Europe Proposes Seven New Chemical Substances of Very High Concern

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Some chemicals are more detrimental than others.

This week Europe proposed to add seven more chemicals to the list of substances of very high concern (SVHC). The addition of a chemical to the SVHC list enables European regulators to ban the chemical from the market unless it is proven that the risks are adequately controlled, or there is not a feasible substitute and the socio-economic benefits justify the risk. The proposal contains more of the usual suspects such as phthalates, glycol ethers, and a chromate (the “Erin Brockovich chemical”), as well as some potentially difficult to replace chemicals like a widely used reducing agent and a common universal solvent…

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Why Are America’s Largest Corporations Paying No Tax?

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Who pays taxes if the corporations don’t?

Inspired by the UK Uncut movement, Americans are taking to the street, asking why they’re being asked to tighten their belts when the largest corporations in the country are paying no tax at all…

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Monsanto Shifts All Liability For Damages Caused By Its GM Crops to Farmers, Now & For Perpetuity

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Monsanto is a perfect example of the worst excesses of opaque corporate shenanigans that, alongside outright political dictatorship and oppression, are direct threats to true democracy.

The Monsanto Technology Stewardship Agreement (the name itself is Orwellian in it’s use of language to obscure and not illuminate) indemnifies Monsanto against “any and all losses, injury or damages resulting from the use or handling of seed (including claims based in contract, negligence, product liability, strict liability, tort, or otherwise)…in no event shall Monsanto or any seller be liable for any incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages.”

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Kite-Powered Electric Car Crosses Australia Using Only $15 Worth of Electricity

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The Kite Powered Electric Car, Wind Explorer.

The Win Explorer–a kite-assisted lightweight electric car–drove 3,107 miles across Australia in 18 days using only $15 worth of electricity. As if that wasn’t amazing enough, they journey set three world records: the first continental crossing by a wind-powered vehicle, the longest distance covered by a wind powered vehicle, and the longest distance covered by such vehicle in 36 hours!

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Facebook Writes Its Privacy Policy in a Language Humans Can Read

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Facebook’s privacy policy is changing.

Facebook rolled out a new way for users to read and understand its privacy policy. Although none of the terms of the privacy policy have changed, the new site and policy outlines has been rewritten, reformatted and reorganized in a way that makes it easy for non-lawyers to understand…

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China’s Internet Censors Don’t Like the Smell of “Jasmine”

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Jasmine Flower

China’s state Internet censors have ratcheted up web filters, and security officers are harassing and detaining bloggers and activists as an online appeal for a “Jasmine Revolution” spreads in China.

The apparent crackdown came in advance of two top legislative meetings, the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, scheduled for March.

Censors blocked the word “jasmine” after overseas dissident-run news website Boxun and Chinese Twitter users broadcast calls on February 19 to mobilize street protests modeled on recent unrest in the Middle East, according to international news reports…

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Beer to be Classified as Alcohol for First Time in Russia

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Beer is now alcohol in Russia

Beer is to be legally classified as an alcoholic drink in Russia for the first time as the Kremlin forges ahead with the toughest anti-alcohol campaign since the fall of the Soviet Union. The beverage is technically classified as a foodstuff for now, an anomaly that has allowed producers to avoid a sweeping new crackdown on alcohol advertising and night-time sales.

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McDonald’s “Oatmeal” Has 11 Weird Ingredients, More Sugar Than a Snickers

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An oatmeal don’t.

Writing on the New York Times blog, Mark Bittman reviews McDonald’s nightmarish attempt at making oatmeal (a foodstuff with one ingredient):

Yet in typical McDonald’s fashion, the company is doing everything it can to turn oatmeal into yet another bad choice. (Not only that, they’ve made it more expensive than a double-cheeseburger: $2.38 per serving in New York.) “Cream” (which contains seven ingredients, two of them actual dairy) is automatically added; brown sugar is ostensibly optional, but it’s also added routinely unless a customer specifically requests otherwise…

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Cat Purrs as Loud as Boeing 737

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Smokey knows how to purr!

Pet cat Smokey is believed to have the loudest purr in the world – with piercing purrs as loud as a lawnmower. Most cats purr at around 25 decibels but Smokey’s powerful purrs average an amazing 80 decibels.

When measured close-up her purrs reach an incredible 92 decibels, equivalent to the noise of a Boeing 737 coming into land…

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Humming Bird Robot Spy “Ornithopter”

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Next generation war technology

Developed by the company AeroVironment Inc., the miniature spybot looks like a hummingbird complete with flapping wings… The ornithopter can fly into buildings under the control of an operator flying the spybot with the help of a feed from its tiny video camera. The prototype is capable of flying at speeds of up to 18 km/h (11 mph) and weighs 19 grams, which is about the same as an AA battery… The specifications given to the firm by the Pentagon included being able to hover in an 8 km/h wind gust and being able to fly in and out of buildings via a normal door…

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Libya Follows Egypt’s Lead, Starts Shutting Off Internet Services

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Both the BBC and the AFP are reporting that Muammar Gaddafi’s government in Libya has begun to block user access to Facebook in the country’s capital of Tripoli and is sporadically shutting down electricity access and access to Internet connections in the rest of the country as a response to anti-govermental protests…

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TSA Screeners Stole Over $200K From Fliers’ Baggage

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And to think the TSA is ‘protecting’ us.

Two TSA screeners from New York’s Kennedy airport were busted for stealing over $200,000 in cash from fliers. They targetted people they thought were drug dealers, since they didn’t think their victims would complain…

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