Somebody’s Watching You
November 18, 2019
“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” – Zora Neale Hurston
There’s A Hole In The Firewall Where The World Can See It All
A leaked 400-pages of internal Chinese documents has revealed the brutal crackdown on ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region. One of the most significant leaks in China’s Communist Party’s history, the papers unveiled the cruel and inhumane treatment and protocols for dealing with over a million ethnic Uighurs, Kazakhs and others into internment camps and prisons over the past three years.
The party has denied international criticism on the issue, stating that they were merely methods to fight against the threat of Islamic extremism, but the documents clearly show the coercive nature of the crackdown in the words and orders of the very officials who created and implemented it. Some of the documents and reports noted that “children saw their parents taken away, students wondered who would pay their tuition and crops could not be planted or harvested for lack of manpower.” A striking picture of the hidden practices taken to “combat extremism” has now been painted.
After President Xi Jinping’s visit to Xinjiang in April 2014, he called for an “all-out ‘struggle against terrorism, infiltration and separatism’ using the ‘organs of dictatorship,’ and showing ‘absolutely no mercy.’” Since the initial announcement, the number of internment camps across the Xinjiang region has increased drastically, and surveillance and control of minority populations in the area has been greatly detailed in the leaked reports and documents. Amongst the leaked documents were also secret speeches made by President Jinping as well as references to plans to extend restrictions on Islam to other parts of China. (NYT, $)
5 Takeaways From the Leaked Files on China’s Mass Detention of Muslims (NYT, $)
When The Tides Hit Your City Like A Big Pizza Pie, That’s A Wakeup Call
- Last week Venice suffered the worst flooding in half a century. It was a perfect storm: warm southern sirocco and cold northern bora winds howling together, overhead a full moon and torrential rain, and underfoot a tide rising to just over six feet.
- Inhabitants raged anew over the stalled Mose project, intended to build a barrier at sea to defend Venice from the relentless threat of high tides. The multi-billion dollar project began in 2003, but has been marred by corruption and cost overruns and remains unfinished.
- The real problem, however, is the fragility of Venice’s ecosystem, and the rapacious investment in tourism that is threatening the city with yet more intrusive excavations of the lagoon, all to serve an ever increasing trove of cruise ships.
- What if, rather than becoming “Disneyland on the Sea” Venice could become an international laboratory, under the aegis of major transnational organizations and research institutes, where leading scientists, scholars and artists could tackle the environmental crisis, and formulate solutions applicable to all the world’s coastal cities. (NYT)
Britain’s Immigration Toxification
- Over two decades in the United Kingdom, the subject of immigration has steadily risen in importance and political divisiveness. When the Labor Party came to power in 1997, just three percent of the public considered immigration an important issue.
- Labor’s progressive policies favored economic globalization that deregulated markets and pared back the state, deepening the inequalities that produce labor immigration.
- Local manufacturing-based economies that had supported entire communities were shut down or shipped out, opening the door to a backlash of conservative talking points. A venomous narrative from right-wing politicians and media swirled around the volume of new arrivals to the UK — with demands to know who these people were, and why they were coming.
- The most-repeated mantra was that sneering, out-of-touch, big-city politicians favored foreigners and open borders over the “legitimate concerns” of ordinary and struggling working class white people.
- By the time the 2016 Brexit referendum was held, immigration was far and away Britain’s most toxic political issue. (Guardian)
- Scientists and climate advisers condemn Tory environmental record: Party under pressure on climate crisis as Corbyn says Johnson can not be trusted (Guardian)
Is This The Final Exam Or A Midterm?
- Hong Kong Polytechnic University, an institution of study, knowledge, and now a battleground between pro-democracy Hong Kong protesters and police forces. A nearly 24-hour standoff has seen two bridges set on fire and protestors having shot an officer using a bow and arrow.
