What Adam Curry is reading

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  BREAKING! Iran Test Fires Anti-Ship Missiles Near US War Games In Persian Gulf
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    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:51
  White House Daily Press Conference September 24, 2012
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    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:41
  "I Expect Pres Obama To Say Very Clearly We Will NOT Allow Iran To Become Nuclear No Matter What!"
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    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:23
  President Ahmadinejad 'On Wipe Israel Off The Map Quote' Interview With Piers Morgan pt.3
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    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 04:03
  President Ahmadinejad 'On Holocaust' "Why Is No Research Allowed?" Interview With Piers Morgan pt.3
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    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 04:03
  President Ahmadinejad "How Many Time Have You Been In Love?" Interview With Piers Morgan pt.3
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    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 04:02
  THIS IS WHAT A POLICE STATE LOOKS LIKE
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    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:39
  CNBC: Iranian President Ahmadinejad Calls For The Destruction Of Israel
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    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:38
  President Ahmadinejad Interview With Piers Morgan pt.1
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    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:38
  CNN: IRAN SLAPS ISRAEL
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    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:38
  CNN: Why Is Israel Allowed To Threaten The Entire World Economy?
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    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:25
  CNN: Obama's True Intention Is To Destroy The Second Amendment During His Second Term
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    Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:56
  Even NBC Calls Barack Obama's Schedule ''Odd''
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    Source: The Ulsterman Report
    Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:16
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  Remarks at the Clinton Global Initiative
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    Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:17
    PRESIDENT CLINTON: Thank you very much. Of all the useless introductions I've ever given, this would top the list. (Laughter.)We've already had a good morning laughing and talking about what happened yesterday, getting a report from Chelsea about a dinner she attended last night. I just wanted to say one thing to set this little talk the Secretary of State's going to give up. More than 40 years ago when I met Hillary, she was already sort of a walking NGO. (Laughter.) She was doing all this stuff before most of the rest of us discovered it was a fruitful way to spend a life.
    And as Secretary of State, she has done an enormous amount to extend the diplomatic efforts of the United States into not just stopping bad things from happening or diffusing crises or dealing with all the things that she'll have to deal with today as soon as she leaves us, which means she may drag out her remarks a little bit to avoid having to face some of them. She tries to make good things happen, especially in this space we're discussing today. I don't think any American official has ever done more to try to raise the issues of girls and women around the world and what dealing with this means for the future of peace and security and prosperity of the world. And for that reason more than any other, I am very glad that she could join us here this morning.
    Thank you very much. (Applause.)
    SECRETARY CLINTON: Good morning. Good morning. Thank you all very, very much. Good morning. It is '' (applause) '' thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
    Well, it's good to be amongst so many friends. (Laughter.) And I look out at this audience and I see so many of you whom I have worked with and known for such a long time. It is so good to be here at the Clinton Global Initiative. I would be absolutely crazy to try to recognize anyone in this audience, but I do want to say how pleased we are to see John and Annie Glenn here today. (Applause.) I am thrilled to see them, and talk about a lifetime of service, both on the Earth and in the galaxy. Thank you.
    I look forward to CGI, much as you do, because I always learn something new, and I'm always inspired by what each of you is doing to help solve problems and seize opportunities around the world. And for me, I usually get it second, third, and fourth-hand from all of the people who are participating. But I know the impact that CGI has because it certainly has had an impact on how I've tried to think about the development work and the partnerships that the United States needs to have around the world.
    I don't need to tell you this is a time of such great change. New technologies are transforming how people everywhere work, learn, and communicate. Demographic shifts are remaking societies with huge numbers of young people in some places and disproportionate numbers of older people in others. The democracy movements that have sprung up worldwide create exciting possibilities for countries that have been ruled for years by dictators, but they also pose, as we have dramatically seen, great challenges as people grapple with how to turn their democratic ideals into functioning governments and prosperous economies.
    Emerging powers like China, Brazil, and India have a bigger hand in shaping world events, which is helping to reshape the global order, changing how countries engage with each other, and how companies do business '' many of those represented here '' as well as how foundations and universities think about forging partnerships worldwide.
    Now in the face of all this change, those who care about having an impact on the world have to do two important things at once. We must think and act innovatively and be willing to change ourselves to keep pace with the change around us, and at the same time, we must stay true to our values. Otherwise, we will lose our way. Now from my conversations with many of you, I know that you yourselves, your organizations, your businesses are working every day to do that. Well, so is the United States. And there is no area in which this is more evident than in our development efforts. And that's what I want to talk with you briefly about today because it dovetails with what CGI really represents.
    Now I know effective development is close to the hearts of many of you in this room, and it's close to my heart as well. As Bill said, it's something that I've worked on my entire adult life, and I've certainly spoken here before about how vital it is to our national interests and to our efforts to build a world that is more stable, more prosperous, and more free.
    And so the Obama Administration has elevated development as an essential pillar of our national security alongside defense and diplomacy. First thing I said upon becoming Secretary of State is that we could no longer have defense over here with our military '' the most extraordinary young men and women in the world '' but we needed to integrate defense with diplomacy and development. And we also had to change the way we did both diplomacy and development. Respecting development first, because while we had achieved strong results in some places, we were certain we could do better.
    Second, because true transformation comes only through sustainable strategies. And too often in the past, we had focused, understandably, on the urgent and immediate at the expense of the long term.
    Third, because the landscape of development has changed. The strategies that we had used in the past were no longer sufficient. Consider this: In the 1960s, official development assistance from countries like the United States represented 70 percent of the capital flows going into developing countries. Since then, we've increased our development budgets, and yet even with those increases, development assistance now represents just 13 percent of capital flowing into developing countries because the amount of investment, trade, domestic resources, and remittances to those countries has skyrocketed.
    Now, that's a good thing. And it means we have to spend development dollars differently, which I'll return to in a moment. Further, the number of recipients of development assistance with the capacity to design and implement their own development programs has grown considerably. So we have to ask ourselves: How do we take advantage of that capacity and reinforce it? New partners have become involved in development, including former recipients of aid who are now new donors themselves. And how can we help them contribute to effective, common solutions? Massive political change is unfolding in several places where we work. How can our development assistance help drive that change in the right direction?
    Now these are some of the questions that we have asked ourselves from the start of this Administration, and today I want to talk to you about what we've learned and how we're applying those lessons to our development work around the world, and I want to talk about the challenges that still remain and how all of you can help us solve them. I'll focus on three overarching objectives of this Administration's approach.
    The first is we want to move from aid to investment. When development assistance represented a much greater portion of a country's resources, we had to be smart about how to use it, no question. Yet the situation was often more stark and less complex. People needed food and medicine and schools and wells and power in order to develop. And assistance was one of the few and only ways they could get it.
    But today, with so many other resources flowing into developing countries, development assistance can and should play a different role. We have to think differently about how it fits into a more dynamic economic picture, and how it can be a catalyst for economic growth and self-sustaining progress.
    For example, there are risks that discourage companies from doing business in developing countries. And I heard yesterday at the opening plenary that Jim Kim really made a most generous and important offer: Companies should go to the World Bank and ask about risk assessment; that's what the World Bank does for every country in the world. Well, you can also come to the State Department. We do the same. And through our development programs, we can help to mitigate and reduce investment risks. There are structural barriers that prevent citizens from contributing to their economies like outdated land tenure laws, the lack of access to education. And through development, we can help development organizations and private sector interests tackle those problems. USAID and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, for example, assist on strategies to strengthen property rights and expand schooling and can work in partnership with private sector partners.
    There are many entrepreneurs in developing economies who are ready to launch new businesses, but first they need access to credit. We can help more domestic and international financial institutions provide it, such as through loan guarantees by the U.S. Development Credit Authority and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.
    In the 21st century, the work of development must include all this and more. We're not only providing aid to people in crisis, we are making strategic investments, some of which may pay off right away, but others further down the road in stronger communities and long-term economic growth.
    One example of this aid-to-investment approach is in Haiti, which you may hear more about today when my Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills speaks. Five months ago, a shipment of sewing machines was unpacked at the brand new Caracol Industrial Park in northern Haiti. The first tenant was the Korean apparel company, Sae-A, one of the largest garment manufacturers in the world. Today, that factory has 800 employees, most of them women who have never had a formal sector job before. Many are graduates of a new vocational training center nearby. By the end of the year, Sae-A will nearly double their employees, and they're on track to reach their goal of creating 20,000 jobs by 2016. Additionally, a new power plant opened this year to serve the industrial park and surrounding communities. Nine buildings, including factories, warehouses, and offices, have been built and more are under construction. A second tenant, a Haitian company, has just moved in.
    Now this is part of a much larger coordinated strategy between the Government of Haiti, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the United States Government, and the private sector to create access to jobs, housing, electrification, transportation, and agricultural development. And these types of investments, when married with the entrepreneurial spirit of the Haitian people, are helping to catalyze growth in Haiti's north.
    Now, I have to say this was controversial. When Cheryl and I first started working on this, there were a lot of development professionals and experts who really were quite concerned, and even skeptical. But you cannot have development in today's world without partnering with the private sector, and that has been our mantra, and we are now creating examples. Are there pitfalls? Are there problems? Of course there are. There is with any kind of organized effort at development. But the fact is that including the private sector gives developing economies new opportunities.
    In the last decade, for example, six of the world's ten fastest-growing countries were in Africa. That number will soon rise to seven. In the wake of the global financial crisis, many developing countries grew faster and more steadily than the world's biggest economies. And private sector investments there often yield greater returns than those in more developed markets. In a few areas in particular, infrastructure, energy, and agriculture, development intersects with business opportunities, and the State Department is working to get more American companies invested in those fields in developing countries.
    Now, wise investors, of course, choose their investments carefully and they manage for risks. And when a particular investment is not producing the projected returns, they have to make the tough decision about whether to modify or eliminate it. All this must be true in government sponsored development aid too. We need to be as rigorous as possible about producing tangible results.
    The second objective of this Administration's approach to development is what we call country ownership. Now that's a phrase people use a lot in development circles without always being clear about its meaning, so let me be clear about what it means to us. It doesn't mean some things that people immediately leap to. It doesn't mean, as some have feared, that donors are supposed to keep money flowing indefinitely while recipients decide how to spend it. It doesn't mean government-run, freezing-out civil society groups and faith-based organizations. And country-owned certainly doesn't mean that countries are on their own. To us, country ownership means that a nation's efforts are increasingly led, implemented, and eventually paid for by its government, communities, civil society, and private sector.
    Now, to get there, we all have to play our part. A country's political leaders must set priorities and set national plans to accomplish them with input from their citizens. They must follow through on those commitments and hold themselves accountable. And donors, like the United States, must be willing to follow our partner country's lead.
    Now at times that will mean setting aside our own policy preferences or development orthodoxies. Developing countries have access to evidence-based analysis and best practices, so they're engaged and equipped to decide what will work for their country, and we have to promote that so that they begin to take this responsibility and accountability.
    Country ownership is also about funding. We aim for nations to be able to pay for more of their own development. But more than that, it's about countries building the capacity to set priorities, manage resources, develop their own plans, and carry them out. And we can all agree that should be the goal.
    Now progress is already occurring. For example, several countries have taken greater ownership over their health care systems. Sierra Leone has enlisted more than 1,700 women to serve as health monitors, checking up on local clinics and reporting problems back to the National Health Ministry. The Government of Botswana now manages, operates, and pays for their national HIV treatment programs. And with our support through PEPFAR, it's working with American universities to build a medical school that will train their nation's next generation of health care workers.
    In India, when the National AIDS Control program was launched six years ago, half of its budget came from outside donors. Today, less than one-fifth does; the Indian Government covers the rest. And Rwanda and the United States are now working toward a new kind of partnership. The United States will continue to provide support for our health programs, including PEPFAR, as well as programs on maternal and child health, family planning, and TB. But the Rwandan Government will do the managing, monitoring, and evaluating of these programs, and most will be run through Rwanda's own public system. We've already transferred patients receiving care through PEPFAR to clinics run by Rwandans. Meanwhile, Rwanda's increased ownership and capacity frees our resources so that we can focus more on a priority that they've identified, namely, training local healthcare workers. Because in the face of the HIV/AIDS crisis over the last 10-15 years, we have brought a lot of resources, including human resources, to countries, but they must be able to start building their own resources.
    Now because of partnerships like these, we are establishing a new Office of Global Health Diplomacy at the State Department, which will coordinate our diplomatic engagement and provide our ambassadors with the tools and information they need to have a greater impact where the real healthcare work is happening on the ground.
    Let me mention one other key aspect of what country ownership means. It means ownership by the whole country '' men and women. A growing body of evidence proves what is intuitive: When more women enter the workforce, it spurs innovation, increases productivity, and grows economies. Families then have more money to spend, businesses can expand their consumer base and increase their profits. In short, everyone benefits.
    Now country ownership naturally leads to our third goal: putting ourselves out of business. It still surprises me that this is a controversial thing to say. It shouldn't be. Around the world, I hear from leaders who know that ultimately it must be their responsibility to provide economic opportunity, healthcare, good schools for their people. And they do not want to turn to other nations forever to help meet those responsibilities. And frankly, I look forward to the day when our development assistance will no longer be needed, when it is replaced by strong public institutions and civil societies, when private sector investments and trade are robust in both directions, and people have the chance, through their own hard work, to build better lives for themselves and their families.
    So putting ourselves out of business means putting a special emphasis on self-sufficiency. So we are working with partner countries to strengthen their political will for reform and provide technical assistance on issues like taxation so they can mobilize their own domestic resources for long-term development.
    And one of the issues that I have been preaching about around the world is collecting taxes in an equitable manner, especially from the elites in every country. (Laughter.) You know I'm out of American politics, but '' (applause) '' it is a fact that around the world, the elites of every country are making money. There are rich people everywhere. And yet they do not contribute to the growth of their own countries. They don't invest in public schools, in public hospitals, in other kinds of development internally. And so it means for leaders telling powerful people things they don't want to hear. It means being transparent about budgets and revenues and bringing corruption to light. And when that happens, we shouldn't punish countries for uncovering corruption. We should reward them for doing so. And it means putting in place regulations designed to attract and protect investment.
    I just met in the last few days with the new president of a country who is trying to tackle corruption, and I said, ''Well, I have here a lot of the international lists of where your country stands on business climate, on corruption, on government transparency, and you are near or at the bottom. And it is time for you to recognize that in an interconnected global economy, you will benefit from doing what you should be doing internally for yourself.'' And so we have to have that kind of hard talk, which we do on a regular basis.
    So for nearly four years, this Administration has been updating our development assistance with these objectives in mind. We designed our Feed the Future food security initiative and our Global Health Initiative with an emphasis on country ownership and investment. We launched an ambitious reform initiative under Dr. Raj Shah's leadership, USAID Forward, which among other things focuses on how to identify and bring to scale path-breaking innovations. And we're creating groundbreaking renewable energy investment vehicles in Africa through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. And we've launched a range of public-private partnerships through our Global Partnership Initiative. In fact, I announced one example here two years ago, the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, which is working to help 100 million households in developing countries switch to clean cookstoves by 2020 to save lives, improve health, and reduce climate change.
    But there still is a lot of work for us to do, and that's where you come in. There's one further step in particular I want to mention. I'll be speaking about this at greater length later in the year, and that is investing more deeply in a broader range of partners. Today, much of our development assistance is still invested through one group of partners '' international NGOs. They have expertise and local knowledge, and they can respond quickly when needed. We want to continue our successful relationships with them, but we also need to broaden and increase our network of partnerships to advance our work in development. Given the landscape we face, that makes sense.
    Now this is the next big leap, because we need you to help us make it. The entire spectrum of the international development community is represented in this audience. And there are steps we can start taking together. Let's start viewing all our separate efforts as a portfolio of complementary investments. Rather than measuring only development assistance by governments, we should also measure the full set of investments by businesses, by civil society groups and the multilaterals, to get the whole picture of the scope and scale of our combined engagement. And let's do a better job of measuring our own performances, including how well we leverage partnerships, and be transparent with the results. And we should measure the performance of our partners, not just our projects. The process may frankly be uncomfortable for all of us, but it is essential for getting better results.
    So as we work toward the next round of global development goals '' not only the Millennium Development Goals, some of which we've made progress on, others of which are still out of reach '' but also the new effort that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon talked about yesterday on sustainable development goals. Let's redouble our commitment to multi-partner approaches that bring all of us together. Increasingly, as everyone at CGI knows well, our goals and efforts overlap, and we should deepen our cooperation.
    Now all of the work I've described briefly today reflects America's enduring commitment to help more people in more places live up to their God-given potential, to chart their own destinies, and realize the full measure of their human dignity. Dignity is a word that has a lot of resonance in development. It may mean different things to different people and cultures, but it speaks to something universal in all of us. As one Egyptian observed in the wake of that country's revolution, freedom and dignity are more important than food and water. When you eat in humiliation, you can't taste the food.
    So for the United States, as we pursue our development agenda around the world, working to improve and save lives, to spur growth, we are working to advance freedom and dignity. We are standing up for democracies that unlock people's potential and standing against extremists who exploit people's frustrations. We are trying to help societies leave behind old enmities and look ahead to new opportunities. We are backing reformers who build accountable institutions and combat corruption that stifles innovation, initiative, hope, and yes, dignity.
    And we are championing the universal human rights of all people, including the right to worship freely, to assemble and protest peacefully, and yes, to freedom of expression. These rights are bound together, inseparable not just in our own constitution, but in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Threatening one threatens all. Each of these steps helps create the conditions where people can reach for and find a sense of dignity for themselves and their societies. But dignity does not come from avenging insults, especially with violence that can never be justified.
    It comes from taking responsibility and advancing our common humanity.
    If you look around the world today, countries that are focused more on fostering growth than fomenting grievance are racing ahead. Building schools instead of burning them; investing in their people's creativity, not inciting their rage; opening their economies and societies to have more connections with the wider world, not shutting off the internet or attacking embassies. The people of the Arab world did not set out to trade the tyranny of a dictator for the tyranny of a mob. There is no dignity in that. The people of Benghazi sent this message loudly and clearly on Friday when they forcefully rejected the extremists in their midst and reclaimed the honor and dignity of a courageous city.
    They mourned the loss of Ambassador Chris Stevens, a friend and champion of a free Libya, and his fallen comrades. They are not alone. People and leaders from across the region and the world and beyond have spoken in recent days against violence. Foreign Minister of Tunisia came to Washington last week and personally underscored his country's stand. And unity on this throughout the international community is crucial, because extremists around the world are working hard to drive us apart. All of us need to stand together to resist these forces and to support democratic transitions underway in North Africa and the Middle East.
    Throughout this week as I engaged my counterparts from many nations, we discussed and we will continue here at the United Nations how we can work together to build lasting partnerships focused on freedom, human dignity, and development, fostering democracy and universal values. And we need your help and leadership '' citizens, businesses, NGOs, nonprofits, the faith community, everyone '' we are called to this great cause of the 21st century. Here at CGI you are standing up for what we need more of in the world.
    So thank you. Thank you for devoting your energy, your efforts and your resources to improving our world one day at a time. And thank you for backing your words with concrete commitments that I know are solving problems and changing lives. You reaffirm my faith in the future we are building together. So let's get to work for more freedom, democracy, opportunity, and dignity. Thank you all very much. (Applause.)
    # # #
  Pres Ahmadinejad "I Think The Zionist See Themselves At The End Of The Line"
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    Source: Uploads by MOXNEWSd0tC0M
    Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:11
  Violent Riots Much More About US Foreign Policy Than The Prophet Muhammad
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    Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:08
  Video Remarks on Mali
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    Wed, 26 Sep 2012 21:00
    [T]he chaos and violence in Mali does threaten to undermine the stability of the entire region. We all know too well what is happening in Mali, and the incredible danger posed by violent extremists imposing their brutal ideology, committing human rights abuses, destroying irreplaceable cultural heritage.But it's not only the violent extremists. We now have drug traffickers and arms smugglers finding safe havens and porous borders, providing them a launching pad to extend their reach throughout not only the region, but beyond. And nearly 500,000 people have been displaced from their homes, and 4.5 million more are suffering from dwindling food supplies. This is not only a humanitarian crisis; it is a powder keg that the international community cannot afford to ignore.
    The United States supports the appointment of a senior UN envoy empowered to lead a comprehensive international effort on Mali and the creation of a diplomatic core group. This effort must include coordinating the delivery of emergency aid, helping address longstanding political grievances of ethnic groups in the north, and preparing for credible elections.
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  Epic video and pictures from Spanish anti-austerity protests
    Link to Article
    Source: Liberal Conspiracy
    Wed, 26 Sep 2012 09:08
    by Sunny Hundal 8:30 am - September 26th 2012Tens of thousands of protesters from across Spain gathered in Madrid yesterday night against severe austerity measures by the government.
    They accused politicians of 'destroying' Spain with brutal program cuts and tax hikes.
    Madrid riot police clashed with protesters in central Madrid last night, with at least 14 people reported injured and 22 arrested as police used batons and rubber bullets.
    VideoThis video shows a clash between the police and protesters.
    It kicks off around 1:30 and near the end, some police start getting beaten by Spanish people.
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  Spain police fire rubber bullets at Madrid protest. (BBC video)
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    Source: WT news feed
    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:26
    25 September 2012Last updated at18:19 ETPlease turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
    The BBC's Tom Burridge describes an "an eerie feeling" on the streets of Madrid
    Spanish police have fired rubber bullets and baton-charged protesters attending a rally against austerity.
    The clashes broke out as protesters tried to tear down barriers blocking access to the parliament in Madrid.
    Spanish media reported that at least 20 people had been arrested and more than a dozen injured.
    The "Occupy Congress" protest comes as the government prepares to unveil further austerity measures on Thursday in a bid to shrink its budget deficit.
    Spain is in its second recession in three years and unemployment is near 25%, with youth unemployment far higher.
    The government will unveil the draft budget for 2013 on Thursday and is expected to present new cost-saving reforms to reassure lenders about the state of the country's public finances.
    Emergency fundsThe demonstrators - known as Indignants - say "Occupy Congress" is a protest against the kidnapping of democracy.
    Thousands of people had massed in Plaza de Neptuno square in central Madrid for the march on parliament.
    But their route towards the parliament building's main entrance was blocked off by metal railings, police vans and hundreds of Spanish riot police.
    Mark Smith, who lives near the site of the protest, said: "I saw riot police with their batons charging at protesters trying to split up the crowd."
    Tuesday's demonstration was organised via social media sites and many young people turned out, says the BBC's Tom Burridge in Madrid - but the protest's public profile meant the police were ready for them.
    Continue reading the main story''Start QuoteI'm here because of all the social cuts and rights that we have lost, that took a lot of hard work to achieve - we are here because we're determined not to lose them''
    End QuoteMontse PuigdavallDemonstratorThe police's tactics seem to have been to target ringleaders to break up the crowds, adds our correspondent, which prompted some scuffles but no widespread fighting.
    Buses had reportedly been laid on to ferry demonstrators into the capital from the provinces.
    One of the main protest groups, Coordinadora #25S, said the Indignants did not plan to storm parliament, only to march around it.
    The Coordinadora #25S manifesto reads: "Democracy has been kidnapped. On 25 September we are going to save it."
    Pablo Mendez, an activist from the 15M Indignants movement, told the Associated Press: "This is just a powerful signal that we are sending to politicians to let them know that the Spanish bailout is suicide and we don't agree with it, and we will try to prevent it happening."
    Another demonstrator, Montse Puigdavall, said: "I'm here because of the situation we are living in now, because of all the social cuts and rights that we have lost, that took a lot of hard work to achieve.
    "So we are here because we're determined not to lose them."
    Continue reading the main storyAnalysisEvents in Catalonia are moving quickly. They are another reminder that the turmoil in the eurozone is not just a financial and economic crisis - it has become a political crisis too.
    Whether it is the demand in Catalonia for more autonomy or even independence from Spain, or it is the sudden rise of the neo-fascist Golden Dawn party in Greece, existing political systems are coming under enormous strain.
    People feel increasingly powerless. Many are questioning the influence they have over their own political systems, as governments of countries in crisis are forced to respond to external demands. That sense of unease is also feeding debates about the structure of the EU itself, and how it might become more democratic. Accountability has become a serious problem.
    Under Spanish law, people who lead demonstrations outside parliament that disrupt its business while it is in session may be jailed for up to one year, AFP says.
    Clashes have broken out at previous rallies and marches against the cuts and at least 1,300 police were said to be on duty at the Congress building.
    'Bailout suicide'Spain's provinces have piled pressure on the government with a possible new bailout request and an early election.
    Andalucia is considering asking for a 4.9bn euro (£3.9bn; $6.3bn) emergency credit line from the central government, a spokeswoman for the regional administration confirmed to Reuters news agency.
    Three other regions - Catalonia, Valencia and Murcia - have already said they will seek emergency funds.
    In Catalonia, President Artur Mas called an early election for 25 November, which correspondents say will be a de facto referendum on his demands for greater independence for the province.
    There is real concern in Europe that Spain may need an international bailout going beyond the 100bn euros (£80bn; $125bn) pledged by eurozone finance ministers in June to rescue its banks.
    The Spanish government is having to borrow heavily to cope with the effects of a collapse in property prices, a recession and the worst unemployment rate in the eurozone.
    After nine months in government, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is still resisting pressure to request a bailout.
    His government insists the 100bn-euro pledge does not constitute an international financial rescue.
    If Mr Rajoy does request a bailout, it may not happen before late October because of a regional election in his home province, Galicia.
    Catalonia's election decision comes days after Mr Rajoy rejected a request from the wealthy but indebted region to run its own fiscal affairs.
    The region is legally barred from holding an actual referendum on independence.
    "It is time to take the risk," Mr Mas told the regional parliament. "If Catalonia were a state we would be among the 50 biggest exporting countries in the world."
    Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you canupload here.
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  Gary Johnson Zombie Ad Debuts (video)
    Link to Article
    Source: WT news feed
    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:22
    While Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson was campaigning in New Hampshire, he took time to make an ad with some Granite State supporters that features Republican and Democratic zombies.
    In the ad, Johnson walks down the steps of the New Hampshire State House in his signature blazer and peace sign shirt proclaiming that "We are not a mindless society! We care about things!"
    Johnson, who is the in the midst of a nationwide college tour and told Patch that he thought the ads could go viral.
    ''This is fun, this is fun,'' Johnson said at one point during the recording.
    At another point during the filming, when Johnson realized that the concept was pretty brilliant and would probably go viral on YouTube, he said, ''We're going to have a zombie party '... we can't fix all this, we can make the world a better place '...''
    Johnson's campaign did not pay for or produce the spot. At an event in Durham local LP activists told me that the state party was involved in producing the spot.
  Muslim Day in NYC Speaker: ''We Have the Unborn Martyrs in Our Wombs'' (VIDEO)
    Link to Article
    Source: FrontPage Magazine
    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:14
    Just in case you wondered about some of the benefits that Muslim immigration was bringing to this country'... unborn martyrs are apparently on the list.
    According to the Muslim Day website, this is what the Muslim Day Parade is supposed to be.
    Since 1983, The Muslim American Day Parade has brought together Muslim-Americans from the five boroughs and beyond, celebrating the rich, cultural traditions of a faith that has provided hope, support, and comfort to generations of New Yorkers.
    With colorful floats, a bazaar, and lectures by Muslims and interfaith leaders, this widely anticipated event gives all New Yorkers an opportunity to renew their commitment to our city's diverse spiritual community and to commemorate the tremendous contributions of Muslim New Yorkers.
    The reality is more like a little slice of hell. There are calls to outlaw free speech and a female speaker who rants about the ''Zionist Nazis'' and boasts that, ''We Have the Unborn Martyrs in Our Wombs.''
    NY State Senator Tony Avella, a VIP Marshall of the festivities, walked out during her hate speech. Pamela Hall, Pamela Geller and Bare Naked Islam have photos of the whole thing but the video captures it best.
  Sarah Silverman: This Crazy Bitch Does Not Speak for Me '' Jew In Name Only (VIDEO)
    Link to Article
    Source: Debbie Schlussel
    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 21:57
    By Debbie Schlussel
    Can we please send Sarah Silverman (and her grandmother, too) for a vacation at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi?
    Tonight, Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, begins, and Jews are supposed to have asked forgiveness from those they've slighted. Silverman needs to ask forgiveness (but she won't) from the entire Jewish people for invoking our religion in each of her disgusting, pro-Obama videos produced by a far-left Super PAC that also pretends to be Jewish. Below is her latest lowlife video screed, which, sadly, was last week's top political video on YouTube. Each time she invokes my religion, remember that a Jewish American with far more class and at least 100 more IQ points, Sheldon Adelson, has already spent $70 million to get Romney and other Republicans elected and has pledged to spend up to $100 million. For that ''crime,'' he's also been a target of Silverman's sickening crap. This sleazebagette, Silverman, is what I call a VaJINO '' a female Jew In Name Only. She does not speak for me. And many of us Jews find her beyond embarrassing.
    Watch the video [which is NOT SAFE FOR WORK or IQ] . . .
    Does Sarah Silverman ever go shopping? When they ask her for ID when she used credit cards, was this discrimination against her because she's Black, old, a college student, and a military veteran? How about when she was asked for picture ID each time she's flown?
    Remember, Sarah Silverman may be Jewish (in name only) by an accident of birth. But she's a crazy bitch by choice.
  Security is tightened in Madrid ahead of protest. (Euronews video)
    Link to Article
    Source: WT news feed
    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:43
    Madrid is gearing up for further protests against what is seen by some as an attack on democracy.
    Security is tight; an estimated 1,300 police officers will be on the streets.
    Struggling through a recession, many voters feel their country is now unjustly in hock to Brussels.
    They plan to surround the Spanish parliament, claiming the financial crisis has ''kidnapped'' democracy.
    A government spokesman told reporters the last time parliament was surrounded like this was during the coup of 1981. ''That was a act against democracy she says and so is this.'' said Dolores de Cospedal, the General Secretary of the Popular Party.''It goes against the people's will.''
    The crisis, blamed on the collapse of a speculation-driven property boom, has plunged Spain into the red, throwing millions out of work and many into poverty.
    Tuesday's demonstration is likely to be more tense than this one last Saturday, when more than half a million Spaniards took to the streets of the Spanish capital in a march organised by the main trade unions.
    More about:Austerity, Protest, Recession, SpainCopyright (C) 2012 euronews
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  Qatar money for investment in French suburbs. (Euronews video)
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    Source: WT news feed
    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:30
    Bowing to the pressure to create jobs in deprived areas, French President Francois Hollande has agreed to Qatar investing millions of euros into development in France's troubled suburbs.
    The idea was so controversial, it was shelved until after the presidential election by former president Nicolas Sarkozy.
    Nevertheless, Hollande met with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani in August, and now the French government will match or exceed the amount invested by Qatar.
    French entrepeneur Mohame Kemliche is thankful for the plan: ''Today, there is a person who will provide finance. This money is a godsend. If you have the money and can recover and create jobs, it is a boost to the suburbs and people will be able to work.''
    This money for the suburbs differs to Qatar's interests in high-profile French companies, including Paris St Germain football club.
    However, some are questioning the investment motives.
    ''They are putting money into these areas only because these populations are predominantly Muslim. It is therefore a religious investment,'' said far-right Front National President Marine Le Pen.
    ''The money shouldn't be refused on principle. Especially not, as Marine Le Pen says, because Qatar is a Muslim country. This isn't a problem,'' argued Socialist party deputy Fran§ois Pupponi.
    It is believed Qatar will commit around 50 million euros to the suburbs plan and could help rejuvenate areas where unemployment is sometimes over 40 percent.
    More about:France, Investment, QatarCopyright (C) 2012 euronews
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  VIDEO: The problems of reporting from Syria
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    Source: BBC News - Home
    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:04
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  VIDEO: 'Fake pilot' arrested in Italy
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    Source: BBC News - Europe
    Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:40
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  VIDEO: France 'not happy with Hollande'
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    Source: BBC News - Europe
    Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:50
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U.S. actress sues anti-Islam filmmaker, YouTube in federal court
  Link to Article
  Source: Reuters: World News
  Thu, 27 Sep 2012 06:05
  Cindy Lee Garcia, an actress in the ''Innocence of Muslims'', an anti-Islam movie that has spawned violent protests across the Muslim world, attends a news conference outside her attorney's office after a court hearing in Los Angeles, California September 20, 2012.
  Credit: Reuters/Bret Hartman
  By Steve Gorman
  LOS ANGELES | Thu Sep 27, 2012 1:05am EDT
  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An actress who said she was duped into appearing in an anti-Islam film that stoked violent protests across the Muslim world took her legal bid to federal court on Wednesday in a renewed effort to force it off YouTube.
  The lawsuit filed by Cindy Lee Garcia names the popular online video site YouTube and its parent company Google Inc. as defendants, along with the Egyptian-American Coptic Christian from California believed to be behind the making of the film.
  Last week, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied Garcia's request for a temporary restraining order that would have required YouTube to stop posting the crudely made 13-minute video, finding the actress was unlikely to prevail on the merits of her case in state court.
  As in her previous lawsuit, Garcia accused the purported filmmaker of fraud, libel and unfair business practices. But her federal lawsuit also asserts a copyright claim to her performance in the video, titled "The Innocence of Muslims."
  Garcia's case was the first known civil litigation stemming from the video, billed as a film trailer, which depicts the Prophet Mohammad as a fool and a sexual deviant. The clip sparked a torrent of anti-American unrest in Egypt, Libya and dozens of other Muslim countries over the past two weeks.
  The outbreak of violence coincided with an attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya.
  U.S. and other foreign embassies were also stormed in various cities across the Middle East, Asia and Africa. For many Muslims, any depiction of the prophet is considered blasphemous.
  Google has refused to remove the film from YouTube, despite pressure from the White House and others to take it down, though the company has blocked the trailer in Egypt, Libya and other Muslim countries.
  COPYRIGHT ISSUE
  Garcia's lawyer argued in court last week that her client, who is from Bakersfield, California, has suffered harm similar to a person whose privacy is violated by the unauthorized release of a sex tape.
  But Google's attorneys said that the rights of an actor do not protect that person from how a film is perceived.
  In her latest lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Santa Clara, California, Garcia says that Google is infringing on the copyright she holds to her performance in the film by distributing the video without her approval via YouTube.
  Garcia's lawsuit identifies Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, a Los Angeles-area Coptic man who has served time in federal prison for bank fraud, as the film's producer.
  On Saturday, a Pakistani cleric offered a $100,000 reward to anyone who killed the film's maker. Garcia said in her lawsuit that an Egyptian cleric had issued a fatwa, or religious edict, against anyone who served as a director, producer or actor in the video.
  According to Garcia, Nakoula operated under the assumed name of Sam Bacile, misleading her and other actors into appearing in a film they believed was an adventure drama called "Desert Warrior."
  After the fact, however, she learned that some of her lines spoken in the production had been dubbed over.
  The alteration made it look like Garcia "voluntarily performed in a hateful, anti-Islamic production," the lawsuit says, adding that she has "been subjected to credible death threats and is in fear for her life and the life and safety of anyone associated with her."
  Nakoula has been in hiding for much of the past two weeks after being questioned by federal authorities looking into whether he may have violated terms of his probation in the making or promotion of the video.
  (Reporting by Steve Gorman)
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This Is What Islamic Supremacism Looks Like
  Link to Article
  Source: FrontPage Magazine
  Thu, 27 Sep 2012 06:04
  President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is in New York. According to the regime's official FARS News Agency, he is ''set to meet American university students, artists, intellectuals and elites, including Occupy Wall Street anti-capitalist protestors, despite the ongoing efforts made by the pro-Zionist lobbies to prevent direct link between American people and the Iranian president.''
  The irony of this announcement must be lost on all of the above, including the Occupy Wall Street anti-capitalist fighters against all things supremacist: they are about to offer a propagandistic platform to a leading figure of Islamic supremacism, whose ''news'' agency can't even file a short report without an anti-Semitic jab.
  Wikipedia defines supremacism as ''the belief that a particular race, species, ethnic group, religion, gender, sexual orientation, class, belief system or culture is superior to others and entitles those who identify with it to dominate, control or rule those who do not.''
  Whoa! Wait one oppression-fighting minute! Species? Sexual orientation? Is there an article in Wikipedia where the sneaky ''progressives'' haven't laid their silly post-modernist eggs? But let's play ''which word doesn't belong'' some other time. A more pressing issue here is that the above definition perfectly describes Islam, states its goals and motivations, and explains the origins and purpose of the segregationist Sharia legal system that purports to be superior to individual equality and liberty.
  According to a former FBI counter-terror expert Jeffrey Imm, ''Islamic supremacism is an activist, transnational ideology that seeks the transformation or assimilation of every human being, with the ultimate goal to establish a global Islamic caliphate to govern Earth. Islamic supremacism may provide the ideological basis for Jihadist terrorism, but its adherents seek to attack and undermine equality and liberty using many other tactics.''
  Not only is Islam today's most potent, long-lasting, and threatening form of supremacism '' it is also the one that is being willfully overlooked by its potential victims, who are all too busy welcoming it in New York: the aforementioned ''American university students, artists, intellectuals and elites, including Occupy Wall Street anti-capitalist protestors.'' Might I add that deemed inferior are also those who plant words like ''species'' and ''sexual orientation'' into the Wikipedia definition of supremacism.
  The latter themselves represent a loosely organized ''religion of peace,'' united by their faith that word manipulation can somehow alter reality. They may even feel superior to others due to their skills in ''framing the debate.'' And yet, despite their ritualistic lying to themselves and others, there is no such thing as ''moderate supremacism'' or ''the supremacism of peace.''
  An example of their intellectual and moral contortionism is found in the same Wikipedia article, which laughably claims that Islamic supremacism is an illusion caused by ''misinterpreting'' Islam's history of invasions, massacres, oppression, and slave trade.
  Some academics and writers have alleged Muslim or Islamic supremacism. The Qur'an and other Islamic documents always speak of tolerant and protective beliefs which have been misused, misquoted and misinterpreted by supremacists and anti-Islamic elements. Specific examples of how supremacists have exploited the name of Islam includes Muslim participation in the African slave trade, the early 20th century pan-Islamism promoted by Abdul Hamid II, the jizya and rules of marriage in Muslim countries being imposed on non-Muslims, the majority Muslim interpretations of the rules of pluralism in Malaysia, and ''defensive'' supremacism practised [sic] by some Muslim immigrants in Europe.
Remarks at the United Nations Security Council Session On Peace And Security in the Middle East
  Link to Article
  Thu, 27 Sep 2012 00:56
  Thank you very much, Minister Westerwelle, for calling us together at this critical moment to discuss peace and security in the Middle East on the heels of two tumultuous weeks during which violent protests rocked countries across the region. And although anger was directed against my country, the protests exposed deep rifts within new democracies and volatility that extremists were quick to instigate and exploit.
  As President Obama made clear yesterday in his address to the General Assembly, the United States rejects the false choice between democracy and stability. Democracies make the strongest, most capable partners. And we know that it takes a lot of hard work and oftentimes struggle.
  But the fact of new, emerging democracies here in the 21st century should be a cause for great satisfaction and hope. But these emerging democracies need champions, not fair-weather friends. And during this past week, as I met with leaders from Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Yemen, I expressed to each of them America's unwavering support for their country's continued journey along the democratic path.
  But making good on the promise of these transitions will take many hands working on many fronts. And of course, there are political and economic dimensions to the work that must be done, but today I'd like to focus on the security concerns, because that has to be the starting line on the road to true democracy.
  Of course, the Arab revolutions come from within, and the greatest responsibility for their success or failure lies with the people living them each day. But the nations gathered in this room also have a powerful stake in seeing that these democracies succeed, and it is our shared responsibility to help countries in transition find the right path forward.
  International support is critical. Consider what happened when the Arab League and the Security Council came together to protect civilians in Libya. That show of solidarity helped produce a strong Security Council resolution that saved Benghazi from destruction at the hands of a tyrant. And thanks to the support of this broad coalition, the people of Libya now have the chance to write their own future.
  We saw earlier this year, Libyans turning out in droves to cast their ballots '' most for the first time in their lives. Then last Friday, we saw thousands of Libyans pour into the streets to condemn the attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. They made it clear that those who would promote violence and division do not speak for the new Libya, and that armed bands who would sever Libya's ties with the world are not welcome. And the new Government of Libya is working closely with us to find the murderers and bring them to justice.
  Now each country in transition has its own security challenges, and therefore each needs our support in different ways. In Tunisia, where the Arab Awakening began, extremists seek to hijack its progress. But Tunisians are working steadily to dismantle a long legacy of dictatorship and lay the foundation for sustainable democracy.
  The riots underscored the challenges of building security forces focused on protecting people, not regimes. These nations are not the first to struggle with the challenge of policing a new democracy. And the international community has stumbled in the past, failing to offer needed support or offering the wrong kind of support.
  So we should heed the lessons we have learned from our success and our failure, including this most basic understanding: Training, funding, and equipment will only go so far. It takes the political will to make hard choices and tough changes that will build strong institutions and lasting security. So I'm pleased Tunisia has agreed to host a new international training center that will help security and criminal justice officials pursue policies grounded in the rule of law and human rights.
  Now Egyptians chose their leadership for the first time in history, and we are committed to helping that transition succeed. The Egyptian people, proud of the freedoms they have claimed, must decide what kind of a country they want to build. And the choices of the largest Arab nation will echo far beyond its borders. And like all nations, Egypt knows it too has responsibilities not only to its own citizens but to its neighbors and the international community, responsibilities to honor international commitments, to share power broadly, to keep faith with all the Egyptian people, men and women, Muslim and Christian. And we want to help Egypt and all new democracies live up to these vital responsibilities.
  In Yemen, we are working through the GCC-led transition process, but providing basic security for the Yemeni people is a great challenge that is heightened by Yemen's unique needs. Yemen has a fast-growing population of young people and not enough jobs '' a familiar story not only through the region but the world. But in addition, Yemen is facing the depletion of their oil and water supplies. And al-Qaida in the Arab Peninsula remains a serious threat. The urgency of these threats must be matched by the urgency of our response. In the Friends of Yemen meeting later this week, countries are coming together to address Yemen's challenges, both in the immediate and the long term.
  Unfortunately, in Syria, Bashar al-Assad clings to power, and his campaign of brutality has sparked a humanitarian crisis. The United States has committed more than $100 million to help the Syrian people. And we continue to insist that the violence must end and a political transition without Assad must move forward.
  The Arab League suspended Syria from its activities and has strongly condemned the Assad regime's brutal violence against its own people. And the Arab League created a plan for peaceful political transition that was endorsed by an overwhelming majority in the General Assembly resolution that launched Arab League-UN mediation efforts, led first by Kofi Annan and now by Lakhdar Brahimi.
  Yet the atrocities mount while the Security Council remains paralyzed. And I would urge that we try, once again, to find a path forward that can bring the Security Council together on the urgent business of both ending the violence in Syria and preventing the consequences that all of us around this table fear.
  And although this forum was not primarily intended to discuss the peace process, I certainly would like to reiterate the President's message from yesterday. The future of Israel and Palestine must belong to those who embrace the hard work of peace '' not those who thrive on conflict or reject the right of Israel to exist. And the United States stands ready and prepared to work toward a just agreement to finally accomplish our clear goal '' a secure, Jewish state of Israel, an independent, secure, prosperous Palestine, fulfilling the aspirations of the Palestinian people.
  No discussion of the Middle East would be complete without a mention of Iran and the profound threat its activities pose to the region and beyond. Despite numerous demands by this Council, Iran still has not taken the necessary steps to cooperate fully with the IAEA and to resolve doubts about its nuclear program. In addition, Iran continues to sponsor terrorist groups and smuggle weapons for the Assad regime's use against the Syrian people. Meanwhile, the Iranian people themselves suffer gross violation of their rights at the hand of their own government.
  Serious challenges like these call for leadership and partnership. Yesterday, I was privileged to sign an agreement with the Arab League through its Secretary General and I was delighted that Secretary General Elaraby and I could build on the unprecedented cooperation of the last two years. We support Germany's call to make Security Council-Arab League cooperation more systematic and sustainable. The United States is also one of 28 countries and international organizations working through the Deauville Partnership to support democratic transitions in the Middle East and North Africa.
  When violence came to our doorstep at embassies around the globe, this body joined the Arab League, the OIC, the AU, and the EU to give voice to the world's condemnation of the attacks and call for restraint. You stood with us, and now we must stand together in support of the common aspirations of the people, of all people, for security and safety for our families, the freedom to live lives according to our own conscience, the dignity that comes only through self-determination. And as President Obama said yesterday, the United States will never shrink from defending these values. And we will not walk away from these new democracies.
  We are not alone in this commitment. This is the work of all responsible nations. And we look forward to working closely with anyone who speaks out on behalf of our shared values. Thank you.
Buma/Stemra brandbrieft Rutte en Samsom
  Link to Article
  Source: GeenStijl
  Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:29
  Of de overheid even de hele Nederlandse muziekindustrie 2012-f¤hig wil maken? Met strenge verbodswetten en downloadregeltjes aub? Anders mist Nederland de aansluting bij de rest van Europa, qua legale download-opties, volgens BumaBaasje Leo de Wit. Ah ja, en de aansluiting bij de rest van Europa missen wat betreft het aanleveren van setlists en Spotify-fooien toucheren is erg omdat? Nouja omdat dit volkomen achterhaalde systeem waar alleen de maatschappijen, Bums/Stemra, Brein en de absolute topartiesten aan verdienen dan kapot gaat. En dat is erg omdat? Nou, nergens om, dat vinden alleen copyrightbaasjes erg want die willen graag hun baantjes en bonussen behouden. En de topartiesten in Nederland, die verdienen vooral aan merchandise, sponsordeals en optredens, hier, muziekbobo Jan Vis zegt het zelf. De Glennis Krijs-achtigen, de Volendamterreur en de #DWDDdameskapperbandjes met 3FMpotentie en festivalattitude redden het dus ook wel zonder dat de overheid ze komt beschermen. Handelsgeest mensen, komop, een beetje muzikale VOCmentaliteit. "Zorg ervoor dat hun rechten beschermd worden en dat de legale initiatieven een eerlijke kans krijgen" jengelt de Wit tegen onze MP. Ja doei. De CD-markt is geen antieke stoomtram: volkomen obsoleet maar vanwege de monumentale waarde toch koste wat kost in stand houden met overheidsbemoeienis. Bovendien hebben Mark en Didi wel wat anders aan hun hoofd, het is totaalcrisis weetjewel. Met je brandbrief. We zouden nog een afsluitende grap kunnen maken met brandbrief/CD branden maar zelfs dat is al compleet pass(C). Het is downloaden wat de klok slaat tegenwoordig, maar dat weten jullie van de Buma/Stemra zelf ook.
  A. Nanninga | 26-09-12 | 16:54 | Link | Buma/Stemra loopt standaard 3 geluidsdragers achter. Volgens mij is downloaden ook alweer pass(C) en is streamen de shit. Maar idd, maak ze niet te wijs...
  Tommygunner | 26-09-12 | 16:58Nou nou GS,Ga je dr zomaar van uit dat Buma/Stemra iets weet.Is dat niet een beetje te hoog gegrepen voor deze old skool fossielen?
  Spokoynoy Nochi | 26-09-12 | 16:59Nederland loopt achter bij Europa... Wat is de definitie van Europa: UK, Duitsland en Frankrijk? Als een internationale uitgever van zegge de VS diensten gaat aanbieden in de EU dan zal dat als eerste in deze grote landen zijn. Het verbaast mij dan ook niet dan 'Nederland achterloopt'. Downloadverboden gaat hier niets tegen doen. Internet stopt immers niet bij de grens. Het woud aan verschillende wet- en regelgeving binnen Europa consolideren tot een richtlijn echter wel, zodat het voor aanbieders van buiten Europa makkelijker wordt om hier diensten aan te bieden. Maar daar hoor je SENA en BUMA/STEMRA niet over, want Europese regelgeving gaat landelijke belangenclubs overbodig maken.
  De Ingeniale | 26-09-12 | 17:02Ik krijg nog steeds geld van ze , en met mij nog heel wat meer muzikanten.
  Eurotokkie | 26-09-12 | 17:02Maakt mij allemaal niet zo uit. Ik maak tegenwoordig playlists op youtube of andere videoclip sites voor thuis of op het werk, voor onderweg heb ik nog een collectie van 300gb aan mp3, kan ik de rest van mijn leven mee door.
  Idontgiveafunk | 26-09-12 | 17:02Hoewel ik een schijthekel aan BUMA, aanverwante organisatisch en de georganiseerde muziek criminaliteit heb (lees: platenmaatschappijen) heb, is er natuurlijk wel degelijk sprake van een probleem.
  En dat probleem is dat internet vol zit met paupers die denken dat lles gratis zou moeten zijn. Paupers die nooit voor muziek of films willen/gaan betalen, ook al zijn er prima alternatieven.
  Vooropgesteld; deze alternatieven zijn er nu veel te weinig, waardoor het veel te prematuur is om de piraten vol de schuld te geven van het niet werkende systeem.
  Maar toch vind ik dat internetterts zich ook wel enigszins een spiegel mogen voorhouden.
  Absoluut niet waar | 26-09-12 | 17:03Absoluut niet waar | 26-09-12 | 17:03Organistisch? Staat het er echt? *proest*
  *zichzelf even een spiegel voorhoudt*
  Absoluut niet waar | 26-09-12 | 17:07Absoluut niet waar | 26-09-12 | 17:03 | + 0 -
  Het probleem zit toch echt bij de Buma/Stemra , ze hebben veel te laat gereageerd op internet en proberen nu met harde hand de achterstand in te halen.
  Eurotokkie | 26-09-12 | 17:07Buma/Stemra zou voor de aardigheid eens een soort van bindend referendum moeten uitschrijven voor muzikanten, met de vraag of het beter zou zijn wanneer de organisatie zichzelf opheft.
  harbi | 26-09-12 | 17:08@harbi | 26-09-12 | 17:08Buma Stemra zou eens een bindend referendum moeten uitschrijven voor het eigen bestaansrecht...
  Tommygunner | 26-09-12 | 17:10@Absoluut niet waar | 26-09-12 | 17:03 |Het gratis downloaden (kopien maken) van muziek en films is legaal, dus ik kan me goed voorstellen dat men niet wil betalen. Waarom zou je?
  SamKoeman | 26-09-12 | 17:10Ach ja, de Buma. In Amsterdam werd de afgelopen week op het Blender Institute de laatste hand gelegd aan de korte film Tears of Steel. Die komt als het goed is vanavond onder CC-by on line mango.blender.org...De soundtrack en muziek werd gemaakt door Joram Letwory.Ook die soundtrack valt onder de Creative Commons.Producer Ton Roosendaal is vanwege deze film ge¯nterviewd door het Parool en in dit interview zegt hij over Letwory:"De componist van de muziek van Tears of Fears moest zich uitschrijven bij Buma/Stemra omdat ze niet toestonden dat hij zijn muziek rechtenvrij produceerde"mango.blender.org... meest rechter kolom van het artikeltje Blender is van Iedereen.Wanneer gaan die gasten nou eindelijk eens met hun tijd mee.
  lekkurlinx | 26-09-12 | 17:13Laat BUMA/Stemra nu maar eens wat energie gaan steken in het achterhalen van de ECHTE ILLEGALE uploaders. Dat excuus van 'moeilijk, moeilijk, niets aan te doen' geldt zo onderhand niet meer.Laat die LEGALE downloaders toch eens met rust.
  vimes | 26-09-12 | 17:13Elke keer als ik de naam Buma hoor zap ik direkt door naar een torrentsite.
  spuitje11 | 26-09-12 | 17:13Eurotokkie | 26-09-12 | 17:07Compleet eens hoor, dat is mijn punt ook totaal niet.
  Ik probeer alleen aan te geven dat er wel degelijk 2 kanten aan het verhaal zitten. Dat de hele muziekindustrie lui, conservatief en hebberig is evident.
  Ik vind daarnaast alleen dat er een hoop paupers op internet zitten die ¼berhaupt nergens voor gaan of willen betalen, ongeacht er nu goede (qua prijs en gemak) betalende alternatieven zijn of niet.
  Dan kun je jezelf een piraat blijven noemen, in mijn ogen ben je dan niets meer dan een pauper. Een pauper die na een hotelovernachting zonder te betalen wegloopt. Wel genoten, niet betalen. En dan schreeuwen; ik heb toch niets gestolen? Nee, feitelijk niet nee, maar toch is het sneu.
  Absoluut niet waar | 26-09-12 | 17:15SamKoeman | 26-09-12 | 17:10 | + 0 -
  Ik betaal per maand 50 euro om op internet te komen dus ja echt gratis is het niet.
  Eurotokkie | 26-09-12 | 17:15@lekkurlinx | 26-09-12 | 17:13Oeps, Tears of Fears? Moet zijn Tears of Steel
  lekkurlinx | 26-09-12 | 17:18Absoluut niet waar | 26-09-12 | 17:03 |Hear, hear.
  Er zitten gasten tussen die in het ene tabblad helemaal uit hun koekoek gaan als er een topic is over een tasjesdief die per abuis is vrijgelaten, terwijl ze in het andere tabblad illegaal en gratis "Latina Sluts Go Bakito" deel 1 t/m 784 aan het downloaden zijn.
  Dubbele moraal galore, zeg maar.
  Bakito | 26-09-12 | 17:20Wat een achterhaald en belachelijk systeem. Maar ja ze kijken jaloers naar de 'broeders' in o.a. Belgie, Frankrijk in Duitsland. In Duitsland word al lang en breed 20 euro meer voor een iphone 16gb betaald die naar de 'zielige' artiesten gaan.
  lke bedrijfstak moet met zijn tijd mee of verzuipt maar lekker behalen de 'rechthebbenden' club.
  Stel je nou toch eens voor dat vanaf 1952 Appie Heijn een heffing zou moeten betalen aan de kleine kruideniers die hij langzaam aan de markt uit drukte. Of McDonalds aan de broodjeszaken. Kwik Fit aan de lokale automonteurtjes. Media Markt aan asbeek/brusse etc etc
  Met welke god hebben zij ooit afgesproken dat ze als 'rechthebbenden' voor altijd miljarden moeten verdienen met hun commercile scheisse ongeacht welke veranderingen de wereld voor de normale 'mensch' in petto heeft.
  Samsom en Rutte..... jullie weten het allebei heel goed dat dit in 2012 gewoon echt niet meer kan. Een 'gesloten' businessmodel waarbij voor hetzelfde product tig keer(teveel) wordt betaald.
  nederlandse herfst | 26-09-12 | 17:21beetje veel spelfouten.... wrom kan die post eigenlijk niet meer aanpassen GS?
  nederlandse herfst | 26-09-12 | 17:23@Absoluut niet waarAls troost hier een inspirerend verhaal uit de archieven: www.geenstijl.nl...
  @Eurotokkie | 26-09-12 | 17:15 |Tsja, als je zo bekijkt. Ik bedoelde dat de handeling (kopiren) op zichzelf gratis is en legaal, maar... dat is wel duidelijk geloof ik.
  SamKoeman | 26-09-12 | 17:23Absoluut niet waar | 26-09-12 | 17:15 | + -1 -
  klopt , ik heb zelf duizenden guldens aan platen en cd's uitgeven er zijn idd gasten die nooit iets hebben uitgegeven aan muziek.
  Eurotokkie | 26-09-12 | 17:23Dit levert het bij spotify op per keer dat je gedraaid wordt. Tis niet veel, ik kan er de volgende keer niet een nieuw album van maken zonder 100m keer gedraaid te worden:
  TYPE QTY. UNIT PAYABLEstream 2.0 $0.00087795 $0.00175591
  Neemt niet weg dat Buma niets over mij te zeggen heeft. Ik bepaal zelf wel hoe ik mijn geld verdien.
  deministerpresident | 26-09-12 | 17:26Die aansluiting bij de rest van Europa is een aanfluiting.
  Maandag valt hier de klap. Terwijl hier maandag de BTW omhoog gaat, want de EU kost veel en we moeten bezuinigen, subsidieert Brussel voor de grap 24.200 broodnodige vakantieplekken in het zonnige zuiden voor Polen, Bulgaren, Slowaken, Litouwers, Tsjechen en Roemenen.twitter.com...
  drs.Nee | 26-09-12 | 17:26Bakito | 26-09-12 | 17:20Exact mijn punt, alleen is downloaden natuurlijk technisch gezien niet illegaal.
  Ik vind ook dat dit voorlopig ook niet illegaal moet worden, gezien het gebrek aan volwaardig online aanbod.
  De dubbele moraal vind ik echter wel triest om te zien. Wel films kijken, niet betalen. Wel muziek luisteren, niet betalen. Iedereen heeft zo zijn recht op inkomen, zo lijkt me.
  Veel mensen vergeten hier dat ze ¼berhaupt een baan hebben omdat de werkgever een boterham gegund wordt door haar opdrachtgevers.
  Absoluut niet waar | 26-09-12 | 17:27Was het al bijna vergeten: www.fucktimkuik.org
  BlackDeathMetal | 26-09-12 | 17:281 europa?Europa is 1 Europa als het gaat om betalen,om geld uit je zak te kloppen.Op ALLE andere gebied is europa zo divers als korreltjes zand aan het strand.Trouwens het aandeel NL muziek in de wereld is zo groot als 1 korreltje zand.Hun brandbrief heeft het effect van brandend zand.Belangrijk doen en zijn is een wereld van verschil.Het belang van kuikje en consorten is het behouden van hun vet gesponserde/betaalde baantjes.
  ruuf | 26-09-12 | 17:28***Frustratie modus aan***: Laat ze eerst zelf de zaken op orde brengen. Als startend ondernemer ontving ook ik een brief dd 5 september. Of ik voor 3 september wilde reageren of ik muziek in mijn winkel afspeel terwijl bekend is dat ik een webshop heb. Daarnaast werkte de link in de brief niet omdat ze via een popup?! deze vraag stel. Mevrouw de telefoniste verweet mij dat ik de url niet goed had ingetypt maar op de opmerking dat ik niet terug in de tijd kan reageren wer er erg lacherig over gedaan.***Adem in, adem uit en weer Zen***
  Prins Pieter | 26-09-12 | 17:29$ sudo /etc/init.d/openvpn start
  ... En VyprVPN draait naar de nieuwsboer.
  Make... My... Day... !
  Balsaq | 26-09-12 | 17:29SamKoeman | 26-09-12 | 17:23 | + 0 -
  Oke , kopiren voor eigen gebruik is idd legaal alleen als je het gaat verspreiden dan is hetweer illegaal.
  Eurotokkie | 26-09-12 | 17:29Reageer ookJe bent ingelogd als: (Uitloggen)
  Probeer trouwens eens de totaal officieuze niet-ondersteunde third-party GeenStijl extension die compleet niet door ons ondersteund wordt en volledig op eigen risico is.
  Je bent niet ingelogd, klik hier om dat wel te doen: login of doe een CookieSync.
RUSSIAN NK630 BAN: French researchers used cancer-prone rats'...
  Link to Article
  Source: A diary of deception and distortion
  Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:05
  Just as with the global warming debate, neither side on GM is entirely good, bad or indifferent
  Even if we lack solid research to suggest serious health dangers in the growing use of GM crops, the long-term monopolistic and controlling aims of Monsanto remain a very real and present danger. Sources suggest this may be uppermost in the mind of Russian officials who yesterday halted the use of the Monsanto NK630 wheat strain in their country. If we have good reason to question the anti-NK630 research conducted by Gilles-Eric Seralini, we have even more obvious reasons to suspect the long-term motives of Monsanto.
  Further to The Slog's earlier post about Russia putting a stop on further use of the genetically modified 'Roundup Ready' wheat strain NK630, more skullduggery is coming to light by the hour. It seems that in 2012, there are liars, damned liars, and advocates.
  1. Monsanto seems to be implicated in spreading disinformation about the sample size of the French labrat research. Although there were doubts suggesting that 'the control sample' of non-NK630 fed rats was only ten strong, in fact (a) the study looked at 200 rats, and (b) the duration of the study '' two years '' was far longer than any previous research.
  2. However, the French director of the study Gilles-Eric Seralini's team used a strain of rat that is known to be highly prone to developing mammary tumors. That factor, plus the small sub-sample sizes of 20 per cell, mean that the prevalence of mammary tumors found among the treated female rats could be pure happenstance.
  3. Nevertheless, between 1992 and 2002'--the timescale during which GM crops moved rapidly from test plants to dinner tables, the USDA spent about $1.8 billion on ag-biotechnology research'--of which a minute 1% went to safety testing. At the same time, the sheer power of ag-biotech industry influence maintains a dubiously tight control over who researches what'--and dominates the research agenda at America's main ag-research universities.
  4. One of The Slog's two Russian sources has come forward by email to offer this view: 'I'm told the [Russian] government has access to intelligence suggesting that Monsanto is using the aperture of a year in which there are chronic grain shortages to frighten everyone into going completely over to GM in general, and pressing ahead with NK630. Let me say that there are suspicions here about their motives, and also among our farmers about Monsanto's repressive trickery on patents and repurchasing'. Neither of those two observations are unique to this source, by the way. Former seed-trade executive and Slog threader Edward Spalton notes, ''I think it's a fair idea to give the plant breeder some income from his long-term research and efforts, but the modern practice seems far too restrictive, and weighted in favour of Monsanto and their like.''
  An interesting take comes from Slog Scandinavian source Dietrich von Ausland: ''I am all in favour of crop improvements and we stand little chance of feeding the future world without GM development to facilitate this. However, I absolutely agree that big business in general and Monsanto in particular is just not to be trusted with it. I am all against the English tree-hugging fluffies who are just scared of GM on principle. But that does not mean we should rush into the arms of commercial crooks.''
  Others further support that essentially neutral, commonsense view. ''Many of the noisiest [anti GM] protagonists '' the prime example being the CRU at UEA (an academic disgrace) '' are statistical numpties. But Monsanto's commercial model depends upon patents, and growers having to return annually to obtain Monsanto seeds. Good reasons not to take anything Monsanto says on trust.''
  Exactly. And an equally good reason not to take Gilles-Eric Seralini's data on trust either: the bloke has a long anti-Monsanto track-record. That doesn't make him a bad guy, but it does make him innately biased. Others, however, are not at all biased '' merely long-time observers of the Men from Monsanto. Kit Green writes, 'Most GM crops only produce higher yields because they are resistant to high doses of herbicides and insecticides. The funders of GM research are the chemical companies who all want to sell more chemicals. There is far less money in just making seeds stronger and self resistant to disease and pests. It is iniquitous that peasant farmers in many countries are being hoodwinked into buying seed that produces sterile crops, so ensuring the purchase of new seed every year.''
  I have to say that the evidence to support that last contention from Kit is irrefutable: it's the Monsanto business model, for crying out loud. However, as ever when there are potential consequences to be assessed, the motherlovers on Wall Street are keen as mustard to dismiss any and all tentative frontal-lobe thinking '' in favour of Goforit: Goldman Sachs' response to the evidence of rat-organ damage was to upgrade Monsanto shares, a move that saw the company's stock price power ahead by 2.8% on the day (September 19th). ''Monsanto's doing a lot of things right,'' OptionMonster's Jon Najarian told CNBC the same afternoon. Perhaps not if you're a rat, Jonny baby.
  Monsanto's unremittingly aggressive approach to litigation, its seed commercialisation practices, and its history as a chemical company, have made it widely hated. This isn't entirely Greenpeace nuttery: lest we forget, these are the beautiful people who gave us DDT, Agent Orange, and of course Roundup. I became concerned when I noted at the weekend that the collateral marketing materials from Monsanto were branding NK603 as 'Roundup Ready': that's to say, mutated to ensure complete resistance to the weedkiller. You can kind of discern a double sales-bonus for Monsanto in all this; you can also be assured that NK603 will itself be pounded with Roundup throughout its growing season. Let's hope those washing products employed by cereal manufacturers are effective. (For all I know, they're made by Monsanto too).
  The two key elements in the GM debate that cause me anxiety are first, the statistics on whether we actually need to use GM in the first place; and second, the track record of the Men from Monsanto. They may be using this drought-ridden year to scare the crap out of everyone, but it seems unlikely NK630 survives dry weather better than any other maize type '' maize per se being easily the most thirsty grain crop there is. At the end of the day, Monsanto shows all the signs of being just another sociopathic multinational pharmco masquerading as good capitalists solving the global food problem: in reality, they are as monopolist in their actions as Murdoch.
  Related: Shell & the EU '' an object lesson in hypocrisy.
  Like this:Be the first to like this.
ADHD drugs suspected of hurting Canadian kids
  Link to Article
  Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:02
  Adverse Reaction Report No. 324764
  Submitted by: Health Professional
  Date: 2009
  Location: Canada
  Patient: Male
  Age: 15 years old
  Suspect Drug: Strattera
  Side Effect: Completed Suicide
  This is just one of nearly 600 cases of Canadian kids suffering serious, sometimes fatal side effects suspected to have been caused by ADHD medications in the past 10 years.
  A Toronto Star investigation has found a growing number of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and parents are reporting that they believe attention deficit drugs are causing major health problems in patients, many as young as 6 and 7 years old.
  The federal government is not listening.
  Health Canada, which collects these adverse reaction reports, does not alert the public to the magnitude of these side effects. This is because the regulator has not analyzed the data it collects. It has allowed the industry to largely police itself.
  ''It is primarily the (drug company's) responsibility to monitor the safe use of their products,'' Health Canada told the Star.
  The regulator says the benefits of the drugs, when properly prescribed and used, outweigh the risks. Health Canada and the drug companies also say the side-effect reports show only a suspected connection between the drug and side effect but no medical proof that one caused the other.
  Though ADHD doctors and experts worry the Star's investigation will scare parents from medicating kids in need, they say Health Canada should consider the reports a ''red flag'' and move quickly to find out if doctors and patients know enough about the drugs' risks.
  All parties involved agree that because doctors and nurses are not required by law to report adverse effects the regulator only learns of a minority of cases.
  ''It boils down to a simple thing: we need good safety monitoring for medication,'' said Dr. Kenny Handelman, an ADHD specialist in Oakville. ''That will help us be safer in prescribing medicines to people.''
  The Star's data analysis revealed 7-year-olds were most likely to suffer a serious side effect.
  Ten per cent, or nearly 60 cases, of the nearly 600 reviewed involved boys and girls 7 years old.
  A nurse said a boy suffered amnesia, mania and psychotic disorder while on Concerta. A 7-year-old girl on the same drug developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a potentially life-threatening skin disorder, as well as 13 other side effects, a doctor reported. A boy the same age and on Strattera thought about killing himself.
  Twenty-two youths aged 8 to 18 tried to kill themselves and two demonstrated suicidal behaviour. Seven completed the attempt. All boys. An 11-year-old, one 14-year-old, two 13-year-olds and three 15-year-olds. One of the 15-year-olds who ended his life was on an antipsychotic that the reporting nurse believed was partly to blame.
  The reports of the 11- and 14-year-old Canadian boys were found in the U.S. government side-effect database. Tuesday, Health Canada contested the accuracy of those reports and was continuing to look into the issue.
  The Star also found four deaths that were not suicides, including an 18-year-old girl who died after a cerebral hemorrhage in 2011.
  ''This is ugly. This is really ugly,'' said a concerned Conservative MP Terence Young, when presented with the Star's findings. Young has been pushing for stricter regulation of the drug industry since his 15-year-old daughter Vanessa died while taking Prepulsid, a digestion aid, in 2000. Health Canada pulled the drug from shelves a few months after her death.
  ''Every parent who makes a decision about one of these ADHD drugs for their child should be given this information that the Star found on the adverse drug reactions that other children have suffered,'' Young said.
  Each of the nearly 600 adverse reaction reports reviewed by the Star is the opinion of the doctor, pharmacist or parent that a particular drug has caused a side effect. Anyone can make a report but most of the time it is doctors who do so. Patients' names are taken out of the reports to protect their privacy.
  The drugs in the Star study are commonly prescribed to help manage attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a term used to describe people with poor focus, impulsivity and hyperactivity.
  Though the number of Canadian kids with the disorder is unclear '-- one estimate puts it at one in 20 children '-- parents are increasingly turning to these drugs to deal with the diagnosis.
  In the 10 years reviewed by the Star, 76 kids on ADHD medications thought about killing themselves. One-third of these were children younger than 10, some as young as 6.
  When presented with this number, Dr. Sohail Khattak, a behavioural pediatrician and ADHD expert in Whitby, shook his head and said: ''This is an important number. I think (this) information should be available to everyone. If I am going to be on the front line of prescribing the medication, I need to know.''
  In 52 of these suicidal ideation reports, the attention deficit drug Strattera is listed as the suspected cause of the side effect. In 12 of the reports, Concerta is listed as the suspected cause. It is also listed as the suspected cause of one completed suicide.
  Canadian doctors also prescribe Adderall XR (an extended-release formula), Ritalin, Vyvanse, Biphentin and generic versions to treat ADHD. Unlike other ADHD medications, Strattera is not a stimulant.
  ''Additional scientific investigations are needed to establish a cause and effect relationship between a medication and an adverse reaction,'' said a spokesperson for Eli Lilly Canada, maker of Strattera.
  The reports are supposed to play a crucial role in regulating the drug companies.
  After a controlled-setting clinical trial involving thousands of participants, if a drug is approved for sale, the reports are often the only way a government can monitor how a drug performs in the much-larger general population. (A clinical trial may not reveal serious drug reactions that occur infrequently or take a long time to materialize.)
  The Star found the reports are piling up in Ottawa at an increasing clip: more than one-third of the 600 serious ADHD medication side-effect reports were filed in the past two years alone.
  While the reports accumulate, the Canadian regulator says on its website it does not have the expertise to analyze the information for trends and is relying on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for help. When asked about this in late August, the regulator told the Star that the plan to partner with the FDA had been dropped and another strategy would be launched this month.
  In the meantime, the drug companies note that they are required by law to forward adverse reaction reports they receive to Health Canada, and say they closely monitor these reports and consider patient safety a priority.
  Janssen Inc., the maker of the drug Concerta, said, ''We take adverse reaction reports seriously.'' The company has a process of ''collecting, analyzing and evaluating adverse reaction reports from Canada and across the world'' and ''proactively communicating findings'' to regulators.
  Toronto psychiatrist Dr. William Wehrspann, who treats kids and adults, says this regulatory system is like ''the police investigating themselves.''
  ''What bothers me is that it's left to the pharmaceutical companies to evaluate the effects of the drugs. That's a conflict of interest,'' he said. ''It's unfair.''
  Dr. Derryck Smith, an ADHD specialist in B.C., says monitoring side effects is the government's job. ''That's why we have Health Canada,'' he said. ''There's no point in making the reports if (the regulator is) not going to be monitoring.''
  Though Health Canada told the Star it does not have the technical expertise to analyze the adverse reaction reports, the regulator said it does monitor drug safety by reading the reports and scientific literature and gathering updates from other regulatory agencies.
  The regulator '-- which a 2011 federal audit found ''does not take timely action'' and is ''slow to assess potential safety issues'' '-- told the Star it has not investigated whether ADHD drugs are leading to a disproportionately high number of suicide-related side effects.
  ''I'm almost certain no one actually evaluates these reports. Health Canada doesn't have the resources,'' said Dr. Jack Uetrecht, a professor of pharmacy and medicine at the University of Toronto who holds a Canada Research Chair in adverse drug reactions.
  The Star conducted data analysis and made an unexpected discovery: ADHD medications Strattera and Concerta were the second- and third-highest suspected causes of reported serious side effects suffered by Canadian kids taking any drug in the past 10 years.
  More than any cancer drug.
  More than any powerful antipsychotic for kids with serious mental illness.
  More than nearly 1,800 other drugs reported to have been the suspected cause of a serious side effect in a Canadian youth since 2001.
  In more than 40 per cent of all cases where a youth thought about suicide, an ADHD drug is listed as the suspected cause.
  The Star found side effects on most parts of the body '-- the brain, respiratory system, several major organs, blood, skin, eyes, ears, and hair, including:
  20 kids had psychotic disorders
  More than 40 kids suffered depression. A doctor reported a 15-year-old felt ''worthless.'' This teen, made aggressive and depressed by two different, concurrent doses of Adderall XR, hurt himself and thought about killing himself.
  24 convulsions, including a 7-year-old on Adderall XR in 2010.
  48 hallucinations, including 11 cases of kids hearing voices. In the antiseptic language of adverse-reaction reporting, this side effect is labelled ''auditory hallucination.''
  20 overdoses, eight of those intentional, including a 10-year-old boy on Ritalin.
  3 strokes: an 11-year-old boy; a 16-year-old boy; and an 18-year-old girl also on birth control
  28 cases of heart problems, including irregular heartbeats, blood pressure spikes, chest pain and one ventricular fibrillation (severely abnormal heart rhythm). An 8-year-old girl suffered a heart attack.
  23 cases involving side effects on the liver, including a 6-year-old boy on two ADHD drugs with abnormal liver function, and a 12-year-old who died in 2007 after developing a liver tumour.
  Other side effects experienced by 7-year-olds include sleep terror, emotional disorder, moaning, convulsion, weight loss, chest pain, muscle twitching, intentional self-injury, depression, staring and fecal incontinence.
  A long list of very rare but disturbing side effects, including increased intracranial pressure; muscle coordination problems that made it difficult for kids to walk or speak; involuntary and repetitive body movements; incoherent talkativeness; eyes rolling into the head; blindness in a 14-year-old girl on two ADHD drugs; rectal hemorrhage; angina; blisters covering the body; twisted neck; deafness; face swelling; a tumour in an 8-year-old girl and growth retardation.
  In each of the 600 reports, the youth either went to hospital, suffered a disability or life-threatening condition, or died.
  The number of serious side-effect reports is far smaller than the number of kids who take the drugs without incident. The drug companies refused, however, to say how many Canadian kids are on their medications.
  Once completed, the reports are sent to Health Canada, where officials take out much of the information, leaving only the barest of details, before dumping the reports in a massive public database so difficult to search that doctors and parents have little hope of extracting meaningful information.
  The name of the doctor who treated the affected child? Hidden from public view.
  Information about whether side effects went away after the child stopped taking the ADHD drug? Though doctors are asked to include this detail, none of the vetted reports in the database included this information.
  The city, or even the province, where the child suffered the side effect? Health Canada doesn't want you to know.
  The regulator says it is one of the few in the world to provide adverse-reaction data and that the database increases transparency of drug safety. ''Health Canada's priority remains the health and safety of Canadians.''
  The drug companies say they face appropriate scrutiny and oversight by Health Canada once their products hit the market. They point out that important cardiac and psychiatric risk information is contained in their product information document, called a monograph. (Strattera's monograph carries warnings of increased risk of suicidal thoughts or actions in some kids taking the drug.)
  The monographs '-- lengthy documents, filled with medical jargon '-- also stress the importance of swift reporting of side effects by doctors and patients. Yet none of the ADHD drugmakers' monographs mention specifics or numbers of suspected serious side effects, especially psychiatric and heart-related ones, occurring in Canadian kids and reported to Health Canada.
  And when presented with the Star's database analysis, showing their drugs are among the leading causes of side effects in Canadian kids, several companies questioned the value of the reports.
  Eli Lilly, maker of Strattera, and Purdue Pharma, maker of Biphentin, and other drug companies, suggested the reports have so many information gaps as to be unusable in terms of drawing any statistical or medical conclusions.
  In a letter to the Star, Eli Lilly said the side-effect reports: may show side effects that occurred ''spontaneously'' and not as a result of the drug; must not be used to compare ADHD drugs based on the number of side effects reported in the database; and contain a ''bias'' because they do not say whether a patient has other diseases that could have contributed to the adverse reaction.
  Strattera is listed as a ''suspect'' drug in the highest number of reports of serious side effects in children and teens, with 174. Yet it is among the least prescribed, say several ADHD doctors in the Greater Toronto Area.
  ''Lilly takes patient safety very seriously. We work to ensure that health-care professionals and the public have the most up-to-date information on our products,'' the company said the letter.
  None of the drug companies responded to Star requests to meet with company officials in person.
  The total number of reports the Star found, 575, represents only a fraction of side effects actually occurring in the youth population.
  Health Canada acknowledges that side effects are under-reported.
  This is in part the result of a flawed federal drug safety law that does not require doctors to report serious side effects. Reporting '-- for doctors, nurses and pharmacists '-- is voluntary. Several ADHD doctors told the Star the federal government should change the law.
  ''The more you report, the more red flags you can see,'' said Khattak. ''Severe adverse event (reporting) should be made mandatory. This type of information is very crucial.''
