Friday 3 December 2010

Football's Coming Home!

Football WM 2018/2022


Host 2018: Russia (!)
Host 2022: Qatar (!!!)

sponsored by Gazprom & petrodollars
what a corrupt bunch of bastards!!

Thursday 2 December 2010

Assange loses Sweden appeal



HA!

The 10 failures of Nick Clegg on tuition fees

50 Greatest Merseyside Albums

We asked. And you voted. Over 2000 of you. Thank you. Liverpool.com presents our 50 Greatest Merseyside Albums of all time. As voted for by you... and with an introduction by Paul Du Noyer, author of Liverpool - Wondrous Place:
In a logical world we would see a chart topped by ten Beatle albums. With Atomic Kitten at Number 11. But this is not a logical world - this is Liverpool. So what we get, instead, is something much more interesting. Mere commercial success is not very important here. What Liverpool seems to like are its local mavericks and its lost legends. It definitely prefers acts who have stayed in the city. Those who were lured to that faraway nest of vipers, that London, are often forgotten. Something to ponder, all you young Wombats and Rascals...
"Still not enough room for acts lesser cities could only dream of..."
The trouble with Scousers, people tell me, is that you think you're God's gift to music. To which I reply: Well, let's look at the evidence, shall we? Here is a chart of fifty albums and there's still not enough room for acts that lesser cities could only dream of producing. A few omissions that spring to mind: Pete Burns' Dead Or Alive, Ian Broudie's Lightning Seeds, Billy Fury, Cilla Black, The Christians, the aforesaid Atomic Kitten, China Crisis, George Melly, The Scaffold, Space, A Flock Of Seagulls, It's Immaterial and Gerry & The Pacemakers.
"This is not a list of Easy Listening..."
More surprising than the overlooked oldies, though, are the missing modern acts. Where are The Wombats and The Rascals? And no Ladytron? Or Candi Payne? But as for what is here, few could really complain. Your Beatle choices follow the music critics' consensus, with Revolver riding high. Lennon's stark solo album, Plastic Ono Band, is a much hipper option than the more predictable Imagine, which does not feature. Macca's Band On The Run seems about right, and George's All Things Must Pass is definitely on the money. Elvis Costello's brooding Blood And Chocolate does well - this is not a list of Easy Listening. Pete Wylie of Wah!, Michael Head (Pale Fountains, Shack and The Strands), Edgar Jones (The Stairs and The Joneses), Ian McNabb (solo and Icicle Works) and Ian Prowse (Pele and Amsterdam) all show our loyalty to locally-based talent.
You see, Ringo? If only you'd come back to the Dingle you could have been a contender. But you're nowhere, man. Peace and Love...
1. The La's, The La's
(Go! Discs, 1990)
2. The Beatles, Revolver
(Parlophone, 1966)
3. Echo & The Bunnymen, Ocean Rain
(Korova, 1984)
4. Michael Head, The Magical World of the Strands
(Megaphone, 1998)
5. The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's ...
(Parlophone, 1967)
=5. The Coral, The Coral
(Deltasonic, 2002)
7. The Beatles, Abbey Road
(Parlophone, 1969)
8. Shack, Waterpistol
(Marina, 1995)
9. The Beatles, The Beatles (White Album)
(Parlophone, 1968)
10. Teardrop Explodes, Kilimanjaro
(Fontana, 1980)
11. Elvis Costello, Blood & Chocolate
(Demon, 1986)
12. Deaf School, 2nd Honeymoon
(Warner Bros, 1976)
13. Shack, HMS Fable
(London, 1999)
14. Amsterdam, Arm In Arm
(CIA/Universal, 2008)
=14. Ian McNabb, Merseybeast
(This Way Up, 1996)
16. Echo & The Bunnymen, Heaven Up Here
(Korova, 1981)
17. Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Welcome to the Pleasuredome
(ZTT/Island, 1984)
=17. Cast, All Change
(Polydor, 1995)
=17. Echo & The Bunnymen, Crocodiles
(Korova, 1980)
=17. The Stands, All Years Leaving
(Echo, 2004)
21. The Real People, What's On The Outside
(Columbia, 1996)
22. Pete Wylie & The Mighty WAH!, Songs of Strength & Heartbreak
(Castle/When!, 2000)
=22. The Zutons, Who Killed The Zutons?
(Deltasonic, 2004)
=22. The Coral, Magic & Medicine
(Deltasonic, 2003)
25. The Beatles, A Hard Day's Night
(Parlophone, 1964)
26. Pale Fountains, Pacific Street
(Virgin, 1984)
27. Pele, Fireworks
(Polydor, 1991)
28. Half Man Half Biscuit, Back in the DHSS
(Probe Plus, 1985)
29. Ian McNabb, Head Like A Rock
(This Way Up, 1994)
30. Gomez, Bring It On
(Hut, 1998)
31. The Icicle Works, The Small Price of A Bicycle
(Beggars Banquet, 1985)
32. John Lennon, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
(Apple/EMI, 1970)
=32. The Beatles, Please Please Me
(Parlophone, 1963)
=32. The Zutons, Tired of Hanging Around
(Deltasonic, 2006)
=32. The Coral, Roots & Echoes
(Deltasonic, 2007)
36. The Beatles, Let It Be
(Parlophone, 1970)
37. Shack, Here's Tom With the Weather
(North Country, 2003)
38. The Icicle Works, The Icicle Works
(Beggars Banquet, 1984)
39. Wings, Band on the Run
(Apple/EMI, 1973)
40. WAH!, Nah=Pooh! - The Art of Bluff
(Eternal/WEA, 1981)
41. OMD, Architecture & Morality
(Virgin, 1981)
42. Hot Club de Paris, Drop It 'til It Pops
(Moshi Moshi, 2006)
43. The Beatles, Help!
(Parlophone, 1965)
44. The Wild Swans, Bringing Home The Ashes
(Sire/Reprise, 1988)
45. The Stairs, Mexican R'n'B
(Go! Discs, 1992)
46. George Harrison, All Things Must Pass
(Apple/EMI, 1970)
47. The Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour
(Parlophone, 1967)
48. Elvis Costello, My Aim Is True
(Stiff, 1977)
49. The Farm, Spartacus
(Sire, 1991)
50. Edgar Jones & The Jones', Soothing Music for Stray Cats
(Viper, 2005)
(Thanx Stan!)

