slevin was never given a judicial hearing. Nor was he given medical attention by his jailers. He was literally left to rot in solitary confinement until relatives inquired into his case. After being released, Slevin was awarded a $15.5 million tax-funded civil settlement – and nobody has been held accountable for the two years of torture he endured." Continue reading →

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Man Lists Home for Sale in Terms of Bitcoins

"Taylor More is selling his family's bungalow with an asking price of $405,000 (that's Canadian dollars) or 5,521 Bitcoins. He would rather have the Bitcoins. The two bedroom room and one bath bungalow in Alberta, Canada, sits on 2.9 acres of land along the Crowsnest River. That part of the deal is easy to understand. Why More wants Bitcoins isn't. 'I just really believe in them and once I read my first article about them, I was hooked,' said More, who is 22 and said he used to be a currency trader. 'I can take control of my own money, I don't have to worry about the government stepping in and taking it and freezing my account.'" Continue reading →

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Brooklyn man released from jail after 22-year murder conviction is overturned

"A 58-year-old Brooklyn man was released from prison Thursday after his murder conviction was overturned following a witness’ confession that he was coaxed by authorities into identifying him as the suspect, CNN reported on Friday. 'As I said from the beginning, I had nothing to do with this case,' David Ranta said after leaving prison. Ranta’s case was reopened in 2011, after a witness, Menachem Lieberman, told his court-appointed attorney that police had told him to 'pick the guy with the big nose' when identifying suspects in a lineup." Continue reading →

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Maryland cop probed for installing camera in boys’ school bathroom

"A police officer in Maryland has had his 'police powers' suspended after he was accused of installing a camera in the boy’s restroom at Glen Burnie High School. A spokesperson for the Anne Arundel County Police on Thursday confirmed that the 14-year veteran had installed the camera, according to WJZ. Details of what had been recorded and why were being investigated. Police said that a boy discovered the hand-held camera in the top corner of the restroom and reported it to school officials on Wednesday morning. 'We do not know that the officer’s intentions were,' Lt. T.J. Smith explained." Continue reading →

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US Infrastructure’s Disastrous Solution

"It is a US scandal that the country's infrastructure is not just degrading but seriously degraded. While this is not a regular topic for mainstream reporting, every now and then it rises to the surface. Of course, the real issue is seldom dealt with, which is how the combined US government can spend trillions and more trillions while the country's infrastructure continues to collapse. There are accidents big and small as the result of this evolving condition, often never reported unless they rise to the level of serious injury or even death." Continue reading →

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Why Bitcoins Are Just Like Gold

"Bitcoin is gold on steroids, designed for a society that lives through the internet. Bitcoin is designed with the ideals of the contemporary cyber movement in mind: decentralization, peer to peer, cryptography. Easily transferable in ones and zeros, it’s a storage of value for a virtual society. As a payment system, it's a temporal store of money that can be easily sent across the globe securely and speedily without counterparty risk. No matter the price of bitcoin, these benefits will always give it purpose. Given its self-contained nature, it eliminates the need for inherent human interference. There’s no need for a central bank because bitcoin self-regulates." Continue reading →

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Don’t Hold Bitcoins; Krugman Won’t Like It

"Paul Krugman has written about Bitcoins, and he has come to the conclusion that they represent a grim development. Fortunately, no one is asking for Krugman’s permission to mine, hold, or use Bitcoin. He is not in charge of designing this emerging alternative money. As for making society rich, a main reason why Bitcoin is taking off is because people want to flee government paper money or at least have some hedge against government money and all that it brings with it. Bitcoin might someday save the economy from being destroyed by government and its economic advisers." Continue reading →

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Pictures From A Cyprus ATM Line

"For a few days, the people of Cyprus were calm, quietly and orderly accepting the unreality of the levy being imposed upon them - incredulous that it was even possible. As we reach the 4th day of bank closures, amid rolling rumors and ECB threats, it appears the people have reached a tipping point as this series of images from Cyprus ATM lines indicates - the bank-jog has arrived. When will it become a full blown sprint? It appears the catalyst for this latest move is the ECB threat and EU concerns over the future of the two biggest insolvent banks: As AFP reports: EU calls on Cyprus to set capital controls and merge 2 biggest banks Laiki and Bank of Cyprus." Continue reading →

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Housing: Addicted to Fiat Money

"We are told that the housing recovery is strong. Then why is the best-performing new home building stock losing money? The Federal Reserve is buying about $40 billion worth of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bonds every month in order to sustain the present housing recovery. How is this market going to be sustained when the Federal Reserve finally stops creating half a trillion dollars a year worth of fiat money in order to goose the housing market? This is clearly the most manipulated market in the history of the United States. Bernanke and his associates have decided that it is the Federal Reserve’s job is to subsidize housing in the United States." Continue reading →

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Bernanke Saying He’s Dispensable Suggests Tenure Ending

"Rates have been low for so long that they have continued to facilitate rash borrowing. Now rates literally cannot be lifted without causing extreme pressure on US disbursements. Second, to keep rates down, Bernanke has virtually doomed the Fed to perpetual monetary debasement. No matter what happens, boom or bust, the Fed will need to promote huge inflationary programs. Perhaps it is unfair to Ben Bernanke, but anyone examining the totality of his actions and their likely result would be tempted to come to the conclusion that he wants to leave before the proverbial house of cards comes tumbling down." Continue reading →

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