Nicht nur bei Obama will Merkel um Verzeihung bitten, auch ein Besuch des NSA-Hauptquartiers in Fort Meade ist geplant. Dort will sich Merkel bei den Mitarbeitern des Geheimdienstes ausdrücklich für etwaige Anfeindungen aus Deutschland entschuldigen.
Daily Archives: 1. Mai 2014
We are groups working for strong crypto standards. Ask us Anything!
My short bio: Representatives from Access, CDT, EFF, Silent Circle, and the Sunlight Foundation will discuss efforts to strengthen encryption principles and remove the NSA involvement in the standard setting process. Snowden documents have revealed NSA efforts to undermine encryption standards set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (ironically the NSA’s mission includes “information assurance”). Between Heartbleed, large-scale data breaches, and overbroad surveillance, data is being compromised at an unprecedented level. We will talk about efforts by coalition of digital rights, technology, privacy, and open government groups to call on NIST to strengthen cryptography principles.
Participants include: Amie Stepanovich (astepanovich), Access Joseph Hall (joebeone), CDT Nate Cardozo (natecardozo), EFF Kurt Opsahl (kurtopsahl), EFF Sean Vitka (svitka), Sunlight Foundation
EFF Demands Release of More Secret Surveillance Court Rulings
Debate Over Mass Surveillance Hampered by Undisclosed FISA Court Decisions
San Francisco – In a continuing campaign to uncover the government‘s secret interpretations of the surveillance laws underlying the National Security Agency (NSA)‘s spying programs, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today filed another lawsuit against the Department of Justice, demanding that the government hand over key Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA court) opinions and orders.
Europa vor Gericht
Wie einst nur Bananenrepubliken: Konzerne verklagen immer häufiger auch reiche Staaten, wenn ihnen deren Politik nicht passt. Auch deutsche Firmen nutzen die Schiedsgerichte gern, die Knackpunkt der Freihandels-Verhandlungen geworden sind. Es geht um Solarstrom, Raumfahrt – und um den Kampf der Krisenländer gegen ihren Untergang.
UK inmate suicide rate rises by 71%: Study
According to the research, commissioned by Prison and Probation Ombudsman Nigel Newcomen and released on Wednesday, there were 89 self-inflicted deaths in British prisons in 2013, compared with 52 recorded in 2012.
NATO to review deployment of U.S. missile defense system in Georgia
Earlier, during the ‚Toward a Europe Whole and Free‘ conference held at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C., Irakli Alasania urged the alliance to deploy U.S. defense systems in Georgia, as well as in other aspirant countries of the alliance.
Tunisia assembly adopts election law
Three years after the country‘s revolution, the law was passed by 132 votes in favour, 11 against and nine abstentions in the 217-member National Constituent Assembly.
Auf dem Weg in die ganz normale Republik: Israel gibt sich eine Verfassung
Eine Verfassung ist die alte Forderung so ziemlich aller israelischen Dissidenten. Wahrscheinlich wird es diesmal, endlich, eine schlechte geben.
Aber so ist der Fortschritt.
Netanyahu pushing Basic Law defining Israel as Jewish state
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday during a visit to Independence Hall in Tel Aviv that he planned to push forward a new Basic Law to „legally anchor“ Israel‘s status as „the nation-state of the Jewish people.“ (..)
In lieu of a formal constitution, a series of Basic Laws adopted by parliament since Israel‘s founding in 1948 define governmental, legislative and judicial powers, protect civil rights and codify Jerusalem‘s internationally disputed status as the country‘s capital.
Chrome wird wohl demnächst die URL nicht mehr anzeigen.