NME Top 75 Albums Of 2010

30 Klaxons – Surfing The Void
29 No Age – Everything In Between
28 New Young Pony Club – The Optimist
27 Best Coast – Crazy For You
26 Les Savy Fav – Root For Ruin
25 Avi Buffalo – Avi Buffalo
24 Vampire Weekend – Contra
23 Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
22 Swans – My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky
21 Janelle Monae – The ArchAndroid
20 Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
19 MGMT – Congratulations
18 Warpaint – The Fool
17 Factory Floor – Untitled
16 Grinderman – Grinderman 2
15 Yeasayer – Odd Blood
14 The Fall – Your Future, Our Clutter
13 Gayngs – Relayted
12 Caribou – Swim
11 The National – High Violet
10 The Drums – The Drums
09 Liars – Sisterworld
08 Salem – King Night
07 Zola Jesus – Stridulum II
06 Foals – Total Life Forever
05 Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
04 LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
03 Beach House – Teen Dream
02 Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
01 These New Puritans – Hidden

# 31 - 75 here

Homeland Security Admits That It's The Private Police Force Of The Entertainment Industry

Paraphilia # 10

Contains an interview with Michael Gira amongst many other goodies!

The State of The Music Industry & the Delegitimization of Artists

Part I: Music Purchases and Net Revenue For Artists Are Up, Gross Revenue for Labels is Down

Upcoming chapters:
Part II: The Impact of DMCA Streams and why they should be considered
Part III: How a skewed perspective delegitimizes artists
Part IV: The Growth Phase is Over? Improved Label Margins.
Part V: When Good Laws Turn Bad
Part VI: The Hills are alive…..

