XIAM007

Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World

Thursday 14 July 2011

Black men are half as likely to die at any given time if they're in prison than if they aren't -

Black men are half as likely to die at any given time if they're in prison than if they aren't - 




Black men are half as likely to die at any given time if they're in prison than if they aren't, suggests a new study of North Carolina inmates.
The black prisoners seemed to be especially protected against alcohol- and drug-related deaths, as well as lethal accidents and certain chronic diseases.
But that pattern didn't hold for white men, who on the whole were slightly more likely to die in prison than outside, according to findings published in Annals of Epidemiology.
Researchers say it's not the first time a study has found lower death rates among certain groups of inmates -- particularly disadvantaged people, who might get protection against violent injuries and murder.
"Ironically, prisons are often the only provider of medical care accessible by these underserved and vulnerable Americans," said Hung-En Sung of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.
"Typically, prison-based care is more comprehensive than what inmates have received prior to their admission," Sung, who wasn't involved in the new study, told Reuters Health by email.
The new study involved about 100,000 men between age 20 and 79 who were held in North Carolina prisons at some point between 1995 and 2005. Sixty percent of those men were black.
Researchers linked prison and state health records to determine which of the inmates died, and of what causes, during their prison stay. Then they compared those figures with expected deaths in men of the same age and race in the general population.
Less than one percent of men died during incarceration, and there was no difference between black and white inmates. But outside prison walls, blacks have a higher rate of death at any given age than whites.
"What's very sad about this is that if we are able to all of a sudden equalize or diminish these health inequalities that you see by race inside a place like prison, it should also be that in places like a poor neighborhood we should be able to diminish these sort of inequities," said Evelyn Patterson, who studies correctional facilities at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Search Engines Change How Memory Works - most simple facts don’t need to be remembered can be accessed online -

Search Engines Change How Memory Works - most simple facts don’t need to be remembered can be accessed online - 


Thanks to search engines, most simple facts don’t need to be remembered. They can be accessed with a few keystrokes, plucked from ubiquitous server-stored external memory — and that may be changing how our own memories are maintained.
A study of 46 college students found lower rates of recall on newly-learned facts when students thought those facts were saved on a computer for later recovery.
If you think a fact is conveniently available online, then, you may be less apt to learn it.
As ominous as that sounds, however, study co-author and Columbia University psychologist Elizabeth Sparrow said it’s just another form of so-called transactive memory, exhibited by people working in groups in which facts and expertise are distributed.
“It’s very similar to how we use people in our lives,” said Sparrow. “The internet is really just an interface with a lot of other people.”
In the study, published July 14 in Science, students typed trivia statements — “Bluebirds cannot see the color blue,” “Al Capone’s business card said he was a used furniture dealer,” and so on — into a computer.
Half were told that the statements would be erased, while the other half believed the statements were saved. When asked to recall those facts from memory, the “erased” group fared almost 40 percent better.
Sparrow said the findings should be seen as an early-stage investigation into the relationships between online tools and cognition, which despite the omnipresence of Google, smartphones and cloud computing have been little studied.

Ron Paul Blasts GOP Establishment In Dramatic First Campaign Video -

Ron Paul Blasts GOP Establishment In Dramatic First Campaign Video - 






Congressman Ron Paul has hit the ground running in Iowa and New Hampshire with a dramatic 2012 presidential campaign ad that directly targets the GOP leadership.
According to Paul’s campaign team, the Congressman has taken out a six figure ad buy in the two states, traditionally home to the first primary and caucus to ultimately decide the party nominees.
The video is produced in the style of a trailer for a huge summer blockbuster film and is sure to be a viral hit online where Paul has dominated the GOP field for some time.
“The following preview has been approved for all audiences by RESTORE AMERICA NOW” the opening screenshot reads as the ad spot begins with a rousing chorus of timpani drums and ascending violins.
The ad focuses on the current debt ceiling fight, casting it in the light of a momentous struggle between “compromise” and “conviction” and chronicling past instances of Congress voting to raise the debt ceiling.
“This August the next chapter will be written, ” the ad states.
“14 trillion in debt, millions unemployed, the dollar in decline,” it continues.
“Will our party’s leaders choose the mistakes of the past?” the ad questions. As a photo of House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell hits the screen the narrator asks “Will they choose compromise or conviction?”
“We know where they stand,” the narrator says as images of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid fill the screen.
The screen fades to black, the music stops.
“One candidate has always been true,” the narrator asserts. “Ron Paul. Cut spending. Balance the budget. No deals.”

