No Agenda Episode 605 - "Biostitutes"
by Adam Curry
- Direct [link] to the mp3 file
- New: Directory Archive of Shownotes (includes all audio and video assets used) nashownotes.com
- Executive Producers: Gregory Whorley, Sir David Foley Arch Duke of Silicon Valley, Sir Dwayne Melancon Duke of Mystery, Sir Alex Farrington of Cable, Sir Gene Naftulyev Baron de Marriott Sherrif of Texas
- Associate Executive Producers: Sir Craig Cuttner, Sir WhoSoEver, Eriks Harjo, Sir Anonymous Mr. Peabody, Martin Brown
- 605 Club Members: Gregory Whorley
- Founding Producers:Sir David Foley Arch Duke of Silicon Valley, Sir Dwayne Melancon Duke of Mystery
- Associate Founding Producers:Sir WhoSoEver
- Become a member of the 606 Club, support the show here
- Knighthoods:Francis Guare -> Knight, Craig Cuttner -> Sir Craig of Cable, Alex Farrington -> Sir Alex, Anonymous Mr Peabody -> Knight
- New: Directory Archive of Shownotes (includes all audio and video assets used) nashownotes.com
-
- TODAY
-
- Dinner/Drinks Big Banker vs Constitutional Lawyer
- US Banks only getting bigger
-
- ZunZuneo
- Joe McSpedon, another washed-up intelligence agent.
- Caught with their hand in the technology cookie-jar again!
- Joe McSpedon, employee of USAID and probably some other American government agency, has just been 'outed' for trying to destabilize Cuba with a Twitter-like service called 'ZunZuneo'. The goal was to spread discontent'' a technique Russian spies call 'provokatzya' (ÐÑовокаÑиÑ)'' via a social network. According to TheTimesUnion.com, the US government was also collecting personal data ''in the hope that the information might be used someday for political purposes''.
- 'ZunZuneo' is Cuban slang that means roughly the same as 'Twitter'; the boys in the back room were getting creative.
- Laugh you may, but stop and consider what this fiasco says about Twitter and it's founders Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone and Noah Glass. Twitter is a San Fransisco-based company.
- This botched operation is every shade of stupid, because not only has it drawn attention to a 'tool' used by US intelligence, it's implicated USAID also. USAID, a 'charitable' outfit that Washington uses to send money to people it likes, has had plenty of mud stick to it in the past: read this post about how USAID and Pierre Omidyar are involved in destabilizing the Ukraine. However, now USAID is bound up in the world of techspionage; 'frenemy' network services which serve their masters at Langley.
- For some reason, I find all of his hilarious. The Emperor is stark naked, and he's got the body of a pudgy, middle-aged, chocolate milk drinker.
- Don't think the developed world is safe from these stupid schemes. Follow some of the more rabid pro-Washington commentators on Twitter and the command chain of a handful of operations will become evident quickly. The unrest in the Ukraine provided some funny examples, my favorite of which is this tweet, which was released the day before Western media outlets announced Yanukovych had fled Kiev:
- The tweeter, Mark M Mullen, is an activist on behalf of the country of Georgia, and who was in San Fransisco when he sent this tweet. (Or so he told me via PM.)
- US Intelligence community: tweets like that happen when you put arrogant kids in charge of things they don't understand. But don't beat yourself up'' take a deep breath and get some Nesquik.
- ''The project, dubbed ''ZunZuneo,'' slang for a Cuban hummingbird's tweet, was publicly launched shortly after the 2009 arrest in Cuba of American contractor Alan Gross.''
- a.nolen is now taking bets on where Mr. Alan Gross will turn up next. Your choices are 1) in academia or 2) at an investment bank.
-
- Presidential Proclamation -- World Autism Awareness Day, 2014
- Office of the Press Secretary
- BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
- Each year, people across the globe take time to recognize the millions of people living on the autism spectrum, including 1 out of every 68 American children. Americans with autism contribute to all aspects of society and are an essential thread in the diverse tapestry of our Nation. On World Autism Awareness Day, we offer our support and respect to all those on the autism spectrum.
- Because our whole Nation benefits when Americans with autism succeed, we must ensure our health care and education systems work for them. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, insurers can no longer deny coverage to people because they have autism, and new plans must cover preventive services -- including autism and developmental screenings -- at no out-of-pocket cost to parents. My Administration remains committed to eliminating discrimination against students with autism and to giving schools the resources to help them hone unique talents, overcome difficult challenges, and prepare for bright futures.
- We must also do more to improve our understanding of the autism spectrum, which is why I was proud to sign legislation that continued critical investments in research, early detection, and support services for children and adults with autism. Last year, I launched the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, a program that aims to revolutionize our understanding of the human mind. By unlocking new knowledge of the brain, we can pave the way for myriad medical breakthroughs, including a greater appreciation for the science of autism. What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse Nation on earth. Today, let us celebrate our differences -- but let us also acknowledge our responsibilities to each other and move forward as one.
- NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2, 2014, World Autism Awareness Day. I encourage all Americans to learn more about autism and what they can do to support individuals on the autism spectrum and their families.
- IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of April, 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.
-
- Cesar Chavez Day, 2014
- A ProclamationOn Cesar Chavez Day, we celebrate one of America's greatest champions for social justice. Raised into the life of a migrant farm worker, he toiled alongside men, women, and children who performed daily, backbreaking labor for meager pay and in deplorable conditions. They were exposed to dangerous pesticides and denied the most basic protections, including minimum wages, health care, and access to drinking water. Cesar Chavez devoted his life to correcting these injustices, to reminding us that every job has dignity, every life has value, and everyone'--no matter who you are, what you look like, or where you come from'--should have the chance to get ahead.
- After returning from naval service during World War II, Cesar Chavez fought for freedom in American agricultural fields. Alongside Dolores Huerta, he founded the United Farm Workers, and through decades of tireless organizing, even in the face of intractable opposition, he grew a movement to advance ''La Causa'' across the country. In 1966, he led a march that began in Delano, California, with a handful of activists and ended in Sacramento with a crowd 10,000 strong. A grape boycott eventually drew 17 million supporters nationwide, forcing growers to accept some of the first farm worker contracts in history. A generation of organizers rose to carry that legacy forward.
- The values Cesar Chavez lived by guide us still. As we push to fix a broken immigration system, protect the right to unionize, advance social justice for young men of color, and build ladders of opportunity for every American to climb, we recall his resilience through setbacks, his refusal to scale back his dreams. When we organize against income inequality and fight to raise the minimum wage'--because no one who works full time should have to live in poverty'--we draw strength from his vision and example.
- Throughout his lifelong struggle, Cesar Chavez never forgot who he was fighting for. ''What [the growers] don't know,'' he said, ''is that it's not bananas or grapes or lettuce. It's people.'' Today, let us honor Cesar Chavez and those who marched with him by meeting our obligations to one another. I encourage Americans to make this a national day of service and education by speaking out, organizing, and participating in service projects to improve lives in their communities. Let us remember that when we lift each other up, when we speak with one voice, we have the power to build a better world.
- NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2014, as Cesar Chavez Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate service, community, and education programs to honor Cesar Chavez's enduring legacy.
- IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth 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.
- [FR Doc. 2014-07644Filed 4-2-14; 11:15 am]
-
- Presidential Proclamation -- National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, 2014
- Office of the Press Secretary
- BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION
- Every April, our Nation comes together to renew our stand against a crime that affronts our basic decency and humanity. Sexual assault threatens every community in America, and we all have a role to play in protecting those we love most -- our mothers and fathers, our husbands and wives, our daughters and sons. During National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, we recommit to ending the outrage of sexual assault, giving survivors the support they need to heal, and building a culture that never tolerates sexual violence.
- Thanks to dedicated activists and courageous survivors, we have made strides in reducing stigma, opened new shelters across our country, and given countless Americans a new sense of hope. A driving force behind much of this progress was the landmark Violence Against Women Act. Last year, I was proud to sign legislation that reauthorized and strengthened this law while also extending protections for underserved communities.
- We have come a long way, but sexual violence remains an all-too-common tragedy. Today, an estimated one in five women is sexually assaulted in college. This is unacceptable. Because college should be a place where everyone can safely and confidently pursue their talents, I launched the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault. And because our Nation's backlog of rape kits means offenders may be free to strike again, I have proposed funding for coordinated community teams to address this problem. My Administration is working to stop sexual assaults wherever they occur, in both the civilian community and the Armed Forces. Together, we will continue to strengthen the criminal justice system, develop trauma-informed services, reach out to survivors, and focus aggressively on prevention.
- Sexual assault is more than just a crime against individuals. When a young boy or girl withdraws because they are questioning their self-worth after an assault, that deprives us of their full potential. When a parent struggles to hold a job in the wake of a traumatic attack, the whole family suffers. And when a student drops out of school or a service member leaves the military because they were sexually assaulted, that is a loss for our entire Nation.
- This month, let us recognize that we all have a stake in preventing sexual assault, and we all have the power to make a difference. Together, let us stand for dignity and respect, strengthen the fabric of our communities, and build a safer, more just world.
- NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2014 as National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. I urge all Americans to support survivors of sexual assault and work together to prevent these crimes in their communities.
- IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first 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.
-
- Presidential Proclamation -- National Financial Capability Month, 2014
- Office of the Press Secretary
- BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION
- Thanks to the grit and determination of the American people, our Nation has cleared away the rubble of the worst recession since the Great Depression. As we continue to create jobs and grow our economy, families strive to rebuild their finances and shore up their futures. During National Financial Capability Month, we renew our drive to give all Americans the tools to navigate the financial world and gain the economic freedom to pursue their own measure of happiness.
- In today's economy, financial capability is essential for some of life's biggest transitions -- paying for college, buying a home, saving for retirement. A solid understanding of the marketplace makes it easier to avoid scams, spot misleading information, and decipher complex paperwork. For free resources on managing money and making the best decisions for you, visit www.MyMoney.gov and www.ConsumerFinance.gov, or call 1-888-MyMoney.
- My Administration is working alongside businesses, schools, and community leaders to empower Americans with financial information. We launched the "Know Before You Owe" campaign to make student loans more transparent and created myRA, an affordable savings bond that encourages Americans to begin building nest eggs and allows them to carry their account between jobs. And we continue to take action against companies that charge hidden fees or deceive consumers with barely understandable fine print.
- We must also ensure that Americans have the means to put their financial understanding to use. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, millions can finally live secure in the knowledge that they are no longer an illness or injury away from bankruptcy. Yet for those who work full-time, make minimum wage, and still live in poverty, budgets do not stretch far enough to leave room for investments. This month, as we improve financial capability throughout our Nation, let us also advance the opportunity agenda -- new jobs in tomorrow's industries, more access to job training, a world-class education for every child, and an economy where hard work pays off for every American.
- NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2014 as National Financial Capability Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month with programs and activities to improve their understanding of financial principles and practices.
- IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first 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.
-
- Presidential Proclamation -- National Child Abuse Prevention Month, 2014
- Office of the Press Secretary
- NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH, 2014
- BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
- In the United States of America, every child should have every chance in life, every chance at happiness, and every chance at success. Yet tragically, hundreds of thousands of young Americans shoulder the burden of abuse or neglect. As a Nation, we must do better. During National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we strengthen our resolve to give every young person the security, opportunity, and bright future they deserve.
- We all have a role to play in preventing child abuse and neglect and in helping young victims recover. From parents and guardians to educators and community leaders, each of us can help carve out safe places for young people to build their confidence and pursue their dreams. I also encourage Americans to be aware of warning signs of child abuse and neglect, including sudden changes in behavior or school performance, untreated physical or medical issues, lack of adult supervision, and constant alertness, as though preparing for something bad to happen. To learn more about how you can prevent child abuse, visit www.ChildWelfare.gov/Preventing.
- Raising a healthy next generation is both a moral obligation and a national imperative. That is why my Administration is building awareness, strengthening responses to child abuse, and translating science and research -- what we know works for kids and families -- into practice. I also signed legislation to create the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities, and we are providing additional resources and training to State and local governments and supporting extensive research into the causes and long-term consequences of abuse and neglect.
- Our Nation thrives when we recognize that we all have a stake in each other. This month and throughout the year, let us come together -- as families, communities, and Americans -- to ensure every child can pursue their dreams in a safe and loving home.
- NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2014 as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month with programs and activities that help prevent child abuse and provide for children's physical, emotional, and developmental needs.
- IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first 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.
-
- Presidential Proclamation -- National Cancer Control Month, 2014
- Office of the Press Secretary
- BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION
- Over the past two decades, our Nation has achieved great progress in the fight against cancer. Americans have better tools to decrease their risk, and medical advances have made many forms of cancer more preventable, detectable, and treatable than ever. Despite these strides, cancer remains the second
- leading Control improve cancer.
- cause of death in our country. During National Cancer Month, we redouble our efforts to boost awareness, care, and help more Americans win their battles against
- While it is impossible to completely eliminate the risk of cancer, we can take action to reduce our chances of developing this disease. Not smoking, eating a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables, getting regular exercise, and limiting alcohol consumption and sun exposure can decrease the risk of certain cancers while also keeping us healthy day-to-day. A half century after the Surgeon General's landmark Report on Smoking and Health, our Nation has cut tobacco use rates in half. Yet smoking still causes one out of three cancer deaths. For advice on how to quit smoking, visit BeTobaccoFree.gov or SmokeFree.gov, or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW. I also encourage Americans to go to www.Cancer.gov for more information on cancer prevention.
- Because the best way to beat many forms of this disease is to catch the cancer in its early stages, my Administration has taken steps to make cancer screenings more available and affordable. The Affordable Care Act requires most insurance plans to cover recommended preventive services, like cancer screenings, at no out-of-pocket cost to the patient. It also bans discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions, including cancer, and eliminates lifetime and annual dollar limits on key benefits. Thanks to this law, millions of Americans now have access to affordable health insurance -- many of them for the first time. In addition to expanding access to health care, we are investing in promising medical research. Each year, we devote billions of dollars toward investigating causes of cancer and unlocking better prevention, detection, and treatment methods.
- This month, let us renew our push to defeat cancer, honor those we have lost, lend our support to survivors, and bring new hope to all those struggling with this disease.The Congress of the United States, by joint resolution approved March 28, 1938 (52 Stat. 148; 36 U.S.C. 103), as amended, has requested the President to issue an annual proclamation declaring April as "Cancer Control Month."
- NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim April 2014 as National Cancer Control Month. I encourage citizens, government agencies, private businesses, nonprofit organizations, and other interested groups to join in activities that will increase awareness of what Americans can do to prevent and control cancer.
- IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first 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.
-
- Presidential Proclamation -- National Donate Life Month, 2014
- Office of the Press Secretary
- NATIONAL DONATE LIFE MONTH, 2014
- BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
- Each day, in quiet hospital rooms and busy offices, in familiar sanctuaries and family living rooms, people make the courageous decision to give the gift of life. After passing his first driving test, an elated teenager adds a lifesaving symbol to his license. While struggling to comprehend their own loss, grieving parents choose to help another child live. During National Donate Life Month, we celebrate those who provide vital organ, eye, and tissue donations, and we bring new hope to the growing list of men, women, and children who still need a donation.
- More than 120,000 Americans are now on the transplant list, and each day, 18 of them die waiting. The individuals in need of these donations are our moms, dads, brothers, sisters, children, and friends -- someone important to us or someone else. I encourage all Americans to think about their loved ones and to consider becoming a donor. Discuss your decision with those close to you, and if you decide to donate, visit www.OrganDonor.gov and sign up in your State's donor registry.
- Every donor can save up to eight lives, and thanks to scientific advances, we have the potential to help even more people in need. Last year, I signed the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act, which allows scientists to research organ donation from one person with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to another. Ultimately, this law could save lives -- permitting donations between people living with HIV and expanding opportunities for more Americans to participate in these life-saving efforts.
- As a Nation, let us shine a light on the power of donation. Let us lift up the friends and families of donors and remember those who ensured that in their death, others received life.
- NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2014 as National Donate Life Month. I call upon health care professionals, volunteers, educators, government agencies, faith-based and community groups, and private organizations to join forces to boost the number of organ and tissue donors throughout our Nation.
- IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first 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.
-
- PRE-STREAM-R.I.P. Frankie Knuckles, house music legend dead at 59 | Consequence of Sound
- Frankie Knuckles, a.k.a. ''The Godfather of House Music'', has reportedly died. As FACT points out, several Chicago DJs, including Paul Johnson and DJ Deeon, as well as 5 Chicago, reported the news on Monday night.
- The Bronx native relocated to Chicago in the late 1970s and soon became the premier figure in the city's burgeoning club scene. He was the resident DJ at Chicago's Warehouse before launching his own venue, Power Plant.
- In addition to remixing artists such as Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, and Diana Ross, Knuckles released a series of original productions, including a 1987'²s ''Your Love'' and 1991'²s ''The Whistle Song''.
- In 2005, he was inducted into the House Music Hall of Fame.
- Below, revisit a selection of Knuckles' career highlights.
- Kanye West postpones Australian tour to work on new album
- Robert Smith says The Cure actually have three new albums in the works
-
- #MH370
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Plane stops transponding due N NE en route to China
- After that 'reports' of left turn to Strait of Malacca
- News media duped into kazakstan and australia
- But US Warships moved into the straits to 'search'
-
- Strategic Maritime Passages
- Strategic Maritime Passages Authors: Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue and Dr. Theo Notteboom 1. Global Maritime Routes and Chokepoints Maritime transportation is the dominant purveyor of international freight distribution and evolves over a global maritime space. This space has its own constrains such as the profile of continental masses and the imperatives it creates in terms of detours and passages. Maritime routes are spaces of a few kilometers wide trying to avoid the discontinuities of land transport. They are a function of obligatory points of passage, which are almost all strategic places, physical constraints such coasts, winds, marine currents, depth, reefs, or ice and political boundaries where sovereignty may impede circulation. The majority of the maritime circulation takes place along coasts and three continents have limited fluvial trade (Africa, Australia and Asia; except China). International maritime routes are thus forced to pass through specific locations corresponding to passages, capes and straits. These routes are generally located between major industrial regions such as Western Europe, North America and East Asia where an active system of commercial containerized trade is in place. The importance of these large manufacturing regions and their consumption markets are structuring exchanges of semi-finished and finished goods. Also, major routes involve flows of raw materials, namely minerals, grains, some food products (coffee, cocoa and sugar), and most importantly petroleum. The location of strategic oil and mineral resources shapes maritime routes for bulks since they represent the most transported commodities. For instance, over 30 million barrels per day are being shipped around the world. The most important strategic maritime passages are known as chokepoints (or bottlenecks) due to:Capacity constraints. Chokepoints tend to be shallow and narrow, impairing navigation and imposing capacity limits on ships. For canals such as Panama and Suez, the capacity must effectively be managed with appointment and pricing systems.Potential for disruptions or closure. Disruption of trade flows through any of these export routes could have a significant impact on the world economy. Many chokepoints are next to politically unstable countries, increasing the risk of compromising their access and use, such as with piracy. Closures are a rare instance that only took place in situations of war as one proponent prevented another to access and use the chokepoint (e.g. Gibraltar and Suez during World War II). A closure of a maritime chokepoint in the current global economy, even if temporary, would have important economic consequences with the disruption of trade flows and even the interruption of some supply chains (e.g. oil).Changes in the technical and operational characteristics of transoceanic canals and passages can have substantial impacts on global trade patterns. The Panama Canal, the Suez Canal, the Strait of Malacca and the Strait of Hormuz account for the world's four most important strategic maritime passages in part because of the chokepoints they impose on global freight circulation and in part because of the economic activities and resources they grant more efficient access to. Their continuous availability for global maritime circulation is challenging dominantly because the global trade system is highly reliant on their use. Yet, they have shaped global trade with the ongoing setting of rings of circulation, notably in the northern hemisphere. In addition to the transoceanic canals, "dry canals" have also been constructed or under consideration. They are called dry canals because they replicate the role of regular canals, implying that they are relatively short overland corridors of rail, road and pipeline infrastructures connecting two ports where the cargo is transshipped. Several dry canals started as portage routes to be either discontinued as they lost their capability to compete, while others were complemented with a canal, such as for Panama. The main disadvantage of dry canals is the load break at both end, which adds costs and delays, as well as limited economies of scale on the overland route. Still, they represent routing options that can incite national imports and exports and the development of logistical activities. Such imprint on regional development is much less evident in canals, since they are simply points of passage. 2. The Panama Canal The Panama Canal joins the Atlantic and Pacific oceans across the Isthmus of Panama, running from Cristobal on Limon Bay, an arm of the Caribbean Sea, to Balboa, on the Gulf of Panama. Its operational characteristics involve a length of 82 kilometers, a depth of 12.5 meters (39.5 feet), a width of 32 meters (106 feet) and a length of 294 meters (965 feet). Its construction ranks as one of the greatest engineering works of all time as it prevents a long detour around South America, thus supporting the maritime flows of world trade. The Panama Canal is of strategic importance to the United States as it enables to link the East and the West coast more quickly, saving about 13,000 km (from 21,000 km to 8,000 km) for a maritime journey. It is composed of three main elements, the Gatun Locks (Atlantic Ocean access) the Gaillard Cut (continental divide) and the Miraflores / Pedro Miguel Locks (Pacific Ocean access). Interest in establishing a short route between the Atlantic and Pacific began with the exploration of Central America in the early 16th century. In 1534, the Spanish surveyed the Panama region in order to construct a canal, but the project never came into existence due to acute technical constraints. Overland portage routes were used instead, initially as paths through the isthmus, but in 1855 the completion of Panama Railway provided a faster and higher capacity link. The United States became interested in building a canal when gold was discovered in California in 1848. A possible path through Nicaragua was also surveyed. However, in 1878 the French Geographical Society of Paris signed a treaty with Columbia (then the owner of the Province of Panama) for the construction of a canal. From 1879 to 1899, the French Canal Company undertook construction but the project failed due mainly to financial problems, tropical diseases (an estimate of 25,000 workers died) and the technical difficulties of trying to build a sea level canal. The Spanish-American war of 1898 gave an incentive to build a canal due to the long repositioning of American ships between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is only in the twentieth century that the project would become a reality. Under the rule of Colombia the United States was unsuccessful in attempts to plan a canal. However, in 1903 the Panamanian revolution, supported by the United States, resulted in the independence of Panama. In that same year, the United States and the new state of Panama signed the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty by which the United States guaranteed the independence of Panama and secured a perpetual lease on a 16-km (10 miles) strip for the canal, over which the United States had complete sovereignty. Panama in return got a monetary compensation of $10 million and an inflation-indexed annual compensation. The Panama Canal was constructed between 1904 and 1914 by American engineers and has a total length of 82 km at a cost of $387 million (including the $10 million compensation to Panama and $40 million to purchase the previous project from the French Canal Company). In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt, mainly credited for the achievement, put the construction of the canal under the authority of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Soo Locks linking Lake Huron to Lake Superior, which at the time were the most heavily used in the world, became the engineering template for Panama's locks. The construction of Gatun Dam enabled the creation of an artificial lake (Lake Gatun), which reduced the need for excavation as well a providing a large reservoir of water to supply the locks. A total of 70,000 people worked on the project and about 5,600 died in the process, mainly because of tropical diseases. The work was completed in 1914 and involved excavating 143 million cubic meters of earth and sanitizing the entire canal area, which was infested with mosquitoes that spread yellow fever and malaria. In its 96 years of existence since its completion in 1914 (as of 2010), more than one million vessels transited the canal, carrying 8.1 billion tons of cargo. About 13,000 ships transit the canal every year, with an average of 35 ships per day. However, the canal has the optimal capacity to handle 50 ships per day. Using the canal requires in average transit time of about 16.5 hours if the passage has been reserved in advance. With no reservations, the transit takes an average of 35 hours due to the additional time spent waiting for a transit slot. The average crossing time is about 23 hours, of which about 10.5 hours are accounted for canal transit time (from the Colon to Balboa). Containers, grains and petroleum account for the dominant share of the cargo transited. The introduction of super-tankers at the beginning of the 1950s forced the reconsideration of its strategic importance as economies of scale in petroleum shipping are limited by the size of the canal. It is synonymous of a standard in maritime transport related to capacity, the Panamax standard, which equals to 65,000 deadweight tons, a draft of 12 meters and a capacity of about 4,500 TEUs depending on the load configuration. The canal handles about 5% of the global seaborne trade and about 12% of the American international seaborne trade. Under the control of the United States until 1979, its administration was entrusted to the State of Panama by the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977. In December 1999, the canal was reverted to Panama under the jurisdiction of the Panama Canal Authority. The authority generates revenue by collecting tolls on all ships crossing the canal and is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the facility. A loaded ship pays about $2.57 per net ton and the average toll is about $45,000. For container ships the toll (as of 2011) is $74 per TEU of capacity on laden containers and $65.60 per TEU of capacity on ships with empty containers. In 2008, $1.32 billion in tolls were collected, of which 54% were generated by container shipping. In 1999, the Hong Kong terminal operator, Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH), took control through a concession of the operation of port terminals on both the Atlantic (Port of Cristobal) and Pacific (Port of Balboa) sides of the Canal with a 25 years lease. This raised concerns within the American government as it was perceived that the control of the canal was falling into foreign interests. The rail line between the Atlantic and Pacific sides was reopened in 2002 to handle the growing containerized traffic. The Panama Canal Railway Company (concession to KCS and Mi-Jack Products), offers an alternative to the size limitations of the canal and supports transshipment activities between the Atlantic and the Pacific sides through doublestack services. The same rationale applies to oil circulation with the trans-panama pipeline that resumed its operations in 2003, but the additional capacity this pipeline conveys is only about 1 Mb/d. In spite of being close to a century old, the Panama Canal remains a critical bottleneck in global trade. The continuous growth of global trade since the 1990s has placed additional pressures on the Panama Canal to handle a growing number of ships in a timely and predictable manner. This raised concerns that the existing canal would reach capacity by the second decade of the 21st century. Because of these capacity limits, many shipping companies have changed the configuration of their routes. This became increasingly apparent as a growing share of the global containership fleet reached a size beyond the capacity of the Panama Canal, which came to be known as "post-panamax" containerships. Through economies of scale, they offer significant operational costs advantages that cannot be exploited by the existing canal. The increasing usage of those ships along the Pacific Asia / Suez Canal / Mediterranean routes as well as the development of the North American rail landbrige have created a substantial competition to the canal as an intermediate location in global maritime shipping. There are thus a range of alternatives to the Panama Canal trade routes, with the North American landbridges being the most salient. Yet, concerns about the reliability of the landbridge connection incited the setting of "all-water routes" linking directly Pacific Asia and the American East Coast, particularly in light of the booming China-United States trade relation. A decision to expand the Panama Canal was reached in 2006 by the Panamanian government. The expansion is a 5.25 billion US dollars project that involves building a new set of locks on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the canal to support a depth of 60 feet, a width of 190 feet and a length of 1,400 feet, which would accommodate ships up to 12,000 TEU depending on their load configuration. The dredging of access channels as well as the widening of several sections of the existing canal will also be required. This would allow Aframax and Suezmax vessels to pass through the canal, thus permitting new opportunities for container shipping services such as the re-emergence of round-the-world services. Essentially, a new containership class will be created to add to the existing Panamax ship class. It will be dubbed New Panamax (or Neo Panamax). The new locks will complement the existing lock systems, creating a two tier service; one for the very large ships and the other for the Panamax, or smaller, ships. The outcome would allow about 12 ships per day in the new lock system to be added to the existing capacity of about 35 ships per day in the existing locks. It is expected that the new infrastructures will become online by 2015, after some delays (initially, the expansion was expected to be completed for 2014). However, this expansion is taking place in an environment of notable commercial changes such a revision of sourcing strategies and the possibility of a canal in Nicaragua. As a global intermediary location, Panama is shifting from being a point of transit towards being a logistics cluster. 3. The Suez Canal The Suez Canal is an artificial waterway of about 190 km in length running across the Isthmus of Suez in northeastern Egypt which connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Gulf of Suez, an arm of the Red Sea. It has no locks, because the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Suez have roughly the same water level and is thus the world's longest canal without locks. It acts as a shortcut for ships between both European and American ports and ports located in southern Asia, eastern Africa, and Oceania. Because of obvious geographical considerations, the maritime route from Europe to the Indian and Pacific oceans must contour the Cape of Good Hope at the southernmost point of the African continent. The minimum width of the channel is 60 meters and ships of 18 meters (62 feet) draft can make the transit. The canal can accommodate ships as large as 220,000 deadweight tons fully loaded. The first canal between the Nile River delta and the Red Sea was excavated about the 13th century BC. Its purpose was to expand trade between the Mediterranean and the Middle East, which became significant by 100 AD. During the next 1,000 years, the canal was neglected, but at different times Egyptian and Roman rulers modified it. Restoration efforts were abandoned in the 8th century AD as the Roman Empire collapsed and Mediterranean trade dropped. Transshipping the goods across the Isthmus was judged more profitable than supporting the maintenance of a canal. This situation endured until the nineteen century when powerful maritime interests saw the need to make a Mediterranean - Red Sea connection a reality again. The Suez Canal was constructed between 1859 and 1869 by French and Egyptians interests with a cost of about 100 million dollars. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 brought forward a new era of European influence in Pacific Asia. The journey from Asia to Europe was considerably reduced by saving 6,500 km from the circum African route. In 1874, Great Britain bought the shares of the Suez Canal Company and became its sole owner. According to the Convention of Constantinople signed in 1888, the canal was to be open to vessels of all nations in time of peace or in war. However, Great Britain claimed the need to control the area to maintain its maritime power and colonial interests (namely in South Asia). In 1936, it acquired the right to maintain defense forces along the Suez Canal, which turned out to be of strategic importance during World War II to uphold Asia-Europe supply routes for the Allies. The second half of the 20th century saw renewed geopolitical instability in the region with the end of colonialism and the emergence of Middle Eastern nationalisms. In 1954 Egypt and Great Britain signed an agreement that superseded the 1936 treaty and provided for the gradual withdrawal of all British troops from the zone. All the British troops were gone by June 1956 as the canal was nationalized by Egypt. This triggered problems with Israel, as Israeli ships were not permitted to cross the canal. This threat was also extended to France and Britain, the former owners of the canal because they refused to help finance the Aswan High Dam project, as initially promised. Israel, France and Britain thus invaded Egypt in 1956. Egypt responded by sinking ships in the canal effectively closing it between 1956 and 1957. An agreement about the usage of the canal was then reached. However, geopolitical problems persisted as tensions between Israel and Arab nations increased in the 1960s. The Six Days War between Israel and Egypt and the invasion of the Sinai Peninsula by Israel caused the closure of the Suez Canal between 1967 and 1975. This event significantly destabilized international transportation and favored the development of ever larger tankers to use the long circum Africa route. The canal was finally re-opened in 1975 as Egypt agreed to let Israel use it. Significant improvements were made between 1976 and 1980, mainly the widening of the canal to accommodate very large crude carriers (VLCC) of about 200,000 tons supporting the oil trade between Europe and the Middle East. The minimum width of the channel is 60 meters and ships of up to 16 meters (58 feet) of draft can make the transit. This means that ultra large crude carriers (ULCC; tankers of more than 300,000 tons) cannot pass through the Canal when fully loaded. A common practice is to unload parts of Mediterranean bound ships and use Sumed pipeline. With additional deepening and widening projects, the depth of the canal has reached 22.5 meters in 2001. The canal has the capacity to accommodate up to 25,000 ships per year (about 78 per day), but handles about 20,000, on average 55 ships per day, which roughly account for 15% of the global maritime trade. Since the canal can only handle unidirectional traffic, crossings must be organized into convoys of about 10 to 15 ships. Three convoys per day, two southbound and one northbound, are organized. The transit time is about 10 hours northbound and 12 hours southbound. Missing a convoy involves supplementary delays to the point that many maritime shipping companies (particularly for containers) will skip a port call to insure that their ships arrive on time at the Suez Canal to be part of a specific convoy. A rail line also runs parallel to the canal. The transit rates are established by the Suez Canal Authority (SCA). They are computed to keep the canal transit fees attractive to shippers. In fiscal year 2008, Egypt earned USD 5 billion in canal fees making it Egypt's third largest revenue generator after tourism and remittances from expatriate workers. Container ships account for just under half of the Canal's traffic and a slightly higher percentage of its net tonnage and revenues. The average canal transit fee per TEU (at 90% vessel utilization) amounts to 102 USD for a vessel of 1000 TEU down to 56 USD for the largest container vessels. In early 2009, a number of ship owners started to boycott the Suez Canal because of the high transit fees. There are thus a number of alternatives to the Suez Canal. 4. The Strait of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is one of the most important strategic passages of the World because it supports the bulk of the maritime trade between Europe and Pacific Asia, which accounts for 50,000 ships per year. About 30% of the world's trade and 80% of Japan's, South Korea's and Taiwan's imports of petroleum transits through the strait, which involved approximately 11.7 Mb/d in 2004. It is the main passage between the Pacific and the Indian oceans with the strait of Sunda (Indonesia) being the closest alternative. It measures about 800 km in length, has a width between 50 and 320 km (2.5 km at its narrowest point) and a minimal channel depth of 23 meters (about 70 feet). It represents the longest strait in the world used for international navigation and can be transited in about 20 hours. Traditionally, the Strait was an important passage point between the Chinese and the Indian worlds and was controlled at different points in time by Javanese and Malaysian kingdoms. From the 14th century, the region came under the control of Arab merchants who established several fortified trading towns, Malacca being the most important commercial center in Southeast Asia. Again, the control of the trade route shifted as the era of European expansion began in the 16th century. In 1511, Malacca fell to the Portuguese and this event marked the beginning of European control over the Strait. In 1867, England took control of the passage with Singapore as a main harbor and other important centers such as Malacca and Penang, forming the Strait Settlements. This control lasted until the Second World War and the independence of Malaysia in 1957. As the Pacific trade increased considerably after the Second World War, so did the importance of the passage. Singapore, located at the southern end of the Strait of Malacca is one of the most important ports in the world and a major oil refining center. One of the main problems about the Strait of Malacca is that at some points it requires dredging, since it is barely deep enough to accommodate ships of about 300,000 deadweight tons. The Strait being between Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, an agreement is difficult to reach about how the dredging costs should be shared and how fees for its usage should be levied. Political stability and piracy along are also major issues for the safety of maritime circulation, especially on the Indonesian side with the province of Aceh in a state a civil unrest. The Strait of Malacca ends up in the South China Sea, another extremely important shipping lane and a region subject to contention since oil and natural gas resources are present. The Spartly and Paracel groups of islands are claimed in whole or in part by China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines. The region has proven oil reserves estimated at about 7.0 Bb with oil production accounting for 2.5 Mb/d. With the substantial economic growth taking place in the region large flows of oil, liquefied natural gas and other raw materials (iron ore, coal) are transiting towards East Asia. About 25% of the global shipping fleet transits through the region each year, underlining the importance of the South China Sea as an extension of the Malacca chokepoint. 5. The Strait of Hormuz The Strait of Hormuz forms a strategic link between the oil fields of the Persian Gulf, which is a maritime dead-end, the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean. It has a width between 48 and 80 km, but navigation is limited to two 3 km wide channels, each exclusively used for inbound or outbound traffic. Circulation in and out of the Persian Gulf is thus highly constrained, namely because the sizable amount of tanker and containership traffic makes navigation difficult along the narrow channels. In addition, islands that insure the control of the strait are contested by Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The security of the strait has been often compromised and its commercial usage has been the object of contentions. Between 1984 and 1987 a ''Tanker War'' took place between Iran and Iraq, where each belligerent (Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1988) began firing on tankers, even neutrals, bound for their respective ports. Shipping in the Persian Gulf dropped by 25%, forcing the intervention of the United States to secure the oil shipping lanes. About 88% of all the petroleum exported from the Persian Gulf transits through the Strait of Hormuz, bound to Asia, Western Europe and the United States. Its importance for global oil circulation cannot be overstated. For instance, 75% of all Japanese oil imports transit through the strait. There are thus very few alternative outlets to oil exports if the traffic of about 14 million barrels per day going through Hormuz was compromised. While the Persian Gulf has conventionally been centered on oil production and distribution, the growth of container shipping has also expanded its commercial importance. For instance, Dubai ranked in 2010 as the world's 9th largest container port with a traffic above 11.6 million TEU and can only be accessed through the Strait of Hormuz. It has become a major transshipment hub linking major Asian, Middle Eastern and East African trade routes. Consequently, compromising circulation through the Strait of Hormuz would impair global oil trade as well as commercial trade along Europe / Asia routes. 6. Other Important PassagesThe Strait of Bab el-Mandab is controlling access to the Suez Canal, a strategic link between the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. It has between 48 and 80 km of width, but navigation is limited to two 3 km wide channels for inbound and outbound traffic. The sizable amount of tanker traffic makes navigation difficult along the narrow channels. A closing of this strait would have serious consequences, forcing a detour around the Cape of Good Hope and in the process demanding additional tanker space.Gibraltar. As a peninsula between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean oceans, Gibraltar represents an obligatory passage point between these two oceans. The strait is about 64 km long and varies in width from 13 to 39 km. Under British control since its conquest from Spain in 1704 and its formal cession by the treaty of Utrecht (1713). During the Second World War, Gibraltar blocked the access to the Atlantic to the Italian and German fleets of the Mediterranean, which represented a major strategic stronghold.Bosporus. The Passage of Bosporus has a length of 30 km by of width of only 1 km at its narrowest point linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Ocean. Its access was the object of two conflicts, the War of Crimea (1854) and the battle of the Dardanelles (Gallipoli, 1915). The passage was fortified by Turkey after the Convention of Montreux in 1936 which recognized its control of Bosporus but granted free passage in peace time to any commercial vessel without inspection. With the passage of the Dardanelles, Bosporus forms the only link between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Ocean. In the current context, Bosporus represents a passage of growing strategic importance, notably after the fall of the Soviet Union. The Caspian Sea has vast oil reserves and a large amount of it must transit trough the Black Sea and Bosporus to reach external markets, namely around the Mediterranean Ocean. Although pipelines offer an alternative, the cost differentials are clearly advantaging the use of maritime transportation. For instance, the cost of moving oil along the Baku '' Ceyhan pipeline ranges between $1 and $2 per barrel while shipping oil by tankers through the Black Sea costs 20 cents per barrel. About 50,000 ships, including 5,500 tankers, are transiting through the passage each year, which is getting close to capacity. Oil transiting through the Bosporus has growth substantially in recent years with the exploitation of oil fields around the Caspian Sea and about 2.8 Mb/d were transiting through the passage in 2003. The future growth of petroleum circulation through Bosporus is thus highly problematic, notably the risk of collisions and oil spills in the midst of Istanbul. In 2002, the Turkish government forbade the use of the passage during the night by large tankers.The Strait of Magellan. Discovered in 1520 by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Separates South America to Tierra del Fuego. It is 530 km long and 4 to 24 km of width. Held secret during more than one century to assure the supremacy of Portugal and Spain for the Asian trade of spices and silk. With the construction of the Panama Canal in 1916 and later on the setting up of the North American transcontinental bridge in the 1980s, this passage has lost most of its strategic importance.The Cape Good Hope. Extreme tip of Africa discovered by the Portuguese at the end of the fifteenth century. It separates the Atlantic and Indian oceans. It took its name because of the fact that it offered a maritime passage towards India and Asia, thus the hope of a fortune for the one who passed it. Vasco de Gamma got around it in 1497 and was the first European to reach India by sea. Since the widening of the Suez Canal in the 1970s, the Cape of Good Hope has lost some of its strategic importance but still remain an important passage.
-
- Malaysia balking at TPP
- In a skirmish with the United States that has caught the attention of
- the international public health community, Malaysia's position on
- the TPP talks is noteworthy. Malaysia has made a brave stand to protect
- the sovereign health rights of its citizens by blocking the United
- States' attempt to lift trade restrictions on tobacco products. In
- a face-off in Brunei in August this year during the 19th round of
- negotiations towards the TPP, Malaysia put a spoke in the wheel when
- it asserted its right to regulate the sale of foreign and potentially
- far cheaper tobacco products.
- Control that and you control China's most direct shipping route
- That's why they are starting up trains
- Captain Phillips, financed by DoD
-
- global-shipping-lanes-map.png (PNG Image, 1344 787 pixels)
- ½PNG IHDR@½*sRGB½½½gAMA½½½a pHYs½½½o½d½½IDATx^½½½×µ% ½?m~½o½½y½MwÏ>>½v½½{½½½r½D½½½H½½I½½P(½++½½½½½&½½Y½DV½$@½(e(½LdEFF½8qb½½½^½3f½½3½,½½-½½k_½½½½½b½ ½½G½½h½`½Ë½½uŽ½+½½½½?½½½½½gw^½½pؽ½Y,½kX½Ç½X½½½.½½½Y½/½!½j½½½½fd½½p½½½½½½>½f½Y`f½½½½½½½xf½½½½½½)f7q½½G½`p½X0u@½½½!½½ 7>½½½y{½½½W½½"½½ó§_½½½ 0½7t ½½½Rw½c½;N½0½½½½½½½4]½kF"½@z Õ½½½k½½½½Æ¨e½½½½½+½Û½)Zg1½½½½Ô½G½½8½½i=½ ½½½½?$D½k½½½x½_½½½½w½½½½½K1;½f½Y`f½½½f½oj½Ù½,½On½½½½\½½½½½½J.½ F½½½½:`4S½c½r S½½Ø'½s½u½oO½½e½½½½½s½½½H`h½½½½½½ ½/t^#½½½I,w½7½½w½8½½6½½½A½1 ½y:Z½zxE½v½
- MH370 was last seen there
-
- mh370 flight path - Google Search
- ibtimes.comMH370 flight path540 540 - 14k - gifbusinessinsider.comThe Expected Flight Path449 336 - 13k - jpgextremetech.comMH370, new flight path634 581 - 84k - jpgearthlinggb.wordpress.comMH370 flight path1503 1132 - 534k - jpgthegatewaypundit.commh370 flight path800 441 - 60k - jpgktwop.wordpress.comMH370 Presumed Diverted Flight708 526 - 101k - jpgwonderfulengineering.comMH370 Flight path610 559 - 101k - jpgcbc.caFlight MH370 flight path460 400 - 98k - jpgthegatewaypundit.commh370-flight-path720 542 - 192k - jpggearthblog.comflight mh370 path650 440 - 33k - jpgmeebal.comFlight MH370 '' Flight Path600 1000 - 200k - jpgbusinessinsider.comThe Expected Flight Path889 791 - 103k - jpgajournalofmusicalthing...Music News mh370-flight-path620 350 - 99k - jpgtheguardian.comLink to video: Malaysia Airlines MH370: how final flight path was tracked640 360 - 73k - jpgrogersparkbench.blogsp...Flight Path of Malaysia Air570 368 - 61k - jpgaviation.stackexchange...two possible flight paths1068 694 - 720k - pngglobalnews.cathe projected flight path512 288 - 91k - jpgdatavizblog.com140309-MH370-flight-path-2520 662 - 57k - pngbusinessinsider.comthe-possible-mh370-debris- ...889 444 - 36k - jpgmeebal.comMalaysia Airlines Flight MH370600 400 - 66k - jpg
-
- US warships in the region
- guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd
- A Navy P-3 anti-submarine warfare plane
- a second destroyer, USS Pinckney
- The P-3 will continue to search the Strait of Malacca and will soon be joined and or replaced by a P-8
- Malaysia government is getting ALL the blame
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Balancing powers in the Malacca Strait | Global News Journal
- Singapore's warning of a terrorist threat in the Malacca Straits has again highighted the issue of who is in charge of security in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
- Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia have stepped up sea patrols in the strait after Singapore's navy said on Thursday it had received indications a terrorist group was planning attacks on oil tankers.
- A Police Coast Guard vessel patrols shipping lanes near freight ships off the coast of Singapore March 4, 2010. ( REUTERS/Vivek Prakash)
- The 900-km long (550 miles) Malacca Strait, linking Europe and the Middle East with the Asia-Pacific, carries about 40 percent of the world's trade. More than 50,000 merchant ships ply the waterway every year.
- About 3.3 million barrels per day (bpd) of Middle East crude passed through the strait and to Japan last year. Middle East crude accounts for 90 percent of Japan's total imports. Up to 80 percent of China's crude imports are delivered via the narrow and congested waterway.
- So China and Japan have a stake in keeping the Malacca Strait secure, as does India which has a blue water navy patrolling in the Andaman Sea at the western end of the strait.
- The strait is a vital sea lane for the U.S. Navy, which sent warships to Taiwan via the Malacca Strait at a time of heightened tensions between China and Taiwan in 1996.
- Although the three littoral states '-- Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore '-- have asserted their sole right to maintain security in the Malacca Strait, Australia, India, Japan, the United States and China have all offered military assistance at various times.
- The Malacca Strait has been infested with pirates for centuries, but since the 9/11 suicide airliner attacks the security focus has switched to terrorism. The ability of Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia to ensure security in a waterway of such geopolitical importance has been complicated by their own competing territorial claims and rivalries. All three countries, for instance, have had territorial disputes over islands and waters that have wound up in court or in naval confrontations.
- Worries about territorial sovereignty have made hot pursuit in the strait problematic. The three countries conduct joint patrols under the Malacca Straits Coordinated Patrol established in July 2004. But joint patrols are not the same as combined patrols and have proven difficult to coordinate.
- Crew member uses pair of binoculars as he watches forpirates from USNS Walter S. Diehl in Malacca Strait off Malaysia on May 14, 2008 (Reuters/Vivek Prakash)
- A 2005 initiative, ''The Eyes in the Sky Program'' involving joint aerial surveillance with Thailand also restricts air patrols from going within threee miles of each other's borders. The same lack of trust has hampered intelligence sharing.
- The United States, after pronouncing Southeast Asia a ''second front in the war on terrorism'' in 2002, tried to increase its naval presence in the region. Malaysia and Indonesia swiftly shot down that idea. Two years later, Washington proposed the Regional Maritime Security Initiative, which would have involved joint patrols '-- including putting U.S. special forces on high-speed boats. Again Indoensia and Malaysia vetoed the presence of foreign forces inthe strait and a diluted version of the idea was adopted instead.
- Southeast Asian countries are, if anything, even more suspicious of a Chinese military presence in the region. One of the rationales for keeping security confined to the littoral states is to keep the strait from becoming a big power flashpoint. Indeed, the response to piracy and terrorism in the Malacca Strait can illuminate how the big power dynamics are playing out in the region. The Regional Maritime Security Initiative, for instance, also had in mind interdicting WMD cargo (think North Korea nuclear and missile materiel).
- Singapore did not say what terrorist group was behind the threat to oil tankers in the strait. Security experts say the al Qaeda network has long had video footage of Malaysian police patrols. The Indonesian militant group, Jemaah Islamiah, once had strong connections to the group. The head of an Indoensian anti-terrorism task force has suggested Indoensian militants have re-established an al Qaeda connection.
- The United States, China, Japan and India will continue to seek influence over Malacca Strait security '-- for anti-terrorism, geopolitical and commerical interests '-- even as China, for one, looks for alternative routes for its burgeoning energy needs.
-
- ''Crisis'' in Context: Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, the TPP and the ''Pivot to Asia''. A Geopolitical Thesis | American Everyman
- As the so-called ''investigation'' into the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 drags endlessly on, comically crawling to that all important 30-day mark when the beacon in the black-box can be readily reported as non-functioning and the search in the wrong places can be called off, one thing that no one seems to wish to mention in the corporate media is the political and economic context in which all of this happened.
- A couple things are important to keep in mind as this thesis of mine is laid out.
- First of all, the location where Flight 370 went off transponder contact has never been fully searched. That's because the day after it was reported missing, the Malaysian defense minister came out with an unidentified radar contact which traveled from the area that Flight 370 went off transponder contact and made a bee-line for Butterworth Air Force Base on the west coast of Malaysia. The Malaysian military did not scramble jets. They did not issue an alert, which is highly unusual for an unidentified radar contact heading straight for a country's military installation. It's almost as if someone knew the unidentified blip screaming toward Butterworth did not pose a threat.That same unidentified radar blip is now being consistently reported definitively as Flight 370 when in fact there is no additional information to prove that it was. There is even talk about the ''left turn'' being criminal in nature, obviously meant to point the finger of blame at the pilots of that flight. Remember, they had tried to make the ''left turn'' into the smoking gun before when they said it had been plotted into the on-board flight computer but that story fell apart and then down the memory hole once the Malaysian authorities proved it had not been programed into the ACARS system prior to it being silenced.Also keep in mind that there were two U.S. destroyers in the international waters of the South China Sea when Flight 370 went off transponder contact.The witness who reported that he saw what he believed to be Flight 370, burning in the sky late that evening, was immediately discredited by our complicit corporate media as ''a hoax'' and his statement, complete with his name, contact information and coordinates of the flight that he saw, was subsequently dumped down the memory hole in lieu of faulty reports of ''Mr. Ali'' and Iranian passports and video game files being deleted.Immediately after the flight was reported down, U.S. officials (unnamed of course) reported that their observation satellite data showed no explosion in the air over the South China Sea that evening and thus that particular theory was erased from the lexicon of debate. That data has never been released however.Also don't forget the all important Inmarsat data which sent the search all the way to the Indian Ocean Garbage Patch where they found one picture after another of garbage in the water, was provided by a globalist corporate entity which has yet to release their raw data of all those ''handshakes'' so other professionals can evaluate it's authenticity.There is a great deal of pressure being applied to the Malaysian government to allow the FBI to take over the criminal investigation of the disappearance of this flight. You might recall the bang-up job the FBI did on the cover-up of the downing of TWA Flight 800.This is what I mean when I write that the investigation has reached a comical state.
- Now, all that said, it is practically impossible to conclude the investigation into the fate of those missing souls on Flight 370 has been anything but a series of distractions from the start. We don't even have to go into the ''shadowing of another plane'' theory or the new one out, that the pilots decided to commit suicide by flying as far as they could and setting the plane down gently on the water so it would sink intact and never be found. You don't really need distraction stories like these when the official ones are just as ridiculous.
- It should be clear to most that the search for Flight 370 should never have strayed from the South China Sea and that it was deliberately diverted for reasons as yet unknown. The assumption you have to make when a suspect continues to change his alibi story is that he is hiding something. Potentially guilt. Yet in this case, not one single MSM outlet has dared to make that point.
- As I have written before, the search needs to be rebooted back to the last known vector of the investigation we know it had yet to be corrupted by the virus of deceit. Back into the South China Sea where it went off the transponder and where the witness saw it burn. That's my statement to that aspect of all of this.
- However, there is always the question of ''why?''
- Any investigation, this one not excluded, needs a measure of attention to be focused on motive.
- In this case, we have two lines of investigation that need to be addressed: motive for the possible deliberate downing of Flight 370 and the motive for the cover-up and diversion that we clearly see taking place.
- I submit to you that the two may be more closely linked than you think.
- I present for your consideration '... the Pivot to Asia and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
- History is replete with examples of military leaders succumbing to the seduction of the Economic Hit-men. From Pinochet to al Sisi, our best neoliberal dictators are often crafted from the greedily ambitious indigenous military stock of a targeted nation. They often possess the loyalty of the military and thus the raw power to overthrow the mechanisms of power in whatever country our Chicago Boys happen to lust after at the time.
- This is not a new concept or necessarily a foreign one. Go back to the Business Plot of 1934 right here in this country when big business and the oligarchs approached the most decorated and beloved military figures of the time in order to lure him into a violent coup in order to derail the New Deal and install what could only be described as a fascist putsch right here in America. They offered him half a million men and all the money in the world just so long as when he controlled the keys to the kingdom, he did their bidding, to their ends.
- Unfortunately for them, they picked a man who was truly dedicated to the oath he took and Smedley Butler turned them in and their fascist coup was foiled before it began.
- Let us go back and look at the political and economic environment in which Flight 370 disappeared. You will recall, Flight 370 went down on March 8th of this year.
- What was happening in the lead-up to that disappearance?
- Malaysia continues to seek flexibility and carve outs in the ongoing Trans Pacific Partnership to deal with its areas of concerns such as bumiputera issues, government procurement, environment, labour, intellectual property rights and state owned enterprises. New Straits Times
- There is a transition in progress in case a few of you didn't notice. It's what we conspiracy theorists call the New World Order. And people like George H. W. Bush call it a ''big idea''
- The 'big idea'' is that the world will be run by unelected oligarchs gleaned from the business class of the .01%. A world in which international borders of sovereign states no longer exist as barriers to international trade. A world where 192 individual constitutions are brought in-line with wishes of the elites so they can pose no threat their personal profits. A world, in short, dominated by a few at the expense of the many.
- Imagine a world in which labor laws, environment protection laws, intellectual property rights, even civil rights are all dictated by the heads of various corporate interests and institutions like ALEC, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable'... and you pretty much get the picture. Imagine a world where Walmart, Haliburton, GE and BP are accountable to no one no matter what damage they do. A world where the TranCanada pipeline will run through your back yard like it or not if it's in their stock-holder's interests and where you will be mandated to spend 15% of your income every month buying useless stuff you don't need in order to support the ''national interests'' of overseas oligarchs.
- Could you imagine a world where Goldman Sachs can force any nation to require all of their pension funds to be invested in whatever derivative they desire? Where CNN can demand occupied bandwidths and force local news networks to close so they and they alone can pitch their version of the truth to every nation?
- Can you imagine a world where Monsonto's GMOs cannot be rejected no matter how many citizens oppose them?
- Can you imagine these things? Because they can.
- Globalization is a prettier name for it. But in the end, it is the same new world order us ''dangerous'' conspiracy theorists have been writing about over the years.
- The way forward for these titans, these masters of the universe, they have decided, is through trade agreements. Secret trade agreements that impose their wishes on the targeted nations by usurping not only the democratic process but also the rule of law in those countries. The trade agreements seek to overrule any and all constitutional protections of the interests of the people in favor of foreign financial and corporate interests.
- Understandably, these agreements are often opposed by citizens of every country they effect. The vast majority at least. That is why the details of such agreements are being kept secret, hidden from the people.
- The TPP is a proposed trade agreement under negotiation by (as of August 2013) Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam
- '... A leaked set of draft documents indicates that public concern has had little impact on the negotiations.[65] These documents also indicate there are strong disagreements between the United States and negotiating parties on the issues of intellectual property, agricultural subsidies, and financial services. Wiki page on the TPP
- Let's take this in context of other international developments.
- Egypt's elected president was replaced by our neoliberal puppet al Sisi because he was moving toward an international agreement with Russia and China in what he called the ''E-BRICS'' agreement. He had refused to take out a loan with the IMF and pushed for the anti-neoliberal constitution which protected the rights of the Egyptian people. That constitution was tossed out by the illegal dictator and IMF austerity adjustments, all of which are included in our trade agreements these days, are being implemented as the dictator recently sentenced over 500 opposition members to death.
- They rejected a proposal to join the EU. Immediately, our NGOs set to work on a color revolution using some of the most brutal and racist members of the Ukraine's community in order to undermine the elected government and align the nation with the EU. The military sat back and did nothing while these fascist thugs attacked citizens, police and government officials alike. Their silence and inaction was belied their complicity.
- Why is that relevant? Well aside from the IMF loans they are taking out as we speak which were also rejected by the elected and legitimate government of Ukraine, there is the little matter of the TTIP.
- The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)
- The first aim is to eliminate, as far as possible, all customs duties between the EU and the US. This is already practically achieved, except in the agricultural sector where they remain steep.The second aim is to reduce, or even to eliminate, what the specialized jargon refers to as non-tariff trade barriers. This refers to the constitutional and legal norms, rules and regulations liable to limit the scope of economic competition, defined here as a supreme, inalienable fundamental freedom. These norms can be of any type: ethical, democratic, legal, social, health or environment-oriented, financial, economic, technical,'... Several of the mandate's articles (art. 14, 18, 19, 21, 25, 29, 31, 32, 33) express a wish of protecting existing European social, health and environmental norms. There are specific references to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the international conventions on the environment, and the UNESCO convention on cultural diversity. An article states that audiovisual services are not included in the agreement.The third objective is to enable private firms a right of litigation against the laws and regulations of the various States, whenever these firms feel that these laws and regulations represent unnecessary obstacles to trade, access to public markets, investment and service-providing activities. This litigation will no longer be enacted through national jurisdictions, but through private arbitration structures called dispute settlement mechanisms >>. Articles 23 (investments), 32 (labour and environmental norms) and 45 (for the whole agreement), require the creation of this mechanism.Once the Ukraine is fully assimilated into the EU and they sign the TTIP agreement, effectively, the Ukraine will cease to exist in any meaningful way. The same holds true for all the nations of the EU as it does the U.S.
- And that is the point of the color revolution in Ukraine'... a color revolution that was facilitated by the inaction of their military leaders.
- That same inaction is not taking place in Venezuela right now. They have vowed to thwart the color revolution which is currently underway down there. To their credit.
- Turning back to Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370...
- Who is taking the brunt of the blame at this point for the problematic ''investigation'' as far as our complicit Vichy media is concerned?
- Is it the military? The airlines themselves? No. It's the Malaysian government. Why is that? Did they create the secret Inmasat data? Did they announce the unidentified radar track of that plane heading back to Butterworth Air Force Base? Do they keep presenting pictures of garbage in the garbage patch or attempt to blame the pilots every other day?
- No. They aren't behind any of those distractions that turn out to be false leads.
- They have cleared the pilots, shooting down the FBI's ''terrorism'' story. They have released ACARS data which shows there was no left turn plotted into the on-board computer.
- Basically, they have been a thorn in the side of those trying desperately to craft a certain narrative yet to be honest, they still refuse to refocus the search back to where it should have remained, in the South China Sea.
- So why would they do that?
- Well, with an election coming up, at this point with all the deliberate distractions being laid at their feet, rightly or wrongly, they understand that to expose the accidental shooting down of Flight 370 and the subsequent cover-up that followed would have a certain political price attached to it.
- But what if it wasn't an accident?
- What if their political and democratic opposition to the TPP is what instigated that accidental downing in the first place? Is it possible that a military leader in the country took a different approach to facilitating social, economic and political change in Malaysia? Did someone deliberately set-up the current political structure with a deliberate act and obvious cover-up knowing the political ramifications for the incumbent party would be catastrophic?
- In order to really dig into that possibility, we have to first try to understand how important this region is to the masters of the universe. For that we have to address the ''Pivot to Asia''
- The basic logic behind the ''pivot'' '' the word given to the new focus on Asia by then secretary of state Hillary Clinton in 2011 '' was straightforward. Not only has Asia become the cockpit of the global economy, but the rise of China and its military build-up have raised tensions.
- With the war in Iraq over and the conflict in Afghanistan winding down, the US realised it needed to raise its game in Asia if it were to maintain its influence in the region.
- China's announcement in December of an air defence identification zone covering the East China Sea and the way it assumed control of the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea in 2012 indicated an intention to gain greater control over the seas that surround it '' and in the process, squeeze the US navy further out into the Pacific Ocean. Financial Times
- Clearly, the TPP is a large part of this pivot to Asia which is a crucial aspect of their projected new world order. But not only that, when you look at Malaysia in terms of it's control the waterways in that area, you can see where having them locked into the trade agreement becomes so important.
- If you take a look at this map from 2011 you will see that China is the top global exporter and importer and that disputed area which the pivot to Asia centers on, is key to their trade in half world from Europe to the Middle East to Africa.
- The TPP includes Singapore, Australia and all the other ports and waterways that would have to be utilized were trade agreements with Malaysia to falter. Effectively, the great powerhouse of international trade would effectively be at the mercy of the U.S. and their TPP trade partners once that deal is signed. The only shipping lanes the Chinese would have were the routes to their west to become to expensive or shut off entirely, would be to the continental U.S., Canada and Mexico'... all of whom are our trade partners as well.
- China, and more importantly, their trade, would be at the mercy of our global alliance.
- That, friends, is the Pivot to Asia in a nutshell. That and all the international profits the masters of the universe can imagine.
- Is it possible that Flight 370 was downed in order to force either compliance from the current government on the TPP in pursuit of the Pivot to Asia or a slightly different regime change agenda with the same goal in mind?
- I don't know. But I do know, now, that there is a furious trade war taking place right now in that region that will literally determine the fate of billions of people on this planet. An agenda is in play crafted by folks way above our pay-grade.
- It is more than fair to wonder about how this plane went down considering the Herculean effort to distract, derail and ultimately undermine the search and recovery efforts.
- And I will leave you with this for your consideration as well. Enhancing our control of these territorial trade routes is viewed by leaders as a matter of national security and in our ''national interests''
- The Obama administration is directly responsible for dangerously stoking up tensions in the South China Sea. Previously marginal territorial disputes were thrust into the international limelight by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She told a summit meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2010 that the US had ''a national interest'' in ensuring ''freedom of navigation'' in the South China Sea. Clinton's remarks cut directly across China's efforts to resolve the disputes bilaterally and encouraged ASEAN countries, particularly the Philippines and Vietnam, to more assertively press their claims against China.
- The Obama administration has exploited the South China Sea disputes as part of its ''pivot to Asia'' that is aimed at undermining Chinese influence in the region and encircling it militarily with bases and allies. Clinton's statement was the means for driving a wedge between ASEAN members. This was revealed most graphically when the organisation failed to agree on a final communiqu(C) in 2012, for the first time in 45 years, amid bitter feuding over the South China Sea.
- The US response to the Asahi Shimbun article is just the latest attempt to fuel tensions in the South China Sea. Last month, the Obama administration denounced new fishing regulations adopted by the provincial administration in China's Hainan province as ''a provocative and potentially dangerous act'' even though provincial authorities made clear that only seas immediately adjacent to islands under China's control would be affected. (See: ''US inflames row with China over fisheries regulations'')
- If I have learned anything over the past 7 years of running this blog, I have learned that nothing happens in the world of geopolitics in a vacuum and that there are rarely any real coincidences. PNAC's call for a ''new Pearl Harbor type event'' lays that bare for all to see'... if one is so inclined to view the world as it is.
- This plane disappeared right at the tip of one of the most controversial maritime border disputes at a time when that very dispute threatens a good chunk of the new world order, the ''Big Idea'' laid out so many years ago. Those taking the brunt of the blame right now are the same as those in Egypt and Ukraine who dared offer resistance to that order.
- All of this taking shape in the month just prior to the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370.
- Coincidence? Unfortunately, I doubt it.
- Filed under: Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, Malaysian Destabilization, Scott Creighton
-
- Malaysia Finds Managing Crisis Exposes Leadership Limits - Bloomberg
- Malaysia, aspiring to become a developed nation in six years, is finding that more than 50 years under one coalition and tight control over information is a mismatch for handling a rapidly growing crisis followed across the world.
- China is calling on Malaysia to be more transparent as Prime Minister Najib Razak lets his cousin, Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, be the face of the investigation into why a Malaysian Airline System Bhd. (MAS) plane vanished on March 8. It was en route to Beijing with 239 people on board. Investigators from at least 12 countries are trying to locate the jet.
- Najib's United Malays National Organisation leads the coalition governing the Southeast Asian nation. Only in recent years has it seen a move toward more competitive elections, in some districts, that put a premium on public speaking. The government's lack of a clear message, compounded by a series of false leads on the plane's whereabouts and questions on coordination, risks undermining its image internationally.
- ''They're handling a huge global issue as if it was domestic politics,'' said Clive Kessler, Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, who has analyzed the nation's politics for half a century. ''With the cause of the disappearance still unknown you can understand the need for discretion and caution but it's being perceived in Malaysia and elsewhere in the region as a bid to hide the truth.''
- Photographer: Sanjit Das/BloombergMalaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's United Malays National Organisation leads the... Read More
- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's United Malays National Organisation leads the coalition governing the Southeast Asian nation. Only in recent years has it seen a move toward competitive elections, in some districts, that put a premium on public speaking. Close
- OpenPhotographer: Sanjit Das/BloombergMalaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's United Malays National Organisation leads the coalition governing the Southeast Asian nation. Only in recent years has it seen a move toward competitive elections, in some districts, that put a premium on public speaking.
- 'Doesn't Work'Najib's administration is sending the message that people should let the ''government tell them what they need to know, when they need to know it, and not before,'' Kessler said. ''That's the way they've acted for generations and they are starting to find out it doesn't work anymore.''
- Many newspapers and television networks in Malaysia are controlled by the government directly or indirectly. And Najib, 60, has yet to make good on a pledge to replace the nation's Sedition Act with legislation that would protect free speech while preventing incitement of religious or ethnic hatred. The law, which dates back to 1948 when Malaysia was under British control, mandates jail sentences of at least three years for words deemed seditious, including those that ''excite dissatisfaction'' against the government.
- Malaysia will do ''whatever it takes'' to find the plane, Hishammuddin told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today.
- ''Our immediate focus is to find the aircraft,'' he said. ''Unless we get the aircraft and the blackbox, it's unlikely that we are able to answer a lot of speculative issues that have been raised out there.''
- ''We have been very consistent in what we have been saying in the last few days.''
- Search ContinuesNajib today called for a second briefing in two days with the search and rescue team, he said on Twitter. He requested a direct briefing by the relevant authorities after a parliament session yesterday, he said in an earlier post.
- Nations searching for the plane had little to go on with no distress calls or emergency-beacon signals. The hunt continued for a fifth day as planes and ships prowled waters on both sides of Peninsular Malaysia after failing to find debris along the jet's route.
- The discovery that two passengers boarded the missing flight using stolen passports raised concern about Malaysia's immigration security practices.
- ''The Malaysian side cannot shirk its responsibilities,'' the Global Times, a Chinese government-controlled newspaper, said in an editorial on March 10. ''The initial response from Malaysia was not swift enough. There are loopholes in the work of Malaysia Airlines and security authorities.''
- Urging MalaysiaFaced with pressure from families of the 153 Chinese nationals who were on the flight, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang for a second day yesterday noted the lack of progress in finding the Boeing Co. 777-200.
