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Jun 15

minipost-American Military: There’s A Trillion Dollars of Minerals in Afghanistan

Written by: Legalist | Filed under:-guest-posts, -mini-posts | Tags:, ,
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Old news became news in The New York Times. Just like on the path to the Iraq war, no WMD became WMD and war was promoted in the house organ of the American military-Industral-political establishment. War was sought, war was delivered by the paper of record.

Now the US military is in trouble in Afghanistan and can’t meet President Barack Obama’s timetable for withdrawal. But look at what we got here: a trillion dollars of minerals! Conveniently, according to Pentagon.

But it’s old news. Many have known it for decades. Afghans knew it. Soviets knew it. Even the Chinese have known it and are mining it right now.

If it’s on New York Times, it must be news. The TV networks duely aired the big news.

This is the news though: the US is staying put in Afghanistan. The generals wanted time to finish the job. Now time is what they got, with help from the paper of record. But to what end?

Feb 20

Chinese Bloggers React to New York Times’ Vocational School Cyber War Story

Written by: Charles Liu | Filed under:-guest-posts, General | Tags:,
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H/T to Chops for the NYT article where Lanxiang Technical School, a vocational school in Shandong, was outed as a secret base for Chinese government’s cyber war effort. Here are few reactions from Chinese bloggers:

– 一个培养厨子的地方居然有这么大的秘密
(A place known for its culinary program have such a huge secret)

– 学计算机不要上清华了，还是蓝翔牛啊。
(Forget learning computers at Tsinghua, Lanxiang is awesome.)

– 这个学校这下是中了6合彩了
(This school has won the lottery)

– 蓝翔技工学校的学生有能力攻击google？
(Lanxiang Technical School students have the ability to attack google?)

– 为什么山东蓝翔高级技工学校强于哈佛大学？
(an essay titled “Why Lanxiang Vocational Is Better Than Harvard”, satirizing the “X University is better than Harvard” Chinese internet meme)