Advances such as the driverless car are no longer the stuff of sci-fi. They could soon make many human skills worthless

Almost without noticing it, our world crossed a significant threshold last week. Jerry Brown, the governor of California, signed into law a bill that will allow driverless cars on to his state's roads from 2015. Insofar as most people noticed this event at all, they probably sniffed derisively. For some, it'll be seen as an example of techno-hubris – "flags on the moon stuff" – as one of my acquaintances put it. For others, it will be seen as yet another confirmation of the proposition that the continental United States slopes gently from east to west, with the result that everything with a screw loose rolls into California.

The latest brain child to cross the desks of the Victor Frankensteins running the world's science laboratories is this little story about engineering goats to produce human breast milk substitute(doubtless for those occasions when mom is too busy to breastfeed, little junior can be turned over to the family pet goat for nourishment):

They're genetically modifying goats to create human breast milk substitute

Discontent in Spain and Greece is rising.

Greece's two largest labor unions went on strike today, disrupting flight and train services and forcing hospitals to depend on emergency staff.

Meanwhile, Spain which saw massive anti-austerity protests yesterday, also saw a smaller number of demonstrators take to the streets today. But the demonstrations are expected to gather steam and some reports say 1,300 police officers have been deployed to keep clashes in check.

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AMY GOODMAN: We begin our show today with a look at the secretive American Legislative Exchange Council. The organization, often known as just ALEC, brings together major corporations and state legislators to craft and vote on "model" bills behind closed doors. It's come under increasing scrutiny for its role in promoting "stand your ground" gun laws, voter suppression bills, union-busting policies and other controversial legislation. The organization's agenda has sparked so much controversy that 40 major U.S. companies, including Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, Kraft and General Motors, have recently severed ties with ALEC.

Monsanto, Bill Gates, the Rockefellers, Craig Venter and other investors are working behind-the-scenes to bring genetically engineered (GE) algae to market with products that include fuel, animal feed made with manure, human food and vaccines.

The US government have a stake in this enterprise, too. Obama put a moratorium on drilling for oil on federal land and voted down the Keystone pipeline, in addition to subsidizing the nuclear industry instead of increasing oil reserves.

Obama has advocated replacing 17% of US oil imports with oil made from algae.

Algae could be the next bottomless pit that the government flushes money down, to the detriment of the taxpayer, similar to the many solar energy scandals.

The instances of the Justice Department monitoring electronic communications such as phone calls, emails and even social network updates without a warrant has increased by as much as 60 percent in recent years, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

The surveillance tools – known as either a "pen register" or a "trap and trace" – record such information as phone numbers and the time and length of calls, but not the content.

Orders to track phone calls increased 60 percent -- from 23,535 in 2009 to 37,616 in 2011 -- according to Justice Department documents, including ones recently acquired by the ACLU.

Sunday (Sept 23, 2012) will mark the start of the 100-day countdown to "Taxmageddon" – the date the largest tax hikes in the history of America will take effect. They will hit families and small businesses in three great waves on January 1, 2013:

First Wave: Expiration of 2001 and 2003 Tax Relief

In 2001 and 2003, the GOP Congress enacted several tax cuts for small business owners, families, and investors (later re-upped by President Obama and Democrat Congress in 2010). The following tax hikes will occur on January 1, 2013:

Personal income tax rates will rise on January 1, 2013. The top income tax rate will rise from 35 to 39.6 percent (this is also the rate at which the majority of small business profits are taxed). The lowest rate will rise from 10 to 15 percent. All the rates in between will also rise. Itemized deductions and personal exemptions will again phase out, which has the same mathematical effect as higher marginal tax rates. The full list of marginal rate hikes is below:

Led by Deepak Chopra, Natalie and Iman spend weeks visiting experts in the health and wellness fields. They experience watsu massage, spiritual therapy, nutrition counseling, and much more. They laugh, they cry, they push their boundaries. It's a spiritual makeover show, unlike any you've ever seen.