Cheney tied to cash theft and possible murder in Iraq

Cheney tied to cash theft and possible murder in Iraq:

"Sources report to WMR that U.S. troops confiscated ‘billions’ in currency found stored in aluminum containers in various secret caches in Baghdad and elsewhere. Our sources report that the seized cash was transferred to accounts run by Cheney and the money is now being partly used to fund Cheney’s growing political opposition movement to the Obama administration, including secretive payments to a ‘stay behind’ group of Cheney loyalists who burrowed into senior civil service positions from political appointee jobs during the Bush administration. Cheney’s loyalists are now in key positions to stymie Obama’s programs and policies within a variety of cabinet departments and federal agencies."

Life Inside in the Media Bubbles

LIFE INSIDE IN THE MEDIA BUBBLES - New York Post:

"I immersed myself in TV news channels that I don't normally watch and a couple of blogs I don't normally read. Goal? To look closely at the coverage of a single news cycle and sort out how different media package a day for your consumption. Life inside the bubbles. "

YouTube - Rapid Cell Regeneration

YouTube - Rapid Cell Regeneration:

""

Playing Music In A Nightclub Just Got Ridiculously More Expensive In Australia

Playing Music In A Nightclub Just Got Ridiculously More Expensive In Australia | Techdirt:

"Buoyed by the nightclub ruling, the PPCA is now targeting eateries. It wants to increase licensing fees in a 120-seat restaurant to $19,344 a year -- up from $125. Small cafes would be slugged with a 4729 per cent yearly increase from $124 to $5860. "

The Earth’s magnetic field remains a charged mystery

The Earth’s magnetic field remains a charged mystery:

"Professor Gregory Ryskin from the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University in Illinois, US, has defied the long-standing convention by applying equations from magnetohydrodynamics to our oceans’ salt water (which conducts electricity) and found that the long-term changes (the secular variation) in the Earth’s main magnetic field are possibly induced by our oceans’ circulation."

YouTube - Israeli children attack Palestinians

YouTube - Israeli children attack Palestinians:

""

DoD Training Manual: Protests are "Low-Level Terrorism" - Dennis Loo - Open Salon

DoD Training Manual: Protests are "Low-Level Terrorism" - Dennis Loo - Open Salon:

"The first question of the Terrorism Threat Factors, 'Knowledge Check 1' section reads as follows:

Which of the following is an example of low-level terrorism activity?

Select the correct answer and then click Check Your Answer. 

O   Attacking the Pentagon

O   IEDs

O   Hate crimes against racial groups

O   Protests

"

Doctors' Slang, Medical Slang and Medical Acronyms, Veterinary Slang, Veterinary Acronyms

Doctors' Slang, Medical Slang and Medical Acronyms, Veterinary Slang, Veterinary Acronyms:

"These have been mostly collected from the UK and USA, with a few non-English contributions (many thanks to all contributors from around the globe). Some of the acronyms are region-specific and have differing meanings in US and UK. It is noticeable that the US has numerous acronyms and slang terms relating to gun-related incidents and injuries."

Man Arrested in OH for Mowing His Neglected Local Park

Man Arrested in OH for Mowing His Neglected Local Park - Defense of Place News Updates:

"In Sandusky, OH, a local man decided to do his part to help out his city by mowing his neighborhood park. After watching local children running through the untended, knee-high grass of Central Park to catch the bus, John Hamilton went home to get his lawn mower. When the police appeared a little while later he was shocked to learn that his civic action wasn't appreciated by the city. When he refused to stop mowing the park lawn he was actually arrested, handcuffed and taken away in a police cruiser! For mowing the lawn of a public park that had been neglected by his city! This is how Mr. Hamilton is repaid for stepping up to make his city a better place for children to play."

Rocket Narrowly Misses Plane - Houston News Story

Rocket Narrowly Misses Plane - Houston News Story - KPRC Houston:

"HOUSTON -- Sheriff's deputies are looking for the person who launched a rocket that narrowly missed a Continental Airlines jet, KPRC Local 2 reported Friday. Crime Stoppers officials said that on May 29 shortly after 8 p.m., a Continental Express jet was taking off from Bush Intercontinental Airport. "

Bad science: cocaine study that got up the nose of the US

Bad science: cocaine study that got up the nose of the US | Ben Goldacre | Comment is free | The Guardian:

"The full report – which has never been published – was extremely critical of most US policies. It suggested that supply reduction and law enforcement strategies have failed, and that options such as decriminalisation might be explored, flagging up such programmes in Australia, Bolivia, Canada and Colombia. 'Approaches which over-emphasise punitive drug control measures may actually contribute to the development of heath-related problems,' it said, before committing heresy by recommending research into the adverse consequences of prohibition, and discussing 'harm reduction' strategies."

