What Adam Curry is reading

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  Whole Foods Hidden Camera GMO Sting - Organic Spies - CENSORED by YouTube - NaturalNews.tv
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    Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:01
    Whole Foods Hidden Camera GMO Sting - Organic Spies - CENSORED by YouTube(6626 views) Uploaded 10/2/2012 11:42:13 PM by HealthRanger (355 videos)Video InformationThis is the now-famous video that was censored by YouTube. It shows Whole Foods employees LYING about the GMOs being sold by the store.Fact: Whole Foods is a massive retailer for Monsanto's GM corn, which is found in all sorts of products on the shelves at Whole Foods. This is the same strain of genetically engineered corn that French researchers recently linked to massive cancer tumors in rats.
    As of this writing, Whole Foods has offered ZERO support for Proposition 37 and has made NO effort to require GMO labeling for the products it sells.
    SHARE this video. Spread the truth about Whole Foods and GMOs.
    Video Keywords:gmos gmo monsanto whole foods gm corn gmo labeling proposition 37 organic spies undercover hidden camera
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    Share this video on your site or blog. Just copy & paste one of the following: Is there something wrong with this video or viewer comment? Please let us know:Viewer Comments (0 total)Be the first to comment on this video.Related VideosJeffrey Smith GMO update January, 2012 - GMO labeling initiate in California, bad science and moreUploaded: 2/14/2012 9:46:11 AMBy HealthRangerJeffrey Smith GMO update January, 2012 - Monsanto, Roundup, Bayer, DuPont and moreUploaded: 2/9/2012 12:31:54 PMBy HealthRangerBill Gates is Funding GMO Food - giving billions to the biotech industryUploaded: 10/8/2010 1:38:33 PMBy UniversityJust Say No to GMO music video by Mike Adams the Health RangerUploaded: 10/12/2010 1:30:48 PMBy HealthRangerHumpty Dumpty rhyme - Genetically Modified RhymesUploaded: 12/8/2010 9:48:42 AMBy HealthRangerJust Say No to GMO music video with Chinese subtitles (ä¸­æ–‡)Uploaded: 12/8/2010 8:12:07 PMBy HealthRangerJust Say No to GMO music video with Spanish subtitles (Espa±ol)Uploaded: 12/9/2010 11:14:27 AMBy HealthRangerInterview with Jeffrey Smith - GMO dangerUploaded: 7/26/2010 11:33:19 PMBy HealthRangerJeffrey Smith and the campaign for healthier eating in AmericaUploaded: 7/27/2010 12:16:12 AMBy HealthRangerOrganic Farming, Dr. Pusztai, say no to GMO, Dr. Huber, Monsanto & the BIO-AG PhilosophyUploaded: 5/8/2011 1:15:18 PMBy GMOFREEZONE~Raw Milk ~Organic Farming ~Michael Schmidt ~Food Sovereignty ~Right to Choose ~Stand your Ground!Uploaded: 5/9/2011 1:04:54 PMBy GMOFREEZONEMike Adams on the Alex Jones Show - eugenics, GMOs, Federal Reserve and moreUploaded: 3/2/2012 1:57:06 PMBy HealthRangerRelated NaturalNews Articles
  Uncanny how Obama's accent has changed since 2007. What a phoney! http://t.co/tzFWMUMc #NoAgenda @therealdvorak @adamcurry
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    Source: @adamcurry - Twitter Search
    Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:24
    In a video obtained exclusively by The Daily Caller, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama tells an audience of black ministers, including the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, that the U.S. government shortchanged Hurricane Katrina victims because of racism.
    ''The people down in New Orleans they don't care about as much!'' Obama shouts in the video, which was shot in June of 2007 at Hampton University in Virginia. By contrast, survivors of Sept. 11 and Hurricane Andrew received generous amounts of aid, Obama explains. The reason? Unlike residents of majority-black New Orleans, the federal government considers those victims ''part of the American family.''
    The racially charged and at times angry speech undermines Obama's carefully-crafted image as a leader eager to build bridges between ethnic groups. For nearly 40 minutes, using an accent he almost never adopts in public, Obama describes a racist, zero-sum society, in which the white majority profits by exploiting black America. The mostly black audience shouts in agreement. The effect is closer to an Al Sharpton rally than a conventional campaign event.
    WATCH:
    Obama gave the speech in the middle of a hotly-contested presidential primary season, but his remarks escaped scrutiny. Reporters in the room seem to have missed or ignored his most controversial statements. The liberal blogger Andrew Sullivan linked to what he described as a ''transcript'' of the speech, which turned out not to be a transcript at all, but instead the prepared remarks provided by the campaign. In fact, Obama, who was not using a teleprompter, deviated from his script repeatedly and at length, ad libbing lines that he does not appear to have used before any other audience during his presidential run. A local newspaper posted a series of video clips of the speech, but left out key portions. No complete video of the Hampton speech was widely released.
    Obama begins his address with ''a special shout out'' to Jeremiah Wright, the Chicago pastor who nearly derailed Obama's campaign months later when his sermons attacking Israel and America and accusing the U.S. government of ''inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color'' became public. To the audience at Hampton, Obama describes Wright as, ''my pastor, the guy who puts up with me, counsels me, listens to my wife complain about me. He's a friend and a great leader. Not just in Chicago, but all across the country.''
    By the time Obama appeared at Hampton, Jeremiah Wright had become a political problem. Wright told The New York Times earlier that year that he would no longer be speaking on the campaign's behalf because his rhetoric was considered too militant. And yet later in the Hampton speech Obama explicitly defends Wright from unnamed critics, a group he describes as ''they'': ''They had stories about Trinity United Church of Christ, because we talked about black people in church: 'Oh, that might be a separatist church,''' Obama said mockingly.
    NEXT: 'Folks are frustrated! Black people angry!'
  Daily Press Briefing - October 2, 2012
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    Wed, 03 Oct 2012 03:51
    1:22 p.m. EDT
    MS. NULAND: Afternoon, everybody. I apologize that we are so late. I know all of you were busy this morning anyway with our Global Travel and Tourism Conference. So let's go directly to what's on your minds.
    QUESTION: I guess let's start with something that I have no hope of getting any answer out of you on. (Laughter.) But I might as well give it a try. Has the Secretary gotten the letter sent to her by Representatives Issa and Chaffetz about the Benghazi attack?
    MS. NULAND: She has.
    QUESTION: And she has responded or not yet?
    MS. NULAND: We received the letter yesterday or today. The Secretary intends to respond to the Congressman today. And her letter will make absolutely clear the desire of this Department, her personal desire, to cooperate closely with the committee and with all members of Congress both in their document requests, in their request for witnesses for their hearing, because we share the same goal. We want to get to the bottom of precisely what happened and learn any lessons that we need to learn from it. We're taking this very, very seriously.
    QUESTION: Okay. So she is going to '' even though there is an FBI investigation, there will be people from State going up to this hearing, I guess, on the 10th '' or if they're planning to have it on the 10th, there will be '' and they will be able to testify and tell the committee something other than, ''We can't talk about it because it's still under investigation by the FBI''?
    MS. NULAND: As I said, her response back today will make clear that we are determined to work with the Congress, that we will send folks to their hearing. We are now working though all of the documents, all of the information that is available to us in this Department. We will see where we are on the 10th, but it is our intention to cooperate fully.
    QUESTION: Because that would suggest to me, then, that you're willing to see a difference between what they might be asking for and what might be covered by the investigation that the FBI is doing.
    MS. NULAND: I think we believe that we're going to have to work these processes in parallel. We have responsibilities to the Congress, there's the FBI investigation, and there's the ARB, and we're going to have to work these in parallel.
    QUESTION: Okay. All right. And then just getting to the substance, one of the main things of theirs is that there had been multiple repeated requests from diplomats in Libya to increase the security and that those had been denied. Can you respond to those? And if you can't '' if, as I suspect, you're going to say that that's part of the investigation '' can you explain exactly why that '' something that happened or allegedly happened prior to the attack would be covered and privileged as part of the FBI investigation?
    MS. NULAND: What I'm going to say to you, Matt, is that I'm not in a position from this podium today to answer the specific requests and the specific assertions in the letter. That's going to be part of the process that we have to go through in this building, both the ARB process and the process of being responsive to Congress. We are currently amassing all of the documents, all of the information that we had before, during, after so that we can be responsive. But I don't have all the answers today.
    QUESTION: Leaving aside the specifics of the letter, did members of the U.S. diplomatic mission or missions in Libya seek additional security that they did not receive?
    MS. NULAND: We've spoken to this a little bit. I am not in a position to give you any more information today in response to those specific questions until we have a chance to go through everything we've got in this Department, and that process is ongoing. It's ongoing in the context of the ARB, and it's ongoing in the context of our requirements to Congress.
    QUESTION: So if she is going to respond today to the letter she received yesterday, is she not going to address that specific question?
    MS. NULAND: Her response is going to be relatively succinct today, as I said, expressing her complete commitment and this building's commitment to work with the Congress to get fully to the bottom of this, but I don't anticipate she'll be able to answer the specific questions today. But obviously, that is our expectation and hope over time, that we'll be able to answer all of the questions, because we have questions too.
    QUESTION: And is it fair to say that now almost exactly three '' well, three weeks, unfortunately, to the day, that you don't actually know the answer to the question of whether they had sought additional security?
    MS. NULAND: I think it's fair to say that we are still working through what we have in this building in terms of documentation, in terms of information about what we knew, who knew it, when they knew it, and that's part of the process that we have to go through.
    Please, Jill.
    QUESTION: Toria, a question about the Ambassador. He was obviously a person who knew the place very well, spoke the language, knew people, et cetera. And I know you won't talk about specifics, but there is one about his jogging, actually, in Tripoli, not in Benghazi. But is there a possibility that the State Department back here let him take the lead in determining what would be secure? Because after all, he knew it; he knew the country.
    MS. NULAND: Without getting into the specifics of this case, which, as I said, we have to work all the way through '' that's what the ARB is about; that's what our work with the Congress will be about '' having done this myself, that's not the way it works. Ambassadors don't call the local security posture. It's worked out with Washington, with the post. It's not something you can do yourself.
    Please.
    QUESTION: When does the Accountability Review Board begin its process? And who will be on it besides Thomas Pickering?
    MS. NULAND: I don't know that we've announced the full list yet. Let me see if we are in a position to do that sometime this week. My understanding is that they are starting to receive information now. I don't know when their first meeting is. I think they were looking at trying to schedule a first meeting in coming days or within the week.
    QUESTION: How are they receiving information if the members haven't been '' have the members been decided, and you just haven't announced it? Or are they ''
    MS. NULAND: Correct, correct.
    QUESTION: Okay.
    MS. NULAND: Yes.
    QUESTION: And why can't you announce it, like, today if they've been decided?
    MS. NULAND: Again, I don't have it. I don't know whether there is something holding up the formal announcement of the rest of the members, but I don't have it here.
    QUESTION: Victoria.
    MS. NULAND: Said.
    QUESTION: The issue of weapons in Libya was raised all along. Are you discussing with the Libyan Government, as a result of this attack, of course, the proliferation of weapons or the policy of dumping so much weapons by '' in particular by Qatar and Saudi Arabia into Libya?
    MS. NULAND: Well, Said, I think you know that we've had a concern in Libya, even before the '' Qadhafi fell about the proliferation of weapons, about Qadhafi-era weapons getting into hands all over the country. We have consistently, since the liberation of Libya, been offering our support to the Government of Libya in its efforts to consolidate the militias, to deal with the remnants of the Qadhafi-era weaponry, whether it's the chemical weapons or whether it's the fact that we've got MANPADS all over the country. I think you know we've had an extremely robust MANPAD collection effort '' we've briefed you on that before '' working with the Libyans, working with international partners.
    But with regard to your question today, I think we mentioned yesterday that Assistant Secretary of State Beth Jones is actually in Tripoli today. I just spoke to her before coming down. She had a chance on her visit there today to meet with the Acting Prime Minister, with the Deputy Foreign Minister, with the president of the Supreme Court, with the deputy prosecutor, with members of civil society. There was a small ceremony for some of our local staff to honor the members of our community, including Chris Stevens, who were lost. And among the central topics that she's been talking about today, in addition to security for diplomatic facilities and our facilities in particular, is this desire that the Libyans themselves have expressed.
    The Secretary heard from Magarief when she met with him to accelerate international support for security in Libya, for the reform effort, for the effort to consolidate militias, to soak up and dispose of excess weaponry. It's a problem that obviously they recognize and we recognize as well.
    QUESTION: Just to follow up on that?
    MS. NULAND: Yeah.
    QUESTION: We '' did she also raise or discuss the issue of cooperation between U.S. and Libyan investigators into the incident in Benghazi?
    MS. NULAND: She did. She talked to the Libyans about ensuring, as their investigative process goes forward, as our investigative process goes forward, that we are collaborating, that we are being transparent, that we are sharing information.
    QUESTION: We quote the Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdel Aziz as saying today Libya and the United States have still not yet agreed on how U.S. '' the U.S. investigative team will cooperate with Libyan authorities in the investigation. Is that correct?
    MS. NULAND: My understanding is that we want maximum transparency, maximum collaboration and cooperation, and that was one of the specific subjects that Assistant Secretary Jones spoke about today.
    QUESTION: But have you agreed on how they're going to work together? I mean, I understand you want maximum transparency and cooperation. My question is: Are you '' have you actually reached an agreement?
    MS. NULAND: Again, with regard to any technical agreements, I'm going to send you to the FBI. But my understanding is that it was a good conversation today, that the goals are the same, and the commitment to try to work together as well as we can were common.
    QUESTION: But --
    QUESTION: Toria --
    QUESTION: Did you say that you had mentioned her trip yesterday?
    MS. NULAND: I thought after '' on background, we talked about it. No? Maybe I didn't. Anyway --
    QUESTION: Well, if you did, I don't remember.
    MS. NULAND: Yeah.
    QUESTION: Can you tell us what the '' you have a readout on what she did in Tunisia yesterday?
    MS. NULAND: I don't have too much on her Tunisia stop. I don't have the meetings that she had. I'll get back to you on that, Samir, but obviously, the focus there was also on safety and security of the mission. It was on continuing to work together on supporting Tunisia's democratic transition, and all of the various forms of support that the U.S. is giving for that.
    QUESTION: Toria, can I go back to my question?
    MS. NULAND: Mm-hmm.
    QUESTION: The Deputy Foreign Minister is quoted as saying, ''Hopefully, in the coming days, we will reach an agreement as to how the U.S. team will work with the Libyan team. We are now in the context of awaiting written permission.'' And he says that the prosecutor general has so far only given verbal approval for a joint investigation.
    It's three weeks since the incident. It is fair to say that you are '' the teams are not working together yet on this?
    MS. NULAND: We have a commitment from the Libyan Government to work together. There has been cooperation at the political level. There has to now be cooperation at the investigative level. I think the Secretary spoke last week to the fact that we now have an FBI team on the ground. I can't speak to the specifics except to say that one of the key topics with Ambassador Jones today was to make sure that we're set up to work as well together as possible.
    QUESTION: But my fundamental question is '' I mean, you said there has to be now cooperation at the technical level. Has there been any such cooperation at the technical, on-the-ground level, or not yet?
    MS. NULAND: We spoke with our FBI colleagues today. They expressed confidence that they'll be able to work well with the Libyans. I'm going to refer you to them now on the grounds.
    QUESTION: Where are they, please, physically right now?
    MS. NULAND: They are in Libya. I would say, though, that they feel pretty strongly that in order to protect the security and the integrity of their investigation, that they're not going to be giving a lot of details of the kind you guys are seeking on how they're going to proceed, not in terms of numbers or where or who or what.
    QUESTION: But '' so you can't tell us whether they're in Tripoli or in Benghazi?
    MS. NULAND: I think they are not interested in sharing that kind of information because they have to protect both the security and the integrity of the mission.
    QUESTION: The Deputy Foreign Minister is quoted as saying that they are still in Tripoli. That's how we've quoted him, as saying that. Is that not correct?
    MS. NULAND: Again, I'm not going to get into the details of what the FBI is up to. If you have more questions, you can go to them, but I'm just telling you, based on our conversations with them, I would not expect them to be very forthcoming on the details for the reasons that I cited.
    QUESTION: Is your impression that they think that they're going to be able to do this in secret?
    MS. NULAND: The point is simply that they need to protect both the security of their people and the integrity of the investigation, and they'd like a little space from you all to do that.
    QUESTION: Toria, the Secretary also, at the end of last week, had received from letters from the Senate side of Congress '' from Senator Kerry, also a separate letter from Senator Corker '' requesting further information.
    MS. NULAND: Right.
    QUESTION: Can you give us a readout on what any response has been or will be and if she has had any kind '' if the Secretary has had any private conversations to answer some of these questions if a letter has not been sent in response?
    MS. NULAND: Let me take that one, Margaret. I believe we did get back in some form to the Senate side, but I need to take that one.
    QUESTION: A technical question, Victoria.
    MS. NULAND: Yeah.
    QUESTION: In the aftermath of the Afghanistan and Iraq war, there was an energetic kind of public diplomacy effort to reach hearts and minds. Is anything akin to that happening now with Libya or underway?
    MS. NULAND: In Libya?
    QUESTION: Yes.
    MS. NULAND: Well, obviously, in all of our public statements from here, in the statements Deputy Secretary Burns made when he presided for the United States at the joint ceremony that we had. We've made clear that we are not planning to turn our back on a democratic Libya; on the contrary, we think that their transition is absolutely essential, not only for their security and in their interests but for the interest of the region, for our American interests. So we are doing a lot to make it clear that we stand with the Libyan people who fought for change, and we're going to continue to do that.
    QUESTION: I guess my question is, Libyan society being tribal and these tribes may have been far-flung and so on, are you making any special efforts or is there any campaign to actually engage them?
    MS. NULAND: Well, we've engaged groups across Libya and tribes across Libya from the very beginning, and even in the Qadhafi era we had quite extensive contacts which enabled us to work with them later. So that will continue, obviously.
    Please. You are?
    QUESTION: Jason Donner, Fox News Channel. And I was just wondering, why did the State Department in July of 2012 refuse to mediate a disagreement between Blue Mountain Libya and Blue Mountain UK because the relationship to provide security at the Benghazi consulate was not working?
    MS. NULAND: You're taking me way down into capillaries of the security situation that I don't have the information to answer here. Presumably, those kinds of questions will have to be looked at in the context of the work that we're doing.
    QUESTION: Would that include the letters that were maybe being sent? Would any of that information be respondent to Issa or Chaffetz letter?
    MS. NULAND: Their letter doesn't get into that kind of detail.
    Please.
    QUESTION: On Syria?
    MS. NULAND: Yeah.
    QUESTION: Iraqi authorities today ordered an Iranian cargo plane heading to Syria to land in Baghdad for a search. How do you view this step, especially after they '' it came days after your request to the Iraqi authorities to do so?
    MS. NULAND: Well, we regard it very positively that the Iraqi Government is taking steps to investigate cargo overflying its territory headed for Syria. That is very welcome in light of the public commitments that the Iraqi Government made, and we hope it will continue.
    QUESTION: And do you think that '' was it a coincidence that the cargo does not include weapons?
    MS. NULAND: I can't speak to what they actually found and whether they happen to be able to declare a negative here. But our hope is that these kinds of cargoes will be regularly inspected and that will be a deterrent on folks abusing Iraqi airspace to get weapons into Syria.
    QUESTION: Is it correct that you're only interested in cargo and not potentially passengers? I mean, if this plane was full of senior members of the IRGC flying to the Damascus but they didn't have any weapons, presumably you wouldn't be too thrilled with that, would you?
    MS. NULAND: Well, we've made clear from here and elsewhere that we have serious concerns about the Iranians providing not just material support but also personnel, training, et cetera. But our request --
    QUESTION: But you haven't told the Iraqis --
    MS. NULAND: Our request to the Iraqis has been specifically in the context of cargo aircraft that could be resupplying the military.
    QUESTION: Victoria, on the plane itself '' Matt raised the question yesterday '' it looks fairly a recent model. Do you '' how do you follow third countries selling airplanes or parts, spare planes, or if there is some sort of a, I guess, a protocol for that? Could you share with us?
    MS. NULAND: Well, we've made clear that we expect all countries to uphold UN sanctions with regard to Iran. I can't speak from this podium as to where that particular plane may have come from.
    Scott.
    QUESTION: On Syria, GCC countries are --
    MS. NULAND: Whoa, feedback. Is that you, Scott? Your fancy equipment back there?
    QUESTION: No, my volume is down.
    MS. NULAND: All right.
    QUESTION: GCC countries are going to be talking about Syria and Peru today as part of the Arab League-South American leaders thing. Do you have any hopes, expectations from it?
    MS. NULAND: Well, I think we've seen that the Arab League has been expanding its diplomacy around the world beyond the region. We've had good cooperation between Arab League and the European Union. They are also endeavoring to get attention in a broader global circle to concerns in their region, whether it's Iran, whether it's Syria, in Latin America and elsewhere, and that's a good thing. And frankly, we've been also trying to encourage our hemispheric partners to tighten up in the way they look at Iran and Syria to make sure that they're fully implementing UN sanctions and that they are, to the extent possible, joining us in unilateral sanctions with regard to Syria.
    So this is, I think, a good thing for these guys to talk and for folks in the hemisphere to hear directly the concerns in the Arab League about those two countries.
    QUESTION: Anyone from State in Peru, even in an observer status, at this meeting?
    MS. NULAND: I'm not sure that we've been invited to do that. Perhaps from the Embassy, but I'm sure we'll hear from both sides how it went. We've been encouraging the contacts, obviously.
    Jill.
    QUESTION: Georgia?
    QUESTION: One more on Syria, please?
    MS. NULAND: One more on Syria. Yeah.
    QUESTION: Russia has warned the West from intervening in Syria or creating a buffer zone or no-fly zone. Any reaction to that?
    MS. NULAND: I think we've made clear what we're looking at in terms of U.S. support for the opposition. We're talking about nonlethal support. We're talking about training. We're talking about trying to help those in Syria who are trying to manage and provide for people in parts of Syria that have now been liberated from regime dominance. So I'm not exactly sure who they're talking to, but it wouldn't be us.
    Please.
    QUESTION: I have another question on that aid. How is that aid '' we've talked a lot about that aid being distributed, but how is that aid being distributed? Is it through USAID or is it through other departments? How exactly is it --
    MS. NULAND: You mean what accounts does the U.S. support come from?
    QUESTION: Yes.
    MS. NULAND: There are a variety of accounts. Some of it comes through our human rights funding. Some of it comes through our regional democracy funding. Some of it comes through our new Office of Emergency Contingencies. But we can get you a detailed brief if you're interested in that kind of thing.
    QUESTION: Yes.
    MS. NULAND: Okay. Jill, still Syria?
    QUESTION: One more '' sorry '' about this, too.
    MS. NULAND: Yeah.
    QUESTION: Syrian opposition is saying that they are not able to get the money from the U.S. because of the law restrictions. Do you have anything on this?
    MS. NULAND: U.S. restrictions?
    QUESTION: Yeah. Law '' yeah, U.S. laws restrictions.
    MS. NULAND: I'm not sure what they would be referring to specifically ''
    QUESTION: Because there are sanctions on Syria and you are not able to provide them with the money of these sanctions and these laws restrictions.
    MS. NULAND: Well first of all, we have a new OFAC license which was granted to allow private Americans to give money to the Syrian opposition. So that aspect of sanctions doesn't apply in this case. With regard to U.S. Government support for the opposition, we are not encountering those kinds of problems.
    I think the Secretary spoke when we were in New York for the Ad Hoc meeting of some 1,100 kits of communications equipment that have gone, more than 1,000 people trained. So we have all of the flexibility that we need under U.S. law to do what we need to do.
    QUESTION: And this training, is it going on just in Turkey or other areas, or are there also training '' is there training that's taking place inside liberated parts of Syria?
    MS. NULAND: There are not Americans inside Syria, if that's what you're asking.
    QUESTION: Yeah.
    MS. NULAND: We are doing training programs outside of Syria. We are also training trainers who are going back into Syria.
    QUESTION: Those would be Syrian trainers?
    MS. NULAND: Those would be Syrians, yeah.
    QUESTION: Sorry. Just on '' you think that there's at least one American '' I mean, not an official American '' in Syria, though, right now. Is there any more update '' I presume you meant official American ''
    MS. NULAND: On Mr. Tice?
    QUESTION: On Tice. Right.
    MS. NULAND: No, unfortunately, there is not.
    QUESTION: No, nothing?
    MS. NULAND: Jill.
    QUESTION: A question concerning exactly that. There's some media reports that say that that video that appeared on YouTube looks staged. Has the State Department analyzed that video at all? Or have ''
    MS. NULAND: I don't have anything further to what I said yesterday, where I certainly raised the possibility that it could have been staged for purposes of the regime exculpating itself. Frankly, we just don't know. We don't know if it was him, we don't know what '' but we continue to believe, based on the limited information that we have, that he is in regime custody.
    QUESTION: Can we just stay in the region for one more before Georgia?
    MS. NULAND: Mm-hmm.
    QUESTION: The Lebanon '' and did Wendy Sherman meet yesterday with the Lebanese Energy Minister? It was on the schedule. I just wondered if it was happening late.
    MS. NULAND: She did.
    QUESTION: Okay, she did. Can you '' do you have anything to say about that meeting?
    MS. NULAND: She '' political '' Under Secretary of Political Affairs Wendy Sherman met yesterday with Lebanese Minister for Energy and Water Bassil. This followed up on the meeting that the Secretary had at the UN General Assembly with Lebanese Prime Minister Mikati. Their conversation touched on a full range of topics but two in particular I would flag for you.
    One was on maritime issues, and our efforts to promote stability in the region and Lebanon's development of fair, transparent regulations to guide its offshore oil and gas exploration processes. They also talked, obviously, about developments in the region, by which we mean Syria, and the democratic transitions underway.
    In our meetings with government representatives, whether they are in Lebanon or whether they are in the U.S., we always express our deep concern about Hezbollah's destabilizing actions both in Lebanon and in the region. And Under Secretary Sherman, again, raised our ongoing concern about Hezbollah's actions, including its support for the Syrian regime, its role as a terrorist organization and a proxy for Iran, and its criminal activities in the international drug trade and money laundering.
    QUESTION: Okay. So you probably know why I asked the question, which is that Representative Ros-Lehtinin has not taken a kind view of this meeting. She called it beyond indefensible. So defend it, please.
    MS. NULAND: Well, Minister Bassil is a member of the Free Patriotic Movement party in Lebanon, which is a member of the ruling coalition. He's the Energy Minister. We've talk to members of the coalition and we have to work with a sitting minister if we want to work on these kinds of problems.
    QUESTION: Right. Well, I mean, she says that he's an overt supporter of Hezbollah and of Assad. Is that not the case?
    MS. NULAND: Well, obviously he's got a portfolio in the government that as I mentioned we had to address. The degree to which he has contacts with Hezbollahi can express the concerns and be a good transmitter for the kinds of concerns that I just outlined.
    Please.
    QUESTION: I'd like to talk of Georgia.
    MS. NULAND: Yeah. Jill, I think, had her hand up for Georgia from the very beginning, so why don't we start there.
    QUESTION: Any reaction to the concession by President Saakashvili that the opposition has won this parliamentary election?
    MS. NULAND: Yes, indeed. Well first of all, I think the White House has put out a statement, and we're expecting that the Secretary will shortly have her own statement. The United States congratulates the citizens of Georgia on their historic parliamentary election yesterday. While the final count and the appeals are still ongoing, we support and join the assessment of the OSCE and OHDIR election observers that the Georgian people have freely expressed their will at the ballot box. We are now calling on the parties to work together to take democracy forward.
    We'd like also to commend President Saakashvili and the UNM for graciously conceding when they lost at the ballot box. This is a really important milestone for democracy in Georgia, but it's also a really important democratic signal for the region and for other countries that are struggling to be democratic.
    Please.
    QUESTION: Do you plan any meetings with new majority leaders on official level here in Washington or in Tbilisi?
    MS. NULAND: I think we'll let the Georgians come forward with a full vote count and a winner and let the new government be formed, but obviously we will engage with the new government, yes.
    QUESTION: Thank you.
    QUESTION: Do you '' the White House statement said that the U.S. Government urges President Saakashvili, his opponent, and all others to cooperate in a spirit of national unity. Are you concerned that they will not do so? Is that why the Administration felt it necessary to urge this on them?
    MS. NULAND: Well, as you know, there had been a lot of '' it had been a hotly contested election, there had been a lot of charges back and forth, a lot of hot rhetoric. But I think, as I said, the signal that President Saakashvili sent by (a) conceding and (b) saying he would ask them to form a government, and that they would work together '' president and new government '' sends a very good signal. And that's the kind of thing we were hoping to commend, underscore, and continue to encourage going forward.
    QUESTION: The Palestinian issue?
    MS. NULAND: Mm-hmm.
    QUESTION: Victoria, has there been any contact with the Palestinian Authority in the aftermath of last week's efforts at the United Nations?
    MS. NULAND: Well, as you know, the Secretary had a chance to see President Abbas. I think that '' I'm pretty confident that David Hale saw the Palestinian delegation or at least spoke to them after we completed our meetings with the Israeli side as we usually do. The Secretary, as you know, saw Prime Minister Netanyahu as well. So it's traditional that we talk to both sides.
    QUESTION: On the two issues, their efforts at the United Nations and the unfreezing of funds '' on sending the funds, is there '' are there are any developments?
    MS. NULAND: I don't have anything further to report besides what I think I said yesterday, which is that we are continuing to work with the Congress to get the 200 million in support for the Palestinian Authority released. We think it's very important, and we certainly see the need there.
    QUESTION: And finally, the Foreign Minister of Israel, Mr. Lieberman, has promised to sort of arrest Mr. Abbas because of his effort at the United Nations. Are you aware of that, or do you have a comment?
    MS. NULAND: I had not seen that, Said. And I don't have a comment.
    Please.
    QUESTION: On Iran. The Iranian Foreign Minister was in New York yesterday giving a speech and spoke about what he said was his government's more than yearlong contact and work with the Syrian opposition '' not the government, the opposition. I'm wondering what evidence the U.S. has seen of that and how that has influenced or impacted our relationship with the opposition.
    MS. NULAND: We're seeing plenty of Iranian involvement in Syria, and all of it is in support of propping up the bloody regime of Bashar al-Assad. So I'm not sure what he's talking about, but clearly they are continuing to send weapons, personnel, training, et cetera, and doing everything they can to prop up Assad.
    Please. In the back.
    QUESTION: On North Korea?
    MS. NULAND: Yeah.
    QUESTION: Yesterday, one of North Korean official made mention about U.S. hostile policy toward North Korea and some kind '' possibility of some kind of nuclear war at the UN. What's your response to that?
    MS. NULAND: This was '' these were comments made in New York?
    QUESTION: Yes, Mr. Pak, of North Korean official.
    MS. NULAND: I didn't see those comments. You know where we've been on the DPRK, and the Secretary spoke to it when we were in New York: that we are urging restraint; we are calling for the DPRK to take steps to reassure the international community that it is serious about working with us on the denuclearization agenda; and we are waiting to see what this new leader is going to choose to do. But we are also warning against any further provocations.
    Anything else? No? All right.
    QUESTION: Thank you.
    (The briefing was concluded at 1:53 p.m.)
    DPB # 169
  "Only Difference Between Democrats & Republicans Is... Democrats Aren't White Supremacist!"
    Link to Article
    Source: Uploads by MOXNEWSd0tC0M
    Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:34
  Helmet Cam Video Of US Soldier Getting Shot 4 Time Goes Super Viral
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    Source: Uploads by MOXNEWSd0tC0M
    Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:34
  Only Place In America You Can Legally Make Your Own Whiskey
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    Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:33
  Multi-Million Dollar Settlement Reached For Children Tortured While Under CPS Supervision
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    Source: Uploads by MOXNEWSd0tC0M
    Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:28
  MSM Stooges Seem Truly Offended By Independent Journalist That Gained Access To Mitt Romney
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    Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:23
  Warning About World's Rapidly Aging Population
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    Tue, 02 Oct 2012 06:17
  Syria Says Assault On Civilian Areas Is A Battle Against Terrorist
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    Tue, 02 Oct 2012 06:12
  "That Counsulate Was Not Properly Protected... It Is A Failure Of This Administration" Peter King
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    Tue, 02 Oct 2012 06:03
  Mona Eltahawy Explains Why She Sprayed Painted Over Racist Pro-Israeli Posters In NYC Subway pt.2
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    Source: Uploads by MOXNEWSd0tC0M
    Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:26
  Mona Eltahawy Explains Why She Sprayed Painted Over Racist Pro-Israeli Posters In NYC Subway pt.1
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    Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:25
  2000th American Killed In Afghan War (Far As You Know)
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    Mon, 01 Oct 2012 07:55
  2 Loaded Guns Allowed To Pass Through TSA Airport Checkpoints And On To Airplanes Last Week
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    Mon, 01 Oct 2012 07:54
  11 Year Old Boy Attacked In Grocery Story Restroom
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    Sun, 30 Sep 2012 05:44
  Flash Flood In Southern Spain Kills At Least 10
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    Sun, 30 Sep 2012 05:31
  Tens Of Thousands Of March Protestants Peacefully Through Belfast
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    Sun, 30 Sep 2012 05:31
  Protesters & Police Continue To Clash In Madrid
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    Sun, 30 Sep 2012 05:30
Social media fails the '47 percent' video taper
  Link to Article
  Source: CJR
  Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:46
  When Mother Jonespremiered the now-infamous 47 percent video on September 17, it received two million views in 24 hours and rapidly changed the discourse surrounding the campaign. The next morning, some outlets were already asking, ''Is Mitt Romney over?''
  But why did the source of the video go to a news outlet like Mother Jones, instead of distributing it independently? The last decade, after all, has seen a rise in citizen and crowd-sourced journalism. The source tried; a Buzzfeed chronology shows repeated attempts to distribute the material starting two weeks after the May 17 fundraiser. But the story didn't go viral until David Corn, Washington bureau chief at Mother Jones, convinced the source to give him the whole tape, portions of which were used in Corn's Sept. 17 story.
  That four-month process would suggest that civilians can act as civic watchdogs, chronicling events of huge news value, but that journalists are still needed to verify and contextualize the findings before they break as news.
  ''Primarily, the source wanted some distance from the clips and was trying not to include identifying features, and that made it harder for these things to be widely noticed and accepted,'' said Corn. ''I was able to authenticate it and figure out where it had happened. And then we put in out under the banner of Mother Jones and David Corn.''
  There are two reasons why the involvement of a bigger media outlet was necessary, said Mark Glasser, host of PBS's Media Shift: exposure and protection.
  ''The reasons people end up turning to more traditional media when it comes to these kinds of things is that they want wider distribution,'' Glasser said. ''Unless you're part of some wider organization or you have a million Twitter followers, it's going to be hard to get noticed for something.''
  Glasser added, ''Also as an individual, you would want to tie yourself to someone who has some legal resources versus going it alone and posting it. That's something that citizen journalists and bloggers find much more difficult to deal with'--being taken to court, legal issues. Whether they're in the right or wrong, they could find themselves in a very expensive legal situation.''
  Corn did not confirm whether or not Mother Jones is offering his source legal protection, but he did say that he promised anonymity. ''The person was a little worried about putting out a video and getting caught up in a firestorm and getting revealed as the source,'' he said.
  The long gap between the source's first post on YouTube, and the decision to link up with a mainstream publication, suggests the source struggled to find the balance between enough transparency to seem genuine and enough mystery to maintain anonymity.
  Darrell West, Director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution, told CJR that those concerns give bigger news organizations the advantage. ''Certainly it's possible for individuals to distribute video tapes, but the problem is there's so much information out there, it's hard for amateurs to gain the audience that news organizations have,'' he said. ''It really suggests the continuing role that news organizations play.''
Democracy Now! Holds Shadow Debate Tonight With 3rd Parties
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:42
  One of the reasons we have so little to choose from in presidential elections is because both parties and the media cooperate in keeping out third party candidates. We haven't seen much informed, skeptical commentary since the old days when "Strange Bedfellows" Al Franken and Arianna Huffington covered the presidential debates on Comedy Central, so hats off to Amy Goodman and Democracy Now!
  As President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney square off in their first debate tonight, Democracy Now! will broadcast live from Denver with a special expanded presidential debate from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. ET. We will air the Obama/Romney debate, pausing after questions to include equal time responses from two presidential contenders who were shut out of the official debate: Jill Stein of the Green Party and Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party.
  Stream our special 3-hour show on the Democracy Now! livestream or tune in on television on Link TV (DISHNetwork Channel 9410 or DirecTV Channel 375) or on Free Speech TV (DISH Network Channel 9415 or DirecTV Channel 348).
  Click here to see all of our coverage of Election 2012.Join the discussion on our Facebook page, on Google+ or on Twitter #ExpandTheVote.
Romney Stronger, But Debate Too Dry, Wonky for Stupid Undecided Voters to Comprehend
  Link to Article
  Source: Debbie Schlussel
  Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:36
  By Debbie Schlussel
  I found tonight's Presidential debate extremely boring. There were no one-liners or zingers, and there was nothing particularly memorable. Yes, Romney was markedly stronger overall and Obama was weak, off-key, and consistently on the defensive. But I'm not sure it was the ''mega-rout'' that Republicans are claiming. The thing is, while Romney will probably get a slight, ephemeral bounce from this, it probably went right over the heads of the undecided voters, at whom the debate is aimed and whose votes both candidates are trying to sew up.
  Remember, these are stupid people. After 3.75 years of Obama and 2-plus years of heavy Romney campaigning (after a lot of Romney campaigning before he lost to loser John McCain), they are so clueless that they still aren't sure for whom they are voting to this point. Do you really think people this unintelligent have any idea what Simpson-Bowles or Dodd-Frank are? Come on. Most of the people already die-hard voters for Obama don't know what those things are. The undecided definitely don't know. And the dry, wonkish, boring discussion of them and regulation and taxes was way, way, way over their heads. Although the boring tenor did convince me that Obama was indeed a professor.
  And while some tell me this debate was supposed to be strictly about the economy, I thought I heard moderator Jim Lehrer say that it was about domestic issues. And education and defense spending were mentioned. Not mentioned was a key economic and national security issue on which Obama and Romney both agree . . . and on which they are both dead wrong: immigration. Funny, huh? And, yet, both of them want amnesty for all illegal aliens in our midst, which will be an economic (worse than ObamaCare) and national security disaster. I liked Romney's comments about not cutting defense and about being a businessman. On education, Obama missed an easy response to Romney's ''Massachusetts' schools are number one'' line (that Romney hasn't been governor for some time and how were the schools when he was gov?). And he just was ill-prepared and uncomfortable.
  As for Sesame Street and PBS, Romney won't ever cut PBS, despite his claims. Big Bird won't have to worry about packing his bags anytime soon. Paul Ryan not only wouldn't cut that, but he didn't even have the cojones to cut the House Gym. Nice line. But talk is cheap.
  The ObamaCare issue was kind of comical. Mitt Romney saying his version was good because he had Republican support? Huh? So, socialism and statism is okay, so long as Republicans vote for it? They both sound (and are) alike on this issue, and, again, it went over the undecideds' heads.
  Frankly, the debate would have been better . . . if ''The Family Guy's'' Stewie Griffin were moderating it. Sadly, we had Jim Lehrer, who debated the debaters, making it even duller.
  Don't expect any bounce from this to last for Romney beyond next week. And we start all over again with the Ryan-Biden debate soon enough.
  Do you think the debate performance tonight by Romney will help him in the polls, despite bias? Yes or no? And why?
Kilo's coca¯ne gevonden in supermarkten
  Link to Article
  Source: VK: Home
  Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:50
  03/10/12, 22:29 '' bron: ANP
  (C) ANP.
  De politie heeft woensdag in drie supermarkten in Noord-Nederland enkele tientallen kilo's coca¯ne gevonden. De politie liet woensdagavond weten dat de harddrugs door supermarktmedewerkers werd gevonden in bananendozen. De politie heeft de verdovende middelen in beslag genomen en doet onderzoek naar de herkomst van de drugs.
  Om welke plaatsen het gaat of om welke supermarkten kan de politie niet zeggen. Wel dat het gaat om drie filialen van een supermarktketen in de provincies Friesland, Drenthe en Overijssel.
  Volgens haar wordt de supermarkt niet verdacht in deze zaak. Het vermoeden is dat de partij drugs voordat het in de supermarkten terecht kwam, niet is opgehaald.
Andreessen Horowitz drops $15M on Web annotation startup
  Link to Article
  Source: CNET News
  Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:48
  The startup, RapGenius, has developed a way to annotate with additional information everything from rap lyrics to poetry to news.
  A look at how annotating on RapGenius works.
  (Credit: Screenshot by CNET )Looking to help jump-start a new era in annotating Web text, leading venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz today said that it's investing $15 million in RapGenius, a startup that enables such annotations.
  RapGenius was founded on the idea that rap lyrics needed explanation. And given that Andreessen Horowitz partner Ben Horowitz is a well-known rap devotee, there's an obvious hook that would attract the VC firm to help fund the startup.
  "Given that RapGenius is a Web site where people explain rap lyrics, and given that my partner Ben is a noted rap fanatic, your first reaction might be, 'That Horowitz guy has completely lost his mind,'" wrote Marc Andreessen in a release about the funding. "I, on the other hand, find rap every bit as comprehensible as ancient Mesopotamian. That's why I'm writing this...not him."
  Andreessen explained that while RapGenius is already well known for helping to decipher hip-hop lyrics and the like, and that the company has a top-tier team, it's the startup's "much bigger idea and...much broader mission" that warranted $15 million of Andreessen Horowitz's money. The idea, he said, is that RapGenius wants to "generalize out to many other areas of text [and to] annotate the world, [to] be the knowledge about the knowledge."
  "There's music in other genres and other languages," read the funding announcement, "but what about other categories? Poetry, literature, the Bible, political speeches, legal texts, science papers. And those are just the start. We think the community will continue to expand beyond rap into all culture."
  Andreessen concluded his thoughts by explaining that one thing RapGenius does that particularly piqued his interest was offer Web text annotation, something he'd been trying to make happen since he co-built the very first Web browser, Mosaic. "It seemed obvious to us that users would want to annotate all text on the Web -- our idea was that each Web page would be a launchpad for insight and debate about its own contents."
  He explained that he and his partner, Eric Bina, built such a system but couldn't make it work for the general public, leading them so shelve it. "I often wonder how the Internet would have turned out differently if users had been able to annotate everything," Andreessen wrote, "to add new layers of knowledge to all knowledge, on and on, ad infinitum. And so, 20 years later, RapGenius finally gives us the opportunity to find out. It's an ambitious mission, and one we are proud to get behind."
Motown Records Producer Frank Wilson is Dead
  Link to Article
  Source: Jacky Jasper's Diary of a Hollywood Street King
  Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:47
  by Jacky JasperMotown record producer and songwriter Frank Wilson, who worked with the Supremes, the Temptations and Marvin Gaye, has passed away at his Southern California home, at the age of 71-years-old.
  His daughter, Tracey Stein, tells the Los Angeles Times that Wilson died of complications from a lung infection.
  Wilson, who later became a minister, wrote or co-wrote the hits ''Love Child'' for Diana Ross and the Supremes, ''Chained'' for Marvin Gaye and ''All I Need'' for the Temptations. After Eddie Kendricks left the Temptations, Wilson produced his 1973 hit ''Keep On Truckin' (Part 1).''
  Wilson also helped write ''You've Made Me So Very Happy,'' a 1967 Top 40 single for Motown's Brenda Holloway that soon became an even bigger hit for Blood, Sweat and Tears.
  Rest in Peace!Please Share This Article -Other HSK Articles:
FTC settles with company that made Bieber, other fan websites
  Link to Article
  Source: Reuters: Technology News
  Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:14
  By Diane Bartz
  WASHINGTON | Wed Oct 3, 2012 6:09pm EDT
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The company that makes fan websites for such tween favorites as Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Rihanna has agreed to pay $1 million to settle charges that it illegally collected data about more than 100,000 children.
  The Federal Trade Commission, in a complaint filed in a New York district court on Tuesday, had accused Artist Arena LLC of failing to get parental consent before collecting data like names and email addresses of children.
  FTC spokeswoman Claudia Bourne Farrell said the company agreed to settle for $1 million. The settlement must be approved by a judge, she added.
  The company maintained the websites RihannaNow.com, DemiLovatoFanClub.net, BieberFever.com and SelenaGomez.com, and improperly collected data from an estimated 101,000 children aged 12 and under, according to the FTC complaint.
  Under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), websites are required to give special treatment to children aged 12 or younger. Sites must get parental permission before collecting information about the children.
  The FTC is in the process of updating the rules to further restrict companies and Web sites that target youths or are geared to young audiences.
  Artist Arena did not return emails requesting comment.
  (Reporting by Diane Bartz, editing by Gary Crosse)
  Link thisShare thisDigg thisEmailReprints
Apple Owns The World's Largest Hedge Fund
  Link to Article
  Source: Een andere kijk op nieuws @infomagnl » Nieuws items
  Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:12
  Geplaatst @ 3 oktober 2012
  The world's largest hedge fund is not located in the top floor of some shiny, floor-to-ceiling glass-clad skyscraper in New York, London, Hong Kong or Shanghai. It isn't in some sprawling mansion in Greenwich or Stamford which houses a state of the art trading desk behind a crocodile-filled moat. Instead it can be found in tiny, nondescript office in Suite 225 located on 730 Sandhill Road in Reno, Nevada."That's not possible" one may say - the world's largest hedge fund is Ray Dalio's Bridgewater, which at last check had about $100 billion in AUM (and which has so far had a less than stellar performance in 2012, underperforming the S&P by a substantial margin). Turns out it is: the fund which was at $117.2 billion as of June 30, and which has lately been growing at a pace of about $15 billion per quarter (which would put it at about $130 billion currently), is none other than Braeburn Capital, a Nevada-based asset management corporation.Who is Braeburn?Braeburn is a subsidiary of another far more famous company, which since 2006 has had one simple task: manage the cash of the parent company.
Impress Demo
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:11
  Impress DemoWelcome.
  I have a story I'd like to tell.
  It's about a very cool JavaScript library called Impress.It does these transitions and 3D effects. They get fancier as the demo progresses.And the text gets longer too. :-)
  I wrote these slides in the OPML Editor. Of course. :-)It's an outliner.
47% was not a gaffe
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:09
  There are silly mis-statements that should have no bearing on the outcome of the election. To call them out amounts to "neener neener" and Americans who are undecided or could change their vote are not influenced by them. Who cares if Romney says windows on planes should open? People who are voting for him will forgive it. People who aren't voting for him think it's significant. But no votes change.
  But the 47% line was not like that. It was an unusually clear statement of something very obvious about the Republican philosophy. Actually unprecedented. So important that it could not just bring down Romney, but it should also cause people who vote Republican to take another look at whether that's wise.
  I used to vote Republican, for the reason I think a lot of people still do. I want a strong country, one that doesn't waffle. I thought the Democrats were nominating people who, as Romney suggests about Obama, were asking for forgiveness. It started with Carter, again, as he says. I see his election as a response to Watergate and Vietnam. We had just spent a decade doing horrible things, and when the truth was out, we didn't trust ourselves. So we elected someone who would never commit the sins of Johnson and Nixon. It was the right choice for 1976. But then we forgot, and we elected a series of Presidents who in the end were much worse than either Johnson or Nixon. How much worse? Well the 47% idea really spells it out.
  What we need is to find a balance between the horrible governments of the Republicans and the anemic governments of the Democrats. That's why Clinton is so popular now. Even his Oval Office blowjobs look good. We don't want a saint. But we don't want Cheney or Romney either (don't kid yourself about who we elected in 2000 and 2004, it wasn't Bush, it was Cheney, Bush is a campaigner, a very good one, Cheney is governance).
  It would be nice if we Americans could talk to each other about this, instead of talking through the assholes we keep nominating. That said, Obama is not a terrible compromise, despite the atrocities Greenwald keeps reporting. That will change when we change. He's wrong to blame the government. As long as the Democrats have to run in the Republican environment, they're going to have to keep doing the shit they do to keep the bankers, oil industry, pharma, defense industry etc happy. If we ever decide to use our power, even for a moment, that might change.
Not From the Onion: Army Says 'Social Network' Use Is a Sign of Radicalism
  Link to Article
  Source: Dprogram.net
  Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:08
  (Wired) '' These are some warning signs that that you have turned into a terrorist who will soon kill your co-workers, according to the U.S. military. You've recently changed your ''choices in entertainment.'' You have ''peculiar discussions.'' You ''complain about bias,'' you're ''socially withdrawn'' and you're frustrated with ''mainstream ideologies.'' Your ''Risk Factors for Radicalization'' include ''Social Networks'' and ''Youth.''
  These are some other signs that one of your co-workers has become a terrorist, according to the U.S. military. He ''shows a sudden shift from radical to 'normal' behavior to conceal radical behavior.'' He ''inquires about weapons of mass effects.'' He ''stores or collects mass weapons or hazardous materials.''
  That was the assessment of a terrorism advisory organization inside the U.S. Army called the Asymmetric Warfare Group in 2011, acquired by Danger Room. Its concern about the warning signs of internal radicalization reflects how urgent the Army considers that threat after Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan shot and killed 13 people at Ford Hood in 2009. But its ''indicators'' of radicalization are vague enough to include both benign behaviors that lots of people safely exhibit and, on the other end of the spectrum, signs that someone is so obviously a terrorist they shouldn't need to be pointed out. It's hard to tell if the group is being politically correct or euphemistic.
  Around the same time, the Asymmetric Warfare Group tried to understand a related problem that now threatens to undermine the U.S. war in Afghanistan: ''insider threats'' from Afghan troops who kill their U.S. mentors. In another chart, also acquired by Danger Room, an Afghan soldier or policeman ready to snap could be someone who ''appears frustrated with partnered nations''; reads ''questionable reading materials''; or who has ''strange habits.'' Admittedly, the U.S. military command isn't sure what's causing the insider attacks, but it'll be difficult for an American soldier who doesn't speak Pashto or Dari to identify ''strange habits'' among people from an unfamiliar culture.
  The Asymmetric Warfare Group didn't purport to identify every factor leading to insider threats, from either Americans or Afghans, and cautions against using its assessments as ''checklists.'' But it takes a broad view of both the causes of radicalization and what might make someone at risk for it.
  Among Afghans, ''Cultural Misunderstandings,'' ''Civilian Casualties,'' ''Global Events'' or ''Political Speeches or Upheaval'' are listed as potential causes of ''Grievance-Based Action.'' All of which seems intuitive, but it doesn't help a commander, who may be preoccupied with the daily rigors of warfighting, from identifying which Afghans represent looming threats. The ''observable'' indicators of those threats run the gamut from an ''abrupt behavioral shift'' to ''intense ideological rhetoric'' to blinking red lights that shouldn't have to be pointed out to people, like ''mak[ing] threatening gestures or verbal threats.''
  American behavior is easier for Americans to understand, but the Asymmetric Warfare Group's list of red flags from American troops is also problematic outside context. Someone who ''takes suspicious or unreported travel (inside or outside the United States)'' could be linking up with a terrorist group. Or he could be hooking up with a lover, or a going on a road trip with friends, or anything else. Yet that's an example of ''Actions conducted by the subject that would indicate violent or terroristic planning activities that warrant investigation.'' The unreported aspect of the travel might be its most blatantly problematic feature.
  Similarly, some of the ''Risk Factors for Radicalization'' identified here apply equally to Normal Soldier and Ticking Time Bomb. Among them: ''Youth,'' which might be a difficult thing to mitigate against, unless the military wants to take former Pentagon official Rosa Brooks' unorthodox recruitment advice. ''Social Networks'' is another, and it's probably alarmingly coterminous with Youth. Still others: ''Emotional Vulnerability,'' ''Personal Connection to a Grievance'' and ''Conflict at Work or at Home.''
  To be fair to the Group, the bonds within a military unit can make it difficult to be alert to sketchy behavior, let alone the chain of command to it. And that disinclination to report something isn't limited to the military: The FBI didn't act on Hasan, even when he e-mailed the radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki seeking advice on the legitimacy of murdering Americans. The Group repeatedly underscores the need to ''notify the chain of command'' about suspicious behavior, even about behavior as potentially benign as ''chang[ing] type of off-duty clothing.'' A ''single reportable indicator is enough to report,'' it cautions, listing internal Army websites and phone hotlines to report a suspected Hasan 2.0.
  If underreporting suspicious behavior is a problem within the U.S. military, soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan probably won't have a problem reporting their suspicious about Afghans now that over 50 U.S. and allied troops have been killed by their Afghan counterparts this year. Marine Gen. John Allen, the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, told 60 Minutes on Sunday that he's ''mad as hell'' at the attacks, and while his troops are willing to sacrifice for the war, ''we're not willing to be murdered for it.'' Woe to Afghans deemed ''reclusive'' or engaging in ''peculiar discussions'' in the eyes of troops who don't share their culture.
  Source: Wired
  Related posts:
  Army Makes Guinea Pigs Out Of US CitizensAmerikan conspiracy: Russian troops to train with Army at Fort CarsonArmy Admits Re-Education Camp Manual ''Not Intended For Public Release''Stop the UN Gun Ban '' Sign the Firearms Sovereignty SurveyREPORT: 100,000+ active-duty Army troops on medsObama Opposes CISPA, But Will Sign It AnywayArmy Course Manual Trains Soldiers to Confiscate Constitutionally-protected FirearmsUS Will Sign Gun Control Treaty on July 27 '' Dick Morris TV
US Judge Orders Iran And Al-Qaeda To Pay $6 Billion Compensation To Victims Of 9/11
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:03
  A US judge formally ordered Iran, Al-Qaeda and several other defendants Wednesday to pay $6 billion compensation to the victims of September 11, 2001, in a largely symbolic ruling.Although Iran denies any connection to 9/11, it was included in the list of alleged culprits by the US District Court in New York, along with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Afghanistan's Taliban guerrillas and Al-Qaeda, which took credit for the massive terror attack.
  Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is also named.
  However, the money, awarded for economic, personal and punitive damages for a total of $6,048,513,805, is unlikely to be recovered.
  Iran is in a tense standoff with the United States over multiple issues, especially its nuclear industry and alleged plan to build an atomic weapon. Iranian-backed Hezbollah has no relations with the United States.
  Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, who is also named, was killed by US Navy SEALs in a raid inside Pakistan in 2011. The Taliban are in an active war with US-led troops across Afghanistan.
  The ruling caps a series of court decisions prompted by lawsuits filed by families of 47 victims from among the nearly 3,000 killed on 9/11.
  Last year, Judge George Daniels signed a judgment in favor of the plaintiffs. A magistrate then calculated the recommended compensation, which Daniels on Wednesday approved in his ruling.
  Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks, in which hijacked airliners were used to bring down the World Trade Center towers in New York and to crash into the Pentagon near Washington.
  The Taliban ruled Afghanistan at the time and were giving shelter to Al-Qaeda. Iran was blamed by the US court partly because some of the hijackers passed through the country on their way to carrying out the attacks.
DecodeDC by Andrea Seabrook '-- Kickstarter
  Link to Article
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:47
  DecodeDC is a new way to cover Washington. We are tired of the same old red vs. blue stories, the exhausting horserace coverage of elections. We yearn for stories with depth, on issues that really matter.
  If you do too, then help us make this happen.
  Our goal is to raise $75,000. If we get there, we'll produce thirty episodes of DecodeDC, plus do all that behind-the-scenes stuff you never hear about. Like run servers and use high quality software and recording equipment. Most important, the seed money will keep our chins just above water -- enough to eat ramen only a few nights a week.
  Here's what Andrea's colleagues say about her work.
  If we go above our goal, then even more dreams come true. We'll be able to travel to the most important stories, hire more freelancers, and build a community of journalists, trying to change our industry. We promise you this: every dollar you give us will be put to work, crafting coverage that is better, deeper, and stronger.
  Anything you can kick-in helps. Yes, we need the money; but we also need your energy and enthusiasm, your thoughts and ideas. Help us spread the word by posting this campaign on Facebook and Twitter. Join the discussion at DecodeDC.com. And throw a few coins in the hat to help DecodeDC tell the stories that really matter.
  Risks and challengesLearn about accountability on KickstarterIf we reach our goal we will certainly have a lot of packages to address and send to you! Production Assistant Lina Misitzis has been carefully planning for that phase of the process-- working with manufacturers on the rewards, estimating time and postage, etc. The real work is the production of great audio journalism, something Andrea Seabrook has been doing for 14 years at NPR. But it takes time and a lot of work to put together the kind of podcasts we're doing, and it's possible that the schedule could slip. We've tried to build in enough production breaks to help us get ahead.
Is Your Child Mentally Ill?
  Link to Article
  Source: Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names » article
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:22
  How has Big Pharma managed to get so many children on expensive drug cocktails for ''mental illness''? Drugs that they may not even need?
  Big Pharma has spent millions on public relations campaigns that tell parents, teachers and clinicians to dose children at the first sign of problems. It knows if parents treat their kids early they will never know if the kids needed the drugs in the first place and whether residual problems are ''mental illness'' or drug side effects. The kids will also probably be life long customers because parents will be afraid to take them off the drugs. No wonder Pharma tells parents not to wait for ''excessive energy'' or ''mood swings'' to go away in the awareness campaigns. Ka-ching.
  One ''prescribe early'' campaign for the atypical antipsychotic Risperdal uses a macabre abandoned wallet, a teddy bear, and keys on a barren street ''to reposition a drug that was being used too late to achieve its maximum bene¬�ts,'' said its advertising agency, Torre Lazur McCann. Brand managers for Seroquel, a competing antipsychotic, even considered creating Winnie-the-Pooh characters like Tigger (bipolar) and Eeyore (depressed) to sell Seroquel, according to published reports, at an AstraZeneca sales meeting. Parents say they have seen toys emblazoned with Seroquel logos.
  Only one child in ten thousand has pediatric schizophrenia'--some say one in thirty thousand'--but that doesn't stop Gabriele Masi, MD, with the Stella Maris Institute for Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry at the University of Pisa in Italy from portraying it as a public health problem. In an article titled ''Children with Schizophrenia: Clinical Picture and Pharmacological Treatment,'' in the journal CNS Drugs, Masi writes, ''Awareness of childhood- onset schizophrenia is rapidlyincreasing, with a more precise de¬�nition now available of the clinical picture and early signs, the outcome and the treatment strategies.''
  Symptoms of childhood schizophrenia include ''social de¬�cits'' and ''delusions . . . related to childhood themes,'' writes Masi. What child doesn't have ''social de¬�cits''? Do delusions include imaginary playmates? Masi lambastes the ''hesitancy on the part of clinicians to make a diagnosis of schizophrenia,'' instead of prescribing early. Masi has received research funding from Eli Lilly, served as an advisor for Shire and been on speakers bureaus for Sano¬� Aventis, AstraZeneca, GSK, and Janssen, all of which manufacture many of the leading psychiatric drugs for children, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
  It's tempting to ridicule Pharma funded doctors who find mental illness and even relapses and ''treatment resistance'' in people who have been on the planet for forty months. But pathologizing three-year-olds isn't funny. Both four-year-old Rebecca Riley of Hull, Massachusetts, and three-year- old Destiny Hager of Council Grove, Kansas, died in 2006 from psychiatric drugs that included Geodon and Seroquel to treat their ''bipolar disorders.'' And in 2009, seven-year-old Gabriel Myers of Broward County, Florida, a child in a state facility, hung himself while on Symbyax, a pill that combines Zyprexa and Prozac. If it weren't for Big Pharma's prescribe early campaigns, these children, and others, might still be alive. END
  Martha Rosenberg's is an investigative health reporter. She is the author of Born With A Junk Food Deficiency: How Flaks, Quacks and Hacks Pimp The Public Health (Prometheus).
Secretary Clinton Hosts the U.S.-Afghanistan Bilateral Commission
  Link to Article
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:53
  SECRETARY CLINTON: Good morning, and let me welcome all of you to the State Department, to the Benjamin Franklin Room, for the launch of the U.S.-Afghanistan Bilateral Commission.I want to thank my colleague and friend, Foreign Minister Rassoul, and all of our guests from Afghanistan and this distinguished delegation for joining us today. And I want to thank the American delegation, which represents our entire government, for committing to this bilateral commission meeting. We have leaders and experts here from across both the Afghan and American governments. That is a reflection of the breadth and depth of our enduring partnership.
  For more than a decade, Americans and Afghans have worked side-by-side to help the Afghan people build a more stable and secure future. We have also fought side-by-side to improve security throughout the country, to strengthen Afghanistan's democratic institutions, to support its civil society, and to sow the seeds of economic opportunity for the Afghan people.
  This has been a tremendous shared effort. It's also been very challenging. These past few months in particular have presented obstacles and some potential setbacks, and we know that difficult days lie ahead. But despite the challenges, the United States is committed to the people of Afghanistan. And we have made progress together that too often is overlooked in the face of the headlines that talk about some unfortunate incident.
  We have worked together to develop the health and education systems of Afghanistan, and we're now seeing gains in both education and health among the people. We have worked to advance women's rights that enables women, who have suffered so much over the last 30 years, to contribute to their family, their community, and their country's future. We have seen a vibrant media develop. We have seen access to electricity brought to parts of Afghanistan that had never experienced that before, and I could go on and on.
  And I hope one of the results of this bilateral commission meeting will be to help publicize the positive gains that the Afghan people have experienced over the last decade thanks to their hard work and determination.
  Now, as partners, we look to the future. The transition is on track. Every day, Afghans forces are increasingly capable and taking more responsibility for their nation's security. On the political side, President Karzai has put forward an ambitious reform agenda leading up to elections in 2014. And to prepare for an economic transition as the war winds down, we and our partners in the international community laid the groundwork for unlocking Afghanistan's economic potential at the Tokyo Conference this summer, where each country represented made commitments in the spirit of mutual accountability.
  This Bilateral Commission is beginning its work shortly after the Strategic Partnership Agreement was signed by President Karzai and President Obama in Kabul in May. The Strategic Partnership Agreement and this bilateral commission will help to guide the relationship between Afghanistan and the United States as we move to the next phase of our relationship. It reflects a shared vision and a shared commitment to mutual responsibility and accountability. And it focuses on areas that will be critical to Afghanistan's future, including in the areas of security, human rights and democracy, institutions and governance, economic development, and regional security and cooperation.
  We know it will take time to deliver the results that the people of Afghanistan are working toward, but as President Obama and I have said many times before, the United States has made an enduring commitment to Afghanistan that was forged in sacrifice. Just a short time ago, we reached a grim milestone: 2,000 U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan. The American people have invested a great deal in Afghanistan's future. And even though our role in Afghanistan is changing, this partnership will continue.
  So here today, we will discuss specific steps that we can take together to implement the Strategic Partnership Agreement. I am eager to hear the ideas and specific recommendations for how we can make swift, concrete, and measurable progress. One of the things we will talk about today is our plan to begin negotiating the next piece of our bilateral partnership: the Bilateral Security Agreement, which will establish the framework of our future security relationship based on our shared vision of a secure and stable Afghanistan. I am pleased to announce that Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador James Warlick will lead the negotiations for the United States.
  As we look ahead, we will certainly be aware of the many challenges that remain, but I also want to be aware of the opportunities that we can seize together. And I urge that all of us do our part and to remember the millions of people across Afghanistan and the United States who expect us to accomplish good things together. Let's deliver strong results for them.
  So thank you again for joining us. Thank you for the hard work that we are beginning today. Now, let me turn to the Foreign Minister for his opening remarks.
  FOREIGN MINISTER RASSOUL: Your Excellency, Secretary Clinton, dear friends and colleagues, thank you so much for hosting this inaugural meeting of the Afghanistan-United States Bilateral Commission, and thank you for your gracious hospitality.
  We meet today against the sad and tragic backdrop of Ambassador Stevens and his colleagues lost in Libya just last month. Let me extend, once again, our deepest and sincerest sympathies to you, Madam Secretary; to your colleagues at the State Department; and to you, to the family and friends of Ambassador Stevens and his three colleagues. Indeed, it's because of similar enormous sacrifices by the soldier, diplomats, aid workers, and publics of our two nations that have allowed our two countries to lay down the foundation of a strong friendship and a solid partnership, and to continue our best efforts to build a future of common security and peace, dignity, and opportunity for our people.
  Today's meeting is both unique and historic, and I'm honored to be part of it. Founded on shared value, shared interests and mutual respects, and the promise of a future of peace and prosperity, the Strategic Partnership Agreement between Afghanistan and the United States has opened a new chapter in the relationship between our countries.
  We approach this partnership from the fundamental premises that serve our national interest, and is potentially linchpin of security and stability in the region. We will continue to make progress in pursuit of our common strategic objectives, and ensuring the safety, security, and prosperity of the Afghan people.
  Madam Secretary, 10 years ago, we had just begun emerging from long dark era of war, violence, and destruction. The challenges of restoring security to the lives of the Afghan people and rebuilding Afghanistan into stable and a democratic country seemed overwhelming. Today, nevertheless, we are a proud member of the community of the nations and moving steadily toward a peaceful and self-reliant future. Our partnership has responded to the threats to international peace and security, and has placed Afghanistan on the path towards a secure, democratic, and prosperous future.
  I believe this Bilateral Commission will grow into the most key forum for our relation and partnership, and to convene in point for many committed actors in both our government and to expansive dialogue to define and implement coordinated collaborative action in realizing our common interest and shared goals.
  As the Joint Steering Committee and Working Group continue to advance cooperation and monitor progress toward various aspect of our partnership accepted for the Strategic Partnership Agreement, let me assure you, Madam Secretary, that Afghanistan is fully committed to building on our shared success of the last decade, delivering results, and taking on the challenges ahead.
  There are important priorities before us, all of which are crucial for the long-term security, stability, and prosperity of Afghanistan. We are encouraged by the continued progress of the transition process and the long-term commitment we have from our allies in '' to support the Afghan security forces. In this regard, negotiating a comprehensive bilateral security agreement between our countries to the satisfaction of both sides is of paramount importance.
  I am pleased to know that the United States has assigned an outstanding diplomat, Ambassador Warlick, to lead the negotiation on the agreement on the behalf of the United States. Ambassador Hakimi, also one of our finest diplomats, will lead the process on our behalf. I wish them both and their teams all the best in this important endeavor.
  Moreover, Madam Secretary, we will continue to pursue the peace process vigorously. This is the just and deserving right of the Afghan people and the surest path to ending the cycle of violence in Afghanistan. We recognize the significance of the upcoming election for the future stability of Afghanistan. He will assure '' we will ensure that the necessary conditions are in place for building '' for holding free, fair, and transparent elections.
  As we continue to advance human rights, enhance regional cooperation for peace and prosperity; develop our human and national resources; combat corruption; improve governance; build infrastructure, public health and education; and to fight terrorists and extremism, we will count on the continuing and substantial support of our biggest and most important ally, the United States of America.
  And we will pursue all these priorities with special attentions to the continued promotion of the rights of Afghan women and girls in increasing their always significant role in the social, political, economic, and cultural life of our society.
  May I take this opportunity to thank all those from the United States and Afghanistan committed to a solid and strong Strategic Partnership between Afghanistan and the United States, and to your determined effort and hard work. The challenges before us are great, but so too the promise of our partnership. So let us make the most of this opportunity and build on this strong foundation of our partnership to secure and better future.
  Thank you very much, Madam.
  SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much, Minister.
Fox News Psychiatrist: It's 'Way Normal' to Hoard 'Enormous Cache' of Weapons Because of Iran
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:52
  A member of the Fox News Medical A-Team on Wednesday insisted it was "way normal" to stockpile personal weapons because Iran had a nuclear program -- and, in fact, the people who were not hoarding survival gear might be the "crazy ones."
  During a segment titled "Normal or Nuts?," a viewer asked Dr. Keith Ablow if they were "nuts" to have "amassed years of food, fuel, generators, outdoor survival gear & an enormous cache of defensive ordinance."
  "Way normal!" Ablow insisted. "Because how can this guy be crazy when the Iranians are close to getting a nuclear weapon? It may be that the rest of us who aren't amassing survival gear are the crazy ones."
  "I say, check the ammunition, make sure it's live because these are dark days potentially," he added. "So, not delusional, simply seeing reality."
  Fox & Friends First co-host Ashley Earnhardt wondered where New Yorkers with small apartments were supposed to store their survival gear.
  "The cache is in my apartment," he explained. "You're welcome anytime."
  (h/t: Media Matters)
Fusion Centers Flayed in Senate Report
  Link to Article
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 17:11
  October 3rd, 2012 by Steven AftergoodThe state and local fusion centers supported by the Department of Homeland Security have produced little intelligence of value and have generated new concerns involving waste and abuse, according to an investigative report from the Senate Homeland Security Committee Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. (NYT, WP)
  ''It's troubling that the very 'fusion' centers that were designed to share information in a post-9/11 world have become part of the problem. Instead of strengthening our counterterrorism efforts, they have too often wasted money and stepped on Americans' civil liberties,'' said Senator Tom Coburn, the ranking member of the Subcommittee who initiated the investigation.
  While it may not be the last word on the subject, the new Subcommittee report is a rare example of congressional oversight in the classical mode. It was performed by professional investigators over a two-year period. It encountered and overcame agency resistance and non-cooperation. And it uncovered '-- and published '-- significant new information that demands an executive branch response. That's the way the system is supposed to work.
  This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012 at 11:16 am by Steven Aftergood and is filed under Secrecy. 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.
Federal Register | Order Denying Export Privileges
  Link to Article
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:57
  On October 24, 2011, in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, Anna Fermanova (''Fermanova'') was convicted of violating Section 38 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2778 (2000)) (''AECA''). Specifically, Fermanova was convicted of knowingly and willfully attempting to export from the United States to Russia night sighting equipment specifically designed, modified and configured for military use, specifically one Raptor Night Vision Weapon Sight, Model M644-4X and two Advanced Rifle Sights, Model D-740-3A, defense articles that were listed on the United States Munitions List, without first obtaining the required license or written approval from the State Department. Fermanova was sentenced to four months in prison, four months of home arrest followed by three years supervised release. Fermanova was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and a $100 assessment. Fermanova was released from prison on May 4, 2012. Fermanova is also listed on the U.S. Department of State Debarred List.
  Section 766.25 of the Export Administration Regulations (''EAR'' or ''Regulations'') [1] provides, in pertinent part, that ''[t]he Director of the Office of Exporter Services, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Export Enforcement, may deny the export privileges of any person who has been convicted of a violation of the [Export Administration Act (''EAA'')], the EAR, or any order, license or authorization issued thereunder; any regulation, license, or order issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706); 18 U.S.C. 793, 794 or 798; section 4(b) of the Internal Security Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 783(b)), or section 38 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2778).'' 15 CFR 766.25(a); see also Section 11(h) of the EAA, 50 U.S.C. app. 2410(h). The denial of export privileges under this provision may be for a period of up to 10 years from the date of the conviction. 15 CFR 766.25(d); see also 50 U.S.C. app. 2410(h). In addition, Section 750.8 of the Regulations states that the Bureau of Industry and Security's Office of Exporter Services may revoke any Bureau of Industry and Security (''BIS'') licenses previously issued in which the person had an interest at the time of her conviction.
  I have received notice of Fermanova's conviction for violating AECA, and have provided notice and an opportunity for Fermanova to make a written submission to BIS, as provided in Section 766.25 of the Regulations. I have not received a submission from Fermanova. Based upon my review and consultations with BIS's Office of Export Enforcement, including its Director, and the facts available to BIS, I have decided to deny Fermanova's export privileges under the Regulations for a period of five years from the date of Fermanova's conviction. I have also decided to revoke all licenses issued pursuant to the Act or Regulations in which Fermanova had an interest at the time of her conviction.
  Accordingly, it is hereby
  Ordered
  I. Until October 24, 2016, Anna Fermanova, with a last known address at: 4708 Nocona Drive, Plano, TX 75024, and when acting for or on behalf of Fermanova, her representatives, assigns, agents or employees (the ''Denied Person''), may not, directly or indirectly, participate in any way in any transaction involving any commodity, software or technology (hereinafter collectively referred to as ''item'') exported or to be exported from the United States that is subject to the Regulations, including, but not limited to:
  A. Applying for, obtaining, or using any license, License Exception, or export control document;
  B. Carrying on negotiations concerning, or ordering, buying, receiving, using, selling, delivering, storing, disposing of, forwarding, transporting, financing, or otherwise servicing in any way, any transaction involving any item exported or to be exported from the United States that is subject to the Regulations, or in any other activity subject to the Regulations; or
  C. Benefitting in any way from any transaction involving any item exported or to be exported from the United States that is subject to the Regulations, or in any other activity subject to the Regulations.
  II. No person may, directly or indirectly, do any of the following:
  A. Export or reexport to or on behalf of the Denied Person any item subject to the Regulations;
  B. Take any action that facilitates the acquisition or attempted acquisition by the Denied Person of the ownership, possession, or control of any item subject to the Regulations that has been or will be exported from the United States, including financing or other support activities related to a transaction whereby the Denied Person acquires or attempts to acquire such ownership, possession or control;
  C. Take any action to acquire from or to facilitate the acquisition or attempted acquisition from the Denied Person of any item subject to the Regulations that has been exported from the United States;
  D. Obtain from the Denied Person in the United States any item subject to the Regulations with knowledge or reason to know that the item will be, or is intended to be, exported from the United States; or
  E. Engage in any transaction to service any item subject to the Regulations that has been or will be exported from the United States and which is owned, possessed or controlled by the Denied Person, or service any item, of whatever origin, that is owned, possessed or controlled by the Denied Person if such service involves the use of any item subject to the Regulations that has been or will be exported from the United States. For purposes of this paragraph, servicing means installation, maintenance, repair, modification or testing.
  III. After notice and opportunity for comment as provided in Section 766.23of the Regulations, any other person, firm, corporation, or business organization relatedto Fermanova by affiliation, ownership, control or position of responsibility in theconduct of trade or related services may also be subject to the provisions of this Order ifnecessary to prevent evasion of the Order.
  IV. This Order does not prohibit any export, reexport, or other transaction subject to the Regulations where the only items involved that are subject to the Regulations are the foreign-produced direct product of U.S.-origin technology.
  V. This Order is effective immediately and shall remain in effect until October 24, 2016.
  VI. In accordance with Part 756 of the Regulations, Fermanova may file an appeal of this Order with the Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security. The appeal must be filed within 45 days from the date of this Order and must comply with the provisions of Part 756 of the Regulations.
  VII. A copy of this Order shall be delivered to Fermanova. This Order shall be published in the Federal Register.
Federal Register | 36(b)(1) Arms Sales Notification
  Link to Article
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:50
  The Department of Defense is publishing the unclassified text of a section 36(b)(1) arms sales notification. This is published to fulfill the requirements of section 155 of Public Law 104-164 dated 21 July 1996.
  Ms. B. English, DSCA/DBO/CFM, (703) 601-3740.
  The following is a copy of a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Transmittals 12-26 with attached transmittal, policy justification, and Sensitivity of Technology.
  Dated: September 26, 2012.
  Morgan F. Park,
  Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
  BILLING CODE 5001-06-P
  [FR Doc. 2012-24327 Filed 10-2-12; 8:45 am]
  BILLING CODE 5001-06-C
The Entire Oil And Gas Industry Is Watching A Tiny Town In Wyoming
  Link to Article
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:36
  Most scientists have long maintained it was highly unlikely that chemicals pumped into the ground for fracking gas could move all the way up through bedrock and into the water table. But that appears to be exactly what has happened underneath Pavillion, Wyoming, population 213.
  Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency announced new USGS test results were consistent with its December tests that fracking likely contaminated groundwater there.
  Duke University Professor Rob Jackson has studied the effects of fracking in Pennsylvania and (when they were still active) New York.
  He's also been closely following the Pavillion study.
  "The industry likes to say there's never been a case of fracking contaminating groundwater," he told us by phone. "What made the EPA report so controversial is that they concluded that's what happened."
  Yesterday, the EPA found methane had leaked into a watertable in Dimock, Pennsylvania where drillers are tapping the Marcellus shale.
  But those results are less disturbing than Pavillion, Jackson said. The contamination in Dimock was most likely because of a crack in a pipe, something relatively easy to address.
  And the drilling that occurs in the Marcellus takes place thousands of feet below aquifers '-- unlike the situation potentially unfolding in Pavillion, where the drilling, which was performed by the company Encana, reaches less than 1,000 feet below the surface.
  "If it's moved up into the rock, that's a harder problem to fix than a poorly constructed pipe," Jackson said.
  Doug Hock, a spokesman for Encana, said in an email there was nothing surprising in the USGS' results.
  More important is the fact that USGS only sampled one of the two monitoring wells. This goes to the heart of concerns raised by state and federal agencies, as well as Encana'--EPA's wells are improperly constructed. Specifically, the report seems to indicate that USGS declined to sample MW02 because the well could not provide a sample that was representative of actual water quality conditions.
  The EPA has not announced when it will finalize its conclusions for Pavillion '-- the agency is still accepting public comments on its findings from December.
  Jackson believes whatever the outcome, fracking will be here to stay.
  But the results will significantly raise the stakes regardless.
  "It will still be controversial," he said. "The take home message in Pavillion is, don't frack a well so close to the surface."
  SEE MORE '-- Our complete, narrated guide to fracking:
  &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Please enable Javascript to watch this video&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;
Cameron Diaz geeft zich bloot
  Link to Article
  Source: Telegraaf.nl - prive
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:09
  wo 03 okt 2012, 12:27
  AMSTERDAM - FOTO'S Er zijn pikante foto's van Cameron Diaz opgedoken waar de actrice voor de lens van Terry Richardson poseert.
  De plaatjes zijn bedoeld voor het mannenblad Esquire Magazine. In een interview met het tijdschrift vertelt Diaz dat ze zich veel better in haar vel voelt als veertiger dan toen ze vijfentwintig was.
  Wereldberoemde fotograaf Terry Richardson die bekend staat om zijn schokkerende foto's van celebs, mocht de plaatjes van de 'What To Expect When You're Expecting'-actrice schieten.
  Bekijk de pikante foto's hier .
  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
YouTube censors 'Organic Spies' video exposing Whole Foods employees lying about GMOs
  Link to Article
  Source: Dprogram.net
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:58
  See Also: (NaturalNews) '' Whole Foods Censors GMO Expose '' Read More Here
  (NaturalNews) '' I once thought Whole Foods was a great place to shop, and I used to look forward to finding a Whole Foods store in every city I visited. Now when I see ''Whole Foods'' I think to myself, ''Poison Foods'' and I have images of those cancer tumors in the rats just pop into my head. I will never shop at Whole Foods again unless and until this corporation honestly labels GMOs or stops selling them altogether.
  Two days ago, a group calling itself ''Organic Spies'' released a shocking video exposing the ''GMO lies'' at Whole Foods. The retailer sells masses of Monsanto's genetically modified corn, it turns out, and its employees blatantly lie to customers while claiming Whole Foods sells no GMOs at all! YouTube is now playing along with this lie by censoring the ''Organic Spies'' video, which happened earlier today.
  On YouTube, you can watch videos of people having their teeth knocked out, animals being brutally shot by hunters, and even sexually explicit ''soft porn.'' But you absolutely cannot be allowed to watch a video exposing the truth that Whole Foods sells a massive amount of GMOs at its stores.
  That video, featuring hidden camera footage from the ''Organic Spies'' investigative group, was recently pulled (censored) by YouTube, most likely after complaints from Whole Foods itself.
  Any attempt to view the video now results in a message from YouTube: ''This video has been removed because its content violated YouTube's Terms of Service.''
  In other words, it told the truth.
  Here's the screen shot of the message YouTube now displays when you try to watch this video:
  And here's a screen shot of YouTube's takedown notice given to the owner of the original video:
  Aaron Dykes at InfoWars.com published a hard-hitting investigative story about this yesterday afternoon. That story even revealed financial ties between Whole Foods executives and politicians who promote GMOs and who work to further the interests of Monsanto.
  As Dykes reports, Whole Foods has officially responded to the Organic Spies video by admitting that YES, they do sell GMOs in their stores. Many of their employees, however, seem to be completely unaware of this. As Whole Foods states in their blog:
  The YouTube video showing our store Team Members giving conflicting responses to a question about GMOs reminds us that while we try to keep all our 70,000 Team Members up-to-speed on the latest information, clearly we need to do more. Some products in our stores DO contain GMOs '-- just like any other food store in the country, due to the pervasiveness of GMOs'...
  Whole Foods goes on to claim it supports Proposition 37, but it refuses to donate even a single dollar to support the measure! (www.CArighttoknow.org)
  We have uploaded this BANNED video to TV.NaturalNews.com, and you can now watch it by clicking here.
  Given that YouTube doesn't want you to see this investigative journalism video, there's even more reason to spread the word about this and show others what the corporate status quo in America absolutely does not want you to see!
  Here's the link to the video on TV.naturalnews.comhttp://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=484FC93C887B206A895A116C0A3469E3
  TV.NaturalNews.com, by the way, is the last refuge of free speech in natural health videos. Where YouTube censors videos that tell the truth, we welcome these videos and freely distribute them for everyone to see.
  We own our own video network and run the servers ourselves. No one can force us to take them down, short of a court order. As we are defender of free speech, we actively work to protect the free speech rights of whistleblowers such as Organic Spies.
  YouTube is, of course, widely engaged in censorship of the truth. My own ''TSA Help Wanted'' video was on track to be viewed by tens of millions of people before YouTube censored it by slapping an ''age restricted'' status on it, even though the video contained absolutely no images or language not allowed on television. Click here to watch the TSA video that YouTube censored.
  In pulling the ''Organic Spies'' Whole Foods GMO video, YouTube is also now fully engaged in helping corporate entities like Whole Foods hide their GMOs from the public. As the video itself showed, Whole Foods sells masses of GMOs to its customers, and none of those GMO foods are labeled as containing GMO.
  Whole Foods, in other words, is a huge financial supporter of Monsanto because it retails Monsanto-produced GM foods to tens of millions of customers each year. Whole Foods has so far refused to require GMO labeling of the products it sells, and yet Whole Foods employees flatly LIE about all this, ridiculously claiming that Whole Foods sells no GMO whatsoever. This is true across numerous Whole Foods employees, not just a few isolated cases.
  That's what this video revealed. This is why the video was banned by YouTube. This is the truth that you're not supposed to know about Whole Foods '-- a corporation that has betrayed the values of its own customers by secretly selling genetically modified corn'... the very same strain of corn that French researchers fed to rats who developed massive cancer tumors and suffered alarming rates of premature death.
  Think about it: What those French researchers fed to the rats, Whole Foods is selling to you!
  If you shop at Whole Foods, YOU are the lab rat!
  Whole Foods apparently wants you to keep blindly buying the products it carries, without you having any real knowledge about the GMO content of what it sells.
  That's unethical. It's unacceptable. It's a betrayal of the very values of the holistic health community. And it's an indictment of the empty, soulless, deceptive mindset at the very top of Whole Foods, a corporation that quite literally sells products containing a deadly insecticide built right into the food itself. How is that ''wholesome'' food? How can Whole Foods even call itself ''Whole'' foods when some of the food it sells contains a deadly pesticide that kills living creatures?
  That statement is a scientific fact, by the way. Whole Foods cannot deny this fact. They cannot face the truth and they cannot even face their own customers whom they may very well be poisoning each and every day by continuing to sell genetically modified corn that French researchers have now linked to horrifying cancer tumors in rats. In an age of evil corporations seeming to dominate everything '-- medicine, weapons of war, criminal banking institutions and so on '-- Whole Foods increasingly appears to be happily positioned in bed with the evil corporations rather than fighting against them. Whole Foods is playing the old ''go along to get along'' game at the corporate level, ridiculously hoping this GMO labeling issue will somehow go away if they just ignore it long enough.
  Heck, I'm surprised Whole Foods hasn't given money to oppose Proposition 37! Just like Monsanto, Dow Chemical, Nestle, Bayer, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and all the other usual suspects. The corporate behavior of Whole Foods almost parallels Monsanto at this point. Hence the name I suggested in my previous article: WholeSanto.
  The bottom line? If you shop at Whole Foods, you may be unknowingly poisoning yourself with ''natural'' foods containing GM corn. As the truth about the dangers of GMOs continues to come out, Whole Foods is going to look increasingly irresponsible, unethical and even dangerous to its own customers.
  Because if Whole Foods is going to sell you food containing insecticide, then why shop at Whole Foods at all? You can save a small fortune and get the exact same deadly insecticide by shopping at a conventional grocery store. If Whole Foods isn't going to differentiate itself by avoiding foods that may be toxic to its customers, then what's the point of shopping there at all?
  I repeat: SHAME on Whole Foods for its irresponsible behavior on the issue of GMOs. Its actions are wrong-headed, deceptive, and possibly even dangerous to the health of its customers.
  Join me in boycotting Whole Foods over its hidden GMOs and its refusal to tell the truth about what it's really selling. We expect better from this company. We demand better, or we won't shop there at all.
  Instead, buy from your local farmers' markets and food cooperatives. Grow as much of your own food as you can, using heirloom seeds.
  And no matter where you shop, buy organic. Organic foods have virtually zero GMO content, so choosing organic is the best way to avoid genetically modified ingredients.
  Here's my pledge to you: In our store (www.ShopNaturalNews.com) we will never knowingly sell products made with genetically modified ingredients '-- and we read labels and scrutinize our vendors. We absolutely refuse to carry GM products in our store, and we will NEVER offer a product made with GMOs that gets described as ''natural.''
  That's a hoax. A marketing scam. Virtually all ''natural'' snack chips made with corn, for example, contain genetically modified corn! How is that natural? It isn't. Why does Whole Foods even carry these products?
  Of course, we'll never be as big as Whole Foods, but at least I can sleep at night knowing that what people acquire from us is nourishment, not poison. At least I know I'm fighting to keep people alive, not to have them slow-killed by eating themselves to death.
  When I look in the mirror, I can honestly, 100% with integrity, smile and say that I made decisions in the best interests of Natural News readers and customers, and that I never '-- NEVER '-- sold out my own audience by selling them toxic products for a profit.
  There is a line I simply will not cross. That is the line of fundamental human compassion and responsibility to my own support base of customers, readers and fans. Whole Foods has not only crossed that line; they can't even seem to remember where the line was!
  Shame on Whole Foods, a massive retailer for Monsanto's genetically modified corn.
  Source: Natural News
  No related posts.
