The News Thread

[B-side]

Yeah, I was gonna say, she got off kind of light, didn't she? I mean, not if we're talking what we personally think, but looking back at what possible charges and terms she was facing, 35 years with possibility of early release is pretty good, considering. Obviously I don't like it anymore than anyone else, but it's better than her spending the rest of her life in prison. Bradley is transgender, btw, so she should be addressed as female.

[MadMan]

My mistake. I forgot about that.

[Grouchy]

Bradley is transgender, btw, so she should be addressed as female.

Wow, the more you know.

[number8]

Bradley is transgender, btw, so she should be addressed as female.

She also doesn't go by the name Bradley anymore, btw, so she should be addressed as Chelsea.

:P

[B-side]

She also doesn't go by the name Bradley anymore, btw, so she should be addressed as Chelsea.

:P

I didn't see any confirmed new names, so I wasn't sure what to do in that area.

[B-side]

Uruguay poised to become the first nation in the world to fully legalize marijuana

They also legalized gay marriage recently and have the most liberal abortion laws in Latin America. Oh yeah, and the abortions (which must be performed within first twelve weeks) and subsequent recovery process are all covered by their universal health care system.

Time to learn Spanish.

[Grouchy]

It's true, they put us to shame. They're practically former Argentinians, too, so it hurts twice as much.

[B-side]

It's true, they put us to shame. They're practically former Argentinians, too, so it hurts twice as much.

So when are you moving?

[Grouchy]

So when are you moving?

Nevah!

[B-side]

CIA Files Prove US Helped Hussein Gas Iran

inb4 "I told you the US is the worst anything ever"

[shaun]

Welp. Shit's about to go down in Syria.

Even without the evidence that the inspectors are collecting, the United States and other Western powers have concluded that the Aug. 21 attack, which killed hundreds of people, was caused by banned chemical munitions and that Mr. Assad’s forces were responsible, crossing a threshold that required a forceful response.

Chuck Hagel, the United States secretary of defense, said in an interview with the BBC that American forces had “moved assets in place to be able to fulfill and comply with whatever option the president wishes to take.” Asked how soon these forces could be ready, Mr. Hagel said, “We are ready to go.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/28/wo...-say.html?_r=0

[Robby P]

I doubt this escalates to large scale ground forces and instead mimics the Obama administration's preference for "Dirty Wars" instead. Drones, tactical airstrikes and special forces teams will probably be used in lieu of boots on the ground. This administration doesn't have the political capital to fight a war that 60 percent of the country has no interest in joining.

[MadMan]

CIA Files Prove US Helped Hussein Gas Iran

inb4 "I told you the US is the worst anything ever"

Well they finally confirmed what I already knew. Really depressing and awful, too. The whole concept of "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" was taken to bad extremes by the US during the Cold War.

[B-side]

The US won't send a single troop into Syria, I can guarantee you that. The UK and France may differ, but nobody here is going to Syria, that's a fact. At most, there'll be a few missile strikes and we'll retreat thinking we helped the cause.

[Morris Schæffer]

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/9097/Wereld...jgegeven.dhtml

Additional pictures released yesterday of Tsarnajev's arrest, one of the alleged Boston bombers.

[Dukefrukem]

Apparently he was shot through the mouth. Not sure if it was ever decided if it was self inflicted or not.

[shaun]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...codes-security

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/06/us...ncryption.html

SSL VPNs are still good for encryption against non nation-state spying. Just don't be a dissident I suppose.

[Morris Schæffer]

geologists have discovered a monster volcano on the bottom of the pacific

http://www.news.com.au/travel/world/...-1226712928603

It is no longer active...so it is assumed.

[[ETM]]

It is no longer active...so it is assumed.

That's what the Kaiju want us to think.

[Kurosawa Fan]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...codes-security

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/06/us...ncryption.html

SSL VPNs are still good for encryption against non nation-state spying. Just don't be a dissident I suppose.

I mean, I don't feel like I have anything to hide when it comes to national security, but the fact that the government is specifically targeting decryption of my information and activity that filters through my VPN just gives me the chills.

[shaun]

I understand the argument that they're technically tasked with intercepting "foreign" communications. To do so without attacking encryption would be foolish. That said, they did some pretty awful work in lowering security standards for everyone while negotiating backdoors with likely culprits Microsoft and Apple.

If they compromised OpenSSL, I mean, that's huge.

[[ETM]]

Especially since inserting backdoors into everything leaves room for someone more able and cunning (i.e. pretty much everyone else in the world, including hackers, con men and terrorists) to exploit them.

[number8]

Are you fucking kidding me. What a huge idiot.

Zimmerman's wife, Shellie, recently announced plans to divorce.

Her attorney told ABC News that George pulled a knife on her today after she discovered a firearm in the house they shared. He then pulled a gun on her and her father after a verbal altercation went bad, according to attorney Kelly Sims.

[Mara]

Oohoohoo, the spin on Fox News is going to be epic.

I mean, he's no longer a whitish man who was defending himself from a black man. He's now a brown man who pulled a gun on a white woman!

[number8]

A brown man with a Jeeeww name.