HA!

WikiLeaks: Africa Offers Easy Uranium

Wikileaks cables have revealed a disturbing development in the African uranium mining industry: abysmal safety and security standards in the mines, nuclear research centres, and border customs are enabling international companies to exploit the mines and smuggle dangerous radioactive material across continents.

The Wikileaks cables reveal that U.S. diplomats posted in a number of African countries - the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania, Niger, and Burundi, among others - have had direct knowledge of the poor safety and security standards in these countries' uranium and nuclear facilities.

The cables also highlight the involvement of European, Chinese, Indian, and South Korean companies in the illegal extraction and smuggling of uranium from Africa. Most European nuclear reactors use uranium imported from African countries.

In one classified document, dated Sep. 8, 2006, the U.S. embassy in the DRC capital Kinshasa reported that several U.S. diplomats and security service personnel toured the Kinshasa Nuclear Research Centre (CREN-K) on Jul. 27 that year in order to assess the facility’s security needs.

CREN-K houses the DRC’s two nuclear reactors. Neither reactor is currently functioning, but staff conduct nuclear-related research and teaching at the facility.

Although inactive, CREN-K stores significant amounts of uranium and nuclear waste. This radioactive material includes 138 nuclear fuel rods, at least 15 kg of enriched and non-enriched uranium, and some 23 kg of nuclear waste.

At CREN-K, "external and internal security is poor, leaving the facility vulnerable to theft," Roger A. Meece, U.S. ambassador to DRC, reported in the 2006 document.

Meece's detailed description of the security measures at CREN-K suggests that security is not just "poor," but non-existent. According to the report, the fence surrounding CREN-K "is not lit at night, has no razor-wire across the top, and is not monitored by video surveillance.

"There are numerous holes in the fence, and large gaps where the fence was missing altogether," Meece wrote.

"University of Kinshasa students frequently walk through the fence to cut across CREN-K, and subsistence farmers grow manioc on the facility next to the nuclear waste storage building," he added...

Continue readiing

Julio Godoy @'truth-out'

If anyone is trying to tell you that the nuclear industry is "SAFE" and "GREEN" they have obviously been spending too much time wandering around this facility in Kinshasa and their brains have been radioactively melted. The complicity/complacency of such "august" governments/companies in this ecological nightmare verges on insanity, and places the whole world at risk by these "eco-deniers", let alone the interminable legacy for the people of Africa.

Cuban medics in Haiti put the world to shame

They are the real heroes of the Haitian earthquake disaster, the human catastrophe on America's doorstep which Barack Obama pledged a monumental US humanitarian mission to alleviate. Except these heroes are from America's arch-enemy Cuba, whose doctors and nurses have put US efforts to shame.

A medical brigade of 1,200 Cubans is operating all over earthquake-torn and cholera-infected Haiti, as part of Fidel Castro's international medical mission which has won the socialist state many friends, but little international recognition....

 Nina Lakhani @'The Independent'

♪♫ Polar Bear - A New Morning Will Come

The “Anarchist” and the Literary Agent: Julian Assange’s Book Deal

Wikileaks: This Is Just The Beginning

Game Changer

Why Wikileaks will be the death of big business and big government

The Top 20 DMCA Cease and Desist Senders of 2010

Asterix & Wikilix

© Asterix & Wikilix, 27 December 2010

(Click to enlarge)

Egypt's real state of emergency

blakehounshell

New rule: If you take to the Washington Post op-ed page instead of the streets, your pro-democracy cause is in bad shape. 

27th chaos communication congress

newsbrooke good to see a talk on one of my pet peeves: copyright as the new censorship. Major driver for attacking freedom online #27c3

Thanks to the Mission Angels, you’ll be able to interact with the talks going on at the 27c3 and more! While you watch the streams from one of many Peace Missions throughout the world, Mission Angels will be monitoring IRC and Twitter for questions to be asked in selected events during the 27c3.
To ask a question in a session on IRC join #27c3-Saal-1, #27c3-Saal-2, #27c3-Saal-3 on Freenode or use the corresponding terms as a Twitter hashtag to put your question to the session.
If you’re in a Peace Mission, you can even sign up to give a Lightning Talk!
See the Peace Missions entry on the 27c3 wiki for more information. We’ll be updating the entry as we add more communications methods. If you’re at the bcc, consider volunteering to be a Mission Angel!
HERE 

Lost in China

(Thanx Linda!)