  Thumbing through a stack of side-effect reports, Khattak was troubled by how many Canadian kids were on multiple ADHD medications. The Star found 61 kids were on more than one ADHD drug, some of them on three, when they experienced side effects. A 16-year-old boy on two ADHD drugs suffered delusion, morbid thoughts and heard voices.
  ''I really, personally, pharmacologically, don't understand the reason behind that,'' Khattak said. ''If you find that the one medication is not adequate, then stop using it and move to something else.''
  Khattak worries that the cases involving multiple ADHD drugs are the result of doctors rushing into writing a prescription without first looking for other pre-existing problems like anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder or depression. Such conditions could explain why the drugs do not work the way they should, he said.
  In less than 10 per cent of the cases, an ADHD medication and at least one other drug taken for a separate condition were suspected to have jointly caused the side effect.
  Dr. Lily Hechtman, an ADHD expert in Montreal, said the reports in the database are missing crucial information, such as the rate at which suicidal behaviour regularly occurs in the general youth population. Without such information, she said, ''these reports have no credit.''
  With a voluntary reporting system, the Star found it impossible to compare the rate of suicidal behaviour on ADHD medication with the youth population as only a minority of adverse effects are reported.
  Hechtman, who has been treating and researching ADHD since 1975, added that the reports do not reflect another important detail: ''The way in which medication is given is really lousy . . . An average dose, for some children, is way too much. You're supposed to start very low and go up very slowly. To cut corners, to respond to very huge demands of patient loads, sometimes physicians start with an average dose.''
  The younger a child, the more difficult it is to definitively diagnose ADHD, said Khattak, who wonders if 6- and 7-year-olds suffering side effects were misdiagnosed and incorrectly medicated. ''That is probably where the problem is coming in. I think it's a diagnostic (issue).''
  The drug companies say their medications should not be used in children younger than 6.
  The Star found 19 cases of side effects in kids aged 4 and 5. Ten of those reports were serious, including a 5-year-old boy hallucinating and crying and a 5-year-old girl suffering amnesia, anxiety and a speech disorder.
  If you know of any serious side effects suffered by children on ADHD medications, the Star would like to hear your story. Please contact David Bruser at dbruser@thestar.ca or at 416-869-4282.
Polarized Documentary | Indiegogo
  Link to Article
  Wed, 26 Sep 2012 14:32
  Short SummaryThis is a non partisan documentary that examines the current political climate in America.
  Producer/Director Pat Kondelis was tired of the yelling on cable news, the ridicolous rhetoeric spewing from politicans, and the lack of civility and intelligent, honest discussion going on regarding politics in America.
  Pat Kondelis is a Emmy nominated Producer/Director that has produced countless hours of stories for network Television. Pat has produced everything from live music, to documentaries, to docu drama over the last 10 years.
  For his first feature, Pat tackled the controversial subject of political polarization.
  Raising over $20,000 in grants has allowed shooting to be completed, completion funds are urgently needed to release the film in a timely manner.
  Your contributions will literally finish this film, and draw much needed attention to a very serious problem in the way American politics operates.
  Polarization of our country affects every single one of us. The media, political parties, and politicans have all helped to create a toxic environment that is hurting our democracy.
  I am not so niave as to beleive this film can change the world, but I do beleive this film can possibly open eyes and maybe, just maybe change attitudes.
  What We Need & What You Get
  We need to raise our final $15,000 for completion of the film.
  Funds will be usd to finsh the following:
  Score, color correction, graphics, audio mixing, and tape transfers.
  Your contribution will make an immediate and direct impact on this film, and add positive change to our current political climate.
  Politics is rarely nobel, but you have the power to add to a nobel cause. Changing the direction of our political climate affects all Amercians, and is a cause as worthly as anything we have ever fought for.
  This is not a film made for profit, it was made to eximane how we got to this point, what were significant factors that added to the problem, and we can do to fix them.
  Other Ways You Can Help
  Please help take action to make an impact for positve change to our demopcracy. Help spread the word about Polarized!
  Help make it happen for Patrick Kondelis! Contribute to
  Polarized Documentary
Spain's National Police Site Down as Anonymous Joins Anti-Government Protests
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Wed, 26 Sep 2012 13:03
  Spain's citizens are protesting these days against the government's austerity plans. Anonymous hackers joined the protests, their first target being the official website of the country's National Police (policia.es).''Anonymous sends its solidarity to our brothers and sisters in Spain who at this very moment have completely surrounded the Parliament Building in Madrid,'' the hacktivists stated.''They are calling for the resignation of a government that like so many in our world today has failed to serve the needs of its people. We encourage our comrades in Spain to remain steadfast until their demands are met, and we promise to do all we can to assist them.''The website of the Spanish National Police became a target because of the ''horrendous brutality'' exhibited by law enforcement representatives against the protestors.
  ''It is always intolerable to us, but it is especially deplorable when we witness this level of senseless violence used against peaceful protesters in a supposedly western and modern 'democracy','' members of Anonymous Global explained.
  The police's website has been ''removed from the Internet'' and the hackers claim that it will be kept offline until the ''scenes of brutality'' the world is witnessing will come to a halt.
  Apparently, they have even bigger plans. They claim that starting today they will also attack the site of the Congress of Deputies (congreso.es), which they consider to be the Parliament's main site.
  They threaten that the campaign will involve not only distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks, but also ''black fax'' and ''email bombs'' that will ''effectively remove'' the Parliament of Spain from the Web.
  ''Government of Spain, it's too late to Expect Us,'' the hacktivists concluded their statement.
  At press time, the website of the National Police was still offline, but congreso.es seemed to be functioning properly.
Tobacco giant Philip Morris plans plant flu vaccine for China
  Link to Article
  Source: BlackListedNews.com
  Wed, 26 Sep 2012 13:00
  Source: Financial Post
  A Canadian company has joined forces with cigarette giant Philip Morris in an unusual project to sell flu vaccine to the huge Chinese market, a potentially major step forward for the controversial science of producing medicines in plants.
  Medicago Inc. said Tuesday it is licensing its system for making vaccine in tobacco to Philip Morris Products SA, which will develop, test and, it hopes, market the products in China, where it already sells a much different item '-- Marlboro cigarettes.
  It brings the innovative harvest of ''molecular farming'' a little closer to treating patients after years of research-funding problems, failed startups and warnings about medicine-producing plants accidentally contaminating food crops.
  Read More...
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50,000 Anti-Austerity Marchers in Greece
  Link to Article
  Source: EconomicPolicyJournal.com
  Wed, 26 Sep 2012 12:59
  It's a general strike, by the economic clueless, who want government support, when the government doesn't have any money.Their solution eurozone (read Germany) should give them the money.
  Specifically, the protest is against planned government spending cuts of 11.5bn euros ($15bn; £9bn). The government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is proposing to save money by slashing pensions and raising the retirement age to 67.
  UPDATE: Greek police fired teargas at protesters throwing stones and fire bombs in Athens.
Why Your Phone, Cable & Internet Bills Cost So Much.
  Link to Article
  Source: DaDenMan news feed
  Wed, 26 Sep 2012 12:59
  Mortgage applications rose as rates hit new lows http://t.co/I27wOoYp
Vliegmaatschappij komt met kindvrije afdelingen
  Link to Article
  Source: VK: Home
  Wed, 26 Sep 2012 12:58
  26/09/12, 14:19 '' bron: ANP
  Een Maleisische luchtvaartmaatschappij heeft een oplossing voor passagiers die niet willen worden gestoord door kleine kinderen. In een deel van het vliegtuig mogen alleen mensen van 12 jaar en ouder zitten. Een plaatsje daar kost omgerekend 9 euro extra, meldde prijsvechter AirAsia X woensdag.
  De eerste 7 rijen van de AirAsia X-toestellen zijn bestemd voor pubers en volwassenen. 'We weten dat u soms alleen rust wilt voor een prettigere reis met ons', aldus de vliegmaatschappij.
  Concurrent Malaysia Airlines besloot vorig jaar dat kinderen niet in de eerste klasse van de nieuwe Airbus A380-vliegtuigen mogen komen. Het bedrijf zei dat veel welgestelde passagiers hadden geklaagd over overlast van lawaaiige kinderen.
Meanwhile, At The Greece 'Mass Strike' Protest-Cam
  Link to Article
  Source:
  Wed, 26 Sep 2012 12:57
  Tens of thousands of Greeks are in the streets (according to various media and livestreams - expected to grow to 100,000) and what was a peaceful (though loud) protest against the 'criminal TROIKA' appears to have begun sporadically to turn a little ugly as police are organizing and smoke (believed to be tear gas and petrol bombs being exchanged) is seen in the Square. The live-stream shows hundreds of riot police as the protesters begin to arrive in the main Square.
  Livestream is down for now...
  here is RT earlier:
  Some clips recorded earlier:
  Average:Your rating: None
Privacy Expert: All Protesters Are Routinely Scanned and 'Skimmed' By Drones
  Link to Article
  Source: Dprogram.net
  Wed, 26 Sep 2012 09:23
  Investigator says protesters have phones scanned, identity logged by authorities as a matter of course
  (SteveWatson) '' A prominent private investigator operating out of New York and Texas has noted that anyone engaging in any large scale protest, is now subjected to scanning by drones that skim their personal information from their cell phones.
  In a talk entited ''Privacy is dead'', pi Steven Rambam told an audience of hackers and privacy activists at HOPE 9 in New York recently that the authorities have the capability to extract real-time data on individuals by ''surveying'' their electronic devices, and do so as a matter of routine.
  Rambam, who has conducted several thousand missing-person searches over almost three decades, claims that the practice is considered a ''legitimate investigatory technique'', and that anyone who protested with the Occupy Wall Street movement would have been subjected to it.
  ''One of the biggest changes is the ability to track your physical location.'' Rambam told the crowd.
  ''I'm sorry I came in at the end of the previous talk. I heard them talk about surveying cell phones with a drone, in a wide area '-- this is something that is done routinely now.'' he added, referring to a previous discussion on government spying.
  ''I can tell you that everybody that attended an Occupy Wall Street protest, and didn't turn their cell phone off, or put it '-- and sometimes even if they did '-- the identity of that cell phone has been logged, and everybody who was at that demonstration, whether they were arrested, not arrested, whether their photos were ID'd, whether an informant pointed them out, it's known they were there anyway. This is routine.'' Rambam noted.
  ''I can tell you that if you go into any police station right now, the first thing they do is tell you, 'Oh I'm sorry you're not allowed to bring a cell phone in there. We'll hold it for you.' Not a joke. And by the way it's a legitimate investigatory technique.''
  ''Cell phones are now the little snitch in your pocket. Cell phones tell me where you are, what you do, who you talk to, everbody you associate with. Cell phone tells me [sic] intimate details of your life and character, including: Were you at a demonstration? Did you attend a mosque? Did you demonstrate in front of an abortion clinic? Did you get an abortion?'' Rambam told the audience.
  During the lecture, Rambam also noted that such police and government data collection techniques are ''amateur'' compared to big business.
  ''Where you work, what your salary is, your criminal history, all the lawsuits you've been involved in, real property'...everything you've ever purchased, everywhere you've ever been'...Your information is worth money.'' Rambam noted.
  ''Your privacy today isn't being invaded by big brother '-- it's being invaded by big marketer,'' he concluded.
  The entire lecture can be viewed below:
  Of course, the surveillance rabbit hole goes much deeper than just protests. Earlier this month, hacker group Antisec leaked what it says is evidence that the FBI is actively monitoring the communications of every American using an iPhone.
  The hackers claim to have obtained detailed information on some 12 million iphone users, taken from an FBI agent's laptop. The group released 1 million iOS device IDs to back up the claim.
  The group's statement noted:
  During the second week of March 2012, a Dell Vostro notebook, used by Supervisor Special Agent Christopher K. Stangl from FBI Regional Cyber Action Team and New York FBI Office Evidence Response Team was breached using the AtomicReferenceArray vulnerability on Java, during the shell session some files were downloaded from his Desktop folder one of them with the name of ''NCFTA_iOS_devices_intel.csv'' turned to be a list of 12,367,232 Apple iOS devices including Unique Device Identifiers (UDID), user names, name of device, type of device, Apple Push Notification Service tokens, zipcodes, cellphone numbers, addresses, etc. the personal details fields referring to people appears many times empty leaving the whole list incompleted on many parts. no other file on the same folder makes mention about this list or its purpose.
  If it is genuine, and there is no reason to believe it is not, this case once again goes to show that whether it be mandatory Homeland security alerts, wirelessly disabling your communications on a whim, or secretly tracking you where ever you go, the rise of smart phones brings with it a huge threat to privacy and the rights of the individual.
  Again, this is another case not of smart phones and technology in general being intrusive, but of the technology being co-opted and abused by those who could care less for the constitutional rights of free Americans.
  Below is a recent video detailing how two security researchers discovered that Apple's iPhone keeps track of a user's location and saves that information to a file that is stored both on the device and on a user's computer when they sync or back it up in iTunes.
  The researchers, Pete Warden and Alasdair Allan, discovered the hidden file while collaborating on a potential data visualization project. ''At first we weren't sure how much data was there, but after we dug further and visualised the extracted data, it became clear that there was a scary amount of detail on our movements,'' Warden told The Guardian.
  As we reported at the time, the controversy was treated as a shocking revelation by the media, and yet since October 2001, the FCC has mandated that all wireless carriers track the location of their users down to within 50 feet.
  Source: Infowars
  Related posts:
  Spy Drones Over America: Lawmakers Demand Answers On Privacy SafeguardsU.S. Follows Russia In Using Drones To Spy On ProtestersTSA Whistleblower: Body Scanners Routinely FailPolice Unleashing Army Of Assassination Drones Against US CitizensDrones to patrol US protests? '' Abby MartinWeaponized Drones to Attack AmericansDrones Shot Down Over Texas Video Goes ViralNo Internet Privacy Due to CyberTerrorism Threat?
Politie was stuurloos door oa C2000
  Link to Article
  Source: Een andere kijk op nieuws @infomagnl » Nieuws items
  Wed, 26 Sep 2012 09:10
  Geplaatst @ 26 september 2012
  De politie heeft in Haren grote moeite gehad met reageren op de aanzwellende mensenmassa en de uitbrekende rellen door problemen met communicatieapparatuur. Opgetrommelde politiemensen wisten vaak niet waar ze moesten zijn en wat ze moesten doen.Dat blijkt uit informele gesprekken die Dagblad van het Noorden voerde met politiemensen van diverse onderdelen van de noordelijke korpsen.
  Op de avond van Project X raakte het communicatiesysteem C2000 overbelast. Ook het contact tussen politiemensen via BlackBerry-smartphones verliep verre van optimaal. Leidinggevenden konden nauwelijks met elkaar communiceren.Leden van mobiele eenheden en aanhoudingsteams die 's nachts in allerijl werden opgeroepen, kregen moeizaam of helemaal geen contact met de commandopost van de politie of de eigen commandant. ME'ers moesten voorbijgangers de weg vragen.
Samsung launches new oversized smartphone
  Link to Article
  Source: Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories
  Wed, 26 Sep 2012 09:06
  Samsung launched Wednesday the newest version of its oversized smartphone Galaxy Note, just a week after Apple's iPhone 5 hit shelves, in an apparent bid to outpace its rival with a wider range of gadgets.
  Samsung launched Wednesday the newest version of its oversized smartphone Galaxy Note, just a week after Apple's iPhone 5 hit shelves, in an apparent bid to outpace its rival with a wider range of gadgets.
  The South Korean electronics giant said the Galaxy Note II'--first unveiled at a trade fair in Berlin last month'--will eventually hit stores in 128 nations including the United States, where the firm's recently lost a $1.05 billion patent case to Apple.
  The gadget is slightly bigger than the firm's flagship smartphone Galaxy S series and comes with a stylus "S pen" to write notes or draw on the screen.
  "We believe global sales of Galaxy Note II for the first three months will be more than three times those of the previous version," J.K. Shin, the head of Samsung Electronics' mobile unit, told reporters.
  The world's top smartphone maker has sold more than 10 million units of the first Galaxy Note since its debut in November and more than 20 million of the latest Galaxy S III, which was launched in late May.
  Enlarge
  J.K. Shin, head of Samsung's mobile unit, poses with the Galaxy Note II in Seoul on September 26. "We believe global sales of Galaxy Note II for the first three months will be more than three times those of the previous version," he said.
  "It took us some time to establish this new product category in the global market... but now we get far better response than the past," Shin said.The launch comes after a flurry of new devices from major phone makers including Apple, whose iPhone 5 just days ago enjoyed a record launch weekend with sales topping five million.
  Samsung's smaller rival LG Electronics last week put on sale the new version of its headline Optimus G, hopes it will help the world's number five phonemaker meet its goal to sell 80 million mobile phones this year.
  Galaxy Note II'--powered by Google's Android software'--is equipped with a new 1.6 GHz quad-core processor that helps run multiple applications faster than the dual-core processor of the previous version.
  About 15.1 centimetres long (5.9 inches), 8 centimetres wide, 9.4 millimetres thin and featuring a 5.5-inch touchscreen, it allows users to split the screen in half to view two programmes at once.
  "You can exchange chat messages or take part in a video conference while checking e-mails, or take notes while watching a video speech by famous speakers," said Shin.
  Samsung has been embroiled in a long-running patent battle with Apple in 10 countries, including the United States and Germany, with the two rivals accusing each other of stealing design and technology.
  Last month the South Korean firm was ordered to pay Apple $1.05 billion in damages for illegally copying iPhone and iPad features for its Galaxy S smartphones.
  (c) 2012 AFP
Giuliani: 'Military Strike' Are the 'Magic Words' to Stop Iran
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Wed, 26 Sep 2012 08:46
  Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) is taking on the White House for not explicitly threatening a "military strike" on Iran, which he called "magic words" that would prevent the country from obtaining military weapons.
  Speaking at the United Nations on Tuesday, President Barack Obama said that containment was not an option and the U.S. would "do what we must" to stop Iran.
  But during an interview with MSNBC, Giuliani said that the implicit threat of military force did not go far enough.
  "I didn't hear him say the magic words, that he'd use a military strike," Giuliani, who is a surrogate for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, told MSNBC's Chuck Todd.
  "When you say containment, do you have to use the phrase, 'military strike'?" Todd wondered.
  "Sure, what else does that mean? It could mean even more significant sanctions, really dramatic sanctions, really big sanctions," Giuliani explained. "There's a reason he doesn't use the word 'military strike.' Ronald Reagan certainly wouldn't have shied away from using the word 'military strike.' And I see [Obama] much more like Jimmy Carter making threats that the Iranian regime does not take seriously."
Secretary Clinton Calls for Cooperation on Shared Waters
  Link to Article
  Wed, 26 Sep 2012 05:02
  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged countries to find cooperative solutions to shared water challenges at a high-level discussion held today at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, New York.
  Citing the findings in a recently released United States Intelligence Community Assessment on Global Water Security, Secretary Clinton noted that water is becoming an increasing source of tension between countries and a potential factor in state failure. She encouraged countries to increase the priority given to water challenges and to work together to strengthen institutions that support cooperation.
  Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Maria Otero moderated the discussion at the ''Water, Peace and Security'' event, which highlighted recent work from the United States, the UN, and others that underscore the growing challenges water issues pose to peace and security. Senior officials from over 50 governments attended the discussion, which was sponsored by the United States, the European Union, and UN Water. Participants reflected on the implications of these findings and discussed approaches for addressing these challenges at the national and regional levels.
  For additional information, please see the Global Water Security, US Intelligence Community Assessment and The Global Water Crisis: Addressing an Urgent Security Issue
  PRN: 2012/1510
an insider in need
  Link to Article
  Source: Lame Cherry
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 23:03
  "I made no such attempt to confirm myself as at the time, the political machinations of this or any other country
  "...held little interest to me so long as the prepaid outcome was ultimately finalized."
  Was in context some q in the 08 debates set up so o could say something about "orgy of deficits" in tying bush admin to McCain. *Interesting as he is getting a bit testy in showing things, more and more. He is feeling the heat........am pondering his confirming.
  But the above quote says basically in his own admission that he and/or others had a prepaid outcome for this and other countries. He bazinga admitted it! Right there in the open!
  *Am betting that wsi just told the world it was Jewish contractors for the Europeans who installed Obama.
  Okay so not others necessarily but if he does it, you bet your ass he knows others who do it too.
  *Do You think maybe the blog is biting his ass a little......in telling everyone he is not so inside, and he just decided to pretend he was a big league player.
  ...and the people who do these things, do not like that kind of information coming out in the gossips. He might have overstepped and will be removed.
  am certain that robert holmes testifying libor scandal thing was connected as well. Is why that whi and wsi didn't say jackshit about the joker shooting thing... and neither did um other than to point out o chest thumping in co with that 4 more yrs chant right afterward.
  *I have a joker blonde gal I have been saving. I would use that photo and post for tonight. That old bastard is rattled........moving his family out of the country. He is fringe and not that protected.
  Is like that whi saying about how those who speak loudest sometimes are the ones who say nothing. Nothing on um about scytl, joker/libor, breitbart, mittens stealing Maine primary from rp, etc.
  They really are not cut out for this game. They have too much emotion and too little hard sell in them.
  I do so hope the Shalom, Wall Street Insider, has updated his will and last testament to include myself and the Tiger Lily in the legal papers, as it would be a pity for the state to get it all and as he has been so tight in not donating here while being quite spendy in revealing things the lords and priests only allow known in services......One would think the conscience of this blog would be a welcome thing to a man of so many illusions and he would be so inclined in all the tormenting spirits to share allot of the wealth just to sleep and have some friends in prayer on the heavenly side.
  Crumbs and water Water and crumbsOne falls from the tableOne begs the tongue dumbThe rich man and LazarusThere was a taleBut the Jews never read itIn a Tanakh regaleCrumbs and waterWater and crumbsHow dry is the waterIn Sheol's balance sum
  Look you children desired a real conversation which actually amounts to something, so there you have it......and Shalom is being minded too as he is really out of the dipper in spilling the contents and needs someone looking out for him ursa major..
  Note* Girlfriend they are not going to be calling you Sir nor marvel over your crusader pin. Better leave this to the adults and you can go off and make pretend.
  Those crumbs are tough to deal with when Father Abraham has his child in his bosom and that great divide has it all divided up so even a drop of water from a finger dipped will never be upon the waiting tongue......
  Drip.....drip........drip.......Time is a wasting.
  an insider in needis an insider indeed
  Just click the DONATE button Shalom as you got a big tally and your paid friends are talking about you to those who matter.
  nuff said
  agtG 259
Robot fish patrol the seas in the name of Homeland Security
  Link to Article
  Source: usfollowme
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:43
  Drone fish now.http://www.tecca.com/news/2012/09/24/robot-fish-patrol-the-seas/#1XCzwq5cPzrbXe7A.99
Clean IT Leak Shows Plans For Large-Scale European Internet Surveillance
  Link to Article
  Source: Infowars » Featured Stories
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:40
  Donna AndersonInfowars.comSeptember 25, 2012
  The EDRi (Euorpean Digital Rights) website posted a leaked document from the Clean IT project that shows the European group is veering a bit off course from its original aim of establishing voluntary self-regulatory measures to protect the Internet from terrorists. Instead of identifying specific problems to be solved, the Clean IT project has become ''little more than a protection racket.''
  The Clean IT project is funded by the Prevention of and Fight against Crime Programme of the European Commission, and supported by Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Belgium. Believing that partnerships between public and private organizations can be more effective than government involvement, the main objective of the project is ''to develop a non-legislative 'framework' that consists of general principles and best practices.''
  EDRi states that the initial meetings of the project members were directionless and ill-informed discussions about doing ''something'' to solve unidentified online ''terrorist'' problems and that they were mainly attended by filtering companies who saw them as a business opportunity. In the end, says, EDRi, ''Their work has paid off, with numerous proposals for filtering by companies and governments, proposals for liability in case sufficiently intrusive filtering is not used, and calls for increased funding by governments of new filtering technologies.''
  In other words, we can't specifically define the problem, which makes it even harder to come up with a solution. These guys over here say filters will take care of it, so let's just filter the entire Internet and call it a day.
  In an April 2012 letter from the Clean IT Project Manager to the Bits of Freedom blog, the coordinator reiterates that the goal of the project it to first identify problems and then enter into an open discussion with the private and public sectors and cooperate to come up with solutions. ''This project will only present solutions when there is consensus between public and private parties about both the problem and the solution.''
  The group proposes that Internet companies use stricter terms of service agreements to ban unwelcome activity, but advise that these ''should not be very detailed''. They cite the Microsoft Code of Conduct as an example, which includes the line, ''You will not upload, post, transmit, transfer, distribute or facilitate distribution of any content which depicts nudity of any sort including full or partial human nudity or nudity in non-human forms such as cartoons, fantasy art or manga.''
  A d v e r t i s e m e n tUnder that agreement a picture of Donald Duck wouldn't be allowed because the poor little guy is never wearing any pants. But who's going to ban a picture of Donald Duck? The statement is just ambiguous enough to allow the Powers That Be the option of censoring whenever they feel like censoring.
  In other words, says EDRi, ''If Donald Duck is displeasing to the police, they would welcome, but don't explicitly demand, ISPs banning his behavior in their terms of service.'' And, as you'll see below, one of the recommendations in the Clean IT initiative states, ''Governments should use the helpfulness of ISPs as a criterion for awarding public contracts.''
  The Clean IT Project calls for binding agreements from Internet companies to carry out surveillance, to block and to filter. It also wants to create a network of trusted online informants and they're even calling for stricter legislation from member states, even though their original intention was to cooperate on a public and private level and keep the government out of it.
  EDRi says the document was distributed to participants on a ''need to know'' basis and they're sharing it because they believe citizens need to know what's being proposed. The key measures include:
  '' Removal of any legislation preventing filtering/surveillance of employees' Internet connections'' Law enforcement authorities should be able to have content removed ''without following the more labor-intensive and formal procedures for 'notice and action''''' ''Knowingly'' providing links to ''terrorist content'' (the draft does not refer to content which has been ruled to be illegal by a court, but undefined ''terrorist content'' in general) will be an offense ''just like'' the terrorist'' Legal underpinning of ''real name'' rules to prevent anonymous use of online services'' ISPs to be held liable for not making ''reasonable'' efforts to use technological surveillance to identify (undefined) ''terrorist'' use of the Internet'' Companies providing end-user filtering systems and their customers should be liable for failing to report ''illegal'' activity identified by the filter'' Customers should also be held liable for ''knowingly'' sending a report of content which is not illegal'' Governments should use the helpfulness of ISPs as a criterion for awarding public contracts'' Blocking or ''warning'' systems should be implemented by social media platforms '' somehow it will be both illegal to provide (undefined) ''Internet services'' to ''terrorist persons'' and legal to knowingly provide access to illegal content, while ''warning'' the end-user that they are accessing illegal content'' The anonymity of individuals reporting (possibly) illegal content must be preserved'... yet their IP address must be logged to permit them to be prosecuted if it is suspected that they are reporting legal content deliberately and to permit reliable informants' reports to be processed more quickly'' Companies should implement upload filters to monitor uploaded content to make sure that content that is removed '' or content that is similar to what is removed '' is not re-uploaded'' Flaggina/report button systems must be implemented.'' Users must be provided a way to flag/report terrorism and radicalizing content.'' Providers of chat boxes, e-mail services, messaging systems, social networks, retailing sites, voice over Internet protocol and web forums must have flagging systems.'' Hosted websites must have an easily visible abuse reporting email address or contact form.In a separate section of the Clean IT initiative, titled ''Government Policies'' there are several points for discussion, including:
  '' Governments must have intelligence agencies monitor terrorist use of the Internet, but only monitor specific threats, not primarily the population as a whole and all Internet use;'' Governments must have clear policies on intelligence gathering and when to take action, against terrorist or radicalizing content on the Internet;'' Governments must have specialized police officers 'patrol' on social media;EDRi says ''Unsurprisingly, in discussions with both law enforcement agencies and industry about Clean IT, the word that appears with most frequency is 'incompetence','' but they don't say what's being referred to. The incompetency of the Clean IT Project members at identifying real problems and solutions? Or Is the Clean IT group assuming they need to step in with filters and surveillance equipment because Internet businesses are too incompetent to take care of their own security?
  Donna Anderson writes for Examiner.com.
  Tags: big brother, internet, technology
  Share this article:
Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Jay Carney and Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, 9/25/12
  Link to Article
  Source: White House.gov Press Office Feed
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:30
  The White House
  Office of the Press Secretary
  For Immediate Release
  September 25, 2012
  Aboard Air Force OneEn Route Andrews Air Force Base
  2:10 P.M. EDT
  MR. CARNEY: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thanks for joining us aboard Air Force One as we make our way back from New York to Washington. I have with me Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor to the President for Strategic Communications, who can, I'm sure, answer some of your questions about the President's speeches today and the vision he laid out broadly at the United Nations and then on a specific subject at the CGI.
  I have no announcements, but I do have to say that there is a pressing matter that kind of transcends all else for most Americans, and that is the --
  Q -- the question? Come on. You're not even waiting for the question, Carney. (Laughter.)
  MR. CARNEY: But I am -- just having watched it -- last night I watched it. This morning I watched it, and it was really astounding. And by ''it,'' I mean the end of the Packers-Seahawks game. It's very distressing for every American football fan to see all the focus at the beginning of the season on the officiating rather than on players in the games.
  Q I'm sorry, was that ''American, football fan'' or ''American football fan?'' Was the American modifying the football, or is it American football fans?
  MR. CARNEY: I'm not even sure what you're asking, Hans, but I appreciate the question.
  Q Does the President have a position on this?
  MR. CARNEY: As an avid sports fan and an avid football fan, he does. As a matter of fact, last week in an interview with a Cleveland radio station, he brought it up on his own, saying that as a sports fan he thought it was time that we got back to the regular refs. This morning, I talked to him about the end of the Packers-Seahawks game and he said that what happened in that game is a perfect example of why both sides need to come together to resolve their differences so that the regular refs can get back on the field and we can start focusing on a game that so many of us love, rather than debating whether or not a game was won or lost because of a bad call.
  Q So the President clearly thinks it was an interception?
  MR. CARNEY: Yes, he thinks that there was a real problem with the call.
  Q And the pass interference before the interception?
  MR. CARNEY: I didn't get into the details, but I think everybody who saw that play saw a number of problems with it.
  And with that, I turn it over to my esteemed colleague, Ben Rhodes.
  MR. RHODES: Well, I may be the only American who didn't see the game last night, but I just saw the replay and I was very distressed by it as an American football fan, so I associate myself with those remarks.
  Just a couple of things and then I'll take your questions. A number of people had asked about the gap in time after the President left the U.N. As he does every year, he did courtesy-call meetings with both the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, and the current President of the U.N. General Assembly, Vuk JeremiÄ‡. And then, John Brennan was meeting with President Hadi of Yemen. President Obama stopped by that meeting to say hello to President Hadi of Yemen and to thank him for the steps he's taken to secure our embassy and our diplomats in that country.
  Beyond that, you all saw the President's speeches. I guess the only thing I'd say by way of opening on the U.N. speech is that the President felt it was very important to address directly what has been going in the Middle East and North Africa. I think you heard him give a very strong message that violence is completely unacceptable as a response to any type of speech; that leaders have an obligation to stand up to violence and extremism; that even as we very much condemn the message of the video that has helped spark protests around the world, we also need to get at the deeper forces that helped fuel this type of unacceptable activity around the world, and that includes a politics that in some instances has preyed upon division and opened the door to extremism.
  And I think what you heard from the President is a very strong message to the world that that type of politics needs to be left behind if we're going to deal with the challenges we face. That includes complete and successful transitions to democracy in the Arab world, and you heard the President speak about why it was so important for those transitions to succeed, but also how hard choices needed to be made along the road of transitioning to democracy so that we don't see incidents like we've seen in the last two weeks. And then you also heard the President apply that to other events and issues in the region.
  So in Syria, clearly we need to reject a dictator who murders his people, and move forward towards a future that is inclusive for all Syrians. With respect to Iran, clearly that is a country that has been outside of the boundaries of international law for many years now. The President focused in particular on the nuclear program, and again, he reiterated that containment cannot be the policy of the United States, nor can it be accepted by the international community, and underscored that the United States will do what we must to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
  So in general, I think it was a chance for the President to step back and lift up his view of the world as it stands today and to project a vision of American leadership that deals with the challenges we face and supports our values around the world.
  And with that, I'll take your questions.
  Q Ben, the President not only condemned extremism and violence and called on leaders to do the same, but he also called on them to respect free speech, no matter how reprehensible. What gives him confidence that that message will go over in the countries that often have cultures that have a very different take?
  MR. RHODES: I think there were a couple of things the President wanted to do there. First of all, he wanted to give the clearest affirmation that he could of why free speech is so important to the United States. Because, you're right, different countries don't ensure the same legal protections we have of free speech, or the same traditions of free speech. But people need to understand that that's a core American value, and it's been essential to the progress of our democracy throughout our history.
  Secondly, though, he was making a point that in the age of the world we live in today, no matter what prohibitions you might even try to make on free speech, you're going to have offensive images and material that can get around the world with the click of a button. So people need to be able to deal with those types of challenges without resorting to violence, without resorting to this pattern of outrage that we've seen in recent years when you've had things taken as a cause to stir up not just protests but rather to stir up, in some instances, violence.
  And I think the President's point, therefore, to these leaders was very much that it's not enough to simply respond to that type of -- to something that offends you by protecting an embassy; we have to put an end to people stirring up division and stirring up crowds in ways that, frankly, are not just harmful to the United States but ultimately are going to be deeply harmful to these countries. Because for them to have successful transitions to democracy, they have to demonstrate that they can provide for the protection of diplomatic facilities, they can be a place for deeper trade and investment.
  So he was responding to both our commitment to free speech, but also how do nations respond to speech in the world that we live in.
  Q In either of the courtesy calls, did Syria or Iran come up?
  MR. RHODES: I haven't gotten a detailed readout out. I would expect that Syria -- he intended to discuss Syria and Iran with the Secretary General given how much of that has been at the United Nations.
  Q Okay. And then are you going to take this opportunity to announce any meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday?
  MR. RHODES: I have no scheduling updates for you on that. Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Secretary Clinton on Friday.
  Q During the reception last night, can you talk about were there any pull-asides or handshakes with people that you can tell us about?
  MR. RHODES: Nothing of particular note. Generally, what happens at the reception is there is a photo line where the President is able to greet foreign leaders, take a picture with them, exchange a few words. So I know he did that, but I don't have any particular readouts.
  Q Was Thein Sein down there?
  MR. CARNEY: No, I think he got here --
  MR. RHODES: Today, yes.
  Q Hey, Jay, Senator Barrasso had a TV interview last night; accused the administration of stonewalling and engaging in a cover-up regarding the murder of Ambassador Stevens. Can you address anything on that?
  MR. CARNEY: I'm sure the Senator is aware that there is an active investigation into what happened in Benghazi. The President has addressed it. The Secretary of State has addressed it. Our Ambassador to the United Nations has addressed it. Ben Rhodes and I have addressed it. That investigation needs to take place, and I think you heard the President again say with great clarity at the General Assembly today that he is determined to make sure that those who killed our personnel in Benghazi are brought to justice.
  Q So the administration was not aware of any of the findings we've seen in the journal that there was some security issues?
  MR. CARNEY: I think you're putting words into my mouth, and that wasn't even in your question. I said that there's an active investigation into this. The fact of the matter is you saw the head of the NCTC testify before Congress on what we knew at the time that he testified and what we didn't know after that point. That's the whole reason why you have investigations -- to find a full set of facts about how the attack happened and who was responsible.
  MR. RHODES: I'll just add one thing. In addition to the investigation by the FBI, the State Department has announced their own review of the security at the facility with an eye to understanding what happened. But also, the President's direction to us has always been that we need to be doing everything that we can to make sure that we're taking appropriate security precautions around the world. So this is something that we're constantly reviewing and working on.
  And frankly, I think it underscores just how seriously the President takes the incident in Benghazi that he focused his speech today at the United Nations General Assembly on what the entire world needs to take away from that event, and that includes protecting our diplomatic facilities and meeting their responsibility to provide that security, but it also means addressing some of the underlying causes that have fanned the flames of this type of violence for far too long.
  So this is something that we're very focused on, and we have every interest in understanding exactly what happened precisely so we can make sure that we are doing everything we can going forward to protect our diplomats.
  Q Thanks, guys.
  MR. CARNEY: Thanks, a lot.
  END2:21 P.M. EDT
@adamcurry Pressure Mounts for the Arrest of Dutch Justice Ministry Secretary #Demmink - http://t.co/cpBaurr0
  Link to Article
  Source: @adamcurry - Twitter Search
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:27
  WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2012 '-- As Dutch Government Coalition Talks Begin, Another U.S. Congressman and a Leading Human Rights Organization Press Both U.S. and Turkish Authorities for Answers on Alleged Cover-Up of Child Sexual Abuse Complaints Against Demmink
  WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being released by Global Strategic Communications Group:
  Following on the heels of U.S. Representatives Joseph Pitts (R-PA), Frank Wolf (R-VA), and Chris Smith (R-NJ) investigating allegations of child rape by Dutch Justice Ministry Secretary-General Joris Demmink, further calls for answers on Demmink's actions have come from a leading human rights organization and a Member of the U.S. House Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee. These latest calls for investigations into complaints against Demmink along with the previous Congressional letter to European Union Chairman of the Transatlantic Legislators' Dialogue Steering Committee voicing concerns that Mr. Demmink has used "his position to obstruct efforts to file complaints against him, and used investigations as a way to deter his accusers" could complicate coalition talks following Holland's recent parliamentary election.
  Writing in The Washington Times, Kwame Fosu, policy director for the Rebecca Project for Human Rights, has called on the U.S. Congress to further investigate claims against Demmink. "Since 1998 Joris Demmink has been the subject of thwarted investigations that have failed to proceed to prosecution for sexual exploitation and sex tourism. It is not a coincidence that the investigations for sex trafficking and sex abuse by Demmink are abruptly ended, as these investigations are under the jurisdiction of the perpetrator himself, in his capacity as the Secretary General of the Dutch Ministry of Justice," writes Fosu. "The Rebecca Project for Human Rights and members of the coalition against the actions of Secretary General Demmink urge Members of Congress to hold oversight hearings. We ask members of Congress both Democrat and Republican to put aside partisanship to urge both Turkey and the Netherlands to listen to their own law enforcement officers and seek justice for the victims. Furthermore we ask that the House of Representatives pass a resolution barring Mr. Demmink from entering the U.S. until a fair and transparent investigation and trial is conducted into his actions toward children."
  In his commentary, Fosu references separate alleged child rape attacks perpetrated by Joris Demmink in both the Netherlands and Turkey. Peter Hannaford, a long-time senior advisor to President Ronald Reagan, also cited a report in a June 2012 American Spectator commentary, from Adele van der Plas, Dutch attorney for two boys, then 12 and 16 years old, who claim that in Turkey in the 1990s Demmink sexually assaulted them, among "numerous" other young victims: "She says that one victim was 12 at the time he was brought by a police officer to Demmink's chambers, where he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Demmink. Another boy was 14 at the time he was brought to Demmink and assaulted. Recently, a third child victim, a Turkish boy, has come forward."
  In his letter to Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, just two days following Holland's parliamentary election which will require lengthy coalition talks to form a new Dutch government, U.S. Representative Ted Poe raises questions about an alleged agreement made between Demmink and the Turkish government in the mid-1990's to cover up child sex abuse complaints against Demmink. "Investigations into this matter reportedly have found that Turkish police officers provided Mr. Demmink with minor boys during his visits to Turkey in the 1990s. According to law enforcement officers in Turkey and the Netherlands, Mr. Demmink used the power of his position to obstruct efforts to file complaints against him and used investigations as a way to deter his accusers," wrote Representative Poe in the letter to the Turkish Prime Minister. "These allegations of crimes committed in Turkey and the Netherlands are serious and deeply concerning. Two Turkish citizens have brought suit against Demmink for allegedly sexually assaulting them in the 1990s in Turkey when they were 14 and 12 years old, and, the suit claims, "numerous" other Turkish boys were victimized. A third alleged victim has also since come forward."
  Congressman Ted Poe (R-TX) is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, a co-founder of the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus and a member of the Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans.
  Kwame Fosu is the Policy Director for the Rebecca Project for Human Rights in Washington, D.C.
  The Washington Times: "Pedophilia should be a zero-tolerance crime": http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/sep/14/fosu-pedophilia-should-be-zero-tolerance-crime/
  A copy of Congressman Ted Poe's letter to Prime Minister of Turkey Tayyip Erdogan may be found here: http://arrestdemmink.com/downloads/Juris_Demmink_Letter_to_PM_Erdogan_Poe.pdf
  The letter from U.S. Representatives Pitts, Wolf, and Smith to Chairman Christian Ehler is available here: http://arrestdemmink.com/downloads/Letter_to_Christian_Ehler_re_Joris_Demmink.pdf
  SOURCE Global Strategic Communications Group
Meredith Whitney on the Very Scary Municipal Bond Market
  Link to Article
  Source: EconomicPolicyJournal.com
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:27
  Whitney points out that incredibly state spending is at record highs and most muni bond investors are only looking at yield and maturity and, remarkably, none of the fundamentals.This is not the time to own muni bonds for a number of reasons. Interest rates will soon start on a multi-year climb and there will be many muni defaults which will scare the entire muni sector.
  The only thing that can prevent the muni bankruptcies is Fed money printing, which will enable governments to pay off debt in cheaper dollars, but this is price inflation, which will mean higher interest rates and declining bond prices.
Gary Johnson vs The Zombies
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:24
America's deadly double tap drone attacks are 'killing 49 people for every known terrorist in Pakistan'.
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:20
  Study found war against violent Islamists has become increasingly deadlyResearchers blame common tactic now being used '' the 'double-tap' strikeDrone strikes condemned for their ineffectiveness in targeting militantsBy Leon Watson
  PUBLISHED: 05:52 EST, 25 September 2012 | UPDATED: 07:39 EST, 25 September 2012
  Just one in 50 victims of America's deadly drone strikes in Pakistan are terrorists '' while the rest are innocent civilians, a new report claimed today.
  The authoritative joint study, by Stanford and New York Universities, concludes that men, women and children are being terrorised by the operations '24 hours-a-day'.
  And the authors lay much of the blame on the use of the 'double-tap' strike where a drone fires one missile '' and then a second as rescuers try to drag victims from the rubble. One aid agency said they had a six-hour delay before going to the scene.
  The tactic has cast such a shadow of fear over strike zones that people often wait for hours before daring to visit the scene of an attack. Investigators also discovered that communities living in fear of the drones were suffering severe stress and related illnesses. Many parents had taken their children out of school because they were so afraid of a missile-strike.
  Bombardment: More than 345 strikes have hit Pakistan's tribal areas near the border with Afghanistan in the past eight years
  Today campaigners savaged the use of drones, claiming that they were destroying a way of life.
  Clive Stafford Smith, director of the charity Reprieve which helped interview people for the report, said: 'This shows that drone strikes go much further than simply killing innocent civilians. An entire region is being terrorised by the constant threat of death from the skies. '
  There have been at least 345 strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas near the border with Afghanistan in the past eight years.
  'These strikes are becoming much more common,' Mirza Shahzad Akbar, a Pakistani lawyer who represents victims of drone strikes, told The Independent.
  'In the past it used to be a one-off, every now and then. Now almost every other attack is a double tap. There is no justification for it.'
  The study is the product of nine months' research and more than 130 interviews, it is one of the most exhaustive attempts by academics to understand '' and evaluate '' Washington's drone wars.
  The site of a missile attack in Tappi, a village 12 miles east of Miranshah, near the Afghan border after a U.S. missile attack by a pilotless drone aircraft in 2008. At least six people were killed
  Tribesmen gather near a damaged car outside a house after a missile struck in Dandi Darpakheil village on the outskirts of Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal region
  VOICES FROM THE DRONE ZONESadaullah Khan, a 15-year-old who lost both legs in a drone strike, says that before his injury, 'I used to go to school'...I thought I would become a doctor. After the drone strikes, I stopped going to school.'
  Noor Behram, a journalist: 'Once there has been a drone strike, people have gone in for rescue missions, and five or ten minutes after the drone attack, they attack the rescuers who are there.'
  Taxi driver: 'Whether we are driving a car, or we are working on a farm, or we are sitting at home playing cards '' no matter what we are doing we are always thinking the drone will strike us. So we are scared to do anything, no matter what.'
  Safdar Dawar, President of the Tribal Union of Journalists: 'If I am walking in the market, I have this fear that maybe the person walking next to me is going to be a target of the drone. If I'm shopping, I'm really careful and scared. If I'm standing on the road and there is a car parked next to me, I never know if that is going to be the target. Maybe they will target the car in front of me or behind me. Even in mosques, if we're praying, we're worried that maybe one person who is standing with us praying is wanted. So, wherever we are, we have this fear of drones.'
  Resident from the Manzar Khel area: 'Now (they have) even targeted funerals'...they have targeted people sitting together, so people are scared of everything'
  Despite assurances the attacks are 'surgical', researchers found barely two per cent of their victims are known militants and that the idea that the strikes make the world a safer place for the U.S. is 'ambiguous at best'.
  Researchers added that traumatic effects of the strikes go far beyond fatalities, psychologically battering a population which lives under the daily threat of annihilation from the air, and ruining the local economy.
  They conclude by calling on Washington completely to reassess its drone-strike programme or risk alienating the very people they hope to win over.
  They also observe that the strikes set worrying precedents for extra-judicial killings at a time when many nations are building up their unmanned weapon arsenals.
  The Obama administration is unlikely to heed their demands given the zeal with which America has expanded its drone programme over the past two years.
  Washington says the drone program is vital to combating militants that threaten the U.S. and who use Pakistan's tribal regions as a safe haven.
  The number of attacks have fallen since a Nato strike in 2011 killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and strained U.S.-Pakistan relations.
  Pakistan wants the drone strikes stopped - or it wants to control the drones directly - something the U.S. refuses.
  Reapers and Predators are now active over the skies of Somalia and Yemen as well as Pakistan and - less covertly - Afghanistan.
  But campaigners like Mr Akbar hope the Stanford/New York University research may start to make an impact on the American public.
  'It's an important piece of work,' he told The Independent. 'No one in the U.S. wants to listen to a Pakistani lawyer saying these strikes are wrong. But they might listen to American academics.'
  Today, Pakistani intelligence officials revealed a pair of missiles fired from an unmanned American spy aircraft slammed into a militant hideout in northwestern Pakistan last night.
  The two officials said missiles from the drone aircraft hit the village of Dawar Musaki in the North Waziristan region, which borders Afghanistan to the west.
  Some of the dead were believed to be foreign fighters but the officials did not know how many or where they were from.
  The Monday strike was the second in three days. On Saturday a U.S. drone fired two missiles at a vehicle in northwest Pakistan, killing four suspected militants.
  That attack took place in the village of Mohammed Khel, also in North Waziristan.
  North Waziristan is the last tribal region in which the Pakistan military has not launched an operation against militants, although the U.S. has been continually pushing for such a move.
  The Pakistanis contend that their military is already overstretched fighting operations in other areas but many in the U.S. believe they are reluctant to carry out an operation because of their longstanding ties to some of the militants operating there such as the Haqqani network.
Arrestatiebevel tegen hoofd Google Brazili
  Link to Article
  Source: VK: Home
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:17
  25/09/12, 23:00 '' bron: ANP/AFP
  (C) AFP. Google
  De Braziliaanse justitie heeft een arrestatiebevel uitgevaardigd tegen het hoofd van Google in Brazili. Dat heeft een rechtbank in het Zuid-Amerikaanse land dinsdag meegedeeld. Fabio Jos(C) Silva Coelho wordt beschuldigd van 'ongehoorzaamheid' aan de wet door te weigeren twee video's van YouTube af te halen waarin een kandidaat voor het burgemeesterschap wordt 'belasterd, gekwetst en in zijn goede naam aangetast'.
  Fabio Jos(C) Silva Coelho wordt beschuldigd van 'ongehoorzaamheid' aan de wet door te weigeren twee video's van YouTube af te halen waarin een kandidaat voor het burgemeesterschap wordt 'belasterd, gekwetst en in zijn goede naam aangetast'.
  De betrokken politicus is Alcides Bernal, die dingt naar het burgemeesterschap van Campo Grande, hoofdstad van de deelstaat Mato Grosso do Sul. Google zegt dat de filmpjes op YouTube geen negatieve verkiezingsspotjes zijn en dat het niet verantwoordelijk is voor de inhoud van wat op YouTube wordt geplaatst.
BreakingNews: California man confronted about alleged child porn shot, wounded 2 deputies before shooting himself - @NBCSanDiego http://t.co/yk0p1n9q
  Link to Article
  Source: Twitter / BreakingNews
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:15
  advertisement
  Raw Video: Deputies Injured in Lakeside Shooting
  Raw video from the scene of a shooting that injured two San Diego County sheriff's deputies in Lakeside, Sept. 24, 2012.
  More Photos and VideosA Lakeside man confronted about alleged child porn opened fire inside his apartment, shooting and injuring two deputies before shooting himself, according to the man's girlfriend.
  The girlfriend told NBC 7 San Diego she was getting her two daughters ready for school when she found pornographic pictures of the suspect and her two girls in the middle of sexual acts on his cell phone.
  She was in the process of taking her daughters to school and went to the sheriff's office, showed them the photos, she then called the suspect on a deputy-tapped phone line to confront him.
  He told her he had planned to sell the photos for $50,000 to a child pornography site, NBC 7 San Diego reported.
  The couple had been dating a year while the suspect was unemployed, according to the woman. She said he planned to support them with the money he would have made with the illicit photos.
  Deputies along with the mother and her daughters went to the apartment complex to confront the suspect. She said after deputies stormed the apartment, her boyfriend shot the two deputies and then shot himself.
  Multiple shots were fired at the complex around 12:15 p.m. Tuesday on Ashwood Street and Mapleview Street just south of the Lakeside rodeo, according to Lt. Mike Munsey with the San Diego Sheriff's Department.
  There are no suspects outstanding, according to sheriff's department public information officer Jan Caldwell.
  Three people were rushed to the hospital, but it's not clear how the individuals were involved in the shooting.
  The two deputies were sent to Sharp Memorial Hospital in Kearny Mesa. Sheriff Bill Gore arrived around 1:30 p.m. to visit the injured deputies.
  One patient arriving to a Sharp Memorial Hospital was shirtless on the first gurney coming out of the Lakeside Fire District paramedics van. That ambulance was followed by another carrying a victim covered by medical cloth.
  The suspect went to Scripps Mercy Hospital, according to a hospital source.
  The extent of the injuries are unknown.
  Resident Jodi Davis lives across the street where the shooting occurred and said the police ordered her and her neighbors back into their apartments.
  ''I heard a lot of shots being fired. Multiple shots, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang,'' she said. ''At least 12 to 18 shots being fired....I said 'Oh my gosh those are gunshots!'"
  A lockdown was ordered at nearby El Capitan High School at 10410 Ashwood St. as a result of the incident. Several students told NBC 7 San Diego that they heard shots, teachers told them to get them under desks in their classrooms for about an hour.
  It was later lifted and students were given permission to go home around 1:20 p.m. Parents can pick up their children at Cactus Park.
  NBC 7 reporters at the scene said there are between 30-40 officers from multiple agencies in San Diego.
  The area of the shooting is less than half a mile from the intersection of state Route 67 and Mapleview Street. Mapleview Drive between Pino Drive and Main Street are closed for the police activity, as it Ashwood Street between Willow Road and Laurel Street.
  The sheriff's department will hold a press conference regarding the incident around 3 p.m.
  Check back for updates on this story.
  View Two Deputies Shot in Lakeside in a larger map
  [View the story "Reaction to Shooting in Lakeside" on Storify]
  Keep up to date on breaking news: Download our improved iPhone app, follow us on Twitter @nbcsandiego, fan us on Facebook, sign up for our breaking news e-mail alerts or text SDBREAKING to 622339 to receive text messages for local breaking news. (For more info, text HELP. To end, text STOP. Message and data rates may apply.)
Media of Mass Communication (11th Edition):Amazon:Books
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 20:34
  Media of Mass Communication (11th Edition) (Paperback)
  List Price: $133.60Price: $107.48 You Save: $26.12(20%)In StockEligible for FREE Super Saver ShippingShips from and sold by Amazon.comGift-wrap available. Want it delivered by Wednesday, Sept 26? Order within 2hr 55min, and choose One-Day Shipping at checkout.
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Ham Radio Instructor &Student Resources
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 20:03
  KD7BBC's HamStudy.org: Ham Radio Test Practice ToolsVery nice online Ham Radio Practice Tests and Study Tools. Check it out!
  NC4FB's Self Study Program for All Classes of LicenseThe NC4FB License Self-Study Program is a free comprehensive step-by-step approach to preparing for U. S. amateur radio license exams. The program can be used by individuals, study groups, or in conjunction with in-person license classes.
  AD7FO½s Extra Class Study GuideComplete with calculations needed to respond to exam questions as well as supplementary explanations of some concepts.
  The No-Nonsense, No Code Technician Class License Study GuideThis is a great "bare-bones" study guide by Dan Romanchik KB6NU updated with the new question pool effective July 1, 2010. Check it out!
  The No-Nonsense, General Class License Study GuideAnother great study guide by Dan Romanchik KB6NU. For use after July 1, 2007. Check it out!
  Technician Question Pool with Only the Correct Answers by K6YXHThis is a Word document of the Technician Question Pool with only the question and correct answer. Nicely formatted for easy studying.
  ARRL Ham Radio License Manual Study / Homework GuideThis study / homework guide is for use with the ARRL HRLM with the purpose of focusing study toward the question pool. It is composed of 20 pages of fill in the blank questions with HRLM page numbers and question pool references for each question. Prepared by N5NA.
  Radio Teacher ProjectCheck out the study guides and teaching material coming out of the Radio Teacher Project, Paul Guido, N5IUT, editor!
  Study Guides by N8KBRTechnician (Updated with the NEW question pool), General, & Extra Class study guides.
  Technician Q & A by K3DIOWord file of the new question pool in a Q & A format which has only the question and correct answer.
  Gordon WestInstructor's Guide for using Gordon West's books. Also has good ideas applicable to any course. Download is near the bottom of the page.
  Gordon West Pre-Study GuidePre-Study guide for use with Gordon West's Technician Class Q&A Book. Extracted from Gordon West's Instructor Guide and pages renumbered.
  General Class Instruction Manual by Steve Horan AC5RIExcellent General Class Instruction Manual.Steve also wrote the Extra Class Q&A book published by the ARRL
  Below is for the Question Pool in effect through 6/30/2006Technician Class "Cliff Notes" by Joe Hullender N4JAHClass notes with a summary of information you need to know for each chapter of the "Now You're Talking" book.
  Technician Question Pool by KJ5KUThis is a text file of the question pool that has been rearranged to follow the order of the ARRL Video Course.
  W8BBS's Study GuideA Technician study guide with a question pool arranged in the order of the study guide.
  W8LT Technician Class OutlinesOutlines of each chapter in the ARRL "Now You're Talking" book prepared by the Amateur Radio Club of The Ohio State University.
Slavery Footprint - Made In A Free World
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:50
  Deep within the supply chains of the products we love.Consider this...Your Shirtlikely contains cotton that was picked by children in Uzbekistan who are forced to trade their school days for days in the fields.
  Your Phonehas Capacitors that are made with Coltan. 64% of Coltan reserves are located in Congo where child labourers are work from sunrise to sunset.
  Your Coffeethere are estimated 200,000 child slaves working in Ivory Coast alone, harvesting 40% of the world's cocoa beans.
  The supply chain enslaves more people than atany other time in history.And they're working for you.have the power to change this.Discoveryour slavery footprint by taking our survey.
  Shareyour results and encourage your friends to do the same.
  Take actionthrough our online Action Center and "Free World" mobile app.
  a onetime musician whogot involved in theanti-slavery movementhosting benefit concerts.
  Justin made abolitionism his full-timejob, making his directorial debut in thehuman-trafficking documentary,"CALL+RESPONSE."
  saw the film and approached Justinfor his help developing a narrativethat would allow individuals tounderstand their connection tomodern-day slavery.
  On September 22, 2011,Slavery Footprintlaunched a website thatasked a single question:"How Many Slaves WorkFor You?"
  The response was sooverwhelming that oursite couldn't keep upwith the traffic.
  Headquartered in Oakland,California, the Slavery Footprintcrew works to engage individuals,groups, and businesses to buildawareness for and create actionagainst modern-day slavery.
  In addition to developing the onlineand mobile tools, we are currentlyworking directly with businesses toeradicate slavery from the productswe love.
Follow the Pipes -- Nicaraguan
  Link to Article
  Source: from GitmoTex
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:36
  Nicaragua's legislature has approved a bill authorizing construction of an oil refinery, an inter-oceanic pipeline and other facilities, a $6.6 billion project to be partially funded by close ally Venezuela.
  According to the bill, approved Thursday by a vote of 80-4 with one abstention by the Sandinista-controlled unicameral National Assembly, the "Bolivar's Supreme Dream" industrial complex in the Pacific region will include a plant for receiving, storing and distributing hydrocarbons.
  It also will house liquefied petroleum gas filling/distribution plants, a petrochemical plant, an inter-oceanic pipeline terminal and "all the other industrial works and installations needed to develop a refining and petrochemical industry," the bill states.
  In July 2007, leftist President Daniel Ortega and Venezuelan counterpart and close ally Hugo Chavez laid the cornerstone for the refinery, initially located in Piedras Blancas, not far from Puerto Sandino on Nicaragua's Pacific coast.
  The construction site was later moved to another nearby coastal area known as Miramar after French firm AXENS determined that location to be more suitable.
  Jenny Martinez, member of the ruling Sandinista party and chairwoman of the National Assembly's infrastructure committee, explained in a plenary session that the complex will be developed by the Alba de Nicaragua S.A., or Albanisa, joint venture.
  PDV Caribe, a unit of Venezuelan state oil giant PDVSA, has a 51 percent stake in Albanisa, founded in Caracas on June 17, 2007, while Nicaraguan state oil firm Petronic holds the remaining 49 percent interest.
  Albanisa is an outgrowth of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, or ALBA, conceived by Chavez as an alternative to the - now moribund - U.S. proposal for a Free Trade Area of the Americas.
  The project is divided into three construction phases.
  The first, which is roughly 20 percent complete, entails construction of a fuel handling, storage and distribution plant, an LPG filling plant and the oil refinery complex, Martinez said.
  An inter-oceanic pipeline traversing Nicaraguan territory will be built in the second phase, including storage and distribution centers in the country's Caribbean and Pacific regions, she said.
  A petrochemical industrial complex will be built and developed in the final phase, the lawmaker added.
  She said the project has undergone 40 coastal and marine environmental impact assessments and tsunami computer simulations with 20-meter-tall (65-foot-tall) waves have been conducted.
  Last week, the Humboldt Center, a Nicaraguan environmental NGO, said construction of a refinery in the Central American nation is unviable due to the "potential (environmental) impacts."
  The NGO said the project is located "in an area at high risk of earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions."
  The refinery will have the capacity to refine 150,000 barrels per day of crude from Venezuela, one of the world's leading oil producers.
  Of that total, 50,000 bpd will supply the Nicaraguan market and the rest will be exported to other Central American countries, according to the government, which will declare the construction site of public use and social interest.
  The industrial complex will create 1,500 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs during the construction phase and 1,500 direct jobs and 6,000 indirect jobs during the operational phase, the bill says.
  The joint venture also will be fully exempt from property tax during the complex's first 10 years of operation. That exemption will be gradually removed and eventually eliminated 25 years after the start of the project. EFE
Books bloggers are harming literature, warns Booker prize head judge
  Link to Article
  Source: Culture | guardian.co.uk
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:33
  'Someone has to stand up for the role and the art of the critic' ... Peter Stothard. Photograph: Richard Gardner /Rex Features
  The chair of this year's Man Booker prize judges has warned that blogging is drowning out serious criticism, to the detriment of literature.
  Although Peter Stothard, who is editor of the Times Literary Supplement, is a blogger himself '' and praises literary websites such as the Complete Review '' he expressed fears that the burgeoning amount of online opinion about books could be damaging to the future of writing.
  "If the mass of unargued opinion chokes off literary critics ... then literature will be the lesser for it," he said. "There is a great deal of opinion online, and it's probably reasonable opinion, but there is much less reasoned opinion."
  Literary criticism, said Stothard, needs "to identify the good and the lasting, and to explain why it's good. You don't read a literary critic to explain why a new Ian Rankin is any good '' the people who know about him don't need that explaining. If we're going to keep literature and language alive, we have to be alert to the new, the things which aren't like what's been before. And as Howard Jacobson said, this may be unpleasant, it may be that we don't enjoy reading it, but it might matter hugely to the future of literature."
  Referring to last year's Man Booker chair Stella Rimington's much-criticised focus on finding "readable" books for the prize's shortlist, Stothard said that while "readability can be a very interesting thing, great art for the most part resists it to a degree".
  "If we make the main criteria good page-turning stories '' if we prioritise unargued opinion over criticism '' then I think literature will be harmed," Stothard told the Independent. "Someone has to stand up for the role and the art of the critic, otherwise it will just be drowned '' overwhelmed. And literature will be worse off."
  He also criticised newspaper editors for cutting back their books pages, and for the proliferation of unargued reviews in papers, along the lines of "if a critic goes to the cinema and ends up writing about 'how my child would have liked it', or 'what the audience thought'".
  "There is not much space any longer for old-fashioned, argued criticism," he said. "I think critics are just being submerged, and to a degree newspaper editors and other people in the media are saying they don't need to give that space to books pages because it's all online."
  Guardian books blogger and author Sam Jordison agreed with Stothard about the need for argued, reasoned criticism, but said that this was amply provided by bloggers such as John Self, Max Cairnduff and Stephen Mitchelmore. "One of the best places to find out about what's new and good is on blogs," he said. "Reader recommendations can make a big difference: even if it's just people saying 'I liked that', some groundswell will build up. [And there] are just so many books out there, it's good to have alternative routes to finding them."
  Simon Savidge of books blog Savidge Reads, meanwhile, said that he found Stothard's comments "disheartening".
  "There is, and has always been, some snobbery towards bloggers," he said. "All the blogs I follow are written for free by people who have a passion for books, many of whom are currently reading some of the Man Booker shortlisted novels, and recommending the books that excite them. I think anyone who reads a lot, just by reading, has the ability to critique anything they read ... reading and the reaction is a personal experience based on life experience. Interestingly, you don't find bloggers scathing review pages; you find them reading them between books, along with other blogs, because we are all united on the love of literature in all its forms and genres."
Cancer is pharmaceutical industry's most profitable disease. Cure it? You must be joking.
  Link to Article
  Source: the tap
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:32
  Hi Tap, it was pointed out that some Toothpastes might still be available which don't contain Fluorides. Those named were AloeDent Sensitive fluoride-free, Auromere Herbal Toothpaste, & Tom's of Maine fluoride-free toothpaste. This might be so, but they also contain Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (Na-LS), ( ANIONIC SURFACTANT, & you probably use it EVERY DAY), like most others, here is a Search Engine EWG. Cosmetics DataBase you can try it out to find out How Safe Are Your Cosmetics? . Enter The Category Name, then Narrow it Down, with your Specific Request.A long list with some bad actorsA long list of chemicals that you can't pronounce is not in itself toxic - even if it looks it. But an analysis of these 3,163 chemicals in EWG's Cosmetics Database shows that there is reason for concern.In fact, 1 in 20 earned a "high" hazard score (7-10 of 10), and a full 1 in 6 rated at least a "moderate" hazard score (3-10 of 10). 25 of them scored a 10, the highest score:There is one I was very surprised they use viz STYRENE or Vinyl Benzene, The Phthalates, & Hydroquinone I knew they used. The Names alone should tell you to Steer Clear25 chemicals scored a "10" in Skin DeepAnilineBHACyclohexanoneDibutyl phthalateDiethylhexyl phthalateHydroquinoneMIBKNano titanium dioxideNano zinc oxide (20-60nm)Octoxynol-6Octoxynol-7Octoxynol-11Octoxynol-12Octoxynol-13Octoxynol-16Octoxynol-20Octoxynol-25Octoxynol-30Octoxynol-33Octoxynol-40Octoxynol-70PEG-3 Sorbitan oleatePEG-6 Sorbitan oleateResorcinolStyrene
  If you want to Experiment, there is a lot of other Stuff you can Look Up with this 'ENGINE'Here are some you might recognise.Acetone: Nose, throat, lung and eye irritant, headaches, confusion, increased pulse rate, effects on blood, nausea, vomiting and unconsciousness, coma. Shortens the menstrual cycle in women. Effects of long-term exposure include kidney, liver and nerve damage, increased birth defects, metabolic changes and coma. Found in nail polish remover.Acetaldehyde: Found in many nail care products. Known to cause cancers in humans and experimental animals.Aspartame: Genetically Modified, synthetic sugar substitute. People report dizziness, headaches and even seizures. Scientists believe it can alter behavior due to altered brain function. Long term effects of this genetically modified organism on human health has not been studied or tested. Found as a sweetener in foods and some body products, such as shaving gel. See our Genetically Modified / GMO Foods section for more information.Benzene: Inhalation of high levels can cause headaches, rapid heart rate, tremors, confusion, unconsciousness and death. Hodgkin's and Lymphomas result from inhalation. Used in detergents, drugs, pesticides and adhesives.Benzoic / Benzyl / Benzene: Contains carcinogens, endocrine disruptor, may cause birth defects. Found in shower gels, shampoos, bubble bath.Bisphenol A or BPA: Toxic plastic chemical used as a can lining in brands of some infant formulas. Also found in water bottles, this chemical is used to produce polycarbonate and epoxy plastics. For babies, check food container labels and beware of polycarbonate plastic baby bottles. Chemical reactions can occur when plastic is heated.Bisphenol A or BPA: Toxic plastic chemical used as a can lining in brands of some infant formulas. Also found in water bottles, this chemical is used to produce polycarbonate and epoxy plastics. For babies, check food container labels and beware of polycarbonate plastic baby bottles. Chemical reactions can occur when plastic is heated.Hydroquinone: A severely toxic and very powerful chemical. Banned in the United Kingdom, but still used in the U.S. Found in skin lightening products and hair dyes, this chemical alters the skins natural structure inhibiting the production of Melanin. Without natural protection, the skin is more susceptible to skin cancer. Prolonged use of Hydroquinone will thicken collagen fibers damaging the connective tissues. The result is rough blotchy skin leaving it with a spotty caviar appearance.Soy: Contains several naturally occurring compounds that are toxic to humans and animals. Soy foods block calcium and can cause vitamin D deficiencies. One health agency estimates than 100 grams of soy protein provides the estrogenic equivalent of the pill. Processing and all modern soy foods contain MSG, which cause neurological problems. Soy products inhibit thyroid function, which may lead to fatigue and mental issues. Infants on soy formula are vulnerable to developing autoimmune thyroid disease when exposed to high amounts of isoflavones over time. These Isoflavones have been found to have serious health effects, including infertility, thyroid disease or liver disease,.....SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate): Builds up in heart, lungs, brain and liver from skin contact and may cause damage to these organs. Corrodes hair follicles and may cause hair to fall out. Damages immune system. Contain endocrine disruptors and estrogen mimics. Impairs proper structural formation of young eyes. May contain carcinogenic nitrosamines. This is a detergent derived from coconut oil and may be labeled natural or even organic. Found in toothpaste, soap, shampoo, body wash, bubble bath, facial cleansers.Toluene: Poison to humans. Hallucinations, bone marrow changes, may cause liver and kidney damage and birth defects, endocrine disruptor and potential carcinogen linked to brain cancer. Irritates respiratory tract. Found in nail polish and cleaning products.Triclosan: Found in a lot of antimicrobial soaps and toothpaste products, it can react with chlorine in the tap water to create Chloroform. This is a toxic chemical that can give you cancer. If you breathe enough chloroform, you will die. When you wash your hands with antibacterial soap that contains Triclosan, you are getting the fumes emitted from this chemical reaction.Vinyl chloride: Used to create PVC (polyvinyl chloride) a known carcinogen. Often found in toys. Children chewing on toys can release toxins into their bodies. * see PVCZinc Stearate: Carcinogen. Found in blush and powder foundationIt Doesn't Take a Lot of Thought To Realise Why, these materials are so widly used does it?It Makes I.G Farben Billions, on "Both Sides of The Fence"
Romney Talks Foreign Aid at Clinton Conference - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:31
Moment when JF Kennedy was mocked by top generals behind his back during Cuban Missile Crisis caught on tape!
  Link to Article
  Source: Set You Free News
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:30
  ANI
  Former US President John F Kennedy's top generals were actually bad-mouthing him behind his back, when the Cuban Missile Crisis has reached its peak in 1962, a new tape has revealed.
  When the former US President left the room, Marine Corps Commandant General David Shoup said that 'Kennedy was doing things 'piecemeal' and needed a talking to'.
  From 1962 onwards, the year it took place, Kennedy had a high tech recording device put into the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room of the White House, in which he recorded a total of 248 hours of meetings and 17 hours of phone conversations, plus his own private reflections until he was shot dead in November 1963, the Daily Mail reports.
  According to the paper, the recordings show Kennedy agonising over the situation he was in when Russia deployed nuclear missiles in Cuba.
  ''We do nothing, they have a missile base there with all the pressure that brings to bear on the United States and damage to our prestige.If we attack Cuban missiles or Cuba '... we would be regarded as the trigger-happy Americans who lost Berlin. We would have no support among our allies,'' Kennedy had said.
  ''Which leaves me only one alternative, which is to fire nuclear weapons '' which is a hell of an alternative '' and begin a nuclear exchange, with all this happening,'' he had added. Air Force chief of staff General Curtis LeMay then famously told him, ''You're in a pretty bad fix, Mr President.''
  But the tapes reveal that after Kennedy and Defence Secretary Robert McNamara went out the room, General Shoup launched into his own tirade, without realising the tape was still running. ''You pulled the rug right out from under him,'' he then told LeMay
  ''I agree with that answer, General, I just agree with you, I just agree with you a hundred percent. Somebody's got to keep him from doing the goddamn thing piecemeal. That's our problem. Go in there and frig around with the missiles. You're screwed. You go in there and frig around with anything else, you're screwed,'' Shoup had added.
  The Cuban missile crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the Soviet Union and Cuba on one side and the United States on the other, which occurred in October 1962, during the Cold War.
Fascism: Romney appears with Clinton to tout public-private partnership plan
  Link to Article
  Source: BlackListedNews.com
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:30
  Source:The Hill
  During his address to the Clinton Global Initiative on Tuesday, Mitt Romney unveiled his plan for a public-private partnership on foreign aid aimed at fostering free enterprise in developing countries.Former President Bill Clinton, who has emerged as a key figure in President Obama's reelection efforts, introduced Romney. Clinton has been a prominent figure on the campaign trail supporting Obama and has appeared in attack ads against Romney.
  The pair received a standing ovation as they walked out onstage together. Romney joked about Clinton's well-received speech at the Democratic National Convention earlier this month, in which the former president offered a stinging critique of the GOP presidential nominee, and how Obama benefited from it.
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SCE Patent Plans to Track Your DNA, Fingerprints, Voice Pattern, Iris, Face
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 16:09
  It's not easy being a massive corporation, all they want to be able to do is track someone to tell what they are doing online and when, so that they can advertise to the individual, or only give them the games they purchased, or stop them downloading stuff that could harm the corporation '' but how can they be sure who is actually logged on? Luckily, Sony has the answer: to store your biometric data online and use it to keep a constant eye on you.
  Sony Computer Entertainment '' that's the PlayStation division of the Japanese tech giant '' recently published a patent regarding the matter, which PlayStation LifeStyle has exclusively uncovered. The patent was originally filed this May, suggesting the scheme is a relatively new concept, and likely still in development.
  First, the patent describes the 'problem' of being unable to trust that the people who log in to their devices are actually the main account holder, rather than someone who has just been given the device after it has been unlocked:
  Consumer electronic devices are increasingly being used in conjunction with web-based applications. Such devices include personal computers, personal digital assistants, cellular phones, televisions and video game modules. Because of the near-ubiquity of such devices, there is a tremendous potential market for advertising of goods and services via these devices. However, most web-based advertising is largely unfocused due to a lack of information about the person who uses the device. Advertising could be more focused if it could be targeted to the specific interests of device users. Information about the users is typically obtained through some form of querying the device user. Typically, the user is asked to provide information when registering the device or when signing up for an online service. Information can also be obtained by monitoring device use. For example, an online game provider can monitor which games are accessed by a particular device registered to a known user. However, many consumer electronic devices, such as video game consoles, often have multiple users, e.g., members of the same family. These users may be different from the individual who registered the device. Unfortunately, currently existing technology only allows content providers to track the device and cannot distinguish among different users of a device.
  In the prior art security systems for device such as personal computers have used biometric sensors such as fingerprint sensors as alternatives to entering a password. However, such security systems are not contingent on the identity of the user while the user is using the device. Instead, the user is only identified at when the user starts up the device. Once the device starts up, anyone can use the device. Such prior art security systems are, therefore, easily circumvented.
  Thus, there is a need in the art, for methods and apparatus that overcome the above disadvantages.
  So, how to combat this? Biometric data, and lots of it (emphasis added):
  To overcome the above disadvantages, embodiments of the invention are directed to consumer devices and methods for operating consumer devices. According to embodiments of the invention a user of a consumer electronics device is uniquely identified using a metric that is contingent upon the user using the device normally. Content that depends on the user's identity can be provided to or from the device. According to certain embodiments, a user may be uniquely identified using a biometric sensor to provide the metric. Examples of suitable biometric sensors include fingerprint sensors, hand sensors, face recognition systems, iris scanners retinal scanners, voice pattern analyzers, and DNA analyzers. The biometric sensor senses a user biometric during normal operation of the device by the user. In certain embodiments of the invention a user identification unit incorporated into a control module of the device.
  A picture shows a few examples of the system in action:
  Now the phone may look basic, but that's normal for patent drawings. The parts of notes are all the shaded grey indents that are fingerprint scanners (how many fingers do they need?), and the cameras (329 and 336) that will be used for ''facial, iris or retina recognition'' and the microphone (328) for voice recognition.
  The patent continues, explaining how the data could be used to create a profile about you and your gaming preferences:
  In some embodiments of the present invention, a user profile may be generated'... user behavior may be monitored and information gleaned from patterns of user behavior may become part of the profile. The profile can be used to tailor the operation of the device to a particular user'... In the case of a video game console, the user profile may include information about particular types of games (e.g., racing games as opposed to combat-type games) that the user downloads. The user profile information may then be associated with the user ID at 106. For example, the user profile may contain a unique hash generated by the user ID sensor 206. Note that for purposes of providing content, such as pushing advertising to the identified user, it is not necessary to know the user's name, address, phone number or other personal information. It is sufficient to associate patterns of the user's online activity with the identified user.
  It is common practice to register a consumer electronic device with the manufacturer for record keeping purposes. Such a registration step 105 may be performed at any time before during or after the user begins using the device 200. Such registration, typically involves associating a device ID with a particular owner of the device. In embodiments of the present invention, the ID for one or more users of the device 200 may be associated with the device ID at step 107.
  Along with advertising, the ID can stop people using content that isn't theirs, something that could stop PSN account sharing:
  Embodiments of the invention can be used to prevent unauthorized sharing of online accounts. A biometric identifier, such as a fingerprint ID, that is generated during ordinary use of the online content allows the content server 602 to determine whether a user attempting to access an online account is the user associated with that account.
  The system could also apparently end piracy, but it would presumably have to be widespread:
  An additional problem associated with delivering content online is one of preventing illegal copying or distribution of downloaded content. The internet provides enormous opportunities for mass delivery of electronically generated content such as music, movies, literature, computer software, computer games and the like. However, the internet also presents equally enormous opportunities for unauthorized copying and distribution of such content. Currently, when a user downloads content purchased content it is difficult if not impossible to prevent unauthorized copying and distribution of that content. One technique for doing so is to ''lock'' the download to the user's machine so that the downloaded content may only be accessed on that particular machine. However, if the user sells the machine, he cannot transfer the downloaded content that he has already paid for. By associating content with an authorized user, each download may be made unique so that only the authorized user (e.g., one who has paid for the content) will be able to access it. Such a technique may be used to prevent hacking or copying to steal music, software, video games or other copyrighted content.
