Nat'l Defense Authorization Act "unconstitutional"
Massachusetts - The city of Northampton is once again taking a bold stance against a controversial federal law. It became the first city in New England to pass a resolution rejecting the National Defense Authorization Act Thursday night.
President Obama signed the NDAA back in December. Two particular sections of the Act ignited a firestorm of controversy. Sections 1021 and 1022 allow the indefinite military detention of any person, including a U.S. citizen, without a trial. That applies to any person "who was part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners," or anyone who commits a "belligerent act" against the United States or its allies.
At a city council meeting Thursday night, city leaders and advocacy groups came together to demand a "restoration of due process and the right to trial."
The American Civil Liberties Union maintains that the NDAA flies in the face of Constitutional rights.
Society's Child
© Reuters/Shannon Stapleton
A woman walks into a Citi Bank branch in New York Jan. 17, 2012.
A woman walks into a Citi Bank branch in New York Jan. 17, 2012.
But by March 2011, as it became apparent to her that the problems were getting worse and not being addressed, the Missouri quality assurance manager decided enough was enough.
"I set up an appointment with human resources and ethics and told them everything," Hunt recalled in a telephone interview. "They did some cursory investigation. The sad part is, they never ever told me, 'Sherry, you were right,' or 'Sherry, you're looking at this wrong.' There were no assurances."
Instead, Hunt, who got her start in the mortgage industry in 1975 at age 18, filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Citigroup, the third-largest U.S. bank by assets.
The United States joined the civil fraud case, which raised claims under the False Claims Act, a federal law designed to recover money taken from the government by fraud, and discourage further wrongdoing. Whistleblowers can receive up to 25 percent of settlement amounts in such cases.
Wednesday, Citigroup agreed to pay $158.3 million to settle. Hunt said her share will be $31 million, before taxes and attorney fees. Her lawyer declined to disclose those fees.
© Jeff Bachner/New York Daily News
A load of steel fell at the WTC construction site Thursday morning after a crane cable snapped.
A load of steel fell at the WTC construction site Thursday morning after a crane cable snapped.
The metal beams demolished the vehicle and just missed crushing the crane operator, who was rattled by his near-death experience but otherwise unhurt.
"It's a miracle" nobody was killed, said steamfitter Mark Sherank, 45, who was in the middle of a safety meeting in nearby Building 4 when the steel fell.
"I looked outside I saw the truck t's a pancake now," he said. "A noise like that, you know something's wrong."
Another steamfitter, 43-year-old Erid Redd, said "the whole building shook."
The impact sent up a cloud of dust and "the scene was chaos," added an ironworker in Building 4.
Photo courtesy of 'bloowitt' under the Creative Commons license
A World Health Organisation (WHO) report published in the US last week signalled French people as the most likely to suffer from a "major depressive episode" in their lifetimes, provoking sensational headlines among the more neurotically-inclined members of the Gallic press.
The study, which was conducted by researchers from the State University of New York at Stony Brook as part of the WHO's World Mental Health Survey Initiative, was published on July 26 by esteemed American journal BMC Medicine. Some 90,000 people were probed on their mental health histories in 18 low- and high-income countries. It has been touted as the first international survey of its kind.
The results are impressive - while participants from low-income countries appeared less likely to suffer from depression at some point in their life, those from high-income nations seemed far more likely to suffer. France topped the list by one percentage point.
Comment: The 2010 MIVILUDES report states that 'natural' treatments with no side effects, which are inexpensive compared to conventional treatments and heavily criticized by the pharmaceutical industry, are often "implemented by cults and their doctors and practitioners," deriding natural practitioners who point out the obvious ties between government and pharmaceutical companies hawking their products as "deluded and dangerous". You see, suggesting ties to Big Pharma is a 'conspiracy theory' resulting from delusions ... and is also evidence of being in a cult!
It appears that France is a country where millions suffer and not only are their sufferings created by their government, they are discouraged from the simplest things that could help them become fully well, physically and psychologically: eating the foods or undertaking the therapies and stress-relieving methods that would ease their lives. French people are afraid to think for themselves because of a parasite that has been eating its way through the fabric of society, quietly subduing the population into depression.
French government encourages doctors to report suspicious and cultish behaviour of alternative and traditional therapists
France: Deviations of MIVILUDES: Raid of 70 policemen on a biodynamism centre
MIVILUDES: The most dangerous 'sect' in France
Ten Palestinian children were killed and at least 20 were wounded on Thursday morning after an Israeli truck carrying a fuel tank crashed into the school bus transporting the kindergarten children near the Qalandia checkpoint in Ramallah.
Israelis on Facebook were celebrating the deaths of the Palestinian children, writing derogatory statements on a wall of a news post regarding the accident
The bus carrying the children collided with the truck at an intersection in Jaba'a, overturned, and caught on fire.
Ten children immediately died, while a further eight remain in a critical condition, according to medical officials with the Palestinian Red Cross.
Israelis on Facebook were celebrating the deaths of the Palestinian children, writing derogatory statements on a wall of a news post regarding the accident
© Abir Kopty
Benny Dazanashvili: Relax, they are Palestinian Children.
Tali Biton: It seems these are Palestinians...God willing
Tal Simhon: God willings they are Palestinians
Ajala Cali: Great! Less terrorists!!!!
Eliya Eliza: Only Palestinian children were hurt, about ten.
