Archive
The Children of Iraq: Was the Price Worth It?
Friday, 11 May 2012
‘The following is a presentation given in the Dialogue sessions of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal, May 2012.
“…Line up the bodies of the children, the thousands of children — the infants, the toddlers, the schoolkids — whose bodies were torn to pieces, burned alive or riddled with bullets during the American invasion and occupation of Iraq. Line them up in the desert sand, walk past them, mile after mile, all those twisted corpses, those scraps of torn flesh and seeping viscera, those blank faces, those staring eyes fixed forever on nothingness. This is the reality of what happened in Iraq; there is no other reality….”
Chris Floyd, December 17, 2011.’
Cameron says Euro needs single government
LONDON (Reuters) – A successful euro zone requires a single government if it is to work properly, British Prime Minister David Cameron said in a newspaper interview on Wednesday.
“There’s nowhere in the world that has a single currency without having more of a single government,” Cameron told Britain’s Daily Mail.
“Making sense of the euro for me would mean that those euro zone countries would have to have much more co-ordinated economic policy, much more co-ordinated debt policy,” he said.
Cameron, who opted out of a new European economic pact late last year, advocated Britain’s position outside the euro and its ability “to do things to ourselves, for ourselves, by ourselves.
“I have always believed different countries at times will need different economic policies, interest rates tailored to their own needs.”
Cameron said, however, that it is in Britain’s interest to see a return to growth in the euro zone, which accounts for 40 percent of UK exports.
“We want them to sort out the problems that they have. We want to be in the single market, we want European co-operation, we don’t want to be in the euro,” Cameron said.
“The euro is a project in transition that could go in a number of different ways … all these countries have to make their own choices.”
US Military-Industrial Giant KBR in Bidding to Privatize British Police Forces
Friday, 04 May 2012
‘Giant US military-industrial company Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) is in the running to win a slice of a controversial £1.5 billion (US$2.43 billion) contract to transform the West Midlands and Surrey police forces in Britain, The (London) Times reported.
Hailed as the largest police privatization scheme in the UK, it has been suggested the private companies who win the contract will be tasked to perform several police functions — including patrols, detention and criminal investigation.
KBR, a former subsidiary of the Halliburton group, has attracted its share of criticism over the large contracts it won with the US government during the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The corporation also helped to build the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.’
Read more: US Military-Industrial Giant KBR in Bidding to Privatize British Police Forces
No-Fly Zone To Be Enforced By Shoot-To-Kill Order During NATO Summit
Thursday, 03 May 2012 11:28
‘A new report reveals plans to keep residents and dignitaries safe during the NATO Summit include a no-fly zone, with a shoot-to-kill mandate for those who break the ban.
As CBS 2’s Susanna Song reports, the government is warning small plane pilots that if they enter the no-fly zone during the summit, they may be shot down.
This is no joke. It will be enforced for May 19 to May 21.’
Read more: No-Fly Zone To Be Enforced By Shoot-To-Kill Order During NATO Summit
Who owns your stuff in the cloud?
By Michelle Maltais, Los Angeles Times, April 26, 2012
Google’s recently unveiled Google Drive is among the cloud-based data storage services available. Google says you retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content. But where the Google policy may read a bit murky is what you entitle Google to do with your stuff. Above, at the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. (Paul Sakuma, Associated Press / April 12, 2012)
As more people look to the cloud for digital storage, such as the recently unveiled Google Drive, the era of being able to mindlessly click “OK” or “Agree” may be over.
When your stuff is stored on your computer at home, you alone are responsible for keeping it safe, secure and backed up. Your roof, your rules. But when you shift from local storage to remote, you live by terms set by someone else — and it’s best to read them.
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tech-savvy-cloud-services-20120426,0,3241271.story
These 10 Corporations Control Almost Everything You Buy
Friday, 27 April 2012 07:32
‘A chart we found on Reddit.com today shows that most products we buy are controlled by just a few companies. It’s called “The Illusion of Choice.”
Ever wonder why you can’t get a Coke at Taco Bell? It’s because Yum! Brands was created as a spin-off of Pepsi–and has a lifetime contract with the soda-maker.’
Read more: These 10 Corporations Control Almost Everything You Buy
The Shame of Nations: A New Record is Set for Spending on War
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 07:06
‘On April 17, 2012, as millions of Americans were filing their income tax returns, the highly-respected Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released its latest study of world military spending. In case Americans were wondering where most of their tax money — and the tax money of other nations — went in the previous year, the answer from SIPRI was clear: to war and preparations for war.
World military spending reached a recworldord $1,738 billion in 2011 — an increase of $138 billion over the previous year. The United States accounted for 41 percent of that, or $711 billion.’
Read more: The Shame of Nations: A New Record is Set for Spending on War
Lincolnshire UK – Say Hello To Your Corporate Police
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 09:33
‘Police staff throughout the county of Lincolnshire are now proudly wearing the logo of their corporate bosses, as Government cutbacks force the privatization of the nation’s peacekeepers.
G4S, a controversial multi-national security corporation has now virtually taken over all civilian positions in the region, including front counter staff at police stations, control room operators, custodians at local holding cells, and even inquiry officers.
In total 550 employees who previously worked for Lincolnshire Police Authority are now considered private sector workers, essentially accountable only to company policy, with 200 or so already sporting the G4S stamp.’
Read more: Lincolnshire UK – Say Hello To Your Corporate Police
SOPA Mutates Into Much Worse CISPA, the Latest Threat to Internet Free Speech
‘Just because SOPA and PIPA, the infamous internet “kill switch” bills, are largely dead does not mean the threat to internet free speech has become any less serious. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), also known as H.R. 3523, is the latest mutation of these internet censorship and spying bills to hit the U.S. Congress — and unless the American people speak up now to stop it, CISPA could lead to far worse repercussions for online free speech than SOPA or PIPA ever would have.’
Read more: SOPA Mutates Into Much Worse CISPA, the Latest Threat to Internet Free Speech
Mandatory ‘Big Brother’ Black Boxes In All New Cars From 2015
Thursday, 19 April 2012 08:51
‘A bill already passed by the Senate and set to be rubber stamped by the House would make it mandatory for all new cars in the United States to be fitted with black box data recorders from 2015 onwards.
Section 31406 of Senate Bill 1813 (known as MAP-21), calls for “Mandatory Event Data Recorders” to be installed in all new automobiles and legislates for civil penalties to be imposed against individuals for failing to do so.’
Read more: Mandatory ‘Big Brother’ Black Boxes In All New Cars From 2015
Believe nothing 