No Agenda Episode 1022 - "LibJoe"

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No Agenda Episode 1022 - "LibJoe"
  No Agenda Episode 1022 - "LibJoe"
    LibJoe
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  Credits
    LibJoe
    Where The C Stands For
    Executive Producer: Sir Steven Fettig
    Associate Executive Producer: Dame Astrid Duchess of Japan and all the disputed islands in the Japan Sea
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    Art By: Kyles Sounds Like Fraze Froese
    End of Show Mixes: UKPMX - Gx2 -Oh My Bosh - Danny Loos-Secret Agent Paul-Stepford Wives-PlaceBoing- Dave Courbanou - Able Kirby - Jungle Jones - Chris Wilson - Tom Starkweather - Conan Salada - Future Trash - Phantomville Billy Bon3s
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  Cover Art
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    Art By: Kyles Sounds Like Fraze Froese
  Shownotes
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    YouTube Shooter
      From Producer Boots on the Ground
        It's not easy for me to judge, since I only got one look at the perpetrator
        holding the gun before I ran for it. However, they looked very serious. They
        were dressed in black, and my coworker who I met up with later said he thought
        it was a woman, with at least part of her face covered. The perpetrator was
        holding the pistol (medium-sized) in both hands, the sort of way I believe
        you're supposed to. When I heard the very loud popping, I looked up from my
        food and saw that figure described. I was "fortunate" to be sitting
        at the table closest to the lobby doors, whereas the shooter was more in the
        center of the patio area and aiming straight in front of her, at a downwards
        angle. She could not have been more than 10-15 feet from the victims that got
        shot.
        The door to our building require badges to enter, which slowed our escape by
        probably 1 second which felt like an eternity. I escaped through the lobby, but
        I think many people may have ran out though the side entrance; where you don't
        need a badge to exit.
        That's mostly it for my account. I'd like to know how the shooter got in. It
        wouldn't be too hard for them to "tailgate" someone through the
        outside entrance to the patio, but if they were familiar with the layout (or
        lucky) they could have just gone through the garage complex. To get from the
        garage complex into the patio there's a heavy door, but for some reason the
        badge is only needed to get into the garage from the patio, but not vice versa.
        My co-worker think they came through the garage, so I'm not sure how they knew
        that. Maybe they've scoped it out.
        From the news coverage, there was some initial thought that this could be a
        domestic incident, which is what I would _like_ to believe, and at the surface
        it would make sense due to the small number of victims. However, as you've
        probably read, they've recently released the identity and it seemed like she
        had a vendetta against YouTube in general, which is very scary for me and my
        co-workers. My co-worker from China was even thinking about leaving and going
        back to China permanently. I'm not sure about the exact timeline and I can't
        remember the exact pattern of the shots, except that they were rapid fire.
        Since it sounds like she bought the gun in California, she probably only had
        <10 round magazines. So one possibility is she emptied the magazine into
        those three people, reloaded, walked to the lobby doors, and found that they
        were locked due to the badge reader. Then she may have shot herself after
        realizing she couldn't get much farther before police would have gotten her.
        San Bruno is a relatively small town and the police only took a couple minutes
        to arrive. I remember hearing sirens as I was still running away from the
        building.
        Demonetization less important than 'celebrity' factor
        Social Media Detox Centers
      YouTube shooter's father says she was angry at company
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 11:44
        Click here if you are having trouble viewing the gallery and video on your mobile device The night before Nasim Aghdam opened fire in a courtyard at YouTube's headquarters Tuesday afternoon, Mountain View police found the San Diego woman sleeping in her car.
        She had been reported missing by her family in Southern California, and her father Ismail Aghdam told police she might be going to YouTube because she ''hated'' the company. Police called the family at 2 a.m. Tuesday to say she'd been found and that everything was ''under control,'' her father said.
        But hours later, his daughter was dead of a self-inflicted gunshot after shooting three people and causing an afternoon of terror at YouTube's headquarters.
        In an interview Tuesday night with the Bay Area News Group, Ismail Aghdam said his 38-year-old daughter told her family a couple of weeks ago that YouTube had been censoring her videos and stopped paying her for her content. ''She was angry,'' he said in an interview from his Riverside County home.
        It wasn't clear Tuesday night what Mountain View police knew about her history with YouTube.
        A police spokeswoman confirmed that officers had found a woman of the same name asleep in a vehicle early Tuesday morning in a parking lot.
        ''Our officers made contact with the woman after the license plate of her vehicle matched that of a missing person out of Southern California,'' said Mountain View Police spokeswoman Katie Nelson.
        ''The woman confirmed her identity to us and answered subsequent questions. At the conclusion of our discussion, her family was notified that she had been located.''
        Start your day with the news you need from the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our new Morning Report weekday newsletter.
        Ismail Aghdam said his daughter was a vegan activist and animal lover. As a youngster, she would not even kill ants that invaded the family home, instead using paper to remove them to the back yard, he said. State records show she had once established a charity called Peace Thunder Inc., to ''educate people about animal cruelty, environmental pollution'' and other causes.
        ''For me, animal rights equal human rights,'' Aghdam told the San Diego Union-Tribune at a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals protest in 2009 outside Camp Pendleton.
        She told her family that YouTube had stopped paying her for the content she posted to the site, Ismail Aghdam said. YouTubers can receive payment for advertisements accompanying their videos, but the company ''de-monetizes'' some channels for various reasons, meaning ads don't run with them.
        Aghdam was prolific on social media, posting videos and photos on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube. Her YouTube channel included strange workout video clips, graphic animal abuse videos and vegan cooking tutorials. But recent posts show evidence of her growing frustration.
        Aghdam's YouTube, Facebook and Instagram pages were all taken down late Tuesday, but not before reporters from this news organization were able to view much of the material.
        On a March 18 Instagram post, she railed at YouTube: ''All my youtube channels got filtered by youtube so my videos hardly get views and it is called ''merely relegation.'' This is also happening to many other channels on youtube. This is the peaceful tactic used on the internet to censor and suppress people who speak the truth and are not good for the financial, political '... gains of the system and big businesses. I recently got filtered on instagram too and maybe its related to youtube and youtube staff asked instagram to filter me here too!!?''
        On Jan. 28, Aghdam recorded a video of herself lamenting her perceived ''discrimination'' by YouTube, particularly railing on how YouTube determined her ab workout video was too racy and, therefore, filtered it.
        ''I'm being discriminated and filtered on YouTube and I'm not the only one,'' the video begins, as Aghdam, wearing a black, white and orange long-sleeved shirt and short jet black hair stands in front of a background of green and white stars. ''They age restricted my ab workout video. A video that has nothing bad in it. Nothing sexual.''
        On one of her many websites, she claims to have at least four YouTube channels, one in English, and then others in Farsi and Turkish.
        A law enforcement source on Tuesday afternoon said investigators were looking into whether she may have been targeting a boyfriend, however San Bruno Police late Tuesday night confirmed she was the attacker but said investigators were trying to determine her motive.
        ''At this time there is no evidence that the shooter knew the victims of this shooting or that individuals were specifically targeted,'' the department said in a press release.
        In the interview with this news organization, her father said the family knew nothing about Nasim owning a gun. ''Maybe she bought one'' recently, he said.
        Nasim's brother, Shahran Aghdam, spoke to reporters from the foyer of the family's home in Menifee in Riverside County on Tuesday night. His mother could be heard crying in the home and his father asked one reporter about the condition of the victims.
        The family came to California from Iran in 1996, Shahran said. He said Nasim had been living recently with her grandmother in San Diego. ''She was always complaining that YouTube ruined her life,'' he said.
        He said she was missing since Saturday and not answering her cell phone. When he learned his sister was in Mountain View, he Googled the city and found out it was near YouTube headquarters.
        He said he called the Mountain View police, who found her and reported back that she was fine, and they would keep an eye on her.
        Wednesday would have been Nasim's 38th birthday. He said she never hurt anyone until today, and has no idea where she may have gotten a gun. ''She chose the day to die the day she came,'' he said.
        Southern California News Group staff writers Stephanie Schulte and Richard De Atley contributed to this report.
      nasimesabz iranian vegan yesil nasim persian activist artist
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 11:19
        YOUTUBE ENGLISH
        YOUTUBE HAND ART
        FACEBOOK
        *****MY OFFICIAL CHANNELS*****
        YOUTUBE TURKISH
        YOUTUBE FARSI

        . BE AWARE ! Dictatorship exists in all countries but with different tactics! They only care for personal short term profits & do anything to reach their goals even by fooling simple-minded people, hiding the truth, manipulating science & everything, putting public mental & physical health at risk, abusing non-human animals, polluting environment, destroying family values, promoting materialism & sexual degeneration in the name of freedom,..... & turning people into programmed robots! "Make the lie big, Make it simple, Keep saying it, And eventually they will believe it" Adolf Hitler... There is no free speech in real world & you will be suppressed for telling the truth that is not supported by the system. Videos of targeted users are filtered & merely relegated, so that people can hardly see their videos! . There is no equal growth opportunity on YOUTUBE or any other video sharing site, your channel will grow if they want to!!!!!

        . My Revenue For 300,000 Views Is $0.10?????

        . This video got age restricted after new close-minded youtube employees, got control of my farsi youtube channel last year 2016 & began filtering my videos to reduce views & suppress & discaurage me from making videos!

        Dokhtare Sinebadkonaki Ù†Ø"ÛŒÙ… Ø¯Ø®ØªØ± Ø"ÛŒÙ†Ù‡ Ø¨Ø§Ø¯Ú(C)Ù†Ú(C)ÛŒ

        Warning Graphic Video! Consumers of animal products are supporters of these animal abusers! About %80 of worlds fur/skin come from china. Animals are tortured to death in such countries

        . Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere

        The very first Persian vegan TV commercial and vegan music video was created by Nasim and launched through international Persian satellite television "Andisheh TV" for the first time in April, 2010. I also had TV shows on different Iranian TVs

        . World is a dangerous place to live, not because of evil people but because of people who do nothing about it! Einstein

        Stolen pet dog cooked alive! Chinese eat dogs & cats too & torture animals to death.Shame on those who can stop these cruelties, but do nothing because of financial gains!

        Health Risks Of Anal Sex
        ÙÛŒØ¯ÛŒÙÛŒ Ø²ÛŒØ§Ù† Ø"Ú(C)Ø" Ù…Ù‚Ø¹Ø¯ÛŒ Ø¨Ù‡ ÙØ§Ø±Ø"ÛŒ
        Ú†Ø·ÙØ± ÙÚ¯Ø§Ù† Ú¯ÛŒØ§Ù‡Ø®ÙØ§Ø± Ø®Ø§ÙØµ Ø¨Ø´ÙÛŒÙ… ÙÛŒØ¯ÛŒÙ Ø¨Ø§ Ù†Ø"ÛŒÙ… Ø"Ø¨Ø²
        Nasil Vegan Oluruz - Video By Yesil Nasim
        Vegan Nasim Strenght Test Ù‚Ø¯Ø±Øª Ø¨Ø¯Ù†ÛŒ Ù†Ø"ÛŒÙ… Ø"Ø¨Ø² Ø¯Ø®ØªØ± ÙØ±Ø²Ø´Ú(C)Ø§Ø± ÙÚ¯Ø§Ù† Ø§ÛŒØ±Ø§Ù†ÛŒ

        . My Instagram followers, views, likes are real. On instagram, you can buy pages, buy likes, buy followers,.... But mine are real, without advertising or using programs designed to promote instagram pages

        all my videos are created by myself and I have no help from others

        Ù‡Ù…Ù‡ Ú(C)Ø§Ø±Ù‡Ø§ÛŒ Ù‡Ù†Ø±ÛŒ Ù ÙÛŒØ¯ÛŒÙÙ‡Ø§ÛŒÙ… ØªÙØ"Ø· Ø®ÙØ¯Ù… Ø"Ø§Ø®ØªÙ‡ Ù…ÛŒØ´ÙÙ†Ø¯ Ù Ù‡ÛŒÚ† Ú(C)Ù…Ú(C) ÙÚ(C)Ø±ÛŒ ÛŒØ§ ÙÙ†ÛŒ ÛŒØ§ Ù…Ø§ÙÛŒ Ø§Ø² Ø§Ø­Ø¯ÛŒ Ù†Ø¯Ø§Ø±Ù…
        Ø§ÙÙÛŒÙ† Ù…ÙØ²ÛŒÚ(C) ÙÛŒØ¯ÛŒÙÛŒ ÙÚ¯Ø§Ù† Ù ØªØ¨ÙÛŒØº ØªÙÙÛŒØ²ÛŒÙÙ†ÛŒ ÙÚ¯Ø§Ù† ØªÙØ"Ø· Ù†Ø"ÛŒÙ… Ø¯Ø± Ø"Ø§Ù Ø¯Ù Ù‡Ø²Ø§Ø± Ù Ø¯Ù‡ ØªÙÙÛŒØ¯ Ù Ù¾Ù‡Ø´ Ø´Ø¯ Ø§Ø² ØªÙÙÛŒØ²ÛŒÙÙ† Ø¬Ù‡Ø§Ù†ÛŒ Ø§ÛŒØ±Ø§Ù†ÛŒ Ù Ø"Ø§ÛŒØ± ØªÙÙÛŒØ²ÛŒÙÙ†Ù‡Ø§ÛŒ Ù…Ø§Ù‡ÙØ§Ø±Ù‡ Ø§ÛŒ

        Ø¯Ø± Ø§ÛŒÙ†Ø"ØªØ§Ú¯Ø±Ø§Ù… Ù…ÛŒØªÙÙ†ÛŒ ÙØ§ÙÙÙØ± ÙÛŒÚ(C) Ø¨Ø®Ø±ÛŒ Ù Ù…ØµÙ†ÙØ¹ÛŒ Ø®ÙØ¯ØªÙ Ø¨Ú(C)Ø´ÛŒ Ø¨Ø§ÙØ§ Ø§Ù…Ø§ ÙØ§ÙÙÙØ±Ù‡Ø§ÛŒ Ù…Ù† ÙØ§Ù‚Ø¹ÛŒ Ø§Ù†Ø¯ Ø¨Ø¯ÙÙ† Ù‡ÛŒÚ† ØªØ¨ÙÛŒÙÛŒ

        . kanallarimi, Youtube filter etmis ta izleyenleri cokalmaya! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . Youtube filtered my channels to keep them from getting views!

