No Agenda Episode 601 - "Pilots of Terror"
by Adam Curry
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- Executive Producers: Phillipine Vinke, David Varney
- Associate Executive Producers: John Dimaggio, Scott Blair, Alex Sørlie, Jackie Priester
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- PR
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- Gerlach for Congress
- GERLACH ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR CONGRESSMAN OF CALIFORNIA'S 4TH DISTRICT
- AIMS TO WIN WITHOUT CORPORATE FUNDING
- Lincoln, Calif.,- (March 17, 2014) Local Jeffrey Gerlach of Lincoln, California announced that he would be running for California's 4th District Congressional seat after receiving confirmation today of meeting all requirements. After taking the oath to be on the ballot, Gerlach is taking to the campaign trail in an unprecedented manner. Shifting the paradigm of running for office, Gerlach aims to win the primary with no donations; solely through the work of volunteers.
- An independent, Gerlach asserts that out of his two competitors, Republican incumbent Tom McClintock and Republican challenger Art Moore, he alone will be free to vote his conscience to serve the people instead of the two party plutocracy. Gerlach asks for volunteers to support him, ''We need social media volunteers to counter the excessive media buys that the Republican Party, and their operatives, will be financing to keep hold of the District. Join us and help make history!''
- Gerlach asserts that party politics in Washington no longer serve the needs and wants of the 4th District constituents but now residents have the chance to make the change to avoid party politics and the corrupt system of election campaign financing. In the new open primary system in California Gerlach will be on the ballot with a ''No Party Preference'' designation that dates back to 1993 in County Records.
- The incumbent opponent, Tom McClintock has been in office since 2009 and Gerlach believes change is long overdue. Recently being quoted as saying ''If there is not a gun, it's not a crime'' in reference to financial crimes by big banks, McClintock is losing touch with his constituents. As McClintock avoids the conversation of corporate money funding Washington politics, this is the primary issue Gerlach wants to bring to Washington's attention.
- Gerlach asks volunteers to help bring this and other pressing issues to the forefront by following and retweeting on Twitter, spreading the word on Facebook and other social media and volunteering at events. More information can be obtained by messaging through Gerlach's official website: www.jeffreygerlachforcongress.org.
- Jeffrey Gerlach is a single father and home owner in California's 4th District who makes a living as an information technology analyst, helping companies with datacenters manage their presence on in the information superhighway since 1994.
- California's 4th District includes the Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties and includes portions of Fresno, Madera, Nevada and Placer Counties.
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- Appstore Overview - No Agenda Show G00015676754 | Samsung TV & Blu-ray Apps
- Devices : TVs Blu-raysCategories :Lifestyle 0000008907By : selectiveblur softwareUpdated : Fri Aug 30 00:00:00 EDT 2013The No Agenda Show is hosted by Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak, recorded twice a week on Thursday's and Sunday's. The show is a free-flowing conversation that deconstructs recent news and media memes. Much of the appeal of the show comes from the odd couple relationship between the hosts. Adam Curry usually suggests theories about the news or world events, whereas John C. Dvorak is inclined to present a more reasoned perspective, sometimes acting as the "Straight man" to Curry.
- The No Agenda Show application enables you to listen to previous shows on-demand or tune in to the No Agenda Global Radio live feed to hear the show being recorded live.
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- TODAY
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- Our news media has just shut down completely
- CIA spying on senate committe
- Medicine for your Media Malaise
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- Contributong to Situation in Ukraine!! Executive Order
- According to the president's recent Executive Order, ''Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine'' (first reported by WND's Aaron Klein), the provisions for seizure of property extend to ''any United States person.'' That means ''any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States.''
- Micky: Glasshole looked like he had a disability
- Knight email about Global Warming video pissed off
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- Presidential Proclamation -- National Poison Prevention Week, 2014
- Office of the Press Secretary
- NATIONAL POISON PREVENTION WEEK, 2014
- BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
- Over the past four decades, America has seen a steep decline in childhood deaths from accidental poisonings -- thanks in part to improved safety measures and increased public awareness. During National Poison Prevention Week, we do our part to remain vigilant, ask our loved ones to use common-sense precautions, and learn about the potentially life-saving action we can take in case of emergency.
- While we have made great strides, unintentional poisoning still takes the lives of about 30 American children every year and sends tens of thousands to the hospital. Because the vast majority of these accidents occur in the home, it is essential for parents and caregivers to keep potentially harmful products -- including cleaning supplies and medication -- out of their children's reach and sight. If you ever suspect a child, family member, or anyone has been poisoned, quick action may prevent serious injury or death. You should immediately call the toll-free Poison Help Line at 1-800-222-1222.
- Earlier this year, I signed the Poison Center Network Act, which supports the hotline, a poison prevention grant program, and an awareness campaign. As my Administration promotes safe practices across our country, each of us can make our homes and communities more secure. To safeguard against carbon monoxide, a deadly, colorless, odorless gas, every American should have heating systems inspected each year and install carbon monoxide alarms in their homes. And because prescription drug overdose remains the most common cause of fatal poisoning, we must properly store and dispose of medications. I encourage Americans to visit www.DEAdiversion.USDOJ.gov to read about safe prescription drug disposal and learn how to participate in the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on April 26. For information on preventing accidents and helping victims of poisoning, go to PoisonHelp.HRSA.gov.
- To encourage Americans to learn more about the dangers of accidental poisonings and to take appropriate preventative measures, the Congress, by joint resolution approved September 26, 1961, as amended (75 Stat. 681) has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating the third week of March each year as "National Poison Prevention Week."
- NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim March 16 through March 22, 2014, as National Poison Prevention Week. I call upon all Americans to observe this week by taking actions to protect their families from hazardous household materials and misuse of prescription medicines.
- IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.
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- Executive Order -- Blocking Property of Additional Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine
- Office of the Press Secretary
- BLOCKING PROPERTY OF ADDITIONAL PERSONS CONTRIBUTING
- TO THE SITUATION IN UKRAINE
- By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 U.S.C. 1182(f)), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,
- I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, hereby expand the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660 of March 6, 2014, finding that the actions and policies of the Government of the Russian Federation with respect to Ukraine -- including the recent deployment of Russian Federation military forces in the Crimea region of Ukraine -- undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets, and thereby constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. Accordingly, I hereby order:
- Section 1. (a) All property and interests in property that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of any United States person (including any foreign branch) of the following persons are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in:
- (i) the persons listed in the Annex to this order; and
- (ii) persons determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State:
- (A) to be an official of the Government of the Russian Federation;
- (B) to operate in the arms or related materiel sector in the Russian Federation;
- (C) to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly:
- (1) a senior official of the Government of the Russian Federation; or
- (2) a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; or
- (D) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of:
- (1) a senior official of the Government of the Russian Federation; or
- (2) a person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order.
- (b) The prohibitions in subsection (a) of this section apply except to the extent provided by statutes, or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to the effective date of this order.
- Sec. 2. I hereby find that the unrestricted immigrant and nonimmigrant entry into the United States of aliens determined to meet one or more of the criteria in section 1(a) of this order would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and I hereby suspend entry into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, of such persons. Such persons shall be treated as persons covered by section 1 of Proclamation 8693 of July 24, 2011 (Suspension of Entry of Aliens Subject to United Nations Security Council Travel Bans and International Emergency Economic Powers Act Sanctions).
- Sec. 3. I hereby determine that the making of donations of the type of articles specified in section 203(b)(2) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(2)) by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to section 1 of this order would seriously impair my ability to deal with the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660, and I hereby prohibit such donations as provided by section 1 of this order.
- Sec. 4. The prohibitions in section 1 of this order include but are not limited to:
- (a) the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; and
- (b) the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.
- Sec. 5. (a) Any transaction that evades or avoids, has the purpose of evading or avoiding, causes a violation of, or attempts to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.
- (b) Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.
- Sec. 6. For the purposes of this order:
- (a) the term "person" means an individual or entity;
- (b) the term "entity" means a partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization;
- (c) the term "United States person" means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States; and
- (d) the term the "Government of the Russian Federation" means the Government of the Russian Federation, any political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof, including the Central Bank of the Government of the Russian Federation, and any person owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, the Government of the Russian Federation.
- Sec. 7. For those persons whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order who might have a constitutional presence in the United States, I find that because of the ability to transfer funds or other assets instantaneously, prior notice to such persons of measures to be taken pursuant to this order would render those measures ineffectual. I therefore determine that for these measures to be effective in addressing the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660, there need be no prior notice of a listing or determination made pursuant to section 1 of this order.
- Sec. 8. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA, as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order. The Secretary of the Treasury may redelegate any of these functions to other officers and agencies of the United States Government consistent with applicable law. All agencies of the United States Government are hereby directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of this order.
- Sec. 9. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to determine that circumstances no longer warrant the blocking of the property and interests in property of a person listed in the Annex to this order, and to take necessary action to give effect to that determination.
- Sec. 10. This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
- Sec. 11. This order is effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on March 17, 2014.
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- 6 Week Cycle
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- California man arrested on terror charges
- updated 5:28 PM EDT, Mon March 17, 2014
- 20-year-old Nicholas Teausant was arrested near the Canadian border, the DOJ saysHe is accused of trying to get to Syria to join an international terrorist organizationTeausant is expected to make his first court appearance Monday afternoon(CNN) -- A California man was arrested on terror charges early Monday morning near the Canadian border, according to the Department of Justice.
- In a press release issued Monday, the DOJ said 20-year-old Nicholas Teausant was arrested in Blaine, Washington, and was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
- According to the release, Teausant traveled to the Canadian border with the intent of continuing on to Syria to join the terrorist organization known as al Qaeda in Iraq.
- On Teausant's Facebook page, he goes by a second, Arabic, name, Ased abdur-Raheem.
- According to the criminal complaint filed by the FBI, Teausant is a student at a community college in Stockton, California, and is a member of the U.S. Army National Guard, though he is in the process of being released by the Guard for not meeting the minimum qualifications.
- The arrest and charging of Teausant are the result of a joint investigation between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Modesto, California, Police Department, along with the San Joaquin Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to the DOJ.
- According to the FBI's affidavit, Teausant used Instagram and other social media sites to connect with Islamic extremists and to express his desire to conduct violent jihad and "to be a part of America's 'downfall'"
- In one communication, Teausant detailed his ideas to bomb several public places in the United States, including the day care his infant daughter attends, calling it a "Zionist reform church."
- Teausant's communications with extremists and undercover FBI agents continued online and in person for about six months, ending in his arrest on Monday.
- Teausant was expected to make his first court appearance Monday afternoon in Washington.
- If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
- From CNN's Chuck Johnston
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- Digital Fourth | FBI: Look Mom, We ''Found'' Another Terrorist!
- The news this morning is full of the arrest of yet another American on charges of ''attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.'' Nobody's suggesting that 20-year-old National Guardsman Nicholas Teausant of Acampo, CA is a terrorist, or that he provided any help whatsoever to terrorists, or that he was in contact, ever, with any actual terrorists. But, the media breathlessly report, he's still facing charges that can put him in jail through to the 2030s.
- Well, seems that he was on a camping trip sometime last year '' or maybe not; investigators couldn't corroborate that the camping trip ever happened '' but anyway, afterwards, Teausant is reported to have said to some guy that he had been on a camping trip and had talked with friends about ''blowing up the LA subway,'' but that they hadn't done anything because ''they'' had been ''tipped off''.
- ''Some guy'' turns out to be an FBI informant, who, knowing that he will get good money for reeling in an actual honest-to-goodness terrorism suspect, puts Teausant in touch with a ''mentor'' who would approve his application to go fight for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The ''mentor'' is, of course, an FBI agent, who helps Teausant arrange bus and rail travel from his home in Acampo, California, to the Canadian border, where he is promptly picked up by law enforcement.
- Oh, Teausant also mentioned online that he wanted to join God's army. Well, you know, Allah's army '' he is a Muslim convert, after all. How nice it is that we Christians reject all such military imagery. [1][2][3] '... (over 2,250,000 results for ''join god's army'' on Google).
- Can we do a ''but for'' analysis here? Any alleged plotting to blow up the subway (a) may never have happened, (b) may have been nothing more than dumb teenagers bragging round a campfire, and (c) had definitely blown over because of a tipoff. There's no evidence other than the paid informant's testimony that such a plot ever existed, and it would have been profitable to the informant to have made it up out of whole cloth. It would also have validated Teausant's desire to be thought of as a badass by someone he thought was a friend, to have made it up out of whole cloth himself. We'll have to see whether any actual evidence emerges that this plot is anything more than teenaged braggadocio '' but try finding a media outlet that is expressing any skepticism about it whatsoever.
- Also, Teausant was apparently trying to figure out how to go to Syria and fight against Bashar al-Assad. This horrifying offense was committed at the same time that the US government was '... trying to figure out how to go to Syria and fight against Bashar al-Assad. Last time I checked, Assad was a brutal dictator. But the winds have changed, and now that some of the people fighting against him are Sunni radicals inspired by, but actually repudiated by, al-Qaeda, I guess that makes Assad now a staunch American ally and defender of secular values? Maybe we should start calling him ''Uncle Bashy''? Gee, it's so hard to keep up.
- So, because it's 2014 and not 2013, lo and verily, let there be anathema upon Teausant and all those seeking to unseat Assad. Check back in next week to see whether we're still at war with Eastasia.
- Teausant's mother Teresa, interviewed by the Lodi News-Sentinel, says:
- ''I feel my son is a victim here as much as anything else,'' she added. ''I fully believe that my son has been tricked and lied to and deceived. My son would not openly and willingly go harm anybody.''
- She loves her son. But it's not ridiculous at all to suggest that Teausant was led up the garden path by the FBI. Among their post-2001 efforts to produce a steady crop of ''terrorists'' to justify their budgets are the NATO 3 and the Occupy Five, as well as the Newburgh Four, the Fort Dix Five, the Liberty City Seven and many more. The New York Times and the Guardian provide good overviews if you care to delve further.
- Any fair-minded observer who has followed this stream of cases will recognize that they form a pattern. The FBI gloms onto dim, vulnerable, manipulable people, and cultivates them via paid informants, encouraging them to firm up plans further than they were ever likely to have done on their own, until they can collar them. Then, in a blaze of publicity, the FBI pats itself on the back for catching the ''dangerous terrorists'' they themselves create before the terrorists could attack us all.
- I'm not arguing that joining an Islamic splinter group in Syria is a wise or sensible thing to do. I'm arguing that the ''good groups'' and the ''bad groups'' in Syria are hard to define, and that the choice of who is a terrorist organization and who a plucky band of freedom fighters is a highly politicized decision on the part of the US government.
- In a more sensible legal environment, Teausant would walk free because, let me think now, because we have a First Amendment and he is entitled to say whatever dumb thing he wants to so long as he doesn't actually harm anyone, and the FBI informant and agent would be being charged with entrapment.
- We are not, alas, in a sensible legal environment yet, so the FBI will keep on creating its own terrorists to order, and a certain portion of America's none-too-bright teenagers will be chewed up as a result. Good luck, Nicholas, you're going to need it; in our system, your conviction is near-guaranteed, and you'll be sent to a supermax like the terrifying threat to our way of life you most indisputably are. Sorry about your little daughter, but hey, she will probably never remember you, and prison life will make us all safer by making you feel much more friendly towards America. That's how these things work, right?
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- Key details of Los Angeles airport shooting report | CNS News
- Here are key details of a report prepared for city airport commissioners about a Nov. 1 shooting that killed a Transportation Security Administration agent at Los Angeles International Airport and wounded three other people before a suspect was shot and arrested:
- '--An emergency "red phone" picked up by a TSA supervisor at the scene could not display its location to the airport police dispatcher who answered, and an airportwide audit of red phones and panic buttons found some weren't working.
- '--Airport police dispatchers were overwhelmed with calls.
- '--Police and fire officials initially set up multiple command posts that didn't unify for 45 minutes. The command post site was not well chosen and could have endangered responders. Basic supplies including airport plans, maps and aerial photos were lacking.
- '--Incompatible radio systems hindered response among roughly 20 agencies, and there was no effective method for keeping track of how and where responders were being used. Internal alerts were not sent to all groups of responders. Vehicles left on airport roadways by responders had to be towed.
- '--The airport has no central public announcement system to communicate information. The airport was not aware of its ability to provide alerts to peoples' cellphones.
- '--Leadership roles among airport staffers were not properly delineated, and those at the airport's emergency operations center lacked sufficient training and were not high enough in rank to get results. Airport officials in the center had nearly no communications with officials at the command post. The airport's emergency management program isn't well defined or widely understood or respected across the agency.
- '--Airport workers need training in emergency procedures such as evacuations, especially for people with special needs.
- '--A Fire Department program to train tactical medics to enter danger zones to help victims hadn't been implemented at the time.
- '--The effectiveness of random patrols by airport police officers is unclear.
- '--Security cameras need upgrades and possibly technological enhancements.
- '--Resumption of airport operations was not a high enough priority.
- '--Law enforcement securing the perimeter weren't given guidance, hindering access by responders, the Red Cross, flight crews, ground crews and other workers. The airport executive director and head of media relations weren't allowed in for a time.
- '--There have been six risk assessments of the airport in the past decade but no centralized tracking of what has or hasn't been resolved.
- (Copyright 2014 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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- SnowJob
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- US tech giants knew of NSA data collection, agency's top lawyer insists | World news | theguardian.com
- The senior lawyer for the National Security Agency stated unequivocally on Wednesday that US technology companies were fully aware of the surveillance agency's widespread collection of data, contradicting months of angry denials from the firms.
- Rajesh De, the NSA general counsel, said all communications content and associated metadata harvested by the NSA under a 2008 surveillance law occurred with the knowledge of the companies '' both for the internet collection program known as Prism and for the so-called ''upstream'' collection of communications moving across the internet.
- Asked during a Wednesday hearing of the US government's institutional privacy watchdog if collection under the law, known as Section 702 or the Fisa Amendments Act, occurred with the ''full knowledge and assistance of any company from which information is obtained,'' De replied: ''Yes.''
- When the Guardian and the Washington Post broke the Prism story in June, thanks to documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden, nearly all the companies listed as participating in the program '' Yahoo, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and AOL '' claimed they did not know about a surveillance practice described as giving NSA vast access to their customers' data. Some, like Apple, said they had ''never heard'' the term Prism.
- De explained: ''Prism was an internal government term that as the result of leaks became the public term,'' De said. ''Collection under this program was a compulsory legal process, that any recipient company would receive.''
- After the hearing, De said that the same knowledge, and associated legal processes, also apply when the NSA harvests communications data not from companies directly but in transit across the internet, under Section 702 authority.
- The disclosure of Prism resulted in a cataclysm in technology circles, with tech giants launching extensive PR campaigns to reassure their customers of data security and successfully pressing the Obama administration to allow them greater leeway to disclose the volume and type of data requests served to them by the government.
- Last week, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said he had called US president Barack Obama to voice concern about ''the damage the government is creating for all our future.'' There was no immediate response from the tech companies to De's comments on Wednesday.
- It is unclear what sort of legal process the government serves on a company to compel communications content and metadata access under Prism or through upstream collection. Documents leaked from Snowden indicate that the NSA possesses unmediated access to the company data. The secret Fisa court overseeing US surveillance for the purposes of producing foreign intelligence issues annual authorisations blessing NSA's targeting and associated procedures under Section 702.
- Passed in 2008, Section 702 retroactively gave cover of law to a post-9/11 effort permitting the NSA to collect phone, email, internet and other communications content when one party to the communication is reasonably believed to be a non-American outside the United States. The NSA stores Prism data for five years and communications taken directly from the internet for two years.
- While Section 702 forbids the intentional targeting of Americans or people inside the United States '' a practice known as ''reverse targeting'' '' significant amounts of Americans' phone calls and emails are swept up in the process of collection.
- In 2011, according to a now-declassified Fisa court ruling, the NSA was found to have collected tens of thousands of emails between Americans, which a judge on the court considered a violation of the US constitution and which the NSA says it is technologically incapable of fixing.
- Renewed in December 2012 over the objections of senate intelligence committee members Ron Wyden and Mark Udall, Section 702 also permits NSA analysts to search through the collected communications for identifying information about Americans, an amendment to so-called ''minimisation'' rules revealed by the Guardian in August and termed the ''backdoor search loophole'' by Wyden.
- De and his administration colleagues, testifying before the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, strongly rejected suggestions by the panel that a court authorise searches for Americans' information inside the 702 databases. ''If you have to go back to court every time you look at the information in your custody, you can imagine that would be quite burdensome,'' deputy assistant attorney general Brad Wiegmann told the board.
- De argued that once the Fisa court permits the collection annually, analysts ought to be free to comb through it, and stated that there were sufficient privacy safeguards for Americans after collection and querying had occurred. ''That information is at the government's disposal to review in the first instance,'' De said.
- De also stated that the NSA is not permitted to search for Americans' data from communications taken directly off the internet, citing greater risks to privacy.
- Neither De nor any other US official discussed data taken from the internet under different legal authorities. Different documents Snowden disclosed, published by the Washington Post, indicated that NSA takes data as it transits between Yahoo and Google data centers, an activity reportedly conducted not under Section 702 but under a seminal executive order known as 12333.
- The NSA's Wednesday comments contradicting the tech companies about the firms' knowledge of Prism risk entrenching tensions with the firms NSA relies on for an effort that Robert Litt, general counsel for the director of national intelligence, told the board was ''one of the most valuable collection tools that we have.''
- ''All 702 collection is pursuant to court directives, so they have to know,'' De reiterated to the Guardian.
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- NSA: Tech Companies Knew We Were Spying on You All Along
- When Edward Snowden revealed the NSA was wiretapping basically every mainstream tech company in the United States, Silicon Valley cried plead innocence'--and ignorance. But according to the agency's top attorney, that was a lie.
- The Guardian reports NSA general counsel Rajesh De is contradicting months of denials from the likes of Facebook, Google and Apple:
- Rajesh De, the NSA general counsel, said all communications content and associated metadata harvested by the NSA under a 2008 surveillance law occurred with the knowledge of the companies...Asked during at a Wednesday hearing of the US government's institutional privacy watchdog if collection under the law, known as Section 702 or the Fisa Amendments Act, occurred with the "full knowledge and assistance of any company from which information is obtained," De replied: "Yes."
- Basically, we're back to the worst case assumption we all jumped to when news of PRISM and its spooky-sounding cousins first broke. But if the NSA's counsel is telling the truth'--it's unclear if he'd be perjuring himself otherwise'--the mega-vocal, orchestrated, tripping-over-their-own-chubby-legs protest campaign by Silicon Valley was a farce. They were in on it all along. Maybe they weren't happy about it, as Zuckerberg has brayed so loudly, but they were never in the dark'--and a reluctant collaborator is still a collaborator.
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- PCLOB Hearing
- The whole dais was filled with lawyers
- Questions Asked by David Medine of PCLOB
- Brad Wiegmann Deputy AG NSDivison
- Upstream Collection = "collection of metadata and content directly from Internet and phone cables"
- Rajesh De = NSA General Council
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- PCLOB
- An independent, bipartisan agency within the executive branch established by the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act, Pub. L. 110-53, signed into law in August 2007.Comprised of four part-time members and a full-time chairman.Committed to making information available to the public through a website and, to the greatest extent possible, making its reports and recommendations available to the American people. The successor to the Board created within the Executive Office of the President under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.The Board is vested with two fundamental authorities:
- To review and analyze actions the executive branch takes to protect the Nation from terrorism, ensuring the need for such actions is balanced with the need to protect privacy and civil liberties.To ensure that liberty concerns are appropriately considered in the development and implementation of laws, regulations, and policies related to efforts to protect the Nation against terrorism. To meet its mission, the Board must:
- Provide advice to the President and executive branch agencies and departments on policy development and implementation.Oversee certain actions, regulations, policies, and procedures of the executive branch.When appropriate, coordinate the activities of federal agency privacy and civil liberties officers on relevant interagency matters.Report to the Congress twice each year on its activities.The Board is authorized to:
- Access all relevant executive agency records, reports, audits, reviews, documents, papers, recommendations.Access relevant materials, including classified information.Interview, take statements from, or t'ake public testimony from any executive branch officer or employee.Request in writing that the Attorney General subpoena on the Board's behalf persons (other than departments, agencies, and elements of the executive branch) to produce relevant information.
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- VIDEO-NSA surveillance program reaches 'into the past' to retrieve, replay phone calls - The Washington Post
- By Barton Gellman and Ashkan Soltani, Published: MARCH 18, 11:37 AM ETE-mail the writers Aa The National Security Agency has built a surveillance system capable of recording ''100 percent'' of a foreign country's telephone calls, enabling the agency to rewind and review conversations as long as a month after they take place, according to people with direct knowledge of the effort and documents supplied by former contractor Edward Snowden.
- A senior manager for the program compares it to a time machine '-- one that can replay the voices from any call without requiring that a person be identified in advance for surveillance.
- The voice interception program, called MYSTIC, began in 2009. Its RETRO tool, short for ''retrospective retrieval,'' and related projects reached full capacity against the first target nation in 2011. Planning documents two years later anticipated similar operations elsewhere.
- In the initial deployment, collection systems are recording ''every single'' conversation nationwide, storing billions of them in a 30-day rolling buffer that clears the oldest calls as new ones arrive, according to a classified summary.
- The call buffer opens a door ''into the past,'' the summary says, enabling users to ''retrieve audio of interest that was not tasked at the time of the original call.'' Analysts listen to only a fraction of 1 percent of the calls, but the absolute numbers are high. Each month, they send millions of voice clippings, or ''cuts,'' for processing and long-term storage.
- At the request of U.S. officials, The Washington Post is withholding details that could be used to identify the country where the system is being employed or other countries where its use was envisioned.
- No other NSA program disclosed to date has swallowed a nation's telephone network whole. Outside experts have sometimes described that prospect as disquieting but remote, with notable implications for a growing debate over the NSA's practice of ''bulk collection'' abroad.
- Bulk methods capture massive data flows ''without the use of discriminants,'' as President Obama put it in January. By design, they vacuum up all the data they touch '-- meaning that most of the conversations collected by RETRO would be irrelevant to U.S. national security interests.
- In the view of U.S. officials, however, the capability is highly valuable.
- In a statement, Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the National Security Council, declined to comment on ''specific alleged intelligence activities.'' Speaking generally, she said that ''new or emerging threats'' are ''often hidden within the large and complex system of modern global communications, and the United States must consequently collect signals intelligence in bulk in certain circumstances in order to identify these threats.''
- NSA spokeswoman Vanee Vines, in an e-mailed statement, said that ''continuous and selective reporting of specific techniques and tools used for legitimate U.S. foreign intelligence activities is highly detrimental to the national security of the United States and of our allies, and places at risk those we are sworn to protect.''
- Some of the documents provided by Snowden suggest that high-volume eavesdropping may soon be extended to other countries, if it has not been already. The RETRO tool was built three years ago as a ''unique one-off capability,'' but last year's secret intelligence budget named five more countries for which the MYSTIC program provides ''comprehensive metadata access and content,'' with a sixth expected to be in place by last October.
- The budget did not say whether the NSA now records calls in quantity in those countries or expects to do so. A separate document placed a high priority on planning ''for MYSTIC accesses against projected new mission requirements,'' including ''voice.''
- Ubiquitous voice surveillance, even overseas, pulls in a great deal of content from Americans who telephone, visit and work in the target country. It may also be seen as inconsistent with Obama's Jan. 17 pledge ''that the United States is not spying on ordinary people who don't threaten our national security,'' regardless of nationality, ''and that we take their privacy concerns into account.''
- In a presidential policy directive, Obama instructed the NSA and other agencies that bulk acquisition may be used only to gather intelligence related to one of six specified threats, including nuclear proliferation and terrorism. The directive, however, also noted that limits on bulk collection ''do not apply to signals intelligence data that is temporarily acquired to facilitate targeted collection.''
- The emblem of the MYSTIC program depicts a cartoon wizard with a telephone-headed staff. Among the agency's bulk collection programs disclosed over the past year, its focus on the spoken word is unique. Most of the programs have involved the bulk collection of metadata '-- which does not include call content '-- or text, such as e-mail address books.
- Telephone calls are often thought to be more ephemeral and less suited than text for processing, storage and search. And there are indications that the call-recording program has been hindered by the NSA's limited capacity to store and transmit bulky voice files.
- In the first year of its deployment, a program officer wrote that the project ''has long since reached the point where it was collecting and sending home far more than the bandwidth could handle.''
- Because of similar capacity limits across a range of collection programs, the NSA is leaping forward with cloud-based collection systems and a gargantuan new ''mission data repository'' in Utah. According to its overview briefing, the Utah facility is designed ''to cope with the vast increases in digital data that have accompanied the rise of the global network.''
- Christopher Soghoian, the principal technologist for the American Civil Liberties Union, said history suggests that ''over the next couple of years they will expand to more countries, retain data longer and expand the secondary uses.''
- Spokesmen for the NSA and the office of Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. declined to confirm or deny expansion plans or discuss the criteria for any change.
- Based on RETRO's internal reviews, the NSA has a strong motive to deploy it elsewhere. In the documents and in interviews, U.S. officials said RETRO is uniquely valuable when an analyst uncovers a new name or telephone number of interest.
- With up to 30 days of recorded conversations in hand, the NSA can pull an instant history of the subject's movements, associates and plans. Some other U.S. intelligence agencies also have access to RETRO.
- Highly classified briefings cite examples in which the tool offered high-stakes intelligence that would not have existed under traditional surveillance programs in which subjects are identified for targeting in advance. In contrast with most of the government's public claims about the value of controversial programs, the briefings supply names, dates, locations and fragments of intercepted calls in convincing detail.
- Present and former U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to provide context for a classified program, acknowledged that large numbers of conversations involving Americans would be gathered from the country where RETRO operates.
- The NSA does not attempt to filter out their calls, defining them as communications ''acquired incidentally as a result of collection directed against appropriate foreign intelligence targets.''
- Until about 20 years ago, such incidental collection was unusual unless an American was communicating directly with a foreign intelligence target. In bulk collection systems, which are exponentially more capable than the ones in use throughout the Cold War, calls and other data from U.S. citizens and permanent residents are regularly ingested by the millions.
- Under the NSA's internal ''minimization rules,'' those intercepted communications ''may be retained and processed'' and included in intelligence reports. The agency generally removes the names of U.S. callers, but there are several broadly worded exceptions.
- An independent group tasked by the White House to review U.S. surveillance policies recommended that incidentally collected U.S. calls and e-mails '-- including those obtained overseas '-- should nearly always ''be purged upon detection.'' Obama did not accept that recommendation.
- Vines, in her statement, said the NSA's work is ''strictly conducted under the rule of law.''
- RETRO and MYSTIC are carried out under Executive Order 12333, the traditional grant of presidential authority to intelligence agencies for operations outside the United States.
- Since August, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and others on that panel have been working on plans to assert a greater oversight role for intelligence-gathering abroad. Some legislators are considering whether Congress should also draft new laws to govern those operations.
- Experts say there is not much legislation that governs overseas intelligence work.
- ''Much of the U.S. government's intelligence collection is not regulated by any statute passed by Congress,'' said Timothy H. Edgar, the former director of privacy and civil liberties on Obama's national security staff. ''There's a lot of focus on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which is understandable, but that's only a slice of what the intelligence community does.''
- All surveillance must be properly authorized for a legitimate intelligence purpose, he said, but that ''still leaves a gap for activities that otherwise basically aren't regulated by law, because they're not covered by FISA.''
- Beginning in 2007, Congress loosened 40-year-old restrictions on domestic surveillance because so much foreign data crossed U.S. territory. There were no comparable changes to protect the privacy of U.S. citizens and residents whose calls and e-mails now routinely cross international borders.
- Vines noted that the NSA's job is to ''identify threats within the large and complex system of modern global communications,'' in which ordinary people share fiber-optic cables with legitimate intelligence targets.
- For Peter Swire, a member of the president's review group, the fact that Americans and foreigners use the same devices, software and networks calls for greater care to safeguard Americans' privacy.
- ''It's important to have institutional protections so that advanced capabilities used overseas don't get turned against our democracy at home,'' he said.
- Soltani is an independent security researcher and consultant. Julie Tate contributed to this report.
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- SNOWJOB-Stored Communications Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- The Stored Communications Act (SCA, codified at 18 U.S.C.Chapter 121 §§ 2701''2712) is a law that addresses voluntary and compelled disclosure of "stored wire and electronic communications and transactional records" held by third-party internet service providers (ISPs). It was enacted as Title II of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA, Pub.L. 99''508, 100 Stat. 1848, enacted October 21, 1986).
- The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects the people's right "to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures'...." However, when applied to information stored online, the Fourth Amendment's protections are potentially far weaker. In part, this is because the Fourth Amendment defines the "right to be secure" in spatial terms that do not directly apply to the "reasonable expectation of privacy" in an online context. In addition, society has not reached clear consensus over expectations of privacy in terms of more modern (and developing, future) forms of recorded and/or transmitted information.
- Furthermore, users generally entrust the security of online information to a third party, an ISP. In many cases, Fourth Amendment doctrine has held that, in so doing, users relinquish any expectation of privacy. The Third-Party Doctrine holds "'...that knowingly revealing information to a third party relinquishes Fourth Amendment protection in that information."[1] While a search warrant and probable cause are required to search one's home, under the third party doctrine only a subpoena and prior notice (a much lower hurdle than probable cause) are needed to compel an ISP to disclose the contents of an email or of files stored on a server.[2] The SCA creates Fourth Amendment-like privacy protection for email and other digital communications stored on the internet. It limits the ability of the government to compel an ISP to turn over content information and noncontent information (such as logs and "envelope" information from email). In addition, it limits the ability of commercial ISPs to reveal content information to nongovernment entities.
- Overview[edit]Section 2701 of the SCA provides criminal penalties for anyone who "intentionally accesses without authorization a facility through which an electronic communication service is provided or'... intentionally exceeds an authorization to access that facility; and thereby obtains, alters, or prevents authorized access to a wire or electronic communication while it is in electronic storage in such system shall be punished ... ."[3]
- The section 2702 of the SCA targets two types of online service, "electronic communication services" and "remote computing services." The statute defines an electronic communication service as "'...any service which provides to users thereof the ability to send or receive wire or electronic communications." A remote computing service is defined as "the provision to the public of computer storage or processing services by means of an electronic communications system."
- Section 2702 of the SCA describes conditions under which a public ISP can voluntarily disclose customer communications or records. In general, ISPs are forbidden to "divulge to any person or entity the contents of any communication which is carried or maintained on that service." However, ISPs are allowed to share "non-content" information, such as log data and the name and email address of the recipient, with anyone other than a governmental entity. In addition, ISPs that do not offer services to the public, such as businesses and universities, can freely disclose content and non-content information.[2] An ISP can disclose the contents of a subscriber's communications authorized by that subscriber.[4]
- Section 2703 of the SCA describes the conditions under which the government is able to compel an ISP to disclose "customer or subscriber" content and non-content information for each of these types of service:
- Electronic communication service. If an unopened email has been in storage for 180 days or less, the government must obtain a search warrant. There has been debate over the status of opened emails in storage for 180 days or less, which may fall in this category or the "remote computing service" category.[2]Remote computing service. If a communication has been in storage for more than 180 days or is held "solely for the purpose of providing storage or computer processing services" the government can use a search warrant, or, alternatively, a subpoena or a "specific and articulable facts" court order (called a 2703(d) order) combined with prior notice to compel disclosure. Prior notice can be delayed for up to 90 days if it would jeopardize an investigation. Historically, opened or downloaded email held for 180 days or less has fallen in this category, on the grounds that it is held "solely for the purpose of storage."[2]Section 2705(b) (18 U.S.C. § 2705(b)) also provides for gag orders, which direct the recipient of a 2703(d) order to refrain from disclosing the existence of the order or investigation.[5]
- Section 3123(d)(2) (18 U.S.C. § 3123(d)(2)) also provides for gag orders, which direct the recipient of a pen register or trap and trace device order not to disclose the existence of the pen/trap or the investigation.[6]
- Constitutionality of Compelled Government Disclosure[edit]With respect to the government's ability to compel disclosure, the most significant distinction made by the SCA is between communications held in electronic communications services, which require a search warrant and probable cause, and those in remote computing services, which require only a subpoena or court order, with prior notice. This lower level of protection is essentially the same as would be provided by the Fourth Amendment'--or potentially less, since notice can be delayed indefinitely in 90-day increments. Orin Kerr argues that, "the SCA was passed to bolster the weak Fourth Amendment privacy protections that applied to the Internet. Incorporating those weak Fourth Amendment principles into statutory law makes little sense."[2] In Warshak v U.S. (2007)[7] this point of view found fleeting support from a panel of the Sixth Circuit, which ruled that a reasonable expectation of privacy extends to emails that would otherwise fall under the SCA's lower level of protection: "Where the third party is not expected to access the e-mails in the normal course of business, however, the party maintains a reasonable expectation of privacy, and subpoenaing the entity with mere custody over the documents is insufficient to trump the Fourth Amendment warrant requirement." Subsequently, the Sixth Circuit en banc vacated the panel's ruling and remanded for dismissal of the constitutional claim, reasoning that, because the Court had "no idea whether the government will conduct an ex parte search of Warshak's e-mail account in the future and plenty of reason to doubt that it will," the matter was not ripe for adjudication.[8]Zerwillinger and Sommer[9] observed that this decision erected a barrier to "prospective" challenges by individuals with reason to believe they will be targets of surveillance. While Warshak's civil case ended without a resolution to this issue, his criminal case provided another opportunity. In United States v. Warshak (2010)[10] the Sixth Circuit found that email users have a Fourth Amendment-protected reasonable expectation of privacy in the contents of their email accounts and that "to the extent that the SCA purports to permit the government to obtain such emails warrantlessly, the SCA is unconstitutional."[10][11]
- In In re Application of the United States for Historical Cell Site Data, 724 F.3d 600 (5th Cir. 2013), the Fifth Circuit held that court orders under the Stored Communications Act compelling cell phone providers to disclose historical cell site information are not per se unconstitutional.
- Robbins v. Lower Merion School District[edit]The Act was invoked in the 2010 Robbins v. Lower Merion School District case, where plaintiffs charged two suburban Philadelphia high schools secretly spied on students by surreptitiously and remotely activating webcams embedded in school-issued laptops the students were using at home, violating their right to privacy. The schools admitted to secretly snapping over 66,000 webshots and screenshots, including webcam shots of students in their bedrooms.[12][13]
- References[edit]^Kerr, Orin S., The Case for the Third-Party Doctrine, Michigan L. Rev., Vol. 107, 2009; GWU Legal Studies Research Paper No. 421.^ abcdeKerr, Orin S., A User's Guide to the Stored Communications Act, and a Legislator's Guide to Amending It, George Washington L. Rev. (2004). Available at doi:10.2139/ssrn.421860.^http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2701^18 U.S.C. § 2701(c)(2)^In Re: Application of the United States of America for an Order Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 2703(d) of January 25, 2013, p. 4, from the Wikileaks-related Twitter subpoenas^In Re: Sealing and Non-disclosure of Pen/Trap/2703(d) Orders of May 30, 2008, p. 5^Warshak v United States (2007)^Warshak v. United States, 532 F.3d 521 (6th Cir. 2008) (en banc)^Marc Zwillinger, Jacob Sommer. "Warshak Decision: Sixth Circuit's En Banc Reversal in Warshak Sidesteps Constitutionality of Stored Communication Act's Delayed Notification Provision," [1], BNA Privacy & Security Law Report, Vol. 7, No. 31, (Aug. 4, 2008).^ abUnited States v. Warshak, No. 08-3997 (6th Cir. Dec. 14, 2010).^Kevin Bankston, Breaking News on EFF Victory: Appeals Court Holds that Email Privacy Protected by Fourth Amendment, EFF DeepLinks (Dec. 14, 2010).^Doug Stanglin (February 18, 2010). "School district accused of spying on kids via laptop webcams". USA Today. Retrieved February 19, 2010. ^"Initial LANrev System Findings", LMSD Redacted Forensic Analysis, L-3 Services '' prepared for Ballard Spahr (LMSD's counsel), May 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
-
- The US media and the CIA's spying on Congress
- 18 March 2014Today marks one week since the speech by Dianne Feinstein on the floor of the US Senate in which the California Democrat, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, publicly charged the CIA with cover-up, the withholding of documents, and unconstitutional spying on her committee, which has the legal responsibility to oversee the spy agency.
- Feinstein, a longtime rubber-stamp defender of the US intelligence agencies, accused the CIA of attempting to intimidate her committee and charged that the agency ''may well have violated the separation-of-powers principle embodied in the United States Constitution,'' and also ''the Fourth Amendment, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, as well as Executive Order 12333, which prohibits the CIA from conducting domestic searches or surveillance.''
- In the days since Feinstein's speech, it has emerged that the White House itself deliberately withheld documents and may well have worked with the CIA and its director, John Brennan, in deleting material initially provided to the committee. These actions were taken in an attempt to cover up one of the greatest crimes of the 21st century'--the systematic torture of prisoners at CIA secret prisons established around the world in the name of the ''war on terror.''
- Top officials in the Obama administration, including the president, are potentially implicated in impeachable offenses.
- There is a vast gulf between the significance of the revelations and their treatment in the American media, which is moving as quickly as possible to bury the story. Since Friday, there has not been a single news article on the topic in major daily newspapers such as the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal.
- The only major newspaper to publish an editorial on the topic in recent days was the WashingtonPost, but this was only from the standpoint of obscuring the far-reaching implications of Feinstein's allegations. The editors, clearly concerned about the potentially explosive consequences of the revelations of criminal activity by the CIA, called Monday for quick publication of the Senate Intelligence Committee's 6,300-page report on CIA torture, along with an internal CIA review of the agency's torture program and Brennan's rebuttal to the Senate report. This is, they write, necessary to ''maintain the essential confidence of the American people'' in the spy agencies.
- In the course of the editorial, the Post downplays the spying charges while solidarizing itself with the CIA's arguments, declaring, ''In principle, Mr. Brennan is right to argue that certain documents are legitimately excluded from disclosure to Congress.''
- During the network television interview programs broadcast Sunday morning'--which serve as a round-up of major political developments during the week'--the CIA spying revelations were hardly mentioned. Two of the networks, Fox and CBS, avoided the subject entirely, while NBC and ABC took it up in a perfunctory and hurried fashion.
- Among those interviewed prominently were Representative Peter King, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and member of the House Intelligence Committee, and Mike Rogers, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Neither said anything about Feinstein's Senate speech, nor were they asked.
- Along with the media, Senate Republicans and Democrats (including Feinstein herself) and the Obama administration are seeking to minimize the consequences of the exposure of CIA criminality and ensure that there are no serious investigations, no public hearings and no consequences for those implicated.
- According to a report by National Public Radio (NPR), the Senate Intelligence Committee held a closed-door meeting last Thursday at which it decided to conduct a secret review of the actions of the CIA and the counter-charges by agency officials that committee staffers obtained unauthorized access to CIA internal documents.
- Senator Richard Burr, the second-ranking Republican on the panel'--set to become its chairman if the Republicans win control of the Senate in November'--made clear in comments to NPR that the purpose of the review was to impose a blanket of silence on Feinstein's statement.
- ''We've made a decision that we're going to pursue that as an internal course within the committee,'' he said, ''and hopefully that will end any public review of most of the comments that are being made.'' Burr is on record declaring that the public should never learn anything of what is discussed in the closed sessions of the intelligence panel.
- Senate Democrats and Republicans alike have rejected suggestions that an independent investigation be launched, given the extraordinary seriousness of Feinstein's charges and the clearly unconstitutional character of any executive branch effort to spy on the activities of the legislative branch.
- The Obama White House has downplayed the significance of the conflict and sought to present Obama as above the fray, although Brennan is one of his closest aides, having run the drone-missile assassination program from the White House for four years, until Obama nominated him to head the spy agency. Brennan notified the White House before filing a criminal referral with the Justice Department against Senate Intelligence Committee staff members and received a green light for the unprecedented action.
- In this political conspiracy, the US media is once again playing its assigned role, not to reveal, but to cover up and obfuscate, a role that it has reprised many times over. In doing so, it is confirming its essential function as an arm of the state and an instrument of the corporate and financial elite and its assault on the democratic rights of the American people.
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- Only 14 days left! email
- There are just 14 days left to get covered.
- The White House, Washington [ https://www.healthcare.gov?utm_medium=email&utm_source=whitehouse&utm_campaign=wh_bracket&utm_content=03_17_14_5pm ]
- President Obama loves basketball -- he loves to play the game, and he loves to watch it at all levels.
- And every March, just like millions of college hoops fans, he sits down to fill out his bracket. It's something of a ritual around here -- and in the years when Georgetown's been knocked out before the Sweet 16, the President couldn't wait to give me a hard time for picking them to advance.
- But basketball isn't the only important thing happening this month: Open enrollment ends in just 14 days, and we need your help getting folks covered.
- So as you're filling out your basketball bracket, we put together another bracket -- featuring the 16 "sweetest" reasons to get covered. And yes, for good measure those reasons come with animated GIFs of cute animals, because the Internet loves GIFs of cute animals (and why not?).
- *By helping to decide the winner, you'll also be spreading the word to millions of Americans about the importance of getting covered. Vote on your favorite reason -- and we'll tally up your votes all week. [ http://www.whitehouse.gov/acabracket?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=email309-text1&utm_campaign=healthcare ]*
- March 31 is the last day to sign up for health insurance in 2014, and there are plenty of reasons to get covered:
- Thanks to the health care law, women can't be charged more than men for the same care. And no one can deny you health care coverage because of a pre-existing condition.
- Those are just a few reasons that more than 5 million Americans have already signed up for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
- *Vote for your favorite reason:*
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- Ukraine
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- New Executive Order: ''Obama Has Just Given Himself the Authority to Seize Your Assets''
- The new Executive Order doesn't just apply to just Russians or foreigners. It gets blanket coverage, so even American citizens could now face asset forfeiture if their actions are deemed to be ''contributing to the situation in the Ukraine.''
- Be careful what you say. Be careful what you write. President Obama has just given himself the authority to seize your assets.
- According to the president's recent Executive Order, ''Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine'' (first reported by WND's Aaron Klein), the provisions for seizure of property extend to ''any United States person.'' That means ''any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States.''
- Via: The Ron Paul Institute
- You can read the full Executive Order at the White House web site. The key points are noted below:
- All property and interests in property that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of any United States person (including any foreign branch) of the following persons are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in: any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State:
- (i) to be responsible for or complicit in, or to have engaged in, directly or indirectly, any of the following:
- (A) actions or policies that undermine democratic processes or institutions in Ukraine;
- (B) actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of Ukraine; or
- (C) misappropriation of state assets of Ukraine or of an economically significant entity in Ukraine
- This new Executive Order has crossed a very dangerous line. It's one that turns the notions of property rights and due process upside down by effectively bypassing the U.S. Constitution.
- While we're sure the President and his staff would argue that such a law would never be used against Americans who are protected by free speech, the fact is that the Executive Branch now believes it has the self-manifested authority to target any individual who engages in activities that undermine US interests abroad or at home.
- If a President of the United States believes he has the authority to make it illegal for you to provide support to Russia by way of political commentary, charitable donations or other methods, could he also use similar directives to push forward other agendas?
- President Obama has already re-authorized an E.O. giving him the ability to seize farms, food, processing plants, energy resources, transportation, and skilled laborers during national emergency.
- The next Executive Order could come in the form of restrictions on firearms advocacy or target those who speak out against policies like government mandated health care. All it would take is the declaration of a national emergency and they can essentially do as they please.
- Is it prudent to give a single person the ability to force such actions down the throats of the American people without Congressional oversight or Judicial review?
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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- How Cold War-Hungry Neocons Stage Managed RT Anchor Liz Wahl's Resignation - Truthdig
- How Cold War-Hungry Neocons Stage Managed RT Anchor Liz Wahl's ResignationPosted on Mar 19, 2014The ''Freedom selfie'' from James Kirchick's Twitter feed.
- By Max Blumenthal and Rania Khalek
- For her public act of protest against Russia Today's coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory and supposedly advancing the agenda of Vladimir Putin in Washington, D.C., previously unknown news anchor Liz Wahl has suddenly become one of the most famous unemployed people in America. After her on-air resignation from the cable news channel, Wahl appeared on the three major American cable news outlets'--CNN, Fox News, MSNBC'--to denounce the heavy-handed editorial line she claims her bosses imposed on her and other staffers.
- ''What's clear is what's happening right now amid this crisis is that RT is not about the truth,'' she told CNN's Anderson Cooper. ''It's about promoting a Putinist agenda. And I can tell you firsthand, it's also about bashing America.''
- Wahl's act of defiance eventually earned her invitations from ''The View'' and ''The Colbert Report,'' offering her the opportunity to introduce millions of Americans to a Russian government-funded network whose Nielsen ratings have been too low to measure, but which commands a massive following on YouTube. Wahl was the toast of Washington, winning plaudits from a variety of prime-time pundits, from MSNBC's Chris Hayes (''remarkably badass'') to the conservative Amanda Carpenter (''Liz Wahl is proud to be an American and in the last five minutes I think she made everyone else proud to be one, too.'')
- The celebration of Wahl fed directly into a BuzzFeed expose on ''How The Truth Is Made at Russia Today,'' with writer Rosie Gray painting a portrait of an ''atmosphere of censorship and pressure'' on American staffers toiling in RT's D.C. offices. RT had long been the subject of criticism and ridicule for its promotion of Zeitgeist-style trutherism and libertarian paranoia, but Wahl now placed RT under unprecedented scrutiny, with mainstream U.S. media sounding the alarm about a bulwark of soft Russian power situated just blocks from the White House.
- Behind the coverage of Wahl's dramatic protest, a cadre of neoconservatives was celebrating a public relations coup. Desperate to revive the Cold War, head off further cuts to the defense budget and restore the legitimacy they lost in the ruins of Iraq, the tightknit group of neoconservative writers and stewards had opened up a new PR front through Wahl's resignation. And they succeeded with no shortage of help from an ossified media establishment struggling to maintain credibility in an increasingly anarchic online news environment. With isolated skeptics branded as useful idiots for Putin, the scene has been kept clean of neoconservative fingerprints, obscuring their interest in Wahl's resignation and the broader push to deepen tensions with Russia.Through interviews with six current RT employees'--all Americans with no particular affection for Russian President Vladimir Putin or his policies'--and an investigation into the political forces managing the spectacle, a story has emerged that stands in stark contrast to the one advanced by Wahl, her supporters and the mainstream American press.
- It is the story, according to former colleagues, of an apolitical, deeply disgruntled employee seeking an exit strategy from a job where, sources say, she was disciplined for unprofessional behavior and had been demoted. Wahl did not return several voice and text messages sent to her cellphone.
- At the center of the intrigue is a young neoconservative writer and activist who helped craft Wahl's strategy and exploit her resignation to propel the agenda of a powerful pro-war lobby in Washington.
- The story began at 5:07 p.m. Eastern time on March 5.
- It was a full 19 minutes before Wahl resigned. Inside the offices of the Foreign Policy Initiative, a neoconservative think tank in Washington D.C., a staffer logged on to the group's Twitter account to announce the following:
- ''#WordOnTheStreet says that something big might happen on RT in about 20-25 minutes.''
- Then, at 5:16, exactly 10 minutes before Wahl would quit on air, FPI tweeted:
- ''#WordOnTheStreet says you're really going to want to tune in to RT: http://rt.com/on-air/rt-america-air/ #SomethinBigMayBeGoingDown''
- Up until two minutes before Wahl's resignation, FPI took to Twitter again to urge its followers to tune in to RT.
- And finally, at 5:26 p.m., at the very moment Wahl quit, FPI's Twitter account broke the news: ''RT Anchor RESIGNS ON AIR. She 'cannot be part of a network that whitewashes the actions of Putin.' ''
- The tweets from FPI suggested a direct level of coordination between Wahl and the neoconservative think tank. Several calls to FPI for this story were not answered.
- Just over an hour later, an exclusive interview with Wahl appeared at The Daily Beast. It was authored by James Kirchick, a 31-year-old writer whose work has appeared in publications from the neoconservative Commentary to the liberal Israeli paper Haaretz.
- Kirchick acknowledged having been in contact with Wahl since August, but cast himself as a passive bystander to the spectacle, claiming that they merely ''stayed in touch periodically over the past 6 months, and I always encouraged her to follow her conscience in making a decision about her professional future.''
- Kirchick wrote that by quitting, Wahl paid ''the price real reporters'--not Russian-government funded propagandists'--have to pay if they are concerned with quaint notions like objectivity and the truth.''
- Later that evening, Kirchick tweeted a photo of himself with Wahl, calling it a ''Freedom selfie.'' The two had apparently gathered to celebrate.
- On March 7, Kirchick and a camera person stationed themselves outside the office building on D.C.'s G Street housing RT America's headquarters. On a self-proclaimed mission ''to find out more about RT,'' he badgered dozens of random passers-by with questions like the following: ''What is a more appropriate punishment for the women of Pussy Riot: two years in a Siberian labor camp or public whipping by Cossacks?''
- Kirchick says RT staffers called the D.C. police department to remove him from the premises. However, several RT staffers told us that a security guard notified the police because Kirchick had mistaken employees at two adjacent law firms for employees of RT'--''the wannabe thugs at 1325 G St,'' he called them'--and began harassing them. (An update inserted at the bottom of The Daily Beast summary of the incident noted that it was building security and not RT staffers who called the D.C. police.)
- So who was Kirchick, and what sort of commitment did he maintain to ''objectivity and the truth?''
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- Producer's boots on the ground in Kiev
- I just spoke to my friends in Kiev regarding the situation there and wanted an update tho sis what he had to say
- He say that unidentified armed forces are still in control of ALL administrative buildings and government departments.
- If any one approach them they are asked for password and ID if you fail to do so they just shoot you down like a rabid
- At the same time every one on the ground know that this is a war between US and Russia and has nothing to do with
- ukranian leader and no one would give a damn who is in power.
- as per media specially western media they are carefully “escorted” around and its for their own safety ….
- if you need me to ask him some more questions let me know ill ask
- He was specific that the guards are armed and on the ground at ALL administrative buildings. When a western media or
- politician arrives they are always escorted to avoid such “Authentication”
- the guards do not answer who they are and are not part of the Police or the Official Ukranian Armed Forces.
- He also mentioned that he lived in China for several years and the “escorts” and “Translators” that are assigned to
- western media are placing the media where they “can be” and its for their own safety.
- here is a link to prove how the lie is spread by “translators” and Sky news has no idea they are accomplice in the lie.
- the video is short and contrary to what the reporter say the banner say Hope not Russia this is part of the Team of
- “Translators that are traveling in Crimear with the media teams that always arrive in Kiev, and then follow them into
-
- Ukraine Ballot Text
- here is a copy of the referendum ballot it has 2 options
- "1. You for the reunification of the Crimea with Russia on the Rights of the Russian Federation?
- 2. You for the restoration of the Constitution of the Republic of Crimea in 1992 and for the status of the Crimea as
- So again CNN has been telling BS via “man on the street” as john played in his click in show 600
- attached is the copy of the ballot
- Israel Leviathan to deliver gas, through Cyprus, Greece. The setup is now complete?
- Dutch producer reports emergency services have been warned of possible MH370 use for terrorist attack on the Nuclar Conference
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- The U.S. Won't Match Russia's Gas Exports to Europe for Years | MIT Technology Review
- No matter how fast liquefied natural gas export facilities are approved, it will be years before the U.S. can challenge Russia's position as a dominant supplier.
- The crisis in Crimea has prompted calls for the U.S. to ramp up natural gas exports to Europe by quickly approving new facilities capable of liquefying the fuel and sending it overseas. The argument is that this could undermine Russia's strategic power by reducing Europe's heavy reliance on Russian gas.
- The numbers on natural gas exported to Europe show just how simplistic this argument is. Russia dominates the market, and regardless of the speed of the approval process, it will take several years and tens of billions of dollars of investment for the U.S. to come close to Russia's exports.
- In 2012, pipelines carrying Russian gas supplied 34 percent of all the natural gas sold in the European Union by non-E.U. countries. Several nations, including Bulgaria, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic, rely on Russia to supply over 80 percent of their natural gas needs. Around 80 percent of the gas exported to Europe travels by pipeline; the rest arrives as liquefied natural gas (LNG).
- Natural gas exported from the U.S. to Europe must be liquefied at export terminals, a costly process that involves cooling the gas to greatly reduce its volume.
- Today the U.S. has only one operational LNG export terminal, located in Alaska, where gas is liquefied before being sent to Japan. The U.S. already exports a very small amount of LNG to Europe. It sent 0.1 billion cubic meters in 2012'--too small to be visible on the chart above.
- Companies that want to export LNG must apply for approval from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Applications to sell to countries without a free trade agreement with the U.S., which include many countries in Europe, are subject to greater scrutiny, which can draw out the process.
- So far five new liquefaction plants, capable of exporting a total of 240 million cubic meters per day, have been approved by the Department of Energy. But only one of those facilities, on the Gulf of Mexico, is now under construction. The company building it aims to be able to ship 78 million cubic meters per day by 2015. This will still leave U.S. exports far behind those of Russia, which sent 505 million cubic meters of gas to Europe on a single day earlier this month.
- Twenty-five more applications to export LNG are pending. If these are all approved and built, it would increase U.S. LNG export capacity to nearly 850 million cubic meters per day. But these terminals will take several years to build, and approvals wouldn't guarantee construction, given the immense costs involved.
- Eight of the proposed projects would add a liquefaction facility to an existing LNG import terminal (the U.S. has 12 such terminals), which the Congressional Research Service estimates will cost between $6 billion and $10 billion each. The remaining projects entail building brand new terminals'--each of which could cost as much as $20 billion.
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- The New York Times deploys C.J. Chivers to Ukraine
- By Patrick Martin17 March 2014A particularly foul and provocative article in the New York Times this weekend portrays the Russian military forces and pro-Russian militiamen in Crimea as a rampaging horde, using guns and whips to suppress popular opposition to a possible annexation of the Crimean region by Russia.
- Under the headline, ''Russia Moves Swiftly to Stifle Dissent Ahead of Secession Vote,'' the language of the article is vintage Cold War anticommunism, with references to the ''Orwellian flair'' of the pro-Russian Crimean regime, its ''implicit threat of force,'' ''targeted intimidation,'' and ''strong-arm tactics,'' combined with ''the trappings of the election-season carnivals that have long accompanied rigged ballots across the old Soviet world.''
- While the Times presents the fascist thugs who spearheaded the overthrow of the Ukrainian government last month in Kiev as fighters for democracy, or, at worst, ''nationalists,'' Sunday's article describes the pro-Russian forces in Crimea as ''vigilantes,'' ''masked men in assorted camouflage, Kalashnikov rifles in hand,'' or in even more unflattering terms.
- One of the two Times journalists bylined on the article, and by far the senior correspondent involved, is one C. J. Chivers, about whom the WSWS has previously had occasion to write. (See: ''A not-so-quiet American: New York Times reporter writes on Central Asia'')
- The dispatch of Chivers to Ukraine, where he is both writing and posting on Instagram, is a demonstration of the complete integration of the New York Times into the operations of American imperialism. Where Chivers goes, US spies, provocateurs and Special Forces operatives have generally gone before, and the job of the Times correspondent is both to glorify and, in many cases, facilitate their activities.
- There has long been a close relationship between the leading US daily newspaper and the military-intelligence apparatus of the American government. But in the case of Chivers, the ties appear to be even closer.
- Over the past 12 years, his byline has appeared over on-the-spot reports on the activities of US-backed guerrillas, insurgents and ''dissidents'' throughout the former Soviet Union, the Middle East and North Africa. He was embedded with US combat troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq, traveled through Central Asia profiling petro-dictators being cultivated by Washington, and reported from the front lines of US-backed forces in Libya and Syria. Now he appears in Ukraine and Crimea.
- The Syrian assignment was particularly remarkable because it involved Chivers traveling for weeks with a group of Islamic fundamentalist guerrillas calling themselves the Lions of Tawhid, part of the Al-Nusra Front, which has pledged loyalty to Al Qaeda while working as part of the US-backed force fighting the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
- Chivers not only ''witnessed Tawhid fighters using a prisoner as an unwitting suicide bomber,'' as the Times delicately put it, but actively promoted the group in a video that he narrated. One article by Chivers cites praise for the leader of the group, after he was killed in the fighting, describing him as a ''great man.''
- Chivers' preparation for his role as the Times representative to countless wars and insurgencies is certainly unusual. He joined the Marine Corps after graduation from college, fought in the 1990-1991 Gulf War, rose to the rank of captain, trained as an Army Ranger, and participated in military operations in Los Angeles after the 1992 riots set off by the beating of black motorist Rodney King.
