MindMover
MindMover's JournalIn wake of VG crash, 20 pre-paid passengers decide they'd like to keep their galactic virginity
Virgin Galactic Ticketholders Requesting Refunds in Wake of CrashAbout 20 people have changed their minds
About 20 people have asked Virgin Galactic to refund their tickets to travel into space aboard SpaceShipTwo, a company spokesperson said on Monday.
Jess Gilbert, senior account supervisor for the Virgin Galactic team at Edelman Public Relations, told The Hollywood Reporter "about 20" people have requested refunds following the crash of the tourism rocket in the Mojave, Calif., desert Oct. 31. The accident killed the co-pilot, Michael Alsbury; the pilot, Peter Siebold, managed to parachute out of the rocket and survived.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/virgin-galactic-ticketholders-requesting-refunds-747942
Verizon: We will sue everyone everyone - including the US government - and you too .
Verizon: ISPs will sue unless government adopts weaker net neutrality rulesVerizon is gearing up for a fight over the government's latest net neutrality plan, which could impose stricter rules on Internet service providers than a previous net neutrality order that Verizon also sued over.
ISPS “SECRETLY FURIOUS” AT VERIZON, SCARED OF STRONGER NET NEUTRALITY RULES
Verizon's lawsuit against the FCC might backfire for whole industry.
Verizon sued to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's 2010 Open Internet Order, forcing the FCC to try again. The commission tentatively approved rules in May that would prevent Internet service providers from blocking or degrading traffic from third-party Web services while allowing "fast lane" deals in which companies could pay for faster access to consumers.
But after protest from consumer advocates, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is reportedly close to proposing rules in which ISPs would be treated as utilities. This wouldn't outlaw fast lane or "paid prioritization" deals but would make it easier for the government to block arrangements deemed harmful to consumers. In a blog post today, Verizon General Counsel Randal Milch said the plan "fairly guarantees litigation."
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/11/verizon-isps-will-sue-unless-government-adopts-weaker-net-neutrality-rules/
McDonald's recalls Happy Meal toy for choking risk, but refuses to do the same for its food
McDonald’s recalls Happy Meal toy for choking riskWASHINGTON (AP) — McDonald’s is recalling a Hello Kitty-themed whistle given to children in Happy Meals, citing a chance they could choke on some of its parts.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Monday that two children have reportedly coughed out pieces of the whistle that they had sucked into their mouths, including one child who received medical attention.
The safety agency said that parts of the three-inch tall “Hello Kitty Birthday Lollipop” whistle can detach and be inhaled, posing a risk to small children.
McDonald’s handed out about 2.3 million of these whistles in the U.S. and 200,000 in Canada from October through November in Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals.
Consumers should return the whistle to any McDonald’s for a free replacement toy.
http://fox8.com/2014/11/10/mcdonalds-recalls-happy-meal-toy-for-choking-risk/
Obama Names Asshole Czar to Deal with McConnell
WASHINGTON -President Obama said today that he would appoint a so-called "Asshole Czar" to deal with soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The czar, who has yet to be named, is expected to coordinate White House communications with a broad array of assholes, including House Speaker John Boehner and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). "To make the next two years as productive as possible, it's essential that I work with the Republican leadership," the President said. "I just don't want to be in the same room as those dicks."
MORE: http://nyr.kr/1xaxPOS
Really, Really Old "People" won the election for the Repukes ...
CHART: The 2014 Electorate Was Really, Really Old
Older voters helped propel Republicans to sweeping victories Tuesday in Senate and gubernatorial races nationwide, according to exit polls from NBC News.
The disparity between the under-30 and over-60 was the widest it's been in a decade, those polls found. The seniors comprised 37 percent of the electorate; young people made up 12 percent.
That was even more extreme than 2010, another great Republican year, when the split was 32 percent over 60 and 12 percent under 30.
