Stray dogs roaming the ruins of Detroit

It doesn't matter to Jessie Clarke how many stray or loose dogs are roaming the ruins of Detroit. After the 65-year-old was attacked by two pit bulls outside of her east side home in April, even one or two is too many.

She's not alone, as some Detroit residents complain that packs of dogs for years have terrorized various neighborhoods. So far, there's been no reliable way to know how many there are, though some have guessed it's in the thousands.

But Tom McPhee, a filmmaker and executive director of the Ann Arbor-based World Animal Awareness Society, hopes a two-day survey that started Saturday will put a number to the problem.

Clarke's left arm shows scar tissue from dozens of stitches used to close a gash ripped by the pit bulls. Similar marks are on one of her legs.

"There was a lot of biting. There were a lot of stitches," Clarke said from her dining room, looking through a window at the spot of the attack.

The more than 30,000 vacant houses and buildings that once were homes for Detroit residents now provide havens and shelter for the animals. McPhee said he plans to share the numbers to find a way to humanely deal with what has become a safety risk as the strays breed, increasing their population even as the city's population falls. Read more >>

Employment Gap Between Rich and Poor Widest on Record

The gap in employment rates between America's highest- and lowest-income families has stretched to its widest levels since officials began tracking the data a decade ago, according to an analysis of government data conducted for The Associated Press.

Rates of unemployment for the lowest-income families - those earning less than $20,000 - have topped 21 percent, nearly matching the rate for all workers during the 1930s Great Depression.

U.S. households with income of more than $150,000 a year have an unemployment rate of 3.2 percent, a level traditionally defined as full employment. At the same time, middle-income workers are increasingly pushed into lower-wage jobs. Many of them in turn are displacing lower-skilled, low-income workers, who become unemployed or are forced to work fewer hours, the analysis shows.

"This was no equal opportunity recession or an equal opportunity recovery," said Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University. "One part of America is in depression, while another part is in full employment." Read more >>

Four out of 5 U.S. adults struggle with joblessness, near poverty or reliance on welfare

Four out of 5 U.S. adults struggle with joblessness, near poverty or reliance on welfare for at least parts of their lives, a sign of deteriorating economic security and an elusive American dream. Survey data exclusive to The Associated Press points to an increasingly globalized U.S. economy, the widening gap between rich and poor and loss of good-paying manufacturing jobs as reasons for the trend.

The findings come as President Barack Obama tries to renew his administration's emphasis on the economy, saying in recent speeches that his highest priority is to "rebuild ladders of opportunity" and reverse income inequality. Hardship is particularly on the rise among whites, based on several measures. Pessimism among that racial group about their families' economic futures has climbed to the highest point since at least 1987. In the most recent AP-GfK poll, 63 percent of whites called the economy "poor."

While racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to live in poverty, race disparities in the poverty rate have narrowed substantially since the 1970s, census data show. Economic insecurity among whites also is more pervasive than is shown in government data, engulfing more than 76 percent of white adults by the time they turn 60, according to a new economic gauge being published next year by the Oxford University Press. Read more >>

Dept. of Homeland Security: Laptops, Phones Can Be Searched Based on Hunches

U.S. border agents should continue to be allowed to search a traveler’s laptop, cellphone or other electronic device and keep copies of any data on them based on no more than a hunch, according to an internal Homeland Security Department study. It contends limiting such searches would prevent the U.S. from detecting child pornographers or terrorists and expose the government to lawsuits.

The 23-page report, obtained by The Associated Press and the American Civil Liberties Union under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, provides a rare glimpse of the Obama administration’s thinking on the long-standing but controversial practice of border agents and immigration officers searching and in some cases holding for weeks or months the digital devices of anyone trying to enter the U.S.

Since his election, President Barack Obama has taken an expansive view of legal authorities in the name of national security, asserting that he can order the deaths of U.S. citizens abroad who are suspected of terrorism without involvement by courts, investigate reporters as criminals and — in this case — read and copy the contents of computers carried by U.S. travelers without a good reason to suspect wrongdoing. Read more >>

Poll: Majority of Americans believe federal government too powerful

The 54 percent that expressed that belief, however, is only slightly higher than reported in 2012 and slightly lower than reported in 2010 and 2011, Gallup said. Only 8 percent of Americans said they thought the federal government has "too little" power, while 36 percent said the government has about the right amount of power, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said.

Results indicated more than twice as many Republicans as Democrats said the government has too much power, 76 percent to 32 percent. Forty-six percent of Americans said they agreed with the statement that the federal government "poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens," while 53 percent disagree, Gallup said.