5 Million Volt Cattle Prod Developed For ''Crowd Control''
  Link to Article
  Source: Dprogram.net
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:51
  October 3rd, 2012
  BattleProd designed for pain compliance
  (PaulWatson) '' As law enforcement agencies and the federal government accelerate their preparations for civil unrest, a new 5 million volt tactical cattle prod has been developed for the purposes of ''crowd control'' and pain compliance. \
  In the video above, Donovan Hunter of Stunning Developments, Inc. showcases the new BattleProd, the world's first weapon-mountable pain compliance-inducing stun baton which Hunter says is designed for use in ''crowd control applications.''
  The weapon was on display at the recent 2012 SOFIC (Special Operations Forces Industry Conference), described as ''the defense industry's premier event,'' and attended by military and police professionals. The event was sponsored by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
  According to a write-up of the BattleProd by Defense Review, the weapon is ''intimidating'' and ''loud''.
  ''This thing is just too much fun. I mean, what's not too like? It gives you 3-5 million volts of compliance-inducing electricity either in your hand (handheld variant) or at the end of your weapon (rifle/carbine, weapon-mountable variant). Touch the BattleProd anywhere on the rod (front, sides, etc.), and you're goin' down like a sack a' potatoes. Actually, you're probably goin' night-night for a little while,'' writes David Crane.
  The most powerful Tasers can only reach around 50,000 volts and despite being described as ''non-lethal'' have killed at least 500 Americans. Given that the BattleProd can achieve 5 million volts, concerns surrounding the safety of the device will obviously be paramount. However, in the clip Hunter claims that the weapon cannot kill and that victims fully recover after around 20 minutes.
  The fact that the weapon is being developed for use by both police and military assets who are increasingly being re-oriented to carry out homeland security operations will increase fears that the BattleProd will be another tool of domestic oppression in the event of widespread civil unrest.
  As we reported last week, LRAD sonic weapons which are also designed to disperse crowds via non-lethal pain compliance are being deployed ''throughout'' America in readiness for upcoming national emergencies and other crises.
  The Department of Homeland Security, the US Army, US Military Police, as well as law enforcement bodies across the country are all making preparations for riots and civil unrest in light of domestic disorder that has gripped Europe as a result of the financial crisis, most recently in Greece and Spain.
  A recently leaked US Army Military Police training manual for ''Civil Disturbance Operations'' outlines how military assets are to be used domestically to quell riots, confiscate firearms and even kill Americans on U.S. soil during mass civil unrest.
  Watch another video clip of the BattleProd in action below.
  Source: Infowars
  Related posts:
  Know Thine Enemy: Crowd Control Tactics of the RegimeObama On How Americans Were F*cked By The Chevy VoltPrepping for Civil War: DHS Set to Purchase Up to Another 750 Million Rounds of AmmoMessage To The Voting CattleU.S., Israel developed Flame computer virus to slow Iranian nuclear efforts, officials sayUS Army Tactical Manuals Describe How to Control Domestic InsurrectionMcGrath: ''The Control Grid is Being Put Into Place to Handle What They Know Is Coming.''The Shadow Patsy Rises Again: How Mind Control Is Connected To Gun ControlTags: 5 million volt, cattle prod, crowd controlThis entry was posted on Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012 at 4:57 am and is filed under Dictatorship, Education/Mind Control, Fascism, Film/Video, Martial Law/Police State, 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.
Debate advice: Turn off Twitter
  Link to Article
  Source: CJR
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:48
  As we get ready for the Demolition Derby in Denver (aka the Mile High Mud Wrestle), I want to return for a moment to the golden days of campaign reporting when debate clich(C)s were still being created the old-fashioned way, stamped out by journalistic craftsman down at the Old Metaphor Factory.
  Wednesday night I will be Live Blogging for Yahoo News with my hands, tweeting with my feet, and maybe posting on Facebook with my elbows. But even amid this cavalcade of commentary, I hope I will remember the lessons about debate coverage that I picked up 28 years ago, during my first big prime-time moment.
  The October 7, 1984, face-off between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale was an historic event: the first presidential debate ever scheduled on a Sunday night. For Newsweek and Time, still locked in their struggle for slick-paper supremacy, this was worse than a postal rate increase. In those days, both magazines went to press on Saturday night, with East Coast copies available early Monday morning. So a Sunday-night debate might as well have taken place on the dark side of the moon'--a campaign capstone watched by 65 million viewers but invisible to newsmagazine readers.
  Instead, in scramble-the-jets, hold-the-press-run fashion, both magazines stayed open, with scrappy Newsweek even pulling off a full debate cover. I can recall almost every moment of that Sunday night debate, since I wrote that Newsweek cover story. My instructions were simple: Type as many words of voice-of-God news-magazine prose on the debate as you can in 45 minutes before anxious editors meld it with your pre-written B-matter on the candidates' week.
  And I delivered, producing enough political bromides to fill a medicine chest and enough platitudes to satisfy both Plato and Socrates. Rereading my story on NEXIS (sorry, I could not locate it on the web), I cringe at the fandango of fatuousness: ''The battle was finally joined'' as Mondale looked ''presidential'' and the ''candidates went podium to podium'...during their intense fusillade over taxes and the economy.''
  Two weeks later, feeling brashly confident this time, I did it again, during the second Sunday night Reagan-Mondale debate. I duly recorded, in my second paragraph, Reagan's pitch-perfect quip, ''I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I'm not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience.''
  But in my haste to write, I mentally checked out during Reagan's closing statement. So, unfortunately, did the Gipper, as his rambling and never-finished story about driving along the Pacific Coast Highway made him appear like a doddering old man. (The transcript only partly captures the sadness of the moment). To my continuing embarrassment, I never mentioned the incident in my Newsweek cover story, titled ''Reagan Wins a Draw.''
  There is a moral here for all of us who will be journalistically multi-tasking during Wednesday night's debate: As much as humanly possible, look up from your computers and actually watch what is happening.
  If the rapacious demands of deadlines, fact checks, and demonstrating your cleverness on social media make full attention impossible, then avoid sweeping conclusions about the political ramifications of the debate. Remember that your reactions will not be typical of anyone other than similarly hyperactive reporters and short-attention-span political junkies.
  Canvassing in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday alongside an Obama volunteer, I met an undecided voter whom I doubt will be on Twitter on Wednesday night. Kevin Scholl, a firefighter, is unsure whether he will vote for Barack Obama as he did in 2008, and he will be watching the debate for clues and cues about the president and Mitt Romney. When I interviewed him on his doorstep, Scholl was vague about what he wanted to hear to sort out his voting decision. But it is a safe bet that what animates Scholl will be far different from what intrigues political reporters.
Audit Notes: Insert hospice joke here, Web pagination, too big to value
  Link to Article
  Source: CJR
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:47
  The Washington Post is getting into the hospice business, which prompted a few too many obvious jokes about death and newspapers. But lots of people are understandably wondering what the Post is thinking.
  After the hospice surprise wears off, it seems like it could be a positive move, and the company has a track record of outside investments paying off. The Post's Kaplan buy is what's kept the firm afloat the past few years and Don Graham had a handshake deal for 10 percent of Facebook that would have returned 160,000 percent had he held Mark Zuckerberg to it'--an amount that would have set up the company for, oh, a half a century or so. Its cable business makes good money too.
  It's better to use its cash to diversify the company and bring in new revenue streams than to squander it on dividends and share buybacks. Here's the Post on the business its parent is buying:
  Founded in 1996 in Mars, Pa., by Arnie Burchianti, a physical therapist, Celtic Healthcare has $43 million in annual revenue and serves about 2,000 patients from nine locations spanning western, central and northeastern Pennsylvania and Montgomery and Baltimore counties in Maryland. Celtic Healthcare employs proprietary technology and specialized chronic-disease management programs'...
  Jodi McKinney, director of corporate communications at Celtic, said the company hopes to tap The Post Co.'s ''financial resources and long-term commitment'' to expand and ''eventually serve tens of thousands of patients with care in their homes.
  '-- Back when the Intertubes started getting popular, we thought they'd free us from the tyranny of the newshole and from having to flip back and forth from the front page to A17 to read a story.
  Then the Web (understandably) landed on pageviews as a primary measure of readership, and designers started gaming the system by paginating stories.
  Slate's Farhad Manjoo has an excellent piece on why this is counterproductive
  Pagination is one of the worst design and usability sins on the Web, the kind of obvious no-no that should have gone out with blinky text, dancing cat animations, and autoplaying music. It shows constant, quiet contempt for people who should be any news site's highest priority'--folks who want to read articles all the way to the end.
  I'm like Manjoo: When I go to the NYT site or even our own here at CJR, I automatically look for the ''single page'' button. Clicking and waiting a couple of seconds or longer (if you're on the Washington Post's site, say) for pages to load interrupts the flow of the story.
  '-- The Bank of England's Andrew Haldane, in an op-ed for the Financial Times, argues that giant banks aren't just too big to fail, they're too big to figure out. That's a big reason why they trade at big discounts to their book value:
  The problem for investors appears to be not so much too-big-to-fail as too-complex-to-price.
  This was last the case in the depths of the Depression. Then, mirroring recent experience, US bank price-to-book ratios fell from above two to well below one between 1928 and 1933. This set the stage for the Glass-Steagall Act, a market-induced but regulatory-enforced unbundling of the banking portfolio.
  Of course, that's not the only reason for the discount. Haldane says that banks are lying about how good or bad their assets are:
  The legacy is the overhang of overvalued bank assets. There are several reasons for this. One is forbearance on past loans, which appears to be both large and latent. Quite how large and latent is unclear. Near-zero global interest rates, actually and prospectively, have encouraged forbearance by lowering the costs of prevarication. Global accounting rules have also contributed to an overvaluation of legacy assets, as they prevent banks adequately provisioning for future loan losses. International efforts to rectify this are at risk of stalling.
Paulien Huizinga happy single
  Link to Article
  Source: Telegraaf.nl - prive
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:41
  wo 03 okt 2012, 13:02
  van onze redactieAMSTERDAM - VIDEO - Paulien Huizinga is very happy single. De 41-jarige presentatrice geniet ervan dat ze ongegeneerd one night stands kan beleven.
  Paulien scheidde vorig jaar na zeven jaar van Michiel Mol, met wie ze twee kinderen heeft. Sindsdien geniet ze van haar vrijgezelle leven en voelt ze zich begeerd. "Als ik in Amsterdam in een gezellig kroeg sta en ik kijk om me heen en zie dat er vier mannen om me heen staan, dan voel ik me wel begeerd ja."De 41-jarige presentatrice is niet vies van een one night stand. "Ja vooral als alleenstaande moeder bestaan one nights stand zeker", lacht ze tegenover de camera van Novum Nieuws. "Dat vind ik heerlijk,. Dat ik niets meer verwacht en dat ik er vanuit ga dat die persoon dat ook niet van mij verwacht."
  Voorlopig is ze niet van plan zich te binden. "Ik zit op dit moment in mijn eentje prima in mijn vel dus ik wil het eigenlijk zo laten", ladus Paulien. "Ik ben al getrouwd geweest en ik heb al kinderen dus die drang heb ik niet meer."
  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
Who stopped police helicopter from pursuing Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik?
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:41
  Despite having his number plate phoned in the Oslo police failed to follow Anders Breivik on 22/7 from Oslo to Utoya island. But was that a genuine error or part of a wider operation to paralyse national police reaction including spies and agents within the Norwegian security forces?Oslo Police Department's Operation Leader Britt B¸rve, Britt Borve - it appears blocked the anti-terror DELTA force pursuit of pro-Zionist, anti-Muslim 'crusader' terrorist Anders Breivik. Her identity has been hidden from press and public, only her initials were revealed, but looks likely according to those in the know that it was indeed her that twice blocked requests for the helicopter. Operation Leader Britt B¸rve at the Oslo Police Department operation HQ on 22/7 had the very highest authority and did not have to ask anyone before sounding the national alarm system, alerting the media and activating the helicopters. She denied twice the DELTA anti-terror force's requests to use the police helicopter, she didn't mobilise any other helicopters that could come to the AUF Labour Youth's rescue at Ut¸ya island, and she didn't forward the tip from a member of the public about the Fiat Duplo van with the green registration plates and the number VH24605 to the region's police districts, the radio, TV & newspapers. She repeatedly denied neighbouring police districts' offers to support the Oslo PD operation, and she did not order roadblocks and control posts. All in all I find it very suspicous that the mass media protects her identity, by not naming her in piblic. Who is to say that she was NOT a part of the terror operation, when she acts in such a high degree as a supporter of Anders Breivik?Norwegian: Operasjonsleder Britt B¸rve ved Oslopolitiets operasjonssentral 22/7 var alts¥ aller h¸yeste myndighet og trengte ikke sp¸rre noen om lov til ¥ sl¥ riksalarm, varsle mediene og sende opp helikoptrene. Hun avslo to ganger DELTA-troppens anmodning om bruk av politihelikoptret, hun mobiliserte heller ingen andre helikoptre som kunne komme AUF-erne p¥ Ut¸ya til unnsetning, og hun videresendte ikke publikumstipset om varebilen med de gr¸nne skiltene merket VH24605 til stlandets politidistrikter, radio, TV & aviser. Hun avslo flere ganger nabodistriktenes tilbud om politist¸tte, og hun satte ikke opp veisperringer. Summa summarum syns jeg det er meget suspekt at massemediene beskytter hennes identitet, ved ikke ¥ navngi henne. Hvem sier at hun IKKE var en del av terroroperasjonen, n¥r hun i s¥ sterk grad opptrer som st¸ttespiller for Anders Breivik? http://www.911forum.org.uk/board/viewtopic.php?p=162682#162682
Amsterdam Goes Green with Electric Scooter Taxis
  Link to Article
  Source: ZapLog - externe links
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:38
  Six years ago Dutchman Ruben Beugels was on an Amsterdam tram that broke down, leaving him stuck in an out-of-the way place, and late for an appointment when he couldn't quickly find another means of transport.
  Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...
  Read More >>
  By Roberta Cowan
  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Six years ago Dutchman Ruben Beugels was on an Amsterdam tram that broke down, leaving him stuck in an out-of-the way place, and late for an appointment when he couldn't quickly find another means of transport.
  "I was very frustrated at being late, and it was then that I thought, hey a scooter would be able to get me to my meeting on time," said Beugels, founder of Hopper, Europe's first electric taxi scooter service, which will debut in Amsterdam on Monday.
  Amsterdam's 17th Century canals and cobbled streets make driving cars, including taxis, in the centre of the city often difficult and time consuming due to unloading trucks, congestion or road blocks, which is one of the reasons so many Amsterdamers prefer to use bicycles within the city centre.
  Dutch public transport, including trams, trains and buses, is generally considered reliable and efficient, but these services, which span out like a fan from the main central train station reaching to the city's edge, aren't available throughout the oldest parts of Amsterdam's city centre, which Beugels hopes will become Hopper's new turf.
  Beugels, who calls the scooters a "new form of public transport," says they will help bridge the gap between using public transport and getting to your final destination, or that last kilometre, right to the doorstep.
  The scooters are high-tech, kitted out with navigation and tracking systems by the Dutch firm TomTom and a Samsung smartphone which is locked into the dash and a tablet on the back, which is used for digital advertising.
  Beugels expects the glossy lime green coloured scooters will become an urban fixture in Amsterdam and eventually in the three other biggest Dutch cities including The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht, where Hopper scooters will be rolled out throughout 2013.
  The electric scooters drive at a maximum speed of 25 km/h and can go 130 km on a fully charged electric battery. Hopper's main garage, replete with 100 scooters to start, crouches between TomTom HQ and Amsterdam's central train station.
  Six years since he was left stranded by the tram, Beugels cobbled together a consortium of partners, distributors and sponsors from both private and public sectors, including the city of Amsterdam, the National railway and sustainable bank Triodos, which provided half of the financing.
  "Everything we finance has to contribute, one way or another, to a better quality of life because we think that profit should not come at the expense of the world's most pressing problems, which is why we finance organic farming, sustainable buildings, arts and culture, and renewable energy schemes," said Maarten Thijs from Triodos.
  "This particular loan customer (Hopper) has a very clever idea, but it's also very simple and sophisticated, which is why we like it," said Thijs.
  Users can call, book online or use the Hopper app to find the nearest driver and contact them directly to book a ride, which is a flat rate of 2.50 euros.
  "Amsterdam will become a bit more Italian with all those hip scooters in town. Very nice. But the nicest thing is that the Amsterdam Hoppers are noiseless and non-polluting," said Peter-Paul Blommers, marketing expert who has advised Hopper.
  (Reporting by Roberta B. Cowan)
Nicole Kidman Says No to Saying N-Word!
  Link to Article
  Source: Jacky Jasper's Diary of a Hollywood Street King
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:36
  by Jacky Jasper
  Standing Up To A Derogatory Director'...The scripting of the N-word seems to have set the grounds for some serious tension on the set of a movie starring Nicole Kidman. Insiders say the actress stood by her refusal to say the n-word, going as far as feuding with her boss '' film director Lee Daniels '' over the derogatory term.
  It happened on the set of erotic thriller 'The Paper Boy'. Now, sources say the tension between Kidman and Daniels remains.
  Here's are Lee Daniels' disrespectful choice words against Kidman:
  ''Her character was supposed to say the N-word, and she wouldn't say it. I was angry.
  My producer tells me, 'Are you serious? She bends over a washing machine and takes it from John Cusack in the first day, she has telepathic sex with Cusack in prison on the second day, she urinates on Zac Efron on the third day, and you're angry because she won't say the N-word? Give the girl a break.' I said, 'Alright.'''
  Let's not forget, this is the director who brought us the buffoonery flick 'Precious', with none other than 'The Butler' soon to be listed on his roster too. Is Lee Daniels now selling out while hiding behind the safety of his producer (Caucasian) to out Kidman as a common whore for not following his racist protocol? Of course! Don't believe me.. Ask Cassian Elwes.
  Please Share This Article -Other HSK Articles:
Al Gore: Can I buy the rights to your firestorm footage to use in my global warming presentations? Filmmaker: Nah, it'd be deliberately deceptive.
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:35
  **Written by Doug Powers
  But'... doesn't this guy realize that everything is caused by climate change and therefore it is absolutely impossible for Al Gore to be deceptive on any level? I guess not:
  A WEATHER expert has backed the stance of an Alice Springs filmmaker who refused to sell footage of a firestorm to former US vice-president Al Gore '-- to use in Mr Gore's climate presentations '-- because the event was unrelated to climate change.
  Chris Tangey from Alice Springs Film and Television recorded the phenomenon on Curtin Springs Station, 360km southwest of Alice Springs, while scouting locations for a film.
  The footage has been an international sensation, reported widely in global media.
  In an email exchange with Mr Gore's office, Tangey said using the footage in a climate-change framework would be ''deliberately deceptive''.
  ''I am aware that you may have missed the reporting on the very localised nature of this firestorm,'' Tangey wrote. ''However, in any case, I am confused as to why you would offer to buy a licence to use it at all unless you had conducted even elementary research which might indicate that this Mt Conner event had direct linkage to global warming/climate change.''
  Now we can only speculate what specifically Gore planned to claim was the cause of this firestorm in Australia '-- probably some guy's gas powered leaf blower in Paducah. Instead the Goracle will have to settle for the ''climate change is causing filmmakers to go into deep denial'' angle.
  The Dirty Weather Report will have to find its dirt elsewhere.
  **Written by Doug Powers
  Twitter @ThePowersThatBe
  ~ For the latest breaking news, be sure to join Michelle's e-mail list ~
Report: JP Morgan Makes Over Half A Billion Dollars Off Food Stamps.
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:33
  Indeed, JP Morgan's Christopher Paton told Bloomberg News that food stamps are big business for the big bank:
  ''We are the largest processor of food stamps in the country'...[the EBT program] is a very important business to JP Morgan. It's an important business in terms of its size and scale'.... Right now volumes have gone through the roof in the past couple of years or so. The good news from JP Morgan's perspective is the infrastructure that we built has been able to cope with that increase in volume.''
  While some may be glad that a private company'--not a government agency'--is tasked with EBT transactions, the GAI report reveals that JP Morgan does not use the same fraud detection systems commonly used by today's credit card companies. In fact, federal and state agencies'--not EBT processors'--are the ones tasked with policing food stamp fraud.
  That means EBT processors enjoy multiple pathways to profits that run counter to efficiency and strong oversight. For example, writes GAI president Peter Schweizer:
  Any time TANF recipients withdraw their cash benefits or make balance inquiries through out-of-network ATM machines, the user may incur ATM transaction fees generally ranging from $.75 to $1.50. In addition, most states allow EBT processors to charge card replacement fees. Arizona cardholders, for example, are permitted one free replacement a year, after which a $5 per card fee is imposed. The same goes for customer service calls: After an EBT cardholder exceeds the state's maximum number of free calls, EBT processors typically tack on a $.25 per call fee.
  By making welfare inefficiency and abuse lucrative, the poverty industry has created a potentially toxic brew of corporate cronyism and government inefficiency that lets food stamp abuse enforcement slip through the bureaucratic cracks:
  According to the USDA's website, the federal food stamp program has ''over 100'' inspectors to police the nearly 200,000 retailers nationwide that accept EBT cards. For its part, the state of Florida has 63 positions allocated to police over 3 million EBT users. JP Morgan is currently involved in an eight-month pilot project with Florida focused on EBT fraud and abuse. The total staff? Just one JP Morgan employee and five to ten state employees, according to Florida officials.
  So how did EBT processors like JP Morgan land its lucrative half-billion dollars worth of contracts?
  The GAI report, Profits From Poverty: How Food Stamps Make Corporations Money, says JP Morgan's political donations to members of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees (who oversee the food stamp program) skyrocketed once the bank entered the EBT market:
  Between 1998 and 2002, JPMorgan's total contributions per election cycle averaged $82, 897. After JP Morgan entered the EBT services market until the 2010 election cycle, their average donation per cycle more than doubled to $215,120'.... JPMorgan's donations to political campaigns also show a clear trend. During the 2008 election, Barack Obama received more than twice the contributions of John McCain: $807,000 for Obama compared to McCain's $345,505.
  Today, one out of every seven people in America receive taxpayer-funded food stamps.
Former BBC Radio 1 boss 'knew about Jimmy Savile sex abuse claims in 1970s'
  Link to Article
  Source: Culture | guardian.co.uk
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:28
  Jimmy Savile: the BBC is under pressure over claims the presenter was involved in sexual abuse. Photograph: R Poplowski/Getty Images
  The former head of Radio 1 knew in the early 1970s about accusations of sexual abuse involving Sir Jimmy Savile, an ex-press officer for the station has claimed.
  Rodney Collins said on Wednesday that an ex-Radio 1 controller, the late Douglas Muggeridge, asked him to find out whether newspapers were looking into sex abuse claims about Savile in 1973.
  Collins, who was head of press for Radio 1 when Savile was a DJ at the station, urged the BBC to launch a full internal inquiry and to examine who knew what and when.
  "The BBC should now '' having first of all said they knew nothing about this '' there should be a full inquiry, they should co-operate with the police. If anyone working there at the time had some knowledge of this they should put their hands up," Collins told MediaGuardian.
  A BBC spokesman said: "The comments made by the former press officer reflect a conversation that he says he had during this time. The BBC has conducted searches of the BBC's files and has not found any written record of misconduct or allegations of misconduct by Jimmy Savile during his time at the BBC. We are of course keeping our searches for information under review as and when new information comes to light."
  The BBC has examined all official records held about Savile and found no evidence of formal complaints or disciplinary proceedings. However, any informal conversations involving BBC executives are unlikely to have been officially recorded.
  Collins said Muggeridge told him in 1973 that he had heard claims involving young girls relating to the Radio 1 programme Savile's Travels and wanted to know whether any newspapers were investigating.
  He added that he believed Muggeridge and the then managing director of BBC radio, Ian Trethowan, knew about the Savile claims. Trethowen, who died in 1990, later became director general of the BBC.
  "What I don't know is where he [Muggeridge] got the information from. He was obviously told something," said Collins. "He said: 'Can you find out what Fleet Street knows?' I went to two tabloid papers and two London evening papers and I got from everybody the same story: 'Yes we'd heard rumours, but no we won't print anything.'"
  Collins added that Muggeridge and Trethowan would have acted if they believed the allegations to be true.
  He said that after he reported back to Muggeridge that no papers were planning to print any stories, he doubted that the Radio 1 controller then ever questioned Savile directly about the claims.
  "Here was a man raising tens of thousands of pounds for charity and that makes newspapers think twice before frankly blowing a hole in someone's image," Collins said.
  "At no point did anybody I spoke to in 1973 say to me the police know about this. Had anybody said this to me then I would have frankly gone to my boss and said, 'This is not for me. You need investigators on this.' All I was doing was checking with journalists."
  The questions about Savile in 1973 came two years before he launched the show he is most famous for, Jim'll Fix It. He had been a regular on Top of the Pops since the show launched in 1964, presenting the very first show, and joined Radio 1 in the late 1960s.
  The Conservative MP Rob Wilson on Tuesday wrote to Lord Patten, the BBC Trust chairman, urging him to launch an independent internal inquiry into whether executives knew about the allegations stemming back to the 1970s.
  The BBC said last night it was "horrified" about the slew of fresh allegations that have emerged. The corporation vowed to co-operate with any police investigations after an intervention by the new director general, George Entwistle.
  A woman who claims she witnessed sexual abuse by Savile has criticised BBC bosses for dropping its Newsnight investigation into the late entertainer.
  Karin Ward said she believed BBC executives were "absolutely appalled" by what Newsnight's investigation had uncovered '' including several allegations that abuse took place on BBC premises '' and pulled the plug.
  Ward initially told her story to Newsnight before agreeing to go public with an ITV News interview, to be broadcast later on Wednesday.
  She said: "The producer of that programme was really into exposing Jimmy Savile and I think he got quite a lot, in fact I think he ended up getting far more than they [BBC executives] wanted.
  "I think that they saw what he got and were absolutely appalled. So they just pulled it. He [the producer] was genuine, he really really wanted to expose Jimmy Savile."
  Ward said she discovered the 10-minute Newsnight programme had been dropped when she received a text message from a member of the production team.
  The Newsnight editor, Peter Rippon, has attempted to draw a line under questions about why its Savile report was dropped after several BBC insiders complained privately about the decision.
  Rippon admitted that he consulted his superiors in BBC News about the investigation but denied he faced pressure from above to shelve the 10-minute report.
  He said that it was dropped because Newsnight investigators were unable to stand up the public interest angle they were chasing, of institutional failure in relation to the Savile allegations.
  Rippon said in a blogpost on the BBC website late on Tuesday: "Did my bosses order me to do anything? No. I did discuss it with my bosses in news in the same way I do any contentious story we are working on. I was told in the strongest terms that I must be guided by editorial considerations only and that I must not let any wider considerations about the BBC affect my judgment."
  ' To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".
  ' To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook
DutchNews.nl - Finance minister to stop consumers dodging extra insurance tax.
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:23
  Finance minister to stop consumers dodging extra insurance taxWednesday 03 October 2012
  Junior finance minister Frans Weekers plans to take steps to stop consumers avoiding the extra tax on insurance due to be introduced at the beginning of next year.
  The tax on insurance is being more than doubled to 21% but insurance companies have already come up with ways to help consumers avoid the increase, for example, by paying 2013 insurance premiums this year.
  'That must not happen,' RTL news quoted the minister as saying. If necessary, consumers will get an extra bill to make up the difference, Weekers told RTL news.
  The increase in insurance tax will cost the average Dutch household '‚¬100 a year.
  Is this a good move by the minister? Have your say using the comment box below.
  (C) DutchNews.nl
  Readers' comments
  Leave a comment
NBC's Tom Brokaw on Who Runs The World.
  Link to Article
  Source: DaDenMan news feed
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:21
  NBC's Tom Brokaw on Who Runs The World
  Tuesday, 02 October 2012 16:30No Comments
  Via WeAreChange
  Luke Rudkowski of WeAreChange asks Tom Brokaw what he thinks the state of journalism is in today and who he thinks runs the world.
  (Read more'...)
  Read the full story...
  [VIA Disinformation]
  TAGS: Bankers, Banking, Journalism, Luke Rudowski, news, Tom Brokaw, We Are ChangeLeave a Reply
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Peanuts, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Diet
  Link to Article
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:20
  Sunland, Inc. was formed in 1988 by a group of dedicated peanut farmers in Eastern New Mexico. Its mission has not changed since inception: to grow and market the naturally sweet and dense Valencia peanut unique to the area.
  Our Customers helped us expand from our facilities in Portales, New Mexico, to establishments around the country and the world. We take great pride in every step of the process that brings Valencia peanuts to you! We also value and protect our farmers: the Organic and conventional peanut growers, who insure the quality and integrity of the Valencia peanut now and in the future.
  We call them nuts, but like all peanuts, Valencias are legumes, more closely related to peas and beans with one important difference: they grow beneath the ground.
  Valencias are smaller, sweeter and have more intense flavor than other varieties of peanuts. They have three to five kernels in each shell and are grown almost exclusively in eastern New Mexico. In fact 90% of the Valencia peanuts produced in the US are grown within 120 miles of our plant. Portales claims the honor of being the "Valencia Peanut Basin of the Nation."
  Farmers plant Valencia peanuts in May in the sandy soil of eastern New Mexico and west Texas. From a single peanut comes a beautiful plant which blooms in late August. Each blossom drops a "peg" which implants itself into the ground to grow a tasty Valencia peanut...more than 20 per plant.
  Valencia peanuts love the sandy soil of the Portales valley and the surrounding high plains. After the peanuts are dug in the fall, they dry naturally in the sunny autumn days which are unique to the area. It's a climate that is vital for the Valencia- a time for the peanuts to be "kissed by the sun" before they're gathered for processing.
  After a few days of drying time under clear New Mexico skies, they're gathered and brought to Sunland, Inc., for the first cleaning and more time drying in the trailers.
  Peanuts are sorted for a variety of uses at the plant. They may end up shelled, roasted, salted or crushed for oil.
  The peanuts destined for New Mexico's only peanut butter plant are shelled and roasted, and most of the red skins removed. Then the peanuts go through several crushing and mixing areas. Not a single additive is put into the old-fashioned peanut butter we make at Sunland.
Emergency Call for a United Front Against Austerity
  Link to Article
  Source: TARPLEY.net
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 10:01
  Webster G. Tarpley, Ph.D.TARPLEY.netOctober 3, 2012
  No matter whether Obama or Romney wins the coming presidential election, American working people will face a savage assault on their economic rights starting after the vote. The asset stripper Romney and his sidekick Ryan have openly demanded the shredding of the existing social safety net, while channeling the proceeds to parasitical bankers and hedge fund operators. Obama, using his usual method of deception, has signaled more discreetly his intention of using the hysteria around the alleged Fiscal Cliff to seal a Grand Bargain with the reactionary Republicans at the expense of the American people during the December lame duck session of Congress.
  Austerity and Sacrifice Spell Genocide Against AmericansIn reality, any demand for more austerity, sacrifice, or cuts in social services on the part of the American people amounts to a demand for genocide '-- a Nuremberg crime. Real unemployment is now in excess of 30 million people in the United States . Over 50 million people are in the most extreme poverty, with no job, no unemployment benefits, no welfare system, no health care, and only a meager allotment of food stamps to stay alive. And Republicans and Democrats agree that food stamps will be next to go! Other families are facing foreclosures by corrupt robo-judges and robo-signers, as the American middle class is crushed under $1 trillion of student loan debt and $1 trillion of high interest credit card debt. All of this follows a secular decline of almost two thirds in the American standard of living over the last four decades.
  Who Will Pay for the World Depression?As a result of globalization and the world derivatives panic of 2008, the United States and the world are gripped by an economic depression more destructive than that of the 1930s. The central political question today is: Who will pay for this depression? The class warriors of Wall Street want working people, the middle class, and the poor to foot the bill. But justice and economic survival demand that the costs of the Depression be borne by the zombie bankers and hedge fund hyenas who were responsible for the crisis in the first place.
  Class Defense NeededThe urgent need is therefore to establish the principle of class defense against the financiers and their retainers both left and right. But how? Obama's betrayals reveal him as a committed Wall Street puppet. He has sold out the Wisconsin pro-union and recall efforts, and waged a merciless campaign of union busting against teachers. One year after their heyday, the anarchists of Occupy Wall Street have failed to grab any piece of political power. Some deluded individuals thought that Ron Paul might save them, but Ron Paul turned out to be pushing the most fascist austerity of anybody in sight. Any illusions that OWS or the libertarians represented a real alternative have long since collapsed.
  The only method that can fill the resulting void is a united front of existing organizations and individuals coming together to cooperate in the fight for an emergency platform of class-based demands. This process must begin in New York City on October 27.
  Life and Death Issues for Working FamiliesEffective intervention begins with fighting demands related to the life or death struggles of working people. The typical working family is beleaguered by threats of foreclosure, the inability to see a doctor, the inability to pay a tuition bill, the lack of a job, the exhaustion of unemployment benefits, the need to win a strike, and other concrete concerns. We must begin here, with a new Frasier-Lemke Act to freeze all foreclosures, immediate institution off Medicare for All, a student loan freeze for at least five years, open-ended jobless payments, and similar measures designed to shift the cost of the depression back onto the Wall Street bankers who are responsible. Process reforms about campaign finance reform and the like are too abstract for the present phase.
  ''And who will pay for that?'', the reactionaries will ask. Wall Street, like the French aristocrats before 1789, pays virtually no tax '-- especially on the quadrillions of dollars of buying and selling derivatives and other securities through flash trading, program trading, and high frequency trading. Apply a 1% Wall Street Sales Tax to quadrillions in financial turnover, and federal and state budgets can be replenished to permit the measures just stated. Taxes on individual income or wealth should be considered, but they cannot come close to raising the needed revenue. The answer to the question about where the money will come from is therefore the Wall Street Sales Tax.
  Policy, Candidates, and Mass StrugglesThe United Front against Austerity will operate through policy and through candidates, and it will also intervene into mass struggles. In particular, any strike by teachers, policemen, firemen, or other public employees that does not specify that their demands are to be paid for by the Wall Street Sales Tax cannot hope to succeed in the current depression. National Nurses United and other effective unions have understood this. The Chicago Teachers Union was defeated, among other reasons, because they did not fight for this demand. Our approach to any strike will be to offer a program to make the bankers pay for the demands, while at the same time expanding the base of struggle in the population by bringing in potential social allies on the side of the strikers.
  Nationalize the Federal Reserve and Issue 0% Long-Term Credit for Infrastructure and Physical ProductionThe social safety net can and must be maintained by shoring up government budgets with tax revenues extracted from the zombie bankers. But the overburdened federal budget and the bankrupt money center banks are not adequate to finance a broad-based recovery of the real economy by creating new productive plant and equipment and new productive jobs. The credit needs of a recovering US economy can only be met by taking control of the Federal Reserve System and using it as a National Bank. No longer should economic policy be controlled by cliques of bankers meeting in secret; money supply, interest rates, and approved categories of lending must be determined by public laws voted by the Congress and signed by the president. This is what nationalization of the Fed means. Right now, bankers can borrow from the Fed at 0% interest. We need to end that practice and instead create a Main Street Window where companies in manufacturing, construction, energy production, export trade, mining, and agriculture can obtain 0% credit.
  Rebuild National Infrastructure and Create 30 Million JobsTo restart the US economy as a whole, we will need an initial credit stimulus of $1 trillion to be used by the Fed to purchase 0% coupon, hundred-year bonds issued by the states to finance the rebuilding of the nation's collapsing public works and infrastructure in superhighways and bridges; freight, passenger, and commuter railroads; ports, canals, and water projects; public housing; 1,000 modern hospitals; schools, public buildings, etc.
  This infrastructure program will deliver a self-sustaining economic recovery in capital goods and other industries, while creating 30 million new productive jobs at union wages, and bringing the United States near full employment for the first time since 1945.
  End Too Big to Fail, Ban Toxic DerivativesAlong the way to recovery, we will need to wipe out large parts of the mass of toxic, bankrupt, kited derivatives which is currently crushing economic activity around the world. The principle of Too Big to Fail must be ended, and insolvent banks must be subjected to bankruptcy liquidation, making sure that their toxic derivatives are wiped out. It is time to return to the New Deal Commodities Exchange Act of 1936-1982, in particular by banning the most dangerous derivatives, including Collateralized Debt Obligations, Credit Default Swaps, and the derivatives which are used to bid up the prices of food and energy. To promote the growth of world trade, we will require a new Bretton Woods System designed to maximize the economic progress of sub-Saharan Africa , South Asia , and the poorer countries of Latin America .
  ''But who should I vote for?'', some may still ask. Vote for whatever protest candidate seems to offer the greatest bang for the buck where you are, and try to avoid a power monopoly of either party, but do not imagine that mere voting represents an adequate response to the present crisis. It is time to stop looking for prepackaged political alternatives, and to recognize that successful action depends on your initiative in helping real alternatives to materialize.
  Above all, understand that it is still possible to win. A year ago in Greece, the opposition to the brutal austerity dictates of the European Commission, International Monetary Fund, and European Central Bank was fragmented and in disarray. But Alexis Tsipras and the Syriza Party proved capable of welding over a dozen organizations, splinter parties, and groups into a single united front, which then went from 4% of the votes to 27% in the course of two elections. Syriza now leads the opposition, based on a program of fighting class-based demands similar to the one advocated here. The current US vacuum in anti-establishment politics could make a similar regroupment even more rapid in the United States over the next six months. It is time to mobilize to seize this opportunity.
Anny Schilder krijgt geen cent
  Link to Article
  Source: Telegraaf.nl - prive
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 04:34
  AMSTERDAM - Zangeres Anny Schilder en haar manager Jaap Buys zijn voor tonnen opgelicht door afslankfirma Voldafarma.
  De Volendamse, die tegen vergoeding van 0,45 eurocent per verkochte pot haar naam levenslang verbond aan de afslankpillen, is, zo zegt de rechtbank, moedwillig opgelicht. 'žEr werden express verkeerde verkoopaantallen opgegeven om zo minder geld te hoeven vergoeden.''
  Hoewel de rechtbank Anny twee jaar geleden gelijk gaf en de Volendamse vordering toen heeft toegewezen, is er nog altijd geen cent van de 500.000 euro plus wettelijke rente (intussen rond de 185.000 euro) betaald door de firma Voldafarma. Jan Veerman, in de beginjaren betrokken bij het bedrijf, heeft zijn deel van rond zeven ton wel afgedragen aan Anny.
  Jaap Buys: 'žWe hopen dat juist zo'n curator enig licht brengt in deze zaak. We zijn al vijf jaar aan het procederen. Maar wij zijn geduldig. We gaan door tot het recht zegeviert.''
  Lees het gehele artikel in dagblad De Telegraaf.
  Proefabonnement,10 weken '‚¬ 30,-!
Why Facebook's Search Engine Won't Be Anything Like Google's
  Link to Article
  Source: Technology Review RSS Feeds
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 04:31
  Trying to match Google's immense index of the Web would be very costly'--but Facebook could instead build search on top of the data we've already given it.
  AP Photo | Paul Sakuma
  When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg mentioned during an interview last month that he wanted to build a search engine, headline writers instantly put leading search engine Google on notice. Yet, while Larry and Sergey are probably watching closely, the technology and data at Facebook's disposal suggest the company will most likely create something fundamentally different from Google's search service.
  Facebook lacks the comprehensive index of the Web that it would need to equal Google's ability to match queries with Web pages'--and it would have to invest a lot to create one.
  However, flush with cash from its IPO this summer, the world's largest social network already has its own unique stockpile of data'--courtesy of its users' social lives'--that could power a new kind of search engine altogether. By mining users' updates about vacations, music listening interests, online habits, and more, Facebook Search could be better at answering subjective questions, about what products, experiences, and businesses you might be interested in, than a traditional search engine.
  "It would be very hard to create a general search engine to match Google," says Apostolos Gerasoulis, a professor at Rutgers University who helped lead work on search technology at Ask Jeeves after the company acquired his search engine Teoma in 2001. Trying to replicate Google's approach would require Facebook to spend considerable sums developing and deploying software "bots" capable of crawling billions of Web pages every day to gather a comprehensive index of the Web, he says. "Because Google is so big," says Gerasoulis, "they have data for the long tail"'--the uncommon queries for which relatively few pages are a match.
  Microsoft's experience with Bing should caution Facebook against such an approach. Since 2009, the Redmond company has spent more than $5 billion on Bing, according to some analyses. Although the quality of Bing's results come close to Google's by some measures, Microsoft has struggled to turn Web users' heads. It serves only 15 percent of U.S. searches, compared with Google's 65 percent.
  A different approach may be more appealing to users of Facebook and other websites too. The social network has amassed a huge amount of data (see "What Facebook Knows") because, in a sense, its users are crawlers that index tiny fragments of both the Web and the offline world. As well as recommending Web pages, videos, and songs by sharing them with friends, and labeling those recommendations with relevant descriptions, Facebook users check into restaurants and other businesses, and post photos tagged to real locations.
  Gerasoulis says that could be the feedstock for a search engine focused on answering queries about the things that people share and discuss on Facebook, such as vacations, movies, recipes, and more. "When you go to specific subjects, the signals Facebook and other social networks have are amazing," says Gerasoulis. That approach would also open up new avenues for advertising revenue, since Facebook could sell ads that appear next to the results for particular search queries. This is the very model that provides most of Google's revenue.
  Delivering on that potential would require sophisticated algorithms capable of weighting social information, says Gerasoulis. Google and Microsoft have both experimented with such things through their efforts to introduce social signals into their search engines (see "Social Search Without a Social Network" and "Why Bing Likes Facebook"). But Facebook has much more social data to work with than just counts of "Like" button clicks.
  Mining users' comments could help Facebook unlock even more useful data. The new social search engine Trove'--built by a startup that just began publicly signing up users'--hints at the potential of this approach. It can retrieve content scattered across a person's multiple online accounts. For example, a search for "cute puppy" could reveal an unlabeled Instagram photo of a new pet because the photo previously elicited a tweet using the word "dog" and a Facebook comment saying "adorable!"
  As the hosts of so much valuable information, "Facebook and Twitter both have teams working on search," says Seth Blank, Trove's founder and CEO. Digging deep into social data can uncover a wealth of information and forgotten content related to things people care about, he says, most of it not accessible by conventional search engines.
  "If you're planning a vacation somewhere, the truth is your networks have probably already discussed it at length," says Blank by way of example; the networks he means consist of friends of friends as well as direct contacts. Blank believes his company will survive alongside a Facebook search engine by offering a neutral service capable of linking together different social sites. So far, the big social networks have been happy to let Trove work toward that, he says.
  As Microsoft discovered, though, technology alone may not be enough to tempt people to try a new search engine. Facebook's site already offers a search box at the top of every page, but people use it primarily to find other people, not search for content or answers to questions. Blank says research at Trove has shown that some people presented with a search box plugged into their social networks struggle to think of what to search for.
  Gerasoulis says that is not an insignificant challenge for Facebook. "Search is about what you want right now," says Gerasoulis. "You go to Facebook and hang out; it doesn't currently have the same directness."
  If Facebook wants its search engine to succeed, it will need to craft something that not only is matched to the data the company holds but makes it clear to its millions of users why they need another search box in their life.
Is This the Beginning of 'Insider Attack' Units in Afghanistan?
  Link to Article
  Source: News From Antiwar.com
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 04:23
  The details surrounding this weekend's green-on-blue attack, in which the 2,000th US soldier was slain in Afghanistan, continue to be murky, but officials are now expressing concern at indications that it was not just another ''lone insider'' attack, but a whole ''insider unit.''
  The official investigation isn't complete, but the troops say they came under fire from ''multiple persons'' and possible attacking from ''multiple directions,'' which would be a first for the insider attacks which usually begin and end with one attacker emptying his weapon and either being killed or running off.
  The story actually seems to jibe with the Afghan government's fist version of the attacks, in which they claimed the US troops fired on Afghan troops, and that the Afghan troops returned fire. The Afghans chalked the whole thing up to a ''misunderstanding.''
  At any rate the initial report that an attacker killed the US soldier, a translator and three Afghan soldiers may not be the case, and it seems that the Afghans may have killed the US soldier, and themselves been killed by other US soldiers. Accidental gunbattles are nothing new in the Afghan War, but if this was actually an ''on purpose'' insider attack by a whole unit, it could be yet another gamechanger in the endless war.
  Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz
Rome gaat broodje eten op straat verbieden
  Link to Article
  Source: VK: Home
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 04:21
  Door: Karen Van Eyken '' 03/10/12, 05:10 '' bron: hln.be
  (C) Thinkstock. Lastig te controleren: de mensenmenigte op de Spaanse Trappen in Rome.
  Het op straat eten van een broodje in de omgeving van toeristische trekpleisters in Rome, zoals het Colosseum, de Piazza Navona of het Pantheon, is vanaf volgend jaar strafbaar. Wie op de pleinen van de Italiaanse hoofdstad gaat picknicken, loopt kans op een bekeuring.
  Dat blijkt uit de dinsdag aangenomen wet 'ter bescherming van het historische centrum'. Vanaf 1 januari 2013 mogen lokale bewoners en toeristen niet meer met eten en drank rondhangen in gebieden met een historische waarde.
  Wie de regel overtreedt, riskeert een boete tussen 25 en 500 euro. De politie zal streng controleren.
  Rome is trouwens niet de enige Italiaanse stad waar het verbod wordt afgekondigd. Ook in Veneti en Verona is de maatregel sinds vorig jaar van kracht.
Radar aims to avoid bumpy flights
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Technology
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 04:20
  3 October 2012Last updated at03:59By Katia MoskvitchTechnology reporter, BBC NewsThere's a jolt - and passengers on a Qantas A380 en route from London to Sydney are bounced in their seats or sent tumbling in the aisles.
  Severe turbulence caused by bad weather above the Indian Ocean in January this year resulted in seven people being treated for injuries, with four ending up in hospital.
  This is not a rare occurrence. Frequent flyers know how unpleasant the irregular, and at times violent, motion of air currents can be.
  Extreme weather can lead to injuries on board and damage to the plane, resulting in huge costs to airlines.
  In the worst cases, bad weather can also play a role in a crash.
  Continue reading the main storyTurbulent TimesAugust 2010 A stewardess was thrown into the air as her Scandinavian Airlines Boeing 737 hit turbulence approaching Heathrow airport in London. She badly injured her back and spent 10 days in hospital.July 2010 Thirty people were injured on a United Airlines flight travelling between Washington and Los Angeles. The plane landed at Denver where 21 people were treated in hospital. "The whole plane felt like it was dropping," said a passenger.May 2010 Ten people were hurt when a United Airlines plane encountered turbulence en route from London to Los Angeles. It diverted to Montreal, where six people were taken to hospital.February 2009 Nearly 50 people were hurt as a Northwest Airlines flight from Manila was nearing Tokyo. Most received head or neck injuries. "My whole body was lifted into the air," said one passenger.Although some air pockets are difficult to predict, pilots know that black storm clouds ahead often mean severe shaking and low visibility, as well as possible hail and lightning.
  To spot these hazards and make the correct decision about pressing ahead or deviating, most large commercial and business jets are equipped with weather radar systems.
  Partly thanks to this technology, pilots are able to notice thunderstorms early - but people still end up getting hurt. Last year, 80 passengers and cabin crew had turbulence-related injuries on commercial UK aircraft, says the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
  And according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), nearly 60 people are hurt each year because of turbulence on US flights - there have even been a small number of fatalities. Bad weather also accounts for 70% of flight delays.
  European plane manufacturer Airbus calls weather radars "essential equipment on modern airliners".
  And now major aviation suppliers are busy upgrading this technology.
  The weather radar that has been in use for some time is based on the so-called "tilt" technique.
  Continue reading the main story''Start QuoteWe interpret the image for the pilot, showing turbulence, hail and lightning icons''
  End QuoteRatan KhatwaHoneywellA dish attached to the plane's nose or one of the wings scans the airspace in front, and the pilot has to manually adjust the tilt to check the weather above or below.
  When workload is high, it is possible to misadjust the radar or misinterpret the data.
  This could lead to the plane flying right into a dangerous cell or deviating too much, using more fuel than necessary.
  But the new developments could help solve these issues, says Philip Brown, a cloud physicist from the Met Office, the UK's national weather service.
  Auto-tilt and auto-scan techniques could be "a significant advance in on-board data processing and display systems", he says.
  "By doing a lot of data storage and processing, the system is able to generate displays that can be used more intuitively than those from standard aircraft weather radar displays."
  One feature involves warning if rain might have interfered with the radar beams, creating a distorted reading.
  "This could certainly be a useful new feature in navigating around intense thunderstorm activity," says Mr Brown.
  3D weather mapUS-based Honeywell, one of the biggest global aviation suppliers, has just rolled out its next-generation Intuvue system.
  It automatically scans above, below and in front of an aircraft, relying on sensors to determine moisture content, temperature profile and other data in the storm cell ahead.
  On-board computers then access the "reasonable probability" of external hazards - and display a three-dimensional weather map for the pilot in real time, says the firm's senior chief engineer, Ratan Khatwa.
  "We've simplified the operation - our new radar is hands-free.
  "Instead of asking the pilot to manipulate tilt, the radar antenna automatically scans the airspace up to 320 miles in front and up to 6,000ft in altitude - a range greater than any other radar that exists today.
  "And we interpret the image for the pilot, showing turbulence, hail and lightning icons."
  The new system is already installed on a number of US aircraft, he adds.
  'Relative threat'Continue reading the main story''Start QuoteOur radar [works similarly] to the way modern jet fighters evaluate targets''
  End QuoteSteve ParamoreRockwell CollinsAnother big avionics maker, Rockwell Collins, plans to roll out a major upgrade to its weather radar technology in 2013.
  The company says that more than 150 airlines around the world have installed its MultiScan Threat Detection system on more than 5,000 aircraft.
  The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner will have it as well.
  Next year, the software update will include the ability to perform real-time analysis of thunderstorm cells to indicate hail, lightning and potential turbulence, says the company's Steve Paramore.
  The system will automatically adjust weather detection parameters depending on the time of day, time of year and the plane's geographic position.
  "Our radar [works similarly] to the way modern jet fighters evaluate targets," says Mr Paramore.
  "We initially evaluate using horizontal 2D sweeps and develop the track information for up to 40 thunderstorm threats. Based on their relative threat to the aircraft, cells are then analysed individually using vertical sweeps.
  "This allows us to concentrate on the individual threats and provide a real-time threat analysis.
  "In the future, it will also be important for the on-board radar to be shared with air traffic controllers so everyone has a common weather picture."
Exposed: Undercover Agents at Occupy Austin Entrapped Protesters, Endangered Activists
  Link to Article
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 04:18
  Activists with Occupy Austin revealed Wednesday that an Austin Police Department detective's entrapment led to the seven arrests on Dec. 12, 2011, during the Gulf Port Action in Houston, Texas. The seven protesters are facing up to two years in state prison, and one activist, Iraq war veteran Eric Marquez, has been in jail since December as a result of the charges.
  The nationwide December 12 action originated in Oakland, when Occupy activists called for the shutdown of the ports to show solidarity with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which was embroiled in a labor dispute. In Houston, 20 people chose to lie down at the entry to the main office of the port. Seven of these protesters used lockboxes called "sleeping dragons," which are segements of PVC pipes used to link their arms together. Lockboxes, which originated during the early environmental movement, are a common tactic of nonviolent civil disobedience that is used to slow down arrests and prolong blockades since lockboxes force officers to cut protesters out with power tools.
  The Austin arrests drew national attention because the police placed a large red tent over the seven activists as they were extracted from the lockboxes. Activists and their lawyers asserted that law enforcement used the tent to conceal their actions from the media, while Houston officials claimed the tent was used to contain sparks produced as the lockboxes were sawed apart. Activists also claimed that both inside and outside the tent, officers illegally covered their names and badge numbers with tape.
  The seven activists involved in the lockdown were initially charged with a Texas state felony, unlawful use of a criminal instrument, which carries up to two years in state prison. The charge is an antiquated and little-used Texas law that the state wrote in efforts to shut down movie theaters showing the X-rated film Deepthroat in the early 1970s. According to National Lawyers Guild attorney and former Texas ACLU president Greg Gladden, the charge was designed to turn the movie projectors showing the illcit film into ''criminal instruments.''
  In mid-December, a judge dismissed the charges against the seven activists, ruling that the lockbox does not meet the legal requirements in order to be considered a criminal instrument. Later that month, the Houston District Attorney brought the case in front of a Harris County grand jury that re-indicted the seven on the same felony charge.
  As the activists awaited their court date, they received an anonymous email about an Occupy Austin member they knew as "Butch." Received on February 2, the email stated that Butch was actually an undercover cop named Shannon. Ronnie Garza, one of the seven protesters arrested during the Gulf Port action, started researching possible APD detectives with that name. Using various Web sites, public records and even old yearbook photos, Garza discovered that Butch was actually an Austin police department narcotics detective named Shannon G. Dowell.
  Garza remembers Dowell's presence at Occupy Austin before the port action.
  ''He was coming around to General Assembly and pulling people aside individually and saying stuff like, we need to stop debating and start acting. He was looking for action. Then once the port planning started he just began going to those meetings."
  Most damningly, Dowell was intimately involved with the use of the lockboxes during the port action.
  "Butch got the materials for, assembled and dropped off the lockboxes with protesters to use in Houston," says Garza.
  National Lawyers Guild attorney Greg Gladden, who represents Garza, subpoenaed Dowell for court on August 27. During the hearing, Dowell admitted that he had worked with two other undercovers and several officers above him. Dowell provided just one page of notes, claiming he had also brought a thumb drive with pictures relevant to the case but had lost it in a gutter on the way to court. He also admitted to deleting the emails related to the investigation. As for other evidence, Dowell claimed that he had written no police reports about his undercover work because the police department was not conducting a criminal investigation.
  The judge, Joan Campbell, ordered the prosecution to recover all relevant emails from the police department's technology department and subpoena the phone companies for Dowell's texts. Judge Campbell also threatened that the case will be thrown out if the other two undercovers are not named at the upcoming hearing on September 5, and suggested that the prosecution might rather drop the charges than expose the identities of two of their undercover detectives still embedded in the Occupy Austin community. The trial is set to begin on September 17, the one-year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street.
  The Houston case is not the first time police entrapment has led to felony charges being levied against Occupy protesters. In Cleveland, five men were arrested on May 1, 2012, in connection with a plot to allegedly blow up a bridge in the early morning hours before the May Day protests scheduled in Cleveland. It later emerged that a federal agent working undercover at Occupy Cleveland had encouraged violent escalation among young male activists, and even arranged for the purchase of the fake explosives the five activists allegedly attempted to detonate. Similarly, two undercover Chicago police detectives allegedly encouraged Occupy activists to engage in a terror plot against the NATO summit, and when they failed to do so, planted materials in an apartment. Four Chicago activists are currently being held on terrorism-related charges as a result of this entrapment.
  But the story in Texas is different because the Austin detective did not provoke the group to engage in violent behavior or property destruction; the man pressured the group to escalate their nonviolent tactics. This new strategy of escalating nonviolent tactics is leading many to ask: Why would the Austin Police Department go to such lengths just to lock up seven young activists for committing a nonviolent action?
  Greg Gladden believes this is a new spin on a textbook police strategy.
  ''It's getting the organization to do something drastic that will either get them locked up or marginalized by the rest of the community... Police have always done this, from Operation Chaos, to COINTELPRO, to the Red Scare," he said, referring to earlier CIA and FBI programs that monitored 60s and 70s movements--such as Students for a Democratic Society, the Black Panter Party movement, Women Strike for Peace--and domestic communist organizing.
  But unlike in the past, the detective couldn't convince the protesters to try anything violent. So he had to take what he could get.
  ''The APD probably realized nothing violent was going to take place, so it became a matter of trying to get the most elevated charge possible,'' said Will Potter, author of the book and blogGreen Is The New Red, which covers the repression of environmental and animal rights movements.
  ''They found that there was going to be nothing close to political violence. I think that happens in a lot of cases to justify the resources that were spent. You have to have something to show for it.''
  Recently, both local police forces and federal law enforcement agencies have been spending a dizzying amount of money on security and surveillance during protests. Chicago spent more than $1 million during the NATO protest; Tampa received a $50 million grant from the feds for security during the RNC. It is unknown how much the Austin police department spent overall on Occupy to date, but the assistant police chief in Austin estimated in January that department would easily spend $1.2 million on the security around the encampment alone--a figure that doesn't include more clandestine work like undercover detectives.
  Given the need to justify this type of funding at a time when all levels of government are strapped for cash, undercover officers are often under intense pressure to produce intel that leads to activists' arrests for things like thwarted terrorist attacks or actions that damage property. But during nonviolent movements when these plots never surface, the officers often take it upon themselves to instigate and facilitate these plans.
  But what the APD produced as a result of its work was an action that put the protesters' own bodies in danger.
  ''[Using lock boxes] puts the activist at the total mercy of the police, of cars and trucks on the street, even pedestrians passing by,'' Potter said. ''To put activists in this position solely for the purpose of demonizing them and acting like they're going to do something dangerous is outrageous.''
  But as detectives and their superiors in the Austin police department justified their salaries, they sent a chilling threat to activists all around the country that not only will law enforcement target individuals and try to instigate violent or destructive actions, they will also rope people into nonviolent direct actions and then push hard for the highest charges possible, whatever they may be.
  "Government efforts to criminalize this movement by entrapping young people into high-risk tactics, and in this case clearly nonviolent tactics, is outrageous and unjustifiable, said Lisa Fithian, a long-time activist and nonviolent direct action trainer.
  ''This is a new stage in the war on dissent."
Ann Coulter says 'Playboy' asked her to pose nude
  Link to Article
  Source: TheBlaze.com - Blog
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 04:16
  In tonight's edition of Joy Behar's Current TV show Say Anything, Ann Coulter says Playboy once asked her to pose for the nudie mag.
  ''They asked me to once and I said 'No, I would never do it.' I am a Republican, Joy,'' Coulter said.
  Behar replied, ''There are plenty of Republican's who'-- well, I can't go there.''
Trains good, planes bad
  Link to Article
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 04:16
Dry erase marker opens all hotel room doors
  Link to Article
  Source: Hack a Day
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:24
  posted Oct 2nd 2012 2:01pm by Mike Szczysfiled under: arduino hacks, security hacks
  If you're carrying around an exposed circuit board and a bunch of wires people are going to notice you. But a dry erase marker won't turn any heads. And this one holds its own little secret. It acts as a master key for hotel room door locks.
  This is really more of a repackaging hack. The exploit is already quite well-known. The Onity brand of key card locks most commonly used in hotels have a power jack on the bottom that doubles as a 1-wire communications port. The first published proof of concept used an Arduino board and a simple adapter to unlock any door in under one second. Now that hardware has been reduced in size so that it fits in the hollow shell of a dry erase marker. Even better, the felt tip has been replaced with the appropriately sized barrel jack. Check out the ultra-fast and inconspicuous use of it after the break. We think using this is no more obvious than actually having the key card.
Pat Caddell Says: Media Have Become an "Enemy of the American people" - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 03:17
Thomas E. Donilon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Link to Article
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 03:01
  Thomas E. "Tom" Donilon (born May 14, 1955)[1] is the National Security Advisor in the Obama Administration,[2] and has had a career as a U.S. political advisor, government official and lawyer.[3] Previously, he served together with diplomat Wendy Sherman as Agency Review Team Lead for the State Department in the Obama transition,[4] and as Deputy to National Security Advisor James Jones early in the Obama administration. Donilon replaced Jones as National Security Advisor on October 8, 2010.[5]
  [edit]Early life and educationDonilon was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the son of Theresa A. (n(C)e Conway) and Edward T. Donilon. His father was of Irish descent, and his maternal grandparents had immigrated from Ireland.[6] He attended La Salle Academy, earned a B.A. at The Catholic University of America in 1977 and a J.D. at the University of Virginia in 1985. He served on the Editorial Board of the Virginia Law Review.
  [edit]Private sectorHe worked as Executive Vice President for Law and Policy at Fannie Mae, the federally-chartered mortgage finance company, as a registered lobbyist from 1999 through 2005.[3][7]
  Before his appointment to the Obama Administration, Donilon was a partner in the Washington office of the law firm O'Melveny & Myers, where he advised companies and their boards on a range of "sensitive governance, policy, legal and regulatory matters".[8]
  [edit]Government and political workDonilon worked as assistant secretary of state for public affairs and has served as the Clinton administration's Secretary of State chief of staff. Although he has no military experience and worked as a lobbyist, Donilon was "intimately involved in many major foreign policy issues, including negotiating the Bosnian peace agreement and the expansion of NATO". [3] Donilon figures prominently during formulation of strategy for Afghanistan and associated discussions in Bob Woodward's 2010 book, "Obama's Wars."[9]
  Donilon was 'criticized' by General Jones who once disparaged Donilon, for his lack of overseas experience, telling him that as a result: "You have no credibility with the military", according to Bob Woodward's "Obama's Wars". Jones said that Donilon was not good in his dealings with his staff at the National Security Council, displaying "too little feel for the people who work day and night....". Donilon did visit Afghanistan March 2010 during President Obama's six-hour late-night visit to the country.[10]
  [edit]Personal lifeDonilon is the brother of Mike Donilon, a lawyer and political consultant who is Counselor to Vice-President Joe Biden. He is married to Catherine M. Russell, who is Chief of Staff to Jill Biden, and they have two children.[11][12]
  [edit]References^[1]^Donilon to Replace Jones as National Security Adviser Sanger, David E. The New York Times.^ abchttp://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Thomas_Donilon^"Obama-Biden Transition: Agency Review Teams | Change.gov: The Obama-Biden Transition Team". Change.gov. http://www.change.gov/learn/obama_biden_transition_agency_review_teams. Retrieved 2010-04-13. ^Defense Secretary Said to Be Staying On Baker, Peter. The New York Times.^http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/celeb/donilon.htm^"Duo Heading State Transition Seasoned Vets". USA Today. 2008-11-12. http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-11-12-2032079804_x.htm. Retrieved 2012-09-11. ^"O'Melveny & Myers LLP | Professionals". Omm.com. http://www.omm.com/thomasdonilon/. Retrieved 2010-04-13. ^Bob Woodward book details Obama battles with advisers over exit plan for Afghan warWashington Post. September 22, 2010. Retrieved September 22, 2010.^Tom Donilon Would Be A 'Disaster' As National Security Adviser, Robert Gates Reportedly Said^http://politicsblog.projo.com/2008/11/obama-biden-rel.html Obama, Biden relying on the Donilons of Providence] Perry, Jack. Providence Journal ProJo Politics Blog. November 26, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008.^Biden Beefs Up Staff Rucker, Philip. November 26, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2008.[edit]External linksOffice
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How Does a Currency Drop 60% in 8 Days? Just Ask Iran - Matthew O'Brien - The Atlantic
  Link to Article
  Wed, 03 Oct 2012 02:22
  In case you were wondering, this is what an economy dying looks like. More specifically, it's what a currency dying looks like. It turns out the latter implies the former, as Iran is quickly finding out.
  The chart below compares the official and black market exchange rates between the Iranian rial and the U.S. dollar. The official rate is the fiction the regimes wishes its people lived with, and the black market rate is the fact they actually live with.
  Iran's currency has collapsed in two ways -- gradually and then suddenly. Iran is very much in the sudden phase right now. It took 24,600 rials to buy one dollar on September 24. It took 39,000 rials to buy one dollar on October 2. That's good for a 59 percent drop in just a week. This kind of currency cliff-diving is basically a bank run on the rial -- a bank run U.S.-led sanctions set off.Starting in December, we've threatened to blacklist any financial institution that deals with the Iranian central bank -- in other words, force banks to choose between doing business with us and with them. The Iranian central bank is the middleman for its oil sales, so a ban on it is effectively a ban on buying oil from Iran. Now, these sanctions haven't cut Iran off from the world completely -- it has resorted to back room barter deals -- but they have cut Iran off from foreign exchange. Iran can't earn dollars if it can't sell oil -- at least not for cash. And that has sent the rial tumbling down.That tumble turned into a free fall this past week. The Iranian regime can thank its "foreign exchange centers" for that. As Rick Gladstone of the New York Times points out, the regime recently established special -- read: better -- foreign exchange rates for importers of essentials like food and medicine. It makes sense to prioritize foreign exchange when you're running low on it, but it doesn't make sense to signal that you're prioritizing it. You might as well tell everybody to panic. Well, that's what everybody has done in Iran regardless. Nobody wants to be the last one stuck holding rials -- just like nobody wants to be the last one out the door during a bank run -- so they dump rials for whatever they think will be a better store of value. Which is pretty much anything. But the damage doesn't end there. The faster the currency collapses, the faster inflation picks up. Saving becomes futile. So does pretending you have a real economy.There's an irony. The rial wouldn't be such a worthless piece of paper now if Iran had some of what their president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called a "worthless piece of paper" back in 2007 -- the dollar. Funny how that works.
US official: Organized crime likely in CIA attack
  Link to Article
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 23:30
  MEXICO CITY (AP) '-- A senior U.S. official says there is strong circumstantial evidence that Mexican federal police who fired on a U.S. Embassy vehicle, wounding two CIA officers, were working for organized crime in a targeted assassination attempt.
  Meanwhile, a Mexican official with knowledge of the case confirmed on Tuesday that prosecutors are investigating whether the Beltran Leyva Cartel was behind the Aug. 24 ambush.
  The Mexican official said that is among several lines of investigation into the shooting of an armored SUV that was clearly marked with diplomatic license plates on a rural road near Cuernavaca south of Mexico City. Federal police, at times battered by allegations of infiltration and corruption by drug cartels, have said the shooting was a case of mistaken identity as officers were looking into the kidnapping of a government employee in that area.
  "That's not a 'We're trying to shake down a couple people for a traffic violation sort of operation. That's a 'We are specifically trying to kill the people in this vehicle'," a U.S. official familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press. "This is not a 'Whoops, we got the wrong people.' "
  Photos of the gray Toyota SUV, a model known to be used by Drug Enforcement Administration agents and other U.S. Embassy employees working in Mexico, showed it riddled with heavy gunfire. The U.S. Embassy called the attack an "ambush."
  When asked by the AP if the Mexican federal police officers involved in the shooting were tied to organized crime, the U.S. official said, "The circumstantial evidence is pretty damn strong."
  Both the U.S. and Mexican officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the diplomatic issue.
  A federal police on Tuesday maintained the position that their agents fired on the vehicle by mistake, thinking it belonged to a band of kidnappers they were pursuing, according to a spokesman who was not authorized to speak on the record.
  The U.S. State Department declined to discuss details.
  "We will not comment on an ongoing investigation," said William Ostick, a spokesman. "This is a matter of great significance to both our countries and we will continue to cooperate with Mexican authorities in their investigation."
  The Mexican official said one line of investigation is that members of the Beltran Leyva Cartel were interested in attacking the people in the car because some of their lookouts had seen them passing through the area and presumed they were investigating the cartel. It's possible they didn't know they were Americans.
  The rural road near Cuernavaca where the attack took place is known territory of the remnants of the Beltran Leyvas, a once-powerful cartel now run by Hector Beltran Leyva since the Navy killed his brother, drug lord Arturo Beltran Leyva, in Cuernavaca in late 2009. Beltran Leyva was once aligned with Mexico's powerful cartel, Sinaloa, headed by fugitive drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. But the groups split in 2008 and continued government hits on Beltran Leyva leadership since then have splintered that cartel into small gangs warring for the area.
  The CIA officers were heading down a dirt road to the military installation with a Mexican navy captain in the vehicle when a carload of gunmen opened fire and gave chase. The embassy SUV tried to escape, but three other cars joined the original vehicle in pursuing it down the road, according to the original navy statement. Occupants of all four vehicles fired.
  "This is somebody with a powerful automatic weapon just unloading an entire clip, reloading, and continuing to fire at that same impact point, clearly with the intention of penetrating the armor and presumably killing those who are inside," the U.S. official told the AP.
  Surveillance cameras in the area recorded two civilian vehicles chasing the U.S. Embassy SUV, the Mexican official said. So far Mexican officials have said only federal police fired on the SUV.
  The two CIA officers received non-life-threatening wounds and have returned to the United States. The navy captain was uninjured and radioed the navy for help.
  Twelve officers have been detained in the case and are being held under a form of house arrest pending possible charges, and 51 officers have testified in the case. The FBI, which is leading the investigation for the U.S., has been in on interviews of the detainees. At FBI headquarters in Washington, spokesman Paul Bresson declined to comment.
  A Mexican federal police spokesman said last month that the officers may not have noticed the diplomatic plates. The official said police focused on the unusual sight of a bulletproof sport utility vehicle traveling at high speed on a rural road, not on the car's distinctive diplomatic plates.
  But Raul Benitez, a security expert at Mexico's National Autonomous University, said Mexican military sources have told him that "the attack was not an error," and "the objective was to annihilate the three passengers in the car."
  "The same car with the same people had been going up and back (to the marine training camp) for a week, so perhaps some lookout who worked for drug traffickers informed the police, or the Beltrans" about the vehicle, Benitez said.
  He said the federal police must have known that they were attacking a diplomatic vehicle.
  "I don't think we're yet in a position to say definitively who did it, who paid them and why they did it," the U.S. official said. "We have been assured repeatedly in private and in public that the government of Mexico will investigate this to the end and provide a final answer as to what occurred, and I think our posture at this stage is we take them at their word."
  Mexico's federal police agency, which President Felipe Calderon calls the most professional and highly trained of the country's law enforcement, has been hit with allegations of wrongdoing in recent months. In August, all 348 officers assigned to security details at the Mexico City International Airport were replaced in the wake of a June shooting of three federal policemen, who were killed by a fellow officer believed to be involved in trafficking drugs through the terminal.
  Ten federal police officers were arrested in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez in 2011, accused of running an extortion ring.
  Attacks on diplomatic personnel in Mexico were once considered rare, but the CIA attack was the third shooting incident in two years.
  In 2011, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent was killed and another wounded in a drug gang shooting in northern Mexico.
  A drug-gang shooting in 2010 in the border city of Ciudad Juarez killed a U.S. consulate employee, her husband and another man.
  That could be the result of the break-up of larger cartels, said Andrew Selee of the Washington-based Mexico Institute, noting that historically drug traffickers didn't want the attention that a hit on U.S. personnel normally brings.
  "The lower level leaders in the cartels are making decisions the more seasoned leaders wouldn't," he said. "It's the lower level leaders who feel empowered to order hits."
  _____
  Associated Press writers Mark Stevenson in Mexico City and Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.
Austin Tice still alive - YouTube
  Link to Article
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 23:29
Moderate Muslims confirm that criticism of Mohammed is hate speech. George Orwell spins in grave.
  Link to Article
  Source: A diary of deception and distortion
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 18:01
  Bear with me on this one, only its special pleading makes me want to weep for our lost tolerance and common sense.
  The head of a leading Islamic organisation last Saturday called for ''a global ban on offending the character of the Prophet Muhammed'', saying that it should be equated with hate speech.
  Such a ban, suggested Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu '' Secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in an AP interview '' would demonstrate how an interconnected world respected different cultural sensitivities.
  Hold off on the laughter, it gets funnier still.
  ''If the Western world fails to understand the sensitivity of the Muslim world, then we are in trouble,'' Ihsanoglu threatened, for such provocations posed ''a threat to international peace and security and the sanctity of life.''
  ''We are not saying stop free speech. We are staying stop hate speech,'' Ihsanoglu added. He said he was not calling for a ban on criticizing Islam, but specifically, on denigrating its founding prophet.
  Er, right. So he was calling for a global ban on criticising Muhammed. That sounds reasonable I suppose. If you're Mohammedan.
  All this was reported in the Washington Post '' not a newspaper readily associated with illiberal views. The Post added that 'Ihsanoglu's call also echoed the views of other moderate Muslim scholars and leaders, who have urged the U.N. and international bodies to define global standards on religious expression and to help prevent incitement '-- particularly Islamaphobia'.
  Now of course, seven out of eight of the atrocities committed in the name of religion having been perpetrated by Islamics over the last three years, all Islamaphobia must of course be mercilessly wiped out '' being as it is an irrational fear with no basis in reality. And given that these are the views of 'other moderate Muslim scholars and leaders', do we not have here the ultimate in reassurance for Jews, Christians, Buddhists, agnostics and atheists alike?
  Even the Washington Post had to slip back into apologetic practialities re this one, observing that 'it appeared difficult to see how such a provision proposed by Ihsanoglu could ever work '-- even if it was agreed to '-- because of the easy access to social media websites on the Internet that can be used to spread offensive material'. Never mind the Nazi insistence on obedience contained therein.
  The blindness of the liberal West to the demands of these lunatics remains a mystery to me. Perhaps somebody in the comment threads can explain to me how we have arrived at this blindfolded state.
Michael Savage wins legal battle with boss, leaves airwaves in search of new network
  Link to Article
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 17:20
  FILE: Michael Savage poses is seen in Tiburon, Calif.AP
  LOS ANGELES '' Michael Savage's talk show left the airwaves Thursday after the conservative host won a legal battle with his longtime employer, although his attorney said discussions with new networks are already under way.
  Savage posted a message on his website Thursday evening under the headline "Free at Last!" that said he was free to work with any station or network from now on. He said he "will not be heard on the radio for some time."
  His attorney Daniel Horowitz said Savage left Talk Radio Network after obtaining a favorable ruling in arbitration Thursday afternoon.
  More than 8 million people listen to Savage's show each week, placing him behind only Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity in ratings, according to the magazine Talkers. The immediate effect that his abrupt departure would have on companies that advertise on his show was unclear.
  An email sent to Oregon-based Talk Radio Network was not immediately returned. Savage's bio and name already have been removed from the company's website.
  Horowitz says Savage has been fighting the network for two years to get out a contract that was 10 years old and prevented the host from switching employers. Horowitz said the agreement lacked protections afforded to artists and entertainers under California law, and tied Savage to Talk Radio Network indefinitely.
  Horowitz said Savage spent more than $900,000 fighting his case but was awarded more than $1 million in arbitration. The agreement also calls for Savage to be able to obtain all archived tapes of his show.
  Savage, who broadcasts from San Francisco, was heard on nearly 400 stations and has gained notoriety for offending immigrants and minorities, calling the Muslim holy book, the Quran, a "book of hate" and being banned in 2009 from traveling to England for allegedly fostering extremism or hatred. After that decision, the host appealed to one of the targets of his barbs, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, for help.
  A State Department spokesman said at the time that countries have a right to determine who is allowed to enter, but declined to comment further on Savage's request.
THORIUM-POWERED NUCLEAR: The destructive force of American protectionism
  Link to Article
  Source: A diary of deception and distortion
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:37
  As we have seen with the TPP, facing as it does an inevitable economic decline, the US could rather protect than compete. Now the game has spread to Thorium (left) '' the cleaner, safer, cheaper and more abundant alternative to Uranium'...Thorium's only downside being that you can't make bombs out of it.
  Current legislation in the US classifies thorium as a dangerous radioactive material. This is in spite of the fact that it has a very long half life of 12.5 billion years, and is an alpha emitter '' viz, the radiation is stopped by a few centimetres of air or by your skin. As a dangerous substance, it is to uranium what paracetamol is to pure heroin.
  But rather than change the legislation dealing with thorium '' and address the root cause of concerns about the safety and sustainability of nuclear power '' the US government has announced that it is launching a WTO case against China'...which, like India, is increasingly hot to trot towards thorium. Whatever one thinks of the Beijing regime (and I try not to think about it at all, because it's inhuman) a trend is developing in Sino-American relations whereby if the Chinese find a better way of doing something '' and more raw materials with which to effect the change '' the US sues them.
  This is a short-sighted view, because even if the Pentagon still wants its lovely-wovely bombie-wombies, the very ubiquity and safety of thorium compared to uranium is irrefutable. But as usual, the West is about to get left behind as Asia powers ahead with the development of this superior alternative.
  This was the main thrust of a piece at French News two days ago, in which scientists at the Grenoble nuclear research centre warned that, unless more government backing and industry support (aka EDF, the French electricity giant) is forthcoming, China, India and Japan will overtake France as current leader in this field. (As I posted previously, given the invasion of Britain by EDF, we're becoming a backwater too).
  But EDF says its main priorities lie in fast-breeder solid fuel uranium reactors '-- a 651.6 million euro sodium-cooled programme driven by the National Scientific Evaluation Committee (CNE) and Astrid (Advanced Sodium Technological Reactor for Industrial Demonstration).
  On the other side of the world, global thorium enthusiasts will gather at the Shanghai Hope Hotel for the IThEO Conference from October 29 and November 1, 2012. ITheo is an independent privately-funded US-based body, which seeks to promote Thorium as an alternative to the uranium fuel cycle. You see, Americans outside the mad elite know what's coming.
  This conference is most likely to confirm China's lead in exploring fresh approaches to nuclear power generation. China produces large amounts of thorium as a by-product of its rare earth mining operations and the ThEC12 conference is partnered by the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) '' an institution answering to the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), which has specific responsibility for developing Thorium Energy in China.
  So, no bias then. But Beijing's agenda is irrelevant: until such time as the sun's power is properly harnessed to power earth cheaply and safely, thorium is by far the best alternative. It is odd, is it not, that the free trade theories of Levitt and Friedman can also embrace naked, negative protectionism.
  It is The American Way.
  Earlier at The Slog: Scam No 24,650 at RBS
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Jimmy Savile: predatory rapist or sexually active celebrity?
  Link to Article
  Source: A diary of deception and distortion
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:20
  I note that Damian Thompson's Telegraph blogpost accusing the late Jimmy Savile of 'disgusting sexual practices' had its comment thread closed within minutes. This is either because (1) the comment threads were descending into a predictable stream of ignorant paedomania or (2) a lawyer somewhere at the Torygraph pointed out that the article was evidence-free and highly defamatory.
  For once, the lawyer was right: The headline alone '' 'the BBC was at the centre of a shocking paedophile cover-up' '' is unproven and inaccurate given the contemporary definition of 'paedophile'.
  Now I see in the Guardian a ludicrous piece by Dan Sabbagh, in which he asserts that '''it was well known to most at the BBC that Savile had an interest in pretty teenage girls''. Count me in on that hobby: when I was sixteen, I had a 24/7 obsession with teenage girls. Earlier in the piece '' right at the outset to be precise '' Sabbagh again asserts that 'A brave woman came forward on Tuesday and told the Daily Mail she had been raped by Sir Jimmy Savile when she was 15 and on work experience at the BBC.'
  There's a first: all of a sudden, The Grauniad thinks the Daily Mail is an oracular source of information. And 'a brave woman''....is she? How does Sabbagh know? Why could she not be a fame-by-proxy attention seeker? Talking of attention seekers, I note also that Esther Rantzen had this to say to Sky News:
  ''For the first time there's more than one single child complaining. There are five adult women producing very similar statements about the way they were attacked. You see, one child's word against the word of a television icon, one who was renowned for raising money for charity, who knew everyone from the Prime Minister to Princess Diana, who was knighted by the Queen and the Pope, I think no single complainant dared speak out before. There were always rumours that he behaved very inappropriately, sexually, with children.''
  OK, let's deconstruct that one: 'there's more than one single child complaining'. No Esther, sorry: there are no children complaining here: they were 14 or more years old at the time, and they're middle-aged now. Or how about 'no single complainant dared speak out before'? Cobblers: as Rantzen herself admits, ''there were always rumours''. A serious complaint against Savile would've been welcomed with open arms '' certainly by the Manchester constabulary, who had been trying to nab Savile on statutory rape charges for decades.
  And there's the nub of it: statutory rape. Hands up all those blokes who have never been guilty of it, knowingly or otherwise.
  There are some very complex issues in play here, and we must examine them frankly'...not run away to hide behind the sexually manic hypocrisy of those two very odd bedfellows, ice-cold feminism and faux tabloid sanctimony.
  Real paedophilia '' and the truly deranged blokes who worm their way into social care systems, teaching and grooming rings '' is something I have posted about and railed against since 2006, when I first came across irrefutable evidence of its endemic presence in our society. Before that, I had interviewed paedophiles as part of a research study in the 1980s, and formed the view that their conviction '' nay, absolutely certainty '' that innocent infants enjoyed being penetrated was creepy beyond belief. Further, the cunning I saw in these perverts convinced me that mainstream paedophiles suffer from a form of psychopathy: one which, in certain circumstances, can become murderous.
  But was Jimmy Savile a predatory rapist paedophile? I very much doubt it.
  From the late 1950s until around 1964, Savile was the resident DJ at Belle Vue's Teen & Twenty Disc Club in Manchester. My elder brother '' aged around 15 '' went there with his mates to pick up teenage girls. From 1963 until some time after 1966, Savile owned Beat City, a basement disco in Manchester's financial area. The Slog '' aged around 15 '' went there with his mates to pick up teenage girls. Back then, Jimmy Savile was in his mid thirties.
  It was perfectly obvious to everyone at the time (including a shy teenager by the name of George Best) that the DJ was a celebrity, and attractive to young girls. Throughout his DJing sessions, Savile was besieged by girls asking for his autograph. More often than not, he'd pick two or three out and chat them up. More often than not, he'd disappear with them at the end of the session. I don't think any of us imagined that the sexual activity to come later would represent rape.
  Many of you will find this crude, but it needs to be recorded: a Mancunian guitarist later to become famous confided in me at the time, ''Jimmy likes his girls slim and tight''. There was a nod and a wink'....but no sense of his tastes being a perversion. If anything, I detected a sense of envy.
  Homosexual givers, lest we be in any doubt, like their boys slim and tight too. Are we really looking at anything different here?
  The key issue is consent.
  The Law chooses to draw the line between statutory rape and paedophilia at age 14. For once, the law displays some common sense in doing so. The overwhelming majority of females in 2012 are ovulating by the age of 14. This doesn't mean they are adults; but equally, it doesn't mean that they are sexually innocent.
  Some of the hypocritical hacks having a field day at the moment should think on this: I have a close chum who seven years ago married a girl thirty years his junior. At the time, he was 60 and she was 30. When he was 45, she was 15. When Jimmy Savile was 37, many of the girls invited to his bedroom were 15. But none of them were 7.
  Apologies to regular Sloggers who've read this before, but I must nevertheless repeat it: if having sex with a 15-year-old is paedophiliac, then most of Europe's royal families are the progency of perverted rape.
  Part of me detects a degree of ageism in all this. Rich older women attracting toyboys are an object of amusement'....for those who aren't older women. Rich old men marrying nubiles are an object of amusement'....for those who aren't older men. If Jimmy Savile can be shown categorically to have forcibly had sex with girls aged ten, then I will pipe down and admit I was wrong. But if all that comes of this moral incontinence is feeble judgementalism, then I shall remain unimpresssed.
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Medvedev meets Zuckerberg in Moscow (Full video) - YouTube
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  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:00
JFK White House Tapes: The Space Race
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  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 15:32
Cyber security, an Air Force punchline?
  Link to Article
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 15:27
  Many U.S. generals will openly admit to knowing little about one of the threats they all agree is one that is most dangerous to U.S. national security '-- cyber security. Yet, those same generals have used their lack of knowledge on the subject often as a punchline.
  Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh stood up at the Air Force Association's annual conference Sept. 18 and admitted he didn't know what an IP address was. The comment drew plenty of laughter form the crowd of airmen and defense industry officials.
  The Air Force's top officer said he twitches when he says the word ''cyber.'' He explained that ''we have a lot of people in this discussion who don't really know what they're talking about'' when it comes to cyber issues.
  ''I know because they're all like me,'' Welsh said to more laughter from the crowd.
  He didn't question whether the Air Force needed to take cyber security seriously. He sees it as a priority. Welsh called it the future '-- ''no doubt in my mind.''
  ''Everything we do can be affected either by or through [cyber],'' Welsh said. ''In either a good or a bad way.''
  However, the Defense Department already receives about 10 million cyber attacks everyday. Cyber analysts suspect potential enemies are already establishing cyber war plans in case of a military engagement with the U.S.
  Welsh pleaded with cyber experts to dumb down the way they explain threats to Air Force leaders.
  ''When you come to educate us, don't come in using cyber talk,'' Welsh said.
  The Air Force four-star said he worried the investments made in cyber could be disappearing into a ''black hole.'' Welsh will wait until he understands the cyber topic better, he said.
  ''So you just need to know I'm going to be going a little slow on the operational side of cyber until I really understand what we're doing,'' he said. ''I'll be the one you're dragging, Willy. I'll warn you now.''
  An Air Force officer, who asked not to be named, said as he walked out of the speech that he was surprised to hear the Air Force chief of staff plead ignorance.
  ''Can you imagine if he said something like that about aircraft or weapons or nuclear weapons?'' the Air Force major said. ''It would never happen. They'd run him out of the Pentagon.''
  Welsh told the crowd the Air Force might have to wait awhile before they have the leaders in place with the appropriate cyber background to make decisions on the subject.
  ''In 30 years you'll have experts making these decisions,'' Welsh said. ''Right now you've got idiots helping make these decisions. So common sense, plain English will really help us.''
  September 26th, 2012 | Air, Cyber | 1852658 Commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fdefensetech.org%2F2012%2F09%2F26%2Fcyber-security-an-air-force-punchline%2FCyber+security%2C+an+Air+Force+punchline%3F2012-09-26+21%3A21%3A49Mike+Hoffmanhttp%3A%2F%2Fdefensetech.org%2F%3Fp%3D18526
Fury as BBC documentary suggests Government plotted 7/7 attacks to boost Iraq war support
  Link to Article
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 15:20
  The BBC3 documentary shows conspiracy theorists - including model Layla Randle-Conde - play the bombersProducers blow up a bus in a bid to recreate the explosion in Tavistock Square that killed 13 peopleParents of victims brand programme 'disgusting' and in 'really bad taste'By Matt Blake
  PUBLISHED: 05:57 EST, 1 October 2012 | UPDATED: 09:01 EST, 1 October 2012
  Families of victims of the 7/7 London bombings have slammed the BBC for a 'disgusting' documentary that investigates conspiracy theories surrounding the atrocity.
  The programme, to be aired on BBC3 and hosted by Irish comedian Andrew Maxwell, probes claims that the co-ordinated blasts were in fact part of a Government plot to boost support for the Iraq war.
  The attacks killed 52 people when four suicide bombers detonated their home made devices on Tubes and a bus during the morning rush-hour commute.
  'Disgusting': Programme makers even blow up a London bus in the documentary that explores the theory that the 7/7 bombings were in fact a government plot to garner support for the 'war on terror'
  In tonight's documentary show producers blow up a double-decker London bus in a bid to recreate the explosion in Tavistock Square that killed 13 people.