  This patent ties into another we exclusively covered that was for a PlayStation camera that could work out your every emotion, record what you say and how you feel, and send it all off to Sony.
  In both cases, all the data '' your personal conversations, your iris, your DNA '' would be stored on one of Sony's servers. And we all know how that can turn out.
  Let's just hope they keep your DNA hashed.
Kylie halfnaakt in nieuwe video
  Link to Article
  Source: Telegraaf.nl - prive
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:48
  di 25 sep 2012, 16:57
  van onze redactieAMSTERDAM - VIDEO- Kylie Minogue laat haar lichaam zien in de clip bij haar nieuwe single Flower. De Australische zangeres is praktisch naakt te zien in de artistieke video.
  Kylie is te zien in een doorschijnende chiffon jurk op de zwart-witbeelden. Ook is haar naakte rug te zien terwijl haar billen slechts bedekt worden door een wit laken.
  In het nummer lijkt de 44-jarige zangeres zich te richten tot haar ongeboren kind. "Afwezig kind, mijn bloem", zingt ze onder meer. "Ik weet dat je me op een dag verbaasd zult doen staan."
  Kylie, die een relatie heeft met het tien jaar jongere model Andres Velencoso, heeft in interviews uitgesproken dat haar droom van een eigen gezin onzekerder is geworden na de behandeling voor borstkanker die ze onderging in 2005.
  Naar Wicked met AirMiles!(C) 1996-2012 Telegraaf Media Nederland | Landelijke Media B.V., Amsterdam.Alle rechten voorbehouden.e-mail: redactie-i@telegraaf.nlPrivacy | Cookies | Disclaimer
Pakistan enhancing nuclear capability by non-strategic nuclear weapons
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:44
  To enhance its nuclear capability, Pakistan is developing non-strategic nuclear weapons, and thus joining the ranks of countries like the US and Russia, a leading American think-tank has said. Like France, Pakistan characterizes all its nuclear weapons as strategic.
  India, however, not listed among five of the nine-nuclear weapons powered countries that has or is developing non-strategic nuclear weapons said Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project, and Dr Robert S Norris,senior fellow for Nuclear Policy, in a new edition of Nuclear Notebook.
  "Today, at least five of the world's nine nuclear weapons states have, or are developing, what appears to meet the definition of a nonstrategic nuclear weapon: Russia, the United States, France, Pakistan, and China," they concluded in the latest issue of Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
  "However, Pakistan is developing a new short-range rocket with nuclear capability that certainly would be characterized as a nonstrategic nuclear weapon if it belonged to Russia or the United States. Moreover, even the Pakistani statements about the weapon clearly place it in a different category,"Kristensen and Norris wrote.
  In their report, the two American nuclear scientist wrote that the new weapon, the Nasr, is a 60-kilometer ballistic missile launched from a mobile twin-canister launcher.
  Following its first test launch in April 2011, the Pakistani military news organization, Inter Services Public Relations, described the Nasr as carrying a nuclear warhead "of appropriate yield with high accuracy," with "shoot and scoot attributes" that was developed as a "quick response system" to "add deterrence value" to Pakistan's strategic weapons development program "at shorter ranges" in order "to deter evolving threats."
  "This language, which has been repeated after subsequent Nasr tests, strongly indicates a weapon with a new mission that resembles nonstrategic nuclear weapons," they wrote.
  China possessing nonstrategic nuclear weapons
  According to the report, rumors of Chinese nonstrategic nuclear weapons have been around for a long time, but there is little reliable public information about their current status.
  China conducted a nuclear test in the 1960s with a nuclear bomb delivered from a fighter-bomber. It is possible,but unknown, that a few fighter-bomber squadrons may have a secondary nuclear capability today, they said.
  "Likewise, the US intelligence community at various periods has assessed that a nuclear capability may have been developed for short-range ballistic missiles such as the DF-15. Moreover, the US intelligence community describes the DH-10 ground-launched cruise missile "conventional or nuclear," a designation also used for the Russian dual-capable AS-4 cruise missile," the report said.
Sea foam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:37
  Sea foam, ocean foam, beach foam, or spume is a type of foam created by the agitation of seawater, particularly when it contains higher concentrations of dissolved organic matter (including proteins, lignins, and lipids)[1] derived from sources such as the offshore breakdown of algal blooms. These compounds can act as surfactants or foaming agents. As the seawater is churned by breaking waves in the surf zone adjacent to the shore, the presence of these surfactants under these turbulent conditions traps air, forming persistent bubbles which stick to each other through surface tension. Due to its low density and persistence, foam can be blown by strong on-shore winds from the beachface inland onto sidewalks and streets.
  [edit]HazardsWhere polluted stormwater from rivers or drains discharges to the coast, sea foam formed on adjacent beaches can be polluted with viruses and other contaminants,[2][3] and may have an unpleasant odour.[4]
  If crude oil discharged from tankers at sea, or motor oil, sewage and detergents from polluted stormwater are present, the resulting sea foam is even more persistent, and can have a chocolate mousse texture.[3]
  If the foam forms from the breakdown of a harmful algal bloom (including those caused by some dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria), direct contact with the foam, or inhalation of aerosols derived the foam as it dries, can cause skin irritations or other respiratory discomfort.[1][2]
  On rare occasions large amounts of sea foam up to several metres thick can accumulate at the coast and constitute a physical hazard to beach users, through concealing large rocks and voids, storm debris and, in northern New South Wales, even sea snakes.[2]
  [edit]Notable occurrencesA large buildup of sea foam occurred on the coast of Yamba, northern New South Wales, 29°26'²S153°21'²E>> / >>29.433°S 153.35°E>> / -29.433; 153.35 on 24 August 2007, and attracted world-wide media attention.[5][6][7][8]
  Other sea foam occurrences at Caloundra26°48'²S153°08'²E>> / >>26.8°S 153.133°E>> / -26.8; 153.133 and Point Cartwright, 26°40'²47.8'"S153°08'²18.1'"E>> / >>26.679944°S 153.138361°E>> / -26.679944; 153.138361, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast in January''February 2008, also attracted world-wide media attention.[3][9][10]
  During live coverage of Hurricane Irene in Ocean City, Maryland, Tucker Barnes was covered in sea foam.[11]
  In December 2011 the coast road at Cleveleys, Lancashire was swamped by metre high drifts of sea foam. [12]
  Following an evening of storms and high wind in September 2012, Footdee in Aberdeen was engulfed with sea foam. [13]
  [edit]See also[edit]References^ abJames G. Acker, What is that foam in the surf?CoastalBC.com. Accessed 5 November 2010^ abcJon Atkins, Warnings on sea foam on beaches, ABC North Coast: Emergency, 24 May 2009. Accessed 5 November 2010^ abcA. Lander, The foam is back!, Sunshine Coast Daily, 20 February 2008. Accessed 5 November 2010^Sam Benger, Murky foam has residents in lather, Sunshine Coast Daily, 17 January 2008.^Samantha Williams, Yamba hit by foam lather, The Daily Telegraph, 27 August 2007. Accessed 5 November 2010^Richard Shears, Cappuccino Coast: The day the Pacific was whipped up into an ocean of froth, Mail Online, 28 August 2007. Accessed 5 November 2010^Eric Shackle, Australia Foams at the Mouth, OhmyNews, 26 January 2008. Accessed 5 November 2010^Brett M.Christensen, Whipped Ocean '' Beach Foam at Yamba New South Wales, Hoax-Slayer.com, August 2008. Accessed 5 November 2010^A. Lander, No place like foamSunshine Coast Daily, 24 January 2008. Accessed 5 November 2010^Mark Furler, Foam a global hit, Sunshine Coast Daily, 26 January 2008. Accessed 5 November 2010^FOX 5's Tucker Barnes Braves the Sea Foam in Ocean City^BBC News^STV News[edit]External links
BBC News - Foam swept in as storms batter parts of Scotland
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:36
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Iran to boycott 2013 Oscars over Innocence of Muslims
  Link to Article
  Source: Culture | guardian.co.uk
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:33
  Last in a line? '... Asghar Farhadi, Iranian winner of the best foreign language film award 2012 for A Separation. Photograph: Jason Merritt/Getty Images
  Iran's film-making community will not be represented at this year's Oscars after the government announced a boycott over the anti-Islam film Innocence of Muslims.
  The move is something of a turnaround because the country's Oscar entry for 2013, Reza Mirkarimi's comedy A Cube of Sugar, was announced on Monday. Culture minister Mohammad Hosseini also called for a wider boycott of next year's Academy Awards by Muslim nations.
  "I am officially announcing that in reaction to the intolerable insult to the Great Prophet of Islam we will refrain from taking part in this year's Oscars and we ask other Islamic nations to show their protest like this," the minister told the ISNA state news agency. "This film was made in America and the Oscars are held there, and so far no official stance by the nation that made this film has been taken."
  Oscars organisers in Los Angeles said they had not heard from the Iranian Oscars committee, which last year submitted the winner of the prize for best foreign language film, Asghar Farhadi's A Separation. The drama about a middle-class couple preparing for a painful divorce fostered by different attitudes to the prevailing political conditions was also nominated for the best original screenplay award.
  The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, condemned Innocence of Muslims during an appearance on the US Piers Morgan TV show on Monday.
  "Offending the Holy Prophet is quite ugly," he said, through a translator. "This has very little or nothing to do with freedom and freedom of speech. This is the weakness of and the abuse of freedom, and in many places it is a crime. It shouldn't take place, and I do hope the day will come in which politicians will not seek to offend those whom others hold holy. We also believe that this must also be resolved in a humane atmosphere, in a participatory environment, and we do not like anyone losing their lives or being killed for any reason, anywhere in the world."
  Iran has seen a number of peaceful protests against Innocence of Muslims.
  Tehran-born Mirkarimi has previously won awards at the Cannes, Moscow and Toyko film festivals. A Cube of Sugar, the story of a family that reunites for the wedding of its youngest female member, is his sixth film.
'Revolution' Sets Time Shifting Records
  Link to Article
  Source: TVbytheNumbers
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:30
  IN 'LIVE PLUS THREE DAY' RESULTS, 'REVOLUTION' DELIVERS NBC's BIGGEST ADULT 18-49 GAIN EVER OVER A 'LIVE PLUS SAME DAY' RATINGTHE 1.36-RATING-POINT GAIN IS ALSO THE BIGGEST EVER FOR A SERIES PREMIERE ON ANY NETWORK
  UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. '' September 25, 2012 '' The September 17 premiere of NBC's new Monday drama ''Revolution'' has set time-shifting records for the network and for a debuting series on any network.
  In ''live plus three day'' ratings from Nielsen Media Research that count time-shifted viewing through the first three days after a show's live telecast, the ''Revolution'' premiere grew by 1.36 rating points from its ''live plus same day'' rating (a 4.09) to its ''live plus three day'' rating (5.45).
  That 1.36-point increase is the biggest gain going from L+SD to L+3 for any NBC telecast ever. It's also the biggest increase for any series premiere on any network ever, with the previous high being 1.14 last fall for Fox's ''The New Girl'').
  The only series on ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox ever to gain 1.36 rating points or more going from ''live plus same day'' to ''live plus three day'' have been ''Modern Family,'' ''Grey's Anatomy,'' ''The New Girl,'' ''Big Bang Theory,'' the post-Super Bowl telecast of ''Glee'' and the first appearance by Ashton Kutcher on ''Two and a Half Men.''
  ''Revolution'' has now reached a total of 24.2 million viewers who've watched all or part of last week's premiere or the Wednesday encore.
  In ''live plus three day'' results, ''Revolution's 5.4 rating in adults 18-49 makes it NBC's top 10 p.m. ET premiere in nearly eight years, since ''Medium'' (6.3 on January 3, 2005), excluding previews.
Why Shouldn't Conservatives Ask if Obama's a Communist or Nazi or All the Above?
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:28
  Knock it off, Mother Jones.
  The Faith and Freedom Coalition mailer didn't "compare" President Obama to Nazis and didn't "call" him a communist.
  It merely asked the question whether he should be compared to the Nazis and whether his beliefs were communist.
  I hope Mother Jones isn't insinuating that freeborn Americans may no longer even ask questions. That really would be Nazism and Communism, take your pick, or else all rolled into one, with a liberal seasoning of Osama bin Laden and Malcolm X.
  (h/t Tom Doran)
  P.S. You know who else was just asking questions?
Music in the digital age
  Link to Article
  Source: Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:17
  The evolution of technology has changed the way we listen to our favorite songs, according to Patrik Wikstr¶m, a newly appointed associate professor of music. Credit: Istockphoto
  The evo­lu­tion of tech­nology has changed the way we listen to our favorite songs and interact with music. Apple, for example, recently announced plans to launch a custom-'‹'‹radio ser­vice. Pop star Justin Bieber got dis­cov­ered through YouTube and became one of the top-'‹'‹selling artists of all time. And his tweet trum­peting Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" turned a small-'‹'‹time Cana­dian artist into an inter­na­tional sen­sa­tion. Northeastern University news office asked Patrik Wik­str¶m, a newly appointed asso­ciate pro­fessor of music in the Col­lege of Arts, Media and Design, to weigh in on the changing face of music in today's dig­ital age.
  Does the chance to listen to music whenever or wherever we want through new technologies and handheld devices devalue the musical experience or does it align with our needs for instant gratification?
  Online ser­vices that allow people access to music every­where, any­time is quickly trans­forming the music industry and the way we relate to music. The fact that recorded music is more acces­sible now than ever before, how­ever, does not nec­es­sarily diminish the value of the music expe­ri­ence. From the record labels' point of view, the value of the recorded music busi­ness has cer­tainly dimin­ished, but from music lis­teners' point of view, it is the oppo­site. Legal sub­scrip­tion ser­vices such as Pan­dora and Spo­tify make it pos­sible for music lis­teners to expe­ri­ence sounds and genres they hardly would have encoun­tered in the 20th-'‹'‹century music economy. Their music expe­ri­ence is more diverse and more omnipresent than ever. Music per­me­ates every aspect of our daily lives, and even though rev­enues from recorded music may have dimin­ished, the ele­vated role of music in con­tem­po­rary society indi­rectly increases rev­enues from other music industry sec­tors, such as live per­for­mances and music licensing.
  Research shows that music con­sumers of today do not spend less money on music com­pared to a decade ago'--they simply spend that money dif­fer­ently. All in all, the last decade has cer­tainly trans­formed the basis of the music industry, but the value of music remains strong, both from a busi­ness and from a cul­tural perspective.
  The digital age has transformed music into a social experience, convincing music lovers to flock to YouTube, Twitter and Facebook to hear the song of the moment. How have social-media platforms changed the way we listen to music?
  Music lis­tening and dis­covery have always been social activ­i­ties, but social media ampli­fies these aspects. Social media strengthens the rela­tion­ship within a group of fans as well as between the artist and their fans. Artists no longer merely com­pose and/'‹or per­form songs to an audi­ence, they create a plat­form that allows their fans to meet and chat about the issues they con­sider to be rel­e­vant. Artists that are able to cul­ti­vate a tight and loyal fan­base via social media may be able to create a sus­tain­able busi­ness based on their craft without being part of the main­stream music industry and without signing a record label con­tract. It is far more valu­able to have a small but loyal fan­base that is willing to sup­port the artist it appre­ci­ates than a large and anony­mous fan­base that does not care very much about who has cre­ated the music it enjoys. One often-'‹'‹mentioned suc­cess story of such an artist-'‹'‹fan rela­tion­ship is Boston-'‹'‹based Amanda Palmer who was able to raise close to $1.2 mil­lion to her music/'‹art project from 24,800 fans via the social-'‹'‹media fundraising ser­vice Kickstarter.
  It should also be noted that social media intro­duces a new level of uncer­tainty into the music busi­ness. It has always been dif­fi­cult to pre­dict and con­trol which songs or artists will be suc­cessful or not, but social media increases that level of uncer­tainty and risk. Music lis­teners increas­ingly rely on their social net­work con­nec­tions to dis­cover new music and pay less atten­tion to advice from radio sta­tion DJs and record store clerks. The suc­cess of a song increas­ingly fol­lows the same logics as other chaotic net­work phe­nomena and becomes more or less impos­sible to govern.
  Get creative: The year is 2020. How will you be buying or downloading your music?
  In 2020 there will prob­ably still be a range of dif­ferent models and ser­vices for acquiring and storing recorded music, and some music lis­teners will per­haps even con­tinue buying their recorded music on CDs or vinyl. Live music per­for­mances and music licensing will most likely con­sti­tute an even larger share of the global music economy than today, and the recorded music busi­ness will more or less com­pletely have moved online. One of the most promising online models for recorded music right now is the sub­scrip­tion model where you pay a monthly fee and get access to a large music port­folio. These ser­vices have been around for a while, but still many people feel uncom­fort­able having but not "owning" their favorite music.
  But in 2020, I believe most Amer­i­cans will have grown accus­tomed to this way of acquiring and lis­tening to music, where access is far more impor­tant than own­er­ship. There are still sev­eral details to figure out about these models, pri­marily related to how the rev­enues should be shared between dif­ferent rights holders. I would nev­er­the­less be very sur­prised if these chal­lenges are not over­come by 2020 and that most of us by then have thrown out the old plastic record col­lec­tion and instead listen to music via some kind of music sub­scrip­tion service.
  Provided byNortheastern University
One more important petition To the Chairman of the European Commission - peacepink
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:14
  To the Chairman of the European CommissionJose Manuel Durao Barroso
  Dear Mr. Barroso,
  The report by the European parliament's STOA (Science and Technology Options Assessment) on ''Crowd control technologies'' states: ''In October 1999 NA
  TO announced a new policy on non-lethal weapons and their place in allied arsenals'' (pg. xlv); and ''In 1996 non-lethal tools identified by the U.S. Army included'... directed energy systems'' and ''radio frequency weapons''
  http://www.europarl.europa.eu/stoa/cms/home/publications/studies?ye... (at the bottom of the page, second reference pg. Xlvi). Directed energy system is further defined by the STOA document: ''Directed energy weapon system designed to match radio frequency source to interfere with human brain activity at synapse level''
  (http://www.europarl.europa.eu/stoa/cms/home/publications/studies?ye... at the bottom of the page, first reference, Appendix 6-67).In the European Union the number of citizens complaining of being attacked by weapons capable to manipulate their nervous system is rising. Below please find the e-mail addresses of more than 200 of those and see a rather proven case at the addresshttp://video.yandex.ru/users/mm1316/view/3/.Those people find no solution, help, protection, investigatory bodies, health tests or measures able to protect them from so-difficult-to-prove attacks, which leaves them in total defenselessness. It is obvious that the use of such means for manipulation of human beings is in sharp contrast with the basic legislations of democratic countries guaranteeing their citizens the right to personal freedom. Then it is hard to understand why, in contrast to what Russia did, there is no law in the member countries of the European Union prohibiting the possession of means enabling remote manipulation of human nervous system and their use against people by organizations and individuals as well as by government agencies and institutions. Certainly this legislation should include provisions establishing teams equipped with technologies capable to detect those detrimental radiations and their sources. According to the bill proposed by Dennis J. Kucinich in the U.S. congress the means capable to manipulate human nervous system include "land-based, sea-based or space-based systems using radiation, electromagnetic, psychotronic, sonic, laser or other energies directed at individual persons or targeted populations for the purpose of information war, mood managment or mind control of such persons or populations" http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?c107%3Achemtrails. Evidently there is more than one technology which can be used to remotely manipulate human nervous system. Therefore we ask you and the European Commission to recommend the member states of the European Union to enact legislations which would protect their citizens against directed energy, electromagnetic, psychotronic, sonic or laser radiations, which can be used to manipulate their nervous systems and consequently their bodily functions, their emotions, their thoughts and their behavior. In our opinion the teams capable to detect those detrimental radiations should be supervised by either ombudsmen or some human rights commissions with the participation of the representatives of Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch, which should guarantee that no state will use those technologies against its citizens.The Russian Defense Minister, Anatoly Serdyukov, told Vladimir Putin in March of this year: ''The development of weaponry based on new physics principles; direct-energy weapons, geophysical weapons, wave-energy weapons, genetic weapons, psychotronic weapons, etc., is part of the state arms procurement program for 2011-2020''http://en.ria.ru/mlitary_news/20120322/172332421.html. We are convinced that making those weapons parts of arsenals of the world armies would mean the end of the era of human freedom and democracy in history.For that matter we ask you that the European Union promotes, on the international forum, the international ban of the development and use of those technologies, as it was stated in the Resolution on the environment, security and foreign policy of the European parliament in 1999
  http://www.europarl.europa.eu/pv2/pv2?PRG=DOCPV&APP=PV2&DAT.... So far, we are not aware that this is actually happening. The lack of legislation in the member states of the European Union raises suspicion that this intent is not being fulfilled.
  Citizen's Association for the Ban of Manipulation of Human Nervous System by Radiofrequency Radiation (in Czech: Obcanske sdruzeni za zakaz manipulace lidske nervove soustavy radiofrekvencnim zarenim)Na Hazce 258511 01 TurnovCzech Republic Mojmir Babacek, representative of the associationmbabacek@iol.cz
Brief van Mindcontrol-slachtoffers aan Voorzitter Barroso van de Europese Commissie
  Link to Article
  Source: ZapLog - externe links
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:11
  Brief van mindcontrol-slachtoffers aan de Voorzitter van de Europese Commissie, J.M.D. Barroso
  Bron:https://www.facebook.com/viviana.mavilia
  Vertaald uit het Italiaans, zo kreeg ik deze tekst toevallig toegestuurd, '' ik zie inmiddels dat er ook een Engelse vertaling is, hier : (een site van en voor slachtoffers van MK of mindcontrol) En het origineel zal in het Tsjechisch zijn zoals blijkt uit de ondertekening.
  (Noot van de vertaler: NB dat dit initiatief niet het eerste is van zijn soort, dat net als alle andere geen enkel noemenswaardig effect heeft gesorteerd, en dat de documenten die ter onderbouwing worden aangevoerd bestaan uit officile stukken van een officieel advies-orgaan van het Europese Parlement (STOA) en op wetsvoorstellen van een Amerikaans Congreslid (Kucinich), evenals op officile Russische wetgeving, -voorwaar niet op verklaringen door loslopende 'lone-nuts' of mensen van de straat dus zal men met mij eens zijn, -en trouwens als dat wel zo ware, zaten u en ik evengoed met een gigantisch probleem, dat lijkt me een onontkoombare conclusie. Nog afgezien van het feit dat er wereldwijd duizenden heel coherente en consistentie getuigenissen van slachtoffers zijn, die absoluut bevestigd worden door technische experts en andere betrouwbare bronnen (o.a. ex-leden van geheime diensten die de klok zijn gaan luiden over dit soort zaken) die ik zoal noem in mijn andere artikelen over mindcontrol en Tesla-technologie, -hetgeen nog meer ondersteuning vormt voor genoemde conclusie lijkt mij).
  '--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--'--
  Aan de Voorzitter van de Europese Commissie, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso
  Excellentie,Het rapport uit ' 99 voor het Europese Parlement opgesteld door STOA (Science and Technology Options Assessment) over technologieen voor Crowd Control, stelt : ''in oktober 1999 heeft de NAVO een nieuw beleid aangekondigd op het gebied van 'non-lethal weapons' en soortgelijke wapens'' , en '' In 1996 heeft het Amerikaanse leger een aantal 'non-lethal weapons' gedefinieerd,....waaronder systemen die werken met 'directed energie', en 'radiofrequency weapons'. ( Zie het rapport hier in PDF-formaat.; het eerste citaat staat op p. XLV in 'fragment 2' , het tweede in ' fragment 1' in de Appendix 6-67 .) Verder op wordt door het STOA rapport het project besproken dat bestaat uit het ''door middel van 'directed weapon' -systemen koppelen van radiologische energie aan het menselijk brein om via de synapsen van de neuronen direct de hersenactiviteit te beinvloeden'' (zie zelfde site, tweede fragment, p. XLVI)
  Steeds meer mensen in de Europese Unie beklagen zich erover dat ze door middel van energetische wapens aangevallen worden. Hierbeneden kunt u een lijst aantreffen van meer dan tweehonderd van deze personen met hun mail-adressen en een video over een geval die nogal overtuigend bewijs levert voor de beweringen van de slachtoffers van deze wapens. Deze mensen kunnen nergens hulp krijgen voor hun probleem, -niet bij onderzoeks-instituten, niet bij organisaties voor slachtoffer-hulp, medische instanties etc., en er zijn geen wettelijke maatregelen beschikbaar om hen te beschermen tegen dit soort heel moeilijk bewijsbaar geweld waartegen ze geen verdediging hebben.
  Het is duidelijk dat dit soort manipulatie van mensen geheel in strijd is met alle democratische beginselen van onze landen die iedere burger zouden moeten beschermen tegen dergelijke inbreuken op hun persoonlijke levenssfeer en vrijheid. Bovendien is het onbegrijpelijk dat, anders dan in Rusland het geval is, er in geen enkel land van EU wetten bestaan die het bezit en gebruik door individuen of organisaties, inclusief de overheid, van wapens verbieden die het vermogen hebben mensen vanop afstand te manipuleren. Dergelijke wetten zouden moeten voorzien in het opzetten van organisaties die beschikken over apparatuur die in staat is de schadelijke straling van die wapens te meten, en om de bron van die straling te lokaliseren.
  Volgens het wetsvoorstel dat de Amerikaanse Afgevaardigde Dennis J. Kucinich aan het Congres heeft voorgelegd, bestaan 'directed energy' wapens voor de manipulatie van mensen uit op de grond, op zee, in de lucht of in de ruimte gestationeerde systemen die straling gebruiken van elektromagnetische, psychotronische, of akoestische aard, of van het type laser, tegen individuele mensen of hele groepen mensen in het kader van 'informatie-oorlogsvoering' of om het denken en de stemming van deze doelwitten te manipuleren. (zie voor de tekst van dit wetsvoorstel: deze link.)
  Uiteraard zijn er meerdere typen wapens om het zenuwstelsel van mensen te be¯nvloeden. Daarom willen wij u en de Europese Commissie verzoeken om de Europese lidstaten aan te bevelen wetten aan te nemen die hun burgers beschermen tegen geweld middels elektromagnetische, psychotronische, akoestische, laser-wapens etc..die gebruikt kunnen worden om het zenuwstelsel te manipuleren, en derhalve de lichaams-functies, het denken, de stemming en het gedrag van mensen.
  Naar onze mening, zouden de op te richten organisaties voor het detecteren van deze straling en haar bronnen, dienen te bestaan uit zowel burger-organisaties of leden van overheids-organen belast met de bescherming van de mensenrechten als uit leden van internationale organisaties als Amnesty International of Human Rights Watch. Dat lijkt ons de beste garantie dat geen enkele staat dit soort wapens tegen haar eigen burgers kan gebruiken.
  De Russische minister van Defensie, Anatoly Serdyukov, heeft in maart van dit jaar tegen President Poetin het volgende gezegd: ''Voor de periode 2011-2020 zijn wij van plan om te investeren in de aankoop van de middelen die nodig zijn voor de ontwikkeling van wapen-technologie die is gebaseerd op de nieuwste natuurkundige inzichten , - elektromagnetische, directed energy, psychotronische, geofysische, genetische etc., wapens ( http://en.ria.ru/mlitary_news/20120322/172332421.html ).
  Naar onze overtuiging zou het verder ontwikkelen van dit soort wapens het einde van de menselijke vrijheid en van de democratie betekenen.
  Verder willen wij u verzoeken om actief bij te dragen aan het tot stand komen van een internationaal verbod op het ontwikkelen en het gebruik van dergelijke wapensystemen, zoals dat ook voorgeschreven wordt door de resolutie over ' milieu, veiligheid en buitenlandse politiek' die het Europarlement in '99 heeft aangenomen: www.europarl.europa.eu
  Ons is tot op heden niet gebleken dat die resolutie ook werkelijk nageleefd wordt in de EU, omdat er nergens in de lidstaten sprake is van enige wetgeving aangaande deze wapens.
  Mojmir Babacek, -voorzitter van de 'Vereniging van burgers voor het verbod op de manipulatie van het zenuwstelsel d.m.v. Radiologische straling (in het Tsjechisch: Obcanske Sdruzeni za zakaz manipulace lidske nevove soustavy radiofrekvencnim zarenim)
  Na Hazce 259 511 01TurnovRepubliek Tsjechimbabacek@iol.cz
  Zie hier de video, met Engelse ondertitels. Het is vrij beroerd Engels maar met een beetje goede wil valt het verhaal wel te begrijpen:http://video.yandex.ru/users/mm1316/view/3/.
Apple Bias In The Media Has Simply Gone Too Far, Potentially Hoodwinking Investors Into Believing Apple Has Not Reached Its Zeni
  Link to Article
  Source:
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:58
  TechCrunch reports: iPhone 5 Sells Over 5M In Opening Weekend, Limited Only By Device Supply
  Apple broke records again opening weekend, with the iPhone 5 selling more than 5M in its first three days, compared to 4M for the iPhone 4S.
  Wait a minute! Apple's share price was spiking due to speculation that the iPhone 5 debut may double or more the sales of the iPhone 4S, remember? Let's take a gander at some of the bullshit that came out of the press.
  Analyst Estimates On iPhone 5 Launch Weekend SalesRange From 3M-10M TechCrunch'Ž - 5 days ago Analysts have begun making their predictions about the iPhone 5's odds of success for launch weekend sales, and in fact there's quite a range ...Blockbuster iPhone 5 launch expected to push Apple stock to $850 Apple Insider'Ž - 3 days agoiPhone 5 Crushes Sales Forecast In First Weekend - Forbes '' Apple (AAPL) announced today that pre-orders for the new iPhone 5 have now exceeded supplies, forcing some phones to be shipped in ...Surge in iPhone 5 sales forecast - FT.com Sep 13, 2012 '' Apple's rapid international rollout of the new iPhone 5 has prompted many analysts to upgrade their sales forecasts for the smartphone, with ...Some analysts increase iPhone 5 sales predictions - CBS News Sep 13, 2012 '' (CNET) Some analysts expect the iPhone 5 to be so popular that they've recalculated their iPhone sales estimates for September despite a lack ...Holiday iPhone sales projected to reach 46.5M as pundits ... '' Holiday iPhone sales projected to reach 46.5M as pundits 'underestimate' Apple. By Neil Hughes. Tech pundits who find the iPhone 5 "boring" ...iPhone 5 Sales Projections: 10 Million Units to be Sold Following ... '' The iPhone 5 has high expectations upon its release, not just for Apple customers, but the effect it could have for the US economy. Apple began ...iPhone 5 sales to hit 170 million over next year, predicts analyst ...cnet.com/.../iphone-5-sales-to-h.. And based on past sales, the iPhone 5 will capture around 85 percent of ... Schiller explained the company's ... #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21.81818199157715px;">#bbbbbb; font-family: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif; width: 400px;">
  From Business Insider:
  Apple sold the iPhone 5 in 9 countries over its opening weekend. It sold the iPhone 4S in 7. It actually sold fewer iPhones per country this year than the last. That's not just deceleration, that's shrinkage:
  iPhone Sales per country
  Decelerating growth is not good for a company like Apple, which despite a modest P/E ratio, has one of the most generous trailing 12 month revenue multiples of any hardware company on the public markets.
  As I explained in detail on the Max Keiser show, Google will be a very difficult company for Apple to successfully compete with. The problem is that practically no one seems to understand what kind of company Google is, and hence why Apple will have a nigh impossible time competing....
  This thesis has come into its own with Apple's new iOS6 operating system and its exclusion of Google Maps for its inclusion of its own in-house mapping system. The end result? #FAIL, ##disasater!!!
  Hacker reportedly ports Google Maps to iOS 6 CNET'Ž
  iPhone 5 Problems: Apple Tries to Steal Google Maps Staff to Fix Its iOS 6 Maps Mess PolicyMic'Ž
  iOS 6 Maps problem, maybe Apple should have called it beta ... www.phonesreview.co.uk/...
  Wrong turn: Apple's buggy iOS 6 maps lead to widespread - The Verge Apple has a maps problem. The major new feature of the company's new ...
  Apple Mapocalypse Sends iOS 6 Users Into a Tizzy, Riverbank - Wired
  Apple On iOS 6 Maps Flubs: This Is Hard, Okay?
  Apple statement apologises for iOS 6 Maps problems | Electricpig
  #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21.81818199157715px;">This is what happens when a handset manufacturer attempts to take on the world's largest data company. Now to be fair, Apple had very liitle choice in the matter since its relationship with Google and its OEMs have gotten global litigation level bad, but still this is an area where Apple is sorely outclassed and it will never hav a chance to catch up while maintaining those uber-fat margins that the hedge fund hotel crowd has grown to relay on.
  This guy Ben Parr over at Cnet was the only one in the Apple adoring press that seems to have gotten it right, read on... Mapping is a core function of any smartphone. Every person who has a smartphone has a need for maps. If Apple removed Maps from iOS completely, customers would start switching to other smartphones. It's just that important.
  So if you're Tim Cook, you have two choices. You can either A) let your enemy Google continue to power your default Maps application, or B) you can build your own Maps app and kick Google to the curb.
  This is the decision that Tim Cook and his team faced when they decided to jettison Google Maps as the default mapping application for iOS. Instead, Apple decided to build its own Maps application, powered partly by data from TomTom.
  As many of you know by now, Apple Maps has been under fire since its release. The complaints are numerous: Maps doesn't come with transit directions, mislabels cities and other landmarks, forgets rivers and thinks farms are airports. There's even a popular Tumblr dedicated to the mistakes iOS 6 Maps makes.
  iOS 6 Maps, while a beautifully-designed application, clearly wasn't ready for prime time. This shouldn't come as a surprise: Google Maps is more than seven years old, and Google employsmore than 7,000 people on it, including the thousands of drivers who make Street View possible. Apple, on the other hand, is frantically hiring engineers to fix the gaping holes users have uncovered in Maps.
  Let's go back to the original question: did Apple make the right decision with Maps? It's easy to say in hindsight that Apple should have stuck with Google or waited another year to release its own Maps app. However, consider the factors that Apple had to deal with:
  Allowing Google to control a key piece of iOS was unacceptable. If Apple had no alternative to Google Maps, the search giant could have made high demands that Apple would have had to accept. Having no default Maps application is unthinkable for a major smartphone.The longer Apple took to release its own Maps app, the more entrenched Google Maps would be.The only way to test a new map application at a large scale it to release it to users. They will be able to find holes quicker than a small team of engineers.A mapping application can only go so far without large amounts of user-generated data.....iOS 6 Maps is a disappointment any way you slice it. I have friends who refuse to upgrade to iOS 6 because of Maps. But Apple wasn't going to learn anything keeping Maps locked away for another year, and there was no way it was going to let Google control its mapping technology for a minute longer than it had to.
  Apple's taking some serious blows for its buggy Maps app. But it made the right decision releasing it. Now it's just a question of how quickly Apple can fix iOS 6 Maps' many flaws and stem the negative press it has generated. Apple's probably going to be feeling the pain for a while.
  I clearly called Apple's problem in the Max Keiser interview above. Google is light years ahead of Apple in cloud/distributed computing/applied data tech, experience and capabilities. This maps fiasco is merely the beginning, for Apple TV will face a real challenge from YouTube once it becomes an actual network in lieu of simply a platform (witness and reference the push for new, original content) and Google's many cloud based apps start making the iOS functionality appear as dated as it is. Apple has a very, very slim chance of catching up, and if it does it will because it spend a LOT of money, chopping up those margins.
  Hence the prophetic, yet lonely and controversial piece from two years ago - Apple on the Margin, as well as Evidence Of Apple's Margin Compression Crops for its tablets.
  Follow me:
  All paying subscribers should download the Google Q1-2012 Valuation Summary, wherein we have updated the valuation numbers for Google using a variety of metrics. Click here to subscribe or upgrade.
  Google still exhibits the likelihood that they will control mobile computing for the balance of the decade.
  Subscription research:
  A couple of bits from our archives...
  Average:Your rating: NoneAverage: 2.7(7 votes)
Canadian Government Knows if You Are Gay
  Link to Article
  Source: EconomicPolicyJournal.com
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:57
  Canada's CBC News reports:Some members of the gay and lesbian community are raising concerns about privacy issues after they were sent an email from the office of the immigration minister that extols the government's handling of cases of lesbian and gay refugees from Iran.
  Many of the people who received the email, sent from Immigration Minister Jason Kenney's office, are asking how Kenney and his government know their sexual orientation.
  "I just thought, my god, this is complete propaganda, how did he get my email? What the heck is going on here?" said Datejie Green, from Toronto.
  The email was titled "LGBT Refugees from Iran" and touted what Kenney called his government's strong record of defending gay and lesbian rights around the world.
  "This is scary. This is actually really scary," Green said. "I wasn't just disturbed, I was frightened, because they're clearly stockpiling lists of particular constituencies of Canadians, for their propaganda."
  On a further note, it looks like the Canadian government got the same memo as CNN's Piers Morgan, who asked Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last night how he would handle it if one of his children were gay.Ah yes, another reason to attack Iran, Ahmadinejad is a homophobe. Let's just hope the missiles don't hit some Iranian transvestites by accident.
  (ht Ash Navabi)
DutchNews.nl - Opposition grows to limit on temporary staff sick pay.
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:57
  Opposition grows to limit on temporary staff sick payTuesday 25 September 2012
  Unions and employers are opposed to cabinet plans to cut the sick pay entitlement of staff on flexible contracts from two years to three months, the Volkskrant reports on Tuesday.
  'It is right to take measures to reduce absenteeism, but if flexible staff are going to be treated differently to people on permanent contracts, that will increase the difference between the two,' Aart van der Gaag, head of the staffing agency association ABU told the paper.
  Social affairs minister Henk Kamp plans to shake up sick pay laws from January next year. The change will mean only staff on a permanent contract would have the right to two years of sick pay.
  The plan was part of the government agreement signed when the outgoing cabinet was put together in 2010 and adopted in the spring austerity talks agreed this year.
  The upper house of parliament is due to vote on the plan in October. The Netherlands has around one million workers on temporary or flexible contracts.
  Should employers pay two years of sick pay for temporary staff? Have your say using the comment form below.
  (C) DutchNews.nl
  Readers' comments
  Leave a comment
US Conducts New Type of Nuclear Test Using Intense X-Ray Beams
  Link to Article
  Source: Global Research
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:56
  OSAKA: Japan's southwestern city of Nagasaki expressed its outrage and protest against a new type of nuclear test conducted for the sixth time in August by the United States, the local press reported on Tuesday.
  The report said that the United States conducted a nuclear test which simulated a nuclear blast using intense X-ray beams and checked how plutonium would react at the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico on August 27.
  The sixth test caused further condemnation by the city, following last week's protest against the fifth new type of nuclear test which was reportedly carried out between April and June this year.
  According to the report, Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue sent a letter of protest, dated September 24, to U.S. President Barack Obama, saying that the people of Nagasaki, who have been calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons, cannot retrain their resentment after encountering reports about a further test despite their protest.
  ''As a representative of an atomic-bombed city strongly protest again,'' the mayor said.
  The letter also urged that the United States make sincere efforts to stop any nuclear tests, adding that the country should fulfill its leadership role in achieving a world without nuclear weapons.
  Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Center of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post original Global Research articles on community internet sites as long as the text & title are not modified. The source and the author's copyright must be displayed. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: publications@globalresearch.ca
  www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.
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Obama says anti-Muslim video 'is an insult not only to Muslims, but to America'
  Link to Article
  Source: The Daily Star >> Live News
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:52
  United Nations: President Barack Obama Tuesday vowed to hunt those behind the "attack on America" in Libya that killed the US ambassador and said a "disgusting" film that insulted Muslims was no excuse for violence.
  "The attacks on our civilians in Benghazi were attacks on America. There should be no doubt that we will be relentless in tracking down the killers and bringing them to justice," Obama told the UN General Assembly.
  But while eulogizing US ambassador Christopher Stevens, who was killed two weeks ago along with three other Americans, Obama also styled the attack as not just an assault on America, but also on the ideals behind the United Nations.
  "Today, we must affirm that our future will be determined by people like Chris Stevens, and not by his killers. Today, we must declare that this violence and intolerance has no place among our United Nations."
  In his annual speech to the world body, Obama again condemned the video produced by Coptic Christian extremists in the United States that set violence raging across the Arab world as "crude and disgusting."
  But he said that however vile, no exercise of free speech that is protected by the US Constitution could justify killing and violence.
  "Here in the United States, countless publications provoke offense. Like me, the majority of Americans are Christian, and yet we do not ban blasphemy against our most sacred beliefs.
  "Moreover, as president of our country, and commander-in-chief of our military, I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day, and I will always defend their right to do so."
  Obama also warned that in 2012 "when anyone with a cell phone can spread offensive views around the world with the click of a button, the notion that we can control the flow of information is obsolete."
  "The question, then, is how we respond. And on this we must agree: there is no speech that justifies mindless violence."
  "There are no words that excuse the killing of innocents. There is no video that justifies an attack on an embassy."
Lofgren to White House: Search, social networks should be exempt from cyber order
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:52
  Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) on Monday urged the White House's top cybersecurity official to ensure that social networking, search engines and e-commerce networks are exempt from any security standards included in a cybersecurity executive order.
  Instead, Lofgren argued that these standards should only apply to companies that operate critical infrastructure and otherwise "could cause major economic disruption, the loss of thousands of lives or severe degradation of national security" if disrupted.
  "Imposing cybersecurity standards on non-critical systems can divert attention away from actions that are central to the functioning of American society and public safety while posing a negative impact on free expression, privacy, business operating costs and innovation in digital services," Lofgren wrote in a letter to White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Michael Daniel.
  "Cybersecurity standards for non-critical systems is better addressed through a transparent legislative process that affords technical experts and the public adequate opportunity for input," she added.
  After Congress failed to pass legislation on cybersecurity this year, the White House moved ahead and drafted an executive order aimed at protecting the nation's critical infrastructure from cyberattack. The draft order tracks closely with a measure in a cybersecurity bill by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) that would establish a voluntary program in which companies would elect to verify that their computer systems and networks meet a set of security standards developed, in part, by the government.
  Lofgren, whose district is home to tech companies like eBay and PayPal, has long cautioned against policies that would disrupt the tech industry and stunt innovation.
  "Targeting the executive order to critical infrastructure will allocate agency resources more efficiently, minimize conflicting regulatory requirements, and address the most acute threats to public safety," Lofgren said.
  Her concerns are similar to those voiced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in a letter sent to Daniel earlier this month. In the letter, Wyden argued that e-commerce, social networking and search networks are unlikely to pose threats to national security and should be excluded from the executive order.
Buchanan: Romney Overpaid His Taxes so No One Would Think He Was Misleading Them in January
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:51
  After dismissing the poll numbers which are not moving in their favor and the uphill battle they're facing with the number of swing states the Romney campaign is going to need to win, Romney surrogate Bay Buchanan made this excuse for Mitt Romney not taking all of his charitable contributions as deductions after having said earlier that paying more taxes than he owed would disqualify him to be president.
  BUCHANAN: No, that's simple. He's always paid exactly what's been required by law. Whatever his accountants said needed to be paid, he's written a check, no questions asked. And what happened this year is in January, he estimated, there was an estimate accountants gave him of what he would be paying. And when they finally did the tax return they said, Gov. Romney, I'm sorry but, you're not paying that high. And he said, well I told the people I was going to be paying that much, so that's what I'm going to pay.
  And so it was just to make certain that it wasn't a misleading statement that he made in January. You know, this is what's interesting, is last night, Barack Obama said on television, he actually said that the last ten days of the turmoil in the Middle East was a bump in the road. Chris, four Americans were killed. Four Americans in a terrorist attack on our consulate. Flags... American flags are being burned... and, and, and what... this is a bump in the road. It's time to start talking about Barack Obama and how he's completely clueless on foreign policy and the economy.
  Yeah, that's going to make people feel better. I had them fudge the numbers because I'm running for office for Pete's sake. I can't have them think I was lying. And then of course let's change the subject to the latest faux outrage of the day based on a lie that appears to have started with neocon Romney fan-girl Jennifer Rubin. They just keep looking more and more desperate, latching onto every single little sound byte they can find and blowing things out of proportion and out of context. They're just flailing around aimlessly, throwing mud against every wall praying something sticks.
  And the Romney campaign really needs to get themselves some better spokespeople to come on television. Buchanan was so angry here, she's baring her teeth. I think it's a toss up between Buchanan and Sununu as to who the absolute worst surrogate they keep trotting out there. They're both about as equally angry and unhinged on the air.
Florida: Court Approves Detaining Motorists at Toll Booth
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:23
  Related NewsFlorida: Court Approves Detaining Motorists at Toll Booth
  Virginia: Toll Road Deal Ensures 73 Years of Gridlock
  Public Officials Upset Over Tolling
  Texas Study Finds Wider Highways Safer, Virginia Narrows Roads
  Washington: Toll Roads Re-Direct Congestion
  View Main Topics:Subscribe via RSS or E-MailBack To Front Page
  9/24/2012
  Florida: Court Approves Detaining Motorists at Toll BoothUS Court of Appeals upholds right of toll road operators to detain drivers for using large denomination currency.Motorists can be held indefinitely at toll booths if they pay with large denomination bills, according to a federal appeals court ruling handed down Wednesday. A family of drivers -- Joel, Deborah and Robert Chandler -- filed suit last year arguing they were effectively being held hostage by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the private contractor in charge of the state's toll road, Faneuil, Inc.
  Under FDOT policies in place at the time, motorists who paid with $50 bills, and occasionally even $5 bills, were not given permission to proceed until the toll collector filled out a "Bill Detection Report" with data about the motorist's vehicle and details from his driver's license. Many of those who chose to pay cash did so to avoid the privacy implications of installing a SunPass transponder that recorded their driving habits. They were likewise unwilling to provide personal information to the toll collector, but they had no alternative because the toll barrier would not be raised without compliance. FDOT policy does not allow passengers to exit their vehicle, and backing up is illegal and usually impossible while other cars wait behind. FDOT dropped the Bill Detection Reports in 2010.
  A three-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit US Court of Appeals did not buy the argument that these motorist detentions rose to the level of a constitutional violation.
  "The fact that a person is not free to leave on his own terms at a given moment, however, does not, by itself, mean that the person has been 'seized' within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment," the court wrote in its unsigned decision. "In Florida, a person's right and liberty to use a highway is not absolute; it may be regulated in the public interest through reasonable and reasonably executed regulations."
  The judges found it was reasonable for Fanueil to set regulations for use of the road -- including the types of acceptable payment. The court decided that drivers implicitly agreed to those conditions by choosing to use the toll road.
  "The Chandlers have not alleged that they were forced to pay their tolls with large-denomination bills, thereby subjecting themselves to whatever delay was caused by completion of the Bill Detection Report," the court ruled. "They chose to pay their toll with large-denomination bills. Nor have they alleged that they asked to withdraw the large report-triggering bill in favor of a smaller delay-free bill and were denied that opportunity."
  The court dismissed the lawsuit in its entirety. A copy of the decision is available in a 100k PDF file at the source link below.
  Source:Chandler v. FDOT (US Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, 9/19/2012)
  Permanent Link for this itemReturn to Front Page
Napa Woman Faces Vandalism Charges for Chalking 9/11 Truth Messages on Sidewalk | Disinformation
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:06
  DISCUSS (0)Posted by Camron Wiltshire on September 25, 2012
  Picture: Keith Rowley (CC)
  According to the Napa Valley Register, a local woman is facing vandalism charges after chalking ''9/11 Truth'' on a public sidewalk:
  Amy Larson readily admits writing ''9/11 Truth'' and ''9/11 Truth Now'' in chalk on the First Street sidewalk over Napa Creek.
  ''I just want people to think for themselves,'' said Larson, 29. ''I believe we've lost a lot of civil liberties since the 9/11 attacks. I'm really concerned about that.
  ''This is political free speech,'' added Larson, who says the investigation into the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C. should be reopened.
  Her chalk writing '-- which occurred Sept. 11, the 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks '-- got Larson arrested on suspicion of vandalism.
  Read more at Napa Valley Register.
  Posted in:9/11 Truth Now, 911 Truth, amy larson, Constitution, Freedom of Speech, Graffiti, n.w.o, NDAA, Police, provokes, sidewalk chalk, thought, vandalism
Dirty Music Industry Execs Exposed!
  Link to Article
  Source: Jacky Jasper's Diary of a Hollywood Street King
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:21
  by Jacky Jasper
  Blood Money In Music?HSK Exclusive - Industry insiders are revealing some shocking information that could out some of the music business' leading players as accepting blood money from some of the criminal underworld's most powerful figures. Now, there may be much more behind Chris Lighty's decision to take his own life than originally thought.
  Sources say Lighty had a $40-Million deal on the table just before his suicide. Don't believe me.. Ask Mona Scott Young. We're told the status of the deal since Lighty's sudden death is not known. According to our source, Chris Lighty accepted a large sums of money from some well known crime figures, a few years back. And, we're told, Lighty isn't the only exec who did so '' explaining ''it's the thing to do when you're a record executive''.
  Here's the drop:
  ''Nobody in the industry wants to talk about Chris Lighty's death '' but the streets are talking.
  Jacky, rich black men don't kill themselves. Record executives take money from gangsta's all the time, only to tell the gangsta's later their investment didn't work out. For instance, Lyor Cohen took money from some Russian gangsta's, and they're going to be looking for him soon. Trust that!''
  The truth will eventually come to light. Don't you agree?
  Please Share This Article -Other HSK Articles:
Het GSM spookbellen syndroom
  Link to Article
  Source: Een andere kijk op nieuws @infomagnl » Nieuws items
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:20
  Geplaatst @ 25 september 2012
  U voelt uw GSM in uw broekzak bellen, maar wanneer u kijkt zijn er geen nieuwe of gemiste oproepen of berichten te zien. Volgens een onderzoek zou 7 op de 10 mensen regelmatig last hebben van het GSM spookbellen syndroom, en volgens de onderzoekers zit het probleem niet alleen ergens tussen onze oren. E(C)n van de theorien suggereert dat het GSM spookbellen syndroom het resultaat is van elektromagnetische interferentie, maar nu denken wetenschappers de werkelijke oorzaak van het syndroom te kunnen verklaren.Alex Blaszczynski, decaan bij de School of Psychology van de universiteit van Sydney, gelooft dat het syndroom veroorzaakt wordt door elektrische activiteit. In The Sydney Morning Herald verklaart hij dat het syndroom gerelateerd is aan de elektrische signalen die door middel van een transmissie doorkomen en de omgeving van de zenuwen raken, waardoor men een soort trilling voelt. Als het klopt wat Blaszczynski zegt dan is het syndroom - het voelen van - geen verzinsel van onze verbeelding, maar een werkelijke lichamelijke gewaarwording.
  Michael Rothberg, een internist van het Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, oordeelt - middels de resultaten van een enquªte - dat het GSM spookbellen syndroom veroorzaakt kan worden door een verkeerde interpretatie van zintuiglijke signalen in de hersenen.
  De enquªte van Rothberg bracht aan het licht dat 68 procent van de ondervraagden last heeft van het GSM spookbellen syndroom. Van die 68 procent voelt 87 procent de trillingen wekelijks en 13 procent de trillingen dagelijks.Rothberg denkt dat onze hersenen een zodanig grote hoeveelheid sensorische input moeten verwerken, dat de hersenen de informatie filteren naar wat ze verwachten te voelen, een proces dat bekend zou staan onder de naam 'hypothesis guided search'.
Afrojack 'meest succesvolle man'?
  Link to Article
  Source: Telegraaf.nl - prive
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:19
  di 25 sep 2012, 12:52
  van onze redactieAMSTERDAM - Wordt Afrojack dit jaar door uitgeroepen tot 'meest succesvolle en charismatische man' van ons land? De dj is een van de genomineerden voor de JFK Greatest Man Award 2012.
  Naast Afrojack staan onder meer turner Epke Zonderland, politicus Diederik Samson, advocaat Bram Moszkowicz en acteurs Barry Atsma, Michiel Huisman en Robert de Hoog op de lijst met vijftig genomineerden voor de jaarlijkse award van mannenblad JFK.
  JFK magazine reikt de prijs dit jaar voor de zesde keer uit, op 27 oktober in het Amsterdamse Okura-hotel. Afgelopen jaren werden onder meer Edwin van der Sar, Hugo Borst en Matthijs van Nieuwkerk onderscheiden.
  Proefabonnement,10 weken '‚¬ 30,-!(C) 1996-2012 Telegraaf Media Nederland | Landelijke Media B.V., Amsterdam.Alle rechten voorbehouden.e-mail: redactie-i@telegraaf.nlPrivacy | Cookies | Disclaimer
Missing directions: Will Apple's old maps app live on forever?
  Link to Article
  Source: CNET News
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:17
  Google Maps on iOS has been replaced with Apple's own technology, but that doesn't mean it's disappearing entirely.
  For those who haven't yet upgraded to Apple's iOS 6, or who can't upgrade because they're using an older device, there's an air of uncertainty about just how long they'll get to be able to use one of its most useful features.
  That feature is maps, something that used to be powered by Google in iOS versions 1 to 5, but which now uses data from Apple in iOS 6.
  Love it or hate it, Apple Maps are here to stay. But can you say the same about the old version?
  Neither company is willing to say. An Apple spokesperson declined to comment on the terms or expiration of the deal between it and Google. Google did not respond to a request for comment.
  Still, there's reason for users to believe that Google will continue serving the iOS 5 version of maps for the foreseeable future.
  "I would be surprised if they have the contractual right to stop," said Scott Rafer, CEO of mapping company Lumatic.
  Lumatic is the maker of City Maps, a provider of free transit directions inside the new Apple Maps app. It licenses data from Nokia and OpenStreetMap.
  "Normally the ways those contracts are written are, hey, this covers support of new versions of the software through X date," Rafer said, adding that he had not seen the Apple-Google contract.
  Assuming that's the case here, iOS 5 users should be able to rest easy about the mapping functionality on their older devices.
  Perhaps backing that up is the fact that Google says it will keep supporting the old version of YouTube, another piece of Google software removed in iOS 6. The company confirmed to CNET that it would continue serving videos inside the app indefinitely. Meanwhile, it has built its own standalone app for iOS 6 users, which is available on the App Store.
  At its annual developers conference in June, Apple touted its new maps app as one of the major features of iOS 6 -- and a big step up from Google's offering. But now that they have it in hand, many consumers beg to differ. While impressive in places, critics have found the application less accurate and complete compared with Google's offering.
  Still, Apple has published data showing that users are upgrading to its latest software at a very speedy clip. According to metrics released by the company yesterday, 100 million of Apple's 400 million iOS users have upgraded to iOS 6. The software, which was released as a free update last Wednesday, can be installed on the iPhone 3GS, 4 and 4S, along with the second- and third-generation iPads, and fourth-generation iPod Touch. That keeps those with older devices -- a number Apple does not share -- on older versions of the software.
  One prospect that remains for those who have upgraded is Google delivering its own Maps app. So far the company has kept an almost Apple-like veil of secrecy around the project, saying only that its objective was to make the software "available to everyone who wants to use it, regardless of device, browser, or operating system."
  Read the full CNET ReviewApple iOS 6The bottom line: The transition to Apple Maps is rough, but new features and a ton of tiny tweaks make iOS 6 a must-have update. Read Full Review
You Know You Are a Conspiracy Theorist If'...
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:13
  You are capable of critical thinking.
  You distrust mainstream media.
  You like nature.
  You think it's a good idea to spend the Friday after Thanksgiving with your family rather than camping outside Best Buy to get a cheap plasma television made in China.
  You think it's a little strange that WTC building 7 came down at free fall speed on 9/11 yet it was never hit by a plane.
  You think that drones in America might not be for Al Qaeda.
  You would like to be able to get on a plane without having to engage in a mandatory radiation bath and digital strip search.
  You have read a book in the past year.
  You think you have the right to protest.
  You think the War on Terror is a scam.
  You think the War on Drugs is a scam.
  You think the anger directed at America from the Middle East could possibly be related to our foreign policy rather than hating how amazingly free we are.
  You think the Republicans and Democrats are exactly the same on the important issues affecting our country.
  You think believing in The Constitution does not constitute a terrorist act.
  You have heard of the Bill of Rights and can even name what some of them are.
  You question whether the government loves you.
  You think the right to bear arms is not for hunting, rather so citizens can fight back should the government become a bunch of tyrannical thugs.
  You don't own a television, and if you do, all you watch is RT, especially the Keiser Report and Capital Account.
  You don't think the NDAA is the name of Kesha's latest single.
  You think rich, powerful and connected people should be subject to the rule of law and go to jail if they commit crimes. Even if they are bankers and work at JP Morgan or Goldman Sachs.
  You think corporations aren't people.
  You think Warren Buffet is a phony and a crony capitalist.
  You don't care that Warren Buffet likes cherry coke, hamburgers and ice cream. He's still a bad guy.
  You know that gold was made illegal by FDR in 1933 and confiscated from the American people. You know that gold bullion remained illegal for Americans to own until 1975.
  You think politicians that push for war should be sent to fight on the front lines. If they are unable, their children should go.
  You want your food to be labeled GMO so that you can make your own decisions on what you are consuming.
  You grow your own food.
  You buy raw milk.
  You think food and energy should be included in inflation calculations.
  You are aware that the Department of Homeland Security has purchased 1.2 billion rounds of ammo in the past year.
  You question whether said ammo purchases are in anticipation of a Normandy beach style landing by Al Qaeda.
  You think allowing a small group of unelected people (The Federal Reserve) to print unlimited amounts of money and distribute it as they please might not be a good idea.
  If you answered yes to more than five of the above, you might be a conspiracy theorist. You also may be on the government's terror watch list. Be very alarmed and report it to the authorities immediately should you discover your neighbors engaged in such uncivilized thought.
  Best of luck comrades,Mike
  . Bookmark the
  .
You Know You Are A Conspiracy Theorist If...
  Link to Article
  Source: ZapLog - externe links
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:10
  Submitted by Mike Krieger of Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,
  You are capable of critical thinking.You distrust mainstream media.You like nature.You think it's a good idea to spend the Friday after Thanksgiving with your family rather than camping outside Best Buy to get a cheap plasma television made in China.You think it's a little strange that WTC building 7 came down at free fall speed on 9/11 yet it was never hit by a plane.You think that drones in America might not be for Al Qaeda.You would like to be able to get on a plane without having to engage in a mandatory radiation bath and digital strip search.You have read a book in the past year.You think you have the right to protest.You think the War on Terror is a scam.You think the War on Drugs is a scam.You think the anger directed at America from the Middle East could possibly be related to our foreign policy rather than hating how amazingly free we are.You think the Republicans and Democrats are exactly the same on the important issues affecting our country.You think believing in The Constitution does not constitute a terrorist act.You have heard of the Bill of Rights and can even name what some of them are.You question whether the government loves you.You think the right to bear arms is not for hunting, rather so citizens can fight back should the government become a bunch of tyrannical thugs.You don't own a television, and if you do, all you watch is RT, especially the Keiser Report and Capital Account.You don't think the NDAA is the name of Kesha's latest single.You think rich, powerful and connected people should be subject to the rule of law and go to jail if they commit crimes. Even if they are bankers and work at JP Morgan or Goldman Sachs.You think corporations aren't people.You think Warren Buffet is a phony and a crony capitalist.You don't care that Warren Buffet likes cherry coke, hamburgers and ice cream. He's still a bad guy.You know that gold was made illegal by FDR in 1933 and confiscated from the American people. You know that gold bullion remained illegal for Americans to own until 1975.You think politicians that push for war should be sent to fight on the front lines. If they are unable, their children should go.You want your food to be labeled GMO so that you can make your own decisions on what you are consuming.You grow your own food.You buy raw milk.You think food and energy should be included in inflation calculations.You are aware that the Department of Homeland Security has purchased 1.2 billion rounds of ammo in the past year.You question whether said ammo purchases are in anticipation of a Normandy beach style landing by Al Qaeda.You think allowing a small group of unelected people (The Federal Reserve) to print unlimited amounts of money and distribute it as they please might not be a good idea.If you answered yes to more than five of the 32 questions above, you might be a conspiracy theorist.
  You also may be on the government's terror watch list.
  Be very alarmed and report it to the authorities immediately should you discover your neighbors engaged in such uncivilized thought.
  Average:Your rating: NoneAverage: 4.9(129 votes)
Easing of Sanctions: Iran has Offered Deal to Halt Uranium Enrichment to 20 Percent
  Link to Article
  Source: ZapLog - externe links
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:05
  Iran has again offered to halt its enrichment of uranium to 20 percent, which the United States has identified as its highest priority in the nuclear talks, in return for easing sanctions against Iran, according to Iran's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
  Ali Asghar Soltanieh, who has conducted Iran's negotiations with the IAEA in Tehran and Vienna, revealed in an interview with IPS that Iran had made the offer at the meeting between EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton and Iran's leading nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in Istanbul Sep. 19.
  Soltanieh also revealed in the interview that IAEA officials had agreed last month to an Iranian demand that it be provided documents on the alleged Iranian activities related to nuclear weapons which Iran is being asked to explain, but that the concession had then been withdrawn.
  ''We are prepared to suspend enrichment to 20 percent, provided we find a reciprocal step compatible with it,'' Soltanieh said, adding, ''We said this in Istanbul.''
  Soltanieh is the first Iranian official to go on record as saying Iran has proposed a deal that would end its 20-percent enrichment entirely, although it had been reported previously.
  ''If we do that,'' Soltanieh said, ''there shouldn't be sanctions.''
  Iran's position in the two rounds of negotiations with the P5+1 '' China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain, the United States and Germany '' earlier this year was reported to have been that a significant easing of sanctions must be part of the bargain.
  The United States and its allies in the P5+1 ruled out such a deal in the two rounds of negotiations in Istanbul and in Baghdad in May and June, demanding that Iran not only halt its enrichment to 20 percent but ship its entire stockpile of uranium enriched to that level out of the country and close down the Fordow enrichment facility entirely.
  Even if Iran agreed to those far-reaching concessions the P5+1 nations offered no relief from sanctions.
  Soltanieh repeated the past Iranian rejection of any deal involving the closure of Fordow.
  ''It's impossible if they expect us to close Fordow,'' Soltanieh said.
  The U.S. justification for the demand for the closure of Fordow has been that it has been used for enriching uranium to the 20-percent level, which makes it much easier for Iran to continue enrichment to weapons grade levels.
  But Soltanieh pointed to the conversion of half the stockpile to fuel plates for the Tehran Research Reactor, which was documented in the Aug. 30 IAEA report.
  ''The most important thing in the (IAEA) report,'' Soltanieh said, was ''a great percentage of 20-percent enriched uranium already converted to powder for the Tehran Research Reactor.''
  That conversion to powder for fuel plates makes the uranium unavailable for reconversion to a form that could be enriched to weapons grade level.
  Soltanieh suggested that the Iranian demonstration of the technical capability for such conversion, which apparently took the United States and other P5+1 governments by surprise, has rendered irrelevant the P5+1 demand to ship the entire stockpile of 20-percent enriched uranium out of the country.
  ''This capacity shows that we don't need fuel from other countries,'' said Soltanieh.
  Iran began enriching uranium to 20 percent in 2010 after the United States made a virtually non-negotiable offer in 2009 to provide fuel plates for the Tehran Research Reactor in return for Iran's shipping three-fourths of its low-enriched uranium stockpile out of the country and waiting for two years for the fuel plates.
  The P5+1 demand for closure of the Fordow enrichment plant was also apparently based on the premise the facility was built exclusively for 20-percent enrichment. But Iran has officially informed the IAEA that it is for both enrichment to 20 percent and enrichment to 3.5 percent.
  The 1,444 centrifuges installed at Fordow between March and August '' but not connected to pipes, according to the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security '' could be used for either 20-percent enrichment or 3.5-percent enrichment, giving Iran additional leverage in future negotiations.
  Soltanieh revealed that two senior IAEA officials had accepted a key Iranian demand in the most recent negotiating session last month on a ''structured agreement'' on Iranian cooperation on allegations of ''possible military dimensions'' of its nuclear programme '' only to withdraw the concession at the end of the meeting.
  The issue was Iran's insistence on being given all the documents on which the IAEA bases the allegations of Iranian research related to nuclear weapons which Iran is expected to explain to the IAEA's satisfaction.
  The Feb. 20 negotiating text shows that the IAEA sought to evade any requirement for sharing any such documents by qualifying the commitment with the phrase ''where appropriate''.
  At the most recent meeting on Aug. 24, however, the IAEA negotiators, Deputy Director General for Safeguards Herman Nackaerts and Assistant Director General for Policy Rafael Grossi, agreed for the first time to a commitment to ''deliver the documents related to activities claimed to have been conducted by Iran'', according to Soltanieh.
  At the end of the meeting, however, Nackaerts and Grossi ''put this language in brackets'', thus leaving it unresolved, Soltanieh said.
  Former IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei recalls in his 2011 memoirs that he had ''constantly pressed the source of the information'' on alleged Iranian nuclear weapons research '' meaning the United States '' ''to allow us to share copies with Iran''. He writes that he asked how he could ''accuse a person without revealing the accusations against him?''
  ElBaradei also says Israel gave the IAEA a whole new set of documents in late summer 2009 ''purportedly showing that Iran had continued with nuclear weapons studies until at least 2007'".
  Soltanieh confirmed that the other unresolved issue is whether the IAEA investigation will be open-ended or not.
  The Feb. 20 negotiating text showed that Iran demanded a discrete list of topics to which the IAEA inquiry would be limited and a requirement that each topic would be considered ''concluded'' once Iran had answered the questions and delivered the information requested.
  But the IAEA insisted on being able to ''return'' to topics that had been ''discussed earlier'', according to the February negotiating text.
  That position remains unchanged, according to Soltanieh. The Iranian ambassador quoted an IAEA negotiator as asking, ''What if next month we receive something else '-- some additional information?'''.
  ''If the IAEA had its way,'' Soltanieh said, ''It would be another 10 or 20 years.''
  Soltanieh told IPS a meeting between Iran and the IAEA set for mid-October had been agreed before the IAEA Board of Governors earlier this month with Nackaerts and Grossi.
  The Iranian ambassador said the IAEA officials had promised him that Director General Yukia Amano would announce the meeting during the Board meeting, but Amano made no such announcement.
  Instead, after a meeting with Fereydoun Abbasi, Iran's Vice President and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Amano only referred to the ''readiness of Agency negotiators to meet with Iran in the near future.''
  ''He didn't keep the promise,'' said Soltanieh, adding that Iran would have to ''study in the capital'' how to respond.
  Soltanieh elaborated on Abassi's suggestion last week that the sabotage of power to the Fordow facility the night before an IAEA request for a snap inspection of the facility showed the agency could be infiltrated by ''terrorists and saboteurs''.
  ''The objection we have is that the DG isn't protecting confidential information,'' said Soltanieh. ''When they have information on how many centrifuges are working and how many are not working (in IAEA reports), this is a very serious concern.''
  Iran has complained for years about information gathered by IAEA inspectors, including data on personnel in the Iranian nuclear programme, being made available to U.S., Israeli and European intelligence agencies.
  Gareth Porter, an investigative historian and journalist specialising in U.S. national security policy, received the UK-based Gellhorn Prize for journalism for 2011 for articles on the U.S. war in Afghanistan.
Google chief criticises Apple over iPhone Maps app
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:02
  Mr Schmidt said Google and Apple were in constant communication "at all kinds of levels." But he said any decision on whether Google Maps would be accepted as an application in the Apple App Store would have to be made by Apple.
  "We have not done anything yet," he said.
  Google and Apple were close partners with the original iPhone in 2007 and its inclusion of YouTube and Google Maps. But the ties between the two have been strained by the rise of Google's Android mobile operating system, now the world's leading platform for smartphones.
  Schmidt said he hoped Google would remain Apple's search partner on the iPhone but said that question was up to Apple.
  "I'm not doing any predictions. We want them to be our partner. We welcome that. I'm not going to speculate at all what they're going to do. They can answer that question as they see fit," he said.
  Google provides Android free of charge and allows developers to add applications on an open basis, betting that by cultivating a bigger pool of users - now at over 500 million globally - it can make more money by providing search functions and selling advertising.
  "Apple is the exception, and the Android system is the common model, which is why our market share is so much higher," Schmidt said, adding that success was often ignored by the media, which he said was "obsessed with Apple's marketing events and Apple's branding."
  "That's great for Apple but the numbers are on our side," he said.
  At one point, Mr Schmidt, who was in Japan to announce the launch of Google's Nexus tablet, used the device to show off a new function of Google Maps.
  The feature allows users to shift their view of an area by moving the device in the air without touching the screen, similar to the effect of looking around.
  "Take that Apple," he said, adding quickly, "That was a joke by the way."
  Apple has promised that its Maps app will improve as it recieves reports of errors and iPhone owners add their own data.
ESM Purchase Details Leaked
  Link to Article
  Source:
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:00
  Hitting the tape are leaked detailes obtained by Bloomberg detailing what the ESM will focus on as it is unleashed on the world. From Bloomberg: Europe's permanent rescue fund will invest the core of its assets in AA or higher-rated debt issued by governments, central banks, euro-area agencies and international institutions, with the power to diversify into bank debt as it grows, its draft investment guidelines say, Bloomberg's Brian Parkin, Rebecca Christie and James G. Neuger report. The ESM will keep at least 15% of its maximum lending volume, or EU75b out of an ultimate EU500b, in ''assets of the highest creditworthiness'' as per guidelines obtained by Bloomberg News. Does that mean all countries rated AA or below are ineligible? Because that pretty much invalidates Spain and Italy? Or is the draft going to be releaked with the AA revised to A, then to B then to CCC until finally the EURUSD sustains an upward move for at least 10 pips? But the funniest headline of all:
  ESM PLANS `PLAIN VANILLA' BORROWING STRATEGY TO LURE INVESTORS Lure is truly such a great word here. After all nobody will ever get their money back.
  From BBG:
  Europe's permanent rescue fund will invest the core of its assets in AA or higher-rated debt issued by governments, central banks, euro-area agencies and international institutions, with the power to diversify into bank debt as it grows, its draft investment guidelines say.
  The European Stability Mechanism, set to go into operation next month, will keep at least 15 percent of its maximum lending volume -- or 75 billion euros ($97 billion) out of an ultimate 500 billion euros -- in ''assets of the highest creditworthiness,'' according to the guidelines obtained by Bloomberg News.
  * * *
  Euro-area governments will start paying into the ESM next month, raising its capital to 80 billion euros by mid-2014. The first 75 billion euros of investments by the fully capitalized fund will be restricted to a ''general eligible assets list,'' with amounts beyond that available to purchase securities from an ''enlarged'' list that includes bank bonds.
  In addition to the 80 billion-euro cash component, euro- zone governments have agreed to provide the ESM with 620 billion euros in ''callable'' capital. Ultimately, that would leave the ESM with 700 billion euros to draw on, a sum that includes a buffer that wouldn't be lent out to distressed countries.
  Investments will focus on securities issued in euros. Any foreign-currency exposure will be hedged. The fund will use derivatives ''for risk-management purposes only,'' the document said.
  * * *
  Investments will be divided into a short-term tranche geared to capital preservation over one year and a medium- to long-term tranche geared to capital preservation over three years. The longer-dated tranche could risk a maximum 2 percent loss over one year, the document said.
  The fund will buy and sell securities ''in a prudent manner'' to maintain its creditworthiness and ''limit any effects on market prices, even in situations of market stress.''
  Other draft documents detail the ESM's borrowing strategy and dividend policies.
  Average:Your rating: NoneAverage: 5(5 votes)
Outrage Erupts: Why Are US 6th Graders Being Drug Tested?
  Link to Article
  Source: DaDenMan news feed
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:57
  Critics say that drug tests of middle school students, implemented in at least 9 states, violate the civil liberties of young people.
  Drug tests on high school, college and professional athletes have become normalized and ingrained in American culture. But revelations that middle school students are being asked to undergo drug tests to participate in athletics and other extracurricular activities are turning some heads and sparking lawsuits.
  That middle school students have been asked to pee in cups to participate in sports was the subject of an eye-opening New York Times article published September 22. The states of ''Florida, Alabama, Missouri, West Virginia, Arkansas, Ohio, New Jersey and Texas'' conduct drug testing on middle school students, the New York Times reported.
  Proponents of drug testing middle school students argue that it serves as a deterrent to drug abuse by young people. But ''there are no known instances of a middle school student testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs,'' the Times notes, and critics call the tests multi-billion dollar industry with dubious results that violate the civil liberties of young people.
  Typically, here's how the test goes: ''Students are generally given little, if any, advance notice and are pulled away from class and asked to urinate in a cup '-- unsupervised, to comply with privacy laws,'' the Times reports.
  The federal government is also in on the business. According to the Times report, ''in 2003, the Department of Education started a program that offered federal money for drug testing in grades 6 through 12.''
  - Read the entire store at AlterNet.
'Het 'Wassenaar van het Noorden' was ook wel erg na¯ef'
  Link to Article
  Source: VK: Home
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:54
  Opinie - Malou van Hintum '' 25/09/12, 13:26
  (C) ANP. De Stationsweg in Haren op 21 september.
  columnHet 'facebookfeestje' was misschien niet zo uit de hand gelopen als politie, justitie en gemeente ook expertise buiten eigen kring hadden ingeschakeld, denkt Malou van Hintum.
  Was er echt niemand die zag dat het 'feestje' almaar groter werd, mede dankzij de aandacht die populaire radiozenders het dagelijks gaven?
  Het verhaal is inmiddels bekend: een meisje kondigt op 7 september haar verjaardagspartijtje aan op Facebook en vinkt daarbij de optie 'Openbaar' aan. Twee weken later komen er duizenden jongeren naar het villadorp van 18.500 inwoners, van wie honderden zich misdragen en vernielingen aanrichten. 'Het dorp Haren veranderde in een slagveld', schrijven diverse media, en 'de gemeente had dit kunnen weten'. Elders, in Frankrijk en Duitsland, was immers al ervaring opgedaan met 'Project X'.
  Wat me verbaast, is dat er in de twee weken tussen de aankondiging van het feestje - op dezelfde dag was al duidelijk welke 'fout' het meisje had gemaakt - en de avond van de rellen schijnbaar weinig is gebeurd. Uiteindelijk zijn er straatnaambordjes verwijderd - alsof er geen TomToms bestaan - en moesten vijfhonderd agenten de eerste 'feestgangers' en de eerste klappen opvangen.
  Was er echt niemand die zag dat het 'feestje' almaar groter werd, mede dankzij de aandacht die populaire radiozenders het dagelijks gaven? Waarom is het Instituut voor Veiligheids- en Crisismanagement niet ingeschakeld? Waarom is er geen massapsycholoog aan tafel aangeschoven, een mediasocioloog, een expert in jongerencultuur, een social media-deskundige?
  Ik begrijp uit de berichtgeving dat het overleg over de aanpak van de 'feestgangers' en het inschatten van de risico's is gevoerd door de driehoek: politie, justitie en gemeente. Een traditioneel overleg, dat wellicht expertise en creativiteit tekort komt om met dit soort 'evenementen' te om te gaan. Een multidisciplinair samengesteld team had misschien kunnen zorgen voor een effectievere aanpak.
  Ook lijkt het erop dat er alleen is nagedacht over het veiligheidsbeleid in en vlak rondom Haren zelf, terwijl het logischer was geweest maatregelen te nemen om problemen op afstand te houden, en zo veel mogelijk te neutraliseren. Wie een meute laat aangroeien, moet niet verbaasd opkijken dat de boel vervolgens uit de hand loopt - waarmee ik het geweld en de vernielingen natuurlijk niet wil goedpraten.
  Iets anders wat 'Haren' mogelijk parten heeft gespeeld, is de na¯viteit van dit 'Wassenaar van het Noorden'. Het lijkt erop dat niemand een 'worst case-scenario' in overweging heeft genomen, omdat dat het voorstellingsvermogen te boven ging.
  Dat zal niet meer gebeuren. Haren, en daarmee alle kleine dorpen, is zijn onschuld kwijt.
  Malou van Hintum is politicoloog en columnist voor volkskrant.nl
Nederlanders krijgen motorpech op Caribische Zee
  Link to Article
  Source: VK: Home
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:50
  25/09/12, 13:50 '' bron: ANP
  (C) ANP. Strand bij Aruba
  Twee Nederlanders die met een jacht onderweg waren naar Aruba, zijn door de Colombiaanse kustwacht gered nadat hun boot, de Utopia, motorpech had gekregen en stuurloos was. Daardoor dreigde de boot mede door de weersomstandigheden ten onder te gaan.