- ''We once again request and urge the Malaysia side to enhance and strengthen rescue and searching efforts,'' Qin told reporters in Beijing.
- ''The Chinese government is under quite a lot of pressure,'' said Xu Liping, senior fellow at the National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. Ordinary people in China feel the investigation ''has not been professional.''
- Broader ties between Malaysia and China probably won't suffer, he said, citing a phone conversation between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Najib on March 8 about the missing flight. ''This channel has been unimpeded.''
- Not ResponsiveChina accounted for 8.262 billion ringgit ($2.52 billion) of Malaysia's exports in January, the second-largest amount after Singapore. Malaysia approved $920 million of foreign investment from China in the manufacturing sector in 2013, up from $646 million the year earlier, according to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority. Najib's government has a $444 billion 10-year plan to build roads, ports and utilities plants to elevate the country to developed-nation status by 2020.
- Vietnam expressed concern today about coordination in the search effort. Malaysia's cooperation ''has not been positive'' and Malaysian officials are not responsive to requests for information, Transport Deputy Minister Pham Quy Tieu told reporters in Hanoi.
- It is understandable that Najib doesn't want a high profile in this situation given his cautious personality, according to Joseph Liow, associate dean of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
- 'Chest Thumping'''He's not one who would go to the front of the camera and do lots of chest thumping and wave the flag and all that without being certain that there's substantive'' progress in the investigation, Liow said. ''Hisham is very different from his cousin. He's someone who is not uncomfortable with the limelight,'' he said, referring to Hishammuddin.
- Hishammuddin, 52, has been the acting minister since a general election last May. He is unable to formally take the role given internal coalition rules on which party assumes particular posts in cabinet.
- Other Asian leaders have faced questions for not reacting to crises immediately. Philippine President Benigno Aquino was criticized for taking two days to visit victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan last year. So was China's former premier, Wen Jiabao, when he took more than two weeks to visit the site of the country's worst snow storms in 50 years in 2008.
- Hurricane KatrinaIn the U.S., President George W. Bush was criticized for his handling of damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 after he remained on vacation as New Orleans flooded. He cut short the break by two days to survey the damage from the air, something he later said was a ''huge mistake'' since it made him look ''detached and uncaring.''
- Najib needs to assure Malaysians and the international community that his government is doing all it can, said Vishnu Varathan, an economist at Mizuho Bank Ltd. in Singapore.
- ''What could have been done was the prime minister delegating the transport secretary to locating the plane and assigning one other person in charge of investigating the security breach and another to handle international relations,'' he said. ''It's not easy to convey all that is happening in the background and the government needs to highlight these things.''
- Airline StatementCompounding the image that authorities leading the investigation are struggling to communicate effectively, Malaysian Airlines issued three versions of a press statement yesterday to correct several errors. One was a reference to an ''expensive'' rescue operation, which it meant to call ''extensive.''
- ''There are big issues -- transparency, information sharing, questions associated with security,'' said Bridget Welsh, a political science professor at Singapore Management University. ''They are not in control of the discussion and the problem is they're not instilling confidence. Everyone wants to give them the benefit of the doubt but this is a crisis of credibility for the administration.''
- Najib postponed a trip to Mauritius, according to the state-run news service Bernama. He also met the families of the crew from the missing plane at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, his press office said on Twitter on March 8.
- 'Hisham's Test'Najib's office directed queries on China's concerns about the handling of the incident to authorities involved in the investigation.
- Hishammuddin, who is also defense minister, was elected a vice president of UMNO in October, putting him in line to possibly succeed Najib. He is the nephew of Malaysia's second prime minister, Najib's father, Abdul Razak Hussein.
- ''It's a lack of experience, anybody would be tested,'' said SMU's Welsh. ''This is Hisham's test, and Najib's government's test.''
- To contact the reporters on this story: Sharon Chen in Singapore at schen462@bloomberg.net; Jason Scott in Canberra at jscott14@bloomberg.net
- To contact the editors responsible for this story: Rosalind Mathieson at rmathieson3@bloomberg.net; Anne Swardson at aswardson@bloomberg.net Neil Western
-
- Flight MH370 Exposes BN Weaknesses Worldwide | Sarawak Report
- This post is also available in: Iban, Malay
- False leads have brought more agony for bereaved.
- Malaysians are used to suffering under third rate leaders, promoted because of family not merit, and they are used to incompetence (or worse) being ignored or covered up by a compliant media.
- As the days have rolled by since the disappearance of Flight MH370, more and more countries with citizens on board have been left in askance over the apparent ineptness of the people supposedly running Malaysia and their crony civil service.
- Today, this matter has finally taken centre stage in the international news coverage as exasperated onlookers and overseas officials have finally given expression to the issue.
- Malaysia itself has become the media story and it is not coming out at all well from it.
- The US's Bloomberg News led the way with an article called ''Malaysia Failing to Manage Crisis Exposes Leadership Limit''. In the article it points out that a fundamental weakness of the country has been the complacency of a 50 year old regime that has got used to being able to control its own publicity:
- ''Malaysia, aspiring to become a developed nation in six years, is finding that more than 50 years under one coalition and tight control over information is a mismatch for handling a rapidly growing crisis followed across the world'', begins the article, which goes on to point out that the Transport Minister is Najib's own cousin.
- The writers then pin point what has been the major problem with Malaysia's handling of the crisis so far, which has been a combination of lack of transparency, when transparency was required, with appalling and unnecessary open gaffs by senior people who should know better.
- The government's lack of a clear message, compounded by a series of false leads on the plane's whereabouts and questions on coordination, risks undermining its image internationally. ''They're handling a huge global issue as if it was domestic politics,'' [Bloomberg]
- The quips by senior officials about 'Asian looking men' using European name passports and about 'evidence' that the plane had turned back on its own path have stood out as particularly irresponsible red herrings tossed out over the past few days, in what has clearly been a totally uncoordinated and undisciplined response to this disaster.
- To the rest of the international community it has seemed sorely unprofessional.
- The nations of the world have been sent chasing after terrorists and hijackers on the strength of such remarks and have indeed expanded their searches over great swathes of the planet, including the Indian Ocean, because of such ill-advised comments, which have later been disowned and denied by the people who apparently made them.
- As the first indications of debris are now apparently starting to appear in the sea, exactly at the spot the airplane lost contact the UK's Guardian Newspaper has also taken up the criticism of Malaysia.
- Fishermen reported this debris to the Malaysian Maritime Agency, which dropped it during attempted salvage '' 'boarding' was written on the apparent life raft.
- In their own headline entitled ''Malaysia Airlines search mired in confusion over plane's final path '' Vietnam cuts back efforts to find flight MH370, blaming Malaysia, amid swirl of contradictory statements by officials'' the Guardian reports that international cooperation on the search is finally beginning to break down in response to Malaysia's mishandling of events:
- ''The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight was descending into confusion and acrimony on Wednesday as Vietnam called off part of its search pending further information from Malaysia'', the paper says. ''Disagreements within the international search operation were surfacing and Malaysian officials failed to clarify the aircraft's last known movements''
- Meanwhile, the BBC is leading on a denial by the PM's cousin/ come Transport Minister that there is any confusion over the whereabouts of the missing plane.
- Their headline ''Malaysia Airlines plane search 'confusion' denied'' is unfortunately designed to elicit guffaws from its readers, who well know the opposite is true.
- Over in the US TV news channel CNN put the matter succinctly enough in its own report:
- ''More than four days since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared over Southeast Asia, Malaysian officials not only don't know what happened to the plane, they don't seem sure where to look. On Wednesday, officials announced they had once again expanded the search area. It now covers 27,000 square miles, more than double the size of the area being searched just a day before. Such a dramatic expansion at this stage of the investigation is troubling, said CNN aviation expert Richard Quest.'' [CNN News]
- It is quite heart rending that, on top of the agony of the tragedy itself, Malaysia should be earning such unwanted embarrassment.
- Crucial to provide the best support possible to those affected
- Of course, it can be pointed out that any country facing such circumstances runs the risk of this kind of criticism, not all of which is necessarily deserved.
- However, BN have walked into more mishaps than most in handling this crisis, leaving the wider world with a much clearer understanding of the inadequacies of this outdated and clumsy regime, whose leaders have concentrated on little more than hanging on to power and making as much money as they can, for several decades too long in government.
- Last word goes to the New York Daily News, which shows how China and the United States have been united in this case by their joint frustration over Malaysian muddling:
- The mystery surrounding the fate of Flight 370 has been compounded by confusing and occasionally conflicting statements by Malaysian officials, adding to the anguish of relatives of the 239 people on board the flight '-- two thirds of them Chinese. ''There's too much information and confusion right now. It is very hard for us to decide whether a given piece of information is accurate,'' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters in Beijing.[New York Daily News]
- It is a reminder to BN that being in government is not just about staying in power, it is about doing a job for the people.
- Allowing open and honest criticism, instead of stifling fee media and locking up critics for 'encouraging dissatisfaction with the government' is a vital first step towards doing a far better job than they are now.
- Sign up to receive regular updates from Sarawak Report
-
- Anwar Ibrahim 'disgusted' by speculation over Malaysia Airlines jet
- WorldOutraged: Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Photo: AFP
- Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has condemned speculation that the captain of a missing Malaysian airliner - a member of his party and a distant relative - may have had political motives to sabotage the plane.
- Describing Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah as a "decent man", Anwar said he was "disgusted" by what he saw as an attempt to smear the pilot and somehow implicate the opposition leadership in the March 8 disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
- The investigative spotlight has focused on Captain Zaharie and his co-pilot, Fariq Abdul Hamid, since it became clear that the plane was deliberately diverted from its intended flight path to Beijing by someone on board.
- Multiple media reports have noted Captain Zaharie, 53, was an active member of Anwar's Parti Keadilan Rakyat (People's Justice Party), and some have suggested he might have sabotaged the flight as an act of political revenge.
- In a highly controversial case, Anwar was convicted of sodomy - illegal in Muslim Malaysia - just hours before MH370 took off. He was sentenced to five years in jail but is free pending an appeal.
- A Keadilan party official on Tuesday confirmed press reports that Captain Zaharie was actually a distant relative of Anwar's daughter-in-law.
- "Is it a crime for anyone to be a member of Keadilan? To me it is an attempt to deflect the government's incompetence," Anwar told AFP.
- "I of course did not take the news reports seriously. But I am speaking out because I sympathise with the pilot and his family," he said.
- "The mysterious disappearance of MH370 reflects not only an incompetent regime ruling the country but an irresponsible government," Anwar added.
- The Malaysian authorities have had to defend themselves against repeated accusations that they withheld key information during the early stages of the search for the missing aircraft.
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Mustapa: TPP deal nowhere near conclusion | Free Malaysia Today
- Mustapa Mohamed said there are controversial and sensitive issues to be addressed even before talking about concluding the agreement.
- KUALA LUMPUR: The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement negotiations are far from nearing completion due to the continuous existence of ''red lines'' in the negotiating process.
- Malaysia International Trade and Industry (MITI) Minister Mustapa Mohamed (pic) said the red lines, which are controversial and sensitive to several nations, including Malaysia, have to be addressed even before talking about concluding the agreement.
- ''We need to look at all the issues, and unless the red lines are dealt with, we are in no position to sign the agreement,'' he said last Friday.
- Mustapa also said the TPP trade ministers would be meeting again at the end of this month in Singapore, and a fresh deadline might be announced there.
- ''The formal deadline has been extended many times, the last being December 2013.
- We will not decide on the next deadline until the TPPA ministers meeting in Singapore from Feb 22-25,'' he added.
- The TPPA is being negotiated among 12 countries '' the US, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, New Zealand and Brunei '' which represents more than 40% of the world's gross domestic product.
- A key stumbling block was said to be US's refusal to yield on the contentious Investor- State Dispute Settlement clause of the agreement, which critics contend would open signatory states to legal action by private corporations if any law was deemed harmful to a firm's commercial interests.
- Some member states are concerned over the insistence of the US to reintroduce a ''Transparency Annexe on Medicine'' that was overwhelmingly discarded in previous rounds of negotiations.
- In Malaysia, the meteoric emergence of anti-TPP movements have battered Malaysia's effort of justifying the TPP's benefit to the economy and the public.
- The call to drop the TPP agreement is being led by former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, among others.
- The government, through the ministry has commenced two cost-benefit studies, of which the summary and the final draft of the TPP agreement will be presented to the Parliament for approval.
- This content is provided by FMT content provider The Malaysian Reserve
- The views expressed in the contents are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of FMT.
-
- Malaysia should abandon TPP talks, ex-PM Mahathir says | GlobalPost
- Please support our site by enabling javascript to view ads.
- The Malaysian government should pull out from the trans-Pacific free trade talks, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Monday, calling the proposed trade pact a U.S. tool to extend its hegemony.
- Mahathir, who stepped down in 2003 and was a sharp critic of the United States during his 22 years in office, has become the leading voice in Malaysia against the Trans-Pacific Partnership initiative.
- Speaking at a forum jointly organized by the Malay Economic Action Council and the Perdana Leadership Foundation where he serves as honorary president, Mahathir said he has seen part of the proposed TPP agreement, which is currently under negotiation among the 12 TPP member countries.
- "If I am asked if we need the TPP, I say we don't," he said, arguing that Malaysia is already a major exporting nation even without a trans-Pacific free trade deal.
- Mahathir expressed concern that the TPP would strip the government of its power to implement socio-economic policies such as an affirmative action program for ethnic Malays under the New Economic Policy, better known by its Malay acronym DEB.
- "In the TPP, we are not allowed to have the DEB," he said.
- One aim of the DEB is to narrow the gap between the majority Malays and the minority ethnic Chinese, who dominate the economy. The policy targets a 30 percent Malay equity ownership of the economy and gives Malay contractors special treatment in the award of government contracts.
- Issues over government procurement and the pro-Malay policy have been cited as one of the reasons behind the collapse of bilateral Malaysia-U.S. free trade talks in 2009.
- Mahathir also questioned U.S. political aims in promoting the TPP initiative, which excludes China.
- "It's as if the U.S. wants us to be part of their economic zone to block China," he said.
- Malaysia's participation in the TPP negotiations has become a political hot potato for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
- The Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia, which is owned by Najib's party, the United Malays National Organization, recently published a scathing commentary branding Malaysian TPP negotiators as "traitors."
- Faced with increasing domestic pressure, Najib last week ordered two more TPP cost-benefit studies, one focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises and the Malay business community, and the other a comprehensive analysis on the TPP impact on Malaysia's national interests.
- The studies could further delay TPP negotiations.
- While member TPP countries hope to wrap up negotiations by the end of this year, Malaysia has said it should not be bound by any fixed timeline.
- The TPP initiative involves Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam, which together account for a third of the global economic output.
- http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/kyodo-news-international/130826/malaysia-should-abandon-tpp-talks-ex-pm-mahathir-says
-
- iPhone in my butt-Freelance journalist: 'Hijacked flight 370 passenger sent photo from hidden iPhone tracing back to secret U.S. military base Diego Garcia' | Intellihub News
- Is passenger Phillip Wood and others still alive after flight 370 was hijacked then taken to a secret U.S. military base located on a remote island in the Indian Ocean?By Shepard AmbellasINDIAN OCEAN (INTELLIHUB) '-- According to freelance journalist Jim Stone, one of the American passengers, Phillip Wood, a technical storage executive at IBM, who was aboard the now missing Malaysian Airlines flight, keystered his iPhone 5 in his anus after the Boeing 777 carrying 239 people was hijacked by military personnel while on route to China.
- Amazingly, Stone claims that metadata within the photo yields evidence confirming ''100 percent'' that Phillip Wood sent the photo, along with a brief voice activated text, from GPS coordinates which put Wood only a few miles away from the U.S. controlled Diego Garcia military base which is located on an island south of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. In his post Stone claims that the coordinates may be off by a few miles (see update below post), proving that the iPhone actually sent the otherwise blank black picture revealing nothing else. Stone speculates the picture was taken in a dark room or in some position in which Wood's hands were bound.
- As reported by Stone, the picture was posted along with the following text allegedly from Wood:
- ''I have been held hostage by unknown military personal after my flight was hijacked (blindfolded). I work for IBM and I have managed to hide my cellphone in my ass during the hijack. I have been separated from the rest of the passengers and I am in a cell. My name is Philip Wood. I think I have been drugged as well and cannot think clearly.''
- Strangely the blank black image labeled ''1395192158752.jpg'' contains the following metadata:
- Color Profile: sRGB IEC61966-2.1
- Stone also points out in detail how the above Exchangeable Image Format (EXIF) image data is the ''smoking gun'', writing:
- The Exif is intact. Exif data gets embedded in every image by every camera and includes the circumstances under which the photo was taken. It can be viewed by saving the image to your desktop, and then right clicking it and selecting image properties. Hit the details tab. You can see that the image was taken on March 18 with an iPhone 5, with the ISO at 3200 and a shutter of 1/15. The coordinates are included in the exif data because the iPhone knows where it is, and the coordinates are for Diego Garcia. THE FIRST TIME A BLANK PHOTO SAID IT ALL.
- Exif can't be rewritten with common software, it can only be added to in fields such as image credits with some advanced applications. It can be erased as well but NOT CHANGED. Photos with the exif intact will hold up in court. If the Exif is hacked and this is not real, the CIA or a really good hacker did this, which I doubt, I'd say it's probably real.
- Another smoking gun is that the voice recognition software put the word personal instead of personnel. This is completely consistent with a blind software assisted dial out.
- Surrounding this story is the fact that the man who managed to get this information to Farganne (forum member Glitch) was harassed and received many threatening voice mails over it, that is another piece of evidence pointing to this as being real. One thing is certain, once it's posted here on this site the genie is OUT OF THE BOTTLE. I cannot stress how important it is that the GPS coordinates in the photo do not perfectly match what Google says and are not posted anywhere on the web, because it proves that the source of those coordinates did not come from google or Wikipedia, they really did come from the imaging device and it HAD TO be at Diego Garcia when it took the photo.
- Interestingly, 7-days ago, on March 24, 2014 at 2:30 AM EDT, it was reported by Intellihub News that flight 370 landed at Diego Garcia, a secret U.S. military base leased from the EU, during the early morning hours of March 8, 2014 after a YouTuber by the name of Montagraph put two-and-two together following other reports.
- An excerpt from the article reads:
- ''[...] MH370 most likely landed at Diego Garcia and the plane may have been ushered into a massive ''Faraday cage'' style hangar to avoid passengers from communicating with the outside world.''
- Surprisingly, this all dovetails with a Malaysian Insider report released on Mar. 18 titled ''US military base, South Asian airports in MH370 pilot's simulator, says paper'', as the pilot of MH370 was found to have had scale simulations of Diego Garcia in his home flight simulator.
- An except from the Malaysian Insider reads:
- Investigations into the flight simulator taken from the missing pilot's home showed a software for five practice runways, including one belonging to the United States, Berita Harian reported today.
- ''Among the software we checked so far is the Male International Airport in Maldives, three airports in India and Sri Lanka, and one belonging to the US military base in Diego Garcia. All have a runway length of 1,000 metres,'' a source told the Malay daily.
- Police seized the flight simulator from pilot Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah's house last Saturday before reassembling it at the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman, where experts were conducting checks.
- If anyone has anymore information on this matter we urge you contact us at Intellihub News right away.
- Update 2:49 PM ESTThe following information was posted as a tip on Steve Quayle's website:
- Re: the black/blank photo from the IBM tech on the lost Malaysian jet. The photo was taken inside a building just off the runways at Diego Garcia. I put the photo into my editing software, grabbed the GPS point and here it is. Try this: go to: itouchmap.com , choose #6, go to the bottom right box and input the info:
- Zoom in and you will see where the photo originated. Wow. You'll probably recognize the heavy aircraft parked nearby.
- (Featured photo at top of page: Wikimedia Commons)
- Writer Bio:Shepard Ambellas is the founder and editor-in-chief of Intellihub News and the maker of SHADE the Motion Picture. You can also find him on Twitter and Facebook. Shepard also appears on the Travel Channel series America Declassified.For media inquires, interviews, questions or suggestions for this author, email: shepard@intellihub.com or telephone: (347) 759-6075.Visit Shepard's blog here.
-
- BBC News - Malaysia blamed in MH370 'mystery'
- 13 March 2014Last updated at 11:56 ET By Anthony ZurcherEditor, Echo ChambersIt now has been almost six full days since flight MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared without a trace. The plane's fate has become a hot topic for commentators and pundits around the world.
- "Frustration over the fruitless search has increasingly been directed at Malaysian officials after a series of fumbling news conferences, incorrect details given by the national airline, and a long delay in divulging details of the military's tracking of what could have been the plane hundreds of miles off course," writes Stuart Grudgings of Reuters.
- The criticism of Malaysian officials has gone beyond focusing solely on the response to this particular story and identifies institutional problems.
- "The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has challenged the country's paternalistic political culture and exposed its coddled leaders to the withering judgments of critics from around the world," writes Thomas Fuller in the New York Times.
- Continue reading the main story''Start QuoteEveryone seems to have an opinion regardless of whether they know anything about jet planes or aeronautics''
- End QuoteMarina MahathirThe Star (Malaysia)It's Malaysia's "ethnically polarised society" that's responsible, he continues:
- Talent often does not rise to the top of government because of patronage politics within the ruling party and a system of ethnic preferences that discourages or blocks the country's minorities, mainly ethnic Chinese and Indians, from government service.
- Commentary in the Malaysian press is defensive, thanks to the harsh international spotlight.
- "Under the circumstances, the Malaysian authorities have carried out their roles well," writes Chok Suat Ling in the New Straits Times. "Considering the large number of countries involved and assets deployed, the search-and-rescue has been well coordinated."
- Marina Mahathir of the Star agrees.
- "Everyone seems to have an opinion regardless of whether they know anything about jet planes or aeronautics," she writes. "And let's not forget those who take opportunity to place blame based on the most outlandish reasons. A bit like when some blamed the Indian Ocean tsunami on people partying on beaches."
- Other writers have latched onto the story about two individuals on the flight who were travelling with fake passports, although there's currently no evidence of a link to the plane's disappearance.
- "The rampant use of fake travel documents presents a terrorist threat to aviation security," writes Zhou Zunyou of the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law in the South China Morning Post.
- The editorial board of the Chicago Tribune also weighs in.
- "The passengers who did so to board this flight may not have been dangerous to their fellow travellers," the editors write. "But no one steals and uses someone else's passport for legitimate reasons."
- A story this big has been a boon to aviation experts, who each have their own theory. A news outlet can find an opinion to support just about any position.
- Take the lack of a distress call from the plane.
- Continue reading the main story''Start QuoteIn the absence of facts we get cliches''
- End QuoteCharlie BeckettLondon School of EconomicsVery telling, writes aviation journalist Clive Irving in the Daily Beast: "Whatever happened was instantaneous. There was no distress call from the pilots, and no previous hint of a technical problem."
- Or maybe not. Airline pilot and author Bill Palmer for CNN:
- An aviator's priorities are to maintain control of the airplane above all else. An emergency could easily consume 100% of a crew's efforts. To an airline pilot, the absence of radio calls to personnel on the ground that could do little to help the immediate situation is no surprise.
- Charlie Beckett, director of the London School of Economics' journalism think tank POLIS, posts on his blog that stories like this highlight the flaws in the modern news business.
- "In the absence of facts we get cliches," he writes. "We (currently) have no accurate idea where the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is, so journalists resort to phrases such as 'mystery surrounds the fate' or 'confusion reigns'. More journalism is like this than you realise."
- Journalists have a blind spot when reporting on stories like these, he argues, looking too much to the past for guidance on a breaking story.
- "Journalists tend to fall into a pattern based on previous narratives and ignore evidence or theories that don't conform to those prejudices," he writes. "The pundits tend to tell the journalists what they want to hear, or what sounds exciting."
- At some point we may learn the fate of flight MH370. Or maybe we won't. It's a mystery, and confusion reigns.
-
- The Malaysian Government's Many MH370 Screw-Ups -- Daily Intelligencer
- Three and a half weeks after Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished from the sky, the world is still waiting to find out what happened. Searching millions of square miles for broken plane parts is, of course, no simple task, but it's only been complicated by the Keystone Cops routine put on by the Malaysian government. Upon news that officials couldn't even correctly quote the four words uttered by the co-pilot before all communication with MH370 was lost, here's a timeline of Malaysia's mistakes since the plane disappeared.
- March 8: Immigration officials allow two passengers to board flight MH370 with stolen passports.
- March 8: The Malaysian military fails to notice that that the plane has made a sharp left turn, even though it flew over a radar facility.
- March 8: The Malaysian government confirms reports that two people boarded the plane with stolen passports, then says it was actually four people, before revising it back down two.
- March 9: Five hours after it happened, state-owned Malaysia Airlines finally confirms that MH370 has disappeared.
- March 11: Malaysia's chief of police withdraws the story that baggage was taken off the flight before takeoff because five people didn't board. Turns out, all those who checked in boarded.
- March 11: China calls out Malaysia for the slow pace of its search. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang says Malaysia needs to ''step up their efforts and speed up their investigation.''
- March 11: The search begins in the Malacca Strait, three days after military radar captured MH370 turning from its path and flying over the body of water.
- March 12: Officials admit they've known all along that a mysterious plane, likely MH370, appeared on military radar flying on a westerly course. Still, they diverted resources to search east of Malaysia.
- March 12: Vietnam suspends part of its search for MH370 after Malaysia's government fails to respond to its repeated requests for information.
- March 12: Malaysian police release photos of the two men who boarded MH370 with stolen passports and they both seem to have the same legs. A photocopying error is blamed.
- March 13: Malaysian Transport Minister Seri Hishammuddin Hussein denies a WSJ report claiming the plane flew for as many as four hours after disappearing from tracking systems. The government would later accept that version of events.
- March 15: Investigators finally confirm that the mysterious flight captured by military data is MH370 and call off the wasted searches underway in areas Malaysian officials already knew were not possible crash sites.
- March 15: A week after the flight's disappearance, authorities search the homes of MH370's pilot and co-pilot.
- March 16: India suspends its search as it waits for Malaysia to say whether it should be searching at all.
- March 16: American officials tell the Washington Post that FBI agents are ready to go to Malaysia to help investigate the crash but their assistance hasn't been requested.
- March 17: Officials change the sequence of events concerning the switching off of the plane's communications system. Rather than insisting it happened before the co-pilot signed off with the words "Alright, good night," they said it could have happened after, which puts a damper on terrorist-pilot theories.
- March 19: Family members of passengers stage a small protest at a press briefing and are forcibly removed by police who are accused of ''manhandling'' them.
- March 24: Malaysia Airlines sends a text to the families of passengers that says, ''We deeply regret that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board have survived.''
- March 28: Four days after the above text, an official tell the families of passengers that he hasn't discounted the possibility of survivors.
- March 28: Malaysian officials tell the passengers' families there is ''sealed evidence'' they cannot know about.
- March 31: The Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation corrects early reports that the last communication from MH370 was "Alright, good night." The actual words were "Good night, Malaysian three-seven-zero."
-
- Forget ''Captain Phillips'': Piracy has a new world capital - Salon.com
- Maybe God has a soft spot for pirates. That would explain the Strait of Malacca, a natural paradise for seafaring bandits.
- Imagine an aquatic highway flowing between two marshy coasts. One shoreline belongs to Malaysia, the other toIndonesia. Each offers a maze of jungly hideaways: inlets and coves that favor pirates' stealth vessels over slow, hulking ships.
- It's a narrow route running 550 miles, roughly the distance between Miami and Jamaica. This bottleneck is plied by one-third of the world's shipping trade. That's 50,000 ships per year '-- ferrying everything from iPads to Reeboks to half the planet's oil exports.
- The world's fascination with neo-piracy now centers on Somalia. Thanks to the 2013 thriller ''Captain Phillips,'' in which Tom Hanks plays a cargo ship captain abducted by Somalis, even US teenagers know the anarchy-prone African state is a breeding ground for pirates.
- At least it was. In truth, Hollywood stumbled onto Somalia's piracy phenomenon rather late. In the last three years, pirate strikes in Somali waters have plummeted 95 percent to a meager seven incidents in 2013; none were successful.
- Piracy in Southeast Asia, meanwhile, is accelerating. Attacks and attempted attacks in the waters of Indonesia '-- which controls much of the Malacca Strait and its environs '-- totaled 107 last year. That's a 700 percent increase in just five years.
- The German insurance firm Allianz, which released these figures in a new report, is now sounding a warning: Southeast Asian piracy must be reined in before it's too late.
- The attacks mostly amount to ''opportunistic thefts carried out by small bands,'' according to Allianz, but these syndicates could potentially ''escalate into a more organized piracy model.''
- Somali hijackers vs. Indonesian bandits
- None of this would surprise 18th-century European spice traders. They lived in terror of Malacca Strait pirates who staged bloody ship raids '-- all from the same shores cargo ships chug past today.
- Piracy has long transfixed locals ''born to the hard and dreary life of the fisherman,'' writes historian Donald B. Freeman in the 2003 book ''Straits of Malacca: Gateway or Gauntlet?''
- A pirate's life, Freeman wrote, was traditionally viewed in the region as a ''passport to adventure, riches and prestige rather than a criminal occupation.'' This tradition, paired with the pirate-friendly terrain, ''helped give the region a reputation that made merchants and legitimate seafarers tremble at the very thought of traversing the strait.''
- Modern-day captains plying risky waters look to a guide called the BMP. Based on intel from Western navies and shipping firms, it offers tactics on avoiding pirates and '-- if that doesn't work '-- fending them off and surviving abduction.
- The guide's best advice? Go really fast. No pirates have ever boarded a ship pushing 18 knots, or nearly 21 miles per hour, the guide says.
- But that's practically impossible in the Strait of Malacca.
- The channel is simply too crowded and too shallow. Gigantic vessels are instead forced to churn through at slow speeds that invite pirates in fast-moving skiffs. (To save fuel, today's cargo ships often travel at about 14 miles per hour. That's slower than 19th-century sail boats.)
- Indonesian pirates typically have different tactics from their Somali counterparts, who've made headlines by invading vessels and demanding multimillion-dollar ransoms.
- In the Malacca Strait, pirates like to get in and get out. Their ''modus operandi isn't to kidnap,'' according to Tim Donney, an Allianz marine risk consultant. ''These pirates just want the cash aboard the vessel or to rob the crew of any valuables.''
- In 2005, piracy in the Malacca Strait grew so rampant that Lloyd's of London, a prestigious insurer, declared it a ''war zone.'' Regional militaries of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia responded by upping warship patrols in the strait.
- But pirates have simply shifted into distant island chains beyond the strait's exit along the route to China.
- Indonesia isn't nearly as lawless as Somalia. But both are coastal nations where poverty is rife and police are ill-equipped. Both also happen to be situated on routes trafficked by wealthy nations' trade vessels.
- ''Most piracy takes place in areas where people are poor. Their livelihood has been taken from them by globalization, civil unrest or war,'' writes Nigel Cawthorne, author of the book ''Pirates of the 21st Century.''
- Somalia's turnaround is owed to several factors: NATO- and EU-backed naval patrols, ships hiring on-board riflemen and, perhaps most importantly, a new Somali government working to stabilize its lawless coast.
- Somali pirates also forced the shipping industry to get creative. They've come up with effective pirate-proofing techniques that could be applied to more ships entering the Malacca Strait. The BMP recommends blasting approaching pirates with hot water, ringing ships with razor wire and even installing electric fencing. Discharging foam, according to the manual, is ''effective as it is disorientating and very slippery.''
- Piracy poses no existential threat to the shipping industry. Considering the volume of international trade, losses from piracy ''amount to little more than a rounding error,'' according to piracy analyst Martin N. Murphy. But the ''sense of disorder'' created by piracy, he writes, ''may be hard to calculate in dollars.''
- Piracy along the Malacca Strait route should be easier to fight than in Somalia. All of the nations patrolling the strait have functioning governments, committed to fighting the problem, and are financially incentivized to maintain a bandit-free trade route.
- Piracy's historical influence here is legendary. In the 1820s, the Dutch and British empires drew a line in the sea and agreed to hunt down pirates on their respective sides; that line went on to become the modern-day border between Malaysia and Indonesia. The word ''boogeyman'' is also inspired by fearsome pirates from an ethnic group in Indonesia known as the Bugis.
- Taking a longer view of history, the rise and fall of Somalia's piracy may eventually be seen as a blip '-- a brief aberration from the traditional order in which the Malacca Strait area is the world's top piracy zone.
-
- The Strait of Malacca and TPP -mh370 - Google Search
- The world has a new piracy hotspot | GlobalPostwww.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/.../malacca-strait-piracy-hotspot- Cached6 days ago ... That would explain the Strait of Malacca, a natural paradise for ... a warning:Southeast Asian piracy must be reined in before it's too late.UPDATE 1-Missing Malaysian plane last seen at Strait of Malacca...www.reuters.com/.../malaysia-airlines-military-idUSL3N0M835C20140311- CachedMar 11, 2014 ...The Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest shipping channels, runs alongMalaysia's west .... (1) perhaps the fault was navigational too.Missing Malaysian plane last seen at Strait of Malacca: source ...news.yahoo.com/malaysia-military-tracked-missing-jet-strait-malacca-source- 103516626--sector.html- CachedMar 11, 2014 ... It made it into the Malacca Strait," the military official, who has been briefed oninvestigations, told Reuters. The Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiestshipping channels, runs along Malaysia's west coast. ... Top Stories.Missing Malaysian plane last seen at Strait of Malacca... - NDTV.comwww.ndtv.com/.../missing-malaysian-plane-last-seen-at-strait-of-malacca- source-494335- CachedMar 11, 2014 ...The Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest shipping channels, .... @S Khan:I'd like to see them too, but maybe their families don't allow.Strait of Malacca becomes focus of missing Malaysian Airlines Flight ...cbs12.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_13959.shtml- CachedMar 11, 2014 ... WPEC-TV CBS12 News :: News - Top Stories - Strait of Malacca ... 777 jetlinerchanged course and made it to the Malacca Strait, hundreds of ...Malaysia military tracked missing plane to Straits of Malaccawww.thestar.com.my/.../Missing-plane-military-straits-of-malacca/- CachedMar 11, 2014 ...The Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest shipping channels, runs along ...Twins among 50 top-scorers awarded National Scholarship.Malaysian Military Tracked Missing Jetliner Turn to Strait of Malaccawww.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2014/.../322903.htm- CachedMar 11, 2014 ...The Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest shipping channels, runs along ...Top 5 Riskiest States for Employee Lawsuits: Hiscox; Court ...Malaysia military says tracked missing jet to Strait of Malacca - World ...www.haaretz.com/news/world/1.579123- CachedMar 11, 2014 ... Kerry cancels Wednesday visit to Mideast due to Abbas' speech, top ... The Straitof Malacca, one of the world's busiest shipping channels, runs ...China send patrol ship to Strait of Malacca in search for Malaysia ...www.scmp.com/.../china-send-patrol-ship-strait-malacca-search-malaysia- airlines-jet- CachedMar 14, 2014 ... A Chinese patrol ship is heading for the Strait of Malacca to search for the ...Hong Kong parents say pushing children too hard doesn't work.
-
- Malaysia blocks US trade shocker. Will we? | | MacroBusiness
- The AFR has reported today how the Malaysian Government is pushing back on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) '' the proposed regional trade deal between 12 Pacific Rim countries '' citing concerns that it could harm its national sovereignty:
- ''You cannot rush into things. This is a very big trade pact, going beyond the conventional areas of tariffs. It's natural that it's taken quite some time'' [Mustapa Mohamed, Malaysia's International Trade and Industry Minister, said in an interview]'...
- ''We cannot be pushing the TPP at the expense of our national interest and national agenda,'' Mr Mustapa said.
- The Malaysian trade minister's cautious views contrast nicely against Australian trade minister, Andrew Robb, who has signaled Australia's unbridled support for the TPP provided Australia gains significant access to agricultural markets, even labeling the agreement as a ''platform for 21st-century trade rules''.
- As noted previously, if the TPP goes ahead, it will establish a US-style regional regulatory framework that meets the demands of major US export industries, including pharmaceutical and digital.
- The draft chapter on intellectual property rights, revealed by WikiLeaks, included a ''Christmas wishlist'' for pharmaceutical companies, including the proposal to extend patent protection and strengthen monopolies on clinical data. As part of the deal, the US is reportedly seeking patents for ''new forms'' of known substances, as well as on new uses on old medicines '' a proposal which would lead to ''evergreening'', whereby patents can be renewed continuously.
- It's a huge risk to Australia's world class public health system, which risks cost blowouts via reduced access to cheaper generic drugs and reduced rights for the government to regulate medicine prices. It also risks stifling innovation in the event that patent terms are extended too far.
- The US is also seeking to insert an Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) clause into the agreement, which could give authority to major corporations to challenge laws made by governments in the national interest in international courts of arbitration. So effectively, US companies would be allowed to sue the Australian Government under international law '' a move that is being pursued by Philip Morris against Australia on plain packaging and graphic warnings for cigarettes.
- The draft agreement also sought to place more restrictions on internet users by forcing ISPs to cooperate with copyright holders and terminating the accounts of repeat infringers. This is despite the High Court of Australia ruling that an ISPs inaction could not be taken as authorisation of a copyright infringement.
- Finally, the US is opposing a proposal that would allow the circumvention of technology that restricts products to certain regions, even though this was recommended by the Australian parliament's Inquiry into IT Pricing, as well as opposing the parallel importation of goods made under authorisation in other countries, which would act to maintain higher prices (to the detriment of Australian consumers).
- That the Coalition seems intent to cede Australia's sovereignty in formulating national policy, as well as granting greater power to American pharmaceutical and digital interests, in exchange for increased agricultural access, is a huge worry. The rot began with the signing of the flawed Australia-US Free Trade Agreement by the Howard Government, which extended Australian copyright, and it appears that the Abbott Government wants to 'finish the job' by including ISDS processes, among other non-tariff measures.
- While the Malaysians seem to understand the risks arising from the TPP, the Coalition is either oblivious or happy for Australia to become a US outpost.
- It also highlights why, at a minimum, the text of the TPP (and other trade agreements) must be released for public and parliamentary scrutiny before they are signed by the Government. Otherwise, we risk being sold-out for short-term political gain rather than sound long-term decisions.
- unconventionaleconomist@hotmail.com
-
- Surprise! Anwar ordered back to jail as Malaysia election looms | National Post
- Full Comment's Araminta Wordsworth brings you a daily round-up of quality punditry from across the globe. Today: There seems to be no end to the Malaysian political establishment's vindictiveness toward Anwar Ibrahim.
- For the past 15 years, the former deputy prime minister and heir apparent to Mahathir Mohammed has been battling the courts on trumped-up charges of corruption and sodomy '-- the latter crime is deeply shocking in the devout Muslim nation, but rarely prosecuted.
- The opposition leader been in and out of jail several times; his convictions overturned, then reinstated. The latest verdict would return him to jail for five years just as general elections approach, polls in which his Pakatan Rakyat party was expected to do well.
- Few doubt the prosecutions are politically inspired. After all, it beggars belief that Anwar, an intelligent and savvy operator, would be so stupid as to recklessly continue the behaviour that put him in jail once.
- The continued prosecution may well blow up in the government's face as it risks making him a martyr. As The Associated Press's Eileen Ng reports,
- ''This trial was all about knocking Anwar Ibrahim out of politics, pure and simple, and the government was prepared to jump through whatever hoops were necessary to make that happen,'' said Phil Robertson of the New York-based group Human Rights Watch. ''It's a dark day for the Malaysia judiciary, which has shown today how hard it is to get a free and fair trial when political issues are in play.''
- A background piece prepared for the BBC explains the ruling Barisan Nasional's problem.
- Mr. Anwar is seen as the key challenger to the ruling party, which has been in power since Malaysia's independence in 1957. The Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition won 133 of the 222 seats in parliament in the 2013 elections '-- although it won the elections, it was the coalition's worst-ever result. Thousands of Malaysian opposition supporters rallied against the result, alleging that the polls were fraudulent.
- In the 2013 general election, Mr Anwar led the opposition into what was seen as the country's most hotly-contested polls to date '... The Pakatan Rakyat promised bold changes, including doing away with race-based policies that it says breed corruption and hamper economic growth. It instead pushed for a more competitive system based on merit.
- A contributor to The Economist's Banyan blog has no doubt about the political motivation behind the latest verdict.
- That the government's appeal against Mr. Anwar's acquittal has reached its climax at this moment is, to be charitable, an extraordinary coincidence. On March 23 Mr. Anwar was to contest a by-election for a seat in the legislative assembly in one of Malaysia's states, Selangor. He was expected to win, and to take on the high-profile role of the state's chief minister. His conviction seems to mean he will be disqualified, although he is free on bail pending an appeal.
- Malaysia's bloggers agree with this analysis, with a contributor to The Malysian Insider ticking off the beneficiaries. They include Mahathir Mohammed who is smarting at Anwar's pointed questions about how his children became so rich. (No prizes for guessing.)
- The former prime minister was mightily unhappy when the Federal Court released Anwar Ibrahim in 2006 '... The fact that a resurgent Anwar galvanised, nurtured and eventually, led Pakatan Rakyat (PKR) to shatter the myth of invincibility of BN at the polls in 2008 only served to turn up Dr. Mahathir's antipathy towards Abdullah.
- Since his release, Anwar has been a thorn in the side of Dr. Mahathir and in the run-up to the May 5 elections, the PKR leader hammered away at the former PM's Achilles heel: his children's astronomical wealth.
- Apart from bare denials, Dr. Mahathir could not offer any other comeback. The thought of Anwar as menteri besar [premier], presiding over the richest state in Malaysia, would have been all too much for Dr. Mahathir.
- After all, the plan was to end his political career in 1998.
- C.T. Ali, a columnist at Free Malaysia Today believes the government has finally over-reached itself.
- We have need of more of these heroes and last week through the dubious office of the appeal court, we have another one '' albeit he is already a familiar face to this cause '' that of Anwar Ibrahim.
- The first time Anwar was charged with sodomy in 1998 and subsequently acquitted. A decade later in the 2008 general election, BN lost for the first time its two-thirds majority in parliament and five states to Pakatan Rakyat. In June 2008 Anwar was again charged for sodomy and in the 2013 general election, BN again for the first time, lost it popular mandate to govern but still clung to government.
- This week '' March 2014 Anwar was convicted of sodomy after being acquitted of this earlier.
- How long do we have to wait to see what BN will forfeit for their immediate gain of putting their political nemesis away?
- compiled by Araminta Wordsworth
- awordsworth@nationalpost.com
-
- Spanish Newspaper Reports Malaysian Plane May Have Been Shot Down to Avert Terror Attack
- by Frances Martel2 Apr 2014, 2:23 AM PDTpost a commentThe report surfaced online this weekend, titled "Intelligence Sources Weigh Whether Malaysian Plane Was Derailed To Prevent New 9/11." It suggests that the plane did not fall into the southwestern Indian Ocean, as investigators have insisted for more than a week after definitively concluding that the plane crashed and all on board are dead.
- ABC is the oldest newspaper currently in circulation in Madrid, founded in 1903 and considered a center-right publication. It has not updated its original report on the whereabouts of Flight 370. The paper had a circulation of 271,000 in 2006, according to the BBC, slightly more than the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- The paper most recently received international attention for breaking the story that doctors had diagnosed Hugo Chvez with terminal cancer in 2012 and that he would be unlikely to survive more than a year. Chvez died in March 2013. Last month, ABCpublished exclusive testimony from a Spanish citizen protesting in Venezuela who alleged he was beaten and raped with rifles while detained by the Bolivarian National Guard.
- "Informed sources in this field consulted by [author Pilar] Cernuda insist that the possibility appears increasingly more plausible that, instead of the plane falling in the Indian Ocean, as the official version alleges, the Boeing 777 was hijacked by terrorists intending to crash it against some very sensitive target," the paper writes (the full article is only available in the print version, only sold in Spain). "No option remained other than derailing it to avoid what would have been a catastrophe similar in magnitude to that of September 11."
- The paper compares this to the fate of United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in a Pennsylvania field after being derailed on September 11 from its intended target, though adding that, in this case, a government's military made the call to shoot it down. "It is very improbable that any Department of Defense implicated in an operation of this kind would admit its participation," the paper concludes.
- The report has not been picked up by any English-language news sources. ABC News in the United States mentioned the theory that another country's military could have shot down the plane on March 13 but considered the possibility that the plane was simply not recognized by radar as civilian, rather than being shot down due to a hijacking. David Cenciotti, an aviation expert in Italy who runs the blog The Aviationist, entertained the theory as well almost a week later. Cenciotti noted that Thailand, in particular, had been slow to show the Malaysian government its military radar, which indicated the direction in which the plane went after it became invisible to civilian radar. These reports predate the announcement by Malaysian officials that they concluded the plane fell in the southwestern Indian Ocean, however; at the time, authorities believed the plane had flown over the Strait of Malacca and possibly into the Maldives, or as far north as Afghanistan and Kazakhstan.
- Dr. Sebastian Gorka, a counterterrorism expert and adjunct professor at Georgetown University, suggests that the possibility proposed by ABC is "exceptionally unlikely." "Any such scenario is predicated on the decision being made that the specific airliner is an imminent and clear danger to the citizens of that country," he notes, citing the "enormity of the decision to make this kind of action" as sufficient to make it barely possible. Dr. Gorka gave as an example of how rare these incidents are the difficulty in considering such a decision even in the extreme circumstances of September 11, 2001.
- That ABC provides no on-the-record sources or countries suspected of having pulled the trigger raises further questions. Dr. Gorka suggests that the report could be "part of a disinformation campaign," perhaps on the part of a source attempting to lead the media astray.
- Evidence of the potential of a civilian plane hijacking in Malaysia existed shortly before Flight 370's disappearance. Al Qaeda sources had independently testified at unrelated trials that they were working to conduct another 9/11-style hijacking in Malaysia. One witness at the trial of Osama bin Laden's son-in-law testified to training Malaysian extremists in how to use a shoe bomb to break into a locked cockpit.
- However, the theory that al Qaeda or affiliated extremists broke into the plane dismisses an enormous amount of research into and speculation about Flight 370's pilot, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, who was publicly supportive of the opposition movement in Malaysia and, by some accounts, "deeply disturbed."
- Earlier today, Malaysian authorities released the official transcript of the final conversation between the pilots and air traffic control, issuing different last words than they had originally. The new version corrects the final dispatch to "good night Malaysian three seven zero," from the previously believed "all right, good night."
-
- Diego Garcia: Philip Wood, IBM Engineer on Flight MH370, Posts Photo From U.S. 'Prison'?
- One of the newest conspiracy theories about missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is that the passengers are being held at Diego Garcia, a U.S. base near the Maldives.
- The theory itself isn't that new but claimed new evidence is''that would be a black photo allegedly taken by Philip Wood, an American IBM engineer on the flight.
- Widespread searches for the flight, which went missing around three weeks ago, have turned up basically nothing.
- Some people believe that the plane was flown to Diego Garcia, citing in part fuel projections and radar data.
- Now a conspiracy theory website jimstonefreelance.com claims that the story of Wood posting a photo from a ''prison'' in Diego Garcia is ''confirmed 100 percent true.''
- The origin of the photo, which looks like a picture taken in a completely black room, is unclear.
- But Stone says that the Exif data from the picture matches the coordinates of Diego Garcia, saying ''this is not a hoax.''
- The person who posted the photo online claimed to be blindfolded when he sent the message, Stone said.
- Stone said that the photo was posted with the following text: ''I have been held hostage by unknown military personal after my flight was hijacked (blindfolded). I work for IBM and I have managed to hide my cellphone in my ass during the hijack. I have been separated from the rest of the passengers and I am in a cell. My name is Philip Wood. I think I have been drugged as well and cannot think clearly.''
- ''The man claimed to be blindfolded when he sent the message,'' Stone said. ''When the American military blindfolds someone, it is accomplished by putting a bag over the head that is locked so you can't get it off. This left the engineers hands free. This would have made it possible for him to pull his iPhone 5 (a fact confirmed by the Exif data) out of his butt as stated, and use the voice command ability of the Iphone to just talk to it to log in and post the message. This explains why he sent a black photo, he could not see what he was sending, he just knew he snapped a photo and sent whatever got taken.''
- The location of Diego Garcia.
- The photo allegedly posted by Philip Wood.
- Stone added regarding the coordinates: ''When the coordinates are added to the fact that the photo's exif data does not match the Google coordinates or any other coordinates for Diego Garcia that are posted online, but is still within the boundaries of Diego Garcia, it proves that no one just pulled those coordinates off the web. It helps confirm that this was not just a hoax because the coordinates are exact to wherever on Diego Garcia the Iphone was when it took the photo.''
- Stone, who cross-posted his blog post on the conspiracy website Before It's News, doesn't include a clear point of origin for the photo or the information such as the Exif data.
- A link in the post that allegedly points to the origin of the photo doesn't work properly.
- See an AP update on the search below
- WELLINGTON, New Zealand'--Sometimes the object spotted in the water is a snarled fishing line. Or a buoy. Or something that might once have been the lid to an ice box. Not once'--not yet at least'--has it been a clue.
- Anticipation has repeatedly turned into frustration in the search for signs of Flight 370 as objects spotted from planes in a new search area west of Australia have turned out to be garbage. It's a time-wasting distraction for air and sea crews searching for debris from the Malaysia Airlines flight that vanished March 8.
- It also points to wider problems in the world's oceans.
- ''The ocean is like a plastic soup, bulked up with the croutons of these larger items,'' said Los Angeles captain Charles Moore, an environmental advocate credited with bringing attention to an ocean gyre between Hawaii and California known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which by some accounts is about the size of Texas.
- The world's oceans have four more of these flotsam-collecting vortexes, Moore said, and the searchers, in an area about 1,850 kilometers (1,150 miles) west of Perth, have stumbled onto the eastern edge of a gyre in the Indian Ocean.
- ''It's like a toilet bowl that swirls but doesn't flush,'' said Moore.
- The garbage patches are nothing like a typical city dump. In fact, most of the trash can't even be seen: It's composed of tiny bits of plastic bobbing just below the surface.
- The larger items also tend to be plastic and are often fishing-related, Moore said. Though, he added, he has come across light bulbs, a toilet seat, and, bobbing off the California coast, a refrigerator, complete with defrosted orange juice.
- Seattle oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer has been studying the phenomena of ocean debris for years. He said there are smaller collections of garbage within the gyres.
- ''If you go into a house you'll find dust bunnies,'' he said. ''The ocean has a mass of dust bunnies, each moving about 10 miles a day.''
- Ebbesmeyer said he's fascinated by what happens to the trash that spews from the hundreds of shipping containers lost overboard from cargo ships each year. He said there's one that keeps belching out Lego pieces onto the beaches of Cornwall, England. Another spilled 2,000 computer monitors. Another released thousands of pairs of Nike sneakers.
- Sometimes, he said, the containers themselves can become hazards as they float around for months, buoyed by plastic objects inside or the air trapped behind watertight doors.
- Trash also gets into the ocean after being washed down rivers or swept up in tsunamis, Ebbesmeyer said.
- Scientists are particularly worried about small and seemingly ubiquitous pieces of plastic that can be from shopping bags, plastic water bottles, or other household items. Waves break the items up into smaller pieces.
- Denise Hardesty, a research scientist for Australian science agency CSIRO, said the studies she's been involved with conservatively estimate there are between 5,000 and 7,000 small pieces of plastic per square kilometer in the waters around Australia.
- She said two-thirds of the seabirds she's performed necropsies upon have ingested at least some plastic, and one particular bird had swallowed 175 pieces. Another bird, she said, had swallowed an entire glow stick longer than a finger. Such sticks are used by fishermen to attract fish underwater.
- ''It takes 400 or 500 years for lots of types of plastics to completely break down,'' Hardesty said. ''It just goes into smaller and smaller bits. You even find plastics in plankton '-- that's how small it gets.''
- Hardesty said while she finds plenty of plastic in the ocean, she doesn't typically spot many larger objects. She said she does find trash like cans, bottles and candy wrappers floating near urban centers, but most of it tends to get washed ashore.
- American sailor James Burwick said he's twice crossed the Indian Ocean from Africa to Australia. He said the sea was too wild to see much trash but he did feel bumps against the bottom of his boat, and an old fishing net once got caught around his vessel.
- Wing Cmdr. Andy Scott, of New Zealand's defense force, said the crew in a P-3 Orion scouring the ocean for Flight 370 on Saturday spotted about 70 objects in four hours.
- Three were deemed worthy of further investigation, he said, but none turned out to be from the missing plane. One was probably a fishing line, he said, another was the suspected ice box lid, and a third was some unidentified brown and orange material.
- A cluster of orange-colored items spotted on Sunday from an Australian search plane and thought to be a promising lead also turned out to be fishing equipment.
- ''From my experience, it can be quite a roller coaster,'' he said. ''You sight these search objects, and think you've made a breakthrough, and then you have to get back to your routine.''
- Scott said that over time, small pieces of debris can tangle together to make something larger. Such rafts will eventually attract sea life, he said, which can stir up the water and make it appear to be more important than it is.
- ''A lot of the stuff we are seeing,'' he said, ''is basically rubbish.''
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Bank$ters
- NYTimes: Inquiry Into High-Speed Trading Widens [VIDEO]
-
- Mysterious New Book About Wall Street Due Out Monday; Will It Rock the Street?
- A new book is coming Monday by Michael Lewis, the author of Liar's Poker, Moneyball, The Big Short and The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game.New York Magazine reports:
- .It's called Flash Boys, but its actual subject has been not just a mystery but something of a guessing game among journalists, publishers, and finance types. To close readers of Lewisania (and there are very many) it might have been fairly obvious that the book was about high-frequency trading '-- brokers gaining microsecond advantages on automated exchanges....But no one could be absolutely sure, because the book has been, through the entire run of its production cycle, a complete ghost...
- .It wasn't listed in publisher W.W. Norton's catalog, and though it'll appear this Sunday on 60 Minutes, today's Amazon description still reads, blankly, ''Michael Lewis returns to the financial world with a new book that gives readers a ringside seat as the biggest story in years prepares to hit Wall Street.'' But what story is that '-- the subject of Flash Boys, or Flash Boys itself? In that Times item, Norton said only that it was ''squarely in the realm of Wall Street''...
- A rushed, stealth publication and an embargo mandated by 60 Minutes are hardly unprecedented, but they're exceedingly rare when the subject is a long-form work of financial journalism, heavy on hard numbers and colorful personalities, instead of, say, a celebrity tell-all, an account of killing bin Laden, or a trumped-up Benghazi expos(C). This is a writer who made his mark with a dishy Salomon Brothers tell-all and his name with a portrait of an innovative baseball manager '-- compelling stories, but hardly the kind of books that are gobbled up on the Acela the morning of publication. So when did Michael Lewis become Bob Woodward?While Norton refused to comment on their cloak-and-dagger publication strategy, Michael Lewis himself was happy to chat yesterday by phone...
- ''It's scoopier than most of my narratives.'' ...Lewis is feeling pretty confident. ''I think that in this case, I have lighting in a bottle,'' he says
-
- Virtu delays IPO launch as high-speed trading under scrutiny | Reuters
- NEW YORK, April 2Wed Apr 2, 2014 12:55pm EDT
- NEW YORK, April 2 (Reuters) - High-speed trading firm Virtu Financial Inc delayed the launch of its initial public offering this week as it awaits regulatory approval, which is expected within days rather than weeks, a person familiar with the matter said.
- The IPO will seek to raise $200 million to $250 million, for a valuation of around $3 billion, the person said on Wednesday.
- High-frequency trading has been under intense scrutiny in recent days, following the release of author Michael Lewis' book "Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt" on Monday.
- Lewis alleges that the U.S. stock market is rigged, with exchanges and alternative trading platforms favoring HFT firms, which use their speed advantage to extract billions from the financial market.
- The protagonist of "Flash Boys" is Brad Katsuyama, who led the creation of a new exchange in November called IEX - for Investors' Exchange - aimed in part at ensuring that HFT firms have no special advantages over other brokers on the platform.
- Virtu, one of the biggest U.S. HFT firms, is active in making markets on IEX, taking the other side of trades to ensure the market stays liquid.
- Regulators, politicians, and other authorities have all weighed in recently on HFT.
- Federal U.S. investigators and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said this week they were investigating possible wrongdoing by HFT firms. Two weeks ago, New York state's Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said he believed U.S. stock exchanges and other platforms provided HFT firms with unfair advantages.
- HFT is carried out by many banks and proprietary trading firms using sophisticated computer programs to send high volumes of orders into the market, executing a small portion of them when opportunities arise to capitalize on price imbalances, or to make markets.
- HFT makes up more than half of all U.S. trading volume. The firms are regulated, as are the exchanges they trade on.
- (Reporting by John McCrank; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
- Link thisShare thisDigg thisEmailPrintReprints
-
- Almost 2 tons of cocaine seized off Puerto Rico coast
- SAN JUANWed Apr 2, 2014 7:21pm EDT
- SAN JUAN (Reuters) - A 1.8 ton cocaine shipment worth an estimated $50 million that was thought to be destined for the U.S. market was seized off the coast of Puerto Rico, federal authorities said on Wednesday, in one of the largest drug busts there in recent years.
- The shipment was intercepted on Monday evening on a 30-foot boat that was 12.5 miles off the resort town of Dorado on Puerto Rico's north coast.
- "We have seized more than three tons of cocaine over the last month," Angel Melendez, head of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations office in San Juan, said on Wednesday.
- The great majority of cocaine destined for the U.S. market is smuggled via Mexico, but U.S. officials have said that joint U.S.-Mexican counter-drug efforts have begun to push some of the traffic back into the Caribbean, an historically popular corridor during the heyday of Colombia's Medellin cartel in the 1980s and 1990s.
- About 14 percent of U.S.-bound cocaine shipments, roughly 42 tons, was trafficked through the Caribbean in the first six months of 2013, and Puerto Rico and the neighboring Dominican Republic have emerged as hubs of the burgeoning trade, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
- That was double the share of U.S.-bound cocaine that was shipped through the region during the first half of 2012, Vito Guarino, special agent in charge of the DEA's Caribbean division, said last October.
- The U.S. has seen a 30 percent overall drop in the amount of cocaine smuggled into the United States over the same time period, partly due to increased drug interdiction efforts along the U.S.-Mexico border, Guarino said at that time.
- Melendez told a news conference on Wednesday that a drug bust netted 1.1 tons of cocaine on the south coast of Puerto Rico in March. Drug traffickers use the Caribbean corridor as one of the preferred routes to send drugs to the United States, he said.
- Last December a 33-foot long boat was seized off Puerto Rico containing 54 bales of cocaine weighing about 1,500 kilos.
- Two suspected smugglers arrested on Monday were identified as Reny Alexander L"pez Meneces and Andri Rivas Rojas Irving, both Venezuelan nationals. If convicted, they face from 10 years to life in prison and are being held at the federal detention center in San Juan on drug trafficking charges, authorities said.
- ICE spokesman Ivan L. Ortiz-Delgado said the go-fast boat is believed to have traveled directly from Venezuela to Puerto Rico. He said smugglers use either this direct approach, or "island hop" through small eastern Caribbean nations or attempt to smuggle into the United States through the Dominican Republic.
- The bust was made by the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force (CCSF), an initiative of the U.S. Attorney's Office created to combat major drug trafficking organizations operating in the Caribbean.
- (Reporting by a Reuters correspondent in San Juan; Editing by David Adams)
- Link thisShare thisDigg thisEmailPrintReprints
-
- Tradeworx
- T2AM, LLC, formerly Telesis Capital, LLC, is the asset management affiliate of Tradeworx, Inc. T2AM provides all back office and front office support for its single manager and multi manager products. In addition, the firm specializes in manager selection, portfolio construction and monitoring for all its multi manager products.
-
- Agenda 21
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- NYTimes: Panel’s Warning on Climate Risk: Worst Is Yet to Come
- The poorest people in the world, who have had virtually nothing to do with causing global warming, will be high on the list of victims as climatic disruptions intensify,
- the report said. It cited a World Bank estimate that poor countries
- need as much as $100 billion a year to try to offset the effects of
- climate change; they are now getting, at best, a few billion dollars a
- year in such aid from rich countries.
- $100 billion figure, though included in the 2,500-page main report, was
- removed from a 48-page executive summary to be read by the world’s top
- political leaders. It was among the most significant changes made as the
- summary underwent final review during an editing session of several
- edit came after several rich countries, including the United States,
- raised questions about the language, according to several people who
- were in the room at the time but did not wish to be identified because
- the negotiations were private. The language is contentious because poor
- countries are expected to renew their demand for aid this September in
- New York at a summit meeting of world leaders, who will attempt to make
- headway on a new treaty to limit greenhouse gases.
- rich countries argue that $100 billion a year is an unrealistic demand;
- it would essentially require them to double their budgets for foreign
- aid, at a time of economic distress at home. That argument has fed a
- rising sense of outrage among the leaders of poor countries, who feel
- their people are paying the price for decades of profligate Western
-
- Buried in UN Report: $100 Billion More Needed to Adapt to 'Global Warming' | CNS News
- 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winners Al Gore (left) and Rajendra Pachauri (right), head of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (AP photo)
- (CNSNews.com) '' The United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) latest report estimates it will cost developed nations an additional $100 billion each year to help poorer countries adapt to the devastating effects of ''unequivocal'' global warming, including food shortages, infrastructure breakdown, and civil violence.But that figure was deleted from the report's executive summary after industrialized nations, including the United States, objected to the high price tag. (SeeIPCC Summary.pdf)
- ''The $100 billion figure, though included in the 2,500-page main report, was removed from a 48-page executive summary to be read by the world's top political leaders,'' the New York Times reported. ''It was among the most significant changes made as the summary underwent final review during a dayslong editing session in Yokohama [Japan]'' where it was released Monday.
- The final figure is likely to be much higher, according to Chapter 17 (''Economics of Adaptation'') of the full IPCC report, entitled Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability, which notes that ''there is strong evidence of important omissions and shortcomings in data and methods rendering these estimates highly preliminary.''
- The report goes on to say that the cost of adapting to global warming will most likely be far greater than the $1 billion a day spent to prevent it in 2012 by government and private entities worldwide.
- ''Comparison of the global cost estimates with the current level of adaptation funding shows the projected global needs to be orders of magnitude greater than the current investment levels, particularly in developing countries,'' the IPCC report stated.
- Noting that there are ''biophysical limits to adaptation'' to climate change, including ''the inability to restore outdoor comfort under high temperatures,'' the report adds that ''the desirability of adaptation options will vary with time and climate change realization.''
- But the adverse affects of global warming will be felt by everyone, the UN panel claims.
- ''Nobody on this planet is going to be untouched by the impacts of climate change,'' IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri said at a press conference Monday in Yokohama, where the panel's latest report was released. ''Without reductions in emissions,'' he warned, the impacts of global warming ''could get out of control.''
- ''With high levels of warming that result from continued growth in greenhouse gas emissions, risks will be challenging to manage, and even serious, sustained investments in adaptation will face limits,'' said Chris Field, co-chair of the panel's Working Group II, which predicted that ''by 2100 for the high-emission scenario, the combination of high temperature and humidity in some areas for parts of the year is projected to compromise normal human activities, including growing food or working outdoors.''
- Global warming will also ''indirectly increase risks of violent conflicts in the form of civil war and inter-group violence by amplifying well-documented drivers of these conflicts such as poverty and economic shocks,'' the report maintains.
- However, the IPCC's ability to correctly predict future climactic conditions based on computer modeling is coming under increasing fire by scientists because of its inability to do so in the past.
- For example, the panel's widely-cited 2007 report, which was edited by Pachauri, predicted that Himalayan glaciers were in danger of disappearing by 2035 due to global warming. Pachauri's panel shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore that year, but he was forced towalk backthe prediction in 2010, referring to the blunder as a ''human error.''
- And despite the panel's insistence that the Earth is getting hotter, five different datasets show that there's been no observable warming for 17 ½ years even as carbon dioxide levels have risen 12 percent, notes Christopher Monckton, who says ''the discrepancy between prediction and observation continues to grow.''
- On Monday, the same day the IPCC report was released, the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC), whose membership includes 31,000 American scientists, released a paper that sharply contradicted the IPCC report and pointed out that a warmer Earth would actually be a good thing.
- ''Atmospheric carbon dioxide is not a pollutant;The ongoing rise in the air's CO2 content is causing a great greening of the Earth;There is little or no risk of increasing food insecurity due to global warming or rising atmospheric CO2 levels;Terrestrial ecosystems have thrived throughout the world as a result of warming temperatures and rising levels of atmospheric CO2;Rising temperatures and atmospheric CO2 levels do not pose a significant threat to aquatic life; andA modest warming of the planet will result in a net reduction of human mortality from temperature-related events.''On Feb. 25th, former Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore also testified before the Senate Environmental and Public Works Subcommittee on Oversight, telling members of Congress that contrary to the IPCC's findings,''it is 'extremely likely' that a warmer temperature than today's would be far better than a cooler one.''
- ''Today, we live in an unusually cold period in the history of life on earth and there is no reason to believe that a warmer climate would be anything but beneficial for humans and the majority of other species.'' Moore testified.
- On the contrary, he added, ''there is ample reason to believe that a sharp cooling of the climate would bring disastrous results for human civilization."(See 22514HearingWitnessTestimonyMoore.pdf)
-
- 'An Inconvenient Truth' Producers Talking Sequel (Exclusive) - The Hollywood Reporter
- Al Gore in 2006's An Inconvenient Truth.
- A version of this story first appeared in the April 11 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
- Al Gore might need to dust off his projector. The creative forces behind the Oscar-winning environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth are hatching plans for a sequel to the film that raised global awareness of climate change. "We have had conversations," producer Lawrence Bender tells THR. "We've met; we've discussed. If we are going to make a movie, we want it to have an impact."
