News Stories

[SaintessHeart]

Congressman with computer science degree: Encryption back-doors are ‘technologically stupid’

Bringing the smackdown into the Congress.

[SeijiSensei]

NY Times Commentary on Abe's Speech before Congress

Read the comments, too.

[Mr Hat and Clogs]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

Congressman with computer science degree: Encryption back-doors are ‘technologically stupid’

Bringing the smackdown into the Congress.

One thought on reading that: "We want this backdoor to find criminals, and totally definitely not spy on corporations or nations that also use this tech that we only have the key for. Totally not that."

But seriously that sounds like the dumbest idea ever. I kinda lol'd at Apple encryption response to the CIA using their devices for listening in.

[MrTerrorist]

The USSR's role in the defeat of Nazi Germany World War Two 70 years ago is seen as the nation's most glorious moment. But there is another story - of mass rapes by Soviet soldiers of German women in the dying days of the war.

That was disturbing to read. What disgusted me was modern Russian media won't talk about what their soldiers did to the women of Berlin during WW2 and pretends it never happen and say it's nothing but a myth just like how such people claim the Holocaust and Armenian Genocide never happened.

[Mr Hat and Clogs]

Nearly every nation in WW2 has a dark side story like that to one degree or another which never really gets acknowledged by the nation that did it, especially the rapes. Only nations I've not heard anything about rape are the ANZAC ones. Perhaps they were misidentified as US and UK soldiers when in Japan and Europe respectively, but even the UK seems to only have a bare handful compared to the 10,000 (to supposedly near 200,000) US rapes. Of course those pale compared to the millions the Wehrmacht apparently carried out.

[ganbaru]

Six Baltimore officers charged in death of Freddie Gray
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0NL1GO20150502

Iowa governor declares state of emergency due to bird flu outbreak
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0NM4E320150501

The EU may soon have Gazprom and Vladimir Putin running on fumes
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debat...ning-on-fumes/

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

NY Times Commentary on Abe's Speech before Congress

Read the comments, too.

Asking people to read internet comments is like calling them to swim in raw sewage...

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

Asking people to read internet comments is like calling them to swim in raw sewage...

People fear opposing opinions that will rock their personal beliefs.

I read it anyway. Interesting yet sometimes hilarious.

[Esclair]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

Asking people to read internet comments is like calling them to swim in raw sewage...

Journalists nowadays can't be trusted with what they write.

[FlareKnight]

Originally Posted by Mr Hat and Clogs

Nearly every nation in WW2 has a dark side story like that to one degree or another which never really gets acknowledged by the nation that did it, especially the rapes. Only nations I've not heard anything about rape are the ANZAC ones. Perhaps they were misidentified as US and UK soldiers when in Japan and Europe respectively, but even the UK seems to only have a bare handful compared to the 10,000 (to supposedly near 200,000) US rapes. Of course those pale compared to the millions the Wehrmacht apparently carried out.

Yeah, countries tend not to want to look back on the bad things they've done over the course of their history. WW2 had all kinds of bad and ugly stuff going on outside of the obvious aspects of war. Not that it's a good thing, but not like Russia is the only one trying to look the other way. Really that's part of the source of WW2 in the first place. No one after WW1 wanted to look at their own role in it and just threw everything onto Germany and since they lost they could do that.

[GDB]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

Six Baltimore officers charged in death of Freddie Gray
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0NL1GO20150502

Things are going to get ugly. The way they're being charged is pretty risky and rash. They seemingly didn't do their own investigation to collaborate what the police provided, and are charging nearly all of them with the actions of the entire group. It's going to be relatively easy for most, if not all of them to get off because of this.

You think riots were bad before charges were filed? Imagine how bad they'll be after charges get dropped.

[ganbaru]

Police shoot dead 2 gunmen at Texas exhibit of Prophet Mohammad cartoons
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0NP01G20150504

Thai police arrest Rohingya man suspected of running deadly jungle camp
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0NP0BL20150504

Freed Nigerian women tell of horror of Boko Haram captivity
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0NN0Q420150503

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by GDB

Things are going to get ugly. The way they're being charged is pretty risky and rash. They seemingly didn't do their own investigation to collaborate what the police provided, and are charging nearly all of them with the actions of the entire group. It's going to be relatively easy for most, if not all of them to get off because of this.

You think riots were bad before charges were filed? Imagine how bad they'll be after charges get dropped.

This sounds like it was written by the Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police.

1) Mosby's office began investigating Gray's injuries while he was hospitalized. That's why she could say at her press conference that the police report provided no information that her investigators did not already know.

2) The medical examiner ruled Gray's death a "homicide." What options does the State's Attorney for Baltimore City have in such a case but to bring homicide charges? Note that case has yet to go before a grand jury.

3) The charges vary across the officers involved. The van driver is charged with second degree murder, three more with involuntary manslaughter, and the other two with second-degree assault. Some of them are charged with false imprisonment since they had no defensible reason for arresting Gray in the first place. The "misconduct in office" charges stem from the police's failure to follow standard procedures and provide medical assistance for Gray after he was brought to the station house. There was also falsification of police reports in this case.

We've often seen grand juries fail to bring indictments in cases of police brutality, but often, as in Ferguson, the district attorneys involved were not really aggressively seeking an indictment. Ms. Mosby looks to be traveling down a different path.

[Mentar]

It's dangerous to be judgmental from the outside, but for someone from Germany it seems completely inconceivable when a person dies a violent death in police custody and a Grand Jury _denies_ a trial. This is flat-out absurd. It's bad enough if such a trial should end without conviction, but not even having a trial is inexcusable.

How can justice be served when people in police custody die a violent death, and a trial is denied based on reasons which can only be seen as blatantly racist?

