Category Archives: Uncategorized

In Syria, US sides with local jihadists to defeat global ones

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“The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) is the victim of a US-Saudi decision to get rid of the ISIS burden and rehabilitate the Islamic Front as a final substitute for the Free Syrian Army (FSA).  The US-Saudi plan aimed at replacing the FSA with the Islamic Front started a few weeks ago with attempts by US Ambassador Robert Ford in Antakya, through meetings with Ahrar al-Sham, Suqour al-Sham and Liwa’ al-Tawhid Brigades, and the most prominent leaders of the Islamic Front, to persuade them to return to the FSA General Staff, whose headquarters and weapons stores near Bab al-Hawa they seized, and to join the political process in Geneva.”

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2014/01/us-fight-jihadists-syria-isis-islamic-front.html

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Inventor still battling U.S. over patents from ’70s

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“Gilbert Hyatt said the more he fought and appealed other patents, the longer officials dragged out his applications.  R. Polk Wagner, a patent law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said some patent applications can be slowed during a review of how an invention affects national security.  But he acknowledged that 40 years was an unusually long review period on any case.  ‘In my experience, the Patent and Trademark Office has every incentive to process applications quickly,’ Wagner said. ‘The trick for the PTO is to process them as quickly as they can while being accurate. There is certainly no incentive for this significant kind of delay.'”

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/03/23/inventor-battling-us-over-patents-sought-in-1970s/6792451/

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Washington, Colorado have few ways to stop carry-on weed

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“Among the many oddities that have arisen from marijuana legalization in Washington and Colorado is this: It can be easier to get through airport security with a bag of weed than a bottle of water.  At Washington’s airports, including Seattle-Tacoma International, there’s nothing police can do to prevent travelers from flying with pot in their carry-on or checked luggage, provided it doesn’t exceed the state legal limit of one ounce. Instead, airport officials say, officers simply recommend that travelers leave it in their cars, toss it or have a friend pick it up.”

http://nypost.com/2014/01/30/washington-colorado-have-few-ways-to-stop-carry-on-weed/

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Bitcoin creeping into Pittsburgh

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“Fukuda, a Japanese restaurant in Bloomfield, on Wednesday proudly posted a message to its Facebook and Twitter followers: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, Fukuda has officially accepted bitcoin as payment for Omakase this evening.’  Omakase, for the uninitiated, is a ‘chef’s tasting menu’ offered by the sushi restaurant, said owner Hoon Kim.  Mr. Kim, 38, opened Fukuda in the fall of 2012, and three weeks ago, his restaurant created a bitcoin wallet and announced it was open for bitcoin business.  ‘I’m always interested in being at the forefront of technology,’ Mr. Kim said.”

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/2014/01/25/Bitcoin-creeping-into-Pittsburgh/stories/201401250062

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Bitcoin Falls Flat Among Davos Crowd

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“The Saudi Arabian finance minister had a puzzled look on his face sitting in one of the lounges of the Congress Centre at the World Economic Forum. Ibrahim Abdulaziz al-Assaf was trying to remember where he’s heard the word ‘Bitcoin’ before.  The managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, stopped by and broke his concentration. Air kisses ensued, and seconds later he was back in his chair when a flash of recognition crossed his face.  Around the Congress Centre, the forum’s main hub, world and financial leaders seemed completely unaware at best and extremely skeptical at worst about Bitcoin’s merits.”

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mariahsummers/bitcoin-falls-flat-among-davos-crowd

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A Crackdown On Browsers

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“It would have taken O’Donovan five minutes of reading Wikipedia to, if not have a clear picture of what was going on, at least know better than to write what he did. The computer-machines seem to be a strange focal point of governmental cluelessness; while TDs writing on other subjects are hardly perfect, you’re not going to get James Reilly writing a piece advocating the use of radium to cure The Humours, or something, nor will you find Alan Shatter extolling the virtues of the Freeman on the Land philosophy. This isn’t the first time, though, that a TD has spouted complete nonsense about computers. It makes it all the worse that O’Donovan is on the Communications Committee.”

http://www.broadsheet.ie/2014/01/15/a-crackdown-on-browsers/

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Tracking IMF Money Manipulation to Pakistan and Beyond

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“The Nation magazine recently posted a small article entitled, ‘Pakistan gets second tranche of $553.5m from IMF.’ We are so used to these kinds of announcements that they hardly register anymore. But this is how the entrenched corruption of our day is carried out.  This is magic money, of course. It will bolster foreign reserves, help Pakistan battle the Taliban (that it actually sponsors), aid the state in supporting its economy (whatever that means), ‘solve’ an energy crisis (really!) and support increased tax collection efforts. A Swiss green company is in line to soak up a good deal of this IMF tranche.”

http://www.thedailybell.com/editorials/34869/Anthony-Wile-Tracking-IMF-Money-Manipulation-to-Pakistan-and-Beyond/

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Bill Bonner: The Real Numbers Behind America’s Phony Recovery

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“What kind of economy is it that reduces a man’s wages over a 43-year period?  We don’t know. But it’s not likely to win any prizes.  But why, with so many strikes against it, does the US economy still have the bat in its hands?  It’s partly because the Fed has pumped up stock, bond and house prices – not to mention net corporate profit margins and consumer spending . So, the averages look pretty good… and they mask the ugliness beneath them.  The bottom 90% of the population – people in 9 houses out of 10 – have 10% less income than they had 10 years ago. This is not a success story. It’s a disaster. And not one that tempts us into an overvalued US stock market.”

http://www.bonnerandpartners.com/the-real-numbers-behind-americas-phony-recovery/

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Visa, MasterCard $5.7 Billion Swipe Fee Accord Approved

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“Visa Inc. (V) and MasterCard Inc. (MA) won approval for a $5.7 billion settlement that ended years of litigation with U.S. merchants over allegations that credit-card swipe fees are improperly fixed.  U.S. District Judge John Gleeson said that he was satisfied with the settlement, which was estimated to be the largest-ever U.S. antitrust accord.  ‘For the first time, merchants will be empowered to expose hidden bank fees to their customers, educate them about those fees and use that information to influence their customers’ choices of payment methods,’ Gleeson wrote in his ruling today in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-13/visa-mastercard-swipe-fee-accord-approved-by-u-s-judge.html

Visa Inc. (V) and MasterCard Inc. (MA) won approval for a $5.7 billion settlement that ended years of litigation with U.S. merchants over allegations that credit-card swipe fees are improperly fixed.

U.S. District Judge John Gleeson said that he was satisfied with the settlement, which was estimated to be the largest-ever U.S. antitrust accord.

“For the first time, merchants will be empowered to expose hidden bank fees to their customers, educate them about those fees and use that information to influence their customers’ choices of payment methods,” Gleeson wrote in his ruling today in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.

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The Minimum Wage and Unemployment in Australia

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“In the USA, the youngest workers have a higher minimum wage than in Australia, but the wage then crosses over to a higher minimum in Australia once a worker reaches 18 years of age. By the age of 21 the minimum wage in Australia is substantially higher, but by then work skills have also grown substantially.  The simple comparison of the minimum wage in Australia with minimum wage in the USA tends to use the headline rate for adults over 21 years of age. This is quite misleading, because there is a large class of younger workers where the minimum wage in Australia is much lower, and these tend to be the workers most affected by minimum wage laws.”

http://www.internationalman.com/global-perspectives/1039-the-minimum-wage-and-unemployment-in-australia

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