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Brilliant Reporting: NYT Recreates Wacky Deposition Over Definition Of A Photocopier
The NY Times is launching a new service, which is quite awesome: taking interesting legal transcripts, and then filming them with actors. The first one is brilliant and a must-watch. The NYT got folks from the Upright Citizens Brigade to recreate the hilarious deposition fight concerning whether or not the Cuyahoga County Recorders‘ Office (in Ohio) had a photocopying machine, where the Office‘s IT guy (and his lawyer) worked very, very, very hard to not answer the question by constantly asking what is meant by a photocopying machine, leading to reasonable exasperation from the lawyer for the plaintiffs in the case.
Why Germany‘s Merkel gets four hours at the White House
In an April 11 speech, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said: “Today’s process of globalization has made it impossible to build empires in the traditional sense. We no longer have a situation where traditional centers of power dominate the countries in their periphery.”
Globalization, adds Dr. Schäuble, “can be successfully shaped only on the basis of integration, cooperation, and the recognition that our partners are our equals and not on the basis of hegemonic or imperial attitudes and actions.”
Christian Zionist leader mobilizes against the Iraq Study Group: warning evangelicals to „Beware Baker“
(19.12.2006) What Hagee thinks on these issues does matter. Through his powerful network of 160 TV stations, Hagee speaks his strident pro-Israel message directly to millions in the Bible Belt, the backbone of the Bush Administration‘s political support. This past July, Hagee flexed some of that political muscle by sending 3,500 followers to lobby on Capital Hill for aggressive action against Iran (see JewsOnFirst‘s report here). But as columnist Yossi Paritzky — who writes for Ynet.com, the English-language website of a major Israeli daily, Yediot Ahronot, notes, there is a price for this love of Israel:
‘Neoconservative’ Needs to Be Retired. Why Not Try ‘Imperialist’?
(05.06.2013) Sure, people love to bash them, but what exactly are neoconservatives? Are they hawks, or just Jewish hawks? Peter Beinart on the increasingly incoherent definition—and why we should try ‘imperialist.’
The Neoconservative Movement at the End of the Bush Administration: Its Legacy, Its Vision and Its Political Future
(21.10.2010) After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the word hijacking has been used for two events. Of course, for what happened on September 11th, but some also talked about a more metaphorical action, the hijacking of American foreign policy, transforming a Republic into an Empire, through the influence of a “neoconservative” or “democratic imperialist” movement.
Christian Evangelicals and U.S. Foreign Policy
(23.08.2006) Evangelical Christians are believed to represent the single largest religious group in the United States, and as their numbers have grown, there are signs of increasing activism in U.S. foreign policy. Opinion surveys show evangelicals overwhelmingly supported President George W. Bush‘s reelection, are among the country‘s staunchest defenders of Israel, and remain supporters of the U.S. military campaign in Iraq.
Firefox Notes: First offered to Release channel users on April 29, 2014
Check out „What’s New“ and „Known Issues“ for this version of Firefox below. As always, you’re encouraged to tell us what you think, or file a bug in Bugzilla. If interested, please see the complete list of changes in this release.
Election survey: Unionists face split vote threat … Sinn Fein top poll and SDLP could snatch a seat
In all there are 10 candidates running, only two of which are nationalist/republican. The remaining eight are either pro-Union or neutral on the issue, like the Greens. (…)
The computer model predicts that Sinn Fein‘s Martina Anderson will top the poll with 26.2% of the vote, while Alex Attwood of the SDLP (16.7%) will come ahead of the UUP‘s Jim Nicholson (14.2%), but well behind Diane Dodds of the DUP (20.8%), on the first count.
European election predictions: Full analysis of how DUP, Sinn Fein, UUP, SDLP and others could perform in May
Sinn Fein has consistently polled 26-29% in our 2012-2013 NI Assembly election polling, and equally strongly in our recent Opinion Panel survey.
Psychological Warfare and the “False Flag” Meme
False flag operations and assassinations are a central component of the elaborate psychological warfare campaign waged on the American public to justify the so-called “global war on terrorism,” and the events of September 11, 2001 are this project’s cornerstone.
