No Agenda Episode 600 - "Seven Proxies"
by Adam Curry
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- Congrats on your 600th Episode!
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- That Malaysian Plane is Already a Movie and it will Stop you IN your
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- The best part about science is that it's true even if you don't believe in it!
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- NSF-U.S. Congress Passes Pi Day · Pi Day
- 111th CONGRESS1st SessionH. RES. 224Supporting the designation of Pi Day, and for other purposes.
- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESMarch 9, 2009
- Mr. GORDON of Tennessee (for himself, Mr. HALL of Texas, Mr. LIPINSKI, and Mr. BAIRD) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Science and Technology
- RESOLUTIONSupporting the designation of Pi Day, and for other purposes.
- Whereas the Greek letter (Pi) is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter;
- Whereas the ratio Pi is an irrational number, which will continue infinitely without repeating, and has been calculated to over one trillion digits;
- Whereas Pi is a recurring constant that has been studied throughout history and is central in mathematics as well as science and engineering;
- Whereas mathematics and science are a critical part of our children's education, and children who perform better in math and science have higher graduation and college attendance rates;
- Whereas aptitude in mathematics, science, and engineering is essential for a knowledge-based society;
- Whereas, according to the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) survey done by the National Center for Education Statistics, American children in the 4th and 8th grade were outperformed by students in other countries including Taiwan, Singapore, Russia, England, South Korea, Latvia, and Japan;
- Whereas since 1995 the United States has shown only minimal improvement in math and science test scores;
- Whereas by the 8th grade, American males outperform females on the science portion of the TIMSS survey, especially in Biology, Physics, and Earth Science, and the lowest American scores in math and science are found in minority and impoverished school districts;
- Whereas America needs to reinforce mathematics and science education for all students in order to better prepare our children for the future and in order to compete in a 21st Century economy;
- Whereas the National Science Foundation has been driving innovation in math and science education at all levels from elementary through graduate education since its creation 59 years ago;
- Whereas mathematics and science can be a fun and interesting part of a child's education, and learning about Pi can be an engaging way to teach children about geometry and attract them to study science and mathematics; and
- Whereas Pi can be approximated as 3.14, and thus March 14, 2009, is an appropriate day for 'National Pi Day': Now, therefore, be it
- Resolved, That the House of Representatives''
- (1) supports the designation of a 'Pi Day' and its celebration around the world;
- (2) recognizes the continuing importance of National Science Foundation's math and science education programs; and
- (3) encourages schools and educators to observe the day with appropriate activities that teach students about Pi and engage them about the study of mathematics.
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- MH370
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- Malaysia Strong benefit concert coming soon?
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- Why are US Navy ships and AF aircraft being engaged for this search?
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- 'Democracy is dead': 'Fanatical' missing airliner pilot pictured wearing political slogan T-shirt as FBI reveals passengers on flight MH370 could be at a secret location | Mail Online
- Police investigate data from home flight simulator of captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53Investigators speak of his 'obsessive' support for opposition leader Anwar IbrahimPolice officers fear Ibrahim being jailed could have left Shah profoundly upsetFlight MH370 disappeared more than a week ago with 239 people on boardDespite a huge multinational search effort, no signs of the plane or a crash have been foundMalaysian Prime Minister said yesterday that the plane was deliberately steered off courseFBI experts say disappearance could be 'act of piracy', suggesting passengers are being heldBy Simon Parry and Amanda Williams IN KUALA LUMPUR
- PUBLISHED: 17:08 EST, 15 March 2014 | UPDATED: 09:30 EST, 16 March 2014
- An image has emerged of the pilot of the missing Malaysia Airlines jet wearing a T-shirt with a 'Democracy is Dead' slogan as it has been revealed he could have hijacked the plane in an anti-government protest.
- Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, a father-of-three, was said to be a 'fanatical' supporter of the country's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim - jailed for homosexuality just hours before the jet disappeared.
- It has also been revealed that the pilot's wife and three children moved out of the family home the day before the plane went missing.
- It comes as FBI investigators say the disappearance of MH370 may have been 'an act of piracy' and that the possibility that its hundreds of passengers are being held at an unknown location has not been ruled out.
- Peter Chong (left) with best friend Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, pilot of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane. He is pictured in a T-shirt with a Democracy is Dead slogan as police investigate claims he could have hijacked the plane as an anti-government protest
- Sudden ascent and dive points to cockpit takeover
- The final picture: The missing jet is pictured here in February this year above Polish airspace
- Captian Shah was an 'obsessive' supporter of Ibrahim. And hours before the doomed flight left Kuala Lumpur it is understood 53-year-old Shah attended a controversial trial in which Ibrahim was jailed for five years.
- Campaigners say the politician, the key challenger to Malaysia's ruling party, was the victim of a long-running smear campaign and had faced trumped-up charges.
- Police sources have confirmed that Shah was a vocal political activist '' and fear that the court decision left him profoundly upset. It was against this background that, seven hours later, he took control of a Boeing 777-200 bound for Beijing and carrying 238 passengers and crew.
- Yesterday, Malaysian police searched his house in the upmarket Kuala Lumpur suburb of Shah Alam, where he had installed a home-made flight simulator. But this newspaper can reveal that investigators had already spent much of last week examining two laptops removed from Shah's home. One is believed to contain data from the simulator
- Confirming rising fears, Malaysia's prime minister Najib Razak announced yesterday that MH370 was deliberately steered off course after its communication system was switched off. He said it headed west over the Malaysian seaboard and could have flown for another seven hours on its fuel reserves.
- It is not yet clear where the plane was taken, however Mr Razak said the most recent satellite data suggests the plane could have been making for one of two possible flight corridors. The search, involving 43 ships and 58 aircraft from 15 countries, switched from the South China Sea to the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean.
- In another dramatic twist early Sunday Indian officials however, said the search was on hold until 'fresh search areas' were defined by Malaysia. It is unclear what the reason was for the delay.
- Data showing the number of plausible runways where the plane could have touched down - which need to be at least 5,000ft - offer a baffling number of potential locations.
- According to a map drawn up by U.S. radio station WNYC, there are 634 locations which could fit, from Australia to the Maldives to Pakistan.
- However, the true number is likely to be even higher, as estimates of how far the plane could have travelled have been increased since the calculations were carried out.
- US investigators say faint 'pings' were being transmitted for several hours after the flight lost contact with the ground.
- Meanwhile, military radar showed the jet climbed to 45,000ft '' above its service limit '' which could have been a deliberate attempt to knock out the passengers and crew.
- Anwar Ibrahim is a broadly popular democracy icon and former deputy prime minister whose prosecution on a charge of sodomy is seen by many Malaysians as political persecution.
- Investigation: Pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah, left, was a political activist who attended a tense trial on the day of the flight, investigators believe. He was flying service MH370 alongside Fariq Abdul Hamid, right, from whom investigators have been keen to deflect suspicion
- Jailed: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim leaving court in Putrajaya on March 7
- Hunt: Investigators have riaded the houses of both pilots. Pictured is where co-pilot Hamid lives in an upmarket Kuala Lumpur suburb
- The raids on Captain Shah's home appeared stage-managed as a display of intent after the Prime Minister said the focus of the investigation was now on 'crew and passengers' as a result of the latest leads.
- But investigators have told the Mail on Sunday inquiries into the background of the pilot actually began days earlier.
- Malaysian police, helped by FBI agents from the US, are looking into the political and religious backgrounds of both Zaharie and his co-pilot. Zaharie's home was sealed off yesterday as police spent an hour inside.
- However, a senior investigation source said two laptops were taken from the property in low-key visits by police early last week despite a series of denials by officials that his home had been searched or raided.
- One laptop taken away is thought to contain data from the flight simulator while a second contained little information. Zaharie's personal laptop was not found, and is thought to have been with him in the cockpit of the plane, the source said.
- Zaharie's co-workers have told investigators the veteran pilot was a social activist who was vocal and fervent in his support of Ibrahim.
- 'Colleagues made it clear to us that he was someone who held strong political beliefs and was strident in his support for Anwar Ibrahim,' another investigation source said. 'We were told by one colleague he was obsessed with politics.'
- In their interviews, colleagues said Zaharie told them he planned to attend the court case involving Anwar on March 7, just hours before the Beijing flight, but investigators had not yet been able to confirm if he was among the crowd of Anwar supporters at court.
- Zaharie is believed to be separated or divorced from his wife although they share the same house, close to Kuala Lumpur's international airport. They have three children, but no family members were at home yesterday: only the maid has remained there.
- JAILED FOR FIVE YEARS: MALAYSIA'S OPPOSITION LEADERAnwar Ibrahim is a broadly popular democracy icon and former deputy prime minister whose prosecution on a charge of sodomy is seen by many Malaysians as political persecution.
- Campaigners say the politician, the key challenger to Malaysia's ruling party, was the victim of a long-running smear campaign and had faced trumped-up charges.
- Captain Shah, who is thought to have attended the trial in Putrajaya hours before flying, is thought to be incensed by the verdict.
- Co-workers have told investigators the veteran pilot was a social activist who was vocal and fervent in his support of Ibrahim.
- Investigators said: 'We are looking into the theory that Zaharie's political beliefs may be a factor. There are huge sensitivities surrounding this but we cannot afford not to pursue any angle brought to our attention.'
- In the days after Flight MH370 disappeared, Zaharie was affectionately described as a good neighbour and an eccentric 'geek' who had a flight simulator at home simply because he loved his work so much.
- Malaysian officials initially appeared keen not to direct any suspicion towards Zaharie or his co-pilot, 27-year-old Fariq Abdul Hamid, who was last week revealed to have invited two women passengers into the cockpit and smoked on an earlier flight to Phuket.
- But evidence of the way the plane's transponder and communication systems were disabled and the way the plane was expertly flown over the Indian Ocean apparently using navigational waypoints meant only a skilled aviator could have been at the controls. Investigators were also baffled by why, if hijackers took over the plane, there was no Mayday call or signal from the two pilots to say the cockpit had been breached.
- At yesterday's press conference, the suspicion over the pilot's involvement mounted as prime minister Najib Razak said that investigators had found 'deliberate action' on board the plane resulted in it changing course and losing contact with ground crews.
- As a result of the new information, Malaysian authorities had 'refocused their investigation on crew and passengers aboard', he said. Police sealed off the area surrounding Zaharie's home and searched the house shortly after the press conference.
- Mr Razak said the new satellite evidence shows 'with a high degree of certainty' that the one of the jet's communications devices '' the Aircraft and Communications Addressing and Reporting System was disabled just before it had reached the east coast of Malaysia. ACARS is a service that allows computers aboard the plane to relay in-flight information about the health of its systems back to the ground.
- Shortly afterwards, near the cross-over point between Malaysian and Vietnamese air traffic controllers, the plane's transponder, which emits an identifying signal, was switched off or, less likely, failed.
- According to a military radar, the aircraft then turned and flew back over Malaysia before heading in a north-west direction.
- Malaysian PM reveals MH370 could have been hijacked
- On board: Student Firman Siregar, pictured centre with his family, was one of the 239 aboard Flight MH370
- Multinational: Indonesian rescue personnel join in the search for the missing plane
- Search: Investigators from countries around the world have been scouring the oceans
- A satellite was able to pick up a 'ping' from the plane until 08:11 local time, more than seven hours after it lost radar contact, although it was unable to give a precise location. Mr Razak went on to say that based on this new data, investigators 'have determined the plane's last communication with a satellite was in one of two possible corridors '' north from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan through to northern Thailand, and south from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean.
- If as suspected the plane was diverted into the Indian Ocean, the task of the search teams becomes more difficult, as there are hundreds of uninhabited islands and the water reaches depths of around 23,000ft.
- Countries in the plane's potential flightpath have now joined a huge effort to locate the missing passengers, but China described the revelation as 'painfully belated'. And FBI investigators say the disappearance of MH370 may have been 'an act of piracy' and that the possibility that its hundreds of passengers are being held at an unknown location has not been ruled out.
- Police visit homes of MH370 pilot and first officer
- Meanwhile, leading aviation lawyer James Healy''Pratt, who is helping relatives, said Malaysian Airlines had declined to buy Boeing's Airplane Health Management system, which monitors systems in real time and could have alerted it to any potential problems, rather than having to recover a black box.
- 'If the transponder was manually disabled then one can only hope that the black boxes were not also manually disabled,' he said. 'Otherwise, the truth will never be known.'
- The revelations about Zaharie's political affiliations are highly sensitive in a country where political dirty tricks are widespread.
- One of the investigation sources said: 'We are looking into the theory that Zaharie's political beliefs may be a factor. There are huge sensitivities surrounding this but we cannot afford not to pursue any angle brought to our attention.'
- Separately, a police source told the Mail on Sunday: 'I can confirm our investigations include the political and religious leanings of both pilots.'
- Zaharie joined Malaysia Airlines in 1981. He became a captain about ten years later and has clocked up 18,360 hours of flying experience.
- Additional reporting: Ian GallagherI GOUGED HIJACKER'S EYE AND SAVED 398 - BY BA PILOT WHO RESCUED HIS PLANE 14 YEARS AGOBy CAPTAIN BILL HAGAN
- A British Airways pilot who tackled a maniac on his packed jet reveals how the threat of hijack can spring from anywhere '' and tells how the fate of Flight MH370 has brought details of his horrific encounter flooding back to him...
- Cockpit fight: Bill Hagan tackled a crazed student trying to crash a BA flight
- I was asleep in my bunk when I was jolted awake by the sudden lurching of the plane, British Airways flight BA 2069 from Gatwick to Kenya.
- I knew there was something seriously wrong but I thought maybe the aircraft had been damaged. It was only when I heard my co-pilot shouting for help and opened the door that I saw there was an intruder. He looked like a terrorist.
- I knew we were all in grave danger as he had seized the controls and we were plummeting at full speed towards the ground. If I had considered it necessary to kill him to save everyone else on board, I would have. My wife and two of my children were on the flight, as were singer Bryan Ferry and fivemembers of the Goldsmith family.
- I didn't speak '' I just punched the man hard and managed to pull his body back just enough to make the plane pitch up from its dive. The week before I had been speaking to my young son about how to survive a shark attack, by sticking your finger in its eye, and that gave me the inspiration to do that to the intruder.
- After I had gouged his eye he came away from the controls to fight me, allowing the co-pilot to stabilise the aircraft. I shouted loudly for help and threemale passengers rushed to my aid. They grabbed the hijacker '' who I later learned was a 27-year-old mentally ill Kenyan student calledPaul Kefa Mukonyi '' and dragged him to the back of the plane and tied him up.
- If he had been at the controls for just a few extra seconds we could all have died. The plane stalled three times, nearly went upside down andwas plummeting to the ground.
- While I was still catching my breath I made an announcement to reassure the 398 passengers on board that it was over. I forgot about any rule book and just said: 'A bad man has tried to kill us all, but everything is fine now.'
- The plight of the Malaysia Airlines flight has brought the horror of that day, December 29, 2000, flooding back to me.
- If there was an explosion, debris would have been spotted by now. I believe this must have been a deliberate and planned act. Pilots are encouraged to secure the safest outcome, which may well mean you comply with the demands of the hijackers.
- On long-haul flights a pilot will notify air traffic control of the aircraft's exact location every 30 minutes. I would be asking the Malaysian authorities to check the voice of whoever made the last call from the plane to see if it was the pilot.
- I just hope there are answers soon, for the families who are facing this awful wait.
- FROM TERRORISTS TO TINTIN... THE WORLDWIDE CONSPIRACIES THEORIESThe internet has been abuzz with conspiracy theories about flight MH370's disappearance, from terrorists to Tintin, some vaguely plausible, others simply ridiculous...
- THE PLAUSIBLEFlying bomb: According to this theory, the plane has been taken to Vietnam, where it is waiting to be used as a weapon in a 9/11 style attack.Passengers alive: Because some relatives of passengers have heard ringing tones on their loved ones' mobiles, rather than being put straight through to voicemail, they believe it is evidence they were still alive. In fact, not all such calls do go straight to voicemail, especially if the battery is also destroyed.THE LUDICROUSAlien involvement: Cyber posters looking on flight mapping website Flightradar24 spotted one object (identified as a Korean airliner) which appears to streak across the screen at an incredible speed around the time of MH370's disappearance. A glitch on the website, said Flightradar.Silicon connection: With an IBM executive and 20 members of a Texan IT company aboard, some have concluded a Chinese kidnap plot is afoot, with a transfer on to a 'black site' for interrogation....AND NOT FORGETTING THE HERGE HYPOTHESIS!Tintin connection: In his comic book Flight 714, published in 1968, Belgian cartoonist Herg(C) penned a plot which resembles some aspects of the Malaysian mystery.
- In the plot, set in the Far East, Tintin, Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus are offered a lift in a millionaire's private jet. As event unfold (panel 1 above), the aircraft is hijacked by the pilots and brought to a deserted volcanic island; (2) the jet manages to make a rough landing on a makeshift roll-out runway; and (3) gunmen surround the plane and Tintin's dog Snowy makes a run for it.
- After several close shaves '' and even a meeting with aliens '' the friends finally make it safely on to Flight 714 and to their original destination, Sydney.
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- Freescale Semiconductor
- All 11 devices are included in Freescale's Product Longevity Program, assuring availability for a decade or more
- AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 3, 2014-- Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE: FSL), a global leader in radio frequency (RF) power transistors, today announced the availability of 11 new commercial RF power LDMOS products that can meet the requirements of U.S. defense electronics applications. This is the first set of products released as part of the company's strategic defense initiatives for its RF power business, announced in June 2013.
- Freescale now offers the level of support provided in other markets to U.S. defense systems customers, enabling them to optimize the performance of these RF devices for radar, military communications and electronic warfare applications. The products are included in Freescale's Product Longevity Program to assure their availability for a minimum of 10 or 15 years, depending on the product. In addition, Freescale's dedicated team of RF defense market specialists have ITAR-compliant systems and processes to enable them to work with defense customers on projects that are subject to the ITAR requirements.
- ''These new RF power products utilize Freescale's latest LDMOS and Airfast technologies to bring best-in-class performance to defense electronics customers,'' said Ritu Favre, senior vice president and general manager of Freescale's RF business. ''In addition, Freescale maintains the RF power market's only U.S.-based LDMOS device fabrication facility, and all assembly and testing is performed in Freescale-owned facilities.''
- Among the notable devices now available are:
- The MMRF1305HS '' a ruggedized 100 watt RF power LDMOS transistor capable of coverage spanning 30 MHz to 1000 MHz with only two bands. Capable of performing into 65:1 VSWRs, this device is suitable for high load mismatch applications.The MMRF1306H '' a highly rugged 1.25 kW RF power LDMOS transistor designed for use in high VSWR CW and pulse applications such as HF, VHF and low-band UHF radar and radio communications. Multiple applications circuits are available to demonstrate device performance at different frequencies and signal types.A complete list and related details for the devices released today are available at www.freescale.com/RFmilitary.
- About RF Power LDMOS Products
- Freescale's LDMOS devices deliver high linearity, broad instantaneous bandwidth and advanced plastic packaging that replaces vacuum tubes with solid state technology. The company's ruggedized RF power LDMOS products for commercial applications are ideally suited to defense requirements, with the ability to handle extreme load mismatches (VSWR) greater than 65:1 and enhanced protection from electrostatic discharge (ESD). Freescale's LDMOS devices for defense electronics span frequency ranges to more than 3 GHz, with RF power outputs up to 1.25 kW, which reduces part counts and glass tubes, and enables the move to solid state.
- Products purchased for use in defense applications are planned for inclusion in Freescale's Product Longevity Program, with assured supply for a minimum of 10 or 15 years, depending on the product. For terms and conditions, and to obtain a list of available products, please see: www.Freescale.com/productlongevity.
- For more information about Freescale's defense-capable products, please visit www.freescale.com/RFmilitary.
- Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE: FSL) is a global leader in embedded processing solutions, providing industry leading products that are advancing the automotive, consumer, industrial and networking markets. From microprocessors and microcontrollers to sensors, analog integrated circuits and connectivity '' our technologies are the foundation for the innovations that make our world greener, safer, healthier and more connected. Some of our key applications and end-markets include automotive safety, hybrid and all-electric vehicles, next generation wireless infrastructure, smart energy management, portable medical devices, consumer appliances and smart mobile devices. The company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design, research and development, manufacturing and sales operations around the world. www.freescale.com
- Freescale, the Freescale logo and Airfast are trademarks of Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off. All other product or service names are the property of their respective owners. (C) 2014 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
- Source: Freescale Semiconductor
- Freescale SemiconductorAmericasJack Taylor, 512-560-7143jack.taylor@freescale.comorAsia PacificGloria Shiu, (85-22) 666-8237gloria.shiu@freescale.comorEurope, Middle East and AfricaLaurent Massicot, (33-16) 935-7712Laurent.massicot@freescale.comorIndiaAnjali Srivastava, (91-120) 395-0000anjali.srivastava@freescale.comorJapanKiyomi Masuda, (81-3) 5437-9128kiyomi.masuda@freescale.com
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- evy poumpouras - Google Search
- cosmopolitan.comWhen people find out I conducted polygraph examinations, did interrogations,720 968 - 124k - jpgtwitter.comEvy Poumpouras. @EvyPoumpouras. On Air Expert on all things security,256 256 - 25k - jpegpowerwomentv.comepisode: evy poumpouras: how1857 1042 - 197k - jpgtoday.comtdy_self_defense_131023.jpg1920 1080 - 1150k - jpgtoday.comKLG, Hoda have a ball getting1920 1080 - 1321k - jpgcosmopolitan.comcos-01-Evy-Poumpouras-xl.jpg720 405 - 66k - jpgnewyork.cbslocal.com4.18.13 Evy Poumpouras2000 1500 - 711k - jpgpinterest.com4 ways to tell if someone is lying | Evy Poumpouras, a former special agent736 552 - 107k - jpgacfe.comEvy Poumpouras150 225 - 16k - jpgtoday.comFitness-trainer mom called out1920 1080 - 580k - jpgflickr.comEvy Poumpouras and Anna976 605 - 152k - jpgtoday.comtdy_body_131217.jpg1920 1080 - 1411k - jpgextratv.com0-4p95psl5-1200x630.jpg1200 630 - 113k - jpgextratv.comEvy Poumpouras and body320 240 - 54k - jpgflickr.comEvy Poumpouras1101 622 - 182k - jpgflickr.comEvy Poumpouras640 562 - 123k - jpgyoutube.commaxresdefault.jpg1280 720 - 56k - jpgfacebook.comEvy Poumpouras160 160 - 8k - jpglakako.comevypoumpouras (Evy Poumpouras)150 150 - 7k - jpgfacebook.comEvy Poumpouras shared a link.377 197 - 60k - php
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- EVY POUMPOURAS-Association of Certified Fraud Examiners - ACFE Faculty
- Evy PoumpourasConsultant, Former U.S. Secret Service
- Evy Poumpouras is an on-air contributor for CNN, NBC, CBS and FOX regarding interview and investigative techniques. She is a former Special Agent for the United States Secret Service, investigation numerous financial crimes during her tenure. In addition to her fraud investigations, her presidential protective details included President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, President George W. Bush, President George H. Bush and more. She has experience in bank and credit card fraud investigations, linguistic analysis, non-verbal behaviors, and security and protection.
- Poumpouras has a Master's in Forensic Psychology from Argosy University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Fine Arts and Overseas Studies from Hofstra University. She has been trained as a special agent, criminal investigator, polygraph examiner/interrogator and police officer. She is proficient in Greek, Spanish, Italian, French and Arabic.
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- The Spin of Malaysian Flight 370
- As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.........
- This blog stands by the first inquiry into what happened in the Malaysian 777 downing. It now though posts a few "caught in the lies" which have been appearing as this is being spun away from what took place.
- Now we are told the transponders were turned off so the plane just disappeared, and of course it flew under radar. I share a 9 11 post from a Boston Aircraft Controller concerning Flight 11 that morning.
- Dick Cheney also monitored flight 77 for many miles as it approached the Pentagon (confirmed here).
- Similarly, an ABC News article states:
- "Controllers at the Boston Center knew American Airlines Flight 11, which departed at 7:59 a.m. ET from Boston for its flight to Los Angeles, was hijacked 30 minutes before it crashed. They tracked it to New York on their radar scopes. 'I watched the target of American 11 the whole way down,' said Boston controller Mark Hodgkins. "
- And air traffic controllers and others tracked Flight 175.And, as recounted by a high-level Secret Service agent:
- "Through monitoring radar and activating an open line with the FAA, the Secret Service was able to receive real time information about . . . two hijacked aircraft as they approached Washington, D.C. "
- Norad Admits Planes Show Up on Radar Even with Transponders Turned OffEven Neads, the Northeastern sector of Norad, admits that the hijacked planes would have appeared on radar as dashes even after the transponders had been turned off:Because they had been informed its transponder was off, [Neads] knew to look for a tiny dash instead of the usual dot.
- From the above, we see that jets even with communications turned off can be tracked, using old fashioned radar. We see that the Boston flight control tracked a jet as it flew into the ground, so much for flying under radar.
- For those who would say this was civilian flight control, I will point out that the Americans have as complete grid of monitoring all activity, above, below and on the surface as they have in America in the NORAD system.
- Diego Garcia which is a US base has the following advanced systems in the Indian Ocean.
- 5United States military activities
- If that is not enough, the the United States has monitoring stations all over the China Sea where this plane would be featured.Planes are to fly specific routes, and then handed off to other radar control. They know enough to do this, so they do not get shot down by the PLA, as this was going into China which is heavily monitoring the Americans, Vietnamese and Japanese in this region.
- With low defense budgets, US allies in the Western Pacific like Japan and South Korea will have to rely more heavily on the United States in the future to monitor the movements of Chinese forces, the report said. For example, the range of the X-band radar covers between 3,500 and 6,000km, enveloping the entire eastern region of China. With the listening post in Iwo Jima, the radar's blind spot can be covered as well, it said.
- Echelon is a vital key in this program, and due to Edward Snowden we know that the United States has a main transponder for the entire south Asian region which is part of this tracking grid from Thailand.So people are being lied to about Flight 370, as it could not disappear, nor could it fly around for seven hours without anyone knowing the exact location.
- The only thing which could have come even close in this was as in KAL Flight 007 which a US spy plane was flying under the signature of the KAL flight to test radars and to gain entrance into the airspace. The Soviets in that instance shot down KAL, mistaking it for the US intelligence craft they were tracking.
- So in reality, the entire Mockingbird has been caught lying, and if someone is caught lying, then something is being covered up, and when something is being covered up, then it is a likely reality that there was a failsafe in this downing of Flight 370, and you can call this another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
- The failsafe in case this was exposed for the European operation it was, based on US assets out of Singapore, was to fly an echo of Flight 370, meaning an Airbus flight took off to fly over the Indian Ocean which then landed in South Africa for refueling.
- This is in deep and everyone knows how dirty this is as the stories coming out are preposterous in knowing the tracking ability of these systems. When a plane disappears, someone with connections wanted that plane to disappear and not be found.
-
- Flight 370 Soared Above 45,000 Feet After Vanishing: Report
- Just after it vanished from civilian radar, Flight 370 reportedly climbed past 45,000 feet'--well above the plane's approved altitude'--and changed courses several times in a deliberate manner, as if it were still being steered by a pilot.
- Citing American officials and others familiar with the investigation, the New York Times reports that radar data collected by the Malaysian military shows the plane's rapid ascent, followed a turn to the west. The plane then descended to 23,000 feet before changing course again, flying northwest over the Strait of Malacca in the direction of the Indian Ocean. From the Times:
- The combination of altitude changes and at least two significant course corrections could have a variety of explanations, including an intentional diversion by a pilot or a hijacker, or uneven flying because a disabled crew.
- The erratic movements of the aircraft after it diverted course and flew over the country also raise questions about why the military did not respond in real time to the flight emergency. Malaysian officials have acknowledged that military radar may have picked up the plane, but have said they took no action because it did not appear hostile.
- There's also this terrifying bit of information:
- An Asia-based pilot of a Boeing 777-200, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said an ascent above the plane's service limit of 43,100 feet, along with a depressurized cabin, could have rendered the passengers and crew unconscious, and could be a deliberate maneuver by a pilot or hijacker.
- Meanwhile, CNN is now reporting that the plane probably crashed in one of two areas: in the Indian Ocean or in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of India. The network also mentions a third theory, based on a Reuters report released this morning.
- Yet another theory is taking shape about what might have happened to missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: Maybe it landed in a remote Indian Ocean island chain.
-
- U.S. Investigators Suspect Missing Malaysia Airlines Plane Flew On for Hours - WSJ.com
- U.S. investigators suspect that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 stayed in the air for about four hours past the time it reached its last confirmed location, according to two people familiar with the details, raising the possibility that the plane could have flown on for hundreds of additional miles under conditions that remain murky.
- Aviation investigators and national security officials believe the plane flew for a total of five hours, based on data automatically downloaded and sent to the ground from the Boeing Co. 777's engines as part of a routine maintenance and monitoring program.
- That raises a host of new questions and possibilities about what happened aboard the widebody jet carrying 239 people, which vanished from civilian air-traffic control radar over the weekend, about one hour into a flight to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur.
- Six days after the mysterious disappearance prompted a massive international air and water search that so far hasn't produced any results, the investigation appears to be broadening in scope.
- U.S. counterterrorism officials are pursuing the possibility that a pilot or someone else on board the plane may have diverted it toward an undisclosed location after intentionally turning off the jetliner's transponders to avoid radar detection, according to one person tracking the probe.
- The investigation remains fluid, and it isn't clear whether investigators have evidence indicating possible terrorism or sabotage. So far, U.S. national security officials have said that nothing specifically points toward terrorism, though they haven't ruled it out.
- But the huge uncertainty about where the plane was headed, and why it apparently continued flying so long without working transponders, has raised theories among investigators that the aircraft may have been commandeered for a reason that appears unclear to U.S. authorities. Some of those theories have been laid out to national security officials and senior personnel from various U.S. agencies, according to one person familiar with the matter.
- At one briefing, according to this person, officials were told investigators are actively pursuing the notion that the plane was diverted "with the intention of using it later for another purpose."
- As of Wednesday it remained unclear whether the plane reached an alternate destination or if it ultimately crashed, potentially hundreds of miles from where an international search effort has been focused.
- In those scenarios, neither mechanical problems, pilot mistakes nor some other type of catastrophic incident caused the 250-ton plane to mysteriously vanish from radar.
- The latest revelations come as local media reported that Malaysian police visited the home of at least one of the two pilots.
- A Malaysia Airlines official declined to comment. A Boeing executive who declined to be named would not comment except to say, "We've got to stand back from the front line of the information."
- The engines' onboard monitoring system is provided by their manufacturer, Rolls-Royce PLC, and it periodically sends bursts of data about engine health, operations and aircraft movements to facilities on the ground.
- "We continue to monitor the situation and to offer Malaysia Airlines our support," a Rolls-Royce representative said Wednesday, declining further comment.
- "The disappearance is officially now an accident and all information about this is strictly handled by investigators," said a Rolls-Royce executive who declined to be named, citing rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency.
- As part of its maintenance agreements, Malaysia Airlines transmits its engine data live to Rolls-Royce for analysis. The system compiles data from inside the 777's two Trent 800 engines and transmits snapshots of performance, as well as the altitude and speed of the jet.
- Those snippets are compiled and transmitted in 30-minute increments, said one person familiar with the system. According to Rolls-Royce's website, the data is processed automatically "so that subtle changes in condition from one flight to another can be detected."
- The engine data is being analyzed to help determine the flight path of the plane after the transponders stopped working. The jet was originally headed for China, and its last verified position was half way across the Gulf of Thailand.
- A total flight time of five hours after departing Kuala Lumpur means the Boeing 777 could have continued for an additional distance of about 2,200 nautical miles, reaching points as far as the Indian Ocean, the border of Pakistan or even the Arabian Sea, based on the jet's cruising speed.
- Earlier Wednesday, frustrations over the protracted search for the missing plane mounted as both China and Vietnam vented their anger over what they viewed as poor coordination of the effort.
- Government conflicts and national arguments over crises are hardly unique to the Flight 370 situation, but some air-safety experts said they couldn't recall another recent instance of governments' publicly feuding over search procedures during the early phase of an international investigation.
- Authorities on Wednesday radically expanded the size of the search zone, which already was proving a challenge to cover effectively, but the mission hadn't turned up much by the end of the fifth day.
- Also on Wednesday, a Chinese government website posted images from Chinese satellites showing what it said were three large objects floating in an 8-square-mile area off the southern tip of Vietnam. The objects were discovered on Sunday , according to the website, which didn't say whether the objects had been recovered or examined.
- Ten countries were helping to scour the seas around Malaysia, including China, the U.S. and Vietnam. Taiwanese vessels are expected to be on the scene by Friday, with India and Japan having also agreed to join the search soon.
- In all, 56 surface ships were taking part in the search, according to statements issued by the contributing governments, with Malaysia providing 27 of them. In addition, 30 fixed-wing aircraft were also searching, with at least 10 shipboard helicopters available, mostly in the waters between Malaysia and Vietnam.
- China's government was especially aggrieved. More than 150 of the 239 people on board are Chinese, and family members in Beijing have at times loudly expressed their frustration over the absence of leads.
- More than a dozen Chinese diplomats met with Malaysian authorities in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday as tension grew over the search.
- "At present there's a lot of different information out there. It's very chaotic and very hard to verify," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a regular press briefing. "We've said as long as there is a shred of hope, you can't give up."
- The day before, Beijing pointedly pressed Malaysia to accelerate its investigation, which has been hampered by false leads on suspected debris and conflicting reports on radar tracking.
- Vietnam on Wednesday suspended its search flights after conflicting reports from Malaysia that authorities had tracked the plane to the Strait of Malacca before it disappeared.
- Gen. Rodzali Daud, Malaysia's air force chief, denied saying he had told local media that military radar facilities had tracked the plane there, saying they were still examining all possibilities. Vietnam later resumed normal search sweeps.
- Malaysian authorities divided the search area into several sectors on either side of the country, as well as areas on land.
- The challenge, said Lt. David Levy, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet, isn't so much coordination as the sheer size of the area involved. The search grids are up to 20 miles by 120 miles, and ships and aircraft employ an exhaustive methodical pattern "like mowing your lawn" in their search for the plane, he said.
- U.S. defense officials sought to play down any suggestion that the Malaysian government was doing a poor job with the search.
- "It is not unusual for searches to take a long time, especially when you are working with limited data," one official said.
- Aviation experts say the absence of an electronic signal from the plane before it disappeared from radar screens makes it difficult to pin down possible locations. Some radar data suggested the Boeing 777 might have tried to turn back to Kuala Lumpur before contact was lost, a detail that prompted a search for the plane on both sides of the Malaysian peninsula.
- A U.S. Navy P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft has been searching the northern Strait of Malacca, west of Malaysia, while destroyers USS Kidd and USS Pinckney have been deploying helicopters in the Gulf of Thailand to the east.
