EU Says Drugmakers Blocked Cheaper Drugs

EU Says Drugmakers Blocked Cheaper Drugs | Page 1 of 2 | Drugs | Financial Articles & Investments News | TheStreet.com:

"BRUSSELS, Belgium -- European patients had to pay about 3 billion euros ($3.87 billion) more for medicines in 2000-2007 because pharmaceutical companies deliberately stalled the sale of cheaper generic versions, EU antitrust regulators said Friday.

An investigation of major pharmaceutical companies -- including Pfizer (PFE Quote - Cramer on PFE - Stock Picks), GlaxoSmithKline(GSK Quote - Cramer on GSK - Stock Picks) and Sanofi Aventis (SNY Quote - Cramer on SNY - Stock Picks) -- showed they had blocked or delayed generic drugs from entering the market to prevent losing revenue on their more profitable drugs, the European Commission said. "

Expert: Small Ark. earthquakes could be warning

The Associated Press: Expert: Small Ark. earthquakes could be warning:

"LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A series of small earthquakes that rattled central Arkansas in recent weeks could be a sign of something much bigger to come.

By this weekend, seismologists hope to install three measurement devices to gather data about future temblors in the area. That information could show whether the rumbles come from heat-related geological changes or from an undiscovered fault — which could mean a risk of substantial earthquakes in the future.

'The potential for generating a high-magnitude earthquake is real,' said Haydar Al-Shukri, director of the Arkansas Earthquake Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock."

Sick babies denied treatment in DNA row - National - smh.com.au

Sick babies denied treatment in DNA row - National - smh.com.au:

"BABIES with a severe form of epilepsy risk having their diagnosis delayed and their treatment compromised because of a company's patent on a key gene.

It is the first evidence that private intellectual property rights over human DNA are adversely affecting medical care.

Deepak Gill, head of neurology at the Children's Hospital at Westmead, said he would test at least 50 per cent more infants for the SCN1A gene - which would diagnose the disabling Dravet syndrome - if the hospital could conduct the test in-house.

But rights to the gene are controlled by the Melbourne-based Genetic Technologies, which has already threatened to stop public hospitals testing for breast cancer gene mutations, and the hospital will not risk a similar problem."

Mumbai photographer: I wish I'd had a gun, not a camera. Armed police would not fire back - World news, News - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Mumbai photographer: I wish I'd had a gun, not a camera. Armed police would not fire back - World news, News - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk:

"The gunmen were terrifyingly professional, making sure at least one of them was able to fire their rifle while the other reloaded. By the time he managed to capture the killer on camera, Mr D'Souza had already seen two gunmen calmly stroll across the station concourse shooting both civilians and policemen, many of whom, he said, were armed but did not fire back. 'I first saw the gunmen outside the station,' Mr D'Souza said. 'With their rucksacks and Western clothes they looked like backpackers, not terrorists, but they were very heavily armed and clearly knew how to use their rifles."

LewRockwell.com Blog: The Real Ford Position on Bailouts

LewRockwell.com Blog: The Real Ford Position on Bailouts:

"Thanks to Kevin Duffy for a reminder of what the great entrepreneur Henry Ford said on February 11, 1934: 'Let them fail; let everybody fail! I made my fortune when I had nothing to start with, by myself and my own ideas. Let other people do the same thing. If I lose everything in the collapse of our financial structure, I will start in at the beginning and build it up again.'"

Surprise Drop in Power Use Delivers Jolt to Utilities - WSJ.com

Surprise Drop in Power Use Delivers Jolt to Utilities - WSJ.com:

"An unexpected drop in U.S. electricity consumption has utility companies worried that the trend isn't a byproduct of the economic downturn, and could reflect a permanent shift in consumption that will require sweeping change in their industry.

Numbers are trickling in from several large utilities that show shrinking power use by households and businesses in pockets across the country. Utilities have long counted on sales growth of 1% to 2% annually in the U.S., and they created complex operating and expansion plans to meet the needs of a growing population."

FDA Scientists Revolt Against Corrupt Food and Drug Administration Officials

FDA Scientists Revolt Against Corrupt Food and Drug Administration Officials:

"(NaturalNews) A group of scientists working in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health division has revolted against the corrupt managers of its own department, accusing them of committing crimes by claiming, 'There is extensive documentary evidence that managers at CDRH have corrupted and interfered with the scientific review of medical devices.'

