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Old 2010-11-29, 20:37   Link #10161
Xellos-_^
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flying ^ View Post
this latest round of leaks actually kinda blows up in the face of ASSange.
it is widely believed he released these latest documents to try and prevent what he thinks is an impending military action against iran by the US by showing how the US is being driven by the israelis to act. the leaks instead show that the a-rab countries are the ones that are by far the largest group trying to get the US to take immediate action and are more threatened by the prospect of a nuclear armed iran and forcing a nuclear arms race than the israelis are. the leaks hav also showed that iran has no intent on negotiating. if anything, these leaks give more incentive to support military action to stop iran from getting nuclear weapons and that the a-rabs (except lebenon and syria) would support the US 100%, heck they'd even let israel fly through their airspace if israelis were going to bomb the nuclear facilities.
they won't give permission but will protest in the strongest term after israel finish bombing iran and after the celebration.
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Old 2010-11-29, 21:56   Link #10162
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Irwin Kershner dead

Irvin Kershner, filmmaker of 'Empire Strikes Back,' dead at 87
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Old 2010-11-29, 22:32   Link #10163
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This just in from Julian Assange's birthplace, Queensland, Australia:


Quote:
Next WikiLeaks could 'take down a bank or two'

November 30, 2010 - 12:08PM

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has claimed a fresh "megaleak" will target a major US bank "early next year", according to an interview published on Monday.


Speaking to Forbes magazine, Assange said that he was ready to unleash tens of thousands of documents that could "take down a bank or two".


Comparing the documents to the emails that exposed Enron's dealings amid its collapse, the controversial Australian said an existing "big US bank" was the subject of a pending data dump.


Asked about any future leaks, he said: "Yes. We have one related to a bank coming up, that's a megaleak. It's not as big a scale as the Iraq material, but it's either tens or hundreds of thousands of documents depending on how you define it."




The interview was conducted early this month, before Sunday's publication of about a quarter of a million leaked United States embassy cables from WikiLeaks that have caused consternation in Washington and capitals around the world.




Assange said the bank leak would "give a true and representative insight into how banks behave at the executive level in a way that will stimulate investigations and reforms, I presume.




"Usually when you get leaks at this level, it's about one particular case or one particular violation."




Amid the economic crisis a handful of "too big to fail" US banks have come under scrutiny for their dealings, particularly with mortgaged-backed securities that helped fuel the meltdown.




Executives from Goldman Sachs and the now-defunct Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns have been hauled before Congress to explain their banks' actions.




Assange mentioned Goldman Sachs by name in the interview, but did not confirm the Wall Street giant would be the target of the leak.
Goldman has recently agreed a $US550 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to settle fraud charges.




Facing allegations of defrauding investors, the investment bank admitted it had made a "mistake" and given "incomplete" information to clients.


Assange said that "about 50 per cent" of the documents that the nonprofit organisation holds relate to the corporate world.
From the brisbanetimes.com site, via AFP
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Old 2010-11-29, 22:41   Link #10164
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manning needs to be tried, convict and execute by a military firing squad for treason.
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Old 2010-11-30, 00:27   Link #10165
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Xellos-_^ View Post
manning needs to be tried, convict and execute by a military firing squad for treason.
If we had any brass he would be. That remains to be seen if it will happen though.
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Old 2010-11-30, 00:32   Link #10166
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Quote:
Originally Posted by justinstrife View Post
If we had any brass he would be. That remains to be seen if it will happen though.
Manning, yes. Assange? HELL YES!
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Old 2010-11-30, 00:34   Link #10167
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Noctis Lucis View Post
Manning, yes. Assange? HELL YES!
Can't convict assange of treason since he is not a US citizen.
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Old 2010-11-30, 00:35   Link #10168
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Xellos-_^ View Post
Can't convict assange of treason since he is not a US citizen.
Back in Australia, the Federal Police are on it. Likely to be charged with cybercrime.

Australian Federal Police to investigate WikiLeaks


Quote:

CANBERRA has refused to offer a safe haven to WikiLeaks' Australian founder Julian Assange after the website began releasing 251,287 confidential US State Department documents.