- So far the U.S., like other nations taking part in the search, has had no success. Many aviation experts are concluding that searchers may not have been looking in the right places. Even if the plane broke up in midair, it would have left telltale traces of debris in the ocean. The cracks now emerging between some of the participants in the search could make it even more difficult.
- Diplomatic feuds over air disasters have generally erupted over the conclusions of the investigations, long after the initial search is over.
- The results of the 1999 crash of an Egyptair Boeing 767 en route to Egypt from New York, which killed 217 people, spawned a dispute between Washington and Cairo that strained ties for years. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded the plane's co-pilot purposely put the twin-engine jet into a steep dive and then resisted efforts by the captain to recover control before the airliner slammed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nantucket. Egyptian authorities insisted the evidence indicated mechanical failure.
- Earlier, Washington and Paris butted heads over the investigation into the 1994 crash of a French-built American Eagle commuter turboprop near Roselawn, Ind. The French objected to the NTSB's conclusions that French regulators failed to take actions that could have prevented the accident.
- Earlier this week, Malaysian investigators said they were expanding their investigation to encompass the possibility of hijack or sabotage, and possible personal or psychological problems of the crew and passengers. But Malaysian officials haven't discussed transmissions regarding engine operations or offered any explanation for the primary and backup transponders' not working.
- '--Jon Ostrower, Trefor Moss, Gaurav Raghuvanshi, Josh Chin and Jeremy Page contributed to this article.
- Write to Andy Pasztor at andy.pasztor@wsj.com
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- NYTimes: As Crews Search for Survivors, They Discover Only More Victims
- Two agents for the Federal Bureau of Investigation saw the blast blow
- out the front of the piano store located at 1646 Park Avenue, according
- to two city officials briefed on their statements
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- CRISIS SERIES PREMIERE TONIGHT 10/9c - YouTube
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- SnowJob
- Theory on SnowJob missiion to PROTECT GoogaHooBook
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- Good Luck, I'm Behind 7 Proxies | Know Your Meme
- Status:ConfirmedYear2007Origin4chanTagsimage macro, 4chan, internet slang, proxyAdditional ReferencesEncyclopedia DramaticaAbout''Good luck, I'm behind 7 proxies'' is a catchphrase typically used as a sarcastic retort when someone either threatens to report you to the authorities, or claims to be able to track down your location.
- OriginWhile no archive of the thread exists, the phrase is believed to come from a 4chan thread on September 15th, 2007.
- After cracking into a woman's computer, Myspace account and college financial assistance fund, the hackers posted several pictures and videos of her on 4chan. When she became aware of this, she went to 4chan in an attempt to have them taken down. After threatening to involve the authorities, she was met with the response: ''I WENTTHROUGH 7 PROXIESGOOD LUCK". The following screenshot is reported to have come from the thread:
- There is an archived thread from the same day that mentions ''7 proxies'' as a new slang term. Afterwards 4chan implemented a wordfilter to replace ''7'' with over 9000.
- SpreadOn March 1st, 2008, an image macro using a modified version of the phrase was posted to the website MyConfinedSpace.
- On March 11th, 2008, a YouTube user named ''trollercoasterlulz'' referenced the phrase during a raid on another YouTube user named ''GayDiamond'':
- On October 20th, 2008, a yahoo answers question was posted asking ''Is it possible to configure FireFox 3.3 to use 7 proxies?'' that may have been a joke referencing the phrase.
- An Ubuntu Forums thread from January 31st, 2011, discusses the validity of using 7 proxies to anonymously browse the web. Some claimed the best way method is to use Tor client software, rather than attempt to go through multiple proxy servers.
- Use of the phrase can be found on various sites including the Anime Waves Forums, The Huffington Post, The Forsaken World Forum, and the Sherdog Forums.
- A Facebook page for the phrase has over 200 'likes' as of June 2011.
- Notable DerivativesSearchExternal LinksSorry.. But your princess is behind 7 castles.
-
- Google promotion on encryption - email
- The Snowden SXSW talk was a promotion for Google's announcement of
- "Google’s steps to encrypt search results follow a decision to encrypt
- Internet traffic between its data centers after Edward Snowden, working
- with journalists Laura Poitras, Glenn Greenwald and others, revealed last
- year the extent of National Security Agency surveillance of web traffic in
-
- Google Will Start Encrypting Your Searches - TIME
- TechGoogleA sign is posted on the exterior of Google headquarters on Jan. 30, 2014 in Mountain View, Calif.Justin Sullivan'--Getty ImagesGoogle ismaking users' searches more privateas part of the company's larger efforts to improve information security in light of last year's revelations regarding government surveillance in the U.S.
- Google will introduce encrypted search results globally on a yet-unannounced release schedule. However, Google has already started encrypting searches of Chinese users in defiance of that country's tight censorship regime, The Washington Post reports. The move represents a shot at Beijing in Google's standoff with Chinese authorities over unmet demands that the company send Chinese users to government-approved sites. In 2010, Google moved its Chinese operation to semi-autonomous Hong Kong and now accounts for only five percent of China's search market.
- Google's steps to encrypt search results follow a decision to encrypt Internet traffic between its data centers after Edward Snowden, working with journalists Laura Poitras, Glenn Greenwald and others, revealed last year the extent of National Security Agency surveillance of web traffic in the U.S.
- ''The revelations of this past summer underscored our need to strengthen our networks. Among the many improvements we've made in recent months is to encrypt Google Search by default around the world,'' a Google spokesperson told the Post. ''This builds on our work over the past few years to increase the number of our services that are encrypted by default and encourage the industry to adopt stronger security standards.''
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- Zuckerberg calls Obama
- CIA making FBI and NSA looking bad by attacking Google's competition.
- Where is the actual proof?
- More than PowerPoint slides please!
-
- Mark Zuckerberg calls Obama after NSA report - Alex Byers - POLITICO.com
- Zuckerberg does not say when the call to the president took place. | AP Photo
- CloseFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg called President Barack Obama Wednesday night to complain about U.S. government actions that are undermining trust in the Internet, after a report that described how the National Security Agency posed as a Facebook server to inject malicious software into targets' computers.
- ''When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we're protecting you against criminals, not our own government,'' Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post Thursday. ''The U.S. government should be the champion for the internet, not a threat. They need to be much more transparent about what they're doing, or otherwise people will believe the worst.''
- National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden didn't provide details of Obama's discussion with Zuckerberg but pointed to an NSA statement Thursday that pushed back on the report by Glenn Greenwald in The Intercept, which described the NSA practices.
- ''NSA does not use its technical capabilities to impersonate U.S. company websites,'' the statement said. ''Nor does NSA target any user of global Internet services without appropriate legal authority. Reports of indiscriminate computer exploitation operations are simply false.''
- Zuckerberg did not make direct reference to the report in The Intercept. But he said he expressed frustration to the president about the ''damage the government is creating for all of our future.'' He added, ''Unfortunately, it seems like it will take a very long time for true full reform.''
- Facebook is one of a number of major tech companies that have been pushing the White House and Congress to enact NSA reforms in the wake of leaks by Edward Snowden about the agency's surveillance programs. The companies are also pushing the government to be more transparent about the national security requests they make to tech companies.
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- NSA posed as FACEBOOK in effort to infect 'millions' of computers with malware, Snowden documents reveal
- According to the latest collection of national security details leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency impersonated Facebook in an attempt to trick users into downloading malicious code in its attempt to install malware on 'millions' of computers.
- The intelligence agency reportedly deployed malware code tailored to target specific machines. Once inside, the code gives the NSA total control of the computer.
- The NSA dubbed the Facebook trick QUANTUMHAND.
- The program was first reported by Glenn Greenwald at The Intercept.
- 'In some cases the NSA has masqueraded as a fake Facebook server, using the social media site as a launching pad to infect a target's computer and exfiltrate files from a hard drive,' Greenwald reports, based on classified documents given to him by Snowden.
- '[The NSA] has sent out spam emails laced with the malware, which can be tailored to covertly record audio from a computer's microphone and take snapshots with its webcam,' Greenwald reports. 'The hacking systems have also enabled the NSA to launch cyberattacks by corrupting and disrupting file downloads or denying access to websites.'
-
- Compare the NSA's Facebook Malware Denial to its Own Secret Documents
- On Wednesday, Glenn Greenwald and I revealed new details about the National Security Agency's efforts to radically expand its ability to hack into computers and networks across the world. The story has received a lot of attention, and one detail in particular has sparked controversy: specifically, that the NSA secretly pretended to be a fake Facebook server in order to covertly infect targets with malware ''implants'' used for surveillance.
- This revelation apparently infuriated Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg so much that he got on the phone to President Barack Obama to complain about it. ''I've been so confused and frustrated by the repeated reports of the behavior of the US government,'' Zuckerberg wrote in a blog post Thursday. ''When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we're protecting you against criminals, not our own government.''
- That wasn't all. Wiredran a piece saying that the NSA's widespread use of its malware tools ''acts as implicit permission to others, both nation-state and criminal.'' Slatenoted that the NSA's hacking platform appears to be ''becoming a bit more like the un-targeted dragnets everyone has been so upset about.'' Meanwhile, Ars Technicawrote that the surveillance technology we exposed ''poses a risk to the entire Internet.''
- In response, the NSA has attempted to quell the backlash by putting out a public statement dismissing what it called ''inaccurate'' media reports. The agency denied that it was ''impersonating U.S. social media or other websites'' and said that it had not ''infected millions of computers around the world with malware.'' The statement follows a trend that has repeatedlybeenseen in the aftermath of major disclosures from documents turned over by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, in which the NSA or one of its implicated allies issues a carefully worded non-denial denial that on the face of it seems to refute an allegation but on closer inspection does not refute it at all.
- Prior to publishing our story, we asked the NSA to explain its use of Facebook to deploy malware as part of a top-secret initiative codenamed QUANTUMHAND. The NSA declined to answer all of our questions or offer context for the documents. We went into meticulous detail in our report, which went through a rigorous fact-checking process because of the gravity of the revelations. What we reported, accurately, was that the Snowden files showed how the agency had in some cases ''masqueraded as a fake Facebook server, using the social media site as a launching pad to infect a target's computer and exfiltrate files from a hard drive.'' The source for that detail was not plucked from thin air; it was rooted in multiple documents that refer to the technique in action, including the internal NSA animation that we published.
- A particular short excerpt from one of the classified documents, however, has taken on new significance due to the NSA's statement. The excerpt is worth drawing attention to here because of the clarity of the language it uses about the Facebook tactic and the light it shines on the NSA's denial. Referencing the NSA's Quantum malware initiative, the document, dated April 2011, explains how the NSA ''pretends'' to be Facebook servers to deploy its surveillance ''implants'' on target's computers:
- It is difficult to square the NSA secretly saying that it ''pretends to be the Facebook server'' while publicly claiming that it ''does not use its technical capabilities to impersonate U.S. company websites.'' Is the agency making a devious and unstated distinction in its denial between ''websites'' and ''servers''? Was it deliberate that the agency used the present tense ''does not'' in its denial as opposed to the past tense ''did not''? Has the Facebook QUANTUMHAND technique been shut down since our report? Either way, the language used in the NSA's public statement seems highly misleading '' which is why severaltechwriters have rightly treated it with skepticism.
- The same is true of the NSA's denial that it has not ''infected millions of computers around the world with malware'' as part of its hacking efforts. Our report never actually accused the NSA of having achieved that milestone. Again, we reported exactly what the NSA's own documents say: that the NSA is working to ''aggressively scale'' its computer hacking missions and has built a system called TURBINE that it explicitly states will ''allow the current implant network to scale to large size (millions of implants).'' Only a decade ago, the number of implants deployed by the NSA was in the hundreds, according to the Snowden files. But the agency now reportedly manages a network of between 85,000 and 100,000 implants in computers systems worldwide '' and, if TURBINE's capabilities and the NSA's own documents are anything to go by, it is intent on substantially increasing those numbers.
- The rapid proliferation of these hacking techniques in the past decade, under cover of intense secrecy, is extraordinary and unprecedented. The NSA insists in its denial that its hacking efforts are not ''indiscriminate.'' Yet how the agency defines ''indiscriminate'' in this context remains unclear. The Intercept asked the NSA to clarify some of these issues for this post. Does the agency deny that it has used the QUANTUMHAND method to pretend to be a Facebook server in order to deploy malware implants? How does the NSA distinguish ''indiscriminate'' from ''discriminate''? In what specific legal, policy, and operational context does the implants system function? The agency declined to answer all of these questions. Instead, spokeswoman Vanee' Vines said that the NSA stood by its original statement, adding only that ''unauthorized and selective publication'' of the documents ''may lead to incorrect assumptions.''
- The NSA's outgoing chief has claimed that the agency supports increased transparency in the wake of the Snowden leaks '' but its response to the latest disclosures illustrates that it is failing to live up to that commitment. If the NSA truly wants to gain citizens' trust, it should rethink its slippery public relations strategy. A good first step would be to stop issuing dubious denials that seem to sit so starkly at odds with what its officials were saying in secret when they thought nobody would ever learn about what they were doing.
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- Steven Levy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Steven Levy (born 1951) is an Americanjournalist who has written several books on computers, technology, cryptography, the internet, cybersecurity, and privacy.
- Levy is a senior writer for Wired. Previously, he was chief technology writer and a senior editor for Newsweek. Levy has had articles published in Harper's, Macworld, The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Premiere, and Rolling Stone. He is regarded (along with Walter Mossberg) as a prominent and respected critic of Apple Inc. In July 2004, Levy wrote a cover story (which also featured an interview with Apple CEOSteve Jobs) which unveiled the 4th generation of the iPod to the world before Apple had officially done so, an unusual event since Apple is well known for its tight-lipped press policy.
- Levy has won several awards, including the "Computer Press Association Award" for a report he co-wrote in 1998 on the Year 2000 problem.
- In 1978, Steven Levy rediscovered Albert Einstein's brain in the office of the pathologist who removed and preserved it.[1]
- In 1984, he wrote a book called Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution, in which he described a "hacker ethic", which became a guideline to understanding how computers have advanced into the machines that we know and use today. He identified this Hacker Ethic to consist of key points such as that all information is free, and that this information should be used to "change life for the better".
- Levy received his bachelor's degree from Temple University and earned a Master's degree in literature from Pennsylvania State University.[2] He lives in New York City with his wife, Pulitzer Prize winner Teresa Carpenter, and son.
- Books by Levy[edit]References[edit]External links[edit]PersondataNameLevy, StevenAlternative namesShort descriptionAmerican journalistDate of birth1951Place of birthDate of deathPlace of death
-
- Steven Levy.com
- The Googleplex Goes Hollywood with ''The Internship''During the months I spent researching In the Plex, I often encountered the term ''Googliness.'' It was kind of a puzzle from Lewis Carrol. You can't understand the company unless you grasp the meaning of this term, but of course the term means nothing unless you have a sense of Google's essence. "Googley" is also as much an aspirational value as a descriptor. When Googlers use the term, they are referring to their optimism, constructive ambition, brains, technical prowess, and quirkiness. No one at the company uses the term in matters of risking privacy, avoiding taxes, or pulling the plug on popular products. Movies like "The Internship," the studiously irreverent genre of buddy comedy that typically stars people like Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, usually send audiences off into the night with a tacked-on inspirational message. For almost 90 minutes, these movies feature slouches who wisecrack and misbehave. But as the closing credits approach, these losers change their lives by embracing an inspirational ideal, be it loyalty, integrity, or better hygiene. In the case of the ''The Internship,'' starring (of course) Vaughn and Wilson, the ideal is Googliness. In fact, Google is all over this movie, which was shot with the complete cooperation with the company. (Google might not have had script approval, but considerable influence'--for instance, the filmmakers cut a proposed scene involving a crash of the self-driving car.) I watched the movie in a packed sneak preview on Saturday night at a movie complex only steps away from the actual Googleplex. My companions were Googlers, as were many others in the audience. As one might expect, it was warmly received, even though it's not nearly as funny as ''Wedding Crashers.'' The movie hinges on a few suspensions of disbelief. First you must swallow the premise of two failed middle-aged salesmen getting into Google's vaunted internship program. While diversity in gender, race and sexual orientation is indeed valued at Google, the one aspect of diversity that the company has always neglected is class status. Attendees of lower-tier colleges (let alone the University of Phoenix, the online education mill that our heroes enroll in to claim student status) face an almost impossible hiring hurdle. Also forgivable is the conceit that Google's summer internship is a tournament-style team competition for jobs'--the director Shawn Levy refers to this departure from reality as the ''motor'' that drives the plot. The real motor of the plot, though, is a classic ducks-out-of-water situation. Two 40-something Willie Lomans lose their sales jobs'--their boss calls them ''dinosaurs.'' So they join up with the firm that symbolizes the future. Google is familiar as a service to the entire movie-watching public. But (except for those who read In the Plex!) the actual company itself is a vague ideal'--some sort of pampered corporate retreat where brainy people are indulged by goodies as they code up our online world. The movie takes all the well-known pieces of this myth (free food!) and expands them to make Google look like some sort of geek Brigadoon, a truly magic kingdom. Now, I have to admit that there is a bit truth to this. A couple of summers ago, my sister and my father (who is over 90) visited California and I got some Google friends to host us for lunch on the campus. They were bowled over'--on a gorgeous July day employees in shorts and sandals were eating alfresco, playing beach volleyball, and languorously tapping on keyboards while taking some sun. But the filmmakers take this idyllic vision over the top. When our protragonists hit campus'--some of it filmed at the real Googleplex-- the dreary world of rust-belt dealmaking is replaced by a planet of fun. The colors are deep and lush, like Pandora in ''Avatar.'' Self-driving cars buzz around. Sergey himself pedals by on an elliptical bike. It's like the moment in "The Wizard of Oz" when everything turns Technicolor. (Indeed, Shawn Levy has described his intent to make the Googleplex look like The Emerald City.) The subliminal message is that Google is some sort of otherworldy workplace paradise, and the people working there are adepts driving to enrich the pitiful existence of those on the outside. You can just imagine how thousands of kids watching this might now rejigger their career ambitions to make Google their destination. Google products are embedded throughout the movie, and people throw around geek terms like HTML 5 with reasonable accuracy. (There's even a C++ joke.) Unfortunately, most of the plotting and characterization is superficial and obvious. Real Googlers are funnier and quirkier in much more interesting and bizarre ways than the movie depicts, and some deeper research and smarter screenwriting might have made this a much better movie. The moviemakers also could have taken a clue from Google in enforcing efficiency. Some scenes, like the one in the rather tame strip club, seem to go on forever. This would not have happened if Larry Page had been in the editing room counting off seconds, as he has been known to do during product demos. But from Google's point of view, the movie could not possibly be better. The company is depicted in all cases as a force for progress and righteousness. There's even a scene implying that Google considers phone help lines as a high-priority means of serving customers, a premise funnier than anything in the movie. Even more important to a company that's constantly under the threat of regulation and litigation, ''The Internship'' celebrates Google's self-defined values'--that aforementioned Googliness. Though the words ''Don't Be Evil'' are never mentioned in the movie, that ethic, as well as the values of cooperation and putting the user first, are clearly implied in the movie's definition of that term. The winning group of interns wins not just by data-crunching their score, but by their Googliness. And the cardboard villain in the story'--an imperious snob who's out for himself'--is told he will never work for Google. Because he isn't Googley. The takeaway is that Google is a preserve for goodness, and our trust in them is earned. They're Googley! No one has ever used the term ''Googliness'' to describe a genius for movie product placement. But after ''The Internship,'' maybe people should.
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- Slave Training
-
- Birth to Five email
- ITM! I am a NA listener and a nursing student. Your discussion and clip
- of Sibelius talking about "Birth to Five" really got my attention.
- I am currently in my pediatric rotation so we are talking about this
- First, the phrase "evidence based" is a buzzword. A "dog whistle" if you
- will, for healthcare professionals. That phrase appears everywhere in the
- nursing curriculum. It is hammered into us that what we do as nurses is
- "evidence based practice". (Strangely, the same curriculum also teaches
- us about "therapeutic touch", "manipulating energy fields", and
- "homeopathy". Go figure.)
- So, she was clearly speaking to healthcare professionals with that
- message. The layperson wouldn't understand how LOADED the phrase "evidence
- Second, in CA we are already doing the birth to five thing. We had
- preschool, then we added Head Start. Now we have "Early Start" where we
- try to get the kids into the system from birth.
- When a kid is born and they have some sort of developmental problem (or a
- risk for one), the hospital gives the information to the early start
- agency and they open a file on the kid. I have not been able to ascertain
- if the parents are advised of this or not. Once the kid is in the system,
- the parents are contacted for an assessment. If the kid qualifies, then
- they get therapy, parenting education, assistance and yes - home visits.
- In my area, this program is carried out by the school nurses. So you have
- elementary school nurses doing home visits on infants to make sure they
- are hitting their milestones. There is so much more that would blow your
- mind, but this is already too long. Just know that the govt is doing
- everything it can to get you in the system as soon as you take your first
- breath. There is no "off the grid".
-
- Mein Kampf exerpt
- Thought you might find this excerpt from Mein Kampf interesting, as it totally relates to your being upset about
- state-mandated infant/child care (or brainwashing). Page 614-615
- "Just as the state, as far as the PURELY SCIENTIFIC training is concerned, intervenes even today in the right of
- self-determination of the individual and represents towards him the right of the community by subjecting the child,
- without asking for agreement or non-agreement of the parents, to compulsory schooling, this, in questions of the
- nationality's preservation, the national state will some day, to a much higher degree, enforce its authority against
- the ignorance of the NON-UNDERSTANDING OF THE INDIVIDUAL...The work of care and education has to start even with the
- young mother. Just as it became possible, in the course of decades of work, to attain aseptic cleanliness during
- delivery and to limit puerperal fever to a few cases, thus it must and will be possible, by a thorough training of
- nurses and mothers, to bring about, even during the first years of the child, a treatment that serves as the most
- excellent basis for the later development."
- Great to know that our govt. is committed to carrying on these values, the commodification of its citizens, and
- ensuring America's position as a bastion of fascism in the 21st century.
-
- Ukraine
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Putin Scorns Kerry's Threats
- Putin Scorns Kerry's ThreatsBy Brother Nathanael KapnerMarch 14, 2014(C)
- Support The Brother Nathanael Foundation!
- Or Send Your Contribution To:The Brother Nathanael Foundation, PO Box 1242, Frisco CO 80443E-mail: brothernathanaelfoundation@yahoo.com___________________________________
- IF YOU THINK PUTINfears Kerry's threats, then you don't understand Vladimir Putin, the Russian mind, or Russian politics.While most Americans couldn't locate Ukraine on a map, the Jew-lying press tells the Goyim how they must react to 'boogie man' Putin and his so-called 'invasion' of Crimea.
- (99.9% of Americans never knew Crimea even existed until two weeks ago.)
- In spite of Kerry's latest threat: ''Russia has until Monday to reverse course in Ukraine,'' a backlash has already begun in America by US business groups opposing his twaddle.
- Both PepsiCo and General Electric warned Kerry that sanctions would backfire by putting tens of billions of dollars of US investment and trade at risk of retaliation.
- PepsiCo, the largest beverage company in Russia, said its earnings of $4.8 billion (in 2012) would be compromised '-- and General Electric's joint venture with two Russian firms to manufacture gas turbines in Rybinsk would suffer.
- Ford Motor's partnership with the Sollers car company would come to a grinding halt and Boeing, a top exporter to Russia, would see its trade with Russia stopped.
- ''There are two ways America gets hurt in a game like this. One is by sanctions, that puts our members out of business, the other is by Russian retaliation,'' said William Reinsch, head of the National Foreign Trade Council.
- Billions of US dollars are intertwined in Russia.
- According to Ernst & Young, the auto industry alone is worth $75 billion a year with large investments from Ford and VW.
- Problem is, Jews (they rule America) FEAR Putin so much they will trash American business interests if they can only 'get back' at Putin for defying their global agenda.
- But Putin is too smart for Christ-slaying Jews infected with the Deicidal curse for their corporate guilt of crucifying Jesus Christ.
- Mr Putin will certainly welcome Crimea with open arms once the anticipated positive vote in this Sunday's referendum is tallied. Go get 'em Vladimir! Watch VideoHere.
- This will drive the accursed Jews into hysterics with shrieks of war where only the Goyim die young. Jews let the Goys do their dirty work for them'...they do NOT send their own to die in their wars.
- AS FOR MERKEL, she can tout the Jew-fed line of 'massive damage' to Russia until the kosher cows come home.
- For with Putin exporting 40 percent of Europe's energy needs, Merkel has to play both sides: Jewry pumps dollars to keep its German colony in line and Russia pumps gas that keeps German homes heated.
- ''Sanctions on Russia would neither be desirable nor effective or implementable,'' said Michael Harms, head of the German-Russian Chamber of Foreign Trade.
- Companies like BASF, Stada Arzneimittel AG, (Germany's biggest generic-drug maker), and Volkswagen, who enjoy part of Berlin's 31 percent of EU's trade with Russia, would see their huge piece of the pie swallowed up.
- Already, Europe is feeling the negative effects of Merkel's and Kerry's threats.
- Russian companies such as Lukoil are pulling billions out of western banks, anticipating that sanctions will lead to asset freezes.
- IS PUTIN AFRAID of the big bad Jew wolf? No'...Putin fears no one but Christ.
- Are US and EU businesses afraid of the Jew wolf? Yes.
- When will they realize that what's good for the Jews is BAD for everyone else?
- ___________________________________Support The Brother Nathanael Foundation!
- Or Send Your Contribution To:The Brother Nathanael Foundation, PO Box 1242, Frisco CO 80443E-mail: brothernathanaelfoundation@yahoo.comScroll Down For Comments
- Brother Nathanael @ March 14, 2014
-
- PEPSI-GE-As talk of Russia sanctions heats up, business draws a cautionary line - The Washington Post
- Business groups are pushing to ensure that any economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States are joined by as much of the rest of the world as possible, warning Congress and the Obama administration that unilateral U.S. action would put tens of billions of dollars of American investment and trade at risk of retaliation.
- Company officials say they are caught between fast-moving U.S. foreign policy and their interests in a market many have been courting '-- both in the key energy sector and beyond.
- Top U.S. companies such as PepsiCo, General Electric and others have touted their involvement in Russia as central to their global strategy. That has involved aggressive investing '-- PepsiCo is now the largest food and beverage company in Russia, earning $4.8 billion in the country in 2012 '-- and joint ventures such as GE's with two Russian firms to manufacture gas turbines in Rybinsk. Ford Motor Co. recently announced a partnership with the Sollers car company. Aerospace giants such as Boeing are among the top U.S. exporters to Russia.
- Relations built in an often difficult environment are now at risk if the crisis escalates or if the administration makes good on threats to steadily tighten the screws on Russia's economy.
- ''What we've been hearing from our members is a lot of concern that there are two ways America gets hurt in a game like this. One is by American sanctions, that put them out of business, and the other is by Russian retaliation, regardless of what we do,'' said William Reinsch, president of the National Foreign Trade Council. In meetings with the administration and members of Congress, ''we have not been shy about telling them .'.'. if it is not multilateral, it is not going to work,'' he said.
- The response from business groups comes as administration officials and lawmakers consider what, if any, economic levers to use to try to reverse Russia's move last week into Ukraine.
- The White House took an initial step Thursday, freezing assets and denying visas to some Russian officials, while the House Foreign Affairs Committee approved a nonbinding resolution that condemns Russia's intervention and calls for sanctions on senior Russian Federation officials, state-owned banks and other state agencies. The resolution also calls on the United States to promote increased natural gas exports to Ukraine. That approach '-- seen as a way to help free the country from reliance on Russian gas '-- has drawn increased attention this week, but environmentalists and U.S. firms that depend on the inexpensive fuel supply oppose the idea.
- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee plans to consider its own Ukraine legislation next week, said Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), the panel's chairman.
- Broad sanctions face not only pushback from U.S. business but also practical problems, given Russia's deepening connections to world energy and financial markets. Sanctions that target the energy sector, for example, might damage Russia the most, but they could also drive up global prices and undermine an already weak global economic recovery. Targeting the financial sector, similarly, could damage U.S. and European banks with hundreds of billions of dollars in Russian loans and investments on the line '-- and even then prove ineffective unless major Asian financial centers also abide by sanctions.
- For companies that trade with or invest in Russia, recent events are a shock that comes only a year after top business leaders lobbied intensively for Congress to lift the last Cold War-era trade restrictions on the country '-- a step they wanted in order to take advantage of Russia's new membership in the World Trade Organization.
- Former U.S. ambassador to Moscow Michael McFaul, in a conference call Friday, mentioned companies vulnerable to sanctions. He said for Severstal, ''a well-respected [Russian] steel company with lots of investments in the U.S. and Europe, this can't be good news for you.'' And he noted that Exxon Mobil ''has just signed up for what would be the biggest venture in the history of capitalism'' with Russia's Rosneft and said the company has ''got to be very nervous.'' But, McFaul added, ''having said all that, I also think that Putin will be ready to make those economic sacrifices if he wants to go forward with this annexation strategy.''
- U.S.-Russia Business Council representatives met with White House national security staff Wednesday, while the NFTC and individual companies have been meeting with other agencies and members of Congress to lay out their concerns., document their interests in Russia and sound out the administration on its plans.
- Several business officials said there is a sense that broad sanctions will not be imposed, if only because U.S. allies in Europe will probably resist it. Europe's economic interests in Russia are far larger than those of the United States, from a reliance on Russian gas and oil to the nearly $200 bil-lion in Russian loans and investments carried on the books of Western European banks.
- The steps announced Wednesday by the White House were narrowly targeted at those who ''undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine.''
- An official with a company that trades with Russia, who agreed to discuss a sensitive subject on the condition of anonymity, said he thought the administration would stick to incremental steps that could cause economic problems in Russia but limit risks to U.S. economic interests.
- The mere threat of sanctions has arguably taken a toll, forcing the Russian central bank to spend $10 billion in foreign reserves to prop up the value of the ruble in the days since the military move into Crimea. Russia is heavily dependent on international oil and gas sales, and the country's ability to rebound from current anemic economic growth hinges on its ability to attract foreign investment.
- But the country is important to U.S. firms as well, beyond their$11 billion in annual exports and $14 billion in direct investment in manufacturing plants and offices.
- ''If we are unable to expand our businesses in emerging market and developing markets .'.'. as a result of our investments, particularly in Russia, as a result of economic and political conditions .'.'. our financial performance could be adversely affected,'' PepsiCo said in its 2012 annual report.
- Karen DeYoung contributed to this report.
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Pentagon Denies Downed U.S. Drone Report in Crimea
- The Pentagon is denying reports by Russian sponsored media companies that a U.S. Army drone crashed while flying an intelligence mission over Crimea.
- An unnamed Pentagon official told ABC News the report was false because the U.S. is not flying any drone missions over Crimea, the segment of Ukraine that Russian troops are stationed.
- Rostec, a Russian state owned media company, reported the U.S. drone was flying at 12,000 feet when a cyber attack forced it to make an emergency landing. The Voice of Russia reported the drone was an MQ-5B Hunter with the ''66th U.S. brigade of military intelligence with the main location in Bavaria.''
- A couple issues with that report besides the denial from the Pentagon.
- First, the MQ-5 Hunter is one of the oldest, most basic drones in the U.S. fleet that the Army has since replaced with the RQ-7 Shadow. Even if the Russians mistook the drone for a Shadow, it seems unlikely the U.S. would fly one of their slowest and least powerful drones in the U.S. fleet.
- If the Pentagon was to fly a intelligence and surveillance collection mission over Crimea with a drone, it seems a lot more likely the U.S. would tap the Air Force to fly its stealth drone for such a sensitive mission '-- the RQ-170 Sentinel. Tough to mistake the Sentinel for the RQ-5 Hunter.
- March 14th, 2014 | Air | 2253833 Commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fdefensetech.org%2F2014%2F03%2F14%2Fpentagon-denies-downed-u-s-drone-report-in-crimea%2FPentagon+Denies+Downed+U.S.+Drone+Report+in+Crimea2014-03-14+23%3A16%3A57Mike+Hoffmanhttp%3A%2F%2Fdefensetech.org%2F%3Fp%3D22538
- Tagged as: Crimea, Hunter, Pentagon, Russia, Ukraine
-
- U.S. Denies Claims of Drones Intercepted Over Crimea - NBC News.com
- Senior U.S. military and intelligence officials denied reports in Russian media Friday that U.S. drones of any kind are flying over Crimea in Ukraine.
- The Voice of Russia, a division of the Russian news agency Interfax, had reported that an ''American scout-attack drone'' was intercepted while performing reconnaissance in Crimean airspace, according to the Rostec state corporation.
- ''Judging by side marking, the MQ-5B drone was part of the 66th US brigade of military intelligence with the main location in Bavaria,'' the Rostec report read, according to Voice of Russia.
- First published March 14 2014, 3:09 PM
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Germany threatens ''massive damage'' to Russia ahead of Crimea referendum
- By Johannes Stern and Alex Lantier14 March 2014Ahead of Sunday's referendum on the independence of Crimea, Berlin and Washington are escalating a campaign of threats and sanctions against Russia, risking civil war in Ukraine and war with Russia itself.
- Addressing the German parliament on Thursday, Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of a ''catastrophe'' unless Russia backs down. ''Ladies and gentlemen, if Russia continues on its course of the past weeks, it will not only be a catastrophe for Ukraine,'' she said. ''We would not only see it, also as neighbors of Russia, as a threat. And it would not only change the European Union's relationship with Russia'... No, this would also cause massive damage to Russia, economically and politically.''
- Merkel blamed Moscow for illegal actions, using the methods of the 19th and 20th centuries. ''The law of the jungle is placed against the strength of the law, unilateral geopolitical concerns against understanding and co-operation,'' she said.
- With staggering hypocrisy, Merkel is standing reality on its head. It is Germany and the US that are acting as the aggressors, backing and organizing a putsch led by fascist groups in Ukraine, the descendants of political forces Nazi Germany relied upon to commit horrible crimes during World War II. It doing so, it is the Western powers that are reviving the criminal methods of 20th century imperialist politics to secure their geo-strategic aims in Europe. Now Berlin and Washington want to force Moscow to back down on the question of Crimea, which has a Russian-speaking majority and is home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Merkel warned that the EU would push ahead with economic sanctions unless Moscow agreed to negotiate ''in the next few days.'' She said: ''None of us wishes that it should come to such actions. But we are all ready for them and will decide on them, if they are unavoidable.''
- As the US and NATO build up military forces in the region, Russia responded by holding military exercises involving over 8,000 troops near the Ukrainian border. Belarus, a Russian ally, also requested extra fighter jets and transport aircraft.
- In its drive for war, the imperialist powers are relying on the most right-wing forces within Ukraine. Yesterday the Ukrainian parliament approved a proposal from unelected President Oleksandr Turchynov to create a 60,000-strong national guard. It will be formed of interior ministry troops, recruits from military academies and ''self-defense'' units'--i.e., paramilitary troops from the fascist Right Sector or other ultra-right-wing militias that led the February 22 coup against Russian-backed President Viktor Yanukovych.
