Ace of Spades Headlines

Radly Balko: Welcome To The Police Industrial Complex
"As the CIR reported in 2011, military contractors now market directly to police agencies with messages that encourage the mindset that the military and the police are fighting the same battle. And it's lucrative." This shit has to end. There is absolutely no reason for cops to ride around in an MRAP, for example, other than "gee whiz, this is fun." [rdbrewer]

BusinessWeek: Ancient Roman Concrete Is About to Revolutionize Modern Architecture
"After 2,000 years, a long-lost secret behind the creation of one of the world’s most durable man-made creations ever—Roman concrete—has finally been discovered by an international team of scientists...." Thanks to @Maetenloch. [rdbrewer]

ZeroHedge: NSA Secret Warrantless Spying Rules Revealed
"And more importantly, "The documents also show that discretion as to who is actually targeted under the NSA's foreign surveillance powers lies directly with its own analysts, without recourse to courts or superiors...." [rdbrewer]

Bush-Era NSA Whistleblower Makes Most Explosive Allegations Yet About True Extent of Gov’t Surveillance
"Russ Tice, a former intelligence analyst and Bush-era NSA whistleblower, claimed Wednesday that the intelligence community has ordered surveillance on a wide range of groups and individuals, including high-ranking military officials, lawmakers and diplomats." [rdbrewer]