‘While some agencies in Brazil have been busy giving 3 new GMO crops green lights, the country’s public prosecutor has written the Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) asking it to urgently re-evaluate their stance […]
‘A 17-year-old teenager was remanded in custody on Monday after facing a children’s court in Melbourne on unspecified charges of “engaging in an act in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act” and “possessing things […]
‘The Blockade continues preventing enough vital humanitarian aid from reaching millions of needy Yemenis. Amounts permitted in are woefully inadequate. Iran’s cargo ship “Rescue” is en route with food, water, medical supplies and other humanitarian […]
‘France has announced that in the wake of the so-called “Charlie Hebdo Shooting,” it will be passing a controversial new bill granting security agencies unprecedented powers to tap the communications of France’s population without judicial […]
I’m a die-hard science fiction fan, and one of my all-time favorites in this genre is Douglas Adams’ superb The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Only seconds before aliens demolish planet Earth to make way for an interstellar shortcut, the book’s protagonist, Arthur Dent, is whisked aboard a spaceship. His savior is Ford Prefect, an alien stationed on Earth to conduct research for an updated version of the Guide. Upon being whisked into the spaceship, Ford hands Arthur a copy of the Guide. On the cover are the words “Don’t Panic.” “I like the cover,” Arthur says. “‘Don’t Panic.’ It’s the … Continue reading →
In case you hadn’t noticed, dignity is a rare commodity in our decadent, morally degenerate world of the new millennium. We see confirmation of this all around us in such phenomena as: Talk shows that feature tragic people emotionally and psychologically disrobing themselves in public while sharing their most intimate secrets with millions of lobotomized strangers. Attorneys who routinely advertise on radio, television, and billboards, urging prospects to demand their “rights” through legal action, though not that many years ago such tacky solicitations would have resulted in an attorney’s being blackballed by his profession. A tidal wave of verbal sloth. … Continue reading →
When disaster seems imminent, there’s one vital decision that preppers have to make: bug in or bug out? The lyrics from the chorus of a song by The Clash sums it up – you’ve got trouble either way, but one way will be worse than the other. Because this song is now stuck in my head, I thought it should be stuck in your head, too. Should I stay or should I go now? Should I stay or should I go now? If I go, there will be trouble And if I stay it will be double So come on … Continue reading →
When the Panic of ’08 hit, the United States — the financial and military police of the world — led the charge to stop the spread of economic terror. Under the command of US Secretary of Treasury Hank Paulson, orders were given to save too-big-to-fail banks and over-leveraged financial institutions drowning in red ink. On Oct. 3, 2008, President George W. Bush signed into law the Troubled Asset Relief Program that allowed the government to purchase assets and equities institutions had accumulated from engaging in a spectrum of dirty deals — deals for which they would pay minimal fines before being allowed … Continue reading →
Jeremy Clarkson may look to Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood for inspiration for the name of his new, post-Top Gear motoring show, if he ends up going to Netflix. But instead of House of Cards, the new show would be called … House of Cars, according to the Daily Mirror. Do you see what they did there? Underwood looks like the kind of guy who would enjoy Top Gear, and Clarkson the sort of bloke who would appreciate the president’s no-nonsense politics (not killing people though, obviously). Plus, Underwood might have come up with a more robust response when Top Gear’s ill-fated … Continue reading →
Lyndon McClellan is a small entrepreneur who owns and operates L & M Convenience Mart in Fairmont, North Carolina. L & M comprises a gas station, convenience store, and a small restaurant serving hot dogs, hamburgers, and catfish sandwiches. One day last July, more than a dozen federal, state and local law enforcement agents swarmed Mr. McClellan’s business, including agents from the FBI and the North Carolina Alcohol and Law Enforcement agency—and they were “asking” for him. When Mr. McClellan arrived, he was escorted by two federal agents into his stock room for a private chat. The agents showed him … Continue reading →
Are you having trouble driving – especially at night, reading or seeing the expression on your friend’s face? One common eye condition is cataract, a clouding of the normally clear lens of your eye. It’s as though you’re trying to see through a fogged-up window. For most people, cataracts develop slowly and don’t disrupt your vision early on. But with time, and age, this will interfere with your daily life and you’ll need eyeglasses. You may need surgery down the road, generally a safe and effective procedure. But still…the question is how to slow down cataracts? Are there natural remedies … Continue reading →
Why was Osama bin Laden killed and not captured? This has always been a question of central importance surrounding his death at the hands of U.S. bullets. It is a question that has ethical, legal and pragmatic significance. If a suspect of any inhumanity or crime is executed summarily without judicial procedures, does that merit moral approval or condemnation? Is killing a suspect who can be taken prisoner legal or illegal? Was killing the chief suspected terrorist of the time and a potential source of information wise or unwise? There is a deeper question. How does the execution of bin … Continue reading →
In 2002, Chris Moneymaker (yes, that’s his real name) was an accountant and amateur poker player in Tennessee. He played online quite a bit, and occasionally in casinos, but mostly ended up in debt. By the end of May 2003, he had won the World Series of Poker — and the $2.5 million main prize. Moneymaker beat the best players in the world, and amazingly, it was the first live tournament he had ever been in. And it all started with an online game that had a $39 entrance fee. After that, as you can imagine, the popularity of Texas … Continue reading →
This might be common knowledge for some, but not for many, including my wife (who got into Harvard, btw ;-), so I thought it was worth a refresher. Let’s start with a burning question we answered back in 2008: what makes a whiskey bourbon? The law. While knocking back a dram of bourbon is a decidedly carefree exercise, making it is exceedingly technical and requires that the whiskey meet a rigid set of criteria. The Federal Standards of Identity for Bourbon stipulate what is and what isn’t bourbon. For a whiskey to call itself bourbon, its mash, the mixture of … Continue reading →
U.S. Has Already Started WWIII Top economic and political experts say we’re drifting towards World War 3. And see this. We noted in March that we’re already at war with Russia. Many experts agree … Former White House official Dr. Philippa Malmgren – former presidential adviser and member of the U.S. President’s Working Group on Financial Markets – said last December that the United States isalready at war with China and Russia: I was recently at a meeting with a lot of very senior people from the defense community, and their view is that we are already in a nose-to-nose … Continue reading →