Read the letter yourself here (PDF):

The letter from the FDA's own scientists goes on to say, 'It is evident that managers at CDRH have deviated from FDA's mission to identify and address underlying problems with medical devices before they cause irreparable harm, and this deviation has placed the American people at risk.'"

Washington state judge admits to calling Mukasey a ‘tyrant.’

Think Progress » Washington state judge admits to calling Mukasey a ‘tyrant.’:

"Richard Sanders, a justice on the Washington State Supreme Court, confirmed yesterday that he called Attorney General Michael Mukasey a ‘tyrant’ at a Federalist Society dinner last week:

After listening to Mukasey defend the Bush administration’s counterterrorism policies — its detainment practices at Guantánamo Bay, its interpretation of the Geneva Conventions’ reach — Sanders stood and shouted ‘Tyrant! You are a tyrant!’

‘Frankly, everybody in the room was applauding or sometimes laughing, and I thought, ‘I’ve got to stand up and say something.’ And I did,’ Sanders told The Seattle Times Tuesday. ‘I stood up and said, ‘Tyrant,’ then I sat down again, then I left.’

Sanders said he didn’t learn until the next morning that, moments after this episode, Mukasey passed out at the podium."

Bush Labor Department misled Congress in effort to privatize jobs

The Raw Story | Bush Labor Department misled Congress in effort to privatize jobs:

"President George W. Bush's Labor Department misled Congress in an effort to prove outsourcing jobs to private companies was more efficient than assigning the jobs to government employees, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Monday.

The report (pdf here) found that the Department used fictional projected numbers to improve 'savings reports' -- even when real numbers were already available. And when the government did find private firms to take a government job, that employee generally was either reassigned to another task with the same title or promoted"

FDA seizes $71k in herbal tea products as campaign of censorship against nutritional supplements continues

FDA seizes $71k in herbal tea products as campaign of censorship against nutritional supplements continues:

"NaturalNews) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, continuing its campaign of censorship against truthfully-described herbal supplements, seized $71,000 worth of Charantea herbal supplements last week in a raid involving U.S. Marshals. The company, Fulllife Natural Options, was accused by the FDA of marketing an 'unapproved drug' due to the truthful marketing claims that accurately describe the blood sugar lowering effects of the product's main ingredient: Bitter Melon fruits."

Cops track crims through family DNA

Cops track crims through family DNA - The INQUIRER:

"A CONTROVERSIAL NEW law in California is allowing police to track down criminals by trawling through the state's DNA database looking for profiles of close family members.

The LAPD hope that in cases where a perp’s DNA doesn’t match up to any DNA profiles in the database, family members whose DNA is on file may be able to give detectives a clue to his/her whereabouts.

The method is not a new one, having started out in Britain several years ago, but California's newly-approved familial searching policy will be the most far-reaching one in the US and is already making privacy advocates itchy."

Obama Looks to Axe Daylight Time -- NYT Explains Why - Green Daily

Obama Looks to Axe Daylight Time -- NYT Explains Why - Green Daily:

"In order to conserve energy, President-elect Barak Obama wants to eliminate daylight saving time.
"

Man pays for county mistake - PennLive.com

Man pays for county mistake - PennLive.com:

"When Walter Andre Sharpe Jr. signed for a certified letter from Dauphin County Domestic Relations in 2001, he didn't know he was signing on for a seven-year nightmare.

Since then, the Philadelphia man has been thrown in jail four times, lost his job, become estranged from his four children and spent more than $12,000 to support the child of another man."

'I unwittingly ate human flesh,' caller tells stunned radio DJ

'I unwittingly ate human flesh,' caller tells stunned radio DJ | Mail Online:

"She answered: 'It was when I was a child when I lived in Africa. We always went to the same butcher and then suddenly - we were there a couple of years - the meat started to get so much better.

'It was only when we moved back to England a couple of years later that we realised that the butcher had been arrested because he farmed little black girls.'"

Israel Bans International Media from Gaza, Arrests Human Rights Activists - Middle East Times

Israel Bans International Media from Gaza, Arrests Human Rights Activists - Middle East Times:

"GAZA CITY, Gaza -- Israel has banned foreign journalists from entering Gaza to cover the deteriorating humanitarian situation there as the country 's complete closure of the territory enters a third week."

iPhone has a built-in spyware module?

