Archive for May, 2015
Judge Who Blocked Release of Osama bin Laden Death Photos Now Blocks Release of Senate Torture Report
May 27th, 2015Via: AllGov: A federal judge has thwarted an attempt to force the release of the Senate report on the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) torture program. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the release of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s full report on the CIA interrogation program. The […]
Pentagon Report Predicted West’s Support for Islamist Rebels Would Create ISIS
May 27th, 2015Try not to die of shock. Via: Medium: A declassified secret US government document obtained by the conservative public interest law firm, Judicial Watch, shows that Western governments deliberately allied with al-Qaeda and other Islamist extremist groups to topple Syrian dictator Bashir al-Assad. The document reveals that in coordination with the Gulf states and Turkey, […]
Obama, Senate Republicans United: Trans-Pacific Partnership Lurches On
May 24th, 2015Via: Washington Post: President Obama won a big victory for his trade agenda Friday with the Senate’s approval of fast-track legislation that could make it easier for him to complete a wide-ranging trade deal that would include 11 Pacific Rim nations. A coalition of 48 Senate Republicans and 14 Democrats voted for Trade Promotion Authority […]
America’s Trailer Parks: The Residents May Be Poor But The Owners Are Getting Rich
May 24th, 2015It’s harvest time. Via: Guardian: It’s an unusual but potentially lucrative investment: billionaire Warren Buffett is heavily invested, and his and others’ success is prompting ordinary people to attend Mobile Home University, a ‘boot camp’ in trailer park ownership. Related: Wall Street’s Hot New Financial Product: Your Rent Check
Leaked Report Profiles Military, Police Members of Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs
May 23rd, 2015Via: First Look: Nuclear power plant technicians, senior military officers, FBI contractors and an employee of “a highly-secretive Department of Defense agency” with a Top Secret clearance. Those are just a few of the more than 100 people with sensitive military and government connections that law enforcement is tracking because they are linked to “outlaw […]
Apple and Google Just Attended a Confidential Spy Summit in a Remote English Mansion
May 23rd, 2015Via: First Look: At an 18th-century mansion in England’s countryside last week, current and former spy chiefs from seven countries faced off with representatives from tech giants Apple and Google to discuss government surveillance in the aftermath of Edward Snowden’s leaks. The three-day conference, which took place behind closed doors and under strict rules about […]
Banks Fined $5.7 Billion Over Foreign Exchange Market Rigging
May 23rd, 2015And nobody goes to jail. Via: Evening Standard: Barclays and the Royal Bank of Scotland were among six banks to be fined a total of $5.7 billion (£3.8 billion) by British and US regulators over allegations that they rigged the $5.3 trillion-a-day foreign exchange market. The settlement, which also involved US banks JP Morgan, Bank […]
New ‘Deep Learning’ Technique Enables Robot Mastery of Skills Via Trial and Error
May 22nd, 2015I mainly posted this because of the Comedy Gold juxtaposition below. haha Via: UC Berkeley: The work is part of a new People and Robots Initiative at UC’s Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS). The new multi-campus, multidisciplinary research initiative seeks to keep the dizzying advances in artificial intelligence, robotics […]
40 Percent of Unemployed Have Quit Looking for Jobs
May 21st, 2015Via: CNBC: At a time when 8.5 million Americans still don’t have jobs, some 40 percent have given up even looking. The revelation, contained in a new survey Wednesday showing how much work needs to be done yet in the U.S. labor market, comes as the labor force participation rate remains mired near 37-year lows. […]
Britain: 1,400 Investigated in Child Sex Abuse Inquiry, Including 261 High-Profile Individuals
May 21st, 2015Via: Guardian: Police across the country are investigating more than 1,400 men – including 261 high-profile individuals – over allegations of child abuse in the past, a senior officer running the national operation has revealed. The scale of alleged child abuse across society – both recent and non-recent – was stark, said Ch Const Simon […]