- PHOTOS: 35 of 2014's Most Anticipated Movies
- The first film certainly did. Released in 2006 by Paramount and JeffSkoll's Participant Media, the Davis Guggenheim-directed doc grossed nearly $50 million worldwide and helped propel Gore, its narrator, to a 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. But Bender believes that during the ensuing years, the fossil-fuel industry has changed the dialogue with a misinformation campaign. "They did a really good job of pushing back and confusing people," he says. "Some people actually believe global warming doesn't exist."
- Environmental activist Laurie David also believes a sequel should be on the agenda. "God, do we need one," she says. "Everything in that movie has come to pass. At the time we did the movie, there was Hurricane Katrina; now we have extreme weather events every other week. The update has to be incredible and shocking."
- Despite the desire, a sequel is far from a sure thing, and producer Scott Z. Burns says he "would only support doing a follow-up if we have a really, really amazing way of attacking the issue and reinvigorating it."
- But Inconvenient Truth and the issues it raised were on Bender's mind as he accepted an award during a Beverly Hills fundraiser March 21 that collected $700,000 for UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. At the gala, hosted by Jeanne and Anthony Pritzker, the producer called for renewed activism on climate change and cited the film's impact. "At the time, we hoped to provoke a global conversation about climate change," Bender told the audience, which included Courteney Cox, Anjelica Huston, Johnny McDaid, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "Our new inconvenient truth is that not nearly enough concrete action has been taken."
-
- What is the California Climate Credit? | Energy Upgrade California
- Savings on Electricity Bills
- Millions of Californians will see savings on their electricity bill'--in April and October for residential customers and monthly for small businesses'--from a state program to fight climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- The Climate Credit is designed to help all of us in California fight climate change and clean the air. You don't need to do anything to get the credit, but if you want to join California's efforts to tackle climate change, there's a lot you can do.
- Taking action on climate change as just one person, family or small business might seem overwhelming, but doing our part with millions of others to support California's policies and programs can make a major difference.
- Most of our greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings and transportation. Choices about how we use energy can reduce our impact and don't require new technologies or sacrifices.
- On the RoadDrive a fuel-efficient vehicle. Find recommendations at www.driveclean.ca.gov.
- Get frequent tune-ups include air filter changesMaintain correct tire pressureCarpool and combine tripsDrive without big acceleration or sudden stopsAt Home and at WorkInvest in more efficient lighting and appliances.Eliminate stand-by power by unplugging electronics you're not using.Download the products list below to help you save energy.Looking to make a big impact?
- Consider your home's heating and cooling.Seal holes and upgrade your insulation.Get a home energy assessment and a comprehensive home upgrade.Lots of low and no-cost actions add up as well like setting your thermostat right and washing clothes on cold. Go to Save Energy at Home to see lots of tips by category.
- Who Gets the California Climate Credit?Households will receive a credit in April and October each year, and small businesses will get the credit each month. Most Californians are eligible for the Climate Credit.
- The credit goes to households and small businesses located where privately owned utilities regulated by the Public Utilities Commission provide electricity distribution services. That includes customers of PG&E, SDG&E, Southern California Edison, PacificPower, Liberty Utilities and those who buy electricity generation in those areas from direct access providers and community choice aggregators such as Marin Clean Energy.
- The amount of the credit varies based on utility or electric service provider.
- How California is Tackling Climate ChangeThe Climate Credit is one of several programs California is implementing to fight climate change by limiting greenhouse gas pollution. Developed as a result of landmark legislation called the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, also known as AB32, these programs seek to reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 30% by 2020. Energy is associated with about 50% of the state's emissions and is therefore a big opportunity for improvement.
- How the Climate Credit WorksCalifornia requires large industries like power plants to reduce the greenhouse gas pollution they emit and pay for their emissions. The California Climate Credit is your share of the payments made by California's biggest industrial emitters.
- Read more about how the Credit works.
- Download Climate Credit Resources
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Christopher Field - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Dr. Christopher Field is a scientist and researcher, who has contributed to the field of climate change. The author of more than 200 scientific publications, Field's research emphasizes impacts of climate change, from the molecular to the global scale. His work includes major field experiments on responses of California grassland to multi-factor global change, integrative studies on the globalcarbon cycle,[1] and assessments of impacts of climate change on agriculture.[2] Field's work with models includes studies on the global distribution of carbon sources and sinks, and studies on environmental consequences of expanding biomass energy.[3]
- Positions and accolades[edit]Field is the founding director of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology.[4] Field received his PhD from Stanford University in 1981 and has been at the Carnegie Institution for Science since 1984. Field is also a Professor of Biology and Environmental Earth System Science at Stanford University,[3] the Faculty Director of Stanford's Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, and a member of the US National Academy of Sciences. He was a coordinating lead author for the fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Field has testified before House and Senate committees and has appeared on media from NPR's ''Science Friday'' to BBC's ''Your World Today.'' In September 2008, Field was elected co-chair of Working Group 2 of the IPCC, along with Vicente Barros.[5] In 2009, Field was one of ten recipients of the 15th Annual Heinz Award with special focus on the environment.[6]
- References[edit]PersondataNameField, ChristopherAlternative namesShort descriptionAmerican scientistDate of birthPlace of birthDate of deathPlace of death
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- IPCC Working Group II
- Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability
- The 10th Session of Working Group II (WGII-10) was held from 25 to 29 March 2014 in Yokohama, Japan. At the Session, the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of the Working Group II contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (WGII AR5) was approved and the underlying scientific and technical assessment accepted.
- Summary For PolicymakersPDF - 12.9 MBFinal Draft WGII Report(Accepted 30 March 2014)
-
- New Climate Change Report Warns of Dire Consequences
- The world is not ready for the impacts of climate change, including more extreme weather and the likelihood that populated parts of the planet could be rendered uninhabitable, says the planet's leading body of climate scientists in a major new UN report.
- The 772 scientists who wrote and edited the report argue that world leaders have only a few years left to reduce carbon emissions enough to avoid catastrophic warming, which would produce significant sea level rise and large-scale shifts in temperatures that would dramatically disrupt human life and natural ecosystems.
- "Observed impacts of climate change are widespread and consequential," according to the report, which is from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and was released Monday morning in Yokohama, Japan.
- The report uses stronger language around current impacts of climate change than past IPCC releases.
- It warns that the impacts from changing climate are already happening, calling out "high risk levels" for spread of disease in Africa; property loss and mortality due to wildfires in North America; and decreased food production and food quality in South America. (See video: "Global Warming 101.")
- The report also warns of more dire consequences to come and says governments are ill-prepared for the effects.
- It shows that "today's choices are going to significantly affect the risk that climate change will pose for the rest of the century," says Kelly Levin, a scientist who studies climate change impacts at the World Resources Institute in Washington, D.C.
- Frances Beinecke, the president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, called the report an "S.O.S. to the world."
- The new report, from a body known as the UN panel's Working Group II, warns that the world is close to missing a chance to limit the global warming that has occurred since the Industrial Revolution.
- World leaders had previously agreed on a target of limiting warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Beyond that point, "impacts will begin to be unacceptably severe," the authors wrote. (Quiz: What You Don't Know About Climate Science.)
- "There is potential for crossing a threshold that leads to large system changes, and that's a very unknown world that has severe consequences," Levin says.
- If the warming were to go beyond 6-to-7 degrees Fahrenheit (about four degrees Celsius), she says, as predicted by some climate models, "we would see extensive changes in agriculture."
- Even at the lower end of predictions, the report warns: "Climate change will lead to increased frequency, intensity and/or duration of extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall, warm spells and heat events, drought, intense storm surges and associated sea-level rise."
- Levin hopes the report will spur international leaders to negotiate more aggressive attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (How does the greenhouse effect work?)
- Levin says the IPCC report's bottom line is that governments need to invest more in planning for the impacts of climate change. Communities that are already marginalized, she says, including the urban poor, are most at risk.
- Some communities should be moved to less risky areas, and support services need to be bolstered, she says: "We need more fast-acting institutions and early-warning systems. We are already committed to significant warming, so adaptation is a great necessity."
- Energy companies and governments are actively planning and building the infrastructure that will be in service for decades, she notes. As climate change continues, power plants will need to have enough water for cooling their systems in places that are likely to get hotter and drier.
- "Whether we pick a low-emission or high-emission pathway, we may not see changes immediately," Levin says. "But in terms of a century it is a drastically different world."
- The new report specifically calls out risks to agriculture.
- "In the U.S. we have seen acute effects of severe heat on corn, cotton, and soy yields," says Noah Diffenbaugh, a climate scientist at Stanford University and one of the lead authors of the North American section of the document.
- "That kind of severe heat is likely to increase in response to continued global warming," he says.
- The IPCC was founded in 1988 and has released a report on the current state of scientific knowledge about climate change roughly every five years.
- The new Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) updates the science since the last report was issued in 2007.
- The massive report, running hundreds of pages, is being released in three sections, each prepared by a different working group.
- Working Group I focused on the physical science behind climate change; its report was published last September (see the report's five key takeaways).
- In April, Working Group III will address how governments can work to mitigate climate change.
- Follow Brian Clark Howard on Twitter and Google+.
-
- IPCC report: adapt to cope with climate change
- Flooding as a result of wetter winters is set to continue. Steve Parsons/PA ArchiveClimate change is a serious threat to human safety and security according to the latest report from the UN's International Panel on Climate Change. But also coming through loud and clear is that adaptation can reduce the risks we face from climate change.
- Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised; Charles Darwin was telling us this more than 100 years ago:
- It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.
- The latest report lays out the risks from climate change on food, water and livelihoods more strongly than ever before. Presenting a series of new studies, it shows that we are already feeling the effects of a warmer world '' hotter weather may already be reducing yields of major food crops, for example.
- The risks from climate change are clear and the latest IPCC report only adds more urgency to a global deal on reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst impacts. However, we can't entirely mitigate our way out of this problem.
- Adapting to changing climateNew in this report is much more emphasis on adaptation. Measures such as flood defences, shading on houses to keep out the heat and developing water-saving measures feature to abate the rising risks of climate change. The report shows how adaptation is already making the world more climate resilient and could reduce future risks by as much as 50%.
- We can see how adaptation is helping to protect British citizens, for example. Investment in flood defence has meant that UK flood damages to property in 2014 were less than in 2007, despite very widespread flooding. But this has cost money and will continue to do so.
- Adaptation has the potential to reduce some, but not necessarily all, impacts and many organisations are beginning to address climate change risks. But they often do not know exactly what they will have to adapt to.
- So how can organisations and communities across the world adapt in a cost-effective way to climate change when scientists can only give a broad indication of what might happen to the local climate? It is possible to develop responses which are flexible to deal with uncertainty, but this may not be feasible in all cases or where investments are likely to be made over the long term.
- Accounting for the short termThe IPCC report gives projections for 2050 or 2100, showing the broad, long-term risks of climate change. But they are still woefully short of regional and local detail. Adaptation is needed now and organisations are looking for information about the sort of climate extremes they might be facing this summer or next winter. There are relatively few organisations that plan over a 50 or 100-year timescale.
- Research into what might happen to climate over the next year or the next 10 years is developing rapidly. The IPCC Working Group I report, which came out last September, included a whole chapter on near-term climate change for the first time, led by my colleague Rowan Sutton.
- But the scientific challenges are massive in this area of climate research. Trying to forecast climate for the next year or next decade is in some ways more difficult than a forecast for 2050 or 2100. Near-term forecasts require a much better understanding of natural variations in climate and how these interact with human influences.
- One example of recent research shows that a major current in the North Atlantic Ocean could be slowing down. Findings indicate that a recently measured slowdown of 10-15% may be part of larger decline that began in the 1990s and shows no sign of stopping.
- This could have a significant impact on weather in Britain and elsewhere. The decline could cool the North Atlantic and reverse the recent pattern of wet British summers. It could also lead to fewer Atlantic hurricanes and more droughts in North Africa.
- This isn't a forecast, but it is research that is developing rapidly and could be tremendously beneficial in helping understand how climate is evolving. We won't ever have absolutely precise climate forecasts of next summer or the next decade, but the potential is there to provide useful guidance.
- Combining this with research into the impact of climate change on our lives is vital for adapting to and minimising the many risks that have been laid out in the latest IPCC report.
- Sign in to Favourite Post a CommentTagsClimate change, IPCC, Climate science, IPCC Fifth Assessment Report, climate adaptation
- Related articles 31 March 2014 Trying to cash in on climate change won't fool nature 31 March 2014 The IPCC has spelled out the risks '' now what do we do? 31 March 2014 IPCC: Australia and New Zealand face greater fire and flood risk, damage to coral reefs 31 March 2014 Climate campaigns trip up on democracy at critical points 31 March 2014 IPCC expert wrap: costs of climate change mounting, time to adapt
-
- Five Key Takeaways From The Frightening IPCC Climate Change Report | Crooks and Liars
- Last year was one of the 10 warmest years on record, researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday. While the past 150 years have seen average temperatures rise 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit, 9 of the 10 hottest years on record have been since the 1990s'--with 2012 ranking somewhere around 8 or 9. Read more...
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- BBC News - MPs criticise BBC over climate change reporting
- 2 April 2014 Last updated at 00:37
- The BBC has to adopt "clear editorial guidelines" for its reporting on the issue of climate change, MPs have said.
- The Science and Technology Committee said the organisation played a "central" role in informing the public.
- But some editors were "poor" at determining viewers' and listeners' level of expertise and sometimes pitted lobbyists against "top scientists" as if their views had "equal weight".
- The BBC said it did "not believe in erasing wider viewpoints".
- In its report, the committee said news teams, including those on Radio 4's Today programme, had committed the mistake of attributing the same weight to opinions and scientific fact when covering climate science.
- Its chairman, Labour MP Andrew Miller, said: "Given the high level of trust the public has in its coverage, it is disappointing that the BBC does not ensure all of its programmes and presenters reflect the actual state of climate science in its output.
- "Some editors appear to be particularly poor at determining the level of scientific expertise of contributors in debates, for instance, putting up lobbyists against top scientists as though their arguments on the science carry equal weight."
- The BBC does its utmost to report on this complex subject as clearly as possible using our specialist journalistsBBC spokesmanThe report suggested the majority of the public did not have a good understanding of climate change or its causes and many people would like to be better informed.
- The MPs called on the BBC to develop "clear editorial guidelines" for commentators and presenters, encouraging them to challenge statements from either side of the climate policy debate that strayed too far from accepted scientific facts.
- The report also criticised the government and its agencies for failing to provide "clear, consistent messages", which had had a detrimental impact on the public's trust in climate science.
- It said: "As a matter of urgency, the government needs to draw up a climate change communication strategy and implement this consistently across all departments."
- A BBC spokesman said: "The BBC does its utmost to report on this complex subject as clearly as possible using our specialist journalists.
- "While the vast bulk of our interviews are with climate scientists, as part of our commitment to impartiality it is important that dissenting voices are also heard.
- "We don't believe in erasing wider viewpoints even if the select committee doesn't agree with them."
- He said the BBC took "care to reflect all viewpoints in the debate" about science and to give them "due weight".
- And Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said: "The government is already proactive in communicating the science of climate change, using the media, climate scientists and trusted third-party organisations as a medium to do so.
- "We are continuing to maximise all communications channels, including digital, social media and traditional media, whilst refreshing our strategy to help improve how climate change is communicated to the public."
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- The end is nigh '' don't read all about it
- The much anticipated latest summary of peer-reviewed climate science by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has finally been delivered. The jury, as they say, is unambiguously in, even if it's going to take a while to wade through the verdict. I find it hard to believe that the authors of the latest IPCC report have actually read it from cover to cover, let alone the rest of us.
- One of the reason why the phrase 'weighty tome' is particularly apt in this case is because the entire report is hedged with so many caveats, cautionary disclaimers and references to mountains of evidence. This is hardly surprising given the criticism of the IPCC's earlier efforts, some of which was undoubtedly merited.
- There can't be too many people who are shocked or surprised about some of the IPCC's main conclusions, however. The take home message '' as ever '' is that climate change is real, it's already happening and it's being driven by human actions. The consequences are already becoming difficult to manage and they are likely to get an awful lot worse in the future.
- So far, so familiar, perhaps. And yet there are two features of the new report's release that are especially noteworthy. First, the draft version of the unedited report contains a chapter on 'human security'. Human security is an increasingly influential way of thinking about the nature of security that is noticeably at odds with the traditional focus on 'guns and bombs' and as the name suggests, considers what makes individual people actually feel secure.
- As a consequence, human security gives more attention to economic development and environmental sustainability than it does to the relative merits various weapons systems, for example. Such an approach seems especially compelling in the context of climate change as we now know it's happening, it's going to have direct impacts on people's well being, and it thus represents a direct and growing threat to their security.
- Conventional threats to security, on the other hand, are in decline. Inter-state conflict '' of the sort which states spend billions preparing for '' is rare. This merits emphasis as Australia is about to embark on a new round of defence purchases that may be immune to the sorts of budget cutbacks that are likely to cause pain elsewhere '' not least in managing the environment, to judge by recent government policy.
- What is especially striking about the chapter on human security is that, like the rest of the report, the tone is extremely cautious, the claims modest and hedged with caveats, and the conclusions provisional. It is noteworthy that there is no sustained discussion of the possible impact of key issues such as rising sea levels and melting glaciers.
- Again, this is no surprise given the reception of the last report, perhaps, but it is clear that these sorts of changes are still going to occur, even if the timing and impact remain uncertain.
- The prospect of growing food insecurity and forced migration as a consequence of climate change, especially in some of the world's poorest and most politically volatile regions, ought to be ringing alarm bells around the world.
- Indeed, we might expect that even the IPCC's muted tone and careful qualifications would make this the story of the moment. After all, we are talking about an unprecedented challenge that is already affecting much of the planet's population and which is already threatening the lives of millions around the world.
- One would not know this from reading yesterday's Australian, however. Indeed, the second noteworthy feature of the IPCC report's arrival was the way it was marginalised in one of the nation's handful of supposedly serious papers.
- Even though the IPCC had just provided an overview of our collective best understanding of what is arguably the greatest challenge humanity has ever confronted, The Australian led with a review of an obscure journal article that criticised the Building the Education Revolution scheme.
- News about the IPCC report was relegated to page 4, under the misleading headline:
- Picture of gloom has silver lining
- Robert Manne has detailed the Murdoch empire's hostility to climate change, but The Australian's decision to spend yet more energy beating up a long-defeated political opponent, rather than addressing what is '' or ought to be '' simply the most important story on that or any other day induces incredulity and not a little despair.
- Nothing is going to change in this country '' or any other, for that mater '' while some of the most influential media outlets fail to take seriously issues they find ideologically unpalatable. Is it any surprise that traditional media outlets are dying and The Australian continues to lose money when its coverage of key issues is so predictable, uniform and '' yes '' biased?
- Perhaps some of The Australian's ageing commentators judge they won't be around in 20 or 30 years or so when things begin to get really nasty as they almost certainly will '' especially when governments are not held to account. Whether their children and grandchildren will be quite so sanguine is doubtful.
- It may be time to give up the subscription and the daily ritual of retrieving the paper from the front lawn. Far better to stay in bed with the covers drawn up over my head.
-
- How climate change will affect your life. | Electric Car Conversion Blog
- The future: coming to a town near you.
- Climate change is here, it's getting worse, and human activity is to blame.
- This is the consensus of the majority of the scientific community, who now believe that fact as strongly as they believe cigarettes increase your risk of lung cancer and heart disease. You simply can't argue with those statistics, unless you have an agenda or are willfully ignorant.
- There's just no argument anymore. What you can argue about, however, is how intensely climate change will affect you.
- A few days ago the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its fourth major assessment on climate change, and as you might expect, the news ain't good. The short story is that things are already getting bad, and we're not doing enough to reverse it, slow it down, or even adapt to it. This means bad things are going to happen.
- At this point I should point out the obvious to anyone who's been following climate change for the last few years: we will not change our ways. If you think we will all get together at the next UN meeting and all agree to instantly reverse climate change then you are mistaken. I don't want to offend you, but it's true. We are heading one way and we will not change the direction. We're in for a rough ride.If you're old then in a way you're lucky: you've enjoyed the best half of the 20th century which was an amazing time to be alive! Technology, social progress, art, and prosperity. You saw it all. You were born at the right time and you should be thankful for it.If you're young however, things are going to get pretty crappy for you and your family within your lifetime.
- Just take a moment to accept that pretty crappy fact. Take all the time you need.
- Does this mean humanity will die out? No, of course not; we're incredibly adaptable beings. However with this adaption will come a change in how we live our lives, with our collective quality of life changing for the worse. At some point, some groups of people, living in some parts of the world are going to starve, fight, and die because of the effects of climate change. This is reality.
- I'm sure you've already read the headlines how people in low-lying islands are already being relocated due to rising sea levels, and how impoverished people in Africa are starving more than ever, and how some cities are now experiencing lack of water as their reservoirs dry out with no solutions available.
- Yes it's tragic, it's bad, it's horrible '' but it's human nature to be more concerned about your immediate surroundings, which means those growing numbers of people dying of hunger & thirst seem like they're another world away.
- What you're probably more concerned about is what's going to happen to people like you, living in major cities in the USA, Europe, Australasia etc. What's in store for folks like us within the next 30 years?
- 1: Rising food prices. This is the first thing you can expect to see in developed cities, and it will be well out of line with inflation. Meat will soon become a luxury good in your city, as is happening many countries. Simple grains and breads will also rise in price to the point where a large portion of your income will need to go straight to buying essential food items. This is because despite our ballooning global population, global wheat yields are expected to drop by 2% every decade. More people + less food = incredible demand. Think your weekly grocery shopping trip is expensive now? Prepare to pay a lot more month by month, year by year for the same things.
- 2: Some of your favourite foods will no longer be available.We're already seeing this with avocados. At this stage you can still buy them, but their prices are skyrocketing. Soon, they will become so expensive that your local supermarket will not stock them, because no one will pay $12 for one. It will happen with other exotic fruits and vegetables too, such as what is happening to pineapples due to an increase in heatwaves, droughts, and severe storms. At this stage it's only shortages on some items, not complete elimination so fork out more and enjoy these luxuries while you can. One day it such shortages will apply to some things you buy regularly today.
- 3: Unemployment, and lots of it. Yes, I know we're still battling with record numbers of unemployed so this isn't welcome news, but that's just where we're heading, so accept it. But why would we have an increase in unemployment in our cities? Simple: destructive storms, severe droughts, reduced agricultural yields, and the decreased availability of water will force hundreds of millions of people to relocate to find work. That includes your town. Yes, right where you are sitting. There will be less industry because of less money, which means less jobs, but a more desperate workforce (willing to work for less than you). Accept it because it's already happening in first world countries like the USA.
- 4: Taxes will increase rapidly. This will be to assist the swelling number of individuals who will require government assistance for food. The tax increases will also be in order to assist the increasing millions of unemployed, and it will be used to treat the millions of those becoming sick from poor nutrition and/or living in a reduced level of hygiene caused by a reduced cashflow. Therefore if you do have a job in 25 years from now, expect to pay a heck of a lot more in tax. This is unavoidable and it just means a poorer standard of living for people like you and me. High taxes mean people have less disposable income, which results in less consumption, which means businesses make less, which results in people losing their jobs. This adds to point number 3, above which makes points 3 & 4 a self-perpetuating loop.
- 5: Water shortages are coming for many cities; including yours. Some cities are already desperate for water, and things are getting the opposite of ''much better''. With unpredictable seasons and longer drier spells forecast, there will be less water available. Water fees in your town will increase dramatically to cover the costs of new dams and reservoirs and to discourage water wastage. This means more costs for you.
- 6: Major increases in crime. In a city full of hungry, thirsty, unemployed people, crime will flourish. That's not rocket science. Not everyone will be desperate enough to break into your home, but the percentage will noticeably increase. Expect more muggings, murders, and burglaries for cash & valuables. Desperate people do desperate things in desperate times, and this is apparent in many countries already. It's going to get much worse, so you're best to accept it now and plan ahead.
- Sadly, climate change means that for many people, life in your town or city will probably never be as good as it is now.
- Now, take a deep breath and relax for a moment, while I try and bring some balance into this gloomy perspective.
- Firstly, none of this will happen suddenly. You're not going to wake up tomorrow with people shooting each other over a bag of flour or a container of water. As bad as things may get, I'm not convinced it will ever get to that level in our first world towns and cities.
- Secondly, there are ways to plan ahead for climate change. You can think of it like an insurance payment for a happier life in the future. Let's run through some solutions to some of the unpleasant & upcoming issues I mentioned above.
- 1: Beat rising food prices by growing your own food. It's really the only way to help with your weekly food bill. This is something becoming more and more popular in cities where fresh fruits and vegetables are getting more and more expensive. Unfortunately if you want to make a real difference to your food bill, you'd better relocate to a house with an actual back yard. An apartment balcony just isn't going to make a real difference in the future. This is something to worry about in the future of course, but with cities about to start swelling due to overpopulation coupled with climate refugees, city house prices are going to hyper-inflate within the next decade or two. Get in now '' or should I say, get out now.
- 2: Shortages of luxury foods can only be mitigated by growing your own once again. As meat will soon become a luxury, it's worth raising your own poultry or (if you have the room) rabbits, pigs, or sheep for meat. You'll soon find the demand is still there, and you could fetch top dollar if you butcher and sell it yourself.
- 3: There are few ways to prepare for unemployment. If you're with a partner then both of you should be prepared to live off his/her salary alone. Can you do that now? If not, why not? Find ways to trim your expenses. ''But he/she doesn't earn enough!'' you say? Welcome to the problems of 2030. Learn to survive and thrive on a pittance. It could very likely be your only choice one day.
- 4: Taxes are a part of life; and really high taxes are a part of climate change. You can't avoid them, so it's best you know now, huh?
- 5: Water shortages are something you can plan for. Get a massive water collection system installed, and collect the rainwater off your roof. There are simple systems you can attach to your home's downpipe. Have it fill a container the size of a car, and then filter the water before drinking it. When your local municipality announces water rationing for the 5th day in a row, you'll be fine.
- 6: Install a fence around your home, and protect your vegetable patch. If you were starving would you steal all the apples off my tree? Of course you would, and I would steal yours if I was desperate enough. Put up a fence to deter thefts and to hide your vegetable plot from prying eyes. Stealing fruit from someone's house might sound pretty comical today, but by 2030 I'm confident you won't be laughing '' especially when it happens to you for the 8th time.
- ______________________________________
- Now at this point I can imagine you're probably shaking your head at the absurdity of this blog post. You might even be saying, ''This Gavin guy is a nutbar! Things will never be that bad! He needs rubber wallpaper!'', and to be honest I wish you were right. Wouldn't it be nice if we could just keep on living the way we're living forever? If only climate change wasn't real, if only food production wasn't falling, if only we weren't on track for 9,600,000,000 hungry humans by 2050. Ah, if only.
- The reality however is most probably going to be exactly as I have outlined above. The only thing we don't know exactly is when.
- For the time being things are still good for most of us. Yes unemployment is still exceptionally high, but compared to the future, things are pretty darn sweet. So with that in mind, live your life to its fullest, enjoy being able to buy luxuries, and most importantly plan for the future!
- Here are some final ruthless tips you probably don't want to hear:- Don't have kids unless you can afford to support them into adulthood due to unemployment.'' Move to a place with usable land and prepare to use every square inch for growing food.'' Pay off your mortgage within the next 15 years.'' Save at least 10% of your income now. I mean it. Open a savings account TODAY.'' Take the 2 month challenge: live on half your income for 2 months (put the other half in your savings).
- Share, praise, or even criticise this blog post '' I don't care '' as long as you take at least some of these ideas onboard to benefit your future. You only have one future, so take control of it.
- Now get out there and have a great day!
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Jewish views on evolution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Jewish views on evolution includes a continuum of views about evolution, creationism, and the origin of life. Today, many Jews accept the science of evolutionary theory and do not see it as incompatible with traditional Judaism, thus endorsing theistic evolution.
- Classical rabbinic teachings[edit]The vast majority of classical Rabbis believed that God created the world close to 6,000 years ago, and created Adam and Eve from clay.[citation needed] This view is based on a chronology developed in a midrash, Seder Olam[disambiguation needed], which was based on a literal reading of the Book of Genesis. It is attributed to the TannaYose ben Halafta, and covers history from the creation of the universe to the construction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Although a literal approach is not always used when interpreting the Torah, there is a split over which parts are literal.
- Most modern rabbis [1] believe that the world is older, and that life as we know it today did not always exist. They believe such a view is needed to accept scientific theories, such as the theory of evolution. Rabbis who had this view based their conclusions on verses in the Talmud or in the midrash. For example:
- The Midrash[2] says: God created many worlds but was not satisfied, and left the world he was satisfied with.Rabbi Moshe Ben Nachman (1194''1270) writes:[3] In the first day God created the energy (××) "matter" (×××ר) of all things, and then he was finished with the main creation. After that God created all other things from that energy.Some midrashim state that the "first week" of Creation lasted for extremely long periods of time. See Anafim on Rabbenu Bachya's Sefer Ikkarim 2:18; Midrash Bereshit Rabbah 9.Medieval rabbinic teachings[edit]In his commentary on the Torah, Rabbi Bahya ben Asher (11th century, Spain) concludes that there were many time systems occurring in the universe long before the spans of history that man is familiar with. Based on the Kabbalah he calculates that the Earth is billions of years old.[citation needed]
- Some medieval philosophical rationalists, such as Maimonides and Gersonides[4] held that not every statement in Genesis is meant literally.[5] In this view, one was obligated to understand Torah in a way that was compatible with the findings of science. Indeed, Maimonides, one of the great Rabbis of the Middle Ages, wrote that if science and Torah were misaligned, it was either because science was not understood or the Torah was misinterpreted.[6] Maimonides argued that if science proved a point that did not contradict any fundamentals of faith, then the finding should be accepted and scripture should be interpreted accordingly.[7] For example, in discussing Aristotle's view that the universe had existed literally forever, he argued that there was no convincing rational proof one way or the other, so that he (Maimonides) was free to accept, and therefore did accept, the Biblical view that the universe had come into being at a definite time; but that had Aristotle's case been convincing on scientific grounds he would have been able to reinterpret Genesis accordingly. With regard to Genesis, Maimonides stated that "the account given in scripture is not, as is generally believed, intended to be in all its parts literal." Later in the same paragraph, he specifically states that this applies to the text from the beginning to the account of the sixth day of creation.[8]
- Nahmanides, often critical of the rationalist views of Maimonides, pointed out (in his commentary to Genesis) several non-sequiturs stemming from a literal translation of the Bible's account of Creation, and stated that the account actually symbolically refers to spiritual concepts. He quoted the Mishnah in Tractate Hagigah which states that the actual meaning of the Creation account, mystical in nature, was traditionally transmitted from teachers to advanced scholars in a private setting. Many classic Kabbalistic sources mention Shmitot - cosmic cycles of creation, similar to the Indian concept of yugas. Nahmanides' disciple, Rabbi Isaac of Akko, a prominent Kabbalist of 13th-century, held that the Universe is about 15 billion years old.[9] According to the tradition of Shmitot, Genesis talks openly only about the current epoch, while the information about the previous cosmic cycles is hidden in the esoteric reading of the text.
- A literal interpretation of the biblical Creation story among classic rabbinic commentators is uncommon. Thus Bible commentator Abraham Ibn Ezra (11th Century) wrote,
- If there appears something in the Torah which contradicts reason'...then here one should seek for the solution in a figurative interpretation'...the narrative of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for instance, can only be understood in a figurative sense.
- One of several notable exceptions may be the Tosafist commentary on Tractate Rosh Hashanah, where there seems to be an allusion to the age of creation according to a literal reading of Genesis. The non-literal approach is accepted by many as a possible approach within Modern Orthodox Judaism and some segments of Haredi Judaism.
- Jewish views in reaction to Darwin[edit]With the advent of Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory, the Jewish community found itself engaged in a discussion of Jewish principles of faith and modern scientific findings.
- Post-1800 Kabbalistic views of compatibility[edit]Rabbi Eliyahu Benamozegh, an ItalianKabbalist, wrote that were evolution to become a mainstay of scientific theory, it would not contradict the Torah as long as one understood it as having been guided by God.[10]
- Rabbi Israel Lipschitz of Danzig (19th century) gave a famous lecture on Torah and paleontology, which is printed in the Yachin u-Boaz edition of the Mishnah, after Massechet Sanhedrin. He writes that Kabbalistic texts teach that the world has gone through many cycles of history, each lasting for many tens of thousands of years. He links these teachings to findings about geology from European, American and Asian geologists, and from findings from paleontologists. He discusses the wooly mammoth discovered in 1807 Siberia, Russia, and the remains of several then-famous dinosaur skeletons recently unearthed. Finding no contradiction between this and Jewish teachings, he states "From all this, we can see that all the Kabbalists have told us for so many centuries about the fourfold destruction and renewal of the Earth has found its clearest possible confirmation in our time."
- When scientists first developed the theory of evolution, this idea was seized upon by Rabbis such as Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, known as the Netziv, who saw Kabbalah as a way to resolve the differences between traditional readings of the Bible and modern day scientific findings. He proposed that the ancient fossils of dinosaurs were the remains of beings that perished in the previous "worlds" described in midrash[11] and in some Kabbalistic texts. This was the view held by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan (1934''1983).
- Late 19th century Orthodox view of evolution[edit]Samson Raphael Hirsch
- In the late 1880s, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, an influential leader in the early opposition to non-Orthodox forms of Judaism, wrote that while he did not endorse the idea of common descent (that all life developed from one common organism), even if science ever did prove the factuality of Evolution, it would not pose a threat to Orthodox Judaism's beliefs. He posited that belief in Evolution could instead cause one to be more reverent of God by understanding His wonders (a master plan for the universe).
- This will never change, not even if the latest scientific notion that the genesis of all the multitudes of organic forms on earth can be traced back to one single, most primitive, primeval form of life should ever appear to be anything more than what it is today, a vague hypothesis still unsupported by fact. Even if this notion were ever to gain complete acceptance by the scientific world, Jewish thought, unlike the reasoning of the high priest of that notion, would nonetheless never summon us to revere a still extant representative of this primal form as the supposed ancestor of us all. Rather, Judaism in that case would call upon its adherents to give even greater reverence than ever before to the one, sole God Who, in His boundless creative wisdom and eternal omnipotence, needed to bring into existence no more than one single, amorphous nucleus and one single law of "adaptation and heredity" in order to bring forth, from what seemed chaos but was in fact a very definite order, the infinite variety of species we know today, each with its unique characteristics that sets it apart from all other creatures. (Collected Writings, vol. 7 pp. 263-264)By the early to mid-1900s, the majority of Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism came to accept the existence of evolution as a scientific fact. They interpreted Genesis and related Jewish teachings in light of this fact.
- Modern-day Orthodox Jewish views[edit]The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) has "maintained that evolutionary theory, properly understood, is not incompatible with belief in a Divine Creator, nor with the first 2 chapters of Genesis." Prominent Orthodox rabbis who have affirmed that the world is older, and that life has evolved over time include Israel Lipschitz, Sholom Mordechai Schwadron[citation needed] (the MaHaRSHaM) (1835''1911), Zvi Hirsch Chajes (1805''1855) and Abraham Isaac Kook (1865''1935). These rabbis proposed their own versions of theistic evolution, in which the world is older, and that life does evolve over time in accord with natural law, painting natural law as the process by which God drives the world.
- There is, in parallel, a discussion on this subject by scientists in the Orthodox Jewish community. One of the most prominent is Gerald Schroeder, an MIT trained physicist. He has written a number of articles and popular books attempting to reconcile Jewish theology with modern scientific findings that the world is billions of years old and that life has evolved over time. His work has received approbations from a number of Orthodox rabbinic authorities. Other physicists writing on this topic include Alvin Radkowsky, Nathan Aviezer, Herman Branover, Cyril Domb, Aryeh Kaplan and Yehuda (Leo) Levi.
- Various popular works, citing an array of classical, Orthodox views, attempt to reconcile traditional Jewish texts with modern scientific findings concerning evolution, the age of the earth and the age of the Universe; these include:
- Modern-day Conservative Jewish views[edit]Conservative Judaism embraces science as a way to learn about God's creation,[citation needed] and like Orthodox and Reform Judaism, has not found the theory of evolution a challenge to traditional Jewish theology. The Conservative Jewish movement has not yet developed one official response to the subject, but a broad array of views has converged. Conservative Jews teach that God created the universe and is responsible for the creation of life within it, but proclaims no mandatory teachings about how this occurs.
- Many Conservative Rabbis embrace the term theistic evolution, and reject the term intelligent design.[citation needed] Conservative rabbis who use the term intelligent design in their sermons often distinguish their views from the Christian use of the term. Like most in the scientific community, they understand "intelligent design" to be a technique by Christians to insert religion into public schools, as admitted in the Intelligent design movement's "wedge strategy".
- Conservative Judaism strongly supports the use of science as the proper way to learn about the physical world in which we live, and thus encourages its adherents to find a way to understand evolution in a way that does not contradict the findings of scientific research. The tension between accepting God's role in the world and the findings of science, however, is not resolved, and a wide array of views exists. Some mainstream examples of Conservative Jewish thought are as follows:
- Professor Ismar Schorsch, former chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, writes that:
- The Torah's story of creation is not intended as a scientific treatise, worthy of equal time with Darwin's theory of evolution in the curriculum of our public schools. The notes it strikes in its sparse and majestic narrative offer us an orientation to the Torah's entire religious worldview and value system. Creation is taken up first not because the subject has chronological priority but rather to ground basic religious beliefs in the very nature of things. And I would argue that their power is quite independent of the scientific context in which they were first enunciated.Rabbi David J. Fine, who has authorized official responsa for the Conservative movement's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, expresses a common Conservative Jewish view on the subject:
- Conservative Judaism has always been premised on the total embrace of critical inquiry and science. More than being compatible with Conservative Judaism, I would say that it is a mitzvah to learn about the world and the way it works to the best of our abilities, since that is to marvel with awe at God's handiwork. To not do so is sinful.But here's where the real question lies. Did God create the world, or not? Is it God's handiwork? Many of the people who accept evolution, even many scientists, believe in what is called "theistic evolution," that is, that behind the billions of years of cosmic and biological evolution, there is room for belief in a creator, God, who set everything into motion, and who stands outside the universe as the cause and reason for life. The difference between that and "intelligent design" is subtle yet significant. Believing scientists claim that belief in God is not incompatible with studying evolution since science looks only for the natural explanations for phenomena. The proponents of intelligent design, on the other hand, deny the ability to explain life on earth through solely natural explanations. That difference, while subtle, is determinative.David J. Fine, Intelligent DesignRabbi Michael Schwab writes:
- ...the Jewish view on the first set of questions is much closer to the picture painted by adherents to intelligent design than to those who are strict Darwinians. Judaism, as a religion, and certainly Conservative Judaism, sees creation as a purposeful process directed by God, however each individual defines the Divine. This is clearly in consonance with the theory of Intelligent Design. What Darwin sees as random, we see as the miraculous and natural unfolding of God's subtle and beautiful plan....However, as unlikely as it may seem, this does not mean for one moment that Judaism's view rejects wholesale the veracity of Darwin's theory. In fact, I believe that it is easy to incorporate Darwin and Intelligent design into a meaningful conception of how we humans came into being...We have frameworks built into our system to integrate the findings of science into our religious and theological beliefs. That is because we believe that the natural world, and the way it works, was created by God and therefore its workings must be consistent with our religious beliefs....One of the most well known ways our tradition has been able to hold onto both the scientific theory of evolution as well as the concept of a purposeful creation was by reading the creation story in Genesis in a more allegorical sense. One famous medieval commentary proclaims that the days of creation, as outlined in the book of Bereshit, could be seen as representative of the stages of creation and not literal 24 hour periods. Thus each Biblical day could have accounted for thousands or even millions of years. In that way the progression according to both evolution and the Torah remains essentially the same: first the elements were created, then the waters, the plants, the animals, and finally us. Therefore, Genesis and Darwin can both be right in a factual analysis even while we acknowledge that our attitudes towards these shared facts are shaped much more strongly by the Torah '' we agree how the process unfolded but disagree that it was random.Parshat Noah -- November 4, 2005, How Did We Get Here? Michael SchwabThe claim that evolution is purposeful is in conflict with modern day evolutionary theory.[citation needed] The precise way in which God inserts design is not specified by Schwab or other rabbis.
- Rabbi Lawrence Troster is a critic of positions such as this. He holds that much of Judaism (and other religions) have not successfully created a theology which allows for the role of God in the world and yet is also fully compatible with modern day evolutionary theory. Troster maintains that the solution to resolving the tension between classical theology and modern science can be found in process theology, such as in the writings of Hans Jonas, whose view of an evolving God within process philosophy contains no inherent contradictions between theism and scientific naturalism.
- Lecture God after Darwin: Evolution and the Order of Creation October 21, 2004, Lishmah, New York City, Larry TrosterIn a paper on Judaism and environmentalism, Troster writes:
- Jonas is the only Jewish philosopher who has fully integrated philosophy, science, theology and environmental ethics. He maintained that humans have a special place in Creation, manifest in the concept that humans are created in the image of God. His philosophy is very similar to that of Alfred North Whitehead, who believed that God is not static but dynamic, in a continual process of becoming as the universe evolves.From Apologetics to New Spirituality: Trends in Jewish Environmental Theology, Lawrence TrosterJewish opposition to Darwinian theory[edit]Whilst the Reform, Conservative and Modern Orthodox movements have stated that they feel there is not a conflict between evolutionary theory and the teachings of Judaism, some Haredi rabbis have remained staunchly opposed to certain teachings in evolutionary theory. In contrast with the literalist biblical interpretation of some Christian creationists, they express an openness to multiple interpretations of Genesis, through Jewish oral tradition and Jewish mysticism. They have also expressed an openness to evolutionary theory in biology, except where they perceive that it is in conflict with the Torah's account of creation.
- Rabbi Avigdor Miller, a highly revered American Haredi Rabbi of the Lithuanian Yeshivah Tradition, who was also highly respected in Hasidic communities such as Satmar, was strongly opposed to the theory of evolution, and wrote strong polemics against evolution in several of his books, as well as speaking about this subject often in his popular lectures, taking a Creationist position. Several selections from his books on this subject were collected in a pamphlet he published in 1995 called "The Universe Testifies".
- Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Rebbe of the worldwide movement of Lubavticher or ChabadHasidism, was avidly opposed to evolution, and his following remains largely committed to that position, though individual Chabad Hasidim may hold different views.[citation needed]
- Rabbi Avi Shafran, a spokesman for Agudath Israel, writes a weekly column that is widely syndicated in the Jewish press. As an opponent of Darwinian evolutionary theory, Shafran is careful to distinguish the Jewish perspective from that of Christian fundamentalism. He writes, "An unfortunate side-effect of our affirmation of purpose in creation at a time of controversy is the assumption made by some that we believing Jews share some other groups' broader skepticism of science. But while Torah-faithful Jews reject the blind worship of science, we do not regard science as an enemy." Quite the contrary, Shafran remarks, Judaism seeks to learn as much as possible from God's creation.
- Shafran also rejects the literalism of Christian fundamentalism. He writes, "Nor is 'Biblical literalism' a Jewish approach. Many are the p'sukim (verses) that do not mean what a simple reading would yield." To Shafran, the Jewish oral tradition is the key to the true meaning of the Torah's words. "There are multiple levels of deeper meanings inaccessible to most of us. The words of Breishis (Genesis, AshkenaziHebrew) and the Midrashim thereon hide infinitely more than they reveal. It is clear that the Torah describes the creation of the universe as the willful act of HaKodosh Boruch Hu (the Holy One), and describes creation as having unfolded in stages. But details are hardly provided."[12][13]
- Moshe Feinstein[edit]Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (1895''1986), an Orthodoxposek who was known for his opposition to evolution, was one of the most famed Orthodox rabbis and decisors of Jewish Law for the ultra-Orthodox community. Rabbi Feinstein ruled that the reading of an evolutionary textbook is unequivocally forbidden, because belief in evolutionary history is tantamount to apikorsus (Hebrew, heresy). If a textbook was indispensable for other purposes, Feinstein directed that those pages containing references to evolution be torn out and discarded.[14]
- Rabbi Shafran's comments on intelligent design illustrate the distinction that Feinstein was making, that there is an essential difference between animals and humans that evolution does not uphold.
- There is simply no philosophically sound way of holding simultaneously in one's head both the conviction that we are mere evolved animals and the conviction that we are something qualitatively different. And no way to avoid the fact that when schoolchildren are taught biology, if they are taught to embrace the one, they are being taught to shun the other."[12]
- Responses to Feinstein's ban[edit]Torah MiTzion is a religious Zionist movement in Israel that promotes Torah study together with service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). In a commentary printed in the organization's weekly newsletter, a writer states that study of evolution itself does not present a conflict with Jewish Law:
- If biology is so prized a discipline, then so must be evolution '-- a central pillar of the life sciences. It is indisputable that organisms adapt to the environment via natural selection, as is evident for instance, by the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antiretroviral-resistantHIV. Further indisputable is the fact that the same DNA which encodes the blueprint for simple organisms also encodes the blueprint for higher organisms (including human beings) with exquisitely minor variations, demonstrating that evolution need not be limited to microbes. Hence, one might expect on the basis of the foregoing that Halacha would welcome the study of evolution with open arms.[15]
- Torah MiTzion resolves this conflict between Feinstein's responsa on evolution and the observations of science by distinguishing between "evolution that we can observe" and "evolutionary history." Its resolution of the matter allows for the study of evolution as a science, but forbids its use to "extrapolate backwards in time" to speculate on matters of creation:
- Evolution that we can observe and measure with our senses is certainly part of the science curriculum that ought to be encouraged. But to extrapolate backwards in time on the basis of circumstantial evidence to so absurd an extent as to supplant the account of the creation of life given by the Torah with that of unverifiable human speculation is not a question of science but rather a revision of history.[15]
- Slifkin affair[edit]Main article: Natan SlifkinIn 2004-2005, three popular books by Rabbi Natan Slifkin (sometimes pronounced Nosson Slifkin) were banned by a group of Haredi rabbinic authorities on the grounds that they were heretical. Known to his admirers as the "Zoo Rabbi," Nosson Slifkin was the author of The Torah Universe, a series of books on science and religion that were widely read in Orthodox communities until they were suddenly banned. "The books written by Nosson Slifkin present a great stumbling block to the reader," the ban declared. "They are full of heresy, twist and misrepresent the words of our sages and ridicule the foundations of our emunah (faith)." The ban, which prohibited Jews from reading, owning, or distributing Slifkin's books, prompted a widespread backlash in the Orthodox Jewish community.
- Jennie Rothenberg, reporting on this ban in the secular Jewish journal, Moment, asserted that the incident represents a major breaking point within ultra-Orthodox society. Rothenberg interviewed several rabbis who wished to remain anonymous. According to one of them, "Over the past 15 years, the rabbis of Bnai Brak and the more open American ultra-Orthodox rabbis have been split on a number of important policy decisions. The Slifkin ban is a huge break. It's a kind of power struggle, and those who didn't sign the ban are outraged right now. I'm talking about rabbis with long white beards who are furious about it." Slifkin's views, according to this rabbi, are shared by countless figures within the ultra-Orthodox community. "He's saying out loud what a lot of people have been talking about quietly all along. To those people, he's a kind of figurehead." [16]
- Orthodox scientists respond to Darwin[edit]Several Modern Orthodox Jewish scientists have interpreted creation in light of both modern scientific findings and rabbinical interpretations of Genesis. Each of these scientists have claimed that modern science actually confirms a literal interpretation of Torah. All of them accept the scientific evidence that the age of the Earth and the age of the universe are on a scale of billions of years, and all of them acknowledge that the diversity of species on Earth can be explained through an evolutionary framework. However, each of them interprets certain aspects of evolution or the emergence of modern humans as a divine process, rather than a natural one. Thus, each of them accepts an evolutionary paradigm, while rejecting some aspects of Darwinism. Shai Cherry writes, "While twentieth century Jewish theologians have tended to compartmentalize science and the Torah, our Modern Orthodox physicists synthesized them.[17]
- Nathan Aviezer, a physicist who trained at the University of Chicago, allows for divine guidance within an evolutionary paradigm in the transmutation of species over time, including the emergence of modern man from homo erectus. As a physicist, he interprets the six days of creation as broadly referring to large periods of time, an interpretation for which he cites rabbinic sources, including Maimonides and Nachmanides. For Aviezer, the evolutionary framework applies, except where the Hebrew verb bara (create) is used. To Aviezer, "It is particularly meaningful that Modern Man is intellectually and culturally so vastly superior to his closest relative, the extinct Neanderthal Man, even though both species are very similar." He explains this through a literal interpretation of Genesis 1:27 '-- "And God created Man in His image."[18]Gerald Schroeder, an MIT trained physicist, believes that modern science contains nothing inimical to a literal reading of Genesis. Indeed, modern science allows one to understand the "true literal meaning of the Creation narrative." To Schroeder, it is Einstein's relativity, the "distortion of time facing backwards in a forward rushing cosmos," that accounts for the compression of time in a 15-billion year-old universe into six days of creation. To Schroeder, the emergence of modern man can be dated to the beginning of writing. Archeologists date the first writing, he notes, "at five or six thousand years ago, the exact period that the Bible tells us the soul of Adam, the neshama, was created." To Schroeder, who cites the Targum of Onkelos, Adam was the first man who could write, and the creation of Adam from more primitive man was a divine ensoulment.[19]Judah Landa, a physicist and teacher at, among other institutions, the Yeshiva of Flatbush, takes a completely different approach. To Landa, genetic mutation is not a random process, but a divinely guided one that only appears random to humanity. "Evolution was designed and guided, just as the putting together of words and sentences into book forms is accomplished only by design and guidance. A book is designed by its author, evolution was (and continues to be) designed by the laws of nature (which in turn, were designed, we believe, by God).[20] Where Landa differs from Darwin is in his rejection of the Darwinian notion that evolution has no purpose. Landa does not claim that there is proof of a final purpose for life; he merely asserts that science cannot rule one out. He writes, "God may very well have designed the laws of the universe and the earliest forms of matter and energy with particular life-forms as end-products in mind. Evolution and natural selection may be the vehicles he chose and designed to achieve His purposes."[21] Like Aviezar and Schroeder, Landa reconciles science with the biblical account of Genesis, taken literally, but he does so through literary interpretation.Daniel E. Friedmann, an engineering physicist and CEO of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (an aerospace corporation), has demonstrated an alignment between the dates of key events as described in Genesis Chapters 1 and 2 with dates derived from scientific theory and observation, thus solving the perceived discrepancy between the biblical and scientific timelines. In his book The Genesis One Code, he shared his formula for converting "Bible time" to years as we know them in calculating the age of the universe, the sun, and life on Earth. Without any modifications, the formula consistently produces results that match scientific estimates.[22] In 2013 Friedmann published his second book "The Broken Gift: How did we get here?" In it he demonstrates an alignment between the key events and timeline recounting the appearance of humans in the book of Genesis with those derived from the fossil record and genetic studies.[23]Shai Cherry, Professor of Jewish Thought at Vanderbilt University, remarks that these Modern Orthodox scientists have rejected the approach taken by Jewish theologians. Theologians have tended to use later writings, such as Midrash and Kabbalah, to reconcile modern science with Genesis. The Orthodox scientists, by comparison, have largely ignored Jewish theology, in favor of a fundamentalist and literalist interpretation of Genesis. Yet in their writings, each of them seeks to reconcile science with Genesis. Cherry speculates, "They were targeting an American Jewish community that privileges science over Torah as a source of scientific knowledge. If Genesis could be shown to have anticipated Darwin or Einstein, then the Bible would regain an aura of truth that it had been losing since the advent of biblical criticism and modern science."[24]
- According to Cherry, the books of Aviezar, Schroeder, and Landa have each sought to strengthen Orthodox Jewry in a time of mounting secularization. Aviezar and Schroeder sought to prove that Genesis anticipates the findings of modern science, and thus increase its status. By contrast, Landa sought to remove a barrier to Orthodox commitment, by proving to secular Jews that Orthodox Judaism and modern science are compatible. At the same time, he sought to persuade students in his own Orthodox community that the study of science is not incompatible with commitment to Orthodoxy.[25]
- Nathan Robertson a researcher in Biophysics has also released a book titled "The First Six Days" which reconciles the scientific theory of the beginnings of the universe and life with the biblical account of creation. Rabbinical sources are cited from Nachmanides (Ramban) and Rashi along with kabbilistic interpretations of Genesis. Nathan reconciles darwinian evolution with the biblical account and states that at deeper levels of understanding of the biblical text and of scientific theory, the two worlds overlap. "As one studies Science to deeper levels and also tries to study Bereshis to deeper levels, both principles begin to converge on each other."
- Jewish reactions to intelligent design[edit]The movement for intelligent design claims that an intelligent creator is responsible for the origin of life and of humankind, and rejects evolution. Jewish theologians, organizations, and activists have maintained that intelligent design is not valid science but that it is a religious concept. Although some have expressed support for a theistic interpretation of evolution, they have generally rejected the tenets of the intelligent design movement. To Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, President of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, intelligent design is "their attempt to confirm what they already believe."[26] Jewish organizations in the United States have been steadfast in their opposition to the teaching of intelligent design in public schools, charging that to do so would violate the separation of church and state.[27][28]
- See also[edit]References[edit]^See for example Slifkin, Nathan, The Challenge of Creation: Judaism's Encounter with Science,Cosmology, and Evolution, ZooTorah/Lambda Press, Brooklyn, 2010, section two, "Cosmology," pp. 157-190 for a discussion of these beliefs^ר××-- ×ר××(C)×ת × ××ת ×^×ר××(C)×ת × ×^Slifkin, Rabbi Natan. The Challenge of Creation, (New York: Yashar Books 2006) page 200.^Guide to the Perplexed, 2:17^Maimonides, The Guide for the Perplexed, 2:25^Maimonides. The Guide for the Perplexed, Book II, chapter 25^Maimonides. The Guide for the Perplexed, Book II, chapter 29. See page 211 of M. Friedl¤nder's translation, 1919 ed.^Kaplan, Aryeh (January 1993). Immortality, resurrection, and the age of the universe: a kabbalistic view. Ktav Publishing House. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-88125-345-0. ^Em LeMikra (Livorno 1863) commenting on Deuteronomy 22:10, page 87a-88b^××'ר×(C) ר××-- ×ר××(C)×ת פר×(C)×-- × ××ת ×^ abMenken, Yaakov (December 22, 2005). "Rabbi Avi Shafran on Intelligent Design". Cross-Currents. ^Rabbinical Council of America. "Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design". ^Feinstein, Moshe (5742/1982). Iggorot Moshe, Yoreh De'ah3:73. Noble Press. p. 323. ^ ab"Parshat Bereshit (Torah Commentary on Genesis)". Torah MitZion. ^Rothenberg, Jennie (October 2005). "The Heresy of Nosson Slifkin". Moment Magazine. ^Cherry(2006). 168.^Cherry(2006). 169-172.^Cherry(2006). 173-177.^Cherry(2006). 179.^Cherry(2006). 180.^"Physics Engineer's Formula Provides Key to Biblical Clock". Sonoran News.com (Arizona). April 2012. ^http://www.bookpleasures.com/websitepublisher/articles/6084/1/The-Broken-Gift-Reviewed-By-David-W-Menefee-of-Bookpleasurescom/Page1.html#.UbFkJZwr53p^Cherry(2006). 185.^Cherry(2006). 186.^Hirschfield, Brad. "The Origins of Life: A Jewish Perspective". National Public Radio. ^"AJC Applauds Court Decision against Intelligent Design in Pennsylvania Schools". American Jewish Committee. December 20, 2005. ^"Religion in the Science Class? Why Creationism and Intelligent Design Don't Belong". Anti-Defamation League. Sources[edit]Abrams, Nancy Ellen, and Joel R. Primack. "In a Beginning...: Quantum Cosmology and Kabbalah." Tikkun, Vol. 10, No. 1, p. 66-73.Aviezer, Nathan. In the Beginning: Biblical Creation and Science. Ktav, 1990. ISBN.Carmell, Aryeh, and Cyril Domb (editors). Challenge: Torah Views on Science New York: Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists/Feldheim Publishers, 1976. ISBNCantor, Geoffrey and Marc Swetlitz, (editors). Jewish Tradition and the Challenge of Darwinism. University of Chicago Press. 2006. ISBN 978-0-226-09276-8Cherry, Shai. "Crisis management via Bilbical Interpretation: Fundamentalism, Modern Orthodoxy, and Genesis." in Geoffrey Cantor and Marc Swetlitz (editors) Jewish Tradition and the Challenge of Darwinism. University of Chicago Press (2006)Kaplan, Aryeh. Immortality, Resurrection, and the Age of the Universe: A Kabbalistic View. Ktav, 1993.Schroeder, Gerald L. The Science of God: The Convergence of Scientific and Biblical Wisdom. Broadway Books, 1998.Slifkin, Natan. The Challenge of Creation: Judaism's Encounter with Science, Cosmology and Evolution, Yashar Books (2006)Tigay, Jeffrey H. "Genesis, Science, and 'Scientific Creationism.'" Conservative Judaism, Vol. 40(2), Winter 1987/1988, p. 20-27.Robertson, Nathan. "The First Six Days". Pneumasprings, 2007.[1]Aish.com Rabbi Weinberg "Kosher but controversial"External links[edit]
-
- Theistic evolution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Theistic evolution, theistic evolutionism or evolutionary creationism are the views that hold that religious teachings about God are compatible with modern scientific understanding about biological evolution. Theistic evolution is not a scientific theory, but a range of views about how the science of evolution relates to religious beliefs.
- Supporters of theistic evolution generally try to harmonize evolutionary thought with the belief in God, rejecting the conflict thesis regarding the relationship between religion and science '' that is, they hold that religious teachings about creation and scientific theories of evolution need not contradict each other.[1][2]
- Definition[edit]Francis Collins describes theistic evolution as the position that "evolution is real, but that it was set in motion by God",[3] and "Theistic evolution, which accepts that evolution occurred as biologists describe it, but under the direction of God".[4] The term was used by National Center for Science Education executive director Eugenie Scott to refer to the part of the overall spectrum of beliefs about creation and evolution holding the theological view that God creates through evolution. It covers a wide range of beliefs about the extent of any intervention by God, with some approaching deism in rejecting continued intervention.
- Just like there are different types of evolutionary explanations, there are different types of theistic evolution. Creationists Henry M. Morris and John D. Morris, point out that there are different terms which have been used to describe different positions: "Orthogenesis" (goal-directed evolution), "nomogenesis" (evolution according to fixed law), "emergent evolution", "creative evolution," and others;"[5] although, they consider that most of them have been rejected either by creationists because they seem somewhat "atheistic", or by modern evolutionary scientists, because they are "religious".
- Morris lists another type of theistic evolution that he calls "biblical evolution," i.e., the belief that God created a set of "kinds" of plants and animals at the beginning of Creation. Proponents of this theory believe that many species have passed through biological changes with the change of time; as the result of adaptation (or microevolution), but they retain the belief that human beings were literally created in God's image, so that evolution can be seen as completely consistent with the Biblical account in the Book of Genesis. Thus, the view of "biblical evolution" rejects the theory of Darwinian evolution, but openly accepts the possibility of transmutation of species.
- Others argue that the book of Genesis should be read only metaphorically, and that the first humans Adam and Eve were ape-men; a view which has been widely criticized by Christian apologetics institutions such as Answers in Genesis as merely "secular thinking".[6]
- Others see "evolutionary creation"[7] (EC, also referred to by some observers as "evolutionary creationism") as the belief that God, as Creator, uses evolution to bring about his plan. Eugenie Scott states in Evolution Vs. Creationism that it is a type of evolution rather than creationism, despite its name, and that it is "hardly distinguishable from Theistic Evolution".[2] According to evolutionary creationist Denis Lamoureux, although referring to the same view, the word arrangement in the term "theistic evolution" places "the process of evolution as the primary term, and makes the Creator secondary as merely a qualifying adjective."[8] Scott also uses the term "theistic evolutionism" interchangeably with "theistic evolution".[9] Divine intervention is seen at critical intervals in history in a way consistent with scientific explanations of speciation, with similarities to the ideas of Progressive Creationism that God created "kinds" of animals sequentially.[10]
- Regarding the embracing of Darwinian evolution, historian Ronald Numbers describes the position of the late 19th century geologist George Frederick Wright as "Christian Darwinism."[11]
- Historical development[edit]Historians of science and authors of pre-evolutionary ideas have pointed out that much before Darwin, the idea of biological change had been considered by religious scientists.
- In the 17th century, the Christian priest and botanist John Ray, in his book The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of Creation (1692), had wondered "why such different species should not only mingle together, but also generate an animal, and yet that that hybridous production should not again generate, and so a new race be carried on." [12]
- 18th-century scientist Carl Linnaeus published "Systema Naturae" in his last years, a book in which he considered that new varieties of plants could arise through hybridization, but only under certain limits fixed by God. Linnaeus had initially embraced the Aristotelian idea of immutability of species (the idea that species never change), but later in his life he started to challenge it. Yet, as a Christian, he still defended what has been called the belief of "special creation," i.e. the belief that God created "every living creature" at the beginning, as read in Genesis, with the peculiarity a set of original species of which all the present species have descended.[13] Some have called his theory the "Linnaean theory of evolution," which is considered consistent with the view of "biblical evolution," (although the very term "evolution" was alien to him).
- "Let us suppose that the Divine Being in the beginning progressed from the simpler to the complex; from few to many; similarly that He in the beginning of the plant kingdom created as many plants as there were natural orders. These plant orders He Himself, there from producing, mixed among themselves until from them originated those plants which today exist as genera. Nature then mixed up these plant genera among themselves through generations -of double origin (hybrids) and multiplied them into existing species, as many as possible (whereby the flower structures were not changed) excluding from the number of species the almost sterile hybrids, which are produced by the same mode of origin."
- '--Systema Vegetabilium (1774)[14]Linnaeaus attributed the active process of biological change to God himself, as he stated:
- We imagine that the Creator at the actual time of creation made only one single species for each natural order of plants, this species being different in habit and fructification from all the rest. That he made these mutually fertile, whence out of their progeny, fructification having been somewhat changed, Genera of natural classes have arisen as many in number as the different parents, and since this is not carried further, we regard this also as having been done by His Omnipotent hand directly in the beginning; thus all Genera were primeval and constituted a single Species. That as many Genera having arisen as there were individuals in the beginning, these plants in course of time became fertilised by others of different sort and thus arose Species until so many were produced as now exist... these Species were sometimes fertilised out of congeners, that is other Species of the same Genus, whence have arisen Varieties.
- '--From his Fundamenta fructificationis (1742)[15]Jens Christian Clausen (1967), refers to Linnaeus' theory as a "forgotten evolutionary theory [that] antedates Darwin's by nearly 100 years," and reports that he was a pioneer in doing experiments about hybridization.[16]
- Later observations by Protestant scientists G¤rtner and K¶lreuter, denied the immutability of species, which, according to apologists, the Bible never teaches.[17]K¶lreuter used the term "transmutation of species" to refer to species who have had biological changes through hybridization,[18] although they both were inclined to believe that hybrids would revert to the parental forms by a general law of reversion, and therefore, would not be responsible for the introduction of new species. Later, in a number of experiments, the monk Gregor Mendel, aligning himself with the ''new doctrine of special creation'' proposed by Linnaeus,[18] concluded that new species of plants could indeed arise, although limitedly and retaining their own stability.
- Static views of nature were disrupted in the early 19th century by Georges Cuvier's analysis of fossils and discovery of extinction, confirming geology as showing a historical sequence of life. British natural theology, which sought examples of adaptation to show design by a benevolent Creator, adopted catastrophism to show earlier organisms being replaced in a series of creations by new organisms better adapted to a changed environment. Charles Lyell also saw adaptation to changing environments as a sign of a benevolent Creator, but his uniformitarianism envisaged continuing extinctions and replacements. As seen in correspondence between Lyell and John Herschel, scientists were looking for creation by laws rather than miraculous interventions. In continental Europe, the idealism of philosophers including Lorenz Oken developed a Naturphilosophie in which patterns of development from archetypes were a purposeful divine plan aimed at forming humanity.[19] These scientists all rejected transmutation of species which was seen as materialist[20][21][22]Radicalism threatening the established hierarchies of society. The idealist Louis Agassiz was a persistent opponent of transmutation and saw mankind as the goal of a sequence of creations, but his concepts were the first to be adapted into a scheme of theistic evolutionism. In Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation published in 1844, its anonymous author (Robert Chambers) set out goal-centred progressive development as the Creator's divine plan, programmed to unfold without direct intervention or miracles. The book was a best-seller and popularised the idea of transmutation in a designed "law of progression". It was strongly attacked by the scientific establishment at the time, but later more sophisticated theistic evolutionists followed the same approach of looking for patterns of development as evidence of design.[23]
- The prominent scientist Richard Owen, now leader of the scientific establishment, had earlier opposed transmutation. When formulating homology he adapted idealist philosophy to reconcile natural theology with development, unifying nature as divergence from an underlying form in a process demonstrating design. His conclusion to his On the Nature of Limbs of 1849 suggested that divine laws could have controlled the development of life, but he did not expand this idea after objections from his conservative patrons. Others supported the idea of development by law, including the botanist Hewett Watson, and the reverend Baden Powell who wrote in 1855 that such laws better illustrated the powers of the Creator.[24] In 1858 Owen in his speech as President of the British Association said that in "continuous operation of Creative power" through geological time, new species of animals appeared in a "successive and continuous fashion" through birth from their antecedents by a Creative law rather than through slow transmutation.[25]
- On the Origin of Species[edit]When Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, many liberal Christians accepted evolution provided it was reconciled with the design argument. The clergymen Charles Kingsley and Frederick Temple promoted a theology of creation as an indirect process controlled by divine laws. For some strict Calvinists, as natural selection did not entail inevitable progress it was welcomed since humanity could be seen as a fallen race needing salvation. Darwin's friend Asa Gray defended natural selection as compatible with design.[26] Darwin himself, in his second edition of the Origin, had written in the conclusion:
- "I believe that animals have descended from at most only four or five progenitors, and plants from an equal or lesser number. Analogy would lead me one step further, namely, to the belief that all animals and plants have descended from some one prototype. But analogy may be a deceitful guide. Nevertheless all living things have much in common, in their chemical composition, their germinal vesicles, their cellular structure, and their laws of growth and reproduction. We see this even in so trifling a circumstance as that the same poison often similarly affects plants and animals; or that the poison secreted by the gall-fly produces monstrous growths on the wild rose or oak-tree. I should infer from analogy that probably all the organic beings which have ever lived on this earth have descended from some one primordial form, into which life was first breathed by the Creator.
