by Phil Smith, February 23, 2015 DRUG WAR CHRONICLE: This article was written in collaboration with AlterNet and first appeared here. Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. As of Tuesday, February 24, 2015, the first phase of Alaska’s voter-approved Measure 2 marijuana legalization goes into effect. Beginning then, people 21 and over can legally possess up to […]
Month: February 2015
House Passes One-Week Funding Extension for Homeland Security
NEW YORK TIMES: Republicans vowing to govern effectively as a congressional majority failed a fundamental test Friday, when House leaders only narrowly managed to avert a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security after an embarrassing defeat earlier in the day. The seven-day funding extension, approved by a vote of 357 to 60, came […]
Anna Arutunyan: Real democracy has never existed in Russia
“(Putin) is infallible. He is a priest, a god, a victim and a Christ-like figure all in one. He is a product of Russia’s history, Russia’s corruption, Russia’s culture and the country’s oligarchs.” – Anna Arutunyan, Russian journalist and author
Selling state stores is more anti-taxer voodoo economics that misses the point
PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS EDITORIAL: …The point is that if it came to pass it would be an asset sale. As much revenue as it may raise, an asset sale is a one and done. You can’t sell the asset twice. Even if it did raise $1 billion – and that figure is in dispute – […]
Kurdish Fighters Capture Tel Hamees, ISIS Stronghold In Syria
HUFFINGTON POST: Backed by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, Kurdish fighters fought their way Friday into a northeastern Syrian town that was a key stronghold of Islamic State militants, only days after the group abducted dozens of Christians in the volatile region, Syrian activists and Kurdish officials said. The victory marks a second blow to the extremist […]
Boris Nemtsov, Critic of Putin, Is Shot Dead in Moscow
NEW YORK TIMES: A prominent opposition leader, Boris Y. Nemtsov, was shot to death on a street in central Moscow on Friday night, the Russian Interior Ministry confirmed to the news agency Interfax. Mr. Nemtsov, 55, was one of the principal organizers of an opposition march scheduled for Sunday in Moscow. A smooth-talking and worldly […]
FCC approves new net neutrality rules
USATODAY: The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to implement new net neutrality rules designed to make sure Internet service providers treat all legal content equally. The historic vote on the proposal, pitched by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, elicited hearty cheers from a wide array of technology companies and consumer groups while setting the table for […]
Is Greece Becoming a New Russian Satellite State?
DAILY BEAST COLUMN: …“Maria”, a volunteer who declines to give her real name is blunt: “In Greece the media always talks about the conflict as a civil war. There is no mention of Russian involvement whatsoever, “ she says. “Nor is there any real mention of the Russian equipment and weapons flowing to the separatists. […]
You could soon pay more for your landline phone
PENNLIVE: …In a 3-2 vote, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission members partially approved apetition from Verizon to have 153 telephone exchanges in those areas declared “competitive,” thus ending the PUC’s historic control over rates. The move covers landline telephone customers in the cities and suburban areas of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and York, Allentown, Scranton / Wilkes-Barre […]
Wolf ‘s search for inefficiencies in state government finds $109 million in savings
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: …The vast majority of that — $100 million — would come from procuring goods and services more efficiently. The administration believes that making Pennsylvania’s bidding processes more competitive could help the state get better prices. The governor’s office said the Department of General Services has begun working with agencies in an effort to […]
Disclosure on First Anniversary of Maidan
A year has passed since the beginning of the protests on Kiev’s Independence Square (Maidan) against the Moscow-backed president, Viktor Yanukovich. The date was commemorated in Kiev by the meeting on the protest site.
Rick Gray’s EPA chickens are coming home to roost
All of this is the result of Mayor Rick Gray and City Planner Randy Patterson attempt to tip toe around a major problem by offering the state EPA palliatives rather than seriously and legitimately coming up with long term plans for substantially improving sewer treatment.
Fast-Track Attacks on Cancer Accelerate Hopes
NEW YORK TIMES: …Cancers often tend to be fueled by changes in genes, or mutations, that make cells grow and spread to other parts of the body. There are now an increasing number of drugs that block mutations in cancer genes and can halt a tumor’s growth. While such an approach has worked in a […]
Wolf: Cut corporate tax rate, close loopholes
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Gov. Wolf on Wednesday proposed cutting the state corporate net income tax rate in half by 2018, a step he said would vault Pennsylvania from the nation’s second-highest rate to one of its lowest. Unveiling pieces of his economic plan to Lehigh Valley business leaders, Wolf called for gradually reducing the state’s corporate […]