America's Black Holocaust Museum

America's Black Holocaust Museum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

"America's Black Holocaust Museum located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the only memorial dedicated specifically to the victims of the enslavement of Africans in the United States. It was founded by James Cameron, America's last living survivor of a lynching. In 2008, the museum's board of directors announced that the museum would be closed temporarily because of financial problems.["

The Incredible Story of Strange Fruit

The Incredible Story of Strange Fruit:

"Marion, Indiana, 1930. Three black men accused of murder and rape, were taken from custody by a mob. Two were mutilated, murdered and hung from a tree. This is the story of Strange Fruit and those involved in its planting and cultivation."

Coal Ash Spills Too Dangerous To Reveal To Public, Says DHS (VIDEO)

Coal Ash Spills Too Dangerous To Reveal To Public, Says DHS (VIDEO):

"Just how bad has the coal ash situation gotten in the United States? So bad that the Department of Homeland Security has told Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) that her committee can't publicly disclose the location of coal ash dumps across the country. "

Drug suspect turns tables on NYPD with videotape

Drug suspect turns tables on NYPD with videotape - washingtonpost.com:

"'I knew it would be the only way to defend myself, because I knew the police would not believe me,' he said. "

Dunning-Kruger effect

Dunning-Kruger effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

"The Dunning-Kruger effect is an example of cognitive bias in which '...people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it'[1]. They therefore suffer an illusory superiority, rating their own ability as above average. This leads to a perverse result where people with less competence will rate their ability more highly than people with relatively more competence."

The Case Against Shell: 'The Hanging of Ken Saro-Wiwa Showed the True Cost of Oil'

YouTube - The Case Against Shell: 'The Hanging of Ken Saro-Wiwa Showed the True Cost of Oil':

""

Menthol Fight Underreported In Landmark Cigarette Bill

Menthol Fight Underreported In Landmark Cigarette Bill:

"The important point is this, having won the day, what do you think the chances are that our good corporate citizen, Altria/Philip Morris, will actually voluntarily give up menthol additives -- or even cotton to the issue being revisited -- just to do right by the black community? If Congressional compromise and the Times' short memory are any indication, they aren't very high."

Mike Whitney: Bernanke's Next Parlor Trick

Mike Whitney: Bernanke's Next Parlor Trick:

"Federal Reserve boss Ben Bernanke is getting ready to pull another rabbit out of his hat and he's hoping no one figures out what he's up to. Here's the scoop; the Fed chief needs to 'borrow up to $3.25 trillion in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30' (Bloomberg) without triggering a run on the dollar. "

Monsanto's Harvest of Fear

Monsanto's Harvest of Fear | vanityfair.com:

"Monsanto already dominates America’s food chain with its genetically modified seeds. Now it has targeted milk production. Just as frightening as the corporation’s tactics–ruthless legal battles against small farmers–is its decades-long history of toxic contamination."

Seven Civil War stories your teacher never told you

Seven Civil War stories your teacher never told you - CNN.com:

"Lincoln proposed voluntary emigration to Central America, seeing it as a more convenient destination than Liberia. This idea didn't sit well with leaders like Frederick Douglass, who considered colonization to be 'a safety valve...for white racism.'"

Teen Diagnoses Her Own Disease In Science Class

Slashdot | Teen Diagnoses Her Own Disease In Science Class:

"'It's weird I had to solve my own medical problem,' Terry told CNN affiliate KOMO in Seattle, Washington. 'There were just no answers anywhere. ... I was always sick.'"

Gangs in the Military - Part 1

Gangs in the Military - Part 1:

"Gangs in the U.S. military are happening more and more. Members of white, black and Latino street gangs are signing up to serve in the armed forces, and Thelma Gutierrez reports it's so serious that the FBI calls it a national security threat."

Using Psychology To Save You From Yourself

Using Psychology To Save You From Yourself : NPR:

"In the city of Greensboro, N.C., there's a program designed for teenage mothers. To prevent these teens from having another child, the city offers each of them $1 a day for every day they are not pregnant. It turns out that the psychological power of that small daily payment is huge. A single dollar a day is enough to push the rate of teen pregnancy down, saving all the incredible costs — human and financial — that go with teen parenting."

How Pirates Shook European Politics

How Pirates Shook European Politics | TorrentFreak:

"With 7.1 percent of the vote, the Swedish Pirate Party has shocked its critics and secured a seat in the European Parliament. The Pirates received more votes from those under 30 than any other party in the European elections yesterday, and this was celebrated with pints of rum and loads of pirate chants."

'No Road Rules' Policy Gets Rid of Traffic Accidents

'No Road Rules' Policy Gets Rid of Traffic Accidents | Gimundo | Good News... Served Daily:

"magine a town with no traffic lights, no stop signs - not even a pedestrian crosswalk. Sound like a recipe for bumper-to-bumper traffic and constant fender-benders? Think again: Since the town of Bohmte, Germany implemented this radical new anti-traffic control procedure a month ago, there hasn’t been a single accident on the busy roads."