  It also features conspiracy theorists - including model Layla Randle-Conde - playing the parts of the bombers in a reconstruction of events.
  June Taylor, whose daughter Carrie, 24, died in the underground blast near Aldgate Station told The Sun: 'The BBC can't get any lower than this. They should have spoken to the families.'
  Branding the programme 'disgusting', she added: 'They are trivialising the tragedy. People don't want to be back in that dark place. It puts us through the pain all over again.'
  Unimaginable: 13 people were killed when a bomb detonated on board the Number 30 bus in Tavistock Square
  Kim Beer, 54, of Borehamwood, Herts, who lost her son Philip, 22, in the Tube blast near King's Cross said it was in 'really bad taste', adding: 'How do they think we live with this?'
  A BBC spokeswoman said of 7/7 Bombings: Conspiracy Road Trip: 'The series takes conspiracy theorists on a journey to fully explore the facts and challenge their beliefs.'
  Between 8.50am and 9.47am on July 7 2005, four British Muslims - Mohammad Sidique Khan, 30, Shehzad Tanweer, 22, Jermaine Lindsay, 19, and Hasib Hussain, 18 - blew themselves up using home-made explosives, killing 56 (including themselves) and injuring 700 on three Tube trains and a double-decker bus.
  Angry: June Taylor (left, with husband john), whose daughter Carrie, 24, died in the blast near Aldgate Station branded the show 'disgusting'. It is hosted by Irish comedian Andrew Maxwell (right)
  They had travelled on a mainline train from Luton into King's Cross Thameslink Station in London, each carrying a heavy rucksack of explosives.
  It is a timeline that has been endorsed by a high-level Parliamentary inquiry and a government report, both published in May 2006 ten months after the event, based on 12,500 statements, a police examination of 142 computers and 6,000 hours of CCTV footage.
  The report insisted that the bombers carried out the attacks on their own, constructing explosives from chapatti flour and hair bleach mixed in the bath at a flat in Leeds, Yorkshire, where all four had family and friends.
  However there have since been a wave of conspiracy theories around the attacks.
  One of the more popular accuses then Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Government, the police, and the British and Israeli Secret Services of murdering the innocent people to stir up anti-Islamic fervour and create public support for the 'war on terror' and looming war in Iraq.
  Suicide bombers: Four British Muslims - Mohammad Sidique Khan, 30, Shehzad Tanweer, 22, Jermaine Lindsay, 19, and Hasib Hussain, 18 - used home-made explosives to carry out the attacks
  It also alleges that the four British Muslims were tricked by the authorities into taking part in what they were told would be a mock anti-terror training exercise.
  What they weren't told, it is claimed, was that the Government was going to blow them up, along with other passengers, then pretend the four were suicide bombers.
  Theorists have also accused government agents of setting off pre-planted explosives under the three Tube trains and on the bus.
  The aftermath: Theorists have also accused government agents of setting off pre-planted explosives under the three Tube trains and on the bus
  They suggest that the four Muslims were not, in fact, on any of the Tube trains, claiming that they missed them altogether because of the train delays on the Luton to London line.
  Some even believe that because the four did not get onto the Tube on time, three of them were murdered by police at Canary Wharf later that morning and the fourth - the bus bomber - ran off.
WH Aide Involved in Fast and Furious Was 'Suddenly' Transferred to Iraq; Issa Threatens Subpoena
  Link to Article
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 15:12
  House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa (R.-Calif.) (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
  (CNSNews.com) - Kevin O'Reilly, a member of the White House National Security Staff who regularly communicated about Operation Fast and Furious with the Arizona-based ATF agent responsible for running the operation that allowed guns to flow to Mexican drug cartels, was suddenly transferred out of the White House and into Iraq in July 2011.The transfer took place shortly after the ATF agent had testified in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the White House had provided the committee with a series of emails that O'Reilly and the agent had exchanged while Fast and Furious was underway.
  Since then, the White House has declined to allow O'Reilly to be interviewed either by the committee or by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who conducted the administration's internal investigation of Fast and Furious. The White House also refused to give the inspector general access to internal White House communications relating to Fast and Furious.
  Under Fast and Furious, the ATF and the Justice Department deliberately allowed known straw purchasers for Mexican drug cartels to buy about 2,000 guns at U.S. gun stores. In December 2010, two of these guns were found at the scene of the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Many more of the guns were found at crime scenes in Mexico.
  In Sept. 20 testimony before the Oversight Committee, Horowitz said that the White House's refusal to let O'Reilly speak and to provide the IG's office with access to relevant internal White House communications ''made it impossible'' to ''pursue that aspect of the case.''
  In a letter they sent to O'Reilly's attorney last Thursday, House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa and Sen. Charles Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, warned that Issa would subpoena O'Reilly if he did not agree to testify.
  ''We have been trying to arrange to speak with your client, Kevin O'Reilly, for nearly a year now,'' Issa and Grassley wrote. ''Earlier this year, you agreed to make O'Reilly available for an interview if the White House authorized his participation. The White House, where O'Reilly worked during the pendency of Operation Fast and Furious, refused to make him available, citing 'an insufficient basis to support the request.''
  ''If O'Reilly chooses to continue to make himself unavailable, Chairman Issa will have no further alternative but to use compulsory process to require his testimony before the committee,'' they wrote.
  In a March 28, 2012 letter to White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler, Issa and Grassley had said: "O'Reilly's personal lawyer has represented to the Committee that he would permit his client to speak to the Committee in the absence of any objection from the White House."
  In an April 5, 2012 response to Issa and Grassley, Ruemmler wrote: "In light of the important Executive Branch confidentiality interests and institutional prerogatives implicated by your request, including those of NSS [National Security Staff], and in the absence of any evidence that suggests that Mr. O'Reilly had any involvement in 'Operation Fast and Furious' or was aware of the existence of any inappropriate investigative tactics, there is an insufficient basis to support the request to interview Mr. O'Reilly."
  In their letter to O'Reilly's attorney on Thursday, Issa and Grassley said that without getting O'Reilly's story it would be impossible to determine the role that the White House played in Fast and Furious.
  ''By not interviewing O'Reilly, the OIG could not fully determine the role the White House played in Fast and Furious,'' Issa and Grassley wrote. ''Given that O'Reilly was the link connecting the White House to the scandal, and that the President subsequently asserted executive privilege over documents pertaining to Fast and Furious, it is imperative that the American people get to the bottom of O'Reilly's involvement in Fast and Furious.
  ''To do this,'' Issa and Grassley said, ''Congress must speak with O'Reilly directly.''
  The letter indicates that while O'Reilly was working at the White House he communicated for more than half a year about Fast and Furious with ATF Special Agent in Charge William Newell, who was in charge of the operation for the ATF in Arizona.
  ''Last year, the Department of Justice and the White House produced several series of email exchanges ranging from July 2010 to February 2011 between O'Reilly and William Newell pertaining to Operation Fast and Furious and Newell's work as head of the ATF Phoenix Filed Division,'' wrote Issa and Grassley. ''At that time, O'Reilly was serving on the National Security Staff at the White House. Several of the emails produced by the Department and the White House raise serious questions about the nature and the purpose of their interactions. For example, one email from Newell, the Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Phoenix Field Division, began, 'You didn't get these from me '...' Another email shows Newell's intent to circumvent his leadership structure in talking with O'Reilly: 'Just don't want ATF HQ to find out, especially since this is what they should be doing (briefing you)!'''
  When Newell testified before Issa's committee on July 26, 2011, he said of White House aide O'Reilly: ''He has been a friend of mine for a long time, and he asked me for information.''
  ''Not that I shouldn't have been talking to him,'' Newell testified. ''He is a friend of mine. He asked for information and I provided it to him.''
  In one of O'Reilly's emails to Newell that the White House did give to the committee, O'Reilly told Newell he intended to inform two other White House National Security staff members--Dan Restrepo, the senior director for Western Hemisphere; and Greg Gatjanis, director for the Counterterrorism and Counternarcotics--about the gun trafficking investigation.
  On July 28, 2010, O'Reilly responded to Newell: ''This is great; very informative. OK to share with Sr. Director Dan Restrepo and CT/CN Director Greg Gatjanis? Would not leave the NSS, I assure you.''
  Newell replied: ''Sure, just don't want ATF HQ to find out since this is what they should be doing (briefing you)!''
  Issa and Grassley learned that shortly after Newell's July 26 2011 testimony, O'Reilly was transferred from the White House to Iraq.
  ''Additionally, we recently learned that, last July, O'Reilly was suddenly transferred out of the country to serve in Baghdad as the head of the Police Development Program, a multi-year, multi-billion dollar program designed to train Iraqi security forces,'' Issa and Grassley wrote.
  ''O'Reilly's sudden transfer to Baghdad occurred just days after the aforementioned e-mails with William Newell were produced to the Committee and Newell testified about them before Congress,'' Issa and Grassley wrote. ''Additionally, we have learned that O'Reilly took the place of a previously selected individual'--and individual who had gone through a competitive application process and thorough vetting process, had the necessary qualifications, and whose spouse was already in Baghdad in anticipation of the individual's arrival'--to serve as the head of the Police Development Program.''
  A State Department official told CNSNews.com last week that O'Reilly was no longer assigned to Iraq and is now between assignments'--but would not say what O'Reilly's next assignment is.
  ''I can confirm that he [Kevin O'Reilly] is no longer in Iraq but he has not yet started in his next position,'' said a State Department official. ''So, I can't confirm what that position is. I just don't have any information on that right now, what his next position will be or when he will be starting.''
  The State Department official said there is no official biography for O'Reilly because he is not in a senior level post. However, public records do not indicate that O'Reilly had experience in the Middle East before his sudden posting to Iraq.
  O'Reilly's LinkedIn profile says he started working for the State Department as a foreign service officer in 1987 and that he started at the Obama White House in May 2009.
  Before going to the Obama White House, he had worked from September 2008 to May 2009 for the State Department's Office of the Coordinator of Counterterrorism, and from May 2006 to August 2007 as the director of Latin American Affairs for the Department of Homeland Security.
  O'Reilly worked from 2005 to 2006 for the office of Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) from 2005 to 2006 as a Pearson Fellow.
  O'Reilly was the deputy political counselor for the U.S. Embassy in Mexico from 2003 to 2005, officer in charge of Columbian Affairs from 2002 to 2003. He was the executive assistant to the assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs from 2001 to 2002. He served as the officer in charge of Iberian Affairs for NATO Division J-5 from 2000 to 2001. He served as the political affairs officer for the U.S. embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from 1997 to 2000; worked as the political affairs officers for the U.S. embassy in Buenos Aires from 1994 to 1996; and was the executive secretariat for the State Department in 1993.
  O'Reilly apparently was willing to talk to congressional investigators over the phone while he was working in Iraq, according to a March 28, 2012 letter from Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the chairman of the House oversight committee, and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler responded in an April 5, 2012 letter that ''there is an insufficient basis to support the request to interview Mr. O'Reilly.''
  During the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Sept. 20, Issa asked Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, ''Can you tell us a little bit about your efforts to try to interview Kevin O'Reilly, a member of the national security team?''
  Horowitz responded, ''We reached out to his lawyer, requested an interview. We have no basis to compel interviews from individuals who are outside the Department of Justice. He does not work in the Department of Justice. So we had to ask for a voluntary interview, and he denied our -- his lawyer told us he would not appear voluntarily.''
  Issa responded, ''Would it surprise you that he's been in Afghanistan and we've been denied even the ability to serve a subpoena on him?''
  Horowitz responded, ''I was not aware of where he was, but I was told by his lawyers,'' Issa corrected himself, ''I'm sorry. Iraq. Sorry.''
  Horowitz said, ''As I said, we weren't -- I don't recall knowing myself where he was, but we were told by his counsel he would not appear voluntarily.''
  Later in that same hearing, Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) asked Horowitz, ''You noted also in your report that the White House refused to share internal communications with you during your investigation of Fast and Furious. We've noted a connection into the White House through Kevin O'Reilly at the National Security Council. Do you believe the White House's refusal to share these documents limited the scope of your investigation? And would this committee be well served by pursuing an investigation in that avenue?''
  Horowitz answered, ''Well, as we noted in the report, and as you know, congressman, we did not get internal communications from the White House and Mr. O'Reilly's unwillingness to speak to us made it impossible for us to pursue that angle of the case and the question that had been raised.''
  Farenthold followed, ''So it would probably be worthwhile for us to pursue.'' Horowitz said, ''Well, certainly we have sought to pursue every lead we could. So I can just tell you, from our standpoint, it was a lead we wanted to follow.''
  In their letter to O'Reilly lawyer, Issa and Grassley note that the program in Baghdad that O'Reilly was assigned to run was cited in an inspector general's report for wasting tax dollars.
  ''The program 'drawn up to be the single largest State Department program in the world,' recently came under fire in a report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, published a year after O'Reilly took the helm, for having a 'total amount of de facto waste '... to about $206 million.'''
  ''These events raise serious questions about O'Reilly's assignment in Baghdad, the motivation for his transfer there, his qualifications for his position there, and the potentially extreme waste of taxpayer dollars in placing O'Reilly in this position,'' Issa and Grassley wrote.
Mayor Bloomberg Announces New Competition to Develop Innovative Apartment Model for Small Households
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  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 15:03
Camouflage From Computer Vision by Adam Harvey
  Link to Article
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 15:00
  Sept. 2012The Future of the FutureCV Dazzle is an independent project, but it won't be for long.
  If you're a coder, computer vision expert, fashion designer, hacker, makeup artist, hair stylist, 3D modeler, privacy enthusiast, activist, fashion designer, or have something to contribute to the project, you should really introduce yourself:
  NewsInspiration: Check out these awesome CV Dazzle inspired face paintings from UK artist Celestielle Paint ( http://t.co/3vvRIESC ). Kids can hate big brother too!
  Presentation: CV Dazzle goes to Pennsylvania for Philly Tech Week April 20 - 21, 2012
  Exhibition: CV Dazzle goes to Switzerland May 5 - Aug 26, 2012. The first design from 2010 will on display at the Voegele Kulturzentrum in Switzerland as part of the DEFENCE exhibition.
  Biometrics Challenge: CV Dazzle is going to Rome. I'll be debating the implications of spoofing with leading biometrics researchers on May 10-11. The conference is part of Tabula Rasa, a project funded by the EU to study spoofing attacks on biometrics. May 10 - 11, 2012
  Follow me (@adamhrv) for more updates.
  IntroductionCV Dazzle' is camouflage from computer vision (CV). It is a form of expressive interference that combines makeup and hair styling (or other modifications) with face-detection thwarting designs. The name is derived from a type of camouflage used during WWI, called Dazzle, which was used to break apart the gestalt-image of warships, making it hard to discern their directionality, size, and orientation. Likewise, the goal of CV Dazzle is to break apart the gestalt of a face, or object, and make it undetectable to computer vision algorithms, in particular face detection.
  Because face detection is the first step in automated facial recognition, CV Dazzle can be used in any environment where automated face recognition systems are in use, such as Google's Picasa, Flickr, or Facebook (see CV Dazzle vs PhotoTagger by Face.com).
  Project OverviewThis project began as a thesis proposal at the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University in the spring of 2010 with the primary objective of thwarting face detection under the guise of high-fashion aesthetics. While there are several obvious approaches to hiding from face detection, some of these can be dismissed. Sunglasses, for example, are a known occlusion which some algorithms account for. And, though functionally effective, wearing masks in public can be illegal. Hoods are popular and effective but make the wearer's intent to hide too obvious. As an alternative, this project explores ways of hiding in plain sight using ambiguously deceptive fashion.
  ObjectiveCV Dazzle opposes the mainstream push towards the widespread adoption of face recognition in order to protect privacy. As the usefulness and popularity of facial recognition grows in commerce and security (currently it's the fastest growing sector of biometrics ), so will the value of privacy. The objective of CV Dazzle is to adapt to our new environment and explore ways of communicating with machines to control our privacy in public.
  DesignThere is a strong emphasis towards radical-neutrality. The designs used in the first several looks are inspired by both tribal paint and high-fashion aesthetics from the club scene in London. In fact, photos from both were incorporated into the testing algorithms. Surprisingly, many of the more eccentric looks did not fool the face detection algorithms.
  To design the looks at left, software was developed that combines interactive drawing and genetic algorithms to detect vulnerabilities in the face detection process. By understanding how face-detection algorithms work, an anti-face can be constructed and used as a guide for creating makeup and hair-styling that foils the face detection process. As a result, your face becomes undetectable to machines yet retains some level of legibility to humans.
  Future WorkCV Dazzle is a work in progress. As computer vision matures so will this project. If you would like to get invovled, send me an email. There are many ways to help.
  Code (coming soon)I hope to post the code soon to github. Currently everything is written in Java/Processing using OpenCV1 and is undergoing a migration to OpenCV2.3. Follow me @adamharv for updates.
  More on PrivacyMore on Interacting with MachinesRelated ProjectsTipsWhile I continue working on a more robust and accessible camouflage, here are a few starter tips from The perilous glamour of life under surveillance.
  1. Avoid enhancers: They amplify key facial features.2. Partially obscure the nose-bridge are: The region where the nose, eyes, and forehead intersect is a key facial feature.3. Partially obscure the ocular region: The position and darkness of eyes is a key facial feature.4. Remain inconspicuous: For camouflage to function, it must not be perceived as a mask or disguise.And a few more tips from an interview with Wired.co.uk
  CollaborationsExhibitionsVideosDiscussionInterviewsPresentationsCredits & ThanksImage UseAll images (C)2010-2012 Adam Harvey unless otherwise noted.Effective May 2012: If you use images from this site, you are required to make a small donation to the CV Dazzle ProjectDonate to CV DazzleAwardsCV Dazzle is the recipient of a Core77 Design Award
  Privacy is normal. Surveillance is suspicious.
From Moonshine Runners to Dale Earnhardt Jr. CIO.com
  Link to Article
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:39
  CIO '--
  Nascar's history is as colorful as the logo-emblazoned stock cars that have made the sport famous. Its roots go back to Prohibition when runners'--people who delivered moonshine, a home-brewed whiskey distilled from corn, potatoes or anything that would ferment'--souped up their cars so they could give the slip to the federal tax agents determined to bust them (think Dukes of Hazzard), according to David ''Turbo'' Thompson, an associate professor at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, who has also raced stock cars. ''Runners built their reputations by outsmarting and outdriving the law,'' he says. For bragging rights, he adds, they held informal races to determine which runner was fastest.
  By the end of the 1940s, those contests had become an organized sport, largely due to the efforts of one driver, Big Bill France. Big Bill organized a meeting of drivers, car owners and mechanics at the art-deco style Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Fla., on December 14, 1947, to establish standard rules for racing. There and then the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (Nascar) was conceived. Two months later, on February 15, 1948, the first official Nascar race was held on the beach in Daytona. Red Byron won it in his Ford. A week later, Nascar was incorporated, and Big Bill appointed as its fearless leader.
  On the way to becoming America's biggest spectator sport, Nascar has seen more than its share of dramatic races and unforgettable finishes and faces. Lee Petty was declared the winner of the first-ever Daytona 500 in 1959, 61 hours after the race finished. (Big Bill France spent the time examining news footage of the race; it was that close.) Seventeen years later, Lee's son Richard duked it out on the track against David Pearson. The two drivers crashed just before the finish line, and Pearson won the race by sputtering to the checkered flag. Richard Petty came back to win Daytona three years later.
  Petty's retirement in 1992 marked the transition from Nascar's old guard to a new generation of young turks like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards, whose good looks and well-spoken ways have gone a long way toward popularizing and urbanizing the sport of the old-time moonshine runners.
Pat Caddell Says: Media Have Become 'Enemy of the American People--
  Link to Article
  Source: joegasz's linkblog feed
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 06:26
  Home >> AIM Column >> Pat Caddell Says: Media Have Become ''Enemy of the American People''Pat Caddell Says: Media Have Become ''Enemy of the American People''Roger Aronoff '-- September 27, 201236 Comments | Printer FriendlyIn remarks to the AIM conference, ''ObamaNation: A Day of Truth,'' on September 21st, former Democratic pollster and analyst Pat Caddell said, ''I think we're at the most dangerous time in our political history in terms of the balance of power in the role that the media plays in whether or not we maintain a free democracy.'' Caddell noted that while First Amendment protections were originally provided to the press so they would protect the liberty and freedom of the public from ''organized governmental power,'' they had clearly relinquished the role of impartial news providers.
  Nowhere was this more evident than during the tragic death of a U.S. ambassador in Libya that was covered up for nine days because the press and the administration did not want to admit it was a terrorist attack.
  ''We've had nine day of lies over what happened because they can't dare say it's a terrorist attack, and the press won't push this,'' said Caddell. ''Yesterday there was not a single piece in The New York Times over the question of Libya. Twenty American embassies, yesterday, are under attack. None of that is on the national news. None of it is being pressed in the papers.''
  Caddell added that it is one thing for the news to have a biased view, but ''It is another thing to specifically decide that you will not tell the American people information they have a right to know.''
  He closed his talk with these words: ''The press's job is to stand in the ramparts and protect the liberty and freedom of all of us from a government and from organized governmental power. When they desert those ramparts and go to serve'--to decide that they will now become an active participants'--when they decide that their job is not simply to tell you who you may vote for, and who you may not, but, worse'--and this is the danger of the last two weeks'--what truth that you may know, as an American, and what truth you are not allowed to know, they have, then, made themselves a fundamental threat to the democracy, and, in my opinion, made themselves the enemy of the American people. And it is a threat to the very future of this country if'...we allow this stuff to go on, and'...we've crossed a whole new and frightening slide on the slippery slope this last two weeks, and it needs to be talked about.''
  You can watch highlights of his talk here:
  You can also watch the entire talk along with Q&A below, or watch along with a transcript here.
  About the authorRoger AronoffRoger Aronoff is the Editor of Accuracy in Media, and can be contacted at roger.aronoff@aim.org.
Spain Adds $32 Billion Power-System Bailout to Bank Rescue
  Link to Article
  Source: Een andere kijk op nieuws @infomagnl » Nieuws items
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 06:25
  Geplaatst @ 2 oktober 2012
  After Spain's rescue of its banks and cash-strapped regions, the 2013 budget reveals a bailout of the power industry to cover 25 billion euros ($32 billion) of debt accumulated by the electricity system.The spending blueprint released two days ago adds 100 billion euros to the nation's debt from the rescue packages by the end of 2012, driving its ratio to gross domestic product up 16.8 percentage points to 85.3 percent of total output.Power companies such as Iberdrola SA (IBE) and Gas Natural SDG SA (GAS) booked more revenue than they received from their clients for most of the past decade -- the difference between government-set prices for buyers and sellers -- with the shortfall booked as receivables on their balance sheets.''Politicians have failed to keep an appropriate distance from the industries they are supposed to regulate and when you look at the budget you see the impact,'' Jose Ignacio Torreblanca, head of the Madrid office of the European Council on Foreign Relations, said in a telephone interview. ''The government is taking on a whole series of debts and the power industry is a prime example.''Spanish energy companies have recruited politicians from both main parties. Gas Natural has former Socialist Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez on its board. Endesa SA (ELE)'s owner Enel SpA has former Finance Minister Pedro Solbes. Solbes's successor Elena Salgado joined Endesa Chile (ENDESA) as a director this year. Iberdrola has Angel Acebes, who was Interior Minister alongside Rajoy in the last People's Party administration.Gas Natural rose as much as 4.3 percent today and traded 3 percent higher at 11.35 euros at 5:18 p.m. Endesa rose 2.3 percent compared with a 1.1 percent gain for the benchmark.
Did French intelligence agent kill Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi?
  Link to Article
  Source: intelNews.org
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 06:20
  October 2, 2012by Joseph Fitsanakis
  By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |Nearly a year after the sensational death of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, sources in Libya have claimed that a French intelligence agent killed the Libyan leader acting under orders by the French government. The Libyan dictator was captured by armed fighters of the Libyan National Liberation Army on October 20, 2011, after his convoy was reportedly bombed by North Atlantic Treaty Organization aircraft. Videos showed Gaddafi being taken aboard a van alive; mysteriously, however, he was pronounced dead a few hours later. The Libyan National Transitional Council blamed the Libyan leader's death on overzealous militia members, but this explanation did not satisfy the United Nations, which called for an investigation into the incident. But Mahmoud Jibril, a National Transitional Council member who was Libya's interim Prime Minister during most of 2011, has said in an interview that Gaddafi was killed by a French intelligence officer. Speaking yesterday on Egyptian television, Jibril said that the agent ''mixed with the revolutionary brigades'' and killed Gaddafi by shooting him twice in the head from close range. Jibril's comments came two days after one of Italy's most reputable newspapers, Corriere della Sera, published a report claiming that the alleged French intelligence agent was acting under direct instructions by the French government. The paper said that the order had come down from the office of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. According to the article, Sarkozy was eager to prevent the possibility of Gaddafi standing trial, particularly after the Libyan leader had threatened to expose his alleged financial dealings with the French President. These refer to persistent rumors in France that the Libyan dictator had contributed millions of dollars to Sarkozy's 2007 election campaign. The article in Corriere cites ''well-placed Western diplomatic sources'' in Libya as saying that the foreign agent who allegedly killed Gaddafi ''was almost certainly French'' and that ''Sarkozy had every reason to try to silence the Colonel as quickly as possible''. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused comment on the story. But French defense analyst and former intelligence officer Eric D(C)n(C)c(C) called the allegations of French involvement into the killing of Colonel Gaddafi ''a hoax'' and ''patent nonsense''.
Kickstarter Funding Success LIFX Proposes Networked LED Smartbulbs
  Link to Article
  Source: Singularity Hub
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 06:19
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Early returns show losses for Georgia ruling party
  Link to Article
  Source: bertb news feed
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 06:18
  TBILISI, Georgia (AP) -- Early returns and exit polls in a heated parliamentary election show that Georgian voters have turned against President Mikhail Saakashvili and the party that has been in power for almost nine years.Saakashvili acknowledged that the popular vote on Monday went to the opposition Georgian Dream coalition led by billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili, whose supporters in the capital celebrated throughout the night.But the president insisted that his party would retain its majority in parliament since nearly half of the seats are chosen in separate direct elections.The outcome will determine the future of Saakashvili's pro-Western government because of a constitutional reform that goes into effect next year giving the parliament greater powers at the expense of the presidency.If Saakashvili's party loses, it would be the first time in Georgia's post-Soviet history that a government has been changed not through revolution but at the ballot box.Emotions were running high, and many feared that opposition supporters could turn angry if their victory proved short-lived. Both sides, however, are under pressure to prove their commitment to democracy and have promised to respect the results if the election receives the approval of international observers.The Central Election Commission said a hacker attack on its website had delayed the release of the results. With 10 percent of precincts counted early Tuesday, Georgian Dream was leading in the popular vote for party list with 57 percent to 38 percent for Saakashvili's United National Movement.An exit poll conducted by Edison Research gave a clear edge to the opposition, while a second by GfK had them running even but with 30 percent of people surveyed refusing to say how they voted. These polls, however, only registered the vote based on party lists, which is used to elect 77 of parliament's 150 members.The remaining 73 members are directly elected by majority vote in their constituencies, where the president's party is considered to have the advantage in this mountainous nation of 4.5 million people on the Black Sea.Speaking on television shortly after the polls closed, Saakashvili agreed that the opposition had won the party list vote, largely on the strength of its support in Tbilisi, the capital. Still, he insisted his party was far ahead in the direct elections in individual districts and would retain its majority in parliament.He called on both sides to work together and leave behind a campaign that was "tense, emotional and unfortunately often dirty."Georgian Dream, however, said its exit poll showed it would win a majority of the parliament seats.Tbilisi resounded late into the night with car horns and cheering as Georgian Dream supporters celebrated. Thousands gathered on Freedom Square, where they opened bottles of wine, sang songs and hugged one another. Cars drove through the city with young men hanging out of the windows and sunroofs, waving the party's blue flags.Under Saakashvili, the former Soviet republic has aligned itself with the United States, while striving to join the European Union and NATO.Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia, has said he would pursue these strategic goals while also seeking to restore the ties with Moscow that were severed when the two neighboring countries fought a brief war in 2008 over two breakaway Georgian provinces.Saakashvili has accused Ivanishvili of serving Kremlin interests and intending to put Georgia back under Russian domination, which the opposition leader has denied.Saakashvili's campaign was hit hard by the release two weeks ago of shocking videos showing prisoners in a Tbilisi jail being beaten and sodomized. The government moved quickly to stem the anger, replacing Cabinet ministers blamed for the abuse and arresting prison staff, but many saw the videos as illustrating the excesses of his government.The U.S. ambassador joined in the calls for a peaceful election."I encourage the public to remain calm, have faith and be patient while all the results are counted and any challenges are properly evaluated," Ambassador Richard Norland said.The opposition party had complained of violations during the campaign. Party spokeswoman Maia Panjikidze reported some isolated problems Monday but said the voting had been reasonably calm.Ivanishvili expressed confidence earlier Monday that his opposition coalition would win."For the first time in Georgian history the Georgian people are managing to conduct really democratic elections," he said.Many in the opposition accuse Saakashvili of authoritarian rule."Without a doubt, Saakashvili and all of his people should leave," said Mamuka Gigienishvili, a 55-year-old physicist who voted in Tbilisi. "We have had enough of him acting like a czar."She said the ruling party "labeled anyone with a different opinion a traitor ... as if only they were able to lead the country in the right direction."But Veriko Berishvili, a 49-year-old small business owner, noted all that Saakashvili had done to reform Georgia since coming to power. She specifically named the disbanding of the corrupt traffic police and creation of a modern force."I think we should allow this team to fulfill its promises: to improve the situation in agriculture, decide the problem of joblessness, universal health insurance," she said. "Now all of this is being handled by Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili. Look at his baby, the police force. It is the best in the former Soviet Union."Saakashvili has taken a zero-tolerance approach to crime, which has eradicated petty corruption and made the streets safe again. The flip side has been a huge increase in the prison population and the power of prosecutors.He also enacted reforms and attracted foreign investment that together has produced dramatic economic growth. Poverty and unemployment rates, however, remain high.Saakashvili came to power after anger over a rigged parliamentary election in November 2003 led to the Rose Revolution and the ouster of Eduard Shevardnadze, who had taken power in 1992 after a military coup. Saakashvili won a presidential election in January 2004 and was re-elected four years later. His United National Movement won 119 of the 150 parliament seats in the 2008 election.Monday's vote sets in motion a change that will reduce the powers of the presidency. The party that wins the majority in parliament will name the prime minister. When Saakashvili's second and last presidential term ends next year, many of the president's powers will be transferred to the prime minister.If Saakashvili's party wins on Monday, he has said he does not intend to become prime minister. Such a job swap would bring unwelcome comparisons to Russian President Vladimir Putin.Ivanishvili is not running for a seat in parliament, but has said that if his Georgian Dream coalition wins he would serve as prime minister at least for a year or two to put his team in place.
Fox Hacks Go After Susan Rice and Pretend She Did Not Say Libya Attacks Were Under Investigation
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Tue, 02 Oct 2012 06:10
  I'm not sure how much longer Fox is going to continue to push these phony attacks on President Obama, his U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and anyone else they can try to remake into the reincarnation of Jimmy Carter and the Iranian hostage crisis, so that Obama vs. Romney is somehow magically transformed into St. Ronnie vs. Carter, but they're sure doing their best at the network to try to push that meme 24/7. This week's Fox News Sunday was no exception.
  Fox News Sunday Is Fuzzy On Amb. Rice's Libya Statements:
  Two Fox News Sunday panelists suggested that Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, did not properly emphasize the fact that there is an ongoing investigation into the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. In fact, in the interview that they were referring to, and throughout her appearances on the Sunday talk shows, Rice repeatedly noted that the investigation was ongoing and that its results would ultimately reveal what happened.
  This suggestion feeds into the right-wing conspiracy theory that the Obama administration has been purposefully deceptive in its public statements about the investigation.
  Today on Fox News Sunday, Christian Science Monitor reporter Liz Marlantes questioned why Rice, during a September 16 appearance on Fox News Sunday, didn't simply say, "We're investigating, we don't really know very much yet." Later, Fox News contributor Laura Ingraham similarly asked why Rice didn't say, "We have an ongoing investigation, and I'm really not going to say anything more. We're going to learn more."
  But in her September 16 appearance, Rice stressed the fact that it was important not to jump to conclusions before the investigation was completed, but shared the administration's "best current assessment" (emphasis added):
  RICE: Well, first of all, Chris, we are obviously investigating this very closely. The FBI has a lead in this investigation. The information, the best information and the best assessment we have today is that in fact this was not a preplanned, premeditated attack. That what happened initially was that it was a spontaneous reaction to what had just transpired in Cairo as a consequence of the video. People gathered outside the embassy and then it grew very violent and those with extremist ties joined the fray and came with heavy weapons, which unfortunately are quite common in post-revolutionary Libya and that then spun out of control.
  But we don't see at this point signs this was a coordinated plan, premeditated attack. Obviously, we will wait for the results of the investigation and we don't want to jump to conclusions before then. But I do think it's important for the American people to know our best current assessment.
  In her appearances throughout September 16, Rice repeatedlyemphasized that the investigation was ongoing and would provide the definitive answer to what happened. Her statements mirrored those of other administration officials.
  On September 28, the office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) released a statement on the Benghazi attack saying that the intelligence community's initial assessment was that the attack "began spontaneously" and that it had provided this assessment to the executive branch and members of Congress. The DNI's office said that new information has led it to determine that the attack was "a deliberate and organized terrorist attack carried out by extremists."
  All I can add to the Media Matters report is that the hypocrisy is just astounding when you look at how the wingnuts are drumming up this attack on one of our embassies and basically attempting to promote it to 9-11 level with what the voters should be concerned with, and going after President Obama for the response, when these are the very same people who gave Bush a complete pass for ignoring the intelligence leading up to 9-11. Hypocrisy, thy name is Republican and Fox "News" and the lying liars that inhabit it.
  Full transcript via Fox below the fold.
  WALLACE: Liz, the timeline that the DNI, the Department of National in -- director of national intelligence, and Panetta said was, we have early information and then got information that changed. But before Susan Rice did her famous round of five interviews, including "Fox News Sunday," the first Sunday after the attack, there was a lot of information released, allegations including the president of Libya and I specifically asked about that and I said it was a pre-planned terrorist attack and yet, they were insisting, she was, no, it was spontaneous.
  MARLANTES: Yes, it was kind of amazing. I think I was on the panel that weekend. And we were just all surprised that she didn't leave wiggle room, it would have been pretty easy for them to come out and say, we're investigating. We don't really know much yet. I mean, she could have been a lot vaguer.
  WALLACE: How big a problem is this?
  MARLANTES: And they created a bigger problem because of the way that he handled it. I mean, I think the danger for the Obama administration is not so much voters are suddenly going to think, oh, he's weak on national security. I mean, he's got a big, big cushion in the polls right now in terms of how voters view his national security policy.
  But I think there are two dangers for him. One is the honesty issue, which the Obama campaign has been hitting hard and trying to come at him in different directions on that. The idea that maybe, you know, they were deliberately dishonest or went with something they had reason to believe might not be true.
  And then, I think the other real problem for Obama is the appearance of acting politically, which is, of course, what they accused Romney of doing when he issued his original statement about Benghazi. But, you know, voters will start to think, well, maybe the president is acting more in the interest of his campaign when it comes to national security issues, than really what's in the best interest of the country.
  So, I think those are the two potential weak spots, coming out of all of this.
  WALLACE: Laura, as we reported and as it came out in the course of our interview with Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney plans on a major foreign policy speech and a major critique of Obama's foreign policy in the next few days, probably after the debate.
  How vulnerable do you think Obama's foreign policy is and how important is it for Romney to go after it?
  INGRAHAM: That mantra "Usama is dead but GM lives" -- that was a pretty powerful kind of way to sum it up for him, and I think that was a smart thing for them to do.
  I think today we see things a little bit differently. I mean, we see this thing unravel in Benghazi. The guess is why did they send Susan Wright out -- Rice out? Why was it necessary for her to go out on five shows and say it was spontaneous? Why not just say we have an ongoing investigation and I'm really not going to say anything more; we're going to learn more? Why is it that the FBI still can't get into the Benghazi site? They're saying it's too dangerous for the FBI.
  Well, we have troops all over Afghanistan in Taliban strongholds. They're able to move and maneuver and do so at their own peril. Why are we not in Benghazi today?
  I think President Obama is enormously vulnerable on this point. Because I think most Americans today question whether we are going to be the world's sole superpower five years from now or maybe three years from now.
  But it's incumbent upon Mitt Romney to do the same thing, in a way, that Netanyahu did at the U.N. with that chart, you know, the bomb and the 90 percent red line. He needs to tie that all together in a really visual way. What is the world going to look like; what are we going to live like if America is not the unquestioned superpower in the world? And how is this vulnerability translating to the lives of everyday Americans?
  Does it matter? I think most people want America to be the strongest and they want competence on these issues.
Apple says iPhone 5 purple camera halo is totally normal
  Link to Article
  Source: CNET News
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 23:50
  A new support e-mail purportedly from Apple to a customer says any purple halos in iPhone 5 photos are "normal behavior."
  The iPhone 5's camera.
  (Credit: Apple )Apple has told at least one customer that any purple halos found in photos taken on the company's iPhone 5 are considered normal and due to the angling of the device.
  Gizmodo today posts what it says is a reply from an AppleCare support representative named Debby to an iPhone 5 owner who called the company complaining about the issue.
  "Our engineering team just gave me this information and we recommend that you angle the camera away from the bright light source when taking pictures," AppleCare rep Debby writes in an e-mail. "The purple flare in the image provided is considered normal behavior for iPhone 5's camera."
  The issue in question is a purple color that typically shows up on the edges of photos when a light source is immediately nearby, though can occur even when the light is off frame. It can also affect both photos and videos.
  Some users began complaining about the issue just after Apple's new phone went on sale last month. The problem was not apparent during CNET's own testing of the iPhone 5, which is ongoing.
  So far Apple has not put out any official information, including support articles that detail the issue. The company declined to comment on the support e-mail.
  Here's an example of the purple coloring on the side of this test shot. The light source is off frame:
  Updated at 4:30 p.m. PTadds that Apple declined to comment.
Facebook tailoring ad services for businesses
  Link to Article
  Source: Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 23:46
  Facebook's chief operating officer was in New York on Monday working to bolster investor confidence with assurances that the social network was intent on making money.
  Sheryl Sandberg echoed co-founder Mark Zuckerberg's disappointment in the company's dismal stock market debut in May and said that revenue-generating schemes being considered included charging for upscale services.
  "As we increase our investment in monetization, we're thinking about premium services for businesses," Sandberg said in an interview aired on CNBC.
  "We've heard from businesses all over the world that they want more from us, there are things they'd pay for, they want us to provide, so it's an area we're starting to explore."
  Facebook had no specific products to announce, but the opportunity is being pursued, she noted.
  She also repeated Zuckerberg's assurance that Facebook sees opportunity in the trend by users to access the service from smartphones or tablets, where the company does not serve-up money making advertising.
  With the California-based social network giant struggling to prove it can boost revenues, the company last month revamped its "Offers" service.
  The change requires payments, starting at $5 per ad, for the deals offered through Facebook'--making companies pay for what had been free advertising until now.
  Facebook last week added a feature that lets people send real-life cupcakes, coffee, stuffed animals or other gifts to friends in the social network.
  The "Gifts" program is being rolled out gradually, starting in the United States, and Facebook stands to get a fee for brokering purchases.
  The world's largest social network'--with more than 950 million members'--has seen its stock price sag since its market debut at $38 per share. Shares were $21.96 in after-market trades on Monday.
  (c) 2012 AFP
Dode door schietincident Amsterdam
  Link to Article
  Source: VK: Home
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 23:34
  02/10/12, 00:49 '' bron: ANP/Redactie
  (C) ANP.
  Een nog onbekende man is maandagavond laat omgekomen door een schietpartij in Amsterdam. Dat meldde de politie. Het slachtoffer werd zwaargewond aangetroffen op de Tafelbergweg. Hij overleefde zijn verwondingen niet.
  Over de oorzaak is nog niets bekend, aldus de politie. De omgeving is afgezet. Ter plekke wordt onderzoek verricht door de recherche.
Is the teen rebel a dying breed?
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 23:19
  1 October 2012Last updated at18:43 ETMy son has just turned 13 and I made him a card to mark the moment he became a teenager. I put a picture of him as a choir-boy next to a Photoshopped shot of him as a saggy-trousered gangsta rapper - the innocent child mutating into a growling ball of rebellious fury. But a series of recent official statistics are making me question whether the old joke is true any more.
  Teenage rebels are not what they were.
  Adolescents are increasingly turning their noses up at drugs, booze and fags, with consumption by young people the lowest at almost any time since we started measuring these things.
  Drugs: Last week, the Home Office published analysis which suggests the proportion of 16- to 24-year-olds that have ever taken illicit drugs has fallen from 54% in 1998 to 38% now. Among 11- to 15-year-olds the figure has fallen from 29% to 17% in a decade.
  Tobacco: Last month, NHS analysis suggested the proportion of English 16- to 19-year-olds who have never smoked has risen from about two-thirds in 1998 to three-quarters now. And the data is just as striking among their younger brothers and sisters. In 1982 most 11- to 15-year-olds (53%) had had a sneaky cigarette at one time or another. Today, just a quarter has ever spluttered over a fag behind the bike sheds.
  Alcohol: It is a similar story with booze. In 1998, 71% of 16- to 24-year-olds questioned said they'd had a drink that week. Today it is 48% - far lower than their parents (about 70%). Among 11- to 15-year-olds there are similar big falls. A decade ago, 26% reported they'd had alcohol in the previous week. Now the data suggests the figure is 13%.
  No-one is suggesting young people don't misbehave, but teenagers no longer seem to define themselves by wild disobedience''
  End QuoteSo what is going on? When it comes to smoking and drinking and taking drugs, British teenagers are behaving better than their parents.
  That's not to say there are not still real challenges, of course. But the trends are encouraging enough to question whether the archetypal teen is evolving.
  The concept of adolescence goes back to the 1900s and the American psychologist G Stanley Hall, who argued that the biological changes associated with puberty drove problematic behaviour. He described it as a period of "storm and stress" when young people demanded freedom but needed discipline.
  The theory was embraced in 1950s Britain, where the establishment had become seriously concerned about the threat from rebellious youth. Along with exotic clothes and loud music, a new word had crossed the Atlantic - teenager. It was a term that inspired the development of a new economically independent sub-culture, simultaneously exciting and terrifying.
  Over the next four decades, teddy boys, bikers, mods, rockers, hippies, punks, ravers and grungers put two pubescent fingers up at authority in their own fashion and took delight in watching the staid grown-ups flinch and frown.
  Today, though, where are the rebellious sub-cultures?
  No-one is suggesting that young people don't misbehave, but teenagers no longer seem to define themselves by wild disobedience. If anything, we are in the middle of a period of increasingly good behaviour.
  A simple measure of "juvenile delinquency" is the number of youngsters who enter the criminal justice system as a result of a police reprimand or conviction. The figure for England and Wales has halved in 10 years - from about 90,000 in 2001 to 45,000 young people in 2011.
  There are going to do be many factors that contribute to this trend. Those people working in schools and youth services will argue that their work on smoking, alcohol and drugs is the reason all the arrows are pointing the right way.
  The police, probation and social services may claim that they have been responsible for improvements in behaviour.
  But I wonder if there is something else going on here. Could it be that teenage rebellion needs to look different to what your mum and dad did? Smoking, boozing, dropping pills and hooliganism - that's so Generation X.
  These days, perhaps, adolescent identity is defined more by the use of social media rather than the use of illicit drugs. It might be that texting and messaging, Facebook and Bebo provide the exclusive amity once provided by gangs and musical sub-cultures.
  In my day, the classic bored teenager hung around the bus-stop with a few mates and someone produced a packet of 10 and a bottle of cider. Nowadays they are upstairs on the laptop, PS3 or mobile, gossiping and playing and flirting. It is a digital world where grown-ups are not allowed, a playground for the virtual teen rebel.
  Over the weekend I went to see the Beach Boys perform at Wembley Arena. I don't know whether it made me feel very old or very young. The original teenage boy band put on a good show, but there was something disconcerting about the line-up of pensioners, some of whom bore witness to a misspent youth.
  The age profile of the audience was far more mixed than I had expected. There were thousands of teenagers among the baby-boomers. What was going through their minds as they looked at Brian Wilson trying to focus and Mike Love dad-dancing?
  I wonder whether the word "teenager" is being redefined and the card I sent my son for his 13th birthday is an example of a prejudice that has had its day.
VIDEO: Brian Eno on apps and albums
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 23:18
  Brian Eno is a pop and electronic music legend. He first found fame for his work with art college pop icons Roxy Music, before going on to pioneer ambient music in the late 1970s.
  He has produced albums for the likes of David Bowie, U2, Depeche Mode and Coldplay.
  His latest venture is the app Scape, a follow-up to 2008's Bloom app. Scape not only contains his most recent 'album' of the same name, but is also a tool allowing people to compose their own music on mobile devices.
  He developed it with Peter Chilvers, known for his work creating music for computer games in the 1990s.
  The app promises "deep access to the musical elements" that the composers used to make the album itself.
  Rory Cellan-Jones caught up with Brian Eno in his London studio, to hear his views on the future of music.
Ross Perot Interview
  Link to Article
  Source: Programs Recently Aired - C-SPAN Video Library
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 23:09
  USA TodayC-SPAN
  Ross Perot talked with a reporter about the state of the economy and the nation, and the relevance of the issues he ran on in 1992 and 1996 in the 2012 elections, including federal debt and deficit spending, third party .. Read MoreRoss Perot talked with a reporter about the state of the economy and the nation, and the relevance of the issues he ran on in 1992 and 1996 in the 2012 elections, including federal debt and deficit spending, third party presidential runs, and the US education system. David Walker also sat in during the interview. Mr. Walker, a former U.S. comptroller general, had been working with Mr. Perot on initiatives to educate voters about economic issues in 2012 election.Richard Wolf s article based on this interview will run in USA Today on Monday, October 1 and be available at their website www.usatoday.com
  1 hour, 4 minutes | 9 Views
25,000 Muslim Rioters Torch and Loot Buddhist Temples and Homes in Bangladesh
  Link to Article
  Source: Conscious Life News
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 18:01
  Posted by Heartmind_Featured_, geopoliticsMonday, October 1st, 2012(Russia Today) Tens of thousands of rioters left a trail of destruction in southeastern Bangladesh as they torched Buddhist temples and homes near the town of Ramu. The violence was sparked by a photo posted on Facebook that allegedly insulted Islam.
  ­A 25,000-strong mob set fire to at least five temples and dozens of homes throughout the town and surrounding villages after seeing the picture, which they claimed was posted by Uttam Barua, a local Buddhist man, AFP reported.
  The group chanted ''God is Great'' while setting fire to the centuries-old temples.
  ''I have seen 11 wooden temples, two of them 300 years old, torched by the mob. They looted precious items and Buddha statues from the temples. Shops owned by Buddhists were also looted,'' local journalist Sunil Barua said.
  Security forces were deployed to contain the uprising: ''At least 100 houses were damaged. We called in army and border guards to quell the violence,'' district administrator Joinul Bari said.
  No casualties were reported, and authorities did not confirm whether police arrested any of the rioters.
  Buddhist monks protested against the attacks on Sunday, forming a human chain in the country's capital of Dhaka.
  Bangladeshi Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir said the attacks were preplanned, and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
  ''The attack was conducted in a coordinated manner. Temples and houses were set on fire using patrol and gun powder. It would have been impossible if the attacks were not planned,'' he told Bangladesh's Bdnews24.
  The government will provide financial assistance for reconstruction of the damaged houses and temple, Alamgir said.
  Before launching their attacks, Muslims publicly rallied against the picture and called for Barua's arrest. However, several Facebook users said that Barua did not post the photo, and that he was linked to the photo after group called 'Insult Allah' tagged his name on the image.
  Read the full articleRelated posts:
  2,600 Year Old Buddhist Monastery Discovered in AfghanistanSOPA: What If Google, Facebook, and Twitter Went Offline In ProtestFacebook monitors your chats for criminal activityGeraldo Rivera Accuses FBI of Creating Fake Terror Attacks
Hey, Apple: Mapping Takes More Work than You Think
  Link to Article
  Source: Dave Winer's linkblog feed
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:32
  In response to scathing criticism over its new Maps app for mobile devices, Apple CEO Tim Cook last week apologized and admitted that the company "fell short," but his statement did not hint at the true scale of the job Apple now faces to fix things, experts say.
  Cook did say user feedback would play a role. "The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you," Cook wrote in a letter to customers.
  But Apple is going to need far more than user feedback. The scale of the problem'--particularly, the millions of errant labels on points of interest like businesses'--requires new data sources and easier ways to contribute fixes, as well as enough willing map-fixers in geographically dispersed regions. Little of this is evident now, experts say.
  There are some ways the process can be helped along automatically. Apple will benefit from analyzing what people are searching for. For example, if a search does not result in a "hit," "Apple can flag this search as a possible error in their database'--perhaps an address error, a point-of-interest error, or network geometry error," says Michael Dobson, president of TeleMapics, a mapping consultancy.
  In addition, by noting where people are using the maps, Apple can set priorities on what to fix, he says. And when people use Apple's Maps, they automatically provide a GPS trace that can potentially help correct road location information. But that does nothing to address the job of fixing points of interest.
  Apple provides users with an interface for reporting problems, yet the company has nothing as good as Google's Map Maker'--a browser-based tool that allows people to edit map features on Google Maps.
  "Google has found a way to integrate active crowdsourcing on a level that Apple has not yet attempted," says Dobson, who estimates that Google has 5,000 to 7,000 people ironing out mapping problems, counting stringers and part-timers. "I don't believe Apple has more than a couple of hundred people working on this at this point," he says. "Apple may attempt it, but they certainly don't have any system that allows this kind of wholesale crowdsourcing."
  Apple also lacks a fleet of cars like the ones Google has used to log five million miles worldwide so far, capturing GPS traces of streets and images of buildings'--in many cases recording street-direction signs and names and addresses of businesses, which are automatically converted into information on Google Maps.
  Beyond Cook's statement, Apple has not commented on its Maps (see "Is Apple Losing Its Way?"). Google is thought to be developing a stand-alone version of Google Maps for the iPhone and iPad, but it has not commented other than to say it wants to keep ensuring that Google Maps is available to all.
  Of the several problems with Apple's Maps, some are easier to fix than others. Widely publicized screen grabs of apparently melting bridges and highways are the least of it: these stem from math errors that distorted projections of satellite images, Dobson says. Similarly, satellite images obscured by clouds can be fixed with better data sets.
  The most serious problem'--and no doubt an ongoing one'--has to do with the points of interest. Beyond businesses, these include labels on places including schools, hospitals, parks, and police and fire stations.
  Reports of missing or misplaced labels on Apple Maps have cropped up around the world. And this is particularly problematic, because people often want to search for a point of interest by name, not address. If the point is on the wrong spot, then the directions'--and the maps themselves'--become useless.
  There are at least 100 million businesses around the world, and possibly as many as 300 million, says Schuyler Erle, a digital mapping expert who is a coauthor of mapping books including Google Maps Hacks and a contributor to OpenStreetMap, an open-source project to build a worldwide street-level database. "That is a ton of data to collect'--address, telephone number, business classification, hours of operation."
  Even in the best of times, keeping all this accurate is a tall order. He said one study found that in a single year in San Francisco, 10 percent of businesses changed location, closed, or opened. "You really have to run just to stay in place," Erle says.
  Apple's correction interface doesn't allow actual editing. It gives you choices: "Information is incorrect," "Pin is at incorrect location," "Place does not exist," "My problem isn't listed," and a form to suggest corrections. Google Map Maker allows far more detailed hands-on editing with a Wikipedia-like editing interface.
  "Crowdsourcing can be very powerful, but it's hard to manage an effective system," Dobson says. The mapmaker needs to trust and verify the data, and to have enough volunteers'--which implies people are actually using the maps, and haven't given up on them.
  In his letter, Cook was magnanimous, saying: "While we're improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest, and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app."
  Google had some similar problems when it launched its maps in 2005. It licensed underlying data from companies like Navteq, now owned by Nokia, and Teleatlas, now owned by TomTom. After suffering from their errors, however, Google launched its famous effort to create its own base maps with sensor-equipped cars.
  Lacking a fleet of vehicles or a team of in-house cartographers, Apple created an entirely new set of maps by licensing data from partners including TomTom. Merging all that data is a complex task, Dobson says, and one prone to errors.
  Erle says that Apple's strength has always been in making things simple'--and what's called for now is a super-simple editing interface. "That's what Apple does'--their premise is making rock-solid, reliable technology and making it easy to use," he says. "Your phone already knows where you are, so your phone should be able make it utterly trivial to contribute."
Anglo-American 1957 Secret Plan to Assassinate the Syrian President. D(C)j Vu?
  Link to Article
  Source: BlackListedNews.com
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 17:30
  ByProf Michel Chossudovsky
  At a time when the British press was still ''reporting the truth'', London's Guardian (27 September 2003) published a detailed report of a 1957 Anglo-American assassination plot directed against the Syrian president, with a view to implementing ''regime change''. The similarity to today's war on Syria is striking.
  What is revealing is that the political assassination of the Syrian president has been on the Anglo-American drawing board for over half a century.
  The article, which reviews the text of the leaked 'Secret Document'', confirms that British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and President Dwight D. Eisenhower had ordered the assassination of the Syrian Head of State.
  ''Macmillan backed Syria assassination plot
  Documents show White House and No 10 conspired over oil-fuelled invasion plan''
  To consult the complete article by Ben Fenton, The Guardian, 27 September 2003 click herehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2003/sep/27/uk.syria1
  The stated objective of this Secret Plan, entrusted to Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) [today's MI6] and the CIA, consisted in assassinating the Syrian president together with key political and military figures. ''Mr Macmillan and President Eisenhower were left in no doubt about the need to assassinate the top men in Damascus.''
  ''In order to facilitate the action of liberative forces, reduce the capabilities of the Syrian regime to organise and direct its military actions, to hold losses and destruction to a minimum, and to bring about desired results in the shortest possible time, a special effort should be made to eliminate certain key individuals. Their removal should be accomplished early in the course of the uprising and intervention and in the light of circumstances existing at the time.'' (The Guardian, 27 September 2003)
  The stated pretext of the Macmillan-Eisenhower plan was that Syria was ''spreading terrorism'' and ''preventing the West's access to Middle East oil'' D(C)j VuThe secret 1957 Plan called for the funding of a so-called ''Free Syria Committee'' equivalent to today's Syrian National Council (SNC). It also involved ''the arming of ''political factions with paramilitary or other actionist capabilities'' within Syria. Under the plan, the CIA together with Britain's Secret Intelligence Serivce (SIS) ''would instigate internal uprisings''.
  ''Internal disturbances'' in Syria would be triggered through covert operations. The ''CIA is prepared, and SIS [MI6] will attempt, to mount minor sabotage and coup de main incidents [sic] within Syria, working through contacts with individuals.''
  An all out invasion plan had also been envisaged.
  What was lacking from the 1957 plan, formulated at the height of the Cold War, was the ''humanitarian'' R2P envelope.
  Moreover, in contrast to today's Free Syrian Army (FSA) (i.e the foot soldiers of the Western military alliance), the 1957 Anglo-American plan did not contemplate the recruitment of foreign mercenaries to wage their war:
  [in 1957] Britain and America sought a secretive ''regime change'' in another Arab country they accused of spreading terror and threatening the west's oil supplies, by planning the invasion of Syria and the assassination of leading figures.
  Newly discovered documents show how in 1957 Harold Macmillan and President Dwight Eisenhower approved a CIA-MI6 plan to stage fake border incidents as an excuse for an invasion by Syria's pro-western neighbours, and then to ''eliminate'' the most influential triumvirate in Damascus. (The Guardian, 27 September 2003)
  '...
  The insidious plan was known to key political figures in the British government. It was made public 46 years later in 2003:
  Although historians know that intelligence services had sought to topple the Syrian regime in the autumn of 1957, this is the first time any document has been found showing that the assassination of three leading figures was at the heart of the scheme. In the document drawn up by a top secret and high-level working group that met in Washington in September 1957, Mr Macmillan and President Eisenhower were left in no doubt about the need to assassinate the top men in Damascus.
  Part of the ''preferred plan'' reads: ''In order to facilitate the action of liberative forces, reduce the capabilities of the Syrian regime to organise and direct its military actions, to hold losses and destruction to a minimum, and to bring about desired results in the shortest possible time, a special effort should be made to eliminate certain key individuals. Their removal should be accomplished early in the course of the uprising and intervention and in the light of circumstances existing at the time.''
  The document, approved by London and Washington, named three men: Abd al-Hamid Sarraj, head of Syrian military intelligence; Afif al-Bizri, chief of the Syrian general staff; and Khalid Bakdash, leader of the Syrian Communist party.
  For a prime minister who had largely come to power on the back of Anthony Eden's disastrous antics in Suez just a year before, Mr Macmillan was remarkably bellicose. He described it in his diary as ''a most formidable report''. Secrecy was so great, Mr Macmillan ordered the plan withheld even from British chiefs of staff, because of their tendency ''to chatter''.
  '...
  Driving the call for action was the CIA's Middle East chief Kermit Roosevelt, grandson of former president Theodore Roosevelt. He identified Colonel Sarraj, General al-Bizri and Mr Bakdash as the real power behind a figurehead president. '...
  The ''preferred plan'' adds: ''Once a political decision is reached to proceed with internal disturbances in Syria, CIA is prepared, and SIS [MI6] will attempt, to mount minor sabotage and coup de main incidents within Syria, working through contacts with individuals.
  ''The two services should consult, as appropriate, to avoid any overlapping or interference with each other's activities'... Incidents should not be concentrated in Damascus; the operation should not be overdone; and to the extent possible care should be taken to avoid causing key leaders of the Syrian regime to take additional personal protection measures.''
  The report said that once the necessary degree of fear had been created, frontier incidents and border clashes would be staged to provide a pretext for Iraqi and Jordanian military intervention. Syria had to be ''made to appear as the sponsor of plots, sabotage and violence directed against neighbouring governments,'' the report says. ''CIA and SIS should use their capabilities in both the psychological and action fields to augment tension.'' That meant operations in Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon, taking the form of ''sabotage, national conspiracies and various strong-arm activities'' to be blamed on Damascus.
  The plan called for funding of a ''Free Syria Committee'', and the arming of ''political factions with paramilitary or other actionist capabilities'' within Syria. The CIA and MI6 would instigate internal uprisings, for instance by the Druze in the south, help to free political prisoners held in the Mezze prison, and stir up the Muslim Brotherhood in Damascus.
  The planners envisaged replacing the Ba'ath/Communist regime with one that was firmly anti-Soviet, but they conceded that this would not be popular and ''would probably need to rely first upon repressive measures and arbitrary exercise of power''. (Ben Fenton, The Guardian, 27 September 2003, emphasis added)
  In contrast to the 2011-2012 Plan, which is supported by the Arab League, with the participation of Saudi Arabia and Qatar in covert ops., the 1957 Eisenhower Macmillan Plan was not carried out due to lack of support by neighbouring Arab countries: ''The plan was never used, chiefly because Syria's Arab neighbours could not be persuaded to take action and an attack from Turkey alone was thought to be unacceptable. (Ben Fenton, The Guardian, 27 September 2003, emphasis added)
  The ongoing US-NATO aggression directed against Syria has been planned for several years.
  An invasion of Syria was contemplated in the immediate wake of the 2003 Iraq invasion by US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
  ''Regime change'' in Damascus was again put forth by the Bush adminstration in the immediate wake of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The assassination was casually blamed, without evidence, on Damascus.
  President George W. Bush ''denounced Syria and its ally, Iran, as 'outlaw regimes'... Syria and Iran deserve no patience from the victims of terror,''' The British media confirmed in October 2005 that Washington was ''looking for a pro-western replacement for Mr Assad.''
National Pentagon Radio (NPR) Watch
  Link to Article
  Source: Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names » article
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 16:06
  by JOHN V. WALSH
  Friday brought another report of the civil war in Syria by Kelly McEvers of NPR's Morning Edition.
  The opening summary tells us that rebels ''captured a third major border crossing between Syria and Turkey. The rebels are trying to restore services to a recently liberated town.'' Let's hold on right there. ''Liberated town''? According to Miriam Webster's online dictionary, the first definition of ''liberate,'' is to set at liberty: free.; specifically: to free (as a country) from domination by a foreign power.'' (The phrase ''domination by a foreign power'' is more than a touch ironic, given the role of the U.S., Turkey, Israel and the Gulf Cooperation Council in bankrolling and supplying the rebels. ) One need not even probe into the connotations of ''liberate'' which by its very denotation tells us that liberation is the work of the ''good guys.'' Right there in a subtle, or not so subtle, way, National Pentagon Radio is taking sides. And it is not too far into the reportage before journalist ace Kelly McEvers repeats the formulation: ''Inside the building, we sit down with Abu Azzam, one of the rebel commanders who helped liberate the border crossing (with Turkey, Jw) and the town beyond.''
  So what kind of ''liberation'' has come to this town of about 20,000 people called Tal Abyad? As we get deeper into the story, the ''liberation'' becomes ever stranger. McEvers reports: ''Once inside the town, the only civilians we see are a handful of people in a pickup truck, and they're on their way out. The bakeries have reopened, but apparently just to make bread for the fighters. One of two functioning stores clearly caters to the rebels, too. Otherwise, the town is almost completely empty'....Our guide, Abu Yazen, shows us the blackened, pockmarked government buildings that were taken by the rebels. We ask Abu Yazen why the town is so empty. He says it's because 80 percent of the people in town actually sided with the government, not with the rebels (emphasis, jw)'....What happens when those 80 percent of the people come back and they want their houses back? What's going to happen to them?'''....The guide Yazen replies and McEvers offers the translation, ''Those who have blood on their hands will be tried, he says. The others will come back and help us build a new country.'' Hardly a reassuring invitation to those who have fled from the ''liberation'' of their town.
  McEvers hastily concludes her piece: ''Someone rushes in to tell us they've spotted a column of trucks with mounted machine guns that belong to the regime's army. (Soundbite of truck motor) We have to hurry out of town before we know the end of the story.'' The operative term this time is ''regime.'' The routine usage on NPR is that official enemies have ''regimes,'' so both Iran and Syria routinely have regimes but Israel, for example, has a ''government.'' Here we must look at the connotation of the word; and as Wikipedia informs us under ''modern usage,'': ''While the word regime originates as a synomym for any form of government, modern usage often gives the term a negative connotation'...'' (There was a time when the antiwar movement referred to the ''Bush regime,'' but that usage has gone missing with the ascension of Obama, the candidate of the ''progressive'' Democrats.)
  This sort of vocabulary is not trivial as George Orwell long ago pointed out. It is usage which, repeated endlessly, reinforces the idea of who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. Such propaganda molds opinions and is preparation for war and conflict.
  If you have examples of such biased reports or discussions from NPR, please send them to me at John.Endwar@gmail.com . Besides Morning Edition and All Things Considered, Neal Conan's Talk of the Nation, which reaches millions, appears to offer plenty of low hanging fruit. I am interested not only in bias based on word choice, but also outright falsification and coverage of only one side of an issue, often using two guests who in fact agree on basics which go unquestioned, a very effective form of propaganda. China bashing, Russia bashing, Iran bashing and Muslim bashing are especially worth being on the lookout for.
  Let us see whether we can move NPR to change its ways.
China Warns World War III Being Planned To Oust Obama
  Link to Article
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:01
  World's Largest English Language News Service with Over 500 Articles Updated Daily
  "The News You Need Today'...For The World You'll Live In Tomorrow."
  What You Aren't Being Told About The World You Live In
  War Of The Sacred Code: The True Secret Of 2012
  A ''must have'' book for those seeking to understand the truth behind this most prophesied about year in human history. (Continued)
  ''Dirty, Filthy, Christians'':Treatise On The Most Dangerous Death Cult In Human History
  An unprecedented work detailing the agenda behind the greatest deception ever foisted upon humanity.(Continued)
  BattleBegins For Throne of This World: The Return of the Einherjar Warriors
  By: Sorcha Faal ''The truest accounting of our World's present state of Global Chaos, the 'whys' and 'how's' are presented in this epic history of what has been kept hidden from humanity. (Continued)
  Picking up the Pieces: Practical Guide for Surviving Economic Crashes, Internal Unrest and Military SuppressionBy: Sorcha Faal ''In the span of less than 3 months gasoline prices will rise 500%. The prices of both food and shelter rise over 300%. (Continued)
  Partisans Handbook:By: Sorcha Faal ''Essential Survival Guide For Resisting Foreign Military Occupation, Escape And Evasion Techniques, Surviving Interrogation, Facing Execution, Wilderness Survival (Continued)
  Code Red: The Coming Destruction Of The United StatesLimited release of the perhaps one of the most prophetic books of our time relating to the underlying causes, and history, of the downfall of America (Continued)
  October 1, 2012
  US Family Massacred After Begging Russia For Help
  By:Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers
  A shocking new Federal Security Service (FSB) report circulating in the Kremlin today alleges that an entire American family that sought Russian protection from the Obama regime was massacred by US intelligence agents within hours of their planned escape from the United States.
  According to this report, on 22 September a woman who indentified herself as Kathleen Peterson visited the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Washington D.C. under the pretense of signing up to take a course titled Russian Language Express Course A-1 for beginners set to begin on 26 September whereupon she approached director Yuriy Zaytsev and ''slipped into his hand,'' while shaking it, an encrypted computer thumb drive covered in a small note that said ''please help us we're in danger.''
  Following ''standard protocols'' for such instances, when Russian officials are approached on American soil by US citizens, this report continues, the note and thumb drive in question were ''processed'' according to ''established procedures'' and revealed the plans of Mrs. Peterson, her husband Albert[both pictured 2nd photo left], and their two children, Mathew and Christopher, to leave Washington D.C. on 23 September on a flight to Paris where it was requested they be met by Russian security personal as this family feared their lives were in danger.
  Within 24 hours of Mrs. Peterson passing her information to Russian officials, this report says, she, her husband and two children were violently gunned down in their Fairfax County Virginia home on 23 September with this massacre being blamed by US police officials on a murder-suicide plot initiated by her husband, Albert, with at least one Western news source, quoting a source indentified only as ''Maggie L.'', stating this tragedy was due to his, Albert's, fears over Obama being reelected as US President.
  According to US news sources, Albert Peterson was a longtime employee of the US defense giant Northrop Grumman until he resigned in 2009, and Kathleen Peterson was employed by the US defense contracting firm Blackbird Technologies located in Herndon, Virginia.
  This FSB report, however, says that the likelihood of two highly placed US defense contractors holding America's most top secret security clearances, such as Kathleen and Albert Peterson did, makes the report of their deaths being a murder-suicide ''highly implausible'' as only the most sound of mind persons are able to obtain such classified ratings.
  This FSB report further states that the ''most likely'' reason for this families massacre was information possessed by Mrs. Peterson from her working with Blackbird Technologies, which Russian intelligence sources in this report name as one of the most feared and secretive organizations in the United States charged with establishing a total police state upon the American people.
  Blackbird Technologies is a technology solutions provider that says their mission is to solve challenging problems for customers in the US Defense, Intelligence, and Law Enforcement Communities. They further state that their technical expertise, innovation, and operational experience meets their customers' unique and complex challenges and lists as one of their core competencies: ''tagging, tracking, and locating expertise, including experience with technical systems that provide a clear picture of operational assets and targets.''
  Russian intelligence sources in this report, however, state that Blackbird Technologies real mission is to produce and keep constantly updated what is called the ''Obama Kill List'' that was described by the Washington Post News Service as an ''assertion of a presidential prerogative that the administration can target for death people it decides are terrorists '-- even American citizens '-- anywhere in the world, at any time, on secret evidence with no review.''
  Virtually unknown to the American people about Obama's Kill List was his expansion of it with his midnight 31 December 2011 signing of a new law called the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (NDAA) which allows the American President to not only kill anyone he wants to without trial or charges, but, also, in Section 1021, allows the US Military to detain indefinitely without trial anyone, including US civilians, it chooses to.
  Though not reported by the US mainstream media, at a recent conference on the NDAA law by some of America's most prominent freedom advocates, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges, said he believed that there are already America citizens held in military detention by the US at home and abroad.
  Mr. Hedge's views were shared by others opposing the NDAA law who wrote this past week on the US Federal Court Case opposing it who said: ''If the Obama administration simply appealed it, as we expected, it would have raised this red flag. But since they were so aggressive it means that once Judge Forrest declared the law invalid, if they were using it, as we expect, they could be held in contempt of court. This was quite disturbing, for it means, I suspect, that U.S. citizens, probably dual nationals, are being held in military detention facilities almost certainly overseas and maybe at home.''
  This FSB report further notes Blackbird Technologies ''tracking and tagging'' of those US citizens destined to be placed in America's most feared prisons called Communication Management Units, or CMU's. These secretive political prisons for ''domestic terrorists'' radically restricts prisoner communications with the outside world to levels that rival, or exceed, the most restrictive facilities in the country, including the dreaded ''Supermax'', and any other such prison operating in the Western world.
  To the exact reason the Peterson family was targeted for elimination by the US may, in fact, never be known, but should send a chill down any Americans spine as yet another example of the fate one faces should they dare to challenge the regime ruling over them.
  October 1, 2012 (C) EU and US all rights reserved. Permission to use this report in its entirety is granted under the condition it is linked back to its original source at WhatDoesItMean.Com. Freebase content licensed under CC-BY and GFDL.
  [Ed. Note: Western governments and their intelligence services actively campaign against the information found in these reports so as not to alarm their citizens about the many catastrophic Earth changes and events to come, a stance that the Sisters of Sorcha Faal strongly disagrees with in believing that it is every human beings right to know the truth. Due to our missions conflicts with that of those governments, the responses of their 'agents' against us has been a longstanding misinformation/misdirection campaign designed to discredit and which is addressed in the report ''Who Is Sorcha Faal?''.]
  You May Already Be To Late'...But It Has Begun!
  They Are Going To Come For You'...Why Are You Helping Them?
  Return To Main Page
BREAKING: Allegations of systemic fraud in RBS
  Link to Article
  Source: A diary of deception and distortion
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 07:52
  Unable to get any more money from the taxpayer, RBS stands accused of swindling large-scale property borrowers.
  Hester'...questions to answer
  Two separate civil high court actions and one on-going criminal action are about to reveal powerful evidence of organised attempts within RBS to defraud customers. In the last of these, sources allege that some 15 RBS staff are the subjects of a surveillance operation by the City of London Police).Last weekend, RBS boss Stephen Hester told the Daily Telegraph that it would ''take a generation'' to get the rotten apples out of banking. He added that the general public must view the industry's current failings as a ''very unedifying sight'....there are criminals in any walk of life, not just banking''.The case at issue, highlighted below, suggests that Mr Hester could do worse than start rooting them out of his own organisation. Says the main source involved:''The potential implications of RBS's behaviour in this case are huge, in that it has been actively working to defraud retail clients. The case documents outright systemic fraud within RBS, aided and abetted by well-known property agents and administrators.''In one soon-to-be high profile case, plaintiffs allege that a hotel redevelopment project using RBS finance of around £5m was abruptly halted when, at the last minute, RBS used the 'opinion' of an 'independent' property agent to massively undervalue the property concerned.RBS used this to designate the hotel a distressed asset, and declare the project insolvent. Administrators then colluded to sell the property to RBS's distressed assets division (West Register) for £1.The major bombshell in all this is that I understand the procedure was at the time codified (ie, approved) in an internal memorandum to over 100 senior managers at the bank.In short, it's a scam to walk away with a £15m asset, at a cost of £1. But it's nothing new inside the RBS axis of smoke, mirrors and fraud.In November last year, Innes Berntsen and Chris Richardson, business partners-turned property developers, began High Court proceedings against RBS bank's NatWest subsidiary '' alleging wrongful termination of its bank facility for the development of a four-star Kent hotel. The two entrepreneurs issued a writ for £29m against NatWest, claiming the bank forced them to appoint administrators for the Sittingbourne hotel on 22 June 2010 '' with funding withdrawn nine days before the 1880s-built hotel was due to open after redevelopment.Exactly the same sting as that applied to this latest case.Just two months ago, financial blogger Ian Fraser reported that Royal Bank of Scotland had shifted billions of pounds of commercial property debt from its banking book into its subsidiary repository, West Register. With this meaningless accountancy 3-card trick, the bank avoided declaring losses on loans decreed to have gone bad '' and thus magically transmuted liabilities into assets. Such commercial real-estate shuffling appears to be central to RBS chief executive Stephen Hester's recovery project, enabling him to flog off the assets for much-needed cash.'The Slog has posted endlessly about the devious fantasies of Bank accounting in relation to assets and liabilities. Here we have Stephen Hester's RBS not only involved in a morally repugnant assets declaration '' but also his subsidiary using those 'assets' to screw the customer base. This '' and the infamous 'glitch' '' perhaps show how Hester is putting McHumpty together again.This gives Osborne's Treasury, the Bank of England, and Hester himself a huge problem, in that the owners of RBS have at best failed to deal with powerful evidence of systemic fraud, and at worst been complicit in turning a blind eye to it.RBS has been fingered several times by this site over the last two years as the most dodgy, toxic, and unsaleable banking asset taken on by HMG after the 2008 disaster. If the bank's management are pulling this kind of stunt, then it leaves the observer wondering just how desperate their circumstances really are.Or perhaps it's just another glitch. Stay tuned.
U.S. Ospreys Deployed to Futenma Base in Okinawa
  Link to Article
  Source: RIA Novosti
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 04:32
  U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft were deployed on Monday to the U.S. Futenma airbase in southern Japan's Okinawa Prefecture despite strong public opposition, the Kyodo news agency reported.
  The first tiltrotor transport aircraft arrived at the Marine Corps' Futenma base from a base in southwestern Japan.
  Six Ospreys departed from the Marines' Iwakuni air base in Yamaguchi Prefecture in the morning, a day after Japanese police cleared cars left by protesters to block the roads to Futenma on Sunday, in protest against the basing of 12 Bell-Boeing MV-22 tiltrotor aircraft there on Monday, according to Kyodo.
  In September, the Japanese and U.S. governments agreed to a plan for the basing of the tiltrotors in Japan, after a study by the Japanese concluded the aircraft did not pose special risks to local people. MV-22 flights will be limited to a minimum ceiling of 500 feet (150 meters) and they will not be allowed over populated areas.
  Up to 24 MV-22s will be based at Futenma by 2014.
  The V-22 Osprey family has had a troubled history, with several fatal crashes during its development. An MV-22 crashed during the African Lion military exercise in Morocco in April this year, prompting the Japanese to ask the United States for guarantees about the safety of the deployment in Okinawa.
Let me guess: You sleep with your iPad, don't you?
  Link to Article
  Source: Nieman Journalism Lab
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 04:20
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Urgent: Call on Whole Foods to come clean about GMOs
  Link to Article
  Source: Richard Stallman's Political Notes
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 04:13
  Each political note has its own anchor in case you want to link to it.
  My intention is to make links only to publicly accessible, stable URLs. If you find a link to a page that requires subscription, please report that as you would report any other broken link.
  Some sites have paper tiger paywalls that can be defeated by deleting a cookie. I don't post links to those sites because it would be too complex to tell users what to do to avoid having to identify themselves.
  01 October 2012 (Urgent: Stand with Bradley Manning)US citizens: stand with Bradley Manning and demand dismissal of charges against him.
  01 October 2012 (Urgent: Call on Whole Foods to come clean about GMOs)US residents: call on Whole Foods to come clean regarding GMOs in its products.
  01 October 2012 (Nuclear energy vs renewable energy)Nuclear energy is unreliable and unsafe, and more expensive than renewable energy.
  01 October 2012 (Rebuked for revealing danger of drilling plans)Obama's officials rebuked a government climate scientist for leaking government documents that revealed the danger of Shell's undersea drilling plans.
  01 October 2012 (Disguised thugs provoke violence at protest in Madrid)Thugs disguised as protesters provoked violence at a protest in Madrid.
  01 October 2012 (Urgent: Sign Peace Voter Pledge)US citizens: sign the Peace Voter Pledge.
  01 October 2012 (Urgent: Enable foreclosed people to vote)US citizens: demand arrangements to enable foreclosed people to vote.
  01 October 2012 (Urgent: Global heating in presidential debates)US citizens: call on Jim Lehrer to ask the candidates a question about global heating in the first presidential debate.
  01 October 2012 (Mujahedin-e Khalq)Some US politicians want to support the Mujahedin-e Khalq as a government in exile for Iran.
  This won't win the support of anyone in Iran. Most Iranians love their country even if they hate the mullahs. They recognize the US economic sanctions (which often hurt ordinary Iranian people) as hostility between the US and Iran, and some see the US as a worse enemy than the Iranian regime. Under these circumstances, no Iranian opposition can benefit from US support, and an organization such as the MeK which has no support in Iran to begin with can only be ridiculous.
  Basically, the US can pressure Iran as a state with trade sanctions, or it can try to support Iranian people against their state, but it can't do both.
  01 October 2012 (Obama)Why I can't support Obama.
  30 September 2012 (Urgent: Corporations United and election funding in presidential debates)US citizens: call for including questions about Corporations United and election funding in the presidential debates.
  30 September 2012 (Urgent: Condemn brutal treatment of anti-pipeline protesters)Everyone: phone Transcanada to condemn brutal treatment of anti-pipeline protesters.
  The two protesters, who had handcuffed themselves together on TransCanada's construction equipment, were subjected to choke holds, stress positions in which their free arms were handcuffed, contorted, and then pepper sprayed, burning their skin. They were then tased -- one of the activists was tased twice.
  There is no excuse for subjecting peaceful, defenseless protesters to this level of violence.
  Those willing to cause global disaster for profit will hardly care about injuring protesters. But they fear strengthening the opposition, and when our calls show them this is happening, they may hesitate to treat protesters that way again.
  30 September 2012 (California to develop free/libre textbooks)California will develop free/libre textbooks for the 50 most common college courses.
  Elementary school should be next.
  My only disappointment is that the article uses the word "open" so much. In education, lots of works called "open" are not free/libre, and use a license that has a particular problem.
  30 September 2012 (Karzai's regime)An analyst predicts that Karzai's regime won't last long after the US troops pull out.
  I think he's right, but propping up Karzai is not worth continuing this war.
  The Taliban offered to drop support for al Qa'ida in 2009 but the US was not interested in the deal.
  30 September 2012 (Falsified forensic tests for drugs)A dishonest forensic analyst in Boston falsified tests for drugs.
  A large fraction of the 34,000 cases affected by this falsification are consequences of the destructive War on Drugs.
  Such cases are a large fraction of all criminal cases in the US. If we only had ended this war years ago, there would not have been pressure on forensic analysts to rush their tests.
  30 September 2012 (Some opposition to Arctic drilling in Senate)Some Democratic senators oppose oil drilling in the Arctic.
  30 September 2012 (Peace Offer)Anwar Sadat made a peace offer in 1973 via Kissinger to Golda Meir, who rejected it without even telling most of Israel's ministers. So he tried war instead.
  Uri Avnery says that Israel's current policies are comparable.
  30 September 2012 (US Unemployment)One of the Federal Reserve governors says the US unemployment problem requires spending, not just money expansion.
  It's too bad Obama talks about compromise with the Republicans to cut the deficit.
  30 September 2012 (The US Drought)The US drought is getting worse and will reach even the Northwest, where it normally rains most of the time.
  30 September 2012 (Georgia)More about the protests in Georgia about the torture of prisoners.
  30 September 2012 (Conditions Inside California Prisons)Amnesty International criticizes the conditions inside California prisons.
  30 September 2012 (Occupy Protesters)Chicago's park curfew, used as an excuse to arrest Occupy protesters, was ruled unconstitutional.
  30 September 2012 (Ted Koppel)When Ted Koppel criticizes media falsehoods, his starting premise is that there must be equal criticism for Republicans and Democrats. Except sometimes there can be a little more for Democrats.
  30 September 2012 (Austin Decaro)A thug attacked Austin DeCaro for refusing to switch off his video camera, then laid false charges against him.
  The thug ought to be prosecuted for attempting obstruction of justice.
  30 September 2012 (Medieval Warm Period)h The Arctic is substantially hotter now than it was due to natural causes in the medieval warm period.
  Global heating causes extreme weather events in the ocean too.
  30 September 2012 (Obama Picks People to Kill)Obama picks people to kill with drones, but he doesn't know how many civilians they have killed, and neither does anyone else.
  30 September 2012 (US: Old Men Kept In Prison)Old men are kept in prison in the US even when they are paralyzed or can hardly hold a pen.
  And often they can't get the medical treatment they need.
  A major reason for imprisoning criminals is so they cannot commit more crimes. An old man is not likely to commit a crime of violence. A paralyzed old man could hardly even try.
  30 September 2012 (Afghanistan)Afghanistan: Violence stalks women workers.
  Karzai's government reflects the sexist attitude of Afghan society. It is a step forward compared with the Taliban, but not that big a step. If it could be kept in power by something less than unending war, I might be in favor of that. But this small gain can't justify the unending war, which likewise exposes Afghan women to violence.
  30 September 2012 (The Medieval Souk Of Aleppo)The medieval souk of Aleppo is being destroyed by fire started by combat.
  30 September 2012 (Bahraini Protester Killed)Another Bahraini protester was killed by the thugs.
  It isn't wrong for Bahrainis to fight the thugs with violence, just as it wasn't wrong for Libyans and isn't wrong for Syrians to do so. It may or may not be a wise idea '-- that is a different question.
  30 September 2012 (Nabi Saleh)The Freedom Theater performed in Nabi Saleh, which has held a weekly protest for almost 3 years against the theft of their land by an Israeli colony.
  30 September 2012 (The US Government)The US government has illegally held Bradley Manning before trial 6 times the legal limit.
  30 September 2012 (The Wall Street Journal)The Wall Street Journal published op-eds by 10 people while not disclosing that they are associated with Romney.
  30 September 2012 (Greece)A right-wing anti-immigrant party is gaining power in Greece by helping poor Greeks and bullying immigrants for them.
  When powerful rich knock the people down, they get angry. But if they don't know to focus their anger directly at the rich, demagogues can use it by scapegoating others who are even weaker.
  30 September 2012 (France)France tries to cut its deficit, but uses taxes as well as cuts.
  30 September 2012 (US Drone Attacks)It appears Pakistan tacitly cooperates with US drone attacks in Pakistan.
  30 September 2012 (Megan Stammers And Jeremy Forrest)Megan Stammers and her lover, Jeremy Forrest, objects of an international dragnet for running away together, were arrested. Her family claims to be "elated".
  I doubt that Ms Stammers feels elated. Most people are not elated to be arrested, even if their jailers say it is for their "protection". She may not relish being "reunited with her father" against her will. When she envisions being forced to testify against him when he is trued for the crime of running away with her, she might feel despair.
  30 September 2012 (The FBI)The FBI manufactures bombing plots among dissidents as well as among Muslims.
  30 September 2012 (Regulations)Many US states enforce regulations on oil and gas wells in such a perfunctory and slapdash fashion that it hardly does any good.
  30 September 2012 (Guatemala)The president of Guatemala will propose legalization of drugs to the UN General Assembly.
  It is useful to try this route, but Guatemala and any other country that doesn't want to be at war with its own citizens should take unilateral steps to legalize drugs.
  30 September 2012 (India)It is common in India for the thugs to torture arrested people. Now India faces international pressure to pass a law against it.
  The US already has a law against torture, but Obama refuses to enforce it.
  30 September 2012 (Electronic Surveillance)New Justice Department Documents Show Huge Increase in Warrantless Electronic Surveillance.
  30 September 2012 (Quotes)Officials and executives in the US increasingly demand journalists get permission for quotes they want to use
  Since I have sometimes been terribly misquoted, I too ask reporters to verify their quotes with me '-- but only if they don't make an audio recording, which is the best way to ensure they quote what I really said.
  30 September 2012 (Portuguese Prosecutor)A Portuguese prosecutor dropped cases against accused file sharers, saying that file sharing for personal use is lawful there.
  30 September 2012 (Panama)Panama is proposing to fine people a hundred thousand dollars for file sharing, while giving them only 15 days to prepare a defense.
  The money thus collected is paid as a bonus to the staff of the agency that issues the fines, which don't go through any court.
  Obama pushed through the free exploitation treaty between Panama and the US. Is Obama responsible for this?
  29 September 2012 (Boston license plate data)Boston police cameras recognize 3,600 license plates per day, and there are no real limits on what they do with this data. They store some in a corporation's server.
  29 September 2012 (Tunisian woman on trial for public nudity)A Tunisian woman is on trial for something comparable to public nudity. Apparently she was nude because thugs raped her.
  29 September 2012 (UK imprisoning squatters)The UK is imprisoning squatters who live in empty buildings.
  To call the sentence "disproportionate" is a grave understatement, since it grants some legitimacy to a law that is pure evil.
  29 September 2012 (Schools and clinics in Karzai's gov't)Nation-building in Afghanistan meant building schools and clinics that Karzai's government can't afford to run.
  The article doesn't mention corruption, but I suspect that is the reason why Karzai's government can't pay to run these schools and clinics.
  29 September 2012 (US drones terrorize Pakistani civilians)Civilians in parts of Pakistan feel terrorized by US drones. They are taking their children out of school and fear to attend funerals.
  29 September 2012 (US military designates Assange and Wikileaks as "enemies")The US military designated Assange and Wikileaks as "enemies".
  This means that Assange might be imprisoned without trial if the US got its hands on him. It also suggests the US might to try to kidnap him or assassinate him.
  29 September 2012 (The "wasted vote" argument)Rejecting the "wasted vote" argument against voting Green.
  Voting for Obama is effectively voting Republican since on issues of concern to business he effectively is one.
  I think one minor point in the article is mistaken. The Democratic Party was never a third party; it was the first organized political party in the US, though at its beginning in the 1790s it was called "Republican".
  29 September 2012 (Video made by NY thugs last November)Anonymous obtained 60 hours of video made by New York thugs as they shut down the protest camp of Occupy Wall Street last November. The thugs attacked journalists so as to prevent them from taking videos.
  A person who looked at the short clip for me says it shows thugs beating up on the protesters while handcuffing them and taking them a way. At one point, a gang of thugs abuse a man who seems to be screaming in pain. They rip people out of groups who have intertwined their arms by pulling on their legs. They push a guy from behind whose arms are cuffed behind him.