- '--Chapter XIV: "Conclusions", page 428
- Within a decade most scientists had been won over to evolution, but from the outset there was opposition to natural selection and a search for a more purposeful mechanism. In 1860 Richard Owen attacked the book in an anonymous review while praising "Professor Owen" for "the establishment of the axiom of the continuous operation of the ordained becoming of living things."[27] Sir John Herschel apparently dismissed the book as "the law of higgledy-piggledy", and in 1861 he wrote of evolution that "An intelligence, guided by a purpose, must be continually in action to bias the direction of the steps of change''to regulate their amount''to limit their divergence''and to continue them in a definite course". He added "On the other hand, we do not mean to deny that such intelligence may act according to law (that is to say, on a preconceived and definite plan)".[28] Christian scientist Sir David Brewster wrote an article called "The Facts and Fancies of Mr. Darwin" where he rejected many Darwinian ideas, such as those concerning vestigial organs or questioning God's perfection in his work. Brewster concluded that Darwin's book contained both "much valuable knowledge and much wild speculation," although accepting that "every part of the human frame had been fashioned by the Divine hand and exhibited the most marvellous and beneficent adaptions for the use of men".[29]
- In the 1860s theistic evolutionism became a popular compromise in science, and gained widespread support from the general public. Between 1866''68, Owen published a theory of derivation proposing that species had an innate tendency to change in ways that resulted in variety and beauty showing creative purpose. Both Owen and Mivart insisted that natural selection could not explain patterns and variation which they saw as resulting from divine purpose. In 1867 the Duke of Argyll published The Reign of Law which explained beauty in plumage without any adaptive benefit as design generated by the Creator's laws of nature for the delight of humans. Argyll attempted to reconcile evolution with design by suggesting that rudimentary organs were being prepared by the laws of variation for a future need.[30]
- Nonetheless, it is important to notice that it was not until 1872 that Darwin speculated that humans may have ''descended from a hairy quadruped, furnished with a tail and pointed ears,'' or apes; an idea that historically led to more opposition to Darwin's theory from the religious community,[31] and to the arising of a different type of theistic evolutionists. An example of the latter type of theistic evolutionist is the Cardinal John Henry Newman, who wrote in 1868: "Mr Darwin's theory need not then to be atheistical, be it true or not; it may simply be suggesting a larger idea of Divine Prescience and Skill...and I do not [see] that 'the accidental evolution of organic beings' is inconsistent with divine design '-- It is accidental to us, not to God."[32]
- Acceptance[edit]According to Eugenie Scott: "In one form or another, Theistic Evolutionism is the view of creation taught at the majority of mainline Protestantseminaries, and it is the official position of the Catholic church",[9] despite studies showing that acceptance of evolution is lower in the United States than in Europe or Japan (only Turkey had a lower rate in the 34 countries sampled).[33]
- Theistic evolutionism has been described as a form of compatibilism, and as such it is viewed with disdain both by some atheists and many creationists.[34]
- Hominization[edit]Hominization, in both science and religion, involves the process or the purpose of becoming human. The process and means by which hominization occurs is a key problem in theistic evolutionary thought, at least for the Abrahamic religions, for which the belief that animals do not have immortalsouls but humans do is a core teaching.[35] Many versions of theistic evolution insist on a special creation consisting of at least the addition of a soul just for the human species.[36]
- Scientific accounts of the origin of the universe, origin of life and subsequent evolution of pre-human life forms may not cause any difficulty (helped by the reluctance of science itself to say anything about what preceded the Big Bang) but the need to reconcile religious and scientific views of hominization and account for the addition of a soul to humans remains a problem. Theistic evolution typically postulates that there was a point at which a population of hominids who had (or may have) evolved by a process of natural evolution acquired souls and thus (with their descendants) became fully human in theological terms. This group might be restricted to Adam and Eve, or indeed Mitochondrial Eve, although versions of the theory allow for larger populations. The point at which this occurred should essentially be the same as in paleoanthropology and archeology, but theological discussion of the matter tends to concentrate on the theoretical. The term "special transformism" is sometimes used to refer to theories that there was a divine intervention of some sort, achieving hominization.[37]
- Several 19th century theologians and evolutionists attempted specific solutions, including the Catholics John Augustine Zahm and St. George Jackson Mivart, but tended to be attacked by both the theologicial and biological camps,[38] and 20th century thinking has tended to avoid proposing precise mechanisms.[39]
- Relationship to other positions[edit]Non-theistic evolution[edit]The major criticism of theistic evolution by non-theistic evolutionists focuses on its essential belief in a supernaturalcreator. These critics argue that by the application of Occam's razor, sufficient explanation of the phenomena of evolution is provided by natural processes (in particular, natural selection), and the intervention or direction of a supernatural entity is not required.[40] Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins considers theistic evolution a superfluous attempt to "smuggle God in by the back door".[41]
- Intelligent design[edit]A number of notable proponents of theistic evolution, including Kenneth R. Miller, John Haught, George Coyne, Denis Alexander, Simon Conway Morris, Francisco J. Ayala and Francis Collins are all critics of Intelligent design.
- Young Earth creationism[edit]Young Earth creationists criticise theistic evolution on theological grounds, finding it hard to reconcile the nature of a loving God with the process of evolution, in particular, the existence of death and suffering before the Fall of Man. They consider that it undermines central biblical teachings by regarding the creation account as a myth, a parable, or an allegory, instead of treating it as historical. They also fear that a capitulation to what they call "atheistic" naturalism will confine God to the gaps in scientific explanations, undermining biblical doctrines, such as God's incarnation through Christ.[42]
- See also[edit]^Numbers 2006, pp. 34''38^ abEvolution Vs. Creationism, Eugenie Scott, Niles Eldredge, p62-63^"Building bridges". Nature442 (7099): 110. 2006. doi:10.1038/442110a. ^Stipe, Claude E., "Scientific Creationism and Evangelical Christianity", American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 87, No. 1 (Mar., 1985), p. 149, Wiley on behalf of the American Anthropological Association, JSTOR^The Modern Creation Trilogy (1998), New Leaf Publishing Group, p. 36^Were Adam and Eve Ape-People?^Evolutionary creation, Denis Lamoureux^Denis O. Lamoureux (2003). "Evolutionary Creation: A Christian Approach to Evolution". University of Alberta. Retrieved 25 April 2012. "The most important word in the term evolutionary creation is the noun ''creation.'' These Christian evolutionists are first and foremost thoroughly committed and unapologetic creationists. They believe that the world is a creation that is absolutely dependent for every instant of its existence on the will and grace of the Creator. The qualifying word in this category is the adjective ''evolutionary,'' indicating simply the method through which the Lord made the cosmos and living organisms. This view of origins is often referred to as ''theistic evolution.'' However, such a word arrangement places the process of evolution as the primary term, and makes the Creator secondary as merely a qualifying adjective." ^ abScott, 271^The Creation/Evolution Continuum by Eugenie Scott, December 2000, National Center for Science Education; see also Scott, 271 for another definition^Numbers 1993, p. 36^On the Origins of New Forms of Life, A new Theory, by Eugene M. McCarthy.^Todd Charles Wood, Paul A. Garner (2009), "Genesis kinds: creationism and the origin of species", p. 16.^Alistair Cameron Crombie, Michael A. Hoskin (1988), "History of Science" Science History Publications. p. 43^As quoted from Ramsbottom, (1938); in David Briggs (1997), "Plant Variation and Evolution", p. 16^Jens Christian Clausen (1967), "Stages in the Evolution of Plant Species", Harper, p. 5^http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v4/n1/species-change^ abhttp://plorenzano.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/xxi-joseph-gottlieb-kc3b6lreuter-plorenzano.pdf^Bowler 2003, pp. 108''109, 113''118, 133''134^(Bowler 2003, pp. 120''134)^(Larson 2004, pp. 42''46)^(van Wyhe 2007, pp. 181''182)^Bowler 1992, pp. 47''49^Bowler 2003, pp. 125''126, 139^Desmond & Moore 1991, pp. 428''429^Bowler 2003, pp. 203''205^[Owen, Richard]. 1860. Review of Origin & other works.Edinburgh Review 111: 487-532, p. 500.^Bowler 2003, pp. 186, 204^Good Words (1862), Volume 3. p. 170.^Bowler 2003, pp. 204''207^https://www.christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/107-wrestling-with-doubt/^[Letter of John Henry Newman to J. Walker of Scarborough, The Letters and Diaries of John Henry Newman, edited by C.S. Dessain and T. Gornall, vol. XXIV (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1973), pp. 77-78. http://www.inters.org/Newman-Scarborough-Darwin-Evolution]^Miller, J. D.; Scott, EC; Okamoto, S (2006). "SCIENCE COMMUNICATION: Public Acceptance of Evolution". Science313 (5788): 765''6. doi:10.1126/science.1126746. PMID 16902112. ^Devine, Philip E. (2008). "Creation and Evolution". Religious Studies32 (3): 325. doi:10.1017/S0034412500024380. ^For example, the Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas attributed "soul" (anima) to all organisms but taught that only human souls are immortal. See: Peter Eardley and Carl Still, Aquinas: A Guide for the Perplexed (London: Continuum, 2010), pp. 34''35. Other Dharmic religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism) teach that all biological organisms have souls that pass from one life to another in the Transmigration of souls. See "Soul", The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001''07. Retrieved 12 November 2008.^Including the Catholic Church, see Rahner, section "Hominization" by Karl Rahner in entry on "Evolution", 484-485; Scott, 271-272. Note that "special creation of man" in Catholic references is a far more restricted concept than "special creation" (q.v.) in typical Creationist usage.^Rahner, 484-488; see also Artigas, 19, 23, 24, 35 etc^The six leading examples are the subject of Artigas's book. Each of these has a chapter in Artigas: L(C)roy, Zahm, Bonomelli, Mivart, the English Bishop John Hedley, and Raffaello Caverni. All are also covered by Brundell.^Kung, 94-95^Krauss, Lawrence M. (2012) A Universe from Nothing Free Press, New York. ISBN 978-1-4516-2445-8 p.146 f.^Dawkins, Richard. The Blind Watchmaker (1986) Longman, ISBN 9780582446946^Gitt, Werner (2006). Did God Use Evolution? Observations from a Scientist of Faith. Master Books. ISBN 978-0890514832References[edit]Artigas, Mariano; Glick, Thomas F., Martnez, Rafael A.; Negotiating Darwin: the Vatican confronts evolution, 1877''1902, JHU Press, 2006, ISBN 0-8018-8389-X, 9780801883897, Google booksBowler, Peter J. (1992). The Eclipse of Darwinism: anti-Darwinian evolutionary theories in the decades around 1900. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-4391-4. Bowler, Peter J. (2003). Evolution:The History of an Idea. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-23693-9. Brundell, Barry, "Catholic Church Politics and Evolution Theory, 1894-1902", The British Journal for the History of Science, Vol. 34, No. 1 (Mar., 2001), pp. 81''95, Cambridge University Press on behalf of The British Society for the History of Science, JSTORKung, Hans, The beginning of all things: science and religion, trans. John Bowden, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2007, ISBN 0-8028-0763-1, ISBN 978-0-8028-0763-2. Google booksNumbers, Ronald L. (1993) [1992]. The Creationists: The Evolution of Scientific Creationism. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520083936. Numbers, Ronald (November 30, 2006). The Creationists: From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design, Expanded Edition. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-02339-0. Rahner, Karl, Encyclopedia of Theology: A Concise Sacramentum Mundi, 1975, Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 0860120066, 9780860120063, google booksScott, Eugenie C., "Antievolution and Creationism in the United States", Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol. 26, (1997), pp. 263''289, JSTORFurther reading[edit]Contemporary approaches[edit]Accounts of the history[edit]Appleby, R. Scott. Between Americanism and Modernism; John Zahm and Theistic Evolution, in Critical Issues in American Religious History: A Reader, Ed. by Robert R. Mathisen, 2nd revised edn., Baylor University Press, 2006, ISBN 1-932792-39-2, ISBN 978-1-932792-39-3. Google booksHarrison, Brian W., Early Vatican Responses to Evolutionist Theology, Living Tradition, Organ of the Roman Theological Forum, May 2001.Morrison, John L., "William Seton: A Catholic Darwinist", The Review of Politics, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Jul., 1959), pp. 566''584, Cambridge University Press for the University of Notre Dame du lac, JSTORO'Leary, John. Roman Catholicism and modern science: a history, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2006, ISBN 0-8264-1868-6, ISBN 978-0-8264-1868-5Google booksExternal links[edit]Proponents of theistic evolution[edit]People[edit]Charles D. WalcottCharles Foster[disambiguation needed]Denis LamoureuxDenis R Alexander, Can a Christian believe in evolution?, The Evangelical Alliance, 12 May 2006DMD Publishing Co.- Home page: Essays arguing that even a literal treatment of Genesis allows theistic evolution.Ernan McMullinFrancis Collins, geneticist and founder of the BioLogos FoundationGeorge V. Coyne, S.J; astronomer. Author of Science Does Not Need God, or Does It? A Catholic Scientist Looks at Evolution (Transcript).Ghinamo CorradoJames McCoshJohn P. Maletis, Let There Be Light: An Orthodox Theory of Human Evolution For the 21st Century, Theandros, Vol. 5 No.3Karl W. GibersonKenneth R Miller's homepageMichael Dowd. (See his evolutionary ministry Thank God for Evolution)Norman Hughes, Professor Emeritus of Biology, Pepperdine University. See his letter to the Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation and the response by Apologetics Press.Pope Benedict XVI; Communion and Stewardship: Human Persons Created in the Image of God Statement on creation and evolution from the International Theological Commission headed by Cardinal Ratzinger, 23 July 2004.Pope John Paul II, in his Message to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences: On Evolution subtitled "Truth Cannot Contradict Truth", 22 October 1996; and On Cosmology and Fundamental Physics, 3 October 1981.Robert T. BakkerSimon C. MorrisTheodosius Dobzhansky in his article Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution (see also: Wikipedia's article)Howard J. Van TillOrganizations[edit]
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Ukraine F-Russia
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Discount over: Gazprom hikes Ukraine gas prices 44% '-- RT Business
- Published time: April 01, 2014 09:11Edited time: April 01, 2014 16:25AFP Photo / Yuri Kadobnov
- 'Russia's state-owned gas major Gazprom announced a new price for gas exports to Ukraine of $385.50 per 1,000 cubic meters as of April 1, 2014. The price increased by $117 after Gazprom cancelled its discount agreed in December.
- "This follows Ukraine's default on its obligation to repay its debt for gas supplies in 2013 and the 100 percent lack of payment for current supplies,'' Gazprom chief Aleksey Miller said Tuesday. Gazprom had until April 10 to decide on a new price.
- Ukraine, which imports about half its natural gas from Gazprom, owes the company $1.7 billion for gas that has already been delivered in 2013 and 2014.
- The Russian government and Gazprom had announced they would stop providing Ukraine with a 33 percent discount after the first financial quarter of the year.
- Transit fees for gas moving through Ukraine will also be bumped up 10 percent following an agreement reached in 2009.
- Gas pricing disputes and unpaid bills have led Gazprom to turn off supplies through Ukraine twice, once in 2006, and again in 2009.
- Gazprom has a multi-tier pricing system for its clients- offering the generous subsidies to domestic buyers, cheaper gas for former Soviet states, and the most expensive prices for European customers.
- Under the 2010 Kharkov Agreement, Russia guaranteed Ukraine a $100 gas discount in return for using the Sevastopol port to host its naval fleet. Now that Crimea has joined the Russian Federation, the additional $100 could be added to the price Ukraine pays for Russian gas.
- Last December, Russia offered Ukraine's Yanukovich-led government a $15 billion loan and a 33 percent discount on natural gas, a lifeline to help its faltering economy. The natural gas discount was subject to review each financial quarter.
- As tensions in Kiev escalated and President Yanukovich was ousted, the Crimean peninsula, which is home to an ethnic majority Russian population, voted to leave Ukraine and join Russia.
-
- FRACKING URKAINEEU, US vow to help wean Ukraine off Russian gas - The Washington Post
- BRUSSELS '-- The United States and European Union on Wednesday sought ways to reduce the political clout Russia gets from its vast energy reserves by promising to wean Ukraine and the rest of the continent off those supplies.
- In the wake of Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, Europe's dependency on Russian energy became a political liability as it undermined its ability to stand up to Moscow. Cutting those supplies could cripple the fragile economies of Ukraine and Europe.
- ''It really boils down to this: no nation should use energy to stymie a people's aspirations,'' U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said during a visit to Brussels. ''So we are taking important steps today in order to make it far more difficult for people to deploy that tool.''
- The most immediate concern is cash-strapped Ukraine, which relies on Russian energy imports. The risk of that was highlighted Tuesday, when Moscow increased sharply the price of gas it sells to Ukraine and threatened to reclaim billions in unpaid gas bills.
- Kerry said the U.S. and EU will seek to provide Ukraine gas through Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.
- That will provide only mild relief in the short term, however. Even if gas can be redirected from EU nations in technically complicated maneuvers to meet immediate needs, it would only amount to relatively small quantities.
- The greater hope is that in the medium-term, Ukraine might build up its own energy production capacity, including the extraction of shale gas, which is criticized as excessively polluting in much of the EU.
- Beyond Ukraine, Kerry also insisted that the EU should reduce its energy dependence. And there, the role of the United States could be critical.
- The U.S, because of its use of shale gas extraction over the past years, has already turned into a potential exporter of liquefied natural gas and is looking to make its first deliveries in 2015.
- At the moment, largely because of cheap gas from Russia, Europe is using only about 20 percent of the capacity of its LNG import terminals, and could take in large amounts of U.S. exports once U.S. facilities to ship it are fully operational.
- With LNG, the U.S. could theoretically make up for half of Europe's gas flows coming from Russia.
- Europe could also try to get more natural gas from Asia through pipelines crossing Azerbaijan and Turkey instead of over Russian soil.
- Russia, though, would think twice before relying on energy as a weapon.
- Russian exports to the EU, dominated by oil and gas, totaled 213 billion euros in 2012 ($294 billion at current prices). The 28-nation EU is by far the largest export market for gas and a very substantial source of foreign exchange earnings.
- Even if the EU has no reasonable alternative to Russian gas in the short term, Moscow wouldn't have a good alternative market for its gas either.
- Follow Raf Casert on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/rcasert
- Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
-
- REVERSING GAS FLOW-Ukraine Starts Talks With Slovakia for Importing Gas From EU - Bloomberg
- Ukraine began talks to import natural gas from the European Union, in an effort to decrease reliance on supplies from Russia after that neighbor annexed Crimea.
- Representatives from Ukrtransgas AC and Eustream AS, the Ukrainian and Slovakian pipeline operators, met with European Commission officials in Brussels yesterday to discuss technical aspects of trying to reverse the flow of gas through Slovakia's pipeline, EC spokeswoman Sabine Berger and Eustream spokesman Vahram Chuguryan said.
- Ukraine currently exports the fuel to Slovakia. It depends on Russian gas provider OAO Gazprom to meet more than half of its overall demand, with the rest covered by domestic production. EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said last week he expected a memorandum between Ukraine and Slovakia to be signed before the end of April.
- The interim Ukrainian government headed by Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk is seeking to diversify the country's dependence on natural gas imports from Russia, which cut the 33 percent price discount it had previously given its neighbor. Russia also has threatened to reduce supply as tensions deepen between the two countries over Crimea and the troop buildup along Ukraine's eastern border.
- ''It was a constructive meeting with the objective to accelerate the installation of physical reverse flow at the Slovakian-Ukrainian border,'' Berger said in e-mailed message. ''Some further technical work is needed which will be carried out during the next two to three weeks.''
- Russia's annexation of Crimea and influx of troops in the area brought its relationship with the EU and the U.S. to the lowest point since the Cold War. The world's top industrial powers threatened further sanctions to deter President Vladimir Putin from taking over other parts of Ukraine and suspended Russia from participating in the Group of Eight.
- Ukraine has the capacity to import as much as 12 billion cubic meters of gas through the Slovak pipeline and further 7.2 billion cubic meters from Poland and Hungary, Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuri Prodan said yesterday. The price of EU gas would be about $400 per 1,000 cubic meters, he said yesterday in Kiev.
- The country has 7 billion to 8 billion cubic meters of gas in storage and its oil product reserves will last less than a month. The state-owned gas company Naftogaz will raise gas prices for households by 50 percent from May 1, Chief Executive Officer Andriy Kobolyev said today in Kiev.
- A Snapshot of Ukraine's Past and Future
- Ukraine, which has a $1 billion bond maturing in June, is nearing an agreement with the International Monetary Fund for a loan of as much as $20 billion. One of the IMF's conditions is that the country phases out subsidies that keep household gas prices below market levels.
- To contact the reporter on this story: Ladka Bauerova in Prague at lbauerova@bloomberg.net
- To contact the editors responsible for this story: Timothy Coulter at tcoulter@bloomberg.netTodd White, Randall Hackley
-
- RU+pl.jpg (JPEG Image, 700 639 pixels)
- ½½½½JFIF½½½ExifII*1&i½.Picasa½0220 ½d½½p ½½½R980100½½½ ½½½"½½ ½½d!"12AQR#Babq½½3r½½½½½ $S½½½4Cs½½½c½½½%U½½½5DTd½½½'t½½uv½½½½½&6E½½ ½½I!1AQ"aq½½½2R½½3Bb½½½½#4Sr½½½½½½$Cc½DT%5½½?½,½IÔ½½½½½½½½½x½½K½½?½½ ½`½t×½8½s½¨½'½X½½Ç½X½½6½s½½Ywv½½½½]=½½½½o½½½½½[½o½½½½½½½f½½sb½½Q½½9½v½E½½He=q½½Gt½½½½½ÍI½6½½B½~Ѫ½½Ne@½rN½a½½sLY(½½½Õ½Z?½S½½_Ú§½-T7½\½½i½½½½D½Ð'½½½Ú²}Z½½/VW½I½½#½½½½%v½½mjx½i½½#x½j½?+E½~½½½Z/½S½Ö(C)G½½O½½½½½U½Cv½½½ #½½x~½/½)½½}½t½V½½T½½½½½½T½(½½Q½½}½r~V½½T½½½_Ú§½-V½½.½\e½s!m½O½Bm-½Y½kV½½½á'½T½f B7)åª(C)½ ½Uw)½½ ,&½Îº½Ñ½%r~V½½T½½½_Ú§½-StS½qP½y½U½½V/½S½Ê±j½½½N½F½OEQ½½½W½X½½O½Z?*½½~½½=½½½FQ½½½W½X½½O½Z?*½½~½½=½LQè£=½½½N½½½¶L½ ½O½½½VmW½aC½cq ½Q:½Õ½QsS½vYd½?^O½yiÞº½½½½q½ a½z½Hx½½½p½½½½Z=u>1½½U½E'½]O½½½½½y+½S½½½½_O½yj½½½½Ö'½½I½½½y+½½½½½½½Úµ½½G½08½NI½½d½I½)½½+½½f½V½½½½V ½½½t2½]mE½ O%/½½½½yh½½½½½-@½½½½½|½½½Ä®Ü...½½½Ê--#q'½]½cĵ½J½½½½½½-½½½½Þ½½½½!½T½½½½y>1½½G½'½?yj½½)½^½½½½P9YT½Hx½½'½[½½+×'½½½z½|c½1I½½S½CÄ¥½`½½½½½Z=y>1½½U½!$2|$½½½½_½½½5u½½½pM+|Q½O½u½6dê...Þ¸½½Õ£½½½½yj½½M½½½½Õ¯#½½x4½½GuB9½|3½½½½Æ½Ê²=y>1½½G½'½?yj½½-r½½½½½½*OV½{½X½½½½½×'½½½[½Q½_½Ú½%½½=y>1½½G½'½?yj½½½½½G½[½y+#×'½½½z½|c½|ƽ½½G½½½^O½~½½½½½½Z½)6½½½S½CÄ£Õ½½VG½'½?yh½½½½½-V½+6½DypÚ£½%G½½j½½[½½½J½q½ Q½Å½½r½z½½/½-;½S½½½^½kF½0z½5½½$:½½½rB½[Ʋ`½yO½U½I?GM½½Om½½½-I½½½½5½½>½½½/½-/½G½½½½#P½½w½xd½=BÖ>>?es\r½½½½+P :½*Jv,½%½½½dz½|c½^O½~½½qEr½½½½½½*_V{½XÞ½½½½G½½½½½½u ½b½½½+a/½=½½½_Þ®½om|½½6½K^*½F½½k½½½½½½6½½½½½T½½4K½½½½B%½c½½½a]g½x½JÔ½½½½½,½U½[ݹ½½½v½½9V/&½w½Û¯½½kL½]CV½½^½w½½e?2uh ½fr#IR'½½I2WPhh½½½zO½½½½qo,½M½½SD½d½½Ü:½½$½ã®>>5½kBÖ¥½/T½½X½½Èo%cf{U\3:½½½½?½½½D½½½½½(ÖH½½L½ -½½D½½Q½½Y9½½y½"T½Ð¼?½½½½Ð8½½½Z½½>½u½h½Sk½½v½½O½K½Z½P6½½Ii½½Z½w½½½½F½Ý¬v½K½ZÎmk9½2½n7½½½US½K½F½½½\½Ü¹½kT½½½½0|@ ½{4½Í¶C*]E{weÍiT½x½&½È!½½cNZ½M½/½4½½?I½~k=J½½4Z½½½½{m'&X½2BW½5Ú½½½½½mLn]_½G½½½½F½n-M%m½Na½½½½½½½½$9½Sw½½'½½½½½½2½½Ó...;j½'C½]$ÕµK{½½½9ÌJ½XWt½½½Û½½½½#O½Ð´C½½o½½u½7½WO½½½½½½v6£½u½ ½ %½-½[½GC½^\H½D\½½y½½6½½0½s½8.½½ß´m\½4mZ½½½½%b%UVd1½}½½Í2W½Ü>>½uN7½½½?$ͪC½½iM½½½½½½½½Fc½5½-½R½½U½Mpj:Oh:CM½E½\M}`[N½|½½½X½D½½V½&vx½^½yDPO½78.-K½½m:v½a½½C½½½B½!½½½½½0V1½½N½½c½kI½?½½½Z\½½íu+½c½½v½½½½½½E½R_½½?½½5I.t½G1½½½½f?J½_½{½½p½h½q½½Ì(C)1½M½½=q½s½½i½p½\½í½½]½½½&½½½kT½½iFc½½20½,h½L½ ½½g+½½ ½MnÙQ½,½ c9½cn½½Tnp(Q½FJ½½½½½½hÚºk½½½}G½g#½{½½v½½½`½½ËZHÑ{,½{½½½½½½½½N½e½½Èµ:½½p½½½E½æ¸È½½]y½½½½f½½½½+½Z½à¾v½½½½G½]^½Ñܱ;½vÞ½½J½%+н۽½½½hZ&½½T½½x½½X½UAÛ¼½(Iw½n)½q^½½^½½½@½H-t½½½n!XV½#½Y½½½½½½m½-½½½½k½R8me½Ø½½=½½qË...\ͨX½6½l½½½½½½P½½-½½)½^Y½½/!@½½bE½½½N"½n½{@½tD½½½R½É¥½lÅ¥`I½hV\½7lÙ½5½½\U½j½½w½j½E½d½ ½uuWBGU.½½½j½½½½Ù...½½½{½½½½{DvFT½½½.O%mg½'½½.CFe½½½½m½½½:½½½½Ô´½G½½½K½eY½=½3$½B½½½½A"@È'½B½+½o½½½+;½1½½½tM½I{{q½½ 4½½½X ½92½Q~s9w½½½½½½½Ïªi½½O½½½Õ'½KrÄIJ`)=½½HH½c½Î¹ºiÒ½½Yܵ½Ý½½½E½'½&kg2½*0]½½tV½S½½Ý¶p½½½½>½WF½x½½½½½½Ü'½½Ø¤½½M½½ u½½ÐT½m½]J½½½B½ÚiCÛ¯½v½½>½½uHN½½½ ½"y½:½Ü¬J½½½8½½M½½2½T½B½Hm½0½F½½EP½½½½½½½|2½í'½Ú·c½O&p?½½|U½½½(½½½½½½½½*½½V?½'½V~½W½_B½½½-.½S½½½+i2½½&½FS½½%½½4½5½½H½½½u½½g5½?-"Y½$,R9½R½½,r½äªÛ½½p½^½½h½È6ZT.½½\ܽpF;I½>½½½½|9a½_h½=½½tm%½½\Lg½*½½u1s-½½&½wQ½;½½Òª½½} ½½½8_V½b½Y½½J½Km>½½E½½K½l½E½Ö>>i½;v/½½wdeI#½½FD½½½Ýµ½½½w½½U½½f½½H½wU½y½#½½½AY[½U=½½bg½x½U>½.½½N½U:;BL½g½l½:½½½½7½½n½'½`½½½c½½½½P"v½^H8½;½½½q½½×½½k½½k/½½½½j½½`½½As9½½J½/Bn ½V½½&½"½½M½4½`½½½k½$1½wN½½½½½*8A.}Q½½½7½½½|3p½½cǯ?oÖ¯½hwZd½½½Ñ½v{½L½iP½*R6½y+½½½2!½j½½½9½q,½½½R½½½$|C½½K-Ä
½.cD½v5½ ½K½Y½:½;K;½½l½k½½½f½Ô¬½Q½L/½½:tQ½½2\½½½½7/$i½½½C)½M½S½}Q½hl㺺½½#½½½I½½Ha½½½Fqؽ;*½3l½/½½½Q½î¸½½½,4;_^½½½9½½½½½J,½9½½Q½½½v½h1]G}av½½k½y½72½½x½½z:H½½r½Ñ½½2½½G½Ç£Æ½½½½½,½u½Æ´½[½PF½½½I½;r½F½I>'q½Rl½z½9½½½½'½ß--u&\=½t½½½½½½aj/½á¶²m½'½½2)dT½½½½½½-½½TS½~½½sY½½½Zͽ½D ½r>½,Ü´½"i0½½½½NB½ÏMk½½\7r½E½½M½½½½$dE½½;I½^&bØe½;q#b½½½I½%½½z_K½½\?½.Y½½M6V[c½Ü£K$½½!}½FQ½$7½0G63½>Y½z]_y}G½-½.½7½~½½k½l|A½Ú·h7½?½kÚ
½½½u½Q{w½+oc-½(½½B½B½½½½½D½E½ò¥>>"½½½1½½=½2½`½B½O{½|½í"½g½½CM½½½½½Ë®U½e!½5Ä0½'½E½wO½½Òض½½×Ó~]½½½½u½Ns½Ä®½½k½N½-/X½½Õ¸½]F½%½Kh×Ò¬½½d½½½nY½½>½}_½?kZ½.½m½C.½MÌ´M½H½½%6½½½U½½K½h:½_½@u+u½x½Ø½½½.½O#½½9>½W4½%½½½½½½½½½1½½½j½½Ê½½½@f5½5:½½e½ÐO½=E4½uH½S½½R̽H f;½ ½W½½½n½½½&mR½½½U½½ ½k½½Hت F½½êª½½~Ú{_½½½½ß-B=9xM½½K]=g{c½I½i½:Z8½%!C&½b½@c,½½(HUÞ½½½½?½½½½{½½½j½½½i½½70Y½c½½!½½7½½$½½^½03&:½½Ò¯½½Y½Ys½mr½n½½8½½½½]½Z½½½½n½]E{Ķ½o½K½~k½m!½½½*D½½½Q½½½½½A½½½½½½]Mt[m[½C,½[½Ôx½Ldkd½½ÝD:y½½c$½C>½½½½½½+½,t½I/½#½½½D½½Ä4½LJ½½½,h½~%½&½½-½½×'ë¶(C)½v½}½½*G4½½½$½½å½.c"½½)½po½u}½½½;½½+X$rX½?+ir*>+½A½½½½G½½½½9w}½E,½R½\ZA7>x½½8b½½½H½Dw2½½9½:mT@½9½;[½l#½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½P½[M½WS½½½½q½6½ ½'½½z@pÖ?½jzͽ½M½½D½1½$½½.\[½½X½½Ñ¯]½D½n½x2½½.½a-½Ý
½½½½½½{n&g½½½2½v½½]½½½^_½gq&g½)½½+½Ö½Z½½%½uå¬'Vh$G\x½I½½½½t=½Z½v½½n½½,VÔ½7Z>h|I½½J½)#½½½½½(8k[½½½l½t½F½M½½.½½½Ä½½(½lM,1½K-½½½½#.½½da~N½½½~É+p½½(½½tyEÚ'd½:Gr{½Dl½f½zW½liÝ9½½@½½i½½}½Ê¶½½T½½½lR½½l½K½½½i½N½?½9½!½}½K#ʽ|=½>#½_Gk\½b8½Pá(C)½yI%½l½½½½½½O½Z½Ø¶½½½qE½6;eMsP½kx½½_½'Õ®l½&½½½½½Om#C2n½½F½"p½{½-½8½T½~9½½½T½½½½½½3])½½i&½½]Û^c½|($½5½_½uz½½f½½½L½½G>.½½0>½½½½S\½Ù®½½½½½6½e½½2~tb½!,1½½R']½½½2½½R6;~+½½{½6½½½Ë½½Q½[kX½½9½½½j½DA½½%½ePÄ]½½½vWz½½½½6½YL0½C½c½VU7WV!w½½-½W½}'J½½[]F[½½½½34½M*seYY,½$Ku½Gi½>½Äº½½½½v½G½K)K½½½½04½Ê¶½-Ľo{=l\Z`[½6J½½½½?½½Ò{½}½Ë4½F5½½/`½½½B½}½½½½Ü'a½VES½½Û½\½½½b2Ö¥½Kc½½½$+Ý´½m½½½½0½'½½!^Y½>½+½½GV½½½SN`½G&½tn-½D½½½½X½½½x½½½,½½Ý½½i½½½½½½½½kJV½,½ L½oj½{½½.2½½>ܸmä¾k6½½p½½U½F-½sw]QzNVU½½½n%k/½~Ô´]hK½T½½hpd½½½d½$½I½f7`n½>½½½XqhZŽ½-½½½'½½H½½+½v#½½*½½½½1½(t½)ì"½½½bÓ´½½Y½½Å%½G½5½½afiʱ½G½½rw½;½U½6½½½½L½½uTi}-½½7½½xV½X½ ½½Bv _½½cpE½½fFyhv½s½r½7g½h½½;hÚ'½ñ¬½m½F@½ ½URH½l-½½_-½ {D½Q½Qk½½bÓ§½½½G½Yc½0U$½6½.Ð"½t½s)½+Ò¶½i½
- l½Wl½½ |u½q|5'½½½½½H½½½½½;0e½U½j½ ½^½½½½{½½½J½½½)½Ô£½->½rbK½½½½½>]½5½½u½½1½^½k½½½H½½½½ß½½61½½½wƽ½Æ}½½6n7½b×½IKi½`n:½c½½½o½|35Í^_(C)G½\C½½½#, 0½Ú½Q½½M?½½½W½½½½½#½=½`"t½V6+.½½$PJ/½½S½½½{?e~½½½Q½½½~½S½½Ç½ã½½b½/47½+x½½Gm97½½'½@½@½k̪½½Eln-½½½ß£]½vk½½u½½M$½½*½Û±æ²8S½Lg½½*½½½½Þ½½:U½4½½_=½Ä½\½½N½×(C)F]½½½s½½3½½½½½mGap½½?½½½½S½_½7W\9½½½/½½½½½½½0½7½F½%½#$½#½½"½½ N½½4½;½½½î¥½ou[½4ʤ$h½½%½½½Ý'½s½½¶½vy½p½6½½Is4Sܵ½½2½½½½½½½v½fÝ'½½S½ÕB½rw`½\½~½k½Z½3½½ ½½]½½½)½½½½/½[=wK½½½½½:½½n½½E"½Ñº½½½½½lWZ½GW½½M½½½%½½7%Äy½½)½s½#c½½DK½G½½{½½wO½H?½c½I½½\½!U=½z!Zh\=½½N&½½-½½½5ı4H½½¸½MÅ.ÄrDk½K½"½uXo½-½7½G,\½½9pI½A½/½*½½½~½1½½I½½72KO½_ɪh½½½½O{j½½½½3½1½]½Û½=½½½SM½½½.-fk½½zm ½½E½½s½½½½Û½½½½&SY_b2½'z½|1½z½½½V½½½-½½½$m8½½ ½,½½½½ckU½½½Zî'Ϩp½½½kp½n½½½½½{m½½èµS½v½g̽½)½½L½Æ½½='½r½_½v½?½½Y½R½½×p½½½%½½=½7½½½4\½½Eb½½yQ.½½dsr½½½½½×5½F½½½½i½(½%½\9@½"H½½Wy!ʽS½ß"½½)>½½K½u½½z½1zRzj:½i½Ý¥Õ'V½P½Ñ½2o>½u4½P½e½WP2|sã·½½½K½½½:½\I½Ú--w½a2,Û°½½½fh½½½N½H8Û½½½½½½½½½½½Fi9½½zOR½½½½½_½½½~½Z½½g½{;½½%I#b½ÓȶUVU½-c½P½'0½?½s½cQ½x½Ë'º´[;k½*w½Ì'½½½c&½&hdv)_>8½}½-½½,Z½Ä8½½D½½*\½w{½^½½½c½½½{I½½A½z½½Ki½½½½aq½W½½½½K6½½½E½½½½w½½½r½Mç¹ c}½mi$F½½$½½½{v½½[½½½½TÒ½SH½½½,½½½*9P½½D½½v½½½`z½½KÛ&~d½½n½e½>½½]½½½Sd½A|½½C½r½½¶n½½½½½m½½WL½gU½½I½2r½½½Vn½c½½½½½a½½Y_ /½S½½]½½a½q½\\½½½½*`½=Ë·n½+ÓºT½½>?½½CQ½½p9½½$½½½½½g½½k½½:½Z\½|Ƹ½Ô·½½XQ½½½½1`Ѿ½"½fj½½½½CT:½Mź½½½Å±GH`S½½½½½½½4½!D{½½½½½?½½½½@owO½A½&e(½½½½½½?½u}pq'j½Z]½½½Ê²½'¹1
- VV½½½ ½s=i½½_=½Ç½½4½U½½½½ip½Ë'Ñ"½\½½uP½½½{½8½Z½½MÄw½Ù'½½{½½@`½½H½½@½]½u½k½{P½i½½kX½×¯'½K½U½X½p½m#½½Í"½6½`½%*½m½^½$½½Î ½½L½½1½g®½k½½½½nu6½½8½½Tf ÈŽ½Am½½½½½½½[½½l½q"½ ½½9½zñ(C)£i½Ä7½[½½y½½½ÑeH½4\ΰ;wU½D½½p½o½h|Ukim½My½½½G½½½b½Yb½Ó6{W½R=B;hm½½½½0#y|½½h½8\½ ½UW½½V½@:½\$d)½*½½Vq?½l'½$½M½729½½½8½ã¯4½#½½½½L½"½½z½p½ ½Í§½L½½8½r6½Jѽ½"½½½½3½½½½?½5½kt½½½½0Fs½½Õ(C)Q½½½½}u-C½,½+½E½½½½½½s½i½Û½B½½ÜÙ½½Pm½½½?i½K½½½½½½Rz½½½_½½½M½c½Zt½]ܼ½IkK½L3½½½½!½½n½Al?½Ç½½M~$½½½Üµ~b½(½m½½"#rQp½U½½½z½½½½j½½½EJaÙ½;½FcM½½Ù ½%r¥b½Ù½½Ø'½½½;½+c|ó¶"§4½É½½½½½@\½½w½½Åº½M?k½cmyw=½å'""½q+M½½½½½L#;O½\½½c½i]½YkzMÞ½(½½kI½^½d½X½½½Ê...9½½½½½m½~:½½½*½½nÔuN½0½g½½½h½iÙ½,&epߣ½½X½i½{{kq½½\KqK½½½½39j½½½½Ù"½½W½g½½½½½3½½½rO!½yL&0`'9½u½R½½P½½½½½sW'½½½5½½o½½r½/k>½½Ý>>GÔ½½P½½SC½½½$!½ ½½t*0½Ñ£$½r6½j½½/½7½Y½½]S½-½½,H½½Y=^s%s*½y&s½½Q½V½Ww½½½½)B½?O½½;½½½½½½½^_½½½½N½t}>VW½½N½½½½%K[X`fRc$n½uZ½½2=m½½-½½½[Z½>JL½½½½iDRC½½½½G"½½½L½½½½½Ç
?½½T½½CV½½½D>%½½@½5½½½l½½½½Þ¸GT½½½0½½½q2I½Z½å´½½½Ku½½w½4½u½½½½=½½½+½ÑV½½ZÛs½È'3½½2½H½½M½y½½X>Ͻj½Ü½½½½b½½½^@6h½k½r½½½½7½^½ju½ç¾°½½1H½ Cn½sE½f½Q½cca½W½½Z½½½½W½Û²i½½½6½#+K½&`dLuG.:t½½½½Ù½½½G½½½½½y~½½½½t½½-}>½x&½]B[½hwl ,6½C½r½'-½n½>½P½½½!½5½½G½5½,mu½{Iy½½w2½[v½s½'½½½&rw½F?g½P#½½`½k½i½1g½½Gz_V½½gعc½½½R½#½½'½½½½[{½dn½av麶^½ÞÚ½½Ú\\½Iky½Cdq½9½½w½½½½½½½½½M½e½?{½½½½½OV½/½s7½½½Î£½qv½½V½Z]ɪ:½3½½½½K(^½pp||3^½½½½|T½6½½½½½Æª½++½½n ½|½}{½mJ½½x½½Vq-½`½½½A4q37&½9Z)z½½½m_E8}½½~½ ½½½_V½½y)oLy½$½½½R½½½A½?½Tʵ½½f×'½½½Äª½½½C½\G½½?½½ ½Z½½½/½y½½½½\½^½½½½½,½½½½½$½½*½P"½(½½½M4½?½½½ ½½½MK8f½a½½½}½`{½½½½ ½½½½¶½½k½½'½;)½Rz3½½ð¬£s½8½^½3½,½½Es½/~jw½½lE_h½?X½½½½?½XW>½-½½#½3a½½xE½½½T&L½½½JË...½½½I^L½A2½q½D½½½)½QEP½QEF)6½½Bb½½(BCI˧QIH-R½QEEQBb½½½P½½h½KEI½Z(½½½(B(½½½E%8½iESP½F½½ÐH8'½½`½u3½g½½G½{''?½g½½"½½½L{½½½½½½½w'½Mr½5½½E½½?½?½k½EzN½½_ܱ½[½oz(½½½Ú E½½3B½½½@½½p½'F½½½½n.½[k½½!½½>*zTjU½M½½+M@_½=q½½[7½{½q½o½s½æ¶°h½j½I']½½)½½Gή½^Ú@½½½½k\Þ½½9v½½M+½=&½½½ ½½½&½½#*@½2½ ½o½VVVZkj½?:½½½½ß½!w'½½U~½V½m?½½¼#g½½!½½½w^½u}½Ò®6m*½½x½½yG0`H*z½0½½½n½½½½,½:ä²½½Rc!wyYK}m½½½'½|½½Q½koO½½½½½½d|½5i½D,½ß½½½K½½½m½½b½)}½½½É½dn½½½VE½½½v½½v½½q##½½J½W½3mP½'½7:=½½5½ueR½1g{½½½'-½½>,NX½½½O½2Q@½½O½½G½S½½H½QE½QE$½QE$Eb½P½QE%½½))ÆBi½oj½½V9d½z½>½_+TS ½kG3½XHT½½~½½X½TS½½
- ½5;½Y%½½½r½½2½u½GZiw½½½%½½,½4iÌ+½m@r{̽½½ñ¥ ´t½½½"½ÏR˽O½½½½½t½Q0½Ý£½½½Tw½½\½2ѽS½z½½½4|½½Åǽ.!×£½½½½6½½½M.½E½R%6WJ½k½½=VX½ ½½3½Íµ½'½_,½½"$A½½½\½/)½,Ü¥½½U½½m½½½½?½/æ"º½½½½½½Ë½½½C½7)½Ó½½3½fa&½~L½&v½½½½'_MJ½½Fg½rTG½½f&½½½'½½½i½½½h½4½½½'½XBd½D|½½m½#½JI8½c½>½½}&Q½I½½½#½½77½~½@{8½½K½½½½&½ay*½Ö¶½s½½½1e½½ÓYDyÔ²½S½j½½½^=#½½½½½-½]½0½½gZ½0kx½c½VY½ T½½Å&\½½Ii½½½#½rU½½½=:½LÊ
z0½½½^½½½*½½½½½"f½½"½'S½½t½Mo½½^½J½½½½kg½½PT½H½@½½yteV½½Ä>>½hlgvW½½½½½[Z½½]N½(½};U½½½½-½½½½½V½=½7c0nT½D½6½½½Zͨ½½6½A½c1½nG½Csx*P-½DG½N@½½Ó=&½K½"½½½ì½_X½w½v½&2½yso27½½½^½*4è²...½½½½½½I]½½=6½{½½×¼½½½½F6½'½4½Ld½*½I½l9=½$kx½½Ï½&½½½R½½½V½R½,½Û>>½;M½H½½1½½½½½½½½½½ç'½½V½½Ó´½_½&K½"k½1Z½½(½)½ds #+½$½½½#½>½P½½.&½^j)q%½i::Z½3½½#½\½½½9棽'½4½@½;½m½k:½½%½½0½ygk½½½{½½½)wÔ½ÅnU½½51½?4½½½½c5½2>½q½½½½6½½O½_½m½½½h½.#½½½TjAXoN6½+,R½G½.½½6;)%½½½½U½½H½½½Ä½5xu{{½qus½^]½Ö2Iʽ½Xu|X½½50½v½U½½w½b½½Qe½½½½+½½½½½½½G½4æ
8½Ë½½3½½Z½½½½PÓµ½9½N½b½%½½½hml,½½½½!½½Ð[Ë--½c@Ú±\Jy,½½R½½{~½5k½{+;½Ë½½hLPÚ>>%½½3A½½R½8G½½bfv2½u5kg½½g[@½½tT+X½½y&V½R½½½oV½ÕtÛ(C)½;½½)£½½½D;½^½L;D½}H½½mKP½¨½½iç½bBQAvT@½R^½½;V½½}6K½%½½B½½ -/½½½U'½½ !Y½½½ ݾ)P½I½½½½½r½½½h½/N½½½½½½½½Ci2½½c}½vÓ½½ß½U
- l|½R½Ñ½Ó¤É".M½½n=½Û¶½½½½v½%ƽ½w7½D½½ÒY%½w1½½½½½½½ß½VM½sK½Ý²h½½ZDÚ'½½½½½.½½]½Z½½½y½A&½Ä>½t*½½Ú ½}½½CA5½½Ø´k[Ù´½½Ö½½½½U½í4½$½½A½½½U½½S½l½V1½~½VVG'Ë...ݽ½VLe½½L½½½{½*F½½C½½k½Ñ'½½A½Ð½½Þ¬½½½½p\½½n½.½L½½½61½½Ñ§½J½½/-#½-:[½H½K½#½½½c s½;½½o½½N½Z½KtÕ¯%½e:SD½½4$½½k½½^>½!½/½½½g½½I½½½N½Vk½o,(½y½m½l!½(t-_Gd½W½½mfm½LGz½½t½'UbSZ½½+Û½}a½Z½½=½½s=½½½[½.½ ½coH½½F½uF½|½½`½o½^½xt½]KO½9-q½½½\½½\Û£mi½½F½½U½½;0½½½Uy7½N½/½Ó£]R½Kk½½½½½½.½½½+½UZ½½½½$½½dnY½aVC½½½½½½$½5½R½Vy.½4½½O½K½½uqpܸVQ½½½e½,K½L3½,Ev½j½½Xir·-uqu{½{=;O½½½½½c½-½RV(½½½½½l½½½½½½D½½½½½-½'½½RK[F½;Fq½½½½ul½p½½½>Þ'½cUÛ·k½Z½½-Îqp½Z½½½½]I½½4½HJ½½½½½J½½½z½ ½½8½½Z½W½jÑ>>k½½8½E½½½`Xt;½½½/a½½½½~r½Í¥½LH½d½½½WK½½./½½½j½[o½½y.½è'½5½½½R½½e½½K½91Q½½½½½½½½ZiÖ'½½½Ð¬M½½½Z.½½½=L½Ô...½[½UIqE½o½cg½½½)t½r½$½1ƽu@½½½½^,½kZÙÞ4½½½r)f½½g.½'v½½k½½BI½K[h½½½K6V0½½½,½Ôµ½7vÚ
½½-½F½O½½½q½½KÚ[½F*½½w½½½K½½j½½Qi½W½½½Q½/m½7H½+½½½½½½½½4l½ v;½½½{½½&½H½[½½}6½Ø¤wMyesi½½(½½2½Í¸½}.½)V½{yR{k½½½d9Ya½VH½½^7G½7ήk½½ul½½½@½A½½½½u7U½4½}½½½S½Ýµ½5½½)\½Ç½½o½½½½o½8½½~#½4½4½½"½½½½½½m½ ;X|ß...½½K½,4-6½P½o.½½½[]Ͻ½½½tY^51½½`g½j.y*½½&½½v½`Þ½½L½&½½½1½½½½½Û(C)½K½]½½D½½½½½e½{½½H½gÏ'½½½½½½½½ib½½mB;½½½½½Y½W½cn{lR½>tbK½US;OZ½o'/½'½½½½½JŤj½½½ÒC½½½½Ý(C)_6½v½Si½m½½Ëq{sѽTD½½E½4½R ½½:½T7½|_½Î...Uì'½A½{½½_½1½X½½½½UP½[Ú¯½½½UO½[km½^½½Fqgg½S½½d½/i½@½½½½½½½½½½#l½½½½½½½½s½q#½½½,gD½S½b2½½Ú¤½uË°½k½½½½½½½ºq]Q½½½d½½P½½½5½#½G[P½½Km½½½½pÆ¥½WX½TY$½w½.½½½%½½½é¨½½½i½@½ß·[½½k+[½]0k½e>½u½½½½9M½½X½½½½½½_;½}Û£½v+½½Ýα½r½8FHå¼l½ ½%kx½B½½Ý½I½BJcy½3#r½½o½m%½½),,d½½n½½l½Ü±½6I½(½½W½½½½@½4½½1½½[,½½!½½½½;;½Ë±½LJ½½½j'RsD½5;½½q½½½boM½Ô½vf½½L½4½b½G½½½-½N½ZÓ®t½f½4½C½½½1½½Tb"½]½½'x½j½½½½½=½½½Gy.n&½½(0Mqw#K:*?½&g`]½
- ½½½½{½$ѵ${½&½8d½x½L½½½QdR½(½N½b½½?½½½S¹S½½m&½N-½½½½½½qn½w#\½½d½i½WJ!½g½h½½Tz½½L½½%Ä'?q½Úl½Y8½Y'½½m½½-½g&R½½.ȸh½½½17*½_e½½iÖº½j½iZ½½½.½½Ù(C)F½½z½½½½½½8½bG½.½½½V½;½½R½½laa½1/½r½½Snν½rÇ·½Ö'$N`G^dy)f½½½?%Ah½½½½½\\qÅ...½½W½½Y[A½½PI;½2½½½½½½f½½c½½½½_½½{R½½½½½t½½½½3½½f½kpY½½½½Al½T½½99U½½G8 ½n½z½½½½a½oV½½l½½W½½½½½]½*½K½½9½½½#]E½½½c½½½½ÖÑ2½M½Ö¸½½½L½½}½]q½½½l}]½½R½'½½½*½½Ð½½UUR4½E½½½W½pW½½½E½T½t½s½ÆYx½½R;½x½P½9½½d[x½½½½Ø¾;½r½½½F}½^½4½½½oes½.½k½½½$Gvnd½½;o½½½½½½*D`½0½ekË"`½/>Ci½\u½BG½Y]½½5½½wz(½½UR[½u7yw\}½v½c½½$½WP½z½½½½9o`½½½6½t½½G1½iË'½E½tK½½b½dz?v½u½h6Ú'½QGs½SÙ½.-n½2:½~afX&½ ½n½½½:½½½J[½i67½k½b½J½½*½2wUW½½Ks½½½½½5m½-½X½F½H½J½½c1½19S½d&;½Ð½Z½+½bKy½½n|ê±µ½B½q"½Ü±L½½UIv½½\V½=g½½-½½9½r-½n½½½`½,rI?:½Ì¹I½\½½_mz%½-½½Å½½½Zu½½½i3KÆ~z½yy½½$pP70yv½C½½½mt½É½Õ½a5½½½½e½F"kh½[½½½½o½½Cò®ª½½½½½oe½½½/W½½{h½l½[½½½½ko?'½{½ ½½½D½½HG½#½Y@½½sNG½1V½½Z½½½½U-½R9½½E½Ï½a½$½MZ^|q½½½+i+½½½½½D½½{J½Ú¥½½½½½92,½½\½½½Q5[½("½4½y½2lG½T½C*+½½½½G½C_½D½½È¨½½½DH½!/½l½½x½½Ò´-:½sum½i½]½½½,½Ï!(~½v½½9H.½n½½8Z½SÖ¸s[½½K½X>½½½½n½ç¼½Í>>½^½½[½½½+K½½!k½VSn½OQ½½½Ni½7R½Æ"k½½Û¨½½ss)½!½#½½Ê ½½(½W!v½W½su½V½½½)k/O½½½½½½½(½½½½½½½½{½½½½U½½½½½½½k½ì'·½½½½½½)½½A½½6½^^½Û¥½½Q½½½'½½È¬-Û½?>7½fY½F½½B>%½&½kSz&½q3EWz\½8d½E½`d½½½U}½?WmVÞ]½½½½Å¶½½½Z}½½½Æ½]½½w½I½dag H½Dv½½½½]3q½Eq½aR8½Q#Or½½½çµ'½½½g½½xSP½]½½½Q½½nmH½ok½½½½½½G½H½f3½½½{N½½a½½7½N55½'Sk'\½+½½½½M½8½W½m×½w½oÎ
½8½½IE½½(½½8&½½D8½½½Z½n3½½½D-½½q½½½½½+.Ñ--Vu½½:½½_oY½y½½f8 )½½½½ .W½4^½½Ô¸{[½½l½m½½KÊ^½½½Ï...\½}f&Ic$½½!Ê
]CÛ°Û¤q½pt]M½½8cc7½il½M½å¯½,#½n½½m½e½ÐWÛ~½e½n½[½½v½½,½½"½Ü²+½::½0q½½½½½6½J½\½8]$ƽ½uÒ´½½c0½½½q½½½?½½½½V½}½Guo½I.½½_h6V½e½½}½½3½½½V[½Gm ½--½>T½½½@aKcijm½½c½½½aCnR½y½½RkË4½{½½7Ö½p½È½½½o½½½V_½½R=½½A½5z½Wv½ÙPh
- {w½½½½a½½-½v½JP$PI½½½V½½=Z½½½{R½½½,(½Q½p½0R½½{½SX½.½½G½½½½½½j½p½efÓ½½½½½]u½h`D½c8½½n^½eJ½~½TlÍmF½½P½q\½½;½t×"½½½½½}6½O½u½½O½.`½Ôµ;½/½½½½½½X½-Ù§p½½a½½U½V½9½`½½½9Ï2½½ ½(I½½½O½½6o½c½½½½mZ½x'½½½N½½½n/îDo½M½½ ½ß½½F½½½G½}~2d½.x½½½!½/½½]½X]i:d½½½½½G½C5½F½½yaB½@PL½?G½"½G½'½P½½ÔµZU½Uu½u½½c$½ishVh½xĽR½½½½½½;O½m½i½7½D½½½$u½½'ow½|½½½½½½½½M½½½½½%½½½.½nPWv*q½k"½½>{½}½R½>5½P½½½½½PK>½qw½½½½l½(½½½½½½B½½uBc½½½½Å·½½5½½8OP½½"]?O½4½½½½½P]:E½)oy;8^½½½½½½Vw½½(b½½"½I½!T½½O½½9Oe½½½^½½=½W½½8?½e½u½½~5½½½4½½½½½O½-½½)!"`½Y½½1mtb]7.v½%|?½½½1½½½½I/kK+½na0rÔ·½ ½TnÚ¥½Ç'½xK½½½=½½:f½i3½½4½½Õp ½½a½½½s½+o0+J½:½Ey$y/½½|I½6½m^R½½R½F½>IE½]½x½f½ ½C½Z½½#,½G½½½eS½½;½Û½½K=½K½o½I½7½A½½½*½½½½@Wf½Ë
9p½½$½Z(½U½½½d.½½½½y½"EqAPC½\P½½%½Û½^½½'½UV½½½½½T½½RKH½p-'QSÑ´½½F½½&½½K½*½?½4Ç5+qk½B^Q`A|dg·½½~½½½h½3s½E½t½"½y½Ä½½½;n ½½½Ê>>½k½½n½n$i½4½>y½½½½w?;½½m:½-ÍYY½½nj½ ½½½6½½½½pyIe3½Ý½½Ï¹sz^swn=½Xjo½Q½½½vm½½½v½~bF.½!h½]˽½ b½½½P½?½M½½½{.½~T½½HTlÙ¶n½/x½r½Ç¾½-½l-$½½½m½y ½[½½yrJ½½;½N½Gx½½½ka½i^(a½½d½½EG½½v½J½½2}½Ú'½½kND½½,j½½.a½+½KJÑ´;½?U½½½½-7P½½Z½½½9½K½d½½sfY-½½4½2½@f½½½Y½½P½½½K]_P½½i½mZ½½kKW/aq8½T)u½½½(½A½t½H½½½½½½½cuqÒ'½o½½`½½½½>Z½½]½p½½½½½½w½z½]l y½½2~C~jJv.½½Ô°4;) ½½½½½}FxC½/n#½f,½½aH½VEu½B!]½½|ˤZZ½Ë>>½½U5½D½e½½½HRn½½E½½½Hx'½½½½½eP½ ½½:½W½ro½}½½+)½Ç¹`j½½½½½U`|½½½m=½½½/i½½½4w'Ú®½g½8½½(½½½½Ô½`>½×ä8½M½½½-kvm6½½½½[½%M½C½½Y.½j½Wx½Wa½½DB½½½ß½Ð´½ oVIͼ½½½½½t½+½.½F½&zVoi=½½½4½½x½pн^½½{½Ý¥½!;½½eH½½½Ï½½½-u½pm½½|Q½G½Mej½p½ -&½½Ìr½½2½½r½ZFDgb[b½½V½½½&½}½_pk½½M½½½g½½½½Rk½½½½M½v½q½>Y½e½½½o>½)ÞK½½d½½ i½[:½Jc½x½½½X0Q½9½2½½IÛZ=½>½½]:½UG½½½;r½Ê½rG½½½Üº½g ½½FϹ½½7½½z½½fÓ¸½Ýº½½½½^?½ ½½½½½½½{ÛZ½½½½½½D1½½'ݱws½½½.|y½{½½Ê½ßRT½½r;½m½A½½½½Ð>>q½½½½½½X½½V½;½t½½½-½X½n½½½½y.T½½J×·h½½h½Õ½½½½$`½½½dk½9Ú§½½e½_Ú§i½ê¯...½½I½½H½½P½½$½½½r½½½R½+]½½v½s½V@D½½½½g6½½½c½Õ¹½Ì½c½wv½C½½½½½_½½&x½½½5½"N"½½f6×°/½hu½½½1½:½qu½[½_d½½½Ø§i1i½½½7½e½t@eY½\]½v½½½$r½X½½½½m½½$+_½½KM'B½l4[½W½½+½½96½@½½H½½e'$US>½q½l½½½½½½Ìº½.½Y½½_½½½H½G =71½>ʬ½N½seÅ'Ô½Ó®½æ>>5½]\Ek(ZP½LcyD~Cej½+4e½$½Î½½½½oL½#EmK½X½Ya½½9½½)]½J½½½!HH8*½×½X½½Ç°½½#½+c½½o½;½½½½¼v½½½½½½½8½½g9h (½fP½½½½½y½Y½~ߺ½½½Z½½½Ç½E½g½½H½½½3½Õ'½½i½M://½,½½'½,½½½Vp½½½½½½O½½L!NJWEC&½Y½½½½½½Î½{½½½\w½n½½½/½½½½½B½½$½½&ßË'½½Ô½+}½½½½½½/P½½½=½½z½½½1@ ½½½½½½½%½,½9½½½½½½½½½bz½{W½½½V½o##F½Hr½½½>½½Rm½m½½½gv#½+½dUϽmǽ½N½½a6½S½½½mih½½m.(½½½½½(B(½½½(½½"½(½ ½QN½½BjB)½½i ½½½c½[=rD½½½½½=½½7½V#ä¹´½r½½:½½MJ½½L0½½g½½½mc½O½W½m½½O½D½f½t½½½z{X½½½|½z½½W½m½K{[½J½@½`½½½½½½*½½S½&½)ÆÎD½B)½RSR½)ؤ½BQE!QE"EQ QEQEQD!QE½QEBDQE.(BJ)vѶ½ (½m½mM½½m%EQMN ½IN4½iJ½iB½½O½½½½Ê½½½`½u2½d½½½½½½VR½½r½½5'½7½uN:½½8½\Z½½½½UN½½+om½Y½½Z½½oÑ...+½$½uV½½½G½½½m½Y½H½sm)½!½$m½½½k!½kV½½=½½½½>½½_+½½F½g3|q½½ß½½½i½&½½A½)½E½½P½uco½½`YA"+½sÊq½½½½'˽e½zEN+½S[i½m½g½½½½½½½D2½½½E½z½`!½½½W½PM{½½n½Z½ç´½n½½½½O½Q½$½C½o."½½½4½½aH½Id½,R½V8VOd½½#F½d½"'½UYpQÌ"½QsPo^½½UUP½½6½½½;½T|½½(½\½d½½Ù½"½½Ò½½½½-½^½½½$½½$½½c½½~NA½½+½½½)½v½E(ZZ½H½(½½½½v)hJ½½1N½½½½h½N½½½½h½N½½&½½(H½½1N½½&½S½½*n(½:½&''EL½½R)(Bm!½0½½"e½½½,½]VH½½ ½½7u½½o½?s½½½½½½*½½J½/½I½½I½½u½0½½!½½?;½½G½}½6½½UY[½½8½½½½½½r`+e½½=½y½½yI½[l½Ô·½CH̽½½;½+S½½½F½½vcN?½Ï¤"½½½-m½Rm½½Rb½½½½½½½j½F(½:½½½1N½½&'´½(Bn½6Ó½½M½½½}½½'½¹½J½V½m½½½;½V8fs½½'|½½5½½{y½;½o½Û¤9`½½½½½a½½½½r½½:½Ï½½½½ ½xN~½½l1½½½½½?½½Ñ½]½½½½½i7~=½BIKE&½7ÐKM½Û¶ ½`½Q½½½½k~½TΤZ½½½@\[½f½IN'½½S½½m:½½'½½EÒ
!½½½Cx'½½½½½e^½É½½È¬½½½åª½jO½o½TèU½Ô½½Ê(C)½[{m½_jÔ´QEu½½QE(%@½(½½½(½*(½½hBJ)v½½$½½(B)h½BKE(!5½# ½½B?Yr½½Qk ln½½coy)½1½x½½½Xj=½Ç¶s½ph½½Æ½Mv½Zg5½J8½*Ò(½½½½S½KBvѶ½EM½F½u!7mi½P½½RS½ ½S½I½½$½½m½ (½½F½½½]½½½½½N½Ð½i½½BDÒo½L½½½ ½A>½R½½½.~½½½U½½F½½>½½1½:D½½Mj½½:½L½½CLx½|c½½½~½½½V.½½Y½½M½½(*1½8\ ½'½ÉK½½½½½r½x-½½ufhY½½>T9>Ì`½½½Çc6½(M½OG½½t½½ ½½k½½ii½½½S½½½Q½Fo½^0]+½+½J½½pFG½{½V½½W½j½Ý½zP½½W½"v+½L½Y½½½zou]½½w½½½½½w½5ɽ޽½EÍÕ½½Vr[B½Ò¤½½Ðex½K½p½G½½C½{_½Ê½Cn½½½½½½AY½½ +½½½½½[½½Ý¬½½½½,@L½½E,½½½(~fXl½7-7½½L½½½½ge½½I'½½½f½I½½½½½½½½½½½½Í½jawIVuf½k½Ð>>,½^½½½K½Ô±½FW,½½-½½½"Ú½+lI$½½Ú'1Uf½4½Ç¥[mFI½½N84½J½½B½ek½½½½Z½½½½w½½ç½lry½½½½S½½R½8½½½vy½uG½Õ½½½½No#Ö½½S½A½FvI)½½½D½W½n½,½½½½Y½/ë5½ÕOY½½½;½½?3`½s(½½½½Yk½½½5I½½½½Q½½½½Vj½T½½ ½½½½"½½[X½h½½Ù½½cC½½½½7½[m>xç·½½(½D½½KyO,2½½½;½½½f½½½½U½4½N½kL½½M½b½EsB½&½½½?7'½?½MdV6½½½v½½jT.Nì#½½½½½½($½d½½½½ä¯j#½½kjÛ'K½{Ͻy2O½½Êʽk½½½½½@½=_½½]GypC/½½?½½K½XWda½EQ½yn1,j@½½a½½½½v½½-½½!½r;½u½½m'Ù'½½½.m½!X&½0½F½,½s½M½LÖ¥½Hi½½½P½½H½½7\@½½½½Ú¯}'4½d½½{½4o|t½*W½½L½...±½Ûµ½.½½kI½e½½½cX]f½½|½½w½'½p2½&Q-l½8½w½½T½ê'½x)7f½y:i7wr½O$,v½½9m½½½½>>)o½P½½ÔµF½½SH½V!-½½t6½~g_Y½½v1½C½w-½½½D½½w+½=½}½Ý}5^½e½½XO(r½wB½½J½(x½½½M½1½½4½½9Ç´6,½½½F½-$½½c½½½½½i½l9c%Ó½½#pW½g`p½½½½½{-½½½t½N½R½P3½H9½½½½pH½;½[#½½m½m;½½E½½p]gf½r½É±w4re~PmQ½½xg½j½½½{X'½½d',2½½&½+*½½½½½½2Þ'½½½½> j;0½½SZ½½
- K"½;z½ ½½kr½½E3 Ú¥½qU½;AÏIo½½wEJ½2½½½-u½A,B½UE½½*FhÚ m½k[½½qc:Gk½½½ Û'½½ox½*GJ(p%½i½½½½&½;x½&9x½{½zu+½½½½½½½i½½½½½½½½½½u½pÐ--smൽA:½$½|½p1½½j½~½½m½|6½½½½½½½½½½P½ ½½d½½×¸>½è(C)¸½9½n ½wmA`3á'£½×¤½;B h½½½#eB½¨½\.+hi)½½"R½^Ó"k½½KHHq½½@=z½½½½½Cl½½"H½½m½0½½½½½½VÒi½{½D½½L½(½J½&QKIQ½½C½>/½½S*½½O½½½½Ê½½½½3½|J½_½1½X½½½½UN½½½_½I½½½½Ð¬½½KEWZ½E>½)½%(½½(J½(½½½(½½"½(½½-6½(BZU½½Z½QEh½½$½X½½y½½½½8½½f½"P'E½½½1½`½Î§½½]½½½W{U ½mz½½Ê¥9½#wI2$½~M7½½7½U½½½V½w1½3½_½½½Z½=)½FH½½ä·7½½bb½1@Þ®½½(½v½½wv½hTh½½½!l½'mV½Õ·½Ä½½#/d½½X½½½'½½½½½½½{½;½f½½½rZ½½½KtF?½|½>½½½½½Waz.½{wv½½½½.[\e½½½fE½2½$½½½½-½½½-;½KÜh½½½efDSq.½DFS½'g½½@(½½½/½½R½Z½#½H½F1½½+½½H½(½½½½~½½½½½½Û½½½½½1Ò½½½n½½q½Ky½½Ø'½½C13½½ d½½x½½X#½½½½;Y½½½:å½½9½3lë¸@#'s½½W½&½½½½½½½½M½½½½W\½Qx.½½½e½*#C*"½½xe½/xU½½½ ½½JM½½R'&½S½½ ½½c½½½n½&½½½w½½Erߥ½i2½skim4½5½½'dnl½½r½0O½l½K½½½½5½½½c½½½m½½bA%½0$v½½]J½½v½ vO½-½½½$X½yν½½0½½'z½½½½Uî½8½½]2á¸=½]½½.v-aJ½ ½$½Li½½uJe½SH½ÕHE6½IBkk½|½½½R½l½½½O½½^½½½mÕ¥Uo½½2?½Tmv½½$½½½?#½½qmf½k½½½MR½BÒ^½$½4½)½½?e"YMf½{½+½[a (½W ½{½½½½½½L½T½t½5VmRu½I½½½n½½½LQ7yاw½\½op½½[G½-Ô&I½;½GbY½½#$½½½½2'~½½OR½½½mW½½½½½u É"½j2½½v!½½½m½½`;½+m½u°3½½b1v½½½=½lfK½½)!½GX½½c½K½(½Bv½MÔ--P½QE½½½u6½P½h½½aN ½½½½SU!½3½½½Ê½½½:½W½rs½}½YK½=½U½Ô½½Ê(C)½W½½?A½½S½½Öº½½Õ(C)h½½½U½½`½Ð--½½(%N½½(B(½½½(½½"½)½½½r½i/D½.M½½#r½½½~½½½yj;½½m½á½½wT½½½48½9+½½*½½_Ö...½*F½½^½>½½½½½½½*½½½[½V½mp;½½p½½ 2½?½½½j½½½½½!:m½h½½Uk½=ql½z½/-L½2ER'gXw;C½½½X½½vZ½z½½L½Pm½F2½&sn½½½½U½½½½½lG½Ñº½3½t½½B½½½½.mzN½ ½A½%qcw½½i½"½L½0½I½½½Eo½}½½½½n½½½x-6½H½v½8½k3`½)½½Ïpܨ{+Ó5½g½K½!½F2Cn½y½JtF½½C½mE½2˹jD½½½½s½½½l½iÛ½½O½|½-½(½Qw½½S½½-I2½7@½z½@½QEZ½?E.)@½½½XXz½½½R½x½a½½½+B½½[b½½½,0̽#9½7½½mf½[½)½S`(½½½]½½2+#½E½y½½P~pUUomd½Ö°0½9q½½½6½_½>n[o½½Q%½½½u½8Qc+(½½½½½½½wwoj½½J½½½½zF½½h½7½`3_\½Û¬\½=YZ'½½½½½½K{½yd½V½$i½UV½N½bU½EC½½d½^½½s½½:½c½O½½;½CyqG½½½½½ht½½½½r½G1½½½ZR½½½1K-Ŷ½o½½;k½½.9 ½Z½½½g½½½4K*½½½½D½½½Û]i½kyl½8½h½½ÊD½I½½Uex½dh½½½½½½½1½/n½½½½r½½½:*½/Dc½]!½¤½½½j½ii5½½½ ½IV½I½½%I½p½"*½1tܤ½r½J½ë...½D½½+Ëom½½X½Õ½Òµ½½½½Zwu½½}½66Í·½½5½½½½½I½½½½F½C½½Mz½)i ½½3O½A½ÊF½½*|U½½>v½½-½½½½Ì'B½½½:½½s\m½½]½½½½j½J½Ù´]J½k½_½½9o½(½m7U½W½h½½½½½½½:½QN½I½½X½))½½½kY{½1½½½ve½`½PFG½+½Um½½swBÖ½qQ½h½½ph½!½ )i½}Wa½½O$½-½>½½a½H?o½½½h½½w½8½C½K½½½½n½½-b½K½X½½½Q½N½½½>WlK7z=½½Ast½rÌ°8 ½=z+[]½{Ts½½½½P½p½½p#d}½½½^4M½&-½wR½K½\m½½½/z½rqn3E½½C½\{½,½½wW½½m½Ë½sA= F½½½½P6xB½q½=½½,!g-½@T=G½/]½U½o½,l½½½Ä½oi8k½½;½½½{½y½T½G½½x½t½]½b½ m½sp{½Q½l6Þ¨½½&;(½2M!½Op½d½½½½=½½½½½Ûm.pÚ'½½=½½Kݼ3½½#½J½½l½L½Ú,½½N½½.½=_[½X=½h½:]½½½½½½½d½uw9½ZL½½w½½ÙcV~½r½½Z½I;½ ½½c½½½o½½X½½½½Ú'½½½½½h½9½½p))½5½W½½½½½u½Ñµ½\½½2U½I+\Dp½½½½½½V½Æ'Hp½Ä¾½=½¼½b½½½½S)ÝD½=:V½Ù
½d½½½½*th½Út½R½mB½ß½½A½½!w]Z½{½½½8½Eb½o½½½½0sÓ¼½½½½%½U½½'½#½6ÚµA½H½½½½-&½½4½'y½A=½N½½½i½½i½½UÈ...½N½½½&QJE%"r(½½jEP½QE!QEEQBER½QE"i½½½HP½ESpMjJV½½½C½>g½½Cx'½½`½u2½d½½½½½½½½L{½½½?A½½S½½-W½R~½*½Em½t+1}½R½EÖ>½)½%E*½R½ R½E!QEEQB½u"½ÐS½4S½Br½½½½=½6½½½½½½$½½O½½[½;½}6½½½=½ÊdG½,½J½6½½½eA{Mì½µ½t½½½KW½;½KwvK½Ymf_½\"½E3½½ ½8H½KL*½½OJ&½L½½#½½½½,½G½Å¾½$½on½!½½E½r½I½½0½½½ÞsKKad$E½½-@½h''½(&½vt½$hfQ½Ye1½|]½½>A[\½½Ý½Iyv½.e½C,M½R½½½!½&½½½w½½½½Ks%½½½½o"Cb½½½½½½]½[$w9p;½!½)½.^+½½bB½zeر½½&½Cy½½½N|½½n½½j½½½½RN½Ê6K`H½½|½^½|½Õª½Ò ½4½[s½½L½`tI½Y½½E½ß½½ÝÚª½½½-Ø'L½o½½½O½1Q½Ó--5½\½½e^O½RÕ{½ZÓ0Ó½½H8½½#,½/V½½)½ScÛ½½J½V½Å½uL½½½½½½(½½½½!½D~½A½Õ¯½½N½½Wn?½½½½½½8½½½Vź½=½½g7?½4½½9½½!½9½½½½½½aR½\/½m½iY½½½?T½6½½½I?½½½½½½98½½½.½½½Ýµ{½½X8½Ô--?jz½½½Q½½!½½6½%½ 4½½O½*Kg½½'½½½8}½½½P½mT½½mz½w*½H½c'½½½½e½U½½½½6½é>>a½½½½½Õ'½½f½½½½×½G½Kh½½\A/½cc½s'½½w½-:!½r½½½fv½+.N½v½½½º½½½½½sV½W2½½0T½½$½')½½Tu6½6½î§'D½-½p½*AI½q½½J½(Y½U/n=½½½Z½H½½O½½I½½Ô½½jV½F½½a½`½Ïz½½^½½P½,½½½½i½½P½i½½ip$½½H½½½"A½7½t½&½t½½Ç´½p½½½.V½½=F½+½½½R½5½)ln!½\'½GmTF½=½½½-½½½]/½D)m½½½C½W½w% l½½½½Ö°G½½½@½½M½G½AW½½`
- ½QÙ£w½I½%½.½½9½cÕTx½c½|½&½[0W½Nla½½i½c½½½½½½4S½½½½?g½3L½½ ½½6½I½½p½%½>&iÉ]½H½B>½½½½½½ZÞO½ai½O]½½½`½|wA*CoPs½U?½x½$!$½7½=½?A]½½½@½1½½+wk½Ó¸½½½{½½½D6½FY½x)½.v½½½~½½n7½nw½nk½½6#4U½;½+½y½M½[½=f{8½½ ½cw½½½au{1½½9½Û½o$½½D½½½Ü½½*½½£½e½½½½7N½½bx½½r½½½½½.½+&½H2½(½a½hJ½½½O½?us½½½h½½½½½WL½$½ ʪ0½2½_c{+½½½½½K½½½½3½CN½Þ¸½O½V½½=Õ ½Ù'½½A½½F½½x½½#L½½+½,s½½½p½9 ½>½½M½×½½awfd½½Å½$n½½,½sn½½U½½)½½a½z½½½=½½½½s½½½k2H½Yi~M½½½m{½F,j½½½Hb#>'"[Z½Õ·½½N½"d2½]IFj½½n½½h½+2½½ys4e½ËK½½½½xFdd½½0I&½+½½½'½½&Dv6Ï(C)½rf]1/o½½½[Er½V:z½'½sq½w½`,½½m½½c½½@|½½½U\½]Æj½>½½ #YluU½½O$½e½K½½½½½½½X½½Aqs#(½%½'½½I%½½s½½+m}X½ Id½½f½O[½,½½½Z½}Xj3½7+reh½0½½ ½C½to½N½½½^TU½~½½½1½½U½E'½]O½½½½½y+½S½½½½_O½yj½½½½Ö'½½I½½½y+½½½½½½½Úµ½½G½08½NI½½d½I½)½½+½½f½V½½½½V ½½½t2½]mE½ O%/½½½½yh½½½½½-@½½½½½|½½½Ä®Ü...½½½Ê--#q'½]½cĵ½J½½½½½½-½½½½Þ½½½½!½T½½½½y>1½½G½'½?yj½½)½^½½½½P9YT½Hx½½'½[½½+×'½½½z½|c½1I½½S½CÄ¥½`½½½½½Z=y>1½½U½!$2|$½½½½_½½½5u½½½pM+|Q½O½u½6dê...Þ¸½½Õ£½½½½yj½½M½½½½Õ¯#½½x4½½GuB9½|3½½½½Æ½Ê²=y>1½½G½'½?yj½½-r½½½½½½*OV½{½X½½½½½×'½½½[½Q½_½Ú½%½½=y>1½½G½'½?yj½½½½½G½[½y+#×'½½½z½|c½|ƽ½½G½½½^O½~½½½½½½Z½)6½½½S½CÄ£Õ½½VG½'½?yh½½½½½-V½+6½DypÚ£½%G½½j½½[½½½J½q½ Q½Å½½r½z½½/½-;½S½½½^½kF½0z½5½½$:½½½rB½[Ʋ`½yO½U½I?GM½½Om½½½-I½½½½5½½>½½½/½-/½G½½½½#P½½w½xd½=BÖ>>?es\r½½½½+P :½*Jv,½%½½½dz½|c½^O½~½½qEr½½½½½½*_V{½XÞ½½½½G½½½½½½u ½b½½½+a/½=½½½_Þ®½om|½½6½K^*½F½½k½½½½½½6½½½½½T½½4K½½½½B%½c½½½a]g½x½JÔ½½½½½,½U½[ݹ½½½v½½9V/&½w½Û¯½½kL½]CV½½^½w½½e?2uh ½fr#IR'½½I2WPhh½½½zO½½½½qo,½M½½SD½d½½Ü:½½$½ã®>>5½kBÖ¥½/T½½X½½Èo%cf{U\3:½½½½?½½½D½½½½½(ÖH½½L½ -½½D½½Q½½Y9½½y½"T½Ð¼?½½½½Ð8½½½Z½½>½u½h½Sk½½v½½O½K½Z½P6½½Ii½½Z½w½½½½F½Ý¬v½K½ZÎmk9½2½n7½½½US½K½F½½½\½Ü¹½kT½½½½0|@ ½{4½Í¶C*]E{weÍiT½x½&½È!½½cNZ½M½/½4½½?I½~k=J½½4Z½½½½{m'&X½2BW½5Ú½½½½½mLn]_½G½½½½F½n-M%m½Na½½½½½½½½$9½Sw½½'½½½½½½2½½Ó...;j½'C½]$ÕµK{½½½9ÌJ½XWt½½½Û½½½½#O½Ð´C½½o½½u½7½WO½½½½½½v6£½u½ ½ %½-½[½GC½^\H½D\½½y½½6½½0½s½8.½½ß´m\½4mZ½½½½%b%UVd1½}½½Í2W½Ü>>½uN7½½½?$ͪC½½iM½½½½½½½½Fc½5½-½R½½U½Mpj:Oh:CM½E½\M}`[N½|½½½X½D½½V½&vx½^½yDPO½78.-K½½m:v½a½½C½½½B½!½½½½½0V1½½N½½c½kI½?½½½Z\½½íu+½c½½v½½½½½½E½R_½½?½½5I.t½G1½½½½f?J½_½{½½p½h½q½½Ì(C)1½M½½=q½s½½i½p½\½í½½]½½½&½½½kT½½iFc½½20½,h½L½ ½½g+½½ ½MnÙQ½,½ c9½cn½½Tnp(Q½FJ½½½½½½hÚºk½½½}G½g#½{½½v½½½`½½ËZHÑ{,½{½½½½½½½½N½e½½Èµ:½½p½½½E½æ¸È½½]y½½½½f½½½½+½Z½à¾v½½½½G½]^½Ñܱ;½vÞ½½J½%+н۽½½½hZ&½½T½½x½½X½UAÛ¼½(Iw½n)½q^½½^½½½@½H-t½½½n!XV½#½Y½½½½½½m½-½½½½k½R8me½Ø½½=½½qË...\ͨX½6½l½½½½½½P½½-½½)½^Y½½/!@½½bE½½½N"½n½{@½tD½½½R½É¥½lÅ¥`I½hV\½7lÙ½5½½\U½j½½w½j½E½d½ ½uuWBGU.½½½j½½½½Ù...½½½{½½½½{DvFT½½½.O%mg½'½½.CFe½½½½m½½½:½½½½Ô´½G½½½K½eY½=½3$½B½½½½A"@È'½B½+½o½½½+;½1½½½tM½I{{q½½ 4½½½X ½92½Q~s9w½½½½½½½Ïªi½½O½½½Õ'½KrÄIJ`)=½½HH½c½Î¹ºiÒ½½Yܵ½Ý½½½E½'½&kg2½*0]½½tV½S½½Ý¶p½½½½>½WF½x½½½½½½Ü'½½Ø¤½½M½½ u½½ÐT½m½]J½½½B½ÚiCÛ¯½v½½>½½uHN½½½ ½"y½:½Ü¬J½½½8½½M½½2½T½B½Hm½0½F½½EP½½½½½½½|2½í'½Ú·c½O&p?½½|U½½½(½½½½½½½½*½½V?½'½V~½W½_B½½½-.½S½½½+i2½½&½FS½½%½½4½5½½H½½½u½½g5½?-"Y½$,R9½R½½,r½äªÛ½½p½^½½h½È6ZT.½½\ܽpF;I½>½½½½|9a½_h½=½½tm%½½\Lg½*½½u1s-½½&½wQ½;½½Òª½½} ½½½8_V½b½Y½½J½Km>½½E½½K½l½E½Ö>>i½;v/½½wdeI#½½FD½½½Ýµ½½½w½½U½½f½½H½wU½y½#½½½AY[½U=½½bg½x½U>½.½½N½U:;BL½g½l½:½½½½7½½n½'½`½½½c½½½½P"v½^H8½;½½½q½½×½½k½½k/½½½½j½½`½½As9½½J½/Bn ½V½½&½"½½M½4½`½½½k½$1½wN½½½½½*8A.}Q½½½7½½½|3p½½cǯ?oÖ¯½hwZd½½½Ñ½v{½L½iP½*R6½y+½½½2!½j½½½9½q,½½½R½½½$|C½½K-Ä
½.cD½v5½ ½K½Y½:½;K;½½l½k½½½f½Ô¬½Q½L/½½:tQ½½2\½½½½7/$i½½½C)½M½S½}Q½hl㺺½½#½½½I½½Ha½½½Fqؽ;*½3l½/½½½Q½î¸½½½,4;_^½½½9½½½½½J,½9½½Q½½½v½h1]G}av½½k½y½72½½x½½z:H½½r½Ñ½½2½½G½Ç£Æ½½½½½,½u½Æ´½[½PF½½½I½;r½F½I>'q½Rl½z½9½½½½'½ß--u&\=½t½½½½½½aj/½á¶²m½'½½2)dT½½½½½½-½½TS½~½½sY½½½Zͽ½D ½r>½,Ü´½"i0½½½½NB½ÏMk½½\7r½E½½M½½½½$dE½½;I½^&bØe½;q#b½½½I½%½½z_K½½\?½.Y½½M6V[c½Ü£K$½½!}½FQ½$7½0G63½>Y½z]_y}G½-½.½7½~½½k½l|A½Ú·h7½?½kÚ
½½½u½Q{w½+oc-½(½½B½B½½½½½D½E½ò¥>>"½½½1½½=½2½`½B½O{½|½í"½g½½CM½½½½½Ë®U½e!½5Ä0½'½E½wO½½Òض½½×Ó~]½½½½u½Ns½Ä®½½k½N½-/X½½Õ¸½]F½%½Kh×Ò¬½½d½½½nY½½>½}_½?kZ½.½m½C.½MÌ´M½H½½%6½½½U½½K½h:½_½@u+u½x½Ø½½½.½O#½½9>½W4½%½½½½½½½½½1½½½j½½Ê½½½@f5½5:½½e½ÐO½=E4½uH½S½½R̽H f;½ ½W½½½n½½½&mR½½½U½½ ½k½½Hت F½½êª½½~Ú{_½½½½ß-B=9xM½½K]=g{c½I½i½:Z8½%!C&½b½@c,½½(HUÞ½½½½?½½½½{½½½j½½½i½½70Y½c½½!½½7½½$½½^½03&:½½Ò¯½½Y½Ys½mr½n½½8½½½½]½Z½½½½n½]E{Ķ½o½K½~k½m!½½½*D½½½Q½½½½½A½½½½½½]Mt[m[½C,½[½Ôx½Ldkd½½ÝD:y½½c$½C>½½½½½½+½,t½I/½#½½½D½½Ä4½LJ½½½,h½~%½&½½-½½×'ë¶(C)½v½}½½*G4½½½$½½å½.c"½½)½po½u}½½½;½½+X$rX½?+ir*>+½A½½½½G½½½½9w}½E,½R½\ZA7>x½½8b½½½H½Dw2½½9½:mT@½9½;[½l#½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½P½[M½WS½½½½q½6½ ½'½½z@pÖ?½jzͽ½M½½D½1½$½½.\[½½X½½Ñ¯]½D½n½x2½½.½a-½Ý
½½½½½½{n&g½½½2½v½½]½½½^_½gq&g½)½½+½Ö½Z½½%½uå¬'Vh$G\x½I½½½½t=½Z½v½½n½½,VÔ½7Z>h|I½½J½)#½½½½½(8k[½½½l½t½F½M½½.½½½Ä½½(½lM,1½K-½½½½#.½½da~N½½½~É+p½½(½½tyEÚ'd½:Gr{½Dl½f½zW½liÝ9½½@½½i½½}½Ê¶½½T½½½lR½½l½K½½½i½N½?½9½!½}½K#ʽ|=½>#½_Gk\½b8½Pá(C)½yI%½l½½½½½½O½Z½Ø¶½½½qE½6;eMsP½kx½½_½'Õ®l½&½½½½½Om#C2n½½F½"p½{½-½8½T½~9½½½T½½½½½½3])½½i&½½]Û^c½|($½5½_½uz½½f½½½L½½G>.½½0>½½½½S\½Ù®½½½½½6½e½½2~tb½!,1½½R']½½½2½½R6;~+½½{½6½½½Ë½½Q½[kX½½9½½½j½DA½½%½ePÄ]½½½vWz½½½½6½YL0½C½c½VU7WV!w½½-½W½}'J½½[]F[½½½½34½M*seYY,½$Ku½Gi½>½Äº½½½½v½G½K)K½½½½04½Ê¶½-Ľo{=l\Z`[½6J½½½½?½½Ò{½}½Ë4½F5½½/`½½½B½}½½½½Ü'a½VES½½Û½\½½½b2Ö¥½Kc½½½$+Ý´½m½½½½0½'½½!^Y½>½+½½GV½½½SN`½G&½tn-½D½½½½X½½½x½½½,½½Ý½½i½½½½½½½½kJV½,½ L½oj½{½½.2½½>ܸmä¾k6½½p½½U½F-½sw]QzNVU½½½n%k/½~Ô´]hK½T½½hpd½½½d½$½I½f7`n½>½½½XqhZŽ½-½½½'½½H½½+½v#½½*½½½½1½(t½)ì"½½½bÓ´½½Y½½Å%½G½5½½afiʱ½G½½rw½;½U½6½½½½L½½uTi}-½½7½½xV½X½ ½½Bv _½½cpE½½fFyhv½s½r½7g½h½½;hÚ'½ñ¬½m½F@½ ½URH½l-½½_-½ {D½Q½Qk½½bÓ§½½½G½Yc½0U$½6½.Ð"½t½s)½+Ò¶½i½
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Baku 2015 - First European Games
- Ilham Aliyev,President of the Republic of Azerbaijanand President of the National OlympicCommittee of Azerbaijan:''I would like to thank everyone who has participated in the adoption of this decision, to express our gratitude to the European Olympic Committees. I want to indicate that the Games will be held at a high level. Thus, Baku will go down in the history of the European Olympic Committees for its contribution to the hosting of the First European Games.''
- Patrick Hickey,President of the EuropeanOlympic Committees:''The European Games have been talked about for decades. The EOC has decided that now is the time for Europe to have its continental Games. So, for the benefit of the athletes of Europe we are very pleased to welcome everyone to the first European Games in June of 2015 in the vibrant and beautiful seaside city of Baku, Azerbaijan. These games will reflect the energy and unity of Europe and bring new and meaningful competitions to our athletes as well as bind the European NOCs together with one common goal.''
- SportsFrom beach soccer to wrestling, from aquatics to volleyball '-- find out more about the sports of the first European Games.
- VenuesExplore the unique world-class venues of Baku where the sportsmen and sportswomen of Europe will make history in 2015.
- Join usBecome a part of the First European Games. Spread the word, get involved and make the Games an even bigger and better event.
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Oh dear, Kim! Kardashian wades into Syrian civil war by tweeting support for embattled ethnic Armenian town... but is accused of inadvertently supporting Assad | Mail Online