        Ø¯Ø± Ú(C)Ø´ÙØ±Ù‡Ø§ÛŒÛŒ Ù…ØÙ Ú†ÛŒÙ† Ø­ÛŒÙØ§Ù†Ø§Øª Ø±Ø§ Ø´Ú(C)Ù†Ø¬ Ù…ÛŒÚ(C)Ù†Ù†Ø¯ Ù‚Ø¨Ù Ø§Ø² Ø®ÙØ±Ø¯Ù†
        ÛŒÙØªÙØ¨ Ú(C)Ø§Ù†Ø§ÙÙ‡Ø§ÛŒ Ù…Ù† Ø±Ù ÙÛŒÙØªØ± Ú(C)Ø±Ø¯Ù‡ ØªØ§ Ø¨ÛŒÙ†Ù†Ø¯Ù‡ Ù†Ú¯ÛŒØ±Ù†Ø¯
      YouTube shooting suspect had been angry over filtering, demonetization
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 11:08
        The suspected shooter in today's YouTube incident has been identified. Please see press release for details - https://t.co/Xvr2l9bB9s pic.twitter.com/NEBoX3WWK5
        '-- San Bruno Police (@SanBrunoPolice) April 4, 2018
        In several videos posted over the last year or so, she angrily spoke about the company's policies, saying they were filtering her videos so they wouldn't get any more views, and she was upset over demonetization. It appears the channels have now been completely removed by YouTube, citing policy violations.
        On her website, she wrote: "There is no equal growth opportunity on YOUTUBE or any other video sharing site, your channel will grow if they want to!!!!!"
        BE AWARE! Dictatorship exists in all countries but with different tactics! They only care forpersonal short term profits & do anything to reach their goals even by fooling simple-minded people,hiding the truth, manipulating science & everything, putting public mental & physical health at risk,abusing non-human animals, polluting environment, destroying family values, promoting materialism &sexual degeneration in the name of freedom,..... & turning people into programmed robots!"Make the lie big, Make it simple, Keep saying it, And eventually they will believe it"Hitler... There is no free speech in real world & you will be suppressed for telling the truth that is notsupported by the system. Videos of targeted users are filtered & merely relegated, so that people canhardly see their videos!.There is no equal growth opportunity on YOUTUBE or any other video sharing site,your channel will grow if they want to!!!!!CBS2 News reporter Tina Patel spoke to Aghdam's father, who said he told police of her anger with YouTube after they called him and said that after being missing for a few days, she'd been found in her car in Mountain View. The network also said Aghdam asked for the male victim by name before the shooting started. Buzzfeed heard from Mountain View police in an email that officers found a woman by that name asleep in her vehicle in a parking lot there Tuesday morning.
      REPORTS: YouTube Shooter's Father, Brother Warned Police Before Attack Occurred - The Daily Caller
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 10:40
        April 4th, 2018
        SAN BRUNO, CA - APRIL 03: San Bruno police chief Ed Barberini speaks to members of the media outside of the YouTube headquarters on April 3, 2018 in San Bruno, California. Police are investigating an active shooter incident at YouTube headquarters that has left at least one person dead and several wounded. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
        Nasim Aghdam's family members reportedly warned police they thought she was going to attack the YouTube headquarters early Tuesday morning, but the San Bruno Police Department could not prevent the shooting later that afternoon.
        Aghdam wounded three people after opening fire on YouTube staffers Tuesday afternoon. She reportedly was motivated by a perception the company was censoring her videos on a variety of liberal issues.
        Aghdam's father, Ismail, reported her missing Monday night. He told local police police she ''hated'' YouTube and could possibly act violently in some capacity. Officers eventually located Aghdam early Tuesday morning in Mountain View, California, more than 700 miles away from San Diego home.
        Similarly, Aghdam's brother contacted the authorities after she did not respond to multiple text messages and calls Tuesday morning.
        ''I Googled 'Mountain View,' and it was close to YouTube headquarters,'' he told a local CNN affiliate. ''She had a problem with YouTube.''
        SAN BRUNO, CA '' APRIL 03: San Bruno police chief Ed Barberini speaks to members of the media outside of the YouTube headquarters on April 3, 2018 in San Bruno, California. Police are investigating an active shooter incident at YouTube headquarters that has left at least one person dead and several wounded. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
        San Bruno Police Chief Ed Barberini said on ABC Wednesday morning his department was aware Aghdam ''was reported missing by her family in San Diego on the 31st of March, and that she was located in a community about 30 miles south of us early Tuesday morning.''
        Aghdam had a history of vocally opposing YouTube via social media and her own personal website. (RELATED: YouTube Shooter's Bizarre Anti-Meat Videos)
        WATCH:
        ''This is what they are doing to vegan activists and many others who try to promote healthy, humane, and smart living,'' she said in one video. ''People like me are not good for big businesses'... that's why they are discriminating and censoring us.''
        WATCH:
        Follow Datoc on Twitter and Facebook
        Christian Datoc Breaking News and Engagement Editor
    Shut Up Slave!
      US wants 5 years' worth of social media history from visa applications
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Source: CSO Online
        Mon, 02 Apr 2018 13:52
        Ms. Smith (not her real name) is a freelance writer and programmer with a special and somewhat personal interest in IT privacy and security issues.
        Want to visit the United States? If the State Department has its way, then visa applicants should be ready to hand over a five-year history of their social media accounts, email addresses, and phone numbers. What I'd like to say after that is "April Fools!" Sadly, however, it's not a joke.
        The latest proposed extreme vettingdetails were published on the Federal Register on Friday. The proposal seeks to add questions to immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applications. For example:
        One question lists multiple social media platforms and requires the applicant to provide any identifiers used by applicants for those platforms during the five years preceding the date of application. The platforms listed may be updated by the Department by adding or removing platforms. Additional platforms will be added only if collection is consistent with the uses described in the Supporting Statement and after Office of Management and Budget approval.
        In addition, the applicant will be given the option to provide information about any social media identifiers associated with any platforms other than those that are listed that the applicant has used in the last five years. The Department will collect this information from visa applicants for identity resolution and vetting purposes based on statutory visa eligibility standards.
        That's not all; other questions will ask applicants to provide a five-year history of ''previously used telephone numbers, email addresses, and international travel; whether the applicant has been deported or removed from any country; and whether specified family members have been involved in terrorist activities.''
        [ Keep up with 8 hot cyber security trends (and 4 going cold). | Sign up for CSO newsletters. ]According to Drexel University associate law professor Anil Kalhan, ''This is unnecessarily intrusive and beyond ridiculous.''
        The ACLU is none too happy about the proposal either. Hina Shamsi, director ACLU's National Security Project, said:
        This attempt to collect a massive amount of information on the social media activity of millions of visa applicants is yet another ineffective and deeply problematic Trump administration plan. It will infringe on the rights of immigrants and U.S. citizens by chilling freedom of speech and association, particularly because people will now have to wonder if what they say online will be misconstrued or misunderstood by a government official.
        ''We're also concerned about how the Trump administration defines the vague and overbroad term 'terrorist activities' because it is inherently political and can be used to discriminate against immigrants who have done nothing wrong,'' Shamsi added.
        As Arwa Mahdawi pointed out in The Guardian, ''If you're planning a terrorist attack, I highly doubt that you're tweeting 'can't wait until I martyr myself LOL' or sharing hilarious ISIS gifs. And if you were, then I'm fairly sure the NSA might have a few ways of figuring that out already.''
        The U.S. grants visa-free travel to 38 countries such as Australia, Canada, the U.K., Germany, France, and Japan. If the proposal is approved, then people from countries not on that list would be required to hand over their data before coming to the U.S. for work, education, or vacation. The department estimated that about 710,000 immigrant visa applicants and 14 million non-immigrant visa applicants would be affected.
        The public has 60 days to comment on the proposals.
      EU wants to require platforms to filter uploaded content (including code) | The GitHub Blog
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 11:45
        $ git push ... remote: Resolving deltas: 100% (2/2), completed with 2 local objects. remote: error: GH013: Your push could infringe someone's copyright. remote: If you believe this is a false positive (e.g., it's yours, open remote: source, not copyrightable, subject to exceptions) contact us: remote: https://github.com/contact remote: We're sorry for interrupting your work, but automated copyright remote: filters are mandated by the EU's Article 13. To github.com/vollmera/atom.git ! [remote rejected] patch-1 -> patch-1 ( push declined due to article 13 filters ) The EU is considering a copyright proposal that would require code-sharing platforms to monitor all content that users upload for potential copyright infringement (see the EU Commission's proposed Article 13 of the Copyright Directive). The proposal is aimed at music and videos on streaming platforms, based on a theory of a ''value gap'' between the profits those platforms make from uploaded works and what copyright holders of some uploaded works receive. However, the way it's written captures many other types of content, including code.
        We'd like to make sure developers in the EU who understand that automated filtering of code would make software less reliable and more expensive'--and can explain this to EU policymakers'--participate in the conversation.
        Why you should care about upload filters Upload filters (''censorship machines'') are one of the most controversial elements of the copyright proposal, raising a number of concerns, including:
        Privacy: Upload filters are a form of surveillance, effectively a ''general monitoring obligation'' prohibited by EU law Free speech: Requiring platforms to monitor content contradicts intermediary liability protections in EU law and creates incentives to remove content Ineffectiveness: Content detection tools are flawed (generate false positives, don't fit all kinds of content) and overly burdensome, especially for small and medium-sized businesses that might not be able to afford them or the resulting litigation Upload filters are especially concerning for software developers given that:
        Software developers create copyrightable works'--their code'--and those who choose an open source license want to allow that code to be shared False positives (and negatives) are especially likely for software code because code often has many contributors and layers, often with different licensing for different components Requiring code-hosting platforms to scan and automatically remove content could drastically impact software developers when their dependencies are removed due to false positives The EU Parliament continues to introduce new proposals for Article 13 but these issues remain. MEP Julia Reda explains further in a recent proposal from Parliament.
        EU policymakers want and need to hear from developers As part of our ongoing collaboration with others affected, GitHub will help represent developers at an upcoming breakfast in Parliament on Tuesday, March 20, intended to show the human impact of this copyright proposal.
        EU policymakers have told us it would be very useful to hear directly from more developers. In particular, developers at European companies can make a significant impact.
        How to reach EU policymakers Write to EU policymakers (MEPs, Council Members, or Commissioners) and ask them to exclude ''software repositories'' from Article 13. Please explain how important the ability to freely share code is for software developers and how important open source software is to the software industry and the EU economy
        Explain this in person to EU policymakers
        GitHub can help connect you with policymakers, provide additional background, or chat if you might be interested in representing software developers in defending your ability to share code and not have your builds break. Get in touch!
      Kabinet past inlichtingenwet aan na 'nee' bij referendum | Politiek | AD.nl
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    OTG
      Beeper Codes
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 15:25
        CodeMeaning 6Always 7Forever 11Maybe 14Hi 18Yes 22Be good 15Whatever 23Te Amo 24I'm Home 25Sorry 26Te Quiero 27Need You 29You suck 32Eat Me 42F--- Me 41Call me 43F--- You 45Good Night 47Good Morning 52Hurry Up 53Thank You 56Sweet Dreams 58Happy B-Day 66I'm Mad 70I'm Sad 82Freak Me 90Beautiful 93Grow Up 07Just Kidding 020Plans Changed 010I'm tired 17No 011Monday 022Tuesday 033Wednesday 044Thursday 055Friday 066Saturday 077Sunday 000Time 108Come Over 0121I'm confused 122I Want You 123I Miss You 315But 124I'm dreaming of you 143I Love You 180Yesterday 183I'm Busy 200Tonight 193Miss Me? 195See you tonight 197I'm pissed off 222Busted 2242 Good 4 U 243We Love You 280My Sexy Baby 288Today 135You wish 303Stop playing 187You're dead 304Hoe 323Let Me Hit 324C-U-Soon 333What's Up? 335You're Crazy 341I Like You 343Call Back Now 346Call Back Please 411Information 423Call Me Now 425Call Me Later 436Hugs & Kisses 444I Want Love 522Think of Me 6771Good Friend 606Bitch 823Thinking of U 883Beep Me 911Emergency 937Never 943Where R U? 1250Me Too 1925Let's Go Out 1443I Don't Love U 15243Be With Me 12-25Merry Xmas 1543I Still Love U 119I'm in Trouble 3838Bebe 3704556A$$hole 321Please Reply 5900Feel Sick 50538Besos 55378008Boobless 6-9999999Get in line 555I want your sex 1001Prove it 428Call me whenever 7735Sell out 099Too late to call 1023It's over 001Please 074I need a favor 637Always and forever 09-09Let's talk 064Don't call me 00Airhead 07734Hello 3838-07734Hello Baby 17-31707-1I love you 4040I hate you 345987I'm horny 69Both ways 19Hug 434Feel Better 46Hug 1423I want to die Jump to the bottom.
      Librem 5 '' A Security and Privacy Focused Phone '' Purism
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 12:27
        Freedom of Choice
        We believe phones should not track you nor exploit your digital life. We are in the middle of a digital rights revolution where you get to decide the future. We at Purism are building a phone that does not run Android nor iOS, but runs PureOS or any GNU/Linux distribution where all the source code is available.
        Note that the visual design of the phone is a work in progress and is subject to evolve based on technical requirements and people's feedback.
        Peace of Mind
        Our phone will not wholesale gather your data for profit. It will not lock you into an ecosystem that controls you. It will not require you to enter banking details to simply get an app from an app store.
        Does Not Track You
        Our phone will be built to protect you by default. It will never exploit you for profit. It will be a phone for the people, by the people.
        High Quality
        We know how to build products that are convenient, privacy and security focused. Our phone will give you peace of mind knowing it does not track you.
        Does not run Google Android Does not run Apple iOS Runs PureOS by default, can run most GNU+Linux distributions World's first ever IP-native mobile handset End-to-end encrypted decentralized communications via Matrix 5'" screen Security focused by design Privacy protection by default Works with 2G/3G/4G, GSM, UMTS, and LTE networks CPU separate from Baseband Hardware Kill Switches for Camera, Microphone, WiFi/Bluetooth, and Baseband Purism PureOS
        Apple iOS
        Google Android
        User Controls Device Yes
        No
        No
        Trackers Disabled by Default Yes
        No
        No
        Privacy Protection By Default Yes
        No
        No
        Does Not Track You Yes
        No
        No
        Layered Security Protection Yes
        No
        No
        User Controlled Source Code Yes
        No
        No
        Runs GNU+Linux Yes
        No
        No
        Separates CPU from Cellular Baseband Yes
        No
        No
        IP-Native Communication First Yes
        No
        No
        Decentralized Communication by Default Yes
        No
        No
        Purism has built and delivered laptops successfully for over 2 years and is now ready to begin development on a phone product.
        We are focusing on creating a secure communication device, and will continually expand the product through software with community and developer support.
        The first version will be capable of voice calling, video, camera, messaging, email, and web browsing, expanding quickly to include the thousands of productivity, gaming, graphics, and photography applications already in PureOS.
        By creating a phone that supports an open community-driven development environment, we can change the future of computing to be respectful of your digital life. (learn more)
        ''I believe digital rights should mirror physical rights, our Librem 5 phone will get humanity closer to that goal.'' '-- Todd Weaver, Founder & CEO
        ''Computer users are individuals not just consumers. I want people to gain back control of their technical life, I want to empower people!'' '-- Nicole Faerber, Lead Phone Developer
        ''I don't trust Google because 97% of their revenue is generated by knowing as much as possible about me.'' '-- James Rufer, Director of Product
        ''The idea of a Matrix-native smartphone is unbelievably exciting. Matrix has always aimed to be a decentralised encrypted alternative to the public telephone network, and the Librem 5 makes this all the more true. With truly open communications and a truly open operating system, this is a vision of a world where users are back in control of their communication and their technology, rather than being trapped in proprietary communication silos '' a world that cannot come soon enough! '-- Matthew Hodgson, Co-founder of Matrix.org
        ''Android is so frustrating! Trying to remove Google's privacy invasion bit-by-bit removes functionality bit-by-bit, and you end up with a non-working phone. Purism will solve this by putting your privacy protection and security first.'' '-- Zlatan TodoriÄ‡, CTO
        ''From the largest server clusters to the tiniest of phones, computing devices of all sizes should ultimately provide the choice to decide whatever level of privacy and freedom is appropriate for them.'' '-- Chris Lamb, Debian Project Leader 2017
        ''It should be our choice on which data we choose to make public. Lack of awareness or understanding of our digital footprint and having others' benefit from it should not be the norm. Tools, like Librem products and PureOS, are vital to help us manage without needing to become cyber-experts.'' '--Helen Vasilevski, Board Member
        ''Currently there is no choice but to put your trust in companies that you don't want to trust, and this is a problem. The Librem 5 phone will change that, and allow you to control your own life.'' '-- Youness Alaoui, Hardware Enablement Engineer
        ''This is MY phone!'' '-- Theodotos Andreou, System Administrator
        ''I am very pleased to see Purism considering to use, support, and advance GNOME on mobile devices.'' '-- Neil McGovern, Executive Director, GNOME Foundation
        ''Partnering with Purism will allow us to ready Plasma Mobile for the real world and integrate it seamlessly with a commercial device for the first time. The Librem 5 will make Plasma Mobile shine the way it deserves.'' '-- Lydia Pintscher, President of KDE e.V.
        ''I am very excited about having a phone that only runs free and open source software. Not only is it a great win for users now having full control over their devices and their privacy, but it also enables the community to develop on a smartphone platform without restrictions, which opens the door for novel ideas and innovation on these devices.'' '-- Matthias Klumpp
        ''I trust freedoms governed by democratic transparent power structures. My current phone runs Free code '' my next phone will be trustworthy.'' '-- Jonas Smedegaard, Debian developer and PureOS developer
        ''Do I want a phone I can finally trust, and doubles as a convergence developer board? Was Grace Hopper a rear admiral?!'' '-- David Seaward, Lead developer (Purist services)
        ''Planned obsolescence of Android and iPhones made me understand how important the free software movement is for everyone. Now, I refuse to buy another phone that I do not control and am not the owner of.'' '-- Fran§ois T(C)chen(C), Director of Creative
        ''Purism has been doing genuine and important work around making truly free yet desirable laptops. The communities I work with would very much like to see the same philosophy replicated in a phone that runs a GNOME based stack where community members can participate in equal terms and that ensures respect for the users' privacy and security. While pulling this off is hard, Todd seems like someone who sincerely cares about these issues and has a great track record executing, I think the efforts of Purism deserve the support of the free software community.'' '-- Alberto Ruiz, GNOME & Fedora Laptop Enablement
        We have assembled a world-class global team, in over 15 countries, united in one common goal to make computing devices that respect digital rights. We have specialties that include mobile development, mobile communications, hardware manufacturing, software security, privacy protection, and free software. We are passionately devoted to security, privacy, and digital rights for users, and this shows clearly in all our products.
        The Librem 5 is a 5'" phone that carries with it a social revolution, where we the people can stand up for our digital rights, we can say ''We want to control our phone and keep our own data. We refuse to financially back the wholesale gathering of our digital life. We no longer will allow unfettered access to our photos, videos, email, text messages, applications and usage data.'' By using a Librem 5 phone you are standing up for the future of phone privacy, you are supporting an open community-driven development environment, where all the source code can be used, re-purposed, and shared to improve society. By backing this campaign, you are voting with your wallet to support a future where people can be protected, feel safe, and participate in a respectful culture.
        The Librem 5 can be used in any of three ways:
        With a cellular carrier provided phone number, data plan, and WiFi With a cellular carrier data plan, and WiFi With no carrier, and using only WiFi WiFi calling and VoIP calling will be able to be provided in WiFi or data plan modes. We expect to offer call-out, and call-in with phone numbers in all of these plans as well. If you still require a ''traditional'' phone number through a carrier and want to make unencrypted phone calls or messaging, it will be an option you can choose, but is not required (we recommend avoiding unencrypted phone calls).
        Starting with a metal case, high resolution screen, and multifunction port, we heard your feedback, know what you want, since we want it too. The specifications are continuing to get pinned down, and will not be finalized until after the campaign ends, so please share what you'd like to see, and we will evaluate all design feedback that aligns with our beliefs.
        The CPU will be an i.MX 6 or i.MX 8, where we can separate the baseband modem from the main CPU, digging deeper and deeper to protect your privacy and isolate components for a strong security hardware stack.
        Enabling the path for a true convergence device, capable to work as a phone, making video and audio calls, encrypted messaging, email, web browser, that can also become a full desktop computer with an option for a compatible keyboard, mouse, and monitor. It can be a desktop computer and phone all-in-one.
        PureOS will ship by default, an isolation based security focused operating system, where all the source code is available. PureOS, like Ubuntu, Debian, and Red Hat, runs a Linux Kernel and utilizes the GNU operating system tools that power billions of users on a daily basis. PureOS strives for the strictest of security and privacy protection, by releasing all the source code, and offering safe security and privacy defaults, as well as avoiding common security threats, such as ransomware, and data mining tools. PureOS is in complete compliance with FSF's free distribution guidelines and will never ship non-free binaries.
        PureOS on the Librem 5 initially, upon shipment, will offer basic communication services: phone, email, messaging, voice, camera, browsing, and will expand after shipment and over time to more free software applications, through shared collaboration with the developer community (not ''read-only open source'', but true free software collaboration).
        Partnering with Matrix Librem 5 is the first ever Matrix-powered smartphone, natively using end-to-end encrypted decentralised communication in its dialer and messaging app.
        Matrix is an open ecosystem for interoperable encrypted communication, supporting a rapidly growing community of over 2 million users for VoIP and Slack-style messaging. Allowing you to easily communicate securely to any Internet connected device, including iOS, Android, Windows, OSX, or GNU+Linux machines. Having a native communication suite which allows for Calling, Text Messaging, Group Messaging, and Video Calling is the future of communication.
        Group Chat, and Individual Messaging
        Double Ratchet, End-to-End Encryption
        VoIP signaling for WebRTC
        Read Receipts, Typing Notifications
        Push Notifications
        Multiple Device Search
        Synchronized Read State and Unread Counts
        Decentralized Content Repository
        Purism's Librem 5 phone will be able to run HTML5 applications, which means common applications you use everyday will be available through the web browser. Purism will be able to isolate these applications from the OS, so the applications will not be able to have visibility into other running applications or have access to areas that you do not allow.
        PureOS Debian GNU/Linux Ubuntu Fedora Suse Arch Linux | ARM SubgraphOS
        Librem Laptops Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse WiFi BlueTooth 3G/4G/LTE Apple iOS Apple OSX Android Windows GNU/Linux This device is for anybody and everybody interested in protecting his/her data, communicating privately to your loved ones, or supporting a future of protecting your digital rights.
        Parents Parents will love the Librem 5 because it will allow you to communicate with your child, while having peace of mind that they are not being compromised or tracked without your permission.
        Developers Developers will love the Librem 5 because it will allow you to control your software and do what you'd like with a phone device.
        Enterprises & Businesses Enterprises will love the Librem 5 because it will allow them to have a security focused phone that is immune to common threats and protects their data by default.
        Business Professionals will love the Librem 5 because it will give them the peace of mind that they have the best security and privacy protection built-in.
        Technology lovers CTOs/CIOs/IT will love the Librem 5 because all the source code is available for audit, and they can tightly integrate whatever configuration the corporation requires.
        The specs will be finalized as late as efficiently possible to ensure the best available components. The hardware will run almost any GNU+Linux based distribution, and it will also work with 2G/3G/4G, GSM, UMTS, and LTE networks.
        5'" touchscreen i.MX 6 or i.MX 8 CPU (we're already making progress on our roadmap to i.MX 8) Vivante GPU (Etnaviv free software accelerated driver) Separate mobile baseband 3GB LPDDR3 32GB eMMC MicroSD slot Camera (front and back) Flash Headphone and Microphone Jack (3.5mm) Microphone Speaker Power Button Volume Controls SIM Slot WiFi 802.11 Bluetooth 4 Debugging interface (internal) USB Host USB Type-C Battery Sensors: GPS Accelerometer Gyroscope Compass Ambient Light Proximity Hardware kill switches for: Camera Microphone Baseband WiFi/Bluetooth *Specifications are subject to change.
        The developer kit includes:
        screen + touchscreen development mainboard cabling power supply some critical components as modules: camera baseband modem WiFi GPS various sensors *Specifications are subject to change.
        After funding is completed, we will prepare the hardware design, manufacture developer units and get those into the hands of all the developers and backers of the development kit, so we can work on the software and full hardware roll-out in parallel. Once we confirm the basics from these developer units, we will update the hardware design and begin production. Learning from experience, we are giving ourselves time to develop and follow the hardware trends to deliver to you the ideal phone product running the most rights-respecting software available.
        The product that ships to backers will be finalized phone hardware that can make a phone call, check email, browse the web, make a video call, and take a photo. This is designed to start as an encrypted communication device, and expand, after shipment, over time, to include all the productivity and software common on existing phone and desktop operating systems.
        The Librem 5 phone project started a little over 1.5 years prior to the launch of this campaign, researching and selecting hardware that would work to create a PureOS based phone, that would not rely upon Android. We have added team members to do all the research and development, and after testing the hardware to confirm we can meet our goals, we are now at the point of seeking preorders to prove the demand and fund the manufacturing.
        As you can see from the gantt chart above, we expect to use the funds from this preorder campaign to fabricate the development units, manufacture the phone, port/develop the OS, and develop the communication applications. This is a lot of work to accomplish, and we are both allotting enough time to get this all done, and putting a call out for quality, eager, free software developers to add to our phone development team (see our jobs page for more information).
        After the Librem 5 ships to customers, we will continue to improve the software by adding common and requested applications such as calendar, notes, calculator, pdf viewer, etc. Since this is a free software phone where all the source code and packages are available, we would expect to see developers creating their own applications, porting existing applications, and improving the overall ''app store'' experience. If you are a developer interested and wanting to port your application, we will be creating a community area to participate in PureOS mobile development. You can find out more about PureOS at PureOS.net.
        Like any great endeavor, we have some lofty goals that could be accomplished with enough funding, so we have included our dream roadmap below. Applying funding targets to each goal, allows us to share the stretch goals and see just how far we can go with the product, based on user support:
        $4m = VOIP phone number, call-in, call-out features
        $6m = Reverse engineering faster WiFi/BT firmware
        $8m = Free encrypted VPN tunnel service for all backers for 1 year
        $10m = Run Android applications in isolation on Librem 5
        $20m = FUN GOAL, Candy Crush (clone) ðŸ‚ available for free
        $32m = FUN GOAL, ''We did it!''(polite reference to Ubuntu Edge goal)
        We want to hear from you, literally! We want to have a unique Purism Librem 5 ringtone, and will give-away (or refund an existing order for) a Librem 5 to the winner(s) of the Ringtone contest!
        What we would like is a free format ringtones for; power-on, phone call, text message, video call, and email notification. We will refund any existing order, or give-away a Librem 5 to whomever we select in any of those categories (so yes, it could be one winner, or could be 5).
        Please submit your free format sound clips via email to info@puri.sm with the subject ''Ringtone Contest submission'', please provide the files under a free cultural work license, please name the files or reference the file names to the categories mentioned above. (e.g. purism-librem-5_email-at-domain_power-on.flac ).
        EDIT: The ringtone contest is over, we do not accept any further submissions! Thank you all for participating, the voting process has started among team members and the winner(s) will be announced soon.
        Although our core business is hardware, software, and services, and having spent the last 18 months (prior to launching the campaign) doing phone research, there are still risks. We've partnered with one of the largest phone manufacturers in the world to produce the case, and fabricate the motherboard from our specifications, and of course sourcing the screen, battery, and power supply. We have a worldwide team to address all that we need; from mainland China manufacturing, Hong Kong exporting, South San Francisco USA assembly, European reseller, and a Worldwide developer network. We're excited and ready for the journey from this campaign to delivered phone.
        One reason for setting the funding goal at our target is to mitigate risk of research and development, and to have some padding for delays, errors, and issues that arise during any new manufacturing project.
        Finally, because we will be making some hardware and chipset changes during the development process, this will introduce changes in software or drivers. The good news it that since we believe what you believe, you will end up with a high-quality phone that protects you by default no matter the version of a given chip.
        Do I need to add the cost of shipping to my pledge? We offer free worldwide shipping on orders, so there is no need to add any shipping.
        Do you have a German or UK/EU Reseller? Yes, we have partnered with a German reseller, and will be shipping all German (and UK/EU orders) from Germany.
        Can I run Android apps? Not day 1. However there is a lot of interest in including a isolation layer that will be able to power Android applications natively. We have added that as a stretch goal to quantify the effort.
        What forms of payment do you accept? Credit Card, Direct Bank Transfer, Bitcoin, and International Wire Transfer. If you need any assistance or alternative options for payment, email ops@puri.sm for assistance.
        Do you accept Paypal? No, Paypal's policy does not allow for the full funds to be used as pre-sales, they put a large reserve on crowd-funded presales, and that large reserve severely limits the ability for us to pay for non-recurring engineering, tooling, development, manufacturing, and ship product. If you need any assistance or alternative options for payment (or require a one-off Paypal payment), email ops@puri.sm for assistance.
        Will the Librem 5 have CE Markings? Yes we will have proper and registered CE markings on the Librem 5 phone, the location of those markings will likely be in the lower back section of the case in a light gray silkscreen, similar to our Librem 15 and Librem 13 laptops.
        How easy will it be for me to switch from Android or iOS to the Librem 5? For phone calls, email, web browsing, there will be no issues with switching, if you rely upon native applications that are not yet supported, you may need to use HTML5 applications (Social Media, News, Banking), or consider alternatives (e.g. Riot.im vs. Signal). If we reach our stretch goal to run Android applications in isolation, it will become possible for some applications to run.
        Can I transfer my photos, files, downloads from Android or iOS to the Librem 5? Yes, you will be able to use the phone as a storage device, that can show up on your computer by just plugging in the USB cable and viewing the folders. This will allow you to import or export files, photos, documents, with ease. With the Librem 5 there is no proprietary software that locks your files into proprietary formats, allowing easy sharing of the content you want to share.
        Will I be able to communicate from my Librem 5 to other phones? Yes, you will be able to make regular unencrypted phone calls to any phone number. You will also be able to communicate securely by using the phone dialing application and messaging application, that can run on the Librem 5 phone, Android based phones, and iOS based phones, and any computing device.
        Will communicating from my Librem 5 to other phones compromise my privacy or security? The Librem 5 will be the most secure when communicating with another Librem 5 phone, communicating via an encrypted app on a Librem 5 to an Android or iOS encrypted app is the second best option available.
        Will my existing SIM card work on the Librem 5 We aim to support 3G and 4G for the most common international frequency bands and carriers. Exact specifications will follow.
        Will I be able to use emergency services (e.g. 911 or 999)? Yes, the Librem 5 will work with most carriers, and those carriers support emergency services
        What countries and mobile networks will support the Librem 5 phone? The Librem 5 is an open network phone, not locked to any particular network. It will work in all countries that provide 2G/3G/4G, GSM, UMTS, or LTE-based network services.
        Are all hardware components running completely free software, with the source code available? From testing the CPU, GPU, Bootloader and all software will run free software, we are evaluating the WiFi and Bluetooth chips and firmware, this is an area we have to evaluate, finalize, and test. The mobile baseband will most likely use ROM loaded firmware, but a free software kernel driver. We intend to invest time and money toward freeing any non-free firmware.
        Can the Librem 5 phone run Windows? Very likely, even though we will not expend resources to test this.
        Can the Librem 5 phone run Android? Very likely, even though we will not expend resources to test this.
        Can the Librem 5 phone run iOS? Not likely, and we will not expend resources to test this.
        Will the phone receive updates after launch? Yes, all hardware Purism releases gets regular security and performance updates within PureOS.
        Can the phone runs Qubes OS like Librem laptops? No, Qubes OS requires virtualization on the CPU, and the Librem 5's CPU will not offer that. The Librem laptops do support VT-d and VT-x and therefore support running Qubes OS.
        What if you don't reach the funding target? It will show that there is not enough interest in producing a device that focuses on security, privacy, and digital rights, which will be a tremendous social disappointment. If we don't reach our target then all contributions will be fully refunded.
        Will Twitter, Fandango, My Bank, etc. work on a Librem 5 phone? Yes, any web based app will work through the browser. Over time these sites will either use progressive web applications, or could have a native app.
        Will you have a calendar app, maps app, notepad app, etc. by default? Our first version will be focusing on phone calling, encrypted communication, and web browsing. However the free software community is encouraged to test, port, author, and get involved to take all the great free software applications that exist already and make it work on a 5'" screen.
        Will I be able to open word or excel documents sent via email? At delivery we do not plan to support the reader or renderer for these proprietary formats, but this is a top priority to solve after product delivery.
        Will there be hardware kill switches? Yes, we need to evaluate the wiring and design limitations to determine the best approach; the intention is to include Camera, Microphone, WiFi/Bluetooth, and Baseband Modem kill switches or some combination. We may utilize a microphone headphone jack plug to kill the microphone at the hardware level as an example of some inventions we are testing and considering. But rest assured we will have hardware kill switches.
        Can I remove the battery and replace it? Yes, like all Purism products, the case itself will allow you to access the insides, and the battery will be modular and can be replaced with ease.
        Does Purism comply with CALEA requirements? No, because CALEA applies to US based telecommunications providers, not to Purism. If the user of a Librem 5 phone uses a carrier in the US with a traditional ''phone number'', that carrier must comply with CALEA for phone calls, as the phone call is sent over the carrier's connection. Pure Matrix-to-Matrix calls are outside of CALEA requirements (Matrix nor Purism are telecommunications service providers). If the call touches the PSTN is becomes the carrier's responsibility to adhere to CALEA. Matrix is an encrypted voip/messaging protocol not a telco.
        Will this run coreboot and have the Intel ME neutralized? The Librem 5 will not be Intel based, it will be i.MX 6/8 based, so therefore we don't need coreboot nor the Management Engine. The i.MX 6/8 CPU will be completely free software without any binaries whatsoever!
        Why don't you build a free UI ontop of Mer (Sailfish OS)? Or resurrect Firefox OS? Or insert-name-here? Because we want to promote a pure and unified stack, not have a separate mobile OS with proprietary bits or a completely different middleware stack. We want to support the community efforts of GNOME and KDE*, and allow for any GNU+Linux to work out-of-the-box providing mainline improvements that work not just on mobile but across the device spectrum. The Librem 5 is a new approach to use a regular Linux system and adopt it to mobile use-cases instead of creating a completely new system. We do not create a walled garden, instead we tear down these walls, creating an open utopia. A fully standards-based freedom-oriented system, based on Debian and many other upstream projects, has never been done before''we will be the first to seriously attempt this.
        You can also learn more about our position on GNOME and KDE further below in this FAQ.
        Will the Librem 5 be able to run Anbox or Shashlik? We will test the capabilities of powering Anbox or Shashlik to allow users the ability to run Android applications within PureOS on the Librem 5, but our long-term goal is to utilize native applications that adhere to our strict philosophy. Enterprise clients or users who require Android applications may choose to to run a Android applications within an isolation container, so this is the reason for testing this type of configuration. We have a stretch goal to help with this developmental effort to have Android apps run in isolation.
        What hardware specifications are subject to change? RAM, Storage, USB version and type, WiFi version, Bluetooth version, Screen type, Screen resolution are the important things that are subject to change based on supplier availability, and software and driver support.
        What is the RAM/Drive configuration? Purism plans to max-out the CPU's RAM and Drive according to the best capabilities during testing, and have listed the minimum confirmed specifications on the campaign page.
        What detailed hardware specs can be provided, and when? The detailed specifications will be released as we firm up the hardware choices, it will be ongoing communication during the research phase.
        What CPU will be used, i.MX 6 or i.MX 8? We started prototyping with the i.MX 6, and are getting close to be able to fully confirm the possibility of using i.MX 8. We want to know we can use i.MX 8 for sure. The i.MX8 would be pretty ideal for us, it has much more computational power while at the same time reducing power consumption since it uses a more recent production technology. It is especially designed for mobile use. The i.MX 8M or i.MX 8X seem like the ones we would want. But they have two areas we will be closely following; we will be getting new prototypes in November 2017. The i.MX 8 will have a new, more recent GPU, a dual core Vivante GC7000Lite which is not yet supported by the free Etnaviv driver. The big questions are, when will silicon become available and when will decent Linux support be available for it? So we will keep evaluating after the campaign ends and decide i.MX 6 or do we get to fully move to i.MX 8.
        What warranties apply to the Librem 5 phone? Our standard 1yr parts and labor warranty applies. Also if you are not happy with the product, you may return it within 30 days of receiving it for a full refund. Purism will not cover the cost of return postage and packaging.
        Will this be an ''open hardware'' design? Our intention is to have everything freed down to the schematic level, but have not cleared all design, patents, legal, and contractual details. We will continue to advance toward this goal as it aligns with our long-term beliefs.
        Why not use Wire, Telegram, WhatsApp, or Signal? While these all provide encryption, and some do release the client software under acceptable licensing terms, they all are walled gardens wanting you to register with them, and their server software is proprietary and therefore not acceptable to us. Matrix is the proper solution and that is why we have partnered with them.
        Will you be seeking FSF RYF endorsement? We will constantly keep FSF up-to-date on the hardware and software, our current understanding is any non-free kernel firmware needed for RF chips will not meet the RYF qualifications today, so we will continue to evaluate the WiFi and Bluetooth cards in the hopes to advance toward RYF. The end goal for us is to gain RYF for all Purism products. PureOS will always be compliant with FSF distribution endorsement, PureOS will never ship with non-free binaries.
        Will you be running GNOME, Plasma, or your own custom UI? We will be working with both GNOME/GTK and KDE/Plasma communities, and have partnered with the foundations behind them for the middleware layer. PureOS currently is GNOME-based and look forward to working with GNOME as an upstream as well as GNOME's OS and design-centric development model; however we will also test, support, and develop with KDE and the KDE community, and of course we will support Qt for application development.
        Learn more about the rationale behind this approach.
        Will the phone have a fingerprint reader, or other biometric access? No, we will not be shipping with any biometric hardware, the reasons for this is because single access via biometrics does not prevent access to your phone the same way a security code or lock does. The US Supreme Court has alluded to biometric access not protecting you the same way that a security code from memory (a security code) does (e.g. You can say ''no'' to a passphrase, or security code, but you cannot say ''no'' to biometric (physical) information). So even if in future models of the Librem 5 phone we do include biometric hardware, we will be double-locking it with a security code, to have the best security story we can for users.
        Can I come work for you? We are actively hiring. Please visit https://puri.sm/jobs/ and take a look. We are mostly interested in eager, self motivated, free software enthusiasts who want to change the world for the better.
        Can I invest in Purism? Yes, please reach out to ir@puri.sm (Investor Relations), and you will get a reply within 24 hours to discuss the opportunity.
        I don't see my question, how can I get it answered? Please email support@puri.sm and we will answer you, and if it applies to the general audience we will post it here!
      Wi-Fi is an important threat to human health - ScienceDirect
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 12:50
        Highlights'7 effects have each been repeatedly reported following Wi-Fi & other EMF exposures.
        'Established Wi-Fi effects, include apoptosis, oxidat. stress &:
        'testis/sperm dysfunct; Neuropsych; DNA impact; hormone change; Ca2+ rise.
        'Wi-Fi is thought to act via voltage-gated calcium channel activation.
        'One claim of no Wi-Fi effects was found to be deeply flawed.
        AbstractRepeated Wi-Fi studies show that Wi-Fi causes oxidative stress, sperm/testicular damage, neuropsychiatric effects including EEG changes, apoptosis, cellular DNA damage, endocrine changes, and calcium overload. Each of these effects are also caused by exposures to other microwave frequency EMFs, with each such effect being documented in from 10 to 16 reviews. Therefore, each of these seven EMF effects are established effects of Wi-Fi and of other microwave frequency EMFs. Each of these seven is also produced by downstream effects of the main action of such EMFs, voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) activation. While VGCC activation via EMF interaction with the VGCC voltage sensor seems to be the predominant mechanism of action of EMFs, other mechanisms appear to have minor roles. Minor roles include activation of other voltage-gated ion channels, calcium cyclotron resonance and the geomagnetic magnetoreception mechanism. Five properties of non-thermal EMF effects are discussed. These are that pulsed EMFs are, in most cases, more active than are non-pulsed EMFs; artificial EMFs are polarized and such polarized EMFs are much more active than non-polarized EMFs; dose-response curves are non-linear and non-monotone; EMF effects are often cumulative; and EMFs may impact young people more than adults. These general findings and data presented earlier on Wi-Fi effects were used to assess the Foster and Moulder (F&M) review of Wi-Fi. The F&M study claimed that there were seven important studies of Wi-Fi that each showed no effect. However, none of these were Wi-Fi studies, with each differing from genuine Wi-Fi in three distinct ways. F&M could, at most conclude that there was no statistically significant evidence of an effect. The tiny numbers studied in each of these seven F&M-linked studies show that each of them lack power to make any substantive conclusions. In conclusion, there are seven repeatedly found Wi-Fi effects which have also been shown to be caused by other similar EMF exposures. Each of the seven should be considered, therefore, as established effects of Wi-Fi.
        Keywords Electromagnetic field (EMF)
        Brain impact
        Testis/sperm count and quality
        Impact of pulsation and polarization
        Activation of voltage-gated calcium channels
        Wi-Fi or WiFi
        (C) 2018 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc.
      Mystery Stingray devices discovered in Washington - BBC News
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 10:01
        Image copyright Getty Images
        Image caption Stingrays are devices which mimic mobile phone towers to gather data Spy kits that can track mobile phones and intercept calls and messages have been discovered in Washington and beyond, the US government has said.
        The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says it has observed "anomalous activity" consistent with the use of so-called stingrays.
        They could be used by foreign spies or criminals, although the DHS said it did not know who was using them.
        It added that such devices pose a "growing risk".
        Stingrays, a brand name for a type of International Mobile Subscriber Identity catcher (IMSI), are mobile phone surveillance devices that mimic mobile phone towers.
        The size of a briefcase, the devices send out signals to trick mobile phones into transmitting their location and identifying information.
        As well as tracking the mobile phone of a suspect, the devices also gather information about phones of bystanders who are nearby.
        It is believed to be the first time the US government has acknowledged the use of rogue spying devices in Washington.
        Police use The revelation came in response to a letter from US senator Ron Wyden to the DHS, asking about the unauthorised use of such devices.
        The agency response was obtained by the Associated Press from Wyden's office.
        In it, a senior official at the DHS acknowledged that it had "observed anomalous activity in the National Capital Region (NCR) that appears to be consistent with International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catchers".
        It added that it had observed similar activity "outside the NCR" but had "not validated or attributed such activity to specific entities or devices."
        The use of Stingray devices by police forces across the US is being tracked by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). It has identified 73 agencies in 25 states that own such devices but believes there could be many more in use which are not formally declared.
        There are concerns among politicians in Washington that such devices could also be used by unauthorised agencies, such as foreign governments.
    Phrase from the chaise
      Hij heeft boter op z'n hoofd ['(he has) butter on his head'] - he should
      stay away from heat or it will melt - meaning: "he's criticizing others,
      but he's not innocent himself: he is a hypocrite"
    Census
      Historical Questions
        Adam
        In regards to the discussion on the 2020 Census questions
        that the Trump administration is proposing, the following is a sampling of
        questions in the 1800's. These are pulled from the website censusfinder.com, but I
        have previously viewed the scanned documents on ancestory.com and recall these questions on the forms.
        In the early 1800's, the census had very few questions in
        general -- mostly the name of the head-of-household and the person count by age