  It is possible that this video was obtained from the office of a lawyer suing the thugs. The article assumes that, if this is so, it would damage the rights of other protesters brutalized by thugs. I am skeptical of that conclusion.
  If you look at videos on youtube.com, take care not to access them by visiting the site in a browser, since that requires running nonfree software (either Flash Player or nonfree Javascript code). Use the youtubedl script to get the Webm file, and play that with free software.
  Here's a magnet link for the full set of videos.
  27 September 2012 (Massive surveillance systems in Latin America)States in Latin America are establishing massive surveillance systems.
  27 September 2012 (Exploited gold miners pushing back)Gold mines in South Africa exploit their employees cruelly, but they are starting to push back.
  At the same time, it is clear that the other root of this problem is too high a birth rate. I support the miners' demand for higher pay, but they also have a responsibility: not to have so many children that it makes them slaves to the mine. If contraception is not easily available to them, the state has a responsibility to help.
  27 September 2012 (Urgent: Free Pussy Riot)US citizens: join Amnesty International's campaign to free Pussy Riot.
  27 September 2012 (US gov't tries to take credit for Arab Spring)Julian Assange points out that it was Wikileaks, not the US government, that spurred the Arab Spring.
  The US seems to support the repression of the democracy movement in Bahrain.
  27 September 2012 (Arrests in NYC for covering up ads)Protesters were arrested in NYC for putting paintings or stickers over anti-Muslim advertisements.
  I support the right to make such statements, even though I don't agree with them. I also support the right to criticize them by writing on the posters. Covering them up or tearing them down is on the borderline; to prosecute people for this is extreme.
  27 September 2012 (US mortgages with invalid title)Large numbers of abusive US mortgages have invalid title, so cities and states can use eminent domain to seize and abolish the mortgages.
  27 September 2012 (Obama and Roosevelt compared)Comparing Obama with Roosevelt.
  27 September 2012 (US restricts flights between Spain and Mexico)The US is restricting who can fly between Spain and Mexico.
  27 September 2012 (Arctic snow loss may prolong drought)Record Arctic Snow Loss May Be Prolonging North American Drought.
  27 September 2012 (Government-dependent moochers Romney failed to notice)Romney has failed to notice that the US has plenty of moochers totally dependent on the government.
  27 September 2012 (Thugs attack travellers in Madrid train station)Thugs in Spain attacked travellers in Madrid's principal train station as a mass protest continued outside.
  27 September 2012 (German and French proposal to extend copyright)A German and French proposal to extend copyright to cover publishing snippets of articles could cause problems for smaller competitors of Google.
  27 September 2012 (Internet censorship)Free Speech, the Internet, and a Very Big Lie.
  The problem of censorship begins when a site that the public depends on for communication '-- in other words, an effectively public virtual space that is formally private '-- blocks access to any material from any country. If a state installs filters to block the material, the state is clearly committing censorship. When a company does the state's dirty work, that disguises the censorship as an editorial judgment.
  Google says that it must comply with the censorship laws of the various countries where it has offices. That's true, but incomplete. For a time, Google complied with the censorship laws of China for this reason; but then it closed its office there and stopped complying. That was the right thing to do, but Google does not always do the right thing. When Google opens an office in a country that imposes censorship, it extends that country's censorship to YouTube.
  27 September 2012 (Urgent: End lockout of NFL referees)US citizens: call on the NFL to end its lockout of referees.
  27 September 2012 (Questions for US passport applicants)The US Passport Agency is trying to create the option to give any passport applicant an impossible set of irrelevant questions.
  27 September 2012 (Myths spread by agribusiness)Refuting the myths spread by agribusiness about GMO labelling.
  27 September 2012 (Criminal charges for not censoring video)A Google executive in Brazil faces criminal charges for not removing a video from YouTube.
  To punish executives personally when corporations act illegally seems in general like a good idea. This particular law is another matter: it is a form of censorship.
  The words in the article suggest that the law was meant to apply to advertisements by election campaigns. Thus limited, it might be acceptable '-- and applying it to statements published by independent members of the public might be a legal error. However, only a Brazilian lawyer could tell if this is really true.
  27 September 2012 (EU proposal to stop terrorist sites)EU proposal to stop terrorist sites even more ridiculous than it sounds.
  This is supposed to be a justification for trying to develop it in secret. That reminds me of "I believe because it is absurd".
  27 September 2012 (Nader says Obama a war criminal)Ralph Nader says Obama is a war criminal, and condemns Romney too.
  27 September 2012 (Kindergartners burdened with standardized tests)In the US, even kindergarten children are burdened with standardized tests.
  27 September 2012 (Gates Foundation pushing dependent agriculture)The Gates Foundation is pushing dependent agriculture in Africa: expensive patented seeds that need expensive fertilizers.
  27 September 2012 (Strike against austerity in Greece)There is a general strike against austerity in Greece.
  27 September 2012 (Rent-to-own laptops with nonfree software)Rent-to-Own Laptops Secretly Photographed Users Having Sex.
  Lots of proprietary software has malicious features; it is not limited to rental computers.
  27 September 2012 (Abolition of Palestinian Authority)By abolishing the Palestinian Authority, Palestinians could demonstrate that Israel's current path is an apartheid state.
  27 September 2012 (Urgent: Presidential debate on Corporations United)US citizens: sign this petition to raise the Corporations United (*) decision in the presidential debate.
  * These corporations called themselves "Citizens United", but there's no reason to repeat their spin.
  27 September 2012 (Israeli settlers)The BBC interviewed members of Israel's largest violent extremist group: those who launch acts of violence against Palestinians.
  One group of settlers decided to campaign for better housing for their Palestinian neighbors, who have been blocked for a decade from constructing even a toilet.
  I admire that attitude, but we shouldn't consider that a settlers who show good will towards neighboring Palestinians make the settlement land grab and water grab ok.
  27 September 2012 (Israel's democracy)A rigged Israeli government committee is trying to shut down the politics and government department at Ben Gurion University because it is "leftist".
  Israel long prided itself on being the "only democracy in the Middle East". That's no longer the case, since Egypt seems to have become a real democracy, and Libya is making a substantial attempt. But Israel could continue to call itself the oldest democracy in the Middle East.
  That's presuming the right wing doesn't change it into a non-democracy.
  27 September 2012 (Urgent: Oppose war with Iran)US citizens: Join Shirin Ebadi in opposing war with Iran.
  27 September 2012 (Postal banking system)Arguing that the US should bring back its system of postal banking.
  27 September 2012 (Thugs and soldiers trained by UK)Even when there is an arms embargo against an oppressive regime, the UK still trains its thugs and soldiers.
  26 September 2012 (Drone attacks in Pakistan boost Taliban)An academic study in the US concludes that drone attacks in Pakistan do more to boost the Taliban than to damage it.
  For a guerrilla movement, the limiting factor is its ability to recruit supporters. Leaders, even the best, can always be replaced if recruiting is good. Thus, to kill leaders in a way that stimulates popular support for the guerrilla only strengthens it.
  Thus, the study's conclusion is not surprising. However, it is good to see it confirmed in a way that may impede the attempts to ignore the point.
  26 September 2012 (Facebook systems for deducing things about users)Innocent-seeming text posted on Facebook could cause you lots of trouble, due to development of systems to deduce things about you.
  26 September 2012 ("Swearing" at thug causes scandal in UK)A high Tory official in the UK faces a scandal because he "swore" at a thug who would not let him leave the prime minister's office by his usual path.
  A Tory politician surely advocates policies that will harm the non-rich and damage the environment, but Britons are more upset that he insulted a thug?! This absurdity rivals that of the sex scandals that bring down right-wing US politicians after they have got away with policies that hurt most of their electorate.
  If he did treat a thug with disrespect, was that wrong? Persons and institutions deserve what respect they earn. After publicly lying to blame the victims of their own misconduct, sleeping with dissidents they were spying on, besieging thousands of protesters, beating and shooting innocent people, and killing numerous prisoners, I think the UK thugs should go and earn more respect before they complain.
  If there is a real wrong in what Mitchell is reported to have said, it is the arrogance '-- for instance, "learn your place" and "plebs". Those words suppose a society in which a few deserve to be served by the rest.
  However, if that attitude were unacceptable in a politician, it would exclude the Tories and New Labour in general, since both parties are subservient to the rich.
  As for the "swear word" Mitchell allegedly used, that merely indicates anger. People understandably feel angry when forcibly blocked from travelling on their usual paths. To arrest someone for displaying that anger is to kick him when he's down. Not even a politician deserves that.
  The UK should take this opportunity to ensure that no Briton will ever again be arrested for "swearing".
  26 September 2012 (Motive for secret courts in UK)The UK government admits that part of the motive for secret courts is to protect itself from bad publicity.
  26 September 2012 (Proposal to "abolish prostitution" in France)France's new government proposes to "abolish prostitution".
  What these measures would really do is force prostitution underground, hurting both prostitutes and their customers.
  If you want to help people who feel they have been driven into prostitution, help them deal in other ways with the problems that drove them. That would be real help, and they would appreciate it. Some might then be able to stop doing prostitution. If others continue, voluntarily, why should you object?
  26 September 2012 (Protests against the TPP)Protests against the TPP got through to the negotiators of other countries.
  26 September 2012 (Increased copyright restrictions in Canada)A few months ago, an unjust Canadian law increased copyright restrictions. The lobbyists already demand more.
  The article uses the unwise term "digital locks" to refer to Digital Restrictions Management. Please don't imitate that weak choice.
  26 September 2012 (US voting laws)Voting laws may disenfranchise 10 million Hispanic U.S. citizens.
  26 September 2012 (Distorted coverage of global heating)The Union of Concerned Scientists rebuked News Corp for distorted coverage of global heating in the Wall Street Journal and Faux News.
  26 September 2012 (Shell aiming to ban protests)Shell is suing Greenpeace International aiming to ban protests anywhere near Shell installations and activities.
  26 September 2012 (Romney on medical care for the poor)Romney believes poor Americans can get needed medical care via emergency room visits.
  26 September 2012 (Data refute "need" for exorbitant CEO pay)Data refute the theory that companies "need" to offer CEOs pay that is competitive with CEOs of other companies in the same size.
  26 September 2012 (Journalist's report on being attacked at Occupy protest)Journalist John Knefel reports how thugs attacked him then arrested him as he was covering the Occupy Wall Street protest.
  26 September 2012 (Facebook working with purchase-tracking company)Facebook has started working with a purchase-tracking company to cross-reference Facebook's data about users with data about their purchases.
  This can't affect you if you do as I do: refuse to use Facebook, block its surveillance of non-users (done via Like buttons), and pay cash. But it is nasty nonetheless.
  26 September 2012 (Unlawful spying on Kim Dotcom)New Zealand Intel Agency Investigated for Unlawful Spying on Kim Dotcom.
  26 September 2012 (Addictive drugs by prescription)The city of Bogota will provide addictive drugs to addicts by prescription, as a plan to reduce the crime committed by addicts.
  26 September 2012 (Human rights lawyer murdered)A human rights lawyer in Honduras was murdered.
  Human rights defenders and journalists are murdered often in Honduras since the US-legitimized coup.
  26 September 2012 (Iran trade sanctions)Iran officially offered to halt uranium enrichment to 20% in exchange for relaxation of trade sanctions.
  The rational point of trade sanctions is to pressure a country into changing policies. If the US goal is that Iran not be able to make a nuclear weapon, Iran is now offering just that. In negotiations, it might offer more. So why would the US not make a deal?
  One reason would be if the real US goal is something other than a change of Iranian nuclear policy.
  26 September 2012 (Camp David agreement)President Morsi of Egypt called on the US to honor the Camp David agreement by supporting Palestinian independence.
  25 September 2012 (Not to have Children)Why it is important not to have children.
  25 September 2012 (Urgent: Investigate gruesome antisemitic attack)US citizens: ask the FBI to investigate a gruesome antisemitic attack in the US.
  25 September 2012 (Second hand goods)Most of the world uses second hand goods that came from the rich countries. Therefore, our decisions in rich countries about what sort of goods to use have a long effect on others.
  25 September 2012 (The right to criticize any religion)The US must firmly defend the right to criticize any religion.
  I posted a link to a note pointing out that protests against the video are organized by extremists as an attempt to spread their extremism among Muslims who mostly are not inclined to violence against anyone. Harris is mistaken in not recognizing this difference among Muslims. However, his main point is valid.
  25 September 2012 (Affect of increased CO2 concentrations on fisheries)Global heating and acidification due to CO2 are forecast to destroy half the fisheries in the Persian Gulf. And do lots of damage all around the world.
  24 September 2012 (Urgent: Investigate Troy Davis case)US citizens: insist on an investigation of the manifest injustices in Troy Davis' case.
  24 September 2012 (Roundup-resistant GMO corn experiment)In an experiment, Roundup-resistant GMO corn killed rats by causing cancer. Roundup itself had similar effects.
  However, the experiment's validity has been criticized.
  To conduct a larger experiment seems like a wise policy.
  24 September 2012 (Libya cracks down on Islamist militias)Libya is cracking down on Islamist militias.
  24 September 2012 (Companies perverting spirit of free software)Companies are perverting the cooperative spirit of free software and Wikipedia to get people to work gratis.
  When someone asks you to contribute to a joint project, think about whether it is being contributed to the public as it ought to be.
  The article refers only to "Linux" but it's clearly talking about the GNU/Linux system. The author probably does not know this is an error.
  24 September 2012 (Romney unqualified for presidency, according to Romney)According to Romney's own words, he is unqualified for the presidency because in 2011 he intentionally paid more federal taxes than he had to.
  There is nothing inherently wrong in a person's making a gift to the national treasury, but it looks like Romney did this to avoid showing how low a federal tax rate he might have paid before.
  And since it is not presented as a gift to the treasury, but rather as not claiming the full deduction he could claim, he can get that money back next year.
  Now, I am in favor of a tax deduction for charitable donations, including to churches. His low basic tax rate is the problem.
  24 September 2012 (Disappeared Chinese AIDS activist)A Chinese AIDS activist has been disappeared after going on hunger strike to protest his house arrest.
  24 September 2012 (Syrian rebels accused of war crimes)Human Rights Watch and others accuse the Syrian rebels of various war crimes including summary execution.
  24 September 2012 (Georgian protests against prison torture)Ministers in Georgia have resigned due to public protests against brutal treatment of prisoners.
  US prisons are getting worse and worse, and privatization creates a systematic motive to imprison ever more Americans. When will Americans show enough spine to protest massively?
  24 September 2012 (Cuba arrests journalist)A journalist has been arrested in Cuba for writing about diseases there.
  24 September 2012 (Oman sentences blogger to prison)Oman sentenced a blogger to a year in prison for criticizing the state.
  24 September 2012 (Qu(C)b(C)cois protest movement a success )In Quebec, just across the border from the US, the student protest movement brought down the government and eliminated harsh restrictions on protests.
  24 September 2012 (France bans GMO corn and fracking)France bans GMO corn and fracking.
  24 September 2012 (EU's "Clean IT" plan)A leak shows that the EU's "Clean IT" plan means massive surveillance and Internet filters.
  24 September 2012 (Womens' rights under Karzai's gov't)Karzai's government has not resulted in respect for womens' rights in Afghanistan.
  24 September 2012 (Peru's conduct towards protesters)Human Rights Watch makes recommendations for Peru regarding conduct towards protesters.
  24 September 2012 (Beliefs of global heating deniers)Global heating deniers tend to believe many conspiracy theories.
  24 September 2012 (Repression of Tunisian artists)Tunisian artists cry for help against religious extremists.
  An artist faces 5 years in prison for "disturbing public order" '... with paintings
  24 September 2012 (Dirty Air/Water Act passed)The House of Representatives passed the Dirty Air/Water Act.
  24 September 2012 (Freedom of speech)Glenn Greenwald: Republicans and Democrats defend freedom of speech only for some opinions, while supporting censorship or even prosecution of others.
  The Internet is made up of privatized "public spaces" comparable to shopping malls, and that puts freedom of speech in danger.
  The article also points up the UK's lack of respect for freedom of speech.
  24 September 2012 (Sugar withdrawal)Sugar withdrawal can affect part of a rat's brain like opiate withdrawal.
  24 September 2012 (Two-state solution explained)Uri Avnery explains to Romney about the two-state solution to the one-state problem.
  24 September 2012 (Curses of privatization)Five Looming Curses of Privatization.
  24 September 2012 (Hatred of the US)The US public asks "Why do they hate us" because our media don't tell us how the US kills them.
  24 September 2012 (The real Romney)Romney's embarrassing statements are not "gaffes" '-- they show the real Romney.
  24 September 2012 (Living standards in UK)A study predicts that most people in the UK will get worse off through 2020 even though the total economy expands.
  That's what happens if you promote economic growth by deregulating business and taxing the rich less '-- the growth is only for the rich, so why bother?
  24 September 2012 (Cannabidiol stops boy's seizures)Only cannabidiol from marijuana stops 6-year-old Jayden David from having seizures all the time. Thanks to Obama, he may be unable to obtain it any more.
  24 September 2012 (Abortion and mental health)Abortion, compared to having an unwanted baby, does not pose a risk of increased mental illness to the woman.
  A previous study that purported to show such a risk seems to have been flawed.
  24 September 2012 (Syrian rebel headquarters)The Syrian rebels have moved their headquarters into areas of Syria that they control.
  The existence of areas under rebel control means that it is now militarily possible for the West to aid them, as it was in Libya. Whether to do so is another question. The challenge would be to avoid making this a victory for Salafists that could be worse than Assad.
  24 September 2012 (TSA dislikes traveler's attitude, detains her)The TSA stopped a traveler from boarding a plane, after she had passed through security, because an agent did not like her attitude.
  24 September 2012 (Urgent: Stop PG&E's explosive "tests")US citizens: don't let PG&E sterilize a marine reserve with explosive "tests".
  23 September 2012 (Ansar al-Sharia stormed)A crowd of citizens stormed the base of Ansar al-Sharia in Benghazi, whose fighters fled after some attempt at resistance.
  This may be a step forward in helping the state take power away from the various militias that control parts of Libya. But not necessarily.
  23 September 2012 (Roundup promotes fungal growth)Glyphosate (Roundup) promotes gwowth of fungi, and its use has been associated with the appearance of a new fungal disease that causes abortions in farm animals.
  Whether Roundup is responsible for this disease is not yet established, but may be established by further study. Whether ceasing to use Roundup would eliminate the disease is a separate question, which experiments could answer.
  Whether continued use of Roundup is likely to make more such diseases appear is another question, which we can't answer with certainty, so we must not ignore the risk.
  23 September 2012 (Obama ignores letter from 27 congresscritters)Obama has ignored a letter from 27 congresscritters criticizing the "signature" drone attacks '-- for 3 months.
  23 September 2012 (Victims of shooting in movie theater sue)Some victims of the shooting in a movie theater are suing the theater.
  Isn't this nuts? If they win, theaters will adopt new "security measures" to make life more difficult for everyone (and, as a secondary evil, charge more). But I don't blame the plaintiffs. Due to the lack of a national health service in the US, and the lack of proper support for the disabled, they must be desperate to get money from somewhere.
  23 September 2012 (Reggie Clemons)Reggie Clemons got a new investigation, which presented evidence that his prosecution was unfair.
  Thugs get lots of practice lying on the witness stand, so what they said must be disregarded. Aside from that, it looks like Clemons was guilty of something, perhaps participating in rape, if not murder. Some suspects are guilty, after all, but that doesn't excuse torture, or execution.
  23 September 2012 (System of testing drugs broken)Our system of testing drugs for safety and efficacy is fundamentally broken. Pharma companies systematically manipulate it so they can sell drugs that don't work, are dangerous, or both.
  The solution is to tax the companies and have the state fund the studies.
  This is one example among many of the harm done by the political power of business. That is why I support movements and candidates ready to take away that power.
  Democracy does not mean elections. Elections are part of the method, but they are not the point. The point of democracy is that the many non-rich unite to be stronger than the rich. The US doesn't do this, which means democracy is sick.
  23 September 2012 (Clinton supported repeal of Glass-Steagall)Clinton the Great Deregulator gave the banksters the conditions to create the financial crisis and the recession.
  I had read that Clinton opposed repeal of Glass-Steagall, but that was incorrect information. He supported it.
  23 September 2012 (Roundup-resistant GMO corn kills rats)In an experiment, Roundup-resistant GMO corn killed rats by causing cancer.
  23 September 2012 (Using a phone while driving)Using a cell phone while driving may not in fact be dangerous. It seems that the drivers who typically answer the phone drive dangerously all the time.
  23 September 2012 (Toxic waste disposal)Fracking is used as a way to dispose of inconvenient toxic waste.
  23 September 2012 (Guantanamo Prisoners)The US has published a list of 55 Guantanamo prisoners who are "cleared for release".
  Since the US government doesn't claim to have a reason to imprison them, they should be freed immediately.
  The rest of the prisoners should be freed immediately too, unless they are charged with some crime and tried.
  (I refuse to call prisoners "detainees". That word sanitizes the horror of being imprisoned.)
  23 September 2012 (Violence used by Salafists)Violent protests against an insulting film are being used by Muslim extremists (Salafists) to build support for their extremism, much the way Christian extremists in the West used sometimes violent protest against abortion providers.
  What is crucial is whether Muslims who respect freedom of expression organize to defeat the extremists.
  The world center of Salafism is Saudi Arabia, whose state the US has supported in repression for decades.
  23 September 2012 (US houses can be wrecked in War on Drugs)If you live in the US, your house can be wrecked as part of the War on Drugs.
  23 September 2012 (Protesters in Benghazi try to attack militia)Protesters in Benghazi, perhaps remembering how the US air force defended their city, tried to attack the Islamist militia accused of killing the US ambassador.
  23 September 2012 (Removal of Mojahedin-e Khalq from "terrorist" list)Millionaires spent millions on lobbyists and campaign contributions to get the Mojahedin-e Khalq removed from the list of organizations arbitrarily labeled as "terrorist".
  This demonstrates that the list is a matter of politics, nothing to do with justice. It is prohibition of groups by decree, if they don't have political connections.
  23 September 2012 (Obama as bad as Bush)Obama has become, on many fronts, as bad an enemy of civil liberties as Bush.
  The delusion that terrorism in the US is a significant danger is part of the cause.
  23 September 2012 (Sleazy spamming company run by UK Tory leader)A leader of the UK Tory party runs a sleazy search engine spamming company.
  Many conservatives own or work for businesses that exploit people (consider Romney), so this should not be surprising.
  23 September 2012 (Fear of terrorism in the US)On the delusion that terrorism is a significant danger in the US.
  Authoritarians are not slow to take advantage of this irrational fear. A thug chief claimed that illegal drugs are terrorism.
  23 September 2012 (Facebook censorship guidelines)Facebook censorship guidelines have been leaked. They include political censorship catering to various countries that do not respect freedom of speech.
  23 September 2012 (Belief that global heating is a hoax)Some people believe that global heating is a massive hoax. What a silly theory!
  23 September 2012 (Facebook's system for getting real names)Facebook is experimenting with a system to ask people to rat on friends who have not given their real names.
  If I used Facebook, I would give my real name, but being denied the option of doing otherwise is enough reason for me to refuse to use it at all.
  There are many reasons to reject Facebook.
  23 September 2012 (13 Palestinian villages to be demolished)Amnesty International warns that Israel plans to demolish 13 Palestinian villages.
  23 September 2012 (Miscommunication could cause war)A simulation exercise found that the US and Iran could drift into war through miscommunication.
  23 September 2012 (Karzai's troops encouraged to kill US troops)The Taliban actively encourage Karzai's troops to kill US troops, and nothing can be done to stop it.
  The root cause of this is that Karzai's rule inspires no loyalty. If men joined his army because they wanted to defeat the Taliban, it would be quite rare for soldiers to betray their units and buddies.
  23 September 2012 (Meaningless inspections of factories)Inspections of factories, to assure "social responsibility", often mean nothing.
  23 September 2012 (Obama's "surge" in Afghanistan)Since Obama's "surge" in Afghanistan did not achieve the goal of weakening the Taliban, officials give it a new goal that has not failed yet.
  23 September 2012 (Romney and Ryan's foreign policy ideas)Romney and Ryan are letting neocons decide their foreign policy ideas.
  We shouldn't listen to neocons until they become ex-cons.
  23 September 2012 (Fanatics demand execution of video maker)Murderous fanatics in Pakistan demand execution of the man who made a video that insulted Muhammad.
  Once again we see the comparison between prohibiting denial of the Nazi genocide and prohibiting such insults. Censoring one opinion leads to pressure to censor another. To ban denial of this genocide or others may be well-intentioned, but it is extremely dangerous.
  22 September 2012 (Urgent: Support Veteran Education)US citizens: call on Republican senators to stop blocking the bill to aid veterans with education for jobs.
  I disagree with calling veterans "our heroes" '-- those who were sent to Iraq were victims and dupes. But we should not punish them for that. It is the lying officials like Bush that should be punished.
  22 September 2012 (Urgent: Investigate Mining Company)US citizens: Call on the NLRB to investigate the mining company that forced employees to participate in a rally for Romney (and lose pay as a result).
  22 September 2012 (Urgent: Support Tribes Against Keystone XL)US citizens: Tell the Bureau of Indian Affairs to support tribes that want to stop the Keystone XL pipeline from bulldozing sacred burial grounds.
  22 September 2012 (Resignation of Yale's president)The resignation of Yale's president presents an opportunity to protect liberal education from turning into corporate propaganda, but this is not automatic.
  22 September 2012 (Urgent: Stop Chesapeake Bay from turning into a sewer)US citizens: tell the EPA to keep farm runoff from turning Chesapeake Bay into a sewer.
  22 September 2012 (Urgent: Protect America's Privacy Act)US citizens: Phone your senators to support Senator Merkley's bill, the Protect America's Privacy Act (S. 3515), which would limit warrantless wiretapping of Americans.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  Here's info from CREDO Action about the bill:
  While Sen. Merkley's bill does not repeal telecom immunity for illegal spying, restore privacy protection to library and bookstore records, end National Security Letter abuse, or roll back the worst abuses of the PATRIOT Act (all issues CREDO will continue to fight for, in addition to the full repeal of the PATRIOT Act), it does make three major changes to the warrantless wiretapping program that help us end some of the abuses of the Bush era.
  First, it would put stronger protections in place to ensure that spy agencies are not using this program as an indirect way to target someone in the U.S.
  Second, current law allows the government to collect information in anticipation of having its request to do so approved by a special type of top-secret court. Sen. Merkley's bill would ensure that if this court decides the procedures the government is using to collect information are improper, any information collected from Americans cannot be used in a legal proceeding.
  Third, the bill would establish a new process for ensuring that if security agencies determine that information is being collected on Americans, that information cannot be accessed or searched until a proper warrant is obtained.
  22 September 2012 (Squeezing money out of songwriters)In France, the "collecting society" that claims to represent songwriters squeezes money out of them.
  22 September 2012 (Urgent: Regulate prison profiteering)US citizens: call on the FCC to stop privatized prisons from charging prisoners a dollar a minute to talk with their families.
  22 September 2012 (Urgent: Demand extradition of convicted CIA agents)US citizens: support Italy in demanding extradition of CIA agents convicted of kidnapping.
  22 September 2012 (Urgent: Remove "summary judgment provision" from bill)US citizens: phone your congresscritter and say to remove the "summary judgment provision" from Whistleblower Protection Enhancement bill. This provision would allow a judge to dismiss a whistleblower's case before it is heard in court.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  22 September 2012 (US legislator against voting, supports voter-ID laws)A Republican legislator who supports voter-ID laws said that people who get government benefits should not be allowed to vote.
  22 September 2012 (Strike against foreign supermarkets in India)Store owners and workers went on strike across India against plans to allow foreign supermarkets such as Walmart.
  When politicians say these stores are "good for the economy", they mean for the total GNP. However, deregulation implies these "benefits" go mostly to the rich.
  22 September 2012 (Spyware business supports dictators)German spyware business supports dictators.
  Germany is not alone in this: US, UK and French companies do it too.
  22 September 2012 (Prohibition of blasphemy)Arrogant Islamist groups demand the world-wide prohibition of blasphemy.
  If this proposal is adopted, my cartoon, Shared Sacrifice in America, might get me imprisoned for blasphemy against Huitzilopochtli.
  Recall what laws against blasphemy do in Pakistan. But even when not carried so far, censorship is an injustice. We must defend the right to blaspheme against Allah, Huitzilopochtli, or any other deity.
  22 September 2012 (France bans protest)In a blow against freedom of speech, France has banned all protest against the controversial anti-Islam film.
  Muslims have a right to protest this or any film, just as people have a right to make such a film.
  Freedom of speech is rather weak in France.
  22 September 2012 ("Pink slime" company files defamation suit)The company that made the ammonia-treated meat derivative that was secretly added to hamburgers in the US is suing lots of people for calling it "pink slime".
  22 September 2012 (Over 100 Palestinians arrested)The Palestinian Authority has arrested over 100 protesters, activists and journalists.
  22 September 2012 (UK man arrested for speech)A UK man was arrested for praising someone accused of killing two thugs.
  The UK's restrictions on freedom of speech are far more dangerous to Britons than a murderer.
  22 September 2012 (Philippine gov't considers "cybercrime" bill)The Philippine government is considering a "cybercrime" bill that exacerbates the danger of criminal punishment for libel, intended to chill online expression.
  22 September 2012 (Ukraine restricts public protests)Ukraine has restricted public protests in a manner reminiscent of the US. There is Chicago's anti-protest law, the restriction of protests to far-off "free speech zones" outside the Republican and Democratic conventions, and the law that makes nonviolent protest at events where the Secret Service is present a felony.
  All in all, Ukraine's shame is following the example set by the US.
  22 September 2012 (Protests against austerity in Portugal)Massive protests against austerity in Portugal, but what change to advocate?
  Some are looking towards Iceland's example.
  22 September 2012 (Iran setting up independent Internet)Iran is setting up an independent Internet so as to disconnect most citizens from the rest of the world.
  22 September 2012 (Free program censored in Australia)Australian public television used a DMCA-like law to censor a free program that could access the ABC's web site.
  This act of censorship is despicable, and so is the law that was used. Australians, tell your MP that this law is an injustice.
  22 September 2012 (Freedom of speech)Although may countries endorse the idea of freedom of speech to some extent, most of them fall short in important ways.
  Freedom of speech has been perfected in the US thanks to the ACLU. I'm a member; are you?
  22 September 2012 (Another UK man seeks help in dying)Another paralyzed UK man is suing to get permission to pay people to transport him to Switzerland, where he could get help in dying.
  22 September 2012 (Greek state property to be privatized)A further disaster for Greece: most state property will be privatized.
  When it is a matter of selling palaces or islands, the only loss will be that they get a smaller price than if they had sold at a better time. Privatizing public services is much worse, since will result in mistreatment of the workers and the people who use them. This will result in further poverty.
  Privatizing revenue generators such as the lottery will, in the long run, exacerbate the problem of revenue, as in Chicago.
  22 September 2012 (Call for moratorium on Arctic drilling)Some in the UK parliament recognize that drilling for oil in the Arctic is going in the wrong direction.
  22 September 2012 (How John Paulson swindled banks)How John Paulson arranged with Goldman Sachs to swindle other banks and got away with it, and now is paying millions of those winnings to help Romney.
  If you want to buy the book, please don't get it from Amazon. Other links include
  http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781609804787
  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/billionaires-and-ballot-bandits-greg-palast/1112927805?ean=9781609804787
  but even better, you can ask a local independent bookstore to order it.
  21 September 2012 (Cartoons about Muhammad)A French Magazine has published cartoons about Muhammad, and lots of intolerant Muslims are expected to go nuts.
  I have not seen these cartoons (I hope I can find a copy on Friday), but I doubt they represent hatred. They are probably kind and gentle compared with what my latest political cartoon says about Romney and Obama. If Muslims did not let these caricatures get their goat, people would laugh at them and forget them.
  The main thing currently inciting hatred against Muslims is their own intolerance. However, most people would hold no grudge against Muslims if Muslims learn to practice tolerance for disagreement.
  Note how the French censorship law that prohibits denial of Hitler's murder of Jews is being cited as an excuse to advocate further censorship. That law violates freedom of expression, which makes it an injustice in its own right. Now we see it threatens to create more injustice. All laws prohibiting the expression of certain views on some issue must be repealed.
  Meanwhile, look at the Jesus & Mo cartoons '-- no hatred, but lots of fun.
  21 September 2012 (Urgent: No fracking near Arches National Park)US citizens: tell the Bureau of Land Management: no fracking near Arches National Park.
  21 September 2012 (Damage to coral reefs)Overfishing and agricultural runoff damage coral reefs by encouraging algae to replace coral.
  21 September 2012 (New law in Jordan threatens websites)A new law in Jordan threatens websites that post user comments.
  21 September 2012 (The killing of Rachel Corrie)The Israeli state excused the killing of Rachel Corrie by accepting inconsistent testimony (probably lies) and by defining everyone in the area as an "enemy".
  This goes a little further than Obama, who only defines every adult male as an "enemy".
  21 September 2012 (Fossil fuel companies promoting Romney)The fossil fuel companies are spending heavily to promote Romney even though Obama is giving them most of what they want.
  Partly this is because they don't like EPA regulations. But partly it is meant to push Obama further into obedience.
  21 September 2012 (Urgent: Oppose Dirty Air/Water Act)US citizens: call your congresscritter to oppose the Dirty Air/Water Act. Also send a message through this page.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  21 September 2012 (Oslo agreement)The Palestinian Authority is considering scrapping the Oslo agreement, which has served to allow Israel to prevent a peace agreement.
  21 September 2012 (Chicago's teachers union strike ends)Chicago's teachers union ended the strike and claims victory.
  I can't tell from this article whether it is a real victory for labor.
  21 September 2012 (Obama's treatment of Haiti)Obama's treatment of Haiti demonstrates that you shouldn't judge a person by race.
  21 September 2012 (Honesty of US elections)Jimmy Carter said that Venezuela's elections in 2006 were the most honest he has seen, while the US is far behind.
  21 September 2012 (Lessons from CIA analysis)A CIA analysis of the mistaken belief that Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction might have lessons about Iran today.
  21 September 2012 (Shared Sacrifice)New Comic, Shared Sacrifice.
  21 September 2012 (Record low Arctic sea ice)Arctic sea ice reached a record low of this year, 18% smaller than the previous record low in 2007.
  The volume of ice has decreased even more because the ice is now thinner than ever before. Some scientists say that the Arctic could be ice-free in summer in just 5 years. If so, it would lead to further warming (since open water absorbs sunlight unlike ice that reflects it). This could lead to release of tremendous amounts of stored methane, which could force a lot more warming, which could kill a large fraction of humanity.
  This disaster is not necessarily inevitable. If we try hard, we might be able to avoid it.
  Anyone arguing for extending airports or highways now is proposing to let the disaster happen '-- which a most unwise investment.
  20 September 2012 (September 11)A response to an inquiry about the September 11 note. (September 2012)
  20 September 2012 (On-line Education)On-line education is using a flawed Creative Commons license.
  20 September 2012 (Fishery disasters declared on four coasts)The US has declared fishery disasters on four coasts.
  This should demonstrate that we must do more to protect fish stocks from disaster. This means
  More marine reserves where large fish and coral will remain plentiful.Stricter limits on catch, reducing the catch to the amount that we know will keep fish stocks up, rather than trying small limits.Banning destructive methods such as bottom trawling.Cutting down the CO2 emissions that are making the ocean acid. [Link to pol note that explains all the bad things that can do]20 September 2012 (Urgent: NO War With Iran!)US citizens:
  Phone your congresscritter and say, "No war with Iran".
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  20 September 2012 (Urgent: US Citizens)US citizens: phone your congresscritter to support Rep. Keith Ellison's bill for a small tax on sales of stocks, bonds and derivatives.
  A secondary benefit of this tax would be to damp out rapid fluctuations caused by computerized trading. (This goal was Tobin's reason to propose the tax.)
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  20 September 2012 (Cut Off Funding For War)Congressman Kucinich voted to cut off funding for war.
  20 September 2012 (The US Diet)The US diet, with added sugar and fat, causes diabetes. It may also cause Alzheimer's disease.
  20 September 2012 (Fuel)A misguided policy of selling auto fuel with 15% ethanol, which can ruin a small engine, has made it necessary for the EPA to impose an impractical regulation about minimum sales that will make many purchasers unable to buy what they need.
  This Republican congressman's rant about the "free market" is invalid. Environmental protection regulations are necessary '-- and these regulations seem like a rational choice, given that the 15% ethanol fuel is being sold.
  The root of this problem is using ethanol made from growing corn in fuel for automobiles. This would be fine if there were plenty of corn, but nowadays the shortage, caused by global heating, means that billions of people are bidding up the price.
  We need to burn less fossil fuel, but replacing it with ethanol made instead of food is nuts
  .20 September 2012 (Tired Of Facebook)Some kids are getting tired of Facebook.
  The author does not care how Facebook (or other companies) abuse his privacy; he does not mind how the iBad restricts him, let alone how the workers producing Apple products are treated. But even he finds Facebook unpleasant. I hope others, if they don't learn to be concerned about the important issues, at least follow him that far.
  20 September 2012 (Israeli And Egyptian Border Fences)21 would-be refugees were trapped between the Israeli and Egyptian border fences. Here's how the Israeli army made the problem disappear.
  20 September 2012 (Jill Stein)Jill Stein joined the Occupy Wall Street protest.
  20 September 2012 (iThings)Production of iThings continues to oppress workers, notwithstanding Apple's attempts to pretend it has changed the conditions.
  20 September 2012 (Bahrain)Bahrain has made trivial "reforms" but remains the enemy of human rights.
  20 September 2012 (Cell Phones)Cell phones for thugs infiltrating protesters can mean cells for protesters.
  It's only natural that the thugs beat up a journalist who tried to follow one of these infiltrators. That's what thugs do.
  20 September 2012 (Putin)Putin has kicked out USAid for supporting an organization that publicized dishonesty in the elections.
  20 September 2012 (Aaron Swartz)Aaron Swartz faces 50 years in prison if convicted of crimes that amount to violating JSTOR's terms of service.
  I've heard that the Injustice Department, which he filled with former RIAA heavies, is pushing hard to get Swartz, which is why they don't care that JSTOR has no complaint against him.
  If Obama wins this, people could be imprisoned for registering for Spotify with inaccurate information, or for lending someone else the music they "bought" from iTunes. Perhaps that is Obama's long-term goal.
  20 September 2012 (Mass Protests)Uri Avnery comments on mass protests in the West Bank against the Palestinian Authority.
  20 September 2012 (Charity Workers)Charity workers have been in prison in Haiti for months for not having a permit.
  20 September 2012 (Surveillance)William Binney went public about NSA spying on all Americans after working privately inside the NSA won him an FBI raid on his home.
  Here is a video in which he explains more [35 meg Ogg Theora].
  Sworn Declaration of Whistleblower William Binney on NSA Domestic Surveillance Capabilities.
  Working within the system for reform occasionally works, but it depends on outside pressure that gives the rulers a reason to want to change. More often, the idea that you're working within the system to reduce the harm it does is merely an excuse to overlook the harm you are doing by not fighting against it.
  20 September 2012 (US Prosecutors)US prosecutors work hand in glove with sleazy collection agencies.
  19 September 2012 (Who are "the good guys"?)Should we consider the US and the West "the good guys"?
  In the Cold War, the US was far less bad than the Russian Empire, and mostly deserved to be considered the good guys even despite the horrible things (such as overthrowing governments and arranging death squads) that it did in many countries, just because the Russian Empire was such tyranny.
  However, as the US moves toward tyranny, I don't see that it deserves to be considered "the good guys". China and Russia today are much worse, but the US may come to rival them in time.
  19 September 2012 (Obama regime's response justifies worst fears)The Obama regime's response to the injunction against imprisonment without trial shows that the plaintiffs' worst fears are justified.
  19 September 2012 (US environmental regulations)The US bases environmental regulations on an underestimated figure for the harm done by CO2 emissions.
  19 September 2012 (Urgent: Stop exceptions to air pollution rules for PVC factories)US citizens: tell the EPA not to make unexplained exceptions to its rules on air pollution from PVC factories.
  19 September 2012 (Argentina to attack farmers' rights)Argentina plans to attack farmers' rights in order to encourage GMOs.
  The use of the term ''intellectual property'' shows the twisted thinking underlying this plan.
  Glyphosate, a.k.a. "Roundup", has harmful effects, and weeds are developing resistance fast in the US.
  19 September 2012 (Israel's claims against Iran)Israel has been claiming for 20 years that Iran was just about to develop nuclear weapons.
  The IAEA report referred to in the last paragraph does not factually support the belief that Iran is now developing nuclear weapons.
  I don't believe Iran would go to this much trouble if it were not related to making nuclear weapons. But the facts seem to fit the view that Iran wants to develop the capability but not actually build any yet.
  19 September 2012 (Obama's system of punishment on mere accusation)Obama's unofficial system of punishment on mere accusation doesn't go as far as the official punishment systems of some other countries, but it is unjust nonetheless.
  19 September 2012 (From his own mouth: Romney doesn't care about the poor)Romney, not knowing he was on camera, said that half the US population is dependent on the government and he doesn't care about them.
  He also claimed that these people pay no income tax, but 2/3 of them pay social security tax which adds up to more than Romney's own tax rate.
  Meanwhile, many big and successful companies pay little or notax despite their high incomes.
  19 September 2012 (US suspends joint missions with Karzai's men)So many of Karzai's men have shot Americans that things finally snapped: the US has mostly suspended joint missions with them.
  Panetta misrepresents the situation when he calls this the "last gasp of the weakened Taliban." I wish that were true, because the Taliban are loathsome fanatics, but it isn't true. There is no sign that the Taliban have been weakened militarily &mdash their attacks increased this year. The attacks by Karzai's men occur in addition, not instead.
  19 September 2012 (Urgent: Protect water supplies)US citizens: Call on Obama to regulate fracking effectively to protect water supplies.
  Of course, we don't dare keep depending on these fossil fuels.
  18 September 2012 (EU "unitary patent" proposal)The EU "unitary patent" proposal threatens to impose software patents on most of the EU.
  18 September 2012 (US ban on Mujahedin-e Khalq)It looks like Iraq is cooperating with a push to remove the Mujahedin-e Khalq from the US list of arbitrarily banned organizations. (I think People's Mujahideen Organisation of Iran is another name for that.)
  The Mujahedin-e Khalq are accused of working with Israel to kill Iranian scientists involved in nuclear weapons research. I am not convinced that is a horrible thing to do; I regard it as low-intensity continuation of a long-existing war. Whether the organization should be considered terrorist, I don't know. However, it is clear that what the US government says about this or any other organization is a political decision. It is unlikely that your bowling league will be designated as "terrorist" and banned, but Obama could do it if he really wants to.
  To ban any organization without a trial is tyranny.
  18 September 2012 (Obama insists on imprisonment without trial)The Obama regime condemned the court ruling against imprisonment without trial on the grounds that it might require release of some people already imprisoned without trial.
  Shame on you, Obama, and shame on the US if we do not stamp out this tyranny.
  A court in Afghanistan ruled against imprisonment without trial, too.
  18 September 2012 (Romney built his business with gov't help)Romney's business was started using US government funds that had been delivered to El Salvador for repression, then extracted by the corrupt ruling elite.
  So Romney didn't build his engine of job destruction alone. He did it with government help.
  18 September 2012 (Mysterious form of kidney disease)A peculiar kidney disease is becoming common in three specific regions, and nobody can figure out why.
  18 September 2012 (Opposition candidates)In Belarus, where opposition candidates are arrested, those who talk of boycotting elections are punished.
  Australia punished Albert Langer for urging people to vote in such a way that their ballots could not count for two major parties that are mostly sellouts to business.
  18 September 2012 (Shell's "containment dome" breaks)Shell's experimental "containment dome", meant to deal with future oil well leaks in the Arctic Ocean, broke when tested.
  Maybe next year Shell will make it work well enough not to break, but that doesn't mean it would really do its job.
  18 September 2012 (Thug who shoved Ian Tomlinson punished)The thug who shoved Ian Tomlinson has been punished '-- by being fired.
  18 September 2012 (Urgent: Support Occupy Movement)US citizens: support the Occupy Movement.
  18 September 2012 (Chicago mayor threatens to jail teachers)Chicago Mayor Emanuel says he will sue to stop the teachers' strike, effectively threatening to jail the teachers.
  It's a favorite right-wing tactic to demonize whichever workers they haven't yet cut the pay of.
  18 September 2012 (Freedom of speech in US threatened)Freedom of speech is threatened in the US for Muslims and anti-Muslims, by both Republicans and Democrats.
  18 September 2012 (Urgent: Clemency for Terrance Williams)Everyone: sign this petition for clemency for Terrance Williams.
  I think he ought to have a new trial.
  18 September 2012 (Violence toward anything that "insults")Stirring up violence towards anything that "insults" Islam is a political tool of Islamist extremists.
  18 September 2012 (Iran's revolutionary guards in Syria)Iran's revolutionary guards are in Syria fighting for Assad.
  18 September 2012 (Occupy Wall Street returns)Occupy Wall Street has returned to protests.
  Have the thugs returned to violent attacks on protesters and journalists? Since they must have considered their past practice a success, and none have been punished for these crimes, I expect them to continue.
  18 September 2012 (Netanyahu trying to pressure US)Netanyahu is trying to pressure the US government to commit itself to war with Iran.
  18 September 2012 (Possible entrapment)A man in Chicago was arrested for trying to set off a government-supplied dummy bomb.
  This raises the issue: to what extent did the government lead him into committing a crime that he otherwise would never have attempted?
  18 September 2012 (Danger of nuclear power)Whistleblower Richard Perkins says the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is covering up the danger that a nuclear power plant in South Carolina could have a meltdown if a dam breaks and floods it.
  Thirty thousand people protested to block loading nuclear fuel into a reactor in India.
  Some argue for nuclear power as a way to prevent global heating. But this is a dangerous bet. If civilization collapses, all the dirty used nuclear fuel rods, stored in a manner that requires frequent high-tech maintenance, will leak into the environment.
  18 September 2012 (Killing of US ambassador to Libya)The killing of the US ambassador to Libya may have been done by a militia linked to al Qa'ida.
  If true '-- the US or the Libyan government could be lying '-- this reflects the fact that various militias that participated in the revolution against Gaddafi remain armed, and pursuing their own agendas, including in some cases Islamist extremism.
  US surveillance drones are flying over Libya now, probably with the state's approval. What does this imply?
  Such groups are not like the army of a state. The army of a state is limited by the state's funding for the troops, training and arms. Killing some of the troops makes the remaining army smaller and (unless it was victorious) weaker in spirit. But these underground groups are limited mainly by how much they can recruit. The drone attacks seem to make them stronger, especially through the resentment generated when they kill civilians.
  How the US government talks about drone attacks while claiming it doesn't.
  18 September 2012 (Massive protest in Madrid)A massive protest in Madrid demanded a referendum on austerity.
  18 September 2012 (Copyright over new stories)Germany is proposing to establish a kind of copyright over news stories in bulk.
  18 September 2012 (Using ITU to end net neutrality)Major ISPs want to use the ITU to get rid of network neutrality.
  17 September 2012 (Internet Music)Internet Music
  17 September 2012 (Some in Taliban ready to negotiate with US)Some in the Taliban want to make an accommodation with the US, but don't trust Karzai to run an election.
  Since his last election was a sham, I can't blame them.
  17 September 2012 (UK's new environment minister)The UK's new environment minister has no credentials except the support of a prominent global heating denier.
  The current government says it plans to be the "greenest ever" but has taken every opportunity to sabotage renewable energy and boost fossil fuels. I concluded long ago that its actions show us its true goals. Now this is confirmed.
  17 September 2012 (Economic growth)Arguing that continued economic growth is now impossible and people must prepare for society on a broad scale to collapse.
  Although economic growth has, in the past, meant increased use of resources that are now scarce, that is not the only way an economic recovery for American workers can occur. Directing the US towards constructing renewable energy in the way it was once directed towards fighting World War II could provide jobs for millions while reducing our resource usage.
  But this possibility changes little in practice as long as our corporate rulers will not allow it to happen.
  17 September 2012 (UK's plan for secret courts)The UN criticized the UK's plan for secret courts.
  Protecting torturers is not merely an accidental byproduct of this plan. It is the motive for the plan. The servile UK government will go to any lengths to help Obama protect US torturers.
  17 September 2012 (Urgent: Repeal law that prohibits protests)US citizens: call on Congress to repeal the law that prohibits nearly all protests at many public events.
  17 September 2012 (Urgent: Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act)US citizens: phone your congresscritter to support the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  17 September 2012 (GMOs at "natural foods" store chains)Major "natural foods" store chains have stopped trying to resist GMOs.
  17 September 2012 (Google pressured to take down video)The White House seems to have pressured Google in vague terms to take down the anti-Muslim video that fanatics are using as an excuse to provoke violence.
  I am not surprised that the video has been blocked in India. India has very restrictive censorship policies, on and off the Internet.
  17 September 2012 (Terry Williams faces execution)Terry Williams faces execution for killing the men who raped him repeatedly in church.
  The death penalty is always wrong, but commuting it to life imprisonment in this case seems insufficient.
  17 September 2012 (Pictures of Canadian pennies)Responding to broad public condemnation, the Canadian government dropped its plan to charge a musician for using pictures of pennies on a record cover.
  The mint spreads gratuitous confusion by describing its copyright policy as ''intellectual property policy'', mixing up copyright with a several other unrelated laws.
  This confusion is so easy to avoid that it is inexcusable not to.
  17 September 2012 (Drought affecting electric power plants)Drought due to global heating is blocking the operation of electric power plants.
  Solar and wind power are not affected by these problems.
  Charging farms more for water is also vitally necessary to prevent wasteful use. This has been recognized for decades, but agribusiness interests have prevented it.
  17 September 2012 (CIA helped Gaddafi torture Libyan dissidents)Former anti-Gaddafi Libyan dissidents describe how the CIA tortured them before handing them over to Gaddafi's torturers.
  Since Obama has gone all-out to protect US torturers so far, he will surely protect the perpetrators of this torture too, while doing everything possible to prevent the accusations from being investigated in court.
  In effect, Obama is complicit in the torture he covers up.
  17 September 2012 (Hadopi)Hadopi, the unjust French law that punishes people when they are accused of file-sharing.
  17 September 2012 (Confessions of a former Republican)A former Republican (of the non-theocratic variant) explains what he used to believe, and how he found out that much of it was baloney.
  17 September 2012 (Urgent: Raise issue of global heating)US citizens: call for raising the issue of global heating in the presidential debates.
  16 September 2012 (War on Dissent in Wisconsin)Wisconsin has carried the War on Dissent to new lengths, arresting people carrying hand-held signs in the capitol building.
  16 September 2012 (Lobbying "fire experts" shut down)A lobbying group of "fire experts" was shut down after it was exposed as a front for the companies that make toxic fire-retardant chemicals.
  The idea of artificially stopping fires from starting is not a bad one, and it isn't self-evident whether these chemicals do more or less harm than the fires they prevent. On the other hand, some highly flammable materials such as polyurethane could be banned in consumer products instead of treated with toxins.
  16 September 2012 (Prosecuting only the whistleblower)Nobody in the US will be prosecuted for torture except the whistleblower John Kiriakou who told us about it.
  As a patriotic American, brought up to love freedom, I feel the same disgust for the US government today as I feel for other governments that torture and oppress.
  16 September 2012 (Impression of "balance" in journalism)The impression of "balance": a Washington Post columnist says it bothers him to criticize Romney more than he criticizes Obama. Someone taught him a decent journalist is supposed to criticize both candidates equally.
  I think a decent citizen should criticize Obama and Romney equally for the right-wing policies they agree on.
  16 September 2012 (Former Mexican president protected from lawsuit)The US will protect former Mexican president Zedillo from a lawsuit by victims of a massacre carried out by paramilitaries during his presidency.
  16 September 2012 (Punishment without trial coming to US)Thanks to Obama, punishment without trial is coming to the US, "justified" by the illegitimate goal of stopping people from sharing.
  17 September 2012 (Urgent: Support striking Walmart workers)US citizens: support striking Walmart workers.
  16 September 2012 (Urgent: Tell Apple to treat workers ethically)Everyone: call on Apple to treat its workers ethically.
  This would not be enough to make Apple computer products acceptable to use.
  16 September 2012 (Florida voter purge)Florida's Republican rulers plan to resume a hasty purge of supposedly ineligible voters, giving them too little time to challenge the exclusion.
  16 September 2012 (Japan to close nuclear power plants)Japan has announced a plan to close all nuclear power plants in 30 years and expand renewable energy.
  16 September 2012 (Fossil fuel companies buying ads)Fossil fuel companies are buying lots of ads to push Obama to give them all they want.
  16 September 2012 (Protests against US embassies)Arguing that the protests against US embassies are more due to US policies (such as drone assassinations) and fanatical organizers than to a video.
  16 September 2012 (Urgent: No war with Iran)US citizens: Phone your congresscritter to say "No war with Iran". Then send a message through this page.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  16 September 2012 (Urgent: Call for hearings on voter suppression)US citizens: call on the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold hearings on Republican voter suppression.
  16 September 2012 (Arctic sea ice sets new record low)Arctic sea ice sets a new record low, just half the area that was usual in the 1970s.
  But this understates the loss, because it is also much thinner than it used to be. In volume, it is now far less than half.
  16 September 2012 (UK to deport Tamil refugees)The UK plans to deport Tamil refugees to Sri Lanka despite evidence they are likely to be tortured there.
  16 September 2012 (Repression of gays in Malaysia)Repressive Malaysia is extending repression of gays.
  16 September 2012 (Washington Post "debate" about energy sources)Brought to You by...Big Oil? The Washington Post presented a biased "debate" about energy sources, concealing the fact that it was sponsored by fossil fuel companies.
  16 September 2012 (Dutch court endangers journalists)A Dutch court put journalists and web site operators in danger by fining a site for a link to an unauthorized copy of a photo.
  16 September 2012 (Intel chip with secret features)Intel has designed a chip with secret features so that only Windows can run on it.
  16 September 2012 (The House GOP budget)House GOP Budget Would Cost States Ten Times More Than Expanding Medicaid.
  16 September 2012 (Political opposition to Chicago's teachers)Republican Romney and Chicago's Democrat mayor both oppose Chicago's teachers, and Obama doesn't support them.
  16 September 2012 (How Romney helped Monsanto)How Romney helped Monsanto become the menacing giant that it is today.
  16 September 2012 (Bain Capital methods)If Romney applies the Bain Capital methods to the 50 states.
  16 September 2012 (Protests against TPP negotiations)Protests against the TPP negotiations.
  16 September 2012 (Networking rebellion in Arab uprisings)Networking Rebellion: Digital Policing and Revolt in the Arab Uprisings.
  16 September 2012 (UC Davis to pay pepper-sprayed protesters)UC Davis will pay compensation to the protesters who were pepper sprayed by thugs.
  16 September 2012 (Cruelty of Bahrain's king)Zainab Al-Khawaja protested even with a cast on her leg, which had been broken by Bahraini thugs in a previous protest. So now she is in prison.
  Her father was raped in prison while recovering from the many operations needed to repair all the bones that the thugs broke.
  The US government continues supporting Bahrain's cruel king, as part of the race for who gets to roast our planet fastest.
  16 September 2012 (Surveillance of Americans' stored email)Senator Leahy has proposed an amendment to fill the gap in Americans' rights against surveillance of their stored email.
  This ought to ban the existing universal NSA snooping, but I suspect that point will be ignored.
  16 September 2012 (UK thugs face prosecution)High-ranking UK thugs may face prosecution for lying about the events of a disaster in which 96 sports fans died, falsely blaming the victims.
  15 September 2012 (Apple censorship)Apple censorship is not always aimed at its direct commercial advantage. Naomi Wolf's book "Vagina" is presented on iTunes with a censored title.
  15 September 2012 (US arm sales to Bahrain)Calling on Clinton to apply the law and suspend US arms sales to Bahrain.
  15 September 2012 (Urgent: Confront candidates about Corporations United)US citizens: sign up to confront candidates about public funding of elections and reversing the Corporations United decision (note that I call it by what it really was).
  15 September 2012 (Violence and extremism of Syrian rebels)Some Syrians who didn't like Assad are repelled by the violence and extremism of the rebels.
  I doubt we can tell how many Syrians feel this way, how many support the rebels, and how many supported Assad all along. However, I think the disapproval of the rebels might result in Assad's keeping power.
  15 September 2012 (Secret watermarks on screenshots)World of Warcraft screenshots have secret watermarks identifying who made them.
  15 September 2012 (Censorship of "child pornography")Rick Falvinge joins me in demanding an end to the censorship of "child pornography", and points out that if in the US you observe the rape of a child, making a video or photo to use as evidence would subject you to a greater penalty than the rapist.
  The article does not mention that it's common practice for teenagers to exchange nude photos with their lovers, and they all potentially could be imprisoned for this. A substantial fraction of them are actually prosecuted.
  15 September 2012 (Fragmentary sea ice near North Pole)Just 350 miles from the North Pole, sea ice is only fragmentary. This means that satellites overestimate the amount of ice that remains.
  15 September 2012 (Cambodian journalist murdered)A Cambodian journalist who reported on deforestation has been murdered.
  15 September 2012 (Sustainable development)Sustainable development must aim at wellbeing, not at economic growth.
  This is all the more so given that economic growth under the empire of business tends to benefit only the rich.
  15 September 2012 (Loss of frog species in Asia)Thousands of species of frogs in Asia may be wiped out by human activity before science discovers their existence.
  15 September 2012 (UK gov't to push for use of fracked gas)The UK government is planning to break its own laws by pushing for extended use of fracked gas rather than renewable energy.
  15 September 2012 (Libya's new government)How will Libya's new government deal with violent Islamists?
  15 September 2012 (Catalans march for separation from Spain)A million Catalans marched in favor of separating Catalunya from Spain.
  Their grievances are fueled by the effects of austerity. Catalans are making a mistake blaming the poor in Andaluc­a and Extremadura; they should join together to fight their common enemies: Rajoy and the banksters.
  Meanwhile, this shows a way for a country to exit the euro zone. It can split into regions, each of which will need a new currency since it will be outside the EU. But instead of making a new currency for each region, they could share a single new currency, just as Ecuador and the US share the dollar. Then the regions could reunite.
  15 September 2012 (UK law allows arbitrary imprisonment)One of many tyrannical laws in the UK allows border agents to arrest people arbitrarily and imprison them for refusing to answer a question.
  The plans to revise the law affect other secondary nasty points, but apparently there is no plan to change the law's principal attack against the rights of Englishmen: forcing people to incriminate themselves.
  15 September 2012 (Trapped by Apple "ecosystem")An iThing user writes about being trapped by the Apple "ecosystem".
  It is not impossible to break loose: you can stop, and you should stop. However, is is a considerable inconvenience to break loose from this pernicious system, and that makes Apple culpable for creating it.
  15 September 2012 (Colombian General Motors worker strikes)Colombian General Motors worker Jorge Parra is on hunger-strike again, after GM refused to help the workers who were fired after they were injured on the job.
  15 September 2012 (Pakistan parties against drones)Pakistan Parties Uniting Against Drones.
  15 September 2012 (US continues imprisonment without trial)The US continues imprisonment without trial. Prisoner Adnan Abd-ul-Latif died in Guantanamo, where he was held merely for being Yemeni.
  15 September 2012 (All-out Mideast war)U.S. strike on Iran could lead to all-out Mideast war, experts say.
  15 September 2012 (Even thugs protest austerity in Greece)Even the thugs are protesting against austerity in Greece.
  Fortunately for Greece, the long-term disaster of privatization has proceeded slowly. There may be some government activities that could safely be privatized, because the public would be able to use them through a competitive market; but I expect that the main privatization will be for the things that ought to be run by the state.
  15 September 2012 (Unjust US laws harm human rights)Unjust US laws have harmed Tunisians' human rights, in Guantanamo and in Tunisia.
  15 September 2012 (Google censors video in Libya and Egypt)Google has blocked access in Libya and Egypt to the video that Muslim fanatics are offended by.
  15 September 2012 (Home Affordable Modification Program)Big Banks failed to properly implement the Home Affordable Modification Program, resulting in 800,000 foreclosures that should have been avoided.
  15 September 2012 (US imprisonment without trial blocked)Judge Katherine B. Forrest issued a permanent injunction against the imprisonment without trial authorized by the National "Defense" Authorization Act.
  While it is good that this injustice has been blocked, the grounds for blocking it are too specific: that the grounds stated for imprisoning people were too vague. Even given a very clear and precise criterion, imprisonment without trial is tyranny. For the US to be the Land of Liberty, it must respect the most basic human right: no punishment without a fair trial.
  15 September 2012 (Students forced to build iThings at Foxconn)Foxconn closed schools and forced the students to work building iThings.
  15 September 2012 (Federal Reserve can help the economy)Republicans Admit Federal Reserve Can Help The Economy, But Prefer It Wouldn't.
  Increased government spending is a much better way to promote employment in the US, but Republicans have been able to block that since 2010.
  15 September 2012 (High-income tax cuts)New Study Finds High-Income Tax Cuts Don't Stimulate Economic Growth. In recent history, that is.
  15 September 2012 (Warrantless wiretapping in the US)The House of Representatives voted for 5 more years of warrantless wiretapping of Americans' international communications.
  Note that the NSA in fact intercepts nearly all the digital communications in the US, but has redefined the word "intercept" to pretend this isn't so.
  15 September 2012 (Urgent: Discourage defense of imprisonment without trial)US citizens: call on Obama and your senators not to defend imprisonment without trial, which a judge found unconstitutional.
  In the two messages, I replaced "indefinite detention" with "imprisonment without trial". Why mince words?
  15 September 2012 (Agent Orange Corn)"Agent Orange Corn" One Step Closer to Approval
  15 September 2012 (Recent organic food study)Stanford scientists who published an analysis of studies comparing organic and conventional foods worked in a lab funded by organizations with their own private interests in the issue.
  This does not necessarily invalidate the conclusion: that organic food was not better in nutritional value. But it casts doubt on whether we can trust the scientists who published the study.
  The first announcement of the study that I saw said that it acknowledged that organic foods could be better in avoiding pesticides and drug-resistant bacteria. So I am surprised by the articles criticizing the study for denying that.
  15 September 2012 (Urgent: Student loan cancelation when student dies)US citizens: call on Citibank to cancel student loans when a student dies.
  15 September 2012 (Urgent: Petition against the TPP)US citizens: sign this petition against the TPP.
  15 September 2012 (Mob attack on US consulate in Banghazi)A mob attack on the US consulate in Banghazi provided the opportunity for someone to fire a rocket that killed the US ambassador.
  If I saw the movie that the mob was angry at, I might disagree with parts of it. I'm not interested in seeing it, because whatever opinion I might have of the film itself is irrelevant to the important issue at stake. We must defend the freedom to state those views, or any views, whether we agree with them or not.
  Censorship is an injustice. Whether it is done by a state such as Turkey, a company such as Apple or Facebook, or a mob of people who think one has no right to offend them, it is an injustice. No matter how powerful are the forces of censorship, we must never grant them legitimacy.
  15 September 2012 (Conditions in Foxconn factory)An undercover journalist reports on the horrible conditions in the Foxconn factory that makes iThings: still horrible in 2012.
  15 September 2012 (Anti-government web sites in Vietnam)Vietnam plans to prosecute publishers of anti-government web sites.
  15 September 2012 (The secret negotiations of the TPP)Protesters and legislators condemned the secret negotiations of the TPP.
  The articles spread confusion when they use the term "intellectual property". The draft treaty probably does it too.
  15 September 2012 (Mob attack at US embassy in Egypt)Romney condemned the US embassy in Egypt for responding to mob attack by condemning the film that the mob was angry at. But he was mistaken. It turns out that the embassy anticipated the attacks by condemning the film.
  To my mind, that makes the embassy's action even worse. Surrender before you're even attacked?
  15 September 2012 (Urgent: Stop use of conflict minerals in Nintendo)US citizens: tell Nintendo to refuse to buy conflict minerals mined by brutal African militias.
  15 September 2012 (Urgent: Ban trade in polar bear parts)US citizens: call on Obama to ban trade in polar bear parts.
  15 September 2012 (US children living in poverty)1/5 of children in the US are living in poverty.
  When you cut everything that can help the non-rich, you get more poverty.
  15 September 2012 (NATO troops in Afghanistan)Most Americans and most Europeans want to remove lots of the NATO troops from Afghanistan immediately.
  15 September 2012 (Paul Ryan's voting record)Paul Ryan voted repeatedly against paying for the treatment of illnesses caused by breathing the toxic air of the burning World Trade Center.
  14 September 2012 (Banks downplay productive investment)Today's banks, focused on financial schemes to grab more money from other investors, downplay productive investment.
  14 September 2012 (Surveillance cameras in UK schools)Many UK schools have put surveillance cameras in toilets and changing rooms.
  14 September 2012 (Results of Bush's invasion of Iraq)Ten years ago, an article foretold what the results would be if Bush invaded Iraq. Few of those who supported the decision have admitted it was wrong.
  Perhaps that is because it was worse than just a mistake. It was a crime, and those responsible do not want to feel that they are criminals.
  14 September 2012 (Caravan for Peace)The Caravan for Peace has toured the US protesting against the destructive War on Drugs.
  13 September 2012 (Nonprofit sharing of songs)The record companies have been victorious in their lawsuits for hundreds of thousands of dollars for nonprofit sharing of songs.
  We must demand that our congressional representatives support legalization of sharing.
  13 September 2012 (Monitor US for voter disenfranchisement)Other countries should monitor the US election to see if Republicans will win via disenfranchisement.
  13 September 2012 (No Child Left Behind)The multiple swindles of No Child Left Behind.
  13 September 2012 (AT&Ts "Internet freedom")AT&T claims that "Internet freedom" means abolishing all regulation of ISPs and phone companies. It wants to force people to switch from telephone service to Internet service, and abolish "common carrier" status so it can arbitrarily cut people off.
  13 September 2012 (US Navy sonar testing range)The US Navy got court approval to risk causing the extinction of North Atlantic right whales, by setting up a sonar testing range next to the place they give birth to their young.
  13 September 2012 (Chicago teachers on strike)Chicago teachers have gone on strike because the city is planning to fire them if they teach in schools where students do badly (because they are poor).
  Greg Palast explains how the scheme works.
  13 September 2012 (White House prepares stand-in for CISPA)White House Preparing Executive Order As A Stand-In For CISPA.
  Ensuring that companies that run crucial infrastructure maintain good computer security is a legitimate goal, and parts of the plan may be unproblematical. But it needs to be done in a way that doesn't trample the public's freedom.
  13 September 2012 (Twitter loses appeal to protect personal data)Twitter seems to have lost its appeal to protect personal data of a protester in New York City.
  I agree that tweets, which are published, cannot be the object of privacy. However, I've read in other articles that the information in question includes IP addresses and other non-published data.
  13 September 2012 (Assange threatens to sue SXSW)Julian Assange threatened to sue SXSW if it broadcast a film that presented him in a bad light.
  I have not seen the film, and I have no opinion about it, but even if it were an out-and-out lie and deserved a libel suit, this advance threat seems harsh and aggressive.
  However, this is a secondary issue compared with the heroic work of Wikileaks and has no effect on the need to protect Assange from US persecution.
  13 September 2012 (Egyptians attack US embassy)Egyptians attacked the US embassy, enraged about a video made in the US which insults Muhammad.
  The embassy conceded too much to these would-be censors.
  Another example of dangerous surrender occurred in the UK.
  People have as much right to express anti-Muslim views as they have to be Muslims. Censorship threats by arrogant Muslims who can't bear criticism must be resisted with not the slightest hint of an apology.
  13 September 2012 (Suicide bomber kills teenagers in Kabul)A suicide bomber in Kabul killed and injured teenagers who sold trinkets outside NATO headquarters.
  Whatever may have been the bomber's originally intended target, he surely knew when he pushed the button who the victims would actually be. He could instead have walked away.
  I wonder whether Afghans will feel the same disgust at the Taliban that they feel towards the US for killing civilians.
  13 September 2012 (Marijuana prohibition in UK)Prohibition of marijuana in the UK is fueling violence among producers, so a chief of thugs proposes '... more prohibition.
  13 September 2012 (Accusations of massacre in Venezuela retracted)It appears that there was no massacre in the jungle in Venezuela. The group that made the accusation retracted it.
  12 September 2012 (Urgent: Support Real Debate)US citizens: sign this petition for presidential debate to include other real candidates.
  12 September 2012 (Urgent: Oppose Attacking Iran)Everyone: sign this petition to the US and Israel, saying not to attack Iran.
  12 September 2012 (11 years of US war in Afghanistan)11 years after Dubya invaded Afghanistan, the US is still at war there, still killing, still dying, still propping up a corrupt government that treats women with contempt.
  Meanwhile, the Taliban get their funds from US "ally" Saudi Arabia.
  12 September 2012 (Web site "surveywalls")Instead of asking people to pay for access, websites might in the future ask visitors to answer a survey question.
  There are many kinds of questions I would not mind answering to visit a web site. However, I would not mind paying money, either, in principle. My objection to today's paywalls is that paying would require me to identify myself. My concern about possible future "surveywalls" is likewise about the details.
  If I could answer the survey question without running nonfree software (including nonfree Javascript code), and without its being tied to my identity or to my other browsing, I would be willing to answer, supposing the question itself were not objectionable.
  12 September 2012 (Romney's position on health care)Did Romney intentionally misrepresent his position on health care to mislead undecided voters?
  I have no proof, but I think it is plausible that he did.
  12 September 2012 (Lawsuits over voter suppression laws)The outcome of the US election may be determined by lawsuits over Republican voter suppression laws.
  12 September 2012 (Dubya ignored warnings about attacks)Dubya ignored many warnings about the Sep 2001 attacks and is still covering up what they were.
  12 September 2012 (Romney's PACs)Romney's PACs get millions from Chinese casinos, and from dummy corporations run by cartoon characters.
  12 September 2012 (A blogpost that damages children's brains)"This blogpost will cause lasting damage to children's brains".
  12 September 2012 (Toxic substances in cleaning products)Many cleaning products contain toxic substances that can cause asthma or cancer.
  12 September 2012 (South Sudan's thugs)South Sudan is a new country, but its thugs have already beat up a human rights activist.
  12 September 2012 (Legitimizing tyranny in Sri Lanka)Legitimizing tyranny in Sri Lanka.
  12 September 2012 (The leaked iThing UDIDs)The leaked list of iThing UDIDs originated from a company. This does not necessarily prove it was not obtained from the FBI.
  That list is personal information about people who did nothing to deserve mistreatment. (They did something very foolish by using Apple devices, but they shouldn't be punished for that.) The crackers reduced the wrong by limiting the information in what they leaked, but it was nonetheless somewhat wrong.
  However, the more important wrong was collecting the data in the first place. When we consider how to prevent future wrongs, we should focus on that kind.
  12 September 2012 (AIDS in Zimbabwe prison)An HIV-infected political prisoner in Zimbabwe is campaigning for prisoners to have access to the medicines that save their lives by preventing AIDS.
  12 September 2012 (Austrian mountain peak without ice cap)Climbers in an Austrian mountain peak found it without an ice cap for the first time.
  12 September 2012 (Global heating a public health issue)Global heating should be presented as a public health issue.
  12 September 2012 (Taxes and regulations)Econometric evidence that taxes and regulations are not the obstacle to US economic recovery.
  12 September 2012 (Koch brothers criticize crony capitalism)Even the Koch brothers can criticize crony capitalism. So let's stop them from practicing it.
  12 September 2012 (Junk DNA)The claim that 80% of human DNA is functional was based on a lax criterion for "functional". Some of that 80% might nonetheless be junk.
  11 September 2012 (Today we commemorate the September 11 attacks)Today we commemorate the September 11 attacks, which killed President Allende of Chile and installed Pinochet's murderous military dictatorship. More than 3,000 dissidents were killed or "disappeared" by the Pinochet regime. The USA operated a destabilization campaign in Chile, and the September 11 attacks were part of that campaign.
  I also support a new investigation of the September 11, 2001, attacks in the US.
  11 September 2012 (September 11 investigations)A study reports that the apparent grains of microthermite in dust from the World Trade Center could be a mixture of kaolin and epoxy, both common in paint.
  Also, the iron microspheres can form in a fire at a temperature much lower than the usual burning point of iron.
  This undercuts the practical evidence cited for the claim that the World Trade Center was knocked down by thermite planted in the buildings.
  I still support the demand for an honest, impartial investigation with full subpoena power. The weakened and then corrupted investigation that Bush allowed was not sufficient to establish the truth and demonstrate it to the public.
  11 September 2012 (Carbon trading system)The UN's global carbon trading system, set up to encourage investment in emissions reduction in poor countries, is on the edge of collapsing.
  11 September 2012 (Salmon farms and pesticides)Salmon farms, like plant farms, need ever increasing amounts of toxic pesticides. These pesticides are dumped straight into the ocean.
  11 September 2012 (Taliban leaders want to negotiate)Taliban leaders want to negotiate, according to former Taliban leaders.
  11 September 2012 (Journalists face charges of terrorism)44 journalists face charges of terrorism in Turkey for criticizing the state in various ways.
  The saddest thing is that US dissidents are getting similar treatment.
  11 September 2012 (Breaking the Chains of Consumerism)America the Possible: Breaking the Chains of Consumerism.
  11 September 2012 (Garbage magnates discourage composting)Garbage magnates are lobbying to discourage composting recycling.
  Apparently I am not the only one who's non compost mentis.
  10 September 2012 (Nature reserves)Existing nature reserves fall far short of what is needed to prevent a mass extinction later this century.
  10 September 2012 (Iraqi vice president sentenced to death)Iraq's vice president, a Sunni and now in exile in Turkey, was sentenced to death in absentia.
  I won't say it is impossible that he's guilty of ordering killings, but it is clear that the trial is political and the verdict is meaningless. Several major Iraqi political parties were (maybe still are) connected with militias which participated in the sectarian warfare a few years ago. It would be good to punish all those involved, but trying to execute only the Sunni political leader looks more like a further act in that warfare.
  10 September 2012 (Over 90% of Caribbean coral dead)Caribbean coral reefs are over 90% dead, and what's left is threatened.
  10 September 2012 (Warrantless surveillance of Americans)Laura Poitras' new documentary shows how much the NSA is spying on every American.
  Congress could stop this, if it cared about human rights.
  Ask your candidates for congresscritter and senator where they stand on warrantless surveillance of Americans.
  10 September 2012 (Privatized water companies)Privatized water companies are giving US homeowners unjustified and incredible bills.
  10 September 2012 (Arctic drilling by Shell)Greenpeace says Shell was reckless in its rushed and incomplete testing to a crucial component it wants to use for undersea Arctic drilling.
  10 September 2012 (Charged with mass murder, shielded by US)The US shielded Bolivia's ex-president from extradition on charges of mass murder.
  10 September 2012 (Not the Financial Times)Not the Financial Times.
  10 September 2012 (Comparing iTunes to Monsanto)Comparing iTunes to Monsanto.
  10 September 2012 (Programmed to impose poverty)Thesis: how the US is programmed to impose poverty, how austerity helps, and why the unemployment figures are not meaningful any more.
  10 September 2012 (Wind-power generators)Wind-power generators kill hundreds of thousands of birds in the US, but that's insignificant because buildings, power lines and cats kill hundreds of millions of birds.
  10 September 2012 (Urgent: Oppose UK Internet filtering)UK citizens: oppose default-on UK Internet filtering.
  10 September 2012 (Wells Fargo forecloses unmortgaged home)Wells Fargo foreclosed a home that had no mortgage, and a retired couple lost all their possessions.
  The reason this can occur is that courts don't bother to insist the banks provide valid proof of the mortgage they claim to be foreclosing.
  10 September 2012 (Labour pressured to move further right)Pressure for Labour in the UK to imitate Obama and move even further to the right.
  10 September 2012 (Democrats endorse War on Sharing)The Democratic Party platform endorses the War on Sharing, using the propaganda term "intellectual property".
  The use of that term by the government is a method of framing the copyright issue so as to support the War on Sharing. Using that term helps their cause, so please don't.
  10 September 2012 (Cell phone security risk)Jacob Appelbaum explains how much of a security risk a cell phone is.
  10 September 2012 (Slaughter of elephants)US-funded African armies are now joining in the slaughter of elephants.
  10 September 2012 (Republican and Democratic conventions)The Republican and Democratic conventions have turned into displays run on corporate sponsorship.
  10 September 2012 (Prosecuting Tony Blair)We are a step closer to seeing Tony B'liar prosecuted for the crime of aggressive war, but there is a long way to go.
  10 September 2012 (Vast subsidies, tax breaks for the 1%)Subsidies and tax breaks for the 1% are vast compared with social welfare programs for the 99%.
  Thanks to these, the owners of major US companies can't honestly claim to have built those companies. We the taxpayers built them too. (And the workers surely helped.)
  The richest Americans and big business are creating hardly any jobs in the US, even though they have plenty of money. So it is no surprise that giving them more money, with tax cuts, doesn't lead to any more jobs.
  That article accepts one erroneous but widely believed point: that innovative startups create substantial numbers of jobs. As an Intel executive pointed out a couple of years ago, such companies only provide substantial numbers of jobs when they ramp up production, and nowadays they don't do that in the US.
  Other kinds of new businesses, such as restaurants and stores, can add up to large numbers of jobs, simply because there can be large numbers of these businesses.
  09 September 2012 (Urgent: Support US Conservation Programs)US citizens: phone your congresscritter to call for continued funding for US conservation programs. Also send a message through this page.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  I called for increased efforts to stop global heating.
  09 September 2012 (911 Investigation)We need a new 911 investigation.
  09 September 2012 (FBI's new facial recognition system)The FBI has a new facial recognition system, and there is little to stop them from trying to put in a photo of everyone in the country.
  09 September 2012 (Repression in Tibet)China continues repression in Tibet, arresting monks and confiscating computers.
  A girl who made a solitary protest was imprisoned for 3 years. Beating and injuring her was not enough to satisfy the thugs.
  Chinese who want human rights face repression too.
  09 September 2012 (Justice for Nigerian journalist)A Nigerian journalist who was attacked may get justice.
  09 September 2012 (Obama, Romney, Stein on energy policy)Comparing Obama, Romney and Stein on energy policy.
  09 September 2012 (Premature dismissal of organic food)Arguing against the premature dismissal of organic food.
  The advocates of organic food often adopt a simplistic "natural is good" platform which is not justifiable. But that doesn't mean that it it does not sometimes address real problems. Ecological damage, resistant bacteria and efficient resource usage are all important issues. Avoiding monoculture and domination by giant agribusinesses is important too. Many of the practices of organic farming may be necessary to address these problems.
  09 September 2012 (Romney advocates more military spending)Romney advocates more government spending, in the name of jobs, as long as it's military spending.
  Strange that he wants to cut the other government spending, that creates more jobs per dollar and does some real good for society in the process.
  09 September 2012 (Romney wants Internet filtering)Romney wants Internet filtering software installed in all computers.
  Note how he uses works that some find disgusting as an excuse for something even more disgusting.
  09 September 2012 (Koch brothers endorse tax breaks for oil companies)The Koch brothers' political front endorses tax breaks for oil companies, but opposes them for wind power.
  09 September 2012 (Unemployment benefits)Half of America's unemployed people are not getting unemployment benefits.
  09 September 2012 (Insurance companies want car tracking)Car insurance companies want to install computer systems in cars to track where and how they drive.
  The whole idea of insurance is that you pay based on an estimate of what your accidents are likely to cost. With more information, they can make a better prediction. This is not inherently bad, but there are some kinds of information that companies should not be able to use for this.
  I think it is legitimate to charge based on a person's style of driving, and to collect data to determine what that style is. For instance, how you typically brake is not sensitive for other reasons, so there's no reason to stop that from being measured.
  However, the insurance company must not be able to collect any information about where or when you drive, because nobody should be allowed to collect that sort of information about you. It is too sensitive and amounts to a surveillance society.
  09 September 2012 (Cutting social security benefits)"Raising the retirement age" is the euphemism for cutting social security benefits.
  With longer life spans, it makes sense to ask people to retire later '-- if there is work that we need them to do. However, in a society with high unemployment, it is absurd to claim that people should be required to keep working longer even though they can't find a job.
  09 September 2012 (Torture by US gov't)The New York Times won't dare to call torture torture, when the US government does it.
  This is a double standard. After World War II, the US executed Japanese soldiers who applied this kind of torture to US prisoners of war.
  I oppose capital punishment, but anyone who commits torture deserves to be punished, and the US has the duty to punish its torturers.
  09 September 2012 (Romney unafraid of fact-checkers)Why Romney is not afraid of fact-checkers.
  Paul Ryan's lies are mere "overreaching" which calls for a "course correction".
  09 September 2012 (Sharing copies of published work)One author sells his ebooks to libraries without DRM or EULA. And also permits a certain amount of copying.
  This doesn't go as far as it should '-- readers should be free to share copies of any published work '-- but it is at least no worse than a printed book.
  08 September 2012 (Man's phone memory stolen by DC thugs)The ACLU is suing the Washington DC thug department for stealing a man's phone memory.
  08 September 2012 (US repression of mass protest)The political conventions demonstrate the US success in repressing mass protest.
  What's left of US democracy is an election between two right-wing parties in which businesses can spend as much as they wish to make lies appear true.
  Can we do anything with this shred of democracy? Only if we can thwart the attempt by the rich to buy victory for their flunkies. Who is not their flunky? If they are buying lots of attack ads against someone, that's a hint. If the target is progressive, vote for him.
  08 September 2012 (CNN response in re Bahrain documentary)Glenn Greenwald dissects CNN's response to his article about burying Amber Lyon's documentary.
  08 September 2012 (Computerized ordering systems)Restaurants are starting to replace waiters with computerized ordering systems.
  How will millions of poor Americans work as waiters? Will the US government do anything for them when half of them are out of work?
  08 September 2012 (Urgent: Obama's assassination policy)US citizens: tell Obama to stop his assassination policy.
  08 September 2012 (Personalized marketing)Americans, unless they resist, will be the subjects in an experiment in massive personalized marketing.
  Not me, though. I almost never use the systems that give companies personal information about customers.
  08 September 2012 (Urgent: Oppose fracking in Yellowstone)US citizens: oppose fracking in Yellowstone National Park.
  08 September 2012 (Urgent: Negotiate clean energy policy with China)Everyone: call on the EU to negotiate with China over clean energy policy.
  08 September 2012 (Obama's guidelines for assassinations)Obama stated his own guidelines for drone assassinations.
  Given the US practice of claiming that any adult male that gets killed was an enemy combatant, point 4 seems to be mere window dressing. However, in the absence of any legal procedure, they could all be empty words.
  08 September 2012 (TPP threatens free speech and health care)Amnesty International warns that the TPP threatens free speech and health care.
  08 September 2012 (Sanctions against Iran affect medicine)US sanctions against Iran supposedly do not affect medicine, but here is how they do so in practice.
  08 September 2012 (Bradley Manning supporters protest)Supporters of Bradley Manning protested at Obama campaign headquarters in 34 US cities.
  08 September 2012 (US students forced to carry RFIDs)Some schools in the US are forcing students to carry RFIDs all the time so as to track them around the school.
  They are being trained to live in subjection in prison.
  08 September 2012 (Rimsha Masih granted bail)Rimsha Masih was granted bail but her lawyer says Muslim fanatics will try to murder her.
  08 September 2012 (The sex-toy vibrator)The history of the sex-toy vibrator: it was invented for doctors to give their patients orgasms.
  The idea that there is something wrong with a woman if she doesn't have an orgasm in sex with a man seems so strange to me that I can hardly believe anyone thought that. If I can't give a woman pleasure, I might feel inadequate, or perhaps just disappointed, but it would never occur to me to think that this was a flaw in her.
  08 September 2012 (Haqqani network)The US designated the Haqqani network as a "terrorist organization".
  That might be an accurate designation, but terrorism is a crime, and it is an injustice to declare an organization guilty of a crime without a fair trial to prove it.
  08 September 2012 (Evidence against Assad's men)Human Rights Watch says that evidence points to Assad's men as the perpetrators of the massacre of Daraya.
  08 September 2012 (Hunger in America)18 million Americans can't get enough food.
  It will be even harder in a few years as global heating reduces agricultural productivity and drives up food prices.
  08 September 2012 (Defense Minister reportedly opposes attack on Iran)Israel's defense minister reportedly now opposes attacking Iran.
  If this is true, Israel will not attack unless Netanyahu pulls off a really clever trick. This is good, because such a war would be a disaster for everyone.
  08 September 2012 (Discrimination in Indian schools)Almost 2/3 of Indian school children from lower castes have been subject to explicit discrimination in school.
  08 September 2012 (Urgent: Toughen rules on fracking)US citizens: tell the Bureau of Land Management that its proposed rules on fracking need to be tougher.
  07 September 2012 (Plans for new Honduran city)Honduras plans to create a city with separate laws to be written to suit foreign investors.
  Now it is clear what Obama hoped to gain by supporting the coup.
  07 September 2012 (Purveyor of global heating denial at DNC)An architect of multiple levels of front groups, designed to let oil companies spread denial of global heating while denying it's done with their funds, is now getting closely involved with the Democratic National Convention.
  07 September 2012 (Black Americans and gov't IDs)The NAACP President explains why Black Americans (and poor Americans generally) are likely not to have up-to-date government IDs with their current addresses.
  07 September 2012 (Urgent: No extension on Arctic drilling)US citizens: Tell President Obama and Secretary Salazar: don't give Shell an extension on its Arctic drilling window.
  07 September 2012 (CNN suppresses Arab Spring documentary)Amber Lyon made an award-winning documentary in Bahrain for CNN, as part of a larger program about the Arab Spring. CNN suppressed it after one showing, fired her, and is now making threats to silence her.
  If you watch the video on YouTube, don't do it through the site itself: that requires running nonfree software (either Flash, or nonfree Javascript from YouTube itself). You can download the videos from YouTube and watch them using free software, such as youtube-dl.
  07 September 2012 (US torture of Libyan dissidents)Human Rights Watch announces its report about US torture of Libyan dissidents for Gaddafi.
  Here's the report itself.
  07 September 2012 (Democrats plan to sell us out)Democrats have started talking as if they were defending Americans from Republicans and business-friendly plans, but they too plan to sell us out.