Did you hear? The success artists are having doesn't count. The music industry is over. Fewer albums are selling; revenue is down; the music being released is “crap”; everyone just steals music; the subscription services didn't take off; the RIAA is suing music fans; there are huge layoffs at the major labels; artists sell no music and make no money….it's a broken record.
The problem is, most of this is simply not true. Even worse, this perspective delegitimizes and hurts artists and the music industry. There is a lot “right” going on.
Based on what we have been hearing, most have no idea that music purchases are up over 50% from 2006 to 2009...
Continue reading.
Jeff Price @'tunecore'

Assange's Sweden case: The lawyers speak up

Noam Chomsky: WikiLeaks Cables Reveal "Profound Hatred for Democracy on the Part of Our Political Leadership"


HERE

Murun Buchstansangur


(Thanx Leisa!)

Julian Assange on 'conspiracies'

Sharing is NOT always caring...

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on WikiLeaks

First of all, I would say unlike the Pentagon Papers, one of the things that is important, I think, in all of these releases, whether it’s Afghanistan, Iraq or the releases this week, is the lack of any significant difference between what the U.S. government says publicly and what these things show privately, whereas the Pentagon Papers showed that many in the government were not only lying to the American people, they were lying to themselves.

But let me – let me just offer some perspective as somebody who’s been at this a long time. Every other government in the world knows the United States government leaks like a sieve, and it has for a long time. And I dragged this up the other day when I was looking at some of these prospective releases. And this is a quote from John Adams: “How can a government go on, publishing all of their negotiations with foreign nations, I know not. To me, it appears as dangerous and pernicious as it is novel.”

When we went to real congressional oversight of intelligence in the mid-’70s, there was a broad view that no other foreign intelligence service would ever share information with us again if we were going to share it all with the Congress. Those fears all proved unfounded.

Now, I’ve heard the impact of these releases on our foreign policy described as a meltdown, as a game-changer, and so on. I think – I think those descriptions are fairly significantly overwrought. The fact is, governments deal with the United States because it’s in their interest, not because they like us, not because they trust us, and not because they believe we can keep secrets.

Many governments – some governments deal with us because they fear us, some because they respect us, most because they need us. We are still essentially, as has been said before, the indispensable nation. So other nations will continue to deal with us. They will continue to work with us. We will continue to share sensitive information with one another. Is this embarrassing? Yes. Is it awkward? Yes. Consequences for U.S. foreign policy? I think fairly modest.

Full transcript
(Thanx Son#1!)

HA!

jeremy scahill jeremyscahill Shit. Amazon just canceled my order of 250,000 classified cables. Should have bought the Kindle version. #cablegate

WikiLeaks cables: Chechnya's ruler, a three-day wedding and a golden gun

The moral standards of WikiLeaks critics

Cartoon by Macleod

The bacteria in your gut can store more data than your hard drive

The bacteria in your gut can store more data than your hard drive
Bacteria have the potential to store a lot of data. One single gram of e.coli could theoretically hold something like a million gigabytes of information, while one gram of the stuff that your computer's hard drive is made of can store about four gigs, if you're lucky. The way that the data gets stored is basically the same, though: your hard drive stores data magnetically by converting them into zeros and ones, while bacteria store data chemically by converting them into nucleotides and making DNA.
The problem with storing DNA data in bacteria is that there's a physical limit to the amount of data that each DNA strand (and each bacterium) can hold. The solution, of course, is to chop your data up into lots of little pieces of DNA, and give each piece to a different individual bacterium. When you do this, you also have to give each piece an address of sorts, so that you'll know how to put all the random pieces back together the right way. This sounds like a pain to have to do, and it is, but it has the side effect of encrypting your data pretty well, since without the address key, there's no way to put all the DNA snippets back in the right order.
Once you've got your DNA-encoded data inside your bacteria, it doesn't bother them in the least. They'll just go about their happy little bacteria lives, oblivious to the fact that they're being hijacked as hard drives. And when they reproduce, they'll duplicate your data at the same time, providing a massive amount of redundancy.
So now that you've got a couple million bacteria wandering around with all of your data in their tummies, how do you actually get it back out again? It's not so hard, as long as you have a fancy next-generation high-throughput DNA sequencer. The poor e.coli who have been loyally storing your data for you get all squished up and run through a machine that can read their DNA, and it spits out a big long list of all of those individually addressed pieces. Put them back together, and there you go, it's your data.
Now, the important question: what, exactly, are the chances of this random DNA causing the e.coli to mutate into some superbacteria that will destroy all life as we know it? Apparently, pretty low. Not nonexistent, mind you, but it most likely won't happen.
Most likely.
Evan Ackerman @'Dvice'

