Jon Stewart: “In their defense, there IS a good reason why people using the IRS to crack down on political enemies would not want Americans educated about the Constitution.” … Read More
Reality Check: Congress and GAO Investigating DHS Ammo Stockpiling
Ben Swann brings the government’s ammo stockpiling habit to the attention of the mainstream. … Read More
Chinese alternative to Fitch and Moody’s to challenge credit rating system
The US ratings agency Egan-Jones Ratings Co and Russian RusRating will become partners with Dagong Global Credit Rating in the undertaking. The new agency will start with around 20 analysts aiming to gradually grow to more than 100.UCRG will be the second such venture based in Hong Kong after China Chengxin, which established an office in Hong Kong in August last year.The project is aimed at boosting China’s influence on the global ratings system, and challenging the prevalence of the big American firms. The impartiality of their work has been questioned since the global financial crisis in 2008. Many experts say the ratings agencies are largely to blame for fuelling the crisis with their inaccurate and excessively high ratings for problematic asset-backed securities, which led to the credit crunch.According the Chairman of Beijing-based Dagong, Guan Jianzhong, the current system is ill disposed and favors developed economies, the China Daily reports.”We hope that UCRG will bring a new perspective to the current ratings landscape and help build a new credit ratings system,” Guan Jianzhong who will also be chairman of UCRG, said. He added that UCRG plans to create a new credit ratings system that will accurately disclose credit risks between creditors and debtors in six years time.Sean Egan, the president of Egan-Jones, said UCRG’s aim is to provide an alternative ratings system, by bringing in new partners from different countries.”The current system is New York-centered. UCRG will bring the perspective of China and Russia to the table. That means UCRG will get a different rating results from the big three,” he said. … Read More
"Dead in five years": The reports of the tablet’s demise are greatly exaggerated
There are wildly differing viewpoints on whether or not the tablet is on its way out, as you might guess. One perspective is that of the smartphone taking over what the tablet does; which is basically content consumption and creation, albeit the latter on a more limited scale than, say,… … Read More
Quiz: Lock, rock, and too slow on the clock
Think you know Sweden? Or simply want to learn more? For the second quiz in our trivia series, we head to a city that’s rather unusually squashed, at least from an international perspective. But which one is it? … Read More
US lawyers preparing drone law database as authorities ‘make up the rules as they go along’
The NACDL’s announcement comes amid questions about drone warfare abroad among US citizens, but there’s even less clarity on the government’s legal right to use unmanned aircraft to track Americans on US soil. “We’re concerned there aren’t adequate safeguards [against drone use by law enforcement],” Norman Reimer, the executive director of the organization, told US News and World Report. “At the moment, law enforcement is basically going to be making up the rules as they go along, and that’s very troubling from a constitutional perspective.” Rodney Brossart is the only American to have been apprehended with the help of a Predator drone, which the judge in the case wrote “was used for surveillance,” as quoted by US News in 2012. Despite Brosshart being the lone arrest, Reimer said called it “inevitable” that defense attorneys will have to familiarize themselves with the changing laws. “Until we get to a place where we have legislation, lawyers will have to be creative and aggressive in making sure courts are protecting their clients’ rights,” Reimer said. “You can’t put technology back in the box. Drones are going to be there and there will be valid, legitimate uses for them. But without any framework, any technological tool is subject to abuse by law enforcement.” If Brossart’s case is any indication, the NACDL will have no shortage of questions. After he was arrested last year for refusing to return cows that had wandered onto his Iowa farm, Brosshart’s attorney argued that the surveillance was inadmissible because of law enforcement’s “warrantless use of an unmanned military-like surveillance aircraft” and “outrageous government conduct.”District Judge Joel Medd overruled the objection, writing “there was no improper use of an unmanned aerial vehicle,” and the drone “appears to have no bearing on these charges being contested here.” Perhaps anticipating similar legal action, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a measure last week protecting residents from “unwarranted surveillance.” Scott said the Florida bill, passed unanimously by state legislators, promises to “maintain a balance between the need for law enforcement to protect our citizens against credible threats and imminent danger while ensuring that the privacy of Florida families is protected.” … Read More
AP Ties Infowars.com To Boston Bombing!
Boston Bombing suspect was an Infowars fan. … Read More