  The Democratic Party's claims to have resisted the banksters, defended American workers, and resisted global heating turn out to me more false than true.
  The overall strategy of the two-party system is to push the US ever further towards right-wing cruelty.
  Individual Democratic candidates may deserve support, especially if they oppose such things as free exploitation treaties. But not the Democratic Party in general, and not Obama.
  07 September 2012 (Affect of global heating on New England)Global heating is changing the forests in New England, and the seas around New England. Industries have already been wiped out, and more will follow.
  07 September 2012 (Democrats endorse war against Internet)The Democratic Party supports "internet freedom", but it endorses the copyright lobby's war against the Internet at the same time.
  07 September 2012 (Striking miners in South Africa)Striking miners in South Africa are demanding a big raise, and heartlessly resisting when the bosses beg them to be reasonable and go back to work. Management would like us to believe that a raise for these low-paid and dangerous jobs would be a "dangerous precedent".
  I think the company can afford to pay these workers decently.
  07 September 2012 (Republicans' "small government")Republicans want "small government" except, mysteriously, for the military.
  07 September 2012 (US tax exceptions for stadiums)The US gives billions in tax exemptions for construction of stadiums.
  07 September 2012 (Lies about Keystone XL pipeline)Supporters of the Keystone XL planet-roaster pipeline continue to lie about how many jobs it would create.
  Of course, the bigger and deeper error would be to judge the pipeline by a secondary issue such as jobs working on it, and ignore the tremendous boost it would give to global heating. The articles that claim the pipeline is good because of the imaginary jobs are not only false, they are also distraction.
  07 September 2012 (Torture of Libyan dissidents)Human Rights Watch says that the CIA tortured Libyan dissidents by waterboarding before handing them over to Gaddafi's men.
  I think Obama will protect these torturers too.
  07 September 2012 (American mobile phone users' privacy)American mobile phone users are demonstrating they are starting to care about privacy.
  If they had the option of mobile phones that wouldn't track them everywhere, they might choose those. But no such phones exist, and it is simply impossible to prevent the localization done by cell towers.
  The way not to be tracked is to reject portable phones.
  07 September 2012 (Urgent: Stop support of US Chamber of Commerce)US citizens: call on IBM, Google, Pepsico and Microsoft to stop supporting the US Chamber of Commerce
  07 September 2012 (Urgent: Don't allow fracking in New York)US citizens: tell New York Governor Cuomo that he won't get public support if he allows fracking in New York State.
  07 September 2012 (Very Urgent: Oppose plans for "clean" Internet)EU citizens: comment to oppose plans for a "clean" Internet, where "clean" means "no sharing".
  Here's the consultation itself.
  Here's where to submit a comment.
  Rather than only opposing unjust proposals, how about demanding a right not to be disconnected from the Internet without a trial, and a ban on Digital Restrictions Management? I don't know if this is possible '-- because of the short time available, I have asked to post this without waiting to get a copy of those pages.
  07 September 2012 (Urgent: Remind Obama about GMO labeling)US citizens: Ask Michelle Obama to remind the president to carry out his promise and support labeling requirements for GMOs.
  07 September 2012 (Excuse to extend Heathrow)The UK government, throwing the Earth's climate to the winds, is looking for an excuse to support extending Heathrow airport.
  07 September 2012 (Life sentences for activists in Bahrain)Bahrain Court Upholds Life Sentences for Activists.
  07 September 2012 (US drone strike in Yemen)It appears a US drone killed 13 civilians in Yemen. The victims' families are rather angry at the US government.
  07 September 2012 (Iran's breakout capacity reduced)IAEA Report Shows Iran Reduced Its Breakout Capacity.
  07 September 2012 (Sanctions against Iran)In Iran, sanctions take toll on the sick.
  07 September 2012 (TPP could make medicines unaffordable)How the TPP could make life-saving medicines prohibitively expensive in some countries.
  The US already has these bad policies, and it needs to change them. Therefore, the Big Pharma lobby wants to give sellout politicians such as Obama and Romney an excuse in the form of a treaty.
  07 September 2012 (Affect of bottom-trawling sea floor)Bottom-trawling affects the sea floor as much as plowing affects the land.
  07 September 2012 (Melting of glaciers in Patagonia)Glaciers in Patagonia are melting faster since 2000.
  07 September 2012 (Deforestation in tropical regions)Deforestation in tropical regions reduces rain there.
  07 September 2012 (Warrant required for text messages)A court in Rhode Island ruled that a thug should have had a warrant to look at someone's text messages in her phone.
  But this will probably be appealed.
  07 September 2012 (ACLU calls on Apple to get rid of UDID)The ACLU calls on Apple to get rid of the UDID unique identifying number.
  I agree. However, every mobile phone has another unique ID number that it transmits to the phone system every time. Which is one of the reasons I don't have a mobile phone.
  07 September 2012 (Pakistan punishes Save the Children)Pakistan has punished Save the Children, claiming that the CIA used that organization to find Osama bin Laden.
  It is valid to criticize Afridi (and his US employers) on the grounds that, by setting up a phony vaccination scheme, they put the vaccination mission in peril. Eliminating polio forever was (and is) far more important than finding bin Laden. If the US wanted to prosecute someone with lots of blood on his hands, Dubya is easy to find.
  However, it is clear that Pakistan did not put Afridi in prison for endangering the elimination of polio '-- because Pakistan is now going the US one worse by attacking that project outright.
  Through these actions, Pakistan in effect declares bin Laden a national hero, which implies endorsement of what he did. Even if he was a lesser criminal than Dubya, he was still very bad.
  06 September 2012 (Pakistan's blasphemy law)Thousands of people have faced prosecution under Pakistan's blasphemy law. Some due to ludicrous reasons, and others for exercising their freedom of expression.
  The article asserts that the words these people are accused of saying cannot be published because it would be blasphemy. That may be true in Pakistan, but The Guardian is published in the UK. I therefore beg the Guardian to publish this information.
  If someone emails me this information, I will post it here.
  06 September 2012 (Samsung joins Apple)Samsung joins Apple in being accused of mistreating workers in China.
  06 September 2012 (Gambling addiction)Addicted gamblers are not hoping to win, just to prolong the sensation of playing.
  If they could manage to get the same sensation from playing a game that doesn't cost money, they might be home free.
  06 September 2012 (Speculation on food)Deregulation has encouraged speculation on food, which can cause price rises that can drive millions around the world into hunger.
  "Free trade" treaties also do this; they subject peasants in many countries to very efficient mechanized competition, resulting in reduced production and increased poverty.
  06 September 2012 (Who really owns an Apple phone?)An Apple patent suggests a plan to restrict users of phones based on where they are located.
  The article says that this poses the question of who really owns the phone. I'm glad they are starting to ask it. In fact, with nonfree software, you never really own it.
  06 September 2012 (Urgent: Colorado's voter-suppression plan)US citizens: call on the Attorney General to take action against Colorado's voter-suppression plan.
  05 September 2012 (On-line music "sales")On-line music "sales" are in many cases not sales at all.
  05 September 2012 (More fraud in Barclay's Bank)More fraud in Barclay's Bank.
  05 September 2012 ("Organic" food)A study finds that "organic" food is no better than any other food, in terms of nutrition, but it reduces exposure to pesticides and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
  This is what common sense would have suggested, and it shows what society ought to aim for in regard to farming.
  05 September 2012 (List identifying owners of iThings)A group called AntiSec claims to have found and leaked an FBI list identifying the owners of 12 million iThings based on a unique ID code in each device.
  The FBI says that it never had the list.
  Neither source is guaranteed reliable, but I think that on this point it is more plausible that the FBI is lying. If AntiSec had got the info somewhere else, it would have had no evident motivation to claim it came from the FBI. By contrast, the FBI would have a clear motivation to deny the facts. Another point is that the FBI (like municipal thugs) is habituated to lying, since it expects people to assume its statements are honest.
  05 September 2012 ("Felonious" spying by NY Thug Department)In a leaked Stratfor email, an FBI agent speaks of "felonious" spying by the New York Thug Department.
  05 September 2012 (Destroying land for gas)Destroying precious land (and poisoning precious water) for gas.
  05 September 2012 (Psychological manipulation at Apple Stores)Apple store staff are taught twisted psychological manipulation.
  The mere practice of referring to service staff as "geniuses" is dishonest already.
  05 September 2012 (Seashore parking lots becoming ocean)As global heating makes the oceans rise, the parking lots at Assateague National Seashore's beach keep turning into ocean.
  05 September 2012 (Ustream censorship robots)Censorship robots in Ustream cut off the live stream of the Hugo awards ceremony.
  This is ironic because an activity concerned with future technology was the occasion to show how evil technology can be.
  Ustream does harm to society even when it doesn't censor, because it requires viewers to run nonfree software. It is fundamentally bad. Once I found out there was a plan to stream my speech through Ustream, and I insisted they not do it.
  If you are connected with an event that is going to do streaming, I can put you in touch with people that can teach you how to do it using Ogg Theora, with free software. Then nobody can censor it.
  05 September 2012 (Smuggling of endangered wildlife)Smugglers of endangered wildlife are using the Internet in sneaky ways.
  I strongly support cracking down on this trade, but that does not require abolishing privacy on the Internet. The merchandise has to be delivered physically, so the sellers are vulnerable to stings.
  04 September 2012 (Urgent: Petition the Democratic Convention)US citizens: call on the Democratic Convention to support clean energy and peace, and cut military funding.
  04 September 2012 (Former Mooney recalls brainwashing)A former Moonie tells how he was recruited and brainwashed.
  04 September 2012 (Pakistani Muslim clerics defend girl)Leading Pakistani Muslim clerics came to the defense of the girl who was falsely accused of burning pages from a Qur'an.
  This demonstrates a commitment to truth and rejection of lies. However, honesty of application does not justify censorship, such as the prohibition of blasphemy. Even people who really do burn Qur'ans must not be imprisoned, let alone killed, for that. If you don't like their doing so, buy a copy of some book they admire and burn that in response.
  04 September 2012 (Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike)Three Palestinian prisoners, imprisoned without trial, have been on hunger strike for months to protest Israel's breaking the agreement that settled the previous massive hunger strike.
  03 September 2012 (Israel's Dead Sea mining)Israel's mining of minerals from the Dead Sea is a crime under international law.
  03 September 2012 (Urgent: Scrutinize substance of what Paul Ryan says)US citizens: sign this petition for media attention to the substance of what Paul Ryan says.
  03 September 2012 (Workers in Colombia end hunger strike)Workers in Colombia ended their hunger strike after gaining an agreement to submit their dispute with General Motors to arbitration.
  03 September 2012 (US offenses against human rights)Many Americans let the replacement of Dubya by Obama silence their criticism of the same offenses against human rights.
  03 September 2012 (Republicans change position on secret money)The Republicans are getting so much secret money that they have changed their position to oppose requirements to disclose donations.
  03 September 2012 (Massachusetts Right to Know Act passes)Massachusetts has passed a law to make it harder to cheat temporary employees.
  03 September 2012 (Excuse to drive Christians out)Extremist Muslim cleric accused of framing the retarded Christian girl to create an excuse to scare all the Christians out of the neighborhood.
  03 September 2012 (Tony Blair's war crimes)Attempting a citizen's arrest of Tony B'liar for his war crimes.
  The UK has the responsibility to prosecute B'liar, just as the US has the responsibility to prosecute Dubya. They launched a war based on lies which killed uncounted hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, as well as around 4500 Americans.
  03 September 2012 (Murders of South African miners)South Africa has temporarily dropped murder charges against striking miners, who were charged with the deaths of their fellow protesters actually killed by the thugs.
  03 September 2012 (Afghan torturers unpunished)The Afghan government fails to punish its torturers.
  With the US as an example, why would it?
  03 September 2012 (Israeli settlers in the West Bank)The Israeli state forced settlers to leave one "outpost", but they moved to another (state-supported) colony in the West Bank.
  03 September 2012 (Mexican iris scan database)Mexico is creating a database with iris scans and fingerprints of all citizens.
  03 September 2012 (US recession)By cutting military spending instead of civilian aid programs, the US would save 300,000 jobs.
  However, this is a choice between bad and worse. The US should not cut spending at all now, because the way to get out of a recession is through deficit spending. The time to reduce the national debt is when things are going well.
  03 September 2012 (Demolition of Palestinian homes)Israel has driven around 160,000 Palestinians from their homes, mostly by demolishing their homes.
  2011 was the worst year ever for this.
  03 September 2012 (UK law criminalizes the homeless)The UK law that makes squatting a crime "criminalizes the homeless".
  The government which passed this law showed it is the enemy of the 99%.
  03 September 2012 (Shell now permitted to drill Arctic)Shell was given permission to start drilling in the Arctic Ocean.
  03 September 2012 (Tutu calls for prosecution of Bush and Blair)Desmond Tutu called for prosecution of Dubya and Bl'iar for the crime of starting a war based on lies.
  Hooray, Tutu!
  03 September 2012 (Police spying)Police forces in Europe defy parliamentary oversight into their spying on opposition groups.
  03 September 2012 (Paul Ryan on military spending)In 2011, Paul Ryan supported big military spending cuts. Now he wants military spending increases.
  03 September 2012 (Global heating deniers in the press)The press should stop giving global heating deniers the same respect that it gives climate scientists.
  03 September 2012 (Japanese charges against Paul Watson)Paul Watson of Sea Shepard describes the bogus Japanese charges against him, and says that Sea Shepard will continue its activity whether he can get to the ships or not.
  03 September 2012 (Unjust killings in Pakistan)A Pakistani lawyers says, if the US can kill Pakistani civilians with drone missiles, why shouldn't they execute a girl for blasphemy? What's the difference, he asks?
  Of course, we can see plenty of specific differences, but he's right that there is a great similarity between one unjust killing and another. So what is his twisted point? To take revenge on the US by killing this girl?
  03 September 2012 (Osama bin Laden's death)A member of the team that killed Osama bin Laden said, in his book, that the team had orders to arrest bin Laden if he was not armed, but shot him instead. This was followed by a public lie to justify the shooting.
  When I first heard about the raid, I was skeptical that the man shot was really Osama bin Laden. After all, the US government is hardly an honest and reliable source about such things. However, since nobody is claiming that he wasn't Osama bin Laden, I suppose he was.
  Nonetheless, the really important point is that his death made no real difference. It did not hurt al Qa'ida, for instance.
  03 September 2012 (Internet surveillance)Internet surveillance is getting so cheap that companies might start recording all their network traffic.
  03 September 2012 (Jordanian Internet censorship law)Jordanians protest a proposed law that would filter Internet access.
  03 September 2012 (Romney pioneered debt creation)Romney was a pioneer in creating debt and saddling companies with it. Now his hypocritical campaign pretends to be against debt, as an excuse for an economic revolution bringing poor-country suffering to most Americans.
  Here is Matt Taibi's description of Romney's career.
  03 September 2012 (Melting Arctic ice)Melting Arctic ice means even worse weather disasters are coming in Europe and the US.
  03 September 2012 (New campaign for corporate immunity)Obama's government launched a new campaign for corporate immunity.
  03 September 2012 (Iran's uranium enrichment program)Hidden in the IAEA report on Iran: evidence that its uranium enrichment program is not aimed at making bombs.
  03 September 2012 (Selective factchecking)Factchecking the Minnows and Letting the Whales Swim Away.
  03 September 2012 (Internet domains and addresses)Letting the US manage the Internet domains and addresses is bad, but the other options are worse.
  03 September 2012 (Urgent: ITU)US citizens: oppose a plan to make the ITU the primary standards committee for the Internet.
  02 September 2012 (Repression of new Tunisian regime)Tunisian political cartoonist Z says that the new regime represses him like the old one.
  Furthermore, it has convinced Facebook to censor him, which shows that it was a mistake using Facebook at all.
  02 September 2012 (Movement against license plate cameras)As license plate cameras spread around the US, a movement to resist is beginning, and New Hampshire has limited the use of them.
  02 September 2012 (Miners charged with killing)Miners in South Africa were charged with killing after some of them were shot by thugs.
  02 September 2012 (Imprisonment of dissidents in Eritrea)Eritrea has imprisoned dissidents since 2001, and several journalists have died in prison.
  02 September 2012 (Urgent: US environmental education)US citizens: support continuing the US environmental education program.
  02 September 2012 (Microrobots to repair coral reefs)Microrobots are being designed to repair coral reefs.
  This might deal with the effects of bottom trawling, but the worst long-term threat to coral is from acidification of the ocean due to CO2 emissions from human activity. I don't think robotic repair can do that. What we need is to stop the CO2 emissions.
  02 September 2012 (Epilogue to the World We Knew)We Are Writing the Epilogue to the World We Knew
  02 September 2012 (Most new US jobs are low wage)Most new US jobs are low-wage jobs.
  (I take issue with the article's assumption that the recession has ended.)
  02 September 2012 (Obama protects US torturers)Obama has quashed the last two possible criminal cases against US torturers.
  Persistently over 4 years he has acted to make sure that no US government torturers will face justice, in the US or elsewhere, even those that tortured prisoners to death.
  Don't vote for torture. Jill Stein for president!
  02 September 2012 (Early voting in Ohio)A federal court restored early voting in Ohio.
  02 September 2012 (Urgent: Help state-authorized marijuana dispensaries)US citizens: phone your congresscritter to cosponsor three bills to help state-authorized medical marijuana dispensaries.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  01 September 2012 (Angolan president's re-election)The Angolan president seems to have got himself re-elected by stopping lots of people from voting, and making the rest feel it was useless.
  01 September 2012 (Large wildfire in Spain)Spain has a large wildfire due to heat and drought.
  Global heating is making Spain drier and hotter, meaning there will be more of these and worse.
  01 September 2012 (Urgent: Stop commercial advertising by schools)US citizens: sign this petition against commercial advertising by schools.
  01 September 2012 (Urgent: Stop Arctic drilling exception for Shell)US citizens: call on Secretary of the Interior Salazar not to give Shell any special exception regarding Arctic drilling.
  01 September 2012 (Arctic sea ice reaches new record low)This week, Arctic sea ice reached a new record low, and it will keep melting for several weeks more. The Republican National Convention was partly shut down by a hurricane, but they still deny the problem.
  Decades from now, as the disaster unfolds, many of them will keep denying what is happening.
  Meanwhile, Obama is no solution. He talks little about global heating, and as for actions, he "expedited" the planet-roaster pipeline.
  01 September 2012 (Kasparov's arrest)Kasparov describes how he was arrested while talking to journalists, and calls for the West to impose financial sanctions on Putin's government.
  01 September 2012 (Marijuana sales to adults)Some US states are on track to vote to legalize marijuana sales to adults.
  01 September 2012 (UN warns Gaza will not be livable)The siege of Gaza has relaxed somewhat, but the UN warns it will not be livable in 2020.
  Part of the action needed, however, is to reduce the birth rate. Having such a "young population" is the result of human activity, not a natural characteristic.
  01 September 2012 (Methane under Antarctic ice sheet)The Antarctic ice sheet may cover billions of tons of methane.
  01 September 2012 (Worlds wealthiest woman complains)Poor people should work harder and stop complaining, says the world's wealthiest woman.
  I think she should pay more taxes.
  01 September 2012 (Petition to pardon Peter Sunde)Over 100,000 signed the petition to pardon Peter Sunde, associated with The Pirate Bay.
  Here is Sunde's description of the charges against him.
  01 September 2012 (Worst Lies in Paul Ryan's Speech)6 Worst Lies In Paul Ryan's Speech.
  The corporate media mysteriously decline to pounce on Ryan's lies.
  01 September 2012 (Texas voter-ID law overturned)A voter-ID law in Texas has been overturned.
  01 September 2012 (US national debt's interest burden)The US national debt's interest burden is the lowest it has been since World War II.
  01 September 2012 (Ecuador protects another whistleblower)Ecuador has protected another political whistleblower, this one from Belarus.
  01 September 2012 (Colombia-US Labor Action Plan)Colombia-US Labor Action Plan led only to "cosmetic changes".
  Since the real purpose of "free trade" treaties is to help business at the expense of everyone else, it is not a surprise that the provisions about improved rights for labor are mere window dressing, that meant to take arguments away from the opposition in order to gain votes, and not intended truly to help workers in Colombia. Why then bother to implement them once the blow has fallen?
  01 September 2012 (Honduras torn apart by US War on Drugs)Militarizing the Police and Killing Natives: How the US Drug War Is Ripping Honduras Apart.
  01 September 2012 (Weak endorsement of Internet freedom)The Republican Party has endorsed Internet freedom, but it must be a rather weak stand since the MPAA does not object to it.
  01 September 2012 (Suspension of Belo Monte Dam overturned)Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Overturns Suspension of Belo Monte Dam.
  01 September 2012 (Urgent: Limit NSA surveillance of Americans)US citizens: call on your congresscritter and senator to limit NSA surveillance of Americans.
  31 August 2012 (Urgent: EPA regulation of coal ash)US citizens: tell your senators to support EPA regulation of coal ash from coal-fired power plants.
  31 August 2012 (The "database of ruin")Big data and combining data means companies are developing the "database of ruin", which can find out enough secrets to ruin nearly anyone.
  See also Cory Doctorow's story, Scroogled.
  31 August 2012 (Paper money with RFIDs)Work is being done on making paper money with RFIDs.
  It's dangerous because governments could track who gets and spends what money. Also dangerous because thieves could track who has money in his purse, or in a hidden pocket.
  31 August 2012 (Muslim fanatics threaten retarded child)Muslim fanatics out for blood threaten mob violence against the retarded child accused of burning pages of a Qur'an.
  Of course, it would be equally unacceptable to punish a mentally competent adult for this. The right to offend anyone about anything is a central part of freedom of speech.
  31 August 2012 (Stuxnet-type viruses in Middle East)Reportedly every country in the Middle East now has Stuxnet-type attack viruses.
  31 August 2012 (Reincorporating to duck taxes)Corporations that already duck the US income tax are nonetheless reincorporating in other countries that allow them to pay less.
  The US should make sure that proper taxes are paid on US business activity and prevent the accounting tricks used to attribute the profit to anywhere else.
  31 August 2012 (Urgent: Environmental education in US schools)US citizens: call on Obama to defend environmental education in US schools.
  31 August 2012 (Urgent: Free the members of Pussy Riot)Everyone: write to Putin demanding he free the members of Pussy Riot.
  31 August 2012 (Bank employees fired for minor crimes)US bank employees are being fired for minor crimes committed many years ago. However, the gross fraud committed by the banksters goes unprosecuted, so banks don't have to fire them.
  31 August 2012 (Criminal miners kill Yanomami people)Criminal miners from Brazil killed around 80 Yanomami who did not want their land to be mined.
  The international mining companies operating in India, Peru, Canada and other countries can kill more people, but they construct a legal excuse so that they can claim not to be "criminal".
  31 August 2012 (Koch brothers switch loopholes)After a judge closed one loophole about identifying their donors, the Koch brothers switched to a slightly different loophole.
  31 August 2012 (Flaws in Obama's new fuel standards)Although Obama's new fuel efficiency standards are a step forward, they don't go far enough. Here are some flaws.
  31 August 2012 (US war profiteers)US military contractors have been cutting jobs even as their contracts increased.
  31 August 2012 (Florida's anti-voter-registration law)Florida's Republican anti-voter-registration law bites the dust.
  31 August 2012 (False claims about abstinence)The Republican Party platform advocates abstinence-only sex noneducation and falsely claims that it prevents pregnancy.
  31 August 2012 (Workers forced attend Romney rally)Murray Energy forced workers to take a day without pay and attend a Romney campaign rally.
  31 August 2012 (Protesters block Keystone construction)Protesters blocked construction of the Keystone XL planet-roaster pipeline for a day by chaining themselves to a truck.
  31 August 2012 ("Urban Infrastructure Bank" scheme)The "Urban Infrastructure Bank" is a desperate scheme to indirectly privatize parts of US cities' infrastructure.
  The attraction of these schemes is short-term: the cities are not getting enough funds from the state and federal governments and can't maintain their infrastructure. However, as Chicago has already learned from its privatization of parking meters, the long-term effects are to make the problem worse.
  31 August 2012 (Chile's version of DMCA)Chile's version of the DMCA protects against false copyright claims by requiring a court to approve an order to take down material.
  31 August 2012 (Urgent: Stop support for ALEC)US citizens: call on Duke Energy to stop supporting ALEC.
  31 August 2012 (Urgent: Thank Obama)US citizens: thank Obama for increased car mileage standards.
  Obama doesn't do 10% of what's needed to prevent disaster, and seems to be in favor of increased drilling which means increased emissions. However, that is more reason to express appreciation when he does something.
  31 August 2012 (Urgent: Medicaid)US citizens: tell Governor Perry and 11 other governors to allow the expansion of Medicaid in their states.
  31 August 2012 (Carbon-trading markets)Carbon-trading markets in Europe and Australia will be linked.
  In theory, cap-and-trade systems like these should work efficiently to reduce emissions. In practice, the systems can easily have flaws that cause them not to achieve their goals at all. Thus I think we should institute a real tax on fossil fuels, rather than cap-and-trade.
  30 August 2012 (Twitter)Twitter has appealed a court ruling that it must turn over a protester's personal info.
  I have some criticisms of Twitter in other areas, but no one could do more to protect its users' from government searches. However, what is needed is better laws: laws that recognize that the user is entitled to challenge searches of her data stored in a company's server.
  30 August 2012 (Massachusetts Senator Brown)Massachusetts Senator Brown was the crucial swing vote to weaken US financial reform, and got paid off for this by Morgan Stanley.
  30 August 2012 (Rachel Corrie's Parents)Rachel Corrie's parents and other activists will protest for divestment from Caterpillar, which provides bulldozers to Israel which are used for demolishing Palestinians' homes.
  30 August 2012 (400 Civilians)It looks like Assad's men murdered 400 civilians going house to house in Daraya, near Damascus.
  30 August 2012 (West Nile Virus)The US is having its biggest ever outbreak of West Nile Virus, in its hottest year on record, and the trail points straight at global heating.
  30 August 2012 (Illegal Voter-suppression)Some of today's top Republican campaign figures participated in an illegal voter-suppression operation in 2004, but were not punished.
  30 August 2012 (Albany, New York)Thousands protested in Albany, New York, to oppose fracking in the state.
  30 August 2012 (The TPP)The TPP sets out to attack Internet freedom in the name of the twisted cult of "free trade".
  The EFF gave the details.
  The TPP would also to kill thousands, perhaps millions of poor people, through increased patent powers and other monopolies over drugs.
  30 August 2012 (Arrrested A Second Time)An Austin man who campaigns against harassment of photographers by the thugs was arrested a second time for filming their actions in public.
  30 August 2012 (South Korea's Supreme Court)South Korea's Supreme Court decided that it is unconstitutional to require web sites to demand users' real names
  30 August 2012 (Israeli Schools)After a mob of Jewish teenagers beat an Arab teenager nearly to death, Israeli schools are barely starting to confront ingrained hatred.
  30 August 2012 (The US Soldiers)The US soldiers in Afghanistan were warned that burning Qur'ans was a bad idea, that it was likely to make many Afghans feel offended.
  I mention this to correct an earlier note in which I supposed that wasn't so.
  I disagree with Greenwald's equating of an act that some took offense at with a killing.
  30 August 2012 (The Israeli Army)Amnesty International: Rachel Corrie Verdict Highlights Impunity for Israeli Military.
  The Israeli army in Gaza was totally accustomed to killing civilians, often children, and lying about that too.
  29 August 2012 (Tutu protests presence of B'liar)Desmond Tutu cancelled his attendance in an event to protest the presence of Tony B'liar in it.
  29 August 2012 (Obama's health care law)Doctors are traveling around the US on a bus to argue in favor of Obama's health care law.
  The law is a step forward, but fails to do the whole job because it is a compromise with the medical insurance industry, which now wants to abolish it.
  Americans should abolish the private medical insurance industry before it abolishes our lives.
  29 August 2012 (Administrative subpoenas)We Don't Need No Stinking Warrant: The Disturbing, Unchecked Rise of the Administrative Subpoena.
  29 August 2012 (Alternative currencies in Spain)Alternative currencies are springing up in Spain to help people cope with punishing right-wing economic policies.
  29 August 2012 (Iran calls for nuclear disarmament)Iran, leading a meeting of the unaligned states, reiterates the call for total nuclear disarmament.
  29 August 2012 (Romney's campaign dismisses fact checkers)Romney's campaign says only Obama's campaign should heed fact checkers.
  29 August 2012 (Wind and solar power on Orkey Islands)The Orkney Islands are on the verge of generating a surplus of electricity from wind and solar power.
  29 August 2012 (France opens investigation on Arafat)France has opened an investigation into the possible murder of Yasser Arafat.
  29 August 2012 (Israel's decision on Rachel Corrie)Human Rights Watch rebukes Israel's decision on Rachel Corrie.
  29 August 2012 (Proposed wealth tax in UK)The Lib Dem leader proposes a wealth tax to reduce austerity in the UK.
  29 August 2012 (Putin's spending)What Putin does with the money he extracts from Russia.
  29 August 2012 (Microfinance)Microfinance can help the poor, but can also exploit them.
  When someone told me she worked with microfinance, I asked her if they were visible to the naked eye.
  29 August 2012 (California bill deregulates phone, TV, Internet)A bill passed by the California legislature would totally deregulate phone service, cable TV service and Internet service in the state.
  29 August 2012 (Bombardment of Aleppo by Assad's forces)Satellite photos show the extent of the bombardment of Aleppo by Assad's forces.
  29 August 2012 (Low wage prison workers)A Vermont man's lawsuit against being forced to work while in pre-trial detention was brought back to life on appeal.
  However, the bigger threat to Americans' way of life comes from requiring convicted prisoners to work for low wages, competing with free workers.
  29 August 2012 (Rachel Corrie's parents lose lawsuit)Rachel Corrie's parents lost their lawsuit over her killing by an Israeli bulldozer driver.
  29 August 2012 (US troops punished)US troops that carelessly burned Qur'ans, and others that made a video of urinating on corpses, were punished administratively.
  I think this is, for once, the just response. There is nothing inherently wrong in those actions, and the burning of Qur'ans was not intentional anyway, but I'm pretty sure all soldiers were ordered (for good reason) not to do these things, and they had no grounds to disobey.
  29 August 2012 (Texts from former Israeli occupation soldiers)More texts from former Israeli occupation soldiers.
  29 August 2012 (Urgent: Ask NY Times to pay attention)Everyone: ask the New York Times to pay attention to the basic questions about Julian Assange's extradition.
  29 August 2012 (US drugged prisoners)The US interrogated prisoners while under the effect of mind-altering drugs, and whatever they said is presumed true unless they prove it false.
  29 August 2012 (Twitter appeals court order)Twitter has appealed a court order to give private information about a user account thought to be used by an Occupy protester.
  29 August 2012 (School supplies to Palestine blocked)Israel blocked a hundred activists from bringing school supplies to Palestine from Jordan.
  29 August 2012 (India's weak democracy)How the history of India since independence gave rise to the weakness of its democracy and human rights.
  29 August 2012 (Effect of marijuana on intelligence)A study shows that use of marijuana by teenagers permanently reduces their intelligence, but that adults are not affected.
  29 August 2012 (Urgent: Ask political parties to endorse Internet freedom)US citizens: sign this petition for the Democratic and Republican parties to endorse Internet freedom.
  27 August 2012 (Man blocked from flying because of shirt)Delta Airlines blocked a man from flying because his shirt set off fears in unidentified racist passengers.
  Ironically, the shirt's message criticized precisely these irrational fears.
  27 August 2012 (Dictator's Practical Internet Guide)The Dictator's Practical Internet Guide.
  27 August 2012 (World may be forced into vegetarianism)Population growth and water scarcity may force most of the world into vegetarianism.
  Limiting yourself to a small amount of meat is good for your health, but rather than being forced to go all the way, we should arrange to limit population growth.
  27 August 2012 (Israeli soldiers describe abuse of children)30 Israeli soldiers describe how they repeatedly and systematically subjected Palestinian children to abuse to squeeze confessions out of them, or make them rat on their families.
  27 August 2012 (US Judge appears to work for RIAA)One US judge appears to continue to work for the RIAA.
  27 August 2012 (Tourists convicted of blasphemy in Sri Lanka)French tourists were convicted of blasphemy in Sri Lanka for simulating the act of kissing a Buddha statue.
  Like all laws against offending someone, this law is pure injustice. It is also a ludicrous travesty of what the Buddha said.
  If the Buddha could be reincarnated (impossible, according to Buddhism, since he attained nirvana), he would tell the authorities and people of Sri Lanka that their attachment to his statue and his relics is an obstacle to their spiritual progress, and they should try to overcome it through meditation and benevolence. But the Buddhists of Sri Lanka would not listen.
  Rich families there vie for the prestige of sponsoring a ceremony to adore his tooth, permanently enshrined in the Temple of the Tooth. Thus they convert his tranquil wisdom (albeit based on the then-general assumption that reincarnation occurs, for which there is no evidence) into competitive folly.
  I wonder if they would sentence someone for teaching Dr. Ambedkar's thoroughly rational version of Buddhism.
  27 August 2012 (US-backed repression in Guatemala)Mining companies dispossessed indigenous people in Guatemala thanks to a US-backed coup, then took advantage of US-backed repression, and then imposed a "reformed" mining law to let them take what they want.
  Guatemala's president should be in prison for the repression he led. With him as president, the country is little better than Assad's regime in Syria.
  27 August 2012 (US border license plate scans)The US scans all car license plates at the border and gives all the data to a private organization, including times and places.
  The border is a special case, and maybe it is legitimate for a country to record the licenses of all cars that cross the border. It is certainly not legitimate to show all those licenses to a private organization. Meanwhile, this method is wasting opportunities to block car theft.
  The appropriate US agency should have a list of stolen cars' license numbers, and check for those plates at border crossings '-- while the car is still there.
  27 August 2012 (Ohio voting inconveniences)The head of Ohio Republicans admitted that Ohio voting inconveniences are meant to stop Blacks from voting.
  27 August 2012 (Paul Ryan painted as a good Catholic)The US corporate press paints Paul Ryan as a good Catholic for trying to oppress the poor and help the rich.
  27 August 2012 (US thugs to get face-recognition software)The FBI plans to give US thug departments software to access a database of over 12 million photos for face recognition purposes.
  27 August 2012 (Leaked TPP draft)A leaked draft shows that TPP is planned to impose a regime of punishment by accusation without trial, and Internet filtering.
  "Free trade" treaties are meant to weaken democracy, by giving businesses more power than governments. They should all be torn up, for that reason. However, it's normal for these treaties to have additional requirements that directly attack the citizens, especially when the US gets involved. That is an additional reason to tear up these treaties.
  27 August 2012 (Another massacre of civilians in Syria)Assad's men seem to have committed another massacre of civilians.
  Syrian rebels attacked the old city of Aleppo, destroying buildings almost a thousand years old in the combat.
  The war crimes of the rebels, which include ethnic cleansing as well as killings, are a serious problem: they compel many Syrians, who might welcome a secular state with human rights, to support Assad instead.
  27 August 2012 (Romney proposes "energy independence")Romney proposes "energy independence" for North America by extracting fossil fuels everywhere possible and never mind the damage.
  The downside is that thanks to global heating North America will cease to be food-independent, and there will be none available to import either.
  27 August 2012 (Urgent: Support EU sanctions against Putin's cronies)Everyone: support EU sanctions against Putin's cronies.
  27 August 2012 (South Africa's miners)South Africa's president Zuma faces intense criticism for taking the mining company's side against striking miners.
  The article places the emphasis on the possible effects on Zuma's political career, but what's really important is decent labor conditions for the miners.
  27 August 2012 (UK promises not to invade Ecuadorian embassy)Correa says that the UK has promised not to invade the Ecuadorian embassy.
  27 August 2012 (Hot water from Illinois electric plants)Electric plants in Illinois are discharging water that is almost boiling, due to the unusual heat of the water they use for cooling. The result is almost to boil the fish.
  It will be far worse in 20 years. These plants may have to shut down.
  27 August 2012 (Americans confused about gov't policies)Americans are deeply confused about what government policies they want, giving contradictory-seeming answers to slightly different poll questions.
  27 August 2012 (Facts about Paul Ryan covered up)The corporate media keep up the impression that Paul Ryan pays careful attention to budget details by covering up the facts.
  27 August 2012 (Democratic Convention workers)At the Democratic Convention in anti-union North Carolina, sanitation workers are being driven into the ground with mandatory overtime.
  27 August 2012 (Urgent: Don't let BP off the hook)US citizens: call on the US government not to let BP off the hook.
  27 August 2012 (Brain-computer interfaces)Malware can use brain-computer interfaces to extract secrets from the user.
  27 August 2012 (Student denied degree for saying "hell")A fascist-minded principal denied valedictorian Kaitlin Nootbaar her high school degree because she said "hell" in her speech.
  27 August 2012 (Editors of student paper quit)The editors of the University of Georgia student paper have quit after corporate staff were put in charge of them and pressured them to avoid writing about "bad news".
  Don't they understand? This is was simply intended to prepare them for professional journalism.
  26 August 2012 (Conception as a result of rape)The claim that women can't conceive as a result of rape dates back at least to the 13th century, and appeals to politicians whose views are still in the 13th century.
  Scientific information about rape and pregnancy.
  26 August 2012 (Obama ready to be even more right-wing)Obama announces he is ready to be even more right-wing as a "compromise" with Republicans.
  He's already too right-wing for me to vote for.
  26 August 2012 (Garry Kasparov freed)Garry Kasparov was freed after a court dismissed charges that he participated in an illegal protest.
  However, Putin stands convicted of leading a state that declares protests illegal.
  26 August 2012 (NY thugs fire randomly on the street)New York thugs fired randomly at people on the street while chasing an armed killer.
  The killer pulled out his gun but did not fire it. Perhaps did that in order to get killed ("suicide by cop"). It is understandable that the thugs shot him, but hitting 9 other people means they must have fired all around.
  26 August 2012 (Arctic oil drilling platform occupied)Greenpeace has occupied a Russian Arctic oil drilling platform.
  26 August 2012 (Imprisoned without trial in Iran)Iranian newspaper publishers and writers have been imprisoned without trial for over a year.
  26 August 2012 (Urgent: Campaign against arbitrary eviction)Everyone: support Amnesty International's campaign against arbitrary eviction from slums in Africa.
  26 August 2012 (Urgent: Right to protest)US citizens: call on the mayors of cities hosting the Democratic and Republican conventions to respect the right to protest.
  26 August 2012 (Urgent: Reinstate early voting in Ohio)Everyone: call on Ohio to reinstate early voting, to help all voters participate.
  26 August 2012 (Urgent: Reward for leaking TPP draft text)Everyone: donate to the reward for leaking the TPP draft text to Wikileaks.
  26 August 2012 (Haiti makes Vodou religion illegal)Haiti's new constitution made the Vodou religion illegal. Participants in a ceremony were recently jailed, though it is not clear whether that is mainly about their religion or instead for their political sentiments. Of course, it's a shameful act either way.
  26 August 2012 (Urgent: Enforce net neutrality rules against AT&T)US citizens: call on the FCC to enforce net neutrality rules against AT&T.
  The issue is about banning a protocol set up by Apple, available only through nonfree software that (for your freedom's sake) you should never use, which runs only on the malicious iThings which you should reject also. But that doesn't affect this issue. If AT&T can arbitrarily ban one protocol, it can arbitrarily ban any protocol.
  26 August 2012 (Urgent: Insist on coverage of TPP plans)US citizens: call the major news media to insist they cover the TPP plans for Nafta on Steroids.
  26 August 2012 (NY Thugs spy 6 years, find nothing)The New York Thug Department has systematically infiltrated Muslim neighborhoods and mosques for 6 years, finding absolutely zero sign of terrorism.
  26 August 2012 (Civilian casualties from drone attacks)A new analysis estimates that around 3/4 of the casualties from US drone attacks in Pakistan are civilians.
  26 August 2012 (US-supervised Honduran troops)Residents of Ahuas tell how the US-supervised Honduran troops shot and killed without warning, brutalized people in the town, and refused to help rescue the wounded. And then they tried to cover it up in several ways.
  25 August 2012 (Urgent: Block drilling in the Arctic)US citizens: call on Obama to block drilling in the Arctic.
  25 August 2012 (Freedom of the press in Ecuador)On Ecuador and freedom of the press.
  25 August 2012 (London teen harassed by thugs 4 years)A teenager in London has been harassed for 4 years, including numerous arrests over false charges, because of hostility by the thugs.
  Racial prejudice may be the reason it started, but I think it developed into a personal prejudice against him.
  25 August 2012 (Setback in LA lawsuit against FBI)LA Muslims who sued about FBI surveillance suffered a setback, thanks to the law that allows the government to say the magic words "national security" and quash any lawsuit.
  25 August 2012 (Owner and user control over software)Cory Doctorow: between the owner of a computer and its current user, who should have what control?
  My view is that in the case of a long-term lease, the person who has obtained the computer by lease should have full control over the software, just as if he were the owner.
  25 August 2012 (UNESCO opposes barriers to information diffusion)UNESCO opposes creation of new barriers to diffusion of information.
  Although this article means to oppose those barriers, it unwittingly lends them support by using the term "intellectual property", which refers to other unrelated issues at the same time. Please don't use that term.
  25 August 2012 (Minority groups' schools shortchanged)A loophole allows US cities to spend less on minority group students' schools.
  25 August 2012 (Urgent: Reject deficit cuts)US citizens: sign the campaign to reject deficit cuts and instead make the rich support rebuilding America.
  25 August 2012 (Privatization of child welfare protection)Privatizing child welfare protection in Nebraska led to horrible mistreatment of children.
  Privatization of any state function is bad unless it gives the public a competitive market. The kind of privatization where the state gives the contract to one company should always be avoided, because the way the company profits is by shafting the state, the public, its workers, or all three.
  25 August 2012 (Romney would allow drilling in Federal land)Romney wants to let states allow oil companies to drill in Federal land.
  25 August 2012 (Paul Ryan's foreign policy record)Paul Ryan's lousy foreign policy record.
  25 August 2012 (Big Oil's temporary victory)Big Oil's temporary victory in Iraq depends on illegal contracts and repressing the oil unions.
  25 August 2012 (ITU plan to take control of Internet)The ITU plan to take control of the Internet represents an attack on freedom for all users, and serves the interests of the dictatorships (and the phony democracies).
  The article mentions the term "intellectual property", but based on the substance, I think that is inaccurate: I think that what is meant here is copyright enforcement. Referring to this as "intellectual property" is a biased and confusing practice '-- please don't repeat it.
  25 August 2012 (Privatization of US water)Privatization of US water supplies exploits the financial crisis to create hardship for Americans.
  25 August 2012 (US remains a bully even without Dubya)Getting Rid of Dubya Wasn't Enough. The US Remains a Bully.
  Alas, I don't see any sign that reduced US power will lead to a better world order. Rising powers such as India and China are no better (India keeps getting worse). And Russia is turning into a overt dictatorship.
  24 August 2012 (Danger of Israeli attack on Iran)An Israeli attack on the Iranian uranium enrichment plant in Bushehr would kill thousands, perhaps eventually hundreds of thousands.
  The leader of Kadima, an Israeli centrist party not particularly in favor of peace, condemned Netanyahu's threats to attack Iran as rash and irresponsible.
  24 August 2012 (Invitation to test Arafat's remains)The Palestinian Authority has invited Swiss investigators to test Arafat's remains for radioactive polonium.
  24 August 2012 ("Made In Palestinian Territories" label)South Africa requires labels "Made In Palestinian Territories" for goods made in factories in Israeli colonies.
  24 August 2012 (Role of gov't in peoples lives)Missing in the US election is a debate about what role the government should play in people's lives. Neither the Democratic Party nor the media are interested in it.
  24 August 2012 (Sweden's actions in Assange case)Questions About Sweden's Actions in Assange Case.
  24 August 2012 (Corporate propaganda for children)Corporate propaganda in the form of "educational" books for children.
  24 August 2012 ("We Built This," say Republicans)We Built This, Except That It Was Mostly Publicly Financed and It's Publicly Owned and Supported.
  Perhaps these Republicans were misled by the name Tampa Bay Times Forum. US cities nowadays consider everything to be for sale, even the names of public buildings. I think that some company must have bought permission to put its name on that building. The name might give the appearance that it was a private building, privately constructed.
  24 August 2012 (Sentenced for rude email in UK)The lack of freedom of speech in the UK is demonstrated by sentencing someone for sending a rude email.
  The message was rude but made no threat. It only expressed an attitude of disapproval and rebuke. I have no opinion about whether that attitude was justified, but freedom of speech includes the right to say such things (and even harsher) about anyone.
  24 August 2012 (UK law to help companies pay less taxes)The UK has adopted a law to facilitate moving money into tax havens.
  I guess the government thinks that companies pay too much taxes and wants to increase government deficits.
  24 August 2012 (Dissident slogans written on court web site)Anonymous wrote dissident slogans on the web site of the court that imprisoned Pussy Riot.
  Writing a slogan on the wall of a nasty institution is part of opposition, and this is its virtual equivalent. It is legitimate, and should be legal. Please don't call this an "attack" or "hijacking" because that is propaganda for those who don't want democracy or opposition in the virtual world.
  24 August 2012 (Mugabe's public support in Zimbabwe)Strangely, Mugabe has started to gain some public support in Zimbabwe.
  24 August 2012 (Fighting over use of land in Kenya)Farmers and herders in Kenya are fighting over use of land.
  Such conflicts have gone on for a long time, even in the US (see the movie, Shane). But they are likely to get worse in the future in Africa, since population growth makes the existing supply insufficient just as global heating reduces what is available.
  24 August 2012 (US trying to prosecute Assange)US is trying to prosecute Assange, Australian cables reveal.
  24 August 2012 (US on wrong side of media cold war)The media cold war: states vs users of the Internet.
  The US attempts to kick Wikileaks off the net and prosecute Assange put it on the wrong side.
  24 August 2012 (Urgent: Stop corporate sponsorships of political conventions)US citizens: sign this petition for the Republican and Democratic conventions to stop accepting corporate sponsorships.
  23 August 2012 (Urgent: Make candidates face global heating)US citizens: call on Jim Lehrer to raise the issue of global heating in the presidential debate.
  23 August 2012 (New Comic)New, non-political comic (in Spanish).
  22 August 2012 (Lack of serious debate on real issues)Serious debate about real issues has almost vanished from the US political campaigns, thanks to a twisted and corrupted press.
  22 August 2012 (One third of US workers are temps)1/3 of US workers are temps, with no social safety net.
  This is why we need to disconnect medical care and other benefits from employment.
  22 August 2012 (Over 1000 Tibetans arrested)China has arrested over 1000 Tibetans involved in a movement to preserve Tibetan culture. Some of them have been disappeared.
  22 August 2012 (Thinning Antarctic ice shelf)A thinning Antarctic ice shelf indicates the human-induced global heating over the past 50 years.
  22 August 2012 (Tony Nicklinson dies)Tony Nicklinson, who was unable to get permission for anyone to help him die, died of pneumonia.
  Maybe his rejection of food since the court verdict, about 5 days before, contributed to his illness. It is also possible that he refused some treatment that could have cured it. Still, it seems like amazing luck to develop a fatal illness so soon.
  22 August 2012 (Another obstacle to democracy in Russia)In addition to Putin's tyranny, Russia will soon face another obstacle to democracy: the WTO.
  22 August 2012 (Novartis patent lawsuit)If Novartis wins a lawsuit about Indian patent law, various generic drugs from India will be blocked and lots of people in many poor countries will die. They will have been murdered by the World Trade Organization, and the treaties that set it up. Their funerals should be protests to abolish it.
  The person in the article who criticizes the pharma companies for spending too much on research is mistaken. Actually they spend only a tiny fraction of their funds on research, and farmoreonmarketing.
  22 August 2012 (Patent troll shell companies)Intellectual Ventures, the giant patent troll, operates over a thousand shell companies to disguise the fact that it has tens of thousands of patents.
  22 August 2012 (Republican platform for abortion ban)The Republican Party is likely to approve a platform calling for banning abortion in all circumstances.
  22 August 2012 (Smartcards used as ID cards)China and North Korea are adopting smartcards as ID cards to record everywhere a person goes.
  22 August 2012 (Skinny Jeans and world hunger)Are Your Skinny Jeans Starving the World?
  22 August 2012 (Kucinich on US interventions)Dennis Kucinich: the US seems to have learned nothing from 10 years of interventions that have created more enemies and inspired terrorists.
  I disagree about the intervention in Libya; that one was justified and didn't have this effect. (Libya still has conflicts, but few want to go back to Gaddafi and few blame the US.) The intervention in Afghanistan might have gone well if Dubya hadn't invaded Iraq, but it is hard to be sure. However, Kucinich's overall point remains valid.
  22 August 2012 (Very urgent: Ban use of diesel for fracking)US citizens: tell the EPA to ban use of diesel fuel for fracking.
  22 August 2012 (Todd Akin)Todd Akin, the Republican candidate who said that real rape doesn't make women pregnant (as an excuse to ban abortions even after rape), has refused to quit even after Romney said he should.
  This provides an opportunity to reelect a senator who supports abortion and contraception rights.
  22 August 2012 (Admiration heaped on tyrant)World leaders state their fulsome admiration of the Ethiopian tyrant who just died.
  Apparently in their view arresting the political opposition does not make him unworthy of admiration.
  22 August 2012 (US homes taken to build pipelines)Oil companies are taking US homes to build pipelines.
  This is because the Supreme Court ruled that eminent domain can be used for companies.
  22 August 2012 (Apple)Apple gets rich by paying very little taxes.
  I think products DRM should be subject to a special punitive tax rate of 1000%.
  22 August 2012 (LA's Smog Pollution)LA's smog pollution is 2% of what it was in the 1960s, even with more cars. This is entirely due to government intervention.
  22 August 2012 (Butterflies)Butterflies in Massachusetts are moving north due to global warming.
  Some that used to inhabit the northern part of the state are now hardly present at all
  22 August 2012 (Guantanamo)The US bans Guantanamo prisoners from telling their lawyers how they were tortured.
  The US says that knowledge of CIA torture techniques would cause the US "exceptionally grave damage". Indeed the US would receive lots of well-deserved condemnation.
  A large fraction of the prisoners in Guantanamo are acknowledged to be innocent, but still can't get out. The men being tried are accused of real crimes, so they deserve real trials.
  22 August 2012 (Protests in Togo)Thousands protest in Togo accusing the government of ensuring its reelection by gerrymandering districts.
  21 August 2012 (Campaign apps collect private data)Obama and Romney campaign mobile phone apps slurp down loads of personal data.
  21 August 2012 (Trans fat amounts on labels)Labeling that states the amount of trans fats in food has pushed US food manufacturers to reduce its use. But they fought to prevent this.
  21 August 2012 (Assange)If Assange had sex with a sleeping woman, the morning after they had sex and then slept together, was that rape? MP George Galloway says no.
  Waking up your lover with sex is a tradition that has given pleasure to many, and prohibiting it by designating it as rape is absurd. If that's what the law says in some country, that law is absurd.
  On the other hand, waking up someone with sex who is not your lover (or has recently been disinclined to have sex with you) is properly considered rape. Thus, the conclusion depends on circumstances.
  The circumstances described for Assange are borderline, but the couple were lovers at the time. Their last interaction, a few hours before, was to have sex. Based on the circumstances described in the article, I agree with George Galloway's conclusion. I don't know whether that description fits what happened, of course.
  I agree with him also that the empire's crimes are a bigger issue than this one. However, there is no need to make that comparison. Handing Assange to the US is one thing; investigating the sexual accusations is another.
  If the two issues are to be tied to one single decision '-- if the only choices are to permit both or prevent both '-- that would raise the question of which issue is more important, which issue should be the basis for the choice.
  However, tying the two issues together is in itself incorrect. The UK and Sweden want to do that because, for them, the sexual accusations are only an excuse to deliver Assange to the US, but there is no valid reason to tie them. The two issues ought to be kept separate, so that each one can be handled on its own merits.
  That's what Ecuador is doing: protecting Assange from the US, while offering to cooperate with Sweden in regard to the sexual accusations.
  21 August 2012 (Police hunting other Pussy Riot members)The Russian Police are hunting for the other members of Pussy Riot. That is, the ones who didn't participate in the song for which three members have been sentenced to prison.
  21 August 2012 (Israeli laws against protests)Israeli laws and punishments against protests resemble Russia's.
  21 August 2012 (Paul Ryan sponsored anti-abortion bill)Paul Ryan sponsored a bill to declare that fetuses are persons, which would have banned abortion and some kinds of birth control.
  21 August 2012 (Housing in post-quake Haiti)Years After Haiti Quake, Safe Housing Is a Dream for Many.
  21 August 2012 (Paul Ryan's Fairy-Tale Budget Plan)Paul Ryan's Fairy-Tale Budget Plan, according to Reagan's director of the Office of Management and Budget.
  21 August 2012 (Burma does not have freedom of press)Burma's abolition of advance censorship does not in fact mean freedom of the press.
  21 August 2012 (Israeli soldiers attack protesters)Palestinians in Kufr Qaddoum held a peaceful protest against the theft of a third of their land and the siege of their village. Israeli soldiers attacked them and journalists; some journalists had broken bones.
  21 August 2012 (Thwarted from studying West Bank)Four women from Gaza, who want to study in the West Bank, won a court victory in Israel, so the military invented a "security reason" which is too vague to answer.
  21 August 2012 (Violence against Palestinian persons)Israeli "settlers" in Palestinian territory threw a molotov cocktail at a taxi carrying a Palestinian family.
  Violence against Palestinian persons extends the long-established practice of violence against their farms and houses.
  21 August 2012 (Driving Palestinians off their land)Israeli "settlers" cut down Palestinians' olive trees near an "illegal" settlement that they wish to expand.
  All the settlements are illegal by international standards, but the ones that were built without permission from the Israeli government are called "illegal".
  Other illegal settlers stole Palestinian land to build a chicken farm.
  Other "settlers" used an electric pump to flood Palestinian farmland while simultaneously emptying a well.
  This is especially nasty given that the "settlers" have taken for themselves a disproportionate share of the water resources of the West Bank.
  It is even worse in Gaza: inhabitants spend 30% of their income on drinking water.
  21 August 2012 (United Church of Canada joins boycott)The United Church of Canada joined the boycott of products made in Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory. In response it was subject to the usual barrage of fallacious criticism.
  21 August 2012 (Some companies pay CEOs more than taxes)Some companies pay more to their CEOs than they pay in taxes.
  20 August 2012 (Burma steps towards free press)Burma has ended its official system of advance censorship of news stories.
  This does not necessarily imply freedom of the press, but it is an important step forward.
  20 August 2012 (Ohio election commissioners fired)Republicans in Ohio fired Democratic election commissioners for not following orders to vote against allowing early voting on the weekend.
  Voter suppression is the general strategy of Republicans in this election, and it shows their intent to force themselves on the country.
  20 August 2012 (Romney may have violated ethics laws)Report: Romney May Have Violated Ethics Laws Through Company Linked to Paul Ryan's Brother.
  19 August 2012 (Attacks on Palestinians)The US listed attacks on Palestinians as "terrorism". These attacks are becoming more frequent, and Israel does almost nothing to discourage them.
  19 August 2012 (Freedom to burn books)All the Christians living in a suburb of Islamabad were chased out, after a girl was accused of burning a copy of the Qur'an.
  The accusation sounds so implausible that it must surely be a lie. However, ethically it would make no difference if the accusation were true. There is nothing wrong with your burning any book, as long as it's yours and it's not rare. You have the right to burn a copy of the Qur'an, or even Free Software, Free Society, if you wish '-- and anyone who tries to stop you is an enemy of freedom.
  19 August 2012 (French thugs arrest masked protesters)French thugs arrested protesters supporting Pussy Riot, because they were wearing balaclavas as Pussy Riot does.
  This demonstrates that the law against wearing face coverings in public, which Sarkozy pretended was aimed at a handful of Muslim women, was really an attack on everyone's rights.
  With face recognition surveillance, the only way to have any privacy will be to wear a mask. More masked protests are needed to demand this freedom.
  19 August 2012 (Hottest month in US records)July 2012 set a US record for the hottest month ever (since record-keeping began).
  19 August 2012 (Use of unregulated customer data)US businesses use unregulated data to decide who is a desirable customer, and this could result in big discrimination.
  19 August 2012 (War on Whistleblowers)Assange, speaking from a balcony in the Ecuadorian embassy, called on the US to end its war on whistleblowers.
  This war has been described by several political notes.
  19 August 2012 (Obama requests more money for teachers)Obama asked Congress to spend money to help localities hire more teachers.
  Stimulating the economy like this is a good idea. I wish it were not such a rare thing from Obama.
  19 August 2012 (Russian churches are props for tyranny)In Russia, churches have been converted into props for tyranny, but the head of the Orthodox Church was eager for the job.
  So are the leaders of many US churches.
  19 August 2012 (Urgent: Reinstate Glass-Steagall act)US citizens: sign this petition to reinstate the Glass-Steagall act.
  19 August 2012 (Arctic summer sea ice getting thinner)Arctic summer sea ice is not only retreating, it is getting thinner, so fast that in 10 years it might be totally gone.
  This is extremely dangerous since that will cause the Arctic Ocean to absorb a lot more heat from the sun in the summer.
  19 August 2012 (Perception of Romney, Ryan and Obama)Supporters of Romney, Ryan and Obama have convinced themselves of a fundamentally false picture of these people's lives and politics.
  19 August 2012 (Obama favors imprisonment without trial)Obama has appealed the court decision banning imprisonment without trial in the US. By doing so he has declared in favor of imprisonment without trial.
  19 August 2012 (Planet-roaster pipeline)Construction of the planet-roaster pipeline started in Texas and was met with protests.
  19 August 2012 (NPR presenters protesting banks fired)NPR has fired several radio presenters for protesting against banks, but it is happy to let one large bank underwrite the Planet Money show, whose host makes a business of giving speeches to banks.
  These two policies might seem contradictory if viewed in ethical terms. However, if viewed in terms of selling out, they fit together perfectly.
  19 August 2012 (VA too eager to diagnose PTSD)The US Veterans Administration is too eager to diagnose PTSD, applying that label to many other kinds of problems including depression. This leads to giving veterans the wrong therapy, and making their problems worse.
  19 August 2012 (Urgent: Thank Ecuador)Everyone: thank Ecuador for giving asylum to Julian Assange.
  19 August 2012 (Student protests spreading in Chile)Student protests are spreading in Chile as students occupy more schools.
  19 August 2012 (Phony copyright trolls)Copyright trolls, who threaten lots of people with lawsuits unless they pay a medium-size sum for possibly real copyright infringement, have inspired a phony copyright troll whose activities are pure fraud.
  The funniest part is, this is not very different from what the real copyright trolls have done. Some of them have been shut down by courts for abusing the legal system.
  19 August 2012 (Right to Remain Spied On)You Have the Right to Remain Spied On.
  19 August 2012 (US gov't whistleblowers threatened)Increased monitoring of US government employees through their computer threatens to punish whistleblowers, or worse, to make their activities impossible.
  19 August 2012 (Top 100 US corporate air polluters)The top 100 US corporations for air pollution.
  Koch Industries is in 5th place.
  19 August 2012 (West Nile virus outbreak in Texas)The current outbreak of West Nile virus in Texas will recur often in the future since global heating helps the mosquitos.
  18 August 2012 (Sioux tribes to buy back Black Hills)The Sioux tribes plan to use some of their settlement money for the US theft of the Black Hills to buy back parts of it.
  18 August 2012 (Former eagle scouts protest)Former eagle scouts returned their scouting medals to protest the anti-gay stance of the Boy Scouts, but the organization is unmoved.
  18 August 2012 (Urgent: Stop forced child labor in Uzbekistan)US citizens: call on the clothing store company Zara to stop using cotton picked by forced child labor in Uzbekistan.
  18 August 2012 (Newly discovered cold-water corals)Shell's drilling in the Arctic could damage newly discovered cold-water corals that can take centuries to recover if they are smashed.
  18 August 2012 (Censorship in Pakistan extended)Pakistan has extended its Internet censorship to blocking political scandal.
  The previous censorship, of sex and criticism of religion, is also an injustice and in no way excusable.
  18 August 2012 (Bain Capital moving US factory to China)Bain Capital is moving a profitable car parts factory in the US to China so it can pay workers less.
  If these workers had had guts, they would have gone on strike and told the company to ask Romney to train their replacements.
  Romney is fibbing when he claims to have disassociated himself from Bain in 1999. However, it makes no great difference that Romney is no longer running Bain. He built this monster and set it in motion, so he's responsible for what it continues to do, no matter who is at the controls now.
  Romney is profiting from behavior that the US economic system was set up to encourage. The system is to blame '-- and Romney is also to blame. So are the politicians who set up or preserve the system, including nearly all Republicans and many Democrats. In general, when a system leaves you vulnerable to mistreatment, that doesn't excuse the people who take advantage of it.
  18 August 2012 (Time Wars)Time Wars: how precarious employment, misuse of technology and domination by the rich have turned all time into work and crushed creativity.
  18 August 2012 (Big data racial discrimination)Big data means racial discrimination can be disguised as "personalization".
  One way you can resist such monitoring of you is by not identifying yourself in your purchases and other activities.
  18 August 2012 (Women of Pussy Riot sentenced)The women of Pussy Riot were sentenced to 2 years in prison.
  Hundreds of supporters protesting outside the courtroom were arrested.
  Other Russian dissidents are accused of obviously bogus crimes too. It is misguided to argue that some of these people are really innocent of the crime of protesting, since it would not be bad if they were "guilty". Prosecuting protesters, whether in Russia, the UK or the US, only proves the state is guilty.
  17 August 2012 (Privatization of public services)Privatization of public services is a recipe for inefficiency, failure, and even oppression.
  No public service should ever be privatized unless the result is to offer competition directly to citizens.
  17 August 2012 (Unusual weather)An unusually hot summer in Greenland may be linked to the unusually cold and wet summer in the UK. As well as to the droughts and storms in the US.
  17 August 2012 (Paying the rent)Dead Woman Working: the greatest hope for working-class Americans is to keep paying the rent.
  17 August 2012 (Tyrannical gov't persecution)Nabeel Rajab, already in prison for criticizing Bahrain's government, was sentenced to three years in prison for an "illegal demonstration".
  Obama shamelessly continues propping up Bahrain's tyrannical government.
  The US has committed acts of persecution and aggression for a long time, so it is appropriate that Julian Assange has been granted political asylum for fear of oppression by the US.
  17 August 2012 (US teens listen to music via YouTube)US teenagers mostly listen to music via YouTube.
  This makes it even more unfortunate that the YouTube site cannot be accessed in HTML5 without running nonfree Javascript code from the site.
  17 August 2012 (Opposition to GMO labeling)Large companies that own "natural" or organic food brands are funding the opposition to the GMO labeling ballot initiative in California. Along with many other big food companies.
  17 August 2012 (American cities neglected)The US prefers failed reconstruction of nations it has destroyed to reconstruction of American cities that have been pushed into poverty.
  Another possible cause is that it was easier for corrupt interests allied with Dubya to divert money in Iraq than in the US.
  17 August 2012 (Thug delivering eviction notice shot)A man in Texas shot the thug who came to deliver an eviction notice.
  17 August 2012 (Romney on Paul Ryan's poorhouse budget)Romney is trying to distance himself from Paul Ryan's poorhouse budget, but not long ago he was praising it.
  Romney's advisors said that whatever Romney said during the primary campaign, afterwards he could erase the slate and start over.
  17 August 2012 (Journalist on trial for insult in Egypt)Egypt's government is putting a journalist on trial for insulting the president.
  That change is effectively a confession of failure to respect freedom of expression.
  17 August 2012 (Ethiopia repressing Muslim protesters)Ethiopia is repressing Muslim protesters who objected to state interference in their mosques.
  The Ethiopian government represses anyone in Ethiopia that gets in its way, and has the backing of the US in doing so.
  17 August 2012 (South African thugs kill striking miners)South African thugs shot and killed striking miners. Some say the miners attacked first, but that seems unlikely a priori.
  17 August 2012 (Tony Nicklinson)Tony Nicklinson lost his lawsuit demanding not to punish people for helping him to die.
  The judge may be right that this is beyond the authority of a court, but Nicklinson deserves to be helped somehow.
  He has the right to travel, and the right to travel to Switzerland since he does not need a visa to go there. Does the state pretend to deny him this right merely because he might use it to avail himself of the services of Dignitas?
  17 August 2012 (Euro not in trouble)The Euro is not in trouble. Europeans are.
  17 August 2012 (Julian Assange Asylum)Julian Assange Asylum: Ecuador is Right to Stand Up to the US.
  17 August 2012 (Prostitution)Clothing designer Zahia Dahar was a prostitute for a while, and one of her customers when she was 17 faces prosecution.
  The term "child prostitution" calls to mind the troubled girls and boys, in their early teens or even younger, who are lured and pushed into prostitution. Treating them that way deserves prosecution.
  However, there is no reason to prosecute the customers of people like Ms Dahar, who chose their path and are not under anyone's thumb.
  17 August 2012 (Goldman Sachs will not be prosecuted)The US "Justice Department" will not prosecute Goldman Sachs for swindling its clients.
  17 August 2012 (Paul Ryan's campaign funds)Paul Ryan has faced no difficult races for Congress, but he has accepted millions in campaign funds from corporations that want service from him.
  17 August 2012 (Apple wants to control home appliances)Apple envisions making iThings control all the appliances in the home.
  17 August 2012 (Abuses of Big Pharma)The abuses of Big Pharma can make people sick, but the fines they agree to pay are tiny compared to their profits, so they don't stop.
  17 August 2012 (Olympic game sponsors sin-washing)What Olympic games sponsors buy is sin-washing.
  17 August 2012 (Mistake of choosing lesser of two evils)Why it is often a mistake to vote for the lesser of two evil candidates.
  17 August 2012 (US deploying surveillance cameras)The US is deploying the same sort of cameras that China used to identify and intimidate protesters through face recognition.
  We should avoid exaggerating what Trapwire surveillance does, but no exaggeration is needed to show the US is turning into a surveillance state that represses dissidents.
  17 August 2012 (Islamists attack Pakistan air force base)Islamists in Pakistan attacked an air force base.
  17 August 2012 (Australia's involvement in Iraq)Australian politicians call for an independent investigation into why Australia joined in Bush's conquest of Iraq.
  17 August 2012 (People's phone GPS locations)A US court ruled that the government doesn't need a search warrant to collect people's phone GPS locations.
  A warrant should be required for the phone company even to take note of a phone's location, except when the user asks for it.
  17 August 2012 (Urgent: Save Social Security)US citizens: sign this petition to save Social Security.
  17 August 2012 (Urgent: Reverse Corporations United decision)US citizens: sign up for the campaign for a constitutional amendment to reverse the Corporations United decision (to call it what it really is).
  Here's a comparison of various bills proposing constitutional amendments related to corporations' power and regulation of campaign spending.
  17 August 2012 (Urgent: Reinstate workers fired for objecting to mockery)Everyone: call on Hyatt Hotels to reinstate two workers who were apparently fired for objecting when their coworkers mocked them with pasted-up photos.
  Nobody should have 5 children '-- even 3 puts too much of a burden on the Earth '-- but that doesn't excuse what Hyatt did.
  17 August 2012 (Asylum for Julian Assange)The UK has threatened to invade the Ecuadorian embassy to capture Julian Assange. In defiant response, Ecuador formally granted him asylum.
  That the UK would threaten to take things to this level proves conclusively that this is a scheme to hand Assange to the US. Craig Murray's private sources say the US ordered the UK prime minister to do this.
  The UK could get Assange without violating treaties or starting a war by breaking off diplomatic relations with Ecuador and shutting the embassy.
  17 August 2012 (Military spending cuts exaggerated)The usual figure cites for the sequester's reductions in military spending increases is exaggerated by 100 billion.
  Too bad '-- the US needs to cut more.
  17 August 2012 (Republicans in Florida want voter purge)Republicans in Florida want last-minute voter purge.
  Non-citizens are not entitled to vote in the US, and there is nothing wrong in principle with making sure they don't. However, we know from experience what Republicans are really up to. They will get a long list of names of non-citizens, lots of them Hispanic, and exclude all voters whose names resemble those, including lots of Hispanic US citizens who are entitled to vote.
  17 August 2012 (Romney against welfare recipients)Romney wants to force those lazy, greedy welfare recipients (mostly single mothers, nowadays) to work. But not the lazy and greedy banksters, of course.
  Since Romney and friends have shipped all the jobs to China, what work would there be for these women to do? He'd have to send them to China too.
  17 August 2012 (Belo Monte Dam suspended)Belo Monte Dam Suspended by Brazilian Appeals Court.
  17 August 2012 (Paul Ryan on economic stimulus)Paul Ryan argued against economic stimulus and clean energy programs, but he was happy to spend the money after he lost.
  16 August 2012 (Rootworms resistant to GMO corn toxin)Rootworms have developed resistance to BT toxin made by GMO corn, and this is joining with the drought to destroy the US corn crop.
  Farmers had better go back to crop rotation, and integrated pest management.
  16 August 2012 (Corrupt union tied to Paul Ryan)Paul Ryan's family company is closely tied to a corrupt union that supported Ryan's candidacy and punished members who objected to this.
  16 August 2012 (Poland investigating CIA torturers)Poland is investigating the CIA torturers who operated a secret US prison.
  16 August 2012 (Civilian trial for officer in Mexico)Mexico's Supreme Court has ordered a civilian trial for the officer accused of covering up the killing of a civilian prisoner.
  16 August 2012 (Egypt's military backs down)Egypt's military has backed down from the confrontation with the new president by giving up on the constitutional changes that it tried to impose a few months ago.
  16 August 2012 (Law to block war without consent of Congress)Rep. Kucinich has proposed a law to block the use of NATO as an excuse for the US to engage in war without consent of Congress.
  16 August 2012 (Urgent: Preregister for anti-TPP protest)US citizens: preregister now to participate in an anti-TPP protest in Leesberg, Virginia, on Sep 9.
  Please do NOT use Google Docs to inform Public Citizen that you have registered '-- that requires running nonfree software. Instead, please tell Public Citizen some other way.
  16 August 2012 (Investigation of raid in Honduras)An independent investigation reports contradictions in the official story about the raid in Honduras that shot passengers on a ferry.
  Here's the full report.
  The US is withholding some funds for Honduras based on accusations that its new thug chief operated a death squad before.
  16 August 2012 (UN investigation of massacres Syria)A UN investigation holds Assad's army and Shabiha militia responsible for massacres and torture of prisoners.
  The investigation also says that rebels have killed prisoners.
  16 August 2012 (Hostage taking in Lebanon)The Syrian civil war is leading to hostage taking in Lebanon.
  16 August 2012 (Spanish mayor leading resistance)A Spanish mayor is leading resistance to the right-wing's cruel policies.
  16 August 2012 (Attack on protest in favor of Pussy Riot)Putin's thugs attacked a small protest in favor of Pussy Riot and then arrested some of the protesters.
  It seems thugs are the same in Moscow and New York City.
  16 August 2012 ("Self-reliant" Paul Ryan)"Self-reliant" Paul Ryan got a college education using Social Security benefits at a publicly funded university. Yet he wants to deny the same help to future Americans.
  16 August 2012 (Urgent: Prohibit fracking in national forests)US citizens: tell the Forest Service not to allow fracking in national forests.
  16 August 2012 (Urgent: Preservation of a free Internet)US citizens: sign this petition to the Democratic and Republican parties to adopt preservation of a free Internet in their platforms.
  16 August 2012 (Storage of used nuclear fuel rods)A US court ordered the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to stop assuming that it is safe to store used fuel rods along with the reactors and that this will only be a temporary stopgap.
  However, it is a long way from there to any practical effect, such as denying licenses to old or new power reactors.
  In the absence of a permanent solution, perhaps we should start moving and/or converting the used fuel rods to a kind of storage that is safer than pools next to reactors. The Fukushima meltdowns demonstrated that that is a very bad place for them.
  16 August 2012 (Google uses threats to shut down sites)Google has shut down YouTube download helper sites, by technical means and by threatening to sue them.
  Streaming anything from YouTube requires running nonfree software, which for your freedom's sake you should refuse to do. To view a recording on YouTube without running nonfree software, you need to download the recording. There are free software scripts to do this. Whether the sites that are now being attacked can be used without running nonfree software, I do not know.
  15 August 2012 (Idealized view of soldiers and war)The US military-entertainment-industrial complex reinforces an idealized view of soldiers and war that facilitates war.
  It also helps the arms spending lobby.
  15 August 2012 (High schools as marketing platforms)Most US high schools have turned themselves into exclusive marketing platforms for either Coca Cola Company or Pepsico. Now studies find that selling junk food in school promotes obesity.
  15 August 2012 (Censorship of racist advertisements)Racist advertisements calling Palestinians "savages" face censorship pressure.
  In certain periods in the past, Palestinians committed plenty of acts of savagery. In recent years those are more commonly carried out by Israelis, as Gush Shalom ably documents. These ads are clearly mistaken. Nonetheless, I defend people's right to express that political view (or any other). There is no place for censorship in a free society. Progressive views face censorship too in the US, and we must continue to fight against it.
  15 August 2012 (Victory over tobacco pushers)Australia has won a victory over tobacco pushers: cigarettes will have to be sold in plain packages to reduce marketing (especially to teenagers).
  Note how the tobacco companies tried to use the vague, almost meaningless term "intellectual property" to argue that the state must compensate them if it does anything to limit their ability to market tobacco. This term is harmful and we must reject it.
  Slashing value from famous brands ought to be adopted as a goal in itself, because those brands' marketing power and the outsourcing system they support facilitates many abuses. We must reject the idea of logos or trademarks as investment vehicles, and return them to their original purpose: identification so that purchasers can know what they are buying.
  15 August 2012 (High school in Chile occupied)Students in Santiago Chile have occupied high schools to demand improvements in public education.
  15 August 2012 (Fracking pipeline in NYC)Protesting a fracking pipeline in New York City.
  15 August 2012 (Malaysia tightens Internet censorship)Malaysia is tightening Internet censorship through a law to punish Internet cafes if their customers say anything dissident.
  15 August 2012 (Mainstream US media praising Paul Ryan)Mainstream US media are praising Paul Ryan as a great expert on the budget, and pretending that there is a problem that needs a drastic "solution" such as he proposes.
  15 August 2012 (Noncombatants attacked in Afghanistan)Suicide bombers attacked noncombatants in Afghanistan.
  15 August 2012 (Mississippi sending students to prison)Schools in Meridian, Mississippi, are sending students to prison for wearing the wrong clothing.
  These schools are clearly prisons, and the only thing the students could learn from them is resistance. They should protest by wearing prison uniforms to school.
  15 August 2012 (Banks win by default)When banks sue people over credit card debts, most of the time they have no proof they are owed any money; but they win by default.
  15 August 2012 (Slavery in Mauritania)Mauritania still practices slavery, and the slaves are so downtrodden that they will lie to avoid being freed.
  15 August 2012 (EU rules for handling of e-waste)The EU has adopted strict new rules for handling of e-waste.
  I don't know whether the rules are good ones, but the goal is important.
  15 August 2012 (Superstition can kill)Superstition can kill: children in the UK accused of witchcraft by credulous relatives have suffered abuse that sometimes is deadly.
  14 August 2012 (Tripwire surveillance system)There are claims that a system called Tripwire is in use in the US to carry out widespread surveillance via TV cameras and license plate recognizers.
  14 August 2012 (Nonsectarian Syrian rebels)Interviews with some nonsectarian Syrian rebels.
  Unfortunately, their existence does not make the Islamist fanatics not exist.
  14 August 2012 (Israel might attack Iran)Israel might attack Iran before the US presidential election figuring that Obama would not dare refuse to join in.
  US voters don't want war with Iran. But it's not the voters Obama is concerned about, it's the rich people who demand war and might threaten to use their money against him.
  14 August 2012 (Personalized store prices)How personalized store prices can hurt customers.
  I don't have any store "loyalty cards", but occasionally I use other people's numbers.
  14 August 2012 (Brainwashing treatment for Manning)A three-star general explicitly ordered brainwashing treatment for Bradley Manning.
  This demonstrates that the repeated official claims that this treatment was for Manning's own protection were not merely absurd and false. They were deliberate lies told by a cruel and arrogant state that takes pride in its callousness. We have no proof that the orders came from even higher up, but Obama surely heard the world criticism of this brainwashing for a long time without stopping it.
  Do the US government and US army have enough courage and integrity to prosecute those responsible? I'd applaud if they do, but I don't expect it.
  I do not expect Manning's judge to dismiss the charges. The flaw of all military trials is command influence: the judge is an officer whose future career is under the control of the army command. In this case, the judge's own superiors (up to Obama) ordered the prosecution of Manning, and his brainwashing. He knows what verdict they want, and he knows what will happen to him if he does not deliver it. To refuse would take considerable courage.
  I use the term "brainwashing" because what the US did to Manning resembles what North Korean captors did to US GIs during the Korean War to break their will.
  14 August 2012 (Mutations in butterflies in Fukushima)Radiation from the Fukushima meltdown is causing mutations in butterflies living near the reactors.
  14 August 2012 (Temperature swings give parasites advantage)Greater temperature swings, caused by global heating, can give parasites an advantage over some of the animals they live in.
  14 August 2012 (Facebook virtual town square)Facebook wants to present itself as a virtual town square '... a censored one.
  14 August 2012 (Pseudo-copyright for broadcasting)WIPO is once again pushing a treaty to create a new pseudo-copyright for broadcasting, that would give broadcasters a monopoly over the works that are transmitted.
  As usual, the US is the bad guy.
  14 August 2012 (Urgent: Air time for Jill Stein)US citizens:
  Tell Colbert, Maddow & Stewart that Jill Stein deserves air time. You can send email to
  14 August 2012 (Urgent: Social Security and Medicare)US citizens: ask Obama and Congress to commit to no cuts in Social Security or Medicare.
  14 August 2012 (South Korea censors critics)South Korea has censored several critics of the state; some even face criminal charges for criticizing the government.
  14 August 2012 (Vermont single-payer health care system)Vermont voted to set up a single-payer health care system, but it needs US government waivers to start before 5 years from now, and the medical/financial interests are campaigning to prevent it.
  14 August 2012 (Urgent: Pressure Russia on human rights)US citizens: call on Clinton to pressure Russia on human rights.
  14 August 2012 (Subway fires workers trying to unionize)Subway is firing workers in Oakland for trying to unionize.
  14 August 2012 (Impunity of thugs and prison guards)Thugs' unions and prison guards' unions have lobbied effectively for enabling their members to abuse more people.
  I would say that the unions are not the root of the problem, but rather a manifestation of it. The root is in the impunity these people have, together with their incentives to commit abuse. The New York City thugs behave like an occupying army, not just towards minority groups but towards protesters and the press.
  13 August 2012 (UK workers secretly blacklisted)Thousands of UK workers have been secretly blacklisted for years or decades.
  13 August 2012 (Florida thugs strip-search driver)Florida thugs pulled a driver out of her car and strip-searched her by the side of the road.
  No matter what anyone had claimed she had done, it could not justify this.
  13 August 2012 (Louisiana schools)Thanks to school vouchers, Louisiana pays schools to teach that humans and dinosaurs lived at the same time, that slavery was kind, and that the great depression wasn't very bad.
  13 August 2012 (Plans to deactivate Hadopi)The French government plans to deactivate Hadopi, the law to punish people with Internet disconnection. This is a step forward, but not enough. That unjust law must be abolished.
  13 August 2012 (Pussy Riot's defiant closing speech)Yekaterina Samutsevich of Pussy Riot made a closing speech defiantly explaining how Putin has used the Russian Orthodox Church for political purposes.
  There is a long history of this; the tsars did it starting in the 1700s.
  13 August 2012 (Romney's connection to death squads)Romney founded Bain Capital with money from rich Central Americans who also invested in death squads.
  13 August 2012 (Egypt's president confronts army's power)Egypt's president confronted the army's power by replacing two generals and revoking the army's constitutional alteration.
  13 August 2012 (Slap on wrist for former Israeli soldier)A former Israeli soldier will spend 45 days in jail for killing two Palestinian women in Gaza who were waving white flags.
  That seems like a slap on the wrist to me.
  13 August 2012 (Urgent: Death of honey bees)US citizens: tell the EPA once more that it should treat the death of honey bees as an emergency.
  13 August 2012 (90 journalists imprisoned in Turkey)90 journalists are in prison in Turkey.
  13 August 2012 (Imprisonment without trial protest)A protest in Dallas against imprisonment without trial.
  13 August 2012 (Islamist rulers of Northern Mali)The barbaric Islamist rulers of Northern Mali are using amputation as a punishment.
  In the south, 60,000 people rallied for peace and reconciliation. But I think that is a misguided goal, if it is possible instead to defeat those barbarians.
  13 August 2012 (Imprisoned for protesting in Belarus)Belarus has imprisoned two journalists for protesting the imprisonment of their colleague.
  13 August 2012 (Imprisoned for blogging in Vietnam)A Vietnamese blogger has been imprisoned, explicitly because of what he said in his blog.
  13 August 2012 (TSA racial profiling)Supposed TSA "behavioral detection" turns out to be just plain old racial profiling.
  Even worse, it focuses on issues that have nothing to do with the safety of flights. In effect, this article admits that the TSA's main activity is an unwarranted fishing expedition, with safety of flights as a mere excuse.
  12 August 2012 (Ecuadorians charged for protesting)Amnesty International says that indigenous leaders in Ecuador face false criminal charges for protesting against mines in their territory.
  12 August 2012 (Barrier to innovation in US)The barrier to innovation in the US is that established companies prefer rent-seeking rather than innovation, and buy laws accordingly.
  12 August 2012 (Melting Arctic Ocean ice)A new satellite shows that Arctic Ocean ice is melting faster than predicted.
  12 August 2012 (Karzai's corrupt government)Afghans in Karzai's government's uniform have carried out two attacks on government forces in two days.
  In one case, the attack was led by the commander of a unit.
  We've known for years that Karzai's corrupt government cannot inspire loyalty, except in exchange for money, so its army would never be able to fight very hard. Now it is becoming clear that his soldiers are likely to fight for the enemy.
  12 August 2012 (Paul Ryan's tax plan)Under Paul Ryan's tax plan, Romney's tax rate would drop to under 1%.
  That would be another reason to call the super rich "the 1%".
  12 August 2012 (Americans without health coverage)Americans without health coverage sometimes must choose to die of cancer rather than accept expensive treatment. A doctor recounts an example.
  With such advanced lung cancer, the best medical care possible today might not have extended this man's life for very long. However, even one extra year would have been a very good thing for his daughter.
  12 August 2012 (Paul Ryan)Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan, is a global heating denier in the pay of the Koch brothers.
  He used to call himself a Randian, and he wants to destroy Medicare and Social Security. He also wants to raise taxes on the middle class and cut them for the rich.
  This is known as class warfare. Sad to say, Obama is not on our side, merely less enthusiastic about attacking us.
  12 August 2012 (Occupy Wall Street calls for protests)Occupy Wall Street calls for protests against the two Plutocratic National Convention and the Repelican National Convention.
  12 August 2012 (Civic resistance in Spain)In Spain, one method of resistance to the policies of poverty is to take food from supermarkets and give it to the poor.
  Many other forms of civic resistance are described '-- even police who refused to act like thugs.
  12 August 2012 (US drought will cause hunger)With the US drought, millions will go hungry around the world.
  This is the beginning of problems that will only get worse as global heating batters farm output around the world.
  Oxfam calls for an end to the diversion of food crops to make fuel.
  That is an inefficient way to make fuel, anyway. It uses lots of petroleum to replace petroleum.
  12 August 2012 (Ohio voting hours)Ohio has expanded voting hours in generally Republican areas and reduced them in generally Democratic areas.
  12 August 2012 (New Mexico trying to obstruct votes)New Mexico is trying to stop many people from voting, and also obstruct voter registration.
  12 August 2012 (Votes of homeless Americans)Homeless Americans (their number is increasing) face difficulties in registering to vote.
  I disagree with the article's claim that local elections are more important than national ones. Back when Cambridge had rent control, I voted in local elections for candidates who were in favor of it. Ever since Cambridge rent control was abolished by voters outside Cambridge, I have never heard of a single local issue that would affect anything important.
  However, that might be different for homeless people.
  12 August 2012 (Lives that are sacred to Republicans)Republicans believe life is sacred, for fetuses and wealthy people. The others are welcome to die.
  12 August 2012 (Israel's phony peace-negotiation demands)Israel is trying to bribe and threaten the Palestinian Authority into dropping its bid for statehood.
  The peace negotiations that Israel demands are phony, since Israel demands impossible terms and thus ensures they make no progress. In effect, they are an excuse to let Israel do whatever it wants to Palestinians.
  11 August 2012 (Investigation of Oswaldo Pay's death)US Senate voted to demand an investigation of the car crash that killed Oswaldo Pay, even though the survivors, who are his supporters, say it was an accident and no other car was involved.
  11 August 2012 (Urgent: Urge Obama campaign to drop cynical ad)US citizens: urge the Obama campaign to drop its cynical pro-coal ad.
  11 August 2012 (US corporate media distortion)Senator Reid said someone had told him Romney paid no taxes for years, but that he (Reid) had no way to tell whether that was true, and Romney should release his tax returns to show the truth.
  The US corporate media are distorting this, and accusing Reid of acting like Joe McCarthy.
  11 August 2012 (TEPCO's response to Fukishima meltdown)TEPCO has released video of discussions held about how to respond to the Fukishima meltdown, but most of it is without sound, not showing what the people said.
  11 August 2012 (Implanted hormonal IUDs)1/4 of US pregnancies are due to failure of contraception. Implanted hormonal IUDs have the potential to put an end to this failure, but the US government has not approved them for women with no children.
  11 August 2012 (Marijuana decriminalization)Chilean senators propose decriminalizing cultivation of marijuana for personal use.
  Uruguay's President Mujica has formally proposed legalizing marijuana with the state as the distributor.
  11 August 2012 (GM won't negotiate with workers)GM won't negotiate with the Colombian workers, injured by their work, who were fired without compensation.
  11 August 2012 (Brunt of sanctions on Iran)Americans who are interested in foreign affairs generally have no wish for a war with Iran.
  So why are Obama and Romney speaking talking tough? Because they are paid to. The influence of the "fat cats" referred to in the article does not come from conversation with thee candidates.
  The brunt of the sanctions falls on ordinary Iranians, but they don't have enough influence on the Iranian government to alter its policy on such an issue '-- even if they wanted to surrender to foreign pressure.