- After nearly a decade in the military, he went to Columbia University journalism school and began a meteoric career as a reporter, starting with the Providence Journal in Rhode Island in 1996 before moving to the Times in 1999, where he covered the New York Police Department for three years and then became a foreign correspondent, rising quickly to Moscow bureau chief.
- Chivers frequently produces articles drawing on specialized knowledge of military ordnance, small-unit guerrilla tactics and intelligence operations, which evince a lockstep alignment with both the overall strategic objectives of American imperialism and the specific tactical initiatives being carried out from day to day.
- In an interview with the Baton Rouge, Louisiana Advocate in 2005, Chivers explained how his military and Special Forces training informs his reporting: ''I meet former Marines and Rangers all the time, almost everywhere, and we often find a sense among us of common understanding, a set of common memories, a group of ideals and exasperations we share. It has happened in Afghanistan, Iraq, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Germany, Russia, you name it.''
- It requires little imagination to surmise the nature of the ''common understanding'' and ''ideals'' Chivers shares with his former comrades, or what former Marines and Rangers might be doing in these countries.
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- Why Are Russian Soldiers In Crimea Armed With American-Style AR-15-Based Rifles?
- Armed Russian forces arrest Ukrainian army officers during an operation in Simferopol on March 18, 2014 (AFP Photo/Alisa Borovikova)
- AFP Photographer Alisa Borovikova just posted a stunning photo of Russian troops arresting Ukrainian Army officers at gunpoint.
- United States Navy Mark 12 Mod 0/1 Special Purpose Rifle (SPR) (via Wikipedia)
- The stunning part of the photo is that the soldier looking in her direction is clearly armed with an American-style AR-15-based rifle set up to be similar to a Special Purpose Rifle, complete with variable-power scope with sunshade, bipod, 20-round magazine, and what appears to be a quick-detach suppressor.
- Why is a Russian soldier armed with an AR-15-style light sniper rifle that uses 5.56 NATO ammunition?
- A U.S sniper looks through the scope of a Mk 12 Mod 1 Special Purpose Rifle. (Wikipedia)
- I'd love to know the answer to that one myself.
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- Is Putin the Irrational One? - Pat Buchanan
- Vladimir Putin seems to have lost touch with reality, Angela Merkel reportedly told Barack Obama after speaking with the Russian president. He is "in another world."
- "I agree with what Angela Merkel said ... that he is in another world," said Madeleine Albright, "It doesn't make any sense."
- John Kerry made his contribution to the bonkers theory by implying that Putin was channeling Napoleon: "You don't just, in the 21st century, behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on a completely trumped-up pretext."
- Now that Putin has taken Crimea without firing a shot, and 95 percent of a Crimean electorate voted Sunday to reunite with Russia, do his decisions still appear irrational?
- Was it not predictable that Russia, a great power that had just seen its neighbor yanked out of Russia's orbit by a U.S.-backed coup in Kiev, would move to protect a strategic position on the Black Sea she has held for two centuries?
- Zbigniew Brzezinski suggests that Putin is out to recreate the czarist empire. Others say Putin wants to recreate the Soviet Union and Soviet Empire.
- But why would Russia, today being bled in secessionist wars by Muslim terrorists in the North Caucasus provinces of Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia, want to invade and reannex giant Kazakhstan, or any other Muslim republic of the old USSR, which would ensure jihadist intervention and endless war?
- If we Americans want out of Afghanistan, why would Putin want to go back into Uzbekistan? Why would he want to annex Western Ukraine where hatred of Russia dates back to the forced famine of the Stalin era?
- To invade and occupy all of Ukraine would mean endless costs in blood and money for Moscow, the enmity of Europe, and the hostility of the United States. For what end would Russia, its population shrinking by half a million every year, want to put Russian soldiers back in Warsaw?
- But if Putin is not a Russian imperialist out to re-establish Russian rule over non-Russian peoples, who and what is he?
- In the estimation of this writer, Vladimir Putin is a blood-and-soil, altar-and-throne ethnonationalist who sees himself as Protector of Russia and looks on Russians abroad the way Israelis look upon Jews abroad, as people whose security is his legitimate concern.
- Consider the world Putin saw, from his vantage point, when he took power after the Boris Yeltsin decade.
- He saw a Mother Russia that had been looted by oligarchs abetted by Western crony capitalists, including Americans. He saw millions of ethnic Russians left behind, stranded, from the Baltic states to Kazakhstan.
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- Right Sector leader: Kiev should be ready to sabotage Russian pipelines in Ukraine '-- RT News
- Published time: March 16, 2014 12:33Edited time: March 17, 2014 16:29Dmytro Yarosh.(Reuters / David Mdzinarishvili)
- The leader of ultranationalist group Right Sector, Dmitry Yarosh, has threatened to destroy Russian pipelines on Ukrainian territory if a diplomatic solution is not reached with Moscow.
- In a fiery address loaded warmongering rhetoric, Yarosh told his followers they should be ready to resist the Russian ''occupiers.'' The leader of the Right Sector made his address to the coup-appointed government in Kiev, as Crimeans made their way to ballots Sunday to vote to join with Russia or to remain within Ukraine.
- ''We cannot allow the enemy to carry out a blitzkrieg attack on Ukrainian territory. We mustn't forget that Russia makes money sending its oil through our pipelines to the West. We will destroy these pipelines and deprive our enemy of its source of income,'' Yarosh said.
- Continuing the bellicose rhetoric, Yarosh appealed to his followers, urging them to take up arms against Russia, if a diplomatic solution cannot be reached.
- Yarosh said that Crimea was too small to satisfy the appetite of the ''Russian Empire,'' and that the Kremlin would seek to take over the whole of Ukraine.
- ''Let the ground burn under the feet of the occupiers! Let them choke on their own blood when they attack our territory! Not one step back! We will not allow Moscow's beserk, totalitarian regime to spark a Third World War!''
- The phrase ''Not one step back!'' was used in a famous order by Joseph Stalin during WWII and became a popular slogan for the Soviet people's resistance against the Nazis. Yarosh's use of this particular rhetoric attracted attention from many observers, given that the members of his Right Sector group are known to use Nazi insignia.
- Russia put Yarosh on an international wanted list and charged him with inciting terrorism after he urged Chechen terrorist leader Doku Umarov to launch attacks on Russia over the Ukrainian conflict.
- Yarosh has declared his intentions of running for Ukrainian president in May.
- The Right Sector movement, an amalgamation of several far-right groups, was formed in November 2013.
- Members of the radical movement were very active in the violence which triggered the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovich. The Right Sector refused to recognize the Feb. 21 agreement between Yanukovich and the opposition leaders, and declared that they would fight him until his ouster.
- Right Sector's fighters used clubs, petrol bombs and firearms against the Ukrainian police. Even after the coup, some members of the movement continued to use rifles and pistols.
- Last week, a proposal was submitted to the Ukrainian parliament, suggesting that Right Sector be transformed into a regular unit of the armed forces.
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- Crimea Spring'...Putin Hails Constitutional Democracy
- Crimea Spring'...Putin Hails Constitutional DemocracyBy Brother Nathanael KapnerMarch 18, 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___________________________________
- A TURNING EVENT in world affairs took place in St George's Hall in Russia's Kremlin.Ignoring Kerry's and Merkel's sanctions, Vladimir Putin signed a treaty today making Crimea part of Russia once again.
- Basking amidst countless standing ovations from both chambers of the Russian Federation Council, Putin told the world that ''relations'' with the brotherly Ukrainian people have ''always been and will always remain'' of paramount importance to Russia.
- Affirming that the referendum in the Crimea took place in full compliance with democratic procedures, Putin noted that memory and custom bound Russia and Crimea together.
- ''There is ancient Chersonesos there, where Holy Prince Vladimir was baptized,'' said Putin. ''His spiritual struggle - an appeal to Orthodoxy - predestined common cultural values and a civilizational framework that will unite the peoples of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.''
- Landing a blow on the head of the Jewish-ruled West's efforts to destroy Orthodox Christianity in Ukraine, Putin noted that ''repeated attempts'' to deprive the Russians of their historical memory and their mother tongue made them an object of forced assimilation.
- And letting the head of the Jew-infested US State Department, John Kerry, and his Jew-director of regime change in Kiev, Victoria Nuland (born Nudelman), know in uncertain terms, that the ''primary executors of the coup'' were Russophobes, ultra-nationalists, and radicals who are now determining the course of Ukraine, Putin landed the fatal blow.
- ''There is no legitimate executive power in Ukraine,'' Putin reminded Russia's civil officials and representatives. ''There is no one to conduct a conversation with.''
- ''To see ministers of the current Ukrainian government, one requires permission from Maidan militants. This is no joke, this is the reality of life today,'' concluded Putin. View Entire StoryHere & Here.
- In contrast to Putin's celebration of constitutional democracy, Jew-ruled heads of America and the EU (Obama and Merkel) reviled the democratic moment in Crimea.
- If America and the EU claim to be champions of democracy, why won't they affirm the Crimean people's right of self-determination via the democratic referendum that just took place in which the overwhelming majority voted to join Russia?
- IT'S BECAUSE JEWS, who dictate foreign policy in America and Europe, FEAR Vladimir Putin like few others in modern history.
- He's righteous, he's smart, and to Jewry's enraged accursed temper, he's a loyal member of the Orthodox Church, of which, Jews hate with a demonic passion. (Jews don't just hate Russian Orthodoxy but all of the Orthodox Church starting with Jesus Christ.)
- Just mention the ''Russian Orthodox Church'' to a Jew and phantoms of pogroms and processionals of crosses appear before his jaundiced eye.
- Why is it then that wherever you look in the Jew-owned press, pictures of Putin with LYING headlines and texts are blazoned before the eyes of the goyim masses?
- Does Putin care? No. National interests take precedence over what pleases democracy-hating, Christ-slaying Jews.
- ___________________________________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 18, 2014
-
- NAZI PROVOCATEURS 'KILL TWO IN CRIMEA'.
- On 18 March 2014, an unknown sniper' killed a 'self-defense member' (presumably pro-Russia) and a Ukrainian soldier near a military research centre in Crimea.
- 2 killed in shooting near Crimea military research center, sniper suspected
- The 'suspected sniper' opened fire in two directions from a partially inhabited building near the military research centre in Simferopol.
- The Kryminform news agency, citing an unnamed local police source, reports shooting came from a house under construction opposite the centre and targeted Crimean self-defense units as well the military centre itself.
- According to a government source: "Earlier today self-defense units were informed that a group of armed men had been discovered in a partially inhabited building.
- "As they were taking measures to check, self-defense units came under fire."Staff inside the military centre confirmed that the shooting came from a nearby house under construction.
- Earlier, Ukrainian servicemen reported that, on the previous night, unknown groups tried to break into several military bases, but self-defense units (pro-Russia) managed to prevent them from entering.
- Kryminform's police source did not rule out that anti-Russian provocateurs are at work.
- The government of Ukraine (Nazi-Nato) claim that "Russian soldiers started shooting at Ukrainian servicemen"."This is a war crime," Ukraine's Prime-Monster Arse Yatsenyuk told a meeting at the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
- Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who remains the darling of the neocons, is known for harbouring and giving sanction to a large child pornography industry.Azov Films, of Toronto and Stafford Virginia, used primarily Russian and Ukrainian children from poor families or orphanages.
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- Israeli gas could benefit EU, but won't eliminate dependence on Russia, experts say | JPost | Israel News
- Offshore Leviathan gas field. Photo: (Albatross)
- Although a Europe seeking to diversify its natural gas sources could potentially benefit from turning to the Eastern Mediterranean reservoirs, the continent's dependency on Russian supplies will remain for the foreseeable future, experts say.Gas exports from Israel to Europe would be ''nice to have, but Europe will remain very dependent on Russian gas, and its dependence will probably grow as its own indigenous supplies dwindle,'' Gina Cohen, a lecturer at the Technion's Natural Gas and Petroleum Engineering Graduate Study Program and a consultant in the gas industry, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
- As of now, Israel has approximately 400 billion cu.m. worth of proven gas reserves that are eligible for export.
- When divided into about 15 billion cu.m. annually, these quantities could be characterized as beneficial but non-essential for Europe, Cohen said.
- Meanwhile, due to the fact that Israel can receive much higher prices by exporting gas to Asia rather than to Europe '' as well as additional interests presented by its vying Cypriot and Turkish neighbors '' there is no guarantee that Israel would choose to sell to Europe over the Far Eastern markets.
- An examination of the European gas market by the International Energy Agency revealed that Europe imported about 167.2 billion cu.m.
- of natural gas from Russia in 2013 '' a roughly 13 percent increase from 2012 '' and 82.3 billion cu.m. traveled via Ukraine. Imports from North Africa amounted to about 48.5 billion cu.m., from Iran and Azerbaijan collectively to about 13 billion cu.m. and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to about 45.8 billion cu.m., the IEA reported.
- ''We do see the fields in the Eastern Mediterranean as [having] potential and we feel that they can contribute not only to the security of the region but to the entire EU,'' a European Commission official told the Post on Thursday. ''We, from the Commission's point of view, see that this gas might play a role in the EU's diversification policy, but it's too early at this stage.''
- In the wake of the upheaval between Russia and Ukraine, Russian state-owned gas giant Gazprom Management Committee chairman Alexey Miller informed Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday that the company would no longer provide gas discounts to Ukraine beginning in April.
- After hearing about Ukraine's $1.529 billion debt to Gazprom Medvedev called the company's decision ''completely justified,'' according to a statement from Gazprom.
- All EU energy ministers, and EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger met on Tuesday, and among other issues, discussed energy supply issues against the backdrop of the Ukrainian crisis, a European Commission official told the Post.
- In a press conference that followed, Oettinger addressed steps that the EU has taken in recent years to decrease dependence on Russian supplies and to increase security via diversification of supply and by building and upgrading energy infrastructure that ''flexibly moves gas within and around Europe.''
- ''We need more people supplying, we need a diversification strategy,'' Oettinger said. ''We need LNG coming in with new terminals, we need to connect to Europe.''
- Oettinger stressed that although the EU's strategy regarding natural gas remains geared toward diversification, this cannot mean an abandonment of all Russian gas.
- ''We have mutual dependence '' we need Russian gas for our market at the moment and Russians need money from Europe for Gazprom and the state budget,'' he said. ''So we don't want to call into question these gas deliveries.''
- Across the Atlantic Ocean, United States Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) called for the hastening of American gas export policy approvals.
- During a House address on Wednesday, Boehner quoted a recent Energy and Commerce Committee report saying that ''by becoming a natural gas exporter, the US can supplant the influence of other exporters like Russia and Iran.''
- Like Boehner, House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Fred Upton (R-Michigan) slammed the Department of Energy's slow approval process for LNG exports, saying that this is ''unnecessarily putting our allies at the mercy of Vladimir Putin.''
- As far as Russia and Europe are concerned, however, a ''mutual dependence'' is likely to remain, Cohen said.
- Yet although imports from Russia continue to increase due to lower indigenous supplies, European demand for gas has also grown flat due to greater storage capacity, improved bi-directional gas infrastructure, warmer weather, usage of renewables and cheap coal purchased from the US, she added.
- While Russia is trying it preserve its ''historical client,'' Europe, it has also been aiming to penetrate the Chinese market for the past 10 years, but any agreement has yet to be signed, Cohen said.
- ''In the meantime, Europe has been increasing purchases from Russia,'' she said. ''The issue of interdependence between buyer and seller is paramount in that seller is just as dependent on money '' sometimes more '' than the buyer is on gas.''
- As Europe looks to other outlets to diversify its gas intake, the Eastern Mediterranean reservoirs can potentially play a role, as the European market is steady and increasingly dependent on imports, according to Cohen.
- ''The price in Europe is of course much cheaper than in Asia, but there is no guarantee that the Asian price premium '' beyond the price of transportation '' will persist,'' she said. ''And so Israel has to look at what is happening around the world to understand the trends and options.''
- Jerusalem Post Annual Conference. Buy it now, Special offer. Come meet Israel's top leaders
-
- ROUTE AROUND-'Gazprom proposes to develop Crimea's oil and gas '-- RT Business
- Published time: March 18, 2014 14:13AFP Photo / Yuri Kadobnov
- Gazprom has requested permission from the Crimean authorities to develop oil and gas fields, Crimea's first Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Temirgaliev said Tuesday.
- "Of course, Gazprom was the first to approach us with a proposal," RIA news quotes Temirgaliev.
- The Crimea is one of the largest regions in the Black Sea in terms of production of oil and gas. ''It extracts now about 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas a year" Temirgaliev remarked. In 2013 production increased by 40 percent due to the opening up of the Odessa and Stormovoe fields on a shelf of the Black Sea.
- "The Crimea as part of the Kerch area has one of the largest oil and gas deposits in the Black Sea region, according to geological surveys," the first Deputy Prime Minister of the Crimea added.
- Earlier the chairman of the Supreme Council of the Crimea Vladimir Konstantinov said that the role of exploration and production of oil and gas in the Crimea should be given to Russian companies. It was then reported that gas inventories in the Glebovsky gas storage are in the west of the Crimea would last the peninsula a year.
- Sunday's Crimea referendum showed 96.77 percent of participants voted for the republic to become part of the Russian Federation. On Monday the parliament of Crimea made the decision to transition Ukrainian state assets located in the territory of the republic, including the subsoil, to Crimean control.
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- Ukraine: Unexpected Oil Find, Major Gas Interest
- Bottom Line: We see a flurry of activity in Ukraine, with a $735 million Black Sea commitment by Exxon, an unexpected 100 million barrel oil find in the Poltava region and new estimates that the country could achieve annual gas production of 45 billion cubic meters by 2020.
- Analysis: First, Ukraine's state-run oil and gas company Naftogaz on 11 July announced the discovery of an oil field in the eastern/central Poltava region that reportedly contains some 13 million tons of oil, or 100 million barrels of oil. This is the biggest oil find in Ukraine in a decade and a half. The Budishchansko-Chutovskoye oil field is fully owned by Naftogaz, and is the only field fully owned by the state-run company.
- The news for Ukraine gets even better this week, though. Exxon Mobil Corp is ready to invest $735 million to drill two deep-water wells offshore Ukraine in the Black Sea ($335 million in a signing bonus for the government and a $400 million commitment for seismic surveys and drilling). This is an amazing show of confidence by Exxon in Ukraine's Black Sea.
- Finally, ExxonMobil has given Ukraine another public boost with a new estimate that the country's onshore and offshore gas reserves could help it reach production of 45 billion cubic meters by 2020.
- Recommendation: We suggest very closely monitoring Exxon's progress as it prepares to explore in Ukraine's Black Sea, in the deep marine Skifiske gas field. (Right'...
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- NA-Tech
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- ICANN SCAM
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- U.S. to relinquish remaining control over the Internet - The Washington Post
- By Craig Timberg, Published: MARCH 14, 5:19 PM ETE-mail the writer Aa U.S. officials announced plans Friday to relinquish federal government control over the administration of the Internet, a move that pleased international critics but alarmed some business leaders and others who rely on the 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 last year to revelations about National Security Agency surveillance.
- The change would end the long-running contract between the Commerce Department and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a California-based nonprofit group. That contract is set to expire next year but could be extended if the transition plan is not complete.
- ''We look forward to ICANN convening stakeholders across the global Internet community to craft an appropriate transition plan,'' Lawrence E. Strickling, assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information, said in a statement.
- The announcement received a passionate response, with some groups quickly embracing the change and others blasting it.
- In a statement, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) called the move ''consistent with other efforts the U.S. and our allies are making to promote a free and open Internet, and to preserve and advance the current multi-stakeholder model of global Internet governance.''
- But former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) tweeted: ''What is the global internet community that Obama wants to turn the internet over to? This risks foreign dictatorships defining the internet.''
- The practical consequences of the decision were harder to immediately discern, especially with the details of the transition not yet clear. Politically, the move could alleviate rising global concerns that the United States essentially controls the Web and takes advantage of its oversight position to help spy on the rest of the world.
- U.S. officials set several conditions and an indeterminate timeline for the transition from federal government authority, saying a new oversight system must be developed and win the trust of crucial stakeholders around the world. An international meeting to discuss the future of Internet is scheduled to start on March 23 in Singapore.
- The move's critics called the decision hasty and politically tinged, and voiced significant doubts about the fitness of ICANN to operate without U.S. oversight and beyond the bounds of U.S. law.
- ''This is a purely political bone that the U.S. is throwing,'' said Garth Bruen, a security fellow at the Digital Citizens Alliance, a Washington-based advocacy group that combats online crime. ''ICANN has made a lot of mistakes, and ICANN has not really been a good steward.''
- Business groups and some others have long complained that ICANN's decision-making was dominated by the interests of the industry that sells domain names and whose fees provide the vast majority of ICANN's revenue. The U.S. government contract was a modest check against such abuses, critics said.
- ''It's inconceivable that ICANN can be accountable to the whole world. That's the equivalent of being accountable to no one,'' said Steve DelBianco, executive director of NetChoice, a trade group representing major Internet commerce businesses.
- U.S. officials said their decision had nothing to do with the NSA spying revelations and the worldwide controversy they sparked, saying there had been plans since ICANN's creation in 1998 to eventually migrate it to international control.
- ''The timing is now right to start this transition both because ICANN as an organization has matured, and international support continues to grow for the multistakeholder model of Internet governance,'' Strickling said in a statement.
- Although ICANN is based in Southern California, governments worldwide have a say in the group's decisions through an oversight body. ICANN in 2009 made an ''Affirmation of Commitments'' to the Commerce Department that covers several key issues.
- Fadi Chehade, president of ICANN, disputed many of the complaints about the transition plan and promised an open, inclusive process to find a new international oversight structure for the group.
- ''Nothing will be done in any way to jeopardize the security and stability of the Internet,'' he said.
- The United States has long maintained authority over elements of the Internet, which grew from a Defense Department program that started in the 1960s. The relationship between the United States and ICANN has drawn wider international criticism in recent years, in part because big American companies such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft play such a central role in the Internet's worldwide functioning. The NSA revelations exacerbated those concerns.
- ''This is a step in the right direction to resolve 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 dot-com, dot-edu and dot-gov '-- and ensure that the various companies and universities involved in directing digital traffic do so safely.
- Concern about ICANN's stewardship has spiked in recent years amid a massive and controversial expansion that is adding hundreds of new domains, such as dot-book, dot-gay and dot-sucks, to the Internet's infrastructure. More than 1,000 new domains are slated to be made available, pumping far more fee revenue into ICANN.
- Major corporations have complained, however, that con artists already swarm the Internet with phony Web sites designed to look like the authentic offerings of respected brands.
- ''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.''
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- Internet Technical Leaders Welcome IANA Globalization Progress | ICANN
- The leaders of the Internet technical organizations responsible for coordination of the Internet infrastructure (IETF, IAB, RIRs, ccTLD ROs, ICANN, ISOC, and W3C), welcome the US Government's announcement of the suggested changes related to the IANA functions contract.
- The roles on policy development processes of the Internet technical organizations and ICANN's role as administrator of the IANA functions, remain unchanged.
- The transition of the US Government stewardship has been envisaged since the early days of IANA functions contract. This transition is now feasible due to the maturity of the Internet technical organizations involved in performing their respective roles related to the IANA functions, and ICANN will facilitate a global, multi-stakeholder process to plan for the transition.
- The strength and stability of the IANA functions within the above organizations (which make up the Internet technical community) are critical to the operation of the Internet. The processes around the IANA functions have always been carefully specified in the communities that our organizations represent. The IANA functions are faithfully administered by ICANN. We are committed to continuing our proven, community-driven processes as we engage in this transition. Our communities are already considering proposals to progress the transition.
- Our organizations are committed to open and transparent multi-stakeholder processes. We are also committed to further strengthening our processes and agreements related to the IANA functions, and to building on the existing organizations and their roles. The Internet technical community is strong enough to continue its role, while assuming the stewardship function as it transitions from the US Government.
- Participating LeadersAdiel A. Akplogan, CEO African Network Information Center (AFRINIC)Barrack Otieno, Manager, The African Top Level Domains Organization (AFTLD)Paul Wilson, Director General Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC)Don Hollander, General Manager Asia Pacific Top Level Domain Association (APTLD)John Curran, CEO American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN)Peter Van Roste, General Manager, Council for European National Top Level Domain Registries (CENTR)Russ Housley, Chair Internet Architecture Board (IAB)Fadi Chehad(C), President and CEO Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)Jari Arkko, Chair Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)Kathy Brown, President and CEO Internet Society (ISOC)Raºl Echeberra, CEO Latin America and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC)Carolina Aguerre, General Manager, Latin American and Caribbean TLD Association (LACTLD)Axel Pawlik, Managing Director R(C)seaux IP Europ(C)ens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC)Jeff Jaffe, CEO World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
- Its much worse than inter governmental - its commercial-GOOGLE!
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- Clinton ICANN directive
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- ICANN Transition plan
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- NTIA Announces Intent to Transition Key Internet Domain Name Functions | NTIA
- WASHINGTON '' To support and enhance the multistakeholder model of Internet policymaking and governance, the U.S. Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) today announces its intent to transition key Internet domain name functions to the global multistakeholder community. As the first step, NTIA is asking the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to convene global stakeholders to develop a proposal to transition the current role played by NTIA in the coordination of the Internet's domain name system (DNS).
- NTIA's responsibility includes the procedural role of administering changes to the authoritative root zone file '' the database containing the lists of names and addresses of all top-level domains '' as well as serving as the historic steward of the DNS. NTIA currently contracts with ICANN to carry out the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions and has a Cooperative Agreement with Verisign under which it performs related root zone management functions. Transitioning NTIA out of its role marks the final phase of the privatization of the DNS as outlined by the U.S. Government in 1997.
- ''The timing is right to start the transition process,'' said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Lawrence E. Strickling. ''We look forward to ICANN convening stakeholders across the global Internet community to craft an appropriate transition plan.''
- ICANN is uniquely positioned, as both the current IANA functions contractor and the global coordinator for the DNS, as the appropriate party to convene the multistakeholder process to develop the transition plan. NTIA has informed ICANN that it expects that in the development of the proposal, ICANN will work collaboratively with the directly affected parties, including the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the Internet Architecture Board (IAB), the Internet Society (ISOC), the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), top level domain name operators, VeriSign, and other interested global stakeholders.
- NTIA has communicated to ICANN that the transition proposal must have broad community support and address the following four principles:
- Support and enhance the multistakeholder model;Maintain the security, stability, and resiliency of the Internet DNS;Meet the needs and expectation of the global customers and partners of the IANA services; and,Maintain the openness of the Internet.Consistent with the clear policy expressed in bipartisan resolutions of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives (S.Con.Res.50 and H.Con.Res.127), which affirmed the United States support for the multistakeholder model of Internet governance, NTIA will not accept a proposal that replaces the NTIA role with a government-led or an inter-governmental organization solution.
- From the inception of ICANN, the U.S. Government and Internet stakeholders envisioned that the U.S. role in the IANA functions would be temporary. The Commerce Department's June 10, 1998 Statement of Policy stated that the U.S. Government ''is committed to a transition that will allow the private sector to take leadership for DNS management.'' ICANN as an organization has matured and taken steps in recent years to improve its accountability and transparency and its technical competence. At the same time, international support continues to grow for the multistakeholder model of Internet governance as evidenced by the continued success of the Internet Governance Forum and the resilient stewardship of the various Internet institutions.
- While stakeholders work through the ICANN-convened process to develop a transition proposal, NTIA's current role will remain unchanged. The current IANA functions contract expires September 30, 2015.
- For further information see: IANA Functions and Related Root Zone Management Transition Questions and Answers
- NTIA is the Executive Branch agency that advises the President on telecommunications and information policy issues. NTIA's programs and policymaking focus largely on expanding broadband Internet access and adoption in America, expanding the use of spectrum by all users, and ensuring that the Internet remains an engine for continued innovation and economic growth. To find out more about NTIA, visit www.ntia.doc.gov.
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- New United Nations Alert '' Obama Handing Over Internet To Global Authority By 2015
- Readers of DOMINATUS already know I don't utilize the term ''New United Nations'' lightly, but with this latest move by the Obama administration (announced late on Friday) to further empower an international body with powers that will supersede those of the United States Constitution, it is, sadly, both a term and a warning that is all to appropriate for what is happening all around us.
- U.S. officials announced plans Friday to relinquish federal government control over the administration of the Internet, a move that pleased international critics but alarmed some business leaders and others who rely on the 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 last year to revelations about National Security Agency surveillance.
- The change would end the long-running contract between the Commerce Department and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a California-based nonprofit group. That contract is set to expire next year but could be extended if the transition plan is not complete. LINK
- The Daily Caller issued this warning regarding the Obama administration's plan to hand over Internet authority to perhaps the single most corrupt and dangerous organization on the planet. PLEASE READ THIS SEGMENT:
- The U.S. government's plan to give away authority over the Internet's core architecture to the ''global Internet community'' could endanger the security of both the Internet and the U.S. '-- and open the door to a global tax on Web use.
- ''U.S. management of the internet has been exemplary and there is no reason to give this away '-- especially in return for nothing,'' former Bush administration State Department senior advisor Christian Whiton told The Daily Caller. ''This is the Obama equivalent of Carter's decision to give away the Panama Canal '-- only with possibly much worse consequences.''
- The U.S. Commerce Department announced late Friday it would relinquish control of The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) '-- the organization charged with managing domain names, assigning Internet protocol addresses and other crucial Web functions '-- after its current contract expires next year.
- ''While the Obama administration says it is merely removing federal oversight of a non-profit, we should assume ICANN would end up as part of the United Nations,'' Whiton said. ''If the U.N. gains control what amounts to the directory and traffic signals of the Internet, it can impose whatever taxes it likes. It likely would start with a tax on registering domains and expand from there.'' LINK
- __________________________________
- For all who yearn for liberty and freedom, their story is our story'...
- ''Fellow patriots take notice, Mr. Ulsterman has penned prophecy!'' -Dr. L. Darryl Armstrong
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- Board of Directors | ICANN
- Board CommitteesAudit | Board Governance | Compensation | Executive | Finance | Risk | Structural Improvements
- Note: ending dates for current Board terms are approximate; actual terms conclude either at or six months after the conclusion of ICANN's annual meetings. Please refer to ICANN Bylaws Article VI, Section 8 http://www.icann.org/en/about/governance/bylaws#VI-8 for complete details.
- Former DirectorsWith term ending:
- 2013Judith Duavit Vazquez | October 2011 '' October 2013
- Bertrand de La Chapelle | December 2010 '' November 2013
- Thomas Narten | IETF Liaison, July 2005 '' July 2013
- Francisco da Silva | TLG Liaison 2012 '' 2013
- 2012Thomas Roessler | TLG Liaison, October 2011 '' October 2012
- R. Ramaraj | December 2006 '' October 2012
- Akram Atallah | July 2012 '' September 2012
- Rod Beckstrom | July 2009 '' July 2012
- 2011Peter Dengate Thrush | January 2005 '' June 2011
- Rita Rodin Johnston | June 2006 '' June 2011
- Reinhard Scholl | TLG Liaison, December 2010 '' October 2011
- Katim Seringe Touray | November 2008 '' October 2011
- 2010Harald Tveit Alvestrand | November 2007 '' December 2010
- Raimundo Beca | May 2004 '' April 2010
- Dennis Jennings | November 2007 '' December 2010
- Janis Karklins | March 2007 '' 25 June 2010
- Vanda Scartezini | ALAC Liaison, October 2009 '' December 2010
- Jonne Soininen | TLG Liaison, October 2009 '' December 2010
- Jean-Jacques Subrenat | November 2007 '' December 2010
- 2009Roberto Gaetano | December 2006 '' October 2009; ALAC Liaison, 2003 '' December 2006
- Demi Getschko | 2005 '' 7 May 2009
- Steve Goldstein | December 2006 '' October 2009
- Thomas Roessler | TLG Liaison, November 2008 '' October 2009
- Wendy Seltzer | ALAC Liaison, October 2007 '' October 2009
- Paul Twomey | 27 March 2003 '' 30 June 2009
- Dave Wodelet | May 2006 '' 7 May 2009
- 2008Susan Crawford | December 2005 '' November 2008
- Njeri Rionge | June 2003 '' November 2008
- Reinhard Scholl | TLG Liaison, 2008
- 2007Vittorio Bertola | ALAC Liaison, until November 2007
- Vint G. Cerf | November 1999 '' November 2007; Chair, November 2000 '' November 2007
- Joichi Ito | December 2004 '' November 2007
- Alejandro Pisanty | until June 2007
- Vanda Scartezini | December 2004 '' November 2007
- Francisco A. Jesus Silva, | until June 2003; as TLG Liaison until Feb 2005; as TLG Liaison, 2007
- Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi, Governmental Advisory Committee Liaison | December 2004 '' March 2007
- 2006Daniel Dardailler, TLG Liaison, 2006
- Mouhamet Diop | until June 2006
- Hagen Hultzsch | until December 2006
- Veni Markovski | June 2003 '' December 2006
- Michael D. Palage | April 2003 '' April 2006
- Hualin Qian | June 2003 '' December 2006
- 2005John Klensin, IETF Liaison | until June 2005
- Thomas Niles | June 2003 '' December 2005
- Richard Thwaites, TLG Liaison, 2005
- 2004Ivan Moura Campos | until December 2004
- Lyman Chapin | October 2001 '' May 2004
- Tricia Drakes | June 2003 '' December 2004
- 2003Amadeu Abril i Abril | November 1999 '' 26 June 2003
- Karl Auerbach | until June 2003
- Jonathan Cohen | November 1999 '' June 2003
- Masanobu Katoh | November 2000 '' October 2003
- Hans Kraaijenbrink | October 1998 '' June 2003
- Sang-Hyon Kyong | until June 2003
- M. Stuart Lynn President/CEO | March 2001 '' March 2003
- Andy Mueller-Maguhn | November 2000 '' June 2003
- Jun Murai | October 1998 '' June 2003
- Nii Quaynor | October 2000 '' June 2003
- Helmut Schink | until June 2003
- Linda S. Wilson | October 1998 '-- June 2003
- 2002Robert Blokzijl | October 1999 '' 15 December 2002
- Philip Davidson | October 1999 '' 2 April 2002
- Frank Fitzsimmons | October 1998 '' 15 December 2002
- 2001Ken Fockler | October 1999 '' September 2001
- Michael Roberts President/CEO | October 1998 '' March 2001
- 2000Jean-Fran§ois Abramatic | October 1999 '' September 2000
- Geraldine Capdeboscq | October 1998 '' November 2000
- George Conrades | October 1998 '' November 2000
- Greg Crew | October 1998 '' November 2000
- Esther Dyson | October 1998 '' Chairman until November 2000
- Eugenio Triana | October 1998 '' November 2000
- Pindar Wong | until September 2000
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- Fadi Chehad(C) | President and CEO | ICANN
- Mr. Chehade is President and CEO of ICANN
- Fadi Chehad(C)'s career has been defined by building consensus and promoting collaborative technologies and practices. He has more than 25 years of experience in building and leading progressive Internet enterprises, leveraging relationships with senior executives and government officials across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States.
- Chehad(C), age 50, is a citizen of Egypt, Lebanon, and the United States. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to Egyptian parents and left the then war-torn country in 1980 at the age of 18. He speaks fluent Arabic, English, French, and Italian.
- Most recently he served as Chief Executive Officer of Vocado LLC, a U.S. firm that is a provider of cloud-based software for the administration of educational institutions.
- Prior to Vocado, Chehad(C) was CEO of CoreObjects Software, Inc., a leader in new product software development services for both large and growing companies. He oversaw the expansion of the company to include more than 400 engineers and its successful acquisition by Symphony Services.
- Prior to his role at CoreObjects, Chehad(C) served as the General Manager of IBM's Global Technology Services in the Middle East and North Africa. Based in Dubai, he led a team across an emerging region experiencing high growth. He also built and managed a new global business for IBM, providing managed services to large clients in telecommunications, aerospace and retail to improve the accuracy, depth and timeliness of business information visibility across demand and supply chains.
- Chehad(C) founded and has led three companies since 1987:
- Viacore, launched in 1999, was the world's leading B2B process integration hub offering a complete solution of specialized software and services for global 500 companies. In 2006 he led Vicaore's successful acquisition by IBM.RosettaNet, a non-profit multi-stakeholder company founded in 1997. Chehad(C) rallied all the leading ICT companies in the world including IBM, HP, Microsoft, SAP, Nokia and Oracle to collaborate on B2B standards. RosettaNet became the high-technology industry's leading eBusiness standards consortium. RosettaNet adopted a multi-stakeholder approach to define and standardize a complete inter-company process language, enabling the ICT sector to use the Internet for real-time process synchronization between thousands of trading partners.Nett Information Products, launched in 1987 to create and develop an Internet-based content management and sharing solution, successfully weaving hundreds of ICT suppliers and thousands of their resellers into a powerful collaborative business web of applications and content. Ingram Micro the world's largest ICT distributor acquired Nett, where Chehad(C) became vice president of its Customer Information Services Group.Chehad(C) is a graduate of Stanford University, where he earned a master's degree in Engineering Management. He earlier earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from Polytechnic University in New York, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.
- Fadi Chehad(C) is also the founder of Nilorado, a youth organization raising funds to support schools for handicapped children in Upper Egypt, also delivering bicycles to boys and girls from needy families in that region who otherwise cannot reach their schools.
- Chehad(C) lives in Los Angeles with his wife of 25 years. They are the parents of two adult sons.
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- About the Internet Governance Forum
- Paragraph 72 of the Tunis Agenda:
- 72. We ask the UN Secretary-General, in an open and inclusive process, to convene, by the second quarter of 2006, a meeting of the new forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue'--called the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). The mandate of the Forum is to:
- Discuss public policy issues related to key elements of Internet governance in order to foster the sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development of the Internet;Facilitate discourse between bodies dealing with different cross-cutting international public policies regarding the Internet and discuss issues that do not fall within the scope of any existing body;Interface with appropriate inter-governmental organizations and other institutions on matters under their purview;Facilitate the exchange of information and best practices, and in this regard make full use of the expertise of the academic, scientific and technical communities;Advise all stakeholders in proposing ways and means to accelerate the availability and affordability of the Internet in the developing world;Strengthen and enhance the engagement of stakeholders in existing and/or future Internet governance mechanisms, particularly those from developing countries;Identify emerging issues, bring them to the attention of the relevant bodies and the general public, and, where appropriate, make recommendations;Contribute to capacity building for Internet governance in developing countries, drawing fully on local sources of knowledge and expertise;Promote and assess, on an ongoing basis, the embodiment of WSIS principles in Internet governance processes;Discuss, inter alia, issues relating to critical Internet resources;Help to find solutions to the issues arising from the use and misuse of the Internet, of particular concern to everyday users;Publish its proceedings
- Please do not hesitate to contact the IGF Secretariat should you have any concerns or questions about the Internet Governance Forum.
- Chengetai Masango, Programme and Technology Manager.
- Adam Peake, Part-time Consultant.
- Brian Gutterman, Consultant.
- Vacancies at the IGF Secretariat
- Webmaster - Apply before 14 February 2014
- Internship at the IGF Secretariat
- Fellowship Programme at the IGF Secretariat
- The IGF fellowship programme provides an opportunity for those active in the field of Internet governance, to work at the IGF Secretariat for three months. The nominations should be submitted through national and regional IGF initiatives. Preference is given to nominees from least developed Countries (LDC's), developing countries and transitional economies. Names submitted through this process are kept on a roster. Unfortunately due to the large number of applications the Secretariat can only contact those that are shortlisted in a particular cycle. For further information about the fellowship programme please contact the IGF Secretariat at igf[at]unog.ch
- United NationsSecretariat of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF)Dependance La PelousePalais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10Switzerland
- Tel.: +41 (0) 229 175 778
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- ICANN Strategic and Operating Plan Process | ICANN
- ICANN produces a three-year Strategic Plan (reviewed and updated annually), along with a framework for the draft Operating Plan and Budget, and an annual Operating Plan.
- The ICANN planning process is continuous and allows for an overlapping of its three components:
- Strategic Plan, which is developed with community input usually between July and FebruaryFramework for the Operating Plan and Budget that begins in December with community input and target settingDraft Operating Plan and Budget that is posted by 17 May of each year for final community reviewThis year's approved Strategic Plan 2012-2015 [PDF, 864 KB] '' adopted by the ICANN Board during the Special Meeting of the Board of Directors held in Amsterdam on 6 May 2012.
- The Strategic Plan feeds into the Operating Plan and Budget and helps to define ICANN's yearly goals and priorities.
- Strategic Plan DocumentsOperating Plan Documents
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- Nonprofit Report for ANNENBERG FOUNDATION TRUST AT SUNNYLANDS
- Basic Organization InformationANNENBERG FOUNDATION TRUST AT SUNNYLANDS
- Physical Address:Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 EIN:25-6774871NTEE Category:W Public, Society Benefit W20 (Government and Public Administration) Ruling Year:2004 Sign in or create an account to see this organization's full address, contact information, and more!
- Mission StatementThis organization has not provided a mission statement.
- Forms 990 Provided by the NonprofitFinancial StatementsAudited Financial Statement is not available for this organization.
- Highest Paid Employees & Their CompensationHighest Paid Employee data is not available for this organization.
- Program:Budget:--Category:Population Served:Program Description:
- Program Long-Term Success:
- Program Short-Term Success:
- Program Success Monitored by:
- Program Success Examples:
- Impact Summary from the NonprofitThis organization has not provided an impact summary.
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- Sunnylands:About
- In 2001, Walter and Leonore Annenberg established The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands to "address serious issues facing the nation and the world community." They envisioned Sunnylands as a place where intimate and solution-driven meetings could take place as they had while the couple were alive.
- In the years after it was established, the Trust developed programs focusing on improving civics education, developed and disseminated information on the treatment of adolescent mental disorders, increased communication among and impact of Annenberg-funded organizations, and held retreats to improve the functioning of democratic institutions. It is this history that forms the bedrock of the current retreat programming. Prior to her death in 2009, Leonore Annenberg began to build a spectacular new 17,000-square-foot building and nine-acre garden that would provide additional space for retreats and meetings as well as a place for the public to learn of the historic significance of Sunnylands. Today, The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating entity governed by a nine-member Board of Trustees composed of the children and grandchildren of Leonore and Walter Annenberg. The Trustees and staff, led by President Geoffrey Cowan, are working together to create what the Annenbergs envisioned: a 200-acre estate and historic residence that provides a place of tranquility and hospitality where national and international leaders from a range of fields''beginning with the President of the United States''may convene to "promote world peace and facilitate international agreement."
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- PANEL ON GLOBAL INTERNET COOPERATION AND GOVERNANCE MECHANISMS: CONTRIBUTION TO NETMUNDIAL
- PANEL ON GLOBAL INTERNET COOPERATION AND GOVERNANCE MECHANISMS: CONTRIBUTION TO NETMUNDIALAbstractThe Panel on Global Internet Cooperation and Governance Mechanisms has been assembled to provide input into the global debate on Internet governance. The Panel's work is evolving: a final report is anticipated for May 2014.The following contribution to NETMundial is derived from the Panel's current discussions. It consists of a set of Internet governance principles and outlines the Panel's current (and still evolving) effort to develop a roadmap for operationalizing these principles.
- DocumentPANEL ON GLOBAL INTERNET COOPERATION AND GOVERNANCE MECHANISMS: CONTRIBUTION TO NETMUNDIAL
- 1. Introduction and Framing
- 2. Internet Governance Principles
- 3. Roadmap to Operationalizing the Principles
- a) Issue-to-Solution Mapping
- b) National and Regional Internet Governance Structures
- f) Empowerment and Toolkitsî¾
- The Panel on Global Internet Cooperation and Governance Mechanisms has been assembled to provide input into the global debate on Internet governance. The Panel's work is evolving: a final report is anticipated for May 2014.
- The following contribution to NETMundial is derived from the Panel's current discussions. It consists of a set of Internet governance principles and outlines the Panel's current (and still evolving) effort to develop a roadmap for operationalizing these principles.
- The Internet is without doubt one of the largest cooperative effort ever undertaken by humankind. What allowed the emergence of this complex dynamic ecosystem is a common set of protocols, developed and continuously refined through open and participatory processes in an ecosystem of complementary technical institutions. As a result, it smoothly grew in a few decades to more than 3 billion users and will have to handle several additional billions of users and devices in the years to come.
- In addition, during the last two decades, the Internet has enabled a myriad of applications, the most visible of which is the World Wide Web. They have, to an extent never seen before, enabled people to ''seek, receive and impart information and ideas [...] regardless of frontiers'', as envisaged by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The end result is the creation of (cyber)spaces where a constantly growing part of humanity's social and economic interactions are now taking place.
- As the number and diversity of users increase, however, the cross-border nature of these interactions expose growing tensions with an international patchwork of social and legal norms, requiring structured mechanisms of cooperation to handle this issue. Furthermore, despite the availability and success of the many active and distributed Internet governance mechanisms, networks, and institutions, stakeholders still face challenges. For example, some stakeholders and governments from least developed countries find it difficult to determine where to turn to address their issues within the web of Internet governance. These stakeholders can have difficulty finding clear choices that directly address their most pressing concerns on a national and global level. This is especially the case with emerging non-technical issues. Such challenges contribute to these stakeholders feeling marginalized in global Internet governance.
- The Panel has identified eleven Internet governance principles that build upon a multistakeholder framework as the foundation for effective Internet governance.
- 1. An un-fragmented, interconnected, interoperable, secure, stable, resilient, sustainable, and trust-building Internet;
- 2. Distributed, lean, evolving, and adapting, and able to address issues in innovative ways;
- 3. Inclusive opportunity for participation and access for all stakeholders, representing multiple interests;
- 4. Respect for, and inclusion of, diverse interests and cultures;
- 5. No one single stakeholder, or category of stakeholders, dominates at the expense of others;
- 6. Decision-making is informed and enabled through bottom-up, transparent, and participatory stakeholder collaboration;
- 7. Seek to resolve issues at a level closest to their origin;
- 8. Serve the global public interest by placing good management, use, and evolution of the Internet above any individual interest in it;
- 9. Lower barriers to leverage the Internet as a global force for development and actively encourage its developmental role amongst stakeholders, especially the marginalized;
- 10. Support the fundamental rights and freedoms of all people affected by the Internet;
- 11. Accountable, transparent, and rooted in public stewardship;
- To ensure the continuing success of an Internet based on the principles described above, the global community must address three complementary challenges:
- First, the elaborate ecosystem of cooperating institutions governing the technical issues of the Internet must continue to evolve and globalize their participation and structures;
- Second, accessible and collaborative governance mechanisms are needed for the Internet's non-technical issues where possible, drawing on the lessons learned from the successful ecosystem of technical governance;
- Third, Internet governance capacities should be broadened and developed across all stakeholder categories at the global, regional, national, and local levels, thus empowering stakeholders to effectively navigate, participate, and address emerging issues in a distributed, collaborative, and dynamic Internet governance ecosystem;
- And fourth, as the Internet grows to include additional billions of users, the resulting increase in diversity risks exacerbating existing differences in social and legal norms. Accommodating this challenge will require a renewed effort at finding areas of commonality rather than discord and openness to accepting diversity as an opportunity for enrichment rather than as an pretext for division.
- The Panel is exploring a number of options to address these challenges.
- The following reflects the Panel's current and still evolving view on a roadmap forward to operationalize the Principles above:
- a) Issue-to-Solution Mapping
- New mechanisms to map issues to solutions are needed.
- Such mechanisms help stakeholders map issues to appropriate institutions or governance networks that are addressing the issues at a global, regional, national, or local level.
- Such mapping would solve the often-cited difficulty especially in least developed countries with limited resources to navigate the growing complexity of the Internet governance ecosystem. Issue mapping would also assist in identifying gaps in current institutions or governance networks and address the concerns that arise as a result of a multitude of choices, or not enough clear choices, that directly respond to stakeholders' most pressing concerns.
- When a new issue emerges, these mechanisms effectively identify and engage the relevant institutions, groups, and/or experts and coalesce them to address the issue effectively.
- b) National and Regional Internet Governance Structures
- New localized mechanisms and structures are needed.
- Panel discussions have acknowledged that not all Internet governance issues can be solved within the global level. Different cultures and their respective needs are sometimes better reflected in local decision-making processes.
- National and regional level Internet governance structures and mechanisms must emerge, guided by the same global principles to ensure alignment. The synchronization between the different levels ensures a healthy, inclusive, and balanced stakeholder representation locally while contributing to the coordination of activities taking place at the global level and avoiding additional frictions in the Internet.
- ICANN needs to further globalize.
- Based on the aforementioned Equitable principle, ICANN needs to further globalize its structures, operations, commitments, and legal framework.
- ICANN has the steadfast role as the global administrator of the IANA functions, operating the names, numbers, and protocol registries in collaboration and based on established agreements and input from the relevant Internet technical organizations. For over fifteen years without a single interruption since ICANN's inception, this performance continues to support a global Internet.
- However, ICANN can now move beyond the U.S. government's stewardship that assured the world of ICANN's performance to date. While this arrangement was arguably necessary during ICANN's growth phase, the current maturity of ICANN's structures, processes, and accountability mechanisms warrants the transitioning of the U.S. role to the ICANN community.
- ICANN must pursue this transition through multistakeholder developed accountability mechanisms coupled with the strengthening of mutual commitments and agreements with relevant Internet communities and organizations. Such a transition should be done carefully to maintain ICANN's established operation that provides the stability and resiliency of the core Internet technical identifiers.
- d) Forums and DialoguesGlobal, regional, and national forums and dialogues on Internet governance issues must be strengthened.
- The Panel encourages the strengthening of multiple and diverse forums and dialogues - online and offline - between stakeholders from business, technology, government, civil society, and academic environments on a broad range of technical and nontechnical issues.
- Forums and dialogues are an indispensable part of the Internet governance ecosystem, open to all stakeholders from all countries for equal participation, and wherein any stakeholder can bring up any issue. With light management structures, bottom-up organization of workshops, extensive use of remote participation tools, and holistic, substantive mandates, such forums are unparalleled catalysts for the global exchange of ideas and experiences across the full range of Internet governance issues. Additionally, these forums serve as incubators and test beds for a variety of new collaborative formations, such as national and regional forums that enhance local policy landscapes, as well as issue-specific dynamic mechanisms.
- The interactions in open forums and dialogues contribute greatly to the mechanisms that provide solutions for existing and emerging issues across the local, national, regional, or global levels.
- Expert communities are needed to support Internet governance structures and mechanisms.
- Expert communities are open and collaborative groups of experts in research and practice to inform and support Internet governance through knowledge-sharing and expertise. These communities enrich discourse and collective learning, iterating, and contributing at local, national, regional, and global levels to the resolution of issues.
- These communities vary in many dimensions, but they are vital sources for the exchange of people, ideas, and lessons learned that can percolate throughout the ecosystem and replenish and expand human capital, knowledge, and perspectives for the stakeholders across the ecosystem.
- Expert communities should be mostly organic, requiring a minimum organizational mechanism, which is often effectively delivered through an online platform.
- f) Empowerment and Development
- More empowerment, development, and tools are needed to enable Internet governance mechanisms and structures at the global, regional, and national levels.
- Empowerment programs and toolkits enable and strengthen stakeholders and groups that form governance structures and participate in governance networks.
- These developmental activities provide training on Internet governance, processes, skills, and tools spanning technical, legal, and policy areas. These programs are vital for the growing need to support local, national, and regional governance networks that address local issues, while ensuring local/national/regional synchronization between all stakeholders.
- Technical organizations, governments, international organizations, private foundations, or local, national, and multilateral development agencies should deliver the empowerment programs. Collectively, these programs represent an enormously effective, and yet low-cost investment, building the human capital to sustain a thriving and diverse Internet governance ecosystem. Toolkits should also be made available for existing or emerging stakeholders as shared resources, in multiple languages, to enable effective administration and collaboration between stakeholders and groups.
- Note:The Panel does not have all the answers but is actively seeking community input from the NETmundial conference and other forums. The Panel remains engaged in deep and thoughtful reflection to address several remaining questions in order to effectively operationalize the distributed and collaborative governance of the internet.
- As such, the Panel is committed to providing practical answers to many questions such as these:
- - How, when and who decides whether an issue requires global coordination or devolution? How do we make these decisions thoughtfully yet at a rapid enough pace to ensure stability?
- - Who will and how to monitor adherence to principles of Internet governance - ensuring accountability? What incentives can assure compliance and the public interest?
- - How to accommodate new technologies and issues arising in a dynamic environment, affording stability without undermining innovation?
- - How to coordinate across issue areas (where a clear distinction between technical and non-technical; content and code; infrastructure and trade are hard to make)?
- - What platforms are needed in order to operationalize effective and legitimate forms of decision-making?
- - How to ensure that the growing machine-to-machine internet traffic (currently at over 60% of total) is operated based on the same governance principles and frameworks of human use?
- The panel will continue to evolve and advance its discussion towards delivering a comprehensive report with a practical roadmap for the evolution and operationalization of distributed and collaborative Internet governance. The final report will be published in May 2014.
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- Panel on Global Internet Cooperation & Governance Mechanisms Submits NETMundial Contribution Following Sunnylands Meeting | ICANN
- RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF. '' On March 7, the Panel on Global Internet Cooperation and Governance Mechanisms submitted a contribution to NETMundial following their second meeting to discuss guiding principles for a global Internet governance ecosystem at The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, California. Representing a diverse group of global stakeholders from government, civil society, the private sector, the technical community and international organizations, the panel looks forward to feedback on its NETMundial contribution, available here.
- "We hope that our contribution on Internet governance principles and still-evolving roadmap to operationalizing those principles will foster further discussion at NETMundial" said Vint Cerf, vice-chair of the panel. "Our goal is to achieve equitable stakeholder participation in bottom-up fashion so as to assure ecosystem legitimacy and continued Internet success. It has grown smoothly in the last few decades to serve more than 3 billion users and will have to handle several billion additional users and devices in the years to come."
- During fruitful discussions facilitated by a team of experts at Sunnylands February 27 '' 28, the Panel identified 11 strong Internet governance principles built upon a multistakeholder framework. The Panel's current and developing view on a roadmap forward to operationalize those principles includes:
- New mechanisms to map issues to solutions are needed.New localized mechanisms and national and regional Internet governance structures are needed.ICANN needs to further globalize.Global, regional, and national forums and dialogues on Internet governance issues must be strengthened.Expert communities are needed to support Internet governance structures and mechanisms.More empowerment, development, and tools are needed to enable Internet governance mechanisms and structures at the global, regional, and national levels."A core mission of Sunnylands is to bring world leaders together to facilitate international agreement and help develop solutions to important issues facing democratic institutions," said Geoffrey Cowan, president of The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands and former dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. "We have been delighted to serve as a partner for the work of the Panel as it addresses the challenge of future Internet governance."
- The Panel looks forward to receiving feedback from the NETmundial conference in S£o Paulo, Brazil April 23 '' 24, 2014 and other forums. Its work will continue to evolve as the discussion advances towards delivering a comprehensive report with a roadmap for the evolution of Internet governance. A final Panel meeting will be hosted by the World Economic Forum in May 2014 in Dubai. The final report will be published in May 2014.
- For more information about the Panel and its members, please visit: internetgovernancepanel.org.
- The Annenberg Retreat at SunnylandsThe Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, which operates The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, California, is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating entity. The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands hosts high-level retreats that address serious issues facing the nation and the world, including the recent official meeting between President Obama and President Xi of the People's Republic of China. In addition, Sunnylands offers programs through the Sunnylands Center & Gardens to educate the public about the history of Sunnylands, its architecture, art collections, cultural significance, and sustainable practices. For more information please visit: http://sunnylands.org.
- ICANNThe Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is an internationally organised, non-profit corporation that has responsibility for Internet Protocol (IP) address space allocation, protocol identifier assignment, generic (gTLD) and country code (ccTLD) Top-Level Domain name system management, and root server system management functions. As a private-public partnership, ICANN is dedicated to preserving the operational stability of the Internet; to promoting competition; to achieving broad representation of global Internet communities; and to developing policy appropriate to its mission through bottom-up, consensus-based processes. For more information please visit: http://www.icann.org.
- The World Economic ForumThe World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.
- Incorporated as a foundation in 1971 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. For more information please visit: http://www.weforum.org.
- For more information on the Panel, please contact: Holli Holsan at Holli.Holsan@edelman.com.
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- TECHNICAL PLAN (INCLUDING TRANSITION PLAN)
- III.TECHNICAL PLAN (INCLUDING TRANSITION PLAN)C16.The third section of the .org Proposal is a description of your technical plan. This section must include a comprehensive, professional-quality technical plan that provides a full description of the proposed technical solution for transitioning and operating all aspects of the Registry Function. The topics listed below are representative of the type of subjects that will be covered in the technical plan section of the .org Proposal.
- NeuStar will leverage its significant experience and provenhighly-effective technical, registry transition and policy compliance systems and processes to provide a superior solution to the .org community. NeuStar's technical solution for the .org Registry includes:
- A five-layer architecture incorporating redundant, geographically dispersed systems, including dual SRS data centers and six global nameserver clusters expanding to eight to support the .org community;High-bandwidth, redundant Internet connectivity for the SRS data centers;Redundant security systems and load balancing capabilities to prevent security breaches, system attacks, and system overload problems;Strong physical security, including intrusion prevention and protection from man-made and natural disasters;Open standard implementations of the RRP, EPP, and other critical registry protocols;Publicly available Whois services, comprehensive billing and collections, and customer support mechanisms;Data escrow and system recovery processes and mechanisms designed to minimize downtime due to catastrophic system failures;A detailed registry transition plan that addresses stability across each registry service while appropriately balancing the needs of all .org stakeholder communities;Support during transition for uninterrupted DNS and Whois availability, concurrent and equal registrar access, and full data integrity for administrative changes;Comprehensive mechanisms to ensure compliance with ICANN policies and obligations under registry agreements; andDetailed review processes for the integration of new requirements, as well as subsequent compliance monitoring and periodic review. NeuStar currently commits to the highest levels of service of any ICANN accredited gTLD registry and will agree to the same for .org. Technical plan introduction
- Only NeuStar has the requisite combination of experience and skills in both the transition and the operation of a large registry system to ensure that the .org TLD is transitioned in a smooth and seamless fashion to a stable, robust, high-availability global registry infrastructure.½
- The transition of a large Internet TLD such as .org from one operator to another is not a trivial task.½ A successful transition and the continued operation consistent with technical, business, and policy mandates of the TLD requires that both the incumbent and the successor operator have an intimate understanding of the transition process and associated technical risks and requirements.½ Moreover, the new registry operator must have in place both stable, secure, high-availability registry infrastructure, as well as comprehensive, tested policy and business mechanisms to assume the complex day-to-day operations of a large TLD.½ Specifically, the new registry operator must:
- Have experience operating a stable, well-functioning, and highly secure global registry infrastructure;
- Have detailed, practical experience in the transition of a TLD between operating registry platforms to ensure a seamless transition with no interruption in DNS resolution of the existing registered names; and
- Have in place working and tested mechanisms for the integration of, and continued compliance with, the often complex daily technical, business, contractual, and policy requirements associated with the operation of the .org TLD.Other applicants will offer solutions for one or more of these criteria based upon experience operating a registry.½ Only NeuStar, however, offers a solution that incorporates practical, non-theoretical experience in each of these criteria.½ All other proposals will include theoretical solutions based upon the applicant's experience in other aspects of registry operations, but lacking the important benefit of having been applied successfully in ½real world½ operations.
- NeuStar's .org solution begins with a proven, high-availability, highly secure and stable existing registry platform.½ NeuStar's global registry infrastructure is home to the .biz and .us TLDs, and serves over 800,000 names of registered domain names in a near real-time robust environment.½ Added to this strong infrastructure is NeuStar's practical experience with the smooth transition of a multitude of live mission-critical registries.½ For example, NeuStar was responsible for the transition of critical numbering services.½ In particular, NeuStar successfully transitioned number pooling registries from vendors in multiple states in the U.S. in a timely and successful fashion.½ More importantly, however, NeuStar recently completed the highly successful transition of the existing .us ccTLD from VeriSign.½ This transition is directly analogous to the transition of .org, which will benefit from NeuStar's experience and lessons learned.
- Finally, as the existing operator of registries governed by ICANN and the U.S. Department of Commerce, NeuStar has in place comprehensive, effective processes for the integration of important policy and contractual requirements.½ These processes will ensure continued compliance with the important requirements of the .org TLD, and ensure that the TLD continues to serve the global noncommercial community.