FBI has released photos of the cache weapons, bullets and CASH found where mob boss Whitey Bulger had been hiding out -

FBI has released photos of the cache weapons, bullets and CASH found where mob boss Whitey Bulger had been hiding out -

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All in all, feds claim Bulger had 30 firearms, $822 thousand in cash ... and a grenade in his possession ... along with false social security cards and birth certificates.

The 81-year-old leader of Boston's infamous Winter Hill gang was arrested in Santa Monica on June 22 -- after spending 16 years on the FBI's Most Wanted List.

He faces multiple charges for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, extortion, narcotics distribution and money-laundering.

Unauthorized phone charges cost Americans $2 billion a year - "mystery fees" show up on the phone bill known as cramming -

Unauthorized phone charges cost Americans $2 billion a year - "mystery fees" show up on the phone bill known as cramming - 




A key Senate chairman says Congress needs to pass legislation to protect customers from unauthorized third-party charges on their phone bills because the telephone industry has failed to prevent the practice.
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-West Virginia, said a one-year study by the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee shows about $2 billion a year in "mystery fees" show up on the landline phone bills of Americans, a problem known as cramming.
In a Wednesday hearing, Rockefeller asked an industry representative why major companies like AT&T haven't stopped unauthorized third-party charges from going onto their customers' phone bills.
"It's illegal, it's wrong, it's scamming," Rockefeller said. "Why haven't you cleaned up your act?"
"The industry has taken significant steps," replied Walter McCormick, president and CEO of the U.S. Telecom Association. "Even the report that you issued today indicates that there has improvement, but it remains a very, very significant, very pervasive problem."
Phone companies such as AT&T, Verizon and Qwest do not have a process to determine if the charges were authorized by their customers.
The third-party billing system was a result of the AT&T divestiture when the FCC required companies to bill and collect for companies that provided long-distance or specialized services, McCormick said. It's no longer legally required, but many people like the single invoice system, he said.
The Commerce Committee's report says phone companies receive a small fee -- often just a dollar or two -- for allowing charges from third-party vendors to appear on their bills. But due to the large number of customers the charges eventually add up.
AT&T, Verizon and Qwest made $650 million during the past five years, according to the report.


Read more - http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/07/13/phone.charges/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Obama plans own birthday bash - $35,800 per couple...

Obama plans own birthday bash - $35,800 per couple...
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President Obama returns to Chicago on Aug. 3 to mark his 50th birthday with fund-raisers at the Aragon Ballroom, with tickets ranging from $50 a person to $35,800 per couple, which includes VIP seating at a "Birthday Concert" where celebs will be performing and a dinner with the president.
The fundraiser at the Aragon, the historic ballroom in Uptown, will be one of the biggest third quarter events, expected to draw in national supporters. Obama's 50th birthday is Aug. 4.
The Obama team on Wednesday reported collecting more than $86 million in second quarter fund-raising over $47 million directly for the Obama 2012 campaign and more than $38 million for the Democratic National Committee.
On Wednesday night, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Obama 2012 campaign chairman Jim Messina headlined a $44 per person event at the East Bank Club.
Obama's birthday bash at the Aragon was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times Stella Foster.
The event is multi-tiered: There is a concert at 4 p.m.--Foster said songstress Jennifer Hudson may perform--for the basic $50 contribution, of which there is supposed to be "limited availability."
For $10,000, a person gets a souvenir photo with Obama at a reception and preferred seating at the concert. For $1,000 a person gets seated in a "premium section" with a "hosted bar." A general admission ticket is $200.
The events are a benefit for the Obama Victory Fund 2012, a joint Obama 2012 re-election campaign/Democratic National Committee fund.