  De kustwacht deelde dinsdag mee dat de twee werden opgepikt uit de Caribische Zee voor de noordkust bij Santa Marta, ruim 700 kilometer ten noorden van de hoofdstad Bogota. De Utopia is ook gered. De boot kon worden meegesleept naar een marinewerf waar die inmiddels is gerepareerd, zodat de Nederlanders hun reis kunnen voorzetten.
Hunger on the Rise in Spain
  Link to Article
  Source: NYT > Home Page
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:48
  MADRID '-- On a recent evening, a hip-looking young woman was sorting through a stack of crates outside a fruit and vegetable store here in the working-class neighborhood of Vallecas as it shut down for the night.
  At first glance, she looked as if she might be a store employee. But no. The young woman was looking through the day's trash for her next meal. Already, she had found a dozen aging potatoes she deemed edible and loaded them onto a luggage cart parked nearby.
  ''When you don't have enough money,'' she said, declining to give her name, ''this is what there is.''
  The woman, 33, said that she had once worked at the post office but that her unemployment benefits had run out and she was living now on 400 euros a month, about $520. She was squatting with some friends in a building that still had water and electricity, while collecting ''a little of everything'' from the garbage after stores closed and the streets were dark and quiet.
  Such survival tactics are becoming increasingly commonplace here, with an unemployment rate over 50 percent among young people and more and more households having adults without jobs. So pervasive is the problem of scavenging that one Spanish city has resorted to installing locks on supermarket trash bins as a public health precaution.
  A report this year by a Catholic charity, Caritas, said that it had fed nearly one million hungry Spaniards in 2010, more than twice as many as in 2007. That number rose again in 2011 by 65,000.
  As Spain tries desperately to meet its budget targets, it has been forced to embark on the same path as Greece, introducing one austerity measure after another, cutting jobs, salaries, pensions and benefits, even as the economy continues to shrink.
  Most recently, the government raised the value-added tax three percentage points, to 21 percent, on most goods, and two percentage points on many food items, making life just that much harder for those on the edge. Little relief is in sight as the country's regional governments, facing their own budget crisis, are chipping away at a range of previously free services, including school lunches for low-income families.
  For a growing number, the food in garbage bins helps make ends meet.
  At the huge wholesale fruit and vegetable market on the outskirts of this city recently, workers bustled, loading crates onto trucks. But in virtually every bay, there were men and women furtively collecting items that had rolled into the gutter.
  ''It's against the dignity of these people to have to look for food in this manner,'' said Eduardo Berloso, an official in Girona, the city that padlocked its supermarket trash bins.
  Mr. Berloso proposed the measure last month after hearing from social workers and seeing for himself one evening ''the humiliating gesture of a mother with children looking around before digging into the bins.''
  The Caritas report also found that 22 percent of Spanish households were living in poverty and that about 600,000 had no income whatsoever. All these numbers are expected to continue to get worse in the coming months.
  About a third of those seeking help, the Caritas report said, had never used a food pantry or a soup kitchen before the economic crisis hit. For many of them, the need to ask for help is deeply embarrassing. In some cases, families go to food pantries in neighboring towns so their friends and acquaintances will not see them.
  In Madrid recently, as a supermarket prepared to close for the day in the Entrevias district of Vallecas, a small crowd gathered, ready to pounce on the garbage bins that would shortly be brought to the curb. Most reacted angrily to the presence of journalists. In the end, few managed to get anything as the trucks whisked the garbage away within minutes.
  But in the morning at the bus stop in the wholesale market, men and women of all ages waited, loaded down with the morning's collection. Some insisted that they had bought the groceries, though food is not generally for sale to individuals there.
  Others admitted to foraging through the trash. Victor Victorio, 67, an immigrant from Peru, said he came here regularly to find fruits and vegetables tossed in the garbage. Mr. Victorio, who lost his job in construction in 2008, said he lived with his daughter and contributed whatever he found '-- on this day, peppers, tomatoes and carrots '-- to the household. ''This is my pension,'' he said.
  For the wholesalers who have businesses here, the sight of people going through the scraps is hard.
  ''It is not nice to see what is happening to these people,'' said Manu Gallego, the manager of Canniad Fruit. ''It shouldn't be like this.''
  In Girona, Mr. Berloso said his aim in locking down the bins was to keep people healthy and push them to get food at licensed pantries and soup kitchens. As the locks are installed on the bins, the town is posting civilian agents nearby with vouchers instructing people to register for social services and food aid.
  He said 80 to 100 people had been regularly sorting through the bins before he took action, with a strong likelihood that many more were relying on thrown-away food to get by.
  Rachel Chaundler contributed reporting.
Google hasn't 'done anything yet' with Maps for iOS 6, Schmidt says
  Link to Article
  Source: CNET News
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:45
  The Google executive chairman seems to indicate that his company hasn't gone out of its way to bring Google Maps to iOS 6.
  Google Maps on Apple's iOS.
  (Credit: Screenshot by Matt Elliot/CNET)Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt is sure to make iOS 6 users a tad bit unhappy today.
  Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Schmidt said that his company has "not done anything yet" for Google Maps on iOS 6. He didn't quite go as far as saying that Google Maps won't be coming to Apple's latest operating system, but seemed to indicate that so far, his company is holding its mapping application close to the vest.
  Both Reuters and Bloomberg were in attendance at the press event, and earlier reported on the story.
  Opinions differ on whether Google has submitted its Google Maps application to Apple for approval in the company's App Store. Last week, one developer claimed that Apple was holding up the approval, while The Loop reported that the iPhone maker hadn't even seen the app yet. Neither Google nor Apple has commented on that. According to Bloomberg, Schmidt also wouldn't say if Google had submitted its Maps app to the App Store.
  Many iOS 6 users are wishing Google would act fast and get its Maps application into the App Store. Apple's Maps, which replaced Google's alternative, has proven disappointing. The application suffers from incomplete maps, duplicated locales, and at least one town that's in the wrong spot.
  Although Apple hasn't publicly said why it removed Google Maps from iOS 6, it's likely that the company doesn't want a competitor's software running natively on its own operating system. Google's YouTube application, which used to be available natively in iOS, was also removed. However, unlike Google Maps, YouTube is available in the App Store.
  In his discussion with reporters today, Schmidt couldn't make any promises that Google Maps would also find its way to the App Store. He reportedly told the press in attendance it's Apple's "choice" over whether it wants to allow Google Maps in its store or not.
  Regardless, Apple appears dedicated to improving its own application. Just yesterday, a report surfaced saying that Apple was looking to poach Google Maps workers for its own application.
  CNET has contacted Google for comment on Schmidt's statement. We will update this story when we have more information.
  This story has been updated throughout the morning.
  Read the full CNET ReviewApple iPhone 5The bottom line: The iPhone 5 completely rebuilds the iPhone on a framework of new features and design, addressing its major previous shortcomings. It's absolutely the best iPhone to date, and it easily secures its place in the top tier of the smartphone universe. Read Full Review
NRC leaders must hear from all sides, not just antinuclear activists
  Link to Article
  Source: Atomic Insights
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:25
  It worried me to learn that on Saturday, September 22, Allison Macfarlane, the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and William Magwood, one of the four Commissioners who serve with Dr. Macfarlane on the five member Commission, held a private meeting with six representatives of groups that oppose the use of nuclear energy.
  From all other reports that I have heard, Dr. Macfarlane has encouraged substantial improvements in the day to day working of the 4,000 member regulatory agency. In comparison to the tense situation that existed under her predecessor, the agency is once again a collegial place where people feel empowered to voice their opinions without fear of reprisal.
  However, I remain leery about the future of nuclear energy in the United States with Dr. Macfarlane as the Chairman of the NRC. The NRC plays a vital role in enabling the economic use of nuclear energy, our safest and most capable alternative to burning ever increasing quantities of ever less abundant fossil fuel.In addition to the two Commissioners, the meeting attendees included the following people:
  If there were minutes recorded during the meeting, I cannot find them. The NRC has a rule about public meetings and minutes, but it does not apply to situations where there are less than three Commissioners involved. A report in The Hill's E2 Wire blog titled Anti-nuclear group finds little hope in NRC, presidential race indicates that the invited guests criticized the access they were given as a just a public relations gambit.
  The Coalition Against Nukes snagged a Saturday sit-down with NRC Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane and commissioner William Magwood. But the group denounced the agency, calling it ''completely captured'' by the Obama administration.
  ''The NRC is great at showing a nice face and trying to build relationships and congeniality,'' Michael Leonardi, campaign coordinator with the Coalition Against Nukes, told The Hill on Friday. ''I don't expect anything to come out of it. They're putting on a good face and pretending to listen to us, but they never do.''
  However, that article brought flashbacks to one of my corresponding colleagues. He reminded everyone on his email list of a situation in the mid 1970s when Joan Claybrook was appointed as the head of the National Transportation Safety Board. Ralph Nader came out with loud criticism of Ms. Claybrook, helping to obscure the fact that they were close colleagues who had worked together for years at Congress Watch. The criticism from Nader gave Claybrook bureaucratic cover to implement harsher restrictions on the industry she was charged with regulating.
  That reminder from one of my more mature colleagues supports my continuing skepticism about Dr. Macfarlane's suitability as the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
  Dr. Macfarlane has a lot of friends and family in the antinuclear movement; her chosen circle of associates is not conducive to making good decisions about the best alternative energy source we have. I fear that the Saturday afternoon sit down was a harbinger of things to come.
  My concerns were reinforced when I learned that Dr. Macfarlane has chosen Mary J. Woollen as her Director of External Engagement. Ms. Woollen spent ten years (January 2000 '' May 2010) serving as the Executive Director of an organization called Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free.
  I am not sure what the Director of External Engagement does, but the title indicates that the person in that position sets up meetings with citizens. It remains to be seen if someone who spent ten years directing an organization whose mission seems to be opposing every nuclear project at the Idaho National Laboratory '' including production of valuable isotopes that enable space exploration '' will assist in arranging a meeting with people who strongly support the use of nuclear technology.
  However, I am willing to believe that Dr. Macfarlane is as dedicated an academic as she claims to be. People that do not represent the established nuclear industry but still have something important to say about nuclear energy need to speak up and ensure that Dr. Macfarlane is not allowed to surround herself with a chorus and does not settle into a mode of thinking that there are two ''sides'' to the energy discussion whose concerns need to be heard '' the ''industry'' and the industry opposition.
  Instead, we must work in our own ways to ensure that she realizes that the issues under her purview are vitally important but also complex. They cannot be addressed by narrowing the focus of the conversation or limiting the inputs received. For example, I sincerely hope that Dr. Macfarlane will take the time to read Laura Scheele's excellent summary of a recent public meeting held in Chattanooga, TN where nuclear activists showed up to demonstrate our support for intelligently using plutonium as a valuable fuel source instead of disposing of it as a waste product.
  Here is the comment that I posted on the NRC blog about the private meeting with the antinuclear activists. That post is misleadingly titled Spending a Saturday Afternoon at the NRC Listening to All Sides.
  The scary thing about this blog post is the title, which implies that the meeting included ''all sides''. Fortunately, the first paragraph admits that this particular meeting involved a completely one sided audience with invited guests who all represent groups that are opposed to the use of nuclear energy.
  I hope that Chairman Macfarlane is ready and willing to engage in discussions with people who represent other aspects of the discussion, which has far more than two ''sides''. I hope she will acknowledge that there are citizens that strongly support the use of nuclear energy as a competitor to coal, oil and natural gas. Unlike popular unreliables like wind and solar energy, nuclear fission has demonstrated that it can completely replace fossil fuel combustion when properly designed and implemented.
  I've had the rare privilege of living in an ''all nuclear all the time'' world on deployments that lasted for months. Our nuclear propulsion plant was a modest sized machine that provided all of the power we needed to roam the oceans underwater '' at high speeds if desired. It also supplied plenty of fresh water (produced by removing salt and other impurities from sea water), plenty of air conditioning, and power to spare for entertainment, food preservation, computers, and lighting. The compact fuel source that heated the water to make the power weighed a little more than my own body weight, yet it supplied all the energy needed to operate a 9,000 ton submarine for 14 years.
  The world has overreacted to the non-fatal events at Fukushima. I am pretty sure the overreaction was fed by fossil fuel money used to help the media and government spread irrational fear, uncertainty and doubt.
  The admittedly destroyed plants released just 100 kilograms or less of a relatively benign long lived isotope, resulting in concentrations that produce acceptably low radiation doses in almost every square meter of politically evacuated land area. The effects are far less damaging than the routinely accepted consequences of fossil fuel accidents. When nuclear plants operate well, they do not produce any gases that threaten the ability of the atmosphere to support life as we know it, that is a stark contrast to effect of their fossil fuel competition.
  The Chairman must plan to listen to people who depend on the NRC to make correct technical judgements that will enable nuclear fission to help protect the environment, improve American security and make life safer for human beings.
  Disclosure: Though I work at a nuclear energy company, I am not even in a management position. My thoughts and positions taken on Atomic Insights are my own and do not represent those of ''the industry'' or of my employer.
  Additional ReadingBulletin of Atomic Scientists (March 16, 2011) The lessons of Fukushima by Hugh Gusterson.
  This article is an amazing piece of slanted writing from someone who is very close to the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It makes full use of the technique of damning with faint praise. Here is a sample quote:
  We are probably moving toward a post-Fukushima world in which some countries will abjure nuclear energy while others expand it. Countries with other energy options, strong democratic structures, and powerful environmental movements will probably de-emphasize, and maybe eventually renounce, nuclear energy. Switzerland has already suspended plans to build new reactors, and Germany's Angela Merkel, responding to large antinuclear protests, announced plans to close seven reactors pending further evaluation of their safety and to reconsider plans to extend the lives of Germany's oldest reactors.
  In the meantime, countries with weak environmental movements and weak regulatory norms seem to be proceeding as if nothing has happened. As the Fukushima nuclear disaster unfolded, Turkey announced plans to go ahead with two reactors, and we can surely expect China, Russia, and India to do the same.
DESTROYING BIRTHDAY DREAMS - DEREGULATION AND GOVERNMENT
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 05:41
  CELEBRATIONMy daughter loves balloons. I suppose most kids like them, but for some reason this twelve year-old absolutely is crazy for them. Earlier this summer in August I found myself driving all over town in a vain attempt to find a place to purchase helium-filled balloons to ensure that her birthday celebration would be perfect.I went to our normal place to buy cheap balloons, the Dollar store. As a "value" kind of guy I learned quickly that it is the same helium in those balloons and it is simply a waste to pay more at a grocery store or one of those party stores. Why pay $2 or $3 when you can pay $1? Unfortunately, to my surprise, I was told they didn't have any helium. I shrugged this off and went to another discount store only to find that they too didn't have helium. In desperation, I shrugged off my frugal ways and went to the local high-end grocery and party stores knowing that they would have the gas to fill the balloons to make the birthday perfect. Not a chance.
  HELIUM SHORTAGE?Once I got home I couldn't resist doing some research to attempt to find the cause for this apparent balloon nightmare, the issue it seems has several causes.
  First, there has been some maintenance of a helium pipeline in West Texas. This pipeline carriers 30% of the world's supply of the lighter-than-air gas. The July pipeline update caused supplies to be rationed.
  Helium production facilities in Algeria, Poland, and Australia also have production stoppages or slowdowns.
  There is another reason though that as the pipeline was shuttered we saw major supply disruptions. It seems the world is in a transitional phase as a hand-off is happening where government is essentially going to turn over responsibilities to private industry and the transfer of responsibilities is less than perfect.
  In Amarillo, Texas the US government runs the Federal Helium Reserve. This natural cavern is the depository for most of the US supply of helium. In the 1920's as a result of the war effort, the US government took over the responsibilities of maintaining supplies of the important gas and still does today. In 1996 though, Congress passed legislation to terminate government control of the reserves and get out of the business handing it to private industry in 2015.
  Since we are only two and a half years away, it is important to see new supplies of helium coming on line from private companies here in the US, however firms in the industry complain that the government's role in the Helium Reserve is causing problems for any new producer. This issue is that the US government sells its current supplies at below market production costs (some say as much as 20% below) and therefore any new firm cannot compete. While several firms might take the plunge and brave initial losses to gain a foothold in the space, there are other issues that muddy the water. Congress is now considering extending the handoff period and therefore adds more uncertainty to the industry. Why would any business invest and face losses when there is the threat that the US government won't exit and won't stop distorting the market? This is just another example of how the government OR NOW THE THREAT OF THEIR ACTION simply destroys capital investment and job creation. This is the exact issue we see now in the broader economy and why employers are refusing to hire. They believe they will face greater taxation, greater regulation, and greater unknown burdens from the encroaching hand of government. Why would you do more for potentially less? Why would you take risk if you might get crushed by the government?
  FUTURE HELIUM OUTLOOK?(International Balloon Association)
  "The BLM is currently legislated to operate through 2015 with 10-15 years of reserves on hand. The crude helium suppliers that currently feed the pipeline are seeing a reduction in production and there is only one new plant scheduled to come on stream in the US in the next three years. As plants in Qatar,Algeria, and Russia become fully operational they will be expected to supply the growing demand in Asia and the Middle East allowing US exports to slow down. Depending on the pace of growth in the US helium market, the US may become an importer of helium from the new foreign sources previously mentioned. Until that time, technological research to decrease the need for helium as an input to the production of other goods and services is underway while the science and medical industries look for ways to recapture and recycle helium."
  REALLY IMPORTANTHelium is very critical in MRI technology as helium cools the magnets that are the key components in the imaging devices that are used in the medical fields. If helium is not available, the MRI magnets will melt. The industry cannot deal with shortages of the important gas.SHORTAGE?In reality, there really isn't a shortage, I think we are just seeing some short term disruptions that will pass. The key will be to ensure that a good handoff exists between government and private firms and that as international supplies come on line that US suppliers make strong connections to make sure we can continue maintaining an uninterrupted supply of this important resource.
  TRADINGI wanted to highlight a couple of the firms in this space. Ultimately, I don't think helium's shortage or lack of it makes much of a difference to either of these firms, but it is a good opportunity to look at some firms I normally don't watch. Based on the charts of Praxair and Airgas, I don't think I would touch them for a long play at all. PX is at the lower portion of an ascending channel and is facing stiff overhead resistance. I don't think it would take much to drop into the up 90's. In addition, its paltry 2% yield doesn't make it an attractive yield candidate either.
  PX - PRAXAIR
  ARG - AIRGAS
  Goatmug is an investor that cares about you and your family. Goatmug's Blog - Financial Perspectives From The Mountain Top is a collection of thoughts on our economy and how it impacts the lives of investors and average people. While several specific investments are named in many of his posts, these articles are simply invitations for you to do your own research and reference to these securities does not constitute financial advice. Your situation is complex and unique and you should seek professional assistance with your trading and investing. Please visit Goatmug and share your comments athttp://www.goatmug.blogspot.com/
Boston.com launches 1st online radio with DJs
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 05:30
  Mon Sep 24, 2012 12:51 PM EDT
  BOSTON '-- A beloved Boston-area independent alternative radio station is getting new life online several times over in partnership with traditional print media, and experts say it could be a model for other stations that can no longer be found on a radio dial.
  The station was known as WFNX until its frequency was sold to media giant Clear Channel earlier this year. The Boston Globe snapped up most of its popular, live local disc jockeys and created RadioBDC, which for the past several weeks has been streaming similar programming from Boston.com, the Globe's current events and entertainment news site.
  "A lot of people around the country are going to be looking to this experiment or this venture to see how it does and to see if it can be applied in their market in their particular circumstances," Boston University mass communication professor John Carroll said.
  Launched in 1983, Boston's WFNX was one of the first U.S. stations to exclusively broadcast alternative rock. It was the first to play Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and its album "Nevermind" in its entirety on air, pushing the band onto the national scene.
  Fans like Andrea Berman, who listened to the station 24/7, were devastated when it announced it would go silent July 20. She started an "Occupy WFNX" Facebook page, Twitter account and blog and was ecstatic when Boston.com later announced the launch of RadioBDC with WFNX DJs.
  "It's more than just a brand; it's more than just the name," she said. "It's the DJs; they're the heart and soul of a station."
  Lisa Desisto, general manager of Boston.com and chief advertising officer for the Globe, owned by The New York Times Co., said she's been taking calls from other newspapers asking how and why she launched RadioBDC, which takes its name from the initials of Boston.com. But she said the station would be hard to duplicate elsewhere for the reason Berman articulated: the DJs.
  Phoenix Media/Communications Group's MCC Broadcasting Inc. let most of the WFNX staff go when it sold its 101.7 broadcast license to Clear Channel's Capstar Radio Operating Company this summer for $14.5 million. People tuning in now hear a hits station called The Harbor.
  "Despite its celebrated history, its cutting edge programming, its tradition of breaking new music, its ardent fans among listeners and advertisers, for some time it has been difficult to sustain the station '-- especially since the start of the Great Recession," Phoenix Media Publisher Stephen Mindich wrote in a memo to its weekly alternative newspaper, The Boston Phoenix.
  More and more independent stations are disappearing because advertisers want a bigger platform for their ads, Carroll said. Web streaming is a cheaper alternative.
  While RadioBDC has hired WFNX staffers, WFNX.com continues online, playing the same kind of music it always did, though without DJs. The sale of 101.7 granted Clear Channel the frequency license and equipment, but Phoenix Media retains the call sign, trademarks and intellectual property.
  Eventually, WFNX.com will operate much like RadioBDC.
  WFNX personality Kurt St. Thomas, who helped launch Nirvana under his watch, will join WFNX.com as executive producer and two Phoenix Media publications will eventually be linked to WFNX.com's music content. The venture was planned before the announcement of RadioBDC, a Phoenix Media spokesman said.
  WFNX.com averaged 18,000 listeners a month when the station was still on air; it now averages 6,000.
  Meanwhile, listeners tuned into RadioBDC online and via mobile application for 51,502 combined hours its first week.
  The commercial station is two months in the making and a month on air and has committed advertisers, including Miller Corp., Sapporo, Bud Light and Heineken. It has expanded the Globe's 21- to 34-year-old male demographic, hence the alcohol advertising, Desisto said.
  RadioBDC isn't for national advertisers looking for an expansive platform, she said, but for companies looking "to make a splash" in the Boston region.
  DJs are manually uploading music into RadioBDC computers, often bringing in CDs from home to build a music library from scratch. The station faced costs like constructing a new studio, obtaining music rights and paying staff salaries but saves in marketing costs, utilizing the Globe's established ad and event staff. And across the hall are Globe journalists, ready to discuss morning news on air.
  "We're going to be able to do a lot of things here that we weren't able to do at our last places because of resources, technology, money," said Julie Kramer, one of the WFNX DJs who moved to RadioBDC. "We'll be able to take this to a new level."
  The endeavor faces challenges sustaining advertisers, reaching audiences who don't own smartphones and competing against iPods and online stations, said Justin Ellis of Harvard University's Nieman Journalism Lab, who has written about RadioBDC.
  "At least in the initial phase and the setup, everything seems to be going their way," Ellis said. "But the question is: Will it work in the long term?"
  (C) 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Ahmadinejad Denounces "Innocence of Muslims"
  Link to Article
  Source: RIA Novosti
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 05:22
  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has denounced the anti-Islam movie ''Innocence of Muslims'' that mocks the Prophet Muhammad.
  ''Fundamentally, first of all, any action that is provocative, offends the religious thoughts and feelings of any people, we condemn,'' Ahmadinejad said speaking through a translator in a wide-ranging interview that aired Monday on CNN's ''Piers Morgan Tonight.''
  "Likewise, we condemn any type of extremism. Of course, what took place was ugly. Offending the Holy Prophet is quite ugly. This has very little or nothing to do with freedom and freedom of speech. This is the weakness of and the abuse of freedom, and in many places it is a crime,'' he said.
  ''It shouldn't take place, and I do hope the day will come in which politicians will not seek to offend those whom others hold holy," Ahmadinejad said.
  U.S.-privately produced movie ''Innocence of Muslims'' has triggered widespread protests in the Muslim world. In Libya, they led to an attack on the U.S. consulate that left Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others Americans dead.
  ''We also believe that this must also be resolved in a humane atmosphere, in a participatory environment, and we do not like anyone losing their lives or being killed for any reason, anywhere in the world,'' the Iranian president said.
French government asks Facebook to explain data glitch
  Link to Article
  Source: Reuters: Technology News
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 05:17
  TweetShare thisEmailPrintFacebook logos on a computer screen are seen in this photo illustration taken in Lavigny May 16, 2012.
  Credit: Reuters/Valentin Flauraud
  PARIS | Tue Sep 25, 2012 12:21am EDT
  PARIS (Reuters) - The French government has summoned Facebook Inc managers to appear before the country's data watchdog to explain how some of its users came to believe their privacy had been infringed on the social network, it said in a statement early on Tuesday.
  Two ministers said they had intervened after seeing reports that private messages between Facebook users in France had appeared on their "Timelines", which can reach a wide Internet audience.
  Metro newspaper reported that a "non-systemic" problem at Facebook had caused certain personal messages, some several years old, to be displayed on the Timelines which serve as a profile page with details selected by the user.
  Facebook France denied any breakdown in its security systems and said that while some old data had appeared where it should not have, none of it originated from private messages.
  "A minority of users were worried after seeing messages they thought to be private appearing on their Timelines," a spokesman for Facebook France said.
  "Facebook engineers examined the situation and confirmed that the messages in question were old postings, which had previously been visible on the users' profiles," he added.
  Announcing the appearance of Facebook bosses in front of the CNIL data privacy agency later on Tuesday, Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg and Small Businesses Minister Fleur Pellerin called for "clear and transparent explanations" and said the episode demonstrated the need for better data protection.
  (Reporting by Pierre Serisier and Tim Hepher; Editing by Daniel Magnowski)
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Europe face Russian type shortages
  Link to Article
  Source: usfollowme
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 05:13
Air Force calls for armed Euro-made drones
  Link to Article
  Source: usfollowme
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 05:12
  http://www.thelocal.de/national/20120924-45155.html
Was Heisenberg too uncertain? In principle ... maybe
  Link to Article
  Source: The Conversation
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 04:36
  No matter which way you look at it, you can't find out everything.The Uncertainty Principle, introduced by Heisenberg in 1927, applies to observations of the properties of the quantum world, which is typically microscopic in scale. As I explained a few months ago, it has the profound implication that we cannot know everything.
  Earlier this month, a paper from physicists in the University of Toronto was published in the prestigious journal Physical Review Letters (public-access pre-publication version here) that at first sight seems to show that their experimental results violate Heisenberg's principle.
  How could the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle (HUP), which has been fundamental to physics for more than 80 years, suddenly be disproven? The Toronto experiment actually used some of my own research, so I am well-placed to explain what is really going on.
  Not really a principleFirst, as I explained previously, Heisenberg's ''uncertainty principle'' is not really a fundamental principle at all. It is actually a consequence of something more fundamental, namely quantum mechanics (QM). This theory applies to all forms of matter and energy (as far as we can tell) and is extremely well tested.
  The experimentalists in Toronto, led by Aephraim Steinberg, do not claim to have disproven quantum mechanics. Indeed, the design of their apparatus relies on QM being correct.
  Moreover the experimental violation they report was predicted using QM, in a 2010 paper by Austin Lund and me.
  So '... if the HUP is a consequence of QM, but QM has not been violated, what exactly is the paper claiming?
  One principle, many relations.To appreciate the paper, you have to understand that the HUP is a general principle which has many different forms. The most useful forms are quantitative relations between various quantities related to uncertainty.
  The simplest uncertainty relation, which can be derived quite easily using QM, can be expressed as follows:
  (1) Î--q x Î--v > Ä§/m.
  Here Î--q is the uncertainty in the position of a particle (in metres), Î--v is the uncertainty in its velocity (in metres per second), m is its mass in kg, and Ä§ is a very small constant (Planck's constant) approximately equal to 10-35 = 0.00 '... 001, where there should be 35 zeros here.
  Because the two uncertainties multiplied together in equation (1) must be greater than some number, this means that it is not possible for both Î--q and Î--v to be zero. Hence you cannot be certain of both the position and velocity of the particle '' you cannot know everything.
  You might be think that if you want to know both you could find them out by first measuring the velocity, then the position. But this doesn't work, because a perfect (zero error) measurement of position will necessarily disturb the velocity, and vice versa.
  This fact is another form of the HUP, relating the error in a measurement of position, e(q), and the associated disturbance in the velocity d(v). You might guess that they should be related by
  (2) e(q) x d(v) > Ä§/m.
  This is a very reasonably guess, and it is essentially the ''measurement''disturbance relation'' which Heisenberg guessed in 1927.
  The surprising thing is that this guess is wrong. According to QM, multiplying the error by the disturbance can be less than Ä§/m. In fact, it can even equal zero, a fact which has only been fully appreciated in the last ten years.
  The Toronto experiment actually measured the spin of a single photon, not the position of a particle. But there is an analogous uncertainty principle relating the spin in different directions.
  Using the technique which Lund and I had proposed, based upon ''weak-valued probabilities'', Steinberg and colleagues were able to directly measure the appropriate error (e) and disturbance (d) quantities, and show that they violate Heisenberg's measurement-disturbance relation (2).
  Ozawa's measurement-disturbance relationBut if Heisenberg's measurement''disturbance relation (2) is wrong, why can't you measure position without disturbing the velocity, and hence find out both, in violation of the original uncertainty relation (1)?
  The short answer is: because it is impossible according to QM. But that's not a very satisfying answer, because the mathematics of QM is hard to understand, unlike the mathematics of (1) and (2).
  Thankfully, QM allows us to derive a different measurement-disturbance relation that makes everything right again. This was first shown by Japanese theorist Masanao Ozawa, in 2003 (public-access pre-publication version here). Ozawa's measurement-disturbance relation includes the terms in Heisenberg's (wrong) measurement-disturbance relation (2) as well as the uncertainties that appear in his (right) uncertainty relation (1):
  (3) e(q) x d(v) + e(q) x Î--v + Î--q x d(v) > Ä§/m.
  Steinberg's lab in Toronto also tested the spin-analogue of this relation experimentally, and found, as expected, that it always held up.
  You still can't know everythingOzawa's relation (3) allows for the possibility that either e(q) or d(v) can be zero '' which is not possible according to Heisenberg's relation (2) '' provided Delta(q) or Delta(v) are large enough. But it is still not possible for both of them to be zero, because that would make the left-hand-side of (3) equal to zero, whereas the right-hand-side is non-zero.
  Thus Ozawa's relation still guarantees that it is not possible to make a zero-error measurement of position with no disturbance of the velocity.
  It still guarantees that you can't find out everything, upholding the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, and leaving quantum mechanics in place as the best theory we have.
  1 CommentTagsQuantum mechanics, quantum physics
  Related articles 31 August 2012 'Rewriting' the Big Bang theory '' a personal perspective 27 July 2012 Explainer: what is wave-particle duality 14 June 2012 Explainer: Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle 27 April 2012 Compute this: the quantum future is crystal clear12 April 2012 Silence sounds like '... random numbers
Germany behind the China/Japan conflict???
  Link to Article
  Source: usfollowme
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 04:34
  http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/21/general-motors-and-volkswagen-many-benefit-from-anti-japan-prote/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Fautoblog+%28Autoblog%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
The grey economy: how retirees rort the pension
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 04:32
  Welfare fraud on a massive scale ... elderly people wanting to get the pension are hiding their income in cash to ensure they qualify for the means-tested benefit, former Reserve official Peter Mair says. Photo: Jessica Shapiro
  ELDERLY Australians committing welfare fraud on a massive scale are behind the extraordinarily high number of $100 notes in circulation, a former senior Reserve Bank official says.
  Yesterday the Herald revealed there are now 10 $100 notes in circulation for each Australian, far more than the more commonly seen $20 notes.
  One popular explanation is that they are used for illegal transactions as part of the cash economy, something the former Reserve official, Peter Mair, rejects as a "furphy".
  In a letter to the Reserve Bank governor, Glenn Stevens, dated July 4, Mr Mair laid the blame squarely on elderly people wanting to get the pension and hiding their income in cash to ensure they qualified for the means-tested benefit.
  "The bank is basically facilitating a tax avoidance scheme by issuing high denomination notes," he told the Herald. "They are not needed for day-to-day transaction purposes, or even as reasonable stores of value."
  His best guess is the average pensioner couple could hold up to $50,000 in undeclared $50 and $100 notes to get access to the pension.
  Mr Mair said that in 1996 when the green plastic $100 note replaced the grey paper note, the Martin Place headquarters of the Reserve received regular visits from retirees wanting to withdraw large quantities of the new notes. He said the commercial banks had sent them to the Reserve because they did not have enough $100 notes on hand.
  Mr Mair said the return for an Australian close to getting the pension who held $10,000 in cash, rather than declaring it, was "enormous".
  "If putting it under the bed or in a cupboard means you qualify for the pensioner card, you get discounted council rates, discounted car registration, discounted phone rental - in percentage terms the return is enormous," he said.
  Mr Mair used comparisons of the holdings of large-denomination currency in Australia and New Zealand to back his argument. "In broad terms the average value of notes held by New Zealanders is about one third of the $2000 held by Australians - almost all of which by value is in the $50 and $100 denominations," he wrote in his letter.
  "An obvious explanation for the difference is means test-free age pensions in New Zealand."
  His letter to the governor proposes phasing out the $100 and $50 denominations.
  "Cards and the internet have delivered a body blow to high-denomination bank notes. They are redundant," he said. "There is no longer any point in issuing them except to facilitate tax dodging. The authorities would announce that from, say, June 2015 every $100 and $50 note could be redeemed but no new notes would be issued. After June 2017 every note could only be redeemed at an annual discount of 10 per cent. It would mean that after two years, each $100 note could only be redeemed for $80, and so on."
  The letter acknowledges the proposal would be contentious and says it should not be done "in any way precipitously", but as payments become more electronic it will become inevitable.
  "What would remain in circulation are coins and a modestly expanded issue of currency notes in the $10 and $20 denominations. There is every reason to expect that a national currency issue of this character would soon be adequate.''
Foxconn reopens huge China factory after riot
  Link to Article
  Source: Reuters: Technology News
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 04:13
  Workers clean up glass shards from the broken windows of a security room near paramilitary police vehicles parked near an entrance of a Foxconn Tech-Industry Park in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, September 24, 2012.
  Credit: Reuters/Stringer
  TAIYUAN, China | Mon Sep 24, 2012 10:21pm EDT
  TAIYUAN, China (Reuters) - A Chinese factory owned by iPhone assembler Foxconn resumed production on Tuesday after a riot involving 2,000 workers had forced it to close for 24 hours, in an incident that put Chinese labor conditions back under the microscope.
  The huge factory that employs some 79,000 workers in northern Taiyuan city erupted into violence late on Sunday and into the early hours of Monday morning after what the plant's owner, Foxconn Technology Group of Taiwan, described as a personal dispute that spun out of control.
  Workers on Tuesday morning walked back through the gates of the factory, which was still ringed by police and showed clear signs of damage caused by the fighting, in which 40 people were injured, according to Foxconn and Chinese local media.
  Some gates were still flat on the ground, having been bent over, and windows were smashed. A loud speaker on a loop recording called for people to maintain social order.
  Foxconn, which assembles Apple's iPhones as well as making components for other global electronics firms, has faced accusations of poor conditions and mistreatment of workers at its plants in China, where it employs about 1 million people.
  The company says it has been spending heavily in recent months to improve working conditions and to raise wages.
  Foxconn spokesman Louis Woo said on Tuesday that the one-day closure would not disrupt supplies from the factory.
  "We have 79,000 people working in the Taiyuan campus, and we always have spare inventory," Woo said.
  Foxconn does not confirm which of its plants supply Apple, but an employee told Reuters that the Taiyuan plant was among those that assembled and made parts for Apple's iPhone 5.
  Foxconn said in a statement the incident had escalated from a row between several employees at around 11 p.m. on Sunday in the privately managed workers' dormitory, and was brought under control by police at around 3 a.m.
  Comments posted online, however, suggested security guards may have been to blame.
  Foxconn is the trading name of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, the world's largest contract maker of electronics.
  (Reporting by Michael Martina in TAIYUAN and Clare Jim in TAIPEI; Editing by Mark Bendeich and Ken Wills)
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Zombie bees reported in Ore. and Wash.
  Link to Article
  Source: DaDenMan news feed
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 04:12
  SEATTLE -- Zombie bee reports have been confirmed in Portland, Corvallis, and Kent, Wash., researchers said.
  Novice beekeeper Mark Hohn, in Kent, found that his bees are infected with a parasite that causes them to fly at night and lurch around erratically until they die, The Seattle Times reported.
  That was the first time the infected bees were found in the state, according to tracking by San Francisco State University biologist John Hafernik, through his website ZombeeWatch.org.
  The site reports that "zombees" have been confirmed in Portland and Salem. Sightings by citizen scientists in Aloha, Tigard and Salem were still being investigated.
  It's yet another problem for a dwindling population of bees that are needed to pollinate crops.
  The zombie bees are also being studied Steve Sheppard, chairman of the entomology department at Washington State University.
  Click for a detailed ZomBee Watch map
  PrintEmail|TweetMOREMORE!XDiggDeliciousTumblrLinkedInStumbleUponNewsvineRedditPinterest
Hang together
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 04:04
  ushistory.org homepage
  Interested in using a picture? Some text? click here.To contact the webmaster, click here
  Copyright (C)1999-2012 by the Independence Hall Association, electronically publishing as ushistory.org.The IHA is a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1942.On the Internet since July 4, 1995.
Is this getting us ready to accept Human remains soap.
  Link to Article
  Source: usfollowme
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:58
  http://boingboing.net/2012/09/24/realistic-finger-soap.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
CNN in hot water with State Dept. and slain ambassador's family over diary swiped from embassy
  Link to Article
  Source: usfollowme
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:58
  http://boingboing.net/2012/09/24/cnn-in-hot-water-with-state-de.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
Foxconn worker riot closes factory
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:54
  Numeroussources are reporting that "unrest" among workers at Foxconn's Taiyan plant has resulted in its temporary closure. About 2,000 workers took part in what was either a brawl between factions from different provinces or an uprising against plant security, depending on whether you believe the official story or the one emerging from microbloggers on the scene.
  Early Monday morning, Foxconn released a statement indicating that the riot started as a personal disagreement between factory workers in a dormitory and was eventually brought under control by police, but this clashes with reports trickling in from users of China's version of Twitter, Sina Weibo. Much like with the situations in Egypt and other Arab Spring countries earlier this year, microbloggers are painting a different picture than the one presented by official sources; numerous Weibo posts indicate that the riots were started not by a fight between workers in off-campus housing, but instead by security guards beating one or more workers nearly to death. Regardless of the cause, pictures leaking out from the scene show some destruction, including broken windows and a toppled guard post building.
  The Taiyan plant makes components for the automobile industry as well as other electronic parts; MSNBC and TUAW both note that the plant is purported to also manufacture the iPhone 5's aluminum back plate. TUAW speculates that the riots were in no small part caused by the recent long iPhone 5 production ramp-up; Engadget links to a (non-English) report discussing "practically compulsory" overtime related to iPhone 5 production.
  China's state-run Xinhua news agency confirms Foxconn's official version of the events, and posts have begun to disappear from Sino Weibo. According to one employee, the factory will likely be closed for two to three days while the riot is "investigated" by Foxconn and local officials.
  Lee Hutchinson / Lee is the Senior Reviews Editor at Ars and handles all of the non-Apple product reviews. He also knows a lot about enterprise storage and security. Lee is based in Houston, TX.
How to Opt Out of Facebook's Newest Attempts to Track Everything You Do, Even Offline
  Link to Article
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 02:28
  Facebook has started working with a data mining service to pair together your email address and other information stored on Facebook with advertising products to see what (and if) you're clicking on ads. Privacy advocates aren't too fond of this, but thankfully can you keep it from happening.
  We've known that Facebook is already tracking your every move online, but the data Facebook is using now isn't just about browser cookies. Facebook is pairing what you buy offline with what you see online.
  The Data Facebook is Collecting (and What They're Using it For)According to the Financial Times, Facebook is now working with the data collection company Datalogix. Facebook's reasoning is that they need a system to provide marketers with more concrete data, and Datalogix has data from about 70 million households drawn from loyalty cards and similar programs.
  On its end, Facebook matches the email addresses in Datalogix's systems, and compares that to an email address on Facebook. This effectively makes it so they can track if you see an ad on Facebook and then purchase it in a store.
  Your data is automatically included in the advertising studies without your consent, and because of that, privacy groups are concerned. Talking with CNET, Jeff Chester, executive director of The Center for Digital Democracy expresses his concern:
  I believe the FTC should be investigating all this as part of its review under the consent decree... Ad exchanges allow them to take this data and apply it in real-time and sell it to the highest bidder including Facebook. They are using reams of additional data, including from online, to target Facebook users
  For its part, Facebook released this statement to The Verge:
  We are working with Datalogix to help advertisers understand how well their Facebook ads are working. We also do this through our partnerships with companies like Nielsen and comScore and through our own advertising tool. We know that people share a lot of information on Facebook, and we have taken great care to make sure that we measure the effectiveness of Facebook ads without compromising the commitments we have made on privacy. We don't sell people's personal information, and individual user data is not shared between Facebook, Datalogix or advertisers.
  Regardless of whether your personal data is making it across the tubes, you might want to keep your offline activity separate from your online activity. Thankfully, it's easy to opt out of Datalogix's collection.
  How to Opt-Out from the Datalogix CollectionTo opt-out of everything (including the Facebook comparison data) Datalogix is collecting, head to their Privacy page, scroll down to the "Choice" heading, click the last "click here" link in the paragraph, and fill in your information. This will opt you out of any and all data collection done by Datalogix.
  You can also easily to opt out of Datalogix's cookie-based tracking by clicking this link. Like any cookie based advertising, you will have to opt-out on every computer and browser you use.
  Keep Your Online and Offline Data SeparateAs we mentioned, the way this data collection works is that it compares your online data with offline shopping habits. So, the easiest solution to keep it from happening? Don't use the same phone number or email address on your Facebook account as you do when you sign up for loyalty or discount cards.
  Stores rarely (if ever) follow up on making sure your loyalty card data is correct, so not using your real information isn't an issue. Otherwise, you can almost always use Jenny's number (867-5309) to get club discounts instead of handing over any personal information.
  As for your online data, be sure to follow our guide to blocking Facebook cookies from distributing data to third party sites. Photo by Lisa Brewster.
  Title image remixed from Joe Loong.
iRage: Apple's FoxConn China Plant Damaged As Riots Resume
  Link to Article
  Source: Dprogram.net
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:44
  September 24th, 2012
  (ZeroHedge) '' Laborers in the Chinese FoxConn Factory which assembles Apple Products are revolting again over the pennies per hour wages they are paid.
  Following the riots at Apple's FoxConn Chengdu plant in June, engadget is reporting that FoxConn's Taiyuan plant '' the scene of earlier strikes over salary disputes back in March '' has suffered damage as workers riot. Police are on site to control the crowd and while the motive is not clear, it is apparently unrelated to the recent anti-Japan protests. It appears '' based on the clip and photos below '' that much damage has been done in the process.
  Source: engadget
  Source:Zero Hedge
  Related posts:
  Apple Patent Shuts Down Your SmartphoneGenetically Modified Apple '' That Fresh Look, Genetically BuffedNo Shooting At Protest? Police May Block Mobile Devices Via AppleWill Apple customers be forcibly bombarded with texts from President Obama's campaign?Apple Granted Patent To Disable Cameras According To LocationFind Out If Your Apple Device Was Among The 12 Million Units Hacked And Tracked By The FBIApple Granted Patent For Third-Party iPhone Kill SwitchAre Apple Investors Being Primed For A Facebook Style Pump and Dump Scam?Tags: apple, chengdu plant, China, foxconn, irage, riotsThis entry was posted on Monday, September 24th, 2012 at 4:59 pm and is filed under China, Dictatorship, Education/Mind Control, Fascism, NWO. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Wozniak likes NBN so much, he's applying for citizenship
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:42
  Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is not connected to a broadband service in his home in California, classing the options available to him as a 'monopoly'. Photo: Rob Homer
  Negar Salek
  Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has listed the rollout of a national broadband network as one of the reasons he wants to become an Australian.
  Mr Wozniak told The Australian Financial Review in Sydney that he had spoken to Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and was in support of the federal government's fibre rollout.
  ''I spoke to him and they plan to roll it out to everyone in the country,'' Mr Wozniak said.
  ''I support it very much. It's one of the reasons why I actually like this country and want to become a citizen. I live in a country where we don't have any regulation of telecommunications.''
  In Australia for the launch of the Apple iPhone 5 last week, Wozniak told Brisbane's 4BC breakfast radio that he was ''underway to become an Australian citizen''.
  ''It turns out I can keep my American citizenship. I intend to call myself an Australian and feel an Australian, and study the history and become as much of a real citizen here as I can.''
  Despite his status as a technology icon, Mr Wozniak said he was not connected to a broadband service in his home in California, classing the options available to him as a ''monopoly''. ''There's only one set of wires to be on and I'm not going to pull strings to get them to do something special for me,'' he said. ''When I worked at Hewlett-Packard we treated ourselves like a family and protecting each other and I believe in that.
  ''I've sat with our FCC [Federal Communications Commission] commissioner and told him that story in his office, but it's not going to happen. We just don't have the political idea to bring broadband to all the people who are 1 kilometre too far away.''
  Mr Wozniak was in Sydney to meet customers and partners of his employer, server-based flash manufacturer Fusion-io, a NYSE-listed technology company that speeds up traditional access to data.
  It boasts Facebook and Apple as large global clients and Woolworths and Westpac as local customers.
  ''I'm not an expert on banking but bankers have told us how important this technology is to them and it is one of our big customer areas,'' he said. ''Some success in banking is all done in computers nowadays, not through humans, and milliseconds matter, the speed of transactions matter to them.''
  Mr Wozniak co-founded Apple '' the world's most valuable company '' with Steve Jobs in 1976 and created the original Apple computer. A philanthropist and author, the tech guru has amassed a global fan base since leaving Apple in 1987.
  He said Silicon Valley was today abuzz with start-up activity, defying US economic woes. ''There's a lot going on right now in Silicon Valley; the recession aspects just really don't hit us at all.'' He said he would help young start-ups, time permitting.
  ''I'm just meeting people when I can, really young entrepreneurs, just inspiring them. I'm incredibly busy just speaking around the world on many different topics,'' he said.
  In a visit earlier this year he told the AFR he feared the torrent of intellectual property lawsuits being filed by companies such as Apple, Samsung, Google, HTC and Nokia because they could prevent future entrepreneurs from treading a path to technology fortune.
  ''I care so much about the young person that has some technical knowledge and want to start their own business,'' he said.
  A true gadget enthusiast, Mr Wozniak lined up outside the Apple store in Chermside in suburban Brisbane on Friday to buy the iPhone 5 where he tweeted: ''In line for first iPhone 5's in the world! (@ Apple Store w/ 2 others).''
  MORE APPLE NEWS:
  The Australian Financial Review
pensato comments on "Using your Disqus group."
  Link to Article
  Source: Pioneering OPML comments
  Tue, 25 Sep 2012 00:25
  One of the remaining problems with the implementation of OPML Comments is that the notifications from Disqus go to me, not to you. So if someone comments on your comment, you don't see it. And because I know that, I don't comment. It's a killer limit. Let's get rid of it.
  What to do
  Suppose your account on disqus.com is bullmancuso.
  0. In the OPML Editor, choose Update opml.root from the File menu.
  1. Choose Quick Script from the Misc menu and enter the following text:
  user.opmlEditor.comments.prefs.disqusName = "bullmancuso"
  2. Click the Run button.
  3. Bring the browser to the front, and click the Green button on any page with one.
  4. Enter a comment. Click the Save button.
  5. Again in the browser, click on the link to your name. You might have to wait for a minute for everything to rebuild. It's not happening as fast as I'd like it to (will look into this).
  6. Now you should be on the standalone page for your comment. Enter a comment.
  Hopefully the notification that a comment has been posted will come to you, not me. :-)
  Parts
  opmlEditor.comments.init
  opmlEditor.comments.save
Steve Wozniak On Apple Maps
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 23:05
  I love when Steve Wozniak says things. He's usually hilariously critical of Apple, the company he co-founded with Steve Jobs.So I was excited to see him finally comment on Apple's controversial new Maps app that does away with Google Maps data. (My colleague Jay Yarow emailed Woz last week, but Woz had only used Apple Maps for less than a day and said he couldn't comment.)
  Here's what Woz said at a conference in Australia, according to ZDNet:
  I tried to navigate somewhere, and I couldn't get to where I wanted to by voice. So, I was a little disappointed, because I love navigation by voice with my Google [Android] phones, actually, since they always get it and are based on a better database.
  But Woz went on to say that he doesn't think the problems with Apple Maps are as "severe" as people are making them out to be. In some cases, he may be right. However, here in New York, I've been having a ton of trouble due to the lack of public transit directions. (I missed a subway stop today because the third-party app Embark told me the wrong one.)
Swimsuit Style Slip-Up! Kim Kardashian Fails To Flatter Her Figure In Belted One-Piece
  Link to Article
  Source: Radar Online
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 23:04
  Splash News
  By Radar Staff
  Where is Kim Kardashian's stylist/boyfriend Kanye West when she needs him?
  The-31-year-old reality star experienced a bathing suit blunder in Miami on Monday, pouring her crazy curves into a gold-belted white bathing suit for a beachside stroll with Kourtney, and RadarOnline.com has photos of her fashion disaster.
  PHOTOS: Kim Kardashian Pours Her Curves Into Unflattering Swimsuit In Miami
  Kardashian, who usually leaves little to the imagination by showing off her boobiful and bootylicious body in barely there bikinis, took a somewhat modest approach with her one-piece beachwear, but the white swimsuit was ill-fitting and failed to flatter her figure.PHOTOS: Kim Kardashian's 'Simple Life' On Social Media Since Meeting Kanye West
  The sisters are currently in Miami shooting the upcoming season of Kourtney & Kim Take Miami.
  RELATED STORIES:
  Kanye West Sex Tape With Kim Kardashian Look-A-Like Being Shopped
  Kim Kardashian: I'd Trade Places With Jesus For A DayThat's One Way To Get Ratings! Kim And Kourtney Kardashian Flaunt Bikini Bodies
  Money Can't Buy Taste! Kim Kardashian Fails To Flatter Her Figure In $5,000 Dress
  Legs, Butts And Boobs! The Hottest Bodies At The Emmy AwardsTori Spelling Still Recovering In The Hospital
TSA To Conduct Anal Probes At All Public Toilets (Satire)
  Link to Article
  Source: Infowars » Featured Stories
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 23:03
  Infowars.comSeptember 24, 2012
  BREAKING NEWS: The TSA has announced that due to the threat posed by terrorists who are planning to implant bombs in their own bodies, TSA screeners will now be in place at all public toilets in order to conduct anal probes. We canvassed the general public and found that they welcomed the new policy in the name of safety and security.
  Tags: tsa
  Share this article:
Mitt Romney & ''The View'' Hags (Plus, Whoopi's Fugly Shoes)
  Link to Article
  Source: Debbie Schlussel
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 23:02
  By Debbie Schlussel
  One of the less-reported facts about the tape secretly made of Mitt Romney at a private fundraiser, is that he said on the tape that he would not go on ABC's ''The View'' or ''Saturday Night Live'' (he said SNL is ''not Presidential''''bingo! finally someone gets it, or so I thought). But, sadly, Romney's reasoning about the annoying ''View'' hags has nothing to do with men running for Prez degrading themselves and the country by appearing on these lowlife talk shows. And he's already flip-flopped on the issue (as he does with illegal immigration, ObamaRomneyCare, and everything else), buckling under to five far-left, anti-male, whining yentas on a sleazy talk show.
  The Only Presidential Candidates Who Go On ''The View'' are Yutzes . . .
  The appearances of Presidential candidates on daytime talk shows are something I've criticized, ever since the trend began in 2000, when both Al Gore and George W. Bush appeared on daytime talk shows, including Oprah. Then, the Bushes and the Kerrys appeared on Dr. Phil, even more disgusting and degrading to the Presidency. I thought, ''Finally! Mitt Romney has some cojones and some dignity.'' And, then, I read on, and I was wrong. Plus, now, Romney has reversed course, and after cajoling by ''The View'' and its faux-conservative, genuine airhead, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Romney will be on this crappy show in October, which will win him exactly zero votes and is a waste of time. I also see Romney has thrown out any concern with appearing ''unpresidential'' by appearing on ''Live With Kelly & Michael'' and telling us that he wears ''as little as possible'' in bed and how he admires ''Jersey Shore's'' Snooki. Didn't he learn anything from Bill Clinton's ''boxers or briefs'' responses? Does he want to be President so badly that he'll lower himself to any level?
  And as for ''The View,'' Romney's initial reluctance to go on that crappy show is hypocritical, since he's already appeared on the show and pandered to the hags. It also appears cowardly, since his concern is not that it's unpresidential, but that the ''women'' on the show are ''sharp-tongued.''
  [Romney] said ''The View,'' ABC's daytime talker, ''is fine.'' But then, appearing to think better of that, Romney said ''The View'' is ''high-risk, because, of the five women on it, only one is conservative, and four are sharp-tongued and not conservative.''
  Memo to Mitt: um, Elisabeth Hasseldumb ain't conservative. She's in love with Al Sharpton, affirmative action, Title IX, illegal aliens, Muslims (especially the ones who storm U.S. Embassies and murder officials), Sonia Sotomayor, San Francisco's statist ban on McDonald's Happy Meals, Canada silencing Romney-fan Ann Coulter, and YouTube banning videos and movies that offend Islam and Muslims (something she called for and which YouTube, thankfully, hasn't done). She also doesn't believe Muslims perpetrated the 9/11 attacks (I guess it was Martians), and she outed a Federal Air Marshal on live TV. Frankly, in many respects, the far-left Whoopi Goldberg is to the right of Hasselbeck.
  And, again, Romney, per usual, did a 180 because he has no guts, no cojones. I expect the same if he gets to the White House . . . a big if that won't be helped with a ''The View'' appearance. The mindless idiots who watch that show will be voting for Obama (if they vote at all), no matter what.
  ***
  Check out Whoopi Goldberg's bizarre, fugly shoes, which she wore to interview the Prez. Yup, those are chicken leg replicas as heels. Does Mitt Romney really need to go on a shoe with idiots who also dress like idiots? (Despite Goldberg's hatred of Israel and support for the Palestinians and other Islamic terrorists, the shoes are by Israeli designer Kobi Levi, who makes other similarly bizarre shoes that are cute to look at, but incredibly foolish-looking on your feet.) Yup, the woman's a clown . . . a Marxist clown that far too many mindless American women actually listen, too.
@adamcurry I love THIS Squeeze Box http://t.co/p8YW6iq2
  Link to Article
  Source: @adamcurry - Twitter Search
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:57
  Uploaded by lucylovebeatles on Jun 20, 2007
  es en un video buenisimo de the who y una cancion espectacular!espero que la disfruten!
  Category: Music
  License:Standard YouTube License
Logitech leaves Squeezebox fans wondering what's next
  Link to Article
  Source: CNET News
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:41
  The Squeezebox platform is officially discontinued, but Logitech hasn't told current owners what they should expect from now on.
  Products like the Squeezebox Touch are not only discontinued, but it's unclear what the future of the Squeezebox platform is.
  (Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)In my review of the Logitech UE Smart Radio, there's a single parenthetical line mentioning that the company is discontinuing the Squeezebox line of products. Incredibly, that's more than Logitech has officially said on the matter, leaving the passionate fans of the Squeezebox platform wondering what's going to happen to their network audio streamers.
  To be clear, the Squeezebox product line is unequivocally over. Logitech representatives have confirmed to me that there will be no new Squeezebox products, and the Logitech Web site has been virtually wiped of any mention of the Squeezebox brand. The new UE Smart Radio is not compatible with Squeezebox products, despite running software that doesn't seem all that different. But I'd bet that many Squeezebox owners have little idea that the platform is going away, unless they've been reading a 47-page thread on the Squeezebox forum of owners looking for answers.
  On its own, it's not surprising that the Squeezebox line is being discontinued. Products are discontinued all the time, such is the nature of progress. But the Squeezebox network audio streamers weren't typical products; owners were buying into an ecosystem of products. The ability to add more Squeezebox products to your network was a major selling point, making Squeezebox owners more invested the platform than you'd be with another gadget.
  The Squeezebox ecosystem also includes software, and now there's a serious question as to how long the now-discontinued products will continue to work at full functionality. Squeezebox products rely on the MySqueezebox.com server to access streaming services like Rhapsody, Spotify, Pandora, and Internet radio. If Logitech stops supporting MySqueezebox, Squeezebox products will be limited to streaming local digital music libraries over a home network.
  At the moment, Squeezebox owners have a faint promise from a sympathetic Squeezebox developer on the forum (commenting in an unofficial capacity) that there are "no plans" to shut down the MySqueezebox site, but that's far from a hard guarantee that it will remain running for at least, say, two years. (In fact, later on the same developer seems less confident, stating Squeezebox products are "very likely to work great 6 to 12 months in the future.")
  And if you're not one of the diehards who read the forum, you probably have no idea that your digital audio ecosystem is now on borrowed time.
  That's not to say that Logitech necessarily made the wrong decision to shift to the simplified UE Smart Radio -- in fact, my review highlights that it's much easier to set up and use than the Squeezebox products, making it a considerably more accessible product. The old Squeezebox Radio will also be upgradable to the new UE software, although no other Squeezebox products will have the upgrade option. But at the very least, Logitech owes dedicated Squeezebox fans (many who have invested a lot of time, money, and effort on the platform for over a decade) an official update about the end of the product line and what they can expect going forward.
  The punchline to the story is that same 47-page thread of frustrated Squeezebox enthusiasts includes a hint that there will be new UE products compatible with the Smart Radio, creating a Squeezebox-like family of products that work together. It may be wise to see how Logitech handles its Squeezebox customers before committing to the new UE ecosystem.
Dave Winer comments on "Why didn't Apple ease into maps."
  Link to Article
  Source: Pioneering OPML comments
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:38
  When Apple switches basic technology it's almost always done in a gradual way, in stages.
  1. First, it's optional. Only for the most adventurous users, developers usually.
  2. Next, it's the default, but you can still run the old apps in a compatibility box.
  3. Then they require you to install special software to run the old style stuff.
  4. Then they introduce a version of the platform that only runs the new stuff.
  Apple technologies that have transitioned like that include the switchover from the 68K processor to the PowerPC. Then from the PowerPC to Intel. They brought in the NeXT OS that way. It took many years before they shipped a version of the OS that would not run Mac apps from before the transition to NeXT.
  People think they're doing that with app distribution on the Macintosh. And some people even think they're phasing out the Mac OS and that at some point they will say that Mac apps are "legacy" and eventually will ship a platform that only runs iOS apps. But that would have to be a long ways off, five or ten years, if ever.
  But this time Apple didn't do a gradual ease-in of their new maps platform. One day we had a maps platform by Google that mostly worked. It was replaced with Apple's maps technology which is most definitely not ready for end-users. And the Google maps platform is no longer available. It's a remarkably discontinuous change.
  It seems they could have shipped iOS 6 with the Google maps platform, and with a new app from Apple that implements their new maps technology. That would get it hundreds of thousands of users, immediately. The most change-averse users would stick with the existing maps app. And the power users, the insiders, those closest to Apple would help them fix the glitches and smooth things out so it would be ready in a year or two for the average iPhone or iPad users.
  They certainly haven't explained to users why they didn't also ship a Google maps platform. It's not as if the Google software won't run on the new version of the operating system. You can go to maps.google.com in Safari, and it works as before.
  User communities are layered. Think of concentric circles, like the layers of an onion. There's an inner core of users who are developers. They get the earliest releases of software, and know that what they're getting is both buggy and subject to change. They want that stuff, because they want to be ready when it ships with their own apps. After that there are enthusiasts. People who get glory from being early with the latest stuff. They also don't mind so much putting up with buggy or incomplete software. It validates their view of themselves as pioneers. And there are many more layers of expertise and tolerance for weird behavior, all the way out to the prototype end-end-user -- our mothers.
  It's surprising they would subject all levels of users to the quirkiest software, the stuff that usually only developers have to use, especially mapping software which is integral to using mobile devices. It's almost as if the NYC transit authority introduced new software for the subways, it's really that important these days to getting around. It's a very radical shift, with lots of problems, and they haven't provided an explanation of why it is this way. What other changes like this will they make? Why the change? What other Apple platforms are subject to this kind of change?
  See also: Apple's Feud With Google Is Now Felt on the iPhone.
Republican Lawmaker Quits After Being Named as Brothel Client in Racketeering Case
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:37
  A married Republican state representative in Florida announced on Monday that he will resign from office and not seek re-election after Orange County prosecutors revealed that he had been named in a case involving racketeering and prostitution.
  State Rep. Mike Horner has not been charged with any crime, but law enforcement sources told the Orlando Sentinel that his name was included on a client list in a case against Mark Risner, an Orange County man who is accused of running a brothel out of his home.
  Riser is facing 13 charges, including felony charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
  "I deeply regret decisions I made that are causing my family unjustifiable pain and embarrassment," Horner explained in a statement on Monday. "While current press accounts from this morning are erroneous, my family still deserves better from me, as do all my friends, supporters and constituents. So today I am announcing I will no longer seek reelection to the Florida House."
  A statement from House Speaker Designate Will Weatherford said Horner had made "the right decision."
  "It is in the best interest of our state and his family," Weatherford said. "As elected officials, we are held to a high standard and no member of the Florida House is above that standard. I accept Mike's decision and offer my prayers during this difficult time for him and his family."
  Florida law gives the Republican Party five days to name a replacement candidate. Horner's name would remain on the ballot, but the replacement candidate would receive credit for all votes cast for him.
  He was favored over Democrat Eileen Game for the District 42 House seat.
  Horner, who was a rising star in the Republican Party, is also currently serving as the president of the Kissimmee/Osceola Chamber of Commerce. It was not immediately clear how the current scandal would affect his job with the Chamber.
New Jersey won't let motorists smile in driver's license photos because of face-recognition software
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:13
  What are you smiling about? Because of fraud-fighting face-recognition technology introduced earlier this year, New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission no longer allows licence holders to smile for their ID photos.
  Don't say cheese.
  New Jersey has banned smiling in driver's license photographs.
  The state's Motor Vehicle Commission says smiles don't work with new face-recognition software it introduced in January.
  ''To get an accurate photo, you don't want an excessively expressive face in the photo,'' MVC spokesman Mike Horan told The Philadelphia Daily News.
  Horan says the rule helps deter fraudsters using fake IDs. If a photo that pops up in the system matches an existing photo, investigators check for identity theft.
  ''That could be someone trying to steal someone else's identity to get insurance benefits, or someone trying to get out of a DUI by getting a license under another name,'' Horan said.
  He explained that slight smiles are allowed, just not huge grins.
  The policy went mostly unnoticed all year until 38-year-old Velvet McNeil voiced complaints this week.
  She told the Philadelphia Daily News she was furious when an employee at the MVC wouldn't let her smile when she took a driver's license picture Tuesday.
  ''Your picture means a lot; it's who you are,'' she told the newspaper. ''Why should we all look like androids, looking mopey?''
  But McNeil relented when she learned about the new software.
  ''Just no cheesy grins, right? That's fine,'' she said. ''I need a license, so I will definitely go back. I have to do what the law requires.''
  rmurray@nydailynews.com
Facebook raises fears with ad tracking.
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:10
  Emily Steel and April DemboskyFinancial TimesSept 24, 2012
  Facebook is working with a controversial data company called Datalogix that can track whether people who see ads on the social networking site end up buying those products in stores.
  Amid growing pressure for the social networking site to prove the value of its advertising, Facebook is gradually wading into new techniques for tracking and using data about users that raise concerns among privacy advocates.
  ''We kept hearing back [from marketers] that we needed to push further and help them do a better job,'' said Brad Smallwood, Facebook's head of measurement and insights.
  Datalogix has purchasing data from about 70m American households largely drawn from loyalty cards and programmes at more than 1,000 retailers, including grocers and drug stores. By matching email addresses or other identifying information associated with those cards against emails or information used to establish Facebook accounts, Datalogix can track whether people bought a product in a store after seeing an ad on Facebook.
  Full article here
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Black tie activists crash HMRC boss' retirement do - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 22:09
NYC Public Schools Offer Morning After Pill to Students | Plan B | TheBlaze.com
  Link to Article
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 21:41
  Photo Credit: FILE
  NEW YORK (TheBlaze/AP) '-- File this one under ''controversial.'' The New York City Department of Education is making the morning-after-pill available to high school girls at 13 public schools.
  The DOE says girls as young as 14 will be able to get the Plan B emergency contraception without parental consent.
  Parents have been notified about the CATCH (Connecting Adolescents To Comprehensive Health) pilot program and how their daughters can opt out of it. The New York Post has more about the controversial program:
  It might be a nationwide'...The National Association of School Nurses could cite no other school district supplying Plan B.
  So far, during an unpublicized pilot program in five city schools last year, 567 students received Plan B tablets and 580 students received Reclipsen birth-control pills, the city Department of Health told The Post.
  This fall, students can also get Depo-Provera, a birth-control drug injected once every three months, officials said.
  Oral and injectable contraceptives require prescriptions, which, in the CATCH program, are written by Health Department doctors.
  City Council Speaker Christine Quinn says she supports the program because high school students are sexually active and getting pregnant.
  The city says about 7,000 girls get pregnant by the time they reach the age of 17. It says more than half choose to get an abortion.
  NYC schools already distribute free condoms to students.
@adamcurry @therealdvorak If only Germany Had TSA right ? Fake pilot gets on a flight with the FLIGHT CREW! http://t.co/mLEtTgJk
  Link to Article
  Source: @adamcurry - Twitter Search
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 21:40
  Police in Turin say they have arrested a man who was going by the name 'Andrea Sirlo' for flying as a fake airline pilot Link to this videoAn Italian man arrested after flying as a fake airline pilot told police he was inspired by the Steven Spielberg film Catch Me If You Can.
  Catch Me If You CanProduction year: 2002Country: USACert (UK): 12ARuntime: 141 minsDirectors: Steven SpielbergCast: Christopher Walken, Jennifer Garner, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Sheen, Tom HanksMore on this filmThe unnamed man, who was going by the name Andrea Sirlo, tricked his way into the cockpit of at least one jet by posing as a pilot. He was arrested at a bar in Turin airport wearing a homemade pilot's uniform and with forged ID cards on his person, police said.
  The case mirrors that of the US conman Frank Abagnale Jr, who flew more than a million miles on over 250 flights to 26 countries in the 1950s after securing a PanAm uniform by fraud and forging a pilot's licence. Spielberg's 2002 film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Abagnale Jr, was based on the latter's time as a conman. "I saw that film and I wanted to be like Frank Abagnale," the fake pilot reportedly told police.
  "Sirlo", 32, was arrested on Friday. Police had been hunting him for several months after a civil aviation lieutenant told police he had met a man who introduced himself as a captain but looked too young to be a pilot. The unnamed man had created an identity for himself with Germany's Lufthansa airline and flew on at least one Air Dolomiti flight from Munich to Turin as a third pilot. Air Dolomiti is owned by Lufthansa.
  The man had set up Facebook and Twitter profiles for his pilot's identity, and the former featured several photographs of him posing in uniform and sunglasses in front of planes. Police later found further fake ID cards, several pilot's uniforms, training manuals, an airport staff parking permit and two fake CVs in a garage at his home. He was later charged with attempting to threaten air security and assuming a false identity.
  Lufthansa has refused to comment on the case. "Sirlo" is the name of a flight corridor over Turin.
Facebook denies reports of private messages made public
  Link to Article
  Source: Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 21:39
  Facebook Monday denied reports that it displayed some users' old private messages in public "timelines" on the social network.
  Facebook Monday denied reports that it displayed some users' old private messages in public "timelines" at the social network.
  Facebook said it investigated the complaints, initially from members in France, and was satisfied there had been no breach of privacy.
  "A small number of users raised concerns after what they mistakenly believed to be private messages appeared on their Timeline," the California-based social network said in an email response to an AFP inquiry.
  "Our engineers investigated these reports and found that the messages were older wall posts that had always been visible on the users' profile pages."
  Concerns that private Facebook messages from 2007, 2008, or 2009 were being posted for public viewing spread wildly on one-to-many text message serviceTwitter after a story first appeared in free French daily Metro.
  Facebook remained adamant that messages at issue were "wall" posts that have always been open to viewing by others and not made with private side-conversation tools subsequently added to the service.
  (c) 2012 AFP
Turkmenistan and ADB road-show catches interest of large oil and gas companies - Trend.Az
  Link to Article
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 21:38
  Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Sept. 24 / Trend H. Hasanov /
  The world road-show for implementing the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline (TAPI) construction project has created interest with the leading world companies.The show was conducted by Turkmenistan during September 9-20.
  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) participated, the Turkmen government said on Saturday.
  Representatives of U.S. companies Chevron, Exxon Mobil, British BP, BG Group, German RWE, Malaysian Petronas and were brought up to speed with the main terms of implementing the TAPI project. They expressed their intention to participate during business networking with the members of the expert group, consisting of the appropriate managers and specialists of economic and oil and gas departments of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and ADB representatives.
  'It should be stressed that besides the leading companies specialising in oil and gas, many foreign financial and banking organisations showed great interest in the largest gas pipeline project in Asia', the statement said.
  A business tour for the TAPI project was held in Singapore, New York and London, the biggest business and financial centres of South-East Asia, America and Europe.
  According to a government report, information about Turkmenistan's energy potential, state-run Turkmengaz, the technical parameters of the TAPI gas pipeline and commercial aspects of contracts and agreements to be concluded within the project implementation have been prepared together with the ADB.
  The information on the financial and economic feasibility of the project was disseminated.According to the government report, it is safe to assume that the current road show, conducted by the country for the first time to present such a large scale project to the world, will give a new impetus to the development of international partnership in this area and will coordinate joint plans for the near future.
  The expert group will make a report to the TAPI project steering committee in the near future.
  According to the report, the implementation of Turkmenistan's energy strategy based on the principles of diversification of oil and gas industry is embodied in the implementation of large scale international energy projects, including TAPI project.
  It focuses on creating a multiple pipeline oriented infrastructure centred on delivering Turkmen energy resources to the world energy markets
  Great work is being conducted on the initiative and under the leadership of the Turkmen president to effectively have implemented it for the past two years. A summit of the presidents and members of the above mentioned project was held in Ashgabat in December 2010. The fundamental interstate and intergovernmental agreements on the TAPI project were signed.
  According to these documents, the heads and experts of oil and gas ministries of the member states held several meetings and consultations during 2011 and the first half of 2012. They worked through the legal, institutional, commercial, technical and other issues related to the practical implementation of TAPI gas pipeline construction project.
  As a result, the agreements and other documents clearly regulating the issues of supply, purchase, sale and transit of Turkmen natural gas were signed during the third International Congress in May this year.
  Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az
Dave Winer comments on "Today's podcast."
  Link to Article
  Source: Pioneering OPML comments
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 21:25
  When you've had a chance to listen to today's podcast,
  1. Please post a note here using the OPML Editor.
  2. Following the instructions on this page.
  When you come back here look for the green button.
  Refresh the page if necessary.
  You can do it! :-)
It's Monday, you could use some motivation (24 Photos)
  Link to Article
  Source: theCHIVE
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:18
  Thank you for visiting theCHIVE.com - Probably the Best Site in the World. theCHIVE is home to the best funny, viral and interesting photos from around the world. Content published contains original photos, awesomeness, rumors, nicotine, speculation, beautiful girls, funny pictures, assumptions, opinions, ugly people, and factual information. Postings may contain erroneous or inaccurate information. theCHIVE would be nothing without you, our loyal Chivers.
  Copyright (C) 2012 Resignation Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Panic cash withdrawals in Spain drain banks; Greece-style economic implosion now imminent
  Link to Article
  Source: BlackListedNews.com
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:17
  Source:Natural NewsSpain appears poised to become the next Greece in the ongoing European Union (EU) implosion, as Spaniards are withdrawing record amounts of funds from Spanish banks to avoid a potential insolvency situation. According to the New York Times (NYT), the equivalent of $94 billion was withdrawn from Spanish banks in July, an amount that equals seven percent of the country's overall economic output.Though stronger overall compared to Greece in terms of economic diversity and debt levels, Spain is undeniably on a downward economic spiral that is sending many of its people and their money to other countries like England, Germany, and Singapore, where economic conditions are much more favorable. Just like in Greece, there is a growing fear among Spaniards that their nation could revert from the euro to its former currency, pesetas, which would greatly devalue their personal wealth.
  "The macro situation in Spain is getting worse and worse," said Julio Vildosola to the NYT. Vildosola, a former senior executive at a large multinational company, recently moved all his money -- and is now in the process of moving his entire family -- to a small village near Cambridge, England. "There is just too much risk. Spain is going to be next after Greece, and I just don't want to end up holding devalued pesetas."
  Spaniards pulling out their cash en masse
  Vildosola's opinion is shared by many others in Spain who are also moving their funds and families elsewhere in anticipation of an eventual collapse. Despite all the empty promises being made by EU officials, including a commitment to inject 100 billion euros into the Spanish banking system, the Spanish people, including many from the country's upper echelons, have lost faith in their country's ability to stay afloat in the long term.
  "The wealthy people have already taken their money out," says Spanish economist Jose Garcia Montalvo about the ongoing capital flight. "Now it's the professionals and mid-range people who are moving their money to Germany and London. The mood is very, very bad."During the recent festival of "Diada de Catalunya," or Day of Catalonia, which celebrates the end of the siege on Barcelona during the War of the Spanish Succession, an estimated 1.5 million people took to the streets to demand that Catalonia, a wealthy region of Spain that includes the city of Barcelona, secede from the country and form its own independent state. (http://latino.foxnews.com)
  The European Central Bank recently announced that it will buy short-term bonds from member states that agree to abide by certain rules and conditions when applying for assistance (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com). But Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has announced his rejection of these conditions, though he has yet to indicate whether or not his country will still request a bailout. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19553002)
  Sources for this article include:
  http://www.cnbc.com/id/48889555
Billionaires Dumping Stocks, Economist Knows Why
  Link to Article
  Source: BlackListedNews.com
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:17
  Source:Money NewsDespite the 6.5% stock market rally over the last three months, a handful of billionaires are quietly dumping their American stocks . . . and fast.
  Warren Buffett, who has been a cheerleader for U.S. stocks for quite some time, is dumping shares at an alarming rate. He recently complained of ''disappointing performance'' in dyed-in-the-wool American companies like Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, and Kraft Foods.
  In the latest filing for Buffett's holding company Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has been drastically reducing his exposure to stocks that depend on consumer purchasing habits. Berkshire sold roughly 19 million shares of Johnson & Johnson, and reduced his overall stake in ''consumer product stocks'' by 21%. Berkshire Hathaway also sold its entire stake in California-based computer parts supplier Intel.
  With 70% of the U.S. economy dependent on consumer spending, Buffett's apparent lack of faith in these companies' future prospects is worrisome.
  Unfortunately Buffett isn't alone.
  Fellow billionaire John Paulson, who made a fortune betting on the subprime mortgage meltdown, is clearing out of U.S. stocks too. During the second quarter of the year, Paulson's hedge fund, Paulson & Co., dumped 14 million shares of JPMorgan Chase. The fund also dumped its entire position in discount retailer Family Dollar and consumer-goods maker Sara Lee.
  Read more...
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Bay Buchanan Doubles Down: U.S. Is a 'Nation of People Dependent on Government'
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:16
  Bay Buchanan, a senior adviser to Mitt Romney's campaign, on Sunday doubled down on the Republican presidential nominee's comment that 47 percent of Americans refused to take personal responsibility for their lives by asserting that the entire country was "a nation of people dependent on their government."
  In video published by Mother Jones last week, Mitt Romney had told wealthy donors that 47 percent the country were "dependant" on government and were going to vote for President Barack Obama.
  ''My job is is not to worry about those people,'' Romney declared. ''I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.''
  During a panel segment on NBC's Meet the Press, Democratic strategist Dee Dee Myers said that Romney's comments showed that he had a "very limited universe" and "really has no feel for what real people are doing."