- In a press conference on Wednesday, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Andriy Parubiy, claimed that he has ''every reason to believe'' that ''Ukraine now faces the threat of a full-scale invasion.'' He called ''upon all the groups that were on the Maidan [to] ensure state security, defend the borders, and eliminate terrorist groups.''
- Parubiy also used his press conference to appeal to the United States and Britain to fulfill their obligations as guarantors of Ukraine's security, evoking the 1994 Budapest Memorandum under which Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons stockpile in return for security assurances.
- Parubiy was one of the founders of the fascistic Social-National Party of Ukraine, which later transformed itself into the Svoboda party. He played a leading role in the Western-sponsored ''Orange Revolution'' in 2004. In the lead-up to the 2014 coup, he coordinated the volunteer security corps on the Maidan, made up of war veterans and retired police officers.
- Parubiy's deputy in the new government, Dmytri Yarosh, is the leader of the fascist Right Sector militia and the All-Ukrainian Organization ''Tryzub,'' whose hero is the World War II Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera.
- On Wednesday, the US news magazine Newsweek carried an interview with Yarosh, who said, ''My guys are continuing military training all across Ukraine, ready to cleanse the country of the occupiers.'' He added, ''We are coordinating our actions with the council of the National Security and Defense, as well as with the army's General Headquarters. We are currently negotiating to put our forces on a proper legal footing.''
- On Thursday, clashes in the industrial city of Donetsk, near the Russian border, broke out between pro-Russian demonstrators and a group allied with the new government, including Right Sector forces. At least one person was killed.
- Asked if the new Ukrainian regime would raise the flag of Bandera, Yarosh replied in the affirmative: ''We stood under red and black flags throughout the revolution. Red Ukrainian blood spilled on the black Ukrainian earth'--that flag is the symbol of the national revolution. I am convinced that this flag will bring us freedom.''
- Yarosh indicated he would resort to force if Crimea voted to secede from Ukraine on Sunday: ''Right Sector, together with all other Ukrainian citizens, are ready to defend Ukraine's territorial integrity by all possible means.''
- The creation of the national guard and the transformation of the fascistic shock troops of the ''revolution'' into official state institutions has the backing of the imperialist powers. The vote on the national guard came only one day after interim Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk met in Washington with US President Barack Obama, who emphasized his support for the new Ukrainian regime and issued new threats against Moscow.
- While the Ukrainian National Guard is aimed at Russia, another key target is the Ukrainian working class. Though it is vastly outgunned by the far larger Russian military, the Ukrainian National Guard is sufficiently large to try to intimidate or possibly crush protests against the reactionary agenda of the right-wing, pro-imperialist regime in Kiev.
- During his visit with Obama, Yatsenyuk pledged to enforce IMF demands, eliminate subsidies on natural gas prices, and be ''the most unpopular prime minister in the whole history.'' The gas subsidies, which keep heating costs relatively affordable for Ukrainian workers, amount to fully 7.5 percent of the economy. Eliminating them would bankrupt large sections of the population.
- One indication of the unpopularity of these measures is that Yanukovych backed away from signing an association agreement last autumn with the European Union that included such cuts, fearing that they would trigger protests and the fall of his regime.
- Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
-
- Notice of Determination in Section 301 Investigation of Ukraine
- Questions regarding this investigation should be directed as appropriate to: Elizabeth Kendall, Director for Intellectual Property and Innovation, Office of the United States Trade Representative, at (202) 395-3580; Isabella Detwiler, Director for Europe, at (202) 395-6146; or Shannon Nestor, Assistant General Counsel, at (202) 395-3150.
- The Trade Representative made the determinations in this investigation on February 28, 2014.
- On May 30, 2013, the Trade Representative initiated a Section 301 investigation of certain acts, policies, and practices of the Government of Ukraine with respect to intellectual property rights. See Identification of Ukraine as a Priority Foreign Country and Initiation of Section 301 Investigation, 78 FR 33886 (June 5, 2013). The acts, policies, and practices subject to investigation were those that formed the basis of Ukraine's designation in the May 1, 2013 Special 301 Report as a Priority Foreign Country. Those acts, policies, and practices involved: (1) The administration of Ukraine's system for collecting societies, which are responsible for collecting and distributing royalties to U.S. and other rights holders; (2) use of infringing software by Ukrainian government agencies; and (3) online infringement of copyright and related rights. The notice of initiation proposed a determination that these acts, policies, and practices are actionable under section 301(b), invited public comments on the matters subject to investigation, and provided notice of a public hearing.
- The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) held the public hearing on September 9, 2013. See Notice of Rescheduled Hearing in the Section 301 Investigation of Ukraine, 78 FR 45011 (July 25, 2013). Written submissions and testimony may be viewed on www.regulations.gov under the above-referenced docket number.
- On November 29, 2013, the Trade Representative determined to extend the investigation by three months, such that the determinations in the investigation would be made by no later than February 28, 2014. See Notice of Determination to Extend Section 301 Investigation of Ukraine, 78 FR 72141 (December 2, 2013).
- During the investigation, U.S. and Ukrainian officials held constructive discussions regarding the acts, policies and practices subject to investigation. However, U.S. concerns with those acts, policies, and practices were not resolved.
- Based on the information obtained during the investigation, and consistent with the recommendation of the interagency Section 301 Committee, the Trade Representative has determined under Section 304(a)(1)(A) and (B) of the Trade Act that: (1) The acts, policies, and practices subject to investigation are unreasonable and burden or restrict U.S. commerce, and are thus actionable under Section 301(b) of the Trade Act; and (2) in light of the current political situation in Ukraine, no action under Section 301(b) is appropriate at this time.
- USTR remains committed to addressing the matters subject to investigation, and looks forward to further engagement with the Government of Ukraine at an appropriate time.
- Chair, Section 301 Committee.
- [FR Doc. 2014-05536 Filed 3-12-14; 8:45 am]
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- F-Russia
-
- Sochi Paralympics confronts Russia's attitude towards disabled - World - CBC News
- At the age of 10, Yulia Simonova broke her back while performing gymnastics. The accident marked the beginning of life in a wheelchair '-- and an end to any kind of social life for a young schoolgirl.
- ''I couldn't go to school anymore because it wasn't acceptable,'' said Simonova, who is now 30 and lives in Moscow. ''Teachers came to my place and explained to me the lesson, gave me homework, and it was kind of boring.''
- Today, Simonova works with disability advocacy group, Perspektiva, to ensure that children with disabilities go to regular schools, instead of staying at home or being sent to a distant special school.
- Over the past decade of work with Perspektiva, she's witnessed changes in her country to make it more accessible to those with disabilities, especially in the past five years as Russia geared up for the 2014 Sochi Olympic and Paralympic Games.
- The International Paralympic Committee describes the Paralympics as not just a sporting event, but the opportunity to make the biggest impact on a host country's attitude.
- In Russia's case, there is no doubt it has come a long way since it last hosted the Olympic Games in 1980. Back then, the Soviet Union refused to hold the Paralympics on its soil, saying it didn't have any citizens with disabilities.
- ''To now be there 34 years later with a Paralympic Winter Games is testament to a changing Russia,'' says Craig Spence, communications director for the International Paralympic Committee.
- In fact, 78 Russian athletes will compete in the five sports at the Sochi Paralympics, which began Friday. That's twice the number that attended the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.
- Isolated at homeThe $50-billion revamp of the Black Sea resort was aimed, in part, at making Sochi accessible to all. Organizers invested in ramps and made sure buildings were outfitted with elevators.
- But Human Rights Watch (HRW) suggests the accessibility makeover applies solely to downtown Sochi. Those living outside the core remain unaffected, as do those in many small centres.
- Yulia Simonova visits schools as part of her work with advocacy group Perspektiva to help them become inclusive to those with disabilities. (Courtesy of Yulia Simonova)
- A report by HRW tells the story of a 26-year-old Sochi woman with cerebral palsy who lives outside the core and rarely leaves her apartment building because it lacks a ramp and a working elevator.
- ''When I met her, she was just sitting at home, and had been for four months,'' said Andrea Mazzarino, the Human Rights Watch disability rights researcher who wrote the 200-page report.
- It has been estimated that more than 13 million people '-- about a tenth of Russia's population '-- live with disabilities.
- The Human Rights Watch report acknowledges that Russia has taken steps to address the deeply-rooted discrimination lingering from the Soviet era.
- The country's made strides, mostly in cities, to provide accessible public transport and buildings. But even though Russia instituted fairly progressive laws, they are not consistently enforced, the report says.
- That leaves unchanged problems such as doorways that are too narrow and wheelchair ramps that are perilously steep, causing isolation for some.
- Simonova has also witnessed these gaps in access.
- When she leaves her home in Moscow, she can't even cross the road without help. There's no curb cut allowing her to wheel across the street. Nor can she use public transportation since only some of the buses are modified to allow wheelchairs aboard.
- ''It's improving, but we still need to move forward a lot,'' she says.
- 'Window of opportunity passed'Since Russia won the right in 2007 to host the these Games, the country has been taking steps toward more inclusion.
- In 2011, Russia started a four-year plan to invest in improved access for those with disabilities to education, health care, transportation and other public services. However, funds were doled out only to those regions that helped pay a portion of the cost.
- The following year, Russia ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a treaty guaranteeing those with disabilities the same rights as others.
- Last year, a new education law came into effect that gave children the right to study at mainstream schools.
- At that time, about two-fifths of the approximately 450,000 school-age children with disabilities in Russia attended regular schools. Almost an equal number were deemed "uneducable," while more than one in 10 attended special needs schools far from home.
- ''Now teachers and parents and others, they understand what inclusive education means because five years ago, they didn't even know'... how to include children with disabilities," says Simonova.
- Still, Human Rights Watch's Mazzarino believes more could have been done in the years leading up to the Sochi Games if the global community, including the International Paralympic Committee, put more pressure on Russia.
- ''The window of opportunity for pushing Russia in Sochi has passed because the Paralympics are upon us now,'' said Mazzarino.
- The International Paralympic Committee says it doesn't take an activist role in making these kinds of changes, though it has a ''property that has the ability to change the world'' by breaking down stereotypes, said Spence.
- Simonova agrees. The Paralympics "shows our society that people with disabilities are the same people and they can do sports activities, they can travel, they can have families and children,'' she says.
-
- Was that Russia transferring dollar holdings offshore?
- Sasha Mordovets | Getty Images
- Russian President Vladimir Putin
- The Fed's custody holdings report is usually a sleeper, but this week there was a whopping withdrawal by some central bank. And while there's no evidence, speculation is that it was Russia.
- Foreign central banks' holdings of U.S. marketable securities fell in the week that ended Wednesday by a record $106.1 billion, and that was mostly Treasurys. The holdings of U.S. securities held by the Fed for other central banks fell to $3.21 billion, the lowest level since December 2012.
- While traders say they suspect it was Russia, they don't know for sure, and it has not shown up on Russia's balance sheet.
- However, Marc Chandler, chief Treasury strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman, said everything points to Russia, starting with the timing of Sunday's Crimean referendum and the potential for Western sanctions. He said rather than selling the Treasurys, Russia simply transferred them out of the U.S.
- "Everything (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is doing is being extra cautious about retaliation, like bringing troops right to the Ukraine border," said Chandler. "The other reason I say it's most likely Russia is you look at the countries that have the largest reserves. It doesn't feel like it's China because China has enough on its plate."
- Chandler said about half of Russia's foreign currency reserves are held in dollar-denominated instruments, and this would be about 80 percent of those dollar holdings. At the end of 2013, Russia had $138 billion in Treasury securities.
- "It could be somebody else, but it does seem circumstantial just on the timing alone," said Chandler.
- He also said there are precedents for this type of behavior by Russia.
- He pointed to the birth of the Eurodollar market'--dollars outside the U.S. In 1956, when the Soviet Union invaded Hungary, it feared the U.S. would retaliate with financial muscle, and Russia-based Narodny Bank shifted dollars from the U.S. and deposited them in its London branch, he noted.
- '--By CNBC's Patti Domm. Follow her on Twitter @pattidomm.
- The Fed's custody holdings report is usually a sleeper, but this week there was a whopping withdrawal by a central bank. Speculation is it was Russia.
-
- Invisible Russian cyberweapon stalked US and Ukraine since 2005, new research reveals - Techworld.com
- The mysterious 'Uroburos' cyberweapon named last week in Germany has been stalking its victims since as far back as 2005 and large enterprises and governments need to pay urgent attention to the threat it poses, UK security firm BAE Systems has urged.
- German firm G Data's recent analysis dubbed it 'Uroburos' while it is also known to some security firms as 'Turla'. BAE Systems' Applied Intelligence division, which today published its own research, prefers the catchier 'Snake' but under any name the picture is alarming.
- According to BAE Systems, It now transpires that Snake has been slithering silently around networks in the US and its NATO allies and former Soviet states for almost a decade, stealing data, getting ever more complex and modular and remaining almost invisible.
- To be clear, this isn't any old malware. Snake is just too long-lived, too targeted, too sophisticated, too evasive, too innovative. It appears to be on par with any of the complex cyberweapons attributed to the US such as Flame, first analysed by Kaspersky Lab in 2012.
- After several months of research, the UK firm takes what we know a lot further, offering for the first time some objective data on targets. Culling data from malware research sites (i.e. those to which suspected malware samples are submitted for inspection), it has been spotted 32 times in the Ukraine since 2010, 11 times in Lithuania, 4 times in the UK, and a handful of times altogether from the US, Belgium, Georgia, Romania, Hungary and Italy.
- These are very small numbers but BAE Systems believes that on past experience they are highly indicative. While they represent a tiny fraction of the number of infections that will have occurred in these countries and beyond, they can be used to reliably infer that Snake has been aimed at Western and Western-aligned countries pretty much exclusively.
- In a week Russia planted boots on the ground in the Crimean region of the Ukraine, this is an unfortunate coincidence because while BAE Systems refused to name the state as the culprit, G Data and others are convinced that the links are suspicious.
- Hints of the malware's provenance have surfaced from time to time. In 2008, the US Department of Defense (DoD) reported that something called, Agent.btz had attacked its systems, an incident later attributed on more than one occasion to the Russian state without further elaboration.
- Beyond that the evidence becomes circumstantial. If we assume that Agent.btz was probably an early variant of Snake, the malware also contains other clues; compile times show a time offset of UTC+4 hours while Russian references have been found in the code. Ergo, because this is clearly not commercial malware and would have required large development resources, Snake was made by a government beginning with 'R'.
- ''The element of attribution is always difficult,'' BAE Systems Applied Intelligence cybersecurity managing director David Garfield told Techworld. ''It turns into conjecture and it would be dangerous to make too many guesses.''
- ''But this is a call to arms. [This malware] is high complex. It has all the elements of an espionage toolkit. It is highly serious.''
- Interestingly '' perhaps uniquely that we know of '' the firm has already informed governments, policy makers and national CERTs of its findings in advance of publishing its research, he said.
- He expected that there had been, indeed still were, numerous variants inside target networks, something that would make remediation complex and time-consuming.
- Whether called Uroburos, Snake or Turla (the latter being the 32-bit rootkit), it is also possible that what security firms have been seeing since 2010 is actually several inter-related cyber-weapons from the same program, hence the confusion over variants. In that interpretation, Snake isn't a cyberweapon so much as a stable of espionage tools in the same way that Stuxnet was part of a larger arsenal.
- BAE Systems does reveal one or two interesting snippets about the people who made Snake; compile times show they work Monday-Friday, only rarely putting out a variant at the weekend. That sounds mildly reassuring; professional cybercriminals are not mindless robots and are paid to do the job just like the rest of us.
- ''What this research once more demonstrates is how organised and well-funded adversaries are using highly sophisticated tools and techniques to target legitimate organisations on a massive scale,'' said BAE Systems Applied Intelligence managing director, Martin Sutherland.
- ''Although there has been some awareness of the Snake malware for some years, until now the full scale of its capabilities could not be revealed, and the threat it presents is clearly something that needs to be taken much more seriously.''
- Separately, G Data has updated its earlier analysis of Snake/Uroburos, noting the rootkit module's use of a vulnerability (CVE-2008-3431) to bypass Microsoft's Driver Signature Enforcement systems on 64-bit versions of Windows from Vista onwards, basically a way to fool the OS into thinking it is running in developer mode. This bypass is not brand new but it still unusual.
-
- Agenda 21
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- John Coleman - Weather Channel Founder
- Roger Revelle - Scripps - UCSD
- Did a paper on CO2 as greenhouse gas in 1957
- Didn't become Chancellor of UCSD
- Al Gore (D student) studied under Revelle there
- Wrote - Earth in the Balance - got into Senate
- IPCC-fancy locations, books and reports BILLIONS
- Revelle returned to Scripps, wrote many letters
- When he died, family sold out
- Gore then received the first ever Revelle Award!!
- Wrap up - Old goats and billions of dollars
-
- A Dishonest ''Cosmos''
- When my friend Tony Rossi posted about the cartoon about the life of Giordano Bruno that was inexplicably shoehorned into the reboot of Carl Sagan's Cosmos series, he received a number of negative comments. Tony had asked a few of us with a background in Church history what we thought before he wrote his post, and I told him that Bruno was emphatically not a martyr for science for the very simple reason that he was not a scientist, and that his ideas of heliocentrism and the infinite universe had little to do with his execution for heresy.
- This morning, I watched the cartoon in question and took some notes. Let's walk through what it gets right and what it gets wrong.
- I'm actually not going to draw from any exotic sources for this post. I'm going to try confine what I include here only to things that can be found on the first page of a Google search for Giordano Bruno. This will illustrate more clearly the rank intellectual dishonesty involved in this segment. The truth of the story was never more than five minutes away from host Neil DeGrasse Tyson and his writers, producers, and animators. They opted to tell half-truths and outright lies instead.
- Before we begin, just who was Bruno?
- He was a Dominican friar who lived from 1548 to 1600. He was not a scientist, conducted no experiments, looked through no telescopes, and wrote no scientific works. He was a mystic, a radical heretic, and an occultist. He abandoned Christianity in favor of Hermeticism (believed to be derived from ancient Egyptian wisdom) and magic.
- Giordano Bruno, who enjoyed the patronage of King Henry III after abandoning his monastery, is shown as a poor and wretched drifter.
- His place in a documentary ostensibly about science is inexplicable. Actual scientists worked on similar ideas, but only Bruno is called out in a ten-minute long segment.
- The narration begins by telling us that in ''1600 everyone knew the sun, planets and stars were just lights in sky revolving around the earth.'' It was ''a universe made for us.'' And ''there was only one man who envisioned an infinitely grand cosmos.''
- We're barely seconds into this farrago and we have our first lie.
- ''Everyone'' knew the earth was the center of the universe?
- Wow, who's going to tell Copernicus? Kepler? Stigliola? Diggs? Maestlin? Rothmann? Brahe? All of them believed in models of the cosmos that were not considered orthodox, and lived at the time of Bruno. All of them escaped the fire, and indeed weren't even pursued by the Inquisition. Right here we have the major lie at the heart of modern anti-religious scientific propaganda: the war between faith and science.
- We're supposed to just assume this ignorant backwards world of the past hates smart people. Tyson himself says it matter-of-factly: ''How was [Bruno] spending New Year's Eve [in 1600]? In prison, of course.''
- Of course! Because that's what the Church does to smart people! Bad church! Bad!
- Next: ''This was a time when there was no freedom of thought in Italy.''
- God, I really hate it when historical illiterates try to read church history through a modernist lens. Let's time travel back to the great universities of the 16th century and ask those people if there is ''freedom of thought''? Naturally, they'd have no idea what you mean. Of course they're free to think, and debate, and write. That they shared a set of fundamental truths is seen as no barrier to that debate, but the ground upon which it takes place.
- If someone denies that shared ground''a foundation built on Aristotle and the truths of the Christian faith''they will be challenged because they're striking at Truth with a capital T. They won't be thrown in jail for it. They will be urged to either prove their opinions or change them. If they refuse, then they may be called before the Roman Inquisition, which also will''in a full court of law with legal protections and evidence''urge them to change their views.
- In the beginning, the Roman Inquisition eschewed torture and execution. As the times grew more tense and heresies were setting Europe afire, from Cathars to Lutherans, their methods became more harsh. They tended to be less brutal than the secular methods of the time (England in particular took torture and execution to astonishing heights of cruelty under Elizabeth I), but they were unworthy of the Church of Christ and never should have happened.
- Any documentary on the Inquisition has to include closeups of torture instruments. It's kind of a rule
- The Roman Inquisition, however, was no mindlessly brutal force with a lust for setting heretics afire. They saw their work as medicinal, as they tried to persuade people to recant heresies and rejoin the Church. This wasn't ''Recant and we'll kill you more gently.'' It was ''Recant and walk out the door.''
- From our perspective it seems absurd, but''as Tyson correctly notes later in his narration''separation of Church and state didn't really exist. This was God's world, and kings and rulers led by the grace and with the blessing of God. The Church represented that divine realm, and thus they worked hand in glove to maintain the secular order, both by forming a check on the rampant power of leaders over the people, and by preventing heresy from creating new forms of civil disorder.
- The Albigensian Crusade had awoken the church to the bloody cost of unchecked heresy. It was better, in their reasoning, to stop a heresy before it claimed thousands of lives. It was better that one heretic die at the stake than that thousands of misled innocents die by sword and starvation. (By the way, even the method of execution''burning''was chosen with an eye towards justice as it was perceived at the time, since it was believed the heretic would be consigned to hell, and thus the stake was a foretaste of the flames that awaited him.) We can certainly argue that this was not a civilized approach, but we cannot argue this unless we understand how they thought. If we start and end with ''they were ignorant savages,'' we're working from a false premise.
- Let's get back to Cosmos. We're shown Bruno sneaking around and are told that ''He dared to read the books banned by the Church.'' The book in question was On the Nature of Things by Lucretius, which he keeps hidden under his floorboards. (For some bizarre reason, Bruno's manuscript of Lucretius is shown as an elaborate illuminated affair written in Roman letters. Were monks really that busy slaving over illuminations for banned books?)
- Tyson tells us that this (meaning reading Lucretius) ''was his undoing.''
- That's very interesting, since papal legate and cardinal Nicholas of Cusa had read and commented on Lucretius in the 15th century, formulating ideas that would later be picked up by Bruno, and was widely read and respected.
- As the poor Giordano secretly reads his precious book, THE CHURCH! bursts into his room like characters from the ''Spanish Inquisition'' sketch.
- Thanks for keeping it classy, Neil!
- So '... yeah. Wow. I've seen less cliched and absurd depictions of the Church in Jack Chick comics.
- And with that shot, Cosmos reveals that it's not really meant to be education, but propaganda. And it gets better still!
- Bruno is shown being thrown out of the Church for reading Lucretius.
- Nope. Lucretius was on the banned list, but wouldn't have troubled the authorities overmuch. Ancient texts were often consulted by scholars if only to refute them.
- In fact, Bruno wasn't chucked out: he ran away after 11 years as a monk, breaking his vows. Those were troubled years for Bruno for a very simple reason: he was a heretic. At the time, he defended one of the gravest heresies in Church history''Arianism''and showed contempt for the saints. (He later claimed Jesus was just a clever magician.) He was already on his way out of Christianity and embracing a bizarre mysticism. Some think that he fled the monastery ahead of a bill of indictment, but all such a bill would have meant was that he'd have to answer questions about his unusual behavior and defend his beliefs. It was no death sentence.
- Tyson tells us that ''It was the last steady job he ever had.'' Meh. I guess we could debate the word ''steady,'' but he found positions in many places, lectured, continued his studies, and wrote under official protection and even royal patronage.
- He also pissed off everyone everywhere he went. I give the cartoon kudos for noting that ''Catholics, Calvinist, and Lutherans all send him packing'...,'' but multiple demerits for adding '''...for this view of the cosmos.''
- It wasn't his view of the cosmos that led him to being driven away. It was the fact that aside from being a roaring heretic, he was kind of a jerk, and possibly mentally disturbed. He was kicked out of Geneva for publishing an attack on a prominent professor. He did fine as a lecturer in very Catholic Paris, attracting royal support that led him to England, where he became enmeshed in the occult and hermetic movement surrounding John Dee. He never got a position at Oxford, but he did lecture there, where some professors greeted his ideas with derision, including the ideas of heliocentrism and the infinite universe.
- The depiction of the episode is comical. We see gentle little Bruno repeating the Copernican theory while scholars clench with rage, as though they'd never heard such a thing! And then these scholars '... throw food at Bruno and chase him off.
- No, really: a ''science'' documentary actually went there.
- I'll give the show bonus points for having a man at Oxford say ''Do they not read Aristotle where you come from, or even the Bible?'' The emphasis on Aristotle first is exactly correct. This would have been key to the argument.
- Tyson later intones that ''Bruno became an evangelist, spreading the gospel of infinity throughout Europe'' and ''He couldn't keep his soaring vision of the cosmos to himself, despite the fact that the penalty for doing so in his world was the most vicious form of cruel and unusual punishment.''
- ''Did you bring any tomatoes we can throw at him?''
- Again, the emphasis is being shifted to cosmological arguments, which were secondary to the case against Bruno. This message''that Bruno was persecuted for believing something we now have proof is true''is the entire point of the segment. But it's not an honest point. His view of the cosmos was dwarfed by the magnitude of his major heresies, which the segment will eventually acknowledge, but only after ten minutes of assuring us he was persecuted for his ''scientific'' views.
- Tyson tells us that ''His homeland was the most dangerous place in Europe he could possibly go'' and that the Roman Catholic Church maintained a system of courts with the ''sole purpose'' to ''investigate and torment anyone who dared voice views that differed from theirs.''
- Once again, try to think like people thought then, not like they think now. We're not smarter than them, so think. Why would rational people persecute others for having different opinions?
- The cartoon's very unsubtle message was, ''They were violent religious nuts.''
- The answer is: they wouldn't.
- They persecute them for spreading opinions they know to be false. Thought is free. So is incorrect thought. But teaching and publishing incorrect thought that struck at the foundations of civilization and faith was a grave offense.
- We live in a pluralistic world that can't comprehend that, but they didn't. Truth existed and could be known. The job of the intellectuals was to unfold that world. The role of authority''the ancient philosophers and scientists and the scripture''was central. Many now reject the argument from authority, but in their thought-world, it was vital.
- If a new discovery contradicted received authority, it was the job of the scholars to proceed carefully and examine it thoroughly over many years. Most intellectuals worked this way. A couple''such as Bruno and Galileo''were driven by their vanity and arrogance to short-circuit the process, dismiss authority, and proclaim their own new truth as settled. We think that's cool now, because moderns value novelty and doubt over authority and settled truth. We love a rebel!
- That their ''proofs''''Bruno's mystical visions and Galileo's tides''were false serves to vindicates the process. You don't get a shortcut to the correct answer.
- Bruno was no friend of science. He was a disturbed mystic. Stanley Jaki, who translated Bruno's rambling, nonsensical The Ash Wednesday Supper, has suggested that if the Inquisition hadn't burned him, the Copernicans would have. He did nothing but harm the progress being made by actual scholars and scientists, and arguably laid the ground for the harsh approach to Galileo.
- But hey, why bother with the subtleties of history when you can have the mellifluous tones of Neil DeGrasse Tyson say, ''It wasn't long before Bruno fell into the clutches of the thought police.'' We're told that ''He stubbornly refused to renounce his views'' and that ''If Bruno was right, then the sacred books and the authority of the church would be open to question.''
- Psst, Neil: theologians and scientists were always questioning. I have literally millions of pages of documents in a piece of software, filled with debates and theories and questions. The entire structure of teaching was based on questions. But there was a foundation of dogma that was Truth. These tended to be simple points, such as the trinity, the divinity of Christ, and the reality of heaven and hell. If you were going to strike against one of them, you'd best be prepared to weather a storm.
- Hey look kids! It's Evil St. Robert Bellarmine in a missing scene from the ''Mirror Mirror'' episode of Star Trek!
- When the cartoon finally gets around to showing us the Inquisition's pronouncement of Bruno, we hear''for the first time and from the mouth of a figure depicted in typical Disney Villain Mode''a small part of what had the Church so upset: Questioning the trinity and the divinity of Jesus Christ, denying that ''God's wrath is not eternal'' (hell doesn't exist), asserting universal salvation (all will be saved), and proclaiming the existence of other worlds. Of those points, in the mind of the 16th century inquisition, the ''other worlds'' thingie was pretty small. It would not, alone, have led him to the pyre, but everything in this little cartoon up to this point has suggested exactly that.
- The point is driven home when the poor, beaten Bruno is given a chance to speak and he doesn't pronounce on the big issues that he has wholly denied''Jesus, salvation, the Trinity, the Virginity of Mary, the Eucharist, and his involvement in occultism''but merely defends his idea of multiple worlds.
- I'll give this little sliver of propaganda one more bit of credit. When the cross is offered to Bruno on the pyre, he turns away. This was something he really did (and more than once): he turned away from the image of the crucified Christ.
- How do you think things like that played in 1600?
- If it's 1600 and you really want to be set on fire in the public square, this is the way to do it.
- The final question to all this is ''Why''?
- Why are we replaying the Bruno story in a documentary about space?
- What is the purpose? What is the result?
- Is it to show how science and religion came into conflict? The Galileo case would be a better example for that, but people already know that one and Galileo didn't have the benefit of a cinematic death that makes his opponents looks like mindless savages.
- In the development of theories about the cosmos, Bruno was almost irrelevant, and perhaps even harmed those debates because he meshed those theories with a staggering level of heresy and New Age-style nonsense. He was a hermeticist and cabalist, and viewed heliocentrism not as some verifiable scientific truth, but as a sign of the return to the true, superior religion of ancient Egypt. He saw his work as a corrective to Copernicus, who failed to understand the religious significance of heliocentrism. He was more influenced by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, an occultist and magician, than by anyone else. His work had little to do with science.
- Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa would have been a far better figure to illustrate the development of the idea, but he died peacefully in his bed, a cardinal and officer of the papal court, so he's not as useful as Bruno.
- Bruno makes for good propaganda, and continues the Church versus Science lie so dear to the hearts of reactionary atheists. Never mind that it's not true and that we have only one scientist really punished by the Church at least in part for his science, and that was 400 years ago.
- Why do we revisit these things? The Church that funded and advanced scientific progress for centuries becomes a cartoon villain every time the issue comes up. Mike Flynn has thoroughly, conclusively smashed this lie in a long, detailed, heavily annotated series. No respectable historian of science buys it any more. Yet here's Tyson and his remake of ''Comos'' doing it all over again.
- If you want to depict Bruno as a martyr for pantheistic cabalistic hermetic occultism, be my guest. But he was not a martyr for science.
- Related:Your Ancestors Weren't Idiots.
- Also Related:The Gell-Mann Effect
- Further Reading: The key text on Bruno is Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition by Frances Yates.
- Comments Off: Thanks to those who managed to disagree with intelligence and at least a measure of civility: there were damn few of you. I think we've ridden this horse as far as it can go, so I'm shutting the comboxes down. Feel free to tweet your insults to me @thomaslmcdonald.
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- A lecture by Michael Crichton
- A lecture by Michael CrichtonThe following lecture was originally posted on the late Michael Crichton's web page, but since his death in 2008 that page has been simplified and reformatted as a memorial to his life's work. This text is available in other places (e.g., here and here), but for a while it was hard to find. I re-post it here not because I agree 100% with everything in it, but because it is an eloquent statement of the value of scientific honesty and rigor.
- "Aliens Cause Global Warming"
- A lecture by Michael CrichtonCaltech Michelin LectureJanuary 17, 2003
- My topic today sounds humorous but unfortunately I am serious. I am going to argue that extraterrestrials lie behind global warming. Or to speak more precisely, I will argue that a belief in extraterrestrials has paved the way, in a progression of steps, to a belief in global warming.
- Charting this progression of belief will be my task today.
- Let me say at once that I have no desire to discourage anyone from believing in either extraterrestrials or global warming. That would be quite impossible to do. Rather, I want to discuss the history of several widely-publicized beliefs and to point to what I consider an emerging crisis in the whole enterprise of science'--namely the increasingly uneasy relationship between hard science and public policy.
- I have a special interest in this because of my own upbringing. I was born in the midst of World War II, and passed my formative years at the height of the Cold War. In school drills, I dutifully crawled under my desk in preparation for a nuclear attack.
- It was a time of widespread fear and uncertainty, but even as a child I believed that science represented the best and greatest hope for mankind. Even to a child, the contrast was clear between the world of politics'--a world of hate and danger, of irrational beliefs and fears, of mass manipulation and disgraceful blots on human history. In contrast, science held different values'--international in scope, forging friendships and working relationships across national boundaries and political systems, encouraging a dispassionate habit of thought, and ultimately leading to fresh knowledge and technology that would benefit all mankind. The world might not be a very good place, but science would make it better. And it did. In my lifetime, science has largely fulfilled its promise. Science has been the great intellectual adventure of our age, and a great hope for our troubled and restless world.
- But I did not expect science merely to extend lifespan, feed the hungry, cure disease, and shrink the world with jets and cell phones. I also expected science to banish the evils of human thought'--prejudice and superstition, irrational beliefs and false fears. I expected science to be, in Carl Sagan's memorable phrase, "a candle in a demon haunted world." And here, I am not so pleased with the impact of science. Rather than serving as a cleansing force, science has in some instances been seduced by the more ancient lures of politics and publicity. Some of the demons that haunt our world in recent years are invented by scientists. The world has not benefited from permitting these demons to escape free.
- But let's look at how it came to pass.
- Cast your minds back to 1960. John F. Kennedy is president, commercial jet airplanes are just appearing, the biggest university mainframes have 12K of memory. And in Green Bank, West Virginia at the new National Radio Astronomy Observatory, a young astrophysicist named Frank Drake runs a two week project called Ozma, to search for extraterrestrial signals. A signal is received, to great excitement. It turns out to be false, but the excitement remains. In 1960, Drake organizes the first SETI conference, and came up with the now-famous Drake equation:
- Where N* is the number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy; fp is the fraction with planets; ne is the number of planets per star capable of supporting life; fl is the fraction of planets where life evolves; fi is the fraction where intelligent life evolves; and fc is the fraction that communicates; and fL is the fraction of the planet's life during which the communicating civilizations live.
- This serious-looking equation gave SETI a serious footing as a legitimate intellectual inquiry. The problem, of course, is that none of the terms can be known, and most cannot even be estimated. The only way to work the equation is to fill in with guesses. And guesses'--just so we're clear'--are merely expressions of prejudice. Nor can there be "informed guesses." If you need to state how many planets with life choose to communicate, there is simply no way to make an informed guess. It's simply prejudice.