2 Japanese carrying $134 bil worth of U.S. bonds detained in Italy › Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion

2 Japanese carrying $134 bil worth of U.S. bonds detained in Italy › Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion:

"According to the report in il Giornale, two unidentified Japanese in their 50s concealed the bonds, including 249 U.S. Treasury bonds each worth $500 million, in a suitcase with a false bottom that was searched by the Italian authorities June 3 when they were in Chiasso"

The Real Cost of Bottled Water

The Real Cost of Bottled Water - DivineCaroline:

"The Environmental Law Foundation has sued eight bottlers for using words such as ‘pure’ to market water that contains bacteria, arsenic, and chlorine. Bottled water is no bargain either: It costs 240 to 10,000 times more than tap water. For the price of one bottle of Evian, a San Franciscan can receive 1,000 gallons of tap water. Forty percent of bottled water should be labeled bottled tap water because that is exactly what it is. But even that doesn’t dampen the demand."

US breakthrough promises "solar panels" that work in the dark

US breakthrough promises "solar panels" that work in the dark - 13 Aug 2008 - BusinessGreen.com:

"Now researchers at the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory (INL) claim to have unlocked the secret of harnessing that energy through the development of microscopic nanoantennas, each with a diameter 1/25 the size of a human hair, capable of absorbing infra red energy. And they are confident commercial products based on the technology could be available within five years."

Pyramids of China

World Mysteries - Mystic Places - Pyramids of China:

"Early stories about the pyramids in China began right around the Second World War. A US Air Force pilot named James Gaussman reportedly saw a white-topped pyramid during a flight between China and India in 1945. "

How Overfishing Almost Got Capt. Phillips Killed by Pirates

How Overfishing Almost Got Capt. Phillips Killed by Pirates : TreeHugger:

"t's estimated that $300 million worth of seafood is stolen from Somali waters altogether every year—a massive amount in any country, but even more so in one with such a depressed economy as Somalia's. Some local fisherman believe there will be no fishing industry to speak of if the practice goes on unchecked—so over-plundered are the fish populations in Somali waters."

All lies? Scientists threatened with legal action over lie detector article

Stockholm University - News and events - All lies? Scientists threatened with legal action over lie detector article:

"The article entitled 'Charlatantry in forensic speech science' gave an overview of the last fifty years of research in the field of lie detectors. The article's conclusion is that there is no scientific evidence to show that lie detectors actually work. "

THC initiates brain cancer cells to destroy themselves

THC initiates brain cancer cells to destroy themselves - WorldHealth.net:

"'These results may help to design new cancer therapies based on the use of medicines containing the active principle of marijuana and/or in the activation of autophagy,' says Velasco. The findings were published in the April 2009 issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation."

FDA warns against using Clarcon skin products

FDA warns against using Clarcon skin products - Yahoo! News:

"Examples of products that should be discarded include Citrushield Lotion, Dermasentials DermaBarrier, Dermassentials by Clarcon, Antimicrobial Hand Sanitizer, Iron Fist Barrier Hand Treatment, Skin Shield Restaurant, Skin Shield Industrial, Skin Shield Beauty Salon Lotion, Total Skin Care Beauty and Total Skin Care Work."

Jury awards son over $115K for lost finger

NorthJersey.com: UPDATE: Jury awards son over $115K for lost finger:

"PATERSON — A civil jury awarded a Wayne man $95,500 — plus almost $20,000 for medical expenses — in a lawsuit he filed against his mother for tapping him on the shoulder as he used a power saw, which caused him to flinch and cut off his pinky finger."

Frozen caribou

Bits & Pieces » Frozen caribou:

"These pictures come from a friends friend who lives in Alaska.  This caribou froze while standing up in -80°F winds on the North slope at the top of Alaska."

US Attempts to Re-Define Switch Blades– Would Make Most Pocket Knives Illegal

Knife Rights - US ATTEMPTS TO RE-DEFINE SWITCHBLADES – WOULD MAKE MOST POCKET KNIVES ILLEGAL:

"U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) has proposed revoking earlier rulings that assisted opening knives are not switchblades. The proposed new rule would not only outlaw assisted opening knives, its broad definition of a switchblade would also include one-handed opening knives and could be easily interpreted to cover most other pocket knives, even simple old-fashioned slip-joints."

Army Mechanic's Garage Tinkering Yields 18-Foot Mecha Exoskeleton | Popular Science

Army Mechanic's Garage Tinkering Yields 18-Foot Mecha Exoskeleton | Popular Science:

"Owens, 31, began building an 18-foot-tall, one-ton prototype at his home in Wasilla, Alaska, in 2004. Working without blueprints, he first built a full-scale model out of wood. "

Military spending: Arming up

Military spending: Arming up | The Economist:

"The world's biggest military spenders by population
"

Check the link to see the graph.