WikiLeaks: Secrets shared with millions are not secret

Detail of Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall with Flag
Before WikiLeaks: Vietnam veterans' memorial wall, Washington. The Pentagon papers tracked the path to the ‘unwinnable war'. Photograph: James P Blair/ James P Blair/CORBIS Take it from a Pentagon papers hawk: it's OK to regret the WikiLeaks dump, and to deplore the dumpsters even as you defend, indeed admire, our democratic press and its freedom. It's been 40 years since the New York Times had to defend itself against government censors and threats of prosecution under the espionage acts for publishing a top-secret cache of Pentagon documents tracking the duplicitous path to an unwinnable war in Vietnam.
But that was another century. The leaker then, Daniel Ellsberg, was not breaching secrecy for its own sake, unlike the WikiLeakers of today; he was looking to defeat a specific government policy. Moreover, he was acutely conscious of the risks of disclosure and did not distribute documents betraying live diplomatic efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting. And it took him years to find a credible medium of distribution, which is now available at the push of a button. The government cried damage and suffered almost none; Ellsberg wanted to hasten peace and failed.
This week's dump of documents seems more likely to complicate America's diplomacy and may more surely damage some national interests. But damage is a two-sided coin. Secrecy can also hurt mightily and information is a volatile commodity: its effects are simply unpredictable. Disclosure may defeat a worthy policy but a secret may protect unworthy ends. Government should not be gratuitously hampered but its discomfort should never shield it from accountability.
The right standard for managing this uneasy balance was asserted in the Pentagon papers case by the late Justice Potter Stewart, when he wrote for the decisive centre of the US supreme court. He was sure the Pentagon papers' publication was not in the national interest, he said, but he could not find that it would "surely result in direct, immediate and irreparable harm to our Nation or its people". So despite repeated demands that we emulate Britain and criminalise the publication of official secrets, Stewart's tough test still governs the tense collaboration and competition between the American government and press.
Whatever any leaker's official culpability, the New York Times has prevailed in America's courts by proving that sophisticated reportage of foreign affairs routinely requires officials and reporters to traffic in classified secrets. The sad fact is that these technical breaches of security are essential to public understanding of current events and also to government's achievement of public support. So government has acquired the habit of classifying everything it does, thinks, plans or contemplates in the realm of foreign policy and must then break its vows and help to unravel those secrets to advance its purposes.
As Justice Stewart shrewdly observed, the checks and balances governing domestic politics are sadly absent in the realm of foreign affairs. Congress is easily browbeaten into patriotic silence when the war drums roll. Even our courts are thoughtlessly deferential to presidential prerogative when the national interest is invoked. That is why Stewart held that "the only effective restraint upon executive policy and power in the areas of national defense and international affairs may lie in an enlightened citizenry – in an informed and critical public opinion which alone can here protect the values of democratic government".
A wise government would therefore decide – for moral, political and practical reasons – to insist on avoiding secrecy for its own sake. "For when everything is classified, then nothing is classified, and the system becomes one to be disregarded by the cynical or the careless, and to be manipulated by those intent on self-protection or self-promotion ... Secrecy can best be preserved only when credibility is truly maintained."
And here we are at his predicted destination. Lead us secretly into one war too many, and see how we wallow in one or another disclosure too many.
Of course it will sting if some foreign leaders hesitate for a time before exchanging confidences with US officials. Diplomats may lose face, or even careers, for having written indiscreetly about their hosts. But there are few facts or observations in these leaks that a US official would not confide, without attribution, to a respected journalist.
As Dean Rusk, a former secretary of state, once told me, there was really little in his cables that he had not already read in the Times. It is hardly news that Pakistan's nuclear weapons are not securely held; or that Sunni Arabs dread a nuclear-armed Shiite regime and would gladly hold our coats while we fight Iran; or that China covets Iran's oil more than it fears North Korea's military sales. It is mainly the direct quotation or loose formulation of those confidential messages that risks some damage.
Mindful of such possible damage to foreign informants or intelligence methods, the papers given the WikiLeaks files censored certain passages and heeded some concerns of the US government. But facing a flood of documents on the internet, the papers had an obligation to publish well-digested accounts of the material. Information once lost to a government cannot be returned like stolen goods; by definition it informs those who receive it.
So the theft of secrets may be deplorable, and their massive concerted distribution may appear irresponsible. While the journalist in me recognises a clear duty to publish and be damned, the citizen in me also recognises a mess too far. I well know that no family, business or government can function without some genuine secrets. The trick is to focus on the genuine and to treat truly essential secrets accordingly.
Governments must finally acknowledge that secrets shared with millions of "cleared" officials, including lowly army clerks, are not secret. They must decide that the random rubber-stamping of millions of papers and computer files each year does not a security system make. What common sense has so far failed to teach, technology will surely now command. Chase away the WikiLeaks enterprise and another web-savvy crowd will reopen for business within hours. The threat of massive leaks will persist so long as there are massive secrets. An ambassador needing to protect a confidence needs to limit his audience to a few superiors. A diplomat looking to educate the government at large needs to hide his authorship of widely circulated reportage.
It is up to government, not the press, to guard its secrets as long as it can, and to adjust to a new reality when it fails. It is the duty of the press to publish what it learns, and to find news where it can when it is denied.
Max Frankel @'The Guardian'