- As a result, the Drake equation can have any value from "billions and billions" to zero. An expression that can mean anything means nothing. Speaking precisely, the Drake equation is literally meaningless, and has nothing to do with science. I take the hard view that science involves the creation of testable hypotheses. The Drake equation cannot be tested and therefore SETI is not science. SETI is unquestionably a religion. Faith is defined as the firm belief in something for which there is no proof. The belief that the Koran is the word of God is a matter of faith. The belief that God created the universe in seven days is a matter of faith. The belief that there are other life forms in the universe is a matter of faith. There is not a single shred of evidence for any other life forms, and in forty years of searching, none has been discovered. There is absolutely no evidentiary reason to maintain this belief. SETI is a religion.
- One way to chart the cooling of enthusiasm is to review popular works on the subject. In 1964, at the height of SETI enthusiasm, Walter Sullivan of the NY Times wrote an exciting book about life in the universe entitled WE ARE NOT ALONE. By 1995, when Paul Davis wrote a book on the same subject, he titled it ARE WE ALONE? (Since 1981, there have in fact been four books titled ARE WE ALONE.) More recently we have seen the rise of the so-called "Rare Earth" theory which suggests that we may, in fact, be all alone. Again, there is no evidence either way.
- Back in the sixties, SETI had its critics, although not among astrophysicists and astronomers. The biologists and paleontologists were harshest. George Gaylord Simpson of Harvard sneered that SETI was a "study without a subject," and it remains so to the present day.
- But scientists in general have been indulgent toward SETI, viewing it either with bemused tolerance, or with indifference. After all, what's the big deal? It's kind of fun. If people want to look, let them. Only a curmudgeon would speak harshly of SETI. It wasn't worth the bother.
- And of course it is true that untestable theories may have heuristic value. Of course extraterrestrials are a good way to teach science to kids. But that does not relieve us of the obligation to see the Drake equation clearly for what it is'--pure speculation in quasi-scientific trappings.
- The fact that the Drake equation was not greeted with screams of outrage'--similar to the screams of outrage that greet each Creationist new claim, for example'--meant that now there was a crack in the door, a loosening of the definition of what constituted legitimate scientific procedure. And soon enough, pernicious garbage began to squeeze through the cracks.
- Now let's jump ahead a decade to the 1970s, and Nuclear Winter.
- In 1975, the National Academy of Sciences reported on "Long-Term Worldwide Effects of Multiple Nuclear Weapons Detonations" but the report estimated the effect of dust from nuclear blasts to be relatively minor. In 1979, the Office of Technology Assessment issued a report on "The Effects of Nuclear War" and stated that nuclear war could perhaps produce irreversible adverse consequences on the environment. However, because the scientific processes involved were poorly understood, the report stated it was not possible to estimate the probable magnitude of such damage.
- Three years later, in 1982, the Swedish Academy of Sciences commissioned a report entitled "The Atmosphere after a Nuclear War: Twilight at Noon," which attempted to quantify the effect of smoke from burning forests and cities. The authors speculated that there would be so much smoke that a large cloud over the northern hemisphere would reduce incoming sunlight below the level required for photosynthesis, and that this would last for weeks or even longer.
- The following year, five scientists including Richard Turco and Carl Sagan published a paper in Science called "Nuclear Winter: Global Consequences of Multiple Nuclear Explosions." This was the so-called TTAPS report, which attempted to quantify more rigorously the atmospheric effects, with the added credibility to be gained from an actual computer model of climate.
- At the heart of the TTAPS undertaking was another equation, never specifically expressed, but one that could be paraphrased as follows:
- Ds = Wn Ws Wh Tf Tb Pt Pr Pe... etc
- (The amount of tropospheric dust=# warheads x size warheads x warhead detonation height x flammability of targets x Target burn duration x Particles entering the Troposphere x Particle reflectivity x Particle endurance ... and so on.)
- The similarity to the Drake equation is striking. As with the Drake equation, none of the variables can be determined. None at all. The TTAPS study addressed this problem in part by mapping out different wartime scenarios and assigning numbers to some of the variables, but even so, the remaining variables were'--and are'--simply unknowable. Nobody knows how much smoke will be generated when cities burn, creating particles of what kind, and for how long. No one knows the effect of local weather conditions on the amount of particles that will be injected into the troposphere. No one knows how long the particles will remain in the troposphere. And so on.
- And remember, this is only four years after the OTA study concluded that the underlying scientific processes were so poorly known that no estimates could be reliably made. Nevertheless, the TTAPS study not only made those estimates, but concluded they were catastrophic.
- According to Sagan and his coworkers, even a limited 5,000 megaton nuclear exchange would cause a global temperature drop of more than 35 degrees Centigrade, and this change would last for three months. The greatest volcanic eruptions that we know of changed world temperatures somewhere between .5 and 2 degrees Centigrade. Ice ages changed global temperatures by 10 degrees. Here we have an estimated change three times greater than any ice age. One might expect it to be the subject of some dispute.
- But Sagan and his coworkers were prepared, for nuclear winter was from the outset the subject of a well-orchestrated media campaign. The first announcement of nuclear winter appeared in an article by Sagan in the Sunday supplement, Parade. The very next day, a highly-publicized, high-profile conference on the long-term consequences of nuclear war was held in Washington, chaired by Carl Sagan and Paul Ehrlich, the most famous and media-savvy scientists of their generation. Sagan appeared on the Johnny Carson show 40 times. Ehrlich was on 25 times. Following the conference, there were press conferences, meetings with congressmen, and so on. The formal papers in Science came months later.
- This is not the way science is done, it is the way products are sold.
- The real nature of the conference is indicated by these artists' renderings of the the effect of nuclear winter.
- I cannot help but quote the caption for figure 5: "Shown here is a tranquil scene in the north woods. A beaver has just completed its dam, two black bears forage for food, a swallow-tailed butterfly flutters in the foreground, a loon swims quietly by, and a kingfisher searches for a tasty fish." Hard science if ever there was.
- At the conference in Washington, during the question period, Ehrlich was reminded that after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, scientists were quoted as saying nothing would grow there for 75 years, but in fact melons were growing the next year. So, he was asked, how accurate were these findings now?
- Ehrlich answered by saying "I think they are extremely robust. Scientists may have made statements like that, although I cannot imagine what their basis would have been, even with the state of science at that time, but scientists are always making absurd statements, individually, in various places. What we are doing here, however, is presenting a consensus of a very large group of scientists..."
- I want to pause here and talk about this notion of consensus, and the rise of what has been called consensus science. I regard consensus science as an extremely pernicious development that ought to be stopped cold in its tracks. Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you're being had.
- Let's be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus.
- There is no such thing as consensus science. If it's consensus, it isn't science. If it's science, it isn't consensus. Period.
- In addition, let me remind you that the track record of the consensus is nothing to be proud of. Let's review a few cases.
- In past centuries, the greatest killer of women was fever following childbirth. One woman in six died of this fever. In 1795, Alexander Gordon of Aberdeen suggested that the fevers were infectious processes, and he was able to cure them. The consensus said no. In 1843, Oliver Wendell Holmes claimed puerperal fever was contagious, and presented compelling evidence. The consensus said no. In 1849, Semmelweiss demonstrated that sanitary techniques virtually eliminated puerperal fever in hospitals under his management. The consensus said he was a Jew, ignored him, and dismissed him from his post. There was in fact no agreement on puerperal fever until the start of the twentieth century. Thus the consensus took one hundred and twenty five years to arrive at the right conclusion despite the efforts of the prominent "skeptics" around the world, skeptics who were demeaned and ignored. And despite the constant ongoing deaths of women.
- There is no shortage of other examples. In the 1920s in America, tens of thousands of people, mostly poor, were dying of a disease called pellagra. The consensus of scientists said it was infectious, and what was necessary was to find the "pellagra germ." The US government asked a brilliant young investigator, Dr. Joseph Goldberger, to find the cause. Goldberger concluded that diet was the crucial factor. The consensus remained wedded to the germ theory. Goldberger demonstrated that he could induce the disease through diet. He demonstrated that the disease was not infectious by injecting the blood of a pellagra patient into himself, and his assistant. They and other volunteers swabbed their noses with swabs from pellagra patients, and swallowed capsules containing scabs from pellagra rashes in what were called "Goldberger's filth parties." Nobody contracted pellagra. The consensus continued to disagree with him. There was, in addition, a social factor'--southern States disliked the idea of poor diet as the cause, because it meant that social reform was required. They continued to deny it until the 1920s. Result'--despite a twentieth century epidemic, the consensus took years to see the light.
- Probably every schoolchild notices that South America and Africa seem to fit together rather snugly, and Alfred Wegener proposed, in 1912, that the continents had in fact drifted apart. The consensus sneered at continental drift for fifty years. The theory was most vigorously denied by the great names of geology'--until 1961, when it began to seem as if the sea floors were spreading. The result: it took the consensus fifty years to acknowledge what any schoolchild sees.
- And shall we go on? The examples can be multiplied endlessly. Jenner and smallpox, Pasteur and germ theory. Saccharine, margarine, repressed memory, fiber and colon cancer, hormone replacement therapy? The list of consensus errors goes on and on.
- Finally, I would remind you to notice where the claim of consensus is invoked. Consensus is invoked only in situations where the science is not solid enough. Nobody says the consensus of scientists agrees that E=mc2. Nobody says the consensus is that the sun is 93 million miles away. It would never occur to anyone to speak that way.
- But back to our main subject.
- What I have been suggesting to you is that nuclear winter was a meaningless formula, tricked out with bad science, for policy ends. It was political from the beginning, promoted in a well-orchestrated media campaign that had to be planned weeks or months in advance.
- Further evidence of the political nature of the whole project can be found in the response to criticism. Although Richard Feynman was characteristically blunt, saying, "I really don't think these guys know what they're talking about," other prominent scientists were noticeably reticent. Freeman Dyson was quoted as saying, "It's an absolutely atrocious piece of science, but who wants to be accused of being in favor of nuclear war?" And Victor Weisskopf said, "The science is terrible but'--perhaps the psychology is good." The nuclear winter team followed up the publication of such comments with letters to the editors denying that these statements were ever made, though the scientists since then have subsequently confirmed their views.
- At the time, there was a concerted desire on the part of lots of people to avoid nuclear war. If nuclear winter looked awful, why investigate too closely? Who wanted to disagree? Only people like Edward Teller, the "father of the H bomb."
- Teller said, "While it is generally recognized that details are still uncertain and deserve much more study, Dr. Sagan nevertheless has taken the position that the whole scenario is so robust that there can be little doubt about its main conclusions." Yet for most people, the fact that nuclear winter was a scenario riddled with uncertainties did not seem to be relevant.
- I say it is hugely relevant. Once you abandon strict adherence to what science tells us, once you start arranging the truth in a press conference, then anything is possible. In one context, maybe you will get some mobilization against nuclear war. But in another context, you get Lysenkoism. In another, you get Nazi euthanasia. The danger is always there, if you subvert science to political ends.
- That is why it is so important for the future of science that the line between what science can say with certainty, and what it cannot, be drawn clearly'--and defended.
- What happened to Nuclear Winter? As the media glare faded, its robust scenario appeared less persuasive; John Maddox, editor of Nature, repeatedly criticized its claims; within a year, Stephen Schneider, one of the leading figures in the climate model, began to speak of "nuclear autumn." It just didn't have the same ring.
- A final media embarrassment came in 1991, when Carl Sagan predicted on Nightline that Kuwaiti oil fires would produce a nuclear winter effect, causing a "year without a summer," and endangering crops around the world. Sagan stressed this outcome was so likely that "it should affect the war plans." None of it happened.
- What, then, can we say were the lessons of Nuclear Winter? I believe the lesson was that with a catchy name, a strong policy position and an aggressive media campaign, nobody will dare to criticize the science, and in short order, a terminally weak thesis will be established as fact. After that, any criticism becomes beside the point. The war is already over without a shot being fired. That was the lesson, and we had a textbook application soon afterward, with second-hand smoke.
- In 1993, the EPA announced that second-hand smoke was "responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths each year in nonsmoking adults," and that it "impairs the respiratory health of hundreds of thousands of people." In a 1994 pamphlet the EPA said that the eleven studies it based its decision on were not by themselves conclusive, and that they collectively assigned second-hand smoke a risk factor of 1.19. (For reference, a risk factor below 3.0 is too small for action by the EPA. or for publication in the New England Journal of Medicine, for example.) Furthermore, since there was no statistical association at the 95% confidence limits, the EPA lowered the limit to 90%. They then classified second-hand smoke as a Group A Carcinogen.
- This was openly fraudulent science, but it formed the basis for bans on smoking in restaurants, offices, and airports. California banned public smoking in 1995. Soon, no claim was too extreme. By 1998, the Christian Science Monitor was saying that "Second-hand smoke is the nation's third-leading preventable cause of death." The American Cancer Society announced that 53,000 people died each year of second-hand smoke. The evidence for this claim is nonexistent.
- In 1998, a Federal judge held that the EPA had acted improperly, had "committed to a conclusion before research had begun", and had "disregarded information and made findings on selective information." The reaction of Carol Browner, head of the EPA was: "We stand by our science ... there's wide agreement. The American people certainly recognize that exposure to second-hand smoke brings ... a whole host of health problems." Again, note how the claim of consensus trumps science. In this case, it isn't even a consensus of scientists that Browner evokes! It's the consensus of the American people.
- Meanwhile, ever-larger studies failed to confirm any association. A large, seven-country WHO study in 1998 found no association. Nor have well-controlled subsequent studies, to my knowledge. Yet we now read, for example, that second-hand smoke is a cause of breast cancer. At this point you can say pretty much anything you want about second-hand smoke.
- As with nuclear winter, bad science is used to promote what most people would consider good policy. I certainly think it is. I don't want people smoking around me. So who will speak out against banning second-hand smoke? Nobody, and if you do, you'll be branded a shill of RJ Reynolds. A big tobacco flunky. But the truth is that we now have a social policy supported by the grossest of superstitions. And we've given the EPA a bad lesson in how to behave in the future. We've told them that cheating is the way to succeed.
- As the twentieth century drew to a close, the connection between hard scientific fact and public policy became increasingly elastic. In part this was possible because of the complacency of the scientific profession; in part because of the lack of good science education among the public; in part, because of the rise of specialized advocacy groups which have been enormously effective in getting publicity and shaping policy; and in great part because of the decline of the media as an independent assessor of fact. The deterioration of the American media is dire loss for our country. When distinguished institutions like the New York Times can no longer differentiate between factual content and editorial opinion, but rather mix both freely on their front page, then who will hold anyone to a higher standard?
- And so, in this elastic anything-goes world where science'--or non-science'--is the handmaiden of questionable public policy, we arrive at last at global warming. It is not my purpose here to rehash the details of this most magnificent of the demons haunting the world. I would just remind you of the now-familiar pattern by which these things are established. Evidentiary uncertainties are glossed over in the unseemly rush for an overarching policy, and for grants to support the policy by delivering findings that are desired by the patron. Next, the isolation of those scientists who won't get with the program, and the characterization of those scientists as outsiders and "skeptics" in quotation marks'--suspect individuals with suspect motives, industry flunkies, reactionaries, or simply anti-environmental nutcases. In short order, debate ends, even though prominent scientists are uncomfortable about how things are being done.
- When did "skeptic" become a dirty word in science? When did a skeptic require quotation marks around it?
- To an outsider, the most significant innovation in the global warming controversy is the overt reliance that is being placed on models. Back in the days of nuclear winter, computer models were invoked to add weight to a conclusion: "These results are derived with the help of a computer model." But now large-scale computer models are seen as generating data in themselves. No longer are models judged by how well they reproduce data from the real world'--increasingly, models provide the data. As if they were themselves a reality. And indeed they are, when we are projecting forward. There can be no observational data about the year 2100. There are only model runs.
- This fascination with computer models is something I understand very well. Richard Feynmann called it a disease. I fear he is right. Because only if you spend a lot of time looking at a computer screen can you arrive at the complex point where the global warming debate now stands.
- Nobody believes a weather prediction twelve hours ahead. Now we're asked to believe a prediction that goes out 100 years into the future? And make financial investments based on that prediction? Has everybody lost their minds?
- Stepping back, I have to say the arrogance of the modelmakers is breathtaking. There have been, in every century, scientists who say they know it all. Since climate may be a chaotic system'--no one is sure'--these predictions are inherently doubtful, to be polite. But more to the point, even if the models get the science spot-on, they can never get the sociology. To predict anything about the world a hundred years from now is simply absurd.
- Look: If I was selling stock in a company that I told you would be profitable in 2100, would you buy it? Or would you think the idea was so crazy that it must be a scam?
- Let's think back to people in 1900 in, say, New York. If they worried about people in 2000, what would they worry about? Probably: Where would people get enough horses? And what would they do about all the horseshit? Horse pollution was bad in 1900, think how much worse it would be a century later, with so many more people riding horses?
- But of course, within a few years, nobody rode horses except for sport. And in 2000, France was getting 80% its power from an energy source that was unknown in 1900. Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Japan were getting more than 30% from this source, unknown in 1900. Remember, people in 1900 didn't know what an atom was. They didn't know its structure. They also didn't know what a radio was, or an airport, or a movie, or a television, or a computer, or a cell phone, or a jet, an antibiotic, a rocket, a satellite, an MRI, ICU, IUD, IBM, IRA, ERA, EEG, EPA, IRS, DOD, PCP, HTML, internet. interferon, instant replay, remote sensing, remote control, speed dialing, gene therapy, gene splicing, genes, spot welding, heat-seeking, bipolar, prozac, leotards, lap dancing, email, tape recorder, CDs, airbags, plastic explosive, plastic, robots, cars, liposuction, transduction, superconduction, dish antennas, step aerobics, smoothies, twelve-step, ultrasound, nylon, rayon, teflon, fiber optics, carpal tunnel, laser surgery, laparoscopy, corneal transplant, kidney transplant, AIDS? None of this would have meant anything to a person in the year 1900. They wouldn't know what you are talking about.
- Now. You tell me you can predict the world of 2100. Tell me it's even worth thinking about. Our models just carry the present into the future.
- They're bound to be wrong. Everybody who gives a moment's thought knows it.
- I remind you that in the lifetime of most scientists now living, we have already had an example of dire predictions set aside by new technology. I refer to the green revolution. In 1960, Paul Ehrlich said, "The battle to feed humanity is over. In the 1970s the world will undergo famines'--hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death." Ten years later, he predicted four billion people would die during the 1980s, including 65 million Americans. The mass starvation that was predicted never occurred, and it now seems it isn't ever going to happen. Nor is the population explosion going to reach the numbers predicted even ten years ago. In 1990, climate modelers anticipated a world population of 11 billion by 2100. Today, some people think the correct number will be 7 billion and falling. But nobody knows for sure.
- But it is impossible to ignore how closely the history of global warming fits on the previous template for nuclear winter. Just as the earliest studies of nuclear winter stated that the uncertainties were so great that probabilities could never be known, so, too the first pronouncements on global warming argued strong limits on what could be determined with certainty about climate change. The 1995 IPCC draft report said, "Any claims of positive detection of significant climate change are likely to remain controversial until uncertainties in the total natural variability of the climate system are reduced." It also said, "No study to date has positively attributed all or part of observed climate changes to anthropogenic causes." Those statements were removed, and in their place appeared: "The balance of evidence suggests a discernable human influence on climate."
- What is clear, however, is that on this issue, science and policy have become inextricably mixed to the point where it will be difficult, if not impossible, to separate them out. It is possible for an outside observer to ask serious questions about the conduct of investigations into global warming, such as whether we are taking appropriate steps to improve the quality of our observational data records, whether we are systematically obtaining the information that will clarify existing uncertainties, whether we have any organized disinterested mechanism to direct research in this contentious area.
- The answer to all these questions is no. We don't.
- In trying to think about how these questions can be resolved, it occurs to me that in the progression from SETI to nuclear winter to second-hand smoke to global warming, we have one clear message, and that is that we can expect more and more problems of public policy dealing with technical issues in the future'--problems of ever greater seriousness, where people care passionately on all sides.
- And at the moment we have no mechanism to get good answers. So I will propose one.
- Just as we have established a tradition of double-blinded research to determine drug efficacy, we must institute double-blinded research in other policy areas as well. Certainly the increased use of computer models, such as GCMs, cries out for the separation of those who make the models from those who verify them. The fact is that the present structure of science is entrepreneurial, with individual investigative teams vying for funding from organizations which all too often have a clear stake in the outcome of the research'--or appear to, which may be just as bad. This is not healthy for science.
- Sooner or later, we must form an independent research institute in this country. It must be funded by industry, by government, and by private philanthropy, both individuals and trusts. The money must be pooled, so that investigators do not know who is paying them. The institute must fund more than one team to do research in a particular area, and the verification of results will be a foregone requirement: teams will know their results will be checked by other groups. In many cases, those who decide how to gather the data will not gather it, and those who gather the data will not analyze it. If we were to address the land temperature records with such rigor, we would be well on our way to an understanding of exactly how much faith we can place in global warming, and therefore what seriousness we must address this.
- I believe that as we come to the end of this litany, some of you may be saying, well what is the big deal, really. So we made a few mistakes. So a few scientists have overstated their cases and have egg on their faces. So what.
- In recent years, much has been said about the post modernist claims about science to the effect that science is just another form of raw power, tricked out in special claims for truth-seeking and objectivity that really have no basis in fact. Science, we are told, is no better than any other undertaking. These ideas anger many scientists, and they anger me. But recent events have made me wonder if they are correct. We can take as an example the scientific reception accorded a Danish statistician, Bjorn Lomborg, who wrote a book called The Skeptical Environmentalist.
- The scientific community responded in a way that can only be described as disgraceful. In professional literature, it was complained he had no standing because he was not an earth scientist. His publisher, Cambridge University Press, was attacked with cries that the editor should be fired, and that all right-thinking scientists should shun the press. The past president of the AAAS wondered aloud how Cambridge could have ever "published a book that so clearly could never have passed peer review." (But of course the manuscript did pass peer review by three earth scientists on both sides of the Atlantic, and all recommended publication.) But what are scientists doing attacking a press? Is this the new McCarthyism'--coming from scientists?
- Worst of all was the behavior of the Scientific American, which seemed intent on proving the post-modernist point that it was all about power, not facts. The Scientific American attacked Lomborg for eleven pages, yet only came up with nine factual errors despite their assertion that the book was "rife with careless mistakes." It was a poor display featuring vicious ad hominem attacks, including comparing him to a Holocust denier. The issue was captioned: "Science defends itself against the Skeptical Environmentalist." Really. Science has to defend itself? Is this what we have come to?
- When Lomborg asked for space to rebut his critics, he was given only a page and a half. When he said it wasn't enough, he put the critics' essays on his web page and answered them in detail. Scientific American threatened copyright infringement and made him take the pages down.
- Further attacks since have made it clear what is going on. Lomborg is charged with heresy. That's why none of his critics needs to substantiate their attacks in any detail. That's why the facts don't matter. That's why they can attack him in the most vicious personal terms. He's a heretic.
- Of course, any scientist can be charged as Galileo was charged. I just never thought I'd see the Scientific American in the role of mother church.
- Is this what science has become? I hope not. But it is what it will become, unless there is a concerted effort by leading scientists to aggressively separate science from policy. The late Philip Handler, former president of the National Academy of Sciences, said that "Scientists best serve public policy by living within the ethics of science, not those of politics. If the scientific community will not unfrock the charlatans, the public will not discern the difference'--science and the nation will suffer." Personally, I don't worry about the nation. But I do worry about science.
- A lecture by Michael CrichtonThe following lecture was originally posted on the late Michael Crichton's web page, but since his death in 2008 that page has been simplified and reformatted as a memorial to his life's work. This text is available in other places (e.g., here and here), but for a while it was hard to find. I re-post it here not because I agree 100% with everything in it, but because it is an eloquent statement of the value of scientific honesty and rigor.
- "Aliens Cause Global Warming"
- A lecture by Michael CrichtonCaltech Michelin LectureJanuary 17, 2003
- My topic today sounds humorous but unfortunately I am serious. I am going to argue that extraterrestrials lie behind global warming. Or to speak more precisely, I will argue that a belief in extraterrestrials has paved the way, in a progression of steps, to a belief in global warming.
- Charting this progression of belief will be my task today.
- Let me say at once that I have no desire to discourage anyone from believing in either extraterrestrials or global warming. That would be quite impossible to do. Rather, I want to discuss the history of several widely-publicized beliefs and to point to what I consider an emerging crisis in the whole enterprise of science'--namely the increasingly uneasy relationship between hard science and public policy.
- I have a special interest in this because of my own upbringing. I was born in the midst of World War II, and passed my formative years at the height of the Cold War. In school drills, I dutifully crawled under my desk in preparation for a nuclear attack.
- It was a time of widespread fear and uncertainty, but even as a child I believed that science represented the best and greatest hope for mankind. Even to a child, the contrast was clear between the world of politics'--a world of hate and danger, of irrational beliefs and fears, of mass manipulation and disgraceful blots on human history. In contrast, science held different values'--international in scope, forging friendships and working relationships across national boundaries and political systems, encouraging a dispassionate habit of thought, and ultimately leading to fresh knowledge and technology that would benefit all mankind. The world might not be a very good place, but science would make it better. And it did. In my lifetime, science has largely fulfilled its promise. Science has been the great intellectual adventure of our age, and a great hope for our troubled and restless world.
- But I did not expect science merely to extend lifespan, feed the hungry, cure disease, and shrink the world with jets and cell phones. I also expected science to banish the evils of human thought'--prejudice and superstition, irrational beliefs and false fears. I expected science to be, in Carl Sagan's memorable phrase, "a candle in a demon haunted world." And here, I am not so pleased with the impact of science. Rather than serving as a cleansing force, science has in some instances been seduced by the more ancient lures of politics and publicity. Some of the demons that haunt our world in recent years are invented by scientists. The world has not benefited from permitting these demons to escape free.
- But let's look at how it came to pass.
- Cast your minds back to 1960. John F. Kennedy is president, commercial jet airplanes are just appearing, the biggest university mainframes have 12K of memory. And in Green Bank, West Virginia at the new National Radio Astronomy Observatory, a young astrophysicist named Frank Drake runs a two week project called Ozma, to search for extraterrestrial signals. A signal is received, to great excitement. It turns out to be false, but the excitement remains. In 1960, Drake organizes the first SETI conference, and came up with the now-famous Drake equation:
- Where N* is the number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy; fp is the fraction with planets; ne is the number of planets per star capable of supporting life; fl is the fraction of planets where life evolves; fi is the fraction where intelligent life evolves; and fc is the fraction that communicates; and fL is the fraction of the planet's life during which the communicating civilizations live.
- This serious-looking equation gave SETI a serious footing as a legitimate intellectual inquiry. The problem, of course, is that none of the terms can be known, and most cannot even be estimated. The only way to work the equation is to fill in with guesses. And guesses'--just so we're clear'--are merely expressions of prejudice. Nor can there be "informed guesses." If you need to state how many planets with life choose to communicate, there is simply no way to make an informed guess. It's simply prejudice.
- As a result, the Drake equation can have any value from "billions and billions" to zero. An expression that can mean anything means nothing. Speaking precisely, the Drake equation is literally meaningless, and has nothing to do with science. I take the hard view that science involves the creation of testable hypotheses. The Drake equation cannot be tested and therefore SETI is not science. SETI is unquestionably a religion. Faith is defined as the firm belief in something for which there is no proof. The belief that the Koran is the word of God is a matter of faith. The belief that God created the universe in seven days is a matter of faith. The belief that there are other life forms in the universe is a matter of faith. There is not a single shred of evidence for any other life forms, and in forty years of searching, none has been discovered. There is absolutely no evidentiary reason to maintain this belief. SETI is a religion.
- One way to chart the cooling of enthusiasm is to review popular works on the subject. In 1964, at the height of SETI enthusiasm, Walter Sullivan of the NY Times wrote an exciting book about life in the universe entitled WE ARE NOT ALONE. By 1995, when Paul Davis wrote a book on the same subject, he titled it ARE WE ALONE? (Since 1981, there have in fact been four books titled ARE WE ALONE.) More recently we have seen the rise of the so-called "Rare Earth" theory which suggests that we may, in fact, be all alone. Again, there is no evidence either way.
- Back in the sixties, SETI had its critics, although not among astrophysicists and astronomers. The biologists and paleontologists were harshest. George Gaylord Simpson of Harvard sneered that SETI was a "study without a subject," and it remains so to the present day.
- But scientists in general have been indulgent toward SETI, viewing it either with bemused tolerance, or with indifference. After all, what's the big deal? It's kind of fun. If people want to look, let them. Only a curmudgeon would speak harshly of SETI. It wasn't worth the bother.
- And of course it is true that untestable theories may have heuristic value. Of course extraterrestrials are a good way to teach science to kids. But that does not relieve us of the obligation to see the Drake equation clearly for what it is'--pure speculation in quasi-scientific trappings.
- The fact that the Drake equation was not greeted with screams of outrage'--similar to the screams of outrage that greet each Creationist new claim, for example'--meant that now there was a crack in the door, a loosening of the definition of what constituted legitimate scientific procedure. And soon enough, pernicious garbage began to squeeze through the cracks.
- Now let's jump ahead a decade to the 1970s, and Nuclear Winter.
- In 1975, the National Academy of Sciences reported on "Long-Term Worldwide Effects of Multiple Nuclear Weapons Detonations" but the report estimated the effect of dust from nuclear blasts to be relatively minor. In 1979, the Office of Technology Assessment issued a report on "The Effects of Nuclear War" and stated that nuclear war could perhaps produce irreversible adverse consequences on the environment. However, because the scientific processes involved were poorly understood, the report stated it was not possible to estimate the probable magnitude of such damage.
- Three years later, in 1982, the Swedish Academy of Sciences commissioned a report entitled "The Atmosphere after a Nuclear War: Twilight at Noon," which attempted to quantify the effect of smoke from burning forests and cities. The authors speculated that there would be so much smoke that a large cloud over the northern hemisphere would reduce incoming sunlight below the level required for photosynthesis, and that this would last for weeks or even longer.
- The following year, five scientists including Richard Turco and Carl Sagan published a paper in Science called "Nuclear Winter: Global Consequences of Multiple Nuclear Explosions." This was the so-called TTAPS report, which attempted to quantify more rigorously the atmospheric effects, with the added credibility to be gained from an actual computer model of climate.
- At the heart of the TTAPS undertaking was another equation, never specifically expressed, but one that could be paraphrased as follows:
- Ds = Wn Ws Wh Tf Tb Pt Pr Pe... etc
- (The amount of tropospheric dust=# warheads x size warheads x warhead detonation height x flammability of targets x Target burn duration x Particles entering the Troposphere x Particle reflectivity x Particle endurance ... and so on.)
- The similarity to the Drake equation is striking. As with the Drake equation, none of the variables can be determined. None at all. The TTAPS study addressed this problem in part by mapping out different wartime scenarios and assigning numbers to some of the variables, but even so, the remaining variables were'--and are'--simply unknowable. Nobody knows how much smoke will be generated when cities burn, creating particles of what kind, and for how long. No one knows the effect of local weather conditions on the amount of particles that will be injected into the troposphere. No one knows how long the particles will remain in the troposphere. And so on.
- And remember, this is only four years after the OTA study concluded that the underlying scientific processes were so poorly known that no estimates could be reliably made. Nevertheless, the TTAPS study not only made those estimates, but concluded they were catastrophic.
- According to Sagan and his coworkers, even a limited 5,000 megaton nuclear exchange would cause a global temperature drop of more than 35 degrees Centigrade, and this change would last for three months. The greatest volcanic eruptions that we know of changed world temperatures somewhere between .5 and 2 degrees Centigrade. Ice ages changed global temperatures by 10 degrees. Here we have an estimated change three times greater than any ice age. One might expect it to be the subject of some dispute.
- But Sagan and his coworkers were prepared, for nuclear winter was from the outset the subject of a well-orchestrated media campaign. The first announcement of nuclear winter appeared in an article by Sagan in the Sunday supplement, Parade. The very next day, a highly-publicized, high-profile conference on the long-term consequences of nuclear war was held in Washington, chaired by Carl Sagan and Paul Ehrlich, the most famous and media-savvy scientists of their generation. Sagan appeared on the Johnny Carson show 40 times. Ehrlich was on 25 times. Following the conference, there were press conferences, meetings with congressmen, and so on. The formal papers in Science came months later.
- This is not the way science is done, it is the way products are sold.
- The real nature of the conference is indicated by these artists' renderings of the the effect of nuclear winter.
- I cannot help but quote the caption for figure 5: "Shown here is a tranquil scene in the north woods. A beaver has just completed its dam, two black bears forage for food, a swallow-tailed butterfly flutters in the foreground, a loon swims quietly by, and a kingfisher searches for a tasty fish." Hard science if ever there was.
- At the conference in Washington, during the question period, Ehrlich was reminded that after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, scientists were quoted as saying nothing would grow there for 75 years, but in fact melons were growing the next year. So, he was asked, how accurate were these findings now?
- Ehrlich answered by saying "I think they are extremely robust. Scientists may have made statements like that, although I cannot imagine what their basis would have been, even with the state of science at that time, but scientists are always making absurd statements, individually, in various places. What we are doing here, however, is presenting a consensus of a very large group of scientists..."
- I want to pause here and talk about this notion of consensus, and the rise of what has been called consensus science. I regard consensus science as an extremely pernicious development that ought to be stopped cold in its tracks. Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you're being had.
- Let's be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus.
- There is no such thing as consensus science. If it's consensus, it isn't science. If it's science, it isn't consensus. Period.
- In addition, let me remind you that the track record of the consensus is nothing to be proud of. Let's review a few cases.
- In past centuries, the greatest killer of women was fever following childbirth. One woman in six died of this fever. In 1795, Alexander Gordon of Aberdeen suggested that the fevers were infectious processes, and he was able to cure them. The consensus said no. In 1843, Oliver Wendell Holmes claimed puerperal fever was contagious, and presented compelling evidence. The consensus said no. In 1849, Semmelweiss demonstrated that sanitary techniques virtually eliminated puerperal fever in hospitals under his management. The consensus said he was a Jew, ignored him, and dismissed him from his post. There was in fact no agreement on puerperal fever until the start of the twentieth century. Thus the consensus took one hundred and twenty five years to arrive at the right conclusion despite the efforts of the prominent "skeptics" around the world, skeptics who were demeaned and ignored. And despite the constant ongoing deaths of women.
- There is no shortage of other examples. In the 1920s in America, tens of thousands of people, mostly poor, were dying of a disease called pellagra. The consensus of scientists said it was infectious, and what was necessary was to find the "pellagra germ." The US government asked a brilliant young investigator, Dr. Joseph Goldberger, to find the cause. Goldberger concluded that diet was the crucial factor. The consensus remained wedded to the germ theory. Goldberger demonstrated that he could induce the disease through diet. He demonstrated that the disease was not infectious by injecting the blood of a pellagra patient into himself, and his assistant. They and other volunteers swabbed their noses with swabs from pellagra patients, and swallowed capsules containing scabs from pellagra rashes in what were called "Goldberger's filth parties." Nobody contracted pellagra. The consensus continued to disagree with him. There was, in addition, a social factor'--southern States disliked the idea of poor diet as the cause, because it meant that social reform was required. They continued to deny it until the 1920s. Result'--despite a twentieth century epidemic, the consensus took years to see the light.