- Kim Kardashian has issued a plea to protect the Armenian Christian's of Syrian town KessabTweeted #SaveKessab to her 20 million followers on SundaySupporters of Syria's dictator Bashar al-Assad have been accused of using the hashtagBrutal images of women horribly murdered have been linked to the hashtagThese pictures have all been proved to be false and part of pro-Assad propagandaKim is of Armenian descent through her father Robert KardashianApril is the month when her compatriots remember the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians by Turkish forces during World War 1The Syrian opposition - which contains Islamists loyal to al-Qaeda - have thanked Kim for her supportBy James Nye
- PUBLISHED: 12:30 EST, 1 April 2014 | UPDATED: 17:03 EST, 1 April 2014
- Kim Kardashian has waded into the controversial and ethically murky Syrian civil war - issuing a call to her 20 million followers on Twitter to save the ancient Armenian Christian village of Kessab, which was taken over by rebels last month.
- However, despite her well-intentioned tweet, the reality television star has been criticized for using the hashtag #SaveKessab - which some have accused of being part of a stealth social media campaign backing Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
- The hashtag has been linked with false claims made by loyalists to Assad, who have said that Syrian rebels desecrated the village's churches and slaughtered its residents.
- Political statement: Kim Kardashian has tweeted her support for the embattled Christian Armenians of Kessab in Syria - causing some controversy
- Indeed, horrifying images linked to Save Kessab that show a young girl mutilated with a crucifix and a decapitated little girl have been comprehensively debunked - with critics branding them pro-Assad propaganda.
- 'If you don't know what's going on in Kessab please google it ... As an Armenian, I grew up hearing so many painful stories,' Kim wrote in a March 30 tweet.
- 'Please let's not let history repeat itself!!!!!! Let's get this trending!!!! #SaveKessa #ArmenianGenocide,' she wrote.
- In doing so, Kim, whose father was of Armenian descent, underscored how Syria's war, more than any other in history, has been waged on social media, with both supporters of President Bashar Assad and those opposing his rule using selectively chosen videos and photos, sometimes faked, recycled or altered, to support their grievances.
- Concern: Kim tweeted this on Sunday March 30 - as she sought to draw attention to the danger facing Armenians in Kessab and the horror of the genocide inflicted on her compatriots in the early part of the 20th century
- History: Kim Kardashian has waded into Syria's conflict, calling on fans through Twitter to save the ancient Armenian Christian village of Kassab, whose residents fled as rebels seized control of the hamlet in late March
- Plea: Kardashian's publicist Ina Treciokas said Kardashian was "just voicing her support for Armenians" and said she had no additional comment
- However, it is obvious that Kim's support for the campaign to save civilians caught up in the brutal fighting in Kessab is far more personal than simple altruism.
- Kim is Armenian and April is the month during which her compatriots remember the genocide of an estimate 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman forces during World War 1 and its aftermath.
- The event is widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.
- The Kardashian family are originally from Karakale, a village in East Turkey, close to the Armenian border and populated by ethnic Armenians.
- Her great-great grandparents on her father's side are Sam and Harom Kardaschoff - the Russian spelling of the Armenian name, Kardashian.
- They fled along with her great-grandfather during the 'Medz Yeghern' or Great Crime - which was the genocide and expulsion of Armenians from what is now modern-day Turkey.
- The family made it Los Angeles and Robert Kardashian, Kim's father, was a high-profile lawyer who helped O.J. Simpson's not-guilty verdict in the 1990s.
- 'I was raised with a huge Armenian influence, always hearing stories of Armenia, celebrating Armenian holidays,' said Kim in the past.
- 'My father taught us to never forget where we came from.'
- Father and daughter: Kim Kardashian and her father Robert, whose family are Armenian by descent and who famously helped defend O.J. Simpson against murder charges in the 1990s
- Kim's use of the two hashtags side-by-side, '#SaveKessab' and '#ArmenianGenocide' suggested she was linking the flight of most of Kassab's 2,000 residents and those killed by Turkish forces.
- Kim's tweets are not the first time she has been criticized for political errors.
- In April 2011, she featured on the cover of Turkish Cosmopolitan - which was controversial when considering the relationship between Armenia and Turkey.
- Kim was prompted into her tweet by events last week when Syrian rebels moved into the northwestern coastal province of Latakia, which is where the Assad family is from.
- The rebels allegedly include fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra - the Syrian arm of al-Qaeda.
- Critical: Kim has come under pressure to distance herself from #SaveKessab hashtag which some say supports Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad
- Anger: Some took to Twitter to chastise Kim for trying to tweet support for civilians in Kessab
- Correction: Others tried to not so subtly point out that the images linked to #SaveKessab are fake
- Since then, hundreds of Armenian Christians have fled and Kessab has been overrun by rebels.
- The complicated political situation in Syria's three-year civil war sees the nation's ethnic Armenian population having to back the Assad regime.
- They see him as their only safety net against radical Islamists who are a large part of Syria's opposition.
- However, this has not carried much favor with the very influential Armenian diaspora, especially in the United States - of which the Kardashian family are prominent members.
- Kim's public backing for Save Kessab has been endorsed by the Syrian National Coalition, one of the main opposition groups.
- 'We are glad Kim Kardashian is taking an interest in this issue, as we too are concerned about extremist groups' persecution of minorities,' Khalid Saleh, a spokesman for the Syrian National Coalition, told The Daily Beast.
- Battle: Syrian army's artillery seen firing at rebel positions from the town of al-Mishrfeh, some four km from the rebel-held Kassab town in the northern countryside of the coastal city of Latakia, on 27 March 2014
- Fight: Syrian soldiers seen in a position in al-Mishrfeh town, some four km from the rebel-held Kassab town in the northern countryside of the coastal city of Latakia, Syria, on 27 March 2014
- 'The Free Syrian Army has put out a statement committed to protecting of citizens of Armenian descent and to maintaining the integrity of their religious sites and protecting them from the Assad's attacks and use of indiscriminate fire, which continue against innocent people.'
- However, some are plain furious with Kim for using drawing attention to such a controversial issue to her 20 million followers.
- Kardashian's publicist Ina Treciokas said Kardashian was 'just voicing her support for Armenians' and said she had no additional comment.
- Her Kessab tweets were followed by a flurry of sultry selfies of her riding on a boat in a skimpy top and long skirt with hashtags like #WishYouWereHere and #WhatALife. She has been posting from Thailand in recent days, including one that shows her sitting at the entry of a temple featuring the Buddha.
- Share or comment on this article
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- The Stability of a Unipolar World - Harvard - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
- Journal Article, International Security, volume 24, issue 1, pages 5-41
- Author:William Wohlforth, Editorial Board Member, Quarterly Journal: International Security
- Belfer Center Programs or Projects: International Security; Quarterly Journal: International Security
- A decade has passed since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of U.S.-Soviet bipolarity. In the ensuing years, many commentators and scholars have questioned whether the United States can remain the world's sole superpower. Some have defined U.S. preponderance as "a unipolar moment"; others have suggested that the current structure is "uni-multipolar." Regardless of the characterization, the conventional wisdom maintains that unipolarity is unstable and conflict prone, and thus unlikely to prevail over the long term. In our lead article, William Wohlforth of Georgetown University challenges this logic, arguing that unipolarity is both durable and peaceful. The principal threat to the current structure, according to Wohlforth, is the failure of the United States to stay involved in the international arena.
- For more information about this publication please contact the IS Editorial Assistant at 617-495-1914.
- William C. Wohlforth. "The Stability of a Unipolar World." International Security 24, no. 1 (Summer 1999): 5-41.
-
- NATO plans more support for east Europeans worried by Crimea
- BRUSSELSMon Mar 31, 2014 11:02pm EDT
- A T-72B Russian tank manouvers shortly after Russian tanks arrived at a train station in the Crimean settlement of Gvardeiskoye near the Crimean city of Simferopol March 31, 2014.
- Credit: Reuters/Yannis Behrakis
- BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO will decide new steps on Tuesday to reinforce eastern European countries worried by Russia's annexation of Crimea, and on how to bolster Ukraine's armed forces.
- Diplomats said NATO foreign ministers will look at options ranging from stepped-up military exercises and sending more forces to eastern members states, to the permanent basing of alliance forces there - a step Moscow would view as provocative.
- Ministers from the 28 alliance members are meeting in Brussels for the first time since Russia's military occupation and annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region caused the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War.
- While the United States and its allies have made clear they will not intervene militarily in Ukraine, which does not belong to NATO, they have scrambled to reassure anxious NATO members in eastern Europe, particularly ex-Soviet republics in the Baltics, that they are sheltered by the alliance's security umbrella.
- The United States has increased the number of U.S. aircraft in regular NATO air patrols over the Baltic States and beefed up a previously planned training exercise with the Polish air force.
- U.S. Ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute said the ministers, including Secretary of State John Kerry, would discuss further measures to reassure the eastern European allies.
- "They will talk about ... what more can be done to amplify the measures that have been taken already and to sustain them over time so that these measures are not simply short-term gestures," Lute told a news conference.
- Since 1999, when it began admitting former members of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact, NATO has had a self-imposed restriction on permanently basing alliance forces in eastern Europe. However, Poland and Romania have agreed to host parts of the U.S. anti-ballistic missile shield and NATO air forces take turns to provide air cover over the Baltic states.
- A senior NATO diplomat said the Crimean crisis would probably lead to the issue of permanent bases being discussed. "I think that these are the sorts of things that ministers are likely to talk about in the next couple of days," he said.
- The ministers' meeting continues on Wednesday, although it is due to discuss Afghanistan then.
- Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev flaunted Russia's grip on Crimea by flying to the region and holding a government meeting there on Monday. But in a gesture that could ease tension, Moscow said it had pulled some troops back from near Ukraine's eastern border.
- Ben Rhodes, White House deputy national security adviser, told reporters last week that the United States would increase temporary deployments of ground and naval forces to NATO allies in eastern Europe. "We expect other European partners to step up and join us in doing so," he said.
- U.S. forces in Europe have fallen from just over 300,000 in the final years of the Cold War to about 100,000 in 2005. The number is estimated at about 80,000 in 2014, including 14,000 civilians, according to the U.S. military's European Command.
- Many European allies have slashed military spending in response to the financial crisis and the United States also recently unveiled cuts. Washington is pressing European allies to reverse the cuts, but is likely to face an uphill struggle.
- Ministers will review NATO's cooperation with Russia, but it was unclear if they would announce further steps on Tuesday.
- NATO announced soon after the Crimean crisis broke that it would no longer hold lower-level meetings with Russian counterparts and would suspend planning for a joint mission linked to Syrian chemical weapons.
- NATO and Russian ambassadors could continue to meet but "other forms of practical cooperation, military cooperation are likely to be in the deep freeze for the time being," one senior diplomatic source said.
- At a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia, the NATO ministers are also expected to offer help to make Ukraine's armed forces more efficient.
- Ukraine has sent NATO "a huge list of equipment requests" which had been forwarded to individual allies for them to decide on what they could do, a senior NATO official said.
- Ministers are expected to agree to step up cooperation with Ukraine's armed forces, which already includes training officers, holding joint exercises and promoting reforms.
- Diplomats said they expected no discussion this week on whether the Crimean crisis would put Georgian and Ukrainian membership of NATO back on the agenda. Possible future expansion of NATO will be discussed at another meeting in June.
- A divided NATO reached a compromise at a 2008 summit, declaring that the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Ukraine would one day join the alliance, but without setting them on an immediate path to membership.
- Georgia's membership prospects were put on ice after it fought a war with Russia later that year while Ukraine's former pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovich, ousted in February, ditched the goal of joining NATO in 2010.
- (Additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Steve Holland and Phil Stewart in Washington; editing by David Stamp)
- Link thisShare thisDigg thisEmailPrintReprints
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- SnowJob
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- NSA performed warrantless searches on Americans' calls and emails '' Clapper | World news | The Guardian
- US intelligence chiefs have confirmed that the National Security Agency has used a "back door" in surveillance law to perform warrantless searches on Americans' communications.
- The NSA's collection programs are ostensibly targeted at foreigners, but in August the Guardian revealed a secret rule change allowing NSA analysts to search for Americans' details within the databases.
- Now, in a letter to Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat on the intelligence committee, the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, has confirmed for the first time the use of this legal authority to search for data related to ''US persons''.
- ''There have been queries, using US person identifiers, of communications lawfully acquired to obtain foreign intelligence targeting non-US persons reasonably believed to be located outside the United States,'' Clapper wrote in the letter, which has been obtained by the Guardian.
- ''These queries were performed pursuant to minimization procedures approved by the Fisa court and consistent with the statute and the fourth amendment.''
- The legal authority to perform the searches, revealed in top-secret NSA documents provided to the Guardian by Edward Snowden, was denounced by Wyden as a ''backdoor search loophole.''
- Many of the NSA's most controversial programs collect information under the law affected by the so-called loophole. These include Prism, which allows the agency to collect data from Google, Apple, Facebook, Yahoo and other tech companies, and the agency's Upstream program '' a huge network of internet cable taps.
- Clapper did not disclose how many warrantless searches had been performed by the NSA.
- Confirmation that the NSA has searched for Americans' communications in its phone call and email databases complicates President Barack Obama's initial defenses of the broad surveillance in June.
- ''When it comes to telephone calls, nobody is listening to your telephone calls. That's not what this program's about,'' Obama said. ''As was indicated, what the intelligence community is doing is looking at phone numbers and durations of calls. They are not looking at people's names, and they're not looking at content.''
- Obama was referring specifically to the bulk collection of US phone records, but his answer misleadingly suggested that the NSA could not examine Americans' phone calls and emails.
- At a recent hearing of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, administration lawyers defended their latitude to perform such searches. The board is scheduled to deliver a report on the legal authority under which the communications are collected, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa), passed in 2008.
- Wyden and Colorado Democrat Mark Udall failed in 2012 to persuade their fellow Senate intelligence committee members to prevent such warrantless searches during the re-authorisation of the 2008 Fisa Amendments Act, which wrote Section 702 into law.
- Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who chairs the committee, defended the practice, and argued that it did not violate the act's ''reverse targeting'' prohibition on using NSA's vast powers to collect content on Americans.
- ''With respect to analysing the information lawfully collected under Section 702, however, the intelligence community provided several examples in which it might have a legitimate foreign intelligence need to conduct queries in order to analyze data already in its possession,'' Feinstein said in June 2012.
- ''The Department of Justice and the intelligence community reaffirmed that any queries made of Section 702 data will be conducted in strict compliance with applicable guidelines and procedures, and do not provide a means to circumvent the general requirement to obtain a court order before targeting a US person under Fisa.''
- Clapper referred to that debate in his letter to Wyden, which came in response to the senator's request in January for a public answer on whether the NSA had in fact conducted such searches.
- ''As you know, when Congress reauthorized Section 702, the proposal to restrict such queries was specifically raised and ultimately not adopted,'' Clapper wrote.
- Much of the NSA's bulk data collection is covered by section 702 of the Fisa Amendments Act. This allows for the collection of communications '' content and metadata alike '' without individual warrants, so long as there is a reasonable belief the communications are both foreign and overseas.
- The communications of Americans in direct contact with foreign targets can also be collected without a warrant, and the intelligence agencies acknowledge that purely domestic communications can also be inadvertently swept into its databases. That process is known as "incidental collection".
- Initially, NSA rules on such data prevented the databases being searched for any details relating to "US persons" '' that is, citizens or residents of the US. However, in October 2011 the Fisa court approved new procedures which allowed the agency to search for US person data, a revelation contained in documents revealed by Snowden.
- The ruling appears to give the agency free access to search for information relating to US people within its vast databases, though not to specifically collect information against US citizens in the first place. However, until the DNI's disclosure to Wyden, it was not clear whether the NSA had ever actually used these powers.
- On Tuesday, Wyden and Udall said the NSA's warrantless searches of Americans' emails and phone calls ''should be concerning to all.''
- ''This is unacceptable. It raises serious constitutional questions, and poses a real threat to the privacy rights of law-abiding Americans. If a government agency thinks that a particular American is engaged in terrorism or espionage, the fourth amendment requires that the government secure a warrant or emergency authorisation before monitoring his or her communications. This fact should be beyond dispute,'' the two senators said in a joint statement.
- They continued: ''Today's admission by the Director of National Intelligence is further proof that meaningful surveillance reform must include closing the back-door searches loophole and requiring the intelligence community to show probable cause before deliberately searching through data collected under section 702 to find the communications of individual Americans."
- ' This article was amended on 1 April to correct the month in 2012 when the 2008 Fisa Amendments Act was reauthorsied.
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- ZunZuneo
- Joe McSpedon, another washed-up intelligence agent.
- Caught with their hand in the technology cookie-jar again!
- Joe McSpedon, employee of USAID and probably some other American government agency, has just been 'outed' for trying to destabilize Cuba with a Twitter-like service called 'ZunZuneo'. The goal was to spread discontent'' a technique Russian spies call 'provokatzya' (ÐÑовокаÑиÑ)'' via a social network. According to TheTimesUnion.com, the US government was also collecting personal data ''in the hope that the information might be used someday for political purposes''.
- 'ZunZuneo' is Cuban slang that means roughly the same as 'Twitter'; the boys in the back room were getting creative.
- Laugh you may, but stop and consider what this fiasco says about Twitter and it's founders Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, Biz Stone and Noah Glass. Twitter is a San Fransisco-based company.
- This botched operation is every shade of stupid, because not only has it drawn attention to a 'tool' used by US intelligence, it's implicated USAID also. USAID, a 'charitable' outfit that Washington uses to send money to people it likes, has had plenty of mud stick to it in the past: read this post about how USAID and Pierre Omidyar are involved in destabilizing the Ukraine. However, now USAID is bound up in the world of techspionage; 'frenemy' network services which serve their masters at Langley.
- For some reason, I find all of his hilarious. The Emperor is stark naked, and he's got the body of a pudgy, middle-aged, chocolate milk drinker.
- Don't think the developed world is safe from these stupid schemes. Follow some of the more rabid pro-Washington commentators on Twitter and the command chain of a handful of operations will become evident quickly. The unrest in the Ukraine provided some funny examples, my favorite of which is this tweet, which was released the day before Western media outlets announced Yanukovych had fled Kiev:
- The tweeter, Mark M Mullen, is an activist on behalf of the country of Georgia, and who was in San Fransisco when he sent this tweet. (Or so he told me via PM.)
- US Intelligence community: tweets like that happen when you put arrogant kids in charge of things they don't understand. But don't beat yourself up'' take a deep breath and get some Nesquik.
- ''The project, dubbed ''ZunZuneo,'' slang for a Cuban hummingbird's tweet, was publicly launched shortly after the 2009 arrest in Cuba of American contractor Alan Gross.''
- a.nolen is now taking bets on where Mr. Alan Gross will turn up next. Your choices are 1) in academia or 2) at an investment bank.
-
- United States create 'Cuban Twitter' to create unrest
- Published time: April 03, 2014 11:05Edited time: April 03, 2014 13:24AFP Photo
- The United States engineered a text messaging network in Cuba to try and spread unrest in the communist country. More than 40,000 people have shared news and opinions using the service.
- The documents obtained by the Associated Press state the project was led by Joe McSpedon, a US government official, who attracted a team of high-tech wizards from around the globe to set up a site that could reach hundreds of thousands of Cubans.
- The Caribbean island has some of the world's most stringent internet regulations, so text messaging via cellphones would help to evade the country's strict information controls. Since Fidel Castro handed over power to his brother Raul, the use of mobile technology has been encouraged. Cubans were given the opportunity to call one another or send text messages, though the cost was high, given that the average salary is just $20 per month.
- The network was called ZunZuneo, which was a play on twitter, with the word being slang for a Cuban hummingbird's tweet. The project was financed by the US Agency for international development (USAID), best known for overseeing billions of dollars in US humanitarian aid.
- The initial plan was to gain users by allowing access to light news stories, such as baseball bulletins, music and weather updates. However, once a critical number of subscribers was reached, operators would introduce political stories aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the Cuban government, with the aim of creating a 'Cuban Spring'.
- Critical mass was important for the USAID because, due to public demand, it would be much harder for the Cuban government to shut it down, while Cubacel, the cell phone company, would have seen a mass increase in their profits.
- USAID staff had noted that text messaging had been a popular fuse in starting political uprisings in Moldova and the Philippines. At its peak, the site had more than 40,000 subscribers, who were never aware that the network was created by the US government.
- "There will be absolutely no mention of United States government involvement," according to a 2010 memo from Mobile Accord, one of the project's contractors. "This is absolutely crucial for the long-term success of the service and to ensure the success of the mission."
- The US government's actions have already caught the attention of one American politician, senator Patrick Leahy, who is a Democrat from Vermont, who said, ''On the face of it there are several aspects about this which are troubling.''
- "There is the risk to young, unsuspecting Cuban cellphone users who had no idea this was a US government-funded activity. There is the clandestine nature of the program that was not disclosed to the appropriations subcommittee with oversight responsibility.''
- There are a number of questions regarding the projects legality. US law requires that any covert action by a federal agency must have presidential authorization. Officials at USAID would not say who had approved the program or whether the White House was aware of it. McSpedon, the most senior official named in the documents obtained by the AP, is a mid-level manager and he declined to comment.
- To try and hide their tracks, they used a maze of different companies, with a bank account from the Cayman Islands to make sure that no one could ever find out this was an operation set up by the United States.
- Although the project had hoped to obtain 400,000 subscribers, they eventually decided to cap the number at 40,000 by the end March 2011, which was less than one percent of the population of Cuba.
- Interest was being lost in the project with every month that passed, and, by the summer of 2012, Cubans began to complain that the service was inconsistent, and then one day it just disappeared.
- The USAID say that did not have any more money available for the project, while the Cuban government decided not to comment.
-
- US secretly built 'Cuban Twitter' to stir unrest - CNBC
- It is unclear whether the scheme was legal under U.S. law, which requires written authorization of covert action by the president and congressional notification. Officials at USAID would not say who had approved the program or whether the White House was aware of it. The Cuban government declined a request for comment.
- Read MoreCuba approves law to attract foreign investment
- At minimum, details uncovered by the AP appear to muddy the U.S. Agency for International Development's longstanding claims that it does not conduct covert actions, and could undermine the agency's mission to deliver aid to the world's poor and vulnerable '-- an effort that requires the trust and cooperation of foreign governments.
- USAID and its contractors went to extensive lengths to conceal Washington's ties to the project, according to interviews and documents obtained by the AP. They set up front companies in Spain and the Cayman Islands to hide the money trail, and recruited CEOs without telling them they would be working on a U.S. taxpayer-funded project.
- "There will be absolutely no mention of United States government involvement," according to a 2010 memo from Mobile Accord Inc., one of the project's creators. "This is absolutely crucial for the long-term success of the service and to ensure the success of the Mission."
- The project, dubbed "ZunZuneo," slang for a Cuban hummingbird's tweet, was publicly launched shortly after the 2009 arrest in Cuba of American contractor Alan Gross. He was imprisoned after traveling repeatedly to the country on a separate, clandestine USAID mission to expand Internet access using sensitive technology that only governments use.
- USAID said in a statement that it is "proud of its work in Cuba to provide basic humanitarian assistance, promote human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to help information flow more freely to the Cuban people," whom it said "have lived under an authoritarian regime" for 50 years. The agency said its work was found to be "consistent with U.S. law.
- Read MoreCuba and investing: Be careful in 'open' Cuban economy
- Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and chairman of the Appropriations Committee's State Department and foreign operations subcommittee, said the ZunZuneo revelations were troubling.
- "There is the risk to young, unsuspecting Cuban cellphone users who had no idea this was a U.S. government-funded activity," he said. "There is the clandestine nature of the program that was not disclosed to the appropriations subcommittee with oversight responsibility. And there is the fact that it was apparently activated shortly after Alan Gross, a USAID subcontractor who was sent to Cuba to help provide citizens access to the Internet, was arrested."
- The AP obtained more than 1,000 pages of documents about the project's development. It independently verified the project's scope and details in the documents through publicly available databases, government sources and interviews with those involved in ZunZuneo.
- ZunZuneo would seem to be a throwback from Cold War, and the decades-long struggle between the United States and Cuba. It came at a time when the historically sour relationship between the countries had improved, at least marginally, and Cuba had made tentative steps toward a more market-based economy.
- The social media project began development in 2009 after Washington-based Creative Associates International obtained a half-million Cuban cellphone numbers. It was unclear to the AP how the numbers were obtained, although documents indicate they were done so illicitly from a key source inside the country's state-run provider. Project organizers used those numbers to start a subscriber base.
- ZunZuneo's organizers wanted the social network to grow slowly to avoid detection by the Cuban government. Eventually, documents and interviews reveal, they hoped the network would reach critical mass so that dissidents could organize "smart mobs" '-- mass gatherings called at a moment's notice '-- that could trigger political demonstrations, or "renegotiate the balance of power between the state and society."
- The Cuban government has a tight grip on information, and the country's leaders view the Internet as a "wild colt" that "should be tamed." ZunZuneo's leaders planned to push Cuba "out of a stalemate through tactical and temporary initiatives, and get the transition process going again toward democratic change."
- At a 2011 speech at George Washington University, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the U.S. helps people in "oppressive Internet environments get around filters." Noting Tunisia's role in the Arab Spring, she said people used technology to help "fuel a movement that led to revolutionary change."
- Suzanne Hall, then a State Department official working on Clinton's social media efforts, helped spearhead an attempt to get Twitter founder Jack Dorsey to take over the ZunZuneo project. Dorsey declined to comment.
- The estimated $1.6 million spent on ZunZuneo was publicly earmarked for an unspecified project in Pakistan, public government data show, but those documents don't reveal where the funds were actually spent.
- ZunZuneo's organizers worked hard to create a network that looked like a legitimate business, including the creation of a companion website '-- and marketing campaign '-- so users could subscribe and send their own text messages to groups of their choice.
- "Mock ad banners will give it the appearance of a commercial enterprise," one written proposal obtained by the AP said. Behind the scenes, ZunZuneo's computers were also storing and analyzing subscribers' messages and other demographic information, including gender, age, "receptiveness" and "political tendencies." USAID believed the demographics on dissent could help it target its other Cuba programs and "maximize our possibilities to extend our reach."
- "It was such a marvelous thing," said Ernesto Guerra, a Cuban user who never suspected his beloved network had ties to Washington.
- "How was I supposed to realize that?" Guerra asked in an interview in Havana. "It's not like there was a sign saying, 'Welcome to ZunZuneo, brought to you by USAID.'"
- Executives set up a corporation in Spain and an operating company in the Cayman Islands '-- a well-known British offshore tax haven '-- to pay the company's bills so the "money trail will not trace back to America," a strategy memo said. That would have been a catastrophic blow, they concluded, because it would undermine the service's credibility with subscribers and get shut down by the Cuban government.
- Similarly, subscribers' messages were funneled through two other countries '-- but never through American-based computer servers.
- Denver-based Mobile Accord considered at least a dozen candidates to head the European front company. One candidate, Francoise de Valera, told the AP she was told nothing about Cuba or U.S. involvement.
- James Eberhard, Mobile Accord's CEO and a key player in the project's development, declined to comment. Creative Associates referred questions to USAID.
- For more than two years, ZunZuneo grew and reached at least 40,000 subscribers. But documents reveal the team found evidence Cuban officials tried to trace the text messages and break into the ZunZuneo system. USAID told the AP that ZunZuneo stopped in September 2012 when a government grant ended.
- ZunZuneo vanished abruptly in 2012, and the Communist Party remains in power '-- with no Cuban Spring on the horizon.
- "The moment when ZunZuneo disappeared, (it) was like a vacuum," said Guerra, the ZunZuneo user. "In the end, we never learned what happened. We never learned where it came from."
- Contributing to this report were Associated Press researcher Monika Mathur in Washington, and AP writers Andrea Rodriguez and Peter Orsi in Havana. Arce reported from Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- MICROPHONE SPYING DEVICE-Put your Apps and Games on more screens with Amazon Fire TV - Amazon Mobile App Distribution Blog
- Today, Amazon announced Amazon Fire TV, a new device that makes it easy for users to stream movies, TV shows, and music as well as download apps and play games right on the HDTVs they already own. For developers, Fire TV can help you increase your customer base by putting your app in the living room, in front of people who enjoy entertainment and may not have seen your apps before. To promote rich user experiences, Fire TV enables full-featured game controllers, Dolby Digital Plus Certified surround sound and more. Android developers will find that developing for Fire TV is familiar, and optimizing their apps for the new controllers and TV display will not require learning a new language or new frameworks.
- Built with High Performance Gaming in MindA room with a large screen TV and surround sound audio is a great environment for gaming, and Fire TV has the performance to deliver a great gaming experience. From its inception, Fire TV has been designed around optimizing HDTV displays and powering demanding applications. It uses a Qualcomm Quad Core Snapdragon Krait 300 processor with Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM to support high performance game experiences. (See all the tech specs here).
- Fire TV also supports a variety of controllers to let you design the best experience for your users. Fire TV supports a d-pad remote control, along with multi-function game controllers. Multi-function game controllers enable much more engaging gameplay for the TV than a typical d-pad remote can.
- Second Screen via DIALSecond Screen is a technology that allows your Amazon Fire TV app to interact with other mobile devices using DIAL, an open standard that enables customers to discover and open apps on their television right from their tablet or phone. For example, a user can sit on their couch and use their Kindle Fire HDX to control an app running on their TV screen.
- It's Time to Start Thinking About the 10-foot ExperienceRunning apps on a television opens up unique experiences for customers. Users are (on average) 10 feet away from the screen with different viewing habits and expectations. For example, users don't need to stop what they are doing to view your app. Users can see the TV screen while they are making breakfast, unlike when they're on phones or tablets. It is also easy for multiple people to have a good view of the TV at the same time, something which can be hard on PCs or mobile devices. There are several ways to use these large-screen characteristics to your advantage. One idea is to use the TV display productively during times it would otherwise be turned off. For example, you could display traffic and weather information on the TV or even show a family calendar or bulletin board app on the TV. Another idea is to use the screen size to support multi-player games in which the users can play concurrently, each able to see the screen without difficulty, each with their own game controller.
- ControllersThere are two kinds of controllers available for the Amazon Fire TV. They are:
- Amazon Fire TV Remote- Included with your Fire TV and supports a variety of apps and games.Game Controllers- Bluetooth wireless game controllers, like the Amazon Fire game controller, provide all the controls you need for a richer gaming experience. (Learn more about the Amazon Fire game controller).The Fire TV remote and game controllers trigger logical default events, so the game controller will work predictably in standard Android UI widgets. For example, the Menu button on the controller will pass through to Android and invoke the Android context menu (OptionsMenu), and the Back button on the controller will be ingested like the back button in the Android UI. Events for the remote and game controller can be customized, and trigger special events you can detect.
- Fire TV remote (shown below) comes with Amazon Fire TV. The remote supports the remote input events shown here. The D-pad on the remote fires keycode events (like KEYCODE_DPAD_UP) and navigates through standard Android controls, moving UI focus up, down, left and right. In many cases, navigation around your UI will work right out of the box and won't require any special event handling. Since the remote is the default controller that ships with Amazon Fire TV, you should test to see that your app is functional with Amazon Fire TV remote, even if you have optimized for a game controller.
- The Game Controller - Multiplayer support comes to your TV
- The Amazon Fire game controller offers the same level of default support for standard Android navigation controls as the remote does, but optimizing your game for the game controller offers a lot of additional options; just take a look at the game controller controls in the picture below. Up to 7 game controllers can connect via Bluetooth to an Amazon Fire TV at any one time and each controller can be associated with a player ID, so multi-player support is a real option for you.
- Integrated with Amazon Payment ServicesWhen a customer buys a Fire TV and registers with their Amazon Account, they are already set up with their verified Amazon Payment profile. Your user is ready to purchase apps or in-app items with no further effort. Amazon Fire TV supports the Amazon In-App-Purchasing API so you can offer consumable items, permanently entitled items, and even subscriptions for sale in your app.
- To help you tune your gameplay and monetization implementation, Amazon offers A|B Testing and Analytics tools that can help you hone your app for maximum user retention and optimized monetization. And all of these tools work on Fire OS devices and Android devices, and most will work on iOS devices as well.
- Optimizing Your App for a TV ScreenTo make your app look sharp on a TV, you'll want to make sure you have a layout for tvdpi and xhdpi to support the resolution on living room TV screens. Unlike most Android devices, Amazon Fire TV will render your app on 720p or 1080p screens of any size, so you should plan for a range of screen sizes. It is also important to remember that your user will typically be 10 feet away from the screen, and may appreciate larger controls and dialog boxes. Common tweaks to make apps look better on TV include:
- Increasing the sizes of fonts and buttonsMore clearly identifying the ''selected'' itemAdding additional padding between all elements on the pageConsider using more muted colors. Bright colors tend to over-saturate on TV screens and may appear to bleed into adjacent pixelsKeep away from the edges as some TV's may clip the edge of the screenThree Steps to Get Your Android App on Amazon Fire TVBecause you can use the Android code you've already written, getting started is easy.
- Here are three steps you take to make your game or app available on Fire TV:
- Make sure your app looks good on an HDTV and is optimized for the living room setting, where the user is typically 10 feet away from the screenCheck to see if the Amazon controller defaults work with you app, or add some code so that it does work with the Amazon Fire TV remote and game controllersSubmit (or re-submit) your app in the Developer PortalOnce submitted and approved, depending on your app's compatibility, a user may be able to purchase your app on Amazon Fire TV, Kindle Fire, the Amazon Appstore website, or on the Amazon Appstore of other compatible devices. This means that if your app is available for Kindle Fire devices, Android phones, and Amazon Fire TV, your user will be able to purchase your app once on any of those devices and use it across any of the other compatible devices. Not only does this expose your app to new users, it also makes your app available on more screens so it can be in front of your existing customers more often.
- Get 500,000 Amazon Coins through Appstore Developer SelectWhen you launch your app on Fire TV, you will be considered for the Appstore Developer Select program. As part of the Appstore Developer Select program, developers who support Fire TV can receive 500,000 Amazon Coins and create campaigns where customers earn those Coins when they purchase apps and games. This is in addition to the regular program benefits that include 500,000 mobile ad impressions, enhanced merchandising, AWS credits, and additional Amazon Coins incentives. See this blog post for more details on Appstore Developer Select.
- Developer ResourcesWhile you can develop Android apps for Amazon Fire TV without an SDK, Amazon does provide an SDK you can download that includes sample code, Javadocs, two .jar files for controller support and messaging, and guidelines for fine-tuning formatting for HDTVs.
- Amazon Appstore resources
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Europe's earth-monitoring Sentinel satellite heads into space
- It is a revolutionary eye in the sky in what has been dubbed the most ambitious Earth observation venture ever.
- European radar satellite Sentinel-1a is being launched on Thursday.
- A fleet of other Sentinels will follow in coming years as part of Copernicus, a monitoring initiative led by the European Commission and European Space Agency (ESA).
- Each satellite will be able to provide imagery in near real time, the rapid data a major boost in dealing with emergencies.
- ''It will be able to monitor basically all surfaces of the earth, the ocean, the ice surfaces, land surfaces and it will react very quickly in case of natural disasters to support imagery to the support teams on the ground,'' said ESA Spacecraft Operations Manager, Frank Juergen Diekmann.
- Sentinel 1-a will begin its all-important mission later on Thursday, launched into space from French Guiana on a Soyuz rocket.
- Watch Live at 23:02 CEST (21:02 GMT) the Sentinel-1 launch on a Soyuz rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana.
-
- BBC News - Yahoo encrypts data centres and plans to add Messenger
- 2 April 2014Last updated at 22:55 ET Internet giant Yahoo said in a blog post that all of the traffic to its data centres is now encrypted.
- The company said it also planned to introduce additional security to other services, including Yahoo Messenger.
- Last November, Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer announced the company's security measures in the wake of US surveillance disclosures.
- Since then, users have already been able to access secure versions of popular products like Yahoo Sports.
- Continue reading the main storyOur goal is to encrypt our entire platform for all users at all time[s], by default''
- End QuoteAlex StamosYahooThe move came after whistle-blower Edward Snowden leaked documents that alleged that the National Security Agency (NSA) used various technologies to spy on US citizens that included routinely asking firms like Yahoo and others for user information as well as tapping fibre-optic cables that carry global information networks.
- Yahoo said that as of March 31, all information being transmitted from one Yahoo data centre to another is now encrypted, making it more difficult for outsiders to decipher emails and other information flowing between the centres.
- Search requests made on Yahoo's home page are also now automatically encrypted, and Yahoo said it was planning to add additional security measures to Messenger and video chat in the coming months.
- "Our goal is to encrypt our entire platform for all users at all time[s], by default," wrote newly installed chief security information officer Alex Stamos in the blog post.
- "We will continue to work hard to deploy the best possible technology to combat attacks and surveillance that violate our users' privacy," he added, without specifically mentioning the US government surveillance or allegations that the NSA spied on Yahoo users.
- Yahoo joined eight other companies, including Google, Facebook, and Apple, to call for reforms to US surveillance programmes in December.
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- SDR
-
- What About The Dollar: Russia, Iran Announce $20 Billion Oil-For-Goods Deal
- Spot what is missing in the just blasted headline from Bloomberg:
- IRAN, RUSSIA SAID TO SEAL $20B OIL-FOR-GOODS DEAL: REUTERSIf you said the complete absence of US Dollars anywhere in the funds flow you are correct. Which is precisely what we have been warning would happen the more the West and/or JPMorgan pushed Russia into a USD-free corner.
- Image: Vladimir Putin (Wiki Commons).
- Once again, from our yesterday comment on the JPM Russian blockade: ''what JPM may have just done is launch a preemptive strike which would have the equivalent culmination of a SWIFT blockade of Russia, the same way Iran was neutralized from the Petrodollar and was promptly forced to begin transacting in Rubles, Yuan and, of course, gold in exchange for goods and services either imported or exported. One wonders: is JPM truly that intent in preserving its ''pristine'' reputation of not transacting with ''evil Russians'', that it will gladly light the fuse that takes away Russia's choice whether or not to depart the petrodollar voluntarily, and makes it a compulsory outcome, which incidentally will merely accelerate the formalization of the Eurasian axis of China, Russia and India?''
- In other words, Russia seems perfectly happy to telegraph that it is just as willing to use barter (and ''heaven forbid'' gold) and shortly other ''regional'' currencies, as it is to use the US Dollar, hardly the intended outcome of the western blocakde, which appears to have just backfired and further impacted the untouchable status of the Petrodollar.
- Iran and Russia have made progress towards an oil-for-goods deal sources said would be worth up to $20 billion, which would enable Tehran to boost vital energy exports in defiance of Western sanctions, people familiar with the negotiations told Reuters.
- In January Reuters reported Moscow and Tehran were discussing a barter deal that would see Moscow buy up to 500,000 barrels a day of Iranian oil in exchange for Russian equipment and goods.
- The White House has said such a deal would raise ''serious concerns'' and would be inconsistent with the nuclear talks between world powers and Iran.
- A Russian source said Moscow had ''prepared all documents from its side'', adding that completion of a deal was awaiting agreement on what oil price to lock in.
- The source said the two sides were looking at a barter arrangement that would see Iranian oil being exchanged for industrial goods including metals and food, but said there was no military equipment involved. The source added that the deal was expected to reach $15 to $20 billion in total and would be done in stages with an initial $6 billion to $8 billion tranche.
- Surely an ''expert assessment'' is in order:
- ''The deal would ease further pressure on Iran's battered energy sector and at least partially restore Iran's access to oil customers with Russian help,'' said Mark Dubowitz of Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a U.S. think-tank.
- ''If Washington can't stop this deal, it could serve as a signal to other countries that the United States won't risk major diplomatic disputes at the expense of the sanctions regime,'' he added.
- You don't say: another epic geopolitical debacle resulting from what was originally intended to be a demonstration of strength and instead is rapidly turning out into a terminal confirmation of weakness.
- Also, when did the ''Foundation for Defense of Petrodollar'' have the last word replaced with ''Democracies''?
- Finally, those curious what may happen next, only not to Iran but to Russia, are encouraged to read ''From Petrodollar To Petrogold: The US Is Now Trying To Cut Off Iran's Access To Gold.''
-
- BBC News - IMF boss Lagarde warns economy 'too weak for comfort'
- 2 April 2014Last updated at 16:56 ET The global economy could be heading for years of "sub-par growth", according to the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- Christine Lagarde warned that without "brave action" the world could fall into a "low growth trap".