Armenian police target teenage rock cult

When police officers arrived at 13-year-old Masha's home, searched her room and inspected her computer, it was not because they suspected her of any crime. Her offence was simply to be a devoted follower of the angst-ridden punk-rock subculture known as 'emo', in an ex-Soviet state where pressures to conform remain strong.
"It was offensive and frightening at the same time," said Masha, a schoolgirl in the Armenian capital, clearly upset by the experience.
Police in Yerevan have been conducting a campaign against the capital's small but controversial emo community since the recent suicides of two teenagers who were rumoured to have been emo fans.
They claim that the subculture represents a threat to young people's welfare.
Officers have visited schools, searched pupils whose distinctive clothing marks them out as possible 'emos', and mounted surveillance on public places where young people gather.
Several fans have been detained for questioning, despite the lack of any specific legislation against the musical genre or its followers.
In a recent newspaper interview, Armenia's Chief of Police, Alik Sarkisian, claimed that emo could "damage our gene pool". "We should fight against such phenomena because they are morally harmful to our people," he said.
Emo -- an abbreviation of 'emotional' -- is a more melodic and melancholy form of punk rock. It has origins in the United States but has become a well-established global subculture in recent years.
Masha and her friend Ani, also 13, say they started dressing in the unconventional emo style in an attempt to stand out from what they call "the grey masses".
But they now feel that they have to disguise themselves in ordinary clothes for fear of detention or harassment by other youths. "They point and laugh at us. Or even worse, they sometimes beat up our boys," Ani said.
Sensationalist media reports in Europe have suggested that the gloomy lyrics of some emo songs can influence teenagers to harm themselves or attempt suicide, although fans have consistently rejected the accusation.
Emo devotees in Britain and Russia staged protests two years ago against what they saw as negative stereotyping.
Some people in Yerevan not only believe that emo can cause suicidal depression, but also see it as a degenerate Western influence on traditional Armenian values.

Members of the youth wing of a local police association held a march against the subculture in the capital this month, carrying banners that read "No to foreign perversions!"
One teacher in a Yerevan suburb, who asked not to be named, said the directors of some schools supported the police action, and had even been actively encouraging officers to search pupils who dressed unusually and check them for signs of self-harm.
"We suspected one female pupil of being an emo. We invited our district policeman and the pupil's parents to come in, and explained how dangerous the consequences of this could be," the teacher said.
A local human rights activist compared the police's behaviour to a Communist-era witch-hunt.
"It is like the repression in Soviet times, when law enforcement agencies were chasing hippies, punks and rockers -- all those who refused to live within society's limits and be like everyone else," said Mikael Danielian, chairman of the Helsinki Committee of Armenia.
But the police say they are only intervening to protect vulnerable youngsters. "We are simply doing our job," said the police colonel responsible for youth affairs, Nelli Durian.
"We are conducting explanatory, preventative work among teenagers and their parents to prevent children from becoming hooligans and from thoughts of suicide."
However, she said that she could not blame emo music for the reported rise in teenage suicide attempts in Armenia this year.
Young fans like Masha and Ani have been worried by the anti-emo campaign, but they insist that they will not be pressured into abandoning the subculture that they love.
"It is impossible to ban youth movements using repressive methods," Ani said defiantly. "We will not stop listening to our music and dressing how we like. This is my choice."
@'France24'

Once upon a time there was a great assassin

Tyler Shields: The Mouse

ids:001 Mick Pressure

Irishdubstep.com’s maiden podcast comes from outa Carlow from [nakedlunch] boss Pressure.
Micky set up the label two years ago after returning from Holland.
He’s put out records from Cosmin TRG, Jus’wan, Scuba, Breakage and the latest from Instra:mental is out later this month on 10″. This first mix clocking in at just under ninety minutes is a good snapshot of things at the minute, a few unrealeased bits and plenty of wot do you call it moments…
Your five release in now, Are you looking to go in any particular
direction or sound with [NakedLunch] or just concentrating on putting out
stuff you like ?
I don’t have any direction in mind for the label , im just putting out stuff that I really
like and which I am confident will sell… so far I have been right,
lets hope i can keep it consistent.
Are you feeling all the cross pollination going at the moment ?
Everybodys playing and making things that maybe they wouldn’t
have few years back.
I think its a good thing and its good to know music listeners are
open minded , but playing multiple genres in a club is hard as
dancefloor punters tend to be very narrow minded… in the majority of
cases they want full on mid-range wobble all night and im to old for
all that shite.
Whats gonna happen next , Any tips on who we should be watching this year?
Just keep watching instra:mental they got some serious music in the works,
what you’re hearing now is the tip of the iceberg
Whats your favorite cheese ?
Anything except cheddar , im sick to death of it… is it to much
from a man to ask for a bit of red leicester or double gloucester to
be in the supermarket??

ids Podcast 001: Download

Augustus Pablo – East Of The river Nile //Shanachie
Clouds- Timekeeper Dave Aju Remix // Ramp
Joy Orbison – Brklyn Clln (Michna’s Brooklyn Bridge remix)
Unknown – Untitled
Thriller- Hubble // Thriller
Kowton – Clack Clack Clack
2000 And One – Funk That // Intacto
Badawai – DstryPrfts Feat Vengeance Tenfold (Shackleton Remix) // The Index
Jack Sparrow – Terminal // Tectonic
Unknown – Untitled
DVA – Ganja // Hyperdub
Roska – Holograph // white (Fantastic 4 EP)
Doc Daneeka – Drums In The Deep // Fabric
DJ Sdunkero – Choosinglove // Sdunkero Sounds
Mosca – Gold Bricks // Fabric
Unknown – Untitled
Shackleton – Moon Over Joseph’s Burial // Perlon
Instra:mental – Vicodin // [Nakedlunch]
Pariah – ?
José James – Warriors (jus wan remix) // Brownswood
Sigha – Untitled
Ramadanman – I Beg You // forthcoming Hessle Audio
Unknown – Untitled
Lv & Untold – Beacon // forthcoming Hemlock 007
2562- Narita – Tectonic
Sigha – Shapes // forthcoming Hotflush
Ramadanman – No Swing – forthcoming Hessle Audio
Illum Sphere – Titan – 3024
HERE
One of XLR8R's top podcasts of 2010