And So It Begins: Lawyers for Terrence Brown, accused of robbing a bank in South Florida, want the NSA to turn over mobile phone surveillance records to help them prove his innocence.
Vladimir Putin Says We’re Allright: Speaking of NSA surveillance, crackdowns on Occupy demonstrations, and the use of drones, the Russian prez told an interviewer: “That’s the way it’s done in the U.S., and that’s the way it’s done in Russia.”
Thank God It’s Not Raining: First reported by the Seattle Globalist and then picked up by Gawker, 65-year-old Navenna Shine believes she can live off light, water, and tea. She’s lost more than 20 pounds, but her devotion to the “Jasmuheen branch of Breatharianism” remains. Richard Dawkins followers seem amused.
Gay Porn Really Popular In Countries That Hate Gays: Pakistan, where only two percent of those polled say homosexuality is acceptable, is the world leader in Google searches for “man fucking man.”
Protect and Serve: In Sao Paulo, Brazil, police pepper sprayed and assaulted journalists covering protests against a bus fare hike. One of them was caught on camera breaking his own vehicle’s window, presumably to make protesters look violent.
More Fines for Alaska Airlines Contractors: A few weeks after protesters disrupted the airline’s shareholder meeting, Washington has fined Alaska and some of its subcontractors (again) for health and safety violations. For example, “cabin cleaners didn’t have gloves to clean the bathroom garbage, so they had to insert their hands and arms into the chute to push waste through.”
Chinese Laborer Defies Communist-Capitalism: A Falun Gong follower slipped a note decrying horrific conditions in a Chinese government labor camp into Halloween decorations he was assembling, which found their way via K-Mart into the hands of a mother of two in Oregon.
“Orwellian Doublespeak” by Washington’s Ecology Department: The last non-polluting group representing environmentalists pulled out of a panel to craft water pollution standards, and slammed Governor Jay Inslee on the way out.
Ain’t politicians great? Biden debates Obama on surveillance: