In this game, the house always wins. Bipartisan complicity stacked the deck against millions of working households, needing to know that political Washington is scamming them. The end result is the banana republicanization of America. American writer O. Henry (William Sydney Porter: 1862 – 1910) coined the term (his fictional Republic of Anchuria) in his book, “Cabbages and Kings.” It refers... 

The first antibody which can fight all types of the influenza A virus has been discovered, according to American researchers. Experiments on flu-infected mice, published in Science Express, showed the antibody could be used as an “emergency treatment.” It has already been suggested that some people who had swine flu may develop ‘super immunity’ to other infections. As a result,... 

The scientist who claimed polar bears were drowning because of melting ice caps is being investigated for ‘scientific misconduct’. Dr Charles Monnett, an Alaskan wildlife biologist working for the U.S. government, stunned the world after spotting four polar bear bodies floating in the sea miles from shore. He suggested the high winds and waves of a recent storm had exhausted the predators,... 

US Air Force chief scientist Mark Mayberry briefed the AirVenture symposium on the future of electric flight this morning, allowing your blogger the pleasure of one of our favorite games: Spot the funny-looking aircraft on the AFRL briefing slides! Hey, it’s one way to survive death-by-PowerPoint. 1. F-X is the new name for the USAF’s very preliminary programme (see this story) to replace... 

US President Barack Obama US President Barack Obama’s approval rating has hit an all-time low as there seems to be no end in sight to the country’s debt ceiling impasse. According to a Gallup poll on Friday, only 40 percent of respondents said they approved of Obama’s job performance, leaving the president’s rank at its lowest ever. The incumbent US president also received a... 

The planet Jupiter is seen in this image released by NASA on November 24, 2010, which is a composite of three-color images taken on November 18, 2010 by the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is preparing to send its robotic probe on an unprecedented mission to the heart of Jupiter. Juno was hoisted aboard an unmanned Atlas 5 rocket at Cape Canaveral... 

A group of American astrophysicists led by Alberto Cezanne came to the conclusion that some “mysterious” phenomena that occur in our galaxy are associated with the cosmic catastrophe that occurred ten million years ago. Then, the scientists say, the Milky Way collided with a dwarf galaxy the center of which was a massive black hole. For example, it is difficult to explain too high rate... 

If you are worried about spoilers, relax. In the first place, Paul is an utterly predictable parody of E.T. Only if you haven’t seen the latter will anything come as a surprise and in that case you’d be missing the point. In the second place, Paul is one of the most offensive movies I have ever seen. If I am spoiling it for you, you probably deserve it. Paul stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost,... 

The U.S. State Department has quietly put Russian officials connected to the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky on a visa blacklist as Moscow threatens to curtail cooperation on Iran, North Korea, Libya and the transit of supplies for Afghanistan if the Senate passes a measure imposing even tougher sanctions for human rights abuses. The Russian government has grown ever more infuriated by a series of... 

China and India alone will account for 2.5+ billion of the total 7 billion world population, which is more than a third. The second largest population is found in Africa. Europeans account for less than 1 billion in all their countries combined and their population is in free fall, close to total extinction in the next 100 years. Though the birth rate in the U.S. has dropped for a third year in the... 

In 1971, President Richard Nixon, motivated by addiction among US soldiers in Vietnam, told Congress drug abuse was “public enemy number one”. Despite decades of battling against narcotics, the levels of addiction, trafficking and violence continue to rise. The war on drugs has failed. Now, politicians in Latin America are calling to review all options, from full legalisation to a new war. Four... 

California’s Central Valley, which has long been considered the nation’s breadbasket, has also become a new hotbed for property crime. Except instead of stealing things like cars and high-dollar electronics, thieves there are stealing fruits and vegetables from farms, as well as farm equipment, and even the copper used to power water systems. Dismal economic conditions, fewer rural law... 

Higher power: Viewers are told to simply alert security and the matter will be dealt with from there on. A video released by the Department of Homeland Security urging people to report anything suspicious has caused outrage by characterising white middle class Americans as the most likely terrorists. The promotional video is part of Homeland Security’s $10million ‘See Something, Say Something’... 

State and local officials in Georgia who fail to enforce the new immigration laws could be hit with up to $5,000 in fines, and their agencies could lose funding, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The penalties would take effect once the state sets up a seven-member panel that would will have broad authority to investigate complaints about the failure of an agency or public employee to... 

Jose Vigil Carbajal A 25-year-old man with an extensive criminal history who has been repeatedly deported was detained this week in Escondido, police said Thursday. Jose Vigil Carbajal, 25, was stopped Monday by Escondido police officers for a vehicle-code violation, said police Lt. Craig Carter. He was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and was scheduled to again be...