Health insurers want you to keep smoking, Harvard doctors say

Health insurers want you to keep smoking, Harvard doctors say : Scientific American Blog:

"Health and life insurance companies in the US and abroad have nearly $4.5 billion invested in tobacco stocks, according to Harvard doctors. "

Inmate Sees New Drug Laws as ‘Protection’ for Dealers

Inmate Sees New Drug Laws as ‘Protection’ for Dealers - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com:

"‘So you hear what they did — they just created the beast,’ says the inmate, caught on tape during a telephone conversation with an acquaintance. ‘The beast is coming home to be the juggernaut.’"

How did 100,000,000 women disappear?

TheStar.com | Insight | How did 100,000,000 women disappear?:

"In India, China and sub-Saharan Africa, millions upon millions of women are missing. They are not lost, but dead: victims of violence, discrimination and neglect."

Video of Canadian snipers in Afghanistan

Good Shot!!! Video of Canadian snipers in Afghanistan:

"These are some examples of the fight in Afghanistan.. These video shots are not made through the shooter's telescopic sight... they are made looking through the spotter's scope. The spotter lies right next to the sniper and helps the sniper to find and home in on the target. "

Photographer loses First Amendment claim in Oakland

RCFP: Photographer loses First Amendment claim in Oakland:

"Chavez claimed in his lawsuit that the police had interfered with his First Amendment right to cover vehicle accidents. In granting summary judgment for the city, U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer said members of the press do not have a First Amendment right to access accident scenes when the general public is also excluded."

Colorado makes it legal for homeowners to harvest rainwater

Colorado makes it legal for homeowners to harvest rainwater | MNN - Mother Nature Network:

"Luckily for Hanzel and other homeowners, a change in Colorado law legalizes this kind of water collection. But homeowners in other states who just want to use less tap water still face legal barriers."

Drug Freedom Works in Portugal : Narco Polo

Drug Freedom Works in Portugal : Narco Polo:

"On Friday I attended Glenn Greenwald’s presentation of his report, ‘Drug Decriminalization in Portugal,’ at the Cato Institute. Greenwald studied how Portugal’s policy of decriminalizing the personal possession of all drugs in 2001 has fared. Portugal’s policy has been a ‘resounding success.’"

N.J. biologists fear up to 95 percent of bat population died over winter - NJ.com

N.J. biologists fear up to 95 percent of bat population died over winter - NJ.com:

"After mass die-offs of bats in 2006 and 2007 in New York, the phenomenon was named after a strange white fungus found on their snouts and wings. Since then, it has spread to nine states from Vermont to Virginia. Bats began dying in New Jersey in January and a pre-spring inspection of the state's largest hibernating spot, or hibernaculum, the Hibernia mine in Rockaway Township, revealed a 95 percent population drop."

GPS system 'close to breakdown'

GPS system 'close to breakdown' | Technology | guardian.co.uk:

"US government officials are concerned that the quality of the Global Positioning System (GPS) could begin to deteriorate as early as next year, resulting in regular blackouts and failures – or even dishing out inaccurate directions to millions of people worldwide."

A new technology may be able to track people's movements by detecting evidence of their diet in their hair

A new technology may be able to track people's movements by detecting evidence of their diet in their hair:

"A group of researchers from the LGC Chemical Metrology Laboratory in the UK havs teamed up with the University of Oviedo, Spain. Together they have developed a 'laser ablation' method that makes it possible ‘to detect variations in the sulfur isotopes of a single hair over time’, says Science Daily. This means that scientists will be able to track a person’s movements between different countries, as the sulphur isotopes reveal changes in eating habits. "

Jamaican Dance Craze Responsible for Threefold Increase in Broken Penises

Nosedigg: Jamaican Dance Craze Responsible for Threefold Increase in Broken Penises:

"Over the past year, a new dance craze in Jamaica known as daggering has resulted in a threefold increase in fractured or broken penises among Jamaican men."

Molest-Bill Pols Catch Holy Hell

MOLEST-BILL POLS CATCH HOLY HELL - New York Post:

"Thou shalt not blackmail.

Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio threatened state lawmakers by vowing to close churches in their districts -- and blame them for the closures -- if they dared support a bill making it easier for people who were sexually assaulted as kids to sue, legislators told The Post."

Did U.S. Export Over 175 Million Ounces of Gold?

Numismaster.com:

"So, for 2007 and 2008 combined, the U.S. exported 22 million ounces of refined gold and over 154 million ounces of 'compound gold.' This is more than 11 times U.S. gold mine production during those two years. In fact, this is higher than global gold mine output. Where did all this gold come from?

This amount of gold exceeds what is held by all private parties in the U.S. combined. When the U.S. government called in gold in 1933, it then melted down the coins without refining. As a result, such bars from the coin melt would have a purity of around 90 percent gold. These would not qualify for description as refined gold, but could fit the definition of compound gold. "

YouTube - Oklahoma Highway Patrol fight with EMT

YouTube - Oklahoma Highway Patrol fight with EMT:

""

Coming SOON to a City near you.

