Category: Politics

Fire Department iPhone App: There is a Hero in All of Us

Just admit it: deep in your heart you have always wanted to be an emergency medical technician, if at least for a few moments. If you are located in San Ramon Valley, California, you can now live that dream: the local fire department has released an iPhone app that will alert you of any emergency activity in the area. The well thought-out application will send out a push notification to users who have indicated that they are proficient in CPR whenever there is a cardiac emergency nearby. In addition, the closest public access AED is located by the app. Current response status of dispatched units are shown and incident locations are pinpointed on an interactive map. There is even a log of recent incidents including a photo gallery. For the old-school ham and scanner lads, it is possible to listen in on live emergency radio traffic. The app is available for free and below is a video with some more info.

Fire Department iPhone App: There is a Hero in All of Us

0

Cooperate or Compete?

Competition or cooperation? One of the continuing dilemmas we face in making decisions involving other people is to compete with them or cooperate. Competition often gets good press, particularly when promoting economic theories or sporting events. And there is no doubt that we are all better for competition in the marketplace, but what about cooperation? That is often given second-place status in improving the human condition. And yet a reasonable argument can be made that we owe more to cooperation than is generally recognized. In fact, civilization as we know it could not exist without cooperation that goes beyond simple profit and loss.

Cooperate or Compete?

0

Indefinite detention provisions of NDAA struck down in court, Obama to appeal

Judge Katherine Forrest made the ruling permanent on Wednesday that the indefinite detention provision of the NDAA was unconstitutional. The government argued that it is a normal provision in the law of war, while Judge Forester was of the opinion that the law of war has no place in domestic policy.

She very candidly strikes down all of the government's defense points, sometimes to the point of insult. "That frankly makes no sense, particularly in light of the Government’s inability at the March and August hearings to define certain terms in--or the scope of--§ 1021(b)(2)," she writes in response to a government claim that no future administration would be able to interpret it any differently.

Despite petitions starting immediately to ask Obama not to appeal the decision, by Thursday the appeal had been filed. If he doesn't want that power, as he has claimed, then why is the Obama administration fighting so hard to hold onto it?

The plaintiffs are a group of writers, journalists, and activists including Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges, Pentagon papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg and left-wing scholar Noam Chomsky.

Indefinite detention provisions of NDAA struck down in court, Obama to appeal

0

JP MORGAN BEING INVESTIGATED FOR MONEY LAUNDERING

The Comptroller of the Currency has for a long time been the lapdog of the banking industry.  They are supposed to be a banking regulator but the head of the OCC (office of the comptroller of currency) is more likely to give banking CEO’s a blowjob than he is to actually hold them accountable for banking violations.  And yet – hell hath frozen because the OCC is actually doing its job for the first time in a very long time.

Chase isn’t the only bank potentially doing this.  There are already two other major international banks who have been busted for laundering money for blacklisted governments, drug trafficking organizations and terrorist organizations.  When banks assist these groups in laundering money (not to mention the very wealthy to avoid paying taxes) they are complicit in these illegal behaviors.  They become willing accomplices and that’s a significant thing when you consider how much money the American government (and other governments) spend to combat terrorist organizations, drug traffickers and countries like Iran and North Korea.

And they do it because there is literally hundreds of millions at stake in banking profits.  But instead of reaching a deal with these bankers for banking violations … it is time to start sending a message to bankers … we will throw the book at you and you will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.  These bankers need to know that jail time is the punishment for such crimes and CEO’s will be held accountable even if we can’t prove they knew about it and shareholders will be held accountable because the punishments will far outweigh the potential for profits.

And to add to this … the Republican party does not believe that we should be investigating these bankers for these types of violations.  If the Republican party had its way … there wouldn’t be any probes for these illegal behaviors.  For them – less regulation is the best regulation.  They would neuter these financial regulators and defund them.  They would repeal the Dodd-Frank act which holds these banks accountable.   They are the in the pockets of big banks.  And the guy they nominated for President … has a long history of using offshore tax havens and tax avoidance schemes that frankly aren’t that different from what these banks are being accused of.

JP MORGAN BEING INVESTIGATED FOR MONEY LAUNDERING

0

Tristram Stuart: The global food waste scandal

Western countries throw out nearly half of their food, not because it’s inedible -- but because it doesn’t look appealing. Tristram Stuart delves into the shocking data of wasted food, calling for a more responsible use of global resources.

Tristram Stuart sounds the warning bell on global food waste, calling for us to change the systems whereby large quantities of produce and other foods end up in trash heaps.

Tristram Stuart: The global food waste scandal

0

Up ↑