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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 17-Feb-2013
17-Feb-13 World View -- Another horrific bomb attack targets Shias in Quetta, Pakistan

Web Log - February, 2013

17-Feb-13 World View -- Another horrific bomb attack targets Shias in Quetta, Pakistan

Federal Communications Commission warns of a zombie attack

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

Another horrific bomb attack targets Shias in Quetta, Pakistan
Bombing targets the Hazara ethnic group in Quetta, Pakistan
Federal Communications Commission warns of a zombie attack
Administration moves to expand drone use within America
Gun control opponents wonder about massive DHS ammunition buildup
Hey Baby! Singapore wants you to have more kids

Another horrific bomb attack targets Shias in Quetta, Pakistan

Site of the vegetable market turned into a war zone in Quetta on Saturday (AFP)

Site of the vegetable market turned into a war zone in Quetta on Saturday (AFP)

A large water tanker, filled not with water but with 800 kg of explosives, exploded in a crowded vegetable market after it was placed near a pillar in a two-story building, causing the building to collapse and killing at least 79 people, while injuring hundreds others in Quetta, Pakistan. Many of the injured are in critical condition, and many others are still trapped beneath the collapsed building. This is the second horrific bomb attack this year targeting Shia Muslims in Quetta. The last one occurred on January 10, killing over 120. (See "13-Jan-13 World View -- Shia families in Quetta Pakistan refuse to bury bombing victims")

The al-Qaeda linked terror group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has claimed credit for both bombing in Quetta. As we're written in the past, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi targets Shia and Sufi shrines in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In addition, it's connected to Jundullah, a terrorist group that has perpetrated major attacks on Shia mosques and Revolutionary Guard stations in southeastern Iran. The year 2012 was the bloodiest year ever for Shia Muslims targeted by Sunni Muslim terrorists, and already it seems that 2013 is going to be much worse. AFP

Bombing targets the Hazara ethnic group in Quetta, Pakistan

Although an absolute minority, the Hazaras are the third largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, after the Pashtuns and Tajiks. According to some reports, in 1998, the Taliban killed more than ten thousand Hazaras in Afghanistan's northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. Hazaras are Shia Muslims who migrated to Pakistan from Afghanistan more than a century ago. They've been the victims of discrimination and numerous atrocities, and mass killings in Pakistan have been on the increase since 1999. After the January 10 bombings, furious Hazaras demanded that Pakistan's government in Islamabad provide protection to the Hazaras, but no such protection has been provided. Daily Times (Pakistan) and AP

Federal Communications Commission warns of a zombie attack

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is using its Emergency Alert System (EAS) to warn residents of Montana of a potentially dangerous zombie attack:

"Civil authorities in your area have reported that the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living. Follow the messages onscreen that will be updated as information become available. Do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies as they are considered extremely dangerous."

Television stations that broadcast the alert later issued retractions:

"This message did not originate from KRTV, and there is no emergency. Our engineers are investigating to determine what happened and if it affected other media outlets."

What happened is that hackers attacked the FCC's Emergency Alert System and posted the alert. The FCC has issued an urgent advisory to television states to change passwords, but this will do little to stop another attack. This is just one more place where the technological infrastructure is vulnerable to easy attack from hackers or from foreign nations. Reuters and Information Week

Administration moves to expand drone use within America

The Administration has approved legislation that is expected to immediately accelerate the use of domestic surveillance drones within the United States. According to the schedules, drones are likely to start flying regularly in the US by late 2015, and as many as 30,000 non-military drones are expected to be in the sky by the end of the decade. The US Department of Homeland Security already has an arsenal of the aircraft at its disposal for use in border-patrol missions. Russia Today

Gun control opponents wonder about massive DHS ammunition buildup

Gun control opponents, already on edge fearing Administration-led attempts to keep law-abiding citizens from owning guns, are now wondering why the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is stockpiling more than 1.6 billion bullets -- equivalent to the number of bullets that would have been needed in the Iraq war for a full 24 years. In addition, DHS is acquiring 7,000 assault weapons. Activists worry about a DHS report that warns of "rightwing extremism," while DHS is refusing to provide any explanation for the massive buildup of assault weapons and ammunition. Investors Business Daily

Hey Baby! Singapore wants you to have more kids

A new scheme by the government of Singapore to increase population through immigration and increased birth rates is being described as a "population Ponzi scheme." The city-state is already very crowded, with 3.3 million citizens and 2 million foreign residents, but economic growth has been slowing. So Singapore wants to boost prosperity by increasing both immigration and the birth rate, to have a population of 6.9 million by 2030, and plans to reclaim land from the sea to have room for more people. But like a financial Ponzi scheme, a "population Ponzi scheme" works only as long as the population increases faster and faster. This creates a financial bubble that pops when the population growth stalls. On Saturday, thousands of people staged one of Singapore's largest ever protests, demanding that the proposal be dropped. Protesters blame the flood of foreigners over the past decade for stagnant wages, crowded trains and rising real estate prices, and say that more immigrants would change the very nature of the island. Bloomberg and Reuters and Hey Baby! Singapore site encouraging children

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 17-Feb-13 World View -- Another horrific bomb attack targets Shias in Quetta, Pakistan thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (17-Feb-2013) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 17-Feb-2013 17-Feb-13 World View -- Another horrific bomb attack targets Shias in Quetta, Pakistan

Another horrific bomb attack targets Shias in Quetta, Pakistan

Bombing targets the Hazara ethnic group in Quetta, Pakistan

Federal Communications Commission warns of a zombie attack

Administration moves to expand drone use within America

Gun control opponents wonder about massive DHS ammunition buildup

Hey Baby! Singapore wants you to have more kids

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 17-Feb-2013
17-Feb-13 World View -- Another horrific bomb attack targets Shias in Quetta, Pakistan