Dozens of whales beached, shot dead in S. Africa

Dozens of whales beached, shot dead in S. Africa - USATODAY.com:

"CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Authorities have shot dozens of exhausted whales that beached on a shore near South Africa's storm-lashed southern tip amid scenes of grief and despair from volunteers who had tried to save them."

What Was THAT? (Friday Market Close)

What Was THAT? (Friday Market Close) - The Market Ticker:

"Volume was light all day, as is somewhat common in the summer on a Friday. The close started its usual increase, and was up to 23,000 contracts at 14:57 with two minutes remaining. Then all hell broke loose."

Leap in U.S. debt hits taxpayers with 12% more red ink

Leap in U.S. debt hits taxpayers with 12% more red ink - USATODAY.com:

"Taxpayers are on the hook for an extra $55,000 a household to cover rising federal commitments made just in the past year for retirement benefits, the national debt and other government promises, a USA TODAY analysis shows."

Chevron fights massive lawsuit in Ecuador

Chevron fights massive lawsuit in Ecuador | csmonitor.com:

"San Carlos sits in the middle of more than 100 wells drilled in the Sacha field by Texaco, which pumped oil as the sole operator of a consortium here from 1972 until 1990. At the time, it was one of the highest concentrations of wells in the Amazonian region, and today this remote town finds itself in the middle of what could be the largest damage claim against the oil industry in its history."

Cancer drug erases fingerprints

BBC NEWS | Health | Cancer drug erases fingerprints:

"A commonly-used cancer drug can make patients' fingerprints disappear, potentially causing problems for foreign travel, a doctor warns."

Incredibly weird, inch-wide single-celled creatures discovered rolling across the sea floor

collision detection: Incredibly weird, inch-wide single-celled creatures discovered rolling across the sea floor:

"« PREVIOUS ENTRY In praise of the 3-hour game: My latest Wired News video-game column NEXT ENTRY » Apparently NASA is filled with Joss Whedon fans March 24, 2009 Incredibly weird, inch-wide single-celled creatures discovered rolling across the sea floor It’s a single cell, it’s the size of a grape, and it propels itself across the ocean floor: Behold the Bahamian Gromia — one of the strangest beasts yet discovered in the briny deep."

The International Federation for Human Rights denounces the Israeli decision to deny its representatives access to Gaza.

מגזין הכיבוש Occupation Magazine:

" The International Federation for Human Rights denounces the Israeli decision to deny its representatives access to Gaza.

FIDH had introduced on April 22nd, 2009 a request to enter Gaza through the Erez entry point, to conduct a mission from May 24th to May 31st, composed of prominent judges and lawyers from France and Germany.

The purpose of the mission was to investigate grave human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by the Israeli army and the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip during the `Cast Lead` military operation. "

Supreme Court overturns rule on right to counsel

Supreme Court overturns rule on right to counsel : Dispatches from the Culture Wars:

"The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned a landmark 1986 ruling that forbid the police from questioning suspects without their attorney present. The 1986 case, Michigan v Jackson, was overturned on Tuesday in a 5-4 ruling (PDF) in a similar case, Montejo v Louisiana. "

How GM Seeds Killed More Indians than World War II

How GM Seeds Killed More Indians than World War II | Use Celsias.com - reduce global °Celsius:

"One of the least-reported tragedies that resulted from globalization and corporatization of agriculture is the farmer suicide story of India - a tragedy comprising several hundred thousand individual tragedies, and possibly the ‘largest wave of suicides in history'.

Last month UK Independent carried a report titled '1,500 farmers commit mass suicide in India', and cited falling water table, crop failure and debt as the reasons. The figure and the reasons are - at best - cruelly watered down versions of hard and sad reality. The actual piece of data is nearer 200,000 and the reasons both global and local."

RACE - The Power of an Illusion . Background Readings | PBS

RACE - The Power of an Illusion . Background Readings | PBS:

"Racism exists when one ethnic group or historical collectivity dominates, excludes, or seeks to eliminate another on the basis of differences that it believes are hereditary and unalterable."

VICE Travel: Darra, Pakistan

Dailymotion - VICE Travel: Darra, Pakistan - a Film & TV video:

""

VICE Travel: Darra, Pakistan
Uploaded by Top-Notch112. - Classic TV and last night's shows, online.

Guns Guns and more Guns

Print-on-Demand Power

Technology Review: Print-on-Demand Power:

"The new capacitors are made by spraying carbon nanotubes onto two pieces of plastic, then sandwiching a gel electrolyte in between them. In the resulting device, one nanotube network acts as the positive electrode while the other functions as the negative electrode. When a voltage is applied to the electrolyte gel, charges collect on the surfaces of the nanotubes, storing energy. 'The performance of the device is comparable to other devices,' says Cui. 'The key is that everything is printable.'"

Ontario's high-tech driver's licences pose privacy risk: watchdog

Ontario's high-tech driver's licences pose privacy risk: watchdog:

"The technology behind Ontario's new enhanced driver's licences will allow people to secretly track other people's activities and movements unless privacy protection is added, warns the province's privacy commissioner."

Motivational Pictures

Motivational | Motivational Pictures:

""

Happy Belated Penis Day!!!

Happy Belated Penis Day!!! « Laurie Kendrick:

"Modern day Japanese celebrate ‘Penis Day’ as a rite of seasonal passage. It’s Springtime and spring springs to mind newness, birth and rebirth, and of course, fertility. And we all know the penis is one of two ingredients needed to pinpoint the real, grass roots definition of creationism. And celebrate, they do. They have for centuries. This particular Japanese festival in Komaki, celebrates a statue of a penis to which Geisha and her lovely bevy of prostitutes prayed in the 17th Century to protect them from sexually transmitted diseases."

Hush-hush archaeology

San Diego CityBeat - Hush-hush archaeology:

"‘Number one, it’s a spiritual violation to destroy those sites. And if we waive all of our environmental laws we are setting a precedent for other projects,’ Lucas, a 20-year Marine Corps Veteran, told CityBeat. ‘You can see the systematic destruction of America’s history and prehistory all across this country.’"

Half of your friends lost in seven years

Half of your friends lost in seven years:

"Had a good chat with someone recently? Has a good friend just helped you to do up your home? Then you will be lucky if that person still does that in seven years time. Sociologist Gerald Mollenhorst investigated how the context in which we meet people influences our social network. One of his conclusions: you lose about half of your close network members every seven years. "

Federal Reserve admits losing 9 trillion dollars. (Video)

Federal Reserve admits losing 9 trillion dollars. (Video):

""

Rep Marcy Kaptur: Foreclosed owners should squat in their own homes

YouTube - Rep Marcy Kaptur: Foreclosed owners should squat in their own homes:

""

Land grab or development opportunity? Agricultural investment and international land deals in Africa

Publications Search| International Institute for Environment and Development:

"Large-scale acquisitions of farmland in Africa, Latin America, Central Asia and Southeast Asia are making headlines in a flurry of media reports across the world. Lands that only a short time ago seemed of little outside interest are now being sought by international investors by the tune of hundreds of thousands of hectares. And while a failed attempt to lease 1.3 million hectares in Madagascar has attracted much media attention, deals reported in the international press constitute the tip of the iceberg."

RFID 'Powder' - World's Smallest RFID Tag: Science Fiction in the News

RFID 'Powder' - World's Smallest RFID Tag: Science Fiction in the News:

"These devices could also be used to identify and track people. For example, suppose you participated in some sort of protest or other organized activity. If police agencies sprinkled these tags around, every individual could be tracked and later identified at leisure, with powerful enough tag scanners. "

The Case Against Shell

Green Day to Wal-Mart: Fuck Censorship

San Francisco - All Shook Down - Green Day to Wal-Mart: Fuck Censorship:

"Looks like everyone who called Green Day sell-outs owes the band an apology. After releasing 21st Century Breakdown, their most ambitious album ever, the band followed up by doing the most punk thing they've ever done: refuse to sell a clean version in Wal-Mart, America's largest retailer, and the #2 retail outlet for music (behind iTunes). "

ADHD treatment causes young boys to develop female sex organs

3 News > World > Story > ADHD treatment causes young boys to develop female sex organs:

"A drug used to treat ADHD children is causing concern in the United States. It is called Risperdal and it is supposed to be used primarily for adults with sever psychological problems. But last year it was prescribed more than 6.5 million times. The side effects include young males developing female sex organs."

Nanoneural Upgrade Creates Something Half Brain, Half Ultra-Tech

Nanoneural Upgrade Creates Something Half Brain, Half Ultra-Tech:

"The work clamps a bunch of hippocampus cells to a fullerene nanotube. Trials have shown that the brain cells grow very effectively on the nanomaterial, indicating that this junction could be a biocompatible link between mind and machine. Even better, the single-walled nanotubes can actually accelerate signaling between neural cells. Electrical signals can be conducted by the tube, and are transmitted faster than by the cells' own axon connections."

Moving house: How a little old lady spent 23 years single-handedly dismantling her cottage brick by brick and rebuilding it 100 miles away

Moving house: How a little old lady spent 23 years single-handedly dismantling her cottage brick by brick and rebuilding it 100 miles away | Mail Online:

"For a labour of love, it was the DIY job of the century. Brick by brick, the gutsy little old lady demolished her precious home, pulling each medieval nail from its ancient oak beam. Dressed in a workman's apron, her greying hair tucked beneath a headscarf, she single-handedly piled high the thousands of hand-made Hertfordshire peg tiles from the roof. Huge timbers were loaded onto a lorry, alongside Tudor fireplaces and Elizabethan diamond leaded glass, for a rebuild that would consume the rest of her life. "

nrc.nl - International - Netherlands to close prisons for lack of criminals

nrc.nl - International - Netherlands to close prisons for lack of criminals:

"The Dutch justice ministry has announced it will close eight prisons and cut 1,200 jobs in the prison system. A decline in crime has left many cells empty."

