The Raw Story

A non-profit news blog, focused on providing independent journalism.

Tuesday, 7 October 2014

Radioactive reindeer surprise Norwegian scientists

© UPI.com Oslo -- Maybe one of them will sprout a bright red nose. Norwegian reindeer are more radioactive than they have been in recent years, possibly owing to their mushroom snacks, researchers said.Lavrans Skuterud, a scientist at the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, said reindeer at Vaga reinlag AS, in the central Norwegian Jotunheimen mountainous area, were found in September to have nearly eight times the amount of radioactive substance...

Wal-Mart raises healthcare costs, cuts benefits for some part-timers

© Reuters Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the biggest U.S. private sector employer, said on Tuesday that its 1.3 million workers would have to pay more for healthcare and it would end benefits for some part-time staff in a move that could prompt other companies to follow suit.The world's largest retailer said it would raise health insurance premiums for its entire U.S. workforce beginning in January. In addition, Wal-Mart will end coverage for employees who...

USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 6.2 - 121km WSW of El Dorado, Mexico

© USGS Event Time2014-10-08 02:40:54 UTC2014-10-07 19:40:54 UTC-07:00 at epicenterLocation23.817°N 108.423°W depth=10.0km (6.2mi)Nearby Cities121km (75mi) WSW of El Dorado, Mexico128km (80mi) SW of Navolato, Mexico128km (80mi) SW of Campo Gobierno, Mexico135km (84mi) SW of Costa Rica, Mexico1077km (669mi) WNW of Mexico City, MexicoScientific Data...

Civil forfeiture: How the police get away with taking your stuff without charging you with a crime

John Oliver enlisted the help of Jeff Goldblum to hilariously explain one of the least-funny law enforcement practices you've never heard of in Sunday night's episode of "."The segment explains a disturbing and escalating trend in law enforcement known as "civil forfeiture" - a process by which police can seize items including cash, cars and even houses from civilians who haven't been charged with a crime. Police departments are frequently allowed...

Pesticide use linked to high rates of depression and suicides among farmers

© Ginnie PetersMatt Peters, a fourth-generation farmer in Dallas County, Iowa, took his own life in May 2011. The Peters family lives on this farm surrounded by 1,500 acres of fields. On his farm in Iowa, Matt Peters worked from dawn to dusk planting his 1,500 acres of fields with pesticide-treated seeds. "Every spring I worried about him," said his wife, Ginnie. "Every spring I was glad when we were done."In the spring of 2011, Ginnie Peters' "calm,...

First hint of 'life after death' in biggest ever scientific study

Southampton University scientists have found evidence that awareness can continue for at least several minutes after clinical death which was previously thought impossible. © Shaun Wilkinson/AlamySome cardiac arrest patients recalled seeing a bright light; a golden flash or the Sun shining. Death is a depressingly inevitable consequence of life, but now scientists believe they may have found some light at the end of the tunnel.The largest ever medical...

Most foods labeled "natural" in U.S. actually contain GMO ingredients

© AlamyThree tomatoes grown from genetically modified seeds A majority of US packaged foods labeled as "natural" and tested by Consumer Reports actually contained a substantial level of genetically modified ingredients, according to a report issued Tuesday by the non-profit product testing group.Consumers are being misled by the "natural" label, said Urvashi Rangan, executive director of Consumer Reports Food Safety and Sustainability.Consumer Reports...

Big Pharma rip off: Why do Americans allow it?

© David K/flickr/ccAmerica spends a fortune on drugs, more per person than any other nation on earth, even though Americans are no healthier than the citizens of other advanced nations. According to a new federal database put online last week, pharmaceutical companies and device makers paid doctors some $380 million in speaking and consulting fees over a five-month period in 2013.Some doctors received over half a million dollars each, and others...

Four men arrested, tasered on vague "suspicion" they "may have" foiled the "early stages of" a plan to attack the UK.

© n/a Whitehall officials told the BBC the arrests "may have foiled the early stages" of a plan to attack the UK.The men - two aged 21 and two aged 20 - were held by counter-terrorism police.They were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, Scotland Yard said.Officials said one individual had spent time in Syria. There was no word on alleged targets or how far advanced the alleged...

Ocala, Florida breaks 84-year old cold record

© Isocrates.us Children were bundled at bus stops. Workers left home in sweaters and light jackets. Heat pumps switched on earlier than normal.Monday morning, the temperature dipped to 49 degrees in Ocala - a record low for the day.The previous record was 50 degrees, set in 1930. The official measuring site is the city water plant at Southeast 36th Avenue just north of Maricamp Road.Monday morning's daybreak low temperatures ranged from 46 degrees...

Moldova joins anti-Russian coalition: 4 TV channels fined for re-broadcasting Russian programs

© Flickr/ Robert S. DonovanMoldova Suspends Russia’s Rossiya-24 TV Channel Until 2015 Moldova's authorities have on Tuesday fined four local TV channels for re-broadcasting Russian programs over "anti-Ukrainian coverage of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine."Moldova's decision to ban Russia 24 TV news channel for the next six months until January 1, 2015 is outrageous and will certainly produce a negative impact on the Russian-Moldovan relations,...

