nous les 99%

Published on World Socialist Web Site WSWS, by Tom Carter, Dec 31, 2013.

US District Judge William H. Pauley’s ruling in the case of ACLU v. Clapper on December 27, which sanctions dragnet NSA surveillance of the telephone records of the entire country’s population, has immense significance for democratic rights.

Although it is written by a federal judge, it is not so much a legal opinion as it is a fascist-style polemic that advocates scrapping the US Constitution and implementing a police state. The fact that a federal judge makes such arguments is a significant indication of the extent to which a pro-dictatorship consensus has developed within the highest levels of the judicial system.   Continuer la lecture de « The pseudo-legal arguments for a police state »

Watch this video-interview with Glenn Greenwald, 53.27 min, published on Democracy Now, by Ami Goodman, Dec 30, 2013:

The German publication Der Spiegel has revealed new details about a secretive hacking unit inside the National Security Agency called the Office of Tailored Access Operations, or TAO. The unit was created in 1997 to hack into global communications traffic. Hackers inside the TAO have developed a way to break into computers running Microsoft Windows by gaining passive access to machines when users report program crashes to Microsoft.   Continuer la lecture de « The NSA Can Literally Watch Every Keystroke You Make »

Published on Spiegel Online International, by JACOB APPELBAUM, JUDITH HORCHERT, OLE REISSMANN, MARCEL ROSENBACH, JÖRG SCHINDLER AND CHRISTIAN STÖCKER, Dec 30, 2013 (Editor’s note: This is a sidebar to our main feature story on the NSA’s Tailored Access Operations unit. You can read the main text here).

The NSA has a secret unit that produces special equipment ranging from spyware for computers and cell phones to listening posts and USB sticks that work as bugging devices. Here are some excerpts from the intelligence agency’s own catalog.   Continuer la lecture de « NSA's Secret Toolbox: Unit Offers Spy Gadgets for Every Need »

Im Feuilleton der Frankfurter Allgemeinen, von KATRIN RÖNICKE, Hamburg, 30. Dezember 2013.

Wikileaks-Gründer Julian Assange ruft die Hacker-Gemeinde auf, in Geheimdienste und andere Organisationen zu gehen, Informationen zu sammeln und sie zu verraten. „Wir sind eine Klasse“ – wie die Industriearbeiter sie einst gewesen seien.  Continuer la lecture de « Chaos Communication Congress: Hacker aller Länder, vereinigt euch »

the 100th monkey/singe/Affe – story:

• Video: The Hundredth Monkey, 4.07 min,  uploaded by Lost8Wizard, April 16, 2009;
• Motivation: meine Suche nach dem 100. Affen, TV ab- und Herz & Verstand einschalten, 15.01 min, von weltenhuepfer am 10. Mai 2013 hochgeladen: Hundertster Affe auf de.wikipedia;
• L’histoire du 100ème singe ou l’espoir de l’humanité, 5.07 min, mise en ligne de Philippe Theillou, le 18 septembre 2011;  Continuer la lecture de « liens-links on my dashboard »

Democratic Left Front salutes the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa special national congress: Together, a new South Africa is possible – Published on Links.org, by the Democratic Front South Africa, Dec 23, 2013.

Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal – There is a spectre haunting the ruling class and government in South Africa: it is the radical anti-capitalist movement that the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa NUMSA has given birth to at its historic special national congress held last week. The Democratic Left Front DLF congratulates NUMSA for this congress that united metalworkers in spite of the sustained attempts to divide NUMSA … // Continuer la lecture de « Together, a new South Africa is possible »

Published on Spiegel Online International, by Alexander Kühn, December 27, 2013 (Photo Gallery).

A new generation of comedians with foreign roots are shining an irreverent light on the prejudices they encounter in Germany. But when it comes to the integration debate, do their brash, cliché-rife performances do more harm than good? … //

… A New Wave of Minority Comedy: … // Continuer la lecture de « What's So Funny About Racism? Germany's New Minority Comics, Part 1 »

Watch this video, 16.37 min, on TEDtalk, with John Hodgman, filmed Feb 2008, posted on Oct 2008.

Humorist John Hodgman rambles through a new story about aliens, physics, time, space and the way all of these somehow contribute to a sweet, perfect memory of falling in love. John Hodgman is a writer, humorist, geek celebrity, former professional literary agent and expert on all world knowledge. He was the bumbling PC in Apple’s long-running « I’m a Mac; I’m a PC » ad campaign … (full bio).   Continuer la lecture de « Aliens, love – where are they? »

The Movement of Mortgage Victims is one of Spain’s strongest movements. Carlos Delclós talks to PAH organizer Elvi Mármol about the key to their success – Published on Roarmag.orghttp://roarmag.org/2013/12/plataforma-afectados-hipoteca-spain/, by Carlos Delclós, December 20, 2013.

The story of Spain’s economic, social and political crisis is one about property, need and value. And at the heart of that story lies a question that is familiar to the point of cliché: what makes a house a home? It may sound trivial, but in a country where families are sleeping in the street, entire building blocks are devoid of residents, and housing remains out of reach for major swathes of the population (despite the ubiquity of “For Sale” signs in the urban landscape), it is a question that remains largely unanswered by policymakers.   Continuer la lecture de « Victims No Longer: Spain’s Anti-Eviction Movement »

Published on The Bullet, Socialist Project’s E-Bulletin No. 915, by Roger Annis, December 23, 2013.

The fossil fuel industry offensive in British Columbia and across Canada is proceeding relentlessly. This is a report from some of the key fronts of the fossil fuel wars.

Tar Sands: … //

… Natural Gas Fracking: … // Continuer la lecture de « The Fossil Fuel Wars in British Columbia and Canada »

Published on Intrepid Report, by Larry Pinkney, December 20, 2013:

When corporations and government become, in actuality, intertwined as one entity, the end result is fascism. This is the precise reality in the United States in this 21st century, and it has spread like a cancer throughout this nation … //

… Banksters are liars, manipulators, and international corporate gangsters:   Continuer la lecture de « Laying the foundation for blatant fascism in the U.S. »

Published on Global Research.ca, by Colin Todhunter, Dec 19, 2013.

Modern culture is an advocate of speed. From urban planning and transport systems, to the food industry and beyond, ‘fast living’ cuts deep and affects almost every aspect of life.

In terms of distances, things today are more spread out yet are more interconnected than in the past. This interconnectedness has had the effect of shrinking even the largest of distances and is ably assisted by digital communications technology and rapid transit systems. Airports and metro transport links are being extended or built, huge concrete flyovers cut through neighbourhoods and separate communities from one another and employment is being centralised in out of town business parks or city centre office blocks. Speed of communications and transport narrows the distances.   Continuer la lecture de « Globalization: The Fast Track To Nowhere »