When we search for life on another planet, what we are actually looking for is water. If there is life anywhere “out-there”, there must be water. No water, no life – it’s that simple and yet, that profound. It has been said that “water is the new gold” because it is actually safer to eat out of your toilet than the ocean. …
Binoy Kampmark – Sieges in an Age of Economic Austerity: The State Surveillance Costs of Monitoring Julian Assange, More than 12 Million Pounds
It is, we are told, an age of bitter austerity, where belts are being tightened with dedication, and services cut with thrifty diligence. There are, however, always exceptions to the rule. The surveillance state needs succour; the intelligence services need their daily bread from the bakers in Downing Street. The dogs of war similarly need to be fed. And then, …