Daily Archives: 25. Juli 2017


25.07.2017 - 16:50 [ Techdirt ]

Senator Wyden Wants To Know How Many Times Americans Have Been Targeted By Executive Order 12333

Ever persistent, Wyden has returned with another set of questions [PDF] regarding NSA surveillance. This one pertains to the least-discussed surveillance authorization and the one almost everyone — including members of oversight committees — knows nearly nothing about: Executive Order 12333.

Like Section 702, there‘s a good probability intelligence gathered under this authority is being used by domestic agencies. Backdoor searches of NSA intel have been unofficial common knowledge for years now, so there‘s very little reason to believe the NSA‘s most mysterious authority doesn‘t have its own built-in peepholes for the FBI and other federal agencies.

25.07.2017 - 16:47 [ James Petras ]

Imperial Power Centers: Divisions, Indecisions and Civil War

In recent times, executive officials rule empires. They may be prime ministers, presidents, autocrats, dictators, generals or a combination of them. Imperial rulers largely ‘legislate’ and ‘execute’ strategic and tactical policies. In a crisis executive officials may be subject to review by competing legislators or judges, leading to impeachment (soft coup d’état. Normally, the executive centralizes and concentrates power, even as they may consult, evade or deceive key legislators and judicial official. At no point in time or place do the voters play any significant role.

25.07.2017 - 16:45 [ Techdirt ]

$89 Billion AT&T, Time Warner Merger Approval Looking Likely Despite Trump Pledge To Block Deal

Needless to say, consumer advocates and smaller competitors aren‘t too keen on AT&T‘s $89 billion plan to acquire Time Warner. They argue that AT&T‘s long history of unethical behavior, empty promises, and anti-competitive shenanigans make it extremely likely the company will use its greater size and leverage to ill effect. They worry that AT&T will make it harder for competitors to license content necessary to compete with AT&T‘s DirecTV Now streaming service, and arbitrary usage caps and other tricks like zero rating to similarly put competitors at a disadvantage.

Traditionally, these kinds of vertical integration deals aren‘t blocked because it‘s harder to clearly prove potential antitrust harm, even if AT&T has a thirty-year documented history of all manner of fraudulent behavior.

25.07.2017 - 16:38 [ heise.de ]

Filmkritik: Valerian – Die Stadt der tausend Planeten

Als „Valerian und Veronique“ erscheinen die Geschichten in Deutschland ab 1973 im Comic-Magazin „ZACK“, später auch als Alben im Carlsen-Verlag.

Besson ist mit „Valerian“ aufgewachsen. „Diese Comics waren meine einzige Flucht, ein Fenster ins All“, erzählt der Regisseur.

25.07.2017 - 16:34 [ phl.upr.edu ]

The Weird! Signal

Nine possible explanations for the Weird signal were given to the public in the survey: (1) stellar activity, (2) other astronomical source, (3) a satellite, (4) local interference, (5) instrumental glitch, (6) error in data acquisition, (7) error in data processing or calibration, (8) pattern in noise or (9) signal from aliens (a tenth possibility, “other explanation” was also included).

Nearly 800 people participated in this informal survey (including more than 60 astronomers); the consensus was that the most likely explanation was either (1) or (2), namely an astronomical phenomenon (see figure below).

(…)

After a careful analysis of the observations we performed last Sunday from the Arecibo Observatory, together with SETI Berkeley using the Green Bank Telescope and the SETI Institute’s Allen Telescope Array, we are now confident about the source of the Weird! Signal. The best explanation is that the signals are transmissions from one or more geostationary satellites. This explains why the signals were within the satellite’s frequencies and only appeared and persisted for Ross 128; this star is close to the celestial equator where many geostationary satellites are located.

25.07.2017 - 16:31 [ scinexx.de ]

Rätselhafte Signale von nahem Stern

„Wir stellten fest, dass wir einige sehr seltsame Signale im Zehnminuten-Spektrum von Ross 128 eingefangen hatten“, berichtet Abel Méndez vom Arecibo-Radioteleskop. Dieser Rote Zwerg liegt 10,89 Lichtjahre von der Erde entfernt.

Das Radioteleskop fing diese Radiosignale im Frequenzbereich von vier bis fünf Gigahertz auf, als es auf Ross 128 gerichtet war. „Die Signale bestanden aus Breitband-Pulsen, die nichtpolarisiert waren und sich quasi-periodisch wiederholten“, berichtet Méndez.

25.07.2017 - 14:33 [ Youtube ]

Idiocracy ..

Er zeigt eine Dystopie der Welt des Jahres 2505, in der eine geistig degenerierte Gesellschaft vor ihrem Ende steht.

25.07.2017 - 14:26 [ Radio Utopie ]

Live-Ticker und Einschätzung zur Situation in Tripolis und Libyen

(August 2011) Seit an Seit mit der Informationsindustrie heisst es nun bei den Hirnspendern der öffentlich-rechtlichen Fernsehanstalten über die blutgurgelnden Bürgerkriegs-Milizen (wem schon die Hamas, die EU und das Weisse Haus zusammen gratuliert…), diese würden innerhalb kürzester Zeit Parteien, eine Verfassung und eine echte Demokratie gründen. Heisst das, daß Oppositionsparteien bei erfolgreichem Regierungsdiebstahl (Wahlen) nicht die Hand abgehackt wird?

