Archive for the 'Dictatorship' Category
On the Spot with Kim Jong-il: North Korean Propaganda Photos
March 15th, 2010Via: The Big Picture: The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea’s state-run (and only) news agency, sporadically releases photos of reclusive 69-year-old leader Kim Jong-il as he makes “on-the-spot” guidance visits. Kim Jong-il, continuing a practice begun by his father, Kim Il-sung, makes these visits to factories and facilities throughout the country, purportedly to […]
U.S. Intelligence Planned to Destroy WikiLeaks
March 15th, 2010Via: Wikileaks: This document is a classifed (SECRET/NOFORN) 32 page U.S. counterintelligence investigation into WikiLeaks. “The possibility that current employees or moles within DoD or elsewhere in the U.S. government are providing sensitive or classified information to Wikileaks.org cannot be ruled out”. It concocts a plan to fatally marginalize the organization. Since WikiLeaks uses “trust […]
State of Utah Allows Rainwater Collection After Registration and Purchase of Standardized Container
March 15th, 2010Thank you, Master. Via: AP: The Utah Legislature has passed a bill that would permit the personal collection of rainwater. The House unanimously approved the legislation on Wednesday. It has already cleared the Senate. If signed by the governor the measure would reverse a decades-old prohibition on rainwater harvesting in the state. Senate Bill 32 […]
Obama Supports DNA Sampling Upon Arrest
March 15th, 2010Via: Wired: Josh Gerstein over at Politico sent Threat Level his piece underscoring once again President Barack Obama is not the civil-liberties knight in shining armor many were expecting. Gerstein posts a televised interview of Obama and John Walsh of America’s Most Wanted. The nation’s chief executive extols the virtues of mandatory DNA testing of […]
IRS Visits Sacramento Carwash in Pursuit of Four Cents
March 14th, 2010Via: Sacramento Bee: It was every businessperson’s nightmare. Arriving at Harv’s Metro Car Wash in midtown Wednesday afternoon were two dark-suited IRS agents demanding payment of delinquent taxes. “They were deadly serious, very aggressive, very condescending,” says Harv’s owner, Aaron Zeff. The really odd part of this: The letter that was hand-delivered to Zeff’s on-site […]
China Warns Google to Comply with Censorship Laws
March 13th, 2010Via: BBC: China’s top internet official has warned that Google will “pay the consequences” if it continues to go against Chinese law. Google announced in January that it would no longer comply with China’s internet censorship laws. It warned that it may shut down google.cn because of censorship and a hacking attack on the portal. […]
New York State Assemblyman Trying to Outlaw the Use of Salt in the Preparation of Food in Restaurants
March 11th, 2010Via: New York Daily News: If State Assemblyman Felix Ortiz has his way, the only salt added to your meal will come from the chef’s tears. The Brooklyn Democrat has introduced a bill that would ban the use of salt in New York restaurants – and violators would be smacked with a $1,000 fine for […]
NSA Communication System Interfering with Garage Door Openers?
March 11th, 2010Via: San Antonio Express News: If the first complaints to City Councilman Ray Lopez’s office had come anywhere close to the truth, they probably wouldn’t have gotten much attention. I mean, “My garage door opener’s not working and I think the government’s involved”? That’s tinfoil hat territory. But the calls kept coming, and soon Lopez […]
Airlines Will Cancel Flights to Avoid Risk of Fines for Delays
March 10th, 2010Didn’t think air travel in the U.S. could suck any more than it already does? Behold… Via: MSNBC: Passengers may soon be seeing more cancellations on airport departure boards. Several airlines, including Fort Worth-based American and Houston-based Continental, say they will cancel flights rather than risk paying stiff penalties for delaying passengers on the runway. […]
Apple’s Secret iPhone Developer Agreement Goes Public
March 10th, 2010Via: Wired: The first rule of the iPhone developer program is: You do not talk about the iPhone developer program. Before you create software for the iPhone, Apple demands that you sign away a laundry list of rights, including the ability to sell rejected apps through other channels, the ability to sue Apple for more […]
