Archive for the 'Dictatorship' Category
Panetta: China, Japan Heading Towards War
September 17th, 2012Via: AFP: CHINA and other Asian countries could end up at war over territorial disputes if governments keep up their “provocative behaviour”, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has said. Speaking to reporters before arriving in Tokyo on a trip to Asia, Mr Panetta appealed for restraint amid mounting tensions over territorial rights in the East […]
TSA Screener Busted for Child Pornography
September 15th, 2012Via: NBC Miami: A Transportation Security Administration employee was arrested on 25 counts of possessing child pornography, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said. TSA screener Andrew Smeal, 39, was being held at the Broward County Main Jail on $50,000 bond Thursday night, according to online BSO records.
‘There are no technological or economic barriers to converting the entire world to clean, renewable energy sources’
September 15th, 2012“Fifteen years ago I thought solar power was impractical because I thought nuclear power was the answer. But I spent some time on an advisory committee on waste disposal to the Atomic Energy Commission. After that, I began to be very, very skeptical because of the hazards. That’s when I began to study solar power. […]
House Approves Sweeping, Warrantless Electronic Spy Powers
September 13th, 2012Via: Wired: The House on Wednesday reauthorized for five years broad electronic eavesdropping powers that legalized and expanded the George W. Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. The FISA Amendments Act, (.pdf) which is expiring at year’s end, allows the government to electronically eavesdrop on Americans’ phone calls and e-mails without a probable-cause warrant so long […]
White House Big Dig Remains A Mystery As Construction Wraps Up
September 13th, 2012Via: AP: The White House Big Dig is finally wrapping up, but the Big Reveal is proving to be a pretty big letdown. After nearly two years and $86 million worth of noisy and disruptive construction, the West Wing has emerged from its visual seclusion remarkably unchanged. And deep underground, whatever has been built there […]
Russian Nuclear-Powered Ice-Breakers
September 12th, 2012Via: Scientific American: Russia’s dream to dominate the Arctic will soon get a boost with a nuclear-powered icebreaker designed to navigate both shallow rivers and the freezing depths of the Northern Sea. Last month Rosatomflot, Russia’s atomic fleet, inked a deal to begin construction of a massive new vessel 170 meters long and 34 meters […]
Alibaba Group Expects Sales This Year to Top Those of Amazon and eBay Combined
September 12th, 2012Via: Reuters: China’s largest e-commerce firm, Alibaba Group, expects to sell merchandise this year worth more than that sold by Amazon Inc and eBay combined, Alibaba’s chief strategy officer said on Saturday. The company is aiming for 3 trillion yuan ($473 billion) in annual transaction value from its Taobao e-commerce units in the next 5 […]
UK Banks Could be Shut Down or Forced Into Bail-Outs by Brussels
September 12th, 2012Via: Telegraph: A panel of European officials would be given sweeping new powers to police the financial sector across the continent but also in the City of London. They would be given “full decision making powers” to impose EU law and to arbitrate disputes between Britain and the eurozone over the risks posed by British […]
Army Wants Tiny Suicidal Drone to Kill From 6 Miles Away
September 11th, 2012Via: Danger Room: Killer drones just keep getting smaller. The Army wants to know how prepared its defense-industry partners are to build what it calls a “Lethal Miniature Aerial Munition System.” It’s for when the Army needs someone dead from up to six miles away in 30 minutes or less.
Moody’s Says U.S. Faces Loss of Aaa Without Budget Deal in 2013
September 11th, 2012Mmm hmm. Via: Bloomberg: Moody’s Investors Service said it may join Standard & Poor’s in downgrading the U.S.’s credit rating unless Congress reduces the percentage of debt-to-gross- domestic product during budget negotiations next year.
