Posts by jaysan

'State cuts' Assange internet

US Pressure on Ecuador?

Never mind how heroic or unheroic Assange is - if NYT has the right to publish illegally-obtained tax records on Donald Trump, then Assange/Wikileaks have the right to publish hacked email records from the Clinton campaign.

Since Ecuador isn't really a stakeholder in the US elections, I'm wondering why they'd suddenly decide to cut off Assange's internet now, when they haven't done it all this time? Could it be that as US Election Day draws near, that Obama's Whitehouse and/or Kerry's State Department have decided to pressure Ecuador to silence Assange? OctoberSuperSurprise?

If the US govt has pushed the govt of Ecuador to silence Assange, then the US govt has an obligation to disclose this fact to the American people, especially since such action would have an impact on the US elections. Selective intervention by the US govt in relation to the US electoral process could taint that electoral process.

RED planet, INDIAN mission: Space probe prepares for voyage to Mars orbit

Re: Hmmm...

Poverty in India is not due to lack of capital - in today's global economy, money can come in from any corner of the world. The problem is that India is caught in the grip of hardline socialists, including agitating labour unions, who scare capital away from India. Scaring away manufacturers keeps them from creating low-skilled blue-collar jobs which could easily help so many poor Indians out of poverty. The socialists and activists don't like to admit the problem they cause, and instead try to deflect blame onto any convenient scapegoat - including even Indian scientists and engineers. I hardly think that spending on science and technology is the most wasteful choice for India, when people spend far more money on cricket, movies, or even tobacco.

Remember that old proverb: "If you teach a man to fish, he'll eat for a day. If you teach a man to send a spaceship to Mars, he'll figure out how to feed everyone."