Mainstream News

ECB Should Join ‘Currency War’ to Weaken Euro, France’s Montebourg Says

"The European Central Bank should weaken the euro, confronting the new 'currency war' head on to help address economic stagnation in the region, French Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg said today. Calling for a more activist and 'political' management of the currency shared by 17 European nations, Montebourg said at a press conference in Paris that he wants 'the European Central Bank to do its job.' 'The euro is too strong and doesn’t correspond to economic fundamentals,' he said. The ECB 'should prepare to confront a new currency war in which the weakening of currencies becomes a political tool.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingECB Should Join ‘Currency War’ to Weaken Euro, France’s Montebourg Says

Homeland Security seizes pilot’s helicopter for flying on revoked license

"The federal government is confiscating William Stokely's helicopter as part of a plea deal reached earlier this month. Homeland Security agents arrested the Tulsa ad man and seasonal resident of Forest Highlands, an exclusive gated community south of Flagstaff, at the Flagstaff Airport last summer. His pilot's license had been revoked by the FAA for flying too close to homes in Flagstaff, according to court documents. A longtime pilot, he also apparently needed to provide the FAA with proof that he was medically cleared to have a license." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHomeland Security seizes pilot’s helicopter for flying on revoked license

FL cops raid home of wheelchair-bound Rx-marijuana activist who’s to have legislation named for her

"Cathy Jordan’s celebrity in the area of medical cannabis, including her conviction that the herb has helped her battle her Lou Gehrig’s disease, does not insulate her from existing marijuana laws. Jordan’s husband, Robert, told the Herald that his Parrish home in Beck Estates on 98th Avenue in Parrish was raided shortly after 2 p.m. Monday by deputies and detectives with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office drug intervention unit who wore ski masks. No arrests were made Monday but a total of 23 marijuana plants, including two waist-high nearly mature plants that Cathy Jordan uses for her treatment plan, and a crop of seedlings, were confiscated by authorities." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFL cops raid home of wheelchair-bound Rx-marijuana activist who’s to have legislation named for her

Philadelphia Cop Who Punched Woman On Video Found Not Guilty

"The former Philadelphia Police lieutenant, who was on trial for punching a woman in an incident that was caught on video, has been found not guilty. The verdict was handed down Tuesday morning. It was a bench trial for Jonathan Josey, which means the ruling was solely up to the judge, who deliberated for two weeks. Josey broke down in tears as the courtroom, packed with police officers, erupted in applause." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPhiladelphia Cop Who Punched Woman On Video Found Not Guilty

Why Should Taxpayers Give Big Banks $83 Billion a Year?

"Banks have a powerful incentive to get big and unwieldy. The larger they are, the more disastrous their failure would be and the more certain they can be of a government bailout in an emergency. The result is an implicit subsidy: The banks that are potentially the most dangerous can borrow at lower rates, because creditors perceive them as too big to fail. Economists have tried to pin down exactly how much the subsidy lowers big banks’ borrowing costs. In one relatively thorough effort, researchers put the number at about 0.8%. Multiplied by the total liabilities of the 10 largest U.S. banks by assets, it amounts to a taxpayer subsidy of $83 billion a year." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhy Should Taxpayers Give Big Banks $83 Billion a Year?

Airlines made windfall profits after EU freeze on carbon taxes

"Airlines made up to half a billion euros in windfall profits last year by passing on a carbon surcharge to travellers despite an EU decision to freeze its controversial carbon tax, environmentalists said on Tuesday. Green group Transport and Environment said airlines chalked up extra revenues estimated at 486 million euros ($650 million) even though EU climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard in November decided to 'stop the clock' on an EU carbon tax angering the global aviation industry." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAirlines made windfall profits after EU freeze on carbon taxes

Homeland Security training TSA workers to save themselves in shooting?

"Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint screeners are [reportedly] receiving training to prepare them for the possibility of a mass shooting at one of the agency’s airport checkpoints, and those TSA personnel are being instructed to 'save themselves' should a shooting occur. It is unclear whether the TSA is conducting the reported mass shooting scenario training at airports around the nation or only at the airport where our source, a veteran of the TSA, is assigned." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHomeland Security training TSA workers to save themselves in shooting?

Lawsuit claims police forcibly interrogated schoolboy

"Travis alleges that on Jan. 28, 2011, her son was removed from his classroom at Harrison Elementary School by two local police officers, Detective Phil Beach and officer Scott Shepard. The boy was taken to the principal’s office and interrogated about a sex offense that the boy was suspected of committing. Travis says in the lawsuit that she had previously told the school district it was not to allow her son to be interviewed by police without her being present. Travis also says the officers did not have a warrant, did not have a counselor or attorney present for the boy and did not advise him of his constitutional rights. No criminal charges ever were filed against the boy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLawsuit claims police forcibly interrogated schoolboy

Students arrested for throwing spitballs, lollipops

"Thousands of Florida students are arrested in school each year and taken to jail for behavior that once warranted a trip to the principal's office — a trend that troubles juvenile-justice and civil-rights leaders who say children are being traumatized for noncriminal acts. Sixty-seven percent of the school arrests last year were for misdemeanors such as disorderly conduct — a catchall, attorneys say, that has been used when children refused to take a cellphone out of a pocket or yelled in class. Fewer than 5 percent faced weapons charges." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStudents arrested for throwing spitballs, lollipops

Avoiding the Snowbirds’ IRS trap

"Their 'border binder' contains a detailed snapshot of their lives, tangible proof of who they are, where they live for most of the year, who they bank with, even their credit card statements. Like the other 70,000 members of the Canadian Snowbird Association, the Slacks would never leave home without it. Overkill? Not if you don’t want to be treated like a U.S. taxpayer. Snowbirds tagged as a 'substantial presence' can still dodge the bullet on U.S. taxes. But they will need to file 'Form 8840 Closer Connection Exception Statement for Aliens' with the IRS. Failure to file this form could result in hefty fines, even if no taxes were owed." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAvoiding the Snowbirds’ IRS trap