15 Examples That Show Many Americans Have Become So Desperate That They Will Do Just About Anything For Money -

15 Examples That Show Many Americans Have Become So Desperate That They Will Do Just About Anything For Money - 


More Americans than ever are desperate for money and many of them will do just about anything to get it.  The crumbling U.S. economy has pushed millions of ordinary Americans to the brink of utter desperation.  When it comes time to choose between being able to survive or breaking the law, many people are choosing to break the law.  These days it seems like Americans will do just about anything for money.  All over the country, there are areas where just about anything that is not bolted down is being stolen.  A lot of people have resorted to making money however they can – selling drugs, selling their bodies, shoplifting, invading homes, taking bribes, running credit card scams and even stealing from their own family members.  You will have a hard time believing some of the things that you are about to read below.  When people have their backs pushed up against the wall, often they find that they are willing to do things that they never imagined that they would do.  Things are getting crazy out there on the streets of America, and as the economy continues to decline things are going to get a lot crazier.
The following are 15 examples that show many Americans have become so desperate that they will do just about anything for money….
#1 In Utah, one unemployed 28 year old man is offering to be “human prey” for hunters for the bargain price of $10,000.  For an additional $2,000, he will let people hunt him down while he is running around naked.
#2 The Huffington Post is reporting that there has been an epidemic of air conditioning thefts all over the United States….
Across the country, in states like Illinois, Texas, Arizona, Georgia and Florida, there have been reports of thieves stealing unsecured air conditioning units weighing as much as 125 pounds.
#3 In Corpus Christi, Texas thieves have actually been breaking into funeral homes in order to steal the embalming fluid.
#4 Even police officers are committing desperate acts these days.  Just check out what one police officer in Chicago is charged with doing….
A Chicago Police officer stole $50,000 from his ailing elderly father to pay off his bills and gambling debts and unsuccessfully attempted to swipe his dad’s retirement savings by impersonating him
#5 Nothing is off limits to thieves these days.  Criminals recently broke into a southwest Atlanta beauty supply store and took off with $30,000 in hair extensions.
#6 In another area of Atlanta, thieves have been breaking down walls and busting bathroom fixtures with sledgehammers in order to get their hands on copper, brass and steel….
Kids in two Atlanta communities won’t have their neighborhood pools to help beat the summer heat, at least for now. Thieves used what is believed to be sledge hammers to bust walls and break fixtures in bathrooms at Adams and South Bend parks to steal copper, brass and steel.
#7 One grandmother in Florida has been accused of trying to sell her newborn grandson for $75,000.
#8 In Antioch, California a total of approximately 300 power poles were recently knocked down by thieves and stripped of their copper wiring.
#9 In Minnesota recently, a mob of teen girls brutally pummeled a mother and her two daughters until they were black and blue.  Apparently the mob of teen girls was enraged over a pair of missing sunglasses.
#10 In Asheville, North Carolina thieves recently took off with 4 metal tables and 16 metal chairs that were sitting outside a pizzeria.
#11 In Florida, thieves have actually been stealing storm drain covers.
#12 In Oregon, thieves recently broke into a Salvation Army community center and stole 3 large air conditioning units.  Now all the people that come to that facility for help and for community programs this summer will be absolutely sweltering.
#13 In the Cleveland area, two young boys that had set up a lemonade standwere robbed in broad daylight.  The crooks got away with approximately 12 dollars.
#14 In Oklahoma, thieves recently broke into a church and stole “arts and crafts supplies meant to help teach bible stories to children“.
#15 A 59 year old man from North Carolina named Richard James Verone was so desperate for money that he actually robbed a bank and got caught on purpose so that he could be put in prison and be given free health care.


Read more - http://www.blacklistednews.com/15_Examples_That_Show_Many_Americans_Have_Become_So_Desperate_That_They_Will_Do_Just_About_Anything_For_Money_/14679/0/0/0/Y/M.html