  "To characterize the personal life of Mitt Romney as Dee Dee has is to show that she does not know the man, she does not know what he has done," Buchanan shot back. "This is a man who has spent a life in serving others. That is the basis of what he believes."
  "We are in perilous times in this country," she continued. "We are looking at financial ruin."
  "We are a nation of people dependant on their government, and that is what Barack Obama gives us. And he promises more of that in four more years."
  (h/t: Think Progress)
Cute girl hula hooping in yoga pants? Sure, why not (Video)
  Link to Article
  Source: theCHIVE
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:13
  Hula hoops are huge these days, particularly in the last year. At Wakarusa this summer, I swear 1 in every 3 girls had a hula hoop with her. I even saw a couple of guys doing it. Last summer at Bonnaroo, there weren't as many were quite a few girls with them, some of whom were really, really good. One of my friends and I watched one girl throughout The Decemberists entire set, then we happened to be near her during Florence + the Machine, too, and my friend was inspired to take hoop classes. She's getting ready to start fire hooping soon. I spin poi, and I'm getting ready to graduate to fire, too. That's what they need to post videos of on here. Fire hooping and fire poi. That stuff is spectacular.
CHILD SEX FOR MOSLEMS
  Link to Article
  Source: aangirfan
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:10
  Governments... love child abuse... No other criminal activity... gives such control over those who commit it. - Ex Senator STUART SYVRET In the UK, gangs have been providing certain Moslems with kids for sex.The government authorities appear to have been protecting these child sex-abuse gangs.
  British Moslems
  The UK Moslems involved in the child-sex abuse are originally from countries which are of interest to the UK security services - Iraq, Kosovo, Kurdistan and Pakistan.
  Might the UK security services have recruited UK Moslems to fight in Iraq, Kosovo, Pakistan, Libya, Syria...
  The sexual abuse, involving many hundreds of kids, took place over a decade.
  The main centres of the child abuse gangs appear to have been Sheffield and Rotherham in South Yorkshire.
  MacShane
  Denis MacShane (Denis Matyjaszek) is the member of parliament for Rotherham and a leading figure in Labour Friends of IsraelLabour Member of Parliament (Sheffield), Clive Betts "was suspended from Parliament for 7 days after being caught forging immigration papers to extend the stay of his Brazilian rent-boy gay lover." Young girls were trafficked from Yorkshire to Manchester, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Dover and other cities.
  Similar child trafficking gangs operated in other parts of the UK. Many people complained to the police and many girls gave evidence to the police, but prosecutions did not follow.Police were summoned to a house outside which a father was demanding the release of his daughter.The young girl was being held by a group of men of Pakistani origin. The police found the girl, who had been drugged.The police arrested the father for racial harassment and arrested the girl for assault.The police left the Pakistanis at the house with two more girls.Two girls from South Yorkshire were dragged into a car and driven to Bristol to be used for sex as part of a drugs deal.When the girls managed to escape, the South Yorkshire Police did not question them about the incident.
  After neighbours heard screaming, a 13-year-old girl was found at 3am in a house with a large group of men.The men had given her vodka. Police arrested the girl for being drunk and disorderly but did not question the men."Asian sex gangs were able to groom, pimp and traffic girls across the UK for more than a decade while authorities failed to publicly acknowledge the problem was happening, confidential documents reveal.
  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2207756/Victim-sex-gang-offered-Urdu-Punjabi-lessons-confidential-papers-reveal.html#ixzz27OC5Da53
  "A dossier of internal police, social services and intelligence reports shows that agencies in South Yorkshire were aware that vulnerable girls were being abused, but a catalogue of alleged crimes were not prosecuted."
  On February 5, 1999, in the U.S. District Court in Lincoln, Nebraska, Paul Bonacci claimed that he had been ritualistically abused by Lawrence E King, as part ofa nationwide pedophile ring linked to powerful political figures in Washington and to elements of the U.S. military and intelligence establishment.
  On February 27, Judge Warren K. Urbom ordered King to pay $1 million in damages to Bonacci, in what Bonacci's attorney John DeCamp said was a clear signal that "the evidence presented was credible."
  During the February 5 hearing, Noreen Gosch gave the court sworn testimony linking U.S. Army Lt. Col. Michael Aquino (ret.) to the nationwide pedophile ring. Her son, Johnny, then 12 years old, was kidnapped off the streets of West Des Moines, Iowa on September 5, 1982, while he was doing his early-morning newspaper deliveries.
  Reportedly, the British security service MI5 used to take foreign diplomats to children's homes in North Wales, give them boys to 'play' with, secretly film them as they buggered, abused and tortured boys then kept the tapes as evidence.
  Over a dozen victims who complained of abuse by the paedophile ring 'have met suspicious deaths'." - North Wales paedophile ring, top people, the police and the security services
  For years, MI5 was reportedly aware of a child abuse ring operating within the Kincora Boys Home in East Belfast, which was run by William McGrath, a notorious homosexual."McGrath had been employed by MI5 since the mid 1960s."MI5 allowed the ill-treatment and sexual abuse of residents at the Kincora Boys Home to continue..."
How a Teacher Made $1 Million Selling Lesson Plans
  Link to Article
  Source: EconomicPolicyJournal.com
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:02
  By Caroline WinterDeanna Jump is not a trust fund baby. She never married into money and she has never won the lottery. But in the past year-and-a-half, the 43-year-old kindergarten teacher in Warner Robins, Ga., has earned more than $1 million. Her unlikely strategy: selling catchy kindergarten lesson plans to other teachers.
  Jump is just one of some 15,000 teachers currently marketing their original classroom materials through the online marketplace, TeachersPayTeachers (TPT). Since signing on to the site, she has created 93 separate teaching units and sold 161,000 copies for about $8 a pop. ''My units usually cover about two weeks' worth of material,'' she says. ''So if you want to teach about dinosaurs, you'd buy my dinosaur unit, and it has everything you need from language arts, math, science experiments, and a list of books you can use as resources. So once you print out the unit, you just have to add a few books to read aloud to your class, and everything else is there, ready to go for you.''
  To be fair, no one else on TPT has been as wildly successful as Jump, but at least two other teachers have earned $300,000, and 23 others have earned over $100,000, according to site founder Paul Edelman. ''Of the 15,000 teachers who are contributing, about 10,000 make money in any given quarter,'' he adds....
  Jump admits that her own success is partly due to keeping a popular blog that helps direct readers to her TPT materials. TPT's ''Follow Me'' button has also been a boon. ''I have over 16,000 followers,'' she says. ''So every time I post a new product, an e-mail goes out to those people and'--literally within an hour'--I'm selling, selling, selling.''
  In the past three months, Jump, who earns $55,000 per year teaching, has collected $213,000 in TPT sales.
  The full story is here.
Hello, world. A welcome letter from our editor in chief
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:45
  Welcome to Quartz.
  Over the past few months, we've assembled a team of digital journalists and developers to create a new kind of business news offering that is global, digitally native, and designed for the mobile and tablet devices that increasingly dominate our lives. This is version 1.0 of our efforts.
  Quartz is emerging in the wake of a financial crisis that exposed a fundamentally changed economic order with new leaders and ways of doing business. In today's global economy, the most significant developments are found far from the traditional centers of gravity, and traditional ways of understanding the world no longer apply. Aware of this, we intend to do some things differently than you might expect.
  Our coverage is rooted in a set of defining obsessions: core topics and knotty questions of seismic importance to business professionals, from the rise of digital payment systems to life in a world of extremely low interest rates to the growth and habits of the consumer class. These are the issues that energize our newsroom, and we invite you to obsess about them along with us.
  You can read our opening analyses of some of these tectonic questions on Quartz today, including Steve LeVine's assessment of the impacts the new energy boom will have on the global balance of power and Christopher Mims' look at the land grab underway to reach the next one billion internet users via the mobile web. Complete coverage of our core obsessions is accessible from the navigation bar at the top of the site.
  We'll publish stories on these obsessions and other news in a range of forms and sizes: short link posts that point you to valuable sources across the web; visual pieces that tell you a story better than prose could; longform articles that offer you a breadth of understanding. Our founding team includes veterans of some of the world's highest-quality news organizations. Collectively, we have reported from 115 countries and speak 19 languages (and 19 programming languages, too).
  Quartz is designed for mobility and efficiency, starting with our concise domain name qz.com. When you visit the homepage, our top story is open by default, and you can just start reading. Or, if you prefer, select from the queue of headlines to the left '-- top stories, by default, but you can select our latest and most-popular stories, as well.
  If you're reading this on a laptop or desktop computer, I encourage you to visit qz.com from the browser on an iPhone or tablet. There is no app to download. Quartz works well on touchscreens and adapts to your screen size, so it's easily readable on mobile devices.
  Quartz is totally free, with no paywall to get in your way. We're ad-supported, thanks to our four launch sponsors.
  We'll be updating Quartz on a continual basis, allowing you to catch up with news on the go. We're also emailing a daily morning briefing on global business news, formatted for easy reading on your smartphone and tailored for your time zone, since it's always morning somewhere. You can sign up here.
  We view the creation of Quartz as just the beginning of an ongoing process, and we hope it will be a collaborative one. Quartz readers, collectively, know more about this new global economy than we do, so we hope you will be in touch with tips, suggestions, and submissions. You can always reach our newsroom directly by emailing hi@qz.com, and you can also connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Google+, Sina Weibo, App.net, and Flipboard.
  Quartz is intended to embody the era in which we're creating it, like Wired in the 1990s, Rolling Stone in the 1960s, Fortune in the 1930s, and The Economist in the 1840s. What is the best way to build a global news organization in 2012? With your help, we'll figure it out.
  Thank you for visiting us. And keep coming back to qz.com.
  Best,Kevin J. DelaneyEditor in chief@kevinjdelaney
U.S. poised to hand over $197 million to another solar panel start-up.
  Link to Article
  Source: TheCandyman's news feed
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:45
  Solar panels are pictured in the Nevada Desert as U.S. President Barack Obama visited the Copper Mountain Solar Project in Boulder City, Nevada March 21, 2012.
  Credit: Reuters/Jason Reed
  By Nichola Groom
  LOS ANGELES | Mon Sep 24, 2012 12:31pm EDT
  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A tiny solar company named SoloPower will flip the switch on production at a U.S. factory Thursday, a major step toward allowing it to tap a $197 million government loan guarantee awarded under the same controversial program that supported failed panel maker Solyndra.
  SoloPower has initiated a strategy to differentiate it from struggling commodity players in the solar panel industry. Still, there are several similarities between SoloPower and Solyndra - which became a lightning rod in the U.S. Presidential campaign this year after taking in more than $500 million in government loans and then filing for bankruptcy.
  Like Solyndra, SoloPower is a Silicon Valley start-up and uses the same non-traditional raw material in its solar panels. And, like its now-defunct peer, SoloPower is one of just four U.S. panel manufacturers to clinch loan guarantees under the Department of Energy's $35 billion program to support emerging clean energy technologies. The DOE payments to SoloPower will come on top of the $56.5 million SoloPower has collected in loans, tax credits and incentives from the state of Oregon and the city of Portland, where its first factory will be located.
  And, perhaps most importantly, SoloPower is entering the market at a time of cutthroat competition from cheaper solar products made in China.
  Though global demand for photovoltaic solar installations is expected to grow about 8 percent this year, rapid expansion of panel manufacturing in Asia in recent years - combined with a pullback in government incentives in key European markets - has left a glut of solar panels in the market, sending prices down 30 percent this year alone.
  Companies that make those panels are now struggling to survive. Even the world's largest solar panel maker, China's Suntech Power Holdings Inc, warned on Friday that it may be delisted by the New York Stock Exchange because its share price, which reached $90 in 2008, is now less than $1. Debt-heavy Suntech has also been hurt since it said in July that its partner in a solar development fund might have defrauded it with a bogus collateral pledge of hundreds of millions of German bonds.
  POLITICAL PRESSURE
  These struggles have heaped political pressure on the sector. Republicans, intent on taking back the White House in November's election, are using Solyndra and other U.S. Department of Energy loan failures to brand the Obama administration's green incentives a waste of public money and fountain of cronyism. Solyndra, for instance, was backed by George Kaiser, a major fundraiser for Obama.
  As the failures accumulate, Obama is under pressure to show better results for the program.
  Earlier this month, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed a "No More Solyndras" bill that would phase out the program for energy loans. It is highly unlikely to be taken up by the U.S. Senate or signed by Obama.
  SoloPower says the comparisons to Solyndra are unwarranted.
  The San Jose, California company's lightweight, flexible solar panels have a unique advantage, Chief Executive Tim Harris said in an interview. They are pointed squarely at commercial and industrial rooftops that can't support traditional panels, according to Harris, who said half of the buildings in the world can't bear the weight of heavy, rigid panels made with silicon. This includes many of the buildings that house warehouses and big box retailers, Harris said. In addition, he said SoloPower panels are commanding a price premium in a market that has become increasingly commoditized.
  "We have way more demand than we have capacity at a very substantial premium price," Harris said in an interview. He declined to specify the premium SoloPower is able to charge, but said his company's product is best suited for markets such as Japan, Italy and Korea, which have high electricity prices and favorable incentives for rooftop systems.
  The company has been able to raise more than $200 million in venture funding from investors including Crosslink Capital, Hudson Clean Energy Partners, Convexa Capital Ventures and Firsthand Capital Management.
  "Before one dollar of the DOE loan is relied upon it will be demonstrable that this is a company that absolutely can manufacture a product that there will be verifiable demand for," said John Cavalier, a managing partner with Hudson Clean Energy Partners, which invested in SoloPower. "I don't think anyone will question the wisdom of making a loan of this nature to this company."
  But some in the industry are skeptical of SoloPower's ability to succeed without having to lower its prices to compete with cheaper products from Asia.
  "They are flexible and lightweight. Is anyone willing to pay a price premium for that? I would lean toward saying no," said Matt Feinstein, a solar industry analyst with Lux Research, a research and advisory firm that specializes in emerging technologies. "They have to compete head-to-head with the Chinese."
  LIGHTER, BUT LESS EFFICIENT
  SoloPower must have its first production line up and running and meet other undisclosed milestones before it can begin to draw down funds from its U.S. Department of Energy loan guarantee. Harris expects that to happen later this year or early next year. Funds from the loan guarantee will pay for construction of the rest of the Portland, Oregon factory, which is expected to be completed in 2014. DOE spokesman Damien LaVera would not provide details on the terms of SoloPower's loan guarantee and said the company's technology was not similar to Solyndra's, but would not elaborate.
  Once completed, the plant will produce 400 megawatts of solar panels annually and employ about 400 people. There are 60 people working there currently.
  SoloPower will be profitable once the first line is up and running producing panels, Harris said. Many solar companies, meanwhile, have been losing money as they scramble to cut costs as quickly as the prices on their products are falling.
  Solyndra, for its part, drew down 99 percent of its $535 million loan guarantee without turning a profit.
  Some project developers, bankers and others are wary of newer "thin film" solar technologies like SoloPower's that are less efficient than traditional panels at transforming the sun's light into electricity.
  Thin film, a broad term for solar panels that don't use silicon as their raw material, became a darling of investors five years ago when solar-grade silicon prices soared to $500 a kilogram. Thin film makers argued that despite their shortcomings in efficiency, they could deliver far cheaper solar power than their silicon-reliant rivals. Today, however, an influx of capacity from Asia has driven spot prices for polysilicon to about $20 per kg, raising questions about the need to fund alternatives to silicon-based panels.
  "SoloPower is going to have to deal with the industry perception right now that thin film is a dying technology," said GTM Research solar analyst MJ Shiao. "A start-up thin film manufacturer makes a lot of developers uneasy."
  But SoloPower's Harris disputed that view, saying his company already has more orders than it can fill. "There is a pipeline of projects that are about ready to go that are just waiting for this lightweight module. If you want to put solar on, we're the only choice," he said. "It would be impossible to start a factory today unless you had a unique product."
  CHEAP COMPETITION
  Like Solyndra, SoloPower's panels use copper indium gallium selenide, or CIGS, as their raw material. CIGS panels have long held the promise of being cheaper than polysilicon-based panels while delivering efficiencies that are higher than other thin film technologies such as cadmium telluride, the raw material used by U.S. solar heavyweight First Solar Inc. The drastic drop in the price of traditional panels over the last few years, however, has kept CIGS manufacturers from delivering on that promise on a commercial scale.
  In the last year, CIGS solar companies HelioVolt and Ascent Solar Technologies Inc have sold stakes to South Korean conglomerate SK Group and TFG Radiant Group, respectively. Another, Miasole, has cut staff and said publicly that it is searching for a partner. Rival Nanosolar earlier this month said its chief executive left after just eight months.
  Though Solyndra is the best known solar failure of the last year, it was far from the only one. GTM Research estimates that the United States produced 281 megawatts of PV modules in the first half of 2012, compared with 561 MW in the first half of 2011. That's a big reason why a string of manufacturers in both the United States and Europe have closed their doors in the face of competition from increasingly cheap Chinese panels.
  First Solar, for example, postponed indefinitely its plans for a second U.S. factory in Arizona because of the weak market conditions. Start-ups are being hit too. Of the four companies that received loan guarantees for photovoltaic solar manufacturing, two - Solyndra and Abound Solar - have filed for bankruptcy. SoloPower and Lexington, Massachusetts-based 1366 Technologies Inc, which received a $150 million loan guarantee, remain. 1366 also has yet to draw down funds from its loan guarantee.
  Even the Chinese manufacturers, whose products are the cheapest in the world, are losing money and struggling with ballooning inventories. One of the biggest Chinese solar companies, LDK Solar Co Ltd, said earlier this month that it was looking to raise cash and may sell a strategic stake.
  For its part, SoloPower has hired Macquarie Capital to help it explore partnership opportunities. Such a deal could include giving distribution rights to a European or Asian partner in return for a stake in the company. SoloPower is not up for sale, however, Harris said.
  In fact, the company could even pursue an initial public offering next year, Cavalier of Hudson Clean Energy Partners said.
  "If the capital markets come back next year, I think we will be able to articulate the value that we offer to potential IPO investors," he said.
  (Reporting By Nichola Groom; Editing by Patricia Kranz, Edward Tobin and Alex Richardson)
  Link thisShare thisDigg thisEmailReprints
Adobe launches a developer's version of Creative Suite
  Link to Article
  Source: VentureBeat » Jolie O’Dell
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:44
  Today, Adobe is unveiling Edge, a suite of tools for developing and designing modern web and mobile apps and sites.
  Basically, Adobe's been noting the trend of overlap between the design and development professions and between mobile and web work. Edge brings these folks task-focused tools for creating mobile-ready content and mobile apps, with a strong focus on HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript, and increasing productivity.
  ''We're building a tool that's on a cutting edge space, where we're looking at creating interactivity using web standards,'' said Adobe product marketing director Heidi Voltmer. ''The content is edgy, and also, we were out there on the edge of the development process '... developing in public and inviting feedack.''
  Read more Adobe Edge news
  The suite includes seven distinct new tools for the modern web or mobile designer/developer. Edge Animate lets you create interactive motion content based on web standards. Edge Inspect was previewed as Shadow; it lets developers and designers find and fix cross-platform and cross-device problems. Edge Web Fonts and Typekit will include hundreds of web fonts from Google, Adobe, and big-name type designers. PhoneGap Build is officially launching today; the service has been in public beta for a while. Build lets devs package mobile apps in the cloud and is used by the likes of Wikipedia, Zynga, BBC, and Salesforce.
  Brackets and Edge Code are the big piece for developers. Brackets is Adobe's open-source code editor, and Code is the company's distro of the editor. Code, said Voltmer, ''is not a full development environment; it's just focused on the coding as a lightweight tool. '... We think of this as a modern code editor, better than a standard text editor. It really understands HTML, JS, and CSS.'' Brackets is a code editor for the web and is already open-sourced on GitHub for your downloading and forking pleasure.
  (Side note: Adobe has launched a new typeface along with its code editor. Not only is Source Code Pro designed for legibility '-- duh. It's also designed specifically for developers and anyone else working in code, with distinctive characters for the capital letter I, the lowercase l, and the number 1. You're welcome.)
  ''A lot of the younger developers are interested in the tools that come from that open source space,'' said Voltmer. ''Brackets is one of the key ones. '... We launched Edge back in May, and we started recruiting external contributors for the codebase. Also, the underlying project for PhoneGap is Cordova, which is in one of the phases for the Apache software foundation.''
  Edge Reflow is Adobe's new responsive design tool for the panoply of modern connected devices. Today we're only getting a sneak peek at Reflow; Voltmer said Adobe isn't talking release dates yet.
  Several bits and pieces of Edge have been available as beta products or trials, and Adobe has built with ample community input, Voltmer said. A big part of the community's involvement in Edge's creation has been the fluidity with which creative and technical folks switch between and take on one another's roles these days, at least to some extent.
  ''We wanted to make sure our product addressed that change,'' said Voltmer. ''Our customers will pick one [role, either developer or designer] '... But they talk about their tools, and they say, 'I'll use a little code,' or 'I care what the user experience looks like.' They'll pick one name for themselves, but behind that there's a whole bunch of skills they will pursue.''
  We asked Voltmer what the incentive would be for devs and designers to adopt the new suite; she responded that Edge was designed to be a mix-and-match kind of suite, not a full, matchy-matchy set.
  ''A lot of the tools we offer with Edge can be used in existing toolsets,'' she said. ''Also, we're making so many of them available as previews, and some will continue to be free. You can be building one app at a time, and you can really see if this is the tool you want to invest in without making a monetary commitment.''
  The Edge software will be available through Adobe's Creative Cloud, which has tiers for different levels of access. The free Starter Plan includes an introductory offer for Animate, one connected device for Inspect, one private app for PhoneGap Build, one site and two fonts for Typekit, and full access to Code and Web Fonts. Complete membership is $50 per month for unlimited devices in Inspect, 25 apps in Build, and unlimited fonts in Typekit. Standalone subscriptions at a rate of $9.99 per month for Inspect, Build, and Typekit.
  While some parts of the Edge suite will run in the browser, Animate, Code, and parts of Inspect will be downloaded onto your machine. ''In the foreseeable future there will be a little bit of both [downloaded and cloud-based software],'' said Voltmer, ''but we're certainly looking at what makes sense to run in the cloud. We don't want to make something run in the browser just because.''
  Adobe's Edge-focused Create the Web event is going on all day today in San Francisco; we'll be on the scene to chat with Adobe folks, the software they're building, and how it's being used.
  Top image courtesy of AISPIX by Image Source, Shutterstock
Kids are instinctively awesome (30 Photos)
  Link to Article
  Source: theCHIVE
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:39
  Thank you for visiting theCHIVE.com - Probably the Best Site in the World. theCHIVE is home to the best funny, viral and interesting photos from around the world. Content published contains original photos, awesomeness, rumors, nicotine, speculation, beautiful girls, funny pictures, assumptions, opinions, ugly people, and factual information. Postings may contain erroneous or inaccurate information. theCHIVE would be nothing without you, our loyal Chivers.
  Copyright (C) 2012 Resignation Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Ofcom to probe X Factor audition
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:28
  24 September 2012Last updated at13:10 ETTV watchdog Ofcom is to investigate an episode of X Factor in which a mother performed as Lady Gaga.
  Alison Brunton, 51, performed Lady Gaga's Edge Of Glory, while her children watched from the wings.
  Ofcom received 35 complaints about the segment, with people raising concerns about the impact on the teenagers.
  Under the broadcasting code, under-18s must not be "caused unnecessary distress or anxiety by their involvement in programmes".
  Before Ms Brunton's strained performance, host Dermot O'Leary asked the children, aged 14 and 16, if they would be teased about it at school.
  "I'm never going to hear the end of this," said her son, although he was smiling at the time.
  O'Leary noted: "You want to be anywhere else but here right now."
  After Ms Brunton stopped singing, guest judge Mel B said: "That should never have happened".
  "It was a bit like somebody drunk at a wedding," added Louis Walsh.
  Tulisa Contostavlos was kinder, saying, "You're an absolute legend for getting up and doing it."
  An ITV spokeswoman said: "The X Factor does not include child contestants but takes the welfare of any children featured in the show very seriously. It is a well-established format and contestants regularly bring along their family to support them, as Alison did.
  "Footage of family members is only used when appropriate consent has been obtained."
  Ofcom has launched a separate investigation into whether an X Factor segment featuring a Britney Spears impersonator in a body stocking broke guidelines on taste and decency.
  Lorna Bliss, 33, sat on judge Louis Walsh's lap and chased judge Gary Barlow through the audience.
  The broadcasting watchdog received 34 complaints about the explicit nature of Bliss's performance.
  The ITV spokeswoman added: "Lorna's performance and its editing was carefully considered by the producers and ITV. We do not believe her routine exceeded generally accepted standards or the expectations of the vast majority of the audience."
BreakingNews: Facebook slips 9% after Barron's calls stock pricey; Google hits all-time intraday high - @cnbc http://t.co/Aq4Etf3S
  Link to Article
  Source: Twitter / BreakingNews
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:07
  Take a look at some of Monday's midday movers:
  Groupon
  GRPN
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[GRPN Loading... () ] came off its lows following news the daily-deal site was buying Savored, a leading provider of reservations at the best restaurants across the U.S., for an undisclosed amount.Facebook
  FB
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[FB Loading... () ] fell after Barron's said the social-networking giant's stock was too pricey and that $15 a share was a more realistic price.Google
  GOOG
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[GOOG Loading... () ] hit an all-time intraday high of $747.28 as Citi said investors have taken notice of the company's streamlining of its Motorola Mobility business.Apple
  AAPL
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[AAPL Loading... () ] fell after analysts were disappointed by the 5 million weekend sales of its iPhone 5 and news of employee disruptions at its Foxconn FXCNY
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[FXCNY Loading... () ] supply plant.Peregrine Pharmaceuticals
  PPHM
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[PPHM Loading... () ] sank after the drug maker said it discovered major discrepancies in the trial data of its lead drug, the potential lung cancer treatment bavituximab.Veeco Instruments
  VECO
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[VECO Loading... () ] fell after Goldman Sachs cut its rating on the LED equipment maker to "sell" and lowered its price target to $27 from $30 on a softening outlook.Packaging stocks including International Paper, Rock-Tenn, Kapstone and Packaging Corp all moved higher on increased containerboard prices. Int'l Paper traded at a five-year high.
  Packaging Stocks
  IPLoading...
  RKTLoading...
  KSLoading...
  PKGLoading...
  Tivo
  TIVO
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[TIVO Loading... () ] rose after the company said it will receive at least $250 million from Verizon VZ
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[VZ Loading... () ] as part of a patent litigation settlement.Chip stocks including Intel
  INTC
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[INTC Loading... () ], Advanced Micro Devices AMD
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[AMD Loading... () ] and Micron MU
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[MU Loading... () ] all fell following analyst downgrades.CIT Group
  CIT
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[CIT Loading... () ] gained ground after Stifel Nicolaus said the company could be a takeover target by Wells Fargo WFC
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[WFC Loading... () ].Wet Seal
  WTSLA
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[WTSLA Loading... () ] jumped after activist investor the Clinton Group pushed for control of the retailer.Epocrates
  EPOC
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[EPOC Loading... () ] moved higher after Raymond James upgraded the stock to "strong buy" from "market perform."Body Control
  BODY
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[BODY Loading... () ] rose after Oppenheimer upgraded the stock to "outperform."Big 5 Sporting Goods
  BGFV
  loading...
  Quote | Chart | News | Profile[BGFV Loading... () ] jumped after Barron's said the retailer's turnaround seems to be taking hold.Missed It?: Track Morning Movers Here'--By CNBC's Rich Fisherman.
  Questions? Comments? Email us at
  Current DateTime: 09:14:06 24 Sep 2012LinksList Documentid: 49147203
  Top 6 Earnings to Watch This WeekMarket Expects More Drama Heading Into Fourth QuarterThese Are the Stocks Analysts Are Talking About(C) 2012 CNBC.com
Using your Disqus group
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 19:00
  One of the remaining problems with the implementation of OPML Comments is that the notifications from Disqus go to me, not to you. So if someone comments on your comment, you don't see it. And because I know that, I don't comment. It's a killer limit. Let's get rid of it.
  What to do
  Suppose your account on disqus.com is bullmancuso.
  0. In the OPML Editor, choose Update opml.root from the File menu.
  1. Choose Quick Script from the Misc menu and enter the following text:
  user.opmlEditor.comments.prefs.disqusName = "bullmancuso"
  2. Click the Run button.
  3. Bring the browser to the front, and click the Green button on any page with one.
  4. Enter a comment. Click the Save button.
  5. Again in the browser, click on the link to your name. You might have to wait for a minute for everything to rebuild. It's not happening as fast as I'd like it to (will look into this).
  6. Now you should be on the standalone page for your comment. Enter a comment.
  Hopefully the notification that a comment has been posted will come to you, not me. :-)
  Parts
  opmlEditor.comments.init
  opmlEditor.comments.save
Louis CK Emmy win vindicates independent distribution model
  Link to Article
  Source: Culture | guardian.co.uk
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:59
  Louis CK's special had earned $1m before ever airing on broadcast TV. Photograph: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
  Amid the glamorous sea-foam dresses and contentious network rivalries of the Primetime Emmy awards, a case for independent distribution was made when Louis CK accepted an award for his standup special that earned $1m before it aired on primetime.
  The comedian won outstanding writing for a variety special for his standup comedy special Louis CK: Live at the Beacon Theater. In addition to being a testament to the comedian's talent, the Emmy served as a mainstream vindication for a model that skirts Hollywood distribution.
  Without middle-man fees or corporate backers, the comedian released a $5 digital download of his 62-minute comedy special through his site in December 2011.
  Twelve days later, the show had made $1m dollars in sales.
  The quick success of this distribution model inspired comedians Aziz Ansari and Jim Gaffigan to independently release digital downloads of their own stand up specials at the same $5 price.
  Ansari said he decided to use the Louis CK model for his Dangerously Delicious special because it allowed him to sell his performance as it would be performed live, without bleeps and commercial breaks.
  A month after Ansari, Gaffigan released his Mr Universe special on the web. Gaffigan told the Hollywood Reporter that censorship attracted him to the distribution model as well. Gaffigan calls himself a "clean comedian" but said he was censored on jokes about subjects as mundane as bran because they could upset television advertisers.
  Louis CK's special was eligible for the Emmy because FX '' the network that broadcasts his Emmy award-winning show Louis '' aired it six months after the online release. The comedian called the televised airing of his special "a commercial, sort of, for the site."
  The comedian has made his other specials available under the same $5 distribution model and is experimenting with a new sales model for live performances.
  For his current tour, he is selling tickets to his live performances "in every seat, in every city" for a flat rate of $45, including fees and taxes. In a letter on his site, he notes that this price is less than anyone has paid to see him in about two years and that this model has forced him to play at smaller venues because of the tight grip ticket distributors have on performance spaces.
  He wrote:
  About a year ago I reached a place where I realized I am making enough money doing comedy so the next thing that interested me is bringing your price down. Either way, I still make a whole lot more than my grandfather who taught math and raised chickens in Michigan.
How we made the pop song 19 by Paul Hardcastle and Ken Grunbaum
  Link to Article
  Source: Culture | guardian.co.uk
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:57
  Inspired by a documentary '... Paul Hardcastle in 1985. Photograph: Mike Prior/Redferns
  Paul Hardcastle, composerAll my life I wanted to be a motorbike racer, until I had a bad crash and ended up in hospital for four months. While I was bedridden I listened to the radio all the time, especially clubby stuff, and thought: "I can do that." So I swapped my video camera for a friend's synthesiser and did.
  Then, one night, I was watching TV and happened to tape a documentary '' it was ABC's Vietnam Requiem '' about the war. When I watched it back, what struck me was how young the soldiers were: the documentary said their average age was 19. I was out having fun in pubs and clubs when I was 19, not being shoved into jungles and shot at. One line '' "None of them received a hero's welcome" '' really struck a chord. When the soldiers came home, people wondered what had happened to the smiling kids who went out there. What did they expect if they'd been through that shit?
  I started messing around and adding music to the narrative. The main sound was electro '' I was hugely into Afrika Bambaataa at the time '' but I added a bit of jazz and a nice melody. I used an Emu Emulator, an early type of sampler that had a two-second limit when it came to doing samples. That's why the hook was "N-n-n-nineteen". It was the only bit of the narrative that made sense in two seconds.
  Reading this on mobile? Click here
  In those days, Radio 1 wouldn't touch dance music, and a record with someone talking about kids dying seemed a recipe for disaster. But it was 1985 and the 10th anniversary of the end of the war was suddenly all over the media. I found myself on the ITN news being interviewed by Alastair Stewart. You couldn't ask for better exposure.
  I'd had two records out on independent labels: they'd stalled at No 41, and I'd started to think it was never going to happen. Then I went into HMV and the guy said: "You're outselling Frankie Goes to Hollywood." The next thing I knew, it was No 1 in Britain and around the world. In the US, even though it outsold everybody else for three weeks solid, it only reached No 15, because back then the chart was based on airplay as well as sales. A few stations refused to play it, thinking it was anti-American, which it wasn't. But I had tons of letters from Vietnam vets thanking me for doing something for them.
  The song's still special for me. It's also still relevant. In 2010, I did a new version about Afghanistan. My son's friend was killed there. He was 19.
  Ken Grunbaum, promoter and video editorI was working for Chrysalis Records, and Simon Fuller '' whose 19 Entertainment would later launch the Spice Girls '' was a very young A&R guy, but we just got on. He wanted me to sit in on a meeting. Right at the end, Paul said: "Oh, did you see that documentary about Vietnam last week? I taped it and have been messing about with it." He played us a very rough version of 19. When I heard that "N-n-n-nineteen" hook, I had a "What the heck?" moment.
  These were the early days of spoken-word sampling: the general public had never heard anything like it. One of the first people to get behind 19 was Tony Blackburn, on his Radio London show. He played it and the public went mad for it. Not only did 19 sound unlike anything else on the radio, it also told a story. But, because it wasn't a performance song with a band standing there, it needed a video. So I edited one from the documentary.
  Our legal department had a nightmare getting clearance for the samples; there were no precedents for something like this. We ended up having to pay Peter Thomas, the narrator, royalties. Paul was off doing more mixes of the song to keep the interest in it high, too '' and the public wanted every version. It was amazing.
  ' Paul Hardcastle's new album, 19 Below Zero, is out on Universal/Hardcastle Music on 15 October.
Facebook's stock falls as Zuckerberg effect wears off
  Link to Article
  Source: CNET News
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:54
  Shares of Faceboook are getting slammed today, reversing the rally that began after the CEO gave an upbeat talk. Barron's says the stock is worth $15.
  Looks like the Facebook pessimism has returned.
  Shares of Facebook, which have been on a tear since CEO Mark Zuckerberg sought to calm Wall Street during an in an interview at TechCrunch Disrupt less than two weeks ago, are getting slammed today. The stock was down 10 percent in midday trading, to just over $20.
  Why the sudden change of heart? The broader market is taking a hit, which of course doesn't help. But the kick in the gut came from Barron's, which over the weekend published a cover story concluding that Facebook's shares -- which in the last week have been trading in the low 20s -- should trade at perhaps $15. Ouch!
  The piece, called "Still Too Pricey," had nothing new to offer in terms of what the Street calls fundamental analysis. The writer's main point: the shift to mobile caught the company by surprise.
  That in itself is no surprise. Facebook has been talking about its mobile problem since before the IPO, and this was the key theme of Zuckerberg's talk on September 11 in San Francisco: he talked up the opportunity -- mobile ads are more effective, people spend more time on mobile devices -- and stressed that Facebook is now a "mobile company." His enthusiasm for mobile, coupled with straight talk about Facebook getting into the search business, gave Wall Street all it needed to halt the steady decline of the stock. The stock, which had been trading below $18, rose above $23.
  Barron's did offer some basic analysis, based on where the shares trade in terms of profit and sales projections, which is how it came up with the $15-a-share figure:
  Facebook trades at 47 times projected 2012 profit of 48 cents a share and 36 times estimated 2013 earnings of 63 cents. Compare that with Google and Apple, two proven technology growth stories, which both trade for about 16 times estimated 2012 earnings. Facebook is valued at $61 billion, or $53 billion excluding its estimated $8 billion in cash. That's more than 10 times estimated 2012 revenue of $5 billion. Google trades for half that valuation.
  Now the glow from Zuckerberg's talk is fading, and people are again focusing on the many, and real challenges. The bigger issue for the stock, at least in the short term, is not so much about Facebook's progress in making money from mobile; it's about more shares coming to market. Over the next couple of months, restriction on insiders holding pre-IPO shares will expire, with the potential to flood the market with more than 1.5 billion shares. And if you're trading -- or thinking about investing in Facebook -- that's a serious concern.
  And mark your calendar. Facebook will report its third-quarter earnings on October 23.
Iran moves to block Google, plans its own private web
  Link to Article
  Source: Set You Free News
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:52
  by Kate Taylor | TG Daily
  Iran is in the process of blocking access to Google search, Gmail and YouTube, saying it plans to introduce its own 'domestic internet'.
  The move has been triggered by the anti-Islamic film trailer posted on YouTube which has led to riots across the Middle East. Several countries have already blocked the video, with some blocking YouTube altogether.
  In an anouncement on a state television channel, deputy government minister Abdolsamad Khoramabadi confirmed: ''Google and Gmail will be filtered throughout the country until further notice,'' adding that this was 'due to the repeated demands of the people'.
  That's not necessarily the case, says Golnaz Esfandiari, who has a blog on the Radio Free Europe website Persian Letters. ''By blocking Gmail/Google, #Iran government punishes its own people over anti-Islam movie. Most Iranians have not seen it/don't care,'' she tweets.
  ''Bad economic situation main issue for many Iranians, not anti-Islam movie as government claims.'' The government has previously said it plans to introduce its own National Information Network, to which users would be switched next March. It claims that this is for security reasons.
  According to reports, the block is less than fully effective, with many users in the country still able to access Google services. However, the block is being gradually extended.
ABC's Emmy Awards Telecast is Up Year to Year In Total Viewers
  Link to Article
  Source: TVbytheNumbers
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:51
  via press release:
  ABC's Jimmy Kimmel-Hosted ''64th Primetime Emmy Awards'' is Up Year to Year
  One Night Prior to the Start of the TV Season, the ''Emmy Awards'' Reaches an
  Estimated 30.0 Million Unique Viewers, Offering ABC a Broad Promotional Platform
  In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ''The Emmy Awards'' Score ABC's Strongest Entertainment Results in the 3-Hour Time Period Since the ''Oscars'' 7 Months Ago
  ''The 64th Primetime Emmy Awards'' (8:00-11:00 p.m.)
  Based on Nielsen's true Fast National time-zone adjusted program averages, ABC's telecast of ''The 64th Primetime Emmy Awards'' attracted an average audience of 13.2 million viewers and a 3.8 rating, among Adults 18-49, ranking as the No. 1 entertainment program of the night and pacing behind only NBC's high-rated ''Sunday Night Football'' NFL game (New England Patriots-Baltimore Ravens).
  Hosted by ABC's Jimmy Kimmel, ''The Emmy Awards'' was up year to year by 6% in viewers over its year-ago telecast on Fox (13.2 million vs. 12.4 million on 9/18/11). In addition, the annual awards show surged by nearly 1 million viewers from its last telecast on ABC 4 years ago (12.3 million on 9/21/08). In fact, ''The 64th Primetime Emmys'' outdrew 3 of its last 5 broadcasts.
  One night prior to the start of the 2012-13 TV Season, the ''Emmy Awards'' offered ABC a broad promotional platform for its fall lineup. ABC research estimates that 31.0 million unique viewers tuned in to at least some portion of the telecast (viewers that watched 6 minutes or more of the show).
  In Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, ''The 64th Primetime Emmy Awards'' produced ABC's best results with entertainment programming in the 3-hour time period in 7 months '' since the ''Academy Awards'' on 2/26/12.
DutchNews.nl - Housing crisis: bankruptcies across building sector rise nearly 50%.
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:44
  Housing crisis: bankruptcies across building sector rise nearly 50%Monday 24 September 2012
  Bankruptcies are rising across the entire building sector, from construction companies to plastering firms and diy shops, according to online bankruptcy register faillissementsdossier.nl.
  In total, 1,330 construction sector firms went bust in the first eight months of this year '' up 45% on a year ago - as problems in the housing market have a knock-on effect.
  Bankruptcies among small independent specialists such as plumbers and painting firms were up an average 50%. Plasterers were the most severely affected with 129 closing their doors.
  In total, 8,205 Dutch companies went bankrupt over the first eight months of the year, an increase of 25% on a year ago.
  (C) DutchNews.nl
  We are not currently accepting comments on this article.
On facebook, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose (21 Photos)
  Link to Article
  Source: theCHIVE
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:40
  Thank you for visiting theCHIVE.com - Probably the Best Site in the World. theCHIVE is home to the best funny, viral and interesting photos from around the world. Content published contains original photos, awesomeness, rumors, nicotine, speculation, beautiful girls, funny pictures, assumptions, opinions, ugly people, and factual information. Postings may contain erroneous or inaccurate information. theCHIVE would be nothing without you, our loyal Chivers.
  Copyright (C) 2012 Resignation Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Duty
  Link to Article
  Source: Clusterfuck Nation
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:36
  I drove the eight miles from Cambridge to Greenwich, New York, around eight o'clock and the night was bell-jar clear. A scrim of deepest blue sky backlit the landscape of tender hills and valleys while on the ground I wended the twisting two-lane state highway 372 with my brights amplifying the yellow road signs and the iridescent lines on the pavement, alert for deer, who can kill you. The Talking Heads spastically warbled one of their triumphant electronic anthems of post-modernity over the radio. It happened that I had been playing fiddle at a contra dance. What a strange privilege it is to live in these perilous times. I don't mean privilege in the sense of the college humanities departments, with all their crybaby overtones of grievance and resentment. I mean in the sense of having lived through a thrilling turbo-powered climactic chapter of the human melodrama. Until a few decades ago nobody ever swooshed through these ancient hills in a motor car, on a magnificently engineered minor country highway, and in perhaps less than a decade no one ever will again, and at the collective level of a culture or a nation we have no sense of this whatsoever. We have no sense of anything except the junk-cluttered moment, including our junk politics and the junk ceremony of the present election. When today is a long time ago we will wonder at the feckless cravens that modernity made of us, in particular the absence of any sense of duty to the project of being the only self-aware organisms (as far as anyone knows) in the universe. In this country, anything goes and nothing matters, and that's the simple sad truth of where we are right now. In all the monumental yammer of the media sages surrounding the candidates they follow, and among the freighted legions of meticulously trained economists who try so hard to fit their equations and models over the spilled chicken guts of daily events, there is no sense of the transience of things. Tom Friedman over at The New York Times still thinks that the petroleum-saturated present he calls "the global economy" is a permanent condition of human life, and so does virtually every elected and appointed official in Washington, not to mention every broadcaster in Manhattan. We're not paying attention, of course. Someone told all these clowns about fourteen months ago that we will be able to keep running WalMart on shale oil and shale gas virtually forever, and they swallowed the story whole, and then force-fed it down the distracted public's throat. In reality - that alternative universe to flat-screen America - all the mechanisms that allow us to keep running this wondrous show teeter on a razor's age of extreme fragility. We're one bomb-vest or HFT keystroke away from a possible dark age, or at least a world made by hand. The true sense of entitlement extends light-years beyond the peevish carpings of the tea-bags-for-brains bunch. The only issue in this election contest between Pee Wee Herman and Captain Kangaroo is how to do nothing to disturb the fantasy that we can keep living the way we do. I am coming to detest Mr. Obama for the unforgivable feats of doing absolutely nothing to oppose, resist, or remedy the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, and doing absolutely nothing to restore the rule-of-law in banking. Mr. Romney, at this point, can only be pitied as some kind of thought-experiment gone awry in an evil consumer product testing lab on a planet of oafs. His fecklessness has no modern analog. Next to Romney, Bob Dole looks Lincolnesque. Which brings me in a very roundabout way to my point: Lincoln emerged out of a political age as mendacious as ours, after decades of gaming the issue of slavery. Out of that morass of lying connected to immense human suffering somebody had to bring the clarity of real moral duty to broad consciousness and Lincoln was selected by the same hand of Providence that would lodge a bullet in his brain-pan five years later -- so it is not that hard to understand the awe of Providence that attended the terrible convulsion of the 1860s and all its long-resounding ramifications. It took most of the 20th century and then some for us to un-learn that life is tragic. In the history that doesn't repeat but only rhymes, we're in the 1856 equivalent of the cycle now, short of the moment when mere clowning turns to savagery. I can barely stand to watch the antics, dogged by visions of where this is all tending. We have achieved something that few cultures ever have before: made ourselves unworthy even of our own low standards. There is no center left to hold, only ragged edges around a core of darkness.____________________________________James Howard Kunstler's newest nonfiction book, TOO MUCH MAGIC, will be available in stores in July 2012. The book will be available at booksellers, large and small, online and off. To find out how you can help support local bookstores with your purchase, CLICK HERE. Other books:
Dave Winer comments on "Comments on Costolo talk."
  Link to Article
  Source: Pioneering OPML comments
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:36
  I didn't catch the whole of Dick Costolo's talk with Emily Bell at ONA, but I did get to hear the part about developers and APIs. I think this part also relates indirectly to journalists who use Twitter.
  1. Twitter will provide a way for users to download their history of posts to Twitter.
  2. Think of 140 characters as a caption. This is consistent with what they're doing. People who argue that 140 characters is some kind of sacred limit are wrong. They should listen to what Costolo says.
  I think this the right move, not just for Twitter but for everyone.
  But it has implications that some journalists might not see. It means that there is no reason why Twitter couldn't host entire news articles. I am sure they will be doing that, probably fairly soon. I suspect this ability will not be open to everyone, and they will want favorable terms for those it permits to use this feature. Presumably there will be a revenue-share on ads placed on these articles.
  Also play what-if -- what if Twitter acquires a news organization. Just because they say they are not a news org today does not say anything about the future. Twitter made all kinds of promises to developers that were broken, in total, within a couple of years.
  3. Emily Bell did a great interview. The audience questions were also right on.
  I thought Emily Bell did a masterful job of raising these questions to Costolo, but in a disarmingly friendly way. To Costolo's credit he didn't always take the bait. He stuck with the idea that they are a tech company providing a platform, and are not going to cross into content. But he didn't exactly say that.
  If I were a betting man, I'd bet that before too long Twitter will be competing with its top content providers, the same way it's now competing with its top developers. Only they'll have to tread more carefully there, assuming the journalists and bloggers still have their own mechanisms to get news out. That's why this is such a dangerous situation. As we rely more and more on Twitter, our websites become less-used conduits for distribution of ideas and news.
  Obviously I believe Twitter is today a totally inadequate platform for independent journalists or bloggers and it's going in the wrong direction. They score points for not turning over tweets to governments, but they have an awful track record of tiliting the playing field to favor their partners and even personal friends. This is a very sloppily run platform for both development and journalism. People either don't know the history or are choosing to ignore it, presumably because building their own platforms seems difficult, expensive, or unlikely to succeed. However, the longer you wait the harder it will become, not easier.
  Monocultures don't work very well for news.
Ted C. Howard comments on "Open fields for discourse."
  Link to Article
  Source: Pioneering OPML comments
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:26
  Interesting post by Josh Miller on Medium about open discussions, in reply to a post by Fred Wilson. It's interesting because Josh is the lead developer of Branch, a discussion system -- and Fred is the backer, and public face for Disqus, the discussion software we use here.
  Fred argues that his blog is open to anyone to participate, but I've noticed what Josh has. While Fred, admirably responds to every comment on his system -- we're not getting much engagement beyond -- hey I'm here. To which you can reply and I'm here, and so am I, etc etc.
  These aren't really discussions, not in any sense that peoples' minds come open to being changed. People come to recite their beliefs, they skim the posts and comments for key words, and then choose from a set of schpiels they memorized, and type them in.
  Online discussions can be a lot like those on CNN or MSNBC, which to me seem like concerts. People are invited to sing their songs, in harmony with other songsters. The songs never vary. The volume does, and each has their own style, but there are rarely any new ideas.
  To me, a good discussion is where a new perspective or fact can surface, and everyone has the possibility come away from the discussion changed. Smarter, better informed, with a possibly shifted point of view. Oh that's what they mean when they say...
  Miller may be on to something. Branch allows discussion among a pre-set group of people. The moderator, the person who started the discussion can add new people. And new discussions can fork off from previous ones, exactly as it worked on my LBBS system in the early-mid 80s, only prettier (that was in the day of 300 baud modems, and scrolling "glass teletype" displays).
  I still like the idea behind the H20 system developed at Berkman Center about ten years ago. It also had the concept of invited participants. To start, each would post positions on a moderator-supplied topic, privately. Then at a previously announced time, all the positions are revealed. There's a commenting period where each participant can write a rebuttal, again in private. They're revealed all at once. And that's it. The goal is to cover all sides of a topic, intelligently and not personally. Not surprising this was developed at a law school, by lawyers. It's a very legal approach to discourse.
  What we really need are experimental platforms for non-programmers to invent new methods of discourse. We've relied too much on programmers, who have a definite style of arguing. But there are other professions that are fairly far ahead of us in understanding how humans communicate and share ideas. We are not that good at it, and so far most discussion systems have been limited by the imaginations of programmers.
  BTW, a final note -- in case it isn't obvious -- I am also working on discussion software. There is a place to comment in Disqus, that's open to anyone. There's another way to participate here, by installing the OPML Editor and clicking on the green button you will see when you reload the page with the software installed on your computer. Instructions are on this page.
Obama Says Attacks In Libya And Egypt Are Just "Bumps In The Road" 2012 - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:25
American Ambassador and 3 Other Americans KILLED '' Obama Describes As ''Bump In The Road''
  Link to Article
  Source: The Ulsterman Report
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:24
  }vFè"½V'AGMÓ±8} @L:kÏ¸½?|{WhG*Pk×žkW_<8#6'!{Ó'fZo"'gÏž2iGYqV{ljURo8bx"\8<Ë¸GÙ‹|,}~é£‡mg/>4pDÆŽ3z6Dl,Ø{00E:_$Ne 6N_*t)tIk Xb"È£VBtR>X8T/ E39d0wP'‹>>N~aw/Fi\DWW>{E|h4!(R‹P$3>5gguwlÝ...-KD{RE,Ø‹Õ¬6Æ'"ÖºEkp(piN}L6`0 {XÇ�`HV& 2AD"Û...nVJ!TX(,6bTX~A ÏQQVT4D|`$6ZINSSJ= L$3bKÆ® >uxpHÊ­3 v]3< 2Aj‡ixß'd_`nu9lul"yo'Gl@7IR�P4N_HsU6Ì½[OHgOOÖ‹55dÍ·.*y1`Õop5b vÌs?&zÑš×ŽpUnKAB5Ïu{]U Ö—`e8|$55jGv4M+A'"Vgi]m9hZe7'<Í�G^~u4ó–¼�'Üƒ:,4BYk>DaQIgHD"yV"CsKŠ�E>MJSydX}wopM.y3nI~){ns$`ó±ºbD}mÓ¶oQMux++7PR:@Fgx2%_^UÅ´}?'v"rvcj};s$wNf"8&{65Xqw4^n_we/DÞ¹"Lj/Y^HjX&~Y}8)XÆ‹~ØSGà"'Glci_vÜ¯6/^*nX|yc%0Qty7hz@+XUx&91$p$[Ï'`.$!2dÄ‘KY :jfWU%tØ‹ZuCpk@Ï';8Lg+e;#v*gjP7k5Z-@g('yNKuXnÐ·C5=uj&(g'1kj47_#0|8Nw2Ovv:TÒ‹eR ]7SbM& k=XVwÐ(C)]Wk7LÏ‘LpQ''­13: Õ¶Öcsé‰�ÐµNOp>]wË...*cNº17W9/:h hcbXvCwmx2[c\t7É¼2x 0)}p^,-Ñ¥nEb,^Z^tÑŒ.XÑŒl,F`cBx*RixCE{g#hcÇ¬q:[K?W:,*W~R;*KB2)MwDXmwt.YjkW+At#*eAVR{YEPêª®_M=vJW^U(T::LN$1DÐVU}R_c't1:F1zß–o7giB1]{ÜµzCgv-ßºUnÚ¬$FR $G"0zx8{@K1e2-1xÝ�_c-T+M-~0Ñ¹xy9v);yI*Ii 1TC!!oG\jkÅ¤m(hÖx)![`a4to&"54zMBdH[Ä...;;i!jUz7SÛ(C)fV2ÜŸ^>T#NJfxuM-i-É…Î†$WE~v42 t>Ý¬1/Ì´Q69 Ô"rLeHUP²b'HH&=$<{#)%QÇ�vb=(v%S[ch*##w)`Þ‚X'LqÉ]~fH4i'xc0~<,\Í /?) M+h~}L60mEf{-,Ú¸7l)Dxa,\3z=)PvJ/<_Gd\;5rÏºe•MÄ¥MUWEcKo YA5ra6GA>]î>>ƒMs=3pM>60Iybuh ^x]5mnYuyr:NÛ¶v//CUmzm].`10Q.@}`Ö•DoD4›{2a}JAL-OqALsp(& NH6HÕ‡g(fS1F \(ej;.HÌŽ3m7<Ï‚NÔ�iÔŸ",S$*9p_{#ê‡ŽO)4w"G._tjRVvzwg1D{ax-ÛLvf;S9;Cjk*zg :C6{3;]lv|ifZ!$!î´·.vb)NÞ‚e&Ç·PAgAO La0lhkÒ²sipNA7JU
BBC News - New 'Sars-like' coronavirus identified by UK officials
  Link to Article
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 17:54
  24 September 2012Last updated at04:42 ETBy Michelle RobertsHealth editor, BBC News onlineA new respiratory illness similar to the Sars virus that spread globally in 2003 and killed hundreds of people has been identified in a man who is being treated in Britain.
  The 49-year-old man, who was transferred to a London hospital by air ambulance from Qatar, is the second person confirmed with the coronavirus.
  The first case was a patient in Saudi Arabia who has since died.
  Officials are still determining what threat the new virus may pose.
  The World Health Organization has not recommended any travel restrictions.
  Continue reading the main storySars was very quick off the mark infecting hospital staff etc and this new virus does not to me appear to be in the same 'big bang' group''
  End QuoteProf John OxfordA virology expert at Queen Mary, University of LondonProf John Watson, head of the respiratory diseases department at the UK's Health Protection Agency, said: "In the light of the severity of the illness that has been identified in the two confirmed cases, immediate steps have been taken to ensure that people who have been in contact with the UK case have not been infected, and there is no evidence to suggest that they have.
  "Further information about these cases is being developed for healthcare workers in the UK, as well as advice to help maintain increased vigilance for this virus."
  He said there was no specific evidence of the virus spreading from person to person and he had no advice for the public or returning travellers.
  Peter Openshaw, director of the Centre for Respiratory Infection at Imperial College London, told Reuters that at this stage the novel virus looked unlikely to prove a concern, and may well only have been identified due to sophisticated testing techniques.
  And Prof John Oxford, a virology expert at Queen Mary, University of London, said he felt "somewhat relaxed" about the news.
  "Sars was very quick off the mark infecting hospital staff etc and this new virus does not to me appear to be in the same 'big bang' group."
  Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which includes ones that cause the common cold and Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome).
  This new virus is different from any coronaviruses that have previously been identified in humans.
  There have been a small number of other cases of serious respiratory illness in the Middle East in the past three months, one of whom was treated in the UK but has since died.
  This person's illness is also being investigated, although there is no evidence as yet to suggest that it is caused by the same virus or linked to the current case. No other confirmed cases have been identified to date in the UK.
  Sars is a serious respiratory infection that caused a global outbreak in 2002, spreading from Hong Kong to more than 30 different countries around the world and killing around 800 people. Although it has not been eradicated its spread was fully contained in 2003. Like other coronaviruses, it is spread through droplets of body fluids - produced by sneezing and coughing.
Michael Sullivan comments on "Today's podcast."
  Link to Article
  Source: Pioneering OPML comments
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 17:50
  When you've had a chance to listen to today's podcast,
  1. Please post a note here using the OPML Editor.
  2. Following the instructions on this page.
  When you come back here look for the green button.
  Refresh the page if necessary.
  You can do it! :-)
NYT: Internet Radio Royalty Bill Wo
  Link to Article
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 17:50
  Willing buyer, willing seller. Those four words would seem innocuous, but in the world of Internet radio nothing is more contentious.
  They are part of a federal judicial standard that is the basis of how royalty rates are set for Internet radio services like Pandora Media. For years, however, online services have complained that the standard is unfair, and results in burdensome rates that are much higher than those paid by satellite radio.
  The battle flared up again on Friday with a new Congressional bill, the Internet Radio Fairness Act. Introduced in the House by Jason Chaffetz, Republican of Utah, and Jared Polis, Democrat of Colorado, the bill would move so-called noninteractive online radio services like Pandora and Clear Channel Communications' iHeartRadio app from the "willing buyer, willing seller" standard to the one used to determine rates for Sirius XM Radio.
  That model would let the panel of federal judges that set the rates consider evidence both on the value of the music and on the effect the royalty rate would have on the industry over all. Pandora and its supporters believe that standard would yield lower rates.
  On the other side of the issue are record labels and artists, who believe that the existing rates are fair and accuse Pandora and others of wanting to deprive copyright holders of the income they deserve.
  Pandora pays a fraction of a cent each time a user listens to a song, and the total must be a minimum of 25 percent of its annual revenue; last year it paid about half its revenue to labels and performers. Sirius's current rate is 8 percent. (Both kinds of services also pay separate royalties to songwriters and publishers.)
  Tim Westergren, Pandora's founder, took to his company's blog to say that the bill is long overdue. "The anti-Internet bias in federal law is nothing short of absurd," he wrote.
How to erase fear from your brain | KurzweilAI
  Link to Article
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 17:40
  Amygdala activity predicts return of fear and correlates with recall of fear. Without disruption of reconsolidation (top), fear (yellow) returned. With disruption (bottom), fear did not return. (Credit: T. Agren, J. Engman, A. Frick, J. Bjorkstrand, E.-M. Larsson, T. Furmark, M. Fredrikson/Science)
  Newly formed emotional memories can be erased from the human brain, Uppsala University researchers have shown.
  When a person learns something, a lasting long-term memory is created with the aid of a process of consolidation, which is based on the formation of proteins. When we remember something, the memory becomes unstable for a while and is then restabilized by another consolidation process.
  In other words, we are not remembering what originally happened, but rather what we remembered the last time we thought about what happened. By disrupting the reconsolidation process that follows upon remembering, we can affect the content of memory.
  (This is related to a recent Northwestern University finding that a memory is modified during recall (see Why your memory is like the telephone game).
  The study
  The researchers showed subjects a neutral picture and simultaneously administered an electric shock, creating a fear memory. To activate this fear memory, the picture was then shown without any accompanying shock.
  For one experimental group the reconsolidation process was disrupted with the aid of repeated presentations of the picture (''extinction training'') within the ''reconsolidation window'' (10 minutes).
  For a control group, the reconsolidation process was allowed to complete by waiting six hours before the subjects were shown the same repeated presentations of the picture.
  So by disrupting the reconsolidation process, the memory was rendered neutral and no longer incited fear. Using a fMRI scanner, the researchers were able to show that the traces of that memory also disappeared from the part of the brain that normally stores fearful memories: the nuclear group of amygdala in the temporal lobe.
  'These findings may be a breakthrough in research on memory and fear. Ultimately, the new findings may lead to improved treatment methods for the millions of people in the world who suffer from anxiety issues like phobias, post-traumatic stress, and panic attacks,'' says Thomas …gren, a doctoral candidate at the Department of Psychology and co-author of the study.
  References:T. Agren, J. Engman, A. Frick, J. Bjorkstrand, E.-M. Larsson, T. Furmark, M. Fredrikson, Disruption of Reconsolidation Erases a Fear Memory Trace in the Human Amygdala, Science, 2012, DOI: 10.1126/science.1223006
New York Times a ''Propaganda Megaphone'' for War, Says Former Reporter
  Link to Article
  Source: News 1 Stop
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:49
  Alex NewmanNew AmericanSept 24, 2012
  The New York Times has essentially become a ''propaganda megaphone'' to peddle the establishment's narrative '-- especially when it comes to war '-- charged foreign correspondent Daniel Simpson, who resigned from the paper in disgust. According to Simpson, the paper, which is often lambasted and ridiculed by conservatives and libertarians for its blatant ''liberal'' bias, is actually just a propaganda tool for the ruling establishment.
  In an explosive interview with the Kremlin-funded RT media broadcaster, the former Times correspondent, who was based in the Balkans during his stint at the newspaper, offered an inside look at how it all works. What appears to have bothered him more than anything was how the supposed paper ''of record'' was so determined to sell the Iraq war to the American people, even if it meant basically lying or repeating government lies to do so.
  ''It seemed pretty glaringly obvious to me that the 'news fit to print' was pretty much the news that's fit to serve the powerful,'' Simpson explained, citing the warmongering over Iraq as a prime example. ''The way that the paper's senior staff think is exactly like those in power '-- in fact, it's their job to become their friends.''
  An ambitious reporter, Simpson joined the paper a decade ago when he was just 27 years old. He had been hired to report on the Balkans, where the U.S. government and other Western powers had intervened in an internal conflict. However, within a few months, disillusioned by the Times' war-mongering, he resigned.
  ''I was young and naive and idealistic, I suppose. I thought I was going to be holding people in power to account,'' said Simpson, who wrote a recently published book about his experiences entitled A Rough Guide to the Dark Side. ''It turned out instead that when I joined in 2002, the New York Times was very much engaged in doing exactly what those in power wanted them to do, and printing fake intelligence information to start the war in Iraq.''
  As the establishment's propaganda about ''Weapons of Mass Destruction'' in Iraq was getting in full swing, Simpson said he was asked to report bogus information about Serbians selling WMD delivery parts to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The Serbs, however, were actually just selling spare airplane parts, not WMD delivery systems, he explained.
  ''They were looking for every possible way of getting this weapons-of-mass-destruction story into the news media,'' Simpson told RT, adding that the Washington Post quickly jumped on the dubious allegations. ''So I came under enormous pressure from my bosses to start looking at it the same way, and I couldn't see any evidence for doing that.''
  A d v e r t i s e m e n tWhile the Times did apologize for some of its most outrageously bogus WMD ''reporting'' '-- or war-mongering, as critics have labeled it '-- the paper ''hasn't really changed its policy,'' Simpson explained. Among other problems, he pointed to Howell Raines, the executive editor during his time at the paper, who wrote a long article in the Atlantic after losing his job in 2004 that offered insight into the way top officials at the paper view its role.
  Raines wrote that the Times was ''the indispensable newsletter of the United States' political, diplomatic, governmental, academic, and professional communities.'' To Simpson, though, the former executive editor was basically admitting that ''he sees his newspaper as being this propaganda megaphone for those who run the world.''
  RT host Abby Martin agreed, slamming the paper and the ''illegal and immoral'' war repeatedly. She said the Times had indeed become a ''propaganda megaphone'' by simply reprinting government press releases and official statements '-- the ''establishment line'' '-- as if it were truth. Critics of the paper have been saying that for decades.
  Asked about how the censorship over such a vast organization could function, Simpson explained that ''there are different processes at work.'' Citing his own experience, the self-styled ''renegade'' correspondent said that even in the Balkans, the Times had a pre-determined view of what happened. Editors were not interested in analyzing the tragic effects of Western military intervention, and they certainly were not open to exploring alternative explanations and views.
  Reporters, meanwhile, would quickly adapt to their environment and learn to parrot the establishment narrative '-- at least if they hoped to advance their careers and have their stories published. ''I was just so disgusted by this situation that I didn't want to play the game anymore,'' Simpson said, adding that he had previously been ''very keen'' to ''play the game'' in order to further his ambitions.
  During the interview, Simpson gave various examples of how stories were framed to suit the Times' '-- or the ruling establishment's '-- world view. ''You learn, you internalize these little phrases that you apply to other countries, like Serbia is 'nationalist' or engaged in 'extremist policies,' but the United States is never doing those things, of course '-- and you wouldn't put them in a story,'' Simpson explained.
  Times employees are expected to tout the agenda no matter how hypocritical. ''You'd never frame a story that said the United States has started a war of aggression, but it's instead engaged in a 'foreign policy project,''' Simpson added. ''Or you would talk about 'harsh interrogation techniques' as opposed to torture. These are things that people just learn to do.''
  In a separate interview with Green Left Weekly, Simpson echoed those comments, explaining how reporters themselves learn to accept the situation if they want to move forward. ''It only seemed possible to rise higher at the Times if I bought their illusions, and having seen through them, this would have been consciously corrupt,'' he explained. ''Until that point, I'd been unconscious of cooption as a journalist '-- like most of my peers. But as my eyes lost their scales, I saw my own flaws more clearly, and freaked out.''
  In the interest of fairness, it is worth pointing out that the Times recently became the first media outlet to admit that much of the establishment press '-- the Times included '-- was allowing the Mitt Romney and Barack Obama presidential campaigns to censor news reports about themselves. The Times actually published a front-page story about the startling practice, leading to an uproar among media critics that eventually sparked policy changes at newspapers nationwide.
  The Times also recently ran a column by then-Public Editor Arthur Brisbane openly admitting that ''the paper's many departments '... share a kind of political and cultural progressivism '... that virtually bleeds through the fabric of The Times.'' Of course, that has long been obvious to honest observers. But the fact that the newspaper was actually willing to publicly acknowledge its bias was celebrated by analysts.
  On the other hand, the paper has been complicit in covering up some of the worst atrocities in human history. Pulitzer Prize-winning ''journalist'' Walter Duranty, for example, played a key role in hiding Josef Stalin's mass murder of millions of Ukrainians whileserving as the Times' chief correspondent in Moscow. Other savage tyrants have benefited from the paper's ''reporting,'' too.
  Of course, the Times is hardly the only establishment news outlet to peddle propaganda as truth. Amber Lyon of CNN, for example, recently exposed censorship at the Cable News Network and accused her employer of ''making me put what I knew to be government lies into my reporting.'' Former reporters at Fox and other media outlets have made similar accusations.
  The largest media companies in the United States '-- most of the market is controlled by just a handful of mega-corporations '-- are regularly deceiving hundreds of millions of Americans through lies, omissions, self-censorship, and by unquestioningly parroting government claims no matter how absurd. And they are starting to pay the price.
  Less than one fourth of Americans trust TV news programs, and newspapers across the nation are dying as readers flock to alternative media sources online. In fact, a new Gallup survey just found that distrust in the media hit a new high, with 60 percent of Americans saying they have little or no trust in the mass media to report the news.
  As the Founding Fathers knew when they enshrined freedom of the press in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, if the American people hope to remain free, they must have a free press to keep them informed. Today, with much of the ''mainstream'' press serving as a propaganda megaphone for the establishment, it appears increasingly likely that the alternative media will have to fill the void.
  Tags: mainstream media
  Share this article:
Latest and greatest technology: Consumers place too much emphasis on features, not enough on functionality
  Link to Article
  Source: Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:48
  (Phys.org)'--More than 2 million consumers got to gloat Friday about their shrewdness in procuring an iPhone 5, with its larger screen and 200 additional features through its new operating system.
  But once the novelty wears off, will they still enjoy their purchase?
  It depends on why they bought it, says new research from a marketing professor at Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.Across five studies and four product domains, Joseph K. Goodman, PhD, assistant professor of marketing, found that consumers fail to estimate their feature usage rate before purchasing multifunctional products, which negatively affects product satisfaction.
  The study, "Having Versus Consuming: Failure to Estimate Usage Frequency Makes Consumers Prefer Multi-feature Products," is forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing Research.
  "We propose that consumers focus on having features instead of elaborating on how often a feature will be used, and this can lead to a decrease in product satisfaction," Goodman says.
  He and his co-author, Caglar Irmak, PhD, assistant professor at the University of South Carolina, show that this shift in preferences is due to a change in elaboration from using to having features.
  The pair identifies three key moderators to this effect: need for cognition, feature trivialness and materialism.
  "Consumers focus too much on just having the latest features, and don't spend time elaborating on how often they will use the features," Goodman says. "When they do actually elaborating on usage, then they tend to buy lower featured products and they tend to be more satisfied with their purchase, regardless of whether they buy a high or low feature product."
  What should consumers do?
  "Our findings can't tell consumers what to buy, but they do suggest that consumers should at least stop and consider how often they are going to use each new additional feature before they make their decision," Goodman says. "This little act of consideration can lead to greater satisfaction down the road."
  Journal reference:Journal of Marketing Research
  Provided byWashington University in St. Louis
50PLUS niet gelukkig met pensioenmaatregelen
  Link to Article
  Source: VK: Home
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:47
  Bewerkt door: redactie '' 24/09/12, 13:58 '' bron: ANP
  (C) ANP. Henk Krol van 50Plus.
  De ouderenpartij 50PLUS is niet tevreden met de maatregelen die pensioenfondsen meer lucht moeten geven. Ondanks de aanpassing van de rekenrente zijn er nog altijd pensioenfondsen die met deze oplossing niet aan kortingen ontkomen, stelt de partij in een reactie.
  Maar een grootschalige extra korting op de pensioenen kan daar volgens 50PLUS wel mee worden voorkomen. De partij wijst erop dat ouderen door de plannen van het kabinet relatief het meest moeten inleveren, onder meer omdat hun pensioenen niet worden aangepast aan de prijsstijgingen.
  50PLUS wil hierover een spoeddebat en dringt opnieuw aan op een algehele hervorming van het pensioenstelsel.
Iran censors Google email Gmail
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Technology
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:42
  24 September 2012Last updated at12:37Iran has restricted access to Google's email service, Gmail, and search engine.
  A firewall already prevents Iranians from freely accessing many Western websites.
  The latest move coincides with protests throughout the Muslim world - including some in Tehran - against an anti-Islamic film posted on Google's video-sharing site YouTube.
  The BBC has not yet received a response from the Iranian embassy in London.
  A government deputy minister announced the upcoming ban, on Sunday on state television.
  "Google and Gmail will be filtered nationwide, and will remain filtered until further notice," said an adviser to Iran's public prosecutor's office Abdul Samad Khoramabadi.
  The announcement was also sent out as a text message on mobile phones.
  The unsecured version of the search engine, which is much easier to eavesdrop on, remains accessible.
  The BBC Persian service says: "Google search website is accessible, but is not functioning properly. Google services which need a secure SSL [Secure Sockets Layer] connection are out of reach in Iran.
  "Any attempt to get access to those services leads the user to a never-ending waiting phase, where nothing comes up."
  Users can only access Gmail accounts by using virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow web surfing behind heavily encrypted firewalls.
  Many Iranians already use VPNs to bypass the government's restrictions on other blocked Western websites, said Mahmood Tajali Mehr, an Iranian telecommunications consultant living in Germany.
  "This is just a move by the Iranian governement towards a so-called nationwide intranet, to control all the traffic from the outside, and authorities are saying they will implement it in about three years.
  "But every school child knows how to bypass restrictions by using VPNs, it's very common in Iran."
  Temporary block?
  It is not the first time Iranian authorities have cut access to Google services.
  Both Google Search and Gmail were restricted in February, ahead of parliamentary elections in March.
  Mr Mehr said that he did not think the services were going to stay restricted for long.
  "This is just a propaganda tool to demonstrate that Iran is doing something against the US, but it is unlikely to last longer than a few days.
  "The current trouble with the anti-Islamic film is helping the government with this propaganda.
  "The state is saying that the people are asking to block these services because of the film, but there haven't been such protests as in Pakistan and elsewhere, only small organised protests, so my personal feeling is that it has nothing to do with the film.
  "Especially keeping in mind that YouTube has been blocked for some time already."
  Google's YouTube site has been censored since mid-2009, following protests and allegations of vote fraud after the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
  The websites of several Western media organisations such as the Guardian, BBC and CNN are also blocked in the country, and a number of other web services, including Facebook and Twitter, are often censored.
  In March, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ordered officials to set up a body tasked with defining policy and co-ordinating decisions regarding the internet, called the Supreme Council of Virtual Space.
Hacking tabbed rivers
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's development work
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:41
  The other day Anton asked for instructions on how to make a tabbed river like the one I have at tabs.mediahackers.org.
  This isn't something you can do in worldoutline tabs, though at some point I hope to have it in there. I'm not a good enough Javascript programmer yet -- it would take me a long time to do the work to make it easy. I'm sure I can do it, time-permitting.
  However, I am happy to provide the source for the site. It's just an outline. I think if you puzzle it out, you can see how you could modify it to display your rivers.
  This outline is served by the worldoutline software. It's just very low-level stuff. But if you're motivated, and have hacked at HTML before, I bet you can do something with this. :-)
  Feel free to use the green button to ask questions, comment.
Muslims, Blacks & Jewish Hollywood Selling Mark of Cain. (Tyra Banks, Obama, Drake, King Solomon Jews)
  Link to Article
  Source: hollywoodilluminatidotcom
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:34
  One of the things that has happened to me over this past year, was that I noticed so called Islamic Lectures holding entire discussions and round tables about the info on HollywoodIlluminatiDotCom and being very misleading in their discussions.
  I think that people get the impression that I am a mean person, when in reality I am not mean but just don't have any patience for lesser occultist that are trying to debate me by having a conversation with themselves & their followers.
  I noticed that there were some Islamic Professors that actually said that King Solomon wasn't a skilled demonologist and that my writings on King Solomon and his vast books of demonology was incorrect along with every other person that knows anything about Solomon and his use of demons to construct temples among other task.
  The Islamist go on to say that a ''jin'' which is an Islamic Elemental Spirit, that isn't necessarily considered evil, since Islamic Religion even says that a ''jin'' can pray in a Mosque next to a Muslim, took on the shape of King Solomon and tricked Solomon's maid into giving the ''jin'' a ring by shape-shifting into King Solomon. Therefore King Solomon wasn't into the occult but it was a ''jin'' impersonator. Oh Really? I see.
  This is very wrong. First, a ''jin'' amounts to nothing but an ''elemental'' nature spirit, as they are called in Witchcraft and in other branches of the European Occult System. An Islamic ''jin'' doesn't have the power to manifest in a physical form as someone like King Solomon or glamour itself therefore a ''jin'' cant take on the physical form of King Solomon, which means that this Islamic Lecturer who makes a living by talking about HollywoodilluminatiDotCom doesn't know what he is speaking about when it comes to the occult.
  This is the blame of Islamic Texts which are incomplete, just as Christian Texts are also incomplete works that were selected an edited by the Illuminati Elites over the centuries & used as mind control over savage populations.
  Only a demon can glamour themselves and appear in a physical form. There are many cases where little kids have these make-believe friends and these make-believe child hood friends will appear only to the child and usually take on the form of a child in order to fool the human target.
  Then once the demon gets enough of energy, it will usually show its true form, which can be anything from a ''Rain Man'' apparition to even a huge 8 foot hellish looking beast. A ''jin'' doesn't have this power and only a demon has this power, therefore King Solomon was indeed working to manifest and gain dominion over demons. King Solomon was a demonologist.
  How do we get demons? Well according to the Book of Enoch, which was hidden in Ethiopia by Jews when they tried to hide the Mystery Books from the Romans, the Fallen Angels mated with the Daughters of Man (200 Fallen Angel Fell to Earth & mated with women for 1000 years before the Great Flood), this off spring produced Giants and once these Giants lost their physical body at death, their souls became the demons which walk the Earth and cause the worse cases of possession.
  When the Torah, Bible or Quran mentions the words Serpents, Scorpion or locust, these are all metaphors for the Fallen Ones.Most of the off spring of the Fallen Ones aka demons are trapped in a subterranean space aka ''Hell'' but some of them escape and can cause possession.Demons are considered non-human entities by exorcist and when God chastised the Fallen Angels, God also said that the souls of their children, with the daughters of man, were not of heaven or of Earth but something else all together and God also said that these souls would not enter heaven but stay trapped to the Earth, all though they were not allowed to reincarnate into a physical body like the Children of Man. Demons are all around us and they are powerful because they are a hybrid of Angel & Man.
  When we talk about this Mark of Cain, it is very important to realize that both Cain and Abel were Negroid. So, while it is thought by some of these New Age Protestant Faiths in the US, that were formed by the Rockefeller Family & the Illuminati out of Europe & Colonial America, like the Evangelical and Mormon Faiths, that black people bear the Mark of Cain, it is actually not all blacks because Abel, himself, was a Negroid as were the original Jewish Tribes. So, when we are discussing Biblical Characters, for the most part, we are speaking about Negroid mixed Jewish Tribes.
