Daily Archives: 12. Mai 2014


12.05.2014 - 21:41 [ Waging Nonviolence ]

The anti-KXL movement may have found its anthem

Neil Young may have been the most famous musician at the recent Reject and Protect anti-Keystone XL protest in Washington, D.C. But the folk rock legend has yet to write a song about the pipeline he calls a “terrible idea” that will “do incredible damage to mother Earth.” And that may be just fine. After all, the fight to end fossil fuels is a fight for the future, and for the communities that are exploited by those industries. So, perhaps it’s fitting that the soundtrack to this struggle come not from a 68-year-old white folk singer, but rather a 24-year-old Lakota rapper.

12.05.2014 - 19:55 [ PressTV ]

Germany to disrupt Syria‘s presidential election

Meanwhile, the ministry expressed regret early on Monday about a decision by the French government to prevent Syrians living in France from participating in the presidential vote at the Syrian Embassy in the European country.

12.05.2014 - 19:26 [ German Foreign Policy ]

Entspanntes VerhÀltnis (III)

Umgekehrt steht der DGB-Bundesjugendausschuss mit seiner Kritik nicht allein. Die Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft (GEW) etwa verurteilt in ihrer Beschlussvorlage die „teils aggressive, teils verdeckte Werbung der Bundeswehr in der Öffentlichkeit und in Bildungseinrichtungen fĂŒr den Einsatz von Kriegswaffen und fĂŒr den Soldat/innenberuf“: „Die Aufgaben und Belastungen des Soldatenberufes sowie seine gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen werden gezielt verharmlost. Die Werbung fĂŒr Actioncamps und Abenteuerurlaube tĂ€uscht bewusst ĂŒber die RealitĂ€t des Tötens und Sterbens im Kriegseinsatz hinweg.“ Ganz Ă€hnlich Ă€ußert sich auch der DGB-Bezirksvorstand Nord in seinem Antrag an den DGB-Bundeskongress. Darin werden die Rekrutierungsmaßnahmen der deutschen StreitkrĂ€fte zudem als Teil des Umbaus der Truppe zur weltweit agierenden Interventions- und Besatzungsarmee analysiert: „Die Zusammenarbeit von Schule und Bundeswehr … ist sofort einzustellen. Die Bundeswehr ist seit Ende des Kalten Krieges keine Verteidigungsarmee mehr. Sie dient vielmehr der Durchsetzung außenpolitischer Ziele und der Sicherung wirtschaftlicher Interessen. DafĂŒr sterben seit einigen Jahren junge Menschen. Dies lehnen wir ab.“

12.05.2014 - 17:41 [ Umweltinsitut MĂŒnchen ]

Gentechnik und Freihandel im EuropÀischen Parlament

In öffentlichen Statements wollen alle Parteien und Abgeordneten die Umwelt erhalten, die Verbraucher und Verbraucherinnen schĂŒtzen und informierte Entscheidungen treffen lassen und auf eine gerechte Welt hinarbeiten. Im parlamentarischen Alltag hingegen werden gerade im europĂ€ischen Parlament, in dem es keine Koalitionen gibt, die eine Mehrheit organisieren mĂŒssen, Unterschiede erkennbar. In den folgenden Tabellen haben wir das Abstimmungsverhalten der deutschen Abgeordneten zu Entscheidungen, die im letzten Jahre in den Bereichen Gentechnik und Freihandel gefallen sind, zusammengestellt und bewertet.

12.05.2014 - 15:03 [ Fight For The Future ]

We‘re camping out day and night on the FCC‘s doorstep to defend net neutrality and keep the Internet free from discrimination and „slow lanes“

The FCC is proposing new rules that will be great for Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon, but terrible for the rest of us. This agency has been surrounded by corporate lobbyists for too long. Help us surround FCC headquarters with people who love the Internet and want to keep it open.

12.05.2014 - 14:41 [ Internet Association ]

Letter on the Future of Internet Governance

The Internet is one of the greatest engines for economic growth, freedom, and prosperity the world has ever known thanks in large part to its multistakeholder governance model. As we
shape what the Internet will become, one of our top priorities must be preserving this open, bottom-up system that ensures global citizens are able to access and take advantage of an ever-growing platform. Preserving a free Internet is essential to the preservation of political and economic liberty for global citizens. We do not believe inter-governmental bodies are the right way to govern the Internet. Instead, we should look for innovative solutions involving the breadth of the Internet community. A global Internet that is not constrained by geographic boundaries should not be governed solely through institutions defined by them.