        group. In the mid-1800's the questions became more personal, such as asking if
        the person is "idiotic or insane". In contrast, the
        1940 census (http://www.censusfinder.com/1940-census.htm)
        had numerous questions regarding employment, which makes sense in regards to
        the Great Depression.
        1820 http://www.censusfinder.com/1820-census.htm
          -- How many other free persons except Indians.
          -- How many Slaves.
          -- How many persons not naturalized.
        1830 http://www.censusfinder.com/1830-census.htm
          -- How many deaf and dumb whites under age 14, over 14 and
          under 25, over 25 years of age.
          -- How many blind whites.
          -- How many deaf and dumb slaves and free blacks under age
          14, over 14 and under 25, over 25 years of age.
          -- How many blind slaves and free blacks.
          -- How many white foreigners not naturalized.
        1840 http://www.censusfinder.com/1840-census.htm
          -- How many idiotic or insane whites.
          -- How many idiotic or insane slaves and free
          blacks.
          1850 http://www.censusfinder.com/1850-census.htm
          -- Can the person read and write. (only if over age 20).
          -- Is the person deaf, dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, a
          pauper or convict
        1860 http://www.censusfinder.com/1860-census.htm
          -- Is the person deaf, dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, a pauper
          or convict.
        1870 http://www.censusfinder.com/1870-census.htm
          -- Whether or not parents are of foreign birth.
          -- Can the person read and write.
          -- Is the person deaf, dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic.
        1880 http://www.censusfinder.com/1880-census.htm
          -- Whether or not a person was sick or temporarily disabled,
          and if so, the nature of the illness.
          -- Whether a person was blind, deaf, dumb, idiotic,
          insane, maimed, crippled, bedridden or permanently disabled.
        1890 http://www.censusfinder.com/1890-census.htm
          -- Whether suffering from acute or chronic disease, with
          name of disease and length of time afflicted.
          -- Whether defective in mind, sight, hearing, or speech, or
          whether crippled, maimed, or deformed, with name of defect.
          -- Whether a prisoner, convict, homeless child, or pauper.
        1900 http://www.censusfinder.com/1900-census.htm
          -- Place of birth of this person.
          -- Place of birth of Father of this person.
          -- Place of birth of Mother of this person.
          -- Attended school (in months).
          -- Can read.
          -- Can write.
          -- Can speak English.
    F-Russia
      Fugu fish last meal of Skripals
      Porton Down experts unable to identify 'precise source' of novichok that poisoned spy
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 19:23
        Scientists from Porton Down have not been able to establish where the novichok nerve agent used to poison Sergei and Yulia Skripal was made.
        Gary Aitkenhead, chief executive of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down, told Sky News they were not yet able to prove it was made in Russia.
        He said: "We were able to identify it as novichok, to identify that it was military-grade nerve agent.
        "We have not identified the precise source, but we have provided the scientific info to Government who have then used a number of other sources to piece together the conclusions you have come to."
        Video: 'We don't know source of nerve agent' He said establishing its origin required "other inputs", some of them intelligence-based, that the Government has access to.
        Mr Aitkenhead added: "It is our job to provide the scientific evidence of what this particular nerve agent is, we identified that it is from this particular family and that it is a military grade, but it is not our job to say where it was manufactured."
        However, he confirmed the substance required "extremely sophisticated methods to create, something only in the capabilities of a state actor".
        He said there was no known antidote to novichok.
        Image: Mr Aitkenhead would not comment on whether Porton Down keeps novichok Porton Down's boss would not comment on whether the lab had developed or keeps stocks of novichok, but dismissed suggestions the substance used to poison the Skripals had come from Porton Down.
        "There is no way anything like that could have come from us or left the four walls of our facility," said Mr Aitkenhead.
        The Foreign Office responded that they still believed Russia was behind the attack because of the wider "intelligence picture".
        A spokesperson said: "We have been clear from the very beginning that our world leading experts at Porton Down identified the substance used in Salisbury as a Novichok, a military grade nerve agent.
        "This is only one part of the intelligence picture.
        Image: Mr Johnson's department said the chemical test was 'one part' of evidence "As the Prime Minister has set out in a number of statements to the Commons since 12 March, this includes our knowledge that within the last decade, Russia has investigated ways of delivering nerve agents - probably for assassination - and as part of this programme has produced and stockpiled small quantities of Novichoks.
        "Russia's record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations; and our assessment that Russia views former intelligence officers as targets.
        "It is our assessment that Russia was responsible for this brazen and reckless act and, as the international community agrees, there is no other plausible explanation."
        The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory also responded to Mr Aitkenhead's comments, writing in a series of posts on Twitter: "Our experts have precisely identified the nerve agent as a Novichok.
        "It is not, and has never been, our responsibility to confirm the source of the agent.
        "This chemical identity of the nerve agent is one of four factors used by the Government to attribute the use of chemical weapons in Salisbury to Russia.
        "The Government's assessment has been clear from the start. Our chemical analysis is a key part of the Government's assessment, and this has not changed."
        It comes as the chemical weapons watchdog said it would hold a special meeting on Wednesday into the UK Government's claim that Russia was behind the attack.
        Image: Porton Down's boss says there is 'no way' the nerve agent came from there The OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) said its executive council would meet in the morning in The Hague.
        In a letter, Russia's ambassador to the OPCW, Alexander Shulgin, asked for the meeting to discuss Britain's allegations "in a confidential sitting".
        Russian President Vladimir Putin has also called for a "thorough inquiry" into the incident.
        OPCW experts have taken samples from Salisbury to try to verify the nerve agent used and its origin.
        Former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned four weeks ago in Salisbury.
        Russia has been pushing hard for access to the pair, saying it "insists" on seeing them.
        Image: Sergei Skripal and his daughter remain in hospital Ms Skripal's condition improved significantly last week and she is now said to be conscious and talking. Her father, however, remains unresponsive and critical.
        The UK Government has said it is looking into the legality of Moscow's request and also considering "the rights and wishes" of the 33-year-old.
        The diplomatic row has led to more than 100 diplomats being expelled from the UK, Russia, the US and Europe, and the war of words shows no signs of dying down.
        Moscow's deputy foreign minister, Alexander Grushko, said on Tuesday that the poisonings may have been set up by the UK to justify an increase in military spending.
        In comments reported by Russian news agencies, Mr Grushko said the attempted murders could have been "arranged by Britain" because "they need a major enemy".
        Image: Sergei Lavrov suggested the UK may have carried out the attack because of Brexit His boss, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, floated another possible motive on Monday: that the UK could have carried out the poisonings to distract from Brexit.
        A retired Russian lieutenant general has also warned of a doomsday scenario and suggested the situation could escalate into the "last war in the history of mankind".
        Evgeny Buzhinsky, who leads security think tank the PIR Center, told the BBC's Today programme he was "afraid that it will end up in a very, very bad outcome".
        Asked to clarify, he said: "A real war, worse than a cold war is a real war, it will be the last war in the history of mankind."
        Mr Buzhinsky said the West was "cornering Russia and to corner Russia is a very dangerous thing".
        When asked if there was any realistic possibility of triggering war, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said: "We need to respond in a proportionate way to this aggressive behaviour from Russia and that's what we're doing."
      Unidentified: Porton Down scientists CANNOT confirm Novichok used on Skripals was made in Russia '-- RT UK News
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 15:44
        UK scientists have been unable to prove Russia made the nerve agent A-234 (also known as "Novichok") which was used to poison Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury.
        Scientists at the top secret army base Porton Down are unable to link the samples to Russia, after weeks of Moscow insisting it had nothing to do with the attack. Theresa May's Government has repeatedly blamed the Kremlin and imposed sanctions on Russia, including the expulsion of 23 diplomats.
        #Salisbury attack: Scientists have not been able to prove that Russia made the nerve agent used in the spy poisoning. Porton Down lab's chief exec reveals the details in this interview pic.twitter.com/qFNgPlr6vS
        '-- Sky News (@SkyNews) April 3, 2018Gary Aitkenhead, chief executive of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down, told Sky News: "We were able to identify it as novichok, to identify that it was military-grade nerve agent.
        "We have not identified the precise source, but we have provided the scientific info to government who have then used a number of other sources to piece together the conclusions you have come to."
        Read more
        The Skripals, ex-double agent Sergei and his 33-year-old daughter were found slumped on a park bench in Wiltshire on March 4.
        Downing Street immediately pointed the finger at Russia and listed a raft of heavy sanctions, the toughest in three decades. European nations were persuaded by Britain to expel diplomats and were asked by allies in the UK to back them against Moscow.
        Now, scientists say they are unsure of the links. Aitkenhead added: "It is our job to provide the scientific evidence of what this particular nerve agent is, we identified that it is from this particular family [Novichok] and that it is a military grade, but it is not our job to say where it was manufactured."
        Aitkenhead said there is no known antidote to Novichok, and that none was administered to either of the Skripals. He suggested the substance required "extremely sophisticated methods to create, something only in the capabilities of a state actor".
        The OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) said its executive council would meet in the morning in The Hague, on Russia's request.
        READ MORE: Russia has 13 questions to OPCW over Skripal case
        Russia's Ambassador in London, Alexander Yakovenko has repeatedly stated Russia has been kept out of the loop.
        Russia has asked for samples so it can do tests and has insisted it be allowed to investigate, after being blamed. However, the embassy is left to get information through the press in the UK, according to Yakovenko.
      Down & out at Porton Down: Embarrassment for the UK's 'Rush to Blame Russia' brigade '-- RT Op-ed
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 11:32
        Neil Clark is a journalist, writer, broadcaster and blogger. He has written for many newspapers and magazines in the UK and other countries including The Guardian, Morning Star, Daily and Sunday Express, Mail on Sunday, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, New Statesman, The Spectator, The Week, and The American Conservative. He is a regular pundit on RT and has also appeared on BBC TV and radio, Sky News, Press TV and the Voice of Russia. He is the co-founder of the Campaign For Public Ownership @PublicOwnership. His award winning blog can be found at www.neilclark66.blogspot.com. He tweets on politics and world affairs @NeilClark66
        The news that the UK's own chemical weapons scientists can't confirm that the nerve agent we're told was used on the Skripals came from Russia is another blow to the credibility of the UK political and media establishment.
        They were oh so sure, weren't they? Or at least they wanted us to think that. For the past four weeks in Britain, we've been subjected to a quite hysterical wave of Russophobia, worse than anything we witnessed even at the height of the old Cold War. The poisoning of former MI6 agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, who were found in a collapsed state on a bench in the cathedral city of Salisbury on Sunday, March 4, led not only to calls for a boycott of the football World Cup in Russia, but for RT to be taken off the air. The UK expelled 23 Russian diplomats, and then pressured other European countries to do the same. While on Good Friday, in another provocative move, British authorities boarded an Aeroflot plane at Heathrow Airport.
        The important principle of 'innocent until proven guilty,' enshrined in Article 11 (1) of the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was chucked out of the window. In its place we had 'guilty until proven innocent.'
        Instead of waiting until a full and proper investigation could even begin '' let alone be concluded '' we had a show trial and sentencing, by media, politicians, and members of neocon think tanks.
        Anyone who dared to question the official narrative and didn't support punishing Russia, faced attack from Imperial Truth Enforcers. Former UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray, who said that Foreign and Commonwealth Office sources had told him that Porton Down scientists were unable to confirm Russian culpability, was labelled a 'conspiracy theorist' for observing: "The same people who assured you Saddam Hussein had WMDs now assure you Russian 'Novichok' nerve agents are being wielded by Vladimir Putin to attack people on British soil."
        Absolute confirmation today my FCO sources were correct and Porton Down scientists not saying substance made in Russia. Awaiting apologies from all the mainstream media "journalists" who attacked me. https://t.co/KGobx9kBDH
        '-- Craig Murray (@CraigMurrayOrg) April 3, 2018Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who condemned the attack but called for a thorough investigation, was savaged not just by the Tories, but also his own Parliamentary party, simply for taking a cautious line in Parliament on March 14.
        Thirty-six Labour MPs signed an Early Day Motion '' sponsored by arch Corbyn-critic John Woodcock '' which declared "This House UNEQUIVOCALLY accepts the Russian state's culpability for the poisoning of Yulia and Sergei Skripal." The EDM supported the expulsion of Russian diplomats and the calling of a special meeting of the UN Security Council to "discuss Russia's use of chemical weapons on UK soil."
        Will these MPs now be apologizing to Russia for accusing them of doing something which most definitely has not been proved? Or does supporting a neocon foreign policy mean never having to say you're sorry?
        It's not just politicians who need to eat some humble pie.
        Read more
        In all my years in journalism, I have never felt so ashamed of my profession as in the last four weeks. The job of the journalist is to ask questions. To find out the truth. To be absolutely fearless in following leads, wherever they may take you. Today in Britain, political journalism means just parroting the official War Party line. It soon became apparent that the government narrative on Salisbury had more holes in it than a slab of Swiss cheese. But we were all expected, like the good little townsfolk in Hans Christian Andersen's 'Emperor's New Clothes,' not to notice. Newspapers and magazines which should have been holding Theresa May and Boris Johnson to account did nothing of the sort. Suppositions were reported, day after day, as proven fact.
        The last four weeks have shown how nothing really changed even after the catastrophe of Iraq. The same pro-war commentators are still in place, robotically churning out their rabidly anti-Russian, anti-Putin diatribes for an ever-dwindling readership.
        After the lies told about Iraqi WMDs, you might have thought there would be a bit of 'mainstream' skepticism about UK government chemical weapons claims against an 'Official Enemy' state, which seem designed to lead us into an even more calamitous war. But no, they all carried on as if the only important thing that had happened in 2003 was Arsenal beating Southampton 1-0 in the FA Cup Final.
        Just before the Iraq invasion, I remember asking a Conservative MP at a party if he really believed the guff about Saddam having WMDs. He looked at me and paused, before saying, "Well you've got to admit, he's not a frightfully nice chap." Today that MP, who clearly didn't believe the government's assertions, is the British Foreign Secretary.
        Boris Johnson has gone further than any minister down the 'Russia did it' line. In an interview with Deutsche Welle on March 20, he said: "they (the scientists at Porton Down) were absolutely categorical and I asked the guy myself, I said, 'Are you sure?' And he said there's no doubt."
        That is flatly contradicted by the statement today of Gary Aitkenhead, the chief executive of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down, who said, "We have not identified the precise source."
        Just as interesting was Aitkenhead's response to being asked if Novichok could have emanated from Porton Down itself. "There's no way that anything like that would ever have come from us'... we've got the highest standards of control and security," he said.
        Read more
        Yet in his Deutsche Welle interview, Boris Johnson, in answer to the question: "Does Britain possess samples of it?" (i.e. Novichok), replied, "They (Porton Down) do." How could Porton Down know the substance used was Novichok if they possessed no samples to test it against?
        If samples were stored literally just down the road from where the Skripals were poisoned, surely it's reasonable to ask whether or not some of them did get out? To maintain, as the UK government does, that no other explanation other than Russian guilt is plausible is clearly nonsense. After going out on a limb on this one, (one suspects in order to curry favor with kingmaker Rupert Murdoch, Boris Johnson's position as foreign secretary is surely now untenable. Jeremy Corbyn needs to be calling for his resignation '' and also that of Prime Minister Theresa May '' when he next goes to the House of Commons.
        But it's clear that the UK's problems go a lot deeper than changing the faces at the top. The Salisbury 'Rush to Blame Russia,' before any evidence of Kremlin involvement was produced, proves that we need a clear out of the entire political and media establishment and a move to a more democratic, publicly accountable system. We didn't get that after Iraq, but we really must get it now.
        Follow Neil Clark on Twitter @NeilClark66
        Like this story? Share it with a friend!
        The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
    The Caravan
      Caravan | Definition of Caravan by Merriam-Webster
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 13:18
        noun car·a·van \ Ëker-É-ËŒvan , Ëka-rÉ- \ See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words
        What's Trending Now More Trending Words
        Definition of caravan 1 a : a company of travelers on a journey through desert or hostile regions; also : a train of pack animals
        b : a group of vehicles traveling together (as in a file)
        2 a : a covered wagon or motor vehicle equipped as traveling living quarters
        Examples of caravan in a Sentence a funeral caravan slowly making its way down the street
        bought a caravan and drove cross-country to California
        Recent Examples of caravan from the Web Soup's role already has diminished greatly at Campbell, which once displayed 325 antique tureens at its headquarters and drew caravans of trucks from South Jersey produce farms to a seven-story downtown factory.
        The buses are chartered through a private company, and the caravan is not sponsored by the Howard County Public School System.
        Dozens of onlookers watched in surprise as the massive law enforcement caravan converged on the store and followed the suspect inside.
        Stay in anything from a caravan-style cabin on an organic farm in Tuscany ($43 per night) to a pet-friendly yurt in a Canadian park ($108 per night) or a rain forest treehouse with a swimming pool in Australia ($413 per night).
        Sourcing for the kitchen fell under the purview of the kitchen manager, who sent notes three to four weeks ahead of the caravan to purveyors in the next city.
        The caravan will depart at 8 a.m. and return at 8 p.m. March 11 to the senior center, 1400 Vale Terrace Drive.
        She had been involved with tea party groups and had previously organized a pro-Trump march through her retirement community that included a caravan of dozens of golf carts.
        Much of this took place before dawn, hours before the Eagles rolled up Broad in a caravan of green buses, amid bursts of green and white confetti, and adulation from fans clogging the sidewalks four and five deep.
        These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'caravan.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
        Origin and Etymology of caravan Italian caravana, from Persian kÄrvÄn
        Examples of caravan in a Sentence We caravaned to the campsite.
        Recent Examples of caravan from the Web By the film's end, the ants caravan the confetti--a very human remain--down into holes in the earth.
        Demonstrators and protestors were then planning to caravan 25 miles north to Murfreesboro for a second rally.
        Many Louisville participants also plan to caravan to Frankfort to gather on the steps of the capitol from 7-9 p.m. to honor first responders and honor those who have died during a candle light vigil.
        The Volkswagen community likes to caravan to other shows.
        The next day, when the policy was scheduled to go into effect, dozens of drivers caravaned to Uber's office in downtown Dallas and planted themselves outside until company officials met with them.
        Maryland's Terps on Tour coaches caravan will kick off tonight at the Baltimore Aquarium.
        These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'caravan.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
        First Known Use of caravan 1885
        CARAVAN Defined for English Language Learners Definition of caravan for English Language Learners
        : a group of people or animals traveling together on a long journey especially through the desert
        : a group of vehicles (such as cars or wagons) traveling together
        Definition of caravan for English Language Learners
        : to travel from one place to another in a group of vehicles
        CARAVAN Defined for Kids noun car·a·van \ Ëker-É-ËŒvan \ Definition of caravan for Students 1 : a group (of people or animals) traveling together on a long journey
        2 : a group of vehicles traveling together one behind the other
        Seen and Heard What made you want to look up caravan? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
        Love words? Need even more definitions? Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search'--ad free!
        Merriam-Webster unabridged
      #StopTheCaravan - Mexico Disbands Immigrant ''Caravan'' After Trump NAFTA Threat
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 13:16
        President Donald Trump's threat to abandon NAFTA should Mexico not act on the large group of illegal immigrants, mostly from Honduras, that was heading to the US-Mexico border since this weekend, seems to have paid off after Mexico's National Institute of Immigration (INM) declared late on Monday that it plans to disband the caravan by Wednesday. The group of some 1,300 illegals had been allowed to walk through Mexico for nine days without any official stopping them.
        "Half the https://twitter.com/hashtag/IllegalImmigrant?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IllegalImmigrant population including these1,100 PPL or whatever it will be by the time they hit the https://twitter.com/hashtag/RioGrande?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RioGrande about half the https://twitter.com/hashtag/Illegals?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Illegals have entered this Country have came here since #911 they broke into a Country on https://twitter.com/hashtag/OrangeAlert?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OrangeAlert https://twitter.com/MarkSteynOnline?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarkSteynOnline https://twitter.com/hashtag/StopTheCaravan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StopTheCaravan ''-- https://t.co/MzLLka6Op1">pic.twitter.com/MzLLka6Op1
        — Chicago1Ray ðŸ‡ºðŸ‡¸ (@Chicago1Ray) https://twitter.com/Chicago1Ray/status/980970235200229376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2018
        https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8">
        Ms Gina Garibo, who works for the group Pueblos Sin Fronteras, the volunteer organization which organized the caravan, stated: "At the end of the day these people have the right to ask for asylum,'' and denied that this was the end of the caravan.
        "We have to follow through with our promise."
        Related coverage: http://thegoldwater.com/news/22122-Soros-Funded-Groups-Backing-Mexico-Caravan-of-Socialists-Pueblos-Sin-Fronteras
        Another organizer of Pueblos Sin Fronteras, Mr Alex Mensing claimed that the breakup of the caravan was still a victory as they had successfully persuaded the Mexican government to allow caravan members to apply for asylum both in the United States and Mexico: ''Don't be fooled, the government isn't 'disbanding' it, it's conceding its participants' right to apply for asylum without traveling in the shadows.''
        Related coverage: http://thegoldwater.com/news/22031-StopTheCaravan-Trump-Is-Aware-Caravans-Coming-Video
        Mr Irineo Mujica, the local director of Pueblo Sin Fronteras claims that about one-third of the migrants will probably choose to stay in Mexico: "I hope a large majority decide to stay in Mexico now that we've seen the reaction from hate groups in the United States.''
        Source:
        https://www.buzzfeed.com/adolfoflores/mexico-caravan-honduras-central-americaimexico-says-it-will?utm_term=.kwrKJ75G6#.xkOqLYXGA
      STOP THE CARAVAN
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 18:03
        For years, Central Americans have invaded and debased our once-beautiful country.
        Our Grievances They illegally vote for politicians who treasonously welcome more illegal aliens. They take our jobs. They do not pay taxes. They send our money back to their home countries. They qualify for and leech government benefits. They drag down our public schools and occupy our precious few college seats. They pass the cost of their medical care onto us. They bring poverty, disease, crime and drugs into our communities. They flood our taxpayer-funded prisons. They do not respect the laws or ideals of the United States. Their Appeal to Emotion Right now, a caravan of thousands of Central Americans is marching towards the United States, and they will demand asylum as refugees.
        They tote women and children, and will appeal to the conscience of our generous nation.
        We were commanded, ''give to the poor.''
        That would be fruitless if we made ourselves poor in the process.
        These people are not refugees. They are economic migrants, who will impose a massive cost on the United States. The media will claim that anyone disillusioned to this reality is racist and heartless.
        Letting these people live in our country would be heartless to everyone, citizen and non-citizen, whether white, black, or any shade in-between.
        Our Appeal to Reason There is an ancient saying to which the United States attributes its wealth:
        Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, but teach a man to fish and you feed him for life.
        We will not give a fish to every man, woman, and child, every day, from cradle to grave. We will not enslave ourselves to foreigners. We will not inflict the wound of charity upon another nation: to finance an economy of beggars.
        An immigrant once claimed we were ''lucky.'' On the contrary; a United States citizen answered him:
        Do you think when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock they found buildings, skyscrapers, roads, luxuries?! No! They worked their asses off farming... and their progeny dug, and mined, and built factories! Get off your asses and improve your own damned country!
        Central Americans south of the border believe they can demand entry into our country. But our nation refuses to offer illegal aliens the benefits of citizenship without the responsibilities.
        On the contrary, the Patriots of the United States of America make a demand to this caravan of Central Americans:
        GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND IMPROVE YOUR OWN DAMNED COUNTRY!
        If this caravan attempts to cross our border, the President must do his duty. The President must order that the military protect our border from this foreign invasion. The caravan's innocent appearance masks the destruction it will wreck on both of our nations, should it settle here.
        Our Duty Immediately, contact the White House via their website, and every day at 9 AM (EST), call the White House:
        https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
        202-456-1111
        Demand the following:
        The National Guard needs to be sent to protect our border. The Army Corps of Engineers needs to build a southern border wall. This is an invasion, and our survival is at stake.
        If the President will not uphold his duty to protect our borders, then he has failed in his duty to serve his People. The People of the Nation must then assume the duty themselves, and take up arms at the border, and defend it from invasion.
        There is an awakening among those who love the United States. It is not enough to demand that injustice be temporarily halted. We The People demand a full reversal: OUR GOVERNMENT MUST SERVE US!
        Call your congressman and petition for legislative change:
        https://callyourrep.co/
        Ask them for these changes:
        End due process for illegal aliens. There's no room to hold them, so they're released. They won't show up to court; they'll leave town! Just send them back to their home countries immediately. Require that employers use E-Verify. No illegal alien should take a job that a citizen could perform instead. End birthright citizenship. Don't encourage aliens to have children here who would be separated from their deported parents. Children should not become ''anchors'' making deportation more morally painful. End government services and benefits to illegal aliens. These services and benefits should only be provided to the people who pay for them. Fund and improve programs to find and deport all illegal aliens currently residing in the U.S. Should our government still refuse to serve its citizens, our message is clear:
        We will not allow the government to subject us to tyranny and replacement. We will fight back, and replace traitors with True Patriots.
      Migrant Caravan Stops in Field in Southern Mexico
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        Archived Version
        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 22:21
        MEXICO CITY (AP) '-- President Donald Trump is warning about ''caravans'' of migrants heading to the U.S., though the caravan of Central American migrants supposedly moving across Mexico toward the border was strikingly immobile Monday.
        The group of about 1,100 people, most of them Hondurans, had been walking along roadsides and train tracks, but they have stopped to camp out in a field in the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca. They are waiting and getting advice on filing for transit or humanitarian visas in Mexico.
        While a group of about a couple of hundred men in the march broke off and hopped a freight train north on Sunday '-- probably to try to enter the United States '-- the rest seem unlikely to move until Wednesday or Thursday. Those are probably going to take buses to the last scheduled stop for the caravan, a migrant rights symposium in central Puebla state.
        Irineo Mujica, director of Pueblo Sin Fronteras, the activist group behind the annual symbolic event, said the caravan would continue only to the city of Puebla southeast of Mexico City, ''but not in a massive way.'' After the symposium, some migrants may continue to Mexico's capital, where it is easier to make an asylum claim. Mujica said about 300 to 400 of the migrants say they have relatives living in Mexico and so may consider staying here at least temporarily.
        It was all pretty undramatic '-- especially compared to 2013 and 2014, when migrants jammed Mexican trains heading north '-- but Trump's angry tweets raised hackles in Mexico.
        ''Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S. They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL!'' Trump wrote in one. ''With all of the money they make from the U.S., hopefully they will stop people from coming through their country and into ours.''
        Mexico's interior secretary, Alfonso Navarrete Prida, rejected such pressure.
        ''We will act with complete sovereignty in enforcing our laws,'' Navarrete Prida said Monday. ''Of course we will act '... to enforce our immigration laws, with no pressure whatsoever from any country whatsoever.''
        Navarette Prida did say he talked Monday with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. ''We agreed to analyze the best means to handle flows of migration, in accordance with each country's laws,'' Navarrete Prida wrote in his Twitter account.
        A Mexican government official said the caravans are tolerated because migrants have a right under Mexican law to request asylum in Mexico or to request a humanitarian visa allowing travel to the U.S. border to seek asylum in the United States.
        The ''Stations of the Cross'' migrant caravans have been held in southern Mexico for about 10 years. They began as short processions of migrants, some dressed in biblical garb and carrying crosses, as an Easter-season protest against the kidnappings, extortion, beatings and killings suffered by many Central American migrants as they cross Mexico.
        The organized portions of the caravans usually don't proceed much farther north than the Gulf coast state of Veracruz. Some migrants, moving as individuals or in smaller groups, often take buses or trucks from there to the U.S. border.
        Mexico routinely stops and deports Central Americans, sometimes in numbers that rival those of the United States. Deportations of foreigners dropped from 176,726 in 2015 to 76,433 in 2017, in part because fewer were believed to have come to Mexico, and more were requesting asylum in Mexico.
        Mexico granted 3,223 asylum requests made in 2016, and 9,626 requests filed last year are either under review or have been accepted.
      Obama to Deploy National Guard to Ariz. Border - CBS News
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        Archived Version
        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 23:58
        Tennessee National Guard Sgt 1st Class Andy Kelemer stands near the primary border fence area Friday, March 2, 2007, in Yuma, Ariz. Tennessee soldiers are currently deployed in Arizona as a part of Operation Jumpstart, working in support of Border Patrol efforts in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California.
        AP Photo/John Partipilo, Pool
        The Obama administration plans to announce Tuesday that it will send as many as 1,200 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to improve border security, an Arizona congresswoman said.
        Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords also said in a statement released Tuesday that President Barack Obama will request $500 million in funding for border security.
        Part of Giffords' district borders Mexico.
        Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona plans to introduce a proposal Tuesday afternoon to pay for putting 6,000 National troops at the border.
        Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's spokesman said the governor hadn't been told of the move prior to her office being contacted by The Associated Press and had no immediate comment.
        In 2006, President George W. Bush sent thousands of troops to the border to perform support duties that tie up immigration agents, who would then have more time to arrest illegal immigrants. The troops didn't perform significant law enforcement duties.
        The goal of the Bush plan was to have the troops at the border until thousands of new Border Patrol agents were trained. Those border troops cost $1.2 billion to work at the border.
        At the time, some officials along the border said they experienced a drop-off in traffic after National Guard soldiers began to arrive there.
        That program has since ended, and politicians in border states have called for troops to be sent there to curb human and drug smuggling and prevent Mexico's drug violence from spilling over into the United States.
        After the Bush plan ended, a much smaller number of National Guard troops still remained at the border, helping federal and state officers with communications and anti-drug efforts.
        (C) 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
      Migrant caravan abandons plan to travel to US border | AFP.com
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 11:10
        AFP / VICTORIA RAZO Central American migrants taking part in the "Migrant Via Crucis" caravan towards the United States chooses clothes from a donated pile as they camp at a sport complex in Matias Romero, Oaxaca A caravan of Central American migrants whose trek across Mexico infuriated President Donald Trump has decided not to travel to the US border, leaders said Tuesday.
        "We will wrap up our work in Mexico City," said Irineo Mujica, the head of the migrant advocacy group People Without Borders (Pueblo sin Fronteras).
        "We have support teams at the border if there are people who need assistance there, but they would have to travel on their own," he told AFP in the town of Matias Romero, in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.
        The just over 1,000 migrants who currently make up the caravan -- many traveling in families of up to 20 people -- have been camped in the southern town since the weekend, deciding their next move in the face of daily attacks from Trump.
        The Republican president vowed to send the US military to secure the border and threatened to axe the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) if Mexico did not stop the caravan.
        The caravan is in fact a yearly event whose goal is more to raise awareness about the plight of migrants than to reach the United States -- though some participants have traveled to the border in the past.
        Mujica said this year's caravan was so large it would have been dangerous to travel to the border by train-hopping.
        "There are too many children -- 450 in all. There are lots of babies. Hopping the train, as we did in the past, would have been crazy," he said.
        The caravan now plans to travel to the central city of Puebla for a conference, then on to Mexico City for a series of demonstrations -- and end its journey there.
        The group, mainly Hondurans, also includes Salvadorans, Guatemalans and Nicaraguans, mostly fleeing the brutal gang violence that has made Central America home to some of the highest murder rates in the world.
        Organizers say Mexican immigration authorities are working with the migrants to get them papers to stay in Mexico.
        Mujica praised the Mexican government for its response.
        "Donald Trump wanted the world to crush us, to erase our existence. But Mexico responded admirably and we thank the government for the way it handled this caravan," he said.
    FaceBag Analytica
      Zuckerberg fires back at Tim Cook, opens up about fake news | TechCrunch
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        Archived Version
        Mon, 02 Apr 2018 13:40
        Zuckerberg has been on a bit of a publicity tour following the Cambridge Analytica scandal and a generally tough year for the social media behemoth.
        This morning, an interview with Zuck was published on Vox. In it, the Facebook CEO waded through some of the company's most pressing issues, including how to deal with fake news and help support good journalism and how to deal with governing a community of 2 billion people. Zuck also clapped back at Tim Cook who has criticized Facebook's model of generating revenue through advertising.
        Fake NewsOn the problem of Fake News and transparency in the past:
        It's tough to be transparent when we don't first have a full understanding of where the state of some of the systems are. In 2016, we were behind having an understanding and operational excellence on preventing things like misinformation, Russian interference. And you can bet that that's a huge focus for us going forward.
        On how Facebook is trying to serve up content, including news content, that is meaningful to users:
        The way that this works today, broadly, is we have panels of hundreds or thousands of people who come in and we show them all the content that their friends and pages who they follow have shared. And we ask them to rank it, and basically say, ''What were the most meaningful things that you wish were at the top of feed?'' And then we try to design algorithms that just map to what people are actually telling us is meaningful to them. Not what they click on, not what is going to make us the most revenue, but what people actually find meaningful and valuable. So when we're making shifts '-- like the broadly trusted shift '-- the reason why we're doing that is because it actually maps to what people are telling us they want at a deep level.
        Zuck was also asked about supporting news organizations, as some slice of Facebook's revenue comes from users consuming news on the platform:
        For the larger institutions, and maybe even some of the smaller ones as well, subscriptions are really a key point on this. I think a lot of these business models are moving towards a higher percentage of subscriptions, where the people who are getting the most value from you are contributing a disproportionate amount to the revenue. And there are certainly a lot of things that we can do on Facebook to help people, to help these news organizations, drive subscriptions. And that's certainly been a lot of the work that we've done and we'll continue doing.
        He also addressed that subscriptions might not work for local news, which the CEO believes are equally important:
        In local news, I think some of the solutions might be a little bit different. But I think it's easy to lose track of how important this is. There's been a lot of conversation about civic engagement changing, and I think people can lose sight of how closely tied that can be to local news. In a town with a strong local newspaper, people are much more informed, they're much more likely to be civically active. On Facebook we've taken steps to show more local news to people. We're also working with them specifically, creating funds to support them and working on both subscriptions and ads there should hopefully create a more thriving ecosystem.
        In Reaction to Tim CookIn an interview last week, the Apple CEO said that tech firms ''are beyond'' self-regulation. When asked what he would do if he was in Zuckerberg's position, Cook said ''I wouldn't be in this situation.'' The CEO has long held that an advertising model, in which companies use data around users to sell to brands, is not what Apple wants to become.
        ''They're gobbling up everything they can learn about you and trying to monetize it,'' he said of Facebook and Google in 2015. ''We think that's wrong. And it's not the kind of company that Apple wants to be.''
        Zuck was asked about Cook's statements in the interview:
        You know, I find that argument, that if you're not paying that somehow we can't care about you, to be extremely glib. And not at all aligned with the truth. The reality here is that if you want to build a service that helps connect everyone in the world, then there are a lot of people who can't afford to pay. And therefore, as with a lot of media, having an advertising-supported model is the only rational model that can support building this service to reach people.
        That doesn't mean that we're not primarily focused on serving people. I think probably to the dissatisfaction of our sales team here, I make all of our decisions based on what's going to matter to our community and focus much less on the advertising side of the business.
        Zuck even took the opportunity to clap back at Cook a bit, saying we shouldn't believe that companies trying to charge us more actually care about us.
        But if you want to build a service which is not just serving rich people, then you need to have something that people can afford. I thought Jeff Bezos had an excellent saying on this in one of his Kindle launches a number of years back. He said, ''There are companies that work hard to charge you more, and there are companies that work hard to charge you less.'' And at Facebook, we are squarely in the camp of the companies that work hard to charge you less and provide a free service that everyone can use.
        I don't think at all that that means that we don't care about people. To the contrary, I think it's important that we don't all get Stockholm Syndrome and let the companies that work hard to charge you more convince you that they actually care more about you. Because that sounds ridiculous to me.
        The Government of FacebookVox's founder and Editor-at-Large Ezra Klein brought up something Zuck said in an earlier interview, that Facebook was more like a government than a traditional company. Zuck explained that disputes over what content is admissible on Facebook has grown to a scale that requires a certain level of governance.
        But I think it's actually one of the most interesting philosophical questions that we face. With a community of more than 2 billion people, all around the world, in every different country, where there are wildly different social and cultural norms, it's just not clear to me that us sitting in an office here in California are best placed to always determine what the policies should be for people all around the world. And I've been working on and thinking through, how can you set up a more democratic or community-oriented process that reflects the values of people around the world?
        That's one of the things that I really think we need to get right. Because I'm just not sure that the current state is a great one.
        On how Facebook could prepare for its own overwhelming scale:
        One is transparency. Right now, I don't think we are transparent enough around the prevalence of different issues on the platform. We haven't done a good job of publishing and being transparent about the prevalence of those kind of issues, and the work that we're doing and the trends of how we're driving those things down over time.
        And on long-term goals for governance:
        But over the long-term, what I'd really like to get to is an independent appeal. So maybe folks at Facebook make the first decision based on the community standards that are outlined, and then people can get a second opinion. You can imagine some sort of structure, almost like a Supreme Court, that is made up of independent folks who don't work for Facebook, who ultimately make the final judgment call on what should be acceptable speech in a community that reflects the social norms and values of people all around the world.
        You can read the full interview at Vox.com.
      A new study suggests fake news might have won Donald Trump the 2016 election - The Washington Post
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        Archived Version
        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 13:08
        Screenshot from 2016 Donald Trump campaign ad, ''Dangerous.''
        President Trump has said repeatedly that Russian interference didn't matter in the 2016 election, and he has suggested '-- wrongly '-- that the intelligence and law enforcement communities have said the same. His overriding fear seems to be that Russian interference and the ''fake news'' it promoted would undermine the legitimacy of his election win.
        Trump won't like this new study one bit.
        The study from researchers at Ohio State University finds that fake news likely played a significant role in depressing Hillary Clinton's support on Election Day 2016. The study, which has not been peer reviewed but which may be the first look at how fake news impacted voter choices, suggests that roughly 4 percent of President Obama's 2012 supporters were dissuaded from voting for Clinton in 2016 by belief in fake-news stories.
        Richard Gunther, Paul A. Beck and Erik C. Nisbet, the study's authors, inserted three popular fake-news stories from the 2016 campaign into a massive, 281-question YouGov survey given to 585 Obama supporters in December 2016 '-- 23 percent of which didn't vote for Clinton, either by abstaining or picking another candidate. Here are the false stories, along with the percentages of Obama supporters who believed they were at least ''probably'' true (in parenthesis):
        Clinton was in ''very poor health due to a serious illness'' (12 percent) Pope Francis endorsed Trump (8 percent) Clinton approved weapons sales to Islamic jihadists, ''including ISIS'' (20 percent) Overall, about one-quarter of 2012 Obama voters believed at least one of these stories (26 percent). And of that group, just 45 percent voted for Clinton '-- compared to 89 percent who believed none of the three.
        This alone does not prove that fake news was a difference-maker, of course. A recent Princeton-led study of fake news consumption during the 2016 campaign found that fake news articles made up only 2.6 percent of all hard-news articles late in the 2016 election, with the stories most often reaching intense partisans who were likely not persuadable. And it wouldn't be surprising if Obama voters who weren't reliable Democratic supporters were more apt to believe fake news stories that affirmed their decision not to vote for Clinton.
        So the researchers sought to control for other factors like gender, race, age, education, political leaning and even personal feelings about Clinton and Trump using multiple regression analysis. According to the researchers, all of these factors combined to explain 38 percent of the defection of Obama voters from Clinton, but belief in fake news explained another 11 percent.
        For those defecting from Clinton, believing fake news had a greater impact than anything except being a Republican or personally disliking Clinton. Obama voters who believed one of these fake news stories ''were 3.9 times more likely to defect from the Democratic ticket in 2016 than those who believed none of these false claims, after taking into account all of these other factors,'' the researchers write.
        ''We cannot prove that belief in fake news caused these former Obama voters to defect from the Democratic candidate in 2016,'' they write. ''These data strongly suggest, however, that exposure to fake news did have a significant impact on voting decisions.''
        Exactly how that translates into raw votes and whether it swung the election is the big, unanswered question '-- and the one that seems to preoccupy Trump. It's difficult to know how fake news played specifically in the three states that delivered him the presidency: Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. But the fact that Clinton lost each of these divisive states by less than one percentage point means that even a slight impact by Russia and/or fake news '-- or even then-FBI Director James B. Comey's announcement about Clinton's emails or some other factor '-- could logically have changed the result.
        But we can use this study to glean some clues and even rerun a hypothetical 2016 election. The Post's polling director, Scott Clement, ran a predictive probability analysis using the OSU team's data and compared the existing 2016 election to a hypothetical election in which these fake news stories didn't exist. The result: Clinton lost 4.2 percent more of Obama's votes in the race with fake news, versus the hypothetical race without it. The study notes that 10 percent of Obama voters voted from Trump; other surveys have had
        If we multiply that 4.2 percent drop-off by Obama's 2012 vote share in the three key states that delivered the presidency to Trump, it suggests fake news cost Clinton around 2.2 or 2.3 points apiece in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. And Clinton lost Michigan by just 0.2 points and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin by 0.72 and 0.76 points, respectively.
