Monday, 23 August 2010 09:41 'A pathologist in the case of the newspaper seller who died after being struck by a policeman during the 2009 G20 riots was facing fresh questions last night after he changed the wording of his post-mortem report, undermining attempts to prosecute the officer involved. Dr Freddy Patel revised his findings a year after carrying out the first examination of Ian Tomlinson's body. In his initial assessment, he reported that he had found three litres of 'fluid blood' in Mr Tomlinson's stomach. Twelve months later, however, he wrote another report in which he described the substance he had found as 'fluid with blood'.
Monday, 23 August 2010 09:03
Monday, 23 August 2010 08:20
'A software company is developing revolutionary software which provides the ability to identify people from photographs posted on the internet. Face.com has produced technology that can identify individuals on social networking sites and online galleries by comparing their image against a known picture of them. It means detailed profiles of individuals can be built up purely from online photographs and critics have said it could lead to exploitation by employers.'
Read more: The Facial Recognition Software That Will Put a Name to Every Photograph in the Internet
Monday, 23 August 2010 07:58
'In total 1,032 people – almost three a day – were detained and extradited by British police on the orders of European prosecutors in the 12 months to April, up from 683 in 2008-09. The Home Office expects a further 70 per cent rise, to 1,700 cases, next year.
The increase will fuel growing political concern about the "unfair" and "disproportionate" nature of the warrants, which British courts have little power to challenge.'
Read more: 'No Evidence Needed' -- Surge in Britons Exported For Trial
Monday, 23 August 2010 07:20
'It's always amusing to see how quickly consumers can be worked up into a false fear frenzy by health authorities. We saw it last year with the overhyped H1N1 swine flu scare which was fanned into a flaming fear fest by WHO advisors on the take from vaccine manufacturers. Now we're getting a new round of fear-mongering from many of the same sources who are warning us about salmonella contaminated eggs.
According to mainstream news sources, a massive 380-million-egg recall has been announced, and these eggs are all so incredibly dangerous that you have to immediately remove them from your refrigerator and take them back to the store where you bought them so that they can be properly destroyed. This is all backed up by phrases like, "It's not worth the risk," and claims that if people eat the eggs, they are taking "too much of a chance".'
Read more: FDA Exploits Salmonella Eggs Recall to Pursue Food Sterilization Agenda
Monday, 23 August 2010 07:03
'The U.S. state of Mississippi recently reopened all of its fishing areas. The problem is that commercial shrimpers refuse to trawl because they fear the toxicity of the waters and marine life due to the BP oil disaster.
"We come out and catch all our Mississippi oysters right here," James "Catfish" Miller, a commercial shrimper in Mississippi, told IPS. Pointing to the area in the Mississippi Sound from his shrimp boat, he added, "It's the only place in Mississippi to catch oysters, and there is oil and dispersants all over the top of it".'
Read more: Mississippi Shrimpers Refuse to Trawl, Fearing Oil, Dispersants
Monday, 23 August 2010 06:41
'Ex-Prime Minister and post-Downing Street millionaire Tony Blair, to celebrate the publication of his book A Journey, is holding a ‘signing’ session at Waterstones, Piccadilly on 8 September. That this man, responsible for taking us into an illegal war, playing his part in the ruination of an ancient country because he ‘believed he was right’, should advertise himself in this way has caused outrage. Time, I think, to look at where we, and Blair, actually stand in terms of what we can and cannot do to call him to account.'
Read more: The Long Road to The Hague: Prosecuting Former Prime Tony Blair
Sunday, 22 August 2010 07:22
'What if you owned a small business where your customers came to your store or office, and parked in your parking lot? What if you owned a small business where your customers came to your store or office, parked in your parking lot, and the government made you pay taxes for each and every car?
Would you still own a small business?
These may sound like hypothetical questions, but for a city in Kansas, they have become reality. Last night, the city of Mission passed a new tax on driveways. Yes, driveways. Home owners will pay $72 each year for having a driveway. Business owners, though, take the biggest hit in this new tax, which is being hailed as “revolutionary” and “ground-breaking.” Beginning in December, all businesses will be taxed a fee of at least $3,558 per year.'
Read more: How to Prolong a Recession: Tax People's Driveways
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