Resumee:

Offensichtlich gegen die Kämpfe in Libyen weiter. Weiter zwischen einem autoritärem Regime und genau den Militärmächten, die es erst aufgerüstet, mit diesem profitable Geschäfte gemacht und dann über eigene Verbündete im Staat angegriffen haben, um es zu stürzen. Auch das eine direkte Parallele zu Afghanistan und Irak.

Weitere werden folgen.

25.07.2017 - 14:12 [ diePresse.com ]

Macron bringt libysche Kontrahenten in Paris zusammen

Mit einem Spitzentreffen will Frankreichs Präsident Emmanuel Macron zu einer Krisenlösung im bürgerkriegserschütterten Libyen beitragen. Auf dem Schloss von La Celle Saint-Cloud vor den Toren von Paris werden am Dienstag (15 Uhr) der Ministerpräsident der international anerkannten Übergangsregierung, Fayez al-Serraj, und der Militärführer Khalifa Haftar erwartet.

25.07.2017 - 13:50 [ Hurriyet ]

Germany will be the one to pay the price if it imposes an embargo on Turkey: Erdoğan

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has strongly slammed Germany’s threats to impose economic sanctions on Turkey amid ongoing tension in ties, saying Germany will be the one to pay the price in the event that it imposes an embargo.

“You have to take into account a bigger price [that you have to pay] if you think you can frighten Turkey with your threats of embargo,” Erdoğan told ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmakers at a weekly meeting in parliament on July 25.

25.07.2017 - 12:08 [ Time ]

The Time for Negotiations With North Korea Is Now

North Korea is “The longest running failure in the history of American espionage.”
That’s the assessment of Donald P. Gregg, arguably, the man who knows more about North Korea than any living American.
Gregg, 89, is a retired State Department and CIA veteran, a North Asia specialist, and a recipient of the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal. He says the absence of direct dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea has to change. “We can’t deal with them if we don’t understand them, and we won’t understand them if we aren’t talking to each other,” he says.

25.07.2017 - 12:06 [ Huffington Post ]

North Korea Would Hold Talks if South Korea Supports Peace Treaty with US

Y, who served as a senior official in Liaoning provincial government situated on the China-North Korea border, said, „North Korea is not opposed to inter-Korean dialogue itself. It wouldn‘t want to talk for nothing.“ He said it‘s obvious that North Korea rejected the South‘s recent proposal for military talks. He claimed that the North Korea might accept the South‘s offer if the South shows a positive attitude toward signing of Pyongyang-Washington peace agreement, saying, „I recently met a senior official of the North Korean Embassy. He talked about a precondition to the talks. It was South Korea‘s acceptance and support for conclusion of Pyongyang-Washington peace treaty.“

25.07.2017 - 11:51 [ de.sputniknews.com ]

S-400-Deal: USA fordern Erklärung von Ankara – Erdogan kontert

Die Möglichkeit, dass die Türkei die S-400 kaufe, sei alarmierend, sagte der Vorsitzende des Vereinigten Generalstabs der US-Streitkräfte, Joseph Dunford, früher auf einem Sicherheitsforum in Aspen (US-Bundesstaat Colorado).

„Warum soll das alarmieren?“, meinte aber seinerseits der türkische Präsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

25.07.2017 - 11:47 [ Korea Broadcasting System ]

Russland lehnt von USA eingebrachten Resolutionsentwurf gegen Nordkorea ab

Die Resolution des UN-Sicherheitsrats sollte keine wirtschaftliche Abschnürung Nordkoreas bezwecken, hieß es.

Die USA hatten nach dem Test einer Interkontinentalrakete durch Nordkorea am 4. Juli einen Resolutionsentwurf für Sanktionen gegen das Land ausgearbeitet und den anderen Vetomächten vorgelegt. Laut Informationen werden unter anderem der Stopp von Öllieferungen an Nordkorea und das Verbot der Beschäftigung nordkoreanischer Arbeiter im Ausland gefordert.

25.07.2017 - 11:44 [ CNN ]

Why is China reinforcing its border with North Korea?

According to a report published last month on the official website of the People‘s Liberation Army (PLA), a „newly formed border defense brigade“ is conducting patrols to gather intelligence, assess the situation and more accurately map out the border.
Another report said the „whole area“ has newly been placed under „24-hour video surveillance“ including drones, patrol cars and high-tech cameras.

25.07.2017 - 11:30 [ Newsweek ]

North Korea Threatens to Strike U.S. With ‚Powerful Nuclear Hammer‘

The North Korean regime has responded to CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s comments on regime change in Pyongyang.

A foreign ministry spokesman was quoted in the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) threatening a nuclear strike to “the heart of the U.S.” should the American secret service attempt to remove Kim Jong Un from power.

25.07.2017 - 11:26 [ Business Insider ]

Hawaii just released a guide for how to survive a nuclear attack amid high tensions with North Korea

Hawaii‘s Emergency Management Agency released an ominous statement on how to survive and proceed in the event of a nuclear attack.

Citizens of Hawaii are advised to look out for emergency sirens, alerts, wireless notifications, or flashes of „brilliant white light“ that will indicate that a nuclear detonation is incoming or underway.