Mainstream News

Out-Of-Control Officers Find Comfort & $100,000′s In Back Pay In Arbitration

"Boston Police Officer David Williams is carving out an interesting career path for himself: He gets fired for using excessive force or lying to investigators, takes a breather from police work, and then gets reinstated with back pay by a labor arbitrator. Nice work if you can get it. Especially in Boston, where an officer gets credit for all of those lucrative hours of overtime and details he might have worked had he had stayed out of trouble in the first place." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOut-Of-Control Officers Find Comfort & $100,000′s In Back Pay In Arbitration

150 People Arrested In NAACP Protest Against NC Republicans

"Police estimated that roughly 1,000 people attended a rally late Monday afternoon behind the Legislative Building on Halifax Mall. Hundreds then entered the building. Upwards of 150 people were arrested outside the doors to the state Senate chambers, where demonstrators chanted, sang and delivered speeches decrying what they called a regressive agenda that neglects the poor. The NAACP has been holding weekly protests in Raleigh since mid-April, and what started with 17 arrests and tens of supporters back then has grown every week, bringing the total number of arrests to nearly 300 after five weeks of protests." Continue reading →

Continue Reading150 People Arrested In NAACP Protest Against NC Republicans

New U.S. Sanctions Imposed on Iran to Halt Gold Trading

"The first American sanctions on Iran since a moderate cleric won the presidential election there on June 14 went into effect on Monday, expanding the number of penalized industries and imposing rules that theoretically could halt all gold and currency trade by the country. Bullion dealers in other countries who flout the prohibition risk severe American penalties, including expulsion from the United States precious metals market. Iran has increasingly traded its oil and gas for gold with countries like Turkey because of earlier financial sanctions that have prevented the Iranians from using conventional bank payment methods." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew U.S. Sanctions Imposed on Iran to Halt Gold Trading

Chinese investors go crazy for Bitcoin

"A BTC craze is sweeping China, as hundreds start to invest and trade large amounts of the virtual currency Bitcoin. The craze has given birth to a huge industrial chain, covering trading, mining, chip production and mining-machine assembly. Bitcoin transactions are secured by servers called bitcoin miners but based on the huge surge in demand for the currency, Bitcoin mining machines are in short supply. According to Tencent, there are two Chinese mining teams capable of processing large amounts of Bitcoin transactions. Figures show that China now boasts the most number of BTC nodes, which help control the computing power of the Bitcoin netweek, at 85,220." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChinese investors go crazy for Bitcoin

Bitcoin: how I made a virtual fortune

"I think I probably got the IPO price a bit wrong since the 20,000 shares I listed sold out in a matter of hours. We raised a total of 15,667 Litecoins in exchange for 20% of CipherMine's shares; about £27,700 at current prices. We are in the process of investing that money into more mining hardware, but in the meantime, our share price has continued to rise. As I write this, under a week later, the shares are being actively traded at about 1.6 Litecoins each; double the IPO value. CipherMine's market capitalisation currently stands at roughly 150,000 Litecoins, or about £250,000, of which 64% was mine at IPO." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBitcoin: how I made a virtual fortune

Winklevoss Twins File to Launch Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Product

"Here’s one of the more interesting S-1 filings of the year. In a filing with the SEC, the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust, headed by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, said it will sell around $20 million worth of shares, which will each represent a fraction of a single bitcoin, the digital currency the twins have invested in. Bitcoin has become the best known virtual currencies since its release in 2009. The currency was created by a person or group known as Satoshi Nakamoto (whose true identity is unknown) and is primarily used by online merchants, though some mostly smaller brick-and-mortar retailers have recently begun to accept bitcoins for payment." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWinklevoss Twins File to Launch Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Product

Chinese spacecraft completes space-docking mission

"The successful manoeuvre was China’s first ever such test, the report said, and it marks a step towards China’s goal of building a permanent manned space station by 2020. China first sent a human into space only in 2003 and its capabilities still lag behind the US and Russia. But its programme is highly ambitious and includes plans to land a man on the moon. Beijing sees its multi-billion-dollar space programme as a symbol of its rising global stature, growing technical expertise, and the Communist Party’s success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChinese spacecraft completes space-docking mission

British parliament budgets $150,000 to refurbish two toilets

"The British parliament is to spend up to £100,000 (120,000 euros, $150,000) on refurbishing two toilets used by members of the House of Lords and guests, it emerged on Sunday. A contract put out to tender by the House of Commons authorities says the toilets, installed in 1937, have not been refurbished for 20 years 'and have reached the end of their serviceable life'. The document says: 'The lavatories are in an unacceptable condition for the high profile area they are in and they give a poor image of the Palace of Westminster. A refurbishment is required urgently to bring the amenities to a standard that reflects a World Heritage site.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBritish parliament budgets $150,000 to refurbish two toilets

San Francisco public transportation system shut down by striking union workers

"The strike by 2,400 BART workers came after acrimonious negotiations centered on wage and benefit issues broke down late Sunday, just hours before current labor agreements expired. Both sides blamed the other for abandoning the talks. BART serves about 400,000 riders daily, many of whom rely on the system to travel from Oakland, Berkeley and other communities on the east side of San Francisco Bay into the city of San Francisco. The strike will shut down the system once all trains are parked early Monday morning and is expected to bring widespread travel disruptions and traffic gridlock." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSan Francisco public transportation system shut down by striking union workers

Paid via Payroll Cards, Workers Feel Sting of Fees

"For these largely hourly workers, paper paychecks and even direct deposit have been replaced by prepaid cards issued by their employers. Employees can use these cards, which work like debit cards, at an A.T.M. to withdraw their pay. But in the overwhelming majority of cases, using the card involves a fee. And those fees can quickly add up: one provider, for example, charges $1.75 to make a withdrawal from most A.T.M.’s, $2.95 for a paper statement and $6 to replace a card. In 2012, $34 billion was loaded onto 4.6 million active payroll cards, according to the research firm Aite Group; it expected that to reach $68.9 billion and 10.8 million cards by 2017." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaid via Payroll Cards, Workers Feel Sting of Fees