Archive for the 'Dictatorship' Category
Thousands of Dead Pigs Found in Shanghai River
March 11th, 2013Drinking water quality normal, comrade. Via: South China Morning Post: Chinese officials have found a total of 3,323 dead pigs in a Shanghai river as of Monday afternoon and discovered swine virus in one of them, but they have stressed that the disease is not known to be infectious to humans. The virus is known […]
China: Data About Soil Pollution a ‘State Secret’
March 11th, 2013Don’t worry, they’re just a few Five-Year-Plans away from having the clean, green farmscrapers up and running. Via: Reuters: When China’s environment ministry told attorney Dong Zhengwei he couldn’t have access to two-year old data about soil pollution because it was a “state secret”, it added to mounting public outrage over the worsening environment. Microbloggers, […]
Americans Training Syrian Rebels in Jordan
March 11th, 2013Via: Reuters: Americans are training Syrian anti-government fighters in Jordan, the German weekly Der Spiegel said on Sunday, quoting what it said were participants and organizers. Spiegel said it was not clear whether the Americans worked for private firms or were from the army but said some wore uniforms. The training focused on use of […]
North Korea Refusing to Answer Hotline
March 11th, 2013Via: CNN: A new joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States began Monday amid heightened tensions across the region. In a sign of crumbling relations, North Korea refused to answer its hotline with Seoul, South Korea’s unification ministry said Monday, according to the Yonhap news agency. The ministry said the North did […]
Karzai Says Taliban ‘In Service to America’
March 10th, 2013My guess is that Karzai probably perceives that he’s not getting a big enough cut of the opium pie. Via: Wall Street Journal: Afghanistan’s fraying ties with the U.S. hit a new low on Sunday, as President Hamid Karzai said before meeting the new U.S. defense secretary that the Taliban kill Afghan civilians “in the […]
9th Circuit Appeals Court: 4th Amendment Applies At The Border; Also: Password Protected Files Shouldn’t Arouse Suspicion
March 9th, 2013Ok, now they’ll need to make up a reason to take your laptop and copy its contents. Via: TechDirt: Here’s a surprise ruling. For many years we’ve written about how troubling it is that Homeland Security agents are able to search the contents of electronic devices, such as computers and phones at the border, without […]
U.S. Air Force Disappears Drone Strike Statistics
March 9th, 2013Scrubbed: Click here to see the original December 2012 and January 2013 statistics and the ones apparently loaded online Feb. 22. Via: Air Force Times: As scrutiny and debate over the use of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) by the American military increased last month, the Air Force reversed a policy of sharing the number of […]
John Brennan Sworn in as CIA Director Using Constitution Lacking Bill of Rights
March 9th, 2013Via: Empty Wheel: According to the White House, John Brennan was sworn in as CIA Director on a “first draft” of the Constitution including notations from George Washington, dating to 1787. Vice President Joe Biden swears in CIA Director John Brennan in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, March 8, 2013. Members of Brennan’s […]
F-35 Blind Spot Will Get It ‘Gunned Every Time’
March 8th, 2013Via: Wired: The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the military’s expensive main warplane of the future, has a huge blind spot directly behind it. Pilots say that could get them shot down in close-quarters combat, where the flier with the better visibility has the killing advantage. “Aft visibility could turn out to be a significant problem […]
‘The Coming Surveillance Dystopia’
March 8th, 2013I wasn’t going to post this. You know all of this, or, at least you should, if you’ve been hanging out here for any length of time. But, Holder, “Dressed like Elvis and surrounded by the Real Housewives of Orange County,” won me over. Must share. Via: The Verge: Assuming that some degree of privacy […]
