Thursday, 10 March 2011 10:33
'It never ends. As part of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill, the Federal Reserve was tasked with capping the fees banks charge merchants for debit card transactions. This rule on fees was supposed to be finalized by April of this year and to take effect by July, but the banks and their lobbyists have been screaming bloody murder.
They've also been throwing around lots of cash. See here. And it worked!
Call it the glory of "bi-partisanship." According to reports, Democrat Senators, including Jon Tester of Montana, and Republic Senators, including Bob Corker of Tennessee, are now drafting legislation to block and delay the cap on fees. All to protect consumers, of course. Actually, banks stand to lose around $12B in annual revenue from the mandated reduction in fees.'
Read more: Banks Win Again: Congress Caves On Debit Card Fees
Thursday, 10 March 2011 10:20
'Ladies and Gentlemen, the next Black Death, a global pandemic of catastrophic proportions, has reared its ugly head in the Far East, home to many pandemic viruses. This time it is not a 30 per cent death rate, it is an 85 per cent death rate. It is called the Cambodian Avian Flu virus.
Avian Flu has been around for centuries. So have other pandemics. But an 85 per cent mortality rate?'
Read more: Cambodia's Deadly Virus: 85% Mortality Rate
Thursday, 10 March 2011 09:38
'Royal Bank of Scotland was branded ‘a disgrace’ after handing its chief executive Stephen Hester a £7.7million pay package for last year – even though the bailed-out bank lost more than £1billion.
The bank revealed that Mr Hester and eight of his top team are sharing a bonus and shares windfall totalling £28million for 2010, despite presiding over a dismal performance. Mr Hester gets a £1.2million base salary, plus a £2.01million bonus in shares and the chance to get a further £4.45million under a long-term incentive scheme.'
Thursday, 10 March 2011 07:57
'I have critically high levels of chemicals in my body," 33-year-old Steven Aguinaga of Hazlehurst, Mississippi told Al Jazeera. "Yesterday I went to see another doctor to get my blood test results and the nurse said she didn't know how I even got there."
Aguinaga and his close friend Merrick Vallian went swimming at Fort Walton Beach, Florida, in July 2010.
"I swam underwater, then found I had orange slick stuff all over me," Aguinaga said. "At that time I had no knowledge of what dispersants were, but within a few hours, we were drained of energy and not feeling good. I've been extremely sick ever since."'
Thursday, 10 March 2011 07:41
'Republican lawmakers in the Wisconsin Senate have approved Governor Scott Walker's plan to curb the rights of public sector unions, prompting protesters to storm the state capitol.
In a hastily-arranged special conference committee, Republicans voted 18 to 1 for restrictions on collective bargaining by public employees that Walker has insisted are needed to help the state's cash-strapped municipalities deal with a projected $1.27 billion drop in state aid over the next two years, Reuters reported.
The lawmakers stripped out the parts that required the presence of their 14 absent Democratic colleagues.'
Thursday, 10 March 2011 07:36
'Yemen government forces have used nerve gas against anti-government protesters as President Ali Abdullah Saleh come under mounting pressure to step down, reports say. Witnesses present at the scene of Tuesday's anti-government protests in the capital Sana'a said that what was originally thought to be tear gas may have been some form of nerve gas, reports said on Wednesday.
Military personnel used live bullets and some form of gas on Tuesday night to disperse a group of demonstrators who were trying to bring more tents into the protest area outside Sana'a University. One protester was killed and around 100 others were injured in the attack.'
Wednesday, 09 March 2011 09:10
'Millions of dead fish were found Tuesday floating in a Southern California marina. Boaters awakened to find a carpet of small silvery fish surrounding their vessels, said Staci Gabrielli, marine coordinator for King Harbor Marina on the Los Angeles County coast.
California Fish and Game officials believe the fish are anchovies and sardines.'
Wednesday, 09 March 2011 08:59
From this ...
to this ...
'As Obama's crime of the destruction of Bradley Manning continues to unfold before our very eyes, Manning friend David House now tells us that over 8 months in isolation with movement and sleep restrictions placed on him have been having their intended effect. House has told MSNBC that by the end of January Manning appeared "catatonic" and that he had "severe problems communicating," with it having taken House nearly 45 minutes on a recent visit to engage in any meaningful way.
House said Manning's demeanor was as "if he had just woken up and didn't know what was going on around him." Manning was "utterly exhausted physically and mentally...it was difficult to have any kind of social engagement."'
Wednesday, 09 March 2011 08:41
Read more: Obama Extends Emergency Law on Iran
Wednesday, 09 March 2011 09:47
Please post and circulate far and wide
MAKE AN EFFORT, MAKE A DIFFERENCE ... THANK-YOU.
This is the link to send ...http://www.davidicke.com/headlines/45649-david-icke-quoting-bill-hicks
Wednesday, 09 March 2011 09:42
'The Department Of Homeland Security has concluded that it is perfectly reasonable for it to spy on dozens of peaceful advocacy groups and monitor scores of lawful protests and political rallies in the name of national security.
The ACLU details the DHS’ response to a complaint the group filed with the DHS’s Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (OCRCL). The ACLU demanded an investigation into whether DHS officials abused their authority by improperly collecting and disseminating information regarding political demonstrations, following revelations that Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service (FPS) had been engaging in such activity dating back to 2006.'
Read more: Homeland Security Says It Has Every Right To Spy On Peaceful Protest Groups
Wednesday, 09 March 2011 09:31
Wednesday, 09 March 2011 08:21
'Paul McKeever, the chairman of the Police Federation, said "nothing has been ruled out" as he criticised the Government after the publication of a review that could see pay cuts for 40 per cent of police officers. Mr McKeever said police were being unfairly targeted for public sector cuts by the Government.
He said officers were being "bullied" by ministers, citing as evidence yesterday's review by Tom Winsor, the existing two-year pay freeze, the 20 per cent budget cuts and potential changes to pensions. His comments came after police chiefs disclosed that 28,000 jobs in forces throughout the country could be lost.'
Wednesday, 09 March 2011 08:20
Read more: Why is Hillary Not Defending the Rights of Saudis to Protest?
Wednesday, 09 March 2011 08:19
'In Washington, D.C., 600 activists with National People’s Action shut down a branch of Bank of America Monday to protest the bank’s record of dodging taxes. National People’s Action recently issued a report about how Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have avoided paying billions of dollars in taxes. The study found that over the past two years, the six banks paid income tax at an approximate rate of 11 percent of their pre-tax earnings in the United States, far less than the 35 percent that they are legally mandated to pay.
By avoiding the taxes, the banks saved $13 billion. National People’s Action reports this potential tax revenue could have been used to cover more than two years of salaries for some 132,000 teachers who lost their jobs since the economic crisis began in 2008.'
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