Silly/Odd News Stories from around the World

[Endless Soul]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

CHIKAN + NANPA FAIL : IT PMET from India molests intern several times

Wow, I thought that only happened in J-porn.

Endless "" Soul

[SaintessHeart]

Snowden leaks prompt 'insidious' claims about spies: UK lawmaker

(Reuters) - Supporters of former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden use "insidious" language that blurs lines between spying in democratic and authoritarian states, a senior British lawmaker said on Thursday.

Malcolm Rifkind, chairman of parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee which oversees the work of Britain's spy agencies, said their staff had "noble motivations" and no desire to be "all-seeing" or "all-hearing".

Britain's security agencies, like their U.S. counterparts, have faced great scrutiny since Snowden, a former contractor with the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), disclosed details of their work to newspapers.

Snowden caused an international uproar last June when he leaked documents revealing the extent of surveillance and electronic intelligence gathering by his former employers and by their British equivalent, GCHQ.

"Unfortunately, the insidious use of language such as 'mass surveillance' and 'Orwellian' by many of Mr. Snowden's supporters to describe the actions of Western agencies blurs, unforgivably, the distinction between a system that uses the state to protect the people, and one that uses the state to protect itself against the people," Rifkind said.

"It is ironic that Mr. Snowden, in the name of privacy and the rule of law, chose China and Russia from which to launch his attack on the United States," he said in a lecture at Oxford University.

"GREATER DEGREE OF INTRUSION"

In the wake of his leaks, Snowden fled the United States, where he faces espionage charges, and has since been granted temporary asylum in Russia.

Civil liberties groups, parts of the media and lawmakers from all parties have argued that Snowden's disclosures about the scale of government monitoring show it needs to be reined in and security agencies put under greater oversight.

But British spy chiefs say Snowden leaks have put operations at risk. Last week, a senior security official said data showed terrorists had substantially changed their methods of communication because of the leaks.

Rifkind has been a staunch supporter of the intelligence agencies since the Snowden disclosures were made. Last July, his committee cleared GCHQ of allegations its spies had circumvented the law by using data gathered by a clandestine U.S. program.

He said the communication over the internet meant there was likely "to be a considerably greater degree of intrusion into the privacy of the public by the security services", which left some anxious they were conducting general surveillance.

"Our agencies are not, and do not wish to be, 'all-seeing' nor 'all-hearing'. Their capabilities have been designed to pursue their lawful, narrowly defined objectives," said Rifkind.

"True public servants operate with noble motivations, lawful authority and (are) subject to rigorous oversight. That is how those who work for our intelligence agencies see themselves. That is how most of the public see them."

Wut?

I don't know about foreign and domestic intelligence works, however I do know that military intelligence is about seeing and knowing as much as one can about the battlespace, then sift through to find actionable intelligence, which is then filtered for action-worthy intelligence; if you have one squad of deep-penetration special ops team, would you use it to hit the lightly-guarded supply outpost or attempt to kill the commander in a heavily-guarded base?

[RRW]

Charles Krauthammer believes climate change is a mere superstition, just like the "rain dance of Native Americans."

Appearing Tuesday on Fox News' "Special Report," the conservative pundit rejected the consensus of between 97 and 98 percent of scientists who believe climate change is real and is fueled by human activity.

"It's always a result of what is ultimately what we're talking about here, human sin with pollution of carbon," Krauthammer said. "It's the oldest superstition around. It was in the Old Testament, it's in the rain dance of Native Americans -- if you sin, the skies will not cooperate."

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewir...e-superstition

[Cosmic Eagle]

A conservative calling the Old Testament superstition O___o

[SaintessHeart]

1. Think contrary of an oft-agreed fact.
2. Speak out loud on a news channel to generate attention.
3. ?????
4. PROFIT!

Japanese Arrested For Printing Gun
Reporting Courtesy Of Sankaku (NSFW)

The arrest of a man who printed several pistols has prompted the Japanese government to call for laws restricting 3D printers with uncharacteristic swiftness.

Kanagawa police recently arrested a 28-year-old university employee for illegally possessing firearms, after a raid on his home uncovered 5 “gun-like” objects, 2 of which were judged capable of firing lethal rounds – although no ammunition or the means to make any were uncovered.

He had made all the pieces using a 3D printer, having brought himself to police attention by helpfully uploading videos of his handiwork online.

He also made a variety of pronouncements online describing gun ownership as a basic human right:

3D printed firearms – widely espoused by a certain subset of gun crazed Americans – are still regarded as dangerously poor quality, but improvements in their design and 3D printing technology are likely to result in drastic improvements in their effectiveness.

The menacing prospect of Japanese other than police, soldiers, hunters and yakuza having access to firearms prompted the Japanese cabinet to call for new laws restricting the ownership of 3D printers, with the National Public Safety Commission’s chairman having this to say:

Police have pointed out that 3D printer sales in Japan are unregulated and even if sales were subject registration anyone could buy them through an intermediary, hampering efforts to pinpoint those behind the printing – much like the dangers conventional printers pose to the security of the currency, perhaps.