- Probably every schoolchild notices that South America and Africa seem to fit together rather snugly, and Alfred Wegener proposed, in 1912, that the continents had in fact drifted apart. The consensus sneered at continental drift for fifty years. The theory was most vigorously denied by the great names of geology'--until 1961, when it began to seem as if the sea floors were spreading. The result: it took the consensus fifty years to acknowledge what any schoolchild sees.
- And shall we go on? The examples can be multiplied endlessly. Jenner and smallpox, Pasteur and germ theory. Saccharine, margarine, repressed memory, fiber and colon cancer, hormone replacement therapy? The list of consensus errors goes on and on.
- Finally, I would remind you to notice where the claim of consensus is invoked. Consensus is invoked only in situations where the science is not solid enough. Nobody says the consensus of scientists agrees that E=mc2. Nobody says the consensus is that the sun is 93 million miles away. It would never occur to anyone to speak that way.
- But back to our main subject.
- What I have been suggesting to you is that nuclear winter was a meaningless formula, tricked out with bad science, for policy ends. It was political from the beginning, promoted in a well-orchestrated media campaign that had to be planned weeks or months in advance.
- Further evidence of the political nature of the whole project can be found in the response to criticism. Although Richard Feynman was characteristically blunt, saying, "I really don't think these guys know what they're talking about," other prominent scientists were noticeably reticent. Freeman Dyson was quoted as saying, "It's an absolutely atrocious piece of science, but who wants to be accused of being in favor of nuclear war?" And Victor Weisskopf said, "The science is terrible but'--perhaps the psychology is good." The nuclear winter team followed up the publication of such comments with letters to the editors denying that these statements were ever made, though the scientists since then have subsequently confirmed their views.
- At the time, there was a concerted desire on the part of lots of people to avoid nuclear war. If nuclear winter looked awful, why investigate too closely? Who wanted to disagree? Only people like Edward Teller, the "father of the H bomb."
- Teller said, "While it is generally recognized that details are still uncertain and deserve much more study, Dr. Sagan nevertheless has taken the position that the whole scenario is so robust that there can be little doubt about its main conclusions." Yet for most people, the fact that nuclear winter was a scenario riddled with uncertainties did not seem to be relevant.
- I say it is hugely relevant. Once you abandon strict adherence to what science tells us, once you start arranging the truth in a press conference, then anything is possible. In one context, maybe you will get some mobilization against nuclear war. But in another context, you get Lysenkoism. In another, you get Nazi euthanasia. The danger is always there, if you subvert science to political ends.
- That is why it is so important for the future of science that the line between what science can say with certainty, and what it cannot, be drawn clearly'--and defended.
- What happened to Nuclear Winter? As the media glare faded, its robust scenario appeared less persuasive; John Maddox, editor of Nature, repeatedly criticized its claims; within a year, Stephen Schneider, one of the leading figures in the climate model, began to speak of "nuclear autumn." It just didn't have the same ring.
- A final media embarrassment came in 1991, when Carl Sagan predicted on Nightline that Kuwaiti oil fires would produce a nuclear winter effect, causing a "year without a summer," and endangering crops around the world. Sagan stressed this outcome was so likely that "it should affect the war plans." None of it happened.
- What, then, can we say were the lessons of Nuclear Winter? I believe the lesson was that with a catchy name, a strong policy position and an aggressive media campaign, nobody will dare to criticize the science, and in short order, a terminally weak thesis will be established as fact. After that, any criticism becomes beside the point. The war is already over without a shot being fired. That was the lesson, and we had a textbook application soon afterward, with second-hand smoke.
- In 1993, the EPA announced that second-hand smoke was "responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths each year in nonsmoking adults," and that it "impairs the respiratory health of hundreds of thousands of people." In a 1994 pamphlet the EPA said that the eleven studies it based its decision on were not by themselves conclusive, and that they collectively assigned second-hand smoke a risk factor of 1.19. (For reference, a risk factor below 3.0 is too small for action by the EPA. or for publication in the New England Journal of Medicine, for example.) Furthermore, since there was no statistical association at the 95% confidence limits, the EPA lowered the limit to 90%. They then classified second-hand smoke as a Group A Carcinogen.
- This was openly fraudulent science, but it formed the basis for bans on smoking in restaurants, offices, and airports. California banned public smoking in 1995. Soon, no claim was too extreme. By 1998, the Christian Science Monitor was saying that "Second-hand smoke is the nation's third-leading preventable cause of death." The American Cancer Society announced that 53,000 people died each year of second-hand smoke. The evidence for this claim is nonexistent.
- In 1998, a Federal judge held that the EPA had acted improperly, had "committed to a conclusion before research had begun", and had "disregarded information and made findings on selective information." The reaction of Carol Browner, head of the EPA was: "We stand by our science ... there's wide agreement. The American people certainly recognize that exposure to second-hand smoke brings ... a whole host of health problems." Again, note how the claim of consensus trumps science. In this case, it isn't even a consensus of scientists that Browner evokes! It's the consensus of the American people.
- Meanwhile, ever-larger studies failed to confirm any association. A large, seven-country WHO study in 1998 found no association. Nor have well-controlled subsequent studies, to my knowledge. Yet we now read, for example, that second-hand smoke is a cause of breast cancer. At this point you can say pretty much anything you want about second-hand smoke.
- As with nuclear winter, bad science is used to promote what most people would consider good policy. I certainly think it is. I don't want people smoking around me. So who will speak out against banning second-hand smoke? Nobody, and if you do, you'll be branded a shill of RJ Reynolds. A big tobacco flunky. But the truth is that we now have a social policy supported by the grossest of superstitions. And we've given the EPA a bad lesson in how to behave in the future. We've told them that cheating is the way to succeed.
- As the twentieth century drew to a close, the connection between hard scientific fact and public policy became increasingly elastic. In part this was possible because of the complacency of the scientific profession; in part because of the lack of good science education among the public; in part, because of the rise of specialized advocacy groups which have been enormously effective in getting publicity and shaping policy; and in great part because of the decline of the media as an independent assessor of fact. The deterioration of the American media is dire loss for our country. When distinguished institutions like the New York Times can no longer differentiate between factual content and editorial opinion, but rather mix both freely on their front page, then who will hold anyone to a higher standard?
- And so, in this elastic anything-goes world where science'--or non-science'--is the handmaiden of questionable public policy, we arrive at last at global warming. It is not my purpose here to rehash the details of this most magnificent of the demons haunting the world. I would just remind you of the now-familiar pattern by which these things are established. Evidentiary uncertainties are glossed over in the unseemly rush for an overarching policy, and for grants to support the policy by delivering findings that are desired by the patron. Next, the isolation of those scientists who won't get with the program, and the characterization of those scientists as outsiders and "skeptics" in quotation marks'--suspect individuals with suspect motives, industry flunkies, reactionaries, or simply anti-environmental nutcases. In short order, debate ends, even though prominent scientists are uncomfortable about how things are being done.
- When did "skeptic" become a dirty word in science? When did a skeptic require quotation marks around it?
- To an outsider, the most significant innovation in the global warming controversy is the overt reliance that is being placed on models. Back in the days of nuclear winter, computer models were invoked to add weight to a conclusion: "These results are derived with the help of a computer model." But now large-scale computer models are seen as generating data in themselves. No longer are models judged by how well they reproduce data from the real world'--increasingly, models provide the data. As if they were themselves a reality. And indeed they are, when we are projecting forward. There can be no observational data about the year 2100. There are only model runs.
- This fascination with computer models is something I understand very well. Richard Feynmann called it a disease. I fear he is right. Because only if you spend a lot of time looking at a computer screen can you arrive at the complex point where the global warming debate now stands.
- Nobody believes a weather prediction twelve hours ahead. Now we're asked to believe a prediction that goes out 100 years into the future? And make financial investments based on that prediction? Has everybody lost their minds?
- Stepping back, I have to say the arrogance of the modelmakers is breathtaking. There have been, in every century, scientists who say they know it all. Since climate may be a chaotic system'--no one is sure'--these predictions are inherently doubtful, to be polite. But more to the point, even if the models get the science spot-on, they can never get the sociology. To predict anything about the world a hundred years from now is simply absurd.
- Look: If I was selling stock in a company that I told you would be profitable in 2100, would you buy it? Or would you think the idea was so crazy that it must be a scam?
- Let's think back to people in 1900 in, say, New York. If they worried about people in 2000, what would they worry about? Probably: Where would people get enough horses? And what would they do about all the horseshit? Horse pollution was bad in 1900, think how much worse it would be a century later, with so many more people riding horses?
- But of course, within a few years, nobody rode horses except for sport. And in 2000, France was getting 80% its power from an energy source that was unknown in 1900. Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Japan were getting more than 30% from this source, unknown in 1900. Remember, people in 1900 didn't know what an atom was. They didn't know its structure. They also didn't know what a radio was, or an airport, or a movie, or a television, or a computer, or a cell phone, or a jet, an antibiotic, a rocket, a satellite, an MRI, ICU, IUD, IBM, IRA, ERA, EEG, EPA, IRS, DOD, PCP, HTML, internet. interferon, instant replay, remote sensing, remote control, speed dialing, gene therapy, gene splicing, genes, spot welding, heat-seeking, bipolar, prozac, leotards, lap dancing, email, tape recorder, CDs, airbags, plastic explosive, plastic, robots, cars, liposuction, transduction, superconduction, dish antennas, step aerobics, smoothies, twelve-step, ultrasound, nylon, rayon, teflon, fiber optics, carpal tunnel, laser surgery, laparoscopy, corneal transplant, kidney transplant, AIDS? None of this would have meant anything to a person in the year 1900. They wouldn't know what you are talking about.
- Now. You tell me you can predict the world of 2100. Tell me it's even worth thinking about. Our models just carry the present into the future.
- They're bound to be wrong. Everybody who gives a moment's thought knows it.
- I remind you that in the lifetime of most scientists now living, we have already had an example of dire predictions set aside by new technology. I refer to the green revolution. In 1960, Paul Ehrlich said, "The battle to feed humanity is over. In the 1970s the world will undergo famines'--hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death." Ten years later, he predicted four billion people would die during the 1980s, including 65 million Americans. The mass starvation that was predicted never occurred, and it now seems it isn't ever going to happen. Nor is the population explosion going to reach the numbers predicted even ten years ago. In 1990, climate modelers anticipated a world population of 11 billion by 2100. Today, some people think the correct number will be 7 billion and falling. But nobody knows for sure.
- But it is impossible to ignore how closely the history of global warming fits on the previous template for nuclear winter. Just as the earliest studies of nuclear winter stated that the uncertainties were so great that probabilities could never be known, so, too the first pronouncements on global warming argued strong limits on what could be determined with certainty about climate change. The 1995 IPCC draft report said, "Any claims of positive detection of significant climate change are likely to remain controversial until uncertainties in the total natural variability of the climate system are reduced." It also said, "No study to date has positively attributed all or part of observed climate changes to anthropogenic causes." Those statements were removed, and in their place appeared: "The balance of evidence suggests a discernable human influence on climate."
- What is clear, however, is that on this issue, science and policy have become inextricably mixed to the point where it will be difficult, if not impossible, to separate them out. It is possible for an outside observer to ask serious questions about the conduct of investigations into global warming, such as whether we are taking appropriate steps to improve the quality of our observational data records, whether we are systematically obtaining the information that will clarify existing uncertainties, whether we have any organized disinterested mechanism to direct research in this contentious area.
- The answer to all these questions is no. We don't.
- In trying to think about how these questions can be resolved, it occurs to me that in the progression from SETI to nuclear winter to second-hand smoke to global warming, we have one clear message, and that is that we can expect more and more problems of public policy dealing with technical issues in the future'--problems of ever greater seriousness, where people care passionately on all sides.
- And at the moment we have no mechanism to get good answers. So I will propose one.
- Just as we have established a tradition of double-blinded research to determine drug efficacy, we must institute double-blinded research in other policy areas as well. Certainly the increased use of computer models, such as GCMs, cries out for the separation of those who make the models from those who verify them. The fact is that the present structure of science is entrepreneurial, with individual investigative teams vying for funding from organizations which all too often have a clear stake in the outcome of the research'--or appear to, which may be just as bad. This is not healthy for science.
- Sooner or later, we must form an independent research institute in this country. It must be funded by industry, by government, and by private philanthropy, both individuals and trusts. The money must be pooled, so that investigators do not know who is paying them. The institute must fund more than one team to do research in a particular area, and the verification of results will be a foregone requirement: teams will know their results will be checked by other groups. In many cases, those who decide how to gather the data will not gather it, and those who gather the data will not analyze it. If we were to address the land temperature records with such rigor, we would be well on our way to an understanding of exactly how much faith we can place in global warming, and therefore what seriousness we must address this.
- I believe that as we come to the end of this litany, some of you may be saying, well what is the big deal, really. So we made a few mistakes. So a few scientists have overstated their cases and have egg on their faces. So what.
- In recent years, much has been said about the post modernist claims about science to the effect that science is just another form of raw power, tricked out in special claims for truth-seeking and objectivity that really have no basis in fact. Science, we are told, is no better than any other undertaking. These ideas anger many scientists, and they anger me. But recent events have made me wonder if they are correct. We can take as an example the scientific reception accorded a Danish statistician, Bjorn Lomborg, who wrote a book called The Skeptical Environmentalist.
- The scientific community responded in a way that can only be described as disgraceful. In professional literature, it was complained he had no standing because he was not an earth scientist. His publisher, Cambridge University Press, was attacked with cries that the editor should be fired, and that all right-thinking scientists should shun the press. The past president of the AAAS wondered aloud how Cambridge could have ever "published a book that so clearly could never have passed peer review." (But of course the manuscript did pass peer review by three earth scientists on both sides of the Atlantic, and all recommended publication.) But what are scientists doing attacking a press? Is this the new McCarthyism'--coming from scientists?
- Worst of all was the behavior of the Scientific American, which seemed intent on proving the post-modernist point that it was all about power, not facts. The Scientific American attacked Lomborg for eleven pages, yet only came up with nine factual errors despite their assertion that the book was "rife with careless mistakes." It was a poor display featuring vicious ad hominem attacks, including comparing him to a Holocust denier. The issue was captioned: "Science defends itself against the Skeptical Environmentalist." Really. Science has to defend itself? Is this what we have come to?
- When Lomborg asked for space to rebut his critics, he was given only a page and a half. When he said it wasn't enough, he put the critics' essays on his web page and answered them in detail. Scientific American threatened copyright infringement and made him take the pages down.
- Further attacks since have made it clear what is going on. Lomborg is charged with heresy. That's why none of his critics needs to substantiate their attacks in any detail. That's why the facts don't matter. That's why they can attack him in the most vicious personal terms. He's a heretic.
- Of course, any scientist can be charged as Galileo was charged. I just never thought I'd see the Scientific American in the role of mother church.
- Is this what science has become? I hope not. But it is what it will become, unless there is a concerted effort by leading scientists to aggressively separate science from policy. The late Philip Handler, former president of the National Academy of Sciences, said that "Scientists best serve public policy by living within the ethics of science, not those of politics. If the scientific community will not unfrock the charlatans, the public will not discern the difference'--science and the nation will suffer." Personally, I don't worry about the nation. But I do worry about science.
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- The people get what they deserve in politics and in energy, apparently: Japan protesters say no to nuclear power
- Thousands of people in Tokyo have rallied against nuclear power as the government and utilities prepare to restart reactors in southern Japan.
- More than 5,000 protesters gathered at Hibiya Park in Tokyo on Saturday to pressure the government not to restart the country's nuclear power stations.
- "Japan is prone to earthquakes. We have to seriously think about whether nuclear power is a good idea for Japan," said protester Masatoshi Harada. "This is an opportunity for Japan to drop nuclear power."
- Regulators are currently reviewing whether to let Kyushu Electric Power restart two reactors at its Sendai power plant.
- Saturday's demonstration came days after the country marked the third anniversary of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake that struck northern Japan in March 2011.
- The earthquake prompted a deadly tsunami along the northern Pacific coastline and huge waves swamped cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which went through reactor meltdowns and explosions that spewed radioactive materials into the vast, rural region.
- The earthquake and tsunami killed 15,884 people and left 2,633 people still unaccounted for, but no one died as a direct result of the atomic accident.
- Japan marks Fukushima disaster anniversarySupporters of nuclear power, including the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said Japan needs atomic energy to ensure the economic health of the world's third largest economy.
- But protesters argued that the country can live without nuclear power as it has done so for many months.
- "Nuclear plants have been closed, so you cannot say we cannot live without nuclear energy," anti-nuclear campaigner Junichi Okano said.
- All of the nation's roughly 50 commercial nuclear reactors have gradually been shut down since 2011 and remain offline due to tense public opposition to restarting them.
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- Carbon War Room Elitists
- You missed one connection with the Carbon War Room.
- The president of the organization, José María Figueres (who was also president of Costa Rica), is Christina Figure’s
- brother. It seems a little convenient that his sister is in a high level position that helps his further his
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- Cultural Marxism
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- Ban Bossy Girl Scouts email from a Producer
- I hashtagged the subject, so John probably won't see this, but I wanted to
- share with you that I hit my wife in the mouth, not literally obviously.
- It started bad with you starting off the show with something about 10 sex
- tips, she asked what the hell I was making her listen to, then it got
- better. My wife is my daughter's girl scout troop leader, and when you
- guys got to #banbossy, she got pissed, not at you but at the Girl Scouts,
- an organization that she puts a lot of time and effort into and an
- organization that she highly respects. After the segment, she was on
- Facebook, messaging the other girl scout mom's telling them how much
- bullshit #banbossy is and that their troop will, instead of banning the
- word bossy, work to make their girls stronger leaders. If that isn't value
- for value, I don't know what is.
- We are barely making it by, we literally are eating free mac and cheese
- from my work (a mac and cheese plant, lol), but I scraped together $5 and
- PayPal'd it to you guys, I am no where near paying you for the value I
- receive, but it's all I can do. Hopefully the job karma you sent me last
- week will help me with a new job that I am applying for!
-
- Ban Bossy and ACA email
- Brand new listener here. As of the 13th I have heard five shows, so please
- excuse me if I'm bringing up something that has been covered. I heard on
- episode 600 that you all felt you have really down on women lately which
- must have been before I tuned in because I haven't felt that way at all. I
- wanted to email you to tell you a few short things:
- 1. Loved your coverage of #banbossy. I saw a commercial on Lifetime and
- 2. Something to consider--and I can't believe I'm about to send this to
- two guys who didn't know what Always was--remember all the hullabaloo
- about how birth control, well woman visits, breast pumps, etc would be
- available for FREE under the ACA? Well, around February 12th, all
- mainstream media ran a story about how mammograms (free under the ACA)
- were totally unnecessary. I was skeptical but hadn't yet been hit in the
- mouth so I just forgot about it.
- Yesterday, I heard another mainstream story about how pap exams (also free
- under ACA for a well woman) is a totally unnecessary test. At this point,
- my BS meter went off again. I texted a nurse in my life to ask what the
- endgame was. Her reply: (copied and pasted) "Kill all the people who
- can't pay cash. Then you don't have to feed house or educate them & they
- While I do think that was a little exaggerated, I do see an eugenics tie
- in here. "Believe us, you don't need these life saving tests. You will
- That ran a lot longer than I wanted, sorry. Hope to send cash soon, but
- first I will have to figure out how to hit my husband in the mouth. Tricky
- since I just got hit in the mouth myself. By the way, I heard about you
- guys on The Survival Podcast.
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- My findings have shown me that women aren't really doing 66% of the work in bed
-
- 66% 10% BS
- Allereerst maar eens op zoek naar de bron. Daar zijn de organisaties die de cijfers gebruiken het namelijk niet over eens. Vermoedelijk is de oorsprong een veel geciteerde uitspraak van Barber Conable, de president van de Wereldbank van 1986 tot 1991. In 1986 zou hij tijdens de jaarlijkse vergadering van de Wereldbank en het IMF hebben gezegd:
- Women are half the world's population, yet they do two-thirds of the world's work, earn one-tenth of the world's income ['...]. They are among the poorest of the world's poor.
- Waar deze uitspraak op gebaseerd is, blijft echter onduidelijk. De Wereldbank zegt niet zeker te weten of de uitspraak wel echt gedaan is. In ieder geval zouden de cijfers sinds 1986 sterk verouderd zijn en worden dergelijke algemeenheden niet (meer) door de Wereldbank gebruikt.
- Andere organisaties geven het Human Development Report (HDR) 1995 als bron. Dit rapport van de VN beschrijft ieder jaar de belangrijkste trends in ontwikkelingslanden. In het HDR 1995 is in negen ontwikkelingslanden en dertien ontwikkelde landen gekeken naar hoeveel uren mannen en vrouwen betaald en onbetaald werk verrichten.
- De conclusie luidde dat vrouwen in ontwikkelingslanden ongeveer 53 procent van de totale werklast dragen en in ontwikkelde landen 51 procent. Van de gewerkte uren doen mannen ongeveer 66 procent betaald werk en 33 procent onbetaald. Voor vrouwen is dat percentage precies omgekeerd: 66 procent van de gewerkte uren zijn onbetaald, 33 procent betaald.
- Het cijfer '66 procent' komt dus wel voor in dit rapport, maar is compleet verkeerd gebruikt door te zeggen dat vrouwen 66 procent van al het werk doen. De International Labour Organisation, die de data over arbeidsmarkten aan de Wereldbank levert, wil niet zeggen welke organisatie begonnen is met deze misrepresentatie van de cijfers, maar bevestigt dat ze slechts door napraten en herhaling een slogan voor vrouwenrechten zijn geworden.
- Het is duidelijk dat de bewering niet gestaafd wordt door betrouwbare cijfers en onderzoeken. Andere relevante cijfers zijn er wel. Zo is in het dit jaar verschenen World Development Report (WDR) van de Wereldbank te lezen dat vrouwen 40 procent van de wereldwijde betaalde en onbetaalde beroepsbevolking uitmaken (43 procent in agricultuur).
- Maar hoeveel uren vrouwen werken ten opzichte van mannen valt hier niet uit op te maken. Daarvoor zijn cijfers over tijdsbesteding nodig. Die zijn voor slechts een beperkt aantal landen bekend. Uit het HDR 2004 blijkt dat in de onderzochte ontwikkelingslanden vrouwen ongeveer 53 procent van alle uren werken, en in de ontwikkelde landen ongeveer 51 procent. Canada, Denemarken, Hongarije, Isral en Nederland zijn uitzonderingen: daar werken mannen meer uren dan vrouwen.
- In het WDR 2012 worden cijfers uit zes landen gepresenteerd, met opvallend overeenkomstige resultaten: vrouwen besteden ongeveer 1 tot 3 uur per dag meer aan huishoudelijk werk en 1 tot 4 uur minder aan betaald werk.
- Of deze cijfers veel zeggen, is de vraag: of activiteiten van vrouwen als 'economisch' worden gezien, hangt namelijk sterk af van de sociale, legale en culturele normen per land.
- De bewering dat vrouwen 66 procent van al het werk doen en maar 10 procent van het wereldinkomen verdienen, heeft geen betrouwbare bron '' het is vermoedelijk een bewering die door herhaling gemeengoed is geworden. De claim is sowieso moeilijk te staven, omdat de relevante data grotendeels ontbreken.
- Onderzoek dat wel beschikbaar is, laat zien dat vrouwen in uren iets meer betaald, onbetaald en huishoudelijk werk verrichten. Maar die verdeling is niet zo ongelijk als de bewering doet vermoeden: vrouwen doen, naar schatting, 51 tot 53 procent van het werk.
- Wat inkomen betreft zijn de cijfers eveneens ongefundeerd. De cijfers die bekend zijn '' vrouwen vormen 40 procent van de beroepsbevolking en krijgen gemiddeld 20 procent minder betaald voor hetzelfde werk '', bevestigen niet dat vrouwen maar 10 procent van het wereldinkomen verdienen. Alles afwegende beoordelen we de bewering als onwaar.
-
- Next checkt: 'Vrouwen doen 66 procent van al het werk en verdienen 10 procent van het wereldinkomen' Nieuwsblog nrc.next
- Verschillende next.checkt-lezers tipten de redactie over het artikel 'Vertel jonge meisjes het hele verhaal: modellen zijn geen wereldleiders of visionairs' dat op 30 januari op de site van de Volkskrant verscheen. Daarin staat de volgende passage:
- De volgende feiten spreken voor zich: vrouwen ['...] doen 66 procent van al het werk, zij verdienen 10 procent van het wereldinkomen.''
- De auteur van het artikel, publiciste Shantie Jagmohansingh, zegt informatie van de Internationale Vrouwendag (8 maart) als bron te hebben gebruikt. De cijfers circuleren op diverse sites over deze dag (1234567).
- Ook vrouwenrechtenorganisaties (12), waaronder UN Women van de Verenigde Naties, halen de cijfers aan. Maar waar ze vandaan komen, wordt vaak niet vermeld.
- Next checkt, en concludeert: een uitspraak uit onduidelijke bron is gemeengoed geworden. Ten onrechte.
- Hoe het werk in de wereld verdeeld is tussen mannen en vrouwen hangt af van de definitie van 'werk'. Wordt daarmee alleen betaald werk bedoeld, of ook onbetaald werk? En vallen ook economische activiteiten onder onbetaald werk (een vrouw verbouwt haar eigen eten) of alleen huishoudelijke activiteiten (een vrouw doet de afwas)? En telt zwart werk ook mee?
- De bewering dat vrouwen 66 procent 'van al het werk' doen is hierover onduidelijk. Het woordje 'al' doet vermoeden dat we betaald, onbetaald, huishoudelijk en zwart werk op een hoop moeten gooien. Maar de erop volgende bewering dat vrouwen 10 procent van het wereldinkomen verdienen, doet juist denken dat alleen betaald werk wordt bedoeld.
- De term 'wereldinkomen' roept ook vragen op. Ten eerste is het is lastig het inkomen uit te splitsen naar sekse. Inkomen wordt meestal geregistreerd per huishouden '' en dus niet van de man of vrouw apart. En ook hier is de vraag: moeten economische activiteiten die geen officieel salaris opleveren ook worden vertaald naar 'inkomen'?
- Allereerst maar eens op zoek naar de bron. Daar zijn de organisaties die de cijfers gebruiken het namelijk niet over eens. Vermoedelijk is de oorsprong een veel geciteerde uitspraak van Barber Conable, de president van de Wereldbank van 1986 tot 1991. In 1986 zou hij tijdens de jaarlijkse vergadering van de Wereldbank en het IMF hebben gezegd:
- Women are half the world's population, yet they do two-thirds of the world's work, earn one-tenth of the world's income ['...]. They are among the poorest of the world's poor.
- Waar deze uitspraak op gebaseerd is, blijft echter onduidelijk. De Wereldbank zegt niet zeker te weten of de uitspraak wel echt gedaan is. In ieder geval zouden de cijfers sinds 1986 sterk verouderd zijn en worden dergelijke algemeenheden niet (meer) door de Wereldbank gebruikt.
- Andere organisaties geven het Human Development Report (HDR) 1995 als bron. Dit rapport van de VN beschrijft ieder jaar de belangrijkste trends in ontwikkelingslanden. In het HDR 1995 is in negen ontwikkelingslanden en dertien ontwikkelde landen gekeken naar hoeveel uren mannen en vrouwen betaald en onbetaald werk verrichten.
- De conclusie luidde dat vrouwen in ontwikkelingslanden ongeveer 53 procent van de totale werklast dragen en in ontwikkelde landen 51 procent. Van de gewerkte uren doen mannen ongeveer 66 procent betaald werk en 33 procent onbetaald. Voor vrouwen is dat percentage precies omgekeerd: 66 procent van de gewerkte uren zijn onbetaald, 33 procent betaald.
- Het cijfer '66 procent' komt dus wel voor in dit rapport, maar is compleet verkeerd gebruikt door te zeggen dat vrouwen 66 procent van al het werk doen. De International Labour Organisation, die de data over arbeidsmarkten aan de Wereldbank levert, wil niet zeggen welke organisatie begonnen is met deze misrepresentatie van de cijfers, maar bevestigt dat ze slechts door napraten en herhaling een slogan voor vrouwenrechten zijn geworden.
- Wat het tweede deel van de bewering betreft (vrouwen verdienen 10 procent van het wereldinkomen): de World Bank Development Indicators hebben geen indicator voor wereldinkomen naar sekse. Alleen van 27 ontwikkelde landen zijn dergelijke cijfers beschikbaar. Die laten zien dat vrouwen gemiddeld ongeveer 20 procent minder verdienen dan mannen.
- Het is duidelijk dat de bewering niet gestaafd wordt door betrouwbare cijfers en onderzoeken. Andere relevante cijfers zijn er wel. Zo is in het dit jaar verschenen World Development Report (WDR) van de Wereldbank te lezen dat vrouwen 40 procent van de wereldwijde betaalde en onbetaalde beroepsbevolking uitmaken (43 procent in agricultuur).
- Maar hoeveel uren vrouwen werken ten opzichte van mannen valt hier niet uit op te maken. Daarvoor zijn cijfers over tijdsbesteding nodig. Die zijn voor slechts een beperkt aantal landen bekend. Uit het HDR 2004 blijkt dat in de onderzochte ontwikkelingslanden vrouwen ongeveer 53 procent van alle uren werken, en in de ontwikkelde landen ongeveer 51 procent. Canada, Denemarken, Hongarije, Isral en Nederland zijn uitzonderingen: daar werken mannen meer uren dan vrouwen.
- In het WDR 2012 worden cijfers uit zes landen gepresenteerd, met opvallend overeenkomstige resultaten: vrouwen besteden ongeveer 1 tot 3 uur per dag meer aan huishoudelijk werk en 1 tot 4 uur minder aan betaald werk.
- Of deze cijfers veel zeggen, is de vraag: of activiteiten van vrouwen als 'economisch' worden gezien, hangt namelijk sterk af van de sociale, legale en culturele normen per land.
- De bewering dat vrouwen 66 procent van al het werk doen en maar 10 procent van het wereldinkomen verdienen, heeft geen betrouwbare bron '' het is vermoedelijk een bewering die door herhaling gemeengoed is geworden. De claim is sowieso moeilijk te staven, omdat de relevante data grotendeels ontbreken.
- Onderzoek dat wel beschikbaar is, laat zien dat vrouwen in uren iets meer betaald, onbetaald en huishoudelijk werk verrichten. Maar die verdeling is niet zo ongelijk als de bewering doet vermoeden: vrouwen doen, naar schatting, 51 tot 53 procent van het werk.
- Wat inkomen betreft zijn de cijfers eveneens ongefundeerd. De cijfers die bekend zijn '' vrouwen vormen 40 procent van de beroepsbevolking en krijgen gemiddeld 20 procent minder betaald voor hetzelfde werk '', bevestigen niet dat vrouwen maar 10 procent van het wereldinkomen verdienen. Alles afwegende beoordelen we de bewering als onwaar.
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- #BANBOSSY-Conservative girls shunned at World Girl Scouts UN Meeting | LifeSiteNews.com
- March 13, 2014 (C-FAM) - Who speaks for youth? Catholic teens are wondering after participating in a Girl Scouts meeting to collect young women's opinions on the new goals that will steer UN policy '' and billions of dollars in aid '' for years to come.
- ''We were just a 'means to an end,''' said one young lady. ''All they wanted was for us to validate their point.''
- The UN is undergoing a lengthy process to determine new goals on poverty and development. Many say young people's opinions should be included and a number of groups are stepping forward to speak for youth. This week the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) held a meeting to hear from young women and adults were not allowed.
- ''It was initially cool to encounter all of the girls from different places and with different accents,'' said Ave Fouriezos, She had traveled to New York with a team of Catholic teens for an annual UN conference on women.
- But it ''quickly became uncomfortable when we were split into small groups and asked to propose three areas of women's rights.''
- To the girls' surprise, a WAGGGS' paper was handed out listing specific goals the group is already lobbying for. ''Comprehensive health'' features ''confidential and non-judgemental [sic] sexual and reproductive health services for all'' '' a priority for abortion groups like Planned Parenthood and the UN Population Fund.
- Each small group included representatives from WAGGGS. The ''team leaders were outspoken and even aggressive about their beliefs, so it was very overwhelming,'' said Ave.
- When Ave tried to explain her views on sexual health and abortion, ''my opinion was disregarded. It was obvious that my opinion didn't matter because it didn't comply with the WAGGGS' agenda.''
- In another group, a WAGGGS leader said ''access to contraception'' should be in the UN's goals. One teen, Lauren Downes, explained this was controversial and suggested changing it to ''education in contraception.''
- Click "like" if you are PRO-LIFE!
- The other participants ''sort of agreed with me,'' Lauren said. But then the dynamic changed. Soon ''every girl in the group wouldn't listen to me, wouldn't respect me, and slowly pushed me out of the circle. I didn't feel welcomed and I didn't feel like I had a voice.''
- In another group, one girl ''had many good ideas about how to improve the Girl Guide's statement,'' said Emily Cross, ''but they completely ignored and disrespected her.''
- A UN world survey of nearly 1.5 million people found the priorities of youth under age 30 are education, healthcare, jobs, food, sanitation, protection against crime and violence, and honest government.
- WAGGGS sparked a firestorm in 2010 after a sexually provocative Planned Parenthood brochure was distributed at one of their events at the UN. The Girl Scouts USA works with the WAGGGS team at the UN.
- The Girl Scouts USA denied any involvement, however the event prompted the launch of numerous websites protesting the leftward drift of the Girl Scouts and an ongoing reform movement including a boycott of Girl Scout cookies going on now.
- In 2013, the UN Population Fund orchestrated a Global Youth Conference that released the ''Bali Declaration'' telling countries to provide abortion and recognize the ''sexual rights'' of youth. Several participants complained the meeting was manipulated and ''tokenistic.'' The UN later declined to recognize the Bali Declaration.
- WAGGGS played an active role in the Bali breakout sessions.
- Reprinted with permission from C-FAM
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- 'Ban Bossy' campaign started by Hillary Clinton donor -- ahead of 2016 run | WashingtonExaminer.com
- On Sunday, Facebook's Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg launched a new campaign, known as...Make no mistake, there is always a deeper agenda whenever a seemingly innocent campaign pops up overnight.
- On Sunday, Facebook's Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg launched a new campaign, known as 'Ban Bossy,' which would - as you can imagine - encourage people to ban the word ''bossy.''
- Is there some kind of epidemic of that word being used to keep girls from achieving? Many of the surveys cited by the Ban Bossy campaign are decades old, and a more recent survey by the Girl Scouts of America found that girls are more likely than boys to see themselves as a leader or have the desire to be a leader.
- So, why start a national campaign?
- For starters, Sandberg is an ally of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016.
- Sandberg worked as former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers' chief of staff under PresidentBill Clinton during his second term and maxed out in personal campaign contributions to Hillary Clinton in 2007 and 2008. She also donates almost exclusively to female Democratic candidates.