- The following Proposal Sections½C17, C18, and C19½provide complete discussions of the points summarized above.
- C17.Technical plan for performing the Registry Function.
- This should present a comprehensive technical plan for performing the Registry Function. In addition to providing basic information concerning the proposed technical solution (with appropriate diagrams), this section offers the applicant an opportunity to demonstrate that it has carefully analyzed the technical requirements for performing the Registry Function. Factors that should be addressed in the technical plan include:
- NeuStar½s proven registry architecture and technical plan for the .org TLD is the foundation for stability.
- The ICANN correctly lists as its first criterion in the transition of the .org registry preservation of ½the stability of the Internet, including the domain-name system (DNS).½½ Further, consideration will be given to ½ICANN½s level of confidence that particular proposal will result in technically sound, high-quality services that meet the needs of .org registrants.½½ In developing a sound technical plan, there are a number of critical matters that the plan must address, including:
- The implementation of a stable, scalable and secure architecture designed to ensure that the .org community receives world-class reliable service;
- The development of open standard protocol solutions and customer support systems in compliance with registry specifications and industry best practices;
- The development and implementation of processes and mechanisms to minimize system outages, maximize response and recovery capability, and ensure future integrity of the system and data as a whole.Although each of these requirements seems both obvious and seemingly easy to implement, the development of a comprehensive registry solution is a complex and resource-intensive undertaking.½ Not all applicants will be capable of addressing each of these matters in a comprehensive and efficient manner.½ NeuStar½s legacy is the development and provisioning of such highly complex systems within a reasonable timeframe and in a cost-effective manner.
- NeuStar½s architecture comprises a comprehensive, next-generation solution for critical Internet registry services.½ Detailed discussions of each of these elements are contained in the following subsections.
- C17.1.General description of proposed facilities and systems.
- Address all locations of systems. Provide diagrams of all of the systems operating at each location. Address the specific types of systems being used, their capacity, and their interoperability, general availability, and level of security. Describe buildings, hardware, software systems, environmental equipment, Internet connectivity, etc.
- NeuStar has deployed a world-class registry infrastructure including redundant Shared Registration System (SRS) data centers in Sterling, Virginia and Chicago, Illinois USA and six nameserver sites geographically dispersed for diversity and global reach.½ Our facility locations were selected and engineered to provide diverse network connectivity and resilience against natural and man-made disaster scenarios.½ Our systems and hardware were selected to provide scalability, stability and security.½ ICANN and the .org community will benefit from the highly stable, secure, redundant, and scalable architecture of the NeuStar registry infrastructure.½½
- In this section we will describe how NeuStar½s registry architecture and infrastructure combine to meet the need of ICANN and the .org community for a highly stable, secure, redundant and scalable solution.½ We will address; registry facilities and locations, network connectivity, registry system architecture and infrastructure, and system descriptions.½
- C17.1.1Registry facilities and locations
- NeuStar½s registry architecture consists of redundant SRS data centers and six nameserver sites to provide a seamless, responsive, and reliable registry service to registrars and Internet users. As shown in Exhibit C17-1 our registry½s redundant SRS data center and nameserver sites are geographically dispersed worldwide and interconnected via a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to provide worldwide coverage and protect against natural and man-made disasters and other contingencies. In addition to the existing six nameserver sites, we will deploy two more nameserver sites½one in Europe and one in Asia½to provide additional global reach. The facility locations are provided in the following table.
- NeuStar registry infrastructure
- San Jose, California, USA
- Nameserver site #7 (future)
- Nameserver site #8 (future)
- The number and placement of our sites allows NeuStar to commit to the highest service levels in the industry.½ We believe these are the minimum service levels necessary for a registry such as .org with over two million names serving the critical needs of the global noncommercial community.½ Our substantial service level commitments include:
- SRS service availability is guaranteed at 99.9% per calendar month.
- Whois service availability is guaranteed at 99.95% per calendar month.½
- Nameserver service availability is guaranteed at 99.999% per calendar year
- Environmental descriptionNeuStar maintains high-security, world-class facilities globally.½ Each of these facilities share similar environmental and security attributes, which have been chosen to meet exacting service level requirements.½ NeuStar½s SRS data centers in Chicago and Sterling are operated and maintained on a full-time basis by dedicated NeuStar personnel.½ In addition, the nameserver sites located in San Jose, London and Singapore are maintained in world-class co-location facilities.½ All of the nameserver equipment in the nameserver sites is owned, engineered, implemented, and maintained by NeuStar personnel.½
- Each site is located in a modern, fire-resistant building that offers inherent structural protection from such natural and man-made disasters as hurricanes, earthquakes, and civil disorder.½ Facilities are protected by a public fire department, and have their internal fire-detection systems connected directly to the fire department.½ Data centers are additionally protected from fire by sprinkler systems, each equipment room is protected by a pre-action fire-suppression system that uses Inergen gas as an extinguishing agent.½ The important environmental factors at the SRS Data Center and nameserver sites are described below.
- Registry facility environment descriptions
- Environmental requirement
- Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
- Dual redundant HVAC units control temperature and humidity.½ Either unit will maintain the required environment.
- 2x2-foot ceiling-mounted fluorescent fixtures.
- Control of static electricity
- All equipment-mounting racks are grounded to the building½s system, and are equipped with grounding straps that employees wear whenever they work on the equipment.
- 208-volt, 700-amp service distributed through four power panels.
- 600-KVA UPS power, 20 minutes (fully loaded).
- 1,250-KVA generator (SRS data center).
- Diesel supply contract for extended outages.
- All machines are powered by grounded electrical service.
- A 12-gage cable under the equipment-room floor connects all equipment racks to the building½s electrical-grounding network.
- Building securityNeuStar vigilantly controls physical access to our facilities.½ Physical security mechanisms include security guards, closed circuit TV surveillance video cameras, and intrusion detection systems.½ Our network operations center (NOC) monitors access to all locations on a 24 x 7 x 365 basis.
- At NeuStar½s SRS data center locations employees must present badges to gain entrance, and must wear their badges at all times while in the facility.½ All visitors must register to gain entrance to any NeuStar facility.½ Visitors must display visitor badges at all times while they are in the facility, and must be escorted by a NeuStar employee.½ Visitor registration records are maintained for a period of one year.
- NeuStar on-site security personnel are on duty 24 x 7 x 365 to monitor closed-circuit television cameras placed strategically throughout the facilities. Security personnel are stationed at each building-access point throughout normal working hours; at other times, employees must use authorized electronic key cards to gain access to the buildings. Further, any room housing sensitive data or equipment is equipped with a self-closing door that can be opened only upon activation of a hand geometry reader.½ Senior facility managers establish the rights of employees to access individual rooms, and ensure that each reader is programmed to pass only authorized individuals. The hand geometry readers compile and maintain an access record.
- For co-located nameserver sites, NeuStar has leased a separate room from all other tenants with its own access point to house its registry infrastructure.½ Access to NeuStar½s room is as strictly enforced as it is at NeuStar½s SRS data centers. The co-location facility provider is given a limited list of authorized individuals granted access to NeuStar facilities.½ NeuStar employees are responsible for accepting or denying access.½ Visitors sign in and must wear a badge while on the premises.½ They are escorted either by NeuStar personnel or personnel provided by the co-location facility.½ Security personnel are located at each entrance point to the building and individuals must present the proper credentials to gain access.½ Each location is monitored on a 24 x 7 x 365 basis by the facility provider½s NOC.½ In the event of an alarm associated with NeuStar½s room, the facility provider½s NOC will contact NeuStar½s NOC to seek further direction related to the event.½
- C17.1.2Network connectivity
- NeuStar uses the Internet to provide connectivity to the Registrars and a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to provide a secure Registry Management Network for communications between the SRS data centers and the nameserver sites.½ Each nameserver site will be connected to the Internet independently of the other sites.½
- Internet connectivity ½ SRS data centerNeuStar has deployed two ISP links at each SRS data center to serve registry needs.½ Each link is provided by a different ISP for a total of four separate ISP interfaces.½ Exhibit C17-2 for a diagram of the SRS data center connectivity.½ Each link has available capacity of 45MB for a total of 90MB at each data center.½ For cost efficiency reasons, we have committed to using 10MB on each of the links. However, we can utilize the entire 45MB if demand requires. If demand were to consistently exceed 10MB, we would adjust our agreements for more ½committed½ bandwidth.½½
- Internet connectivity½nameserver siteNameservers sites located at the SRS data centers share Internet bandwidth with the SRS data center.½ Bandwidth engineering for those sites is covered in the previous section.½ For co-location sites, the co-location facility provider provisions Internet bandwidth at the co-located sites.½ The facility provider has provisioned a highly diverse and redundant network.½ NeuStar has provisioned at least 2MB of capacity into each nameserver location.½ For security purposes, the NeuStar routers will be configured to only allow DNS UDP/TCP traffic.½ The router is connected to a load balancer that distributes the query load among the nameservers in that site½s cluster.½ A firewall protects the whole system in each location to provide the highest level of packet filtering from a TLD system today. We also use intrusion detection systems to proactively detect and deter security incidents.½
- VPN registry management networkEach SRS data center is connected to each of the nameserver sites over a secure VPN.½ Two ATM links connect the two SRS data centers.½ Refer to Exhibit C17-2 for a diagram of the data center connectivity.½ These links comprise NeuStar½s Secure Registry Management Network.½
- The links between the data centers are used for:
- Alternate access to the internet in the event of an outage;
- Providing zone file updates for nameserver site #2;
- System maintenance and monitoring;
- Updating the back-up registry database; and
- Updating the Whois databases in the backup data centers.½
- The VPN between the data centers and the nameserver sites is used for:
- System maintenance and monitoring, and
- Remote Administration of nameservers.
- Building LAN backboneWithin NeuStar½s data centers, a redundant switched 100 MB Ethernet building LAN backbone maintains high network availability via redundant Ethernet switches. Devices are dual attached to each of the Ethernet switches to provide a redundant LAN architecture. The building LAN is protected from the Internet via a firewall that provides IP filtering and network-based intrusion detection services. This protects the system from hacking and denial of service attacks.
- C17.1.3Registry system architecture and infrastructure
- NeuStar has deployed a world-class registry architecture to support its current registry service.½ The NeuStar architecture was designed:
- With near military-grade security,
- To be highly stable under extreme loads,
- To be easily and efficiently scaled for higher demand, and
- NeuStar½s registry architecture represents superior next generation design among the best in the industry.
- C17.1.3.1Shared registration system (SRS) data center
- As depicted in Exhibit C17-3, NeuStar has created a highly robust five-layer SRS architecture for its registry solution.½ This architecture is duplicated in both data centers.½ The five layers are:
- Protocol server layer (herein referred to as protocol layer);
- Application server layer (herein referred to as application layer); and
- NeuStar½s SRS is the only registry system to ever have performed a first come first serve (FCFS) ½landrush½.½ To address service failure concerns, all landrushes prior to NeuStar½s launch of the expanded .us, have been performed in an off-line batch mode.½ This is a different registration process than the real-time process to which registrars and consumers have become accustomed.½ Recognizing the needs of the domain name community NeuStar built its registry to be able to support a real-time landrush.½ NeuStar½s SRS operated during FCFS landrush exactly as it would during normal operations (with the exception of some additional network monitoring).½ The SRS was able to support a peak demand associated with 30,000 registrations in one hour during the FCFS landrush and a total transaction load of five million transactions in the first 24 hours.½
- This existing infrastructure will serve as the core for the .org registry.½ Upgrading the existing NeuStar registry to support .org is primarily a matter of adding RRP servers at the protocol and application layers.½
- External network layerThe external network layer, as shown in Exhibit C17-4, is NeuStar½s Internet interconnection point.½ This layer is dedicated to security and traffic management, thus ensuring a secure and robust connection between the registrars and the protocol servers at the second layer.½ The external network layer consists of four redundant servers each performing its own security function or traffic management and security function:½
- Edge router½The edge router provides Internet connectivity and performs IP-packet filtering.½
- Traffic shaper½The traffic shaper is an intelligent bandwidth management device.½ It has the ability to manage bandwidth in multiple ways, including on an aggregate basis, on an individual port basis, and on an individual registrar basis.½ The traffic shaper also performs IP-packet filtering.½
- Firewall½The firewall is dedicated to perimeter security.½ It provides policy-based IP filtering to protect against system hacks, break-ins, and denial of service attacks. The firewall also includes network-based intrusion detection to protect against Internet hackers.
- Load balancer½The load balancers distribute traffic among the clusters of protocol servers (RRP, EPP, Whois, and Web) in the second layer of the SRS data center.½ Load balancing protects our protocol layer from common denial-of-service attacks; e.g., SYN floods, ping floods, and ½smurf½ attacks. Security policies can be based on any combination of source address, destination address, and protocol type or content.½ Load balancing is also a critical element for providing scalability at the protocol layer.½ It provides the ability to easily add additional protocol servers without re-engineering the protocol software and network equipment.½
- In addition to the security provided by each of these servers, there is an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) that works cooperatively with all of this equipment as well as the equipment at the internal network layer.½ The IDS monitors and logs every packet that enters and leaves the data center.½ Most IDSs simply monitor ingress; NeuStar½s also monitors egress.½ This is used to detect, among other things, the possibility of a hacker trying to use a NeuStar site to launch a denial of service attack.½ After logging the packets, the IDS performs sophisticated data analysis including, audits, statistical analysis, and checks against a negative list of known bad actors in an effort to detect a security breach.½ Once a breach is detected the IDS can work with any combination of the servers in the layer to isolate the attack and filter the packets.½
- Protocol layerThe protocol layer, as depicted in Exhibit C17-5, consists of servers that provide the interface with our customers.½ All servers are deployed in a cluster configuration to provide scalability.½ Packets coming from the load balancers in the external network layer are distributed among the different servers in the cluster to provide load sharing.½ In a cluster configuration, no one server gets more traffic than any other server.½ Additional capacity is added at the protocol layer by adding additional servers.½ Adding capacity does not require any re-engineering of the protocol server software or network configuration.½ Servers at the protocol layer include:
- RRP servers½RRP transactions received from registrars over the Internet undergo front-end processing by the RRP Server which manages the RRP session level dialog, performs session level security processing, and strips out the transaction records. These RRP transaction records are sent to the application server cluster for security authentication and business logic processing.½ These are the servers that will interface with the registrars for the purposes of managing their registrant½s domain names.½ This is the only functionality that needs to be added at this layer to support the .org domain.½EPP servers½These servers interface with the current registrars of NeuStar½s existing registry service for the purposes of processing EPP transactions.½ .Org registrars will be migrated to these servers when the .org registry is migrated from an RRP interface to an EPP interface.½
- Whois database servers½The Whois database provides information pertaining to the domain name holder.
- Web servers½A high capacity secure Web Server cluster is provided to enable secure web services and information dissemination that is outside the scope of the RRP protocol.½ It contains a registry home page to enable registrars to sign in and inquire about account status, obtain downloads and whitepapers, access frequently asked questions, obtain self help support, or submit a trouble ticket to the .org registry help desk.½
- Internal network layerThe internal network layer, as depicted in Exhibit C17-6 is in place specifically to manage traffic between the protocol layer and the application layer and to detect and deter any security breach in the unlikely event that the first two layers do not prevent a given breach.½ The internal network layer consists of redundant firewalls and load balancers.½ These serve the same security functions identified in the external network layer.½ In addition the load balancers provide scalability at the application layer.½ Specifically they provide the ability to easily add additional application servers without re-engineering the application software and network equipment.½
- The internal network layer, like the external network layer, also works in conjunction with the IDS.½ These two security and traffic management layers coupled with the IDS create a State-of-the-Art security architecture for data centers.½
- Application layerThe application layer, as depicted in Exhibit C17-7 consists of servers that provide an interface between the RRP servers in the protocol layer with the .org database in the database layer.½ (It also includes EPP application servers for our existing EPP based registry services.)½ The application servers contain the business logic required to interface commands originated by the registrars, through the protocol servers, with the .org database.½For example a registrar may perform a ½check domain½ on neustar.org.½ The protocol server receives that request and sends it to the application server.½ The application service will format a query to the .org database to seek exactly the information necessary to respond to a ½check domain½ on the name neustar.org.½ It receives the response from the database and forwards it to the protocol server that then forwards it to the registrar in the RRP format.½
- NeuStar will deploy the RRP application servers to support the .org domain.½ .Org service will be migrated to the EPP application servers in this layer when the .org registry migrates from an RRP interface to an EPP interface.½
- Database layerThe database layer, as depicted in Exhibit C17-8 stores the .org database as well as administrative servers that perform update functions for the zone file and Whois.½ These servers include:
- .org database½The database has been purposely designed to reside behind multiple levels of security.½ Each database server consists of two identical Fault-tolerant RISC systems that are designed for high volume on-line transaction-processing database applications.½ A multi-session, multi-threaded server and dual cache architecture (client/server) provides exceptionally high throughput and fast access to stored objects.½ The database enables transparent database failover without any changes to application code or the operating system.½ Updates at the primary data center are replicated to the database servers in the back-up data center.½
- Zone file distribution administrator½The zone file distribution administrator polls the .org database for updates.½ It then passes updates on to the master nameserver.½
- Master nameserver½The master nameserver receives updates from the zone file distribution administrator and then updates the clusters of nameservers in the six, soon to be eight, nameserver sites.½ This is not to be confused with a primary nameserver in DNS terminology.½ The master nameserver does not receive DNS queries from resolvers on the Internet.½ It is strictly for NeuStar½s internal administrative purposes.½ Updates are processed from the .org database to the nameserver sites in less than 15 minutes.½
- Whois distribution administrator½The Whois distribution administrator polls the .org database for updates.½ It collects updates and then distributes them to the Whois databases located at the primary and back-up data centers.½
- C17.1.3.2Nameserver sites
- There are six nameserver sites in NeuStar½s registry architecture.½ We plan to deploy two more sites, one in Europe and one in Asia, to provide additional diversity and global reach to the .org community.½
- Each nameserver site is equipped with a router, firewall, load balancer, and a cluster of nameservers.½ NeuStar½s nameserver architecture is one of the few TLD nameservers that includes a firewall.½ This provides an additional level of security above and beyond the basic level of security provided in the DNS protocol.½ The combination of a nameserver cluster behind a load balancer provides a highly scalable solution.½ Additional capacity can simply be added by adding another nameserver to the cluster.½ The nameserver architecture is depicted in Exhibit C17-9.½
- C17.1.4System descriptions
- NeuStar utilizes moderate-level, mid-level, and high-end cluster server platforms for installation at each site. The servers are selected for applications depending on the requirements, storage capacity, throughput, interoperability, availability, and level of security. These server platform characteristics are summarized in the following table.
- Commodity-level servers for cluster configurations
- Rack-mounted Intel 1 Ghz;
- 32-bit, 2 to 6-way SMP CPUs;
- Three hot-swap disk drives (18-36 GB each);
- Redundant hot swappable power supplies;
- Dual attach 100 BaseT Ethernet Adapter;
- Event management software for remote management;
- Windows½ 2000, Red Hat Linux 7.1; and
- Controlled Access protection security.
- Protocol server (RRP, EPP, and Web;
- Application server (RRP, EPP);
- Distribution administrators (zone file/Whois);
- Network management server.
- High-end database servers
- 64-bit, 2 to 32-way cross-bar SMP, with 8x8 non-blocking multi-ported crossbar;
- 240 MB/sec channel bandwidth;
- 288 GB Internal mass storage;
- 10 TB external RAID storage;
- Redundant hot swappable power supplies;
- Dual attach 100 BaseTX/FX Ethernet Adapter;
- Event management software for remote management;
- 64-bit Unix operating system; and
- Controlled Access protection security.
- C17.2.Registry-registrar model and protocol.
- Please describe in detail, including a full (to the extent feasible) statement of the proposed RRP and EPP implementations. See also item C22 below.
- To ensure the highest levels of stability and equal access for all .org registrars, NeuStar will implement a fully functional RRP implementation for the transition of .org and will migrate all registrars to the EPP protocol upon its adoption as an IETF Proposed Standard.
- NeuStar is dedicated to the development and implementation of open industry standards.½ Common, well-documented interface protocols are critical to the overall stability of the Internet.½ Therefore, NeuStar is an active participant in and contributor to the IETF Provreg Working Group which is developing the open EPP protocol for registry-registrar interfaces.½ In fact, NeuStar½s registry has a truly EPP-04 compliant interface.½ Most other EPP implementations reflect either earlier versions of EPP or are incomplete EPP-04 implementations.½ Thus, implementation on the NeuStar platform of the most current version of the EPP protocol already is complete.½ The larger issues for .org are the appropriate timing of a migration from RRP to EPP, and the technical issues associated with such a migration, particularly for the registrars that must develop new registry interfaces.½ The details of NeuStar½s proposed migration to EPP for the .org registry is contained in Proposal Section C22 of this proposal.
- To ensure the continuing stability of the .org registry for the existing .org registrars, NeuStar will implement a fully functional, standard implementation of the RRP protocol that will be used by all registrars prior to migration.½ This implementation will comply with both the standard and the RRP toolkit in use by the registrars at the time of transition.½ Even though RRP is a proprietary protocol, it is well documented and understood.½ It is documented as an IETF Informational RFC (RFC 2832) and VeriSign distributes copies of an RRP toolkit to its registrars.½ As of the writing of this proposal, VeriSign intends to update RRP to Version 2.0.0.½ NeuStar½s implementation of RRP will, of course, track such updates and any new tools used by the registrars.
- Once IETF has issued EPP as a Proposed Standard, NeuStar will begin the migration of registrars from RRP to EPP, as discussed in Proposal Section C22.½ Of course, consistent with NeuStar½s practices, the then most current version of the EPP protocol will be implemented.
- C17.3.Database capabilities.
- Database size, throughput, scalability, procedures for object creation, editing, and deletion, change notifications, registrar transfer procedures, grace period implementation, reporting capabilities, etc.
- NeuStar will provide an enterprise-strength, fault-tolerant database system capable of managing large databases and high transaction-processing loads reliably and with scalable growth to accommodate change. The database system supports data synchronization from the primary data center to the back-up SRS data center that is geographically dispersed.½ The proposed database system is shown to be a stable and operational system as it has been successfully deployed for NeuStar½s existing registry systems.
- The heart of the SRS is its database systems, which provide not only simple data storage-and-retrieval capabilities, but also the following attributes:
- Persistence½Storage and random retrieval of data to enable rapid response times;
- Concurrency½Ability to support multiple users simultaneously to provide consistent support for each registrar;
- Distribution (data replication)½Maintenance of relationships across multiple databases for redundancy and data security;
- Integrity½Methods to ensure data is not lost or corrupted (e.g., automatic two-phase commit, physical and logical log files, roll-forward recovery) to ensure data accuracy as well as redundancy and security;
- Availability½Support for 24 x 7x 365 operations to support the registrars around the clock and around the world;
- Scalability½Unimpaired performance as the number of users, workload volume, or database size increases to meet the increasing needs of the .org community.
- As application architectures, such as our SRS, become increasingly dependent on distributed client/server communications and processing, system designers must carefully architect data processing occurs whether it½s on the database server, applications server, or the client server.½ Our final design distributes the processing workload in a way that maximizes scalability and minimizes down time.
- For purposes of clarity, NeuStar½s response to item C17.3 address each of the three core SRS databases; i.e., .org, billing and collection (B&C), and Whois; and includes:
- C17.3.1½ Database functional overviews½Describes the characteristics of the SRS databases (i.e., size, throughput, and scalability); database procedures and functions for object creation, editing, and deleting; change notifications; transfer procedures; grace-period functions; and reporting.
- C17.3.2½ Database system descriptions½Describes the database system components, server platforms, and scalability.
- C17.3.3½ Database security and access privileges½Describes the access controls for granting and denying users and administrators access to the databases.
- C17.3.1Database functional overviews
- NeuStar½s registry will include three major databases
- .org database½This database½s primary function is to provide highly reliable persistent storage for all of the registry information required to provide domain-registration services.½ The .org database is highly secure, with access limited to authenticated registrars, trusted application-server processes, and highly restricted access by the registry½s database administrators.½
- Billing and collection (B&C) database½This database will provide the information required for NeuStar to render B&C services to the registrars. Access to its data is restricted to the trusted B&C system processes and to registry database administrators. Registrars can view billing data through a secure Web portal.
- Whois database½The Whois database is a searchable database that any Internet user can access to view details of the domain name stored in the .org database. The Whois database maintains data about registrars, domain names, nameservers, and IP addresses. The Whois database will be updated from the .org database via a dynamic and incremental replication process.
- In addition to these databases, the registry will maintain various internal databases to support various operations, e.g., authorizing login userIDs and passwords, authenticating digital certificates, and maintaining access control lists.
- In implementing the .org database systems, our system designers will carefully analyze the differing requirements for the three major databases and select the optimum solution for each.½ Design techniques and considerations will include:
- Multiple logical data models that will be optimized for the different types of information that each system needs to serve registrars efficiently;
- Content that will include data related not only to domain names and domain name registration, but also to registrars, registrants, nameservers, Whois servers, and the B&C system;
- Differing volumes of database transactions and database sizes;
- Differing business needs;
- Differing performance and availability requirements; and
- Replication of databases to achieve high availability and facilitate backup/recovery.½
- Database size, throughput, and scalability The following table lists design parameters for the initial design of the three major .org databases.½ The parameters are based on projected volumes in the next two years.½ The term ½scalability½ in the table refers to the database½s ultimate capacity expressed as a multiple of the initial design capacity in terms of size and transaction processing power.
- Database design parameters
- Size of registration object
- Database Management System (DBMS) and logs
- 100 times in size 20 times in processing power
- Billable events per month
- Historical data for three months
- Registrar billing profile
- Size of registration object
- Attributes of all database servers are:
- 64bit, 2 to3 2-way crossbar SMS, with 8x8 non-blocking multi-ported cross bar;
- 240 MB/sec channel bandwidth;
- Maximum internal storage 288 GB
- Maximum external RAID 10TB
- Redundant hot-swappable, power supplies;
- Dual-attach 100BaseTX/FX Ethernet Adapters;
- Event management software for remote management; and
- 64-bit Unix operating system.
- Database procedures and functionsThe database system is critical to the processing of SRS business transactions.½ The .org database is accessed during most registrar/registry transactions. If a transaction is completed successfully, the system updates these two databases. The .org database will update B&C database and the Whois database if appropriate. The following registry functions are supported by the .org database:
- Object creation½Domain name and nameserver registration;
- Object editing½Modifying domain name or nameserver data and creating or modifying associations;
- Object deletion½Domain name cancellations;
- Object existence and information query½Obtain information on domain name or nameserver;
- Object transfer½Transfer a domain name to a different registrar;
- Automatic domain renewal½Extend a domain name registration for a year;
- Grace period implementation½Allow various time periods before actions become final;
- Registrar administration½Add, delete, or change to a registrar account or billing profile;
- Account-related information½Billing information provided to registrars and designated registry staff;
- Reporting½Account and billing information that can be viewed on line or via e-mail; and
- Operations on objectsOperations on domain name objects refer to the first six functions in the list above, namely creation, modification, deletion, query, transfer, and auto-renewal. In addition, nameserver information can be created, associated with, disassociated with, and deleted with respect to domain name objects. Whether nameserver information is treated as attributes of the domain object or as a separate object is an implementation detail internal to the .org database.
- Since the .org registry will be a ½thin½ registry during the transition these object operations will be sufficient to ensure a seamless transition of the .org registry and to maintain the stability of the domain name systems for the Internet.
- In terms of the registry-registrar interface, both RRP and EPP have corresponding commands to support these six object operations. RRP is the protocol currently used for the .org registry, while EPP is the upcoming IETF standard that is being used by a number of registries including NeuStar.½ Proposal Section C22 further discusses the migration strategy for the .org registry-registrar interface.
- Grace period implementationNeuStar½s registry supports grace periods for several registry functions and will support those for .org.½ They include:
- We also support ICANN½s policy on overlapping grace periods.½ We are participating in and following ICANN½s progression redemption grace period for delegated names and will implement the resulting solution.
- Registrar administrationRegistrar administration refers to adding or deleting registrars, and providing each registrar with secure access to the system and to that registrar½s data. The .org database manages most registrar data; the B&C database contains the B&C profile and contacts.½ Any ½Add/Delete Registrar½ or ½Change Registrar Profile½ request will generate the appropriate changes in the .org and B&C databases.
- Registrar transfer proceduresRegistrants may transfer their domain name from one sponsoring registrar to another after the first 60 days of the initial registration of the domain name.½ NeuStar currently performs registrar transfers in its existing registry service over an EPP (extensible provisioning protocol) interface.½ In the .org registry the transfer process is done over an RRP (registry-registrar protocol) interface.½ The process is very similar except for the fact that once the registry receives the ½transfer½ request from the gaining registrar, the registry will notify the both gaining and losing registrar via an e-mail.½ Then when the transfer has been completed it again notifies both registrars via e-mail.½ In the EPP protocol both of these notifications are done over the EPP interface.½
- The transfer steps are as follows:
- The registry receives a transfer request from the gaining registrar.
- The registry transmits an e-mail to both the gaining and losing registrars notifying them of the transfer.
- The transfer will be completed if:
- The losing registrar expressly "acknowledges" the request, or
- VGRS does not receive a response from the losing registrar within five days.
- When the registry½s database has been updated to reflect the change to the gaining registrar the registry will transmit an e-mail notification to both registrars.½
- The losing registrar may deny the transfer request by replying to the ½transfer½ request with a negative acknowledgement (or NACK) within five days of the initial transfer request.½
- NeuStar has been active at ICANN with regard to efforts to modify this process or the policy related to this process.½ We commit to implementing whatever changes are required by the registry to meet the agreements reached at the conclusion of this effort.½
- Billing notificationsNeuStar½s B&C system will monitor the registrars½ accounts for insufficient funds.½ If it determines that the balance is below the required minimum, the registrar will be notified by the registry½s customer-service personnel.
- Reporting capabilitiesTo support a detailed, usage-based accounting and billing structure, the B&C database and the .org database generates a substantial amount of highly detailed resource accounting data.½ This includes:
- Monthly account statements½NeuStar will send a detailed monthly transaction statement to each registrar via e-mail.½ The statement will include the following:
- An account summary, including payments received, balance forward, and credits and adjustments; and
- A detailed list of all fee-incurring charges; e.g., new registrations, registration renewals, registrar transfers.
- Online B&C reports½The B&C system will generate a variety of reports for internal and external users.
- Using the Internet, registrars will be able to access their account statements and detailed transaction reports, but not those of other registrars.
- Registrars will be able to request custom reports. The system will generate these reports in a batch process, and will store them in the FTP directory for the requesting registrar to download.
- Audit reports½NeuStar will create audit reports for internal and external purposes. Audit reports will include:
- C17.3.2Database system descriptions
- Although the three primary SRS databases½.org, Whois, and B&C½will differ, depending upon the services they support, the SRS on the whole, will be structured to:
- Manage large quantities of data;
- Support applications that use data models with complex relationships;
- Perform complex operations on managed objects; and
- Process large volumes of transactions from users.
- NeuStar forecasts that, as with most online transaction processing (OLTP) applications, the anticipated volume of SRS transactions will have a high ratio of ½reads½ to ½writes.½½½ We will design the databases and applications by partitioning the workload to improve response times and scalability.
- .org DatabaseThe .org database will support and provide information for primary domain-registration services. The following table lists the data stored in the .org database.
- NeuStar will configure the database system to provide appropriate response times for the transactions that registrars perform. We will do capacity planning to ensure that as business requirements increase and demand for domain names grows, the system will be able to easily handle the workload within agreed response times.
- B&C databaseThe B&C database provides information for B&C services. Its contents include:
- Registrar billing profile½accessed and modified by the registrar administration function;
- Registrar account½queried, credited, and debited while processing transactions from registrars; and
- Catalog½Pricing information for different transactions queried in the charging process.
- Whois databaseAnyone can query the Whois database. Each database entity includes the following information for all second-level Internet domain names registered in the TLD:
- Database administrationNeuStar personnel who administer and maintain the databases will perform their tasks at times and intervals scheduled to ensure maximum system availability. Typical database administration tasks include the following:
- Adding additional data volumes;
- Implementation clustering strategies;
- Adding and removing indexes;
- Browsing and querying; and
- Configuring fault tolerance.
- Database backup/restoreProposal Sections C17.7 (Data Escrow and Backup) and C17.15 (System Recovery Procedures) describe our proven backup/restore processes, which we will employ for the SRS operations.½ Backup frequency and logging processes will minimize data loss in case of system outage.
- Disaster recoveryThe active SRS data center will synchronize its database with that at the back-up SRS data center in near real time.½ As Proposal Sections C17.7 (Data Escrow and Backup) and C17.15 (System Recovery Procedures) explain, in the unlikely event of a catastrophic outage at one data center, the SRS operations will fail-over to the replicate database.
- C17.3.3Database security and access privileges
- Proposal Section C17.9 explains NeuStar½s security measures in detail.½ The major technical security related controls on the database platforms to ensure data integrity and security include the following:
- Server operating system level access control provides protection against unauthorized access.½ It employs userID and password, along with and file-access-control lists.
- Database security with user profiles enables NeuStar to grant or deny access privileges to registrars, database users, and database administrators.½ The controllable level of granularity extends down to the individual data field.
- NeuStar will establish security policies and routine logging/auditing/monitoring functions to ensure there is no unauthorized access. We will periodically review security to ensure that the system is functioning as needed.
- Registrar access to the database is via trusted processes on both the application server, and the B&C server.
- NeuStar will establish routine auditing and monitoring features to ensure there is no unauthorized activity, and will periodically review our security features to ensure that the system is functioning as needed
- C17.4.Zone file generation.
- Procedures for changes, editing by registrars, updates. Address frequency, security, process, interface, user authentication, logging, data back-up.
- NeuStar will implement its proven methodology for generating incremental zone file updates, which allows for propagation of the zone file on a near real-time basis.½ This will improve the service to the .org community by allowing them to rely on rapid implementation of zone file updates and changes.½½
- Zone file generation and distribution represents the core function of the registry.½ NeuStar developed an enhanced, near real-time zone file update process for .biz and .us that has greatly improved zone file service for both.½ .org will directly benefit from this next-generation registry capability.½ The remainder of this section compares and contrasts the traditional method with NeuStar½s dynamic, streamlined approach.
- Traditional zone file generation processThe zone file is a flat database file consisting of the technical information that the DNS requires to function correctly: the domain name, nameserver hostname, and IP addresses (as necessary).½ Traditionally, a TLD registry would update the zone file by generating a completely new zone file.½ This zone file would be propagated to the nameservers, and would write over the existing zone file.½ The size of the zone file and the fact that it was a complete replacement for the existing zone file dictated that the process be done infrequently, resulting in a process that could update zone files at most once or twice a day.½ This is the process used currently for .org.½
- The current file generation process has caused many problems for both registrars and registrants.½ Registrants, in particular, have been troubled by the long delay before their registered domain names ½go live½ (or are re-delegated).½ Common issues with the current process include:
- Zone file generation (and propagation) is a batch process performed twice a day.
- Because updates occur infrequently, registrants have an additional delay before their domain names become ½live.½½ This delay confuses the registrants, who believe that a problem exists and contact their registrar.½ The registrars must, in turn, respond by deploying unnecessary customer support resources.
- Currently, websites can easily go down when a registrant transfers a domain name to a new hosting provider.½ Because of the current delay in zone file generation, the original hosting provider removes the web site before the DNS is updated with the new delegation information.½ This adversely affects the general stability of the Internet.
- Zone file information does not match Whois information because the two files are often updated at different times.
- Currently, registrants can update zone information, and then check the Whois server to verify it.½ Because the zone file and Whois service are not synchronized, the registrants become confused.½ As with delayed zone file updates, this information mismatch causes additional and unnecessary customer support demands on registrars.
- Improved zone file generation process: the NeuStar solutionTo eliminate these deficiencies, NeuStar has implemented an incremental zone file generation process.½ Zone file updates are keyed off of changes in the .org database.½ The registrars initiate changes to the .org database on behalf of their registrants.½ For example, a registrar may add a new domain name through the RRP interface to the registry.½ Once the name is added, the appropriate information (i.e., a DNS resource record) must be added to the zone file.½
- NeuStar has created a function within the registry called a zone file distribution administrator, as depicted in Exhibit C17-10.½ This administrator polls the .org database for updates on a regular basis.½ When it has accumulated a certain number of updates or a certain time limit has passed, it will create a file of incremental updates and initiate the process of incrementally updating the zone files hosted in the nameservers.½ The update process is explained in more detail in Proposal Section C17.5.½
- NeuStar will generate zone file updates at regular intervals within defined service levels.½ Any real-time zone file update procedure must not degrade the performance of the core registration system.½ NeuStar½s solution will enable us to agree to service levels that guarantee the frequency of zone file updates within defined intervals without adversely affecting standard registration operations.½½SecurityThe .org database stores all data used to generate and distribute the zone file updates.½ For security reasons, registrars cannot access this database directly; the application layer controls all database access.½ Registrars access the database (through the application servers) using the RRP protocol via the protocol layer.½ The following procedures govern creation and modification of database information:
- Registrars are solely responsible for creating, modifying, and deleting information that is updated in the zone file.½ The RRP protocol is the only gateway available to registrars for zone file editing.½ This protocol is accessed using the NeuStar RRP servers.
- A registrar gains access to a domain name (and associated nameserver) when it registers that domain name or when the appropriate ½transfer of registrar½ is enacted.½ In the case of a ½transfer of registrar½, access control is revoked from the losing registrar after the transfer.½
- Access control to zone file data for RRP ½Delete/Modify Domain Name½ commands is granted only to the registrar that has management rights over the domain name.½
- In the case of an RRP ½Create/Modify/Delete Nameserver½ command, access control is granted only to the registrar that has management rights over the nameserver½s parent domain name (i.e., ns1.icann.org has a parent domain name icann.org).
- Logging and data back-upAll zone files and updates are generated using information from the .org database.½ All updates are recorded as database transaction logs.½ Proposal sections C17.7, C17.14, and C17.15 contain information about the primary database backup and escrow systems, data center replication, and data recovery procedures.
- Standards complianceEach nameserver will run software that correctly implements the IETF standards for the DNS (RFC1035, RFC1995, RFC2136, RFC2181).½ Further, NeuStar has implemented all applicable best-practice recommendations contained in RFC2870 (Root Nameserver Operational Requirements) for its existing registry business, and will implement them for the .org TLD.
- C17.5.Zone file distribution and publication.
- Locations of nameservers, procedures for and means of distributing zone files to them. If you propose to employ the VeriSign global resolution and distribution facilities described in subsection 5.1.5 of the current .org registry agreement, please provide details of this aspect of your proposal.
- NeuStar½s existing near real-time zone file update capability will provide a significant improvement in the registry service provided to the .org community.½
- Traditionally, zone file updates in .org have been performed by writing-over the existing zone file with a new zone file that included any updates.½ The new zone file was updated in the primary nameserver; the primary nameserver would then update the secondary nameservers.½ Upon notification, a secondary nameserver would request the start of authority (SOA) record from the primary nameserver. If the serial number of the zone file was greater than that on the secondary nameserver, the secondary nameserver would initiate the zone transfer procedure.½ If a secondary nameserver has not received a notification from the primary nameserver for a predefined period, it would request the SOA record from the primary nameserver and follow the same procedure as just described.
- The problem with this process is that it relies on a complete new file for an update.½ This approach is cumbersome and places a heavy load on the nameservers.½ For these reasons, zone file updates have been traditionally limited to once or twice a day.½ The current .org nameservers are only updated twice a day.½
- The .org community would benefit from more frequent updates of the zone file.½ This would reduce synchronization problems that occur between the Whois, the .org database (for check domain), and the zone file.½ It would also allow for less downtime for the registrant when transferring e-mail or web hosting services from one provider to another.½ The incremental zone file generation process defined in Proposal Section C17.4 is the first step required to allow more frequent updates to the zone file.½
- Locations of nameservers and process of distributionAs discussed in Proposal Section C17.4, the zone file distribution administrator frequently polls the .org database for events that would generate a change in the zone file.½ Once certain conditions are met (i.e., quantity of updates or expiration of a time interval), the administrator will push out an incremental file to a master nameserver located within the SRS data center.½ The master nameserver compiles those changes since the last zone file update into a new incremental zone file update. Triggered by predefined conditions, the master nameserver provides the incremental update to the constellation of nameserver clusters.½ Zone file updates are engineered to occur in intervals no longer than fifteen minutes.½ As previously shown, Exhibit C17-10 depicts the nameserver generation, distribution and publication architecture.½
- The master nameserver performs only one function½it updates the constellation of NeuStar nameserver sites shown in Exhibit C17-11.½ The master nameserver does not receive and respond to DNS queries from the Internet.½ It is the interface between the zone file distribution administrator and the nameservers that do receive and respond to DNS queries from the Internet.½ We prefer not to call this the primary nameserver because we½ve designated a.gtld.biz to be the primary nameserver in our TLD start of authority (SOA) resource records.
- Our central network management system will log all modifications to the .org database, all zone file-update actions, and all attempts at intrusion or other security-related events.½ The master nameserver interconnects to the other nameservers over a secure IPsec-compliant VPN, with the exception of one nameserver cluster that is co-located with the master nameserver at the SRS data center.½ That nameserver cluster is updated over the internal high-speed LAN.½ Access to the VPN requires userID and passwords.½ Passwords are rotated frequently.½
- NeuStar will not employ the VeriSign global resolution and distribution facilities described in subsection 5.15 of the current .org registry agreement.
- C17.6.Billing and collection systems.
- Technical characteristics, system security, accessibility.
- NeuStar½s proven experience in successfully selecting, implementing, and operating complex billing and collection (B&C) systems for communications and domain name registry services ensures our registry operator½s B&C services will be feature rich, accurate, secure, and accessible to all registrars.The fundamental goal of the system is to maintain the B&C data and create reports which are accurate, accessible, secured, and scalable.½ B&C will enable detailed transaction-based charging to the customers, based on extensive resource accounting and usage data recording performed in the registry.½ The B&C system must produce timely and accurate account statements and billing reports that are accurate, easy to understand and contain only clearly defined charges for the services rendered. Such account statements are ultimately more economical because they are less likely to provoke costly billing disputes.
- NeuStar½s simple B&C process, as depicted in Exhibit C17-12, is based on debit accounts established by each of our registrar clients.½ We will withdraw all domain registration service payments from the incurring registrar½s debit account on a per-transaction basis.½ We will provide fee-incurring services (e.g., domain registrations, registrar transfers, domain renewals) for a registrar only so long as that registrar½s account shows a positive balance.½ The B&C system will be sufficiently flexible to adapt to different billable events, grace-period implementations, and pricing structures, as the need arises.
- NeuStar½s B&C system will be located at the two redundant SRS data centers in Sterling, VA, USA and Chicago, IL, USA. These systems will handle the key B&C functions, including:
- Debiting and crediting registrars accounts;
- Initiating low-balance notifications;
- Enabling registrars to view their accounts; and
- Tracking and reporting historical information.
- C17.6.1B&C system technical capabilities and characteristics
- NeuStar has developed a B&C solution to ensure data processing accuracy, accessibility, flexibility, and scalability to accommodate increasing transaction volumes and additional billable events.½ Our financial and technical experts are experienced in customizing systems to evolve smoothly from performing simple to more complex tasks, and from small-scale to large-scale operations. We selected this solution after conducting a detailed analysis of the options for administering the registry½s B&C system. The system will be operational in time for the transition and will meet all .org B&C requirements, including:
- Generating the large amount of detailed resource-accounting information needed to support detailed usage-based charging of registrars;
- Supporting flexible queries of the .org B&C database through an API; and
- Tracking and reporting historical information.
- B&C system descriptionExhibit C17-13 illustrates the following key components of the B&C system and its interfaces with other SRS subsystems.
- Transaction processor½This processor, which responds to inputs from the external application server and from the B&C operations GUI, is the only component that has access to update the B&C database.½ The transaction processor will process transactions in real time, responding to API calls from application servers, and will also process transaction log files obtained from external servers.½ The transaction processor has two main subcomponents:Registrar profile administrator½This component responds to the registrar administration component of the application server; and
- B&C processor½This component processes all domain registration-related requests and other billable events from external servers.
- B&C database½This database, which is separate from the .org database, contains the data shown in the following table.½ Proposal Section C17.3 discusses the capabilities, management, administration, and backup of all databases, including the B&C database.½ This subsection discusses only the design aspects of the B&C database.
- Monitor and notifier½This component monitors the registrars½ accounts for sufficient funds and monitors domain name expirations and renewals.½ When it detects actionable items, it notifies the transaction processor and the registry½s customer service organization.
- Report generator½This component will generate monthly account statements and various reports, including annual reports.½ This is also the component that customer service will use to generate custom reports requested by a registrar. After generating custom reports in a batch process, the report generator sends them to the FTP directory, where they are stored for the registrar to download.
- B&C proceduresThe B&C system processes data that is generated during the following types of procedures:
- Registrar administration½The B&C system will manage the B&C profile for registrars, along with the account and contact information.
- Transactional services½Actions that trigger a B&C event.½ Registrar½s requests result in ½transactions½ at the application level and ½events½ in the B&C process.½
- Non-transactional services½Actions including balance forecasting, account balances.
- The following tables provide details of each type of process flow.½
- Registry receives the registrar½s Registry Service Agreement and the license fee.
- Registry establishes an account in the B&C system, enters all contact information, but account status is non-operational.
- Operational account setup
- Registry verifies registrar½s accreditation.
- Registry changes account status to operational.
- Registry notifies registrar to prepay the established debit account.
- Registry receives registrar½s payment, opens debit account, and credits received amount to that account.
- Registry receives the request.
- If registry approves, it updates registrar½s B&C profile in B&C system.
- Registry receives the request.
- If registry approves, B&C system extends the credit.
- Change in payment methods
- Registry receives the request.
- If registry approves request, B&C system records the change.
- Registrar submits ½Add Domain½ request to register new domain for a specified number of years.
- B&C system computes the fee; i.e., the annual fee times the requested term (years).
- B&C system checks the requesting registrar½s debit account to verify that balance exceeds fee.
- If balance is adequate, B&C system withdraws required transaction fee from the account; if inadequate, notifies registrar.
- B&C system updates B&C database.
- B&C system notifies registrar of transaction completion.
- Registrar submits ½Cancel Domain½ request to cancel a domain registration.
- B&C system updates B&C database.
- B&C system verifies time of request was within (5-day) grace period.
- If grace period not exceeded, B&C system credits customer½s debit account with the total transaction fee.
- Renew domain (Registrar request)
- Registrar submits ½Renew Domain½ request to renew a domain for a specified number of years.
- B&C system computes the fee, which equals the annual fee times requested term.
- B&C system checks requesting registrar½s debit account balance to verify that it exceeds required fee.
- If balance is adequate, B&C system withdraws fee from account; if not, notifies registrar.
- B&C system updates B&C database.
- B&C system notifies registrar about the renewal.
- Domain-name registration expires without registrar requesting either renewal or cancellation.
- B&C system automatically renews domain for one year and computes appropriate transaction fee.
- B&C system checks registrar½s debit account balance to verify that it exceeds required fee.
- If funds are available, B&C system withdraws fee from account; if not, notifies registrar.
- B&C system updates B&C database.
- B&C system notifies registrar about the renewal.
- Cancel after automatic renew (Registrar request)
- Registrar submits ½Cancel Automatic Renew½ request.
- B&C system updates B&C database.
- B&C system verifies if request is within (45-day) grace period.
- If within grace period, B&C system credits registrar½s account with the total transaction fee.
- Registrar submits request to transfer domain to him.
- Customer Service confirms transfer with registrar relinquishing domain.
- B&C system checks receiving registrar½s debit account to determine whether balance exceeds one-year registration fee.
- If account balance is sufficient, B&C system withdraws fee; if not, notifies registrar.
- B&C system updates B&C database
- B&C system notifies registrar that transfer is complete.
- Registrar requests custom report(s).
- Customer service establishes fee and generates report(s).
- Customer service debits registrar½s account for agreed fee.
- Customer service transfers report to FTP server for the registrar to download.
- Non-transactional services
- B&C system withdraws registrar½s annual maintenance fee from registrar½s debit account on annual membership anniversary.
- B&C system updates B&C database.
- B&C system notifies the registrar.
- If the fee for performing a requested transaction exceeds the amount in the Registrar½s debit account, the transaction is not processed; instead, the B&C system e-mails ½Insufficient Funds½ notification to the registrar.
- C17.6.2B&C system security
- Proposal Section C17.9 provides extensive details about security issues, including system, network, and physical security, including specific issues such as access control, authentication, and authorization. This subsection discusses only security provisions that are specific to B&C.½ Like the overall registry system, the B&C system will implement security at the network, system, and user levels, as follows:
- Network-level security½The primary network-level communications technology underlying the B&C system is the IP protocol.½ The only interfaces that have access to the B&C system are the Secure Web GUI to monitor account status and the FTP server to download reports. A firewall forms the secure interface between NeuStar½s secure internal network and the public Internet.½ Firewalls use filters to permit or deny packet flow on the basis of the origin and/or destination of the packet½s addresses and ports.
- Users who want to obtain access to the Secure Web portal that we provide to the registrars must first obtain access to the Secure Web server within the SRS.½ When the user½s Web browser attempts to establish an HTTPS (secure web application protocol) session with the registry, our system initiates the SSL (secure sockets layer).½ Part of the initialization sequence is a public key exchange or identification.½ Once the SSL initialization is complete, it establishes a secure, encrypted channel between the user½s web browser and the registry½s web server, and exchanges digital certificates to ensure the integrity and authenticity of the session.½ The use of a secure web browser/server ensures that no clear text, including passwords, is sent over the public or shared-data network.
- System-level security½Secure user login facilities ensure that Secure Web Server users are fully authorized and authenticated.½ The SRS Secure Web Server presents a login menu on the user½s Web browser.½ The login menu includes 20 lines of warning message stating that this is a private computer system and authorization is required for access.½
- When users attempt to log into the Secure Web server, they must enter their userID and password.½ The login/password information forwarded back to NeuStar½s registry web server is encrypted through the secure SSL channel previously established.½
- User-level security½Every B&C system user (individual and application, external and internal) has a unique user login account on the system, with unique user-identification codes (userIDs) and passwords to authenticate the user and an access control list to control his/her access to system resources and applications.½½ User profiles are set up and maintained in the database system so that user access to the B&C system is controlled by their user profile and the access privileges granted therein. NeuStar has established well-defined security procedures for adding and deleting users and modifying their logon account, access control lists, and user profile access privileges depending on the user½s functional role.½ The following subsection, ½Access Privileges,½ contains additional information about user roles and privileges.½
- C17.6.3B&C system access privileges
- The B&C system and network employ multi-tiered access control to ensure that all B&C resources½transactions, data, etc.½are only accessed and used by authorized users. As previously discussed, access to the proposed B&C system via the network is fully secure behind a perimeter firewall and userID and password system, while physical access is controlled using electronic keys and palm readers. Once an authorized user gains access to the system, their privileges are controlled by the operating system access control lists and the database system user profile that determines what functions, system resources, and data the user is allowed to access and use.½ Access privileges are broadly defined and controlled and limited to registry employees and registrars.½ The following subparagraphs discuss the access privileges.
- Registry employeesOnly internal registry staff members, using cardkeys, can gain access to the registry facility. Registry employees who are authorized to access the B&C system do so using workstations connected through the registry LAN.½½ Except for the system administrators, these employees access the system using the B&C client interface, which will be established specifically for staff members to perform billing adjustments, maintenance, and related functions.
- Each internal user of the B&C system is also associated with a user role that will permit or deny his access to different functions in the B&C system. The system administrator will create roles and allow them to access certain functionality.½ We have defined user roles within NeuStar½s B&C-operations organization as follows:
- System administrators½perform system upgrades, maintenance, and user administration.
- B&C system administrator½configures the B&C system; e.g., user groups and their access rights, batch-process schedule, configurable business rules, etc.
- B&C system operator½establishes users, monitors back processes, provides system support, and monitors and corrects billing errors.
- Customer service½views a registrar½s billing history and collect information for the B&C manager.
- B&C clerks½creates transactions, such as invoices and collections, but do not make adjustments.
- B&C manager½creates adjustments, catalog changes, and customer changes.
- B&C database administrator½performs database updates, and modifications.
- RegistrarsRegistrars only have ½view½ access to their B&C account status, account statements, and reports. They have to contact B&C personnel within the registry½s customer support organization for any billing adjustments, custom reports, or special arrangements.
- Adjustments½For billing issues or adjustments in profile or account statements, registrars must contact NeuStar½s customer service organization via e-mail, phone, or fax. The B&C manager has the capability of performing any billing adjustments or similar services requested by a registrar.
- Notificationsand statements½The registry will e-mail to each registrar a detailed monthly transaction statement, an account summary, and a detailed list of all fee-incurring charges. ½In addition, the B&C system will e-mail ½Low Account Balance½ and ½Insufficient funds½ notifications to any registrar when needed.
- C17.6.4B&C system backup and recovery
- NeuStar will employ the same backup and recovery procedures for the B&C system that is used for the overall registry system. Proposal Section C17.7 describes these procedures in detail.½ They include:½
- If the B&C system fails (i.e., the API interface to the application returns an ½Error status½), a built-in recovery mechanism will ensure against loss of transactions and data as follows: the application server will log all undeliverable B&C transactions, with transaction identifiers, to an internal file.½ After the problem is corrected, the file will be transferred to the restored B&C system for processing.
- NeuStar will provide the infrastructure to collect all data needed for accounting upon request and auditing reports that meet commercially accepted standards, and will provide this data to ICANN-designated auditors upon request.½ Data will be available for the current fiscal year and for an agreed number of preceding years.½ NeuStar will assist ICANN auditors by providing all required statements and reports. Annually, NeuStar½s internal auditors will audit the registry½s B&C system, records, and supporting documentation to verify the accuracy of billing for registry services.
- C17.7.Data escrow and backup.
- Frequency and procedures for backup of data. Describe hardware and systems used, data format, identity of escrow agents, procedures for retrieval of data/rebuild of database, etc.
- To ensure data integrity, NeuStar will back up the databases in our data centers in Sterling, VA and Chicago, IL, USA and will regularly place escrow copies of the backups in secure offsite locations. These procedures are essential elements of our plans for continuity of operations in the event of system failures and natural or man-made disasters.
- Given the potentially devastating effects of such a failure, NeuStar, of course, seeks to avoid ever having to utilize its recovery plans.½ NeuStar½s first line of defense against data loss is its highly secure, redundant registry infrastructure.½ Responsible operations, however require a recovery plan.
- Data recovery procedures must address both small-scale failures as well as more serious total system failures.½ The goal of any data backup and recovery procedure is full recovery from failures without any loss of data.½ Data backup strategies handle system hardware failures (e.g. loss of a processor or one or more disk drives) by reinstalling the data from daily backups, supplemented by the information on the ½before½ and ½after½ image-journal backup files that the database creates.½ More serious failures require more aggressive solutions.
- The conventional strategy for guarding against loss of an entire facility because of fire, flood, or other natural or man-made disaster is to provide off-site escrow of the registry data in a secure storage facility.½ Even when successful, this recovery strategy does not prevent the loss of a certain volume of transactions between the time the data was backed up and the occurrence of the disaster. Users are subject to loss of service during the time required to recover the data center database and/or reestablish operations at an alternate disaster-recovery site.½ Relocating the data center normally requires at least 24 hours, and the escrowing of full backups are done only weekly, meaning that a disaster could result in substantial loss of both services and data.½ The recovery from daily incremental backups requires additional recovery time. Reducing the risks for data loss.
- NeuStar½s solution utilizes two SRS data centers operating in a primary/back-up failover mode. Each SRS data center is capable of handling the entire workload should a major system failure or natural or man-made disaster occur at the other. The transactions from the active data center are synchronized in near real-time with the hot-standby database over a redundant high-speed direct telecommunications links. The active SRS data center conducts full database snapshots from a third mirror of this data twice a day and back up all database transaction logs, as described in the following paragraph. Since the two SRS data centers are synchronized, our back-up strategy maintains continuity of operations and enables full recovery of all transactions, even in the event of multiple hardware failures.½
- C17.7.1Frequency and procedures for backup of data½
- The active SRS data center implements a zero-downtime/zero-impact incremental data backup each day, and a full data backup weekly. We copy static data (e.g., the operating systems, BIND software, applications software) to CD-ROMs for quick reload, should that become necessary.½ We back up to high capacity DLT storage tapes any dynamically changing files (e.g., log files vital to system maintenance and operation, database files, database-journal files, software configurations). Weekly, we perform full-system backups to DLT tape of all databases identified in Section C17.3 (.org DB, Whois, Billing). We will place escrow copies of the backup tapes in a secure off-site storage facility operated by a third party whose business is data escrow.½
- The backup procedures include the following 4 steps:
- The database is put into maintenance mode to guarantee a consistent version of the data on the snapshot copy that is written to a RAID disk array for subsequent (slower-speed) copying to tape. While the database is in maintenance mode, the RRP, Whois, and Billing applications continue to function and to access the data.½ The database normally is in maintenance mode for only about five to 10 minutes.
- The backup software writes the data to the RAID disk array.
- The backup software, which is located on a backup server independent from the application servers, creates the backup DLT tape copy from the snapshot copy on the RAID disk array.
- When the backup is finished, the DLT tapes are transported to the secure, offsite escrow facility.
- C17.7.2Backup hardware and software systems
- Exhibit C17-14 depicts the SRS data centers½ backup process.½ Each data center½s system includes two backup servers with DLT robotic tape libraries.½ To achieve zero-downtime/zero-impact backup, we use a RAID disk array and a high-speed fiber, channel bridge interconnect to the robotic tape libraries. The backup server copies not only the database server½s backup files to the disk array, but also the backup files of the cluster servers.½ During the few minutes this process requires, applications still have access to the cluster servers and database server.½ Then the backup server copies the files to the DLT robotic tape device. This approach ensures that we meet our Service Level Commitments.
- C17.7.3Procedures for retrieval of data/rebuild of the database
- We maintain a three-tape rotation to maximize efficiency and effectiveness:
- One DLT backup tape in transit to the secure escrow facility;
- A second DLT tape in storage in the secure escrow facility; and
- The third DLT tape in the active data center for reuse.
- The full backup tapes are maintained in a 2-tape rotation, with one tape at the secure escrow facility and one at the active data center for reuse. A copy of the static-dataCD-ROMs for the operating systems and applications will also be maintained at the escrow facility.
- In the event of an outage at the primary data center service will failover to the back-up data center.½ The back-up data center will have a current copy of the .org database due to the data base synchronization process.½ The back-up data center will assume the primary data center½s role and continue SRS operations with the near-zero downtime.½ The following steps will be taken to restore the primary data centers:
- Retrieve the full and incremental back-up tapes from escrow;
- Restore the incremental files;
- Synchronize the recovered database from the back-up datacenter; and
- Restore the primary datacenter to operations.
- This backup procedure enables NeuStar to meet the service-level agreements required for continuous availability and near-zero unplanned downtime, maintaining stability, enhancing public confidence, and improving customer satisfaction.
- NeuStar has reached agreement with Iron Mountain for the third-party provision of data escrow services.½ Founded in 1951, Iron Mountain is an Industry leader in data storage and escrow services.
- C17.8.Publicly accessible look up/Whois service.
- Address software and hardware, connection speed, search capabilities, coordination with other Whois systems, etc.
- NeuStar½s existing Whois provides a reliable, stable, standards-compliant platform for supporting the .org registry. Near real-time updates to the Whois will synchronize updates with the zone file and the .org database to avoid customer confusion
- One of the critical functions of a registry is the Whois.½ Whois is an administrative tool that provides identifying information related to the domain name.½ The protocol is defined in RFC954.½ It will be available to anyone via the IANA-assigned port 43 or the .org registry website.½
- NeuStar½s current Whois supports a ½thick½ registry model and the .org Whois supports a ½thin½ registry model.½ The thick registry contains contact information associated with the registrant, whereas the thin model does not.½ NeuStar will have to modify its processes associated with Whois and its Whois database for this difference.½
- The Whois service will accommodate queries regarding the data sets listed in the following table.
- Registrar Whois URL (Web Port 80)
- Registrar Whois URL (Port 43, if applicable)
- Whois system architectureNeuStar will deliver a Whois service that incorporates near real-time update, scalable infrastructure, and multiple layers of redundancy.½ As shown in Exhibit C17-15, we will deploy two Whois clusters at each SRS data center, for a total of four Whois clusters.½ All four Whois clusters are operational and receive queries from the Internet.½
- Each Whois server is equipped with a full copy of the Whois database. At each SRS data center, a load balancer to a cluster of two Whois servers distributes incoming queries. The load balancer can also re-route the Whois traffic to its counterpart in the other SRS site if the Whois servers on its site are down. This configuration will provide both redundancy and scalability through the addition of servers to either cluster. Exhibit C17-16 depicts the update process for the Whois databases.
