More details are out on PRISM, Tempora, and other illegal spying schemes by the NSA and friendly intelligence agencies, apparently even in Germany. The NSA even has a special department for such cooperation, the Foreign Affairs Directorate, he says. He also exposes a noteworthy detail about how government decision-makers are
Continue readingTag: UK
Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Penis, Man, and Vagina Argue on UK Street
Here’s a story you don’t hear every day. That’s the fun of costumes, and prudery. A man threw a dick head onto the ground, and the vagina tried to calm the situation down. A hard street performance to pull off. (Photo care of central somerset gazette) That man, and that
Continue readingLeft Over: Still Squeezing the Poor…Into Inadequate Housing
Bad landlords face licensing crackdown With multiple tenants crammed into decrepit properties, one London borough is taking direct action Lisa Bachelor The Guardian, Friday 14 June 2013 14.46 BST Here in British Columbia, Canada, especially in Vancouver (and I suspect, any other major city in the country) such criminally sub-standard crowding
Continue readingdrive-by planet: Woolwich attack on British soldier Lee Rigby was not ‘terrorism’
The killing on an off-duty British soldier on a street in Woolwich, London, had all the ingredients loved by the tabloids… dark skinned Muslim assailants armed with knives and machete… a white well liked military man wearing a Help for Heroes shirt. Had to be an act of terrorism, right?
Continue readingdrive-by planet: Billy Bragg on why he became a socialist
One of the main reasons Billy Bragg became a socialist was Margaret Thatcher. She inspired many to take up the fight against the policies that have been wrecking Britain. Billy Bragg was a front line activist during the Thatcher years. In 1985 he formed Red Wedge – a musician’s alliance
Continue readingdrive-by planet: Iron Lady? Rust in peace: Thatcher was a disaster for the UK
Following the death of former British PM, Margaret Thatcher, more than a few people in the UK took it to the streets. Champagne bottles popped and smiles lit up the faces of street revelers ecstatic to see the last of Thatcher. A lively street party took place in Brixton where
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: WikiLeaks: Major Revelations Is What Journalists Do – See @carwinb
There’s some crow to eat this morning, for anti-Assange, anti-Wikileaks people. Last year we got confirmation in the form of a WikiLeaks-Strafor leak of all things, that Assange had been secretly indicted in the US, for his journalism. On January 26, 2011, Fred Burton, the vice president of Stratfor, a
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: WikiLeaks: Hollywood Hatchet, Swedish Swindle
The problem with how Sweden, the UK, and the United States have been treating Julian Assange of Wikileaks, has dragged on for years. It’s left the foremost journalist in the world stuck in a London apartment building that houses the Ecuadorian Embassy where Assange is trapped as a political prisoner.
Continue readingArt Threat: Has Banksy been arrested by London cops?
Rumours are circulating that British activist and street artist Banksy has been arrested. Fortunately, they seem to be false. From a suspiciously unattributed press release (update — the web link seems to be down again. Here is a PDF of the release.): London Police Chief Wayne Leppard held a press
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: ReThink Meat
Meat fraud is taking place all around us. Most people probably can’t tell the difference between similar looking meats sold in stores, were it not for the labeling. Fish fraud is apparently common in the USA. Safeway recalled big and juicy E.coli burgers. “Must be cooked” is right on the
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: More Power Blows
There are recent solar electricity records set in Germany, and Spain has recently seen a huge increase in wind power production. Meanwhile, SaskPower has solar power research from 13 years ago on its website, claims solar isn’t viable in the northern hemisphere, and is eyeing up more coal fired generation.
Continue readingbastard.logic: Big Pharma Cashing In On Global South Vaccination?
The Graun: Médecins sans Frontières (MSF), the Nobel prize-winning organisation working on the frontline in remote and conflict areas, says vaccines bought with UK and other donor governments’ money cost too much and are not designed for the needs of hot and impoverished countries. When the pot of money subsidising
Continue readingbastard.logic: Happy Day-After-MBV-Day (Hmm — Must Polish My Shoes…)
Classic My Bloody Valentine to whet your appetite: Head on over to mybloodyvalentine.org to grab MBV, the LOOOOOOONG-awaited (and oft-delayed) follow-up to 1991′s seminal shoegazer classic, Loveless (assuming you haven’t already been sated, natch). Filed under: music, video Tagged: 1991, 2013, Kevin Shields, Loveless, MBV, music, My Bloody Valentine, new releases,
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Why is Julian Assange Trapped in Ecuador’s Embassy
People may not know exactly why Wikileaks’ founder Julian Assange has been detained in the UK, then trapped in Ecuador’s embassy. The short answer is, because he embarrassed the US military intelligence community, they’ve waged a character assassination war upon him using his casual sex with women against him. The
Continue readingArt Threat: Radiohead threatens to “sue the living shit” out of British PM
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke is threatening to “sue the living shit” of British Prime Minister David Cameron if his Conservative Party uses their music in an election campaign. “I can’t believe he’d like King of Limbs much. But I also equally think, who cares?” Yorke told Dazed & Confused. “As long
Continue readingThings Are Good: Tidal Power in UK is Promising
The UK is looking into ways to make their power grid more environmentally sustainable and being an island nation they have looked into using tides. Tidal flows are predictable and reliable which means that power companies can predict energy generated from tide-powered turbines, unlike with unpredictable wind. A new study
Continue readingThings Are Good: World’s Largest Bra is up for Auction
Today is Wear it Pink Day in the UK, which is a fundraising initiative to fund breast cancer research, and to make this year unique the organizers are auctioning off the world’s largest bra. Anyone can bid on the bra which is available for bidding on eBay, the bra it’s
Continue readingArt Threat: Embedded with a West London Eco-village – Friday Film Pick: Grasp the Nettle
Filmmaker Dean Puckett is following up from his fantastic documentary The Crisis of Civilization with another doc from the front lines of the war on want. This time Puckett’s lens is set on squatters and eco-activists who set up camp and community in Puckett’s home turf of London, following the
Continue readingLeft Over: Pussy Riot? Can you Say Assange?
A well-known British politician, who is considered a bit of a ‘radical’ in the best sense, in the UK, has launched a defence of Julian Assange, pointing out that, should Assange be convicted of what he is accused of, there would be no penalty in Britain, since his alleged acts
Continue readingArt Threat: Brandalism – Taking back public space for public debate
Twenty-four artists, 37 spots, 5 cities, 8 months. While millions of eyes look to London this week, these small numbers come together for a big purpose. Brandalism, a ‘crew’ and project that takes inspiration from Sean Tejaratchi and Bansky, has been re-appropriating ad space (billboards in particular) to creatively interpret big brands.
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