- She said the global economy would grow by more than 3% this year and next, but that market volatility and tensions in Ukraine posed risks.
- Ms Lagarde also urged more action to tackle low inflation in the eurozone.
- She called on the European Central Bank (ECB) to pursue "more monetary easing, including through unconventional measures".
- Eurozone warning"There is the emerging risk of what I call 'low-flation', particularly in the euro area," she added.
- "A potentially prolonged period of low inflation can suppress demand and output, and suppress growth and jobs."
- Her advice to the ECB, in a speech on Wednesday, came the day before a meeting of the central bank's policymakers.
- Economists do not expect them to announce any measures to reverse a drop in the region's rate of inflation, which fell to 0.5% in March, its lowest since 2009.
- It was also the 6th month in what ECB President Mario Draghi has called "the danger zone" below 1%.
- 'Low growth trap'The IMF's managing director said that global economic signs were positive overall, but that "without sufficient policy ambition, the world could fall into a medium-term low-growth trap".
- She called for governments to reform labour markets to encourage job creation, and for more public investment such as transport and communications networks in rich and emerging countries.
- In a speech seen as a precursor to the IMF's spring meetings in Washington next week, Ms Lagarde specifically referred to the US Federal Reserve's gradual winding down of monetary stimulus.
- The US central bank is slowly reducing the rate at which it buys bonds, which has been pumping money into the country's economy.
- But it has had a damaging impact on emerging markets, as investors withdrew money back to the US in the hope of achieving higher interest rates.
- Ms Lagarde said there needed to be greater cooperation among policymakers to limit the impact of the Fed's tapering, and warned the problem could also "spill back" to the US.
- She also warned the situation in Ukraine could have "broader spillover implications" if not well managed.
- The IMF last week announced financial support of $14-18bn (£8.5-£11bn) for Kiev in exchange for tough economic reforms.
-
- IMF Says European Banks Had Up to $300 Billion Subsidy - swissinfo.ch
- (Updates with comments from IMF official in 12th paragraph).
- March 31 (Bloomberg) -- Large banks in the euro area benefited from as much as $300 billion in implicit public subsidies four years after the global financial crisis because of investors' expectations that governments would not let them fail, according to the International Monetary Fund.
- The subsidies were reflected in lower funding costs in 2012 for banks including BNP Paribas SA and UniCredit SpA, according to an IMF report published today. In the U.S., the advantage for lenders such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc. was as much as $70 billion, the Washington-based IMF estimated.
- ''Government protection for too-important-to-fail banks creates a variety of problems: an uneven playing field, excessive risk-taking, and large costs for the public sector,'' the IMF said in its Global Financial Stability Report. ''The expected probability that systemically important banks will be bailed out remains high in all regions.''
- The IMF used its findings to call for a bigger push to eliminate the privilege, just as global regulators seek to finish by November a package of measures to prevent lenders from getting too big to fail. In the U.S., some lawmakers are trying to remove the implicit federal subsidy by either breaking up the biggest banks or increasing capital requirements.
- ''Countries emerged from the financial crisis with an even bigger problem: Many banks were even larger than before and so were the implicit government guarantees,'' IMF economists wrote.
- The subsidies were as high as $110 billion in both the U.K. and Japan, according to the IMF. The figures were calculated for the banks that the Financial Stability Board, the Basel, Switzerland-based body that's responsible for strengthening global financial rules, deemed ''global systemically important financial institutions.''
- Large banks have said their advantage has been overstated in studies.
- The report was released days after research by a Federal Reserve Bank of New York economist showed that the five largest U.S. banks paid on average 0.31 percentage point less on A rated debt than their smaller peers.
- While the Fed district bank's paper was based on data from 1985 until 2009, IMF economists looked into later years, gauging the impact of financial regulation crafted in the wake of the global turmoil.
- ''In all advanced economies outside of Europe, subsidies have dropped from their crisis peaks but remain higher than before the crisis,'' according to the IMF report. ''Additional efforts are therefore necessary.''
- The higher European level reflects in part the sovereign debt crisis of 2011-2012, according to the fund economists, who said the subsidies had fallen by late 2013.
- ''Measures to limit the size and scope of the activities of banks can in certain circumstances be helpful,'' Gaston Gelos, who heads the Global Financial Stability Analysis division at the Monetary and Capital Markets department, said at a press conference today. ''It's not a panacea and we have to approach it with a lot of caution.''
- The report also has separate estimates of the funding-cost advantage for a larger sample of banks. It finds that in 2013, the subsidies were at least 15 basis points in the U.S., as much as 60 basis points in the U.K. and Japan, and as much as 90 basis points in the euro area.
- --With assistance from Cheyenne Hopkins in Washington.
- To contact the reporter on this story: Sandrine Rastello in Washington at srastello@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Chris Wellisz at cwellisz@bloomberg.net Mark Rohner
-
- Venezuelan Central Bank Opens Dollar Trade as New Exchange System Introduced | venezuelanalysis.com
- Santa Elena de Uair(C)n, 25th March 2014, (Venezuelanalysis.com) - On Monday morning Venezuela's new SICAD II exchange rate system came into force, which authorities argue has helped to lower the value of the dollar on the black market.
- On the first day of trading the Venezuelan currency sold for an average of 51.86 bolivars to the dollar, according to data from the Central Bank's website. This is far higher than the government's fixed exchange rate, but lower than the black market rate.
- Companies and individuals were able to buy and sell dollars in cash and bonds for the first time in four years, under the new mechanism called SICAD II. People may now make bids through financial intermediaries, who then forward the bid to the central bank, which matches buyers with sellers and approves transactions.
- This marks a new strategy to combat the rampant black market trade, which the government tried to reign in with stricter regulations at the end of last year. In February, the bolivar was valued at an all-time low on the black market, at nearly 90 to the dollar. The vast difference between the official and parallel rate made buying dollars through government systems the most profitable business in the country.
- Under previous systems, it's been estimated that one in three dollars in the country was misused or stolen, Economy Vice-Minister Rafael Ramirez said.
- Now, in a controversial change of policy, the government is trying a different tact; trade will be more open to the public, at a rate that so far values the bolivar 88 percent lower than before. It has already dealt a sharp blow to the speculative black market; the parallel dollar dropped from 74 to around 56 to the bolivar, just slightly above the SICAD II's trade average.
- The central bank will only intervene when ''erratic'' fluctuations appear in the exchange rate, according to the market rules published on March 11th.
- Luis Vicente Le"n, president of the market researching firm Datanlisis, was dubious of the government's next move. He argued that it was normal that the parallel dollar dropped, because ''people have expectations that the government will release a large amount of foreign currency, and that people will have access to it''.
- Nevertheless, he warned that if the government then lowers the official SICAD II rate ''in hope of preventing a subsequent devaluation, there won't be a way to meet all the demand that will be generated, in which case the drop in the parallel market rate will be absolutely transitory and we'll soon see it rise again.''
- The government will maintain its official exchange rate at 6.3 bolivars per dollar. According to Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, more than 80 percent of Venezuela's dollars will continue to be provided at the highly subsidized official rate, for use by public institutions and first necessity imports. This subsidy is expected to protect people from inflation in key areas, such as basic food products, medicine and transportation (petrol).
- He said SICAD II will only cover 7 to 8 percent of Venezuela's foreign currency needs.
- Earlier this year Economy Vice President Rafael Ramirez estimated the government under SICAD II would sell about US$30 million every day. However, he recently announced that the system plans to ''sell whatever it takes'' to keep businesses from resorting to the black market.
- ''How much and how often...is something that will be determined by the behavior of the market,'' he stated.
- Ramirez said that anyone, including foreign residents and tourists, who wishes to trade may do so, as long as they meet the minimum requirements set by the bank or similar institution and the market rules. Currency exchange centers placed in airports will communicate directly with the SICAD II trade averages.
- He also mentioned that the mechanism is one of a series of incentives the government is creating to prevent currency from leaving the country to be invested in off-shore accounts.
- Venezuela's largest business group Fedecamaras has said the system shows a step ''in the right direction.'' But some foreign companies, like Colombian airline Avianca and car company Chrysler, have continued to scale back operations in Venezuela, citing longstanding difficulties in accessing dollars.
- On March 13th, while addressing a peace conference in Anzoategui, Ramirez again called for the private sector to work more closely with the government, reminding them that the current economic measures being set in place are the product of proposals made by both workers' unions and private businesses.
- Published on Mar 25th 2014 at 4.06pm
-
- LGBBQQTIAAP
-
- The public trial of Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich (interview) | VentureBeat | Dev | by J. O'Dell
- I'm a gay San Francisco journalist. I'm sitting across a video chat window from a straight father of five, someone who's been linked to anti-gay activism.
- It would be difficult to find two people more ideologically dissimilar, but no tension hangs in the air. I ask him how he's doing. It's a normal, human question '-- almost a trite way to start a conversation.
- ''I've been doing two jobs. I'm Mozilla's full-time CEO, and I'm also dealing with a bunch of things like the OKCupid thing yesterday.''
- The OKCupid thingUntil a week or so ago, Brendan Eich was a clean-shaven neckbeard hero. He created JavaScript. He's a champion of the open web and a cofounder of Firefox maker Mozilla. He believes that with the right people and the right technology just about anything is possible.
- When he was named Mozilla's new CEO, I personally was delighted. Abandoning journalistic detachment, as I frequently do, I was happy that such an unconventional executive choice had been made. Eich is the opposite of the stuffy, intimidating, self-aggrandizing tech CEOs I've known. He's a thoughtful, nerdy, humble guy '-- the kind of guy you want to corner at a party and talk about web technologies with for an hour.
- Read part 2 of the interview: The public trial of Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich, Part II
- And, at one point, he was also the kind of guy who was deeply uncomfortable with same-sex marriage. In 2008, he donated $1,000 to California's Proposition 8, which banned gay and lesbian marriages in the state. In 2012, he had to defend that donation when the LA Times uncovered the Prop. 8 donor list.
- And yet again, when he was appointed CEO late last month, his donation caused an uproar. This time, it was more than another internal furor among disappointed and angry employees '-- though that did happen again. There's also been backlash from a few larger entities.
- To wit, the OKCupid ''thing,'' in which OKCupid asked Firefox-using members to switch browsers due to the CEO's being ''opposed to equal rights for same-sex couples.'' To my mind, while the sentiment may have been sincere, the OKCupid ''thing'' was a pretty cheap stunt that took Eich, Mozilla, and Firefox out of context.
- ''I think they didn't know that the Mozilla Foundation is on the side of LGBT equality,'' Eich tells me.
- The Mozilla mission''How I've conducted myself in my 16 years at Mozilla. I've always kept my personal beliefs out of it,'' Eich says. ''We won't succeed in the mission if people can't leave irrelevant, exclusionary stuff at the door.''
- Mozilla's mission is one of the broadest, most ambitious, and even idealistic statements you could concoct. It informs the foundation/corporation's strategies to take over the world not for financial gain but for individual freedom, technological advancement, cultural good, and improved quality of life.
- As far as personal differences go, one Mozillan put it this way:
- If we start to try to make ''Mozilla'' mean ''those people who share not only the Mozilla mission but also my general political/social/religious/environmental view,'' we will fail. If we focus Mozilla on our shared consensus regarding the Mozilla mission and manifesto, then the opportunities before us are enormous.
- Mozilla's diversity is a success condition. Our mission and our goal is truly global. Our mission taps into a shared desire for respect and control and user sovereignty that runs across cultures and across many other worldviews. We may even offend each other in some of our other views. Despite this, we share a commitment to the Mozilla mission. This is a remarkable achievement and important to our continued success.
- Those are words Eich says he agrees with wholeheartedly. In our conversation, he tells me that the mission fails if discrimination prevails.
- ''Everything I've done has been about meeting people where they are and treating people equally,'' Eich says.
- ''People find it hard to believe, but I want to do an even better job of being inclusive at Mozilla.''
- In fact, Eich is sponsoring Ascend, a project that helps ''underemployed, LGBTQ, Latin@, and African American populations'' get in-depth technical training and support from the open-source community.
- Mitchell Baker is the chair of the Mozilla Foundation and is also an advocate for LGBT equality. In her own words, ''My experience is that Brendan is as committed to opportunity and diversity inside Mozilla as anyone, and more so than many. '...
- ''I was surprised in 2012, when his donation in support of Proposition 8 came to light, to learn that Brendan and I aren't in close alignment here, since I've never seen any indication of anything other than inclusiveness in our work together.''
- Politics & religionAs far as Prop. 8 goes, Eich's point of view seems to be in line with old-school etiquette: You don't talk politics or religion over dinner. Or anywhere else, for that matter. They're divisive topics, and they're ''irrelevant'' to the business.
- At work, he seems to have the clear realization that his personal views must be left at the door. Brendan Eich the human may be deeply uncomfortable with same-sex marriage, but Brendan Eich the Mozillan must stand for a free and open web and world for everyone.
- To most folks, this might create an unlivable condition of cognitive dissonance. For some of my friends, it would also create a hostile work environment.
- Personally, I don't know or want to know why he made that donation because, like Eich, I don't think it has any bearing on his performance as CEO. He is, in my own opinion, on the wrong side of history. He might be sparking the HR nightmare of the decade. And as unwilling a participant as he may be, he is nevertheless a real part of institutional homophobia, as are many of his peers in the tech CEO community.
- But he's still a great technologist with a lot of good to do in the world.
- I hope he will be challenged and moved, as so many like him have been, to reexamine his views as the world continues to evolve. I hold that hope as an LGBT advocate and as someone who admires his work. That hope would certainly be more urgent were I a Mozilla employee.
- But for now, Eich and I move on from these issues. We talk about the (perhaps even more) important stuff: What he's going to do now that he's the chief executive of one of the most interesting and important companies in technology.
- Read the rest of the interview: The public trial of Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich, Part II
- VentureBeat is studying mobile monetization. If you're a mobile developer or publisher, fill out our quick survey, and we'll share the resulting data with you.
-
- After Supporting Prop 8, New CEO Brendan Eich Comes Under Fire From Mozilla Employees | TechCrunch
- Mozilla employees across the web are calling for the removal of new CEO Brendan Eich, who previously held the position of CTO and has been with the company since its formation out of Netscape in the 90'²s.
- In 2008, Eich donated $1,000 to support Prop 8, which was a California ballot proposition that aimed to ban gay marriage in California. In 2012, the public listing for the donation was uncovered, with Mozilla appearing right next to Eich's name. Eich remained at the company, continuing on as CTO, after the brief scandal.
- With this week's appointment to CEO, Eich has come under fire from employees in his own organization and from members of the LGBT tech community.
- Open Badges lead at Mozilla Chris McAvoy tweeted:
- And a creative lead in Badges, Jess Klein'...
- John Bevan, from Partnerships at Mozilla Foundation'...
- And this design researcher'...
- Other employees have jotted down their issues in blog form.
- Mozilla's head of Education Christie Koehler didn't weigh in on Eich's suitability as a CEO, but did express her disappointment with his private endorsement of anti-LGBT legislation.
- Like a lot of people, I was disappointed when I found out that Brendan had donated to the anti-marriage equality Prop. 8 campaign in California. It's hard for me to think of a scenario where someone could donate to that campaign without feeling that queer folks are less deserving of basic rights. It frustrates me when people use their economic power to further enshrine and institutionalize discrimination.
- Still, she praises the company's progress in regards to healthcare benefits and guidelines for participation, and she doesn't see Eich standing in the way of that.
- Certainly it would be problematic if Brendan's behavior within Mozilla was explicitly discriminatory, or implicitly so in the form of repeated microagressions. I haven't personally seen this (although to be clear, I was not part of Brendan's reporting structure until today). To the contrary, over the years I have watched Brendan be an ally in many areas and bring clarity and leadership when needed.
- And it wasn't just employees who spoke up about Eich's new CEO role. Rarebit, an app developer that was quite active in the Firefox marketplace, announced that it would no longer support the platform with Eich at the helm. Founders, and married gay couple, Hampton Catlin and Michael Lintorn Catlin published a post on their blog describing the painstaking process of trying to start a company with his partner, who was in the midst of the immigration process and tied to his job on a visa.
- Today, Michael has a green card and we're able to pursue this venture in the US. These days, I am so damn proud of my country for making this all possible. It's really stunning the support we've received, and thank you to everyone out there who have either changed their own minds on the subject, or convinced a relative or friend that there is nothing wrong with the government recognizing our relationship. Thank you.
- The overturning of Prop 8, literally was the foundation that allowed us to start this venture.
- That's why it's personal for us. Brendan Eich was an active supporter of denying our right to be married and even to start this business. He actively took steps to ensure that rarebit couldn't exist!
- Many advocates of Eich, like Mozillian Daniel Glazeman, stand in support of Eich not based on his personal beliefs, but based on the fact that Mozilla has always promoted an environment where everyone is entitled to their own way of thinking. Others, however, believe that Eich's appointment to CEO may play a very different role in future decisions for the company that may affect the LGBT community, such as partner health benefits in states where gay marriages aren't recognized.
- John Schneider, from Mozilla's DevOps team, had this to say:
- A CEO is publicly seen as one of the most visible faces of an organization, and is quite a bit about image, partnerships, and culture, rather than the largely technical role of a CTO.
- Unfortunately, right now Brendan's public image (which is also now in part Mozilla's public image in his new role) is one showing that he donated money to deny equal rights to the LGBT community during Prop 8 in California. Note: I fully support Brendan's right to hold these views and support them financially as he sees fit, even while I vigorously disagree with his views on this issue.
- Eich penned his own response to the issue, with the hopes of putting some of these concerns to rest. In the post, he promised to uphold the same equality that has always been present at Mozilla, from employment to healthcare benefits. He also explained that he knows words are not enough, and that actions will seal whatever trust exists between him and his employees.
- John Lilly, former CEO at Mozilla and board member, announced his resignation from the company's board of directors with a brief statement.
- As it stands now, it doesn't seem like Eich is going anywhere. Current chairwoman Mitchell Baker posted a lengthy reaction of her own, promising to maintain the level of diversity and equality currently in the workplace, and hopefully grow it. But she also expressed that Eich would be a part of that.
- My experience is that Brendan is as committed to opportunity and diversity inside Mozilla as anyone, and more so than many. This commitment to opportunity for all within Mozilla has been a key foundation of our work for many years. I see it in action regularly.
- The CEO role is obviously a key role, with a large amount of authority. The CEO must have a commitment to the inclusive nature of Mozilla. This includes of course a commitment to the Community Participation Guidelines, inclusive HR practices and the spirit that underlies them. Brendan has made this commitment.
- Mozilla's mission is ''to promote openness, innovation & opportunity on the Web.'' In the world of tech, we influence legislation on a number of issues reaching well outside the scope of technology. After all, technology sets the boundaries for what is achievable in this world.
- Openness and innovation, Mozilla's cornerstones, are dependent on diversity.
- Hopefully, whether Eich remains at the helm or not, Mozilla employees don't lose sight of that.
-
- OkCupid | Free Online Dating
- Hello there, Mozilla Firefox user. Pardon this interruption of your OkCupid experience.
- Mozilla's new CEO, Brendan Eich, is an opponent of equal rights for gay couples. We would therefore prefer that our users not use Mozilla software to access OkCupid.
- Politics is normally not the business of a website, and we all know there's a lot more wrong with the world than misguided CEOs. So you might wonder why we're asserting ourselves today. This is why: we've devoted the last ten years to bringing people'--all people'--together. If individuals like Mr. Eich had their way, then roughly 8% of the relationships we've worked so hard to bring about would be illegal. Equality for gay relationships is personally important to many of us here at OkCupid. But it's professionally important to the entire company. OkCupid is for creating love. Those who seek to deny love and instead enforce misery, shame, and frustration are our enemies, and we wish them nothing but failure.
- If you want to keep using Firefox, the link at the bottom will take you through to the site.
- However, we urge you to consider different software for accessing OkCupid:
- Google ChromeInternet ExploderOpera
- Background on Mr. Eich and MozillaIn 2008, Mr. Eich supported the passage of California's Prop 8, a statewide initiative to ban gay marriage, with a $1000 donation. Granted, his contribution is now six years in the past, and people can change. But Mr. Eich's boilerplate statements in the time since make it seem like he has the same views now as he did then. Mozilla recently promoted him to CEO, hence the issue only now coming to our attention. His donation was known to Mozilla at the time of his promotion, and, furthermore, CEOs are rewarded based on their company's performance. The CEO is the visionary for a company and its products. We are sad to think that any OkCupid page loads would even indirectly contribute towards the success of an individual who supported Prop 8'--and who for all we know would support it again. We wish Mozilla's institutional commitment to freedom and openness were better reflected by their choice of leadership.
-
- OkCupid Blocks Firefox Over Anti-Gay CEO
- If you're both a fan of convenient, local, web-enabled sex and Mozilla's open source browser, your daily routine is about to get interrupted: Firefox users are now greeted by the following protest message when they land on OKCupid.com:
- Hello there, Mozilla Firefox user. Pardon this interruption of your OkCupid experience.
- Mozilla's new CEO, Brendan Eich, is an opponent of equal rights for gay couples. We would therefore prefer that our users not use Mozilla software to access OkCupid.
- Politics is normally not the business of a website, and we all know there's a lot more wrong with the world than misguided CEOs. So you might wonder why we're asserting ourselves today. This is why: we've devoted the last ten years to bringing people'--all people'--together. If individuals like Mr. Eich had their way, then roughly 8% of the relationships we've worked so hard to bring about would be illegal. Equality for gay relationships is personally important to many of us here at OkCupid. But it's professionally important to the entire company. OkCupid is for creating love. Those who seek to deny love and instead enforce misery, shame, and frustration are our enemies, and we wish them nothing but failure.
- If you want to keep using Firefox, the link at the bottom will take you through to the site.
- However, we urge you to consider different software for accessing OkCupid.
- Eich, who was named CEO of Mozilla last week, was a supporter of California's bitterly contested Prop 8 initiative in 2008.
- This is a brave stand by the IAC-owned online dating darling, which depends on regular usage by its millions of accounts. It's still possible to access the service via Firefox after scrolling past the above note and clicking through, but, still, here is a company actively discouraging traffic for political reasons. It's a tech company daring to not be anodyne. This is rare, and this is good! On the other hand, trying to oust a homophobic CEO is probably shrewd if you're in the business of getting people to bone, but we're thrilled to see OKC baring its soul nonetheless (or having one at all). [h/t Mike Isaac]
-
- BBC News - Do gay people still need gay bars?
- 31 March 2014Last updated at 20:20 ET With the advent of gay marriage in Britain, and many countries moving towards total legal equality, is there still a need for gay bars, asks Elizabeth Hotson.
- It's a Saturday night in March, unusually mild for London, and Soho is thronging with bar-hoppers, theatregoers and couples strolling along Old Compton Street.
- The venues are a mixture of straight, gay and anything in between. From the non-too subtle GAY at number 30, to She Bar at 23a, its basement entrance so discreet you could walk past a dozen times and still miss it.
- Yet tonight there's an imperceptible difference from the Saturday before. In England and Wales the law has now changed. If you happen to meet the same-sex partner of your dreams tonight you could marry them. So with huge steps being made towards legal equality, will the notion of a separate social culture die out? Have gay bars become irrelevant?
- Dr Matt Cook, Social Historian at Birkbeck College, University of London points out that the nature of gay identity has changed fundamentally.
- "The idea of a singular identity is very new. In 16th Century England there was a subculture loosely relating to the theatre. Men didn't identify as specifically gay. Things happened in the context of a sexualized, risque environment and being queer was a part of a more general underground culture."
- In the 17th and 18th Century, "Molly houses" started appearing. Sometimes they were coffee or ale houses or private rooms in otherwise straight pubs. Even in this environment people couldn't be entirely at ease, Cook explains,
- "A lot of the knowledge we have about early gay culture is from criminal records. Molly houses were often raided and people being prosecuted is the main source of information about what happened at that time."
- A gay counterculture continued to emerge in the mid-20th Century. "In the 1940s and 1950s there was the A&B club, otherwise known as the Arts and Battledress and there was also the Rockingham, both in Soho. They were for a more middle-class clientele. There were also pubs such as the Salisbury in Covent Garden which weren't as exclusive."
- Continue reading the main storyMy first gay club was Liverpool's Masquerade in 1980. A dark, dank, damp cellar all crumbling and all heart. I was seventeen and terrified, me and Brian my best friend quaking at the top of a stairwell. We could hear Sylvester's Mighty Real and instinctively knew below us was an Aladdin's cave of forbidden treasure and jewels.
- There was a door, we knocked, an eye-slot opened and a rough as red-brick voice growled "come in". It was a dump, but to me and my best friend it would become a pleasure palace, housing a huge mix of very different aged, shaped and gendered people. It seemed everybody was welcome. Everyone knew about "The Mazzy" from cleaners to superstars - both Grace Jones and Freddie Mercury frequented its damp and glamour.
- There was an inclusivity that was both organic and generous. There were very few bars back then so everybody had to mix together. The scene was multi-aged, young and old on the same dancefloor, doing different dances to the same record. The scene now seems committed to the young and only the young which I think is both mean-spirited and desperately short-sighted.
- The Salisbury is no longer considered gay, but the current duty manager, Jon Badcock says tourists still visit the pub and ask about its history.
- "We're in the middle of theatreland, right next to the Noel Coward. Some of our older regulars remember sitting in the snug while Kenneth Williams held court."
- Cook says that the early part of the 20th Century in Britain also saw women becoming visible on the gay scene, with the Gateways Club opening on the King's Road in Chelsea in 1931. "Until then, because women hadn't featured in criminal trials, there weren't any public records of lesbian culture."
- In the 1970s and 80s a more defined notion of "gayness" was emerging and pubs, bars and clubs opened to cater for individual tastes, such as the dark, testosterone-fuelled Coleherne in Earl's Court, west London and the cathedral of disco, Heaven, in Charing Cross. Gradually, the gay scene moved towards Soho and Old Compton Street and although Vauxhall and Dalston are home to gay bars and clubs, Soho is arguably the epicentre.
- Yet now, in 2014, with an equal age of consent for gay and straight sex and same sex marriage, is it still a relevant to have specifically gay spaces?
- Gary Henshaw, is originally from Dublin and runs the KU Bar group in London. "I came out in 1985. It felt like there were no other gays in the world. My three straight female friends took me to Ibiza because that's where we heard the gay men were."
- Thirty years on, Henshaw still thinks there's a place for gay bars, "Laws have changed, but not all attitudes have. And no matter how liberated things have become, people still want their own space. That's why Irish bars, sports bars, music bars are still popular, you want to mix with your own type of people."
- Matgo Styles, promoter of Pulse bar and club in Cardiff, says it's about adapting to suit prevailing trends. "Before we opened in 2007, many of the bars and clubs were tucked away on side streets, with the main clubs being hidden away in basements, symbols of the days when it was less acceptable to be gay." Styles says things have moved on rapidly.
- "We're a gay bar, but in the same way gay people feel at ease going to mainstream clubs with their straight friends, we like to think that straight people can come to Pulse with their gay friends." Styles however, concedes that things aren't necessarily as enlightened everywhere. "Outside cities, it varies and gay people probably get a rougher ride elsewhere in Wales."
- Bex Smith, who manages She Bar in Soho, agrees that there isn't universal acceptance. "People need somewhere to socialise where they feel comfortable. I'm originally from the Lake District and gay people wouldn't necessarily feel completely relaxed in a straight pub."
- One of her customers, Izzy, comes to lesbian bars because she and her girlfriend, Victoria, feel more at ease there. "For gay women especially, there's a sense as a couple, that you don't want people staring at you. It's nice just to be yourself."
- Izzy and her girlfriend met online and this is becoming an increasingly popular way for people to meet future partners and also friends.
- Rob Wilson, from Leeds, uses the internet to promote a gay foodie group and a gay men's group. "With the rise in online social networking the LGBT community are no longer restricted to meeting new people in specifically 'labelled' gay bars. Not only has the internet brought new dating opportunities but there's also been a significant rise in socialising opportunities."
- Apps like Grindr have also had an effect. There's a case that the bars have become less about meeting people for sex and more about general socialising. "Maybe the number of gay bars will decline but there will still be a market," says Jez Atkinson, co-owner of the New Bloomsbury Set. "Dating apps and websites have changed the market place but bars will still provide an important social aspect of gay life."
- There still appears to be a demand for places for gay people to socialise. "In 1984 I made a silent call to a gay centre in Dublin. I couldn't speak, I was too nervous," says Henshaw. "Thirty years on, late at night, we still get those calls."
- What gay spaces will look like in 20, 30 or 40 years time is anyone's guess, but chances are, they'll still be there.
- Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook
-
- Mozilla Wars | National Review Online
- Does a commitment to diversity and inclusiveness include people who oppose gay marriage? Not to many who are unequivocally insisting new Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich endorse gay marriage or be fired.
- Over at the appropriately named ''CREDO'' action website, more than 65,000 have signed their names to this call for conformity and exclusiveness, or else:
- As the representative of a global brand that represents openness and is committed to equality and inclusiveness, Eich should make an unequivocal statement of support for marriage equality. If he cannot, he should resign. And if he will not, the board should fire Eich immediately.
- Eich gave money to the Proposition 8 campaign and now joins a growing number of people who face threats to their livelihoods unless they support gay marriage. He's much richer than most such people, of course.
-
- Vaccine$
-
- HPV Vaccine Harms Have Japanese Demanding No More HPV Vaccinations
- (Frompovich) - Categorically, there's a demonstrable difference regarding HPV vaccine damage from HPV vaccines {Gardasil® (Merck & Co.) and Cervarix® (GlaxoSmithKline) [1]} in the Japanese population as compared with comparable damages in the USA, especially at government and scientific levels. The evidence to support that remark is confirmed by an international symposium and public forum that took place in Tokyo (February 25-26, 2014) under the auspices of The Researchers' Organization Sounding a Warning concerning the Adverse Reactions induced by Human Papillomavirus Vaccines.
- The Researchers' Organization Sounding a Warning concerning the Adverse Reactions induced by Human Papillomavirus Vaccines, is led by Dr. Harumi Sakai, a former professor of Tokai University, School of Medicine and a former leader at the immunochemical research team at Texas University, Galveston, who made a presentation as did: Sin Hang Lee, MD, former Associate Professor at Yale University and currently pathologist of Milford Hospital; Dr. Francois Jerome Authier, MD, a professor at Universite Paris XII and a doctor at Systeme Hospital Henri Mondor de Paris; research fellow Lucija Tomljenovic, a PhD from the University of British Columbia [2] and Dr. Mirna Hajjar, MD, Department of Neurology, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Connecticut, who presented her experience treating a young girl who experienced bilateral vision loss and left hemiparesis after HPV vaccination. [3]
- The remarkable and most thrilling aspect of that symposium '' besides the scientific presentations made '' was the fact that ''The public hearing was attended by eight medical academic members of the Japanese government's Advisory Council on the Alleged Adverse Reactions to HPV Vaccines, several top-ranking Health Ministry bureaucrats, medical doctors and journalists from the nation's major newspapers and television networks.'' [4] Applause, applause, applause to those who were able to pull off such an event, to the esteemed presenters, and to those in public office who had the courage to attend. That type of conference or symposium is needed to be held in the USA and has been proposed, but could not get off the ground. I wonder why.
- The good folks at SaneVax, Inc. were instrumental in helping to organize the event, so I asked Norma Erickson, their president, several questions about it. She responded in great detail, so I decided to let her tell the story as answers to my questions.
- How did the conference come about?
- That question is not as simple as it seems. There were many events leading up to the organization of the Symposium. Perhaps it would be best to give you a little background information.
- On March 28, 2013, the Japanese Health Ministry decided to add three vaccines (HPV, Hib and PCV7) to the mandatory ones. The number of serious adverse effects reported after HPV vaccine use was 52 times greater after Cervarix® than reports after flu vaccinations; 26 times higher after Gardasil® than after flu vaccinations.
- Consequently, on June 14, 2103, the Japanese Health Ministry told local governments to suspend recommending that girls aged 12 to 16 be given injections of the vaccines Cervarix® or Gardasil®, citing a possible link between chronic adverse reactions and the vaccines.
- In August 2013, the SaneVax team was contacted by an HPV vaccine victim's and parent's group in Japan looking for information on HPV vaccine side effects. They were looking to petition their government officials to halt HPV vaccinations and wanted any scientific data that provided information to support their campaign.
- Early in September 2013 the Secretary General of the Nationwide Liaison Association of Cervical Cancer Vaccine Victims and Parents in Japan, and Mr. (Francis) Mutsuo Fukushima, journalist with Kyodo News, informed the SaneVax team that there were rumors of a delegation from the Japanese Ministry of Health planning to visit London in October to have discussions on the HPV vaccines with officials in the UK Department of Health and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It was thought that this delegation may be willing to speak with scientific and medical experts who were independent of pharmaceutical industry ties.
- Following many discussions, SaneVax obtained confirmation from Mr. Tetsuya Miyamoto, Director of the Office of Vaccination Policy at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's Health Policy Bureau and a qualified medical doctor in his own right, that he was leading a team embarking on a fact finding mission regarding HPV vaccines.
- Dr. Miyamoto's team would include first class medical doctors from two of the six university hospitals in Japan, which had been entrusted with official research efforts to shed light on potential cause-and-effect relationships between HPV vaccines and adverse effects being experienced by young girls in Japan. He indicated that he and his team would be willing to meet with independent scientists and medical professionals who could assist them in this investigation.
- Those attending the fact finding meeting in London on behalf of SaneVax were: Dr. Sin Hang Lee, MD, Pathologist, Milford Hospital, Director, Milford Medical Laboratory Inc., and former associate professor of pathology at Yale University; Professor Francois Jerome Authier, MD, PhD, Reference Center for Neuromuscular Disorders, Henri Mondor Hospital, Paris and Dr. Damien Downing, MB BS, MIBiol from London who is a pioneer of Ecological Medicine, Mrs. Freda Birrell, Secretary of SaneVax Inc. and her husband David Birrell, VAERS Research Analyst for SaneVax Inc.
- We didn't realize it at the time, but this meeting in combination with an official statement from the Japanese Health Department issued on January 20, attempting to say the vast majority of the adverse events reported as being psychosomatic were the catalysts behind the organization of the International Symposium on the Adverse Reactions Experienced by those Vaccinated with Human Papillomavirus Vaccines and subsequent events.
- So, who were the organizers of the symposium?
- This symposium was organized on behalf of The Researchers' Organization Sounding a Warning concerning the Adverse Reactions induced by Human Papillomavirus Vaccines, through the collaborative efforts of Dr. Harumi Sakai, former Professor at the Tokai University School of Medicine, Dr. Shohei Matsuzaki, Professor Emeritus at the Tokai University School of Medicine, Mutsuo Fukushima, Kyoto News International Department, and SaneVax Inc. The SaneVax team was primarily responsible for identifying and coordinating the presence of the International experts. Those in Japan handled everything else. There were countless individuals who contributed their time, talent and hard work to help make the symposium a success.
- Can you give an estimation of Japanese grassroots opinion and involvement regarding HPV vaccine adverse events and problems? Furthermore, do you think there is more organized grassroots interest in Japan than in the USA?
- That is a difficult question to answer. There is intense interest in the HPV vaccine controversy in many countries around the world, as well as very strong grassroots involvement. But, each country has its own peculiarities which have to be taken into account. The primary differences I see between the movement in Japan and those in other countries is in Japan there were medical professionals who were strong enough to investigate the problems with HPV vaccines on their own and voice their opinion; and the Japanese people were successful at pressuring those in political power to actually hear both sides of the debate. [CJF emphasis added]
- After having read the symposium reports and having interacted with those who participated in Japan, what are your thoughts about any political-scientific accomplishments regarding HPV vaccines and their adverse events? Can you please list them?
- I can't necessarily speak to the political accomplishments because Japan has not made a final decision about how they are going to respond to HPV vaccine concerns. Whatever final decision they make, I believe three very important things came out of the recent events in Japan.
- 1. Advocates for those who experienced adverse events after HPV vaccination did not surrender. In spite of their pain, they organized, spoke out and demanded action from their government health officials and political representatives.
- 2. Despite the intense pressure exerted on medical professionals to claim adverse events that occur after HPV vaccinations are the result of coincidence, mass hysteria, conversion disorder, psychogenic illness, fabricated illness, or genetic disorders, several medical professionals in Japan actually listened to their patients, investigated, and came to their own independent conclusions. Not only that, they had the courage to speak out for those who were suffering and demand investigations. [Sadly, that is lacking in the USA and other countries!]
- 3. Japanese politicians had the integrity to listen to both sides of the HPV vaccine debate in public as well as privately.
- In my opinion, every country in the world needs to take these three lessons to heart. If the citizens, medical professionals and politicians in every country did these three simple things, countless innocents would be spared years of needless suffering. [CJF emphasis added]
- Has there been any interest from the international community not represented at the symposium in either the symposium or its agenda?
- The SaneVax team has literally been overwhelmed by emails from all over the world wanting more information about the events in Japan. The international community is intensely interested in the evidence presented regarding biologically plausible mechanisms of action between HPV vaccines and serious adverse events as well as wondering what Japan's final decision will be regarding future HPV vaccination programs and policies.
- Apparently, Australia is gung-ho to give HPV to both boys and girls. Has there been any interest expressed by Australian vaccine safety activists regarding the Japanese symposium?
- Yes, there has been interest from several in Australia, many victims of adverse reactions after HPV vaccines; but also several medical professionals and researchers. That's encouraging to hear that Australian medical professionals and researchers are interested.Now, I'd like to hear about some of the scientific presentations that took place, if you will, please. Dr. Lee's presentation and pdf charts are most impressive. I've seen the results before. What comment would you like to make about Lee's work and presentation in Japan?
- * Dr. Sin Hang Lee '' HPV L-1 Gene DNA in Gardasil and Its Potential Effects
- http://www.mhlw.go.jp/file/05-Shingikai-10901000-Kenkoukyoku-Soumuka/0000038472.pdf
- I agree. Dr. Lee's presentation was impressive. However, there were two points he got on the public record which were even more impressive.
- First, during the public press conference, he asked if any scientist or medical professional there believed that sudden death, or brain and neurological damage exhibited in many of the slides presented could be the result of psychosomatic disorders. When no one raised their hands, Dr. Lee stated that fact so that it was recorded in the official transcript.
- Second, when asked about the viral DNA issue, Dr. Lee made it crystal clear that the human body does not care whether the HPV DNA residue in Gardasil® is a complete strand, partial strand or simply a protein fragment '' the human body reacts the same way to the invader '' it is still viral DNA '' with potentially dangerous consequences.
- Both of these points have been ignored by the manufacturers, health authorities and government officials around the globe.
- Dr. Authier's presentation and charts really nail it down as to why certain symptoms (MMF) occur after HPV vaccinations, I think. Do you agree?
- * Dr. Jerome Authier '' Biopersistance and Neuro migration of Particles after Intramuscular Injection '' Impact of long-term safety of aluminum adjuvants
- http://www.mhlw.go.jp/file/05-Shingikai-10901000-Kenkoukyoku-Soumuka/0000038475.pdf
- Absolutely '' he also brought home the point that each individual starts the HPV vaccine series with a different body burden of aluminum. This in and of itself could explain why some suffer such debilitating effects while others have no apparent reaction. Since injected aluminum tends to stay in the body for long periods of time, the potential adverse effects may not show up for months, or years down the road. This is most definitely another avenue which demands investigation.
- Dr. Hajjar's presentation probably stunned everyone in attendance. What do you have to say about that?
- * Dr. Mirna Hajjar '' A 16-Year-Old Girl With Bilateral Visual Loss and Left Hemiparesis Following an Immunization Against Human Papilloma Virus '' case report
- http://jcn.sagepub.com/content/25/3/321.abstract
- Dr. Hajjar's presentation, like all the above, demonstrates the frightening possibilities of life-altering events after getting a vaccine that is totally unnecessary since there are more effective and safer ways of preventing HPV diseases.
- What would you like to say about that case because other than death, blindness represents a horrific life-long adverse event, in my opinion?
- The case Dr. Hajjar presented is indeed tragic. I cannot even begin to imagine the impact of permanently losing my sight at such a young age. Unfortunately, this is not the only life-long tragedy families are experiencing. Being confined to a wheelchair, losing your mental capacities, infertility, needing life-support systems to stay alive, incapacitating pain, rheumatoid arthritis '' the list goes on and on. There is no excuse for ignoring these people.
- Dr. Lucija Tomljenovic, PhD, made a presentation titled ''Three Deaths Following Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination: Coincidence?''
- http://www.naturpedia.info/vaccini/cancro_utero_vaccino=morte.pdf
- The frightening aspect of Dr. Tomljenovic's presentation aside from the two deaths is the post mortem finds that the antigens in the HPV vaccines were found in brain sections:
- ''Post-mortem brain tissue specimens from two young women who suffered from cerebral vasculitis-type symptoms following vaccination with the HPV vaccine Gardasil were analysed by IHC for various immuno-inflammatory markers. Brain sections were also stained for antibodies recognizing HPV-16L1 and HPV-18L1 antigen which are present in Gardasil.''
- ''Conclusions: Our study suggests that HPV vaccines containing HPV-16L1 antigens pose an inherent risk for triggering potentially fatal autoimmune vasculopathies.'' [5]
- What comments would you like to make since the Tomljenovic-Shaw paper obviously represents the findings upon post mortem brain tissue, which means the young girls' deaths apparently were impacted by the HPV vaccine, Gardasil®?
- I would say the time has come for people to understand the absence of evidence is not the same thing as evidence of absence. Every single new medical condition occurring after vaccination should be investigated as a possible vaccine reaction'--particularly deaths. No answers will be found unless we start looking for them.
- Would you like to comment on how any or all adverse symptoms compare regarding Cervarix® and Gardasil® post-vaccination.
- Both HPV vaccines tend to do one of two things in those who are unlucky enough to experience severe reactions. Either they 'wake up' any virus the person has been previously exposed to; or they tend to make the person's immune system attack their own body resulting in what is called an auto-immune disorder. Unfortunately, vaccine science does not want to recognize nor acknowledge that. That truly is an issue that medical science must address'--and soon!
- Has anyone made a comparison between both HPV vaccines adverse events since Cervarix® targets HPV types 16 and 18 and Gardasil® targets four HPV types (6, 11, 16, and 18)?
- It is most difficult to compare the rates of adverse events between the two vaccines, primarily because most countries only use one of them at a time. Almost all countries have voluntary reporting of suspected adverse events. Couple that with the fact that most countries do not keep track of administered doses '' only distributed doses. These two facts tend to skew the results of any attempted analysis of adverse event rates.
- The closest I have personally seen to a comparison of the two came out of Japan. Cervarix® had 52 times more adverse event reports than influenza vaccines and Gardasil® had 26 times more adverse events reported than influenza vaccines.
- What would you like to say as your closing remarks?
- The time has come for scientists to determine who is most likely to suffer an adverse reaction after vaccination and why. Physicians need to establish diagnostic criteria for vaccine injuries. Most importantly, successful treatment protocols must be developed for vaccine injuries.
- I couldn't agree more with you regarding that statement. However, those damaged by HPV vaccines are left to fend for themselves with no repercussions for vaccine makers who have no liability at all!
- As a society, we can no longer justify sacrificing our children's health and perhaps their very lives in the name of public health. The 'greater good' is no excuse '' every single individual life is valuable '' we need to start acting like it.
- Let me add that I second that over and over again.Notes:
- [1] http://www.cdc.gov/hpv/vaccine.html[2] http://sanevax.org/japan-medical-experts-warning-hpv-vaccine-side-effects/[3] http://jcn.sagepub.com/content/25/3/321.abstract[4] http://sanevax.org/japan-medical-experts-warning-hpv-vaccine-side-effects/[5] Death after Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination: Causal or Coincidental? Lucija Tomljenovic and Christopher A Shaw, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia, Canadahttp://www.naturpedia.info/vaccini/cancro_utero_vaccino=morte.pdf
- Breaking News from Japan: International Symposium on the Adverse Reactions Experienced by those Vaccinated with Human Papillomavirus Vaccineshttp://sanevax.org/japan-hpv-adverse-event-symposium/
- Catherine J Frompovich (website) is a retired natural nutritionist who earned advanced degrees in Nutrition and Holistic Health Sciences, Certification in Orthomolecular Theory and Practice plus Paralegal Studies. Her work has been published in national and airline magazines since the early 1980s. Catherine authored numerous books on health issues along with co-authoring papers and monographs with physicians, nurses, and holistic healthcare professionals. She has been a consumer healthcare researcher 35 years and counting.
- Catherine's latest book, published October 4, 2013, is Vaccination Voodoo, What YOU Don't Know About Vaccines, available on Amazon.com.
- Her 2012 book A Cancer Answer, Holistic BREAST Cancer Management, A Guide to Effective & Non-Toxic Treatments, is available on Amazon.com and as a Kindle eBook.
- Two of Catherine's more recent books on Amazon.com are Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA, A Probe Into What's Probably Making Us Sick (2009) and Lord, How Can I Make It Through Grieving My Loss, An Inspirational Guide Through the Grieving Process (2008).
-
- 6 Week Cycle
- What is an 'active' shooter vs an inactive shooter?
-
- OBAMACARE DISTRACTION-Remarks by the President on the Shooting at Fort Hood | The White House
- Office of the Press Secretary
- Chicago Cut Steakhouse Chicago, Illinois6:46 P.M. CDT
- THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. I just got off the phone with Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Sandy Winnefeld to get the latest report on the situation in Fort Hood. Obviously we're following it closely. The situation is fluid right now. But my national security team is in close contact with not just the Defense Department but the FBI. They are working with folks on the ground to determine exactly what happened to make sure that everybody is secure. And I want to just assure all of us that we're going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.
- Any shooting is troubling. Obviously this reopens the pain of what happened at Fort Hood five years ago. We know these families. We know their incredible service to our country and the sacrifices that they make. Obviously our thoughts and prayers were -- are with the entire community. And we are going to do everything we can to make sure that the community at Fort Hood has what it needs to deal with the current situation, but also any potential aftermath.
- We're heartbroken that something like this might have happened again. And I don't want to comment on the facts until I know exactly what has happened, but for now, I would just hope that everybody across the country is keeping the families and the community at Fort Hood in our thoughts and in our prayers. The folks there have sacrificed so much on behalf of our freedom. Many of the people there have been on multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. They serve with valor; they serve with distinction. And when they're at their home base they need to feel safe. We don't yet know what happened tonight, but obviously that sense of safety has been broken once again. And we're going to have to find out exactly what happened.
- The Pentagon will undoubtedly have further briefings for you as we get more details [about what happened.]
-
- Fort Hood shooting was sparked by dispute between two soldiers, authorities say
- An Iraq war veteran who was grappling with mental health issues opened fire at Fort Hood, Tex., in an attack that left four people dead and 16 wounded Wednesday afternoon, according to preliminary law enforcement and military reports. The gunfire sent tremors of fear across a sprawling Army post still reeling from one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history.
- Many basic details about the shooting remained unclear in the chaotic hours after the first calls for help around 4 p.m., but senior U.S. law enforcement officials said the incident did not appear to be linked to any foreign terrorist organizations. The shooter was among those who died, the officials said.
- The officials identified the shooter as Army Spec. Ivan Lopez, 34, a military truck driver, who was dressed in his standard-issue green camouflage uniform. Lopez opened fire in two locations on the vast central Texas post, inside a building housing the 1st Medical Brigade and in a facility belonging to the 49th Transportation Battalion.
- Police spent Wednesday night searching his apartment in Killeen, the city that abuts the Army facility. Gen. Mark A. Milley, the commander of Fort Hood, said the soldier, whom he did not identify by name, served four months in Iraq in 2011.
- Milley said the shooter ''had behavioral health and mental health issues.'' He said the soldier, who self-reported a traumatic brain injury and was taking anti-depressants, had been under examination to determine whether he had post-traumatic stress disorder. ''We are digging deep into his background,'' Milley said.
- Milley said the soldier opened fire with a .45-caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol that was purchased recently but was not authorized to be brought on the post. He was eventually confronted by a female military police officer. He put his hands up but then pulled out a gun from under his jacket. ''She engaged,'' Milley said, and then the soldier put the gun to his head and shot himself.
- The shooting was the third major gun attack at a U.S. military installation in five years, leaving the nation grappling with the prospect of yet more flag-draped funerals for troops killed on the homefront. A government contractor went on a shooting rampage at the Washington Navy Yard in September, leaving 12 people dead. In 2009, Army Maj. Nidal M. Hasan opened fire on a group of soldiers at Fort Hood preparing to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan, killing 13 people and wounding more than 30.
- Doctors at the Scott & White hospital in Temple, Tex., said Wednesday that they have treated eight of the wounded and that one more was on the way. Three of the patients were in critical condition in the ICU, and five were in serious condition. Seven of them were male, and one was female. Their injuries ranged from mild to life-threatening, a majority of them caused by single-gunshot wounds to the neck, chest and abdomen.
- President Obama said he was ''heartbroken that something like this might have happened again.'' Speaking during a fundraising trip to Chicago, he pledged ''to get to the bottom of exactly what happened.''
- Although bases such as Fort Hood contain large storehouses of armaments, and many of their inhabitants have spent years at war, military posts are usually among the most idyllic communities in the country, a throwback to the 1950s, with manicured lawns, drivers who conscientiously abide by the speed limit and parents unafraid to allow their children to frolic out of sight.
- In the wake of the Navy Yard shooting, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered a series of security changes at military installations, including more rigorous screening of personnel and the creation of an analysis center to examine ''insider threats.''
- ''When we have these kinds of tragedies on our bases, something's not working,'' he said Wednesday evening during a visit to Hawaii. ''We will continue to address the issue. Anytime you lose your people to these kinds of tragedies, it's an issue, it's a problem.''
- Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that many questions remained about the shooting but that a principal initial focus was to support the victims and their families. ''This is a community that has faced and overcome crises with resilience and strength,'' he said in a statement.
- Soldiers based at Fort Hood were called upon, often repeatedly, to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade. Those combat tours have exacted a profound physical and emotional toll on many troops. Others have rebounded quickly and are continuing their military careers or are transitioning into the civilian world.
- Dozens of ambulances and law enforcement vehicles converged on the scene after the shooting. Several of the wounded were transported to area hospitals.
- The post was placed on lockdown for much of the afternoon, with loudspeakers across the facility urging people to shelter in place. The order applied to thousands of families that live on the base. The order was lifted in the early evening, once law enforcement authorities had determined that a sole gunman was responsible for the shooting.
- With the exception of military police officers, soldiers at Fort Hood and all other U.S. military installations are not armed or permitted to carry privately owned firearms. The restrictions on personal weapons were expanded in the wake of the 2009 massacre and an epidemic of suicides at Fort Hood, which is the largest active-duty armored post in the country. Current policy requires soldiers to register their personal weapons with their commanders and to keep those weapons in a secured room.
- Hasan was convicted of multiple counts of murder last year and sentenced to death. He is on death row at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
- Hasan, who worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington from 2003 to 2006, had been due to deploy to Afghanistan within weeks of the attack. At his trial, prosecutors presented evidence of his meticulous planning. The Army major and psychiatrist chose the most high-tech, high-capacity weapon available at a gun store in Killeen, Tex., and trained himself at a local firing range before giving away some of his belongings on the day of the shooting.
- Shortly after 1 p.m. on Nov. 5, 2009, Hasan walked into Fort Hood's Soldier Readiness Processing Center with two guns, shouted ''Allahu akbar!'' or ''God is great,'' and opened fire. He unleashed more than 200 rounds.
- Twelve of the people who were killed were soldiers waiting for medical tests; the other was a civilian who tried to tackle the psychiatrist. Hasan was left paralyzed from the chest down after being shot by an Army police officer.
- The shootings exposed a number of failings by the Defense Department, which a Pentagon report concluded was unprepared for internal threats. On one occasion, Hasan gave a presentation to senior Army doctors in which he discussed Islam and suicide bombers and warned that Muslims should be allowed to leave the armed forces as conscientious objectors to avoid ''adverse events.''
- Among those on the facility Wednesday was Matt Lausch, the chief of the Manassas, Va., volunteer fire department. He was working on his company's contract to build a hospital on the grounds when the alert system warned the base to ''seek shelter immediately.''
- Lausch, who remained in a construction trailer, said a flood of emergency personnel could be seen and heard streaming across the post.
- ''There was a huge, huge response by police and first responders,'' Lausch said. He and co-workers learned of the shooting from social media feeds once they locked themselves in the trailer.
- Craig Whitlock, Mark Berman, Carol D. Leonnig, Ernesto Londo±o, Clarence Williams and Julie Tate contributed to this report.
-
- FBI, military hunt ex-Army recruit suspected of plotting 'Ft. Hood-inspired jihad' | Fox News
- EXCLUSIVE: The FBI is searching for a recent Army recruit believed to be planning a "Fort Hood-inspired jihad against U.S. soldiers," FoxNews.com has learned.
- The alert, whose legitimacy was confirmed by military and law enforcement officials, stated that a man identified as Booker had told friends of his "intention to commit jihad." Booker, who is also known as Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, was recruited by the U.S. Army in Kansas City, Mo., in February 2014 and was scheduled to report for basic training on April 7. But he was discharged last week, apparently after law enforcement authorities learned of his alleged plan.
- Both the FBI and the 902d Military Intelligence Group at Fort Leavenworth are involved in the hunt.
- The alert, a copy of which was obtained by FoxNews.com, was sent out by the FBI's Kansas City Division on Friday and distributed through the U.S. Marine Corps. The portion obtained by FoxNews.com did not include Hassan's photo or age. It was also sent to the Kansas City Police Department, which could indicate authorities believe he may have remained in the area where he was recruited.
- The alert is titled, ''Planned Fort Hood-inspired Jihad against US Soldiers by Army Recruit'' and was issued ''to inform and protect officers who may encounter this individual or others exhibiting the same aspirations.'' The source of the information contained in the alert was listed as ''An FBI agent.''
- ''On 20 March 2014, the Kansas City Division FBI became aware of an individual named BOOKER aka Muhammad Abdullah Hassan who had publicly stated his intention to commit jihad, bidding farewell to his friends and making comments indicating his jihad was imminent. BOOKER had been recruited by the US Army in Kansas City, Mo., in February 2014 and was scheduled to report for Basic Training on 7 April 2014. Kansas City Division Agents interviewed BOOKER on 20 March 2014.''
- Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Ty Balzer confirmed the alert's legitimacy, but referred questions to the FBI. A spokeswoman with the Kansas City Division of the FBI -- the same division responsible for sending out the alert and who, according to the alert, spoke with Booker on March 20 -- said she did ''not have any information to provide in regards to your inquiry.''
- Law enforcement sources familiar with the alert said it appeared to suggest that there may be others in addition to Booker who also might have expressed similar intentions to commit jihad against U.S. military installations.
- A military source said it appeared the bulletin was provided by the FBI, then distributed by the Marine Corps under the normal protocol of sharing any information relating to a potential threat to U.S. military installations or personnel.
- A spokesman for the Kansas City recruiting station where Booker enlisted referred FoxNews.com's questions to 902d Military Intelligence Group, which did not immediately return requests for comment.
- The Fort Hood shooting, referenced in the alert, took place on Nov. 5, 2009. U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, a psychiatrist who had become a radical Muslim while serving in the military, killed 13 people and injured dozens more inside the Texas Army base. Hasan, who represented himself at a military trial after clashing with his appointed attorneys, was sentenced to death in August.
-
- FBI alert: Former Army recruit planning 'Fort Hood-inspired jihad' - Washington Times
- Federal agents are actively seeking out a former Army recruit they believe is plotting a ''Fort Hood-inspired jihad against U.S. soldiers,'' they said.
- The FBI sent out an alert for a man they identified as Booker, based on statements his friends made that he was intending ''to commit jihad,'' Fox News reported. The suspect also goes by Muhammad Abdullah Hassan.
- He was recruited in February into the U.S. Army in Kansas City, Mo., and was supposed to have reported for duty at basic training on April 7, agents said. But after authorities learned of his alleged jihad, they discharged him, Fox News reported. Now both the FBI and the 902nd Military Intelligence Group at Fort Leavenworth are seeking his location.
- The FBI alert was distributed throughout the U.S. Marine Corps and sent to the Kansas City Police Department. It's titled ''Planned Fort Hood-inspired Jihad against US Soldiers by Army Recruit,'' and it was sent out to ''inform and protect officers who may encounter this individual or others exhibiting the same aspirations.''
- The Fort Hood shooting occurred on Nov. 5, 2009. Then, U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Hasan killed 13 people and wounded dozens, while reportedly screaming ''Alluha Akabar.'' He was sentenced to death in August.
- (C) Copyright 2014 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
-
- Post security and Austin police train for active shooter at Camp Mabry | Austin News & Weather | Austin Texas, Round Rock, TX | kxan.com
- Related ContentAUSTIN (KXAN) '-- It's the worst-case scenario. Someone armed and shooting in a public place.
- Now, armed with better training and knowledge, soldiers at Camp Mabry know how to protect their post if it happens there.
- It's the training they hope they never need.
- Camp Mabry security forces and Austin police officers worked together Wednesday to stop an active shooter on post.
- In this scenario one shooter is loose in a building and several soldiers are down.
- ''Active shooter is a real contingency we could potentially face here in city,'' said Lt. Col. Les Davis. ''And we could at some point in future potentially face this at Camp Mabry.''
- Davis says this training was put into place after the Navy Yard and Fort Hood tragedies. The scenarios are just like what would happen in real life, with Austin police officers at the ready to help.
- ''Our security force will be first response on post,'' Davis said. ''Learning how the Austin Police Department's counteractive shooter team will respond is essential.''
- ''It's imperative that workplaces practice what to do in event of active shooter,'' said Lt. Justin Newsom with the Austin Police Department. ''When the shooting starts and coworkers are being killed next to you, it's a little late at that point to try and decide what you're going to do.''
- This day ends with the shooter in handcuffs. Buidling 11 is secure again.
- A report released Tuesday by the Pentagon found that more threats to military posts are coming from within.
-
- Common Core
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Gates, McGrawhill and Pearson want an assembly line of SLAVES
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Oklahoma Senate votes to repeal Common Core - Capitol Report - TulsaWorld
- (%remaining%) Remaining Thanks for visiting the Tulsa World. You're entitled to view a limited number of free articles every 30 days. If you would like to subscribe for unlimited access and no interruptions, go to tulsaworld.com/subscribe.
- (%remaining%) Remaining Thanks for visiting the Tulsa World. You're entitled to view a limited number of free articles every 30 days, and you currently have (%remaining%) remaining. If you would like no interruptions in your viewing, subscribe today at tulsaworld.com/subscribe for unlimited access.
- (%remaining%) Remaining We hope you will enjoy this free article on tulsaworld.com. You're entitled to view a limited number of free articles every 30 days, and you currently have (%remaining%) remaining. If you would like no interruptions in your viewing, subscribe today at tulsaworld.com/subscribe for unlimited access.
- (%remaining%) Remaining We hope you will enjoy this free article on tulsaworld.com. You're entitled to view a limited number of free articles every 30 days, and you currently have (%remaining%) remaining. If you would like no interruptions in your viewing, subscribe today at tulsaworld.com/subscribe for unlimited access.
- (%remaining%) RemainingThank you for reading TulsaWorld.com. You have viewed (%remaining%) of your 35 free pages in 30 days. Please login or register at this time and enjoy the next (%remaining%) articles free of charge. After your 35 free articles, we'll ask you to purchase an affordable subscription.
- (%remaining%) RemainingThank you for reading TulsaWorld.com. Because you have already viewed this article, you may view it again as many times as you would like without subtracting from your remaining free article views.
- (%remaining%) RemainingThank you for registering on TulsaWorld.com. You're entitled to view 35 articles for free every 30 days, and you currently have (%remaining%) remaining. Then, if you enjoy our site and want full access, we'll ask you to purchase an affordable subscription.
- (%remaining%) RemainingThank you for reading TulsaWorld.com. You're entitled to view 35 articles for free every 30 days, and you currently have (%remaining%) remaining. Then, if you enjoy our site and want full access, we'll ask you to purchase an affordable subscription.
- (%remaining%) RemainingThank you for reading TulsaWorld.com. You're entitled to view 35 articles for free every 30 days, and you currently have (%remaining%) remaining. Then, if you enjoy our site and want full access, we'll ask you to purchase an affordable subscription.
- (%remaining%) Remaining Thank you for reading tulsaworld.com. You're entitled to view a limited number of articles for free every 30 days. This is your last free article this period. To view another article you will need to purchase a subscription at tulsaworld.com/subscribe.
- (%remaining%) Remaining Thank you for visiting tulsaworld.com. You have used all the limited page views nonsubscribers receive for 30 days. If you would like to receive unlimited digital access to tulsaworld.com, please subscribe to one of our digital-only packages. If you would like the newspaper delivered to your home and unlimited digital access, please subscribe to one of our print + digital packages.
- (%remaining%) RemainingWelcome to TulsaWorld.com We hope you enjoy this story that was shared with you.
- (%remaining%) RemainingWelcome to TulsaWorld.com We hope you enjoy this story that was shared with you.
- Senators pass HB 3399 37-10 and call for standards specifically for Oklahoma.
- House Speaker Jeff Hickman (left) and Sen. Josh Brecheen: Hickman and Brecheen sponsored the Senate bill that will repeal Common Core and calls for State Superintendent Janet Barresi to create educational standards better suited to Oklahoma's schools and students.
- By BARBARA HOBEROCK World Capitol Bureau|Updated 6 hours ago
- The Capitol Report is home to all the reporting on state government.
- Sign inOr select a service.k9C ^m
- kAm~z{pw~|p rx%* '-- %96 ~2 $6?2E6 @? %F6D52J A2DD65 2 3:== E92E H@F=5 C6A62= 2 4@?EC@G6CD:2= D6E @7 24256>:4 DE2?52C5D
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- On first day of Common Core testing, some NY students sit it out | Fox News
- Heidi Indelicato plans to take son Benjamin to the library during this week's Common Core testing sessions.Courtesy of Heidi Indelecato
- While her son's fourth-grade classmates were taking the nation's first round of tests under the controversial Common Core program, Heidi Indilecato decided to teach her son a lesson in civil disobedience.
- ''We respectfully refuse to participate in the test,'' said Indelicato, whose son Benjamin attends school in Lancaster, N.Y., which on Tuesday became the first state to administer testing under the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
- So while other kids sat poised with their No. 2 pencils above Scantron sheets, Benjamin studied with his mother, who documented the occasion with a picture of the pair wearing T-shirts that read: "Keep calm and and refuse the NYS tests."
- ''We respectfully refuse to participate in the test."
- - Heidi Indelecato, mother of a fourth-grader
- Common Core was adopted by 45 states, although Indiana withdrew last month. The set of standards, devised by the nation's school superintendents at the behest of the National Governors Association, seeks to set a uniform standard for grades K-12, to ensure kids all over the nation reach the same minimum level of learning.
- The program involves testing of students in grades 3-8 and high school testing is scheduled to begin next year.New York implemented the standards a year early.
- Critics say the standards end up dictating curriculum, and thus taking power away from local districts and parents. They also claim that textbooks and lesson plans aligned with Common Core have become politicized. In addition to Indiana, measures have been introduced in several state legislatures to opt out or scale back participation.
- Indelicato, a member of the parent group NYS Allies for Public Education, said she has been picking up her son at the beginning of the testing sessions and going to the library, where they review reading arts and math as well as lessons in the civil disobedience of such historical figures as Rosa Parks.
- "I feel like I'm teaching him leadership and strong self-confidence, qualities that I feel are good for the development of a young child,'' she said. ''I'm trying to instill in him that sometimes it's important to be polite but disobedient. Sometimes it's needed because the leaders are not always going to be right.''
- As students across New York state began taking the 90-minute tests, parents have been given the option of keeping children from participating. But in many districts the kids are not being allowed to use the time to read or do homework during the testing periods, which continue for the next six days.
- ''The children should not be punished because of our fundamental right to want what's best for their educational development,'' Indelicato said. ''I feel that the district is trying to use the powers of persuasion to get parents to have their kids participate in the testing.''
- The Lancaster school district is one of 15 statewide that has implemented what has been dubbed by irate parent groups as ''sit and stare.'' Their main argument against the test is that it lacks transparency and eats away at valuable instruction time for their children.
- ''We know for a fact, and there are studies to prove, that test-based criteria do not improve a student's performance,'' Shirley Verrico, whose 13-year-old daughter Michaela, will be not be talking the tests in her Williamsville Central school district, told FoxNews.com.
- On Monday, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, who is running for governor of New York, released an online video in which he had harsh words for the Common Core standards and announced that he would not have his children participate in the round of testing.
- ''After speaking at length with my wife Sheila, who's a special education teacher, I am announcing today that my children will join with thousands of other school kids tomorrow, statewide, in refusing to take the Cuomo Common Core test,'' he said in the video released by his campaign. ''They will be in school, but they will opt out of the exam, as is their legal right.''
- Astorino told FoxNews.com that he is not opposed to attempts to to raise the standards in schools, but said the effort must come at the local level.
- "It's one size fits all and that's not how children learn," he said. "Just because we are opposed to the Common Core does not mean we are opposed to bettering standards."
-
- Homewood Middle School TED-Ed Club members creating their own 'TED talks,' learning 'presentation literacy' | AL.com
- HOMEWOOD, Alabama -- If public speaking and presentation skills are critical in getting your ideas across to others, then the members of a new club at Homewood Middle School -- the TED-Ed Club -- should be gaining an edge.
- The members of the club -- with the help of sponsor and Gifted Education teacher Dylan Ferniany -- are spending the semester researching and writing talks or presentations based on their own unique ideas.
- "The club is focused on having kids give talks themselves and communicate an idea that they are passionate about," Ferniany said prior to a meeting of the group after school on Monday. "I don't think that kids today always get to study or learn about stuff that really interests them."
