NSA Secretly Tapped...

"NSA secretly tapped Google, Yahoo data centers worldwide, new report claims"

Was anyone actually stupid enough to think that stuff online is a secret?

How Convenient

From the BBC

"Retirement 'harmful to health', study says"

Pretty convenient considering the state of the economy.  But this is probably true.  Here's a link to the study.

Food for Thought

Subject of Envy: Britain Discovers Germany as a Model 

(From Spiegel On Line)

"Britain, which has yet to recover from the 2008 financial crash, is peering enviously at Germany's economic structure with its focus on engineering, its medium-sized firms, apprenticeships, regional banks and long-term business approach. The opposition Labour Party, but also the Conservative-led government, are starting to embrace German ideas."

Maybe they know what they're doing.

Frack-O-Cola

(Click Here)

Genetically Engineered Crops

Saw this little item.


Obama signs bill that protects makers of genetically engineered crops from federal courts

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/30/obama-signs-bill-that-protects-makers-genetically-engineered-crops-from-federal/#ixzz2P4PASuad


"The so-called Monsanto Protection Act essentially requires the Agriculture Department to approve the growing, harvesting and selling of such crops, even if the courts rule environmental studies are incomplete -- undermining  the judicial review system and posing potential health risks, critics say."

Oh well.

Turtle Island Preserve & Building Codes

The Fuzz happened on this little bit the other day.

"Mountain man fights local government to keep nature school natural"

"Eustace Conway, who owns and operates a school that teaches hundreds of people how to live closer to nature, received a cease and desist letter from county officials who say his buildings don't meet code."

"Officials say unless Conway can meet building codes and safety regulations, the camp and school will be closed."

(Here's a bit more on this)

"Turtle Island Preserve has been closed to the public since mid October for violating building and health codes after a neighbor called the department of Watauga County Planning and Inspections about unpermitted buildings being built on the Turtle Island Property.

Director Joe Furman later received a detailed map of the property. Furman added that he didn’t talk to or know the name of the complainant, but Furman said he believed it was a male who called and reported the unpermitted buildings."

The man must not be popular with his neighbors.

"This is supposed to be the land of the free. Government is supposed to help people, protect their individual liberties and freedom -- that's not what's happening here," said Conway.

Conway says he plans to fight to keep his nature school the way it was built.

"I'm not confident I can win it. I'm confident I ought to win it," said Conway. "This is something I spent this much of my life, I don't have much left."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/02/28/mountain-man-fights-local-government-to-keep-nature-school-natural/?test=latestnews#ixzz2MgWJAG3N

Pentagon Acknowledges Chinese Cyberthreat

"Pentagon acknowledges Chinese cyberthreat"

Wow!  Really?

"China is a clear cyberthreat to the United States, acknowledged Pentagon spokesman George Little, in the wake of a new report linking the Chinese military to massive amounts of stolen data from over 100 different targets, most of which are based in the U.S.

"Cyberthreats do emanate from China," Little said when pressed about the hacking report by security firm Mandiant Technologies, but declined to elaborate further, citing department policy."

Of course,

"China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Tuesday he doubted the evidence would withstand scrutiny. 

"To make groundless accusations based on some rough material is neither responsible nor professional," he said according to the Associated Press."

"Mandiant didn't name specific targets of the attacks but said they included information technology firms and telecommunications to aerospace and energy companies.
The stolen information allegedly includes blueprints, details on proprietary processes, pricing documents and contact lists."

No big surprise here.

Another

If Guns...

"Executive action ... can be taken,"

"Executive action ... can be taken,"

Somebody seems to think the White House will be making the laws from now on.

"Vice President Biden suggested Wednesday that the White House could take unilateral action on gun control, as he kicked off a round of meetings aimed at finding ways to curb gun violence."

"...the vice president hinted Wednesday that executive action -- action by the president in which Congress would not have a say -- would indeed be involved."

Is The Fuzz the only one that this bothers?