WikiLeaks cables condemn Russia as 'mafia state'

WikiLeaks website pulled by Amazon after US political pressure

Moritz Von Oswald Trio meet Mala on new single


Everyone likes a shock collaboration, right?
Just uploaded to the Honest Jon’s (recently crowned one of our 10 best labels of the year) website, audio of a new single by the Moritz Von Oswald trio – the three-piece of nsi’s Max Loderbauer, Vladislav Delay (aka Luomo) and Moritz Von Oswald of Rhythm & Sound and Basic Channel fame.
Interesting news in itself, given the musicians involved and the quality of the two albums they’ve released in the last year and a half, Vertical Ascent and Live in New York, but given more spice by the addition of a certain Mala – yes, Mala of dubstep legends Digital Mystikz – who contributes a remix, or rather a “rebuild” to the single’s B-side, with “synths and other additions”.
You can stream clips of both sides, and check the artwork, by Will ‘Trilogy Tapes’ Bankhead, below.

Stream: Moritz Von Oswald Trio – Restructure 2
Stream: Moritz Von Oswald Trio – Restructure 2 (Mala rebuild)

Is Julian Assange Guilty of Espionage?

Johann Hari: Tasers are an outrage we must resist

Naomi Klein NaomiAKlein where was this concern about privacy when climate scientists' emails were being stolen? And Bush was illegally wiretapping? #wikileaks