- In 2012, Sandberg posted a video on her personal Facebook page of Meryl Streep's tribute to Clinton, calling it ''amazing.''
- In 2013, Sandberg and Clinton hosted a gala for Women for Women International. Sandberg presented Clinton with the ''Champion of Peace'' award at the event.
- Also in 2013, Sandberg said she hopes Clinton runs for president again in 2016, believing that Clinton's 2008 ''likeability'' was tied too closely to her appearance.
- But why focus the campaign on the word ''bossy''?
- The answer to that may have something to do with Clinton being called ''bossy'' during the 2008 campaign by Australian feminist Germaine Greer. Bossy is also more tame than some of the other words Clinton has been called.
- Two years ago, Democrats launched a campaign to brand Republicans as engaging in a "war on women," a campaign with a lasting impact that will no doubt stretch into the 2016 elections if Clinton runs.
- Now the Ban Bossy campaign gives Democrats another weapon to use against those who disagree with Clinton's policy ideas.
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- LGBBTQQIAAP
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- MassEquality Explained | MassEquality
- MassEquality is comprised of two separate corporate entities: MassEquality.org, the Campaign for Equality, Inc. and the MassEquality Education Fund, Inc.
- While there is some overlap in the work done by each entity, certain activities are done by one organization and not the other.
- MassEquality.org, the Campaign for Equality, Inc.MassEquality.org is a Massachusetts corporation operating as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. Activities performed by MassEquality.org include:
- Legislative lobbyingGrassroots lobbying, including canvassing, field organizing, and electronic advocacyIssue advocacyMassEquality Education Fund, Inc.The MassEquality Education Fund, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) organization. Activities performed by the MassEquality Education Fund include:
- Opinion polling and researchEducational advertisingMedia relationsEducation and outreach to specific communitiesWork with leaders around the country to build a stronger movement for marriage equalitySupporting MassEqualityYou may make a contribution to MassEquality.org, the MassEquality Education Fund, or both. A contribution to either organization will be used to protect LGBTQ equality in Massachusetts.
- Contributions to MassEquality.org or MassEquality PAC, while critically important, are not tax-deductible. You can make a tax-deductible gift only to the MassEquality Education Fund.
- To support the crucial political work of MassEquality.org with a non-tax-deductible gift, visit the MassEquality Contribution page. To make a tax-deductible gift to the MassEquality Education Fund, please visit the MassEquality Education Fund contribution page.
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- MASSEQUALITY RESPONSE TO RUMORS THAT LGBT VETERANS MAY BE MARCHING WITH MAYOR WALSH IN SOUTH BOSTON ST. PATRICK'S PARADE | MassEquality
- Contact: Cathy Renna, 917-757-6123, cathy@targetcue.com
- MASSEQUALITY RESPONSE TO RUMORS THAT LGBT VETERANS MAY BE MARCHING WITH MAYOR WALSH IN SOUTH BOSTON ST. PATRICK'S PARADE
- The statement below can be attributed to Kara Coredini, Executive Director of MassEquality:
- ''MassEquality is proud of the role we have played in advancing the public dialogue about the inclusion of LGBT people in the South Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade. Meeting face-to-face and engaging in a direct conversation with parade organizers was a historic first, and we hope it bodes well for LGBT groups to have their applications to march openly accepted next year.
- MassEquality has been clear from the beginning of this discussion that we would march openly and honestly or not at all. It may be hard for people who are not LGBT to appreciate exactly how important it is for LGBT people to be open about who we are and how deeply wounding it is to be asked not to be too open.
- MassEquality had hoped that a small group of LGBT veterans that we work with would have been able to march behind their standard '' a rainbow flag '' and a banner identifying them as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans associated with MassEquality. That hope was informed by what many GLIB marchers told us would begin some healing of the wounds created by the harassment and violence they experienced when they marched openly decades ago.
- MassEquality has been asked for a response to the rumors today that parade organizers may allow LGBT veterans to march with Mayor Walsh as long as they do not identify themselves as LGBT. While we respect the decision of any individual to march with Mayor Walsh, MassEquality will not march unless veterans can identify themselves as LGBT, behind a banner and flying their standard. No other group is asked to march without a banner and their standard '' not the police, firefighters, or the Irish. A double standard is the status quo and does not represent progress.
- We appreciate that the Mayor is committed to marching only if the LGBT community can march openly, and that he is still fighting for that. We hope that is the case tomorrow.''
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- PedoBear 2TTH
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- Auteur Demmink-artikelen omgekomen bij 'verdacht' verkeersongeluk in Thailand | Binnenland | Telegraaf.nl
- Exclusieve artikelen van de Telegraaf redactie
- lees voorBart MosCHONBURI (Thailand) - De Nederlandse journalist Fred de Brouwer, voorheen werkzaam voor Panorama en De Telegraaf, is gisteravond overleden na een noodlottig verkeersongeluk in de buurt van zijn woonplaats Chonburi in Thailand, ten noorden van Pattaya. Dit wordt bevestigd door zijn in Nederland woonachtige broer Ren(C) de Brouwer.
- Fred de Brouwer (58) was in 2003 auteur van de eerste artikelen in de GayKrant en Panorama over Joris Demmink, voormalig secretaris-generaal (SG) van Justitie en momenteel verdachte in een strafrechtelijk onderzoek naar kindermisbruik. De journalist emigreerde kort na de publicaties over Demmink naar Thailand omdat hij zich naar eigen zeggen in Nederland niet meer thuis voelde. Afgelopen dagen had hij veelvuldig contact met Nederlandse journalisten over de zaak Demmink, waaronder met verslaggevers van De Telegraaf. Dit naar aanleiding van de getuigenverhoren die momenteel in Utrecht plaatsvinden over de verdenkingen aan het adres van de voormalige SG.
- Fred de Brouwer werd gisteravond in de Thaise kustplaats Chonburi overreden nadat hij op zijn scooter ten val was gekomen, bevestigt zijn broer Rene. Volgens omstanders roept het ongeval vragen op, aangezien de auto die hem overreed ruim de gelegenheid zou hebben gehad om hem te ontwijken. Het is vooralsnog onduidelijk of de chauffeur van de auto die de Nederlandse journalist aanreed door de Thaise politie is aangehouden.
- (C) 1996-2014 TMG Landelijke Media B.V., Amsterdam.Alle rechten voorbehouden.e-mail: redactie-i@telegraaf.nlGebruiksvoorwaarden | Privacy | Cookies | Cookie-voorkeuren
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- Common Core / STEM
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- NSF-U.S. Congress Passes Pi Day · Pi Day
- 111th CONGRESS1st SessionH. RES. 224Supporting the designation of Pi Day, and for other purposes.
- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESMarch 9, 2009
- Mr. GORDON of Tennessee (for himself, Mr. HALL of Texas, Mr. LIPINSKI, and Mr. BAIRD) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Science and Technology
- RESOLUTIONSupporting the designation of Pi Day, and for other purposes.
- Whereas the Greek letter (Pi) is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter;
- Whereas the ratio Pi is an irrational number, which will continue infinitely without repeating, and has been calculated to over one trillion digits;
- Whereas Pi is a recurring constant that has been studied throughout history and is central in mathematics as well as science and engineering;
- Whereas mathematics and science are a critical part of our children's education, and children who perform better in math and science have higher graduation and college attendance rates;
- Whereas aptitude in mathematics, science, and engineering is essential for a knowledge-based society;
- Whereas, according to the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) survey done by the National Center for Education Statistics, American children in the 4th and 8th grade were outperformed by students in other countries including Taiwan, Singapore, Russia, England, South Korea, Latvia, and Japan;
- Whereas since 1995 the United States has shown only minimal improvement in math and science test scores;
- Whereas by the 8th grade, American males outperform females on the science portion of the TIMSS survey, especially in Biology, Physics, and Earth Science, and the lowest American scores in math and science are found in minority and impoverished school districts;
- Whereas America needs to reinforce mathematics and science education for all students in order to better prepare our children for the future and in order to compete in a 21st Century economy;
- Whereas the National Science Foundation has been driving innovation in math and science education at all levels from elementary through graduate education since its creation 59 years ago;
- Whereas mathematics and science can be a fun and interesting part of a child's education, and learning about Pi can be an engaging way to teach children about geometry and attract them to study science and mathematics; and
- Whereas Pi can be approximated as 3.14, and thus March 14, 2009, is an appropriate day for 'National Pi Day': Now, therefore, be it
- Resolved, That the House of Representatives''
- (1) supports the designation of a 'Pi Day' and its celebration around the world;
- (2) recognizes the continuing importance of National Science Foundation's math and science education programs; and
- (3) encourages schools and educators to observe the day with appropriate activities that teach students about Pi and engage them about the study of mathematics.
- View Resolution on THOMAS
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- Foundations Spend Millions Promoting Common Core | Heartlander Magazine
- This article is the second of three in a series on Common Core public outreach.
- A coalition of private foundations has spent approximately $2.5 million to promote Common Core, primarily by teaching teachers public messaging techniques. They and others plan more big-ticket spending on public relations in the months ahead.
- The Common Core Communications Collaborative (CCCC)''has the goal of enabling strategic communications efforts nationally and across states in support of the implementation of the Common Core Standards,'' according to grants channeled to this group through the New Venture Fund, an organization that helps manage nonprofit projects. The fund did not return repeated requests for comment.
- CCCC's founding members are the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Helios Education Foundation, Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Lumina Foundation, and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.
- Helios and Schusterman did not publicly report their contributions to CCCC, but the other four did. Their gifts totaled $2.35 million. The Gates Foundation was the largest contributor, at $1.15 million, and the Helmsley Foundation was second, with a $600,000 donation.
- Gates' grant says CCCC aims to reach ''K-12 educators, parents, policy makers, higher education leaders and other key audiences.''
- Amplifying Supportive Teachers' VoicesA main CCCC project is a two-day conference for hand-selected teachers who support Common Core, called Teacher Voices Convening. The first TVC was held in Tennessee in September 2013, and the second was in Arizona in January 2014.
- Teachers and employees of state-focused education nonprofits participated in mock legislative hearings on Common Core and responded to brusque, role-playing ''legislators.'' They thought about how to illustrate their support for Common Core with personal stories, and heard presentations on Common Core ''myths.''
- Conference leaders encouraged teachers to get active on social media, meet with civic groups and parents, and speak up in public forums, said Superintendent Jerry Boyd of Putnam County Schools, Tennessee, who attended September's TVC.
- ''A big chunk of it was devoted to focusing on the landscape in our state,'' said Charles ''C.R''. McLeod, communications director for the Rodel Foundation of Delaware. ''We had a chance to work for several hours as the Delaware team on 'How can we be using teacher voices to communicate this to parents,' alleviate the fears about it, instill confidence this is really going to benefit children in the long run.''
- Delegates from nine states attended the Arizona conference, including from Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, and Washington. CCCC covered the costs for most teachers to attend. Other attendees had to pay their own way, and chipped in to sponsor the remaining teachers, McLeod said. State departments of education typically selected the teachers who went, often through state teachers unions and education reform nonprofits.
- 'Cheated' by Low ExpectationsAndrew Vega is an eighth grade literature teacher in Boston who attended TCV in January.
- ''A big focus on the conference was how to work with people who aren't 100 percent in favor of Common Core or don't see it's necessary,'' he said. Before moving to Massachusetts, Vega grew up in and then taught in California. The difference in instruction between the two states made him a Common Core supporter.
- ''In a way, I feel like I was cheated because I went to public school in California,'' he said. ''In Massachusetts, I was asking eighth graders to do the same things I had been asking juniors and seniors to do in California.''
- The conferences are a way ''to make sure teachers don't feel left out from the conversation,'' McLeod said.
- ''It would be great if through my work with this team we can set up best practices and share with others so it can be not just Massachusetts is top ten in the world, it can be the United States is top ten in the world,'' Vega said.
- Not Just a ConferenceThe state teams that attended TCV plan to continue working together on Common Core messaging, and already are preparing for key moments, such as when the Common Core practice tests arrive this spring or state legislative hearings.
- In June 2013, Boyd helped start Leading Innovation for Tennessee Education (LIFT), a coalition of eight Tennessee superintendents who support Common Core, merit pay for teachers, and tying teacher license renewal to student test scores.
- One of their goals is to ''have a unified voice on the policy level,'' Boyd said. He and the other superintendents found they were ''likeminded'' on education policy, so wanted to give themselves an official name and ''gain legitimacy.'' They wrote a public letter to Tennessee leaders, supporting Common Core.
- But LIFT also just meets to ''bounce ideas off,'' Boyd said.
- As superintendents, ''every meeting we walk in we want solutions, but sometimes they turn into discussions of compliance, all the woes of bureaucracy,'' he said. LIFT ''is more 'What can we do with this,' solutions we can bring back.''
- With all the recent education reform efforts, it's hard to sift through them all to determine what is best for students, Boyd said: ''There's been so much.''
- But he's convinced Common Core does ''raise expectations for students.'' He also thinks it's important for teachers and administrators to join the policy conversation, and appreciated that focus of TVC.
- Teachers' ''main focus are their 25 or 125 students,'' he said. ''Sometimes they don't have the time to get their voice out'... You hear from business leaders, politicians, administrators.'' But, in education, what's ultimately important ''is the day in, day out influence teachers have on kids.''
- Communicating'...in PrivateFive leaders of the CCCC for its founding nonprofits did not return calls for comment, including Joanne Weiss, former chief of staff for U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and director of the federal Race to the Top program, who is now an independent consultant. Her website says she ''Represent[s] Schusterman on the Common Core Communications Collaborative, the Common Core Assessment Implementation Network, and the Common Core Funders Working Group.''
- Reached on his cell phone, Matt Gandal, another independent consultant working on CCCC, asked ''How did you hear about this?'' and said he would ''try to get back to you.'' He neither called back nor responded to three follow-up calls.
- Gandal is a former teachers union official, executive vice president for Achieve Inc. (which managed the creation of Common Core and manages one of its tests), and also led Race to the Top implementation for the Obama administration. He helped lead the January TCV.
- Risky Moments Ahead''We're hearing a lot of teachers feeling comfortable with the standards, but uncomfortable with the assessments,'' McLeod said. He suggested future TCV events focus on the Common Core tests: ''Scores could be falling or changing. We foresee a lot of anxiety around that.''
- Vega said teachers deserve to have a say in policies that deeply influence their lives.
- ''If there is a flaw in the Common Core it is that it did not have a lot of input from the field, but it's still a good document,'' he said. If the test doesn't go well, it's not going to be on the policymaker. I will hopefully still have a job. At the field level the stakes are highest, and we are the ones who feel the pressure of these changes on a daily basis.''
- Next: States promote Common Core to wary residents.
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- Big Business Targets Common Core's Band of Mothers
- The special interests behind national curriculum and testing mandates are pouring millions into public relations and lobbying this spring after parents across the country began to oppose and destabilize their big project. Friday, Politico reported that the Business Roundtable and Chamber of Commerce are buying pricey ads on Fox News and mobilizing their state chapters to keep lawmakers in line. The same day, Bill Gates joined George Stephanopoulos to continue branding the Common Core mandates as a catalyst for improving U.S. education. Gates has joined with left-leaning philanthropies on a communications push worth more than $2.35 million.
- Even the federal government is in the game. Through the Common Core testing organizations it exclusively funds, the feds spend at least $9.9 million to promote Common Core, largely through locating teachers who like the project and training them as spokespeople. The Fox News ads will also feature teachers, since focus groups have found them to be well-received pitch-men.
- Since January 1, lawmakers in at least 23 states have proposed to amend or repeal Common Core. This spring's state legislative sessions mark the last real chance to ditch it, so the battle has escalated.
- This fall, federally funded and controlled Common Core tests are slated to roll out and essentially cement it (until the next big thing). These tests and their corresponding curriculum mandates will influence almost everything about most American schools: teacher evaluations, textbooks, learning software, school funding, even student grades. In 2013, most parents and teachers first met Common Core. Some began to complain about federal overreach, lack of public debate, pilot test questions and format, open-ended data collection, academic quality, technology costs for the all-online tests, and lack of training for teachers.
- In Oklahoma this week, Gov. Mary Fallin and the Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce worked overtime to keep a Common Core repeal bill from getting a hearing or vote. Eyewitnesses said the governor pulled senators off the statehouse floor to lobby them to kill the bill. It worked, but only halfway: Senate leaders killed the Senate bill, but a House version passed 78-12.
- Also working the floor was Jenni White, a mother of five (two adopted) and former science teacher whose main weapon against the business coalitions and their millions is her smartphone. White's family checkbook covers her frequent trips to the statehouse to counter well-paid, hardened lobbyists and career backroom dealers. She and a small band of moms have been patrolling the statehouse, visiting lawmakers' offices to look them in the eye and remind them that hundreds of Oklahomans have repeatedly swarmed the capitol on their own dimes just to get their bill a hearing.
- ''It's never been about kids or parents, it's about 'the Chamber of Commerce can help me with my campaign,''' White fumed from the capitol late Wednesday.
- White has counterparts everywhere. In Kansas, it's Kristin George.
- ''I look at my kids and I can't imagine not fighting back for what I see as their whole future in education,'' George says over the phone as her preschooler pesters her in the background. ''It's so much more to me than just standards. My son will tell me, 'Mom, I think you've had enough computer time today.' I feel like I'm fighting something because of them, and then taking time from them to do it.''
- U.S Education Secretary Arne Duncan was right about one thing when he attacked anti-Common Core activists again in November: like George, they are mostly mothers. The media still usually labels Common Core opposition as Tea Party-driven, and that's true to some extent, but the real drivers are mothers who saw Common Core in their kids' classrooms and thought it degraded instruction.
- Pack 'n Play in tow, George frequently drives five hours to Topeka to lobby for legislation to curtail or repeal Common Core. She stays with her in-laws, leaving her five- and two-year-old sons there while she and other mothers trot to legislators' offices for hours before crucial hearings and votes.
- ''The grassroots has only gotten stronger across the country and in Kansas,'' she says. They will need strength to compete. Common Core's supporters include the world's largest nonprofit organization (the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has spent more than $172 million to underwrite Common Core), President Barack Obama, and big businesses such as Exxon Mobil and GE.
- Business groups often believe the talking points that proclaim Common Core will end rising phenomena like workers who won't show up on time, can't read or do basic math, and loaf around on the job. These are business's biggest complaints about the kids our education system turns out. Oddly, business interests seem to ignore not just the evidence that Common Core graduates will not be internationally competitive, but that family degradation is a major'--perhaps the major'--reason for workers' eroding soft skills and academic incompetence. Ironically, White and George's devotion to their families makes them the kind of mothers whose kids will be the productive citizens employers want schools to produce.
- George has talked to moms in her library's toddler reading group and held potlucks to tell others about Common Core. A Kansas Tea Party group passed around a blue bucket last year to pick up donations from a room of retirees and parents to cover an out-of-town speaker who criticized Common Core. Grassroots folks in New York tried a crowd-funding site to cover travel expenses for their two February Common Core speakers. They raised $1,005 toward their $5,000 goal.
- Common Core opponents typically don't have much money or prestige. They do have a common motivator: their kids. George's biggest concern is her ability to have a say in the policies that affect her family.
- ''I grew up with parents who said, 'You can do anything you put your mind to,' and that was the beauty of the country we live in,'' George said. ''I don't want to see that changed for my children.''
- Joy Pullmann is a Heartland Institute research fellow and 2013-2014 Novak journalism fellow.
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- NA-Tech
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- U.S. to relinquish remaining control over the Internet - The Washington Post
- By Craig Timberg,U.S. officials announced plans Friday to relinquish federal government control over the administration of the Internet, a move likely to please international critics but alarm some business leaders and others who rely on smooth functioning of the Web.
- Pressure to let go of the final vestiges of U.S. authority over the system of Web addresses and domain names that organize the Internet has been building for more than a decade and was supercharged by the backlash to revelations about National Security Agency surveillance last year.
- ''The timing is right to start the transition process,'' said Lawrence E. Strickling, assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information. ''We look forward to ICANN convening stakeholders across the global Internet community to craft an appropriate transition plan.''
- The practical consequences of the decision were not immediately clear, but it could alleviate rising global complaints that the United States essentially controls the Web and takes advantage of its oversight role to help spy on the rest of the world.
- U.S. officials set strict conditions and an indeterminate timeline for the transition from federal government authority, saying that a new oversight body must be created and win the trust of crucial stakeholders around the world, officials said. An international meeting to discuss the future of Internet is scheduled for March 24, in Singapore.
- The announcement essentially ruled out the possibility that the United Nations would take over the U.S. role, something many nations have advocated and U.S. officials have long opposed.
- The looming change '-- if successfully executed '-- would end or at least dramatically alter the long-running contract between the U.S. Commerce Department and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a California-based non-profit group that goes by the acronym ICANN. That contract is due to expire next year but could be extended if the transition plan is not complete.
- ''I welcome the beginning of this transition process that you have outlined. The global community will be included in full,'' said Fadi Chehade, president of ICANN.
- Rumors that the U.S. government would step out of its oversight role sparked concerns among those who long have maintained that ICANN did not do enough to protect security online.
- ''To set ICANN so-called ''free'' is a very major step that should done with careful oversight,'' said Dan Jaffe, executive vice president of the Association of National Advertisers. ''We would be very concerned about that step.''
- Yet other groups saw the move away from U.S. oversight as inevitable and expressed support for the process if it's open and embraces the needs of people who use the Internet around the world.
- ''This is a step in the right direction to resolved important international disputes about how the Internet is governed,'' said Gene Kimmelman, president of Public Knowledge, a group that promotes open access to the Internet.
- Verizon, one of the world's biggest Internet providers, issued a statement saying, ''A successful transition in the stewardship of these important functions to the global multi-stakeholder community would be a timely and positive step in the evolution of Internet governance.''
- ICANN's most important function is to oversee the assigning of Internet domains '-- such as .com, .edu and .gov '-- and ensure that the various companies and universities involved in directing digital traffic do so safely. ICANN is midway through a massive and controversial expansion that is adding hundreds of new domains, such as .book, .gay and .army, to the Internet's infrastructure.
- It long has faced complaints that the highly profitable domain name industry, which sells individual Web addresses for hefty markups, had established practical control over ICANN, to the detriment of other users. Rumors that the U.S. government would relinquish control were enough to alarm some business leaders on Friday.
- Chehade addressed such concerns, saying, ''Nothing will be done in any way to jeopardize the security and stability of the Internet.''
- Follow The Post's new tech blog, The Switch, where technology and policy connect.
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- Elite$
-
- Appointments and Resignations - Ambassador to the Netherlands: Who Is Timothy Broas? - AllGov - News
- Obama fundraiser Timothy Broas is getting a do-over. Despite an embarrassing late night arrest for drunk driving and resisting arrest in June 2012 that killed his nomination to be the next ambassador to the Netherlands, Broas was re-nominated by Obama on July 18 of this year to be his man in The Hague.
- Broas, then 58, was pulled over by Montgomery County, Maryland, police at 1:18 a.m. on June 19, 2012, in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and charged with ''attempting to drive [a] vehicle while under the influence of alcohol,'' driving 47 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone, and resisting arrest, the latter charge being criminal in nature. The White House announced the withdrawal of his nomination on June 28.
- Broas'--ironically a white collar criminal defense attorney'--got the kind of plea deal men of wealth and position often get: Broas pled guilty to a lesser offense of driving while impaired; prosecutors dropped the more serious charges; and Broas was sentenced to probation before judgment'--meaning he was not formally convicted of the offense and has no criminal record.
- A partner in the Washington, DC, office of the Chicago-based law firm of Winston & Strawn, Broas has raised more than $500,000 for Obama's re-election efforts as a bundler'...in other words, he raised the money from friends, family, or business associates. For Obama's 2008 campaign, Broas bundled between $200,000 and $500,000. Obama, like every modern President before him, has nominated about two dozen bundlers to ambassadorships. In addition to the bundling, Broas has personally donated more than $230,000 to federal candidates, parties, and political committees since 1989, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, but only two Republicans have benefited: Bob Dole in 1996, to whom Broas donated $500; and George W. Bush in 2004, who received $2,000, even as Broas donated $3,500 to Democratic nominee John Kerry and $25,000 to the Democratic National Committee.
- According to records released by the Obama administration, Broas has visited the White House 39 times since 2009, including eight visits with the president and five West Wing meetings with Pete Rouse, a top adviser who served as Obama's chief of staff and is now the president's counselor.
- Tim Broas was one of the nine children born to Anita and William Broas, who was a marketing executive for the Warner Lambert pharmaceutical company. Born circa 1954, Broas graduated from Delbarton prep school in Morristown, New Jersey, in 1972, earned an A.B. in Economics and History at Boston College in 1976 and a J.D. from the College of William and Mary in 1979. From 1979 to 1980, Broas served as a law clerk for Justice Mark Sullivan of the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
- He started his private practice career as an associate at two New York City law firms: Conboy, Hewitt, O'Brien & Boardman from 1980 to 1983 and Whitman & Ransom from 1983 to 1985. Relocating to Washington, DC, Broas was a partner at Anderson, Hibey & Blair from 1986 to 1995, when he joined the DC office of the Chicago-based law firm of Winston & Strawn, where he has specialized in white-collar criminal defense ever since.
- Clients Broas has represented include UBS Securities, LLC; Legg Mason; Otsuka America Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Alstom Holdings; Ingersoll-Rand, Ltd.; and Papa John's International, Inc. He also represented the left-leaning group Citizen Action until it was shut down because of its involvement in funding a Teamsters election campaign, and Neil Volz, chief of staff to Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), during the unfolding of the Jack Abramoff scandal in 2005-2006.
- In 2005, Broas was appointed to the Board of Visitors of Mount Vernon by Virginia Gov. Mark Warner and was reappointed in 2009 by Governor Tim Kaine; both are Democrats. He was appointed by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley (also a Democrat) to the Board of Trustees of St. Mary's College of Maryland in 2011. In 2010, President Obama appointed Broas to the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a nonpartisan think tank created by Congress in 1968.
- Timothy Broas is married to fellow attorney Julie Broas, who practiced labor law for two decades at the Washington, DC, office of the Jones, Day law firm and now works at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless as the Jones Day Senior Fellow. He has three daughters: Emily, Allison, and Madeline.
- Statement Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (pdf)
- Obama Nominee Gets Second Chance after DUI Arrest (by Aamer Madhani and Fredreka Schouten, USA Today)
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- Live + 3: 'Chicagoland' Rises to 280,000 Adults 25-54 Viewers
- In 25-54, CNN ranked first '' with 280k. For 25-54 Live+3, Fox had 259k (Hannity) and MSNBC had 207k (Lawrence O'Donnell).
- For total viewers, Fox still won (CNN was 3rd: In P+2 for Live+3, CNN had 782k viewers; FOX had 1,457k and MSNBC had 830k).
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- Remarks by the First Lady at Joining Forces Muppet Movie Screening
- GENERAL DEMPSEY: Okay, ladies and gentlemen, how are you this afternoon? (Applause.) Please hold your applause for the Muppets. No, not really. Hold your applause for the First Lady, who I will introduce here in a moment.
- I'm really excited to be here with my wife, Deanie, who is sitting over here. And we want you to know how much we love the children of our men and women who serve in uniform. You guys are terrific. And really, we couldn't do what we do without you. So it's really a great honor for me to be here today.
- And I know what you really want to do is see this movie, but I do want to see if you're awake and ready and alert to watch the movie. So I have three questions I want to ask you, and I -- if you know the answer, just yell it out. So the first one is: Why are teddy bears never hungry?
- PARTICIPANT: Because they're always stuffed.
- GENERAL DEMPSEY: Because they're always stuffed. You're right. (Laughter.)
- What do you call a pig that knows karate?
- AUDIENCE: Pork chop. (Laughter.)
- GENERAL DEMPSEY: Pork chop. You guys are all over it. You're ready for the movie.
- And, finally, what is a frog's favorite kind of music?
- PARTICIPANT: Hip hop. (Laughter.)
- GENERAL DEMPSEY: Hip hop, you got it. (Laughter.) Give yourselves a round of applause. (Applause.)
- Well, I know this movie is going to be funnier than the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And so what I want to do now is introduce someone very special to us as a military family, someone who has spent her time in office with her husband making sure that we can take care of you. And with that -- hi, Bonnie -- with that as all the introduction she really needs, it's my great honor to introduce the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. (Applause.)
- MRS. OBAMA: Well, hello, everyone. How are you guys doing? AUDIENCE: Good!
- MRS. OBAMA: Welcome to the White House. Isn't this cool? General Dempsey, those were some pretty good jokes.
- GENERAL DEMPSEY: Not bad.
- MRS. OBAMA: Not bad. What did you guys think of the jokes -- pretty funny? (Applause.) Yes.
- Well, we're not going to talk long because we know why we're really here, but I just wanted to take a moment to make sure you understand why we're doing this, why it was so important for us to make it possible for you guys to see this movie here. Do you know why? Because we are incredibly proud of you, first of all. I know we have military moms and dads. We have some Gold Star families. But most importantly, we have our military kids.
- And I get to travel all around the country and I meet a lot of kids. And let me tell you, I am most impressed by our military kids, because I know you guys have a lot on your plates. When your parents are deployed, you have to be big boys and girls. You have to get your homework done. You have to stay out of trouble. You have to help out with your brothers and sisters, right? You have to behave. You have to be strong and brave.
- And the thing I'm always impressed is that you do all this and you do it in a way that makes us proud. Do you know that, that we are so proud of you? You guys are heroes. Do you know that? I want you to know that. That's why you're at the White House, because you are our special guests and our heroes. So we thought you should be some of the first kids in the entire country that sees one of the best, coolest movies on the planet. (Applause.) Yes, yes.
- But guess what? Also, I've got another little surprise. Because you were so cool, and we wanted you to see the ''Muppets Most Wanted,'' we thought that it would be fun to invite an extra special guest with us. And I would like to take a moment to introduce our extra special -- it's Kermit the Frog, everyone. (Applause.)
- KERMIT THE FROG: Oh, thank you. Nice to meet you. Thank you. Thank you, ma'am. Good to see you again.
- MRS. OBAMA: Oh, it's wonderful to see -- oh, thank you, Kermit. Thank you so much.
- KERMIT THE FROG: Thank you. That's what they do in Europe.
- MRS. OBAMA: Yes, very fancy. It's great to have you here.
- KERMIT THE FROG: Well, it's wonderful to be here. I would have been here sooner. I did get to take pictures with everybody earlier, but it took me a while to get through security. And I still don't understand how a frog with no clothes could set off a metal detector, but -- (laughter).
- GENERAL DEMPSEY: You ought to see -- try to get through with this on.
- MRS. OBAMA: Yes. (Laughter.)
- KERMIT THE FROG: I can imagine. I can imagine. That must be tough.
- MRS. OBAMA: Well, we are just happy to have you here, and we're so delighted.
- KERMIT THE FROG: Yes. Well, I am thrilled to be here. And, by the way, I'm just wondering, do you mind -- we sort of know each other. Could I call you Michelle?
- MRS. OBAMA: Oh, please do. Please do.
- KERMIT THE FROG: Yes, it's mostly because I have to call Miss Piggy Her Highness. (Laughter.) You guys will know what I mean when you see the movie.
- But I just want to say a couple of things. It's true that I'm here today because of all you kids. I always say it's not easy being green, and that sometimes it's not easy for you guys -- for your moms and dads who wear a green uniform or a blue one or a white one. But you guys have to be just as tough as them, you know? We understand what that means.
- And kids like you are moving from town to town every couple of years sometimes, and you might have to keep making new friends. But I know you wish your mom and dad could be around more than they are. But because of all of you and your -- because of that you're all strong and brave and very grown up. And that's very cool. And I wish I had been that cool when I was a tadpole. (Laughter.)
- MRS. OBAMA: Well, Kermit, I think you're very cool and I think you're very smart too.
- KERMIT THE FROG: Well, thank you, thank you. And I think you are very nice, much nicer than Miss Piggy. (Laughter.)
- MRS. OBAMA: Oh, well, that's kind of a low bar. (Laughter.)
- KERMIT THE FROG: You're right. You're right. She doesn't raise it very high.
- GENERAL DEMPSEY: Well, I would like to take this opportunity to make a special presentation to Kermit, because of what Kermit has done for all of you. I'd like to give Kermit, as the senior Muppet, a coin from the senior military officer.
- KERMIT THE FROG: Oh, my goodness.
- GENERAL DEMPSEY: So, Kermit, on behalf of the Armed Forces, and especially on behalf of this group of great soldier, sailor, airman, Marine spouses and children, I'd like to give you this coin.
- KERMIT THE FROG: Yes, sir. Oh, my goodness. That is wonderful. Thank you. (Applause.) I feel so honored and I can't wait to show this to the gang.
- MRS. OBAMA: Well, that is a very big privilege --
- KERMIT THE FROG: It sure is.
- MRS. OBAMA: -- for a very big frog.
- KERMIT THE FROG: For a very small frog. (Laughter.)
- MRS. OBAMA: Well, I think you're pretty big. But this is a good time. Don't you think it's time for us to get the movie started? It's ready.
- KERMIT THE FROG: Yes, yes, yes. (Applause.) And thanks again to all of you military families for everything that you do. You are all amazing. So here goes, if I may.
- KERMIT THE FROG: I may not be a Marine, but I am marine life. (Laughter.) I salute you. (Applause.)
- MRS. OBAMA: Oh, thanks, Kermit.
- KERMIT THE FROG: See you later.
- MRS. OBAMA: And thank you, everyone. Enjoy the show. We are so proud of you and we are blessed to have you on our team. You guys have fun. Bye-bye.
- KERMIT THE FROG: Bye-bye. Enjoy the movie. (Applause.)
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- EUROLand
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- Venice prepares for referendum on secession from Italy - Telegraph
- For decades there has been deep-seated dissatisfaction in the rich northern regions of Italy with what is widely regarded as inefficient and venal rule from Rome, as well as resentment that hard-won tax revenues are sent south and often squandered.
- Around 3.8 million people in the Veneto are eligible to vote and campaigners hope to achieve a majority in favour of independence.
- They want a future independent state to be known as "Repubblica Veneta" '' in English the Republic of Veneto.
- They acknowledge that the vote is not binding on the national government in Rome and could cause a massive constitutional upheaval, but insist that if it passes, they will start taking steps to withhold taxes, in what would effectively be a unilateral declaration of independence.
- "If there is a majority yes vote, we have scholars drawing up a declaration of independence and there are businesses in the region who say they will begin paying taxes to local authorities instead of to Rome," Lodovico Pizzati, the spokesman for the independence movement, told The Telegraph.
- "It won't be like in Scotland, where London has said it will recognise a vote in favour of independence. Rome has tried to ignore us, but we are not going to wait for their recognition.
- "People are fed up with the economic crisis and have had it with Rome.
- Scotland and Catalonia are way ahead of us, but the Veneto is very fertile ground '' there has been an independence movement here since the 1970s," said Prof Pizzati, a former World Bank economist who currently teaches at California State University.
