News Clips: December 9, 2008

From news.yahoo.com:
A new federal law could charge farmers a tax for cows -- because of air pollutants from farting. While Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials insist that their proposal does not include a tax to livestock, the American Farm Bureau Federation says that this new tax could cots even modest-sized ranches up to $40,000 a year. The law could potentially extend to chicken and pig farms as well, impeding even more on farmers freedoms.

Sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081205/ap_on_bi_ge/farm_scene_cow_tax

From dailymail.co.uk:
Paperboys in Cambridge were followed by undercover officers who captured surveillance footage of them at work. This action was done under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIPS), a manipulative regulation made to help investigate potential terrorist actions. What did the boys do to warrant such a thing? Deliver paper without proper work permits. Can anyone say "Hello, Hitler!"

Sources:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1092264/New-target-anti-terror-spies-Village-paperboys--having-correct-paperwork.html

From news.yahoo.com:
In the midst of the oceans of monopoly money coming out of Washington, news comes out that California may be bankrupt by February or March, and even have $15,000,000,000 shortage. The states director of the Department of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says that the state "will begin delaying payments" in March.

Sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081205/us_nm/us_economy_california_shortfall

From worldnetdaily.com:
Apparently in Ithaca, N.Y., a noise ordinance restricts sounds that can be heard 25 feet away. While it seems they did this to stop a certain soap-box style speaker, noise this loud also includes sneezing, clapping, even some boot and shoe noises are too loud. The city Policy Enforcers promptly arrested the soap-box speaker for breaking the ordinance, proving their lack of respect for freedom of speech. Incidentally, when the Policy Enforcers speak, they can be heard over 25 feet away.

Sources:
http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=82835

From contracostatimes.com:
Residents of the Bay Area now can't burn firewood in their homes on a new government created "Spare The Air" night, and they can't burn wood at all if it is too smoky. Brian Bunger, the "air district's general counsel", said the reason is to "protect people's health." Fines could be in the thousands of dollars, depending on various arbitrary events, the local district executive officer Jack Broadbent said. One news source reported there will be seventy gestapo police inspectors to go check out chimneys for telltale wisps. The state people who said the government should "get out of our bedrooms" are pretty silent on this one.

Sources:
http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2008/12/04/prometheus-bound/
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_10869483?source=rss
http://www.sparetheair.com
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/20/BAIV147OJ5.DTL

From naturalnews.com:
Pediatricians are now being encouraged by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to interrogate children about their parents habits without parental consent, even filing police reports if anything sounds suspicious. In one case a man was reported to the police after the doctor found out he had a gun. A legally owned, government registered gun. In fact, just the anti-gun advocacy by pediatricians is enough that some states are "considering legislation to stop it."

Sources:
http://www.naturalnews.com/022764.html

From paper source:
What happens to the University since Nebraskan's decided to not hire people based on race? While the University probably has to cut race-based funding, can they still sponsor race-based or race-promoting conferences? A recent symposium for "Latino Leadership" had sessions titled "They Can't Deport Us All" and "How does Chingo, Bling?" Whether the University is required to cease these types of conferences is still unclear.

From sfgate.com:
While government bureaucrats bicker and argue about the legality of public All-Seeing-Eye devices (video cameras), and courts argue about whether evidence can be used in court, the private sector wins again. A man in San Francisco who put up a live web-cam in his window because of the late night violence and noise has seen a dramatic decrease of both. Viewers play games trying to read the taxi plates, and even call in live criminal activity. It seems the private sector has made something more useful than the government. Again.

Sources:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/05/BANM14ITI9.DTL&tsp=1

From reuters.com:
It seems that those "carbon dollars" you occasionally hear about don't really go to replenishing the rain forest like the hippies hope. Indigenous peoples complained to the U.N. that the money is not going to trees, and may go to land grabs instead.

Sources:
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL4383081.html

From reuters.com:
People complaining that America doesn't care should find hope: An Egyptian man scheduled to be deported back to Egypt was kept here because of his fears that he would be deported. He says that authorities were going to force him under torture to convert to Islam. The plot thickens: Cairo claims he is a murderer, but the ACLU says that is questionable.

Sources:
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnN05480954.html

From forbes.com:
Mexico claims their drug cartel problem is more directly important to the U.S. than the war on Iraq. Thousands die each year from the drug cartel directly, while even more die from indirect drug usage. The U.S. government has pledged $1.4 billion in taxpayer funds to Mexico to help fight the drug cartel.

Sources:
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/1222/073.html?feed=rss_news

From abcnews.com:
Are you depressed because of your poor grade? So am I, but I don't expect to be coddled about it! High school students will be even more removed from the real world when teachers begin withholding F's on homework and exams. Alternately, in another town students are being paid for better grades. Maybe we could do both systems: Pay all students equally. Just like the real world, people who fail at jobs get raises, right? Right? Anybody?

Sources:
Http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=6395403&page=1
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/story?id=6371073&page=1

From lifenews.com:
The results of a study done by John Hopkins University on abortions should come as no surprise: The study was funded by abortion provider/promoter Planned Parenthood. More strange things about taxpayer funded Planned Parenthood: Their nurses routinely counsel girls to lie about their age, to cover up statutory rape, and how to get around parental consent laws, etc...

Sources:
http://www.lifenews.com/state3686.html
http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=82710

From worldnetdaily.com:
An acclaimed phsyciatrist is claiming liberalism is a mental disorder. ""When the modern liberal mind whines about imaginary victims, rages against imaginary villains and seeks above all else to run the lives of persons competent to run their own lives, the neurosis of the liberal mind becomes painfully obvious." Not to be cruel, but I could have told you that...

Sources:
http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=56494

From worldnetdaily.com:
For all the complaints of seperation of church and state, the recent move of now-government-controlled insurance company, AIG, to offer specialized Muslim insurance doesn't seem to be striking anybody as odd. Oh, that's right, it's probably because it's not Christian insurance.

Sources:
http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=82726

From thenewstribune.com:
While everybody has to justify stealing their slice of the pie, Chryslers Robert Nardelli says he should be funded because the recession could cause Chrysler owners vehicles to depreciate in value. Isn't he so kind?

Sources:
http://www.thenewstribune.com/904/story/559087.html

From news.yahoo.com:
An Associated Press article argues that the falling gas prices are actually a bad sign, despite the massive public approval. Is he right? I always thought cheaper products was a good sign.

Sources:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081205/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_prices

From money.cnn.com:
Another bank closed by regulators, taken over by the feds. FDIC will end up paying out $72 million out of their practically depleted stockpile. That makes 23 banks now.

Sources:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/03/news/economy/bank_failure/index.htm

From perotcharts.com:
This one should come as no surprise by now: Some large amount of that bailout that people were ignorantly hoping for went to pay bank employees extra bonuses.

Sources:
http://perotcharts.com/2008/11/tarp-troubled-asset-relief-program-or-wall-street-feeding-frenzy/

From memory:
The attack on Pearl Harbor happened 67 years ago on Sunday.

Sources:
Veteran friends.


[Compiled by Tobias Davis, a Mechanical Engineer student at UNL and Editor for the Student Newspaper]