Freedom

Anderson Cooper humiliates a willfully ignorant Texas birther


Lawyer slams 'persecution' as Interpol hunts WikiLeaks chief

The lawyer of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Wednesday his client was being persecuted for publishing embarrassing US diplomatic cables as Interpol called for his arrest over rape accusations.
As Washington tried to calm new outbursts of anger from world leaders over the leaks, France-based Interpol said it had alerted all member states to arrest Julian Assange, who is wanted in Sweden on allegations of sex crimes.
Assange's mother said she did not want her son "hunted down", while his lawyer in London suggested the alert issued by the global police body could be linked to the "bellicose" US reactions over the dumping of the documents.
"This is a persecution and not a prosecution," his attorney Mark Stephens said, without revealing the whereabouts of the elusive 39-year-old Australian.
In Islamabad, Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called in the US ambassador for talks as WikiLeaks' drip-feed of 250,000 US cables sent fresh shockwaves around the diplomatic community.
Suggestions by US diplomats that Pakistan's nuclear weapons could fall into terrorist hands "are misplaced and doubtless fall in the realm of condescension," foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit told AFP in Islamabad.
The anger stems from a 2009 cable in which then US ambassador Anne Patterson spoke of concerns that someone working in government nuclear facilities "could gradually smuggle enough material out to eventually make a weapon".
A 2008 cable reportedly warned: "Pakistan is producing nuclear weapons at a faster rate than any other country in the world."
The cables cited serious British concerns and also quoted the Russians as saying that there was "no way to guarantee" that the 120,000-130,000 people directly involved in Pakistan's nuclear programmes are all reliable.
They also said Pakistan's army chief had mused about forcing out President Asif Ali Zardari; laid bare US frustration at Islamabad's refusal to cut ties with extremists; and showed support among Pakistani cabinet ministers for US drone strikes.
Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin fired back after cables released by WikiLeaks described US Defense Secretary Robert Gates as saying that Russian democracy was in retreat.
Putin said Gates was "deeply misled" and warned Washington not to interfere in Russia's internal politics, according to the transcript of an interview with CNN.
In Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was furious at suggestions by US diplomats that he had secret accounts in Swiss banks and was involved in fraud, suggesting the cable's authors could face prosecution.
"I do not have one penny in Swiss banks," Erdogan said.
Argentina, meanwhile, said US cables that questioned President Cristina Kirchner's mental health were "shameful."
In Washington, the White House stood by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, saying Assange's calls for her to resign in the wake of the WikiLeaks release were "ridiculous."
Assange told Time magazine that Clinton should quit if she is found to have ordered US diplomats to spy on UN officials in violation of international agreements.
Gates separately tried to play down the mass leak, telling reporters that the consequences for US foreign policy were "fairly modest."
But Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice presidential candidate, called for Washington to treat WikiLeaks like a terrorist organisation by freezing the assets of people working for it.
The hunt for Assange sparked by Interpol's "red notice" request would likely focus on Sweden and Britain, where the former hacker spends much of his time.
Swedish prosecutors issued a warrant for Assange on November 18 citing "probable cause of suspected rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion." He has failed in one bid to get it thrown out but a second appeal is pending.
Assange is said to rarely sleep in the same place twice. Ecuador's left-leaning government initially offered Assange residency, but President Rafael Correa backtracked Tuesday.
Christine Assange told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that she was feeling "as any mother would be, very distressed" that authorities were looking for her son.
"He's my son and I love him and obviously I don't want him hunted down and jailed," she said from her home in Queensland.
Danny Kemp @'SMH'

WTF???

WikiLeaks: guilty parties 'should face death penalty'

GB2010 (continued...)

In order to form a more perfect union


On this day in 1862, Abraham Lincoln gave a State of the Union Address to a divided congress where he summarized, "We can succeed only by concert. It is not "Can any of us imagine better?" but "Can we all do better?" Object whatsoever is possible, still the question recurs, "Can we do better?" The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country."
Ultimately, this country found a way out of a bloody war and freed the slaves. We now find ourselves at war, and we are a country of citizens enslaved by debt. In the words of George Santayana, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Maids Being Tortured in Saudi Arabia