- As the .org database is updated, the system will also update the Whois distribution administrator in real time.½ This happens on the active SRS site.½ Incremental changes made to the Whois distribution database will be propagated to the Whois databases in each Whois cluster in near real time (e.g., no greater than 15 minutes).½ Propagation of Whois information between data centers always occurs over the secure VPN.½
- The proposed Whois architecture and process offers the following benefits:
- Service can be scaled by adding servers to each Whois cluster;
- Service can be scaled by deploying Whois infrastructure to additional remote sites;
- Inherent redundancy ensures high availability; and
- Update process ensures near real-time availability of the latest information.
- Attributes of the Whois servers are:
- 64-bit, 2 to 32-way crossbar SMP, with 8x8 non-blocking multi-ported crossbar;
- 240 MB/sec channel bandwidth;
- Maximum internal storage 288 GB;
- Maximum external RAID storage 10 TB;
- Redundant hot-swappable power supplies;
- Dual-attach 100 BaseTX/FX Ethernet Adapter;
- Event management software for remote management; and
- 64-bit Unix operating system.
- Network connectivityThe large volume of Whois queries places a significant network-connectivity burden on the registry.½ Based on the assumption that each Whois query will generate approximately 10 Kbits of network traffic, we will use the following engineering guidelines for provisioning bandwidth:
- Initially, we will provide 2 Mbits per data center.½ The total of 4 Mbits will support approximately 400 queries per second (approximately 35 million requests per day).
- As the volume of registrations grows, we will extend the service at a rate of 1.5 Mbits per one million domain-name registration records under our management.½ For example: when the registry manages 6 million domain names, we will dedicate 10 Mbits of Whois bandwidth, which will support nearly 86 million Whois queries per day.
- These guidelines will be compared with actual usage data and adjusted accordingly.
- We will engineer the Whois service to provide the following average service levels:
- 20 million queries per day.½ We will increase this query-service demand based on the total number of domain name registrations managed by the registry, as previously discussed.
- 1,500-millisecond or less response time for 95% of the Whois queries.
- We will scale the exact number of Whois and database servers deployed in each cluster and at each data center to maintain the specified service levels.
- Search capabilitiesUsers will be able to search for the following record types:
- Domain name, e.g., icann.org;
- Registrar, e.g, XYZ Registrar; and
- Nameserver, e.g., ns1.neustar.biz or 209.173.53.70.
- Coordination with other WhoisNeuStar has been following the progress of ICANNs efforts to provide a more efficient and comprehensive access mechanism to Whois data.½ We understand it is possible that ICANN may designate a third party to host TLD Whois data from other registries.½ NeuStar is in full support of this effort and agrees to provide copies of .org Whois data sets to the entity designated by ICANN, after ICANN has made such arrangements.½
- Full data sets would be provided on a weekly basis and incremental updates would be performed on a daily basis.½ NeuStar will deploy an FTP (file transfer protocol) server available for the purposes of exchanging the Whois data sets.½
- ConclusionWhois is an important administrative function of any registry.½ NeuStar has developed a highly scalable, high transaction Whois architecture with near real-time update capabilities.½ This platform will provide the stability and reliability necessary for the .org community.½½½
- Technical and physical capabilities and procedures to prevent system hacks, break-ins, data tampering, and other disruptions to operations. Physical security.
- NeuStar½s registry offers unparalleled security to the .org community.½ The SRS and .org databases are protected by two layers of security and traffic management working cooperatively with an intrusion detection system.½ Our nameservers are one of the few protected by a firewall.½ A secure VPN interconnects all of our locations and allows us to monitor all traffic and equipment.
- High profile Internet operations such as Shared Registration System (SRS) and nameserver sites are subject to a wide range of security threats; including hacking, break-ins, data tampering, denial of service, and physical attacks against the facility.½ Further, because the registry will contain proprietary data from competing registrars, security procedures must incorporate user-authentication procedures that ensure each registrar½s files are available only to its own personnel. Failure to address these security threats creates the risks of unscheduled down time and the disruption or denial of services.
- NeuStar½s registry solution incorporates comprehensive system security for our networks, servers, applications, and customer support services. Our security architecture is a policy-based, multi-tiered system based on proven industry standards. Our solution, highlighted in the following table, integrates the following security features to provide assurances that multiple security threats or attacks will be unsuccessful:
- Perimeter protection utilizing a combination of network and security technology;
- Application-level security features for the registry-registrar interface and customer-service applications;
- Intrusion detection system;
- User identification and authentication;
- Continuity of operations; and
- NeuStar½s comprehensive security solution
- Server operating system security
- UserID and password; file-level access-control lists
- Ensures that the user can access authorized functions, but no others, and can perform only authorized operations within these functions.½ For example, the registrar of a registered domain name is authorized to query it and then renew or cancel it or change its nameservers, but cannot query domain names held by other registrars.
- UserID and password; user profiles
- Limits database access to pre-authorized users.
- Retains the last two passwords and disallows their usage.
- Rejects simultaneous sessions by an individual user.
- Limits access rights to database objects and functions to a specified user or user group.
- Rejects unauthorized access attempts.½ Automatically revokes identification codes after a pre-established number of unsuccessful attempts.
- Provides a non-technical user interface to facilitate the on-line administration of user privileges.
- HTTPS encryption ensures that messages between the registry and registrars can be read only by the intended receiver.
- Issued by an X.509 authentication server, digital signatures ensure that the incoming data actually has come from the purported sender, and also provide non-repudiation.
- Ensures that the user can access authorized functions, but no others, and can perform only authorized operations within these functions.½ For example, the registrar of a registered domain name is authorized to query it and then renew or cancel it or change its nameservers, but cannot query domain names held by other registrars.
- Permits only DNS UDP/TCP packets to enter the name servers, thus isolating the system from most potentially damaging messages.
- Guards the secure TLD LAN from the non-secure Internet by permitting the passage of only packet flows whose origins and destinations comply with pre-established rules.
- Detects intrusion at the network level.½ Displays an alert at the SRS network operations center workstation and creates a log entry.
- Implements security policies to prevent denial of service attacks; e.g.,½ SYN floods, ping floods, and ½smurfs½
- Provides secure network for updating nameservers, remote system administration, remote backup/recovery, and network/system management.
- Physically prevents intruder access; verify employee badges.
- Closed-circuit video-surveillance cameras
- Extends capabilities of security guards; maintain access records.
- Intrusion-detection systems
- Provides audible and visual alarms to notify security personnel in the event of unauthorized entry.
- Permanent badges for employees; easily recognizable temporary badges for visitors.
- Maintained as permanent records for at least one year.
- Controls physical access during off-hours; maintain access records.
- Restricts physical access to mission-critical rooms within our facilities; maintains access records.
- Restricts physical access to mission-critical rooms within our facilities.
- NeuStar operates highly secure redundant data centers to provide the highest levels of security and service availability.
- C17.9.1.1Network security - two layers of security
- Generally, data centers typically fit into one of the following three categories with regard to network connectivity:
- No external connections½all connections from and to the data center are over a private network dedicated to the data center provider.½
- Dedicated connections to other entities½the data center interconnects to other entities/companies but does so over a private network.
- Connected to the public Internet½the data centers are connected to the public Internet.
- An Internet registry fits into the third category because its nameservers receive and send traffic to the general public and its SRS data center connects to its registrars over the public Internet.½ Because the data center is connected to the public Internet, it is the hardest to protect from a security perspective.½ NeuStar has designed a state-of-the-art architecture when it comes to protecting the data center from attacks that can originate on the public Internet.½
- NeuStar has deployed a five-layer architecture at its SRS data centers as depicted in Exhibit C17-17.½ This architecture is duplicated in both the primary and back-up data center.½ The five layers of the architecture are:
- The two Network Layers½external and internal½are dedicated to security and traffic management.½ The equipment at these layers work together with an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to provide an even greater level of security.½
- The External Network Layer is the point where NeuStar interconnects to the Internet.½ Each SRS data center is served by two ISPs.½ The External Network Layer consists of four redundant servers each performing its own security or traffic management and security function:½
- Edge router½The edge routers provides Internet connectivity and performs IP-packet filtering.½
- Traffic shaper½The traffic shaper is an intelligent bandwidth management device.½ It has the ability to manage bandwidth on an aggregate basis, on an individual port basis, on an individual registrar basis, etc.½ The traffic shaper also performs IP-packet filtering.½
- Firewall½The firewall is dedicated to perimeter security.½ It provides policy-based IP filtering to protect against system hacks, break-ins, and denial of service attacks. The firewall also includes network-based intrusion detection to protect against Internet hackers.
- Load balancer½The load balancers distribute traffic among the clusters of protocol servers (RRP, EPP, Whois, and Web) in the second layer of the SRS data center.½ Load balancing protects our application servers from common denial-of-service attacks; e.g., SYN floods, ping floods, and ½smurfs½ attacks. Security policies can be based on any combination of source address, destination address, and protocol type or content.
- After the Protocol Layer is the Internal Network Layer.½ The Internal Network Layer is in place specifically to manage traffic between the Protocol Layer and the Application Layer and to detect and deter any security breach in the unlikely event that it makes it past the first two layers (security at the Protocol Layer is addressed in the server and application security sections).½ The Internal Network Layer consists of redundant firewalls and load balancers.½ These serve the same security functions identified for the External Network Layer.½
- In addition to security provided by each of these servers, there is an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) that works cooperatively with all of this equipment.½ The IDS monitors and logs every packet that enters and leaves the data center.½ Most IDSs simply monitor ingress; NeuStar½s also monitors egress.½ This is used to detect, among other things, the possibility of a hacker trying to use a NeuStar site to launch a denial of service (DOS) attack.½ After logging the packets, the IDS performs audits, statistical analysis, checks against a negative list of known bad actors, etc. in an effort to detect a security breach.½ Once a breach is detected, the IDS can work with any one of the elements in the two layers to filter and cut off the attack.½These two layers, coupled with the IDS, create a state-of-the-art security architecture for data centers that interconnect to the public Internet.½
- The SRS operating systems provide access protection through a user login procedure and through file-level access-control lists. These access-control mechanisms perform the following functions:
- User-account security½Establishes the access capabilities of a specific authenticated user. After authenticating a user, each application½s security-data tables control access to information.½ Access is based not only on userID, but also on the type of application being used; e.g., RRP, Billing and Collection, etc. The application server uses userID to provide precise control of access privileges to ½ and uses of (read, write, execute) ½ all system resources: screens, menus, transactions, data fields, database tables, files, records, print facilities, tape facilities, software tools, and software executables.
- Group-level security½Establishes the access capabilities of all users within a specific group.½ All users belong to one or more access-control groups.½ Access control is identical to that for individual users.½½
- System administration-level security½Restricts access to system administration tools, including the ability to change resource-access privileges. SRS system administration staff use dedicated links on an internal LAN/WAN to access administrative functions that are off limits to others.½ There is no external access to this LAN.½ All sessions require user identification by user name and password; access control lists determine what resources a user or user group is allowed to access and use. Super-user access is managed through an auditable delegation system.
- The SRS operating systems will perform security-relevant logging functions, including:
- User login½Whenever a user login is attempted, whether successful or not, the event is logged.½ The logged information includes the userID, time, and device requested.
- User accounting½½User Accounting½ logs every process executed by every user.½ The output includes date and time, userID, point of entry, process, resources accessed, and result of the operations.½½ This log may be selectively viewed for actions performed by a specific user or users.
- System logging½This inherent, configurable logging capability permits monitoring the kernel, user processes, mail system, authorization system, etc.½ In addition, the operating system detects when file-access privileges have been changed and also audits the use of telnet, finger, rsh, exec, talk, and similar operations.
- The following provisions apply to passwords:
- Passwords must be at least six alphanumeric characters in length.½ At least one character must be alphabetic; at least one must be a numeric or punctuation character.
- If a user forgets his/her password, the system administrator verifies the user½s identity and then provides the user with a temporary password that enables him/her to log on only to the site where users create their own new passwords.
- Passwords are valid only for a pre-established duration (typically 45 days or less depending on the level of security required).½ Prior to password expiration, the system instructs the user to create a new password.½
- When a user changes his/her password, the system first re-authenticates the existing password and then requires the user to verify the new password before accepting the change. The system will not accept, as a user½s new password, the user½s two most recent passwords.
- Passwords are encrypted and stored in an protected system file.C17.9.1.3Application security
- Each SRS application will have its own set of security processes and technical controls. The SRS applications that interface with the registrars (e.g., the RRP and the Secure Web Customer Service portal) employ the SSL (secure sockets layer) protocol element that uses public-key exchange and RC4 encryption.½ Public services (e.g., Whois, DNS queries, and the public Internet Web portal) rely on the previously discussed network perimeter-security devices½edge routers, firewalls, and load balancers½to protect the internal LAN and applications servers.
- Security related to applications include:
- RRP applications security½NeuStar½s RRP server will authenticate against a series of security controls before granting service, as follows:
- The registrar½s host initiates a SSL session with the RRP server.
- The RRP server receives the registrar½s private key with the incoming message and authenticates it against the registrar½s public key, which is stored in the registry½s RRP server.½
- After the RRP server verifies the key exchange, it completes the SSL initialization to establish a secure, encrypted channel between itself and the registrar½s host computer.½ This secure, encrypted channel ensures the integrity of the registrar½s session with registry applications.
- In combination with completing the SSL connection, the RRP server authenticates an X.509 digital certificate to verify the registrar½s identity. Digital certificates are maintained in the SRS authentication server database.½
- The registrar logs on to the RRP server using a userID and password that determines access privileges.½ NeuStar will provide each registrar with multiple userIDs and password pairs, so that each can establish its own group of authorized users.
- Whois application security½Although any Internet user has read-only access to the Whois server, NeuStar½s perimeter-security mechanisms½edge routers, firewalls, and load-balancers½will protect it against denial-of-service attacks. A designated registry administrator performs common database-administration tasks on the Whois database, including monitoring its performance.
- Nameserver security½All Internet users have read-only access to the nameservers.½ Similarly, the edge router, firewall, and load-balancers protect the nameservers as they do the Whois servers.
- Secure web customer service portal½The secure web customer service portal uses the same security mechanisms employed by the RRP server; namely, SSL session encryption, digital certificates, and userID and password between the SRS secure web server and the registrars½ Web browsers. In addition, e-mail messages are encrypted with a Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) public-key-infrastructure implementation. Digital certificates are maintained in the authentication server.
- C17.9.2Nameserver site security
- NeuStar½s approach to nameserver security is a subset of the security mechanisms we employ at the SRS data centers. NeuStar½s nameserver sites are one of the only TLD nameservers that utilize a firewall for security. Most registries believe the inherent security of the DNS protocol provides sufficient security.½ NeuStar believes that the importance of the service being provided demands the utmost level of security.½ Like the SRS data center, the Nameserver site security also relies on multi-layer perimeter protection, controlled access, enforcement of applications security features, and strong physical security protection.½ Exhibit C17-18 depicts NeuStar½s nameserver architecture.
- C17.9.2.1Network security
- The same mechanisms used for the SRS data center are employed at the Nameserver sites. Edge routers and firewalls provide perimeter protection for the data-center network and applications systems, guarding against unauthorized access from the Internet.
- Edge router½The edge routers employs IP-packet filtering to allow only DNS UDP/TCP packets to pass into and out of the perimeter network.½
- Firewall½The firewall provides policy-based IP filtering to protect against system hacks, break-ins, and denial of service attacks. It also includes network-based intrusion detection to protect against Internet hackers.
- Load balancer½Managing the server load protects our application servers from common denial-of-service attacks; e.g., SYN floods, ping floods, and ½smurfs½ attacks. Security policies can be based on any combination of source address, destination address, and protocol type or content.
- Intrusion detection system½The IDS monitors and logs every packet and analyzes the patterns for external attacks.½
- The SRS data centers are connected to the nameservers over an IPSec VPN to perform database updates at the nameservers, network-based backup/restore, remote system/network management, and system administration.½ Keys used to access the VPN are rotated frequently.½ VPN technology achieves secure data transfer through encrypted data-communications links.
- The nameserver operating systems provides access protection for remote system administration through a user login procedure and through file-level access-control lists. These access-control mechanisms perform the following functions:
- User-account security½Establishes the access capabilities of a specific system administration authenticated user. After authenticating the user, the operating system½s access control lists control access to information.
- System administrator level securityRestricts access to system administration tools, including the ability to change resource-access privileges. Nameserver system-administration staff use dedicated links on an internal LAN/WAN to access administrative functions that are off-limits to others.½ There is no external access to this LAN.½ All sessions require user identification by user name and password; access control lists determine what resources a user or user group is allowed to access and use.
- The nameserver operating systems will perform security-relevant logging functions, including:
- User login½Whenever a user login is attempted, whether successful or not, the event is logged.½ The logged information includes the userID, time, and device requested.
- User accounting½½User Accounting½ logs every process executed by every user.½ The output includes date and time, userID, point of entry, process, resources accessed, and result of the operations.½ This log may be selectively viewed for actions performed by a specific user or users.
- System logging½This inherent, configurable logging capability permits monitoring the kernel, user processes, mail system, authorization system, etc.½ In addition, the operating system detects when file access privileges have been changed, and also audits the use of telnet, finger, rsh, exec, talk, and similar operations.
- C17.9.2.3Application security
- The nameserver essentially enables the public, via the Internet, to make DNS queries. Public services, such as DNS queries, rely on the previously discussed network perimeter-security devices'--edge routers, firewalls, and load balancers'--to protect the internal LAN and application servers.
- NeuStar vigorously enforces physical-security measures, controlling all access to our facilities.½ Throughout normal working hours, security personnel stationed at each building entrance verify that employees are displaying proper identification badges and control access by non-employees.½ Non-employees must sign in to gain entrance; the sign-in books are stored for a period of one year.½ If the purpose of his/her visit is found to be valid, the non-employee is issued a temporary badge; otherwise, he or she is denied entrance.
- At all times while they are in the facility, visitors must display their badges and must be escorted by a NeuStar employee.½ We also strictly enforce the policy that employees must wear their badges prominently displayed at all times while in the facility.
- During off-hours (6:30pm to 6:30am and all day on weekends and major holidays), individuals must use the proper-electronic key cards to gain access to the building.½ We issue electronic-key cards only to employees who need access for business purposes.½ Further, any room housing sensitive data or equipment is equipped with a self-closing door that can be opened only by individuals who activate a hand geometry reader.½ Senior managers establish the rights of employees to access individual rooms, and ensure that each reader is programmed to pass only those authorized individuals.½ We grant access rights only to individuals whose duties require them to have hands-on contact with the equipment housed in the controlled space; administrative and customer-service staffs normally do not require such access.½ The hand geometry readers compile and maintain a record of those individuals who enter controlled rooms.½
- Access in and out of the data centers is monitored 24x7x365 by the network operations center (NOC).½ All access is recorded and stored for three days on digital video.½ There are audible alarms on doors in the event of unauthorized entry or if the doors are kept open for more than 30 seconds.½
- Technical capability for handling a larger-than-projected demand for registration. Effects on load on servers, databases, back-up systems, support systems, escrow systems, maintenance, personnel.
- NeuStar has built capacity into our existing registry to support estimated peak traffic demand.½ Our network connectivity has been designed to automatically scale as demand increases and our servers (SRS and nameserver) have been designed in a cluster configuration to easily and seamlessly add capacity.½ Furthermore, we have implemented two layers in our registry architecture dedicated to security and traffic management to be able to manage highly volatile traffic demand.½ The peak load capacity and built-in scalability of the NeuStar registry ensures ICANN that adequate capacity is available to handle the current and future demand of the .org registry.
- To avoid creating bottlenecks for SRS, Whois, and nameserver services, NeuStar will engineer for peak usage volumes, based on the most recent statistics published for the .org registry.½ In addition, NeuStar will deploy redundant SRS data centers and a network of nameserver sites that are sized to handle the current peak volumes. Subsequently, we will add additional nameservers to handle the anticipated growth. Our SRS, Whois, and nameserver architectures are designed with highly scalable server clusters and connected through networks that can be smoothly scaled up without disrupting the system.½ Expansion provisions include the following:
- Servers scale from Intel SMP machines to high-end RISC SMP database platforms with shared-memory architectures;
- Server processors scale to 2-way SMP for the medium-range Intel machines, and from 2-way to 32-way SMP for the high-end RISC database machines;
- The number of servers in a cluster can conceivably, scale beyond 32 servers;
- The external telecommunications-network connectivity to the SRS and nameserver sites scales from dual T-3 to quad T-3 and more as a function of the SRS transaction load and the Whois and DNS query loads; and
- The internal SRS and nameserver LANs consist of a switched Fast Ethernet backbone fabric with extensive port expandability.SRS peak capacityThe SRS provides the core subsystems that handle registrar transaction-based services, including RRP processing, billing and collection, Secure Web portal, and backend database system services. This subsection describes the SRS subsystems peak capacity in terms of sizing and scalability of the network, server, and database platforms to specifically address the ability of the registry to handle larger-than-projected volumes of registrations.½
- Network½The RRP peak transaction load is projected to be 350 transactions per second (tps), or a little more than 1.2M transactions in a peak hour. ½Our registry½s network connectivity has enough capacity to support transaction six times that volume or 2,100 tps. The average transaction size is 5,000 bits, which translates to a required telecommunication capacity of 10.5 MBPS.½ Our external communication network connectivity to the Internet is two T-3 (45-MB)local-access links for a total of 90 MB, at each data center, to handle RRP transactions and Whois queries.½ The registry½s Virtual Private Network (VPN) between the sites consists of two ATM links.½ The VPN handles zone-database updates, server backup/restore, system/network management, and system-administration functions and can grow well beyond 90MBs.½½
- Server clusters½The RRP server cluster and the associated application server clusters are front ended with load balancers that distribute the transaction processing workload across the servers in each cluster. Distribution algorithms include least connections, weighted least connections, round robin, and weighted round robin.
- The RRP server and application server clusters are sized to handle six times the projected steady-state workload, or 2,100 peak transactions per second.½ The processing capacity can grow linearly by adding additional servers to the cluster. The total system capacity is a cluster size of 32 SMP 8-way RISC servers.½
- The Billing and Collection system is sized to handle 350 peak transactions per second, because not every RRP transaction results in a billable event.
- Databasesystem½The database system consists of dual high-end RISC machines, each with 2- to 32-way SMP scalability. The processing capacity of the database system is4-way SMP.
- The database system can grow to handle eight times the initial projected volume of transaction loads. NeuStar will closely monitor system usage, and will scale the database capacity correspondingly.
- Whois peak capacityNeuStar will increase network bandwidth and add high-performance database capabilities to the Whois service infrastructure.½ This subsection describes the Whois-subsystems peak capacity in terms of initial sizing and scalability of the network, server, and database platforms.½
- Network½The peak Whois transaction rate is estimated to be 350 queries per second, with an estimated packet size of 10,000 bits. This produces a maximum load of 3.5 MBPS.½ Initially, we will provide communication-network connectivity for Whois queries between the Internet and each data center as two T-3 Internet Service Provider (ISP) local-access links (shared with the RRP traffic).½ Although these links initially will not be used at full capacity, they ultimately can carry 90 MBPS per data center before we upgrade to larger links.
- Whois server cluster½Our Whois server cluster is front-ended with load balancers to distribute the transaction-processing workload across the servers in each cluster. Distribution algorithms include least connections, weighted least connections, round robin, and weighted round robin.
- The Whois server cluster in each SRS data center consists of four Whois database servers, each of which has its own copy of the Whois database.½ The two load balancers in the two respective SRS data centers are also connected via internal network for failover purpose. If the Whois server cluster on one data center fails, the load balancer on that site can re-route the Whois traffic to the load balancer on the other site without Whois service interruption. To improve query response time and lighten the load on the database, the Whois servers cache frequently accessed domain names.
- The processing capacity can grow linearly by adding additional servers to the cluster. The total system capacity is a cluster size of 32 SMP 6-way Intel servers.½ NeuStar will closely monitor Whois usage and will increase the system½s capacity to accommodate increasing demand.
- Database system½The Whois database servers are dual mid-range RISC machines, each with 2-way SMP scalability.½ The total processing capacity will be 350 tps, scalable to 1000 tps.½
- DNSQuery peak capacityNeuStar½s registry handles DNS queries at the nameservers.½ This subsection describes the nameservers½ peak capacity in terms of the network, server, and database platforms sizing and scalability.½ NeuStar½s design will easily scale as load increases.½
- Network½NeuStar has provisioned at least 2MB of bandwidth at each of our six nameserver sites.½ With an average DNS packet size of 1,600 bits this will accommodate 2MBs will accommodate over 1,200 queries per second at each nameserver site.½ Each namseserver site is equipped with additional bandwidth, so that growth can be implemented rapidly.½½ In addition to the extensive bandwidth provisioned and the easy growth, NeuStar will deploy two more nameserver sites for .org, one in Europe and one in Asia.½
- Nameservers½Our DNS nameserver cluster will be front ended with load balancers to distribute the transaction processing workload across the nameservers in the cluster.½ Distribution algorithms including least connections, weighted least connections, round robin, and weighted round robin.
- The nameserver cluster is sized to handle three times the projected steady state workload, or 5,000 queries per second.½ To improve query response, the entire zone will be held memory resident.
- Processing power can grow linearly by adding additional servers to the cluster up to its total system capacity: a cluster size of 32 Intel 2-way SMP servers.½ NeuStar will closely monitor system usage, and will scale up as required.
- Zone file update½All nameservers are Intel machines with 2-way SMP scalability. They are configured as secondary nameservers for zone file update.½ Zone file update is performed in near real-time by the master nameserver at the SRS data center. Proposal Sections C17.4 and C17.5 describe the zone file update and distribution process.
- Miscellaneous servers and personnelNeuStar backup/recovery systems, escrow systems, system/network management, and system administration systems are enterprise strength hardware and software platforms that can easily be scaled to meet our high growth estimates throughout the entire registry operations lifespan. Additional desktops/workstations can be added to accommodate growth in staff and registry workload as usage increases and the registry infrastructure grows. Our maintenance support, help desk, and technical support functions are staffed for the peak usage period, and staff can be increased to handle workload surges caused by registry marketing and promotional events.
- C17.11.Technical and other support.
- Support for registrars and for Internet users and registrants. Describe technical help systems, personnel accessibility, web-based, telephone and other support, support services to be offered, time availability of support, and language-availability of support.
- NeuStar½s registry provides 24x7x365 customer support in six languages.½ Our experienced customer support staff has helped registrars with the most complex issues such as testing, problem resolution and accreditation.½ To make our support more effective we have augmented it with e-mail, web portal information, and a registrar test environment.
- NeuStar is committed to provide uninterrupted technical support for registry services, as well as for continuous registry operations to ensure seamless transition of the .org registry. Our technical support will be made available to all ICANN-accredited .org registrars worldwide on a 24x7x365 basis.
- C17.11.1Technical help systems
- Registrars have a great deal of internal technical capabilities because of their need to support an IT infrastructure for their marketing and sales efforts and for their customer-support and billing and collection services.½ NeuStar will enhance these registrar capabilities by providing the registrars with the following types of technical support:
- Web-based self-help services, including:
- Frequently asked questions
- Downloads of RRP client software (EPP is to be supported in the future)
- Support for e-mail messaging
- Telephone support from our central Help Desk
- Fee-based consulting services.½
- To maximize a competitive market amongst registrars, all support will be available on a 24x7x365 basis.½ Further NeuStar currently provides support in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Korean and English.½ We will continue to support additional languages where possible.
- Web portalNeuStar will implement a secure Web-based multimedia portal to help support registrar operations.½ To obtain access to our Web-based services, a .org registrar must have implemented our security features (including SSL encryption), log in with userID and password, and digital certificates for authentication.
- The home page of the web portal will include a notice to registrars of planned outages for database maintenance or installation of software upgrades.½ This notification will be posted 30 days prior to the event in addition to active notification including phone calls and e-mail.½ We will also record outage notifications in the help desk database to facilitate compliance with the service-level agreement. Finally, seven days and again two days prior to the scheduled event, we will use both an e-mail and a Web-based notification to remind registrars of the outage.
- Non-affiliated registrars, registrants, and the general Internet community may obtain generic information from NeuStar½s public Web site, which will describe our .org registry service offerings, list ICANN-certified registrars providing domain-name services, and access to the .org Whois.½ Please see Proposal Section C25 and C35 for more details.
- Central help deskIn addition to implementing the web site, we will provide telephone support to our registrars through our central Help Desk. Access to the help desk telephone support is through an automatic call distributor that routes each call to the next available customer support specialist.½ Requests for assistance may also come to the Help Desk via e-mail, either directly or via the secure Web site.½
- The help desk½s three tiers of support are:
- Tier-1 Support½Telephone support to registrars who normally are calling for help with customer domain name problems and other issues such as RRP implementation or billing and collections.½ Problems that can not be resolved at Tier 1 are escalated to Tier 2.
- Tier-2 Support½Support provided by members of the technical support team, who are functional experts in all aspects of domain name registration.½ In addition to resolving escalated Tier 1 problems with RRP implementation and billing and collection, Tier 2 staff provides technical support in system tuning and workload processing.½
- Tier-3 Support½Complex problem resolution provided by on-site maintenance technicians, third-party systems and software experts, and vendors, depending on the nature of the problem.
- In turn, the Help Desk uses an automated system to collect call statistics and record service requests and trouble tickets in a help desk database.½ The help desk database documents the status of requests and tickets, and notifies the Help Desk when an SLA threshold is close to being breached.½ Each customer support and technical support specialist uses our problem management process to respond to trouble tickets that includes troubleshooting, diagnosis and resolution procedure, and a root-cause analysis.
- Escalation policyOur escalation policy defines procedures and timelines for elevating problems either to functional experts or to management for resolution if they are not resolved within the escalation-policy time limits. The following table is an overview of our escalation policy.
- Help Desk customer support specialist escalates to the systems engineer if not resolved within four hours.
- Hourly updates to registrar via e-mail.
- Help Desk customer support specialist escalates to the systems engineer if not resolved in two hours.
- Hourly updates to registrar via e-mail.
- Systems outage affecting one or two registrar sessions but not the entire system.
- Systems engineer escalates to data center manager if not resolved in one hour.
- Web-portal notification to all registrars; hourly updates.
- Catastrophic outage affecting overall registry operations.
- Data center manager escalates to NeuStar management and Disaster-Recovery Team if not resolved in 15 minutes.
- Web portal and e-mail notifications to all Registrars within 15 minutes; updates every 30 minutes.
- C17.11.2Test and evaluation facility
- NeuStar will establish an operational test-and-evaluation facility that will be available 24x7x365 for registrars to test their client RRP system. Our technical support team, which consists of functional experts in the processes and technologies for domain name registration, will support the registrars½ testing.
- Once a registrar is satisfied that its system is compatible with the registry system, it will schedule a formal acceptance test that will be monitored by our system engineer. After a registrar has passed the acceptance test, we will issue its userID, passwords, and digital certificates, and the registrar can begin operations.
- C17.12.Compliance with specifications.
- Describe the extent of proposed compliance with technical specifications, including compliance with at least the following RFCs: 954, 1034, 1035, 1101, 2181, 2182.
- NeuStar½s registry operations are fully compliant with all applicable industry standards½a key component of registry stability.
- The success of the Internet as a whole is largely due to the open nature of the standards that govern much of its operation.½ As NeuStar has noted elsewhere in the proposal, compliance with core industry standards related to registry operations is critical to the provision of stable and responsive services.½ Internet users rely on various aspects of a registry to act in well-defined ways.½ For example:
- Internet users rely on the registry½s nameservers to resolve domain names according to set protocols;
- Registrars rely on the registry½s SRS to manage the domain names registered by the registrants; and
- Many users rely on the registry½s Whois server to identify important information about domain names.½Industry standards ensure that the registry develops such capabilities in a consistent manner while providing guidelines on how users can expect the services to work.½ Also, the vast majority of devices that use the Internet for communications; routers, firewalls, e-mail servers, web browsers, instant message servers, and voice over IP servers (to name a very small subset) rely on consistent protocols to interoperate globally and route necessary messages regardless of geographic distribution and variations in hardware.
- While some registries may decide, for various reasons such as cost or to gain a perceived competitive advantage, to deviate from accepted Internet standards, they may find that these savings or advantages are illusory as they ignore the collective learning of Internet operations experts embodied in those standards.½ For example, a registry could choose to deploy secondary nameservers in only one location to save real estate leasing cost.½ This decision would, of course, be in direct violation of RFC 2182 which states:
- A major reason for having multiple servers for each zone is to allow information from the zone to be available widely and reliably to clients throughout the Internet, that is, throughout the world, even when one server is unavailable or unreachable.
- In the event of some single disaster or other unforeseen event, that registry might lose its entire nameserver network.½ Following the standard would have avoided such an outcome.½ NeuStar has deployed a constellation of six nameserver sites at locations around the world including North America, Europe and Asia.½ We plan to add two new sites, one in Asia and one in Europe to support the .org community.½
- Similarly, a registry might choose to deviate from industry standards by creating new resource records or new resolution capabilities to provide what the registry believes is new or enhanced proprietary functionality.½ Unfortunately for such a registry operator, DNS resolver developers rely on the standards set forth in RFCs 1034, 1035, and 2181 to ensure proper resolution of domain names.½ Resource records that deviate from the precepts of these standards may simply not work, causing increased resolution failure and corresponding decreased reliability.½ This scenario actually occurred with respect to the provisioning of an internationalized domain name capability.
- NeuStar has always relied on industry standards for the services it provides.½ In some cases, such as the local number portability administration system, NeuStar lead the industry in a very specific effort to develop these standards.½ In other cases, like the TLD registry, we can rely on a very significant and detailed set of standards existing in the industry.½
- NeuStar½s current registry is fully compatible with all of the industry standards identified by ICANN;
- RFC954½which defines the Whois protocol;
- RFCs:1034. 1035 and 2181½which collectively define the core concepts and protocols of the domain name system;
- RFC2182½which is a Best Current Practice for the selection and operation of secondary nameservers; and
- RFC1101½which defines the name and number mapping capability.½ (We do not, however, support the Yellow Pages functionality defined in this RFC because it is experimental, not widely deployed, and not considered a requirement for a registry.)NeuStar½s .org registry will also be fully compatible with all of these standards, as well as Informational RFC 2832 governing the RRP protocol.
- C17.13.System reliability.
- Define, analyze, and quantify quality of service.
- To provide a seamless transition of and continuous access to .org registry data and applications, NeuStar utilizes redundant SRS data centers, geographically separated and continuously on-line. Each data center incorporates redundancy and high-availability features in their hardware, software, and network configurations. We offer a service-level availability of 99.9% for the SRS services and 99.999% for the DNS-query services. NeuStar has already implemented this solution which delivers reliable registry operations with negligible unplanned downtime for its existing registry systems. This solution ensures ICANN that NeuStar will maintain and/or exceed the system reliability performance of the current .org registry.
- NeuStar recognizes that ICANN requires that the .org registry go through a seamless transition without degraded performance and system reliability. Users of the .org community cannot afford to lose access to mission-critical applications, nor can they tolerate system failures that lead to excessive downtime and denial of service because of a new, possibly unqualified registry operator. They demand the same or better service quality when and after the .org registry is transitioned from the current operator to another operator.
- NeuStar is fully committed to deliver unparalleled system reliability and availability for the .org registry using state-of-the-art technologies. We propose redundant data centers for the .org registry operations and a network of nameservers for DNS queries.½ These facilities are geographically dispersed to minimize the possibility of outages caused by natural or man-made disasters. The nameservers are interconnected to each data center via a Virtual Private network (VPN) backhaul link. As previously shown in Exhibit C17-2 indicates, the two data centers are interconnected by a redundant, high speed VPN.
- The two .org databases are synchronized in near-real time. At any time, only the active .org database is processing transactions for the registry. All transactions are logged on the active site. The transaction log is periodically pushed to the backup data center via the VPN if either of the following two conditions is met:
- The lapsed time has reached a predefined value (e.g., 3 minutes) since the last push; or
- The transaction log size has reached a predefined value (e.g., 10 Mbytes) since the last push.
- Upon receipt of the log, the .org database on the backup site applies the log to synchronize with that of the primary site. So the .org databases on the two sites only differ in the latest transaction log on the active SRS site.
- Each data center will have redundant network components, high-availability server clusters, and fault-tolerant database servers to eliminate single points of failure. All critical telecommunications access links and network components ½ e.g., routers, firewalls, LAN switches, and server NIC cards will be redundant. Anything less would be inadequate to provide the service levels that ICANN and the industry require.
- C17.13.1Defining and quantifying quality of service
- NeuStar defines quality of service as high-availability of all registry functions as perceived by the registrars, registrants, and end users. In this context, system availability is a function of both reliability (hardware and software components) and performance (response time, throughput, etc.). Other related factors include system management, diagnostics, maintenance; quality certified software; and database backup and recovery procedures.½
- NeuStar currently commits to the following service levels for its existing registry services:
- Service availability, SRS½The amount of time in a month that registrars are able to initiate sessions with the registry and perform standard daily functions such as adding a domain name, transferring a domain name, etc.½ NeuStar commits to SRS service availability of 99.9%.
- Service availability, Nameserver½The amount of time in a month that Internet users are able to resolve DNS queries to the TLD nameserver network.½ NeuStar has engineered the nameserver service for 99.999% availability.
- Service availability, Whois½The amount of time in a month that Internet users are able to initiate a Whois query to the .org Whois service and receive a successful response.½ NeuStar has engineered the Whois service for 99.95% availability.
- Update frequency, Zone file½The amount of time it takes for a successful change to zone file data to be propagated throughout the .org nameserver network.½ NeuStar has engineered the updates to take place in near real-time and no longer than 10 minutes.½ Our committed service levels is 15 minutes or less for 95% of the updates.½½
- Update frequency, Whois½The amount of time it takes for a successful change to Whois data to be propagated throughout the .org Whois Databases.½ NeuStar has engineered the updates to take place in near real-time and no longer than 10 minutes.½ Our committed service levels: 15 minutes or less for 95% of the updates.
- Processing time; add, modify, delete½The time from when the registry receives an add, modify or delete action to when it acknowledges the action.½ NeuStar has engineered for 3 seconds or less for 95% of the time.½
- Processing time; query a name½The time from when a registry receives a query to when it returns a response.½ NeuStar has engineered for 1.5 seconds or less for 95% of the time.½
- Processing time; Whois½The time from when the registry receives a Whois query to when it returns a response.½ NeuStar has engineered for 1.5 seconds or less for 95% of the time.½
- In addition to these service level agreements (SLAs), there should also be SLAs for administrative functions such as scheduled service unavailability notification, unscheduled service unavailability notification, etc.½
- We are confident that our experience, engineering and operational expertise will deliver the highest reasonable level of service attainable.½ We will commit to the same high service level as our other registry services.½ For more detail on our service levels please see Proposal Section C28.
- C17.13.2Analyzing quality of service
- NeuStar uses system/network-monitoring capabilities and cluster-management fault-detection services to gather systems and network performance statistics and to track device/process/interface availabilities.½ The system stores this data in a local database, then generates a wide variety of pre-programmed and custom reports that enable us to:
- Track system compliance with SLAs;
- Perform performance management and track system performance and resource utilization;
- Perform trend analyses; and
- Perform capacity planning.½
- We generate detailed reports on component availability, circuit-utilization levels, and CPU loads at the servers and routers. We summarize performance data and compare it to SLAs.½ We will make performance statistics for the previous year available online; statistics from earlier years will be available from data backup files.
- For the .org registry service, NeuStar will also employ the statistics-generating and statistics-reporting capabilities inherent in BIND version 8.3.1.½ BIND 8.3.1½s statistics-logging function reports, at selected intervals, the number of queries processed by each server, categorized by query type.½ We will automatically collect and generate online reports, detailing DNS query/response loads both on individual servers and the entire system.½ By deploying application-, systems-, and network-level statistics-collection and capacity-planning tools, NeuStar can provide comprehensive reporting and trending information to ICANN, if requested.
- C17.14.System outage prevention.
- Procedures for problem detection, redundancy of all systems, back up power supply, facility security, technical security, availability of back up software, operating system, and hardware, system monitoring, technical maintenance staff, server locations.
- NeuStar½s redundant data centers and high-availability server cluster architecture will maintain continuous operations with no disruptions in service. The benefit to ICANN and the .org community will be a seamless transition and stable registry operations with improved system availability, minimum downtime, and high user confidence.
- The .org Internet community supporting over two million registrants and millions of DNS queries daily requires outage prevention measures specifically designed to minimize system downtime. Downtime can be categorized as either unplanned or planned:
- Unplanned downtime is caused by failures (e.g., external telecommunications failures, power failures, or internal-network or computer-equipment failures).
- Planned downtime occurs when the system is unavailable due to scheduled maintenance (e.g., software or hardware upgrades and system backups).½ Planned downtime is normally minimized in two ways:
- By performing backups, maintenance, and upgrades while the system remains operational; and
- By reducing the time required to perform tasks that can be performed only while the system is down.½
- In addition to employing the preceding measures for minimizing planned downtime, NeuStar has deployed redundancy and high-availability system architectures designed to minimize unplanned outages.
- NeuStar½s existing service level commitments are designed for critical infrastructure registry services such as those required for .org.½ We have designed a high-availability architecture that combines the following approaches to satisfy the service level requirements:
- Redundant data centers with near real-time one-way transaction replication;
- High availability server cluster architecture;
- Hot backup and recovery; and
- Automated disaster recovery provisions.
- Procedures for problem detection and resolutionTo best meet data center requirements for availability, flexibility, and scalability, NeuStar has designed a high-availability architecture that will combine multiple computers into a cluster. Nodes in the cluster will be loosely coupled, with each node maintaining its own processor, memory, operating system, and network connectivity. Our system/network-management and cluster management tools will automatically detect and compensate for system and network faults and notify system operators.
- At five minute intervals, the network management system ½pings½ network devices using the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) for availability and for performance statistics.½ Event threshold violations or error conditions will initiate a sequence of alerting events, including visual notifications via a topology map, an entry into a log of event records, e-mails to a bulletin board, and notices to technical support staff. The goal is to detect and repair potential problems before services are disrupted.
- An SNMP daemon is configured to periodically check the status and health of vital server processes.½ In the event of a critical process failure, the SNMP agent will send a trap to the network management system, initiating an alert to the technical support staff.½ Our network management software will include remote monitoring and management of operations, so technical support staff can easily diagnose and troubleshoot network faults, either from the Network Operations Center or remotely. Once a problem is detected, it is resolved using our proven problem management process. In conjunction with this problem management process, we will employ proactive performance management and trend analysis processes to conduct root cause analysis and discover performance and utilization trends that could lead to potential problems.
- Our cluster management software, monitors the health of each node and quickly responds to failures to eliminate application downtime, in the following components:
- Since high availability is a primary design goal, a cluster cannot have a single point of failure; accordingly, NeuStar employs RAID mirrored disk drives and multiple LAN connections. The cluster management software monitors these hardware and software components and responds by allocating new resources when necessary to support applications processing. The process of detecting failures and restoring the applications service is completely automated; no operator intervention is required.
- Redundancy of data centers and systemsNeuStar uses redundant data centers one in Sterling, VA; USA, the other, in Chicago IL, USA.½ These data centers are interconnected by redundant, high-speed, and secure telecommunications links to provide one-way replication of all registry database transactions from the primary site to the back-up site.
- Within each data center, the system is redundantly configured so that failure of any system component will leave a configuration of surviving system components capable of executing the entire workload within 95 percent of the previous performance for 100 percent of users.½ To achieve ½no single point-of-failure½ architecture, NeuStar replicates all components and configures the system for automatic failover.
- The following table describes system architecture redundancy employed at each SRS data center to meet 99.9% service availability.
- System redundancy elements
- Single failure of a system component
- Replicate all critical components to eliminate single point of failures.
- The system is capable of executing the entire workload.
- Maintaining availability of applications
- Stateless N+1 node high-availability processor clusters.
- In event of a processor failure, service is not degraded.
- LAN interface or cable failure
- Automatic switchover from one LAN switch to another to restore connectivity.
- Disk-controller or cable failure
- Applications take alternate routes.
- Disk-storage-module failure
- Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID, levels 1, 3, and 5).
- Applications still have access to data in the event of a single disk failure.
- Hardware/software upgrades and additions or changes to the configuration
- N+1 Redundancy allows hot repair/upgrade of system components.
- Eliminate downtime due to administrative and maintenance tasks.
- Dynamic processor de-allocation
- Dynamically take a processor out of service to modify the physical and logical configuration of the system.
- Eliminate downtime due to maintenance tasks and component replacement.
- RAID drives and controllers allow hot plugin of disk modules.
- Eliminate downtime due to maintenance tasks.
- Hot repair of system componentsAnother advantage of system redundancy is that it will enable our maintenance staff to use hot repair replacement of system components. Keeping the system in full operation while we perform such common system-administration tasks as upgrading the hardware or software will reduce NeuStar½s overall Mean Time To Failure (MTTF) while minimizing the Mean Time to Recovery (MTTR).½ Hot repair is only possible when major system components are redundant, as in the NeuStar solution.
- Backup power supplyEach SRS data center and nameserver site is provided with UPS power in the event of brief electrical transients and outages.½ For more than brief outages, the primary data center has a 1,250 KVA motor-generator capable of running the entire data center in the event of a lengthier electrical blackout.½ Service agreements are in place with diesel fuel providers for extended power outages
- Facility securityAs discussed in Proposal Section C17.9, NeuStar vigorously enforces physical security measures, controlling all access to our facilities.½ Throughout normal working hours, security personnel stationed at each building entrance verify that employees are displaying proper identification badges and control access by non-employees.½ Non-employees must sign in to gain entrance; the sign-in books are stored for a period of one year.½ If the purpose of a non-employee½s visit is found to be valid, he or she will be issued a temporary badge; otherwise, entrance will be denied. At all times while they are in the facility, visitors must display their badges and must be escorted by a NeuStar employee.½ We will also strictly enforce the policy that employees wear their badges prominently displayed at all times while in the facility. During off-hours (6:30pm to 6:30am and all day on weekends and major holidays), individuals must use the proper-electronic key cards to gain access to the building.½ We issue electronic key cards only to employees who need access for business purposes.
- In addition to being stationed at building entrances during normal working hours, on site security personnel are on duty 24x7x365 to monitor the images from closed-circuit television cameras placed strategically throughout the facilities. ½Further, any room housing sensitive data or equipment is equipped with a self-closing door that can be opened only by individuals who activate a hand geometry reader.½ Senior managers establish the rights of employees to access individual rooms, and ensure that each reader is programmed to pass only those authorized individuals.½ We grant access rights only to individuals whose duties require them to have hands-on contact with the equipment housed in the controlled space; administrative and customer-service staffs normally do not require such access.½ The hand geometry readers compile and maintain a record of those individuals who enter controlled rooms.½
- The following table lists our physical security mechanisms.
- Physical-security provisions
- Physically prevent intruder access; verify employee badges.
- Closed-circuit video-surveillance cameras
- Extend capabilities of security guards; maintain access records.
- Intrusion detection systems
- Extend capabilities of security guards to building perimeter.
- Permanent badges for employees; easily recognizable temporary badges for visitors.
- Maintained as permanent records for at least one year.
- Control physical access during off-hours; maintain access records.
- Restrict physical access to mission-critical rooms within our facilities; maintain access records.
- Restrict physical access to mission-critical rooms within our facilities.
- Technical securityProposal Section C17.9 also describes the technical security measures that NeuStar uses.½ We use the underlying userID and password security features of the RRP, supplemented by system-based Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) services to provide additional security. The following table lists the systems, protocols, and devices to prevent system hacks, break-ins, data tampering, and denial-of-service attacks.½
- Database and operating system security
- Technical security-system element
- UserID and password, file level access control lists
- Ensures that the user can access authorized functions, but no others, and can perform only authorized operations within these functions.½ For example, the registrar of a registered domain name is authorized to query it and then renew or cancel it or change its nameservers, but cannot query domain names held by other registrars.
- Database: UserID and password; user profiles
- Limits database access to pre-authorized users.
- Retains the last two passwords and disallows their usage.
- Rejects simultaneous sessions by an individual user.
- Limits access rights to database objects and functions to a specified user or user group.
- Rejects unauthorized access attempts.½ Automatically revokes identification codes after a pre-established number of unsuccessful attempts.
- Provides an interface to facilitate the online administration of user privileges.
- E-commerce-security features
- HTTPS encryption ensures that messages between the registry and registrars can be read only by the intended receiver.
- Issued by an X.509 authentication server, digital signatures ensure that the incoming data actually has come from the purported sender; provides non-repudiation.
- Boundary security features
- Permits only authorized packets to enter the data center LAN, thus isolating the .org registry system from most potentially damaging messages.
- Guards the secure .org registry LAN from the public Internet by permitting the passage of only packet flows whose origins and destinations comply with pre-established rules.
- Detects intrusion at the LAN level.½ Displays an alert at the .org registry network-operations workstation and creates a log entry.
- Availability of backup software, operating system, and hardwareProposal Section C17.7 describes NeuStar½s zero-downtime/zero-impact backup process, which uses backup servers, disk array, and a DLT robotic-tape library.½ The dedicated backup system is independent of the registry server clusters that run the applications.
- System monitoringThe subsection entitled ½Procedures for Problem Detection and Resolution½ describes system-monitoring capabilities and procedures.½ Our network management system and specialized element managers monitor specific routers, LAN switches, servers cluster, firewalls, applications, and the backup servers.½ In addition, the cluster-management software monitors the status and health of processor, memory, disk, and LAN components in the high-availability cluster.
- Technical maintenance staffThe three-tiered NeuStar customer service approach ensures that all problems are resolved by the appropriate party in a timely manner.½
- The Technical Support Group will operate out of the Help Desk Network Operations Center (NOC) within the data centers.½ The group will be comprised of system administrators, network administrators, database administrators, security managers, and functional experts in the .org registry IT systems and applications infrastructure.½ Registrars access the Technical Support Group through the Tier-1 Help Desk.½ This group will resolve trouble tickets and technical problems that have been escalated to them by the Help Desk Customer Service Agents. If the problem involves a hardware failure, the Technical Support Group will escalate the problem to our Tier-3 on-site maintenance technicians, third-party maintenance providers, or our hardware vendors, depending on the nature of the problem.½ For more detail, please see Proposal Section C17.11
- Server locationsNeuStar½s registry servers will be located in the SRS data centers in Sterling, VA, USA, and Chicago, IL, USA.½ Two nameserver sites will be co-located with the registry data centers; the remaining nameserver sites will be geographically dispersed connected to the data center high-speed VPN links.½ Please see Proposal Section C17.1 for more detail.
- C17.15.System recovery procedures.
- Procedures for restoring the system to operation in the event of a system outage, both expected and unexpected. Identify redundant/diverse systems for providing service in the event of an outage and describe the process for recovery from various types of failures, the training of technical staff who will perform these tasks, the availability and backup of software and operating systems needed to restore the system to operation, the availability of the hardware needed to restore and run the system, backup electrical power systems, the projected time for restoring the system, the procedures for testing the process of restoring the system to operation in the event of an outage, the documentation kept on system outages and on potential system problems that could result in outages.
- NeuStar is proposing two redundant SRS data centers and a network of six nameserver sites geographically dispersed to provide redundancy and to enable us to responsibly recover from unplanned system outages, natural disasters, and disruptions caused by human error or interference with minimal or no loss of services.
- To maintain public confidence in the Internet, ICANN requires a high level of system-recovery capabilities.½ Proven industry solutions to the problems of outages and disaster recovery incorporate high-availability system architectures and fast failover from the primary data center to a mirrored-backup.½ High-availability solutions minimize downtime, with availability of 99.9 percent or greater. Continuously available solutions go a step further, with virtually zero downtime creating an availability of approximately 99.999 percent (five nines).
- Possible system-recovery architectures include:
- Symmetric replication½The database replicate (on the backup or failover system) is identical to the primary database on the production system because any change made to the primary database is ½replicated½ in real time on the backup database. Since this is not a ½two-phase commit½ process, a small window of vulnerability exists, during which changes made to the primary system could be lost in transit.½ Replication may increase transaction times, but switching from the primary database to the backup can be very fast and essentially transparent to end-users.
- Active/hot-standby databases½This is a special case of replication.½ A standby database at a backup site originates as an identical copy of the primary database. Changes (updates, inserts, deletes) to the primary database are recorded in transaction logs that are periodically archived. Archived logs are delivered to the backup site and applied to the standby database.
- Remote data mirroring½This is the classic disk-mirroring procedure, except conducted at a long distance. Depending on whether hardware or software mirroring is used, the performance impact can vary from minimal to significant. Switchover to the backup site can be quick and virtually transparent to end-users. The loss of data is zero, although a ½system crash½ type of database recovery is needed.
- NeuStar½s system-recovery solution is based on running mission-critical SRS applications at two active/hot-standby data centers that are geographically dispersed, with database replication technology that maintains database synchronization between the two centers near real-time. To provide backup for DNS queries, we are implementing multiple nameserver sites, also physically separated by long distances. We recognize that system management and recovery are more difficult when the system spreads over a large geographical area; however, active/hot-standby SRS data centers will keep the registry master databases synchronized up to the latest transaction log.½
- C17.15.1Restoring SRS operations in the event of a system outage
- Believing that prevention of failure is better than restoring after failure, to maximize availability and eliminate the possibility that a single-point failure could shut down operations, we implemented each of the two SRS data centers and six nameservers with:
- Redundant components with no single point of failure;
- High-availability cluster architecture;
- Load balancers, which are used primarily to distribute the processing load across multiple servers, will defend against common denial-of-service attacks that can precipitate outages caused by processor overloads;
- Fault-tolerant hardware; and
- Data backup/restore systems that work together to avoid unplanned outages.½ (Naturally, the primary function of these systems remains quick recovery, should such an outage occur.)
- The recovery mechanisms we will implement include:
- Full backup and continuous, incremental backup CD-ROMs and DLT Tapes are maintained at the data center and at the secure escrow facility.½ These backups enable us to recover, rebuild, and return to operation the operating system, application software, and databases.
- Processor nodes in the cluster are monitored and controlled by cluster-management software to facilitate recovery of software applications in the event of a processor failure.
- In the event of a database failure, fault-tolerant database software fails over to the replicated backup database, enabling applications using database services to recover operations seamlessly.
- Processors in high-availability clusters have dual attach ports to network devices and RAID disk arrays, enabling them to recover from a failure in a single port or disk drive.
- Our high-availability clusters are sized to run at peak load. If a processor fails, the excess capacity in the cluster handles the full processing workload while the failed node is repaired or replaced.½ In essence, this is instantaneous recovery.
- The remainder of this subsection describes how we would recover from a system-wide disaster (e.g., one that disables an entire data center). Proposal Subsection C17.15.3 discusses recovery from various types of component failures.½
- System-wide disaster recoveryEach of the SRS data centers is sized to take over the entire load of the SRS operations, and each nameserver is dual-homed to each data center.½ With this architecture, recovery in the event of a disaster is nearly instantaneous. Sessions that were dropped by the active data center that suffered the disaster are simply restarted on the hot-standby data center within seconds. The main issues that our disaster-recovery strategy solves include:
- Data and applications are kept carried out by two-phase commit replication.½ Because the RRP servers are configured to retry failed transactions, neither registrars nor users submitting queries will perceive any degradation in service.½
- If the active data center goes off-line, the workload is transparently switched to the hot-standby data center.½ The transaction latency is limited to the brief time needed to replicate the last transaction to the surviving data center.
- Replication of transactions for the active site to the hot-standby site keeps each site½s databases synchronized up to the last exchanged transaction log. The standby database can fully recover all missing transactions by applying the current transaction log from the active site (if available).
- The use of active/hot-standby data centers provides fast, simple disaster recovery that maintains continuity of operations with minimum to zero downtime½even in the event of a major disaster. The following are the procedures that are followed to restore operations if an SRS or nameserver site experiences a natural or man-made disaster:
- SRS or nameserver operations are immediately failed over to the hot-standby data center; registry operations proceed uninterrupted, except for those completed transactions recorded in the current transaction log and those that are in transit between the two centers. If the current transaction log is available, it can be applied to the standby .org database to bring it fully synchronized with the previously active .org database.
- We implement the disaster recovery plan for the failed data center and place the disaster recovery team on alert.
- Within eight hours, the disaster recovery team is assembled and dispatched to the failed data center to help the local data center personnel stabilize the situation, protect the assets, and resume operations.
- The disaster recovery team assesses whether the building housing the data center can be used to recover operations.
- If so, the team contacts disaster recovery specialist firms under contract to NeuStar to secure the facility and begin recovery operations.
- If not, the team salvages equipment and software assets to the extent possible and procures an alternate data-center facility. NeuStar initiates its contingency plan to reconstruct the data center in the new location, repair and test the salvaged equipment and software, and procure the remaining required components with quick-reaction procedures.
- Once the disaster recovery team has stabilized and tested the SRS or nameserver equipment, it retrieves the system and application software CD ROMs and the database backup tapes from the secure escrow.½ It then rebuilds the data center using the same recovery procedures that are used restoring components lost in a more limited failure. (Proposal Subsection C17.15.3 describes these procedures.)
- C17.15.2Redundant/diverse systems for providing service in the event of an outage
- NeuStar is proposing two active/hot-standby SRS data centers and multiple nameserver sites with high availability clusters and cluster management software that enables multiple node processors, in conjunction with RAID storage arrays, to quickly recover from failures.½ The server load balancer and the cluster manager software monitor the health of system processors, system memory, RAID disk arrays, LAN media and adapters, system processes, and application processes.½ They detect failures and promptly respond by reallocating resources.
- Dual fault-tolerant database servers are coupled to a primary and a backup database and RAID configuration to ensure data integrity and access to the database. The database system uses synchronous replication, with two-way commits to replicate every transaction to the backup database. The process of detecting failures and restoring service is completely automated and occurs within 30 seconds with no operator intervention required.½
- C17.15.3Process for recovery from various types of failures
- The following table lists the possible types of failures and describes the process for recovery.½ In all cases of component failure, system recovery is automatic, with zero downtime and zero impact on system users.½ The remainder of this subsection, C17.15.3, provides additional information about failure recovery considerations for individual components.
- Recovery from a cluster processor failureIf one processor in a cluster fails, the cluster manager software logically disconnects that processor. While technicians repair or replace it, applications and user sessions continue on the remaining cluster processors. After the failed processor is off-line, the following procedures are used to recover it:
- Testing and troubleshooting with diagnostic hardware and software to determine the root cause (e.g., hardware [CPU, memory, network adapter] or software [system or application subsystem])½
- Repairing hardware failures and, if necessary, rebuilding system and applications software from the backup CD ROM
- Testing the repaired processor and documenting the repairs in the trouble ticket
- Logging the processor back into the cluster.
- Database system recoveryOur database-management system supports continuous operation, including online backup and management utilities, schema evolution, and disk space management. All routine database maintenance is performed while the database is online.
- NeuStar½s fault-tolerant database server software solution will provide distributed redundancy by implementing synchronous replication from a primary database server to a backup database server. This solution includes automatic and transparent database failover to the replicated database without any changes to application code or the operating system.
- If a database system node experiences a hardware failure or database corruption, NeuStar technicians use the following recovery procedures:
- Test and troubleshoot with diagnostic hardware and software to determine the root cause (e.g., hardware [CPU, memory, network adapter, RAID disk array] or software [operating system, database system, monitoring software]).
- Repair hardware failures and, if necessary, rebuild operating system and applications software from the backup CD-ROM.
- Test the repaired processor and document the repairs in the trouble ticket.
- Restore the data files by applying (in the correct sequence) the full backup DLT tapes and the incremental backup DLT tapes maintained in the data center.
- Log the processor node back into the fault-tolerant server configuration and synchronize the database by applying the after-image journal files until the primary and replicate database are fully synchronized. The procedure is as follows:
- Recreate the database directories and supporting file structure
- Insert the full backup tape from the escrow facility and restore the base level backup.
- Insert incremental backup tapes in the correct order to ensure they are correctly applied to the base level backup.
- Using the log roll forward recovery, mount the roll forward recovery tapes and apply them to the database.
- Failures affecting the nameserver sites
- Nameserver cluster processor fails
- Cluster management software logs out the failed processor and processing continues on the remaining nodes in the cluster.
