Land Of The Flea

Undercover Police Informant Plants Crack Cocaine in Smoke Shop; Business Owner Saved by Tape

"Who exactly is the victim when crack cocaine is found on someone’s person or property? Maybe the owner of that property? In Scotia, New York, local and county police decided they were suspicious of Donald Andrew’s smoke shop, one of many in Schenectady County but, according to Cory Doctorow at BoingBoing, apparently the only one owned by a black person. They sent an informant, someone facing jail time of their own, to, er, 'investigate.' Here’s what happened, via the local NBC affiliate,WNYT." Continue reading →

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Is Nicotine Really Any Different Than Caffeine?

"E-cigarette users are developing their own 'café culture,' encouraged by e-cigarette manufacturers. The Lorillard label blu offers e-cigarette cases that emit a signal and notify users when other blu cases are nearby—a kind of Tinder for the vaping set. The odds of finding a match are growing: Roughly one-fifth of adults who smoke conventional cigarettes have tried their electronic counterparts, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in February. Six percent of all adults have tried them, almost double the percentage in 2010. Looming regulations could dampen some of these developments." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIs Nicotine Really Any Different Than Caffeine?

Cannabis Kills MRSA, Disrupts Prion Diseases

"Marijuana is a potent antibiotic that can kill methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and disrupt the progression of prion diseases such as Mad Cow disease and Creutzfeld-Jakob disease — just don't expect the federal government to tell you any of this. The factoids come from TheAnswerPage.com - a medical information resource for doctors sponsored by The Massachusetts Medical Society, publisher of the New England Journal of Medicine. The federal government, as directed by Congress, still maintains that cannabis is a dangerous 'schedule 1' drug with no medical use and high potential for abuse." Continue reading →

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After 237 Years, America is Finally “Free”

"A couple weeks ago, the SEC issued its ruling on Title II of the JOBS Act – the first of two provisions needed before crowdfunding can go mainstream. Simply put, the SEC eliminated the ban on 'general solicitation.' For decades, this mandate forced startups, hedge funds and venture capitalists (VCs) to rely on word of mouth and other forms of private communication to raise funds. Starting this September, though, companies will be free to tell everyone about their businesses and solicit funding for them. Companies will still be limited to taking money from accredited investors and these investors will have to take extra steps to verify their accredited status." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAfter 237 Years, America is Finally “Free”

US Files Criminal Charges Against SAC For the Non-Crime Of Insider Trading

"US prosecutors brought criminal charges against SAC Capital, the hedge fund run by billionaire Steve Cohen, alleging the $15 billion fund engaged in 'systemic insider trading' for 11 years, reports FT. SAC was charged with one count of wire fraud and four counts of securities fraud. Prosecutors are seeking forfeiture of hundreds of millions of dollars in allegedly illegal profits. The fraud was 'substantial, pervasive and on a scale without known precedent in the hedge fund industry,' the government said in the indictment." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Files Criminal Charges Against SAC For the Non-Crime Of Insider Trading

A Nation of Rules: The US Justice System

"Edward Lamar Young knew he should not be committing crimes of burglary, especially after he already had served time in Tennessee prison more than 15 years earlier for the same thing. He had promised to 'go straight' after his 1996 release and had done so until 2011, when he 'fell off the wagon' and stole some items from cars and a business warehouse. However, he sits in federal prison for 15 years and never was prosecuted for burglary. Why? He had some shotgun shells in his possession (he did not have a shotgun in which to use them) and according to federal law, a person with any criminal conviction cannot own either firearms or ammunition." Continue reading →

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The American Surveillance State Is Here. Can It Be Evaded?

"On any given day, the average American going about his daily business will be monitored, surveilled, spied on and tracked in more than 20 different ways, by both government and corporate eyes and ears. Whether you’re walking through a store, driving your car, checking email, or talking to friends and family on the phone, you can be sure that some government agency, whether the NSA or some other entity, is listening in and tracking your behavior. Erected in secret, without any public input, these surveillance programs amount to an electronic concentration camp which houses every single person in the United States today." Continue reading →

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8 arrested in Huntington Beach as surfing crowd trashes porta-potties after event

"Eight people were arrested Sunday night in Huntington Beach, California after a rash of mob violence following the conclusion of a surfing competition, KABC-TV reported. Local police told KABC the unrest began around 7:15 p.m. local time, about two hours after the end of the annual U.S. Open of Surfing event, when large fights broke out among the crowd of spectators, with the disturbances moving into the city’s downtown area as police moved in to disperse the revelers. Departments from nearby cities were called in for assistance, forcing streets to be closed down until the crowd was cleared out around 10 p.m." Continue reading →

Continue Reading8 arrested in Huntington Beach as surfing crowd trashes porta-potties after event

Hundreds of fast food workers strike in New York for a ‘living wage’

"Hundreds of workers at McDonald’s and other fast food outlets across New York went on strike Monday for higher wages in a movement organizers hope will spread nationwide. Sporadic walkouts left managers to serve customers at flagship McDonald’s outlets on Times Square and 5th Avenue in Manhattan. Organizers said the strike had hit around 60 restaurants operated by McDonald’s, Wendy’s, KFC and Burger King across the New York area. The striking workers are demanding the introduction of a standard wage of $15/hour, more than twice the $7.25 minimum wage that many fast food employees earn here." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHundreds of fast food workers strike in New York for a ‘living wage’

Ex-Obama Aide (Stupidly) Dismisses Glenn Greenwald as a Fake Journalist

"Steven Rattner, a former member of Barack Obama's Treasury Department, appeared on the news show Morning Joe on Monday offering an opinion about The Guardian's Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who broke the story about NSA spying. Rattner's opinion? Greenwald isn't a journalist. This is apparently because Rattner may not have seen how Greenwald's reporting has shifted public opinion and moved public policy. Rattner may actually be unaware of what journalists do. Perhaps this blind spot is because the journalists he hangs out with work for Morning Joe." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEx-Obama Aide (Stupidly) Dismisses Glenn Greenwald as a Fake Journalist