Though it’s no secret that life is often brutally difficult for maids working in Saudi Arabia, a new wave of atrocities has stirred outrage in the victims’ home countries and has trained a spotlight on Saudi Arabia’s failure to protect foreign workers.
Saudi Couple Hammers Nails Into Sri Lankan Housemaid
In August, a 49-year-old Sri Lankan woman, Lahadapurage Daneris Ariyawathie, returned to her home after working as a housemaid in Saudi Arabia. When she arrived, her children immediately realized she was in terrible pain and took her to a doctor. She told him the couple she worked for had hammered hot nails and pins into her hands, legs, and forehead when she told them she needed to rest. X-rays showed 24 nails embedded in her body.
After the case was publicized and Sri Lankan government officials demanded the Saudi government take action, CNN reported a Saudi couple had been arrested for the torture. The government also reportedly considered suspending the recruitment of Sri Lankan maids, though they denied there was any connection to this case. However, while the government seemed to be making concessions, the head of Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Workers’ Committee of the Saudi Chamber of Commerce told Arabic-language news organization Al Arabiya that Ariyawathie’s allegations were “absolutely baseless and illogical.” He did not -- presumably he could not -- explain why there very clearly were pins and nails in her body.
Doctors have removed most of the nails and metal fragments, and plan to operate to remove the rest of the nails at a future time.
Indonesian Maid Subjected To “Extraordinary Torture”
Indonesian authorities say twenty-three year old Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa, an Indonesian woman working as a maid in Saudi Arabia, was tortured by her employers. They allegedly burned her with an iron, beat her severely, and cut her face and lips with scissors. (She will require extensive plastic surgery, and not just for cosmetic reasons -- in the pictures accompanying the linked articles, you can see that pieces of her face have actually been cut away.) On November 6th when she was admitted to a hospital in Medina, where she is currently recovering, a doctor who treated her said she was "wounded from head to toe." Another hospital worker told the Saudi Gazette that Sumiata's body bore the marks of numerous old wounds, and her bloodwork showed she may have suffered malnutrition or serious blood loss.
Indonesian authorities, including the president, have called for justice, but so far there has been no news of arrests.
Indonesian Maid Murdered
According to Indonesia’s minister of labor, via BBC News, when Kikim Komalasari’s body was found on November 11th her neck was slashed and she had severe cuts all over her body. The 36-year-old Indonesian woman worked as a maid in Saudi Arabia. Her employer allegedly murdered her and dumped her body on a roadside.
Indonesia’s president said the killing was “beyond inhumane” but that the Saudi government was taking action and he was “hopeful the perpetrators will be punished according to law.”...
 Continue reading
Laura Smith-Gary @'Care2'

Wednesday 1 December 2010

NB:

Blake Hounshell blakehounshell Note on Julian Assange and Interpol: There is no such thing as a "global arrest warrant"

Greenpeace Sues Chemical and PR Firms for "Unlawful" Spying

More than two years ago, Mother Jones exposed a private security firm run by former Secret Service agents that had spied on an array of environmental groups on behalf of corporate clients, in some cases infiltrating unsuspecting organizations with operatives posing as activists. Now, one of the targets of this corporate espionage is fighting back.
On Monday, Greenpeace filed suit in federal district court in Washington, DC, against the Dow Chemical Company and Sasol North America, charging that the two multinational chemical manufacturers sought to thwart its environmental campaigns against genetically engineered foods and chemical pollution through elaborate undercover operations. Also named in the suit are Dezenhall Resources and Ketchum, public relations firms hired by Sasol and Dow respectively, and four ex-employees of that now-defunct security firm, Beckett Brown International (BBI).
The suit charges that between 1998 and 2000 the chemical companies, the PR firms, and BBI "conspired to and did surveil, infiltrate and steal confidential information from Greenpeace with the intention of preempting, blunting or thwarting its environmental campaigns. These unlawful activities included trespassing on the property of Greenpeace, infiltrating its offices, meetings and electronic communications under false pretenses and/or by force, and by these means, stealing confidential documents, data and trade secrets from Greenpeace." Greenpeace is seeking an injunction against further trespass and thefts of trade secrets, as well as compensatory and punitive damages...
Continue reading
James Ridgeway and Daniel Schulman @'Mother Jones'

Jeff Mills as The Wizard – Seven Rare WJLB Detroit Radio-Tapes 1986 – 1989


In the 1980s, Mills was an influential radio DJ on WJLB under the pseudonym “The Wizard.” Mills’ sets were a highlight of the nightly show from “The Electrifying Mojo”, Jennifer Owens. Complementing Mojo’s eclectic playlists, Mills would do advanced DJ tricks like beat juggling and scratching while mixing obscure Detroit Techno, Miami Bass, Chicago House and classic New Wave tracks both live and using a multi track when pre-recorded.
In going on to create his own music Jeff Mills is credited with laying the foundations for the highly influential Detroit Techno collective, Underground Resistance, alongside ‘Mad’ Mike Banks, a former Parliament bass player. Just like Public Enemy did some years before in hip hop, these men confronted the mainstream music industry with revolutionary rhetoric. Dressed in uniforms with skimasks and black combat suits, they were ‘men on a mission’, aiming at giving techno more content and meaning.










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