- Internet or VPN link fails
- Ongoing sessions are dropped and restarted on the other redundant ISP or VPN access link.
- Ongoing sessions are dropped and restarted on one of the other nameserver sites.
- Edge Router, Firewall, or Load Balancer Fails
- Ongoing sessions are dropped and restarted on the redundant components.
- Failures affecting the data center applications and database server
- Applications-cluster processor fails
- Cluster management software logs out the failed processor and processing continues on the remaining processors in the cluster.
- RRP server processor fails
- Registrar session is dropped from the failed server and restarted on the other RRP server.
- Web server processor fails
- Cluster management software logs out the failed processor and processing continues on the remaining processors in the cluster.
- Database server processor fails
- The operating system automatically distributes load to the remaining SMP processors.
- Database disk drive fails
- Processing automatically continues on the RAID with no data loss.
- The applications processing is failed over to the hot-standby site and continues on the backup replicate database.
- Authentication server fails
- Processing automatically continues on the redundant authentication server.
- Whois-cluster processor fails
- Cluster management software logs out the failed processor and processing continues on the remaining processors in the cluster.
- Processing automatically continues on the redundant B&C server.
- Internet or VPN link fails
- Ongoing sessions are dropped and restarted on the other redundant ISP or VPN access link.
- Ongoing sessions are dropped and restarted on the remaining redundant router or firewall.
- C17.15.4Training of technical staff who will perform recovery procedures
- NeuStar technical personnel have an average of five years of data center operations experience, encompassing the high-availability cluster technology, distributed database management systems, and LAN/WAN network management systems that are employed in the recovery process. New hires and transfers to NeuStar½s .org registry operations will be given the following training:
- A one-week ½.org Registry Overview½ course;
- Vendor-offered courses for certification in backup/recovery, cluster management, system management, and network management; and
- On-the-job training on registry operations, including high availability cluster management, system backup/recovery, database backup/recovery, and system/network management.
- C17.15.5Software and operating systems for restoring system operations
- NeuStar will use commercially available Unix operating systems, cluster management software, and backup/recovery software to restore the SRS and nameserver systems to operation.½ In addition to providing synchronous replication of registry transactions to the backup server, our database-management system will provide data recovery services using the DLT tape backup system.½ Backup/recovery hardware and software at the SRS data center will remotely back up and restore the nameservers over the VPN.
- All static applications software and operating systems are backed up to DLT tape volumes and converted to CD-ROM for quick restoration in the event of operating system or application software failures. Backup copies are maintained in the data center for quick access, with additional copies in the secure escrow facility.
- C17.15.6Hardware needed to restore and run the system
- The two active/hot-standby data centers will house the commercial off-the-shelf, fault-tolerant cluster servers and dedicated backup/recovery servers that are needed to restore the system to operation.
- C17.15.7Backup electrical power systems
- Each of the two data centers is configured with a UPS battery-backup system that provides sufficient power for 30 minutes of operation.½ They also have a transfer switch connected to 1,000-KVA motor generators that are capable of powering the entire data center for many days without commercial power.
- C17.15.8Projected time for restoring the system
- Two active/hot-standby data centers, each with high-availability clusters sized to handle the full projected registry load, provide the SRS services.
- If an individual cluster experiences a processor failure, that processor½s applications are transferred to another processor within approximately 30 seconds; however, the remaining processor nodes in the cluster continue applications processing without interruption.
- Since the hot-standby database maintains synchronization with the active one up to the current transaction log, even if a natural or man-made disaster eliminates one data center, registry services can continue with minimum downtime and minimum impact on users.½ The only impact is transitional, with dropped sessions to the RP server, Whois Server, and Name Servers, and potentially, those completed transactions on the current transaction log if the log is also lost in the crash.½ Because the protocols reinitiate a failed transaction, even these operations are fully restored in less than 30 seconds with no loss of data or transactions.
- C17.15.9Testing the system-restoration process
- NeuStar will test disaster recovery plans and outage restoration procedures annually to ensure that they can effectively restore system operations.
- C17.15.10Documenting system outages
- System-problem documentation includes the following:
- The system manager and network manager systems collect performance and utilization statistics on system processors, system memory, LAN media and adapters, routers, switches, system processes, and applications processes.½
- The automated help desk database contains documentation on trouble tickets, whether system generated or generated by the Help Desk.
- The trouble ticket database contains the documentation of the steps taken to resolve trouble tickets.
- The data center manager collates, analyzes, and reports monthly statistics on help desk activities, system utilization and performance, and outages.
- C17.15.11Documenting system problems that could result in outages
- NeuStar½s proactive systems management processes include performance management, trend analysis, and capacity planning. These processes analyze system performance and utilization data to detect bottlenecks and resource utilization issues that could develop into outages. Monthly reports on the three processes keep the data center manager appraised of our performance against service level agreements and raise awareness of potential problems that could result in outages.
- In addition, NeuStar performs root cause analysis of hardware and software failures to determine and analyze the reason for any failure. Based on our findings, we work with vendors to generate hardware service bulletins and software maintenance releases to prevent reoccurrence of these failures.
- C17.16.Registry failure provisions.
- Please describe in detail your plans for dealing with the possibility of a registry failure due to insolvency or other factors that preclude restored operation.
- NeuStar has developed a sound registry transition plan that, in combination with the data escrow requirements established by ICANN, provides a highly-effective solution for the recovery of any registry following a catastrophic failure.
- Internet domain names are an important public resource.½ The functions provided by the registry; zone file, Whois, domain database, and the change management associated with those functions are critical to the effective and efficient operation of the .org domain.½ Domain name holders, registrars, and Internet users around the world have grown to expect, and depend upon, uninterrupted service.½ The existing registry providers and ICANN need to work together to minimize any disruption to the TLD in the event that a registry provider fails.½
- Registry services form the core of critical Internet functionality.½ Domain name holders, registrants, rely on a registry½s nameservers for name resolution.½ Without a reliably functioning nameserver infrastructure, e-mails would not be received, websites could not be viewed, systems that use domain names for addressing would not be able to interface with each other, etc.½ Registrars rely on the registry½s SRS to manage the domain names for their customer ½ the registrants.½ The registrars manage nameserver updates and changes, account renewals, name expirations, among other functions; through the registry.½ The Internet community relies on the registry Whois for maintenance and administration in the domain.½½ Therefore, any disruption of a registry½s services can have catastrophic impacts on the users of a domain.
- The critical functions that must be rapidly and accurately restored in the event of failure are:
- The SRS to manage change to the .org database zone file and Whois on behalf of the registrars;
- Zone file generation, propagation, and hosting; and
- One method of providing for restoration in the event of a catastrophic registry failure is to identify one or more entities to act as secondary nameservers for the domain and freeze all changes.½ It is likely that there would be volunteers, such as universities and existing registries, that would act as secondary nameservers for the failing domain½s zone file for some reasonable period of time.½ However, this solution would mean that Whois and change management would not be supported during the time that it takes to transition to a new registry.½ This could be a significant amount of time.½
- It has been NeuStar½s experience as a registry provider that change management is a very important function to the registrants.½ A significant number of nameserver changes are managed through the registry.½ That is, a person changing a nameserver address will port their applications; e-mail website, etc.; to a new nameserver and then change the nameserver address at the registry.½ When they do this they are expecting a short period of downtime.½ The downtime could be as short as fifteen minutes for a registry such as NeuStar½s internet registry that performs near real-time updates to the zone file.½ Or it could be as much as 12 hours for registries such as the current .org registry that performs updates twice a day.½ To add weeks if not months to nameserver changes would be completely unacceptable to registrants.½ Another problem exacerbating this situation is the fact that many companies in the business of hosting websites and e-mail are affected by the recent downturn in the economy.½ Registrants have to find a new host for their services quickly.½ A delay in changing the nameserver addresses could put them out of service for an unacceptable period of time.½ Such a scenario would effect the registrant½s own operations.½
- NeuStar believes that the transition plan we have detailed in Proposal Section C18 of this RFP can be used as a template for any transition of a domain from one registry to another.½ That is, this transition plan can be used in the event of a registry failure, as well as, in the event of an RFP award such as the one for .org.½
- Exhibit C17-19 summarizes the transition plan which lays out a six week timeline beginning with adding the successor registry½s nameservers as secondaries and ending when the last nameserver of the incumbent registry is removed as a secondary.½ This plan assumes that ICANN has selected a successor registry with a functioning SRS registry database, nameservers, and Whois.½ The second and third week of the plan places a moratorium on registrar transfers, and the third week places a moratorium on adds, modifies, and deletes.½ The third week is the only week that would affect the registrants trying to initiate nameserver changes.½ There is also an allowance for emergency modifications, but these are to be kept to a minimum to avoid the possibility of having the database, the zone file, and the Whois out of synch.½ Four of the six weeks are in place for a gradual ramp down of the incumbent registry provider½s nameservers.½
- Given the devastating effects of a registry failure on the users of a TLD and the Internet as a whole, NeuStar, of course, seeks to avoid ever having to execute a recovery plan.½ NeuStar½s first line of defense against failure is its highly secure, redundant registry infrastructure.½ Moreover, NeuStar½s strong financial health and significant investor support further ensures that failure due to insolvency or similar factors will never happen.½ Sound and responsible registry operations, however, require an effective failure recovery plan.
- If NeuStar were to experience a failure we would propose the transition plan we have provided in Proposal Section C18 to transfer the .org domain to a successor.½ We would agree to follow all of the guidelines we are proposing in Proposal Section C18 for the incumbent operators of .org.½ A very important additional function of an operating registry in this regard is the data escrow requirement outlined in the ICANN contract. These escrow data requirements ensure that necessary data is available to support the proposal transition plan. We will also notify ICANN at the earliest time possible to provide sufficient time to transfer the zone files and other key data to a successor operator, and assist them with that transition.½ NeuStar would also stand ready, at ICANN½s request, to implement this transition for other ICANN sanctioned registries that may fail.
- C18.Transition Plan. This should present a detailed plan for the transition of the Registry Function from the current facilities and services provided by VeriSign, Inc., to the facilities and services you propose. Issues that should be discussed in this detailed plan include:
- NeuStar½s transition approach, borne from unique experience successfully transitioning a TLD from VeriSign, ensures the highest levels of stability, service, and integrity.
- Exchanging ownership of the .org registry must be done in a manner that secures a seamless transition into a proven, stable, and robust registry.½ A seamless transition entails meeting the needs of each .org stakeholder where:
- End user DNS and Whois resolution remains accurate and uninterrupted;
- Registrant nameserver changes that require immediate attention can be immediately corrected;
- Registrars are provided the necessary time and support for equal registry access; and
- The Internet community is not damaged by any perceptions of instability, under-engineering, or lack of data integrity.
- The risks associated with transitioning an active, mission-critical resource like .org cannot be overemphasized.½ Imperfect navigation through the complexities of a TLD transition will lead to resolution outages, inaccurate or non-reconciled data in and between the .org zone, Whois, and SRS databases, and extended or costly interruptions to registrant and registrar activities.½ The impacts of these unacceptable risks reach far beyond the over two (2) million .org domain owners.½ Many noncommercial registrants rely upon their .org domains to offer essential communication services to their supporters.½ These services often represent the single information or administrative processing medium to conduct daily activities and would, therefore, halt critical activities in the .org community.½ If data transition is not effectively and aggressively managed, it is likely that in-flight or incomplete domain requests (such as registrar transfers or deletes) will be lost or processed in error, billing transactions will be inappropriately billed or applied, and active names will be sold to new parties.½ Further, when registrars are not provided the same and appropriate level of time and technical support to execute their transition activities, .org registrants with different registrars will be treated unfairly, calling into question the integrity of the .org TLD.
- Whenever data and services are moved from one entity to another, there are a multitude of risks inherent in the transition. When that transition is between two different and unrelated entities, those risks, and their likelihood of occurring, are even greater based on differences in approach, expertise, culture, and agenda.½ Beyond the need to effectively manage these inter-registry complexities, there are many technical challenges that must be combated to avoid negatively impacting the .org space and its stakeholders.½ These technical challenges include:
- Preparing a solid, robust, well-tested, and proven registry infrastructure within 2-3 months of contract award (to include DNS, Whois, SRS database, SRS online and batch interfaces, CRM, and Billing);
- Offering a registrar Toolkit, interactive test environment, technical support team, and detailed documentation for registrars within 1-2 months of contract award;
- Collecting and empowering a team of seasoned TLD transition experts immediately upon contract award;
- Arriving at and executing against a prudent and attainable DNS zone management transition plan that guarantees absolutely no interruption of DNS or Whois resolution;
- Defining and executing against a detailed transition plan that addresses the needs of end users, registrants, and registrars with:
- Uninterrupted critical services;
- Sustained data integrity;
- Integration of immediate roll-back capabilities; and
- Expert technical support.
- To address the aforementioned transition challenges, eliminate success risks, and mitigate negative outcomes, a contractor must (1) intimately understand each risk and its impact on the various stakeholders, (2) have practical experience with the various approaches, (3) arrive at a sound and attainable plan, and (3) have direct control over a scalable infrastructure that can meet the demands of a data, service, and user transition.½
- NeuStar offers a comprehensive transition package based on practical, not theoretical, experience.½ Our detailed, technically sound, and attainable plan can be flawlessly executed because we already possess (1) the scalable registry infrastructure which has proven to accept a transitioned TLD, (2) an accomplished TLD transition team with successful TLD transition experience, (3) a technically sound data transition approach that guarantees no interruption in critical .org services, and (4) an effective program management approach that identifies and addresses obstacles and issues quickly.½ The following transition plan proposal sections clearly illustrate that NeuStar is proficient not only in registry management, but also in registry transitions These sections contain:
- Detailed steps of our transition plan, addressing the needs of each .org stakeholder for each registry application and transition category;
- A review of the duration and extent of registry function interruptions, highlighting NeuStar½s stability criteria and specific activity impacts;
- An overview of risks and the associated contingency plans, illustrating NeuStar½s proven sense of priority, risk mitigation, and understanding of TLD transition components;
- Identification of service impacts by stakeholder, demonstrating the critical services that will not be interrupted during the transition and the administrative services that will be temporarily halted to ensure data integrity and accuracy;
- Specifics regarding the cooperation required of the .org registry incumbent, listing the activities and deliverables that require VeriSign participation or completion;
- A summary of NeuStar½s relevant experience in performing similar transitions where our accomplishments in transitioning mission-critical resources, including the .us TLD, are explained; and
- A listing of transition success criteria against which NeuStar and the .org community can measure a flawless transition.
- C18.1.Steps of the proposed transition, including sequencing and scheduling.
- NeuStar½s recent experience in transitioning the .us TLD was utilized to arrive at a detailed, practical, and proven transition plan for the .org TLD.
- NeuStar has developed a comprehensive phased transition plan that will be initiated within weeks of contract award. We will immediately begin discussions with VeriSign regarding the details of our plan, coordinate meeting schedules and deliverables, and identify their internal resources. The transition period is scheduled for competition prior to the end of the year to ensure all resources will be available.
- NeuStar has already achieved success in managing the complexity of creating, maintaining, and enhancing TLD spaces.½ Additionally, NeuStar has navigated through the intricacies of transitioning mission critical services between unrelated entities.½ NeuStar½s recent experience in transitioning the .us namespace was utilized to arrive at a detailed, practical, and proven transition plan for .org.½ This directly relevant experience, coupled with our unparalleled resources, makes NeuStar distinctly qualified to offer a seamless and stable transition.
- Although the competition introduced by a separation of .org from the .com and net registries will benefit the Internet community at large, transitioning an existing, mission-critical public resource introduces concerns about degradations in service and availability.½ These concerns cannot be ignored and should not be underestimated, since they represent risks inherent in any service, data, and system migration.½ The complexity and probability of these risks are further exacerbated when the migration is between unrelated entities.½ Clearly a contractor½s ability to maintain the stability and security of the .org registry during and after the transition is of paramount importance in the selection of a new .org registry.
- NeuStar will ensure stability and security with a well-balanced offering that includes experienced staff, an existing robust and scalable registry system, a proven program management methodology, and a comprehensive plan.½ Furthermore, contractors who need to (1) introduce new registry software, hardware, or network elements, (2) implement new competitive registrar relationships, or (3) solicit assistance from an external vendor will significantly increase the risk of interrupting or otherwise degrading this mission-critical resource as further outlined in Proposal Section C18.6.
- NeuStar½s experienced staff has been leveraged in the creation of our .org transition and contingency plans and shall be further tasked during the actual service, data, and system transition.½ Details can be found throughout Proposal Section C18 and specific details about staff and transition experience can be found in Proposal Section C18.6.
- NeuStar½s shared registry system, DNS, Whois, registrar extranet, informational websites, billing process, and reporting applications also have proven to be reliable, sustainable, stable, and scalable.½ Each supported the introduction of the .biz TLD in late 2001 and later in the unprecedented real-time ½landrush½ of .us in April of 2002.½ The .us launch proved that NeuStar½s systems were able to handle large concurrent volumes without any degradation in service or access.½ It is, in fact, the existence of a proven and scalable registry infrastructure that allows NeuStar to guarantee a stable and on-time transition.½½ Specific details are further explained in Proposal Section C18.6.
- NeuStar considered several different transition approaches.½ Each was evaluated against the stakeholder impacts discussed in Proposal Section C18.4 to arrive at a solution which best balanced the needs of all .org stakeholders including end users, registrants, registrars, and the Internet community at large.½ NeuStar½s plan was additionally evaluated against the risks defined in Proposal Section C18.3 to revise or augment activities where such risks could be mitigated or eliminated.
- A transition plan can be successful only if complemented by a structured and effective program management approach.½ NeuStar employs a program management methodology built upon standards set forth by the Project Management Institute (PMI).½ This program methodology is far more than a documented process.½ NeuStar employees at every level participate in customized and certified project management training.½ The approach and its associated deliverables, processes, and documentation are considered the responsibility of every program team member.½ Program performance reviews are provided to executive management and program sponsors on a regular basis and are then shared with impacted stakeholders.
- When NeuStar½s program management methodology is coupled with our unmatched resources and experience, plans become reality.½ The .org transition plan was created with involvement from all disciplines as listed below.½ Execution of the activities within NeuStar½s transition plan will leverage these world-class, on-staff resources.
- Shared registry system developers
- Database designers and developers
- Web designers and developers
- Customer relationship developers
- Network monitoring engineers
- Application support engineers
- Customer/registrar relations staff
- Customer service representatives
- Technical support engineers
- Registrar relations managers
- Contract compliance legal council
- Policy/standards board leadership
- Corporate infrastructure staff
- Finance & procurements managers
- Media/public relations managers
- .us TLD transition program manager
- .us TLD expanded space program manager
- NeuStar½s transition plan is divided into seven delivery categories (listed in the following table).½ Exhibit C18-1 depicts the timing of each of these transition items.½ The critical deliverables defined under each category are the criteria against which a flawless NeuStar execution will be managed and measured.
- Transition plan½key deliverables
- Transition delivery category
- Critical transition deliverables
- Uninterrupted and timely resolution
- Resolution matches Whois information
- Resolution matches SRS database
- Shared Registry System Database (SRS)
- Provides for accurate DNS and Whois population
- Uncontaminated registrant, registrar, and date/time information
- Complete registrants, registrar, and date/time information
- Supports emergency out-of-service condition changes
- Provides for accurate and timely billing and payment posting
- Accurately support all key domain names functions to include; adds, deletes, transfers, modifies, and renewals
- Uninterrupted and timely response
- Information matches DNS resolution
- Information matches SRS database
- Proactive and timely communication of planned activities, schedules, status, and upcoming deadlines
- Registry Toolkit and related documentation
- Connectivity and full transaction test environment with technical support staff
- Equal access across registrars for all transactions
- Time and support for transition between Registries
- Regular and clear communication of status, upcoming events, and issues across registries and registrars
- Facilitation of schedule, activities, and minimum success criteria between registries
- Regular risk evaluation and issue resolution
- Test plan criteria, schedule, results, and issue resolution across registries
- Regular ISP data file delivery of updated .org zone files to ISPs
- Creation of .org Selection Committee
- Facilitation of regular .org Global Policy Council meetings and ongoing operation
- Facilitation of .org outreach activities
- Development and implementation of ICANN approved protocol changes (such as EPP conversion)
- Active participation in ICANN forums
- Each transition delivery category has an associated sequence of activities and schedules.½ Flawless execution requires activity and schedule adherence in each transition.
- Domain name system transitionDomain Name System (DNS) transition is the most critical and visible component of the overall .org transition.½ Any interruptions in the DNS service will immediately affect the more than 2 million domain name owners and all users who rely on these names in their daily lives.½ Furthermore, a contractor who proposes a hasty or quick transition places the .org community at risk of experiencing degradation in service or, in the worst case, a service outage without quick recovery.
- The .org community would be best served with a phased migration where problems are transparent to the .org stakeholders.½ Any proposed approach that does not support the following selection criteria is at risk of not protecting the security and stability of the .org domain space.½
- DNS transition selection criteria
- Full testing of zone file hosting and transfer functionality before implemented in the .org zone file start of authority (SOA) record.
- A complete plan for IANA changes to the root servers for the entire transition timeline.
- A gradual transition of geographically dispersed secondary nameservers with full operational testing before the primary nameserver change is implemented.
- A gradual removal of incumbent nameservers with two weeks of continued updating and availability.
- NeuStar½s proposed transition plan, as depicted in Exhibit C18-2, guarantees a smooth transition without interruption to existing DNS resolution service.½ Our plan supports 100% availability of .org DNS resolution through the utilization of a phased DNS nameserver move between registries.½
- To begin the process, NeuStar will populate a nameserver using a current copy of the .org zone file provided by the incumbent.½ This nameserver will be configured to pull zone data as an authoritative secondary nameserver.½ Once the secondary nameserver is proven stable and accurate, the incumbent will remove a specified incumbent nameserver.½ This process will be repeated several days later for five incremental nameservers.½ VeriSign will need to maintain their removed nameservers for a period of two weeks (after removal) to allow for cache expiration.½ Having the removed nameservers updated and available for this two-week stability period will eliminate any delayed remote caching issues.
- Once NeuStar½s six secondary nameservers have proven operational for a period of one week, the incumbent will replace the VeriSign primary nameserver with a NeuStar primary nameserver.½ Again, these removed Incumbent nameservers will be kept updated and available for a period of two weeks to support any cache expiration delays.½ NeuStar will then gradually replace all additional secondary incumbent nameservers with NeuStar nameservers over a period of four weeks.½
- Nameserver replacements and removals will be conducted in a geographically balanced sequence to maintain current geographic distribution to avoid location-based points of failure.½ Additionally, this sequencing supports removal of servers with lower volumes/loads early in the process to demonstrate the capacity and functionality of the NeuStar TLD cluster architecture.
- Geographically balanced nameserver replacements
- DGTLD-SERVERSNET ½ Herndon, VA, USA
- AGTLDBIZ ½ Sterling, VA, USA
- GGTLD-SERVERSNET ½ Mountain View, CA, USA
- BGTLDBIZ ½ Chicago, Il, USA
- IGTLD-SERVERSNET ½ Stockholm, SE
- CGTLDBIZ ½ San Jose, CA, USA
- KGTLD-SERVERSNET ½ London, UK
- LGTLD-SERVERSNET ½ Atlanta, GA, USA
- MGTLD-SERVERSNET ½ Hong Kong, CN
- Note: VeriSign information updated as of 4/1/02 ½ must be confirmed upon first transition meeting with incumbent
- NeuStar½s plan includes full testing and quality assurance checks before each DNS modification, as well as continuous monitoring after a DNS modification has been completed.½ This well-orchestrated, prudent approach allows for the identification of issues where immediate corrective action can take place, thus eliminating any end user or registrant interruptions.½ In the event any unforeseen capacity issues are identified during our quality assurance checks or post-implementation monitoring, NeuStar can leverage its horizontally scalable infrastructure to add more nameservers.½ We do not believe the NeuStar architecture requires more than six nameservers at the time of transition.½ After the transition, NeuStar plans to add two additional nameserver sites, one in Europe and one in Asia.
- NeuStar will not implement its dynamic DNS updating feature (near real-time versus twice-daily updates) until all incumbent nameservers are decommissioned for a period of 90 days.½ Delay of this enhanced feature eliminates risks caused by synchronization issues for incumbent servers not prepared to accept dynamic updating.
- To avoid any misunderstandings about sequence, deadlines, and required activities, NeuStar will present very clear requirements and documentation to include illustrations, such as Exhibit C18-3, which depicts the timing and relationship of DNS migration events.½
- The following calendar, depicted in Exhibit C18-4, lays out a list of activities required for a smooth transition of the zone file from VeriSign to NeuStar. The primary activities take place every Monday and Saturday beginning on Monday, November 11 and ending on Monday December 23, 2002.½ The activities include:
- Weekly project planning meetings between NeuStar and VeriSign (every Monday).
- Weekly submissions of a TLD Modification template to IANA (every Monday).½ IANA will implement the submitted changes on the following Monday Copies of each of the six IANA templates are included at the end of this section.
- Weekly updates of the root servers by IANA (every Monday).
- Weekly modifications of the .org SOA record to reflect the addition of NeuStar servers, change of the primary nameserver, and removal of VeriSign nameservers (every Saturday).
- Detailed testing of each change and preparing for the upcoming change.
- Modifications of the nameservers are first implemented in the .org SOA record on Saturday and then implemented in the root servers the following Monday.½ This will allow for time to monitor the nameserver performance and zone transfer functionality.
- Shared registry system and .org database description
- SummaryThe most difficult aspect of the .org registry transition will be the transition of the existing .org database and the SRS that acts as the interface between the registrars and the .org database Changes initiated by the registrars generate changes to the .org database Many changes to the .org database will generate changes to the zone file and the Whois The .org database is the core of the registry.
- Transitioning the database from VeriSign to NeuStar will require a significant amount of scrutiny and data validation. During this transition it will be necessary to place a temporary moratorium on some services provided by the registry as depicted previously in Exhibit C18-3.½ The functions affected are:
- Registrar transfers½Since a registrar transfer can take five days from the initial transfer request to when the transfer is complete it is necessary to have VeriSign deny registrar transfers for a week before the transition That way we can ensure that there are no registrar transfers in process at the time of transition.½ There will be a moratorium on registrar transfers beginning 24 November 2002. This will ensure that the .org database is static and stable with no pending activity when it is transitioned to NeuStar on 30 November 2002.
- Add, modify, delete, check, and registrar transfers½Once NeuStar takes over the .org database, it will take one week to get it stable and operational.½ During this week, there will be no access to the .org database Therefore, there will be no add, modify, delete, check or registrar transfer activity during this week There will be no changes to the zone file or the Whois, in addition to the database itself NeuStar will allow emergency nameserver changes because we realize that can be a critical need of a .org registrant.½ This moratorium will last from 30 November 2002 to 7 December 2002.½ Once the database is stabilized, tested, and accepted on 8 December 2002 by NeuStar engineering and operations personnel we will begin accepting those transactions.
- The detailsAn SRS transition plan must appropriately balance the needs of all .org stakeholders.½ A transition plan that purports to migrate the back-end Shared Registry System (SRS) database without a system stability period or the host of SRS interfaces without a supportable transition window should be met with serious reservation. ½Maintaining SRS integrity during a database transition requires a prudent conversion of data where time is allotted to (1) perform quality assurance checks and (2) support ½in flight½ or extended, non-real-time transactions.½ SRS interfaces must support equal, concurrent access to all registrars, thus requiring a predefined window of time that allows registrars to technically switch and test their transition from one registry to another.½
- An acceptable transition solution will weigh the registrants½ desire for administrative convenience against the registrars½ needs for testing and technical migration time.½ The right transition plan also will ensure fair, equitable, and truly competitive access (a level playing field) to all .org registrars, avoiding unfair burdens on smaller, less-resourced registrars.
- The SRS acts as the authoritative hub or data source for the .org domain.½ The SRS database and network infrastructure feed the DNS nameservers and Whois servers with updated resolution and ownership information.½ It is the SRS that interacts with online registrar interfaces and back-office billing systems to support domain name requests, queries, adds, renewals, modifies, transfers, and deletes.½
- The situations that cause registrants to request transactions from the registrar that require interface with the SRS can be categorized in one of two ways:
- Service interrupting½where, for example, a renewal is past due or a nameserver change is required due to an ½out of service½ condition; or
- Administrative/convenience½where a registrant is adding a nameserver for future installation, wishes to transfer their domain to another registrar, or wants to request a new .org domain.
- Categorizing registrant service needs
- Result if not immediately supported
- If a nameserver change is required due to an immediate ISP change (emergency ½ ½out of service½ condition)
- If a name server addition or future change is required (non-emergency)
- If they wish to transfer their domain name to another registrar
- If they wish to delete their domain name
- They wish to request/add a new domain name
- The successor .org registry will require delivery of a frozen incumbent SRS database which must then be quality-checked, archived, scrubbed, audited, archived again, converted, audited, archived again, tested, and then stabilized before it should be used to generate the production DNS zone file and Whois query responses.½½ These critical steps are necessary to ensure full database integrity and later .org zone file and Whois accuracy.½ In addition to the necessary database moratorium to support these critical database transition activities, .org registrars also require a pre-defined window of time to modify, reconfigure, and test their interfaces against the new registry.½ This pre-defined period of time must fairly support all registrars to ensure concurrent equal access at the exact time administrative services are restored.
- NeuStar½s SRS transition plan calls for a conservative, yet necessary, seven-day moratorium on administrative SRS activities.½ This will impact registrar turnaround for the addition of registrant nameservers, registrar transfers, domain deletions, and new .org domain names However, weighed against the possibility of inconveniencing stakeholders with unplanned and extended outages, delayed response to critical ½out of service½ conditions, or supporting larger registrars while smaller registrars are attempting to modify their interface, it is clearly the most prudent and stable approach.½
- Although administrative services will be halted for a short period of time, the moratorium will not interrupt critical domain services such as DNS resolution, Whois queries, and emergency nameserver changes.½ The SRS, nameserver, and Whois server availability can be temporarily separated from their data source without any interruption in external zone file or Whois service.½ This means that a registry can upgrade or, in this case, transition the SRS and .org database without negatively impacting the zone file or Whois.½
- In doing so, however, provisions must be made to control changes in either the .org database or, more importantly, to the DNS and Whois services to avoid mismatches in data and subsequent data reconciliation issues.½ This means that stringent controls must be enforced to ensure data integrity to include restricting incumbent transactions that are not expected to be complete prior to the moratorium, such as registrar transfers.½ Additionally, the incumbent registry must be very careful to accurately reflect any and all domain renewals and payment processing prior to the moratorium to avoid deleting and or reallocating an incomplete domain name transfer or incorrectly debiting a registrar account.½
- NeuStar½s SRS transition plan calls for the full administrative moratorium to begin several hours before the .org zone file SOA record is modified to reflect the primary nameserver change from the incumbent to NeuStar which, if conducted as proposed in the DNS migration, will be on 30 November 2002.½ This moratorium will end seven days later on 7 December 2002.½ Although it is likely that the incumbent and NeuStar transition activities can be completed well before the December 8th moratorium end-date, early service return of the .org administrative activities would be unfair to registrars who are planning their resources and activities in the later part of this database stability and registrar transition window.½½ The table below lists both the critical and administrative SRS service activities and their availability during the most critical database transition weeks.
- SRS service activity summary
- Emergency nameserver changes
- Administrative/convenience items
- Nameserver add / future changes
- Whois serviceThe .org Whois service offers vital information to registrants, end users, and registrars alike.½ The transition of this information, although not as complex as other registry components, must be executed in a manner that avoids both interruption and the possibility of populating outdated or non-current information to the registry Whois servers.½
- NeuStar½s plan supports a transition that avoids any interruption to Whois service and, with the required moratorium of SRS non-emergency administrative functions, also mitigates risks to presented outdated information.½ Our plan calls for a transition where the incumbent registry continues to maintain pre-moratorium Whois service for one week until NeuStar certifies accurate completion of the .org database transition from the incumbent.½ That is, VeriSign will continue to provide Whois service from November 30, 2002 to December 7, 2002.½ NeuStar will begin providing Whois service on December 8, 2002 NeuStar and VeriSign will have to coordinate the cutover of Whois service to ensure no downtime.
- Registrar RelaionsThe .org registry must be committed to offering equivalent service and access across all ICANN-accredited .org registrars.½ Service offerings include communication, tools, outreach programs, documentation, training, technical assistance, and similar value-added services which should be universally offered in a manner that avoids giving an advantage to one registrar over another.½ The registry operator also must take into account the needs of geographically dispersed registrars, smaller less-resourced registrars, and those registrars seeking accreditation A strong transition plan will additionally support the varying degrees of technical know-how, staffing, industry participation, interface tool scalability, hardware and network capabilities, and experience among and between registrars.
- NeuStar½s neutral business model, by its very nature, encourages registrar competition, globalization, and focus on service improvement.½ It is, in fact, this business model that keeps NeuStar aggressively committed, without distraction or conflicting agendas, to the following registry goals:
- Fair, equal, and affordable service across all accredited registrars.
- Widespread and new registrar participation.
- State-of-the-art registry business.
- Registrations for domain spaces from the appropriate end user community.
- Sponsorship and participation in specific policy councils and like forums to understand and balance the applicable TLD stakeholder needs.
- NeuStar has a solid reputation in the registrar community as an experienced registry.½ Our recent migration of the .us legacy space from VeriSign in November of 2002 proved our ability to successfully migrate an existing TLD while simultaneously improving service levels.
- As an example of our improved service, many .us Delegated Managers were pleased to find VeriSign½s four- to five- week wait period for zone file changes, in many cases, immediately reduced to no more than 48 hours upon transition to NeuStar½s registry.½
- There were several lessons learned throughout the launch of .biz as well as during the transition and launch of .us These lessons were invaluable to NeuStar in creating the following registrar relations transition plan:
- Provide details about contract award and NeuStar proposal to registrar community;
- Begin outreach program eliciting registrar concerns and ideas about .org transition activities, schedule, and risks as well as any requirements related to ongoing maintenance;
- Provide regular migration status report with updated schedule and registrar-related issues and risks;
- Work with registrar financial contacts to walk through and establish such deliverables as billing processes, reports and accounts;
- Work with registrars to obtain Digital Certificates and other registry credentials;
- Work with registrars to ensure compliance and support of existing .org registry Toolkit making improvements as required;
- Offer full connectivity and an online test environment with technical support staff;
- Clearly and regularly communicate deadlines, moratorium details to include transaction types and dates; and
- Facilitate a transition forum where registrars can raise concerns about existing service transition.
- NeuStar will utilize the existing RRP.org registrar toolkit to avoid confusion and minimize preparation time to begin conducting transactions with NeuStar.½ NeuStar also shall offer an interactive test environment for those registrars who wish to confirm their interoperability with the new registry system.½ We will work with registrars to offer an additional launch connection period prior to launching service on December 8, 2002, when registrars can test credentials, digital certificate installation, and operational readiness of registrar systems and networks.½ This connectivity support period will take place during a pre-defined period of time where 24x7 technical support will be available to support all time zones and staffing levels.½ Such an approach proved valuable to registrars during NeuStar½s .us launch and supported universally, concurrent, equivalent access for the FCFS launch.½ NeuStar connections shall be allocated in a fair and equitable manner to avoid any registrar transactions delays.½ Our proprietary network grooming capabilities shall be leveraged to ensure fair and uninterrupted service across all .org registrars.½
- Moreover, NeuStar shall offer a full complement of registrar support services, including:
- Customer support staff available 24x7x365 via toll-free phone or e-mail;
- Global outreach and education activities conducted by senior registrar relations staff with participation by technical development or maintenance personnel as needed;
- Technical tools and documentation to include registry toolkit and credential creation;
- Registrar service interface via a personalized .org registrar website;
- Interactive test environment with full functionality and test script documentation;
- Pre-launch connectivity environment with 24x7 technical support staff; and
- Marketing and media relations staff.
- Transition managementThe .org registry contractor must have a very structured and proven transition management approach to successfully navigate through the intricacies of a mission-critical resource migration.
- A successful .org transition will require system migration experts working in an open, constructive, and mission-focused manner with the incumbent A comprehensive plan without the oversight of focused and proven transition management will not lead the incumbent and new registry staff to a smooth, seamless, and successful transition.
- NeuStar½s transition management approach is based on the assumption that things can go wrong without the proper planning and preparation.½ We have learned the best way to mitigate the negative impact of ½things that possibly can go wrong½ and navigate through complex activities is to clearly discern the most critical deliverables and impacts from the outset for ongoing focus and decision-making.½ NeuStar½s transition management approach places heavy emphasis on risk assessment and contingency planning to facilitate making (or at least mapping) decisions before an event happens.½ Since our technical staff will be managing the many concurrent issues that often arise with any large data, service, and user transition, NeuStar½s program managers shall regularly compare progress against the most critical deliverables to make daily decisions about priorities and issue resolution.½
- The critical transition deliverables introduced in Proposal Section C18.1 have been prioritized based on their immediate impact if compromised and their execution complexity.½ This list helps NeuStar understand which categories require heightened focus or stronger contingency plans.½
- Critical Transition Deliverables
- Transition Delivery Category
- Critical Transition Deliverables
- Uninterrupted and timely resolution
- Resolution matches Whois information
- Resolution matches SRS database
- Shared Registry System database (SRS)
- Provides for accurate DNS and Whois population
- Uncontaminated registrant, registrar, and date/time information
- Complete registrants, registrar, and date/time information
- Supports emergency out-of-service condition changes
- Uninterrupted and timely response
- Information matches DNS resolution
- Information matches SRS database
- Proactive and timely communication of planned activities, schedules, status, and upcoming deadlines
- Registry Toolkit and related documentation
- Connectivity and full transaction test environment with technical support staff
- Equal access across registrars for all transactions
- Time and support for transition between Registries
- Creation of .org policy selection group
- Facilitation of regular .org policy council
- Development and implementation of ICANN approved protocol changes (such as EPP conversion)
- Active participation in ICANN forums
- Key: 1 = Highest Impact or Complexity, 5 = Lowest Impact or Complexity
- Poor communication can easily doom a good transition plan to failure.½ This includes internal communication within teams, across project leads, and with other lines of business, but more importantly between the successor registry, the incumbent registry and the geographically dispersed registrars.½ NeuStar believes it is the successor operator½s primary mission to keep all stakeholders informed of upcoming events, educated on possible risks, and abreast of current progress.½ This is why our plan includes focus on transition management as an independent category with unique critical deliverables.½
- These unique transition management deliverables are:
- Regular and clear communication of status, upcoming events, and issues across registries and registrars;
- Face-to-face planning and key milestone hand-off meetings with incumbent to clearly define expectations, identify and resolve issues, assess performance, and confirm progress;
- Scheduling of activities in a manner that focuses on the accomplishment of minimum success deliverables in each category;
- Concentration on all stakeholder impacts, and mitigation of risks of unplanned or negative impacts, by
- Quickly communicating and resolving issues; and
- Educating stakeholders through the use of.½ (1) regular registry meetings (between incumbent and gaining registrar), (2) weekly registrar newsletters, (3) one-on-one registrar communication, (4) informational web sites and (5) interface applications;
- Strictly managing compliance with all external milestones and delivery dates working toward early delivery of items that most impact stakeholders;
- Regular progress, risk, and issue assessments to proactively adopt a contingency approach or resolve unforeseen problems;
- Working with geographically dispersed registrars utilizing one-on-one registrar relations staff, Customer Service staff, and established electronic communication mediums;
- Creation of test approaches, managing of test plans, and communication of testing results with the incumbent registry and with each participating registrar; and
- Internal and external dry runs of every technical migration or implementation to ensure smooth and seamless transitions between Registries with both the incumbent registry and each registrar.
- To help program team members and TLD transition experts appropriately focus their communication efforts, NeuStar½s .org program management communication model (please see Exhibit C18-5) helps to illustrate the relationship between various program efforts.½ This model includes activities beyond the initial .org transition (such as registry maintenance and EPP conversion) and helps to illustrate how our transition management approach offers focus and clarity to team members who are accountable for interdependent, complex, mission-critical activities.½
- Information WebsitesA user-focused registry operator offers informational web sites to facilitate the needs of end users, would-be registrants, current registrants, and registrars.½ VeriSign does not currently provide such a web interface specifically for the .org community.½ NeuStar½s effective .org transition proposal includes the implementation of expanded information, services, and tools for the .org community.
- Our plan additionally calls for dramatic improvements in the offering of informational web sites focused exclusively on the .org noncommercial space.½ These will include an enhanced, user-friendly Whois interface to both end users and registrars, landing pages that describe the intended purpose namespace, processes, planned .org events, and a list of accredited registrars.½ Additionally, the website will be designed to keep the noncommercial community informed and involved in .org-related issues. Through membership, end users may elect to receive updates and information about the .org domain name space and participate in .org discussion for a. Furthermore, end users can use the websites to participate in and follow the activities of the Global Policy Council (GPC) as described in Section C.35 These web sites will be offered on November 30 when NeuStar takes over as the .org registry.
- C18.2.The duration and extent of any interruption of any part of the Registry Function. Based on our experience with the .us transition and our appreciation for the importance of maintaining stability while providing minimal service disruption, NeuStar will not require any type of outage for the DNS name service or Whois services during transition However, NeuStar does propose a brief interruption in service during the transition period of the .org TLD to ensure the integrity of all registry data and a seamless transition of registry services.½ The section describing SRS and .org database transition in Proposal Section C18.1 provides more detail about service interruptions.
- This transition period will entail a moratorium lasting seven days, commencing the week prior to the final transition for the SRS on additions, deletions or modifications for domains and SRS-related data. During this period, NeuStar will provide customer service support for registrars Updates to domains for registrants will only be completed on an emergency basis through a manual process. Updates will not be able to take place through a provisioning protocol; instead, updates will be handled through our existing registry customer staff.
- The purpose for the outage is to provide a smooth transition from the incumbent while maintaining data consistency. We believe that this interruption will provide ample time to migrate and verify data between the incumbent provider and NeuStar.
- A detailed review of the transition impacts on each .org stakeholder is contained in Proposal Section C18.4 and also includes details about the duration and extent of the administrative moratorium.
- C18.3.Contingency plans in the event any part of the proposed transition does not proceed as planned. NeuStar critically evaluates all program implementations to improve upon our systems, processes, education, and approach. Our recent evaluation of the .us transition was used to build a realistic and in-depth risk analysis that has contingency factors for each phase and milestone in the .org transition plan.
- As previously mentioned, the complexity of navigating through the intricacies of a mission-critical service migration between unrelated entities cannot be overlooked in the selection of the .org registry provider.½ To assure a seamless registry transition, the winning registry must not only understand the tasks involved in transitioning a TLD, but moreover, the problems they will likely encounter when doing so.½ A successful transition will require a plan that mitigates or eliminates risk where possible or at least, minimally supports quick fallback to a pre-planned contingency.½ Incorporating effective risk mitigation or elimination and contingency planning requires leveraging relevant experience.½
- NeuStar has direct, recent, and relevant experience upon which risks and contingency plans were built.½ We critically evaluate all programs subsequent to transition or launch completion to improve upon our systems, processes, education, and approach.½ The .biz launch supported dramatic changes and improvement in our registry implementation approach that were effectively employed in our .us transition this year.
- The .org transition contingency matrix provides a record of the iterative risk identification and mitigation items as well as contingency criteria and plans.½ Any contingency plan and risk matrix, however, will have to be flexible, and will be continuously evaluated and updated as the transition progresses, new information is gleaned, or a new issue presents itself.½
- .org transition contingency matrix
- A transition approach that guarantees 100% data integrity requires a period of database stability
- Arrive at transition categories and define unique plan for each
- Allow for flexibility within each category to support quick adaptable change
- Eliminated by inclusion in transition plan
- Zone file data is not consistent across all nameserver
- DNS Migration plan supports early installation/testing of NeuStar and VeriSign updating when other entity is authoritative zone file source
- Nameservers will not be added, removed, or replaced until testing certifies their operational readiness
- Eliminated by inclusion in transition plan
- Quality check shows Zone file, database, and Whois does not reconcile
- Institute an SRS administrative moratorium for pre-defined period that also supports registrar interface migration needs
- Emergency SRS changes will be made directly in the zone file for resolution support during moratorium
- Emergency zone file Changes
- Registrants require emergency DNS nameserver changes during moratorium
- Support emergency changes by altering zone file directly
- Create a process that supports registrar request (during moratorium) of emergency changes
- Mitigated by direct DNS changes, however, resulting action does pose risk to DNS .org database, and Whois database consistency
- Emergency zone file Changes Follow-up
- .org½ database must be updated (prior to launch) to incorporate direct zone file changes made to support emergency "out of service" condition
- Create a process that supports accurate tracking of zone file changes made during moratorium for pre-FCFS Launch SRS database updating
- If process becomes unwieldy resources must be ready and able to support manual entry of any moratorium changes --- must include period checks and assessment for sizing during moratorium
- Eliminated by inclusion in transition plan
- VeriSign zone delivery not current
- Regularly required DNS update is not received from VeriSign
- Transition plan will include a meeting to highlight why information is required and the risks associated with not receiving such information as well as the target dates and drop-dead dates
- Escalation guidelines for missed milestones and issues shall be agreed upon between VeriSign and NeuStar within 7 days of contract award
- Mitigated by discussion of expectations, justification for need, and schedule
- Removed/replaced VeriSign nameservers are still in ISP caches
- Request that removed nameservers remain updated and available for two weeks after SOA record change
- If nameservers are inadvertently removed prior to cache updates non-compliant name servers may sustain data inconsistency or increase load on remaining legacy VeriSign servers
- Eliminated by inclusion in transition plan
- Excessive Nameserver Load
- Volume/demand proves too great once VeriSign secondary nameservers are removed
- Leverage horizontally scalable infrastructure by adding additional DNS nameservers
- Have spare tested/certified nameservers available for immediate deployment -- Any problem of this type will be identified prior to completion of migration
- Risk is mitigated through horizontal scalability and existing excess capacity Contingency plan includes provisions for this topic
- Delayed Release for Near Real-time updates with DNS
- NeuStar Dynamic DNS update code may be problematic for VeriSign nameservers
- Near real-time updates will not be used until VeriSign systems are not longer supporting TLD
- Provides for a stable and robust transition with minimal risks for introducible inconsistency
- Risks for data concurrency removed through not providing service while VeriSign still provides resolution services
- Sterling data center down
- Backup data center able to support business
- Turn up backup data center to support registry
- Eliminated due to architecture
- Redundant data links both in Primary and backup data centers provide ample Internet Access
- Failover to backup data center in event of complete Internet access loss
- Eliminated due to architecture
- Router or network failure causing a degraded network
- Redundant network design provides for seamless repair and recovery from network based hardware failures
- Traffic is rerouted to redundant hardware while out-of-service components are replaced
- Eliminated due to architecture
- Failover to backup database
- Traffic is routed to backup database, once failure is corrected data will synch and failback to primary database will occur
- Eliminated due to architecture
- Secure copy protocol Server Failure
- Secure copy protocol server down
- Replace server or correct problem with redundant hardware
- Mitigated by architecture and backup equipment
- Website volume or demand too great
- Additional capacity will be added to web clusters using horizontal scalability
- Degraded service until additional capacity deployed
- Mitigated by architecture and backup equipment
- Name disputes during transition
- Domain name lost in transition
- Lost name is compared with original files transferred by VeriSign
- Name is restored to correct owner based upon original records
- Name is restored to correct owner
- Name disputes during transition
- Domain modification lost in transition
- Owner of name is verified from original records and modification processed from information from owner
- Modification is completed after verification with name owner
- Modification is completed
- Name disputes during transition
- Domain name incorrectly reassigned in transition
- Upon notification, name is reconciled against original records
- Name is restored to correct owner based upon original records
- Name is restored to correct owner
- Data transition inconsistency
- QA check shows DNS, database, and Whois does not reconcile
- Work directly with VeriSign to obtain complete and accurate data
- Correct data provided prior to transition
- Transition proceeds after obtaining correct data
- Post transition data inconsistency
- Lost data or requests after transition
- Work with Registrant and registrar to determine what data or requests have been lost
- Correct data provided or request processed
- Data updated or request completed
- Timeline is revised utilizing similar time frames pushed out based on delay in award
- Timeframes around US holidays may required schedule to extend based on VeriSign availability for transition
- Registrars unable to connect to new registry
- Ensure that all registrars test their connectivity to the registry before going live
- Some registrars may not be able to test in time for go-live
- Eliminated if all testing is properly scheduled
- Registrar readiness for launch
- Some registrars are not prepared for launch
- Work with existing registrars to offer connectivity testing, technical support and communicate/coordinate early in registrar outreach
- Some registrars may experience a mini land rush of orders
- Mitigated by the number of assigned connections
- Smaller registrars have limited resources/time for changes
- Use same tool-kit, give seven days moratorium, offer technical support, early testing environment
- Some registrars may need additional technical support from the registry
- Mitigated by plan and experienced technical support staff
- Registrars are concerned about interruption
- Registrars can utilize a testing environment that will mirror the production environment
- Registry will provide a testing environment for registrars to access
- Mitigated by interactive test environment
- Registrar outreach program
- Registrars don't understand process, time-frames, etc½
- Web-site, outreach, newsletters
- Ensure that all registrars are ready for the transition process
- Mitigated by aggressive registrar relations and customer support efforts
- Don't get customer profiles on time
- Registrar profile will be part of the Registrar Agreement Package
- Registrars will be contacted if they are missing information
- Mitigated by competent registrar relations staff
- VeriSign unable to forward toll-free number/e-mail for customer service
- All registrars will be provided the current toll-free number and e-mail that they use for .biz and us
- Ensure that all registrars have the correct support phone numbers and e-mail addresses
- Eliminated with proper communication
- Outstanding billing claims
- Work closely with VeriSign to ensure that all pending transactions are in order
- Our accounting team will closely monitor billing issues for registrars
- Mitigated by competent customer service staff and clear expectations of VeriSign cooperation
- Work closely with VeriSign to ensure that all pending disputes are accounted for
- Customer Support will be log all pending disputes for resolution
- Mitigated by clear expectations of VeriSign cooperation
- Registrars having difficulty submitting transactions
- Escalate the issues to our technical support for resolution
- Work with the technical teams and analyze the log of transactions
- Mitigated by competent and experienced technical staff and allocation of adequate time in transition plan
- New Registrar Accreditation
- Ensure that all registrars have all their paperwork and business requirements in place
- Registrars will need to fulfill certain requirements
- Eliminated if all the accreditation steps are followed
- Emergency Database Updates
- Emergency changes not reflected in database
- Database is updated manually by customer service prior to go-live
- Database is updated with current information
- Eliminated by transition plan which accounts for manual changes in database prior to go-live
- Data files from VeriSign are altered
- VeriSign re-issues consistent data files
- New data must be tested for consistency
- Mitigated by transition approach which supports regular file deliveries and by seven-day moratorium which provides some lag time for last data migration
- Transfers in progress (5 weeks)
- VeriSign will cease to accept transfers two weeks prior to cut-over
- Any transfer not completed by VeriSign must be resubmitted with NeuStar
- Mitigated by transition approach
- Inconsistent Data stores for Protocols
- Whois data not in consistent with DNS
- Generate new Whois and DNS data from golden copy of database once moratorium is over
- Whois and DNS in synch with golden copy of data
- Eliminated by transition approach
- Whois volume/demand too great
- Additional capacity will be added to Whois clusters using horizontal scalability
- Whois sustains performance issues until capacity is added
- Mitigated through existing architecture design which currently has excess capacity
- List of zone file recipients not provided by VeriSign
- Parties must request access to zone files from NeuStar and NeuStar will solicit probable/known
- Zone recipients maintain older data or cease to provide data, increasing load on TLD clusters
- Risks are mitigated through additional capacity and providing efficient process to gain access to zone file
- C18.4.The effect of the transition on (a) .org registrants and (b) Internet users seeking to resolve .org domain names. NeuStar½s transition plan acknowledges the unique needs of each .org stakeholder and balances those needs in a manner that results in no interruption to critical registry services, full data integrity, and equal registrar access.
- As previously stated in Proposal Section C18.1, there will be absolutely no interruption to DNS resolution or Whois during the transition of the .org registry to NeuStar.½ To assess other possible transition impacts, however, we have identified four distinct stakeholders, external to the registry operator, who could be impacted by the transition of the .org domain space.½ Each stakeholder has unique needs related to the stability of the space as well as the services offered, or not offered, during a transition.
- NeuStar has built a comprehensive transition plan that identifies the elements of service requiring transition and then acknowledges the unique needs of each stakeholder against those elements.½ Before exploring the elements of a registry transition we have defined the stakeholder community and their high-level needs.½
- .org transition stakeholders
- .org transition stakeholder
- Definition and general interests
- Owners of .org domain names whose organizations depend upon secure, accessible, accurate, and updated DNS and Whois resolution
- Internet ½surfers½ who wish to immediately and accurately resolve a .org domain name
- ICANN-accredited sellers and registrant service administrators of .org domain names and services who wish to have equal and easy access to registry adds, modifies, checks, and deletes without service issues that require non-revenue generating interactions with customers/registrants
- A wide-range of parties who wish to maintain the stability and utility of all domain spaces this would include ICANN
- By extrapolating the needs of each stakeholder, six transition factors were identified in the transition of the zone file, Whois, and the .org database.
- Although each stakeholder is indirectly impacted by the extent to which the needs of other stakeholders are met, the table below highlights the direct needs of each stakeholder community.
- This matrix helped us arrive at the most stable and effective DNS transition solution by highlighting the most critical stakeholder requirements (reviewed in Proposal Section C18.1).½
- While evaluating the viability of other transition approaches, NeuStar added an additional success factor to consider.½ Although not exclusive to a particular stakeholder, we felt it was prudent and necessary to measure the likelihood of successfully executing the approach.½ We call this factor ½risk½.½½ In weighted scorecards, a high-risk approach reduced the positive score of other stakeholder factors.
- Stakeholders will be impacted by the NeuStar transition approach in the following ways.
- Critical service requirements met
- No DNS resolution interruption including being available to users with delayed caching.
- DNS migration problems will not impact DNS resolution.
- No Whois query response interruption.
- No interruption to nameserver changes or other activities required to resolve ½out of service½ conditions.
- Will have dynamic DNS and Whois updating once DNS phased approach is complete.
- Will not delete past-due renewals during 30-day registry transition period
- No DNS resolution interruption.
- No Whois service query response interruption.
- No unavailable web sites due to registrant need for emergency nameserver changes
- No other registrars can perform administrative activities while other registrars haven½t had sufficient time or support to make necessary technical migration changes.
- No DNS resolution interruptions.
- No Whois service query response interruptions.
- Interactive online test environment with technical support.
- 14-day moratorium will avoid ½in progress½ transfers to avoid dissatisfied registrants, inaccurate debiting, etc.
- May offer emergency support for registrants with ½out-of-service½ conditions
- Can not submit new .org domain names for seven days.
- Must queue registrant requests for additional nameservers, non-emergency modifies, deletes, and renewals
- C18.5.The specifics of cooperation required from VeriSign, Inc. NeuStar knows that setting clear expectations, closely managing critical and interdependent deliverables, and promoting full disclosure of issues with the incumbent is necessary to combat inevitable disparities in systems, cultures, approaches, and agendas.
- Incumbent cooperationA smooth, seamless, and stable transition of the .org domain space between the incumbent and the successor registry requires a great deal of cooperation and focus on the part of VeriSign.½ The selected registry operator must be very clear and complete in defining and communicating their expectations of the incumbent registry.½ If the registry is not able to gain a mutual understanding of each deliverable, activity and deadline transition interruptions to DNS resolution, Whois service response, and SRS database accuracy would be unavoidable.½
- NeuStar understands the complexity of transitioning data, services, and users between unrelated entities and, therefore, knows that disparate systems, cultures, and agendas will undoubtedly introduce transition issues between the incumbent registry and any new registry.½ For that reason, NeuStar½s incumbent registry communication plan includes several planning exercises between registries soon after contract award to gain concurrence on plan details, risks, and dates.
- Additionally, NeuStar½s program management approach shall be leveraged to clearly document exactly what activities are required of each entity and when such activities must begin and conclude.½ As with NeuStar½s internal approach, critical deliverables by transition category and stakeholder segment shall be regularly reviewed across unrelated entities to guide decision-making and issue resolution efforts.½
- Incumbent planning meeting
- Schedule:Within seven days of contract award.Participants:Key transition staff from VeriSign and NeuStar to minimally include technical representation and representation from a schedule decision-maker.Key Objectives:Review entire transition plan to ensure mutual understanding, capability required, and agreement.½ Such must minimally include:
- Critical success deliverables by category
- Zone file migration approach and schedule
- Whois migration approach and schedule
- .org database migration approach and schedule
- Website migration approach and schedule
- Moratorium approach and schedule
- List of .org transition contacts by discipline
- Risks, mitigation approaches, and warning signs
- Ongoing meeting schedule and status methods
- Implementation of issue resolution process with escalation contacts and time-frames
- Measures for successful .org transition
- List of concerns and issues with follow-up actions
- Required Information:The incumbent must minimally provide the following information in the first planning session:
- List of all .org registrars (with contact information).
- List of all .org related websites and information forums with existing content to avoid degradation in service.
- Data dump of .org registry data to include all data elements, data schema information, etc.
- The successor operator should minimally present:
- Transition deliverables and schedule.
- Description of deliverables were pre-defined.
- Transition gating factors with risk and contingency matrices.
- List of .org transition contact(s) by discipline.
- This list will undoubtedly grow and evolve before contract award, but provides an early indication of the types of incumbent activities required for a smooth and seamless transition.
- More specifically, NeuStar and the incumbent must define exact migration times based on the high-level ownership and support plan, previously outlined in Exhibit C18-1.
- Incumbent Deliverables & RequirementsA successful transition requires the timely and accurate delivery of many items as listed in the following list.½
- Incumbent Deliverables and Requirements
- Onsite, in-person participation in initial planning meetings
- Data dump of the.org database
- List and contact information for all .org registrars
- List of all .org registry related websites and information forums with current content
- Data schema and description of .org database
- Weekly delivery of updated full .org database in XML format
- Beginning Award + 14 Days
- Weekly delivery of current .org DNS zone file
- Beginning Award + 14 Days
- Weekly delivery of current.org Whois file
- Beginning Award + 14 Days
- Weekly delivery of current registrar profile
- Beginning Award + 14 Days
- Approval transition schedule
- Weekly participation in project meetings with representation agreed upon with NeuStar during initial planning meetings
- List of all disputed domain name assignments with related paperwork
- Data file with all .org domain name renewals, deletions, and transfers accepted in 90-day period leading up to transition
- Beginning Award + 30 Days
- List of which nameserver addresses should be removed per DNS nameserver migration schedule
- Before Authoritative Transition of zone file
- Active participation in monthly, in-person meetings (to track performance, progress, issues, etc), making macro adjustments where required
- Beginning Award + 30 Days
- Support zone transfer testing
- As required by plan(currently 11/11/02)
- Assignment of a program manager who shall act as the first point of contact.½ Person must be intimately familiar with interworkings of incumbent and involved in the allocation and direction of .org transition resources
- Continued nameserver availability and updating for at least two (2) weeks post removal from the .org zone file SOA record
- As required by plan(currently 11/16/02 ½ 12/31/02)
- Agreed upon SLAs, contacts, escalation mechanism, priorities, etc
- Timely response to migration issues and questions with the service level requirements below:
- Priority 1 = 15 Minutes by phone
- Priority 2 = 1 Hour by phone
- Priority 3 = 24 Hours by phone or e-mail
- Priority 4 = 48 Hours by phone or e-mail
- Beginning Award + 7 Days ending on 12/31/02
- Provide support and 24x7 contact for migration issue escalation to management up to VP where unresolved issues can be addressed
- Beginning Award + 7 Days ending on 12/31/02
- Machine readable transmission of customer profile information
- List of outstanding billing, customer service, or legal issues with related history, disposition, contact information, and paperwork
- 15 Days Prior to Moratorium
- Forwarding of phone numbers, e-mail distributions, and other communication forums for customers to avoid interruption of service
- Immediate response to data delivery, and zone file issues 24x7
- 100% in-person participation in regular transition meetings with representatives from required disciplines to include;
- - Project/Release Management
- As meetings are scheduled
- C18.6.Any relevant experience of the applicant and the entities identified in item C13 in performing similar transitions. NeuStar½s transition plan is reinforced with an exceptional package of resources to include on-staff TLD transition experts, practiced mission-critical resource migration approaches, and a proven robust and ready scalable registry infrastructure.
