News posts aggregated from alternative news sources.
‘Payday loan companies which charge interest rates of thousands of per cent a year could be about to go out of business, according to industry experts. The announcement came after it was revealed Wonga, the […]
‘Broccoli has long been hailed as a superfood, and it could soon protect people from cancer of the mouth, throat, neck and head, a study claims. Scientists are developing a new treatment known as ‘green […]
‘The swine flu vaccine caused severe brain damage in over 800 children across Europe, and the UK government has now agreed to pay $90 million in compensation to those victims as part of a vaccine […]
‘Field trials in Bentong, a town in the state of Pahang, Malaysia, were conducted to determine if GM mosquitoes could help keep dengue at bay, with a final determination that such an attempt does not […]
‘With states legalizing marijuana by popular vote, some politicians, including Boston mayor Marty Walsh and New Jersey governor Chris Christie, are still calling marijuana a gateway drug. The gateway theory argues that because heroin, cocaine […]
‘In Republican primary politics, the libertarian brand carries cachet, which explains why many of the GOP’s presidential candidates are battling to position themselves as the one true standard-bearer of small government conservatism. But a funny […]
As a follow up to Cedestras brilliant list of 20 amazing and unusual weather phenomena, I have decided to make a list with 10 more items. Our atmosphere shows off so many strange and wonderful displays, but often times these brilliant phenomena happen so rarely, and in places all over the world (insert lame ‘once in a blue moon’ pun here). Now then, onto the list! 10 Lunar Corona Formation This item, a personal favorite of mine and one that’s amazing in itself starts off the list. A Lunar Corona formation is formed through a mix of thin cloud and small … Continue reading →
What’s the true test of one’s commitment to free speech? It does not come when he permits people to be free to say or publish ideas with which he agrees. Not by a long shot. The true test of one’s commitment to free speech comes when he permits others to say and publish ideas he deems offensive. In March, a video surfaced of a racist chant by Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity brothers at the University of Oklahoma, a public university. It has brought widespread condemnation and the fraternity’s suspension. Two fraternity students have been expelled. The University of Oklahoma’s president, … Continue reading →
A good friend who is a pastor asks a sincere question about libertarianism and assisted suicide. The fact that he even asked shows that he is a thinking man who is not quick to accept the traditions and talking points that pass for sound doctrine in too many conservative churches today. Before continuing, since some conservatives—and especially conservative Christians—are already stammering, stuttering, and spluttering because of what they think I might say, I should say that I don’t want anyone to commit suicide, I don’t think anyone should commit suicide, I don’t think doctors should help anyone commit suicide, I … Continue reading →
New York – “Gimme a BLT on rye and hold da mayo” is a great Noo Yawk sound. So is boid for bird, and toerty toird for 33rd street. True working class accents no longer exist in the Bagel, and one is far more likely to hear “Deme un BLT y guarde la mayonesa,” by our Dominican or Puerto Rican cousins. The fire escape is also going fast, and as some wit pointed out, the next time Tony woos Maria in West Side Story he’ll have to text. The outdoor fire escape is a classic piece of Noo Yawk architecture, especially … Continue reading →
The world’s central banks have a problem. When economic conditions worsen, they react by reducing interest rates in order to stimulate the economy. But, as has happened across the world in recent years, there comes a point where those central banks run out of room to cut — they can bring interest rates to zero, but reducing them further below that is fraught with problems, the biggest of which is cash in the economy. In a new piece, Citi’s Willem Buiter looks at this problem, which is known as the effective lower bound (ELB) on nominal interest rates. Fundamentally, the … Continue reading →
In a piece the Texas Tribune Lyndon Baines Johnson Library director and LBJ apologist Mark Updegrove argues that because of “his keen sense of social justice” LBJ would support Gay marriage if he were alive today. We must assume Mr. Updegrove made this argument with a straight face. This attempt to rewrite history comes on the heels of an effort by LBJ defenders to discredit the largely accurate movie Selma which accurately portrays LBJ’s foot dragging on voting rights in 1965 and his contempt for Martin Luther King. Sense of social justice? In fact, as president, LBJ ordered Aide Bill … Continue reading →