The Raw Story

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

Saturday, 21 March 2015

Justice Department Rolls Out An Early Form Of Capital Controls In America

Something stunning took place earlier this week, and it quietly snuck by, unnoticed by anyone as the "all important" FOMC meeting was looming. That something could have been taken straight out of the playbook of either Cyprus, or Greece, or the USSR "evil empire", or all three.This is how the WSJ explained it:The U.S. Justice Department’s criminal head said banks may need to go beyond filing suspicious activity reports when they encounter a risky...

Power naps do work: Increase memory retention

A team of researchers at Saarland University headed by Professor Axel Mecklinger have shown that a short nap lasting about an hour can significantly improve memory performance. The study, which was coordinated by graduate research student Sara Studte, involved examination of memory recall in 41 participants. The volunteers had to learn single words and word pairs. Once the learning phase was over, the participants were tested to determine how much...

The black budget: What does it mean to US Federal budget, the economy and you?

Are financial fraud and market manipulations actually mechanisms for financing the black budget and centralized governance necessitated by high-tech secrecy?[embedded conte...

Spring arrives with wintry weather in east as celestial events punctuate the week

To start the week, two large eruptions from the sun's corona occurred Sunday, which sparked a powerful solar storm.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a statement Tuesday warning that the geomagnetic storm could potentially impact power grids and GPS tracking.The geomagnetic storm that resulted allowed the aurora borealis and aurora australis to ignite, providing stargazers with a spectacular light show.[embedded content]With...

Cheap US wine brands in lawsuit over claims of toxic arsenic levels

© The Independent, UKLow-priced wine could cause cancer and heart disease, according to plaintiffs. Budget-friendly wine brands could contain dangerously toxic levels of arsenic - increasing the risk of cancer and heart disease.More than two dozen American vintners are facing a lawsuit claiming their wines contain a poisonous amount of the known carcinogen.According to the proposed class action, filed on Thursday in Los Angeles, levels of arsenic...

The Ronin Institute for wayward academics

© Ronin Institute What were once quiet concerns whispered among peers at American universities have become a steady drumbeat of angst ringing out across the proverbial quad. Everyone, it seems, is aware of the woeful state of the academic job market for newly minted PhDs. Graduate students who've dedicated five, even seven, years of their lives in training for their chosen fields—even at top universities—often face a stark absence of professorial...

Oops! Ukrainian 'security' forces blindfold, handcuff, detain OSCE monitor

© RIA Novosti / Sergey AverinAn OSCE representative checks on the presence of heavy artillery in the place of its deployment in the village of Ulyanovskoye, Amvrosiyevsky District, Donetsk Region. Ukrainian Security Services "agents" have detained, blindfolded and handcuffed an OSCE monitor in the Kiev-controlled city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine. Having found out his identity, the three men in balaclavas released the monitor "with apologies."The...

Running on autopilot: Tesla will launch software to power driverless cars

© Reuters / Stephen Lam Seeing a Tesla is about to get a lot more wild, as the company is preparing to install its self-driving software in the Model S fleet. The autopilot feature will only work on highways... as the technology may not yet be legal in the US.Tesla will roll out an auto-steering software update for the Model S in the next three or four months, and owners won't even have to go into a Tesla store for the upgrade, founder Elon Musk...

Mom takes away iPhone, 12 year old daughter tries to poison her -- twice

© shutterstock Police on Friday arrested a 12-year-old Colorado girl accused of trying to kill her mother twice by poisoning her with bleach for taking away her iPhone, authorities said.Boulder County Sheriff's Commander Heidi Prentup said in a statement that the mother drank the caustic fluid on one of the two attempts, which both happened within a week this month.On March 2, the girl poured bleach into a breakfast smoothie that she had prepared...

Surveillance is Security: Big Brother unleashes the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act

© unknown Nothing you write, say, text, tweet or share via phone or computer is private anymore.This is the new normal in America today.A process which started shortly after 9/11 has grown into a full-fledged campaign of warrantless surveillance, electronic tracking and data mining, carried out by federal agents who have been given access to the vast majority of electronic communications in America. Their methods completely undermine constitution...

IMF worried yet? Switzerland and Luxembourg apply for China-led AIIB

© Reuters / Kim Kyung-HooChina's Finance Minister Lou Jiwei Despite negative noises from the US, Switzerland and Luxembourg have become the latest European nations to apply to join the Beijing-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Chinese Finance Ministry announced.Earlier in March, the EU's leading economies - the UK, France and Germany - announced plans to participate in the new international financial institution.China's Finance...

North Carolina to mandate polio vaccines, removes religious exemptions

© PreventDisease.com Several states are beginning to move forward against religious exemptions for vaccines. In the case of Polio, the vaccine is especially dangerous, having been linked to tens of thousands of adverse health consequences including paralysis and death. So North Carolina wants to mandate it? Kenny Valenzuela explains the ramifications of SB346 set to be fast tracked for August, 2015...[embedded conte...

New Orleans TSA agents attacked by machete-wielding man

© Reuters / Jonathan Bachman A man allegedly used a can of wasp spray against a TSA agent in New Orleans before pulling out a machete and stabbing another agent at the Louis Armstrong International Airport near New Orleans, Louisiana, according to local media.Police are currently investigating the incident and officials said the airport has now been secured. It appears that two Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents were injured in...

French coast hit with biggest 'tide of the century'

© AFP 2015/ PHILIPPE HUGUEN After the excitement of Friday's solar eclipse, thousands of visitors have flocked to France's coastal areas for the chance to see the biggest tide in 18 years.Thousands of visitors made their way to coastal areas in Brittany and Normandy on Saturday morning to catch this year's spring tides, which are billed to rise as high as 14 meters above their usual level following Friday's solar eclipse, which saw the Earth, moon,...

9 Spectacular Archaeological Finds Not Found In History Books

Some of the most intriguing archaeological finds in history are rarely mentioned in history books. For instance, have a look at the following amazing discoveries.1. L'Anse Aux Meadows This ancient settlement is believed to have been built by the Vikings and it could support up to 160 people. What's incredible is that it was built 500 years before Columbus “discovered” North America!2. Saksaywaman This fortress is located outside of Cusco, Peru; the...

9 Spectacular Archaeological Finds Not Found In History Books

Some of the most intriguing archaeological finds in history are rarely mentioned in history books. For instance, have a look at the following amazing discoveries.1. L'Anse Aux Meadows This ancient settlement is believed to have been built by the Vikings and it could support up to 160 people. What's incredible is that it was built 500 years before Columbus “discovered” North America!2. Saksaywaman This fortress is located outside of Cusco, Peru;...

Mexico City shaken by earthquake that struck more than 100 MILES away

© ReutersMexico City locals flooded the streets after the quake An earthquake that caused buildings to sway and forced people to flee onto the streets in the Mexican capital happened more than 100 miles away.The quake hit at 4.30pm local time in the state of Puebla near Tulcingo del Valle - around 100 miles away from Mexico City.But residents of the faraway capital were forced to flee shaking buildings.The city is vulnerable to distant earthquakes...
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