- NeuStar has an impeccable record of managing and transitioning mission critical public resources.½ NeuStar has proven able to manage the complexity of creating, maintaining, and enhancing TLDs by offering stable and reliable service to the .biz and us communities.½ In addition, the award of the .us TLD provided NeuStar with the unique experience of transitioning an existing domain space from the VeriSign registry to the NeuStar registry.½
- We learned many lessons about what is effective and what is not effective in the transition of an existing TLD.½ As a result of this experience, our staff has gained the ability and knowledge to:
- Work cooperatively with VeriSign in the successful transition of a TLD;
- Forge positive relationships with a diverse registrar community;
- Manage policy and standards issues that spread far beyond the .biz and .us TLDs;
- Build a highly reliable, scalable, and robust registry system and associated tools/applications; and
- Positively respond to changes in requirements, policy specifications, registrar requirements, and lessons-learned through other TLD launches.
- It was the experience taken from the .biz launch that supported the unprecedented transition and launch of .us.½ NeuStar migrated the .us legacy space shortly after contract award.½ Since this award included the migration of an existing zone file between VeriSign and NeuStar, we were able to glean many lessons learned about how a larger, more expansive migration would be successful.½ We also learned the critical issues involved in an inter-company transition.½
- NeuStar launched the expanded .us space in less than six months after contract award, and realized several highly unique results.½
- First, NeuStar was able to successfully meet United States Department of Commerce requirements for a diverse registrar community by accrediting 58 registrars; 21 of who were not previous ICANN-accredited registrars.½ Additionally, NeuStar½s relationships and international presence helped to solicit the active participation of four European, three Asian-Pacific, and two Middle Eastern registrars.½ NeuStar offered the value-added services identified in the following table, to support a stable, smooth transition and launch.
- NeuStar½s value-added .us deliverables
- Enhanced Sunrise and Launch Toolkits which included more robust quality edits and content verifications
- Earlier and more comprehensive error reports provided registrars with ample time to correct applicant errors
- Improved Toolkit delivery process and technical documentation
- Easier registrar turn-up and certification
- Provided United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reference data files
- Decreased late error detection, thus supporting the registrar-requested Sunrise extension without delaying FCFS launch
- Early release, extended use, and expanded technical support of interactive test environ
- Ensures 100% concurrent access by all registrars at moment of FCFS launch
- Proactive certification and credential support
- Avoided last minute certification requests and problems facilitating equal access at FCFS launch
- Full internal launch dry-runs
- Helped to perfectly time our FCFS launch efforts to ensure the on-time launch and equal/concurrent registrar access
- Pre-launch connectivity period with full 24x7 technical support½
- Provided registrar connectivity testing and 24x7 technical support to identify and resolve all credential and connection issues prior to launch
- A newly introduced ½Rolling Start½ period
- Supported registrar contact-adds prior to FCFS launch eliminating the need for non-revenue producing transactions during FCFS landrush
- A perfectly timed FCFS turn-up
- Provided 100% equal access across registrars around the world
- A stable, highly available online system
- Responded to five million transactions within the first 24 hours without any degradation in service
- Second, NeuStar was able to offer an unprecedented online first come first served (FCFS) ½landrush½ of the expanded .us space.½ Other Registries have supported such periods with a batch process to mitigate concerns about system capacity and general stability.½ NeuStar, however, gained enough experience testing the robustness of our system to comfortably offer a real-time launch without delay between the selection of Sunrise trademark owners and an open .us offering.½ NeuStar successfully supported this landrush with more than 100 concurrent connections where 5 million transactions were flawless executed in the first 24 hours.½
- NeuStar has implemented a TLD with and without an existing registry infrastructure½and we intimately understand the added complexity and real risks involved in executing a plan that includes the addition of new registry software, hardware, and or network components.½ Flawless execution can only be guaranteed by a contractor who is able to utilize an existing infrastructure½and NeuStar is that operator. The following table highlights certain risk scenarios and their respective possibilities.
- Program risks and probabilities
- New registry infrastructure must be created, tested, and implemented prior to transition
- Lack of registrar preparedness
- Non-certified or fully performance tested release
- New hardware or network components must be added to support increased volumes.
- Non-certified or fully performance tested release
- New channel/registrar relations must be established to ensure registrar competitiveness and diversity.
- Information and documentation is not adequate, timely, or universally distributed
- Non-experienced registrar relations/customer and technical support staff
- Outsourcing of critical registry infrastructure or support.
- Compromised long-term stability
- Lengthened post-transition trouble resolution time
- Since NeuStar currently supports a very robust, scalable system with internal resources we are able to eliminate the significant program risks of introducing a new infrastructure.½ Without these risks identified in the above table, NeuStar can comfortably guarantee a timely, fair, and stable transition.½ The benefits of implementing a TLD atop an existing, proven infrastructure is clearly illustrated in the .us transition and launch summary included at the end of Proposal Section C18.
- NeuStar is able to additionally leverage the experience of managing and transitioning other public resources in our other lines of business as highlighted in the following table.
- NeuStar½s transition related capabilities and qualifications
- Successor operator qualification
- Administration of complex, mission-critical US public resources.
- NeuStar established processes working with the FCC and state commissions for reclamation of central office codes that have not been activated by service providers.
- NeuStar developed databases for the tracking of central office code activity for the US..
- In conjunction with the industry and FCC, NeuStar developed a new method for reporting utilization and forecasting of numbering resources (NRUF) .
- NeuStar administers the .biz TLD as awarded by ICANN and the .us TLD as awarded by the DoC.
- Successfully transitioning administration of mission-critical public resources.
- Transitioned Telephone number administration from 10 companies with more than 100 local administrators across all 50 states to one central administrator.
- Transitioned telephone number inventory from more than 200 local databases to one central database.
- Have been contracted to transition telephone number inventory from thousands of local databases across all 50 states to one local database.
- Transitioned the .us locality namespace from VeriSign.
- Facilitation of controlled, systematic evolution, enhancement, and expansion of the space.
- NeuStar performs the change management administration function for the NPAC SMS on behalf of the telecommunications industry This includes over 200 change orders resulting in seven (7) major software releases in four (4) years.
- NeuStar hosts quarterly NPAC operations forums, known as NPAC Cross regional meetings, where issues pertinent to the operation of the NPAC and its downstream systems are discussed and resolved.
- NeuStar facilitated the transition of state number pooling trials to a national database focusing on a systematic evolution allowing for growth and future enhancements.
- NeuStar works closely with the industry and the FCC to develop enhancements to the existing NANPA process, including expansion of current functions.
- Experience designing, building, and supporting robust databases
- NeuStar designed, built, and expanded the NPAC database from inception to its current support of 17 million ported telephone numbers in the database.½ The growth rate of the database is currently increasing, having surpassed one million additional records per month earlier this year.
- NeuStar designed and built the pooling administration system to leverage the existing portability infrastructure.½ An existing NPAC database was adapted and scaled to support number pooling.
- NeuStar developed various NANPA-related databases to enhance functionality and streamline work efforts associated with number administration.½ This allows for real-time tracking of number assignment, utilization, and forecasting data
- Experience that ensures real-time access to multiple users with a minimum of system outages and downtime.
- NPAC offers a Low Tech Interface (LTI) dialup access.½ This capability currently supports over 700 clients, allowing for simultaneous access by over 200 users.½ This access method is also fully scalable.
- While fully scalable, the NPAC currently supports over 500 dedicated connections to various service providers.
- Manage a high availability system to contractual service levels.
- The NPAC SMS has 29 contractual service level requirements, developed jointly with the industry, which are reported on monthly.
- Strong working relationships with stakeholders.
- NeuStar holds quarterly cross-regional meetings with LNPA stakeholders.
- NeuStar holds weekly conference calls with LNP LLCs, the NPAC contracting parties, in addition to holding monthly face-to-face meetings to discuss operational issues.
- NeuStar actively participates in various industry fora, including ICANN, the Local Number Portability Administration Working Group (LNPA WG), the Numbering Operation Working Group (NOWG), the International Engineering Task Force (IETF), and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
- NeuStar provides assistance to both the telecommunications industry and regulators in an effort to resolve difficulties in the area of number assignment, reporting, etc.
- NeuStar works directly with all our registry registrars and additionally offers regular newsletters, website updates, documentation, and site visits.
- Experience in building scalable databases that ensure security of personal data.
- NeuStar developed, deployed, and supports the Customer Account Management Exchange database, which contains highly proprietary service provider information.
- NeuStar developed, deployed, and maintains the Number Portability Administration Center, which contains routing information for all calls placed in the US and Canada.
- NeuStar maintains physical biometric facility security, with fulltime monitoring, strong physical security, and token authentication for dial-up access.
- In the final analysis, it is NeuStar½s ability to effectively leverage our unmatched core competencies (registry expertise, seasoned corporate infrastructure in mission-critical database businesses, matured registrar relationships, stable and scalable technical architecture) that will ensure a smooth and stable .org transition.½ The leaders of NeuStar½s transition team are identified in section C15, but are complemented by a host of seasoned staff who have all already proven able to flawlessly execute.½
- C18.7.Any proposed criteria for the evaluation of the success of the transition. An effective plan includes clear and measurable success factors against which a smooth and seamless transition can be measured, and against which future migration or enhancement plans can be built.½
- NeuStar½s experience with mission-critical data migrations has been exploited to arrive at a solid transition plan.½ The plan was designed around key deliverable categories, priorities were built upon stakeholder needs, and risks were evaluated based on their probability and impact.½ This strong planning lays the foundation for clear definitions and measures of success.
- Transition success factors
- Continuous access of mission-critical services
- End users and registrants have no interruption in DNS resolution
- End users and registrants have no interruption in Whois service query results
- Registrars are provided SRS access
- Early delivery of SRS toolkit and interactive test environment with associated documentation and technical support
- 100% availability of SRS RRP protocol servers during scheduled available times
- Early delivery of Digital Certificates and other necessary credentials
- 24x7 technical support staff
- Registrars are provided a back-up mechanism to submit SRS requests if their interfaces are not ready by the time NeuStar relaunches the .org TLD
- Early delivery of RRP compatible batch-process toolkit
- 100% availability of batch process server
- Early delivery of batch process certificates
- 24x7 technical support staff
- Fair and equal treatment across the registrar community
- Registrars are provided concurrent access at relaunch of .org
- All registrars are provided access (prior to launch) to test connectivity, credentials, and functionality with a 24x7 technical support staff
- All registrars are confirmed as ready prior to relaunch
- Relaunch is scheduled at a time that best serves the entire global registrar community
- The moratorium begins and ends at the exact dates and times scheduled
- Registrars are provided the same information, services, and support as every other registrar
- All registrars are provided the same information, support, and responsiveness including, but not limited to;
- Regularly updated website
- 24x7 customer service via phone or e-mail
- Educational and technical documentation
- Transition program status reports
- No data is lost, duplicated, or otherwise manipulated during transition
- All stakeholders shall benefit from a seamless transition where no data is unexpectedly altered
- The number of total domain names held in the incumbent registry on December 1st equals the total number of domain names in the launched NeuStar registry
- The number of registrant names held in incumbent registry on December 1 equals the total number of registrant names in the launched NeuStar registry
- Quality assurance checks provide reasonable assurance that no data has been manipulated during the migration by performing sampling and trending, audits
- DNS, Whois, and SRS database content information is a 100% match after launch
- Information contained in the zone file, Whois, and SRS exactly match
- End users, registrars, and registrants have access to the most up-to-date zone file and Whois information
- Whois information is populated by the NeuStar .org database upon moratorium end
- Zone file information is populated by the NeuStar .org database upon moratorium end
- .org database information is base-lined with incumbent information, updated with emergency changes, and further updated by registrar actions at relaunch
- C18 Attachment 1: IANA Templates (pdf 508 kb)
- C18 Attachment 2: ".us Transition and Launch" (pdf 678 kb)
- C19.Please describe in detail mechanisms that you propose to implement to ensure compliance with ICANN-developed policies and the requirements of the registry agreement.
- NeuStar has already successfully implemented, and will continue to refine, mechanisms that ensure compliance with ICANN-developed policies and requirements of registry agreements.
- Because of ICANN½s unique mandate to preserve the operational stability of the Internet, it is incumbent that the .org registry operator implement mechanisms for assuring compliance with the various policies and contractual requirements that arise by virtue of its unique relationship with ICANN.½ In proposing such mechanisms, a prospective registry operator cannot merely recite its intention to abide by the requirements of the registry agreement with ICANN.½ Instead, the successful applicant must identify discrete mechanisms that demonstrate to ICANN that, as the registry operator, it understands policy and contractual requirements, and can immediately comply with both on an ongoing basis.
- NeuStar½s business, technical, and policy operations have successfully implemented mechanisms for ensuring compliance with ICANN-developed policies and requirements of registry agreements.½ These mechanisms, described below, include active participation in ICANN policy-making processes, as well as internal review of TLD business decisions for legal and policy compliance.½ NeuStar proposes to maintain and continue to refine such mechanisms.½ With these mechanisms in place, NeuStar ensures that policy compliance is fully integrated into all operations in an efficient and streamlined fashion.
- Participation in ICANN policy-making processNeuStar considers it a basic principle of .org TLD administration that the operator of the registry is a trustee of a valuable and important global public resource. Therefore, NeuStar proposes to continue working with ICANN in the development and enhancement of policies affecting the noncommercial community and the Internet at large.½ Examples of such participation include:
- Attending ICANN½s regular meetings.
- Leveraging and continuing our legacy of active participation in the development of Internet governance policies.½
- Serving as leaders in ICANN½s policy bodies.½ For example, a member of the NeuStar team currently serves as the chairman of gTLD Registry Constituency, while another represents the .us TLD before the ccTLD Constituency.½NeuStar also commits to comply with the Consensus Policy procedures set forth in Section 4 of the draft registry agreement for the .org TLD.½ However, unlike many other applicants, NeuStar has successfully operated under the Consensus Policy procedures by virtue of its agreement with ICANN for the .biz TLD.½ By continuing such participation, NeuStar is positioned to understand and properly implement ICANN-developed policies.
- Legal and policy reviewFrom our registry experience, NeuStar has learned that the most effective method for ensuring policy and contractual compliance is for the TLD registry operator to rigorously review operational plans and programs prior to implementation.½ NeuStar ensures that such review is accomplished in accordance with the following processes:
- Requiring managers to submit operational plans and programs, such as the deployment of new services, for a compliance review.½
- Conducting compliance reviews through a dedicated staff with significant experience in Internet governance, operations, and contract compliance and reporting on those findings.
- Maintaining constant contact with ICANN staff regarding proposed activities and compliance issues.With respect to ICANN, NeuStar has already successfully incorporated the above mechanisms under its registry agreement for the .biz TLD.½ For example, in accordance with Appendix H of the .biz Registry Agreement, there is a compliance officer that ensures that ICANN½s requirement of ½Equal Access and Nondiscrimination½ is followed and strictly enforced.½ NeuStar has demonstrated its ability to provide equal access to all ICANN-accredited registrars time and time again in its operation of .biz.
- Moreover, unlike many other applicants, NeuStar manages both thepolicy-making body and registry in its operation of the .usTLD.½ As such, NeuStar has had a great deal of success in not only ensuring that policies are carried out, but also in facilitating the policy body that is able to set such important policies in order to meet the Internet community½s needs. Thus, NeuStar stands ready to continue operating such mechanisms for ensuring policy and contractual compliance in the .org TLD space.
- Exhibit C19-1 shows the process for integration of new requirements from an oversight authority into NeuStar½s global registry operations.½ Exhibit C19-1 also shows NeuStar½s participation and continued compliance processes.
-
- Bush official: Internet giveaway weakens security, opens tax | The Daily Caller
- The U.S. government's plan to give away authority over the Internet's core architecture to the ''global Internet community'' could endanger the security of both the Internet and the U.S. '-- and open the door to a global tax on Web use.
- ''U.S. management of the internet has been exemplary and there is no reason to give this away '-- especially in return for nothing,'' former Bush administration State Department senior advisor Christian Whiton told The Daily Caller. ''This is the Obama equivalent of Carter's decision to give away the Panama Canal '-- only with possibly much worse consequences.''
- The U.S. Commerce Department announced late Friday it would relinquish control of The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) '-- the organization charged with managing domain names, assigning Internet protocol addresses and other crucial Web functions '-- after its current contract expires next year.
- In response to months of mounting criticism from the global community over sweeping National Security Surveillance programs leaked by former agency contractor Edward Snowden, the administration surrendered to allegations it had too much influence over the Web through ICANN, which designates the roadmap from web-connected devices to websites and servers across the globe.
- ''While the Obama administration says it is merely removing federal oversight of a non-profit, we should assume ICANN would end up as part of the United Nations,'' Whiton said. ''If the U.N. gains control what amounts to the directory and traffic signals of the Internet, it can impose whatever taxes it likes. It likely would start with a tax on registering domains and expand from there.''
- ICANN's Lebanese-born CEO Fadi Chehad(C) had already recently discussed setting up an office in Geneva '-- the location of the largest U.N. presence outside New York. If folded into the U.N.'s International Telecommunication Union, the organization would have access to a significant revenue stream outside of member contributions for the first time.
- ''What little control there is over the U.N. would be gone,'' Whiton said.
- The greater danger posed by the giveaway lies with the security of the Internet itself. While the U.S. has never used ICANN in a war or crisis situation, the potential exists for it to obstruct Internet commerce or deter foreign cyber attacks '' powerful tools in the globalized information age.
- After numerous recent widespread and successful cyber attacks against the U.S. have already been linked to emerging world powers like China, it isn't difficult to image a future scenario in which management of ICANN could help ensure intellectual property, economic, national and international security.
- ''Under invariably incompetent U.N. control, it could mean a hostile foreign power disabling the Internet for us,'' Whiton said.
- Follow Giuseppe on Twitter
-
- Google moves into wearable devices
- 18 March 2014Last updated at 17:19 Google has announced a version of its Android operating system designed specifically for wearable devices.
- The first release of Android Wear is designed for smartwatches and helps them follow voice commands.
- Google said it was also working with electronics firms, chip makers and fashion labels on wearable gadgets running Android.
- One of the first Android Wear devices will be Motorola's Moto 360 smart watch that will go on sale in the summer.
- The search giant's work on Android Wear builds on its experiences with Google Glass augmented spectacles.
- Android Wear was announced via the official Google blog and marks a significant move for the company into the wearables sector.
- In a blogpost Sundar Pichai, head of Android at Google, said the software would prove useful for gadgets that monitor key health parameters or which people use when they go running or cycling.
- It could also lead to a class of devices that respond quickly to spoken commands including answering short questions, booking a taxi or sending a text without having to tap anything on a smartphone touchscreen.
- Google said it was working on a new user interface for Android that reacted quickly, was driven by a person's voice and which drew on contextual information, such as a user's location, to be useful.
- Software development kits which application developers can play with have also been released.
- "We're always seeking new ways for technology to help people live their lives and this is just another step in that journey," wrote Mr Pichai.
- The decision to move into wearables would pitch Google into more intense competition with arch-rival Apple, said Stuart Miles, founder of tech news site Pocket-lint.
- "It's a threat to Apple because the Android ecosystem is growing so fast," he said.
- Some of the early designs for Android Wear smart watches looked great, he added, and if that were combined with a good second-screen notification system it could win people over and get them to defect from Apple,
- However, he said, his experiences of living with a Pebble smart watch for the last four months showed that people had yet to adapt to the appearance of such devices.
- "The social element that is against it is that people think you are bored of them when you are looking at your smart watch," he said.
-
- Science = Religion
-
- Cherry Pick email
- I enjoyed your discussion in ep. 599 of the Neil Degrasse Tyson clip on
- science and "climate deniers". I just want to add an observation that I
- think you and John may have missed (or didn't have time to point out)--the
- language that Tyson and his interviewer use is religious language.
- Tyson says: "Science is not there for you to cherry-pick.it's true whether
- or not you believe in it. You can decide not to believe in it but that
- doesn't change the reality." As a Christian, I recognize this as faith
- language, particularly used in apologetics. I have heard and read arguments
- and sermons just like this: "[The Bible] is not there for you to
- cherry-pick.it's true whether or not you believe in it."
- I submit that science as a whole-with no distinction between fields of
- study, some of which are more theoretical than not-is being positioned as a
- religion, with scientists as modern-day prophets. As technology and science
- become more complicated, so that, as the old quotation goes, they seem more
- like magic, belief in science looks more like faith. You and I have not done
- any experiments or studies, or seen any scientific results; we trust (or
- don't trust J ) what the researchers tell us-and not even that, what the
- media tells us the researchers have found. We as a culture have come to
- believe that the scientists, with their many educational degrees and arcane
- jargon that only the privileged few understand, are the truth seekers and
- truth tellers. This has to be frustrating to scientists who truly do want to
- seek truth and who know how scientific inquiry should work-not by consensus
- or by adhering to a belief system, but by being open to the possibility of
- your theories being proved wrong by the next round of experiments. Today,
- though, the media gives "science says" or "a scientific study has proved"
- the same weight as "God says" or "The Bible/Koran/Torah says.." had for the
- faithful in centuries past.
- That means that you and John and all of us listeners, as science skeptics or
- "deniers," are the modern-day heretics. When does the stake burning begin?
-
- CHERRY-PICK-On global warming alarmism as a religion | WashingtonExaminer.com
- (Thinkstock Image)Is global warming alarmism a form of religion? It contains a catechism (''the science is settled''), it is based on dogma (global warming will inevitably bring disaster) and it even allows you to buy indulgences to compensate for your sins (carbon offsets for your private jet travel). Plus it seeks to criminalize heretics, as Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit links to this little news story about a philosophy professor who wants global warming ''deniers'' to be subject to criminal prosecution. He doesn't go so far, however, as to advocate burning at the stake: that would produce carbon emissions, after all.
- President Obama and John Kerry have said that the Russians in Crimea have been behaving as if they are in the 19th century. Global warming alarmists strike me as something out of the 17th century.
-
- Agenda 21
-
- Debunking the "NASA" study [email]
- NASA did not say civilization will end soon due to climate change
- A widely circulated headline from Policymic says a NASA study concludes we
- are doomed. The headline is
- The report was a NASA-funded study written by Safa Motesharrei, an applied
- mathematician at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center. I bet
- you never heard of them or him. There's a good reason for that. SESYNC, a
- small think tank, has been in existence for 18 months. Motesharrei,
- according to SESYNC, is a graduate research assistant. And I can not find
- his article on their own website.
- Motesharre is reading a book by James Hansen, who used to head NASA and
- who, most would agree, is an extreme believer in the we're all doomed
- theory of climate change. How cozy is that?
-
- PRISON FOR SCIENTISTS-Is misinformation about the climate criminally negligent?
- Better communication may have saved lives in Italy's L'Aquila earthquake. TheWiz83, CC BY-SAThe importance of clearly communicating science to the public should not be underestimated. Accurately understanding our natural environment and sharing that information can be a matter of life or death. When it comes to global warming, much of the public remains in denial about a set of facts that the majority of scientists clearly agree on. With such high stakes, an organised campaign funding misinformation ought to be considered criminally negligent.
- The earthquake that rocked L'Aquila Italy in 2009 provides an interesting case study of botched communication. This natural disaster left more than 300 people dead and nearly 66,000 people homeless. In a strange turn of events six Italian scientists and a local defence minister were subsequently sentenced to six years in prison.
- The ruling is popularly thought to have convicted scientists for failing to predict an earthquake. On the contrary, as risk assessment expert David Ropeik pointed out, the trial was actually about the failure of scientists to clearly communicate risks to the public. The convicted parties were accused of providing ''inexact, incomplete and contradictory information''. As one citizen stated:
- We all know that the earthquake could not be predicted, and that evacuation was not an option. All we wanted was clearer information on risks in order to make our choices.
- Crucially, the scientists, when consulted about ongoing tremors in the region, did not conclude that a devastating earthquake was impossible in L'Aquila. But, when the Defence Minister held a press conference saying there was no danger, they made no attempt to correct him. I don't believe poor scientific communication should be criminalised because doing so will likely discourage scientists from engaging with the public at all.
- But the tragedy in L'Aquila reminds us how important clear scientific communication is and how much is at stake regarding the public's understanding of science. I have argued elsewhere that scientists have an ethical obligation to communicate their findings as clearly as possible to the public when such findings are relevant to public policy. Likewise, I believe that scientists have the corollary obligation to correct public misinformation as visibly and unequivocally as possible.
- Many scientists recognize these civic and moral obligations. Climatologist Michael Mann is a good example; Mann has recently made the case for public engagement in a powerful New York Times opinion piece: If You See Something Say Something.
- Misinformation and criminal negligenceStill, critics of the case in L'Aquila are mistaken if they conclude that criminal negligence should never be linked to science misinformation. Consider cases in which science communication is intentionally undermined for political and financial gain. Imagine if in L'Aquila, scientists themselves had made every effort to communicate the risks of living in an earthquake zone. Imagine that they even advocated for a scientifically informed but costly earthquake readiness plan.
- If those with a financial or political interest in inaction had funded an organised campaign to discredit the consensus findings of seismology, and for that reason no preparations were made, then many of us would agree that the financiers of the denialist campaign were criminally responsible for the consequences of that campaign. I submit that this is just what is happening with the current, well documented funding of global warming denialism.
- More deaths can already be attributed to climate change than the L'Aquila earthquake and we can be certain that deaths from climate change will continue to rise with global warming. Nonetheless, climate denial remains a serious deterrent against meaningful political action in the very countries most responsible for the crisis.
- Climate denial fundingWe have good reason to consider the funding of climate denial to be criminally and morally negligent. The charge of criminal and moral negligence ought to extend to all activities of the climate deniers who receive funding as part of a sustained campaign to undermine the public's understanding of scientific consensus.
- Criminal negligence is normally understood to result from failures to avoid reasonably foreseeable harms, or the threat of harms to public safety, consequent of certain activities. Those funding climate denial campaigns can reasonably predict the public's diminished ability to respond to climate change as a result of their behaviour. Indeed, public uncertainty regarding climate science, and the resulting failure to respond to climate change, is the intentional aim of politically and financially motivated denialists.
- My argument probably raises an understandable, if misguided, concern regarding free speech. We must make the critical distinction between the protected voicing of one's unpopular beliefs, and the funding of a strategically organised campaign to undermine the public's ability to develop and voice informed opinions. Protecting the latter as a form of free speech stretches the definition of free speech to a degree that undermines the very concept.
- What are we to make of those behind the well documented corporate funding of global warming denial? Those who purposefully strive to make sure ''inexact, incomplete and contradictory information'' is given to the public? I believe we understand them correctly when we know them to be not only corrupt and deceitful, but criminally negligent in their willful disregard for human life. It is time for modern societies to interpret and update their legal systems accordingly.
- Sign in to Favourite698 CommentsTagsClimate change denial, Climate change and public opinion
- Related articles 13 March 2014 Facts won't beat the climate deniers '' using their tactics will 11 February 2014 How GIFs are changing the way we talk science 7 February 2014 Establishing consensus is vital for climate action 5 February 2014 The truth is out there '' so how do you debunk a myth? 4 February 2014 Science can't settle what should be done about climate change
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- FEAR THE CLIMATE SLAVE-Study: Global Warming Will Cause 180,000 More Rapes by 2099 | Mother Jones
- Global warming isn't just going to melt the Arctic and flood our cities'--it's also going to make Americans more likely to kill each other.
- That's the conclusion of a controversial new study that uses historic crime and temperature data to show that hotter weather leads to more murders, more rapes, more robberies, more assaults, and more property crimes.
- "Looking at the past, we see a strong relationship between temperature and crime," says study author Matthew Ranson, an economist with the policy consulting firm Abt Associates. "We think that is likely to continue in the future."
- Just how much more crime can we expect? Using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's warming projections, Ranson calculated that from 2010 to 2099, climate change will "cause" an additional "22,000 murders, 180,000 cases of rape, 1.2 million aggravated assaults, 2.3 million simple assaults, 260,000 robberies, 1.3 million burglaries, 2.2 million cases of larceny, and 580,000 cases of vehicle theft" in the United States.
- Ranson acknowledges that those results represent a relatively small jump in the overall level of crime'--a 2.2 percent increase in murder and a 3.1 percent increase in rape, for instance. Still, says John Roman, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute's Justice Policy Center, those numbers add up to "a lot of victims" over the course of the century.
- The study's results don't mean that defendants should be able to argue that they were driven to a life of crime by the weather. "The decision to commit a crime is a matter of personal responsibility," Ranson explained in an email. "Neither higher outdoor temperatures nor reduced police enforcement are valid excuses for individuals to commit criminal acts. Yet, from a statistical perspective, both cause crime to increase."
- "To the extent that climate change causes people to be out and interacting more, there will be more crime," explains John Roman of the Urban Institute.
- So why would higher temperatures increase the crime rate? According to Ranson, the answer might vary depending on the type of crime. As shown in the charts below, property crimes, especially burglary and larceny, initially tend to increase as the weather warms but then level off once temperatures reach about 50 degrees. This suggests that cold weather may create obstacles to committing these types of crimes'--Ranson cites closed windows, for example'--obstacles that disappear when it's warmer outside.
- By contrast, the relationship between violent crime and temperature appears to be highly linear'--as temperatures keep rising, so does the number of crimes. According to Ranson, this pattern supports the idea that "warmer temperatures increase the frequency of social interactions, some small percentage of which result in violence." In other words, you're more likely to mug someone if it's warm enough to leave your house. But there's another factor that Ranson suggests may also be playing a role: Past research indicates that as temperatures increase, people tend to become more aggressive.
- Not every expert buys Ranson's findings. Andrew Holland, a senior fellow for energy and climate at the American Security Project, says that the study seems "tailor-made for a headline" but that "on further analysis, I don't know what it tells us."
- Holland sees climate change as a "threat multiplier" that could, in combination with other factors, exacerbate international instability and contribute to armed conflict. But he cautions against attributing individual events'--be they armed robberies or civil wars'--directly to climate change.
- "Just like any war has many reasons for starting, any crime has many factors that go into it," says Holland. "You can't convince me that any one rape was solely because of the temperature." Although attempting to separate out the various factors that contribute to a crime taking place can be "an interesting mathematical exercise," Holland contends that it isn't very "useful or helpful."
- But the Urban Institute's Roman argues that the overall conclusion of Ranson's study makes sense. Police have long operated with the understanding that "the summer is more dangerous than the winter," explains Roman. "To the extent that climate change causes people to be out and interacting more, there will be more crime."
- Roman says the study can help policymakers begin to think about how to adapt their law enforcement practices to a warming world. "There will be more studies in the future that find these effects," he says. "The concept fits with classic crime theory so neatly that we need to start thinking about how to get ahead of this and respond."
- Ranson has already thought about what that response might look like. One option is for communities to spend substantial amounts of money increasing the size of their police forces. Another possibility is that people will simply change their behavior in an attempt to avoid becoming the victims of crime'--leaving their homes less frequently in nice weather or locking their windows.
- Of course, there's a third alternative'--reining in the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing global warming in the first place.
-
- Climate | Data.gov
- In this new and pilot-stage of Climate.Data.gov, you will find resources to help companies, communities, and citizens understand and prepare for the impacts of coastal flooding and sea level rise. Over time, this community will expand to include more datasets, '... Continued
- In this emerging climate data resource, you can find datasets and web services, as well as tools, related to coastal flooding and sea level rise. We are featuring key resources to help you get started building data layers and tools '... Continued
- Coastal communities are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the risk of damage from coastal inundation. We only have to remember the recent impact of Hurricane Sandy on communities in the northeast to see the potential damage that a single storm can '... Continued
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- White House embarks on climate change mapping project | Cutting Edge - CNET News
- The government makes maps and data sets from NASA, NOAA, the US Geological Survey, and more available to the public, so that new tools can be created to help communities plan for extreme weather.
- NOAA's real-time nowCoast mapping portal is available on the White House's Climate Data Initiative.
- (Credit: NOAA)The White House wants people and communities to be prepared for extreme weather events spurred by climate change, like coastal flooding, hurricanes, and wildfires. So, it's making data sets and maps from some of the country's top agencies available to the public in it's newly launched "Climate Data Initiative."
- The maps and data sets are being collected in one Web site, data.gov/climate, which is full of open government data on the country's infrastructure and geographical features, like bridges, roads, tunnels, canals, and river gauges. The information comes from agencies such as NASA, NOAA, the Department of Defense, and the US Geological Survey.
- Obama administration adviser John Podesta and White House science adviser John Holdren are leading the initiative. They called on tech innovators on Wednesday to use the data sets to help build interactive maps and data-driven simulations that could help people plan for natural disasters.
- According to Podesta and Holdren, extreme weather events racked up more than $110 billion in damages and killed more than 300 people in the US in 2012.
- "While no single weather event can be attributed to climate change, we know that our changing climate is making many kinds of extreme events more frequent and more severe," they wrote in a White House blog post. "Rising seas threaten our coastlines. Dry regions are at higher risk of destructive wildfires. Heat waves impact health and agriculture. Heavier downpours can lead to damaging floods."
- Several companies have already expressed interest in joining the initiative. Mapping software company Esri said it will partner with 12 US cities to create free and open "maps and apps" that will help local governments plan for natural disasters. And, Google said it would pitch in one petabyte of cloud storage for the data sets, along with 50 million hours of high-performance computing with its Google Earth Engine platform."By taking the enormous data sets regularly collected by NASA, NOAA, and other agencies and applying the ingenuity, creativity, and expertise of technologists and entrepreneurs, the Climate Data Initiative will help create easy-to-use tools for regional planners, farmers, hospitals, and businesses across the country -- and empower America's communities to prepare themselves for the future," Podesta and Holdren wrote.
- Currently the Climate Data Initiative is in pilot phase, so the data sets are limited to coastal flooding and sea level rise. But over time more data and tools will become available, such as information on health risks, food supply, and energy infrastructure.
-
- Official prophecy of doom: Global warming will cause widespread conflict, displace millions of people and devastate the global economy - Climate Change - Environment - The Independent
- The second of three publications by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, due to be made public at the end of this month, is the most comprehensive investigation into the impact of climate change ever undertaken. A draft of the final version seen by The Independent says the warming climate will place the world under enormous strain, forcing mass migration, especially in Asia, and increasing the risk of violent conflict.
- Based on thousands of peer-reviewed studies and put together by hundreds of respected scientists, the report predicts that climate change will reduce median crop yields by 2 per cent per decade for the rest of the century '' at a time of rapidly growing demand for food. This will in turn push up malnutrition in children by about a fifth, it predicts.
- The report also forecasts that the warming climate will take its toll on human health, pushing up the number of intense heatwaves and fires and increasing the risk from food and water-borne diseases.
- While the impact on the UK will be relatively small, global issues such as rising food prices will pose serious problems. Britain's health and environmental ''cultural heritage'' is also likely to be hurt, the report warns.
- According to the draft report, a rare grassy coastal habitat unique to Scotland and Ireland is set to suffer, as are grouse moors in the UK and peatlands in Ireland. The UK's already elevated air pollution is likely to worsen as burning fossil fuels increase ozone levels, while warmer weather will increase the incidence of asthma and hay fever.
- Coastal systems and low-lying areasThe report predicts that by the end of the century ''hundreds of millions of people will be affected by coastal flooding and displaced due to land loss''. The majority affected will be in East Asia, South-east Asia and South Asia. Rising sea levels mean coastal systems and low-lying areas will increasingly experience submergence, coastal flooding and coastal erosion.
- Food securityRelatively low local temperature increases of 1C or more above pre-industralised levels are projected to ''negatively impact'' yields of major crops such as wheat, rice and maize in tropical and temperate regions. The report forecasts that climate change will reduce median yields by up to 2 per cent per decade for the rest of the century '' against a backdrop of rising demand that is set to increase by 14 per cent per decade until 2050.
- The global economyA global mean temperature increase of 2.5C above pre-industrial levels may lead to global aggregate economic losses of between 0.2 and 2.0 per cent, the report warns. Global GDP was $71.8trn (£43.1trn) in 2012, meaning a 2 per cent reduction would wipe $1.4trn off the world's economic output that year.
- Human healthUntil mid-century, climate change will impact human health mainly by exacerbating problems that already exist, the report says. Climate change will lead to increases in ill-health in many regions, with examples including a greater likelihood of injury, disease and death due to more intense heatwaves and fires; increased likelihood of under-nutrition; and increased risks from food and water-borne diseases. Without accelerated investment in planned adaptations, climate change by 2050 would increase the number of undernourished children under the age of five by 20-25 million globally, or by 17-22 per cent, it says.
- Human securityClimate change over the 21st century will have a significant impact on forms of migration that compromise human security, the report states. For example, it indirectly increases the risks from violent conflict in the form of civil war, inter-group violence and violent protests by exacerbating well-established drivers of these conflicts such as poverty and economic shocks.
- Small-island states and other places highly vulnerable to sea-level rise face major challenges to their territorial integrity. Some ''transboundary'' impacts of climate change, such as changes in sea ice, shared water resources and migration of fish stocks have the potential to increase rivalry among states.
- Freshwater resourcesThe draft of the report says ''freshwater-related risks of climate change increase significantly with increasing greenhouse gas emissions''. It finds that climate change will ''reduce renewable surface water and groundwater resources significantly in most dry subtropical regions'', exacerbating the competition for water. Terrestrial and freshwater species will also face an increased extinction risk under projected climate change during and beyond the 21st century.
- Unique landscapesMachair, a grassy coastal habitat found only in north-west Scotland and the west coast of Ireland, is one of the several elements of the UK's ''cultural heritage'' that is at risk from climate change, the report says. Machair is found only on west-facing shores and is rich in calcium carbonate derived from crushed seashells. It is so rare and special, that a recent assessment by the European Forum on Nature Conservation and Pastoralism described it as an ''unknown jewel''.
- The IPCC also warns of climate threats to Irish peatlands and UK grousemoors and notes an increasing risk to health across Europe from rising air pollution '' in which the polluted UK is already in serial breach of EU regulations.
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- London set to ban older private petrol and diesel cars | Autocar
- London will take another step towards banning older diesel and petrol-powered private cars from the city centre when the proposed Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) is further discussed next week.
- A second 'stakeholder' meeting is expected to reinforce a proposal to ban diesel cars that don't meet EU6 emissions standards or petrols that don't meet EU4 from the central Congestion Charge Zone.
- "We announced last February the intention to introduce an Ultra Low Emissions Zone in 2020 for central London and we have been working towards that goal since," says TfL.
- TfL stresses that no decision has been made about the rules governing the ULEZ and that four official proposals for its operation will be formulated, before a single theme goes to public consultation later this year.
- However, Autocar understands that the ban on pre-EU6 diesels '-- cars registered before 2014, and pre-EU4 petrols, as well as any registered before 2005 '-- was put to an informal vote at the first stakeholder meet in November and won overwhelming support.
- There are also fears that the ULEZ will be introduced in outer London beyond the North and South circular roads on the same boundary as the current truck/bus Low Emission Zone.
- That would ensnare millions of motorists unable to comply with the EU6 and EU4 standards, rocketing up the cost of motoring for many ordinary Londoners.
- Even if this doesn't happen, the ramifications of the smaller anti-car zone will affect motorists across the capital and anyone owning a diesel registered before 2014 will be banned from the centre of London.
- There are anomalies under the proposal, which will ban low-emitting small cars with EU5 diesels, where DPF particle filters are standard, but allow in large diesel-powered cars and SUVs, which may emit relatively high levels of pollutants.
- Events like the annual London-Brighton run and the Regent's Street Motor Show, based around classic and vintage cars that won't meet the limits, will also have to be cancelled or moved elsewhere.
- Although motorists groups are monitoring the introduction of pollution-related controls on drivers '-- such as the new 60mph motorway limit '-- it appears that the car-makers' trade group, the SMMT, is the only car industry voice represented at the ULEZ stakeholder meetings.
- It is also known that diesel-powered trucks, buses, vans and taxis individually produce much larger volumes of pollutants than private cars.
- TfL says that around 80 per cent of large particle (PM10) pollution in central London comes from road transport and half of that comes from 'non-exhaust sources', largely rubber and brake dust.
- Of the remaining accountable small share cars generate 17 per cent, taxis 34 per cent, vans 26 per cent and trucks 11 per cent and buses 8 per cent.
- Ironically London already complies with EU PM10 particle targets, having hit lower levels in 2011. The other main pollutant is oxides of nitrogen, which can cause smog in certain weather conditions. Around 50 per cent of nitrogen oxides in central London are attributed to road transport, but TfL doesn't break out figures for private cars.
- More efficient engines and tougher technical standards over the past ten years have reduced the output of tailpipe emissions up to 10 times. However, green campaigners like Simon Birkett of Clean Air in London, one of the stakeholders shaping the ULEZ, doubts the benefit of more efficient diesels in real-world operation.
- "EU diesel standards have not achieved anything for nitrogen dioxide because the test doesn't reflect real world driving. My view is that we are with diesel where we were with smoking 30 years ago. Diesel is carcinogenic," Birkett told Autocar.
- TfL has also been experimenting with road sweeping to clear tyre rubber, brake dust and building dust from construction sites, which contribute to the volume of tiny particles floating around in London's air.
- The Conservative mayor Boris Johnson, TfL and the Greater London Assembly are formulating the plan to combat low air quality.
- Green campaigners claim that London has the highest levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in Europe and that fines of up to £300m a year will be levied by the EU if London's air quality doesn't meet standards.
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- Correlation does not imply causation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Correlation does not imply causation is a phrase in science and statistics that emphasizes that a correlation between two variables does not necessarily imply that one causes the other.[1][2] Many statistical tests calculate correlation between variables. A few go further and calculate the likelihood of a true causal relationship; examples are the Granger causality test and convergent cross mapping.
- The counter assumption, that correlation proves causation, is considered a questionable causelogical fallacy in that two events occurring together are taken to have a cause-and-effect relationship. This fallacy is also known as cum hoc ergo propter hoc, Latin for "with this, therefore because of this", and "false cause". A similar fallacy, that an event that follows another was necessarily a consequence of the first event, is sometimes described as post hoc ergo propter hoc (Latin for "after this, therefore because of this").
- In a widely studied example, numerous epidemiological studies showed that women who were taking combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT) also had a lower-than-average incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD), leading doctors to propose that HRT was protective against CHD. But randomized controlled trials showed that HRT caused a small but statistically significant increase in risk of CHD. Re-analysis of the data from the epidemiological studies showed that women undertaking HRT were more likely to be from higher socio-economic groups (ABC1), with better-than-average diet and exercise regimens. The use of HRT and decreased incidence of coronary heart disease were coincident effects of a common cause (i.e. the benefits associated with a higher socioeconomic status), rather than cause and effect, as had been supposed.[3]
- As with any logical fallacy, identifying that the reasoning behind an argument is flawed does not imply that the resulting conclusion is false. In the instance above, if the trials had found that hormone replacement therapy caused a decrease in coronary heart disease, but not to the degree suggested by the epidemiological studies, the assumption of causality would have been correct, although the logic behind the assumption would still have been flawed.
- In logic, the technical use of the word "implies" means "to be a sufficient circumstance". This is the meaning intended by statisticians when they say causation is not certain. Indeed, p implies q has the technical meaning of the material conditional: if p then q symbolized as p '' q. That is "if circumstance p is true, then q follows." In this sense, it is always correct to say "Correlation does not imply causation."
- However, in casual use, the word "imply" loosely means suggests rather than requires. The idea that correlation and causation are connected is certainly true; where there is causation, there is a likely correlation. Indeed, correlation is used when inferring causation; the important point is that such inferences are made after correlations are confirmed as real and all causational relationship are systematically explored using large enough data sets.
- Edward Tufte, in a criticism of the brevity of "correlation does not imply causation", deprecates the use of "is" to relate correlation and causation (as in "Correlation is not causation"), citing its inaccuracy as incomplete.[1] While it is not the case that correlation is causation, simply stating their nonequivalence omits information about their relationship. Tufte suggests that the shortest true statement that can be made about causality and correlation is one of the following:[4]
- "Empirically observed covariation is a necessary but not sufficient condition for causality.""Correlation is not causation but it sure is a hint."General pattern[edit]For any two correlated events, A and B, the following relationships are possible:
- A causes B;B causes A;A and B are consequences of a common cause, but do not cause each other;There is no connection between A and B; the correlation is coincidental.Less clear-cut correlations are also possible. For example, causality is not necessarily one-way; in a predator-prey relationship, predator numbers affect prey, but prey numbers, i.e. food supply, also affect predators.
- The cum hoc ergo propter hoc logical fallacy can be expressed as follows:
- A occurs in correlation with B.Therefore, A causes B.In this type of logical fallacy, one makes a premature conclusion about causality after observing only a correlation between two or more factors. Generally, if one factor (A) is observed to only be correlated with another factor (B), it is sometimes taken for granted that A is causing B, even when no evidence supports it. This is a logical fallacy because there are at least five possibilities:
- A may be the cause of B.B may be the cause of A.some unknown third factor C may actually be the cause of both A and B.there may be a combination of the above three relationships. For example, B may be the cause of A at the same time as A is the cause of B (contradicting that the only relationship between A and B is that A causes B). This describes a self-reinforcing system.the "relationship" is a coincidence or so complex or indirect that it is more effectively called a coincidence (i.e. two events occurring at the same time that have no direct relationship to each other besides the fact that they are occurring at the same time). A larger sample size helps to reduce the chance of a coincidence, unless there is a systematic error in the experiment.In other words, there can be no conclusion made regarding the existence or the direction of a cause-and-effect relationship only from the fact that A and B are correlated. Determining whether there is an actual cause-and-effect relationship requires further investigation, even when the relationship between A and B is statistically significant, a large effect size is observed, or a large part of the variance is explained.
- Examples of illogically inferring causation from correlation[edit]B causes A (reverse causation)[edit]Example 1The faster windmills are observed to rotate, the more wind is observed to be.Therefore wind is caused by the rotation of windmills. (Or, simply put: windmills, as their name indicates, are machines used to produce wind.)In this example, the correlation (simultaneity) between windmill activity and wind velocity does not imply that wind is caused by windmills. It is rather the other way around, as suggested by the fact that wind doesn't need windmills to exist, while windmills need wind to rotate. Wind can be observed in places where there are no windmills or non-rotating windmills'--and there are good reasons to believe that wind existed before the invention of windmills.
- A and B cause C, which causes D (string of causation)[edit]Lack of religion is associated with increased rates of depression.Therefore, lack of religion directly causes increased rates of depression.In this example, the correlation between lack of religion and depression does not imply that lack of religion causes depression. Depression is caused in part by how people are treated. Some cultures might be suspicious of people who have a lack of religion, so people who have a lack of religion are more likely to be discriminated against and to fall into depression. So the above conclusion cannot be drawn from this correlation.
- A causes B and B causes A (bidirectional causation)[edit]Increased pressure is associated with increased temperature.Therefore pressure causes temperature.The ideal gas law, , describes the direct relationship between pressure and temperature (along with other factors) to show that there is a direct correlation between the two properties. For a fixed volume and mass of gas, an increase in temperature causes an increase in pressure; likewise, increased pressure causes an increase in temperature. This demonstrates bidirectional causation. The conclusion that pressure causes temperature is true but is not logically guaranteed by the premise.
- Third factor C (the common-causal variable) causes both A and B[edit]All these examples deal with a lurking variable, which is simply a hidden third variable that affects both causes of the correlation; for example, the fact that it is summer in Example 3. A difficulty often also arises where the third factor, though fundamentally different from A and B, is so closely related to A and/or B as to be confused with them or very difficult to scientifically disentangle from them (see Example 4).
- Example 1Sleeping with one's shoes on is strongly correlated with waking up with a headache.Therefore, sleeping with one's shoes on causes headache.The above example commits the correlation-implies-causation fallacy, as it prematurely concludes that sleeping with one's shoes on causes headache. A more plausible explanation is that both are caused by a third factor, in this case going to bed drunk, which thereby gives rise to a correlation. So the conclusion is false.
- Example 2Young children who sleep with the light on are much more likely to develop myopia in later life.Therefore, sleeping with the light on causes myopia.This is a scientific example that resulted from a study at the University of PennsylvaniaMedical Center. Published in the May 13, 1999 issue of Nature,[5] the study received much coverage at the time in the popular press.[6] However, a later study at Ohio State University did not find that infants sleeping with the light on caused the development of myopia. It did find a strong link between parental myopia and the development of child myopia, also noting that myopic parents were more likely to leave a light on in their children's bedroom.[7][8][9][10] In this case, the cause of both conditions is parental myopia, and the above-stated conclusion is false.
- Example 3As ice cream sales increase, the rate of drowning deaths increases sharply.Therefore, ice cream consumption causes drowning.The aforementioned example fails to recognize the importance of time and temperature in relationship to ice cream sales. Ice cream is sold during the hot summer months at a much greater rate than during colder times, and it is during these hot summer months that people are more likely to engage in activities involving water, such as swimming. The increased drowning deaths are simply caused by more exposure to water-based activities, not ice cream. The stated conclusion is false.
- Example 4A hypothetical study shows a relationship between test anxiety scores and shyness scores, with a statistical r value (strength of correlation) of +.59.[11]Therefore, it may be simply concluded that shyness, in some part, causally influences test anxiety.However, as encountered in many psychological studies, another variable, a "self-consciousness score", is discovered that has a sharper correlation (+.73) with shyness. This suggests a possible "third variable" problem, however, when three such closely related measures are found, it further suggests that each may have bidirectional tendencies (see "bidirectional variable", above), being a cluster of correlated values each influencing one another to some extent. Therefore, the simple conclusion above may be false.
- Example 5Since the 1950s, both the atmospheric CO2 level and obesity levels have increased sharply.Hence, atmospheric CO2 causes obesity.Richer populations tend to eat more food and consume more energy
- Example 6HDL ("good") cholesterol is negatively correlated with incidence of heart attack.Therefore, taking medication to raise HDL decreases the chance of having a heart attack.Further research[12] has called this conclusion into question. Instead, it may be that other underlying factors, like genes, diet and exercise, affect both HDL levels and the likelihood of having a heart attack; it is possible that medicines may affect the directly measurable factor, HDL levels, without affecting the chance of heart attack.
- The ecological fallacy[edit]There is a relation between this subject-matter and the ecological fallacy, described in a 1950 paper by William S. Robinson.[13] Robinson shows that ecological correlations, where the statistical object is a group of persons (i.e. an ethnic group), does not show the same behaviour as individual correlations, where the objects of inquiry are individuals: "The relation between ecological and individual correlations which is discussed in this paper provides a definite answer as to whether ecological correlations can validly be used as substitutes for individual correlations. They cannot." (...) "(a)n ecological correlation is almost certainly not equal to its corresponding individual correlation."
- Determining causation[edit]In academia[edit]The point of view that correlation implies causation may be regarded as a theory of causality, which is somewhat inherent to the field of statistics. Within academia as a whole, the nature of causality is systematically investigated from several academic disciplines, including philosophy and physics.
- In academia, there is a significant number of theories on causality; The Oxford Handbook of Causation (Beebee et al. 2009) encompasses 770 pages. Among the more influential theories within philosophy are Aristotle's Four causes and Al-Ghazali's occasionalism.[14]David Hume argued that causality is based on experience, and experience similarly based on the assumption that the future models the past, which in turn can only be based on experience '' leading to circular logic. In conclusion, he asserted that causality is not based on actual reasoning: only correlation can actually be perceived.[15]Immanuel Kant, according to Beebee et al., held that "a causal principle according to which every event has a cause, or follows according to a causal law, cannot be established through induction as a purely empirical claim, since it would then lack strict universality, or necessity".[16]
- Outside the field of philosophy, theories of causation can be identified in classical mechanics, statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics, spacetime theories, biology, social sciences, and law.[16] To establish a correlation as causal within physics, it is normally understood that the cause and the effect must connect through a local mechanism (cf. for instance the concept of impact) or a nonlocal mechanism (cf. the concept of field), in accordance with known laws of nature.
- From the point of view of thermodynamics, universal properties of causes as compared to effects have been identified through the Second law of thermodynamics, confirming the ancient, medieval and Descartian[17] view that "the cause is greater than the effect" for the particular case of thermodynamic free energy. This, in turn, is challenged by popular interpretations of the concepts of nonlinear systems and the butterfly effect, in which small events cause large effects due to, respectively, unpredictability and an unlikely triggering of large amounts of potential energy.
- Causality construed from counterfactual states[edit]Intuitively, causation seems to require not just a correlation, but a counterfactual dependence. Suppose that a student performed poorly on a test and guesses that the cause was his not studying. To prove this, one thinks of the counterfactual '' the same student writing the same test under the same circumstances but having studied the night before. If one could rewind history, and change only one small thing (making the student study for the exam), then causation could be observed (by comparing version 1 to version 2). Because one cannot rewind history and replay events after making small controlled changes, causation can only be inferred, never exactly known. This is referred to as the Fundamental Problem of Causal Inference '' it is impossible to directly observe causal effects.[18]
- A major goal of scientific experiments and statistical methods is to approximate as best possible the counterfactual state of the world.[19] For example, one could run an experiment on identical twins who were known to consistently get the same grades on their tests. One twin is sent to study for six hours while the other is sent to the amusement park. If their test scores suddenly diverged by a large degree, this would be strong evidence that studying (or going to the amusement park) had a causal effect on test scores. In this case, correlation between studying and test scores would almost certainly imply causation.
- Well-designed experimental studies replace equality of individuals as in the previous example by equality of groups. This is achieved by randomization of the subjects to two or more groups. Although not a perfect system, the likeliness of being equal in all aspects rises with the number of subjects placed randomly in the treatment/placebo groups. From the significance of the difference of the effect of the treatment vs. the placebo, one can conclude the likeliness of the treatment having a causal effect on the disease. This likeliness can be quantified in statistical terms by the P-value[dubious'' discuss].
- [edit]When experimental studies are impossible and only pre-existing data are available, as is usually the case for example in economics, regression analysis can be used. Factors other than the potential causative variable of interest are controlled for by including them as regressors in addition to the regressor representing the variable of interest. False inferences of causation due to reverse causation (or wrong estimates of the magnitude of causation due the presence of bidirectional causation) can be avoided by using explanators (regressors) that are necessarily exogenous, such as physical explanators like rainfall amount (as a determinant of, say, futures prices), lagged variables whose values were determined before the dependent variable's value was determined, instrumental variables for the explanators (chosen based on their known exogeneity), etc. See Causality#Statistics and Economics. Spurious correlation due to mutual influence from a third, common, causative variable, is harder to avoid: the model must be specified such that there is a theoretical reason to believe that no such underlying causative variable has been omitted from the model. In particular, underlying time trends of both the dependent variable and the independent (potentially causative) variable must be controlled for by including time as another independent variable.[citation needed]
- Use of correlation as scientific evidence[edit]Much of scientific evidence is based upon a correlation of variables[20] '' they are observed to occur together. Scientists are careful to point out that correlation does not necessarily mean causation. The assumption that A causes B simply because A correlates with B is often not accepted as a legitimate form of argument.
- However, sometimes people commit the opposite fallacy '' dismissing correlation entirely, as if it does not suggest causation at all. This would dismiss a large swath of important scientific evidence.[20] Since it may be difficult or ethically impossible to run controlled double-blind studies, correlational evidence from several different angles may be the strongest causal evidence available.[21] The combination of limited available methodologies with the dismissing correlation fallacy has on occasion been used to counter a scientific finding. For example, the tobacco industry has historically relied on a dismissal of correlational evidence to reject a link between tobacco and lung cancer.[22]
- In conclusion, correlation is a valuable type of scientific evidence in fields such as medicine, psychology, and sociology. But first correlations must be confirmed as real, and then every possible causative relationship must be systematically explored. In the end correlation can be used as powerful evidence for a cause-and-effect relationship between a treatment and benefit, a risk factor and a disease, or a social or economic factor and various outcomes. But it is also one of the most abused types of evidence, because it is easy and even tempting to come to premature conclusions based upon the preliminary appearance of a correlation.
- See also[edit]References[edit]^ abTufte, Edward R. (2006). The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint: Pitching Out Corrupts Within. Cheshire, Connecticut: Graphics Press. p. 5. ISBN 0-9613921-5-0. ^Aldrich, John (1995). "Correlations Genuine and Spurious in Pearson and Yule". Statistical Science10 (4): 364''376. doi:10.1214/ss/1177009870. JSTOR 2246135. ^Lawlor DA, Davey Smith G, Ebrahim S (June 2004). "Commentary: the hormone replacement-coronary heart disease conundrum: is this the death of observational epidemiology?". Int J Epidemiol33 (3): 464''7. doi:10.1093/ije/dyh124. PMID 15166201. ^Tufte, Edward R. (2003). The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint. Cheshire, Connecticut: Graphics Press. p. 4. ISBN 0-9613921-5-0. ^Quinn GE, Shin CH, Maguire MG, Stone RA (May 1999). "Myopia and ambient lighting at night". Nature399 (6732): 113''4. doi:10.1038/20094. PMID 10335839. ^CNN, May 13, 1999. Night-light may lead to nearsightedness^Ohio State University Research News, March 9, 2000. Night lights don't lead to nearsightedness, study suggests^Zadnik K, Jones LA, Irvin BC, et al. (March 2000). "Myopia and ambient night-time lighting". Nature404 (6774): 143''4. doi:10.1038/35004661. PMID 10724157. ^Gwiazda J, Ong E, Held R, Thorn F (March 2000). "Myopia and ambient night-time lighting". Nature404 (6774): 144. doi:10.1038/35004663. PMID 10724158. ^Stone, J; et al., E; Held, R; Thorn, F (March 2000). "Myopia and ambient night-time lighting". Nature404 (6774): 144. doi:10.1038/35004665 ^The Psychology of Personality: Viewpoints, Research, and Applications. Carducci, Bernard J. 2nd Edition. Wiley-Blackwell: UK, 2009.^Ornish, Dean. "Cholesterol: The good, the bad, and the truth" [1] (retrieved 3 June 2011)^Robinson, W.S. (1950). "Ecological Correlations and the Behavior of Individuals". American Sociological Review (American Sociological Review) 15 (3): 351''357. doi:10.2307/2087176. JSTOR 2087176. ^Beebee et al., 2009^David Hume (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)^ abBeebee et al. 2009^Lloyd, A.C., The principle that the cause is greater than its effect, Pronesis 21(2), 1976^Paul W. Holland. 1986. "Statistics and Causal Inference" Journal of the American Statistical Association, Vol. 81, No. 396. (Dec., 1986), pp. 945''960.^Judea Pearl. 2000. Causality: Models, Reasoning, and Inference, Cambridge University Press.^ abNovella. "Evidence in Medicine: Correlation and Causation". Science and Medicine. Science-Based Medicine. ^http://www.michaelnielsen.org/ddi/if-correlation-doesnt-imply-causation-then-what-does/^http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/evidence-in-medicine-correlation-and-causation/External links[edit]
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- Author of 'EPA Playbook'? Report claims notorious fraudster was behind costly EPA regulations | Fox News
- FILE: Oct. 1, 2013: Former EPA official John Beale at a hearing on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
- John Beale, the former EPA official who fooled his bosses into believing he worked for the CIA, was deeply involved in crafting costly environmental standards which still are having an impact today -- though he came into the job with little, if any, environmental experience.
- The details were included in a 67-page report from Republicans on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, which claims the fraudster's role should now throw those rules into question.
- The report is the product of months of research into the case of Beale, a top official in the Office of Air and Radiation, who was sentenced to prison in December for defrauding the agency with his CIA lie. It details Beale's role in crafting an aggressive regulatory approach which the report dubs the "EPA Playbook."
- "Ultimately, the guiding [principle] behind the Playbook is the Machiavellian [principle] that the ends will justify the means," the report says.
- Sen. David Vitter, R-La., top Republican on the committee, said in a statement that the study "connects the dots between John Beale and the numerous air regulations that he's responsible for."
- The EPA already has come under scrutiny for failing to act earlier on warning signs about Beale's behavior and fraudulent activity. But the report also calls into question the regulatory work Beale had done over an EPA career that began in the late '80s -- and its lingering impact on businesses today.
- "The product of his labors have remained intact and have been shielded from any meaningful scrutiny, much the same way Beale was protected by an inner circle of career staff who unwittingly aided in his fraud," the report says. "Accordingly, it appears that the Agency is content to let the American people pay the price for Beale and EPA's scientific insularity, a price EPA is still trying to hide almost twenty years later."
- Beale was first brought on as a career employee by his friend Robert Brenner in 1989, after a stint working as a consultant for the agency. According to the Senate GOP report, he had no environmental experience, and his federal legislative experience was limited to an unpaid internship for a senator. Yet he was brought on at the maximum pay level for an employee of his kind -- at a level typically reserved for people with 20 years' experience, according to the report.