Major US news outlets turn a blind eye to a wide array of evidence “that Western covert operators were behind” events such as “Bali, Madrid, London 7/7, mosque bombings in Iraq and elsewhere and, of course, 9/11. Because the mainstream media are integral to the Industrial Military Academic Intelligence Media complex,” journalist Barrie Zwicker observes, “the cold-blooded technicians of death face no journalistic scrutiny. Without moral, legal, technical or financial constraints, the black operators range freely, executing the orders of the global oligarchies.”
Girogo: Sparkassen verwanzen ihre Bankkarten
Anfang des Jahres 2012 hat die Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft girogo eingeführt. Seither wird in den neuen EC-Karten der Sparkassen die sogenannte NFC (Near Field Communication) – Technik eingesetzt, die auf der RFID-Technik basiert. Bis 2015 sollen alle 45 Millionen Sparkassenkarten mit dieser Technik ausgestattet sein. Die NFC-Technik ist auf dem Chip Ihrer neuen Bankkarte installiert und ermöglicht Ihnen das bargeldlose Bezahlen an der Kasse über Beträge bis 20 Euro. Aufladen können Sie Ihre Karte mit bis zu 200 Euro. Die Sparkassen werben damit, dass durch girogo lange Warteschlangen und das lästige Suchen nach Kleingeld der Vergangenheit angehören. Zur Identifizierung bedarf es keiner PIN oder Unterschrift. Stattdessen halten Sie Ihre Karte einfach an ein Lesegerät und der Betrag wird abgebucht. Neben der nicht benötigten Eingabe einer PIN birgt das Bezahlsystem weitere erhebliche Sicherheitsrisiken.
CIA under pressure to declassify secret report on harsh interrogations
A CIA spokesman said the agency was carrying out an „expeditious classification review“ of the Senate Intelligence Committee‘s 400-page findings on the agency‘s harsh interrogations. He would not estimate a completion date.
In Guantánamo Death Penalty Case, Torture Matters
I spent much of last week at the Post Theater in Fort Meade, watching the closed-circuit feed of the pre-trial military commissions hearings in the case of Abd al-Rahim Hussayn Muhammed al-Nashiri, who faces the death penalty for his alleged role in the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole.
The CIA‘s torture of Mr. Nashiri, and what impact it will have on the proceeding going forward, dominated this round of hearings, both on screen and off.
„I believe Mr. al Nashiri has suffered torture, physical, psychological and sexual torture,“ Dr. Sondra Crosby, an expert in treating victims of torture, testified onscreen. Dr. Crosby was called by the defense to provide an opinion on whether Mr. Nashiri is receiving appropriate medical care at the Guantánamo prison for the post-traumatic stress disorder he still suffers today as a result of his time in the CIA‘s torture program.
How a Special Needs Kid Gets Handcuffed and Thrown in Jail „For Her Own Good“
Like nearly half of children with autism spectrum disorder, Krystin Polk regularly attempts to wander from supervised, safe places such as her home or school.
The 13-year-old is enrolled at the Magnolia School for special education students in DeSoto County, Miss. Enrollment is contingent upon having an Individualized Educational Program (IEP), which federal law requires for all special education students.
After Krystin ran away from the school twice in one day, Magnolia staff enlisted school resource officer (SRO) Robert „Scooter“ Rayborn to help locate her. Before the day was over, Krystin would be in handcuffs.
Actually, Mr. Waxman, Consumers Are Sued For Patent Infringement All the Time
The Supreme Court heard oral argument today in another patent case, Limelight Networks, Inc. v. Akamai Technologies, Inc. In this case, the Court considers what to do when one party performs some steps of a patented method and another party performs the remaining steps. Specifically, Akamai wants to hold Limelight liable for patent infringement even though its customers perform one of the steps of the patent (i.e. four steps are performed by Limelight, one by the customers). The Federal Circuit had ruled for Akamai and effectively held Limelight responsible for the actions of its customers.
