Egypt holds Swiss teacher over ‘terrorist name’

"A Swiss primary school teacher from the canton of Bern who went to Egypt for a holiday is being held there on suspicion of being a terrorist because of his name. Rolf Künti, 29, went to the North African country with a colleague for a one-week holiday. But on the day of his planned return to Switzerland he was detained on Monday at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport where he was told by customs he was banned from leaving, according to Swiss media. 'They told me that my name was that of a terrorist if you translate it into Arabic,' Künti is quoted as saying by 20 Minuten, the online news site." Continue reading

Continue ReadingEgypt holds Swiss teacher over ‘terrorist name’

Sen. Rubio ‘open’ to cutting off all Muslim student visas

"Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Wednesday said that he was 'open' to considering the idea of halting all student visas from Muslim countries as a reaction to this month’s Boston Marathon bombings, even though the two men suspected of carrying out the Boston bombings emigrated from Russia as refugees. 'We need to be open to changes that provide more security,' Rubio replied. 'I don’t like profiling anybody or singling or generally leading, on the other hand student visas are something this country does because it’s in our national interest but you don’t have a right to a student visa.'" Continue reading

Continue ReadingSen. Rubio ‘open’ to cutting off all Muslim student visas

Williams-Sonoma Pulls Pressure Cookers From Store Shelves

"In what can only be described as a posthumous victory for raging asshole Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Williams-Sonoma, the (absolutely amazing) kitchen-stuff company, has pulled pressure cookers--which the Tsarnaevs built into bombs--from shelves in Massachusetts. Pressure cookers will still be available on the Williams-Sonoma website." Continue reading

Continue ReadingWilliams-Sonoma Pulls Pressure Cookers From Store Shelves

3D-Printed Weapons Builder Says He’s Ready to Print Entire Handgun

"For Cody Wilson, the world's most notorious 3D printing gunsmith, it all started with a simple question: 'Can you use a 3D printer to print a gun?' The answer to that question might come sooner than anybody expected, as Wilson says he will 3D-print an entire handgun in just a couple of weeks. The gun will be made of 12 parts, all printed in ABS+, a very sturdy type of thermoplastic. There might be, perhaps, just one small metal part — a firing pin. While Wilson and his team are still designing the weapon, it won't be a reproduction of an existing firearm, but instead a custom design." Continue reading

Continue Reading3D-Printed Weapons Builder Says He’s Ready to Print Entire Handgun

Shedding New Light On Basement Marijuana Technology

"I've known GGL for years, and I knew that even when it was illegal, he used marijuana for medical reasons. The whole grow-your-own was a new thing for him -- and me. Gardening is generally pretty low-tech. Growing plants in one's basement in order to maximize output while minimizing input is not, and it satisfies GGL's inner tech geek in ways that just cultivating plants would not. He gets the same way about brewing beer, about hunting for razor clams, and about re-engineering instruments for RockBand. GGL is a man after PopSci's geeky heart and brain if there ever was one." Continue reading

Continue ReadingShedding New Light On Basement Marijuana Technology

Government Against the People: It Gets Worse In the Late Stages

"It’s a simple but disturbing truth: A late-stage state’s modus operandi must always be 'government against the people' – one that is inherently predatory. And it’s not because the participants are all sociopaths (though many are). At most times, governments try very hard to skim quietly, as with payroll taxes, where the producer’s money is taken away before he or she ever holds it in their hands. That’s also why tariffs were a traditional tax – the average person never saw it, and didn’t feel violated. But when governments are massively over-extended, they lose the luxury of the quiet skim and become more aggressive." Continue reading

Continue ReadingGovernment Against the People: It Gets Worse In the Late Stages

Ebay: Tell your Members of Congress How New Internet Taxes Will Impact You

"An Internet Sales Tax bill could greatly reduce selection and competitive prices by putting new tax burdens on small businesses. The bills proposed require very small businesses that use the Internet to collect sales taxes from out-of-state customers, increasing their cost of doing business and reducing their ability to compete with giant retail chains. Very small businesses, often with only a handful of employees, could actually be threatened and sued by out-of-state tax collectors, even from states thousands of miles away. All of these new costs may not only harm small businesses that use the Internet, but could also harm shoppers like you by reducing competition and choice." Continue reading

Continue ReadingEbay: Tell your Members of Congress How New Internet Taxes Will Impact You

Prague sends aid package to Texas blast town in honor of shared Czech heritage

"Prague said Wednesday it will send thousands of dollars in funds to West, the small Texan town levelled last week by a factory explosion and whose residents are largely of Czech origin. The government has approved assistance of four million koruna (150,000 euros, $200,000), on the suggestion of Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg. Last week’s massive explosion at a fertiliser plant in the town of 2,800 residents killed at least 14 people, injured around 200 others and destroyed dozens of homes. Around three quarters of the town’s residents have Czech roots, making it one of the state’s main immigration hubs from the Central European country." Continue reading

Continue ReadingPrague sends aid package to Texas blast town in honor of shared Czech heritage

EU chief: Brits fighting alongside Syrian rebels pose ‘serious threat’ upon return

"Hundreds of young men from across Europe are fighting with rebel forces in Syria, the European Union’s security chief has warned. Britain has promised to step up its support for the rebels, hinting that it could be ready to send arms. But intelligence agencies have stepped up operations after a rise in the number of Europeans, notably from Britain, France and Ireland, joining fighters. Security bodies are tracking Brits and Belgians while the Netherlands has raised its terror threat to ‘substantial’ in part because of fears about citizens being radicalised in Syria. Mr de Kerchove, the EU’s counter-terrorism coordinator, said: ‘We are concerned, of course.’" Continue reading

Continue ReadingEU chief: Brits fighting alongside Syrian rebels pose ‘serious threat’ upon return