- In 1995, Beale and Brenner apparently began working on what are known as National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Ozone and Particulate Matter (PM). This was a far-reaching process to regulate pollutants in the air -- the push to regulate Particulate Matter covered small particles ranging from smoke to soot to fumes to dust. According to the report, Beale and the rest of the agency ran with the project.
- "Under Beale's leadership EPA took the unprecedented action of proposing standards for the two pollutants in tandem and aggressively tightened the standards to controversial levels," the report said.
- The report goes on to argue that the 1997 standards that resulted "set in motion" the way the EPA issues regulations under the Clean Air Act. The report alleges that this included "inflating benefits while underestimating costs."
- Asked for comment on the Republican report, EPA spokeswoman Alisha Johnson acknowledged Beale's role in the air quality rules but noted he was among many people involved in that process.
- "While Mr. Beale did work on the rules mentioned in the report, he was just one of a large number of people from a number of disciplines across the Agency who provided input on those rules," she said in an email. Those rules, she noted, for the most part were upheld by the courts.
- "Since that time, both standards have been re-reviewed and re-issued by the EPA," Johnson said. "The standards followed the routine open, transparent and public process, providing opportunities for public and interagency review and comment prior to their finalization."
- Despite Republican accusations, the agency defends its air quality standards as firmly grounded in science.
- The Senate GOP study details specific regulations that relied on these standards, including the EPA's controversial regulations on coal-fired power plants. Amid these and other rules, dozens of power plants have been slated for retirement in recent years.
- The report says the air quality standards have also been used to defend 32 major rules since 1997, which together account for billions of dollars in costs to U.S. businesses.
- The so-called "playbook" for implementing EPA rules began during the 1997 process, and allegedly included inflating benefits of proposed rules, as well as using a controversial tactic known as "sue-and-settle" -- where a "friendly" group sues the agency and settles on "mutually agreeable terms." The report says Brenner and Beale were behind that "playbook."
- Republicans argue in the study that Beale reached the "pinnacle of his career" during that 1997 process, and used that status to defraud the agency for years.
- The inspector general's investigation, which later uncovered the fraud, found Beale received improper bonuses until 2013 -- the improper bonuses ended up totaling about $500,000. This, while he was taking off time supposedly to work for the CIA.
- Since the fraud was made public, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy has been credited by some with initially flagging Beale's activities and expenses. EPA bosses say they were duped by his CIA story, despite the warning signs.
- An EPA spokeswoman said earlier that Beale "went to great lengths to deceive and defraud the U.S. government over the span of more than a decade" and the agency has "put in place additional safeguards to help protect against fraud and abuse related to employee time and attendance."
- Brenner retired from the agency in 2011.
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- US In Its Third Straight Year Of Record Low Tornado Activity | Real Science
- AAAS says that storms are getting worse, because they are concerned that the ability of their members to steal taxpayer money may be reduced, if people find out what is really going on.
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- Common Core
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- STEMosphere
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- Explore the STEMosphere at UMSL | UMSL Daily
- STEM '' Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics '' is all around us. From the science of the weather, to technology of computers and phones, from the engineering of roads (the constant construction we drive through every day) to the mathematics used to do our taxes or budget for groceries '' we all use STEM all the time. That is why STEM education is of the utmost importance '' for adults as lifelong learners and educators, as well as for children who will be shaping the future and becoming leaders in innovation.
- The U.S. Department of Labor notes that 15 out of the 20 fastest growing occupations projected for 2014 require significant math and science preparation. And, the U.S. News Best Jobs list, based on expected openings, advancement opportunities, career fulfillment and salary expectations, is full of STEM-based careers.
- Because STEM education is so valuable, there needs to be a method of making this focused education fun for children to promote and maintain interest. Further, STEM courses need to be taught by engaged and excited teachers who continue their own lifelong learning of STEM material and bring hands-on, minds-on activities to their classrooms.
- Two University of Missouri''St. Louis events, STEMosphere and Share Fair from Morgridge Family Foundation, do just that. STEMosphere is a free event is open to all learners: kids through octogenarians, educators and administrators, families and communities, and any person who wants to explore, invent and experiment. And, for the first time, STEMosphere is coming to the St. Louis area.
- The 2014 St. Louis hands-on adventure of STEMosphere includes areas to learn about anatomy with clay, experiment with the world's first touch Interactive Projector, explore cyber security programs, and take part in an environmental service-learning project.
- In addition, Share Fair provides professional development workshops for educators to gain the tools needed to implement and advance STEM teaching and learning in the classroom.
- Share Fair and STEMosphere, hosted by UMSL College of Education, will take place jointly on Saturday, March 29 at UMSL's Millennium Student Center. Check out their website for more information, and join the party to explore the STEMosphere.
- Short URL:http://blogs.umsl.edu/news/?p=46488
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- Board of Directors - Foundation for Excellence in Education
- Board of Directors - Foundation for Excellence in EducationThe Reformer Toolbox allows you to search and compile practical tools and data to help advance and adopt education reform in your state.
- To build your Reformer Toolbox, begin by logging in to your account, or by creating a new account. Once logged into your account, you can select a state or specific reform policy using the search function. You'll find corresponding model legislation, policy briefs, videos, news articles and more in our vast database.
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- The Foundation for Excellence in Education is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization, focused on K-12 education reform, state-by-state. Our work is funded through the generous support of the following philanthropies:
- Bloomberg PhilanthropiesBill & Melinda Gates FoundationThe Eli and Edythe Broad FoundationCharles and Helen Schwab FoundationGE FoundationThe Kovner FoundationThe Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable TrustRobertson FoundationSusan & Bill Oberndorf FoundationWalton Family FoundationTo become a donor or to contribute online please visit our Donate page.
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- About Us - Foundation for Excellence in Education
- In the past 15 years, school reform has grown from a small, conservative movement to a bi-partisan, national priority.
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- Founded by former Governor Jeb Bush in 2008, the Foundation for Excellence in Education's (ExcelinEd) unique contribution is working with decision makers on developing, adopting and implementing reform policies. We are a hands-on, how-to organization that provides model legislation, rule-making expertise, implementation strategies, and public outreach. Our staff has years of experience working with state and local governments, legislative bodies, in the classroom, and with the media.
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- Mission & History: An introduction to our mission, our history, our staff, job opportunities and contact information.Reform Agenda: The policies the Foundation advocates for to transform American education to a high-quality, student-centered system.State of Reform: A breakdown of reforms passed by each state. Users can select reforms from other states they would like to adopt, and store them in a personalized ''Reformer Toolbox.''Policy Library: A depository for model legislation, academic research, reports, videos and position papers. We also include short profiles of the nation's leading reformers.Reformer Toolbox: A personalized toolbox to help you set up your own legislative agenda that you can add to with resources to aid policy development, advocacy and implementation.Newsroom: The latest in education and reform news from around the country from our EdFlyBlog and EdFly web sites, as well as Foundation announcements and news.Student Achievement: A simple and quick way to compare academic progress in the states, using test scores from the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP).Support the reform movement. Click here to learn more >>
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- AQ Inc
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- Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula releases 12th issue of Inspire magazine - The Long War Journal
- Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has released the 12th issue of Inspire magazine. The Long War Journal has obtained a copy of the magazine, which is published as a pdf file online.
- The cover story of the magazine, "Shattered: A Story About Change," argues that the 9/11 attacks were a "turning point" in American history. The author, Abu Abdullah Almoravid, conflates a series of unrelated issues into a single narrative that portrays the US as a crumbling empire.
- In uneven English, Almoravid references everything from America's economic woes to the elementary school shootings in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Clumsy propaganda pieces such as "Shattered" are a regular feature in al Qaeda's propaganda.
- On a more serious note, the magazine devotes a lengthy section to what AQAP calls "Open Source Jihad." As in past editions of Inspire, AQAP seeks to motivate and educate aspiring lone wolf jihadists who do not have the ability to receive more formal training.
- In this edition, AQAP shows jihadists how to plan a car bomb attack on their own.
- In the letter from the editor, Yahya Ibrahim refers to past operations, such as Faisal Shahzad's attempted May 2010 car bombing in Times Square and the attacks on the Boston Marathon in April 2013. Shahzad was trained and dispatched by the Pakistani Taliban, but AQAP wants jihadists to emulate Shahzad's actions on their own.
- Ibrahim taunts American counterterrorism officials, saying the US government was unable to stop the Boston Marathon bombings, which utilized backpacks filled with pressure cooker bombs. Ibrahim adds, "I wonder if they are ready to stop car bombs!"
- Ibrahim claims there are "many" Shahzads "residing inside America, and all they need is the knowledge of how to make car bombs" to "fulfill their duty of jihad."
- Over several pages in Inspire, AQAP offers what it says are the instructions to make a car bomb similar to Shahzad's.
- The author, dubbed the "AQ Chef," explains how a shrapnel bomb can be assembled from common household items, including cooking gas cylinders and nails. The device can be set off by a "martyrdom bomber," by a timer, or with a remote detonator. In the last instance, AQAP suggests a "toy-car remote, alarm remote, garage remote or any other," as long as the bomb maker tests the remote first.
- Inspire offers advice on how to avoid being detected by authorities. "It is better to start preparing the car bomb [a] few hours before the operation, because the security forces (if they come into your work place/house) cannot accuse you of preparing a bomb, especially if you distribute the ingredients in your house well," the magazine reads.
- The "AQ Chef" also offers what he calls "field data" on the types of targets that should be attacked. "This type of car bomb is used to kill individuals and NOT to destroy buildings," he says. "Therefore, look for a dense crowd."
- The author advises jihadists that they should target places "flooded with individuals, e.g. sports events in which tens of thousands attend, election campaigns, festivals and other gathering [sic]. The important thing is that you target people and not buildings."
- America "is our first target, followed by [the] United Kingdom, France and other crusader countries," the "AQ Chef" writes. Washington DC, New York, northern Virginia (because it "has a big military presence" and federal agencies are located there), Chicago, and Los Angeles are all listed as the preferred cities to target inside the US.
- While al Qaeda is known for its desire to hit high-profile and symbolic targets, Inspire advises jihadists to hit other, more mundane locations as well.
- For instance, the "AQ Chef" says that restaurants and bars in Arlington and Alexandria, Va., as well as on M Street in Washington DC, are visited by "high profile personalities" on the weekend and are, therefore, good places to attack.
- Other possible targets in the UK and France are listed, including sports stadiums and tourist hotspots. Inspire says that terrorists should attack the entrances and exits of these locations as the facilities themselves are often difficult to enter with a bomb.
- Inspire offers advice on the best times of the year for an attack, and even suggests that jihadists disguise themselves as Santa Claus during the Christmas holiday when carrying out a bombing.
- Other pieces in the magazine were authored by high-profile al Qaeda ideologues such as Abu Musab al Suri, who was imprisoned inside Syria before the uprisings. There are conflicting reports on al Suri's current status, as he may or may not have been freed. Al Qaeda branches, such as the Al Nusrah Front, openly follow al Suri's advice. Inspire has included pieces culled from al Suri's catalogue of writings in the past.
- An article by Anwar al Awlaki, the deceased AQAP cleric who helped pioneer the group's propaganda, is also included in the magazine. Awlaki was killed in a US drone strike in September 2011, and Inspire's latest edition carries multiple condemnations of America's drones.
- A piece by "freelance journalist" Abdulilah Shaye tries to show the influence of al Qaeda's propaganda. In a piece entitled "City Wolves," Shaye, who was detained in Yemen for three years, blames President Obama for his arrest. Shaye claims Obama ordered his jailing to keep him quiet about a supposed "American massacre" of women and children in southern Yemen.
- Shaye, who is known for his ability to get access to AQAP leaders, briefly recounts the stories of jihadists such as Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who killed 13 people in a shooting spree at Fort Hood, Tex. in 2009, as well as the story of the Tsarnaev brothers, who were responsible for the Boston Marathon bombings.
- Still another piece by AQAP theologian Ibrahim Rubaish, who was once held at Guantanamo, takes aim at the Obama administration's claim that al Qaeda is on the "path to defeat." Rubaish cites the closing of more than 20 US diplomatic facilities in August 2013 as an example of why this thinking is wrong.
- The diplomatic facilities were closed after American officials learned that al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri had communicated, via a complex Internet-based system, with more than 20 al Qaeda operatives around the world. The al Qaeda terrorists reportedly discussed a possible attack on a US embassy or consulate. During the communications, Zawahiri also made it known that he had appointed Nasir al Wuhayshi, the head of AQAP, as the new general manager of al Qaeda's global operations.
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- MH370
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- Keith Ledgerwood '-- Did Malaysian Airlines 370 disappear using SIA68/SQ68 (another 777)?
- Monday, March 17, 2014 - 12:01 AM EST
- UPDATED: Monday, March 17, 2014 - 9:00 AM ESTTypo was made during the conversion of UTC times. Meeting of SIA68 and MH320 occurred at 18:00UTC - 18:15UTC. MH320 dropped off of civilian radar at 17:22UTC.
- UPDATE - Monday, March 17, 2014 - 12:15 PM ESTSome have raised the statement that TCAS doesn't work if the transponder is disabled'... this is only partially correct. Other planes TCAS would NOT see MH370 at all. MH370 would not actively query other planes as it's transponder is off HOWEVER it could still listen to any transponder output from other planes that are actively transmitting. SQ68 would have been actively transmitting while in-range of Subang ATC center.
- Even if TCAS on MH370 wasn't working for some reason, an in-expensive portable ADS-B receiver paired with an iPad and Foreflight app would allow a pilot to receive the ADS-B output being transmitted by SQ68 at that time.
- '--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--
- As the search for missing flight Malaysian Airlines flight 370 drags on into the 10th day, so many questions continue to remain unanswered about how and why the airliner could have disappeared while seemingly under the control of a skilled pilot intent on making it invisible. With satellite pings showing where the plane could be after more than seven hours of flight, speculation has arisen that the plane could be on the ground anywhere along a path from northern Thailand to the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
- The major roadblock to this theory has been the insistence from India and Pakistan that their radar network showed no such unidentified aircraft entering or traversing their airspace. It would seem highly unlikely given such information that a Boeing 777 could indeed slip through undetected.
- As a hobby pilot and aviation enthusiast, a theory began to form in my own mind on this 10th day as all of the latest information began to trickle in slowly through media outlets globally. After being unable to escape the idea that it may have happened, I began to do some analysis and research and what I discovered was very troubling to me!
- Starting with a set of facts that have been made available publically and verified over the past few days, I first plotted MH370's course onto an aviation IFR map which shows the airways and waypoints used to navigate the skies. I plotted the point where it stopped transmitting ADS-B information at 1721UTC. I then plotted the Malaysian military radar track from that point towards ''VAMPI'', ''GIVAL'', and then onward toward ''IGREX'' on P628 ending with where the plane should be at 1815UTC when military radar lost contact.
- That chart looks like this:
- Nothing profound there'... but then I looked to see what other planes were in the air at 1815UTC and I looked to see exactly where they were positioned in the sky and where they were flying. The picture started to develop when I discovered that another Boeing 777 was en-route from Singapore over the Andaman Sea.
- Source: FlightRadar24.com
- I investigated further and plotted the exact coordinates of Singapore Airlines flight number 68's location at 1815UTC onto the aviation map. I quickly realized that SIA68 was in the immediate vicinity as the missing MH370 flight at precisely the same time. Moreover, SIA68 was en-route on a heading towards the same IGREX waypoint on airway P628 that the Malaysian military radar had shown MH370 headed towards at precisely the same time.
- It became apparent as I inspected SIA68's flight path history that MH370 had maneuvered itself directly behind SIA68 at approximately 18:00UTC and over the next 15 minutes had been following SIA68. All the pieces of my theory had been fitting together with the facts that have been publically released and I began to feel a little uneasy.
- Singapore Airlines Flight 68 proceeded across the Andaman Sea into the Bay of Bengal and finally into India's airspace. From there it appears to have proceeded across India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and finally Turkmenistan before proceeding onward across Europe to its final destination of Barcelona, Spain.
- This map depicts the approximate flight path of SIA flight 68 on that particular day. Additional detail will be required from each countries aviation authorities to establish exact particulars of the route.
- So by now, you may have caught on or you may be scratching your head and wondering if I've gone insane! How does SIA68 have anything to do with MH370 disappearing? Remember the one challenge that is currently making everyone doubt that MH370 actually flew to Turkmenistan, Iran, China, or Kyrgyzstan? That challenge is the thought that MH370 couldn't make it through several key airspaces such as India or Afghanistan without being detected by the military.
- It is my belief that MH370 likely flew in the shadow of SIA68 through India and Afghanistan airspace. As MH370 was flying ''dark'' without transponder / ADS-B output, SIA68 would have had no knowledge that MH370 was anywhere around and as it entered Indian airspace, it would have shown up as one single blip on the radar with only the transponder information of SIA68 lighting up ATC and military radar screens.
- Wouldn't the SIA68 flight have detected MH370? NO! The Boeing 777 utilizes a TCAS system for traffic avoidance; the system would ordinarily provide alerts and visualization to pilots if another airplane was too close. However that system only operates by receiving the transponder information from other planes and displaying it for the pilot. If MH370 was flying without the transponder, it would have been invisible to SIA68.
- In addition, the TCAS system onboard MH370 would have enabled the pilot(s) to easily locate and approach SIA68 over the Straits of Malacca as they appeared to have done. The system would have shown them the flight's direction of travel and the altitude it was traveling which would have enabled them to perfectly time an intercept right behind the other Boeing 777. Here is a picture of a TCAS system onboard a 777.
- How does this solve the mystery??? We know MH370 didn't fly to Spain! Once MH370 had cleared the volatile airspaces and was safe from being detected by military radar sites in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan it would have been free to break off from the shadow of SIA68 and could have then flown a path to it's final landing site. There are several locations along the flight path of SIA68 where it could have easily broken contact and flown and landed in Xingjian province, Kyrgyzstan, or Turkmenistan. Each of these final locations would match up almost perfectly with the 7.5 hours of total flight time and trailing SIA68. In addition, these locations are all possibilities that are on the ''ARC'' and fit with the data provided by Inmarsat from the SATCOM's last known ping at 01:11UTC.
- There are too many oddities in this whole story that don't make sense if this theory isn't the answer in my opinion. Why did MH370 fly a seemingly haphazard route and suddenly start heading northwest towards the Andaman Islands on P628? If not for this reason, it seems like a rather odd maneuver. The timing and evasive actions seem deliberate. Someone went through great lengths to attempt to become stealthy and disable ACARS, transponder/ADS-B (even though SATCOM to Inmarsat was left powered).
- After looking at all the details, it is my opinion that MH370 snuck out of the Bay of Bengal using SIA68 as the perfect cover. It entered radar coverage already in the radar shadow of the other 777, stayed there throughout coverage, and then exited SIA68's shadow and then most likely landed in one of several land locations north of India and Afghanistan.
- Sources: SkyVector.com, FlightRadar24.com, FlightAware.com, CNN.com, Reuters.com.
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- Occams Razor
- Boeing and Malaysian air covering up crash
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- James Hall, former NTSB chair cyber hijack
- Most irresponsible and reckless comment made on a news show about the missing 777? James Hall, former NTSB Chairman
- just suggested on Wed night's "O'Reilly Factor" that the plane may have been taken over and "remotely controlled"
- through a cyberwarfare attack. I bet Boeing is blowing a gasket. I'm sure they want people thinking their planes can
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- MH370: Insurers of flight MH370 brace for payout | Astro Awani
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- KUALA LUMPUR: The consortium of insurers of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 led by Allianz are bracing themselves for a huge payout in respect of insurance claims connected to Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 from KL to Beijing which has been missing since March 8.The biggest aviation compensation claims ever made were related to the 9/11 attacks in the United States, with an average payout of US$2.13 million per passenger.
- Previously, one of the largest insurance payouts for an aviation claim was for the American Airlines flight which crashed in Queens, New York in 2001 killing all 265 passenger and crew. Insurers paid a total of US$600 million for the insurance claim involving the crash.
- ''The loss of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 will likely mean big payouts from several insurance companies this year,'' said an aviation analyst at a local stockbroking firm.
- Insurers' making up any consortium for this purpose would normally not disclose the amount of insurance taken because it could lead to costly litigation.
- "Usually, the insurers and the airline company will not disclose the underwriting value, given the concerns over an extremely high claim from lawyers," said Hao Yansu, dean of the School of Insurance at the Central University of Finance and Economics who was quoted by China Daily.
- Allianz confirmed on March 11, that it was the main provider of insurance for the aircraft itself, as well as the liabilities attached to the passengers and cargo.
- However, the company declined to comment on the extent of its exposure or identify other insurers with exposure.
- The insured value of the aircraft could amount to around $100 million, while the liabilities and compensation typically amount to a far higher amount, Reuters reported.
- "The compensation will dent the financial performance of insurers. But such claims are rare events, thus have a limited impact on them in the long run," Hao said.
- As both Malaysia and China are the contracting countries, the missing airplane is covered by the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air.
- Malaysia became a signatory for the Montreal Convention which governs ticketed international travel in 2008. China signed in 2005.
- The claim for the loss of the aircraft could also be huge. The current listed price of a Boeing 777-200ER is US$361.5 million, according to the Boeing Co website.
- Further compensation from Malaysia Airlines depends on the reason for the accident. If it is established that the disaster resulted from a mistake by the airline, the compensation could be huge.
- There were 154 Chinese passengers on board the missing flight and most of the Chinese passengers on the plane had purchased accident or life insurance policies, according to major Chinese insurers.
- Ping An Insurance has the hardest passenger exposure, with at least 38 names on the aircraft manifest carrying the company's insurance policies, and possibly 15 more. China Life has confirmed having insured 30. Neither company has commented on the potential compensation amount involved.
- China Pacific Life Insurance has confirmed 16 clients on the plane, with total compensation at about 5.44 million yuan .
- "If it turns out to be a terrorist attack, some travel insurance policies may not apply. But the families of those who purchased life or accident policies would get compensation under any circumstances," Hao said.
- Meanwhile Malaysia Airlines said it has sufficient insurance coverage to cover any legal liability arising from Flight 370.
- In an email interview, MAS revealed that it had placed its insurance with a consortium of established and reputable insurers in the international aviation insurance market. This includes Lloyds syndicates and globally renowned insurance companies.
- Further, MAS said it had enough insurance coverage to meet any eventual claims that may arise.
- It has already been making early payments to the families of the passengers waiting for news of the search.
- These payments however are entirely borne by MAS and is not part of any compensation that may be payable.
- To watch more of Astro's popular programmes and infotainment, use Astro on the Go http://onthego.astro.com.my
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- Ratings: Fox News Leads All Cable Networks For the Week While CNN Posts Biggest Gains | Variety
- Interest in the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has boosted viewership for news ratings leader Fox News as well as CNN, with the former leading all of cable last week and the latter leapfrogging MSNBC.
- TV PILOTS/DEVELOPMENT SCORECARD:Follow all of the development action during upfront season
- According to Nielsen, Fox News was the No. 1 cable network in primetime last week, averaging 2.01 million viewers to surpass entertainment channels USA (1.98 million), History (1.94 million) and AMC (1.82 million). It was up 16% from the previous week (1.72 million), when it ranked fifth.
- It remained no contest among the news networks in primetime, with FNC still well ahead of CNN (803,000) and MSNBC (648,000). Fox claimed nine of the week's top 50 basic cable telecasts.
- CNN, working from a smaller base, tends to gain by a larger percentage basis during especially news-heavy cycles, and that's what happened last week. Its primetime audience was 65% larger than the previous week to move ahead of MSNBC, which was actually down 8% week to week.
- FNC also stayed on top in the adults 25-54 demo last week, but CNN closed the gap from 67% two weeks ago to 15% last week. Fox averaged 343,000 in this age group (up 27% from the previous week), and was followed by CNN (297,000, up 83%) and MSNBC (196,000, down 9%).
- Last Sunday, CNN won in adults 25-54 in primetime as well as total day '-- the first time this has happened on any day since last summer (Hannah Anderson kidnapping).
- For all variety's headlines, follow us @variety on twitter
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- Cable News Ratings for Wednesday, March 5, 2014 - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers
- Total DayP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXN 1,214 241 500CNN 348 101 165MSNBC 442 134 228CNBC 137 47 68FBN 54 9 24HLN 199 76 112PrimetimeP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXN 2,179 372 797CNN 432 137 204MSNBC 906 243 455CNBC 180 97 105FBN 56 16 19HLN 324 120 176NetMorning programs (6-9 AM)P2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXNFOX AND FRIENDS 1,038 233 521CNNNEW DAY 292 114 169MSNBCMorning Joe 385 130 234CNBCSquawk Box 117 37 56HLNMorning Express W/ MEADE 157 66 101Net5PMP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXNFIVE, THE 1,974 303 667CNNSituation Room 459 104 213MSNBEd Show 579 151 258CNBCFAST MONEY 108 28 54HLNWhat Would You Do 152 36 59Net6PMP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXNSPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER 1,933 268 686CNNCROSSFIRE 395 134 172CNNSituation Room 437 139 185MSNBPOLITICS NATION 742 206 344CNBCMad Money 137 36 74HLNWhat Would You Do 121 34 60Net7PMP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXNON THE RECORD W/GRETA 1,644 250 576CNNERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT 392 104 161MSNBHardball WITH C. MATTHEWS 957 260 408CNBCKudlow Report 92 23 39HLNJANE VELEZ-MITCHELL 259 85 148Net8PMP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXNTHE OREILLY FACTOR 2,799 430 985CNNAnderson Cooper 360 356 119 174MSNBALL IN W/ CHRIS HAYES 791 226 356CNBCAMERICAN GREED 108 57 50HLNNancy Grace 510 179 257Net9PMP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXNKELLY FILE, THE 2,342 351 844CNNPIERS MORGAN LIVE 433 137 222MSNBRachel Maddow Show 1,023 283 516CNBCAMERICAN GREED 195 100 109HLNDr. Drew ON CALL 335 123 183Net10PMP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXNHannity 1,385 332 553CNNAnderson Cooper 360 506 155 218MSNBLast Word W/ L. ODONNELL 892 216 486CNBCAMERICAN GREED 237 136 156HLNRIGHT THIS MINUTE 128 57 88Net11PMP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXNTHE OREILLY FACTOR 1,051 299 534CNNERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT 383 119 194MSNBALL IN W/ CHRIS HAYES 329 87 170CNBCPROFIT, THE 147 80 108HLNFORENSIC FILES 226 103 148
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- Cable News Ratings for Tuesday, March 18, 2014 - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers
- Total DayP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXN 1,221 251 523CNN 613 213 301MSNBC 402 119 203CNBC 193 71 86FBN 51 7 22HLN 212 85 124PrimetimeP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXN 2,137 367 829CNN 868 347 423MSNBC 769 200 394CNBC 522 237 222FBN 25 6 13HLN 226 57 104NetMorning programs (6-9 AM)P2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXNFOX AND FRIENDS 1,146 292 594CNNNEW DAY 459 152 263MSNBCMorning Joe 363 130 198CNBCSquawk Box 98 30 54HLNMorning Express W/ MEADE 214 107 128Net5PMP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXNFIVE, THE 2,154 379 791CNNSituation Room 793 263 351MSNBEd Show 540 110 233CNBCFAST MONEY 122 13 43HLNDETECTIVE FILES 139 59 97Net6PMP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXNSPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER 2,051 266 727CNNSituation Room 701 266 338CNNSituation Room 422 119 142MSNBPOLITICS NATION 590 134 256CNBCMad Money 100 16 39HLNDETECTIVE FILES 80 35 59Net7PMP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXNON THE RECORD W/GRETA 1,720 290 586CNNERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT 883 321 367MSNBHardball WITH C. MATTHEWS 750 137 308CNBCKudlow Report 133 18 51HLNJANE VELEZ-MITCHELL 176 48 117Net8PMP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXNTHE OREILLY FACTOR 2,797 404 972CNNAnderson Cooper 360 963 366 471MSNBALL IN W/ CHRIS HAYES 600 142 297CNBCShark Tank 417 171 158HLNNancy Grace 276 45 110Net9PMP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXNKELLY FILE, THE 1,982 354 777CNNPIERS MORGAN LIVE 784 351 376MSNBRachel Maddow Show 962 240 456CNBCShark Tank 652 301 245HLNDr. Drew ON CALL 240 60 109Net10PMP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXNHannity 1,621 336 730CNNCNN SPECIAL REPORT 856 324 421MSNBLast Word W/ L. ODONNELL 744 215 428CNBCPROFIT, THE 497 239 262HLNRIGHT THIS MINUTE 162 67 93Net11PMP2+ (000s)25-54 (000s)35-64 (000s)FOXNTHE OREILLY FACTOR 1,343 339 694CNNAnderson Cooper 360 743 348 428MSNBALL IN W/ CHRIS HAYES 363 133 202CNBCShark Tank 415 201 160HLNFORENSIC FILES 282 96 129
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- CNN Apologizes for Briefly Airing Non-Flight 370 Story : The New Yorker
- NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report)'--CNN apologized to its viewers today for briefly airing a story on Sunday that had nothing to do with the missing Malaysia Airlines flight.
- The story, which caused thousands of viewers to contact the network in anger, had something to do with Crimea, Ukraine, and Russia.
- In the official apology, CNN chief Jeff Zucker wrote, ''On Sunday, we briefly cut away from our nonstop coverage of Flight 370 to talk about something else. We're not going to sugarcoat it: we messed up. CNN regrets the error and promises our viewers that it won't happen again.''
- Get news satire from The Borowitz Report delivered to your inbox.
-
- US military stealth bombers to try turning off transponders instead | NewsThump
- The US defence department has said it will put on hold its billion dollar investment in stealth technology, after it turned out planes which switch off their transponder become invisible.
- Despite decades of effort, and literally billions of dollars spent making their top-secret bombers invisible to radar, military insiders were disappointed to find out that simply switching off the transponder has much the same effect.
- As one military strategist explained, ''It's important that our planes are essentially invisible and impossible to track by the enemy.''
- ''Our traditional approach to this problem was to invest in cutting-edge technology and futuristic design to trick older tracking technology into thinking we were a bird, or something really small.''
- ''We'd never considered flicking the switch marked 'transponder', but obviously we're delighted to find such an innovative answer to such a significant military problem.''
- ''It's just the sort of out of the box thinking the military appreciates.''
- ''And it's so much cheaper. Just think of all the money we can now spend on the actual bombs rather than just the delivery mechanism.''
- Transponder switchEngineers in the US military have said the new direction for stealth technology has made their jobs far less satisfying.
- Engineer Chuck Williams told us, ''In my world stealth technology has always been the sexy project to work on, but not any more.''
- ''We're literally just going around flicking switches on all of our planes. It's incredibly tedious.''
- ''I thought by next year I'd be working on something like the battlefield invisibility cloak, but it looks like I'm just going to be glorified switcher-offer.''
- ''It's like the bloody Russians and their 'space pen' all over again.''
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- Israel tightens airspace security after jet's disappearance | The Times of Israel
- Israel has tightened security in its airspace following the disappearance and possible hijacking of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 on March 8, Channel 2 reported Sunday.
- According to the report, security officials and aviation authorities recently held a security assessment and decided upon a series of security measures intended to enhance safety in Israeli airspace.
- Among the measures, airliners are now required to identify themselves much earlier when approaching Israel's airspace. Other actions were not disclosed at this time.
- The increased security came as El Al's former global security chief told The Times of Israel he believes that the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines flight points directly to Iran.
- Nine days after the jet's mysterious disappearance, search efforts now include 11 nations as suspicions turn to sabotage and, possibly, terrorism.
- On Sunday officials said the final words from the missing jetliner's cockpit gave no indication anything was wrong even though one of the plane's communications systems had already been disabled, adding to suspicions that one or both of the pilots were involved in the disappearance.
- On Saturday, Malaysia's government confirmed that the plane was deliberately diverted and may have flown as far north as Central Asia, or south into the vast reaches of the Indian Ocean.
- Authorities have said someone on board the plane first disabled one of its communications systems '-- the Aircraft and Communications Addressing and Reporting System, or ACARS '-- at 1:07 a.m. Around 14 minutes later, the transponder, which identifies the plane to commercial radar systems, was also shut down. The fact that they went dark separately is strong evidence that the plane's disappearance was deliberate.
- Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said at a news conference that that the final, reassuring words from the cockpit '-- ''All right, good night'' '-- were spoken to air traffic controllers after the ACARS system was shut down. Whoever spoke did not mention any trouble on board, seemingly misleading ground control.
- Investigators are trying to answer these questions: If the two pilots were involved in the disappearance, were they working together or alone, or with one or more of the passengers or crew? Did they fly the plane under duress or of their own volition? Did one or more of the passengers manage to break into the cockpit, or use the threat of violence to gain entry and then pilot the plane? And what possible motive could there be for flying off with the plane?
- Malaysia's police chief, Khalid Abu Bakar, said he requested countries with citizens on board the plane to investigate their background, no doubt looking for any ties to terrorist groups, aviation skills or evidence of prior contact with the pilots. He said that the intelligence agencies of some countries had already done this and found nothing suspicious, but that he was waiting for others to respond.
- The government said police searched the homes of both pilots on Saturday, the first time they had done so since the plane went missing. Asked why it took them so long, Khalid said authorities ''didn't see the necessity in the early stages.''
- Khalid said police confiscated the elaborate flight simulator that one of the pilots, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, had built in his home and reassembled it in their offices to study it for clues.
- Zaharie, 53, who has three grown children and one grandchild, had previously posted photos online of the simulator, which was made with three large computer monitors and other accessories. Earlier this week, the head of Malaysia Airlines said this was not in itself cause for any suspicion.
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- Troubling New Allegations Made About 'Fanatical' Malaysia Airlines Pilot | TheBlaze.com
- New allegations about one of the individuals piloting the missing Malaysia Airlines jet were reported in the Mail Online Sunday, as authorities continue to examine a flight simulator taken from his home.
- A security guard stands at a main gate of the missing Malaysia Airlines pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah's house in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, March 15, 2014. Malaysian police have already said they are looking at the psychological state, the family life and connections of pilot Zaharie, 53, and co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin)
- According to Mail Online, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah was a ''fanatical'' and ''obsessive'' supporter of Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who was imprisoned for homosexuality hours before flight MH370 vanished.
- Shah was reportedly at the trial where Ibrahim was sentenced for five years. Police sources added to the Mail Online that the pilot was a vocal political activist.
- A new image of Shah also surfaced online, appearing to show the pilot wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the ''Democracy is Dead'' slogan.
- Further, the Mail Online reported that Shah's wife and three kids moved out of their home just one day before the Malaysia Airlines plane went missing.
- Over the weekend, attention focused on whether the pilots may have been responsible for the jet's disappearance. The U.S. intelligence community likes the theory that blame rests with ''those in the cockpit'' and investigators have concluded that the plane's communications were deliberately disabled.
- Follow Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) on Twitter
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- LGBBTQQIAAP
-
- Paddy Day GLAAD email
- From: "Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President and CEO"
- Subject: Let's have a beer
- Date: March 17, 2014 at 1:30:16 PM PDT
- To: thecrudebroker@gmail.com
- Reply-To: "Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President and CEO"
- Help achieve LGBT Inclusion on Saint Patrick's Day
- If you cannot see the images in this message, please view this message in your browser
- The ban on LGBT people marching openly in today's Saint Patrick's Day festivities forced me, as a proud Irish New
- Yorker, to look my five year-old twins in the eye and tell them that the parade organizers don't think our family is
- good enough to join in the celebration.
- Discrimination should never be celebrated.
- GLAAD has been hard at work making sure this never happens again — we helped parade sponsors like Guinness and Heineken
- look internally to realize that exclusion is neither a core value, nor a guiding principle for their companies, and
- they have rightfully pulled their support.
- Because of GLAAD, the lead story in mainstream media today is about how bans like these hurt LGBT families and fall out
- of touch with Irish and with American values.
- The message is clear: Parade organizers can no longer look beyond the rainbow for their pot of gold.
- For the cost of a beer, will you help GLAAD continue their outreach to remaining sponsors and parade organizers so that
- next year we can all march together — as equals?
-
- 99Fists
-
- Mobile Web - Business - Jesse Jackson to take on Silicon Valley's lack of diversity
- By Martha Mendoza and Jesse Washington
- SAN JOSE-- Rev. Jesse Jackson plans to lead a delegation to the Hewlett Packard annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday to bring attention to Silicon Valley's poor record of including blacks and Latinos in hiring, board appointments and startup funding.
- Jackson's strategy borrows from the traditional civil rights era playbook of shaming companies to prod them into transformation. Now he is bringing it to the age of social media and a booming tech industry known for its disruptive innovation.
- Rev. Jesse Jackson talks with the editorial staffs of Bay Area News Group on Feb. 20, 2014 at San Jose Mercury News. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group) ( Dai Sugano )
- "We're talking about a sector that responds to future trends," says Ronald C. Parker, president and CEO of the Executive Leadership Council, a group of current and former African-American Fortune 500 executives who work to increase diversity at the top levels of American business. "He's speaking at one organization. I'm sure the people at Hewlett Packard have and will continue to put some focus on it. Whether it will accelerate is to be seen. But it's a start."
- Earl "Butch" Graves Jr., president and CEO of Black Enterprise magazine, says Jackson is shining a light on the fact that technology companies don't come close to hiring or spending what is commensurate with the demographics of their customers.
- "Hopefully, what Rev. Jackson is doing will bring attention to the 800-pound gorilla in the room that nobody wants to talk about. It's high time that gets addressed," Graves says.
- It's widely recognized that the tech industry lacks diversity: About one in 14 tech workers is black or Latino both in the Silicon Valley and nationally. Blacks and Hispanics make up 13.1 and 16.9 percent of the U.S. population, respectively, according to the most recent Census data.
- "Technology is supposed to be about inclusion, but sadly, patterns of exclusion remains the order of the day," wrote Jackson in a letter released Monday to Apple, Twitter, Facebook, HP, Google and others.
- Jackson said Tuesday that he isn't singling HP out, he's just using the company's annual meeting to highlight the broader issue.
- "This is not exclusive to Hewlett Packard," he said.
- As recently as 2011, Allstate, in alliance with Jackson's RainbowPUSH organization, recognized HP for its commitment to diversity.
- "While we certainly agree that diversity is an important issue in corporate America, we're puzzled by Rev. Jackson's sudden interest in HP," said HP executive vice president Henry Gomez in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. "Today, HP is the largest company in the world with both a female CEO and CFO and nearly half of our leadership team and Board of Directors are women and minorities. Additionally, nearly 50 years ago, HP established the first Minority Business Program in the United States."
- Gomez also points out that in 2013, HP spent nearly $1 billion with almost 500 minority business enterprises in the U.S. and an additional $500 million with businesses owned by women.
- "We look forward to seeing Rev. Jackson at our shareholder meeting," Gomez says.
- Apple and Google declined to comment on Jackson's grievances. Hewlett-Packard, Facebook and Twitter didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
- Of course, the technology industry isn't without a handful of high-profile black executives. Microsoft named John Thompson, an African-American, as chairman of its board last month after he led a search that culminated in the appointment of Satya Nadella as the software maker's new CEO. Thompson, the former CEO of security software maker Symantec Corp., joined Microsoft's board in 2012.
- Another African-American, Denise Young-Smith, runs Apple's human resources department, which oversees the personnel policies governing the iPhone maker's nearly 85,000 employees and contractors. She reports directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
- And Google's chief legal officer, David Drummond is an African-American who has been one of the company's top executives for the past 12 years.
- During a recent speech at Stanford University, Jackson cited the dearth of black and Latino leaders in the tech sector. This got sophomore computer science major Rotimi Opeke, a leader at the school's Society of Black Scientists and Engineers, wondering about his own opportunities.
- "I've been thinking that if I can code well and produce good products, I can be successful, but to rise up through the ranks is going to be a challenge," he says. "There's just not a lot of people of color in high levels of tech leadership which is where, eventually, I'd like to be. I'm hopeful that it's not impossible to get there, but I do feel it would take an extraordinary level of leadership skills to navigate."
- Freada Kapor Klein started the Level Playing Field Institute 13 years ago to teach and mentor black and Latino students in science and math. Along with her husband Mitch Kapor, she also invests in startups with founders who are women and people of color from an underrepresented background through Kapor Capital, a venture capital firm.
- The Kapors recently wooed former NAACP president Ben Jealous to Kapor Capital to help boost their social impact investing.
- Kapor Klein says she and her husband share Jackson's goals and vision of what Silicon Valley should look like, but they choose to employ different tactics to get there.
- "Jesse Jackson wouldn't be heading to Hewlett Packard or any of the other big tech companies if they had done their job and accomplished diversity," she says. "He's shining a spotlight on one aspect of the growing inequality of this country."
- Villanova University management professor Quinetta Roberson says the lack of diversity, particularly in Silicon Valley, is a problem given the value of diversity in organizations.
- Roberson cites research showing that "diversity of thought generates creativity and innovation, and facilitates better problem-solving, both in terms of quantity and quality of solutions."
- "Given that such outcomes are what drives performance in tech companies in the Valley, it is imperative to have such divergent perspectives represented within the body that is doing visioning and strategic directioning for organizations," says Roberson.
- Brooklyn-based technology marketing strategist Rachel Weingarten is frustrated by the lack of diversity in business leadership.
- "America pays a lot of lip service to full diversity, and in many ways we're constantly making great strides, but for women like myself, forming our own companies and entrepreneurship is the only true way to level any playing field --by creating our own," she says.
- In the past, Jackson's critics have accused him of profiting from similar protest actions. These critics say that after Jackson targeted companies over diversity issues in the financial sector and other industries, some have ended up donating large sums to Jackson's organizations. In other cases, the targeted companies gave contracts to minority-owned firms that paid Jackson for referrals.
- Graves, of Black Enterprise, dismisses such concerns.
- "If in the fight to create opportunity, some of the money that these companies would contribute to United Way or the American Heart Association happens to go to (Jackson's) Rainbow Coalition, I'm more than OK with that," he says.
- "That's just the fear factor coming from when they see him," Graves says, "because they know he's not going to go away."
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- Marine Corps to create experimental task force with 25 percent women - News - Stripes
- The Marine Corps will open new combat jobs to women, allow women to volunteer for combat specialty training previously closed to them and create a co-ed experimental task force to evaluate how female Marines perform as part of a ground combat unit, Marine officials said.
- The task force will be made up of about 460 Marines, and about one quarter will be women, said Capt. Maureen Krebs, a Marine spokeswoman. The task force will look like a small battalion landing team with attachments such as artillery, tanks and amphibious assault vehicles '-- similar to the ground combat portion of a Marine Expeditionary Unit, but about half the size.
- The Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based unit will replicate the predeployment training cycle that other ground combat units go through, and will help the Marine Corps evaluate whether women are capable of doing the jobs and physically demanding tasks inherent in the training, Krebs said.
- The unit will be made up of volunteers, and there will be jobs available in a variety of specialties, Krebs said. A forthcoming Marine administrative message will outline how many male and female volunteers are needed for different jobs.
- Women will be able to volunteer for positions in their current military occupational specialty or for jobs in specialties that are now closed to women, Krebs said, but the women who volunteer for specialties in which they are not trained must go through the entry-level training school for the job before joining the unit.
- Both sexes will have to meet a physical standard that has not yet been finalized in order to qualify for the unit, Krebs said. The unit is expected to stand up this fall and will be evaluated until roughly summer of 2015, though Marine officials may use the data gathered to open additional jobs to women before then.
- ''It's going to be an incremental process,'' she said.
- The Marine Corps has been assessing the performance of female Marines at entry-level training and did a study of male and female Marines last summer to determine how men and women perform some of the most physically demanding tasks associated with the military specialties that are currently closed to women.
- The Corps also announced it will open military occupational specialty schools to female volunteers, though the women will not be given those specialties if they graduate. Forty women have already graduated from the Corps' enlisted infantry training school, and 14 have attempted the notoriously difficult Infantry Officer Course. Only one made it past the combat endurance course that begins the course, but she was injured in the second week of training. All of the women who volunteered for those training courses, whether they graduate or not, are given other MOSes.
- However, the commandant, Gen. James Amos also had decided to open 11 specialties to women that were open only to men. Three specialties in the artillery field, six in the ground ordnance maintenance field and two in the low-altitude air defense field will be opened, leaving 20 of the Corps' 335 primary military occupational specialties closed to women.
- Last January, then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced that the Pentagon would lift the ''combat exclusion policy'' that had barred women from combat units and jobs. The services have until January 2016 to open all jobs to women or submit a request for an ''exception to policy'' for any positions they believe must remain male-only.
- The Marine Corps in 2012 opened about 20 battalions to female officers and staff noncommissioned officers, allowing women who already held certain jobs to do those jobs in previously male-only battalions. Krebs said the idea is similar to how the Navy has gone about integrating submarines: Putting officers and senior enlisted leaders in first, so that junior troops will have role models and mentors of their own gender available when they arrive.
- hlad.jennifer@stripes.comTwitter: @jhlad
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- PedoBear
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- Huge US child porn ring dismantled
- 18 March 2014Last updated at 22:32 Officials in the US have dismantled a huge international online child pornography ring - one of the largest such operations ever uncovered, American authorities say.
- They say that 14 men running a secret, members-only child porn website have been arrested.
- About 250 children - mostly boys from the US - appeared on the site.
- The website had more than 27,000 subscribers, many of whom have been charged in individual cases.
- "Never before in the history of this agency have we identified and located this many minor victims in the course of a single child exploitation investigation," Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) Deputy Director Daniel Ragsdale told Reuters news agency.
- Ice worked with Homeland Security officials and other agencies to break up the ring, which ran a website to share videos of boys enticed from social networks into providing sexually explicit material - sometimes by men posing as women.
- Ages of the children ranged in age from three to 17 years, officials said, and came from 39 US states. Twenty-three of the 251 victims were identified in Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Belgium.
- 'Co-ordinated strike'Among the suspects arrested was Jonathan Johnson, 27, the alleged administrator of the child porn website, which operated out of the southern US state of Louisiana.
- If convicted, he faces 20 years to life in prison, officials say.
- "These indictments represent a strong co-ordinated strike... Against child pornography and those who allegedly seek to harm our most vulnerable citizens, our young children," Louisiana Eastern District Attorney Kenneth Allen Polite told the AFP news agency.
- Police say that the illegal website operated on a hidden service board on the Tor network from about June 2012 until June 2013, when Mr Johnson was arrested.
- The Tor network is set up to conceal a user's location, allowing him or her to maintain online anonymity.
- But the porn ring was broken when an item was sent through the US Postal Service to a child, Ice Cyber Crime Centre Programme Manager James Kilpatrick told Reuters. That development led the authorities to Mr Johnson.
- The 14 men arrested have been charged with conspiracy to operate a child exploitation enterprise.
- At the time it was dismantled, the illegal website contained more than 2,000 shared webcam-captured videos of mostly juvenile boys, officials say.
- Ice officials warn that a growing number of children are being enticed into sharing sexually explicit material online.
- "We cannot arrest our way out of this problem: education is the key to prevention," Mr Ragsdale said.
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- Doodrijder Nederlandse journalist gevlucht | Binnenland | Telegraaf.nl
- BANGKOK - De Nederlandse journalist Fred de Brouwer die afgelopen vrijdag in Thailand overleed na een verkeersongeluk met zijn scooter, is aangereden door een witte auto die hem kort daarvoor zou hebben achtervolgd.
- Ooggetuigen hebben dit verklaard aan de vriendin van Fred, de eveneens in Thailand wonende Araya. De veroorzaker van het ongeluk reed door, nadat hij Fred de Brouwer van zijn scooter had gereden.
- De Brouwer raakte door de aanrijding zwaar gewond. De Thaise politie is inmiddels bezig met een onderzoek naar de dader en zijn witte auto, zo meldt Araya vanuit haar woonplaats Chonburi, iets ten noorden van de toeristenstad Pattaya.
- De gewonde journalist werd na het ongeval aanvankelijk in een staatsziekenhuis in Chonburi opgenomen. Maar omdat daar niet voldoende apparatuur aanwezig was om hem te behandelen, werd besloten om De Brouwer naar een beter uitgeruste priv(C)-kliniek in Pattaya te vervoeren. Die weigerde hem echter op te nemen, omdat zijn naasten niet in staat waren om een vereiste borg van 200.000 bath (4500 euro) te stellen. Vervolgens is De Brouwer overleden op de afdeling eerste hulp van een staatsziekenhuis.
- Fred de Brouwer (58) was in 2003 auteur van de eerste artikelen in de GayKrant en Panorama over (de destijds niet bij naam genoemde) Joris Demmink, voormalig secretaris-generaal (SG) van Justitie.
- Demmink is momenteel verdachte in een strafrechtelijk onderzoek naar kindermisbruik.De Brouwer reisde voor zijn artikelen over kindermisbruik onder meer naar Praag om onderzoek te doen bij de Pinokkio-bar, een gelegenheid met bedenkelijke reputatie, waar Demmink regelmatig zou zijn gesignaleerd.
- De journalist emigreerde kort na zijn publicaties over Demmink, die gerectificeerd moesten worden, 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, naar aanleiding van de getuigenverhoren die momenteel in Utrecht plaatsvinden over de voormalige SG.
- Volgens zijn oud-collega Henk Krol zou De Brouwer hebben overwogen naar Nederland te komen om in het televisieprogramma Pauw & Witteman te vertellen over zijn kennis van het Demmink-dossier. De redactie van Pauw & Witteman ontkent dit. ''We hebben afgelopen weken wel contact gehad met Fred, maar van een afspraak om naar Nederland te komen voor onze uitzending was geen sprake'', aldus P&W-redacteur Danille van Lieshout.
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- Vaccine$
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- ROG:SIX Swiss Ex Stock Quote - Roche Holding AG - Bloomberg
- Roche Holding AG develops and manufactures pharmaceutical and diagnostic products. The Company produces prescription drugs in the areas of cardiovascular, infectious, autoimmune, and respiratory diseases, dermatology, metabolic disorders, oncology, transplantation, and the central nervous system.
- Severin SchwanChief Executive OfficerAlan HippeChief Financial & IT OfficerRoland DiggelmannCOO:DiagnosticsDaniel O'DayCOO:PharmaceuticalsMore Company Profile & Key Executives for ROG
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- Cultural Marxism
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- Media Whine About 'Bossy' While Entertainment Shows Use 'Bitch' 50 Times | NewsBusters
- In the never-ending search to find things to be offended by, part of the feminist left has determined that ''bossy,'' when applied to girls and women, is inappropriate. Really. There's a whole campaign with big-name celebrities and liberal partners like Upworthy, Teach for America, La Raza, The Girl Scouts and the AARP. Beyonc(C), Condoleezza Rice, Jennifer Garner and Jane Lynch have all signed on.
- Apparently, when some girls are called ''bossy,'' they tend to behave less, well, bossy. That outcome is clearly detrimental to girls' self esteem and willingness to take leadership roles. To which sensitive, informed Americans can only respond, ''Huh?''
- But no lefty whine is too irrelevant for the media to ignore. On the March 10 ''ABC World News with Dian Sawyer'' Sawyer breathlessly called BanBossy ''the powerful movement to change one word, and the future of America's daughters.'' On ABC's ''Nightline'' on March 11, correspondent Cynthia McFadden cited a study from the Girl Scout Research Institute. ''A third of the girls who don't want to be leaders say it's because they fear being called bossy, or being disliked by their peers,'' McFadden said. ''Nightline'' featured Facebook COO Sharyl Sandberg, who's behind BanBossy suggesting that, instead of calling your daughter bossy, say that she has ''executive leadership skills.'' Really.
- But while the speech police are busy handing out citations, perhaps they could inform the public how they stand on the other B-word. Once considered a dirty '' or at least an inappropriately coarse '' word, ''bitch'' is now in common use in entertainment media. Given that it's gender-specific, obviously insulting and, as often currently used, is shorthand for subjugation, honest feminists should find ''bitch'' far more troubling than ''bossy.''
- How common is ''bitch'' on TV? In just one week, from Friday March 7 through Friday, March 15, there were at least 50 uses of some form of the word on entertainment TV. It's now a staple on late night talk shows, but it also turns up in primetime entertainment. On ''Chicago Fire'' a gang member demand of a female EMT, ''Open the door, bitch!'' The crime drama ''Blue Bloods'' used ''son of a bitch'' three times in one episode. Some more examples:
- ''Twisted'' on ABC Family:
- ''You got an A? I studied all week and only got a B.''
- ''Well, I guess American history's my bitch.''
- ''Why the hell do you have all those muscles if you're gonna bitch about moving boxes?''
- ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' on CBs
- ''Aw, man, he was talking about how he was gonna knock my teeth out if I touched her. I said, 'Try me then, bitch.'''
- On the late night comedy show ''At Midnight,'' host Chris Hardwick said of a picture of a dog sitting in a car, ''We're not 100 percent sure, but the dog is angry. He is impatient, and he's waiting for his bitch wife to get out of the shopping mall.''
- Aaron Paul from ''Breaking Bad,'' was making the rounds on the late night talk shows, and the hosts wanted him to talk about saying ''bitch.'' (It's a trademark of his ''Breaking Bad'' character.) He did it on ''Conan.'' On ''Jimmy Kimmel Live,'' Paul said, ''I think the audience [for ''Breaking Bad'' is still growing. Still people say 'please call me bitch.' It's ridiculous.'' He went on to tell a story about a sweet old lady who asked him to call her ''bitch.''
- The following night on ''The Late Late Show'' with Craig Ferguson, the host said to actor, ''You're going to have to say it your whole life.'' Paul responded, ''Yo bitch! It is so funny the reaction. Any time I say 'bitch,' people just love it.'' Fergusonsaid, ''You did well with it. You made it your thing.''
- Clearly, ''bitch'' is now in common use, thrown around casually, used as a punch line in comedy and an exclamation in drama. It still mostly applies to women, and in addition to its traditional insulting meanings, it's gathered the additional connotation of subjugation. To be someone's ''bitch'' is to be owned '' something feminists are supposed to find offensive. What's more, it's the liberal entertainment elite that use the word like punctuation.
- So we can expect a ''BanBitch'' campaign any day now, right?
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- Bank$ters
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- Cyprus parliament passes privatisation programme
- By Jordan Shilton20 March 2014The Cyprus parliament voted on March 4 in favour of a large-scale privatisation programme, which had been made a condition for the release of the country's latest tranche of bailout funds from the European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- The decision was approved at the second time of asking, after a previous vote on February 27 failed due to the abstention of five deputies from the Democratic Party (DIKO), a small, nationalist formation in the coalition. The right-wing government led by the Democratic Rally Party of President Nikkos Anastasiades announced its resignation, warning that if parliament failed to pass the proposal, the entire bailout programme would be called in to question and public servants would not receive their salaries for March.
- The plan eventually approved differed little from the original. It details steps to privatise three major semi-state-owned companies; the telecommunications firm CyTA, energy supplier EAC and the Cypriot Port Authority that runs the country's two most important ports at Larnaca and Limassol. The sale of these companies to international investors is anticipated to net the government '¬1.4 billion [US$1.93 billion] to prop up the island's financial system after its collapse last year.
- Anastasiades unveiled a cabinet, replacing those ministers who resigned their posts after the nationalists left the government. He appointed a new head of the central bank following the resignation of Panicos Demetriades on March 10. Demetriades' relations with the president were said to be very poor and Anastasiades had sought to pin much of the blame on him for the crisis last year.
- The troika of lenders, the EU, IMF and European Central bank, responded by approving the release of the next tranche of the '¬10 billion bailout programme, worth around '¬240 million. EU and IMF officials have praised the government in Nicosia for its determination to carry through the vicious austerity measures contained in the April 2013 agreement, declaring in its latest review in February that the programme was on track.
- These measures have deepened the misery for ordinary working people. The economy contracted by close to 6 percent last year, and a drop of a further 4.8 percent is forecast for 2014. The official unemployment rate has risen to 18 percent.
- The latest developments confirm the complete subordination of Cyprus to the most powerful sections of European finance capital. Reports noted that the EU and IMF made it clear they would not tolerate any revisions to the privatisation plan after it failed its first vote in parliament. This is in line with the terms of last year's agreement preventing the parliament in Nicosia from taking any decision on domestic policy without the prior approval of the troika.
- The significance of the deal internationally was shown a few months later when the EU introduced a new budgetary regime, enabling it to overrule the spending proposals of national governments.
- For Cyprus, the deal meant commitments to slash thousands of public sector jobs from a total of just 70,000, to cut pensions, eliminate public spending and sell off state assets. The island's second largest bank, Laiki [Cyprus Popular Bank], was wound up and the Bank of Cyprus only rescued by a raid on savers' bank deposits. The banks continue to be highly unstable, as shown by estimates suggesting that up to 50 percent of their assets are toxic. This equals '¬19 billion, or 120 percent of Cypriot economic output.
- Capital controls limiting customers to cash withdrawals of just '¬300 per day remain in place, despite initial claims they would last only a few days.
- Although Nicosia has been generally praised for its reforms, concerns are growing about the pace of privatisation. As German financial daily Handelsblatt wrote in frustration last month, ''Most public companies date from the period before 1960, when Cyprus was a British colony. They are considered sacred cows. Many have monopoly positions; employees are practically impossible to lay off.''
- The full support of the government for the austerity programme was summed up by Finance Minister Harris Giorgiades, who arrogantly declared to protesting CyTA, EAC and port authority workers, ''Workers are not the owners of semi-government organisations [SGOs]. They are workers and not owners. The owners are the Cypriot citizens and they bear the right and responsibility of the final decisions through the elected government and parliament.''
- The privatisation plan thoroughly exposes this claim. The control of the semi-state owned organisations is to be transferred to speculators and investors with the aim of providing a large windfall for the financial elite. As Giorgiades put it, ''Unfortunately, there is a surplus of staff. If the desire is to at least keep labour and pension rights then it must be understood that there cannot be excess staff.''
- The trade unions played a critical role in controlling the widespread opposition among workers at the affected companies and the broader population. Protests and strikes took place repeatedly, with energy workers disrupting power supplies on February 25. On February 27 and March 4, there were protests outside parliament while the bills were discussed, and on both days limited strike action took place at the semi-state companies. Banners prominently displayed by workers on the demonstrations declared ''Not for sale!''
- The unions agreed to be brought on board with the privatisation drive, in spite of the hostility towards it shown by their members. The government announced in the second bill that a consultation framework would be created to include union officials throughout the privatisation process.
- The port authority could prove to be the most profitable of all of the privatisations for investors, since it will play a crucial role in the emerging natural gas sector. Large deposits of gas have been located under the sea off the Cypriot coast and international energy corporations are already undertaking exploratory drilling operations.
- The entire political establishment is behind the exploitation of these resources by the financial elite. This was revealed in the decision by Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis, of DIKO, to break from the party so that he could keep his job. Lakkotrypis has been central in preparing plans for the offshore gas fields.
- The reserves are a major consideration behind the reopening of peace talks with the Turkish Cypriot government. Last month, a first round of negotiations took place, and prospects for progress are said to be positive. The most obvious export route for Cypriot offshore gas would be through a pipeline to the Turkish coast, but before this could be implemented, the four decades-long conflict between Ankara and Nicosia would have to be resolved, which will not be easy given repeated territorial disputes, among other issues.
- The Obama administration has played a central role in this. Turkish Cyprus Foreign Minister zdil Nami, in discussions with senior state department officials, told a Washington Times interviewer that Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Victoria Nuland had travelled to Cyprus for the initial talks. He added that her visit was ''quite instrumental in putting the final dot on the paper.''
- Increased engagement in the eastern Mediterranean is part of Washington's aggressive push against Russian influence, the most extreme expression of which is seen in Ukraine. Russian finance had a significant presence in Cyprus prior to the crisis last year, and a major consideration in the bailout programme was to increase the influence of the EU and United States at Russia's expense.
- Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
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- Fiscus krijgt vrij spel om woning te doorzoeken - De Standaard Mobile
- Nieuwe rechtspraak geeft belastinginspecteurs carte blanche wanneer ze bedrijfslokalen en priv(C)woningen van zaakvoerders binnenvallen. Twee vonnissen van de Antwerpse rechtbank en een arrest van het Gentse hof van beroep, die de bevoegdheden van de fiscus in die zin gevoelig uitbreiden, verontrusten fiscale advocaten. Dat bericht De Tijd donderdag.
- De nieuwe rechtspraak bepaalt dat belastinginspecteurs ook priv(C)gegevens op bedrijfscomputers kunnen inkijken. En als ze bij een bedrijfsleider thuis binnenvallen, mogen ze alle laden en kasten doorzoeken zonder dat ze daarover een proces-verbaal moeten opstellen.
