Archives for Март 2013

Pay for delay: The Patent Wars

In a Jan. 7, 2008, file photo then-Attorney Donald Verrilli talks to media outside the Supreme Court. Now President Barack Obama’s top Supreme Court lawyer, Solicitor General Verilli will argue before the Supreme Court this week whether it is legal for patent-holding pharmaceutical companies to pay rivals, who make generic drugs, to temporarily keep those […]

Mint Press reported earlier this week on the “pay for delay” case that went before the Supreme Court for argument on Monday.  As indicated in that report, drug companies pay manufactures of generic drugs to keep them off the market, with the result being the consumers pay more for their prescriptions. On the one hand, this can look like a

Why Are the Democrats Misfiring on Guns?

Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, June 16, 2011.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) The political fates of two very different items high on the liberal-progressive agenda this past week illustrate both the inherent limit of legislative action and the power of motivated and organized social movements backed by a powerful cultural narrative. The issues? Gays and guns: two hot-button wedge […]

Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, June 16, 2011.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

The political fates of two very different items high on the liberal-progressive agenda this past week illustrate both the inherent limit of legislative action and the power of motivated and organized social movements backed by a powerful cultural narrative. The issues? Gays and guns: two hot-button wedge issues that have terrified left-leaning

NYT Editors Ignore GMO Health Dangers

An activist displays a banner reading ‘No GMO’s X’ during an action where Greenpeace quarantines illegal Genetically Engineered (GE) crops. Wearing safety equipment to protect against contamination, they are isolating, cutting and securing the top of the GE maize plants, the part that contains the pollen. In the previous week, Greenpeace took samples from the […]

An activist displays a banner reading 'No GMO's X' during an action where Greenpeace quarantines illegal Genetically Engineered (GE) crops. Wearing safety equipment to protect against contamination, they are isolating, cutting and securing the top of the GE maize plants, the part that contains the pollen. In the previous week, Greenpeace took samples from the field to a certified laboratory for analysis. The results confirm the maize being grown in these fields is a patented Monsanto GE maize type, MON810.

It doesn't surprise. Times policy is irresponsible. It's unprincipled. It's reprehensible. It's longstanding. It supports wealth, power and privilege. It endorses what demands condemnation. It ignores GMO dangers. Doing so betrays its readers. More on that below. GMO foods and ingredients are toxic. They're unsafe to eat. They harm human

Congress Authorizes Funding for Missile System Military Doesn’t Want

US Patriot Missiles near Gaziantep, Turkey (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) Despite sequestration, Congress is currently spending $380 million on a missile program that is being developed with Germany and Italy and is under contract with Lockheed Martin. The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS), according to the primary developer’s website, “will be able to destroy […]

US Patriot Missiles near Gaziantep, Turkey (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Despite sequestration, Congress is currently spending $380 million on a missile program that is being developed with Germany and Italy and is under contract with Lockheed Martin. The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS), according to the primary developer’s website, “will be able to destroy all incoming tactical or medium-range ballistic

Report: Oil Demand, Prices To Drop By End Of Decade

In this July 10, 2012 file photo, Suzanne Meredith, of Walpole, Mass., gases up her car at a Gulf station in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File) Citigroup Inc. has announced that its projections show an increasing disparity in oil prices, suggesting that oil demand will plateau by the end of the decade. Citigroup’s most […]

In this July 10, 2012 file photo, Suzanne Meredith, of Walpole, Mass., gases up her car at a Gulf station in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

Citigroup Inc. has announced that its projections show an increasing disparity in oil prices, suggesting that oil demand will plateau by the end of the decade. Citigroup’s most recent report indicates that oil prices will remain low for the foreseeable future as demand for natural gas will cause the demand for conventional oil to level off. This

TurboTax Maker Lobbies To Keep Government Out Of Tax Preparation

In this Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013, file photo, dressed as the Statue of Liberty, part-time employee, Zidkijah Zabad, waves to passing motorists while holding a sign to advertise for Liberty Tax Service in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) April 15, also known as Tax Day in the United States, is just weeks away, and […]

In this Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013, file photo, dressed as the Statue of Liberty, part-time employee, Zidkijah Zabad, waves to passing motorists while holding a sign to advertise for Liberty Tax Service in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

April 15, also known as Tax Day in the United States, is just weeks away, and many non-tax savvy Americans are turning to tax software programs like TurboTax to complete their 1040s. TurboTax touts itself as the No. 1 tax preparation software and says it offers a faster, more affordable way for Americans to do their taxes than an accountant or a