VS iPhone: iPhone has a built-in spyware module?:

"Today an underground hacker team 'web-Hack' from Russia released a whitepaper with results of iPhone firmware research. They reverse- engineered some functions and published this information. Results of a research shocked community. Russian hackers found a built-in function which sends all data from an iPhone to a specified web-server. Contacts from a phonebook, SMS, recent calls, history of Safari browser - all your personal information can be stolen."

Gulf War illness is real, report finds

Gulf War illness is real, report finds - Yahoo! News:

"'Scientific evidence leaves no question that Gulf War illness is a real condition with real causes and serious consequences for affected veterans,' said the committee, which has been looking into the problem since 2002."

Bankers Manifesto of 1892 - You Must Read the Bankers Manifesto

Bankers Manifesto of 1892 - You Must Read the Bankers Manifesto:

"We (the bankers) must proceed with caution and guard every move made, for the lower order of people are already showing signs of restless commotion. Prudence will therefore show a policy of apparently yielding to the popular will until our plans are so far consummated that we can declare our designs without fear of any organized resistance."

Slashdot | Feds Can Locate Cell Phones Without Telcos

Slashdot | Feds Can Locate Cell Phones Without Telcos:

"schwit1 sends along an Ars Technica report covering the release of documents obtained under the FOIA suggesting that the Justice Department may have been evading privacy laws in their use of 'triggerfish' technology. Triggerfish are cell-tower spoofing devices that induce cell phones to give up their location and other identifying information, without recourse to any cell carrier. 'Courts in recent years have been raising th"

CSI Kitchen Table — The Latest Home Test Kits

CSI Kitchen Table — The Latest Home Test Kits:

"Home test kits used to be for things like finding out if you're pregnant or checking the hot tub's chlorine level. Now over-the-counter chemical tests can tell you if your spouse is cheating or if your new home ever doubled as a meth lab. Yes, science now makes house calls.

"

John F. Kennedy vs The Federal Reserve

John F. Kennedy vs The Federal Reserve | BREAK THE MATRIX:

"On June 4, 1963, a virtually unknown Presidential decree, Executive Order 11110, was signed with the authority to basically strip the Federal Reserve Bank of its power to loan money to the United States Federal Government at interest. With the stroke of a pen, President Kennedy declared that the privately owned Federal Reserve Bank would soon be out of business. The Christian Law Fellowship has exhaustively researched this matter through the Federal Register and Library of Congress. We can now safely conclude that this Executive Order has never been repealed, amended, or superceded by any subsequent Executive Order. In simple terms, it is still valid."

US Sets New Record in the Jailing of African Americans

US Sets New Record in the Jailing of African Americans | Clutch Magazine: fashion.beauty.life.culture:

"According to a recent report released by the Justice Department, the number of incarcerated Americans reached an all-time record last year. Local, state and federal officials jailed an additional 62,000 people as of June 2006 sending the prison population to 2.24 million people.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) annual report says the 2.8 percent increase in incarcerations was the largest increase in six years. Black men continue to be imprisoned at record pace. Blacks and Hispanics are the primary people being jailed. Currently, Black men, who are roughly 6 and a-half percent of the nation’s total population, represented 37 percent of those behind bars. African American males have an incarceration rate of 4.8 percent compared to 1.9 percent for Hispanics and 0.7 percent for whites. Amazingly, 11 percent of all Black males between 25 and 34 are in prison."

U.S. physicians apologize to black doctors

U.S. physicians apologize to black doctors - International Herald Tribune:

"CHICAGO: The American Medical Association, the largest physicians' group in the United States, apologized to black doctors on Thursday for a history of racial discrimination.

The AMA said it will work to increase the ranks of minority physicians and their participation in the association.

The apology arose from the work of an independent panel of experts commissioned in 2005 to study the history of what the AMA called 'the racial divide in organized medicine.'"

Prescription Drugs Kill 300 Percent More Americans Than Illegal Drugs

t r u t h o u t | Prescription Drugs Kill 300 Percent More Americans Than Illegal Drugs:

" A report by the Florida Medical Examiners Commission has concluded that prescription drugs have outstripped illegal drugs as a cause of death.