The Morality Police in Your Checking Account: Chase Bank Shuts Down Accounts of Adult Entertainers
In the latest example of a troubling trend in which companies play the role of law enforcement and moral police, Chase Bank has shut down the personal bank accounts of hundreds of adult entertainers.
We’ve written before about the dire consequences to online speech when service providers start acting like content police. These same consequences are applicable when financial services make decisions about to whom they provide services.
Japan to conduct island defense drill amid tension with China
Japan will conduct a military exercise this month to practice defending an island, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday, underscoring concern about East China Sea islands controlled by Japan but claimed by China.
Greek PM Samaras: “The cosmogony has begun”
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras scared me to death his morning announcing the re-start of a cosmogony.
Rauswurf von Leitung des Pentagon-Geheimdienstes D.I.A.
Das Pentagon wirft den Leiter der “Defense Intelligence Agency” Michael T. Flynn und seinen Vize David Shedd raus. Flynn verfolgte mit dem unter seiner Verantwortung ab 2012 aufgebauten “Defense Clandestine Service”, in enger Kooperation mit C.I.A., J.S.O.C. und dessen Kommandeur Admiral William McRaven, offenbar ganz eigene Pläne.
Der US-Geheimdienstapparat und das Schicksal des privaten internationalen Bankensystems der Vorkriegszeit
Peter Dale Scott blickt in diesem Essay auf die Zeit nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg in den USA zurück, um ihre Folgen für das internationale Bankensystem und die großen Ölkonzerne zu erkunden – und insbesondere die dabei zu beachtende Schlüsselrolle der machtvollen Dulles-Brüder. Ferner geht es um das Werden des Marshall-Plans und den Anfang der McCarthy-Ära.
Putting Ireland First – Éire Chun Cinn: Vote Sinn Féin‘s All-Ireland Team No. 1 in the EU Election 2014
Martina Anderson MEP
Six Counties
Matt Carthy
Midlands North West
Lynn Boylan
Dublin
Liadh Ní Riada
South
Timing of PSNI decision politically motivated – McDonald
Commenting on the fact that the PSNI has decided to question Sinn Féin Leader Gerry Adams today in connection with the Jean McConville case, Sinn Féin Deputy Leader Mary Lou McDonald said: (..)
“He has consistently and forthrightly rejected any suggestion that he had any part in what happened to Jean McConville 42 years ago or that he has any information about these dreadful events.
“I believe the timing of this latest decision by the PSNI is politically motivated and designed to damage Gerry Adams and Sinn Féin.
Adams speaks to PSNI about McConville case
(30.04.) “Last month I said that I was available to meet the PSNI about the Jean McConville case. While I have concerns about the timing, I am voluntarily meeting with the PSNI this evening.
“As a republican leader I have never shirked my responsibility to build the peace. This includes dealing with the difficult issue of victims and their families. Insofar as it is possible I have worked to bring closure to victims and their families who have contacted me. Even though they may not agree, this includes the family of Jean McConville.
“I believe that the killing of Jean McConville and the secret burial of her body was wrong and a grievous injustice to her and her family.
“Well publicised, malicious allegations have been made against me. I reject these.
„While I have never disassociated myself from the IRA and I never will, I am innocent of any part in the abduction, killing or burial of Mrs McConville.“
Nord-Irland: Sinn-Féin-Chef Adams wegen Mordermittlungen festgenommen
Der frühere IRA-Aktivist und heutige irische Parlamentarier Gerry Adams ist wegen Beteiligung an einem Mord vor mehr als 30 Jahren festgenommen worden. Adams versicherte, die Vorwürfe gegen ihn seien haltlos. Er sei freiwillig gekommen und wolle sich vernehmen lassen, sagte er vor Betreten der Polizeiwache.
DOJ Continues Its “Multi-Subject” Investigation of WikiLeaks
As I noted some weeks ago, the judge in EPIC’s FOIA for materials on the investigation into supporters of WikiLeaks asked for an update. The government provided that update last night.