And Australian Federal Police are investigating whether the leaking of hundreds of thousands of US diplomatic cables broke Australian law.

Attorney-General Robert McClelland said yesterday the Australian Federal Police is examining whether revealing 250,000 confidential diplomatic cables could be criminal.

"From Australia's point of view we think there are potentially a number of criminal laws that could have been breached," Mr McClelland said.

"The Australian Federal Police are looking at that."

A defence taskforce which had been monitoring Wikileaks would become a "whole-of-government taskforce", Mr McClelland said.

...

Although the taskforce recently reported Australian interests had not been damaged, Defence Minister Stephen Smith warned that this time things could be different.

"The early indicators were that we were hopeful no great or any damage had been done," he told Sky News.

"But in the case of these cables it's a much wider remit."

Mr McClelland stopped short of saying the government was considering cancelling Mr Assange's passport but did not rule it out.

...




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Old 2010-11-30, 01:00   Link #10169
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I see what's wrong in exposing confidential information that might endanger lives, but how is exposing a bank's shady deals 'going too far'?
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Old 2010-11-30, 01:12   Link #10170
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Wikileaks release 'shows China thinking on Korea'

So China doesn't mind if the North collapsed and the South took over.
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Old 2010-11-30, 02:14   Link #10171
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MrTerrorist View Post
Wikileaks release 'shows China thinking on Korea'

So China doesn't mind if the North collapsed and the South took over.
That is half the story, or so to say, a general paradigm of the member of the CCP.

Anyway :

Korean Ex-Defense Minister Says Crisis "Isn't StarCraft"

Quote:
When discussing the last week's crisis on the Korean peninsula, the former South Korean Defense Minister chose a rather interesting metaphor to illustrate the gravity of the situation.

Last Tuesday, tensions on the already-tense Korean peninsula reached a near boiling point when North Korea shelled an island on the South Korean side of things, killing two soldiers and two civilians. 13 minutes later, South Korea reportedly fired multiple test shots in response, though claimed that none of them actually fell in North Korean territory.

When a Korean politician asked then-Defense Minister Kim Tae-young - who later resigned over the handling of the conflict - why the South Korean response had been delayed by 13 minutes and had been (relatively) restrained, Kim gave an answer that might sound odd to non-gamers: "This isn't StarCraft."

The remarks were hardly a joke designed to defuse tension - Kim was indeed making a point. In StarCraft, letting an attack go unanswered for 13 minutes is a game-ending mistake. If you don't counterattack swiftly, your base will be overrun with swarming Zerg or marauding Terrans. In real life, though, a forceful retaliation on the part of Kim might have ignited a real-world bloodbath in which thousands could have lost their lives. This wasn't a game; this was a very real situation.

If it sounds strange to hear such a prominent figure compare a deadly real-life scenario to a videogame, consider StarCraft's prominence in Korea as a sport. Is it really so odd to imagine the US President or UK Prime Minister (or leader of your country of choice) answering a question with "this isn't football/baseball/basketball/etc.?" It may still be an odd comparison, but it's not quite so far-fetched.
Thanks to Lowegear for the heads-up.
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Old 2010-11-30, 03:21   Link #10172
Jinto
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flying ^ View Post
this latest round of leaks actually kinda blows up in the face of ASSange.
Who brainwashed you into thinking that you have any clue about Julian Assange's motives? When you stop listening to propaganda, you might realize some day, what a pitiful tool you have been, when you listened to every crap and let your feelings (pride/hate) be manipulated so easily.
What is said in the released cables is hardly a surprise or anything unbelievable. It resembles reality more then american news does, albeit heavily colored with a U.S. POV on the matter (some of the cables are a little too ambitious , just because someone thinks he/she knows everything about someone else doesn't mean he/she actually does.)
But thats beside the point, if your rated break point in regards to free speech and free press is that low, than be careful what you wish for, you might wake up in a dictatorship one day being victimized (which might be a mind changing experience, albeit a little too late). Besides, if secrets are dangerous and leaked, its better to know about the weak spot then have it dormant until it is misused for an attack.
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Old 2010-11-30, 03:54   Link #10173
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frenchie View Post
I see what's wrong in exposing confidential information that might endanger lives, but how is exposing a bank's shady deals 'going too far'?
Same can be said about a government talking sh** behind other people's backs. And I really don't see how Assange can be convicted for cybercrime either. If they have evidence that he's been hacking into security systems to get these files then that's a good reason but I wonder if they do. If there's no evidence for cybercrime then they can't really do anything. On top of that, Australia even admitted his leak didn't compromise their interests so they can't fault him for anything. Either way, Assange is practicing the very right the US claims to promote: free speech. Also, he's giving people the right of knowledge because as I said, people should be allowed to know the truth and he's giving it to them.
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Old 2010-11-30, 04:14   Link #10174
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U.S. presses China again over jailed geologist
http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNew...6AT0I320101130
A real case or a commercial move ?
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Old 2010-11-30, 04:18   Link #10175
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ganbaru View Post
U.S. presses China again over jailed geologist
http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNew...6AT0I320101130
A real case or a commercial move ?
Most likely a commercial move to give the US a competitive advantage. Most firms care more about their reputation over others, and this is an edge they'd like to have against China.