Gallup said recent allegations that the IRS targeted conservative organizations and reports of U.S. Justice Department investigations into The Associated Press and Fox News records and emails did not alter Americans' views of the federal government's power. Read more >>

Obama facing accusation after accusation of impinging on civil liberties

But as U.S. president for the last 4-1/2 years, Barack Obama has faced accusation after accusation of impinging on civil liberties, disappointing his liberal Democratic base and providing fodder for rival Republicans as he deals with the realities of office.

News in the past week of the federal seizure of phone records from the Associated Press news agency and the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative Tea Party groups, has intensified criticism already simmering over the Guantanamo Bay prison camp and aerial drone strikes abroad.

When he took office in 2009, Obama promised to close the Guantanamo camp for foreign terrorism suspects, but it remains open with 166 detainees, many on hunger strikes in protest at indefinite detentions. Obama said last month he would revisit that pledge and blamed Congress for blocking his plan to close the camp, partly through restrictions on transfers of detainees. Read more >>

More U.S. service jobs heading offshore

The strike that crippled two of the nation's busiest shipping ports was settled this week, but the trend it spotlighted — the offshoring of service jobs — is expected to continue to grow across the USA.

The eight-day walkout by clerical workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach largely centered on the outsourcing of their jobs overseas and elsewhere in the U.S., says Craig Merrilees, a spokesman for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Shippers denied outsourcing jobs, but the tentative settlement restricts the practice, according to the Associated Press.

Yet service companies have been sending jobs abroad in large numbers the past decade to cut labor costs — a trend that accelerated in the recession and is expected to continue the next few years before slowing after 2016. About 663,000 large-company jobs in information technology, human resources, finance and purchasing — the category that includes the port workers — have been offshored since 2002, according to The Hackett Group. Read more >>

TSA Harasses Dying Michigan woman on her last trip to Hawaii

A Michigan woman dying of leukemia says she hopes her embarrassment during a Seattle airport security pat-down might change the way the Transportation Security Administration treats travelers with medical conditions.

A TSA spokeswoman said late Tuesday, however, that the agency had reviewed video from the security checkpoint where Michelle Dunaj was screened for weapons and determined that the agency's procedures were followed. Dunaj, 34, was making what she expects will be the last trip of her life on Oct. 2 as she traveled through Seattle en route to Hawaii.

The Roseville, Mich., woman thought she had prepared by calling the airline ahead of time, asking for a wheelchair, carrying documentation for her feeding tubes and making sure she had prescriptions for all her medications, including five bags of saline solution.

But Dunaj said she received a full pat-down in the security line at Seattle-Tacoma Airport and had to lift her shirt and pull back bandages so agents could get a good look. She said everyone else in line got a look, too. Read more >>

Law Enforcement is Not Your Friend

After a decade of civil liberties systematically being slaughtered and the rights of foreigners being stripped away in the name of “fighting terrorism,” even the most egregious acts of crushing natural rights hardly draw any outcry from the greater public.

Just last week on August 16, 2012, former Marine Brandon Raub was forcibly taken from his home in Chesterfield Country, Virginia and is currently being held against his will in a psychiatric hospital.  His alleged crime he has yet to be charged for?  Questioning the federal government’s true motive in all its dealings on his private Facebook page.

Despite having no criminal record and no history of mental health illness, Raub was effectively kidnapped from his home in a coordinated effort by FBI officials, Secret Service agents, and local police.  The pickup hardly differs from the Gestapo tactics used in communist Russia to suppress political dissent.  The arresting officials claim that Raub was not under arrest despite the fact that he was in shackled handcuffs and was not free to return home.

FBI spokeswoman Dee Rybiski assured the Associated Press that many of Raub’s writing were “threatening” and that they had received “complaints” over the violent rhetoric.  But according to The New American, nowhere in Raub’s writing was violent revolution ever suggested.  Thankfully, a judge recently ordered the release of Raub as there was no legal basis to hold him involuntarily. Read more >>

US economic recovery weakest since World War II

The recession that ended three years ago this summer has been followed by the feeblest economic recovery since the Great Depression. Since World War II, 10 U.S. recessions have been followed by a recovery that lasted at least three years. An Associated Press analysis shows that by just about any measure, the one that began in June 2009 is the weakest.

The ugliness goes well beyond unemployment, which at 8.3 percent is the highest this long after a recession ended. Economic growth has never been weaker in a postwar recovery. Consumer spending has never been so slack. Only once has job growth been slower.

More than in any other post-World War II recovery, people who have jobs are hurting: Their paychecks have fallen behind inflation. Many economists say the agonizing recovery from the Great Recession, which began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009, is the predictable consequence of a housing bust and a grave financial crisis.

Credit, the fuel that powers economies, evaporated after Lehman Brothers collapsed in September 2008. And a 30 percent drop in housing prices erased trillions in home equity and brought construction to a near-standstill. Read more >>

Magazine Sales Fall 10%

Source
U.S. magazine sales fell nearly 10% in the first half of 2012, a troubling sign for print publishers that suggests Americans are still being careful about discretionary spending.

