Mainstream News

Iraq still using James McCormick’s fake bomb detectors at checkpoints

"A policeman in Baghdad knows the bomb detector he uses is fake, and will do virtually nothing to save anyone’s life, but he has his orders. 'If I were given a mop and told that it detects bombs in cars, I would still do it without any hesitation,' he told AFP, asking not to be identified. 'The device is a 100-percent failure and we know that, but it is imposed on us; we cannot disobey direct orders,' he added. James McCormick, a British businessman, made an estimated £50 million ($76 million/59 million euros) selling the 'bomb detectors,' based on a novelty golf ball finder, to Iraq and other countries. He was sentenced on Thursday to 10 years in jail for fraud." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIraq still using James McCormick’s fake bomb detectors at checkpoints

Court OKs Barring High IQs for Cops

"A man whose bid to become a police officer was rejected after he scored too high on an intelligence test has lost an appeal in his federal lawsuit against the city. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upheld a lower court’s decision that the city did not discriminate against Robert Jordan because the same standards were applied to everyone who took the test. 'This kind of puts an official face on discrimination in America against people of a certain class,' Jordan said today from his Waterford home. 'I maintain you have no more control over your basic intelligence than your eye color or your gender or anything else.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCourt OKs Barring High IQs for Cops

Health advocates want menthol cigarettes banned

"The American Lung Association and other health groups are asking federal regulators to ban menthol in cigarettes. The groups says the minty taste is just as effective at getting smokers hooked as other flavorings that were banned under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009. The Tobacco Control Legal Consortium, a group of researchers, academics, non-profits and government health agencies, filed a citizen petition with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week asking for an investigation into menthol cigarettes. More than 80 percent of African-Americans smoked the product, according to the groups." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHealth advocates want menthol cigarettes banned

Pentagon considers arming Syrian rebels again

"The United States is taking a fresh look at whether to provide weapons to Syria’s rebels after having rejected the idea previously, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday. At a news conference with his British counterpart Philip Hammond, Hagel was asked if the US government was rethinking its opposition to arming the rebels and replied: 'Yes.' After the White House acknowledged last week that US intelligence agencies believe the Syrian regime may have used chemical weapons on a small-scale, speculation has mounted that President Barack Obama could reverse his opposition to arming the rebels." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPentagon considers arming Syrian rebels again

Suicide rate among the middle-aged rises sharply in U.S.

"Suicide rates among US adults aged 35-64 are on the rise — with more Americans now taking their lives than dying in car accidents, according to official statistics released Thursday. Motor vehicle accidents killed 33,687 people in 2010 — well below the 38,364 who died from suicide in the same year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The spike in suicides was seen exclusively among US adults aged 35-64, who saw a 28 percent rise over the last decade, the CDC added. And the numbers were even more stark for those in their 50s, who saw a nearly 50 percent jump in suicide rates." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSuicide rate among the middle-aged rises sharply in U.S.

Do You Want the Government Buying Your Data From Corporations?

"Our government collects a lot of information about us. Tax records, legal records, license records, records of government services received-- it's all in databases that are increasingly linked and correlated. Still, there's a lot of personal information the government can't collect. Either they're prohibited by law from asking without probable cause and a judicial order, or they simply have no cost-effective way to collect it. But the government has figured out how to get around the laws, and collect personal data that has been historically denied to them: ask corporate America for it." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDo You Want the Government Buying Your Data From Corporations?

Tiny Device Will Detect Domestic Drones

"A Washington, D.C.-based engineer is working on the 'Drone Shield,' a small, Wi-Fi-connected device that uses a microphone to detect a drone's 'acoustic signatures' (sound frequency and spectrum) when it's within range. The company's founder, John Franklin, who has been working in aerospace engineering for seven years, says he hopes to start selling the device sometime this year. He is using the Kickstarter-like IndieGoGo to finance the project. The device will cost $69 and will be about the size of a USB thumb drive. He says he imagines that people will attach the Drone Shield to their fences or roofs to protect their home from surveillance." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTiny Device Will Detect Domestic Drones

IRS Takes A Bite Out Of Bitcoin

"Bitcoin is virtual currency much in the news these days. It’s peer-to-peer so there’s no central bank or government. But if you think that means the IRS won’t get a piece, think again. The IRS already gets a piece where you swap one product or service for another, as the IRS explains at its Bartering Tax Center. Soon the IRS may have a Bitcoin Center too. The Treasury unit called FinCEN, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, already has rules about Bitcoin and the IRS is likely to follow. In the meantime, the tax rules seem pretty clear. If you provide services or sell goods for Bitcoin, you have income." Continue reading →

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Living On Bitcoin For A Week: The Journey Begins

"On Tuesday morning, I emptied my wallet of all of the cash and credit cards before I left my house. Many journalists have been writing about the mechanics of buying Bitcoin and the resulting heart palpitations as they watched the dramatic rises and falls in the digital currency’s worth over the last few weeks. But that’s just a story about gambling. My editor issued a different challenge to test the currency’s legitimacy: 'Don’t just buy Bitcoin. Live on it for a week.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLiving On Bitcoin For A Week: The Journey Begins

Turkey Said to Sign Oil Deal With Kurds, Defying Baghdad

"Iraq’s Kurdish region has signed a landmark agreement with Turkey to supply it directly with oil and gas, two people familiar with the matter said. The accord was signed last month when Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani in Ankara. The Kurdish government will sell oil and gas directly to Turkey in a deal that so far has bypassed the Iraqi government in Baghdad, which has warned the Kurds not to sign separate energy accords. Turkey may also take the Kurdish government’s stake in concessions operated by Exxon Mobil Corp. on the enclave’s border with the rest of Iraq." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTurkey Said to Sign Oil Deal With Kurds, Defying Baghdad