  10 August 2012 (LendInk shut down)LendInk, which connected users to practice the limited "lending" allowed by the Amazon Swindle and the Barnes & Noble Shnook, was shut down by a campaign of intimidation aimed at its hosting provider.
  I would not endorse or support the use of LendInk, because to use it you'd first need to be a user of those freedom-trampling products. That's what you must not do. Something like LendInk was hardly enough to make the Swindle or Shnook ethically acceptable, so closing LendInk doesn't make them substantially worse than they were.
  However, I mention this to underline how nasty those companies are. These products are the enemy of your freedom, and you should fight them until they are dead.
  10 August 2012 (Urgent: Maintain promise in 2011 budget agreement)US citizens: tell the Senate, stick to the Pentagon cuts agreed on in the 2011 budget agreement.
  10 August 2012 (Bradley Manning trial)Bradley Manning's lawyer has asked for dismissal of all charges, on the grounds that he was illegally punished through humiliating treatment before his trial.
  I don't expect the judge will do it, though.
  10 August 2012 (Goldman Sachs won't be prosecuted)The US government won't prosecute Goldman Sachs for misleading (effectively swindling) its customers.
  If laws don't protect customers from such lies, is the US planning to change them? Obviously not.
  10 August 2012 (EU gov'ts want mechanism to censor)EU governments want to set up an informal, extralegal mechanism to censor unwanted opinions without even a trial.
  Freedom of speech means freedom to express any and all views. Even hatred has a place in our thoughts '-- for instance, that's what governments that practice censorship deserve.
  10 August 2012 (Urgent: Pollution from cement)US citizens: call on the EPA not to postpone or weaken its standards for pollution from cement.
  10 August 2012 (Urgent: Free the members of Pussy Riot)US citizens: Call on Russia to free the members of Pussy Riot.
  10 August 2012 (Doctor charged with waterboarding)A doctor has been charged with waterboarding his daughter.
  When will Bush's torturers be charged?
  10 August 2012 (Healthfulness-based food labeling)A simple system of food labeling based on healthfulness turned out to be quite effective at moving people towards better eating.
  I dispute what the article says about "illusion of control". It is not an illusion; it is real control. To have control does not require being immune to anyone else's influence (that would be impossible anyway, in a society). Looked at from the other side, saying things that influence people does not mean trampling their freedom.
  This note doesn't deprive you of any freedom, but it may (or may not) influence you.
  10 August 2012 (Antibiotic resistance of Gonorrhea)Gonorrhea has developed resistance to all but one antibiotic. Resistance to that one is surely on the way.
  I think Christian theocrats will rejoice at this. They will be happy that thousands will be killed as long as it might make some people scared to have sex. If gonorrhea did not exist, they would want to invent it.
  10 August 2012 (Urgent: Call on Romney to identify his "bundlers")US citizens: sign this petition calling on Romney to identify those who play an important role in his fundraising '-- the "bundlers".
  10 August 2012 (Urgent: Ask safe-seat Democrats to help other Democrats)US citizens: sign this petition to safe-seat Democrats asking them to help other Democrats win in Congress.
  10 August 2012 (Internet censorship in Cuba)Cuban exiles plan to light fireworks to protest Internet censorship in Cuba.
  10 August 2012 (Urgent: Visit your congresscritter)US citizens: visit your congresscritter during the August recess, and ask for a $10 minimum wage.
  10 August 2012 (Secret CIA prison in Romania)Time for Romania to Face the Truth over Secret CIA Prison.
  10 August 2012 (Agent Orange depot in Vietnam)The US will start cleaning up an Agent Orange depot in Vietnam.
  10 August 2012 (Obama's assassination policy)People are trying to challenge Obama's assassination policy through the UK.
  10 August 2012 (Plan to reduce paying employment in UK)Another plan to reduce paying employment in the UK: running call centers inside prisons.
  I have nothing against hiring prisoners, as long as it isn't an excuse to reduce workers' wages. If they paid these prisoners what the workers make on the outside, I would not criticize it.
  10 August 2012 (Urgent: Fire Ed DeMarco now!)US citizens: Phone the White House at 202-456-1111 and say, "Fire Ed DeMarco now!"
  Ed DeMarco is head of Fannie Mae, and is blocking mortgage relief for US homeowners for the sake of the banksters.
  10 August 2012 (Lawsuit against illegal wiretapping)The last lawsuit against Bush's illegal warrantless wiretapping scheme has been dismissed.
  10 August 2012 (Search warrant for network server data)A bill proposed in Congress would require the government to get a search warrant to examine users' data stored in network services.
  I think this bill is a good idea, but let's not use the nebulous term "cloud" to describe these network servers.
  10 August 2012 (Palm-oil plantation displaces people)Indigenous people in the Philippines were kicked off their lands for a palm-oil plantation.
  The Philippine government appears to be too corrupt to enforce its laws against companies. Sad to say, the same is true nowadays of the US government against the banksters and oil companies. Even arms smugglers pay a fine to avoid actual prosecution.
  10 August 2012 (Maryland surveillance system)The ACLU warns that Maryland has set up an integrated system to record license plate scans indefinitely, and explains why this is dangerous.
  A similar system in the UK has already been used to sabotage democracy by pre-emptively arresting dissidents believed to be on the way to a protest. The US already persecutes dissidents as "terrorists", so we can be sure the US will abuse this system.
  10 August 2012 (Denying education to pregnant students)A school in Louisiana illegally forces female students to take pregnancy tests, and expels them if they are pregnant.
  I think schools should help and encourage students to use contraception and abortion, but punishing someone with a denial of education only makes a repeat of the problem more likely.
  10 August 2012 (Urgent: Block tar sands pipeline project)Everyone: Call on the premier of British Columbia to block the tar sands pipeline project that would run to the Pacific Ocean.
  Tar sands pipelines carry fluids more corrosive than ordinary petroleum; when the pipelines leak, companies claim it isn't their fault.
  This is not to mention the worst pollution these pipelines would give us: lots more CO2 in the air.
  10 August 2012 (Urgent: Stop cutting down rainforests for paper)Everyone: Tell Kentucky Fried Chicken you don't like its use of paper made by cutting down rainforests in Sumatra.
  10 August 2012 (Urgent: Call on Romney to release more tax returns)US citizens: sign this petition calling on Romney to release more tax returns.
  10 August 2012 (Half of Manila flooded)Half of Manila has been flooded; almost a million people have been driven from their homes.
  Is this linked to global heating? We don't specifically know, but it is the sort of event that global heating is making far more likely in many regions. Also, global heating increases the amount of rain that storms can deliver.
  10 August 2012 (Peru's exploitative mining)Peru's exploitative mining, which threatens to permanently poison water supplies, could be corrected by proper government mining regulations.
  The US needs stricter regulations too, on mining and oil extraction.
  10 August 2012 (Balinese language and gamelan music)The Balinese language and Balinese gamelan music are threatened by the effects of mass tourism.
  If you want to go to the beach, go to one nearby. Traveling to Bali is a total waste, for that.
  10 August 2012 (White-supremacist groups)The Wisconsin massacre shooter was a neo-Nazi, and was connected with white-supremacist groups that have grown fast in recent years.
  I would guess that the tremendous increase in poverty and suffering in the US is partly responsible for this. People are naturally angry at the events.
  When they don't grasp who is really responsible (the 1% and the politicians they have bought), perhaps because of propaganda that tries to discourage this awareness, or when they feel that blaming the true culprits is useless because they are strong enough to crush protests, some may place the blame on convenient vulnerable scapegoats such as immigrants. The harsh anti-immigrant laws in some states are another aspect of this.
  10 August 2012 (New surveillance system in New York)New York City, working with another enemy of your freedom (Microsoft), has installed a new system of total surveillance. Everything caught by the cameras is recorded and accessible, so it is easy to backtrack and see where any car has been. Probably any pedestrian, too.
  They say they will keep license plate data for 5 years, unless they feel like keeping it longer.
  Note the deceptive description, "The purpose is to fight terrorism but we can use it for anything".
  For "terrorism", read "dissent". Dissidents in the US are often accused of "terrorism". You can bet this will be used against dissidents if they dare to protest. The New York Thug Department, which runs this system, systematically practices violence against dissidents.
  New York City has a long history of oppressive surveillance. Taxicabs in New York transmit the passengers' photos by radio to the thugs, so I never take taxicabs there. By contrast, car service cars only store passengers' photos; that system is tolerable since, if you don't attack the driver (something I never do), the photos are ignored.
  Hotels in New York City demand photo IDs to report to the thugs. I refuse to stay in them '-- you should too.
  10 August 2012 (Peaceful protesters in Oman sentenced)Dissidents in Oman were sentenced to prison for a peaceful protest.
  09 August 2012 (US state ethics commissions)Most US state ethics commissions powerless and underfunded, so they can't do their job, supposing they even try.
  09 August 2012 (Social Security)As the US shreds the safety net, poverty for old people will become common once again.
  Before Social Security, a large fraction of old people in the US were poor, even though most of them were healthy (because those who got sick just died).
  09 August 2012 (Aquifers being emptied fast)Around the world, humans are emptying aquifers fast. This will cause major problems in a few decades, even as many areas become much hotter and more arid.
  09 August 2012 (War on the Suffering)In the US, one forbidden painkiller pill can ruin your life.
  And the War on the Suffering keeps on escalating. I dread what will happen next time I need surgery.
  09 August 2012 (Risks of undersea oil drilling)Oil companies are not acknowledging to their stockholders the risks of undersea oil drilling.
  09 August 2012 (Republicans want to frighten workers)Republicans want military contractors to frighten all their workers with layoffs, though in fact the planned reduction in military spending increases would affect only a fraction of them.
  Military spending is less efficient at creating jobs that other kinds of government spending, so diverting the planned increase in military spending to other uses would help the US make more jobs.
  09 August 2012 (Stepping away from War on Drugs)Colombia has taken one step away from the War on Drugs, decriminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs and treating addiction as a public health issue rather than a crime.
  09 August 2012 (LSD experiments)Experiments with LSD in the 1960s, before the US cracked down, enabled many scientists and engineers to make important advances, solving problems that had stymied them.
  09 August 2012 (Life sentence for anti-gov't t-shirts)A Gambian dissident has been sentenced to life in prison for anti-government t-shirts.
  This is a step or two beyond Putin, but he'll get there.
  09 August 2012 (Record heat in the US)Record heat in the US is damaging highways, railroads, and airports.
  James Hansen's latest study ties global heating to some recent droughts and heat waves.
  This study did not cover the current year's US droughts, but they are most likely part of the general long-term trend. However, as long as the oil companies purchase the silence of the politicians and the media, Americans seem unwilling to open their eyes.
  An increase in temperatures, even temporarily, holds back economic growth in poor countries. So far, heating does not affect economic growth in rich countries, even though extreme weather events cause damage. It may be that economic growth in rich countries is determined more by other factors.
  Of course, economic growth is not guaranteed to benefit most people. The US has had plenty of economic growth since 1980, but the benefits have gone almost entirely to the well-off.
  The government's refusal to recognize that things are changing (and will get even worse) is part and parcel of the shut eyes that are letting society continue towards the coming train wreck.
  09 August 2012 (Handcuffed, shot and killed)Thugs in Arkansas apparently shot a handcuffed man in the head and killed him. Then they said he had shot himself.
  Thugs are so accustomed to lying with impunity that they expect even the most incredible lies to stand up. Horribly, they might be right, until we as a society learn to doubt whatever they say.
  09 August 2012 (Obama's War on Leakers)Obama's War on Leakers (read "whistleblowers") is going to absurd extremes.
  Those extremes may be funny, but the general climate of fear and secrecy is no laughing matter.
  09 August 2012 (Mexicans want to end War on Drugs)A campaign to end the War on Drugs has massive support in Mexico.
  09 August 2012 ("Islamic" militants in the Sinai)Egypt's army is fighting with "Islamic" militants in the Sinai.
  The mentality of these militants, attacking Muslims in a religious activity, must be rather twisted.
  09 August 2012 ("Extreme pornography" censorship law)A Briton has avoided conviction under a censorship law against "extreme pornography".
  The "extreme pornography" law is censorship for censorship's sake, banning ideas that someone found disgusting. Though some of the acts it prohibits depicting would do bodily harm this law is not concerned with whether anyone is harmed, since even animation is banned. Meanwhile, movies show much worse bodily harm all the time. Somehow brutality and even murder are ok, but combining them with sex makes them bad. (I don't enjoy watching even fictional bodily harm, but that is no excuse for censoring it.)
  09 August 2012 (UK prisoners replace regular workers)Low-paid prisoners have replaced regular workers in a call center in the UK.
  This is a recipe for unemployment, which will encourage crime and more imprisonment, leading towards where the US is.
  09 August 2012 (Urgent: Protect wolves)US citizens: tell Obama, please don't end protection for wolves.
  09 August 2012 (Honduran journalist seeks asylum)A Honduran journalist who has faced attacks asked for asylum in the US embassy.
  Since the US backs the coup-installed government that unleashed the violence, that is a strange choice of place to ask. I expect the US will tell him that everything is fine in Honduras and he doesn't have a case for asylum.
  09 August 2012 (States' Medical Marijuana Property Rights Protection Act)The States' Medical Marijuana Property Rights Protection Act would stop the US government from interfering with medical marijuana legal under state law.
  It is a brilliant idea to link this with "states' rights". Republicans will surely oppose this bill, but doing so will embarrass them.
  08 August 2012 (Urgent: Thank House Democrats)US citizens: thank the House Democrats who have committed to end Bush's tax cuts for the rich and protect Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
  08 August 2012 (Turkish repression of Kurds)Turkish repression of Kurds has killed 500 Kurdish children since 1988.
  The latest one was killed by a tear gas cartridge shot to his head. This does not happen by accident; it is murder, because shooters are trained to fire tear gas away from people, and they are skilled enough to do it when they try. Israeli troops have killed Palestinians this way.
  8 August 2012 (Sectarian conflict in Syria)Support from Saudi Arabia and Qatar has turned the Syrian civil war into the sectarian conflict that Assad always said it was.
  This article argues that the only hope for a non-oppressive Syria, rather than a choice between oppressive systems, would be in negotiations.
  8 August 2012 (Religious discrimination in Egypt)Egypt's president must take action against religious discrimination and occasional persecution that Christians face.
  8 August 2012 (Digital surveillance)Western companies have sold total digital surveillance to the obvious tyrannies, but we are not safe anywhere from this surveillance.
  8 August 2012 ("Study" on voter ID laws)A Republican study claiming to show a need for voter ID laws was written by a fraudster who just got out of prison.
  8 August 2012 (Bus bombed by Taliban)The Taliban bombed a bus full of workers headed for Kabul.
  Will this violence turn Afghanis against the Taliban? It would if they were logical and even-handed, but I suspect they are not.
  8 August 2012 (Privatization of nature)The Great Impostors: In the Name of Saving Natural World, Governments Are Privatizing It.
  Is it ok to destroy a meadow (or a wetland) if you create another? Maybe in theory, but in practice it's no so easy to make them.
  What happens if the new one doesn't come out right, or isn't really as good as the other because some species fail to thrive. Will the company paid to do the work recognize the failure and pay damages? Or will it say, "We did what we agreed to do, so don't blame us"? Or will it try to cover up the shortfall in results? That's what I expect, given the low level of honesty in businesses today. That's what happens with lots of carbon compensation programs; they plant trees that would absorb carbon someday, if they thrive and if global heating doesn't kill them.
  Which means that this whole idea is a fraud.
  8 August 2012 (Baidu employees arrested)Employees of Baidu were arrested for censoring the site for private companies.
  Chinese might have trouble understanding how censorship could be forbidden.
  8 August 2012 (Global Heating)Global heating and its effects on rainfall are projected to eliminate 7 million jobs in the US by 2050.
  It will get worse after that.
  8 August 2012 (For-profit hospital chain)A large for-profit hospital chain performed dangerous heart operations on patients that didn't need them.
  08 August 2012 (Food lobby fights GMO labeling)Fighting California's GMO labeling initiative is the food lobby's highest priority.
  When business considers it so important to keep us in the dark, that means it would be a great victory to pass this initiative.
  08 August 2012 (Suffering caused by drug prohibition)The US finds it feasible to continue the prohibition of drugs because most of the suffering caused by prohibition falls on other countries.
  However, the suffering imposed on the US is considerable too, with on the order of a million Americans in prison for drug offenses. And prohibition does cause a substantial amount of corruption of thugs in the US.
  08 August 2012 (Urgent: Investigate Rupert Murdoch)US citizens: sign this petition to investigate Rupert Murdoch.
  08 August 2012 (Global arms trade treaty)The US spiked the global arms trade treaty, but Amnesty International will continue to campaign for one.
  08 August 2012 (Gov't support made Arpanet possible)Someone who participated in the start of developing the Arpanet (which turned into the Internet) explains why government support was the only way to get it going.
  For the most part, he is right that the subsequent participation of companies was useful for extending the Internet to more people. However, when what they develop is proprietary software, it leads systematically to abuse.
  07 August 2012 (Apple iCloud service back door)Apple's iCloud service includes a back door that can be used to attack and wipe computers connected to it.
  The story describes several other bad practices, but this one takes the cake. (Please don't refer to the attacker as a "hacker"; that is derogatory to us hackers. I'd call him a cracker, or perhaps just a hooligan.)
  7 August 2012 (New York Police)New York thugs beat up and arrested a press photographer who covered an arrest.
  It's not enough to sue the city. These thugs must be prosecuted and sent to prison; nothing less will end their reign of terror. Laws that protect them must be changed.
  7 August 2012 (The US Senate)The US Senate may punish Ecuador for not overriding the legal decision against a "US" oil company.
  7 August 2012 (Egypt)Egypt demands the release of an Egyptian Guantanamo detainee.
  7 August 2012 (Illinois)Illinois has passed a law banning employers from asking for job applicants' or employees social networking passwords.
  7 August 2012 (YouTube)YouTube automatically took down NASA's post of its own video for supposed copyright infringement.
  YouTube does this to lots of users. The idea of automatically detecting copyright infringement is absurd. Similarity can be detected, but determining the legal implications of that requires both intelligence and more facts.
  7 August 2012 (Standard Chartered Bank)Standard Chartered Bank ran a specialized group, designed to help Iran violate trade sanctions, for nearly a decade.
  7 August 2012 (Syria)Ethnic cleansing by Islamists in Syria has motivated some Syrians to support Assad again.
  The rebels shoot and torture prisoners.
  7 August 2012 (UK's Right-Wing Government)The UK's right-wing government has instituted compulsory unpaid work programs; people are ordered to work for no pay (except their unemployment benefits). A court rejected a challenge to this on human rights grounds.
  Unpaid work programs will not help unemployed Britons find jobs, because (thanks to the government's policies) there are few jobs to be found. On the contrary, as unpaid workers replace paid staff, there will be fewer paid jobs available, thus more unemployment. Business will pay less wages, and workers will have less income.
  Could that be the real motive for these unpaid work programs?
  7 August 2012 (The Vietnamese Government)The mother of a Vietnamese political prisoner set herself on fire and died.
  This takes place as the US enjoys Vietnam's military cooperation and invites companies to exploit Vietnamese workers.
  The Vietnamese government has a policy of complete submission to Western commercial demands '-- almost "Whatever you say, sir!" If the US government said it would cut off trade unless these prisoners are freed, Vietnam would probably free them
  7 August 2012 (Power Needs)Existing renewable energy technology could provide all of the US's power needs.
  It's just a question of spending the money to do it.
  7 August 2012 (UN Resolution)The US almost agreed with Russia on a UN resolution on Syria, then pulled back.
  I am not sure what outsiders ought to do now in regard to Syria. Assad is a murderous secular tyrant, and al Qa'ida would be a murderous theocratic tyrant (even worse). Globally, Islamic extremism is a bigger threat to human rights than Assad. Is there a way Syria can become a democratic state that respects human rights?
  7 August 2012 (Israel)Militants possibly from Gaza attacked Egyptian soldiers, then stole armored vehicles to crash Israel's border fence.
  Hamas condemned the attack, following its usual practice: Hamas wants a truce with Israel and an end to the siege. It is Israel that doesn't want this.
  7 August 2012 (Libya)Aid workers and the ICRC have been attacked in Libya.
  7 August 2012 (Old Nuclear Power Plants)It is very tempting to keep running old nuclear power plants. The construction costs were already spent, so it's all gravy now, right? No.
  These plants are slowly decaying, increasing the chance of a disastrous accident.
  The techniques described in this article might be of some use, but the question is whether we want to bet on them against a disaster.
  7 August 2012 (US Economy)The US economy is working fine, for the banksters and Wall Street, because it's not working for the rest of us.
  7 August 2012 (Airlines)Airlines collect large amounts of information about their passengers, including everything they buy with the credit card that they used to pay for the flight. And they hand it all to Big Brother.
  7 August 2012 (Palestine)Organizers of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees in Palestine face persecution including imprisonment without trial.
  7 August 2012 (US Women)Obamacare gives most US women birth control coverage without a co-pay, but it isn't free '-- they have to pay for the insurance.
  7 August 2012 (Medical Study)The US funded a medical study using prisoners in China who probably were not given a real option to say no.
  7 August 2012 (Apple)Apple wants to collect users' fingerprints.
  The iThings are known for surveillance features '-- some delivered by Apple, and others delivered by apps. You'd be a fool to trust this; but then, you'd be a fool to use an iThing.
  7 August 2012 (Spain's Public Broadcasting)Spain's public broadcasting is firing journalists that criticize the government.
  06 August 2012 (Urgent: Tell Adidas to pay workers)US citizens: Tell Adidas to pay the laid-off workers in Indonesia their back salary.
  06 August 2012 (NBC greedwashing show)NBC broadcast a two-hour greedwashing show which did nothing but praise JP Morgan Chase for giving to charity.
  06 August 2012 (Recording electricity use)Plans for reducing electric consumption at peak hours would record all your electricity use, for the state or crackers to access later.
  06 August 2012 (What might Romney be hiding?)Assuming that Romney didn't give false figures on his tax returns, what might he be hiding? An income tax expert describes some possibilities.
  The article ends with the absurd claim that "no one should begrudge Mr. Romney or his family the wealth they have earned". What Romney did to get this money hardly counts as earning it; it was an attack on Americans that a democracy would have stopped him from doing.
  06 August 2012 (Computerized voting machines)It's amazing how bad computerized voting machines can be. Here is a study of a machine that was used in New Jersey (and maybe elsewhere).
  06 August 2012 (Provable lie from Romney campaign)A flat-out provable lie from the Romney campaign.
  06 August 2012 (Unionizing a chicken packing plant)What it took to unionize a chicken packing plant in Alabama.
  06 August 2012 (New approach to fighting global heating)A new approach to fighting global heating through US state courts.
  06 August 2012 (Protests)As US and Canadian governors met to consider how to keep the austerity lid on people and extract more fossil fuels, activists protested outside.
  Protests in London targeted the sweatshops of Olympic games sponsor Adidas.
  Here's more information about the campaign.
  06 August 2012 (Wozniak warning about "cloud computing")Wozniak is warning people about the danger of the careless attitude induced by the vague term "cloud computing".
  06 August 2012 (Fire in Oklahoma)Drought and intense heat created a tremendous fire in Oklahoma.
  06 August 2012 (Endangered species in UK islands)Many species are endangered in islands that belong to the UK. And this is before the extinction that global heating will cause.
  06 August 2012 (Psychopaths)Aside from the 1% who are richest and have too much political power, around 1% of humanity are psychopaths. There is a lot of overlap between the two groups. How should humanity deal with the 1% who are psychopaths?
  According to The Psychopath Test, by Jon Ronson, there is no clear sharp line between psychopaths and non-psychopaths. The condition is defined in terms of a group of characteristics, and people who have enough of them are diagnosed as psychopaths. This means that there are lots people on the borderline, perhaps numbering more than those who are clearly psychopaths. This would complicate the issue.
  06 August 2012 (The ITU)How the ITU's control over the Internet would turn it into a system designed only for accessing large commercial services that pay.
  06 August 2012 (Lobbyist hired as Senate committee staff)A Lockheed lobbyist resigned and was hired as staff for the Senate Armed Services Committee.
  This ought to be illegal. Congress should not be allowed to hire anyone who has been a lobbyist, or in certain other relationships with a company, within the past 10 years.
  06 August 2012 (Urgent: Support bill against warrantless spying)US citizens: phone your senators to support Senator Merkley's bill (S. 3515) to end warrantless US spying on Americans.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  06 August 2012 (Butterfly in danger of extinction)The world's largest butterfly is now in danger of extinction due to cutting the rain forest in New Guinea for palm oil plantations.
  I'd expect thousands of other species that live in that region are also endangered.
  06 August 2012 (Hold media pundits accountable)Idea: hold media pundits accountable by pointing out where they were wrong before.
  06 August 2012 (US is democracy in form, not substance)The US is a democracy in form, but in substance it doesn't do what people want.
  This is because the government is controlled by the rich. Its' not the same rich people for every issue; those interested in keeping medical care expensive are not the same ones that want the state to buy lots of weapons. But it's the same problem in both cases.
  06 August 2012 (Walmart will sell GMO corn to humans)Walmart says it will sell GMO corn to humans.
  Walmart is surely spending money to try to defeat California's initiative for GMO labeling. You can help the initiative by (1) contributing to the campaign in favor and (2) not buying from Walmart.
  06 August 2012 (Children sold into slavery in India)Thousands of children in India are sold into slavery each year by their parents, who have no way to feed them.
  The children are promised a salary, then kept locked up for years and not paid.
  The root problem is that poor people in India are having children they cannot support. India needs to reduce the birth rate; will fewer children, India would be able to provide welfare funds to give their families a decent life.
  06 August 2012 (Exposure to teargas in Bahrain)Physicians for Human Rights says that Bahrain is exposing protesters (and people in their homes) to unprecedented levels of teargas, which is making people sick.
  Here is the Physicians for Human Rights report.
  06 August 2012 (Urgent: Call on Romney)US citizens: Call on Romney to insist that Bain Capital refrain from shipping more jobs to China.
  06 August 2012 (Urgent: Marriage equality)US citizens: call on the Democratic Party to adopt marriage equality in its platform.
  06 August 2012 (Urgent: Farm bill)US citizens: phone your congresscritter to say that the farm bill should preserve protections for wildlife, as the Senate has done.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  06 August 2012 (US proposes to help pollute Australia)The US proposes to finance gas export facilities in the Great Barrier Reef, and a big coal mine that could also pollute it.
  It seems strange for the US to finance anything in Australia, but these things should not be built at all.
  In addition to contributing to the destruction of civilization, they would also threaten sea turtles, which might offer a legal basis to block the projects.
  06 August 2012 (Tunisia considers law against mockery)Tunisia is considering a law to imprison people for mocking the "sanctity of religion". Maybe this means even Saint iGNUcius will be banned there.
  06 August 2012 (Jordan restricts funds for human rights)Jordan has joined the countries that restrict foreign funding for human rights groups.
  Many countries that violate human rights don't want human rights defenders to get help from anywhere else. Putin is doing something like this in Russia, and Israel is considering doing likewise.
  06 August 2012 (Most secretive US administration)Obama's is the most secretive US administration ever.
  06 August 2012 (Activists)Subpoenaed Portland activists declare they will refuse to cooperate with a federal McCarthy-style grand jury investigation.
  Meanwhile, a former political prisoner in Cuba was arrested again, for no stated reason.
  06 August 2012 (Special interests win)Special interests win in Senate panel's attempt at tax reform.
  06 August 2012 (RIM will give keys to Indian gov't)RIM says it will give the Indian government the keys to break the encryption in even corporate Blackberry systems.
  Formerly RIM said that was impossible because the companies had control of these systems. I wonder what has changed. In any case, I expect companies not to trust blackberries any more.
  06 August 2012 (Shafilea Ahmed's parents)Shafilea Ahmed's parents have been sentenced to life imprisonment. They murdered her because she wanted to live like a Westerner, instead of marrying the Pakistani they wanted to foist on her.
  06 August 2012 (Goldman Sachs prisons)New York plans to privatize prisons in cooperation with Goldman Sachs.
  It would make more sense to let the thieves go to work for Goldman.
  06 August 2012 (Universal music wants EMI)Universal music wants to buy EMI, which would increase the concentration of large music companies.
  A few years ago there were five of those; now I think there are three, which means this would reduce it to just two.
  That they have even a ghost of a chance of being allowed to do this shows that US antitrust laws are too weak. Companies that are among the ten largest in any market should not be allowed to merge '-- period.
  06 August 2012 (Censorship on social networking sites)Social networking sites frequently suspend or censor legitimate users, and most of them don't have enough clout to get their accounts back, I have a suggestion. Don't use centralized network services for jobs that we can do with distributed systems.
  06 August 2012 (Romney would cut wind power)Romney would eliminate subsidies for wind power. I presume he would maintain all the subsidies for fossil fuels and nuclear power, as any good planet burner would.
  Subsidies for solar power have encouraged the installation of lots of capacity in Europe. The US ought to have them too. It's the beginning of what we need to avoid disaster, and even though not enough by itself, it could lead to more steps.
  06 August 2012 (Reduction of deforestation in Brazil)Brazil has succeeded in further reducing deforestation, but the data do not show what effect the recent weakening of the forest protection law will have.
  06 August 2012 (Ten Billion)"Ten Billion" is either a warning of where we are taking the Earth, or a cry of despair about the coming disaster.
  To avoid this, we need to stop politicians from being paid to deny the danger.
  05 August 2012 (EU's airline carbon tax)A group of subservient governments in the Planet Burner Bloc propose to replace the EU's airline carbon tax with "voluntary caps". The advantage of these caps, in their view, is that they would not apply until 2020, which gives the airlines 8 years to look for a way to avoid really making any concession even then.
  EU, stick to your guns! Americans must do all possible to pressure Obama to stop opposing carbon taxes. This tax alone won't avoid disaster, but the battle over this tax is crucial because a positive outcome for this carbon tax could lead to more.
  05 August 2012 (Steve Dorkland affair)On the Steve Dorkland affair.
  05 August 2012 (Olympic games WiFi repression)Olympic games WiFi repression bans even setting up a personal hotspot.
  05 August 2012 (Urgent: Protect whales)US citizens: call on the US not to set off explosions in the Atlantic that are likely to damage whales' hearing.
  05 August 2012 (Gore Vidal on PAT RIOT Act)What Gore Vidal wrote after the Bush regime imposed the PAT RIOT Act on the US.
  Things have not gone exactly has he feared '-- there was an election in 2004, although Bush appears to have rigged it in Ohio.
  However, he was mostly right.
  05 August 2012 (Urgent: Tell eBay to stop supporting ALEC)Everyone: phone eBay to say, stop supporting ALEC.
  04 August 2012 (Sexist insults from strangers)Sofia Peeters' film demonstrates the sexist insults women receive from strangers as they walk down the street.
  When I see a woman I don't know, and find her pretty, or sexy, or both, the last thing I would think of is to insult her; the idea is so strange that it makes no sense to me. (I could dream of chatting her up and asking her to go out with me, but I would not expect success so I don't try. I might attempt to find a way to give her a compliment.) I can't understand why these men would want to insult women who have never done anything bad to them. However, the facts can't be denied, and these men's behavior is nasty.
  However, being nasty must not be a crime. There are other ways to teach men to act better.
  04 August 2012 (Pussy Riot show trial)Most defense witnesses were disallowed in the Pussy Riot show trial. The defendants are being deprived of sleep and food.
  04 August 2012 (GM employees start hunger strike)Colombian employees of General Motors have started a hunger strike at the US embassy in Bogot to protest the firing of employees who were on sick leave.
  The Free Exploitation Treaty between the US and Colombia has provisions to protect unions in Colombia, but they were not intended to really function.
  Senator Robledo, a candidate for president, aims to cancel the Free Exploitation Treaty. He says it is designed to promote monopoly.
  04 August 2012 (Bahraini protesters)Bahraini protesters, violently repressed by the state, are turning towards violence in return.
  Maddeningly, the US implores the protesters to remain nonviolent when attacked, while doing nothing to stop the regime's attacks. By now most Bahrainis must hate the US.
  That might be a long-term vicious US strategy, designed to generate an excuse for supporting Bahraini government repression in the long term. US officials have said, of people imprisoned in Guantanamo on false accusations, "By now they hate us so much that if we let them out they would seek revenge, so we can never let them out." The same officials could easily say, a few years from now, "By now the Bahrainis hate us so much that we can't ever let them get control of their country."
  Neither argument is ethically valid.
  04 August 2012 (Gaza's sole electric plant damaged)Gaza's sole electric plant was damaged by Israeli bombs in 2006 and Israel will not allow it to be repaired.
  04 August 2012 (Arming of human rights abusers)Calling on the US Congress to stop the arming of human rights abusers.
  04 August 2012 (Assange right to fear US prosecution)Julian Assange is right to fear US prosecution, says his lawyer.
  04 August 2012 (Oil pipeline leak in Nigeria)An oil pipeline leak in Nigeria seems to be due to corrosion, but Shell claims it was sabotage. Shell always claims it is sabotage.
  Given the terrible harm that Shell's oil extraction has done to the people who live there, I cannot blame them for sabotaging oil pipelines. But it seems Shell is lying about them.
  04 August 2012 (Urgent: Make TSA obey court ruling)US citizens: sign this petition calling on Obama to make the TSA obey the court ruling and hold public hearings on body scanners.
  04 August 2012 (Bugs in trading software)A stock broker company may have destroyed itself through bugs in its automated trading software.
  04 August 2012 (Urgent: Ask for pledge against Assange extradition)Everyone: sign this petition asking the UK to pledge not to let Sweden extradite Assange to the US.
  04 August 2012 (Urgent: Thank senators)US citizens: thank the senators that stood up for privacy against the Cybersecurity Bill.
  04 August 2012 (Defeat of Cybersecurity bill)The Cybersecurity bill was defeated in the Senate, but only because some senators opposed it for reasons other than support for Americans' privacy rights.
  How the Cybersecurity Act was a surveillance bill in disguise.
  04 August 2012 (US corporate media slant on "pink slime")US consumers' disgust forced an end to the use of "pink slime" (fat processed with ammonia) in meat labeled as "ground beef", but the US corporate media grasped at straws to support the meat industry against this pressure.
  04 August 2012 (US drone attacks on Pakistan)Pakistan's ambassador to the UK says that US drone attacks undermine democracy in Pakistan.
  04 August 2012 (Demanding charges against killer thugs)The family of Simon Rigg, killed by UK thugs, demand criminal charges against the thugs.
  The thugs' lies hurt the feelings of Rigg's family, but worse than that, they attempted to maintain the thugs' impunity to maraud through society.
  04 August 2012 (Defense's cost in patent lawsuits)Congress is considering a bill to make patent holders pay the defense's cost, in the IT field, if the court rules the suit is frivolous.
  This would be a small step in the right direction but would not come near eliminating the problem of software patents. The most important thing is not to let this distract us from demanding a full solution.
  04 August 2012 (3D printers)Do 3D Printers Make Prohibitions Impossible?
  I am concerned states will try to ban 3d printers or require them to contain DRM software.
  04 August 2012 (Scientology's jail-in-an-office)Scientology's jail-in-an-office for punishing executives.
  Some have been locked up for years.
  03 August 2012 (Anti-NDAA, anti-SOPA candidates)Anti-NDAA, anti-SOPA Candidates Running for Congress.
  03 August 2012 (Urgent: Insurance coverage for contraception)US citizens: tell your congresscritter to oppose the new attempt to undermine insurance coverage for contraception.
  03 August 2012 (Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala arrested)Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala, the Green Party candidates for president and vice president, were arrested in a sit-in protest against Fannie Mae.
  The protest was because this US government mortgage lending agency dishonestly supports foreclosures that could have been avoided.
  03 August 2012 (GMO reviews)Monsanto's Quiet Coup: Will Congress Limit Scope and Time for GMO Reviews?
  03 August 2012 (UC Davis pepper-spraying thug)A thug at UC Davis, who fired pepper spray at protesters who were sitting on the ground, has been fired.
  A committee of thugs tried to justify this attack.
  03 August 2012 (Italy criminalizes insults)Italy criminalizes insults, and a court ruled it is a crime to tell someone, "You don't have the balls."
  Whether this particular statement should be a crime is a minor detail of a larger wrong. Insults must not be a crime.
  03 August 2012 (Threat to democracy in Latin America)Pretending that the threat to democracy in Latin America is not US-sponsored coups but rather elected and popular leftist leaders.
  03 August 2012 (Kenyan thugs shut down photo exhibit)Thugs in Kenya shut down an exhibit of photos that makes politicians uncomfortable.
  03 August 2012 (Craigslist exclusive rights)Craigslist makes users sign away exclusive rights to their ads, meaning they are not allowed to post the same ad anywhere else.
  It might be difficult for the same person to advertise a similar thing anywhere else, ever.
  I suggest refusing to accept those conditions and going elsewhere.
  03 August 2012 (Effect of global heating on Greenland )Global heating is damaging homes and hunting grounds in Greenland, but now there is an opportunity for mining that could poison the Greenlanders' land, water and society.
  03 August 2012 ("Neogreens")Business-friendly "neogreens" repackage the comfortable but doubtful message that technology will save us, so we need not take any strong measures to limit global heating.
  I disagree with the article's suggestion too, however. We need to take measures at the level of entire countries if we are to alter our current path to disaster.
  03 August 2012 (Arctic sea ice melting at record level)Arctic sea ice is melting at a record level, and a study determined that the long-term decrease in sea ice is mainly due to human activity.
  03 August 2012 (Europe's carbon emission tax)The US is considering a law to forbid "American" airlines to pay Europe's carbon emission tax.
  If the US passes this law, Europe should respond that "American" airlines are welcome to stop flying to Europe if they won't pay the tax. However, Americans should not net things go so far. This is a great opportunity to condemn the politicians who have sold their support to the airlines, and bring global heating front and center.
  03 August 2012 (Band in Finland supports sharing)A well-known band in Finland told people how to get around filters that block access to the Pirate Bay.
  It is too bad that they repeated the propaganda term "piracy", and that they suggested that "selling music with little friction" would make things ok. I don't think it ok to make people identify themselves to get a copy of a record, or to make them sign license contracts for copies, or force them to use nonfree software, as music-screaming services such as Spotify do. Out, out, damned Spotify!
  03 August 2012 (Cybercrime cost estimates not fact-based)US estimates of the cost of cybercrime are not based on facts.
  I'm sure a lot of the supposed cost comes from when Chinese spy on trade secrets of "US" companies. For Americans in the 99%, this is not a loss for us. The idea that we Americans should care about the success of "US" companies is based on the suppositions that "US" manufacturing companies would employ Americans and pay taxes to the US government and states. Neither one is true any more. Why should we care whether the company that manufactures goods in China is "American" or "Chinese"?
  03 August 2012 (Internet filtering can't be justified)The new French government has decided not to implement a law that provides for filtering the Internet '-- administratively, without a court decision.
  However, even a court decision can't justify filtering the Internet.
  03 August 2012 (Extension of Dubya's tax cuts)The Senate and the House disagree about whether to extend part or all of Dubya's misguided tax cuts.
  If they continue to disagree, those tax cuts will expire entirely, which is the best thing to do with them. However, I fear both parties are sufficiently controlled by the rich that they will find some compromise. Perhaps Republicans in the House will practice obstructionism and the Democrats will surrender to it as they generally do.
  Over The Last Nine Years, Bush Tax Cuts Have Delivered $1 Million In Tax Breaks To The Average Millionaire.
  03 August 2012 (Keeping inflation low)The Federal Reserve is aiming to keep inflation low, which is good for creditors (mostly the rich) and bad for debtors (most Americans).
  For the past few years, the Federal Reserve set interests rates very low with the aim of boosting business. It may have increased the profits of some business, but if so, that did most Americans no good; the business owners pocketed it. Only deficit spending can get America back to work. The deficit will be somewhat less if we raise taxes on the rich and on businesses.
  03 August 2012 (Urgent: Ask EPA to keep Shell accountable)US citizens: phone the EPA say, don't let Shell get away with disregarding environmental safety regulations in order to imperil the Arctic and our atmosphere.
  02 August 2012 (Freedom of information law overridden)The UK government overrode its freedom of information law to conceal a discussion between Dubya and B'liar about invading Iraq.
  02 August 2012 (Purpose of Israeli checkpoints)An Israeli soldier explains that the purpose of checkpoints, often plopped down on roads in Palestine, is to be unpredictable, so that Palestinians cannot predict what they need to do in order to carry out their lives.
  It hurts the soldiers in their humanity, but it hurts the Palestinians much more.
  02 August 2012 (Palestinian economy)Trying to help Palestinians through "positive investment" is futile because Israel systematically prevents the Palestinian economy from succeeding. Thus, the only way to make a Palestinian economy possible is by putting pressure on Israel.
  02 August 2012 (Humanitarian aid for West Bank)European pressure for Israel to stop blocking humanitarian aid projects in the majority of the West Bank territory. Israel's handling of Area C qualifies as ethnic cleansing because it is meant to oppress Palestinians to the point where they will flee.
  Israel's attacks against domestic political opposition and international aid organizations are both symptoms of the same disease.
  In Silwan, adjoining the old city of Jerusalem (and, I suspect, illegally annexed by Israel to Jerusalem), Israel uses every pretext to destroy houses and confiscate land. The inhabitants resist stubbornly.
  02 August 2012 (Israeli and Palestinian water)Each Israeli "settler" (colonist) gets 70 times as much water a Palestinian.
  02 August 2012 (Avoid drawing irrational lessons)Avoid drawing irrational lessons from the Aurora shootings: being in a movie theater is less dangerous than driving to one.
  02 August 2012 (Police provocateur in Anaheim protests)Comparison of videos reveals a police provocateur in Anaheim protests.
  02 August 2012 (Statements about NSA abuses)Senator Wyden was given permission by executive agencies to make short cryptic statements about NSA abuses, but not to tell us any details.
  If he did, he would lose his security clearance.
  02 August 2012 (US farmer's ethanol quota)US Farmers Urge Obama Administration to Suspend Ethanol Quota Amid Drought
  The use of corn to make ethanol has always been foolish and harmful.
  02 August 2012 (US-funded projects in Afghanistan)New US-funded projects in Afghanistan, intended to build support for Karzai's government, have mostly not even got started.
  I doubt they would achieve the intended result even if they were completed. It takes more than an electric grid to convince people to be loyal to a corrupt state.
  02 August 2012 (Sanctions on Iran)The US Senate is considering harsher sanctions on Iran, but their effect would fall mainly on the Iranian people, not on the tyrannical regime.
  If the US were serious about uranium negotiations, it would offer to terminate the existing sanctions in exchange for sufficient commitments about nuclear fuel enrichment.
  02 August 2012 (Floods and droughts in North Korea)North Korea's agriculture has been repeatedly devastated by floods and droughts.
  Is this global heating at work? The fact that extreme weather became common in the 90s suggests so.
  02 August 2012 (Twitter account suspension)Twitter has not fully explained why it suspended Guy Adams' account.
  Although Twitter seems to be fairly well committed to freedom of speech and to privacy, it is strange for questions about what hundreds of millions of people in general can say to be decided by a company. It makes a difference that there are so many users. If Twitter had 100,000 users, I would see no harm in its making and enforcing whatever rules it might prefer.
  02 August 2012 (US media focuses on distortion)The US media discuss Romney's distorted version of an Obama quote without caring what Obama really said.
  02 August 2012 (Freedom of speech)The Twitter user who insulted athlete Daley went on to make real threats. I think those threats justify legal action against him, in a way that mere opinion would not.
  I disagree with the article on one important background point. The article suggests that limits to freedom of speech are valid as a matter of law, as if any limits that some government chose to impose would therefore be valid.
  I think that the limits on freedom of speech are an ethical question. The UK government restricts freedom of speech too much already, which is why it was so plausible to think the state was trying to go even further.
  02 August 2012 (Questions for Romney)10 questions to ask Romney about his own foreign policy.
  I too wonder why Obama is so popular outside the US. People don't seem to be aware that he supports torture, assassination and right-wing economic policies. Of course, Romney would be worse. We need Jill Stein for president.
  01 August 2012 (Urgent: Tell Romney About The Occupation)US citizens: sign this petition telling Romney the basic facts of the occupation of Palestine.
  01 August 2012 (Urgent: Support Wind Power)US citizens: support offshore wind power in the Atlantic.
  01 August 2012 (Urgent: Oppose Abortion Ban)US citizens: oppose the abortion ban for Washington DC that would threaten women's lives.
  01 August 2012 (Urgent: Oppose CISPA)US citizens: tell your senators to amend the cybersecurity bill and vote against it.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  01 August 2012 (New spying program)The Biggest New Spying Program You've Probably Never Heard Of.
  01 August 2012 (Arms being sent to Syrian rebels)Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are sending arms to Syrian rebels.
  Christians in Syria are fighting for Assad, because they fear persecution by Islamist rebels.
  01 August 2012 (Obama's "License to Kill")Congress Wants to See Obama's "License to Kill"; but if they get it, they won't be allowed to show it to you.
  01 August 2012 (Romney on Arab Spring revolutions)Romney calls the Arab Spring revolutions' governments enemies.
  01 August 2012 (Senate Intelligence Committee plans)The Senate Intelligence Committee plans to attack whistleblowers and journalism.
  01 August 2012 (Predatory privatization)Predatory privatization takes advantage of governments with budget problems to do permanent damage to the state and the people.
  01 August 2012 (The harm done by Justice Roberts)Americans: Don't forget all the harm that Justice Roberts has done.
  Then there's Scalia.
  01 August 2012 (Bigger snow and rainfalls)Global heating is causing bigger snow and rainfalls.
  01 August 2012 (Chinese opposition to pollution)Chinese opposition to pollution is turning nationalist, since one polluting business is owned by a Japanese company.
  Corporations have no loyalty to countries. Whether a company is Japanese, Chinese, or American makes no difference to how it would try to treat us.
  01 August 2012 (South African journalists)South Africa is investigating journalists who are trying to cover a giant arms sale scandal.
  01 August 2012 (Malaysian dissident cartoonist)A Malaysian court endorsed the arrest of a dissident cartoonist.
  Malaysia does not respect freedom of speech, or religious freedom (Muslims are forbidden to stop being Muslims).
  01 August 2012 (Journalists prosecuted in Turkey)Many journalists have been prosecuted in Turkey for writing about human rights violations by the state.
  01 August 2012 (Russian protest blogger)A Russian protest blogger faces criminal charges that are apparently fabricated for political reasons.
  01 August 2012 (Twitter reinstates journalist's account)Twitter reinstated the journalist's account, but will it own up to the deeper implications of this event?
  01 August 2012 (Olympic games athletes)Olympic games athletes complain, "I am an investment vehicle and you're not letting my investors profit."
  Why should we care about a dispute among the investors in the Olympics? All of them profiting at public expense, while imposing surveillance and harsh laws. Let's cancel the whole thing.
  01 August 2012 (Urgent: Support Shareholder Protection Act)US citizens: phone your senators to support the Shareholder Protection Act, which would require large companies to have shareholders vote on any political activity. Also send them email through this page.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  01 August 2012 (Canadian gov't report on Greenpeace)A Canadian government report labeled Greenpeace as radical and dangerous.
  Actually it is the Canadian government which is radical, and its plans are very dangerous. The collaboration of the US government in the planet-roaster pipeline makes the plan even more dangerous.
  01 August 2012 (US desensitized)Practices such as torture, assassination and mass surveillance, that still seemed outrageous in US politics just a decade ago, have become accepted.
  01 August 2012 (Avoiding topic of global heating)March of Folly: The Debate We're Not Having and What it Costs Us
  I take issue with one final point. If we stumble foolishly into world disaster, only some of us will deserve it, but we will all get it.
  01 August 2012 (Married women in Gaza)Most married women in Gaza suffer violence from their husbands, and most of them don't dare ask for help because they might be killed.
  01 August 2012 (Argentina looks to censor Internet)Add Argentina To The List Of Countries Looking To Censor The Internet (For The Children, Of Course).
  01 August 2012 (UK hits new low in human rights)The UK hits a new low in human rights as a teenager is arrested for expressing a harsh opinion on Twitter.
  01 August 2012 (Al Qa'ida fighters in Syria)Interviews with al Qa'ida fighters in Syria.
  They could be worse than Assad.
  01 August 2012 (Apple censors iTunes ebooks)Apple censors iTunes ebooks '-- banning all mention of Amazon.
  People should not do business with Amazon, which mistreats authors, publishers, its workers, and its customers. Ms Lisle's presupposition that the goal of success is all that matters is not admirable.
  However, that doesn't justify censorship.
  Of course, publishing in iTunes was already bad for other reasons, such as DRM, and requiring users to use nonfree software.
  01 August 2012 (Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid)Rich executives are reportedly planning to push Congress to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in December.
  01 August 2012 (Urgent: Stop presenting war as a sport)Everyone: call on NBC to stop presenting war as a sport and start showing what war does to real people.
  01 August 2012 (Campaign to encourage breastfeeding)Bloomberg has a campaign to encourage breastfeeding by making mothers explicitly ask for baby formula in hospitals.
  The claim that this tramples the mothers' freedom seems mistaken to me, since they can still get the formula if they ask.
  01 August 2012 (Twitter blocks journalist's account)Twitter blocked a journalist's account, apparently for criticizing NBC's coverage of the Olympics, at the request of NBC. Twitter's false excuse is no excuse.
  This journalist was criticizing a minor problem of convenience, and ignoring the bigger wrongs of the Olympics, but that doesn't excuse censoring him.
  01 August 2012 (Urgent: Oppose CISPA's surveillance provisions)US citizens: oppose CISPA's surveillance provisions in the senate.
  01 August 2012 (US churches)The US gives churches many kinds of preferential treatment.
  01 August 2012 (Bloomberg sues to keep NY wages low)Bloomberg Sues to Keep NY Wages Low.
  31 July 2012 (Urgent: Oppose Indiscriminate Use of Antibiotics)US citizens: ask Trader Joe's to take a stand against indiscriminate use of antibiotics in cattle.
  31 July 2012 (Why NSA can't be trusted)Why The NSA Can't Be Trusted to Run U.S. Cybersecurity Programs.
  The NSA director was being deceptive in claiming that the NSA doesn't collect files on Americans. This according to whistleblower William Binney, who quit because he saw the NSA wanted to spy on "everybody in the country".
  31 July 2012 (Austerity)Austero-Erotic Fantasies For The Elites, Terror For Everyone Else
  31 July 2012 (Tank manufacturer's lobby)The Pentagon wants to stop production of Abrams tanks for some years, but the manufacturer's lobby is so strong that this can't be done.
  This is a clear example of corporate domination of the state.
  31 July 2012 (Frackers corrupting professors)Frackers are corrupting professors to conclude academically that fracking is safe.
  31 July 2012 (Banksters hijack microfinance)Banksters Hijack Microfinance.
  31 July 2012 (Privatization)Privatization: The Big Joke That Isn't Funny.
  31 July 2012 (For-profit colleges)At For-Profit Colleges, It's All About Profits, Not Students.
  31 July 2012 (London thugs arrest bicycle riders)London thugs besieged a monthly group of bicycle riders for hours, then arrested them all.
  31 July 2012 (Romania's election)Romania's election to remove the president from office because the total number of votes was insufficient.
  An acquaintance in Romania told me that the number of voters in Romania has decreased greatly due to emigration since the last census, which meant that the referendum needed considerably more than half the current number of voters to be valid.
  31 July 2012 (Sports drinks)Sports drinks are "solutions" to a fictitious problem invented by the companies that sell them.
  Studies found there's no need to drink before you exercise; it is better to drink as much as your thirst suggests. And water is better for you than the sports drinks with their calories.
  31 July 2012 ("Wellness programs")US medical insurance companies foist excessive "wellness programs" on customers.
  Of course, some amount of checkups and preventive medicine is useful and effective. The right amount of this is not zero. But there's no need for it to be monthly.
  The part of the article's argument that I don't follow is why they would rather spend money this way than on needed medical procedures.
  31 July 2012 (Rich Americans' evaded taxes)The money that rich Americans have evaded taxes on would cover the whole national debt.
  31 July 2012 (People who don't use Facebook)People who don't use Facebook may face suspicion and accusations.
  31 July 2012 (Hoax New York Times op-ed)A hoax New York Times op-ed defending Wikileaks is reported to be partly the work of Wikileaks itself.
  I think such hoaxes are fun, but Wikileaks and its leaders should steer clear of participating in them.
  31 July 2012 (Urgent: Stand with the City of Oakland)US citizens: stand with the city of Oakland in demanding that Goldman Sachs stop squeezing money out of Oakland or forfeit Oakland's business.
  The banksters' bailouts and tolerated frauds means that the idea of private companies in a free market does not apply to them. If they can go to the state to demand money and the state dare not refuse, this should work the other way, too.
  31 July 2012 (Pirate Bay ordered to pay)The money the Pirate Bay defendants were ordered to pay the music factories to "compensate artists" won't go to any artists. Only to the war on sharing.
  31 July 2012 (Olympian dishonesty)Olympian dishonesty: bringing in soldiers to fill empty seats, just to avoid embarrassment.
  31 July 2012 (New study by global heating skeptic)A new study, led by one of the few climate scientists who was skeptical about global heating, found 1.5C of heating since 1800, with human activity as the apparent cause.
  31 July 2012 (Washington's law to punish sites)Washington's law to punish sites that contain ads for child prostitutes (even without knowing that that's what they are) has been blocked as possibly unconstitutional.
  Punishing web sites is weak as well as unjust. At most it would make the pimps find another way to advertise. If a state really wants to put a stop to child prostitution, a few undercover investigators pretending to be clients could actually do it.
  29 July 2012 (Tiger farms)Do tiger farms hurt or help conservation of tigers?
  Tiger poaching is organized crime. If poaching a tiger is cheaper than raising a tiger, the poaching will continue. If the poaching is fought strongly enough to make it more expensive, everyone will decide to raise tigers instead. But I don't know how far away that point is.
  I wonder whether fake tiger wine can be made convincing. Why would a criminal use a real tiger if it is cheaper to use a fake?
  29 July 2012 (Privatized US prisons)Privatized US prisons hire illegal immigrants for a dollar a day.
  29 July 2012 (Wealth in offshore tax havens)US statistics show the top 1% have an increasing share of the national income, but show no increase in their share of the total wealth. How can that be? Because they put their increased wealth into offshore tax havens.
  29 July 2012 (Syrian War of Lies and Hypocrisy)Syrian War of Lies and Hypocrisy
  29 July 2012 (Google's methods of surveillance)A summary of Google's methods of surveillance, or at least a few hundred of them.
  29 July 2012 (Urgent: Expose political spending)US citizens: tell the SEC to expose publicly traded corporations' political spending.
  29 July 2012 (US poverty rate)As the US poverty rate approaches the highest since 1965 (when LBJ's social programs started to reduce it), Republicans are trying their best to make poverty even harder to survive.
  29 July 2012 (Arizona's "show your papers" law)Racist motivation behind Arizona's "show your papers" law revealed.
  29 July 2012 (Fallibility of human memory)Jurors in a New Jersey trial will hear testimony about the fallibility of human memory.
  If you believe you saw your brother, you wouldn't make a mistake about that. But if you saw a stranger, and believe he is someone you later came to know, you have a good chance of being mistaken.
  29 July 2012 (Greenland melting)Greenland melting events have occurred every 150 years or so, but with temperatures high enough to feel warm to a human, Greenland sees lots of melting every year.
  29 July 2012 (Drought in US midwest)The drought in the US midwest has got worse and spread.
  Global heating created the likelihood for the lack of rain, and contributed to the strength of the heat.
  29 July 2012 (Elephant poaching)10 African countries have accepted aid to fight poaching (of elephants, mainly).
  Can elephants survive reasonably well in the wild de-tusked? If they can, systematically removing live elephants' tusks might be a way to make poaching unprofitable.
  29 July 2012 (Captain Wilson of Sea Shepherd)Captain Wilson of Sea Shepherd has fled to avoid extradition to Japan.
  29 July 2012 (Persecution of Pussy Riot)In Russia, any women who are musicians can become Pussy Riot, and the intense persecution of three of them is making Russians recognize what a tyrant Putin is.
  29 July 2012 (Swiss branch of HSBC)HSBC has a Swiss branch whose business seems to consist of helping rich in the UK evade taxes.
  29 July 2012 (Harassment by animal rights campaigners)Harassment by animal rights campaigners is starting to interfere with breeding lab animals in the UK.
  I defend their right to stand for their views, but I disagree with their views. I support biological and medical research using animals, as long as it isn't wasteful.
  29 July 2012 (Dam engineers arrested in Brazil)Tribal governments in Brazil arrested dam engineers for failing to carry out commitments not to block the tribes' river traffic.
  29 July 2012 (Haitian families killed for land)Haitian families, ordered to leave their land with compensation inadequate to buy other land, fought back with stones against thugs sent to evict them.
  The bodies of the children who were shot by the thugs cannot be found. Since the thugs tried to deny having killed anyone, I suppose they disposed of the bodies secretly.
  29 July 2012 (Urgent: Take ICBMs off immediate firing alert)US citizens: call on Obama to work with Russia to take ICBMs off immediate firing alert.
  29 July 2012 (Corning complains of too much tax)Corning complained that it was paying too much US taxes, while its taxes amounted to zero.
  29 July 2012 (Gov't aid and private assistance)John Scalzi, self-made man, writes about how government aid as well as private assistance was vital for him to make a success of his life.
  29 July 2012 (Norway follows legal procedure)A minister in Norway explains the decision to prosecute Breivik, right-wing extremist, for his murders through the normal legal procedure rather than making an exception of him (such as assassination or military kangaroo courts a la US).
  29 July 2012 (Violent movies)Violent movies don't make most people violent, but they shape the expression of some people's insanity in a violent direction.
  29 July 2012 (Abolition of Super PACs)A Super PAC has been set up to attack politicians who oppose the abolition of Super PACs.
  Super PACs are the result of the Supreme Court's Corporations United decision and the way to thoroughly override that is with a constitutional amendment.
  29 July 2012 (The homeless in San Francisco)A surprising secondary consequence of San Francisco's persecution of the homeless: they use BART escalators as toilets, and shit gums up the works.
  This inconvenience to BART riders must be added to the much greater problems imposed on the homeless by a city that wants to chase them out. But then, most of them wouldn't be homeless if our country were run to benefit everyone. The people now homeless would be better off, and so would the local merchants who regard them as unsightly inconveniences to business. Only the 1% would have less.
  29 July 2012 (Referendums to legalize marijuana)Three states will vote in November on referendums to legalize marijuana. In Colorado the measure has so much support it can hardly lose.
  29 July 2012 (Ayn Rand's Lord of the Rings)Ayn Rand's version of Lord of the Rings.
  29 July 2012 (Urgent: Support Student Loan Forgiveness Act)US citizens: sign this petition calling on Democratic leaders to support the Student Loan Forgiveness Act.
  29 July 2012 (Syrian rebels in Aleppo)Interviews with Syrian rebels in Aleppo, and with a captured Shabiha member.
  29 July 2012 (Working while pregnant)Working while 8 months pregnant hurts the baby as much as smoking.
  Will Republicans with their "family values" try to prosecute women who work that late in pregnancy?
  Will they support providing these mothers-to-be with aid so they can do without from working that late in pregnancy?
  29 July 2012 (Obama threatens anarchists)Obama is using the FBI and grand juries to threaten anarchists in the Occupy Wall Street movement.
  29 July 2012 (Ozone layer endangered)Increased storms due to global heating endangers the ozone layer in temperate zones, including the US for example. Destroying the ozone later causes more skin cancer, and can also damage crops.
  Since global heating means drought will more often cause crop failures, this will mean a double blow to US agriculture. Caused principally by US government policies.
  29 July 2012 (Anti-pollution protests in China)Anti-pollution protests in China forced cancellation of a pipeline to carry industrial waste.
  Chinese are following the path of the US, where the middle class in 1970 recognized that pollution was doing great harm and that clean air and water were worth quite a lot of expense.
  Meanwhile, in Italy, a huge steel plant in Taranto was shut down because its pollution was found to kill many people in the city. Paradoxically, workers there demand reopening the plant even as it continues to poison their city.
  I think this reflects the fear that Italians feel due to the euro crisis, which was inherent in the system behind the euro.
  29 July 2012 (Movement to overthrow Bashir regime)A popular protest movement is trying to overthrow the regime of "President" Bashir.
  This regime has repeatedly visited violence on Sudan.
  29 July 2012 (Attacks on journalists in Mexico)In Mexico, attacks on journalists are hardly ever prosecuted.
  29 July 2012 (Romney advocates war with Iran)Romney is advocating war with Iran.
  I don't think this is a matter of seeking votes from Jews. Most US Jewish voters are not eager for war and will not like this. Rather, Romney seeks money from rich right-wing Jews.
  29 July 2012 (Political ads on US network TV)Major network TV stations in the 50 largest US markets will have to identify the purchasers of political ads on line starting next week.
  I wonder if the plutocrats will make this ineffective by routing all the money through shadowy organizations.
  29 July 2012 (London's hydrogen-powered buses)London's hydrogen-powered fuel-cell buses have been taken out of service for the Olympics.
  This might be security theater or it might be simple irrational fear.
  29 July 2012 (Gadgets that can't be repaired)Making gadgets that can't be repaired causes e-waste and oppresses their users.
  29 July 2012 (Court restrains biometric database)Israel's supreme court restrained a "pilot project" meant to pave the way for a biometric database.
  29 July 2012 (Plans to demolish Palestinian villages)Israel plans to demolish 8 Palestinian villages to create a new military training ground.
  Here's more information.
  Israel has no right to dispossess the inhabitants of occupied territory under this or any pretext.
  29 July 2012 (Urgent: Oppose automatic approval of GMOs)US citizens: oppose the Monsanto rider requiring automatic approval of GMOs.
  29 July 2012 (Urgent: Petition for progressive budget)US citizens: sign this petition for a progressive budget.
  29 July 2012 (Urgent: Remove Bachmann)US citizens: call on Boehner to remove bigoted Bachmann from the House Intelligence Committee.
  She hasn't got enough of it to qualify anyway.
  28 July 2012 (Urgent: Keystone and global heating)US citizens: file a comment saying that environmental review of the Keystone XL planet burner pipeline should take account of its contribution to global heating.
  28 July 2012 (Zionism)Uri Avnery: Zionism can't resolve its contradictions because it ceased to make sense once its goal, to create Israel, was achieved.
  28 July 2012 (Arrests of network users in China)China arrested many network users for online fraud, but it's possible that some of them were only criticizing the state.
  It is common for states to lump dissent and political opposition together with some other kind of crime, including "terrorism". Even the US does this.
  28 July 2012 (Conviction for a joke)Paul Chambers won an appeal against his conviction for a joke that was treated by the state as a threat to bomb an airport.
  Chambers should not have been prosecuted, but he was foolish '-- to conduct a private conversation in the equivalent of a newspaper. If you are going to post something in a public place, write it for publication. When you want to have a private conversation, do it privately, not in Twitter.
  28 July 2012 (Labeling GMO foods)California's proposition for labeling GMO foods pits grassroots activists against powerful food companies and store companies, and more.
  28 July 2012 (Write in his own blood)Hua Yong tried to write in his own blood to commemorate the massacre at Tiananmen Square, and was sent to a labor camp.
  28 July 2012 (Warmest July-June)The year from July 2011 thru June 2012 is the warmest July-June year ever in the US.
  28 July 2012 (War on Drugs)The "War on Drugs" has conclusively failed to make drugs less available, but it continues to do tremendous harm in the US and other countries.
  28 July 2012 (WIPO working on treaty for monopoly)WIPO is working a treaty for a new monopoly, similar to copyright but different, that would be handed out to actors in movies but they would give it to the movie companies.
  28 July 2012 ("Stand your ground" laws)A study estimates that "stand your ground" laws in 14 states lead to an extra 500 to 700 gun killings annually, but without deterring any kind of crime.
  28 July 2012 (Facebook asks for email addresses)Facebook asks its users to provide their entire list of other people's email addresses.
  This by itself is surveillance of those other people, but Facebook uses it to go further and try to guess the relationships of people who are not Facebook users.
  That information must be worth some money to companies. It is surely worth money to the secret police of any country that isn't democratic enough.
  However, principal wrong here is not that Facebook can guess which non-users know you or me. It is that Facebook collects information from its users about whether they know you or me.
  I think we can formulate the principle that any social network that asks its members for information about other people is abusive.
  28 July 2012 (Facebook tells users to rat on friends)Facebook makes a practice of telling users to rat on their friends who use aliases.
  I think we can formulate the principle that any social network that asks its members for information about other people is abusive.
  28 July 2012 (Helping gov't do surveillance)Human rights groups filed a complaint against a French company accused of helping Assad do surveillance on the Internet.
  When will we prosecute the companies that help the US spy on the Internet?
  28 July 2012 (A bill to harass women in Michigan)The Michigan senate is considering a bill to harass women who get abortions (or miscarriages) by requiring them to cremate fetuses and have funerals for them.
  27 July 2012 (Urgent: Tell Secretary of Agriculture to address global heating)US citizens: sign this petition telling the Secretary of Agriculture to stop dodging questions about global heating.
  Here's more information.
  27 July 2012 (Lives saved by extending Medicaid)States that extend Medicaid save lives.
  Extrapolating these statistics, doing so for the whole US would save around 25000 lives a year.
  27 July 2012 (Military coverup of corruption)More information about the military coverup of corruption at a hospital in Afghanistan.
  What makes this important is that such coverups could be a common occurrence.
  27 July 2012 (Vietnamese villagers protesting)A thousand Vietnamese villagers are protesting at a government building, demanding return of their land.
  The government of Vietnam is a really nasty tyranny. For anyone to dare protest is unusual.
  27 July 2012 (Republican's "jobs package")Senior economists say the Republicans' "jobs package" will do nothing to create jobs, but will make people sick.
  27 July 2012 (Using contact lenses with iris scanners)Contact lenses can be used in iris scanners to impersonate people.
  I am not going to try to impersonate anyone this way, but I might be willing to let my irises be scanned if I could make sure this could not be used to recognize me on the street.
  If only I could overcome my terror of anything's touching my eye so as to insert them.
  The possibility of impersonation might be enough to deter governments from demanding and using iris scans, but this is would only win one battle against surveillance; it would not win the war.
  27 July 2012 (Recording activities of thugs)The Washington DC thug chief established a surprisingly proper policy about dealing with citizens that record the activities of the thugs.
  The next day, a citizen in Washington saw thugs beating up someone on the street and began to make a recording. A thug grabbed his phone and stole his memory card.
  I suppose these thugs will fabricate some false defense and will all testify to it.
  Explicit orders are evidently not enough to stop thugs from attacking possible witnesses to their crimes and lies. The only way to stop them is to punish them for their lies and abuses. When current laws make it hard to convict them, we must change those laws.
  27 July 2012 (Mexicans protest slanted TV news)Thousands of protesters surround the studios of a TV channel shown by documents to have sold slanted coverage to the winning presidential candidate.
  27 July 2012 (Cuba invites US to negotiations)Cuba's president Raul Castro invited the US to negotiations without preconditions.
  The US responded by criticizing Cuba for unjustly arresting dissidents, disregarding the fact that this injustice is also practiced in the US.
  Meanwhile, Castro defended Gaddafi and Assad.
  27 July 2012 (Government secrecy)J. William Leonard, who was in charge of government secrecy for Dubya, says the government's system of secrecy is "dysfunctional".
  The article shows how right he is. Meanwhile, the US government still refuses to declassify the memos published by Wikileaks. It can't succeed in denying that they are accurate, since it admits this by prosecuting Bradley Manning.
  27 July 2012 (Murders of Colombian union organizers)Obama declared that Colombia had taken required steps to protect union organizers, but Colombian unionists say it's false, and that murders of union organizers there are increasing.
  In effect, Obama treated these requirements as an excuse to get an unjust treaty ratified, not as a real goal.
  All "free trade" treaties since the one that created the WTO attack democracy and therefore must be abolished in order to restore democracy.
  The world-wide boycott of Coca Cola Company started because of its use of paramilitary terrorists to murder union organizers. The most recent murder was this year.
  27 July 2012 (Laundering money through ALEC)State legislators ask companies to pay for their travel by laundering the money through ALEC.
  27 July 2012 (Adidas code of conduct)Adidas signed a contract promising to apply a code of conduct to its suppliers, and then hoped to forget it. But the University of Wisconsin-Madison has gone to court to insist.
  27 July 2012 (Olympic Games surveillance systems)The Olympic Games leave surveillance systems in their wake, time and again, and this threatens to occur in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
  27 July 2012 (Norway's response to terrorism)Comparing Norway's response to terrorism with the US's response.
  The September 11 attacks, even if not arranged partly by the Bush regime, gave Dubya an opportunity to attack Americans' freedom in a way he clearly wanted to do.
  27 July 2012 (Catholic extremists in Northern Ireland)Catholic extremists say they will renew their sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.
  I have never understood why people who claim to be progressive sympathize with these people. Why should the Catholic minority have power there anyway?
  27 July 2012 (Israel's colonization accelerating)Israel's colonization of Palestinian territory is accelerating; the numbers have doubled in the past 12 years.
  27 July 2012 (Apparent plans to extradite Assange)Ecuadorian officials say that both the UK and Sweden have been unwilling to guarantee that Julian Assange would not be handed over to the US.
  The UK could insist Sweden not send Assange to the US, and refuses to do so. This is more confirmation that they plan exactly that. The quoted statements from UK officials, which pretend to reassure while refusing to confront the issue, demonstrate bad faith.
  27 July 2012 (IMF's devastating advice)Joseph Stiglitz warns Mozambique not to follow the IMF's devastating advice.
  27 July 2012 (US drones endangering air traffic)The UN says US drones in Somalia are endangering air traffic and violating the US arms embargo.
  27 July 2012 (Al Qa'ida worming into Syrian rebels)Al Qa'ida is worming its way into the Syrian rebels, joining Assad in trying to make the conflict a sectarian one.
  27 July 2012 (Homeless female veterans)The US has 55,000 homeless female veterans.
  I would guess there are half a million homeless male veterans. Whichever the sex, this is a symptom of the US' failure to care for people who are weak, hurt or unlucky.
  27 July 2012 (Judge to aid Assange's asylum request)Judge Garzon's task will be to aid Assange's asylum request.
  27 July 2012 (New York Thugs violated human rights)The study of the New York Thug Department concludes that it violated international human rights standards, and calls for the state to prosecute thugs.
  27 July 2012 (New York Thugs' attacks on Occupy protesters)An extensive study accuses the New York Thug Department of persistently attacking Occupy Wall Street protesters and journalists with unjustified force and bogus arrests.
  In effect, these thugs understood that their mission was to repress democracy.
  27 July 2012 (Extortion in Europe)It's not a crisis in Europe, it's extortion.
  27 July 2012 (Angry Syrians game)This is to correct the previous political note about the Angry Syrians game.
  I presumed initially that the game was proprietary, because the Apple Store does not allow any free software. However, the developer has released it as free software. I corrected the note to reflect this.
  26 July 2012 (Skype changed to allow easier snooping)Microsoft has changed Skype to make it easier for states to snoop on users.
  26 July 2012 (Boycott and divestment movement)Arguing that the boycott and divestment movement should target the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara as well as the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
  26 July 2012 (Right to protest in Australia)A court in Australia ruled in favor of the right to protest in a privatized former public space, but only because video proved the thugs were lying.
  If the thugs are not punished, they might attack another protest and hope there will be no video to contradict them that time.
  26 July 2012 (Loss of Arctic sea ice)Loss of Arctic sea ice "70% man-made" '-- at least.
  26 July 2012 (Barclays banksters endorse Romney)Although Obama bows down to the banksters most of the time, Barclays banksters endorse Romney with their cash.
  26 July 2012 (Investigation into Afghan corruption)A US general blocked an investigation into Afghan corruption because the official in control of it was his personal friend.
  26 July 2012 (Spain's gov't plans to ban abortion)Spain's right-wing government plans to ban abortion '-- even of malformed fetuses.
  Many Spanish women will be able to go to France or Portugal to get an abortion, but since a quarter of the country is unemployed, they may have to go there by hitchhiking.
  Women forced to bear malformed fetuses should save them to give them to the deputies responsible during their public appearances.
  26 July 2012 (Political ads from Big Pharma)Big Pharma and the medical insurance companies are paying for large ad campaigns against senators that support Obama's health care plan.
  In the case of Big Pharma, this is interesting because Obama got their "support" by giving them what they wanted at the outset.
  As for the medical insurance companies, it is interesting is that even the requirement for people to buy insurance from them is not enough to make them accept being required to cover people despite pre-existing conditions.
  The US should abolish the private insurance business by adopting a Canadian-style national health care system, and applaud as those business lose everything.
  26 July 2012 (Innocent, tortured and imprisoned in Chicago)Chicago thugs systematically tortured people into making false confessions. Some spent many years in prison for crimes they did not commit.
  The city has paid $50 million in settlements to them. Some of the thugs are in prison.
  26 July 2012 (Facebook apps)Facebook apps have access to the user's information '-- and the user's ffiends' information, too. Thus, if you make the mistake of using Facebook, even if you let a company access your data, any of your ffiends can give the company access to your data.
  (Although Facebook uses the term "friends", that is an abuse of language; a user's "friends" are often not really friends, and being "friends" on Facebook is not the way to treat a friend anyway. Therefore I propose the replacement term "ffiends", replacing the "r" with the "f" of Facebook.)
  26 July 2012 (IFPI aims to impose Internet filtering)The major record companies' anti-listener attack organization, the IFPI, aims to impose Internet filtering around the world.
  26 July 2012 (War on music fans)Rich UK music stars demand a more aggressive war on music fans.
  The reason these people have a financial interest in the matter is that they are among the few artists who profit substantially from the current system. In fact, they are already rich, but not satisfied. The musicians that we ought to support more won't get much from this war.
  I think this calls for a boycott of those stars' music products. Would someone like to work on organizing and promoting the boycott?
  26 July 2012 (Urgent: Call for network neutrality law in EU)Citizens of the EU: call for a network neutrality law in the EU rather than yet another consultation.
  26 July 2012 (Removal of spent fuel in Fukushima)About 500 days after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, workers are starting to remove some of the spent fuel from the storage pools.
  Another earthquake and tsunami could happen at any time, so it is crucial to make sure that the systems now in use to prevent further disaster are protected from them. Also that these systems are redundant and that plenty of fuel is available to generate electricity. I don't know if this has been considered.
  26 July 2012 (Audit of Federal Reserve)The House of Representatives passed a bill to publish an audit of the Federal Reserve annually.
  Unless there is some unobvious problem with this, it seems like a good idea to me.
  26 July 2012 (A Nasty TSA "Pilot Program")A Nasty TSA "Pilot Program".
  On July 24 I flew out of Logan Airport and encountered a TSA "pilot program" which seems to consist of asking every traveller questions about the purpose of travel. We were warned that if we did not answer we would be subjected to "extra security checks".
  The information I was asked for is public knowledge '-- I was travelling to give speeches '-- so I did not refuse to answer. However, after the TSA agents felt me up (I refuse to go through X-ray scanners because they are potentially dangerous), I asked what the "extra security checks" consist of. I was told they would feel me up (as had just happened anyway) and look through my hand baggage.
  In other words, the TSA is going to pressure Americans into giving information about their activities on pain of being harassed.
  26 July 2012 (Effective bank regulation)In the 1930s, during a previous great drought exacerbated by the banks, the US took effective action, with programs to help farmers protect the soil and to regulate the banks.
  When today's business-subservient officials try to pretend that the only solution would be a rain dance, they are trying to distract us from the government's failure to regulate the banks and stop global heating.
  26 July 2012 (Mass media bias against Glass-Steagall)A retired former Citigroup CEO advocated on CBS TV the breakup of the big banks and restoration of the Glass-Steagall Act.
  That the hosts of the show treated this as radical and shocking, inviting him repeatedly to pull back to a position more approved by Wall Street, bespeaks their own bias.
  26 July 2012 (NSA spying on entire country)NSA Whistleblowers: They're Spying on 'the Entire Country'.
  26 July 2012 (Lies about development of the Internet)The latest right-wing Big Lie is that the Internet was developed by private companies.
  I was there too. The ARPANET was so called because it was funded by ARPA (part of the Department of Defense). The MIT AI Lab was funded, in the 1970s, mainly by ARPA. This included my work, such as the development of the original Emacs editor, infrastructure that helped many other projects both public and private.
  Many of the hackers at the AI Lab were bothered by this funding, but it seemed to me that funding from corporations was likely to have more harmful result.
  Note that the Wall Street Journal and Faux News, which are both spreading this lie, are both owned by Rupert Murdoch's company.
  The larger lie, that business executives are personally 100% responsible for the success of their businesses, is false because they depended on the society around them. But that's only the secondary falsehood. The primary one is that the workers surely made some contribution.
  The right-wing denies both contributions to excuse the policy it wants: for the executives and owners to take essentially all the income, giving a pittance to the workers and nothing to society.
  26 July 2012 (Peruvian political party Movadef)An Maoist political party, Movadef, challenges the pro-corporate policy of the government of Peru.
  Opposition says it will morph into a guerrilla movement, but I think this is calumny. A political party is unlikely to start a violent conflict. The state might start one, though.
  The government of Peru declared an emergency in order to repress people who want to protect their water supply from an international mining company that the government supports. If Movadef organizes people for nonviolent resistance to mines, crushing them with violence would be the natural next move for the state. Then it might find the people respond with violence. But there is no reason why they would have to use tactics like those of Shining Path.
  26 July 2012 (Judge to join Assange defense team)Judge Garzon will join Assange's defense team.
  One thing not clear in this article is what case Garzon might work on. Assange has already made all the possible appeals in the UK, and as I understand it, that means there is no case left. If Ecuador grants him asylum, there may never be one.
  26 July 2012 (UK budget cuts deepen recession)The UK's ridiculous budget cuts have resulted in the deepening recession predicted by everyone whose eyes were not closed.
  26 July 2012 (Arms trade treaty gutted by US)It looks like the US has effectively gutted the arms trade treaty.
  This is easy to do in a negotiation based on unanimous consent. The only check against it is for some state to say, "You have ruined this, so we will cancel it entirely rather than pretend it is not ruined."
  26 July 2012 (Free Syrian Army gaining control)The Free Syrian Army, expanded by Syrian refugees returning, now controls some regions of Syria.
  This means that military support to the rebels could be feasible.
  However, it is split by fundamental divisions, including that between secularists and Islamist extremists.
  26 July 2012 (World Bank goal)The new head of the World Bank sets the goal of eliminating abject poverty in the world.
  It is a noble goal and deserves cooperation, but I fear that the governments that control the World Bank will not permit it.
  26 July 2012 (Online abuse)Abuse online may repel us, but it shouldn't be a crime.
  26 July 2012 (Greenland ice sheet melting faster)The Greenland ice sheet melted faster this month than ever before.
  26 July 2012 (Urgent: Increase US minimum wage)US citizens: call for an increase in the US minimum wage.
  26 July 2012 (US right-wing Christians in Africa)US right-wing Christians are working in Africa to promote attacks against homosexuals and abortion rights.
  26 July 2012 (Bus bombing in Bulgaria)Claims that Hezbollah (backed by Iran) carried out the bus bombing in Bulgaria rest on supposed similarity to a 1994 bombing in Argentina. However, the assertions about that bombing are questionable, making the comparison inconclusive.
  It's not impossible that Iran is responsible. That tyrannical regime is guilty of numerous atrocities, as well as blatant lies and injustice, against people in Iran and elsewhere.
  But there are others in the world that are equally unscrupulous, and the West has a long history of pinning the responsibility for bombings on suspects chosen for political reasons. Consider for instance the Pan Am flight bombed over Lockerbie in Scotland: a Libyan man was convicted and imprisoned of this, but always maintained he was innocent; other evidence suggests Hafez al-Assad (father of the current tyrant of Syria) was responsible, and the west blamed Gaddafi for political reasons and fabricated evidence.
  26 July 2012 (Afghan gov't thug defects to Taliban)A unit commander in the Afghan government thugs defected to the Taliban with some of the men in his unit.
  26 July 2012 (Bedouin protester arrested in Tel Aviv)Of 2000 peaceful protesters in Tel Aviv, thugs selected one to arrest, apparently because he was a Bedouin.
  26 July 2012 (Occupation of Palestine)A committee hand-picked by Netanyahu reached the absurd conclusion that there is no occupation of Palestine. Is this preparation for a huge annexation?
  The committee's report pulls the rug from under the government's claim that the 45-year-long occupation is "temporary" and that oppressive measures are for "security".
  26 July 2012 (Urgent: Two constitutional amendments to support)US citizens: phone your senators to support two constitutional amendments: one to say that human rights do not apply to corporations, another to allow regulation of campaign spending.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  26 July 2012 (EU to offer Israel increased access)Shortly after EU foreign ministers rebuked Israel's occupation policies, murmuring about possible sanctions, they are about to offer Israel increased access to European markets.
  26 July 2012 (100-year-old Palestinian building demolished)Israel demolished a 100-year-old Palestinian building in Jerusalem on the grounds it was built without a permit.
  Of course, Israel never gives Palestinians permits to build. This demolition compounds the injustice, and reveals the true aim of the occupation policies: slow ethnic cleansing.
  Indeed, that's what Israel has achieved in a large part of the West Bank (the part under direct Israeli control).
  26 July 2012 (Urgent: Ban sale of assault weapons)US citizens: sign this petition to Obama and Romney to ban the sale of assault weapons (i.e., rapid-fire repeating rifles).
  26 July 2012 (Freedom to protest in UK)An alliance of activist groups say that the thugs have systematically damaged the freedom to protest in the UK.
  They condemn the unjust thug tactics, including persistent spying on dissidents, pre-emptive arrests, and besieging protests.
  The article does not mention the law against "aggravated trespass", whose purpose was simply to criminalize many kinds of protests, but that too plays a part in the destruction of democracy in the UK.
  26 July 2012 (Syrian rebels near Turkish border)A journalist reports on a visit to Syrian rebels near the Turkish border.
  26 July 2012 (Accusing Iran without evidence)The US and Israel blame Iran for the suicide attack in Bulgaria, but offer no evidence for the accusation
  26 July 2012 (US and Iran)The US and Iran might stumble into a hot war.
  25 July 2012 (Soleimani Nia imprisoned in Iran)Soleimani Nia has been imprisoned in Iran, not for doing anything, but for refusing to put his technical skills at the disposal of the tyrants.
  25 July 2012 (Olympics Labor Campaign)Olympics Labor Campaign Aims for Sweat-Free Games</>.
  25 July 2012 (Anaheim protests over killing by thugs)Anaheim residents continue their protest over a killing by thugs, despite renewed violence by the thugs.
  A 5-year-old was hit in the eye with a "rubber" bullet (I think they are steel coated by rubber). A thug dog bit some of the protesters, and the thugs said it got loose by accident. You can't trust what thugs say about what happened at a protest; they have practiced lying so much that it looks natural.
  25 July 2012 (India worst for women)India is judged the worst of the G20 countries to be a woman in.
  25 July 2012 (Ethanol subsidies)Ethanol Subsidies: Even Stupider Than We Thought.
  25 July 2012 (US phone and email surveillance)US courts approve tens of thousands of phone and email surveillance requests a year, based on very weak criteria, and the targets are almost never informed they were surveilled.
  25 July 2012 (Book printed in disappearing ink)A book printed in disappearing ink teaches people what's wrong with ebooks today.
  25 July 2012 (Urgent: Oppose HR 4078)US citizens: phone your congresscritter to oppose the Let Reckless Corporations Do Whatever They Want Act, HR 4078.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  25 July 2012 (Nationalize Banks)Don't Regulate the Banks, Nationalize Them.
  24 July 2012 (Stay of execution for being retarded)A Georgia man got a stay of execution at the last minute for being retarded.
  The death penalty is wrong in general, and should be abolished, but for the life of me I can't understand why anyone thinks that mental retardation makes any difference to the issue.
  24 July 2012 (Bradley Manning trial)The US government accuses Bradley Manning of releasing real diplomatic cables but refuses in court to acknowledge them as real.
  24 July 2012 (Human rights in Russia)Russian human rights activists are considering defying Putin's new restrictions.
  24 July 2012 (Urgent: Stop attacks on marijuana dispensaries)US citizens: tell Attorney General Holder to stop attacking state-authorized medical marijuana dispensaries.
  24 July 2012 (Assad threatens to use chemical weapons)Assad threatened to use chemical and biological weapons if Syria faces "external aggression".
  Since Assad also says that the rebels are "external aggression", this does not rule out using chemical weapons against rebels.
  It seems clear that the rebels are almost entirely Syrians, but they do seem to have received arms from Islamic extremist states such as Saudi Arabia.
  24 July 2012 (Murdoch staff accused of bribery)Staff at several Murdoch newspapers are accused of bribing officials to get information.
  23 July 2012 (Urgent: Petition on behalf of Senal Edamaruku)Everyone: sign this petition on behalf of Sanal Edamaruku.
  23 July 2012 (Turning vacant lots into gardens)Turning vacant lots into gardens reduces violence as well as producing fresh local food.
  23 July 2012 (Systems that commit atrocities)A system that commits atrocities is generally supported and implemented by careerists whose goal is only personal success within the system.
  23 July 2012 (Obama is King John)Some referred to Dubya as King George, but Obama is King John.
  23 July 2012 (Cuban dissident Oswaldo Pay dead)Cuban dissident Oswaldo Pay died in a car crash.
  Pay attempted to invoke a clause in the Cuban constitution which allows a certain number of citizens to demand a referendum. His petition was for a referendum to establish certain basic human rights. Although he submitted far more than the required number of signatures, the state never held the referendum.
  He appreciated some of the achievements of the Cuban revolution, and did not seek to turn Cuba into a US-dominated tyranny such as it was before Castro.
  23 July 2012 (Your Corporate Democracy)Your Corporate Democracy, according to The Invisible Hand.
  23 July 2012 (Yes Men tackle Shell)The Yes Men tackle Shell and drilling in the Arctic Ocean.
  23 July 2012 (Urgent: Stop loophole in Volcker Rule)US citizens: tell Congress not to make a loophole in the Volcker Rule.
  23 July 2012 (UK thugs spied on peaceful dissidents)Documents show that UK thugs did massive spying on peaceful dissidents at the Glastonbury festival in 2009.
  23 July 2012 (Cargill palm oil source)Cargill buys palm oil grown in plantations made by chopping down forests where Orangutans live.
