U.S. and Russian Forces in Syria Aren’t Talking to Each Other
September 14th, 2015Via: Defense One:
In Syria, where the U.S. is leading an air campaign against Islamic State targets and Russian military advisors are arriving to help the Assad regime, the two militaries aren’t talking to each other.
Oculus, the Closed All-Seeing Eye at Ground Zero, to “Open” Each Year on 9/11
September 14th, 2015Via: YouTube:
California Fires
September 14th, 2015Via: Daily Mail:
There were post-apocalyptic scenes in California on Sunday night as raging wildfires blitzed 115,000 acres, destroying at least 400 homes and forcing thousands of terrified residents to flee.
As many as 5,000 firefighters were tackling two mammoth blazes that have torn across the state, with entire towns evacuated.
Lake and Napa counties were in a state of emergency after the Valley Fire, which erupted 100 miles north of San Francisco, destroying 400 homes and two apartment complexes, and spreading across 50,000 acres of land.
“In Japan, the Rise of the Machines Solves Labor and Productivity”
September 13th, 2015Via: Bloomberg:
The rise of the machines in the workplace has U.S. and European experts predicting massive unemployment and tumbling wages.
Not in Japan, where robots are welcomed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government as an elegant way to handle the country’s aging populace, shrinking workforce and public aversion to immigration.
Japan is already a robotics powerhouse. Abe wants more and has called for a “robotics revolution.” His government launched a five-year push to deepen the use of intelligent machines in manufacturing, supply chains, construction and health care, while expanding the robotics markets from 660 billion yen ($5.5 billion) to 2.4 trillion yen by 2020.
“The labor shortage is such an acute issue that companies have no choice but to boost efficiency,” says Hajime Shoji, the head of the Asia-Pacific technology practice at Boston Consulting Group Inc. “Growth potential is huge.” By 2025, robots could shave 25 percent off of factory labor costs in Japan, according to the consulting firm.
Germany to Start Temporary Border Controls
September 13th, 2015Via: Guardian:
Germany is to reintroduce border controls and will exit temporarily from the Schengen system, the interior minister has said, after the country’s regions said they could no longer cope with the overwhelming number of refugees arriving from Austria.
Thomas de Maizière announced the measures after German officials said that record numbers of refugees, most of them from Syria, had stretched the system to breaking point.
Germany has also stopped all trains entering the country across its southern border with Austria, the principal conduit through which some 450,000 of refugees have arrived in Germany this year.
Honda Gets California Approval for Self-Driving Cars on Roads
September 13th, 2015Via: Reuters:
Honda Motor Co Ltd has received a permit from the state of California to drive its autonomous vehicles on public streets, joining companies ranging from Google Inc to Volkswagen AG in testing the fast-growing technology.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles on its website listed Honda as the most recent of 10 companies that had received the self-driving permits as of Friday.
Other companies already approved include Daimler AG’s Mercedes Benz, Tesla Motors Inc, Nissan Motor Co Ltd and BMW AG.
29% of Americans Could Imagine a Situation in Which They Would Support Military Coup in U.S.
September 13th, 2015Too late. It already happened back in November 1963.
Via: YouGov:
29% of Americans could imagine a situation in which they would support the military seizing control of the federal government, while 41% could not imagine such a situation.
Republicans (43%) are more than twice as likely as Democrats (20%) to say that they could conceive of a situation in which they would support a military coup in the United States. Independents tend to say that they could not (38%) rather than could (29%) imagine supporting a coup.
Cryptogon Readers Send Contributions in September
September 13th, 2015Thank you!
Blacklisted News $25
JR $7.50
SS $25
UR $50
AM $5
Pookie $75
Earnings for July and August
September 13th, 2015Thanks to everyone who helped keep Cryptogon going in July and August.
Earnings for July were $744.82. Earnings for August were $654.07.
It has been a while since we made the monthly goal of $1000, but thank goodness for solar power, which is saving us about NZ$275 per month on average.
July
Amazon $309.12
Amazon UK £7.97
Blacklisted News $25
Guadalajara Geopolitics $25
Pookie $75
JR $7.50
SS $25
DR $20
DS $50
AM $10
BH $25
KL $5
KH $15
RJ $5
DE $10
TG $5
Eileen $45
AD $5
GB AU$100
—
August
Amazon $307.07
Amazon UK £12.64
Blacklisted News $25
Pookie $75
SS $25
JR $7.50
AM $5
Certified Wild $100
RJ $5
DE $10
TG $5
Eileen $45
WK AU$10
AD $5
AM $5
GB $5
‘Australian IS Jihadist’ Is Actually a Jewish American Troll Named Joshua Ryne Goldberg
September 12th, 2015Via: Sydney Morning Herald:
A young Jewish American man has been charged with pretending to be an Australian-based Islamic State jihadist after a FBI joint investigation with the Australian Federal Police based on information provided by Fairfax Media.
Joshua Ryne Goldberg, a 20-year old living at his parents’ house in US state of Florida, is accused of posing online as “Australi Witness,” an IS supporter who publicly called for a series of attacks against individuals and events in western countries.
In recent days Australi Witness has claimed online that he is working with other jihadists to plan attacks in Australia and the United States. He distributed pictures of a bomb that he was working on with “2 lbs of explosives inside”.
Early on Friday, Australian time, Goldberg, who is non-Muslim and has no real-world links with extremism, was arrested at his home by Florida police for “distribution of information relating to explosives, destructive devices, and weapons of mass destruction”.
