Entries Tagged 'freedom' ↓

From BBC News - Portugal youths in beach rampage:

Some 500 youths, mainly teenagers, have raided a popular beach near Lisbon spreading panic among beachgoers and mugging a large number of people.

[..]

Policemen in riot gear were confronted by gangs and struggled to restore calm, making four arrests.

The attackers are believed to come from some of the capital’s poorest suburbs.

“Small groups of youngsters aged 12 to 20 assembled and robbed en masse those they found on the beach,” a local cafe owner, Helder Gabriel, told AFP news agency.

I repeat: 500 youths raid a beach. Policemen in riot gear arrest 4.

Oh my.

I wonder what is going to be next? I’m guessing that 500 semi-organized people can riot pretty much anything in most western cities, and get away with it. It would probably work if 500 geeks would gather to raid a MediaMarkt store to replenish their gear stocks.

Schneier on Security: Encryption as Evidence of Criminal Intent: “An appeals court in Minnesota has ruled that the presence of encryption software on a computer may be viewed as evidence of criminal intent.”

I have no words.

According to this article, the Israeli Defense Forces automatically give low security clearances to soldiers that have roleplaying games as a hobby. Summarizing: if you like roleplaying, you belong in the loony bin.

Here goes a snippet with the juiciest bits:

[...]

“One of the tests we do, either by asking soldiers directly or through information provided us, is to ask whether they take part in the game,” he says. “If a soldier answers in the affirmative, he is sent to a professional for an evaluation, usually a psychologist.”

More than half of the soldiers sent for evaluation receive low security clearances, thus preventing them from serving in sensitive IDF positions, he says.

[...]

“These people have a tendency to be influenced by external factors which could cloud their judgment, a military official says. “They may be detached from reality or have a weak personality - elements which lower a person’s security clearance, allowing them to serve in the army, but not in sensitive positions.”

I specially like this: These people have a tendency to be influenced by external factors. So the Israeli Army is looking for people that ignore external factors?

(found via Bruce Schneier)

Death and Taxes is a great visual representation of how the US discretionary budget is spent. Here is a selected bit:

(via Infocult)

A considerable percentage of american teenagers believes that the US is commited to spreading “freedom” abroad. At the same time, they think that there is too much freedom of speech and press in the US.

From BBC News US teens ‘reject’ key freedoms:

[...]

Over a third of the 100,000 students questioned felt the First Amendment went “too far” in guaranteeing freedom of speech, press, worship and assembly.

Only half felt newspapers should be allowed to publish stories that did not have the government’s approval.

[...]

Some 83% of students polled felt people should be allowed to express unpopular views, as opposed to 97% of teachers.

[...]

The president of the John S and James L Knight Foundation, which conducted the research, said: “Ignorance about the basics of this free society is a danger to this nation’s future.”