America’s Black-Ops Blackout

… unraveling the secrets of the military’s secret military – Published on ZNet (first on TomDispatch), by Nick Turse, January 08, 2014.

“Dude, I don’t need to play these stupid games. I know what you’re trying to do.” With that, Major Matthew Robert Bockholt hung up on me. More than a month before, I had called U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) with a series of basic questions: In how many countries were U.S. Special Operations Forces deployed in 2013? Are manpower levels set to expand to 72,000 in 2014? Is SOCOM still aiming for growth rates of 3%-5% per year? How many training exercises did the command carry out in 2013? Basic stuff.  Continuer la lecture de « America’s Black-Ops Blackout »

NSA Insiders Reveal What Went Wrong

Published on truthout, by Former NSA Senior Executives and Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, Consortium News, an Open Letter, Jan 7, 2014.

In a memo to President Obama, former National Security Agency insiders explain how NSA leaders botched intelligence collection and analysis before 9/11, covered up the mistakes, and violated the constitutional rights of the American people, all while wasting billions of dollars and misleading the public: … (the memo) … //

… Introduction:   Continuer la lecture de « NSA Insiders Reveal What Went Wrong »

Labor Market: Does Germany Benefit from Balkan Immigrants?

Published on Spiegel Online International, by Andreas Ulrich, Jan 7, 2014. (Linked with the article: The Plight of the Roma: Part 1, Europe’s Unwanted People, Part 2, Birth Control For Gypsies, on Spiegel Online International, by Spiegel staff, January 07, 2014 … for all: Photo Gallery).

A debate over whether Germany profits from Romanian and Bulgarian immigrants has flared up since the EU opened its labor market to these workers. Statisticians are struggling to come up with conclusive evidence on either side of the argument … //

… Inconclusive Statistics:   Continuer la lecture de « Labor Market: Does Germany Benefit from Balkan Immigrants? »