The Audit Bureau of Circulations said Tuesday that overall circulation, including subscriptions, was just about flat. But single-copy sales, which are more closely watched -because publishers make more money from them- continued to fall. Subscriptions are typically sold at a discount.

The industry group says single-copy sales at newsstands and other retailers totaled 26.4 million in the first six months of 2012. That's down from 29.1 million in the same period in 2011. Cosmopolitan was still the top-selling magazine at newsstands.

US poverty on track to rise to highest since 1960s

The ranks of America's poor are on track to climb to levels unseen in nearly half a century, erasing gains from the war on poverty in the 1960s amid a weak economy and fraying government safety net. Census figures for 2011 will be released this fall in the critical weeks ahead of the November elections.

The Associated Press surveyed more than a dozen economists, think tanks and academics, both nonpartisan and those with known liberal or conservative leanings, and found a broad consensus: The official poverty rate will rise from 15.1 percent in 2010, climbing as high as 15.7 percent. Several predicted a more modest gain, but even a 0.1 percentage point increase would put poverty at the highest level since 1965.

Poverty is spreading at record levels across many groups, from underemployed workers and suburban families to the poorest poor. More discouraged workers are giving up on the job market, leaving them vulnerable as unemployment aid begins to run out. Suburbs are seeing increases in poverty, including in such political battlegrounds as Colorado, Florida and Nevada, where voters are coping with a new norm of living hand to mouth. Read more >>

General Mills to Cut 850 Jobs

General Mills Inc. will get rid of 850 jobs in an attempt to cut costs and boost productivity as items such as Cheerios cereal, Progresso soups and Hamburger Helper become costlier to make. The downsizing will affect 2.4% of the Minneapolis company’s workforce of 35,000 people. Including employee severance, General Mills expects $109 million in pretax restructuring charges.

Of that, $94 million will be recorded in the fourth quarter, which ends May 27. The company said the restructuring effort is meant to help “improve organizational effectiveness and focus on key growth strategies.”

General Mills spokeswoman Kristie Foster said that the timing of the layoffs will vary, but that “most individual decisions will be communicated in the coming weeks.” About half of the cuts will come from the Minneapolis headquarters; across the company, administrative and support positions will be most affected. More...

Poll Shows Americans' Pessimism on Economy Growing

Americans are growing more pessimistic about the economy and handling it remains President Barack Obama's weak spot and biggest challenge in his bid for a second term, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll.

And the gloomier outlook extends across party lines, including a steep decline in the share of Democrats who call the economy "good," down from 48 percent in February to just 31 percent now. Almost two-thirds of Americans — 65 percent — disapprove of Obama's handling of gas prices, up from 58 percent in February. Nearly half, 44 percent, "strongly disapprove." And just 30 percent said they approve, down from 39 percent in February.

These findings come despite a steady decline in gas prices in recent weeks after a surge earlier in the year. The national average for a gallon of gasoline stood at $3.75, down from a 2012 peak of $3.94 on April 1. More...

Banks Get White Powder Envelopes

Reverend Billy from The Church of Life After Shopping attempting to exorcise bad loans and toxic assets form the Bank of America ATM in Union Square, New York 

Envelopes containing suspicious powder were sent through the mail to at least seven locations in Manhattan, primarily Wells Fargo banks, police officials said.

"This is a reminder that you are not in control," said a message that arrived with the envelopes. "Just in case you needed some incentive to stop working we have a little surprise for you. Think fast you have seconds."

Several samples tested negative -- evidently containing corn starch, police said. Later, all the powder samples were determined to be non-toxic. The receipt of the white powder prompted evacuations at bank branches, police told the AP, but caused no injuries. More...

Big Pharma Delays Production of Antibiotics For Deadly Infections

There's no money in a onetime cure...

Pharma executives "have shown less interest in medicines like antibiotics that actually cure disease than in those that only treat symptoms," writes Melody Petersen, author of Our Daily Meds. "Most blockbusters are pills for conditions such as anxiety, high cholesterol or constipation that must be taken daily, often for months or years.

They are designed for rich Americans who can afford to buy them." Nor are medicines for tropical diseases like malaria, which kills a child every 30 seconds, a priority, notes Petersen. They also lack ka-ching.

Since direct-to-consumer drug advertising debuted in the late 1990s, the number of people on prescription drugs and especially prescription drugs for life has ballooned. Between 2001 to 2007 the number of adults and children on one or more prescriptions for chronic conditions rose by more than 12 million reports the Associated Press and 25 percent of US children now take a medication for a chronic condition. Seven percent of kids take two or more daily drugs. Who says advertising doesn't work? More...

The Return of Debtors' Prisons

Yahoo Finance
Although the U.S. abolished debtors' prisons in the 1830s, more than a third of U.S. states allow the police to haul people in who don't pay all manner of debts, from bills for health care services to credit card and auto loans. In parts of Illinois, debt collectors commonly use publicly funded courts, sheriff's deputies, and country jails to pressure people who owe even small amounts to pay up, according to the AP.

Under the law, debtors aren't arrested for nonpayment, but rather for failing to respond to court hearings, pay legal fines, or otherwise showing "contempt of court" in connection with a creditor lawsuit. That loophole has lawmakers in the Illinois House of Representatives concerned enough to pass a bill in March that would make it illegal to send residents of the state to jail if they can't pay a debt. The measure awaits action in the senate.

"Creditors have been manipulating the court system to extract money from the unemployed, veterans, even seniors who rely solely on their benefits to get by each month," Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said last month in a statement voicing support for the legislation. "Too many people have been thrown in jail simply because they're too poor to pay their debts. We cannot allow these illegal abuses to continue." More...

Shell companies steal hundreds of millions from Medicare

Image via WikipediaBy the time authorities busted a fake AIDS clinic in Miami, it had bilked Medicare of more than $4.5 million. Still, the man behind the scheme remained far ahead of the agents pursuing him.

Michel De Jesus Huarte, a 40-year-old Cuban-American, hadn't simply avoided arrest. He had hatched a plan to steal millions more from Medicare by forming at least 29 other shell companies — paper-only firms with no real operations. Each time, he would keep his name out of any corporate records. Other people — some paid by Huarte, some whose identities had been stolen — would be listed in incorporation papers.

The shells functioned as a vital tool to hide the Medicare deceit — and not only for Huarte. Hundreds of others have used the veil of corporate secrecy to help steal hundreds of millions of dollars from one of the nation's largest social service programs, a Reuters investigation has found. More...

A Den of Vipers and Thieves

Image by Webbaliah via FlickrScott Johnson
For some, the upcoming dollar extinction event will be completely unexpected. For others, the coming days may be seen as the unraveling of the greatest silent oppression story humanity has ever had the displeasure of calling reality. Mislead by the deceitful words from generations of countless “professional politicians”, the lives of all Americans will be forever changed over the next two years, no person to be excluded.

We now live in a society where lies are presented as truth, military imperialism is justified in the name of humanitarianism, and more debt continues to be issued to “promote” economic health and stability. The long-run is not in focus, and short-term perspective is constantly subject to manipulation.

The staples of life, such as the food we eat, the water we drink, the education we receive, and the medical practices developed have all fallen victim to the hands of profiteer-ism, lacking respect for the well-being of the population, better known as crony capitalism.

America’s children have been taught to memorize, repeat, and to be entertained. We have been told that we are nothing without a college degree, in which many are forced to take out student loans in which opens the precedent to a life of debt. What sort of precedent is this setting our future up for? (Approaching one trillion dollars… larger than all credit card debt).

Our media has been hijacked, as responsible journalism has all but vanished from the mainstream arena. Many complain about specific networks or mediums, when in truth it matters not which different “race”of news one mentions, for they are all fed by the two dominant mainstream news sources, Reuters and Associated Press.

Our economy has been morphed from a goods producing private sector, into a government subsidized welfare state. The basis for what is left of the American economy depends on consuming cheap goods, many in which come from China and other openly oppressed nations. Regardless of this known fact, the American Public and the U.S. government adopt the “out of sight, out of mind” philosophy with respect to ethics and morality of the exploited labor. If this was truly the land of the free, why do we play benefactor to the exploitation of labor trade?

So it is no wonder why in these times, so many are confused, angry, and even frightened about what the future holds. For those who are opening up to the world, they are greeted by the many harsh unspoken realities in which this world is founded upon. And for those who remain unaware, the life they have known seems to be changing at an increasing rate. Both types of people are left asking why?

The answer is quite straightforward, yet elegantly complicated in its delicacies. To understand why all these illusions are converging upon the next several years, one must look at the common denominator among these large and complex lies, or the heart of the beast one may say, currency (money). More...

Census: US poverty rate swells to nearly 1 in 6

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Census Bureau reports the number of Americans in poverty jumped to 15.1 percent in 2010, a 27-year high.

About 46.2 million people, or nearly 1 in 6, were in poverty. That's up from 43.6 million, or 14.3 percent, in 2009. It was the highest level since 1983.

The number of people lacking health insurance increased to 49.9 million, a new high after revisions were made to 2009 figures. Losses were due mostly to working-age Americans who lost employer-provided insurance in the weak economy. Main provisions of the health overhaul don't take effect until 2014.

The statistics released Tuesday cover 2010, when U.S. unemployment averaged 9.6 percent, up from 9.3 percent the previous year.

The median -- or midpoint -- household income was $49,445, a 2.3 decline from 2009.