        These are rough estimates, to be clear. But notably, Clinton's estimated drop-off in each state would be about three times bigger '-- or more '-- than the study's impact of fake news. That would mean that, for fake news not to have made the difference (according to these data), Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin would have had to be uniquely impervious to the effects of fake news, when compared to the rest of the country.
        The survey also notably doesn't measure what impact fake news might have had in increasing Trump's support, instead only focusing on how it depressed Clinton's. That could actually increase the shift. But even with this limited purview, it suggests it made a significant difference.
        And it suggests it may well have cost Clinton the presidency.
        Clement contributed to this report.
      Sinclair Exec Defends 'Must-Run' Script In Memo To Staff '' Talking Points Memo
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        Archived Version
        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 12:17
        The Sinclair Broadcast Group executive behind a ''must-run'' script that made news this week defended the segment in a memo to Sinclair-owned newsrooms Monday, CNN reported.
        ''The critics are now upset about our well-researched journalistic initiative focused on fair and objective reporting,'' Sinclair's senior vice president of news, Scott Livingston (pictured above), wrote to Sinclair employees, according to a copy of the memo published by CNN. ''For the record, the stories we are referencing in this campaign are the unsubstantiated ones (i.e. fake/false) like 'Pope Endorses Trump' which move quickly across social media and result in an ill-informed public.''
        In fact, the must-run script specifically differentiated between the spread of fake news on social media and fake reporting coming from professional news outlets. The script condemned them both.
        ''The sharing of biased and false news has become all too common on social media,'' the script, recited by hundreds of local news anchors nationwide, read. ''More alarming, national media outlets are publishing these same fake stories without checking facts first.''
        However, Livingston's memo largely ignored the primary critique of the script: that it was labeled ''must-run'' in the first place, and therefore that it exploited viewers' trust in their local news anchors in order to spread a corporate message.
        News anchors looking into camera and reading a script handed down by a corporate overlord, words meant to obscure the truth not elucidate it, isn't journalism. It's propaganda. It's Orwellian. A slippery slope to how despots wrest power, silence dissent, and oppress the masses.
        '-- Dan Rather (@DanRather) April 2, 2018
        Anchors for Sinclair-owned local stations nationwide read the script amid what CNN's Brian Stelter reported was an atmosphere of embarrassment and frustration.
        The script mirrored a note that Livingston himself read on air a year ago, Stelter noted when he broke the story last month. Weeks after that early March report, and after several days of local stations running the segment, the story gained national attention thanks to a compilation video from Deadspin's Timothy Burke late Friday night.
        pic.twitter.com/RL1hCSeNnH
        '-- Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) March 31, 2018
        Sinclair is known to have a conservative slant, and at least two former Trump advisers '-- Sebastian Gorka and Boris Epshteyn '-- have had their commentaries labeled ''must-run'' for Sinclair's local stations.
        In fact, Livingston mentioned Epshteyn in his memo to staff.
        ''One thing the critics DO seem obsessed with is the roughly 8 minutes a week of clearly labelled commentary that Boris Epshteyn offers in our newscasts each week,'' his memo read, according to CNN. ''The critics continue to say that his former affiliation with Republicans makes him a propagandist. But they never offer any perspective on Boris' appearances.''
        ''They never mention that ABC News Anchor George Stephanopoulos ran Bill Clinton's Presidential campaign and served as a Senior Advisor to President Clinton for 4 years,'' he continued. ''Stephanopoulos now hosts an ABC political talk shows and co-anchors 10 hours of news a week for ABC. That is 10 hours of 'must run' content that all ABC affiliates must carry each week hosted by a former advisor to President Clinton. We have no problem with Mr. Stephanopoulos anchoring these newscasts, but think it is odd that Sinclair critics seem to express zero outrage over this. Critics never talk about Chris Matthews, who worked for prominent Washington Democrats, including President Carter, before becoming an NBC show host.''
        Read Livingston's full memo, and CNN's report on it, here.
      Grindr Will Stop Sharing Users' HIV Data With Other Companies
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 11:36
        The popular gay hookup app Grindr said late on Monday that it would stop sharing information about its users' HIV status with third-party analytics companies.
        The announcement came after BuzzFeed News revealed that Grindr had been securely providing two companies '-- Apptimize and Localytics, commonly used services to help optimize apps '-- with some of the information that Grindr users include in their profiles, including HIV status and "last tested date."
        The company decided to stop sharing the information with Localytics "based on the reaction '-- a misunderstanding of technology '-- to allay people's fears," chief security officer Bryce Case told BuzzFeed News. It will happen when the app's next update is released, he said.
        Still, Case defended Grindr's decision to share the data, arguing that Apptimize and Localytics are simply tools to help apps like Grindr function better, and that the information was not shared to make money or for other nefarious purposes.
        Case stressed that the HIV data had only been shared with Apptimize as part of Grindr's standard rollout procedure for new features on the app. In this case, it was part of a new opt-in feature that would allow users to be reminded to get tested for HIV. The company stopped sharing the information with the third party when the feature was rolled out last week, Case said.
        The second company, Localytics, is "a software program that we use to analyze our own behavior," Case said. "It's being conflated with Cambridge Analytica. This is just something we use for internal tooling," he said. "I will not admit fault in the regard that the data was used."
        As to whether the company would retroactively delete the data that was being shared with Localytics, Case said, "I don't have an answer for you at this time. It is something we can look into."
        But some security experts say that this argument about whether the data was being sold to a third party for nefarious purposes or not misses the point: that HIV data is highly sensitive, and that sharing it with any outside companies is a move away from the security of its users.
        "There was no reason for them to be storing that data with these analytics companies in the first place," Cooper Quintin, senior staff technologist and security researcher at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told BuzzFeed News. "Grindr should be taking extra steps to secure this sort of very personal data."
        The company came under fire after a Norwegian nonprofit called SINTEF first revealed that the HIV information is sent together with users' GPS data, phone ID, and email. (SINTEF was commissioned to produce the report by Swedish public broadcaster SVT, which first publicized the findings.) BuzzFeed News later replicated its results and verified the information with outside cybersecurity experts.
        The company first released a statement early Monday afternoon defending its decision to share the information with the third parties, stating that "the inclusion of HIV status information within our platform is always regarded carefully with our users' privacy in mind," and that the company, like any other mobile app company, "must operate with industry standard practices."
        Hours later, Case said that it would stop sharing the information with third parties. The news was first reported by Axios.
        Azeen Ghorayshi is a science reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York. Her PGP Fingerprint is 9739 9DAE 607E A66A 3683 AC20 E34B D2A0 8899 74C4
        Contact Azeen Ghorayshi at azeen.ghorayshi@buzzfeed.com.
        Got a confidential tip? Submit it here.
      Medical ethics: UK uses data from doctors to find migrants
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        Archived Version
        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 13:31
        April 01, 2018In letters recently made public, politicians sparred with immigration officials over a data-sharing agreement quietly signed in 2016 that gives the government access to personal information collected by the country's family doctors. Medical details are excluded.
        A parliamentary health committee condemned the situation as "unacceptable," calling for the agreement to be suspended. But Britain's immigration department has dismissed those concerns, arguing that such data sharing allows the U.K. to remove people "who might pose a danger to the public."
        Medical workers back the health committee's viewpoint. "We understand the government has a job to do, but going into health records to get patient information is not OK," said Lucy Jones, director of programs at Doctors of the World U.K. "The idea that any patient information is being shared with a government body immediately breaks their trust in a doctor-patient relationship."
        Several leading medical organizations, including the Royal College of General Practitioners, Public Health England and the General Medical Council, have all slammed the data-sharing deal, saying it could worsen the health of vulnerable people and drive disease outbreaks underground, hurting health care for all.
        Dalia Omer, a refugee from Sudan who was granted asylum in the U.K. in February after nearly two years, sought medical help several times while awaiting the government's decision. She said had she known about the data sharing arrangement, she would not have been as forthcoming.
        "If I knew the doctors could share information with the Home Office, I would not tell them everything," she said, referring to the British department that oversees immigration and security. She said she might even lie about certain details to protect herself.
        Dr. Kitty Worthing, a London-based doctor with the group Docs Not Cops, said "the cornerstone of the doctor-patient relationship is confidentiality and this data-sharing is a direct breach of that." She said when she's advised people that their personal information could be shared with immigration officials "their reaction is always fear."
        Elsewhere in Europe, many countries have a strict firewall that stops information gathered by health services from being disclosed to other government agencies. Germany's data protection office said regulations prohibit any blanket sharing of such information. In France, no data obtained by doctors is shared with the Interior Ministry.
        Some health experts said it was critical that some types of health care are available to everyone in the U.K., regardless of their immigration status. "With HIV treatment, it makes much more sense to treat everybody with HIV, because treatment lowers the level of virus in your blood so you can't pass it on," said Kat Smithson of the National AIDS Trust. "If people are not diagnosed because they're not accessing health care, they're not aware they're living with HIV, which means they're far more likely to pass it on to somebody else."
        The British government, however, says protecting its borders outweighs those concerns. "We believe that the release of (patient) information is lawful and proportionate action in pursuit of the effective enforcement of the U.K.'s immigration policy," wrote Caroline Noakes, the minister of state for immigration, and James O'Shaughnessy, parliamentary undersecretary of state for health, responding to lawmaker's concerns.
        They cited the case of a Pakistani citizen who overstayed a visitor's visa. After the Pakistani was refused residency in 2013, contact with the Home Office was broken off. Immigration officials sent a request to health services, which revealed a new address.
        "The Home Office visited the address and arrested the individual, a convicted sex offender, who is now complying with the Home Office and will leave the U.K.," Noakes and O'Shaughnessy wrote, describing patients' non-medical data as being "at the lower end of the privacy spectrum."
        From last November to January, health officials agreed to nearly 1,300 requests for information. Of those, health officials found 501 cases where patients had a different address from the one in Home Office records.
        Some Londoners said it was OK for immigration officials to get data from doctors under certain conditions. "If the Home Office needs the information for a good reason, I guess it's OK, but they should ask the people for permission," said Farooq, outside an east London clinic that provides health care largely for migrants. He declined to give his last name because he was worried about the immigration status of his father, originally from Afghanistan.
        Farooq said data sharing could make migrants nervous about getting medical attention. "It could put people in a risky situation if they're worried about their visa and they need to see a doctor," he said.
        Elaine Ganley in Paris and David Rising in Berlin contributed to this report.
        This story changes wording in second paragraph from "last month" to reflect the letters were made public in February.
      Peter Thiel's Palantir linked to Facebook's Cambridge Analytica fiasco - Business Insider
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 11:47
        Peter Thiel leaving an elevator at Trump Tower in November 2016. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Emails indicate that Eric Schmidt's daughter Sophie once suggested that Cambridge Analytica's parent company work with Palantir.Cambridge Analytica later developed a relationship with a Palantir staffer that produced the idea to use an app to harvest Facebook user data.Both Cambridge Analytica and Palantir are owned by conservative billionaires who funded Donald Trump's election campaign. LONDON '-- Both Peter Thiel's data-mining company Palantir and a daughter of the former Google chairman Eric Schmidt had connections to Cambridge Analytica's misuse of Facebook user information, according to documents seen by The New York Times.
        "We learned today that an employee, in 2013-2014, engaged in an entirely personal capacity with people associated with Cambridge Analytica," Palantir told The Times. "We are looking into this and will take the appropriate action."
        The employee was Alfredas Chmieliauskas, according to The Times. His LinkedIn shows that he is a business-development staffer at Palantir in London. He suggested that Cambridge Analytica create a personality-quiz app to harvest data from Facebook users, The Times said. Cambridge Analytica eventually used a similar method to obtain data from about 50 million Facebook users it could then sell.
        LinkedIn
        The connection between Palantir and Cambridge Analytica was apparently suggested by Schmidt's daughter Sophie, who had been an intern at SCL Group, a UK-based defense and intelligence contractor that created Cambridge Analytica in 2012. A 2013 email seen by The Times indicated that Sophie Schmidt, who did not respond to the paper's request for comment, urged that SCL work with Palantir:
        "Ever come across Palantir. Amusingly Eric Schmidt's daughter was an intern with us and is trying to push us towards them?" one SCL employee wrote to a colleague in the email.
        Sophie Schmidt, the daughter of the former Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt, visiting the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad in 2009. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani Cambridge Analytica and Palantir began their relationship in 2014, when Christopher Wylie, the pink-haired Cambridge Analytica cofounder turned whistleblower who testified to Parliament in London this week, visited Palantir's London headquarters in Soho Square with Cambridge Analytica CEO Alexander Nix. The Times said:
        "Mr. Chmieliauskas continued to communicate with Mr. Wylie's team in 2014, as the Cambridge employees were locked in protracted negotiations with a researcher at Cambridge University, Michal Kosinski, to obtain Facebook data through an app Mr. Kosinski had built. The data was crucial to efficiently scale up Cambridge's psychometrics products so they could be used in elections and for corporate clients.
        "'I had left field idea,' Mr. Chmieliauskas wrote in May 2014. 'What about replicating the work of the cambridge prof as a mobile app that connects to facebook?' Reproducing the app, Mr. Chmieliauskas wrote, 'could be a valuable leverage negotiating with the guy.'"
        Nix later tried to work officially with executives at Palantir, but they demurred. Ultimately, Cambridge Analytica pursued the app without Palantir's official help.
        The emails will make uncomfortable reading for both companies.
        Thiel is a Facebook board member and a conservative libertarian with a dystopian view of the future who funded Donald Trump's US presidential campaign. He became a billionaire through a series of tech investments including PayPal and Facebook.
        Cambridge Analytica was founded by Robert Mercer, the conservative billionaire hedge fund creator who has also funded Trump and Breitbart News, the right-wing media group that is often accused of publishing misleading stories.
        Cambridge Analytica is now the subject of criminal investigations in both the UK and the US over its role in the 2016 US presidential election and the Brexit referendum in the UK. The company has made contradictory statements about its alleged role persuading British people to vote to leave the European Union.
      Facebook updates its terms of service to include Messenger, Instagram
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 18:25
        Getty Images
        Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif.
        Facebook is updating its terms of service and data policy to clarify what user information it collects and shares across its family of products including Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus and Messenger.
        The revised policies come at a time when the company is being scrutinized over how it shares personal information with third parties, especially in light of the Cambridge Analytica data leak. The new terms of service and data policy doesn't ask for more user data rights or change privacy controls.
        However, it does break down in clearer language what Facebook does with people's data and now includes information on features like Marketplace, Live and 360 video, which were added since the data policy was last amended in 2015.
        Here are the notable additions:
        Facebook is acknowledging in its terms of service that it owns other platforms, including Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus and Messenger. Facebook has never said it doesn't own other platforms, but in its previous terms of service it doesn't mention the other companies. In the new version, it clearly states how it uses data across its owned-and-operated products.
        While many people are aware that Facebook owns other companies, some European countries have felt the company isn't clear enough that it is sharing data across platforms. German and EU regulators have been investigating how Facebook gets information from third parties, including sharing information from Instagram and WhatsApp. A German court in February ruled that Facebook's default privacy settings and use of personal data are illegal.
        Facebook shows how your info is being used for advertising. Facebook has previously explained what kinds of information it collects, but it's now being more transparent about how it uses it for advertising.
        For example, it now details how your name, profile picture, actions on Facebook and information about previous interactions with ads could be used. It could include showing your friends that you are interested in an event or a brand that paid to be promoted on Facebook companies. It also explains how companies pay Facebook to show their content to relevant users, and how Facebook uses its algorithms to find the right people.
        Facebook explains what information it shares with others and collects, including device information. The company got in more hot water in late March when several Android phone users found the company had been collecting call and text data, including names, phone numbers and the length of each call made. Facebook says it keeps that information to help users find friends on its platforms, as well as to learn how they use its products including the duration of activities and what they looked at. It emphasizes it complies with mobile device settings.
        Facebook states what it is doing to address harmful behavior. The company now includes sections on how it finds harassment and suspicious activity on its platforms, which includes looking at user content. It also said it invested in artificial intelligence and machine learning to find content that violates its policies.
      Facebook Blames "Bug" For Harvesting Users' Deleted Videos | Zero Hedge
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 10:12
        As if Facebook didn't already collect enough information on its users, the company on Tuesday admitted it accidentally retained videos that had been deleted by its users, claiming that a glitch was responsible for storing the clips, according to New York.
        The company apologized for the issue, and promised it would permanently delete all of the videos that were recorded by users, but never shared.
        Users that have requested their data from Facebook have discovered that the company stored texts, messages, phone logs and other personal data for years.
        If you granted permission to read contacts during Facebook's installation on Android a few versions ago'--specifically before Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)'--that permission also granted Facebook access to call and message logs by default. The permission structure was changed in the Android API in version 16. But Android applications could bypass this change if they were written to earlier versions of the API, so Facebook API could continue to gain access to call and SMS data by specifying an earlier Android SDK version. Google deprecated version 4.0 of the Android API in October 2017'--the point at which the latest call metadata in Facebook users' data was found. Apple iOS has never allowed silent access to call data. -Ars Technica
        Select All broke the story about Facebook keeping the deleted videos last week.
        In a statement to Select All, Facebook said it investigated the report and discovered a bug that the company failed to delete.
        We investigated a report that some people were seeing their old draft videos when they accessed their information from our Download Your Information tool. We discovered a bug that prevented draft videos from being deleted. We are deleting them and apologize for the inconvenience. We appreciate New York Magazine for bringing the issue to our attention.
        Many users who accessed the Download Your Information tool found the videos, accompanied by hundreds of megabytes of other embarrassing data, much to their chagrin.
        Of course we should take Facebook at its word that this was an honest mistake and that Zuckerberg himself will see to it that the offended videos are immediately deleted, and permanently this time.
        But it's more likely that these data were just caught up in the net as Facebook tried to collect as much personal information from its users as possible.
        We imagine Zuckerberg will be asked about this practice when he appears before Congress later this month.
    SJWBLMLGBBTQQIAAPK
      George Washington University to host seminar tackling 'Christian privilege' - Washington Times
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 19:24
        George Washington University is hosting a training session this week for students and faculty members to learn about ''Christian privilege'' and how Christians ''experience life in an easier way than non-Christians'' in America.
        The private D.C. university's Multicultural Student Services Center will host a 90-minute session Thursday titled, ''Christian Privilege: But Our Founding Fathers Were All Christian, Right?!'' The Christian Post first reported.
        ''How do Christians in the USA experience life in an easier way than non-Christians?'' a description for the training session asks. ''Even with the separation of Church and State, are there places where Christians have built-in advantages over non-Christians? How do we celebrate Christian identities and acknowledge that Christians receive unmerited perks from institutions and systems all across our country? Let's reflect upon ways we can live up to our personal and national values that make room for all religious and secular identities on an equal playing field. All are welcome!''
        The description says attendees will learn how to list at least three examples of Christian privilege and how to be an ''ally with a non-Christian person.''
        The session will also address ''white privilege'' and ''the role of denial when it comes to white privilege.''
        Timothy Kane, the center's associate director, will direct the seminar.
        ''Timothy, who has a master's degree in divinity and theology, is dedicated to ensuring that all types of diversity at GW are celebrated and meant to feel included in campus culture and student life,'' Mr. Kane's bio reads. ''Timothy is a proud gay member of the LGBT community as GW. His master's thesis was titled 'Solidarity as the Greatest Hope for the Gay and Lesbian Community.'''
        The ''Christian Privilege'' workshop is one of 15 ''free training opportunities'' offered through the center to ''equip students and staff with the necessary skills to promote diversity and inclusion in the different environments in which they find themselves frequently,'' according to the website.
        Other seminars address heterosexual privilege, cisgender privilege, abled-body privilege, socioeconomic privilege and unconscious bias.
        Copyright (C) 2018 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
        The Washington Times Comment PolicyThe Washington Times is switching its third-party commenting system from Disqus to Spot.IM. You will need to either create an account with Spot.im or if you wish to use your Disqus account look under the Conversation for the link "Have a Disqus Account?". Please read our
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      University event aims to combat 'Christian Privilege' - The College Fix
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 12:51
        George Washington University diversity workshop to be held four days after Easter
        Just four days after Easter, George Washington University will host a training session for students and faculty that teaches that Christians '-- especially white ones '-- ''receive unmerited perks from institutions and systems all across our country.''
        The April 5 diversity workshop is titled ''Christian Privilege: But Our Founding Fathers Were All Christian, Right?!''
        Hosted by the university's Multicultural Student Services Center, the event will teach that Christians enjoy a privileged, easier life than their non-Christian counterparts, and that Christians possess ''built-in advantages'' today, according to its online description.
        The workshop will also discuss how Christians receive ''unmerited perks from institutions and systems all across our country.''
        The ''Christian Privilege'' workshop is one of 15 ''free training opportunities'' offered through the center to ''equip students and staff with the necessary skills to promote diversity and inclusion in the different environments,'' according to its website.
        Other workshops offered through the center focus on ''heteroesexual privilege,'' ''cisgender privilege,'' ''abled-bodied privilege,'' ''socio-economic privilege,'' ''unconscious bias,'' and more.
        Efforts by The College Fix to reach a campus spokesperson, the multicultural center and the host of the Christian privilege workshop were to no avail Monday afternoon.
        The Christian privilege event aims to make people aware of the privileges that Christians have and ''what is meant by privilege overall and white privilege specifically,'' the event description states. Furthermore, the event will try to educate those of the ''role of denial when it comes to white privilege'' and the difference between ''equality and equity.''
        By the end of the training, the organizers want participants to be able to name ''at least three examples of Christian privilege'' and ''at least three ways to be an ally with a non-Christian person,'' the website states.
        Organizers also want the participants to be able to describe words like: ''privilege, Christian privilege, denial, quality, equity, Christianity, bias, unconscious bias, micro-aggression, ally,'' the website states.
        The workshop will last 90 minutes and will feature a PowerPoint presentation and Q&A.
        It will be hosted by Timothy Kane, the interim associate director for inclusion initiatives at George Washington University, according to his biography page. As interim associate director, Kane works to expand the diversity and inclusion efforts at GWU, specifically the LGBT community. He did not respond Monday to a request for comment.
        Kane, who has a master's degree in divinity and theology, is ''dedicated to ensuring that all types of diversity at GW are celebrated and meant to feel included in campus culture and student life.'' Being a ''proud gay member of the LGBT community'' at the university, he hopes to ''promote this kind of solidarity amongst the LGBT community, and work towards celebrating the richness of diversity here at GW,'' his online bio states.
        Kane also hosts the ''heterosexual privilege,'' ''cisgender privilege,'' ''abled-body privilege,'' and ''socioeconomic privilege'' workshops. White privilege is a specific focus in each of these training sessions, according to the multicultural center's website.
        h/t: Christian Post
        MORE: To fight 'oppression,' campus posters tell Christian students to check their privilege
        Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter
      Planned Parenthood CEO says Ivanka Trump, Kushner offered 'bribe' - Axios
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 11:32
        To White House insiders, this is the most dangerous phase of Donald Trump's presidency so far, from the brewing trade war with China that he denies is a trade war, to the perilously spontaneous summit with North Korea.
        The big picture: Checks are being ignored or have been eliminated, and critics purged as the president is filling time by watching Fox, and by eating dinner with people who feed his ego and conspiracy theories, and who drink in his rants. Both sides are getting more polarized and dug in '-- making the daily reality more absurd, and the potential consequences less urgent and able to grab people's serious attention.
    Gen Z
      Teens snort condoms then pull them through mouths in disturbing new trend | Fox News
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Mon, 02 Apr 2018 22:28
        Dangerous trend: 'The condom snorting challenge'Another disturbing viral video challenge, "the condom snorting challenge." Teenagers are recording themselves putting unwrapped condoms up their nostrils and inhaling them until the condom comes out of their mouth. Doctors say the trending challenge could have dangerous effects on your health.
        Tide Pods are so January.
        Now teens are taking on an even grosser challenge in pursuit of Internet fame '-- and this one is making stomachs turn, as it is as disgusting as it is dangerous.
        The latest challenge involves snorting a condom up one nostril, inhaling, and finally pulling it from the throat out the mouth.
        Like other viral fads, this one has been around for years but is just now catching fire on social media, mostly via YouTube.
        TEENS EATING MORE TIDE PODS THAN EVER, DESPITE EFFORTS TO STOP TREND
        Health authorities warn that the new "game" poses a real risk and can kill.
        'The condom could easily get stuck in your nose or your throat, blocking your breathing or causing you to choke'
        - Dr. Bruce Y. Lee Anything that goes up one's nose ''can damage the sensitive inner lining of your nose, cause an allergic reaction, or result in an infection,'' wrote Bruce Y. Lee, associate professor of international health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in a column for Forbes.
        ''The condom could easily get stuck in your nose or your throat, blocking your breathing or causing you to choke,'' he added.
        The condom snorting fad follows a recent trend of people eating Tide Pods and encouraging or daring others to do the same. (istock)
        Forbes cites two cases reviewed in medical journals in which women accidentally swallowed condoms, developing ailments ranging from pneumonia to appendicitis.
        DOCTORS WARN TEENS ABOUT TAKING THE 'CINNAMON CHALLENGE' IN NEW REPORT
        ''Even if you manage to successfully pull the condom out through your mouth, inhaling a condom up your nose would be very uncomfortable and potentially quite painful,'' Lee wrote. ''Would it really be worth all that just to get more likes and views?''
        The condom snorting fad follows a recent trend of people eating Tide Pods and encouraging or daring others to do the same. That stunt, dubbed "The Tide Pod Challenge," resulted in poison centers reporting 142 incidents just in January, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC).
    M5M
      Here's how Conan O'Brien gets news anchors to say the same thing - The Desk
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 12:12
        Does local news ever seem a bit manufactured to you?
        It seems that way to CNN journalist Brian Stelter, who ended last week's episode of Reliable Sources with a video clip that originally aired on the late night talk show Conan. The clip featured over two dozen local news anchors teasing a consumer reports story on holiday shopping in a way that was both astonishing and hypnotic.
        One by one, each news anchor read the same line: ''Well, it's okay, you can admit it if you have bought an item, or two, or maybe ten for yourself.'' Some feigned enthusiasm, others ad-libbed an additional word or two.
        ''Conan O'Brien has gotten really good at catching local news anchors reading from the same scripts,'' Stelter said (it's true: Conan's ''Media Reacts'' has outed anchors delivering stories on topics about ice cream, same-sex marriage, email overload, gas prices and others).
        ''It's okay, we can admit it,'' Stelter continued. ''Sometimes we don't write every word we read on air.''
        That's right '-- because CNN writes those words for them.
        '--
        CNN is much more than a 24-hour cable news channel; the news organization also offers information products to other news businesses. One of its most-profitable products is called Newsource, a newswire that distributes live information, video and scripts to television stations around the world.
        Each television station that subscribes to Newsource is considered an ''affiliate'' of CNN '-- there are hundreds of CNN affiliates across the country and around the world. Chances are, one or more of your local TV stations is a CNN affiliate (in Northern California, almost all of the English-language TV stations are affiliated with CNN).
        The CNN Newsource affiliate dashboard (Click for a larger view)
        Newsource provides three types of video to CNN affiliates: The first is video obtained by other CNN affiliates. This is how a local TV station in California is able to show video originating in other parts of the countries and the world.
        The second is video that airs on CNN. Exclusive interviews and segments from CNN shows are often included on NewSource for CNN affiliates to reuse in their broadcasts.
        The third is video produced just for CNN affiliates. These are usually stories focused on business, sports, travel and so on. They are the stories that air after your local news, just before weather and sports. These stories also include ''kickers,'' or light-hearted and unusual news stories that typically air in the middle or near the end of a newscast.
        (Click the image for a larger view)
        Most videos distributed to affiliates contain a pre-written script that news producers can use in their shows. Most producers working at smaller-market television stations, like many of the stations that appear in Conan's clips, use these scripts instead of writing their own as both a resource and time-saving measure.
        The script from the holiday video shown above can be viewed on CNN affiliate WATE's website here. Just for kicks, here's the TV stations that made an appearance in the recent ''Media Reacts'' video (three could not be identified) '-- nearly all of them are small market broadcasters:
        KBOI Boise | KCEN Waco | WFFT Fort Wayne | WDHN Panama City | WICD ChampaignWWAY Wilmington | KIMT Mason City | WICS Springfield | KBSI Cape Girardeau | WMBF Myrtle BeachWAVE Louisville | KGAN Cedar Rapids | WLTZ Columbus | KATC Lafayette | WJHL Johnson CityKHGI Kearney | KRCG Jefferson City | WCIV Charleston | WHAS Louisville | WSJV South Bend
        While CNN's affiliate service is perhaps the largest, there are many ''Newsource''-like distribution platforms available to TV stations. FOX News runs one called ''FOX News Edge,'' giving affiliates direct access to news footage and stories produced by FOX News and other FOX stations. There's also a service called NNS, a consortium of CBS, ABC and FOX affiliates that ''pool resources and share footage.''
        TBS, the cable channel that airs ''Conan,'' and CNN are both owned by Turner Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Time Warner.
    MIC
      An attack in Saudi Arabia shows Raytheon's Patriot missile interceptor malfunctions and misses '-- Quartz
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 11:45
        The US and its allies the world over are paying billions for medium-range missile interception systems without a track record of success.
        A March 25 missile attack launched on Saudi Arabia by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen provided another test of the US-built Patriot missile system, which it apparently failed'--cell phone video shows an interceptor suddenly turning and exploding in a Riyadh neighborhood.
        Days later, Poland signed a $4.75 billion deal to purchase the Patriot missile system.
        The US Defense Department has awarded its manufacturer, Raytheon, $3.8 billion in Patriot-related contracts in just the last year. Government auditors say taxpayers have spent more than $6.5 billion since 2004 on the latest iteration of the system. The company's missile-interceptor division boasts a profit margin of more than 16%, according to industry analysts.
        ''We do not comment on the operational use of our products,'' a Raytheon spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement. ''We refer you to Saudi authorities. We don't disclose individual product financials.''
        Raytheon's website says the system has shot down 100 missiles in combat, but the company declined to supply additional detail.
        The mobile Patriot system'--which includes advanced radar to detect incoming missiles, and a launcher for the rocket-powered interceptors designed to destroy them'--has been sold to numerous US allies, including Germany, Bahrain, South Korea, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, and Romania.
        The Patriot missile program was developed by the US Missile Defense Agency, which transferred operation to the US Army in 2003; both organizations work to maintain and improve the system. The MDA has not returned a request for comment, and we have reached out to the US Army.
        The Patriot system's track record has long been called into question. Jeffrey Lewis, an arms-control expert, says he is skeptical that it has ever intercepted a long-range missile in combat operations. Among other evidence, he cites congressional investigators who found that missile's debut during the Gulf War was likely unsuccessful, with less than 9% of launches resulting in interception.
        ''The public and the Congress were misled by definitive statements of success issued by administration and Raytheon representatives during and after the war,'' a summary of their report concludes.
        When I called the Saudi Embassy in Washington for comment on the most recent missile attack, I was transferred to a full voice mailbox. Saudi defense officials have told reporters that all seven of the Houthi missiles were successfully intercepted; they said the same about supposed interceptions in 2017 that Lewis and his colleagues convincingly debunked.
        The likely failure of the interceptors is tied to the wave of incoming missiles: Multiple targets can confuse or overwhelm the radar systems designed to track them. Even in perfect conditions, missile defense is tricky business: When the explosive warhead separates from the Burkan-2 missile used by Houthi rebels, it is perhaps two meters tall and less than a meter in diameter, moving more than two kilometers per second. Interceptors have about nine minutes to detect and destroy the warheads between launch and impact.
        ''Patriot misses most of the time (or even all of the time) for the same reason that hitting .300 (thirty percent!) is considered excellent'--it's hard to hit the nasty stuff they throw in the big leagues. Same thing with long-range missiles,'' Lewis wrote Quartz in an e-mail.
        There is a case that misrepresenting the capability of these systems offers a deterrent effect on its own, reducing attempts to launch missiles against supposedly protected targets. But the assumption of high-quality of missile defenses can lead policymakers to act as if rhetoric matches reality. This is equally and more frighteningly true of similarly dubious systems designed to stop nuclear missiles targeting the US from across the ocean.
        This post was updated with additional detail to clarify which US defense entities deal with the Patriot system.
        Read next: All about US missile-defense systems
    Awan Bros
      Dems Waived Background Checks On IT Aides | The Daily Caller
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Mon, 02 Apr 2018 11:42
        Every one of the 44 House Democrats who hired Pakistan-born IT aides who later allegedly made ''unauthorized access'' to congressional data appears to have chosen to exempt them from background checks, according to congressional documents.
        Background check diagram from House Policy 16
        All of them appear to have waived background checks on Imran Awan and his family members, even though the family of server administrators could collectively read all the emails and files of 1 in 5 House Democrats, and despite background checks being recommended for such positions, according to an inspector general's report. The House security policy requires offices to fill out a form attesting that they've initiated background checks, but it also includes a loophole allowing them to simply say that another member vouched for them.
        Among the red flags in Abid's background were a $1.1 million bankruptcy; six lawsuits against him or a company he owned; and at least three misdemeanor convictions including for DUI and driving on a suspended license, according to Virginia court records. Public court records show that Imran and Abid operated a car dealership referred to as CIA that took $100,000 from an Iraqi government official who is a fugitive from U.S. authorities. Numerous members of the family were tied to cryptic LLCs such as New Dawn 2001, operated out of Imran's residence, Virginia corporation records show. Imran was the subject of repeated calls to police by multiple women and had multiple misdemeanor convictions for driving offenses, according to court records.
        If a screening had caught those, what officials say happened next might have been averted. The House inspector general reported on Sept. 20, 2016, that shortly before the election members of the group were logging into servers of members they didn't work for, logging in using congressmen's personal usernames, uploading data off the House network, and behaving in ways that suggested ''nefarious purposes'' and that ''steps are being taken to conceal their activity.''
        A pair of closely-held reports on Imran Awan, his brothers Abid and Jamal, his wife Hina Alvi, and his friend Rao Abbas, said, ''the shared employees have not been vetted (e.g. background check).''
        ''Shared employees'' means they were all hired as part-time, individual employees by individual members, cobbling together $165,000 salaries. Jamal began making that salary at only 20 years old, according to House payroll records; Abid never went to college, his stepmother said; and Rao Abbas' most recent job experience was being fired from McDonald's, according to his roommate. (''Whether they had formal training or not, they were trained on the job by Imran,'' one of Imran's lawyers said.)
        Among the 44 employers, the primary advocate for the suspects has been Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, who introduced a bill Monday that would require background checks on Americans purchasing ammunition. ''Without bullets a gun is just a hunk of useless metal,'' she said, calling ammunition the ''loophole'' in gun control policy.
        Wasserman Schultz was also chair of the Democratic National Committee when Wikileaks published its emails. (The Wikileaks emails show that DNC aides called Imran when they needed the password to her device.) Since then, she and other Democrats have described cyber breaches in the strongest possible terms, such as ''an act of war'' and ''an assault on our democracy.''
        But there is no indication Democrats put those concerns into practice when they entrusted the Pakistani dual citizens with their data, nor when suspicious activity was detected. Police banned the suspects from the network after the IG report, but Wasserman Schultz kept Imran on staff anyway. He was in the building and in possession of a laptop with the username RepDWS months later, according to an April 6, 2017 police report.
        The House security policy, HISPOL16, says ''House Offices shall'... Ensure background checks, as defined in this policy, have been conducted on Privileged Users.'' It includes quarterly reviews of privileged accounts' appropriateness. By the time the policy was enacted, some members had dropped the Awans for assorted reasons, including Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona in early 2015 for what her spokesperson called ''incompetence.''
        The $1.1 million bankruptcy in itself would be enough to stop many employers from giving access to sensitive data. ''Excessive indebtedness increases the temptation to commit unethical or illegal acts in order to obtain funds to pay off the debts,'' so ''financial problems are the number one killer of security clearances,'' according to ClearanceJobs.com.
        For each server administrator, an ''Authorizing Official'' from the member's office must fill out a form on which the office attests: ''I have assessed the risk of the prospective Privileged Account holder via background check processes outlined in HISPOL 16.''
        However, there is an alternative: ''I have verified that a trustworthiness determination has been made on behalf of this shared resource by another Member.''
        House background check form
        The option B does not ask the name of the member that vouched for the employee, and the language does not directly specify that vouching for an employee requires that the earlier member provided a background check.
        The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to all 44 members, and none disputed that they had not conducted a background check. Not a single one of the 44 would say which of their colleagues vouched for the Awans, nor stated what criteria they used to determine that it was prudent to give them access to all their data.
        Besides Wasserman Schultz, Imran has longstanding personal relationships with Reps. Gregory Meeks and Marcia Fudge of New York, Politico reported. Employers also include Rep. Ted Lieu of California on the Foreign Affairs Committee and three members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Reps. Andre Carson of Indiana, Jackie Speier of California and Joaquin Castro of Texas.
        The HISPOL16 policy was created in September 2015 and says ''As privileged accounts have a greater potential impact on information and information systems than general user accounts, organizations must promote trustworthiness of users of privileged accounts. Authorization officials must check the backgrounds of users of privileged accounts for elements that might make trustworthiness of a user questionable'... The Office of the CISO suggests that Hiring Officers and their designees use the rigorous criminal history records search services provided by the United States Capitol Police.''
        The policy focuses on and encourages members to use the Capitol Police's background check service, but it says private background check companies can also be used. The IG report does not specify whether it made the determination that the Awans had not received background checks by looking at the forms or by consulting with the Capitol Police, but it says that they ''have not been vetted.''
        The Shared Employee Handbook, published in 2009, says ''Due to the sensitive nature of the information to which Shared Employees may be exposed during day-to-day job functions, it is recommended that Member and Committee offices request a Capitol Police Criminal History Records Check on potential Shared Employees.''
        Eric McCracken, a spokesman for the Committee on House Administration, would not say why the screening policy provided the option B loophole that allowed another member to vouch for the aides in lieu of a background check. Despite the IG report addressing it, Gregg Harper, the Mississippi Republican who controls the committee, told The Daily Caller in 2017 that he did not know whether the Awans had background checks.
        The Awans' employers also included Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York, who saw $120,000 in computer equipment disappear under Abid Awan's watch but ''wrote off'' the taxpayer funds rather than make an issue of it, according to the IG report and multiple senior government officials.
        Xavier Becerra, now attorney general of California, ran the House Democratic Caucus, and his server was physically stolen shortly after the IG report named it as evidence in a hacking probe, three senior government officials said. A list of the members who did not conduct background checks is below.
        Follow Luke on Twitter. Send tips to [email protected] . PGP key.
        Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected] .
    Pornstar vs President
      Men Like Trump More After Stormy Daniels Accusations, Poll Shows
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 21:26
        President Donald Trump's approval rating has gone up three points among male voters in the wake of the Stormy Daniels controversy.
        Following allegations by the adult film star that she and Trump had an affair in 2006'--shortly after his wife Melania gave birth to the couple's son Barron'--the president's approval rating among men rose from 50 to 53 percent compared with last month, according to a new Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll.
        But female voters are not impressed. The poll, conducted from March 27-29 , showed that among women the president's approval rating dropped from 41 percent to 35 percent, in what the poll's co-director dubbed ''the Stormy effect.''
        Trending: Watch: Jimmy Kimmel Hosts MAGA Spelling Bee Featuring Trump's Worst Twitter Typos
        ''While President Trump's overall ratings are stable, his support increased among men and dropped among women,'' Penn told The Hill.
        ''This poll was taken right after the Stormy Daniels interview and so I think this increased gender polarization is the 'Stormy Effect','' he added.
        While Trump has denied the allegations made by the adult film star, she was insisted the pair had an affair'--sharing details of her story in a widely watched 60 Minutes interview the ratings of which topped those of the president's own appearance.
        Don't miss: Sinclair Executive Chairman Lashes Out at Print Media Calling It 'Meaningless Dribble'
        Daniels has also filed a lawsuit to get out of a non-disclosure agreement she signed about the alleged affair, claiming that it is not valid because the document was not signed by Trump.
        The adult star has also offered to give back $130,000 in ''hush money'' that she was paid by Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen as part of the non-disclosure agreement.
        But Trump on Monday made moves to settle the case behind closed doors, with his lawyer Cohen filing a motion to move Daniels' suit to closed arbitration, while her lawyer has opposed the move saying the case should be decided ''in an open court of law owned by the people.''
        This article was first written by Newsweek
        More from Newsweek
        Trump Wants Stormy Daniels Case Settled Behind Closed DoorsStormy Daniels' Mom Is a Trump Fan: 'I Would Vote for Him Every Time'Ken Starr Says Stormy Daniels Payment Should Be Investigated by Justice Department
    War on Guns
      Merriam-Webster Changes Definition Of 'Assault Rifle' After Parkland
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 21:24

