Winning Hearts & Minds

Americans in Canada can face complex tax situation

"About 1 million Canadian residents are 'U.S. persons' who are required by U.S. law to file U.S. tax returns as well as Canadian tax returns. The definition of a U.S. person includes those born in the U.S., children of American-born parents and green card holders. The problems are the punitive IRS penalties and criminal prosecution threats for failure to complete the many required annual information returns. For those who do not plan to return to live in the U.S., these extremely high penalties for not filing annual forms are encouraging U.S. persons in Canada to find out how to relinquish their U.S. citizenship." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmericans in Canada can face complex tax situation

Is the Boston Bombing the “Moral Equivalent” of Drone Strikes?

"While Obama demands justice in the Boston bombing, he is silent about his own role in setting off bombs in overseas countries. If the U.S. drones have killed about 4,700 people abroad, then we are talking about something that dwarfs the horror of what happened at Boston. I am not speaking of tit-for-tat. However, I am sure that the horror that people in Muslim countries experience at a drone strike is every bit as awful as what people experienced in Boston yesterday. I do not believe that we are free to denounce the evil at Boston and cheer on the evil our government perpetrates overseas. We must denounce both or risk being the worst hypocrites on the planet." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIs the Boston Bombing the “Moral Equivalent” of Drone Strikes?

North Korea Is Like a Misbehaving Child—Ignore It

"Although at the official level, ignoring North Korean blustering, while taking adequate measures to defend the United States—not South Korea—from the future limited threat that North Korea might pose, the U.S. government should not discourage or have disdain for visits by private citizens, such as Dennis Rodman. These private visits help break the isolation that the Kim regime needs to survive and that U.S. government regularly haplessly provides with economic sanctions and counter bluster. Let’s show the publicity-hungry Kim Jong-un that his words and actions are a lot less important to the United States than he thinks." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNorth Korea Is Like a Misbehaving Child—Ignore It

Puppies & Kittens & Censors…Oh my! Government Muzzles Internet Pet Veterinarian

"Can the government silence and shut down licensed professionals for giving advice online? Dr. Ron Hines is a highly regarded licensed veterinarian who's never had any complaints against him. Being a disabled and retired senior citizen, the Internet allows him to remain productive in his golden years. Yet he's been fined and shut down for giving advice on the Internet, often for free, to people around the planet who have no other access to veterinary care for their animals." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPuppies & Kittens & Censors…Oh my! Government Muzzles Internet Pet Veterinarian

Entrepreneur Works With Coke’s Distribution to Deliver Medicine to Remote African Villages

"In the 1980s, entrepreneur Simon Barry was an aid worker in remote villages in Zambia, and he became aware of how easy it was to grab a Coke nearly every place he went, but he also noticed how many basic necessities were missing. Barry got the idea to somehow use Coca-Cola's distributing success to deliver lifesaving supplies to the countries most in need. Unfortunately, the idea did not become a reality until about five years ago, with the help of Facebook and the Internet. The joint efforts resulted in a test program, called ColaLife. The program gets medical aid to Zambia using the extra space in Coke crates." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEntrepreneur Works With Coke’s Distribution to Deliver Medicine to Remote African Villages

How Mobile Devices Are Changing Africa

"Mobile phones are kicking off a revolution in Africa, with everyone from farmers to villagers relying on apps to make electronic payments, check on expiration dates for medicine, and predict future storms or the best prices for produce. More kids in Africa have access to the Internet than consistent electricity. Nobody owns a PC or can access a fixed-line telephone, so mobile phones are a conduit for everything from email to news to making payments via SMS. Many people on the continent also own phones equipped with flashlights and radios and the percentage of the population equipped with mobile devices is primed to explode over the next few years." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow Mobile Devices Are Changing Africa

Scientists used modified T-cells to wipe out childhood leukemia in a little girl

"US researchers on Monday reported encouraging success with a new type of immune cell therapy that wiped out leukemia in a young girl by using her own modified T cells to fight the cancer. The case study of Emily 'Emma' Whitehead, age 7, offers hope for a new path against a stubborn form of leukemia, known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), maybe even replacing the need for chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants someday. An attempt at T cell reprogramming in another child who did not survive pointed to the need for more research to improve on the therapies being tested." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingScientists used modified T-cells to wipe out childhood leukemia in a little girl

New technology allows the paralyzed to paint with their brainpower

"A computer programme enabling paralysed patients to create artwork using just the power of their brains drew big crowds on Wednesday at the CeBIT, the world’s top IT fair. Under a system pioneered by Austrian firm g-tec, the user wears a cap that measures brain activity. By focusing hard on a flashing icon on a screen, the cap can recognise the specific brain activity connected to that item, allowing the user to “choose” what he or she wants the computer to do. The artist can select various shapes and colours via brainpower and build up a basic picture on the screen, explained g-tec sales director Markus Bruckner. The user can also draw straight lines." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew technology allows the paralyzed to paint with their brainpower

Missouri man arrested at hospital for refusing to leave gay partner

"A gay man was arrested at a hospital in Missouri this week when he refused to leave the bedside of his partner, and now a restraining order is preventing him from any type of visitation. Roger Gorley told WDAF that even though he has power of attorney to handle his partner’s affairs, a family member asked him to leave when he visited Research Medical Center in Kansas City on Tuesday. Gorley said he refused to leave his partner Allen’s bedside, and that’s when security put him in handcuffs and escorted him from the building. He said the nurse refused to confirm that the couple shared power of attorney and made medical decisions for each other." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMissouri man arrested at hospital for refusing to leave gay partner

Leaked report: Nearly half of US drone strikes in Pakistan not against al-Qaeda

"A trove of leaked classified reports has confirmed what many had suspected – US drone kills in Pakistan are not the precision strikes against top-level al-Qaeda terrorists they are portrayed as by the Obama administration. Instead, many of the attacks are aimed at suspected low-level tribal militants, who may pose no direct danger to the United States – and for many there appears to be little evidence to justify the assassinations. The statistics illustrate the breadth of the US ‘drone doctrine’ – which has never been defined by consecutive US administrations." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLeaked report: Nearly half of US drone strikes in Pakistan not against al-Qaeda