U.S. Official Dies in Libya Consulate Attack in Benghazi
September 12th, 2012Via: BBC:
A US state department official was killed and at least one other American was wounded when militiamen stormed the US consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.
It is believed the protest was held over a US-produced film that is said to be insulting to the Prophet Muhammad.
The building was set on fire after armed men raided the compound with grenades.
Protests have also been held at the US embassy in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.
In the attack in Benghazi, unidentified armed men stormed the grounds, shooting at buildings and throwing handmade bombs into the compound.
Security forces returned fire but Libyan officials say they were overwhelmed.
“One American official was killed and another injured in the hand. The other staff members were evacuated and are safe and sound,” Libya’s deputy interior minister Wanis al-Sharif told AFP.
The identity of the US official killed is not yet known. The consular worker was reported to have been shot.
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.
Pentagon Buying Chevy Volts to ‘Green Up’ Military
September 11th, 2012In other news: Government Motors Losing As Much As $49,000 On Each Volt It Builds.
Via: The Washington Free Beacon:
The Pentagon is buying Chevrolet Volts to help “green up” the military—while propping up sales of the bailed-out automaker’s most politicized car.
The Department of Defense began purchasing the struggling luxury electric car, which retails at $40,000, this summer as part of its goal to purchase 1,500 such green vehicles. The Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, Calif. purchased its first two Volts in July, and 18 more vehicles will come shortly to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where Air Force One is based, according to military magazine Stars and Stripes.
The Obama administration championed the production of the Volt. Along with the president’s pledge this year to “buy one and drive it myself … five years from now when I’m not president anymore,” the government offers a $7,500 tax break to encourage sales.
Research Credit: Druff
Step Right Up and Take a Ride on Thomas Friedman’s Hamster Wheel to the Good Life
September 10th, 2012The truth is, if you want a decent life, make sure that you’re engaged in lifelong learning about how to avoid the hellish circle jerk described in this New York Times piece.
Check out the comments at the link if you need some comedy gold. Most people are telling Friedman where to insert it.
Via: New York Times:
The truth is, if you want a decent job that will lead to a decent life today you have to work harder, regularly reinvent yourself, obtain at least some form of postsecondary education, make sure that you’re engaged in lifelong learning and play by the rules. That’s not a bumper sticker, but we terribly mislead people by saying otherwise.
You Might Be a Terrosist If You Prepare for The Zombie Apocalypse
September 10th, 2012*chortle* One for your Mixed Signals file folder.
Via: Network World:
Homeland Security warned, “The zombies are coming!” FEMA says get your emergency preparedness kit ready, but the LAPD adopted 15 of the DOJ’s ridiculous lists regarding ‘Potential Indicators of Terrorist Activities.’ The question morphs from how will we survive the zombie apocalypse, to how will we prepare an emergency kit without such “suspicious behaviors” and buying activities flagging us as potential domestic terrorists?
Government Motors’ Volt: The Ugly Math of Low Sales, High Costs
September 10th, 2012Via: Reuters:
General Motors Co sold a record number of Chevrolet Volt sedans in August — but that probably isn’t a good thing for the automaker’s bottom line.
Nearly two years after the introduction of the path-breaking plug-in hybrid, GM is still losing as much as $49,000 on each Volt it builds, according to estimates provided to Reuters by industry analysts and manufacturing experts.
Cheap Volt lease offers meant to drive more customers to Chevy showrooms this summer may have pushed that loss even higher. There are some Americans paying just $5,050 to drive around for two years in a vehicle that cost as much as $89,000 to produce.
And while the loss per vehicle will shrink as more are built and sold, GM is still years away from making money on the Volt, which will soon face new competitors from Ford, Honda and others.
IVF: Grandma Gives Birth To Her Own Grandchild
September 10th, 2012Via: Daily Mail:
A woman in her 50s has given birth to her own grandchild after becoming a surrogate mother for her infertile daughter.
Cindy Reutzel, 53, gave birth to a healthy baby girl a week ago who will now be brought up by her 32-year-old daughter Emily Jordan.
Shark Knives – Hand Made in New Zealand
September 10th, 2012Knives are VERY popular with Cryptogon readers, so I thought I’d let you guys know about my friend, Peter Griffiths. He makes a range of knives at his workshop and gallery out in Takahue: shark-knives.com.
I have the Big Chef and it’s awesome. Don’t miss the Parang.
Pete doesn’t use the computer much, but if you email or call, his wife, Sabrina, will be able to help you.
If you’re in the Far North of New Zealand, you can also drop in and check out the Long Flat Bottom Workshop and Gallery, where Pete makes the knives.
Wood Craft, Permaculture Gardens, Knife Sharpening, WWOOF Hosts.
274 Takahue Road
RD2
Kaitaia
09-408-3685 (Please call during daytime NZ hours)
longflatbottom@gmail.com
China Buys Australia’s Largest Cotton Producer
September 10th, 2012Via: Sydney Morning Herald:
CHINESE investment in Australia almost doubled last year as the world’s second-largest economy flexed its economic muscles abroad, according to new data from the Ministry of Commerce.
Recent Chinese investment in Australia includes the sale of Australia’s largest cotton producer, Cubbie Station, to a Chinese-led consortium, approved by the Foreign Investment Review Board on Friday.
Chinese companies – both private and state-owned – invested a total of $3.2 billion in Australia in 2011, an 86 per cent increase from 2010. Australia is the third-most-popular investment destination behind the European Union and the ASEAN countries.