        ");
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        document.write("

        ");
        googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-1'); });
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      Washington DC Police Confirm: "March for Our Lives" was planned MONTHS in advance... Long before Florida shooting took place
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Mon, 02 Apr 2018 13:01
        DetailsCategory: U.S. National NewsSaturday, 31 March 2018 00:22On March 24, 2018, one month and ten days after the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, student-led pro-gun control ''March For Our Lives'' demonstrations took place across America, including in Washington, D.C. The rally organizers claimed this was a direct response to the alleged "mass-shooting" at a Florida High School.
        Turns out, though, Permits for the "March for Our Lives" were applied-for "months in advance" --- long before the alleged shooting at the Florida High School.
        Can you say FRAUD? Can you say FALSE FLAG? Wake-up, America; you're being lied to and played for fools!
        The word ''Our'' in March For Our Lives refers to students.
        From Wikipedia:
        March For Our Lives was a student-led demonstration in support of tighter gun control that took place on March 24, 2018, in Washington, D.C., with over 800 sibling events throughout the United States and around the world. Student organizers fromNever Again MSD planned the march in collaboration with the nonprofit organization Everytown for Gun Safety. The event followed the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, which was described by many media outlets as a possible tipping point for gun control legislation.
        Never Again MSD (MSD refers to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School) is a group started on social media as a movement ''For survivors of the Stoneman Douglas Shooting, by survivors of the Stoneman Douglas Shooting'' using the hashtag #NeverAgain.
        The MSD student survivors who formed Never Again MSD include the now-famous David Hogg, Emma Gonzalez, and Cameron Kasky.
        Public demonstrations, especially those that are large-scale like March For Our Lives, require a permit from the police department of the city in which the demonstration will take place.
        European political researcher Ole Dammegard contacted the Metropolitan D. C. Police Department concerning the permit for the March For Our Lives demonstration in Washington, D.C.
        Dammegard received this email from Officer Scott C. Earhardt of the Homeland Security Bureau of the Metropolitan Police Department:
        Good morning,
        In reference to your inquiry concerning the March For Our Lives Demonstration, here in the District of Columbia on March 24, 2018. MPD received a permit application several months prior to the actual event, and there was several months of planning for this large event.
        If your are requesting additional information reference this event, please follow the below steps to file your Freedom of Information Act request:
        https://foia-dc.gov/App/Index.aspx
        If your have any additional question sor concerns, please feel free in contacting me directly.
        Officer Scott C. Earhardt, Badge No. 2372
        Homeland Security Bureau
        Special Operations Division
        Planning and Logistics
        Metropolitan Police Department
        2850 New York Ave., N.E.
        Washington, D.C. 20002
        202-671-6529 (Office)
        202-671-6522 (Planning)
        202-671-6511 (Station)
        Scott.Earhardt@dc.gov
        Below is a screenshot of the email (source: Professor James Fetzer):
        According to the PDF document, Metropolitan Police Department, Washington.D.C., Scott Earhardt indeed is a detective there. Here's a screenshot I took from page 6 of the 65-page document:
        Here are some facts:
        The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) High School occurred on February 14, 2018.A day after the shooting, on February 15, 2018, MSD students formed the group, Never Again MSD.On March 24, 2018, March For Our Lives demonstrations took place in Washington, D.C. (and other cities).Among the organizers of March For Our Lives is Never Again MSD, which had not existed before February 15.The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department received a permit application for March For Our Lives demonstration ''several months prior to the actual event''.Questions:How can Never Again MSD apply for a permit ''several months'' BEFORE the group had even been formed?How can an application be made for a permit for a ''March For Our Lives'' demonstration ''several months'' BEFORE the Parkland MSD school shooting that galvanized MSD students to form the Never Again MSD group that organized the demonstration?
        Wake up, America. You're being lied to and played for fools. Want more proof? Below is video from inside the High School where the alleged "mass-shooting" took place, showing a PRACTICE "ACTIVE-SHOOTER" DRILL with students being given make-up and fake wounds --- the very same day the "mass shooting" allegedly took place!
        VIDEO: FAKE BLOOD, FAKE WOUNDS for "Active-Shooter DRILL" at same High School in Florida, hours BEFORE "actual" shootings which "killed 17"
        Many students and faculty who were at Majority Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, during the Valentine's Day shooting thought it was just a drill after they were told in advance that role-players would be conducting a fake 'code red' which is an active shooter scenario.
        Exclusive footage in the video below shows an active shooter drill in which blanks and fake blood were used by students and crisis actors to simulate a code red.
        The Hal Turner Radio Show asked citizens in and around New York City what they thought of the video below. Each and every person interviewed, was stunned.
        Annette Mantineo of Manhattan said "It's fairly obvious what they are REALLY rehearsing is a FAKE school shooting to be used for gun control."
        Joe Conti from New Jersey said "No one is telling the public this drill took place at the exact same school; they could have faked the whole thing!"
        Watch the video below and then watch the second video beneath it where it is revealed there are Left-Wing TV Networks placing "undercover" adults-posing-as-students into High Schools with FAKE IDENTITIES to expose other things that are actually going on in High Schools.
        Given they already had the make-up and fake wound materials at the school, how hard would it be to FAKE a "real" shooting for gun-control propaganda purposes?
        But then folks ask, what about the ACTUAL dead kids? Well, in the ABC NEWS video below, we find that TV Networks are already placing ADULTS AS FAKE STUDENTS in schools with FAKE IDENTITIES to find out what's really going on inside schools, and to "address issues" like Bullying, sexuality and other things.
        IF THEY HAVE ALREADY HAVE FAKE STUDENTS WITH FAKE IDENTITIES , FAKING THEIR DEATHS IS EASY!!
        The facts proven by the videos above are making people wonder: Was the "mass-shooting" in Florida actually one giant propaganda push?
        WHO BENEFITS?The 30 second video below shows former Attorney General Eric Holder openly telling schools to "brainwash" people about guns:
        Then there's the "kids" from Parkland High School in Florida being on TV everywhere with their allegedly "grass roots effort" at Gun Control. Turns out, though, their "grass roots effort" is actually astroturf!
        ''Can you believe these kids?'' It's been a recurring theme of the coverage of the Parkland school shooting: the remarkable effectiveness of the high school students who created a gun control organization in the wake of the massacre. In seemingly no time, the magical kids had organized events ranging from a national march to a mass school walkout, and they'd brought in a million dollars in donations from Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney.
        The Miami Herald credited their success to the school's stellar debate program. The Wall Street Journal said it was because they were born online, and organizing was instinctive. It wasn't.
        On February 28, BuzzFeed came out with the actual story: Rep. Debbie Wassermann Schultz aiding in the lobbying in Tallahassee, a teacher's union organizing the buses that got the kids there, Michael Bloomberg's groups and the Women's March working on the upcoming March For Our Lives, MoveOn.org doing social media promotion and (potentially) march logistics, and training for student activists provided by federally funded Planned Parenthood.
        The president of the American Federation of Teachers told BuzzFeed they're also behind the national school walkout, which journalists had previously assured the public was the sole work of a teenager. (I'd thought teachers were supposed to get kids into school, but maybe that's just me.)
        In other words, the response was professionalized - propagandized. That's not surprising, because this is what organization that gets results actually looks like. It's not a bunch of magical kids in somebody's living room. Nor is it surprising that the professionalization happened right off the bat. Broward County's teacher's union is militant, and Rep. Ted Lieu stated on Twitter that his family knows Parkland student activist David Hogg's family, so there were plenty of opportunities for grown-ups with resources and skills to connect the kids.
        That's before you get to whether any of them had been involved in the Women's March. According to BuzzFeed, Wassermann Schultz was running on day two.
        What's striking about all this isn't the organization. If you start reading books about organizing, it's clear how it all works. But no journalist covering the story wrote about this stuff for two weeks. Instead, every story was about the Parkland kids being magically effective.
        On Twitter, I lost track of the number of bluechecks rhapsodizing over how effective the kids' organizational instincts were. But organizing isn't instinctive. It's skilled work; you have to learn how to do it, and it takes really a lot of people. You don't just get a few magical kids who're amazing and naturally good at it.
        The real tip-off should have been the $500,000 donations from Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney. Big celebrities don't give huge money to strangers on a whim. Somebody who knows Winfrey and Clooney called them and asked. But the press's response was to be ever more impressed with the kids.
        For two weeks, journalists abjectly failed in their jobs, which is to tell the public what's going on. And any of them who had any familiarity with organizing campaigns absolutely knew. Matt Pearce, of the Los Angeles Times, would have been ideally placed to write an excellent article: not only is he an organizer for the Times's union, he moderated a panel on leftist activism for the LA Times Book Festival and has the appropriate connections in organizing. Instead, he wrote about a school walkout, not what was behind it. (In another article, Pearce defined Delta caving to a pressure campaign's demands as ''finding middle ground.'')
        But it's not just a mainstream media problem. None of the righty outlets writing about Parkland picked up on the clear evidence that professional organizers were backing the Parkland kids, either. Instead, they objected to the front-and-centering of minor kids as unseemly, which does no good: Lefties aren't going to listen, and it doesn't educate the Right to counter.
        The closest anyone got was Elizabeth Harrington at the Washington Free Beacon, who noted that Clooney's publicist was booking the kids' media interviews pro bono, and said that a friend (not Clooney) had asked him to do it. The result of all this is that the average righty does not understand what's going on in activism, because all they see is what the press covers. The stuff that's visible. It's like expecting people in the Stone Age to grok the Roman army by looking at it.
        Which brings us to Who Benefits from this "shooting?"
        Notice how guns have stolen the attention from the absolute provable crimes of Clinton and Obama rigging and and trying to steal the election.
        They're so many crimes that they both committed that literally you could just pick any crime.
        Richard Nixon only dreamed of doing what Obama actually did: Weaponizing the IRS against political opponents. Weaponizing the intelligence against political opponents.
        These criminals are on the run and using every tactic they can to keep their crimes out of the mainstream news which is controlled by the DNC.
        So was the "mass-shooting" in Florida real . . . or just one big left-wing propaganda push against guns to divert attention from Clinton and Obama crimes?
        You decide.
        NOTE: This web site is only possible because people like YOU either Subscribe for $1 a week (Billed Quarterly @ $13 HERE or Monthly @ $5 HERE) or who make one-time DONATIONS via Paypal HEREThis site CANNOT survive without YOUR help, so please step-up and help!
    Prof Ted
      Nest Message
      One day there will be a statue of Ted Kaszcinski
      NTSB: Tesla's Autopilot UX a ''major role'' in fatal Model S crash [Updated] | Ars Technica
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Mon, 02 Apr 2018 13:26
        Enlarge/ The Tesla Model S following its recovery last year from the crash scene near Williston, Florida.On Tuesday the National Transportation Safety Board met to discuss 2016's fatal Tesla Model S crash in Florida. NTSB did not have any major new findings beyond those we reported in June, nor did its findings differ from a National Traffic Highway Safety Administration investigation into the event. At this point the facts are clear: Joshua Brown was overly reliant on Tesla's Autopilot function and interacted with the car only seven times in 37 minutes'--while traveling at 74mph.The crash occurred on May 7, 2016, on US Highway 27A near Williston, Florida. The road in question is a four-lane highway with the eastbound and westbound lanes separated by a grass median, but it's important to note that it is not a controlled access or divided highway. As Brown was traveling east, he failed to notice a tractor trailer making a left-hand turn across his path onto a side road, and the truck driver failed to yield to the oncoming car. The Tesla hit the trailer roughly in its middle, a collision that sheared the roof from the electric vehicle, which continued another 300 feet (91m) down the road before slamming into a utility pole and coming to rest a further 50 feet (15m) in someone's front yard.
        As NHTSA found, the Automatic Emergency Braking feature on the Tesla'--in common with just about every other AEB fitted to other makes of cars'--was not designed in such a way that it could have saved Brown's life. The machine learning algorithms that underpin AEB systems have only been trained to recognize the rear of other vehicles, not profiles or other aspects. The NTSB report did find that a Vehicle-to-Vehicle communication system (V2V) could have alerted both vehicles to the potential danger, but as we have discussed ad nauseam, V2V is still absent from new cars even though the spec is almost 20 years old.
        Brown was driving a 2015 Model S, using the original Mobileye-sourced hardware and running Tesla's Firmware 7.1. Although that system works like most other adaptive cruise control and lane keeping "Level 2" semi-autonomous driving systems offered by other OEMs, Tesla's Autopilot differs in that it allowed the driver to go much, much longer without interacting with the car. The industry standard allows for just 15 seconds before it prompts the driver to interact with the vehicle'--fail to do so and the car stops controlling the brakes, accelerator, and steering. Autopilot, on the other hand, allows for several minutes to pass between prompting the driver, and NTSB's data reconstruction showed there was no driver interaction for two minutes leading up to the crash. (Driver interaction in this case is measured by a steering wheel torque sensor.)
        Level 2 systems like Autopilot are not meant to replace a human driver; although they will handle the steering and acceleration and braking of the vehicle, the human driver is responsible for situational awareness at all times. Since the fatal crash, Tesla has modified Autopilot. The relationship with Mobileye broke down, and Tesla is now developing its own sensor suite (HW2) and software (AP2), which has yet to reach the same level of functionality as its earlier cars.
        Tesla has repeatedly tweaked the operating conditions of Autopilot in response to drivers "doing crazy things." Now, instead of just giving the driver warnings every few minutes with no other action, Autopilot will disable after three ignored prompts within an hour. However, even with the most recent firmware, its cars will still let drivers go between one and three minutes without human interaction when traveling above 45mph'--sufficient time for Brown's crash to have happened. We should note that Tesla's instruction manual does tell owners that Autopilot requires the human driver to be ready to take over control at any time, and the company has repeatedly stressed that Autopilot is not meant to be a self-driving system when asked about this crash or other misuse of Autopilot.The NTSB findings include noting that "steering wheel torque is a poor surrogate measure for driver engagement," and it is telling that all of the Level 3 systems that Ars has seen involve some form of driver-facing camera and gaze tracking to monitor driver awareness. Additionally, these level 3 cars'--which are designed for lengthy periods of driver inattention'--are geofenced such that they will only work on divided lane highways where an accident like this one would not be possible. (Both safety features are also true for Cadillac's new Super Cruise system.) Finally, this specific problem'--confusion over whether a human or machine is in control'--is the reason why some car makers have decided to skip level 3 automation entirely.
        As NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt noted in conclusion, "Tesla's system worked as designed, but it was designed to perform limited tasks in a limited range of environments. Tesla allowed the driver to use the system outside of the environment for which it was designed, and the system gave far too much leeway to the driver to divert his attention to something other than driving. The result was a collision that, frankly, should have never happened."
        Update: In response to the NTSB hearing today, a Tesla spokesperson told Ars that "at Tesla, the safety of our customers comes first, and one thing is very clear: Autopilot significantly increases safety, as NHTSA has found that it reduces accident rates by 40%. We appreciate the NTSB's analysis of last year's tragic accident and we will evaluate their recommendations as we continue to evolve our technology. We will also continue to be extremely clear with current and potential customers that Autopilot is not a fully self-driving technology and drivers need to remain attentive at all times.''
      Tesla owner almost crashes on video trying to recreate fatal Autopilot accident | Electrek
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Mon, 02 Apr 2018 22:03
        Tesla and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are both investigating the fatal accident involving a Model X Autopilot in Mountain View last month, but now another Tesla owner also conducted his own little investigation into the accident by following a similar scenario on Autopilot and almost crashed on video by doing so.
        Home Solar PowerAfter reviewing the data logs of the vehicle last week, Tesla confirmed that the Model X was on Autopilot and explained the last moments before the impact:
        ''In the moments before the collision, which occurred at 9:27 a.m. on Friday, March 23rd, Autopilot was engaged with the adaptive cruise control follow-distance set to minimum. The driver had received several visual and one audible hands-on warning earlier in the drive and the driver's hands were not detected on the wheel for six seconds prior to the collision. The driver had about five seconds and 150 meters of unobstructed view of the concrete divider with the crushed crash attenuator, but the vehicle logs show that no action was taken.''
        Now another Tesla owners tried to film his Model S following the same lane change scenario on Autopilot in an almost identical section of road in Chicago and it might show exactly what happened during the accident:
        Electrek's Take
        Let's start with an obvious disclaimer that we don't recommend people filming themselves driving on Autopilot by holding a camera.
        It slows down your ability to take control when needed which can dangerous as seen on the video, but in this case, it interestingly illustrated exactly what might have happened moments before the tragic fatal crash.
        We can see the driver ignoring an alert to 'hold the steering wheel' sent out a few seconds before the barrier just like Tesla said in its report based on the logs '' though that was likely a time-based alert.
        Then it seems like Autopilot's Autosteer stayed locked on the left line even though it became the right line of the ramp. The system most likely got confused because the line was more clearly marked than the actual left line of the lane.
        That led the car directly into the barrier and it's easy to see how a driver who is not paying attention couldn't have been able to react in time since the driver who recreated it was barely able to apply the brake in time himself.
        It's a tragic event that serves as a reminder that Autopilot is still not perfect and that drivers need to pay attention at all time and be ready to take over.
    Spotify
      CNBC appearance request
      Ponti Post
        Sony made $1.5 billion cashing in their shares yesterday.
        The artists got fist fucked.
        Up next, the WMG and Universal share selling windfall.
        The most negative aspect of the $SPOT direct listing is the
        implied sentiment of not raising any additional capital in the process.
        IPO is typically seen as an exit plus capital raise, whereas
        this listing is just an exit.
        Any of you signed to a major, why do you think your jerk off
        twat of a product manager/marketing person was having you make your own Spotfy
        playlist?
        Why do you think they were preaching how good it is for you?
        You fell for it, didn't you?
        And all of you indies, embracing it like a crack whore does a
        pipe, what did you make off of it yesterday?
        It's YOUR content that drove it.
        Billions of dollars made yesterday and you got NOTHING but
        pennies.
        It's one of the greatest fuckings in history.
        And you all let it happen.
      DH Unplugged IPO correction
      Spotify poised to be a $25bn company on eve of IPO | Technology | The Guardian
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Mon, 02 Apr 2018 22:07
        Music streaming service's NYSE flotation comes amid fierce competition in the sector and high volatility
        Spotify will go public on New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. Photograph: Dado Ruvic/Reuters
        Spotify is poised to press the play button on a stock market float that will test investors' faith in its future prospects, amid mixed fortunes for fast-growing technology companies.
        Analysts said the performance of the music streaming service's shares on its first day of trading on Tuesday would gauge market opinion on whether it can stave off fierce competition for music fans' wallets and eventually make a profit.
        The Swedish company's listing on the New York Stock Exchange will also offer greater insight into investors' attitudes to technology companies, following a string of floats that have attracted great fanfare but met with varying receptions.
        Sign up to the daily Business Today email or follow Guardian Business on Twitter at @BusinessDeskWall Street offered a timely reminder of the volatility that can affect firms reliant on the promise of things to come, as electric car firm Tesla's shares slumped nearly 7% in early trading on Monday.
        Billionaire Elon Musk's company suffered amid forecasts that deliveries of its Model 3 vehicle are falling short of its targets, as investigators look into a fatal crash involving one of its cars in the self-steering Autopilot mode.
        Spotify, like fellow tech firms such as Tesla and Uber, is yet to make a profit, as its income struggles to keep pace with costs, including the royalties it pays to record labels and artists.
        Analysts expect it to be valued at $20bn-$25bn, although the listing is also something of a plunge into the unknown for potential investors.
        Unlike most companies that float, Spotify is not issuing any new stock, which means it has not set a price for its shares in advance.
        Would-be investors cannot turn to Spotify's past earnings for guidance because it has never reported any, racking up combined losses of nearly '‚¬1bn (£870m) over the past three years.
        The element of uncertainty could cause peaks and troughs in the price of Spotify shares, according to Laith Khalaf of stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown.
        ''This approach will save the company money, but will probably lead to volatility when the stock starts trading, as the market tries to find a price it's comfortable with,'' he said.
        ''The fact the company isn't turning a profit means the price discovery mechanism of a direct float is even more likely to be choppy.''
        The success of the float will also signal the extent of investors' belief in Spotify's ability to thrive amid competition from the likes of Apple and Amazon, both of which have greater financial muscle.
        Spotify is enjoying rapid revenue growth, up from '‚¬746m in 2013 to a predicted range of between '‚¬4.9bn and '‚¬5.3bn last year. It has an estimated 40% share of the global share of music streaming, giving it increasing bargaining power with labels and artists over the royalties it pays them.
        User numbers are expected to increase from 157 million to 170 million this year, with paying subscribers slated to increase from 72 million to 90 million.
        But the company is on course for fresh operating losses as large as '‚¬330m for the 2017 financial year.
        ''The challenge the company now faces is how to monetise non-paying customers more effectively, while paying out royalties to the various record labels for content at the same time,'' said Michael Hewson of CMC Markets.
        Recent technology floats have proved volatile, with cloud storage company Dropbox up 40% since its float last month, while Snap '' the company behind social media app Snapchat '' enjoyed a successful debut but has since fallen 15% below its float price, including a 7% fall in Monday's early training.
        Tesla's share price fall on Monday saw it fall back below Ford in terms of stock market value, having overtaken the automotive titan in April last year.
    A(P)I
      Google AI and search chief John Giannandrea steps down '' TechCrunch
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Mon, 02 Apr 2018 22:44
        It looks like Google is making some changes to its AI team, starting at the top. As The Information first reported, Google's AI chief John Giannandrea is leaving his post. Last year, Giannandrea expanded his role as the company's AI chief, after joining Google in 2010, to include search, too.
        We reached out to Google and the company confirmed these changes. According to a spokesperson, Giannandrea decided to step down. The move, the company tells us, will allow him to get more hands-on time with technology and our understanding is that he will stay at Google.
        During his tenure at Google, Giannandrea kept a pretty low profile, with few public appearances. For the most part, the left that role to others in the company.
        The current head of the Google Brain project, Jeff Dean, who joined Google back in 1999, will take Giannandrea's role in Google's AI group, and Ben Gomes, the company's current VP of search engineering, will become the company's new search chief.
        Overall, this is a bit of a curious turn of events, but it does make sense to bring the Google Brain project and the company's other AI initiatives under a single umbrella.
        As he told me at our Disrupt event in San Francisco last year, his view of AI is pretty practical and, while he acknowledge the need for ethics to inform AI research and products, he definitely isn't worried about the AI apocalypse. ''I'm definitely not worried about the AI apocalypse,'' he said. ''I just object to the hype and soundbites that some people are making.''
    Trade Wars
      China Announces $3b Tariffs on U.S. Imports '' Pork, Scrap Aluminum, Wine and Fruits'...
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Source: The Last Refuge
        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 10:37
        In retaliation for $50 billion in U.S. trade tariffs against Chinese imports, China laughably hits back with $3 their own billion tariffs against the U.S. According to most reporting Beijing has selected U.S. pork and scrap aluminum as targets for a 25% tariff, along with wine and fruit tariffs around 15%.
        It should be emphasized the approach by China is rather ridiculous considering the Chinese government purchased the largest U.S. pork manufacturer Smithfield in 2013 for $5 billion; at the time the purchase price was 30% more than the company was worth. Smithfield, now a Chinese company, represents 25% of all U.S. pork products.
        Do you really think China is going to not import it's own pork products'... or subject them to a domestic tax? Think about it. It's ridiculous. China knows they have ZERO leverage in a trade-dispute with the U.S., they cannot afford to lose access to the U.S. market.
        The example of Smithfield foods is exactly what we have outlined in how China cannot sustain itself and needs to control the assets of foreign countries. Hence, their one-road/one-belt program for securing products and raw materials. China is a dependent economy, they need to exploit global trade to survive. China cannot feed itself. This is the inherent flaw within their short-sighted authoritarian government-controlled economic model.
        Again, for emphasis, the Chinese government underwrote the purchase of Smithfield foods in 2013. They paid 30% more than the company was worth because they were securing access to food just like they would any other raw material (uranium, minerals, etc). China also purchases U.S. politicians to retain their ability in this regard.
        Now look at the cartoon from the unofficial Chinese state-run media today:
        Remember THIS is the position of the Chinese Government:
        ['...] China's latest countermeasures target fruit, pork and other US goods totaling some $3 billion, the equivalent of China's losses caused by US tariffs. The list indicates China will never compromise and will always retaliate against unreasonable tariffs.
        For every single move against Chinese interests, the US can expect retaliation. It is time for Washington to bid farewell to the delusional, make-believe world whereby it imagines China an unresponsive, over-tolerant nation.
        China does not want a trade war, but it will not retreat should one emerge. Monday's announcement is hardly a subtle hint. China will show its strength through action.
        Recent White House statements have revealed a tough stance on Sino-US trade disparities while some have even shown a level of optimism at resolving trade conflicts through negotiation. But it is not hard to realize that such self-contradictory behavior reveals that the US knows its actions are unjustifiable. China's attitude toward a trade conflict has been consistent and Beijing will carefully handle all challenges from the US.
        There are always a few Western politicians who think China might step back and concede. But they are wrong. The Chinese government only cares about what is in the best interest of its people rather than elections.
        Washington must be reasonable dealing with China. Threats will fail as China is not afraid of the US, plus the Chinese have zero tolerance for political weakness. (read more)
        Nuance and subtlety is everything in China. Culturally harsh tones are seen as a sign of weakness and considered intensely impolite in public displays between officials; especially within approved and released statements by officials representing the government.
        There is no doubt in my mind that President Trump has a very well thought out long-term strategy regarding China. President Trump takes strategic messaging toward the people of china very importantly. President Trump has, very publicly, complimented the friendship he feels toward President Xi Jinping; and praises Chairman Xi for his character, strength and purposeful leadership.
        To build upon that projected and strategic message '' President Trump seeded the background by appointing Ambassador Terry Branstad, a 30-year personal friend of President Xi Jinping.
        To enhance and amplify the message '' and broadcast cultural respect '' U.S. President Trump used Mar-a-Lago as the venue for their visit, not the White House. And President Trump's beautiful granddaughter, Arabella, sweetly serenaded the Chinese First Family twice in Mandarin Chinese song showing the utmost respect for the guests and later for the hosts.
        Why the constant warm messaging?
        What is the purpose?
        What does all this have to do with a trade confrontation?
        Historic Chinese geopolitical policy, vis-a-vis their totalitarian control over political sentiment (action) and diplomacy through silence, is evident in the strategic use of the space between carefully chosen words, not just the words themselves.
        Each time China takes aggressive action (red dragon) China projects a panda face through silence and non-response to opinion of that action;'.... and the action continues. The red dragon has a tendency to say one necessary thing publicly, while manipulating another necessary thing privately. The Art of War.
        President Trump is the first U.S. President to understand how the red dragon hides behind the panda mask.
        It is specifically because he understands that Panda is a mask that President Trump messages warmth toward the Chinese people, and pours vociferous praise upon Xi Jinping, while simultaneously confronting the geopolitical doctrine of the Xi regime.
        In essence Trump is mirroring the behavior of China while confronting their economic duplicity.
        China has no cultural or political space between peace and war; they are a historic nation based on two points of polarity. They see peace and war as coexisting with each other.
        China accepts and believes opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. Flowing between these polar states is a natural dynamic to be used -with serious contemplation- in advancing objectives as needed.
        Peace or war. Win or lose. Yin and Yang. Culturally there is no middle position in dealings with China; they are not constitutionally capable of understanding or valuing the western philosophy of mutual benefit where concession of terms gains a larger outcome. If it does not benefit China, it is not done. The outlook is simply, a polarity of peace or war. In politics or economics the same perspective is true. It is a zero-sum outlook.
        Therefore, when you see China publicly use strong language '' it indicates a level of internal disposition beyond the defined western angst. Big Panda becomes Red Dragon; there is no mid-status or evolutionary phase. Every American associated with investment, economics and China would be well advised to put their business affairs in order accordingly.
        President Trump will not back down from his position; the U.S. holds all of the leverage and the issue must be addressed. President Trump has waiting three decades for this moment. This President and his team are entirely prepared for this.
        We are finally confronting the geopolitical Red Dragon, China!
        The Olive branch and arrows denote the power of peace and war. The symbol in any figure's right hand has more significance than one in its left hand. Also important is the direction faced by the symbols central figure. The emphasis on the eagles stare signifies the preferred disposition. An eagle holding an arrow also symbolizes the war for freedom, and its use is commonly referred to the liberation fight of righteous people from abusive influence. The eagle on the original seal created for the Office of the President showed the gaze upon the arrows.
        The Eagle and the Arrow '' An Aesop's Fable
        An Eagle was soaring through the air. Suddenly it heard the whizz of an Arrow, and felt the dart pierce its breast. Slowly it fluttered down to earth. Its lifeblood pouring out. Looking at the Arrow with which it had been shot, the Eagle realized that the deadly shaft had been feathered with one of its own plumes.
        Moral: We often give our enemies the means for our own destruction.
        RELATED:
        Leverage'... We have it, China doesn't.
        China is no longer hiding their alignment with their proxy province of North Korea. Meanwhile President Trump has cultivated a very close relationship with Shinzo Abe of Japan, and to a lesser extent Prime Minister Modi of India.
        Two teams preparing for the economic conflict:
        China/North-Korea/Russia and Pakistan. -VS-
        U.S./South-Korea/Japan and India.
        .
        That's the big picture. The rest is chaff and countermeasures.
    Battery Cars
      Tesla Model 3 Costs More To Charge Than A Gasoline Car - Tesla Motors (NASDAQ:TSLA) | Seeking Alpha
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Mon, 02 Apr 2018 12:12
        Most people know the cost of driving a car that runs on regular gasoline. You take the price of the fuel per gallon, and divide it by the Miles Per Gallon (MPG) number that your car yields. The resulting number is the ''cost per mile'' in variable fuel cost terms.
        So far, in the switch to electric cars, the cost of electricity per mile driven, has not been the subject of much discussion. It's just somehow assumed that an electric car costs less to drive than a gasoline car. There are at least two reasons for this:
        Many early adopters don't care about the cost of the fuel (electricity) because all they want is to try the new technology. Trying new technology is, after all, cool in and of itself - especially tech for sports cars.
        Many early adopters pay literally nothing for the electricity. Why? Because they charge their cars almost exclusively at one location: Their office, during the day, where the electricity is provided free-of-charge. You just can't beat 100% free.
        However, most of the world does not look like the parking lot at Alphabet's (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) headquarters, or many other larger companies in Silicon Valley. Most people in the world don't live in houses with safe garage space, and most people don't work at large Silicon Valley companies, where EVs make up a disproportionate share of the employee car park.
        For EVs to scale, they will have to be sold to people who live in apartments and park on the street. These are the same people who fuel their cars at the gasoline station today. Let's see how that has worked for generations.
        Someone who is concerned with saving fuel, while simultaneously driving a practical car that fits five adults and a healthy amount of luggage, has several great choices in 2018. These would be the most obvious ones, available in the $22,000 to $25,000 range, completely unsubsidized:
        Toyota (NYSE:TM) Prius - 58 MPG city, 53 MPG highway
        Hyundai (OTCPK:HYMPY) Ioniq - 57 MPG city, 59 MPG highway
        Honda (NYSE:HMC) Insight - 55 MPG city, highway MPG TBA Summer 2018
        In other words, there are attractive and spacious hatchbacks yielding at least 55 MPG for under $25,000, without taxpayer funding needed. Just to be conservative and give the opposite side of the argument the benefit of the doubt, I'll refer to these as 50 MPG cars, even though they perform a little better. Rounding down is sufficient for this exercise, as you will see below.
        In any of these cars, you can stop at almost every other street corner in America and add around 10 gallons of fuel for an additional 500+ miles of range. The whole process is done in 3-4 minutes, all-in. Just wait until the fuel light blinks yellow, and pull over anytime within the next 50-100 miles when it's convenient. It doesn't require any thinking or planning.
        For the regular person, who has no intention of fueling at home with some sort of a cord dangling from the bedroom window to the car on the street, and who doesn't have an employer where he/she can fuel for free during the day, how does this price and experience compare to Tesla's (NASDAQ:TSLA) superchargers?
        First of all, you have to buy the car. The current version of the Tesla Model 3 starts at $50,000 and Tesla says it's rated at 310 miles of range. Never mind that Car & Driver Magazine just published its Tesla Model 3 review and got a whole lot less: 2018 Tesla Model 3 Test | Review | Car and Driver
        ''...it's difficult to gauge exactly how disappointing the Model 3's result is in our real-world 75-mph highway fuel-economy test. Our calculated range of 200 miles is far below the EPA's overall estimates of 310 miles in combined driving and 293 miles in highway driving, but it was certainly affected by the 28-degree-Fahrenheit ambient temperature.''
        Basically, if it's a little cold outside, lop a third off the range. If it's even colder, presumably worse.
        Now you've paid twice as much for the car and you've got at best approximately half the range. Refueling time? Unlike the Toyota, Hyundai or Honda, you're not refueling that Tesla Model 3 in less than five minutes. You can fill a majority percentage of the Model 3 in less than half an hour if you're lucky, but if you're filling it from nearly zero to 100%, that will take even longer.
