News Genius Quotes Of The Week, 09/06/2013

While total inaction in Syria continues to be the norm, the NSA’s dubious doings have leaked out another truly insane and magnificent crime. Thankfully, Sarah Palin came in to save the day with a well-timed open letter...on Facebook. News Genius: Hurry up with my damn Syria response! -- Gavin Matthews

5. “Japan’s...NRA has formally raised the severity assessment of the most recent radioactive water leak at the Fukushima...plant to Level 3 (“severe incident”) on the International Nuclear Event Scale...” - Greenpeace, Fukushima Updates

popularresistance.org

See that chart? Ignore it. After a leak of radioactive water was reported at the broken Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, the Internet filled with amateur blogs, from the tame to the insane, each highlighting the coming death of the Pacific Ocean and the entire fish market. The crown jewel? A chart showing the “path” of radioactive water across the ocean. As it turns out, that “chart,” actually made in 2012, depicts nothing of the sort, actually showing expected plankton movement from 2011-2012. Even the leak turned out to be fear-mongering: reports thoughtfully “forgot” to include the type of radiation, isotopes, or even the realities of what particles do in the ocean. The reality is that, unless you live in Fukushima or southeastern coastal Japan, all you are doing is spinning your wheels. If you want to really help, donate to those displaced by the tsunami and reactor and stop scaring the world with misinformation.

4. “If we...are led into war by a Commander-in-chief who can’t recognize that this conflict is pitting Islamic extremists against an authoritarian regime...then let Allah sort it out.” - Sarah Palin, Comments on Syria

westernjournalism.com

As more and more data comes in from Syria, including a report by the US government, we all waited tensely for guidance from favorite ex-governor Sarah Palin. Thankfully, Palin delivered! While much of the message, posted on Facebook, makes sense under the umbrella of conservative politics, some loose ends appear downright insane. In the end, boiling the conflict down to two sides, despite the multi-factional reality, Palin goes back to her first idea: “let Allah sort it out.” There is a secret recipe for destroying your own ideas and credibility in a single line - Palin has mastered this gift.

3. “This is a truly auspicious time for you — and so it is with great sadness that we must lodge a formal complaint against the song “I am a God” from your new album Yeezus.” - Association of French Bakers, Open Letter to Kanye West

s3.amazonaws.com

After the dust settled on Yeezus, one group in particular had beef to lodge with rap’s couture don. The Association of French Bakers, reacting to West’s famous “hurry up with my damn croissants” line on “I Am a God,” issued an open letter to educate the world on why good pastries take so long to make. Scoffing at “pre-made croissants from the baked goods case reheated and tossed out,” they highlight the craftwork, care, and patience that go into a perfectly hot, layered treat. Even among the shaming, they manage to congratulate Kanye for the birth of his daughter, “Nord,” and shout out Louis Malpass from Le Havre, apparently a big fan of West’s music. Breaking bread, indeed.

2. “Are you working for a news agency or for the CIA? You are asking questions that are usually posed by colleagues from other agencies.” - President Vladimir Putin, Interview with Channel One and the AP

l1.yimg.com

In a rare and candid interview with President Vladimir Putin, the Associated Press and Russia’s Channel One News sat down to discuss rights, politics, and even fish. Touching upon Syria, the recent Russian law banning “homosexual propaganda,” Russian politics, and even the Cold War, the interview gave a perspective on Putin that will leave analysts salavating for years. While Putin answered everything offered, a translation error and redundant question left him critical of AP Vice President John Daniszewski’s motives, leading Putin to (semi-jokingly) accuse Daniszewski of being a CIA agent. For once, “from Russia with love” does not sound so sarcastic.

1. “The SIGINT Enabling Project actively engages the US and foreign IT industries to covertly influence and/or overtly leverage their commercial products' designs.” - National Security Agency, SIGINT Program

img.gawkerassets.com

The lastest of the Edward Snowden leaks compliments last week’s “Black Budget,” a breakdown of how millions of tax dollars support a security state. Yesterday, Snowden dropped his bombshell, potentially a larger crisis than any before: the NSA has used industrial espionage and purposeful sabotage to render encryption flawed. Normally, computers can trade information that is “encrypted,” scrambled so that only the author and the destination can read it. This gives the data security and prevents people from knowing the content of information you send. As it turns out, the NSA has systematically inserted vulnerabilities into standard encryption software and methods, giving them ways to read whatever is sent. Whether used for “targets” or not, they have destabilized the entire system, ruining encryption across the board. Time to break out the quantum networks...