- The talks the students will present to each other by the end of the term will be inspired in part by the famous "TED talks," the presentations by artists, activists, educators and entrepreneurs that are presented live and online by the national non-profit organization TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design).
- The TED-Ed Clubs were launched in January by TED-Ed, the New York-based educational initiative of the TED conferences. The goal, according to a TED-Ed news release, is to promote "presentation literacy" among students around the world.
- Mattingly's talk at the TEDx Conference dealt with the use of humor, magic tricks and even props to make science education more fun and engaging for kids.
- But Monday, Mattingly urged the students to "be extremely simple" and to use visual aids sparingly so that they do not detract from their message.
- "There's no reason... that every point you try to cover has a visual," she said.
- "The important thing is the words coming out of your mouth," she said.
- It is also important for the kids to practice as much as possible to get comfortable with their presentations, according to Mattingly.
- "You'll do a ton of work on your speech, so why not make it the best you can?" she said.
- If the students feel nervous about giving their talks, they should know that anyone who ever gets up to speak to a group, even at TED, is nervous.
- "You can take that energy and convert it into the best talk ever," she said.
- Hunter Callaway, an eighth-grader, was already a TED fan before getting involved. "I like TED because I like to watch the talks, and I thought it would be cool to make my own talk, and it's a really cool club, so I joined up," he said.
- Callaway's presentation will deal with the idea that people may be deterred from committing crimes more by the social stigma that comes from being a criminal than the actual punishments they receive.
- Eliza Thornton, a seventh-grader, is planning a talk entitled, "How human can a robot be?"
- "I've always been afraid of public speaking," she said. "I thought I could get my ideas out and get over my fear of public speaking, and I thought it could bring out my creativity."
- Katherine Malone, a seventh-grader, is preparing a talk entitled, "Is grafting animal DNA to humans possible?" She said she wants to explore the possibility that humans could improve their physical performance.
- In addition to improving her public speaking skills, Malone said that the research for her talk is enjoyable. "I'm learning about new things," she said. "I've never delved into this. It's kind of cool to be learning all these new facts."
- Noah Gentry, a seventh-grader, is doing a study of the concept of nostalgia -- how it can be defined and how it can be used to, for example, uncover memories and even fight depression.
- And Gentry said he enjoys the public speaking aspect of the project. "I don't have a fear of public speaking," he said. "It's a talent I have, so I would like to get better at it."
- The TED-Ed Club at the middle school began around the end of January or first of February, according to Ferniany.
- Ferniany also served as the volunteer K12 education relations coordinator for the recent TEDx Birmingham conference. The conference, which charged a registration fee, provided scholarships to about 20 area teachers.
- And TEDx Birmingham would like to keep the teachers involved even when there is no conference.
- "We have some ideas to keep them engaged, rather than having them come for one day and that be it," Matthew Hamilton, one of the co-organizers of the TEDx Birmingham conference, said Monday before Mattingly's presentation.
- According to Ferniany, starting the TED-Ed Club at her school seemed like a practical way to start an initiative that other teachers around town could easily adopt.
- "I envision way more clubs next year and more kids going through the process," she said.
- And other TEDx particpants, like Mattingly, will have the chance to speak to TED-Ed Clubs.
- Hamilton said that one of the most popular talks at the TEDX Birmingham conference was given by Victoria Hollis, program manager for the Birmingham Education Foundation.
- He said her basic message was that "we as a community need to take ownership and get involved in our city schools, even if you don't have kids in school or in the Birmingham city schools... because the health of our city is tied to the health of our schools."
- "We had such momentum coming off the conference, and this seemed like a good way to carry it into the education sphere," Hamilton said.
- Hamilton emphasized the importance of helping students like the ones at Homewood Middle School develop presentation literacy.
- "There are a lot of people who are smart and do good things, but if they cannot communicate that in an effective way, it doesn't matter," he said.
- "If they learn that skill in middle school, it's something they can carry and give them success in high school, college and beyond," he said.
- The TED-Ed Club meeting featured the use of Skype and laptops or video projection to allow several TED-Ed Clubs -- in Illinois and Maryland, and in Canada, India, Romania and Malaysia -- to hear Mattingly's presentation.
- TED-Ed staff in New York helped to facilitate the Skype session, according to Ferniany.
- Learn more about TED-Ed Clubs at ed.ted.com/clubs.
- For more news from Homewood, go to www.al.com/homewood.
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- War on Ammo
-
- Gun control activist prays for 'Gun Sense' after 2nd Fort Hood shooting; Twitter reminds her of an inconvenient fact
- While most of America sadly awaited the tragic details out of the second shooting at Fort Hood, some eagerly licked their chops at the opportunity to use the occasion to push for new gun restrictions. One such person is Shannon Watts, founder of ''Moms Demand Action,'' a gun control group.
- In case anyone was unclear about Watts' intentions, she retweeted this:
- Some on Twitter reminded Watts of an inconvenient fact about military base shootings:
- Others had general words of disapproval for Watts' denigration of our constitutional rights:
- Shannon responded to the criticism:
- We're more than happy to pray for the Fort Hood victims, but we'll pass on the ''#momsdemand #gunsense'' stuff, thanks.
-
- Chemtrails
-
- Red Saharan dust cloud reaches Germany
- A milky-red sunrise over the Elbe in Hamburg on Thursday morning. Photo: DPA
- Published: 03 Apr 2014 13:14 GMT+02:00Updated: 03 Apr 2014 13:14 GMT+02:00
- Dust from the Sahara reached large parts of Germany on Thursday, as parts of the country woke up to what weather experts described as a milky-red sky, and dirty cars.
- Weather service the DWD initially measured around 30 micrograms per cubic metre in Upper Bavaria on Wednesday, an amount which meteorologist Frank Wagner confirmed ''was more than normal".
- Fine red dust particles have been blowing up from the Sahara Desert and, up until now, largely coating London in a film of dust.
- But the DWD said that Germans are experiencing a similarly dusty film on their cars as the dust makes its way over Morocco, then France and arrives in the south and western states. Hamburg in the north of the country woke up on Thursday morning to a dusty red sky.
- The concentration of dust should, Wagner said, reach a high point in the evening.
- Sahara dust normally reaches Germany about once a month, but it is normally in a much lower concentration.
- Spring is a common time for the phenomenon, said Wagner. He added that the desert dust particles were ''smaller than water droplets'' with a circumference of between five to 10 micrometres each.
- SEE ALSO: Snow returns to southern Germany
- For more stories about Germany, join us on Facebook and Twitter
- Why I'm butchering teddy bearsA Hamburg artist has set up an unusual "butcher's shop" that swaps pork and poultry for teddy bear sausages. A ...
- Nine job application buzzwords to avoidLooking for a job in Germany but having trouble with your CV and cover letter? The Local has translated some ...
- Germany agrees to expand dual citizenshipThe German government reached an agreement on Thursday on loosening citizenship laws, allowing people born in Germany to foreign parents ...
- Woman, 71, jailed for stalking priestAn elderly woman was jailed for 14 months on Thursday for stalking a Catholic priest for more than 13 years. ...
- 'Porn industry comes out best from this race row'Here is a story to mull over - a German porn star quits her film career and joins a far-right ...
- Germany and China rev up economic tiesExport giants Germany and China pledged to deepen their strategic during a landmark visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to ...
- A new 'silk road' linking Germany and ChinaOne of the world's longest railways - a "modern-day silk road" - covers some 11,000 kilometres en route from the ...
- Lufthansa cancels 3,800 flights due to strikeUPDATE: Lufthansa, Germany's biggest airline, said on Monday it will be forced to cancel most of its flights later this ...
- Lufthansa pilots to strike for three daysLufthansa pilots will strike for three days from Wednesday next week, disrupting services at the start of the Easter holidays ...
- Ten of Germany's best traditionsGermany is a land of tradition and customs but what are its finest rituals and practices? The Local has taken ...
- Janine Asseln at the Eckenf¶rde navel base in Schleswig-Holstein. Photo: DPA
- Women are a very rare sight on submarines, but the German navy has welcomed its first female officer, Janine Asseln, who is The Local's German of the Week. READ () >>
- A milky-red sunrise over the Elbe in Hamburg on Thursday morning. Photo: DPA
- Dust from the Sahara reached large parts of Germany on Thursday, as parts of the country woke up to what weather experts described as a milky-red sky, and dirty cars. READ () >>
- The men were fined for wearing blue shirts and rising-sun badges of those of the former communist East German youth league. Photo: DPA
- Two men went to court in Berlin on Wednesday to dispute being fined '¬2,700 each for wearing the blue shirts of the youth group of former communist East Germany. READ () >>
- Alexander Alvaro crashed the Audi A8 in February last year. Photo: DPA
- A vice president of the European Parliament has been charged with causing death through negligence following a car crash last year, a spokesman from a Cologne court confirmed on Thursday. READ () >>
- Vehicles are one of Germany's main exports to Russia, while Russia sends gas the other way. Photo: DPA
- One in ten German exporters sell goods to Russia, while trade between the two countries was worth '¬76.5 billion in 2013. But how important a trading partner is Russia for Germany compared to other countries? READ () >>
- A court in western Germany has begun hearing over 500 charges against one doctor who is accused of secretly injecting patients with medicine while telling them they were receiving herbal treatment. READ () >>
- A pilot on strike at Frankfurt airport on Wednesday. Photo: DPA
- The biggest strike to hit Lufthansa in its history entered its second day on Thursday with no sign of compromise in sight. Passengers at Berlin's Tegel airport told The Local they found pilots' grievances difficult to understand. READ () >>
- Soldiers patrol the streets of Bangui, Central African Republic. Photo: DPA
- African and European leaders held crisis talks on Wednesday on the a deadly spiral of Christian-Muslim strife in the Central African Republic. Germany said it wanted to play a key role in security in the region. READ () >>
- The scene on Tuesday morning on the A12 near Frankfurt (Oder). Photo: DPA
- Three people were killed in a motorway crash in Brandenburg in the early hours of Tuesday morning. READ () >>
- Bj¶rn F. was found guilty of murder and sexual assault Photo: DPA
- A court in Hannover jailed a man for life on Wednesday for torturing his girlfriend to death over six hours. He filmed the abuse on his mobile phone in what the judge called the worst case he had ever seen. READ () >>
- RECEIVE OUR NEWSLETTER AND ALERTS
- Jobless foreigner rise puts migrant benefit plans in doubt
- Cemetery creates first lesbian-only burial area
- The Local List: Germany's eight best April Fools' stories
- Is this Germany's biggest burger?
- Ten very German traditions - but which ones are April Fools?
- 'Porn industry comes out best from this race row'
- 'Why I'm living an hour behind everyone else'
- Anti-euro party turns anti-feminist in Facebook campaign
- Nine job application buzzwords to avoid
- Have a look around the prison of ex-Bayern Munich boss Uli Hoene
- Orgies and executions: It's mayhem in M¼nster
- The week in pictures: March 22nd - March 28th
- Why I'm butchering teddy bears
- What's so great about... Munich?
- Ten reasons to think twice before moving to Germany
- How to find a furnished rental in Munich
- How to make a lasting impression in business
- Jobtalk: My path from India to German citizenship
- What they don't teach you at Business School
- Nine jobs you can only do in Germany
- How to integrate successfully in Germany
- Ten more untranslatable German words
- Hassle-free tax preparation for Americans in Germany
- JobTalk: All you need to know about working in Germany
- The Local List Archive - Your guide to all things German
- Share news tips with The Local Germany
- Latest news from The Local in Switzerland
- More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch
- Latest news from The Local in Spain
- More news from Spain at thelocal.es
- Latest news from The Local in France
- More news from France at thelocal.fr
- Latest news from The Local in Italy
- More news from Italy at thelocal.it
- Latest news from The Local in Norway
- More news from Norway at thelocal.no
- Latest news from The Local in Sweden
- More news from Sweden at thelocal.se
-
- Saharan dust prompts 'very high' air pollution threatening sick and elderly - Telegraph
- Those with asthma are told they may find they need to use their inhaler more often and older people are also advised to reduce physical exertion.
- When pollution levels reach 10, the general population is told to ''reduce physical exertion, particularly outdoors, especially if you experience symptoms such as sore eyes, cough or sore throat''.
- Defra said the elevated pollution levels have been caused by a combination of light south-easterly winds, the continental air flow and dust which has blown up from the Sahara desert.
- North-west Norfolk should experience the highest level of air pollution on Tuesday, while East Anglia will experience "high" levels and parts of south-east England and the Humber region will experience "moderate" pollution.
- Experts are anticipating "high" or "very high" air pollution levels across much of England and Wales on Wednesday.
- The high levels of pollution are expected to continue across East Anglia and the Midlands on Thursday, but the air pollution is expected to ebb away by Friday.
- Last weekend, some people found their cars to be covered in a light coating of red dust. The Met Office said that a large amount of sand and dust was swept up by storm winds in the Sahara Desert.
- Experts said that the airborne particles of dust were blown north to the UK where they combined with our warm air and were deposited during showers.
-
- Ottomania
-
- Google says Turkey intercepting its Web domain
- Google says Turkey intercepting its Web domain1 hour agoGoogle logo is seen on a wall at the entrance of the Google offices in Brussels on February 5, 2014
- Google says Turkey has been intercepting its Internet domain, redirecting users to other sites in the latest battle between Ankara and Web giants.
- In a weekend post on Google's security blog, software engineer Steven Carstensen said the company has received "several credible reports and confirmed with our own research that Google's Domain Name System (DNS) service has been intercepted by most Turkish ISPs (Internet Service Providers)."
- Carstensen said the DNS server "tells your computer the address of a server it's looking for, in the same way that you might look up a phone number in a phone book."
- "Imagine if someone had changed out your phone book with another one, which looks pretty much the same as before, except that the listings for a few people showed the wrong phone number," he added.
- "That's essentially what's happened: Turkish ISPs have set up servers that masquerade as Google's DNS service."
- The news came just days after Turkey banned YouTube after the Google-owned video-sharing website was used to spread damaging leaked audio files from a state security meeting debating possible military action in Syria.
- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan angrily lashed out at his political opponents for leaking the recording.
- A man is seen through waved Turkish flags as supporters of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) take part in an election rally at Kadikoy in Istanbul on March 29, 2014
- Earlier this month, Turkey's telecommunications authority blocked access to the US social network Twitter under orders from Erdogan after opposition members used it to post telephone recordings implicating him in a major corruption scandal.
- Explore further:Turkey bans YouTube after Syria security talk leaked
- More from Physics Forums - Computers
- Turkey bans YouTube after Syria security talk leaked Mar 27, 2014
- Turkey banned video-sharing website YouTube on Thursday, having blocked Twitter a week earlier after both were used to spread audio recordings damaging to the government, local media reported.
- US on Turkey's Twitter ban: more tweets than before Mar 24, 2014
- The United States on Monday noted there have been more Turkish tweets since the prime minister controversially banned the micro-blogging service than before.
- Turkey moves to block YouTube but attempt fails Mar 27, 2014
- Turkish authorities pressed Thursday to block access to YouTube following similar action against Twitter, a move sure to provoke further outrage in a country where social media is widely used.
- Turkish court backs Twitter but site still blocked Mar 29, 2014
- In a second ruling against Turkey's ban on Twitter, a Turkish court has overturned an order for the social media network to remove an account that accuses a former minister of corruption, reports said Saturday.
- Turkish court orders halt to Twitter ban (Update) Mar 26, 2014
- A Turkish court ordered the telecommunications authority to restore access to Twitter on Wednesday, issuing an injunction five days after the government blocked access to the social network.
- Turkish attempt to ban Twitter appears to backfire (Update 5) Mar 21, 2014
- Turkey's attempt to block access to Twitter appeared to backfire on Friday with many tech-savvy users circumventing the ban and suspicions growing that the prime minister was using court orders to suppress ...
- Turkish court backs Twitter but site still blocked Mar 29, 2014
- In a second ruling against Turkey's ban on Twitter, a Turkish court has overturned an order for the social media network to remove an account that accuses a former minister of corruption, reports said Saturday.
- Study says Internet providers should be more transparent about data privacy Mar 28, 2014
- A new report by leading privacy experts has revealed that Canadian Internet providers need to be much more transparent about how they protect their customers' private information. The report found that while all providers ...
- Sociologists find emerging condition, 'cyberasociality' Mar 28, 2014
- (Phys.org) '--Not every single user '' among the billions collecting friends and followers on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and other social media platforms '' is perfectly comfortable conducting his or her social ...
- Turkey moves to block YouTube but attempt fails Mar 27, 2014
- Turkish authorities pressed Thursday to block access to YouTube following similar action against Twitter, a move sure to provoke further outrage in a country where social media is widely used.
- Turkey bans YouTube after Syria security talk leaked Mar 27, 2014
- Turkey banned video-sharing website YouTube on Thursday, having blocked Twitter a week earlier after both were used to spread audio recordings damaging to the government, local media reported.
- Instagram closing gap with Twitter in US, survey says Mar 27, 2014
- Instagram, the Facebook-owned photo-sharing service, has almost caught up with Twitter's number of US users.
- User comments : 0More news storiesEuropean consumer group joins case against GoogleEurope's leading consumer rights advocacy group has joined an antitrust complaint against Google because it considers the display of some search results biased.
- Amazon launches six new original TV programsUS online giant Amazon announced plans Monday for six new orignal TV series, days ahead of an announcement on its video service plans.
- Supreme Court could limit software patentsThe Supreme Court appears willing to make it tougher to approve patents for computer software in a case that is being closely watched by technology companies.
- Researchers demonstrate information processing using a light-based chip inspired by our brainIn a recent paper in Nature Communications, researchers from Ghent University report on a novel paradigm to do optical information processing on a chip, using techniques inspired by the way our brain works.
- 3D scan of the Hell-Fire Caves of West WycombeA PhD student at the University of Bristol is raising money to undertake a ground-breaking 3D scan of one of the most mysterious sites in the UK - the Hell-Fire Caves of West Wycombe.
- Researchers discover ancient virus DNA remnants necessary for pluripotency in humans(Phys.org) '--A team of Canadian and Singaporean researchers has discovered that remnants of ancient viral DNA in human DNA must be present for pluripotency to occur in human stem cells. In their paper published ...
- Major breakthrough in stem cell manufacturing technologyScientists at The University of Nottingham have developed a new substance which could simplify the manufacture of cell therapy in the pioneering world of regenerative medicine.
- A breakthrough in creating invisibility cloaks, stealth technologyControlling and bending light around an object so it appears invisible to the naked eye is the theory behind fictional invisibility cloaks.
- Nano-paper filter removes virusesNanotechnology and Functional Materials, Uppsala University have developed a paper filter, which can remove virus particles with the efficiency matching that of the best industrial virus filters. The paper ...
- The Atlantic Ocean dances with the sun and volcanoesNatural fluctuations in the ocean temperature in the North Atlantic have a significant impact on the climate in the northern hemisphere. These fluctuations are the result of a complex dance between the forces ...
- Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.(C) Phys.org' 2003-2013, Science X network
- Google says Turkey intercepting its Web domain1 hour agoGoogle logo is seen on a wall at the entrance of the Google offices in Brussels on February 5, 2014
- Google says Turkey has been intercepting its Internet domain, redirecting users to other sites in the latest battle between Ankara and Web giants.
- In a weekend post on Google's security blog, software engineer Steven Carstensen said the company has received "several credible reports and confirmed with our own research that Google's Domain Name System (DNS) service has been intercepted by most Turkish ISPs (Internet Service Providers)."
- Carstensen said the DNS server "tells your computer the address of a server it's looking for, in the same way that you might look up a phone number in a phone book."
- "Imagine if someone had changed out your phone book with another one, which looks pretty much the same as before, except that the listings for a few people showed the wrong phone number," he added.
- "That's essentially what's happened: Turkish ISPs have set up servers that masquerade as Google's DNS service."
- The news came just days after Turkey banned YouTube after the Google-owned video-sharing website was used to spread damaging leaked audio files from a state security meeting debating possible military action in Syria.
- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan angrily lashed out at his political opponents for leaking the recording.
- A man is seen through waved Turkish flags as supporters of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) take part in an election rally at Kadikoy in Istanbul on March 29, 2014
- Earlier this month, Turkey's telecommunications authority blocked access to the US social network Twitter under orders from Erdogan after opposition members used it to post telephone recordings implicating him in a major corruption scandal.
- Explore further:Turkey bans YouTube after Syria security talk leaked
- More from Physics Forums - Computers
- Turkey bans YouTube after Syria security talk leaked Mar 27, 2014
- Turkey banned video-sharing website YouTube on Thursday, having blocked Twitter a week earlier after both were used to spread audio recordings damaging to the government, local media reported.
- US on Turkey's Twitter ban: more tweets than before Mar 24, 2014
- The United States on Monday noted there have been more Turkish tweets since the prime minister controversially banned the micro-blogging service than before.
- Turkey moves to block YouTube but attempt fails Mar 27, 2014
- Turkish authorities pressed Thursday to block access to YouTube following similar action against Twitter, a move sure to provoke further outrage in a country where social media is widely used.
- Turkish court backs Twitter but site still blocked Mar 29, 2014
- In a second ruling against Turkey's ban on Twitter, a Turkish court has overturned an order for the social media network to remove an account that accuses a former minister of corruption, reports said Saturday.
- Turkish court orders halt to Twitter ban (Update) Mar 26, 2014
- A Turkish court ordered the telecommunications authority to restore access to Twitter on Wednesday, issuing an injunction five days after the government blocked access to the social network.
- Turkish attempt to ban Twitter appears to backfire (Update 5) Mar 21, 2014
- Turkey's attempt to block access to Twitter appeared to backfire on Friday with many tech-savvy users circumventing the ban and suspicions growing that the prime minister was using court orders to suppress ...
- Turkish court backs Twitter but site still blocked Mar 29, 2014
- In a second ruling against Turkey's ban on Twitter, a Turkish court has overturned an order for the social media network to remove an account that accuses a former minister of corruption, reports said Saturday.
- Study says Internet providers should be more transparent about data privacy Mar 28, 2014
- A new report by leading privacy experts has revealed that Canadian Internet providers need to be much more transparent about how they protect their customers' private information. The report found that while all providers ...
- Sociologists find emerging condition, 'cyberasociality' Mar 28, 2014
- (Phys.org) '--Not every single user '' among the billions collecting friends and followers on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and other social media platforms '' is perfectly comfortable conducting his or her social ...
- Turkey moves to block YouTube but attempt fails Mar 27, 2014
- Turkish authorities pressed Thursday to block access to YouTube following similar action against Twitter, a move sure to provoke further outrage in a country where social media is widely used.
- Turkey bans YouTube after Syria security talk leaked Mar 27, 2014
- Turkey banned video-sharing website YouTube on Thursday, having blocked Twitter a week earlier after both were used to spread audio recordings damaging to the government, local media reported.
- Instagram closing gap with Twitter in US, survey says Mar 27, 2014
- Instagram, the Facebook-owned photo-sharing service, has almost caught up with Twitter's number of US users.
- User comments : 0More news storiesEuropean consumer group joins case against GoogleEurope's leading consumer rights advocacy group has joined an antitrust complaint against Google because it considers the display of some search results biased.
- Amazon launches six new original TV programsUS online giant Amazon announced plans Monday for six new orignal TV series, days ahead of an announcement on its video service plans.
- Supreme Court could limit software patentsThe Supreme Court appears willing to make it tougher to approve patents for computer software in a case that is being closely watched by technology companies.
- Researchers demonstrate information processing using a light-based chip inspired by our brainIn a recent paper in Nature Communications, researchers from Ghent University report on a novel paradigm to do optical information processing on a chip, using techniques inspired by the way our brain works.
- 3D scan of the Hell-Fire Caves of West WycombeA PhD student at the University of Bristol is raising money to undertake a ground-breaking 3D scan of one of the most mysterious sites in the UK - the Hell-Fire Caves of West Wycombe.
- Researchers discover ancient virus DNA remnants necessary for pluripotency in humans(Phys.org) '--A team of Canadian and Singaporean researchers has discovered that remnants of ancient viral DNA in human DNA must be present for pluripotency to occur in human stem cells. In their paper published ...
- Major breakthrough in stem cell manufacturing technologyScientists at The University of Nottingham have developed a new substance which could simplify the manufacture of cell therapy in the pioneering world of regenerative medicine.
- A breakthrough in creating invisibility cloaks, stealth technologyControlling and bending light around an object so it appears invisible to the naked eye is the theory behind fictional invisibility cloaks.
- Nano-paper filter removes virusesNanotechnology and Functional Materials, Uppsala University have developed a paper filter, which can remove virus particles with the efficiency matching that of the best industrial virus filters. The paper ...
- The Atlantic Ocean dances with the sun and volcanoesNatural fluctuations in the ocean temperature in the North Atlantic have a significant impact on the climate in the northern hemisphere. These fluctuations are the result of a complex dance between the forces ...
- Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.(C) Phys.org' 2003-2013, Science X network
-
- War on Weed
-
- Denver coroner: Man fell to death after eating marijuana cookies - The Denver Post
- Levy Thamba was a student at Northwest College in Powell, Wyo., who was also known as Levi Thamba Pongi. (Via Facebook)
- A Wyoming college student visiting Denver on spring break fell to his death after consuming marijuana cookies, the Denver medical examiner's office says.
- Levy Thamba, a 19-year-old student at Northwest College in Powell, Wyo., who was also known as Levi Thamba Pongi, fell to his death last month from the balcony of a Holiday Inn in northeast Denver. On Wednesday, the Denver coroner said Thamba's death was caused by "multiple injuries due to a fall from height."
- The coroner also listed "marijuana intoxication" from marijuana-infused cookies as a significant condition contributing to the death. The report lists the death as an accident.
- A brief summary of the investigation included in the autopsy report says Thamba traveled to Denver with three of his friends on spring break. While here, the report says Thamba consumed "marijuana cookies" and "soon thereafter exhibited hostile behavior (pulling items off the walls) and spoke erratically."
- THE CANNABIST: 8 steps to getting the dose right with pot edibles
- "The decedent's friends attempted to calm him down and were temporarily successful," the report states. "However, the decedent eventually reportedly jumped out of bed, went outside the hotel room, and jumped over the balcony railing."
- Thamba and his friends were staying on the hotel's fourth floor, according to the report.
- Michelle Weiss-Samaras, a spokeswoman for the coroner's office, said Thamba had no known physical or mental-health issues, and toxicology tests for other drugs or alcohol came back negative.
- "We have no history of any other issues until he eats a marijuana cookie and becomes erratic and this happens," she said. "It's the one thing we have that's significant."
- According to the autopsy report, Thamba's marijuana concentration in his blood was 7.2 nanograms of active THC per milliliter of blood. In impaired driving cases, state law sets a standard of 5 nanograms per milliliter at which juries can presume impairment.
- Weiss-Samaras said one of Thamba's friends became ill after eating one of the marijuana cookies, which she said investigators believe was purchased legally in a Colorado recreational marijuana store.
- "We were told they came here to try it," she said.
- Julie Postlethwait, a spokeswoman with the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division, which regulates marijuana stores, confirmed that the agency is cooperating with police on the investigation. But she said she couldn't provide more information because the investigation is ongoing.
- Denver police have not yet finished the investigation, so more details and reports about the case have not been released. It remains unclear how much of the marijuana-infused product Thamba consumed or how long after consuming it that he died.
- Thamba's death is the first publicized incident that authorities have linked to marijuana intoxication since legal sales of recreational marijuana to people over 21 began in Colorado in January. Weiss-Samaras said the coroner's office will often list alcohol intoxication as a significant contributing factor in a death '-- for instance, in an alcohol-related car accident '-- but she said she believes this is the first time it has listed marijuana intoxication from an edible product in such a way.
- Thamba, who was from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa, started taking classes at Northwest College in January. During his few months at the college, Thamba made many friends, and his death was felt across the campus, school officials said.
- "It's shocking, so sad," Emelee Volden, the intercultural program manager at the college told the Powell Tribune last month. "He made such an impression in so short an amount of time."
- Thamba was studying engineering at the college, which has about 2,000 students and is located 75 miles east of Yellowstone National Park.
- "The Northwest College campus community continues to grieve after Levy's death," a school statement released Wednesday stated. "All of us were deeply saddened by this tragic incident and feel for his family."
- John Ingold: 303-954-1068, jingold@denverpost.com or twitter.com/john_ingold
-
- EUROLand
-
- Greek PM's aide quits over purported Golden Dawn video | Reuters
- ATHENSWed Apr 2, 2014 5:34pm EDT
- ATHENS (Reuters) - A senior aide to Greece's prime minister resigned on Wednesday after the far-right Golden Dawn party said a video showed him suggesting the government had tried to press judges to jail its members.
- Government Secretary General Takis Baltakos did not refer directly to the comments he was reported to have made in the video, but said he was stepping down because of the furor caused by the video released online and shown on television.
- Police and magistrates have been investigating charges that Golden Dawn, its members and supporters were involved in a series of violent attacks, including the killing of a left-wing rapper in September.
- The anti-immigrant party, which rode a wave of anger against harsh austerity measures to become the third largest political force at elections in 2012, has denied any wrongdoing and accused the government of a politically motivated crackdown.
- Golden Dawn's leader and other senior members have been detained pending trial on charges of belonging to a criminal organization.
- The video, which appeared to have been secretly recorded, shows Baltakos talking to a person off screen.
- When asked in the video why the MPs had been detained, Baltakos makes a hand gesture of a phone call being made. When asked if Justice Minister Charalambos Athanassiou and Police Minister Nikos Dendias made the call, he replies: "Who else?"
- Both ministers issued a statement denying any involvement. Athanassiou said: "Greek justice is independent".
- Without referring to the video, Baltakos said in a statement that he had talked to Golden Dawn spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris, who accused him of being part of a conspiracy against the party.
- "I denied it and tried to get rid of the pressure. Everything I said during the discussion was aimed at this, and nothing else, just to get rid of this pressure," Baltakos said.
- "I submitted my resignation due to the uproar and for personal reasons. I'm sorry for the trouble caused," he said.
- Kasidiaris, a Golden Dawn lawmaker, had earlier presented a copy of what he called a transcript of the video to parliament, saying it proved the investigations were a government conspiracy.
- "A senior government official confesses that the charges were pressed against Golden Dawn because it's stealing votes from (Prime Minister Antonis) Samaras," Kasidiaris told lawmakers.
- Parliament later on Wednesday voted to strip legal immunities from Kasidiaris and four other Golden Dawn lawmakers, clearing the way for another round of criminal charges against its members.
- Four of the lawmakers named on Wednesday, including the party leader's wife Eleni Zaroulia, will now be charged with belonging to a criminal organization, said authorities.
- Kasidiaris, now that his immunity from prosecution has gone, faces a lesser charge of carrying an unregistered firearm.
- Investigating magistrates have said they plan to charge all 18 people elected as Golden Dawn lawmakers in 2012 and other senior supporters with membership of a criminal organization. Six of them are already in pre-trial detention.
- (Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Harry Papachristou; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Sonya Hepinstall)
- Link thisShare thisDigg thisEmailPrintReprints
-
- Almost One Quarter Of European Youths Are Unemployed | Zero Hedge
- Europe's scariest chart continues to stun and amaze by its scale even as Europe's broad unemployment rate has been stagnant at around 12% for 5 months. While Greece and Spain have seen youth unemployment rates drop slightly from record highs (and its clear the disillusionment has meant people leaving the potential workforce) they remain well above 50%. Italy hovers near its all-time record high around 43% (with overall Italian and French joblessness at record highs) and broad European youth unemployment is stuck at over 23% (as Germany's drops to new record lows). As we noted yesterday, if this is the age of civil unrest then the blue-touch-paper to light is writ large in this chart...
- Broad European unemployment has been stuck around 12% for 5 months... with Greece and Spain at the top
- But it is the youth unemployment rates (15-24) that is truly depressing...
- Average:Your rating: NoneAverage: 5(2 votes)
-
- NA Tech
-
- [Jeez. About time.] Microsoft Is Bringing Back The Start Menu To Windows 8.
- Microsoft will soon do an about-face and bring back the classic "Start menu" to Windows 8. The catch is, the Start Menu is not coming with Microsoft's next update to Windows 8, which will be available April 8.
- It should be in the next version of Windows, coming later this year. The good news that means it will be made available to all Windows 8 users. It will not be a feature only found on new Windows 8 PCs.
- Microsoft was hoping to convince Windows users to prefer its Start screen filled with tiles. In the last version of Windows it added the Start Button back, but that didn't launch the old-fashioned menu, it simply brought people to the tiles.
- At the Microsoft Build conference, its big developers conference taking place in San Francisco this week, Microsoft showed off the return of the Start Menu.
- Kyle Russell/Business Insider
-
- Email continues to be ranked top for return on investment - Email Marketing - BizReport
- "It's still here, it works, and we can prove it" writes Graham Charlton, Econsultancy's editor-in-chief, following the release of the firm's latest Email Marketing Industry Census 2014, sponsored by Adestra.
- It found that, in terms of ROI, email was ranked by 68% of companies as the channel that outperformed all others with 22% ranking it 'excellent' and 46% ranking it 'good'. Online display advertising came bottom of the pile with just 5% ranking it 'excellent' and 28% 'good'.
- Furthermore, email marketing is reaping rewards with, on average, 23% of total sales being attributed to email marketing, up from 18% in 2013.
- However, according to Steve Denner, director at Adestra, marketers should not be complacent and expect continued growth. Instead, ROI can be boosted by paying attention to consumer behavior and expectations and including features such as personalization, automation and, perhaps most importantly, mobile-optimization.
- "The danger for buyers of marketing technology is that they increase spend on email assuming continued growth in return," says Denner. "The danger for vendors is that they attempt to capture a greater proportion of the budgets available without providing real return."
- Tags:advertising, email, marketing, ROI
-
- Google says Turkey intercepting its Web domain
- Google says Turkey intercepting its Web domain1 hour agoGoogle logo is seen on a wall at the entrance of the Google offices in Brussels on February 5, 2014
- Google says Turkey has been intercepting its Internet domain, redirecting users to other sites in the latest battle between Ankara and Web giants.
- In a weekend post on Google's security blog, software engineer Steven Carstensen said the company has received "several credible reports and confirmed with our own research that Google's Domain Name System (DNS) service has been intercepted by most Turkish ISPs (Internet Service Providers)."
- Carstensen said the DNS server "tells your computer the address of a server it's looking for, in the same way that you might look up a phone number in a phone book."
- "Imagine if someone had changed out your phone book with another one, which looks pretty much the same as before, except that the listings for a few people showed the wrong phone number," he added.
- "That's essentially what's happened: Turkish ISPs have set up servers that masquerade as Google's DNS service."
- The news came just days after Turkey banned YouTube after the Google-owned video-sharing website was used to spread damaging leaked audio files from a state security meeting debating possible military action in Syria.
- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan angrily lashed out at his political opponents for leaking the recording.
- A man is seen through waved Turkish flags as supporters of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) take part in an election rally at Kadikoy in Istanbul on March 29, 2014
- Earlier this month, Turkey's telecommunications authority blocked access to the US social network Twitter under orders from Erdogan after opposition members used it to post telephone recordings implicating him in a major corruption scandal.
- Explore further:Turkey bans YouTube after Syria security talk leaked
- More from Physics Forums - Computers
- Turkey bans YouTube after Syria security talk leaked Mar 27, 2014
- Turkey banned video-sharing website YouTube on Thursday, having blocked Twitter a week earlier after both were used to spread audio recordings damaging to the government, local media reported.
- US on Turkey's Twitter ban: more tweets than before Mar 24, 2014
- The United States on Monday noted there have been more Turkish tweets since the prime minister controversially banned the micro-blogging service than before.
- Turkey moves to block YouTube but attempt fails Mar 27, 2014
- Turkish authorities pressed Thursday to block access to YouTube following similar action against Twitter, a move sure to provoke further outrage in a country where social media is widely used.
- Turkish court backs Twitter but site still blocked Mar 29, 2014
- In a second ruling against Turkey's ban on Twitter, a Turkish court has overturned an order for the social media network to remove an account that accuses a former minister of corruption, reports said Saturday.
- Turkish court orders halt to Twitter ban (Update) Mar 26, 2014
- A Turkish court ordered the telecommunications authority to restore access to Twitter on Wednesday, issuing an injunction five days after the government blocked access to the social network.
- Turkish attempt to ban Twitter appears to backfire (Update 5) Mar 21, 2014
- Turkey's attempt to block access to Twitter appeared to backfire on Friday with many tech-savvy users circumventing the ban and suspicions growing that the prime minister was using court orders to suppress ...
- Turkish court backs Twitter but site still blocked Mar 29, 2014
- In a second ruling against Turkey's ban on Twitter, a Turkish court has overturned an order for the social media network to remove an account that accuses a former minister of corruption, reports said Saturday.
- Study says Internet providers should be more transparent about data privacy Mar 28, 2014
- A new report by leading privacy experts has revealed that Canadian Internet providers need to be much more transparent about how they protect their customers' private information. The report found that while all providers ...
- Sociologists find emerging condition, 'cyberasociality' Mar 28, 2014
- (Phys.org) '--Not every single user '' among the billions collecting friends and followers on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and other social media platforms '' is perfectly comfortable conducting his or her social ...
- Turkey moves to block YouTube but attempt fails Mar 27, 2014
- Turkish authorities pressed Thursday to block access to YouTube following similar action against Twitter, a move sure to provoke further outrage in a country where social media is widely used.
- Turkey bans YouTube after Syria security talk leaked Mar 27, 2014
- Turkey banned video-sharing website YouTube on Thursday, having blocked Twitter a week earlier after both were used to spread audio recordings damaging to the government, local media reported.
- Instagram closing gap with Twitter in US, survey says Mar 27, 2014
- Instagram, the Facebook-owned photo-sharing service, has almost caught up with Twitter's number of US users.
- User comments : 0More news storiesEuropean consumer group joins case against GoogleEurope's leading consumer rights advocacy group has joined an antitrust complaint against Google because it considers the display of some search results biased.
- Amazon launches six new original TV programsUS online giant Amazon announced plans Monday for six new orignal TV series, days ahead of an announcement on its video service plans.
- Supreme Court could limit software patentsThe Supreme Court appears willing to make it tougher to approve patents for computer software in a case that is being closely watched by technology companies.
- Researchers demonstrate information processing using a light-based chip inspired by our brainIn a recent paper in Nature Communications, researchers from Ghent University report on a novel paradigm to do optical information processing on a chip, using techniques inspired by the way our brain works.
- 3D scan of the Hell-Fire Caves of West WycombeA PhD student at the University of Bristol is raising money to undertake a ground-breaking 3D scan of one of the most mysterious sites in the UK - the Hell-Fire Caves of West Wycombe.
- Researchers discover ancient virus DNA remnants necessary for pluripotency in humans(Phys.org) '--A team of Canadian and Singaporean researchers has discovered that remnants of ancient viral DNA in human DNA must be present for pluripotency to occur in human stem cells. In their paper published ...
- Major breakthrough in stem cell manufacturing technologyScientists at The University of Nottingham have developed a new substance which could simplify the manufacture of cell therapy in the pioneering world of regenerative medicine.
- A breakthrough in creating invisibility cloaks, stealth technologyControlling and bending light around an object so it appears invisible to the naked eye is the theory behind fictional invisibility cloaks.
- Nano-paper filter removes virusesNanotechnology and Functional Materials, Uppsala University have developed a paper filter, which can remove virus particles with the efficiency matching that of the best industrial virus filters. The paper ...
- The Atlantic Ocean dances with the sun and volcanoesNatural fluctuations in the ocean temperature in the North Atlantic have a significant impact on the climate in the northern hemisphere. These fluctuations are the result of a complex dance between the forces ...
- Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.(C) Phys.org' 2003-2013, Science X network
- Google says Turkey intercepting its Web domain1 hour agoGoogle logo is seen on a wall at the entrance of the Google offices in Brussels on February 5, 2014
- Google says Turkey has been intercepting its Internet domain, redirecting users to other sites in the latest battle between Ankara and Web giants.
- In a weekend post on Google's security blog, software engineer Steven Carstensen said the company has received "several credible reports and confirmed with our own research that Google's Domain Name System (DNS) service has been intercepted by most Turkish ISPs (Internet Service Providers)."
- Carstensen said the DNS server "tells your computer the address of a server it's looking for, in the same way that you might look up a phone number in a phone book."
- "Imagine if someone had changed out your phone book with another one, which looks pretty much the same as before, except that the listings for a few people showed the wrong phone number," he added.
- "That's essentially what's happened: Turkish ISPs have set up servers that masquerade as Google's DNS service."
- The news came just days after Turkey banned YouTube after the Google-owned video-sharing website was used to spread damaging leaked audio files from a state security meeting debating possible military action in Syria.
- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan angrily lashed out at his political opponents for leaking the recording.
- A man is seen through waved Turkish flags as supporters of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) take part in an election rally at Kadikoy in Istanbul on March 29, 2014
- Earlier this month, Turkey's telecommunications authority blocked access to the US social network Twitter under orders from Erdogan after opposition members used it to post telephone recordings implicating him in a major corruption scandal.
- Explore further:Turkey bans YouTube after Syria security talk leaked
- More from Physics Forums - Computers
- Turkey bans YouTube after Syria security talk leaked Mar 27, 2014
- Turkey banned video-sharing website YouTube on Thursday, having blocked Twitter a week earlier after both were used to spread audio recordings damaging to the government, local media reported.
- US on Turkey's Twitter ban: more tweets than before Mar 24, 2014
- The United States on Monday noted there have been more Turkish tweets since the prime minister controversially banned the micro-blogging service than before.
- Turkey moves to block YouTube but attempt fails Mar 27, 2014
- Turkish authorities pressed Thursday to block access to YouTube following similar action against Twitter, a move sure to provoke further outrage in a country where social media is widely used.
- Turkish court backs Twitter but site still blocked Mar 29, 2014
- In a second ruling against Turkey's ban on Twitter, a Turkish court has overturned an order for the social media network to remove an account that accuses a former minister of corruption, reports said Saturday.
- Turkish court orders halt to Twitter ban (Update) Mar 26, 2014
- A Turkish court ordered the telecommunications authority to restore access to Twitter on Wednesday, issuing an injunction five days after the government blocked access to the social network.
- Turkish attempt to ban Twitter appears to backfire (Update 5) Mar 21, 2014
- Turkey's attempt to block access to Twitter appeared to backfire on Friday with many tech-savvy users circumventing the ban and suspicions growing that the prime minister was using court orders to suppress ...
- Turkish court backs Twitter but site still blocked Mar 29, 2014
- In a second ruling against Turkey's ban on Twitter, a Turkish court has overturned an order for the social media network to remove an account that accuses a former minister of corruption, reports said Saturday.
- Study says Internet providers should be more transparent about data privacy Mar 28, 2014
- A new report by leading privacy experts has revealed that Canadian Internet providers need to be much more transparent about how they protect their customers' private information. The report found that while all providers ...
- Sociologists find emerging condition, 'cyberasociality' Mar 28, 2014
- (Phys.org) '--Not every single user '' among the billions collecting friends and followers on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and other social media platforms '' is perfectly comfortable conducting his or her social ...
- Turkey moves to block YouTube but attempt fails Mar 27, 2014
- Turkish authorities pressed Thursday to block access to YouTube following similar action against Twitter, a move sure to provoke further outrage in a country where social media is widely used.
- Turkey bans YouTube after Syria security talk leaked Mar 27, 2014
- Turkey banned video-sharing website YouTube on Thursday, having blocked Twitter a week earlier after both were used to spread audio recordings damaging to the government, local media reported.
- Instagram closing gap with Twitter in US, survey says Mar 27, 2014
- Instagram, the Facebook-owned photo-sharing service, has almost caught up with Twitter's number of US users.
- User comments : 0More news storiesEuropean consumer group joins case against GoogleEurope's leading consumer rights advocacy group has joined an antitrust complaint against Google because it considers the display of some search results biased.
- Amazon launches six new original TV programsUS online giant Amazon announced plans Monday for six new orignal TV series, days ahead of an announcement on its video service plans.
- Supreme Court could limit software patentsThe Supreme Court appears willing to make it tougher to approve patents for computer software in a case that is being closely watched by technology companies.
- Researchers demonstrate information processing using a light-based chip inspired by our brainIn a recent paper in Nature Communications, researchers from Ghent University report on a novel paradigm to do optical information processing on a chip, using techniques inspired by the way our brain works.
- 3D scan of the Hell-Fire Caves of West WycombeA PhD student at the University of Bristol is raising money to undertake a ground-breaking 3D scan of one of the most mysterious sites in the UK - the Hell-Fire Caves of West Wycombe.
- Researchers discover ancient virus DNA remnants necessary for pluripotency in humans(Phys.org) '--A team of Canadian and Singaporean researchers has discovered that remnants of ancient viral DNA in human DNA must be present for pluripotency to occur in human stem cells. In their paper published ...
- Major breakthrough in stem cell manufacturing technologyScientists at The University of Nottingham have developed a new substance which could simplify the manufacture of cell therapy in the pioneering world of regenerative medicine.
- A breakthrough in creating invisibility cloaks, stealth technologyControlling and bending light around an object so it appears invisible to the naked eye is the theory behind fictional invisibility cloaks.
- Nano-paper filter removes virusesNanotechnology and Functional Materials, Uppsala University have developed a paper filter, which can remove virus particles with the efficiency matching that of the best industrial virus filters. The paper ...
- The Atlantic Ocean dances with the sun and volcanoesNatural fluctuations in the ocean temperature in the North Atlantic have a significant impact on the climate in the northern hemisphere. These fluctuations are the result of a complex dance between the forces ...
- Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.(C) Phys.org' 2003-2013, Science X network
-
- War on Men
-
- Male-dominated Societies Are Not More Violent, Study Says
- Conventional wisdom and scientific arguments have claimed that societies with more men than women, such as China, will become more violent, but a University of California, Davis, study has found that a male-biased sex ratio does not lead to more crime.
- Rates of rape, sexual assault and homicide are actually lower in societies with more men than women, the study found. And, evolutionary theories predicting that when males outnumber females, males will compete vigorously for the limited number of mates don't bear out. The study, "Too many men: the violence problem?" is in the April issue of Trends in Ecology & Evolution.
- "Here, we untangle the logic behind the widely held notion that in human societies where men outnumber women, there will be more violence," said Monique Borgerhoff Mulder, a UC Davis professor of anthropology and co-author of the study.
- The anthropologists who conducted this study took their lead from recent developments in evolutionary theory. These new ideas challenge the claim that when in abundance males will necessarily resort to violent competition.
- It is true that most perpetrators and victims of violence are men. "It isn't surprising that arguments of more men leading to more violence dominate discussions, this could create such an effect," said Ryan Schacht, a co-author of the paper and doctoral researcher at UC Davis. "But the evidence does not support a relationship between violence and a short supply of women," he said.
- The reason for this unexpected outcome, the authors said, has something to do with supply and demand.
- "You may actually adjust your behavior according to the circumstances," said Kristin Liv Rauch, a postdoctoral researcher and co-author of the paper. "When men are abundant, rather than rare, they often switch their strategy to compete in nonviolent rather than violent ways. They tend to pursue females in more of a courtship manner that would lead to long-term relationships and marriage, in an attempt to secure a partner in a depleted market."
- Schacht, Rauch and Borgerhoff Mulder's study has important policy implications. For example, "tough on crime" policies that incarcerate increasing numbers of men might be contributing to higher rates of violence, rather than alleviating them, the authors said. Future studies might investigate the particular forms of violence that are associated with imbalanced sex ratios, and whether interventions are available that do not further exaggerate asymmetries in the availability of opposite sex mates, the authors said.
- Translate this page: Chinese French German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese Russian SpanishDisclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the ScienceNewsline.Related >>Silani 3/18/14 Male, Stressed, And Poorly SocialBy International School of Advanced Studies (SISSA)Stress, this enemy that haunts us every day, could be undermining not only our health but also our relationships with other people, especially if we are men. In fact, '...Toronto 12/3/13 '
'
U of T Study Finds That Fear of Being Single Leads People to Settle for Less in RelationshipsBy University of TorontoMen 7/31/13 Another Scientific Proof of the Difference in Social Perception Between Men And WomenBy University of Haifa"The Love Hormone", Oxytocin affects men and women differently in social contexts- in men it improves the ability to identify competitive relationships whereas in women it facilitates the ability '...Males 3/3/14 In Academia, Men More Likely to Cooperate with Lower-ranked ColleaguesBy Cell PressIn academic circles at least, women tend to cooperate with same-sex individuals of higher or lower rank less often than men do. So say researchers who report evidence on '...Marriage 6/3/11 Single Moms Entering Midlife May Lead to Public Health CrisisBy American Sociological AssociationWASHINGTON, DC, May 26, 2011 '-- Unwed mothers face poorer health at midlife than do women who have children after marriage, according to a new nationwide study, which appears '...Dilemma 9/22/11 Men And Women Cooperate Equally for the Common GoodBy American Psychological AssociationWASHINGTON -- Stereotypes suggest women are more cooperative than men, but an analysis of 50 years of research shows that men are equally cooperative, particularly in situations involving a '...Support 2/22/13 New Study Examines the Factors Underlying Suicides in the Army National GuardBy SAGE PublicationsLos Angeles, CA (February 22, 2013) Studies report that since 2004, suicides rates in the U.S. Army have been on the rise. While researchers debate the cause, a new '...More >>
-
- Lesbian-only cemetery being inaugurated in Germany | National Post
- BERLIN '-- A new burial area for lesbians only is being inaugurated in a two-century-old cemetery in the German capital this weekend.
- A 400-square-meter area of the Lutheran Georgen Parochial cemetery, established in 1814 in central Berlin, will be reserved as a graveyard for up to 80 lesbians, Safia association spokeswoman Usah Zachau said Tuesday.
- The association, a national group primarily for elderly lesbians, says it expects the burial area to be inaugurated Sunday, as a space ''where the lesbian community can live together in the afterlife.''
- Zachau says her group was given use of the cemetery area for 30 years in exchange for cleaning up and landscaping the area, and promising to be responsible for its upkeep.
- The cemetery confirmed the agreement but declined further comment.
-
- Ministry of Truth
-
- FNC's 'Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo' Premiere Wins Timeslot, 'MediaBuzz' Hits Series High in Adults 25-54 - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers
- On Sunday, March 30, the premiere of Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo on FNC placed number 1 in cable news in the 10AM timeslot, beating CNN and MSNBC combined in total viewers (1.078 million, versus CNN"s 643,00 and MSNBC's 384,00) and nearly beating the competition combined in the Adults 25-54 demo. Sunday Morning Futures also delivered FNC's third-highest demo in Adults 25-54 for the 10AM timeslot this year and is up 19 percent over 2014 to date.
- At 11AM, FNC's MediaBuzz delivered its best Adults 25-54 performance since debuting on the network in September with 353,000. Additionally, MediaBuzz easily won the timeslot while nearly doubling CNN's Reliable Sources in the demo (353,00 versus 189,000) and outperforming it in total viewers (1.006 million versus 674,000.)
-
- CBS dubs sound for quiet electric car (Update)
- CBS dubs sound for quiet electric car (Update)2 hours agoCBS News says an editor made an "audio error" in dubbing the sound of a loud traditional car engine over footage of the much quieter Tesla electric car in a "60 Minutes" story that aired Sunday.
- Spokesman Kevin Tedesco said Tuesday the loud car audio has been edited out of the online version of the story on Tesla founder Elon Musk. Anchor Scott Pelley reported the story, and CBS said he wasn't aware of the added audio ahead of time.
- The revving sound, as opposed to the much quieter windlike noise of a Tesla, was noticed by the auto enthusiast website Jalopnik.com. Writer Robert Sorokanich said it almost sounded like a motorcycle.
- "It's one thing to dub exciting motor noises over a mundane-sounding car, but to plop engine sounds on a car that most folks realize is nearly silent? That just seems ... bizarre," he wrote.
- Tesla had no comment on the editing, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.
- It's been a rough year at television's most popular newsmagazine, with correspondent Lara Logan still on leave after an internal CBS report questioned her reporting and objectivity on a story about an attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya. Critics also questioned the show's reporting on stories involving the National Security Agency and Amazon.
- Explore further:US closes investigation of Tesla battery fires
- (C) 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
- More from Physics Forums - General Engineering
- Related StoriesUS closes investigation of Tesla battery fires Mar 28, 2014
- The U.S. government's auto safety watchdog has closed an investigation into Tesla electric car battery fires after the company said it would install more shields beneath the cars.
- Deal allows Tesla to sell cars in Ohio Mar 26, 2014
- Ohio auto dealers have struck an agreement that will allow Tesla Motors to sell its electric cars in the state.
- UK court rejects Tesla lawsuit against BBC (Update) Mar 05, 2013
- Britain's Court of Appeal on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit against the BBC by electric car maker Tesla Motors over a program that criticized its Roadster vehicle.
- NJ OKs new car dealer rule Tesla calls 'affront' Mar 12, 2014
- New Jersey motor vehicle officials have approved a regulation that would require all new car dealers to obtain franchise agreements to receive state licenses.
- Feds won't investigate Tesla electric car fire Oct 25, 2013
- U.S. auto safety regulators have decided not to open a formal investigation into the Oct. 2 fire that damaged a Tesla electric car near Seattle.
- Tesla to demo quick-swap electric car batteries Jun 18, 2013
- Tesla Motors said Thursday it would demonstrate a way to quickly recharge electric cars by swapping drained batteries for fresh power cells.
- Resilient cities focus of new Sandia, Rockefeller Foundation pact to help 100 communities 1 hour ago
- Sandia National Laboratories will bring decades of experience solving problems with practical engineering and modeling complex systems to cities around the world under a new agreement to support the 100 Resilient ...
- Green engineering for waste management 2 hours ago
- "Green engineering" is based on the idea of designing, selling and using processes and products that are technically and economically viable while, at the same time, minimizing pollution, as well as health ...
- Wind energy: On the grid, off the checkerboard 2 hours ago
- As wind farms grow in importance across the globe as sources of clean, renewable energy, one key consideration in their construction is their physical design'--spacing and orienting individual turbines to ...
- Technology platform designed to produce second generation biofuels 4 hours ago
- According to a report issued in 2013 by the International Energy Agency, Mexico is compromised to use five percent of bioethanol in their gasoline since 2012. However, it has failed due to lack of incentives ...
- Daimler acquires lithium-ion battery maker 7 hours ago
- Automaker Daimler AG is acquiring the remaining shares in a lithium-ion battery cell maker from specialty chemical company Evonik Industries AG as it intensifies its focus on electric cars.
- Negev desert solar field uses water-free robotic cleaning system 8 hours ago
- (Phys.org) '--At large solar plants, keeping surfaces of solar panels free from dust and sand is not just a matter of good housekeeping but of whether or not the plants can really make a difference to the ...
- User comments : 0More news storiesChipmaker Marvell told to pay $1.5 bn in patent caseSemiconductor firm Marvell Technology Group has been ordered to pay $1.54 billion for patent violations in a case brought by Carnegie Mellon University.
- Windows 8 updates expected at Microsoft conferenceMicrosoft is following through on a promise to update its Windows 8 operating system on a regular basis to respond to consumers' complaints and other feedback.
- Wind energy: On the grid, off the checkerboardAs wind farms grow in importance across the globe as sources of clean, renewable energy, one key consideration in their construction is their physical design'--spacing and orienting individual turbines to ...
- Computers teach each other Pac-Man (w/ Video)Researchers in Washington State University's School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science have developed a method to allow a computer to give advice and teach skills to another computer in a way ...
- Amazon snags streaming rights to action series '24'Amazon announced Tuesday it had secured the online streaming rights for the US action hit "24" starring Kiefer Sutherland.
- Misleading mineral may have resulted in overestimate of water in moonThe amount of water present in the moon may have been overestimated by scientists studying the mineral apatite, says a team of researchers led by Jeremy Boyce of the UCLA Department of Earth, Planetary and ...
- Good vibrations: Using light-heated water to deliver drugsResearchers from the University of California, San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, in collaboration with materials scientists, engineers and neurobiologists, have discovered a ...
- Study finds link between child's obesity and cognitive functionA new University of Illinois study finds that obese children are slower than healthy-weight children to recognize when they have made an error and correct it. The research is the first to show that weight ...
- Plugged in but powered downIt's not news that being a couch potato is bad for your health. Lack of physical activity is associated with a range of diseases from diabetes to heart attacks. It now turns out that young men who have experienced ...
- Schools have limited success in reducing bullying, new analysis findsTwo UCLA professors who conducted the most thorough analysis to date of studies on school bullying have found that K-12 schools' efforts to curtail bullying are often disappointing.
- Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.(C) Phys.org' 2003-2013, Science X network
- CBS dubs sound for quiet electric car (Update)2 hours agoCBS News says an editor made an "audio error" in dubbing the sound of a loud traditional car engine over footage of the much quieter Tesla electric car in a "60 Minutes" story that aired Sunday.
- Spokesman Kevin Tedesco said Tuesday the loud car audio has been edited out of the online version of the story on Tesla founder Elon Musk. Anchor Scott Pelley reported the story, and CBS said he wasn't aware of the added audio ahead of time.
- The revving sound, as opposed to the much quieter windlike noise of a Tesla, was noticed by the auto enthusiast website Jalopnik.com. Writer Robert Sorokanich said it almost sounded like a motorcycle.
- "It's one thing to dub exciting motor noises over a mundane-sounding car, but to plop engine sounds on a car that most folks realize is nearly silent? That just seems ... bizarre," he wrote.
- Tesla had no comment on the editing, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.
- It's been a rough year at television's most popular newsmagazine, with correspondent Lara Logan still on leave after an internal CBS report questioned her reporting and objectivity on a story about an attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya. Critics also questioned the show's reporting on stories involving the National Security Agency and Amazon.
- Explore further:US closes investigation of Tesla battery fires
- (C) 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
- More from Physics Forums - General Engineering
- Related StoriesUS closes investigation of Tesla battery fires Mar 28, 2014
- The U.S. government's auto safety watchdog has closed an investigation into Tesla electric car battery fires after the company said it would install more shields beneath the cars.
- Deal allows Tesla to sell cars in Ohio Mar 26, 2014
- Ohio auto dealers have struck an agreement that will allow Tesla Motors to sell its electric cars in the state.
- UK court rejects Tesla lawsuit against BBC (Update) Mar 05, 2013
- Britain's Court of Appeal on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit against the BBC by electric car maker Tesla Motors over a program that criticized its Roadster vehicle.
- NJ OKs new car dealer rule Tesla calls 'affront' Mar 12, 2014
- New Jersey motor vehicle officials have approved a regulation that would require all new car dealers to obtain franchise agreements to receive state licenses.
- Feds won't investigate Tesla electric car fire Oct 25, 2013
- U.S. auto safety regulators have decided not to open a formal investigation into the Oct. 2 fire that damaged a Tesla electric car near Seattle.
- Tesla to demo quick-swap electric car batteries Jun 18, 2013
- Tesla Motors said Thursday it would demonstrate a way to quickly recharge electric cars by swapping drained batteries for fresh power cells.
- Resilient cities focus of new Sandia, Rockefeller Foundation pact to help 100 communities 1 hour ago
- Sandia National Laboratories will bring decades of experience solving problems with practical engineering and modeling complex systems to cities around the world under a new agreement to support the 100 Resilient ...
- Green engineering for waste management 2 hours ago
- "Green engineering" is based on the idea of designing, selling and using processes and products that are technically and economically viable while, at the same time, minimizing pollution, as well as health ...
- Wind energy: On the grid, off the checkerboard 2 hours ago
- As wind farms grow in importance across the globe as sources of clean, renewable energy, one key consideration in their construction is their physical design'--spacing and orienting individual turbines to ...
- Technology platform designed to produce second generation biofuels 4 hours ago
- According to a report issued in 2013 by the International Energy Agency, Mexico is compromised to use five percent of bioethanol in their gasoline since 2012. However, it has failed due to lack of incentives ...
- Daimler acquires lithium-ion battery maker 7 hours ago
- Automaker Daimler AG is acquiring the remaining shares in a lithium-ion battery cell maker from specialty chemical company Evonik Industries AG as it intensifies its focus on electric cars.
- Negev desert solar field uses water-free robotic cleaning system 8 hours ago
- (Phys.org) '--At large solar plants, keeping surfaces of solar panels free from dust and sand is not just a matter of good housekeeping but of whether or not the plants can really make a difference to the ...
- User comments : 0More news storiesChipmaker Marvell told to pay $1.5 bn in patent caseSemiconductor firm Marvell Technology Group has been ordered to pay $1.54 billion for patent violations in a case brought by Carnegie Mellon University.
- Windows 8 updates expected at Microsoft conferenceMicrosoft is following through on a promise to update its Windows 8 operating system on a regular basis to respond to consumers' complaints and other feedback.
- Wind energy: On the grid, off the checkerboardAs wind farms grow in importance across the globe as sources of clean, renewable energy, one key consideration in their construction is their physical design'--spacing and orienting individual turbines to ...
- Computers teach each other Pac-Man (w/ Video)Researchers in Washington State University's School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science have developed a method to allow a computer to give advice and teach skills to another computer in a way ...
- Amazon snags streaming rights to action series '24'Amazon announced Tuesday it had secured the online streaming rights for the US action hit "24" starring Kiefer Sutherland.
- Misleading mineral may have resulted in overestimate of water in moonThe amount of water present in the moon may have been overestimated by scientists studying the mineral apatite, says a team of researchers led by Jeremy Boyce of the UCLA Department of Earth, Planetary and ...
- Good vibrations: Using light-heated water to deliver drugsResearchers from the University of California, San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, in collaboration with materials scientists, engineers and neurobiologists, have discovered a ...
- Study finds link between child's obesity and cognitive functionA new University of Illinois study finds that obese children are slower than healthy-weight children to recognize when they have made an error and correct it. The research is the first to show that weight ...
- Plugged in but powered downIt's not news that being a couch potato is bad for your health. Lack of physical activity is associated with a range of diseases from diabetes to heart attacks. It now turns out that young men who have experienced ...
- Schools have limited success in reducing bullying, new analysis findsTwo UCLA professors who conducted the most thorough analysis to date of studies on school bullying have found that K-12 schools' efforts to curtail bullying are often disappointing.
- Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.(C) Phys.org' 2003-2013, Science X network
-
- VIDEOS-CLIPS-DOCS
-
- VIDEO-"He Was Currently Under Diagnosis For PTSD" Military Press Conference At Fort Hood - YouTube
-
- VIDEO- "We Don't Yet Know What Happened Tonight" Obama Makes Statement On Fort Hood Shooting - YouTube
-
- VIDEO-The Road to Sustainable Global Growth'--the Policy Agenda
- By Christine LagardeManaging Director, International Monetary FundSchool of Advanced International StudiesWashington, DC, April 2, 2014As Prepared for Delivery
- Good morning. I would like to thank Provost Lieberman for his warm introduction. I am also appreciative of Dean Vali Nasr's kind invitation to join you today. And I want to salute my friend and former IMF colleague, John Lipsky, who will be moderating today's session.
- I am delighted to be at SAIS, one of the world's top learning institutions, with a faculty and student body renowned not only for their intellectual ability but also for their international commitment'--which includes campuses on three continents. I understand that the school's theme for this year is ''Emerging Markets.'' This seems most appropriate, since emerging market economies now account for the bulk of global growth.
- Next week, Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of our 188 member countries'-- emerging markets, advanced economies and low-income countries'--will gather in Washington for our Spring Meetings. Today, with this global audience at SAIS, let me give you a preview of our global policy agenda.
- Strengthening International Cooperation is a Priority
- I want to begin with what will be a priority issue. At a time when the world is still recovering from the Great Recession'--and at a time when geopolitical tensions are rising'--how can we strengthen the international cooperation that is key to addressing these challenges?
- Certainly the global economy has stabilized since the onset of the financial crisis, but the recovery is too weak for comfort. Moreover, unless countries come together to take the right kind of policy measures, we could be facing years of slow and sub-par growth'--well below the solid, sustainable growth that is needed to create enough jobs and improve living standards into the future.
- This is not inevitable. As Aristotle wisely said: ''We become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, and brave by performing brave actions.''
- Now is the time for brave action.
- The major G20 countries, at their meeting in Australia in February, recognized that the right policy actions by countries'--and the right cooperation across countries'--could raise world GDP by over 2 percent over the next 5 years.
- This would place the global economy on a substantially different and better trajectory from today.
- At that same meeting in Sydney, the IMF was asked to monitor country-specific plans and tasked with assessing possible ''spillover'' effects'--how one country's policy actions might affect others. With our global membership, technical expertise, and cross-country experience, the IMF is well placed to help.
- We have been doing that for 70 years: after the Second World War, during the Asian and Latin American financial crises, and during the Great Recession. A more recent example is the assistance that we are proposing for Ukraine'--and where IMF support will galvanize support from others.
- It is international cooperation in action. It is the IMF in action.
- Our role is generally well recognized. Consequently, almost our entire membership has approved a set of governance reforms aimed at strengthening our resources and better representing the changing dynamics amongst our shareholders.
- The exception to this support, unfortunately, is the United States'--our leading shareholder and a founding member. Just last week, legislation that would have brought these reforms into effect did not make it through the Congress. This is disappointing, but it is not the end of the story. We shall carry on.
- The U.S. Administration has reiterated its commitment to see the reforms approved as soon as possible. The rest of our membership remains committed. And I am personally committed'--because these reforms are good for the IMF, good for the U.S. economy, and good for the world.
- So, international cooperation will be high on the agenda next week. What else?
- (i) The state of the global economy: how is the growth engine running?
- (ii) Short-term obstacles on the road ahead: how can they be navigated?
- (iii) The medium-term horizon: how do we shift gears and get the global economy up to cruising speed'--meaning stronger, more sustainable growth?