  23 July 2012 (US expands failing War on Drugs)US Expands Failing Drug War to Africa.
  23 July 2012 (Dolphin deaths in Gulf of Mexico)The Big Spill combined with weather to kill lots of dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico.
  23 July 2012 (Global heating helps spread infectious bacteria)Global heating has enabled bacteria that infect humans to spread in the ocean into temperate areas.
  23 July 2012 (WWF's deals with business)Is the WWF too close with industry?
  This is a tricky issue, because both sides could be sincerely trying to serve the same cause. WWF leaders surely think its deals with business are inadequate, yet they could believe (perhaps rightly) that these are the best deals it can get and better than no deal.
  At least, they are better in the short term. They leave out the question of whether endorsing a company that has gone part way towards protecting wildlife is undermining the goal. If a company does only a quarter of what it ought to do, maybe it should get only a quarter approval.
  23 July 2012 (Funders of right-wing attack ads)Many well-known US companies fund right-wing attack ads. Take a look, and don't buy from them.
  23 July 2012 (Buying opposition to gun control)Gun interests have spent almost $100 million to buy congressional opposition to gun control, since the late 90s.
  23 July 2012 (Money for voting against DISCLOSE act)Some Republicans who voted against the DISCLOSE act got a million or more in campaign help from unidentified companies.
  23 July 2012 (Copyright starves Wikipedia for photos)Copyright is starving Wikipedia for photos.
  23 July 2012 (Guerrilla war spreading in Syria)Guerrilla war is spreading in Syria's cities.
  23 July 2012 (US drought continues)The US drought continues and will probably lead to very high food prices next winter. I hope this wakes up Americans to the danger we are causing.
  23 July 2012 (Journalists arrested in Japan)Journalists in Japan have been arrested for publishing how to copy a DVD.
  23 July 2012 (Cost of global heating)A 2009 UN study estimated that global heating killed 300,000 people per year and its effects cost $125 billion per year.
  I expect they have both gone up tremendously since then.
  23 July 2012 (Systemic effects of deregulation)The Liebor scandal, like many others, results from the systemic effects of deregulation.
  The article argues for breaking up the large banks and privatizing some. I agree, but since part of the problem comes from complexity, we need to simplify the system also. The obvious way to do that is to ban most kinds of derivatives.
  23 July 2012 (Rape victim faces jail)Savannah Dietrich believed her rapists were being let off lightly in court, so she posted a statement about this and now faces jail herself.
  Dietrich felt ashamed of having been raped, and afraid someone would find out. That makes no moral sense '-- she was the victim, not the perpetrator. She ought to feel somewhat foolish for drinking too much, but I don't think it was about that. Because of this unjustified shame, she suffered a second time, gratuitously. Who taught her to feel this way? Anyway, at least she has overcome this and is no longer ashamed to have been attacked.
  23 July 2012 (Extending years of dementia)Modern medicine, together with the obsession to use it to the last gasp, implies years of dementia for a considerable fraction of the population. The victim suffers for some years, and when he is too demented to notice any more, it is the relatives' turn to suffer.
  A change in the perspective of doctors would improve things, as the article makes clear. They should stop encouraging people to bet on unlikely chances and to grasp for more "life" even if it's demented. But most important would be a change in the perspective of the relatives.
  When my father was demented, I visited him once. He was still able to recognize me, just barely, and have very limited conversation, but he would not remember the visit the next day. I concluded that my father was really dead, even though his corpse could still walk and talk a little. Visiting him was a pointless sacrifice; like any dead person, he was beyond the possibility of doing anything for him. So I decided not to see him again. If asked to take care of his corpse every day, I would have flatly refused.
  Why do many people go to such lengths to care for a demented parent who is hardly even aware of them? There is unwillingness to face the facts of loss: they don't recognize that their sacrifice is pointless, because they can't bring themselves to accept that the person they loved is dead. The breathing, defecating "living" corpse superficially resembles that parent, and looks so lifelike that they can believe that person is still alive. (This calls to mind the ancient Egyptian mummification of corpses.) Even when they start to recognize that the labor is pointless, they have trouble feeling completely certain.
  I am sorry for their loss, because anyone's death is a great loss, but they need to face the facts and stop clinging to the corpse. It's not a disloyalty to recognize that someone you loved is dead, and not a disloyalty to let the corpse be buried. You can remember the deceased, and honor that memory, in other ways.
  23 July 2012 (Shortage of school places in London)London faces a shortage of school places due to population growth.
  Instead of planning for growth, the government should plan to discourage births.
  23 July 2012 (Assets in tax havens)Tax havens may store 13 trillion dollars in assets.
  This leads to underestimates of economic inequality. The tax loss to debtor countries could be enough to get them out of debt.
  23 July 2012 (TEPCO subcontractor)A TEPCO subcontractor told workers to cover their radiation dosimiters with lead so as to falsely report their exposure.
  What is amazing is that some of them obeyed this order, which means they risked damage to their health. They must have felt very intimidated by the employer.
  23 July 2012 (BP's latest ad campaign)BP's latest advertising campaign presents it as the "spirit of the Gulf [of Mexico]".
  Maybe this signifies that food in the Gulf Coast today contains a little toxic something from a BP oil well.
  23 July 2012 (Universal health care)A right-wing American moved to Canada and learned to appreciate universal health care.
  I must denounce her opposition to abortion. While abortion is no pleasure, it does less harm on the average (to the woman or the world) than having a baby. And if you have a baby today, it will reach adulthood in a world probably entering disaster.
  23 July 2012 (War on Drugs driving spread of HIV)The War on Drugs is driving the spread of HIV.
  23 July 2012 (US needs better gun control)The Colorado shooting spree demonstrates that the US needs better gun control.
  This is not so much to prevent shooting sprees like this one, since they amount to few deaths in the US (less than 100 a year, I think). Rather, it is to prevent all the other shootings, which kill some 30,000 people a year in the US (based on the statistics in this article). Stricter gun control laws could put a dent in that.
  23 July 2012 (Danger of Shell's drilling plans)One of Shell's Arctic drilling ships came loose from its anchor in harbor, and drifted onto the beach. Following the normal behavior pattern of those that think they enjoy impunity, Shell seems to have subsequently tried to deny part of the events.
  This accident may not indicate Shell was particularly careless; such accidents do happen with ships. Either way, it shows that Shell's drilling plans are dangerous. Shell should not be allowed to drill in the Arctic Ocean, and neither should any other company.
  Meanwhile, every ship can be put out of action due to accidents, especially in bad sea conditions. Thus, having just one ship to deal with oil spills, even if it is properly equipped and totally up to spec, is inherently inadequate.
  (That's even assuming that we had reliable methods for dealing with spills from undersea oil wells, which we do not.)
  23 July 2012 (Bank fraud enabled by regulators)Massive fraud by banks was enabled by promotion of the regulators who were supposed to stop it.
  Lie-bor and other scams too have resulted in a wave of lawsuits and criminal investigations. But we must look beyond the specific crimes and correct the conditions that bred them.
  23 July 2012 (Victory achieved by voting)Miners in West Virginia revolted in 1920 against a corporate-state alliance that enslaved them and worked them to death.
  The miners had every moral right to kill the "gun thugs" who had killed so many of them, and to resist the state's forces when those came to support the corporations. This conclusion simply applies the principles stated in the US Declaration of Independence.
  However, what achieved victory '-- for a few decades '-- was not shooting, but voting for candidates who were enthusiastically on the side of the many against the rich. Candidates determined to defeat oppression rather than make excuses for it. Candidates nothing like Romney or Obama.
  23 July 2012 (Cruelty in US border patrol)Gratuitous cruelty is rampant in the US border patrol. These thugs regularly torture illegal immigrants, sometimes to death, and enjoy total impunity.
  The true spirit of cruelty is the destruction of the water bottles that No More Deaths leaves so that border crossers won't die of thirst.
  I don't criticize the policy of not allowing everyone into the US (or whatever country). That is not the issue here.
  23 July 2012 (Fossil fuel industry)The fossil fuel companies are the world's public enemy number one.
  The present .8C of global heating has a bigger effect than was predicted, casting doubt on whether 2C of heating would cause disaster. But the world is on track to burn enough CO2 to reach 2C of heating in just 16 years.
  This means I might actually survive to be caught up in the disaster of global heating. And if you are young, you will almost surely see that disaster, unless you manage to defeat the fossil fuel industry soon.
  23 July 2012 (Iceberg from Greenland glacier)Iceberg Twice Manhattan's Size Breaks Off Greenland Glacier.
  This ice was floating, so its subsequent melting won't change sea level. But the faster flow of the glacier will add to sea level rise.
  23 July 2012 (Romney's lack of honesty)Romney's contradictory statements about his role in Bain reflect a general lack of honesty in US financial circles, including contempt for reports to the SEC.
  In claiming to be a devout Mormon, Romney demonstrates another form of hypocrisy.
  23 July 2012 (Federal spending myths)Four federal spending myths that Republicans spread.
  Namely, that the current US deficit is a big problem, that military spending has been cut, that government health insurance is more expensive than private insurance, and that Obama's health care bill will cause a big budgetary problem.
  The problem with Obama's health care bill is that it isn't going to save a lot of money. It would take a national health program to do that.
  23 July 2012 (Republicans vote to cut OHSA funding)Republicans voted to cut funding for OHSA and block new programs for safety in additional work areas.
  23 July 2012 (Lost Iraq reconstruction funds)SIGIR estimates that 6 to 8 billion in funds for Iraq reconstruction were lost to waste, fraud and abuse due to careless accounting.
  Lots more were wasted in other ways, such as building projects that were ill-conceived and never functioned.
  23 July 2012 (Canada's global heating reputation)A Canadian senate report concluded, in effect, that Canada must do more to gain a reputation for concern about global heating in order to succeed in selling all its extreme oil and bringing about a global heating disaster.
  22 July 2012 (Urgent: Oppose Mountaintop Removal)US citizens: call for an end to mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia.
  High levels of toxins have been found in the water in the vicinity of mountaintop removal mines.
  22 July 2012 (Urgent: Support Protection Against Intrusive Species)US citizens: call your congresscritter to support HR5864, to increase protection against intrusive species that can be damaging.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  22 July 2012 (Mountaintop Removal Toxins)A government study found lots of toxic chemicals in the vicinity of mountaintop-removal coal mining.
  The people who live in these areas gain next to nothing from the mining (since it employs few people), and they are fighting to stop it.
  Someone should tell Orem that companies are not citizens, not even under the Corporations United decision. And they don't want to be citizens. Rather, they want the rights of citizens without the duties.
  22 July 2012 (HSBC allowed trade sanctions violation)HSBC knowingly kept open the bank accounts suspected of money laundering and that violated trade sanctions.
  One can question whether a bank should be allowed to close an account because it "looks suspicious", but violating the trade sanctions is more clear cut. It is clear that HSBC sought the income from these accounts.
  22 July 2012 (Correa pardons journalists for libel)After President Correa got convictions of Ecuadorian journalists for printing false accusations against him, he pardoned them.
  The pardons do not justify laws that make libel a crime, but it does mean that Correa personally is not the demon that the corporate media claim.
  21 July 2012 (Prostitutes afraid to carry condoms)Across the US, thugs make prostitutes afraid to carry condoms.
  We ended the prohibition of alcohol, which was unjust and harmful. The prohibition of prostitution is likewise unjust and harmful, and must be repealed. If you don't like prostitution, nobody forces you to do it.
  21 July 2012 (Solution to mortgage crisis)A local government solution to the mortgage crisis makes the banksters very worried.
  21 July 2012 (Libya's militias)Libya held an election, but can its government restrain the violent militias?
  21 July 2012 (Anti-HIV drugs in Africa)Anti-HIV drugs in Africa cost much less than was previously estimated, and they reduce the rate of new infections too.
  21 July 2012 (Urgent: Oppose "3 strikes" law in Massachusetts)Citizens of Massachusetts: ask Governor Patrick to oppose the "3 strikes" law.
  21 July 2012 (Urgent: Improve cybersecurity bill)US citizens: call your senators to support further privacy rights protections in the cybersecurity bill, but to oppose the bill unless it is improved.
  Also sign this petition.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  21 July 2012 (UK riot murder trial)The ban on showing a BBC program about the riots was to avoid prejudicing a murder trial, which has now ended.
  The judge in this trial accused a very high thug official of lying in court.
  Thugs are accustomed to bearing false witness against others. I wonder if any of them will be prosecuted for this.
  21 July 2012 (Murder of environmental activists)When environmental activists in the Philippines are murdered, the state looks the other way.
  21 July 2012 (Shell can't handle Arctic oil spills)Shell was unable to get its act together to prepare a ship to try to deal with Arctic Ocean oil spills.
  This is not to mention that the ship would only be able to do this job in the most favorable conditions.
  21 July 2012 (New York environmental official)New York State's environmental official in charge of fracking (and all mining) says that CO2 emissions are "beneficial".
  21 July 2012 (Huge profits and minimum wage)Big Corporations Are Making Huge Profits While Keeping Their Employees Stuck At Minimum Wage.
  21 July 2012 (US citizens killed by US drones)Relatives of US citizens killed by US drones have sued the government.
  21 July 2012 (Pussy Riot denied bail)Putin's repressive judges denied bail to the three protest musicians in the band Pussy Riot.
  21 July 2012 (New Senate cybersecurity bill)The new Senate cybersecurity bill is less dangerous than the old one, but might still have nasty effects, such as allowing ISPs to block TOR.
  21 July 2012 (Obama goes beyond prosecuting whistleblowers)Obama's response to whistleblowers goes far beyond prosecuting them. It is accompanied by many strict measures to prevent anyone from showing the public what the government is doing.
  21 July 2012 (Thug's violent background concealed)London thugs went to great efforts to conceal Harwood's background of unjustified violence. In fact, they played games to keep him on the thug force despite being punished for that.
  21 July 2012 (Welfare recipients denied right)Welfare recipients in the UK are supposed to be allowed to record when they are tested for fitness to work, but they are being denied this right based on absurd excuses.
  This fits with the perverse nature of the entire activity. What difference does it make if someone is theoretically able to work, when there are no jobs available? Would it be better if he got one of those jobs and left someone else jobless instead?
  These tests are evidently meant as an excuse to crush the poor, and the company carrying out the tests is simply taking account of that real mission when it judges people to harshly and denies them the right to record.
  21 July 2012 (US navy's biofuel project)Republicans want to kill the US navy's biofuel project.
  Unlike some biofuel projects, this one uses waste and algae, not crops. It is a useful approach, and subsidizing it in the early days could be the way to get production started.
  That alone does not prove this project is well-designed, or even honest. But I can't see who in Washington we could trust on that question. Any politician that opposes the plan is most likely doing so in order to help the oil companies.
  21 July 2012 (How the Libor Lies were possible)How the Libor Lies were possible: banks say what interest rate they would borrow at, but are not required to borrow at that rate.
  This sounds just like what enabled JP Morgan to cheat California on electric rates: it said it would sell electricity for a certain price, then avoided actually doing so.
  In other words, these systems assume banksters are honest. What suckers!
  21 July 2012 (Syrian rebels gaining)Syrian rebels are gaining military strength, and territory.
  21 July 2012 (Self-immolation in Israel)Moshe Silman set himself on fire in Tel Aviv to protest the government policies that left him unable to afford both his rent and his medical bills.
  21 July 2012 (Berlin social center occupied)Retired people in Berlin have occupied their social center, which the local authority has sold to a developer.
  21 July 2012 (CBS global heating denier)CBS's "weather expert" is a global heating denier.
  21 July 2012 (Regulation of face recognition)The EFF calls for regulation of face recognition, such as requiring a court order for its use.
  21 July 2012 (Republican voter-suppression)Up to 10 million poor US voters could be disenfranchised by Republican voter-suppression.
  The ID office that opens only 4 days a year demonstrates the malicious spirit of these laws. Disenfranchising the poor is their purpose, not a byproduct, as a Pennsylvania Republican admitted.
  21 July 2012 (Secret GPS tracking of car renters)A European car rental company was fined for secret GPS tracking of its customers.
  This is a small first step, but more is needed. Many (all?) GM cars have built-in cell phones by which they can be tracked. I think Zipcar tracks everywhere the car goes (can someone find out for certain)?
  21 July 2012 ("Palestinian Gandhi")Western pundits and media bemoan the lack of a "Palestinian Gandhi" but disregard the prisoners who mount hunger strikes.
  20 July 2012 (Urgent: Support FDA whistleblowers)US citizens: phone your congresscritter in support of the FDA whistleblowers who told Congress that the FDA was ignoring evidence that certain drugs were dangerous.
  For more information: whistleblowers.org, but I can't recommend you sign your name there, since it requires nonfree Javascript to work.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  20 July 2012 (Urgent: Visas for two Afghan Peace Volunteers)US citizens: call on the State Department to grant visas to two Afghan Peace Volunteers.
  More info.
  20 July 2012 (Lie detector tests for sex offenders)The UK will require sex offenders to take "lie detector" tests.
  "Lie detectors" don't really detect lies; they detect anxiety. It looks like all the reported benefits of performing these tests come from the convicts' expectation that the tests will work.
  It might be a useful practice nonetheless.
  20 July 2012 (Urgent: Arms Trade treaty)US citizens: tell the US government to stop obstructing the arms trade treaty.
  20 July 2012 (Urgent: Remove cap on social security tax)US citizens: sign this petition to remove the cap on social security tax.
  20 July 2012 (Urgent: Petition against targeted killings)US citizens: sign the ACLU's petition against illegal targeted killings.
  20 July 2012 (Charges against John Brennan dropped)John Brennan, who stripped to protest the TSA's naked body scanners, had his charges dropped. The judge ruled this was legitimate political speech under Oregon law. I don't know whether the same would apply in the rest of the US.
  20 July 2012 (Broadcaster accused of insurrection)A Cambodian broadcaster who supported protests has been accused of "insurrection".
  20 July 2012 (US drought getting worse)The US drought is getting worse, which means an agricultural disaster.
  In a few decades, this sort of drought will be normal, so US agricultural production will go way down.
  20 July 2012 (Protest leaders charged with "terrorism")Ecuador has brought absurd charges against 24 indigenous protest leaders '-- most commonly "terrorism".
  It is disappointing to find Ecuador following the US lead.
  20 July 2012 (EFF challenges U SAP AT RIOT act)The EFF is challenging the constitutionality of the secrecy part of the U SAP AT RIOT act's massive FBI surveillance provisions.
  20 July 2012 ("If you have nothing to hide...")Debunking The Dangerous "If You Have Nothing To Hide, You Have Nothing To Fear".
  I can add an additional point: the state denies that this argument is valid when applied to the state's own activities
  20 July 2012 (Indian workers released from Bahrain)Bahrain has allowed 100 Indian workers to leave after 6 years of being effectively detained for quitting their jobs.
  India should refuse to allow Indian citizens to work in Bahrain until it changes the law that forbids foreign workers from quitting and going home.
  20 July 2012 (Evidence in Tremseh suggests battle)Evidence on the ground in Tremseh suggest a battle between the Syrian army and rebels, not a massacre of civilians.
  However, the fact that UN observers were kept out of the area for a considerable time after the events means the possibility of a cover-up can't be ruled out.
  20 July 2012 (Civilian casualties from drone attacks)The New America Foundation publishes an inaccurate list of casualties from drone attacks, one which omits civilian casualties.
  20 July 2012 (Indian fisherman fired at by US navy)An Indian fisherman on the boat that the USNS Rappahannock fired at says he knows what sort of warnings US navy ships give, and there was none this time.
  20 July 2012 (13 billion dollars spent)The US national security complex cost only 13 billion dollars last year, but managed to label 26 million documents "top secret".
  20 July 2012 (UK gov't spending cuts dangerous)Even the IMF says that the UK government's spending cuts are dangerous.
  So who are they making the cuts for?
  20 July 2012 (Regulation on use of face recognition)Senator Franken calls for regulation of the use of face recognition.
  I agree.
  20 July 2012 (Nokia's sell-out a big loss)Nokia's sell-out to Microsoft has turned into a big loss.
  This is good, but we need to get Apple too. And then we need to get the Android devices that can't be rooted.
  20 July 2012 (UK thug acquitted of manslaughter)The thug who apparently killed Ian Tomlinson, a passerby at a protest that was besieged, was acquitted. This jury seems to have had some doubt about whether Tomlinson's death was caused by the attack. Other thugs supported his testimony.
  Since thugs generally lie for each other, the testimony of a thug about what happened at a protest is always worthless. Other people sometimes lie, but they are rarely habituated to lying like a thug.
  20 July 2012 (US drought and rising food prices)The US drought (probably related to global heating) has pushed food prices to a level comparable with 2008, but the real problem is worse than that.
  Making biofuel by growing crops that compete with food is an absurd waste, and the practice should be ended immediately.
  Most Americans should also eat less meat, both to reduce the burden on the Earth and for their health.
  20 July 2012 (UK accused of withholding evidence)Lawyers for torture victims accuse the UK of withholding evidence about it.
  The US does this too, but has done it so long and so thoroughly that it no longer makes news.
  For the first time, one of Dubya's torture supporters faces consequences: embarrassment he might not care about.
  This is not enough. Torture is a heinous crime, and everyone who is responsible for US official torture policies, from Dubya on down, ought to be prosecuted.
  20 July 2012 (Prohibition of marijuana)Another treaty that must be abolished is the one that requires prohibition of marijuana.
  20 July 2012 (US demonizes single parents)While civilized and kind countries enable single parents to get by, the US demonizes them.
  Meanwhile, the malign Christian interference with US real sex education, birth control, and abortion increases the number of single parents. US cruelty gets women coming and going, as it were.
  19 July 2012 (Urgent: Tell Congress to decline Hollywood payoffs)US citizens: tell Congress to stop accepting payoffs from Hollywood in the form of movie cameos and stop supporting the nasty laws Hollywood wants.
  19 July 2012 (Urgent: India's forests)Citizens of India: tell the Prime Minister to stop giving away India's forests to be cut down for coal mining.
  19 July 2012 (Russia adopts law to shut web sites)Russia adopted a law to shut web sites if they are "harmful to children". I think the site does not get a trial before it is shut.
  Of course, they won't shut the web sites that do harm large numbers of children, by selling them toys and candy. But they might stretch this to shut political web sites.
  This is not as bad as SOPA, which was rejected in the US, but it is still unacceptable.
  19 July 2012 (Beneficiaries of US "food aid")The main beneficiaries of US "food aid" programs are three giant agribusiness companies. I am not convinced that it is bad to give hungry people food, as opposed to giving them cash to buy food. The local elites would try to divert the cash; is there an effective solution to prevent this?
  Nor is it necessarily bad for the state to support farmers by buying their surplus for use as aid. (The surplus could be cheap, if the government looks for a good price, but this program seems to pay a high price.) However, that is only a good thing when it supports many small farms. Supporting big companies is not a valid goal.
  The US could certainly buy the food for aid in a way that supports farmers rather than the largest companies.
  19 July 2012 (Food banks springing up in UK)The UK government is hurting the poor so badly that food banks have sprung up in many cities.
  19 July 2012 (Mexican presidential election)The winner in Mexico's presidential election was accused of money laundering for his campaign.
  There is already evidence he bought favorable TV news coverage.
  19 July 2012 (US families made miserable)US families '-- those that are not broke '-- are made miserable by all their possessions, especially the piles of toys that are used for a short time and then ignored.
  19 July 2012 (Romney lied about conflict of interest)It is clear that Romney lied in a required financial disclosure form when he asserted he was no longer involved in Bain "in any way".
  President Clinton lied about an event of no public significance, not speaking under penalties of perjury, and he was impeached for this. Romney lied about a conflict of interest. Prosecute him!
  19 July 2012 (Apple censors game)Apple censored a game for the iThings called Angry Syrians, which is a political parody of Angry Birds.
  If Apple had accepted the game, it would have been unethical because it would have been proprietary. But Apple doesn't mind that. Rather, Apple said it was "defamatory or offensive" '-- to the dictator Assad, apparently.
  19 July 2012 (Militias in Libya)The government of Libya has held an election, but militias continue to rampage around the country, arbitrarily arresting, then torturing and even killing prisoners.
  19 July 2012 (Political crisis in Romania)A political crisis in Romania: the EU accused the prime minister of an unconstitutional power grab, an attempt to change the rules for removing the president from office.
  If the IMF-imposed austerity program was "effective", that probably means it was effective for making people suffer. Indeed, a friend in Romania says that the president, when his party was in power, cut pensions, cut education, cut medicine (and that 12000 doctors have left the country), taught religion in schools, and stole lots of money. However, he says that the prime minister's party is corrupt too.
  I hope Romania does break its deal with the IMF. IMF "rescues" oppress the people of the country they are made with.
  19 July 2012 (JP Morgan cheated California citizens)JP Morgan cheated the citizens of California by getting paid not to generate electricity.
  The system was stupidly designed, just waiting to be targeted by a clever cheat. But that does not excuse the cheats.
  19 July 2012 (Wikileaks credit card payments)Wikileaks has found a way to receive credit card payments, thanks to a special contracts set up by the French credit card processing system that say no merchant can be arbitrarily cut off.
  The whole world needs to establish such rights as a matter of law. However, it's possible that the US will bully Visa and Mastercard into breaking their contracts with Carte Bleu.
  19 July 2012 (Public spaces)The Rise and Fall and Rise of Great Public Spaces.
  19 July 2012 (Bomb in Bulgaria hit civilians)A bomb exploded in a bus filled with Israeli tourists in Bulgaria, apparently meant for murder of civilians.
  The Iranian regime has carried out plenty of atrocities (mostly against Iranians, but some against Israelis), so it might be responsible. Nonetheless, it is would be a mistake to jump to a hurried conclusion about responsibility for this bombing.
  Meanwhile, this wrong should not distract us from the much larger wrong of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the siege of Gaza.
  19 July 2012 (UK court in favor of preemptive arrests)In an astounding blow against human rights, a UK court ruled in favor of preemptive arrests of potential protesters.
  Apparently the thugs are allowed to make advance plans to arrest anyone "preventively" without any court approval, let alone charges.
  This is a sad day for human rights in the UK.
  19 July 2012 (Syrian rebel attack)A Syrian rebel attack killed two of Assad's principal henchmen.
  I don't think their death is any loss to the world, but I worry about where the rebels got their arms '-- and what that will mean if the rebels win.
  19 July 2012 (Anti-sharing group refused to pay artist)An anti-sharing group used a musician's work commercially and persistently resisted paying him.
  This group no doubt says that sharing music is theft because the musicians don't get any money. (Not mentioning that in most cases they wouldn't get any money if you bought their records.)
  19 July 2012 (Urgent: Pardon for Peter Sunde)Everyone: support Peter Sunde's petition for a pardon.
  19 July 2012 (AT&T attacks network neutrality)AT&T attacks network neutrality by trying to charge specially for use of a particular communications application.
  The FCC's network neutrality code is too weak, and anyway it makes a special exception to be even weaker for cell phone networks. True network neutrality means ISPs should not monitor or filter your traffic unless it breaks the network.
  19 July 2012 (Iraq's Cybercrimes Law)Human Rights Watch: Iraq's Cybercrimes Law Violates Free Speech.
  This shows what sort of freedom Dubya gave Iraq.
  19 July 2012 (Saudi web site editor)A Saudi web site editor faces charges for allowing public debate.
  19 July 2012 (Doctor visiting Pakistan shot)A doctor who was visiting Pakistan to give polio vaccination was shot, apparently by an Islamist fanatic.
  The Pakistani Taliban are effectively holding thousands of children of their own people hostage to demand an end to drone attacks. Whatever one thinks of these drone attacks, and the US' policies that may amount to war crimes, it can't justify this.
  Christian fanatics in Britain are denying other children access to vaccination. They make the ridiculous claim that their students don't have sex.
  19 July 2012 (Web site privacy policies)For typical Americans, actually reading privacy policies of web sites they use in a year would take 76 work days.
  It is not a problem for me. I almost never read any of these privacy policies, because even when they seem to say the company won't do something, it has a subtle loophole. Meanwhile, the US government can collect all the data with the U SAP AT RIOT act. So I just assume every privacy policy says, "We will use your data in ways you don't like."
  I maintain my privacy by generally not giving any personal information to web sites I visit.
  The main exception is when I want to identify myself to the public, such as by posting a comment. I don't want privacy for the comment I post.
  18 July 2012 (Urgent: Reduce military spending)US citizens: phone your congresscritter to support amendments to reduce military spending '-- such as Barbara Lee's amendment '-- then vote against the spending bill.
  You can also support a somewhat weaker amendment to reduce military spending through this page.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  18 July 2012 (Israel right-wing policies)For decades, Israel's governments have used the occupation and "security" as cover for right-wing policies that impoverish most Israelis.
  They don't suffer as much as Palestinians, but still, it shows that the occupation of Palestine by Israel is accompanied by the occupation of Israel by the rich.
  The Israeli wall was supposedly for the sake of "security", but if security had been the real goal, Israel could have built it on the frontier. Court cases and other evidence prove its real goal was annexation all along.
  18 July 2012 (Israeli laws)Israelis were arrested for painting over (erasing) racist "price tag" threats against Palestinians.
  The occupation and its effects are turning the Israeli government into systematic dishonesty, twisting laws into tools for political bias.
  There are some exceptions, though. Nathan-Zada should have been prosecuted for murder, not lynched, and the prosecution of those who lynched him is the right thing to do, even though perhaps it is being done for the wrong reasons.
  18 July 2012 (Israeli soldiers lock up Hebron)Israeli soldiers locked up the market of Hebron and used percussion grenades to push the people around in it, and inside homes as well.
  18 July 2012 (Israel imprisonment without trial)Israel announced it will release the speaker of the Palestinian parliament from imprisonment without trial.
  However, another member of parliament was just arrested.
  18 July 2012 (Israel breaks promise to US)Israel promised the US 10 years ago to demolish the unauthorized settlement "outpost" of Givat Sal'it, but now it is planning to extend it instead.
  I think this is one reflection of the general fact that Obama is more subservient to the Israeli government than Dubya was. Dubya could openly say no to Israel; Obama does not dare.
  The government has also restored financial subsidies to some of these colonies that it had pledged to withdraw.
  18 July 2012 (Urgent: Call on EPA to be firm with Shell)US citizens: call on the EPA not to make an exception to air pollution rules for Shell's drilling in Arctic waters.
  Apparently Shell has been lying to the EPA for 2 years, planning to get an exception at the last minute.
  18 July 2012 (Israel breaks promises)Israel makes deals but doesn't keep them. It promised to allow family visits for prisoners from Gaza, but it only allows them for 25 prisoners, "experimentally".
  And they can't see their children.
  18 July 2012 (Links to Olympic Committee web site)The 2012 Olympic Committee's web site claims that you're not allowed to link to their site if you say something unkind about them. This has inspired lots of creative defiance.
  It is unfortunate that the writers of this site use the sloppy term "intellectual property" to describe this.
  The Olympics impose a wide range of harmful policies, which is why I urge people in Madrid, Tokyo and Istanbul to organize against holding the 2020 Olympics there.
  Some (not all) of these policies concern one of the dozen-odd unrelated laws that some people speak of as "intellectual property"; but it is misleading to lump them together using that term. For instance, this link policy is not based on any of those laws. (Or any existing law, for that matter.)
  The only thing these policies have in common is the Olympics.
  18 July 2012 (Talk of West Bank annexation)Israeli politicians are talking about annexation of the West Bank.
  A government-sponsored report even denies that the West Bank is occupied by Israel and that Palestinians have a right to their land.
  What would then happen to Palestinians? Would they be given Israeli citizenship, or exiled from their homes?
  Perhaps this article shows the answer: Israeli soldiers have joined openly in the practice of destroying Palestinian farms, which formerly the colonists in the "settlements" did (though the state did nothing to stop them).
  And when the UN provides tents to Palestinian families whose houses Israel has demolished, Israel calls this "illegal construction".
  Israelis were arrested for painting over (erasing) racist slogans threatening violence against Palestinians.
  For the sake of kicking Palestinians out of the West Bank, the Israeli government is converting rule of law into rule of the bully.
  The European Parliament condemned this and warned sanctions may follow.
  What a contrast with Obama.
  18 July 2012 (US War on Drugs)The War on Drugs has crushed millions of people's lives but failed to block the entry of illegal drugs; however, American drug users are mostly switching to prescription drugs, rendering the War on Drugs irrelevant as well as ineffective.
  I'm afraid this will mean a War on the Hurt. Americans who suffer from pain already sometimes have trouble getting medicine to treat it, thanks to the first campaign against the Hurt. It will get worse. Meanwhile, those who suffer from chronic pain will meet with systematic suspicion. The US government already practices torture; why not torture them too?
  A person can decide not to use cocaine and heroin, but nobody can decide not to get injured. Nobody can decide not to need surgery. Nobody can decide not to develop a chronic pain condition. We Americans must organize now to block the War on the Hurt before it tortures us.
  18 July 2012 (Indian fishermen attacked by US navy)Indian fishermen, whose boat a US naval ship fired at, say they were given no warning.
  18 July 2012 (Urgent: Tell Verizon To Respect)In the US: tell Verizon to respect users' freedom of speech, not censor them.
  18 July 2012 (Urgent: US Citizens)US citizens: Tell the NOAA not to allow an oil survey that would be done using airguns in the sea, which would injure whales with their loud noises.
  We can't afford to burn that oil anyway, so there is no point looking for it.
  18 July 2012 (Urgent: Release Rikhawi, al-Barq and Safadi)Call on Israel to release Akram Rikhawi, Samer al-Barq and Hassan Safadi, who are on hunger strike against imprisonment without trial.
  18 July 2012 (Cruelty To The Poor)Republicans '-- including state governors '-- attack Obama for giving states more leeway to provide aid to poor families.
  This demonstrates that the Republicans' goal is to be cruel to the poor, and their arguments about states' rights are just an excuse.
  18 July 2012 (The Gates Foundation)The Gates Foundation is funding the development of patented GMOs for Africa, which would make African farmers dependent, if they could afford them at all.
  18 July 2012 (Bush/Blair Iraq war memo)A UK minister plans to veto a court decision in favor of publishing one of the memos where Dubya and B'liar talked about attacking Iraq.
  18 July 2012 (BBC program on riots banned)A judge banned a BBC program which presents rioters' own statements and did not say why.
  18 July 2012 (Government spending myths)Four Biggest Government Spending Myths Debunked.
  18 July 2012 (French overtime tax)France will restore the tax on companies that have workers work overtime, to push them to hire more employees instead.
  I think this policy makes sense. The fact that Sarkozy cancelled it is also suggestive that it was a good policy before, since his goal was to help companies and weaken workers.
  18 July 2012 (Creationism in UK schools)The UK government approved three schools that plan to teach creationism.
  18 July 2012 (Youth In Malian)Youth in Malian towns ruled by Islamist extremists are starting counter-rebellions.
  18 July 2012 (Banks and drug traffickers)HSBC admits letting Mexican drug traffickers launder billions of dollars.
  I've read that many banks do this, because that's the only way they can get enough money to stay afloat. Thus, if we end the War on Drugs, as we need to do, we will take the banksters down a peg too.
  18 July 2012 (EU to push for "open access")The European Union will push for "open access" scientific publishing.
  I hope that they don't omit the crucial requirement of allowing redistribution and reuse of scholarly articles. That was part of the definition of "open access" in the Budapest Open Access Initiative, but more recent discussion often forgets this point since the word "access" encourages focusing on the secondary question of who can get the articles from the publisher's own site.
  18 July 2012 (UK: Squatting)Now that squatting in abandoned buildings is a crime in the UK, young people who reject a life of rent and debt are trying to squat on land and farm it.
  18 July 2012 (US: Small Military Bases)The US is setting up dozens of small military bases around the world, each one prepared to expand in a hurry.
  They are supposed to prepare for the wars that they might provoke.
  18 July 2012 (Romney Campaign Ad Censored)A Romney campaign ad was censored by a bogus copyright claim.
  18 July 2012 (Apps and web sites addictive)Apps and web sites are designed to be addictive '-- society should recognize this as a problem to be corrected.
  The problem goes deeper than he recognizes, since nonfree software is part of it.
  18 July 2012 (Technology)Technology as such is not the cause of widespread poverty and unemployment in developed countries. Rather, the rich set political policies that took advantage of technological changes to divert wealth and power to the rich.
  18 July 2012 (Syrian Rebels)Syrian rebels have taken parts of Damascus and are holding them against Assad's army.
  This makes it clear that the rebels have received lots of arms from outside. I wonder which rebel faction they are '-- Salafists supported by Saudi Arabia?
  18 July 2012 (Cut Military Spending)The American public want to cut military spending.
  Republican politicians, however, are horrified by the idea. Is that because of the money they get from the military-industrial complex that a general, subsequently a Republican president, warned us about?
  18 July 2012 (Police )The Brand Police are crawling over London, and may even restrict the clothing that spectators wear.
  I think the people who wear clothes with commercial messages (or even prominent brand insignia) are suckers, and their doing so increases the power of these brands, which is socially harmful. However, banning some of this in one place for branding reasons is hardly the way to oppose the power of brands.
  18 July 2012 (Abortion Rights)Terms such as "abortion" and "morning after pill" play into the hands of the opponents of abortion rights.
  I think the point is valid, but the article doesn't suggest an alternative to "abortion". (It sometimes uses the term "development prevention", which could be seen as an implicit suggestion of that term, but that doesn't seem like a very good term.) Any suggestions?
  I also agree with the point that the "consumer frame" is not effective for defending people's rights.
  18 July 2012 (New York thugs confiscate condoms)New York thugs confiscate condemns from prostitutes, and prosecutors cite them as evidence. This has the effect of pressuring prostitutes to risk getting and transmitting HIV.
  Prostitution ought to be legalized anyway. There is no excuse for banning it, and the ban only does harm.
  18 July 2012 (Your Email)ACLU: Your Boss Shouldn't Read Your Email.
  I should add, neither should the state (whether it is your boss or not).
  18 July 2012 (Article)Democrats are hypocrites on outsourcing.
  However, Romney says he wants to make it even worse.
  The first article's specific points are valid and well stated, but I disagree with some background assumptions. For instance, the article equates "capitalism" to the present system in which business dominates government (i.e., the empire of the megacorporations). The US in the 60s and 70s was capitalist, but business did not dominate government as it does now. As a result, many laws were passed to do what the people wanted over the opposition of big business. That was democracy at work, which is what we now lack.
  Thus, what I seek is not "an alternative to capitalism" but rather restoration of democracy (along with capitalism).
  This is why I support Jill Stein for president.
  18 July 2012 (Barclays)A former Barclays executive says former CEO Diamond (who was in a lesser executive role at the time) ordered him to falsify the Libor information, and that Diamond said he was asked by the Bank of England.
  18 July 2012 (Activists)Greenpeace activists protesting Shell's dangerous plans to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean have shut down Shell gas stations in London and Edinburgh.
  18 July 2012 (Modified Mosquitos)Genetically modified mosquitos, whose children do not develop to adulthood (because they can't get tetracycline), could wipe out dengue fever.
  I think the approach is basically legitimate, and if the use of the antibiotic tetracycline in livestock might enable a few of these modified mosquitos to survive one generation, that can be prevented through something that is necessary anyway: to ban the widespread use of antibiotics in livestock.
  However, the company should be required to release any and all information about these mosquitos that is considered relevant to public health.
  18 July 2012 (TEPCO)2/3 of the citizens who asked to speak in a meeting in Sendai (damaged by the tsunami) opposed nuclear power. Of the 9 chosen to speak, one was an employee of TEPCO.
  Such coincidences happen, but I wonder what fraction of the speakers reflected the general attitude of the applicants.
  18 July 2012 (Protest in Tokyo)Over 100,000 protested in Tokyo against restarting nuclear reactors.
  Tens of thousands protest weekly outside the home of Japan's prime minister.
  18 July 2012 (UK flood defense budget cut)UK budget cuts included planned flood defenses; the result is millions in damage that was avoidable.
  The budget cuts were a misguided policy in general, since they have caused worse recession, and the jobs that were not done are often important (as in this case).
  17 July 2012 (EPEAT does not cover Apple iThings)Although Apple has joined EPEAT again, it does not cover the iThings '-- only the Macintosh.
  17 July 2012 (Kindness encourages kindness)Kindness releases oxytocin, which feels good and encourages kindness.
  This suggests that my proposal for making it easy to send voluntary small payments to artists will work well.
  17 July 2012 (US involvement with Honduras)The US gets more and more involved with the coup-installed regime in Honduras, supposedly for the "war on drugs", and now that regime plans to follow Mexico's bloody path.
  According to http://quotha.net/node/2292, there is no need for US government to hunt narcotraffickers at night in the countryside. It need only look at the elites behind the coup-installed government.
  17 July 2012 (FDA spied on its scientists)The FDA systematically spied on its scientists who were complaining to Congress about abuses in the FDA.
  17 July 2012 (US presidential debates rigged)Jill Stein debated Romney once, and did very well. But she won't be in the presidential debates, because they have been rigged by the Republican and Democratic parties to exclude all other candidates.
  17 July 2012 (Corporate media coverage of Keystone)In the corporate media, supporters of the Keystone XL pipeline are more visible than the critics.
  The reason surely has something to do with the ads from the oil companies.
  17 July 2012 (Tracking devices)"It's not my phone, it's my tracker."
  This is part of why I refuse to carry one.
  17 July 2012 (Israel wants to block UN agency)Israel wants to block the UN agency that helps Palestinians construct village facilities in the areas where Israel doesn't want them to have any such.
  17 July 2012 (Tuareg rebels' overtures to Mali gov't)Secular Tuareg rebels are making overtures to the government of Mali by saying they only want internal autonomy.
  17 July 2012 (UK thugs forcibly remove man from his home)A UK man forcibly removed from his home by thugs, apparently acting without legal authorization, has launched a private prosecution against them.
  17 July 2012 (Murder charges for suicide attempt)Bei Bei Shuai, who faces murder charges from theocratic officials for trying to commit suicide while pregnant, faces a further injustice: prosecutors are trying to punish her lawyer for requesting funds for her defense.
  17 July 2012 (US military in Africa)Who Decided? How Did the U.S. Military Get Into Africa.
  16 July 2012 (Urgent: Oppose "IP attach(C)" bill)US citizens: if your congresscritter is on the House Judiciary Committee, tell him that Lamar Smith's "IP attach(C)" bill is a bad thing.
  "Intellectual property" spreads confusion by lumping together a dozen unrelated laws. To be "for intellectual property" or "against intellectual property" is a foolish overgeneralization, and this bill is based on precisely such a foolish position.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  16 July 2012 (Pirate Bay charged under US orders)Peter Sunde explains how Sweden pressed charges against the Pirate Bay under the orders of the US, and then he was convicted of "crimes" that were not crimes, by judges with corrupt ties to the copyright industry.
  I am not sure whether advertising-supported unauthorized redistribution ought to be legal; I think of it as a borderline case. However, legal nonsense like this is intolerable. Swedes should demand that their government respect the rights of the citizens of Sweden.
  If that means declaring independence from the WTO, so much the better. The WTO is a murderous organization and must be destroyed.
  The dishonesty and subservience to the US in this case gives more reason to think that Sweden plans similar dishonesty with Julian Assange as well.
  16 July 2012 (NRA threatens ads against senators)NRA threatens to use unidentified political ads against senators who vote to limit unidentified political ads.
  By explicitly endorsing the Corporations United decision [spelling intentional], the NRA has set itself against the vast majority of Americans.
  16 July 2012 (Pfizer funding Heatland Institute)Pfizer stubbornly continues funding the Heatland institute [spelling intentional] even though it pretends that tobacco is not dangerous.
  16 July 2012 (Tremseh opposition fighters)The people killed in Tremseh, Syria, may have been opposition fighters rather than civilians.
  16 July 2012 (Chicago public schools)Rahm Emanuel is using Chicago's budget shortfall as an opportunity to privatize public schools and destroy the teachers' union.
  16 July 2012 (Spain taxing poor to reduce deficit)The Spanish government, under pressure for deficit reduction when what Spain needs is the opposite, felt compelled to raise taxes. So it raised the value-added tax, which falls mainly on the poor, rather than the income tax on the rich.
  16 July 2012 (ALEC pushes cigarette marketing)ALEC, the US corporate lobbying organization, is pressuring some other countries not to take steps against cigarette marketing.
  If the WTO indeed opposes these plans, that is yet another way that the WTO is a murderer and one of hundreds of reasons it must be terminated.
  As for whether this plan would reduce smoking, that is a good question, but we should not trust anything the tobacco companies (or their stooges) say about the question. On the contrary, if they seriously object to the plan, that suggests it might be effective. If they really believed it would backfire and help them, they would not really try to block it.
  16 July 2012 (UK thugs fabricate testimony)UK thugs fabricated testimony to justify arresting and holding Rizwaan Sabir, a graduate student, for documents he had obtained for his research (he was studying al Qa'ida).
  Thugs will be thugs, but the crucial point is that the charge they tried to frame Sabir on is an unjust law which effectively makes it a crime to be suspect.
  16 July 2012 (Overpopulation)A scientist's 90-minute theatrical presentation focuses on the damage that having 10 billion humans on Earth is likely to do.
  We need to prevent this from happening. One method that will help is by paying women under 25 to get sterilized.
  16 July 2012 (Problem of "IP Attach(C) Act")The fundamental problem of the "IP Attach(C) Act" is that it is based on the confusion embodied in the term "intellectual property".
  However, its details are bad too.
  16 July 2012 (Adaptive monitoring of chat sites)Facebook and other chat sites use adaptive monitoring to try to stop adults from meeting teenagers for sex.
  Normal teenagers don't use the net to talk with adult strangers. They mostly talk with people they know. Thus, the teenagers that an adult could pick up in a network chat are disturbed (probably due to family problems) and would like to meet adult strangers, one way or another.
  It hurts to live in a disfunctional family. I am not saying we shouldn't care about these teenagers' well-being, but rather that helping them requires addressing these family problems. Even better, preventing them '-- for instance, correcting the right-wing government policies that cause material problems, and therefore stress, for many US families would help a lot. Reducing the hysteria about the danger of the Internet might help too.
  Attempts to stop these teenagers from meeting someone to have a sexual adventure with are misguided since they don't address the underlying problem. They probably won't even be effective: if those teenagers can't flirt with adults in one way, they will do another way.
  16 July 2012 (Brown Lloyd James advised Assad)Wikileaks reveals that the US PR firm Brown Lloyd James continued offering Assad advice about improving his image through at least May 2011.
  15 July 2012 (Global Arms Trade Treaty)Will the NRA Kill a Global Arms Trade Treaty?
  15 July 2012 (Danger of solar storms)A powerful solar storm in 1921 destroyed substantial parts of the world's telephone networks. No subsequent storm has been so powerful, but there will surely be another someday.
  If a similar storm occurred now, it could destroy large parts of the power grid, destruction that would take a long time to reconstruct. Furthermore, nuclear power plants whose electronics are damaged by the storm could have meltdowns when their backup generators run out of fuel.
  For more information.
  15 July 2012 (Access to congressional reports)New Legislation Would Give Public Full Access to Congressional Reports.
  15 July 2012 (The guise of "protecting children")Citing the goal of "protecting children" (which shuts off the brain of many adults), Washington and Tennessee have laws making it a crime for a site to let users publish an advertisement for prostitution that "depicts a minor" (whether the site knows this or not).
  This law would require the same sort of massive vetting for all user-posted material that China recently imposed on online video.
  If states want to put an end to advertisement of child prostitution, there is no need to smash the Internet '-- a few undercover agents could easily arrest the pimps.
  15 July 2012 (Prosecution for insults)Even "free" countries prosecute "insulting" the head of state.
  Freedom of speech includes the freedom to insult anyone.
  15 July 2012 (Facebook "privacy settlement")The Facebook "privacy settlement" about using its users' faces in ads is so weakly written that it may not really allow users to opt out.
  However, some public interest groups that approve it will get substantial funds (substantial for them, not for Facebook).
  15 July 2012 (Witnesses in Tremseh were attacked)Witnesses in Tremseh say they were attacked by the Syrian army and the Shabiha thugs.
  15 July 2012 (Verizon's censorship)Freedom = Censorship? That's what Verizon says.
  15 July 2012 (Charge for charging)Stores in some US states will be allowed to charge extra for credit card purchases.
  I hope this encourages more people to use cash.
  15 July 2012 (Afghan leaders killed by suicide bomber)A suicide bomber attacked a wedding party in Afghanistan, killing a member of parliament as well as officers and politicians.
  I suppose relatives and other invitees were killed too.
  15 July 2012 (Fake photos and videos from Syrian opposition)The Syrian opposition generates fake photos and videos of supposed atrocities.
  15 July 2012 (Urgent: Health care for raped US soldiers)US citizens: tell the senate to make military health care cover abortions for soldiers that are raped.
  15 July 2012 (Syrian opposition sources)The people most quoted on behalf of the Syrian opposition have long-standing close relationships with Western institutions that have sought for years to get rid of Assad.
  15 July 2012 (Imprisoned for insulting king)Oman has imprisoned bloggers for insulting the king.
  15 July 2012 (Apple reverses decision to drop EPEAT)Apple reversed its decision to drop the environmental standard EPEAT. The article does not make it clear whether Apple will stop gluing the batteries into iThings. I gather that EPEAT requires this, but I can't tell whether Apple has decided to comply with the requirement or whether EPEAT has made an exception for Apple.
  15 July 2012 (The DISCLOSE Act)The DISCLOSE Act's delicate balance: protecting private citizens' anonymity while informing the public about election money laundering.
  15 July 2012 (Cheney raising funds for Romney)Cheney hosted a fund-raising event for Romney, but reporters were forbidden to photograph them together '-- Romney hopes to block the fact that they are associating from reaching most Americans' attention.
  It would be honest to take separate photos of the two of them at the even and publish them side by side, along with the news that a photo of the two together was banned.
  And maybe someone who was there defied this order and took such a photo anyway.
  15 July 2012 (Florida's voter-suppression laws)Sabu Williams tried to register voters in Florida on behalf of the NAACP, and was threatened with prosecution under Florida's voter suppression laws.
  15 July 2012 (Judge ordered to stop extortion racket)An Alabama judge ordered an end to the practice of jailing poor people for not paying fees in his town.
  They were charged additional fees for being jailed, which meant that they might never get out. The judge said that you could call it "debtor's prison" but it really is an extortion racket.
  15 July 2012 ("Sequestration" for spending)Progressive organizations and others oppose the "sequestration" for spending on civilian programs.
  This is the cut that was agreed on as part of the law that set up the supercommittee, because the supercommittee did not reach an agreement. Since Republicans have already proposed to overturn the military cuts, there is no reason to stand by the other cuts.
  There is no reason to undo the "sequestration" for military spending, because that has increased tremendously in the past 6 years.
  15 July 2012 (Ethiopian journalists and dissidents)Ethiopian journalists and opposition figures were sentenced to life in prison for ''conspiring with rebels''.
  This reminds me of the US government's accusation that Bradley Manning "aided the enemy" by informing us about what our government was doing.
  The Ethiopian government acts as a proxy army for the US and has full US government support. No wonder they use the same forms of dishonesty.
  15 July 2012 (Honduran thugs under DEA command)The US State Department says that the May 11 killers in Honduras were the responsibility of the Honduran thugs and mercenaries involved, and that the DEA agents were only their "advisors". However, the US ambassador there said that those Hondurans under direct DEA command. ''They basically work for the DEA.''
  The government in Honduras was installed by a military coup and represses journalists and dissidents.
  The presence of the DEA in Honduras is fishy in the first place, since, according to these writers, the main narcotraffickers are the elites that are behind the new government.
  Naturally the regime has the full support of the US, which may have helped organize the coup in the first place. A state like this has no moral legitimacy.
  15 July 2012 (Control of northern Mali)Secular Tuareg rebels couldn't stand rule by al Qa'ida, and split with them, but al Qa'ida defeated them and took total control of northern Mali.
  15 July 2012 (German ban on circumcising babies)Muslims and Christians are lobbying to overturn a German court decision that circumcision of babies violates their rights.
  I tend to agree that it is better to let them grow up and decide for themselves, but I don't have a strong position on the issue.
  15 July 2012 (UK gov't plans to wipe out habeas corpus)The UK government plans to wipe out habeas corpus with secret courts, so that anyone could be arrested and jailed at length, and not told why.
  15 July 2012 (Tanks and helicopters used against Tremseh)UN monitors confirm Syria used tanks and helicopters against the town of Tremseh just before a massacre in the town.
  They saw this from a distance, but the Syrian army did not allow them to enter the town to investigate the massacre.
  14 July 2012 (Urgent: Romney's income tax returns)Ask Romney: what are you hiding in the income tax returns you have not released?
  Here's background on the apparent conflict between what Romney says to the public and what he said in testimony.
  14 July 2012 (Response to Emily)Response to Emily -- the NPR music intern.
  14 July 2012 (Mexico's militarized war on drugs)Mexico's militarized war on drugs has resulted in more violence.
  14 July 2012 (Facebook political messages)Facebook sends political messages as coming from people who have clicked Like buttons.
  Facebook recently settled a lawsuit, promising to stop a very similar practice involving ads, but these political messages are not considered "ads" and Facebook continues to send them.
  14 July 2012 (Sued for libel)A science writer who was sued for libel writes about his experience.
  14 July 2012 (Class action suit against copyright trolls)A class action suit targets copyright trolls.
  14 July 2012 (Urgent: Support DISCLOSE act)US citizens: sign this emergency petition to the senate to support the DISCLOSE act.
  14 July 2012 (US secret assassination policy)US officials try to justify secret assassination policy. Here are refutations of their arguments.
  14 July 2012 (Urgent: Regulations against business abuses)US citizens: phone your congresscritter to support regulations against business abuses. Also sign this petition.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  14 July 2012 (San Onofre nuclear plant)The wear in the San Onofre nuclear power plant is much worse than we previously knew.
  14 July 2012 (Pushing rejected ACTA provisions)The European Commission bureaucrats seem inclined to push the rejected ACTA provisions in the proposed treaty with Canada.
  The current Canadian government is a complete sellout to business, and inclined to harm the public interest in several different areas including copyright.
  14 July 2012 (Foreign ''investment'' in Haiti)Foreign "investment" to Haiti does no good for Haitians; it is an investment in extraction.
  Part II.
  14 July 2012 (Yashar Khameneh)Iranian exile Yashar Khameneh posted text and drawings that criticize a historical Imam. Thugs in Iran took his father hostage, and threaten to execute him unless Yashar Khameneh takes down the page.
  It is a good thing that Khameneh cannot do that. I hope his father is not killed, but if the thugs gained their goal through this threat, that would be a defeat for freedom in Iran.
  The basic principle for dealing with hostage-takers is not to give them what they want. President Reagan betrayed his country by selling arms to Iran in exchange for release of hostages in Lebanon. Naturally, the effect was to encourage them to take more hostages. Taking down this page would have a similar effect.
  14 July 2012 (Wall Street's crimes in 2008)Wall Street's crimes in 2008 may be impossible to punish due to the statute of limitations, if the SEC does not act soon.
  Of course, the failure to prosecute them so far was Dubya's choice and then Obama's choice.
  14 July 2012 (Global fight for natural resources)Global Fight for Natural Resources 'Has Only Just Begun,' say Experts.
  I wish we could change US laws so that businesses have an incentive to hire workers to replace some material resources.
  14 July 2012 (Visa payments to Wikileaks)More information about the Iceland court case about Visa payments to Wikileaks.
  For Datacell, this is not just a business issue (though the cutoff of payment from its other customers caused damage to the business). The head of Datacell supports Wikileaks as an ethical cause, which is why he did not solve his own problem by abandoning Wikileaks.
  14 July 2012 (Mexico's government signs ACTA)Mexico's government signed ACTA even though its senate already voted to oppose it.
  I got mail from a Mexican saying that the president hopes that the new senators, to be elected, will ratify ACTA even though the present senators oppose it.
  13 July 2012 (Another bankster crime)Another bankster crime: charging higher interest rates to minority groups.
  13 July 2012 (US citizens barred from voting)Almost 6 million US citizens can't vote because of felony convictions. A substantial fraction of these people were imprisoned for possession of small amounts of drugs. Members of minority groups are much more likely to be arrested and charged for this. Thus, one byproduct of the "War on Drugs" is to systematically disenfranchise people from minority groups.
  13 July 2012 (Thugs in Madrid shoot protesters)Thugs in Madrid shot protesters at random with rubber bullets, injuring children and journalists as well as protesters.
  13 July 2012 (PayPal: copyright enforcer)PayPal has appointed itself a copyright enforcer by imposing restrictive conditions on sites it can pay.
  We need online payments from which nobody can be excluded under any conditions, just as nobody can be excluded from use of cash.
  13 July 2012 (Testing Arafat's body for polonium)The US and France are trying to pressure the Palestinian Authority into not exhuming Yasser Arafat's body to test for polonium poisoning.
  13 July 2012 (Congress wants to prosecute journalists)Congress wants to prosecute journalists who publish leaks.
  Iraq's new censorship law carries life imprisonment as a penalty for vaguely defined crimes.
  13 July 2012 (Internet censorship in Oman)Indian Internet censorship restricts users in Oman too. They are also restricted by Oman's Internet censorship.
  13 July 2012 (Mobile phone users' privacy)Mobile phone users don't know how much information the phones collect, nor how vulnerable they are to its being collected by or transmitted to others.
  13 July 2012 (Australian Internet surveillance)Australia plans total Internet surveillance a la NSA, and perhaps imprisoning people that don't hand over encryption keys (as in the UK). Falkvinge suggests that the UK could imprison you for having photos or astronomical data, if the state chooses to claim they contain steganographic messages and demand you provide the key to extract them.
  13 July 2012 (US appetite for elephant tusks)Illegal Ivory Bust Shows Growing U.S. Appetite for Elephant Tusks.
  13 July 2012 (Pointless restrictions on abortion)Many US states have imposed pointless restrictions on abortion for the sole purpose of making abortion difficult.
  Right-wingers often make the absurd claim that Liberal regulations on business are meant to interfere with business (rather than protect workers, customers and the environment). Why would they imagine such dishonesty? Because that's the way they do things.
  13 July 2012 (Seasonal fire fighters get health insurance)Obama has extended health insurance to seasonal fire fighters.
  This step, in itself, is a good thing, but what we really need is universal health care not connected with employment. Obama didn't dare speak in favor of that.
  Meanwhile, Republicans are trying again to repeal Obama's health care law, which is a step in the wrong direction.
  13 July 2012 (Processing of payments to Wikileaks)A court in Iceland ordered the local Visa and Mastercard processing company to resume processing payments to Wikileaks, but it is not clear whether this will result in allowing people to actually send money to Wikileaks.
  13 July 2012 (Urgent: Request text of TPP draft)US citizens: phone your senators and ask them to send you a copy of the draft TPP text. Also send them mail through this page.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  13 July 2012 (Bradley Manning trial)A charge against Bradley Manning is being interpreted with a looser criterion than the same charge against prisoners in Guantanamo.
  13 July 2012 (Deforestation in the Amazon)The deforestation that has already occurred in the Amazon is expected to cause the extinction of a number of species of animals because their habitat is now insufficient.
  Worse, in a few decades the rain will be insufficient, and what's left of the forest will burn up just as the dead pine forests in the western US are burning now. (These trees are dead because global heating has allowed pine borers to survive where formerly they could not.)
  13 July 2012 (Obama attacking marijuana dispensaries)Obama is attacking state-approved medical marijuana dispensaries just as Bush did.
  12 July 2012 (Austerity in Spain)The Pain in Spain Falls Mainly on the Plain (Folk).
  12 July 2012 (Olympic Games)The Olympic Games are a publicly subsidized corporate-controlled lockdown, but with major changes they could be something more.
  12 July 2012 (Urgent: Prosecute banksters)Everyone: Call on the EU to prosecute the banksters for lying for Libor.
  12 July 2012 (''Our terrorists'')The Mujahideen-e Khalq get very different treatment from al Qa'ida, because the US apparently considers them ''our terrorists.''
  As stated before, to label a group as "terrorist" and ban it by administrative fiat is an attack on freedom of association. If there is evidence that a group is planning terrorism, put it on trial!
  12 July 2012 (Urgent: Romney's tax returns)US citizens: Sign this petition calling on Romney to publish his tax returns.
  12 July 2012 (China requires pre-censorship)China requires Internet sites to pre-censor all videos.
  12 July 2012 (Urgent: Don't let Israel attack Iran)US citizens: sign this petition to Obama not to let Israel attack Iran.
  12 July 2012 (Urgent: Support medicare for all)US citizens: tell Democrats to support medicare for all.
  12 July 2012 (US to deploy intrusive lasers)The US is about to deploy lasers that can detect tiny amounts of various substances, such as traces of explosives, traces of marijuana, or traces of hormones in your body.
  I suspect these can also identify and track people by the spectrum of chemicals around them.
  12 July 2012 (Lamar Smith being sneaky with SOPA)Lamar Smith tried to sneak one provision of SOPA into another law.
  The provision would involve putting dedicated personnel US embassies to pressure other countries in favor of "intellectual property". Or perhaps only in favor of copyright '-- by using the vague term "intellectual property", the article fails to say what range of issues this job would cover. However, we can tell it includes some bad things.
  12 July 2012 (Geithner knew about Libor manipulation)Geithner, the "banksters' man in Washington", knew about the manipulation of Libor in 2008 and did nothing.
  45% of US mortgages are tied to the Libor rate, and were therefore affected directly by this manipulation.
  12 July 2012 (Record-breaking drought in Texas)NOAA: the record-breaking drought in Texas last year can only be due to global heating.
  12 July 2012 (Obama and Congress support Big Pharma)Obama and Congress give full support to Big Pharma's patents against life-saving compulsory licenses in poor countries.
  12 July 2012 (Wifi networks without passwords)US court ruled that people operating wifi networks without passwords are not responsible for others' copyright infringement.
  However, I fear that the unofficial persecution arranged by Obama will not pay attention to rights like these.
  12 July 2012 (Cause of 2010 oil spill)A 2010 oil spill, the most expensive pipeline rupture in US history and not cleaned up yet, was due to a company policy of disregarding safety. This demonstrates that US regulation of pipelines is too weak to depend on. The same will surely be true for the Keystone XL pipeline.
  If the individuals responsible were prosecuted and imprisoned, including executives that pushed for cost savings and didn't insist on maintaining safety standards, this sort of accident would not happen.
  12 July 2012 (Religion taught with Texas public funds)Americans United for Separation of Church and State reports how charter schools in Texas use public funds to teach religion.
  12 July 2012 (Seattle thugs attack dissidents)Seattle thugs broke down the door of some dissidents' apartment '-- without asking them to open it '-- and seized booklets that said "anarchist", as well as a hoodie. It seems they did not find the goggles and gas masks they were looking for, but if they had, so what? These things are not useful for hurting anyone. What they are good for is protesting despite state attempts to crush democracy. A state that treats these as suspect treats the people as an enemy.
  12 July 2012 (Science cuts in Canada)The science cuts in Canada include agencies that measure global heating and water pollution '-- the perfect gift for oil companies.
  12 July 2012 (Chevron refused to evacuate workers)Chevron refused to evacuate workers from a marine gas drilling platform, keeping them on board until the explosion they expected killed some of them.
  12 July 2012 (Portugal doctors strike)Portugal Doctors Strike over Budget Cuts.
  12 July 2012 (Another nail in ACTA's coffin)Another nail in ACTA's coffin: Bulgaria suspended ratification.
  12 July 2012 (Russia adopts Internet censorship law)Russia has adopted a law for Internet filtering, using ''child pornography'' as an excuse.
  "Child pornography" is an ideal excuse for censorship, which is nastier than works someone might want to censor. Here is an interview with a blogger about the danger of this scheme.
  Russian Wikipedia blacked out its site as a protest.
  12 July 2012 (Urgent: Oppose extradition of Richard O'Dwyer)Everyone: contact the UK home Secretary, Theresa May, to oppose the extradition of Richard O'Dwyer.
  email: mayt@parliament.ukUK phone: 020 7219 5206
  The US wants to prosecute O'Dwyer for running a site with links to copyright-infringing torrents.
  12 July 2012 (Coal miners protesting in Madrid)Thousands of coal miners are protesting in Madrid against plans to shut the mines.
  Someone in Spain told me that the miners demand is not necessarily to keep the mines running (which seems like a waste) '-- some other kind of work for their towns would satisfy them too. However, the Spanish state is determined to dump more people into poverty so that the banksters won't lose anything.
  12 July 2012 (Syrian diplomat defects)A Syrian diplomat has defected.
  He is a Sunni, so this tends to confirm the sectarian form that Syrian opposition has taken.
  12 July 2012 (Israeli army religious extremists)Religious extremists in the Israeli army, encouraged for years by the state, implicitly threaten mutiny if the state tries to undo the extremists' colonies in the West Bank.
  12 July 2012 (Melynda Gates to champion access to birth control)Melynda Gates decided to champion access to birth control.
  This is a truly worthy cause. I have more respect for her than for the Gates foundation in general, whose "philanthropy" includes "donating" Windows licenses.
  12 July 2012 (Biotech industry ''helping'' teachers)The biotech industry is "helping" US science teachers teach children that GMOs do not raise any issue to be concerned about.
  12 July 2012 (Irish and Argentine economies)Bankster economists describe Ireland as having brilliant prospects and Argentina as a disaster zone '-- the exact opposite of the truth.
  Argentina has blocked its citizens from getting foreign currency, or taking it out of Argentina. This is a pain for my friends, but it might make the country less vulnerable to being emptied out by the rich.
  12 July 2012 (Urgent: Prohibit Pebble Mine)Tell the EPA to heed its scientific assessment and not allow the Pebble Mine.
  12 July 2012 (Verizon claims ''editorial freedom'')Verizon claims that arbitrarily blocking or discriminating between network sites is its "editorial freedom".
  The current US Supreme Court is so twisted it might even agree.
  12 July 2012 (Urgent: Land and Water Conservation Fund)US citizens: phone your congresscritter to support continued funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Also send a message through this page.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  12 July 2012 (Palestinian children attacked)Both Israeli soldiers and "settlers" have recently attacked Palestinian children.
  12 July 2012 (Leaders of The Freedom Theater imprisoned)Leaders of The Freedom Theater have been imprisoned without charges by Israel and by the Palestinian Authority.
  12 July 2012 (Israeli military rule)Under Israeli military rule, all Palestinian political parties are illegal and carrying a Palestinian flag is illegal. Arrested Palestinians have trouble seeing a lawyer and may not get a trial.
  The Palestinian Authority cooperates with Israel to arrest Palestinians thousands of times a year. In effect, it is a security subcontractor for the occupation.
  12 July 2012 (Sneaking SOPA through in bits & pieces)Lamar Smith Looking To Sneak Through SOPA In Bits & Pieces, Starting With Expanding Hollywood's Global Police Force.
  12 July 2012 (American pardoned for criticizing king)Thailand has pardoned an American who was convicted of criticizing the king, hoping we will forget that this law is still in effect and other people remain in prison.
  12 July 2012 (Warrantless wiretapping is a crime)The NSA's warrantless wiretapping is a crime, not a state secret.
  12 July 2012 (Taliban)A Taliban leader says that "al Qa'ida is a plague" and that the Taliban will have to negotiate in order to have some political power in Afghanistan.
  He represents one viewpoint within the Taliban; others are more rejectionist.
  One interesting side point in the article is that the US assassination of Taliban leaders has brought about their replacement with new leaders who are more radical. This could be because they are younger and have less experience and maturity. Thus, it could be that the US's tactics make a negotiated solution impossible.
  Part of the US government may have wanted this result so as to assure it could continue fighting in Afghanistan forever.
  12 July 2012 (Distrust in TV news)Americans are learning not to trust TV news.
  I hope they also learn not to trust TV political ads.
  11 July 2012 (Urgent: Remove loophole for feeding antibiotics to cattle)US citizens: tell the FDA to get rid of the "preventive" loophole for feeding antibiotics to cattle.
  With that loophole, the FDA's proposed regulation would fail to do the job.
  11 July 2012 (Urgent: Support mortgage relief in Massachusetts)Massachusetts homeowners: phone Senator Brown to support mortgage relief. Also sign this petition.
  I can't sign it since I am not a homeowner.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  11 July 2012 (New York thugs arrest couple for dancing)New York thugs who felt in the mood to hurt someone arrested a couple for dancing in the subway. They were attacked, handcuffed, and charged with "impeding the flow of traffic" although there was just about nobody around to impede.
  To be fair to the thugs, one of the couple also began to record what the thugs were doing and saying. Thugs go crazy when people exercise their rights.
  11 July 2012 (Mujica proposes to legalize marijuana)Uruguay's President Mujica proposes to legalize marijuana.
  He does not propose to end prohibition on the other common illegal drugs, but at least this is a start towards ending the futile and devastating "War on Drugs".
  11 July 2012 (US officials representing foreign organization)The US officials campaigning to remove the Mujaheddin-e Khalq from the official "terrorist list" may be breaking US law by representing a foreign organization without registering as its agents.
  11 July 2012 (US tactic of attacking rescuers)The US tactic of firing a drone bomb against the rescuers who aid the victims of the first bomb has been categorized by a UN official as a war crime.
  This tactic was practiced by al Qa'ida in Iraq; I guess the US copied it from them.
  11 July 2012 (Assange extradition)Swedish prosecutors are unable to explain why they won't question Assange in London.
  11 July 2012 (Paid maternity leave)Families can't "Have It All", but paid maternity leave, denied only by the US and a few poor countries, would help them get closer.
  11 July 2012 (Extreme weather linked to global heating)Climate scientists have been able to link some recent extreme weather events directly to global heating.
  11 July 2012 (Spain to further hurt poor)Spain has been ordered to lay out a clear plan to impose further suffering on the poor, in order to get money to bail out the banksters.
  It ought to wipe out the banksters in order to help the poor. Bankrupting a few banks and compensating the insured depositors would be a great victory.
  11 July 2012 (UK policies could turn middle class against poor)UK policies threaten to turn the squeezed middle class against the poor.
  I think that is no surprise to those who craft these policies: the banksters and their political servants. They must be chuckling over the idea that two groups of victims will turn on each other, rather than unite and evict the banksters from the City of London.
  11 July 2012 (Mahmoud Sarsak free)Mahmoud Sarsak was freed from imprisonment without trial and is back in Gaza.
  Israeli claims that Sarsak is part of Islamic Jihad. That is irrelevant to the issue, because imprisonment without trial by a state is more dangerous to human rights than anything an underground group could possibly do. If he has helped commit acts of civil violence, or war crimes, Israel could try him for those. However, Israel's own war crimes need to be prosecuted too.
  11 July 2012 (Excuse to strip away basic human right)The UK has made "intellectual property" an excuse to strip away a basic human right '-- against self-incrimination.
  "Intellectual property" is a generalization about laws that have nothing in common, in practice '-- except when laws like this create something bad that they have in common. Making policy in terms of "intellectual property", like using that term in your thoughts, tends to lead to bad results and this is a prime example.
  11 July 2012 (Nonfree mobile phone applications)Many nonfree mobile phone applications show ads that collect information about the user.
  The article calls these apps "free", but it must mean gratis, since free programs would be fixed by their users not to do malicious things like this.
  11 July 2012 (Urgent: Employee's right to vote)Everyone: Tell American Airlines, stop squashing your employees' right to vote.
  11 July 2012 (Black lung disease in US coal miners)US coal miners are getting black lung disease again, and even younger than before, thanks to a widespread disregard for safety standards.
  Republicans are blocking corrective action.
  Dust safety standards are not the only ones that coal mines disregard.
  11 July 2012 (Urgent: Regulate soot emissions)US citizens: call on the EPA to regulate soot emissions, which cause asthma and sometimes death.
  11 July 2012 (Bahraini dissident imprisoned for ''insult'')A Bahraini dissident has been imprisoned for ''insulting'' people in a political message.
  The US has supported the Bahraini state through a year of repression.
  11 July 2012 (Power plants changing vegetation)Nitrogen compounds from power plants are changing the vegetation in Rocky Mountain National Park, which will be irreversible if some species become locally extinct.
  This can kill the trout, too.
  11 July 2012 (Cost of F-35 fighter)The cost of the F-35 fighter has almost doubled since the project was started, but US politicians haven't the guts to cancel it.
  US military power is so far above the rest of the world that this project would be misuse of the funds even at the original price. And that's not to raise the question of whether US military power is a good thing or a bad thing.
  11 July 2012 (Big Music threatened startups)How Big Music Threatened Startups and Killed Innovation.
  11 July 2012 (''Free trade'' treaty comparable to ACTA)The European Commission is trying to use a free exploitation treaty with Canada to impose on Europe conditions comparable to ACTA.
  The article is unnecessarily vague through use of the term "intellectual property enforcement". That term refers to a dozen or so unrelated laws, and ACTA was only concerned with two of them (copyright and trademark). So what are they trying to put in this treaty? Provisions about copyright and trademark? Provisions about several of those laws? About all of them? It would have been so easy to make the article clear, if only Geist had not fallen for the chicness of "intellectual property".
  Of course, Europe should reject this treaty too. Will the European Parliament have a chance to vote on it?
  But this is not the only reason. This treaty will be bad because ''free trade'' treaties undermine democracy.
  11 July 2012 (8000 Kashmiris disappeared)Indian soldiers disappeared 8000 Kashmiris, sometimes for no reason except to collect a bounty from the government. Parvez Imroz traced them to unmarked graves.
  India also practices imprisonment without trial, much like the US, as well as torture that goes as far as cutting off people's limbs. All this rather than permit the referendum India promised Kashmir at the time of independence.
  11 July 2012 ($150 million spent on lobbying)The UK banks spent around $150 million on lobbying last year. What laws did they buy?
  11 July 2012 (Canadian scientists will march)Canadian scientists will march in Ottawa to protest the government's ideological attacks on environmental protection and research.
  10 July 2012 (Ocean acidification due to CO2)Ocean acidification due to CO2 is hurting sea life faster than expected because the CO2 is concentrated in the upper levels of the ocean.
  2000 scientists warn that urgent action is needed to save coral.
  A large fraction of sea life depends on coral reefs, and millions of people depend on them for food. The loss of these reefs would lead to massive extinction as well as lots of human deaths.
  10 July 2012 (England groundwater low)Despite heavy rain, groundwater in parts of England is still lower than normal, and another dry winter could cause drought again.
  10 July 2012 (UK considers destroying plutonium)The UK is considering destroying plutonium in nuclear reactors.
  These reactors resemble the former proposed breeder reactors in using liquid sodium instead of water as a coolant. This seems very dangerous to me. Liquid sodium is highly reactive. If pipes break and it escapes, it can cause a lot more damage, and make areas of the reactor inaccessible for chemical reasons.
  10 July 2012 (Tourist resort hotels suck up water)Tourist resort hotels in certain places are sucking up water, leaving local people in scarcity.
  10 July 2012 (Libyan election)The less Islamist candidate has won the Libyan election, but then publicly denied that his party is secular.
  10 July 2012 (Woman publicly murdered by Taliban)Taliban publicly murdered a woman they accused of adultery in a town very near Kabul. However, Karzai's government doesn't care much about women's rights either. To prolong the war in hope of preventing this oppression is futile, and does more harm than good.
  Perhaps the only way to prevent the oppression of women in Afghanistan is to give them a way to sterilize themselves so that they can't be used to make more women.
  It might do some good to arm Afghan women so they can kill men who oppress women.
  10 July 2012 (Afghanistan aid pledges)Afghanistan aid pledges hide rehashed promises and familiar corruption fears.
  10 July 2012 (Money funneled for campaign ads)US companies secretly funnel millions of dollars through tax-exempt organizations that use the money for campaign ads that pretend not to be campaign ads.
  09 July 2012 (Imprisonment for libel)Putin is considering imprisonment for libel, a injustice found in many countries including France.
  09 July 2012 (US must respond to Libor fraud)The US must respond to the Lie-bor fraud by reregulating and splitting up the big banks '-- so they can't collude to do this again.
  09 July 2012 (Suffering, pain & death in Haiti)Foreign investment means more suffering, pain & death in Haiti.
  If Haiti were an Arab country, its citizens would know how to make the foreigners get out.
  09 July 2012 (Mining company in Peru may poison water)The people of Cajamarca condemn President Humala of Peru for using a "state of emergency" to support a foreign mining company that threatens to poison their water.
  09 July 2012 (US student loans)Education in the US is a lifetime investment '-- for whoever provides student loans.
  09 July 2012 (Gov't requests for phone tracking data)US cell phone companies receive over a million government requests per year for cell phone tracking data.
  09 July 2012 (Scientologists want censorship)Scientologists want to get statements critical of Scientology taken down by reporting them as abuse.
  09 July 2012 (Global heating trends)Global heating is visible in long term trends: the fire season in the western US is 78 days longer than it was in 1986.
  The smoke from these fires is highly toxic, so they will kill people over coming years through disease, in addition to the people who die fighting these fires.
  09 July 2012 (Urgent: Support Voter Empowerment Act)US citizens: support the Voter Empowerment Act.
  Here's more information about it.
  09 July 2012 (Divestment from Israeli occupation)Jewish Voice for Peace reports on progress in the campaign for divestment from companies that are associated with the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
  09 July 2012 (Censorship in the name of ''protecting children'')In the name of "protecting children", Orange blocks access to all blogs.
  This concept of "protecting children" is fundamentally misguided. What children really need protection from is abuse and poverty.
  09 July 2012 (Bachelor's degree requirement)The requirement for a bachelor's degree for many jobs in the US has turned into a system of squeezing money out of the poor.
  This article announces an ebook, but if you consider buying it, first think about whether it is ethical.
  09 July 2012 (Suleiman Abdallah tortured by US)An interview with the lawyer for Suleiman Abdallah, who was handed over to the US in Africa for 5 years of torture in Afghanistan.
  The new CIA base in Mogadishu is suspected of being a secret prison.
  09 July 2012 (March against NATO supply routes)Thousands have marched in Pakistan against use of Pakistan for shipping supplies to NATO in Afghanistan.
  09 July 2012 (Voter ID laws)Voter ID Laws Could Block Thousands From Voting.
  09 July 2012 (Growing movement against Walmart)A strong movement against Walmart is developing in the US.
  09 July 2012 (US court validates decision to limit CO2)A US court validated the EPA's decision to limit CO2 pollution and rejected the denialists' arguments.
  09 July 2012 (Morsi defies Egypt's generals)Morsi defied Egypt's generals by ordering parliament to reconvene.
  9 July 2012 (Italian thugs falsify evidence)Some Italian thugs have been convicted of falsifying evidence to protect their colleagues from jail for their attack on sleeping protesters in Genoa.
  9 July 2012 (The USPTO)The USPTO helps mislead Congress for the sake of Big Pharma.
  9 July 2012 (Endocrine disruptors)Endocrine disruptors are present in many products, and can cause horrible birth defects.
  How peculiar that Republicans are not interested in protecting fetuses from this.
  9 July 2012 (Christian Fanatics)Christian fanatics are trying to push into Texas regulations some abortion restrictions that they failed to pass as legislation.
  The term "fanatics" is justified because they are happy to kill women for their irrational campaign to ensure more people are born.
  9 July 2012 (Journatic)A very quiet company called Journatic farms out local newspaper articles in the US to workers in the Philippines, who hardly write English.
  They can't interview anyone, they can can only rehash press releases.
  Journatic appears to be the journalistic equivalent of Walmart.
  9 July 2012 (US Banks involved in Libor manipulation)Big US banks are also involved in the Libor manipulation crime.
  9 July 2012 (Urgent: Call On China)US citizens (and maybe everyone else): call on China not to persecute Chen Kegui and other relatives of Chen Guancheng.
  9 July 2012 (Abandoned Walmart recycled)Abandoned Walmart Recycled As Public Library.
  08 July 2012 (Illegal toxins in clothing)Due to insufficient practical inspection, clothing often contains illegal toxic chemicals.
  What we need is more frequent inspection; and manufacturers should be taxed to pay for it.
  08 July 2012 (Debt collection)How international debt collection, food speculation and global heating are spreading poverty around the world.
  08 July 2012 (Urgent: Support Massachusetts voting reform)Citizens of Massachusetts: support ACLU-endorsed voting and registration reform.
  08 July 2012 (Phoning Internet companies)Many Internet companies show their contempt for users by giving them no way to phone and talk to a human being.
  08 July 2012 (New York Public Library)New York City proposes to turn its star research library into a big Internet cafe.
  08 July 2012 (Libyan elections)Libya's elections were held successfully in nearly all the country, but armed opposition groups in Benghazi prevented some voting in a complaint about the distribution of seats in parliament.
  It would be interesting to evaluate the system against usual objective criteria for allocating seats, to see who is right on that question.
  08 July 2012 (Assassination of Arafat)Uri Avnery: Sharon had Arafat poisoned because Arafat could have led Palestine to make peace with Israel.
  The Israeli state deserves to be punished for this assassination, and the ideal punishment would be to compel it to end the occupation of Palestine and make peace.
  08 July 2012 (Barclays interest-rate fixing)A whistleblower says that Barclays Bank's executives must have been told about interest-rate fixing.
  The UK public responds by moving money to smaller institutions.
  However, the response that is needed is to prosecute everyone who played any part, as well as the banks themselves. The resulting opportunity must be used to weaken them and take away their political power.
  08 July 2012 (Women's rights in danger)Women's rights are in danger around the world, as supposed non-right-wing world leaders failed to stand up against religious extremists.
  08 July 2012 (England's drought and floods)England's drought has been ended by very heavy rains, causing widespread flooding.
  This isn't the first flooding episode in the past month or two.
  It is nice to have water available, but keep in mind that global heating is predicted to produce, in some areas, both droughts and floods.
  08 July 2012 (Farmers driven off their land for biofuel)Companies are driving Guatemalan farmers off their land to grow sugar cane for biofuel.
  This demonstrates that the government of Guatemala has betrayed its people. However, it also shows the absurdity of growing crops for biofuel.
  Biofuel is a valid approach only if it can be made without the use of farmland or farm inputs.
  08 July 2012 (Apple disregards environmental standards)Apple has begun disregarding environmental standards for recyclability.
  08 July 2012 (Facebook phone messages to India)It appears Facebook spontaneously sends phone messages to people in India who have had no connection with Facebook. This user is trying to find out why.
  8 July 2012 (Texas)Texas Republicans oppose teaching critical thinking, because that could lead students to question their "fixed beliefs".
  8 July 2012 (War On Workers)Republicans' war on workers includes ending Federal unemployment benefits.
  8 July 2012 (Governments And Criminals)With thousands of expendable surveillance drones the size of maple seeds, governments and criminals will be able to observe just about everything people do.
  8 July 2012 (5 Ways)5 Ways Republicans Have Sabotaged Job Growth.
  A true and courageous Democrat would have made the Republicans pay for this, but what we have is Obama, who is more of a Republican himself.
  8 July 2012 (EU)The EU is considering a directive to permit some use of "orphan works", but as this article explains, the details are badly designed and it will do more harm than good.
  The article ends by describing it as a "missed opportunity", which seems inexplicably weak as a summary of the article's specific points.
  8 July 2012 (US Policy on Iran)US trade sanctions against Iran have nothing to do with uranium negotiations, since a nuclear agreement with Iran would not end the sanctions.
  Is it rational to use trade sanctions to achieve regime change in Iran? Iran is ruled by a peculiar tyranny that allows a little limited democracy. (That's what the US seems to be heading towards.)
  A few years ago, many Iranians wanted to change their brutal regime. They protested but their protests were brutally crushed, much like those in the US last year. Can hurting them with sanctions enable them to succeed? That is not plausible. In addition, since these sanctions are imposed by the US, they could easily lead many Iranians to direct their anger at the US instead of at the Iranian regime.
  US policy on Iran is simply stupid, in terms of US interests or stated US goals. It only makes sense in terms of the Israeli hawks' lobby.
  08 July 2012 (Guatemalans oppose privatization of education)Despite the attack on a student occupation protest, Guatemalans continue to oppose privatization of education.
  08 July 2012 (House Farm Bill)House Farm Bill Would Kick Millions Of People Off Food Stamps.
  08 July 2012 (Deep drought in US)A deep drought has destroyed much of the US wheat crop and may destroy the corn crop too.
  I suspect this is a consequence of global heating. Of course, global heating by itself does not directly cause a drought in any given year, but it makes droughts more likely in many areas. It also makes floods more likely in many areas.
  08 July 2012 (Pre-emptive arrests in Burma)Burma has arrested student leaders pre-emptively because protests might occur.
  07 July 2012 (Urgent: Regulate fracking)US citizens: call on the Bureau of Land Management to regulate fracking as tightly as possible.
  In my message I pointed out that fracking causes forest fires (by way of global heating).
  07 July 2012 (Consequences of treating fetus as person)The consequences of treating a fetus as a person in Ireland.
  07 July 2012 (Urgent: Stop global heating)US citizens: phone your congresscritter and call for action to stop global heating. Also send mail using this page.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  07 July 2012 (Urgent: Call on Cuomo to stop fracking)Everyone: write to New York Governor Cuomo and call on him not to allow fracking.
  07 July 2012 (Facebook censors human rights group)Facebook deleted a statement by a human rights group, then said that was a mistake.
  That Facebook invited the group to post the statement again '-- instead of undoing the deletion '-- demonstrates arrogance.
  However, the problem here goes deeper. It is not good for human rights groups (or anyone's) statements to be posted using a platform where statements are censored.
  07 July 2012 (Dehumanizing enemy soldiers)A video shows US troops in Afghanistan singing before launching a bomb at possible Taliban fighters.
  It seems there was good reason to think those men were fighters; digging in the middle of a road is not a very common activity for noncombatants. However, singing before killing people (even enemy soldiers) indicates dehumanisation of them, and that is not a good thing.
  07 July 2012 (Urgent: DC anti-fracking protests)In the US: participate in anti-fracking protests in DC.
  07 July 2012 (India thwarts Big Pharma)India has adopted a policy of distributing generic drugs, thwarting Big Pharma.
  07 July 2012 (Continued high unemployment in US)Republicans and Democrats argue over who is responsible for continued high unemployment in the US.
  They both are. It takes more than just time to address the unemployment problem. It takes appropriate policies, such as government spending to stimulate the economy, and protecting workers' rights. Moving spending from the military field (where it generates proportionally fewer jobs) to other fields also helps.
  Obama did stimulate the economy in 2008, and it helped. However, Republicans in Congress blocked further stimulus after that, and in 2011 Obama joined them by adopting the twisted goal of deficit reduction. Thus, the wrong started among the Republicans but covers both.
