Archive for October, 2013
Help Wanted in Fukushima: Low Pay, High Risks and Gangsters
October 25th, 2013Via: Reuters: Tetsuya Hayashi went to Fukushima to take a job at ground zero of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. He lasted less than two weeks. Hayashi, 41, says he was recruited for a job monitoring the radiation exposure of workers leaving the plant in the summer of 2012. Instead, when he turned up […]
Half of Nation’s Foreclosed Homes Still Occupied
October 24th, 2013Via: CNN: Foreclosure sounds like the end of the line, but actual eviction can take months or years — even after the bank has repossessed a home. RealtyTrac estimates that 47% of the nation’s foreclosed homes are currently occupied. The percentage actually tops 60% in some hot housing markets, like Miami and Los Angeles. Those […]
Fukushima Readies for Dangerous Operation to Remove 400 Tons of Spent Fuel
October 24th, 2013Via: Russia Today: Fukushima operator TEPCO is getting ready for its toughest and the most dangerous clean-up operation. In November it will try to remove 400 tons of spent fuel from plant’s Reactor No. 4. But even a little mistake may result in a new nuclear disaster. The operation is scheduled to start in the […]
We’ve Reached “The End of Antibiotics, Period”
October 24th, 2013If you’re looking for a way to brighten up your Thursday morning, man, this aint it. Via: NPR: What do you mean? A lot of Gram-negative bacteria, they come out of the box, if you will, resistant to a number of important antibiotics that we might use to treat them. We’re talking about agents with […]
Bank of America Liable for Fraud
October 24th, 2013DOJ is seeking a penalty of under $1 billion. *pfft* Via: Forbes: Thought those mortgage lawsuits against banks were winding down? Think again. The Bank of America logo is seen at a branch i…Today a jury found Bank of America liable for defrauding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac when its Countrywide unit sold it bad […]
Afghanistan: U.S. Bought Diesel Fuel for $500 Per Gallon
October 24th, 2013Via: CNN: That was the exorbitant figure paid with U.S. tax dollars to a contractor building a hospital in rural Afghanistan, according to a report from the government watchdog tasked with investigating expenditures on Afghanistan’s reconstruction. In the report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the International Organization for Migration was found […]
“I met two otaku, who believe themselves to be in relationships with virtual girlfriends.”
October 23rd, 2013Via: BBC: Unless something happens to boost Japan’s birth rate, its population will shrink by a third between now and 2060. One reason for the lack of babies is the emergence of a new breed of Japanese men – the otaku, who love manga, anime and computers more than sex. Tokyo is the world’s largest […]
Modern China Depicted as Colorful, Communist Paradise by North Korean Propaganda Artists
October 23rd, 2013Via: The Verge: China’s propaganda posters used to depict idyllic landscapes and rustic villages, but today’s scenery resembles something far different. To imagine what modern Chinese propaganda would look like, two British artists commissioned a North Korean group that once made propaganda for their own state, creating a series of paintings that are a mix […]
Rights Groups Say Some U.S. Drone Strikes May Be War Crimes
October 23rd, 2013Via: Wired: Two prominent human rights groups today blasted America’s drone wars in Pakistan and Yemen, painting a grim picture of massive civilian deaths and potentially grave violations of international law. One report by Amnesty International (“Will I Be Next?“) focuses on recent drone strikes in Pakistan while the other, by Human Rights Watch (“Between […]
Obama’s Staged / Fake Fainting Antics
October 23rd, 2013Via: YouTube:
