"The multiple nature of it [multiple tours and longer deployments] is unprecedented. People just get blasted and blasted and blasted." -- Maj. Connie Johnmeyer, 332nd Medical Group
Epidemic: Over 400,000 Traumatic Brain Injuries for Vets Coming from Iraq and Afghanistan
How states are rigging the 2012 election
The laws are being passed in the name of preventing “voter fraud.” But study after study has shown that fraud by voters is not a major problem — and is less of a problem than how hard many states make it for people to vote in the first place. Some of the new laws, notably those limiting the number of days for early voting, have little plausible connection to battling fraud.
These statutes are not neutral. Their greatest impact will be to reduce turnout among African Americans, Latinos and the young. It is no accident that these groups were key to Barack Obama’s victory in 2008 — or that the laws in question are being enacted in states where Republicans control state governments.
Corporations are psychopaths - with zero degrees of empathy
Corporations play a big role in our day-to-day activities and they are constantly making decisions that have a profound effect on our daily lives. For example: a corporation makes the decision to empty its chemical vats into a nearby river - the water supply is poisoned and residents of the adjacent town fall sick; or a corporation makes the decision to cut costs to increase profits and initiates a round of layoffs - the community that was formed around the corporation is decimated. We have often been appalled, angry, and go on rants about the evil of corporations but according to Simon Baron Cohen- evil is not the issue.
White House: Gaza flotilla activists may be breaking U.S. law
The Obama administration is stepping up pressure on activists planning to challenge Israel's sea blockade of the Gaza Strip, warning that they will face action from Israeli authorities and that American participants may also be violating U.S. law.
The U.S. State Department said Friday that attempts to break the blockade are "irresponsible and provocative" and that Israel has well-established means of delivering assistance to the Palestinian residents of Gaza. It noted that the territory is run by the militant Hamas group, a U.S. designated foreign terrorist organization, and that Americans providing support to it are subject to fines and jail.
Hezbollah says CIA recruited members to spy
Hezbollah's leader said Friday that the Islamic militant group had captured three spies in its ranks, two of whom were allegedly recruited by the CIA to spy for Israel.
It was the first time the Iranian-backed group has claimed that it had been penetrated by spies, a rare acknowledgment of a security breach for an organization that has maintained a cohesive image. The U.S. Embassy in Beirut denied the allegation.
Rwanda: Ex-women's minister guilty of genocide, rape
A former Rwandan women's minister has been sentenced to life in prison for her role in the genocide and the rape of Tutsi women and girls. Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, 65, is the first woman to be convicted of genocide by an international court.
She was found guilty, along with her son and four other former officials, after a 10-year trial.
Some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed during the 1994 massacres.
'Hit and run' drone strikes are 'breaking laws of war"
Nations which carry out drone attacks must confirm and report who is killed, say lawyers in a newly published study on the legality of attacks by the unmanned aircraft.
Independent think-tank Oxford Research Group (ORG) has published a report which claims an "existing but previously unacknowledged requirement in law" has been identified that says all parties involved in drone attacks are legally obliged to search for and identify all persons killed in strikes.
New Study: Fluoride Can Damage the Brain - Avoid Use in Children
"The prolonged ingestion of fluoride may cause significant damage to health and particularly to the nervous system," concludes a review of studies by researchers Valdez-Jimenez, et al. published in Neurologia (June 2011), reports New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. (NYSCOF).
The research team reports, "It is important to be aware of this serious problem and avoid the use of toothpaste and items that contain fluoride, particularly in children as they are more susceptible to the toxic effects of fluoride."
Supreme Court Hands Drug Companies Twin Wins
The U.S. Supreme Court handed the pharmaceutical industry two major victories on Thursday. In one case – a First Amendment decision – the court, by a 6-to-3 vote, struck down a Vermont law that barred the buying, selling and profiling of doctors' prescription records – records that pharmaceutical companies use to target doctors for particular pitches.
And in a second, the court ruled 5-to-4 that the makers of generic drugs are immune from state lawsuits for failure to warn consumers about possible side-effects as long as they copy the warnings on brand-name drugs.
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