crony capitalism

Math Advances Raise the Prospect of an Internet Security Crisis

"The encryption systems used to secure online bank accounts and keep critical communications private could be undone in just a few years, security researchers warned at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas yesterday. The NSA has for years recommended ECC as the most reliable cryptographic protection available. Implementations of ECC were pioneered and patented by a company called Certicom that is now a subsidiary of the phone manufacturer BlackBerry. Although the U.S. government has purchased licenses, other companies that want to use ECC will need to make expensive deals with Certicom to avoid lawsuits." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMath Advances Raise the Prospect of an Internet Security Crisis

Illinois illegally seizes bees resistant to Roundup; kills remaining queens [2012]

"The Illinois Ag Dept. illegally seized privately owned bees from renowned naturalist, Terrence Ingram, without providing him with a search warrant and before the court hearing on the matter. Behind the obvious violations of his Constitutional rights is Monsanto. Ingram was researching Roundup’s effects on bees, which he’s raised for 58 years. 'They ruined 15 years of my research,' he told Prairie Advocate, by stealing most of his stock. Of note, Illinois beekeepers are going underground after Ingram’s experience and refuse to register their hives, in case the state tries to steal their private property on phony claims." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIllinois illegally seizes bees resistant to Roundup; kills remaining queens [2012]

Footage of distressed cows stir questions about growth drugs

"Tyson Foods Inc declared it would no longer accept cattle that had been fed the most popular brand of the feed additive, called Zilmax, a powerful and fast-selling product from pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. The debate over Zilmax follows a similar dispute over ractopamine. China and Russia have banned the import of meat from ractopamine-fed animals, and the U.S.-based pork giant Smithfield Foods in May announced it will stop feeding ractopamine to half its pig herd, a move seen as an effort to recapture the lucrative China market. The FDA has deemed beta-agonists safe both for farm animals and for human health." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFootage of distressed cows stir questions about growth drugs

California Court Overturns ‘Overly Lenient’ LAPD Vehicle Impound Policy

"Superior Court Judge Terry Green sided with groups that challenged the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) for inventing a confiscation procedure that differed from procedures laid down by California state lawmakers. Proponents of car confiscation contend that the LAPD guidelines are an end-run around a law clearly ordering thirty-day impoundment of vehicles from drivers with expired or non-existent licenses. Confiscation is big business for the city. Towing and storage can run $1100 per vehicle, and with hundreds of thousands seized every year, the revenue generated reaches into the tens of millions." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCalifornia Court Overturns ‘Overly Lenient’ LAPD Vehicle Impound Policy

Bitcoin Comes Under Full Scale Attack by Regulators

"Cryptocurrencies are threatening because no central entity can fully control them and they also represent a nearly free and anonymous payment application. It's an algorithm that has the potential to make central banks, commercial banks, private banks, and the tax collectors obsolete. In other words, cryptocoins may be epoch changing for society. In the same way the Internet killed publishing or how VoIP killed long distance telephone carriers, cryptocoins may in fact kill debt-based money and brick-and-mortar banking. The banking cartel along with the government are scrambling to protect their territory and regulate Bitcoin." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBitcoin Comes Under Full Scale Attack by Regulators

The Hyperloop: Elon Musk’s futuristic plan to blast Californians through a tube

"The founder of Tesla, SpaceX and Paypal published the design for his futuristic 'Hyperloop' transportation system online. The Hyperloop would use low pressure steel tubes to blast car-sized capsules from one area to another. The system would be entirely powered by its own solar panels. The Hyperloop would be able to transport a person from Los Angeles to San Francisco — a distance of more than 300 miles — in only 30 minutes. Musk previously described the system a cross between a 'Concorde, a railgun, and an air hockey table.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Hyperloop: Elon Musk’s futuristic plan to blast Californians through a tube

Life-saving transplant denied, health insurance canceled over 26-cent shortfall

"There was never any written notification that the payment was short. The Brancos weren’t told of the cancellation in writing until they received a letter dated July 2. Some time later, Paychex returned the $518 payment. Sergio Branco’s doctor also pleaded for help on their behalf. He advised the companies that Branco 'will most certainly die in the very near future if he does not proceed to transplant; therefore I am writing to request that every effort be made to reinstate his health care insurance coverage.' That didn’t help. Russell Reid and Paychex did nothing." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLife-saving transplant denied, health insurance canceled over 26-cent shortfall

300 Tons a Day of Radioactive Water From Fukushima Pours Into Ocean

"Officials in Japan hid the fact that the Fukushima nuclear plant has been pouring hundreds of tons of nuclear waste water into the ocean every day and that a containment barrier has been breached. There is no credibility from TEPCO or the Japanese government on the extent of the real disaster, its effects, the ultimate cleanup costs, or how many years fish in the area will be contaminated. In addition, contaminated fish may turn up anywhere within their normal swimming range with obvious implications." Continue reading →

Continue Reading300 Tons a Day of Radioactive Water From Fukushima Pours Into Ocean

Fishermen still fighting Fukushima’s aftermath

"The environment ministry recently announcement that 300 tonnes of contaminated groundwater from Fukushima Daiichi is still seeping over or around barriers into the Pacific every day, more than two years after it was struck by a tsunami in March 2011. Government officials said they suspected the leaks had started soon after the accident, which resulted in a nuclear meltdown. Unable to make a living from a sea poisoned by radiation, the town’s 70 fishermen earn money clearing tsunami debris; the only fish they catch are taken not to market, but to makeshift labs where they are tested for radiation from the plant, located just 12 miles to the north." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFishermen still fighting Fukushima’s aftermath

The Tax-Evaders Who Never Make The News

"You'll never hear peep about another group of tax evaders. This group flies under the radar every time. You see, when The Federal Reserve cranks out fresh copies of Bernanke Bucks, someone always gets their hands on the money first. These are the evaders of the insidious 'Inflation Tax'. Think Wall Street, The Defense War-Making Industry, and the multitude of crony companies that receive government subsidies. They take their hot-off-the-press Bernanke Bucks and start spending them (bidding up prices). These are the lucky 'winners.' For they have found a way to evade the Inflation Tax. The rest of us suckers get stuck with the bill." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Tax-Evaders Who Never Make The News