Monthly Archives: August 2013

Michael Scheuer: Obama, Rice, Kerry, McCain, and Graham intervening for more war

"Today there are only two parties in the United States: (a) the bipartisan and interventionist elite and their ideological, fifth-column, and globalist supporters and funders (AKA: The Tyranny), and (b) the rest of us who are taxed to death for the privilege of paying for, and seeing our children die in their unnecessary, intervention-caused wars. How can Americans change this reality? It seems clear that intervention cannot be stopped at the ballot box. On the issue of options, there are many to consider. But one can get off to no better start than to reread the works of John Dickinson, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine written in 1775 and 1776." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMichael Scheuer: Obama, Rice, Kerry, McCain, and Graham intervening for more war

Anti-government protest rallies thousands in Tunisia

"Tens of thousands of protesters marched peacefully in the Tunisian capital on Tuesday evening demanding the resignation of the Islamist-led coalition government as the political crisis in the north African country grew. Around 40,000 people took to the streets of Tunis, according to police, while opposition leaders put the protest figures between 100,000 and 200,000. They waved Tunisian flags and chanted slogans against the moderate Islamist movement Ennahda that heads a three-part government coalition. The protesters were largely middle-class Tunisians from the capital, according to the Sunday Times." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnti-government protest rallies thousands in Tunisia

Yemen: American Foreign Policy in Action

"Yemeni security forces have been put on high alert amid warnings of an imminent attack by al-Qaeda in Sana’a, as the US and Britain withdrew embassy staff and urged their citizens to leave the country. BBC Arabic quoted a Yemeni security source as saying 'extraordinary and unprecedented' security measures had been taken, with armoured vehicles deployed at the presidential palace and other sensitive government and foreign installations in Yemen’s capital. Dozens of al-Qaeda operatives were said to have streamed into Sana’a in the last few days, apparently to take part in a terrorist attack, the BBC said." Continue reading →

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India’s financial prophet Raghuram Rajan to run central bank

"Mr Rajan, a Chicago professor and former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, clashed openly with US Federal Reserve officials and top policymakers in 2005 over the risk that derivative contracts would amplify any financial crisis once the cycle turned. He said the US had created incentives for destructive behaviour, effectively pushing homeowners and banks into risky ventures. He was called a 'Luddite' by none other than Larry Summers, former US Treasury Secretary and now front-runner to take over as Fed chairman. The two men may soon be direct counterparts. Mr Rajan’s warnings were borne out by events." Continue reading →

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De Facto Hash Truce in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley

"The Lebanese government will not attempt to eradicate marijuana fields blooming across the country's Bekaa Valley, Beirut's Daily Star reported Friday. Sources said it was because of the fragile security situation in the area near the border with Syria and because the government had been unable to live up to pledges to provide financial compensation to farmers whose crops were destroyed last year. They are also up against Bekaa Valley marijuana farmers in no mood to see their livelihood messed with. 'In the absence of alternatives, we will break the hands and legs of anyone who dares destroy our crops,' one of the region's biggest growers said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDe Facto Hash Truce in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley

Diamond Jeweler Turns Alleged Smuggler as India Gold Prices Rise

"In January, jeweler Vihari Sheth was publicizing a ritzy new line of diamond-encrusted designs. Last week, she was arrested at Mumbai airport with nearly $400,000 of gold jewelry in her underwear and on her person. The 27-year-old has a store in Singapore and is married to a director of Mumbai-based Siyaram Silk Mills Ltd (SIYA), a suit maker that is a household name in the country. Her arrest offers a glimpse into how even the wealthy may be joining small jewelers and organized gangs to skirt new government taxes on bullion imports that have made gold about 9 percent more expensive in Indian stores." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDiamond Jeweler Turns Alleged Smuggler as India Gold Prices Rise

Gold replaces narcotics as the most valued smuggled item in India

"The Bombay Bullion Association has stated that the tighter import curbs by the government have resulted in a huge gap between supply and demand for the precious metal. This huge gap is being partly filled by the illegal traffickers who buy the gold overseas at a cheaper rate and sells it to domestic jewelers or bullion agents by evading tax. Revenue authorities seized gold worth Rs 598 million during April-June quarter this fiscal, an increase of nearly 365% in comparison with the same quarter last year. Smuggled gold pours into the country mainly from Dubai, Bangkok and Singapore." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGold replaces narcotics as the most valued smuggled item in India

Bitcoin upgrade aims for smoother e-commerce

"Payment requests will use digital certificates, the same kind of security technology indicated by a padlock in a web browser. Specifically, the payment requests will use X.509 certificates, which underpin SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), which encrypts data traffic between two parties. The communication between a customer and company will be performed over SSL and will not be part of the so-called 'blockchain,' the public ledger that shows bitcoin transactions, Andresen said. The payment protocol will not touch the core code that drives Bitcoin's network." Continue reading →

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Tor Urges Users To Leave Insecure Windows Operating System

"In a critical security advisory issued over the weekend, the Tor Project told its users that they should seriously consider migrating away from Microsoft’s Windows operating system and disabling JavaScript. The Tor Project security advisory was a response to revelations on Sunday that an attack had targeted users of the Tor Browser. According to the advisory, the attack exploited a Firefox JavaScript vulnerability that has already been resolved. The vulnerability is a cross-platform threat, but the exploit in this case was Windows-specific. Tor Browser Bundle users on Linux, OS X, and LiveCD systems like Tails were never at risk of exploit." Continue reading →

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On Life Remotely: An Interview with Jessica Mans

"Jessica Mans, one of the people who runs Life Remotely, which opened my eyes to just how, well … really cool this lifestyle can be, graciously took some time to talk about location independence with us. Life Remotely is a great resource for everything from planning your own extended trips to just living vicariously through the experiences of three people who got a taste of travel and living abroad and decided a taste wasn’t enough. They’ve just wrapped up an epic drive from Seattle to Patagonia (yup, you read that right) and have put out one of Amazon’s Best Books of 2013: Don’t Go There. It’s Not Safe. You’ll Die." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOn Life Remotely: An Interview with Jessica Mans