        So the range is half at best, you've paid twice as much for the car, and it takes at least ten or twenty times as long to fuel the car to drive half the range - but what does the fuel actually cost? This is the biggest question for many people.
        To find out, you can go to Tesla's Supercharger price list, which is available online: Supercharging.
        The prices vary from state to state. I picked 16 states as examples here, including many of the big ones cornering the country - Washington, Oregon, California, Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York. Those would be the ones where most EV buyers are anyway.
        State
        per kWh
        California
        $0.26
        Colorado
        $0.22
        Florida
        $0.22
        Idaho
        $0.23
        Illinois
        $0.24
        Maine
        $0.22
        Maryland
        $0.23
        Massachusetts
        $0.23
        Minnesota
        $0.21
        New York
        $0.24
        Oregon
        $0.24
        Utah
        $0.22
        Virginia
        $0.21
        Washington
        $0.25
        Washington DC
        $0.26
        West Virginia
        $0.22
        As you can see in the table above, the average is close to the $0.24 per kWh mark. So how far does that $0.24 take you?
        The Tesla Model 3 is rated at 26 kWh per 100 miles according to the U.S. Department of Energy: 2018 Tesla Model 3 Long Range.
        In other words, almost four miles per kWh. It's close enough that we can round it up to four miles, just to give Tesla some margin in its favor. That squares with the general rule of thumb in the EV world: A smaller energy-efficient EV will yield around 4 miles per kWh, whereas a larger EV will yield around 3 miles per kWh.
        That means that at $0.24 per kWh, the Tesla Model 3 costs $0.06 per mile to drive.
        How does that compare to the gasoline cars? At 50 MPG and today's nationwide average gasoline price of $2.65, that's $0.05 per mile. In other words, it's cheaper to drive the gasoline car than the Tesla Model 3.
        The break-even point is easy to identify, too: At $0.06 per mile - Tesla Model 3 - the break-even point for the 50 MPG car is $3.00 per gallon. Clearly, not too far from today's $2.65 nationwide average, but as you can see, it's relatively close.
        Now of course, the lifecycle total cost of ownership doesn't end there. Aside from the consumer having to finance the $50,000 car instead of the $25,000 Prius/Ioniq/Insight, there is also the uncertain matter of the battery cost.
        It is understood that you should not have to pay for a new EV battery within the first ten years, if for no other reason because of warranty and general expectations of reliability. However, at some point the day to buy a new battery will come. Perhaps not at the 10-year mark, but otherwise at 15, 20 or 25 years.
        In a gasoline car, you are not worrying about the expense of switching out the gasoline tank after a decade or two or three. If you had to do it, the cost would be tiny anyway.
        However, in a Tesla Model 3, you are talking about a battery close to 80 kWh. We know Tesla said that its cost (by some narrow definition) was falling below $190 per kWh. However, counting all costs and adding a profit margin plus labor, we can safely say that the price (not cost) would be at least $250 per kWh all-in.
        So at $250 per kWh, we are talking $20,000 as the total price for the 80 kWh battery, perhaps including installation and disposal, if necessary.
        In contrast, the hybrid car will have a battery that's only a hair over 1 kWh. While that doesn't translate to $250 in total because fixed packaging cost, labor etc., it also doesn't stretch much above $2,500 at worst, and that's at a 10:1 scale penalty.
        In other words, as an EV owner you will have to amortize most of that $20,000 battery over some period of time, minus the trade-in value of your own battery. Let's call that $10,000 for every 10 years, on average, or $1,000 per year in amortization.
        The battery amortization completely kills the economic case for EVs, right there. Why? For the average U.S. person who drives 12,000 miles per year, that's 240 gallons per year at 50 MPG. Multiply by today's $2.65 per gallon average, and that means $636 per year, or $53 per month.
        We can debate the ballpark of $1,000 a year for the Model 3 battery amortization, but it's fair to conclude that even if the electricity were free, the battery amortization is still approximately equal to the annual gasoline bill for the Prius/Ioniq/Insight driver, and possibly 50% higher.
        Let's summarize the situation, in six easy steps:
        The Tesla Model 3 costs twice as much to buy as the hybrid hatchbacks from Toyota, Hyundai and Honda.
        The Tesla Model 3 has at best half as much range as those cars, and is far more impacted by temperatures.
        The Tesla Model 3 takes at least 10x-20x as long to recharge/refuel - only to get half the range.
        You have to assign some number to annual battery depreciation, even if the battery will be fine for at least a decade. That amortization number could be in the ballpark of $1,000 per year.
        Considering that these hybrids will cost you only $636 per year in gasoline expense for the average 12,000 mile per year driver, the argument stops right there.
        Even if you somehow dream away the battery depreciation, the Tesla Model 3 costs $0.06 per mile from the Tesla Supercharger, whereas the gasoline hybrids cost $0.05 per mile at the current nationwide gasoline price average. In other words, gasoline is cheaper even if you assume away all the other EV costs.
        This math is simply devastating.
        One Objection: Fast car vs. Eco-car
        I can already anticipate what some critics will say: The Tesla Model 3 is a performance car that should not be compared with the likes of Toyota Prius, Hyundai Ioniq and Honda Insight. There is some truth to this, but I will explain why it does not matter for most people, even though it may matter for some.
        The Tesla Model 3 does 0-60 in approximately five seconds. The hybrids in this comparison will take approximately twice as long. This is undeniable.
        However, for most Americans, this does not matter. For the car to be able to make you car-sick does not shave much if anything from the time of your daily commute and most errands you are going to run. You are probably going down the freeway at the same 65 MPH, 75 MPH or 85 MPH on cruise control regardless.
        One could just as well start to compare the luggage opening (hatchback vs. sedan) and rear seat space/comfort, and various features. Or for that matter that Hyundai, Honda - and soon also Toyota - come with SiriusXM (NASDAQ:SIRI), Android Auto and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) CarPlay, whereas the Tesla Model 3 lives in its own isolated Luddite tech world.
        Bottom line: The legislation is coming to a head.
        We are in the middle of governments at various levels of subsidizing, incentivizing and in some cases, mandating electric cars. Yet, they are simply more expensive. It's like the government forcing everyone to buy a $5 million home, or be homeless. This will not end well, including for the economics - and therefore the stock prices - of the automakers. Something has to give, or the industry will collapse.
        Next time you hear someone say that EVs are cheaper to run, show them these numbers. It just ain't so.
        Disclosure: I am/we are short TSLA.
        I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
        Additional disclosure: At the time of submitting this article for publication, the author was short TSLA, and long GM and GOOGL. However, positions can change at any time. The author regularly attends press conferences, new vehicle launches and equivalent, hosted by most major automakers.
        Editor's Note: This article discusses one or more securities that do not trade on a major U.S. exchange. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.
    Minority Rules
      Alle kip halal geslacht | Binnenland | Telegraaf.nl
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 12:54
        16 feb. 2013 in BINNENLAND
        Het grootste deel van de Nederlandse kipfilet is halal, ook als dat niet op de verpakking staat. Dat meldt The Post Online. Om export van weinig populaire delen van de kip naar moslimlanden mogelijk te maken, wordt voor het gemak alle kip halal geslacht.
        Voorwaarden zijn dat de kip onverdoofd wordt geslacht en dat er een imam bij moet zijn. Een grote kippenslachter zegt daarom gecertificeerde slachters in dienst te hebben, die de imam kunnen vervangen.
        Wakker Dier bevestigt dat de meeste kip halal is. 'žSlachterijen denken 'better safe than sorry'. Daarom slachten ze alles halal, dan kunnen ze later nog zien aan wie ze het verkopen. Als Wakker Dier vinden wij het natuurlijk kwalijk dat dieren onnodig ritueel geslacht worden om logistieke redenen.''
        Dagelijks tijdens de lunch het belangrijkste nieuws in je inbox?Ongeldig e-mailadres. Vul nogmaals in aub.
        Uitschrijven kan met 1 klik
        16 feb. 2013 in BINNENLAND
    Migrants
      Anti-Mass Migration Sweden Democrats Polling First Among Young Voters
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 10:39
        The populist anti-mass migration Sweden Democrats (SD) are now the number one party for Swedes aged 18 to 34, according to a newly released poll following a populist voting trend among young people across Europe. The poll by YouGov has shown that the Sweden Democrats is now the most popular party with Swedes aged 18 to 34 at 19 per cent, just ahead of the Moderate Party at 18 per cent.
        The polls follow similar trends in countries like Italy where the majority of first-time 18-year-old voters marked their ballots for populist, anti-establishment parties.
        In other age groups, the anti-mass migration party also performed well, including the over 55 age bracket in which the party polled at 24 per cent, behind the ruling Social Democrats.
        Some of the support may come from the increasing number of Swedish pensioners finding themselves homeless due to the shortage of housing as a result of the massive migrant influx in 2015.
        Sweden's state broadcaster SVT spoke with several pensioners who have been made homeless in Stockholm who told the broadcaster that they were now considering voting for the SD for the first time in order to change their current situation.
        Many of the pensioners, including a 73-year-old, forced to spend nights in late-night hamburger restaurants to stay safe and warm, said they were also disappointed in the current government's integration policies.
        Jimmie …kesson, leader of the SD, has been a vocal critic of the government's mass migration and integration policies, promising to secure the borders and force the migration board to focus on deporting failed asylum seekers and illegal migrants.
        ''It is perhaps the most important integration policy measure at the moment, that anyone who doesn't need protection, who should not be here, will be returned as soon as possible,'' …kesson said.
        …kesson also gave an exclusive statement to Breitbart London following Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven's denial of no-go areas on a trip to the U.S.
        ''We have re-occurring incidences of cancelled bus lines in fear of entering certain immigrant heavy areas, frequent attacks on emergency vehicles, oftentimes lured in there by fake 911 calls for the sole purpose of attacking the emergency personnel, and even reluctance in simple services such as delivering mail or investigating illegal television/cable services,'' he said.
        ''In some areas self-appointed sharia police patrol the streets enforcing dress-code rules and proper Islamic behaviours,'' …kesson added.
        Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com
      Immigrant care: these US cities they need them and welcome them with open arms | CNN
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 11:31
        (CNNMoney) '' La pelea por la inmigraci"n en Washington se est poniendo cada vez ms desagradable. Pero en muchas ciudades de Estados Unidos, se est desarrollando un escenario muy distinto: los inmigrantes estn siendo recibidos con los brazos abiertos.
        "En lugar de fomentar los temores o rechazar a los reci(C)n llegados, muchos l­deres municipales estn ideando nuevas estrategias impulsadas por los datos para recibir e integrar de mejor manera a los inmigrantes y a los refugiados", escribieron los investigadores de la en un estudio publicado en colaboraci"n con The Americas Society.
        El estudio encontr" que varias de las ciudades de Estados Unidos estn buscando formas de integrar de mejor manera a los nuevos inmigrantes en un esfuerzo por ya sea revitalizar su econom­a (por ejemplo, St. Louis, Baltimore), calmar las tensiones entre los reci(C)n llegados y los residentes de largo plazo (Atlanta, Nashville) o acelerar el proceso en el que los inmigrantes se integran a sus comunidades al aprender ingl(C)s, conseguir empleo y comprar casas (San Francisco, Nueva York, Los ngeles).
        Baltimore, por ejemplo, se convirti" en una "ciudad santuario" en 2014, lo que significa que ni la polic­a ni cualquier agencia de la ciudad puede pedirle pruebas a nadie de su estatus de inmigraci"n.
        Los inmigrantes estn comenzando a revitalizar ciudades como Baltimore.
        En un esfuerzo por atraer inmigrantes, la ciudad ofrece varias oportunidades para que ellos puedan adaptarse y establecerse financieramente ms rpido.
        La oficina del alcalde se asocia con organizaciones locales sin nimo de lucro y con compa±­as para proporcionar servicios de traducci"n, interpretaci"n y preparaci"n de documentos.
        Ellos tambi(C)n brindan capacitaci"n laboral e incentivos financieros para los empleados que los ayudan a comprar casas.
        Y para los inmigrantes emprendedores, la oficina del alcalde se asocia con organizaciones locales a fin de ofrecerle a los negocios pr(C)stamos de entre 5.000 y 50.000 d"lares, dijo Ruben Chandrasekar, director ejecutivo del International Rescue Committee, una organizaci"n sin nimo de lucro que reubica a ms o menos 1.100 refugiados y personas que buscan asilo en Baltimore cada a±o.
        "Tenemos una ciudad que fue construida para 9.000 habitantes", dijo Chandrasekar. "A medida que los trabajos en la manufactura se fueron a lugares ms econ"micos, aument" el crimen, la reciente recesi"n se dej" sentir y la poblaci"n de Baltimore fue reducida a ms o menos 600.000 habitantes".
        Segºn los datos ms recientes del censo, casi 10.000 nuevos inmigrantes han llegado a Baltimore entre 2010 y 2014.
        La afluencia de inmigrantes est ayudando a que vecindarios en ruinas vuelvan a la vida.
        Eastern Avenue, ubicada cerca de los barrios tur­sticos de Inner Harbor y Fells Point, se ha convertido en el centro de la ciudad para la cultura latina, por ejemplo. Locales familiares, restaurantes, abarroter­as, panader­as e hileras de casas ahora salpican la avenida.
        "Cuando vives en una cuadra en la que hay cinco casas abandonadas y un inmigrante se traslada a una de ellas, eso es algo bueno", dijo Chandrasekar.
        St. Louis est tomando medidas similares. Aunque St. Louis no es una ciudad santuario, el alcalde Francis Slay ha prometido que la tasa de crecimiento de inmigrantes de la ciudad ser la ms rpida en Estados Unidos para 2020.
        ‰l fij" dicho objetivo luego de que un informe de 2012 sobre el impacto econ"mico realizado por Kemper Foundation encontrara que la ciudad necesita desesperadamente atraer nuevos residentes a fin de revertir las disminuciones econ"micas y de poblaci"n.
        En colaboraci"n con la oficina del alcalde, al igual que la Administraci"n de Peque±as Empresas del rea, oficinas de desarrollo econ"mico y las Cmaras de Comercio, dos organizaciones estn trabajando actualmente para ayudar a atraer a los inmigrantes a la regi"n.
        El Instituto Internacional de St. Louis es una de ellas. Ofrece clases de ingl(C)s y de ciudadan­a, al igual que capacitaci"n en enfermer­a y servicios de salud mental.
        Tambi(C)n ayuda a que los reci(C)n llegados encuentren empleos de nivel bsico y les ofrece pr(C)stamos empresariales de hasta 35.000 d"lares a los inmigrantes emprendedores. (Como resultado de los esfuerzos de la organizaci"n, su presidenta y directora ejecutiva Anna Croslin fue nombrada "Defensora del cambio" por la Casa Blanca durante el d­a mundial de los refugiados).
        El otro grupo que est ayudando a los inmigrantes en St. Louis, el Mosaic Project, vincula a inmigrantes hbiles que poseen visa y un buen conocimiento de ingl(C)s con profesionales locales, escuelas y compa±­as en su campo.
        Los esfuerzos en St. Louis aºn son nuevos, as­ que es demasiado pronto como para medir el impacto general, dijo Elizabeth Cohen, directora ejecutiva del St. Louis Mosaic Project.
        Sin embargo, la narrativa en la regi"n est cambiando, dice, ya que socios en el gobierno, universidades y empresas estn de acuerdo en que recibir a los inmigrantes beneficiar a St. Louis.
        Slay, el alcalde de la ciudad, es nieto de inmigrantes libaneses y permanece firme en su compromiso por atraer inmigrantes. Hasta ahora, St. Louis ha recibido a todos, desde menores latinoamericanos no acompa±ados hasta refugiados bosnios. Ms recientemente, refugiados sirios han encontrado un nuevo hogar en la ciudad.
        "Debemos volvernos a comprometer con nuestros valores humanos ms bsicos: recibir a quienes estn en necesidad y ser amables con nuestros vecinos", dijo Slay en su sitio web. "La ciudad de St. Louis seguir recibiendo a refugiados sirios. Independientemente de si son cristianos, musulmanes o de cualquier otra creencia religiosa, son nuestros vecinos y necesitan ayuda".
    Agenda 2030
      Lockheed Martin Receives Patent For 'World Changing' Fusion Reactor '' CBS DC
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 11:02
        CBS Local '-- Lockheed Martin has reportedly been working on a revolutionary new type of reactor that can power anything from cities to aircraft carriers.
        The Maryland-based defense contractor recently received a patent for the compact fusion reactor (CFR) after filing plans for the device in 2014. According to reports, one generator would be as small as a shipping container but produce the energy to power 80,000 homes or one of the U.S. Navy's Nimitz-class carriers.
        Lockheed's advanced projects division, Skunk Works, has reportedly been working on the futuristic power source since 2014 and claimed at the time that a CFR could be ready for production by 2019.
        ''I started looking at all the ideas that had been published. I basically took those ideas and melded them into something new by taking the problems in one and trying to replace them with the benefits of others,'' Dr. Thomas McGuire of Skunk Works said during a 2014 interview.
        According to a report by The Drive, nuclear fusion is a much safer process of creating energy than fission. The fusion process heats up a gaseous fuel to the point where its atomic structure fuses with other particles to create heavier elements.
        ''The nice thing about a fusion reaction is that if somehow it would go out of control, it would just stop itself automatically,'' William & Mary's Saskia Mordijck told Phys.org in 2012. ''If a fission reaction goes out of control, it can really go out of control. You can't stop it and it actually might go into a nuclear meltdown.''
        Lockheed advertises its quest to develop fusion power on its website, calling the technology ''a cleaner, safer source of energy'' that could be used to power communities or even travel to Mars.
      An Enormous Crack Just Opened Up In Africa, Evidence Africa Is Literally Splitting In Two
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        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 22:24
        Adapted from Google Earth
        Approximate location of the East African Rift running along the eastern corridor of Africa.
        A massive crack suddenly appeared in Kenya, prompting new discussion on the breakup of Africa into two land masses. The crack continues to grow in size as heavy rainfall in Kenya's Narok County exacerbates the kilometer-sized chasm.
        The sudden appearance of the crack is related to a regional zone of weakness and broadly associated with the continued breakup of the African continent. The leading hypothesis behind the breakup of the African continent is caused by an underlying superheated plume. This plume is causing Africa to split in two along the eastern edge of the continent. Thankfully, the rifting process will take many millions of years as the crust begins to thin and sink and a small seaway begins to intrude the rift zone.
        Splitting a continent in two is quite common, for instance, it led to the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. Notice how Africa and South America would fit perfectly together, this is because they were once one landmass, eventually sutured apart by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. While scientists have known for quite some time about the rifting in Africa, the underlying cause has been hard to pin down. Evidence suggests it is due to a superplume upwelling along the eastern edge of Africa, figuratively "burning" a hole in Earth's crust.
        DBoyd13/Creative Commons
        Schematic of a mantle plume similar to the one seen in the East African Rift system.
        This superplume created the East African Rift System (EARS), the system associated with the breakup of the African continent. The East African Rift Valley, produced as a result of the ongoing splitting of the African continent, stretches more than 3,000 km from the Gulf of Aden to Zimbabwe. The rifting, which began about 25 million years ago, will eventually create two separate continental masses associated with the Somalian and Nubian tectonic plates. The process, however, will take millions of years at the current spreading rate of a few millimeters per year.
        Wikipedia
        Diagram of the East African rift system.
        While the larger rifting system could be the underlying mechanism for the 50 feet deep and 66 feet wide chasm, the sudden appearance was likely due to heavy rainfall in the area, exposing the crack. The surface expression of the rifting is responsible for a wide zone of volcanism, seismic activity, uplift and subsidence of the ground, and the creation of fissures and cracks.
        Over millions of years, the eastern edge of Africa will begin to be separated from the rest of Africa by a small and shallow sea. As rifting continues, Earth will exhibit a large island in the Indian Ocean. This island will likely consist of parts of Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania.
      A giant crack in Kenya opens up, but what's causing it? - CBS News
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        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 22:25
        WASHINGTON -- A giant crack in the Earth opened up almost overnight, 50 feet deep and at its widest 65 feet across, slicing through a highway and terrifying many who live in an area just west of Nairobi, Kenya.
        So what caused it? Well, it depends which scientist you ask.
        "We're seeing a crack that in all likelihood formed over many thousands of years or hundreds of thousands of years," said Ben Andrews, a geologist with the Smithsonian.
        Scientists differ on what they believe is causing a giant crack to open in the Earth in Kenya
        CBS News
        Some scientists, like Andrews, believe that the crack was recently exposed by a rainstorm. But he says its true cause goes deeper, and that it was created by the movement of the Earth's tectonic plates, sections of the Earth's crust that move about one inch a year. In 50 million years, he says Africa may split in two.
        Other scientists, like earthquake geologist Wendy Bohon, agree that Africa is slowly splitting in two, but she thinks the gash was created in a flash.
        "I think it's an Earth fissure, the same sort of thing that you see in Arizona after heavy rain storms," Bohon said. "They're the result of heavier torrential rains that come and wash away large portions of the dirt in the ground. To me it looks pretty cut and dry. It wasn't a result of the tectonics, it was the result of the weather."
        A mysterious gash in the Earth at the very spot where Africa is being slowly torn apart.
        (C) 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
      Cape Town 'Day Zero' pushed back to 2019 as dams fill up in South Africa | Article [AMP] | Reuters
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        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 22:26
        Tue Apr 3, 2018 / 9:31 AM EDT
        JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's drought-stricken Cape Town has pushed back its estimate for "Day Zero," when taps in the city run dry and people start queuing for water, to 2019 from August of this year, and data show dam levels rising elsewhere in the country.
        An El Nino-triggered drought two years ago hit agricultural production and economic growth throughout South Africa. Cape Town was particularly hard hit, and lack of good subsequent rains around the city has made its water shortage worse.
        The City of Cape Town said on its web site that Day Zero had been "pushed out to 2019." Residents have been living with stringent consumption restrictions, which now stand at 50 litres per person per day. Those restrictions remain in effect.
        Dam levels for the Western Cape province, which includes Cape Town, were at 18.3 percent last week compared with 19 percent the week before, according to South Africa's Department of Water Affairs. Elsewhere, the water situation has been improving.
        The Vaal Dam, a major supply source for Gauteng, the province that includes Johannesburg, Pretoria and much of South Africa's industry, was at 94.7 percent, up from 83.5 percent the week before.
        Levels in the Katse and Mohale dams in neighboring Lesotho, which are key water storage systems for Gauteng, have a combined capacity now of almost 54 percent. In late January, they were at 32 percent, raising concerns that the water crisis would spread beyond Cape Town.
        Relief for Cape Town, a major tourist draw famed for its mountain backdrop, beaches and nearby wine farms, may also be imminent, with good seasonal rains forecast. Cape Town typically gets rain in the southern hemisphere winter, starting around May. Above-average-rainfall is now forecast over the next three months, according to the latest seasonal outlook from the South African Weather Service.
        (Editing by Larry King)
    War on Weed
      People Are Bleeding From Their Eyes and Ears After Smoking Synthetic Pot in Illinois
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        Archived Version
        Source: BlackListed News
        Mon, 02 Apr 2018 13:45
        It's a sentence that just about sums up 2018 so far: Illinois is dealing with an outbreak of synthetic weed that makes its users bleed from their eyes and ears.
        On Thursday, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reportedthat since March 7, at least 22 people have developed severe bleeding soon after taking synthetic pot products. The bleeding has not only occurred from their eyes and ears, but from their noses and gums as well. Patients have also vomited up and urinated blood, experienced large, unexplainable bruises, and had extremely heavy menstrual bleeding.
        There's been no single product tied to all the cases, though the majority of patients recalled buying their products from dealers, stores, and friends around the Chicago area. As of yet, there have been no reported deaths.
        ''Despite the perception that synthetic cannabinoids are safe and a legal alternative to marijuana, many are illegal and can cause severe illness,'' said Nirav D. Shah, director of the IDPH, in a statement this week. ''The recent cases of severe bleeding are evidence of the harm synthetic cannabinoids can cause.''
        Manufacturers of these products either spray chemicals believed to mimic the high of conventional marijuana onto smokable herbs or sell the mixtures in a liquid form that can be vaped. The products, packaged as Spice, K2, or a hundred other names, contain an unregulated and ever-changing cocktail of chemicals that can lead to widely different experiences for users.
        Read More...
      At Least Two People Are Dead After Smoking Synthetic Weed That Causes Bleeding From the Eyes and Ears
        Link to Article
        Archived Version
        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 12:47
        Some synthetic pot products sold in Illinois are causing people to develop severe bleeding and have been linked to at least two deaths.Photo: Kelley McCall (AP)
        The outbreak of severe bleeding cases linked to synthetic pot in Illinois is getting worse with every day. On Tuesday, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported a second death in connection to the designer drugs, also known as synthetic cannabinoids.
        As of Tuesday, there have been 56 reported or suspected cases of people coming down with strange, serious episodes of bleeding soon after having used synthetic pot products. People have vomited up blood, bled from their eyes and ears, and experienced large, unexplained bruising. All have been hospitalized, and several have relapsed and needed to be readmitted, according to the IDPH.
        ''We continue to see the number of cases rise,'' said Nirav D. Shah, director of the IDPH, in a statement. ''IDPH is continuing to work with local health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with other partners, to try to identify common products. Without more information, IDPH does not know how much contaminated product is circulating or where. We strongly urge everyone not to use synthetic cannabinoids.''
        Synthetic cannabinoids, sold under such names as K2 or Spice, are smokable herbs doused with a cocktail of chemicals advertised to mimic the effects of marijuana; they can be also sold as vaping fluid. The enforcement of these drugs was initially nonexistent, allowing them to be presented as a safe, legal alternative to pot and sold in convenience stores and head shops. In recent years, many states, along with the federal government, have tried to ban specific ingredients found in these products, but manufacturers have largely stayed one step ahead by constantly changing their formulas.
        Because the ingredients are generally unknown, however, users can experience dangerous and unexpected side effects, including temporary psychosis, hallucinations, and sometimes death. And several outbreaks of synthetic pot overdoses have hit other states, including New York, recently. The recent outbreak is believed to be the first time any of these ebola-like symptoms have been associated with the drugs, though.
        There remains no single common identified source of the outbreak. At least 14 patients had purchased their drugs from a friend or store in the Chicago area beforehand, but cases have and are expected to appear throughout the state. All the cases are believed to have occurred since March 7.
        An IDPH spokesperson told Gizmodo that some patients had evidence of brodisacoum, a common pesticide that's used as an ingredient in rat poison, in their system. Brodisacoum and similar chemicals are vitamin K antagonists, meaning they block our cells' receptors from taking in the vitamin. In high enough doses, it can act as an amped-up blood thinner that stops the body from being able to clot blood. So far, at least nine patients have tested positive for the chemical. IDPH had earlier advised pharmacies to stock up their supplies of vitamin K to help patients recuperate.
        The IDPH plans to update its tally of victims every day for the time being.
        People who develop symptoms of serious bleeding or unexplained bruising after using these products are advised to immediately have someone take you to the hospital (do not walk or drive there by yourself!), or call 911.
        [IDPH]
    War on Cash
      'Being cash-free puts us at risk of attack': Swedes turn against cashlessness | World news | The Guardian
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        Archived Version
        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 12:48
        It is hard to argue that you cannot trust the government when the government isn't really all that bad. This is the problem facing the small but growing number of Swedes anxious about their country's rush to embrace a cash-free society.
        Most consumers already say they manage without cash altogether, while shops and cafes increasingly refuse to accept notes and coins because of the costs and risk involved. Until recently, however, it has been hard for critics to find a hearing.
        ''The Swedish government is a rather nice one, we have been lucky enough to have mostly nice ones for the past 100 years,'' says Christian Engstr¶m, a former MEP for the Pirate Party and an early opponent of the cashless economy.
        ''In other countries there is much more awareness that you cannot trust the government all the time. In Sweden it is hard to get people mobilised.''
        There are signs this might be changing. In February, the head of Sweden's central bank warned that Sweden could soon face a situation where all payments were controlled by private sector banks.
        The Riksbank governor, Stefan Ingves, called for new legislation to secure public control over the payments system, arguing that being able to make and receive payments is a ''collective good'' like defence, the courts, or public statistics.
        ''Most citizens would feel uncomfortable to surrender these social functions to private companies,'' he said.
        ''It should be obvious that Sweden's preparedness would be weakened if, in a serious crisis or war, we had not decided in advance how households and companies would pay for fuel, supplies and other necessities.''
        News doesn't always have to be bad '' indeed, the relentless focus on confrontation, disaster, antagonism and blame risks convincing the public that the world is hopeless and there is nothing we can do.
        This series is an antidote, an attempt to show that there is plenty of hope, as our journalists scour the planet looking for pioneers, trailblazers, best practice, unsung heroes, ideas that work, ideas that might and innovations whose time might have come.
        Readers can follow up with our Further Reading guides and can also recommend other projects, people and progress that we should report on by contacting us at theupside@theguardian.com
        Sign up here for a weekly emailed roundup from this series The central bank governor's remarks are helping to bring other concerns about a cash-free society into the mainstream, says Bj¶rn Eriksson, 72, a former national police commissioner and the leader of a group called the Cash Rebellion, or Kontantupproret.
        Until now, Kontantupproret has been dismissed as the voice of the elderly and the technologically backward, Eriksson says.
        ''When you have a fully digital system you have no weapon to defend yourself if someone turns it off,'' he says.
        ''If Putin invades Gotland [Sweden's largest island] it will be enough for him to turn off the payments system. No other country would even think about taking these sorts of risks, they would demand some sort of analogue system.''
        In this sense, Sweden is far from its famous concept of lagom '' ''just the right amount'' '' but instead is ''100% extreme'', Eriksson says, by investing so much faith in the banks. ''This is a political question. We are leaving these decisions to four major banks who form a monopoly in Sweden.''
        No system based on technology is invulnerable to glitches and fraud, says Mattias Skarec, 29, a digital security consultant. Yet Sweden is divided into two camps: the first says ''we love the new technology'', while the other just can't be bothered, Skarec says. ''We are naive to think we can abandon cash completely and rely on technology instead.''
        Skarec points to problems with card payments experienced by two Swedish banks just during the past year, and by Bank ID, the digital authorisation system that allows people to identify themselves for payment purposes using their phones.
        Fraudsters have already learned to exploit the system's idiosyncrasies to trick people out of large sums of money, even their pensions.
        The best case scenario is that we are not as secure as we think, Skarec says '' the worst is that IT infrastructure is systemically vulnerable.
        ''We are lucky that the people who know how to hack into them are on the good side, for now,'' he says. ''But we don't know how things will progress. It's not that easy to attack devices today, but maybe it will become easier to do so in the future.''
        The banks recognise that digital payments can be vulnerable, just like cash.
        ''Of course there are people trying to abuse them, but they are no more vulnerable than any other method of payment,'' says Per Ekwall, a spokesperson for Swish, the immensely popular mobile payments system owned by Sweden's banks.
        ''From a macro perspective Swish has made it safer, and cheaper,'' he says. There is little point in fighting a trend that customers themselves are driving, the banks argue.
        But an opinion poll this month revealed unease among Swedes, with almost seven out of 10 saying they wanted to keep the option to use cash, while just 25% wanted a completely cashless society. MPs from left and right expressed concerns at a recent parliamentary hearing. Parliament is conducting a cross-party review of central bank legislation that will also investigate the issues surrounding cash.
        The Pirate Party '' which made its name in Sweden for its opposition to state and private sector surveillance '' welcomes a higher political profile for these issues. Look at Ireland, Christian Engstr¶m says, where abortion is illegal. It is much easier for authorities to identify Irish women who have had an abortion if the state can track all digital financial transactions, he says. And while Sweden's government might be relatively benign, a quick look at Europe suggests there is no guarantee how things might develop in the future.
        ''If you have control of the servers belonging to Visa or MasterCard, you have control of Sweden,'' Engstr¶m says.
        ''In the meantime, we will have to keep giving our money to the banks, and hope they don't go bankrupt '' or bananas.''
        This article is part of a series on possible solutions to some of the world's most stubborn problems. What else should we cover? Email us at theupside@theguardian.com
    #MeToo
      1 in 4 students sexually harassed or worse by academic staff '' report '-- RT UK News
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        Archived Version
        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 12:19
        Four in 10 university students have experienced some sort of unwanted sexual advances by academic staff, ranging from sexual comments to rape, new research reveals.
        According to a survey of 1,839 current and former students by the National Union of Students (NUS) and campaign organization 1752 Group, 41 percent reported being subjects of unwanted sexual advances from university staff.
        The study, Power in the Academy: Staff Sexual Misconduct in UK Higher Education, warns that the sector is ''not currently a safe environment,'' especially as, the report notes, most of the perpetrators are academic staff with ''power over students' academic success, wellbeing and career'' prospects.
        Read more
        Of the 1,535 respondents, 12 percent were found to have been touched in a sexual way that made them feel uncomfortable. Thirty-five current students and 30 ex-students said they had had non-consensual sexual contact, while a further 15 reported sexual assault and rape. Only a quarter of those who reported their abuse thought their institutions had done enough to prevent the harassment from reoccurring.
        Hareem Ghani, NUS women's officer, said: ''For too long, these problems have been, at best, sidelined and, at worst, silenced by institutions. We need to talk about the open secrets that plague academia, to stop abuses of power wherever they happen.''
        The damning research also found that women are not only twice more likely to be harassed than men, they are three times more likely to be negatively affected. One student from a top London art school told the Guardian she had attempted suicide after being bullied and groped by a female staff member.
        Anna Bull, co-founder of the 1752 Group and senior lecturer at the University of Portsmouth, said: ''This research draws attention to the extremely poor response of UK institutions to the sexual misconduct of their employees'... institutions often do further harm to students who take the brave step of reporting such misconduct.
        READ MORE: Girls don shorts under school uniform skirts to avoid sexual harassment, MPs told
        ''There is no excuse for institutions not to act. It is particularly concerning that the majority of perpetrators of staff sexual misconduct appear to be academic staff, who, by the nature of their role, have power over students' academic success, well-being and
        Universities minister Sam Gyimah responded to the findings saying: ''Violence and sexual harassment in any setting is completely unacceptable and victims should report cases to the police.
        "The government expects universities to take a zero-tolerance approach to this abhorrent behaviour so that students feel confident and able to report what they have experienced,'' Gyimah told the Guardian.
        ''Following the report from Universities UK's sexual violence and harassment taskforce, we have asked the higher education sector to do more and implement their recommendations. We must now ensure that the work of the taskforce goes onto make a real difference to students across the country.''
        If you like this story, share it with a friend!
    CLIPS
      VIDEO - BUSTED: Montage Shows the MSM Sharing Talking Points While Whining About Sinclair - YouTube
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      VIDEO - DEA Calls Kratom An "Imminent Hazard To The Public!" - YouTube
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      VIDEO - New Study Finds States With Legal Marijuana Prescribe Less Opiates! - YouTube