An analysis of 168,900 autopsies conducted in Florida in 2007 found that three times as many people were killed by legal drugs as by cocaine, heroin and all methamphetamines put together. According to state law enforcement officials, this is a sign of a burgeoning prescription drug abuse problem. "

25 years murder-free in 'Gun Town USA'

Kuruc.info - Korlátlanul magyar: 25 years murder-free in 'Gun Town USA':

"In March 1982, 25 years ago, the small town of Kennesaw – responding to a handgun ban in Morton Grove, Ill. – unanimously passed an ordinance requiring each head of household to own and maintain a gun. Since then, despite dire predictions of 'Wild West' showdowns and increased violence and accidents, not a single resident has been involved in a fatal shooting – as a victim, attacker or defender."

Missing Bees: What's going on?

Missing Bees: What's going on?:

"A team of scientists from Edgewood Chemical Biological Center and University of California San Francisco identified both a virus and a parasite that are likely behind the recent sudden die-off of honey-bee colonies. Using a new technology called the Integrated Virus Detection System (IVDS), which was designed for military use to rapidly screen samples for pathogens, ECBC scientists last week isolated the presence of viral and parasitic pathogens that may be contributing to the honeybee loss.

But it now appears that a much more basic culprit has killed the bees -- Bayer Corporation. Colony Collapse Disorder is poisoning with a known insect neurotoxin called Clothianidin, a pesticide manufactured by Bayer, which has been clearly linked to massive bee die offs in Germany and France. "

Bloomberg Sues The Fed For More Transparency Over $2 Trillion In Emergency Loans

Techdirt: Bloomberg Sues The Fed For More Transparency Over $2 Trillion In Emergency Loans:

"While plenty of people are focused on the $700 billion TARP bailout/rescue plan that Congress gave the Treasury Department, that's not the only cash the government has at its disposal. In fact, the Federal Reserve has apparently handed out $2 trillion in emergency loans, with almost no transparency over who received the loans and what the collateral is or how it's valued. Bloomberg (the company, not the mayor) is now suing to have the Fed reveal that info. The government has been talking up a storm about how all of these bailout efforts would be very transparent with respect to taxpayer money -- but the reality hasn't lived up to the rhetoric. "

ACLU 'Concerned' After Students Told Not To Say Obama

ACLU 'Concerned' After Students Told Not To Say Obama - Commitment 2008 News Story - WAPT Jackson:

"PEARL, Miss. -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi said Friday that it had received numerous reports from throughout the state from parents and students regarding alleged violations of students’ free speech following Tuesday’s election.

On Thursday, the Pearl Schools superintendent said that a school bus driver and a coach were disciplined for allegedly telling students not to say President-elect Barack Obama’s name."

Sarah Palin Blamed by the US Secret Service Over Death Threats Against Barack Obama | | AlterNet

Sarah Palin Blamed by the US Secret Service Over Death Threats Against Barack Obama | | AlterNet:

"Sarah Palin's attacks on Barack Obama's patriotism provoked a spike in death threats against the future president, Secret Service agents revealed during the final weeks of the campaign.

The Republican vice presidential candidate attracted criticism for accusing Mr Obama of 'palling around with terrorists', citing his association with the sixties radical William Ayers.

The attacks provoked a near lynch mob atmosphere at her rallies, with supporters yelling 'terrorist' and 'kill him' until the McCain campaign ordered her to tone down the rhetoric."

Drink Tap Water: Bottled Water is Toxic

Drink Tap Water: Bottled Water is Toxic:

"An extra twist has been added to your bottled water!
How about cancer-causing byproducts of chlorination, fertilizer residue, industrial solvents and caffeine.

Laboratory tests conducted for Environmental Working Group at one of the country’s leading water quality laboratories showed alarming results. 10 popular brands of bottled water were tested and the results showed:

an average of 8 contaminants in each brand
38 chemical pollutants altogether
one-third of the chemicals found are not regulated in bottled water
some chemicals exceeded legal limits in California as well as industry-sponsored voluntary safety standards
four brands were also contaminated with bacteria"

Winter is Coming, Stock Up on Honey

Winter is Coming, Stock Up on Honey | YourNaturalWellness.com:

"A research team in Denmark is currently investigating the use of honey instead of antibiotics.

Hippocrates used honey to heal wounds. While we seam to have forgotten its powers honey is still used today in development countries to heal burns and diarrhea.

A pot of honey is a great resource in the kitchen cabinet. Especially during the cold winter months.

Here are some great alternative uses of honey."

Jailed for Not Using Public Utilities

Off-Grid - life unplugged: solar, wind, hydro, architecture, smallholdings, free stuff » William Williams fighting fund:

"This web site is organising donations to help pay lawyers for a Pittsburgh man who uses no public utilities — and has served three stints in the county jail because of his battles. Now he faces more legal wrangling for refusing to tap into the local sewage system.