Whichever the case, tho, I would like to see if they would still want Assange arrested since what he's doing is not so much different from the geologist here by revealing secrets and confidential information. The US are arguing a lack of transparency against China. It wouldn't make sense that they go and do the same thing China is to Assange in light of this.
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Old 2010-11-30, 04:22   Link #10176
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tsuyoshi View Post
Same can be said about a government talking sh** behind other people's backs. And I really don't see how Assange can be convicted for cybercrime either. If they have evidence that he's been hacking into security systems to get these files then that's a good reason but I wonder if they do. If there's no evidence for cybercrime then they can't really do anything. On top of that, Australia even admitted his leak didn't compromise their interests so they can't fault him for anything. Either way, Assange is practicing the very right the US claims to promote: free speech. Also, he's giving people the right of knowledge because as I said, people should be allowed to know the truth and he's giving it to them.

thats a very idealistic view.
unfortunately, the world doesn't run on idealism.
Assange and his website may technically be legal, but lts not fool ourselves that this is done in service of "free speech" or the stupid idea that "people have a right to know".
he's doing it do cause as much damage as possible to the US.

if the documents had exposed any real WRONGDOING on the part of the US government, we might have a point to discuss the value of the leak.
in practice, all it does is embarrass the US and strain international relations, by making it harder for potential allies to speak their mind openly when dealing with the US about sensitive matters.
for example, if in the past, arab leaders were able to say in private what they can't say in public, then now they will think 10 times before saying anything even in private.
you don't tell your secrets to someone if you believe that there is a good chance that those secrets would be made public knowledge a year from now.

this leak is meant to damage US relations with anyone they have to HAVE a relationship with.
thats it.
it serves no other purpose, and was done for no other purpose.
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Old 2010-11-30, 04:36   Link #10177
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bladeofdarkness View Post
thats a very idealistic view.
unfortunately, the world doesn't run on idealism.
Assange and his website may technically be legal, but lts not fool ourselves that this is done in service of "free speech" or the stupid idea that "people have a right to know".
he's doing it do cause as much damage as possible to the US.

if the documents had exposed any real WRONGDOING on the part of the US government, we might have a point to discuss the value of the leak.
in practice, all it does is embarrass the US and strain international relations, by making it harder for potential allies to speak their mind openly when dealing with the US about sensitive matters.
for example, if in the past, arab leaders were able to say in private what they can't say in public, then now they will think 10 times before saying anything even in private.
you don't tell your secrets to someone if you believe that there is a good chance that those secrets would be made public knowledge a year from now.

this leak is meant to damage US relations with anyone they have to HAVE a relationship with.
thats it.
it serves no other purpose, and was done for no other purpose.
That's what it might look like to a US citizen who lives in the US. Revealing the documents, which are of confidential nature, will damage international relations. It's a given that if someone reveals to someone else that you've been talking sh** behind their back, you'll be quite enraged and believe they did it to hurt you.