- The past week has been filled with severe transit disruptions, street scuffles and a police shooting, and it all seems to be coming to a head in this fiery campus standoff. Water cannons and tear gas have been utilized, with police forces threatening lethal force if the standoff were to continue any longer. Many Hong Kong lawmakers and even a United States pastor have pleaded for intervention by the Hong Kong government to avoid further bloodshed. (NYT)
Additional World News
- Samoa declares state of emergency over deadly measles epidemic: At least six deaths have been linked to the outbreak, in a nation where vaccination rates are alarmingly low (Guardian)
- 8 Killed In Bolivia As Protesters Call For Return of Ousted President Evo Morales (NPR)
- Russia frees Norwegian and two Lithuanians in swap for pair of its spies: Cold war style-agreement brings several high-profile espionage cases to a close (Guardian)
- Putin and Zelensky to Meet for First Time Over Ukraine Conflict: The war is the biggest flash point in a broader conflict between Moscow and the West, triggering international sanctions and rippling into the American impeachment hearings. (NYT, $)
- How the U.S. betrayed the Marshall Islands, kindling the next nuclear disaster (LA Times)
- Did you know you that when you go online you are under constant surveillance from social networks, data brokers, ad companies and others looking to extract data from your every action?
- This is the reality of the digital age but you can fight back.
- IVPN was built by a team of security experts as a tool of resistance against this constant online monitoring. When you use IVPN’s apps on your personal devices, an encrypted tunnel prevents the logging of your browsing history so web trackers and ads stop following you around.
- Take action now to stop others from using your personal data. IVPN is offering Daily Pnut readers a free trial to take the first step towards a surveillance free web experience.
The Monopoly Man Goes To Jail
- A federal jury found that Roger Stone, a longtime Republican provocateur and personal associate of President Donald Trump, was guilty on all charges for thwarting a House investigation into Russia’s 2016 election interference. The full trial lasted only a week, with unanimous guilty verdicts against Stone.
- Following the trial, when asked by reporters outside the courtroom if he had any comments on the verdict, Mr. Stone simply replied, “None whatsoever.” Mr. Stone’s fate now lies in the hands of President Trump, who has the power to pardon the crimes of one of his longest-running political advisers.
- When asked for comments, White House representatives stated that President Trump was “preoccupied with his own fate,” and White House deputy press secretary Steven Groves stated he did not know of any plans to pardon Mr. Stone. The two men have known each other since Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign, with Mr. Stone having counseled Trump on four potential White House runs and represented him as a lobbyist for his gambling, airline and hotel businesses. (Politico)
- Trump Pardons 2 Service Members Accused Of War Crimes And Restores Another’s Rank (NPR)
Additional USA News
- What We Learned From The 1st Week Of Impeachment Hearings (NPR)
- Months After Massive ICE Raid, Residents Of A Mississippi Town Wait And Worry (NPR)
- NSC Official Faults Sondland’s Role In ‘Shadow’ Ukraine Policy (NPR)
- Nissan recalls nearly 400,000 cars in US over potential fire hazard (Guardian)
- Michael Bloomberg Apologizes for Stop-and-Frisk: ‘I Was Wrong’ (NYT, $)
You Should Always Feel Like Somebody’s Watching You
- As if people didn’t have enough to worry about here comes advice from security experts about how to scan your environment for surveillance cameras and microphones. We’re not just talking nanny cams and doorbells, but things found where they shouldn’t be — in Airbnb rentals, gym locker rooms and public restrooms.
- It’s not paranoid to be concerned; an increasing array of smart surveillance products make it easy to secretly live-stream or record what other people are saying or doing.
- The technology market research firm Strategy Analytics says consumer spending on surveillance cameras in the US will reach $4 billion in 2023, up from $2.1 billion in 2018. And unit sales of consumer surveillance devices are expected to more than double in 2019 compared to last year. (NYT)
- “All human beings have three lives: public, private, and secret.”- Gabriel García Márquez
Additional Reads
- Eat Like The Ancient Babylonians: Researchers Cook Up Nearly 4,000-Year-Old Recipes (NPR)
- The Day the Mesozoic Died How the story of the dinosaurs’ demise was uncovered. (Nautilus)
- Why women stray: Evolutionary theory says men stray to increase offspring, but what motivates women? Enter the mate-switching hypothesis (Aeon)
- The world’s most profitable company is about to go public: The oil company that made Saudi Arabia rich is going public. Some say the timing couldn’t be worse. (Vox)
- Majority of anti-vaxx ads on Facebook are funded by just two organizations (Guardian)
- Budget for Christmas and Save Money on All Your Presents This Year (NYT, $)
- Social-media influencers: Incomes soar amid growing popularity (BBC)
LAST MORSELS
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” – Jack London