  Over the centuries the names of these Biblical Characters have changed, to fit the demographic profile of the target region, which the Illuminati wanted to control and civilize for Lucifer/Satan but the root knowledge of these stories all spring from African-Jewish Tales.
  The continent of Africa has every type of facial feature that one can imagine. There are African Tribes that look Asian, some look like present day African Americans and in East Africa, they look like darker skin Europeans or ''white''-so being that every one sprung from certain tribes in Africa, there are also non-blacks that have the Mark of Cain.
  The reason why Jewish Law prohibits the tattooing of the body, is because the Mark of Cain was originally a tattoo which was the form of a snake and Christian Crucifix. The Torah states that one must not deface the body and this is a direct commandment for Jews because the Mark of Cain mostly travels in the Jewish Blood Lines.
  Even when one looks at a Catholic Rosary, where you have a cross with a Jesus hanging from some beads, this is really the Mark of Cain being that you have the Cross and the arms and legs of Jesus, which are really three snakes that are meeting in the middle. If you have a trained occult eye, one can easily look at a Catholic Rosary from the side and at a certain distance and make out that it isn't really a Jesus/Cross hanging from the beads but instead it is a Mark of Cain.
  If you look at the Universal Symbol for the field of medicine, you will see a serpent or snake, this is also the Mark of Cain.
  So, the Illuminati is very skilled at maintaining their agenda.
  In fact, in the US Health Care Bill, which was passed by President Obama and drown up by Mitt Romney (at least they are the tokens which the Illuminati Work Through) there is health care coverage for the implanting of microchips!
  So, when all of these black and white protestants go to Church, notice that none of their preachers inform them that the US Health Care Bill opens the door to the Mark of the Beast via microchips but instead these fake Satanic Religious Leaders in the US are only there to aid the Illuminati and work for the Anti-Christ or Most-High Demon aka Satan, by using religion to fool the public and trick them into supporting a Health Care Bill that pays for micro-chips, which is strictly a Mark of Satan according to their own Christian Bible & Revelations!
  This is how good the Illuminati are and how skilled Lucifer is at manipulating the Children of Man being that Lucifer even controls the Churches along with the Entertainment Industry and World Governments. We are living under Lucifer's Law.
  I do not watch tv except for maybe 30 minutes a week but I do watch some old tv shows online. I just so happened to notice that Tyra Banks named one of her models ''Illuminata'' last season on Americas Next Top Model & of course ''Illuminatia'' went on to win her little reality gig. So, knowing that Tyra Banks always dabbled in these black freemason lodges when she was social climbing and dating Hollywood Director, John Singleton, in order to get roles in films, I was curious and this weekend, I went online and watched a few episodes of her new season.
  She had Tyler Perry on one of the shows, and Tyler Perry along with Oprah, are caught up in the most sinister aspects of the Illuminati as tokens, being that they are apart of the Illuminati Kill Squad, which wants to reduce the world's population from 7 billion down to a few hundred thousand people. If you notice in Tyler Perry's Films, there are always sick black people that are dying of cancer.
  This is an Illuminati agenda, because the Illuminati wants to make black people think that having disease and being over weight is something that is genetically pre-disposed to being black, when in reality, if we go back just 35 years in the U.S., Black Americans were some of the healthiest, strongest and thinnest people in the world.
  For blacks to now think that having diabetes and being 300 lbs is being ''black in America'' is simply silly because there were Illuminati Programs that were sat up in the 1980'²s which directed chemicals to black inner city neighborhoods and into the Southern US, that were meant to cause cancer, weight gain and diabetes.
  While Michelle Obama pretends to be for healthy inner city kids, she is actually one of the leading forces and tokens for the ''mass population kill-off'' agenda. Every plot that the Illuminati has to kill off billions of people, Michelle Obama is caught up in & working to make happen. Michelle Obama and Rihanna are as evil as they come. I can not name any black celebrities that are worse than Michelle Obama & Rihanna. NONE!
  Another thing, Tyra Banks is playing around with a lot of Greek Magick, the way that she has those models looking like Greek Muses from the occult film Xanadu starring Olivia Newton John. Tyra Banks was originally based at Warner Bros Studio, when that ANTM was first being produced, so that means she went through Illuminati Initiation being that one has to be initiated into the Lucifer Hollywood Occult to even be affiliated with Warner Bros Studios.
  I really try not to watch music videos because they are meant to cause demonic possession and even with rap, which resembles the communications of demons, it can be very dangerous. If one looks at writings from the black Jews that were from the Cain Tribe, the writings are a continuous series of words that flow like a rap song.
  In fact, being that Jews are the ones that primarily carry the Mark of Cain, they started using the black artist to cast spells over the white populations of the world. This is how we got Jazz/Blues music. It was Jews teaching blacks how to re-discover their Mark of Cain Powers and then this demonic music was recorded by Jews and mass distributed to white America and Europeans.
  While Beyonce, Jay Z, Drake & Rihanan are the faces of this evil, it is the Jews that carry the most authentic and un-interrupted blood lines from Cain.When these musical artist like Jay Z, Beyonce, Eminem & others take on these alter egos, this is really demonic worship. Remember that the Bible talks about an Angel named Legion, who looks like one being but when Legion is asked his name, he replies, ''we are many''.
  In demonology or if we could witness King Solomon, whenever he opened the gates to the under-world, the door would appear as 3 spirals that looked like a ''666'" intermingled, so when they flash a ''666'" sign, it represents a desire to call demons from the under-world and allowing yourself to be used a vessel for these demons to come through & take on a more physical form.
  Nicolas Duplessis
Using your Disqus group
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's development work
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:27
  One of the remaining problems with the implementation of OPML Comments is that the notifications from Disqus go to me, not to you. So if someone comments on your comment, you don't see it. And because I know that, I don't comment. It's a killer limit. Let's get rid of it.
  What to do
  Suppose your account on disqus.com is bullmancuso.
  0. In the OPML Editor, choose Update opml.root from the File menu.
  1. Choose Quick Script from the Misc menu and enter the following text:
  user.opmlEditor.comments.prefs.disqusName = "bullmancuso"
  2. Click the Run button.
  3. Bring the browser to the front, and click the Green button on any page with one.
  4. Enter a comment. Click the Save button.
  5. Again in the browser, click on the link to your name. You might have to wait for a minute for everything to rebuild. It's not happening as fast as I'd like it to (will look into this).
  6. Now you should be on the standalone page for your comment. Enter a comment.
  Hopefully the notification that a comment has been posted will come to you, not me. :-)
  Parts
  opmlEditor.comments.init
  opmlEditor.comments.save
smrf comments on "A test of outline comments."
  Link to Article
  Source: Pioneering OPML comments
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:26
  smrf
  Bob Stepno
  bonaldi
  Gilles Beauchamp
  Steve Harf
  Doc Searls
  dweinberger
  Dave Winer
  Another little test
  I'm testing something.
  This is some bold text.
  This is a <script> and it should not be here.
  This is an <embed> and it will be neutered as well.
  Still testing.
  More tests.
  How do I make certain headlines collapse?
  Actually it's not rules. There's an attribute called "collapse" -- if it's present and true, the node is initially collapsed.
  Though apparently you can do it with rules too. :-)
  Do includes not work?
  Here's an outline I included.
  United States
  Far West
  Great Plains
  Kansas
  Nebraska
  Lincoln
  Omaha
  Grand Island
  North Dakota
  Oklahoma
  South Dakota
  Mid-Atlantic
  Delaware
  Maryland
  New Jersey
  New York
  Pennsylvania
  Midwest
  Illinois
  Indiana
  Iowa
  Kentucky
  Michigan
  Minnesota
  Missouri
  Ohio
  West Virginia
  Wisconsin
  Mountains
  Colorado
  Idaho
  Montana
  Utah
  Wyoming
  New England
  Connecticut
  Maine
  Massachusetts
  New Hampshire
  Rhode Island
  Vermont
  South
  Alabama
  Arkansas
  Florida
  Georgia
  Louisiana
  Mississippi
  North Carolina
  South Carolina
  Tennessee
  Virginia
  Southwest
  Arizona
  New Mexico
  Texas
  Austin
  Houston
  Dallas
  Waco
  Includes do work, but you have to actually use the include type, not a link to a file whose name ends with .opml. We took out that little hack in new places. It's still supported in the old places where it used to be. (Sort of a half-deprecation.)
  Pointers
  If you look in the Guest Databases/ops folder you'll see a sub-folder called OPML comments that contains a calendar-structured archive of every version of every comment outline you save.
  You can also edit user.opmleditor.comments to enable mirroring to S3 (you also have to set your S3 prefs).
  In a future evolution of this it will be possible link your OPML documents to other services that support the feature, so you can edit content for other sites using this mechanism. I've been talking about this idea on Scripting News. Now it's time to start implementing the idea.
  Some pretty interesting plans also in re DNS. :-)
  Anton & Kyle
  Glad to see you here.
  This is a gateway to all that the worldoutline has to offer. It's a super-easy on-ramp. From here all the features can be introduced one at a time.
  I'm glad that you guys are here now. This feels like a place. :-)
  Very excited about what we can start doing next.
  PS: Anton, it would probably be good to get Bora started here.
  Earlier comments
  Nestor Subkhanberdin
  Beau Simensen
  Kyle Shank
  Blowing my mind.
  I would comment more on websites if it worked like this!
  Lets see if this update makes it!
  cori
  Grant
  Jack Baty
  Mauro Del Rio
  Andy Sylvester
  Works with Chrome 21 on Windows 7
  Cameron Bales
  Paul Blasman
  typesend
  Dave Saunders
  Joris van Lier
  rex
  kebno
  Bryan Price
  Jeff Shafer
  Malcolm Knapp
  pensato
  Tom Small
  Trying this out from Mountain Lion. Looks like it's working. Very cool. This seems like a great idea.
  James Petry
  Checking in from Chrome and Windows 7 32-bit.
  Joshua
  looking forward to wherever this leads... I'm a great fan of your work! I'm doing this on Mountain Lion, btw.
  rubywhite
  Happy on OSX Mountain Lion 10.8.1 and Safari 6.0
  Sam Davyson
  This is a test comment
  Seems to work ok.
  Rex Hammock
  pborenstein
  Looking back at the future.
  That was unexpected.
  I wasn't expecting to see my comments show up in alphabetical order.
  Mark Cross
  wetwebwork
  Ok, giving this a try... and impressed.
  Michael Sullivan
  Johnny Sagan aka Snowy Wilderness
  I dream a world of seamless interoperability between my mind, my desktop, and the net...where my writings and other digital creations are as easily accessible to me and as easily expressed to others as my own thoughts and memories!
  Frank McPherson
  Rich Brown
  jhmiii
  Richard Manuel
  Here's a comment from the black forest in Germany. Great work!
  Norbert
  Der Test scheint zu funktionieren. Good work
  Erez
  Hanan Cohen
  Mark Lucas
  Working from Safari in Mountain Lion
  Dave Luebbert
  It seems like this implementation is perfect for a request for comments situation, which is what this message thread is. Might have been possible to run 24 Hours of Democracy out of this kind of structure.
  Might also be suited for:
  Roundtable Discussions - pose a question to a pre-defined roster of folks to see how they would answer
  some kind of IM back channel to allow chat around the back of the table?
  some kind of way to let kibitzers address the participants, when they have a useful idea?
  Current progress threads for a multi-team effort - work for a big project is already divided. Each team would have a secretary who maintains a show-and-tell thread for their subproject
  Potlucks - someone issues a call for folks to provide entertainment that follows a given theme for a certain period, and see who can contribute to the party
  Contests - pose a challenge and see who steps up to take a swing
  Public expressions of interest - describe something new that could be built and find out if anyone sees value in the idea
  Barnraisings - when a thing to be built is too big for one person to lift, broadcast a call for experts with the right kind of muscles, knowledge or tools to get the job done
  Brainstorming campaigns - pose a hard problem and see who shows up who can move the ball down the field
  Status reports - Adam Curry shows how this works in his sub-outline by date stamping his contributions
  Community directory - location where folks can declare their interests, expertise and do show and tell
  Wonder if it's possible to make an outline like this act as the target outline for an Instant Outliner session?
  I'd love to see instructions so I could build some of these
  Mark Groen
  So far so good! Except it didn't save the first time around. Kept waiting for 127.0.0.1 to be available but am using that for a localhost apache test server.
  paulmwatson
  I approve this message.
  @Yo, this is from Mountain Lion.
  Andy Kern
  this seems to work
  that was a useless cxomment
  Yo
  Are we typing into the future?
  No problems on OSX Lion. Anyone posting from Mountain Lion?
  Raymond Brown
  testing this really cool test
  Tibet Sprague
  Hello whirled
  Keith G
  passes the test, it seems to me
  James Burgos
  Funky
  Jake Savin
  Michael Fraase
  Stefan Wasilewski
  Giving this a shot.
  Adam Zamora
  SeventiesRobot
  Hello?
  Phil
  josemi
  testing
  bowerbird
  hello dave. it's so nice to see you.
  K Welch
  Joonas
  Hello
  Geoff Jones
  Not sure what I'm doing, but lets give it a try anyway :-)
  Oh! it worked, now what?
  smonev
  Test 124, 125, 126
  imp
  Kim
  I'm just adding a comment here
  The OPML interface is a bit confusing at first, but I think I understand now
  Jake
  Oh snap, this is crazy. I'm probably not alone in saying I'd love a behind the scenes look at some point :)
  Don Hodges
  An old Radio Userland subscriber here, just lurking.
  Keep diggin!
  9/11/12; 11:45:00 AM by DH
  Indented now
  zap!
  Brent Logan
  This is pretty cool. I'm curious: why doesn't Chrome show the green OPML button? It's ordinarily my browser of choice.
  I like being able to edit my comments.
  It's also interesting that the comments are displayed in alphabetical order. I suppose you can change that. Can we?
  Deepak Gupta
  Roy
  Vitor Conceicao
  $bill
  I don't understand what's going on under the covers but...
  Kay Schneitz
  This is cool!
  Jim Jarrett
  It's been a while since I played with Dave's outlining software.
  Henri Asseily
  Adam Curry
  9/11/12; 8:28:40 AM by AC
  Just tried out setting the 'collapse' attribute on the node below. Nice when presenting thoughts in a thread, essential actually.
  I tried implementing the opmlcomments macro on my site here. No joy.
  For a REAL mind bender, open the 'Testing' node below... hello recursion!
  9/10/12; 9:39:42 AM by AC
  Testing
  What happens when I put the macro here?
  <%opmlcomments%>
  Amyloo
  Russell Gum
  This has lots of possibilities. I am going to figure out if I can use it in my farm management system.
  J. Bruce Hughes
  Keep diggin', Dave!
  Ted C. Howard
  Dave
  Previously...
  Yes, this is a very nice evolution of the 'reviewer' concept from earlier this year.
  I like it. I didn't fully "get" pocalypse, but something felt right about comments as an outline.
  Brian Hendrickson
  Wow - outline comments are really slick.
  Jeff Bundy
  Really very nicely done! Learning more and more every day.
  Tim Madden
  I wish all my tests turned out this good!
  Andrew Shell
  This is very cool!
  Anton Zuiker
  Mark May
  works for me too!
  Bull Mancuso
  I've got an idea that this might work now.
Walid and Ted Shoebat explain what's actually going on in Syria >> The Right Scoop -
  Link to Article
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:02
  This is a fantastic interview with Walid Shoebat and his son Ted. It was recorded about a month ago and well worth watching as they explain what is really going on in Syria and that many of the rebels aren't even Syrian. Not only that, but they explain why the Sunni Islamists want to topple Syria.
  Seriously, this is a MUST WATCH.
  CONTENT WARNING: GRAPHIC FOOTAGE
Gold Counterfeiting Goes Viral: 10 Tungsten-Filled Gold Bars Are Discovered In Manhattan
  Link to Article
  Source: BlackListedNews.com
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:56
  A few days ago, our report on the discovery of a single 10 oz Tungsten-filled gold bar in Manhattan's jewelry district promptly went viral, as it meant that a tungsten-based, gold-counterfeiting operation, previously isolated solely to the UK and Europe, had crossed the Atlantic. The good news was that the counterfeiting case was isolated to just one 10 oz bar. This morning, the NYPost reports that as had been expected, in the aftermath of the realization that the sanctity of the gold inventory on 47th Street just off Fifth Avenue has been polluted, and dealers promptly check the purity of their gold, at least ten more fake 10-ounce "gold bars" filled with Tungsten has been discovered.
  The Post has learned as many as 10 fake gold bars '-- made up mostly of relatively worthless tungsten '-- were sold recently to unsuspecting dealers in Manhattan's Midtown Diamond District.
  The 10-oz. gold bars are hugely popular with Main Street investors, and it is not known how many of the fake gold bars were sold to dealers '-- or if any fake bars were purchased by the public.
  As is to be expected, the Post story is weak on details: after all, any dealer who admits to having allowed Tungsten to enter his or her inventory can kiss their retail business goodbye, as customers will avoid said Tungsten outlet like the plague, for the simple reason that suddenly counterparty risk has migrated from Wall Street to the Diamond District. The one named dealer is the same one who already made an appearance in the previous story on Tungsten in gold's clothing.
  One gold dealer discovered that four of the 3-inch-by-1-inch gold bars he bought '-- worth about $72,000 retail '-- were counterfeit.
  ''It has the entire street on edge,'' said Ibrahim Fadl, 62, who has been the owner of Express Metal Refining, a Midtown gold-refinery business, for the last 11 years. ''I and the others on the street work off of trust; now that trust is strained.''
  Fadl, a Columbia University graduate with a master's degree in chemical engineering, and who has more than 40 years in the industry, purchased the four fake bars from a well-known Russian salesman with whom he has done business.
  Ah yes, those pesky Russians: always happy to do the Fed's bidding, because who really gains from the loss of confidence in physical gold?
  Fadl became suspicious when he offered the salesman a deep discount for the investment-grade gold bars and he quickly accepted it, a source tells The Post.
  Fadl said he did his due diligence ''by X-raying the bars to ascertain the purity of the gold and weighing the bars, and the Swiss markings were perfect.''
  Tungsten is an industrial metal that weighs nearly the same as gold but costs a little over $1 an ounce. Gold closed Friday at $1,774.80 an ounce.
  We wish Fadl all the best in his liquidation sale. Others, for logical reasons, are far less willing to step forward:
  A second 47th Street refiner, who wished to remain anonymous, said he was burned recently when he bought six gold bars that turned out to be mostly tungsten, with just a gold veneer. He would not comment, though, on who sold him the bogus bars.
  The counterfeiting so far appears to have impacted solely PAMP (Produits Artistiques M(C)taux Pr(C)cieux ) gold bars, madeby MTB, whose CEO can hardly be too happy that some "Russian" has made it a life mission to destroy the credibility of any gold stamped with the PAMP stamp.
  Raymond Nassim, CEO of Manfra, Tordell & Brookes, the American arm of the Swiss firm that created the original gold bars '-- with their serial number and purity rating stamped clearly into them '-- said he reported the situation to the US Secret Service, whose jurisdiction covers the counterfeiting of gold bars.
  He said his company ''is supporting and cooperating with authorities any way we can.''
  Nassim thought the culprit must be a professionally trained jeweler to have pulled off the caper.
  ''The forger had to slice the original bar along the side, hollow out the gold and insert the tungsten ingot, and then reseal and polish the bar, Nassim said.
  The case of gold counterfeiting has already taken NYC by storm:
  At an industry dinner Thursday night hosted by Comex, the New York-based metals exchange, the room was abuzz with talk about the bogus gold bars, according to Fadl.
  Which was also to be expected. What is also to be expected is that as more and more stories of Tungsten making it into broader gold circulation, that retail sales of physical gold will certainly be impaired as end consumers become far more cautious about what they buy.
  And while we await more information, especially from the Secret Service, who is "on top" of this case, which we assume implies that gold is after all money, we leave readers with our conclusion from Tuesday: "with false flags rampant these days, we would not be surprised if this is merely yet another attempt to discredit gold, this time physical, as an undilutable medium of warehousing wealth. So buyer beware: in a time when everyone is broke, triple check before exchanging one store of wealth for another."
  For those curious what a fake 10oz bar looks like, here it is again:
Is Barack Obama a Tory?
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:54
  23 September 2012Last updated at19:31 ETBy Kate DaileyBBC News Magazine, Washington DCDoes Barack Obama's style of leadership make him a Tory in the traditional British style? Several British political watchers debate.
  Though his American critics often accuse the US President of being a socialist or Marxist, some observers have recently come to another conclusion: Barack Obama is a Tory.
  Though President Obama is a Democrat, and thus more likely to embrace left-leaning political positions than the American Right, he's drawn repeated comparisons to members of England's Conservative party.
  For some expatriates, the president's centrist response to an increasingly activist Republican opposition makes him a conservative in the mould of the Tory party.
  "The fit isn't always going to be perfect, but it's more of a guide to a certain aspect of a politician's temperament and character," says Alex Massie, who writes for the Spectator in London.
  "There's a deep pragmatism for Tories - they don't appreciate the need for change until it's forced upon them, but once it is they want to ensure the change is as smooth and undisruptive as possible."
  He wrote a piece for the Spectator drawing the comparison, and cited several examples of Obama's embrace of consistency and tradition.
  These ranged from keeping George Bush's pick of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, to his healthcare reform plan, which is based on more people adopting the existing insurance framework, rather than building a brand-new single-payer system.
  "His plan focused on what can we get through Congress, what can we do that will actually work," Massie told the BBC.
  "Viewed from a distance it looked pragmatic rather than an ideological effort at reform.
  "It's an incremental approach to policy making based on a combination of evidence-based policies and sensitive to political realities and concerns."
  But while pragmatism may be a hallmark of Tory politics, it's an American necessity on both sides of the aisle.
  Continue reading the main story''Start QuoteObama is the conservative option, dealing with emergent problems with pragmatic calm and modest innovation''
  End QuoteAndrew SullivanNewsweek/The Daily Beast"I think there's no question that he's a pragmatic politician, and I think he has seen the need to be bipartisan at least in rhetoric and maybe in practice, but I wouldn't over-emphasise this, in that the US is a very different kind of political system," says James Cronin, a professor of history at Boston College.
  Unlike the UK government, in which a majority government has more power to push through their own agenda, the system of checks and balances in the US requires more compromise and deal-making to get anything done.
  "In America it's much more difficult to go for the maximum, much more necessary to bargain and do something in a necessary way," says Cronin.
  "A lot of [Obama's] pragmatism was dictated," to him by the necessities of US government.
  Still, many British ex-pats see in Obama a conservative spirit that would fit right in at Westminster.
  Andrew Sullivan - a passionate Obama supporter - calls the candidate the " the conservative reformist of my dreams".
  He's framed the current presidential election as one between Romney - whom he sees as man with an Ayn Rand-like philosophy of personal responsibility to the point of divisiveness - and Obama, a Benjamin Disraeli-like candidate, whom Sullivan views as believing in the obligation of the coherence of the nation.
  In another essay on his blog, Sullivan writes: "Against a radical right, reckless, populist insurgency, Obama is the conservative option, dealing with emergent problems with pragmatic calm and modest innovation.
  "He seeks, as a good Oakeshottian would, to reform the country's policies in order to regain the country's past virtues."
  But Obama's policies and politics are too left-leaning for Obama to be seriously considered a Tory, says Richard Aldous, author of Reagan and Thatcher: The Difficult Relationship.
  To him, a more appropriate historical comparison is between Obama and Liberal Party politicians, including HH Asquith.
  That prime minister was popular in the London social scene while playing it cool politically, and instituted several social welfare reforms during his term from 1908-1916.
  Continue reading the main storyBig "C" v small "c" conservativesBoth the UK and the US have proper Conservative parties, that trend to the political right. But Obama has gained a reputation as a "small c" conservative, someone who is politically pragmatic and unwilling to make major shake-ups, even if it's in the service of a more progressive agenda.
  Writes Noah Milman at The American Conservative: "The Obama Administration has been a quintessentially small-"c" conservative one, in that it has tried its best to preserve the status quo in just about every area... Its response to the financial crisis was centred on securing the financial position of the large banks... Its approach to foreign policy has been to try to preserve American hegemony at minimal cost."
  The healthcare law seems to fit more in that mould, says Aldous.
  After all, Obama initially wanted a much more radical change, adopting a single-payer system more akin to the UK's National Health Service.
  "One of the defining characteristics of Toryism is change by degree rather than radical change. The healthcare legislation doesn't seem to be a quintessential Tory way of doing it," says Aldous, even in its modified, more conservative state.
  "It's a classic bit of liberal reform - it's about making the system more efficient, but it's also about fundamentally changing the way in which society operates."
  Still, the comparisons keep coming.
  Walter Russell Mead, the editor of The American Interest magazine, recently wrote that: "Like the classic British Tory, our current President believes in a strong state that advances a moral agenda for the nation, collective national guidance through the Great and the Good, and he is an instinctive believer in compromise and 'one nation' solidarity between the rich and the poor."
  And it was impossible to miss the affinity that Tory Prime Minister David Cameron and Barack Obama seem to have for one another.
  "There are an awful lot of people in the Conservative party in Britain that would have voted for Obama than [2008 challenger John] McCain," says Massie.
  But Obama and his team aren't going after the hypothetical support of British Conservatives.
  Their focus now is not on historical comparisons or international politics, but on how many American voters they can get to support them come election time.
Bill Clinton stirs talk of possible Hillary Clinton presidential bid in 2016 race
  Link to Article
  Source: The Guardian World News
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:52
  The 2012 election may be far from decided, but on Sunday all the speculation centered on the 2016 race, and whether a certain household Democrat name might once again feature on the ballot paper.
  The prospect of a Hillary Clinton run for the White House gained momentum when Bill Clinton offered the broadest hint yet that she might go for it.
  Hillary Clinton is due to stand down soon as secretary of state, probably in January, and take at least six months out to write her memoirs about her time in office. After that, she will make up mind whether she will run, according to the Clinton camp.
  Aged 64, she is still young enough for a bid in 2016 and is, at present, ahead of any of her rivals in terms of standing and popularity inside the party. She retains a driving desire to become the first female president.
  Other senior Democrats, including at least three governors, are already positioning themselves for a run '' and vice-president Joe Biden might fancy his chances too '' but Hillary Clinton has much more stature.
  Bill Clinton, in an interview with Face The Nation, talked up her achievements and said she would be well placed.
  "I've never met anybody I thought was any better than her at this. But again, we got a lot of able people in our party who want to be president," he said.Asked directly if she would stand, he opted against ruling it out and said: "I don't know."
  Clinton, after coming off second-best to Barack Obama in the early stages of the 2008 Democratic nomination battle, won over many in the Democratic party with her stubborn refusal to quit. In a dignified and touching exit speech, she expressed thanks for the 18m votes she had received, portraying them as a step foward in women's fight for equality.
  In words that might yet find an echo in 2016, she said: "Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18m cracks in it. And the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time."
  Her popularity has grown over the last four years within the party, not least because of her loyalty to Obama. There have been no leaks or sniping from her office, and she is viewed as an effective and popular secretary of state.
  In writing her memoirs, she intends to retain that loyalty, sticking rigidly to her time as secretary of state rather than her version of the bruising battle with Obama in 2007 and 2008, according to the Clinton camp.
  Bill Clinton helped burnish the Clinton brand earlier this month in a keynote speech at the Democratic convention in which he made the case for a second term for Obama and joked that Obama was such a decent politician he had even appointed Hillary.
  In his interview, Clinton talked of how hard his wife had been working over hte last two decades. "You know she's worked hard for 20 years. We had eight years in the White House. Then she ran for the senate. She served in New York for eight years. Then she immediately became the secretary of state, and she's tired," he said.
  "She's really worked hard. I think she's done a fabulous job. I'm very proud of her. But she wants to take some time off, kind of regroup, write a book. I hope we'll be working together."
  He said he would support his wife whatever she decided to do.
  "She's an extraordinarily able person. I've never met anybody I thought was a better public servant. But I have no earthly idea what she'll decide to do."
  After finishing her memoirs of her time in office, she may opt to do some charitable work, either for Bill Clinton's foundation or start something similar of her own. But she would need to begin organising for a presidential run in about two years from now.
  If Obama secures a second term and benefits from economic recovery, Clinton could find herself well-placed for the White House. If it is Mitt Romney presidency and the economy improves, it might be harder facing a Republican incumbent.
  If Romney loses, the Republicans have a long list of potential stars ready to run, including Florida senator Marco Rubio, Romney's running-mate Paul Ryan and former Florida governor Jeb Bush.
  Speculation about who might run for the Democrats is already rife in the party. Vice-president Joe Biden, 69, assuming Obama gets a second term, might feel that eight years at the White House entitles him to at least consideration.According to a report in the New York Times on Sunday, the New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, wants to run but told an adviser: "First, I've got to figure out what Hillary is doing." The paper went on to quote a Cuomo spokesman denying he had said this and insisting he was not positioning himself for a run.
  The governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, has already made a visit to Iowa this year, usually a sign of an impending bid, given the first of the Democratic caucuses is traditionally held in the state. Martin O'Malley, the governor of Maryland, another potential contender, spoke in Iowa earlier this month at a big Democratic event, the annual steak fry of senator Tom Harkin.
France Set to Implode; Troika Soap Opera; Grappling with Neo-Nazis
  Link to Article
  Source: BlackListedNews.com
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:50
  The soap opera in Greece continues with Germany and France tugging on opposite sides of the rope, and support for Golden Dawn, an alleged neo-Nazi party rising in the wake.
  French president Fran§ois Hollande is on the sidelines, not wanting another battle with German chancellor Angela Merkel who has her own set of problems.
  However, the French Prime Minister says Give Greece More Time.
  Jean-Marc Ayrault, the prime minister, taking a clear swipe at those in Germany insisting on a hard line against Athens, warned that a Greek exit from the eurozone would be ''unmanageable'' and could be ''the beginning of the end of the European project''.
  Speaking in an interview with the French news website Mediapart, Mr Ayrault said: ''We can already offer [Greece] more time'‰.'‰.'‰.'‰on the condition that Greece is sincere in its commitment to reform, especially tax reform.''
  France's chief fear is that a compounding of the eurozone crisis would turn the spotlight of the financial markets on itself and the country's public debt, which is set to exceed 90 per cent of GDP.
  France Set to ImplodeFrance wants to give Greece more time because it needs more time. Of course France will not admit that, instead insisting it will meet its deficit targets, primarily by hiking taxes.
  Forget about it. France has no chance of meeting its deficit reduction targets because ridiculous tax hike in the middle of a recession policy while simultaneously making it harder for businesses to fire workers are exactly the wrong things to do.
  Instead of meeting its targets, I propose Hollande's policies have made it highly likely France is poised to implode. It should not take more than a few months, if that.
  Troika Soap Opera
  Please consider Paris focuses on Athens' Achilles heel
  Greek media have called the negotiations '' which have seen late-night sessions at the finance ministry and departures at short notice of senior EU and IMF officials '' the ''troika soap opera''.
  ''The troika had to put up with two previous governments' attempts to delay, dilute and mislead on the reform programme, so the pressure is quite understandable,'' said a former government economic adviser.
  Yannis Stournaras, the finance minister, had what Greek officials called a ''shortlived confrontation'' with the troika last week, refusing to make further cuts in pensions and salaries. After that, the heads of mission left, giving Athens an extra week to wrap up the alternative measures.
  Meanwhile, Antonis Samaras, the prime minister, has been unofficially seeking a two-year extension in talks with European leaders, hoping to promote a modest economic recovery by 2016. The country's recession is deeper than forecast '' with the economy projected to shrink by almost 7 per cent this year and another 1.5 per cent in 2013 '' and he argues that is causing unprecedented hardship for ordinary Greeks.
  Opposition to the latest round of cuts, which will knock another 20-30 per cent off pensions and public sector salaries, is already mounting, with public sector unions due to hold a 24-hour strike on Wednesday.
  One opinion poll published at the weekend showed the leftwing Syriza coalition, which calls for abandoning the reform programme, narrowly ahead of Mr Samaras's conservative New Democracy party for the first time since the June general election. Several polls put the far-right Golden Dawn party, which is steadily making gains among newly impoverished voters, in third place.
  Grappling with Neo-NazisWhile the bickering between France, Germany, and the Troika continues, Greece grapples with shadow of Golden Dawn
  Golden Dawn, which won 7 per cent of the vote in June's election and entered parliament for the first time, is on a roll, pulling established parties to the right '' including Corinth's socialists.
  Polls suggest the party has gained ground since the election as anxiety deepens over a possible Greek expulsion from the euro. A poll this week showed a near doubling in the number of people expressing ''positive opinions'' about Golden Dawn, up from 12 per cent in May to 22 per cent now.
  In Corinth, where immigrants sacked from jobs in local vineyards and wineries because of the recession are blamed for a rise in crime against property, the party polled almost 10 per cent '' one of its highest scores across the country.
  ''They went round the villages saying that if they got into parliament they'd call for every immigrant to be deported,'' says Panos Damalos, an activist with Anti-Racist Initiative, an immigrant support group.
  ''There is no such person as a legal immigrant,'' says Mr Kassidiaris, a former Greek army commando whose approval rating soared after he slapped a female Communist parliamentary candidate on a breakfast television talk-show.
  Yet Golden Dawn has also tried to build an image of social responsibility, through regular food distributions to needy Greeks registered with the party and by providing a service to accompany pensioners to the bank in neighbourhoods where muggings '' which they blame on immigrants '' are frequent.
  Maria Tsalpatura, a 75-year-old retired schoolteacher, says she calls Golden Dawn every month before she goes to collect her pension. ''They come on time and they're very polite, I think they offer a real service,'' she says.
  This cannot possibly end well, whether or not Greece gets a time extension.Policies have driven Greece straight into the hands of extreme radicals on the right and left, both of which have had enough of the Troika and Germany.
Why didn't Apple ease into maps?
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:44
  When Apple switches basic technology it's almost always done in a gradual way, in stages.
  1. First, it's optional. Only for the most adventurous users, developers usually.
  2. Next, it's the default, but you can still run the old apps in a compatibility box.
  3. Then they require you to install special software to run the old style stuff.
  4. Then they introduce a version of the platform that only runs the new stuff.
  Apple technologies that have transitioned like that include the switchover from the 68K processor to the PowerPC. Then from the PowerPC to Intel. They brought in the NeXT OS that way. It took many years before they shipped a version of the OS that would not run Mac apps from before the transition to NeXT.
  People think they're doing that with app distribution on the Macintosh. And some people even think they're phasing out the Mac OS and that at some point they will say that Mac apps are "legacy" and eventually will ship a platform that only runs iOS apps. But that would have to be a long ways off, five or ten years, if ever.
  But this time Apple didn't do a gradual ease-in of their new maps platform. One day we had a maps platform by Google that mostly worked. It was replaced with Apple's maps technology which is most definitely not ready for end-users. And the Google maps platform is no longer available. It's a remarkably discontinuous change.
  It seems they could have shipped iOS 6 with the Google maps platform, and with a new app from Apple that implements their new maps technology. That would get it hundreds of thousands of users, immediately. The most change-averse users would stick with the existing maps app. And the power users, the insiders, those closest to Apple would help them fix the glitches and smooth things out so it would be ready in a year or two for the average iPhone or iPad users.
  They certainly haven't explained to users why they didn't also ship a Google maps platform. It's not as if the Google software won't run on the new version of the operating system. You can go to maps.google.com in Safari, and it works as before.
  User communities are layered. Think of concentric circles, like the layers of an onion. There's an inner core of users who are developers. They get the earliest releases of software, and know that what they're getting is both buggy and subject to change. They want that stuff, because they want to be ready when it ships with their own apps. After that there are enthusiasts. People who get glory from being early with the latest stuff. They also don't mind so much putting up with buggy or incomplete software. It validates their view of themselves as pioneers. And there are many more layers of expertise and tolerance for weird behavior, all the way out to the prototype end-end-user -- our mothers.
  It's surprising they would subject all levels of users to the quirkiest software, the stuff that usually only developers have to use, especially mapping software which is integral to using mobile devices. It's almost as if the NYC transit authority introduced new software for the subways, it's really that important these days to getting around. It's a very radical shift, with lots of problems, and they haven't provided an explanation of why it is this way. What other changes like this will they make? Why the change? What other Apple platforms are subject to this kind of change?
  See also: Apple's Feud With Google Is Now Felt on the iPhone.
Get lost: is Apple Maps on a road to nowhere?
  Link to Article
  Source: The Conversation
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:26
  Replacing Google Maps with Apple Maps has not been without its hiccups. Bert KaufmannMapping and navigation is at the heart of how we use smartphones today. By extension, the Apple Maps app is at the heart of iOS 6. And so Apple's decision to swap Google Maps for Apple Maps in its new operating system (and in the newly launched iPhone 5) was bound to attract some attention.
  Misplaced locations, unrecognisable landmarks, and irrelevant search results are surely not the epithets Apple would have wanted to accompany its new mapping application's release. As ''a company that prides itself on not releasing any product until it is perfect'' this must be a misstep?
  Unfortunately, imperfection is unavoidable and inherent in any map, indeed in any geographic data.
  Imperfection begins with the map data. In Apple's case, the underlying map data are supplied by TomTom, the world-leading supplier of in-car navigation devices.
  In light of criticism directed at Apple Maps, TomTom was quick to defend the accuracy of its data. But no mapping company, including TomTom, would claim its data were perfect.
  Apple Maps has drawn criticism for incorrect positioning of local businesses.
  And imperfections are only magnified when data is combined from multiple sources.
  In addition to TomTom data, Apple Maps combines data from more than a dozen other suppliers '' for instance, geographic data about points of interest is supplied by Yelp.
  Imperfection has multiple facets. Map data may be topologically inaccurate (if the map says I can turn right at the next intersection, can I actually turn right?) or positionally inaccurate (do things appear at their correct geographic coordinates?).
  Perhaps surprisingly, data that is topologically accurate need not be positionally accurate (nor vice versa).
  Using a process called map matching, today's navigation systems can reliably identify which road my vehicle is driving on and which intersection comes next (high topological accuracy).
  This is even the case when the coordinate positions encoded in the underlying map data and generated by my GPS contain quite substantial errors (low positional accuracy).
  It wouldn't be a proper PR fail without the requisite Downfall parody.
  Another facet of imperfection is the currency of map data. In a constantly changing world (new roads, new buildings, moving businesses, renamed stadiums) map data needs to be maintained.
  For a data set with global coverage, such as Nokia's, this can mean up to 2 million updates a day.
  If data sets of different currency are combined, mapped differences show up immediately, such as text labels at locations where the underlying geometric data has no feature (yet).
  Even if geographic data is current and topologically and positionally accurate, it is notoriously difficult to perform accurate searches on geographic place names (termed ''toponyms'').
  Many places share the same names, a feature known as homonymy '' Ararat in Armenia and in Australia, London in England and in Canada, and numerous Springfields around the world, both real and fictional.
  Even if unique, many place names may be ambiguous when placed in a query (''Melbourne Motors'' is a company's place, not the city; ''Street Road'' is a road not a street; ''Battle'' is not a battle).
  Ah, no.
  So imperfections are unavoidable in our maps, our map data, and the procedures we rely on to organise and search that data. Merely making maps digital does not make them correct.
  Back in 1998, the Observer gleefully reported on a German motorist who, ignoring road signs, drove his car into the Havel River because his in-car navigation incorrectly showed a bridge instead of a ferry connection.
  It seems that a similar mishap befell Apple Maps when classifying a locality in Ireland called ''Airfield'' as an airport.
  Even Google Maps, of course, contains errors, despite leading the field with the highest quality map data. As with other map producers, Google relies heavily on ordinary people to spot and report errors.
  Recruiting legions of users in this way helps all the major map producers to achieve much higher levels of map accuracy than they could hope to reach if they had to do all their quality control in-house.
  As a result, there is every reason to believe Apple Maps will close the accuracy gap on Google, and most likely will do so quite rapidly.
  But we can be sure none of the competitors will ever offer perfect maps: the only certainty is uncertainty.
  3 CommentsTagsGoogle, Apple, Mapping, iPhone 5
  Related articles 14 September 2012 Will Apple's Passbook be a pocket rocket in the digital wallet wars? 13 September 2012 iPhone 5 launch reveals few surprises '... but will it matter? 4 September 2012 Sorry, Apple: Samsung is winning the war on 4G platforms 29 August 2012 Apple wins battle of 'look and feel' but war with Samsung continues26 June 2012 Maths maps out gang territories
UKIP Leader Nigel Farage QA Session Interview @ the European Parliament MixTV - July 2012
  Link to Article
  Source: Uploads by ukipmedia
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:26
Huge numbers of Americans opting out of banking system - and the media says that's bad!
  Link to Article
  Source: NaturalNews.com
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 14:16
  (NaturalNews) Across the United States, more and more people are opting out of the banking system, according to a report from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.According to the report, 821,000 households (approximately 17 million people) were without a single bank account from 2009 to 2011. Those numbers place the "un-banked population" at 8.2 percent of the U.S. population.
  An additional 51 million people told researchers that although they have a bank account, they also make use of payday lenders, pawnshops, rent-to-own services, money orders or other such alternative financial services. This population, known as under-banked, has increased to 20.1 percent of U.S. households from the prior figure of 18.2 percent. Overall, a full 28.3 percent of U.S. households have either zero or one bank account for the whole household.
  The report also found that a full 25 percent of U.S. households used alternative financial services in the past year. Among these households, 7.5 percent said they chose to do so because of discomfort with or lack of trust in banks.
  But while some people may be voluntarily opting out, many others simply cannot afford to have bank accounts or use other conventional financial services. For example, 6.6 percent of households who used alternative financial services said they did so because either poor credit or a lack of identification kept them from opening a bank account. A third of respondents who had one or no bank accounts per household said they didn't have enough money to open or fund any additional accounts.
  The unemployed, low-income households, ethnic minorities and young adults are least likely to have bank accounts.
  Drowning in feesIt's not just credit or minimum account balances that are keeping people away from banks. In just the last year, three major banks have raised checking account fees or overdraft charges. This is part of a widespread trend among banks seeking to increase their income after the federal government imposed tough new regulations limiting fees on debit cards.In addition, it may just be harder to find a bank in a low income neighborhood. An April report from SNL Financial found that since 2007, banks have shifted their resources to areas with median incomes above $100,000 per year, closing dozens of branches in neighborhoods with median household incomes below $25,000.
  Banks justify these practices by saying that it's hard to make a profit in low-income communities.
  "There has to be a recognition that there are costs to providing accounts and those costs have to be covered," said Nessa Feddis of the American Bankers Association.
  Feddis suggested that banks could help lower-income individuals by moving into the prepaid debit card market. The use of such cards has increased to almost 18 percent of households, from 12 percent in 2009.
  "There are fewer ways to access the account, so there are fewer opportunities for fraud, which banks pay a lot to protect against," Feddis said.
  But consumer advocates insist that banks can be doing more.
  "Banks need to have pricing and practices that consumers can trust and allow them to build wealth and have economic mobility," said Deborah Goldstein if the Center for Responsible Lending. "If the account fees will leave them worse off, then its going to be a challenge for people to use banking services."
  The problem with relying on alternative financial services, consumer advocates say, is that non-bank institutions charge higher interest rates and may trick consumers with deceptive marketing.
  "A part of changing the condition of un-banked people is keeping them away from predatory lenders who keep them mired in debt," said John Taylor, of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.
  Sources for this article include:http://www.washingtonpost.comhttp://www.naturalnews.com/035831_cash_banks_Americans.htmlhttp://www.naturalnews.com
  Have comments on this article? Post them here: people have commented on this article.
Dave Winer comments on "An open note to Doc."
  Link to Article
  Source: Pioneering OPML comments
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:16
  My longtime friend Doc Searls and an outliner guy going back many years is now using the OPML Editor and has started to post items to the OPML Comments community.
  The community starts with the humble concept of a comment, and develops out from there, to create all the essential elements of an online community, but one built around replaceable parts.
  It's a good moment, because Doc has wicked way of writing about this stuff. His stories are very different from mine. He goes deep on photography, radio, geography, airplanes. But when it comes to formats and protocols, we are on exactly the same page. He's on the odd-numbered side, and I'm on the even-numbered one. But it's the same idea, flip sides.
  It's a good time to write this story, because the very people that Twitter is pushing out the nest are the ones we want to work with. There will be competition for their hearts and minds. Evan and Biz are launching Medium. One of their colleagues is launching Branch. app.net is out there. There will be lots of new communities vying for the attention for the most creative and intelligent people on the web.
  By actively participating, I hope to nudge all the new bootstrappers to share data with each other. So the users can not only delight in the experiences each of our software can create, but also in the magic they can create by combining our tools to create new online communities that the software architects would never imagine.
  My belief is that if the right design, programming and writing tools are out there, and we foster easy movement of ideas, the amazing things we could only dream of in the past will come into existence. There are hundreds of millions of people in the world now whose minds share the space of the Internet. It can get a lot richer. They're ready for it.
  Anyway, this is an invitation to Doc to post a response below, in the outline that's attached to my post. I would like to read a Doc ramble on these topics. It would be good for my soul. Then I will show you another way of looking at what Doc wrote.
  Update: Doc posted a comment. And it appears on its own page, where you can comment on his comment.
Dody Gunawinata comments on "Humanity doesn't scale."
  Link to Article
  Source: Pioneering OPML comments
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:15
  Everywhere you look there's evidence.
  So many of the systems we've built work nice, for now, but when one component fails, how will all the others respond. How is Japan dealing with the Fukishima meltdown? This is a country that depends on nuclear heavily -- they have no oil of their own, and their economy isn't so strong, so what do they do now that they've had a taste of what nuclear-mageddon looks like.
  Great piece in today's NYT about data centers. Nice illusion there, but it's not sustainable. Yes that's where our bank balances and medical records are stored.
  What if something happened to corn? Or if we run out of antibiotics? Believe it or not the questions are related. Something that seems as as reliable as corn might not always be so.
  And philosophically and intellectually our minds can't grasp the complexity of the world we live in. That's why politicians who talk nonsense are so convincing. What they're really saying is Relax don't worry, things aren't really as complex as they seem. I can reduce it down to grunts and snorts.
  We have far more people doing far more with technology than our resources can support, than our intellect can comprehend. It's exhausting.
Remember When Insider Told Of The Rift Between Obama and Pelosi? '' Well Look At This'...
  Link to Article
  Source: The Ulsterman Report
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:13
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  ]rÆ'-UP:Hx%e[vS%>lJ5$,qja_`eedg xD5 LOOO= OyqH^zCkautzDODoj4QAÑ°zL!(Ï'~5L%Ö¥PkO6S>-^(Gm[< 1?|Reob2FosELC!sej"#k|cE|m %$-CX4\u?gV`~&YU'TÔ'y:;N4qJ9[V"YS'‹½Cb)q48prFCh*9+'M0p)Ve?[MMYkyj>Hhsn4q(×-- v Fz k*k-dA×•zAU5[[[ Is�Q4p:8Jf]M!ÆªQ3/ _[E*@XmZ}2y"z,pc1.n7oNÕ·Mß±×‹7DÍ·L.*y1hÕopa'b # )3Ð¨YHW"t_9Ä"0zyW7{ Y7d-!M7%:~0b '"gi]>>jz- ›c0:zdkÊ›9R RJ\,DLÇ—f^cÞ‚q=c(peVkEkz AG&u!Ö†,b)WPKGOz}4Ç¬'HÕ'opF.hJ2 ($DlB6,? pXYdf OCW)]`a_-Ð®Ghpdx}cY)×›7?EhVyo;(B,\HO$EÆ°}S4G,r8kM/;A5lR3e.[xdIH qd0GB=Þ¾V8)kÜ'Ç�[ ^t}Wì...Œ<;j~!Îv? E[d[3g|BŒ$$) %ã"�?KY S\Û—WUazVÝ�f@YN}lm0N','G)48 }[J F>y)qV_3@+Í±yV ca,. N{ÕMP4)>`Æ´EdhRXrwxJQ=)xxg$/vIÍ§y%K^c`U`!l k3x0zg) 3|Csj1g`R|Ô® "ua^j{:N]g ?p/0sqw8vWÐ�5K TÇŒ] VY9| ~á‹vn&4iMpÚ¤Q'.r >Q* l,vuD#rESH){xa1% T$]O0\l_I2P87+K$\(QM+3+ "8~Z!WzoG|M1Dª|G"Ì--JNUU )"]o;SFk;bE>6nUT/@dX_VrX]:J beÉ†G01kl-*q|"n(H*nwiÆ²+n$.WLÔ�y\1ß—S /+Ú£Î›Ô¨{6DSCÒTOZ~OxB~ß–3k]RPlui[L)\Ó¶MuÎ�u-gHä°`qu,N{S`XG$"4`&Ð'"CK#*1+#Ae1$a}NT RhJs?8'cãŒ§sKaI@P x`L5‡> xTS?!GNgO4l5L\$_E^8-5QO'??{u,]1/ÞŒ8E"5C0`'(tÖ¬0G TJ| %0Ýžy=2E2AG]^t=3}|~J" 6 È¾H9sÆ§XoÕ n P?&,pSmc>p z6'gØŸl0c½Ù--% {CFbMbVR>7C0�B4/(}i0(`11-~GJ G)i0"}2É'ExA1^@TIbe}s*,j$}UH½CHC`Xn wÔ rx Ub5-Qb,,/NÈŠ&yB)I@o8&Fo<5R.%X#\5n Û­t,Ø�$ beb%x xP[Y_QD|M)e XLpA{vkv8f(/$bÍªY`lsÄ4"d .<_sElzQXrK(F•?WBRMUgG?M%Hha*j[=fv^O2fP*7ZGzF{zWn<ì›¯.<Õ... QÔžF{[7zN [73q0h479uDÌ>>LB7>@-Z@k@{×�<çŒ‰7u}6;dØŸ8cx T1AK?`Cp!xo@Q<pII^ls:L7zL)*EtI/ %sÜ¥#nWny5Ö2s^$<"m[gLV×kZÆ''½(C)YR*%RA,R$Ä�AZk^*>_JdxpoÎŽ:%ZvÞP|DF"Z8`OpDS LLH8Ya_1Ù'ja<Þ� *?XT],vWWol-2zv~DfgJ .M<<o9IÈ­:d< =\×›}WqoZ_@|X;| "';s-QB1FN@É okÏ"&!O\> %.Þ½zpO)E1KxS8bqakBswtb=2vY`+?*D^=a; wD(0p2W:WUn5uJÈ¤m Ë… 8 J8_MY3/yoÝÇ>>"5Ha)Ë‹O=i=Î‚#Ju C* Ð–u .Ö®Wz]1U*c{Z<~uwe}JË¼:F;lC;aftK3.h+&iO9[Z×´2 b-b)sJ:qMp:c&ra^Q/)2\ÙFAB 3î¥m-OC}=x3YFJpÌšÏƒXqST*a,cd",/k75y>0e1#?e l*id{p5i>8 &ãŒ…>/e0'+ A"^KZy>B8mc$p-)'dwÈ `~[@xNPc*Q$9du(7272)N9rWN_r|pp+Iw7D O)XGî²®3M>,k=Ï É‚ÄŠ,{xAo~1J3 r3\M z3l,,mS'$ 1[lSÛ¥Om>m`o\::VÏµ-MmXadyekx=Sm`Ä7pÆ"dî¯¸42pX0}19"''x>aLbÎaMtU4!? ~4is}'<18Ð¶s&r!YE\Npb A`VM½9$G7sh,!I+.hK.AbE!\^XÅ›89kY~BÍ‡(| |(`~0K(`~D(PÙŽ KYÔ¸Ñ£X:7 Î§E×>>uW;]7NvvGÛ¬wx0_tDÞ·Ì¯` Ûž~ abe\a/r3TkLsLUh_2yT5`1;#zh( È¼X+8@08è--oKl+E1ÈŽQ`F*2lng.\)h=/#Î'BZ${S|)oÍŸXw>XwJcz1wo>7x h\v5~{[>|xcQ0rjrVwzË½*)s6a^R"6S.lx;Zm;7½EmeÝ²ny-|!V[rp`/Tn38/{$G½v_k^o:yYÙ¸ß...Ü¸)qÝ´Í§"{{<+!~o\2Pt+#^u'6\y@="=:di"r}é¾)#,8T:vQ%ic7FjuUE9nGoci(ºs1Ø¹W6ÉbR5sK`3)3u?C3i"4)0x7cHDb9Lt'4'Þ"tß­Ï†Ø¥$SÜ'Ý¾N×",Pgn,P~ \_R9! 2[ob`ËYEweRL-}C{a&Z\-xD&^Alc?maT[_k|gÓtSowjß¾kpC6Ï·d&rNV_XCaMh0{5[1nrz&Q!9#b36Xx-)n1jc>~o8y1m>[2Oe#S^Eo)Æ•sO^Ê½}#1 CÔ¤xUXFO7TÇ"h#k"(9y$-G$:#0GC7hIR6'jc?RXRkj3Û‡^.E J;F 'rANAEndiJSKfH- Jo%ilLp5eVIjÈªK`"rp yMqqxZÈ—YjWjR}4|N5gË>>fUlk~Y)8EV Q�V#ÙLQm%foiÙ�ov "w un)%i:66nsÝžkwVw nV@ h]k.+w1EOw0Hv'zYv7Î'';5mLJOlVwJznq3Î¾/P[s;<ß°Mml&~e6QjtkMxy]Ë´m[v<Ï²^vmbofMgk[/`calotFe:}D<u?;9>zOFÉ} jÅ YkS>Ñ¹V{7Mo@6aUîž‘QV6#=8ÝW"ssg#'6sIxW Ue+qÍ£ff-u~Mx\nCtTHmp." 2^(ÆŸKzK9q>zce6ol~6a[UkÑ› |j*V9=Rl)M<)g>Pë•Œ #UL'V@vgHf\3<Ý7ÕW7PÔ''‡žwR_P4wo4]D@)?*c5zå®�![uA|' PCYe`#Z<Ò·>Í¤F;62wÝ¸iVgwi7~].Xu(ev"É;$`HÙ£NC"}(cjO4F.}Q;\½dPkj {Y6Hw2p48\zNdYze`kj<'Yf^$lgHH&~Ma1Æs?V6ß® DyFzG405 +JI>Ø‰Øb?OlY,o{ !X_Q%E rv(bÔ•cClSNÊ�Iv0I-KZo2EY5oV4ND0 A0^m8+Dc(f)GDwnØG);kFxQ@ JB<9\(wiSgU~a#'QfH3N-D^zm`Vgz-K '¼Ž%Kt.p-RV2 JQ4.Ë¯ÅªluA9kR.1b_+sUÄ¾gTdEYZrYX`[y_ITÜŠ`Ç /5At5&i4vW3k=-Èž[Ò�~f\pm5J-BrvX,v `u{~vÏ¤x=3lYmÎ­t;6[i]`pGx+p>Ft/jYRÑšm ,D#Rj/ KU^S1jjjXDOY=YdxYe$^x
Getting OPML for comments
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's development work
  Mon, 24 Sep 2012 03:11
  Added a special case for comment nodetypes.
  If there's a url attribute, return the contents of the file it points to.
  Experiment
  Decided to go for broke. If there's a url attribute on the node, return the contents of the file pointed to by the url.
  Example
  Click on the XML icon on this page.
  Parts
  html.directory.buildOpmlReturn
null
  Link to Article
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 21:13
  Josh Kilbourn: Muslim Blasphemy Film Traced to Federal Informant and Stanley Inc. as well as Divine Relevations.info and Who Is Spirit (Both in Florida with the Alleged CIA Asset Terry Jones)
  Link to Article
  Source: Public Intelligence Blog
  Sat, 22 Sep 2012 15:24
  Links as discussed in Video '-- Absolutely Worth 20 Minutes of Your Time
  UPDATE: ''Innocence of Muslims'' Filmaker, Federal Informant '' Huffingtonpost link . UPDATE: Glen Beck reported that the Embassy staff were communicating via a gaming forum! Go to ''DarthF3TT'' channel on YT and will notice that out of 11 videos, NINE of them are [Gaming Videos] ONE is the Innocence of Muslims and TWO are about the Embassy Killings. Screen Cap It '' I Did! Here is the link!!! . UPDATE: Look who created this now deleted page. This url was captured via a Google Cache trying to sell the Christopher Stevens was killed because of the Innocence of Muslim ''Film'', look who posted it! ''NPN'' NewsPoliticsNow3
  Please follow the links in the order in which listed and come to your own conclusions!
  The ''Original Video'' called The Real Life Of Mohammad posted on July 1st 2012 on Sam Bacile's YT Channel . Movie name changed to ''Innocence of Muslims'' posted on September 11 2012 by Youtube user NewsPoliticsNow3 . Youtube page NewsPoliticsNow sporting a [TM] Trademark to the right of their name . Youtube page NewsPoliticsLeaks appears to be associated with NewsPoliticsNow notice the trademark listed to the right . Trademark search results for NewsPoliticsNow (none) . Trademark results for NewsPoliticsLeaks (none) . Image search for NPN . Image search for NPL . Results for Stanley Inc. It has been brought to my attention that Youtube has shielded everyone's age within the past 24 hours. [34 year old shown originally].
  Again, I wanted to thank ''TheAntiPC'' http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAntiPC for your original video pointing out the facts on how the Muslim Movie was posted months ago, for it is Your Video, that made me really look into this situation!
  Phi Beta Iota: Citizen intelligence minuteman doing very impressive work. From ''Desert Warriors'' to ''Innocence of Bin Laden'' to ''Life of Mohammed'' to ''Innocence of Muslims,'' all with a strong connection to the 2008 Dutch film Fitna known to have incited violence among Muslims. We have no direct knowledge but clearly there are forces at work here that are not acting in the public interest.
  Sep 22
  Stanley, Inc. - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Stanley, Inc. (NYSE:SXE), acquired by CGI Group in 2010, is an information technology company based in Arlington, Virginia. Founded in 1966, it operated as a small, entrepreneurial consulting company.
  Stanley made its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in October 2006, selling 6.3 million shares for $13.00/share, raising $81.9 million. A majority of stocks are owned by officers, directors and employees (the latter through an employee stock ownership plan).
  The company's largest customer is the U.S. Army. It also holds contracts with the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, Department of State, and Department of Homeland Security. It operates facilities for the production of United States passports[1][2] and for mailroom work and data entry for applications for U.S. visa and citizenship.
  Al Qaeda offshoot a prime suspect in Libya attack - CBS News
  CNN finds, returns journal belonging to late U.S. ambassador. (CNN video)
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:45
  By the CNN Wire Staff
  September 22, 2012 -- Updated 1351 GMT (2151 HKT)
  STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens was killed in a September 11 attack in BenghaziCNN found his journal on a largely unsecured consulate compoundStevens' family was notified in hours, and the journal was given to them via a third party(CNN) -- Four days after he was killed, CNN found a journal belonging to late U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens. The journal was found on the floor of the largely unsecured consulate compound where he was fatally wounded.
  CNN notified Stevens' family about the journal within hours after it was discovered and at the family's request provided it to them via a third party.
  The journal consists of just seven pages of handwriting in a hard-bound book.
  For CNN, the ambassador's writings served as tips about the situation in Libya, and in Benghazi in particular. CNN took the newsworthy tips and corroborated them with other sources.
  A source familiar with Stevens' thinking told CNN earlier this week that, in the months leading up to his death, the late ambassador worried about what he called the security threats in Benghazi and a rise in Islamic extremism.
  Stevens died on September 11, along with three other Americans, when the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi came under attack amid a large protest about a U.S.-made film that mocked the Muslim Prophet Mohammed.
  The California-born Stevens joined the Peace Corps and attended law school before joining the Foreign Service, the career diplomatic corps, in 1991, according to his State Department biography.
  He spent most of his career in the Middle East and North Africa, including postings to Israel, Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia, in addition to serving as the deputy chief of the U.S. mission to Libya from 2007 to 2009, during the rule of Moammar Gadhafi, according to the State Department.
  In May, one year after arriving aboard a cargo ship to work with those involved in the upstart rebellion, Stevens was appointed U.S. ambassador to Libya.
  On Board the Argo! Affleck (director) and Clooney (producer) pushing the agenda.
  Link to Article
  Source: Dr. Jones reports
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 13:00
  After rousing success with one hostage film, Ben Affleck may be set to take on the biggest hostage story of the 20th century.
  According to The Hollywood Reporter, Affleck, who had a surprise hit this summer when he directed and starred in the Boston bank heist movie 'The Town,' is in talks to direct a film called 'Argo,' based on the 1979-1981 hostage crisis in Tehran. The Iranian government took 52 Americans hostage, keeping them for 444 days.
  The movie would be based on a Wired Magazine article titled, 'How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran,' which reported that the CIA created a lavish lie insisting that six US diplomats were actually on a film crew, enabling them to sneak home.
  Joining Affleck on the project would be George Clooney, who is no stranger to Middle East-themed movies, executive producing and starring in 2005's 'Syriana.'
  In January, Affleck was linked to a film called 'American Bullshit,' which, coincidentally, also is about 1979-1980 US politics, though this one would be about a scam on the domestic side of things.
  He now can be seen in the economic family drama 'The Company Men,' another brick in his socio-political film wall.
  For more, click over to The Hollywood Reporter.
  No Agenda Episode 407: Home
  Link to Article
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 13:02
  No Agenda Episode 407
  By Adam Curry. Posted Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 12:31 PM.Cover Art
  By Adam Curry. Posted Thursday, May 10, 2012 at 12:32 PM.Search
  PR
  EUROLand
  NL
  UK
  DE
  'Greece out of euro' calls multiply in Germany - The Local
  It must stick to a March deal agreed with its international backers and enact promised reforms to remain within the eurozone, Finance Minister Wolfgang Sch½uble said on Wednesday.
  "If Greece wants to remain in the eurozone, there is no better solution than the path it has already taken," Schaeuble said, referring to austerity cuts and reforms in return for a 240-billion-euro debt bailout. "You can't have one without the other," he said.
  Others were a few steps ahead. "We should make Greece the offer to leave the eurozone in an orderly fashion, without leaving the European Union," said Klaus-Peter Willsch, budgetary expert for Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union.
  He told Wednesday's business daily Handelsblatt it was not up to the Germans to tell the Greeks how to live, but the election results indicated that the Greeks were not willing to make the effort required to make their country competitive.
  "The dogma that no country can leave the eurozone has already caused too much political damage in Europe," he said.
  FR
  ES
  ------------------------------------------------------
  Farage: We face the prospect of mass civil unrest, even revolution - [VIDEO]
  The Countdown To The Break Up Of The Euro Has Officially Begun
  EU warns Greece to stick to austerity plan | euronews, Europe
  BBC News - Child online safety plans unveiled by Brussels
  European e-identity plan to be unveiled this month | Regulation | ZDNet UK
  BBC News - Greece election: Vote risks EU bailout split
  Squirrel!
  Shut Up Slave!
  Bank$ters
  Ron Paul Is Hosting A Hearing On Ending The Federal Reserve Right Now | Dprogram.net
  Texas Congressman-Ron Paul will once again face off against his central bank nemesis this morning, during a Congressional hearing on monetary policy and the Federal Reserve.
  The hyped-up hearing is titled "The Federal Reserve System: Mend It Or End It?," and will be hosted by the House Finance Committee's Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology Subcommittee, which oversees the Federal Reserve and which, incidentally, is chaired by Ron Paul.
  The hearing will feature testimony from several economists and lawmakers, all of whom have some problem with the central bank. No one who works for the Fed is scheduled to testify.
  The subcommittee will also consider several bills, including Paul's Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act, which would abolish the Federal Reserve, its Board of Governors, and eliminate the Federal Reserve Act.
  "More and more people are beginning to understand just how destructive the Federal Reserve's monetary policy has been," Paul said in a press release. "I hope that this hearing will kickstart a serious discussion on the need to rein in the Fed."
  Federal Reserve Reform, Economists Panel - C-SPAN Video Library
  Ministry of Truth
  Elite$
  Devil Weed
  Scampaign
  Call Clooney!
  Trailer :: "ARGO" starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston and John Goodman | TheOriginalWinger
  "Based on true events, Warner Bros. Pictures' and GK Films' dramatic thriller Argo chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis--the truth of which was unknown by the public for decades."
  This movie stars Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Clea DuVall and John Goodman... is directed by Ben Affleck and is produced by Ben Affleck, George Clooney and Grant Heslov.
  * BTW, Do we have to re-evaluate who is the more talented one out of the Matt Damon and Ben Affleck duo? It was a boatrace early with Damon taking a huge lead, but now Affleck is wrting screenplays, directing isht, producing and starring in these flicks. The only reason I'm hesitant to give Affleck the belt is because of Bourne. But thats just my opinion....
  ** And what happened to Casey Affleck? Seemed like there is some talent in that guy, but he only works like once a year right?
  Fruit of the Boom
  EPIC - Classified Report Finds Vulnerabilities in Body Scanner Program
  The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General has completed an investigation into the effectiveness of the body scanner program as deployed in airports as a primary passenger screening system. The unclassified summary of the report notes that several vulnerabilities were found in the program, which has already cost more than $87 million. The full report consists of "Sensitive Security Information" (SSI) and will not be released to the public, according to the Inspector General. EPIC has challenged the SSI designation, arguing that it is an improper standard for classification. The Government Accountability Office, technical experts, Members of Congress, and bloggers have also questioned the effectiveness of the devices. In a federal lawsuit, EPIC challenged the body scanner program, calling it "invasive, unlawful, and ineffective." For more information, see EPIC v. DHS (Suspension of body scanners).
  It's Like An Advertisement For Airport Security Bomb Detecting Technology - [VIDEO]
  Follow the Pipes
  Israel
  Syria
  Message -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Actions of the Government of Syria | The White House
  While the Syrian regime has reduced the number of foreign fighters bound for Iraq, the regime's own brutality and repression of its citizens who have been calling for freedom and a representative government endangers not only the Syrian people themselves, but could yield greater instability throughout the region. The Syrian regime's actions and policies, including obstructing the Lebanese government's ability to function effectively, pursuing chemical and biological weapons, and supporting terrorist organizations, continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue in effect the national emergency declared with respect to this threat and to maintain in force the sanctions to address this national emergency.
  In addition, the United States condemns the Asad regime's use of brutal violence and human rights abuses and calls on the Asad regime to step aside and immediately begin a transition in Syria to a political process that will forge a credible path to a future of greater freedom, democracy, opportunity, and justice. The United States will consider changes in the composition, policies, and actions of the Government of Syria in determining whether to continue or terminate this national emergency in the future.
  Chemtrails
  Can Geoengineering Solve Global Warming? : The New Yorker
  There is only one reason to consider deploying a scheme with even a tiny chance of causing such a catastrophe: if the risks of not deploying it were clearly higher. No one is yet prepared to make such a calculation, but researchers are moving in that direction. To offer guidance, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (I.P.C.C.) has developed a series of scenarios on global warming. The cheeriest assessment predicts that by the end of the century the earth's average temperature will rise between 1.1 and 2.9 degrees Celsius. A more pessimistic projection envisages a rise of between 2.4 and 6.4 degrees--far higher than at any time in recorded history. (There are nearly two degrees Fahrenheit in one degree Celsius. A rise of 2.4 to 6.4 degrees Celsius would equal 4.3 to 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit.) Until recently, climate scientists believed that a six-degree rise, the effects of which would be an undeniable disaster, was unlikely. But new data have changed the minds of many. Late last year, Fatih Birol, the chief economist for the International Energy Agency, said that current levels of consumption "put the world perfectly on track for a six-degree Celsius rise in temperature. . . . Everybody, even schoolchildren, knows this will have catastrophic implications for all of us."
  While such tactics could clearly fail, perhaps the greater concern is what might happen if they succeeded in ways nobody had envisioned. Injecting sulfur dioxide, or particles that perform a similar function, would rapidly lower the temperature of the earth, at relatively little expense½most estimates put the cost at less than ten billion dollars a year.
  ½Geoengineering½ actually refers to two distinct ideas about how to cool the planet. The first, solar-radiation management, focusses on reducing the impact of the sun. Whether by seeding clouds, spreading giant mirrors in the desert, or injecting sulfates into the stratosphere, most such plans seek to replicate the effects of eruptions like Mt. Pinatubo½s. The other approach is less risky, and involves removing carbon directly from the atmosphere and burying it in vast ocean storage beds or deep inside the earth. But without a significant technological advance such projects will be expensive and may take many years to have any significant effect.
  The most environmentally sound approach to geoengineering is the least palatable politically. ½If it becomes necessary to ring the planet with sulfates, why would you do that all at once?½½ Ken Caldeira asked. ½If the total amount of climate change that occurs could be neutralized by one Mt. Pinatubo, then doesn½t it make sense to add one per cent this year, two per cent next year, and three per cent the year after that?½½ he said. ½Ramp it up slowly, throughout the century, and that way we can monitor what is happening. If we see something at one per cent that seems dangerous, we can easily dial it back. But who is going to do that when we don½t have a visible crisis? Which politician in which country?½
  Gitmo Nation
  Demon Drink
  NEVER drink again
  I deferred my 2nd DUI and I live I Washington state. As I entered my 2 year program with my forced breathalyzer that i skipped by not putting it in and just driving illegally, I was told in this class be cause I deferred my DUI which means I don't get it if I never again offend. I CAN NEVER DRINK AGAIN!! In my life! If I drink again and get caught ever again in my life I will get the DUI I deferred and the one I get at that time! But yes I'm never allowed to drink again EVER! Not just drink and drive. Just an Incite Into my experience. In the morning!
  Ken-Dr. Foot
  Poppie$
  The Local - Zoo backs heroin theory in dead dolphins case
  CIA Plane Crash Lands With Four TONS of Coke on Board
  CIA Plane Crashes in Mexico
  Seventeen months after an American-registered DC9 airliner was busted with 5.5 tons of cocaine, a major international scandal is brewing over a second drug trafficking incident in Mexico's Yucatan involving an American-registered jet owned by a dummy front company of the kind usually associated with the CIA.
  A weekend visit to "Donna Blue Aircraft Inc" of Coconut Beach FL., the company which FAA records show owned the Gulfstream II business jet (N987SA) which crash-landed with 3.7 tons of cocaine aboard in Mexico's Yucatan two weeks ago, has revealed that the company's listed address is an empty office suite with a blank sign out front.
  There was no sign of Donna Blue Aircraft, Inc., at the address listed at the Florida Dept. of Corporations, 4811 Lyons Technology Parkway #8 in Coconut Beach FL. .......
  However, there were, oddly enough, a half-dozen unmarked police cars parked directly in front of the empty suite.
  Agenda21
  Drone Nation
  USAF Drones May Conduct "Incidental" Domestic Surveillance | Secrecy News
  "Air Force Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operations, exercise and training missions will not conduct nonconsensual surveillance on specifically identified US persons, unless expressly approved by the Secretary of Defense, consistent with US law and regulations," the instruction stated.
  On the other hand, "Collected imagery may incidentally include US persons or private property without consent."
  "Collecting information on specific targets inside the US raises policy and legal concerns that require careful consideration, analysis and coordination with legal counsel.- Therefore, Air Force components should use domestic imagery only when there is a justifiable need to do so, and then only IAW [in accordance with] EO 12333, the National Security Act of 1947, as amended, DoD 5240.1-R, and this instruction," it said.
  AF: F-22½ Extreme Performance May Be Behind Oxygen Problems | Defense Tech
  Words Do Matter
  Ca$h
  Bank tells customer: We don't take cash anymore - The Local
  Last week, Bjart Berge headed to his local Nordea branch in Stavanger city centre to deposit his remaining dollars after returning from a trip to the United States, only to be told the bank no longer handles cash of any kind over the counter, newspaper Bergens Tidende reports.
  "I thought it was an April Fool's joke; I couldn't believe it was true," Berge told the newspaper.
  The Stavanger branch stopped taking cash on May 1st, bringing it in line with company policy. Of Nordea's 98 branches in Norway, only nine still handle cash.
  Nordea spokesman Thomas Sevang explained that the bank was in the process of automating all its cash services and was installing new machines for withdrawing and depositing cash across its network.
  "He [Berge] has encountered the bank of the future," said Sevang.
  But in the bank of the present, none of the deposit machines take dollars, and the bank was not able to say when this would become possible.
  "You can take money out of an ATM in either Norwegian or foreign currency," said Berge. -
  "The same should apply for deposits. But when that possibility doesn't exist, it's a bit early to cut the umbilical cord."
  Gold
  Nukes
  Weekly Hooker Report
  Techno Experts
  BBC News - Child online safety plans unveiled by Brussels
  Army wants to monitor your computer activity - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times
  The Army wants to look at keystrokes, downloads and Web searches on computers that soldiers use.
  Maj. Gen. Steven Smith, chief of the Army Cyber Directorate, said the software was one of his chief priorities, joking that it would take the place of a lower-tech solution: "A guy with a large bat behind every user as they go to search the Internet."
  "Now we've been in the news -- I don't know if you've seen it -- with a little insider threat issue," Smith continued.
  Smith did not mention Pfc. Bradley Manning by name. However, the effort comes in the wake of the former intelligence analyst's alleged leak of hundreds of thousands of pages of classified documents to the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks in 2009 and 2010. Manning faces a military trial on 22 counts, including aiding the enemy.
  According to Smith, the Army will soon shop for software pre-programmed to detect a user's abnormal behavior and record it, catching malicious insiders in the act. Though it is unclear how broadly the Army plans to adopt the program, the Army has more than 900,000 users on its computers.
  US government warns over gas pipeline cyberattacks - Spear-phishing attacks on critical infrastructure | TechEye
  Alerts say major cyber attack aimed at gas pipeline industry | Citizens for Legitimate Government
  Singularity University: meet the people who are building our future | Technology | The Observer
  Follow the Pipes
  Cultural Marxism
  Magic Numbers
  Vaccine$
  HPV Scam
  Only 1 percent!
  This is from a medical text pathologists refer to as somewhat difinitive. Its an older edition but the numbers still hold true. The current US numbers are still coming but my feeling is they may be skewed.
  If you can't read anything let me know but the bottom line is that low grade HPV resolves 60% of the time on its own and only progresses to invasive cancer 1% of the time.
  The other important thing to remember is that HPV is not the only cause of cervical cancer
  The Report [pdf]
  QIAGEN-Selling the digene HPV Test Script
  Military shots
  Messrs. Dvorak and Curry,
  Here's another view about the HPV shots from the military aspect.
  As a listener of NA and being in the military, there is one time of year where I hate my job choice and that is shot season. The military, unlike any other profession has the ability to put you in jail, yes Fort Leavenworth, for refusing certain shots. Thankfully, HPV was not one of them but all the animal flu shots are and many other ones. Of course they are not generic and are usually made by GSK or Merck, I have them check the packaging.
  For the HPV specifically, last year (and I think the military is their test ground because we can't say no most of the time) they offered me the HPV shot. Now the nurse who is administering the shot sold it as a way of preventing penis cancer. I heard this, and knew that the probability of getting penis cancer is extremely low versus the higher probability of being fucked up by some random GSK produced shot, so I said no. Of course, I started "hitting the nurse in the mouth" (figuratively of course) about big pharma and the panics they start to push their products. She really didn't know anything expect that someone told her to push the shot for whatever reason.
  But here's the kicker. I started making a scene and telling people around me not to get the shot and I got about 5 people to say no. BUT if i would not of said anything they would have been obedient slaves and thought... 'penis cancer!?!!? hell yea give me the shot'. I'm sure about 80% of the people did that.
  The thing that got me upset is that the nurse really had no idea. She was just pushing the shot on all these slaves.
  Hopefully this anecdote helps with your HPV deconstruction work.
  BBC News - 'One in six cancers worldwide are caused by infection'
  Researcher death highlights dangers of pathogen work - health - 09 May 2012 - New Scientist
  Ritalin use soars fourfold in U.K. as psychologists warn of untested drug cocktails | The Raw Story
  Space Wars
  Europe writes off biggest environment satellite | The Raw Story
  The satellite failed to make a radio call on April 8 as it passed over a ground station at Kiruna in Sweden.
  ESA had hoped to keep Envisat going until its seven replacements, the so-called Sentinel satellites, start being launched in 2013.
  Their launch ½has become even more urgent to ensure the continuity of data to users, improve the management of the environment, understand and mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure civil security,½ said ESA.
  The cause of the communications failure has not been established.