Off-Grid was the first to report on William Williams, 78, of Cecil, back in 2006. Now Williams is again pressing ahead with his long- held doctrine that he, not public utilities or authorities, dictates what happens on his property. He describes utility companies and authorities as ‘troublemakers,’ ‘bullies’ and ‘yo-yos with queer ideas’ about encroaching on people’s lives."

YouTube - Pennsylvania Governor Rendell Praises Farrakhan and N.O.I.

YouTube - Pennsylvania Governor Rendell Praises Farrakhan and N.O.I.:

""

Report Rebuts Georgian Claims About Invasion

Report Rebuts Georgian Claims About Invasion - World news | Newser: Know More. Search Less.:

"(Newser) – Independent military observers have published new accounts that contradict Georgia's claim that it was acting defensively against Russian aggression. The reports suggest instead that the small Georgian army moved into Tskhinvali unprovoked, unleashing artillery and rocket fire without discrimination at civilians and unarmed monitors. It also discounts the claim, made on television the night of the invasion, that ethnic Georgian villages in breakaway South Ossetia were under attack.

"

anti-telemarketing EGBG counterscript

anti-telemarketing EGBG counterscript:

"The Direct Marketing sector regards the telephone as one of its most successful tools. Consumers experience telemarketing from a completely different point of view: more than 92% perceive commercial telephone calls as a violation of privacy.
Telemarketers make use of a telescript - a guideline for a telephone conversation. This script creates an imbalance in the conversation between the marketer and the consumer. It is this imbalance, most of all, that makes telemarketing successful. The EGBG Counterscript attempts to redress that balance."

A ‘plastic soup’ of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean

oskar lewis weblog » plastic soup:

"A ‘plastic soup’ of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said.

The vast expanse of debris – in effect the world’s largest rubbish dump – is held in place by swirling underwater currents. This drifting ‘soup’ stretches from about 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan."

How Teenage Rebellion Has Become a Mental Illness

informationliberation - How Teenage Rebellion Has Become a Mental Illness:

"For a generation now, disruptive young Americans who rebel against authority figures have been increasingly diagnosed with mental illnesses and medicated with psychiatric (psychotropic) drugs.

Disruptive young people who are medicated with Ritalin, Adderall and other amphetamines routinely report that these drugs make them 'care less' about their boredom, resentments and other negative emotions, thus making them more compliant and manageable. And so-called atypical antipsychotics such as Risperdal and Zyprexa -- powerful tranquilizing drugs -- are increasingly prescribed to disruptive young Americans, even though in most cases they are not displaying any psychotic symptoms.
"

Sleep Loss Produces False Memories

PLoS ONE: Sleep Loss Produces False Memories:

"People sometimes claim with high confidence to remember events that in fact never happened, typically due to strong semantic associations with actually encoded events. Sleep is known to provide optimal neurobiological conditions for consolidation of memories for long-term storage, whereas sleep deprivation acutely impairs retrieval of stored memories. Here, focusing on the role of sleep-related memory processes, we tested whether false memories can be created (a) as enduring memory representations due to a consolidation-associated reorganization of new memory representations during post-learning sleep and/or (b) as an acute retrieval-related phenomenon induced by sleep deprivation at memory testing. According to the Deese, Roediger, McDermott (DRM) false memory paradigm, subjects learned lists of semantically associated words (e.g., ‘night’, ‘dark’, ‘coal’,…), lacking the strongest common associate or theme word (here: ‘black’). Subjects either slept or stayed awake immediately after learning, and they were either sleep deprived or not at recognition testing 9, 33, or 44 hours after learning. Sleep deprivation at retrieval, but not sleep following learning, critically enhanced false memories of theme words. This effect was abolished by caffeine administration prior to retrieval, indicating that adenosinergic mechanisms can contribute to the generation of false memories associated with sleep loss."

The Rise of Unwarranted Paramilitary Raids in America

The Rise of Unwarranted Paramilitary Raids in America | Felonious Ramblings:

"It’s the day after Christmas in 2001. You’re 21 years old. After finally putting your 18-month-old daughter to sleep, you’re relaxing in your favorite recliner, nodding off in the flickering light of the television show you’re only half-watching and the string of Christmas lights around your front window. When you hear the sounds of someone trying to kick in your door, you run to your daughter’s bedroom; when someone does break in and kick down her bedroom door, you shoot.