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      VIDEO - Youtube Increases Security Worldwide After Disgruntled Vlogger Shoots Up Their Headquarters! - YouTube
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      VIDEO - DHS Secretary: Trump is 'frustrated' with state of border security - YouTube
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      VIDEO - Trump Administration Announces Plan to Deploy National Guard at Southwest Border - YouTube
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      VIDEO - Legalized marijuana could help offset opioid epidemic: Study - YouTube
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      VIDEO - Donna Brazile: My generation benefited from the work of Dr. King - YouTube
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      VIDEO - 'Exodus' of the middle class from the Central Coast - YouTube
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      VIDEO - New domestic violence program aimed at helping LGBTQ community | WBNS-10TV Columbus, Ohio | Columbus News, Weather & Sports
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        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 13:01
        New domestic violence program aimed at helping LGBTQ community New domestic violence program aimed at helping LGBTQ community | WBNS-10TV Columbus, Ohio | Columbus News, Weather & Sports
        Published: 03/29/18 03:35 pm EDT
        Updated: 03/29/18 06:31 pm EDT
        A new program aims to stop the cycle of domestic violence in a specific community.
        Franklin County's Municipal Court has created a program just for the LGBTQ community.
        Judges James O'Grady and Eileen Paley have worked for nearly three years to develop a domestic violence program geared entirely toward LGBTQ offenders.
        Myles Stickle is the Director of Behavioral Health for Equitas. He was tasked with coming up with this program that has never existed.
        He said the dynamic of same-gender couples is much different than heterosexuals because the foundation of violence isn't based on gender differences.
        ''We look at the power and control wheel and it has a lot to do with the differences between men and women,'' said Stickle. ''There's other things that create power and control differences in our relationships.''
        The program will start with an assessment, then the participant will join an eight-week psycho-educational group followed by 32 more weeks of group therapy geared specifically toward their problems.
        ''I don't want to have to put people in jail, I know that putting someone in jail isn't helping them with any underlying issues,'' said Judge O'Grady. ''That's ultimately all I want is just people to get help and not have to come back and see me.''
        The judges hope the need for this program will be recognized and modeled nationally. They also hope it paves the way for more culturally specific programs.
        (C)2018 by 10TV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
      VIDEO - 'Nightmare' bacteria, resistant to almost every drug, stalk U.S. hospitals
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        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 12:42
        Liz Szabo, Kaiser Health News Published 1:20 p.m. ET April 3, 2018 | Updated 3:35 p.m. ET April 3, 2018
        CLOSE
        "Nightmare bacteria" with unusual resistance to antibiotics of last resort were found more than 200 times in the United States last year in a first-of-a-kind hunt. (April 3) AP
        A strain of Candida auris, a deadly "superbug" fungus that is hard to spot and kill, is shown in a petri dish. (Photo: Shawn Lockhart, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via AP)
        The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detected more than 220 cases last year of a rare breed of ''nightmare bacteria'' that are virtually untreatable and capable of spreading genes that make them impervious to most antibiotics, according to a report released Tuesday.
        Although the CDC has warned of the danger of antibiotic-resistant bacteria for years, the new report helps illustrate the scope of the problem. Anne Schuchat, the CDC's principal deputy director, said she was surprised by the extent of the spread.
        ''As fast as we have run to slow (antibiotic) resistance, some germs have outpaced us,'' Schuchat said. ''We need to do more and we need to do it faster and earlier.''
        The CDC set up a nationwide lab network in 2016 to help hospitals quickly diagnose such infections and stop them from spreading.
        One in 4 germ samples sent to the lab network contained special genes that allowed them to spread their resistance to other germs, the CDC said. In 1 in 10 cases, people infected with these germs spread the disease to apparently healthy people in the hospital '-- such as patients, doctors or nurses '-- who in turn can act as silent carriers of illness, infecting others even if they don't become sick.
        More: Feel better? Maybe you don't need to finish those antibiotics after all
        More: New antibiotic, found in the nose, could treat deadly infections
        More: Here's how hospital infections can be greatly reduced
        Nightmare bacteria '-- those that are resistant to almost every drug '-- are particularly deadly in seniors and people with chronic illnesses. Up to half of the resulting infections prove fatal, Schuchat said.
        While those bacteria are terrifying on their own, the ''unusual'' genes discussed in this report are truly the ''worst of the worst,'' said Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security.
        About 2 million Americans are sickened by antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year and 23,000 die, according to the CDC.
        ''There are certain bacterial genes that are more worrisome than others, that are much harder to treat,'' Adalja said. ''These genes are lurking in American patients and they are spreading in hospitals and health care facilities.''
        Many researchers have worried about the emergence of a ''post-antibiotic era,'' in which patients succumb to once-treatable infections. Antibiotics don't just save lives when people develop infectious diseases such as pneumonia: They are also the ''safety net'' for patients undergoing surgery and cancer treatment, Schuchat said.
        Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, compared the problem to a ''slow-moving tsunami.''
        ''This isn't an acute crisis where a wave just hits you,'' Osterholm said. ''But we see these rare cases of resistance in remote areas of the world, and within a year or two, it's everywhere.''
        As alarming as the new numbers are, Schuchat said there is some good news. Studies show aggressive hospital action can limit the spread of outbreaks.
        In one case, the CDC network helped diagnose bacteria carrying resistance genes in an Iowa nursing home resident with a urinary tract infection. Public health staff tested 30 other nursing home residents and found five were also infected.
        Aggressive measures, such as wearing gowns and gloves while caring for infected patients, prevented anyone else from getting sick, Schuchat said. Vigorously diagnosing and containing such infections can reduce infections by 76%, the CDC said.
        William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and health policy disease at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said the CDC's efforts to contain and slow the spread of nightmare bacteria seem to be working.
        The CDC lab network is "working at an absolutely high level of effectiveness,'' Schaffner said. ''It's identifying problems with great precision and initiating the appropriate response with the local health department and hospital staff. ''That's the 'good news spin' bun around a scary hot dog,'' he said.
        Still, Osterholm said world leaders need to do more to prevent antibiotic resistance.
        A 2016 report commissioned by the British government and Wellcome Trust called for investing $40 billion over the next decade to fight the problem. About 700,000 people around the world die due to antibiotic resistance each year. Without immediate action, annual deaths could rise to 10 million by 2050, according to the report.
        Bacteria naturally evolve to resist drugs used against them. The more the drugs are used, the faster this happens, Osterholm said. While developing new antibiotics can help, Osterholm compared that approach to ''trying to dig yourself out of a hole.''
        It's far more important that countries around the world use antibiotics more judiciously, Osterholm said. Doctors today often prescribe antibiotics when they're not needed. And in developing nations, patients often buy antibiotics on the street, Osterholm said, noting that antibiotics are also widely used in agriculture.
        Vaccines can also help fight antibiotic resistance, he said, by preventing people from ever becoming sick in the first place.
        Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation that is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
        Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2GuGtpB
      VIDEO - Criminal Justice Committee - Apr 2nd, 2018
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        Criminal Justice Committee
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      VIDEO - Waymo CEO: Our self-driving technology is safe - YouTube
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      VIDEO - Facebook Scans the Photos and Links You Send on Messenger - Bloomberg
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        System aims to detect content that violates standards
        Company on the defensive about how it handles private data
        Facebook Inc. scans the links and images that people send each other on Facebook Messenger, and reads chats when they're flagged to moderators, making sure the content abides by the company's rules. If it doesn't, it gets blocked or taken down.
        The company confirmed the practice after an interview published earlier this week with Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg raised questions about Messenger's practices and privacy. Zuckerberg told Vox's Ezra Klein a story about receiving a phone call related to ethnic cleansing in Myanmar. Facebook had detected people trying to send sensational messages through the Messenger app, he said.
        ''In that case, our systems detect what's going on,'' Zuckerberg said. ''We stop those messages from going through.''
        Some people reacted with concern on Twitter: Was Facebook reading messages more generally? Facebook has been under scrutiny in recent weeks over how it handles users' private data and the revelation struck a nerve. Messenger doesn't use the data from the scanned messages for advertising, the company said, but the policy may extend beyond what Messenger users expect.
        Read more: Zuckerberg's date with Congress is set
        The company told Bloomberg that while Messenger conversations are private, Facebook scans them and uses the same tools to prevent abuse there that it does on the social network more generally. All content must abide by the same "community standards." People can report posts or messages for violating those standards, which would prompt a review by the company's ''community operations'' team. Automated tools can also do the work.
        ''For example, on Messenger, when you send a photo, our automated systems scan it using photo matching technology to detect known child exploitation imagery or when you send a link, we scan it for malware or viruses,'' a Facebook Messenger spokeswoman said in a statement. ''Facebook designed these automated tools so we can rapidly stop abusive behavior on our platform.''
        Messenger used to be part of Facebook's main service, before it was spun off into a separate application in 2014. Facebook's other major chat app, WhatsApp, encrypts both ends of its users' communications, so that not even WhatsApp can see it -- a fact that's made it more secure for users, and more difficult for lawmakers wanting information in investigations. Messenger also has an encrypted option, but users have to turn it on.
        The company updated its data policy and proposed new terms of service on Wednesday to clarify that Messenger and Instagram use the same rules as Facebook. ''We better explain how we combat abuse and investigate suspicious activity, including by analyzing the content people share,'' Facebook said in a blog post.
        Facebook is on the defensive after revelations that private information from about 50 million users wound up in the hands of political ad-data firm Cambridge Analytica without their consent. Zuckerberg has agreed to testify before the House next week and is holding a conference call on Wednesday afternoon to discuss changes to Facebook privacy policies. (Follow the call on the TOPLive blog.)
        The company is working to make its privacy policies clearer, but still ends up with gaps between what it says users have agreed to, and what users think they actually agreed to.
        The Messenger scanning systems ''are very similar to those that other internet companies use today,'' the company said.
        For more on Facebook, check out the Decrypted podcast:
        Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal. LEARN MORE
      VIDEO - YouTube Suspect Was Popular and Ridiculed in Iran - Video - NYTimes.com
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        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 11:42
        International video coverage from The New York Times.
      VIDEO - Illinois town votes to ban assault rifles, fine violators up to $1,000 per day - CBS News
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        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 11:05
        The mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida has once again ignited the public debate around assault rifles and large capacity magazines. And while no sweeping gun control laws have been enacted at the federal level, one town in Illinois is taking matters into its own hands.
        The Chicago suburb of Deerfield, Illinois voted on Monday to ban the possession, sale, and manufacture of assault weapons and large capacity magazines to "increase the public's sense of safety." What's more, CBS Chicago reports, anyone refusing to give up their banned firearm will be fined $1,000 a day until the weapon is handed over or removed from the town's limits.
        The ordinance states, "The possession, manufacture and sale of assault weapons in the Village of Deerfield is not reasonably necessary to protect an individual's right of self-defense or the preservation or efficiency of a well-regulated militia."
        So, beginning June 13, banned assault weapons in Deerfield will include semiautomatic rifles with a fixed magazine and a capacity to hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, shotguns with revolving cylinders, and conversion kits from which assault weapons can be assembled. And those are just a few of the firearm varieties banned. The list is long and includes all the following models or duplicates thereof: AK, AKM, AKS, AK-47, AK-74, ARM, MAK90, Misr, NHM 90, NHM 91, SA 85, SA 93, VEPR, AR-10, AR-15, Bushmaster XM15, Armalite M15, Olympic Arms PCR, AR70, Calico Liberty, Dragunov SVD Sniper Rifle, Dragunov SVU, Fabrique NationalFN/FAL, FN/LAR, FNC, Hi-Point Carbine, HK-91, Kel-Tec Sub Rifle, SAR-8, Sturm, Ruger Mini-14, and more.
        Antique handguns that have been rendered permanently inoperable and weapons designed for Olympic target shooting events are exempt, as are retired police officers.
        "We hope that our local decision helps spur state and national leaders to take steps to make our communities safer," Deerfield Mayor Harriet Rosenthal said in a press release, after the ban on assault weapons passed unanimously.
        The nearby suburb of Highland Park passed a similar ban in 2013, which was contested as unconstitutional by one of the city's residents and the Illinois State Rifle Association. Ultimately, however, the ordinance was upheld in court.
        (C) 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
      VIDEO - Sinclair producer in Nebraska resigns to protest 'obvious bias'
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        Thu, 05 Apr 2018 10:08
        A morning TV producer at a Sinclair-owned station in Nebraska has resigned in protest of what he calls the company's "obvious bias." Justin Simmons gave notice at KHGI TV on March 26. This was after Sinclair's corporate headquarters mandated that local anchors read the controversial promos warning of "fake" and biased news, but before the promos went viral and became a national topic of discussion.
        Simmons told CNNMoney that he had been concerned about Sinclair's corporate mandates for the past year and a half, and that the promos were just the final straw.
        "This is almost forcing local news anchors to lie to their viewers," he said.
        He said his feelings are shared by others at his station, but didn't want to say anything that would imperil his colleagues.
        Simmons' decision to quit is a dramatic example of the tensions that exist between Sinclair-owned newsrooms and the company's Maryland-based management. Staffers like Simmons feel that the conservative owners of Sinclair are interfering in local news coverage. (Most of Sinclair's stations are CNN affiliates -- meaning CNN shares content and resources with them and vice versa.)
        Related: Sinclair responds to criticism of media-bashing promos
        In a resignation letter he shared with CNNMoney, Simmons wrote that he has been required to air "several segments that have made me uncomfortable." He cited "the news media bashing promo our local anchors have been required to read" as the most recent example.
        Simmons joined KHGI, known as NTV, nearly four years ago, first in a video editing role. At first the station was owned by Pappas. But Pappas went bankrupt and Sinclair acquired the station at auction in 2015.
        "I've always kind of been on edge about Sinclair," Simmons said.
        Justin Simmons. In late 2016, he became a producer on the morning show. He noticed requirements from corporate becoming more and more common. These are known as "must-runs:" National segments that local producers are told to air during their newscasts.
        One of the "must-runs," the "Terrorism Alert Desk," is a recurring segment about security threats. Critics call the segments alarmist and full of fear-mongering.
        Pro-Trump commentaries by former Trump campaign adviser Boris Epshteyn are another "must-run" feature.
        Simmons asserted that there isn't a hunger for Epshteyn's boosterish videos.
        "On YouTube, he only has a couple hundred views for some of his videos," Simmons said. "On Facebook he's not that popular either. To me that's also a concern because Sinclair is forcing us to air these."
        Simmons echoed what staffers at other stations have described: Top-down mandates to take up local news time with national stories that sometimes have a conservative bent.
        At one point, when higher-ups noticed that he ran only 60% of the "must-runs" in the morning show, "my boss got in trouble," Simmons said.
        The station's news director Matt Weesner and general manager Vincent Barresi did not respond to requests for comment.
        In his resignation letter, Simmons thanked Weesner for the growth opportunities he was given.
        He said he does not have another job lined up -- but felt he had to step down when the promos were mandated.
        "Making the local anchors do this was a big concern for me," he said. "I didn't go into news to give people biased information."
        "Resigning seemed like the least I could do," he added. "I wish there was more."
        At some of Sinclair's stations, some local anchors resisted recording the promos, while others went along with the initiative. The backlash has been fierce on social media ever since Deadspin published a compilation of the promos last weekend.
        "Why don't they quit?" has been a theme in the social media reaction to the promos -- meaning, why don't journalists quit if they are troubled by the company's actions?
        But some employees, especially on-air anchors and reporters, are under contract. While contracts are common in the TV news industry, Sinclair's contracts have been described as particularly onerous, with severe penalties attached.
        Simmons told CNNMoney he was free to quit because he wasn't under contract.
        He originally proposed an April 20 resignation date to his boss, but when he later told his boss that he was speaking with a reporter from CNNMoney, he was put on paid leave.
        Sinclair has defended the promos as a simple "journalistic responsibility campaign" to market its stations. The company said in a statement on Monday that "the promos served no political agenda, and represented nothing more than an effort to differentiate our award-winning news programming from other, less reliable sources of information."
        But Simmons -- and other staffers who have spoken with CNNMoney on condition of anonymity -- see it very differently.
        Aaron Weiss, who was a news director at a Sinclair-owned station in 2013, described the dynamic on CNN's "New Day" on Wednesday.
        "The problem with what Sinclair does is, they co-opt the credibility that local anchors have built up in their communities over years and decades, and use that credibility to promote a political agenda. And that, to me, is what it so ethically inappropriate about what Sinclair does," Weiss said.
        CNNMoney (New York) First published April 4, 2018: 2:43 PM ET
      VIDEO - US and British soldiers killed in Syria were on ISIS 'kill or capture' mission
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        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 21:55
        By Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon Correspondent
        Updated 11:25 AM EDT, Mon April 02, 2018
        (CNN) The US and British soldiers killed in an improvised explosive devise blast in Manbij, Syria, last week were on a classified mission to "kill or capture a known ISIS member" according to Pentagon spokesman Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway. The US military is releasing few details about the mission that killed Master Sgt. Jonathan J. Dunbar and UK soldier Sgt. Matt Tonroe.
        They were killed and five other troops were wounded in a March 30 IED blast. The US military has not said if the IED was in a building, a vehicle or buried in the road. The troops were out of their vehicles at the time of the explosion, according to a US official. There is also no word on whether the target was found and captured or killed.
        One indicator of the sensitivity of the mission is Dunbar was identified publicly by the Army only as being "assigned to Headquarters, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C." That specific language has been used in the past when troops killed in action have actually been part of the Army's elite Delta Force, a counterterrorism unit that is not publicly identified.
        Another US official confirmed to CNN that Dunbar was assigned to Delta. Delta Force and the Naval Special Warfare Development Group -- popularly known as Seal Team Six -- are among the so-called Tier One units that specialize in high-risk counterterrorism and hostage rescue missions that are rarely acknowledged. Special operations forces have been in the Manbij area recently looking for high-value ISIS operatives that may have fled to the area the US official said.
        The US maintains about 2,000 US troops in Syria, who mostly work with local allies fighting ISIS in Syria.
        President Donald Trump said Thursday that the US would "be coming out of Syria like very soon," just hours after the Pentagon highlighted the need for US troops to remain in the country for the immediate future.
        On Saturday, the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS Brett McGurk tweeted condolences to the families of the deceased and stated that the fight against ISIS "is not over."
      VIDEO - Youtuber Shooter Nasime Sabz Balloon Breast Girl - English Subtitles - YouTube
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        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 19:09
      VIDEO - Boot from USB on Chrome Book - YouTube
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        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 13:22
      VIDEO - MSNBC's Wallace Mistakes Someone Opening Soda on Set for Gun Shots :: Grabien News
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        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 11:22
        MSNBC's Wallace Mistakes Someone Opening Soda on Set for Gun Shots
        'I think we just heard some gunshots'
        While covering the report of an active shooter at YouTube, MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace got skittish.
        Someone on set opened a can of soda, and Wallace mistook the sound for gunshots.
        Wallace was in the midst of tying the story of a shooter at YouTube's San Bruno's office back to her time in the Bush Administration during 9/11. Wallace was lamenting how difficult it is to enact gun control legislation after mass shootings and said people fall back to their "tribes," much as they did after 9/11.
        "Steve Schmidt, I always go back to the horror of 9/11 and the complete reliance, you know, we're in our tribes, we're in our corners most of our lives," Wallace was saying when someone, apparently in the control room, opened a can of soda and inadvertently left an audio feed on.
        "I think we just heard some gunshots. Should we listen to that for a second, control room? Not gunshots? Okay. They'll tell us if there's something we need to dip in and listen to."
        Check out the clip above to watch the strange moment.
        RELATED:
        '-- MSNBC Starts Hitting Trump on Gun Control Minutes After YouTube Shooting
        '-- Blumenthal: YouTube Shooting 'Reminds Us that We Need to Do Something About Gun Violence in America'
        '-- MSNBC on Gun Control After YouTube Shooting: 'The Parkland Kids Are Going To Be the Difference'
        '-- Ex-W.H. Comms Dir. Jen Psaki on Trump's 'Cheatin' Obama' Tweet: 'Might Be Racial Undertones There'
        '-- Tom Friedman on Trump: 'If You're Not Afraid You're Not Paying Attention'
      VIDEO - YouTube Shooting: Nasim Aghdam's Father Says He Called Police Concerned About Her Anger At Company CBS Los Angeles
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        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 11:08
        April 3, 2018 at 10:25 pm MENIFEE (CBSLA) '-- The family of the woman who went on a deadly shooting spree at YouTube's headquarters in Northern California Tuesday says his daughter became upset with the streaming video company when they stopped paying her.
        The father told CBS2 News' reporter Tina Patel that the woman identified as Nasim Aghdam had gone missing for a few days. He said he had called law enforcement in the San Diego area because he was concerned about her recent ire towards YouTube.
        Nasim Aghdam
        He said law enforcement authorities contacted him Tuesday at 2 a.m., telling him they had found his daughter safe in her car in Mountain View in Northern California. When the family realized that was near YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, they told police about her recent complaints about how the company was ''ruining her life.'' They claim police told them they would be keeping an eye on her.
        Ismail Aghdam told the Mercury News via phone his daughter became angry with YouTube after the company stopped paying for the content she posted online.
        In a since-deleted video on the site, Aghdam, who would have turned 40 in two days, complained that YouTube had started filtering her page, adding age restrictions to keep her viewership down.
        ''They want you to be their sex slaves and not think outside the box they designed for you! Your knowledge is their enemy,'' Aghdam, who went under the name ''Nasim Wonder 1'' on her YouTube channel, said in the video.
        Her family told CBS2 she had been making a living as a YouTube personality. She posted upbeat videos of herself dancing and singing in English, Farsi and Turkish in front of a green screen. She sometimes wore masks and talked about animal rights and going vegan.
        Aghdam's family said that, as far as they knew, she had never owned a gun. They also believe she did not know anyone at YouTube personally, adding they were not aware of any motive she could have had.
        This story has been updated.
        Comments (30)
      VIDEO - YouTube Shooting: Woman Identified As Nasim Aghdam, 39, Suspected Of Wounding 3 - YouTube
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        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 10:58
      VIDEO - Officials: YouTube shooter identified as user Nasim Aghdam | abc7news.com
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        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 10:53
        Wednesday, April 04, 2018 12:00AM
        SAN BRUNO, Calif. (KGO) --
        Chaos erupted on the YouTube campus in San Bruno Tuesday afternoon when an alleged female shooter entered the campus and opened fire. San Bruno police say she wounded three employees before killing herself.
        ABC7 News sources confirm the YouTube shooter was a user of the platform. Nasim Aghdam has a website with an alleged manifesto that targets YouTube for censorship and demonetization of her video content.
        San Bruno police later confirmed Aghdam as the suspect as well.
        RELATED: 1 dead, 4 injured in shooting at YouTube HQ in San Bruno
        Aghdam is said to have no relationship with anyone in the YouTube facility.
        Sources contacted by ABC7 News say that Aghdam did not have an ID badge, but was carrying a purse, and that nobody in the facility knew who she was.
        According to her website, a possible motivation for the shooting could have been tied to her many YouTube accounts, which she says have seen a decline in viewership over the past few months.
        PHOTOS: Powerful images from shooting at YouTube HQ in San Bruno
        She embedded videos from the biggest YouTubers on the platform in her website, including massive creator Casey Neistat. In them, they talk about the YouTube "Ad-Pocalypse" where many users are seeing massive dips in traffic, subscriber count loss, and demonetization of videos.
        Neistat has more than 9,000,000 subscribers and made a famous video about the YouTube ad revenue scare for creators.
        It appears that Aghdam was disgruntled by the changes in the YouTube platform. She wrote on her website, "Be aware! Dictatorship exists in all countries but with different tactics! They only care for personal and short-term profits and do anything to reach their goals even by fooling simple-minded people, hiding the truth, manipulating science and everything, putting public mental and physical health at risk, abusing non-human animals, polluting the environment, destroying family values, promoting materialism and sexual degeneration in the name of freedom and turning people into programmed robots!"
        She goes on to quote Adolf Hitler saying, "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it and eventually they will believe it."
        The rest of her message targets YouTube and censorship. "There is no free speech in the real world and you will be suppressed for telling the truth that is not supported by the system. Videos of targeted users are filtered and merely relegated so that people can hardly see their videos."
        RELATED: Surgeon treating YouTube shooting victims speaks out on gun violenceAghdam's website shows screenshots of her "reduced" and "supressed" videos. She referred to a specific video that appeared to be an instructional video for a workout saying, "This video got age-restricted after new, close-minded YouTube employees got control of my farsi YouTube channel last year, 2016, and began filtering my videos to reduce views and suppress and discourage me from making my videos!"
        Feb. 20, YouTube enacted a new advertising policy that demonetized channels with less than 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time. Though Aghdam's main English channel had more than 5,000 subscribers, many of her videos appeared to be demonetized.
        Click here for full coverage on the YouTube shooting in San Bruno.ABC7 News reporters Kristen Sze and Vic Lee contributed to this report.
        (Copyright (C)2018 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.)
      VIDEO - David Hogg LOSES IT After O'Reilly Exposes His Connections to Soros-Funded Groups '' Truthfeed
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        Wed, 04 Apr 2018 10:34
        Yesterday, Bill O'Reilly exposed the true agenda that David Hogg and the Soros-funded group Media Matters have planned for Laura Ingraham.
        O'Reilly himself was a victim of Media Matters tactics, where just like with Ingraham, the Soros-funded group exploited a single talking point in order to turn corporate sponsors against a powerful conservative voice.
        Hogg is now lashing out at O'Reilly and desperately covering up the fact that he's working with these ''shadowy radical groups.''
        Watch the video:
        ''I don't have any shadowy figures behind me'... I'm just a kid that uses Twitter if he sees me as powerful that's okay. I don't see myself that way.
        '' David Hogg says in response to Bill O'Reilly comments that 'powerful, shadowy radical groups' are leading ad boycott. pic.twitter.com/mMM70WQ8JJ
        '-- MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 3, 2018
      VIDEO - Michael Moore: Are SSRI Antidepressant drugs causing School Shootings? Prozac, Luvox Investigation - YouTube
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        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 22:17
      VIDEO - Trump Says He Plans to Order Military to Guard Border - The New York Times
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        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 21:38
        WASHINGTON '-- President Trump said on Tuesday that he planned to order the military to guard parts of the southern border until he can build a wall and tighten immigration restrictions, proposing a remarkable escalation of his efforts to crack down on migrants entering the country illegally.
        Mr. Trump, who has been stewing publicly for days about what he characterizes as lax immigration laws and the potential for an influx of Central American migrants to stream into the United States, said he was consulting with Jim Mattis, the secretary of defense, about resorting to military deployments.
        ''We have very bad laws for our border, and we are going to be doing some things '-- I've been speaking with General Mattis '-- we're going to be doing things militarily,'' Mr. Trump said at the White House, seated beside the defense secretary at a meeting with visiting leaders of Baltic nations. ''Until we can have a wall and proper security, we're going to be guarding our border with the military. That's a big step. We really haven't done that before, or certainly not very much before.''
        It was not immediately clear what Mr. Trump meant by the remarks, or what the rationale would be for deploying United States troops to patrol or even seal the border at a time when the numbers of people being apprehended crossing illegally are down to their lowest level since 1971.
        The active-duty military is generally barred by law from carrying out domestic law enforcement functions, such as apprehending people at the border. But previous presidents have deployed National Guard troops to act in support roles on the border with Mexico '-- former President Barack Obama sent 1,200 in 2010 and former President George W. Bush dispatched 6,000 in 2006.Governors of border states have done the same when faced with large inflows.
        Mr. Trump has spoken before about launching a military operation to police the border, only to have his aides walk back the remarks amid a backlash from members of his administration and officials in Mexico.
        Last February, he called his immigration crackdown ''a military operation,'' prompting Rex W. Tillerson, then the secretary of state, and John F. Kelly, then the homeland security secretary, who were visiting Mexico at the time, to push back vigorously. They told their Mexican counterparts and reporters that the American president did not, in fact, plan to use the military to hunt down and deport undocumented immigrants. The White House later insisted that Mr. Trump had meant the word ''military'' only as an adjective.
        On Tuesday, though, the president appeared convinced that American troops were needed.
        ''We are preparing for the military to secure our border between Mexico and the United States,'' he said during a news conference with the Baltic leaders, adding that he would be meeting with Mr. Mattis and other officials on the matter later in the day. ''I think it's something we have to do.''
        Mr. Trump's comments on Tuesday came after he kicked off his third consecutive day of tweeting about America's ''weak'' border laws and called on Congress to act on legislation to toughen immigration laws. The push comes as Mr. Trump has complained with increasing urgency about a large group of migrants from Honduras that has been traveling through Mexico.
        The caravan has been a popular topic on Fox News '-- the president's favorite news network '-- and his aides have argued that weak immigration policies are luring the migrants from Central America to the United States.
        ''The big Caravan of People from Honduras, now coming across Mexico and heading to our 'Weak Laws' Border, had better be stopped before it gets there,'' he tweeted on Tuesday. ''Cash cow NAFTA is in play, as is foreign aid to Honduras and the countries that allow this to happen. Congress MUST ACT NOW!
        Mr. Trump's Twitter tirade on immigration policy started Sunday with threats to and, since then, he has consistently threatened to pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement, known as Nafta. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump said Nafta ''is in play,'' and repeated his contention that Nafta was a ''cash cow'' for other nations.
        The president's tweets do not always lead to a new policy, but on Monday afternoon the White House announced Mr. Trump's new push for legislation to make it more difficult to enter and stay in the United States.
        A group called Pueblo Sin Fronteras organized the caravan that has prompted the president's complaints, which consists of about 1,200 people '-- including infants, the elderly and people facing violence in their homelands.
        Late Monday, Mexican immigration officials started to negotiate with the caravan's organizers. And Mexican authorities have agreed to provide humanitarian visas to the migrants so that they can stay in Mexico legally, a representative from Pueblo Sin Fronteras said.
        On Tuesday, Mr. Trump claimed credit for having persuaded Mexican officials to break up the caravan.
        Ron Nixon and Eileen Sullivan contributed reporting.
      VIDEO - Roseanne Barr threatens to retire in huff over Twitter feuding with liberals
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        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 11:46
        CLOSE
        Roseanne Barr recently tweeted that she 'had enough.' She said, ''I won't be censored or silence chided or corrected and continue to work." The tweets have since all been deleted. USA TODAY
        Roseanne Barr in October 2017. (Photo: Richard Shotwell, Invision/AP)
        Roseanne Barr, who is scheduled to return to TV in late March, announced on Twitter Friday that she's fed up and retiring. Maybe.
        " i won't be censored or silence chided or corrected and continue to work. I retire right now. I've had enough. bye!'-- Roseanne Barr," read one of her tweets.
        i won't be censored or silence chided or corrected and continue to work. I retire right now. I've had enough. bye!
        '-- Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) December 29, 2017Even if Barr follows through on her retirement threat, it shouldn't affect the revival of her classic sitcom Roseanne, which is scheduled to premiere on ABC on March 27. The final studio taping of the nine-episode season took place two weeks ago.
        Nevertheless, her tweets could make for some intriguing promotional interviews leading up to the launch.
        Barr's outburst Friday followed a series of earlier angry tweets from her and other Trump supporters. They praised the president while bashing liberals, former President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
        4 those who wonder-back in the day when I was called a 'liberal' by journalists, I used to answer-'I'm not a Liberal, I'm a radical' & I still am-I voted Trump 2 shake up the status quo & the staid establishment.
        '-- Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) December 27, 2017Barr has been a Trump supporter on Twitter for some time. She said she voted for Trump to "shake up" the status quo. She also believes he's "draining the swamp," likes Jews and is going after child sex traffickers. "let's help to awaken our leftist brothers and sisters about child sex trafficking in America and the world, and how our @Potus is battling it like no Pres b4 him-send links, thanks!"
        Trump is fighting pedophiles and he likes Jews-that infuriates some people.
        '-- Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) December 28, 2017Responding to a recent poll finding that Obama and Clinton remain the two most-admired public figures, she tweeted on Dec. 26 that they had "killed more innocent people than anyone else in US history."
        according to Gallup, americans most admire 2 ppl who killed more innocent ppl than anyone else in US history. oh, well.
        '-- Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) December 27, 2017Barr seemed to be responding to tweets critical of her views, but most of the people on her feed or that she retweeted were admiring, such as one from fellow Hollywood conservative, actor James Woods.