It said it still must withhold all documents responsive to EPIC’s FOIA because two investigations pertaining to WikiLeaks are ongoing: Chelsea Manning’s appeal, and the investigation into WikiLeaks proper.
EU peacekeepers take charge at Central African Republic airport
European Union peacekeepers took charge of security at Central African Republic‘s main airport on Wednesday, easing the burden on French and African troops who are struggling to contain months of sectarian slaughter in the country.
Die #Bundeswehr plant eine Kooperation mit dem US-Kommando Africom
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RT: Swiss firm plans to transfer Ethiopia water to Djibouti – Turkish Press
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Djibouti: AFRICOM Trains advanced skills for Restaurants and hospitality industry
Nearly 100 students attend the school and must meet specific criteria, such as graduating from middle school, before being accepted into the four year program. (..)
“My team teaches two one and a half to two hour classes at the school every Wednesday and Thursday,” said U.S. Army Capt. Bismark Vergara, 443rd CA BN. “The Arta prefect requested the English Conversation Group program, so my team created a curriculum that we can leave here and they can follow.“
Die @bundeswehrInfo und #Africom wollen künftig zusammenarbeiten .. – erste Gespräche in #Stuttgart #Bundeswehr
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U.S. warns of new generation of global terrorists
The report identified a 43 percent increase in the number of terrorist attacks in 2013 from 2012, according to statistics provided by the National Consortium for the Study of terrorism and Responses to terrorism.
It counted 9,707 terrorist attacks around the world in 2013, resulting in more than 17,800 deaths and more than 32,500 injuries. Most of those occurred in Afghanistan, India, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia, Syria, Thailand and Yemen.
Circumstances unsuitable for election: Hezbollah
The Hezbollah official also said that the best way to elect a new president would be “by consensus.”
“The nature of the country and its sectarian system do not allow one group to choose a president … so the best way to elect a president is to reach an agreement,” he said.
“Agreements are usually reached outside the session or prior to the session to reach mutual conditions,” Qassem said.
Lebanese presidential vote delayed as deputies boycott vote
Lebanese politicians abandoned their second attempt to elect a new president on Wednesday after dozens of deputies boycotted a parliamentary vote to choose a successor to President Michel Suleiman.
Jeffrey Katzenberg: The New Pricing Model For Movies Will Be Based On The Viewer‘s Screen Size
It‘s been pretty well established that one barrier to movie studios making more money is the silly release windows they apply to their films. As such, you can be sure that many great thinkers and deft minds have been hard at work trying to figure out a new model that will produce just as much coin while nixing the release windows entirely. This article is not about one of those models.
No, this article is about a big bucket of crazy coming from Dreamworks‘ Jeffrey Katzenberg, who claims that the future business model will be to price out what you pay for a movie based on whatever the dimensions of the screen you‘re planning to watch it on. Seriously.
CHARLES-ERIC CHARRIER*21 echoes
EP „Silver“ (2011)
Experimedia EXP014
Water Tongue – Aaron Martin (Worried About The Fire)
Charles-Eric Charrier – Petite Soeur
Repetition, space and a sublime understanding of how instruments speak with each other are the key fundamentals in this album. Witness the patient guitar that opens ‚No Closed To Be‘, taking its own sweet time before first acoustic bass and then percussion fall into line behind. And the narcotic, late-night jazz of the title track with drums, piano and Fender Rhodes slurring around Charrier’s steady bass pulse….
Head of Pentagon intelligence agency forced out, officials say
Flynn was a key player in U.S. military efforts to dismantle insurgent networks in Iraq and Afghanistan, an approach that relied heavily on combining U.S. Special Operations forces with intelligence operatives and analysts. With McChrystal, Flynn helped to compress a cycle of carrying out raids and then exploiting the intelligence from the operation to find another target.