Thing is, there's no real telling what his motivations are* and it's pointless to speculate that because the fact is, he's revealing the documents. To the eyes of a third party, it might look differently and seem as if that person isn't doing it to spite you, but because he wants the truth to be out. Just because the idealistic pov I'm presenting is rare doesn't mean it's not there at all. Just because the world doesn't run on ideals doesn't mean people who are motivated by them don't exist. Of course, you could be right and he really is doing it to hurt the US, but as you said yourself, people will need to think more carefully about which secrets the let people in on and which ones they don't. The US had it coming when those comments on other countries were put down on paper.

* As far as I know, he's in it more because he wants to reveal just how little information the media is in fact presenting, and he doesn't even hold himself accountable for the leaks and he doesn't measure his success based on how much confidential information he's found. To me, that says he's not in it to hurt anyone, but just to show the people how much private media companies don't disclose.
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Old 2010-11-30, 04:39   Link #10178
Noctis Lucis
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bladeofdarkness View Post
thats a very idealistic view.
unfortunately, the world doesn't run on idealism.
Assange and his website may technically be legal, but lts not fool ourselves that this is done in service of "free speech" or the stupid idea that "people have a right to know".
he's doing it do cause as much damage as possible to the US.

if the documents had exposed any real WRONGDOING on the part of the US government, we might have a point to discuss the value of the leak.
in practice, all it does is embarrass the US and strain international relations, by making it harder for potential allies to speak their mind openly when dealing with the US about sensitive matters.
for example, if in the past, arab leaders were able to say in private what they can't say in public, then now they will think 10 times before saying anything even in private.
you don't tell your secrets to someone if you believe that there is a good chance that those secrets would be made public knowledge a year from now.

this leak is meant to damage US relations with anyone they have to HAVE a relationship with.
thats it.
it serves no other purpose, and was done for no other purpose.
Whatever the case, it can't be denied that the US is in shock. For all we know, Assange might have an eye on the White House. Wait, he's Australian.
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Old 2010-11-30, 04:51   Link #10179
bladeofdarkness
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tsuyoshi View Post
That's what it might look like to a US citizen who lives in the US. Revealing the documents, which are of confidential nature, will damage international relations. It's a given that if someone reveals to someone else that you've been talking sh** behind their back, you'll be quite enraged and believe they did it to hurt you. Thing is, there's no real telling what his motivations are and it's pointless to speculate that because the fact is, he's revealing the documents. To the eyes of a third party, it might look differently and seem as if that person isn't doing it to spite you, but because he wants the truth to be out. Just because the idealistic pov I'm presenting is rare doesn't mean it's not there at all. Just because the world doesn't run on ideals doesn't mean people who are motivated by them don't exist. Of course, you could be right and he really is doing it to hurt the US, but as you said yourself, people will need to think more carefully about which secrets the let people in on and which ones they don't. The US had it coming when those comments on other countries were put down on paper.
I'm not an american.
and in general, the Leaks have caused considerably more damage to my enemies then to my country.
and yet, i can still see the massive damage this will bring in the long run.

i'm not interested in "hurt feelings"
if someone feels butthurt over some US diplomat calling him names behind locked doors that person shouldn't be in politics.

what i AM concerned with is that now people who used to come to talk openly about their problems, would refuse to do so.
think about what some of those revelations discuss.
for example
1)China is almost ready to ditch north korea and support reunification.
2)Russia cancels weapon sales to rogue nations, if you bribe them right.
3)protest groups in Iran are being supported by western powers.

all these things are "known" in the right circles, who help promote them in secret.
exposing these things publicly, has an adverse effect their chances of taking place in the real world.
the Chinese will have to do some damage control regarding their relations with NK, which means more support rather then less.
Russia might hold up sales of weapons anyway, just to protect their reputation as arms traders.
and the reformist movement in Iran will be put down more brutally then in the past, under the claim that they are "servants of the great/Little devil"
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Old 2010-11-30, 04:52   Link #10180
ganbaru
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@Tsuyoshi I was more thinking of a commercial's move from China, a way to get more cards for negotiation.
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