China's 'Perfect Police State' That Monitors Uyghurs; Invasive Vines Take Over Trees
We speak with investigative reporter Geoffrey Cain who writes about the Chinese surveillance of the Uyghur ethnic minority in western China. He writes about the sophisticated technology and a so-called predictive policing system in his new book, "The Perfect Police State." And, trees in neighborhoods all over the mid-Atlantic U.S. are being choked by fast growing, non-native vines. As Jacob Fenston of WAMU reports, a new study says freeing trees from these invasive vines is an essential tool to fight climate change.  Connect with us: Find more stories from today's show here. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our podcast here. Email the show at letters@hereandnow.org
Xeni Jardin, the co-editor of Boingboing.net, (and -- full disclosure -- a buddy of mine), has an op-ed piece today in the New York Times about repressive regimes using American technology to block access to some websites, including hers. From her piece:  "SmartFilter has been used by government-controlled monopoly providers in Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. It has also been used by state-controlled providers in Iran, even though American companies are banned from selling technology products there. (Secure Computing denies selling products or updates to Iran, which is probably using pirated versions.)" Xeni says other filter companies are working with Yemen, Singapore, even Myanmar. Throws a wrench into the whole information-wants-to-be-free thing, no?