It turns out the man you shot is the (white) police chief’s son, and as he dies of internal bleeding en route to the hospital you (a black man) are arrested, beaten so badly you bleed from your ear for a week, and are left on death row for five years following the bogus conviction (until a judge overturns what was obviously a wrongful sentence). The drugs the cops were looking for — using a warrant that named no one in your household — were never discovered. This is the case of Mississippian Corey Maye, who is still locked up."

Bush Flatly Declares No Connection Between Saddam and al Qaeda

The Memory Hole > Bush Flatly Declares No Connection Between Saddam and al Qaeda:

">>> During one of his rare press conferences, President Bush admitted something which completely contradicts what we've been hearing from him, most other politicians, and the mainstream media. Not surprisingly, the media have completely ignored this; I couldn't find a single article that mentions it in any news source, domestic or foreign."

Copper Shown to Be Effective Germicide in Hospital Setting

Copper Shown to Be Effective Germicide in Hospital Setting:

"A study at the Selly Oak Hospital at the University of Birmingham, England has shown that copper surfaces effectively reduce the presence of contagious pathogens that land on them during normal hospital operations.

From the statement issued by University Hospitals Birmingham:

The study found that, when tested, items made from copper had up to 95 per cent fewer micro-organisms on them, compared with the same items made out of standard materials such as stainless steel.
The study, begun in March last year, was led by Professor Tom Elliott, a Consultant Microbiologist and Deputy Medical Director at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Selly Oak Hospital.

He said: ‘What this must mean is that the risk of picking up an infection is reduced, because we know that one of the vehicles where organisms can spread from one surface to another is by touching them. So the results are very exciting.

‘The findings of a 90 to 95 per cent killing of those organisms, even after a busy day on a medical ward with items being touched by numerous people, is remarkable. So it may well offer us another mechanism for trying to defeat the spread of infection.’

"

Keylogger allegedly found in New Dell Laptop.

:

"Looking further, I saw that the other end of the cable was connected to the integrated ethernet board.

What could this mean? I called Dell tech support about it, and they said, and I quote, 'The intregrated service tag identifier is there for assisting customers in the event of lost or misplaced personal information.' He then hung up.

A little more research, and I found that that board spliced in between the keyboard and the ethernet chip is little more than a Keyghost hardware keylogger.

The reasons Dell would put this in thier laptops can only be left up to your imagination. It would be very impractical to hand-anylze the logs, and very CPU-intensive to do so on a computer for every person that purchased a dell laptop. Why are these keyloggers here? I recently almost found out.

I called the police, as having a keylogger unknown to me in my laptop is a serious offense. They told me to call the Department of Homeland Security. At this point, I am in disbelief. Why would the DHS have a keylogger in my laptop? It was surreal.

So I called them, and they told me to submit a Freedom of Information Act request. This is what I got back: "

Beware of Congress’s Threat to Tax 401Ks at Emac’s Stock Watch

Beware of Congress’s Threat to Tax 401Ks at Emac’s Stock Watch | Fox Business:

"With the bear market red in the claw, with an equal opportunity bear market taking out solid stocks right and left, with panicked investors feeling like every headline is an explosion, comes this impenetrable stupidity:

Some Democrats in Congress have held hearings that included discussions of new proposals to tax 401K money. Specifically, the idea would be to eliminate most of the $80 bn in annual tax breaks that 401(k) investors receive. Which means a nearly $80 bn tax hike."

ES&S Voting Machines in Michigan Flunk Tests, Don't Tally Votes Consistently

ES&S Voting Machines in Michigan Flunk Tests, Don't Tally Votes Consistently | Threat Level from Wired.com:

"Optical-scan machines made by Election Systems & Software failed recent pre-election tests in a Michigan county, producing different tallies for the same ballots every time, the top election official in Oakland County revealed in a letter made public Monday.

The problems occurred during logic and accuracy tests in the run-up to this year's general election, Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson disclosed in a letter submitted October 24 (.pdf) to the federal Election Assistance Commission (EAC). The machines at issue are ES&S M-100 optical-scan machines, which read and tally election results from paper ballots."

