Mainstream News

India’s financial prophet Raghuram Rajan to run central bank

"Mr Rajan, a Chicago professor and former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, clashed openly with US Federal Reserve officials and top policymakers in 2005 over the risk that derivative contracts would amplify any financial crisis once the cycle turned. He said the US had created incentives for destructive behaviour, effectively pushing homeowners and banks into risky ventures. He was called a 'Luddite' by none other than Larry Summers, former US Treasury Secretary and now front-runner to take over as Fed chairman. The two men may soon be direct counterparts. Mr Rajan’s warnings were borne out by events." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIndia’s financial prophet Raghuram Rajan to run central bank

Diamond Jeweler Turns Alleged Smuggler as India Gold Prices Rise

"In January, jeweler Vihari Sheth was publicizing a ritzy new line of diamond-encrusted designs. Last week, she was arrested at Mumbai airport with nearly $400,000 of gold jewelry in her underwear and on her person. The 27-year-old has a store in Singapore and is married to a director of Mumbai-based Siyaram Silk Mills Ltd (SIYA), a suit maker that is a household name in the country. Her arrest offers a glimpse into how even the wealthy may be joining small jewelers and organized gangs to skirt new government taxes on bullion imports that have made gold about 9 percent more expensive in Indian stores." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDiamond Jeweler Turns Alleged Smuggler as India Gold Prices Rise

Interview with Slashdot founder Rob Malda

"The stuff that’s interesting has as much to do with the technology as the information. I’m interested in the technology the government uses to spy on me. I’m interested in the fact of the anonymous file-sharing network that made the Manning stuff possible. That’s the stuff that gets to my soft, gooey center. The policy parts, I don’t feel like I have a say in that. I don’t have a voice there. I know what I want to see happen. But I don’t feel like I have a say or a voice so I choose to be interested in the technology and think about where that’s going to take us next. All that stuff never would have existed 20 years ago." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInterview with Slashdot founder Rob Malda

Out of the box: UPS Stores to offer 3D printing

"Stratasys will provide its uPrint SE desktop machines to six UPS Stores in America for a trial programme. These machines will allow customers to bring their designs to the store and have them printed out as objects—in much the same way as people take two-dimensional digital documents to the store and have them printed on paper. The uPrint machines can produce items in plastic in a range of colours and make bigger objects in finer detail than consumer-level 3D printers. UPS expects designers, entrepreneurs, start-ups and architects seeking models to be among its customers for 3D printing services." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOut of the box: UPS Stores to offer 3D printing

Democratic anti-gun ‘guide’ urged using Trayvon Martin’s death to hit NRA, guns

"Newly uncovered Democratic anti-NRA talking points urge anti-gun advocates and politicians to hype high-profile gun incidents like the Florida slaying of Trayvon Martin to win support for new gun control laws. 'The most powerful time to communicate is when concern and emotions are running at their peak,' said the 80-page document titled 'Preventing Gun Violence Through Effective Messaging,' and produced by three Democratic firms led by the polling and research outfit Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDemocratic anti-gun ‘guide’ urged using Trayvon Martin’s death to hit NRA, guns

Veteran civil rights leader: Snowden acted in tradition of civil disobedience

"John Lewis, a 73-year-old congressman and one of the last surviving lieutenants of Martin Luther King, said Snowden could claim he was appealing to 'a higher law' when he disclosed top secret documents showing the extent of NSA surveillance of both Americans and foreigners. When it was pointed out to Lewis that many in Washington believed that Snowden was simply a criminal, he replied: 'Some people say criminality or treason or whatever. He could say he was acting because he was appealing to a higher law. Many of us have some real, real, problems with how the government has been spying on people.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingVeteran civil rights leader: Snowden acted in tradition of civil disobedience

TSA’s VIPR could be screening you without you knowing it

"The TSA could be screening you without you even knowing it. From the Super Bowl to the Inauguration to Union Station, if you're traveling, the Transportation Security Agency could be there, and they could be looking at you. They are a special brand of the TSA, called 'VIPR.' It stands for 'Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response.' VIPR has been around since 2005, and they are meant to boost security by being a deterrent, and detecting security risks. WUSA9 asked the TSA what the qualifications are for becoming a TSA baggage screener versus being part of the VIPR program. We have not heard back." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTSA’s VIPR could be screening you without you knowing it

Google: Motorola’s tattoos could replace passwords

"Motorola's senior vice president of advance research, Regina Dugan, a former head of the US Pentagon's Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, demonstrated the silicon-based technology that uses bendable electronic circuits. Initially designed for medical purposes, Motorola hopes the ‘Biostamps’ could now be used for consumer authentication purposes. Motorola is also investigating the Proteus Digital Health pill. Its computer chip is powered by a battery using the acid in a user’s stomach. The pill creates a unique signal that can be picked up by devices outside the body and which could be used to verify a user’s identity." Continue reading →

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Audit finds bloated budget for green jobs training despite lack of open positions

"A federal audit shows that nearly a half-billion dollars in government funds was spent on training workers for so-called 'green jobs.' The only problem is that not enough positions in the growing industry exist. The findings -- released in a June report by the Government Accountability Office -- showed that only 55 percent of those trained were able to place in a new job, many of which were not technically green jobs. The $501 million in funding came from the 2009 stimulus law." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAudit finds bloated budget for green jobs training despite lack of open positions

Tons of radioactive water pouring out of crippled Fukushima nuclear plant

"Highly radioactive water from Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is pouring out at a rate of 300 tons a day, officials said on Wednesday, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered the government to step in and help in the clean-up. Tepco only recently admitted water had leaked at all. The leak from the plant 220 km (130 miles) northeast of Tokyo is enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool in a week. The water is spilling into the Pacific Ocean, but it was not immediately clear how much of a threat it poses. As early as January this year, Tepco found fish contaminated with high levels of radiation inside a port at the plant." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTons of radioactive water pouring out of crippled Fukushima nuclear plant