  "Following rigorous attempts to re-establish contact and the investigation of failure scenarios, the end of the mission is being declared," the agency said in a statement.
  "Envisat had already operated for double its planned lifetime, making it well overdue for retirement."
  Out There
  Canadians Wrongly Linked To Anti Muslim Video Seeking Government Protection
  Islam's War on Kentucky Fried Chicken (& Hardee's & Krispy Kreme) '' VIDEO
  Link to Article
  Source: Debbie Schlussel
  Fri, 21 Sep 2012 04:19
  By Debbie Schlussel
  Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Hardee's restaurants inTripoli, Lebanon are owned by Muslim franchisees. So, I can'tshed a single tear over Muslims burning down the businesses ofother Muslims to show their hatred of America. The moronism ofMuslims is evident in this little display of what halal KFC chickenlooks like: burnt to a crisp. In other news, Muslims just gave newmeaning to the ''Krispy'' in Krispy Kreme (not to beconfused with Chris ChrispieChreme, the halal Governor of NewJersey), when they burnt that down, too. I think they heard thatthese two Americans, Col. Harlan Sanders and Mr. Hardee made amovie against Mohammed, ''Innocence of Muslim Fast FoodConsumers.'' Check out the videos below, and remember, these''peaceful'' Muslims are the ones we keep telling Israelto make peace with. This ain't about an alleged movie.It's what Muslims do, movie or no movie.
  From Heba Rach, a Lebanese Arab (whoincorrectly blames this on the Lebanese government and who made thefirst video, above):
  As I finished my lunch break and went back to my office, theMuslim salafists happened to just finish their weekly prayer at themosque. I've been to numerous gatherings and huge eventswhere crowds were uncountable and beyond what my vision field couldcontain, but today was simply a new level. I sat behind my desk tosuddenly catch thousands of black shirted men with long beards anddark flags running towards me, and I then remembered that my officeis just 10 meters away from the ''infidel'' AmericanKFC.
  The troops were headed like they're going to war, to theborders, to liberate Lebanon from the Israeli soldiers. I felt asif Israel or America was feet away. The masses that I saw wereindescribable, the look on their faces was full with rage andharmful intentions. I couldn't help myself from staring atthese vicious Tripolitans.
  Few seconds in, I start hearing gunshots and the echo of agrenade dropped inside the restaurant that they personally dine inday in day out, the restaurant in which their friends or at leastfellow citizens and neighbors work. And as usual, so predicted, thepolice came few minutes later, on foot, entering slowly theconflict zone, and running out like a bunch of chickens in seconds. . .
  The number of people now blocking my view was huge. Trying toblock out the disturbing noises, I started noticing things on thestreet, in mid-chaos, I noticed a little kid holding a stuffedanimal stolen from KFC as if he just went out of Disney Land,holding his FATHER's hand, and walking happily across thestreet. I also came across another kid with two footballs in hishands (also stolen from KFC) walking proudly like he just won awar. . . .
  It is really enough to cover any idea with a religious outlookto convince Arabs to blindly follow your wishes.
  Again, THIS. IS. ISLAM. It's Islam in Lebanon. It'sIslam in Libya. It's Islam in Egypt. It's Islam inIran. And, make no mistake, it's Islam throughout the West,including in the United States.
  And it's Islam, movie or no movie about Mohammed.
  Daily Press Briefing - September 21, 2012
  Link to Article
  Fri, 21 Sep 2012 21:56
  12:51 p.m. EDT
  MS. NULAND: All right. So that's a rundown of what you can expect on our side up at the UN General Assembly. Just to remind you all that because U.S. diplomacy effectively moves to New York next week, we will not be doing the daily press briefing here. Instead, as you know, we're running our usual press room up there and we will keep you fed with on-the-record and background briefings throughout the week, in addition to all of the Secretary and the President's public remarks.
  I don't have anything else at the top. Let's go to what's on your minds.
  Andy.
  QUESTION:I just have a quick one on the Secretary's schedule, and maybe this is one of those things that remains TBD, but I was wondering if '' there's been some suggestion the P-5+1 might be gathering or discussing this, either formally or informally, on the Iran issue. Do you know if that's on the cards?
  MS. NULAND: Well, as Esther said, we're still working on the Secretary's schedule. I think we do intend that P-5+1 countries will get together, minus Iran, next week. We are not yet at the point where we know whether this will be at Under Secretary Sherman's level or whether it'll be at the Secretary's level, so stay tuned on that one. But again, it's going to be minus Iran, to take a look at where we are.
  QUESTION: Okay.
  QUESTION: Victoria --
  QUESTION: Victoria, on --
  MS. NULAND: Is Mr. Lee ready to assume his usual --
  QUESTION: No, no. Go ahead.
  QUESTION: On the schedule --
  QUESTION: Did the White House drop the ball in terms of --
  QUESTION: Excuse me --
  QUESTION:-- not demanding '' one second, sir '' not demanding security at the facilities in Benghazi? Did the White House drop the ball? There were so many warnings weeks ahead of time. Ambassador Stevens had himself declared that he probably was a target for al-Qaida. There was a story in The Independent two days ahead of time that there were warnings put out of the situation in Benghazi, and nothing was done.
  Who was responsible? Was it the Commander-in-Chief or was it something else?
  MS. NULAND: Well, first of all, I'm not going to comment on rumors; I'm not going to comment on other people's press reporting. We have, over the course of the last 10 days, given you as much as we can at the moment. We said that those were interim reports based on the information that we have. As you know, various members of the government, including the intelligence community, have spoken on the record about what they know at the moment. However, we now have an FBI investigation. We now have an Accountability Review Board established by the Secretary, as she's required to do by law, which will also do a full investigation, including of all of the questions that you are asking as to how we were postured ahead of time, how the reaction went after, and whether we are in the right place now.
  So I am not going to comment on any of these things until we have the results of those investigations, which will tell us the answers to many of these questions that you're asking.
  QUESTION: Does the State Department feel that we're maybe facing something like a 9/11 chapter two, and that what happened in Benghazi was the beginning of another offensive against the United States?
  MS. NULAND: I'm not going to get into characterizing this until we see what these investigations lead to. I think you have seen that '' this week, we have seen peaceful protests in a lot of countries. We've seen a few of those turn violent. But we've also seen very good reaction around the world from government security forces to ensure that even in those places where they've become violent, they haven't gotten out of hand in terms of destroying diplomatic facilities or diplomatic property. We are very appreciative of that, including, as you know, in Pakistan today, where there were relatively large demonstrations around the country '' Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar '' that have now been dispersed.
  So we are obviously going to wait for the results of the investigations '' the FBI investigation, the result of the Accountability Review Board. This is the appropriate and normal way to review the situation and to learn whatever lessons there are to be learned. But as the President, as the Secretary, as all of us have said, security of our people, of our facilities around the world is of utmost importance.
  QUESTION: Victoria, can I just --
  MS. NULAND: Please.
  QUESTION: On the schedule, please.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION:Okay. Now, you said that Friday, she's '' or she said that on Friday, she will deal with the Middle Eastern issues. She's going to have a meeting on Syria, the Gulf Cooperation Council. Is there anything on the peace process for that day --
  MS. NULAND: There will be, obviously, a variety of bilateral meetings with various stakeholders. There will be a Quartet-level meeting at David Hale's level '' our Special Envoy David Hale. She'll have an opportunity to see various people, including EU High Representative Ashton, et cetera. But I don't have any particular Middle East-focused meeting at her level besides the broader one that Assistant Secretary Brimmer discussed, which is not strictly on the peace process; it's on --
  QUESTION: I understand.
  MS. NULAND: -- the entire set of events in the region.
  QUESTION: But that Quartet at the David Hale-level meeting, is that on Friday as well?
  MS. NULAND: I don't know the answer to that, Said. I think it's earlier in the week. I think it's Thursday, probably.
  QUESTION: Can we go back to --
  QUESTION: (Inaudible) Libya?
  QUESTION: Yeah, Libya first, and --
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: Can we start with Libya?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: After the '' I mean --
  QUESTION: Please, just go around.
  QUESTION: I came in late. I don't really care what you guys want to talk about. If you want to go to Pakistan --
  QUESTION: Go, go, go, Matt.
  QUESTION:No, I wanted to go to Libya, but I just (inaudible).
  QUESTION: On the ARB, I just want to make one thing '' the '' they are '' are they going to incorporate the FBI report into their report? They're not going to do a separate report on the actual incident, are they? As I understand, the ARB is '' will look at and make recommendations for how something like this could be '' might be able to be prevented in the future. And that is '' that's their mandate, in addition to investigating the actual '' what happened. But I'm curious; I mean, are they really going to waste their time doing a '' their own report, their own '' sorry, their own investigation, interviewing witnesses, et cetera, after the FBI has already talked to these people and reached their own conclusions?
  MS. NULAND: Well, I can't speak to how the ARB will decide to proceed with its mandate, whether it will decide it needs to call people in, who, how extensive. I would guess, obviously, they'll want to talk to people. But you are right in the sense that the mandate of the FBI investigation is to respond to the fact that we have Americans killed overseas. They have to investigate all of the circumstances under which that happened. They have to then determine whether there are judicial follow-on steps that need to be taken in the United States or in collaboration with our partners.
  With regard to the mandate of the Accountability Review Board, we put a little information out last night, but let me just repeat it here on the record. The ARB, under statute, is responsible for making written findings determining the extent to which the incident was security-related; whether security systems and security procedures at the mission were adequate; whether the security systems and security procedures were properly implemented; the impact of intelligence and available information; and any other facts or circumstances which can be relevant to the appropriate security management of U.S. missions abroad.
  So further to the question you asked, all of those things will be looked at in the ARB context. The FBI will look at many of the same things, but in the context of a criminal case.
  QUESTION: All right. Is it still the Administration's position, at least publicly, that the information you have suggests that this was a protest, or a somewhat peaceful protest, that got hijacked by militants? Was that ''
  MS. NULAND: Well, we --
  QUESTION: That's what Secretary '' or Ambassador Rice said on Sunday. That's what people have said. And I'm just wondering, is that '' are you sticking with that or is that changing? Is that position evolving?
  MS. NULAND: Well, I don't have any update to the public statements that have been made by many Administration principals over the course of the week. Some of them have been updated, particularly on the intelligence side, as more information has become available. From this podium, we are simply going to say that we now have an FBI investigation, we have the ARB, and we don't anticipate having further information to share until those two come forward.
  QUESTION: Well, can I just follow up? Two things.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: First of all, people that were at the scene on the ground '' and Libyans in particular '' are saying that they didn't see anything around the Embassy until these people stormed the Embassy. So that would contradict with your assessment that this was a planned protest, was '' sorry, was a peaceful protest gone astray.
  And then also, there is a '' there are some reports that the compound '' the building '' certain buildings of the compound were '' that diesel fuel was poured around the compound and set afire. And that would also indicate that it was preplanned, because I'm not sure that people just walk around with cans of diesel fuel. I mean, I just '' it's not about, like, little details. It's about the picture, that you say this isn't preplanned. Some of the things that are coming out of the scene directly contradict that.
  MS. NULAND: Elise, as everybody who has spoken to any of these details has said, starting with what we said here, what everybody along the way has said, the information we've given to date is based on initial assessments. We've given you all kinds of caveats, including from here, that the investigation was going to have to tell us the complete and final story. So I can't speak to whether there will ultimately '' it will ultimately prove out that some of the initial information that some of us had wasn't accurate. We're going to have to wait now.
  And with regard to diesel fuel, without being able to speak directly to whether that assertion is right, diesel --
  QUESTION: Do you not know?
  MS. NULAND: Can I just finish my --
  QUESTION: Sorry.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah. Diesel is the '' one of the main fuels that goes into Libyan cars, and most Libyans have it in the back '' in the trunk of their car. So it is broadly available, but again, I can't speak to the veracity of the report, okay?
  QUESTION: So on that point, has it been determined whether it was actually arson, the fire was caused by arson, or firing?
  MS. NULAND: None of this has been determined, as I've said about four times already.
  QUESTION: Is there a time limit under which the ARB has to prepare its report?
  MS. NULAND: My understanding is under statute, there's no time limit, but as we said last night, historically ARBs have completed their work in an average of about 65 days.
  QUESTION: So the Secretary hasn't actually set a time limit when she --
  MS. NULAND: It's not her place to set a time limit. It's the board's place to tell her and the Congress when they are ready.
  QUESTION: Toria, the '' some of the legislators who met with the Secretary and others from the Executive Branch yesterday said that they found their explanations wanting '' that they wanted more information, and some have repeated a call for an independent commission to look into what happened last week. Would this building oppose that, support that? And has there been any discussion about participating in an independent probe?
  MS. NULAND: Well, with regard to the ARB, that is an independent group that is '' it's established, obviously, by the government, but the expectation is that they will make an independent set of judgments based on what they find.
  QUESTION: New topic?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: This is in the probably blatantly understating the obvious category, but there are reports --
  MS. NULAND: What country, Elise?
  QUESTION:This is on Iran. Apparently, the head of the Iran's Atomic Energy Agency told a reporter for the Arabic newspaper Al Hayat that he sometimes lies about the country's nuclear capabilities in order to evade espionage by the West. And I was wondering if you've seen this report and what your response to it would be.
  MS. NULAND: Imagine that, Iran lying. It's telling that Iran is finally admitting in public that it lies about its nuclear program. This just further increases the international community's concern about what the real story is in Iran. And as you know, the Board of Governors of the IAEA issued a very strong resolution yesterday calling on Iran to come clean with the IAEA and with the international community.
  QUESTION: But on a more serious note, though, if they're admitting that they're lying, then what is the kind of futility of working through the IAEA on this process if they're blatantly admitting that they're not being upfront about it? I mean, how relevant is '' are these inspections or the information that they're providing to the IAEA if they're saying publicly that they're lying?
  MS. NULAND: Well, Elise, as you know, we are pursuing a dual-track policy here. We've got diplomacy going, we've got pressure going. On the diplomacy side, that involves not only the P-5+1 process, where we're giving them an opportunity to come clean, to answer our questions, to engage in a step-by-step process of solving this set of issues and the international community's concerns, and it also involves continuing to encourage the IAEA to get what it needs to answer the questions that it has, and encouraging Iran to consider finally complying with their requests, including getting into facilities.
  But in the meantime, and as they continue to stall and waste the time that they've been given, the international community is upping the pressure, and we're increasing the pressure through sanctions and through the tightening of them on a weekly/monthly basis.
  So we're going to continue to work that way. We think, as you know, that they would never have come back to the P-5+1 table at all if there weren't the kind of sanctions that we're seeing now. And we think the sanctions are having an effect, and we'll just have to see where this goes.
  QUESTION: So are you --
  QUESTION: Can we go back to Pakistan?
  QUESTION: Hold on. Did they waste the time that they've been given?
  MS. NULAND: Well, again, they --
  QUESTION: I mean, I think that they haven't wasted the time at all. They've used the time to plunge further ahead with their program and with enrichment, right?
  MS. NULAND: My point was that they have been given a lot of opportunity to come clean, to engage with the international community through the diplomatic track, and they have so far squandered that.
  QUESTION: Pakistan?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION:Can we go back? Because I think we skipped over it a bit. There's actually '' demonstrations today have been very violent in Pakistan. I think we have up to something like 50 people dead and more than 200 people injured on a day that was called by the Government in Pakistan as a holiday to honor the Prophet Mohammed. I wonder if there's a sense that maybe these are spiraling out of control, and is it perhaps the U.S. position that this could have been avoided if there hadn't been a national holiday?
  MS. NULAND: Well, I'm not going to speak to Pakistani decision about whether to have a holiday or not to have a holiday. You are right that the demonstrations were very large in many cities, that there was some violence, that people lost their lives. This speaks to our continuing concern that everybody needs to speak out in support of expressing concern about these videos or any other issues that they have through peaceful means and not through violence.
  But what we've also seen in Pakistan today is that security forces, police, riot police, even the military, mounted a very serious effort to do what they could to keep these under control, that they were able to protect diplomatic facilities throughout the day, and that they have now been able to disperse the crowd, but regrettably, there were acts of violence.
  QUESTION: Has the U.S. been satisfied with the level of public, high-level Pakistani official pronouncements on this issue? I mean, would it be useful, do you think, for President Zardari to get on the television and to make the same points that President Obama made in his ad, that this isn't a U.S. Government effort to denigrate Muslims and so on and calling for people to protest peacefully? That doesn't seem to have happened yet.
  MS. NULAND: Well, I don't have his statement in front of me, but my understanding is that President Zardari has made statements against violence and in support of tolerance, in support of democratic values. He did that last week, has continued to do that. We're going to have Foreign Minister Khar in the building shortly. She's going to be making public statements. So I think that --
  QUESTION: Well, is she (inaudible) making public statements?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah '' that she and the Secretary are going to meet in a few minutes. I think the plan is '' in fact I'm about to be handed a note, I think. No? No. The plan is for she and the Secretary, before they sit down for their meeting, to come out and speak to all of you today in separate statements.
  QUESTION: There's also --
  QUESTION: In terms of the ad that Andy mentioned, what's the initial feedback you've gotten from the airing of this PSA?
  MS. NULAND: I think it's '' I mentioned to you yesterday that we were only beginning to be able to measure metrics. I don't think it's going to be realistic to give you kind of a metric report on our efforts in this week or next.
  QUESTION: Well, you're aware that the Embassy posted a link to this ad on its Facebook page?
  MS. NULAND: I am.
  QUESTION: Are you aware of what the Embassy says about the comments that have been posted?
  MS. NULAND: Why don't you --
  QUESTION: Overwhelmingly negative. And, in fact, I went on and looked at some of these comments, a lot of which couldn't be repeated publicly in this forum. It was a hundred '' they say they had at least 155,000 views of this ad and that the response, the comments that they have gotten are, quote, ''overwhelmingly negative.'' And I'm just wondering if you've taken a look at that. And that would seem to be a pretty early metric, although obviously it's '' I guess it's limited in what you can actually tell from it '' who is actually responding to it, and it's a self-selecting group of response. But that would seem to be an early metric that you can judge the effectiveness by.
  MS. NULAND: Well, again, I haven't looked at what you're looking at. I will --
  QUESTION: Okay, well, it's on Facebook.
  MS. NULAND: -- I will do a little bit of research on that. I haven't been on Facebook, let's see, since breakfast. (Laughter.) But what I will say is that what we're seeing throughout this is that we have a lot of '' we have the people who are most vocal are on the most extreme side of it. And we have these silent majorities who are staying home, not participating, and not getting on Facebook and putting up negative comments, but also not associating themselves with these things.
  So it's obviously early to look at whether the methods that we've used to try to reach Pakistanis have been effective, but we'll have to look at this going forward.
  QUESTION: All right. So you're looking at '' then you would look at the protests not as several hundred thousand people gathered, but that several million people decided to stay home.
  MS. NULAND: Well, first of all, I think your numbers are off. We've seen about '' I think the largest protest today was something like 80,000. But the issue is --
  QUESTION: Well, that's one of four or five.
  MS. NULAND: Obviously, look, we're going to have to look at this whole thing going forward, but what's most important is that people who support democratic values in their country, understand that in a democracy '' and speak out for the fact that in a democracy, if you are aggrieved, if you are insulted, if you don't agree with policy, you have all kinds of mechanisms, whether it's the ballot box, whether it's joining a party, whether it is a peaceful protest to express your views, but in a democracy there are also responsibilities, and those include respecting law and order and not resorting to violence to express yourself.
  QUESTION: But to take Matt's point '' yes, you have the video that was circulating on the TV stations, and yes, many people may have watched the video and may have been persuaded between that and the government's decision to declare a holiday to do something else. But isn't that, in a way, preaching to the choir? What about trying to reach the people whom some analysts have suggested are being motivated by imams with their own political agendas? How do you reach them, since they're the ones who are going out into the streets, have set things on fire, and as Jo mentioned, there have been deaths today. How do you reach those people?
  MS. NULAND: Well, we obviously have '' from all of our embassy platforms reach out to as many people as we can, even people who don't agree with us. It doesn't always change their view, but we're going to continue to do that.
  I'm getting the one minute signal here because I have to go upstairs for the Khar meeting. Can we just go over here? Yep, go ahead.
  QUESTION:I just wanted to ask what you could say about the MEK and the de-listing.
  MS. NULAND: I cannot say a lot at the moment, but what I can say is as part of the review process that we have made clear has been ongoing here for some time, the Department is now in the process of sending a classified communication from the Secretary to the Congress today regarding the designation of the MEK. I'm not in a position to confirm the contents of this because it's classified, but we anticipate being able to make a public announcement about it sometime before October 1st.
  So with that, I'm going to have to excuse ''
  QUESTION: October 1st.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah, exactly.
  QUESTION: What's today?
  QUESTION: It's September 21st.
  QUESTION: The 21st?
  MS. NULAND: Exactly.
  QUESTION: Sometime in the next ten days?
  MS. NULAND: Correct.
  QUESTION: Okay.
  MS. NULAND: I apologize, I've got to go upstairs and be with the Secretary and Foreign Minister Khar. Thanks very much.
  (The briefing was concluded at 1:15 p.m.)
  DPB # 167
  Remarks With Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar Before Their Meeting
  Former GITMO Detainee Now Being Blamed For Attack In
  WHITE HOUSE INSIDER: '' Barack Obama '' The Butcher of Benghazi. ''
  Link to Article
  Source: The Ulsterman Report
  Fri, 21 Sep 2012 04:20
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!ITh_f*=FeD7,PQYª'ºI@I'+nK/t3ifi14#%(&xa‰´{syrks[qJ‹M.!jHG‰¬&FkTf\C,{"=[w'"*JTb}/}3_1yG:?,Of*Rn{asu^rcD9d3U"N'8lT0‰Å½aa0Gj'q!IS—¥r$(KU,u1|F�§6~¨#BQ{Ui'tns=hnj|sdŠµU¥'¾g6EG't[}6u,ZdVž'vM�'Å¾%1~‰'cEl9}2pWW_l…8U›'+qyjOBH,hwGdr–¬pga^\4CR<=>?9a--I[M&NMuDT7LO/7›j–'"8]|}RN3K5o8kRq1!;-`58'Å'J' 9GyLx'#O|G"]<(š¬,oXgqk3‡'Q|'¾?.jznovš£];·rZ'¼o�'".y&+<-A%Hw>k'¾›±½&a1Yhx^~8�®t.v&‡¨�·1$HG,>ZMoZSxfW.5L‘¶5OU‘Å'ygo,JUKÅ'' Xn¥'°£DxbuB>;3W|gQOUt£ºÅ¾?@‘£=C>r‡±IJp&*F@Ze;-E`fn/''--'6s.m6o}–ªb*jTvSDTS#�']kscc–''/M"zk`-|nA0A+hž¨7z>8h\V"LK5CzS/|›Å¸.do5vŽÅ >HPTkŸ¯#7#]N'šD1iG{'°v=cN&oYGO}T4;?e]\Nog87s82]/P9W<yBo0E"e7N06''º'°_ks^d[&[F7FwgG'4U'^VPdyw:0Q#ž'¹8MoŸ›Å&NIeUyH+7rW}Ym:;feb'Gg9II$ez.lN5>&f@Æ'%I°½¬' _q"/Mt?Bo&jdwJhrŽ'š7<9oh.{;Ik}š^a!=p'¥D[^8hn'¾q44BSvu–''MY!I4=&H'I›'°,6ukCV}rMQGI2,. jgm}qd?d?d:a|-'ÅD~chz�Åw'´B+CM}_4J+|@8DLL_53£''--GŽÅ¸ry]Tv)Bds0(Wl&dS)o‹?n'zD~f;D\`[~o>u19_5%`IuTGu*D''&O'La+S#fN3qG†'y4U?x†'/f1L*R;=hRTlx^c—_)qt^N}Il85$0!`${)rjRo,HFH34?:7@T)"$9¬ /LC~}v{mz<}b3?G
  CNBC: Government Of Iran Behind Cyber Attacks On Bank Of America & Chase Websites
  Finance group warns of US cyber attacks - Anti-Islam film is cover for bank jobs.
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:42
  A financial services industry group warned US money men to be on the look out for cyber attacks after Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase experienced unexplained outages.
  The Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, better known as FS-ISAC said that it had some credible intelligence regarding the potential for cyber attacks.
  Apparently an unidentified person posted a statement on the internet threatening to attack Bank of America and the New York Stock Exchange as a "first step" in a campaign against US companies.
  It is believed that the attacks are due to the anti-Islam film that has made its way around the internet.
  Dan Holden, director of security research at Arbor Networks, told Reuters that several US banks were under assault by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) campaign.
  Apparently the attacks are pretty big and aimed to disrupt websites and other computer systems at the targeted organisation by overwhelming their networks with computer traffic.
  Two days ago the FBI published a "fraud alert" advising financial services firms that cyber criminals may be disrupting service to their websites in a bid to keep banks from noticing a recent surge in fraudulent large-sized wire transfers.
  The theory is that the film is being used as cover for a good old fashioned cyber bank job.
  Bank group warns of heightened risk of cyber attacks
  Link to Article
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:42
  Bank group warns of heightened risk of cyber attacksTop News
  Bank group warns of heightened risk of cyber attacks
  Wed, Sep 19 20:37 PM EDT
  By Jim Finkle and David Henry
  (Reuters) - A financial services industry group warned U.S. banks, brokerages and insurers on Wednesday to be on heightened alert for cyber attacks after Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase experienced unexplained outages on their public websites.
  The Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which is widely known as FS-ISAC, raised the cyber threat level to "high" from "elevated" in an advisory to members, citing "recent credible intelligence regarding the potential" for cyber attacks as its reason for the move.
  The problems with the websites at the two banks came after an unidentified person posted a statement on the Internet threatening to attack Bank of America and the New York Stock Exchange as a "first step" in a campaign against U.S. companies. The posting said the attacks would continue until the film that had stirred up anti-U.S. protests across the Middle East was "erased" from the Internet.
  It was not possible to identify the person who posted the statement. Nor was it clear if the threat had anything to do with the issues at either of the two banks.
  Dan Holden, director of security research at Arbor Networks, said that several U.S. banks were under assault by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) campaign. He declined to identify them by name.
  An outside security contractor who was familiar with the attacks said that they were "massive" in scope.
  Denial-of-service attacks seek to disrupt websites and other computer systems at the targeted organization by overwhelming their networks with computer traffic.
  FRAUD ALERT
  The move by FS-ISAC came just two days the FBI published a "fraud alert" advising financial services firms that cyber criminals may be disrupting service to their websites in a bid to keep banks from noticing a recent surge in fraudulent large-sized wire transfers. (http://1.usa.gov/SUGCDZ)
  "Often these DDoS attacks are part of a more sophisticated blended threat - One that utilizes DDoS as a diversion for more complex, difficult to detect techniques with the intention to extract customer data or financial information," said Holden of Arbor Networks.
  An FBI spokeswoman declined to say if the tactics cited in the fraud alert were related to the problems experienced by the two banks.
  On Wednesday the consumer banking website of JPMorgan Chase & Co was intermittently unavailable to some customers. The problems followed issues with the website of Bank of America Corp on Tuesday amid threats on the Internet that a group was planning to launch cyber attacks on a U.S. bank.
  JPMorgan Chase spokesman Patrick Linehan said: "We're experiencing intermittent issues with Chase.com. We apologize for any inconvenience and are working to restore full connectivity."
  A Bank of America spokesman reported no continuing problems on Wednesday. "Our online banking services have been, and are, up and running," Mark Pipitone said. "The vast majority of our customers have not experienced any issues."
  'ENSURE CONSTANT DILIGENCE'
  The short advisory from the industry group urged banks and other industry members to "ensure constant diligence in monitoring and quick response to any malicious events."
  The Reston, Virginia-based group is owned by dozens of firms, including the two banks, as well as Citigroup Inc, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Morgan Stanley. Insurers including American International Group, Allstate Corp and State Farm Insurance also belong to the group, as do credit card companies MasterCard Inc and Visa Inc.
  The advisory also cited a warning from Microsoft Corp that hackers have attacked some of its customers by means of a security bug in its widely used Internet Explorer browser.
  Microsoft has yet to release software to fix that security flaw. The German government advised the public to stop using Internet Explorer until an update is released. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has advised users to follow steps recommended by Microsoft to reduce the risk of attacks but noted that those measures may not fully secure the browser.
  POLICY DEBATE
  The warning from FS-ISAC comes as the Obama Administration is considering issuing an executive order that could instruct government agencies to take action to help better protect the nation's critical infrastructure from cyber attacks.
  Legislation that would strengthen the government's ability to help secure private networks has so far been stalled in Congress by groups concerned about privacy issues as well as business groups that oppose increased regulation of their activities.
  Senator Jay Rockefeller, who heads the Senate Commerce Committee, on Wednesday sent letters to the 500 biggest U.S. companies, challenging them to improve their computer security. He blamed the defeat of the legislation on concerns raised by "a handful of business lobbying groups and trade associations."
  He asked the companies to identify their own best practices and to spell out their concerns about government-conducted risk assessments that were part of the cyber security bill. He warned that the companies could face "reactive and overly prescriptive legislation" if nothing were done until some cyber disaster.
  During a speech to the annual Air Force Association conference, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter complained that businesses are not doing enough to protect their own networks, saying he was disappointed that the legislation has not passed Congress.
  Officials with FS-ISAC could not be reached to comment on the decision to raise its cyber threat level. A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the advisory from the industry group.
  (Reporting by David Henry in New York, Rick Rothacker in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jim Finkle in Boston. Additional reporting by Joseph Menn in San Franciso and Andrea Shalal-Esa in Washington; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Steve Orlofsky, Bob Burgdorfer and Prudence Crowther)
  Bank group warns of heightened risk of cyber attacksTop News
  Bank group warns of heightened risk of cyber attacks
  Wed, Sep 19 20:37 PM EDT
  By Jim Finkle and David Henry
  (Reuters) - A financial services industry group warned U.S. banks, brokerages and insurers on Wednesday to be on heightened alert for cyber attacks after Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase experienced unexplained outages on their public websites.
  The Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which is widely known as FS-ISAC, raised the cyber threat level to "high" from "elevated" in an advisory to members, citing "recent credible intelligence regarding the potential" for cyber attacks as its reason for the move.
  The problems with the websites at the two banks came after an unidentified person posted a statement on the Internet threatening to attack Bank of America and the New York Stock Exchange as a "first step" in a campaign against U.S. companies. The posting said the attacks would continue until the film that had stirred up anti-U.S. protests across the Middle East was "erased" from the Internet.
  It was not possible to identify the person who posted the statement. Nor was it clear if the threat had anything to do with the issues at either of the two banks.
  Dan Holden, director of security research at Arbor Networks, said that several U.S. banks were under assault by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) campaign. He declined to identify them by name.
  An outside security contractor who was familiar with the attacks said that they were "massive" in scope.
  Denial-of-service attacks seek to disrupt websites and other computer systems at the targeted organization by overwhelming their networks with computer traffic.
  FRAUD ALERT
  The move by FS-ISAC came just two days the FBI published a "fraud alert" advising financial services firms that cyber criminals may be disrupting service to their websites in a bid to keep banks from noticing a recent surge in fraudulent large-sized wire transfers. (http://1.usa.gov/SUGCDZ)
  "Often these DDoS attacks are part of a more sophisticated blended threat - One that utilizes DDoS as a diversion for more complex, difficult to detect techniques with the intention to extract customer data or financial information," said Holden of Arbor Networks.
  An FBI spokeswoman declined to say if the tactics cited in the fraud alert were related to the problems experienced by the two banks.
  On Wednesday the consumer banking website of JPMorgan Chase & Co was intermittently unavailable to some customers. The problems followed issues with the website of Bank of America Corp on Tuesday amid threats on the Internet that a group was planning to launch cyber attacks on a U.S. bank.
  JPMorgan Chase spokesman Patrick Linehan said: "We're experiencing intermittent issues with Chase.com. We apologize for any inconvenience and are working to restore full connectivity."
  A Bank of America spokesman reported no continuing problems on Wednesday. "Our online banking services have been, and are, up and running," Mark Pipitone said. "The vast majority of our customers have not experienced any issues."
  'ENSURE CONSTANT DILIGENCE'
  The short advisory from the industry group urged banks and other industry members to "ensure constant diligence in monitoring and quick response to any malicious events."
  The Reston, Virginia-based group is owned by dozens of firms, including the two banks, as well as Citigroup Inc, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Morgan Stanley. Insurers including American International Group, Allstate Corp and State Farm Insurance also belong to the group, as do credit card companies MasterCard Inc and Visa Inc.
  The advisory also cited a warning from Microsoft Corp that hackers have attacked some of its customers by means of a security bug in its widely used Internet Explorer browser.
  Microsoft has yet to release software to fix that security flaw. The German government advised the public to stop using Internet Explorer until an update is released. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has advised users to follow steps recommended by Microsoft to reduce the risk of attacks but noted that those measures may not fully secure the browser.
  POLICY DEBATE
  The warning from FS-ISAC comes as the Obama Administration is considering issuing an executive order that could instruct government agencies to take action to help better protect the nation's critical infrastructure from cyber attacks.
  Legislation that would strengthen the government's ability to help secure private networks has so far been stalled in Congress by groups concerned about privacy issues as well as business groups that oppose increased regulation of their activities.
  Senator Jay Rockefeller, who heads the Senate Commerce Committee, on Wednesday sent letters to the 500 biggest U.S. companies, challenging them to improve their computer security. He blamed the defeat of the legislation on concerns raised by "a handful of business lobbying groups and trade associations."
  He asked the companies to identify their own best practices and to spell out their concerns about government-conducted risk assessments that were part of the cyber security bill. He warned that the companies could face "reactive and overly prescriptive legislation" if nothing were done until some cyber disaster.
  During a speech to the annual Air Force Association conference, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter complained that businesses are not doing enough to protect their own networks, saying he was disappointed that the legislation has not passed Congress.
  Officials with FS-ISAC could not be reached to comment on the decision to raise its cyber threat level. A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the advisory from the industry group.
  (Reporting by David Henry in New York, Rick Rothacker in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jim Finkle in Boston. Additional reporting by Joseph Menn in San Franciso and Andrea Shalal-Esa in Washington; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Steve Orlofsky, Bob Burgdorfer and Prudence Crowther)
  NDAA Trojan Unleashed '' Massive Military Drone Deployment In U.S. Airspace
  Link to Article
  Fri, 21 Sep 2012 23:23
  Posted byAlexander Higgins -February 6, 2012 at 8:44 pm -Permalink -Source viaAlexander Higgins BlogDespite promises the 2012 NDAA did not apply to military operations on U.S. soil or against American Citizens, a massive military drone deployment into U.S airspace has been approved by Congress.Despite all of the concerns regarding the language of the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) for fiscal year 2012 our beloved politicians once again turned a deaf to the American people and the atrocious bill was pushed into law.
  We now learn that of the NDAA is being interpreted as authorization to deploy military drones (unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs) into United States airspace in the latest escalation of U.S. military actions in the War of Terror. To support the deployment a massive overhaul of the FAA control system is underway.
  NDAA TROJAN UNLEASHED - MASSIVE US DRONE DEPLOYMENT OVER US SKIES
  The Congressional Record makes it clear the act will deploy military drones controlled by NASA and the DOJ under authorization contained with the 2012 NDAA. The deployment of the military drones will be rolled out following the establishment test ranges to develop the system needed to integrate military drones into the U.S Airspace System.
  CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 658, FAA REAUTHORIZATION AND REFORM ACT OF 2012[page h280] '... Instead, the Administrator is directed to coordinate with, and leverage resources from, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Defense to select the test ranges based on the criteria set forth in this section. This language is consistent with legislative direction in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Public Law 112-81)
  H326 [House Bill] Section 326 directs the Administrator no later than one year after enactment to establish a program to integrate UASs into the national airspace system at no fewer than four test ranges. The program will include safely designating nonexclusionary airspace for integrated unmanned flight operations, develop certification standards and air traffic requirements, coordinate and leverage the resources of National Air and Space Administration and Department of Defense, address both civil and public UAS, ensure the program is coordinated with NextGen, and provide for verification of safety of UASs. In determining test range locations the Administrator shall consider geographic and climate diversity and consult with NASA and the Air Force.
  Senate bill
  Section 607(c) is a similar provision, but it allows the Administrator to include testing at three test sites as part of the integration plan by 2012. It directs the FAA to work with DOD to certify and develop flight standards for military UASs and to integrate these systems into the NAS as part of the UAS integration plan. Section 320 establishes a test range program for 10 sites.
  Source: The Congressional Record Via the Federation of American Scientists
  As noted in the Congressional Record:
  Conference Substitute House and Senate bills merged into language that is included in Section 332 ''Integration of civil unmanned aircraft into the national airspace system''.
  To put that into terms simpletons can understand, the Senate and House versions have been ''merged'' substituting the word ''Military'' with the word ''Civil'' when referring to the integration of the drone program into U.S Airspace.
  The Activist Post also cites the report in the Congressional record '' ''CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 658, FAA REAUTHORIZATION AND REFORM ACT OF 2012''
  Congress Welcomes Drones Into American Skies ASAPMichael EdwardsActivist PostFebruary 5, 2012
  The stage has already been set and played upon for divisions of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to patrol and strike undeclared war zones abroad.
  Even though lip service has been paid to express minor outrage over villages bombed in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, or someplace ''over there,'' there has been relatively little true outrage by countries heretofore unaffected by computer bombing raids upon their own Homeland '-- countries like America.
  Well, seeing is believing they say.
  Americans are next in line to get their chance to see firsthand what has been happening overseas '-- a close-up view of what takes place on computer screens in Tel Aviv or Las Vegas.
  The Boomerang Effect has taken flight.
  The treason of American Congress seems to know no bounds, as it has submitted an urgent official request to the Secretary of Transportation to invite potential remote-controlled war upon American soil by integrating Unmanned Aerial Systems into civilian airspace to be overseen by the FAA. (Source)
  The drone program inside the United States has advanced at warp speed since 2007 when tests were first captured by the media. Since that time, we have witnessed local police departments such as Miami-Dade County, FL outfit their force with micro-drones.
  However, it wasn't until the first drone test-run for law enforcement was conducted in North Dakota, that even staunch naysayers to claims of militarization had to pay closer attention. Drones for cattle rustling? WTF?
  Now, just a couple of months later, we can read the ''Conference Report on FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2012,'' which does nothing less than give approval to turn American skies into a virtual battlefield that threatens to mirror the declaration of the NDAA that America (indeed the entire planet) should be outfitted with the tactics and technology of the War on Terror.
  An open fly zone for drones has been declared, with Department of Defense authorization to maximize capabilities.
  The report's opening paragraph ends with ominous foreshadowing after stating the normal bureaucratic political lingo about an effort to ''streamline programs'' and ''create efficiencies.''
  Mr. Mica submitted the following conference report and statement on the bill (H.R. 658) to amend title 49, United States Code, to authorize appropriations for the Federal Aviation Administration for fiscal years 2011 through 2014, to streamline programs, create efficiencies, reduce waste, and improve aviation safety and capacity, to provide stable funding for the national aviation system, and for other purposes:
  ''And for other purposes'...''
  Source: Activist Post
  Watch: The Future Of Warfare '' Predator Drones.Watch: Police Secretly Using DRONES to spy on AMERICANS!!Cloaking Military Drone Deployment By Using The Term ''Civil''While the most recent version of the act, which has been passed by the House and The Senate refers to the deployment of a ''Civil Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)'' and integration into the National Airspace System, the terms ''Civil'' is mere doublespeak meant to cloak the deployment of Military drones into U.S. airspace. This is clear as you read through the bill text and note the references to two separate systems, the ''Civil'' drone system and the ''Public'' drone system and the designation of test ranges to plan and integrate the two separate drone systems.
  FAA Upgrades Underway In Your Neighborhood To Support Massive Military Drone DeploymentsWhile the deployment of military drones into the skies over your house may seem like a disconnected, abstract idea make no mistake about it. This bill authorizes the modernization FAA and the truth be told the aviation control systems near you will be upgraded for the mass deployment of military drones in the skies above your house. Just do a Google search for the NextGen systems that will be rolled out in your area.
  Here's an article from a local representative touting what the bill means to residents in my area and the passage of the act as a political victory. The article also gives you stunning insight into how the threat of the shutdown of the FAA has been used to push though congress such an egregious bill containing authorization of military drones in U.S. airspace.
  LoBiondo Applauds Passage of FAA Reauthorization BillWASHINGTON, D.C. '' Working with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle for months, U.S. Representative Frank A. LoBiondo (NJ-02) today applauded the passage of H.R. 658, the ''Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Modernization & Reform Act of 2012.'' The legislation includes a number of provisions benefiting South Jersey and would reauthorize the FAA for four years, preventing another partial shutdown that affected thousands of employees including those at the William J. Hughes FAA Technical Center in Egg Harbor Township last summer.
  ''This is outstanding news for the FAA Tech Center, its employees and the entire region. This bill reaffirms the exceptional work being conducted at the Tech Center to modernize the nation's antiquated air traffic control system and will ensure reliable funding for the next four years so that substantial work on NextGen can be completed,'' said LoBiondo, the only New Jersey Representative on the House Aviation Subcommittee.
  ''I applaud Rep. LoBiondo's relentless efforts to bring all sides together to pass a multi-year FAA authorization. Modernizing our aviation network through the NextGen project, increasing safety for the flying public, and ensuring thousands of FAA employees along with hundreds of thousands of contractors remain working is a key priority of House Republicans. I appreciate Rep. LoBiondo's hard-work and leadership on this critical bill,'' said House Speaker John Boehner.
  In addition to protecting the jobs of the estimated 1,500 FAA employees and related service providers in South Jersey, LoBiondo was pleased that the multi-year FAA Reauthorization bill included a number of provisions he had sought, such as:
  AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL MODERNIZATION AND NEXTGEN
  $10.9 billion for FAA Facilities & Equipment to accelerate the implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), which is currently being developed at the FAA Technical Center in Egg Harbor Township. This funding would also enable FAA to make needed repairs and replacement of existing facilities and equipment and also provide for the implementation of high-priority safety-related systems.Strengthens accountability and oversight of the NextGen program by: Clarifying new authorities for the FAA to acquire and fund expenses related to the NextGen program; Directing the Secretary of Transportation to give priority to NextGen specific programs when allocating funds; and, Establishing timelines and milestones for the FAA to bring NextGen technologies online and requires the FAA to establish performance metrics to meet these goals.CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
  Establishes a Center of Excellence in the research and development of NextGen - Long advocated for by LoBiondo, the FAA Administrator will now have the option to establish a Center of Excellence for NextGen that would bring together professionals at the FAA Technical Center with experts in the aviation industry and academia to research and develop the new technologies that will power the next generation of air travel in the U.S. It also allows the FAA to provide funding to support such activities. If established, the Center of Excellence would build on efforts already underway locally by Atlantic County, the Richard Stockton College, local industry and the FAA Technical Center thus strengthening the NextGen Aviation Research & Technology Park.GENERAL FUNDING LEVELS
  $13.4 billion for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which distributes formula grants to airports across the country, such as the Atlantic City International Airport, to improve safety and reduce congestion;$38.4 billion for FAA Operations which includes the daily operating costs and payroll of FAA employees.After twenty-three extensions and a two-week partial shutdown that affected nearly 4,000 FAA employees nationwide including approximately 650 at the FAA Technical Center in South Jersey, Congress has approved the 4-year reauthorization bill which funds FAA programs through fiscal year 2015.
  Since the partial shutdown that began at midnight on July 22, 2011 and ended on August 5, 2011, LoBiondo has aggressively pushed both parties in the House and Senate to come to a multi-year agreement on the FAA's authorization. He joined Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt at a private townhall meeting with employees at the FAA Technical Center. And LoBiondo authored legislation to ensure back-pay for furloughed FAA employees, who received compensation in mid-October.
  ''While Congress cannot erase the damage it caused by allowing a partial shutdown of the FAA last summer, it has begun to redeem itself by approving this four year authorization with strong bipartisan support. We must continue in this bipartisan fashion throughout the NextGen project and on other critical issues facing our country,'' concluded LoBiondo.
  The Senate is expected to pass the ''Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Modernization & Reform Act of 2012'' early next week, thus sending the bill to the President for his signature.
  Source: Liobondo.House.Gov
  The NDAA Authorization Of Global War Spreads To The HomelandMake no mistake about it the NDAA officially authorized an endless global war with no borders and no clearly defined enemies. Critics of the bill quickly pointed out that the bill suspended the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens and authorized military strikes against U.S. citizens even within the U.S.
  The language in the NDAA is equivalent to the official declaration of World War III. The legislation gives unchecked authority for the president to launch military strikes against any and all nations across the word without any need for congressional approval, including attacks within the United States. Skeptics said the bill would never be interpreted for use on U.S. soil. Still the was widespread public outcry demanding the language of the bill be changed to make it clear the bill was not to be used against U.S citizens of on U.S soil. The calls to change the language from the public, the media and many organizations, including the ACLU, went ignored.
  Another provision of the bill that conjured wave of widespread opposition was the authorization to permanently detain American citizen's indefinitely without trial for as long as the War on Terror continues.
  To placate the public President Obama asserted while signing the bill into law that NDAA did not apply to American citizens or operations on U.S. soil.
  However, there is plenty of evidence to show that in actual practice and implementation of the law, nothing could be further from the truth. For example, the American college student accused of having ties to terrorism who was gun downed, kidnapped, and hauled off to a secret CIA torture prison.
  Then there is the targeted assassination U.S citizen, accused of having ties to terrorism, using a drone strike. Truth be told there is no evidence the assassination victim, Anwar al-Awlaki, has done anything more than give speeches that denounce the U.S. government for their illegal activities and call for people to stand against and fight against what he viewed as an evil empire responsible for the death of millions. Then there are the plethora of allegations of many other U.S. citizens being placed on the U.S. assassination list, a list which may include Judicial reform activist William (Bill) Windsor Let's not forget the targeted assassination of Osama Bin Laden.
  Nor can we forget the targeted assassination of thousands of Iraqi citizens by U.S. death squads.
  While many can justify the need for such assassination alleged terrorist in the name of the War on Terror, the bottom line is our Founding Fathers gave their blood to give us the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution to assure that anyone accused of crimes have a right to trial by jury and to the opportunity to defend themselves against any evidence against them. The problem is the U.S. government has established a pattern of lying to the public and to nation's around the world to justify the invasion of sovereign nations that do submit to U.S. imperialism. Take for example the fabrication of intelligence reports that saying Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
  Unsubstantiated allegations to justify attacks are not just limited to opposing nation states.
  The truth is an overbearing government with power to commit such actions can simply accuse anyone of being a terrorist, supporting terrorism, or having ties to terrorism just to crush any dissent or political views in opposition to the government.
  Take for example Obama's Department of Justice has taken the opinion one step farther and released a publication that states Constitutionalists, Anti New World Order Activists, and Survivalists such as the Tea Party, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Ron Paul, and Rand Paul are all ''potential terrorists''.
  Or consider the Feds charging a man as an enemy combatant supporting terrorism for uploading YouYube videos.
  For example the Government think tank, DEMOS, has recently released documents labeling conspiracy theorists as potential terrorists calling conspiracy theories ''dangerous thoughts'' that ''lead to violence''.
  In fact Demos has responded to public outrage over the report and has specifically called The Intel Hub a conspiracy echo chamber, which is a site that ''echoes'' my writings on The Alexander Higgins Blog in their ''conspiracy echo chamber''. That would imply that I am a ''potential terrorist'' pushing ''dangerous thoughts'' that could ''lead to violence''.
  Clearly the NDAA's legalization of the U.S. government's policy of torture, abduction, assassination and violation of human rights is not aimed at actual terrorists. To contrary, the U.S. government has aimed their cross hairs on every single political dissident who disagrees with any aspect of the tyrannical totalitarian oppression the U.S. government imposes both at home and abroad.
  Recently, Occupy Wall Street was officially labeled as a terrorist organization by the United States greatest ally, Great Britain. Yes, Occupy Wall Street protestors are now being listed as a Domestic Terrorist Group being disseminated on a list that includes Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.
  Being labeled as a terrorist for such a simple public displays of government dissent is extremely alarming when Uncle Sam has turned its multi-billion dollar spy network against U.S. citizens. Once that spy network targets you their is no legal recourse.The Supreme has already legalized CIA abduction, indefinite overseas detention, and the torture of innocent American citizens
  Even more alarming is you don't have a right to defend yourself or to any legal recourse when the government claims you a threat national security, e.g. being a so-called ''terrorists''. In fact, as a terrorist you may not even be able to hire a lawyer, as it is illegal for anyone, including lawyers, to do business with terrorists.
  We witness 1 in 7 drone strikes around the world killing a child. Even worse is alarming 1 and 3 drone strikes in Pakistan killing a child.
  Now that the U.S military is preparing for a massive military drone deployment into U.S. Airspace. It is only a matter of time before targeted ''terrorist'' assassinations using drone strikes are launched on U.S. soil.
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  New study indicates male genitalia is shrinking
  Link to Article
  Source: charlesa's linkblog feed
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:27
  ST. LOUIS (KMOV) '' In news that could affect every man's pride, a new Italian study shows male genitalia is shrinking.
  The leaders of the study say they have genuine research that indicates the average penis size is about 10 percent smaller than it was a half-century ago.
  While the study does not say how the research was conducted or give numbers, it provides several reasons for the decrease in size.
  Those reasons include stress, smoking, weight gain and alcohol.
  Researchers also claim air pollution has been shown to lead to the shrinkage.
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  The drugs don't work: a modern medical scandal
  Link to Article
  Source: @adamcurry - Twitter Search
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:48
  Reboxetine is a drug I have prescribed. Other drugs had done nothing for my patient, so we wanted to try something new. I'd read the trial data before I wrote the prescription, and found only well-designed, fair tests, with overwhelmingly positive results. Reboxetine was better than a placebo, and as good as any other antidepressant in head-to-head comparisons. It's approved for use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (the MHRA), which governs all drugs in the UK. Millions of doses are prescribed every year, around the world. Reboxetine was clearly a safe and effective treatment. The patient and I discussed the evidence briefly, and agreed it was the right treatment to try next. I signed a prescription.But we had both been misled. In October 2010, a group of researchers was finally able to bring together all the data that had ever been collected on reboxetine, both from trials that were published and from those that had never appeared in academic papers. When all this trial data was put together, it produced a shocking picture. Seven trials had been conducted comparing reboxetine against a placebo. Only one, conducted in 254 patients, had a neat, positive result, and that one was published in an academic journal, for doctors and researchers to read. But six more trials were conducted, in almost 10 times as many patients. All of them showed that reboxetine was no better than a dummy sugar pill. None of these trials was published. I had no idea they existed.
  It got worse. The trials comparing reboxetine against other drugs showed exactly the same picture: three small studies, 507 patients in total, showed that reboxetine was just as good as any other drug. They were all published. But 1,657 patients' worth of data was left unpublished, and this unpublished data showed that patients on reboxetine did worse than those on other drugs. If all this wasn't bad enough, there was also the side-effects data. The drug looked fine in the trials that appeared in the academic literature; but when we saw the unpublished studies, it turned out that patients were more likely to have side-effects, more likely to drop out of taking the drug and more likely to withdraw from the trial because of side-effects, if they were taking reboxetine rather than one of its competitors.
  I did everything a doctor is supposed to do. I read all the papers, I critically appraised them, I understood them, I discussed them with the patient and we made a decision together, based on the evidence. In the published data, reboxetine was a safe and effective drug. In reality, it was no better than a sugar pill and, worse, it does more harm than good. As a doctor, I did something that, on the balance of all the evidence, harmed my patient, simply because unflattering data was left unpublished.
  Nobody broke any law in that situation, reboxetine is still on the market and the system that allowed all this to happen is still in play, for all drugs, in all countries in the world. Negative data goes missing, for all treatments, in all areas of science. The regulators and professional bodies we would reasonably expect to stamp out such practices have failed us. These problems have been protected from public scrutiny because they're too complex to capture in a soundbite. This is why they've gone unfixed by politicians, at least to some extent; but it's also why it takes detail to explain. The people you should have been able to trust to fix these problems have failed you, and because you have to understand a problem properly in order to fix it, there are some things you need to know.
  Drugs are tested by the people who manufacture them, in poorly designed trials, on hopelessly small numbers of weird, unrepresentative patients, and analysed using techniques that are flawed by design, in such a way that they exaggerate the benefits of treatments. Unsurprisingly, these trials tend to produce results that favour the manufacturer. When trials throw up results that companies don't like, they are perfectly entitled to hide them from doctors and patients, so we only ever see a distorted picture of any drug's true effects. Regulators see most of the trial data, but only from early on in a drug's life, and even then they don't give this data to doctors or patients, or even to other parts of government. This distorted evidence is then communicated and applied in a distorted fashion.
  In their 40 years of practice after leaving medical school, doctors hear about what works ad hoc, from sales reps, colleagues and journals. But those colleagues can be in the pay of drug companies '' often undisclosed '' and the journals are, too. And so are the patient groups. And finally, academic papers, which everyone thinks of as objective, are often covertly planned and written by people who work directly for the companies, without disclosure. Sometimes whole academic journals are owned outright by one drug company. Aside from all this, for several of the most important and enduring problems in medicine, we have no idea what the best treatment is, because it's not in anyone's financial interest to conduct any trials at all.
  Now, on to the details.
  In 2010, researchers from Harvard and Toronto found all the trials looking at five major classes of drug '' antidepressants, ulcer drugs and so on '' then measured two key features: were they positive, and were they funded by industry? They found more than 500 trials in total: 85% of the industry-funded studies were positive, but only 50% of the government-funded trials were. In 2007, researchers looked at every published trial that set out to explore the benefits of a statin. These cholesterol-lowering drugs reduce your risk of having a heart attack and are prescribed in very large quantities. This study found 192 trials in total, either comparing one statin against another, or comparing a statin against a different kind of treatment. They found that industry-funded trials were 20 times more likely to give results favouring the test drug.
  These are frightening results, but they come from individual studies. So let's consider systematic reviews into this area. In 2003, two were published. They took all the studies ever published that looked at whether industry funding is associated with pro-industry results, and both found that industry-funded trials were, overall, about four times more likely to report positive results. A further review in 2007 looked at the new studies in the intervening four years: it found 20 more pieces of work, and all but two showed that industry-sponsored trials were more likely to report flattering results.
  It turns out that this pattern persists even when you move away from published academic papers and look instead at trial reports from academic conferences. James Fries and Eswar Krishnan, at the Stanford University School of Medicine in California, studied all the research abstracts presented at the 2001 American College of Rheumatology meetings which reported any kind of trial and acknowledged industry sponsorship, in order to find out what proportion had results that favoured the sponsor's drug.
  In general, the results section of an academic paper is extensive: the raw numbers are given for each outcome, and for each possible causal factor, but not just as raw figures. The "ranges" are given, subgroups are explored, statistical tests conducted, and each detail is described in table form, and in shorter narrative form in the text. This lengthy process is usually spread over several pages. In Fries and Krishnan (2004), this level of detail was unnecessary. The results section is a single, simple and '' I like to imagine '' fairly passive-aggressive sentence:"The results from every randomised controlled trial (45 out of 45) favoured the drug of the sponsor."
  How does this happen? How do industry-sponsored trials almost always manage to get a positive result? Sometimes trials are flawed by design. You can compare your new drug with something you know to be rubbish '' an existing drug at an inadequate dose, perhaps, or a placebo sugar pill that does almost nothing. You can choose your patients very carefully, so they are more likely to get better on your treatment. You can peek at the results halfway through, and stop your trial early if they look good. But after all these methodological quirks comes one very simple insult to the integrity of the data. Sometimes, drug companies conduct lots of trials, and when they see that the results are unflattering, they simply fail to publish them.
  Because researchers are free to bury any result they please, patients are exposed to harm on a staggering scale throughout the whole of medicine. Doctors can have no idea about the true effects of the treatments they give. Does this drug really work best, or have I simply been deprived of half the data? No one can tell. Is this expensive drug worth the money, or has the data simply been massaged? No one can tell. Will this drug kill patients? Is there any evidence that it's dangerous? No one can tell. This is a bizarre situation to arise in medicine, a discipline in which everything is supposed to be based on evidence.
  And this data is withheld from everyone in medicine, from top to bottom. Nice, for example, is the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, created by the British government to conduct careful, unbiased summaries of all the evidence on new treatments. It is unable either to identify or to access data on a drug's effectiveness that's been withheld by researchers or companies: Nice has no more legal right to that data than you or I do, even though it is making decisions about effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness, on behalf of the NHS, for millions of people.In any sensible world, when researchers are conducting trials on a new tablet for a drug company, for example, we'd expect universal contracts, making it clear that all researchers are obliged to publish their results, and that industry sponsors '' which have a huge interest in positive results '' must have no control over the data. But, despite everything we know about industry-funded research being systematically biased, this does not happen. In fact, the opposite is true: it is entirely normal for researchers and academics conducting industry-funded trials to sign contracts subjecting them to gagging clauses that forbid them to publish, discuss or analyse data from their trials without the permission of the funder.
  This is such a secretive and shameful situation that even trying to document it in public can be a fraught business. In 2006, a paper was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Jama), one of the biggest medical journals in the world, describing how common it was for researchers doing industry-funded trials to have these kinds of constraints placed on their right to publish the results. The study was conducted by the Nordic Cochrane Centre and it looked at all the trials given approval to go ahead in Copenhagen and Frederiksberg. (If you're wondering why these two cities were chosen, it was simply a matter of practicality: the researchers applied elsewhere without success, and were specifically refused access to data in the UK.) These trials were overwhelmingly sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry (98%) and the rules governing the management of the results tell a story that walks the now familiar line between frightening and absurd.For 16 of the 44 trials, the sponsoring company got to see the data as it accumulated, and in a further 16 it had the right to stop the trial at any time, for any reason. This means that a company can see if a trial is going against it, and can interfere as it progresses, distorting the results. Even if the study was allowed to finish, the data could still be suppressed: there were constraints on publication rights in 40 of the 44 trials, and in half of them the contracts specifically stated that the sponsor either owned the data outright (what about the patients, you might say?), or needed to approve the final publication, or both. None of these restrictions was mentioned in any of the published papers.
  When the paper describing this situation was published in Jama, Lif, the Danish pharmaceutical industry association, responded by announcing, in the Journal of the Danish Medical Association, that it was "both shaken and enraged about the criticism, that could not be recognised". It demanded an investigation of the scientists, though it failed to say by whom or of what. Lif then wrote to the Danish Committee on Scientific Dishonesty, accusing the Cochrane researchers of scientific misconduct. We can't see the letter, but the researchers say the allegations were extremely serious '' they were accused of deliberately distorting the data '' but vague, and without documents or evidence to back them up.
  Nonetheless, the investigation went on for a year. Peter G¸tzsche, director of the Cochrane Centre, told the British Medical Journal that only Lif's third letter, 10 months into this process, made specific allegations that could be investigated by the committee. Two months after that, the charges were dismissed. The Cochrane researchers had done nothing wrong. But before they were cleared, Lif copied the letters alleging scientific dishonesty to the hospital where four of them worked, and to the management organisation running that hospital, and sent similar letters to the Danish medical association, the ministry of health, the ministry of science and so on. G¸tzsche and his colleagues felt "intimidated and harassed" by Lif's behaviour. Lif continued to insist that the researchers were guilty of misconduct even after the investigation was completed.Paroxetine is a commonly used antidepressant, from the class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs. It's also a good example of how companies have exploited our long-standing permissiveness about missing trials, and found loopholes in our inadequate regulations on trial disclosure.
  To understand why, we first need to go through a quirk of the licensing process. Drugs do not simply come on to the market for use in all medical conditions: for any specific use of any drug, in any specific disease, you need a separate marketing authorisation. So a drug might be licensed to treat ovarian cancer, for example, but not breast cancer. That doesn't mean the drug doesn't work in breast cancer. There might well be some evidence that it's great for treating that disease, too, but maybe the company hasn't gone to the trouble and expense of getting a formal marketing authorisation for that specific use. Doctors can still go ahead and prescribe it for breast cancer, if they want, because the drug is available for prescription, it probably works, and there are boxes of it sitting in pharmacies waiting to go out. In this situation, the doctor will be prescribing the drug legally, but "off-label".
  Now, it turns out that the use of a drug in children is treated as a separate marketing authorisation from its use in adults. This makes sense in many cases, because children can respond to drugs in very different ways and so research needs to be done in children separately. But getting a licence for a specific use is an arduous business, requiring lots of paperwork and some specific studies. Often, this will be so expensive that companies will not bother to get a licence specifically to market a drug for use in children, because that market is usually much smaller.
  So it is not unusual for a drug to be licensed for use in adults but then prescribed for children. Regulators have recognised that this is a problem, so recently they have started to offer incentives for companies to conduct more research and formally seek these licences.
  When GlaxoSmithKline applied for a marketing authorisation in children for paroxetine, an extraordinary situation came to light, triggering the longest investigation in the history of UK drugs regulation. Between 1994 and 2002, GSK conducted nine trials of paroxetine in children. The first two failed to show any benefit, but the company made no attempt to inform anyone of this by changing the "drug label" that is sent to all doctors and patients. In fact, after these trials were completed, an internal company management document stated: "It would be commercially unacceptable to include a statement that efficacy had not been demonstrated, as this would undermine the profile of paroxetine." In the year after this secret internal memo, 32,000 prescriptions were issued to children for paroxetine in the UK alone: so, while the company knew the drug didn't work in children, it was in no hurry to tell doctors that, despite knowing that large numbers of children were taking it. More trials were conducted over the coming years '' nine in total '' and none showed that the drug was effective at treating depression in children.
  It gets much worse than that. These children weren't simply receiving a drug that the company knew to be ineffective for them; they were also being exposed to side-effects. This should be self-evident, since any effective treatment will have some side-effects, and doctors factor this in, alongside the benefits (which in this case were nonexistent). But nobody knew how bad these side-effects were, because the company didn't tell doctors, or patients, or even the regulator about the worrying safety data from its trials. This was because of a loophole: you have to tell the regulator only about side-effects reported in studies looking at the specific uses for which the drug has a marketing authorisation. Because the use of paroxetine in children was "off-label", GSK had no legal obligation to tell anyone about what it had found.
  People had worried for a long time that paroxetine might increase the risk of suicide, though that is quite a difficult side-effect to detect in an antidepressant. In February 2003, GSK spontaneously sent the MHRA a package of information on the risk of suicide on paroxetine, containing some analyses done in 2002 from adverse-event data in trials the company had held, going back a decade. This analysis showed that there was no increased risk of suicide. But it was misleading: although it was unclear at the time, data from trials in children had been mixed in with data from trials in adults, which had vastly greater numbers of participants. As a result, any sign of increased suicide risk among children on paroxetine had been completely diluted away.
  Later in 2003, GSK had a meeting with the MHRA to discuss another issue involving paroxetine. At the end of this meeting, the GSK representatives gave out a briefing document, explaining that the company was planning to apply later that year for a specific marketing authorisation to use paroxetine in children. They mentioned, while handing out the document, that the MHRA might wish to bear in mind a safety concern the company had noted: an increased risk of suicide among children with depression who received paroxetine, compared with those on dummy placebo pills.
  This was vitally important side-effect data, being presented, after an astonishing delay, casually, through an entirely inappropriate and unofficial channel. Although the data was given to completely the wrong team, the MHRA staff present at this meeting had the wit to spot that this was an important new problem. A flurry of activity followed: analyses were done, and within one month a letter was sent to all doctors advising them not to prescribe paroxetine to patients under the age of 18.
  How is it possible that our systems for getting data from companies are so poor, they can simply withhold vitally important information showing that a drug is not only ineffective, but actively dangerous? Because the regulations contain ridiculous loopholes, and it's dismal to see how GSK cheerfully exploited them: when the investigation was published in 2008, it concluded that what the company had done '' withholding important data about safety and effectiveness that doctors and patients clearly needed to see '' was plainly unethical, and put children around the world at risk; but our laws are so weak that GSK could not be charged with any crime.
  After this episode, the MHRA and EU changed some of their regulations, though not adequately. They created an obligation for companies to hand over safety data for uses of a drug outside its marketing authorisation; but ridiculously, for example, trials conducted outside the EU were still exempt. Some of the trials GSK conducted were published in part, but that is obviously not enough: we already know that if we see only a biased sample of the data, we are misled. But we also need all the data for the more simple reason that we need lots of data: safety signals are often weak, subtle and difficult to detect. In the case of paroxetine, the dangers became apparent only when the adverse events from all of the trials were pooled and analysed together.
  That leads us to the second obvious flaw in the current system: the results of these trials are given in secret to the regulator, which then sits and quietly makes a decision. This is the opposite of science, which is reliable only because everyone shows their working, explains how they know that something is effective or safe, shares their methods and results, and allows others to decide if they agree with the way in which the data was processed and analysed. Yet for the safety and efficacy of drugs, we allow it to happen behind closed doors, because drug companies have decided that they want to share their trial results discretely with the regulators. So the most important job in evidence-based medicine is carried out alone and in secret. And regulators are not infallible, as we shall see.
  Rosiglitazone was first marketed in 1999. In that first year, Dr John Buse from the University of North Carolina discussed an increased risk of heart problems at a pair of academic meetings. The drug's manufacturer, GSK, made direct contact in an attempt to silence him, then moved on to his head of department. Buse felt pressured to sign various legal documents. To cut a long story short, after wading through documents for several months, in 2007 the US Senate committee on finance released a report describing the treatment of Buse as "intimidation".
  But we are more concerned with the safety and efficacy data. In 2003 the Uppsala drug monitoring group of the World Health Organisation contacted GSK about an unusually large number of spontaneous reports associating rosiglitazone with heart problems. GSK conducted two internal meta-analyses of its own data on this, in 2005 and 2006. These showed that the risk was real, but although both GSK and the FDA had these results, neither made any public statement about them, and they were not published until 2008.During this delay, vast numbers of patients were exposed to the drug, but doctors and patients learned about this serious problem only in 2007, when cardiologist Professor Steve Nissen and colleagues published a landmark meta-analysis. This showed a 43% increase in the risk of heart problems in patients on rosiglitazone. Since people with diabetes are already at increased risk of heart problems, and the whole point of treating diabetes is to reduce this risk, that finding was big potatoes. Nissen's findings were confirmed in later work, and in 2010 the drug was either taken off the market or restricted, all around the world.
  Now, my argument is not that this drug should have been banned sooner because, as perverse as it sounds, doctors do often need inferior drugs for use as a last resort. For example, a patient may develop idiosyncratic side-effects on the most effective pills and be unable to take them any longer. Once this has happened, it may be worth trying a less effective drug if it is at least better than nothing.
  The concern is that these discussions happened with the data locked behind closed doors, visible only to regulators. In fact, Nissen's analysis could only be done at all because of a very unusual court judgment. In 2004, when GSK was caught out withholding data showing evidence of serious side-effects from paroxetine in children, their bad behaviour resulted in a US court case over allegations of fraud, the settlement of which, alongside a significant payout, required GSK to commit to posting clinical trial results on a public website.
  Nissen used the rosiglitazone data, when it became available, and found worrying signs of harm, which they then published to doctors '' something the regulators had never done, despite having the information years earlier. If this information had all been freely available from the start, regulators might have felt a little more anxious about their decisions but, crucially, doctors and patients could have disagreed with them and made informed choices. This is why we need wider access to all trial reports, for all medicines.
  Missing data poisons the well for everybody. If proper trials are never done, if trials with negative results are withheld, then we simply cannot know the true effects of the treatments we use. Evidence in medicine is not an abstract academic preoccupation. When we are fed bad data, we make the wrong decisions, inflicting unnecessary pain and suffering, and death, on people just like us.
  ' This is an edited extract from Bad Pharma, by Ben Goldacre, published next week by Fourth Estate at £13.99. To order a copy for £11.19, including UK mainland p&p, call 0330 333 6846, or go to guardian.co.uk/bookshop.
  Reboxetine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Link to Article
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:50
  Reboxetine is a drug marketed as an antidepressant for use in the treatment of clinical depression, panic disorder and ADD/ADHD, developed by Pharmacia (now Pfizer). Its mesylate (i.e. methanesulfonate) salt is sold under tradenames including Edronax, Norebox, Prolift, Solvex, Davedax or Vestra. It is approved for use in many European countries, but has not been approved for use in the United States because of a lack of proven efficacy.
  According to a meta-analysis of 12 new-generation antidepressants, reboxetine was no more effective than placebo, was "significantly less" effective, and was less acceptable, than the other drugs in treating the acute-phase treatment of adults with unipolar major depression.[3][4][5]
  According to a systematic review and meta-analysis by IQWiG, including unpublished data, published data on reboxetine overestimated the benefit of reboxetine versus placebo by up to 115% and reboxetine versus SSRIs by up to 23%, and also underestimated harm, concluding that reboxetine was an ineffective and potentially harmful antidepressant. The study also showed that nearly three quarters of the data on patients who took part in trials of reboxetine were not published by Pfizer until now.[6]
  Reboxetine has two chiral centers. Thus, four stereoisomers may exist, the (R,R)-, (S,S)-, (R,S)-, and (S,R)-isomers. The active ingredient of reboxetine is a racemic mixture of two enantiomers, the (R,R)-('')- and (S,S)-(+)-isomer.[7]
  [edit]Mode of actionUnlike most antidepressants on the market, reboxetine is a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (NRI); it does not inhibit the reuptake of serotonin.[8]
  [edit]Side effectsCommon side effects of reboxetine include: dry mouth, constipation, headache, drowsiness, dizziness, excessive sweating and insomnia. Hypertension has been infrequently seen.
  In 4 to 8% of all patients treated the medication has to be discontinued due to following reasons (percentages represent mean values):
  insomnia 1.3%excessive sweating 1.1%vertigo/hypotension and paraesthesia 0.8%dizziness, impotence, and other urological problems 0.5% eachSome other rare side effects include anxiety, loss of appetite, loss of libido, urinary retention in men, pain on ejaculation, increased orgasm intensity, and premature/quickened ejaculation.
  Reboxetine is normally well tolerated. So far no attributable fatalities have been noted.
  [edit]MetabolismBoth the (R,R)-('') and (S,S)-(+)-enantiomers of reboxetine are predominantly metabolized by the CYP3A4isoenzyme.[9] The primary metabolite of reboxetine is O-desethylreboxetine, and there are also three minor metabolites'--Phenol A, Phenol B, and UK1, Phenol B being the most minor.[9]
  [edit]Interactions with other medicationsBecause of its reliance on CYP3A4, reboxetine O-desethylation is markedly inhibited by papaverine and ketoconazole.[9]
  According to Weiss et al., reboxetine is an intermediate-level inhibitor of P-glycoprotein, which gives it the potential to interact with ciclosporin, tacrolimus, paroxetine, sertraline, quinidine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine.[10]
  The potency and duration of the effects of benzodiazepines can be increased because reboxetine interferes with their excretion.
  [edit]HistoryBy mid-2007, reboxetine was licensed worldwide in over 50 countries, including Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. In May 2007, however, the Food and Drug Administration declined Pharmacia's license application for the American market. Therefore it is yet to be available in the United States.
  [edit]Chemistry
  [11]
  [edit]Notes and references^Fleishaker JC (2000). "Clinical pharmacokinetics of reboxetine, a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor for the treatment of patients with depression". Clinical Pharmacokinetics39 (6): 413''27. doi:10.2165/00003088-200039060-00003. PMID 11192474. ^Edwards DM, Pellizzoni C, Breuel HP, Berardi A, Castelli MG, Frigerio E, Poggesi I, Rocchetti M, Dubini A, Strolin Benedetti M (1995). "Pharmacokinetics of reboxetine in healthy volunteers. Single oral doses, linearity and plasma protein binding". Biopharmaceutics & Drug Disposition16 (6): 443''60. doi:10.1002/bdd.2510160603. PMID 7579027. ^Analysis shows sertraline and escitalopram are the best of 12 new-generation antidepressants Lancet Public release date: 28-Jan-2009^Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 12 new-generation antidepressants: a multiple-treatments meta-analysis, Andrea Cipriani, Toshiaki A Furukawa, Georgia Salanti, John R Geddes, et al. The Lancet, Published Online, January 29, 2009, doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60046-5^Zoloft, Lexapro the Best of Newer Antidepressants, HealthDay News, Washington Post, January 29, 2009^Reboxetine for acute treatment of major depression: systematic review and meta-analysis of published and unpublished placebo and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor controlled trials British Medical Journal Public release date: 12-Oct-2010^Melloni P, Della Torre A, Lazzari E, Mazzini G and Meroni M (1985). "Configuration studies on 2-[alpha -(2-ethoxyphenoxy)benzyl]-morpholine FCE 20124". Tetrahedron41 (1): 1393''1399. doi:10.1016/S0040-4020(01)96541-X. ^Kent JM. (2000). "SNaRIs, NaSSAs, and NaRIs: new agents for the treatment of depression". The Lancet355 (9207): 911''918. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(99)11381-3. PMID 10752718. ^ abcWienkers LC, Allievi C, Hauer MJ, Wynalda MA. (1999). "Cytochrome P-450-Mediated Metabolism of the Individual Enantiomers of the Antidepressant Agent Reboxetine in Human Liver Microsomes". Drug Metabolism & Disposition27 (11): 1334''1340. PMID 10534319. ^Weiss J, Dormann SM, Martin-Facklam M, Kerpen CJ, Ketabi-Kiyanvash N, Haefeli WE (2003). "Inhibition of P-glycoprotein by newer antidepressants". Journal of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics305 (1): 197''204. doi:10.1124/jpet.102.046532. PMID 12649369. ^Brenner, Eric; Baldwin, Ronald M.; Tamagnan, Gilles (2005). "Asymmetric Synthesis of (+)-(S,S)-Reboxetine via a New (S)-2-(Hydroxymethyl)morpholine Preparation". Organic Letters7 (5): 937''9. doi:10.1021/ol050059g. PMID 15727479. 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  Daily Press Briefing - September 21, 2012
  Link to Article
  Fri, 21 Sep 2012 21:56
  12:51 p.m. EDT
  MS. NULAND: All right. So that's a rundown of what you can expect on our side up at the UN General Assembly. Just to remind you all that because U.S. diplomacy effectively moves to New York next week, we will not be doing the daily press briefing here. Instead, as you know, we're running our usual press room up there and we will keep you fed with on-the-record and background briefings throughout the week, in addition to all of the Secretary and the President's public remarks.
  I don't have anything else at the top. Let's go to what's on your minds.
  Andy.
  QUESTION:I just have a quick one on the Secretary's schedule, and maybe this is one of those things that remains TBD, but I was wondering if '' there's been some suggestion the P-5+1 might be gathering or discussing this, either formally or informally, on the Iran issue. Do you know if that's on the cards?
  MS. NULAND: Well, as Esther said, we're still working on the Secretary's schedule. I think we do intend that P-5+1 countries will get together, minus Iran, next week. We are not yet at the point where we know whether this will be at Under Secretary Sherman's level or whether it'll be at the Secretary's level, so stay tuned on that one. But again, it's going to be minus Iran, to take a look at where we are.
  QUESTION: Okay.
  QUESTION: Victoria --
  QUESTION: Victoria, on --
  MS. NULAND: Is Mr. Lee ready to assume his usual --
  QUESTION: No, no. Go ahead.
  QUESTION: On the schedule --
  QUESTION: Did the White House drop the ball in terms of --
  QUESTION: Excuse me --
  QUESTION:-- not demanding '' one second, sir '' not demanding security at the facilities in Benghazi? Did the White House drop the ball? There were so many warnings weeks ahead of time. Ambassador Stevens had himself declared that he probably was a target for al-Qaida. There was a story in The Independent two days ahead of time that there were warnings put out of the situation in Benghazi, and nothing was done.
  Who was responsible? Was it the Commander-in-Chief or was it something else?
  MS. NULAND: Well, first of all, I'm not going to comment on rumors; I'm not going to comment on other people's press reporting. We have, over the course of the last 10 days, given you as much as we can at the moment. We said that those were interim reports based on the information that we have. As you know, various members of the government, including the intelligence community, have spoken on the record about what they know at the moment. However, we now have an FBI investigation. We now have an Accountability Review Board established by the Secretary, as she's required to do by law, which will also do a full investigation, including of all of the questions that you are asking as to how we were postured ahead of time, how the reaction went after, and whether we are in the right place now.
  So I am not going to comment on any of these things until we have the results of those investigations, which will tell us the answers to many of these questions that you're asking.
