Archive for April, 2008
FDA Report Shows 49 Problems at Merck Vaccine Plant
April 30th, 2008Via: Philadelphia Enquirer: FDA inspectors spent a total of 30 days at the West Point plant between Nov. 26, 2007, and Jan. 17, 2008. The agency could go on to issue a warning letter and take other actions if its concerns are not addressed. The FDA declined repeated requests to comment. The report cites cases […]
Germany: EU Bails Out WestLB
April 30th, 2008Via: Reuters: Germany’s WestLB Bank won European Commission approval on Wednesday for rescue aid from North Rhine-Westphalia state to protect against volatility in its 23 billion euro ($35.8 billion) structured investment portfolio. WestLB has been plagued with problems because its investments exposed it to the U.S. sub-prime crisis. The local government has said it will […]
Shortages Threaten Farmers’ Key Tool: Fertilizer
April 30th, 2008What’s going through Bill Mollison’s head right now, in the twilight of his days, as he sees all of this crap unfolding? Is it weird to have seen this coming for 30 years, to have dedicated his life to building and teaching people about other realities, and then, well, watch this unfold? I’ve seen some […]
New Zealand: Cook Strait Tidal Energy Project Getting Underway
April 30th, 2008Via: New Zealand Herald: An experimental turbine generating 1MW will be installed in Cook Strait off Island Bay next summer, costing $10 million. A prototype of what is likely to be the first turbine for tapping the tidal energy of New Zealand waters is sailing around Scottish seas bolted to a ship. Christchurch company Neptune […]
And Now, the “Humanzee” or Chimpanzee/Human Hybrid
April 30th, 2008Via: Scotsman: A LEADING scientist has warned a new species of “humanzee,” created from breeding apes with humans, could become a reality unless the government acts to stop scientists experimenting. In an interview with The Scotsman, Dr Calum MacKellar, director of research at the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, warned the controversial draft Human Fertilisation […]
Iran Pricing Oil in Euros and Yen
April 30th, 2008Via: AP/IHT: Iran, OPEC’s second-largest producer, has stopped conducting oil transactions in U.S. dollars, a top Oil Ministry official said Wednesday, a concerted attempt to reduce reliance on Washington at a time of tension over Tehran’s nuclear program and suspected involvement in Iraq. Iran has dramatically reduced dependence on the dollar over the past year […]
Activists Collapse Radome at ECHELON Intercept Facility in New Zealand
April 30th, 2008First, a technical point. The Director of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), Air Marshal Bruce Ferguson, said that the purpose of the radomes is simply to protect the dishes from the weather. This statement is a lie by omission. If the azimuth and elevation of a surveillance dish are known, the satellite that is […]
13 Killed in Tijuana Gunbattles
April 29th, 2008Consider the proximity of this situation to the U.S. It’s just a few minutes drive across the U.S./Mexico border into Tijuana. Then there’s Chicago: Nine dead, 36 wounded over one weekend. Via: AP: Massive gunbattles broke out between suspected drug traffickers who fired at each other while speeding down heavily populated streets of this violent […]
Chinese Children Sold “Like Cabbages” Into Slavery
April 29th, 2008Via: Reuters: Thousands of children in southwest China have been sold into slavery like “cabbages”, to work as labourers in more prosperous areas such as the booming southern province of Guangdong, a newspaper said on Tuesday. China announced a nationwide crackdown on slavery and child labor last year after reports that hundreds of poor farmers, […]
Number of U.S. Homes Facing Foreclosure Sees One Year Increase of 112%
April 29th, 2008Via: AP: The number of U.S. homes heading toward foreclosure more than doubled in the first quarter from a year earlier, as weakening property values and tighter lending left many homeowners powerless to prevent homes from being auctioned to the highest bidder, a research firm said Monday. Among the hardest hit states were Nevada, Florida […]
