News Bits
The following are a few news bits and pieces that I found
online and off. These are generally things which have not been
widely reported. I aim for things that at least 80% of visitors
to this site or readers of the Secrets Course mailings
haven't read or heard before.
Politics as Usual
Rick Perry claims to be against big government and says he
wants to cut out many programs. But he certainly hasn't wanted
to cut his own government benefits. From some quick research
online I found that his family's cotton farm received tens of
thousands of dollars in federal crop subsidies. I haven't heard
him say anything about wanting to cut the programs that provide
this kind of corporate or agricultural welfare.
He has been in one or another political office for 27 years
now, so he takes his own share of taxpayer money. As governor
of Texas he makes only $150,000 annually, which isn't all that
much considering the responsibility, but that's not the end of
it. Full health care benefits and a generous pension are part
of the deal. Then there is the $10,000 monthly housing stipend
he gets (is it really that expensive to rent or buy a nice home
in Austin?), and he apparently even has a state-paid Food and
Wine magazine subscription.
Floating Prisons
The US government is operating "floating prisons"
for terror suspects. Human rights lawyers say that the numbers
and locations of these prisoners has been concealed. As reported
in an article
in the Guardian;
"Clive Stafford Smith, Reprieve's legal director,
said: "They choose ships to try to keep their misconduct
as far as possible from the prying eyes of the media and lawyers.
We will eventually reunite these ghost prisoners with their legal
rights.
"By its own admission, the US government is currently
detaining at least 26,000 people without trial in secret prisons,
and information suggests up to 80,000 have been 'through the
system' since 2001. The US government must show a commitment
to rights and basic humanity by immediately revealing who these
people are, where they are, and what has been done to them."
Andrew Tyrie, the Conservative MP who chairs the all-party
parliamentary group on extraordinary rendition, called for the
US and UK governments to come clean over the holding of detainees.
Jeffrey Gordon, a US Navy Commander, said: "There are
no detention facilities on US navy ships." He followed that
by admitting some individuals were held on ships for s few days
at the start of their period of detention. He refused to comment
on whether there was any truth to the reports that naval ships
stationed in or near Diego Garcia were being used or had been
used in the past as prisons for detainees.
A Cool Performance
Some athletes are using a new technique to boost their performance;
they cool their bodies before an event. Normally the temperature
of central organs, like the liver and kidneys, rises to about
101 degrees Fahrenheit when a person exercises for a sustained
period. Water and blood are then redirected from muscles to cool
these organs, which depletes the oxygen and also dehydrates muscle
tissue, reducing potential performance. By soaking in ice water
or otherwise cooling the body before an event, runners, bicyclists
and others have found that they can operate at peak efficiency
for a little longer.
Germs
Where do we come in contact with the most germs? Well, it
certainly varies from person to person, but a recent study found
that of all the things they tested, the handles of gas pumps
at your local station are the most bacteria-covered surfaces
around.
As for washing your hands to prevent the spread of bacteria,
recent research shows that the drying may be just as important.
Any remaining moisture can allow germs to be spread more easily
and to be picked up from other surfaces more easily. So dry those
hands thoroughly after you wash them.
Wages Falling
As reported in the Washington Post, half of all the workers
in the United States made less than $26,364 in 2010. That is
the lowest median wage so far reported for this century if you
adjust for inflation.
Watch for more underreported news bits both on the pages of
this site and the mailings of the Secrets Course.
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