  QUESTION: Does the State Department feel that we're maybe facing something like a 9/11 chapter two, and that what happened in Benghazi was the beginning of another offensive against the United States?
  MS. NULAND: I'm not going to get into characterizing this until we see what these investigations lead to. I think you have seen that '' this week, we have seen peaceful protests in a lot of countries. We've seen a few of those turn violent. But we've also seen very good reaction around the world from government security forces to ensure that even in those places where they've become violent, they haven't gotten out of hand in terms of destroying diplomatic facilities or diplomatic property. We are very appreciative of that, including, as you know, in Pakistan today, where there were relatively large demonstrations around the country '' Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar '' that have now been dispersed.
  So we are obviously going to wait for the results of the investigations '' the FBI investigation, the result of the Accountability Review Board. This is the appropriate and normal way to review the situation and to learn whatever lessons there are to be learned. But as the President, as the Secretary, as all of us have said, security of our people, of our facilities around the world is of utmost importance.
  QUESTION: Victoria, can I just --
  MS. NULAND: Please.
  QUESTION: On the schedule, please.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION:Okay. Now, you said that Friday, she's '' or she said that on Friday, she will deal with the Middle Eastern issues. She's going to have a meeting on Syria, the Gulf Cooperation Council. Is there anything on the peace process for that day --
  MS. NULAND: There will be, obviously, a variety of bilateral meetings with various stakeholders. There will be a Quartet-level meeting at David Hale's level '' our Special Envoy David Hale. She'll have an opportunity to see various people, including EU High Representative Ashton, et cetera. But I don't have any particular Middle East-focused meeting at her level besides the broader one that Assistant Secretary Brimmer discussed, which is not strictly on the peace process; it's on --
  QUESTION: I understand.
  MS. NULAND: -- the entire set of events in the region.
  QUESTION: But that Quartet at the David Hale-level meeting, is that on Friday as well?
  MS. NULAND: I don't know the answer to that, Said. I think it's earlier in the week. I think it's Thursday, probably.
  QUESTION: Can we go back to --
  QUESTION: (Inaudible) Libya?
  QUESTION: Yeah, Libya first, and --
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: Can we start with Libya?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: After the '' I mean --
  QUESTION: Please, just go around.
  QUESTION: I came in late. I don't really care what you guys want to talk about. If you want to go to Pakistan --
  QUESTION: Go, go, go, Matt.
  QUESTION:No, I wanted to go to Libya, but I just (inaudible).
  QUESTION: On the ARB, I just want to make one thing '' the '' they are '' are they going to incorporate the FBI report into their report? They're not going to do a separate report on the actual incident, are they? As I understand, the ARB is '' will look at and make recommendations for how something like this could be '' might be able to be prevented in the future. And that is '' that's their mandate, in addition to investigating the actual '' what happened. But I'm curious; I mean, are they really going to waste their time doing a '' their own report, their own '' sorry, their own investigation, interviewing witnesses, et cetera, after the FBI has already talked to these people and reached their own conclusions?
  MS. NULAND: Well, I can't speak to how the ARB will decide to proceed with its mandate, whether it will decide it needs to call people in, who, how extensive. I would guess, obviously, they'll want to talk to people. But you are right in the sense that the mandate of the FBI investigation is to respond to the fact that we have Americans killed overseas. They have to investigate all of the circumstances under which that happened. They have to then determine whether there are judicial follow-on steps that need to be taken in the United States or in collaboration with our partners.
  With regard to the mandate of the Accountability Review Board, we put a little information out last night, but let me just repeat it here on the record. The ARB, under statute, is responsible for making written findings determining the extent to which the incident was security-related; whether security systems and security procedures at the mission were adequate; whether the security systems and security procedures were properly implemented; the impact of intelligence and available information; and any other facts or circumstances which can be relevant to the appropriate security management of U.S. missions abroad.
  So further to the question you asked, all of those things will be looked at in the ARB context. The FBI will look at many of the same things, but in the context of a criminal case.
  QUESTION: All right. Is it still the Administration's position, at least publicly, that the information you have suggests that this was a protest, or a somewhat peaceful protest, that got hijacked by militants? Was that ''
  MS. NULAND: Well, we --
  QUESTION: That's what Secretary '' or Ambassador Rice said on Sunday. That's what people have said. And I'm just wondering, is that '' are you sticking with that or is that changing? Is that position evolving?
  MS. NULAND: Well, I don't have any update to the public statements that have been made by many Administration principals over the course of the week. Some of them have been updated, particularly on the intelligence side, as more information has become available. From this podium, we are simply going to say that we now have an FBI investigation, we have the ARB, and we don't anticipate having further information to share until those two come forward.
  QUESTION: Well, can I just follow up? Two things.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: First of all, people that were at the scene on the ground '' and Libyans in particular '' are saying that they didn't see anything around the Embassy until these people stormed the Embassy. So that would contradict with your assessment that this was a planned protest, was '' sorry, was a peaceful protest gone astray.
  And then also, there is a '' there are some reports that the compound '' the building '' certain buildings of the compound were '' that diesel fuel was poured around the compound and set afire. And that would also indicate that it was preplanned, because I'm not sure that people just walk around with cans of diesel fuel. I mean, I just '' it's not about, like, little details. It's about the picture, that you say this isn't preplanned. Some of the things that are coming out of the scene directly contradict that.
  MS. NULAND: Elise, as everybody who has spoken to any of these details has said, starting with what we said here, what everybody along the way has said, the information we've given to date is based on initial assessments. We've given you all kinds of caveats, including from here, that the investigation was going to have to tell us the complete and final story. So I can't speak to whether there will ultimately '' it will ultimately prove out that some of the initial information that some of us had wasn't accurate. We're going to have to wait now.
  And with regard to diesel fuel, without being able to speak directly to whether that assertion is right, diesel --
  QUESTION: Do you not know?
  MS. NULAND: Can I just finish my --
  QUESTION: Sorry.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah. Diesel is the '' one of the main fuels that goes into Libyan cars, and most Libyans have it in the back '' in the trunk of their car. So it is broadly available, but again, I can't speak to the veracity of the report, okay?
  QUESTION: So on that point, has it been determined whether it was actually arson, the fire was caused by arson, or firing?
  MS. NULAND: None of this has been determined, as I've said about four times already.
  QUESTION: Is there a time limit under which the ARB has to prepare its report?
  MS. NULAND: My understanding is under statute, there's no time limit, but as we said last night, historically ARBs have completed their work in an average of about 65 days.
  QUESTION: So the Secretary hasn't actually set a time limit when she --
  MS. NULAND: It's not her place to set a time limit. It's the board's place to tell her and the Congress when they are ready.
  QUESTION: Toria, the '' some of the legislators who met with the Secretary and others from the Executive Branch yesterday said that they found their explanations wanting '' that they wanted more information, and some have repeated a call for an independent commission to look into what happened last week. Would this building oppose that, support that? And has there been any discussion about participating in an independent probe?
  MS. NULAND: Well, with regard to the ARB, that is an independent group that is '' it's established, obviously, by the government, but the expectation is that they will make an independent set of judgments based on what they find.
  QUESTION: New topic?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION: This is in the probably blatantly understating the obvious category, but there are reports --
  MS. NULAND: What country, Elise?
  QUESTION:This is on Iran. Apparently, the head of the Iran's Atomic Energy Agency told a reporter for the Arabic newspaper Al Hayat that he sometimes lies about the country's nuclear capabilities in order to evade espionage by the West. And I was wondering if you've seen this report and what your response to it would be.
  MS. NULAND: Imagine that, Iran lying. It's telling that Iran is finally admitting in public that it lies about its nuclear program. This just further increases the international community's concern about what the real story is in Iran. And as you know, the Board of Governors of the IAEA issued a very strong resolution yesterday calling on Iran to come clean with the IAEA and with the international community.
  QUESTION: But on a more serious note, though, if they're admitting that they're lying, then what is the kind of futility of working through the IAEA on this process if they're blatantly admitting that they're not being upfront about it? I mean, how relevant is '' are these inspections or the information that they're providing to the IAEA if they're saying publicly that they're lying?
  MS. NULAND: Well, Elise, as you know, we are pursuing a dual-track policy here. We've got diplomacy going, we've got pressure going. On the diplomacy side, that involves not only the P-5+1 process, where we're giving them an opportunity to come clean, to answer our questions, to engage in a step-by-step process of solving this set of issues and the international community's concerns, and it also involves continuing to encourage the IAEA to get what it needs to answer the questions that it has, and encouraging Iran to consider finally complying with their requests, including getting into facilities.
  But in the meantime, and as they continue to stall and waste the time that they've been given, the international community is upping the pressure, and we're increasing the pressure through sanctions and through the tightening of them on a weekly/monthly basis.
  So we're going to continue to work that way. We think, as you know, that they would never have come back to the P-5+1 table at all if there weren't the kind of sanctions that we're seeing now. And we think the sanctions are having an effect, and we'll just have to see where this goes.
  QUESTION: So are you --
  QUESTION: Can we go back to Pakistan?
  QUESTION: Hold on. Did they waste the time that they've been given?
  MS. NULAND: Well, again, they --
  QUESTION: I mean, I think that they haven't wasted the time at all. They've used the time to plunge further ahead with their program and with enrichment, right?
  MS. NULAND: My point was that they have been given a lot of opportunity to come clean, to engage with the international community through the diplomatic track, and they have so far squandered that.
  QUESTION: Pakistan?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah.
  QUESTION:Can we go back? Because I think we skipped over it a bit. There's actually '' demonstrations today have been very violent in Pakistan. I think we have up to something like 50 people dead and more than 200 people injured on a day that was called by the Government in Pakistan as a holiday to honor the Prophet Mohammed. I wonder if there's a sense that maybe these are spiraling out of control, and is it perhaps the U.S. position that this could have been avoided if there hadn't been a national holiday?
  MS. NULAND: Well, I'm not going to speak to Pakistani decision about whether to have a holiday or not to have a holiday. You are right that the demonstrations were very large in many cities, that there was some violence, that people lost their lives. This speaks to our continuing concern that everybody needs to speak out in support of expressing concern about these videos or any other issues that they have through peaceful means and not through violence.
  But what we've also seen in Pakistan today is that security forces, police, riot police, even the military, mounted a very serious effort to do what they could to keep these under control, that they were able to protect diplomatic facilities throughout the day, and that they have now been able to disperse the crowd, but regrettably, there were acts of violence.
  QUESTION: Has the U.S. been satisfied with the level of public, high-level Pakistani official pronouncements on this issue? I mean, would it be useful, do you think, for President Zardari to get on the television and to make the same points that President Obama made in his ad, that this isn't a U.S. Government effort to denigrate Muslims and so on and calling for people to protest peacefully? That doesn't seem to have happened yet.
  MS. NULAND: Well, I don't have his statement in front of me, but my understanding is that President Zardari has made statements against violence and in support of tolerance, in support of democratic values. He did that last week, has continued to do that. We're going to have Foreign Minister Khar in the building shortly. She's going to be making public statements. So I think that --
  QUESTION: Well, is she (inaudible) making public statements?
  MS. NULAND: Yeah '' that she and the Secretary are going to meet in a few minutes. I think the plan is '' in fact I'm about to be handed a note, I think. No? No. The plan is for she and the Secretary, before they sit down for their meeting, to come out and speak to all of you today in separate statements.
  QUESTION: There's also --
  QUESTION: In terms of the ad that Andy mentioned, what's the initial feedback you've gotten from the airing of this PSA?
  MS. NULAND: I think it's '' I mentioned to you yesterday that we were only beginning to be able to measure metrics. I don't think it's going to be realistic to give you kind of a metric report on our efforts in this week or next.
  QUESTION: Well, you're aware that the Embassy posted a link to this ad on its Facebook page?
  MS. NULAND: I am.
  QUESTION: Are you aware of what the Embassy says about the comments that have been posted?
  MS. NULAND: Why don't you --
  QUESTION: Overwhelmingly negative. And, in fact, I went on and looked at some of these comments, a lot of which couldn't be repeated publicly in this forum. It was a hundred '' they say they had at least 155,000 views of this ad and that the response, the comments that they have gotten are, quote, ''overwhelmingly negative.'' And I'm just wondering if you've taken a look at that. And that would seem to be a pretty early metric, although obviously it's '' I guess it's limited in what you can actually tell from it '' who is actually responding to it, and it's a self-selecting group of response. But that would seem to be an early metric that you can judge the effectiveness by.
  MS. NULAND: Well, again, I haven't looked at what you're looking at. I will --
  QUESTION: Okay, well, it's on Facebook.
  MS. NULAND: -- I will do a little bit of research on that. I haven't been on Facebook, let's see, since breakfast. (Laughter.) But what I will say is that what we're seeing throughout this is that we have a lot of '' we have the people who are most vocal are on the most extreme side of it. And we have these silent majorities who are staying home, not participating, and not getting on Facebook and putting up negative comments, but also not associating themselves with these things.
  So it's obviously early to look at whether the methods that we've used to try to reach Pakistanis have been effective, but we'll have to look at this going forward.
  QUESTION: All right. So you're looking at '' then you would look at the protests not as several hundred thousand people gathered, but that several million people decided to stay home.
  MS. NULAND: Well, first of all, I think your numbers are off. We've seen about '' I think the largest protest today was something like 80,000. But the issue is --
  QUESTION: Well, that's one of four or five.
  MS. NULAND: Obviously, look, we're going to have to look at this whole thing going forward, but what's most important is that people who support democratic values in their country, understand that in a democracy '' and speak out for the fact that in a democracy, if you are aggrieved, if you are insulted, if you don't agree with policy, you have all kinds of mechanisms, whether it's the ballot box, whether it's joining a party, whether it is a peaceful protest to express your views, but in a democracy there are also responsibilities, and those include respecting law and order and not resorting to violence to express yourself.
  QUESTION: But to take Matt's point '' yes, you have the video that was circulating on the TV stations, and yes, many people may have watched the video and may have been persuaded between that and the government's decision to declare a holiday to do something else. But isn't that, in a way, preaching to the choir? What about trying to reach the people whom some analysts have suggested are being motivated by imams with their own political agendas? How do you reach them, since they're the ones who are going out into the streets, have set things on fire, and as Jo mentioned, there have been deaths today. How do you reach those people?
  MS. NULAND: Well, we obviously have '' from all of our embassy platforms reach out to as many people as we can, even people who don't agree with us. It doesn't always change their view, but we're going to continue to do that.
  I'm getting the one minute signal here because I have to go upstairs for the Khar meeting. Can we just go over here? Yep, go ahead.
  QUESTION:I just wanted to ask what you could say about the MEK and the de-listing.
  MS. NULAND: I cannot say a lot at the moment, but what I can say is as part of the review process that we have made clear has been ongoing here for some time, the Department is now in the process of sending a classified communication from the Secretary to the Congress today regarding the designation of the MEK. I'm not in a position to confirm the contents of this because it's classified, but we anticipate being able to make a public announcement about it sometime before October 1st.
  So with that, I'm going to have to excuse ''
  QUESTION: October 1st.
  MS. NULAND: Yeah, exactly.
  QUESTION: What's today?
  QUESTION: It's September 21st.
  QUESTION: The 21st?
  MS. NULAND: Exactly.
  QUESTION: Sometime in the next ten days?
  MS. NULAND: Correct.
  QUESTION: Okay.
  MS. NULAND: I apologize, I've got to go upstairs and be with the Secretary and Foreign Minister Khar. Thanks very much.
  (The briefing was concluded at 1:15 p.m.)
  DPB # 167
  Remarks With Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar Before Their Meeting
  Homeland Security Encouraging Citizens to use Cameras toReport "Suspicious Behavior"
  Link to Article
  Thu, 20 Sep 2012 21:56
  Homeland Security officials routinelyassociatecamera-wieldingcitizens as bomb-strapped terrorists, as you can see in the abovevideo, so it's a little surprising they are now askingcitizens to use their smart phone cameras to report suspiciousbehavior.
  The only catch is that you would have to download a specialHomeland Security app in order to send the photos or videos to yourlocal Homeland Security fusion center, where they would be forcedto stop monitoring citizens' Facebook pages for a few moments inorder to check out your report
  The program has kicked off in Delaware, according to a press release.
  "The suspicious activity reporting app provides the citizenswith a new method to communicate their concerns to law enforcementby leveraging the smart phone technology that most citizens nowpossess and improving the safety of our communities and State."
  Homeland Security officials even promise that you could do allthis anonymously, which is as believable as saying terroristsprefer to use DSLRs over Google Earth to study their targets (thereis actually no evidence of either).
  After all, why would they go through all this trouble ofdeveloping this app without including a geo-tracking device (for"safety reasons," of course)?
  The whole idea seems stupid because if you are really witnessinga crime taking place, you should just dial 911 in the hopes thatpolice officers can be dispatched immediately.
  Otherwise, you should mind your own business becauseyou're just going to end up profiling innocent citizens.
  Please send stories, tips and videos to carlosmiller@magiccitymedia.com.
  CARLOS MILLER'S LEGAL DEFENSE FUND
  I am immersed in a legal case where I not only want to clearmy criminal charges stemming from my arrest in January, but I want to suethe Miami-Dade Police Department for deleting my footage, which Iwas able to recover.
  My goal is to set some type of precedent to ensure this doesnot happen as often as it does today where cops simply get awaywith it.
  So if you would like to contribute, please click on the"donate" button below and contribute whatever you canafford.
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  Pittsburgh Hostage Situation Ends Peacefully
  Researchers Trying To Understand How Bath Salts Work
  "The Celebration Of The Technology Of The Bomb Bespeaks A Moral Blindness To It's Effects!"
  Former GITMO Detainee Now Being Blamed For Attack In
  GMO Corn Producing Giant Tumors In Rats
  Hillary Clinton Opens the Social Good Summit [VIDEO]
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  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 03:59
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  SNL Weekend Update Thursday Edition on Romney's Gaffes with Fox & Friends
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Fri, 21 Sep 2012 22:43
  Saturday Night Live had a special Thursday night political edition. They opened with this segment spoofing Fox's incredibly lame Fox & Friends. That part was as usual just ok, and it's probably already impossible to make that show more inane than it already it is. The parts spoofing the out-of-touch, rich guy Mitt Romney though are getting a lot rougher than we've seen from SNL. Gone is goofy Mitt, replaced by nasty sociopath plutocrat Mitt. This in my estimation is a good thing.
On Board the Argo! Affleck (director) and Clooney (producer) pushing the agenda.
  Link to Article
  Source: Dr. Jones reports
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 13:00
  After rousing success with one hostage film, Ben Affleck may be set to take on the biggest hostage story of the 20th century.
  According to The Hollywood Reporter, Affleck, who had a surprise hit this summer when he directed and starred in the Boston bank heist movie 'The Town,' is in talks to direct a film called 'Argo,' based on the 1979-1981 hostage crisis in Tehran. The Iranian government took 52 Americans hostage, keeping them for 444 days.
  The movie would be based on a Wired Magazine article titled, 'How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran,' which reported that the CIA created a lavish lie insisting that six US diplomats were actually on a film crew, enabling them to sneak home.
  Joining Affleck on the project would be George Clooney, who is no stranger to Middle East-themed movies, executive producing and starring in 2005's 'Syriana.'
  In January, Affleck was linked to a film called 'American Bullshit,' which, coincidentally, also is about 1979-1980 US politics, though this one would be about a scam on the domestic side of things.
  He now can be seen in the economic family drama 'The Company Men,' another brick in his socio-political film wall.
  For more, click over to The Hollywood Reporter.
Statements on Blogs Will be Punishable in Norway
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  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:59
  Government will amend a law to make it possible to prosecute blog statements.
  The regulation has been sent out for consultation after blogger Eivind Berge, who promoted killing of police officers, was released in July.
  - The purpose is to enable the prosecution of expressions in the public domain when their content is illegal, regardless of the medium used to spread utterance, according to the consultation document.
  This summer blogger Eivind Berge had been arrested after he made death threats against policemen on his blog. The Supreme Court had decided, however, that the statements were made on the internet and it does not count as public and does not fall under the definition of printed material. Thus, Berge was released.
  According to the new Penal Code, statements on the Internet is considered as public. The proposal has now been submitted for consultation, and is intended as a temporary solution until the new criminal law is introduced.
Reboxetine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:50
  Reboxetine is a drug marketed as an antidepressant for use in the treatment of clinical depression, panic disorder and ADD/ADHD, developed by Pharmacia (now Pfizer). Its mesylate (i.e. methanesulfonate) salt is sold under tradenames including Edronax, Norebox, Prolift, Solvex, Davedax or Vestra. It is approved for use in many European countries, but has not been approved for use in the United States because of a lack of proven efficacy.
  According to a meta-analysis of 12 new-generation antidepressants, reboxetine was no more effective than placebo, was "significantly less" effective, and was less acceptable, than the other drugs in treating the acute-phase treatment of adults with unipolar major depression.[3][4][5]
  According to a systematic review and meta-analysis by IQWiG, including unpublished data, published data on reboxetine overestimated the benefit of reboxetine versus placebo by up to 115% and reboxetine versus SSRIs by up to 23%, and also underestimated harm, concluding that reboxetine was an ineffective and potentially harmful antidepressant. The study also showed that nearly three quarters of the data on patients who took part in trials of reboxetine were not published by Pfizer until now.[6]
  Reboxetine has two chiral centers. Thus, four stereoisomers may exist, the (R,R)-, (S,S)-, (R,S)-, and (S,R)-isomers. The active ingredient of reboxetine is a racemic mixture of two enantiomers, the (R,R)-('')- and (S,S)-(+)-isomer.[7]
  [edit]Mode of actionUnlike most antidepressants on the market, reboxetine is a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (NRI); it does not inhibit the reuptake of serotonin.[8]
  [edit]Side effectsCommon side effects of reboxetine include: dry mouth, constipation, headache, drowsiness, dizziness, excessive sweating and insomnia. Hypertension has been infrequently seen.
  In 4 to 8% of all patients treated the medication has to be discontinued due to following reasons (percentages represent mean values):
  insomnia 1.3%excessive sweating 1.1%vertigo/hypotension and paraesthesia 0.8%dizziness, impotence, and other urological problems 0.5% eachSome other rare side effects include anxiety, loss of appetite, loss of libido, urinary retention in men, pain on ejaculation, increased orgasm intensity, and premature/quickened ejaculation.
  Reboxetine is normally well tolerated. So far no attributable fatalities have been noted.
  [edit]MetabolismBoth the (R,R)-('') and (S,S)-(+)-enantiomers of reboxetine are predominantly metabolized by the CYP3A4isoenzyme.[9] The primary metabolite of reboxetine is O-desethylreboxetine, and there are also three minor metabolites'--Phenol A, Phenol B, and UK1, Phenol B being the most minor.[9]
  [edit]Interactions with other medicationsBecause of its reliance on CYP3A4, reboxetine O-desethylation is markedly inhibited by papaverine and ketoconazole.[9]
  According to Weiss et al., reboxetine is an intermediate-level inhibitor of P-glycoprotein, which gives it the potential to interact with ciclosporin, tacrolimus, paroxetine, sertraline, quinidine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine.[10]
  The potency and duration of the effects of benzodiazepines can be increased because reboxetine interferes with their excretion.
  [edit]HistoryBy mid-2007, reboxetine was licensed worldwide in over 50 countries, including Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. In May 2007, however, the Food and Drug Administration declined Pharmacia's license application for the American market. Therefore it is yet to be available in the United States.
  [edit]Chemistry
  [11]
  [edit]Notes and references^Fleishaker JC (2000). "Clinical pharmacokinetics of reboxetine, a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor for the treatment of patients with depression". Clinical Pharmacokinetics39 (6): 413''27. doi:10.2165/00003088-200039060-00003. PMID 11192474. ^Edwards DM, Pellizzoni C, Breuel HP, Berardi A, Castelli MG, Frigerio E, Poggesi I, Rocchetti M, Dubini A, Strolin Benedetti M (1995). "Pharmacokinetics of reboxetine in healthy volunteers. Single oral doses, linearity and plasma protein binding". Biopharmaceutics & Drug Disposition16 (6): 443''60. doi:10.1002/bdd.2510160603. PMID 7579027. ^Analysis shows sertraline and escitalopram are the best of 12 new-generation antidepressants Lancet Public release date: 28-Jan-2009^Comparative efficacy and acceptability of 12 new-generation antidepressants: a multiple-treatments meta-analysis, Andrea Cipriani, Toshiaki A Furukawa, Georgia Salanti, John R Geddes, et al. The Lancet, Published Online, January 29, 2009, doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60046-5^Zoloft, Lexapro the Best of Newer Antidepressants, HealthDay News, Washington Post, January 29, 2009^Reboxetine for acute treatment of major depression: systematic review and meta-analysis of published and unpublished placebo and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor controlled trials British Medical Journal Public release date: 12-Oct-2010^Melloni P, Della Torre A, Lazzari E, Mazzini G and Meroni M (1985). "Configuration studies on 2-[alpha -(2-ethoxyphenoxy)benzyl]-morpholine FCE 20124". Tetrahedron41 (1): 1393''1399. doi:10.1016/S0040-4020(01)96541-X. ^Kent JM. (2000). "SNaRIs, NaSSAs, and NaRIs: new agents for the treatment of depression". The Lancet355 (9207): 911''918. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(99)11381-3. PMID 10752718. ^ abcWienkers LC, Allievi C, Hauer MJ, Wynalda MA. (1999). "Cytochrome P-450-Mediated Metabolism of the Individual Enantiomers of the Antidepressant Agent Reboxetine in Human Liver Microsomes". Drug Metabolism & Disposition27 (11): 1334''1340. PMID 10534319. ^Weiss J, Dormann SM, Martin-Facklam M, Kerpen CJ, Ketabi-Kiyanvash N, Haefeli WE (2003). "Inhibition of P-glycoprotein by newer antidepressants". Journal of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics305 (1): 197''204. doi:10.1124/jpet.102.046532. PMID 12649369. ^Brenner, Eric; Baldwin, Ronald M.; Tamagnan, Gilles (2005). "Asymmetric Synthesis of (+)-(S,S)-Reboxetine via a New (S)-2-(Hydroxymethyl)morpholine Preparation". Organic Letters7 (5): 937''9. doi:10.1021/ol050059g. PMID 15727479. 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@adamcurry the drugs don't work http://t.co/BTs7DhOU
  Link to Article
  Source: @adamcurry - Twitter Search
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:48
  Reboxetine is a drug I have prescribed. Other drugs had done nothing for my patient, so we wanted to try something new. I'd read the trial data before I wrote the prescription, and found only well-designed, fair tests, with overwhelmingly positive results. Reboxetine was better than a placebo, and as good as any other antidepressant in head-to-head comparisons. It's approved for use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (the MHRA), which governs all drugs in the UK. Millions of doses are prescribed every year, around the world. Reboxetine was clearly a safe and effective treatment. The patient and I discussed the evidence briefly, and agreed it was the right treatment to try next. I signed a prescription.But we had both been misled. In October 2010, a group of researchers was finally able to bring together all the data that had ever been collected on reboxetine, both from trials that were published and from those that had never appeared in academic papers. When all this trial data was put together, it produced a shocking picture. Seven trials had been conducted comparing reboxetine against a placebo. Only one, conducted in 254 patients, had a neat, positive result, and that one was published in an academic journal, for doctors and researchers to read. But six more trials were conducted, in almost 10 times as many patients. All of them showed that reboxetine was no better than a dummy sugar pill. None of these trials was published. I had no idea they existed.
  It got worse. The trials comparing reboxetine against other drugs showed exactly the same picture: three small studies, 507 patients in total, showed that reboxetine was just as good as any other drug. They were all published. But 1,657 patients' worth of data was left unpublished, and this unpublished data showed that patients on reboxetine did worse than those on other drugs. If all this wasn't bad enough, there was also the side-effects data. The drug looked fine in the trials that appeared in the academic literature; but when we saw the unpublished studies, it turned out that patients were more likely to have side-effects, more likely to drop out of taking the drug and more likely to withdraw from the trial because of side-effects, if they were taking reboxetine rather than one of its competitors.
  I did everything a doctor is supposed to do. I read all the papers, I critically appraised them, I understood them, I discussed them with the patient and we made a decision together, based on the evidence. In the published data, reboxetine was a safe and effective drug. In reality, it was no better than a sugar pill and, worse, it does more harm than good. As a doctor, I did something that, on the balance of all the evidence, harmed my patient, simply because unflattering data was left unpublished.
  Nobody broke any law in that situation, reboxetine is still on the market and the system that allowed all this to happen is still in play, for all drugs, in all countries in the world. Negative data goes missing, for all treatments, in all areas of science. The regulators and professional bodies we would reasonably expect to stamp out such practices have failed us. These problems have been protected from public scrutiny because they're too complex to capture in a soundbite. This is why they've gone unfixed by politicians, at least to some extent; but it's also why it takes detail to explain. The people you should have been able to trust to fix these problems have failed you, and because you have to understand a problem properly in order to fix it, there are some things you need to know.
  Drugs are tested by the people who manufacture them, in poorly designed trials, on hopelessly small numbers of weird, unrepresentative patients, and analysed using techniques that are flawed by design, in such a way that they exaggerate the benefits of treatments. Unsurprisingly, these trials tend to produce results that favour the manufacturer. When trials throw up results that companies don't like, they are perfectly entitled to hide them from doctors and patients, so we only ever see a distorted picture of any drug's true effects. Regulators see most of the trial data, but only from early on in a drug's life, and even then they don't give this data to doctors or patients, or even to other parts of government. This distorted evidence is then communicated and applied in a distorted fashion.
  In their 40 years of practice after leaving medical school, doctors hear about what works ad hoc, from sales reps, colleagues and journals. But those colleagues can be in the pay of drug companies '' often undisclosed '' and the journals are, too. And so are the patient groups. And finally, academic papers, which everyone thinks of as objective, are often covertly planned and written by people who work directly for the companies, without disclosure. Sometimes whole academic journals are owned outright by one drug company. Aside from all this, for several of the most important and enduring problems in medicine, we have no idea what the best treatment is, because it's not in anyone's financial interest to conduct any trials at all.
  Now, on to the details.
  In 2010, researchers from Harvard and Toronto found all the trials looking at five major classes of drug '' antidepressants, ulcer drugs and so on '' then measured two key features: were they positive, and were they funded by industry? They found more than 500 trials in total: 85% of the industry-funded studies were positive, but only 50% of the government-funded trials were. In 2007, researchers looked at every published trial that set out to explore the benefits of a statin. These cholesterol-lowering drugs reduce your risk of having a heart attack and are prescribed in very large quantities. This study found 192 trials in total, either comparing one statin against another, or comparing a statin against a different kind of treatment. They found that industry-funded trials were 20 times more likely to give results favouring the test drug.
  These are frightening results, but they come from individual studies. So let's consider systematic reviews into this area. In 2003, two were published. They took all the studies ever published that looked at whether industry funding is associated with pro-industry results, and both found that industry-funded trials were, overall, about four times more likely to report positive results. A further review in 2007 looked at the new studies in the intervening four years: it found 20 more pieces of work, and all but two showed that industry-sponsored trials were more likely to report flattering results.
  It turns out that this pattern persists even when you move away from published academic papers and look instead at trial reports from academic conferences. James Fries and Eswar Krishnan, at the Stanford University School of Medicine in California, studied all the research abstracts presented at the 2001 American College of Rheumatology meetings which reported any kind of trial and acknowledged industry sponsorship, in order to find out what proportion had results that favoured the sponsor's drug.
  In general, the results section of an academic paper is extensive: the raw numbers are given for each outcome, and for each possible causal factor, but not just as raw figures. The "ranges" are given, subgroups are explored, statistical tests conducted, and each detail is described in table form, and in shorter narrative form in the text. This lengthy process is usually spread over several pages. In Fries and Krishnan (2004), this level of detail was unnecessary. The results section is a single, simple and '' I like to imagine '' fairly passive-aggressive sentence:"The results from every randomised controlled trial (45 out of 45) favoured the drug of the sponsor."
  How does this happen? How do industry-sponsored trials almost always manage to get a positive result? Sometimes trials are flawed by design. You can compare your new drug with something you know to be rubbish '' an existing drug at an inadequate dose, perhaps, or a placebo sugar pill that does almost nothing. You can choose your patients very carefully, so they are more likely to get better on your treatment. You can peek at the results halfway through, and stop your trial early if they look good. But after all these methodological quirks comes one very simple insult to the integrity of the data. Sometimes, drug companies conduct lots of trials, and when they see that the results are unflattering, they simply fail to publish them.
  Because researchers are free to bury any result they please, patients are exposed to harm on a staggering scale throughout the whole of medicine. Doctors can have no idea about the true effects of the treatments they give. Does this drug really work best, or have I simply been deprived of half the data? No one can tell. Is this expensive drug worth the money, or has the data simply been massaged? No one can tell. Will this drug kill patients? Is there any evidence that it's dangerous? No one can tell. This is a bizarre situation to arise in medicine, a discipline in which everything is supposed to be based on evidence.
  And this data is withheld from everyone in medicine, from top to bottom. Nice, for example, is the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, created by the British government to conduct careful, unbiased summaries of all the evidence on new treatments. It is unable either to identify or to access data on a drug's effectiveness that's been withheld by researchers or companies: Nice has no more legal right to that data than you or I do, even though it is making decisions about effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness, on behalf of the NHS, for millions of people.In any sensible world, when researchers are conducting trials on a new tablet for a drug company, for example, we'd expect universal contracts, making it clear that all researchers are obliged to publish their results, and that industry sponsors '' which have a huge interest in positive results '' must have no control over the data. But, despite everything we know about industry-funded research being systematically biased, this does not happen. In fact, the opposite is true: it is entirely normal for researchers and academics conducting industry-funded trials to sign contracts subjecting them to gagging clauses that forbid them to publish, discuss or analyse data from their trials without the permission of the funder.
  This is such a secretive and shameful situation that even trying to document it in public can be a fraught business. In 2006, a paper was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Jama), one of the biggest medical journals in the world, describing how common it was for researchers doing industry-funded trials to have these kinds of constraints placed on their right to publish the results. The study was conducted by the Nordic Cochrane Centre and it looked at all the trials given approval to go ahead in Copenhagen and Frederiksberg. (If you're wondering why these two cities were chosen, it was simply a matter of practicality: the researchers applied elsewhere without success, and were specifically refused access to data in the UK.) These trials were overwhelmingly sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry (98%) and the rules governing the management of the results tell a story that walks the now familiar line between frightening and absurd.For 16 of the 44 trials, the sponsoring company got to see the data as it accumulated, and in a further 16 it had the right to stop the trial at any time, for any reason. This means that a company can see if a trial is going against it, and can interfere as it progresses, distorting the results. Even if the study was allowed to finish, the data could still be suppressed: there were constraints on publication rights in 40 of the 44 trials, and in half of them the contracts specifically stated that the sponsor either owned the data outright (what about the patients, you might say?), or needed to approve the final publication, or both. None of these restrictions was mentioned in any of the published papers.
  When the paper describing this situation was published in Jama, Lif, the Danish pharmaceutical industry association, responded by announcing, in the Journal of the Danish Medical Association, that it was "both shaken and enraged about the criticism, that could not be recognised". It demanded an investigation of the scientists, though it failed to say by whom or of what. Lif then wrote to the Danish Committee on Scientific Dishonesty, accusing the Cochrane researchers of scientific misconduct. We can't see the letter, but the researchers say the allegations were extremely serious '' they were accused of deliberately distorting the data '' but vague, and without documents or evidence to back them up.
  Nonetheless, the investigation went on for a year. Peter G¸tzsche, director of the Cochrane Centre, told the British Medical Journal that only Lif's third letter, 10 months into this process, made specific allegations that could be investigated by the committee. Two months after that, the charges were dismissed. The Cochrane researchers had done nothing wrong. But before they were cleared, Lif copied the letters alleging scientific dishonesty to the hospital where four of them worked, and to the management organisation running that hospital, and sent similar letters to the Danish medical association, the ministry of health, the ministry of science and so on. G¸tzsche and his colleagues felt "intimidated and harassed" by Lif's behaviour. Lif continued to insist that the researchers were guilty of misconduct even after the investigation was completed.Paroxetine is a commonly used antidepressant, from the class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs. It's also a good example of how companies have exploited our long-standing permissiveness about missing trials, and found loopholes in our inadequate regulations on trial disclosure.
  To understand why, we first need to go through a quirk of the licensing process. Drugs do not simply come on to the market for use in all medical conditions: for any specific use of any drug, in any specific disease, you need a separate marketing authorisation. So a drug might be licensed to treat ovarian cancer, for example, but not breast cancer. That doesn't mean the drug doesn't work in breast cancer. There might well be some evidence that it's great for treating that disease, too, but maybe the company hasn't gone to the trouble and expense of getting a formal marketing authorisation for that specific use. Doctors can still go ahead and prescribe it for breast cancer, if they want, because the drug is available for prescription, it probably works, and there are boxes of it sitting in pharmacies waiting to go out. In this situation, the doctor will be prescribing the drug legally, but "off-label".
  Now, it turns out that the use of a drug in children is treated as a separate marketing authorisation from its use in adults. This makes sense in many cases, because children can respond to drugs in very different ways and so research needs to be done in children separately. But getting a licence for a specific use is an arduous business, requiring lots of paperwork and some specific studies. Often, this will be so expensive that companies will not bother to get a licence specifically to market a drug for use in children, because that market is usually much smaller.
  So it is not unusual for a drug to be licensed for use in adults but then prescribed for children. Regulators have recognised that this is a problem, so recently they have started to offer incentives for companies to conduct more research and formally seek these licences.
  When GlaxoSmithKline applied for a marketing authorisation in children for paroxetine, an extraordinary situation came to light, triggering the longest investigation in the history of UK drugs regulation. Between 1994 and 2002, GSK conducted nine trials of paroxetine in children. The first two failed to show any benefit, but the company made no attempt to inform anyone of this by changing the "drug label" that is sent to all doctors and patients. In fact, after these trials were completed, an internal company management document stated: "It would be commercially unacceptable to include a statement that efficacy had not been demonstrated, as this would undermine the profile of paroxetine." In the year after this secret internal memo, 32,000 prescriptions were issued to children for paroxetine in the UK alone: so, while the company knew the drug didn't work in children, it was in no hurry to tell doctors that, despite knowing that large numbers of children were taking it. More trials were conducted over the coming years '' nine in total '' and none showed that the drug was effective at treating depression in children.
  It gets much worse than that. These children weren't simply receiving a drug that the company knew to be ineffective for them; they were also being exposed to side-effects. This should be self-evident, since any effective treatment will have some side-effects, and doctors factor this in, alongside the benefits (which in this case were nonexistent). But nobody knew how bad these side-effects were, because the company didn't tell doctors, or patients, or even the regulator about the worrying safety data from its trials. This was because of a loophole: you have to tell the regulator only about side-effects reported in studies looking at the specific uses for which the drug has a marketing authorisation. Because the use of paroxetine in children was "off-label", GSK had no legal obligation to tell anyone about what it had found.
  People had worried for a long time that paroxetine might increase the risk of suicide, though that is quite a difficult side-effect to detect in an antidepressant. In February 2003, GSK spontaneously sent the MHRA a package of information on the risk of suicide on paroxetine, containing some analyses done in 2002 from adverse-event data in trials the company had held, going back a decade. This analysis showed that there was no increased risk of suicide. But it was misleading: although it was unclear at the time, data from trials in children had been mixed in with data from trials in adults, which had vastly greater numbers of participants. As a result, any sign of increased suicide risk among children on paroxetine had been completely diluted away.
  Later in 2003, GSK had a meeting with the MHRA to discuss another issue involving paroxetine. At the end of this meeting, the GSK representatives gave out a briefing document, explaining that the company was planning to apply later that year for a specific marketing authorisation to use paroxetine in children. They mentioned, while handing out the document, that the MHRA might wish to bear in mind a safety concern the company had noted: an increased risk of suicide among children with depression who received paroxetine, compared with those on dummy placebo pills.
  This was vitally important side-effect data, being presented, after an astonishing delay, casually, through an entirely inappropriate and unofficial channel. Although the data was given to completely the wrong team, the MHRA staff present at this meeting had the wit to spot that this was an important new problem. A flurry of activity followed: analyses were done, and within one month a letter was sent to all doctors advising them not to prescribe paroxetine to patients under the age of 18.
  How is it possible that our systems for getting data from companies are so poor, they can simply withhold vitally important information showing that a drug is not only ineffective, but actively dangerous? Because the regulations contain ridiculous loopholes, and it's dismal to see how GSK cheerfully exploited them: when the investigation was published in 2008, it concluded that what the company had done '' withholding important data about safety and effectiveness that doctors and patients clearly needed to see '' was plainly unethical, and put children around the world at risk; but our laws are so weak that GSK could not be charged with any crime.
  After this episode, the MHRA and EU changed some of their regulations, though not adequately. They created an obligation for companies to hand over safety data for uses of a drug outside its marketing authorisation; but ridiculously, for example, trials conducted outside the EU were still exempt. Some of the trials GSK conducted were published in part, but that is obviously not enough: we already know that if we see only a biased sample of the data, we are misled. But we also need all the data for the more simple reason that we need lots of data: safety signals are often weak, subtle and difficult to detect. In the case of paroxetine, the dangers became apparent only when the adverse events from all of the trials were pooled and analysed together.
  That leads us to the second obvious flaw in the current system: the results of these trials are given in secret to the regulator, which then sits and quietly makes a decision. This is the opposite of science, which is reliable only because everyone shows their working, explains how they know that something is effective or safe, shares their methods and results, and allows others to decide if they agree with the way in which the data was processed and analysed. Yet for the safety and efficacy of drugs, we allow it to happen behind closed doors, because drug companies have decided that they want to share their trial results discretely with the regulators. So the most important job in evidence-based medicine is carried out alone and in secret. And regulators are not infallible, as we shall see.
  Rosiglitazone was first marketed in 1999. In that first year, Dr John Buse from the University of North Carolina discussed an increased risk of heart problems at a pair of academic meetings. The drug's manufacturer, GSK, made direct contact in an attempt to silence him, then moved on to his head of department. Buse felt pressured to sign various legal documents. To cut a long story short, after wading through documents for several months, in 2007 the US Senate committee on finance released a report describing the treatment of Buse as "intimidation".
  But we are more concerned with the safety and efficacy data. In 2003 the Uppsala drug monitoring group of the World Health Organisation contacted GSK about an unusually large number of spontaneous reports associating rosiglitazone with heart problems. GSK conducted two internal meta-analyses of its own data on this, in 2005 and 2006. These showed that the risk was real, but although both GSK and the FDA had these results, neither made any public statement about them, and they were not published until 2008.During this delay, vast numbers of patients were exposed to the drug, but doctors and patients learned about this serious problem only in 2007, when cardiologist Professor Steve Nissen and colleagues published a landmark meta-analysis. This showed a 43% increase in the risk of heart problems in patients on rosiglitazone. Since people with diabetes are already at increased risk of heart problems, and the whole point of treating diabetes is to reduce this risk, that finding was big potatoes. Nissen's findings were confirmed in later work, and in 2010 the drug was either taken off the market or restricted, all around the world.
  Now, my argument is not that this drug should have been banned sooner because, as perverse as it sounds, doctors do often need inferior drugs for use as a last resort. For example, a patient may develop idiosyncratic side-effects on the most effective pills and be unable to take them any longer. Once this has happened, it may be worth trying a less effective drug if it is at least better than nothing.
  The concern is that these discussions happened with the data locked behind closed doors, visible only to regulators. In fact, Nissen's analysis could only be done at all because of a very unusual court judgment. In 2004, when GSK was caught out withholding data showing evidence of serious side-effects from paroxetine in children, their bad behaviour resulted in a US court case over allegations of fraud, the settlement of which, alongside a significant payout, required GSK to commit to posting clinical trial results on a public website.
  Nissen used the rosiglitazone data, when it became available, and found worrying signs of harm, which they then published to doctors '' something the regulators had never done, despite having the information years earlier. If this information had all been freely available from the start, regulators might have felt a little more anxious about their decisions but, crucially, doctors and patients could have disagreed with them and made informed choices. This is why we need wider access to all trial reports, for all medicines.
  Missing data poisons the well for everybody. If proper trials are never done, if trials with negative results are withheld, then we simply cannot know the true effects of the treatments we use. Evidence in medicine is not an abstract academic preoccupation. When we are fed bad data, we make the wrong decisions, inflicting unnecessary pain and suffering, and death, on people just like us.
  ' This is an edited extract from Bad Pharma, by Ben Goldacre, published next week by Fourth Estate at £13.99. To order a copy for £11.19, including UK mainland p&p, call 0330 333 6846, or go to guardian.co.uk/bookshop.
Growing protests in Georgia threaten to unseat ruling party
  Link to Article
  Source: euronews
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:47
  In the city of Minsk and across Belarus polls have opened for the country's parliamentary election. The two main opposition parties have boycotted the ballot. President Alexander Lukashenko who has held power in the former Soviet country since 1994 was flanked by his'...
Omstreden kinderboek blijft in bieb
  Link to Article
  Source: Een andere kijk op nieuws @infomagnl » Nieuws items
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:44
  Geplaatst @ 23 september 2012
  Zaterdag ontstond enige ophef over het kinderboek 'Het nut van goede daden' (vanaf 7 jaar) uit de reeks 'Klein Verhaaltje'. Het uit het Indonesisch vertaalde boek bevat een opmerkelijke passage. In dit - volgens moslims waargebeurde - verhaal zitten drie mannen vast in een grot. Ze kunnen alleen vrij komen door hun goede daden te noemen.En van hen vertelt: 'De tweede man bad: Allah ik heb een nicht waar ik veel van hou. Ik wou eigenlijk met haar naar bed. Maar zij weigerde altijd. Een paar jaar later had zij een probleem en kwam naar mij toe. Ik gaf haar toen 120 dinar op voorwaarde dat zij met mij naar bed zou gaan'. Uiteindelijk doet hij dit niet, omdat hij Allah vreest, en dat hij het niet doet is in het boek een voorbeeld van een goede daad.Niettemin is er ophef dat een kinderboek vertelt over incest en prostitutie. Bovendien is het boek niet alleen in islamitische winkeltjes en webshops te koop (waar wel meer opmerkelijke boeken te vinden zijn) maar is hij te leen in de OBA. Woordvoerders van de OBA laten zondag aan AT5 weten dat het boekje gewoon in de collectie blijft.
  En, zo tipt de OBA, er is nog eentje te leen in de vestiging Hagedoornplein in Noord. De bieb die in een oude kerk gevestigd is.
Siemens denies Iran sabotage link
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Middle East
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:44
  23 September 2012Last updated at06:33 ETGerman engineering company Siemens has denied allegations that it planted explosive devices inside nuclear equipment destined for Iran.
  Siemens said it has "no business ties to the Iranian nuclear programme".
  An Iranian MP said the devices had been discovered before they could explode.
  Iran is under UN sanctions and the MP did not say where the equipment had come from. Tehran is engaged in a standoff with Western countries which suspect it is building a nuclear bomb.
  The UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed "serious concern" that Iran had continued to defy UN Security Council resolutions which demand the suspension of uranium enrichment and had failed to resolve questions about possible nuclear weapons development.
  Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Iran is only six or seven months from having "90%" of what it needs to make a nuclear bomb, and has urged the US to draw a "red line" which if crossed would lead to military intervention.
  Iran has insisted that its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes, and warned that it will retaliate if it comes under attack.
  Mystery deepensIranian lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of parliament's security committee, said on Saturday that the authorities believed the equipment "was supposed to explode after being put to work, in order to dismantle all our systems".
  "But the wisdom of our experts thwarted the enemy conspiracy."
  Continue reading the main storyUS
  Longstanding ban on all trade with Iran except for activities "intended to benefit the Iranian people"New sanctions against foreign firms dealing with Iran's oil sector and central bankEU
  Restrictions on trade in equipment which could be used for uranium enrichmentAsset freeze on individuals and organisations linked with nuclear programmeExport ban on natural gas technologyUN
  Ban on sales of heavy weaponry and nuclear technology to IranIranian arms exports blocked, and asset freeze for key individuals and firmsCargo inspections to detect and stop Iran's acquisition of illicit materialsMr Boroujerdi said the explosives were planted at a Siemens factory and the company had to take responsibility.
  The Munich-based German firm denied the charge. It said it its nuclear division has had no business links with Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
  "Siemens rejects the allegations and stresses that we have no business ties to the Iranian nuclear program," spokesman Alexander Machowetz said.
  The Iranian accusation raises some intriguing questions, says the BBC's Steve Evans in Berlin.
  They include, he says:
  Has the Iranian MP simply got it wrong?Is Iran buying Siemens equipment through a third party?Is there something more underhand going on, with sabotaged equipment being sold with the secret approval of Western intelligence agencies?In June 2010, a virus - the Stuxnet - was found to have infected computer systems at Iranian nuclear plants.
  It, too, was connected to a Siemens product but the company denied all knowledge.
  Unconfirmed reports linked the virus to a government agency, perhaps in the US or Israel.
  The latest allegations deepen the mystery, says our Berlin correspondent.
Bank group warns of heightened risk of cyber attacks
  Link to Article
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:42
  Bank group warns of heightened risk of cyber attacksTop News
  Bank group warns of heightened risk of cyber attacks
  Wed, Sep 19 20:37 PM EDT
  By Jim Finkle and David Henry
  (Reuters) - A financial services industry group warned U.S. banks, brokerages and insurers on Wednesday to be on heightened alert for cyber attacks after Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase experienced unexplained outages on their public websites.
  The Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which is widely known as FS-ISAC, raised the cyber threat level to "high" from "elevated" in an advisory to members, citing "recent credible intelligence regarding the potential" for cyber attacks as its reason for the move.
  The problems with the websites at the two banks came after an unidentified person posted a statement on the Internet threatening to attack Bank of America and the New York Stock Exchange as a "first step" in a campaign against U.S. companies. The posting said the attacks would continue until the film that had stirred up anti-U.S. protests across the Middle East was "erased" from the Internet.
  It was not possible to identify the person who posted the statement. Nor was it clear if the threat had anything to do with the issues at either of the two banks.
  Dan Holden, director of security research at Arbor Networks, said that several U.S. banks were under assault by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) campaign. He declined to identify them by name.
  An outside security contractor who was familiar with the attacks said that they were "massive" in scope.
  Denial-of-service attacks seek to disrupt websites and other computer systems at the targeted organization by overwhelming their networks with computer traffic.
  FRAUD ALERT
  The move by FS-ISAC came just two days the FBI published a "fraud alert" advising financial services firms that cyber criminals may be disrupting service to their websites in a bid to keep banks from noticing a recent surge in fraudulent large-sized wire transfers. (http://1.usa.gov/SUGCDZ)
  "Often these DDoS attacks are part of a more sophisticated blended threat - One that utilizes DDoS as a diversion for more complex, difficult to detect techniques with the intention to extract customer data or financial information," said Holden of Arbor Networks.
  An FBI spokeswoman declined to say if the tactics cited in the fraud alert were related to the problems experienced by the two banks.
  On Wednesday the consumer banking website of JPMorgan Chase & Co was intermittently unavailable to some customers. The problems followed issues with the website of Bank of America Corp on Tuesday amid threats on the Internet that a group was planning to launch cyber attacks on a U.S. bank.
  JPMorgan Chase spokesman Patrick Linehan said: "We're experiencing intermittent issues with Chase.com. We apologize for any inconvenience and are working to restore full connectivity."
  A Bank of America spokesman reported no continuing problems on Wednesday. "Our online banking services have been, and are, up and running," Mark Pipitone said. "The vast majority of our customers have not experienced any issues."
  'ENSURE CONSTANT DILIGENCE'
  The short advisory from the industry group urged banks and other industry members to "ensure constant diligence in monitoring and quick response to any malicious events."
  The Reston, Virginia-based group is owned by dozens of firms, including the two banks, as well as Citigroup Inc, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Morgan Stanley. Insurers including American International Group, Allstate Corp and State Farm Insurance also belong to the group, as do credit card companies MasterCard Inc and Visa Inc.
  The advisory also cited a warning from Microsoft Corp that hackers have attacked some of its customers by means of a security bug in its widely used Internet Explorer browser.
  Microsoft has yet to release software to fix that security flaw. The German government advised the public to stop using Internet Explorer until an update is released. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has advised users to follow steps recommended by Microsoft to reduce the risk of attacks but noted that those measures may not fully secure the browser.
  POLICY DEBATE
  The warning from FS-ISAC comes as the Obama Administration is considering issuing an executive order that could instruct government agencies to take action to help better protect the nation's critical infrastructure from cyber attacks.
  Legislation that would strengthen the government's ability to help secure private networks has so far been stalled in Congress by groups concerned about privacy issues as well as business groups that oppose increased regulation of their activities.
  Senator Jay Rockefeller, who heads the Senate Commerce Committee, on Wednesday sent letters to the 500 biggest U.S. companies, challenging them to improve their computer security. He blamed the defeat of the legislation on concerns raised by "a handful of business lobbying groups and trade associations."
  He asked the companies to identify their own best practices and to spell out their concerns about government-conducted risk assessments that were part of the cyber security bill. He warned that the companies could face "reactive and overly prescriptive legislation" if nothing were done until some cyber disaster.
  During a speech to the annual Air Force Association conference, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter complained that businesses are not doing enough to protect their own networks, saying he was disappointed that the legislation has not passed Congress.
  Officials with FS-ISAC could not be reached to comment on the decision to raise its cyber threat level. A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the advisory from the industry group.
  (Reporting by David Henry in New York, Rick Rothacker in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jim Finkle in Boston. Additional reporting by Joseph Menn in San Franciso and Andrea Shalal-Esa in Washington; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Steve Orlofsky, Bob Burgdorfer and Prudence Crowther)
  Bank group warns of heightened risk of cyber attacksTop News
  Bank group warns of heightened risk of cyber attacks
  Wed, Sep 19 20:37 PM EDT
  By Jim Finkle and David Henry
  (Reuters) - A financial services industry group warned U.S. banks, brokerages and insurers on Wednesday to be on heightened alert for cyber attacks after Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase experienced unexplained outages on their public websites.
  The Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which is widely known as FS-ISAC, raised the cyber threat level to "high" from "elevated" in an advisory to members, citing "recent credible intelligence regarding the potential" for cyber attacks as its reason for the move.
  The problems with the websites at the two banks came after an unidentified person posted a statement on the Internet threatening to attack Bank of America and the New York Stock Exchange as a "first step" in a campaign against U.S. companies. The posting said the attacks would continue until the film that had stirred up anti-U.S. protests across the Middle East was "erased" from the Internet.
  It was not possible to identify the person who posted the statement. Nor was it clear if the threat had anything to do with the issues at either of the two banks.
  Dan Holden, director of security research at Arbor Networks, said that several U.S. banks were under assault by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) campaign. He declined to identify them by name.
  An outside security contractor who was familiar with the attacks said that they were "massive" in scope.
  Denial-of-service attacks seek to disrupt websites and other computer systems at the targeted organization by overwhelming their networks with computer traffic.
  FRAUD ALERT
  The move by FS-ISAC came just two days the FBI published a "fraud alert" advising financial services firms that cyber criminals may be disrupting service to their websites in a bid to keep banks from noticing a recent surge in fraudulent large-sized wire transfers. (http://1.usa.gov/SUGCDZ)
  "Often these DDoS attacks are part of a more sophisticated blended threat - One that utilizes DDoS as a diversion for more complex, difficult to detect techniques with the intention to extract customer data or financial information," said Holden of Arbor Networks.
  An FBI spokeswoman declined to say if the tactics cited in the fraud alert were related to the problems experienced by the two banks.
  On Wednesday the consumer banking website of JPMorgan Chase & Co was intermittently unavailable to some customers. The problems followed issues with the website of Bank of America Corp on Tuesday amid threats on the Internet that a group was planning to launch cyber attacks on a U.S. bank.
  JPMorgan Chase spokesman Patrick Linehan said: "We're experiencing intermittent issues with Chase.com. We apologize for any inconvenience and are working to restore full connectivity."
  A Bank of America spokesman reported no continuing problems on Wednesday. "Our online banking services have been, and are, up and running," Mark Pipitone said. "The vast majority of our customers have not experienced any issues."
  'ENSURE CONSTANT DILIGENCE'
  The short advisory from the industry group urged banks and other industry members to "ensure constant diligence in monitoring and quick response to any malicious events."
  The Reston, Virginia-based group is owned by dozens of firms, including the two banks, as well as Citigroup Inc, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Morgan Stanley. Insurers including American International Group, Allstate Corp and State Farm Insurance also belong to the group, as do credit card companies MasterCard Inc and Visa Inc.
  The advisory also cited a warning from Microsoft Corp that hackers have attacked some of its customers by means of a security bug in its widely used Internet Explorer browser.
  Microsoft has yet to release software to fix that security flaw. The German government advised the public to stop using Internet Explorer until an update is released. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has advised users to follow steps recommended by Microsoft to reduce the risk of attacks but noted that those measures may not fully secure the browser.
  POLICY DEBATE
  The warning from FS-ISAC comes as the Obama Administration is considering issuing an executive order that could instruct government agencies to take action to help better protect the nation's critical infrastructure from cyber attacks.
  Legislation that would strengthen the government's ability to help secure private networks has so far been stalled in Congress by groups concerned about privacy issues as well as business groups that oppose increased regulation of their activities.
  Senator Jay Rockefeller, who heads the Senate Commerce Committee, on Wednesday sent letters to the 500 biggest U.S. companies, challenging them to improve their computer security. He blamed the defeat of the legislation on concerns raised by "a handful of business lobbying groups and trade associations."
  He asked the companies to identify their own best practices and to spell out their concerns about government-conducted risk assessments that were part of the cyber security bill. He warned that the companies could face "reactive and overly prescriptive legislation" if nothing were done until some cyber disaster.
  During a speech to the annual Air Force Association conference, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter complained that businesses are not doing enough to protect their own networks, saying he was disappointed that the legislation has not passed Congress.
  Officials with FS-ISAC could not be reached to comment on the decision to raise its cyber threat level. A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the advisory from the industry group.
  (Reporting by David Henry in New York, Rick Rothacker in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jim Finkle in Boston. Additional reporting by Joseph Menn in San Franciso and Andrea Shalal-Esa in Washington; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Steve Orlofsky, Bob Burgdorfer and Prudence Crowther)
Finance group warns of US cyber attacks - Anti-Islam film is cover for bank jobs.
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:42
  A financial services industry group warned US money men to be on the look out for cyber attacks after Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase experienced unexplained outages.
  The Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, better known as FS-ISAC said that it had some credible intelligence regarding the potential for cyber attacks.
  Apparently an unidentified person posted a statement on the internet threatening to attack Bank of America and the New York Stock Exchange as a "first step" in a campaign against US companies.
  It is believed that the attacks are due to the anti-Islam film that has made its way around the internet.
  Dan Holden, director of security research at Arbor Networks, told Reuters that several US banks were under assault by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) campaign.
  Apparently the attacks are pretty big and aimed to disrupt websites and other computer systems at the targeted organisation by overwhelming their networks with computer traffic.
  Two days ago the FBI published a "fraud alert" advising financial services firms that cyber criminals may be disrupting service to their websites in a bid to keep banks from noticing a recent surge in fraudulent large-sized wire transfers.
  The theory is that the film is being used as cover for a good old fashioned cyber bank job.
Lady Gaga verrast weer met outfit
  Link to Article
  Source: Telegraaf.nl - prive
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:39
  zo 23 sep 2012, 14:14
  van onze redactieAMSTERDAM - FOTO - Het zou nauwelijks meer mogelijk moeten zijn, maar het is Lady Gaga opnieuw gelukt om haar kleine monsters te verbazen.
  Lady Gaga biedt met haar opvallende kledij wel vaker stof voor bij het koffiezetapparaat. Zo ook in Parijs, waar ze zaterdagavond een concert gaf. De excentrieke zangeres wist de aandacht te trekken met een wel heel opvallende jurk.
  Wellicht draagt de zangeres het pak uit protest tegen haar baas bij het platenlabel Universal. Volgens Radar Online heeft het platenlabel de superster verteld dat het tijd wordt om af te vallen. Ze zouden al nieuwe kostuums in een maatje meer voor de uitgedijde zangeres hebben besteld.
  Klik hier om de foto's te bekijken.
  Proefabonnement,10 weken '‚¬ 30,-!(C) 1996-2012 Telegraaf Media Nederland | Landelijke Media B.V., Amsterdam.Alle rechten voorbehouden.e-mail: redactie-i@telegraaf.nlPrivacy | Cookies | Disclaimer
Greece: IMF makes deal tougher
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:38
  A hardening in the stance of the International Monetary Fund and its representative in the troika, Poul Thomsen, appears to have been behind the Greek government's inability to reach an agreement with its lenders over a package of 11.5 billion euros in cuts and another 2 billion euros in tax hikes.
  The troika, which includes the European Central Bank and the European Commission, ended talks with the coalition on Friday and its representatives are due back in Athens by next Tuesday at the latest. Following negotiations with Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras on Friday, about a third of the 13.5 billion euros in measures remained to be agreed between the two sides.
  Government sources said that Thomsen had raised objections to the coalition's proposals throughout the week and had persisted with the need for further cuts to wages and pensions in order to complete the package. Amid tense exchanges between Stournaras and Thomsen, the IMF official is said to have been unmoved by the finance minister's concerns about the survival of the three-party government should the cuts be deeper than expected.
  Sources said the government believes that by either endangering a deal or by getting Greece to agree to measures it will not be able to implement, the IMF hopes that it will be able to highlight in the troika report on the Greek adjustment program the need for a second debt restructuring.
  The government still hopes that it will be able to seal the package of measures in time for them to be voted through Parliament before the Eurogroup meeting on October 8 and in time for Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to be in a stronger position ahead of negotiations at the European Union leaders' summit on October 18.
  By the time the troika returns to Athens, Greece must be in a position to quell the inspectors' doubts about 2 billion euros worth of savings that are due to be produced through public administration reforms. The lenders are also expecting more detailed plans about the tax measures that will raise 2 billion euros over the next two years.
  The two sides will also have to agree on how the cuts will be spread over the next two years. The troika is demanding that 10 billion euros be saved next year and 1.5 billion in 2014. This would put into doubt Greece's call for an extra two years to apply the measures.
Vliegtuigpassagier gearresteerd om bedreiging
  Link to Article
  Source: VK: Home
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:36
  23/09/12, 13:57 '' bron: ANP
  (C) ANP.
  De Koninklijke Marechaussee heeft zaterdag op Schiphol in een vliegtuig een 41-jarige man aangehouden wegens bedreiging van een medepassagier. Dat heeft de marechaussee zondag gemeld.
  Het vliegtuig was afkomstig uit de Verenigde Staten. De man, een in Amerika woonachtige Nederlander, zou tijdens de vlucht een medepassagier hebben bedreigd. Volgens de marechaussee gebeurde dit te midden van overige passagiers.
  De marechaussee hield de man in het vliegtuig aan zodra het toestel geland was. In overleg met het Openbaar Ministerie kon de man zijn reis vervolgen nadat hij 500 euro boete had betaald.
Senior ATF Agent In Charge Of Fast 'N Furious Gun Running Program Was Also Working For JPMorgan
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:35
  Nice hire, Dimon.
  Is there any fraud, theft, or border-patrol murder that doesn't have JPMorgan's fingerprints on it.
  ---
  Meet Deputy Assistant ATF Director William McMahon
  Washington Post
  In an unusual arrangement, a senior official of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives involved in the controversial gun operation Fast and Furious is receiving his government salary while working full time for the investment bank J.P. Morgan, according to two Republican lawmakers.
  In a letter Tuesday to B. Todd Jones, the acting ATF director, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) said that Deputy Assistant ATF Director William McMahon,who oversaw the agency's Western region during the Fast and Furious operation, has been receiving two salaries simultaneously.
  The lawmakers said the ATF apparently approved allowing McMahon to remain on paid leave for four or five months while working for the investment bank in order to reach retirement eligibility.
  ''ATF has essentially facilitated McMahon's early retirement and ability to double dip for nearly half a year by receiving two full-time paychecks '-- one from the taxpayer and one from the private sector,'' Issa and Grassley wrote.
  McMahon is receiving a six-figure salary as an official in the ATF Office of Professional Responsibility and is serving as executive director of global security and investigations for J.P. Morgan in the Philippines, according to Issa and Grassley.
  McMahon was one of five ATF officials recently singled out in a congressional report on the botched gun operation. The report alleged that McMahon knew that no safeguards were in place to prevent a large number of guns from getting into Mexico, but he made no effort to stop them.
  Washington Post
  ---
  Today's Updates:
  IG Says White House 'Made it Impossible' to Pursue Lead in Fast & Furious Probe
  ABC News: Obama Falsely Claims Fast & Furious "Begun Under Previous Administration"
Yoko Ono bestows peace grant on Russian punk band Pussy Riot
  Link to Article
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:34
  NEW YORK -- Yoko Ono and Amnesty International awarded the Russian punk band Pussy Riot this year's LennonOno grant for peace.
  Ono presented the award to Pyotr Verzilov, husband of Nadia Tolokonnikova - one of three imprisoned members of Pussy Riot sentenced in August to two years in prison for performing an irreverent song mocking Russian President Vladimir Putin inside Moscow's main cathedral.
  "It's a terrible thing that all three girls have been jailed for not doing anything wrong. They were just standing for freedom of speech," Ono said at a ceremony in New York City.
  Verzilov thanked Ono, saying the grant increased international pressure on Russian authorities to release the women.
  The LennonOno Grant for Peace is given every two years to honor Yoko Ono's late husband John Lennon's dedication to peace and human rights.
  (Copyright (C)2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
  Get more National/World >>
  Tags:
  protest, music, murder, prison, celebrity, national/world
PUSSY RIOT AWARDED THE LENNONONO GRANT FOR PEACE
  Link to Article
  Source: VENITISM
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:30
  John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono has awarded legendary Pussy Riot this year'sLennonOno Grant for Peace. Ono said: I thank Pussy Riot in standing firmly intheir belief for freedom of expression and making all women of the world proudto be women. It's a terrible thing that all three girls have been jailed for notdoing anything wrong. They were just standing for freedom of speech.
  The LennonOno Grant for Peace is given every two years to honor John Lennon'sdedication to peace and human rights. In the presence of many celebrities, suchas Sting and Madonna, Pyotr Verzilov, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova's husband, acceptedthe award on the group's behalf. He traveled to New York with theirfour-year-old daughter. Verzilov said: It's an incredible honor to receive thisaward from Yoko Ono. It's incredible to see the people around the world go outand voice their support.
  ­While in New York, Verzilov also met with Burmese hero Aung San Suu Kyi, whosaid: Pussy Riot heroines should be released as soon as possible. I don't seewhy people shouldn't sing whatever it is that they want to sing. There's nothingwrong with singing. I think the only reason why people should not sing is ifwhat they are saying is deliberately insulting, or they sing terribly. Thatwould be the best reason for not singing at all.
  Heroin sniffers sniff heroines! Cock Riot and Pussy Riot lock horns! Putin,Kirill, and misogynist gay bishops, Cock Riot, managed to imprison for two yearsthe female punk rock group Pussy Riot who held an impromptu concert insideMoscow's golden cathedral in February as part of a protest against the church'spolitical ties. In the song, the Russian heroines prayed to Madonna to chasePutin out of Russia!
  The heroines of Pussy Riot have received a two-year sentence in a labor camp.It is carried out in the name of Christianity, but the girls did not desecrateany icons and they did not destroy anything. It reminds Navalny of theInquisition during the Middle Ages. Navalny is standing up for Pussy Riot. Hecannot do otherwise. He is concerned with protecting the legal system. The girlshave merely committed a minor offense, not a crime. They present no danger tosociety.
  The Pussy Riot imprisonment for two years has brought a huge backlash withmyriad attacks on churches, crucifixes, icons, and other idols of Christianityall over the world. Anna Gutsol, leader of legendary Femen chainsawed a famouscrucifix in Kiev. Many crosses have been chopped down all over the world. Thereis an Armageddon between women and evil bishops.
  Alexei Navalny points out Putin sees the women as a threat, but he hasmiscalculated. Pussy Riot only became a threat thanks to him. It was initiallyonly a moderately successful performance that received far less of a responsethan the brilliant action on Red Square. At the time, Pussy Riot called Putin acoward. Then, two of the three activists were arrested shortly before thepresidential election.
  Navalny muses that when men are arrested without any legal basis and forpolitical reasons, it's merely a routine, everyday occurrence in Russia, andhardly anyone has any sympathy. But until recently, everyone deluded themselvesinto thinking that the Kremlin wouldn't dare put women behind bars. The womenfrom Pussy Riot have become symbols partly because this cliche has beenshattered.
  Navalny states the Kremlin used the performance in the church to take revengefor the appearance on Red Square. Furthermore, it succeeded in taking theconflict between the government and the opposition movement and obscuring itbehind the confrontation between the Church and the opposition. The idea was forthe patriarch to stand in the crossfire, not Putin. That's why photos alsoappeared in the press of the patriarch wearing an expensive watch, instead ofpictures of Putin's palaces.
  Medvedev will remain in office. Navalny doesn't know why, but Putin has made aritual out of humiliating Medvedev. Sometimes Navalny even feel sorry for theprime minister. Putin has reversed all the liberalizing reforms carried out byhis predecessor. The fact that the political climate has grown harsher issomething Navalny even notices in his daily work as a legal representative ofminority shareholders in large, state-owned companies. You can't fight Putinwith elections because he controls them. That's why demonstrations are the mosteffective approach. Unfortunately Russia has sunk to this primitive level.
  Pussy Riot leader Nadezhda Tolokonnikova regrets nothing. She thinks the trialagainst Pussy Riot was important, because it showed the true face of czarPutin's system. This system delivered a verdict on itself, by sentencing PussyRiot to two years in prison although Pussy Riot committed no crime. The criminaltrial is Putin's personal revenge, and no one can predict how and when anauthoritarian system will apply revenge.
  Tolokonnikova points out Putin's omnipotence is an illusion. That it's not alimitless thing is just as obvious as the fact that his propaganda machineexaggerates the president's power. Putin is dependent on the West roughly to thesame degree that the West has an interest in exaggerating his power. In reality,Putin is small and pitiful. You can see that in his actions both as a person andas a politician.
  Tolokonnikova notes the trial against Pussy Riot revealed the regime'srepressive character. Putin's system is collapsing. It's not suited for the 21stcentury; it's more like something out of tribal societies and dictatorialregimes of the past. It's incapable of explaining why three political activistshave to be thrown into prison just because they used the Cathedral of Christ theSavior as the location for a video performance and uttered a few powerful wordsagainst the system.
  Tolokonnikova muses the overwhelming reaction to what Pussy Riot did was apleasant surprise. The government's reaction to the Pussy Riot performance wasto be expected, since after all we're dealing with an authoritarian system. ButTolokonnikova has been pleased with the support from friends and otherlike-minded supporters, despite the threat of years in prison that she isfacing. Tolokonnikova declares the Pussy Riot fight for its ideas and valueswill continue.
Iran Accuses German Siemens Of Sabotaging Its Nuclear Plant As Turkey Sends Heavy Weapons To Syria Border
  Link to Article
  Source: Infowars » Featured Stories
  Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:30
  Turkey Sends Heavy Weapons To Syria Border
  Zero HedgeSunday, September 23, 2012
  It seems you can't turn your back on the Middle East for more than a few minutes without something going bump in the desert. Sure enough, a few shorts hours after we reported that the leader of Iran's Revolutionary Guards is certain war with Israel is coming, here comes Iran again with the stunning admission that none other than German industrial conglomerate, and occasional maker of nuclear power plants, Siemens was reponsible for ''implanting tiny explosives inside equipment the Islamic Republic purchased for its disputed nuclear program.
  Prominent lawmaker Alaeddin Boroujerdi said Iranian security experts discovered the explosives and removed them before detonation, adding that authorities believe the booby-trapped equipment was sold to derail uranium enrichment efforts. ''The equipment was supposed to explode after being put to work, in order to dismantle all our systems,'' he said. ''But the wisdom of our experts thwarted the enemy conspiracy.'' Expert wisdom aside, what is stunning is not the ongoing attempts by everyone and the kitchen sink to terminally corrupt the Iranian nuclear power plant: after Stuxnet one would expect nothing less than every form of conventional and ''new normal'' espionage thrown into the pot to cripple the only peaceful argument Iran would have for demanding nuclear power, which by implication would mean that all ongoing nuclear pursuits are geared solely toward aggressive, military goals, of the type that demand immediate military retaliation by the democratic superpowers. No, what is stunning is the implicit admission that Germany's, and Europe's, largest electrical engineering company, has been not only quietly transacting with none other than world peace (as portrayed by the MSM) enemy #1, Iran, but instrumental in its nuclear program.
  Obviously it took a Stuxnet second before Siemens denied everything and then some. Via Reuters:
  Siemens denied the charge and said its nuclear division has had no business with Iran since the 1979 revolution that led to its current clerical state.
  ''Siemens rejects the allegations and stresses that we have no business ties to the Iranian nuclear program,'' spokesman for the Munich-based company Alexander Machowetz said.
  Oh well, Iran must have bought all those Siemens nuclear centrifuges, concrete dome and steam plant in near perfect condition on eBay from anonymous sellers (who accept PayPal and even credit cardsas long as the purchase does not have an Indonesian shipping address).
  Iran, however, isn't afraid of trowing Siemens into even deeper water, alleging not only breach of international embargos, but also masterful sabotaging of ones own product:
  Boroujerdi, who heads the parliamentary security committee, alleged that the explosives were implanted at a Siemens factory and demanded the company take responsibility.
  There is of course another possibility: that the shipping address of the mysterious and anonymous ebay seller was somewhere in Langley, VA:
  Some Iranian officials have also suggested in the past that specific European companies may have sold faulty equipment to Iran with the knowledge of American intelligence agencies and their own governments, since the sales would have harmed, rather than helped, the country's nuclear program.
  According to Iran, the alleged campaign has included the abduction of scientists, the sale of faulty equipment and the planting of a destructive computer worm known as Stuxnet, which briefly brought Iran's uranium enrichment activity to a halt in 2010.
  Certifying that there is undoubtedly a Jason Bourne episode in the works over this entire incident is the following:
  Abbasi also told the U.N. nuclear agency in Vienna that ''terrorists and saboteurs'' might have infiltrated the International Atomic Energy Agency, after the watchdog's inspectors arrived at the Fordo underground enrichment facility shortly after power lines were blown up through sabotage on Aug. 17.
  Iran has repeatedly accused the IAEA of sending spies in the guise of inspectors to collect information about its nuclear activities, pointing to alleged leaks of information by inspectors to U.S. and other officials.
  Five nuclear scientists and researchers have been killed in Iran since 2010. Tehran blames the deaths on Israel's Mossad spy agency as well as the CIA and Britain's MI-6. Washington and London have denied any roles. Israel has not commented.
  Boroujerdi said the alleged leaks of nuclear information to its adversaries by the IAEA may finally push Tehran to end all cooperation with the agency.
  ''Iran has the right to cut its cooperation with the IAEA should such violations continue,'' he said.
  If anyone follows the game theory in this one, and has any idea who has not defected, or where the Nash equilibrium is at this point, please speak up. The rest of us just want the popcorn.
  And in far simpler plotlines, Reuters reports that Syria (which for those who have a 15 minutes attention span, was accused three months ago by everyone, and certainly Hillary Clinton, of offensively taking down a Turkish plane before it turned out to be a self-defensive move, at which point the entire false flag story promptly disappeared as it could no longer be pre-spun) is once again being provoked by NATO-member Turkey, which is now deploying heavy armored vehicles and weapons to the border with Syria. The spin this time around:
  The deployment is reportedly in an area where earlier this week Turkish civilians were wounded when stray bullets and shelling crossed the border from the Syrian province of al-Raqqa.
  CNN Turk television said artillery fire had landed close to the Turkish border overnight, causing panic among local residents.
  The Turkish army moved three Howitzers and one anti-aircraft weapon to the border, the channel said.
  Turkey, a member of NATO, has conducted a number of troop deployments in recent months along its 911-km (566-mile) border with Syria, where rebels are fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad.
  And on, and on, until the interminable foreplay finally ends, whenever one of the abovementioned democracies decides the quiet period is over, and the time for real GDP building (if only in a hard core Keynesian-cum-Krugman sense) once the ability to generate even one additional dollar in debt is no longer available, is upon us.
  Tags: terrorism, war
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