That analysis rang true for those supporting Democrats in key battleground states on Election Day. One source familiar with the Colorado Senate race told TPM on Tuesday that youth turnout there had been "pathetic."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/exit-polls-2014-electorate-old
They are the only part of the electorate that can afford to sit around there TVs and listen to the 4 billion dollars worth of lies....the rest of the electorate is too busy putting a roof over their heads and food on the table and keeping the bankers from foreclosing on their homes ... or as one of my 30 something friend says, they are all corrupt so who do I vote for anyway ..?
Republican Party Lie #2
Lie: We want to work with the president to move this country forward.
Truth:
Republican Party Lie #1
Republican statement: Mitch says Keystone will create stunning number of jobs.
Truth: Keystone pipeline only creates 35 permanent jobs
http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2014/feb/10/van-jones/cnns-van-jones-says-keystone-pipeline-only-creates/
Maui Defies Monsanto, Passes Ban on GMO Farming
A Maui County ballot initiative to temporarily ban genetically engineered crops narrowly passed Tuesday following one of the most heavily financed political campaigns in state history.
The controversial measure pulled ahead late Tuesday, passing 50 percent to 48 percent — a difference of just 1,077 votes. It was a stunning turnaround after the measure was initially losing by 19 percent when the first results rolled in.
The county’s first-ever ballot initiative targeting global agriculture companies Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences attracted nearly $8 million from opponents, making it the most expensive campaign in Hawaii’s history.
http://www.civilbeat.com/2014/11/1000-votes-maui-gmo-farming-ban-squeaks-by/
Slavery Redux
The quintessential ingredient in the stew that makes up a thriving housing market has been evaporating in America. And a recent phenomenon has taken over: private equity firms, REITs, and other Wall-Street funded institutional investors have plowed the nearly free money the Fed has graciously made available to them since 2008 into tens of thousands of vacant single-family homes to rent them out. And an apartment building boom has offered alternatives too.
Since the Fed has done its handiwork, institutional investors have driven up home prices and pushed them out of reach for many first-time buyers, and these potential first-time buyers are now renting homes from investors instead. Given the high home prices, in many cases it may be a better deal. And apartments are often centrally located, rather than in some distant suburb, cutting transportation time and expenses, and allowing people to live where the urban excitement is. Millennials have figured it out too, as America is gradually converting to a country of renters.
So in its inexorable manner, homeownership has continued to slide in the third quarter, according to the Commerce Department. Seasonally adjusted, the rate dropped to 64.3% from 64.7 in the prior quarter. It was the lowest rate since Q4 1994 (not seasonally adjusted, the rate dropped to 64.4%, the lowest since Q1 1995).
The American Dream Going Bust – in One Chart
http://wolfstreet.com/2014/10/29/the-american-dream-gone-bust/
Another Leaked TPP Chapter Shows What a Disaster it Will be!
President Barack Obama has been working hard to wrap up the negotiations of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). What is curious about these negotiations is that they are all held in secret. Up until recently, congress wasn’t even allowed to read the draft text of the TPP, only corporate lobbyists. What we know about the TPP is because of leaked chapters. We know that although the TPP is a so called “free trade” agreement, only 5 chapters of the 29 have to actually do with trade. Now, the updated IP chapter has just been released.
As mentioned before, out of the 29 chapters of the TPP, only 5 have to do with trade. This newly released chapter detailed how the TPP would affect Intellectual property rights. This includes cancer treatments between the U.S. and 11 other countries. Peter Maybarduk, director of Public Citizen’s Global Access to Medicines Program spoke about the leaked chapter. “The leak shows our government demanding rules that would lead to preventable suffering and death in Pacific Rim countries, while eliminating opportunities to ease financial hardship on American families and our health programs at home.”
President Obama wants and needs Fast Track to pass the TPP. The TPP is being pushed by multinational corporations. They want all of the negotiations to be done behind closed doors. Why the lack of transparency? Even members of Congress have been allowed to see them only under very strict conditions. They were required to submit a request to see specific chapters of the current draft, and after seeing the text they cannot tell anyone what they have read, not even their staff.
http://economyincrisis.org/content/another-leaked-tpp-chapter-shows-what-a-disaster-it-will-be
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