Itai Vitzig: Thank God [these are] Palestinians. I hope every day there is a bus like this [that crashes]
Aliya A'mrani: Relax, this is a bus with Palestinian children. Pray for deaths, or at least critically injured..Great news to start the weekend with.
Benny Dazanashvili: Relax, they are Palestinian Children.
Tali Biton: It seems these are Palestinians...God willing
Tal Simhon: God willings they are Palestinians
Ajala Cali: Great! Less terrorists!!!!
Eliya Eliza: Only Palestinian children were hurt, about ten.
Itai Vitzig: Thank God [these are] Palestinians. I hope every day there is a bus like this [that crashes]
Aliya A'mrani: Relax, this is a bus with Palestinian children. Pray for deaths, or at least critically injured..Great news to start the weekend with.
Ten children immediately died, while a further eight remain in a critical condition, according to medical officials with the Palestinian Red Cross.
© China Smack
This particular teen, Xiao Dan, was especially enthralled with traveling back to the Qing and Tang Dynasties and was therefore quite pleased with herself when she managed to make contact with an "Immortal Sister" on the internet who claimed she could help. Over a few days of chatting online, Xiao Dan discovered that this Immortal Sister happened to know an "expert" in time travel and would be willing to help Xiao Dan realize her dreams - for a nominal fee, of course.
Later, the two met in person, and discussed the matter of paying for the time travel "technology." Xiao Dan only had 1,800RMB but Immortal Sister claimed it would be enough for one trip, and eagerly arranged the "departure" date.
© AFP/Getty Images
There are 170 million children aged under five whose development has been stunted by malnutrition because of lack of food for them and their breastfeeding mothers, and the situation is getting significantly worse, according to research by the charity Save the Children.
In Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Peru and Nigeria - countries which are the home of half of the world's stunted children - recent rises in global food prices are forcing the parents of malnourished children to cut back on food and pull children out of school to work.
According to the report, 'A Life Free from Hunger: Tackling Child Malnutrition,' a third of parents surveyed said their children routinely complain they do not have enough to eat. One in six parents can never afford to buy meat, milk or vegetables. It suggests that six out of 10 children in Afghanistan are not getting enough nutrients to avoid stunted growth.
© Press TV
Bahraini regime forces fire tear gas to disperse protesters during an anti-government demonstration on the outskirts of Manama, 13 February 2012
Bahraini regime forces fire tear gas to disperse protesters during an anti-government demonstration on the outskirts of Manama, 13 February 2012
Activists said on Thursday the Bahraini regime forces rounded up at least 100 peaceful protesters on February 14 and 15.
Some of the detainees are said to be women and that there are wounded people among those arrested.
Manama has stepped up its violent crackdown on protesters who have been calling for the downfall of the Bahraini monarchy since the start of the revolution in the Persian Gulf nation in early 2011.
In the city of Sitra, regime forces clashed with young protesters and launched night raids on homes.
Attackers stormed a federal prison in Nigeria with heavy gunfire and explosives, killing one guard and freeing 119 inmates in a new assault demonstrating the continued instability in the nation, an official said Thursday.
"The invaders came at about 7.15 p.m. (1:30 p.m. ET) yesterday and we suspected they used explosives to bring down the gate of the prison and the roof of the gate and thereafter set free 119 inmates," prison authorities spokesman Hadiza Aminu told Reuters.
The government said an investigation had begun into the attack in Koton-Karifi, a town in Kogi state just south of Nigeria's capital of Abuja.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the prison attack, nor did authorities say they had any suspects immediately in mind.
"The invaders came at about 7.15 p.m. (1:30 p.m. ET) yesterday and we suspected they used explosives to bring down the gate of the prison and the roof of the gate and thereafter set free 119 inmates," prison authorities spokesman Hadiza Aminu told Reuters.
© Unknown
The federal high court in abuja nigeria
The federal high court in abuja nigeria
The government said an investigation had begun into the attack in Koton-Karifi, a town in Kogi state just south of Nigeria's capital of Abuja.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the prison attack, nor did authorities say they had any suspects immediately in mind.
Comment: [allegedly]
How long ago was it, "innocent until proven guilty" went out the door? Why are we never ever given hard evidence in any of the News stories coming out of the Main Stream Media? Are we just supposed to sit back and take their word for everything (without proof, by tortured confessions, mind programming..), or is it that, for so long, we've taken their word as being factual, that has got this world in the mess that it's in?
This article goes from, we don't know who or why this happened to, we know exactly who did it. Maybe the media could reduce constant bastardizing and get to solid facts and evidence.
© Alamy
Paying for coffee with cash might be a sign of a suspicious person, the FBI said.
Paying for coffee with cash might be a sign of a suspicious person, the FBI said.
If you're in Starbucks and notice a nondescript individual paying for their coffee with cash - watch out.
According to the FBI you might have found evidence of a terrorist plot.
A series of fliers distributed to companies around the United States by the FBI and the Bureau of Justice Assistance appear to give workers and business owners exactly this advice.
The fliers, as highlighted by the miscellania blog BoingBoing, are intended to help various businesses from hobby shop owners to car rental services identify suspicious people who might be involved in terrorist activity.
Comment: This looks like another attempt to eliminate cash and force everyone to use a traceable electronic debit/credit card instead.
Comment: Obviously steel does not evaporate..