Gun control specialists in Japan have warned that 3D printing “threatens the basis of our domestic gun control” and say “restrictions must be considered” to prevent the profusion of printed firearms.

Online there has been as much alarm at the reaction of authorities as there has at news of the original arrest:

3D printing is not the only way to produce guns - note that in the 1940s, Sten gun knockoffs are made from metal pipes, bedsprings, couplings, bolts and drill bits. And that is a SMG, a fully automatic weapon.

I fail to see how banning 3D printers can stop home-made guns when the country scores high in Science and Maths. Maybe they should ban the Minister of Education instead.

[Anh_Minh]

It's not about possibility, it's about ease. Cost, if you will. (In terms of time and effort, more than actual monetary cost.)

[Patriot's Blade]

so happens to all those people who needs 3D printers for like business & science research
like making toy prototypes, movie props, experimental machine & robot parts?

[JokerD]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

It's not about possibility, it's about ease. Cost, if you will. (In terms of time and effort, more than actual monetary cost.)

Security expert builds fully operational GUN from items that can all be purchased in the airport terminal AFTER you go through security

It's not all that hard to make a projectile weapon. Humans are thinking creatures, if there's a will, there's a way.

And I've heard of prison inmates making lethal crossbows from just paper and the band of their underwear...

[Anh_Minh]

So, security experts and people with nothing else to do.

I'm not advocating the measure. I'm just saying, it's disingenuous to deny the 3D printing tech and the internet haven't made things much easier than they used to be. If you have to say "where there's a will, there's a way", you're already admitting it's more troublesome than downloading the blueprints and watching a tutorial video.

[SaintessHeart]

The ease of construction is often determined by will and resourcefulness. If someone wants to do it badly, they will find a way, 3D printer or not.

[Anh_Minh]

Yes, exactly. If.

People who are determined and resourceful don't need a 3D printer. But most people are neither. They're just bored and kinda curious.

[Mr Hat and Clogs]

So.. What about legitimate users of 3d printers. They get the shaft because of paranoid groups? I mean home users or hobbyists, not businesses as they would probably have some exemption.

[Kotohono]

Russia: Special Putin coins mark Crimea annexation

Commemorative coins bearing an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin are being minted at a Russian factory to mark the Kremlin's takeover of Crimea, it appears.

Putin's face is on one side of the 1kg (2.2lb) coin while the other shows a map of the Crimean Peninsula, Moscow daily Komsomolskaya Pravda reports. Factory director Vladimir Vasyuhin explains that by bringing the Crimean peninsula "back home", Putin had "demonstrated the qualities of a wise strategist and politician". In March, Russia formally took over control of Crimea from Ukraine, despite international sanctions.

The limited edition of 500 silver coins has been called The Gatherer of Russian Lands - a phrase traditionally associated with Ivan III - better known as Ivan the Great - who significantly expanded Russia's territories during his rule. The coins haven't been priced yet - some of them may be sold, although they won't be used as currency - and the factory says it is planning to present some of them to the Russian leadership.

This isn't the first time Putin has been featured on a coin, Russian website Snob.ru says. Ironically, in 2006 Ukraine launched a coin featuring the Russian president, marking 10 years of its national currency, the hryvnia. The coin was encrusted with precious stones and cost $500 (£300).

I just can't believe that this is a real thing happening .

[Ithekro]

Seems a bit egostistical. I can understand royalty getting their face on a coin, since that is traditional, but not in other countries.

Though it is a special event...if you want to look at it that way.

We don't even put living Presidents on coins even if they are part of a set about all the Presidents. They have to be died to get on our money. The current US Presidents Dollar coins will end after 2016 because Jimmy Carter is alive and everyone after Reagan is alive. Unless someone dies before 2017 that is (George H. W. Bush is getting up there, as is of course Jimmy Carter. Bill Clinton is supposedly having health issues as well).

[Haak]

I tried not to laugh.

[JokerD]

Game of Thrones author George RR Martin: 'Why I still use DOS'

Well, even if he connected to the internet, I don't think there's much malware which can infect it

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by JokerD

Game of Thrones author George RR Martin: 'Why I still use DOS'

Well, even if he connected to the internet, I don't think there's much malware which can infect it

Except for highly irritating

Abort, Retry, Fail? XDD

[Mr Hat and Clogs]

^ Suddenly the immense wait between books all makes sense.

He does know you can turn that stuff off right? Or just use notepad. -_-


US Military Confident it Could Stop a Real Life Godzilla Attack

I kinda giggled at this. He's shrugged off being hit in the face with an Asteroid which on average move faster and hit harder than any man made weapon, so I don't think any military could actually hurt him.

Besides, he'd totally be BFFs if people stopped trying throw things at him (except food).

[JokerD]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

Except for highly irritating

Abort, Retry, Fail? XDD

I wonder if he use floppy disks to transfer the text out...

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by JokerD

I wonder if he use floppy disks to transfer the text out...

Floppys are actually easy to use....