        I can't wait to see Roseanne's new show. People forget that her original show was a groundbreaker for working women who had families. Behind the comedy was some game changing political progressiveness. She's a friend I greatly admire. @therealroseannehttps://t.co/jwEeJCC933
        '-- James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) December 29, 2017Nevertheless, something set her off so on Friday she struck back with her "I'm-outta-here" tweet. Always a kidder, Barr declared she's not kidding this time:
        "do not expect to hear anything more from me. Its a waste of time to oppose fascists here. bye!"
        do not expect to hear anything more from me. Its a waste of time to oppose fascists here. bye!
        '-- Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) December 29, 2017She said she would not play "the game" anymore. It's not clear what she meant.
        the only way to WIN is not to play the game and I will not play.
        '-- Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) December 29, 2017And she tweeted that fans of Clinton have threatened her. She appropriated the #MeToo hashtag to solicit others of like mind.
        have you been threatened by fans of HRC? Tell us about it-#MeToo
        '-- Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) December 28, 2017It appeared the tweets had been deleted by early Friday evening.
        So is this the last we'll ever hear from Barr? A message from USA TODAY to her rep was not returned.
        Maybe she only means she's retiring from social media. Eventually on Friday, she posted a new tweet with a slightly less hostile tone.
        "shabbbat shalom, earth's ppl!"
        shabbbat shalom, earth's ppl!
        '-- Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) December 29, 2017The nine-episode revival of Roseanne, a groundbreaking hit sitcom when it first ran on ABC from 1989 to 1997, is to be set in the present and feature the original cast, headed by Barr, who plays the title character.
        Returning characters and actors included Roseanne's husband, Dan (John Goodman); daughters Darlene (Sara Gilbert) and Becky (Lecy Goranson); son, D.J. (Michael Fishman); and sister Jackie (Laurie Metcalf). Sarah Chalke, who took over the role of Becky later in Roseanne's nine-season run, will return in a different role.
        ABC did not immediately return a message from USA TODAY seeking comment.
        CLOSE
        It looks like the 'Roseanne' series might be jumping on the revival bandwagon. According to reports the 1990s hit sitcom might be the next show to get a revival. Variety and Deadline both reported that many of the original cast will return. USA TODAY
        Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2ChxZPN
      VIDEO - Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook's future, fake news, and Russian mischief - Vox
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        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 11:45
        Javier Zarracina/Vox; Jeff Roberson/AP ''We will dig through this hole, but it will take a few years.'' It's been a tough year for Facebook. The social networking juggernaut found itself engulfed by controversies over fake news, electoral interference, privacy violations, and a broad backlash to smartphone addiction. Wall Street has noticed: The company has lost almost $100 billion in market value in recent weeks.
        Behind Facebook's hard year is a collision between the company's values, ambitions, business model, and mind-boggling scale. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, has long held that the company's mission is to make the world more open and connected '-- with the assumption being that a more open and connected world is a better world. That assumption has been sorely tested over the past year. As we've seen, a more open world can make it easier for governments to undermine each other's elections from afar; a more connected world can make it easier to spread hatred and incite violence.
        In 2017, Facebook hit more than 2 billion monthly users '-- and that's to say nothing of the massive user bases of Facebook-owned properties like Instagram and WhatsApp. There is no way to track, or even understand, all that is happening on Facebook at any given time. Problems that look small in the moment '-- like organized disinformation campaigns mounted by Russia '-- reveal themselves, in retrospect, to be massive, possibly even world-changing, events.
        Javier Zarracina/Vox; Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images I spoke with Zuckerberg on Friday about the state of his company, the implications of its global influence, and how he sees the problems ahead of him.
        ''I think we will dig through this hole, but it will take a few years,'' Zuckerberg said. ''I wish I could solve all these issues in three months or six months, but I just think the reality is that solving some of these questions is just going to take a longer period of time.''
        But what happens then? What has this past year meant for Facebook's future? In a 2017 manifesto, Zuckerberg argued that Facebook would help humanity takes its ''next step'' by becoming ''the social infrastructure'' for a truly global community.
        Remarkably, Facebook's scale makes this a plausible vision. But it comes with a dark side: Has Facebook become too big to manage, and too dangerous when it fails? Should the most important social infrastructure of the global community be managed by a single company headquartered in Northern California? And does Zuckerberg's optimism about human nature and the benefits of a connected world make it harder for him to see the harm Facebook can cause?
        The full conversation with Zuckerberg can be heard on my podcast, The Ezra Klein Show. A transcript, lightly edited for length and clarity, follows.
        Ezra Klein I want to begin with something you said recently in an interview, which is that Facebook is now more like a government than a traditional company. Can you expand on that idea?
        Mark Zuckerberg Sure. People share a whole lot of content and then sometimes there are disputes between people around whether that content is acceptable, whether it's hate speech or valid political speech; whether it is an organization which is deemed to be a bad or hateful or terrorist organization or one that's expressing a reasonable point of view.
        I think more than a lot of other companies, we're in a position where we have to adjudicate those kinds of disputes between different members of our community. And in order to do that, we've had to build out a whole set of policies and governance around how that works.
        But I think it's actually one of the most interesting philosophical questions that we face. With a community of more than 2 billion people all around the world, in every different country, where there are wildly different social and cultural norms, it's just not clear to me that us sitting in an office here in California are best placed to always determine what the policies should be for people all around the world. And I've been working on and thinking through: How can you set up a more democratic or community-oriented process that reflects the values of people around the world?
        That's one of the things that I really think we need to get right. Because I'm just not sure that the current state is a great one.
        Javier Zarracina/Vox; AFP/Getty Images Ezra Klein I'd love to hear more about where your thinking is on that because when Facebook gets it wrong, the consequences are on the scale of when a government gets it wrong. Elections can lose legitimacy, or ethnic violence can break out.
        It makes me wonder, has Facebook just become too big and too vast and too consequential for normal corporate governance structures, and also normal private company incentives?
        Mark Zuckerberg We're continually thinking through this. As the internet gets to a broader scale and some of these services reach a bigger scale than anything has before, we're constantly confronted with new challenges. I try to judge our success not by, ''Are there no problems that come up?'' But, ''When an issue comes up, can we deal with it responsively and make sure that we can address it so that those kinds of issues don't come up again in the future?''
        You mentioned our governance. One of the things that I feel really lucky we have is this company structure where, at the end of the day, it's a controlled company. We are not at the whims of short-term shareholders. We can really design these products and decisions with what is going to be in the best interest of the community over time.
        Ezra Klein That is one of the ways Facebook is different, but I can imagine reading it both ways. On the one hand, your control of voting shares makes you more insulated from short-term pressures of the market. On the other hand, you have a lot more personal power. There's no quadrennial election for CEO of Facebook. And that's a normal way that democratic governments ensure accountability. Do you think that governance structure makes you, in some cases, less accountable?
        Mark Zuckerberg I certainly think that's a fair question. My goal here is to create a governance structure around the content and the community that reflects more what people in the community want than what short-term-oriented shareholders might want. And if we do that well, then I think that could really break ground on governance for an internet community. But if we don't do it well, then I think we'll fail to handle a lot of the issues that are coming up.
        Here are a few of the principles. One is transparency. Right now, I don't think we are transparent enough around the prevalence of different issues on the platform. We haven't done a good job of publishing and being transparent about the prevalence of those kinds of issues, and the work that we're doing and the trends of how we're driving those things down over time.
        A second is some sort of independent appeal process. Right now, if you post something on Facebook and someone reports it and our community operations and review team looks at it and decides that it needs to get taken down, there's not really a way to appeal that. I think in any kind of good-functioning democratic system, there needs to be a way to appeal. And I think we can build that internally as a first step.
        But over the long term, what I'd really like to get to is an independent appeal. So maybe folks at Facebook make the first decision based on the community standards that are outlined, and then people can get a second opinion. You can imagine some sort of structure, almost like a Supreme Court, that is made up of independent folks who don't work for Facebook, who ultimately make the final judgment call on what should be acceptable speech in a community that reflects the social norms and values of people all around the world.
        Javier Zarracina/Vox; Drew Angerer/Getty Images Ezra Klein One thing that has been damaging for Facebook over the past year is a concern will arise and initially the answer is, ''Very, very few people saw fake news.'' Or, ''Very, very few people saw anything from Russia-related bots.'' And then slowly it comes out, ''No, actually it was more. Millions. Maybe hundreds of millions.''
        The problem wasn't the lack of transparency; it was how to know we could trust what was coming out. And one of the reasons I'm interested to hear you broach the idea of independent institutions is I wonder if part of transparency has to be creating modes of information that are independent.
        Mark Zuckerberg Yeah, I think that's a good point. And I certainly think what you're saying is a fair criticism. It's tough to be transparent when we don't first have a full understanding of where the state of some of the systems [is]. In 2016, we were behind having an understanding and operational excellence on preventing things like misinformation, Russian interference. And you can bet that's a huge focus for us going forward.
        Right now in the company, I think we have about 14,000 people working on security and community operations and review, just to make sure that we can really nail down some of those issues that we had in 2016.
        After the 2016 US elections, a number of months later, there were the French elections. And for that, we spent a bunch of time developing new AI tools to find the kind of fake accounts spreading misinformation and we took down '-- I think it was more than 30,000 accounts, and I think the reports out of France were that people felt like that was a much cleaner election on social media.
        A few months later, there were the German elections. And there, we augmented the playbook again to work directly with the election commission in Germany. If you work with the government in a country, they'll really actually have a fuller understanding of what is going on and what are all the issues that we would need to focus on.
        And then fast-forward to last year, 2017, and the special election in Alabama. We deployed a number of new tools that we'd developed to find fake accounts who were trying to spread false news, and we got them off before a lot of the discussion around the election. And again, I think we felt a lot better about the result there.
        Javier Zarracina/Vox; AFP/Getty Images Ezra Klein Let me ask you about your tools to punish that misbehavior, though. The risk reward of manipulating a national election using Facebook is very high. If you're Russia and you get caught hacking into our election systems '-- which they also tried to do '-- and you fail and Hillary Clinton wins, the consequences of that can be really severe. Sanctions could be tremendous, and you could even imagine something like that escalating into armed conflict.
        If you do this on Facebook, maybe you get caught and your bots get shut down, but Facebook, in not being a government, really doesn't have the ability to punish. If Cambridge Analytica messes with everybody's privacy, you can't throw them in jail in the way that, if you're a doctor and you repeatedly violate HIPAA, the government makes sure you face very severe legal consequences. So do you have capacity to do not just detection but sanction? Is there a way to increase the cost of using your platform for these kinds of efforts?
        Mark Zuckerberg I can walk through how we're basically approaching this.
        There are three big categories of fake news. There's a group of people who are like spammers. These are the people who, in pre-social media days, would've been sending you Viagra emails. The basic playbook that you want to run on that is just make it non-economical. So the first step, once we realized that this was an issue, was a number of them ran Facebook ads on their webpages. We immediately said, ''Okay. Anyone who's even remotely sketchy, no way are you going to be able to use our tools to monetize.'' So the amount of money that they made went down.
        Then they're trying to pump this content into Facebook with the hopes that people will click on it and see ads and make money. As our systems get better at detecting this, we show the content less, which drives the economic value for them down. Eventually, they just get to a point where they go and do something else.
        The second category is state actors. That's basically the Russian interference effort. And that is a security problem. You never fully solve it, but you strengthen your defenses. You get rid of the fake accounts and the tools that they have. We can't do this all by ourselves, so we try to work with local governments everywhere who have more tools to punish them and have more insight into what is going on across their country so that they can tell us what to focus on. And that one I feel like we're making good progress on too.
        Then there's the third category, which is the most nuanced, which are basically real media outlets who are saying what they think is true but have varying levels of accuracy or trustworthiness. And that is actually the most challenging portion of the issue to deal with. Because there, I think, there are quite large free speech issues. Folks are saying stuff that may be wrong, but they mean it, they think they're speaking their truth, and do you really wanna shut them down for doing that?
        So we've been probably the most careful on that piece. But this year, we've rolled out a number of changes to News Feed that try to boost in the ranking broadly trusted news sources. We've surveyed people across the whole community and asked them whether they trust different news sources.
        Take the Wall Street Journal or New York Times. Even if not everyone reads them, the people who don't read them typically still think they're good, trustworthy journalism. Whereas if you get down to blogs that may be on more of the fringe, they'll have their strong supporters, but people who don't necessarily read them often don't trust them as much.
        Zavier Zarracina/Vox; LightRocket via Getty Images Ezra Klein I'm somebody who came up as a blogger and had a lot of love for the idea of the open internet and the way the gates were falling down. One thing I hear when I listen to the third solution there is it also creates a huge return to incumbency.
        If you're the New York Times and you've been around for a long time and you're well-known, people trust you. If you're somebody who wants to begin a media organization two months from now, people don't know if they can trust you yet. If Facebook is the way people get their news, and the way Facebook ranks its News Feed is by privileging news people already trust, it's going to be a lot harder for new organizations to break through.
        Mark Zuckerberg That's an important point that we spend a lot of time thinking about. One of the great things about the internet and the services we're trying to build, you're giving everyone a voice. That's so deep in our mission. We definitely think about that in all the changes that we're making.
        I think it's important to keep in mind that of all the strategies that I just laid out, they're made up of many different actions, which each have relatively subtle effects. So the broadly trusted shift that I just mentioned, it changes how much something might be seen by, I don't know, just call it in the range of maybe 20 percent.
        What we're really trying to do is make it so that the content that people see is actually really meaningful to them. And one of the things I think we often get criticized for is, and incorrectly in this case, is people say, ''Hey, you're just ranking the system based on what people like and click on.''
        That's actually not true. We moved past that many years back. There was this issue with clickbait, where there were a bunch of publications that would push content into Facebook, [and] people would click on them because they had sensational titles but then would not feel good about having read that content. So that was one of the first times that those basic metrics around clicks, likes, and comments on the content really stopped working to help us show the most meaningful content.
        The way that this works today, broadly, is we have panels of hundreds or thousands of people who come in and we show them all the content that their friends and pages who they follow have shared. And we ask them to rank it, and basically say, ''What were the most meaningful things that you wish were at the top of feed?''
        And then we try to design algorithms that just map to what people are actually telling us is meaningful to them. Not what they click on, not what is going to make us the most revenue, but what people actually find meaningful and valuable. So when we're making shifts '-- like the broadly trusted shift '-- the reason why we're doing that is because it actually maps to what people are telling us they want at a deep level.
        Ezra Klein One of the things that has been coming up a lot in the conversation is whether the business model of monetizing user attention is what is letting in a lot of these problems. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, gave an interview the other day and he was asked what he would do if he was in your shoes. He said, ''I wouldn't be in this situation,'' and argued that Apple sells products to users, it doesn't sell users to advertisers, and so it's a sounder business model that doesn't open itself to these problems.
        Do you think part of the problem here is the business model where attention ends up dominating above all else, and so anything that can engage has powerful value within the ecosystem?
        Mark Zuckerberg You know, I find that argument, that if you're not paying that somehow we can't care about you, to be extremely glib and not at all aligned with the truth. The reality here is that if you want to build a service that helps connect everyone in the world, then there are a lot of people who can't afford to pay. And therefore, as with a lot of media, having an advertising-supported model is the only rational model that can support building this service to reach people.
        That doesn't mean that we're not primarily focused on serving people. I think probably to the dissatisfaction of our sales team here, I make all of our decisions based on what's going to matter to our community and focus much less on the advertising side of the business.
        But if you want to build a service which is not just serving rich people, then you need to have something that people can afford. I thought Jeff Bezos had an excellent saying on this in one of his Kindle launches a number of years back. He said, ''There are companies that work hard to charge you more, and there are companies that work hard to charge you less.'' And at Facebook, we are squarely in the camp of the companies that work hard to charge you less and provide a free service that everyone can use.
        I don't think at all that that means that we don't care about people. To the contrary, I think it's important that we don't all get Stockholm syndrome and let the companies that work hard to charge you more convince you that they actually care more about you. Because that sounds ridiculous to me.
        Javier Zarracina/Vox; Jenny Kane/AP Ezra Klein So I'm also within an advertising model, and I have a lot of sympathy for the advertising model. But I also think the advertising model can blind us. It creates incentives that we operate under and justify. And one of the questions I wonder about is whether diversifying the model doesn't make sense. If I understand, and I might not, WhatsApp, which is also part of Facebook, is subscription, right? People pay a small amount?
        Mark Zuckerberg No, we actually got rid of that.
        Ezra Klein Well, see, there you go. Shows what I know.
        Mark Zuckerberg But keep going.
        Ezra Klein The broader point I want to make is that you don't need to only serve rich people to diversify away from just being about attention. And when it is about attention, when it is about advertising, when you need to show growth to Wall Street, that does pull you toward getting more and more and more of people's attention over time.
        I did an interview with Tristan Harris, who's been a critic of Facebook. And we were talking about your announcement that some of the changes you're making have brought down, a little bit, the amount of time people are spending on the platform. And he made the point, ''You know that's great. But he couldn't do that by 50 percent. Wall Street would freak out; his board would freak out.'' There are costs to this model, and I do wonder how you think about at least protecting yourself against some of them dominating in the long run.
        Mark Zuckerberg Well, I think our responsibility here is to make sure that the time people spend on Facebook is time well spent. We don't have teams who have, as their primary goal, making it so people spend more time. The way I design the goals for the teams is that you try to build the best experience you can. I don't think it's really right to assume that people spending time on a service is bad. But at the same time, I also think maximizing the time that people spend is not really the goal either.
        In the last year, we've done a lot of research into what drives well-being for people. And what uses of social networks are correlated with happiness and long-term measures of health and all the measures of well-being that you'd expect, and what areas are not as positive.
        And the thing we've found is that you can break Facebook and social media use into two categories. One is where people are connecting and building relationships, even if it's subtle, even if it's just I post a photo and someone I haven't talked to in a while comments. That person is reminding me that they care about me.
        The other part of the use is basically content consumption. So that's watching videos, reading news, passively consuming content in a way where you're not actually interacting with anyone or building a relationship. And what we find is that the things that are about interacting with people and building relationships end up being correlated with all of the measures of long-term well-being that you'd expect, whereas the things that are primarily just about content consumption, even if they're informative or entertaining and people say they like them, are not as correlated with long-term measures of well-being.
        So this is another shift we've made in News Feed and our systems this year. We're prioritizing showing more content from your friends and family first, so that way you'll be more likely to have interactions that are meaningful to you and that more of the time you're spending is building those relationships.
        That change actually took time spent down a little bit. That was part of what I was talking about on that earnings call. But over the long term, even if time spent goes down, if people are spending more time on Facebook actually building relationships with people they care about, then that's going to build a stronger community and build a stronger business, regardless of what Wall Street thinks about it in the near term.
        Javier Zarracina/Vox; Richard Drew/AP Ezra Klein I want to ask you another question about the advertising model, and this one is trickier because it bears very directly on my industry. Something I've seen recently has been a perception at Facebook that a lot of the critical coverage from the media comes from journalists angry that Facebook is decimating the advertising market that journalism depends on. And there is that view. The publisher of Dow Jones, Will Lewis, said that the diversion of advertising dollars into Facebook and Google is killing news and that it has to stop.
        Is he right or wrong? And given that so much of the advertising on Facebook wraps around news that journalism organizations are paying to report and publish, what responsibility do you feel you have to the people creating real news for their business model to work, given that their products create value, not just for the world but for Facebook itself?
        Mark Zuckerberg So I do think a big responsibility that we have is to help support high-quality journalism. And that's not just the big traditional institutions, but a big part of what I actually think about when I'm thinking about high-quality journalism is local news. And I think that there are almost two different strategies in terms of how you address that.
        For the larger institutions, and maybe even some of the smaller ones as well, subscriptions are really a key point on this. I think a lot of these business models are moving toward a higher percentage of subscriptions, where the people who are getting the most value from you are contributing a disproportionate amount to the revenue. And there are certainly a lot of things that we can do on Facebook to help people, to help these news organizations, drive subscriptions. And that's certainly been a lot of the work that we've done and we'll continue doing.
        In local news, I think some of the solutions might be a little bit different. But I think it's easy to lose track of how important this is. There's been a lot of conversation about civic engagement changing, and I think people can lose sight of how closely tied that can be to local news. In a town with a strong local newspaper, people are much more informed; they're much more likely to be civically active. On Facebook, we've taken steps to show more local news to people. We're also working with them specifically, creating funds to support them and working on both subscriptions and ads that should hopefully create a more thriving ecosystem.
        Ezra Klein I've been thinking a lot, in preparing for this interview, about the 2017 manifesto where you said you wanted Facebook to help humankind take its next step. You wrote that ''progress now requires humanity coming together, not just as cities or nations, but also as a global community,'' and suggested that Facebook could be the social infrastructure for that evolution.
        In retrospect, I think a key question here has become whether creating infrastructure where all the tensions of countries and ethnicities and regions and ideologies can more easily collide into each other will actually help us become that global community or whether it will further tear us apart. Has your thinking on that changed at all?
        Mark Zuckerberg Sure. I think over the last few years, the political reality has been that there's a lot of people feeling left behind. And there's been a big rise of isolationism and nationalism that I think threatens the global cooperation that will be required to solve some of the bigger issues, like maintaining peace, addressing climate change, eventually collaborating a lot in accelerating science and curing diseases and eliminating poverty.
        So this is a huge part of our mission. One of the things I found heartening is if you ask millennials what they identify the most with, it's not their nationality or even their ethnicity. The plurality identifies as a citizen of the world. And that, I think, reflects the values of where we need to go in order to solve some of these bigger questions.
        So now the question is how do you do that? I think it's clear that just helping people connect by itself isn't always positive. A much bigger part of the focus for me now is making sure that as we're connecting people, we are helping to build bonds and bring people closer together, rather than just focused on the mechanics of the connection and the infrastructure.
        There's a number of different pieces that you need to do here. I think civic society basically starts bottom-up. You need to have well-functioning groups and communities. We're very focused on that. You need a well-informed citizenry, so we're very focused on the quality of journalism, that everyone has a voice, and that people can get access to the content they need. That, I think, ends up being really important.
        Civic engagement, both being involved in elections and increasingly working to eliminate interference and different nation-states trying to interfere in each other's elections, ends up being really important. And then I think part of what we need to do is work on some of the new types of governance questions that we started this conversation off with because there hasn't been a community like this that has spanned so many different countries.
        So those are some of the things that I'm focused on. But right now a lot of people aren't as focused on connecting the world or bringing countries closer together as maybe they were a few years back. And I still view that as an important part of our vision for where the world should go '-- that we do what we can to stay committed to that and hopefully can help the world move in that direction.
        Javier Zarracina/Vox; Jeff Chiu/AP Ezra Klein One of the scary stories I've read about Facebook over the past year is that it had become a real source of anti-Rohingya propaganda in Myanmar, and thus become part of an ethnic cleansing. Phil Robertson, who's a deputy director of Human Rights Watch in Asia, made the point that Facebook is dominant for news information in Myanmar but Myanmar is not an incredibly important market for Facebook. It doesn't get the attention we give things that go wrong in America. I doubt you have a proportionate amount of staff in Myanmar to what you have in America. And he said the result is you end up being like ''an absentee landlord'' in Southeast Asia.
        Is Facebook too big to manage its global scale in some of these other countries, the ones we don't always talk about in this conversation, effectively?
        Mark Zuckerberg So one of the things I think we need to get better at as we grow is becoming a more global company. We have offices all over the world, so we're already quite global. But our headquarters is here in California and the vast majority of our community is not even in the US, and it's a constant challenge to make sure that we're putting due attention on all of the people in different parts of the community around the world.
        The Myanmar issues have, I think, gotten a lot of focus inside the company. I remember, one Saturday morning, I got a phone call and we detected that people were trying to spread sensational messages through '-- it was Facebook Messenger in this case '-- to each side of the conflict, basically telling the Muslims, ''Hey, there's about to be an uprising of the Buddhists, so make sure that you are armed and go to this place.'' And then the same thing on the other side.
        So that's the kind of thing where I think it is clear that people were trying to use our tools in order to incite real harm. Now, in that case, our systems detect that that's going on. We stop those messages from going through. But this is certainly something that we're paying a lot of attention to.
        Javier Zarracina/Vox; NurPhoto via Getty Images Ezra Klein I think if you go back a couple years in technology rhetoric, a lot of the slogans people had that were read optimistically have come to take on darker connotations too. The idea that ''anything is possible.'' Our sense of what ''anything'' means there has become wider. Or the idea that you want to make the world more open and connected '-- I think it's become clearer that an open and connected world could be a better world or it could be a worse world.
        So, when you think about the 20-year time frame, what will you be looking for to see if Facebook succeeded, if it actually made the world a better place?
        Mark Zuckerberg Well, I don't think it's going to take 20 years. I think the basic point that you're getting at is that we're really idealistic. When we started, we thought about how good it would be if people could connect, if everyone had a voice. Frankly, we didn't spend enough time investing in, or thinking through, some of the downside uses of the tools. So for the first 10 years of the company, everyone was just focused on the positive.
        I think now people are appropriately focused on some of the risks and downsides as well. And I think we were too slow in investing enough in that. It's not like we did nothing. I mean, at the beginning of last year, I think we had 10,000 people working on security. But by the end of this year, we're going to have 20,000 people working on security.
        In terms of resolving a lot of these issues, I think it's just a case where because we didn't invest enough, I think we will dig through this hole, but it will take a few years. I wish I could solve all these issues in three months or six months, but I just think the reality is that solving some of these questions is just going to take a longer period of time.
        Now, the good news there is that we really started investing more, at least a year ago. So if it's going to be a three-year process, then I think we're about a year in already. And hopefully, by the end of this year, we'll have really started to turn the corner on some of these issues.
        But getting back to your question, I think human nature is generally positive. I'm an optimist in that way. But there's no doubt that our responsibilities to amplify the good parts of what people can do when they connect, and to mitigate and prevent the bad things that people might do to try to abuse each other.
        And over the long term, I think that's the big question. Have we enabled people to come together in new ways '-- whether that's creating new jobs, creating new businesses, spreading new ideas, promoting a more open discourse, allowing good ideas to spread through society more quickly than they might have otherwise? And on the other side, did we do a good job of preventing the abuse? Of making it so that governments aren't interfering in each other's civic elections and processes? Are we eliminating, or at least dramatically reducing, things like hate speech?
        We're in the middle of a lot of issues, and I certainly think we could've done a better job so far. I'm optimistic that we're going to address a lot of those challenges, and that we'll get through this, and that when you look back five years from now, 10 years from now, people will look at the net effect of being able to connect online and have a voice and share what matters to them as just a massively positive thing in the world.
        Javier Zarracina/Vox; AFP/Getty Images
      VIDEO-Dem State Sen: Esty Should Resign Because She 'Didn't Protect the Safety of the Victim'
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        Source: Washington Free Beacon
        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 10:33
      VIDEO - Students Stage Pro-Gun Walkout in Florida: 'Second Amendment Will Not Be Infringed' - YouTube
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        Tue, 03 Apr 2018 10:30
      VIDEO - Trump declares 'NO MORE' DACA deal after report of caravan with Central Americans heading to US | Fox News
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        Mon, 02 Apr 2018 13:42
        President Trump declared on Sunday the deal for the Obama-era DACA program was ''NO MORE'' and called for "tough" immigration reform after a report stated a caravan carrying more than 1,000 people from Central America is traveling through Mexico and to the United States in hopes of entering the states illegally or by asking for asylum.
        Trump, who has vowed to end catch and release, tweeted Sunday morning that Republicans need to take the "nuclear option" when passing tougher immigration laws.
        The president had given Congress six months to pass legislation enshrining the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), which protects about 800,000 young immigrants brought to country illegally as children from deportation.
        ''Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release. Getting more dangerous. 'Caravans' coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL!'' the president tweeted.
        The caravan the president was likely referring to was first reported by BuzzFeed News on Friday. Organized by Pueblos Sin Fronteras, or People Without Borders, the caravan traveled through Mexico without authorization last week, according to the report. Officials in Mexico have not attempted to stop the migrants, about 80 percent of them from Honduras. The group's intent is to provide those people a safe way to travel to the U.S.
        Hundreds of Central Americans marching from the southern state of Mexico to the center and north of the country. (Reuters)
        National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) union chief Brandon Judd told ''Fox & Friends'' on Sunday that the migrants are riding on the benefit of catch and release, when illegal immigrants are detained in the U.S. and released while they await for their court hearings.
        Trump also threatened to pull out of the free trade agreement with Mexico unless the country did more to stop the flow of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. The U.S., Canada and Mexico are currently renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement at Trump's insistence.
        ''Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S. They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL!'' he tweeted.
        ''These big flows of people are all trying to take advantage of DACA. They want in on the act!'' he added.
        Trump also spoke about DACA and Mexico before attending Easter services at Episcopal church near his home in Palm Beach, Fla.
        "Mexico has got to help us at the border," Trump told reporters as he held his wife, Melania's, hand. "If they're not going to help us at the border, it's a very sad thing between our two countries."
        Organizers believe about two-thirds of the people in the caravan are planning to enter the U.S. illegally or by asking for protection, according to BuzzFeed. The caravan does not give the migrants the guarantee they will enter the U.S. and uses any form of transportation necessary to make it to the border. Most of the people are reportedly fleeing poverty and political unrest from their home country.
        Hundreds of Central Americans attend a mass before they begin a Via Crucis on Palm Sunday from the southern state of Mexico to the center and north of the country, demanding respect for their human rights, asylum and reports of violence in their countries in Tapachula, Mexico March 25, 2018. (REUTERS/Jose Torres)
        ''First off, you have got a Mexican government entity that is assisting these individuals that are coming up to the United States,'' Judd told ''Fox & Friends.'' ''These individuals do not have passports or legal documents to be in Mexico, yet you got an agency that's helping them get to our [U.S.] border.''
        Judd said border patrol agents do not have the ability to stop the migrants at the border even if they only step one foot on U.S. soil.
        ''Once they [the migrants] enter the country, even if we [border patrol agents] are standing at the border with our hands out saying, 'Don't enter, don't enter,' all they have to do is cross one foot into the border and we have to take them into custody,'' Judd said. ''If they ask for asylum or say I fear to go back to my country, then we have to process them under 'credible fear' which allows them to be released into our country.''
        It's unclear when the hundreds of migrants will be arriving at the U.S. border. Some of those who are traveling with the caravan are planning to stay in Mexico.
        The Associated Press contributed to this report.
        Katherine Lam is a breaking and trending news digital producer for Fox News. Follow her on Twitter at @bykatherinelam
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