Archive for the 'Dictatorship' Category
Cyprus Considers Zero Tax on Smaller Bank Deposits; All Banks Remain Closed
March 19th, 2013Via: BBC: The Cyprus finance ministry suggests savers holding less than 20,000 euros (£17,000) would be exempt from a bank levy which has caused much alarm. Amounts between 20,000 and 100,000 euros would face a 6.75% tax. The levy on savings above 100,000 would remain at 9.9%. The levy has enraged Cypriots. The earlier plan […]
‘Why the Cyprus Bail In Is a Bigger Deal Than You Think’
March 19th, 2013Via: Yahoo Finance: So, assuming Cyprus’s government approves the deal (still pending–with the vote now postponed until Wednesday), depositors will have some of their money seized. Now, half of these depositors are said to be Russian oligarchs and other non-residents. And unless you happen to have the misfortune of having an account in a Cyprus […]
Poor Often Don’t Have Legal Representation in Court
March 18th, 2013Via: New York Times: Today, many states and counties do not offer lawyers to the poor in major civil disputes, and in some criminal ones as well. Those states that do are finding that more people than ever are qualifying for such help, making it impossible to keep up with the need. The result is […]
Cost of America’s Latest War in Iraq Could Grow to More than $6 Trillion
March 18th, 2013Via: Reuters: The U.S. war in Iraq has cost $1.7 trillion with an additional $490 billion in benefits owed to war veterans, expenses that could grow to more than $6 trillion over the next four decades counting interest, a study released on Thursday said. The war has killed at least 134,000 Iraqi civilians and may […]
EU: GOVERNMENT THEFTS FROM BANK ACCOUNTS MAY HAPPEN IN OTHER COUNTRIES
March 17th, 2013The Washington Post took the words right out of my mouth: The best the rest of the world can hope for is that Cyprus’s case is sufficiently unique that it won’t spark panic in Athens and Madrid (or in Lisbon, Dublin and Rome). Via: New York Times: In a move that could set off new […]
The Internet Is a Surveillance State
March 17th, 2013Via: CNN: The Internet is a surveillance state. Whether we admit it to ourselves or not, and whether we like it or not, we’re being tracked all the time. Google tracks us, both on its pages and on other pages it has access to. Facebook does the same; it even tracks non-Facebook users. Apple tracks […]
CYPRUS: GOVERNMENT TAKES UP TO 10% OF INDIVIDUALS’ FUNDS ON DEPOSIT WITH BANKS AS PART OF BAILOUT AGREEMENT
March 16th, 2013Via: BBC: People in Cyprus have reacted with shock to news of a one-off levy of up to 10% on savings as part of a 10bn-euro (£8.7bn; $13bn) bailout agreed in Brussels. Savers could be seen queuing at cash machines amid resentment at the charge. The deal reached with euro partners and the IMF marks […]
Oregon Company to Sell Drone Defense Technology to Public
March 16th, 2013Any guesses as to what this is? Maybe… Blind the drones’ cameras with lasers? They would have to be sure they weren’t lasing something with a human pilot, though. Hmm. Via: U.S. News and World Report: Do you want to keep drones out of your backyard? An Oregon company says that it has developed and […]
FEDERAL JUDGE FINDS NATIONAL SECURITY LETTERS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, BANS THEM
March 16th, 2013Via: Wired: Ultra-secret national security letters that come with a gag order on the recipient are an unconstitutional impingement on free speech, a federal judge in California ruled in a decision released Friday. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ordered the government to stop issuing so-called NSLs across the board, in a stunning defeat for the […]
Austria: Poll Reveals Worrying Views About Banned Nazi Party
March 16th, 2013Via: Independent: As Austria prepares to mark the anniversary of its annexation by Nazi Germany, an opinion poll has shown that more than half of the population think it highly likely that the Nazis would be elected if they were readmitted as a party. A further 42 per cent agreed with the view that life […]
