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Wildlife trafficker kills 5 crocodiles, 90 rare birds as police descend on his compound

"Five dead crocodiles, 14 critically endangered turtles and a cache of other rare species have been found in the home of a suspected wildlife trader in one of the Philippines’ biggest slums, the government said Friday. The juvenile saltwater crocodiles, as well as 90 birds, were killed by the trader or his aides shortly before police and environment officials raided the place Wednesday, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said. He denounced the unnamed suspects’ 'cruelty'. 'What’s particularly alarming about this poaching incident is that there were reports that most of these endangered animals were intentionally killed to avoid detection by authorities,' Paje said in a statement." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWildlife trafficker kills 5 crocodiles, 90 rare birds as police descend on his compound

Tea partier at Ted Cruz town hall: ‘Canada is not really foreign soil’

"The Texas Tribune caught up with on of those birthers, Republican voter Christina Katok, at a tea party rally where Ted Cruz was speaking earlier this week. Earlier this week, Cruz released his Canadian birth certificate to The Dallas Morning News, proving that he was definitely born in a foreign country to an American mother. But Katok told the Tribune that she wouldn’t hesitate to vote for Cruz. 'As far as I’m concerned, Canada is not really foreign soil,' she explained, adding that she was more worried about the president’s 'strong ties to Kenya.' For his part, Cruz has vowed to renounce his Canadian citizenship, which could require a security check and an eight-month waiting period." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTea partier at Ted Cruz town hall: ‘Canada is not really foreign soil’

Is Your College Going Broke? The Most And Least Financially Fit Schools In America

"Almost all colleges have noble mission statements, but few have pervasive cultures or are able to focus employees on core competencies the way great companies like Coke, IBM and Wells Fargo do. Most colleges and universities try to be all things to all people. That way of doing business was tolerable when the market of high school graduates was expanding, as it was from 1990 to 2010. However, the production of high school graduates has fallen from its 3.4 million peak in 2011 to a current 3.2 million–and is likely to stay there until 2020. This ugly demographic fact, plus the decline in household wealth brought on by the Great Recession, has exacerbated the problem." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIs Your College Going Broke? The Most And Least Financially Fit Schools In America

Obama offers plan to deal with the high cost of college

"Barack Obama took aim at the spiralling cost of higher education on Thursday, threatening US universities with a new official ranking system he claimed would help students identify whether they were getting value for money. As crippling student loans are increasingly seen as a impediment to social mobility and a check on US consumer confidence, the president used the latest of his economic speeches to propose a series of limited reforms to encourage lower fees. Besides the new ratings system, Obama’s proposals amounted to a call on state legislatures to stop cutting subsidies, universities to stop putting up fees, and Congress to pass laws limiting loan repayments." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama offers plan to deal with the high cost of college

Taper Is Coming. Stock Market Rises.

"Yesterday, the stock market rallied a little. The explanation, according to a Reuters story, is that there are signs that the Federal Reserve will begin tapering in September. As you will recall, for six consecutive days, the stock market tanked. The explanation for the tanking was this: the expectation was that the Federal Reserve will begin tapering in September. This expectation was based on a careful reading of the minutes, which said the FED will not change its present policy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTaper Is Coming. Stock Market Rises.

Germany Fights Population Drop

"There is perhaps nowhere better than the German countryside to see the dawning impact of Europe’s plunge in fertility rates over the decades, a problem that has frightening implications for the economy and the psyche of the Continent. In some areas, there are now abundant overgrown yards, boarded-up windows and concerns about sewage systems too empty to work properly. The work force is rapidly graying, and assembly lines are being redesigned to minimize bending and lifting. Raising fertility levels in Germany has not proved easy, even while spending $265 billion a year on family subsidies." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGermany Fights Population Drop

Second British man jailed for selling fake bomb detectors to governments

"The boxes cost less than £5 ($7.85, 5.85 euros) to make, but Gary Bolton claimed they could detect explosives, narcotics, tobacco, ivory and even cash. They were sold for between £2,500 and £10,000 in bulk or up to £15,000 if bought individually. The court heard Bolton’s company, Global Technology, had a turnover of almost £3 million. In May, British businessman James McCormick was sentenced to 10 years in jail for selling fake bomb detectors to the Iraqi government and other countries. McCormick, 57, made an estimated £50 million from selling the devices, which prosecutors said were based on a novelty golf ball finder." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSecond British man jailed for selling fake bomb detectors to governments

‘Guardian’ editor: Destroying hard drives allowed us to continue NSA coverage

"Alan Rusbridger, the Guardian editor-in-chief, has said that the destruction of computer hard drives containing information provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden allowed the paper to continue reporting on the revelations instead of surrendering the material to UK courts. Rusbridger told BBC Radio 4′s The World at One on Tuesday that he agreed to the 'slightly pointless' task of destroying the devices – which was overseen by two GCHQ officials at the Guardian’s headquarters in London – because the newspaper is in possession of digital copies outside Britain." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Guardian’ editor: Destroying hard drives allowed us to continue NSA coverage

Seattle $15/Hour Minimum Wage Being Pushed

"Washington already has the nation's highest state minimum wage at $9.19 an hour. Now, there's a push in Seattle, at least, to make it $15. That would mean fast food workers, retail clerks, baristas and other minimum wage workers would get what protesters demanded when they shut down a handful of city restaurants in May and others called for when they demonstrated nationwide in July. So far, the City Council and mayoral candidates have said they would consider it in the famously liberal city. One said, however, that it may not be soon." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSeattle $15/Hour Minimum Wage Being Pushed

NSA Says It Was All a Series of Mistakes.

"The NSA is having a PR problem with documents provided by Edward Snowden before he arrived in Russia. The Post article indicated that the NSA is spying on Americans inside the USA. Snowden is the source of the NSA’s problems. He provided evidence. Over half of the American public thinks he did wrong. The voters are content with the loss of privacy. They want negative sanctions imposed on Snowden, not the NSA. The NSA will simply hunker down. This will blow over soon enough. Eventually, the media will run out of leaked documents. Then it will be business as usual. Over half the public does not care." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA Says It Was All a Series of Mistakes.