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There’s still a lot we don’t know about Kim Jong-il, the supreme leader of North Korea who passed away in 2011. However, we’ve just come a little closer to knowing more about the man. Kenji Fujimoto, who worked as Kim Jong-il’s personal sushi chef for eleven years, has recently come forward and spoken about his experience. In a nine page long article with GQ, Fujimoto reveals all the secrets and intricacies he learned about Kim Jong-il when he worked for him.Continue Reading
The Singaporean government has introduced individual licenses for online news websites that regularly report on the country and have an extensive reach.
The new regulations, an amendment to the country’s Broadcasting Act, will come into effect from June 1st 2013 and so far 10 websites have been identified as fulfilling the government’s criteria for said license which traditional media platforms have long since been required to have. Continue Reading
John Kiriakou, the former CIA agent who whistleblew about the use of torture under Bush’s administration and was sent to prison for his confessions, has written a fascinating “Letter from Loretto” that elaborates on his experiences in prison.
Kiriakou was sentenced to a 30 month term on 28th February 2013 for violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982, in the letter however, he states: “in truth, this is my punishment for blowing the whistle on the CIA’s illegal torture program and for telling the public that torture was official U.S. government policy.”Continue Reading
Freedom of the Press Foundation’s Trevor Timm has written a fascinating article that exposes just how similar the U.S. government’s treatment of WikiLeaks is to the way in which they are currently behaving towards mainstream U.S. journalists.
The FPF state that they have always believed that WikiLeaks right to gather and publish classified information in the public interest must be protected in the same way as the rights of mainstream media organizations like Fox News or the Associated Press. However despite the fact that the organization’s are seen the same in the eyes of the law, back when WikiLeaks first came under DoJ scrutiny at the beginning of 2011, many journalists and mainstream media organizations intentionally stayed silent about their treatment and because of this silence, the DoJ have been able to use many of those tactics in recent attacks on them. Continue Reading
Toru Hashimoto, the Mayor of Osaka has caused a great deal of controversy and upset after he recently told reporters that the thousands of women forced into prostitution during World War II to serve Japanese soldiers were “necessary”.
The controversial politician also said that “anyone would understand” the role of these “comfort women” in helping give soldiers that were risking their lives, “a rest.”
Hashimoto, who is the co-founder of the nationalistic Japan Restoration Party, did acknowledge that their existence was a “tragic result of war” but insisted that the use of prostitutes by soldiers was not a situation that was unique to Japan and happened all over the world. Continue Reading
As the news has emerged that DoJ has secretly attained a large number of call logs and phone records from reporters and editors at the Associated Press, the Free Press, an organization fighting for media and democracy reform has launched a petition to prevent the freedom of the media being violated!
The AP called the DoJ’s actions a “massive and unprecedented” violation of journalists’ constitutional right to gather information and report the news. But the Free Press says that this isn’t just about the rights of journalists being violated, but rather an issue about democracy that affects all American citizens. Continue Reading
The Freedom of the Press Foundation has launched a crowdfunding project to pay for a professional stenographer to transcribe Bradley Manning’s trial and provide this information to the public and the press.
Given that the trial is likely to go on for several months, they are seeking to raise between $40,000 and $50,000 to cover the costs of the project. Continue Reading
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) have introduced a new bill entitled “The Unlocking Technology Act of 2013” that many have said provides a much-needed fix to the DMCA.
The revolutionary bill proposes changes to the Section 1201 of the current legislation so that it is no longer illegal to remove restrictions and locks from devices you own – provided that you do not infringe on copyright or violate other laws. As things currently stand, it is illegal to remove a lock from a device, like unlocking a phone so that you can change carriers for example. Continue Reading
Check out this brilliant infographic that was created by SVA design student Tony Chu in support of the American Anti-Corruption Act.
The infographic shows us just how much the money from sponsors dictates the politics of the U.S. pointing out some alarming statistics, like the fact that of the 435 house elections that took place in 2012, candidates that outspent their opponents won 95% and that less than 1% of Americans contribute 68% of all election funding. A lot of the points made by the infographic remind me of the ideas expressed by Lawrence Lessig during his recent inspirational TED talk about the corruption at the heart of U.S. politics.Continue Reading
The UK Prime Minister David Cameron recently announced that if establishments in the UK want to offer free Wi-Fi to their customers, they must block porn sites. He said, “We are promoting good, clean, WiFi in local cafes and elsewhere to make sure that people have confidence in public WiFi systems so that they are not going to see things they shouldn’t.”
Techdirt’s Mike Masnick provides an interesting take on the PM’s announcement in an article entitled “Why Do Politicians Continue To Insist That A Magic Button Can Make Porn Disappear Online?” Masnick’s article really sums up the futility of trying to enforce the blocking of porn and the often silly ways that politicians attempt to go about it. Continue Reading
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