Former military interrogator says torture cost hundreds ‘if not thousands’ of American lives

Raw Story » Former military interrogator says torture cost hundreds ‘if not thousands’ of American lives:

"‘Cheney,’ said Alexander, ‘fundamentally misunderstands the way America is viewed around the world,’ a reporter who reviewed the video wrote Tuesday. ‘The American principles of freedom and democracy are cherished in the Muslim world and the idea, at least, of America is still a seductive one. But it is the behavior of the Bush administration at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and secret prisons around the globe that undercuts that image, allowing Al Qaeda to make the argument that America isn’t what it stands for.’"

Police find feral girl in Siberia

Police find feral girl in Siberia - Yahoo! News:

"MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian police have taken into care a 5-year-old girl who has been shut up in a flat in the company of cats and dogs for her entire life, police said on Wednesday."

Oregon Offers Terminal Patients Doctor-Assisted Suicide Instead of Medical Care - America's Future

FOXNews.com - Oregon Offers Terminal Patients Doctor-Assisted Suicide Instead of Medical Care - America's Future:

"Since the spread of his prostate cancer, 53-year-old Randy Stroup of Dexter, Ore., has been in a fight for his life. Uninsured and unable to pay for expensive chemotherapy, he applied to Oregon's state-run health plan for help. Lane Individual Practice Association (LIPA), which administers the Oregon Health Plan in Lane County, responded to Stroup's request with a letter saying the state would not cover Stroup's pricey treatment, but would pay for the cost of physician-assisted suicide."

Badass of the Week: Ching Shih

Badass of the Week: Ching Shih:

"Ching Shih was one of the most badass pirates of all time. In a ten-year span, Ching's 'Red Flag Fleet', a pirate armada consisting of somewhere around four hundred Chinese twenty-gun junks and several thousand men, sailed up and down the coast of Imperial China kicking asses, sacking towns, breaking necks and cashing cheques. Few pirates ever enjoyed such unbridled financial and military success as the Red Flag Fleet, thanks in a large part to the cunning and ruthlessness of Captain Ching Shih and her desire to be the most feared pirate in history. "

Shell on trial - Americas, World - The Independent

Shell on trial - Americas, World - The Independent:

"Royal Dutch Shell will revisit one of the darkest periods of its history tomorrow as a potentially groundbreaking court case opens in New York. The oil giant stands accused of complicity in the 1995 execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa, a Nigerian environmental activist. "

FBI Blows It: Supposed Terror Plot Against NY Synagogues Is Bogus

FBI Blows It: Supposed Terror Plot Against NY Synagogues Is Bogus | World | AlterNet:

"Despite the pompous statements from Mayor Bloomberg of New York and other politicians, including Representative Peter King, the whole story is bogus. The four losers may have been inclined to violence, and they may have harbored a virulent strain of anti-Semitism. But it seems that the informant whipped up their violent tendencies and their hatred of Jews, cooked up the plot, incited them, arranged their purchase of weapons, and then had them busted. To ensure that it made headlines, the creepy informant claimed to be representing a Pakistani extremist group, Jaish-e Muhammad, a bona fide terrorist organization. He wasn't, of course."

Pro-Israel forces attempt to silence University of California Santa Barbara professor

Pro-Israel forces attempt to silence University of California Santa Barbara professor:

"On January 19 University of California Santa Barbara sociology Professor William Robinson sent an email to students on the roster of his Global Affairs course in which he compared the Israeli occupation of Gaza to the Warsaw Ghetto. He was subsequently brought up on disciplinary charges by the Academic Senate of the university, as well as subjected to harassment and persecution by pro-Israeli elements. The charges against Robinson pose a serious threat to academic freedom. They are an effort to intimidate critics of Israeli policy at a time when that regime’s actions have produced widespread revulsion. Ultimately, the aim of such witch-hunts is to silence those opposed to the policies of one of the US government’s key allies."

Children Who Get Flu Vaccine Have Three Times Risk Of Hospitalization For Flu, Study Suggests

Children Who Get Flu Vaccine Have Three Times Risk Of Hospitalization For Flu, Study Suggests:

"ScienceDaily (May 20, 2009) — The inactivated flu vaccine does not appear to be effective in preventing influenza-related hospitalizations in children, especially the ones with asthma. In fact, children who get the flu vaccine are more at risk for hospitalization than their peers who do not get the vaccine, according to new research that will be presented on May 19, at the 105th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego."

