In the modern world, a country's natural resources have very little to do whether goods are on the nation's shelves for people to buy. Singapore isn't rich in resources, neither is Hong Kong, but both have vibrant market economies and shoppers can find whatever their collective heart's desire on the shelves of stores in these two cities.
On the other hand, there is Venezuela, a country rich in resources. It is one the world's top oil producers at the same time gas pric... (more)
You would think that it would be in the mobile operators' best interest to protect their own customers' privacy and to stand up for their basic rights. You would think, but apparently you'd be wrong. It appears that CTIA -- the mobile operators' industry association -- is opposing an effort in California to require mobile operators to require a warrant ... (more)
Assuming his guilt of all the criminal charges leveled at Edwards, he is indeed an even more unsavory person than I always believed. Since I never liked him at all, this is no faint condemnation. Nevertheless, I find it horrendous that he faces up to 30 years in prison for these dirty deeds.
Consider the charges: Conspiracy, four counts of recei... (more)
In the week that lawmakers will vote on the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CIPSA), Presidential candidate Ron Paul has slammed the legislation in an effort to raise public awareness of the dangers the bill poses to the free and open internet.
"CISPA is essentially an Internet monitoring bill that permits both the federal government and private companies to view your private online communications with no judicial oversight, provided, of course, that they do so... (more)
As we trudge through another presidential political season, the media seems to have already declared that the race will be between Mitt Romney and incumbent Barack Obama.This same establishment media appears desperate to identify meaningful differences between the two candidates.Yet they are in lock step on many of the most pressing issues facing America.
Sure they may have minor differences in how to bailout the economy through corporate welfare, or how to fight the... (more)
The Michigan State Department of Natural Resources has outlawed feral pigs. They say that the now-illegal swine are considered invasive and, as of April 1, they can arrest farmers that own hogs that match nine characteristics described by the state. Mark Baker of Baker's Green Acres is one of two farmers in the state battling for the right to have feral pigs.
An immigrant risked his life to come to the "land of the free," unfortunately, he should have stayed in Mexico, because agents of "the freest country on earth" beat him to death at the border.
Via RT:
A new video shows Anastacio Hernadez-Rojas lying on the ground in the fetal position, circled by at least a dozen federal agents as
When the police are not doing officially state sanctioned criminal actions, you'll frequently find them moonlighting in non-state sanctioned criminal actions, such as this story from the AP details:
NYPD badges out, Kelvin Jones and the other armed men turned up out of nowhere at a New Jersey warehouse and began barking orders.
There has been no society in the history of the world that has ever been 100% safe. No matter how much money the federal government spends on "homeland security", the truth is that bad things will still happen. Our world is a very dangerous place and it is becoming increasingly unstable. The federal government could turn the entire country into one giant prison camp, but that would still not keep us safe. It is inevitable that bad stuff will happen in life. But we h... (more)
Lily Tomlin used to say “I try to be cynical, but I can’t keep up.” Writers of dystopian sci-fi have the same trouble keeping ahead of actual reality.
Forty years ago, Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea, in the Illuminatus! trilogy, portrayed a near future in which the ruling elite used a wave of assassinations a la JFK, RFK and MLK to terrorize the American public into accepting a full-scale police state. “The assassinations, you see, establish the need ... (more)
If you are in college right now, you will most likely either be unemployed or working a job that only requires a high school degree when you graduate. The truth is that the U.S. economy is not coming anywhere close to producing enough jobs for the hordes of new college graduates that are entering the workforce every year. In 2011, 53 percent of all Americans with a bachelor's degree under the age of 25 were either unemployed or underemployed. Millions upon millions of young... (more)
"This disconnect between the public's view of copyright and fair use and what should and should not be prosecuted, versus the 'copyright maximist' view of the law, is our generation's Prohibition," says Ben Huh, CEO and founder of Cheezburger and a loud voice in the recent backlash to SOPA and PIPA, two congressional bills aimed at curbing internet piracy.
It looks like there is slick little trick brewing in Congress. Supporters of locking people up without charge or trial are getting ready to play yet another trick on the American people.
Late yesterday, Congressman Scott Rigell and 26 other members of Congress introduced a bill, H.R. 4388, which he is trying to sell to the American people as a "fix" for the National Defense Authorization Act. But in fact, it is a useless bill th... (more)
A US judge has put a bomb under the Megaupload case by informing the FBI that a trial in the United States may never happen. The cyberlocker was never formally served with the appropriate paperwork by the US authorities, as it is impossible to serve a foreign company with criminal charges.
The US Government accuses Kim Dotcom and the rest of the “Mega Conspiracy” of running a criminal operation.
Charges in the indictment include engaging in a racketeerin... (more)
The US judge handling the Megaupload case noted today that it may never be tried due to a procedural error, a comment that has sparked the anger of Megaupload’s founder. Kim Dotcom is furious with the US Government for destroying his businesses and rendering hundreds of people unemployed. According to Dotcom the case is the result of “corruption on the highest political level, serving the interests of the copyright extremists in Hollywood.”
If the internet has taught us anything, it is that cops appear to be trained to yell “stop resisting” while beating or tasing citizens into submission.
I learned that after my first arrest when Miami police pounded my head into the pavement, which is why by my third arrest, I learned to beat them to the punch (no pun intended) by declaring, &... (more)
I confess that I have trouble sometimes figuring out the nature and logic of the so-called war on terrorism. The following are what seem to be the principles of this “war”:
1. Since the “war on terrorism,” according to U.S. officials, is a real war, the president has all the powers of a military commander in a real war, and those powers, they say, are the same omnipotent powers that are wielded by military dictators. Thus, during the war on terrorism, the... (more)
The ‘Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act’ (MAP-21) is so crammed full of unconstitutional provisions that even the mainstream media is up in arms, with an Investors Business Daily editorial describing the section that allows the IRS to revoke passports of accused tax delinquents as “Stalinist”.
As we reported earlier this week, Senate Bill 1813 would empower the Internal Revenue Service to bar Americans from leaving the country if they are... (more)
The US State Department keeps saying it wants to support a free and open internet, and to build systems that protect dissedents and reformers who are speaking out. But it seems that they can't get the message through to the rest of the US government. Apparently the FBI has seized a server used by various people to anony... (more)
Kindergartners from Sunnyside Elementary taking part in an "educational field trip" were taken to a jail, and some of the children even had the fortune to be put behind bars!
I recently wrote an article that addresses the subject of sociopaths and how they insinuate themselves into society. Although the subject doesn't speak directly to what stock you should buy or sell to increase your wealth, I think it's critical to success in the markets. It goes a long way towards explaining what goes on in the heads of people like Bernie Madoff and therefore how you can avoid being hu... (more)
A bill already passed by the Senate and set to be rubber stamped by the House would make it mandatory for all new cars in the United States to be fitted with black box data recorders from 2015 onwards.
Section 31406 of Senate Bill 1813 (known as MAP-21), calls for “Mandatory Event Data Recorders” to be installed in all new automobiles and legislates for civil penalties to be imposed against individuals ... (more)