- Let me discuss each of these.
- 1. State of the Global Economy
- First, a quick check of the global economy. We will be releasing our new forecasts next week, so I will just touch on broad trends.
- The global economy is turning the corner of the Great Recession, although overall growth remains too slow and weak. In 2013, global growth was about 3 percent; we project modest improvements in 2014 and 2015, although still remaining below past trends.
- Economic activity in the advanced economies is improving, albeit at varying speeds. This is good news, because for the past 5 years the emerging market and developing economies have been shouldering the burden of recovery'--accounting for 75 percent of the increase in global growth since 2009. The recovery is finally becoming a bit more balanced, in an overall economic landscape that has changed significantly.
- In the advanced economies, growth is strongest in the United States, supported by robust private demand and an easing of the short-term fiscal brake. Even so, it will be critical to continue to carefully manage the gradual withdrawal of monetary support by the Fed, and to put in place a durable medium-term fiscal plan.
- In the Euro Area, a modest recovery is taking hold'--stronger in the core but weaker in the South. Encouraging steps have been taken recently to establish a banking union'--which the IMF has been urging for some time. Implementing a common fiscal backstop remains key, as is the upcoming asset quality review of banks.
- In Japan, the world's third largest economy, activity is seeing a boost from the monetary "arrow" of Abenomics. For growth to be sustained, the remaining two policy "arrows"'--structural reforms and a concrete medium-term fiscal plan'--also need to be comprehensively fired.
- Activity in emerging market economies, which has been slowing, picked up slightly in the latter part of 2013'--driven by stronger demand from advanced economies. Although tighter external financial conditions will be a drag on domestic demand, emerging Asia in particular will continue to be a bright spot, posting the world's highest growth rate of more than 6½ percent this year. China also will continue to be a key driver, albeit at a slower, more sustainable pace.
- Many low-income countries too have been a bright spot. After Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa has been the most dynamic region in the world during the crisis, growing at around 5 percent per year on average. This should continue, although in several countries rapid debt accumulation and erosion of fiscal space will need to be watched.
- Turning to the Arab Countries in Transition, their prospects are held back by the difficult socio-political context. Those countries striving to advance much-needed reforms deserve firm support from the international community.
- So this is a snapshot of the global economy. I would summarize it this way:
- A modest and fragile recovery is underway'--and needs to change gears toward more rapid and sustainable growth.
- 2. Removing Obstacles to Short-run Growth
- This takes us to my next topic: what short-term obstacles are emerging on the road to get there? I see three.
- The first obstacle is in the advanced economies. There is the emerging risk of what I call "low-flation," particularly in the Euro Area. A potentially prolonged period of low inflation can suppress demand and output'--and suppress growth and jobs. More monetary easing, including through unconventional measures, is needed in the Euro Area to raise the prospects of achieving the ECB's price stability objective. The Bank of Japan also should persist with its quantitative easing policy.
- The second obstacle is in the emerging market economies. Corporate leverage has been rising, and there is a risk of heightened market volatility associated with the tapering of quantitative easing in the U.S. This is combined with a generally less benign external financial climate. What we saw from the recent bouts of market volatility is that countries with weaker fundamentals'--larger domestic and external imbalances'--are likely to be more affected. By the same token, strong policy responses by those economies are likely to be the best safeguard against turbulence.
- Navigating the choppy waters of financial normalization will require a collaborative approach among all countries. That means building a shared understanding of the risks and the policy responses. It means cooperation among central banks and financial regulators to contain adverse policy ''spillovers'' and subsequent feedback to source countries'--''spillbacks.'' It also means, and as I have emphasized repeatedly, continued, clear communication among all central banks.
- The third obstacle is the rise of geopolitical tensions, which could cloud the global economic outlook. The situation in Ukraine is one which, if not well managed, could have broader spillover implications. There are also other cases of geopolitical tension. Resolving them requires not only good policies, but good politics. Both are essential to enable the global economy to move into a higher gear.
- 3. Reaching Cruising Speed for Medium-term Growth
- This brings me to my third and final topic'--how do we reach cruising speed over the medium-term? How do we achieve higher quality, more sustainable growth that is more broadly shared?
- We know that the costs of continued sluggish growth are high: modest income gains and meager reductions in unemployment and inequality. Indeed, the risk is that without sufficient policy ambition, the world could fall into a medium-term low growth trap. How can we avoid this?
- We first need to fix problems that have been with us for some time during the crisis:
- Unemployment'--far too many people are still out of work, especially young people;High levels of debt'--meeting the challenge of fiscal consolidation while safeguarding growth; andFinancial uncertainty'--completing the reforms necessary to place the global financial system on a sounder footing.While some progress has been made on each of these, none has yet been overcome.
- The economic, fiscal, and monetary policies that I have already mentioned are a big part of the solution. But with space for supportive policies narrowing in many countries, the role of structural reforms as a policy lever will increase.
- What does that mean in practical terms? It means more and better-targeted investment, more labor market reforms, and more product market and services reforms.
- First, public investment has taken a hit over the years in many countries; higher, well-prioritized investment would increase potential output and jobs. In Brazil, India, South Africa, and across the ASEAN countries, more public and private investment is essential to close infrastructure gaps. Investment to upgrade existing infrastructure networks is also needed in a number of the advanced economies'--for instance, in Germany and the U.S.
- Second, inclusive labor market reforms can go a long way in boosting potential growth. In countries with aging populations, increasing participation of underrepresented groups can help to keep them dynamic. In Korea, for example, measures to increase the participation of women and older workers should appreciably boost potential growth and more than offset the impact of aging. Recent IMF research has pointed out that, in many countries, increasing women's participation in the workforce can be a powerful impetus to growth.
- In countries with high levels of youth unemployment or informality, labor market reforms can be critical in avoiding a lost generation. In Mexico, for example, it is estimated that reforms to reduce hiring barriers in the formal sector could create nearly 400,000 new jobs annually.
- Third, reforms to product markets and services can help break down vested interests, boost competition, and unleash huge growth and employment potential. This is the case not only in advanced economies such as Japan or Germany, but also in emerging market economies such as China.
- Why? Because the innovation and productivity that underpin the services sector are the drivers of a modern economy. Think technology, communications, or finance. These, in turn, depend on effective, accountable and rules-based institutions.
- That is why capacity building efforts are so important. That is also why capacity building is the largest service that the IMF provides today'--in almost 90 percent of our 188 member countries, as diverse as Greece, Georgia and Guinea.
- In Myanmar, for example, which I visited late last year, we are making a major effort to strengthen key areas of macroeconomic management as the country strives for reform. And through the IMF, the international community is coming together to help the country open up to the world.
- All of which brings us back to where I began'--on the role of the IMF and the importance of cooperation.
- On that note, let me conclude.
- In many ways, the world is at a critical juncture: emerging from the greatest financial crisis in almost a hundred years. Recovery is taking hold but is too slow and it faces several obstacles along the road. Bold policy steps can overcome these obstacles and take the global economy to the next level of more rapid and sustainable growth.
- I have outlined a number of those steps today and they will be discussed further by our global membership next week. It is already clear that one policy step, above all, is key: a strengthening of international cooperation, a renewed commitment to multilateralism.
- In our interconnected 21st century, no country can go it alone. National prosperity and global prosperity are linked; they depend, more than ever before, on our working together. The IMF is indispensable for this global cooperation.
- Victor Hugo said: ''Perseverance is the secret of all triumphs.''
- The global economy is turning the corner'--we need to persevere and push on together to complete the journey.
-
- VIDEO-CBS's Norah O'Donnell Smears Global Warming Skeptics as 'Deniers' | MRCTV
- [For more, see video cross-posted at NewsBusters.] CBS This Morning co-anchor Norah O'Donnell on Monday adopted the alarmist language for global warming. She referred to climate skeptics as "deniers." CBS offered two stories on a new United Nations report predicting catastrophic weather in the future. Physicist Michio Kaku appeared as a guest and worried, "But collectively, 100-year storms, 100-year floods, 100-year droughts, 100-year forest fires. I mean, something very dangerously is happening with the weather." O'Donnell sneered, "And to those climate change deniers?"
-
- VIDEO-Rose Slams 'Climate Deniers,' Invites on Expert That Predicted North American 'Food Riots' in '95 | 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.
-
- VIDEO-CBS Hits Firefox CEO's Support of Traditional Marriage: 'A Firestorm of Bad PR' | 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.
-
- VIDEO-NBC Hails 'Good Day in Washington' As Obama Poses for Selfie With Red Sox Player | MRCTV
- More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.
- Forget all the unanswered questions about ObamaCare or the President's sinking poll numbers or the Democratic Party's vulnerability in the midterm elections, on Wednesday's NBC Today, all that was wiped away by President Obama taking a selfie with Red Sox player David Ortiz.
- As fill-in news anchor Tamron Hall put it, "In a town where they don't agree on a lot, I think everyone agrees that this was a pretty cool moment....The Red Sox meeting with the President.... Big Papi [David Ortiz] with the President preparing to take his official photo. Then, he went rogue....The Big Papi selfie....Look at those smiles there. A good day in Washington."
-
- VIDEO- "I REALLY DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS FURTHER!" Senator Dianne Feinstein On Her CIA Fight - YouTube
-
- VIDEO- CNN Blames Malaysian Govt For CNN's Own Complete Inability To Investigate What They're Reporting On! - YouTube
-
- VIDEO- John Kerry "It's Important NOW That NATO Stand In Partnership With Ukraine!" - YouTube
-
- NATIVE ADVERTISING-Obama Red Sox 'Selfie' Samsung Ad - Business Insider
- Samsung's marketers managed to infiltrate the White House yesterday.
- The Boston Globe confirmed the cellphone company "helped" Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz before he took a "selfie" with President Barack Obama when the baseball team visited the White House Tuesday. Ortiz inked an endorsement deal with Samsung prior to his trip to Washington and the company subsequently promoted the tweet featuring his picture with the President. Samsung also sent responses to Twitter users who asked about the picture saying,"This photo was taken with a #GalaxyNote3."
- "We were thrilled to see the special, historic moment David Ortiz captured with his Galaxy Note 3 during his White House visit," Samsung told the Globe, adding, "When we heard about the visit to the White House, we worked with David and the team on how to share images with fans. We didn't know if or what he would be able to capture using his Note 3 device."
- Last month, Samsung sponsored the Oscars and gave the ceremony's host, Ellen DeGeneres, a Galaxy phone to use for a celebrity selfie that shattered records on Twitter. Samsung compared Ortiz's selfie to DeGeneres' Oscars shot.
- "It was an honor to help him capture such an incredible and genuine moment of joy and excitement," Samsung said of Ortiz's picture with the president. "Similar to the selfie Ellen was able to capture during the Oscars, this was an opportunity for David to share the incredible moment with his fans."
- As of this writing, Ortiz's selfie with Obama has been retweeted nearly 40,000 times. See his tweet below.
-
- VIDEO- NATO Suspends Cooperation With Russia! - YouTube
-
- VIDEO- BUILDING THE MACHINE - The Common Core Documentary - YouTube
-
- VIDEO-The Obama Administration's Pivot to Asia | Foreign Policy Initiative
- '¹ Back to the summary page for this event
- A Conversation with Assistant Secretary Kurt Campbell- Department of State
- Moderated by Robert Kagan - The Brookings Institution & Foreign Policy Initiative
- Photographs | Summary | Transcript | Video
- Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell spoke with FPI Director Robert Kagan on the Obama administration's strategic ''pivot'' from the Middle East to East Asia.
- Campbell began by saying that the countries of the Asian-Pacific recognize that while the dominant issues of the 21st century will be decided in that region, the United States was still in the initial stages its engagement there. They recognize that the United States still had pressing situations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and a premature withdrawal from America's commitments in those countries would not be positively indicative of Washington's commitment to the Asia-Pacific.
- While the United States has spent a great deal on defense spending in the decade following September 11, 2001, Campbell remarked that much of that spending was on post-conflict reconstruction related spending. While many states in the region were investing heavily in power-projection capabilities, the United States had not kept up. Moreover, while the United States had traditionally focused its attention in Northeast Asia, America had typically lagged in its engagement with countries in Southeast Asia. The pivot to Asia, Campbell said, will not be completed in a few years, but will require a sustained and different allocation of diplomatic and military resources.
- Campell said the United States must recognize that every country in the region wants a better relationship with China as well as the United States. This is not necessarily due to geo-strategic concerns, he noted, but simple geography. The country's prominence and position in the region requires that smaller nations maintain strong ties with both Beijing and Washington, much unlike the bipolar divide of the Cold War. America's relationship with China will be the most complex relationship that we have ever had, and continued engagement with Beijing will be critical to managing the security and economic issues of the 21st century.
- Campbell emphasized that America's approach to China on human rights is indivisible from our economic and security policy. He believes that previous remarks from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that human rights would not impact the other elements of America's China policy were taken out of context. He emphasized that the United States has repeatedly broached human rights with Beijing as well as other authoritarian countries in the region. He admitted that while those conversations were not easy ones to have, they were critical to democracy promotion.
-
- VIDEO-UNIPOLAR WORLD-The Real Battle For Ukraine | Real Jew News
- Brother Nathanael Channel, BroVids
- The Real Battle For UkraineApril 1, 2014(C)
- Watch 'EU-Censor-Free!' HERE!
- Support The Brother Nathanael Foundation!
- Or Send Your Contribution To:The Brother Nathanael Foundation, PO Box 1242, Frisco CO 80443E-mail: brothernathanaelfoundation([at])yahoo[dot]comScroll Down For Comments___________________________________
- Brother Nathanael @ April 1, 2014
-
- VIDEO-President Obama Delivers a Statement on the Affordable Care Act | The White House
- ON THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
- THE PRESIDENT: Everybody, please have a seat. Thank you so much. Welcome to the White House.
- Six months ago today, a big part of the Affordable Care Act kicked in as healthcare.gov and state insurance marketplaces went live. And millions of Americans finally had the same chance to buy quality, affordable health care -- and the peace of mind that comes with it -- as everybody else.
- Last night, the first open-enrollment period under this law came to an end. And despite several lost weeks out of the gate because of problems with the website, 7.1 million Americans have now signed up for private insurance plans through these marketplaces -- 7.1. (Applause.)
- The truth is, even more folks want to sign up. So anybody who was stuck in line because of the huge surge in demand over the past few days can still go back and finish your enrollment -- 7.1 million, that's on top of the more than 3 million young adults who have gained insurance under this law by staying on their family's plan. That's on top of the millions more who have gained access through Medicaid expansion and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Making affordable coverage available to all Americans, including those with preexisting conditions, is now an important goal of this law. (Applause.)
- And in these first six months, we've taken a big step forward. And just as importantly, this law is bringing greater security to Americans who already have coverage. Because of the Affordable Care Act, 100 million Americans have gained free preventive care, like mammograms and contraceptive care, under their existing plans. (Applause.) Because of this law, nearly 8 million seniors have saved almost $10 billion on their medicine because we've closed a gaping hole in Medicare's prescription drug plan. We're closing the donut hole. (Applause.) And because of this law, a whole lot of families won't be driven into bankruptcy by a serious illness, because the Affordable Care Act prevents your insurer from placing dollar limits on the coverage they provide.
- These are all benefits that have been taking place for a whole lot of families out there, many who don't realize that they've received these benefits. But the bottom line is this: Under this law, the share of Americans with insurance is up and the growth of health care costs is down, and that's good for our middle class and that's good for our fiscal future. (Applause.)
- Now, that doesn't mean that all the problems in health care have been solved forever. Premiums are still rising for families who have insurance, whether you get it through your employer or you buy it on your own -- that's been true every year for decades. But, so far, those premiums have risen more slowly since the Affordable Care Act passed than at any time in the past 50 years. It's also true that, despite this law, millions of Americans remain uncovered in part because governors in some states for political reasons have deliberately refused to expand coverage under this law. But we're going to work on that. And we'll work to get more Americans covered with each passing year. (Applause.)
- And while it remains true that you'll still have to change your coverage if you graduate from college or turn 26 years old or move or switch jobs, or have a child -- just like you did before the Affordable Care Act was passed -- you can now go to healthcare.gov and use it year-round to enroll when circumstances in your life change. So, no, the Affordable Care Act hasn't completely fixed our long-broken health care system, but this law has made our health care system a lot better -- a lot better. (Applause.)
- All told, because of this law, millions of our fellow citizens know the economic security of health insurance who didn't just a few years ago -- and that's something to be proud of. Regardless of your politics or your feelings about me, or your feelings about this law, that's something that's good for our economy, and it's good for our country. And there's no good reason to go back.
- Let me give you a sense of what this change has meant for millions of our fellow Americans. I'll just give you a few examples. Sean Casey, from Solana Beach, California, always made sure to cover his family on the private market. But preexisting medical conditions meant his annual tab was over $30,000. The Affordable Care Act changed that. See, if you have a preexisting condition, like being a cancer survivor, or if you suffer chronic pain from a tough job, or even if you've just been charged more for being a woman -'' you can no longer be charged more than anybody else. So this year, the Casey family's premiums will fall from over $30,000 to under $9,000. (Applause.)
- And I know this because Sean took the time to write me a letter. ''These savings,'' he said, ''will almost offset the cost of our daughter's first year in college. I'm a big believer in this legislation, and it has removed a lot of complexity and, frankly, fear from my life. Please keep fighting for the ACA.'' That's what Sean had to say.
- Jeanne Goe is a bartender from Enola, Pennsylvania. Now, I think most folks are aware being a bartender, that's a job that usually doesn't offer health care. For years, Jeanne went uninsured or underinsured, often getting some health care through her local Planned Parenthood. In November, she bought a plan on the marketplace. In January, an illness sent her to the hospital. And because her new plan covered a CAT scan she wouldn't have otherwise been able to afford, her doctor discovered that she also had ovarian cancer -'' and gave her a chance to beat it. So she wrote me a letter, too. She said it's going to be ''a long tough road to kill this cancer, but I can walk that road knowing insurance isn't an issue. I won't be refused care. I hope to send a follow-up letter in a few months saying I am free and clear of this disease, but until then, I know I will be fighting just as you have been fighting for my life as a working American citizen.''
- And after her first wellness visit under her new insurance plan, Marla Morine, from Fort Collins, Colorado, shared with me what it meant to her. ''After using my new insurance for the first time, you probably heard my sigh of relief from the White House.'' (Laughter.) ''I felt like a human being again. I felt that I had value.''
- That's what the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, is all about -'' making sure that all of us, and all our fellow citizens, can count on the security of health care when we get sick; that the work and dignity of every person is acknowledged and affirmed. The newly insured like Marla deserve that dignity. Working Americans like Jeanne deserve that economic security. Women, the sick, survivors -- they deserve fair treatment in our health care system, all of which makes the constant politics around this law so troubling.
- Like every major piece of legislation -- from Social Security to Medicare -- the law is not perfect. We've had to make adjustments along the way, and the implementation -- especially with the website -- has had its share of problems. We know something about that. And, yes, at times this reform has been contentious and confusing, and obviously it's had its share of critics. That's part of what change looks like in a democracy. Change is hard. Fixing what's broken is hard. Overcoming skepticism and fear of something new is hard. A lot of times folks would prefer the devil they know to the devil they don't.
- But this law is doing what it's supposed to do. It's working. It's helping people from coast to coast, all of which makes the lengths to which critics have gone to scare people or undermine the law, or try to repeal the law without offering any plausible alternative so hard to understand. I've got to admit, I don't get it. Why are folks working so hard for people not to have health insurance? Why are they so mad about the idea of folks having health insurance? Many of the tall tales that have been told about this law have been debunked. There are still no death panels. (Laughter.) Armageddon has not arrived. Instead, this law is helping millions of Americans, and in the coming years it will help millions more.
- I've said before, I will always work with anyone who is willing to make this law work even better. But the debate over repealing this law is over. The Affordable Care Act is here to stay. (Applause.)
- And those who have based their entire political agenda on repealing it have to explain to the country why Jeanne should go back to being uninsured. They should explain why Sean and his family should go back to paying thousands and thousands of dollars more. They've got to explain why Marla doesn't deserve to feel like she's got value. They have to explain why we should go back to the days when seniors paid more for their prescriptions or women had to pay more than men for coverage, back to the days when Americans with preexisting conditions were out of luck -- they could routinely be denied the economic security of health insurance -- because that's exactly what would happen if we repeal this law. Millions of people who now have health insurance would not have it. Seniors who have gotten discounts on their prescription drugs would have to pay more. Young people who were on their parents' plan would suddenly not have health insurance.
- In the end, history is not kind to those who would deny Americans their basic economic security. Nobody remembers well those who stand in the way of America's progress or our people. And that's what the Affordable Care Act represents. As messy as it's been sometimes, as contentious as it's been sometimes, it is progress. It is making sure that we are not the only advanced country on Earth that doesn't make sure everybody has basic health care. (Applause.) And that's thanks in part to leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Dick Durbin, and all the members of Congress who are here today. We could not have done it without them, and they should be proud of what they've done. They should be proud of what they've done. (Applause.)
- And it's also thanks to the often-unheralded work of countless Americans who fought tirelessly to pass this law, and who organized like crazy these past few months to help their fellow citizens just get the information they needed to get covered. That's why we're here today. That's why 7.1 million folks have health insurance -- because people got the word out.
- And we didn't make a hard sell. We didn't have billions of dollars of commercials like some critics did. But what we said was, look for yourself, see if it's good for your family. And a whole lot of people decided it was. So I want to thank everybody who worked so hard to make sure that we arrived at this point today.
- I want to make sure everybody understands: In the months, years ahead, I guarantee you there will be additional challenges to implementing this law. There will be days when the website stumbles -- I guarantee it. So, press, just -- I want you to anticipate -- (laughter) -- there will be some moment when the website is down -- and I know it will be on all of your front pages. It's going to happen. It won't be news. There will be parts of the law that will still need to be improved. And if we can stop refighting old political battles that keep us gridlocked, then we could actually make the law work even better for everybody. And we're excited about the prospect of doing that. We are game to do it. (Applause.)
- But today should remind us that the goal we set for ourselves -- that no American should go without the health care that they need; that no family should be bankrupt because somebody in that family gets sick, because no parent should have to be worried about whether they can afford treatment because they're worried that they don't want to have to burden their children; the idea that everybody in this country can get decent health care -- that goal is achievable.
- We are on our way. And if all of us have the courage and the wisdom to keep working not against one another, not to scare each other, but for one another ''- then we won't just make progress on health care. We'll make progress on all the other work that remains to create new opportunity for everybody who works for it, and to make sure that this country that we love lives up to its highest ideals. That's what today is about. That's what all the days that come as long as I'm President are going to be about. That's what we're going to be working towards.
- Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. God bless America. (Applause.) Thank you.
-
- VIDEO-Michael Lewis: "Are You Really Under The Illusion That The Individual Investor Trusts Wall Street?" | Zero Hedge
- CNBC's last hour is likely the most-watched in a decade (perhaps because after 5 years of delays HFT is finally getting the exposure it has deserved from day one... and covered right here on this website since April 2009). From the HFT lobby explaining that "there is no front-running going on in HFT," to Michael Lewis explaining the "skimming" amd why "HFT is a tax on your investment dollars," the following clips are stunning in their total failure to calm an uneasy investing public. Howevere, when asked by the CNBC anchors whether his comment on the market being rigged was exaggeration he summed it all up perfectly... "Are you really under the illusion that the individual investor trusts Wall Street... the financial crisis wiped out any residue of trust for Wall Street even if they ever had it."
- First of all the HFT lobby explains how no one has been a bigger beneficiary of HFT than the small retail investor...
- then he adds that HFT "trading" is not "skimming" - take the blue pill before you watch this...
- So summing up the HFT perspective...
- Lewis explains how HFT traders exploit the system
- And how The SEC is asleep at the wheel... and most importantly how there is no trust left for Wall Street - forward to 2:00 for the money-shot
- And we leave it to Bob Pisani to sum it all up... after watching this weekend's 60 Minutes:
- My wife asked me "Honey, is it safe to invest in the stock market"
- What did you tell her, Bob? Probably not this...
- Average:Your rating: NoneAverage: 4.8(11 votes)
-
- VIDEO-WOW-Networks Fret Over UN Report on Climate Change; 'Urgent New Warning,' 'Extreme Consequences' | 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.
-
- VIDEO-Merkel says still too many Russian troops near Ukraine border | euronews, world news
- The decision by Russia to reduce the number of troops at the eastern Ukrainian border has been met with caution by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. On Monday, she spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin who ordered the move which could ease tension in the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War.
- At a news conference today in Berlin Merkel said it was ''clearly not the last step that needs to be taken because the concentration of troops on the Ukrainian border is very high''. She added that she didn't have ''any reason to doubt that the pullout would take place''.
- Moscow is believed to have sent an unknown number of troops to the Ukrainian border region in recent weeks, which has caused alarm in Kyiv and the West.
- Estimates have put the figure into the tens of thousands.
- The United States has said it would be a positive sign if the withdrawal of soldiers could be confirmed.
-
- VIDEO-'Cosmos' Host Neil deGrasse Tyson to Creationists: Sorry, but Universe Is More Than 6,500 Years Old - Truthdig
- 'Cosmos' Host Neil deGrasse Tyson to Creationists: Sorry, but Universe Is More Than 6,500 Years OldPosted on Apr 1, 2014We're talking billions of years older, in fact'--to the tune of nearly 14 billion years, but who's counting?
- For one, the astrophysicist host of ''Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,'' space whiz Neil deGrasse Tyson, is adding up the numbers and ready to dish out some ancient wisdom from the great beyond'--way past our own galaxy, anyhow.
- During Sunday's fourth episode of the Fox/National Geographic Channel ''Cosmos'' reboot, ''A Sky Full of Ghosts,'' Tyson takes on (and takes down) the creationist argument that the universe was created but 6,500 years ago, using evidence available to anyone with the ability and willingness to look for distant lights in the night sky. Check out the whole episode below.
- '--Posted by Kasia Anderson
- New and Improved CommentsIf you have trouble leaving a comment, review this help page. Still having problems? Let us know. If you find yourself moderated, take a moment to review our comment policy.
- Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
-
- VIDEO-After 25 days, plenty of trash, questions, but no sign of Flight 370 - CNN.com
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
- The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
-
- VIDEO-The Institute of International Finance, Inc.
- In an Op-Ed in the The Hill and an interview with CNBC, IIF President and CEO Tim Adams urges the U.S. Congress to enact the IMF funding and governance reforms agreed to by the G20 in 2010.Read more
- April 1, 2014 '-- This month's IIF Global Regulatory Update provides updates on current work streams in regulatory capital, recovery and resolution, data requirements, accounting and disclosure, insurance, and supervision, as well as upcoming events.
- March 27, 2014 '-- Chinese bank assets have grown more than five-fold over the last decade, dwarfing the 40-50% increase in U.S., Euro Area and Japanese bank assets. This strong growth in Chinese bank balance sheets reflects not only domestic lending, but a notable expansion in Chinese banks' lending to companies active and/or domiciled overseas. Chinese activity in international syndicated loan markets has almost doubled since 2011, and the customer base for Chinese banks overseas includes a growing number of major international firms in both mature and emerging markets. Increased activity by Chinese banks abroad helps facilitate the rising use of the renminbi (RMB) in international transactions.
- March 26, 2014 '-- The Institute of International Finance today released new estimates for portfolio flows to emerging markets for March 2014 suggesting that portfolio inflows rebounded in the last two months, following emerging market stress in early 2014. IIF estimates emerging markets received $39 billion in portfolio inflows in March, up from $25 billion in February and $5 billion in January.
- March 20, 2014 '-- Dorothy's famous line from the Wizard of Oz captures in a nutshell the new global conditions in which Latin America finds itself: ''We're not in Kansas anymore.'' The familiar, easy times of rapid economic growth underpinned by abundant foreign capital and continuously rising commodity prices have come to an end. We expect regional real GDP growth to weaken to 2.1% this year from 2.4% in 2013 due to a slowdown in Brazil and stagflation in Argentina and Venezuela.
- March 25, 2014 '-- The undersigned financial services trade associations, based in the US and Europe, today issued the following statement in support of a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) that includes financial services regulatory coordination, in advance of the March 26 EU-US Summit attended by US President Barack Obama, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jos(C) Manuel Barroso:
- The escalating standoff over Crimea has further exacerbated Ukraine's already acute financial and economic crisis, and sharply increased downside risks across Emerging Europe. A major adjustment supported by large-scale official financing is needed to avert a collapse in Ukraine. Crimea secession will deepen the recession in Ukraine and have significant but still sizable adverse impact on the rest of the region. However, should the conflict spread to the Eastern and Southeastern regions, the fallout would be nearly catastrophic for Ukraine. Russia would suffer a major recession, too, with the rest of Emerging Europe likely to be strongly affected due to its high dependence on energy supplies via Ukraine.
- Debt and (Lack of) InflationAs the global economic recovery moves to its fifth year, certain of its features could interact to form strong headwinds to sustained growth'--in addition to political turmoil in ''hot spots'' around the world. Despite extraordinary monetary measures, including tremendous liquidity provision, the recovery has been lackluster. For example, the U.S. recovery has averaged 2.3% growth p.a. in the four years following the 2009 trough year'--less than half the growth seen during a typical recovery during comparable past periods. Partly as a result, inflation remains low in the mature economies. In particular, both current and expected inflation are firmly below 1% in the Euro Area.
- The combination of sharply higher levels of debt, low inflation'--which makes the debt burden more onerous for borrowers'--and an eventual rise in interest rates following Fed tapering coupled with investor withdrawal from bond funds could call into question the ability of some (if not many) borrowers, to service and roll over their debt.
- March 12, 2014 '-- IIF today announced that it will soon open an office in Dubai in recognition of the region's growing stature in the global financial system and to better serve its members. In addition, it announced that Wolfgang Engel will become IIF's Chief Representative for the office. Engel currently serves as Director of Global Membership for IIF in Washington.
-
- VIDEO-The Dollar Death Mask | philosophyofmetrics
- ''This week, the US Congress again failed to approve a modest appropriation that would have shored up financing for the International Monetary Fund and given China and other emerging economies greater responsibility there. Support for the IMF may seem arcane, but it has important implications for America's global role '' and the signs are not good.''
- From BusinessDay Website, Tuesday, April 1, 2014.
- The shifting reality of the global economy is becoming more and more apparent. With each passing day we are hearing and reading additional news and events which are leading the world towards the multilateral financial system.
- Many of the discussion points and topics on this site have been spot on with many of the readers discovering supporting evidence well in advance of the mainstream media and other sites. The hard work of everyone is making the overall picture clearer and clearer with each comment and link to outside sources.
- The link above in the opening comments is from a mainstream source and is echoing most of the arguments made here. It would be helpful for everyone to read the article as it helps bring the big picture even more into focus.
- The whole world outside of the American Congress wants the IMF 2010 Reforms passed. Watch the interview below from CNBC with the head of the Institute of International Finance.
- The sovereign debt crisis is one of the leading indicators of the imminent financial system transition away from the dollar. What is happening in the Ukraine and the forced regulations and cost increases heaped upon the people will be the blueprint for debt consolidation and re-structuring through the International Monetary Fund.
- A part of these debt regulations will be increasing the capital requirements of banking institutions as defined in the Basel 3 requirements by the Bank for International Settlements. Expect a contraction of credit as a direct cause and effect of Basel 3.
- http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news/business/IMF_Says_European_Banks_Had_Up_to_$300_Billion_Subsidy.html?cid=38282438
- The credit rating of nation states is now being downgraded because of the level of sovereign debt. See:
- http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/5c15c118-b68c-11e3-b230-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2xei5NKxC
- Following on the heels of the credit rating decreases, we will also see the same multilateral approach applied to future credit rating systems. Dagong Global will be one of the new multilateral global credit rating systems. All that gold hasn't gone to Asia by accident.
- This brings up another possibility. Could a US dollar devaluation be more important to the overall global sovereign debt restructuring than previously considered? Perhaps that is the end game. Devalue the dollar which will lay waste to much of the US debt sitting in the central banks around the world.
- The countries holding this debt have negotiated an exchange for precious metals and control of natural resource production. When gold stops moving its time to worry.
- The American reluctance to pass the IMF 2010 Reforms is giving the world exactly what it requires to bypass the dollar and enact legislation which will support the emerging multilateral system.
- Between currency swap arrangements, renminbi trading hubs, a Russian ruble payment system, new international credit rating agencies, and a sovereign debt level which can no longer be managed, its obvious that we are on the verge of a transition.
- The dialectic division of IMF debt restructuring or BRICS bypassing will soon merge into the offered solution to the worlds financial ills. In a true multilateral system,one country or a group of countries, cannot go it alone. This is key to understanding the slight of hand which is taking place. Remember, all countries, G20, BRICS, etc., are calling for the IMF Reforms.
- The IMF is the tip of the spear. And its poised to strike.
- The death of the dollar may be a stretch, but it's removal as the primary reserve currency of the world is inevitable. We continue to wait and watch as the story unfolds before us. '' JC Collins
-
- VIDEO- Drug Czar of US govenment refuses to answer very simple question on cannabis - YouTube
-
- VIDEO-Docs Show Candidate, Chelsea Clinton's Mother In Law, Turned To Own Charity In Time Of Need
- Marjorie Margolies was in a tough spot. The year was 2001, and her then-husband, former Democratic Rep. Ed Mezvinsky, had just been indicted for fraud and was bound for prison. Margolies, herself a former congresswoman, filed for bankruptcy protection, but the claim would be rejected. The couple's fortune was liquidated, and her attempt at a political comeback had failed, as she had dropped a bid for the U.S. Senate.
- That was then. More than a decade later, her son Marc Mezvinsky would marry presidential daughter Chelsea Clinton, and Margolies would launch another attempt at a comeback. Today, she is the frontrunner in a crowded Democratic primary for her old suburban Philadelphia seat in Congress. The primary will be held May 20, and the winner is assumed to be able to coast to general election victory in the heavily Democratic district.
- But for that moment in 2001, Margolies' life was falling apart. So she turned to charity. Her own.
- According to documents obtained by The Huffington Post, as Ed Mezvinsky's fraud was exposed, Margolies doubled her own salary as head of a small, largely taxpayer-funded charity into the six figures, attempted to have the charity renovate and lease a mansion in which she would live, billed the charity for her automobile lease and other expenses, and required charity staff to assist with her other responsibilities as a faculty member at a local university.
- The Huffington Post earlier reported that over the past several years, Margolies was paid an unusually large salary given the size of her charity, Women's Campaign International, whose revenue in recent years was in the very low millions. In defending that salary in December, WCI noted that the charity's board of directors determines compensation -- not Margolies, who still runs the charity.
- That explanation, however, elided one critical detail: For the first three years of WCI's existence, and at a crucial board meeting at which the decision about her salary was made, Margolies was herself the chairman of the board.
- On Dec. 9, 2001, Margolies, as chairman, convened a meeting of WCI's board to discuss salary. Previous minutes date her chairmanship to Dec. 7, 1998, the charity's first meeting -- one month after she lost a bid to become Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor. For WCI's first three years, its only board members were Margolies, Fredrica Friedman and her husband, Stephen Friedman. Nonprofit watchdogs consistently warn charities that a husband and wife should not both serve on a board, that they certainly should not make up two-thirds of it, and that the head of the charity should not also be the board's chairman.
- Margolies established the nonprofit WCI in 1998 with the goal of helping women get elected to office in foreign countries. She paid herself a relatively modest $1,000-a-week salary to start, but once she knew the nonprofit had landed a $600,000 grant from the Clinton administration's U.S. Agency for International Development, she quickly moved to up her pay.
- Per the Dec. 9, 2001, minutes: "The Chairman ... noted that the salaries of certain members of the staff would be increased to a normalized level when the Corporation received certain pending grants. She also explained that her salary, which is currently $1,000 per week, would increase to $114,000 per year at that time, and the Board voted unanimously to approve that salary at that time."
- Two months before the meeting at which she boosted her salary, Margolies launched an even more ambitious effort. In October 2001, WCI applied for the right to renovate, expand and lease the Thomas Mansion, the largest historic mansion in the Fairmount Park neighborhood of Philadelphia. The charity's application to the Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust, obtained by HuffPost, covers how the $2.5 million renovation project would be financed -- a proposal that included an investment partner who could reap the tax credit and a catering company that would lease some space from the charity. The mansion, the application explained, would house the charity's offices on the second floor and host events.
- It also said, "The third floor of the mansion will be refinished as an apartment, planned for the use of the Women's Campaign director or another person who will serve in a 'caretaker' role ... to help protect it from vandals." The director at the time was Margolies, and though she was not named as the designated vandal repeller, she was planning to live in the mansion, according to a former employee. The apartment would be roughly 2,000 square feet.
- But the preservation trust rejected the request. A trust spokesperson told HuffPost that the proposal had lacked adequate financing. WCI Executive Director Nancy Wallace told HuffPost that the application "was withdrawn because of neighborhood parking constraints."
- Meanwhile, the charity was also leasing a car for Margolies and would continue to do so up until 2006, according to tax documents.
- Wallace said the vehicle lease was appropriately noted on tax forms. "WCI records accurately disclosed the vehicle lease for operating expenses for some years and as Margolies' compensation in other years, which reflects how it was used," Wallace said. (It appears as an operating expense through 2006.)
- The charity said that using its staff to help with Margolies' teaching duties at the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government aligned with the charity's mission. "For fifteen years WCI has been dedicated to empowering women to actively participate in civil society, political leadership and economic development. WCI staff is required to support programs to empower women throughout the world, including the USA," Wallace said. "WCI staff supported FELS' course on 'Empowering Women in Emerging Democracies.'"
- Ken Smukler, a Margolies campaign spokesman, defended her work with the charity in a statement to HuffPost.
- "Marjorie has been fighting to empower women around the globe ever since she led the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995," Smukler wrote. "Since then she has taken this fight to 40 countries -- some of the most dangerous places for women around the globe. She continues this fight today in her campaign for Congress. We are confident that this legacy of courage and leadership will not be tarnished by the skewed conclusions of one ill-informed blogger based on nothing more than a handful of documents now well over a decade old."
- The blogger Smukler references is Philadelphia-based Laura Goldman, who tipped off HuffPost to Margolies' excessive WCI pay as documented in tax filings. [UPDATE: Smukler later emailed HuffPost to clarify that the "blogger" he was referencing was Ryan Grim, a co-author of this story.]
- Margolies continues to run the charity as its president. She has taken no salary while running for Congress, but her pay had reached as high as $164,000 in 2011. For nonprofits with budgets from $1 million to $2.5 million -- like WCI -- the median compensation for all CEOs is $94,924, according to the most recent data from Guidestar, which tracks nonprofits.
- But beyond Margolies' own pay, her charity differs in another significant way from others of its size, said Sandra Miniutti, vice president of the charity evaluation group Charity Navigator. "[It's] unusual to have both a president and an executive director for a charity as small as this," said Miniutti, noting that typically the responsibilities are handled by the same person.
- Kerri Kennedy, WCI's former executive director, made between about $78,000 and $100,000 from 2009 to 2011, according to the charity's filings with the Internal Revenue Service.
- "WCI is a wonderful organization that helps thousands of women to advance in politics, policy, etc. through leadership trainings and support," Kennedy, who is now with the American Friends Service Committee, told HuffPost. "My time there was transformative [for me and our program participants] as we worked together to increase the voices of women in post-conflict and fragile states. It is powerful and necessary work, and it would be a shame if it was tarnished."
- Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to raise funds for Margolies in Philadelphia on April 10. Watchers of the congressional race have long speculated that a Clinton push could make the difference. Margolies is facing off against progressive state Sen. Daylin Leach, physician Valerie Arkoosh and state Rep. Brendan Boyle in the Democratic primary.
- Back in 1993 and 1994, Margolies served one term representing the suburban Philadelphia district. She famously flipped her vote to back President Clinton's budget, a move largely credited with costing her reelection in the upscale district, which frowned on the tax hikes in the deal. Her campaign this year is based largely on that vote, arguing that it showed true courage and kickstarted years of economic growth.
- UPDATE: Margolies campaign spokesman Ken Smukler responded to the HuffPost article:
- It is striking that in a story that levels so many wild accusations, there is not one expert cited to substantiate them and that out of the literally thousands of board members, employees, contractors, interns, volunteers, university staff, NGO staffs, State Department employees, auditors, and foundation reviewers, Grim could not find one to go on the record to substantiate any of these claims save for a disgruntled former employee.
- CORRECTIONS: A previous version of this story said that Marjorie Margolies dropped campaigns for both the House and the Senate in the 2000 electoral cycle. In fact, she did not run for the House then. In addition, the story had said that both her charity and her campaign defended Margolies' WCI salary as a decision by the board. The campaign did not make that point, but referred all compensation questions to the charity.
-
- VIDEO-ND student reportedly breaks spa window with flower pot; eats Hot Pockets
- SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A 19-year-old student was arrested Sunday morning after police say he used a flower pot to break into a South Bend business, and ate a variety of foods, including Hot Pockets and macaroni and cheese.
- Brian McCurren was arrested for burglary, vandalism and minor consumption after he caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to Therapeutic Indulgence. McCurren, of Mainsville, Ohio, is reported to be a Notre Dame student.
- Late Saturday evening or early Sunday morning, McCurren appears to have attempted to force entry into the day spa through three separate entrances, causing damage to them all.
- Sara Ros Frazier, owner of Therapeutic Indulgence, tells NewsCenter 16 that the suspect finally gained access by throwing a flower pot through a stained glass window and crawling through the hole.
- "Then he grabbed a hammer and pounded his way through a wall to get inside," Frazier said. "It's just so senseless."
- Once inside, the evidence of vandalism includes broken lamps, mirrors, furniture and other day spa equipment. It appears the suspect also began spraying a fire extinguisher throughout the building.
- "He just went straight into the kitchen and he went through half a box of Hot Pockets," she said. "Macaroni and cheese was warming up in an antique style oven and then passed out eating Drumsticks on a table where the police found him."
- McCurren was discovered around 10 a.m. Sunday morning and led out of the house in handcuffs.
- South Bend Police tell NewsCenter 16 that McCurren was still intoxicated in the morning, blowing a .106 in a standard breath test.
- "What really burned me the most was he wasn't apologetic when he came down the stairs," Frazier said. "You would think, even if you were that out of it when you come down, you're coming down in cuffs... but he just had a smile on his face."
- McCurren was released from the St. Joseph County Jail on Monday. The prosecutor's office has 48 hours to bring formal charges against the teen, which makes the deadline Tuesday morning.
-
- VIDEO-Federal Agents Pierce Tor Web-Anonymity Tool - WSJ.com
- March 31, 2014 7:36 p.m. ET
- Law enforcement is increasingly finding ways to thwart websites intended to mask the identities of its users and administrators. Andrew Grossman reports on digits. Photo: Getty Images.
- WASHINGTON'--Law-enforcement agencies are increasingly finding ways to unmask users of a popular Web browser designed to hide identities and allow individuals to exist online anonymously.
- To keep their identities secret, users and administrators of a recently shuttered child-pornography website used a browser called Tor that obscures the source of Web traffic, authorities said in March. Agents from Homeland Security Investigations tracked many of them down anyway, largely because of mistakes that even some of the most sophisticated users eventually make.
- Tor and other programs designed to hide users' identity online have grown in popularity as people try to protect their privacy in an age of digital surveillance. When paired with bitcoin or other virtual currencies that don't use the banking system, Tor can help hide the identities of people behind financial transactions. Such programs also have become a tool for those seeking to evade the law, including child-pornography traders, hackers and other criminals, creating challenges for law enforcement.
- WSJD is the Journal's home for tech news, analysis and product reviews.
- But officials are becoming more confident that Tor's shield of anonymity isn't impenetrable.
- "There's not a magic way to trace people [through Tor], so we typically capitalize on human error, looking for whatever clues people leave in their wake," said James Kilpatrick, one of the HSI agents who is part of Operation Round Table, a continuing investigation into a Tor-based child-pornography site that has so far resulted in 25 arrests and the identification of more than 250 victims, all children.
- A typical browser sends data along a direct route, making it relatively easy to figure out who is visiting a website, sending messages or downloading material. Tor, which stands for "the onion router," sends data through layers of intermediary computers that can't be peeled back, making it nearly impossible for law enforcement and private companies to track Internet browsing.
- "Two years ago'...if they ran into Tor, they said, 'It's hopeless,' " said Andrew Lewman, executive director of the nonprofit group that oversees Tor, called Tor Project. But after meetings with agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security, he noticed their perception started changing. "They finally realized Tor's not this impenetrable thing. Users make mistakes."
- Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson after a March news conference on Operation Round Table. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
- Law-enforcement officials are reluctant to talk about specific techniques they use to identify Tor users, but researchers and court documents provide some clues.
- Some of the mistakes are old-fashioned: The administrator of the child-pornography site at the center of Operation Round Table was first identified by postal inspectors because he was "sending sex objects through the mail to juveniles," said Mr. Kilpatrick. That site administrator pleaded guilty last week to federal charges that come with a prison sentence of at least 20 years.
- Digital forensics were crucial to catching other people allegedly involved in the site, which involved individuals posing as young girls in order to convince boys in their early teens to make sexually explicit videos. In one case, law-enforcement officials said they were able to catch an Australian man who logged into his fake Facebook profile and his real profile once without using Tor or other anonymizing tools.
- That man, Mark Warren, is charged in Manhattan federal court with production and receipt of child pornography and extortion, and he is in Australia pending extradition. Information about his lawyer couldn't be obtained.
- "Most people don't have the discipline to not make a mistake," Mr. Kilpatrick said. "The average person is too worried about doing their business to never make a mistake."
- Tor relies on a large set of relay servers between an end user and the site he is trying to visit. Data takes a constantly shifting path between a few of those servers on its way to and from the user's computer, masking the unique Internet protocol, or IP, address law enforcement needs to match a virtual identity to one in the real world.
- Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson after a March news conference on Operation Round Table. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
- Some law-enforcement officials and security researchers say the shakiness of that network itself, which relies on volunteers to use their machines to route data, presents opportunities for authorities to trace users.
- Tor Project tries to fix any technical vulnerabilities, but it said staffers have briefed law enforcement on the software, helping them better understand its limitations.
- '--Devlin Barrett contributed to this article.
- Write to Andrew Grossman at andrew.grossman@wsj.com
-
- VIDEO-BBC News - Ukraine crisis: Nato suspends Russia co-operation
- 1 April 2014Last updated at 13:57 ET Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
- Anders Fogh Rasmussen: "This is not what we're seeing on the ground"
- Nato foreign ministers have agreed to suspend all practical civilian and military co-operation with Russia.
- Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region was the gravest threat to European security for a generation.
- There could be no business as usual, he added.
- He had earlier categorically denied reports that Russia was pulling its forces back from its border with Ukraine.
- Moscow is believed to have massed tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine's eastern border in recent days, causing alarm in Kiev and the West.
- Foreign ministers from the 28-member Nato bloc, gathering in Brussels for their first meeting since Russia's annexation of Crimea, issued a strongly worded statement in which they condemned Russia's "illegal" annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region.
- Continue reading the main storyNato sources say some 35,000- 40,000 Russian troops are massed near Ukraine's eastern border.
- The Russians say this is a military drill but I am told that what is worrying Western intelligence experts is that there is actually very little exercising going on. The troops are simply deployed and waiting.
- Tanks, mechanised infantry, and special forces - many of them among Russia's most capable units - are all in the field and they have the logistical back-up to keep them there for some considerable time.
- They agreed to suspend Nato co-operation with Russia in a number of bodies but added that dialogue in the Nato-Russia Council could continue, as necessary, at ambassadorial level and above "to allow us to exchange views, first and foremost on this crisis. We will review Nato's relations with Russia at our next meeting in June".
- They are also looking at options including situating permanent military bases in the Baltic states to reassure members in Eastern Europe. Russia's actions in Ukraine have caused concern in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which were part of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
- Nato jets will take part in air patrols in the region later in a routine exercise that analysts say has taken on added significance due to the crisis. Several Nato countries, including the UK, US and France, have offered additional military aircraft.
- 'Aggression'Announcing the formal suspension of ties, Mr Rasmussen said Nato's message was clear: it stood by its allies, it stood by Ukraine and it stood by the international system of rules that had developed in recent decades. He urged Russia to be part of a solution "respecting international law and Ukraine's borders".
- He also said Nato would offer Ukraine greater access to alliance exercises and support the development of its military.
- Answering questions from reporters, he said he expected Nato-Russia co-operation over Afghanistan - including counter-narcotics operations - to continue.
- Ukrainian ministers were also in Brussels to meet their Nato counterparts. A joint Nato-Ukraine statement issued after their meeting announced that they would intensify co-operation and promote defence reforms in Ukraine through training and other programmes.
- Speaking earlier, Mr Rasmussen praised what he termed the "exemplary restraint" shown by the Ukrainian government and military, and welcomed the advent of "solid democracy" in Ukraine.
- "Russia's aggression against Ukraine challenges our vision of a Europe whole free and at peace," Mr Rasmussen also said.
- But despite the uncompromising language, Mr Rasmussen concluded by saying: "The only path to follow is the political and diplomatic path."
- In Moscow, the Russian foreign ministry warned Kiev against any attempts to join Nato, saying such efforts in the past had "led to a freezing of Russian-Ukrainian political contacts, a 'headache' in Nato-Russia relations and... a deepening split within Ukrainian society".
- On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told German Chancellor Angela Merkel he had ordered a partial withdrawal of Russian troops from the border with with eastern Ukraine.
- But Mr Rasmussen told reporters: "Unfortunately, I cannot confirm that Russia is withdrawing its troops. This is not what we are seeing."
- Gas price riseMeanwhile, Russian energy firm Gazprom has announced an increase of the price it charges Ukraine for gas from Tuesday.
- Gazprom's chief executive Alexei Miller said the price of Russian gas for Ukraine had gone up to $385.5 (£231) per 1,000 cubic metres in the second quarter of 2014 from the previous rate of $268.5.
- Mr Miller added that Ukraine's unpaid gas bills to Russia stood at $1.7bn.
- In other developments on Tuesday
- Ukraine's parliament ordered security services to disarm all "illegal armed groups", following Monday night's shooting in Kiev that involved a member of the radical Right Sector group MPs in Kiev voted to allow to hold joint military exercises with Nato and other nations on Ukrainian soil Russia's upper house of parliament voted to pull out of a treaty with Ukraine on the Black Sea Fleet's presence in Crimea. Tensions between the Kremlin and the West rose after the overthrow of pro-Kremlin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in February, following months of street protests.
- Russia's subsequent decision to annex Crimea, after a Moscow-backed referendum that was later condemned as illegal by the UN General Assembly, triggered a crisis in relations.
- The US and EU have imposed sanctions on members of President Putin's inner circle and other officials. Russia has retaliated with its own sanctions on US politicians.
-
- VIDEO- Sources and Secrets: The Snowden Revelations - YouTube
-
- VIDEO-Kathleen Sebelius May Never Live Down Her Response to Reporter After He Told Her How Unpopular Obamacare Is in Oklahoma | Video | TheBlaze.com
- ');jQuery.ajax({ url: "/_k2/collectXML.asp", type: "POST", dataType: "xml", contentType: 'text/xml', data: xmlPayload, success: onK2Success, error: onK2Error, complete: removeLoadSpinner });};});jQuery('#cf-finder').on('submit', function() {_gat._getTrackerByName()._trackEvent('Channel Finder', 'Submit', 'ZipCode');var cfid = jQuery('#cf-provider').val()if(window.xmlResponse.children('provider').eq(cfid).length === 1) {window.provider = window.xmlResponse.children('provider').eq(cfid);if(window.provider.children('STATUS').text() === '1') {jQuery('#cf-screen-1').hide(0);jQuery('#cf-screen-2').show(0);} else {jQuery('#cf-screen-1').hide(0);jQuery('#cf-screen-3').show(0);}}jQuery('.cf-channel-text').each( function() { jQuery(this).text(decodeURIComponent(window.provider.children('NAME').text())); });jQuery('.cf-number-text').each( function() { jQuery(this).text(window.provider.children('CHANNEL').text()); });if(window.provider.children('PHONE').text() !== '') {jQuery('.cf-email-option').hide(0);jQuery('.cf-phone-option').show(0);jQuery('.cf-phone-text').each( function() { jQuery(this).text(window.provider.children('PHONE').text()); });} else {}return false;});jQuery('#cf-continue').on('click', function() {_gat._getTrackerByName()._trackEvent('Channel Finder', 'Continue', 'Provider');jQuery('#cf-screen-3').hide(0);jQuery('#cf-screen-4').show(0);return false;});jQuery('#cf-email-skip').on('click', function() {_gat._getTrackerByName()._trackEvent('Channel Finder', 'Skip', 'Provider');jQuery('#cf-screen-4').hide(0);jQuery('#cf-screen-5').show(0);return false;});jQuery('#cf-email-submit').on('click', function() {_gat._getTrackerByName()._trackEvent('Channel Finder', 'Email', 'Provider');fname = jQuery('#cf-fname').val();lname = jQuery('#cf-lname').val();email = jQuery('#cf-email').val();providertext = window.provider.children('NAME').text()if(jQuery('#cf-optin').is(':checked')) {optin = 'YES';} else {optin = 'NO';}xmlEmailPayload = xmlEmailPayload.replace('[[[ZIP]]]', window.zipcode).replace('[[[FNAME]]]', fname).replace('[[[LNAME]]]', lname).replace('[[[EMAIL]]]', email).replace('[[[OPTIN]]]', optin).replace('[[[PROVIDER]]]', providertext).replace('[[[K2USERID]]]', window.xmlResponse.children('K2USERID').text());jQuery.ajax({ url: "/_k2/UserXML.asp", type: "POST", dataType: "xml", contentType: 'text/xml', data: xmlEmailPayload });jQuery('#cf-screen-4').hide(0);jQuery('#cf-screen-5').show(0); return false;});});Channel FinderFind TheBlaze on your TV This zipcode is invalid, please try again
- Channel FinderTheBlaze is available on channel .Spread the word!If you can't find TheBlaze, please call to upgrade your package
- Channel FinderUnfortunately, TheBlaze is not available on .But you can help! Call at or press CONTINUE to email your provider and urge them to add TheBlaze to your channel lineup.
- But you can help! Press CONTINUE to email your provider and urge them to add TheBlaze to your channel lineup.
- ContinueRequest TheBlazePlease complete the form
-
- VIDEO-New Ad Hits Reid's Ties To 'Steyer Brothers' | Weasel Zippers
- Harry cries that he is being bullied
- A conservative group put out a new ad on Monday that ties Democrats to billionaire former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer, casting him as the Democratic equivalent to libertarian industrialists Charles and David Koch.
- ''Steyer has a history of environmentally destructive business ventures,'' the ad notes, highlighting Washington Free Beacon reporting on Steyer, who has pledged to raise $100 million to elect Democrats this year.
- The Washington Post reported on the ad on Monday:
- The ad features footage of Reid attacking the Koch brothers but suggests his criticisms more aptly describe the Steyers'--Tom and Jim'--whom it accuses of opposing the Keystone XL pipeline for personal gain.
- ''That's why Tom Steyer and his brother Jim are spending millions to finance campaigns that support liberals who will keep Harry Reid in charge of the Senate,'' the ad says.
- The ad buy is relatively small '-- $50,000 '-- and will be online only, but it previews the GOP's defense against Koch brothers attacks going forward (to the extent that Americans actually care about such things).
-
- VIDEO- 'Governments are intentionally misleading us' on Malaysia plane - BBC News - YouTube
-
- VIDEO-Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability on Vimeo
- Additional LinksVimeoHelpMoreUpgradeDid you know?Show another tipVimeo Plus members can turn on Tip Jar to allow fans to show their appreciation with small cash payments.
- You can watch Vimeo videos on your TV. Try Couch Mode, our experience designed for TV viewing.
-
- AUDIO-BBC News - Climate inaction to be 'catastrophe'
- 31 March 2014Last updated at 10:39 ET By Matt McGrathEnvironment correspondent, BBC News, Yokohama, JapanThe costs of inaction on climate change will be "catastrophic", according to US Secretary of State John Kerry.
- Mr Kerry was responding to a major report by the UN which described the impacts of global warming as "severe, pervasive and irreversible".
- He said dramatic and swift action was required to tackle the threats posed by a rapidly changing climate.
- Our health, homes, food and safety are all likely to be threatened by rising temperatures, the report says.
- Scientists and officials meeting in Japan say the document is the most comprehensive assessment to date of the impacts of climate change on the world.
- In a statement, Mr Kerry said: "Unless we act dramatically and quickly, science tells us our climate and our way of life are literally in jeopardy. Denial of the science is malpractice.
- Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
- "There are those who say we can't afford to act. But waiting is truly unaffordable. The costs of inaction are catastrophic."
- Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which produced the report, told BBC News: "Even in rich countries, the impacts of climate change could lead to greater incidents of pockets of poverty, even in rich countries could lead to impoverishment of some particular communities.
- "However there is an equity issue, because some of the poorest communities in the poorest countries in the world are going to be the worst hit."
- Continue reading the main story''Start QuoteNobody on this planet is going to be untouched by the impacts of climate change''
- End QuoteRajendra PachauriChairman, IPCCSome impacts of climate change include a higher risk of flooding and changes to crop yields and water availability. Humans may be able to adapt to some of these changes, but only within limits.
- An example of an adaptation strategy would be the construction of sea walls and levees to protect against flooding. Another might be introducing more efficient irrigation for farmers in areas where water is scarce.
- Natural systems are currently bearing the brunt of climatic changes, but a growing impact on humans is feared.
- Members of the IPCC say it provides overwhelming evidence of the scale of these effects.
- Continue reading the main storyAnalysis The prognosis on the climate isn't good - but the doctor's changing his bedside manner with the people in charge of the planet's health.
- The report's chair, Dr Chris Field, is worried that an apocalyptic tone will frighten politicians so much that they'll abandon the Earth to its fate.
- There is nothing inevitable about the worst impacts on people and nature, Dr Field says. We can cut emissions to reduce the risks of catastrophe and adapt to some changes that will inevitably occur.
- We have to re-frame climate change as an exciting challenge for the most creative minds.
- Cutting local air pollution from, say coal, can also reduce carbon emissions that cause warming; creating decent homes for poor people in countries like Bangladesh can improve lives whilst removing them from the path of flood surges.
- Some will criticise Dr Field for being too upbeat. But many politicians have gone deaf to the old-style warnings. Maybe it's worth a new approach.
- The report was agreed after almost a week of intense discussions here in Yokohama, which included concerns among some authors about the tone of the evolving document.
- This is the second of a series from the UN's climate panel due out this year that outlines the causes, effects and solutions to global warming.
- This latest Summary for Policymakers document highlights the fact that the amount of scientific evidence on the impacts of warming has almost doubled since the last report in 2007.
- Be it the melting of glaciers or warming of permafrost, the summary highlights the fact that on all continents and across the oceans, changes in the climate have caused impacts on natural and human systems in recent decades.
- In the words of the report, "increasing magnitudes of warming increase the likelihood of severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts".
- "Nobody on this planet is going to be untouched by the impacts of climate change,'' said Mr Pachauri.
- Dr Saleemul Huq, a convening lead author on one of the chapters, commented: "Before this we thought we knew this was happening, but now we have overwhelming evidence that it is happening and it is real."
- Michel Jarraud, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization, said the report was based on more than 12,000 peer-reviewed scientific studies. He said this document was "the most solid evidence you can get in any scientific discipline".
- Ed Davey, the UK Energy and Climate Secretary said: "The science has clearly spoken. Left unchecked, climate change will impact on many aspects of our society, with far reaching consequences to human health, global food security and economic development.
- "The recent flooding in the UK is a testament to the devastation that climate change could bring to our daily lives."
- The report details significant short-term impacts on natural systems in the next 20 to 30 years. It details five reasons for concern that would likely increase as a result of the warming the world is already committed to.
- Continue reading the main storyBritish winters are likely to become milder and wetter like the last one but cold spells still need to be planned for, says the UK Met Office.
- Summers are likely to be hotter and drier, but washouts are still on the cards, it adds.
- The assessment of future weather extremes finds the role of human influence is "detectable" in summer heatwaves and in intense rainfall.
- However, the Met Office says a lot more work must be done to confirm the links.
- If the study is correct, it means everything from gumboots to snowploughs and sunscreen to anoraks will still be needed.
- These include threats to unique systems such as Arctic sea ice and coral reefs, where risks are said to increase to "very high" with a 2C rise in temperatures.
- The summary document outlines impacts on the seas and on freshwater systems as well. The oceans will become more acidic, threatening coral and the many species that they harbour.
- On land, animals, plants and other species will begin to move towards higher ground or towards the poles as the mercury rises.
- Humans, though, are also increasingly affected as the century goes on.
- Food security is highlighted as an area of significant concern. Crop yields for maize, rice and wheat are all hit in the period up to 2050, with around a tenth of projections showing losses over 25%.
- After 2050, the risk of more severe yield impacts increases, as boom-and-bust cycles affect many regions. All the while, the demand for food from a population estimated to be around nine billion will rise.
- Many fish species, a critical food source for many, will also move because of warmer waters.
- Continue reading the main storyWhat is the IPCC?In its own words, the IPCC is there "to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the current state of knowledge in climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts".
- The offspring of two UN bodies, the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme, it has issued four heavyweight assessment reports to date on the state of the climate.
- These are commissioned by the governments of 195 countries, essentially the entire world. These reports are critical in informing the climate policies adopted by these governments.
- The IPCC itself is a small organisation, run from Geneva with a full time staff of 12. All the scientists who are involved with it do so on a voluntary basis.
- In some parts of the tropics and in Antarctica, potential catches could decline by more than 50%.
- "This is a sobering assessment," said Prof Neil Adger from the University of Exeter, another IPCC author.
- "Going into the future, the risks only increase, and these are about people, the impacts on crops, on the availability of water and particularly, the extreme events on people's lives and livelihoods."
- People will be affected by flooding and heat related mortality. The report warns of new risks including the threat to those who work outside, such as farmers and construction workers. There are concerns raised over migration linked to climate change, as well as conflict and national security.
- Report co-author Maggie Opondo of the University of Nairobi said that in places such as Africa, climate change and extreme events mean "people are going to become more vulnerable to sinking deeper into poverty".
- While the poorer countries are likely to suffer more in the short term, the rich won't escape.
- "The rich are going to have to think about climate change. We're seeing that in the UK, with the floods we had a few months ago, and the storms we had in the US and the drought in California," said Dr Huq.
- Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
- IPCC Chairman Rajendra Pachauri said the findings in the report were "profound"
- "These are multibillion dollar events that the rich are going to have to pay for, and there's a limit to what they can pay."
- But it is not all bad news, as the co-chair of the working group that drew up the report points out.
- "I think the really big breakthrough in this report is the new idea of thinking about managing climate change as a problem in managing risks," said Dr Chris Field.
- "Climate change is really important but we have a lot of the tools for dealing effectively with it - we just need to be smart about it."
- There is far greater emphasis to adapting to the impacts of climate in this new summary. The problem, as ever, is who foots the bill?
- "It is not up to IPCC to define that," said Dr Jose Marengo, a Brazilian government official who attended the talks.
- "It provides the scientific basis to say this is the bill, somebody has to pay, and with the scientific grounds it is relatively easier now to go to the climate negotiations in the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) and start making deals about who will pay for adaptation."
-
- VIDEO-Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry meet in Paris | euronews, world news
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived at the Russian Ambassador's residence in Paris ahead of talks.
- It's understood the proposals the two will try and develop include the deployment of international monitors in Ukraine, a withdrawal of Russian forces from Crimea and the border zone around Ukraine while they will also look to launch direct talks between Moscow and the government in Kyiv.
- The hastily arranged meeting between Lavrov and Kerry in Paris came after a telephone conversation between President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
- The discussions took place as the Pentagon announced one of their top Generals '' Philip Breedlove was sent back early to Europe from a visit to Washington. It was described as a ''prudent'' act given what the Pentagon said was a ''lack of transparency'' over Russian troop movements.
-
- VIDEO-Rep. Mike Rogers Leaves Door Open To Running For President In 2016
- WASHINGTON -- House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) announced this week that he would not be seeking reelection in order to pursue a career as a radio host. In an interview Sunday, Rogers also seemed to leave the door open to possibly running for president in 2016.
- On "Fox News Sunday," Rogers said the quality of the current debate on national security and foreign policy made him worried "for the future of this country."
- "So when someone walked in and said, 'Hey, we're going to give you the opportunity to have a discussion in people's cars, living rooms and kitchens, every single day, from California to Iowa to New Hampshire to South Carolina. We think you can change the needle on this debate,' I thought long and hard about it and thought, 'You know, I think they're right.'"
- The states Rogers named aren't just a random assortment: Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina are the first three states on the presidential primary calendar. That led host Chris Wallace to ask whether the congressman was interested in running for higher office.
- "You know, Ronald Reagan back in 1980 -- I don't have to tell you -- used his platform as a radio commentator to run for president," said Wallace. "So is that a consideration for you? Are you prepared at this point to rule out any interest in 2016?"
- "Ronald Reagan used his platform on radio to run for president of the United States? I had no idea, Chris," replied Rogers with a coy, joking smile.
- After a long pause, Wallace responded, "So what are you saying?"
- "Listen, I'm going to take it where it goes," said Rogers. "This is a very unique opportunity that I will be able to talk about issues in ways you don't hear on a national radio platform today, about the importance of national security, foreign policy and all of the issues facing America. ... My goal here is to be as engaging as I can and to get listeners' opinion."
- Rogers will have a radio show on stations affiliated with Atlanta-based Cumulus Media. His interest in broadcasting dates back to his time in college, when he had a radio show. He has also been a frequent TV guest while in Congress.
- On Sunday, Rogers also criticized "celebrity politicians using issues" in a way that is "detrimental to the national security of the United States," although he declined to name names.