The irony: Life long vegetarian Morrissey reveals he's being treated for cancer

Morrissey is being treated for cancer.The former Smiths singer has been in hospital on several occasions over the last 18 months and he has now revealed that doctors have also been dealing with cancerous tissue in his body.Despite his diagnosis, the 55-year-old songwriter insists he isn't afraid of death and accepts it is something that comes to us all.Although he did not reveal what type of cancer he has, Morrissey confessed to Spanish newspaper...

Grey Lady ghost caught on camera for first time

© Birmingham MailThe shot of the Sharington Range Tudor palace, taken from the top of Dudley Castle tower, which showed a red glow to the upper rooms and a ghostly figure in the archway beneath (inset). She's the ghost who has supposedly haunted Dudley Castle for centuries.Now Birmingham couple Dean and Amy Harper believe they have captured a chilling image of the fabled Grey Lady - after taking photos in the tourist attraction's courtyard.A simple...

China and India: Dragon and Elephant tiptoe a tango, iron out critical agreements

© XinhuaChinese President Xi Jinping (2nd L front) and his wife Peng Liyuan lay a wreath to the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi, India, Sept. 18, 2014 The China-India economic relationship is one of the fastest growing in the world: Bilateral trade has grown from virtually zero to $100 billion in just over a decade, and Chinese exports to India grew at 39 per cent a year since 2001.India's rank as an export destination went up from nineteen...

Life After Death? This is what people experience as the brain shuts down

© Hasibul Haque Sakib The largest ever study into near-death and out-of-body experiences has found that 40% of people have some 'awareness', even after they are considered clinically dead.Fifteen hospitals in the US, UK and Australia took part in the four-year study.Over 2,000 people were included in the research, all of whom had suffered cardiac arrest (Parnia et al., 2014).Of those people, 330 survived and were asked afterwards what they had experienced.Amongst...

Battleground America: militarization rampant as US Army surplus even going to coroners

© AFP The Pentagon's 1033 Program, which is militarizing state and local police forces with everything from high-powered firearms to armored vehicles, is also giving weapons to officials who have no law enforcement functions.The practice is leading watchdogs and even some US government officials to question why the US military is so desperate to unload its cache of used military hardware that it is even willing to arm a local coroner, and other...

A second 1,300 year-old ancient village discovered in Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park

Archaeologists have uncovered a second ancient village in Arizona's Petrified Forest National Park that is 1,300 years old.The latest basket-maker village dates between 200 A.D. and 700 A.D., based on the types of pottery found, according to Bill Reitze, the park's archaeologist. It was discovered this summer, following the first discovery last year of similar slab-lined pit-houses.These are dwelling structures dug into the ground unique to the...

Gerald Celente: Global economy weakened by insane sanctions imposed on Russia

The European economy and much of the global economy is on a severe downtrend. Sanctions on Russia are adding to the misery. Sanctions and trade wars between Russia and the West will have severe economic consequences, Gerald Celente, publisher of the Trends Journal, told RT. He added that it is "absolutely insane" to impose sanctions when much of the global economy is so weak.RT: US Vice President Joe Biden admitted that the US had to - in his words...

At least 19 dead as a result of artillery strikes on Donetsk over past 24 hours

© EPA/ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO At least 19 people died as a result of artillery strikes on Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, over the past 24 hours, the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk's People Republic defense ministry's political department, Eduard Basurin told TASS on Tuesday.Over the 24 hours at least three militias were killed and another 36 fighters were injured, Basurin said.Earlier, the press service of the self-proclaimed Donetsk's People Republic...

Seattle to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day

Seattle City Council passed a unanimous decision on Monday to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day The Seattle City Council passed a unanimous decision on Monday to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day in the city.Tribal members and other supporters say that the move recognizes the rich history of people who have inhabited the area for centuries.Last week, the Seattle School Board decided to have its schools observe Indigenous...

Escalation of war in Ukraine? Victoria Nuland arrives in Kiev

© UnknownVictoria Nuland, previously foreign policy adviser to vice-president Dick Cheney. Married to neo-con Robert Kagan. The administrations change in the US, but the same people keep popping up in key positions. In an ominous sign that the war in Ukraine is set to further escalate, US state department official Victoria Nuland arrived in Kiev where she met with senior members of the Western-backed regime.In recent days the ceasefire brokered...

Super Typhoon Vongfong rapidly intensifies overnight - equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane and heading for Japan

Super Typhoon Vongfong, as feared, intensified rapidly overnight Monday into Tuesday, U.S. time. The satellite image above with the classic distinct eye says it all.As of midnight local time Wednesday, the eye of Vongfong was about 750 miles southeast of Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, moving west at 10-15 mph.Maximum sustained winds had increased to an estimated 155 mph, the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane, according to the U.S. military's Joint...

WTO sez spread of Ebola through Europe "unavoidable"

© Reuters / Fabian BimmerMembers of the German army, Bundeswehr, prepare volunteers during a barrier nursing course for dealing with infectious diseases at the Bernhard-Nocht-Institute in Hamburg Ocotber 7, 2014. The spread of Ebola in Europe is "unavoidable", the World Health Organization said shortly after the contraction of four new cases was announced in Spain."Such imported cases and similar events as have happened in Spain will happen also...
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