Stone Age Superglue Found -- Hints at Unknown Smarts?

Stone Age Superglue Found -- Hints at Unknown Smarts?:

"Stone Age humans were adept chemists who whipped up a sophisticated kind of natural glue, a new study says. They knowingly tweaked the chemical and physical properties of an iron-containing pigment known as red ochre with the gum of acacia trees to create adhesives for their shafted tools."

Lax regulation and lucrative profits lure new breed of pain clinic owners in South Florida

Lax regulation and lucrative profits lure new breed of pain clinic owners in South Florida -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com:

"he new wave of entrepreneurs driving South Florida's explosive growth of pain clinics includes operators escaping unsavory pasts, money troubles and declines in more traditional mom-and-pop businesses."

Stoners Volunteer to Save California by Being Taxed

Stoners Volunteer to Save California by Being Taxed - LAist: Los Angeles News, Food, Arts & Events:

"While Sacramento scrambles to cut hundreds of millions of dollars of funding for public transportation and other programs around the state, a serious group of underground marijuana professionals are offering to pay at least a billion dollars in taxes, if only California would legalize pot. "

Malcolm X Grandson Breaks Silence! | NewsOne

Malcolm X Grandson Breaks Silence! | NewsOne:

"To commemorate Malcolm X’s birthday, an icon who many consider to be the greatest Black leader who has ever lived, NewsOne presents this exclusive investigative story, photo gallery and video that, for the first time, speaks to Malcolm X’s first male heir, MALCOLM SHABAZZ."

Profits Before People: 7 of the World’s Most Irresponsible Companies

Profits Before People: 7 of the World’s Most Irresponsible Companies » Eco-Chick:

"This article originally appeared on EarthFirst.com. Money isn’t everything – or is it? To most corporations, making a profit is goal number one – but some of those companies take it way too far, sacrificing the health of the planet and its inhabitants for a bigger bank balance. Far too many corporations turn a blind eye to the consequences of their destructive, exploitative practices. The worst of them are committing atrocities that go beyond the realm of objectionable into criminal, dumping toxic chemicals without regard to public health and employing child labor. What makes these seven companies extra evil is the fact that they’ve committed crimes that are BOTH environmentally and socially irresponsible."

What Everybody Ought to Know About Medicinal Uses Of 22 Common Spices

What Everybody Ought to Know About Medicinal Uses Of 22 Common Spices | because you value your body:

""

Court Strikes Down GPS Tracking Without Warrant

Court Strikes Down GPS Tracking Without Warrant - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com:

"In a 4-to-3 ruling, the New York State Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday that the State Police violated a criminal suspect’s rights under the State Constitution when it placed a GPS tracking device inside the bumper of his van without obtaining a warrant. "

Wisconsin court upholds GPS tracking by police

Wisconsin court upholds GPS tracking by police -- chicagotribune.com:

"MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin police can attach GPS to cars to secretly track anybody's movements without obtaining search warrants, an appeals court ruled Thursday. However, the District 4 Court of Appeals said it was 'more than a little troubled' by that conclusion and asked Wisconsin lawmakers to regulate GPS use to protect against abuse by police and private individuals."

Lake Mead Is Drying Up

Lake Mead Is Drying Up | GOOD:

"The combination of a changing climate and a strong demand for the lake’s remaining water has resulted in 100 foot drop since 2000. While that’s just 10 percent under the lake’s high water mark in 1983, Lake Mead is like a martini glass—wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. That 10 percent dip represents a loss of half Lake Mead’s water supply in nine years, from 96 percent capacity to 43 percent."

Oprah's KFC Stunt Promotes Swine Flu-Causing Factory Farms : TreeHugger

Oprah's KFC Stunt Promotes Swine Flu-Causing Factory Farms : TreeHugger:

"I was dismayed to hear that Oprah was helping to push KFC's free chicken promotion. Wasn't quite sure why, initially—after all, 'free food for everyone' is generally a pretty positive notion. But then I recalled that KFC buys its chicken from Tyson—one of the US's biggest factory farmers and perpetrator of shady health practices. And then I remembered that Oprah herself did an expose on the cruelty of factory farms , essentially condemning them. And then I realized that the ploy couldn't have come at a worse time: US factory farms have been confirmed to have played a role in the origin of swine flu. "

YouTube - Charlie Chaplin Speaks (rare!) Eerily beautiful speech

YouTube - Charlie Chaplin Speaks (rare!) Eerily beautiful speech:

""

Mexico, Columbia, and Brazil urge the U.S. to legalize Marijuana | Vote Bio

Mexico, Columbia, and Brazil urge the U.S. to legalize Marijuana | Vote Bio:

"Over at TheRawStory, they have covered a story which should be of some interest to every American citizen becuase it concerns their taxes and their government. Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan told Bob Schieffer on Face the Nation that the United States ought to seriously consider legalization of marijuana."