- ''Het is een probleem dat de belastingadministratie de wet zo ruim mogelijk interpreteert. En nu zien we dat rechters daar zelfs in meegaan. Er is nood aan duidelijke regels'', zegt fiscaal topadvocaat Stefan Sablon.
- Staatssecretaris voor de Fraudebestrijding John Crombez (sp.a) wil het debat wel aangaan, maar de bevoegdheden van de belastinginspecteurs inperken is geen optie, benadrukt hij. ''De Belgische wet is duidelijk over de 'onbelemmerde toegang' van de fiscus tot de beroepslokalen en de stukken die zich daar bevinden. Als je belastingfraude echt wil opsporen, moet je de fiscus een voldoende ruime toegang geven tot beroepslokalen. Rechterlijke uitspraken zoals deze moeten precies de lijnen netjes afbakenen.''
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- EUROLand
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- Ruim 30.000 mensen zeggen: 'Doe aangifte tegen Wilders' - Binnenland - VK
- Door: Heleen van Lier '' 20/03/14, 12:39
- (C) Twitter. Poseren met je paspoort en #bornhere is een trend op Twitter.
- Er lijkt een hausse te ontstaan in aangiftes tegen Wilders. Op Twitter en Facebook laten honderden mensen weten aangifte te doen tegen Wilders of roepen op om aangifte te gaan doen. Hoeveel aangiftes er tot dusver daadwerkelijk zijn gedaan, kan de politie nog niet zeggen.
- De PVV-voorman veroorzaakte vorige week commotie door tijdens een verkiezingscampagne in Den Haag te zeggen dat dit een stad 'met minder lasten en als het even kan wat minder Marokkanen' moet worden. Gisteravond gooide Wilders nog eens olie op het vuur door tijdens de bijeenkomst van de PVV in Den Haag zijn publiek te laten scanderen minder Marokkanen in Nederland te willen. Wilders vroeg aan het publiek: 'Willen jullie in deze stad, en in Nederland, meer of minder Marokkanen? De PVV'ers riepen terug: 'Minder, minder, minder'. Daarop zei Wilders: 'Dat gaan we regelen.'
- Veel mensen, onder wie het Amersfoortse PvdA-raadslid Youssef el Messaoudi, het Samenwerkingsverband van Marokkaanse Nederlanders en Sparta-keeper Khalid Sinouh zeggen aangifte te hebben gedaan en roepen anderen op dit ook te doen. Al ruim 25.000 mensen hebben de 'Ik doe aangifte tegen Wilders'-pagina geliked op Facebook. Op Instagram en Twitter worden foto's geplaatst van aangiftes. Ook spreken Nederlanders van Marokkaanse origine zich uit met selfies met hun Nederlandse paspoort en de hashtag #bornhere.
- Het Openbaar Ministerie in Den Haag verzamelt alle aangiftes uit het hele land. 'Het OM kan pas later vanmiddag een beeld geven van de aangiftes van vandaag', laat een woordvoerder weten. 'Er zijn diverse aangiftes binnen in Den Haag maar ook elders in het land wordt aangifte gedaan. We hebben nu nog geen goed beeld hoeveel dat er zijn'.
- In Amstelveen was het in ieder geval zo druk met aangiftes tegen Wilders, dat het bureau besloot de aangiftes te bundelen, zo ontdekte Marjan Lambregt toen ze vanmorgen aangifte deed. 'Er waren veel meer aangiftes, dus de politie in Amstelveen heeft besloten er (C)(C)n grote aangifte van te maken om de stroom te kunnen handhaven. Ze namen de zaak zeer serieus. Dat geeft de burger moed', aldus Lambregt.
- Voor Lambregt waren de uitspraken van Wilders tijdens de verkiezingsbijeenkomst gisteravond doorslaggevend. 'Hij gaat maar door en de politiek doet er niets aan. Het moet nu stoppen. Er wordt zoveel haat gezaaid. Ook onderling in gemeentes. In Amstelveen zijn ook PVV-stemmers, het kan zomaar je buurman zijn'.
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- Venezuela
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- Caracas under siege email
- The dean from my college send a mass email to students warning them that
- parts of the city of Caracas have been militarized, making access to the
- city difficult. His name is Benjamin Scharifker
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- Haiti
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- Impoverished Haiti hopes $160 million to develop high-end tourism industry pays off | Fox News
- MONTROUIS, Haiti '' The only leisure tourist among the U.N. peacekeepers, aid workers, embassy personnel and missionaries on this beach north of the Haitian capital must have been Anne Fournier.
- She didn't live or work in Haiti or pretend to help. Fournier was here for fun, traveling to Haiti for the first time with her Port-au-Prince-born husband of almost two years. The couple visited a few of his relatives but otherwise has spent their 10-day vacation seeing the historic town of Jacmel in the south, wading in a nearby waterfall and relaxing on the beach.
- "You can tell that the tourism isn't very developed yet, and that's the big charm of it," Fournier, 26, of Montreal, Canada, as she sipped juice from a cut-open coconut. "Everything is an adventure here."
- Haitian President Michel Martelly and his administration are to trying to woo Fournier and others like her as they aim high to revive the country's long stagnant tourism industry with investments totaling more than $160 million.
- While many in Haiti welcome anything that can create jobs, some critics are questioning the government's priority of trying to attract high-end tourists at a time when the country faces so many other problems, such as high unemployment, a deadly cholera outbreak and lack of housing for people displaced by the earthquake more than three years ago.
- "It's good that the government is thinking about tourism but I think it's thinking about it in a very narrow way," said Robert Maguire, a longtime Haiti scholar at George Washington University. "It's an exclusive, high-end model that benefits a small group of the elite."
- Haiti's tourism ministry had about $2 million in its budget under the previous administration, and received another $1 million from a Venezuelan oil fund in the aftermath of a destructive storm season, according to the former tourism minister. Today, the department has a budget that's $4.7 million, plus $27 million from Venezuela's PetroCaribe fund.
- "Haiti is ready for tourism. Haiti is a tourism destination," said Tourism Minister Stephanie Villedrouin, a rare constant in the shakeup-prone Martelly administration. "If we want to be a sovereign country, if we don't want to depend on other countries, we need to figure out ourselves how to move forward and how to get revenue, and tourism must be number one on the list."
- The government's projects include $13.2 million to build an airport and infrastructure on the southern island of Ile-a-Vache and another $8 million to develop the coastal town of Jacmel. Officials say these efforts will create more than 1,600 direct jobs and 6,500 indirect jobs. Tourism generated $200 million last year, Villedrouin said. This in a country whose annual budget is $1 billion.
- Lest tourists fear Haiti unravels with unrest, the government is also building a force of 53 "tourism police officers" who will learn Spanish and English, first aid skills, customer service and work in the outposts where officials want to bring tourists. Funding comes from the Justice Ministry.
- Other plans include making use of a little-known "investment code" that gives 15-year tax breaks to the owners of new hotels, many of whom are from the country's powerful and wealthy families. This law also allows hotel owners to ship supplies through customs without paying taxes.
- Haiti used to be the stomping grounds for the rich and famous in the 1970s and early 1980s as they came in search of late-night Voodoo ceremonies, rum-fueled revelry and Cold War-era conspiracy theories. Guests included Mick Jagger, Truman Capote and Jackie Onassis.
- But an AIDS scare in the early 1980s sent tourists to less exciting destinations. And the ouster of former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" in 1986 spawned years of political upheaval as governments took turns toppling one another. The lone visitors became diplomats, peacekeepers, aid workers, missionaries and emigrants, all symbols of the country's problems.
- They largely remain so today. The bona fide tourists who mostly visit are those who hop off the cruise ships docked in Labadie, a fenced-in beach attraction on the country's north coast; Villedrouin said 600,000 of these people visit each year.
- Villedrouin couldn't say how many other real tourists came last year. But so far only 120 have showed up since January as part of holiday package with Air Transat, a leading charter carrier in Canada. Air Transat flies weekly between Montreal and Port-au-Prince, and reserves 30 seats a month for its holiday packages in Haiti, which cost between $1,399 and $1,600.
- These tourists, however, are the exception, the country a tough sell not just because of its history of political unrest, dysfunction and disease or because it was designated by the U.S. State Department in 2012 as a "major drug trafficking country." It's also difficult to sell because its Caribbean neighbors are cheaper; hotels are relatively expensive and fees such as generator fuel and potable water are often included in room rates.
- "You pay more but get more," Villedrouin said, citing Haiti's "added value" of culture.
- The government is holding out that the tourism industry will create jobs as a construction boom for high-end hotels plays out in the capital and countryside. In fact, the government is making use of a little-known "investment code" that was revised in 2002. The law enables tourism investors to receive a 15-year tax break and import supplies without paying taxes. After the grace period ends, 15 percent of the company's income will be taxable at the end of the first year.
- "Think about something: They create jobs. They create a lot of jobs," Villedrouin said, noting that each hotel room built creates two jobs and four indirect jobs. She adds that hotels charge a 10 percent tax on all purchases. Haiti's minimum wage has held at 200 Haitian gourdes a day, or about $4.54, since 2009. "These investments will definitely create jobs."
- One bright Sunday morning, Fournier and her husband, Sadrack Duclair, relaxed in beach chairs under the straw-hut canopy. He photographed her as she laughed and played the role of Caribbean tourist, sipping juice from a cut-open coconut. Earlier, they had rented a car and found a driver to shuttle them among the tourist attractions.
- "I knew coming here that it was going to be a big adventure," said Duclair, who left Haiti as a child and last visited in 1999. "I think it began at the airport, the first day. After that I was like: Haiti."
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- Annual Study Finds Selfies Are Impacting Facial Plastic Surgery Requests | SkinInc.com
- Posted: March 12, 2014The rise of selfies is having a huge impact on the facial plastic surgery industry according to a new study by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS). The annual poll studies a select group of the organization's 2,700 members to uncover the latest trends in facial plastic surgery.
- The study revealed that one in three facial plastic surgeons surveyed saw an increase in requests for procedures due to clients being more self aware of looks in social media. In fact, 13% of AAFPRS members surveyed identified increased photo sharing and clients' dissatisfaction with their own image on social media sites as a rising trend in practice. As a result, AAFPRS members surveyed noted a 10% increase in rhinoplasty in 2013 over 2012, as well as a 7% increase in hair transplants and a 6% increase in eyelid surgery.
- ''Social platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and the iPhone app Selfie.im, which are solely image based, force clients to hold a microscope up to their own image and often look at it with a more self-critical eye than ever before,'' says Edward Farrior, MD, president of the AAAFPRS. ''These images are often the first impressions young people put out there to prospective friends, romantic interests and employers and our clients want to put their best face forward.''
- Bullying is also a factor, but most surgeons surveyed report children and teens are undergoing plastic surgery as a result of being bullied (69%) rather than to prevent being bullied (31%).
- Face of plastic surgery gets youngerThere's no denying that social media plays a particularly influential role in teen's lives and self-esteem, so it's no surprise that it's also a driving force behind an increasingly youthful face of plastic surgery. In 2013, more than half of surveyed facial plastic surgeons (58%) saw an increase in cosmetic surgery or injectables in those under age 30.
- Both men and women are becoming increasingly aware of the aging process, and of what can be done to turn back the clock. The AAFPRS survey found that 39% of members surveyed stated there is a rise in the demand for non-surgical cosmetic procedures to delay facial surgery. Thirty-four percent of facial surgeons surveyed stated that women under 35 are looking after their skin to prevent visible signs of aging for longer, while 23% of facial surgeons surveyed stated that men under 35 are seeking rhinoplasty, neck liposuction, chin implants and acne scar reduction procedures.
- ''The top five things most clients are most concerned with are results, cost, recovery, pain and scars,'' says Farrior. ''Whether driven by a desire to stay competitive in the workforce, remain attractive to their mate or simply to look as good as they feel, advances in non-invasive anti-aging technologies are making it possible to delay the hands of time while retaining a natural outcome. As recovery times are reduced and results are more subtle, esthetic procedures become a more viable maintenance option for young men and women.''
- Almost three quarters of all procedures performed in 2013 were minimally invasive. Of these, Botox Cosmetic, made up approximately half of all minimally invasive procedures performed, followed by hyaluronic acid and peels.
- Women are different from menWomen continue to be the most likely candidates for facial plastic surgery and account for 81% of all surgical and non-surgical procedures in 2013. In fact, mothers are the most likely candidates, making up two-thirds of all procedures on women last year.
- Men are most concerned with wrinkles and having a full head of hair, while women value preserving their youthful appearance with a facelift and eye lift as well as having a well-proportioned, attractive nose.
- Among male clients, the most popular procedures were Botox, hyaluronic acid injections, hair transplants and rhinoplasty.
- The most common cosmetic surgical procedures performed on women were facelifts and rhinoplasties (average of 37 procedures per surgeon each), ablative skin resurfacing (36 procedures) and blepharoplasty (34 procedures). In 2013, Botox, still reigned supreme as the most commonly performed non-surgical procedure among women (348 procedures), followed by hyaluronic acid injections (187 procedures), superficial peels/microdermabrasion (119 procedures), and non-ablative resurfacing (106 procedures).
- Meanwhile, ''rhinopopularity'' still dominates both sexes, with nose jobs being the most requested surgical procedure for both men and women under the age of 35 (90% and 86%), respectively.
- All in the familyFamilial bonding through plastic surgery is on the rise, with the survey revealing an 8% increase in female family members undergoing procedures together. Husbands and wives are actually the most likely to opt for having cosmetic surgery together, with 31% of facial surgeons surveyed indicating an increase in married plastic surgery requests in 2013. Women tend to be the driving force behind the decision, however, with 21% of male plastic surgery requests resulting from their significant other having undergone facial plastic surgery.
- Trust your face to a facial plastic surgeonThanks to the wealth of information available to clients on the Internet, consumers become more and more savvy about choosing a surgeon each year. Forty-four percent of AAFPRS members surveyed noticed their clients being more educated about plastic surgery than ever before. Most clients got their information about plastic surgery online (60%), followed by referrals from friends (53%).
- Consumers' deepening knowledge of the field is indicated by how clients ask for procedures. Rather than asking for a feature by celebrity reference, as was a trend in year's past, more than half of clients (59%) now ask for procedures by describing the area of concern (nasal hump, crow's feet, sagging neck), whereas one quarter (26%) ask for the surgeon's advice.
- While the Internet is an excellent tool for researching surgeons and procedural information, the AAFPRS urges consumers to beware of ''too good to be true'' discounted deals on procedures.
- ''Our members nearly unanimously agree that prospective clients need to exercise caution when considering an online deal,'' says Farrior. ''To ensure the best results, you should have a consultation with your prospective physician to assess your candidacy and clearly discuss your goals. Always make sure to select a board-certified surgeon who specializes in plastic surgery of the face, head and neck.''
- For more information visit: www.aafprs.org.
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- aafprs - Google Search
- American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive SurgeryThe American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is theworld's largest specialty association for facial plastic surgery. It represents morethan ...American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery...AAFPRS members perform most of the nasal plastic surgeries in the nation. Theybelieve in sharing their knowledge, expertise, and services to other physicians ...AAFPRSMany ABFPRS diplomats are members of the American Academy of FacialPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS). The AAFPRS is the largest ...AAFPRS (AAFPRS) on TwitterThe latest from AAFPRS (@AAFPRS). Trust your face to a #FacialPlasticSurgeon- 2700 board certified facial plastic & reconstructive surgeon members ...CME Courses - aafprs-learn.orghttps://www.aafprs-learn.org/courses.aspx- CachedCME Courses. This searchable list will provide you with all CME coursescurrently available from the AAFPRS Foundation, including journal CME, online ...AAFPRS 2013 on the App Store on iTuneshttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aafprs-2013/id725833551?mt=8- CachedFree - iOS
- Oct 16, 2013 ... Read reviews, get customer ratings, see screenshots, and learn more aboutAAFPRS 2013 on the App Store. Download AAFPRS 2013 and ...AAFPRS 2012 on the App Store on iTuneshttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aafprs-2012/id556533085?mt=8- CachedSep 4, 2012 ... Read reviews, get customer ratings, see screenshots, and learn more aboutAAFPRS 2012 on the App Store. Download AAFPRS 2012 and ...Searches related to aafprs
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- Facial Plastic Surgery & Reconstructive Surgery Academy
- About Our AcademyThe American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is the world's largest specialty association for facial plastic surgery. It represents more than 2,700 facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons throughout the world. The AAFPRS is a National Medical Specialty Society of the American Medical Association (AMA), and holds an official seat in both the AMA House of Delegates and the American College of Surgeons board of governors. AAFPRS members are board certified surgeons whose focus is surgery of the face, head, and neck. AAFPRS members subscribe to a code of ethics.
- Specialization in medicine has been one of the major enhancements in patient care over the last generation. AAFPRS members not only have a precise focus in patient care but they also have had more comprehensive training in facial surgery than any other medical specialty.
- All AAFPRS members are board certified by a specialty board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. A majority are certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology, which includes facial plastic surgery. Others are certified in plastic surgery, ophthalmology, and dermatology. A growing number of members are board certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
- Informative Videos on Facial Plastic SurgeryIn order to view the content, you must install the Adobe Flash Player. Please click here to get started.Click to Enlarge
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- VIDEO-Reporter: WH Press Secretary Gets Questions from Reporters Before Press Briefing | The Weekly Standard
- A CBS reporter from Arizona reveals that President Obama's press secretary, Jay Carney, receives questions from the press in advance of his daily press briefing. In fact, she says, the reporters often receive the answers in advance of the briefing, too.
- According to the reporter, Jay Carney told her this yesterday at the White House:
- "It was a very busy day. We started here shortly after 8 o'clock with a coffee with press secretary Jay Carney inside his office in the West Wing," says the reporter.
- "And this was the off-the-record so we were able to ask him all about some of the preparation that he does on a regular basis for talking to the press in his daily press briefings. He showed us a very long list of items that he has to be well versed on every single day.
- "And then he also mentioned that a lot of times, unless it's something breaking, the questions that the reporters actually ask -- the correspondents -- they are provided to him in advance. So then he knows what he's going to be answering and sometimes those correspondents and reporters also have those answers printed in front of them, because of course it helps when they're producing their reports for later on. So that was very interesting."
- The reporter, from a local CBS Arizona affiliate, interviewed President Obama yesterday.
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- VIDEO-NSA surveillance program reaches 'into the past' to retrieve, replay phone calls - The Washington Post
- By Barton Gellman and Ashkan Soltani, Published: MARCH 18, 11:37 AM ETE-mail the writers Aa The National Security Agency has built a surveillance system capable of recording ''100 percent'' of a foreign country's telephone calls, enabling the agency to rewind and review conversations as long as a month after they take place, according to people with direct knowledge of the effort and documents supplied by former contractor Edward Snowden.
- A senior manager for the program compares it to a time machine '-- one that can replay the voices from any call without requiring that a person be identified in advance for surveillance.
- The voice interception program, called MYSTIC, began in 2009. Its RETRO tool, short for ''retrospective retrieval,'' and related projects reached full capacity against the first target nation in 2011. Planning documents two years later anticipated similar operations elsewhere.
- In the initial deployment, collection systems are recording ''every single'' conversation nationwide, storing billions of them in a 30-day rolling buffer that clears the oldest calls as new ones arrive, according to a classified summary.
- The call buffer opens a door ''into the past,'' the summary says, enabling users to ''retrieve audio of interest that was not tasked at the time of the original call.'' Analysts listen to only a fraction of 1 percent of the calls, but the absolute numbers are high. Each month, they send millions of voice clippings, or ''cuts,'' for processing and long-term storage.
- At the request of U.S. officials, The Washington Post is withholding details that could be used to identify the country where the system is being employed or other countries where its use was envisioned.
- No other NSA program disclosed to date has swallowed a nation's telephone network whole. Outside experts have sometimes described that prospect as disquieting but remote, with notable implications for a growing debate over the NSA's practice of ''bulk collection'' abroad.
- Bulk methods capture massive data flows ''without the use of discriminants,'' as President Obama put it in January. By design, they vacuum up all the data they touch '-- meaning that most of the conversations collected by RETRO would be irrelevant to U.S. national security interests.
- In the view of U.S. officials, however, the capability is highly valuable.
- In a statement, Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the National Security Council, declined to comment on ''specific alleged intelligence activities.'' Speaking generally, she said that ''new or emerging threats'' are ''often hidden within the large and complex system of modern global communications, and the United States must consequently collect signals intelligence in bulk in certain circumstances in order to identify these threats.''
- NSA spokeswoman Vanee Vines, in an e-mailed statement, said that ''continuous and selective reporting of specific techniques and tools used for legitimate U.S. foreign intelligence activities is highly detrimental to the national security of the United States and of our allies, and places at risk those we are sworn to protect.''
- Some of the documents provided by Snowden suggest that high-volume eavesdropping may soon be extended to other countries, if it has not been already. The RETRO tool was built three years ago as a ''unique one-off capability,'' but last year's secret intelligence budget named five more countries for which the MYSTIC program provides ''comprehensive metadata access and content,'' with a sixth expected to be in place by last October.
- The budget did not say whether the NSA now records calls in quantity in those countries or expects to do so. A separate document placed a high priority on planning ''for MYSTIC accesses against projected new mission requirements,'' including ''voice.''
- Ubiquitous voice surveillance, even overseas, pulls in a great deal of content from Americans who telephone, visit and work in the target country. It may also be seen as inconsistent with Obama's Jan. 17 pledge ''that the United States is not spying on ordinary people who don't threaten our national security,'' regardless of nationality, ''and that we take their privacy concerns into account.''
- In a presidential policy directive, Obama instructed the NSA and other agencies that bulk acquisition may be used only to gather intelligence related to one of six specified threats, including nuclear proliferation and terrorism. The directive, however, also noted that limits on bulk collection ''do not apply to signals intelligence data that is temporarily acquired to facilitate targeted collection.''
- The emblem of the MYSTIC program depicts a cartoon wizard with a telephone-headed staff. Among the agency's bulk collection programs disclosed over the past year, its focus on the spoken word is unique. Most of the programs have involved the bulk collection of metadata '-- which does not include call content '-- or text, such as e-mail address books.
- Telephone calls are often thought to be more ephemeral and less suited than text for processing, storage and search. And there are indications that the call-recording program has been hindered by the NSA's limited capacity to store and transmit bulky voice files.
- In the first year of its deployment, a program officer wrote that the project ''has long since reached the point where it was collecting and sending home far more than the bandwidth could handle.''
- Because of similar capacity limits across a range of collection programs, the NSA is leaping forward with cloud-based collection systems and a gargantuan new ''mission data repository'' in Utah. According to its overview briefing, the Utah facility is designed ''to cope with the vast increases in digital data that have accompanied the rise of the global network.''
- Christopher Soghoian, the principal technologist for the American Civil Liberties Union, said history suggests that ''over the next couple of years they will expand to more countries, retain data longer and expand the secondary uses.''
- Spokesmen for the NSA and the office of Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. declined to confirm or deny expansion plans or discuss the criteria for any change.
- Based on RETRO's internal reviews, the NSA has a strong motive to deploy it elsewhere. In the documents and in interviews, U.S. officials said RETRO is uniquely valuable when an analyst uncovers a new name or telephone number of interest.
- With up to 30 days of recorded conversations in hand, the NSA can pull an instant history of the subject's movements, associates and plans. Some other U.S. intelligence agencies also have access to RETRO.
- Highly classified briefings cite examples in which the tool offered high-stakes intelligence that would not have existed under traditional surveillance programs in which subjects are identified for targeting in advance. In contrast with most of the government's public claims about the value of controversial programs, the briefings supply names, dates, locations and fragments of intercepted calls in convincing detail.
- Present and former U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to provide context for a classified program, acknowledged that large numbers of conversations involving Americans would be gathered from the country where RETRO operates.
- The NSA does not attempt to filter out their calls, defining them as communications ''acquired incidentally as a result of collection directed against appropriate foreign intelligence targets.''
- Until about 20 years ago, such incidental collection was unusual unless an American was communicating directly with a foreign intelligence target. In bulk collection systems, which are exponentially more capable than the ones in use throughout the Cold War, calls and other data from U.S. citizens and permanent residents are regularly ingested by the millions.
- Under the NSA's internal ''minimization rules,'' those intercepted communications ''may be retained and processed'' and included in intelligence reports. The agency generally removes the names of U.S. callers, but there are several broadly worded exceptions.
- An independent group tasked by the White House to review U.S. surveillance policies recommended that incidentally collected U.S. calls and e-mails '-- including those obtained overseas '-- should nearly always ''be purged upon detection.'' Obama did not accept that recommendation.
- Vines, in her statement, said the NSA's work is ''strictly conducted under the rule of law.''
- RETRO and MYSTIC are carried out under Executive Order 12333, the traditional grant of presidential authority to intelligence agencies for operations outside the United States.
- Since August, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and others on that panel have been working on plans to assert a greater oversight role for intelligence-gathering abroad. Some legislators are considering whether Congress should also draft new laws to govern those operations.
- Experts say there is not much legislation that governs overseas intelligence work.
- ''Much of the U.S. government's intelligence collection is not regulated by any statute passed by Congress,'' said Timothy H. Edgar, the former director of privacy and civil liberties on Obama's national security staff. ''There's a lot of focus on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which is understandable, but that's only a slice of what the intelligence community does.''
- All surveillance must be properly authorized for a legitimate intelligence purpose, he said, but that ''still leaves a gap for activities that otherwise basically aren't regulated by law, because they're not covered by FISA.''
- Beginning in 2007, Congress loosened 40-year-old restrictions on domestic surveillance because so much foreign data crossed U.S. territory. There were no comparable changes to protect the privacy of U.S. citizens and residents whose calls and e-mails now routinely cross international borders.
- Vines noted that the NSA's job is to ''identify threats within the large and complex system of modern global communications,'' in which ordinary people share fiber-optic cables with legitimate intelligence targets.
- For Peter Swire, a member of the president's review group, the fact that Americans and foreigners use the same devices, software and networks calls for greater care to safeguard Americans' privacy.
- ''It's important to have institutional protections so that advanced capabilities used overseas don't get turned against our democracy at home,'' he said.
- Soltani is an independent security researcher and consultant. Julie Tate contributed to this report.
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- VIDEO- Mick Jagger's Girlfriend Found Dead Hanging From A Scarf Died To A Doorknob - YouTube
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- VIDEO-Bill Maher: God is a 'Dick' And a 'Psychotic Mass Murderer' | 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-Kerry on Crimea: Change Should Not Come Through 'the Butt of a Rifle' | 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-ABC Fawns Over Obama's NCAA Picks: 'Bracketologist-in-Chief' | 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-Barbara Walters Takes Cheap Shot at Fox News During Interview With Former Russian TV Anchor | 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-PBS Hypes Class Warfare Through Story on 'Google Buses' | 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-"Russia Is A Gas Station Masquerading As A Country!" Senator John McCain - YouTube
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- VIDEO- Colorado Governor To Sign Law Requiring Child Proof Packaging On Edible Marijuana Products - YouTube
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- VIDEO CNN: Israel On Heightened State Of Alert For Incoming Air Traffic Because Of Missing Flight 370 - YouTube
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- VIDEO-Eye Witnesses Say News Helicopter Made Strange Noise Before Crash - YouTube
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- VIDEO- "NEVER REPORTED BEFORE! CIA USED MIND ALTERING SUBSTANCES!" DURING TORTURE SESSIONS AFTER 9/11 - YouTube
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- VIDEO-"The Cacophony Of Fed Confusion," David Stockman Warns Will Lead To "Economic Calamity" | Zero Hedge
- "We never should have painted ourselves so deep in this QE corner in the first place," chides David Stockman, "because the whole predicate [of Fed policy] is false." The author of The Great Deformation holds nothing back in this brief 3-minute primer of everything is wrong with the American economic system (and the CNBC anchors definitely did not want to hear). "We are already at peak debt and forcing more into the economy didn't work," and won't work as is merely funds Wall Street's latest carry trade to nowhere and fiscal irresponsibility in Washington. Simply put, "the private credit channel of monetary transmission is busted," so the Fed is exploiting the only channel it has left - "the bubble channel."
- "There is a massive bubble inflating on Wall Street"
- It's hump-day, grab a wine cooler and listen to 3 minutes of almost uninterrupted truthiness
- And here is David on The Keynesian Endgame...
- Even the tepid post-2008 recovery has not been what it was cracked up to be, especially with respect to the Wall Street presumption that the American consumer would once again function as the engine of GDP growth. It goes without saying, in fact, that the precarious plight of the Main Street consumer has been obfuscated by the manner in which the state's unprecedented fiscal and monetary medications have distorted the incoming data and economic narrative.
- These distortions implicate all rungs of the economic ladder, but are especially egregious with respect to the prosperous classes. In fact, a wealth-effects driven mini-boom in upper-end consumption has contributed immensely to the impression that average consumers are clawing their way back to pre-crisis spending habits. This is not remotely true.
- Five years after the top of the second Greenspan bubble (2007), inflation-adjusted retail sales were still down by about 2 percent. This fact alone is unprecedented. By comparison, five years after the 1981 cycle top real retail sales (excluding restaurants) had risen by 20 percent. Likewise, by early 1996 real retail sales were 17 percent higher than they had been five years earlier. And with a fair amount of help from the great MEW (measurable economic welfare) raid, constant dollar retail sales in mid-2005 where 13 percent higher than they had been five years earlier at the top of the first Greenspan bubble.
- So this cycle is very different, and even then the reported five years' stagnation in real retail sales does not capture the full story of consumer impairment. The divergent performance of Wal-Mart's domestic stores over the last five years compared to Whole Foods points to another crucial dimension; namely, that the averages are being materially inflated by the upbeat trends among the prosperous classes.
- For all practical purposes Wal-Mart is a proxy for Main Street America, so it is not surprising that its sales have stagnated since the end of the Greenspan bubble. Thus, its domestic sales of $226 billion in fiscal 2007 had risen to an inflation-adjusted level of only $235 billion by fiscal 2012, implying real growth of less than 1 percent annually.
- By contrast, Whole Foods most surely reflects the prosperous classes given that its customers have an average household income of $80,000, or more than twice the Wal-Mart average. During the same five years, its inflation-adjusted sales rose from $6.5 billion to $10.5 billion, or at a 10 percent annual real rate. Not surprisingly, Whole Foods' stock price has doubled since the second Greenspan bubble, contributing to the Wall Street mantra about consumer resilience.
- To be sure, the 10-to-1 growth difference between the two companies involves factors such as the healthy food fad, that go beyond where their respective customers reside on the income ladder. Yet this same sharply contrasting pattern is also evident in the official data on retail sales.
- That the consumption party is highly skewed to the top is born out even more dramatically in the sales trends of publicly traded retailers. Their results make it crystal clear that Wall Street's myopic view of the so-called consumer recovery is based on the Fed's gifts to the prosperous classes, not any spending resurgence by the Main Street masses.
- The latter do their shopping overwhelmingly at the six remaining discounters and mid-market department store chains'--Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, J. C. Penney, Kohl's, and Macy's. This group posted $405 billion in sales in 2007, but by 2012 inflation-adjusted sales had declined by nearly 3 percent to $392 billion. The abrupt change of direction here is remarkable: during the twenty-five years ending in 2007 most of these chains had grown at double-digit rates year in and year out.
- After a brief stumble in late 2008 and early 2009, sales at the luxury and high-end retailers continued to power upward, tracking almost perfectly the Bernanke Fed's reflation of the stock market and risk assets. Accordingly, sales at Tiffany, Saks, Ralph Lauren, Coach, lululemon, Michael Kors, and Nordstrom grew by 30 percent after inflation during the five-year period.
- The evident contrast between the two retailer groups, however, was not just in their merchandise price points. The more important comparison was in their girth: combined real sales of the luxury and high-end retailers in 2012 were just $33 billion, or 8 percent of the $393 billion turnover reported by the discounters and mid-market chains.
- This tale of two retailer groups is laden with implications. It not only shows that the so-called recovery is tenuous and highly skewed to a small slice of the population at the top of the economic ladder, but also that statist economic intervention has now become wildly dysfunctional. Largely based on opulence at the top, Wall Street brays that economic recovery is under way even as the Main Street economy flounders. But when this wobbly foundation periodically reveals itself, Wall Street petulantly insists that the state unleash unlimited resources in the form of tax cuts, spending stimulus, and money printing to keep the simulacrum of recovery alive.
- Accordingly, the central banking branch of the state remains hostage to Wall Street speculators who threaten a hissy fit sell-off unless they are juiced again and again. Monetary policy has thus become an engine of reverse Robin Hood redistribution; it flails about implementing quasi-Keynesian demand''pumping theories that punish Main Street savers, workers, and businessmen while creating endless opportunities, as shown below, for speculative gain in the Wall Street casino.
- At the same time, Keynesian economists of both parties urged prompt fiscal action, and the elected politicians obligingly piled on with budget-busting tax cuts and spending initiatives. The United States thus became fiscally ungovernable. Washington has been afraid to disturb a purported economic recovery that is not real or sustainable, and therefore has continued to borrow and spend to keep the macroeconomic ''prints'' inching upward. In the long run this will bury the nation in debt, but in the near term it has been sufficient to keep the stock averages rising and the harvest of speculative winnings flowing to the top 1 percent.
- The breakdown of sound money has now finally generated a cruel endgame. The fiscal and central banking branches of the state have endlessly bludgeoned the free market, eviscerating its capacity to generate wealth and growth. This growing economic failure, in turn, generates political demands for state action to stimulate recovery and jobs.
- But the machinery of the state has been hijacked by the various Keynesian doctrines of demand stimulus, tax cutting, and money printing. These are all variations of buy now and pay later'--a dangerous maneuver when the state has run out of balance sheet runway in both its fiscal and monetary branches. Nevertheless, these futile stimulus actions are demanded and promoted by the crony capitalist lobbies which slipstream on whatever dispensations as can be mustered. At the end of the day, the state labors mightily, yet only produces recovery for the 1 percent.
- Average:Your rating: NoneAverage: 5(17 votes)
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- VIDEO-CNN's Don Lemon: 'Is It Preposterous' to Think a Black Hole Caused Flight 370 to Go Missing? | Mediaite
- CNN's Don Lemon has been entertaining all sorts of theories about the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, including the chance something ''supernatural'' happened, but on Wednesday night, he actually asked panelists about the possibility a black hole was involved.
- Lemon brought this up along with other ''conspiracy theories'' people have been floating on Twitter, including people noting the eerie parallels to Lost and The Twilight Zone, and wondered, ''is it preposterous'' to consider a black hole as a possibility?
- Mary Schiavo, a former Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Transportation, said, ''A small black hole would suck in our entire universe, so we know it's not that.''
- Here's another theory I'll just throw out there: what about the plane entered a wormhole into another dimension? I don't know if that's how the science works, though.
- Watch the video below, via CNN:
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- Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac
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- VIDEO-Hearing Govt Surveillance Programs Part 1 | Video | C-SPAN.org
- March 19, 2014The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board held a hearing on the section 702 portion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act'... read more
- The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board held a hearing on the section 702 portion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that gives the government the authority to conduct surveillance overseas.'Legal experts testified in the second panel
- Section 702 was meant to apply only to non-U.S. persons abroad.'The scope of the program was revealed through the leaks of former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden. close
- Javascript must be enabled in order to access C-SPAN videos.
- *The transcript for this program was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.
- People in this videoMore PeopleHosting OrganizationMore Videos FromPrivacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board Public HearingMore VideosRelated VideoClips from This Video
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- VIDEO- Marc Faber Interview on Gold Bubble Europe Financial Crisis U S Markets YouTube - YouTube
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- VIDEO- Alissa Parker Whoring for the Huffington Post - Moved 16 times in 11 years! - YouTube
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- VIDEO-FDA: Use HPV tests over Pap tests to find cervical cancer - CNN.com
- updated 2:10 PM EDT, Fri March 14, 2014
- FDA Advisory committee says a particular HPV test should be first line of screeningPap test has been first way to diagnose cervical cancer for 60 yearsWomen's health experts say patients who don't have HPV are less likely to need a Pap(CNN) -- The Pap test, the gold standard for detecting cervical cancer for 60 years, may be losing its luster.
- An FDA advisory committee unanimously recommended this week that a particular HPV test become the first line of screening for the deadly disease.
- The test developed by Roche detects the DNA of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, which is the cause of more than 99% of all cervical cancers. The Pap test is designed to look for abnormal squamous cells that could indicate cervical cancer. Both tests are performed with a vaginal swab.
- Up until now, the Pap was the first test women had to detect the illness, with the HPV test as a second analysis. But if the FDA follows the advisory committee's recommendations, that would change.
- The committee, which voted unanimously to make the switch, would only allow the Roche cobas test to be used alone as the primary evaluation for women 25 years and older. Although there are other HPV tests available, the Roche test detects two strains of the virus that are found in 70% of all cervical cancers.
- "Every year, 12,000 women are diagnosed in the U.S. with cervical cancer. This is especially tragic because cervical cancer is a largely preventable disease, and it is well established that HPV is the cause of almost all cervical cancers worldwide. Women need better access to screening tools that include primary HPV screening in order to reduce their risk of developing cervical cancer," said Dr. Thomas Wright Jr., an expert in gynecology and pathology at Columbia University Medical Center.
- "I am pleased that the FDA panel recognized the importance of validated, scientific evidence documenting the use of primary HPV screening to detect women at risk of invasive cervical cancer and allow us to prevent cervical cancer from developing."
- This does not mean the Pap test will go away. It will really be up to the physician and the patient on how best to handle testing. But according to women's health experts, in most cases, patients who don't have HPV are less likely to need a Pap, which is why the advisory committee felt it best to recommend the Roche test be administered as the first form of detection.
- "I think anytime guidelines are changed, it becomes confusing for both patients and physicians. And we're going to have to do more research on what's best," said Dr. Angela Marshall, director of Comprehensive Women's Health of Maryland. "But the fact that the FDA is looking to make these changes says we've made great strides in detecting and treating cervical cancer."
- Many physicians are viewing the recommendations with caution.
- "Use of the Pap test and HPV test in tandem, or co-testing, is currently the preferred method of cervical cancer screening in women over 30, so ob-gyns generally use the combination. The use of the HPV test as a first-line screen is promising, and appears better than the Pap test used by itself. The real question is how it compares to co-testing, which is not yet clear," said Dr. David Chelmow of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. Chelmow also spoke on behalf of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists at the advisory committee meeting.
- "About half of the cervical cancers diagnosed in the United States are found in women who were never screened for the disease. At this time, primary screening is not part of any of the generally used clinical practice guidelines."
- Current U.S. guidelines for cervical cancer detection recommend that women between age 30 and 65 undergo the Pap test alone every three years, or both the HPV and the Pap tests every five years.
- Although the FDA does not have to follow the recommendations of its advisory committee, in most cases it does.
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- VIDEO- Science: "Selfies" leading to more plastic surgery - YouTube
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- VIDEO-BULLCRAP-'Jaw-Dropping': Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Makes Bombshell Claim About Russia and 2008 Financial Crisis (and Why It May Sound Familiar) | Video | TheBlaze.com
- The Chinese ''received a message from the Russians'' back in 2008 suggesting a pact to sell Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac securities on the market, which would have nudged down the price of the debt of Fannie and Freddie and also maximized the chaos on Wall Street, a former U.S. official told BBC. It confirms a report that TheBlaze TV's For the Record first aired back in September 2013.
- (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
- It's a bombshell claim that only underscores the mistrust between the U.S. and Russia in a time when tensions are high. BBC's Robert Peston describes the cynical relationship between the two nations as ''deep, rooted in history'' and one that shows that the ''triumph of capitalism over communism wasn't the end of the power game between these two nations.''
- Talking about the 2008 financial crisis, particularly the issues with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson explained that the Chinese were the ''biggest external investor holding Fannie and Freddie Securities.'' Because of this, China was ''very, very concerned'' when Fannie and Freddie began to melt down.
- That's when the Russians allegedly tried to iron out a pact with the Chinese.
- ''Here I'm not going to name the senior person, but I was meeting with someone'... This person told me that the Chinese had received a message from the Russians which was, 'Hey let's join together and sell Fannie and Freddie securities on the market.' The Chinese weren't going to do that but again, it just, it just drove home to me how vulnerable I felt until we had put Fannie and Freddie into conservatorship [the rescue plan for them, that was eventually put in place],'' Paulson said.
- Though Peston reports that the ''guerrilla skirmish in markets by the Russians and Chinese didn't happen,'' he says the claim is still ''jaw-dropping.''
- ''For me this is pretty jaw-dropping stuff '' the Chinese told Hank Paulson that the Russians were suggesting a joint pact with China to drive down the price of the debt of Fannie and Freddie, and maximize the turmoil on Wall Street '' presumably with a view to maximizing the cost of the rescue for Washington and further damaging its financial health,'' he writes.
- In September, Michael Scheuer '-- former chief of the CIA's Osama bin Laden unit '-- told For The Record that economic warfare is a very real threat to the country.
- ''Unrestricted warfare of the Chinese is very similar to Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda and its allies generally,'' Scheuer said at the time. ''They realize what an enormous military power they're up against and want to avoid a direct confrontation.''
- TheBlaze also reported on the tactic as far back as 2011.
- Paulson's comments were obtained during interviews for the BBC Two documentary ''How China Fooled the World.'' The comments didn't make the film.
- Read the full BBC report here.
- This story has been updated.
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- VIDEO-US foreign aid agencies paid for Kiev street violence - ex-US agent Scott Rickard '-- RT SophieCo
- The EU is a hurry to sign the long-awaited association treaty with Ukraine, while the new leaders in Kiev are turning to Washington for support. Whose interests were at stake during the Ukrainian revolution? Should the promises of the West be trusted by the new authorities? Sophie talks to former US intelligence officer Scott Rickard to find out the answers to these questions.
- Sophie Shevardnadze:You've said the US government has been preparing the revolution in Ukraine for years; it's invested $5 billion so far in the uprising. Where you got this information? Do you have a proof that that's the case?
- Scott Rickard: Well, it's public information. You have the folks at the National Endowment for Democracy who have been doing this since the unfortunate overthrow of your grandfather [Eduard Shevardnadze, former president of Georgia '' Ed.]. The Rose Revolution '' there were, at least, thousand NGOs operating in Georgia at the time, in the early 2000s, that were very responsible for the opposition movements that happened in Georgia. This has been the 'color revolutions' that started pretty much alongside of George Soros and all of the other folks that have been involved along the way. It's something that has become sort of status quo with American manipulation of foreign governments. It's not something that comes as a surprise to me.
- SS:You've mentioned Georgia and Orange Revolution in Kiev 10 years ago, approximately '' and back then, there was a lot of talk about America and George Soros funding them and he didn't deny actually doing it. What about now? Would you say that exactly the same thing is taking place, because many people argue that it's not the case this time.
- SR: Oh, it's absolutely the same thing. USAID is implicated, Pierre Omidyar is implicated, you've got the National Endowment for Democracy which has over 50 NGOs operating there now. You also have the ties into Tymoshenko and notorious bosses of bosses, Semion Mogilevich who has been sidekick for the American government preceding the wars against Russia in Afghanistan. Semion Mogilevich was a huge supplier of weapons and a huge supporter of American aggression against Russia in Afghanistan in the '80s.
- SS:You've mentioned Pierre Omidyar as founder of eBay and also George Soros. When we talk about big capital and big capital players, we are talking about private businesses who are spending their money on revolution, as you put it. What's in it for them?
- SR: Well, most of the money is coming from USAID and NGOs, and NGOs are actually funded by the government. The US government actually funds the National Endowment for Democracy, and a lot of these folks are really closely tied to [Max] Shachtman that worked for Nixon back in the late '60s and who created this organization, and [Carl] Gershman now, who heads the National Endowment for Democracy is yet another prot(C)g(C) of that whole Shachtmanite issues.
- You don't have to look very far into Ukraine '' the most powerful, most well-known foreigner in the Ukraine today is Yaakov Bleich. Rabbi Bleich is the number one guy that they go to, to get information for the State Department about what's going on with the government in Ukraine. He's been there for 15 years and even John Kerry on his last visit had a private meeting with the rabbi and the rabbi is tied directly into these sort of National Endowment for Democracy organizations.
- SS:But funding social groups or organizations '' is it the same thing as funding the revolution?
- SR: Well, of course if they are tossing Molotov cocktails and not having peaceful, and what I would say, intellectual dialog using communications and paper and creating, what I would say, town halls and discussions '' that is funding the revolution, if you're inciting violence and the money is basically going to organization that may incite violence against the standing government. That is inciting the revolution and I think it's illegal by international laws, by far '' the US has done it in half a dozen nations in the last 10 years.
- SS:The revolutions that you've mentioned '' the Rose Revolution in Georgia, the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, the revolution that took place or is taking place right now in Ukraine '' many would tell you that those are also, besides everything else, a result of acute social protest. I mean, surely you can't deny genuine popular discontent '' even the Russian president said ''the grievances of people on Maidan are justified to an extent.''
- SR: I absolutely agree. The popular discontent is one thing, but throwing thousands of Molotov cocktails is a completely different thing. Put yourself in the US '' if we had a foreign government funding $5 billion to Canada or Mexico, or maybe a former state that seceded and those people in those protests were throwing Molotov cocktails at government facilities, I can guarantee you they would not show near as much constraint as the Ukrainian government and Russian governments have shown.
- SS:The violence that broke out in Kiev '' you're saying that was also planned? Or did things just simply get out of control?
- SR: Saying ''things are planned'' or ''gotten out of control'' '' it's a fine line. There are individuals who are very well-trained. These NGOs operate on every level. They operate on this peaceful side and they also operate on the violence side. It's pretty clear that Americans have been wildly successful around militarizing jihad and violence and any kind of operations. Even Graham Fuller, who was very instrumental in overthrowing the governments in the some of the former Soviet States prior to the 2000 timeframe, really, the demise of the former Soviet states, these guys were very calculated about working with violent organizations to create uprisings.
- You know, Israel was meddling also in Georgia, and the US almost went to war because of senators like John McCain. These are situations that continue, and nobody has been really held accountable, because the kind of rhetoric that's played out in the news is pretty much propaganda and that's putting it lightly.
- SS:What Kiev has on its hands right now is a burgeoning black market of firearms in Kiev. Do you see that becoming a serious problem?
- SR: Of course, anytime that you have an unpoliced society, and you begin the chaos, it's much easier - because the patrols are less likely - it's much easier for people to smuggle things in and out of places. Just look at the last three years in Syria how successful the foreign intelligence operatives and mercenaries that have been operating there, have basically destroyed Syria by the hands of foreigners. And this is what would be in store for Ukraine if the Russians don't protect the sovereignty of that nation from the foreign interventionists.
- SS:If you look at things generally, do you think all these other protests going on around the world '' because there are many of them, there is civil unrest in Turkey, there is a whole lot going on in Thailand, in Bosnia-Herzegovina - is there a force behind them? Is it the same force or are there different players involved?
- SR: Obviously, the times that we are going through now and kinds of austerity that the European Union has gone through, specifically Greece, they've had probably the worst of the worst, and then you have what's happening in Ukraine with austerity measures. People start suffering from an economic explosion that really is in the opposite direction. We're looking at times like leading to World War I and World War II, where there was a lot of economic despair, and these are the kind of things we are seeing today because immensely inflated economic environment that has been created by the World Bank and the IMF and all the regular suspects that have created false market and a false narrative of around the domestic products in one country versus the domestic products in the other. And that's why you've got countries like Ukraine - the income in Ukraine, the disparity comparatively to the US is almost 10 to 1 - that's the kind of things that people are dealing with in developed nations and I think that's the kind of thing that they are uprising against their governments, because some of the governments are corrupt and the people are noticing it.
- Now, is it induced '' obviously it is induced when it's in the best interest of the US and it's very clear that the US has spent billions of dollars on this over the past, I'd say, at least two or three decades.
- SS:Apart from establishing a NATO presence in Ukraine, do you see any other reasons for the US involvement in the country?
- SR: It's also economic and it's militarily strategic. Can you imagine if the Americans took over the ports in Crimea and also, can you image the kind of revenue that they would be able to generate from the gas pipelines, just as they've done through Dagestan, Georgia, as well as in Chechnya '' these are business individuals who understand the economics of doing business, just like they do with the oligarchs under Gorbachev.
- Many people made money during the Glasnost period, and they stole a lot of the wealth from Russia during that period, when Gorbachev and your grandfather were working closely with the West. That was a time at which, obviously, some oligarchs came to power, and some were more honest than others, and you have that same sort of effect that will happen in Ukraine, because Ukraine has a lot of great resources and as well it has the transit lines for a lot of fuel going to Europe. That's the main income, that's helped Russia bounce back -three times Russia had to bounce back recently from the kinds of impact that the West has ganged up on Russia, and it's five times if you include World War I and II and actually, the Bolshevik movement as well. So the Russians had played comeback many times when they were ganged up by sort of a NATO alliance, because that alliance has been there for quite some time.
- SS:With everything that's going on right now, Ukrainians are saying, the interim government says ''can you blame us for wanting to be part of NATO?'' What about you? Do you understand why they want to be part of NATO?
- SR: Yeah, of course '' if you look at the way that Ukraine is broken up today, there is really only about 15 or 20 percent Russians in major Ukraine, and probably 60 percent, maybe 70 percent in Crimea. So it's predominantly Ukrainian '' you have a lot of folks there, who were very anti-Russian because of the terrible things that Stalin did and then obviously you have the folks that were taken out of the area during World War II, because they sided with Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. So there is a lot of different factions and, on the west side, it's mostly agriculture, and on the east side it's mostly industrial, so most of the actual financial gains will come from the east and most of the agricultural gains will come from the west.
- At the same time it's much predominantly Ukrainian society and there is a form of nationality that I can understand, you know, why they might want to have it. But I think what you've run into is that they've fallen into the trap, the EU can't handle another boat anchor - you know, they don't need another failed economy, they are failing already. It certainly is, strategically, from the military perspective, and from NATO's perspective, they've been peeling off former Soviet state after former Soviet state, after they promised not to do so, so it's think it's not in good faith what the West is doing.
- SS:If EU can't give the money, as you're saying, what can NATO give them?
- SR: It's what NATO gives every country '' they give them massive amounts of financing, they got a lot of financing infrastructure behind it, and they'll create a lot of jobs around just the administration of that kind of activity. Look at the announcement in January, making Lithuania one of the leadership roles in the strategic alliance in NATO '' they're moving closer and closer to the cusp of'... and there's a lot of money that comes with that. There's a lot of maintenance of the military infrastructure, airbases, facilities, builders - it comes with the good price tag.
- SS:So you're saying NATO will give Ukraine money?
- SR: Absolutely, NATO doesn't just expect you to invest all your money'...NATO is very complimentary when it comes to helping their allied partners in their infrastructure needs, and that includes everything, it includes fuel lines, it is a strategic military initiative.
- SS:If what you're saying is the case, then it would really 100 percent positive development for Ukraine to be part of NATO; I'm not saying for Russia, I'm saying for Ukraine.
- SR: Well, I wouldn't say that either. Let's say that NATO does want to come in - they [Ukraine] also will have to pay debts to their debt masters - so they [NATO] will bring the banking system with them, and it's very evident that very few of the new, as well as the existing EU economies'...because NATO won't come in as a state, run only'...you know, European Union will have to come alongside it. So will have some financial gain, but it won't be the kind of the financial gain that will satisfy all Ukrainians. It will satisfy a portion of the Ukrainians that are siding with the NATO alliance.
- SS:The new interim Prime Minister Yatsenyuk has been seeing Obama in the White House lately. Do you think he can count on the unconditional help from the US?
- SR: Sadly, I think the Americans are going to foot this bill. There is no way that the EU is going to be able to come up with that kind of funding. Russians have already offered $30 billion and that was probably the best deal that they were going to get. Even John Hulsman said in last week's interview that you did, that they weren't playing honestly or they just weren't being serious enough, but the fact is that they just can't afford it in the EU.
- So the Americans will end up footing the bill with the economy that's totally busted anyway. The only reason it's still alive is because they were granted global currency rights by the British Empire, after the Bretton-Woods conference, but it is total farce at this point, because it's all basically paper money that doesn't really exist in this world. They are just adding another piece of debt to the American fallacy of an economy.
- I'll be honest with you, I would think Ukraine should be able to see through this and work through this, and actually use their industry and create their own economy and stay away from it. I think the Western economy is poison.
- SS:You keep saying that the EU can't afford Ukraine, but the EU is now saying that they will sign an association agreement with Ukraine at the end of May. Is EU membership a prospect, do you think?
- SR: Oh, for sure, if they can do that. That's a coup de grace for them, they are obviously looking for that'... it's the sort of a NATO expansion mode, I mean it's the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance, and last time I looked I didn't think that Ukraine was very close to the North Atlantic. That's the problem that I have with this. You talk about hegemony - the growth and the imperialistic nature of the West '' there is no need to keep adopting nations to this alliance. I don't think there is any threat from Russia, and certainly no threat from the Ukraine to the NATO alliance.
- SS:What about these sanctions that the U.S. and the EU are promising? How serious can they be against Russia, because, I mean, sanctions are nothing new to Russia, but they rarely represent any serious threat to its economy. What exactly is the US trying to do with their sanctions?
- SR: Well, sadly, the Americans have been sanctioning Iran and other countries illegally - I think it's an act of war '' and obviously it wouldn't cripple the Russian economy, but it would certainly inhibit their success. They would slow down the amount of success that they are having. The kinds of sanctions that they'll go after will probably be looking for alternative fuel supplies for Europe and going after any kind of freezing of international accounts. They've already stolen quite a bit of assets from the Russian investors and Russian bankers who were banking in Cyprus. That was a theft of assets in the Cyprus banking infrastructure by the European Union, and many Russians who banked offshore in Cyprus took a big hit.
- SS:Exactly how far though can the US go? How far can it afford to go in confrontation with Russia over Ukraine?
- SR: It won't be as easy for them to do it to Russia as they did to Iran, and I don't think they'll be able to go anywhere near to the damage that they've done to Iran. At the same time they are looking at a scenario whereby that kind of pressure that they do put on Russia'...you know, it will cripple some of the outlying industry that is associated with that, throughout Turkey and throughout Europe. So they'll be shooting themselves in the foot and also having to look to other markets. Now, that being said, the Americans are looking at developing other resources, but that will take time.
- SS:But what about Europe, we didn't follow up on that part of the question. Europe '' it is under pressure from the US, but it says it isn't ready for serious sanctions against Russia, despite all. Will it ever be?
- SR: Merkel is ruffling feathers with her commentary and obviously Germany and Russia have very good ties on a lot of different projects other than the petrochemical industry. I would say that a lot of Germans would rise up against Merkel for that, because I think a lot of Germans see through the fallacy of the EU and of the NATO alliances and then they are probably more wiser and obviously one of the most successful EU nation states, because the Germans are very industrious and extremely successful at their endeavors. I don't that it would last very long, certainly in Germany and in other successful EU states.
- SS:Germany is the strongest economy in Europe, it's probably the only economy that's actually on the rise. Everything else is sort of hanging on Germany'...
- SR: Well, England claims to be on the rise.
- SS: '...It is kind of on the rise, but it is really just floating. Europe is promising $35 billion to Ukraine. I mean, we keep saying ''Europe is broke, Germany is the only country that takes care of all the other European countries,'' how can they afford to give $35 billion to Ukraine which isn't even a member of the Union?
- SR: I really don't think they can. I can't wait to see [British MEP] Nigel Farage's commentary on this. He is one of my favorite guys who speaks at the European Union. I think he'll just tear them apart, because he knows the truth is that they don't have the money. I guarantee, the German people will not be happy about footing the bill for the Ukraine.
- SS:If they don't have the money, then what's the point of promising it?
- SR: I think the Americans are basically going to float a blank check to play their cards, and hopefully the Ukrainian people will wise up and realize that they are basically taking 'funny money'.
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- VIDEO-We made it!
- If You Were Born In The 60s, 70s, or 80s, You Have to Watch This. WOW.
- This video shows how far we've come...Where will we be in 20 years?
- Meet The Most Patient Cat In the World
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- Meet The Most Patient Cat In the World
- 24 Amazing Photos Captured At the Perfect Moment. The 4th One Made Me Laugh SO Hard!
- This Guy Began With Nothing. In Just 6 Weeks, He Made Me Jealous
- A Boy Finds His Voice For First Time. The Results Stun The Crowd.
- The 3 Most Damaging Words You Can Tell Your Son
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- Unbelievable Live Kangaroo Birth. The Process Will Shock You!
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- VIDEO-National Guardsman Who Allegedly Plotted to Bomb LA Subway Charged With Attempting to Aid Al-Qaida | NBC Southern California
- A California National Guardsman was captured Monday after an FBI investigation revealed a foiled plot to attack the Los Angeles subway system and plans to help al-Qaida, officials said.
- Nicholas Michael Teausant, 20, of Acampo, Calif., was arrested near the Canadian border in Blaine, Wash. and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner said in a news release.
- Teausant is a student at San Joaquin Delta Community College in Stockton, officials said.
- A reservist with the National Guard based in Stockton, Teausant went to the Canadian border in hopes of traveling to Syria to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or al-Qaida, according to a federal criminal complaint.
- Teausant's "training was minimal," and "due to his lack of required academic credits, he never attended basic training," the complaint alleged. He was in the process of being released by the National Guard, but he has not yet been officially released and remains a reservist with the rank of "private," according to the complaint.
- He allegedly said in a phone call that while on a post-Thanksgiving camping trip, his group discussed "hitting" Los Angeles subways with a targeted attack on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, according to the complaint.
- According to prosecutors, Teausant made inquiries about buying fireworks "with the biggest boom" and subsequently texted a friend advising, "Don't go to LA Anytime soo Akhi Please trust me on this'... and if you do don't use the subway."
- When asked about what happened to the plan, Teausant said "they had been tipped off" and the plan was off, the complaint alleged, adding that he met his "contacts regarding the subway plan on Facebook" and "all these red flags are like popping in my head."
- A five-month investigation found Teausant had "explored ways of supporting violent extremist activities and providing material support to various terrorist organizations, culminating in his attempt to join" al-Qaida, the complaint alleged.
- Teausant allegedly told a confidant that "his goal was maximum fear and a maximum blow to the US government so he could watch it tumble and fall in the wake of a civil war," according to the complaint.
- Teausant was making preparations to fight in Syria and told his confidant he planned to ''train fighters in Syria to shoot properly,'' according to the complaint. His plan allegedly involved first going to Canada via Greyhound to maintain a low profile.
- Prosecutors allege that he confided to his source that he planned to travel during a school break, telling his mom he would be snowboarding at Mount Whistler in Canada, which would ease any concerns over his need for a passport.
- If convicted, Teausant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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- Now It's Official '' Obama 2014 Class Warfare Campaign Goes Live (VIDEO)
- Most Americans who have been harmed by Obumblingcare are working folks; they can't afford the increases in their insurance costs, higher deductables, increases in co-pays and they have neither the time nor resources to find new doctors and hospitals '' especially if they're fighting a deadly illness. And then you call those who report their government-made malaise ''liars?''
- So how do you think these people who have been harmed will feel about lazabouts and cheats, treated like royalty, elevated to the first of the line when all they've ever contributed was trouble and feral children? How do you think people will feel, knowing that you enrich yourselves with VISA money and Solyndra money and money from all the whores you employ? Go! Wash yourselves '' but you will not come clean: there are some stenches that cannot be removed.
- So let them use the old class warfare and racial cards '' someone has defecated on the deck! Pick them up, Class Warriors '' cover your hands in stinking offal! Who will be able to tell the difference?
- Just don't come to my door and ask to shake my hand.
- And when you've ruined what's left, and your minions are out and about looking for bread and water '' desperately hungry because all you've offered them is shackles and indolence? When I will have nothing to give them because you have stolen it from me and those who support my business, I will send them to your palaces in Washington, Chitcago and New York, LA and San Fran and most of New England '' but especially Washington, DC, where they will find tribute money stolen from everywhere around the country '' just waiting to be re-looted!
- What a hoot! You, who live in your cloistered, gated communities '' you, Bill Gates; you, Princess Pelosi; you, Harry Reid! You, Debbie Doberman! All of you '' who steal from us and then want to use the class card? As if you're one of us? You will never be one of us!
- When you come to our doors looking for someone to hide you '' you thieves and robbers '' we will turn you out into the streets to fend for yourselves, naked and ashamed! You broke our banks to enrich yourselves, and you kept the poor on a leash while you taught them to beg and you ruined the livelihoods of many of us working people with your insanity on ''Global Warming'' and other foolish schemes!
- Just try playing the Class Warfare card, you bloody imbeciles.