James Carville Hints at Riots If Obama Loses Election

James Carville Hints at Riots If Obama Loses Election | NewsBusters.org:

"In last night's post-debate analysis on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, James Carville proclaimed that Barack Obama will be the slam dunk winner of the election in November. However, he followed up by hinting at riots if Obama were to lose. Here is the transcript of the discussion. First David Gergen keeps bringing up the race factor as an excuse for a possible Obama loss (emphasis mine):"

Paulson's Swindle Revealed

Paulson's Swindle Revealed:

"The swindle of American taxpayers is proceeding more or less in broad daylight, as the unwitting voters are preoccupied with the national election. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson agreed to invest $125 billion in the nine largest banks, including $10 billion for Goldman Sachs, his old firm. But, if you look more closely at Paulson's transaction, the taxpayers were taken for a ride--a very expensive ride. They paid $125 billion for bank stock that a private investor could purchase for $62.5 billion. That means half of the public's money was a straight-out gift to Wall Street, for which taxpayers got nothing in return. "

The Law That Never Was -- The Fraud of Income & Social Security Tax -- The Man

The Law That Never Was -- The Fraud of Income & Social Security Tax -- The Man:

"Starting in January, 1984, Bill went first to the capitols of the New England states and performed his investigative research, using the journals of the various state legislative bodies to find out how these states acted upon the proposal by Congress to amend the U.S. Constitution to permit a federal income tax law. After review of these records, he began to see that serious problems existed as to whether these states had legally ratified the same amendment which had been proposed by Congress. When examination of the records of about 20 states showed that many had not ratified the amendment and that information regarding the action taken by these States had been sent to the U.S. Secretary of State, he determined that records in Washington, D.C. most probably existed to prove the point. "

How to Survive An Economic Depression » Blog Archive » 100 Things That Disappear in a Panic

How to Survive An Economic Depression » Blog Archive » 100 Things That Disappear in a Panic:

"100 Things That Disappear in a Panic
(7)
Posted on October 6th, 2008adminGreat Depression, Health

Compiled by Joseph Almond, this list is applicable from almost everything - from hurricanes to financial hurricanes.

Originally compiled for Y2K survival, it is pretty darn thorough!"

Fruit and Veggie Seeds At Risk

Fruit and Veggie Seeds At Risk | Nature Deva:

"Well this is yet another bit of highly disappointing information I learned today. The Path To Freedom Blog posted today that Monsanto owns about 40% of all the fruit and veggie seeds sold in the U.S. and they are growing. It’s not bad enough that they’ve taken over grain production and made it into frankenfood and are destroying many family farms in the process but now they are invading the fruit and veggie seed market, too."

Goldman Sachs ready to hand out £7BILLION salary and bonus package... after its £6bn bail-out

Goldman Sachs ready to hand out £7BILLION salary and bonus package... after its £6bn bail-out | Mail Online:

"Goldman Sachs is on course to pay its top City bankers multimillion-pound bonuses - despite asking the U.S. government for an emergency bail-out.

The struggling Wall Street bank has set aside £7billion for salaries and 2008 year-end bonuses, it emerged yesterday.

Each of the firm's 443 partners is on course to pocket an average Christmas bonus of more than £3million.

The size of the pay pool comfortably dwarfs the £6.1billion lifeline which the U.S. government is throwing to Goldman as part of its £430billion bail-out.

As Washington pours money into the bank, the cash will immediately be channelled to Goldman's already well-heeled employees. "

What's In Your Food...

Economyincrisis.org - America's Economic Report - Daily:

"In the summer of 2007, Congress sent a group of investigators to China to determine the safety of Chinese food imports. Their investigation exposed alarming results: Not only does China’s food supply not meet U.S. food standards, it also does not meet international standards.

Upon discovering the health violations, the investigators recommended that the United States ‘… not impose equivalent safety measures on food imported from China . . . because China would not meet those standards, which would close off Chinese food exports to America,’ according to economist Pat Choate.

Since 2002 officials have testified that over 80 percent of active ingredients in U.S. prescription drugs are imported, yet the FDA only has information on a small minority of these companies. This means that the FDA cannot vow for the safety of our food or drugs, and that our leaders are well aware.

According to Choate, the United States now imports more food than we export. "

Gun Manufacturer CEO Ousted Over Support for Obama

Raw Replay - Revisiting History:

"Conservative gun enthusiasts have succeeded in forcing a Montana-based rifle manufacturer to oust its CEO after he revealed his support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Dan Cooper, founder of Cooper Firearms, resigned his position with the company after a wave of condemnation from gun owners who don’t believe Obama’s assurances that he plans to protect gun rights."