I can only say that I wish the DA all the best.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

Police shoot dead 2 gunmen at Texas exhibit of Prophet Mohammad cartoons
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0NP01G20150504

"In a pluralistic society you have offensive speech, you have ideas, you have an exchange of ideas, you don't shut down a discussion because 'I'm offended.'" she said in an interview on CNN.

People make fun of Catholics, Christians, Scientologists, Buddhists, Taoists, Hindus, etc, and these people don't bother to take it to heart - they keep believing in their own faith. So why do these crazies get themselves shot over an art exhibition?

[Mr Hat and Clogs]

You kinda of answer your own question.

(I think the other religious crazies are too busy making money to kill people... Well they are in the case of Scientology and televangelists and the like, main stream Catholics made all their money centuries ago, . Have you been to the Vatican, vow of poverty my ass. Although they'd still take more if offered.)

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Mr Hat and Clogs

You kinda of answer your own question.

(I think the other religious crazies are too busy making money)

Oh yeah, megachurches.

All hail the Christ! Now tithe 10% of your salary so we can invoke powerful prayers on your behalf (A Christian once told me that Jesus will make his second trip down to Earth to personally slap these so-called "pastors").

With all these people around, the queue in hell is going to be very long when I arrive on Judgement Day.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Mentar

How can justice be served when people in police custody die a violent death, and a trial is denied based on reasons which can only be seen as blatantly racist?

Grand juries have been quite willing to accept police defendants' claims that they were in fear of their lives during an arrest.

In addition, district attorneys and attorneys general are elected positions in most American jurisdictions so they function in a political environment. I suspect that is less true of those in equivalent European positions. Even worse is the American penchant for judicial elections. Ms. Mosby holds her office because she upset the incumbent State's Attorney in the Democratic primary last year.

By the way, her parents are both Boston police officers as were her grandfather and other family members. That gives her some additional credibility in this case.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

So why do these crazies get themselves shot over an art exhibition?

I'm not sure what "crazies" you're referring to. The two shooters wounded a law enforcement official before being shot to death themselves.

The organization running this "conference" is a well-known anti-Muslim hate group. They started off opposing the construction of an Islamic center near the site of the Twin Towers in New York and have since made it onto the list of hate groups maintained by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The shooters are equally despicable. One of them, Elton Simpson, was arrested for trying to travel to Somalia "for the purpose of engaging in violent jihad." He was acquitted on that charge for lack of evidence, convicted of lying to a Federal agent, and given three years' probation.

[SaintessHeart]

Spoiler for Previous merged:

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I'm not sure what "crazies" you're referring to. The two shooters wounded a law enforcement official before being shot to death themselves.

Those are the two. Why die for a troll exhibition? Firstly, it is designed to mock something, and secondly, what is the point getting offended?

In Malaysia, Taoists are made fun of their incense-burning practices and Christians are made fun of their tithing practices. The majority religion will always make fun of the minority believers and get away with it. It is not like they go out into the streets and start shooting anyone who is not of their religion, as in the ISIS controlled Mideast and Burma.

So why send themselves in front of a gun barrel over such petty actions?

The organization running this "conference" is a well-known anti-Muslim hate group. They started off opposing the construction of an Islamic center near the site of the Twin Towers in New York and have since made it onto the list of hate groups maintained by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

I have read that in the news. As ridiculous these anti-Muslims are, building a mosque near ground zero is a terrible idea. Not only may it invite attacks and vandalism, it may invite martyr worshippers to radicalise moderate Muslims attending the mosque. Either way, it will stretch police resources and will certainly lead to cowboy vigilantism.

The shooters are equally despicable. One of them, Elton Simpson, was arrested for trying to travel to Somalia "for the purpose of engaging in violent jihad." He was acquitted on that charge for lack of evidence, convicted of lying to a Federal agent, and given three years' probation.

Whoever wrote that statement certainly had to use that word.

A jihad is an inner-struggle for personal strength and to resist "evil". The contemporary is to wage war against "wrongdoing". The thing is, what is the context of "wrong"? The US does not recognise sharia law, so it cannot be right. The US has the rule of law, which is a general standard for action within the land.

One person's interpretation of right and wrong cannot be applied to everyone else on the land because everybody has their own personal belief system and perspective. Stick to the general rule of law.

Taiwan party leader affirms eventual reunion with China

BEIJING — The head of Taiwan's Nationalists reaffirmed the party's support for eventual unification with the mainland when he met Monday with Chinese President Xi Jinping as part of continuing rapprochement between the former bitter enemies.

Nationalist Party Chairman Eric Chu, a likely presidential candidate next year, also affirmed Taiwan's desire to join the proposed Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank during the meeting in Beijing. China claims Taiwan as its own territory and doesn't want the island to join using a name that might imply it is an independent country.

Mr Chu's comments during his meeting with Mr Xi were carried live on Hong Kong-based broadcaster Phoenix Television.

The Nationalists were driven to Taiwan by Mao Zedong's Communists during the Chinese civil war in 1949, leading to decades of hostility between the sides. Mr Chu, who took over as party leader in January, is the third Nationalist chairman to visit the mainland and the first since 2009.

Relations between the communist-ruled mainland and the self-governing democratic island of Taiwan began to warm in the 1990s, partly out of their common opposition to Taiwan's formal independence from China, a position advocated by the island's Democratic Progressive Party.

Despite increasingly close economic ties, the prospect of political unification has grown increasingly unpopular on Taiwan, especially with younger voters. Opposition to the Nationalists' pro-China policies was seen as a driver behind heavy local electoral defeats for the party last year that led to Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou resigning as party chairman.