  07 July 2012 (UK considers prosecuting bank traders)The UK is considering prosecution of the bank traders that manipulated interest rates.
  I hope they will look for evidence that higher management knew about this practice.
  07 July 2012 (Troops sent to Mali)Neighboring countries are sending 5000 troops to Mali to fight the Islamist rebellion in the north.
  That rebellion ought to be defeated, but this intervention is likely to fail unless it is maintains the support of the inhabitants of that region. That will not be easy.
  07 July 2012 (Mother arrested in Arizona)A mother in Phoenix, Arizona, was arrested for giving a tiny amount of beer to her child.
  07 July 2012 (Cisco routers)Cisco says it is undoing its attempt to push users into remote management of their routers.
  However, if the firmware in a router can be updated, that means it is software installed on your computer and you should replace it with free software.
  Does anyone know whether the current CISCO routers can be used with software loads that are free?
  07 July 2012 (Urgent: Prevent human trafficking)US citizens: tell the Senate to pass a law to prevent human trafficking of employees for US contractors.
  Also phone your senators' offices.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  07 July 2012 (California prohibits fraudulent foreclosures)California has prohibited fraudulent and abusive foreclosures.
  7 July 2012 (GPS)Drones that use GPS to navigate can be hijacked by spoofing GPS transmissions.
  This won't protect people's human rights if governments start using drones to surveil everyone's movements. We have to hope it helps to prevent that.
  7 July 2012 (Earthquakes)Carbon capture and storage causes small earthquakes. Even though these are mostly harmless, they might let the carbon back into the atmosphere.
  7 July 2012 (US Corporate Media)US corporate media are bending over backwards not to talk about global heating when covering the giant fires.
  7 July 2012 (Louisiana Legislators)Louisiana legislators want to provide state money to Christian schools, but not to Islamic schools.
  No religion should get state funds of any kind, not directly and not indirectly.
  7 July 2012 (US Initiatives)US initiatives to declare fetuses "persons" have failed.
  7 July 2012 (US Officials And Congresscritters)US officials including congresscritters got special discount mortgages from Countrywide.
  7 July 2012 (Ron Paul And Rand Paul)Ron Paul and Rand Paul launched an initiative against government network neutrality regulations, and condemning campaigns in the name of the public domain.
  We could have honest Internet access without such regulations if all Americans could choose between many ISPs. However, the only way most US Internet users could have a choice between many competing ISPs would be through government regulation.
  Meanwhile, the idea that the government should be less involved in copyright issues is absurd. Copyright on published works is a federal law. Whatever copyright policies the US has will inevitably be chosen by the US government, except when it invites some international organization to deny the US the choice.
  7 July 2012 (UN Human Rights Council)The UN Human Rights Council resolved that human rights should apply on the Internet the same as off the Internet.
  India's government showed its true allegiance by voting against this.
  7 July 2012 (US Law)US law allows patents on drugs to be extended simply by doing an experiment on some other possible use of the drug.
  Please don't fall into the bad habit of describing what patents do as "protection" '-- that is propaganda in favor of patents.
  7 July 2012 (SELEX And Intracom)SELEX (Italian) and Intracom (Greek) worked around trade sanctions to finish a network project in Syria, according to Wilileaks documents.
  06 July 2012 (Genetically modified foods)Genetic engineering scientists report on the dangers, lack of testing, and ineffectiveness of genetically modified foods.
  Most scientists in this field have a direct financial interest in the success of GMOs, and therefore cannot be relied on to honestly evaluate their possible drawbacks. Contrast this with global heating: few climate scientists would profit individually by ending global heating, but some global heating deniers have been paid by oil companies.
  In addition to possible biological effects, GMOs covered by patents spread legal pollution.
  06 July 2012 (Bahraini thugs attack activist)Bahraini thugs attacked Zainab al-Khawaja with tear gas canisters and stun bombs, injuring her.
  This trick has been used by Israeli thugs to injure nonviolent protesters, but it is just as deceitful when anyone else does it.
  6 July 2012 (Delhi Police)Delhi police came to arrest rationalist leader Sanal Edamaruku for criticizing the Catholic Church.
  6 July 2012 (Apple And Motorola)Judge Posner threw out a patent case between Apple and Motorola, and recognizes that patents in software (and other fields) are often abused and might be a mistaken policy.
  6 July 2012 (Angola)Angola is holding an election, and arresting large numbers of protesters.
  6 July 2012 (Recordings)TEPCO shareholders are suing to demand that TEPCO preserve recordings of videoconferences in which it discussed the Fukushima meltdown.
  It is amazing that TEPCO was able to stymie the Japanese government investigations on such absurd grounds as privacy of the people working for TEPCO. I wonder if that conceals another scandal.
  6 July 2012 (Washington)Washington's Militarized Mindset.
  6 July 2012 (New York City's Electric Company)New York City's electric company locked out its workers during the heat wave, demanding givebacks.
  If you live in New York City and you're unemployed, why not offer to join them on the picket line?
  6 July 2012 (Syrian Generals)Two Syrian generals defected from the regime.
  6 July 2012 (Wikileaks Publishes)Wikileaks Publishes the 'Syrian Files'.
  I am hearted to see that Wikileaks is again fulfilling its mission.
  6 July 2012 (Fukushima Disaster)An expert panel concluded that the Fukushima disaster was the result of "collusion" between the government, the regulators, and TEPCO.
  More about this. The report is quite scathing.
  6 July 2012 (Uri Avnery)Uri Avnery warned that Israel might assassinate Arafat.
  06 July 2012 (US gov't nutty over Wikileaks)A US official told Birgitta J"nsd"ttir that the US has no wish to prosecute her or question her "involuntarily", but there is evidence suggesting this is not true.
  Evidence that the US is looking to prosecute Julian Assange and others in Wikileaks.
  The US Army admits it is investigating the Bradley Manning Support Group.
  This group was formed after Bradley Manning was arrested to provide him with moral and legal support. Since when is that a crime?
  06 July 2012 (US drone aircraft for spying on Americans)The US urgently needs to regulate the use of drone aircraft for spying on Americans.
  06 July 2012 (Self-contradictory claims of weapons tests in Iran)The claims that Iran is testing components of nuclear weapons at Parchin are self-contradictory and make no sense.
  This looks disturbingly like the lies the Bushmen told in order to justify the conquest of Iraq.
  06 July 2012 (Mexican presidential election)In Mexico's presidential election, over 1/4 of the voters say they encountered coercion or vote-buying.
  05 July 2012 (Right to resell proprietary software)The EU's highest court ruled that purchasers of proprietary software have a right to resell their copies.
  This does not make proprietary software acceptable. Software users deserve the right to change the program and to redistribute copies. However, I wonder if the court would make the same decision about the EULAs of ebooks. That would be a major victory. I also wonder whether the court would allow publishers to make a monkey out of that decision by means of DRM.
  05 July 2012 (New York thugs' ''wanted'' flyer)New York thugs printed up a "wanted" flyer about some people that often videotape the thugs searching passersby for being Black.
  05 July 2012 (Mitt Romney's shady financial tactics)5 Shady Financial Tactics Employed By Mitt Romney.
  05 July 2012 (Accusations from Barclays Bank)Barclays Bank accuses the former Labour government officials of asking it to lie to manipulate interest rates. Those officials deny this.
  We cannot count on banksters or ministers to tell the truth, so these conflicting statements are more reason for the most thorough possible inquiry. But which kind of inquiry is that?
  Maybe both. Maybe there should be a quick parliamentary inquiry into manipulation of the libor rate, and a longer and broader judge-led inquiry into the banksters in general.
  05 July 2012 (Chinese metal plant stopped by protesters)Mass protests in the Chinese city of Shifang put an end to a metals plant project that they feared would poison them.
  Will Americans have the strength to protest in such numbers against the Keystone XL pipeline, that is likely to poison people who live near it, then help fry our planet?
  05 July 2012 (Comeback of marxism in Europe)As capitalism veers towards fascism, marxism is experiencing a comeback in Europe.
  The article creates a phony appearance of irony by saying that the workers are keeping capitalism afloat. Actually the governments that serve the banksters are doing this, by exploiting the workers.
  We must not forget the lessons of communist tyranny, that the "dictatorship of the proletariat" turned out to be the corrupt dictatorship of the party leaders; however, if we firmly insist on democracy, a marxist perspective might help put an end to fascism.
  05 July 2012 (Deregulation of phone service)US phone companies have convinced (paid?) 20 states to deregulate phone service.
  Now in some places you can't get a phone line, or perhaps would have to pay a thousand dollars a year for one.
  05 July 2012 (Hope of restoring democracy in US)Michael Luick-Thrams has emigrated to Germany from the US because he sees no hope of restoring democracy in the US.
  05 July 2012 (Florida lifeguards fired)6 beach lifeguards were fired in Florida because they said they would save a drowning person outside the area which their job covers.
  Any lifeguard who obeyed the policy would have to spend the rest of his life thinking about how he let someone drown. Perhaps this company should add "psychopath" to the job requirements.
  The argument about liability is ridiculous; there is no reason to hold the company liable if a lifeguard tries and fails to save someone that wasn't the company's responsibility. However, if use of a subcontractors to hire lifeguards creates this problem, that is a good reason to ban the use of subcontractors to hire lifeguards.
  05 July 2012 (Argentina's baby-theft ring)Argentina is prosecuting the leaders of the army's baby-theft ring, which took the babies of female dissidents that they murdered, and gave them to right-wing families.
  Only some 20% of these babies have been identified.
  05 July 2012 (June US heat wave)Some climate scientists warn that the June US heat wave is a picture of the future.
  What used to be "extreme" still doesn't happen most of the time, but it is no longer unusual. It is becoming part of "normal".
  In 20 years, these events will be frequent, and far worse events will no longer be unusual.
  Of course, global heating doesn't explain why a heat wave happened at the end of June this year, or why it did not happen one week earlier or later. That is the randomness of the weather. Rather, global heating skews the probabilities so that heat waves happen more often.
  The crucial question is not, "Was this event caused directly by global heating?" but rather, "Of the last 10 weather-related disasters (floods, droughts, fires, big storms), what fraction of the damage probably wouldn't have occurred without global heating?"
  05 July 2012 (E-readers spying and reporting)Many e-readers spy on their users and report.
  05 July 2012 (Notes on US independence day)Some notes on US independence day.
  Thinking about the US, in which elections are more or less legally for sale to companies, I have to wonder whether anything but a moving dead body remains of the United States of America.
  05 July 2012 (Defected Syrian TV news anchor)A Syrian TV news anchor has defected and said that his job was to report falsehoods.
  05 July 2012 (French deficit reduction)Rather than shafting the non-rich, France plans to tax the rich and the corporations to reduce its deficit.
  If you're going to reduce a deficit, this is the right way. However, the time for a state to reduce its deficit is when the economy is growing, as President Clinton did (he gave the US a budget surplus). A recession calls for deficit spending.
  Alas, the Euro mechanism doesn't allow deficit spending when it is needed.
  05 July 2012 (Fighting national ID cards again)Americans must fight once again against national ID cards.
  05 July 2012 (Censorship and disinformation in Tunisia)The National Body for the Reform of Information and Communication, in Tunisia, has given up, saying that the state has taken up censorship and disinformation once again.
  05 July 2012 (Nuclear reactors restarting in Japan)The Japanese government is restarting nuclear reactors even though 70% of Japanese say no.
  In this regard, it has come to resemble the US government, which practices numerous right-wing policies that most Americans oppose.
  05 July 2012 (State of emergency in Peru)Peru declared a state of emergency in regions where local people are fighting against potentially toxic mining projects.
  If people could rely on their governments to prevent these mines from poisoning water supplies, there would be no need to oppose the mines. But few governments are strong enough, and honest enough, to stop the mines from risking other people's lives and health.
  05 July 2012 (Coverage of birth control)Attempts to use US courts to limit required coverage of birth control have been defeated.
  05 July 2012 (Jailed for being poor)Poor people in the US are directed by courts into decades of punishment as a result of debts they cannot pay.
  05 July 2012 (Twitter subpoena)Why the Twitter subpoena decision disrespects civil liberties.
  05 July 2012 (ACTA rejected)The European Parliament rejected ACTA, which is now effectively dead.
  ACTA was an attempt to impose nasty restrictions on Europe and other countries in the name of ''free trade'', which is a swindle in general.
  This is an important victory, but it's a defensive victory. The people have not gained ground, only avoided losing ground.
  Moreover, one defensive victory does not mean the threat is gone. The US continues to negotiate the TPP, which is far worse than ACTA, with other governments that want to give business increased control over their countries.
  Defense is not enough. We need to roll back the existing "free trade" treaties that the empire of the megacorporations is based on. We need to deny businesses the chance to argue, "If you regulate us, we will move."
  05 July 2012 (Soybean-fed farmed fish)Feeding soybeans to farmed fish shares the harmful effects of feeding them to farmed animals.
  05 July 2012 (Urgent: Block giant mine in Alaska)US citizens: call on the EPA to block a giant proposed mine in Alaska from polluting surrounding waterways with toxic waste.
  05 July 2012 (Urgent: Protect bluefin tuna)US citizens: call on the NOAA to protect bluefin tuna fully and carefully.
  05 July 2012 (Universal back door in Cisco routers)Recent Cisco routers have a universal back door allowing Cisco to forcibly change the software. The back door is active even if the user says "no" to "auto-upgrade".
  That's in addition to spying on users and threatening to restrict them.
  There are routers that can run free software. Replacing the software is the way to be safe from this.
  05 July 2012 (Stress of job insecurity)For Americans who still have jobs, the stress of job insecurity is making them sick.
  05 July 2012 (Send bankers to jail)Joseph Stiglitz says, ''Send bankers to jail.''
  05 July 2012 (Planned obsolescence of iBad)Apple practices planned obsolescence for the iBad '-- in just two years.
  05 July 2012 (Guns sent from US to Mexico)Did the US intentionally permit guns to be sold and brought to Mexico? Maybe not. Another report says that, thanks to Arizona's weak gun laws, nothing could be done.
  05 July 2012 (Urgent: Free Palestinians imprisoned without trial)Everyone: call on Israel to free Palestinians imprisoned without trial.
  05 July 2012 (Twitter must hand over user's data)A New York court ruled Twitter must hand over most of Malcolm Harris' data without a search warrant.
  05 July 2012 (Denied asylum in UK)Baljit Singh, a Sikh from Afghanistan, was denied asylum in the UK and deported to Afghanistan. There he was imprisoned, in effect for being a Sikh rather than a Muslim.
  05 July 2012 (Israel wants annexation wall)Israel wants to build the annexation wall through agricultural terraces in use since Roman times.
  04 July 2012 (Israel violates child rights)Israel arrests one or two Palestinian children every day, and treats them very harshly, violating the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
  Israel also threatens the relatives of Palestinians prisoners. The Bush forces did that in Iraq.
  Former Israeli soldiers talk about the cruelty they inflicted on helpless Palestinians, or that others in their units inflicted.
  The Israeli Border Patrol is reputed to be the cruelest of the cruel. One officer kicked a Palestinian boy who was being held by another officer.
  04 July 2012 (Israel releases five prisoners)Israel has released five members of the Palestinian Parliament from prison.
  However, 22 of them remain imprisoned.
  04 July 2012 (How Israel denies access to water)How Israel denies Palestinians access to most of the West Bank's scarce water.
  04 July 2012 (Israel military academy)Israel plans to build a military academy in disputed Palestinian land near the Mount of Olives.
  04 July 2012 (Urgent: Stop demolition of Susiya)Everyone: call on the government of Israel not to demolish the Palestinian village of Susiya.
  More about the repeated expulsions of these people from their homes.
  04 July 2012 (US and Iran playing brinkmanship)The US and Iran are playing brinkmanship for war.
  What the US has not done is offer Iran real concessions (such as lifting of oil sanctions) if Iran makes a real concession on uranium enrichment.
  04 July 2012 (GlaxoSmithKline fined for bribing doctors)GlaxoSmithKline has been fined for bribing doctors to prescribe its products.
  Will the individuals responsible be prosecuted?
  04 July 2012 (Arafat was poisoned)Yasser Arafat was poisoned with radioactive polonium.
  03 July 2012 (Urgent: Health insurance for fire fighters)US citizens: call on Congress to give health insurance to the people fighting the giant fires in the West.
  03 July 2012 (Loch Ness monster disproves evolution)US schools cite the imaginary Loch Ness monster to disprove evolution '-- and the state of Louisiana pays for it.
  I guess one myth deserves another.
  03 July 2012 (Facebook lawsuit settlement)Facebook settled a lawsuit by promising users will be able to reject use of their names and photos in ads shown to other users.
  However, since this is "opt-out", by default users will still be exploited.
  03 July 2012 (Palestinian prisoners hunger strike)Several Palestinians imprisoned without trial in Israel are on hunger strike, and some of them are nearing death.
  03 July 2012 (No compensation for Fukushima evacuees)The Japanese legal system ensures that those who had to evacuate due to the Fukushima meltdowns will not be compensated.
  03 July 2012 (Urgent: Keystone XL pipeline)Everyone: Tell Clinton that amending the old, inadequate environmental impact statement for the Keystone XL pipeline is not adequate.
  Sad to say, Obama is not just failing to confront the issue of global heating, he is going all-out to pour tar sand oil on the fire.
  03 July 2012 (Japan nuclear emergency drill)The Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization planned a nuclear emergency drill, but excluded serious scenarios such as a meltdown because they might make the public worry.
  This attitude '-- the public shouldn't worry about nuclear power '-- seems to prepare the road for accidents to occur.
  (The planned drill was never held; the article doesn't say why.)
  03 July 2012 (Urgent: Call on Alabama Public TV)US citizens: call on Alabama Public TV not to broadcast right wing disinformation.
  03 July 2012 (Prediction of peak oil proves false)The prediction of peak oil has proved false, because high oil prices have made available so much inefficient oil that burning it is disaster.
  03 July 2012 (The burning planet)Why aren't we all looking for ways to escape from the burning planet while the "authorities" do nothing?
  Unfortunately, it is because none of us can escape. There is no way to save yourself from catastrophe on your own. Even a group can't do much.
  We are all in one boat and we know it. Either we solve this problem together or the catastrophe will hit us all. The only actions that have a chance of success are those that could strip away the dominion of the fossil fuel companies over our governments. Any of those is a long shot too. Perhaps Americans need set themselves on fire near the White House; it could spark off a revolt, as in Tunisia.
  03 July 2012 (ALEC's tax exemption)Cancel ALEC's tax exemption, says the a former IRS enforcer of tax exemptions.
  03 July 2012 (Facebook email)Facebook has automatically pushed users' @facebook.com email addresses (which they never asked for) into the contact lists in other people's phones.
  The lesson here is that it is a fundamental mistake to trust a company such as Facebook to give anyone data about you. It will give them the data it wants them to have, not the data you want to give them.
  03 July 2012 (Threat of Delhi waste incinerator)A waste incinerator in Delhi that generates electricity threatens to end the livelihoods of 400 workers that manually sort garbage.
  The horrible life of picking through garbage is better than what they had in rural India. Indeed, one of them manages to support several children on his small income.
  Perhaps India needs a one-child-per-family law.
  03 July 2012 (Canada's gov't attacks environmental protection)Canada's government is attacking environmental protection along a broad front.
  It resembles what Republicans have tried to do in the US Congress.
  03 July 2012 (Record-high temperatures in June)Many cities in the US had record high temperatures, and it's only June.
  03 July 2012 (Banks swindle people from UK)The banks swindled around $30,000 per person from the UK, while doing very little to support the economy that they parasitize. The taxes they paid in a decade were wiped out by the cost of bailing them out.
  I agree that the UK's goal must be how to stop them from doing this in the future. (The same goes for the US, except that our officials are so quietly servile that they don't intend to think about it.) When banksters say, "If you regulate us, we will move elsewhere," the response should be, "How soon can you be gone?"
  03 July 2012 (Systematic torture by Assad regime)Human Rights Watch concludes that Assad's regime in Syria systematically practices torture.
  If we can make Syria stop, maybe we can make the US stop.
  03 July 2012 (Illinois bans sale of shark fin)Illinois has banned the sale of shark fin, in an attempt to protect sharks. Several other US states have banned it too, notably Hawaii which has a significant Chinese population.
  Shark fin isn't exactly a "delicacy"; that word implies that people appreciate it for the sensation of eating it. Rather, it is a form of conspicuous consumption; when you hold a banquet, you serve shark's fin soup to show you were willing to spend that much.
  To end the killing of sharks for their fins we need more action to change this part of Chinese culture. In principle, anything else equally expensive could do the job '-- it is not crucial that it depend on a scarce resource from scarce animals.
  03 July 2012 (Leatherback sea turtles)Global heating threatens leatherback sea turtles, which are already endangered.
  03 July 2012 (Web sites shut down in Sri Lanka)Sri Lanka's tyrannical president shut down two web sites for criticizing the government.
  It looks like the murder of a famous editor was not enough to convince Sri Lankans to stop resisting.
  03 July 2012 (Declaration of Internet Freedom insufficient)The Declaration of Internet Freedom is well-intentioned but insufficiently specific.
  03 July 2012 (Apple's disregard for workers)Apple persists in disregarding the widespread blatant abuse of the workers that build its products.
  02 July 2012 (Sweatshops good for Foxconn)Sweatshops are good for Foxconn (and for Apple), but not for workers.
  2 July 2012 (Attacks)Personal attacks against Julian Assange are used to distract attention from the heroic achievements of Wikileaks.
  Ironically, this article itself exaggerates criticism of Assange by stating that the allegations against him consist of "rape" '-- they do not.
  2 July 2012 (European Countries)Many European countries signed an agreement for unlimited bank bailouts.
  That means the banksters can take the wildest risks, knowing that the profits will be theirs but the losses will fall on the public.
  2 July 2012 (Inequality In The US)What the Anglos did to the Amerindians in the 1800s, the 1% are now doing to all Americans.
  Some Outrageous Facts about Inequality (in the US).
  2 July 2012 (GMO Crops)A bill in Congress would allow planting GMO crops if approvals are appealed in court.
  2 July 2012 (Israeli Coalition)The last broadened Israeli coalition includes a party that opposes attacking Iran. Mofaz, leader of Kadima, says that making peace with Palestine is more important than Iran.
  2 July 2012 (US Law)The TPP would restrict US law to the point it can be considered a corporate coup d'etat.
  2 July 2012 (Back-door Subsidies)Back-door subsidies from the US and states to big banks.
  They prey on the the poor, the unemployed, the foreclosed.
  2 July 2012 (Hong Kong)Hundreds of thousands protested for democracy in Hong Kong, as another nondemocratically selected executive was sworn in by the president of China.
  2 July 2012 (Radiation)US research into the effects of radiation on humans and other life is corrupted by coming from the agency that supports nuclear power. And the US government is surreptitiously raising various standards for how much radiation is acceptable.
  When a research contract at MIT studies the "difficulties in gainingthe broad social acceptance" of nuclear power, I'd say that goes beyond the bounds of what universities should do. The project's abstract clearly shows that the goal is to convince the public to accept nuclear power.
  2 July 2012 (Barclays)How the Barclays bank fraud worked '-- and how the psychology of power enabled traders to "seduce" other staff into giving false data to state regulators.
  It is clear that each of the participants was consciously participating in fraud. Every single one should be prosecuted.
  The UK set up a special court to try the large number of rioters and their small thefts. Maybe it needs a special court to expeditiously try all the banksters who committed these frauds.
  More broadly, this suggests lessons for laws and regulations about how banks operate: structure them so that opportunities for such fraud do not arise.
  2 July 2012 (Human Rights)The US is the world's defender of the right to sell arms to states that violate human rights.
  Thus, the US does occasionally defend rights!
  2 July 2012 (Swiss Village)The Swiss village of Guttannen is threatened by mudslides due to global heating.
  2 July 2012 (Accusations)Sea Shepherd's statement about bogus accusations from Costa Rica against Watson, the head of Sea Shepherd.
  2 July 2012 (UN Troops)UN troops tried to invade the State University of Haiti, but students closed the gates on them.
  The reasons the troops gave make no sense, so maybe they were not the real reasons.
  2 July 2012 (Los Angeles)10,000 protested Wal-Mart in Los Angeles.
  2 July 2012 (Israel)Thousands continued protests in Israel against running the economy only for the rich.
  02 July 2012 (US gov't secretly offered loans)The US government secretly offered loan guarantees for construction of new nuclear power plants.
  02 July 2012 (Protesting Arctic oil drilling)Lucy Lawless talks about risking 3 years in prison by peacefully protesting against Shell's oil drilling in the Arctic.
  Now the US Coast Guard has established a "no protest" exclusion zone around a Shell oil rig in the Arctic.
  Obama is determined to make sure that nothing can divert the Earth from the road to disaster. We need a president who works for human beings, not for the oil companies.
  Jill Stein for president!
  02 July 2012 (WIPO setting up censorship)WIPO is setting up a treaty to give actors and musicians something like a copyright only stronger.
  It carries DMCA-like rules to censor software.
  I agree with the writer on the substance, but must point that the article suffers from using "intellectual property" and "copyright" interchangeably.
  It is nearly impossible to use the term ''intellectual property'' without falling into error, and it is misguided to try, since its use plays into the hands of those who would impose treaties like this.
  02 July 2012 (President Carter rebukes US gov't)President Carter rebukes the US government for turning against human rights.
  02 July 2012 (UK policy of punishing unemployed)The UK has a policy of rather brutally pushing people on unemployment benefit to look for work, which goes as far as requiring them to work for no pay. It seems that the real goal is excuses to cut off people's unemployment benefit.
  It is obvious a priori that a scheme to push unemployed people to seek work when the problem is a lack of jobs can't be a serious attempt to address the problem. Now we can see what it is really meant to do.
  02 July 2012 (Old shrines destroyed in Mali)Islamist extremists in Mali destroyed old shrines belonging to a different Islamic sect.
  02 July 2012 (Dishonest UK banks being sued)Dishonest UK banks are being sued by the stockbroker company Charles Schwab.
  02 July 2012 (EU recognizes ''smart meters'' threat)The EU recognizes that "smart meters" for electricity usage can be a threat to privacy.
  02 July 2012 (South Carolina bans municipal broadband)South Carolina joins other states in banning cities from providing municipal broadband.
  The state government is working for companies against the people of the state.
  01 July 2012 (Urgent: Call on Bahrain to drop charges)Everyone: Call on Bahrain to drop charges against the 11-year-old "protester" who faces imprisonment.
  01 July 2012 (Online activists challenge Beijing)Online activists risk torture to challenge Beijing.
  01 July 2012 (Australia's carbon tax)Global heating deniers say they will repeal Australia's carbon tax because it would be "a wrecking ball through the economy".
  Before they use the term "wrecking ball", they should look at what global heating is doing to the US now, then imagine it twice as bad in 20 years. Then they should remember last year's floods.
  01 July 2012 (UK railroad renationalization)Labour proposes to gradually renationalize the UK railroads so as to knock fairs down.
  The privatization was a handout to business, and never served the public interest. Although in some cases there are competing train companies for the same journey, the effective competition is not enough to result in benefit to the passengers.
  If B'liar hadn't been a right-winger in disguise, he would have nationalized the railroads.
  01 July 2012 (TPP: America's fire-sale)The TPP would be America's fire-sale to foreign companies. It would be just as bad for the people in all the other countries that sign it.
  01 July 2012 (Apple's other Chinese suppliers)Working conditions at Apple's other Chinese suppliers are even worse than in Foxconn.
  01 July 2012 (Why Scalia should resign)Why Scalia should resign from the Supreme Court.
  He might be impeached if Congress were not on the same payroll as him.
  01 July 2012 (Repression of Palestinians)Uri Avnery: Thugs in Tel Aviv violently attacked protesters because years of repression of Palestinians has trained them that way.
  01 July 2012 (Urgent: Investigate Rupert Murdoch)US citizens: call on Senator Rockefeller to hold hearings to investigate Rupert Murdoch for bribery and wiretapping.
  01 July 2012 (Forests cleared in Sumatra)Fires have been set in Sumatra to clear out forests for palm oil plantations.
  There are some commodities whose importation needs to be limited or even banned because their production or extraction causes so much harm.
  01 July 2012 (Fracking and global heating)The debate about fracking mostly ignores what it will do to global heating.
  01 July 2012 (Large US fires)The large US fires are the result of several effects of global heating all working together.
  Record hurricanes, record heat, record fires: this is what global heating looks like '-- in the early stages.
  Next year might not be as bad. In 10 years, every year will be worse than this.
  Meanwhile, Obama and Romney pretend special nothing is happening. Obama visited Colorado Springs and was reportedly shocked by the devastation of the fire, but apparently said nothing about global heating.
  Jill Stein for President.
  01 July 2012 (Putin's threats backfire)Threatening the band Pussy Riot with imprisonment is backfiring against Putin.
  01 July 2012 (Urgent: Protest Romney fund-raiser)In Southampton, New York: protest the Romney fund-raiser set up by the Koch brothers.
  01 July 2012 (Londoners will protest Olympic Games)Londoners will march to protest the Olympic Games, then hold "family-friendly People's Games".
  If you live in Madrid, Tokyo or Istanbul, organize now to prevent your city from holding the Olympic Games in 2020. Don't wait for the decision to be made.
  01 July 2012 (Urgent: Stop aid to thugs of Honduras)US citizens: call your congresscritter to stop aid to the military and thugs of Honduras, and to suspend operations at the School of the Americas. Also send a message via this page.
  The Capitol Switchboard numbers are 202-224-3121, 888-818-6641 and 888-355-3588.
  01 July 2012 (Cisco ''smart'' router back door)New Cisco "smart" routers seem to have a back door for Cisco to remotely install "upgrades". Users were freaked that Cisco seemed to say it would monitor users' connections.
  Cisco says that was an erroneous statement, but even if this is true, that doesn't make it rational to use these routers. The software in these routers is nonfree, and if Cisco can remotely change it, we cannot overlook it.
  Each note starts with a date and a brief topic in parentheses. That text is also a link to that note.For instance, if the note starts with "20 July 2003 (Iraq)" then you can link to it with "http://www.stallman.org/notes/may-aug-03.html#20 July 2003 (Iraq)".
  Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.
Sanders: Obama Plans December Attack On Social Security
  Link to Article
  Source: TARPLEY.net
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 01:33
  Webster G. Tarpley, Ph.D.PressTVSeptember 30, 2012
  According to most public opinion polls, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is slowly increasing his advantage over Republican challenger Romney, both in the national popular vote as well as in the contests for the swing states which will provide the key to the Electoral College and to final victory on November 6. According to many of these polls, Obama is gaining because he is seen by the American public as more likely to maintain what remains of the US social safety net, as compared to the reactionary Republicans Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan, who have both made clear that social programs will be subjected to deep austerity cuts.
  Every day, the Obama campaign fills the airwaves with television ads portraying Romney as a heartless plutocrat who has no interest in or comprehension of the daily struggles of working people. The implication is often that Romney cannot be relied on to preserve Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, food stamps, and other government programs which poor and unemployed people need to survive. In particular, Obamas advertising targets the so-called Ryan Plan for the federal budget, which would remove the federal guarantee (or entitlement) of medical care for senior citizens, and replace it with a voucher good for a sum of money which would usually not be enough to pay for the medical procedures older people require. They would have to pay the difference themselves, and many simply cannot. Continue Reading This Article Exclusively at PressTV
MTP: David Gregory Misquotes President, Acts as Romney Surrogate
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 01:32
  (h/t Heather at VideoCafe)It's pretty pathetic when a so-called journalist can't get a basic quote right while framing a question about the Libya attacks, but David Gregory managed to do it. The misquote is at the top of the video, where Gregory claims the "president has said as recently as May of this year that al Qaeda has not had a chance to rebuild, that al Qaeda has been defeated."
  Except that's not what the president said at all. In his speech in Afghanistan on May 1st, the president said this:
  But over the last three years, the tide has turned. We broke the Taliban's momentum. We've built strong Afghan Security Forces. We devastated al Qaeda's leadership, taking out over 20 of their top 30 leaders. And one year ago, from a base here in Afghanistan, our troops launched the operation that killed Osama bin Laden. The goal that I set - to defeat al Qaeda, and deny it a chance to rebuild - is within reach.
  Show me where he said what Gregory said. You can't, because he didn't say it. I cannot think of one single time where the president has claimed that Al Qaeda has been defeated, nor was I able to find one. What Gregory did was subtly reinforce the right wing meme that the president did a victory lap on the anniversary of Bin Laden's death with this question, and had to actually misquote what was said in order to get away with it.
  Unfortunately, the question was wrapped inside a larger question about Mitt Romney's pathetic response to the attacks. Romney has said that "the president failed to level with the American people and call this a terrorist attack" because how could he call it a terrorist attack when he declared al Qaeda defeated?
  That's right out of Karl Rove's playbook, that question. Plouffe understandably took offense to it, calling it "preposterous and really offensive," focusing back on the president's actual provable record. I understand why Plouffe didn't correct him, but NBC News should really make David Gregory retract the entire claim that was the underpinnings of a disingenuous question meant to echo stupid and dangerous lies and smears, like John McCain's suggestion this morning that Harry Reid doesn't care about Ambassador Stevens' death.
  Related to this, the right wing has also apparently decided that attacking UN Ambassador Susan Rice (again) is their only way to distract people from the tragedy and reality of what happened in Libya, and once again, Gregory was glad to oblige.
  Susan Rice has been a target of Fox News, Jake Tapper, and now David Gregory. The right wing really, really despises her, not only because she is the ambassador to the much-hated United Nations, but because Susan Rice is adamantly anti-war, which infuriates the neocons who think we should have rode into Libya on the tails of bombers and obliterated the entire landscape to hunt those nasty SOBs down. We should be doing this while ramping up the fear here at home because everyone knows fear sells, and mobilizes the right-wing base faster than you can snap your head around and widen your eyes.
  Funny how no one bothers to notice that Susan Rice, as ambassador to the United Nations, has absolutely nothing to do with security at embassies, strategy regarding Al Qaeda, or anything else that's remotely related to what they're whining about. So what grounds are they using to call for her resignation? Messaging failure. She made a statement based on the intelligence she had at the time, which has since been changed.
  Let's translate those words "messaging failure." I repeat, what Susan Rice failed to do was scare the hell out of everybody and put national security teams on high alert that the terrorists were coming so the wingers could stoke up the war machine and use it as a political hammer for Mitt Romney's campaign. Since she failed to play the wingers' game, they had to turn to Fox News and David Gregory for assistance, and they obliged.
  In this entire segment, David Gregory echoed the right-wing memes that emanate from Fox News and spread outward like metastasized cancer. Why can't we get a better political press corps?
Btw omhoog van 19 naar 21 procent
  Link to Article
  Source: VK: Home
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:36
  01/10/12, 00:01 '' bron: ANP
  (C) anp. Nieuwe prijskaartjes voor de producten van Gall & Gall
  Het leven voor de consument wordt maandag iets duurder. Op 1 oktober gaat het algemene btw-tarief omhoog van 19 naar 21 procent.
  Detailhandel Nederland denkt echter dat mensen daar in het begin niet al te veel van merken. Veel winkeliers zijn volgens de brancheorganisatie nog niet klaar voor de maatregel en zullen de kosten van de hogere btw de eerste maanden noodgedwongen voor eigen rekening nemen. Pas vanaf januari zullen de prijzen vrijwel overal zijn aangepast aan de hogere btw, verwacht de brancheorganisatie.
  ING heeft becijferd dat een huishouden volgend jaar door de maatregel gemiddeld 180 euro duurder uit is. In 2014 betalen zij in totaal 330 euro meer dan dit jaar.
  Mensen met hoge inkomens merken volgens economen de prijsstijging het sterkst. Dat komt omdat zij relatief meer besteden aan luxe goederen, zoals auto's en tv-toestellen, die onder het algemene btw-tarief vallen en minder aan bijvoorbeeld eten en drinken. Het lagere btw-tarief van 6 procent, waar onder meer levensmiddelen en medicijnen onder vallen, blijft gelijk.
New iPhone
  Link to Article
  Source: Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:32
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@adamcurry "@xdadevelopers: ANDROID: What Can We Learn from the Galaxy S III #NFC Hack? http://t.co/1pdMYKG2" #noagenda
  Link to Article
  Source: @adamcurry - Twitter Search
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:28
  NFC technology is poised to become the core of the mobile payment world. Nearly every cutting edge smartphone released in the next year will feature some form of NFC and mobile payments. Every major player from Verizon to Google, from MasterCard to American Express is in some way attempting to enter the market and gain a foothold in the thriving industry. Yet this is not without cost: Near-Field Communication technology is new and relatively untested. By linking it with our smartphones, a device we use for nearly every aspect of our lives, we've created the most potent bait an identify thief or malicious life hacker could desire.
  Yet until recently, few cared to think about the malicious possibilities that NFC posed to the user. Just over a week ago at Mobile Pwn2Own, this changed when MWR Labs demonstrated that NFC users (and vendors) have a whole lot more to think about. While the exact details of the exploit are still withheld, using the Samsung Galaxy S3'²s NFC chip, a file is downloaded and automatically opened. Next, the file was able to elevate its privileges and thereby gain control over every aspect of the device. As explained on the team's blog:
  The first vulnerability was a memory corruption that allowed us to gain limited control over the phone. We triggered this vulnerability 185 times in our exploit code in order to overcome some of the limitations placed on us by the vulnerability.
  We used the second vulnerability to escalate our privileges on the device and undermine the application sandbox model. We used this to install a customised version of Mercury, our Android assessment framework. We could then use Mercury's capabilities to exfiltrate user data from the device to a remote listener, including dumping SMS and contact databases, or initiating a call to a premium rate number.
  While this type of attack may seem complicated and far fetched, the reality is that criminals will go to great lengths to formulate a method by which to steal your information and money. The more reliant on mobile technology we become, the more vigilant we must be in safeguarding our information. Having NFC enabled 24/7 is like having your credit card, phone number, address, name, and Social Security Number dangling from your belt loop. So while the exploit will undoubtedly be patched quickly, just remember: You never know who may be watching.
In Full Flight
  Link to Article
  Source: Clusterfuck Nation
  Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:23
  Flying at higher platitudes in the thin upper air of his own mind last week, Republican candidate Mitt Romney remarked apropos of airplane travel: "[T]he windows don't open. I don't know why they don't do that. It's a real problem. So it's very dangerous." It turned out that Mitt meant the remark as a gag. But it sheds some light on the hazard of trying to be funny by saying the opposite of what you mean, and also on the essential character of Mr. Romney who, to put it as plainly and directly as possible, is the sort of person commonly described as "an asshole." Hence, the thought that must be flashing through many people's minds these days when Romney's off-kilter, square-jawed, grinning visage floats over the nearest flat-screen: Who would vote for that asshole...? Being given to more baroque taxonomy, myself, I would be satisfied in calling Mr. Romney an empty vessel in a vacant room in an abandoned property in a forsaken land, and leave it at that. It happens that his opponent, Mr. Obama, is a genial fellow with whom almost anyone might like to have a beer. Despite his winning smile, though, the president has managed to cripple due process of law, make war on the nation's own citizens, let Wall Street criminals run amok, and sell out the electoral process to a corrupt corporate oligarchy. I wouldn't vote for him again if he water-boarded me in a Jacuzzi full of Schorschbr¤u's Schorschbock 57 beer ($275 a bottle). But he's welcome to come over to my house and watch the baseball playoffs if he brings his own six-pack and a bag of Cheetos. And so it goes on the backstretch of the emptiest election contest in memory. The nation simply can't contend with the existential problems it faces and doesn't want to hear about them. As far as I can tell, nobody is paying attention to the campaigns, not even the reporters, certainly not the bloggers, who have their eyes on the riots and other kinetic unravelings related to the money crisis in Europe. Here, where anything goes and nothing matters, everybody just goes through the motions of electoral politics. It all has the odor of a ritual that nobody remembers the original purpose of - namely, to govern, i.e. to manage society's collective affairs. These days, nobody believes that our affairs are manageable, and their perception is probably correct, especially when it comes to paying for it all, since accounting fraud is now the basis of all financial operations. But I don't mean to just deplore the situation. It is what it is, and we are at a certain juncture of history because of the choices we have made, and we'll have to see how the consequences roll out. Here's how I see some of them. The Romney election fiasco will destroy the Republican Party, just as the Whig party fell apart in the last days of Millard Fillmore. The religious nuts and Dixieland ignoranti will demand the expulsion of all non-extremists and Karl Rove will be left at the Nascar track with Honey Boo Boo on his lap and a dwindling "base" of shrieking microcephalics awaiting the second coming of Adolf Hitler in a green satin Mountain Dew race-day jumpsuit. Respectable conservatives (they exist) will have to take their pleadings elsewhere, the venue or party yet-to-be determined, perhaps off-shore somewhere where the downtrodden sew blue jeans and counterfeit Louis Vuitton handbags. Meanwhile, genial Barack Obama glides to victory and then presides over four more years of implacable contraction that will make the Great Depression look like an episode of Cake Boss. The contraction is upon us because peak oil is for real and shale-gas / shale oil is what used to be known as "a bill o'goods" which one is sold by underhanded means and, boy, was this country sold. BP, Chevron, Exxon-Mobil and the gang carpet-bombed the cable news networks all year with shale propaganda and now everybody and his mother thinks we're going to run Walmart indefinitely on the rectified rock-farts of North Dakota. The sharpies over at Spin Central haven't figured out yet that true "energy independence" means living without the oil you need to run your stuff. In reality, the roughly 300-year fiesta of an expanding fossil fuel energy supply is over, and that model of an economy with it. We'll also soon discover the hard way that technology is not a substitute for energy. No matter how many apps you can cram into a little pocket-sized box you still need juice to run it. In any case, the folks who elected Mr. Obama will be furious when they learn the truth of our predicament. The Democratic Party may not blow up quite like the Republicans, but it could become the front organization for the imperial return of Bill and Hillary Clinton. I've maintained for over decade that Bill Clinton will get back into power despite the 22nd amendment because the nostalgia for the 1990s will be so overwhelming and irresistible in a harsh age. The only thing I wonder about is whether Bill or Hillary will succeed in getting the other bumped off. Otherwise the regime could develop into something like the brief joint Roman emperorship of Pupienus and Balbinus (238 AD). Eventually, I expect bankruptcy, political paralysis, and social disorder to become so extreme that a Pentagon general will stride into the White House and put an end to the freak show. A Navy Seal team spirits away Bill and Hillary to a dumpster in the ruins of Opryland... and it's on to the new dark age.____________________________________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:
Ronduit racistische reacties op video Samuel L. Jackson ter promotie Obama
  Link to Article
  Source: ZapLog - externe links
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 13:13
  Het kinderboek 'Go the Fok to Sleep' dat werd voorgelezen door Samuel L. Jackson was een tijd terug een grote hit. Nu maakte de acteur een video om Obama te ondersteunen: 'Wake the fuck up.' Daarin richt hij zich op degenen die in 2008 op Obama stemden, maar nu opnieuw wakker geschud moeten worden. Op rijm herinnert hij hen eraan wat Obama heeft gedaan '' zoals Bin Laden uit de weg ruimen- en welk kwaad Romney kan aanrichten.
  Het is niet ongewoon dat Hollywoodsterren zich uitspreken voor een kandidaat. Clint Eastwood gaf onlangs nog een speech om Romney te steunen.
  Op Twitter zijn de reacties van de tegen/voorstanders nooit mals, maar Jackson ontving tweets die ronduit racistisch zijn: 'Het zijn nikkers als jij waardoor ik denk dat Lincoln's besluit om de slaven NIET terug naar Afrika te repatriren een enorme vergissing was.'
  De video
OP 4 OKTOBER IS HET EINDE DEMMINK EN VVD
  Link to Article
  Source: Klokkenluideronline
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 13:04
  BREAKING * BREAKING * BREAKING * BREAKING * BREAKING * BREAKING * BREAKING
  LEES HIER HET PERSBERICHT [Helsinki] OVER HET DEMMINK-TRIBUNAAL IN WASHINGTON * NEDERLANDSE MSM BLIJVEN KINDERVERKRACHTERS DEKKEN EN BESCHERMEN * VVD ZAL DONDEREND IN ELKAAR STORTEN WEGENS BESCHERMING VAN DEMMINK EN ANDERE KINDERVERKRACHTERS ZOALS ED NIJPELS * EINDE CARRIERE MARK RUTTE IN ZICHT * KABINETSFORMATIE ZAL STIL KOMEN TE LIGGEN WEGENS DEMMINK-GATE NA PATHETISCHE POGINGEN VAN OPSTELTEN ZIJN MINISTERIE TE BEHOUDEN VOOR ZIJN COLLEGA-KINDERVERKRACHTERS * HENK KROL VAN 50+ HEEFT REEDS TOEGEZEGD KAMERVRAGEN TE GAAN STELLEN * OOK DE TELEGRAAF DREIGT TE WORDEN MEEGESLEURD IN PEDO-TSUNAMI * HOE REAGEREN DE PVDA EN SAMSOM? * HAAGSE PEDOFIELEN ZULLEN ALS RATTEN HET ZINKENDE SCHIP VERLATEN
Papers Please: FSB to create massive domestic passenger database
  Link to Article
  Source: StratRisks
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 13:03
  S ource: Gazeta
  Editor's Note: We have been watching the moves of Russian policy makers for some time. Crackdowns on foreign NGO's, politicians with foreign bank accounts, and the assaults on free speech and free assembly. Their visible attempt at a anti-color revolution council back in April was foolish but it is obvious that it didn't end there. Kicking out USAID and eventually kicking out NED shows they have no trust in their intelligence apparatus, will Russia go the way of East Germany and fall prey to hyper paranoia? ''Michael Vail
  According to a new Transportation Ministry order, starting July 1, 2013 data about every passenger who enters or exits any region in Russia will be added to a new FSB/Interior Ministry database. The Transport Ministry has published the text of the new rules in the 'Russian Gazette.' The FSB and Interior Ministry are ordering this new database in order to track the route of any person that law enforcement on the ground deems suspicious.
  For the Ministry of Transport, the new centralized automated passenger identity database will be part of a united government transportation safety system.
  According to the order, the Transport Ministry will only get involved when passengers cross between regions. ''If a commuter train travels within a region then this rule will not come into effect. But, for example, if a train goes from Moscow to the Moscow Region, then the new laws will apply,'' explained a Transport Ministry representative.
  Transportation companies will be required to have the name, surname, passport number, DOB, and proof of registration for every passenger on board. In addition, the company must show the route taken for each passenger, and the date and location where every ticket was purchased.
  If a transportation company fails to hand over this data, they could face both misdemeanor and felony charges.
  Despite of the fact that the order will not take effect until July 1, 2013, a trial run of the new passenger tracking system may take place before the end of this year.
  Tags: DOB, East Germany, FSB, government, intelligence, Interior Ministry, law, Michael Vail, Moscow, NED, NGO, Papers Please, revolution, russia, Russian Gazette, Transport Ministry, Transportation Ministry, USAID
VIDEO: Spain counts cost of deadly floods
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Europe
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 13:02
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Libyans give up guns and explosives in state collection drives. (Euronews video)
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 13:01
  Hundreds turned out in Tripoli and Benghazi to hand in weapons left over from last year's war.With the government struggling to impose authority, it has launched the initiative in an attempt to make the country safer and crack down on armed militants.
  One participant said, ''As part of the initiative I have handed over my weapon. We want our country to be safe and secure. We don't want weapons anymore. It's over, the time of war is over. We got rid of the tyrant. Thank God.''
  Muanmar Gaddafi is gone, but militant groups still patrol the streets. The government is attempting to disband the rogue militias, while offering backing to some of the most powerful legitimate groups in order to strengthen the state security forces.
  More about:Libya, Security, WeaponsCopyright (C) 2012 euronews
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Saakashvili rival says Georgia government's days numbered. (Euronews video)
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 13:00
  Tens of thousands of supporters of Georgia's opposition coalition have rallied ahead of Monday's parliamentary election.
  Tension has been rising after days of demonstrations over a prison brutality scandal that has come to dominate the campaign.
  The leader of the six-party Georgian Dream told the crowd in Tbilisi the days of the current government under President Saakashvili were numbered.
  Bidzina Ivanishvili used his final appeal to voters to challenge the government's record.
  ''All people are standing by us: ethnic minorities '' Azerbaijanis, Armenians, Jews. This is a great example to show the whole world that our nation deserves real democracy and real success,'' he said.
  The billionaire has come under scrutiny over his Russian fortune '' believed to be worth almost half of Georgia's economic output '' and alleged links to the Kremlin.
  The prisons scandal has diverted attention from him, but it has also increased tensions.
  TV reports exposed prison guards abusing inmates, prompting nationwide protests. The government told euronews it recognised there was a problem.
  ''Torture was systemic in Georgian police and it's not like that any longer. But prison system was somehow neglected. It was considered that prisons are calm'... So it was considered that, ok, there might be some problems but not so serious,'' said Prisons Minister Giorgi Tughushi.
  The Georgian interior ministry has rejected accusations from civic rights organisations that the authorities had illegally detained more than 20 activists, saying those being held had harassed police officers.
  Western organisations have called for restraint amid fears of election violence.
  The vote will be followed by a presidential election next year, after which power is due to be largely devolved to the prime minister.
  More about:Georgia, Georgia politics, Parliamentary electionsCopyright (C) 2012 euronews
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U.S. Forcibly Drugged All Guantanamo Prisoners With Scopolamine - Documents
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 12:56
  Drugged '... Hicks. Photo: Jacky Ghossein
  New evidence has emerged that all Guantanamo Bay detainees, including David Hicks, were drugged involuntarily with a substance that has a long history as a truth serum.
  Recently declassified US documents revealing medical procedures have shown that scopolamine was administered to all detainees taken to the Cuban detention centre.
  The documents, which were standard operating procedures for nursing staff, were obtained by the independent US news outlet Truthout, and reveal that the rationale for the drug's use on all detainees was to prevent motion sickness.
  However, US military experts have said that scopolamine is not recommended for motion sickness because of its severe side effects.
  The US government has not responded to questions by The Sun-Herald about drugs given involuntarily to detainees.
  The Sun-Herald revealed this month that Mr Hicks and other detainees were drugged against their will with unknown substances and that detainees' medical records were incomplete, with the names and dosages of drugs removed.
  Details of the mistreatment of Mr Hicks were about to emerge publicly for the first time in legal action, by the federal government, to stop him receiving revenue from his book Guantanamo: My Journey, until the government abandoned the case.
  Witnesses and previously secret documents were to have backed up Mr Hicks's long-held claims of abuse. Commonwealth prosecutors decided that the proceeds of crime case would not stand up in court and dropped the action.
  Details about the use of scopolamine emerged last week.
  Mr Hicks has told The Sun-Herald he was given a drug during his journey to Guantanamo Bay that left him drowsy and disoriented.
  He said it was administered by injection, not a patch behind his ear as is described in the standard operating procedures.
  Information released by the US spy agency, the CIA, has revealed that because of its many undesirable side effects, scopolamine had been disqualified as a truth drug.
  It listed its most disabling side effects as hallucinations, disturbed perception, headaches, rapid heartbeat, and blurred vision.
Scopolamine: Powerful drug growing in the forests of Colombia that ELIMINATES free will.
  Link to Article
  Source: WT news feed
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 12:53
  Scopolamine often blown into faces of victims or added to drinksWithin minutes, victims are like 'zombies' - coherent, but with no free willSome victims report emptying bank accounts to robbers or helping them pillage own houseDrug is made from borrachero tree, which is common in ColombiaBy Beth Stebner
  PUBLISHED: 17:44 EST, 12 May 2012 | UPDATED: 08:43 EST, 13 May 2012
  A hazardous drug that eliminates free will and can wipe the memory of its victims is currently being dealt on the streets of Colombia.
  The drug is called scopolamine, but is colloquially known as 'The Devil's Breath,' and is derived from a particular type of tree common to South America.
  Stories surrounding the drug are the stuff of urban legends, with some telling horror stories of how people were raped, forced to empty their bank accounts, and even coerced into giving up an organ.
  Scroll down for video
  Danger: 'The Devil's Breath' is such a powerful drug that it can remove the capacity for free will
  Deadly drug: Scopolamine is made from the Borrachero tree, which blooms with deceptively beautiful white and yellow flowers
  VICE's Ryan Duffy travelled to the country to find out more about the powerful drug. In two segments, he revealed the shocking culture of another Colombian drug world, interviewing those who deal the drug and those who have fallen victim to it.
  Demencia Black, a drug dealer in the capital of Bogota, said the drug is frightening for the simplicity in which it can be administered.
  He told Vice that Scopolamine can be blown in the face of a passer-by on the street, and within minutes, that person is under the drug's effect - scopolamine is odourless and tasteless.
  'You can guide them wherever you want,' he explained. 'It's like they're a child.'
  Black said that one gram of Scopolamine is similar to a gram of cocaine, but later called it 'worse than anthrax.'
  In high doses, it is lethal.
  It only takes a moment: One drug dealer in Bogota explained how victims are drugged within minutes of exposure
  Victims: One Colombian woman said that under the influence of scopolamine, she led a man to her house and helped him ransack it
  The drug, he said, turns people into complete zombies and blocks memories from forming. So even after the drug wears off, victims have no recollection as to what happened.
  One victim told Vice that a man approached her on the street asking her for directions. Since it was close by, she helped take the man to his destination, and they drank juice together.
  'You can guide them wherever you want. It's like they're a child.'
  She took the man to her house and helped him gather all of her belongings, including her boyfriend's cameras and savings.
  'It is painful to have lost money,' the woman said,' but I was actually quite lucky.'
  According to the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, the drug - also known as hyoscine - causes the same level of memory loss as diazepam.
  In ancient times, the drug was given to the mistresses of dead Colombian leaders '' they were told to enter their master's grave, where they were buried alive.
  Devil's Breath: The drug is odourless and tasteless and can simply be blown in the face of someone on the street; their free will vanishes after being exposed to it
  Dangerous: Vice's Ryan Duffy traveled to the capital of Bogota to find out more about the drug
  In modern times, the CIA used the drug as part of Cold War interrogations, with the hope of using it like a truth serum.
  However, because of the drug's chemical makeup, it also induces powerful hallucinations.
  The tree common around Colombia, and is called the 'borrachero' tree '' loosely translated as the 'get-you-drunk' tree.
  It is said that Colombian mothers warn their children not to fall asleep under the tree, though the leafy green canopies and large yellow and white flowers seem appealing.
  Experts are baffled as to why Colombia is riddled with scopolamine-related crimes, but wager much of it has to do with the country's torn drug-culture past, and on-going civil war.
  Watch video here: WARNING: CONTENT MAY BE UNSUITABLE FOR SOME READERS
Cyber Attack on US Banks is an Obvious False Flag
  Link to Article
  Source: Infowars » Featured Stories
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 12:51
  Eric BlairInfowars.comSept 30, 2012
  Over a month ago we featured an article titled The NWO Agenda Would Move Forward with This One Simple Act, which stated the one event that could accomplish all of the agenda's goals in one shot would be ''a false flag cyber attack on Western banking institutions that they can pin on Iran.''
  Please watch this exact scenario unfold in this short ABC news clip from a few days ago:
  With President Obama ready to sign an executive order to control the Internet in the name of cyber security, could it be more obvious that this ''cyber attack'' is a total set up? Especially since all versions of Internet control legislation have failed to pass in normal government channels bothdomestically and internationally.
  Are we expected to believe that sophisticated Muslim hacktivists attacked US banks because they were angry about a movie that was produced in America? That'd be like attacking Afghanistan or Iraq after 15 Saudis supposedly attacked us, ohh wait'...that did happen.
  Is this really the best story they can come up with? It was so predictable that it makes it that much more laughable. But the motive being pinned on the pathetic anti-Muslim movie is the real kicker.
  It's sad to see Richard Clark in the video above actually take this seriously. Talk about an establishment sellout.
  I call major bullshit on this story. It stinks to high heaven. What do you think?
  Tags: economics, government corruption
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'Succesvolle Nederlandse film staat onder druk'
  Link to Article
  Source: VK: Home
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 12:49
  30/09/12, 14:21 '' bron: ANP
  (C) anp. Hoofdrolspeler Daan Schuurmans samen met zijn vrouw en actrice Bracha van Doesburg op de rode loper bij de premiere van de film Bellicher : Cel tijdens het Nederlands filmfestival.
  De Nederlandse filmindustrie is een succesvolle en economisch waardevolle industrie. De sector staat echter wel onder grote druk. Het productievolume moet op peil blijven en daar zijn maatregelen voor nodig. Dat staat in een zondag verschenen onderzoek van het SEO Economisch Onderzoek.
  Vorig jaar stond de Nederlandse filmindustrie er goed voor: 8000 bedrijven bieden werk aan 20.000 mensen. In de afgelopen 4 jaar is de bioscoopomzet van de Nederlandse film met 80 procent gestegen. De onderzoekers concluderen dat er een positief verband bestaat tussen de vertoning van Nederlandse films en de hoogte van het totale bioscoopbezoek. Veel Nederlandse films in de bioscoop betekent dat meer mensen naar de film gaan. De stijging van het bioscoopbezoek is deels toe te schrijven aan investeringen in digitalisering, kwaliteit en uitbreiding van de vertoning.
  De bezuinigingen bij onder meer het Nederlands Filmfonds en de Publieke Omroep zullen echter vanaf 2013 een groot gat slaan in de Nederlandse filmproductie. Alleen al door het snijden in het budget van het Nederlands Filmfonds zal het productievolume in 2013 met (C)(C)n derde dalen, aldus het rapport.
Sunday Morning Bobblehead Thread
  Link to Article
  Source: Crooks and Liars
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 12:46
  Amazing.
  I promise you, every single one of these lies will be repeated on the Sunday shows over and over. And no one will point out that they are lies. Welcome to post-fact America.
  ABC's "This Week" -- Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J.; White House adviser David Plouffe; Panel: former Mississippi governor and RNC chair Haley Barbour; former Vermont governor and DNC chair Howard Dean, founder of Democracy for America; Democratic strategist and ABC News contributor Donna Brazile; political strategist and ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd; and POLITICO senior political reporter Maggie Haberman.
  NBC's "Meet the Press" -- Christie; Plouffe; former Gov. Ed Rendell, D-Pa. Panel: Conservative activist and founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, Ralph Reed; Fmr. Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA); the BBC's Katty Kay; and NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd.
  NBC's "The Chris Matthews Show" -- Bob Woodward, Washington Post; Katty Kay, BBC; Joe Klein, Time; Kelly O'Donnell, NBC
  CBS' "Face the Nation" -- Christie; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., University of Virginia's Larry Sabato and Democratic strategist Robert Shrum; The Washington Post's Bob Woodward, Moody Analytics' Mark Zandi, former DC Chancellor of Schools Michelle Rhee and Hedrick Smith, author of Who Stole the American Dream.
  MSNBC's "Up with Chris Hayes" -- Nan Aron, President of the Alliance for Justice; Barbara Arnwine, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Akhil Amar, Sterling Professor of Law at Yale Law School, Author of ''America's Constitution: A Biography;'' Jeffrey Toobin, Author, ''The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court" and Staff Writer at The New Yorker.
  MSNBC's "Melissa Harris-Perry" -- Jamal Simmons, Democratic Strategist; Katon Dawson, National Republican Consultant; Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, Contributor to NBC Latino; Jonathan Capehart, Washington Post Columnist; Amy Jo Martin, Founder and CEO of Digital Royalty; Andrea Powell, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Fair Girls, Asia Graves, Survivor of human trafficking .
  CNN's "State of the Union" -- Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; Gov. Martin O'Malley, D-Md.; David Axelrod, adviser to President Barack Obama's re-election campaign. Panel: Republican Consultant Alex Castellanos, Pollster and Democratic Strategist Celinda Lake, and CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash.
  CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Bain Capital Managing Director Steve Pagliuca.
  CNN's "Reliable Sources" -- The Guardian's Ana Marie Cox, National Review's Ramesh Ponnuru and Thomson Reuters' Chrystia Freeland, SNL alum Darrell Hammond, Gregg Doyel of CBS Sports.
  "Fox News Sunday" -- Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan. Panel: Bill Kristol, The Weekly Standard/Fox News Contributor; Liz Marlantes, The Christian Science Monitor; Laura Ingraham, The Laura Ingraham Show/Fox News Contributor; Juan Williams, Fox News Political Analyst.
CYBER WARRIORS AND WORRIERS FACE A PANDORA'S BOX!
  Link to Article
  Source: VENITISM
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 06:42
  CIA and Mossad have developed Flame, Stuxnet, Gauss, and three additional malware toconduct clandestine cyberwar and espionage, targeting computer systems in Iran.USA has attacked many foreign computer systems, having the ability to attack,degrade or destroy the e-grids of adversaries. The heavy encryption and natureof the newest malware fits the profile of military intelligence operations.Uncontrolled security threats on the Internet could return much of the planet toan era without electricity or automated transportation. The United States hadyet to resolve basic questions about how to police the Internet, let alone howto defend critical infrastructure such as electric generation plants. The pastthree years have seen an escalation of an unprecedented theft of trade secretsand mounting threats to infrastructure.
  Using malware, USA not only has delayed the Iranian nuclear bomb, but it canalso explode the bomb once it's developed! Let the Iranians hide the bomb deepinside a mountain, and the Americans will detonate it like a piece of cakeinside the mountain! Iranians are in for a big surprise!
  Extremely sophisticated malware have infiltrated computers and energy facilitiesin the Middle East. Researchers are now dissecting heavily encrypted malware,such as Stuxnet, Flame, and Gauss, designed by American and Israel intelligence.But these malware would become templates. They were written by cautiousprofessionals who minimized collateral damage. The knock-off versions by otherswill be much less discriminating. An electronic assault that disabled thousandsof computers at Saudi Arabia's Aramco had followed a separate infection reportedby an Iranian oil company.
  Governments and gangs realize malware is much cheaper than mainstream warfare.Malware, short for malicious software, consists of programming designed todisrupt operation, gather information that leads to loss of privacy orexploitation, gain unauthorized access to system resources, and other abusivebehavior. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware,dishonest adware, scareware, crimeware, rootkits, and other malicious andunwanted software or program. In law, malware is sometimes known as computercontaminant.
  Mounting a defense against nation-sponsored attacks will be extraordinarilydifficult, as it requires new operating systems designed to manage equipment atcrucial facilities. Stopping criminals and terrorists who will adopt the sametechniques would take strong international cooperation and deeper monitoring ofthe Internet, which many oppose on privacy grounds.
  Malware makers can hide their tracks using spoofing, VPNs, proxy services, andother means to make it look like they are based in any number of countries -when in truth they are somewhere completely different.
  The US Defense Department has defined cyberspace as a warfare domain that itmust dominate. Governments and companies recognize that they have all beenhacked and focus more on limiting the damage from breaches.
  The freakish Pasok government of Greece in 2010 was so stupid that it hoodwinkedall media that I conspired to trigger a war between Greece and Turkey and blameMariliza Xenogiannakopoulou, Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece,for it! Accusing dissident bloggers of treason, Graecokleptocrats havemanufactured a blood libel in cyberspace, which in turn incites hatred andviolence. The government of Greece gave my head on plate to Erdogan. BrutalGraecokleptocrats have destroyed my life. My life is stolen. Now I demand mylife back!
  Occident has developed electronic weapons that could be used to defend the Westagainst cyber attacks or prevent them. Occident is prepared to strike first in acyber conflict. Cyber arms grow out of control. No government can guarantee itcan protect a country or entity against cyber attack. In future wars, there willbe a cyber element. Countries hope that if they threaten to use missiles toretaliate against a cyber attack, others will think twice about launching one.
  Internet security firms make more money when people are more scared of malware,and Eugene Kaspersky declares that cyber terrorism can bring the end ofcivilization! A global Internet blackout and crippling attacks against keyinfrastructure are among two possible cyber-pandemics. Kaspersky is afraid cyberterrorism is just beginning. Very soon, many countries around the world willknow it beyond a shadow of a doubt. Kaspersky hoodwinks it will be the end ofthe world as we know it!
  Kaspersky hoodwinks the evolution from cyber war to cyber terrorism comes fromthe indiscriminate nature of cyber weapons. Very much like a modern-dayPandora's Box, Flame and other forms of malware cannot be controlled uponrelease. Faced with a replicating threat that knows no national boundaries,cyber weapons can take down infrastructure around the world, hurting scores ofinnocent victims along the way.
Afghan 'insider attack' kills two
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Home
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 06:41
  30 September 2012Last updated at02:34 ETA US official has confirmed that 2,000 American soldiers have now been killed in the Afghan conflict, after a new suspected "insider" attack.
  A US soldier and a foreign contractor were killed in eastern Afghanistan, apparently by a rogue member of the Afghan security forces.
  "Insider" attacks sharply increased this year, prompting the coalition to suspend joint operations this month.
  However, such operations resumed in recent days, the Pentagon said.
  The nationality of the contractor was not given immediately.
  CheckpointThe two new deaths occurred on Saturday in Wardak province, a spokesman for the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force said.
  Afghan officials say the incident took place at a checkpoint near an Afghan National Army base in the district of Sayedabad.
  Continue reading the main story2007 - 2 attacks, 2 Isaf soldiers dead2008 - 2 attacks, 2 dead2009 - 6 attacks, 10 dead2010 - 6 attacks, 20 dead2011 - 21 attacks, 35 dead2012 (so far) - 36 attacks, 52 deadSource: International Security Assistance Force (Isaf)
  The police chief of Wardak province told the BBC that a number of Afghan soldiers had also been killed but this has not been independently confirmed.
  It is not immediately clear what prompted the incident. Military officials from both sides have launched a joint investigation.
  At least 52 foreign soldiers - about half of them Americans - have been killed in so-called "green on blue" attacks this year, compared to 35 for the whole of last year.
  "I'm mad as hell about them, to be honest with you," Gen John Allen, the top commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, told CBS's 60 Minutes show, in an interview scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday.
  "It reverberates everywhere across the United States. You know, we're willing to sacrifice a lot for this campaign, but we're not willing to be murdered for it."
  It was announced this month that hundreds of soldiers in Afghanistan had been dismissed or detained after an inquiry into the surge of insider attacks.
  Nato combat troops are set to withdraw by the end of 2014, but a central plank of the strategy is that foreign soldiers will serve alongside and train Afghans for many years to come.
  Correspondents say that may not be realistic given the ever increasing number of Afghans who turn their weapons on their foreign allies.
Prime Minister of Curacao says attempt to boot him out of office before elections is unconstitutional
  Link to Article
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 06:34
  The prime minister of Curacao says the attempt by the island's governor to kick him out of office 21 days before new elections is ''unconstitutional'' and a coup.
  "There is no democratic answer," Gerrit Schotte told The Miami Herald by telephone at 11 p.m. Saturday from within the walls of his office compound on the Dutch-speaking Caribbean island.
  Schotte said he was locked inside the compound with about 20 other individuals, including members of his Cabinet, senators and others. He did not know how long they would remain but said the "the guy who says he is PM" had given orders to the police to go in.
  Police, he said, had refused.
  The drama unfolded 4:30 p.m. Saturday when an interim government was sworn in by the Holland-appointed governor. Elections have been scheduled for Oct. 19.
  "Why are they trying to get in power?" Schotte said. "Everything indicates they are trying to stop the elections."
  Interim Prime Minister Stanley Bertrain was sworn in at the Governor's Palace by acting Gov. Adeerl van der Plujim-Vrede.
  Schotte, 38, has been in office for 23 months. But after his government lost its majority and was forced to resign, the country has been in a parliamentary crisis.
  On Sept. 13, a majority of parliamentarians asked the governor to name an interim government. The legality of the move has been questioned, with Schotte saying it's an "unconstitutional act."
  Non-Schotte supporters have denied in the press that there is a coup.
  Schotte has urged the island's 150,000 citizens including those protesting outside the walls to remain calm, he said.
  "I don't need this," he said. "But I want to get a message out. He doesn't have the authority to make a new government."
Elsevier.nl - Nederland - Rutte: Gedrag premier Cura§ao is onbehoorlijk
  Link to Article
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 06:29
  Nederlanddonderdag 6 oktober 2011 23:23
  Premier Mark Rutte (VVD) maakt zich zorgen over de situatie op Cura§ao en het kabinet suggereert een ingreep op het eiland. De premier van Cura§ao ruziet openlijk met de centrale bank en politici zijn niet voldoende integer.
  Cura§ao hekelt de 'bemoeizucht' van Nederland
  Dat blijkt uit een uitgelekt verslag van de ministerraad, waaruit het Antilliaans Dagblad heeft geciteerd en dat nu in handen is van RTL Nieuws. Een commissie onder leiding van voormalig GroenLinks-leider Paul Rosenm¶ller concludeerde onlangs dat de integriteit van ministers op het eiland niet in orde is.
  BoycotIn een conceptbrief (pdf) aan Cura§ao, dat sinds oktober vorig jaar een zelfstandig land is, schrijft minister Piet Hein Donner (CDA, Binnenlandse Zaken) over de 'agressieve toon in het publieke debat, de verbale intimidatie van personen, inbreuken op de persoonlijke levenssfeer en boycot van de media'.
  In een verslag (pdf) van de ministerraad staat dat het kabinet zich zorgen maakt over wat zich afspeelt op Cura§ao. Rutte noemt het gedrag van premier Gerrit Schotte van het eiland 'onbehoorlijk'. De Cura§aose premier weigerde een onderzoekscommissie te ontvangen. Minister Henk Kamp (VVD, Sociale Zaken) noemt de situatie 'ernstig'.
  Het kabinet-Rutte suggereert een ingreep in de politieke situatie in de voormalige kolonie van Nederland. Het kabinet is bereid om artikel 43 in te zetten. Hierin staat dat Cura§ao fatsoenlijk moet worden bestuurd, anders grijpt het koninkrijk in.
  IntegerOp Cura§ao groeit intussen de aversie tegen de 'bemoeizucht' van Nederland. Parlementsvoorzitter Ivar Asjes zegt in reactie op het onderzoek van Rosenm¶ller dat Nederland eens moet bekijken hoe integer ministers Hans Hillen (CDA, Defensie), Gerd Leers (CDA, Immigratie en Asiel) en premier Mark Rutte zijn.
  Rosenm¶ller concludeerde dat Cura§ao een onderzoek moet instellen om de integriteit van Schotte en twee ministers te onderzoeken. Als dat niet gebeurt, moet Nederland ingrijpen.
  Door Shari Deira
  Rapporteer hier een fout in het artikel aan de redactie
Demissionair kabinet Cura§ao weigert vertrek
  Link to Article
  Source: VK: Home
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 06:25
  30/09/12, 04:31 '' bron: ANP
  (C) anp. Premier Mark Rutte in gesprek met Gerrit Schotte, 19 oktober 2010.
  Demissionair premier Gerrit Schotte van Cura§ao verzet zich tegen de 'staatsgreep' die volgens hem momenteel wordt uitgevoerd. Hoewel er een nieuwe minister-president is benoemd, blijft Schotte zitten.
  Hij heeft voor de loop van zaterdagavond een ministerraad bijeen geroepen. Zijn ministers steunen Schotte en willen niet opstappen, maar aanblijven tot 19 oktober als er parlementsverkiezingen zijn.
  Het plein in Fort Amsterdam waar Schotte kantoor houdt is afgesloten voor publiek. Er zijn nog ruim honderd demonstranten en pers, maar de politie wil dat iedereen van het plein vertrekt.
  Schotte heeft vanuit zijn werkkamer een interview gegeven aan de Venezolaanse tv-zender TeleSur. Daarin stelt hij dat Nederland wellicht achter de 'staatsgreep' zit.
  Leider van coalitiepartij Pueblo Soberano Helmin Wiels zegt zeker te weten dat Nederland haar invloed wil vergroten op Cura§ao en daarom een nieuwe regering 'heeft laten installeren'. Hij wil de nieuwe minister-president Stanley Betrian laten arresteren.
National Cyber Security Awareness Month
  Link to Article
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 06:07
  Each and every one of us needs to do our part to make sure that our online lives are kept safe and secure. That's what National Cyber Security Awareness Month'--observed in October 2012'--is all about!Our free buttons, posters, social media icons, templates and web banners can help you develop your education and awareness campaign.Our Get Involved sheets provide suggestions on how you can participate and make an impact during National Cyber Security Awareness Month.Being a champion is a way for you to officially show your support for National Cyber Security Awareness Month and your commitment to cybersecurity. Being a champion is easy and does not require any financial support.Advertise your event or see what National Cyber Security Awareness Month activities are taking place in your area.No individual, business, or government entity is solely responsible for securing the Internet. Everyone has a role in securing their part of cyberspace, including the devices and networks they use.
Jill Meagher's disappearance shows the need for greater CCTV coverage in Melbourne (Editorial From: Herald Sun)
  Link to Article
  Source: no corn syrup's feed
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 06:03
  THE disturbing disappearance of Jill Meagher shows the need for greater CCTV coverage on Melbourne's streets.
  The footage of the 29-year-old Irishwoman as she was approached by a man in a blue hoodie in Sydney Rd led police to the arrest of a man last night.
  As well as this sudden breakthrough in a baffling case, it has coincided with new state government funding for the cameras.
  Suburban and regional councils will almost certainly follow the lead of Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle in working with police to install the cameras where they can best protect the public.
  Some councils have already put cameras along their streets after receiving more than $2.5 million in government grants. Yesterday, Premier Ted Baillieu indicated he would support more cameras around the state.
  The cameras have been shown to work in providing surveillance in known trouble spots. As well as fixed cameras around the CBD, Melbourne City Council has two vans ready to patrol city streets from November under its Safe City program.
  The 360-degree cameras are a direct link to police and can provide an instant response to assaults and robberies.
  The cameras captured almost 600 incidents during a six-month trial.
  Security cameras are not an excuse for lazy policing although they can provide irrefutable evidence of a crime as well as discouraging potential offenders.
  The CCTV footage of the man in a blue hoodie, who is seen with Ms Meagher in Sydney Rd before she disappeared, brought responses from the tens of thousands of people who have seen it in the media and on social networks.
  Footage from another Sydney Rd camera shows the same man running towards the missing woman and a car doing a sudden U-turn towards her. Police are hoping several men will now come forward.
  These are chance images from cameras installed by shop owners. What is urgently needed is a wider, metropolitan network of CCTV cameras along city and suburban streets.
  It is ridiculous to say the cameras are an intrusion into people's privacy. They should be looked on as safety cameras that provide greater public protection.
Josh Kilbourn: US Banks Under Minor Cyber-Attack '' Probable Israeli False Flag '-- Meanwhile US Cyber-Security Largely Vaporware + Meta-RECAP
  Link to Article
  Source: Public Intelligence Blog
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 05:45
  Josh Kilbourn
  High Alert! Millions Of Bankers Cant Bank Online. BofA Blames Hackers From Middle East. Bank Cyber Attacks By Iran? Black Monday October 1, 2012?
  The financial and banking industries are on high alert tonight as a massive cyberattack continues, with potentially millions of customers of Bank of America, PNC and Wells Fargo finding themselves blocked from banking online.
  ''There is an elevated level of threat,'' said Doug Johnson, a vice president and senior adviser of the American Bankers Association. ''The threat level is now high.''
  ''This is twice as large as any flood we have ever seen,'' said Dick Clarke, an ABC News consultant and former cybersecurity czar.
  Sources told ABC News that the so-called denial of service attacks had been caused by hackers from the Middle East who had secretly transmitted signals commandeering thousands of computers worldwide.
  Hackers, Possibly From Middle East, Block U.S. Banks' Websites
  A group of purported hackers in the Middle East has claimed credit for problems at the websites of both banks, citing the online video mocking the founder of Islam. One security source called that statement ''a cover'' for the Iranian government's operations.
  The attack is described by one source, a former U.S. official familiar with the attacks, as being ''significant and ongoing'' and looking to cause ''functional and significant damage.'' Also, one source suggested the attacks were in response to U.S. sanctions on Iranian banks.
  Senior U.S. officials acknowledge that Iranian attacks have been the subject of intense interest by U.S. intelligence for several weeks. Last week, the Joint Chiefs of Staff's Intelligence Directorate, known as J-2, confirmed continuing Iranian cyber attacks against U.S. financial institutions in a report described as ''highly classified.''
  Officials see Iran, not outrage over film, behind cyber attacks on US banks
  Phi Beta Iota: This is almost certainly an Israeli false flag attack, NOT an attack by Iran. The US abuse of the SWIFT banking system has already inspired the Chinese to replace the SWIFT banking system (and the US dollar) for all interested parties including Iran. The damage done to banks has not been serious, more of an inconvenience. It is certainly true that financial systems are vulnerable (so are all network systems including power); a number of us '-- including students at the Air War College '-- were telling the US Government this from 1990-1994, only to be blown off. NSA has consistently neglected its assigned responsibilities for helping commercial enterprises achieve cyber-security and cyber-stability, and today, while there are 67 or so actual code-level cyber-security experts in the USA (only about 12 focused on defensive code), NSA/Cyber Command is spending over $15 billion on corporate vapor ware. DHS is theoretically responsible, but far removed from being relevant.
  See Also:
  1994 Sounding the Alarm on Cyber-Security
  2010 Homeland Security Today America's Cyberscam
  2011 Cyber-Command or IO 21 + IO Roots
  DefDog: $15 Billion for Cyber-Command, Zero for Actual Needs + Meta-RECAP
  DefDog: Cyber-Command Can't Find Ball'...
  DefDog: Cyberwar is the New Yellow Cake
  DefDog: Feds Hype Cyber-Threat, Seek DHS Mandates & Money
  DefDog: Is DHS Stupid, Dishonest, or Both? + RECAP
  DefDog: The infamous 'take down the Internet in 30 minutes' hearing from 1998 '-- Tens of Billions Later, NSA and OMB Have Not Done Their Jobs, US Cyber is Wide Open and Unsafe at Any Speed + Meta-RECAP
  Gold Master: SWIFT Against Iran '' Huge Mistake, Now SWIFT At Risk
  John Robb: USG '' Corporate Cyber Scam II
  Journal: Army Industrial-Era Network Security + Cyber-Security RECAP (Links to Past Posts)
  Owl: The DHS Cybersecurity Logjam [aka Goat-Fest Scam]
  Reference: Bruce Schneier on Cyber War & Cyber Crime
  Robert Steele: Iranian Plot or False Flag Fraud?
Libyans transfer weapons to army
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Middle East
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 05:42
  29 September 2012Last updated at23:41 ETHundreds of Libyans have handed in weapons in Benghazi and Tripoli as part of a disarmament drive organised by the army to target militia groups.
  Assault rifles, anti-aircraft guns, rocket launchers and even tanks were among military hardware handed in.
  The call to transfer weapons to Libya's army was promoted through a private television station.
  It apparently gained momentum after the US ambassador was killed in Benghazi, sparking resentment of armed militias.
  The groups that emerged during the fight to topple Col Muammar Gaddafi last year remain a powerful force in the country.
  Need for stabilityLibya's interim leader, Mohammed Magarief, vowed to disband all illegal militias in the aftermath of Ambassador Christopher Stevens' death on 11 September.
  In Benghazi, one of the organisers, Ahmed Salem, said that over 800 citizens had handed in weapons at the main collection point, the Associated Press reports.
  Over 600 different types of arms were collected.
  In Tripoli, two tanks were among the weapons handed in by at least 200 former fighters at Martyrs' Square.
  The television station which collaborated on the arms drive, Libya al-Hurra or Free Libya, broadcast live footage of the collection and transfer of weapons to military barracks on Saturday.
  The army's chief-of-staff said Libyans needed stability.
  "They are handing over weapons to the military so that they are kept in the right place and not on the streets," Yussef al-Mangoush said, according to Reuters.
  He said he hoped the collection would also expand to other Libyan cities.
  The government has estimated that over 200,000 people in Libya are armed. Previous attempts to disarm people have had little support.
  Former anti-Gaddafi fighters were among those who gave their weapons to the army.
  "When I saw the announcement on television I came to Benghazi with my wife and son to hand over my weapon to the national army because I want to move from the stage of the revolution to state building," Moussa Omr told AP.
  "I don't need this weapon after today, the militias have been expelled from Benghazi and the national army will protect us."
VIDEO: Bahrain riot police fire on Shias
  Link to Article
  Source: BBC News - Middle East
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 05:42
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ATLAS SHRUGGED IN FRANCE! LAISSEZ-NOUS FAIRE, MONSIEUR HOLLANDE!
  Link to Article
  Source: VENITISM
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 05:32
  Hollande raises taxes rather than cutting spending. The French budget includes anew 75% tax on the richest earning more than a million euros, a 45% income taxrate on incomes over 150,000 euros a year, a freeze in government spending,excluding debt repayments and pensions, assets of more than 1.3 million euroswill be taxed at 1.5%, the reduction of tax exemptions for loan payments bylarge corporations, and capital gains and dividends will now be subject to theincome tax regime.Laissez-nous faire, Monsieur Hollande! Let us do! Leave us alone! Buzz off!According to Arthur Laffer, the low-tax states belong to a different genusentirely. It's like comparing Hong Kong with Greece or King Kong with fleas!Occident must minimize taxes to single digits and abolish sales taxes and VAT.Starve the beast by fighting taxes.
  Hollande has understood that the increase in the public debt has got to behalted but penalizing the producers is not the right way. It amounts to stronglyincreasing the tax burden on companies, their shareholders and executives, thosewho create added value. It will lead to an even bigger loss of competitivenessand a reduction in long-term growth.
  Kim Holmes points out a new economic buzzword is on the loose. Austerity ismeant to describe the spending cuts by governments in Europe. Such austerity ismuch reviled by Hollande and by the radical parties elected in Greece. Americanliberals don't like it either. Eugene Robinson calls austerity a dangerous,self-defeating intellectual fad. Paul Krugman claims austerity is to blame forEurope's economic problems.
  French Atlas upon seeing that the greater his effort, the heavier the worldbores down on his shoulders, he simply shrugs. We have a dystopian France, wherecapitalists refuse to be exploited by increasing taxation and regulations anddisappear offshore. Yes, French capitalists are on strike! They are stoppingthe motor of France by withdrawing their minds that drive growth andproductivity. French capitalists demonstrate that a world in which theindividual is not free to create is doomed, civilization cannot exist wherecapitalists are slaves of kleptocrats, and the destruction of the profit motiveleads to the collapse of society. Atlas shrugged in France!
  The French public debt had hit 95% of GDP. Hollande's targets are very stupid,because they assume too much growth for the coming years. In reality, there willnot be any growth, as most producers will escape abroad aand underground. Mosttop earners leave France as a result of the planned tax rises.
  Holmes muses the critics of austerity have it backward. What has broughtEurope's economies to the brink is not fiscal responsibility; it is high taxesand out-of-control spending. These critics are playing a dishonest game, settingup false straw men, hiding data, and using misleading rhetoric to confuse thepublic.
  Taxes, especially VAT, feed the underground economy. It is your patriotic dutyto evade taxes, especially VAT, all the way! Taxation causes an enormous andunnecessary dead-weight loss to the economic system. The sheer cost and timeburden of businesses and individuals trying to comply with the tax system, letalone the cost of myriad bureaucrats who claim to be administrating it, wastehundreds of billions of euros. This waste of resources unnecessarily reduceseconomic growth and job creation. A major reason this obscenity persists is thatfew kleptocrats think seriously about the consequences of what they have doneand are doing, or just don't care.
  Holmes notes that while spending has been reduced marginally in Greece andSpain, it has not been cut in France. Nor has it dropped in Britain. Even in thecases where it has come down, we are talking about getting to what spending wasin 2008. Holmes doesn't recall any massive social dislocation back whengovernment spending was controlled by the socially minded Labor government inBritain. Despite all the supposed spending cuts, these countries still spendmore today than they did during pre-recession times.
  More savings should have been found from cutting public spending so no tax riseswould have been necessary. Never have households and companies been subjected tosuch a fiscal shock. It's a very bad choice. More savings should have been made.The goal of 3% isn't tenable, because there isn't enough basic growth to getthere.
  The French economy suffers from erectile dysfunction, and via-grab will notwork, but only via-cut. The via recommended is to cut taxes, not grab moretaxes. There are limits to how much government can tax before it kills the host.Even worse, when government attempts to subsidize prices, it has the net effect of inflatingthem instead. The economic reality is that you cannot distort natural market.
  Holmes says there is an austerity program in Europe, but it is not what youthink. Most of the governments in Europe have raised taxes. Britain, forexample, raised the top tax rate to 50 percent in 2010, while Italy has raisedsales taxes. From 2011 to 2012, 40 percent of the fiscal consolidation in Europecame from new taxes. As any economist worth his or her salt knows, taking moneyout of the economy through higher taxes during a recession is a growth killer.
  The anti-austerity fad is driven by the same evidence-dismissing mindset thathas beset Keynesian economics for decades. Obama's stimulus program failed togrow the American economy out of the recession. And yet Keynesians like Krugmansay the reason is that the government did not spend enough money, despite the$3.9 trillion added to the debt since Obama took office.
  In a counterfactual assertion that befits the ideologue more than the economist,Krugman cleverly sets up an argument he thinks is not disprovable. If failurecan always be explained away by claiming that not enough money was spent, thenhe can never be proven wrong. There's always some mythical amount of spendingthat will save the day. The evidence of failure doesn't matter.
  Holmes muses we have seen this old movie many times. It's the worn-out matineefeature where supposed austerity caused the Great Depression. The only problemis that's not what happened. Under Herbert Hoover, government spending expanded,and then rose sharply in 1932. The Great Depression was driven not by spendingausterity, but by the Fed's reaction and lack of foresight as well as tradeprotectionism. The massive spending of World War II temporarily turned Americainto a war economy, but its demobilization unleashed the best run of freeeconomic growth in human history.
  The austerity argument is a sleight of hand. It is intended to deflect attentionfrom the high-spending, debt-producing, and high-taxing policies that causedEurope's economic weakness in the first place. It's the old trick of accusingyour opponents of causing what you have caused. Europe's economic crisis camefrom decades-long high spending policies of European welfare states, yet nowthey want to pretend that the only cure - fiscal responsibility - is theculprit.
  Holmes wishes you good luck, because that trick won't work! There actually is achoice between austerity and growth, but it's not what the critics think. Thereal choice is between more government spending and higher taxes that slowgrowth, or lower taxes, debt reduction, and structural reforms that stimulateprosperity.
E Coli Beef Recall Scare Spreads To Wal-mart. Co-op & Metro Grocery Stores
  Link to Article
  Source: Uploads by MOXNEWSd0tC0M
  Sun, 30 Sep 2012 05:30