- But many people in the Veneto are opposed to the idea of seceding from Italy. "It is anachronistic to think of a Europe made out of regions when we should strive for a Europe of stronger nations," said Pietro Piccinetti, the head of a committee campaigning for a no vote.
- "We want to change, but within a stronger Italy."
- By coincidence, the vote will take place on the same day as Crimea's referendum on independence from Ukraine.
- "Venetians not only want out of Italy, but we also want out of the euro, the EU and Nato," said Raffaele Serafini, another pro-independence activist.
- Like several other regions of Italy, the Veneto's ties with the rest of the country are fragile and of relatively recent origin.
- After Napoleonic troops ended Venice's independence in 1797, the lagoon city was part of the Austrian empire for 60 years.
- It was only in 1866 that it was annexed to the newly-unified Kingdom of Italy.
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- Ottomania
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- Turkish Protesters Crowdfund Another Full-Page Ad in Today's New York Times - ANIMAL
- Today's New York Times features a full-page ad from an organization affiliated with the Occupy Gezi protests commemorating the life of Berkin Elvan, a 15-year-old boy who was killed by a police teargas canister during a demonstration. The group, called Gezi Democracy Movement, funded the ad on Indiegogo.
- ''Fifteen-year-old Berkin Elvan died after 269 days in a coma following an injury inflicted by a teargas canister shot directly to his head,'' reads the ad. ''The Turkish police, Erdogan's 'heroes,' shot him on his way to buy bread.''
- ''Those responsible do not have a conscience. Use yours,'' it continues.
- In June of last year, the group funded a similar ad in the Times, urging readers to stand in solidarity with the protesters.
- ''Democracy in Turkey, anywhere for that matter, can only be achieved when silent masses act. Indiegogo provides us the crowd tools to reach those who can 'act' towards a goal,'' Oltac Unsal, one of the campaign's organizers, said in a statement. ''Today we are raising money to commemorate the death of a boy at the hands of the police.''
- The Indiegogo campaign has 18 hours to go, and has already raised money beyond the cost of the ad. According to the organizers, ''Contributions above the NYT expenses will be directly donated to G¼§ BirliÄi [a group advocating for Democracy in Turkey] by the sponsors unless we can give the money to Berkin's family or donate it to a foundation of their choosing.''
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- Ministry of Truth
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- Why The US Government Hasn't Released Photos Of UBL's Corpse | SOFREP
- There are a lot of puzzled expressions on people's faces when it comes to the subject of the late Osama Bin Laden and why the White House has not authorized the release of any pictures of the body. Photographs and video were released of Saddam Hussein's hanging, as well as post-mortem pictures of his criminal sons, Uday and Qusay, after Delta Force took them out. Why not release a few pictures of Public Enemy #1 to prove that he is dead and show the world what happens when you take on the US of A?
- Matt Bissonnette, one of the SEAL Team Six operators on the raid, partially outs the reason in his book, No Easy Day. The book reads, ''In his death throes, he was still twitching and convulsing. Another assaulter and I trained our lasers on his chest and fired several rounds. The bullets tore into him, slamming his body into the floor until he was motionless'' (No Easy Day, Chapter 15).
- But this is perhaps the most measured and polite description that one could give of how operator after operator took turns dumping magazines-worth of ammunition into Bin Laden's body, two confidential sources within the community have told us. When all was said and done, UBL had over a hundred bullets in him, by the most conservative estimate.
- But was it illegal? Under the Laws of Land Warfare, a soldier is fully authorized to put a few insurance rounds into his target after he goes down. Provided the enemy is not surrendering, it is morally, legally, and ethically appropriate to shoot the body a few times to ensure that he is really dead and no longer a threat. However, what happened on the Bin Laden raid is beyond excessive. The level of excess shown was not about making sure that Bin Laden was no longer a threat. The excess was pure self-indulgence.
- You may not care if Bin Laden got some extra holes punched in him, few of us do, but what should concern you is a trend within certain special operations units to engage in this type of self-indulgent, and ultimately criminal, behavior. Gone unchecked, these actions get worse over time.
- The real issue is not that Bin Laden was turned into Swiss cheese, but rather that this type of behavior has become a Standard Operating Procedure in this unit. Of course, these attitudes and behaviors do not come out of nowhere. Endless back-to-back combat deployments, PTSD, broken families, and war itself all plays into it.
- Now you know the real reason why the Obama administration has not released pictures of Osama Bin Laden's corpse. To do so would show the world a body filled with a ridiculous number of gunshot wounds. The picture itself would likely cause an international scandal, and investigations would be conducted which could uncover other operations, activities which many will do anything to keep buried.
- About the AuthorJack Murphy is an eight year Army Special Operations veteran who served as a Sniper and Team Leader in 3rd Ranger Battalion and as a Senior Weapons Sergeant on a Military Free Fall team in 5th Special Forces Group. Having left the military in 2010, he is now working towards a degree in Political Science at Columbia University. Murphy is the author of Reflexive Fire, Target Deck, the PROMIS series, and numerous non-fiction articles about Weapons, Tactics, Special Operations, Terrorism, and Counter-Terrorism. He has appeared in documentaries, national television, and syndicated radio.
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- Bank$ters
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- Another Finance Industry Suicide '' Edmund Reilly Jumps In Front Of Train
- Very interesting Barry StM
- Ulsterman'...this one post and link reminds me of your books.
- BTW, UM old friend, I did not appreciate you taking down my post on the scientific DNA study of Americans blood, and the genetic anomaly found, stating'...Regardless where Americans hail from this genetic marker was found in their blood'.... They called it the Liberty gene or Freedom blood..It's best Americans remember who we are!! And Um, isn't that what you are all about? FREEDOM!!!!!
- http://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/final-goal-of-the-surveillance-state/
- Final goal of the Surveillance State
- Final goal of the Surveillance State
- Surveillance is coming at us from all angles. Chips, drones, TSA checkpoints, smart meters, back-doored electronic products, video cameras, spying home appliances; our phone calls and emails and keystrokes and product purchases are recorded.
- The government and its allied corporations will know whatever they want to know about us.
- What happens when all nations are blanketed from stem to stern with surveillance?
- Public utilities, acting on government orders, will be able to allot electricity in amounts and at times it wishes to. This is leading to an overarching plan for energy distribution to the entire population.
- Claiming shortages and limited options, governments will essentially be redistributing wealth, in the form of energy, under a collectivist model.
- National health insurance plans (such as Obamacare) offer another clue. Such plans have no logistical chance of operating unless every citizen is assigned a medical ID package, which is a de facto identity card. In the medical arena, this means cradle-to-grave tracking.
- Surveillance inevitably leads to: placing every individual under systems of control. It isn't just ''we're watching you'' or ''we're stamping out dissent.'' It's ''we're directing your participation in life.''
- As a security analyst in the private sector once told me, ''When you can see what every employee is doing, when you have it all at your fingertips, you naturally move on to thinking about how you can control those patterns and flows of movement and activity. It's irresistible. You look at your employees as pieces on a board. The only question is, what game do you want to play with them?''
- Every such apparatus is ruled, from the top, by Central Planners. When it's an entire nation, upper-echelon technocrats revel in the idea of blueprinting, mapping, charting, and regulating the flows of all goods and services and people, ''for the common good.''
- Water, food, medicine, land use, transportation'--they all become items of a networked system that chooses who gets what and when, and who can travel where, and under what conditions.
- This is the wet dream of technocrats. They believe they are saving the world, while playing a fascinating game of multidimensional chess.
- As new technologies are discovered and come on line, the planners decide how they will be utilized and for whose benefit.
- In order to implement such a far-reaching objective, with minimal resistance from the global population, manufactured crises are unleashed which persuade the masses that the planet is under threat and needs ''the wise ones'' to rescue it and us.
- We watch (and fight in) wars and more wars, each one exacerbated and even invented. We are presented with phony epidemics that are falsely promoted as scourges.
- The only response, we are led to believe, is more humane control over the population.
- On top of that, we are fed an unending stream of propaganda aimed at convincing us that ''the great good for the greatest number'' is the only humane and acceptable principle of existence. All prior systems of belief are outmoded. We know better now. We must be good and kind and generous to everyone at all times.
- Under this quasi-religious banner, which has great emotional appeal, appears The Plan. Our leaders allocate and withhold on the basis of their greater knowledge. We comply. We willingly comply, because we are enlisted in a universal army of altruistic concern.
- This is a classic bait and switch. We are taught to believe that service for the greater good is an unchallengeable goal and credo. And then, later, we find out it has been hijacked to institute more power over us, in every way.
- The coordinated and networked surveillance of Earth and its people is fed into algorithms that spit out solutions. This much food will go here; that much water will go there; here there will be medical care; there medical care will be severely rationed. These people will be permitted to travel. Those people will be confined to their cities and towns.
- Every essential of life'--managed with on-off switches, and the consequences will play out.
- An incredibly complex system of interlocking decisions will be hailed as messianic.
- Surveillance; planning; control.
- It isn't ours. It never was. But we are not consulted.
- Instead we are made witness to watershed events: the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing; the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center; the 2001 assault on the Trade Center and the Pentagon. These ops paralleled the unleashing of better and more far-ranging methods of surveillance.
- We are profiled down to the threads on our clothing and DNA in our cells. But what is our profile of the technocrats and their bosses?
- They are divorced from human life. They live in a vacuum. They take pleasure from that vacuum.
- In 1982, I interviewed Bill Perry, who had just left his job as PR chief at Lawrence Livermore Labs, where scientists design nuclear weapons. Perry had been given the kind of job PR people long for. But one day, when he passed the desk of a researcher and listened to his complaints about budget limitations, Perry said, ''Listen, America already has the means to blow up the whole planet eight times. What more do you need?''
- The researcher looked up at him with a genuinely puzzled expression. He said, ''You don't understand, Bill. This is a problem in physics.''
- In the same detached sense, the technocrats who want to calculate and direct our future, move by move, minute by minute, see us as components of a complex and very interesting problem.
- Yes, they indeed expect to exercise power and control. But they also live in an abstraction. They deal their answers from that realm. They exercise cool passion. They see, for example, that not every single twitch of thought of every person on earth is yet mapped, so they want to finish constructing the means by which they can chart those ''missing elements.'' They want to complete the formula.
- They view their research as a wholly natural implication of the mathematics they can manipulate. They swim in technology and they want to extend its architecture. To abandon the program would be tantamount to denying their own intelligence. They climb the mountain because it is there.
- They do perceive that one factor does not fit their algorithms: the free individual. It's the wild card. Therefore, they are compelled to analyze freedom and break it down into DNA functions and brain processes. They assume, because they must, that the free individual is an illusory idea that flows from some older configuration of synaptic transmission, at a time in our evolution when we needed it. But now, they suppose, the engineering of human activity and thought has superseded such quaint notions. Now we all can be tracked, traced, and studied on a different and wider scale. Now we can be seen for what we really are: a hive.
- Therefore, we must be instructed, within tight limits, about our various functions.
- Today's technocrats flourish with great optimism as they design the future world and its single society. If they run out of pieces of their puzzle to study, they'll try to 255, 0);''>Today's technocrats flourish with great optimism as they design the future world and its single society. If they run out of pieces of their puzzle to study, they'll try to track the motion of every atom and electron and quark in the universe. They'll delight in it.
- Knowing all this, we know the terms of the war we are in.
- The Central Planners have an equation: ''free=uncontrolled=dangerous.''
- By the gross terms of that equation, they lump us in with thugs and murderers and terrorists. They even see the normal functioning of the brain as a threat, as an intrinsically defective process, and they have long since decided that organ must be corrected with drugs.
- We, on the other hand, must assert, in every way possible, that freedom is real and inviolable, and we must back that up with our actions.
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- Heroin
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- Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; GE Healthcare
- By Notice dated November 2, 2013, and published in the Federal Register on November 19, 2013, 78 FR 69447, GE Healthcare, 3350 North Ridge Avenue, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004-1412, made application by renewal to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to be registered as an importer of Cocaine (9041), a basic class of controlled substance listed in schedule II.
- The company plans to import small quantities of ioflupane, in the form of three separate analogues of Cocaine, that will be used for the support and manufacture of DaTSCAN (ioflupane I-123) injections for distribution as a radioactive diagnostic imaging agent utilized in the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.
- No comments or objections have been received. The DEA has considered the factors in 21 U.S.C. 823(a) and 952(a), and determined that the registration of GE Healthcare to import the basic class of controlled substance is consistent with the public interest, and with United States obligations under international treaties, conventions, or protocols in effect on May 1, 1971. The DEA has investigated GE Healthcare to ensure that the company's registration is consistent with the public interest. The investigation has included inspection and testing of the company's physical security systems, verification of the company's compliance with state and local laws, and a review of the company's background and history. Therefore, pursuant to 21 U.S.C. 952(a) and 958(a), and in accordance with 21 CFR 1301.34, the above named company is granted registration as an importer of the basic class of controlled substance listed.
- Dated: February 19, 2014.
- Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Diversion Control, Drug Enforcement Administration.
- [FR Doc. 2014-05480 Filed 3-12-14; 8:45 am]
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- Out There
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- AULIS Online '' Different Thinking
- A Stereoscopic method of verifying Apollo lunar surface images by OLEG OLEYNIK, Ph.D.cPreviously of the Department of Physics and TechnologyKharkov State University, UkrainePhotographs taken on the lunar surface during the Apollo missions are regarded as the most compelling pieces of evidence that mankind went to the Moon.
- The photographic validation methodpresented here is based on the detection of two-dimensional objects among three-dimensional objects, and determining the mutual arrangement of these objects in space and the distance to them by applying a technique known asstereoscopic parallax. The word parallax derives from the Greek parallaxis meaning "alteration" where parallax is the difference in the apparent position of objects caused by shifting camera position. To achieve such a result, images are overlapped and are deducted/subtracted from each other using the function "difference" in an image processing application such as Photoshop®. Optical transformations are used when images are subtracted. During image convergence simple operations are applied: x and y axis scaling, rotation and distortion plus two additional processes: perspective and shift. Such processes are referred to below as "optical transformations". Objects further than two kilometres distant, with a minor camera shift, have zero parallax.Using Photoshop® the sequence of steps deployed is as follows:Two overlapping images are placed on different layers '' thereby creating a PSD file.Application of function "difference" to the upper layer (subtraction of images from each other).Optical transformations are applied: axes x and y scaling, rotation, distortion, perspective and in addition a shift to the requirement specified above. As a result maximum density black for the background is obtained.The layer is returned to the normal view: function "normal".The PSD file is pruned to remove non-overlapping parts.Sequentially, the converted layers are carried over into the application's GIF animator.A stereoscopic GIF image is obtained that permits the creation of a 3D effect, even on a flat screen.Fig. 1. A stereoscopic image or 'wiggle' stereoscopy. GIF-animation allows the creation of a crude sense of dimensionality, even with monocular vision. Stereoscopic imagery can also determine the relative position of objects in space and enable judgment of their remoteness.Image Wikipedia
- If any given image was taken inside a pavilion or dome with a panoramic background, i.e. when there are no distant objects with null parallax, then such a 2-dimensional object can be detected among any 3D bodies. In the case of such a finding, reaching the conclusion that there was deception could be stated with confidence. Example 1. The method of creating a stereoscopic image is examined in the following example of images of the Zmievskaya power plant, Kharkov region, Ukraine. The camera shift is 1.5 m.
- Fig. 2. The Zmievskaya power plant Kharkov region Ukraine.HiRes image1, HiRes image2.
- The distance to the power plant is about 4 kms and to the tree planting (left horizon) is about 2 kms. The image convergence shown below (the main criteria is the most complete background subtraction, and since the distance is more than 3 kms, the parallax is zero).
- Fig. 3. Image subtraction.
- Images are processed in a GIF-animator to obtain a stereoscopic image:
- Fig. 4. Stereoscopic image of the Zmievskaya power plant.
- (For more detailed information on creating stereoscopic images and obtaining intermediate images see this article '' in Russian). It is now possible to measure the parallax and the distance to all remote objects. The distance La to anyobject A, is calculated as follows:
- Knowing the distance to the front edge: 5 m, and the front edge offset: 85 mm (can be measured by a ruler, the two white grasses), plus the offset of the nearest electric pylon, about 1.2 mm. From the proportions ratio the distance to the nearer pylon is acquired, namely 350 metres; to the second pylon with the parallax of 0.6 mm is 700 metres. Distance to the trees (offset is about 0.2 mm) is close to 2 kms '' at the boundary of parallax occurrence.
- Conclusion: These simple image transformation operations preserve perspective proportions. Similarly, as in the case of examining the parallax of the Apollo lunar surface images '' where, according to NASA maps of the landing sites, the distance to the mountain background should be more than 5 kms '' evidence of stereoscopic imagery is expected. If such evidence is absent, the image cannot have been taken in the stated environment, such a image must have been created elsewhere in a studio.
- Having looked at stereoscopic parallax in images of terrestrial objects, some Apollo images are studied from the photographic record. The Apollo 15 LM touched down at 22:16:29 UTC on July 30 1971 at Hadley (26°7'55.99"N 3°38'1.90"E), near Hadley Rille (also referred to as Rima Hadley), Montes Apenninus and Mons Hadley. The first lunar rover was used for extensive reconnaissance. Within 67 hours the crew carried out three EVAs, spending 18.5 hours in total away from the LM. A new 500mm lens, camera and accessories were used, which have provided photographic opportunities not available to previous missions. Lift off from the lunar surface was on August 2, 1971 and the astronauts returned to Earth on August 7. The Apollo 15 crew comprised:
- Commander David R. Scott (Dave)Command Module Pilot Alfred M. WordenLunar Module Pilot James B. Irwin (Jim)Fig. 5. Topographic map of the Apollo 15 landing site.
- A series of Apollo 15 photographs will be considered and stereoscopic parallax or apparent change in the relative positions of objects will be analysed. The first series. Astronaut Dave takes a few panorama images in EVA-1 near the LM, AS15-86-11601 and AS15-86-11602.
- Fig. 6. The LM with Jim standing at the rear of the rover; the Apennine front and the crater St. George are located in the background. The distance from the camera to the lunar module and rover is about 10 metres, and the Apennines and the crater should be 4-8 kms away.
- A rectangle marks the sections of the photographs which were deducted for parallax examination and separation of 3D objects from any 2D objects.
- Fig. 7. The subtraction of the two photos after the transformations of scaling, rotation, and distortion is shown on the left. The right image shows the parallax achieved after merging the two frames.
- Nearby objects: the LM, the rover, and astronaut Jim are shifting relative to each other. The Apennines and the crater St. George are also moving as a whole. (Moreover, the shadow is changing on the mountains and the crater.) This finding indicates that it is less than 300 metres to the background (the 'mountains') instead of 5 kilometres! Therefore, with such a small alteration to the camera position in Dave's hands (several tens of centimetres), the mountains should not move, they should remain static (zero parallax). In addition, the Apollo 15 stereoscopic photos feature a clear separation line between the 'mountains' and the foreground. Based on the distance between the camera and rover, the distance to the panorama of the 'lunar' scape cannot be more than 150 metres. Conclusion: It is very probable that these images were taken on Earth in a studio stage. The second series. Jim is doing some panoramic photography (Fig. 8). The distance from his camera to the LM is approximately 40 m. Jim's ALSEP Pan at the end of EVA-2.
- Fig. 8. On the left Dave collects samples; Mount Hadley; LM in the centre; behind the LM the sun is shining into the camera and the Apennines are in the distance '' over 35 kms; the Apennines and the crater St. George are on the right at a distance of 5-8 kms.
- The two images with a view of Mount Hadley were selected from the Panorama (distance is about 30 kms, the height more than 2.5 kms) AS15-87-11849 and AS15-87-11850.
- Fig. 9. Note the numerous boot prints left by Dave and Jim.
- Rectangles highlight the selected areas selected for parallax examination.
- Fig. 10. The subtraction of two images after scaling, rotation, and distortion is shown on the left. The stereoscopic image after merging two images is on the right.
- Despite a slight offset of the camera, the mountains are moving, which contradicts the condition of distant mountains. If the image subtraction criteria are changed, the most darkened background condition is replaced with the most darkened front area.
- Fig. 11. The subtraction of the front parts of the two images is on the left. The parallax resulting from the two merged images is on the right. This image was obtained by the subtraction of two photos taken with a camera shift of not more than 20 cms. Transformations of scale, rotation, reverse distortion, perspective, shift and the convergence of the two images into a stereoscopic image were applied.
- An error estimate is now performed. Assuming that this is a real lunarscape, then the distance from the astronauts to the lunar horizon should be 1.5 kms and the distance to the objects in the background, such as the foot and summit of Mount Hadley, is 20-35 kms. The offset of 100 sampled pixels below the horizon is calculated '' the AB line, obtaining an average shift ± a pixels (depending on the image resolution). The shift magnitude obeys Gaussian distribution, meaning this is noise. A sample of 50 points is selected above the line (AB), i.e. objects located at a distance of 20-35 kms. Giving an offset value of (10-50)a pixels. The shift direction has a vector and is not subject to Gaussian distribution. Moreover, the higher a dot the greater value of the shift '' at the foot it is 10a, at the top 50a pixels. It is logical to assume that if any lunar objects at the interval [0.01; 1.5] kms are static, the noise amounts to ± a, the parallax is zero, then for more distant objects at the interval [20; 35] kms, the parallax is likewise zero with the same value of noise, i.e. the shift is ± a pixels and the shift value obeys a Gaussian distribution. However, the results indicate otherwise. Objects above the (AB) line are moving synchronously with increase in shift depending on the height above the horizon. Conclusion: Mount Hadley moves and 'bows'. The wrong initial assumption was probably made that this is a real lunarscape. As this research demonstrates, this setting must be a totally artificial panorama, several tens of metres in depth with a mock 'Hadley' in the background, moving horizontally and vertically to create an illusion of remoteness and of perspective. A series of Apollo 15 images are now examined near Rima Hadley for the presence of stereoscopic parallax. Rima Hadley measures in length at least 135 kms, with an average width ~1.2 and average depth ~370 m (from Greeley 1971 '' quoted in F. Leverington, 2008). The third series. Dave and Jim make a few trips in the rover to Rima Hadley (Fig. 12) to collect samples. One of the panoramas comprises photos from AS15-82-11165 to AS15-84-11284.
- Fig. 12. Jim is holding the camera. Rima Hadley is in the foreground. Dave is collecting samples near the rover. Mount Hadley is in the background. The sun is shining into the camera in the centre. The Apennines are over 35 kms away. Apennines Front and the crater St. George are on the left.(Panorama assembled by the author)
- In two panorama frames is the bottom of Rima Hadley, which extends to Apennines Front and the crater St. George. The distance from the camera to Rima edge is about 5 m, to the Apennines and the crater is 4-8 kms. The frames are taken with a shift of no more than a few tens of centimetres. AS15-82-11178 and AS15-82-11179.
- Fig. 13. The view of Rima Hadley, Apennines Front and the crater St. George.Rectangles mark the sections used for parallax examination.
- Fig. 14. The foreground subtraction of the two images after scaling, rotation, distortion, shift and perspective is on the left. On the right is the resulting parallax obtained after merging the two frames.
- It is possible to see the movement of the surface areas relative to each other along the edge of the trench between points A and B. This situation cannot occur in real world photography. Conclusion:These images were probably taken on Earth in a dome-shaped studio location where movable panorama backgrounds were installed, and even treated afterwards by further adjustment in a photographic lab.
- Fig. 15. Landscape and Traverse map of Apollo 15 landing site by NASA artist (showing stations 1-14).
- Images AS15-85-11423 and AS15-85-11424 were selected, taken at station 2 with Rima Hadley observation.
- Fig. 16. Images AS15-85-11423 and AS15-85-11424 station 2 with a view of Rima Hadley. Photo camera stereobase is not more than 0.5m.
- Fig. 17. Lunar Topophotomap of Rima Hadley, Apollo 15. Green dot marks the photo sessions site.
- The topophotomap (Fig. 17) shows that the opposite slope is over 1 km away, the depth is 300 metres, and it is 7 kms to Rima Hadley bow. It is impossible to excavate an artificial canyon of similar size. Therefore, if fakery was involved, the opposite slope would have to be 'painted' or have a length of several tens of metres, simulating a lunar landscape. On the other hand, if the photographs are genuine, the parallax analysis will show that the distances correspond to the actual lunar surroundings, confirming the NASA record.
- Horizontal stereoscopic effect
- For this parallax we apply the next set of transformations: optical zoom, rotation, distortion, perspective, shift in x and y directions to the image as a whole. The requirement of maximum deduction of remote landscapes is imposed to extract horizontal stereoscopic effect. As a result, we obtain the following stereoscopic pair of images:
- Fig. 18. A stereoscopic pair of images AS15-85-11423 and AS15-85-1142 with horizontal stereoscopic effect after applying image transformations.
- Stereoscopic parallax is clearly visible in Fig 18, and we can make a preliminary estimation of the distance to the opposite slope of Rima Hadley. The distance is 50 metres (recall that it should be at least 1 km according to the map). The distant background is shifting slightly, although the parallax must be zero, since according to the map it is about 20 kms to the mountains. In general, given that in the true lunar background remote objects should be located many kms away, it is impossible to achieve a zero stereoscopic parallax using only previously-mentioned image transformations '' confirmed by converging dozens of pairs of Apollo lunar surface images (as well as numerous efforts by other researchers). This strongly suggests that the distance to remote objects in the Apollo photographs which should be many miles/kms is indeed not so.
- These images are a simulation of being on the Moon. How were these fake Apollo lunar surface images taken? Due to incomplete convergence of remote background imagery a parallax error at the foreground of stereoscopic images is revealed. The relative error is a ratio of the foreground object's shift in relation to the background object's shift.
- Distortion grid of background lunarscape
- The remote terrain in a stereoscopic pair of images can be converged precisely with each other. To do so it is necessary to go beyond the optical transformations applied to the image as a whole and introduce digital distortion to the sections of the image. This method can determine the nature of simulation of any background 'land'scape i.e. build a distortion grid and inspect it. Obviously, if the distortion grid has a curved surface, then it corresponds to projection at the rear onto a circular panorama screen, creating a simulation of a remote background scape on the projection screen. Instead of taking pictures in a remote lunarscape the 'astronauts' take pictures of a foreground with the background projected onto a screen. The radius of the circular panorama can be roughly estimated by a distortion grid. Fig. 19 below shows the distortion grid. A million pixels were involved in the transformation of these two images. In mathematical terms this is a system of a million equations solved with sub pixel accuracy.
- Fig. 19. Digital distortion grid of background objects in AS15-85-11423 after optical transformations converging with AS15-85-11424.
- A precise, curved concave transformation applied to the megabit pixels image confirms the fact that a 'lunar' scape was projected onto a forward-tilted, slightly convex panorama background screen. Any other technique fails to replicate the nature of the remote 'land'scape simultaneously for a million pixels of the image.
- Fig. 20. Illustrates the logic and simplicity of a simulated Apollo lunar surface panorama.The grid represents the projection screen which surrounded the Apollo simulation studio.
- Below is the final result of the transformation (optical transformations and the circular panorama are already taken into account).
- Fig. 21. Rima Hadley view. Apollo 15 stereoscopic photographs AS15-85-11423 and AS15-85-11424 after image transformation and digital non-linear distortion of the distant landscape.Distances to the image elements are specified in metres with an accuracy of 1%, 2%, 15%, 30%and 45% of distances 3, 11, 20, 40 and 60 metres respectively. According to the mapthe distance to the opposite slope of Rima Hadley should be about 1,000-1,200 metres.
- The parallax of the distant background is zero. In Fig. 21 we can see that the distance to the opposite slope of Rima Hadley is only 40 metres, while according to NASA's map it should be nearer to 1,000-1,200 metres. The difference is more than one of magnitude! This finding is seriously at odds with the official Apollo 15 record.
- Scale stereoscopic effect
- A scale stereoscopic effect was considered for AS15-85-11423 and AS15-85-11424 along the z axis. For example a photographer takes a photograph in one position, then moves closer to, or further from the subject and takes another photograph.
- Fig. 22. A stereoscopic pair of images AS15-85-11423 and AS15-85-11424 with scale stereoscopic effect after transformations: 1) applying transformations: scaling, rotation, distortion, perspective, shift, and offset in x and y to the image as a whole; 2) digital distortion of the distant background terrain; 3) maximum subtraction of a distant background terrain, and 4) acquisition of scale stereoscopic effect. Distances to the image features in metres are specified with 60% accuracy.
- Scale stereoscopic parallax is clearly visible in Fig. 22, which is used to estimate the distance to the opposite slope of Rima Hadley. The distance is about 40 metres. The scale stereoscopic effect also points to fakery of the genuine Rima Hadley on the Moon.
- Verifying the universal nature of a distortion gridfor a distant background scape
- To verify the possible presence of a circular panorama background screen, another pair of Apollo 15 lunar surface images AS15-85-11424 and AS15-85-11449 with a view of the Rima Hadley taken at station 2 are examined.
- Fig. 23. AS15-85-11424 and AS15-85-11449 with a view of Rima Hadley taken at station 2.
- Below is a digital distortion grid on the distant background landscape present in images AS15-85-11424 and AS15-85-11449. A million pixels of the two images are converged with sub pixel accuracy.
- Fig. 24. Distortion grid of the distant background 'land'scape in AS15-85-11424 and AS15-85-11449.
- This confirms the previous finding that the 'lunar' mountain backscape was projected onto a forward-tilted, slightly convex, circular panorama background screen.
- Horizontal stereoscopic effect
- By the following procedures of:
- applying optical transformations such as scaling, rotation, distortion, perspective, shift andoffset in x and y to the image as a whole;taking into account presence of a circular panorama;satisfying the requirement of maximum subtraction of a distant landscape;extraction of horizontal stereoscopic effect, we obtain the following stereoscopic pair:Fig. 25. A stereoscopic pair of AS15-85-11424 and AS15-85-11449; view of Rima Hadley after transformations and digital distortion of the distant background backscape. Distances to the features of the picture are specified in metres with errors of 15%, 45% and 95% for distances 20, 45 and 140 m respectively. According to the map the distance to the opposite slope of Rima Hadley is approximately 1,000-1,200 metres; to Rima Hadley bow is about 7 kms.
- From previous calculations the distance is known to the foreground rocks at the bottom of Rima Hadley. Based on parallax it is possible to estimate the distances to the other objects as indicated in Fig. 25. Obviously errors are accumulative, the sum of any distance errors to the foreground rocks at the bottom of Rima Hadley as well as any errors in determining the shift of other features of the image '' in this case 15%.
- Scale stereoscopic effect
- A scale stereoscopic effect was also obtained for AS15-85-11424 and AS15-85-11449 along the z axis when the camera was moved nearer to the object.
- Fig. 26. A stereopair of images AS15-85-11424 and AS15-85-11449 with scale stereoscopic effect after transformations of: 1) scaling, rotation, distortion, perspective shift and offset in x and y to the image as a whole; 2) maximum subtraction of the remote landscape; 3) obtaining a scale stereoscopic effect. Specified distance to the elements of image in metres with an error not more than 85%.
- The scale stereoscopic parallax is clearly visible in Fig. 26. Using distances determined from the scale parallax, the distance can be estimated to the opposite slope and to Rima Hadley bow. The distance to the opposite slope of Rima Hadley is no more than 40 metres, and the distance to the Rima Hadley bow does not exceed 140 metres. According to the topographic map, distances to these locations are more than 1 km to the slope and to Rima Hadley bow it is about 7 kms. Here again, there are serious anomalies in this Apollo record. From a scale stereoscopic effect it is possible to estimate the distance to Rima Hadley bow and to the background projection screen.
- Fig. 27. A stereopair of images AS15-85-11424 and AS15-85-11449 with a scale stereoscopic effect after transformations and application of the distortion gridfor adistant landscape. The relative error in distances is no more than 60%.
- Based on the stereoscopic result, the calculated distance to the mountains on the horizon is 140 metres (accuracy 60%). According to the map it should be more than 20 kms. The difference in distance is more than 100 times! These serious errors in the Apollo 15 photographic record indicate that these images were undoubtedly faked. The study of stereoscopic effect in photographs AS15-85-11423, AS15-85-11424 and AS15-85-11449 shows that these images do not contain distant objects farther than a few hundred metres away. The distance to the opposite slope of "Rima Hadley" is about 40 metres (should be 1,000-1,200 metres), to Rima Hadley bow is about 90 metres (based on the topographic map is about 7 kms) and to the mountains it is 100-140 metres (should be nearer to 20 kms based on the lunar geography). The error in calculation of these distances is 15-60%. Contradictions in the photographic record of the Apollo program point to the simulated nature of the lunarscape: creation of an artificial canyon, 40 metres wide and 90 metres long, simulating Rima Hadley with help of a rear background screen, depicting a distant lunarscape. Was there a way to simulate the remote lunar surface on a projection screen for any other Apollo 15 lunar surface photographs? More Apollo 15 images are considered from the NASA record with distant lunarscapes. In Fig. 7 after optical transformations, all the foreground objects: the LM, the rover, and astronaut Jim move relative to each other. Any distant object such as the Apennines and the crater St. George also move as a whole. Shadows on the mountains and on the crater change as well. The separation line between the mountain and the foreground area is clearly visible. A rough estimate of the stereoscopic effect gives the distance to the background (mountains) as less than 300 metres. Instead of the 5 kms according to the Apollo record. To converge a remote lunarscape a distortion grid was superimposed onto the optically-transformed images AS15-86-11601 and AS15-86-11602.
- Fig. 28. A distortion grid of the distant backscape for the converged imagesAS15- 86-11601 and AS15- 86-11602 in the stereopair.
- Fig. 28 shows the distortion grid for converging AS15-86-11601 and AS15-86-11602 to obtain zero stereoscopic parallax. Recall that introducing a distortion grid is the method of going beyond the standard optical transformation '' the system of creating equations for a one-million pixel image. Going beyond the laws of optics in converging two pictures into a stereopair questions the veracity of the image and results in a postulation that the lunarscape was faked. The regular curved repetitive distortion grid for other pairs of images indicates projection of the distant background mountains onto a rear screen positioned about 100 metres away with the 'astronauts' in the foreground. After applying the distortion grid we obtain the following stereopair:
- Fig. 29. Stereo image after combining two pictures AS15-86-11601 and AS15-86-11 602 for parallax study. Line AB is a horizon mark at the foot of the mountain, above which is a projection on the screen to simulate a lunar mountainscape. The contrast was increased and the brightness was reduced.
- The familiar distortion grid was superimposed on to the "distant" 'land'scape in photographs AS15-87-11849 and AS15-87-11 850, and after optical transformation:
- Fig. 30. A distortion grid of the distant 'land'scape for converging two photographsAS15-87-11849 and AS15-87-11850 into a stereopair.
- Fig. 30 shows the distortion grid of the distant background in images AS15-87-11849 and AS15-87-11850. Taking this distortion grid into account, a stereopair is obtained:
- Fig. 31. A stereopair of two images AS15-87-11849 and AS15-87-11850 to study the dynamics of the scene after application of optical transformations and imposing the distortion grid.
