The Raw Story

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

Friday, 5 June 2015

Buyer beware: Tom's of Maine natural care products are not so natural

     Tom's of Maine has become a mainstream brand among health-conscious consumers. Unfortunately, it turns out that most of these consumers are unaware of who owns Tom's of Main and what ingredients Tom's products contain. This might be shocking to some but Tom's of Maine isn't owned by Tom and is not from Maine. In fact, it's owned by a well-known corporate giant — Colgate-Palmolive of New York. In the United States alone,...

Cui bono? Cyberattacks should hasten cyber legislation says Senator McCain

© Fotobank.ru/Getty Images/ Win McNamee      US Senator John McCain said that the increasing frequency of cyberattacks on the United States should prompt Congress to pass cybersecurity legislation without delay. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The increasing frequency of cyberattacks on the United States should prompt Congress to pass cybersecurity legislation without delay, US Senator John McCain said in a statement on Friday. "It is...

Alms for the poor military-industrial complex: US Air Force to reveal new bomber contract in early August

© AP Photo/ CLIFF SCHIAPPA      In its quest to realize the ever-elusive pipe dream of an affordable bomber, the US Air Force will soon award a contract for its new generation of long-range bombers. Will it come in under budget? Or balloon out of control like the B-2 and F-35? When the Pentagon first proposed development of the B-2 stealth bomber, it estimated that the cost would be, roughly, $441 million per plane. That number...

Teen suicide following public shaming by father's internet video

Screenshot from YouTube user Sirena Covington      A 13-year-old girl from Washington State jumped off an overpass in Tacoma days after her father posted a YouTube video showing the aftermath of a punishment for an undisclosed misdeed. Izabel Laxamana jumped off an overpass on Interstate 5 on Friday, May 29. She died the following day at a Seattle hospital. Days before, her father, Jeff, reportedly posted a YouTube video of...

Can low-carb diet protect you from Alzheimer's?

Dr. Michael Noonan      It has been known for some time that diabetics are prone to a host of problems: poor circulation, vision, even back pain. But it seems a new one has been added to the list: dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. According to one review of the published literature, diabetic patients had a 46 percent higher risk of developing Alzheimer's and a whopping 250 percent increased risk of dementia caused by...

Unparallelled hubris: Obama claims US is #1 in global reputation

© Reuters / Kevin Lamarque      This week, President Obama gave himself and his administration credit for putting the United States at the top of the list of respected countries in the world. he said. "And today, once again, the United States is the most respected country on Earth. Part of that, I think, is the work that we did to reengage the world, and say that 'We want to work with you as partners, with mutual interest and...

Miami: Local commuter starts petition against egregious road tolls

© chapstickaddict A new petition calls for an end to tolls.      This past November, anticipating the launch of a new toll system on the Dolphin and Airport expressways, Doral resident Alexander Gonzalez was worried. He was already paying about $50 every month on those roads to get to and from work at a communications company in Coral Gables. The changes would double, to $100 a month in tolls — severely denting his family's...

The overlooked threats of gene editing

© unknown      It is often said that if it can be imagined, it will inevitably be done. And such a sentiment could not be any truer in terms of applying genetic engineering and synthetic biology to the genomes of our planet's organisms including humans themselves. While the process of synthesizing and arranging genetic code has many processes, perhaps none has been as promising as the CRISPR-Cas system. From laboratory experiments...

Urban warfare military explosions rock Flint, Michigan, residents failed to get the memo

© unknown      Yet another location is erupting into urban army exercises ahead of the nationwide Jade Helm drills that have many concerned about martial law and the true intentions of mock takeovers of U.S. cities across the map. This time, it was unexpected "simulated explosions" that rattled residents in a neighborhood of Flint, Michigan after the U.S. Army initiated training without warning the locals - despite the fact...

Blood scan reveals every virus you've ever had

© Thinkstock Viruses in the bloodstream.      With conventional methodology, researchers typically examine a patient's blood for one type of infection at a time. However, a new technology from Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is now able to scan a blood sample for any of a subject's current and past infections from any known human virus, according to a new report in the journal The system, known as VirScan, can run a...

Sinkhole swallows police SUV in Sheridan, Colardo

© KUSA-TV, Denver A police SUV was swallowed by a sinkhole Friday, June 5, 2015, in Sheridan, Colo. The police sergeant in the SUV was able to climb out of the SUV and the sinkhole.      A police sergeant on patrol in his department SUV was swallowed by a massive sinkhole here, Sheridan Police said. Sgt. Greg Miller was traveling eastbound on West Oxford Avenue south of Denver early Friday morning when the road gave way. "Next...

China's new "Silk Road" to extend to South America

     As the United States insists on articulating regional integral schemes oriented towards restraining its rise as world power (Transpacific Partnership, Pacific Alliance, etc.), China relies on the construction of economic corridors in land and maritime fields in diverse regions. On a first stage, the Chinese government established the strengthening of economic and political links with the rest of the Asian Pacific as a priority....

Grapefruit-sized hail, tornadoes and floods batter Colorado

© Dan Elliott - AP A tornado moves through Longmont, Colorado, June 4, 2015      Hail the size of grapefruit, heavy rainfall, and multiple tornadoes caused damage and flooding across parts of the Rockies and Plains overnight into Friday, officials and meteorologists said. Seven tornadoes were reported in Colorado and one in Kansas, according to the National Weather Service. The worst hit was the town of Berthoud, Colorado, where...

Hundreds of barrel jellyfish wash up on the south coast in UK

The English Channel is teeming with the enormous jellyfish just as thousands of people are due to visit the coast this weekend.      Hundreds of 4ft barrel jellyfish have washed up along the south coast of England as millions of people prepare to flock to the country's beaches to make the most of the soaring temperatures. Port worker Clive Thomas managed to capture photos of the giant jellyfish in Portland Harbour in Dorset,...

Malaysia 6.0 earthquake: Over 160 people stranded on mountain, 40 missing

© Reuters/Bazuki Muhammad Mount Kinabalu      Rockfalls at Malaysia's Mount Kinabalu, caused by a 6.0-magnitude earthquake on Borneo Island, have left more than 160 people stranded on the peak, with some injured, according to officials. Forty people have been reported missing. About 120 climbers and 40 local guides appear to be unable to descend from the Kinabalu summit, due to the Friday morning earthquake. At least four climbers...

Biblical scenes in China as a plague of toads descend on town after heavy rainfall

The toads pile on top of each other, and because of their colour, give the impression the ground is moving      A scene of biblical proportions descended upon China's Liaoning Province following heavy rainfall. A plague of toads was filmed in the area of Ganjingzi Qu, Liaoning Sheng, swarming a pathway and making the ground look like it was moving. Hopping in their tens of thousands, the toads, which were all relatively small...

SOTT Exclusive: G7 games politicians play

© AP Photo/Grigory Dukor, Pool Russian President Vladimir Putin and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.      The upcoming G7 summit in Germany is revealing some of the games politicians are playing. Last year Russia was excluded from the G7 summit for the first time in 17 years. It was to be held in Sochi but was canceled following the Crimea referendum to join Russia. The Western nations deemed it as an "illegal annexation"...

Corrupt to the core: The lasting legacy of Ukraine's oligarchy

© Unknown Caricature of Ukrainian oligarchs Firtash, Kolomoisky, Akhmetov, from left to right      One year after Viktor Yanukovych was ousted, his methods remain firmly entrenched in the reality of Ukrainian life. Despite the country's Revolution of Dignity and continued Russian aggression against Ukraine, local oligarchs have become even more powerful and influential, and pose a significant threat to Ukraine's European development....
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