12.05.2014 - 14:33 [ Verge ]

FCC chairman reportedly revises net neutrality proposal after public outcry

The Wall Street Journal reports that the head of the Federal Communications Commission, Tom Wheeler, is revising the commission‘s proposal to regulate broadband internet in response to enormous public outcry. The WSJ says the altered report will offer „assurances that the agency won‘t allow companies to segregate web traffic into fast and slow lanes,“ but may not appease the huge number of people who feel the FCC‘s plans will allow internet service providers to dictate consumer web usage.

12.05.2014 - 13:59 [ ABC News ]

‚This Week‘ Transcript: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Sen. Marco Rubio

RADDATZ: Should Russia be considered an enemy?

HAGEL: Well, you know, it‘s easy to categorize an enemy. We‘re not at war with Russia.

So do you find — do you define an enemy as being at war or not at war?

Obviously, we…

RADDATZ: Adversary?

HAGEL: — an adversary in Ukraine, sure. But — but I — I think that‘s a little simplistic to get into — to either enemy, friend, partner, so on.

12.05.2014 - 13:57 [ Washington Free Bacon ]

U.S. to Conduct Strategic Bomber Exercise

Stratcom said in its statement, in an apparent reference to the Russian war games, that “the timing of the exercise is unrelated to real-world events.” (..)
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Sunday declined to categorize Russia as an enemy, despite its aggression in Ukraine.

12.05.2014 - 13:47 [ Techdirt ]

Michael Hayden Gleefully Admits: We Kill People Based On Metadata

Since the very first Snowden leak a year ago, one of the more common refrains from defenders of the program is „but it‘s just metadata, not actual content, so what‘s the big deal?“ Beyond the fact that other programs do collect content, we‘ve pointed out time and time again that the „just metadata, don‘t worry“ argument only makes sense if you don‘t know what metadata reveals. Anyone with any knowledge of the subject knows that metadata reveals a ton of private info. Furthermore, we‘ve even pointed out that the NSA regularly uses „just metadata“ to pick targets for drone assassinations. As one person called it: „death by unreliable metadata.“

12.05.2014 - 13:46 [ Techdirt ]

As Government Officials Continue To Shed Trustworthiness, Journalists Continue Placing More Trust In Government Officials

Despite the current administration‘s track record on transparency (completely lousy from nearly every angle), there‘s little being done by the majority of the press to work around the roadblocks being set up by the government. While the administration has offered a few half-measures aimed at reining in the NSA in the wake of the leaks, the ODNI (Office of the Director of National Intelligence) has gone the other way, forbidding employees from speaking to the media about even unclassified information.

12.05.2014 - 12:44 [ Global Research ]

“Humanitarian Intervention” in Nigeria: Is the Boko Haram Insurgency Another CIA Covert Operation? Wikileaks

We have already been regaled with reports provided by the Wikileaks which identified the US embassy in Nigeria as a forward operating base for wide and far reaching acts of subversion against Nigeria which include but not limited to eavesdropping on Nigerian government communication, financial espionage on leading Nigerians, support and funding of subversive groups and insurgents, sponsoring of divisive propaganda among the disparate groups of Nigeria and the use of visa blackmail to induce and coerce high ranking Nigerians into acting in favour of US interests.

But beyond what we know from the Wikileaks report, what many Nigerians do not know is that the US embassy’s subversive activities in Nigeria fits into the long term US government’s well camouflaged policy of containment against Nigeria the ultimate goal of which is to eliminate Nigeria as a potential strategic rival to the US in the African continent.

12.05.2014 - 12:42 [ Wall Street Journal ]

Nigeria’s Incoming Central Banker Faces Growing Challenges

(05.05.) Recent moves by Nigeria’s legislature to make the governor of the central bank answerable to a politically appointed chairman might also spell trouble. Yvonne Mhango of Renaissance Capital, an emerging markets investment bank, says the issue is cause for concern. “When we first heard about it, it did raise questions about the independence of the central bank,” she said.

12.05.2014 - 12:40 [ Brookings ]

World Economic Forum on Africa: Stark Contrasts of Economic Growth and Security

(08.05.) The 24th World Economic Forum on Africa kicked off yesterday, May 7, in Abuja, Nigeria. More than 900 global leaders from the spheres of government, business, academia and civil society are attending the three-day gathering focusing on the theme Forging Inclusive Growth, Creating Jobs. (…)

This said, the series of recent attacks by Boko Haram have highlighted the array of security issues facing WEF host country Nigeria. While the U.S. prepares to deploy military, intelligence and law enforcement advisers to assist in finding the 270 teenage girls kidnapped last month, investors in Nigeria seem undeterred by the surge in violence. As Africa’s largest oil producer, largest economy and most populous nation, the long-term investment situation remains appealing despite these underlying tensions.