- Fig. 31 shows a stereopair of images AS15-87-11849 and AS15-87-11850 to study the dynamics of the lunarscape after application of optical transformations and imposing the distortion grid. Obviously the distortion grid is a method of going beyond optical alterations and is an indicator of simulation of the lunarscape and the lack of really distant objects that should be several kilometres away. The nature of simulation for a given pair of images is similar to the previous pairs of images.
- Fig. 32. A stereopair based on AS15-82-11178 and AS15- 82-11179, after scaling,rotation, distortion, shift and perspective.
- Fig. 32 shows a stereopair of images AS15-82-11178 and AS15-82-11179, which is obtained based solely on optical transformations. A distortion grid is superimposed on the remote lunarscape of one of the stereo photos AS15-82-11178 and AS15-82-11179, and obtain:
- Fig. 33. A distortion grid of the remote 'land'scape for converging photographsAS15-82-11178 and AS15-82-11179.
- Another pair of photographs taken at the station 9-11, AS15-82-11121 and AS15-82-11122 points up the fact that the image of the mountain and central part of the Rima Hadley was projected onto a background screen. Below is the final stereopair after optical transformations were applied and imposing the same distortion grid on the remote lunarscape as previously.
- Fig. 34. A stereopair AS15-82-11121 and AS15-82-11122 after optical transformations and overlaying a distortion grid on the remote landscape. Official distance to the slope of Rima is indicated as being not less than 1,500 metres and the value based on parallax ''50 metres (error not more than 60%).
- The distance to the opposite slope of the Rima Hadley is 50 metres. The foot of the mountain and the Apennines can be clearly seen. Undoubtedly, this is a projected image on to a screen taken by 'astronauts' (AS15-82-11121 and AS15-82-11122). The actual length of the Rima Hadley on the Moon is actually 135 kms, the width is about 1.2 kms, and the depth ~370 metres.
- Professor of University of California G. Schiller has noted: "To be successful, manipulation should remain invisible. The success of the manipulation is guaranteed when the manipulated believe that everything happens naturally and inevitably. In short, manipulation requires a false reality in which its presence will not be felt". Very often this false reality is amplified by the media. In the convergence of these Apollo 15 pictures, more than a million equations (the number of pixels in the images) were calculated obeying the laws of optics. In order to obtain a zero stereoscopic effect for a remote landscape, typical distortion grids were generated around the photographic session sites. Numerous Apollo 15 photo examples indicate an identical distortion grid '' a projection screen at the distance of 100-120 metres from the front of the studio stage. A serious falsification of the true lunarscape, in particular, an artificial trench 30-60 metres in width given for the lunar Rima Hadley which is actually 1,200 metres in width; the image of this remote lunarscape being projected onto the curved background screen; and 'astronaut' photographers taking pictures in front of it in a studio set. The Apollo 15 photographic record contradicts the stereoscopic parallax verification method. The apparent change in the relative positions of objects by moving the camera when the camera angles are separated by several tens of cms show that:
- the distance to distant objects such as mountains is not tens of kilometres but is no morethan a few hundred metres;the landscape is not continuous, but with clear lines of separation;there is movement between nearby sections of the panorama relative to other sections.Thus, based on the above examples, this study concludes that the Apollo 15 photographic record does NOT depict real lunarscapes with distant backgrounds located more than a kilometre away from the camera.
- These pictures were, without doubt, taken in a studio set '' up to 300 metres in size. A complex panorama mimicking the lunarscape shows degrees of movement, such as horizontal and vertical changes to give an impression of imaginary distance to the objects and perspective.
- Dr Oleg OleynikEnglish translation from the Russian by BigPhil
- About the AuthorFrom 1984 to 1993 '-- DrOleg Oleynik graduated from the Physics and Technology Department (Phystech) of the Kharkov State University. He obtained a Master's degree in physics in physical metallurgy.From 1993 to 1999 '-- was a senior engineer, scientific assistant, postgraduate student, and a Soros postgraduate student.
- In 1999 Oleg successfully graduated from the Phystech postgraduate school, obtained his Ph.D.c specializing in experimental nuclear physics and the physics of charged particle beams at the Physics and Technology Department of the Kharkov State University.
- This was followed by a preliminary defense of the thesis, with a positive review by D.S. V.T. Lazurik.After 1999 Oleg left the Phystech department to pursue an independent career.From 1999 to 2012 '' Oleg Oleynik organized non-state research on humanism on the Web, founded a School, a College, and a University with academic degrees.
- Two years have passed since the original publication of this article in Russia. During that time, NASA decided to create a series of stereo photographs for 3D red-cyan glasses (anaglyph images), superimposing overlapping parts of Apollo surface photos. Reports slip out now and then that some of the photos on NASA's Web sites have been replaced by retouched counterparts. An article entitled "The method of correlative calculation of parallax and camouflage" was published (in Russian). I criticized the article stating that: "The merging of frames is carried out in the application for creating 360 degrees panoramas PTGui, which erases parallax, and eventually the distance to background objects artificially increases. Please double check the algorithm of the application". More here (In Russian). There was no answer from NASA. Instead, in the Russian Wikipedia, late 2009, the following paragraph was added (and removed on July 31, 2011) to The Moon Hoax article: "Also, analysis of the lunar surface images, taken during the missions shows that distance to background objects is indeed vast and cannot be achieved in a soundstage with trick photography", referring to "The method of correlative calculation of parallax and camouflage" publication.
- Any attempts to change or correct the information in Wikipedia, and to point out the serious errors in the Wikipedia article did not succeed, the moderator continued to erase the link.Dr Oleg Oleynik
- See also: Apollo 15 Hadley: A Study in Fakery by Professor Colin Rourke
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- VIDEO-Pakistan Cyber Force: Russia: Malaysian Flight 370 Hijacked by US Navy to protect "Suspicious Cargo"
- A new report circulating in the Kremlin prepared by the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (GRU) states that Aerospace Defence Forces (VKO) experts remain ''puzzled'' as to why the United States Navy ''captured and then diverted'' a Malaysia Airlines civilian aircraft from its intended flight-path to their vast and highly-secretive Indian Ocean base located on the Diego Garcia atoll.According to this report, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (also marketed as China Southern Airlines flight 748 through a codeshare) was a scheduled passenger flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing, China, when on 8 March this Boeing 777-200ER aircraft''disappeared'' in flight with 227 passengers on board from 15 countries, most of whom were Chinese, and 12 crew members.
- Interesting to note, this report says, was that Flight 370 was already under GRU ''surveillance'' after it received a ''highly suspicious'' cargo load that had been traced to the Indian Ocean nation Republic of Seychelles, and where it had previously been aboard the US-flagged container ship MV Maersk Alabama.What first aroused GRU suspicions regarding the MV Maersk Alabama, this report continues, was that within 24-hours of off-loading this ''highly suspicious'' cargo load bound for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the two highly-trained US Navy Seals assigned to protect it, Mark Daniel Kennedy, 43, and Jeffrey Keith Reynolds, 44, were found dead under ''suspicious circumstances.''
- Both Kennedy and Reynolds, this report says, were employed by the Virginia Beach, Virginia-based maritime security firm The Trident Group which was founded by US Navy Special Operations Personnel (SEAL's) and Senior US Naval Surface Warfare Officers and has long been known by the GRU to protect vital transfers of both atomic and biological materials throughout the world.Upon GRU ''assests'' confirming that this ''highly suspicious'' cargo was aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on 8 March, this report notes, Moscow notified China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) of their concerns and received ''assurances'' that ''all measures'' would be taken as to ascertain what was being kept so hidden when this aircraft entered into their airspace.
- However, this report says, and as yet for still unknown reasons, the MSS was preparing to divert Flight 370 from its scheduled destination of Beijing to Haikou Meilan International Airport (HAK) located in Hainan Province (aka Hainan Island).
- Prior to entering the People Liberation Army (PLA) protected zones of the South China Sea known as the Spratly Islands, this report continues, Flight 370 ''significantly deviated'' from its flight course and was tracked by VKO satellites and radar flying into the Indian Ocean region and completing its nearly 3,447 kilometer (2,142 miles) flight to Diego Garcia.
- Critical to note about Flight 370's flight deviation, GRU experts in this report say, was that it occurred during the same time period that all of the Spratly Island mobile phone communications operated by China Mobile were being jammed.
- China Mobile, it should be noted, extended phone coverage in the Spratly Islands in 2011 so that PLA soldiers stationed on the islands, fishermen, and merchant vessels within the area would be able to use mobile services, and can also provide assistance during storms and sea rescues.
- As to how the US Navy was able to divert Flight 370 to its Diego Garcia base, this report says, appears to have been accomplished remotely as this Boeing 777-200ER aircraft is equipped with a fly-by-wire (FBW) system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface allowing it to be controlled like any drone-type aircraft.
- However, this report notes, though this aircraft can be controlled remotely, the same cannot be said of its communication systems which can only be shut down manually; and in the case of Flight 370, its data reporting system was shut down at 1:07 a.m., followed by its transponder (which transmits location and altitude) which was shut down at 1:21 a.m.
- What remains ''perplexing'' about this incident, GRU analysts in this report say, are why the American mainstream media outlets have yet to demand from the Obama regime the radar plots and satellite images of the Indian Ocean and South China Sea regions as the US military covers this entire area from Diego Garcia like no other seas in the world due to its vital shipping and air lanes.Most sadly, this report concludes, the US is actually able to conceal the reason(s) for the ''disappearance'' of Flight 370 as they have already done so after the events of 11 September 2011 when the then Bush regime ''disappeared'' American Airlines Flight 77and its 64 passengers and crew after falsely claiming it hit the Pentagon, but which was confirmed by the CNN News Service [see video HERE] not to have happened.
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- VIDEO- "How Do You Deal With 200 Passengers? Do You Somehow Depressurize And Let Them Go Unconscious" - YouTube
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- VIDEO-Kerry Says 'We're All For' Exporting Natural Gas to Ukraine | MRCTV
- patrick.goodenoughPatrick covered government and politics in South Africa and the Middle East before joining CNSNews.com in 1999. Since then he has launched foreign bureaus for CNSNews.com in Jerusalem, London and the Pacific Rim. From October 2006 to July 2007, Patrick served as Managing Editor at the organization's world headquarters in Alexandria, Va. Now back in the Pacific Rim, as International Editor he reports on politics, international relations, security, terrorism, ethics and religion, and oversees reporting by CNSNews.com's roster of international stringers.
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- VIDEO-Sebelius Doesn't Know How Many Obamacare Enrollees Have Paid In | MRCTV
- MRC TV is an online platform for people to share and view videos, articles and opinions on topics that are important to them '-- from news to political issues and rip-roaring humor.
- MRC TV is brought to you by the Media Research Center, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit research and education organization. The MRC is located at: 1900 Campus Commons Drive, Reston, VA 20194. For information about the MRC, please visit www.MRC.org.
- Copyright (C) 2014, Media Research Center. All Rights Reserved.
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- VIDEO- Turkish Protesters Clash With Police After Burying 15 Year Old Killed By Tear Gas Canister - YouTube
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- VIDEO- Malaysian Airline Pilots Were Muslim Terrorist - YouTube
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- VIDEO-"How The U.S. Almost Killed The Internet And Why It Still Could!" - YouTube
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- VIDEO-St. Patrick's parade organizers again reject application from MassEquality to march in procession - News Local Massachusetts - Boston.com
- By Andrew Ryan / Globe Staff / March 4, 2014
- Organizers of South Boston's traditional St. Patrick's Day Parade have rejected a second application to march from a gay rights group and cut off negotiations seeking to end the two-decade ban on gay groups in the event.
- Parade organizer Philip J. Wuschke Jr. said in a telephone interview this afternoon that discussions were over with MassEquality, a group that advocates for gay rights, and it would not be allowed to participate.
- ''We gave them what we figured was reasonable,'' Wuschke said. ''They wanted it all.''
- Discussions between the two sides had been brokered by Mayor Martin J. Walsh. He declined to answer questions about the issue through his spokeswoman.
- But he issued a statement, saying he remained ''hopeful that a resolution acceptable to all parties is still within reach.''
- ''There has been miscommunication by both parties in the press over this issue,'' said Walsh, urging ''direct conversation'' between ''all involved parties.''
- Parade organizers said Monday in a press release that they had been misled by MassEquality, which had applied to march on behalf of 20 veterans, and Mayor Walsh. The application came from an affiliate of MassEquality called LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender] Veterans of Equality.
- ''We were unable to find any evidence of LGBT Veterans for Equality that would confirm them as a recognized Veterans Organization,'' organizers said in the statement posted on their website. ''It is our belief that the application submitted to us by LGBT Veterans for Equality was a ploy by them to enter this parade under false pretenses and is hereby denied.''
- At a meeting in the mayor's office Sunday night, parade organizers said, it became clear that MassEquality did not have 20 veterans who wanted to march in the parade. Instead they presented one ''supposed veteran'' and a group of other marchers carrying rainbow flags, parade organizers said.
- ''When asked about a color guard, their (lone) veteran replied that he wasn't sure he could supply any more veterans willing to march,'' the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, which organizes the event, said in the statement.
- Parade organizers said that MassEquality's application had been ''conditionally approved'' with the understanding that 20 veterans could march so long as they did not hold signs or wear T-shirts that bore the word ''gay'' or other references to sexual orientation. The parade has a written code of conduct that prohibits references to sexual orientation.
- ''To our surprise, the offer [to march] was rejected by MassEquality's representative Kara Coredini,'' organizers said in the press release. ''Her rejection was based on the fact that we would not allow LGBT veterans to identify themselves as openly Gay by means of signage and T Shirts Identifying Them as LGBT veteran. This clearly violates our code of conduct.''
- (C) Copyright 2014 Globe Newspaper Company.
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- VIDEO- Sam Adams Beer Company Withdraws Sponsorship Of Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade! - YouTube
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- VIDEO-HAPPY Pi DAY! - YouTube
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- VIDEO-John Coleman of KUSI: How the Global Warming Scare Began - YouTube
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- VIDEO-Lady Gaga Gets Covered In Vomit at SXSW Performance - Hollywood Life
- There's nothing that Lady Gaga won't do, but really '-- is there anything she won't do? The 'Art Pop' singer willingly let a woman puke all over her during her SXSW performance last night. Click to see the insane video!File this one under gross-out moments! While Lady Gaga was performing her hit song ''Swine'' at the SXSW festival on Thursday, March 13, she got covered in vomit by a performance artist, Millie Brown, on stage. Gaga, you're giving Miley a run for her money!
- 'Vomit Painter' Throws Up on Lady Gaga During SXSW PerformanceLady Gaga is no stranger to wacky performances, but last night's display at SXSW took the cake '-- and then threw it right back up.
- The pop star had ''performance artist'' '-- is that what they call this? '-- Millie Brown, 27, join her up on stage, while she belted out ''Swine'' from her latest album, Artpop, at the Doritos Bold Stage arena. But music isn't all that was belted out.
- Lady Gaga '-- Shame On You For Encouraging BulimiaDemi Lovato Slams Lady Gaga On Twitter After SXSW Bulimia StuntMillie, who has been ''vomit painting'' her signature Jackson Pollock-style, canvas masterpieces since 2005 and has been recognized by Ripley's Believe it or Not, stood at the front of the stage, chugging a bottle filled with a neon green drink, which is colored milk. Midway through the song, she walked right up to Gaga at the drums, stuck her fingers down her throat and puked up the green milk. All. Over. Gaga.
- Gaga, who was wearing a white apron, which served as Millie's canvas for her unique display of ''creative rebellion,'' kept on drumming and singing as she quickly became completely covered in green, milky vomit.
- Things only got more interesting from there. Gaga stood up and started head-banging her dreadlocks and then proceeded to get up on a mechanic swine with the girl, and as she sang out, ''Swiiiiinnneeeee, swiiiiineeee,'' she got pretty up close and personal with Millie who continued to drink more colored milk, this time bright blue.
- The stunned audience then watched Gaga lay back, as she was spit up on all over again.
- This isn't the first time the two have worked together. Millie, whose paintings sell for thousands of dollars, made an appearance in the ''Exorcist Interlude'' music video, vomiting all over Gaga's white dress, during her Monsters Ball tour.
- Did Gaga Go Too Far?Earlier this year, HollywoodLife.com reported that Gaga told Harper's Bazaar about her former battle with an eating disorder, but stated that she no longer was struggling was the illness.
- ''I am better with food. I don't have an eating disorder anymore. I'm also better at not letting people take advantage of me'....I should be around people who cherish my talents, my health, my time. I'm not a pawn for anyone's future business. I'm an artist,'' she told the magazine in early February of this year.
- We applaud Gaga for being so honest about her widespread illness, but we're not so sure about this puke-on-stage business.
- HollywoodLifers, we're you completely grossed out by Lady Gaga's puke performance? Let us know in the comments!
- More Lady Gaga News:Miley Cyrus Disses Lady Gaga In New InterviewLady Gaga Without Makeup '-- See Her Dramatic Before & AfterLady Gaga Strips Down Naked For New 'ARTPOP' Album Cover
- Tyler, The Creator & More Celebs Tweet About SXSW TragedyMar13Tyler, The Creator, Carrie Brownstein and other celebrities and'...Read Article'º''SXSW: 2 Dead, 23 Injured After Hit & Run In Downtown AustinMar13How devastating. Another successful night at the Austin cultural'...Read Article'º'' Sponsored Content by Taboola
- Lady Gaga Poses Topless: 'I Don't Have An Eating Disorder Anymore'Feb05The star is back on our radar! Gaga is taking off her "Poker'...Read Article'º''Miley Cyrus Disses Lady Gaga In New InterviewFeb03The singer totally ripped Lady Gaga in her new interview with'...Read Article'º'''Machete Kills' Blu-ray Review: Danny Trejo's B Movie Gets A-List UpgradeJan25The newly released Blu-ray rewards fans with bonus content and'...Read Article'º''Lady Gaga Goes Topless For New Versace Ad: See The Sexy ShotJan02Gaga wished us all a very happy new year with a sexy campaign'...Read Article'º''Lady Gaga Debuts Green Hair -- Cool Or Crazy? VoteDec19Lady Gaga arrived in Chicago on Dec. 18 looking rather -- green'...Read Article'º'''The Voice' Finale Pics: Christina Aguilera, Ne-Yo & More Best MomentsDec17'The Voice' delivered its biggest finale yet for its fifth'...Read Article'º''Lady Gaga & Christina Aguilera Sing 'Do What U Want' On 'Voice' FinaleDec17While the final three fought for the title on the season five'...Read Article'º''Lady Gaga Vs. Taylor Swift: Who Made $80 Million This Year?Dec12Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Madonna -- these are only three of the'...Read Article'º''David Beckham: Daughter Harper Is A 'Little Monster,' Sings Gaga SongsDec10One more reason Harper Beckham is one of the luckiest kids'...Read Article'º''Lady Gaga Dons An Embellished Nude Bodysuit For AMAs After PartyNov25The 'Artpop' singer swapped her sexy Versace dress on the red'...Read Article'º''
- Miley Cyrus Disses Lady Gaga's AMAs Entrance: 'That's So Boring'Nov25Is that the distinct sound of shade being thrown? When Lady Gaga'...Read Article'º''Lady Gaga Performs 'Do What U Want' With R. Kelly At 2013 AMAsNov24If you thought Gaga arriving to the AMAs on horseback was her'...Read Article'º''Lady Gaga Arrives On A White Horse At The AMAs, Decked Out In VersaceNov24The songstress rocked a frock that looked like it came right out'...Read Article'º''Lady Gaga Shows Some Skin In A Sheer Dress In NYCNov18Gaga is known for taking fashion risks, and that's exactly what'...Read Article'º''Lady Gaga: Celebs Tweet About Her Sex Simulation With R. Kelly On 'SNL'Nov18We weren't the only ones that found Lady Gaga & R. Kelly's 'Do'...Read Article'º''
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- VIDEO- Relatives of flight 370 victim lean on faith - YouTube
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- VIDEO-Bill Gates Says Neither People Nor Governments Are Prepared for the Huge Changes Coming to the Labor Market | TheBlaze.com
- Within 20 years, ''software substitution'' will dramatically reduce the demand for many types jobs, Bill Gates said Thursday at the American Enterprise Institute. It's a gloomy prediction that he says many people, including governments, aren't prepared for.
- Make no mistake, ''software substitution'' is a fancy way of saying software automation '-- as in ''bots'' and whatnot. Many of the jobs that could be eliminated are lower skill occupations.
- ''Software substitution, whether it's for drivers or waiters or nurses '... it's progressing,'' Gates said. ''Technology over time will reduce demand for jobs, particularly at the lower end of skill set. '... 20 years from now, labor demand for lots of skill sets will be substantially lower. I don't think people have that in their mental model.''
- Philanthropist Bill Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, speaks about agriculture at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 13, 2014. AFP PHOTO / Jim WATSON
- The billionaire also provided some common sense ways to get out ahead of the coming problem.
- Firstly, he said, the tax codes need to be updated to encourage companies to hire employees. He suggested possibly doing away with income and payroll taxes entirely.
- As he has before, Gates also warned against raising the national minimum wage out of fear that it will prevent employers from hiring new workers. Many of the workers that would be impacted by future ''software substitution'' would be those making minimum wage, he argued.
- ''When people say we should raise the minimum wage. I worry about what that does to job creation '... potentially damping demand in the part of the labor spectrum that I'm most worried about,'' Gates said.
- Watch our discussion about this story:
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- VIDEO-Benoeming nieuwe VS-ambassadeur Den Haag eindelijk rond - Nederland - TROUW
- Bewerkt door: redactie '' 14/03/14, 01:13 '' bron: ANP
- (C) YouTube. De nieuwe Amerikaanse ambassadeur Thimothy Broas.
- De senaat in de Verenigde Staten heeft de benoeming van Timothy Broas als nieuwe VS-ambassadeur in Den Haag eindelijk goedgekeurd. Dat meldt RTL Nieuws.
- Nederland zat 2,5 jaar zonder een Amerikaanse ambassadeur. De senaat zou in februari al over zijn benoeming stemmen, maar dat ging toen niet door vanwege het reces. Timothy Broas is jurist en geldschieter van de Obama-campagne. Eind december poste hij overigens al een promovideo op youtube, waarbij hij zichzelf voorstelt als de nieuwe ambassadeur (zie hieronder).
- De benoeming is nog net op tijd voor de Nuclear Security Summit in Den Haag, waar ook president Obama aanwezig zal zijn.
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- VIDEO-AUDIO-Obama's Show-Biz Career Takes Off: After Between Two Ferns, It's Seacrest | National Review Online
- What's the next step after doing a parody interview with Zach Galifiniakis that goes viral? President Obama decided to talk up the Affordable Care Act's March 31 to Ryan Seacrest's national radio audience Friday morning.
- The Grammy-winning president told Seacrest that if young people don't sign up for Obamacare, ''If you get into an accident, or heaven forbid, have an illness or someone in your family does and you do not have health insurance, it can bankrupt you or you may not get the treatment you need.''
- Seacrest referenced the ''dad jeans'' joke, and the president quipped he was ''unfairly maligned'' for wearing them. ''The truth is, generally I look very sharp in jeans. There was one episode like four years ago in which I was wearing some loose jeans mainly because I was out on the pitcher's mound and I didn't want to feel confined while I was pitching and I think I've paid my penance for that. I got whacked pretty good. Since that time, my jeans fit very well.,'' said Obama.
- Obama talked up his interview this week on Funny or Die's Between Two Ferns: ''It turns out we've had close to 15 million hits. And the amazing thing is afterwards people actually did link to HealthCare.gov and people actually signed up for health insurance. So it ended up working, but I think I have to keep my day job.''
- Don't sell yourself short, Mr. President.
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- VIDEO-Missing Malaysian plane: Could it have landed? - CNN.com
- NEW: Investigators are looking into whether batteries could have played role, officials sayChina says it will expand its search for missing airlinerIndia scours Andaman and Nicobar islands after report the plane may have gone that wayAuthorities are considering the seemingly unlikely possibility the plane could have landed there(CNN) -- Yet another theory is taking shape about what might have happened to missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: Maybe it landed in a remote Indian Ocean island chain.
- The suggestion -- and it's only that at this point -- is based on analysis of radar data revealed Friday by Reuters suggesting that the plane wasn't just blindly flying northwest from Malaysia. And it's just one of untold theories floating around about what might have happened to the airliner, which disappeared a week ago Friday without leaving much of a trace of where it had gone or why.
- Reuters, citing unidentified sources familiar with the investigation, reported that whoever was piloting the vanished jet was following navigational waypoints that would have taken the plane over the Andaman Islands.
- The radar data don't show the plane over the Andaman Islands but only on a known route that would take it there, Reuters cited its sources as saying.
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The theory builds on earlier revelations by U.S. officials that an automated reporting system on the airliner was pinging satellites for hours after its last reported contact with air traffic controllers. U.S. investigators concluded that the pings didn't come from other planes, leading some investigators to think the plane flew on for hours before truly disappearing.
- Taken together, the data point toward speculation in a dark scenario in which someone took the plane for some unknown purpose, perhaps terrorism.
- The movie-plot theory seems more complicated and unlikely than one in which the plane -- its flight crew perhaps incapacitated -- simply flew on until it ran out of fuel or faced some other problem. But it's one that law enforcement has to check out, former FBI Assistant Director James Kallstrom said.
- "You draw that arc, and you look at countries like Pakistan, you know, and you get into your 'Superman' novels, and you see the plane landing somewhere and (people) repurposing it for some dastardly deed down the road," he told CNN's Jake Tapper on Thursday.
- Aviation experts say it's possible, if highly unlikely, that someone could have hijacked and landed the giant Boeing 777 undetected.
- The international airport in Port Blair, the regional capital of the Andaman and Nicobar islands, has a runway that is long enough to accommodate a 777, according to publicly available data.
- But the region is highly militarized because of its strategic importance to India, Indian officials with knowledge of the operation tell CNN, making it an unlikely target for pirates trying to sneak in an enormous airplane with a wingspan of more than 200 feet.
- Denis Giles, editor of the Andaman Chronicle newspaper, says there's just nowhere to land such a big plane in his archipelago without attracting notice.
- "There is no chance, no such chance, that any aircraft of this size can come towards Andaman and Nicobar Islands and land," he said.
- The Malaysian government said Friday that it can't confirm the report.
- And a senior U.S. official offered a conflicting account Thursday, telling CNN that "there is probably a significant likelihood" the plane is on the bottom of the Indian Ocean.
- The jetliner, with 239 people on board, disappeared nearly a week ago as it flew between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Beijing. The flight has turned into one of the biggest mysteries in aviation history, befuddling industry experts and government officials. Authorities still don't know where the plane is or what caused it to vanish.
- Suggestions of what happened have ranged from a catastrophic explosion to hijacking to pilot suicide.
- As part of the investigation, officials are looking into concerns that lithium batteries in the cargo hold, which have been blamed in previous crashes, could have played a role in the disappearance, according to U.S. officials briefed on the latest intelligence and law enforcement developments in the investigation. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release details to the media.
- Malaysian officials, who are coordinating the search, said Friday that the hunt for the plane was spreading deeper into both the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.
- India has deployed assets from its navy, coast guard and air force to the south Andaman Sea to take part the search, the country's Ministry of Defense said Friday.
- Indian search teams are combing large areas of the archipelago. Two aircraft are searching land and coastal areas of the island chain from north to south, an Indian military spokesman said Friday, and two coast guard ships have been diverted to search along the islands' east coast. Indian officials are also including part of the Bay of Bengal in their search, officials said.
- As of Friday, 57 ships and 48 aircraft from 13 countries were involved in the search, Hussein said.
- China, which said it would be extending its search, said crews have searched more than 27,000 square miles (about 70,000 square kilometers) of the South China Sea without finding anything.
- On Friday, the United States sent the destroyer USS Kidd to scout the Indian Ocean as the search expands into that body of water.
- "I, like most of the world, really have never seen anything like this," Cmdr. William Marks of the U.S. 7th Fleet said of the scale of the search. "It's pretty incredible."
- "It's a completely new game now," he said. "We went from a chess board to a football field."
- ' "Seafloor event": Chinese researchers say they recorded a "seafloor event" in waters around Malaysia and Vietnam about an hour and a half after the missing plane's last known contact. The event was recorded in a non-seismic region about 116 kilometers (72 miles) northeast of the plane's last confirmed location, the University of Science and Technology of China said.
- "Judging from the time and location of the two events, the seafloor event may have been caused by MH370 crashing into the sea," said a statement posted on the university's website.
- However, U.S. Geological Survey earthquake scientist Harley Benz said Friday that the event appeared to be consistent with a naturally occurring 2.7-magnitude earthquake.
- ' Malaysian response: Authorities continued to defend their response to the crash. "A normal investigation becomes narrower with time, I understand, as new information focuses the search," Hishammuddin Hussein, the minister in charge of defense and transportation, said at a news briefing. "But this is not a normal investigation. In this case, the information we have forces us to look further and further afield."
- However, Bob Francis, a former National Transportation Safety Board official, is one of several experts who have questioned how Malaysian authorities have handled the situation.
- "The Malaysians are not doing a superb job of running this investigation," he said. "And they apparently give you some information, and then they withhold information. How much are they relying on and listening to the Europeans and the NTSB who are there with more expertise? I don't know, but I think you know we've got a mixture of a very strange situation that happens to be in an environment, a regulatory environment, that really isn't capable or isn't running an investigation the way it should be run."
- Malaysia Airlines: The pilots of the missing plane
- Timeline of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- How you can help find the plane
- Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: What we know and don't know
- Michael Pearson wrote from Atlanta, and Jethro Mullen wrote from Hong Kong. CNN's Chelsea J. Carter, Evan Perez, Barbara Starr, Jim Sciutto, Catherine E. Shoichet, Mike M. Ahlers, Pamela Brown, Aaron Cooper, Elizabeth Joseph, Brian Walker, Harmeet Shah Singh and Karen Chiu contributed to this report.
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- VIDEO-Warren Buffett on CNBC: Berkshire has eliminated most of its US catastrophe insurance business due to low rates
- Published: Friday, 14 Mar 2014 | 9:24 AM ETWarren Buffett says 2008 crisis worse than he realized
- Friday, 14 Mar 2014 | 8:15 AM ETDiscussing the economic impact of China's slowing economy, the state of housing and the U.S. economy, with Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman & CEO, and Dan Gilbert, Quicken Loans founder & Chairman.
- Warren Buffett told CNBC on Friday he would be "surprised a lot" if stock prices around the world fell 50 percent from their current levels in the near future.
- He predicted there will be another financial crisis "someday" in the years ahead that will shock financial markets, but he doesn't think it will happen anytime soon.
- "Humans will behave in crazy ways, both on the upside and the downside in the next 50 years. It's very unlikely they do it in the next few years because after something like 2008, once they get out of the emergency room, they're a little more careful for awhile."
- During an appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box," Buffett told 58-year-old host Joe Kernen that he will live to see the Dow at 100,000. "I won't, but you will," the 83-year-old Berkshire Hathaway chairman said.
- Warren Buffett: Wells Fargo & U.S. Bank in very good shape
- Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman & CEO, provides insight on U.S. debt, bank regulations and the connection between a growing economy and inflation. Dan Gilbert, Quicken Loans founder & Chairman, weighs in.
- Buffett pointed out that Berkshire stock has dropped 50 percent four times in its history, but always recovered.
- After reading an preliminary version of former Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's upcoming memoir, Buffett said he now thinks his characterization of the 2008 crisis as an "economic Pearl Harbor" looks understated.
- But the U.S. did recover and he believes "this country will come through anything."
- Even if the U.S. hadn't guaranteed money market funds, preventing a total shutdown of the economy, "the United States would still come back. We would come back if we had some massive attack from abroad. ... The farms don't go away, the productive capacity doesn't go away, human ingenuity doesn't go away, the desire of people to live better in the future and for their kids doesn't go away."
- Buffett said he's been bullish on the U.S. economy since the fall of 2008, but he doesn't expect it to rapidly accelerate this year. Instead, he thinks it will continue its slow upward trajectory.
- He said he'd advise people to "stay away" from bitcoin because the cryptocurrency is a "mirage" without any intrinsic value, although it's an efficient way to transfer dollars.
- Buffett also said Berkshire Hathaway has "almost" eliminated its catastrophe insurance in the U.S. because rates have dropped too much.
- Buffett says GM's Barra has a 'new chance'
- Discussing the multiple investigations into General Motors, and automobile innovation, with Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman & CEO, and Dan Gilbert, Quicken Loans founder & Chairman.
- "The rates came down dramatically, and we do not regard the exposure as having come down dramatically," Buffett said.
- Berkshire is still writing policies in Asia.
- Asked about the controversy over faulty ignition switches in General Motors cars, Buffett said CEO Mary Barra has a "new chance" because she just started in the post but the company needs to tell the truth and act quickly to fix any problems.
- He said his advice is to "Get it right, get it fast, get it out, get it over, but get it right first."
- Picking the perfect bracket for $1 billion
- Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway is backing the Quicken Loans' $1 billion bracket challenge with Yahoo Sports. Buffett provides insight on the competition.
- Warren Buffett says that while there will be another financial crisis "someday," he'd be "surprised a lot" if global stock prices plunged 50 percent soon.
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- VIDEO Leticia Van De Putte Slams Male Colleagues During Abortion Filibuster - YouTube
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- VIDEO-Obama: Americans Might Lose Their Doctor Under ObamaCare - YouTube
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- Pathetic Dems Ignore IRS Abuses '' Claim Investigation Is Racist (VIDEO)
- House Democrats managed to stoop to a new low this week, staging a pathetic anti-Darrell Issa rally on the House floor. Congressman Issa, as Chair of the House Oversight committee, has been working diligently trying to find out how far the IRS abuses went over the past few years. It is an investigation that resulted in IRS official Lois Lerner pleading the 5th, indicating there is certainly something to the now many claims from various conservative groups that they have been relentlessly targeted by the Obama IRS machine. Democrats, clearly panicked by what this investigation might ultimately uncover, are now targeting Issa himself, and not the IRS, hinting the California Republican is racist for cutting off the microphone of Democratic congressman Elijah Cummings as Cummings attempted to use the committee hearing as a platform to make a pro-Obama political statement. Below is video of the House Democrats protesting Issa's actions, once again using race as a means to try and silence any opposition to the abuses of the Obama White House:
- Congressman Cummings outraged that he was not allowed to waste committee time making a pro-Obama political statement.
- House Democrats then attempted this week, (and will likely repeat the claim often this weekend) to paint Republican Darrell Issa as racist for doing his job as committee chair, and not allowing time to be wasted turning an investigation into a political hack side show. The staged ''protest'' did nothing but further divide the House, which is exactly what the Obama White House intends, as the House is the only body of government willing to put up any defense against the continued tyranny of the Obama regime, though it has found itself repeatedly shackled by the Harry Reid-Democrat controlled Senate.
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